Being and becoming

In order to be human, not only the idea of reflection upon life is necessary but in emphasizes of the use of the Socratic method in that reflection and in the course of finding the truth, questions are paired with such reflection. At this level, questioning and reflection are the apex of what it means to be human.Socrates however had some varying views on philosophy that opposed some of what Plato believed. Socrates was a skeptic, as was Plato, and as can be exemplified in the cave metaphor, but Socrates also believed that a person can be convicted of their own beliefs even if they cannot find their pathway of truth.Plato, in contrast, believed that philosophers were the delegates who maintained what was and was not truth, and led the way to such truth for the common man. It is not then self-interest that leads a person to happiness, and there is a definite equilibrium between the allowance of each part of the soul guided by reason, and asceticism. Plato was a not a Sophist. Without the guidance of moral reason then a state of chaos would ensue entailing an everyman for himself type of attitude.It is a bitter debate on whether or not Socrates was a Sophist, he himself vehemently denied it but some of his philosophies correlated with Sophist thinking (i. e. the issues of ethics, and living a good life, each Sophist preoccupations). Morality must then be shown as adhering to individual interests. Plato did not agree with the type of hedonism exhibited by the Sophists, who thought human nature was an extension of the animal world. Instead, Plato states that the nature of man is reason; and in this reason exists an organized society constructed by reason.Happiness for the rational man then comes into fruition by governing their more base, animal, desires, which are irrational. This morality is extended into the realm of society because of human interaction. Therefore, if a man is to be the pinnacle of reason, and morality, and happiness, then the society that he li ves and associates must then also exhibit such a moral temperance. If then a society is blinded by hedonism, or pure desire of self, a man in that society has no hope for personal happiness because of lack of morality, reason, and thus fully succumbing to akrasia.In order to be human, not only the idea of reflection upon life is necessary but in emphasizes of the use of the Socratic method in that reflection and in the course of finding the truth, questions are paired with such reflection. At this level, questioning and reflection are the apex of what it means to be human. Socrates however had some varying views on philosophy that opposed some of what Plato believed. Socrates was a skeptic, as was Plato, and as can be exemplified in the cave metaphor, but Socrates also believed that a person can be convicted of their own beliefs even if they cannot find their pathway of truth.Plato, in contrast, believed that philosophers were the delegates who maintained what was and was not truth, and led the way to such truth for the common man. It is not then self-interest that leads a person to happiness, and there is a definite equilibrium between the allowance of each part of the soul guided by reason, and asceticism. Plato was a not a Sophist. Without the guidance of moral reason then a state of chaos would ensue entailing an everyman for himself type of attitude.It is a bitter debate on whether or not Socrates was a Sophist, he himself vehemently denied it but some of his philosophies correlated with Sophist thinking (i. e. the issues of ethics, and living a good life, each Sophist preoccupations). Work Cited MacDonald, Ross. Socrates versus Plato. Aspects of Education. P9-22. 1996. Plato. Phaedo. Plato. Crito. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. < http://classics. mit. edu/Plato/crito. html>

Histroy of Indian Tea Essay

Tea was first introduced into India by the British, in an attempt to break the Chinese monopoly on tea.[1] The British, â€Å"using Chinese seeds, plus Chinese planting and cultivating techniques, launched a tea industry by offering land in Assam to any European who agreed to cultivate tea for export.†[1] Tea was originally only consumed by Anglicized Indians, and it was not until the 1950s that tea grew widely popular in India through a successful advertising campaign by the India Tea Board.[2] Prior to the British, the plant may have been used for medicinal purposes. Some cite the Sanjeevani tea plant first recorded reference of tea use in India. However, studies have shown that Sanjeevani plant was likely a plant unrelated to the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and more likely refers to either Selaginella bryopteris or Desmotrichum fimbriatum.[3] In the early 1820s, the British East India Company began large-scale production of tea in Assam, India, of a tea variety traditionally brewed by the Singpho tribe. In 1826, the British East India Company took over the region from the Ahom kings through the Yandaboo Treaty. In 1837, the first English tea garden was established at Chabua in Upper Assam; in 1840, the Assam Tea Company began the commercial production of tea in the region, run by indentured servitude of the local inhabitants. Beginning in the 1850s, the tea industry rapidly expanded, consuming vast tracts of land for tea plantations. By the turn of the century, Assam became the leading tea producing region in the world.[4] Writing in The Cambridge World History of Food’, Weisburger & Comer write: â€Å"The tea cultivation begun there [India] in the nineteenth century by the British, however, has accelerated to the point that today India is listed as the world’s leading producer, its 715,000 tons well ahead of China’s 540,000 tons, and of course, the teas of Assam, Ceylon (from the island nation known as Sri Lanka), and Darjeeling are world famous. However, because Indians average half a cup daily on per capita basis, fully 70 percent of India’s immense crop is consumed locally.† Modern tea production in India India was the top producer of tea for nearly a century, but recently China has overtaken India as the top tea producer due to increased land availability. Indian tea companies have acquired a number of iconic foreign tea enterprises including British brands Tetley and Typhoo. India is also the world’s largest tea-drinking nation. However, the per capita consumption of tea in India remains a modest 750 grams per person every year due to the large population base and high chhass(A milk product) consumption. Recently the consumption of Green tea has seen a great growth potential in India. The market is growing by over 50% y-o-y[5] and is expected to reach a size of INR 6000 crore form its current size in year 2013 of approx. INR 1500 crore.This is primarily driven by the increasing disposable income of middle class Indian, who are willing to spend more money on their personal health and well being. The major tea-producing states in India are: Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Sikkim, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Bihar, Orissa. Government and the Indian tea industry The Indian tea industry as the second largest employer in the country has enjoyed the attention of the Indian government. When export sales went down, the government has been sympathetic to the demand of the industry and its cultivators. It has passed resolutions supporting the industry domestically and has also lobbied extensively with organizations like the WTO internationally. The Indian administration along with the European Union and six other countries (Brazil, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Mexico) filed a complaint with the WTO against the Byrd Amendment which was formally known as the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 legislated by the US. The essence of this act was that non-US firms which sell below cost price in the US could be fined and the money given to the US companies who made the complaint in the first place. The act adversely affected the commodities business of the complainant states and has since been repealed after WTO ruled the act to be illegal. Furthermore, the Indian government took cognizance of the changed tea and coffee market and set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to look into their problems in late 2003. The IMC has recommended that the government share the financial burden of plantation industry on account of welfare measures envisaged for plantation workers mandated under the Plantation Labour Act 1951. Moreover, IMC has recommended to introduce means so that the agricultural income tax levied by the state governments can be slashed and the tea industry be made competitive. It has recommended that sick or bankrupt plantation estates should be provided with analogous level of relaxation for similarly placed enterprises/estates as are available to industries referred to BIFR. A Special Tea Term Loan (STTL) for the tea sector was announced by the Indian government in 2004. It envisaged restructuring of irregular portions of the outstanding term/working capital loans in the tea sector with repayment over five to seven years and a moratorium of one year, which was to be on a case to case basis for large growers. The STTL also provides for working capital up to Rs. 2 lakhs at a rate not exceeding 9% to small growers. In addition to these measures, the Tea Board plans to launch a new marketing initiative, which will include foray into new markets such as Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam and Egypt. It also plans to renew its efforts in traditional markets like Russia, the UK, Iraq and UAE. Noteworthy is its intent to double tea exports to Pakistan within a year. Assam Orthodox Tea is set to receive the Geographical Indications (GI) exclusivity. A GI stamp identifies a certain product as emanating from the territory of a WTO member or region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographic origin. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs set up the Special Purpose Tea Fund (SPTF) under the tea Board on December 29, 2006. The aim is to fund replantation and rejuvenation (R&R) programme. In the same year, Tata Tea entered into an agreement to take over Jemca, which controls a 26 percent market share in the Czech Republic. The CCEA gave its approval for pegging the subsidy at 25 per cent and adoption of a funding pattern of 25 per cent promoter’s contribution, 25 per cent subsidy from the government and 50 per cent loan from the SPTF. Banks have also been instructed to increase the lending period to over 13 years.

