Value System in Nepal

What is value system? In simple way value system means the principle of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group. Values can be defined as broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of action or outcomes. As such, values reflect a person’s sense of right and wrong or what â€Å"ought† to be. 40â€Å"Equal rights for all† and â€Å"People should be treated with respect and dignity† are representative of values. Values tend to influence attitudes and behavior.For example, if you value equal rights for all and you go to work for an organization that treats its managers much better than it does its workers, you may form the attitude that the company is an unfair place to work; consequently, you may not produce well or may perhaps leave the company. It is likely that if the company had had a more egalitarian policy, your attitude and behaviors would have been more positive. A value system is in essence the ordering and prioriti zation of the ethical and ideological values that an individual or society holds.While two individuals or groups may share a set of common values, they may differ in their determination of which values in that set have precedence over others. The two individuals or groups are said to have different value systems, even though they may have many values in common, if their prioritization of values differs, or if there are different exceptions they attach to these values. Groups and individuals whose differing value systems have many values in common may still wind up in conflict, ideological or physical, with each other, because of the differences in their value systems.People with differing value systems will thus disagree on the rightness or wrongness of certain actions, both in the abstract and in specific circumstances. In essence, a value system (if sufficiently well-defined) is a formalization of a moral code. The premise behind the discipline of rigorously examining value system s and the differences between them (given the provisional name ethonomics) is that an understanding of these differences in prioritization of values can lead to greater understanding about the politics (and motivations) of individuals and groups.While political discourse in recent times has frequently focused on the â€Å"values† held by the people engaging in the discourse (be they candidates, office holders, or media pundits), in reality those being compared share many (perhaps most) values in common. It is in their prioritization of those values that they differ, causing them (as a result of these different prioritizations) to come to different conclusions about what is right and wrong, and to take different actions accordingly.One example of a simple formal value system is Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, which is intended as value system (of sorts) for robots in the hypothetical future of Asimov's science fiction novels. Simply distilled, the laws stipulate that: * human life is of primary importance and value (â€Å"A robot may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. â€Å") * orders given by human beings to robots are secondary, to be obeyed as long as they do not violate the first law (â€Å"A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. ) * a robot's own existence is of tertiary value, meaning that a robot should preserve its own life only if the other two laws have been satisfactorily complied with (â€Å"A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. â€Å") Naturally, this is a very simplistic set of values, but the idea behind formalization of value systems is that more complex value systems that apply to human society might be derived or mapped from similar principles and structures, and that conflicts between such value systems might be resolved rat ionally.Definitions Values In order to define value systems, we need to define the characteristics of values that could be represented in a value system. The values that a group or person holds may fall into several different categories. The ones that usually concern us in the area of value systems are the ethical and the ideological. * Ethical values may be thought of as those values which serve to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong, and moral and immoral. At a societal level, these values frequently form a basis for what is permitted and what is prohibited. Ideological values deal with the broader or more abstract areas of politics, religion, economics, and social mores. In theory, the broader ideological values should derive logically as natural consequences of the particulars of fundamental ethical values and their prioritizations. But although ideally a value system ought to be consistent, quite often this is not the case. Value Systems As mentioned earlier, a va lue system is the ordering and prioritization of the ethical and ideological values that an individual or society holds.The specific prioritizations may lead to designated exceptions invoked because one value is deemed more important than another (e. g. , â€Å"lying is wrong, but lying to save someone else's life is acceptable, because human life is more valuable (more highly valued) than the principle that lying is wrong†). Regardless of whether or not value systems are formed logically, they determine for individuals and societies what actions they are likely to act and how those actions are likely to be justified (or perhaps ‘rationalized'). Characteristics of Value SystemsValue systems can be categorized along multiple axes: * They can be personal, held by an individual and applicable only to an individual, or they can be communal or societal, defined by and applying to a community or society. Communal value systems may be legal codes take on the force of law in ma ny societies. * They can be internally consistent, where the broader ideological values derive logically as natural consequences of the particulars of fundamental ethical values, and where values do not contradict each other, or they can be inconsistent.Although ideally a value system ought to be consistent, quite often this is not the case in practice. Note that valuing the consistency of a value system is itself a sort of ‘meta-value', that could be present or absent in a given value system. * They can be idealized value systems (ideal representations of an individual's or group's value prioritizations) or realized value systems (how such a value system is manifested in reality, in the actions and decisions of the individual or group).Idealized value systems tend to be absolute, in that they are codified as a strict set of proscriptions on behavior, while realized value systems contain conditional exceptions that are rules to resolve collisions between values in practical ci rcumstances. Personal vs. Communal A value system may be held by a group of people, a community or society, or it might be held by an individual. An individual person's value system might be consistent with or equivalent to the community's value system. Consistency does not imply equivalence, though.An individual's value system might even hold the person to a higher standard, and still be consistent with the community's value system. (Consistency within a value system, described below, refers to the degree to which contradictions and overt situational exceptions are absent from that value system; consistency between value systems means that any action that might be taken in one value system would not contradict the rules associated with another. ) Exceptions One way of looking at differences between value systems is to think of the exceptions to the â€Å"rules† associated with values.These could be abstract exceptions (which are generalized enough in the way they are defined to take hold in all situations) and situational exceptions (which only can be said to be applied in very specific situations). The more generalized the exception, the more useful it is in a wider context for defining a consistent value system. In general, abstract exceptions serve to reinforce the prioritization of values, e. g. : Lying is wrong, but lying to save someone else's life is acceptable, because preserving a human life is more valuable (more highly valued) than the adhering to the principle that lying is wrong.In a formal value system (idealized or realized), the default exception associated with each value is assumed to be â€Å"as long as no higher-priority value is violated†. However, this hierarchical structure may be too simplistic in practice, and explicit exceptions may need to be specified. Examples of exceptions in practice: * We may commonly agree that telling the truth is an important positive value, and that conversely deception is inherently wrong. Bu t we make both abstract and situational exceptions for circumstances where we may assert that lying is acceptable behavior.Thus lying to avoid causing another person pain as a general rule would be considered an abstract exception, while lying in a particular situation because a specific person, if lied to, might do a specific thing at a specific time would be considered a situational exception. * People may agree that stealing is wrong, but some people may believe that stealing if you are starving and want to feed yourself and your loved ones is more acceptable than stealing if you are a abitual