Reaction Paper on Personality Theory Essay

If you were in this situation, how would you explain this mistake? Many of us might blame the slip on distraction or describe it as a simple accident. However, a psychoanalytic theorist might tell you that this is much more than a random accident. The psychoanalytic view holds that there are inner forces outside of your awareness that are directing your behavior. For example, a psychoanalyst might say that James misspoke due to unresolved feelings for his ex or perhaps because of misgivings about his new relationship. The founder of psychoanalytic theory was Sigmund Freud. While his theories were considered shocking at the time and continue to create debate and controversy, his work had a profound influence on a number of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, literature, and art. The term psychoanalysis is used to refer to many aspects of Freud’s work and research, including Freudian therapy and the research methodology he used to develop his theories. Freud relied heavily upon his observations and case studies of his patients when he formed his theory of personality development. Before we can understand Freud’s theory of personality, we must first understand his view of how the mind is organized. According to Freud, the mind can be divided into two main parts: 1. The conscious mind includes everything that we are aware of. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. A part of this includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and brought into our awareness. Freud called this ordinary memory thepreconscious. . The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. According to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of three elements. These three elements of personality–known as the id, the ego and the superego–work together to create complex human behaviors. The Id The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes of the instinctive and primitive behaviors. According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality. The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension. For example, an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or drink. The id is very important early in life, because it ensures that an infant’s needs are met. If the infant is hungry or uncomfortable, he or she will cry until the demands of the id are met. However, immediately satisfying these needs is not always realistic or even possible. If we were ruled entirely by the pleasure principle, we might find ourselves grabbing things we want out of other people’s hands to satisfy our own cravings. This sort of behavior would be both disruptive and socially unacceptable. According to Freud, the id tries to resolve the tension created by the pleasure principle through the primary process, which involves forming a mental image of the desired object as a way of satisfying the need. The Ego The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality. According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. The ego functions in both the conscious,preconscious, and unconscious mind. The ego operates based on the reality principle, which strives to satisfy the id’s desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways. The reality principle weighs the costs and benefits of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon impulses. In many cases, the id’s impulses can be satisfied through a process of delayed gratification–the ego will eventually allow the behavior, but only in the appropriate time and place. The ego also discharges tension created by unmet impulses through the secondary process, in which the ego tries to find an object in the real world that matches the mental image created by the id’s primary process. The Superego The last component of personality to develop is the superego. The superego is the aspect of personality that holds all of our internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from both parents and society–our sense of right and wrong. The superego provides guidelines for making judgments. According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five. There are two parts of the superego: 1. The ego ideal includes the rules and standards for good behaviors. These behaviors include those which are approved of by parental and other authority figures. Obeying these rules leads to feelings of pride, value and accomplishment. 2. The conscience includes information about things that are viewed as bad by parents and society. These behaviors are often forbidden and lead to bad consequences, punishments or feelings of guilt and remorse. The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behavior. It works to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic principles. The superego is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious. The Interaction of the Id, Ego and Superego With so many competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict might arise between the id, ego and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego’s ability to function despite these dueling forces. A person with good ego strength is able to effectively manage these pressures, while those with too much or too little ego strength can become too unyielding or too disrupting. According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between the id, the ego, and the superego.

Online Shopping versus Retail

I will be showing you the comparison and contrast between online shopping and going to an actual retail store. When you sit and think about it, there are many differences between the two, but which of the two would you find more convenient and save you the most money. Many consumers have their very own preference when it comes to shopping. When I think about the two, I find online shopping a bigger advantage, and also a wider variety of items I may not find in a retail store while walking around.The benefits of online shopping and what it offers to our consumers. With the click of the mouse all your Christmas shopping can be done – now all we have to do is teach our computers to wrap them as well. Thanks to the internet and online stores we can shop in any store, anywhere in the world from the comfort of our home, without the hassle of crowds, queues and parking. While there is a strong online presence, shoppers still love hitting the stores for experience of Christmas gift gi ving.Brands Exclusive and Living Exclusive head buyer Garth Allan said online shopping has definitely become the new trend in retail. Brands Exclusive is Australia's leading online shopping club and offers savings of up to 70%off RRPs for more than 800 international and Australian brands. More than 80,000 new members are joining each month with two million Australian members overall.Brands Exclusive recently launched an iPhone app and iPad app for members to gain access to sales anytime. â€Å"Browsing and buying in the store can be a very time consuming process, especially if you have a busy schedule as it. Online stores such as Brands Exclusive are accessible any time of the day or night offering genuine products at significantly Compare and contrast essay over online shopping verses retail shopping PG 3. reduced prices.â€Å"Online retailers also provide access to a broad range of brands and products in one place, making it much simpler for shoppers to browse and buy. † à ¢â‚¬Å"Today, people really value the time and effort saved from being able to purchase products at the click of a button verses going to a store. † He said because of that online shopping was a key part of the retail sector and was set to grow 14. 1% to $26. 9 billion by 2016, according to PWC's 2012 Australian and Bew Zealand Online ShoppingRetail shopping and the many benefits it offers to our consumers. Consumers have become increasingly sophisticated and demanding with the availability and abundance of products, services, information, technology, as well as retail stores and channels (Terblanche and Boshoff, 2004). From the consumer's viewpoint, obtaining value is a fundamental consumption goal and pivotal to all successful exchange transactions (Holbrook, 1994).In response, many retailers are seeking to turn shopping into a high-value pursuit and are highlighting consumer value as an important source of competitive advantage (Woodruff, 1997). Despite the importance of val ue in creating consumer shopping experiences, existing literature on shopping value is limited. Researchers have conceptualized consumer shopping value from different perspectives and disagree upon dimensions of shopping value. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of consumer shopping value is needed.This research seeks to understand consumer shopping value and its dimensions from a holistic view by connecting shopping motivations and processes to the ultimate outcome of shopping through exploring consumers' shopping experiences in two major shopping contexts: department stores and mass merchandisers. Department stores and mass merchandisers are of interest because they have reigned as primary retailers in the U. S. and have had a significant impact on the retail marketplace due to their size, longevity, national profile and large Compare and contrast essay over online shopping verses retail shopping PG 4.number of consumers they serve (Wellman, 1980 and Rabolt and Miler, 2009). Dep artment stores are large retail units, such as Macy's, Dillard's, and JCPenney in the United States, which generally carry an extensive assortment of merchandise organized into separate departments (Rabolt and Miler, 2009). Mass merchandisers are large retail discount stores such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, and Target, which serve the mass market (Rabolt and Miler, 2009).Department stores and mass merchandisers have applied different merchandising strategies and focused on different value propositions. Department stores emphasize fashion goods with higher markups, extensive service, and a pleasant shopping experience with the value propositions of entertainment, service, and scale. Mass merchandisers, on the other hand, offer a broad range of merchandise at lower prices, provide limited service, and tend to focus on moving merchandise quickly with the hallmark value propositions of low price and shopping convenience.Therefore, comparing consumer shopping experiences at department stores and mass merchandisers may capture key dimensions of shopping value in the retail marketplace and can shed light on the relationship between retail formats and the type of shopping value that consumers gain. Consumer shopping value: An investigation of shopping trip value, in-store shopping value and retail format Journal of Retailing and Consumer ServicesWhen you compare the two, you see that they both are a shopping experience that is a preference to one person. If you think of a difference in the two, one is online with modern technology in the comfort of your home or office and retail shopping requires you to drive your car, fight with crowds, search for parking, and stand in long checkout lines. Compare and contrast essay over online shopping verses retail shopping PG 5. In conclusion you can see by the compare and contrast there were several advantages and dis-advantages of the two.In my personal opinion I would consider the retail for my groceries and small trips for the necessa ry items that I may need to get by. When I am searching for a gift I usually turn to the internet, because it allows me to browse many stores and sites to find the bargains and pricing in my budget that I am willing to spend towards my purchase. I have got great bargains at retail shops and stores in the past. An example was recently on black Friday, I went to our local Wal-Mart and it was so overcrowded and long checkout lines I wished I would of reconsider that trip I made, but I was able to by many Christmas presents at a bargain price.