A financial report on Tullow Oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A financial report on Tullow Oil - Essay Example Head Quartered in London, Tullow employees more than 250 people all over the world with production capacity of approximately 80000 barrels per day. In 2007 company was drilling more than 40 wells spread across the globe. The overall global strategy of Tullow has always remained in the domain of making long term investments in assets and markets where company’s skills and expertise can make a difference. Besides investing in long term assets, Tullow follow a consistent strategy of following growth. Tullow’s focus has always remained on the exploration and exploitation of its existing resource base with more operational innovation and active portfolio management. It is because of this strategy that company is focusing on acquiring assets and making acquisitions in order to create synergy and achieve value for its stakeholders. Company is also continuously focusing on making capital expenditures and reinvesting the major portion of its profits into the business in order to fund growth of the business through its own internal resources. The beta is negative because of the fact that stock returns and market returns almost run parallel in opposite directions. The tullow stock has continuously risen in price whereas FTSE over the period of 52 weeks has shown a negative return. UK Gilts are considered as the most secure securities as they are backed up by the government of UK. In every market, all government securities issued are considered as risk free investments and returns offered by them are almost considered as risk free rate of investment. Therefore to make a direct comparison between risks free investment security and a security open to most of the risks in the market in a direct way will be little bit difficult to make. It is because of the fact that all other securities other than offered by the government are virtually open to every risk under the sky however government securities are, to some

Affection of Music towards Emotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Affection of Music towards Emotion - Essay Example n of our alarm clocks, we listen to music while driving to work to get in the high mood as well as on our way back from work to home to regain the lost energy and recharge ourselves. Since my early childhood, I have found music very interesting. The melody being played can be different while playing with distinct emotions, from my experiences. Also, throughout the continuous observation of pianist playing rhythm of music with different speed and emotion which affect the listeners’ emotion also (Hazel, 2010), I found that the link between music and emotion is absolutely captivating. Music is a very important feature in all sorts of industries ranging from film industry to advertising and marketing. Its power to cause emotional effect and enhance viewer arousal makes it widely useable. Previous research that has attempted to study the effect of music on behavior and emotions has generated mixed results. Music emanating from any source has the power to give us chills and make us cheer up or cry. Music not only affects our mood, but the emotional appeal produced by music is so overpowering that it also affects the way we see visual images. In an experiment done by Joydeep Bhattacharya and Nidhya Logeswaran from the University of London, 30 people were exposed to a series of sad or happy musical excerpts (Changizi 2009). After they had listened to the snippets, the research participants were shown a face’s photograph. Some research participants were given the photograph depicting the smiling face of a person whereas other research participants were provided with a photograph depicting a neutral or sad face. When asked to rate the face’s emotional content upon a 7-point Likert scale in which 1 stood for ‘extremely sad’ and 7 stood for ‘extremely happy’, the researchers found strong impact of the excerpts listened to previously upon the faces†™ emotional ratings by the research participants. Happy music exaggerated the happy appeal of the face in the

Participation and Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Participation and Discussion Questions - Essay Example The total equaled 663365. The top eBook, Kama Sutra, received a frequency of 6185. The relative frequency for Kama Sutra is 6185 / 663365 or 0.93%. The relative frequency of the top five eBooks combined is 19271 / 663365 or 2.90%. The information given on the website provides data regarding downloads of eBooks, thus the entire demand illustrated on the website is for electronic books. The frequency distribution does not tell us anything directly about the behavior of hard copies of the books. On the hand indirectly the information can be used to create buyer behavior assumptions. The normal distribution is a normal curve in the form of a bell-shaped. The curve is symmetric about its mean. If the data set I choose was plotted in a normal distribution the number of downloads of the different authors would not have results that are unevenly dispersed. There is a difference between the average and the middle point in a list. The average is calculated by adding all the numbers and dividing them by the number of entries. This is not considered the middle number in a list, since the middle number is called a median. A median is the number that is in the middle of the list of the numbers that is arranged sequentially in terms of value. In the example given the mode is the median which is the value of 3.7. A real life example is determining how long it takes for me to complete a work set. In this case the average time would be a more valuable metric than the median time since the middle point among the set is not of as much value as knowing how much it typically takes me to complete a job. In order to find the middle point in a set I would write down all the different times it takes to complete the task. Then I would arrange the number from bottom to top. (ex. 2,6,8, etc.). This would create a list. The number in the middle of the list is the median. In making statistical decisions managers have to take into consideration different variables such as size

Cultural Autobiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Cultural Autobiography - Essay Example Initiator-Cheerleader is also exhibited by parents when they motivate their children to improve their performance in school. Assertive communication is the type of communication that is commonly used by parents while giving guidelines to the children. It is usually informal and verbal. Initially, the change in cultural practices was confusing, but I was able to adapt to the new culture. It influenced my cultural experience in the sense that I became open minded to accept the diversity of cultures. I realized that each culture has certain values that are unique to it, and that all these values are focused on maintaining the integrity of the community members. The current culture and the original one have several similarities and differences. In both, family, education and spirituality are highly valued. All families participate in communal matters such as weddings and burial ceremonies. All community members congregate at a common place every time a new issue arises in the community, for example outbreak of a disease or natural disasters. The original culture was different from the current culture in that, only men got employed while women took care of the home and the children, but in the current culture, both men and women are employed equally. The change in the social and cultural nature of society has caused a change in my conception about culture in general. I have realized that culture is something that can change over time if people accept these changes, especially when different cultures mix through migration or

How to Speed Criminal Trial Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

How to Speed Criminal Trial - Dissertation Example How to Speed Criminal Trial in Saudi Arabia By: (Name) (University) (Date) Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ... †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem Criminal procedure has been developed in Saudi Arabia since the new Criminal Procedure Act was enacted on 3 November 2001. It is a major development in the country’s criminal law, as is the establishment of the Saudi Commission for Investigation and Prosecution. These developments, which took place in a short period of time, are a welcome change but pose new problems as well. My research would concentrate on delays in criminal trials and seek new ways to manage this problem in the Saudi legal system by incorporating and adapting methods from other jurisdictions. Some other jurisdictions may also have problems with delays, but it is more evident in Saudi Arabia. This issue not only goes against the public interest and the interest of the accused, it also violates human rights conventions. Thus, this research will concentrate on a practical way to speed this process and to achieve at leas t a fair level of speediness in trial procedures. Eliminating the case backlog and maintaining it in the future will be helpful in the country's criminal justice administration. Delays cost the country money and time and can add greatly to the expense for lawyers, causing hardship for the accused, which is not a desirable result by any standard. The Topic The research will basically tackle the problem of delays in criminal trials in Saudi Arabia. This will be done via two main methods, comparative analysis of speedy trial laws and policies in other nations as well as through surveys from individuals involved in the delivery of justice in Saudi Arabia. The Research Problem This study is concerned with practical research to find the right tools to speed criminal trial procedure in Saudi Arabia, by comparing with other

Critique of published work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critique of published work - Essay Example In certain aspects, the article did a great job helping to fully explain the effects of advertisement positioning, but it left much more to be answered. While it did answer many questions, like whether earlier placement of an advertisement makes it more memorable, and why they are more memorable (primal retention 1). But, the study seemed centered around college students, which although are part of the largest group of television viewers, they arent always the ones who pay the most attention to television advertisements 2. Many advertisements are geared towards teenagers but its generally those in their thirties and forties who make most of the purchases which are advertised on television. Thusly, more studies should be shown how these advertisements effect the main product purchasers, because Im fairly sure that many companies have thought of the overall "man with the money". Also, authentic recordings of actual television shows with commercials already in them, although they might be a loose control 3, they could help to provide a more authentic view of how past approaches have worked. In this way, it could be possible to understand how advertisements wholly effect the entire consumer body, not just a particular group, but Im getting ahead of myself here. We should discuss the research processes used and the idea behind the whole study. The group of scientists used various methods to help research the effects of advertising in television. Basically, they used a simple but effective strategy which mixed the use of two separate lists of fifteen second commercials, and two lists of thirty second commercials. They then brought in various groups of college students to sit through the commercials, and without telling them, asked them to write down all of the brands which they remembered throughout the experiment. This was only the first experiment however. With the second and third,

Marketing Analysis Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Analysis Report - Essay Example The company offers a range of products, in the form of flight transport services to passengers worldwide, both from Canada to different parts of the world, and vice-versa. The company products solve a range of individual, organizational and societal problems, through offering schedule flights to individuals who are seeking to travel to different destinations of the world, thus solving a societal problem. It also offers other individualized services such as cargo services to individuals and organizations dealing in the cargo business (Mills, 2006). The company also offers specialized Air Canada Jazz and Air Canada Jetz specifically for organizations and some individuals who would want to experience flexible departure and arrival time, and who cannot fit into the normal scheduled flight timetable. The individuals or organizations using this service are granted privacy, security and convenience, while also being granted customized services (Yerema & Leung, 2013). It also offers vacation services courtesy of Air Canada rouge, specifically for leisure purposes, through chartered flights to over 200 different leisure destinations worldwide. Another product offered by the company is the Air Canada Express, connecting over 90 Canadian cities (Milton, 2004). Pricing for the different products offered by the company is on a product-to-product basis, while promotions are done through mainstream media; both print and broadcast, social media, as well as promotional campaigns and special-offers advertising. Environmental Scan Regulatory environmental factors had been favorable for Air Canada in the early years up to the 1970s, where the government applied regulations to ensure that the company had an upper hand over the other privately-owned airlines. The government restricted short haul carriers to only one destination for other airlines, while allowing Air Canada to serve several destinations (Milton, 2004). Its main competitor, CP Air was restricted in terms of the interc ontinental capacity, while also being restricted from operating domestic flights. However, in 1987 deregulation of the Canada air market was introduced, and subsequently stiff competition set in, between Air Canada and other regional operators (Mills, 2006). Stiff competition for the company is mainly from Pacific Western Airline. The economic environment for the company was tough especially in the early 2000s, when the company pursued a merger with its major rival, Canadian Airlines, but realized that its economic situation was worse, an occurrence that led to financial problems and cargo and flight delays. This eventually led to a declaration of bankruptcy in early 2003, but the company recovered in the following year, and managed to strategize and resolved the financial problems (Milton, 2004). Nevertheless, the technological environment has impacted positively on the company’s business, through increasing business and repeat customer purchases. The company’s utiliz ation of its technology is impressive, with the company offering a range of technological services to its customers, such as

Ice on rock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ice on rock - Essay Example Andy very beautifully mentions that the very thing which brings this work to life is the one which causes its death, i.e., water. The main materials required are a number of icicles in solid condition, liquid glue and a sturdy rock. First and foremost, get familiar with the environment, the rivers and the rocks, and collect plenty of suitable icicles likely to be found just at the boundary of the shore of the river. The zigzag flow of the river needs to be depicted by the structure. Design it in such a way as to give an illusion of the icicles flowing through the rock. Create the structure with bare hands, as gloves stick to the icicles and moreover, the hands don’t have the sensitivity to handle them with gloves on. Start with the thickest icicles and the middle of the rock. Decrease the thickness gradually as you reach the top of the rock. Next, pick one icicle and dip its tip in the liquid glue. Now, carefully stick it to one side of the rock. By gluing the icicles from end to end, and navigating from one end of the rock to the other for each ‘wave’ of icicles, complete almost the whole structure, just leaving out the bends. Carefully notice the size of the icicle required for the bend, and break it with your teeth.

