Reaction paper: “3 idiots” Film Essay

I. Title: 3 Idiots II. Director: Rajkumar Hirani III. Characters: Aamir Khan as Ranchoddas Shamaldas Chanchad/ Chhote/ Phunsukh wangdu Kareena Kapoor Khan as Pia Sahastrabuddhe R. Madhavan as Farhan Qureshi Sharman Joshi as Raju Rastogi Boman Irani as Dr. Viru Sahastrabuddhe Omi Vaidya as Chatur Ramalingam IV. Opening Story: Both Farhan and Raju wants to meet again their fellow collegian, Rancho after faking a stroke abroad an Air India plane, and excusing himself from his wife respectively. On the way to destination, they encounter another student, Chatur, now a successful businessman, who reminds them of a bet that they had undertaken 10 years ago. As they are recollecting hilarious funny act, including their argument with the Dean of Delhi’s Imperial College of Engineering, Viru Sahastrabudhe, race to locate Rancho, at his last known address. Little they did not know about the secret that was kept from them all this time. V. Passing action: Farhan, Raju, and Rancho are three engineering students who share a room in the residence of Imperial College of Engineering (ICE). Farhan is studying engineering to pursue his father’s wishes over his own wish that is to become a wildlife photographer. Raju is studying to raise his family’s fortunes and get them out of pover ty. On the other hand, Rancho studies for his simple passion in machines and devices. Rancho believes that success in studying is not achieved by solely memorizing definitions given by textbooks or professors, but by understanding and applying the concepts. He believes that one should follow excellence, not success, as success will come itself if excellence is followed. VI. Rising Action: Things further escalate when the three friends drunkenly break into Virus’s house one night to allow Rancho to confess his love to Pia, and urinate on the front door before fleeing. The next day, Virus threatens to rusticate Raju unless he squeals on Rancho. Not wanting to betray his friend or let down his family, Raju attempts suicide and ends up paralyzed. Following his recovery, Raju discards his fear of the future. Encouraged by Rancho, both Raju and Farhan gain courage to do what they were afraid to do before. Raju takes a frank approach in an  interview for a corporate job, while Farhan convinces his parents to allow him to pursue his love of wildlife photography, both successful in their endeavors. VII. Climax: Their story is framed as intermittent flashbacks from the present day, ten years after Chatur bet that he’d become more successful than Rancho. Having lost contact with Rancho, who disappeared during the graduation party and went into seclusion, after five years, Raju and Farhan begin a journey to find him. They are joined by Chatur, now a wealthy and successful professional in the USA, who is looking to seal a deal with a famous scientist and prospective business associate named Phunsukh Wangdu. When they find Rancho’s house in Shimla, they find a completely different man: the real Rancho. From him, they come to know that their friend was a destitute servant boy â€Å"Chhote† who loved learning, while he, the real Rancho, disliked study. After seeing the boy’s intelligence, the family agreed to let the servant boy study in Rancho’s place instead of laboring. In return, the real Rancho would pocket his qualifications and after graduating, the servant boy will cease all contact. The real Rancho reveals that Chhote is now a schoolteacher in Ladakh. At the same time, they find out that, without Rancho, Pia decided to marry the same price-obsessed banker that Rancho initially talked her into dumping, and they go to rescue her from the wedding. VIII. Falling action ending: Raju and Farhan find Pia and arrive at Rancho’s school. Pia and the fake Rancho rekindle their love, while Chatur mocks Rancho for becoming a lowly schoolteacher. He asks Rancho to sign a â€Å"Declaration of Defeat† document. When Rancho’s friends ask what his real name is, he reveals that he is actually Phunsukh Wangdu himself. Chatur finds out about this and is horrified; he accepts his defeat and pleads his case with Phunsukh to establish the business relationship he was after.

Mohawk Indians: Past and Present Essay

The Mohawk Nation is a Native American tribe of the New York area. They were a sedentary tribe who practiced agriculture in the harsh northeast climate. The primary crops were corn, squash, and beans. The Mohawk were skilled trappers who took advantage of this skill when the Europeans arrived in their area. The tribes worked with other tribes to achieve better relations with other Native Americans and Europeans. This included a constitution and treaties with Americans and Canadians. The modern day Mohawk Nation has tried to keep their culture and their land. The nation of the Mohawks once covered a large area of New York, Ontario, and Quebec. Present day Mohawks mainly live on three reservations. The tribes on these reservations are the Akwesasne, Ganienke, Kahnawake, Kanesatake, Kanatsiohareke, Six Nations, Tyendinega, and Wahta (Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs, 2007). The tribe deals with many modern day problems that are similar in nature to the issues of the United States as a whole. Education is a concern for the tribe. The main issue of education is the focus on retaining their culture and obtaining the level of education needed in today’s society. Their answer to this problem was to found the Akwesasne Freedom School. This school was founded in 1979 by parents of the tribe for children in pre-k through eighth grade (Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs, 2007). Besides the basic studies the curriculum focuses on culture beliefs and also includes a Mohawk language immersion program. Another concern of the Mohawk nation is the disputes of land ownership in their territories. The tribes of many areas in the New York and Canada area are fighting to keep rights to land that were allotted to them centuries ago. According to Connie Kidd, (2007) after the American War of Independence, during which Mohawk warriors fought as allies of the British, the Haudenosaunee were persecuted in their New York territories and so moved north to ancestral territories along the Grand River, which were reserved for them in the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784. This land was gradually taken out of their hands through disputes and surrenders. The tribes have had trouble being successful in getting the two governments along their  borders to honor separate treaties regarding land ownership. As in any other nation, crime is a concern for the Mohawk Indians. In the Mohawk territory smuggling has become a concern for the local citizens. Drugs, other contraband, and illegal border crossing have risen in the recent years. The smuggling problem seemed to have risen with increased taxes on tobacco in Canada. The smugglers, who are Mohawk Indians and other races, used the Akwesasne area to transport tobacco to Canada, so much so that the area became known as smugglers alley (Bonaparte, 2002). Another factor in the rise in smuggling is the duties that must be paid to bring goods into the Canadian side of the border. Since some of the Mohawk territory is divided between the Canadian and the United States borders the residents must pay to bring goods from one side to another. This has proven to be a hardship for the Mohawk Indians, especially in conducting business inside the reservation. The case of Mitchell vs. the Minister of National Revenue was a decision that stated the Mohawks of Akwesasne did not have an aboriginal right to bring trade goods across the border without paying duty (Bonaparte, 2002). This Canadian court decision, which itself took many years to decide, has affected the Mohawk Indians in conducting business inside and outside the reservation, and thus led to an increase in smuggling. The Mohawk Indians have had trouble combating this problem since the 15-member Tribal police force currently pays for border enforcement from its own operating budget that is supported by Tribal revenue (Indian Times, 2006). The tribes answer to help solve their crime problems is to train local Mohawks to serve in law enforcement. According to the Indian Times newspaper these tribal police officers are ideally suited to monitor this stretch of border as they are Akwesasne residents with an intimate knowledge of the territory (2006). The Office of Law Enforcement Services is responsible for improving law enforcement services and preserving the public’s safety throughout Indian Country. The United States has dealt with smuggling across the borders for many years and from every border. Prohibition times seen the smuggling trade rise in  this very same area yet the items were being smuggled into the United States instead of out. The methods of controlling this problem have changed since that time in history. Mohawk elders can recount that border patrol agents used deadly force to combat the smugglers, native and non-native alike (Indian Times 2006). Even though the smuggling issue has been present since the prohibition days in the early twentieth century the United States government is only now beginning to understand the impact it is having on the Mohawk and surrounding communities. In 2006 the Bureau of Indian Affairs awarded the Tribal Police Department with a grant to help combat the drug smuggling and the illegal border crossing problem in Akwesasne (Indian Times, 2006). This funding is intended to increase the number of native officers to help fight the crime in the community. The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security are among other government offices that have awarded grants to the police department to aid in buying equipment and addressing other issues (Indian Times, 2006). By working together the two nations can fight an ever growing problem and keep the Mohawk and surrounding communities safe. The various funding from the United States government can be effective in financing the programs needed to protect the community. This cooperation between the two nations will benefit both in the long run. References Bonaparte, Darren. (2002). A line on the map. Wampum Chronicles. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from http://www.wampumchronicles.com/bordercrossing.html. Kidd, Connie. (2007, Feb. 26). What’s happening in Caledonia. [Electronic version]. Raise the Hammer. Retrieved April 6, 2008, from http://www.raisethehammer.org/index.asp?id=533. Indian Time Newspaper (2006, Oct. 16). Tribal police force to receive grant [Electronic version]. Retrieved April 4, 2008 from http://members.aol.com/miketben1/police3.htm. Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs (2007). Welcome to the homepage of the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from http://pages.slic.com/mohawkna/home.html.