Richard Layard stated that ‘happiness comes from outside and within’ Essay

Happiness is described as a positive feeling that ranges from Joy to contentment. Everybody would like to be happy. It is believed that people who are happy are more successful, productive, have better relationships and better health. We would like to maintain these feelings when we have them. Richard Layard uses the terms ‘outside’ and ‘within’ to describe where happiness comes from. ‘Outside’ factors include influences like relationships, social identities and culture. ‘Within’ looks at influences such as biology, thoughts and feelings. So the ‘outside’ relates to social influences and ‘within’ relates to personal factors inside the individual. This essay aims to find evidence of these multiple influences in order to explain Richard Layard’s statement. First it will address ‘within’, next it will look at the ‘outside’, finishing with a conclusion. A key biological factor of happiness is linked to a healthy lifestyle and eating the right food. Exercising and eating right increases the body’s level of endorphins, which naturally gives us a boost. Certain foods stimulate the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin regulates mood, appetite and sleep, and is what produces the feelings of happiness and satisfaction within us. If we have low levels of serotonin we feel depressed and anxious. Judith Wurtman (1996) (cited in starting psychology 2011) found a connection between low levels of serotonin and a diet low in carbohydrates. People on high fat, high protein, low carbohydrate diets reported feelings of depression anger and tension which were unusually high. Foods that stimulate serotonin contain a chemical called tryptophan. Foods like fish, nuts, beans, eggs, oats and chocolate all contain this mood boosting chemical. So what we put in our bodies can affect our level of happiness. When Layard states happi ness comes from ‘within’ he is drawing on these biological factors. But are some of us born with a genetic predisposition to be happier than others? Richard Davidson et al. (2000) (cited in starting psychology 2011) used an EEG to measure where the brain is active when we are happy. It found that happy people show more activity in the front of the brain on the left  hand-side than the right and vice versa when people are unhappy. Some people naturally use one side of their brain more than the other, using the left side more means you are likely to show higher levels of happiness regardless of your experiences. This theory was tested on babies and toddlers. Both left hand-sided babies and toddlers showed less distress when separated from their mothers and were better at new situations than babies and toddlers who were right hand-sided. This shows some level of happiness is genetically inherited again a ‘within’ factor of biological evidence to support Layard’s theory. Davidson teamed up with Jon Kabat-Zin to see if mediation had any effect on the right and left front brain activity. They carried out an experiment on a group of high pressure workers. The group was divided into two and one group was taught how to meditate, the other was told they would start later. Eight weeks later the group who learned to meditate were significantly happier, coped better with stress and had greater immunity when given a flu vaccination than the group who had not yet started. It also showed that their level of brain activity had shifted to the left. So although the brain and how it works is fundamental in how happiness is produced you can effectively train your brain to work in a different way by altering its plasticity. (Starting Psychology 2011) All these biological factors contribute to our level of happiness and is what Layard meant by ‘within’ influences. These are not the only influences on our happiness; relationships and environment play a large role too. Richard Layard’s (2005) research into happiness identified a list of seven factors that promote wellbeing. The list states family and close relationships are the number one factors for happiness as they are emotionally sustaining. This tells us that the ‘outside’ influences of relationships that Layard refers to are essential. (Starting Psychology 2011). Relationships start in the womb and continue throughout life. Early relationships influence the emotional development of children and a securely attached child is confident, has high self-esteem and knows it is loved and valued, creating happiness. The findings from Mary Ainsworth (1978) (cited  in Starting Psychology 2011) when she observed one year old babies in her experiment ‘the Strange situation’ confirms this claim. Children played in a room and their reactions were recorded when the parent left and a stranger entered. Securely attached children were happy to explore and play whilst the paren t was present, but became distressed when left. They were easily comforted when the parent returned, however when a stranger entered the child could not be comforted and resisted the stranger. Insecurely attached children were less confident in exploring, were indifferent to the presence or absence of the parent and indecisive about whether they wanted comforting or not. A recent UNICEF report (2007) showed how significant relationships with family and friends are in producing happiness in children. This report was about children’s wellbeing in twenty-one developed countries, and the UK found itself at the bottom of the list, behind poorer countries. The reason for this ranking seemed to be poor quality relationships with family, friends and peers. It emerged that being loved and supported by family and friends was the most important elements for a happy childhood. (Starting Psychology 2011). In adulthood people who manage good communication are happier than others. Robert Lane (2000) also argued we gain happiness from people’s affection and acceptance of us and it is this feeling of being valued that influences our mood. When we are with people we exchange positive non-verbal communication. Our body language promotes friendly interaction which leads to laughter and happiness. Also several large studies have shown a link between expressing gratitude and high feelings of happiness according to Seligman (2005). When we thank someone we not only make the person feel good it increases our mood. All these examples show evidence of what Layard meant by ‘Outside’ influences on our happiness. (Starting Psychology 2011). In conclusion many contributing factors make us happy. These few examples are biological and social influences confirming Richard Layard’s opinion that ‘happiness comes from outside and within’ It seems that a combination of influences are essential in contributing to our overall happiness, there are  many other factors that also play a part in our happiness, but it is clear from this evidence that a person’s biological state and close personal relationships directly affect levels of happiness.

An Exploration of Cultural Differences in Perceptions of and Responses Dissertation

An Exploration of Cultural Differences in Perceptions of and Responses to Sexual Harassment in a Title One High School - Dissertation Example In the current research participants from grades 7 through 11 were studied using a phenomenological approach to understand their perception and response to sexual harassment and correlate this with their cultural background. Interview and observation were used as tools for data collection. An Exploration of Cultural Differences in Perceptions of and Responses to Sexual Harassment in a Title One High School Introduction Sexual harassment (SH) is a gender based phenomenon of extreme concern affecting the present and future life of many young students of either sex throughout the world (Rahimi & Liston, 2011). In U.S. SH in middle and high school has been of common occurrence with almost half (48%) of students confirming to have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a 2011 survey, with approximately 87% admitting that it has an adverse impact on them. This comes as surprise since SH in schools has been infrequently reported (Hill & Kearl, 2011). Sexual harassment, a term origina lly coined with reference to workplace behavior has also come to include incidences in school. In school it refers to sexual conduct that negatively affects students’ academic interests. ... Girls are more frequently a target compared to boys (56% against 40%), with their experiences being more physical and intrusive compared to that of boys (Hand & Sanchez, 2001). Most harassers belong to peer with lesser number of incidences involving school staff (Eckes, 2006). In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recognized two forms of actionable SH; the quid pro quo harassment and the hostile environment harassment. The former refers to threat or assurance of consequences due to forbidding or offering of sexual favors. These favors may be demanded explicitly or implicitly and must involve substantial consequences. On the other hand hostile environment type of sexual environment refers to the work or school environment becoming totally offensive or difficult as a consequence of sexual overtures, conduct or physical gestures. In either case the environment is uncomfortable and unsuitable for pursue individual goals (Zimbroff, 2007). Legal provisions dealing wit h SH in schools are provided by the Title IX, the Education Amendments, passed by the Congress in 1972. The act states that ‘no person in Unites States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving financial assistance (p1681)’. The law also addresses peer-on-peer sexual harassment and considers it as a discrimination occurring in school premises and during school hours thus rendering it as a suitable cause of action against school authorities (DeSouza & Solberg, 2003). There have been several controversies and confusions with respect to legal definitions of perceptions of hostility and psychological harm that renders a SH case as

Organizational Structure Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organizational Structure - Research Paper Example Hence, it comprises a multi-dimensional design considering the factors related to work specialization, centralization and decentralization, chain of command, span of control and formalization. To formulate these multi-dimensional functions in a simpler manner, theorists and analysts devised two types of organizational structure, i.e., mechanistic and organic structure. Both the structures are widely different from each other by nature. While mechanistic structure follows the rigid form of formalization, centralization, departmentalization and specialization; the later sticks with in-formalization, decentralization and cross - functional teams in the organizational environment. Notably, these two types of structures compel vast differences in terms of beliefs and designing, and therefore, deal with numerous drawbacks and limitations on their part (Australia National University, n.d.). Conceptually, mechanistic structure is considered to be very rigid by norms and beliefs and therefore, is a lot more influencing in a given stable environment of business, comprising of some routine schedules and technologies used in the organization. Some positive aspects which are found in this kind of bureaucratic structure are that it is clearly defined and regulated according to the company’s heads. As all the operations are controlled and executed by the top level managers, the design becomes much simpler to emphasize. To put into account mechanistic structure, as the term refers, assumes employees’ roles to be somewhat similar to machines and are designed to be operated by others, i.e. top level managers. Another notable advantage of this structural system is that, the structure defines to minimize wastes and increase productivity of employees. But in the present scenario, the company may come across some major drawbacks in case of following this kind of structu re. To state, the

Development and Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Development and Diversity - Essay Example According to Watson’s Behaviorism, behaviors can be measured, trained and changed. John B. Watson claims, â€Å"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take anyone at random and train him to become any specialist I might select†¦doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.† This idea of behaviorism was advanced further through the publication of Watson’s classic paper Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It (1913). Miller (1983) adds that behaviorism, or behavioral psychology is based on the argument that all behavior is acquired through conditioning which takes place through contact and interaction with the environment, and therefore, it is the responses to our environmental conditions that shape our behavior. Behavior is considered in a systematic and observable manner with no weight on internal mental states such as mood and emotions which are argued to be purely subjective. It takes only conditioning for any person to be trained to perform any function completely independent of things such as genetic background, personality or thoughts. There are two main types of conditioning in behaviorism. The first type is the classical conditioning which is a method of conditioning in which a naturally occurring stimulus is paired with a response then a previously neutral stimulus paired with a naturally occurring stimulus. It is seen that, in the end, the previously neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus) elicits the response (conditioned response) in the absence of naturally occurring stimulus. The second type of conditioning called the operant conditioning or the instrumental conditioning takes place via rewards and punishments for behavior and therefore a relationship is drawn between a behavior and a consequence for that particular behavior. As

Firestone in liberia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Firestone in liberia - Research Paper Example Although such practices are quite apparent in Firestone, there is a conflict on whether the company alone should take full accountability for such inhumane act, or other organizations, such as the government, is also responsible. When one hears the word Liberia, freedom from servitude will automatically plays to mind. Liberia, as Pailey pointed out, is the â€Å"land of exile for repatriated American slaves ... a proverbial refuge from dehumanising, deplorable conditions of chattel slavery in United States† (77). It is in this place that the dark-skinned Americans are given the privilege to move in the community with less regard for social class. They are given the autonomy to cultivate the land, a choice that had been denied from them for generations, all because their looks and skin color are much different from the Caucasian groups they had served. Due to the lushness of their homeland, particular foreign investors took interest in one of the in-demand product in the market--rubber. This is where the Firestone had taken severe advantage. During the early 1990’s, Firestone struck up a deal with Liberia’s government, which had given them the right to a vast quantity of land for an annua l compensation of US$60,000 (Pailey 77). The deal had been reasonable for the government’s side, since they lack the resources to fully cultivate the land on the international level--giving more work opportunity for the Liberian citizens. Despite the promise of greater glory, Firestone did not go off in a rapid pace, as predicted. Several crises had been encountered by the company, resulting to a few dilemmas on revenue delays and loan problems. In the later part, problems seemed to have piled up, leading to military outbreak and involvement in civil war (Lee and Lee 123-125). The warring political parties in Liberia not only managed to destroy the colony, in the process, it also ruined the