Living Through the Pain of Ankylosing Spondylitis Essay Example for Free

Living Through the Pain of Ankylosing Spondylitis Essay As I sit next to my sister, Natalie, she seems saddened as she tells the story that started her difficult journey of dealing with a lifelong disease. As she describes it, â€Å"At the young age of 13, when my girlfriends were thinking about an upcoming 1950s-genre sock hop, I found myself in a Milwaukee back brace to treat a curvature of my spine called scoliosis. The brace keeps the spine virtually immobile. It held my head in alignment with metal bars, clear down to a plastic mold over my hips. I wore the brace for two years and the kids in my school would ask if I had been in a car wreck. I later started high school in new Nike tennis shoes and the awkward metal brace. When I was a sophomore, I developed a severe bowel inflammation episode which the doctor thought was bacterial dysentery. It was awful, and little did I know that this was the start of a series of problems that are all part of a chronic disease. About two weeks later, I developed painful swelling in my right knee. It was severe enough to require removal of an unusually large amount of synovial fluid. A few days after the right knee seemed to heal, the left knee swelled up. The same pattern continued for the next several years and the doctors said it was just arthritis. I then developed an eye infection called iritis in my right eye. It was so severe that it needed daily cortisone injections for 10 days, eye drops and resting in complete darkness. For the next four years, I experienced severe hip (sacroiliac (SI)) pain that made walking difficult. A pelvic X-ray was taken, which showed fusion in one of the SI joints. I was tested and found positive for the HLAB27 gene. The rheumatologist changed the diagnosis from arthritis to a definitive Ankylosing Spondylitis which is a debilitating, painful disease, without a cure, that would continue to worsen throughout my life and would most likely end with me crippled and in a wheelchair† (Rasmussen, 2010) Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a ruthless, genetic disease that makes life very painful and difficult for those affected by it. AS affects as many as 2. 4 million people in the US today, which is more than multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined. Scientists are currently attempting to find out what this disease is, how it is contracted, and what can be done to help those who have AS manage their pain, avoid further bodily damage and hopefully find a cure. Pathophysiology: Ankylosing Spondylitis Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis and an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is when the body’s natural immune system, that is supposed to fight against germs or foreign cells that enter your body, mistake its own healthy cells as being invaders and attack them. This can affect any part of the body or many parts of the body at the same time. In the case of Ankylosing Spondylitis, the immune system attacks its own cells causing arthritis of the spine, sacroiliac (hip) joints and can cause inflammation of the eyes, lungs, and heart valves. It varies from intermittent episodes of back pain that occur throughout life to a severe chronic disease that attacks the spine, peripheral joints and other body organs, resulting in severe joint and back stiffness, loss of motion and deformity as life progresses. Signs and symptoms The beginning physical signs of AS usually start to appear in late adolescence or early adulthood (ages 17-35), but the symptoms can occur in younger children or much later in life as well. The first symptoms of AS can include frequent pain and stiffness in the lower back and buttocks, and symptoms come on gradually over the course of a few weeks or months. At first, discomfort may only be felt on one side, or alternate sides. The pain is usually dull and diffuse, rather than localized. This pain and stiffness is usually worse in the mornings and during the night, but may be improved by a warm shower or light exercise. Also, in the early stages of AS, there may be mild fever, loss of appetite and general discomfort. Many people with AS also experience bowel inflammation and iritis or uveitis (inflammation of the eyes). About one third of people with AS will experience inflammation of the eye at least once. Signs of iritis or uevitis are: Eye(s) becoming painful, watery, red and individuals may experience blurred vision and sensitivity to bright light (Van der Linden S, 2009). Varying levels of fatigue may also result from the inflammation caused by AS. The body must use extra energy to deal with the inflammation, thus causing fatigue. Mild to moderate anemia, may result from the inflammation, which can contribute to an overall feeling of tiredness. In a minority of individuals, the pain does not start in the lower back, but in a peripheral joint such as the hip, ankle, elbow, knee, heel or shoulder. This pain is commonly caused by enthesitis, which is the inflammation of the site where a ligament or tendon attaches to bone. Inflammation and pain in peripheral joints is more common in juveniles with AS. This can be confusing since, without the immediate presence of back pain, AS may look like some other form of arthritis. AS is more common in young men than in women. Typically, 1 in 200 men have AS, whereas 1 in 500 women have the disease. The symptoms or pattern of the disease are different in women. Quoting Dr. Elaine Adams, Women often present in a little more atypical fashion so its even harder to make the diagnoses in women. For example, some women with AS have stated that their symptoms started in the neck rather than in the lower back† (Adams, 2010). The pain normally becomes persistent (chronic), is felt on both sides, and lasts for at least three months. Over the course of months or years, the stiffness and pain can spread up the spine and into the neck. Pain and tenderness spreading to the ribs, shoulder blades, hips, thighs and heels is possible as well. Advanced AS sufferers eventually experience lack of spinal mobility due to spinal fusion. Spinal fusion occurs when damage to the joint and surrounding bone causes calcium to build up which acts like a cement to keep the bones from grinding together. Fusion eliminates the pain caused by the bones grinding together, but creates the complication of limited flexibility or immobility. Diagnosis There is no direct test to diagnose AS. A clinical examination and X-ray[-0] studies of the spine, are the major diagnostic tools. A drawback of X-ray diagnosis is that signs and symptoms of AS have usually been established as long as 8–10 years prior for changes to be seen on a plain film X-ray, which means a delay of as long as 10 years before adequate therapies and treatments can be introduced. Options for earlier diagnosis are tomography[-1] and magnetic resonance imaging[-2] (MRI) of the sacroiliac joints, but the reliability of these tests is still unclear. Also, MRI can be cost prohibitive (Thomas E, 1998, pp. 343-7). A physical examination by a doctor or rheumatologist is necessary in properly diagnosing AS. The examination would entail looking for sites of inflammation, and checking for pain and tenderness along the back, pelvic bones, sacroiliac joints, chest and heels. Other symptoms and indicators are also taken into account, including a history of iritis or uveitis (inflammation of the eye), a history of gastrointestinal infections (for example, the presence of Crohns Disease or ulcerative colitis), a family history of AS, as well as fatigue due to the presence of inflammation. The Schobers test[-3] is a useful clinical measure of flexion of the lumbar spine performed during examination. Ankylosing Spondylitis is considered a genetic disease and studies have linked AS with a genetic marker called HLA-B27. However, testing positive for this marker is not a guarantee that a person will contract the disease. Approximately 90% of AS patients carry the HLA-B27 marker but 10% who exhibit AS disease characteristics do not. The association between AS and HLA-B27 varies in different ethnic and racial groups. 95% of people in the Caucasian population who have AS test HLA-B27 positive. However, only 50% of African American patients with AS possess HLA-B27 marker. Therefore, 5% of Caucasians and 50% of African Americans who have AS do not carry the HLA-B27 marker. In 2007, a collaborative effort by an international team of researchers in the U. K. , Australia and the United States led to the discovery of two genes, ARTS1 and IL23R[-4], that also contribute to the cause of AS. The findings were published in the November 2007 edition of Nature Genetics, a journal that emphasizes research on the genetic basis for common and complex diseases (Brionez TF, 2008, pp. 348-91). Together with HLA-B27, these two genes account for roughly 70% of the overall incidence of the disease. Treatment with Medications There are many medications available to treat AS and its symptoms. Depending on the stage of the disease and its rate of progression, different medications are recommended. People respond to medications with varying levels of effectiveness, thus it may take time to find the most effective medication for treating someone with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) NSAIDs are the most commonly used class of medication used in treating the inflammation and swelling associated with AS and thus reduce pain and stiffness. For example, Ibuprofen is a generic NSAID and is found in over-the-counter pain relievers such as Advil and Motrin. They commonly come in tablet form and are taken orally. Sometimes high doses of NSAIDs are needed to maintain relief from the symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis. This can pose a problem in that NSAIDs can cause significant side effects, especially in the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, intestines, etc. ). NSAIDs can cause reduction in the protective mucus in the stomach, which can cause stomach irritation. In time, this can lead to heartburn, gastritis as well as ulcers and even bleeding. People can take other medications, such as antacids, to neutralize or prevent the production of excess stomach acid or take drugs to help coat and protect the stomach and help restore the lost mucus. According to Spondylitis Association of America, there is a different class of NSAIDs known as COX-2 inhibitors (or COXIBs) have helped some patients reduce the risk of gastrointestinal complications associated with traditional NSAID therapy. An example of a COXIB is Celebrex (Celecoxib), which is still being used to treat spondyloarthritis. Others, such as Vioxx, were pulled from the market because of potential cardiac side effects (SAA Medication Treatments, 2009). Although NSAIDs are commonly the first line of medications used to treat Ankylosing Spondylitis, sometimes they arent enough to control the symptoms. NSAIDs may only be partially effective or the side effects too severe to continue their use. In this case, a doctor may prescribe one of the following medications: Sulfasalazine Sulfasalazine is one type of medication that can be helpful to some people with this severe disease. It is known to effectively control not only pain and joint swelling from arthritis of the small joints, but also the intestinal lesions in inflammatory bowel disease. It comes in tablet form and is taken orally. Side effects are relatively infrequent, but can include headaches, abdominal bloating, nausea and oral ulcers. Rarely, someone being prescribed this medication can develop bone marrow suppression, which is why it is important to regularly monitor blood counts. Methotrexate Originally developed to treat cancer, this chemotherapy drug is widely used and often very effective for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. When prescribed for treating Ankylosing Spondylitis, it is given in much smaller doses. Methotrexate can either be taken via a self-injectable shot, or orally in tablet form. When taking methotrexate, it is also necessary to take the vitamin folic acid in order to help suppress possible side effects. Oral ulcers and nausea are the most common side effects, but can be minimized by taking folic acid. Because of other potential serious side effects, the frequent monitoring of blood counts and liver tests are required. Methotrexate lowers the ability for patients to fight infection. Therefore, patients taking it should avoid contact with those who are ill. Corticosteroids Corticosteroids such as prednisone can be effective in relieving the inflammation of AS, but the side effects of long-term use can be very severe. Corticosteroid injections into the inflamed joints can provide temporary relief of the pain caused by arthritis or bursitis. In instances of Achilles tendonitis, such injections are rarely, if ever used because of the risk of rupturing the Achilles tendon. Also, the usefulness of corticosteroid injections to relieve the symptoms of plantar fasciitis (heel pain) is not clear. Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha inhibitors AS patients produce too much of an inflammatory substance called Tumor-Necrosis-Factor alpha (TNF-a). TNF-a blockers are biologic medications that have shown great promise in treating AS by binding the excess TNF-a, thus reducing inflammation. TNF-a blockers slow the progress of AS in the majority of clinical cases, helping many patients receive a significant reduction, though not elimination, of their inflammation and pain. They have been shown to be highly effective in treating the arthritis of the joints and the spinal arthritis associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Examples of TNF? [-5] blockers are: Enbrel (etanercept[-6]), Remicade (infliximab[-7]), Humira (adalimumab[-8]) and Simponi (Golimumab). Besides the often high cost of over $600 per injection, the most serious known side effect of the TNF blockers is the fact that these drugs increase the risk of infections, especially tuberculosis. Thus, a TB test is usually required before starting any of the TNF therapies. Patients taking the TNF medications are advised to limit their exposure to others who are or may be carrying a virus (such as a cold or flu) or who may have a bacterial or fungal infection. A very rare possible complication is increased frequency of cancer, especially of the blood, such as leukemia or of the lymphatic system as in lymphoma. (SAA Medication Treatments, 2009).

