Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge Essay

â€Å"To What End? † is the last chapter of Edward O. Wilson’s book, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, one of the most skillful, and gifted scientists of which he wanted a joining together of the different sciences such as the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. This chapter focused mainly on social and environmental problems. The picture of the global environment as well as the discussions on global warming, environmental ethics and overpopulation are being emphasized. The limitations of land suitable for cultivation, the deforestation and the clean water as well as the mass extinctions of plants and animals present an enormous problem in the whole world today. Something must have been done of which the world preservation is the focus for further human development and cultural consciousness. There is a great diversity in the living world. In order to live successfully, an organism must fit into its surroundings. There are still some countries or islands, such as Galapagos Island, that are rich as far as biodiversity is concerned. Biodiversity is an important characteristic of ecosystems that is associated to the number of different species they contain. It is the wealth of all life-forms on Earth today that is the product of billions of years of evolutionary history. Biodiversity is often associated with tropical rain forests. Though tropical rain forests account for only 7 percent of the total land area of the world, it harbors more than half of the 1. 7 million species of living things documented worldwide. What happened to them? Many of them make their home in the forests. However, virgin tropical rain forests are almost vanished, transformed into agricultural lands, and sooner or later abandoned as wasteland or used as residential areas. However, current levels of biodiversity are threatened by what scientists describe as a modern, anthropogenic mass extinction-a†human meteor†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (Picard 22). As a result, some of our wildlife species are endangered and as susceptible to extermination and sometimes classified as severely endangered. Deforestation is, therefore, the single greatest cause of species loss. The direct causes of extinction of species aside from habitat destruction, but as well as overexploitation, introduction of exotic species, pollution and global climate change. Man’s activities have ruined his own environment. His intervention with the ecological balance has opened the eyes of the world. Man must face environmental issues and bring his activities back in balance with the natural world. The role of humans in their environment is clear, they are not merely a biological species but also a social species which by their resourcefulness and skillfulness, make and remake their environment. The kind of environment they have therefore replace the values, attitude, skills and knowledge or ignorance behind the decision they make. The future generations should be genetically conservative (Wilson 3). We go a step further when we practice the fields of biotechnology. Biotechnology is the general term used to describe the modification of biological processes through human intervention. This may be done through genetic engineering aimed at modifying or improving the hereditary traits of certain organisms. The main purpose of genetic engineering is to improve agricultural productivity. Hence, Genetically Modified Organisms are perceived to be beneficial to humans since it creates new varieties of organisms. However humans should be careful in their use of what we called the genetic modification, the direct manipulation of an organism’s genes. Some people now a day became worried of potential problems or harmful side effects of Genetically Modified Organisms. For instance, an engineered lawn grass that remains short and therefore does not need trimming and a grass runners that spread out fast may outgrow the native grass species that support local insect pollinators. Humans use genetic methods to improve life here on Earth. But the main issue about Genetically Modified Organisms, whether or not to adopt them is still unresolved. The actuality remains that genetic engineering accelerate speciation. In nature, it is anticipated that it takes between 2 000 and 100 000 generations for new species to evolve. Scientists continue to search for better ways to improve human lives and the world we live in. It takes alterations of our physical world and the development of â€Å"superior† living organisms to realize such objectives. Humans have been working on plant and animal breeding for centuries. Once a sought-after trait, or organism, has been produced, it must be maintained and passed on to future generations. The desire to make domestic plants and animals more suitable for human needs has been the motive for the intensive study of genetics, and this has resulted in wonderful improvements. With the rise of genetics and the growing knowledge about the environmental needs of both plants and animals, the possibilities of further improvements have become greater. Many people would like to see genetic principles applied to the biological improvements of humankind. Plans for the improvement of humans have been formulated and to some extend put into effect. However, most of these plans are not founded on reliable scientific data. Hence, the means to be used in bringing about these improvements are so questionable that reputable geneticists refuse to support them. On the other hand, the author also emphasize that such conservatism should not be confused with the pietistic and selfish libertarianism into which much of the American conservative movement has lately descended (Wilson 3), of which what he meant is the ethical side of the argument. As you go around some places, you see loads of uncollected trash. You see swarms of flies and cockroaches crowded over the garbage. How do you feel about it knowing that microorganisms are causes of diseases and those unhygienic conditions that can speed up the growth of bacteria? Values of good health and sanitation must be developed. Cleanliness in the environment must be observed. Personal hygiene such as washing one’s hands before eating must be practiced. You developed the values of neighborliness and collaboration by keeping the surroundings, the school building, the grounds, and other facilities sanitary. You must report cases of communicable diseases to proper authorities so that corrective measures can be undertaken. In this case, the value of concern for the well being of others is manifested. As you examine your environment, you must realize that the diversified forms of existence are possible only because of the works of God. Somehow, the value of spirituality that involves faith and love of God will inspire you as you marvel at the complexity of life. It warns the present and future generations to be cautious in the rapidly dependent on machine-aided ratiocination, such as the use of computers and other devices. We invent a variety of machines to help us do our work more easily and faster. Moving from one place to another is now possible. We can even circle the world in just a matter of days. With all the machines invented, we are forced to build power plants to provide us with the energy we need to run these machines. It resulted to treating everything delicate in such a way that we tend to forget the importance of live, the very nature of our existence, our ancient heritage and the feeling of being nothing at all because of over dependence on machines. What can we do to prevent the selfish and total destruction of the environment and conserve natural resources? What is our role in preserving ecological balance? Do we have the responsibility to preserve (Picard 22)? Morally yes! Man is responsible of God’s creatures and the need to preserve them. Are we morally obligated to do so (Picard 23)? The aim of any human being is to protect and improve the environment and to put together the environment together with the policies of the government and in the world as well. Nature provide us and other living organisms with the essential elements needed for continued existence. The environment is the source of life-sustaining substance. Balance in nature exists when the various ecosystems are stable, and humans play an active role in maintaining the balance in nature. No organism is completely independent. Each organism is dependent upon other organism as well as the environment for continued existence. For example the attractiveness of a fragile coral is very much enhanced by the green alga living on it. Humans are instrument in upsetting and restoring the balance in nature. We can either preserve it or cause its destruction. We are dependent for our needs on the environment; as a result, the balance in nature is upset. As we satisfy our needs and ensure our comfort, we accidentally change our natural environment. We depend on our environment for all our necessities. We apply technology to all aspects of food production. When a forest is cleared or a field is cultivated, the natural, balanced environment is altered. Not all plants and animals can become accustomed to their new environment. Those that cannot either perish or move around to other places. Often, the balance in nature is seriously disturbed, and plants and animals that are more adaptable become pests. And with the up to date advancements in the fields of genetics, we are now pursuing plant and animal cloning. The changes we have made in the environment have considerably affected the equilibrium in nature. It has been a common observation that some of these changes have not achieved the objective of improving the quality of life. Some of them actually have caused an imbalance in nature. Even though humans have eliminated potential predators, controlled diseases, and make the most of the energy flow of ecosystem into the production of food, they have also exploited the natural ecosystem and contaminated air and water with human and technological wastes. In the long run, nature continues to be ill with as it is consumed, exhausted, and corrupted. We humans play an on the go role in maintaining the balance in nature and safeguarding biodiversity. The Earth’s resources are limited that is why they should be appropriately managed and used wisely. We should also consider the impact on the environment as we get hold of and use these resources.

Childhood obesity Essay

If an American government official announces that childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, it is completely unethical for that person to then endorse an unhealthy snack with their name and picture. The person that chooses to endorse unhealthy snacks but makes their living preaching against their sponsor is being an unethical representative of the company that is paying them to endorse the product and is sending a mixed message when on the job. The real ethical violation here is in business ethics. The man in the example is being paid to endorse an unhealthy snack. By accepting that contract, he has agreed to give his name and support to the product. To then preach against it from the pulpit of a government position is a violation of their contract with the business and a violation of their commitment to their job. Theoretically, if he is speaking out about childhood obesity in the course of his job, then he has a position related to the health of the nation. To the turn around and endorse an unhealthy project violates his contract with the American public to promote healthy behavior. In short, anyone who argues that childhood obesity is an epidemic and then endorse unhealthy snacks is the worst kind of hypocrite. This person is taking money from both sides of the argument and cannot effectively represent either side. He has stolen from both his government employer and from his snack time employer, failing to do what either of them paid him for. In that instance, he should be fired from both jobs and sued by both employers for fraudulently accepting their money.