Organizational Behavior Terms and Concepts Essay

Organizational Behavior Terms and Concepts - Essay Example There is still some disagreement over the topics that contribute to the composition of the framework for organizational behavior but most people agree that the core topics, part of it would include motivation, leader behavior, leadership power, interpersonal communication, attitude development and perception, learning, group structure and processes, work stress, change processes and conflict management (Robbins, 2004). Now incase of Organizational Behavior, diversity usually refers to the workforce diversity. Workforce diversity refers to the increasing heterogeneity of organizations with the inclusion of workers from different groups. These groups may be created on the basis of ethnicity, age, gender, marital status, immigrants, etc. The key, however, to managing workforce diversity is to bring about flexibility in the organization's culture (Robbins, 2004). The organization might need to come up with better work schedules, compensation plans, physical and work settings, benefits and employees' other varied needs, such as, offering child and elder care, job sharing, flexibility in work hours, etc. Communication, in general, can be defined as the transfer and understanding of meaning or ideas or information (Griffin, Moorehead, 2009). This is basically how information and ideas can be conveyed and holds due relevance for an organization. As the world has globalized, information has become an organizations most vital resource, and organizations are willing to invest heavily in ensuring secure and efficient flow of information from one part of the organization to another. Perfect communication, if such a thing were to exist, would only be achieved if an idea or message was transmitted in such a manner that the picture perceived by the receiver would exactly be the same as envisioned by the sender (Robbins, 2004). Organization, in general, is composed of people, i.e. individuals. So, one way of looking at an organization's effectiveness and efficiency would be to look at aggregating the efficiency and effectiveness of all the individuals who are part of the organization. So, Organizational Behavior would tend to focus on factors that may impact the efficiency and effectiveness of an employee. Now there can be a variety of aspects of the organization's culture or the work environment that may negatively impact an individual's effectiveness and efficiency, which may ultimately hurt the organization in the long run. So, the idea is to tweak and change the work environment, so as to raise the level of effectiveness and efficiency of the organization. Factors such as employee morale, compensation, flexibility of the work environment and leadership play a very vital role in it (Griffin, Moorhead, 2009). These factors result in defining the commitment levels of the individual and ultimately the entir e organization. The concept of a learning organization was something managers and organization theorists came up with in response to the growing interdependence of organizations in times of globalization and change. In simple terms, a learning organization is one that has the capacity to continuously adapt and change given the dynamic nature of the macro or external environment. Just as individuals learn, so do organizations, i.e. all organizations learn whether they consciously choose to or not, in order for their sustained existence learning is a basic requirement. However, some companies such as, Wal-Mart, Xerox,

E-retailing and logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

E-retailing and logistics - Essay Example One has to invest in the progress of a first class virtual catalogue in order to really be successful in e-commerce. Like a mail catalogue, a virtual catalogue presents pictures as well as information regarding the products, as well as offers a way for clients to place orders. Although in place of posting the catalogue to the client, the client moves towards the catalogue by visiting the businesss website. Virtual catalogues have a number of diverse benefits as compared to customary mailed ones. The nature of a website makes it convenient and easy to demonstrate the product in a range of choices and to take account of added product information that there might not be space for in a mail catalogue. In addition, contrasting a mail catalogue, virtual catalogues can be simply transformed to include or eliminate products and to renew product accessibility information (Jelassi & Enders, p. 19, 2008). Business’s website as well as virtual catalogue will just be as successful as the number of traffic or prospective clientele that pay visits to the website. One has to look at the opportunity of publicity on search engines such as Google and Yahoo in order to raise traffic. For the most part, search engines sell space for advertisements that will come into sight next to or around the listing of websites that appear when an internet user types in a word or phrase to search for. During the accurate situations, these advertisements can be a best method to direct individuals who possibly may have a curiosity in the product displayed on the company’s website (Chen, p. 97, 2004). A further method to raise traffic is to publish links to business’s website on other high traffic websites. For either a payment or a mutual linking contract, other companies may be ready to incorporate an advertisement for one’s business on their website. Despite the fact that it is very doubtful that one will influence the competition to chip in in this sort of deal, it is very possible to

Risk assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Risk assessment - Essay Example One of the major man-made disasters in the Northern shore in Staten Island is the ship to ship oil transfer activities at St. George ferry terminal. For instance, on March 23, 2009, more than 3000 gallons of oil spilled into the ocean in the operation (Checker, 2009). Spillage of oil not only endangered the ecosystem in the area but also lives of people as waters and seafood become contaminated, in addition to ruining the beautiful beaches. The operation is a medium level risk that does not occur regularly, but may have serious repercussions. Another man-made hazard in the area is the many factories that operate near residential areas leaving traces of harmful and radioactive elements. For instance, On April 2 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA announced the discovery of lead levels ten times more than the acceptable limits on a site where the defunct Sedutto’s Ice Cream factory was located (Checker, 2009). This location is a few meters away from residential houses . Moreover, the urgency in the same day announced to have discovered high and alarming levels of lead and arsenic near the Veterans Park. Such materials do pose great danger to the lives of people and may be a serious predisposing factor of terminal diseases such as cancer and other respiratory diseases. The Fresh Kill, one of the largest landfills globally poses medium to high-level risk to the residents of North Shore Staten Island. The site contains all forms of hazardous materials buried to make the landfill. If the water from the landfill flows to the near residential areas the toxic materials might be a high risk. Considering the low-income class of people living next to the landfills, sanitation in these residential areas may not meet the required health standards, which is a high health risk. Moreover, a mix of factories and residential apartments in the Northern shore possess a high risk. Emissions from the factory may

Adderalls Effects on the Body Essay Example for Free

Adderalls Effects on the Body Essay Adderall is an amphetamine based stimulant that targets your frontal lobe to increase productivity in cognitive thinking and learning. This drug was invented in 1986 and introduced into the market of prescription drugs four years later. There has been critical research and deep cross examination of the effects and effectiveness of this drug. This is an extremely sensitive topic for everyone all the way from the users to the top of the corporations that are marketing the drug to our youth including children as young as three years old. Studies show that such a thought enhancing drug should not be distributed to children because it may seriously alter a young developing nervous system in negative ways. Even though many concerns have been raised by pediatricians and nutritionists the big pharmaceutical companies accept the risk and encourage children to continue consuming this drug. This is a big problem because there is so much contradiction surrounding this drug and the caution flags are being ignored. A research analyst named Alex Chen performed in depth research into the effects of Adderall on frontal lobe activity and behavior alteration. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay Through his research, as shown in the article, he uses video games as an example. If someone very interested in any type of video game and is given Adderall, they would have little interest in playing the game that they normally would indulge themselves in and be much more attentive to abstract critical thought. On the other hand, if you give the same dose to a person who had little interest in video games they would show an abnormal amount of interest in the activity. This takes place when amphetamines are stimulating the brain. People that do not have ADD or ADHD tend to get the opposite effect of the drug because their brains are producing enough dopamine to maintain consistent attention and awareness without stimulation from the prescription. Amphetamines work by stimulating your inhibitory area in your hypothalamus. This region of the mid-brain has two areas. One side of the midbrain inhibits hunger and the other part stimulates it. Seeing that these two areas are stimulated would create the anticipated effect. The midbrain sends signals to the whole body that hunger is not a priority, this explains why there is never an urge to eat and food does not satisfy normally. Hunger, or the lack there of, is a huge issue when taking Adderall as a daily prescription. Doctors that prescribe this drug always lay heavy caution on the fact that this drug will virtually cut off your ability to be hungry. So when taking the drug for the first couple months you are required to take two day breaks every three days to allow your body to catch up. Exploring the long-term effects of Adderall it is difficult. Extensive long term research does not exist because there has not been a sufficient time period to make definite observations about long term effects. The drug has been out for less than 30 years so an entire generation cannot be examined. With all stimulants there are possible cardiac effects. Amphetamines act as a stimulant, increasing heart pressure and repetitions. Effects depend heavily on your potential for heart diseases, and whether the drug is being abused. It is very possible that people with ADD and ADHD are much more likely to acquire neurotoxicity because their receptors absorb significantly more than the receptors of those without Attention Deficit Disorder. This is the basis for long-term amphetamine neurotoxicity. Other serious long term side effects of Adderall include elevated blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and sudden death. This drug has been recognized around the world by doctors and nutritionists as a very harmful and depleting drug. To this day, if you presented this information to your doctor they would most likely suggest that you keep taking the drug every day. Adderall is prescribed in 5 mg, up to 20 mg and amounts vary depending on the severity of the ADD or ADHD. Since Adderall stimulates your brain it is easy to become dependent upon this drug. â€Å"Adderall is basically a cocktail of various amphetamine stimulants and is often referred to as â€Å"prescription speed†. Because it is similar in makeup to illegal methamphetamines, it is highly addictive (Adams). †Over time like any other drug your body will build a resistance to it, making it necessary to either up your dosage or take it more often. This process is the stairway through which progression and can be horrifying to a erson who is prescribed Adderall and becomes dependent on the drug to be able to focus and retain information. On the other hand, Adderall is used by many people throughout the world and is a very useful and helpful drug to those who need it. ADD and ADHD are hyperactive disorders that make it nearly impossible to focus and pay attention in a school/university environment. In this case Adderall is a savior to most people and if used without abuse it can be controlled to a healthy, moderate amount. Adderall allows the user to become more focused, be calm, and suppresses activities that would otherwise hinder one’s ability to study. Necessities like drinking, eating, and sleeping are some of these activities that are overlooked once under the influence of Adderall. Depression is an area where Adderall is very effective as it increases activity in your frontal lobe, which increases brain activity and overall cognition. Working out on Adderall can be a fatal and very damaging thing to do to your body. It is a stimulant, which by definition induces temporary improvements in either mental or physical function. Stimulants slow your heart and increase brain function by a substantial amount. Since your heart has to increase its beats per minute when working out to get enough oxygen to your body, your heart can become strained and cause a heart attack, heart palpitations or sudden death if not preformed cautiously. The deeper I look into the side effects of this drug the more potentially fatal issues I discover. Overall this drug seems to be very dangerous but extremely beneficial to those who need it and can use it effectively without abusing it.