Comparison of Hes Just Not That Into You and 17 Again

Comparison of Hes Just Not That Into You and 17 Again People are always looking forward to watch romantic comedy movie as a way to spend time together with their beloved ones. In fact, romantic comedy is a general phrase for comedies that basically deal with the foolishness and misunderstanding of either young or middle aged lovers, in a light-hearted and happily manner which commonly inhibits serious parody. A typical plot of a romantic comedy is that two main characters, usually a man and a woman, come across, part away due to conflicts or other obstacles, then finally reunite. There are many options of romantic comedy movies to choose. The two romantic comedy movies which I choose to compare and contrast are â€Å"Hes just not that into you† and â€Å"17 Again†. Even though both movies have the same genre, that is romantic comedy, but they are different in terms of settings, story lines, and moral value. First and foremost, the settings of these two movies are different. â€Å"Hes just not that into you† was set primarily in middle aged adult working environment at Baltimore, Maryland, USA where as â€Å"17 Again† was set in teenager high school kind of environment at Los Angeles, California, USA. The characters present in the â€Å"Hes just not that into you† were mainly middle aged working adults and â€Å"17 Again† were teenagers and their parents. Secondly, the most obvious dissimilarity of these movies is the story lines. â€Å"Hes just not that into you† is about a few characters struggling with ups and downs of their love lives in a complicated kind of way. At the centre of these multiple stories in one movie is Gigi, a young woman who repeatedly misunderstands the signs that men had given her about their level of interest in her. She got her advice from Alex, a bar owner who prides himself on perceiving the ins and outs of the dating scene. Gigis co-worker Janine found herself having difficulties in saving her marriage with her husband, Ben. On the other hand, Ben contemplated an affair with Anna, an attractive woman who was trying to make a career as a singer, from his wife. Another of Gigis friends at work, Beth, enjoyed a fruitful, healthy relationship with Neil, but soon storm clouds hover over them because he has no interest in getting married. In â€Å"17 Again†, it is about an unhappy working man who h ad transformed into a 17 years old teen in order to solve his family problems regarding his teen children and wife. At the age of 17, Mike ODonell was a successful person. Scarlett revealed she was pregnant before his basketball championship. After their marriage, Mike, a working man, complained the life he lost. One night, he saw a janitor standing on a bridge and jumped in after him. When he returned to his friends house he realized he was 17 again. He decided to take this opportunity to save his marriage and fix his relationship with his two teenage children. Furthermore, another dissimilarity that can be seen in both of these movies is the moral value. The moral value for the first movie is that we should not be a greedy person. In the movie, Ben who had an affair with Anna without his wife knowing eventually lost two of them in the end. For the second movie, the moral value emphasize on we should carry out our own responsibility regardless whether we are in a good or bad situation. In the movie, a young Mike ODonell carried out his responsibility by marrying his girlfriend who was pregnant with his child when they were both 17 years old. Here are the three main differences between â€Å"Hes just not that into you† and â€Å"17 Again†. As we can see, they break down to setting, story line and moral value that can be learnt through watching the movie. In a nutshell, both movies have their pros and cons despite they have the same genre.