Personal Mastery Plan Essay

A personal mastery plan enables an individual to learn and focus on another career and be able to reflect on the leadership competencies and skills needed in leadership. Personal mastery involves programming individuals mind towards success and achievements. It differentiates best individual and a mere individual. Personal master gives an individual a focus and gives a sense of responsibility of individuals life, rather than moving with the life tide (Seeman & Lien, 2001, p. 614 ). Every individual in this world has an individual and unique life, with varying attitudes and values. Individual values and attitude is developed over time, as an individual grow and develop from birth, through out the development life. After the values are developed, they are continuously shaped by a number of factors, such as experiences in life, education and memories of the past events. As an individual carry out various activities experience is acquired, and as one progresses in education, more and more is learned, changing the individual’s value and attitude. As one develops fro child hood to adult, both good and bad situations and activities are encountered leaving an individual with strong memories (Seeman & Lien, 2001, p. 619). For example when one is born, he or she stays at home and gets the necessary care from the parents. As one grow and reach school age, one leaves the the parent and goes to school, where he or she adjust to school life, as one progresses through learning, his or her education level advances in and changes in learning institutions are made. After schooling, one is employed, and gets promotions as as he progresses at work. With such progress, the memories of the encounters at home, various schools, and at various work position, plays a major roles in shaping individual’s future values and attitudes. Value influences behavior, as it gives an individual the ability to decide between relevant alternatives which is important in living . Value and belief are great determiners of individual personality, and are the basis of how we sees others every individual has a set of values which influences behavior of the individual without the individual intention. Personal values which involves honesty, moral and friendlinesses determines individual’s moral character. The society value enhances relating with others in the society (Seeman & Lien, 2001, p. 616 ) Our tendency to evaluate many issues and aspects. Although attitude can be influenced, it is only individuals who can change their attitudes. Unlike value, individuals attitude can be detected even without individuals consciousness. Attitude develops through past experiences. Social environment is shapes individuals attitude. Personal mastery has been my drive force through out my life. Personally, personal mastery, involve much beyond skills and competence. I consider it to involve creativity through out ones life, and need to be continuously involved. My learning process has always involved creativity. Using memories and experiences, i encountered during my learning process, i have known that every individual need to actively participate in self evaluation, gather appropriate information if one need to be compete in day to day activities. My past experience gives me the ability to gather and integrate information into my personal and professional life. My mission is to create a balanced environment in both southern Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan, with a purpose to extend the central government’s reach. This foments insurgency among a proto-insurgent people, security interests in this area is unique cultural problem, which does not involve economic, religion or a generic â€Å"tribal† problem. Using emotional intelligence and my strength I intend to encourage the United States and the International community to use anything they can to integrate the tribes and cultures which disintegrated after the invasion of Soviet Union in Afghanistan in 1979. There are two main types of leaders. The authoritative who dictates what they expect to be done giving the conditions, and the participating who gives guideline on what to be done, and in many cases participates. I want to be a participating leader. The knowledge on negative experiences makes many people to have negative attitude towards leaders who trick them or take advantage over them. This knowledge and experiences makes me consider a worth while and a long lasting leadership. As a leader, I require my people credibility. This means that my integrity will create trust in my people to believe what I tell them. I will give guidance to my people on various issues and will ensure i equally participate in various constructive activities. As a leader I will value all individuals in the society, having time for all individuals in the society. My people will be my prestige. With this, I will be at a better chance to show love to everybody. I will consider security for my people. An economically stable nation is my target. As good leader, I will work hard, using all means to ensure that my people live happily and with their basic needs provided. The value I have for all people will help me protect from all sorts of harm. They need to be free from mass destruction, poverty, hunger and diseases. I will ensure quality health care for all people without discrimination The poor will enjoy similar benefits with the rich. A leader who respects international relation is my role model. My people need to benefit from international relations. They will be able to interact freely, a factor I consider to have economical benefit. They can freely engage in International trade through enhanced International relations. I will ensure ill promise what i can fulfill. To become a leader, a lot is needed. One need to have the required education and training. After being a leader, that is not the end of the race. A continuous leadership competencies need to be developed, and assessed. To achieve my goal, I will further my education, to get appropriate training which will enable me to meet the requirements to be a reader. I will ensure I exude certainty and success. My leadership will be flexible, to accommodate changes. Since leadership is an art that requires ongoing practice, I will ensure I understand my strength and weaknesses. With the weaknesses I will be able to correct for the benefit of my people and society. To determine the impact of my leadership, I will ensure a consistent assessment of my leadership. A collection of gathered information other other leaders leading styles, and other sources of information, I can learn critical leadership competences, stand a better position of identifying all possible hindrances that are likely to hinder effective leadership.

Multinational Acquisition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Multinational Acquisition - Research Paper Example In 2010, the world witnessed the acquisition of a famous multinational company Cadbury by Kraft Food Products. Kraft Foods, an American multinational, which deals in food products acquired Cadbury, a British multinational dealing in confectionary products, as a way to diversify its holdings. As such, in January 2010, Kraft Foods acquired Cadbury for ?11.9 billion ($19.6 billion) (Merced & Nicholson, 2010). This made Kraft Foods the biggest confectioner in the world. It has been recorded as the biggest food and beverage deal in European history according Reuters. The initial offer of Kraft Foods was 745p, per share which was increase by 14 percent to 850p per share. Initially the acquisition was opposed by the trade unions because they had the prescient concern that such an acquisition would necessarily lead to job cuts. However, Kraft Foods confirmed that the combined company would be able to create more jobs in UK, apart from the existing employees that Cadbury currently employed (J ones, & Dorfman, 2010). Research Objectives The objective of this research is to focus on the issues that arise after a multinational acquisition acquires a different organizational culture, framework, process and system in comparison to the company which has acquired it. The motive would be to analyze the accounting requirements after acquisition, difficulties that arise with reference to preparation of combined financial statements, as well as to separately assess the goodwill of the business combination and other key issues. The objective would also be to study the IFRS and GAAP guidelines which are applicable in cases such as the one that will be studied. Outline of the Study The research study includes a detailed study of the multinational acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft Foods. General analysis of the scenario before acquisition is done; furthermore, the study will discuss the after effects of acquisition within the new business combination. As such, the study will begin with a brief overview of the acquisition that took place in January 2010. The research objective is stated to describe the motive behind conducting the research. Furthermore, a literature review will include analysis of the accounting requirements and the challenges faced by the company in preparing the combined financial statements. Apart from this discussion on the process of evaluating the intangible assets of the company and key changes that are made in the acquired company would be revealed, the study will attempt to give a complete view of the successful objectives required by such an approach. LITERATURE REVIEW Accounting Requirements and Challenges in preparing Financial Statement In the case of the acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft Foods, the holding company is Kraft Foods and Cadbury is the subsidiary. Therefore, the companies in this business combination need to apply for acquisition accounting to the newly united business. Similarly, the holding company is the one which holds ma jority of the shares of the subsidiary company. The holding company must also become responsible for the balance sheet and profit and loss statements of the subsidiar

Cultural Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Studies - Essay Example 84). The preceding quote very explicitly identifies several forms of essentialism, those being biological, social and cognitive essentialism, and holds as universal to all women. In other words, gender is not just an inherently biological characteristic but it is equally so a matter of cognitive perception and social attribute. Grosz’s definition or understanding of feminism emerges from within her understanding of essentialism and its correlation to gender. Equality feminism is somewhat at odds with the essentialist representations of the female gender. As Genovese (1996) explains, this feminist ideology highlights the similarities between men and women, irrespective of biological differences, and argues gender equality on the basis of the similarities. This stance may be interpreted as a negation of essentialism, insofar as it only concedes to biological differences but does not acknowledge the inherent importance of social and cognitive essentialism. In direct comparison to equality feminism, feminism of difference emphasizes the differences between the genders. As Ebert (1993) explains, difference feminism argues that the sexes are fundamentally different but that differences, whether cognitive or social, do not negate the equality of the sexes, or make one more equal than the other. This feminist ideology is reflective of essentialism. In the final analysis, and speaking from a subjective viewpoint, essentialism is an inescapable reality. The sexes are not just different because of biology but because of cognitive and societal perceptions. Equality feminism, insofar as it fails to acknowledge the aforementioned, is weak. Its weakness is rooted in its assumption that equality is only applicable to those, or that, which are alike. Difference feminism, on the other hand, draws its strength from its recognition of essentialism and its understanding of the fact that equality does not have

Analysis and Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis and Design - Essay Example Guilty Driver inherits from the driver and has all the attributes for the driver. In addition it also has the fine details, payment process. Innocent driver also is inherited from the main driver but makes use of the guilty driver processes when required to pay. In addition to the attributes that the guilty has, this will also have court processing. Suspended driver in case of drivers who fail to pay the fine. Their license details are all maintained in this. InTrial driver has the trial date details. 3. Use Case Diagram 4. Use Case - Scheduling a Court Date Description Table: Source Actor Action Destination Actor Driver Sends request for court date Officer Officer Prepares a trial date questionnaire. Driver Prepares a ticket details report Court Driver Fills in the trial date questionnaire Court Court Fixes the trial date and sends the intimation report. Driver Officer Sequence Diagram 5. Structured Approach and Object Oriented Approach Structured Design The computer was expected to solve certain problems that are mathematical and / or processing of the information, compare or sort. In order to solve these problems, a top down approach was originally used in procedural approach to problem solving. The structured approach was one step ahead of the procedural approach. In both the approaches, the problem was visualized and the method to solve the problem was the one that was worked on. Problem to solve is to be identified and then a step by step process towards solution was worked out in the case of procedural approach. There were a number of hardships faced once the problem became complex. In order to overcome this problem the structured approach was adopted. The problem that needed a solution was broken down into smaller... Innocent driver also is inherited from the main driver but makes use of the guilty driver processes when required to pay. In addition to the attributes that the guilty has, this will also have court processing. The computer was expected to solve certain problems that are mathematical and / or processing of the information, compare or sort. In order to solve these problems, a top down approach was originally used in procedural approach to problem solving. The structured approach was one step ahead of the procedural approach. In both the approaches, the problem was visualized and the method to solve the problem was the one that was worked on. Problem to solve is to be identified and then a step by step process towards solution was worked out in the case of procedural approach. There were a number of hardships faced once the problem became complex. In order to overcome this problem the structured approach was adopted. The problem that needed a solution was broken down into smaller problems. This meant that we had multiple numbers of smaller problems to be solved. On these multiple smaller problems the original procedural approach is applied and solution is reached.

