Who I Am To Become free essay sample

My sister Sabina is infuriatingly perfect. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA and received a full four year scholarship for volleyball; and so, in her junior year, when she called our mother to declare her major it was expected that she would be as perfect as ever, but it stumped my mother. You see, my sister has a bachelors in business, and my mother asked, without any attempt to soften the blow, â€Å"Who in god’s name will that help?† Any other suburban family would have rejoiced, and not just because they had someone to do their taxes. But my family can only be described as†¦ different. So, when asked the question of what higher education will do for me, my answer must follow suit. Every member of my family has a job of service. Grandma Helen used to say it was from our Catholic roots but one way or another they serve. We will write a custom essay sample on Who I Am To Become or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Uncle David is in the military, Aunt Jerry is a teacher, my mother was a Social Worker and is now a teacher, and my Grandmother was a nurse. In fact nearly every member of my family has been or is a teacher or nurse. And then of course my Great Grandmother who taught nursing. Nothing is respected more, and nothing is expected more, than helping those around you. My sister plans to use her business degree to manage a hospital. I suppose peer pressure takes a positive turn in this case. I hope to become a paramedic; and from there, possibly, a nurse. Because when I was twelve years old, I was diagnosed with an incurable disease. I remember the people who took care of me, I remember their heart felt enthusiasm. The feeling that I mattered, that I was not a burden, I was a necessity. Your career does not need to save the world, to help one person is to help the world. Ecology is my second interest. To hope for people in the future, always a hopeless optimist. So, why will I pursue a degree? The answer is simple: bees are dying. The earth is warming, glaciers are melting, one in seven children don’t know where their next meal is coming from, it is legal to discriminate against LGBTQ people in the majority of US states, and gun violence has now claimed more lives than all US wars. How do I have the audacity to look this world in the face and hope to change it? Because I remember the words my grandmother uttered to me in mass on Sunday: â€Å"The kingdom of heaven resides in the hearts of man.† It is my duty to do whatever I can to help other people, and the best way I can do that is to learn as much as I can. So, if I am to spend hundreds of thousands on a piece of paper it better change something in the world.

Happiness Essay final draft Research Paper Example

Happiness Essay final draft Research Paper Example Happiness Essay final draft Paper Happiness Essay final draft Paper First we must understand what happiness is. Most would describe it as an emotional state of well-being distinguished by positive emotions. How do experiences vs.. Material possessions affect ones happiness? Many people tend to believe that money can buy happiness, but others believe that experiences are much more appealing and pleasing when it comes to happiness and would rather go on a vacation or to a concert than have a large house or fast car. Its true that going to a concert does cost money but not the kind of money needed to buy a house or car. Myers (2000) found that an estimate that only 10 to 15 percent of Americans think Of homeless as truly happy (56). Does this mean that America as a country is not collectively happy? Or are these self-evaluations incorrect? We need to find out why Americans do not find themselves as truly happy. Some would say that it is because we expect material possessions and money to bring us happiness. I think that when the phrase money can buy happiness is used, it is meant by the use of money when buying large material items such as a car or a house. This past summer I was able to go to the Jason Alden concert and Country Explosion, which is three days of concerts. To me, this was one of the best ways to spend my summer days. I got to spend quality time with my family and friends and on top of that, I was able to listen to some of my favorite country artists. At the Jason Alden concert I was able to go with novo of my best girlfriends and a few days before the concert some of my best guy friends decided to come as well. We bought cheap tickets not caring if we would have the best seats. We were just excited to go to the concert. : Once we got to the concert we moved to an area where there werent many people just talking and having fun in between Jake Owen and Jason Alden, when this lady came up to us and asked if we wanted floor seats. All we had to do is give her Our Old tickets and she would give us floor seats. None Of us could believe it. We were so close to the stage you could see the sweat dripping off the guitarists face. Obviously we didnt pay the money to get the best tickets but either way, we were able to have fun when we were up in the stands and also down on the floor. Hint that most people would rather spend their money on this type of experience, than they would on a car. L, personally would rather drive my old truck and be able to go to concerts and have experiences like that at the Jason Alden concert. In this case, money was used and the result was a good experience and a memory that will last a lifetime. Money can increase OR decrease happiness, depending on how it is used (Myers 2000, 59). This can mean that money can improve happiness or ruin it depending on how you spend it. One thing that this is proving is that if one were to buy a new car thinking that it will bring you happiness, there will always be better cars out there that they will want. But if you spend your money on a vacation, even if at the time is not the best experience, it will always be a great memory that can be talked about and eminences by everyone who was a part of it. Previous investigation proves that money oriented objects have negatively affected happiness and psychological well-being (Van Oven 2005, 132). Van Oven proves that material items can have a negative an effect on our happiness. How can being happy create better relationships? A large part of our happiness is based on the relationships we have. But in reverse, how can being happy create a better relationship in your life? Those who have good relationships in life are usually happier. If you think about it, if one were to have a bad day or something goes wrong or if something really exciting happens to someone, one would usually go and talk to a loved one or a close friend about what happened. Creating good friendships is very important, especially for those suffering from depression. Noted in The Funds, Friends, and Faith of Happy People, Compared with those who are depressed, happy people are less self-focused, less hostile, and abusive, and less vulnerable to disease. They also are more loving, forgiving, trusting, energetic, decisive, creative, sociable, and helpful (as cited in Myers 2000, 58). For most, this would be their spouse. This is showing how much healthier and ore positive happy peoples lives are. They focus more on others rather than themselves and are quicker to forgive and trust others. While some may say this is a bad thing, would think this is very good. When it comes to trusting people that is one hard thing for me to do, but personally, I love it when meet someone and know instantly that I can trust them. There is a large amount of data that shows those who are attached are much happier than those who are unattached (Myers 2000, 62). A great deal of people say that those who are married are more happy people but why? When marked by intimacy, marriage-friendship sealed by commitment educes loneliness and offers a dependable lover and companions (as cited in Myers 2000 63). Having someone you can always trust and lean on is important in leading a happy life. If there isnt anyone one could tell their frustrations too, it is almost impossible for one to be happy. Whether one feels so or not, after telling someone about their frustrations it helps most to feel better and appreciate those who they can trust, making them a more trustworthy person. Scientists have perceived that unlike material items, we are more likely to continue to develop positive emotions after we have attained a close relationship. Relationships like these create psychological space and safety in our lives (Connection and happiness, 2011). This shows how healthy relationships are in our life. How do bad relationships influence our happiness? When we dont get along well with someone or are always disagreeing with one, we tend to keep our distance from them and avoid them. But when it comes to a spouse or a family member, it is hard to avoid. In the American Nightmare it noted, Divorce rates in the United States are still the highest in the West. And staying together is often no better. The percentage of Americans unhappy in their marriages is a full 10 points higher today than it was in the polls 30 odd years ago (Candler 2011 , 33). Some people choose to stay together instead of getting a divorce for the children, but if children are seeing their parents constantly fighting how is that supposed to be best for the kids? Personally speaking, it is not better for the children. Grew up with my parents constantly fighting, it didnt matter if we were at the dinner table or trying to go to sleep at night they had no problem fighting in front of their children. It has made it very hard for me to trust people and allow them into y life, especially men. Although they had their difficulties in the past, they have gotten past that and have gone on to have a better marriage. It has taught me and my siblings how a healthy marriage should be, and how to work through relationships even though all relationships are never perfect. In most cases people choose not to work at their relationship thinking that it will be smooth sailing when in reality no relationship is perfect. Candler (2011) stated that Social scientists have found that a poor marriage may be worse than staying single (33). It seems as if people have the image of a perfect spouse that they will array. Jean Twinge said, Now we expect our marriage partner to be our best friend, and a great lover, a great parent, and a soul mate, really good looking and have a great sense of humor. We have these expectations for marriage we cant possibly fulfill (As cited in The American Nightmare 2011, 33). Of course a marriage has to be based on a solid friendship, but all of these expectations cannot possibly be realistic. No relationship or marriage Will be perfect but all relationships take work. Most all relationships do bring us happiness in one way or another whether We realize it or not. Before this essay, I had never taken a step back and realized how truly happy and grateful I am with the relationships I have in my life. Conclusion With that, we can gain a new perspective on how we can truly be happy through experiences and relationships and the effects that each of those have on our happiness. Relationships, both good and bad will obviously have an effect on our happiness. Sometimes we take the little things in life for granted, but once we realize what we have we realize how the little things in life can make our happiness that much greater.