Social reformers Essay Example for Free

Social reformers Essay 1. Gautama Buddha, also known as SiddhÄ rtha Gautama, or simply the Buddha, was a sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. Buddha means awakened one or the enlightened one. Buddha is also used as a title for the first awakened being in an era. In most Buddhist traditions, Siddhartha Gautama is regarded as the Supreme Buddha of our age. Gautama taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the Sramana (renunciation) movement common in his region. He later taught throughout regions of eastern India such as Magadha and KoÅ›ala. The times of Gautamas birth and death are uncertain: most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE, but more recent opinion dates his death to between 486 and 483 BCE or, according to some, between 411 and 400 BCE. However, at a symposium on this question held in 1988, the majority of those who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddhas death. These alternative chronologies, however, have not yet been accepted by all other historians. Gautama is the primary figure in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to him were passed down by oral tradition, and first committed to writing about 400 years later. Primary biographical sources The primary sources for the life of SiddhÄ rtha Gautama are a variety of different, and sometimes conflicting, traditional biographies. These include the Buddhacarita, Lalitavistara SÃ… «tra, MahÄ vastu, and the NidÄ nakathÄ . Of these, the Buddhacaritais the earliest full biography, an epic poem written by the poet AÅ›vaghoá ¹ £a, and dating around the beginning of the 2nd century CE. The Lalitavistara SÃ… «tra is the next oldest biography, a MahÄ yÄ na/SarvÄ stivÄ da biography dating to the 3rd century CE. The MahÄ vastu from the MahÄ sÄ Ã¡ ¹Æ'ghikaLokottaravÄ da tradition is another major biography, composed incrementally until perhaps the 4th century CE. The Dharmaguptaka biography of the Buddha is the most exhaustive, and is entitled the Abhiniá ¹ £kramaá ¹â€¡a SÃ… «tra, and various Chinese translations of this date between the 3rd and 6th century CE. Lastly, the NidÄ nakathÄ  is from the TheravÄ da tradition in Sri Lanka, was composed in the 5th century CE by Buddhaghoá ¹ £a. From canonical sources, the JÄ takas, the Mahapadana Sutta (DN 14), and the Achariyabhuta Sutta (MN 123) include selective accounts that may be older, but are not full biographies. The JÄ takas retell previous lives of Gautama as a bodhisattva, and the first collection of these can be dated among the earliest Buddhist texts. The MahÄ padÄ na Sutta and Achariyabhuta Sutta both recount miraculous events surrounding Gautamas birth, such as the bodhisattvas descent from Tuá ¹ £ita Heaven into his mothers womb. Nature of traditional depictions Queen MÄ yÄ  miraculously giving birth to SiddhÄ rtha. Sanskritpalm leaf manuscript. NÄ landÄ , Bihar, India. PÄ la period Traditional biographies of Gautama generally include numerous miracles, omens, and supernatural events. The character of the Buddha in these traditional biographies is often that of a fully transcendent (Skt. lokottara) and perfected being who is unencumbered by the mundane world. In the MahÄ vastu, over the course of many lives, Gautama is said to have developed supramundane abilities including: a painless birth conceived without intercourse; no need for sleep, food, medicine, or bathing, although engaging in such in conformity with the world; omniscience, and the ability to suppress karma. Nevertheless, some of the more ordinary details of his life have been gathered from these traditional sources. In modern times there has been an attempt to form a secular understanding of SiddhÄ rtha Gautamas life by omitting the traditional supernatural eleme nts of his early biographies. Andrew Skilton writes that the Buddha was never historically regarded by Buddhist traditions as being merely human: It is important to stress that, despite modern Theravada teachings to the contrary (often a sop to skeptical Western pupils), he was never seen as being merely human. For instance, he is often described as having the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks or signs of a mahÄ puruá ¹ £a, superman; the Buddha himself denied that he was either a man or a god; and in the MahÄ parinibbÄ na Sutta he states that he could live for an aeon were he asked to do so. The ancient Indians were generally unconcerned with chronologies, being more focused on philosophy. Buddhist texts reflect this tendency, providing a clearer picture of what Gautama may have taught than of the dates of the events in his life. These texts contain descriptions of the culture and daily life of ancient India which can be corroborated from the Jain scriptures, and make the Buddhas time the earliest period in Indian history for which significant accounts exist.[27][full citation needed] British author Karen Armstrong writes that although there is very little information that can be considered historically sound, we can be reasonably confident that SiddhÄ rtha Gautama did exist as a historical figure.[28][dubious – discuss] Michael Carrithers goes a bit further by stating that the most general outline of birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death must be true. Biography Conception and birth Purported birthplace of Gautama Buddha in Lumbini, a holy shrine also for Hindus, who believe Buddha is the 9th of 10 Dashavataras of Vishnu. Most scholars regard Kapilavastu, present-day Nepal, to be the birthplace of the Buddha.Other possibilities are Lumbini, present-day Nepal Kapileswara, Odisha, present-day India; and Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, present-day India. According to the most traditional biography, Buddha was born in a royal Hindu family to King Ã…Å¡uddhodana, the leader of Shakya clan, whose capital was Kapilavastu, and who were later annexed by the growing Kingdom of Kosala during the Buddhas lifetime. Gautama was the family name. His mother, Queen Maha Maya (MÄ yÄ devÄ «) and Suddhodanas wife, was a Koliyan princess. Legend has it that, on the night Siddhartha was conceived, Queen Maya dreamt that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her right side, and ten months later Siddhartha was born. As was the Shakya tradition, when his mother Queen Maya became pregnant, she left Kapilvastu for her fathers kingdom to give birth. However, her son is said to have been born on the way, at Lumbini, in a garden beneath a sal tree. The day of the Buddhas birth is widely celebrated in Theravada countries as Vesak. Buddhas birth anniversary holiday is called Buddha Poornima in India as Buddha is believed to have been born on a full moon day. Various sources hold that the Buddhas mother died at his birth, a few days or seven days later. The infant was given the name Siddhartha (PÄ li: Siddhattha), meaning he who achieves his aim. During the birth celebrations, the hermit seerAsita journeyed from his mountain abode and announced that the child would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a great holy man. By traditional account, this occurred after Siddhartha placed his feet in Asitas hair and Asita examined the birthmarks. Suddhodana held a naming ceremony on the fifth day, and invited eight brahmin scholars to read the future. All gave a dual prediction that the baby would either become a great king or a great holy man.[32]Kaundinya (Pali: Kondaà ±Ãƒ ±a), the youngest, and later to be the first arahant other than the Buddha, was reputed to be the only one who unequivocally predicted that Siddhartha would become a Buddha While later tradition and legend characterized Ã…Å¡uddhodana as a hereditarymonarch, the descendant of the Solar Dynasty of Iká ¹ £vÄ ku (PÄ li: OkkÄ ka), many scholars think that Ã…Å¡uddhodana was the elected chief of a tribal confederacy. Early texts suggest that Gautama was not familiar with the dominant religious teachings of his time until he left on his religious quest, which is said to have been motivated by existential concern for the human condition.At the time, many small city-states existed in Ancient India, called Janapadas. Republics and chiefdoms with diffused political power and limited social stratification, were not uncommon amongst them, and were referred to as gana-sanghas. The Buddhas community does not seem to have had a caste system. It was not a monarchy, and seems to have been structured either as an oligarchy, or as a form of republic. The more egalitarian gana-sangha form of government, as a political alternative to the strongly hierarchical kingdoms, may have influenced the development of the Shramana-type Jain and Buddhist sanghas, where monarchies tended toward Vedic Brahmanism. Early life and marriage Departure of Prince Siddhartha Siddhartha was born in a royal Hindu family.[30] He was brought up by his mothers younger sister, Maha Pajapati.[38] By tradition, he is said to have been destined by birth to the life of a prince, and had three palaces (for seasonal occupation) built for him. Although more recent scholarship doubts this status, his father, said to be King Ã…Å¡uddhodana, wishing for his son to be a great king, is said to have shielded him from religious teachings and from knowledge of human suffering. When he reached the age of 16, his father reputedly arranged his marriage to a cousin of the same age named YaÅ›odharÄ  (PÄ li: YasodharÄ ). According to the traditional account,[which?] she gave birth to a son, named RÄ hula. Siddhartha is said to have spent 29 years as a prince in Kapilavastu. Although his father ensured that Siddhartha was provided with everything he could want or need, Buddhist scriptures say that the future Buddha felt that material wealth was not lifes ultimate goal.[38 ] Departure and ascetic life. The Great Departure of Siddhartha Gautama, surrounded by a halo, he is accompanied by numerous guards, maithuna loving couples, and devata who have come to pay homage; Gandhara, Kushan period Prince Siddhartha shaves his hair and becomes an ascetic. Borobudur, 8th century At the age of 29, the popular biography[which?] continues, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his fathers efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen an old man. When his charioteer Channa explained to him that all people grew old, the prince went on further trips beyond the palace. On these he encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. These depressed him, and he initially strove to overcome ageing, sickness, and death by living the life of an ascetic.[39] Accompanied by Channa and riding his horse Kanthaka, Gautama quit his palace for the life of a mendicant. Its said that, the horses hooves were muffled by the gods[40] to prevent guards from knowing of his departure. Gautama initially went to Rajagaha and began his ascetic life by begging for alms in the street. After King Bimbisaras men recognised Siddhartha and the king learned of his quest, Bimbisara offered Siddhartha the throne. Siddhartha rejected the offer, but promised to visit his kingdom of Magadha first, upon attaining enlightenment. He left Rajagaha and practised under two hermit teachers of yogic meditation.[41][42][43] After mastering the teachings of Alara Kalama (Skr. Ä€rÄ Ã¡ ¸ a KÄ lÄ ma), he was asked by Kalama to succeed him. However, Gautama felt unsatisfied by the practise, and moved on to become a student of yoga with Udaka Ramaputta (Skr. Udraka RÄ maputra).[44] With him he achieved high levels of meditative consciousness, and was again asked to succeed his teacher. But, once more, he was not satisfied, and again moved on.[45] Siddhartha and a group of five companions led by Kaundinya are then said to have set out to take their austerities even further. They tried to find enlightenment through deprivation of worldly goods, including food, practising self-mortification. After nearly starving himself to death by restricting his food intake to around a leaf or nut per day, he collapsed in a river while bathing and almost drowned. Siddhartha began to reconsider his path. Then, he remembered a moment in childhood in which he had been watching his father start the seasons plowing. He attained a concentrated and focused state that was blissful and refreshing, the jhÄ na. Awakening See also: Enlightenment in Buddhism The Buddha surrounded by the demons of MÄ ra. Sanskritpalm leaf manuscript. NÄ landÄ , Bihar, India. PÄ la period According to the early Buddhist texts,[web 6] after realizing that meditative jhana was the right path to awakening, but that extreme asceticism didnt work, Gautama discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way[web 6]—a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.[web 6] In a famous incident, after becoming starved and weakened, he is said to have accepted milk and rice pudding from a village girl named Sujata.[web 7] Such was his emaciated appearance that she wrongly believed him to be a spirit that had granted her a wish.