HOMEWORK 7 Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HOMEWORK 7 - Personal Statement Example Other appropriate ratios include return on equity and return on capital employed. Return on equity is the percentage of net profits in relation to equity. This ratio is much more influential in the determination of return that investors releases to the company. The potential to this ratio extends to the determination of investors investment decision point. Return on capital employed is the percentage of net profit in relation to net assets. Return on assets in relation to cash is another ratio used in the determination of return. This ratio is used in advanced profitability issues. The ratio is used to compare return on investment and cash comparison. The ratio is usually stated on an accruing basis. It is crucial to note the fact that these ratios are used for comparative analysis through the data given. Comparison of ratios should be compared with historical data that belong to the company and or industry. Is it wise for a company to lose money on one product if the product is vital to the sale of another extremely profitable product? It is vital to conduct a net benefit analysis. This will determine the profitability level. A number of approaches can determine which product is profitable for the company. It is wise to employ the best decision strategy in arriving at the best point. Approaches used involve the net benefit analysis or the use of net present value method. In this approach, analysis is done for both products and discounting done by employing the best discount policy. The product that yields the highest net present value should be

Analysis of Carphone Warehouse Financial Statements Essay

Analysis of Carphone Warehouse Financial Statements - Essay Example mobile services into one single media delivery chain facilitated by the expansion of high speed wireless internet and broadband services worldwide (Pricewaterhousecoopers, 2006). This new economic era changed many industries since it pushed the demand for products for high tech product such as mobile telephones up since mobile technology became a part of the new integrated supply chain of high tech products. In the United Kingdom a major player in the communication services industry is The Carphone Warehouse Group. The emphasis of this report is to analyze the financial position, performance and prospects of this firm as well as providing a brief analysis of the accounting standards that Carphone Warehouse utilizes in its presentation its financial reports. Carphone Warehouse is the biggest player in the European market in the independent retailing of mobile phones and related services with over 2,200 retail stores across 11 countries (Carphone, 2007). The United Kingdom company established its operation in 1989 whose founder Charles Jones envision a firm that had the potential of dominating the European market with the implementation of a organic growth model. The organic growth business model is a business or economic philosophy that emphasis on steady constant growth over a prolonged period of time (Moore, 2006). An example of a booming economy that utilized this model to reach constant 10% economic growth for multiple decades is the Chinese economy. Carphone Warehouse transformed from a small mobile retailer 18 years ago, to a multinational giant in the telecommunication industry that obtain annual sales of 3.99 billion pounds in 2006 (Annual Report: Carphone, 2006). The company’s strategic focus includes a continued market share growth, value added services, building lifetime customer relationship and increasing productivity and profitability (Carphone, 2007). The mobile services industry generated global revenues of approximately 3.32 trillion dollars

The Attitude and Action of York University Students with Regard to Research Paper

The Attitude and Action of York University Students with Regard to Medical Transplant and Organ Donation - Research Paper Example This research was driven by five objectives namely: to establish how students in York University (YU) perceive organ transplants (OT); to investigate the incidence of OT in the United States of America; to establish the attitude of students in YU towards medical transplants and organ donations; to identify the action of YU towards OT; and to identify countermeasures that can be put in place so that students in YU embrace and perceive OT positively. Chapter one of the study included the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, study objectives, research questions, significance of the study, limitations of the study, scope of the study, assumption of study and definition of terms. Chapter two of the study offers an outline of medical transplants and organ donations. These ideas are going to introduce key concepts and understandings that link to the purpose and field of research. Chapter three describes the research design that provides information regard ing the population of the study, sample size and sampling procedure, instrumentation, data collection and data analysis techniques. Chapter four deals with data presentation and analysis; after data collection, the data was recorded. This data was interpreted and analyzed in order to draw varied conclusions from it, and gather meaningful information. Chapter five illustrates the summary of findings based on the analysis and interpretation of the data gathered. Keywords: organ transplant, organ donation CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of The Study Organ transplantation refers to the surgical removal of one or many organs from one person (the donor) to place it into the body of another person (the recipient) commonly for medical reasons. In most cases, the donated organs are derived from dead people, but in some times, these organs can be removed from living beings (Ballard, 2009). Commonly transplanted organs are the liver, kidney, pancreas, intestines, heart, liver an d lungs. Commonly transplanted tissues include the middle ear, skin, bone, heart valves, tendons, ligaments, stem cells, blood, platelets, cartilage and the cornea. The need for organ transplantation in the US and in the world as a whole has continued to rise in the recent past. Numbers of those needing OT in the USA, and in the world in general have continued to rise, even exceeding the available donors for this procedure. The shortage is so massive such that, approximately 20 OT patients die daily due to the afore-mentioned shortage. Statistics have revealed that over 4000 people register to undergo the procedure every month. Furthermore, about 80 people receive new organs every day in the US alone (Durrette, 2009). 1.2 Statement of the Problem For all its benefits and success, OT has received various criticisms and ethical concerns, which has reduced the number of people who are willing to donate organs. Various attitudes exist concerning the practice, and this is impacting negat ively on the success rate of the procedure (Finn, 2010). Unless these are addressed, the bridge between organ donors and recipients will keep increasing. 1.3 Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is to determine the attitude and action of York University students with regard to medical

Philosophy in business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy in business Ethics - Essay Example Some employees are sent away while others are hired at the expense of the existing ones. As per the FCC regulations, these mergers will allow a greater share in the overall print and media industry while at the same time increasing the geographic control within the market. This would further exacerbate the issues that would be a cause of concern for the employees and the BSSl. These mergers and acquisitions allow the companies to gain large shares of the market and become tiny monopolies in their right effectively reducing the competitors’ value in the market to almost non-existent. There are already media giants operating within the media market who are supporting these recommended changes as these mergers have allowed them the position that they have secured in the market today. They effectively control the media and television industry. The ethical and legal implications that can arise from the above situation is the existence of unfair competition, pressure on smaller sized companies to merge with larger ones in order to survive, the monopolization of geographical region which in itself goes against the practice of fair trade and practice and the smaller companies are hence not able to get the important stories due to the lack of resource availability in contrast to the larger companies. For BSSL, the legal ramifications would be huge as it would mean trying to compete with companies which have access to more resources, greater networking and better connections in order to secure important stories, interviews etc. these mergers and acquisitions have made it virtually difficult for BSSL to compete on the same grounds and though the media industry has never been about â€Å"perfect competition†, yet granting 45 percent of the market control to a few giants effectively makes things quite difficult for BSSL. The employees of

Knowing Your Audience Paper and Communication Release Essay

Knowing Your Audience Paper and Communication Release - Essay Example The aftermath of the collapse was entrapment of over thirty workers at a depth of three hundred meters deep. This meant inadequate basic needs such as water, food and oxygen, a situation that downed the hearts of their relatives whose hope died after four days with their husbands, fathers and brothers trapped in a mine. New York Times (2011) asserts that there has never been such a scenario where, miners would survive after a long period trapped underground. However, the supply of food that started for two days would subsequently run into weeks after the establishment that the miners were still alive and intact. Additionally, a second collapse of one of the other remaining shafts destabilized the rescue process by making the process even more difficult. The news f this collapse spread throughout the world like a bush fire with many fearing that the miners will not last until their rescue. However, it was astonishment instead of cries when after seventeen days the first contact was ma de to the miners only to find that all the miners were safe and in a good condition. Initially, it had been, communicated to them that it should take the rescue team almost four months to rescue them onto the surface. However, at the fall of 69 days, the first miner of \all the miners who had been trapped were brought to the surface exceeding effectively (Weik, 2010). Given the fact that communication must be designed with a particular audience in mind, and there are a number of considerations to be observed. This is, in addition to, needs of the potential receivers of the information. Therefore, it is noteworthy that the person relaying the information understands the recipient, and use a proper communication, tone and even information message caries. This will enable appropriate delivery of the message, which will ensure that the audience understands, and clear doubts about any confusion (New York Times, 2011). Therefore, the company has to communicate to different people, and the se include the family, other employees and the press. Any wrong word is sure to create panic especially to the family members, and this makes family essentials extremely valuable, and, therefore, taken into grate consideration. There are certain needs of the family that have to be met to ensure their peace of mind. However, it is noteworthy that few companies have appropriate preparations for such situations, and use of addressees to convey the message. This one of the hard times in the Mining Company, for it had a hard time keeping the families of the trapped miners reassured. Ability to maintain the staff tranquil and at peace that the Chilean Copper Mining Company was doing everything to get the miners out, was their top priority. It is noteworthy that the company had an already established way of keeping the families, the local community and the other employees of the trapped miners. During this entire time of rescue efforts, the relatives of the trapped miners should have recei ved some counseling while praying for beneficial outcomes, but also being prepared for the worst. All information obtained by exerts during the process should have been shared at a gathering of family of the trapped miners with grief counseling making the necessity of the sessions of briefs. This means that the family should