Rhetorical Analysis Of Fahrenheit 9 11 Film Studies Essay

Rhetorical Analysis Of Fahrenheit 9 11 Film Studies Essay Michael Moore, a left-wing political crusader, is an American filmmaker. Known for his thought-provoking and unscripted documentaries, Moore takes risks and asks the questions that everyone wants the answers to. Moore is an amazing political commentator and knows exactly how to use the art of language, film, and facts to persuade his audience and to get them to follow in his lead. Released in 2004, Fahrenheit 9/11 is a documentary directed and produced by Moore. This film is a great example of how Moore uses Aristotles three appeals pathos, logos, and ethos to gather information and supporting details to make his point evident. These appeals come together to amplify Moores arguments and support his beliefs on politics. Moore uses these appeals to convince his audiences to agree with him on the controversies that, in his opinion, led to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. In the film, Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore effectively uses pathos, ethos, and logos as tools to persuade his audience to believe that the Bushs Administration was corrupt. To begin, pathos, meaning to persuade by appealing to what the audience feels and their emotions that are in result of; or in other words, appealing to the audiences sympathies, laughs, and anger that is felt by each person. Pathos is influence by the writers use of rhetoric; meaning, the use of language as a tool to help persuade an audience. This appeal not only grabs an audiences attention emotionally, it also allows them to identify what the writer is feeling and what his beliefs are. The viewer, identifying with the writers take or opinions, is able to use his or her imagination to rationalize what is in front of them and feel even more emotional about the matter. Pathos is very important ingredient to an argument. It is a great attention getter and can really make an argument. First, in attempt to persuade viewers, Moore does a great job of bringing about an emotional response. Pathos is presented as soon as the screen becomes pitch black and the only sound is the noise from September 11, the day planes were taken over by terrorist and crashed into the twin towers, located in New York City. You can hear the horror in the peoples voices and the loud bang from the planes hitting the buildings. This scene was very powerful; it grabbed my attention and did not let go. Moore intention for this scene was to really start the film off. He also used this scene to persuade his audience into feeling what he felt and see how horrible this event truly was. Also, an interview with a woman who lost her husband during the attack on September 11 was another way that Moore used pathos in Fahrenheit 9/11 to convince his audiences. There was a reason that this interview was shot close up, Moore wanted the viewers to see the sadness in the womans eyes, to feel the pain that sh e had felt, and to show the emptiness she had. By showing the widowers emotions in this way, Moore opened the door and collected the viewers sympathy. However, he still left every scene open-ended for the viewers to collect their own opinion on the attack that occurred on that horrific day. Another thing to know when presenting ones opinion is that, in order to have a true argument, a person should demonstrate equality; they should be fair to the other objective view point, and show that there is an understanding of both sides of the argument. This is the second appeal, ethos, a form of persuasion used by Moore to show that he is a fair and knowledge man. Ethos is all about being credible; presenting oneself as a trustworthy person to convince an audience and make an argument applicable; or to show that another person is not credible by using manipulation. When using ethos, the speakers character is really revealed and observed by the audience. It is important to have ethos when making a claim or assuring an argument. In the film, Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore made sure to use ethos so thats his audience would be persuaded to believe his theories. Moore wanted his audience to see how credible his information was and to let them know that he was a trustworthy person; in this case, he wanted the audience to believe he was more trustworthy than President George W. Bush and his Administration. To show that Moore was a credible source and to question Bushs character, Moore used real footage of Bush and the events that was touched upon. He showed the footage of the time when Bush was first told about the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. This footage showed Bushs reaction; really Bush did not react and instead continued to read to a class that he was visiting that day. This helped manipulate the audience to believe that Bush was not a fit president and had no idea what to do in this situation. Other video that was shown was of Bush in meetings with members of the Bin Laden family. This footage made it ap parent that Bush was fraternizing with the so called, enemy the ones who were believed to be behind the attack. This makes the audience look at Bush in a very poor light and was a tool used to persuade the audience to judge Bushs character based on this fact solely. Moore also used this appeal again when he presented facts about President Bushs National Guard records. Moore showed that Bushs records were tampered with in the beginning to hide a certain name, James R. Bath, a Texas money manager for the Bin Laden family. Bath was just another involvement that connected Bush to the instances with the Bin Ladens. Moore showed what the original and uncensored records looked like before they had been edited. This showed that Moore was fair, but he was also very trustworthy with the information that he was presenting, unlike Bush who did not present accurate records. In the final appeal, reasoning is used to persuade an audience; when a person gives a certain level of value to an argument. Facts and statistics help to gather and conclude the reasoning to support the main idea of an argument. Logos is used when explaining a resulting conclusion of a position, view, or argument; it is used to establish the reasoning and good logic that supports the final conclusion. Finally, in Moores attempt to manipulate and persuade his audiences, Moore uses the appeal logos to show his reasoning and how he has come to think negatively about Bushs Administration and the event of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Moores first valid point made was about the controversy surrounding Bushs election, and his win over his opponent, Al Gore. Moore believes that the sole reason for Bushs win was due to his help from his political allies along with the help from his friends and family. Moore first presents that Al Gore was initially said to have been the winner over Florida, but then Fox News reporter, John Ellis, Bushs first cousin and the main in charge of the decision desk that night, called the election in favor of Bush. Moore then discusses the other reason for why Bush won the election. Moores reasons were that Bushs brother was the former Governor of Florida, the state in questions and the place that the election controversy was at its most heightened. Also, Bushs chairman of his campaign tabulated the votes and it is a fact that her state hired a company that knocked the votes of African Americans off the record. Moore then touches on the details about the numerous independent investigations that were held and revealed that Gore was the true winner of this election. Stated in the film, Fahrenheit 9/11, Even if numerous investigations prove that Gore got the most votes, it wont matter, just as long as all your daddys friends on the Supreme Court vote the right way. It was evident that the Supreme Court, which consisted of friends of Bushs father, was the true deciders of the winner of this election. One last reason for why Bush became President of Elect was also influenced by the missing senate on the day that the joint session was to verify the election results. Plenty of African Americans attempted to appeal the election results due to overwhelming evidence of misconduct, but no senator was located to sign the objection and com e to the aid of the African Americans. To conclude, Moores film, Fahrenheit 9/11, was a thought-provoking documentary that presented an effective argument that was supported by Aristotles three appeals pathos, logos, and ethos. Pathos was a very effective tool that Moore used multiple times to really sway his audiences in an attempt to get people to really pay attention to what he was saying. For instance, the emotional response that was drawn from the audience was brought about from the scene of the attack on September 11, 2001 was extremely influential on the audience. Continuing, Moores credibility shown through documents and certain facts, along with his laughable manner and tactics used to question Bushs character, was just another form of appeal that Moore used to support his argument. Also, logical reasoning supported Moores point and really helped to move the viewers to make their opinions concerning these political issues. These appeals helped to enhance Moores main view point and helped to convince his audiences that Bushs administration was corrupt.

That Evening Sun Essay -- Literary Analysis, William Faulkner

Critical Analysis of That Evening Sun In That Evening Sun, William Faulkner approaches the story through an anecdotal style that gives meaning to the story. The narrator uses the anecdote that happened to him to convey the story’s underlying meaning that people are restricted by social class and race, not realizing this meaning himself at the time. The era of racism pertains to the meaning of the story, discussing the aversion of southern white people to help those different from them, focusing on the restrictions that society has placed on social class and race separation and the desire to maintain the division. The anecdotal style in That Evening Sun allows the narrator, Quentin, to have a viewpoint and an attitude that is more mature. Since he tells the story now that he is an adult, and the anecdote comes from a memory as a child, the details are focused on smaller things. To exemplify, we see how Quentin takes time to notice Nancy’s eyes by recalling, â€Å"they looked like cats’ eyes do† (296). Information is also given to the reader in a vague way, showing how little Quentin understood about the events that took place. Quentin for instance, didn't know what the "swelling" under Nancy's dress was, and without question assumes that the bump is a â€Å"watermelon† because that’s what Jesus says it is. The reader must assume that since Nancy said to Jesus that the baby, â€Å"never come off of your vine, though† that the child is not Jesus’. The reader doesn’t acquire this knowledge from Quentin’s understanding, however, since he is not mature enough, rather interprets it from Nancy’s words. The effect of having Quentin as an adult tell a childhood story is that the reader is made aware of the casual observations that he thought were imp... ...morality of racism, just the fact that racism is present and that’s the way it was at that time. In the story, the reader can see Nancy’s feelings and thoughts, therefore we view her as a real person, but during the time she was simply a black woman and Quentin is showing that it wasn’t racism that was intentional, rather it was an upbringing that shaped the way black people were viewed. Furthermore, Jason’s repetition of â€Å"I’m not a nigger,† is not meant in a callous way, rather is meant in a â€Å"that’s just how it is† way. The social commentary on racism and it â€Å"just being there† is hidden through the children’s ramblings. The comments of the children show how much the children paid attention to the ways adults were presenting racism. The point of this being to show a memory that came from youth and concentrated on blacks just being the lower social class and race. That Evening Sun Essay -- Literary Analysis, William Faulkner Critical Analysis of That Evening Sun In That Evening Sun, William Faulkner approaches the story through an anecdotal style that gives meaning to the story. The narrator uses the anecdote that happened to him to convey the story’s underlying meaning that people are restricted by social class and race, not realizing this meaning himself at the time. The era of racism pertains to the meaning of the story, discussing the aversion of southern white people to help those different from them, focusing on the restrictions that society has placed on social class and race separation and the desire to maintain the division. The anecdotal style in That Evening Sun allows the narrator, Quentin, to have a viewpoint and an attitude that is more mature. Since he tells the story now that he is an adult, and the anecdote comes from a memory as a child, the details are focused on smaller things. To exemplify, we see how Quentin takes time to notice Nancy’s eyes by recalling, â€Å"they looked like cats’ eyes do† (296). Information is also given to the reader in a vague way, showing how little Quentin understood about the events that took place. Quentin for instance, didn't know what the "swelling" under Nancy's dress was, and without question assumes that the bump is a â€Å"watermelon† because that’s what Jesus says it is. The reader must assume that since Nancy said to Jesus that the baby, â€Å"never come off of your vine, though† that the child is not Jesus’. The reader doesn’t acquire this knowledge from Quentin’s understanding, however, since he is not mature enough, rather interprets it from Nancy’s words. The effect of having Quentin as an adult tell a childhood story is that the reader is made aware of the casual observations that he thought were imp... ...morality of racism, just the fact that racism is present and that’s the way it was at that time. In the story, the reader can see Nancy’s feelings and thoughts, therefore we view her as a real person, but during the time she was simply a black woman and Quentin is showing that it wasn’t racism that was intentional, rather it was an upbringing that shaped the way black people were viewed. Furthermore, Jason’s repetition of â€Å"I’m not a nigger,† is not meant in a callous way, rather is meant in a â€Å"that’s just how it is† way. The social commentary on racism and it â€Å"just being there† is hidden through the children’s ramblings. The comments of the children show how much the children paid attention to the ways adults were presenting racism. The point of this being to show a memory that came from youth and concentrated on blacks just being the lower social class and race.