[web 7] Following this incident, Gautama was famously seated under a pipal tree—now known as the Bodhi tree—in Bodh Gaya, India, when he vowed never to arise until he had found the truth.[46] Kaundinya and four other companions, believing that he had abandoned his search and become undisciplined, left. After a reputed 49 days of meditation, at the age of 35, he is said to have attained Enlightenment.[46][47] According to some traditions, this occurred in approximately the fifth lunar month, while, according to others, it was in the twelfth month. From that time, Gautama was known to his followers as the Buddha or Awakened One (Buddha is also sometimes translated as The Enlightened One). According to Buddhism, at the time of his awakening he realized complete insight into the cause of suffering, and the steps necessary to eliminate it. These discoveries became known as the Four Noble Truths,[47] which are at the heart of Buddhist teaching. Through mastery of these truths, a state of supreme liberation, or Nirvana, is believed to be possible for any being. The Buddha described NirvÄ na as the perfect peace of a mind thats free from ignorance, greed, hatred and other afflictive states,[47] or defilements (kilesas). Nirvana is also regarded as the end of the world, in that no personal identity or boundaries of the mind remain. In such a state, a being is said to possess the Ten Characteristics, belonging to every Buddha. According to a story in the Ä€yÄ cana Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya VI.1) — a scripture found in the PÄ li and other canons — immediately after his awakening, the Buddha debated whether or not he should teach the Dharma to others. He was concerned that humans were so overpowered by ignorance, greed and hatred that they could never recognise the path, which is subtle, deep and hard to grasp. However, in the story, BrahmÄ  Sahampati convinced him, arguing that at least some will understand it. The Buddha relented, and agreed to teach. Formation of the sangha Dhà ¢mek Stà »pa in Sà ¢rnà ¢th, India, site of the first teaching of the Buddha in which he taught the Four Noble Truths to his first five disciples After his awakening, the Buddha met two merchants, named Tapussa and Bhallika, who became his first lay disciples. They were apparently each given hairs from his head, which are now claimed to be enshrined as relics in the Shwe Dagon Temple in Rangoon, Burma. The Buddha intended to visit Asita, and his former teachers, Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta, to explain his findings, but they had already died. He then travelled to the Deer Park near VÄ rÄ Ã¡ ¹â€¡asÄ « (Benares) in northern India, where he set in motion what Buddhists call the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon to the five companions with whom he had sought enlightenment. Together with him, they formed the first saá ¹â€¦gha: the company of Buddhist monks. All five become arahants, and within the first two months, with the conversion of Yasa and fifty four of his friends, the number of such arahants is said to have grown to 60. The conversion of three brothers named Kassapa followed, with their reputed 200, 300 and 500 disciples, respectively. This swelled the sangha to more than 1,000. Travels and teaching Buddha with his protector Vajrapani, GandhÄ ra, 2nd century CE, Ostasiatische Kunst Museum For the remaining 45 years of his life, the Buddha is said to have traveled in the Gangetic Plain, in what is now Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and southern Nepal, teaching a diverse range of people: from nobles to outcaste street sweepers, murderers such as Angulimala, and cannibals such as Alavaka. From the outset, Buddhism was equally open to all races and classes, and had no caste structure, as was the rule for most Hindus in the-then society. Although the Buddhas language remains unknown, its likely that he taught in one or more of a variety of closely related Middle Indo-Aryan dialects, of which Pali may be a standardization. The sangha traveled through the subcontinent, expounding the dharma. This continued throughout the year, except during the four months of the vassana rainy season when ascetics of all religions rarely traveled. One reason was that it was more difficult to do so without causing harm to animal life. At this time of year, the sangha would retreat to monasteries, public parks or forests, where people would come to them. The first vassana was spent at Varanasi when the sangha was formed. After this, the Buddha kept a promise to travel to Rajagaha, capital of Magadha, to visit King Bimbisara. During this visit, Sariputta and Maudgalyayana were converted by Assaji, one of the first five disciples, after which they were to become the Buddhas two foremost followers. The Buddha spent the next three seasons at Veluvana Bamboo Grove monastery in Rajagaha, capital of Magadha. Upon hearing of his sons awakening, Suddhodana sent, over a period, ten delegations to ask him to return to Kapilavastu. On the first nine occasions, the delegates failed to deliver the message, and instead joined the sangha to become arahants. The tenth delegation, led by Kaludayi, a childhood friend of Gautamas (who also became an arahant), however, delivered the message. Now two years after his awakening, the Buddha agreed to return, and made a two-month journey by foot to Kapilavastu, teaching the dharma as he went. At his return, the royal palace prepared a midday meal, but the sangha was making an alms round in Kapilavastu. Hearing this, Suddhodana approached his son, the Buddha, saying: Ours is the warrior lineage of Mahamassata, and not a single warrior has gone seeking alms The Buddha is said to have replied: That is not the custom of your royal lineage. But it is the custom of my Buddha lineage. Several thousands of Buddhas have gone by seeking alms Buddhist texts say that Suddhodana invited the sangha into the palace for the meal, followed by a dharma talk. After this he is said to have become a sotapanna. During the visit, many members of the royal family joined the sangha. The Buddhas cousins Ananda and Anuruddha became two of his five chief disciples. At the age of seven, his son Rahula also joined, and became one of his ten chief disciples. His half-brother Nanda also joined and became an arahant. Of the Buddhas disciples, Sariputta, Maudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa, Ananda and Anuruddha are believed to have been the five closest to him. His ten foremost disciples were reputedly completed by the quintet of Upali, Subhoti, Rahula, Mahakaccana and Punna. In the fifth vassana, the Buddha was staying at Mahavana near Vesali when he heard news of the impending death of his father. He is said to have gone to Suddhodana and taught the dharma, after which his father became an arahant. The kings death and cremation was to inspire the creation of an order of nuns. Buddhist texts record that the Buddha was reluctant to ordain women. His foster mother Maha Pajapati, for example, approached him, asking to join the sangha, but he refused. Maha Pajapati, however, was so intent on the path of awakening that she led a group of royal Sakyan and Koliyan ladies, which followed the sangha on a long journey to Rajagaha. In time, after Ananda championed their cause, the Buddha is said to have reconsidered and, five years after the formation of the sangha, agreed to the ordination of women as nuns. He reasoned that males and females had an equal capacity for awakening. But he gave women additional rules (Vinaya) to follow. Assassination attempts According to colorful legends, even during the Buddhas life the sangha was not free of dissent and discord. For example, Devadatta, a cousin of Gautama who became a monk but not an arahant, more than once tried to kill him. Initially, Devadatta is alleged to have often tried to undermine the Buddha. In one instance, according to stories, Devadatta even asked the Buddha to stand aside and let him lead the sangha. When this failed, he is accused of having three times tried to kill his teacher. The first attempt is said to have involved him hiring a group of archers to shoot the awakened one. But, upon meeting the Buddha, they laid down their bows and instead became followers. A second attempt is said to have involved Devadatta rolling a boulder down a hill. But this hit another rock and splintered, only grazing the Buddhas foot. In the third attempt, Devadatta is said to have got an elephant drunk and set it loose. This ruse also failed. After his lack of success at homicide, Devadatta is said to have tried to create a schism in the sangha, by proposing extra restrictions on the vinaya. When the Buddha again prevailed, Devadatta started a breakaway order. At first, he managed to convert some of the bhikkhus, but Sariputta and Maudgalyayana are said to have expounded the dharma so effectively that they were won back. Mahaparinirvana The Buddhas entry into Parinirvana. Sanskritpalm leaf manuscript. NÄ landÄ , Bihar, India. PÄ la period The sharing of the relics of the Buddha, ZenyÃ… mitsu-Temple Museum, Tokyo According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Pali canon, at the age of 80, the Buddha announced that he would soon reach Parinirvana, or the final deathless state, and abandon his earthly body. After this, the Buddha ate his last meal, which he had received as an offering from a blacksmith named Cunda. Falling violently ill, Buddha instructed his attendant Ä€nanda to convince Cunda that the meal eaten at his place had nothing to do with his passing and that his meal would be a source of the greatest merit as it provided the last meal for a Buddha.[web 8] Dr Mettanando and Von Hinà ¼ber argue that the Buddha died of mesentericinfarction, a symptom of old age, rather than food poisoning.[48][note 11] The precise contents of the Buddhas final meal are not clear, due to variant scriptural traditions and ambiguity over the translation of certain significant terms; the Theravada tradition generally believes that the Buddha was offered some kind of pork, while the Mahayana tradition believes that the Buddha consumed some sort of truffle or other mushroom. These may reflect the different traditional views on Buddhist vegetarianism and the precepts for monks and nuns. Ananda protested the Buddhas decision to enter Parinirvana in the abandoned jungles of KuÅ›inÄ ra (present-day Kushinagar, India) of the Malla kingdom. The Buddha, however, is said to have reminded Ananda how Kushinara was a land once ruled by a righteous wheel-turning king that resounded with joy: 44. Kusavati, Ananda, resounded unceasingly day and night with ten sounds—the trumpeting of elephants, the neighing of horses, the rattling of chariots, the beating of drums and tabours, music and song, cheers, the clapping of hands, and cries of Eat, drink, and be merry! The Buddha then asked all the attendant Bhikkhus to clarify any doubts or questions they had. They had none. According to Buddhist scriptures, he then finally entered Parinirvana. The Buddhas final words are reported to have been: All composite things (Saá ¹â€¦khÄ ra) are perishable. Strive for your own liberation with diligence (Pali: vayadhammÄ  saá ¹â€¦khÄ rÄ  appamÄ dena sampÄ dethÄ ). His body was cremated and the relics were placed in monuments or stupas, some of which are believed to have survived until the present. For example, The Temple of the Tooth or Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka is the place where what some believe to be the relic of the right tooth of Buddha is kept at present. According to the PÄ li historical chronicles of Sri Lanka, the DÄ «pavaá ¹Æ'sa and MahÄ vaá ¹Æ'sa, the coronation of Emperor AÅ›oka (PÄ li: Asoka) is 218 years after the death of Buddha. According to two textual records in Chinese (Ã¥  Ã¥â€¦ «Ã©Æ' ¨Ã¨ «â€" and éÆ' ¨Ã¥Å¸ ·Ã§â€¢ °Ã¨ «â€"), the coronation of Emperor AÅ›oka is 116 years after the death of Buddha. Therefore, the time of Buddhas passing is either 486 BCE according to TheravÄ da record or 383 BCE according to Mahayana record. However, the actual date traditionally accepted as the date of the Buddhas death in TheravÄ da countries is 544 or 545 BCE, because the reign of Emperor AÅ›oka was traditionally reckoned to be about 60 years earlier than current estimates. In Burmese Buddhist tradition, the date of the Buddhas death is 13 May 544 BCE,[49] whereas in Thai tradition it is 11 March 545 BCE.