The spanish company ZARA, is an example of globalization;how and why Essay

The spanish company ZARA, is an example of globalization;how and why - Essay Example Zara is one of such names as it has long been impacting the life of customers and the economies of many countries that it has maintained its business-base. This piece of research paper examines microeconomic concepts regarding economies of scale, profit strategies, effective use of resources and market forms in relation to Zara’s business and marketing landscapes. This paper aims to illustrate the global business aspects of Zara and explain how Zara has maintained sustainable business as well as competitive advantages. Zara International Inc. is the flagship brand for Europe’s fastest-growing apparel retailer, the Inditex (Industria de Diseno), one of the largest fashion and design retail groups in the world. It runs through more than 4,000 clothing stores in more than 70 countries and 400 cities worldwide (Plunkett, p. 237). Not only the retailing strategies, but also the marketing concepts and ideologies that Zara has been implementing for its business have become better business-model and academically significant strategies. Zara runs more than 200 kids shops in some 75 countries, and sells women’s, men’s and children’s apparel to its customers worldwide. (Yahoo Finance, 2011). As Tamer (p. 484) noted, Zara has emerged to be the leader in rapid-response retailing. Its in-house teams for designing and manufacturing its products produce fresh designs twice a week. The total turn-around time at Zara is just two weeks whereas its competitors have typically an 11-month lead time to move a garment from design to manufacturing. One of the main success factors that helped Zara achieve greater reputation and long term sustainable competitive advantage is that it has always been very fast and flexible in meeting market needs by integrating design, production, distribution and sales through out its own stores. The supply chain system of Zara International Inc is also lightning

Ethics Research Paper on Euthanasia Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics on Euthanasia - Research Paper Example ciety that undervalues life sees no guilt in committing acts of violence, particularly murder, thereby making life value dangerously demoralized and humanity altogether  ­weakened (Doerflinger, 1989, p. 16-19, Koop, 1989, p. 2-3). The â€Å"slippery slope† or the â€Å"wedge theory† is an assumption that makes the distinction between voluntary euthanasia and involuntary euthanasia hardly recognizable, thereby supposing that agonizing individuals request their deaths because they feel they are a burden to themselves; and society requests to terminate an individual’s life because of being a burden to the people around them and to society, as a whole. Kamizar, a professor of law at the University of Michigan and a non-supporter of the â€Å"wedge theory† argues that "Once society accepts that life can be terminated because of its diminished quality, there is no rational way to limit euthanasia and prevent its abuse.† (Wolhandler, 1984, p. 377). If euthanasia is legalized, the probability for exploitation and mistreatment of individuals by the more supreme individuals will enormously amplify (Le Baron, 2010). In direct conjunction with this dispute is the argument that individuals having control over the more vulnerable individuals might develop addiction to euthanasia (Le Baron, 2010, Doerflinger, 1989, p. 19). A strong proof of advocacy on euthanasia was done by the Nazis in 1939, when Hitler ordered mass â€Å"mercy killing† of the sick and the disabled or those individuals with unworthy lives. Disabled children were killed by means of lethal injection or gradual starvation, while sick/disabled adults, particularly those with epilepsy, schizophrenia, senility, paralysis and syphilis were murdered in gas chambers. Six killing centers were established in Germany. It was approximated that more than one hundred thousand people perished in the Nazi euthanasia program (â€Å"Holocaust Timeline: Nazi Euthanasia,† 1997). The Netherlands, being the first nation to

Hostile Essay Example for Free

Hostile Essay Hostile take overs are when one company attempts to take over a company that doesn’t wished to be taken over, this is usually done by either the acquiring company attempting to buy out stakeholders or influence the management, or change, to get the deal approved. This can cause many problems for the business, such as contrasting cultures in the business which could lead to an unsuccessful business with multiple goals and the two companies could be heading in opposite directions. Also by acquiring the business in this way there could be potential problems in the structure of the business, such as when Vodafone took over many companies and couldn’t successfully integrate the companies into one solid structure. When Kraft decided to take over Cadburys by acquiring over 75% of the shares, by which in UK law enables them to delist the shares off the Stock market. This was widely rejected by employees who wanted to remain under the name of Cadburys as they felt that they could lose their jobs, this was shown to take this direction in 2011 when they closed the original factory although they had said they weren’t to do this. They were also found to break many promises that they had made before the deal was finalised, however due to the size and success of both companies they managed to have continued success after the takeover. However a Hostile takeover is unlikely to be successful because of key board members may be worried about their position should the company be acquired, they use many different methods to prevent the takeover. This is certainly one key reason that takeovers are likely to fail; one method they use is the Poison pill. This is when the board of directors sell more shares should one party gain too many shares, therefore devaluing the shares bought by the company trying to take over the over company. This was the case when Carl Icahn attempted to take over Netflix but the board of directors felt that this wasn’t for them and stated that should he buy more than 10% of stock they would float more stock to the market, he currently owns 9. 75%. This would then cause the takeover bid to be much more expensive for the party attempting to do so and would hopefully put them off the idea of trying to gain complete control of the company. Another method used by companies to prevent hostile takeover is the Golden Parachute, this is when should the CEO lose his job due to takeover, there would have to be a large pay out, sometimes millions of pounds, hopefully to deter a hostile takeover, this was the case in the appointment of Charles C.  Tillinghast Jr. to TWA. To conclude I think that to some extent it’s true that hostile takeovers are prevented by key stake holders as they have the ability to vote on matters that can prevent the takeover, such as the board members, they can choose members who are likely to refuse any takeover, although should a lucrative deal be offered they have a large influence on the takeover. However I think that the board of directors can, although not always, have much more influence on the potential hostile takeover, for example through the use of a poison pill it can effectively increase its businesses worth by offering shares at a lower price and increasing the cost for the acquiring company.