Biography of Zhu Di, Chinas Yongle Emperor

Biography of Zhu Di, China's Yongle Emperor Zhu Di (May 2, 1360–August 12, 1424), also known as the Yongle Emperor, was the third ruler of Chinas Ming Dynasty. He embarked on a series of ambitious projects, including the lengthening and widening of the Grand Canal, which carried grain and other goods from southern China to Beijing. Zhu Di also built the Forbidden City and led a number of attacks against the Mongols, who threatened the Mings northwestern flank. Fast Facts: Zhu Di Known For: Zhu Di was the third emperor of Chinas Ming dynasty.Also Known As: Yongle EmperorBorn: May 2, 1360 in Nanjing, ChinaParents: Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress MaDied: August 12, 1424 in Yumuchuan, ChinaSpouse: Empress XuChildren: Nine Early Life Zhu Di was born on May 2, 1360, to the future founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, and an unknown mother. Although official records claim the boys mother was the future Empress Ma, rumors persist that his true biological mother was a Korean or Mongolian consort of Zhu Yuanzhang. From an early age, according to Ming sources, Zhu Di proved more capable and courageous than his older brother Zhu Biao. However, according to Confucian principles, the eldest son was expected to succeed to the throne. Any deviation from this rule could spark a civil war. As a teenager, Zhu Di became Prince of Yan, with his capital at Beijing. With his military prowess and aggressive nature, Zhu Di was well-suited to holding northern China against raids by the Mongols. At 16, he married the 14-year-old daughter of General Xu Da, who commanded the northern defense forces. In 1392, Crown Prince Zhu Biao died suddenly of an illness. His father had to choose a new successor: either the Crown Princes teenaged son, Zhu Yunwen, or the 32-year-old Zhu Di. Keeping with tradition, the dying Zhu Biao chose Zhu Yunwen, who was next in line for succession. Path to the Throne The first Ming emperor died in 1398. His grandson, Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen, became the Jianwen Emperor. The new emperor carried out his grandfathers orders that none of the other princes should bring their legions to observe his burial, for fear of civil war. Bit by bit, the Jianwen Emperor stripped his uncles of their lands, power, and armies. Zhu Bo, the prince of Xiang, was forced to commit suicide. Zhu Di, however, feigned mental illness as he plotted a revolt against his nephew. In July 1399, he killed two of the Jianwen Emperors officers, the first blow in his uprising. That fall, the Jianwen Emperor sent a force of 500,000 against Beijing armies. Zhu Di and his army were out on patrol elsewhere, so the women of the city fended off the imperial army by throwing crockery at them until their soldiers returned and routed Jianwens forces. By 1402, Zhu Di had made his way south to Nanjing, defeating the emperors army at every turn. On July 13, 1402, as he entered the city, the imperial palace went up in flames. Three bodies- identified as those of the Jianwen Emperor, the empress, and their oldest son- were found among the charred wreckage. Nonetheless, rumors persisted that Zhu Yunwen had survived. At the age of 42, Zhu Di took the throne under the name Yongle, meaning perpetual happiness. He immediately set about executing anyone who opposed him, along with their friends, neighbors, and relatives- a tactic invented by Qin Shi Huangdi. He also ordered the construction of a large ocean-going fleet. Some believe that the ships were intended to search for Zhu Yunwen, whom some believed had escaped to Annam, northern Vietnam, or some other foreign land. Treasure Fleet Between 1403 and 1407, the Yongle Emperors workmen built well over 1,600 oceangoing junks of various sizes. The largest were called treasure ships, and the Armada was known as the Treasure Fleet. In 1405, the first of seven voyages of the Treasure Fleet left for Calicut, India, under the direction of the Yongle Emperors old friend, the eunuch Admiral Zheng He. The Yongle Emperor would oversee six voyages through 1422, and his grandson would launch a seventh in 1433. The Treasure Fleet sailed as far as the east coast of Africa, projecting Chinese power throughout the Indian Ocean and gathering tribute from far and wide. The Yongle Emperor hoped these exploits would rehabilitate his reputation after the bloody and anti-Confucian chaos by which he gained the throne. Foreign and Domestic Policies Even as Zheng He set out on his first voyage in 1405, Ming China dodged a huge bullet from the west. The great conqueror Timur had been detaining or executing Ming envoys for years and decided it was time to conquer China in the winter of 1404-1405. Fortunately for the Yongle Emperor and the Chinese, Timur became ill and died in what is now Kazakhstan. The Chinese seem to have been oblivious to the threat. In 1406, the northern Vietnamese killed a Chinese ambassador and a visiting Vietnamese prince. The Yongle Emperor sent an army half a million strong to avenge the insult, conquering the country in 1407. However, Vietnam revolted in 1418 under the leadership of Le Loi, who founded the Le Dynasty, and by 1424 China had lost control of nearly all Vietnamese territory. The Yongle Emperor considered it a priority to erase all traces of Mongolian cultural influence from China, following his fathers defeat of the ethnically-Mongol Yuan Dynasty. He did reach out to the Buddhists of Tibet, however, offering them titles and riches. Transport was a perpetual issue early on in the Yongle era. Grain and other goods from southern China had to be shipped along the coast or else portaged from boat to boat up the narrow Grand Canal. The Yongle Emperor had the Grand Canal deepened, widened, and extended up to Beijing- a massive financial undertaking. After the controversial palace fire in Nanjing that killed the Jianwen Emperor, and a later assassination attempt there against the Yongle Emperor, the third Ming ruler decided to permanently move his capital north to Beijing. He built a massive palace compound there, called the Forbidden City, which was completed in 1420. Decline In 1421, the Yongle Emporers favorite senior wife died in the spring. Two concubines and a eunuch were caught having sex, setting off a horrific purge of palace staff that ended with the Yongle Emperor executing hundreds or even thousands of his eunuchs, concubines, and other servants. Days later, a horse that had once belonged to Timur threw the emperor, whose hand was crushed in the accident. Worst of all, on May 9, 1421, three bolts of lightning struck the main buildings of the palace, setting the newly completed Forbidden City on fire. Contritely, the Yongle Emperor remitted grain taxes for the year and promised to halt all expensive foreign adventures, including the Treasure Fleet voyages. His experiment with moderation did not last long, however. In late 1421, after the Tatar ruler Arughtai declined to pay tribute to China, the Yongle Emperor flew into a rage, requisitioning over a million bushels of grain, 340,000 pack animals, and 235,000 porters from three southern provinces to supply his army during its attack on Arughtai. The emperors ministers opposed this rash attack and six of them ended up imprisoned or dead by their own hands as a result. Over the next three summers, the Yongle Emperor launched annual attacks against Arughtai and his allies, but never managed to find the Tatar forces. Death On August 12, 1424, the 64-year-old Yongle Emperor died on the march back to Beijing after another fruitless search for the Tatars. His followers fashioned a coffin and carried him to the capital in secret. The Yongle Emperor was buried in a mounded tomb in the Tianshou Mountains, about 20 miles from Beijing. Legacy Despite his own experience and misgivings, the Yongle Emperor appointed his quiet, bookish eldest son Zhu Gaozhi as his successor. As the Hongxi Emperor, Zhu Gaozhi would lift tax burdens on peasants, outlaw foreign adventures, and promote Confucian scholars to positions of power. The Hongxi Emperor survived his father for less than a year; his own eldest son, who became the Xuande Emperor in 1425, would combine his fathers love of learning with his grandfathers martial spirit. Sources Mote, Frederick W.  Imperial China 900-1800. Harvard University Press, 2003.Roberts, J. A. G.  The Complete History of China. Sutton, 2003.

Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Marketing Plan - Essay Example The marketing efforts will comprise design contest entries, participating in trade shows and advertising in lifestyle magazines and industry (Pride, 2011). Product Strategy – business will be its own label which it puts on its grooming services. We will also market our partners services. We will provide loving and attending service to all pets being brought into our stores for grooming, training, or medical care. We will also steer away from the "warehouse" perspective and work to make our stores brighter and more attractive (Pride, 2011). Price Strategy: we will aggressively market our prices to be cheaper than independent pet shop tattlers and to compete against other well known boxes retailers and stores. Sales will be competitive, and we will have a supply discount card which provides more savings to the customers. We will also compare our competitors’ prices and ensure that our prices are either lower or the same price with better services. Regular customers may be offered special price tags as well as the customers who have docile and tolerable pets (Pride, 2011). Distribution (Place) Strategy: Stores will be well stocked with fresh - raw materials, and also products that provide animals with specific dietary needs (weight control, skin allergies, sensitive stomachs, urinary health, etc.) as well as natural, grain free products. Safe transport services will be provided in case of door to door pet collection and delivery (Pride, 2011). Promotion Strategy: Internet marketing, radio advertisements, television advertisements, word of mouth, public relations (through animal foster and animal shelters groups). In subsequent years, the business will expand its marketing endeavors to include individual consumers reachable through lifestyle magazine advertisement and through cable televisions, sponsoring pet competitions and shows and

Compare and contrast the prescriptive and descriptive schools of Essay

Compare and contrast the prescriptive and descriptive schools of strategy using relevant business examples to support your analy - Essay Example The Prescriptive Schools Prescriptive School is primarily consists of the following distinct sub-schools: Design, Planning and Positioning (Mintzberg, et al., 1998). Here, it is imperative to explain one by one, the said strategy schools under the Prescriptive umbrella. Design School. It views strategy as being the fulfillment of a precise match between the strong and weak internal traits of the organisation and between the external threats and opportunities. Design strategists in the upper management communicate the goals and means of the organisation to the lower members of the corporate hierarchy. Thus, the staff obtains the responsibility to execute the strategy. This particular school of strategy can be linked with SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis methodology of business experts and corporate planners. As noted by Pahl and Richter (2009), SWOT is not only limited to corporate organisations and business entities, in truth it is even more applicable to government units, non-profit bodies and even to individuals who desire to succeed in certain endeavours. Planning School. With its roots in systems thinking, urban planning and cybernetics, this particular school sees strategy systems as controlled and products of conscious processes of formal planning; in a word, strategy is a cerebral and formal activity (Mintzberg, 2007). It gives heavy emphasis on the structure of the strategy: specific steps and techniques organised in checklists. In this school, responsibility heavily rests on the executive body of the organisation, yet the implementation is still at the hands of the staff. Detailed attention is given to objectives, programs, operating procedures and budgets. This particular school is popular in governmental institutions in the United States and France, where the old adage ‘A stitch in time saves nine’ is culturally embedded. While planning is generally a good idea, it has been noted that it also has its inher ent weaknesses: rigidity, time-consuming and expensive. Seifert (2003) emphasised that planning has a tendency to make the whole management process inflexible and would curtail individual creativity and initiative. Positioning School. Anchored mostly on the rule of economics and advocated by Michael Porter in 1980 (influenced by the works of the ancient military strategist Sun Tzu), the positioning school believes that strategy should be based on generic positions through an analysis of industry situations and market dynamics. This is especially true to those strategists who require reliable information from research before any strategy can be developed. Expert workers, firm consultants, military officers are most inclined to follow the doctrine of this school. Specifically in business, the department called Research and Development has been of utmost significance during the past few decades. Its emergence, which can be attributed to the teachings of this school, has been precipitat ed by competition where trends are constantly examined. As opined by Remenyi and Williams (1998), the field of marketing is also one of the great benefactors of the ideas espoused by this