thief who makes a living stealing from people, or if you are an already wealthy person whose greed leads you to steal from your partners, your investors, or those you do business with. Others may find nothing wrong with stealing from faceless corporations and business establishments but may frown upon stealing from individuals. Some may define certain acts to qualify as not stealing if they fit into some of these categories. * People who think that killing is wrong might make an exception for someone acting in self-defense, placing a higher value on preservation of one's own life than on the principle of â€Å"thou shalt not kill†.Someone in the military might accept the value that killing another person is wrong yet may see nothing wrong with killing someone (in self-defense or not) in the course of or following the orders of a military commander (assumed to have a valid reason for ordering the killing), placing a higher value on discipline/loyalty and â€Å"defending one's country†. Conversely, a conscientious objector might prioritize the value that killing is wrong not only over military actions but even over self-defense. Many people in the business world might include the Golden Rule (which says â€Å"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you†) in their value system, but in practice they might place higher priority on the values li ke â€Å"Every man for himself† or â€Å"Let the buyer beware†. Conversely, another person might find that prioritization morally repugnant, and accuse the businessman of being unethical (or even of a form of theft) if he sells merchandise he knows to be shoddy, or deceives those he tries to do business with. ConsistencyA value system whose exceptions are abstract, generalized enough to be used in all situations, is said to be an internally consistent value system. On the other hand, a value system whose exceptions are highly situational, or whose exceptions are inconsistently applied, is said to be an internally inconsistent. A value system's consistency (or lack thereof) does not necessarily say anything about how ‘good' or ‘evil' it is. A value system that declares that lying and murder are acceptable, that essentially endorses a ‘might makes right' morality, could be internally consistent in its approach.Likewise, an internally inconsistent value system, loaded with inconsistently applied situational exceptions, might be considered perfectly acceptable if the ‘meta-value' of consistent application of values is not part of the value system. (The paradox here is that the absence of this value in a value system makes it consistent, because there is no constraint that says it must be consistent. It could be argued that those who explicitly omit this meta-value from their value system implicit endorse consistency as a value in that act of deliberate omission. On the other hand, those who hold this value ) Idealized vs.Realized These exceptions, especially when they are implicitly rather than explicitly defined, often yield a difference between an idealized value system and the realized value system. The idealized value system is the simple listing of values (in priority order) that a person or society would purport that they employ in determining right and wrong. The realized value system is the one they actually use in day -to-day life. While people claiming to employ a particular value system might say they place more value on x than y, more often than not there are deviations from this in practice.A consistent value system A religion may list a strong set of positive values, but its adherents and even those who are leaders of the religion may stray from those in practice. Idealized value systems often list strict rules (perhaps without any prioritizing order) but do not carefully define exceptions, abstract or situational. Realized value systems, in practice, often have a number of exceptions associated with them, but they may not be explicitly defined or consistently applied. Absolutists hold to their idealized value system and claim no exceptions other than the default.Defining Values Some fundamental values that most people seem to share, at least in theory, are: * â€Å"It's wrong to hurt, to harm, or especially to kill another person. † * â€Å"It's wrong to steal from another person. à ¢â‚¬  * â€Å"It's wrong to lie. † In practice, realized examples of these values would be a good deal more complicated, with exceptions already embedded within them. * â€Å"It's wrong to hurt another person, except in self-defense to keep them from hurting you, or if it is agreed upon with the other person as a step towards a mutually acceptable greater good (e. g. a doctor giving a patient a painful injection to cure an ailment). † * â€Å"It's wrong to take something from someone in a non-consensual fashion without negotiating overtly with the other person and agreeing to a mutually satisfactory transfer or exchange. † * â€Å"It's wrong to deceive another person knowingly for your own gain. † * â€Å"It's wrong to take deliberate overt action to prevent another person from exercising his will as long as that exercise does not interfere with your own exercise of will, except when the other person's will serves to violate the aforementioned principle s. In general, these values declare that â€Å"it's wrong to interfere in another person's life unless they do things to interfere in yours† This corresponds in essence to what has been called the Wiccan Rede which declares that â€Å"[As long as it] harms none, do what thou wilt†. While this may seem an elegant moral principle, in practice it runs into trouble because of the differing priorities people place on specific individual values, because of the way differing value systems define what is and isn't ‘harm', and perhaps most of all because of the different exceptions implicitly or explicitly defined in a value system.Examples of conflicting value systems This section is devoted to the process of using rational analysis to resolve conflicts between value systems. Individualism vs. collectivism In individualism, the needs and wants of the individual take precedence over the needs and wants of a society or community. The implicit exception inherent in individu alism is usually â€Å"as long as the actions of the individual do not harm other individuals. † Absolutists may claim that even this exception does not hold.In collectivism, the needs and wants of the society or community take precedence over the needs and wants of the individual. Rarely is the exception invoked that this is true â€Å"as long as the actions of the society do not restrict individuals . † It could be argued that a rational value system puts value on the needs and wants of the society or community structure, but does not give this more value than the needs and wants of the individuals within it.It is relatively easy to argue the case for this prioritization: under collectivism, a community could decide (however such decisions might be made) that it would work better if there were no people in it to interfere with the smooth running of society. While this might be true, since people tend to â€Å"complicate† the smooth running of any social order, it would create a society without any people, something which is clearly against the interest of the people in that society—would we rationally advocate our own extinction if it made the â€Å"system† of society run better?A rational resolution to the conflict between individualism and collectivism might structure these values in this manner: 1. The rights of individuals to act as they wish is unencumbered, unless their actions harm others or interfere with others' free exercise of their individual rights, and as long as their actions do not interfere with functions of society that other individuals depend upon, provided those functions do not themselves interfere with these proscribed individual rights and were agreed to by a majority of the individuals. . A society (or more specifically the system of order that enables the workings of a society) exists for the purpose of benefitting the lives of the individuals who are members of that society. The functions of a soc iety in providing such benefits would be those agreed to by the majority of individuals in the society. 1. A society may require contributions from its members in order for them to benefit from the services provided by the society.The failure of individuals to make such required contributions could be considered a reason to deny those benefits to them, although a society could elect to consider hardship situations in determining how much should be contributed. 1. A society may restrict behavior of individuals who are members of the society only for the purpose of performing its designated functions agreed to by the majority of individuals in the society, only insofar as they violate the aforementioned values.This means that a society may abrogate the rights of any of its members who fails to uphold the aforementioned values. Of necessity, as you can see here, the exceptions associated with values like these can become recursive and often convoluted. The name proposed for the discipl ine that tries to perform this task—mapping and formalizing value system prioritizations and resolving conflicts between disparate value systems through rational analysis—is ethonomics.