The relevance of Mutual Funds & their development over time Literature review

The relevance of Mutual Funds & their development over time - Literature review Example Whereas no legal definition exists for the phrase â€Å"mutual fund†, it is regularly used to refer only to those combined vehicles mostly under regulation and that the general public can buy. Mutual funds are at times known as â€Å"registered investment companies† or â€Å"registered companies†. It is important to note that hedge funds cannot be called mutual funds since they primarily cannot be bought by public (Bogle, 2010). Open-ended funds-these are funds that are accessible for subscription and therefore can be redeemed on a constant basis. These types of mutual funds are usually accessible for subscription all through the year and hence investors can trade the units at NAV correlated prices. Open-ended funds lack a fixed or a definite maturity date and one of the key aspects of them is liquidity. Close-ended funds on the other hand are funds that have a defined or definite maturity period such as 3 to 6 years. Close-ended funds are thus open for subscription for a particular period at the point of first launch. Normally, these funds are usually listed on a renowned stock exchange (Northcott, 2009). Interval funds-these funds merge the aspects of close-ended and open-ended funds. Interval funds can be traded on stock exchanges and are usually open for redemption or sale at preset intervals on the existing NAV. The following are types of funds that are on the basis of investment objectives. These include; Equity/growth funds-these funds invest a main part of their corpus in stocks and represent the biggest class of mutual funds. Nevertheless, there are numerous kinds of equity funds since there are several various kinds of equities. Equity funds can be categorized on the basis of either the size of the firms invested in or the manager’s investment style. They can be classified as value, growth and blend. Value in this case may

Government Effects on Global Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Government Effects on Global Trade - Essay Example Currently the two arrangements do not exist. The STA only lasted for a period of one year which was from October 1961 to September 1962 (Kar 2015). The LTA which substituted STA managed to last for five years from October 1962 under continuous re-establishments. Its prime role was to prevent rapid penetration of textile imports into markets that were already developed (Kar 2015).   That way any domestic producer would never be threatened. Despites all the efforts made by Kennedy’s government on the arrangements, the importation of textile into the US never stopped, in fact, it grew more serous (Rivoli 2015). This further led to other arrangements as the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA). Since several bodies were established by different global leaders to control the global trade and yet no encouraging results were obtained, there are doubts in progress in resolving the issues. This can further be attributed to the fact that almost all of these leaders speak out different messag es to the public from the actions they take during private phone calls. This can be summarized by the free trade rhetoric expressed by Rivoli (2015). Censoring Rivoli (2015), the global leaders make promises about controlling the textile and apparel import issues then fail during their reign. Apparently this is a routine insinuating failure to handle the issue at hand. For better leadership to come from the leaders in this particular industry, the authorities must stop deceiving the public in front of cameras then acting contradictorily during their private phone calls.

How Does the American Public School Philosophy address the concept of Research Paper

How Does the American Public School Philosophy address the concept of Democracy aad the individual - Research Paper Example In this case, before undertaking to explore the role that American schools play in educating children in about democracy, it is crucial to attempt explaining the relationship between the two concepts of education and democracy. Thus, from a contemporary point of view, democracy can be considered to be that which results from and is reflective of modern day societies political and market economy, it personified by activities such as choosing political representatives and an autonomous judicially (Loflin, 2008). In these premises, school provides education to the minority future political figures, the majority to fit into their future role as consumers and producers in the society, and ultimately the decision makers in the society. Hence, such an education, will ideally involve educating them by practical activities so that they can experience democracy in their own personalized setting such as participating in their student centered committees and organizations, in their schools. This paper is an introspection of the role played by public schools in perpetuating the concept of democracy and individual through pedagogy by discussing the rationale; examining the objectives of teaching democracy in schools, the methods and implementation as well as the challenges that are encountered in the endeavor. The culture of democracy should be taught to schoolchildren for a number of reasons; prominent among them is the need to create self-awareness to them, which is instrumental in helping them take responsibility for their lives and the country’s destiny. This is because when children understand democracy, they will appreciate its importance and can easily apply it in their lives as students. This is concerning activities such as voting for prefects and student leaders as well as in simple things like solving a dispute on where to eat lunch among friends or which bus to take home (Rosenthal and Burroughs, 2003.). While these might seem like minor considerations, th ey set ground for bigger issue that the students will have to make in their adult lives, and it helps socialize them into democratically sensitive individuals. Although it is hailed and praised for facilitating legitimate governance, democracy can only be as strong as those who practice it. As a result, in America, students should be taught about democracy in order to ensure they are able to make judgments for themselves on what is democratic and what is not democratic. The process of democracy in America is often fraught with conflict and can often be messy, thus, teaching schoolchildren democracy is crucial since it helps them to appreciate the potential for conflict that result even with democracies, in order to develop democratically acceptable ways of dealing with these conflicts. In addition, youths might mistakenly assume that what happens in congress, and in national politics, is the epitome of democracy due to its lofty position. Nonetheless, the truth is that democracy is frequently abused and overstepped by politicians in their search for political mileage. Therefore, education about democracy provides learners with wisdom enabling them to contemplate the political climate and happenings critically so that they do not get mislead by these populist shenanigans. Electronic and print media has failed miserably in their attempt to convey to

The Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Film - Essay Example Adopting a light-hearted tone, Marker takes the unique approach of editing various video clips together, without adhering to time frame, and putting them together to describe the memories of the fictional Sandor Krasna, whose letters are read by a female narrator whose identity we never find out. Resnais’ Nuit et Brouillard, on the other hand, is based on the very real and macabre events of Holocaust. With most of the focus on the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp, the documentary which was filmed ten years after the Holocaust ended (1955), lays bare the atrocities committed therein. The male narrator simply relates the series of events that start from the rounding up of the people who were being sent to the concentration camps. The tone of the movie is, of course, very somber and serious throughout. In his movie, Chris Marker tries to explore how human memory works and how time and place have an effect on everything that later becomes history. It is an attempt on his part to take an interest in the banalities of life and, through them, try to explain human nature. The tone of the movie remains quite philosophical; though a lot of people are put off by it and they claim that Marker has ruined what could have otherwise been a great travelogue by using this tone, I disagree. The script of the movie, which are the letters read by the narrator, is crisp, innovative and it helps in driving the point home: the subjectivity of human memory and how we perceive time. It is a very unique approach and I agree that it is not palatable to everyone; however, it is unfair on the part of the critics to call it a work of pseudo-intellectualism. In Nuit et Brouillard, the script is very objective and it portrays the suffering of the prisoners of concentration camps in Nazi Germany. There are no personal observations made by the narrator; he recounts the events as and when

Introductory chapter needs some more info Essay

Introductory chapter needs some more info - Essay Example rop Frye discusses it in his essay, refers simply to a special kind of narrative.1 The special nature of this narrative is that it is devised to reflect the beliefs of a particular culture, especially as it uses the concept of the supernatural to explore and explain natural events and the essence of human nature. Frye’s argument is that this mythic narrative is included in almost all of the archetypes used in literature and that these concepts are also found within our most sacred ritual events as we continue to seek the true nature of the order of life. Considering Frye’s discussion of myth, ritual and the natural cycle as it is presented in The Archetypes of Literature, it can be seen that there are several rituals and beliefs that we experience in modern life that we are perhaps not even aware of as being a voluntary affirmation of the natural order of life, such as the beliefs we associate with the concept of darkness. An examination into the traditional values asso ciated with darkness helps to inform the shift in focus seen as the world began to shift into its more modern configuration. Generally acknowledged to have started with the publication of Horace Walpole’s novel The Castle of Otranto in 1764, the Gothic genre represents a fundamental shift in thinking from one dominated by ideals and reason to one of imagination and emotion.2 Gothic literature is characterized by its unique way of combining horror and romance to create a completely new genre that, particularly after the advent of Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalytic theory,3 focused more and more on the power of the mind to terrify itself. Common elements found within Gothic literature include terror, the supernatural, ghosts, haunted houses with a particular type of architecture, castles, darkness, death, madness, secrets and hereditary curses. Characters typically fall into stereotypical personas such as the femmes fatales, flawed heroes, monsters of various types and flawed individuals.