Cross Cultural Studies in Gender Essay Example for Free

Cross Cultural Studies in Gender Essay Most research into gender roles has occurred in Western societies, and generally shows a clear divide in gender roles, most encouraging masculine behaviour in boys, and feminine behaviour in girls. However, in order to further explore the idea of nature vs. nurture (biological vs. social approach); it is important to research gender roles in a variety of countries. If clear themes, it may indicate that gender role development is nature, as would show that men are similar to men across the whole world, and likewise for females, showing there must be something determining the way men work, whereas if there are clear culture differences, it would imply social factors determine gender. Cross cultural research has been explored for many years by anthropologists. Some of the earliest work came from Margret Mead in the 1930’s. Comparing three Papua New Guinean tribes, the Arapesh, the Mundugumor and the Tchambuli, she discovered different behaviours displayed by both men and women in each individual tribe. In the Arapesh, men and women were seen to be gentle, responsive- fitting the Western stereotype as feminine. In the Mundugumor tribe, she found males and females to violent and aggressive- the Western stereotype of masculinity and finally in the Tchambuli tribe, she found role reversal to Western stereotypes, as males were more emotionally dependant and flirtatious, whereas the females were dominant, impersonal and definite. Although at first, Mead concluded that her research showed that gender roles came through cultural determinism as big differences were found between males and females in different cultures, implying that gender roles were driven by social factors. However, after later analysis and extending her research to look at other tribes in Samoa, she changed her view (1949) to that her research actually showed cultural determinism, as despite differences in the roles males and females played in each society, in all the societies she looked at men were more aggressive than the women, contributing to the idea that gender role is determined by nature, as there are some behaviours which are innate and universal, e. g. ggression in men, but that degree to which they are expressed is relative to the particular culture. This fits under the biosocial approach, as her research suggests there are some behaviours which are universal, but the degrees to which these behaviours are expressed depends on social factors, such as culture. Mead’s study was a natural experiment, meaning the tribes were observed in their usual environment, suggesting she was noting their true behaviour. However, her method has been heavily criticised by other psychol ogists such as Freeman (1984). Her research was conducted through interviews and observations of the tribes, but Freeman who also worked with Samoan tribes was told that Mead provided the tribesmen with what she wanted them to say. Although this questions the validity of her research, in later years there has been lots of cross cultural research to show differences and similarities and divisions of labour and behaviour by gender in every society (Munroe and Munroe 1975). Further research to support the nature side of the argument is from Whiting and Edwards 1975. Through looking at 11 non-western societies, they found that gender roles were organised in similar ways across a range of traditional cultures. They found girls were encouraged to spend more time with their mothers and were more likely to be given domestic and childcare jobs, whereas the boys were likely to be assigned jobs outside the house such as herding animals. This lead to girls spending more time with younger infants and adults, whereas boys spent more time with their peers, and so It seemed younger girls were found to be more responsible and nurturing than boys who in early adolescence began to get more responsibility. Whiting and Edwards concluded that the behavioural differences observed came about because of the tasks they are given. Girls are taught how to be responsible at a young age as they are exposed to female role models, and develop skills of caring for younger siblings. In another, Whiting and Whiting (1988) observed children in their natural environment with parents, siblings and peers. There were universal differences that girls were more nurturing and boys showed more dominance. However, the fact there were key differences between boys and girls such as what they were socialised into, and what they were encouraged to achieve, implies that both upbringing and biology play a role in development; socialisation just magnifies the biological difference, hence differences across cultures such as between US and India. Bee (1995) supported the idea of socialisation being the most important factor in determining gender, as he stated children became the company they keep. However, researches such as Omar et al found similarities in varied countries such as Switzerland, Ethiopia and the US. Their research indicated that all boys show higher levels of competitiveness and aggression than females, indicating there are underling biological factors. Further support for the nurture argument comes from Berry et al (2002). They studied male superiority on spatial perceptual tasks in 17 societies. He found that this superiority is only found in relatively tight knit, sedentary societies but absent in nomadic societies. This shows that the magnitude of sex differences is linked to culture and ecology. In tight knit societies, the division of labour is greatest because women stay at home whilst men travel, whereas in nomadic societies, both men and women travel and hunt so there is less division of labour (Van Leeuwen 1978). Therefore, this implies that social factors dictate gender role, due to the cultural differences in division of labour found. Berry’s large study of a variety of societies indicates his results can be representative of the general population and we can generalise results. However, Kimura (1999) offered an alternative biological interpretation, that in hunting societies, those with poor spatial perception are likely to die, thus eliminating such genes from the gene pool. This explains why in nomadic societies, there would be less gender difference in spatial abilities. Further biological support comes from Buss et al (1989). Involving 10,000 participants from 37 cultures, he found universal themes in what males and females looked for in marriage partners. Women desired males who had good financial prospects, whereas men placed more important in physical attraction and youthfulness. Both sexes agreed intelligence, kindness and reliability are important. Due to the fact these finding were universal, and the scale of the study implies we can generalise, it suggests gender roles are biologically determined. However, an alternative argument may be that women look for providers, not because of biology, but because of the fact women tend to earn less in society, and in some countries, have fewer rights, which is a social issue determining differences in gender roles. But despite the fact that labour division are the same in most cultures- irls are brought up to be nurturing, responsible and obedient, likely to raise the children, whereas boys are raised to be more independent, self-reliant and high-achieving, and provide for their family, suggest that it is biology that determines sex roles. However, it is difficult to decipher whether division is the direct outcome of biological differences or whether it is a more indirect outcome of biological differences. Eagly and Wood argued that all cultures shape their socialisation processes along with the lines of inborn biological tendencies. However, there has been research to counter this. Sugihara and Katsurada (2002) found that Japanese men do no not seek to be macho like Americans, but instead value being well-rounded in the arts (usually associated as femininity), showing that labour divisions are not the same in all cultures. As well as looking at the divisions of labour between difference cultures, there has also been research into the differences between gender roles in collectivist and individualistic cultures. In 2002, Chang, Guo and Hau, compared 145 American and 173 Chinese students by giving the students a 10 item Egalitarian Gender Role Attitudes Scale, which measured their attitudes to gender equality at home and in the work place. Chang et al found that American students emphasised the important of equal gender roles at work, whereas the Chinese students emphasised the importance of equality at home and in the family. Although this does indicate differences, this may be due to the nature of their home country. In communist China, equality at work is taken for granted. Further exploring this, Leung and Moore (2003) compared Australians of English and Chinese decent using Bem’s SRI and fond differences in line with the Hofstede’s dimensions. Both male and female English Australians showed masculine traits which are valued in individualistic cultures, whereas Chinese Australian’s; male and female, showed feminine traits valued in a collectivist culture. Both research studies imply that cultural values and expectations have a strong on the development of gender roles and expectations (nurture). A big problem with much research is how you measure sex stereotypes. Williams and Best (1990) study highlighted some of the problems linked to this. 2,800 university students from 30 different nations were given a 300 item adjective checklist (ACL) and asked to decide for each adjective whether it was associated more with men or women. They found a broad consensus across countries- men were seen as more dominant, aggressive and autonomous, whereas women were more nurturing, deferent and interested in affiliation. This suggests there are universal gender stereotypes about gender roles, indicating, they are derived though our genes. However, this study proposed many problems in how they measured sex stereotypes. Firstly, the participants had to pick either male or female, there was no equal category (although there was a ‘cannot say’ category) which may have resulted in the division in gender roles being exaggerated. Furthermore, the task was related to stereotypes, not actual behaviours. Some argue that such stereotypes have a significant effect on socialisation within the culture, and this are related to behaviour, but the data does not demonstrate this. Finally, because all of the participants are students, it indicates there behaviours are similar e. g. intelligences, and exposed to similar influences which may explain the broad consensus. Another problem is a lot of the cross-cultural research has been collected by western researchers, therefore, even though they were collecting data in western and non-western societies, the method of research will be developed by western psychology. This may indicated imposed etic, and the data collected is meaningless and demonstrates cultural bias. To overcome this, Berry et al (2002) concluded that there should be a greater use of more genuine indigenous research, opposed to indigenous researchers carrying out the method of western psychologists. To conclude, despite methodological problems, due to the universal similarity in gender roles found in various investigations, it indicated that biology drives gender roles. However, difference found between cultures indicates social factors are also important, so there is a complex interaction between both factors, so the biosocial approach may be a more suitable approach, as it is less deterministic and acknowledges both aspects. As well, it is important to account for historical changes. Much research was done in the 1970/1980’s when the gender gap in many western countries was much larger than is it today, as it is now accepted that both males and females work, and parental equality. However, males still occupy more powerful positions than women, and women perform more domestic duties. But it is an important factor to consider when looking at data.