Aqua Silencer Essay

This project is an attempt to reduce the toxic content of diesel exhaust, before it is emitted to the atmosphere. This system can be safely used for diesel power packs which could be used in inflammable atmospheres, such as refineries, chemicals processing industries, open cost mines and other confined areas, which demands the need for diesel power packs. WORKING PRINCIPLE The aqua silencer is more effective in the reduction of emission gases from the engine exhaust gas using perforated tube. By using perforated tube the back Pressure. Will remain constant and the sound level is reduced. Using the perforated tube the fuel consumption remains same as conventional system. By using water as a medium the sound can be lowered and also by using activated charcoal in water. We can control the exhaust emission to a grater level. The water contamination is found to be negligible in aqua silencer, because the amount of acidity level in aqua silencer is expected to be below the dangerous acidity. It is smokeless and pollution free emission and also very cheap. The aqua silencer’s performance is almost equivalent to the conventional silencer. ADVANTAGES Diesel engines are playing a vital role in Road and sea transport, Agriculture, mining and many other industries. Considering the available fuel resources and the present technological development, Diesel fuel is evidently indispensable In general, the consumption of fuel is an index for finding out the economic strength of any country.

Educational Reforms in Pakistan Essay

Educational reforms are a significant reference point in the educational history of Pakistan in terms of their scale, the amount of money invested in them, the order of their urgency and their official/political ownership. The reforms are also important as their need was felt by the donor country (the US), and the contours of the implementation process were drawn up by consultants who came as part of the grant package. Before we look at the politics of these educational reforms we need to understand that historically dominant groups have always used terms like ‘reforms’, ‘development’, ‘civilisation’, ‘emancipation’, and ‘peace’ for their hegemonic purpose. Many imperialist powers annexed other countries ostensibly to civilise them, to develop them, to liberate their people, and to bring peace to the colonies. The important point to note here is that hegemonic powers first turn development into ‘undevelopment’ and then offer reforms for their own version of development. For instance, when the British came to India the country was doing fine economically. Michael Parenti in Against Empire writes, â€Å"In 1810, India was exporting more textiles to England than England was exporting to India. By 1830, the trade flow was reversed. The British had put up prohibitive tariff barriers to shut out Indian finished goods and were dumping their commodities in India, a practice backed by British gunboats and military force. Within a matter of years, the great textile centres of Dacca and Madras were turned into ghost towns.† This rather long quote refers to a typical pattern of hegemonic designs of development, ‘undevelopment’ and one’s own version of development. In India, after turning development into ‘undevelopment’, the British claimed to bring development through the construction of roads, railway tracks, buildings etc. This view of development is purely physical. This interesting pattern is also shared by military governments. It is claimed that most developmental works were carried out by military dictators like Ayub, Zia, and Musharraf. We can also equate this pattern with ‘form’, ‘deform’, and ‘reform’. Military governments first dissolve parliament and then, after ruling for a long time, promise to give back democracy (their own version of it) as a token of favour. In other words, the dominant group first deforms the existing practice and then embarks on reforming the process. Let us now look at the rationale of the post-9/11 reforms. Ironically the need for such reforms was not felt by the local government but by the US. In the 9/11 Commission report, the US is urged to â€Å"support Pakistan’s government in its struggle against extremists with a comprehensive effort that extends from military aid to support for better education, so long as Pakistan’s leaders remain willing to make difficult choices of their own.† Following this commitment, a large sum of money was given to Pakistan for educational reforms. According to USAID, â€Å"From 2002 through 2006, USAID provided a total of $449m to address the most pressing needs: education, health, economic growth, and good governance.† One of the major reforms was to purge the curriculum of hate material. It is important to note that most of this hate material was in fact included during the period of the Afghan war. Besides help in the shape of weapons, money, training etc, a large sum of money was also allocated by the superpower for designing such primers and books that would excite the youth for jihad. This jihad was a political need of the superpower to settle scores with the Soviet Union. For this purpose a centre was established in Peshawar to design such books. Tariq Ali (quoted in Mamdani) referred to primers that stated that the Urdu letter tay stood for tope (cannon), kaff for Kalashnikov, khay for khoon (blood) and jeem for jihad. It is interesting that money is now being squandered on taking out the hate material which was once inserted with consent. This should not come as a surprise as education