[50] At his death, the Buddha is famously believed to have told his disciples to follow no leader. Mahakasyapa was chosen by the sangha to be the chairman of the First Buddhist Council, with the two chief disciples Maudgalyayana and Sariputta having died before the Buddha. While in Buddhas days he was addressed by the very respected titles Buddha, ShÄ kyamuni, ShÄ kyasimha, Bhante and Bho, he was known after his parinirvana as Arihant, BhagavÄ /Bhagavat/BhagwÄ n, MahÄ vira,[51] Jina/Jinendra, SÄ str, Sugata, and most popularly in scriptures as TathÄ gata. Relics After his death, the Buddha was cremated and the ashes divided among his disciples. According to the PBS series Secrets of the Dead, an urn containing these was discovered in a stupa at Piprahwa near Birdpur [historical British variant as Birdpore], a Buddhist sacred structure in the Basti district of Uttar Pradesh in India by amateur archaeologist William Claxton Peppe in 1898. They were given to the King of Siam (Thailand) a couple of years later, where they still reside. Physical characteristics Main article: Physical characteristics of the Buddha GandhÄ ran depiction of the Buddha from Hadda, Afghanistan; Victoria and Albert Museum, London An extensive and colorful physical description of the Buddha has been laid down in scriptures. A kshatriya by birth, he had military training in his upbringing, and by Shakyan tradition was required to pass tests to demonstrate his worthiness as a warrior in order to marry. He had a strong enough body to be noticed by one of the kings and was asked to join his army as a general. He is also believed by Buddhists to have the 32 Signs of the Great Man. The Brahmin Sonadanda described him as handsome, good-looking, and pleasing to the eye, with a most beautiful complexion. He has a godlike form and countenance, he is by no means unattractive.(D,I:115). It is wonderful, truly marvellous, how serene is the good Gotamas appearance, how clear and radiant his complexion, just as the golden jujube in autumn is clear and radiant, just as a palm-tree fruit just loosened from the stalk is clear and radiant, just as an adornment of red gold wrought in a crucible by a skilled goldsmith, deftly beaten and laid on a yellow-cloth shines, blazes and glitters, even so, the good Gotamas senses are calmed, his complexion is clear and radiant. (A,I:181) A disciple named Vakkali, who later became an arahant, was so obsessed by Buddhas physical presence that the Buddha is said to have felt impelled to tell him to desist, and to have reminded him that he should know the Buddha through the Dhamma and not through physical appearances. Although there are no extant representations of the Buddha in human form until around the 1st century CE (see Buddhist art), descriptions of the physical characteristics of fully enlightened buddhas are attributed to the Buddha in the Digha Nikayas Lakkhaá ¹â€¡a Sutta (D,I:142).[52] In addition, the Buddhas physical appearance is described by Yasodhara to their son Rahula upon the Buddhas first post-Enlightenment return to his former princely palace in the non-canonical Pali devotional hymn, NarasÄ «ha GÄ thÄ  (The Lion of Men).[web 10] Among the 32 main characteristics it is mentioned that Buddha has blue eyes.[53] Nine virtues The nine virtues of the Buddha appear throughout the Tipitaka.[54] Recollection of the nine virtues of the Buddha is a common Buddhist devotional practice, it is also one of the 40 Buddhist meditation subjects. Araham – Worthy of homage. An Arahant is one with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid done the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and is completely liberated through final knowledge. Sammasambuddho – Perfectly self-awakened Reclining Buddha in Jade Temple, Shanghai Some scholars believe that some portions of the Pali Canon and the Ä€gamas contain the actual substance of the historical teachings (and possibly even the words) of the Buddha.[55][56] Some scholars believe the Pali Canon and the Agamas pre-date the MahÄ yÄ na sÃ… «tras.[57] The scriptural works of Early Buddhism precede the Mahayana works chronologically, and are treated by many Western scholars as the main credible source for information regarding the actual historical teachings of Gautama Buddha. However, some scholars do not think that the texts report on historical events.[58][dubious– discuss][59][60] Hajime Nakamura writes that there is nothing in the traditional Buddhist texts that can be clearly attributed to Gautama as a historical figure:[61] [I]n the Buddhist texts there is no word that can be traced with unquestionable authority to Gautama ÅšÄ kyamuni as a historical personage, although there must be some sayings or phrases derived from him. Some of the fundamentals of the teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha are: The Four Noble Truths: that suffering is an ingrained part of existence; that the origin of suffering is craving for sensuality, acquisition of identity, and annihilation; that suffering can be ended; and that following the Noble Eightfold Path is the means to accomplish this; The Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration; Dependent origination: the mind creates suffering as a natural product of a complex process; Rejection of the infallibility of accepted scripture: Teachings should not be accepted unless they are borne out by our experience and are praised by the wise. See the Kalama Sutta for details; Anicca (Sanskrit: anitya): That all things that come to be have an end; Dukkha (Sanskrit: duá ¸ ¥kha): That nothing which comes to be is ultimately satisfying; AnattÄ  (Sanskrit: anÄ tman): That nothing in the realm of experience can really be said to be I or mine; NibbÄ na (Sanskrit: NirvÄ na): It is possible for sentient beings to realize a dimension of awareness which is totally unconstructed and peaceful, and end all suffering due to the minds interaction with the conditioned world. However, in some Mahayana schools, these points have come to be regarded as more or less subsidiary. There is disagreement amongst various schools of Buddhism over more complex aspects of what the Buddha is believed to have taught, and also over some of the disciplinary rules for monks. According to tradition, the Buddha emphasized ethics and correct understanding. He questioned everyday notions of divinity and salvation. He stated that there is no intermediary between mankind and the divine; distant gods are subjected to karma themselves in decaying heavens; and the Buddha is only a guide and teacher for beings who must tread the path of NirvÄ Ã¡ ¹â€¡a (PÄ li: NibbÄ na) themselves to attain the spiritual awakening called bodhi and understand reality. The Buddhist system of insight and meditation practice is not claimed to have been divinely revealed, but to spring from an understanding of the true nature of the mind, which must be discovered by treading the path guided by the Buddhas teachings. Other religions Buddha depicted as the 9th Avatar of god Vishnu in a traditional Hindu representation Main article: Gautama Buddha in world religions In Hinduism, Gautama is regarded as one of the ten avatars of God Vishnu.[note 6] The Buddha is also regarded as a prophet by the Ahmadiyyas[62][63][64] and a Manifestation of God in the Bahà ¡Ãƒ ­ faith.[65] Some early Chinese Taoist-Buddhists thought the Buddha to be a reincarnation of Lao Tzu.[66] The Christian Saint Josaphat is based on the life of the Buddha. The name comes from the Sanskrit Bodhisatva via Arabic BÃ… «dhasaf and Georgian Iodasaph.[67] The only story in which St. Josaphat appears, Barlaam and Josaphat, is based on the life of the Buddha.[68] Josaphat was included in earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology (feast day 27 November) — though not in the Roman Missal — and in the Eastern Orthodox Church liturgical calendar (26 August). 2. Annabhau Sathe Despite lack of formal education, Sathe wrote in Marathi 35 novels, one among which was Fakira (1959). Fakira, which is currently in its 19th edition, received a state government award in 1961. There are 15 collections of Sathes short stories. A large number of his short stories have been translated into many Indian and as many as 27 non-Indian languages. Besides novels and short stories, Sathe wrote a play, a travelogue on Russia, 12 screenplays, and 10 ballads powade(Marahti). Sathe wrote directly from his experiences in life, and his novels celebrate the fighting spirit in their characters who work against all odds in life. Early life Annabhau Sathe was born in the village of Wategaon near Sangli in a family belonging to the Dalit [[Mang [Hindu] (caste)|Mang]] community. (The community has been identified by the Indian government as a SCscheduled caste.) Poverty had prevented Sathe from obtaining formal education. His brother Shankarbhau recounts in his biography of Sathe, titled Majhe Bhau Annabhau, that the family members worked as laborers at the site of Kalyan tunnel when it was being constructed. Writings Lok Rajya, a Maharashtra state government fortnightly, published on 1 November 1993, a special commemorative issue concerning Sathe. The state government also issued in 1998 a collection of his works under the title Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Nivadak Sahitya.Amartya shinde and Aditya Shinde,Nerul Navi Mumbai 706 also having good information regarding Annabhau Sathe and his relations with Famous Film Actor Balraj Sahani. Other achievements To generate social awareness, he organized stage performances of powade and tamasha, ethnic dances chiefly performed by women, which are popular in rural Maharashtra. He produced 14 tamasha shows. In the late 1940s, the then Home Minister of the Bombay state government Morarji Desai had banned tamasha shows, but Sathe courageously defied the ban by renaming them as lokanatya. People in Maharashtra conferred the epithet lok shahir on Sathe. On the issue of a postage stamp of Anna Bhau Sathe at Chembur, Mumbai minister Pramod Mahajan called Anna as a saint of Maharashtra. Sathe was an important mobilizer in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. He used the medium of powade to great effect in that movement. Sathe was attracted to communism and had visited USSR. He was a founder member of the Lal Bawta Kalapathak of the Communist Party in Maharashtra. Sathe lived a life of destitution. After spending 22 years in a Ghatkopar (west), chirag nagar slum, Sathe moved to a modest house in Goregaon which the state government provided him in 1968, one year before he died. External links http://www.manase.org/maharashtra.php?mid=68smid=23pmid=8id=800 Authority control VIAF: 13245460 {{Persondata | NAME = Sathe, Annabhau | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Indian writer | DATE OF BIRTH = August 1, 1920 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = July 18, 1969Tukaram alias Annabhau Sathe was born in the village of Wategaon near Sangli in a family belonging to the Dalit Matang community. on 1st August 1920 (The community has been identified by the Indian government as a scheduled caste.) There are 15 collections of Sathes short stories. A large number of his short stories have been translated into many Indian and as many as 27 non-Indian languages. Besides novels and short stories, Sathe wrote a play, a travelogue on Russia, 12 screenplays, and 10 ballads powade(Marahti). Sathe wrote directly from his experiences in life, and his novels celebrate the fighting spirit in their characters who work against all odds in life. Lok Rajya, a Maharashtra state government fortnightly, published on November 1, 1993, a special commemorative issue concerning Sathe. The state government also issued in 1998 a collection of his works under the title Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Nivadak Sahitya. Other achievements Sathe worked among the poor. To generate social awareness, he organized stage performances of powade and tamasha, ethnic dances chiefly performed by women, which are popular in rural Maharashtra. He produced 14 tamashashows. In the late 1940s, the then Home Minister of the Bombay state government Morarji Desai had banned tamasha shows, but Sathe courageously defied the ban by renaming them as lokanatya. People in Maharashtra conferred the epithet lok shahir on Sathe. on the Occasion of Postage stamp of Anna Bhau Sathe at Chembur,Mumbai Honrable minister Mr.Pramod Mahajan, called Ann as A saint of Maharashtra. Sathe was an important mobilizer in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. He used the medium of powade to great effect in that movement. on the same occasion he sung a Chakkad as Mazi Maina Gavavar Rahili Mazya Jiwachi hottiya Kahili-edited by Prof. Balaji Shinde and Amartya shinde,Nerul Navi Mumbai-706 Sathe was attracted to communism and had visited USSR. He was a founder member of the Lal Bawta Kalapathak of the Communist Party in Maharashtra. Also Annabhu sathe was the member of Matang Samaj Kaminty at Satara and Sagli Personal life Sathe lived a life of destitution. After spending 22 years in a Ghatkopar (west) chirag nagar slum, Sathe moved to a modest house in Goregaon which the state government provided him in 1968, one year before he died. Honors Many cultural organizations and roads in Maharashtra have been named after Sathe. Shahir Bapu Pawar (Solapur, Contact no 8805500620) have written song on Annabhau Sathes life release Adio cassettes CDs also Death-11th July 1969 | PLACE OF DEATH = }}