Religion in the Military of Ancient Greece :: Army Greeks History Rituals Papers

Religion in the Military of Ancient Greece The Ancient Greeks held their religion to be a personal experience, to be practiced by the common man on a daily basis. Thus, it comes as no surprise to read in the historical works of the period that the people also relied on religion to aid them in military matters. This paper will give historical examples of the people's reliance on the deities and attempt to explain the psychological necessity of these rituals. An examination will be made of the typical forms of rituals, and cite their effects, whether ill or benign, on the military endeavors of the peoples in the age of the Ancient Greeks. RITE OF PASSAGE Many people who experience battle for the first time find themselves panicked, totally unprepared for the horrors of war. Waging war is not a task for the inexperienced civilian. As a result, religious rituals were formed that would brace the aspiring warrior for the obscenities he would face as well as fill him with a sense of obligatory duty through ritual ordaination. Walter Burkert's Greek Religion gives ample detail on the subject: Crete is also the place where myth localizes the Kouretes, who by their name are just young warriors.

Quest motif in John Cheever’s short story ‘The Swimmer’ Essay

The destination of any journey is a profound realization of some kind – literally, the realization of one’s goal, metaphorically often a consciousness of one’s reality. For an individual on a mission, a quest – the arrival at the truth is the final destination. The motif of quest has been used diversely in literature from the search for the Holy Grail to the legend of the Golden Fleece. John Cheever uses the quest motif in his short story ‘The Swimmer’ to present the unusual travails of his narcissistic hero, Neddy through the different pools of society till he arrives at the emptiness of his own life, the shut-down panels of his home. The transition from the fall to experience is paralleled through the quest motif. At the beginning of the short story, Neddy is the apparently youthful, imaginative quester setting forth on his own adventure to swim the county, across a stretch of private and public pools to reach his home â€Å"in Bullet Park, eight miles to the south, where his four beautiful daughters would have had their lunch and might be playing tennis. † (Cheever, The Swimmer) As the quest continues, there are inevitable signs of passing time (not paralleled by the physical time of Neddy’s eight-miles’ swimming journey), subtle indications of the fraying of the self-deception Neddy indulges in, the slow unmasking of the unpleasant truths of his life and the final epiphanic climax at the sight of his empty locked house in the enfolding darkness of the wintry evening. Cheever ironically stands the traditional quest on its head. The legendary hero leaves his home and hearth, setting forth on a road of trials, overcoming hurdles, and finally achieves success in the form of a treasure. As defined by Neela Mookerjee in her essay, The Long Winding Road, the hero begins his quest and starts to encounter difficulties that lie along the way. One such meeting is with the Other. The Other, often described as the hero’s alter-ego or the hero’s dark side, reflects the personality traits which the hero does not want to acknowledge as being present in himself. Because he finds this figure so repugnant, the hero often tries to deny any commonality between himself and the Other. Neddy Merrill, â€Å"the legendary figure† (Cheever, The Swimmer) is the wealthy elite socialite who starts the sunny day â€Å"breathing deeply, stertorously as if he could gulp into his lungs the components of that moment, the heat of the sun, the intenseness of his pleasure. †(Cheever, The Swimmer) In his own mind, he prints his own trail of pools, the swimmer in his own world till the self-pretense is stripped away from the eyes of the protagonist as well as the readers ‘swimming’ along with the narrative as he confronts his Other reality. Often described as an â€Å"anglophile† , John Cheever depicts the social milieu of Merrill in its suburbanite languid pace – the Grahams, the Hammers, the Lears, the Howlands, and the Crosscups, then the Bunkers, the Levys, the Welchers, and the public pool in Lancaster. Then there were the Hallorans, the Sachses, the Biswangers, Shirley Adams, the Gilmartins, and the Clydes. Neddy is portrayed as the pilgrim seeking an unexplored route to the known end with the belief that â€Å"friends would line the banks of the Lucinda River. †(Cheever) The upper class suburbanite society depicted is a world of self-indulgence – a world where one could lounge about in naked pleasure, an everlasting party with the same faces, rounds of drinks and ensuing hangovers, and even the same serving bartenders. From the surfeit of drinks/hangovers in the opening paragraph to the Communist label as a marker of reformist zeal, even the contrast between the private haven of one’s own pool vis-a-vis the disgusting commonness of the public pool – Merrill’s class is painted visually for the reader. The social behavior towards Neddy subtly changes from the courteous welcome of Mrs. Grahams to the patronizing sympathy of Mrs. Halloran, to the rude reaction of the Biswangers at his intrusive presence in their noisy party. Neddy tries to integrates himself into the texture of the social class he once belonged to, but as the text develops, he is portrayed as an invasive element, an opportunist for free drinks and begging loans. The color of the quest thickens, darkens as the slow realization of the erstwhile insider being the unwelcome outsider hits home.