has always been used by hegemonic forces as a potent tool to realise their vested interests by moulding marginalised groups. Having looked at the upper level of politics in educational reforms now let us see political manoeuvring at the national level. Pakistan has always suffered from the problem of poor allocation of funds for education. Here was a very good opportunity to make appropriate use of money to bring a qualitative change to the educational system of Pakistan. But on the contrary, the government used this money for its own image-building. To do wonders, a retired general was appointed as minister for education. At the local level, slogans of self-praise, such as ‘Parah Likha Punjab’ were coined to create the illusion of development. On the top, political appointments were made, some of them quite controversial. A sizeable amount of funds was allocated to print and electronic advertisements for the image-building of the provincial leadership. In the books published by the Punjab Text Board a message from the chief minister was also inserted. A typical practice in most research projects, initiated in the name of educational reforms, was to focus on the enhancement of numbers. Showing increased numbers at the end of a research project would satisfy the donors, and the salaries of the employees and consultants would be justified. What do we find as a result of such lucrative projects? We should expect a typical number-crunching game without any sustainable qualitative change. It is important to realise that for real improvement in education, money is important. But money alone cannot bring about any meaningful change unless the desire for reform comes from within, appointments are made on the basis of pure merit, planning is done carefully, an effective monitoring system is in place and goals are not limited to demonstrating expansion in numbers.

The empirical relationship between accounting disclosure and stock Dissertation

The empirical relationship between accounting disclosure and stock market return using portfolio analysis and managerial behavio - Dissertation Example The rapid advances in technology and communication have provided instant access of news on companies and capital markets to investors through mediums such as the Internet and television (Mayer, 2003). Thus, information is now analyzed by investors in a matter of minutes or seconds and decisions on stock investments are taken much more frequently. Companies disclose information on their performance or other aspects through various mediums such as earnings reports, corporate communications and management interviews (Weston, 2009). The investor base is constantly on the lookout for any new information from such events that may help them increase their returns or reduce their risk exposure (Schillhofer, 2008). Based on these factors, it is believed that an empirical relationship exists between accounting disclosures of firms and the performance of related stocks in the market. The paper analyzes the potential existence of such an empirical relationship among companies within the Gulf Coo peration Council (GCC) region by using a numerical analysis on historical information on related parameters. Schillhofer (2008) has shown that earnings disclosures have a direct influence on investor preferences that determine the prices and returns from traded securities. Since then, numerous studies have been carried out to understand the relationship between corporate disclosures and the performances of securities related to the target firms. While this strong relationship is demonstrated among firms based in the developed and western economies, behavior demonstrating the relationship between accounting disclosures and stock returns is rather sparse and relatively unexplored among firms based in Oman and other countries belongings to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This paper is an attempt to provide some further investigation into this phenomenon with a specific focus on the firms based out of the GCC member countries. McCahery (2007) believes that research exploring the val ue of information disclosed through annual reports and other corporate disclosures for investment analysis and valuation purposed has been rather limited in nature. This however leads one to question the importance of accounting disclosures and why they are so avidly analyzed by investors. Hirschey (2009) have conducted elaborate surveys of investors and investment analysts and have arrived at a broad consensus over the relevance and importance of the target company’s financial statements, footnotes, Management discussions & analysis (MD & A) as well as the various accounting assumptions and estimates of the company. For example, the release of financial statements and accounts is followed by the annual general meeting (AGM), which in the opinion of Ang (2008) perhaps offers the only opportunity for investors to understand the company’s management, their behavior and their practices to improve the sustainability and prospects of the business. However, Heinrich (2006) c onducted some analytical studies in this regard only to conclude that such meetings did not generally evoke a collective and unilateral reaction from the market. According to Weston (2009), the extent of information available in the market about a company is directly related to the range of disclosures made public by the organization as well as the extent to which the company’s stock is followed by intermediaries such as financial analysts and brokers. Thus, most