And the Oscar Goes to... Essay Example for Free

And the Oscar Goes to Essay AND THE OSCAR GOES TO†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Inception Thrilling and intense written and directed by the masterful Christopher Nolan, â€Å"Inception† is an extremely exciting science-fiction thriller that’s bound to win an Oscar at the next awards ceremony. Inception is definitely the best film that Nolan has ever made and he has made a lot of hits! It is a popular entertainment with a knockout punch so intense and unnerving itll have you worrying if its safe to close your eyes at night. Christopher Nolans incredible blockbuster inception, having approximately $160 million spent on it in the most daring way is a major challenge for the other academy award contenders. Inception has an exciting cast consisting of Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hardy, Joseph George-Levitt and six other capable Oscar nominated actors, making it one of the best movies of all time. It is one film that the audiences all around the world are definitely dying to see, as the last movie Nolan made was The dark night, one of the most watched and most liked films, they without doubt are longing to see what magic Nolan had worked on the big screen this time. The plot of the film can at times be very misleading, the story can be difficult to pin down, especially at first, and guessing time to time what will be happening next, or even if the characters are dreaming or in reality, is not always possible. But this is what makes it an award winning film. Despite being difficult to understand one can guess and try to figure out what is happening, making the movie even more gripping and indulging as the audience makes further attempts to get through to the roots of the plot. Inception consists of several sounds and eerie surroundings to add to the thrill making the experience a whole lot more engaging , increasing the chances of it winning the Oscar. Not only this but the action in it is phenomenal. The way Nolan directed the action scenes in the movie and put them together makes it almost 100% that Inception should and will be the Oscar champ. The use of Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard as Mal and of Ariadne , a young architect, who is needed to create the subconscious landscapes in which the dreams will take place, as well as Ellen Page, adroitly cast for her youth, intelligence and earnestness, typifies the thought Nolan has taken to cast these thriller roles for emotional connection. A move which pays off in the scenes she shares with DiCaprio, winning over the audiences heart and attention. In addition to the impeccably professional Batman  veterans Caine and Murphy, the film is also on the money and has increased chances with the smaller roles, including Pete Postlethwaite as Fischers father and Tom Berenger as one of his key associates. Nolan is a master in keeping his audience engaged and making them think. Although, he has based the film in people dreams and has made the action take place while the actors are asleep, still making it almost impossible for the viewers to blink whilst watching the movie without regretting later. It is virtually guaranteed that this will be an award winning movie. Overall, â€Å"Inception† is a absolute gripping movie which knows no limits to supernatural behaviour and the perfect blend of creativity, emotions and theme successfully come together to making it a must watch movie and a certain Oscar winner. this is basically how my controlled assessment is ive changed some bits though