Behaviour and experience which in nearly all situation affects Essay

The studies carried out by Milgram, Piliavin, Haney and Gardner & Gardner, have unearthed some very important as well as surprising details about human behaviour and experience which in nearly all situation affects it. This question looks at the various forms of human behaviour, which make us what we are and also looks at ‘experience’, something we all seem to rely on heavily. Firstly, in Milgram’s study of obedience, it was found that under pressure or authority we sometimes do what we normally would not have done, therefore showing that others influence our behaviour, particularly those who we think are more superior to us. â€Å"Carry on †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å", one of the main prods the experimenter used on the teacher to make the teacher carry on with the shock treatment. This shows that not only the presence of some authority figure, but also what they do and say can influence human behaviour. One of the reasons, which make us think that a person is superior to us, is because we think of the experience he/she has in that particular field or area. Because of this we assume that they are superior to us and that what they tell is the only option we can follow. Of course this is not always the case. Hitler did have some men in his army who did not follow his instructions and did try and betray him, but the majority of his army did do as he commanded. The effect of an authority on human behaviour is demonstrated clearly in Milgram’s study as the ‘teachers’ ask the so called experimenters, who they think are an authority over them, whether or not they should continue giving shock treatment to the subjects and they also turn to them for support and advice during a very tough emotional and moral battle that they are fighting within themselves. Therefore we turn to people who we think have more experience than us and our decisions are affected by what others say and do, especially those who we see as an authority above us. Similarly, in Pilavin’s study, human behaviour when helping people revolves particularly around three main factors. These are: Cost Reward Analysis, Plurastic ignorance and the emotional arousal. It was discovered in the experiment that people only went to help if the situation appealed to them and if they thought it was serious enough to help. This resulted in the drunk getting less help than the cane victims. Also people used the cost reward analysis before helping. This in simplified terms means the advantages and disadvantages of helping and also the advantages and disadvantages of not helping. This shows another part of the human behavioural patterns. Another, which can be added to this, is that of plurastic ignorance, which means that people do not know what to do, and therefore look at others near them and assess the genuineness based on what they do. Therefore if most people would not help, neither would that person. Also another reasons for humans not helping during certain situation is because of the Diffusion of Responsibility which means that the more people we see around us, the less we help out as we think that someone else will do so. There is also emphasis on ‘experience’ in the experiment as it can once again have effect on human behaviour. In this particular experiment if passengers on the train had themselves been a victim (i. e.  cane victim, or drunk), or even if they had helped others before, it will most probably have an effect on their behaviour. Those people, who got help from others when they themselves were victims, might help out, whereas those who got no help when in a similar situation might not help. Also if a person has helped before and had not had the best of times helping, may decide to stay away from he incident this time around. Zimbardo’s Prison Stimulation experiment was another experiment during which human behaviour and experience paid an important role. It was thought that prison life would have an effect on the behaviour of the prisoners as well as that of the guards. It was discovered that prisoners started to behave in degrading ways because of them being trapped in a prison environment and also because they always had to follow orders from the guards and also because of the fact that they had no choice in the matter. Similarly the guards started to behave in cruel ways once they knew that they were powerful. They then started to punish guards whenever they felt like it. Zimbardo’s experiment proves the fact that when we have power and are see as an authority figure by others, our behaviour changes drastically and we become on some occasion very unfair and cruel to those below us. Experience once again can affect behaviour. This is because those who have been in a prison before will feel that it is not that bad as they have been there before and know what to expect whereas those who haven’t been before find it as a shock. Those who have been in prison before may behave in a more civilised manner than others who haven’t. Finally, the experiment carried out by Gardner and Gardner did not really uncover anything about human behaviour apart from the fact that language is something we are innately programmed to do. In this experiment a chimp named ‘Washoe’ was taught ASL(American Sign Language), but even after 4 years of training, only 132 signs were learnt. In comparison with that human children learn much more as they grow older, therefore showing that humans are innately programmed to do so. It also shows that we have a much more complex form of communication which animals like chimps cannot learn. Experience is again a relative feature in this experiment. The experiment shows that with adequate experience even animals can learn features of our communication, therefore if they were to continue to be taught for many hundred of years they too may be able to communicate in the complex form that we are now able to communicate in. Therefore all these various studies show a close relationship between experience and our behaviour.