Free College Admissions Essays: My Experience :: College Admissions Essays

College Admissions : My experience To whom that cares!!! At this moment when I am sitting down here writing this, I suddenly think of this time last year when I was fresh out of high school, hearing about Berea for the first time. I sent my application to Berea with lots of confidence and hope, and I knew I was not accepted. College to me, as much as to many others, is so important. At the time I heard the news of my being denied, I was disappointed, but soon I realized that my failure was just among the many challenges that anybody has to face during their lifetime. Further more, I happened to know, later on, about the two other Vietnamese who were accepted. Having known that hardly ever more than one student from each country is accepted to Berea, I was so proud to know that the ability of Vietnamese students has been recognized and that, despite of the fact that our country still faces many difficulties, the students have been trying to reach high goals. In Vietnamese proverbs, we have this saying :" A day one goes, a sea of knowledge he earns". By this time, I have realized how true it is. Last year, I was an exchange student in a high school in Mississippi. That was the first time I went overseas. Although, before this trip, I was quite used to living independently because I had to live without my mom for almost 7 years during the time she went to work in Poland. However, my first trip abroad was something totally new and different. A very different country and her people first met me. I gradually got used to everything and felt that those adaptations I had made also came with growth in my maturity. When mentioning about maturity, I am quite sure about what I am talking. Obviously, I still am a long way from being an adult who has gone through enough hardships in life to have the right to judgment on life. However, I believe that the ten months I was away from my homeland, from my family, I now look at my life and future with a very serious and subjective point of view. If I had not been in the U.S, I would never have known of an eventful U.S senior year in high school, and the people, the lifestyle there. Free College Admissions Essays: My Experience :: College Admissions Essays College Admissions : My experience To whom that cares!!! At this moment when I am sitting down here writing this, I suddenly think of this time last year when I was fresh out of high school, hearing about Berea for the first time. I sent my application to Berea with lots of confidence and hope, and I knew I was not accepted. College to me, as much as to many others, is so important. At the time I heard the news of my being denied, I was disappointed, but soon I realized that my failure was just among the many challenges that anybody has to face during their lifetime. Further more, I happened to know, later on, about the two other Vietnamese who were accepted. Having known that hardly ever more than one student from each country is accepted to Berea, I was so proud to know that the ability of Vietnamese students has been recognized and that, despite of the fact that our country still faces many difficulties, the students have been trying to reach high goals. In Vietnamese proverbs, we have this saying :" A day one goes, a sea of knowledge he earns". By this time, I have realized how true it is. Last year, I was an exchange student in a high school in Mississippi. That was the first time I went overseas. Although, before this trip, I was quite used to living independently because I had to live without my mom for almost 7 years during the time she went to work in Poland. However, my first trip abroad was something totally new and different. A very different country and her people first met me. I gradually got used to everything and felt that those adaptations I had made also came with growth in my maturity. When mentioning about maturity, I am quite sure about what I am talking. Obviously, I still am a long way from being an adult who has gone through enough hardships in life to have the right to judgment on life. However, I believe that the ten months I was away from my homeland, from my family, I now look at my life and future with a very serious and subjective point of view. If I had not been in the U.S, I would never have known of an eventful U.S senior year in high school, and the people, the lifestyle there.

Courtship Violence :: essays research papers fc

Courtship Violence The term courtship violence refers to a couple’s interaction with emotional commitment with or without sexual intimacy. Dating violence involves the perpetration or threat of an act of physical violence by at least one member of an unmarried couple on the other within the context of the dating process (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, Perrin 163). The study of dating violence is important for two reasons. First, such behavior often results in physical and emotional injury. Second, there is reason to believe that dating violence is often a precursor to spousal abuse. Many battered women report that they were first assaulted by their husbands during courtship (Simons 467). Women, more than men, appear to bear the brunt of courtship violence. Despite the fact that rates of partner abuse by males and females are similar, women report more injuries and a greater negative impact as a result of their male partners’ physical aggression (Ronfeldt 72). Studies consistently show that it is women who are disproportionately likely to sustain serious injury. Some significant negative consequences are emotional harm, feelings of victimization, and fear of further violence (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, Perrin 164). The most popular explanation for dating violence is that it is a learned behavior acquired in the family origin. Witnessing parents’ marital aggression or being the victim of harsh corporal punishment may greatly increase the chances that a child will grow up to use violence in a dating relationship (Simons 468). There is a substantial body of evidence suggesting that violence in the family is a risk factor for the perpetration of partner abuse. Men who witnessed interparental violence were three times more likely to hit their wives than men who did not (Ronfeldt 72). Men who witnessed their fathers hitting their mothers were more likely to approve of violence against women and to abuse their own partner. Those growing up in a violent home were more likely to move from verbal to physical aggression. Witnessing paternal marital violence would moderate the association between psychologically controlling behaviors and physical violence so that the association would be stronger for individuals who had witnessed paternal marital violence (Ronfeldt 73). Researchers usually specify observational learning as the process whereby parents influence the probability that their children will be violent in intimate relationships. Some describe the learning process as one of imitation; others emphasize lessons about the legitimacy of violence in intimate relationships. The imitation explanation asserts that children learn about romantic relationships by observing interactions between their parents (Simons 468).

Hrm 531 Training and Mentoring Program

Training & Mentoring Program Student HRM 531 April 4, 2011 Instructor Training and Mentoring The merger between InterClean and EnviroTech is fast approaching. Our two companies will soon be crossed trained in various functions and positions within the newly formed organization. We have individuals from both organizations who have strong sales and leadership skills. In addition, InterClean executives need to balance growth and sustained success both locally and worldwide. In order to do that, it is necessary to establish a training program for the newly formed sales team. Cascio (2005) explains that identifying content, design, types of learners and what it will do for InterClean are some of the targets to reach for. The real measure however, Cascio explains, lies in the results obtained, in this case how well we perform as a sales team (page 317). As we move forward in this memo, we will explain the importance of evaluating the value of the training program. Since this is a step-by-step process we will break the subjects into the following areas, assessment, training, capabilities, implementation and evaluation. Assessment of the Training Needs The goal of training assessment needs is to identify areas where the new sales team will need additional support. For instance, since this new sales team is a meld of experienced sales representatives from both organizations, each sales representative has his/her unique style and ability. The next few paragraphs will identify and talk about the training needs identified. Training – Orientation First, InterClean believes that an employee orientation is in order. Introducing our new sales associates to InterClean procedures and methods of operations and expectations will answer many pending questions. Although some of the newly formed team are from InterClean, it is important to have everyone in the sales team be included in the orientation training. Cascio (2005) believes that there are three major areas in which to focus when providing an orientation: Company Standards, Social Climate, and Technical Aspects (page 317). Specifically, job performance skills identified within the team include familiarization with InterClean standards and expectations. These standards and expectations, including company goals, are not the same as when InterClean began and it is imperative that all sales team members attend this training. This will allow employees understand company policies, goals and expectations. The topic of social climate allows for the team to understand the group dynamics and hopefully begin blending of customs, attitudes and behaviors. Training in technical aspects will give all sales team members an advantage as they will be fully prepared to answer questions about both products and services as well as demonstrate use. All team members are expected to complete the Orientation training since the dynamics of the company are changing. Training – Customer Service Customer Service training has been identified as one of the most crucial training areas within the InterClean sales team. There are several members of the new team who have excellent customer service skills. They will however, need to consider how to maintain consistent communication with the customer so that one sales associate will provide the same service as the next. Having a positive relationship with the customer will provide a solid foundation which will help the sales team focus on â€Å"helping the customer† vs. â€Å"selling to the customer. † This concept will help InterClean realize the 40% growth expected through the merger of the two companies. Cascio (2005) suggests that improving customer satisfaction, identifying customer needs, satisfaction and building better customer responsiveness is a paramount to improving the bottom line (page 292). All employees are expected to complete the Customer Service Training. Training – Team Building The new sales team will be learning to face challenges together and work as a cohesive, organized team. To reach this goal, it is imperative that the sales team, including management, undergo team building training. Providing training for everyone in the sales team, team members can learn behaviors that will help each other. For instance, asking for help is sometimes hard, yet working within a team it is imperative that we have that ability. We lean on each other for ideas, creativity, technical skills and input. It is so important to consider the ideas of others; brainstorming often fosters free thinking, ideas, and asking questions. (Cascio 2005 pg. 288) Training – Leadership & Record Keeping Training in leadership will be offered to the Vice President of Sales, Sales Manager and the Trainer/Outside Sales Representative. The training sessions for the three individuals will focus on team building and leadership. The VP of Sales and the Manager need additional training in record keeping. Organizational Capabilities InterClean has the resources to complete the above described training. The Vice President of HR has developed a strategy plan which will align the two companies with the most qualified individuals. This plan includes a detailed job analysis, skills assessment and a selection of the top members of the sales force. In addition, HR has developed a training program based on the training needs of InterClean. Statement of the Training Objectives Orientation Objectives †¢ Increase awareness of company goals, expectations and vision †¢ Employees will develop a sense of purpose and focus Provide employees with latest rules and regulations related to products and services †¢ Provide a record of training in company standards, expectations, method of operation and regulations related to products and services Customer Training Objectives †¢ Increase customer satisfaction through improved business relationships with the customer †¢ Increase repeat business through higher level of customer satisfaction †¢ Increase consistency between sale s associates so all customers receive identical core services †¢ Increase sales by 10% first year and 40% by end of second year Record Keeping Objectives Introduce methods related to maintaining accounts †¢ Increase record keeping accuracy Team Building Objectives †¢ Allow team to get to know each other †¢ Emphasize individual leadership and initiative †¢ Increase interdependence and thereby cooperation †¢ Give team members tools to help problem solve Method of Implementation The training program will be announced within the next seven days. The course will be outlined over a two-day period with follow up sessions available for product information and sales. Three sessions (Orientation, Customer Training and Team Building) will include the entire sales force, while Record Keeping training will include VP of Sales, Sales Manager and the Trainer (for a portion thereof). Methods of Instruction †¢ Seminar †¢ PowerPoint †¢ Group exercises †¢ Role Playing †¢ Guest speakers (product development, laws & regulations, EnviroTech) Instructors †¢ Janet Durham – leadership and previous sales skills †¢ Tom Jennings – Planning for global dominance †¢ Sally Lindley – Partnerships Training Location †¢ EnviroTech facility Duration of Training 2 full days, with 1 week breakout sessions tailored to mentor students Record Keeping (related to training) †¢ Sign in Sheets †¢ Copy of each presentation †¢ Duration of training †¢ Document of videos, speakers, etc †¢ Video tape training sessions where appropriate Evaluation of the Program’s Success Assess Potential Suc cess We will be able to assess the potential success of the training program through several avenues. One being a series of feedback from the attendees. In addition, pre-test to measure knowledge, skills and ability prior to training and post-tests to evaluate increase knowledge, skills and ability after training. As trainees venture into role-playing and practicing with the techniques, they will begin to discover potential pitfalls and relative improvements. Demonstration of techniques learned is crucial to success. Another measurable activity will be an increase in the number of sales. The overall success of the training program will be evident in the increase in profits. Reinforcements †¢ Rewards for reaching sales goals, both individual and group †¢ Promotion to senior levels, stability on the senior level is determined by consistently meeting goals. Conclusion As the training program evolves, so do the employees. With the strong leadership and sales skill present within the team, success is immanent. However, the success of the sales team is only as good as the training and support system provided by InterClean. In this memo we have outlined the training program we believe will assist the new team to take on the challenge of both product and service and provide the customer with everything they need. Reference Cascio, W. F. (2005). Managing Human Resources (7th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Facing the Giants Reaction Paper Essay