Arguments on genetically modified foods

Arguments on genetically modified foods Introduction Genetically modified foods have become a major concern and have caused controversy regarding both their health and environmental effects (2). Using modern techniques of genetic engineering, it is possible to introduce specific genetic material derived from any species of plant, animal, or microorganism, or even a synthetic material, into different species of plant (Journal 1) This allows a desired trait to be enhanced and reproduced. (3) (4) The resulting plants are commonly known as genetically modified (GM) plants; when used as food sources, they are known as GM foods. (Journal 1) It is probable that crop improvement began as soon as farming did (1) It is thought that improvement to crops and harvesting developed subconsciously with farmers selectively breeding animals and isolating, to then reproduce crops from those with the most desired attributes and from highly variable populations.(1) The first genetically modified crop was the tomato Flavr Savr, produced by a Californian company Calgene, in 1992 whose intention was to create a vine-ripened tomato that was both long-lasting and tasty. (6) However the company failed to prevent the skin of the tomato from soften whilst the fruit ripened. It took 10 years for the development of the tomato, (6) but eventually it received FDA approval in 1994 (6), and led to an increase in GM food products available on the market. Romania, Mexico, Germany, Australia and France are just a few of the 13 countries known to have grown genetically engineered crops on their land for commercial use in the year 2000. (7) The United States of America produced 68% of the worlds GM crops, and therefore became the largest producer of these crops. In comparison to this, Argentina produced, 23%, Canada, 7% and China only 1%. Statistics from 2007 have shown a substantial increase from 1.7 million hectares being used for growing Gm foods in 1996, to 143 million hectares in 23 countries around the globe, with 90% of GM food produced being in developed or newly-developed countries.(journal one). Ways to make GM foods. Genetic modification of a particular plant or animal species can be accomplished by a number of different ways. (3) Genetic engineering involves the DNA alteration of a plant or animals DNA which holds the genetic information of the species. It is the alterations of a specific gene that enables modification of certain characteristics displayed. In order to change a certain characteristic, the corresponding gene coding for it, must initially be isolated in order to be inserted into a new DNA strand using a transfer vector. A Vector is an agent that can carry a DNA fragment into a host cell. (19) Plasmids are circular DNA molecules that are examples of vectors and can replicate independently of the host cell. (3) Once the gene is present in the transfer vector it can then be directed into the cells of the target organism. Then inside the cell the vector replicates and becomes part of the cells own DNA, altering the organisms characteristics. Similar to this method is the vector technique which involves the products being inserted directly into genome via another vector. As well as this there is also the biolistic method, which is commonly known as the gene-gun method and is a technique predominantly used in plant modification. (20) Pellets of metal coated with the desirable DNA are fired at the target cells which are then allowed to reproduce, and may possibly be cloned in order to produce a genetically identical crop. (20) Advantages and disadvantages of GM foods With the worlds population expected to reach 12 billion in the next 50 years, the demand for high quality produce will continue to increase. By growing genetically modified plants with a resistance to pests or herbicides, then the use of chemical applications may be reduced, as can the costs of producing a crop, damage by unwanted pests/weeds.(8) With the rise of various different virus, diseases and bacteria that effect and inhibit the growth of a crop, technologies have enabled genetically engineered crops to be resistant to these different diseases. (9)Plants such as tobacco and potato have had antifreeze genes introduced in to them, to encourage the plants to withstand cold temperatures that would normally kill such plants. (10) A common problem in third world countries is malnutrition with estimations of 1.02 billion people being undernourished and starved. (13) The main staple diet for these people is rice which unfortunately does not contain sufficient quantities of the nutrients and vitamins required to help prevent malnutrition. Genetically engineering this crop in order to create a nutritionally enriched rice variety would have the potential to help improve and in turn, eliminate these deficiencies. Vitamin A deficiency, estimated to affect millions of people around the world prompted the design of Golden rice researched by Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer and contained very large quantities of beta-carotene, which the body uses and coverts to Vitamin A, and is required for a number of different metabolic functions including in vision, immune functions and bone metabolism. (3) Genetic engineering techniques are now more commonly being used in order to introduce into plants, particular DNA that leads to the expression of distinct and unique proteins that are of specific interest and may be harvested and used in the production of pharmaceutical compounds. (11) Currently, synthesis of plant-derived proteins intended for pharmaceutical use is still in the early development stages. Examples of the types of protein and their intended use are summarised in the table below. Nutrition Some examples of GM plants with improved characteristics designed to improve health and nutrition are Maize with added vitamin C content, Potato with insulin as well as enhanced calcium levels, rice with added iron or zinc and coffee beans with decreased caffeine content. (journal 2) One study in to which a genetically modified green pepper and a standard unmodified pepper were analyzed for their nutrient and mineral contents and showed no significant opposing results between the two peppers. The analysis showed that there was neither significant difference in the energy and the protein levels nor a difference in the mineral content which included calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. This therefore concluded that, the nutrient composition of the genetically modified green pepper was found to be equivalent to that of the standard unmodified peppers. (journal 11) Another study that tested genetically modified Bt maize on laying quails also gave a similar conclusion to the green pepper study. (Flachowsky et al., 2005b; Halle et al., 2006).The results showed that Bt maize did not significantly influence health, hatchability and performances of quails nor did it affect the quality of meat and eggs of quails compared with the unmodified maize that was also tested. (journal 2) One exception to this study however was the that performed by Piva et al. (2001a,b) who noted that significantly improved animal performance was associated with a diet containing the Bt maize. It is thought that this improved performance demonstrated by the animals fed the genetically modified Bt maize crop, was because it reduced secondary fungal infection and, as a consequence, reduced mycotoxin contamination. (journal 2) Toxicity Publications on GM food toxicity are scarce. Although there are many arguments and opinions surrounding the toxicity of GM foods, there is little experimental data and analysis to construct such arguments. In fact, no peer-reviewed publications of clinical studies on the human health effects of GM food exist. Even animal studies are few and far between (18) Acute toxicity studies on the Flavr Savr genetically modified tomatoes, required by the FDA, were carried out with rats to determine toxic effects of the GM product. It was concluded that mean body and organ weights, weight gain, food consumption and clinical chemistry or blood parameters were not significantly different between GM-fed and control groups. However it was noted that sections of the stomach in up to 7 of the 20 female rats fed the GM tomato, showed mild/moderate erosive/necrotic lesions and as well as this 7 of the 40 rats involved in the experiment were known to have died a few weeks after for unstated reasons. (18) Another experiment that tested herbicide-resistant GM maize showed significant differences in fat and carbohydrate contents compared with non-GM maize. Toxicity tests were performed and showed that the rats ability to digest was decreased after eating GM corn. (18) Likewise tests in to potatoes transformed with a specific toxin gene or the toxin itself was shown to have caused an array of unwanted effects and showed that, CryI toxin was indeed stable in the gut of the mouse and therefore GM crops expressing it need to be subjected to thorough teststo avoid the risks before marketing. (18) Such studies support peoples concerns about GM foods and highlight the need for further research in to them and their health effects. Allergies Another issue with the rise in the production of genetically modified crops is the transfer of allergens in to new crops and the effects of particular allergens on human immune response. (journal 3) The majority of dietary proteins consumed are hydrolysed, and digested into smaller peptides that do not produce immune response in most people. However for those unfortunate enough to have hypersensitivity disorders, allergic type inflammatory responses can occur when contact with certain foods is made. For this reason, the introduction of genetically modified plants into the human food chain that contain allergens or proteins of unknown allergic potential could be of risk. (Journal 8) Nordlee et al. (1996) cited in (journal 8) demonstrated using the Brazil nut protein that allergenicity was indeed transferable by genetic modification. Amongst other things these studies confirmed concerns that sensitivity could be transferred to transgenic plants when an allergen is expressed in a non-na tive host through genetic modification. (journal 8) Lee et all (2006) compared the allergenicity of GM potatoes with that of non- GM potatoes in which 1886 patients who suffered various allergic diseases etc were used for testing. From his study he was able to conclude that genetic modification of crops did not cause an increase in allergenicity. The use of certain animal models has been developed in order to test whether or not food components such as GM proteins could potentially induce allergic reactions. (journal 2) The animals are often responders to high IgE and are sensitised before given the test compound. The animal models all have in common the production of specific IgE antibodies to the specific proteins. Particular proteins that cause food allergy in humans are claimed to produce more pronounced IgE responses whereas proteins that do not readily cause such effects in humans are claimed to induce poor IgE responses. (Journal 2) An example of one such model is the BN rat which is a high-immunoglobulin (particularly IgE) responder strain and is similar to humans in the way that they produce antigen-specific immunoglobins,-which are glycoproteins that function as certain antibodies. (3) Experimental investigations in to the hypersensitivity of rats to specific proteins performed by Knippels et al., 1998, showed the rats were capable of producing specific antibodies (IgG and IgE) and immune responses to the model antigen ovalbumin, found in egg white and often employed in experiments into immunology and hypersensitivity to stimulate allergic reactions. (3) Analysis of the research showed the rats developed allergic responses to the same problematic proteins that cause reactions in humans. (Knippels Penninks, 2002). (Journal 8) Pharmaceuticals One of the most impressive applications of genetic engineering is now the development of so-called pharma crops. Specific genes in some useful plants are modified with in order for certain chemicals, antibodies, hormones and proteins to be produced that can be used in different applications in the pharmaceutical industry. (14) The company, INB Biotechnologies in Philadelphia have been recently designing a nontoxic anthrax vaccine through the transgenic modification of petunias. This causes the production of new proteins by the plant that in turn causes the development of antibodies against the anthrax bacterium, when consumed. (16) Trials have begun on genetically engineered crops designed for healing wounds and treating conditions such as cystic fibrosis, cirrhosis of the liver and anaemia; antibodies to fight cancer and vaccines against rabies, cholera and foot-and-mouth disease. (15) The concept of genetically engineered crops for pharmaceutical use is a fairly new idea, and therefore such products are still in their preliminary stages of design and testing. However significant concern has been raised surrounding their use and possible consequences. For instance it is thought that food crops already are or may in the future, be contaminated by DNA sequences from GM crops. (15) Genetically modified crops run the risk of eventually introducing unknown, potentially harmful chemicals into the food chain, by accidental cross breeding and seed contamination. (17) Conclusion As well as there being many benefits to genetic engineering and the introduction of genetically modified foods, there are as well, possible dangers and hazards leading to concern over their use and potential risks to both the environment and to humans. However there is inconsiderable evidence to suggest that there are disadvantages and significant risks of consuming GM foods. Various testing has been conducted on an array of substances and components of GM crops to test for certain effects, some of these being toxicity and allergenicity. There are conflicting reports; some suggesting GM foods are safe, others that say they are dangerous and a risk to human health. Although only slight effects have been observed on the animals tested, it is enough to warrant anxiety over GM foods and their possible implications on humans. Some would argue minor changes and effects on animals doesnt necessarily mean that they would have the same effect, if consumed, on humans, yet, there have also been a number of experiments that contradict this and analysis of which conclude little or no clinical, toxicological abnormalities observed in the animals having been tested. It has been demonstrated that Genetic modification as well as being advantageous can also increase the nutritional value of a food source, providing useful benefits, such as crops with extra vitamins/minerals etc such as the example of golden rice highlighted above. However there are also significant disadvantages such as possible toxicity and allergic components in some GM food sources. Having looked at the evidence surrounding such factors it is difficult to say whether or not there are nutritional arguments against genetically modified foods. It is safe to say therefore, that new and improved methods are needed to further investigate the compositional, nutritional, toxicological and metabolic differences between GM and conventional crops likewise the techniques used in developing GM crops in order to expel the fears of many and allow for technology in this field to expand safely. (18) References Websites http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/genetic-engineering accessed 26/11/09 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/food_under_the_microscope/280868.stm accessed 24/11/09 http://en.wikipedia.org accessed 25/11/09 http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/gloss.php accessed 24/11/09 http://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/gm-foods.php accessed 25/11/09 http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/27236.aspx#ixzz0XoDxyU4H accessed 24/11/09 http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php accessed 25/11/09 Insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis protect corn from corn rootworms (Nature Biotechnology, Vol 19, No 7, pp 668-672, Jul 2001) Lepidopteran-resistant transgenic plants (US Patent 6313378, Nov 2001, Monsanto) cited in (7) Transgenic Approaches to Combat Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat and Barley (Crop Science, Vol 41, No 3, pp 628-627, Jun 2001) Post-transcriptional gene silencing in plum pox virus resistant transgenic European plum containing the plum pox potyvirus coat protein gene (Transgenic Research, Vol 10, No 3, pp 201-209, Jun 2001) cited in (7) Type II fish antifreeze protein accumulation in transgenic tobacco does not confer frost resistance (Transgenic Research, Vol 8, No 2, pp 105-117, Apr 1999) cited in (7) http://www.card.iastate.edu/publications/DBS/PDFFiles/06wp429.pdf accessed 25/11/09 Molecular farming for new drugs and vaccines EMBO report http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1369121/pdf/6-7400470.pdf/?tool=pmcentrez accessed 24/11/09 http://www.wfp.org/hunger accessed 24/11/09 http://www.matternetwork.com/2008/7/making-most-pharma-crops.cfm accessed 25/11/09 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4709 accessed 26/11/09 http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/medical/conference/presentations/genetically-modified-foods.html accessed 26/11/09 http://www.beep.ac.uk/content/371.0.html accessed 24/11/09 http://www.biointegrity.org and Fares, N.H. and El-Sayed, A.K. (1998) Fine structural changes in the ileum of mice fed on delta-endotoxin-treated potatoes and transgenic potatoes. Natural Toxins 6, 219-233 cited in http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/pusztai.html accessed 25/11/09 http://www.web-books.com/MoBio/Free/Ch9A4.htm accessed 09/12/09 http://library.thinkquest.org/C004367/be9.shtml accessed 09/12/09 Journals Risk assessment of genetically modified crops for nutrition and health- Javier A Magaà ±a-Gà ³mez and Ana M Calderà ³n de la Barca Safety and nutritional assessment of GM plants and derived food and feed: The role of animal feeding trials- Report of the EFSA GMO Panel Working Group on Animal Feeding Trials Assessment of the safety of foods derived from genetically modified (GM) crops A. Ko ¨ niga,*, A. Cockburnb, R.W.R. Crevelc, E. Debruyned, R. Grafstroeme, U. Hammerlingf, I. Kimberg, I. Knudsenh, H.A. Kuiperi, A.A.C.M. Peijnenburgi, A.H. Penninksj, M. Poulsenh, M. Schauzuk, J.M. Wall Genetically modified plants and food hypersensitivity diseases: Usage and implications of experimental models for risk assessment A new oral sensitization model in rats to food proteins and the importance of dietary control in oral sensitization with soy- Knippels, LMJ; Penninks, AH; Spanhaak, S, et al The nutrient composition of the herbicide-tolerant green pepper is equivalent to that of the conventional green pepper Hongju Parka, Sunghyen Leea,c,4, Hyunjin Jeonga, Sumook Choa, Hyekyung Chuna, Ohhyun Backa, Donghern Kimb, Hyun S. Lillehojc Books Plant biotechnology. Ed, Nigel G. Halford (2006) chapter 1 pg5 John Wiley and sons Ltd west sussex, England

The Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy and Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti Es

The Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy and Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti The poems that I studied are 'The Ruined Maid' by Thomas Hardy and 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rosetti. 'The Ruined Maid' was published in 1901, and 'Cousin Kate' in 1879. These poems were both written in Victorian times, and they both reflect the attitudes towards women at the time. At the beginning of the Victorian period women's powers were extremely limited; they could not control their own money and were very much under the control of men. Among the few respectable jobs available to women were teaching and taking in embroidery, but these were poorly paid. The attitude towards women at this time was extremely patronizing. Women had not yet been given suffrage: As they could not vote, they had little power and little choice. In the light of these attitudes the poems will be analysed to show how they reflect the Victorian women of the time. The poem 'The Ruined Maid' is about a woman who used to be a country maiden, who was 'tired of digging potatoes and spudding up docks', so has become a prostitute. This poem satirizes the Victorian view of prostitutes as doomed and ruined women, and suggests that they may in fact be happy and refined. 'Melia, 'The Ruined Maid' in the poem, has met an old friend 'in town' and now that she has become ruined she seems to be far better off than she was before. 'Melia left her home 'in tatters, without shoes or socks' and now she has 'gay bracelets and bright feathers'. Since her ruin 'Melia has also improved her language. "At home in the barton you said 'thee' and 'thou' and 'thik oon' and 'theà ¤s oon' and 't'other'; but now your ... ... in society. This tone is conveyed by the use of positive language such as, my 'dear', wearing 'fair garments', such 'prosperity', she has 'gay bracelets' and 'a delicate cheek' and is 'pretty lively' now that she is ruined. In 'Cousin Kate', Kate has all of the material things that 'The Ruined Maid' wants, but in 'The Ruined Maid', 'Melia has all of the material things that the country maiden wants. The poem that best represents the women of the time is 'Cousin Kate' which, coincidentally, is written by a woman. Although Thomas Hardy is more understanding and respectful towards women in his novels, this poem, 'The Ruined Maid', displays a totally different attitude towards Victorian women. Of the two poems I prefer 'Cousin Kate' because it is a more typical and realistic portrayal of the life of a ruined maid.

Nicotine Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the world today, Nicotine is one of the most frequently used addictive drugs. The impact it has on society is like no other. It is one of more than 4,000 chemicals found in the smoke of tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. This addictive drug is the primary component in tobacco that acts on the brain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tobacco can be found two ways, it can be dried brown leaves of various sizes or it can be a grown form of tobacco. When extracted from the leaves, nicotine is colorless, but quickly turns brown when exposed to air. It then becomes a poisonous, pale yellow, oily liquid with a pungent odor and acrid taste. The amount of nicotine contained in tobacco leaves ranges from 2% to 7%.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are four ways in which you can use tobacco. They are cigarette smoke, dry or wet snuff, and chewing tobacco. The cigarette smoke is inhaled through the mouth. Most cigarettes in the US contain 10 milligrams or more of the nicotine. Since most of the nicotine is destroyed by the heat of burning the actual concentration of nicotine in smoke is low. So, when inhaling the smoke you actually only take in 1 to 2 mg of nicotine per cigarette. Nicotine is absorbed through the skin, lining of the mouth and nose, or by inhalation in the lungs. Depending on how the tobacco is ta ken, nicotine can reach peak levels in the bloodstream and brain rapidly. Cigarette smoking, for example, results in quick dis...

Unexpected Critiques in Walden Essay -- American Literature Thoreau Es

Unexpected Critiques in Walden In Walden, Henry David Thoreau utilizes many different styles and themes to explain his ideas about shelter in further detail. Thoreau uses lists, long and short sentences, imagery, and different narrative voices. But out of all the things Thoreau uses to strengthen his argument, the most powerful is his unexpected comparisons and his sarcasm towards shelter. Thoreau uses these to get the reader interested, but more importantly it gets the reader to reconsider his/her contentment and think about how ridiculous society was then concerning shelter. Early in "Economy", Thoreau writes about shelter in regards to how humans first came to use and later need shelter. The passage starts off by explaining how some person a long time ago decided to dwell in a cave for shelter. Through Thoreau's word usage and imagery, his idea that humans do not need shelter is clear. He starts this argument with the topic of child rearing. He states that since a child "loves to stay out doors, even in wet and cold," the instinct to have shelter is not biological (Thoreau 28). It must be something that is taught to children, most likely from observation. At the same time no one, even Thoreau, knows where and how this instinct originated. He just knows that "in the infancy of the human race, some enterprising mortal crept into a hollow in a rock for shelter" (28). In using words and phrases like "primitive," "the infancy of the human race," and "most primitive ancestor" the reader understands how important shelter has become to the human race because it is so deeply rooted in human's minds (28). From here Thoreau dives into a long list of how humans have developed their shelter over time, from "roofs of palm leave... ... afford just to be "civilized." He states all the, "benefit[s] of the improvements of centuries, [like] spacious apartments... [and] Venetian blinds" (31). He finishes off this long list of expensive luxuries with the main idea of this passage: Why is the civilized man making himself more poor by renting while the savage lives in relative luxury in his "wigwam." Thoreau's main tools in persuading the reader are his uses of light sarcasm and comparisons and critiques based on animals, savages, and civilized people. When backed up with logical reasoning, these two tools make the reader really step back and think about his/her happiness in regards to shelter. In making the reader reevaluate everything about shelter, Thoreau keeps the reader interested and in turn, the reader keeps on reading the book. Which, in fact, is all Thoreau really wants in the first place.