Psychosynthesis Approach: Object Relations Theory Overview

Psychosynthesis Approach: Object Relations Theory Overview The therapeutic model of psychosynthesis grew out of the psychodynamic movement and is based on work done by Robert Assagioli (1888-1974). Psychosynthesis takes an optimistic view of the human condition, theorising that a person progresses naturally towards a state of synthesis. For Assagioli, synthesis refers to the idea that people become interdependent and create higher levels of organisation within themselves and others (Assagioli, 1975). This essay examines how psychosynthesis helps people to re-establish their own centre and reach a new level of authenticity within themselves through the use of object relations theory. The model of human consciousness within which psychosynthesis operates can be seen as comprising of a number of layers (Hardy Whitmore, 1999). The layer at which we most normally operate is referred to as the field of consciousness. Most people live their whole lives at this level and do not experience different levels. In psychosynthesis, however, there are considered to be a number of levels at which human beings operate: different, lower levels of consciousness as well the higher, collective consciousness. It is the lower levels of consciousness which are of most practical interest to therapists. These contain traumas that have been covered up, childhood experiences and defensive strategies. While trauma can lie hidden, so can our greatest assets, skills and happiness. Psychosynthesis aims to establish contact with both the traumatic, damaged parts of the self as well as the beautiful parts (Hardy Whitmore, 1999). This process is often called self-realisation and is the result of three stages in psychosynthesis. In infancy, the primary task is ego formation, the creation of a vehicle for the self (Simanowitz, 2003). The second stage is the emergence of the I which normally occurs in adolescence. The third stage is referred to as self-realisation and this is the growing consciousness of the essential self. The psychosynthesis counsellor acts as a kind of external unifying centre who can facilitate the growth of self-esteem through helping the client make the I-Self connection (Whitmore, 2000). One of the main ways in which the therapist helps the client is through mirroring these are confirming responses from the therapist which attempt to calm and soothe (Simanowitz, 2 003). How is it possible, then, to reach this ultimate goal of self-realisation and high self-esteem? Psychosynthesis uses an analysis based on object relations to examine early relationships in life. Object relations theory has at its core the idea that not only do we need relationships, but that the type of relationships that we have determine how our self develops (Crossley Gopfert, 1999). Object relations is, therefore, interested in the way the self develops through the initial relationships with the primary caregivers and how the child begins to split themselves off. Where does the boundary come? How can I tell who is you (the object) and who is me (the self, the I)? In psychosynthesis, these problems are approached using the tool of object relations. Object relations concentrates on two main types of objects: the external objects of other people and the internal objects which are the way in which external objects are represented internally. There are also part objects which are those that are not recognised as full whole people: one example of a part object is that of a breast to a baby. Minsky (1995) describes how Melanie Klein often considered a transitional figure between classical psychoanalysis and object relations theorists focussed on how a baby struggles to relate to people. Central to the way the baby relates is the phantasies it creates these are essentially the babys interpretations of its internal and external representations: what are now considered its object relations. For Klein, these phantasies are based on the childs instincts. The development of these early relations, in Kleins theory, sets the tone for a persons life. Klein saw two possible positions for the baby to take up (Minsky, 1995). The first is the paranoid-schizoid position this is based on the fear of attack. Because the baby is vulnerable and completely dependent on the mother, it fears what the mother might do to it. For Klein this was a developmental stage to be overcome in order to reach the understanding that it is possible to integrate hating and loving feelings. The second is called the depressive position and here the baby must learn to internalise an external world which contains the possibility of integrating good and bad objects. Bad feelings towards the mother and the self are, thereby, integrated and accepted. It is the depressive position that provides most of us with the greatest challenge in our lives. Klein identified four unconscious processes that are important in early object relations (Minsky, 1995). The first of these is termed splitting and refers to how the baby unconsciously splits objects into good and bad (Klein, 1946/1975). This occurs to defend the baby against annihilation anxiety and is directed against threats. An example of this is how the baby idealises the breast early in life. But, over time, through the struggle between the life and death instinct, a bad and good image is created of the breast. With splitting, in Kleins theory, comes the early production of the superego in which both the good and bad aspects of the breast and the mother are incorporated. The second unconscious process is projection which refers to the baby taking its inner good and bad feelings and projecting them onto the world. The inner bad objects, split off, can be projected onto the mother. The third unconscious process is introjection this is where the baby internalises both the good and the bad things around it. In order to build an autonomous self, the baby should internalise more good than bad (Minsky, 1995). Finally projective identification occurs where, after identifying with the object initially, the baby re-internalises it. This will often lead to heavy dependence on the love object as it has effectively included part of the self (Minsky, 1995). The problem with relationships built on projective identification is that they are often characterised by a need to control as well as fear of being controlled. Central to counselling in psychosynthesis is the idea of subpersonalities. These are identities that exist within the person, each with their own behaviour pattern, beliefs and even body posture (Whitmore, 2000). Depending on the situation in which a person is placed, a different subpersonality comes to the surface, which is appropriate in a healthy person. The subpersonalities are essentially unconscious, beyond the individuals control and are normally in place to meet some kind of basic need. The danger is that a person becomes trapped by one particular subpersonality and this starts to control their life. In order to work with subpersonalities it is necessary, according to Whitmore (2000), to recognise those that seem most important. And beyond the surface behaviour of a personality, lies their quality which they want to express. One example of recognising the quality of a subpersonality might be where an ex-addict has developed a tough-guy image the quality of perseverance and c ourage can be recognised in this (Whitmore, 2000). The idea of subpersonalities is built on, and informed by, Winnicotts (1960) distinction between the true and false self. The development of each of these is strongly affected by the mothers attitude towards her child. Winnicott (1960) describes the good-enough mother and the not good-enough mother. The former acknowledges the childs displays of omnipotence in order to encourage the development of the ego. The not good-enough mother, however, tends to, for example, substitute her own signs and signals for the babys and as such the baby only develops an illusion of omnipotence. This can lead to the impaired understanding of external objects, as they are not understood in their true sense. As a result of parenting practices such as these, it is possible for a false self to develop. A false self has been described by Rubin (1998) as a predictable or inauthentic mode of being, whereas the true self is spontaneous and authentic. A clinical vignette is provided by Winnicott (1960) of a middle-aged woman who had developed a caretaker self who looked after the day-to-day functions of her real life. She felt, though, that she had not been in contact with her real self and she had not begun to exist. Winnicott treated her by allowing the caretaker self to slowly pass over its functions to the analyst until a crisis point was reached. This crisis allowed the patient to see and understand the caretaker self as well as the real self. One of the most important therapeutic dynamics in psychosynthesis, as in other forms of psychotherapy, is transference. Transference describes how clients often re-enact with the therapist those early relationships that were important to them (Hardy Whitmore, 1999). This works as the client specifically projects the traits that were, for example, seen in the parents, onto the therapist and uses the same emotional responses and behaviours. By carrying out this projection, the client is attempting to repeat their early relationships, such that the therapist can become the target for a wide range of emotions (Whitmore, 2000). Counter-transference is an important related phenomenon to transference. This acknowledges that there are two people involved in the therapeutic relationship and it is possible that the therapist will start to play out early relationships as well. In psychosynthesis, it is vital that counter-transference is acknowledged by the therapist and that the client continu es to be viewed as containing immense potential. There are a number of ways in which transference can operate; two examples are idealisation and devaluation. Idealisation occurs when the client sees the therapist as a perfect person and incapable of making mistakes. What happens in this scenario is the client effectively creates in the therapist a surrogate parent who they wished they had had this provides them with external security. On the other hand, devaluation can cause the client to see the therapist as flawed or powerless because of the way in which transference has occurred and been identified (Ashbach, 1994). Transference, for Assagioli (1967), is seen as something to be reframed in a positive manner. In this sense, transference is an attempt by the client to find unity within themselves. The separation and splitting referred to earlier, at its most basic between mother and child, requires healing. To achieve this healing, the therapist mirrors unconditional love to the client, and attempts to dissolve transference as it arises. Through this process it is hoped that the client will be able to begin reintegrating the split-off parts, allowing the I to see all of them and hold them together. Ultimately, the aim of therapy is, as Masterson (1988) expresses it, to reach a concept of constancy and wholeness that acknowledges life is a series of shades of gray rather than black and white contrasts. In conclusion, ego development and self-esteem are addressed in object relations theory by examining the clients earliest relationships. Within these early relationships are found the dynamics which can reverberate through the rest of a persons life. Psychosynthesis uses object relations to analyse these relationship, paying particular attention to unconscious processes such as splitting, projection, introjection and projective identification. The process of therapy within this model pays particular attention to the operation of subpersonalities, as based on Winnicotts distinction between the true and false self, as well as how transference and counter-transference affect the therapeutic dynamic. Finally, psychosynthesis views the journey of therapy as being towards a reintegration and acceptance of the split-off parts of the self such that the client can reach a new authentic understanding and reconstruction of the personality around the true self. References Ashbach, C. (1994) Object Relations, the Self and the Group. Oxford: Routledge. Assagioli, R. (1967) Jung and Psychosynthesis. New York: Psychosynthesis Research Foundation. Assagioli, R. (1975) Psychosynthesis: A Collection of Basic Writings. Wellingborough: Northants Turnstone Press. Crossley, D., Gopfert, M. (1999) Cognitive analytic counselling and psychotherapy. In: S. Palmer (Ed.), Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: The Essential Guide. London: Sage Publications. Hardy, J., Whitmore, D. (1999) Psychosynthesis. In: S. Palmer (Ed.), Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: The Essential Guide. London: Sage Publications. Klein, M. (1946/1975) Notes on some schizoid mechanisms. In: R. Money-Kyrle (Ed.), The writings of Melanie Klein (Vol III, 176-235). New York: The Free Press (Macmillan) Masterson, J. F. (1988) The Search for the Real Self: Unmasking the Personality Disorders of Our Age. London: The Free Press. Minsky, R. (1995) Psychoanalysis and Gender: An Introductory Reader. Oxford: Routledge. Rubin, J. B. (1998) A Psychoanalysis for Our Time. New York: New York University Press. Simanowitz, V. (2003) Personality Development. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Whitmore, D. (2000) Psychosynthesis Counselling in Action. London: Sage Publications. Winnicott, D. W. (1965) The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment. London: Hogarth Press.

Dark Side: An Essay On Satan :: essays research papers

Mankind lives in a physical, tangible, material world, which is influenced by the invisible, spiritual world around us. The present day spiritual world is just as existent as it was nearly two thousand years ago when Lord Jesus walked the earth. The Old and New Testaments reveal to us from time to time, glimpses of this spiritual world. These Testaments provide us with the most factual information regarding Satan. Unfortunately, many have been misinformed and do not thoroughly comprehend Satan’s origin and what his purpose concerning the spiritual and physical world. There is a great need to set the record straight regarding Satan especially in our hour with its present angel craze, channeling and a belief in spirit guides. I chose Satan as the subject of my paper because I am one who does not thoroughly comprehend who he is and what his purpose in both the spiritual and physical world is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Satan is a fallen angel that is frequently referred to in the Bible. There are numerous ideas about his evil spirit. Some believe that Satan and his demons are not real, but are rather personifications of the wickedness that abides in the world. Others admit the existence of Satan but presume that he is confined in the fiery pits of an ever-burning Hell. Still others believe that Satan is free and actively promoting sinfulness in our world today. What is the truth? What does the Bible tell us about Satan?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In present day, Satan is more often referred to as the Devil. The word derived, via the ecclesiastical Latin diabolus, from the Greek diabolos, an adjective meaning “slanderous.'; This was also used in ancient Greek as a noun to identify a person as a slanderer. The term was utilized in the Greek translation of the Bible, the Septuagint, not to refer to human beings, but rather to translate the Hebrew ha-Satan (“the Satan';). It was an expression originally used as the title of a member of the divine court who functioned as God’s roving spy, gathering intelligence about human beings from his travels on earth (Pagels 10-11). God’s Word clearly teaches the reality of Satan. He is presented as an evil entity that affects humanity by his actions. Details about him are available in the Bible, but the facts are distributed throughout the text in such a way that one must diligently search and study to gain a rudimentary understanding of Satan̵ 7;s status and goals.