Analysis Of Engineering Students Problems In Speaking English Language Essay

Analysis Of Engineering Students Problems In Speaking English Language Essay The objective of the study was to investigate the English language problems in terms of speaking and writing skills of engineering students at a technical university in Malaysia based on the perceptions of students and English language lecturers. The study was conducted within the framework of needs analysis as part of the larger curriculum review exercise in the effort to redesign English language courses that meet the needs of the stakeholders. A 15-item questionnaire was formulated and distributed to 612 engineering students and 36 English language lecturers of the technical university. The findings of the survey indicated that there is a difference between students and lecturers perceptions of students problems in speaking and writing. Based on the findings of the study relevant recommendations were made to assist in the decision making process of the curriculum review exercise. KEYWORDS Language problems, Speaking, Writing, Curriculum review, English for Specific Purposes, Needs analysis INTRODUCTION One of the recommendations mentioned consistently in research projects commissioned by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education is the need for a comprehensive review of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programmes of Malaysian universities (Morshidi et al., 2008; Isarji et al., 2008). The recommendation is in direct response to the nations concern for the declining standard of English among Malaysian university students and graduates and the need to meet the expectations of the stakeholders. The research project reported that based on scores in the English Proficiency Test (EPT) and perceptions of business leaders, government officials and academic staff, Malaysian university students, in general, were considered limited users of English in the productive skills; namely, writing and speaking (Isarji et al., 2008). The literature on ESP, college graduates, and employability reveals a list of problems faced by university students in terms of writing and speaking such as writing reports, memos, proposals, formal letters, instructions, manuals, summaries, technical jargons, and using grammatically correct sentences, participating in discussions, communicating with people, telephone conversations, everyday conversation, oral presentation, and negotiations (Horowitz, 1986; Basturkmen and Al-Huneidi, 1996; Ferris and Tagg, 1996; Hyland, 1997; Sullivan and Girginer, 2002; Abdul Aziz, 2004; Siti Hanim and Ismie Roha, 2005; Isarji et al., 2008); and Ostler et al., 2008). This study was conducted within the framework of needs assessment as part of the larger curriculum review exercise in the effort to redesign English language courses, especially in terms of speaking and writing skills of engineering students that meet the needs of the stakeholders. The research questions were as follows: 1. What are the problems of engineering students in writing and speaking? 2. What are the problems of engineering students in writing and speaking from the lecturers point of view? 3. Is there a difference between the perceptions of students and lecturers? METHODOLOGY This study utilized a survey based on a four-point Likert scale. The items in the survey were developed based on sub-skills in the productive skills. Six items were included in the survey in order to capture the perceptions of students writing sub-skills while ten items were to capture the perceptions of students speaking sub-skills. The survey was distributed to engineering students and English language lecturers of a technical university in Malaysia. A total of 612 students and 36 English language lecturers responded to the survey. Responses to the survey were subjected to descriptive analysis using the SPSS software version 12. In the analysis, the responses based on Agree and Strongly Agree categories were combined in order to capture the agreement to each statement. FINDINGS The findings are presented based on the three research questions. A summary of the findings based on students and lecturers performance are reported separately for both skills (speaking and writing skills). The summary of results is based on percentages of responses according to agreement to the statements in the questionnaires. The first research question is as follows: RQ1: What are the problems of engineering students in writing and speaking? According to Figure 1, on the average, more than half of the students reported that they had difficulties in writing. The most problematic writing sub-skill was writing grammatically correct sentences (71%), followed by choosing suitable words (66%), as well as developing and organizing their writing (56.5%). The writing sub-skill with the least problem as reported by the students was linking sentences in a paragraph (46.8%), followed by spelling correctly (47.7%), and combining paragraphs in an essay (47.7%). Figure 1: Engineering students perceptions of their problems in writing Figure 2: Engineering students perceptions of their problems in speaking In terms of engineering students perceptions of their problems in speaking, the data tabulated in Figure 2 shows that they had problems using grammatically correct language (73.3%), speaking fluently (72%), using varied vocabulary and expressions (67.8%) as well as speaking confidently in English (60.5%). The students, on the other hand, perceived to have fewer problems with participating in discussion (44.3%). communicating with people (44.6%), making suggestions and supporting their views (49.5), and speaking clearly and loudly (49.8%). The second research question asked, RQ2: What are the problems of engineering students in writing and speaking from the lecturers point of view? Figure 3: Lecturers perceptions of engineering students problems in writing Figure 4: Lecturers perceptions of engineering students problems in speaking The lecturers reported that the students had problems with all the sub-skills of speaking (Figure 3). The biggest problem was choosing suitable words (94.5%), followed by writing grammatically correct sentences (94.4%), and combining paragraphs in an essay (80.6%). As far as speaking is concerned, the lecturers reported that the students had problems with all speaking sub-skills (Figure 4). The top three problems reported were using grammatically correct language (94.4%), using varied vocabulary and expressions (91.6%) and speaking fluently (86.1%). The third research question is as follows: RQ3: Is there a difference between the perceptions of students and lecturers? The independent sample t-test conducted indicates that there is a significant difference (p≠¤0.05) between the perceptions of students and lecturers of students problems in writing and speaking in all the items (see Appendix 1). This shows that overall, the way the students perceive their problems in writing and speaking differ from the way their English language lecturers perceive the students problems. The results also show that the mean of the lecturers ratings on all the items were consistently higher than of the students ratings of their own speaking and writing problems. In a separate analysis, on the average, 56.2% of the students perceived writing as a problem as compared to the views of the lecturers on the same issue, which is 82.4%. Similarly, 58% of the students perceived speaking as a problem in contrast to the views of the lecturers, which is 80.2%. DISCUSSIONS This study is a small component of a larger curriculum review exercise. The findings of the study, in general, suggest that both students and English language lecturers were in agreement that the students had: problems in writing and speaking; specific writing problems in choosing suitable words and writing grammatically correct sentences; and specific speaking problems in using grammatically correct language, using varied vocabulary and expressions, and speaking fluently. Not only that both lecturers and students concurred that students had problems in writing and speaking, there is a significant difference between how students and lecturers perceived students problems. The lecturers tended to be more critical of the students problems in writing and speaking than the students themselves. One may not be far fetch to conjecture that the reason for the perceptions to be significantly different perhaps is due to the tenacity of most English language lecturers to accentuate the importance of attaining a minimum threshold level in order to succeed in an English medium university in contrast to the lackadaisical attitude of many Malaysian students towards English. The findings of this study are consistent with the literature on the perceptions Malaysian university lecturers and students of students attitudes towards English in general (Isarji et al., 2008). The findings of the study also provide realistic recommendations pertaining to curriculum review exercise. Firstly, in addition to the teaching of listening, speaking, reading and writing, there is a need to include grammar as an important core competence of language learning. The grammar component, however, needs to be taught in context instead of in isolation not only to ensure that language learning activities relate to the real world but also to enhance students motivation. It needs to be emphasized; however, for English language teaching and learning to solely focus on grammar is to ignore the importance of communicative competence as the ultimate goal. Secondly, students need to be provided with more opportunities to be involved in activities that promote rich vocabulary acquisition. Finally, in a curriculum review exercise, it is imperative to include the opinions of the stakeholders particularly the students and teaching staff. The fact that both students and lecturers acknow ledged the same language problems, even though there is a significant difference between their perceptions make it less demanding for the programme provider to design a language programme that meets the needs of the stakeholders including the students and university. CONCLUSION Even though Malaysian university students have the benefit of at least 11 years of exposure to English language learning as a subject in a school setting, the findings of the study indicate that both students and lecturers perceived grammar and vocabulary to be problematic to students. On this account, 3 hours of exposure to English a week for 14 weeks, which is a normal duration of an English course in a university will not produce a miracle. Notwithstanding, with a proper needs analysis, the programme provider will be able to formulate appropriate learning outcomes, adapt, adopt or develop relevant materials and design suitable learning activities to ensure university students are better prepared not only to undertake rigorous credit bearing faculty courses in English but also to enter the employment world.