To what extent is the teaching of Mencius close to the original Essay

To what extent is the teaching of Mencius close to the original teaching of Confucius - Essay Example With this concept, the two philosophers dealt with the ethical, sociopolitical, and philosophical systems, which developed from Chinese cultural teachings. It would be paramount to understand that this philosophy targeted by the two great Chinese teachers focused on the practical, especially the significance of the family and little did it give preference to the belief in deities or the possibility of afterlife (Richey 70). This is the rationale that these two philosophers believed that human capacity is teachable, can improve, and attain perfection through personal and communal endeavour. They believed that the cultivation of virtue and maintenance of ethics would ultimately liberate the human capacity. It is in this capacity that Mencius developed Confucius former philosophical advances. Mencius himself bears the tag name Confucius, who lived in the 4th century. He converges his philosophical teaching with Confucius, the founder father in the line that human nature was all-good. Th is is the same observation that Confucius put across (Richey 83). In his own understanding, Confucius emphasized that the human nature is the one that forms governmental morality as well as modelling itself to attain that personal morality. His virtue goes farther to touch on correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity. At this level, Mencius extends Confucius philosophy by acknowledging that human nature is alike. He uses the imagery of human as equated to tastes and flavours and points out that the human minds cannot be that different that there is nothing shared by other animal species. It is this concept that he wraps by suggesting that human nature ought to alike, just like the case of their minds. Mencius accepts the teachings of morality and virtue as formally extended by Confucius that human nature must appreciate morality just as the way their taste of buds appreciates great foods (Gardner 78). A reader would not fail to realize the efforts of Mencius adopti on of Confucianism philosophy since his perceptions allude that moral virtues such as humanity and righteousness come into existence through continual human efforts. When Mencius claims that there is no man who is not good and no one would stand to bear the suffering of others culminates to the very core concepts of Confucianism, the feeling that traces the integral and innate of humanness in the human race. Developing on the Confucian ethical human nature perhaps remains the greatest contribution of Mencius philosophy on Confucian learning. The earlier reflection of Confucius described the possibility of ethical heaven and innate nature of ethical human beings. In his true words, Confucius believed that the existence of these ethical standards received supervision from heaven. In extending this proposition, Mencius agreed that an ethical human being, either achieved through personal strife or innate natures, ethical human being is a moral universe on his own (Richey 105). This expl ains the understanding of Mencius that ethical human nature and personal physical life are two related idealistic perspectives and to some extent have an innate connection. Confucius put across these ideals. He argued that a man cultivates himself and thereby be able to draw peace and security to his fellow men. In an attempt to magnify his belief in the ethics of human nature, Confucius placed emphasis on individual’

Does affirmative action advance racial equality Essay

Does affirmative action advance racial equality - Essay Example In order to understand this, Britain’s example of racism can be considered that the groups which suffer the ultimate racial inequality are from minority groups of outside Europe. These minority groups are diversified with respect to their culture, race, living standards and their origination from different parts of the British colonial world due to which they experience many acts of disregard related to racial inequality. In order to make the situation better and to provide the minority with equal treatment it is necessary to take some affirmative actions which can advance racial equality and prevent the people from injustice and cruelty (Mckenna). The reason why affirmative actions are regarded as an effective source of solving the problem of racial inequality in United States of America is that it provides the evolution of civil rights in different parts where there is a racial inequality issue. It can be considered to a great extent that affirmative actions are necessary to be taken in order to curb the problems of racism. This should be done so as to help a qualified person when he loses the opportunities of advancement in his life socially, politically and economically. These actions will help him during the circumstances when he will be put back morally due to his race, gender and his socioeconomic status. Basically, affirmative actions are proposed to be taken as they can correct the effects of discrimination. So, these actions are actually designed to open the doors of equal treatment for every one regardless of the race, gender, color or creed. Furthermore, this will help the minorities in every direction. For instanc e, whether it is related to their field, their rights and the opportunities for which they are looking (Mckenna). Moreover, the reason for applying these actions is the uneven distribution of safety measures and effective institutions of democratic government. Many

Graduate level Economic question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Graduate level Economic question - Assignment Example The outlook beyond 2012 is positive, where investments from the EU, Japan, China etc resume, and banking hubs like HK and Singapore resume expansion in developed economies. The deficit shall continue to increase for the foreseeable future. The government is printing like never before to keep the impact from its citizens. Due to this huge unsupported cash in the economy, the result shall be a hyper-inflationary trend that shall fuel an even tighter control on spending from consumers. The result will be a sudden loss of the US dollar’s purchasing power, causing other countries to exit long term treasury bonds to safer pastures (Williams 13). As soon as that happens, the bottom will fall out of the markets, as the others’ fear of American collapse will not fuel the support to the dollar, as the US shall have internally made it’s currency worthless. Federal reserve Policies will focus on a sustained purchase of gold to back the huge amount of dollars not backed by any assets, thereby causing gold to soar, and therefore become unaffordable to America itself. The feds will have to raise interest rates to protect the dollar, causing a fur ther slowdown in demand (Williams