The Character of Meursault in The Outsider, by Albert Camus Essay

Meursault had an indifferent, nonchalant demeanour. The setting of the novel prevails in Algiers after the invasion of the French. Since the novel was written post World War I, the political tension and fear in the society is vividly visible. Meursault was drastically different from the narrow minded people who alienated him. Since the society had been colonized by the French, it was vulnerable, destabilized and wary of threats, Meursault was unaccepted by them. Meursault, the protagonist and narrator is a stoic and detached figure. His indifferencee towards family and society was apparent in his reaction to his mother’s death, relationship with his lover and the cold-blooded murder of the Arab. In the case of his mother, he showed no sense of attachment, â€Å"After the funeral, though, the case will be closed and everything will have a more official feel to it† (Albert Camus, The Outsider, Page 1). He was relentless and continued to remain detached from her as he avoided meeting her at the old age home over the weekends. The only time he took the effort to visit her was when she passed away. The visit to his dead mother also seemed inappropriate to him as he contemplated in the bus, how he could have made that day more productive and interesting. The passing away of his mother seemed so irrelevant that he had no recollection of the day of her death. Meursault killed the Arab and had no resentment of this heinous act he had just committed. As he killed the Arab he displayed no sense of horror or guilt. Meursault heartlessly continued to shoot the Arab’s cold corpse – regardless of his behaviour, he refused to show any sign of grief, â€Å"Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a ... ... Meursault does not bother about other people’s actions. Compared to that of his society, Meursault’s actions are unconventional and thus, make him more of an ‘outsider’ or a ‘stranger’ to the society. Clearly, Meursault is different from the people of his time and age and it is this among the many differences that mainly lead to his execution. The unwavering opinion of the judge against Meursault is reflective of the people then. These people were intolerant and scared of the truth. They were extremely narrow minded. Hence, they were scared of Meursault who was brutally honest all the way, which is why he was mistaken to be a threat to society. To get rid of this threat, they (through the judge) executed an exception to save the society from the change of beliefs. Works Cited Camus, Albert, and Joseph Laredo. The Outsider. London: Penguin, 2000. Print.

The Matrix Essay -- essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites It is easy to confuse the concepts of "virtual reality" and a "computerized model of reality (simulation)". The former is a self-contained Universe, replete with its "laws of physics" and "logic". It can bear resemblance to the real world or not. It can be consistent or not. It can interact with the real world or not. In short, it is an arbitrary environment. In contrast, a model of reality must have a direct and strong relationship to the world. It must obey the rules of physics and of logic. The absence of such a relationship renders it meaningless. A flight simulator is not much good in a world without aeroplanes or if it ignores the laws of nature. A technical analysis program is useless without a stock exchange or if its mathematically erroneous. Yet, the two concepts are often confused because they are both mediated by and reside on computers. The computer is a self-contained (though not closed) Universe. It incorporates the hardware, the data and the instructions for the manipulation of the data (software). It is, therefore, by definition, a virtual reality. It is versatile and can correlate its reality with the world outside. But it can also refrain from doing so. This is the ominous "what if" in artificial intelligence (AI). What if a computer were to refuse to correlate its internal (virtual) reality with the reality of its makers? What if it were to impose its own reality on us and make it the privileged one? In the visually tantalizing movie, "The Matrix", a breed of AI computers takes over the world. It harvests human embryos in laboratories called "fields". It then feeds them through grim looking tubes and keeps them immersed in gelatinous liquid in cocoons. This new "machine species" derives its energy needs from the electricity produced by the billions of human bodies thus preserved. A sophisticated, all-pervasive, computer program called "The Matrix" generates a "world" inhabited by the consciousness of the unfortunate human batteries. Ensconced in their shells, they see themselves walking, talking, working and making love. This is a tangible and olfactory phantasm masterfully created by the Matrix. Its ... ... people the same way that the Universe triggers a time sensation in us. Something does happen OUT THERE and it is called the Matrix. In this sense, the Matrix is real, it is the reality of these humans. It maintains the requirement of the first type of flow of data. But it fails the second test: people do not know that it exists or any of its attributes, nor do they affect it irreversibly. They do not change the Matrix. Paradoxically, the rebels do affect the Matrix (they almost destroy it). In doing so, they make it REAL. It is their REALITY because they KNOW it and they irreversibly CHANGE it. Applying this dual-track test, "virtual" reality IS a reality, albeit, at this stage, of a deterministic type. It affects our minds, we know that it exists and we affect it in return. Our choices and actions irreversibly alter the state of the system. This altered state, in turn, affects our minds. This interaction IS what we call "reality". With the advent of stochastic and quantum virtual reality generators - the distinction between "real" and "virtual" will fade. The Matrix thus is not impossible. But that it is possible - does not make it real.

Gender Inequality in the Work Place

Gender inequality and The Work Place The society in which we live has been shaped historically by males. The policy makers have consistently been males and therefore it is not surprising that our society reflects those biases which exist in result of this male dominating society. One might think that gender inequality in the work place is rooted in what shapes future employees and employers. Whoever said men and women are equal?Women have always taken a back seat to men in American society. This is not only found in the United States, but in other countries as well. The problem of men and women not being equal can be traced back to the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all men are created equal. There was no mention of women being equal, only men. At the time of the drafting of the document, the men had all the power.The document was even drafted by a man; Women were confined to the home to take care of the domestic housekeeping duties. Soci ologist Perspective In my research on work place inequality, I read a perspective from a sociologist named Sandra Bem who focuses on gender. However, unlike most female sociologist, Bem chooses not to focus on the differences between males and females, but rather on their similarities.She says that polarized gender socialization, the way that we assign masculine or feminine characteristics to things such as walking and talking to make males and females appear to be different, keeps us from realizing that the sexes are more alike than they are opposite. Men and women have the same needs for food, clothing, shelter, affection, belonging and so on. Whether by choice or economic necessity, woman have entered the paid labor force in numbers recent years, and so they should be entitled to equal pay and respect.Although many people who know these statistics are optimistic about the gain women have made in the United States specifically in employment, it should be noted that women’s positions as a social category in the labor force is lower than men’s in term of status, opportunities and salary. Feminist researchers have used the advancements of women into top-tier management jobs as a litmus test for how well women are faring in the labor force as a whole. Studies continue to confirm that women hold a small percentage of the top positions. Causes of Gender Inequality in the WorkplaceThe causes of gender equality in these positions stem from four stereotypes; Sexism : American cultural belief that women are best suited for jobs that emphasize service, nurturing, housekeeping, men best suited for careers of high-level decision making and authority, Lack of qualifications: Men typically have more education and job experience than women 28% of men age 25+ have completed at least 4 years of college 27% of Women Men have more job experience because women loose time during pregnancy and child care, The glass ceiling: subtle and unconscious discrimination that prevents them from reaching higher and better-paying positions for which they are qualified. Women and minorities make up 30% of middle managers in U. S. but less than 1% of chief execs, networking: Men use golf clubs, other rec places where women were discouraged from going. The Functionalist PerspectiveAccording to functionalist Talcott Parsons (1955), gender inequality is inevitable because of the biological division of labor: Men are generally stronger than women and have certain abilities and interest. Parson said, men find themselves more suited to be goal oriented and women to expressive. Other functionalist explanations of gender inequality focus on the human capital that men and women bring to the workplace. According to human capital explanations, what individuals earn is based on choices they have made, including choices about the kinds of training and experiences they accumulate. For example, human capital analysts argue that women diminish their human capital when they leave the labor force to engage in childbearing and child care activities.So this is why they have less experience. It takes two to tangle that’s unprecedented. Conclusion/Solution Inequality has kept in place because of beliefs and practices that have been drilled into people’s minds for so long. When will women be treated as equals to men in the work place? I don't see a change happening in the near future. Women are slowly being treated more as equals to men but the gap will never narrow to complete equality. Women should, not only be treated as equal in the work place, but also in everything else as well. Whether it is a computer scientist, an athlete, or a president of the United States, women should be treated as equal to men.Gender discrimination has gone too far and we, as a society, have to draw the line. We can’t change past issues, but we can certainly change the future. Work Cited: â€Å"The Declaration of Independence. † The Declaration of In dependence. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Greenbuam, Vicky. â€Å"Seeing through the Lenses of Gender: Beyound Male/Female Polarization. † English Journal 88. 3 (1999): 96-99. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Kendall, Diana Elizabeth. Social Problems in a Diverse Society. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Web. 10 Feb. 2013 [ 2 ]. Greenbuam, English Journal 88. 3, 1999 [ 3 ]. Kendall, 2013. [ 4 ]. Kendall, 2013, Pg. 94