IPC Chapters Essays

IPC Chapters Essays IPC Chapters Essay IPC Chapters Essay Soft and silvery in pure form Highly reactive Combines with oxygen with a ration of two to one: ALL Group 2 entanglements in the second group of the periodic table Reactive Combine one to one with oxygen Hallucinogens 17 Toxic gases or liquids in pure form Very reactive Rarely found in pure form When combined with alkali metals they create salts: Nacelle Courageous 18 Do not naturally form chemical bonds Found mostly in their pure form called inert gases Not reactive Transition Metatarsals 3-12 Good conductors of heat and electricity Moderately reactive Periods: row of the periodic table. Determine which energy level is filled up to. Period 1: energy level 1 etc. Study the properties of the elementariness properties: characteristics of matter that can only be observed when one substance changes into a different substance, such as iron into rust. Physical properties: characteristics of matter that can be seen through direct observation such as density, melting point and boiling point. Metals: typically shiny and good conductors of heat and energy, ductile Non-Metals: poor conductors of heat and electricity, dull and brittle Alloy: solid mixture of one or more elements Metalloid: properties in between those of metals and non-metals Electrical conductors: a material that allows electricity to flow through easily. Metals good conductors Non-metals poor conductors Metalloid moderate conductors Thermal conductors: a material that allows heat to flow easily. Metals good Insulators: a material that slows down or stops the flow of either heat or electricity. Non-metals are good Insulators Carbon and carbon like elementariness hard, pure carbon, natural substance, highest thermal conductivity. Every carbon atom is bonded to four another atoms tetrahedral crystal) Graphite black solid, slippery powdered when ground up. Silicon- abundant , four electrons in the outermost energy level/bonds with four other atoms / sands, rocks, minerals gemstones/glass/semiconductors (computer chips, electronic devices) Germanium semiconductors Nitrocellulose, tasteless, odorless gas. Makes up 77 percent of earths atmosphere Consist of molecule of two atoms (NO); Boiling point 196 C Rapid freezing in medical application/ ex. Skin warts by liquid nitrogen. Protein, DNA, ecological cycle Bacteria convert NON into proteins amino acids nutrient Oxygenates up 21 recent of the earths atmosphere. Consist of molecule with two atoms (02). Abundant element. 46 percent of earth crust Highly reactive/ bond to other elements in rocks and minerals forming oxides(Isis), (Cacao),(ALLAY) , (MGM) are mineral compounds, Hematite, oxide of iron (Effie). Phosphorus key Ingredient of DNA Molecule carry the genetic code in all organisms Glue in the dark absorb light [store energy / greenish glow as re-emit energy slowly. Chemical properties vs.. Physical prehistorically properties are: color, smell, freezing point, boiling point, melting point, infra-red spectrum, attraction paramagnetic) or repulsion (diamagnetic) to magnets, opacity, viscosity and density. There are many more examples. Note that measuring each of these properties will not alter the basic nature of the substance. Chemical properties are: heat of combustion, reactivity with water, PH, and electromotive force Review periodic table (how to read)Atomic number: protons and electrons Mass number: protons plus neutrons Review standardization number: indicates the charge of an atom when an electron is lost, gained or shared in a chemical bond. An oxidation number of +1 means an electron is lost, -1 means and electron is gained.

Differences Between Probability and Statistics

Differences Between Probability and Statistics Probability and statistics are two closely related mathematical subjects. Both use much of the same terminology and there are many points of contact between the two. It is very common to see no distinction between probability concepts and statistical concepts. Many times material from both of these subjects gets lumped under the heading â€Å"probability and statistics,† with no attempt to separate what topics are from which discipline. Despite these practices and the common ground of the subjects, they are distinct. What is the difference between probability and statistics? What Is Known The main difference between probability and statistics has to do with knowledge. By this, we refer to what are the known facts when we approach a problem. Inherent in both probability and statistics is a population, consisting of every individual we are interested in studying, and a sample, consisting of the individuals that are selected from the population. A problem in probability would start with us knowing everything about the composition of a population, and then would ask, â€Å"What is the likelihood that a selection, or sample, from the population, has certain characteristics?† Example We can see the difference between probability and statistics by thinking about a drawer of socks. Perhaps we have a drawer with 100 socks. Depending upon our knowledge of the socks, we could have either a statistics problem or a probability problem. If we know that there are 30 red socks, 20 blue socks, and 50 black socks, then we can use probability to answer questions about the makeup of a random sample of these socks. Questions of this type would be: â€Å"What is the probability that we draw two blue socks and two red socks from the drawer?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What is the probability that we pull out 3 socks and have a matching pair?†Ã¢â‚¬ What is the probability that we draw five socks, with replacement, and they are all black?† If instead, we have no knowledge about the types of socks in the drawer, then we enter into the realm of statistics. Statistics help us to infer properties about the population on the basis of a random sample. Questions that are statistical in nature would be: A random sampling of ten socks from the drawer produced one blue sock, four red socks, and five black socks. What is the total proportion of black, blue and red socks in the drawer?We randomly sample ten socks from the drawer, write down the number of black socks, and then return the socks to the drawer. This process is done five times. The mean number of socks is for each of these trials is 7. What is the true number of black socks in the drawer? Commonality Of course, probability and statistics do have much in common. This is because statistics are built upon the foundation of probability. Although we typically do not have complete information about a population, we can use theorems and results from probability to arrive at statistical results. These results inform us about the population. Underlying all of this is the assumption that we are dealing with random processes. This is why we stressed that the sampling procedure we used with the sock drawer was random. If we do not have a random sample, then we are no longer building upon assumptions that are present in probability. Probability and statistics are closely linked, but there are differences. If you need to know what methods are appropriate, just ask yourself what it is that you know.

Linear Programming . Optimal Output and Calculation of Shadow Prices Essay

Linear Programming . Optimal Output and Calculation of Shadow Prices Using Graphical Approach Manually - Essay Example manage its operations well. Brass Ltd. manufactures two types of products – Masso and Russo which incur machining and assembly costs in their production. There are constraints on the availability of machining and assembly hours which are 700 hours and 1000 hours respectively. The capacity is fixed and the cost on the same is incurred irrespective of the usage. The maximum allowed production of each product type is 400 units. The selling price and costs incurred for the two products are available. The time spent on each machine for each product is also available. The company needs to know the optimal production of each product type to maximize profit. It also needs to gauge the impact of increasing production marginally on the profitability. There are certain inherent assumptions involved while formulating the above Linear Programming Model. The first assumption is that the constraints and the objective function can be represented through linear equations. In other words, the constraints on machining hours, assembly hours and the maximum production are directly proportional to both the number of Masso and the number of Russo. The second assumption is that the production of Masso is independent of the production of Russo and hence the impact of their production on the constraints as well as the objective function is perfectly additive. The third assumption is that the immediate objective of the firm is to recover the variable costs on the manufacturing of the two products and therefore fixed costs of machining and assembly are not considered for model formulation. Ideally, these fixed costs are distributed over the number of products manufactured. For obtaining a solution to the above model, the 6 inequalities shown above are plotted on a graph as shown in Figure 4.1 (www.maths.unp.ac.za). The two constraints regarding machining and assembly hours are plotted as straight lines. The two constraints on the