Outline the main elements in Karl Marxs social theory and examine the Essay

Outline the main elements in Karl Marxs social theory and examine the strengths and weaknesses of his theory. Explain why Marxs social theory has had such a - Essay Example Ideologies in this context refer to the values, feelings and ideas by which people perceive their particular societies which the upper-class controls so as to prevent people in the lower-class from knowing how society truly operates. For example, literature can be used to form a society’s ideology as was prevalent in eighteenth century England. The fundamental conception behind Marxism is identified as materialism, socialism and the unification of action and structure. Marx’s idealistic view of socialism involved actions that would better serve society within the realm of unselfish inspiration, a society not interested in existing social inclinations. The wealth of a nation should be divided not according to greed but to need. He sees the technological advances as the basis for entire societies to be redistributed in accordance to the requirements of the upper class. Marx â€Å"sees the source of these changes in changing technologies, ‘productive relations,†™ which bring changes in the way people are organised or ‘social relations.’† (Sowell, 1985: 70). His theory does not suggest philosophical concerns or the study of social structures alone but the actions necessary to implement social change as well. One of the most often used axioms in the Marxist ideology is that their ambition is ‘not to study society but to change it.’ According to Applebaum (1988: 15), society should â€Å"understand how Marx sought to bridge the concerns of both philosophy and science in developing a theory that operates simultaneously at the levels of structure and action [†¦] the philosophic critique of consciousness, the ‘scientific’ analysis of capitalist economic institutions, and the historical study of politics and society.† This is the intent of this discussion along with identifying various strengths and weaknesses of the theory and to examine the reasons why Marx’s social theory has

Google Inc Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Google Inc Case Study - Essay Example The growth in Google had been witnessed on basing the CPC bids against the duration of actual CTR (Click-through rate) (Edelman and Eisenmann 3). The provision developed the system to accord Google the ability to present the most relevant ads a higher stature as compared to the least influential ads. Google managed to increase the revenues with the system that saw the company contain ads with high CPC bid against a decreased CTR that presented minimal revenue. Furthermore, as compared to Overture, the company did not conduct marketing campaigns that saw an increased 24.5 million user group attracting leading companies like AOL (Edelman and Eisenmann 3). The network also attracted advertisers with the presentation of advance search traffic with minimal CPC bids. Google had to articulate other advertisement measures because the online ad campaigns would grow less popular with the increasing complains from the customers. These measures were also susceptible to hackers as compared to traditional media that offered more security. Furthermore, the company needed to establish its dominance in the market through the acquisition of capital ventures like YouTube in 2006. Through the introduction of the added channels, Google boasted of an increased user group surfacing competition from other leading companies like Yahoo. To maintain the witnessed growth, Google should retain the focus on the line of operation and advance the search solutions via targeted advertising. The expansion in advertising would utilize added methods in advertising beyond the World Wide Web. These are realized in print, mobile, and other traditional advertising measures. Google should also focus on expanding into a full portal as depicted by rival companies in Yahoo and MSN.

What Are the Reasons for Students to Cheat During Examinations Essay Example for Free

What Are the Reasons for Students to Cheat During Examinations Essay In the 21st century, peoples are much concerned about the certificate. Nowadays, no matter what you want to work, you need a certificate. You can imagine how important the certificate are. Because of a certificate, students cheat during examinations. Firstly, the main reason for students to cheat during examinations is they desire to have a good grades. Most of the students who cheat during the examinations ordinarily have a lot of stress from their family. Especially for those who have brother or sister with good grades in exam. Because of this, they will force themselves to get a good grades in their exam. When they get stuck during exam, they will cheat. In similar, students cheat because of a good fame. When they see their classmates have a good grades in exam, they want this fame too, so they will cheat during examinations. Therefore, students will do anything to get a good grades, even cheating during exam. Furthermore, the second reason that make students cheat during examinations is they desire to have a high-paying job after finish school. Nowadays, students are living in the world who always need good grades and certificate. This make students to think that a better grades will lead them to get a high-paying job. For those who are lazy, lack of study and wanted to get a high-paying job, cheating will did by them during examinations. They don’t even think about when they have been caught cheating during the examinations, this will destroy their future and their personal reputation. Lastly, lack of high self-esteem is also a reason for students to cheat on their exam. Those students who have a high self-esteem will feel shame to cheat during their exam. They will think that they need to get a good grades due to their own knowledge but not to cheat on their exam. Conversely, for those students who have a low self-esteem, they will only value on the final grades but not depend on their own knowledge. They will cheat whenever is possible. This will lead them to a dark future. In conclusion, the reasons that make students to cheat on their exam are desire to have a good grades, high-paying job and lack of high-esteem. Cheat on exam is a very bad and dishonest habit, so, students should avoid cheating during exam and students need to be more hardworking in their studies, because work hard is the only way to lead you to success.