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky Essay

The parable of the Grand Inquisitor is told by Ivan to Alyosha found in the novel, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Both Ivan and Alyosha are brothers. The difference is in their respective religions wherein Ivan is a dedicated atheist while Alyosha is a monk. The parable is an important component of the novel and also one of the most famous passages in modern literature because it contains ideas about human freedom and nature. The parable also consists of a fundamental ambiguity. The leadership of the Grand Inquisitor is based on his amazing and exceptional strength to have freedom that has endured that majority of the human beings found it so terrible. From his point of view, only people who have knowledge enough to lie and who have the strength to endure suffering by being forced to make lies can rule over those people who want to stay weak, disillusioned and obedient. The Grand Inquisitor made an accusation against Christ of only speaking to the strong in spirit and can endure freedom while he is enforcing dogmatic solutions and continues his ministry to the weak. This style of leadership by the Grand Inquisitor can be compared to the leadership of Socrates. The Socratic method is described as the series of questions that are prolonged and answers that will refute a moral principle by letting the opposing argument to come up with a conclusion that will contradict the person’s original point of view. Socrates developed this style as a way to examine, refute or shame the opponent into reversing his earlier opinion. The Grand Inquisitor challenges the very essence of human life, the concept of evil and the free will of man. The concept of freedom is being examined and is described using a perspective that is bleak and contemptuous. The ideologies of man is being depicted as being a destructive force that has brought down humanity into chaos and anguish. The parable can be perceived as an attack on religion and God but a closer look will reveal a conclusion that remains the opposite. It is concluded that the Grand Inquisitor becomes the explanation for the crucial need for a religious institution. The context of the parable may be a shock to religious advocates. God will visit the earth in the form of flesh and blood. He performs miracles and is imprisoned in a cell by a man who punishes him for giving free will to mankind. It is clear from the beginning of the story that Alyosha is religious while Ivan is being cynical in his position on the matter. After the Grand Inquisitor becomes aware of the presence of God here on earth, he orders his men to capture him. The depiction of the Inquisitor has contradicted the description of God’s human form. The Inquisitor is being presented as a formidable, cold and judgmental and sinister. Another contrast that can be found between God and the Inquisitor is the reaction of the crowd to both of them. The people displays a fearful obedience as their behavior towards the Inquisitor and not the same adoration and awe like before. It is noted here that the people is quick to abandon God who in such a short time before they were all so enamored with. The weakness of man as a theme and the need for a rigid government will begin will begin to come out. A lengthy monologue follows which is delivered by the Grand Inquisitor to God. The lecture talks about the Inquisitor’s reprimand for freedom. The Inquisitor is speaking against the internal freedoms that are borne out of man’s free will. He describes how freedom has enslaved humanity and placed the human race into a state of disorder and chaos. He confronts God on this error and boldly declares that the human race will reject Him ultimately. The argument of the Inquisitor is difficult to refute as the ability of man to differentiate the good from the evil is undoubtedly questionable. The freedom of the will permits every individual to have a different system of morals or in some instances having no morals at all. If one will put into consideration the violence and the deprivation that is happening in the world everyday, it seems that man cannot manage the freedom that he enjoys with his will. The many choices and responsibilities, the moral decisions that he has to make on a daily basis has already overwhelmed so many. The mind has the ability to create an environment of its own by making hell out of heaven. This ability of the mind is what the Inquisitor has spoken of and has claimed that it has led to the destruction of mankind. There are many people who make choices in their lives that paved the way for the creation of circumstances that are hellish in nature. It is not the responsibility of free will that comes with it that overwhelms mankind. The reference of evil and the existence of God can also be found in the Confessions of Augustine. A person only needs to look around the world and have the realization later on that something is not quite right. The existence of evil is one of the challenges that have puzzled many Christians and those that are not for that matter. For most of Ausgustine’s life, he tried to find a solution for it. The question of the existence of evil can be reworded in many ways. One approach could be to address the source and beginnings of evil that will prompt a series of statements that will eventually form an argument with reason. It is said that God is the creator of all things. Evil is also a thing so therefore God also created evil. If the first arguments were true, then there is no escape to the solution. This formula is frustrating for the whole of Christianity. God would not be known as good if he intentionally created evil. Augustine has approached the problem from a certain angle. He questions if there is any convincing proof that God exists. If there is any proof that would suggest and lead to the conclusion that he really does, then God could not possibly be capable of creating evil. Evil must have come from something else. He also had an observation that evil could not be selected because there really is no certain evil thing to choose. A person can only turn away from good preferring a lesser good over a greater good since everything is good. For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil – not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked† (Augustine 2007). Evil is therefore an act of choosing the lesser good over th greater good. To him, evil comes from the free will of the people. Evil was a perversion of the free will in man who turned away from God in preference of lesser things. Back to the Grand Inq uisitor, Satan or evil has obviously grown impatient by the values of kindness, humility and love that he has found to have no defenses and forced to capitulate. He is powerless with the overwhelming humility that he is forced not to live up to his threat of burning Christ at the stake. The prisoner is released and is allowed to walk freely and safe. Before the release, the prisoner gave a valedictory kiss on the lips of the inquisitor. Satan was a rebel in heaven. Because he wanted to rule, he preferred hell. In the continuing political power struggle, he has claimed the world to be his own and has a message for Christ to keep out of his world. The ends justify the means. The previous statement aptly characterizes a consequentialist’s way of reasoning. The outcome or result of an action when beneficial is morally right regardless of the means to get the end result. Consequentialists for example think of what they want, how they are going to get it and what the good in it is if they take action towards their goal. Deolontologists would be thinking of the rationality of an action and base it on a moral rule to know if it is right or wong. Comparing the personal identity of both theories, consequentialists consider the will, reason and desires as important in determining morality. Meanwhile, deolontologists consider only will and reason because they believe that desires only distract the mind from thinking rationally. Desires reflect emotions and in deolontology, there is no room for that because the moral rule is to be followed. Regardless if they want to do something or not, they must perform their duty because the performance of it is morally right. The rationality of consequentialism is in getting what you want out of that action. You want to achieve something because it is beneficial for you. Therefore you think of actions to take that would lead to the things you want and bring you the greatest good. Reason dictates the actions of deontologists. It is in reasoning that deolontologists discover what is right or wrong based on moral principles. The primary source for evaluating morals in consequentialism is the consequence of an action while in deolontology, it is the actions themselves. The virtue of consequentialism may be the feeling of having maximized the utility available. For deolontologists who are performing their moral duties, it the feeling of having done the right thing. However, both of these theories have criticisms in their arguments. One of the criticisms by Anscombe state that in consequentialism, it is not clear what one ought to do because the validity of the action is based on the consequences. As compared to deolontology, the theory suggests what one should do because the validity of an action is based on moral principles. These moral principles have a definite description of what is right and wrong. In another criticism by Thomas Nagel, consequentialism should not encompass those actions that are morally wrong but produced positive results in the long run. An example of this would be an uprising by the people of a country. The action of the people may be considered treason and according to the moral rule, that action is wrong. Because of the uprising, the corrupt government was toppled and it was replaced by new government that is elected by the people. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that in which the consequences of a particular action becomes the basis for an acceptable judgment on that action. It finds the source of a moral value in a good situation and results into a consequence of that action. Many forms of consequentialism exist and the most common is utilitarianism. The theory puts emphasis on the â€Å"good† as the center of its concept. Utilitarianism holds that actions that result to the greatest good to a greater number of people are considered to be moral actions. The outcome of an action makes that action either moral or immoral. In consequentialism, emphasis is given to the results or consequences in analyzing what is right and wrong in our actions. If the result of an action has a positive outcome then it is considered as moral and therefore right. Likewise if the action produces negative outcomes, the action becomes wrong and immoral. Deontology is another ethical theory that is of Greek origin, deos which means duty and logos as science. Using its etymological meaning, deontology becomes the science of duty. The theory argues that understanding our moral duty and its regulations to help us decide on the right choice. If we do our duty, we are doing the right thing. Doing our duty is considered a moral behavior. The theory states that we are obeying God when we do our duty for it is He that determines it and its regulations. The moral actions of deontology are separate from the consequences brought about by those actions.