Managing Change and Leading People Essay

â€Å"Impact of Organisational culture on role and responsibilities of the managers within the organisation† (Word count 2900 / Word limit 3000) Haque, A. U. 139________ According to Schein (2004) the core concept of organisational culture is developing an atmosphere and the procedures are created to ensure that employees are properly managed. Glendon and Stanton elaborate the that visible expression of an organisation is considered as a climate (2000, p. 198 ). By investigating in more depth, it is evident in the past literature, â€Å"Organisational culture is an outline of collective fundamental conjectures that the individuals together collectively discover a way that is valid to overcome problems of external adaption as well internal integration, and the validity is a reason that fresh employees are being told that this is the right way to feel, think, and perceive in association to those problems† (Schein 1992, p. 12). Lundberg (1990) explains the key attributes of the organisational culture: a framework that is designed on the common and shared beliefs, interests, perceptions, and values that individuals not only embrace and governs. It is set of rules and principles that not only make the organisation unique but define the organisational behavior or a common psychology driven from the set of rules (p. 19). Therefore, it can be said that organisational culture are the set of norms, beliefs, and patterns that serves the purpose of the organisation’s existence. The organisational culture is visible at all three levels of the organisation. The above mentioned figure explains that in the first level â€Å"artefacts† there are more visible values that are easily noticeable like dress code, workplace related patterns etc. In second layer there are espoused values that explains the norms and philosophy of organisational working pattern  where as the third level consist of strong beliefs that are generally accepted for granted without any objection or protest. These are underlying assumptions and workforce take it for granted. Denison (2010) strongly emphasis that over a time period, all types of organisations forms its own culture that serves as a special and unique identity and individuality differentiating it from the other organisations. This shows the significant of the organisational culture that why it is important for the present day leaders and managers to comprehensively understand it. The better a manager understands the organisational culture, more he or she can motivate and the workforce to achieve the organisational targets and objectives because the actual vision and purpose of existence of a company is in the heart of beliefs, norms, and culture of the organisation. The leaders and managers can only make themselves and their workforce to live up to the core values or corporate values when they ensure that from inspiring workforce to walk to talk and practically implement those values. The need to understand the organisational culture arise more for the leaders and managers to ensure the resources are allocated in effective and efficient ways. As per Schien (1985), in the manner things are being done is a significant notion that urges on the significance of understanding about the organisational culture in more depth (Deal and Kennedy, 1982, p. 04). The Above figure 2. reveals that the essentiality of understanding the organisational culture. The model shows that organisational culture is similar to an iceberg, as it appear to be small at upper surface but deep down is much larger than it appears. If leaders or managers do not properly understand organisational culture, they will not be able to perform their respective assigned tasks nor bring out the best from their respective workforce. Watson (2006) strongly highlights that in the present era, the shift in managerial thinking has been remarkable as now leaders and managers are more encouraged to make efforts in developing a strong organisational culture.  One of the example is Ford company where leaders play integral part in the formation of the organisational culture (Siriginia, 2012). On the other hand, Schein (2004) argue that leadership is bind with the culture in more than one way. TATA motors is an absolute example that organisational culture has from time to time played vital role in the responsibilities and roles of the leaders. The empirical research of O’Farrell (2006) at the Australian public service indicates that principles, code of conduct, statements of values has immense affect on the role and responsibilities of the managers. For instance, Ford motor company’s vision of aiming to become leading automotive consumer choice, this is a vision bounded in the culture of a company driving the managers towards more excellence in their respective performances as it has increased the role and responsibilities of the managers to accomplish and view the vision together with the workforce. â€Å"It is our responsibility as leaders, managers and administrators to transform the vision of the organisation into reality† (O’Farrell, 2006. p.8). This explains that the roles and responsibilities of the managers cannot be separated from the organisational According to Lester (2010) managers role turns at time into disciplinarian in small organisations as he or she attempts to ensure that the missions and targets are accomplished by the employees due to the organisational culture. However, it is not just limited to the small organisation as Ryanair is not a small business, but manager’s role is more disciplinarian due to organisational culture (Riley, 2013). Therefore, it can be said that no matter how simple or complex organisation may appear but managers have a definite role to play that is being architect by the organisational culture. Malinger et al., (2009) emphasized that the organisational culture is indeed a tone setter for the leaders and managers in not only accomplishing the organisational objectives, but the changes are also managed by the managers and leaders due to the existing organisational culture. The same study revealed that managers role may not emerge as clearly as it should have been due to the reason it is at time overshadowed by the organisational culture. To support the statement, a survey at a Goodwin company indicated that managers may not succeed in the bringing the changes in the organisation due  to the lack of employee’s personal motivation. This means that no matter how much strong influences of organisational culture may have on the responsibilities of the managers but there is no guarantee that employees will accept the changes if lacks motivation. Hence, we can say that the responsibilities of the manager further exceed as to motivate and convince the workers towards accepti ng and embracing the changes for the organisational interest. The role of a manager increase more when the organisational culture demands to bring the changes inside the organisation. The manager become more of mentor and a coach to ensure that employees are trained to accept and respond in right manner towards the required changes. In the example of Head Start, the managers and leaders role and responsibilities include empowering the workforce in order to bring the best out of them. The ‘Program Culture’ is the responsibility of the managers to make sure that every individual understand the culture of the organisation and positively contribute towards the organisational success (ECLKC, 2013). In other words, the manager’s prime role is to create an environment that promotes a healthy relationship among employee with employees, employees with the management, and employees with their respective jobs. Training and development is essential for the managers to ensure that employees are understanding the organisational culture an d contributing towards the organisational interest rather than personal goals and interests (Bennis, 1989). Lister (2010) propose that the role of managers shaped by the firms with organisational culture that promote the role of disseminated leadership culture where workers are integral part of the formation of the strategies related to business, will urge the managers to have more close coordination and interaction with the employees. From the above figure, it is clear that the corporate culture and strategy of the organisation must be align so that managers can accomplish their goals. Similarly, the research report of Head Start Program published by ECLKC (2013) revealed that the role of manager is to communicate with the workforce properly to make sure that the organisational operations are being carried out in a swift and smooth patterns. However, Riley (2013) strongly argue that leaders and managers’  personal style has more influence in shaping the organisational culture. Considering the case study of Ryanair, the â€Å"macho† management culture is dominated and result of the leadership style of Michael O’Leary. Despite, this notion, the management literature suggest that in majority of the cases, it is the organisational culture that has impact on the changing responsibilities and roles of the organisation, such as in the case study of TATA motors and Ford (Sriginia, 2012). Therefore, it can be said that manager’s may have more interaction with the subordinates to encourage their participation in the decisions. Furthermore, Reed Business Information, (2011) states that individuals inside the organisation forms the organisational culture. Individuals with more authority do lead the firms and have huge influence on the culture as a result of power linkage between subordinates and managers or leaders. For this reason, it is essential to develop a comprehensive understanding about the group’s distinct behaviors so that organisational culture and its influences on responsibilities and roles of the managers can be analyzed. Manager’s main task is to make certain that right things are done in right manner. This means that it is responsibility of the manager to establish the channels in which job is done in correct manner without enticing the workforce to react in a negative way. Mowbray (2010) consider trustworthiness, motivation, wisdom, intelligence, skills to foster others, and attentiveness are some of the key attributes required by the managers to accomplish the organisational objectives through workforce. Similarly, Kouzes and Posner (1993) also argue that the role of the manager is to built an effective team inside the organisation, that can only be possible when managers posses these types of attributes. The similar findings is evident in extract of Lister (2010) that manager’s role is to lead by examples. It is the responsibility of the manager to double check that employees are motivated and performing for increasing organisational outcomes. The core values of the organisation must be lived by the managers themselves. For this reason, it is important that manager should set examples. Ron Williams of Atena is example of how leading from the front is important as he is the first person who encourages his workforce to be the first person  to be informed about the bad news. The organisational culture of Atena has four phases that are (i) Integrity, (ii) Excellence, (iii) Inspiration, and (iv) Caring respectively. These four components are the core competencies of the organisation. The manager is responsible to make certain that quality services are being delivered in an effective and efficient way. The others are being respected and inspired to perform better. These core concepts are the actual components that encourages and develops the role of leader to be more result oriented within this framework. One of the element of Atena is discussed here to explain the impact of culture and that is inspiring each other to find new ways to make a world better place. RIB – Reed Business Information (2011) also states that managers must have adaption in his approach to develop a culture of positivity at workplace that a firm requires and inspire and empower other employees to do the tasks with positive attitude and intent. However, workwell model (2010) for health management, that is being issued by the Business In The Community – BITC does not consider the management behavior as the hub and therefore does not take in account the managers and employee’s behavior can have influence on the environment but it considers environment as a key consideration that will have a strong influence on the choices and feelings. Since the role of manager as being identified by various researchers as â€Å"inspiring and motivating employees† (Bennis 1989; Lister 2010; and Sirginia, 2012). Therefore, it can be state that full understanding of the organisational culture is essential to increase employee engagement, which is the responsibility of the managers within the organisation. Mowbray (2010) consider that code of conduct is one of the important responsibility of the manager to ensure that all the employees are following the code of conduct regularly. These code of conducts are in reality part of the organisational culture’s artefacts. This means that it is the duty of the managers to make sure that the employees are following the code of conduct inside the organisation. This way, it can be said that the management behavior is reflected as well developed through the organisational culture. Furthermore, Mowbray (2010) stressed on the role of  the manager to maintain a steady focus on the organisational management, people and talent management, and service management. We notice that the values must be promoted and lived by the managers themselves in a practical manner as Blue Skies case study, it was clear that the core values of the firm were not personally lived by the managers and owner which lead to the turmoil and severe consequences. On the other hand, it is viewed that IKEA Group corporate is preferred by the employees as they feel proud to be part of it. The reason behind it is the values are centre of the culture (IKEA, 2013). The principles, values, and missions are being reflected by the code of conduct as a guiding source for the managers to carry out their responsibilities. These codes enable the managers to manage conflicts and resolve disputes at the workplace. For this purpose, effective communication is very important. It is one of the key responsibility of the managers to monitor and evaluate that the smooth communication is flowing in horizontal as well vertical direction. In case of Head Start values and beliefs are most crucial for the managers and leaders to understand and deliver the best to ensure that the conflicts are resolved. Any conflict or issue is an obstacle that will hinder the organisation from performing properly. Therefore, manager’s responsibility is to make certain that the conflicts are being resolved in a way that will contributed to the success of the organisation. As the communication channels improve, there is more and more effectiveness and efficiency in the workin g of the organisation. Everything that a manager manages is with the ultimate goal of reaching and accomplishing the organisational objectives. Planning, organizing, controlling, monitoring, directing, staffing, and coordinating are all the primary roles of the managers in the organisation. All these roles are linked with the one ultimate objective that is to make the most of the available resources to achieve goals and targets of the organisation. It is evident clearly that vision and mission are part of the organisational culture that are translated by the managers through above mentioned roles of the managers. For instance, the manager’s behavior play vital role in the influencing the behavior of the others was identified in the process of NHS  managers’ quality assurance done by the management consultancy PwC – PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC, 2009). This means that positive behavior of a manager is important to develop a positive culture so it can be said that it is the responsibility of the managers to ensure that positive workplace environment is established within the organisation. However, the roles and responsibility varies from managers to managers and organisation to organisation because of its own unique culture. It is not that only manager’s role and responsibilities are being influenced by the organisational culture. There are other things like the behavior, attitude towards work, and commitment and engagement of both employees as well managers are also influenced by the culture of the organisation. On the basis of above analysis it can be said that the organisational culture is like an umbrella under which all the values, beliefs, codes, principles, norms, and procedures groom to give rise to the unique identity of the organisation. The organisational culture is not limited to only written principles, it is something that from walk to talk must be embraced by each and every individual, transformed through the managers and lived by each and every individual. Organisational culture has three significant level that are similar to the iceberg, where underlying assumptions are covered inside rituals and generally taken for granted beliefs. Furthermore, it is also clear that role of manager is to make certain that employees are led by setting examples, building effective teams, promoting smooth channels of communications, conflict management, planning, organizing, coordinating, directing, monitoring, etc are all key roles of the managers. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the manager to make sure that employees are properly trained and embrace the organisational culture properly. The more employees are familiar with the organisational culture, more are the chances of smooth operations and long time sustainability. The organisational culture not only differentiate the organisation from the other in line competitors but helps in the business succession planning and developing the environment to retain the best talents inside the organisation. Employees who have better understanding of the organisational culture, works to promote the organisational goal with more devotion and  motivation. This means that talents are retained by the organisations. However, sometime the norms and beliefs may hinder in the way of progress and change as managers and leader unconsciously follow the same routes that they have been following from long time. It is essential to develop a system through which top management review that the organisational culture is positive and progressive, proving the opportunities for the workforce to be more professional and participative. References: Bennis, W. (1989). â€Å"Why Leaders Can’t Lead†. Training and Development Journal. 43 (4), 38. Deal, T.E. and Kennedy, A.A. (1982). Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life. Reading, MA: Peruses Books. Denison, D. (2010). What is an Organisational culture? why culture matters to your organisation . Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd0kf3wd120. Last accessed 16th Dec 2013. ECDK, (1997). â€Å"Influencing Organizational Culture.† Leading Head Start into the Future. Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community Glendon, A.I. & Stanton, N.A. (2000). Perspectives on Safety Culture. Safety Science 34, 193-214. IKEA, (2013). Why work at IKEA? available at: https://www.ikea.com. Last accessed 16th Dec 2013. Kouzes, J., and Posner, B., (1993), Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Lister, J. (2010). Organisational Culture’s Effect on Manager’s Role. Available: http://smallbusiness.chron.co m/organizational-cultures-effects-managers-role-18426.html. Last accessed 16th Dec 2013. Lundberg, C. C. (1990). Surfacing organisational culture. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 5(4), 19-26. Mallinger, M., Goodwin, D., And O’Hara, T.,. (2009). Reorganizing the organisational culture in Managing Change. Graziado Business Review. 12 (1), 1-30. Mowbray D. (2010). â€Å"Changing management behavior†. occasional paper, vol.3 no.7 O’Farrell, G. (2006) Cultures and Values in the Queensland Public Service, Speech presented at the Queensland Regional Heads Forum Annual Business Conference, Conrad Hotel, Broad beach, 25 May 2006. Available at: http://www.qrhf.gov.au/04_conferences/georgeofarrell.presentation.pdf.pdf. Last accessed 16th Dec 2013. PwC. (2009). â€Å"Assuring the quality of senior