Developing A Five Star Hotel In Maldives Construction Essay

Developing A Five Star Hotel In Maldives Construction Essay Expedition Maldives Pvt. Ltd, this is leading construction company in Maldives, A Company is a expand hard with the ability to meet its clients building needs through wide range of contracting and company with a staffs of professionals skilled in architectural design and construction management, In every movement, the companys priority is helping its clients achieve their construction and developmental objectives. Our goal is to build the most expertly designed structure as economically as possible. During the past 07 years, Expedition Maldives Pvt. Ltd, a company, has successfully completed a wide range of construction projects for the private sector, hotels building, and government projects. Background Developing a five star hotel in Maldives. The project environment Mendhoo island is located in (BAA-Atoll) and this is an individual stand alone island. This is an investment of Blue line corporation, Netherland. The project commenced on 2011 February. The island is plan and design for 200 bed rooms with other necessary building in a five hotel. The first phase of the project is going to complete 100 bed rooms and required other buildings, such as restaurants, bars, sport centers and etc. The total investment of first phase is Eight million US$ (Eight million dollars), and the duration of the this phase is three years, after finishing the first phase the resort will be opened and connect the tourism industry. The remaining project phase of 100 bed room will start after analysis of performance. Project goals 1- To complete the project within the agreed timeframe of three years from January 2011 to January 2014, and handover to the owner of Mendhoo International 2- To complete the all the project works within agreed budget of US$ Eight Million (United State Dollars), that includes goods, materials, food, accommodation, transportation and labor cost. 3- To maintain the project quality according to the plan, without omitting any single part of project work and hand over the project after revising entire the project work, to make ensure the owner are satisfied with the project work. 4- To make sure the customer is satisfy, by finishing the project with the specification the customer provided and exactly the customer want. 5- To use the best methods and ways, to complete the project in a difficult situation such as strong weather it normally faced in the country like Maldives. Project objectives 1- To monitor the project works day-by-day and how the project team performance to avoid the problems that are facing on the project activities to complete project on time. 2- Adopt an effect monitoring system to handle goods, materials and other services which are used in the project to control the budget. 3- Supervise the all the project works, to ensure that the works are carryout according to the plan provided, to maintain the quality of the work. 4- Get the continuous feedback from owner or consultant that the owner has selected, to provide the product the customer actually wants. 5- Continuous monitoring of weather forecast, to organize the work schedules, suppliers transportation, to mitigate the obstacle facing on the project performance. Stakeholders Stakeholders of this project defined as all internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders who involved in this project are Investors, investing for the project, Board of Directors, Managing director, Organizational staffs, Project manager, Project team members, Contractor and Suppliers. External stakeholders are government agencies, Architectures, Consultants, Competitors, Tourists and banks. Project Scope and Time Management Scope is building a five star hotel in Maldives, to provide higher quality accommodation for the customers and to deliver owners acceptable quality works within given budget and time frame and project time is managed buy according to the work breakdown structure (WBS) attached in this plan. Human resources management This looks on the process which required and how these people effectively involved in the project. This will includes all the stakeholders. In the organizational planning it was mentioned roles and responsibility of each member, whom they should report and provide the best resources to the staffs, that will include provide the best training which required for the project and good standard of food, accommodation, health and safety. Financial Management Required funding is provided by the investors for part payments from Blue Line Corporation, Netherland. They are paying in many different phases, according to the ongoing project works. Internally project will be audit; according to the audit management system will monitor and order the required good and materials for the project and made the payment for contractors and suppliers. Stakeholders Roles and responsibilities 1- The project investors will oversee the research of the business and finalized the budget for the project and investing on project. 2- Project board of directors will establishing the organization mission and vision, establish the plan and provide resources required for the project. 3- Managing director will develop the organization strategic plan in an effective manner and accountable for overall performance of organization. Managing day-to-day activities of the business, authority delegated from board and implementing board policies and strategy, allocating resources required to achieved the objectives. 4- Project Manager responsibility is completing the project on time, within the provided or given budget, and maintain the quality criteria provide training for the project staffs, maintain the project quality, identify the project procurement, develop and approve project charter, define the goals and objectives. 5- Project Teams members responsible are performing the project activities. They also help obtaining commitments to complete the project within schedule and limited budget. 6- Contractors will carry out the task handover according to the design and plan and contract they may be a construction or electrical. 7- A Supplier will supply good and material according to the contract, which are required for the project and should maintain the quality standard of the according to the contract. Project Management Information System PMIS Project Management Information System adopts for this project, collect, combine and distributes the information through electronically and manually. This used for upper management to communicate with lower management. It will provide the resources for planning, evaluating, monitoring, and controlling to a project through both formal and informal channels. Risks management In the risk identification of this project, all identified risks will be stored in a risk register and this list will be determine which risk is most danger to the project and will give more priority to attend the high risks first likewise resolving one after another. Tools and Techniques consider are Documentation Reviews, Information Gathering Techniques, Checklist, Assumption Analysis and Diagramming Techniques such as Cause and effect, and fishbone Ishikawa diagrams, Process flow charts, Influence diagram Risk treatment plan is a part of risk and also it is a part of risk management plan. This plan will show how the risk will be managed either that is high, medium or low. According to this project the first create risk management plan that will guide the team members and stakeholders, how they react on the risk. Communication Plan Maintain the communication among the stakeholders, according to the communication matrix given below. Communication type Project Objectives Medium Used Frequency Project Audience Project Owner Deliverable Methods Project Kick-off Introducing the project team and review objectives and management approach Face-to-Face Once Investor Board of Directors Stakeholders Project Team Project Manager Agenda Meeting Minutes Project Team Meetings Review project status within project team. Face-to-Face Call Conferencing Weekly Project Team Project Manager Agenda Meeting Minutes Technical Design Meetings Develop a technical design and solution for the project. Face-to-Face As needed Technical staff Technical Leader Agenda Meeting Minutes Status Meetings of Project Project status report to management Face-to-Face Call Conferencing Monthly PMO Project Manager Status Reports of Project Project status report of the activities, progress, costs and issues Email Monthly Investor Board of directors Project Team Stakeholders PMO Project Manager Status Report of Project Quality management To manage the quality of the project, the firm will adopt ISO 14000 for Environmental issues and ISO 12006 for Building construction issues. Both of these two families have many other series of standards that are included in this project. This is a five star hotel, so the quality management system of the project conduct according to the ISO approved standard. The firm staffs will be trained the standard of ISO approved level. The project is running with international standard, than these agencies provide required knowledge for particular issues, so adopting ISO standard is very important for this full project. The main reason of adopt ISO standard is to meet or exceed stakeholders needs and expectation. The project team will develop a good relationship with key stakeholders, specially the supporter and the recipient of the project, to understand what quality means to them. The project team will need to make adjustment to scope, schedule and budget to satisfy the recipient s needs and expectation. Procurement Management Procurement planning of this project, the firm will use annual procurement planning. This planning encourages the firm management to handle the available resources as well as deliveries according plans and strategies. 1- To identify the quantity of good and materials required for the project, according to the plan other requirements. 2- Always materials should be available for the project works. 3- Giving special attention to good, material and resources prices. 4- Minimize the procurement time, cost and increase the production. 5- Mitigating the level of risk associate with the project. 6- Equally perform the production and procurement plan. 7- A trusted understanding between business partners and suppliers. The firm management will consider on following stages of annual procurement planning. 1- Supporting service of delivering the products 2- Assessing company expenses on goods, materials and services 3- Improving the project procurement process 4- Improving the project performance of goals and events