Nutrition †Flavor Essay

Science tells you what nutrients do in your body and how nutrients work together Explain why people who enjoy their food may absorb more nutrients from it. The brain reacts from the senses (sight and smell). It instructs your mouth and stomach to make chemicals that help digest food. What 5 factors contribute to different cultures having such different cuisines and food customs? Geography, Economics, Foreign Contacts, Religious Belief, Technology. List the 4 main components of the food chain and explain the function of each. Sun: The sun supplies the original energy for the planer in the form of light. This energy is needed to make food. Producers: Some organisms make or produce food. Green plants are important producers. Plants use the sun’s energy to produce food for themselves. Consumers: Organisms that must eat other organisms. Decomposers: Organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break down dead matter and return the nutrients to the environment. List the 5 reasons for using food additives. 1. Additive flavoring 2. Improving nutrition 3. Increase shelf life 4. Maintaining texture 5. Helping foods age Define the following: Nutrient – a chemical substance that your body needs to function, grow, repair itself, and create energy Wellness – good health and positive well-being. Includes physical, mental, and emotional health Comfort foods – are familiar foods that make people fell good Culture – the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively Cuisines – may be particular to a country or region, or it may be a blend from different areas. Staple food – the most widely produced and eaten food in an area Ecosystem – an environment and its community of organisms, which all depends on each other for survival Food chain – is the flow of food energy from simpler to more complex organisms Shelf stable – able to be stored at room temperature for weeks or months in the original, unopened containers Shelf life – the length of time food holds its flavor and quality Food additives – A substance added to food for a specific reason during processing. Food is essential for survival and affects the quality of your life. Healthy food choices promote wellness. Food offers more than nutrition. It also offers enjoyment. Comfort foods may slow the release of stress hormones, making people feel better. Preparing and serving food lets you express your creativity. Different cultures have more than individuals ingredients and dishes, they have entire cuisines. Income had/has an influence on what people have/had to cook certain meals. Cultures absorb new foods through immigration, travel, and trade with other people. The food we eat depends on the health of the world’s ecosystem. The U. S. is fortunate to have abundant resources for raising food. What is one of the most important roles of food processing? To keep perishable foods from spoiling Food additives include natural and artificial flavors. When vitamins and minerals are added to foods like milk, this is labeled as improving nutrition. Increasing shelf life and delaying spoilage is known as shelf-stable.