Christian Values and America’s Historical Documents Essay

While socially networking, a person will run into many different opinions on all topics. People have their own beliefs and ways of looking at things, so when I was expounding on my ideas, the inevitable topic of religion was brought up. As much as the Golden Rule flows through most religions, there are people who are not able to put their ego aside and open their minds to the simplest possibilities. The specifics of this topic were of such that the United States was founded on Christianity. Religion and politics are highly volatile topics and most people will only argue emotionally instead of stopping and critically thinking about any information they may be given on these two subjects. Many people believe that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were founded on Christian values, but in closer examination, they both have vague wording and Deist beliefs. Counterarguments There are several reasons that people believe that the historic documents of the United States were written with Christian values in mind. One reason is, in the 19th Century, a movement started which believed that the settlers were led here by the hand of God (Allison, 1998). This was a popular belief and many people still hold true to this belief. It is taught in public schools that the colonists came over from England because of religious persecution. Another argument for this way of thinking is that, because of the belief that God showed the settlers where to go, that He also must have had led the Founding Fathers to write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States (Allison, 1998). This lead to the belief that God is needed to preserve not only religious institutions, but also democracy. Human rights are seen to be given by God, which, in a nation that was intolerant of non-Christians, meant the Judeo-Christian God (Cherry, MD, 2011). Our Founding Fathers separated Church and state, but not God and state. Church and state and God and state are sometimes seen as  the same idea, which can be confusing, even to a Christian. In addition to this, many believe that this country was founded with Christian values because of a statement that was made in Madison’s Federalist Paper Number 37 where it states, that only, â€Å"†¦ a finger of that Almighty hand† could have shown him the insight to write the Constitution (Ferguson, 1987). United States Constitution The United States Constitution was written in such a way as to be intentionally vague and without Christian values, but Deist values instead. The Constitutional Convention had many problems in coming up with this historic document. Every man that attended this convention had their own ideas and ways to convey what they believed needed to be included in this document. Vague Wording Ben Franklin’s ambiguous wording in the Declaration of Independence led Madison to exaggerate the wording even further in the Constitution. The intentionally ambiguous wording that Madison used in the Constitution was used â€Å"to bring conformity within a divided country,† (Ferguson, 1987, p. 159). In the 14th Amendment it states, â€Å"Any person†¦,† but when this document was written African-Americans were not considered people, so Jim Crow Laws were kept in place in many areas of the country. In the convention meetings leading up to what the Founding Fathers wrote to become the Constitution, compromises were made. In the second amendment, it states that people have a right to keep and bare arms. What makes this vague is that most of us take this to mean any, and all people, but what the Constitutional Framers meant was to indicate those that were in the militias. So, those â€Å"people† that were in the â€Å"militias† could keep and bare â€Å"arms,† not just anyone could. Deist Beliefs The Constitution forms a secular document and is in no way related to God (Walker, 2004). God was not forgotten in the writing of the Constitution. This omission was purposely done to keep the government and religion separate from each other. The Constitution’s preamble starts out â€Å"We the people†¦,† and clearly states the intention of the men who framed the Constitution, including â€Å"establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility,  provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity†¦.† Nowhere in the Constitution is the word God, so there would be no mistake as to the thoughts of Madison. The First Amendment to the Constitution even states that, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the exercise thereof†¦,† which means that the government is not supposed to support any one religion or to stop any individual from practicing their religion or lack thereof. Religionists and atheists are able to equally practice their belief system because of this. This alone is a contradiction to the First Commandment, which demands fealty to a specific god (Trent, 2012). The Constitution’s confusion stems from the ambiguous wording of the Declaration of Independence. Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence’s wording and belief system is not only vague, but also Deist. This historic document did not take sides and was intentionally meant in an unbiased way. This can be shown in several different ways. Vague Wording Ambiguity in the wording of this document by Ben Franklin tends to give many the misunderstanding by using phrases such as, â€Å"Nature’s God† and â€Å"their Creator,† which leads people who are Christian, by default, to the thought that this is a Christian-based document. Wording such as this is intentionally vague, because it comes from the belief in a higher power; whatever that may be to each individual as opposed to strictly Christian beliefs. The intentionally vague wording, such as, â€Å"unalienable rights† and â€Å"laws of nature,† transcends the political, and even the religious, arguments of from where these rights came from and by whom they were given. One of the words in the introduction is necessary and when this document was written, this word had a much more significant meaning than we have today for it. Back then, it meant that it was something that was made in association with fate and was beyond control of human agents. An example of this meaning is the Revolutionary War was going to happen and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The division of the people between England and the settlers could not have been repaired by anyone or anything. Deist Belief System As it is stated in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Deism is a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion, emphasizing morality, and in the 18th Century denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe. The Founding Fathers, such as Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and several others, were only strictly Christian in appearance, but Christian-Deist in belief. These men followed the works of philosophers, such as Descartes and Voltaire. This led these men to question Christian beliefs. Believing in what the classic philosophers wrote, had the Founding Fathers put the test of reason to every idea and assumption. When they put this test to religion, they found they needed to strip away revelation, which led to Deism (Johnson, 2004). The Founding Fathers were very closed-mouth about their personal religion, but encouraged religious tolerance and a belief in God. When writing the Declaration of Independence, they were in reality writing the reason of their actions to the rest of the world for why they did what they did. In short, it was a foreign policy document. The second and most famous paragraph of the Declaration of Independence states that the Founding Fathers believed that it was self-evident that all men are created equal. The Creator, as is believed by any one person, granted all men with certain rights; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which is given by the universe’s natural laws. This one belief shows that at least some of the Founding Fathers were Deists, as this is a Deist belief. The Declaration of Independence is interpreted many different ways to fit neatly into everyone’s individual belief system, when it should just be read the way it is, and not try to make more of it than it is. The Declaration of Independence is a statement of why everyone deserves liberty and freedom. Conclusion The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were written without Christian values because when the settlers came to America they were trying to get away from a government that was telling them what to do and how to believe without the â€Å"voice of the people† reaching those in power. If the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written with Christian values, the Founding Fathers would not have put in  the segments about religious freedom into these documents. I believe that if Christian values were used to write the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, that religious freedom would not have been a part of these historic documents. Everyone has their own way at which they look at and perceive things, and they will make things fit into their belief system to make it easier for them to understand. Sometimes, this is not necessarily the way that things in history were meant to be interpreted, such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We are taught this in school through text books, at home with taught beliefs, and political affiliations see this topic differently, but if we break out of the mold, and try to think for ourselves, we can learn and enjoy from the simple beauty in which these documents were written. With an open mind, we are more apt to realize the original intent of historical events and documents. References Allison, J. (1998). Declaration of Independence: It’s Purpose. Retrieved from http://candst.tripod.com/doipurp.htm Cherry, MD, R. R. (2011). American Judeo-Christian Values and the Declaration of Independence. Retrieved from http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.9876/pub-detail.asp Ferguson, R. A. (1987). Ideology and the Framing of the Constitution. Early American Literature, 22(1987), 157-165. Formisano, R. P., & Pickering, S. (2009). The Christian Nation Debate and Witness Competency. Journal of the Early Republic, 29(Summer), 219-248. Johnson, R. L. (2004). The Deist Roots of the United States of America. Retrieved from http://www.deism.com/deistamerica.htm Rubicondior, R. (2012). Founded on Christian Principles? Retrieved from http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.com/2012/04/founded-on-christian-principles.html Trent, B. (2012). First Amendment or First Commandment. Up Front, May-June (N/A), 10-11, 37. Walker, J. (2004). The Government of the United States of Am erican is not, in any sense founded on the Christian religion. Retrieved from http://www.nobeliefs.com/Tripoli.htm