The secret of the team’s success is their faith to God. Their coach and the team itself seems to be hopeless and almost to give up, but their coach make a stand and seek God, His revelations and His sovereignty in their situation. Our events team almost has the same situation. We seem to be hopeless in mounting our own event because we are running out of time and we still don’t have an approved title. The good thing is, our professor gave us last chance and our event manager gathered all of us to discuss and vote for our titles proposal. Finally, we were able to hit the mark and get an approval because of our teamwork and perseverance even if there is no hope. This is a very good movie to watch for families and for people who are losing hope in their own situations. I realized that in life, there is nothing we can’t accomplish with faith. We have our own giants, but we cannot face them without God in our side. The movie shows that it is also important that our li ves should be guided by the Word of the Lord because His Words can renew our mindsets and spirits and His Word can light up our journey in this world. I also learned that, wherever God puts me, I must do my best not for myself, not for anybody else, but for His name to be glorified. My life must be a great testimony that will inspire and will encourage others. Giving up is never an option. If we feel like quitting, we must ask ourselves why we started. In everything we will do we must give our best and all that we have, all for our Lord. This movie gives its watchers something to treasure a lifetime. It will move every heart. I was teary eyed in the part where the son was saying sorry to his father after realizing that he really needs to respect his father. It is a good example to follow because nowadays, teenagers don’t have this respect for their parents. Movies nowadays will leave us stunned or give us some laughters but this movie gave us lessons that we can really apply to our families and career life.

General Motors Essay

I first want to start out with the bailout in 2009 where the government gave General Motors money ($40 million) to help get them out the situation with their creditors and took over most of the company. According to reports all of the outstanding stock has been sold and now the company is out of the government’s hands. The total amount given to them was not paid in full and they do not feel like they need to repay anymore because they said that there was a risk with taking the stock and that the government would just get back what the stock sold for. I know that this is true in the stock market, as I have stocks myself and know the risks that I am taking. I still have a problem with giving them money when one of the other larger automobile companies (Ford Motor Company) took it upon themselves to restructure and is paying off their own debts little by little and is still moving along today. Along with the sale of all of the stock came a lift on the freeze of upper management w ages and incentives. This is just not right. I would like to live on what some of them make, and I am sure that I could live very comfortably. Let them come and live on my income and see what they can do. I really have a problem with going overseas for production and I always will. It is probably my age and all of the trials and tribulations that I have lived through as well as what I have seen others live through. Many people were told that their jobs would be secure and since then General Motors has cut back on jobs here in the United States. I wonder just how many people outside of this country have been given jobs that could have been here at home. I know that many companies take production overseas because they say that the costs for labor are a lot  lower. Well, that may be true but has anyone seen the living conditions of those people overseas. Are we really paying them what they should be getting? Let’s take into consideration all of the recalls that General Motors has made in the last few years. Way too many in my book. Why is there faulty material being used to manufacture a product that could easily take the lives of many people. These products were made mostly overseas, I believe, and could lower wages be part of the problem of not noticing the faulty parts in the first place? By taking away incentives for prospective buyers, I believe, really hurt their business, but then I say, â€Å"Why give an incentive and not just reduce the price of the car in the first place?† I know that consumers look f or incentives but I think that they would look just as hard if the price of the cars were lower too. Let us look at the strategy that General Motors is wanting to take. The strategy that I believe that they are using is a combination of three strategies. They are as follows: Defensive Strategy in that General Motors decided to cut back the number of makes of automobiles; Cost-Leadership Strategy in that expenses needed to manufacture the cars are kept at a lower cost and maintained at that lower cost; and Differentiation Strategy in that they need to make a superior product for a vast number of people at a low cost. According to the plan General Motors is going to start making their automobiles using the same parts in the same laid out plants and using the same kind of tools throughout. They are also cutting back on the number of models from 86 to 49. When it came to the cost-leadership strategy, I put the loss of incentives to customers in this category. I still do not understand why there are incentives when they could just reduce the price of the automobile or truck. I think that people would look more if the price were lower. The differentiation strategy they have cut back on the workforce but are still making the superior produc t for a vast audience. I realize that they need to watch their competitors closely, especially those overseas but they also need to take care of the people right here in the United States. General Motors has a vision to reduce costs and increase revenue through global sales growth to a net profit of 10%. I think that they are asking for a lot out of the economy, as it is today As the plan states, Ford is farther ahead of General Motors and they made more of a profit per vehicle sold than General Motors. This was all done because of  going globally. The culture needs to change too and get away from focusing on selling the most cars and take care of the customers that they currently have and possibly will have in the future. Yes, sales are important, but they will come if their customer focus is there first. I think that the 10% increase in profits is a little out the park when you are just restructuring and trying to maintain your status. You will need to take smaller increases in profit for a few years and then the profits will increase as the years go by. When looking at SMART goals I find that General Motors set their goal of making more than $10 billion per year. This is a very challenging goal for a company that is just coming back from restructuring. This goal is very specific but I do not believe that it is attainable with the economy that we have today. I know that they look at achieving this goal globally but they really need to concentrate right here in the United States. To be results-oriented they needed to decrease the number of types of cars they produce, reduce the number in their global workforce, (which they did), reduce the number of union workers here in the United States (which they did) and close down plants that were not up to par (which they did). Was this the right decision to make? Who knows for sure? The only thing that I can see is that they put a lot of people out of work. In looking at the Planning/Control Cycle, I see that General Motors followed it by making the plan, carrying out the plan, they looked at the results of the plan and they controlled the direction of the plan by making any corrections as they went along with the plan. Planning is very important in everything that you do. You must always follow through too and watch as the plan is being carried out and always have control of what is going on and make sure that you make any corrections as the plan goes on. If need be, go back to the beginning and start all over again if the plan goes off track too far or if you have to make too many corrections. According to Mr. Akerson when asked about being back on top and the world’s largest auto maker his response was: â€Å"General Motors needs to focus on profits and margins and not necessarily try to post nu mbers on the board.† Maybe they need to go back and re-think their plan again and make sure they are staying on track as they proceed. In conclusion, I just want to add that I read two reports that just came out on CNN today. â€Å"One concerned a former manager for General Motors, Bill McAleer, who was in charge of the Global delivery system from 1988 to 1998 which was  used to access the quality of cars before they were sent to various dealers. He said that the culture of General Motors was the main problem of the company where if there was a problem and you said anything that you could be fired and then on the other hand if you did not say anything, you still could be fired.† What kind of culture is that? It is kind of twisted, if I must say. He said that he had sent a letter to the upper management about all of the defects that he had found and that they just ignored it. He also said that he never received a response in any way about the letter. He mentioned that in 1997 the focus for the company really changed and internally and that there were to be NO problems admitted to. How ridiculous is that. There is never a time during the day that a company does not have some kind of problem. He went on to say; â€Å"That’s what happened with the ignition switch, people knew that there was a problem but problems were not acceptable. They just ignored it.† Mr. McAleer was laid off in 2004 and filed suit agains t the company under the Whistleblower Law but he lost his suit. And what happened yesterday, June 27, 2014? General Motors recalled another 430,000 2013 and 2014 vehicles for various defects from windshield wiper assemblies on Caprice Police Cars, to transmission software, to rear shock absorbers, and to air bag problems. What is with this company? The article stated that since January, General Motors has recalled more than 20 million vehicles worldwide. If they knew about the ignition switch more than a decade ago and did nothing until this year, why are they still in business? Where are most of these defective parts coming from? I would imagine that you can see why I cannot be happy about this company. I have lived many years and have worked in various occupations and have seen the defective merchandise come from out of the country and would just sit there and shake my head. Working in retail for over 20 years, I just would not put merchandise on the floor for customers to purchase if I found it to be defective. Did I get into trouble for it? Absolutely not! We cared about our customers, why doesn’t General Motors. Seems like all they are interested in is the almighty dollar. Ref: CNN.com Article by Patrick Sheridan, June 28, 2014 @ 12:24 pm ET Article by Patrick Sheridan, June 27, 2014 @ 6:564 pm ET