Curriculum Design Essay

Chapter 7 ASCD Yearbook Fundamental Curriculum Decisions, 1984 People cannot intelligently discuss and communicate with others about curriculum without first making very clear what their interpretation of a curriculum is. In this chapter, we will be thinking of a curriculum as a written plan for the educational program of a school or schools. Curriculum design them will consist of those considerations haying to do with the contents, the form, and the arrangement of the various elements of a curriculum. We distinguish between curriculum planning and instructional planning with curriculum planning being the antecedent task. Curriculum planners are forced to make design decisions almost from the outset of their work. The design decisions revolve around three important considerations: (1) the range of school levels and schools to be covered by the curriculum, (2) the number of elements to be included in the curriculum, and (3) the nature and scope of each of those elements. Each of these requires additional explanations. Decisions about the range of school levels and schools to be covered by the curriculum normally are mot very complicated, and the range usually coincides with the sphere of authority of the board of education. Districts may elect to plan a curriculum from kindergarten through grade 12; they may elect to plan one curriculum for the elementary schools and one for the secondary schools; or they may elect to direct each school unit to plan its own curriculum. Planning groups will have to decide about the number of elements to be included in the curriculum. Among the options for inclusion are: (1) a statement of goals or purposes, (2) a statement of document intent and use, (3) an evaluation scheme, and (4) a body of culture content selected and organized with the expectancy that if the culture content is judiciously implemented in classrooms through the instructional program, the goals or purposes for the schools will be achieved. To this list, some would add suggested pupil activities, instructional materials, and so forth, but these matters belong more rightfully in the domain of instructional planning and we will not consider them here. A few comments about each of these four elements will be helpful to the reader in understanding their import for curriculum decisions. Most curriculum writers would agree that it is desirable to include a statement of goals or purposes to be achieved by schools through the implementation of the planned curriculum. They may disagree as to what the goals ought to be, or they may disagree about the degree of specificity of the statements to be included. The most famous statement of goals or purposes for schools became known as the Seven Cardinal Principles of Education as formulated by the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Schools in 1918. They were health, command of the fundamental processes, worthy home membership, vocation, civic education, worthy use of leisure, and ethical character. There is less consistency among curriculum writers in terms of their insistence upon including a statement of document intent and use in a curriculum, and, in practice many curricula do not contain such statements. Curricula have, in the past, contained statements intended to reveal the philosophy or point of view of the planners but this is not what we mean by a statement of document intent and use. A statement of document intent and use should be forthright and direct about such matters as: (1) how teachers are expected to use the curriculum as a point of departure fur developing their teaching strategies, (2) the fact that the curriculum is the official educational policy of the board of education, (3) the degree of universality in expectancy with regard to the discretion of teachers in implementing the curriculum, and (4) the degree to which teachers are to be held accountable for the implementation of the curriculum. These are illustrative of the kind of statement that may be formulated, but each planning group will have to decide on the number and character of such statements. With the amount of emphasis put upon curriculum evaluation in recent years, some mandate with respect to the curriculum evaluation is a very reasonable option for inclusion in a curriculum. The most common method of pupil evaluation used in the past has been the standardized (norm referenced) achievement test. In most cases, there were no deliberate attempts to relate published curricula to the test batteries. Therefore, any leap in assumption about the directness of the relationship between curriculum content and whatever was measured by the tests was likely to be untenable. All the more reason for formalizing an evaluation scheme by including it in the curriculum. In one form or another, a curriculum must include a body of culture content that has been deemed by the planners and directing authorities to be important for schools to use in fulfilling their roles as transmitters of culture to the oncoming generations of young people. The basic curriculum question is, and always has been, that of what shall be taught in schools, and a major function of a curriculum is to translate the answer to that question into such forms that schools can fulfill their commitment and demonstrate that they leave done so. Most of the remainder of this chapter is devoted to discussion of this element of a curriculum; so we will leave it at this point. But it should be made clear that from these options as potential elements of a curriculum, there emerge two dimensions of curriculum design. One is the choice of and the arrangement of the elements to be included in the curriculum. The other is the form and arrangement of the contents of each of the elements internally. The design problem is greatest in the case of the form and arrangement of the culture content and it is the one most frequently discussed under the heading of curriculum design by curriculum writers past and present. . Culture Content-Knowledge-Curriculum Content A curriculum is an expression of the choice of content selected from our total culture content and, as such, it is an expression of the role of the school in the society for which the school has been established to serve. A word needs to be said here about the meaning associated with the expression â€Å"culture content.† Ralph Linton provided us with a classical and very useful definition of â€Å"culture.† He stated: â€Å"A culture is the configuration of learned behavior and results of behavior whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a particular society† (1945, p. 32). The term â€Å"society† is ordinarily used to refer to a group of individuals who live together with common norms and shared frames of reference. Societies tend to generate their own culture and to transmit that culture to oncoming generations within that society. So long as societies and their cultures remained in a primitive state, their cultures were simple and could be transmitted to oncoming generations by direct contact between the young and the older members of the society. But as societies became more complex and the scope of their culture content increased so that the transmission of the culture content to the young could no longer be accomplished by direct contact in daily living, societies were forced to create institutions to take on the responsibility for all or part of the cultural transmission task. The school is one of those institutions. The church is another. Both of these institutions have unique roles to play in society, and they tend to transmit different culture content to the young. Parochial schools tend to do both. As Smith indicated in Chapter 3 of this Yearbook (not in this reading – JG), the culture content selected to be included in the curriculum of the school may be thought of as equivalent to the knowledge to which school students are to be exposed. In any case, it is critically important to be aware that not all culture content, or knowledge, accumulated by society comes under the purview of the school; curriculum planning is a process of selecting and organizing culture content for transmission to student by the school. The process is very complex, involving input from many sources, but the organized end-result of the process is the design of the curriculum. The most sophisticated mode of organization of culture content for purposes of teaching is reflected by the various disciplines such as history, chemistry, or mathematics. In addition to the established and recognized disciplines, school subjects have been created out of conventional wisdom m the applications of selected portions of the disciplines to applied areas of our culture such as vocational subjects, social studies, or reading and handwriting. In general, the separate subject organization of culture content has predominated in curriculum design. Another way of speaking about curriculum content is to refer to cognitive content, skill content, and value or attitudinal content. As Smith discussed more fully in Chapter 3, all three types of content represent knowledge in some from either in the form of direct knowledge or a knowledge base. The three forms have been used as a classification schema or a taxonomy for curriculum content formulation. Historic Curriculum Design Conflicts One must realize that tire basic curriculum question is, and always has been, one of what shall be taught in the schools. An immediate corollary to that question has been that of how shall what has been chosen to be taught in the school be organized so as to best facilitate the subsequent decisions about teaching and learning. Those two questions are the primary curriculum questions, and the organized decisions made in response to them culminate in a curriculum design. A few reflections about our curriculum past will illustrate settle of the conflicts in curriculum design that have taken place. In her study, Sequel observed that curriculum as we use the term today was not a subject of professional discussion until after 1890 (1966, p. 1). Rugg contended that decisions about curriculum content prior to the 20th century were decided primarily by textbook writers and textbook publishers (1926, Pp. Ill-11). It was not until 1918 that Bobbitt wrote the first definitive work on curriculum and since that time curriculum writers have directed their attention to the substance and organization of curriculum content (curriculum design) and to the processes of curriculum planning, implementing, and evaluating. By the early 1900, the stage had been set for the separate subjects organization of the culture content to be used in schools. In our very early elementary or primary schools, for example, pupils were taught to read, to write, and to compute; the subjects were called reading, writing, and arithmetic. Much later such subjects as geography, history, and civics were added to the curriculum. In our early secondary schools, pupils were taught a selection of subjects (disciplines) that were directly associated with the disciplines taught at the college or university. Even though the separate subjects organization of culture content was used before curriculum became an area of professional study, it is still with us. True, subjects have ben added and others altered, but it remains the dominant approach to curriculum design. The separate subjects mode of curriculum design has been significantly challenged only once in our history. That challenge came with the advent of the Progressive Education movement. A principal belief of the Progressive Education movement was its dramatic emphasis on the learner in school settings. A substantial portion of the Progressive emphasis on the learner was stimulated by John Dewey’s (1916) call for more active and less passive learning in schools. This focus on the learner when applied to the organization of curriculum content led to endeavors remove away from the separate subjects organization of tire curriculum content. The movemen away from the separate subjects organization (sometimes called subject-centered) was toward the integration, or fusion, of subjects under the assumption that such integration would not only facilitate learning on the part of pupils but would additionally make the knowledge, skills, and attitudes more easily available to the pupils in post-school life (the transfer problem). The basic process involved here was the fusion of the contents of two or more of the separate subjects into another organization in which the individual subjects lost their separate identities. As one might expect, names were associated with the various integration or fusion attempts. Figure 1 adapted from Hopkins (1941, p. 18) illustrates the variety of names associated with curricula resulting from integrative or fusion processes. Hopkins here polarized the subject curriculum and the experience curriculum. The broad fields curriculum was placed in the center so as to show that it had a reasonable num ber of the characteristics of the two extremes. Others as indicated on either side depending on emphasis. Space in this volume will not permit extensive description of curricula developed as part of the efforts to move away from separate subjects organization. The best we can do here is to identify some of them and cite sources for further investigation on the part of the reader. For example, in their hook The Child-Centered School, Rugg and Shumaker (1928) presented brief descriptions of the curricula of the Lincoln School, The Frances Parker School, and others of that time. In most cases, the curricula were built around child-centered units of work, but attention was focused as needed on such basic subjects as reading, mathematics, history, geography, and so forth. One of the most extreme departures from separate subjects organization was proposed by Stratemeyer and others (1957). The authors proposed the â€Å"persistent life situations† concept as a basis for dealing with the curriculum building issues of scope, sequence, continuity, balance, and depth. At the junior and senior high school levels, special mention should be made of the core curriculum. The core curriculum idea was to get away from nothing but the discipline-centered curriculum. Most core programs were organized around larger and more flexible blocks of time, and the content was generally centered on personal and social problems and problems of living. In many respects the core curriculum idea was an attempt to solve the general education problem in our upper schools. It is important to note that in practice in schools, curriculum design failed to get very far away from the subject- or discipline-centered design. The most lasting effect of the movement was the broad fields idea as represented by social studies, language arts, and general science, and they have persisted mostly in curricula for elementary and junior high schools. Contemporary Arguments About Curriculum Design Probably the most persistent movement in curriculum design in recent years has been the proposed use of specific behavioral objectives as a basis for curriculum organization. Curriculum writers have long proposed that curricula ought to contain statements of goals or objectives, but not as the only content of a curriculum. Some contemporary writers have proposed that curricula should be thought of in terms of the anticipated consequences of instruction, or intended learning outcomes. (For example, see Popham and Baker, 1970; Johnson, 1977). The culture content in such cases would either be implied in the objectives or be considered as an instructional decision. A distinct advantage of this type of curriculum design is that supervision of the implementation and of the evaluation of the curriculum is simplified and facilitated. Such proposals are in direct contrast to a proposal that a curriculum should he composed in four parts: (1) a statement of goals, (2) an outline of the culture content that has the potential for reaching the goals, (3) a statement of the intended use of the curriculum, and (4) a schema for the evaluation of the curriculum (Beauchamp, 1981, p. 136). They are in even greater contrast to those who would include instructional considerations such as suggested activities for learners and instructional materials to be used. Curriculum planners should be warned that the inclusion of all of these things produces fat and unmanageable curricula. With respect to the culture content of curricula, two organizational concepts persist both in the literature and in the practice of writing curricula. The first is the tendency to continue with the basic framework of the subjects, or disciplines, that are to be taught. The second is to break the subject areas down into three identifiable components: (1) cognitive, (2) inquiry and skill, and (3) affective (value, moral, attitudinal). Curriculum planners will probably wish to begin their thinking about design with the familiar, which will unquestionably be the conventional school subjects. They will consist of mathematics, social sciences (including social studies as a subject), the natural sciences, fine and applied arts, health and physical education, communications, and other languages. At the secondary school level, planners will add to these whatever vocational and technical subjects they may wish to offer. Some planners will wish to add an area that may be termed social problems, molar problems, or problems of living that may call for applications of elements learned in various conventional subjects. Curriculum planning is an educative process. For this reason classroom teachers should be involved in the undertaking. A very important reason for their involvement is that the process of curriculum planning presents an opportunity for them to engage in analysis of the culture content so that they may be more effective in their classrooms at the level of instruction. The analytic process of breaking down the culture content into cognitive, affective, and inquiry and skill components is one way that teachers may become mote knowledgeable about what they do. Also in this process of analyzing the culture content, the content is more specifically related to goals and at the same time it fosters better curriculum implementation. For these reasons, teachers’ participation in curriculum deliberations has been proposed frequently as a needed dimension of continuous teacher education. In Chapter 3, Smith raised the very important question of the utility of the culture content selected to be part of the curriculum content, and he posed several ways in which the utility of knowledge can be emphasized. In a more specific vein, Broody, Smith, and Burnett (1964) suggested on, potential uses of learnings acquired in school to he taken into consideration. They are the associative use, the replicative use, the applicative use, and the interpretive use (pp. 43-60). Very briefly, the associative use of knowledge refers to the psychological process of responding to a new situation with elements of knowledge previously acquired. The replicative use refers to situations that call for direct and familiar use of schooling such as when we read a newspaper, write a letter, or balance a checkbook . The applicative use occurs when an individual is confronted with a new problem and is able to solve the new problem by the use of knowledge acquired in the study of school subjects through previous experience in solving problems demanding similar applications. The interpretive use of schooling refers to the orientation and perspective the individual brings to new situations because the individual has acquired ways of conceptualizing and classifying experience. Much of the discussion about uses of schooling (especially use external to the school) is an elaboration of the transfer problem that has plagued educators ever since Edward Thorndike first set forth his theory of transfer through the existence of identical elements in 1908. The most easily explained is the replicative use as described above because of the direct similarity between the use external to the school and the mode of learning and practice in school. Take reading for example. Reading from school materials is directly similar to reading of materials outside the school. But when it comes to applying knowledge or making new interpretations or associations between knowledge required in school and life situations external to schools, a more complicated transfer situation exists. Unfortunately, many of the questions raised about utility and uses of schooling have not been answered through curriculum design. Nor are they likely to be because so much is dependent upon classroom teaching technique and the design of instructional strategies. The best efforts in curriculum design have been through the generation of new courses (subjects if you please) in which the content is purportedly more like life external to the school. Reference here is made not only to specialized courses such as technical, vocational, commercial and occupational courses but also to courses designed around molar problems, problems of living, and core programs. In many respects, the broad fields courses were designed for purposes of saving time during the school day and to facilitate the transfer of knowledge acquired. But whatever the curriculum design, if teachers are not aware of and sensitive to the kind of analyses of the content to be taught as we have been discussing it, the uses of schooling will not be maximized. All the more reason why teachers should be part of the curriculum planning effort and participate in the required dialogue. In summary, then, what courses of action with respect to curriculum design appear to be the most appropriate for today’s curriculum planners? The most important aspect of curriculum design is the display to be made of culture content once the content has been selected. The total amount of culture content is constantly growing thus making the problem of selection for curriculum content more difficult as time goes on. Unquestionably, the role of those schools (elementary and secondary) that operate under compulsory school attendance laws must constantly be examined in terms of what they should or should not offer in their curricula. The elementary school curriculum has always been designed with general education in mind. In our contemporary society, the secondary school seems to be moving in that same direction. Both, however, have seen fit to divide the content selected into realms or courses as appropriate. Scope and sequence have long been two major problems in curriculum design. The display of course content into topical outline is one way planners can watch for discrepancies in scope and sequence. It also helps with horizontal articulation among the various subjects. To help teachers generate greater insight into the content outline, it is desirable that the curriculum design reveal the expected cognitive, inquiry or skill, and affective outcomes. These are conventionally arranged in the design of the content in parallel with the topics in the outline. flow behaviorally the outcomes are to be stated is optional to the planners. These outcomes should also be thought of in terms of any goals or purposes that may be stated in the curriculum. What else to include in the design is optional to the plan. It has become quite conventional to think of goals or purposes first and then to select the content. Such procedure is quite arbitrary because all content is selected with some purpose in mind. Nonetheless, a statement of goals and purposes is a useful element in curriculum design. I would add to the topic outline and the expected outcomes a directive statement about the intended use to be made of the curriculum and a statement outlining a scheme for evaluating it.

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