Yes Virginia, Dragons Do Exisit :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Yes Virginia, Dragons Do Exisit       Dragon--even mentioning the word strikes terror into the very center of the hearts of some men. But to others, a dragon is nothing more than a make-believe fairy tale, or a mystical monster. Recently, startling, new, scientific discoveries have shed light on this controversial subject. Dragons, Do They Really Exist? This study, compiled of shocking new facts, seems to prove that the animals known as the dragon, does, in fact, exist.    Though the dragon may be large (approximately 45 feet long, 10 feet wide), it is extremely light and aerodynamic. The dragon's wings are the longest limbs on the body; measuring approximately 25 feet in diameter (each wing). The wings are coated with a transparent covering that absorbs the humidity in the air, and keeps moist. The largest muscle in the dragon's body is directly connected to the wings. The muscle, in fact, divides into five large muscles, measuring 8 feet in diameter. The dragon weighs only 400 pounds. Its muscles carry the most weight, and the wings are second to the heaviest part in the body. The rest of the body is extremely light and brittle; the bones are hollow and light. The nervous system is extremely complex and sensitive, detecting any movement from up to 10 feet away. The Dragon's eyesight, however, is extremely poor. The clearest it envisions any object is a hazy blur. Its digestive system is primitive. The liver, being the most complex digestive organ, is the largest organ--weighing over 215 pounds. The reason for the complexity of its life cycle is because of the Dragon's enormous intake. While feeding, the dragon may ingest non-nutritious objects such as houses or highways. These unneeded colonies are quickly detected by the liver and pulled out of the digestion process.    Reproduction in Dragons is extremely complex and painstaking, the Dragon being very picky and wary of its mate. Its mate must also be the same family and weight, or the process will be flawed and the young will die. Every 1 in 50 dragons produce one healthy egg.    Dragons only live in extremely windy areas because of the lift they need for their bodies.

Gender Inequalities in Access to Schooling in Pakistan Essay -- Girls

Education is a precious thing that holds the future for all young human beings. It allows us to learn, to grow, and to become functional and responsible citizens of society and the competitive world. Without education, people will not be able to do the things that they want to in the future in order to advance their dreams to improve their lives and society. They will not be able to learn new things, new ideas, and new skills in order to advance the stages of human growth and development. They will be barricaded behind the barriers of ignorance, isolation, and despair. While students in the industrialized developed world have the right and ability to go to school and learn without barriers, it is not the same for the rest of the countries that are categorized as part of the developing world. Girls in developing countries such as Pakistan, do not have the full access and ability to go to school and are facing cultural, political, and economic barriers that are inhibiting the ability of these kids from entering school. The Pakistani government should take responsibility in solving the country’s education crisis by reforming its education system to make it accessible for Pakistani girls who are not able to go school. Girls represent a strong majority of those who can’t go to school. According to an article by Omar Waraich from Time Magazine, Mosharraf Zaidi, the campaign director of an education advocacy group called â€Å"Alif Ailaan†, stated that 61% of the 25 million Pakistani children who can't go to school are girls. Cultural barriers of male-dominated patriarchy, inherited from the era of British colonialism and traditional Indian culture as according to Latif, are one of the factors that prevent girls from going to sch... ...?" Education Economics 17.3 (2009): 329-54. Web. 9  Dec.  2013. Callum, Christine, Zeba Sathar, and Minhaj ul Haque. "Is Mobility the Missing Link in Improving Girls' Schooling in Pakistan?" Asian Population Studies 8.1 (2012): 5-22. Web. 9  Dec.  2013. Ghuman, Sharon, and Cynthia Lloyd. "Teacher Absence as a Factor in Gender Inequalities in Access to Primary Schooling in Rural Pakistan." Comparative Education Review 54.4 (2010): 539-54. Web. 9  Dec.  2013. Kingston, Anne. "Teen Idol." Maclean's 126.48 (2013): 65-6. Web. 9  Dec.  2013. Latif, Amna. "A Critical Analysis of School Enrollment and Literacy Rates of Girls and Women in Pakistan." Educational Studies 45.5 (2009): 424-39. Web. 9  Dec.  2013. Waraich, Omar. "‘There Are Thousands of Malalas’: What Pakistan’s Teenage Activist Has Already Won." TIME.com. Time Magazine, 11  Oct.  2013. Web. 9  Dec.  2013.

Essay --

Operation Deliberate Force By SSG Barker, Russell J. ALC Class 018-14 SFC Franklin Barker, Russell J. 13F ALC Class 018-14 14 March 2014 Operation Deliberate Force The idea of a humanitarian war or going to war in pursuit of a humanitarian effort is an ambiguous idea. From an outsider’s point of view it can seem like a self-serving mission or even some crazy form of moral or immoral self-deception. Yet, in war strategies, humanitarian efforts are widely distributed through all aspects of our art of war such as the Geneva conventions. In operation deliberate force the theory of air strikes came to be the most humane effort in that of shortening the war as well as bringing the amount of innocent suffering to a minimum. Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in the south east region of Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula. It borders with the Republic of Croatia in the north, west and southwest and with Serbia and Montenegro in the east and south. The Ivan Sedlo saddle (much like a valley) found between the mountains Bitovnje and BjelaÃ… ¡nica connects the two major wholes of the country, the more populated and abundant in forests and land, Bosnia in the north and the smaller, rocky Herzegovina in the south. There is a natural border of mountains between Bosnia and Herzegovina. Herzegovina is actually quite small barely making up ten percent of the population of the entire country. Most of Bosnia is hilly and mountainous and there is almost no area less than one hundred and fifty meters above sea level. Bosnia is not a country abundant in many different water sources; it contains a few large rivers and only few lakes. Of the countries making up the former Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzego... ...ion. There were many sides to this Bosnian civil war; each of the three cultures in this territorial conflict had their own justifiable reasoning behind the events that took place throughout the long ordeal. Yet it was easily brought to an end once NATO and the United Nations decided to take a more aggressive role with their presence. The Serbians who were the main antagonist throughout this war thought they were much more militarily inclined than they actually were therefore when just a small amount of air strikes were implemented by NATO it occurred to them that they should probably quit while they still could. Operation Deliberate Force in my opinion, proves how effective air support can be, and how efficient it is at bringing all things conflict related to an end much quicker than ground battle, and with much less casualties, both civilian and military, at that.