Amended Budget Paper And Excel File

Riordan Manufacturing Inc is an international company specialized in the manufacturing of plastic products. Based in USA, Riordan Manufacturing has manufacturing plants in Georgia, Michigan, Albany and Pontiac. To achieve international status, and produce high quality products, Riordan Manufacturing has opened another plant in Hang Zhou in China. One of the aims of the Riordan manufacturing is to remain competitive in order to achieve market advantages. To achieve this aim, the management of Riordan manufacturing has initiated a policy to constantly change the business environment, and employ latest technology.To achieve global expansion, Riordan manufacturing has decided to initiate global market expansion through the introduction of virtual organization. The Riordan’s virtual organization involves the introduction of electronic commerce in order to sell the company products worldwide through the application of internet. In the present global competitive environment, e-busine ss has become one of the potent tools by which organization achieve competitive market advantages. Thus, Riordan manufacturing has decided to employ e-business to increase efficiency in sales and marketing through the implementation of virtual organization.For the successful implementation of virtual business organization, Riordan manufacturing needs to employ Information Technology (IT) supports in order to install both hardware and software, and efficient implementation of operation costs is very essential. The objective of this paper is to amend the overall budget of FY2004. The amendment will reveal the increase on expenditures on items such as hardware, software and outside IT support by 4%. The paper also amends the budget by decreasing the overall budget by 2%.Finally, the paper provides the rational behind the changes in the budget of Riordan manufacturing FY2004. To achieve the business growth, Riordan intends to implement virtual organization. To achieve efficient virtual organisation for Riordan manufacturing, it is essential to adjust the consolidating operating budget of FY2004. Essentially, paper amends consolidating Operating Budget Cost IT center for Riordan manufacturing FY2004 and in the amendment, the following requirements are reflected.First, there is increase on expenditures on items related to hardware, software, and outside IT support services by 4 percent. Moreover, there is decrease in the overall budget by 2 percents. The paper provides the rational behind the changes on the budget amount in the next section. 1. 2: Rational behind the changes on the budget. First, integration of IT has become of the major objectives of many organisations. In the present contemporary competitive environment, organizations now realise that integration of IT tools has become potent tools by which organizations gain market advantages.With the realization of potential benefits that IT has provided for the success of organization, Riordan manufacturing has also decided to integrate IT tools in its business operation. This has vividly revealed from the company memorandum written by Hugh McCauley, and sent to Michael Riordan, Maria Trinh, and Dale Edgel on September 10, 2003. From this memorandum, the Riordan manufacturing has dedicated to employ the latest technology to support the continuing business operations.Proper integration of latest Information Technology in the business model necessitates the integration of latest hardware and software so that Riordan manufacturing could achieve high competitive advantages for its virtual business organisation. To achieve these aims, there is need to make changes in the budget by increasing the spending on the items related to hardware, software, and items outside IT service by 4% . The increase in the spending on these items is very critical for the successful implementation of virtual organisation that Riordan manufacturing intends to implement.The increase in the spending on the outside IT service is also very critical because there is need to implement employee training for the continuous implementation of web based business of Riordan manufacturing. Employee training is very critical for the smooth running of virtual organization. Employee will be in charge of processing of orders sent by customers online. Moreover, employee will ensure that orders received online are dispatched to clients. Thus, employee training is very critical to ensure that Riordan’s employees are capable to handle these tasks.Thus, increase in spending to achieve this aim is one of the reasons to amend the overall budget. Apart from employee training, maintenance and contract will also be critical for the smooth running of virtual organization, the increase in spending on this item will ensure the smooth continuity of virtual organization. The contact for the virtual organization will consist of Web hosting, off site data storage, and hardware maintenance. The items revealed in the con tract are very critical for the virtual organisation. Web hosting is indispensable for web based business.Hardware maintenance is very critical in order to avoid web failure. Offsite data storage is also very critical for web based business, off site data storage is very essential for data security because there may be data loss through theft, fire disaster, and other unforeseen circumstances. Thus, the increase in spending on these items will enhance viability of Riordan virtual organization. Moreover, the changes in overall budget are critical in order to reduce the overall budget by 2%. The reduction in the overall budget by 2% is essential to reduce overall operating costs of Riordan manufacturing.According to Kuzic, Fisher, and Scollary (2002) the advantages of virtual organisation is to achieve the reduction in operating costs. One of the advantages of decrease in the operating costs is to increase the company’s revenue, and this will lead to the increase in the yearly net profit of Riordan manufacturing. 2: Conclusion The paper provides the amendment of budget for the Riordan manufacturing consolidated operating budget cost IT center for the FY2004. In the amendment, there are changes that reveal the increase in the spending on items related to hardware, software and outside IT items by 4%.Moreover, there is decrease of overall budget by 2%. The paper presents the rational behind the overall changes in budget. The rational provided are to meet the aims of Riordan manufacturing in order to implement the latest technology to achieve competitive market advantages. The overall decrease in budget by 2% is also essential. This is to decrease the operating costs of Riordan manufacturing in order to increase the company’s net profits. Reference Kuzic, J. Fisher,J. & Scollary, A. (2002). Electronic Commerce Benefits, Challenges And Success Factors in the Australian Banking and Fina

Hershy chocolate bar Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Hershy chocolate bar - Research Paper Example ire of humans to find something sweet to consume dates back to primitive times.Chocolate traces its history to the ancient Romans, Egyptians, Greeks and the Chinese. However, during that period, it was considered a luxurious treat that only few could afford. It evolved from ancient forms to the modern industry centered in Europe. It evolved because of the increased availability of sugar. The increased availability transformed it from an ancient delight into a main modern confectionery industry. The modern industry produces a relatively cheaper food that many people enjoy. This paper will, therefore, analyze the strengths and weaknesses, marketing strategies, consumer behaviors, as well as, the branding strategies that may be associated with Hershey Foods Corporation. The first confectioners in United States were the Dutch bakers of New Amsterdam which were later named New York. There were about 1000 manufacturers in the US at the beginning of the twentieth century. They offered employment to about 27000 workers through which they managed to register total sales of about $60million annually. Until the 1900s, the common equipments that would be used in these enterprises were mainly of kettles, shallow trays, hand cutters, starch boards and hand printers. Compared to the current equipment most of these equipment could be termed inefficient. Efficiency increased with the introduction of European candy manufacturing inventions. They enabled production of candy in large quantities at a more pocket friendly price (Schiffman et al, 2006). This greatly improved sanitary conditions in the manufacturing industries, especially, to the candy manufactures. Besides, the increase in production played a significant role in meet the growing demand for chocolate. The First and the Second World War also contributed to the mass production of candy considering candy was consumed by the armies in the war fields. In addition, the many improvements in the candy industry making led to it

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Academic Environment in the United States - Essay Example The three groups: the Woodson Foundation, a nonprofit organization; the Washington D.C. public schools system; and the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE), which act as a representative for parents on behalf of the PTA; concurrently enjoin to achieve the ultimate objective of improving academic outcome. The structure of the case study is clear-cut and straight forward. The discourse would initially present a brief summary of the background information crucial for greater understanding of the triumvirate’s thrusts. The roles and each organization were emphasized to give credence in supporting their commitment and interest in achieving a unified goal. In addition, a development team with selected team members or candidates to oversee the progress of achieving the defined goal was presented. The team is composed of representatives from the three associations: two from the Washington D.C. public school system, two from Woodson Foundation, two parents and one social worker to provide balance representation. A summary of problems was eventually determined with effective methods recommended for resolving conflicts that would likely arise.

Cross cultural management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cross cultural management - Term Paper Example During the spring festival, people living in far places travel back home in order to celebrate together with their relatives. The events taking place during this festival makes it period the busiest event in the Chinese calendar. Mostly, the festival falls during the first day of the first lunar month, which in most cases comes later than the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese history traces the origin of this festival back to the Shang Dynasty, an era when people used to sacrifice to the gods, and their ancestors at the end and the beginning of the year (Wei, 2011). To them, it was a way of thanksgiving to the gods. Although the event lasts for a long period, the first three days of the month are most important days. With the event becoming more important in the celebration of the Chinese heritage, the government now stipulates that people should have at least seven days off in its celebration (Pan & Tang, 2004). This shows how the event is important even at the national level. People celebrate many events during the spring festival. ... ry eve, which falls on the twenty third day of the twelfth month, people start preparing for the event called â€Å"Seeing the New year in.† the busiest people in the society at this time are store owners as people buy food to cook on the big occasion, new clothes, house decorations, among others (Pan & Tang, 2004). On the day of the New Year, people dress up early in the morning, and the first thing is extending greetings to their parents. The elder ones then give gifts to the children in form of money wrapped in red paper. Then the celebrations, which involve specially prepared and good food prepared in accordance to their culture (Wei, 2011). The lantern Festival The lantern festival, which falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, in the Gregorian calendar falls between the February and March. The event, having begun in the Western Han Dynasty, over time has gained significance, until the present day China. Interestingly, just as the name suggests, the most impo rtant event that takes place during this festival is watching lanterns. History points out that during the Han Dynasty, Buddhism flourished more in china than in any other part of the world. One of the Chinese emperors on hearing that Buddhist monks would watch sarira (remains of the cremated body of Buddha), on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month under the light of lanterns, he ordered the rest of the people to respect the Buddha on this day (Wei, 2011). With time however, the event became more popular among the Chinese people, thus maintaining its popularity in the Chinese society. People, during these celebrations prepare special food called yuanxiao or rice dumping, hence the common name, â€Å"yuanxiao festival† among the people. Additionally, people guess lantern riddles at night, while