Representation of War in Sassoon’s They, Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, and the

Representation of War in Sassoon’s They, Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, and the film Hedd Wynn â€Å"They†, by Siegfried Sassoon, â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, and the film Hedd Wynn directed by Paul Turner, were works written about World War I. These works were the author’s point of view about the war. The authors described how the war effected people during and after the war was over. The poem â€Å"They†, by Siegfried Sassoon was a poem written during World War I. The poem basically states that no man comes out of the war the same. People who go into war are facing death. Either the soldier comes out alive, or dead. The war will have some affect on a soldier in some way or another. This representation of war applies to Virginia Woolf’s novel â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway†, and the film Hedd Wynn. Both pieces consist of characters that went to war, and as a result died in the war. It seems as if the authors believe that if there is a war, there will be some kind of tragedy as a result. The tragedy isn’t always a bad thing. Either th ere will be Mental problems, physical problems, or death as the result. The poem â€Å"They† displays a war representation of change of human existence can be applied to the novel Mrs. Dalloway, and Hedd Wynn. Mrs. Dalloway, and Hedd Wynn representation of war was death. The poem â€Å"They† begins with a Bishop saying that the soldiers wouldn’t come back as the same men. Some of soldiers admitted that some were injured, and faced death. Some of the soldiers also admitted that no man would come from the war without being changed. Siegfried Sassoon is stating that these men who fight in the war, will come back changed physically, mentally, or face death. In â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway†, the character Septimus fought in the World War I in Englan... ...s mind from the war. Woolf used Clarissa as a person who could relate to Septimus, because she wanted to plunge into another place herself. By plunging into another place, she could get away from the facade that she had to put on in front of guest. She wanted to be herself, not someone else. Ellis died, and he won chair for his poem. Once again people change after they fight in the war. Woolf and the Paul Turner also imply that death is not always a terrible aspect in one’s life. It can bring out the best in a person. Work Cited Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. San Diego, New York: Harcourt, Inc., 1925. Sasoon, Siegfried. â€Å"They.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. 7th ed. vol. 2c. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2000. p. 2055 Hedd Wynn. Dir. Paul Turner. Perf. Huw Garman, Catrin Fychan. Welsh Films., 1996. http://us.imdb.com

Freedom Of Expression :: essays research papers

COSHE.COM : uncategorized : freedom of expression on the internet freedom of expression on the internet First and foremost, in the United States the freedom of expression is guaranteed in the first Article of Amendment to the American Constitution. It states, "Con Click Here to Search COSHE's Database Again freedom of expression on the internet First and foremost, in the United States the freedom of expression is guaranteed in the first Article of Amendment to the American Constitution. It states, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or the press..." This is significant beyond its mere primacy in the U.S. Bill of Rights. It does not establish the freedom of expression, but rather, in recognizing its existence, guarantees it. Freedom of expression has been a part of the American way since long before the American Revolution. Alexis de Toqueville, on touring the United States over 150 years ago recognized this, writing in _Democracy in America, "The Anglo-Americans have enjoyed this liberty ever since the foundation of the Colonies..." Americans have always felt free to express their opinion. By guaranteeing both freedoms of speech and press, the American Constitution recognizes both personal and broadcast expression, clearly embracing the advancements and proliferation of communications technology. Unfortunately People leave tracks as they move through electronic networks. Whenever we do business, electronically or otherwise, the other party knows something about our preferences and activities. But when we use the new electronic vending machines and digital cash, the merchants with whom we deal can keep a detailed record that reveals much more, in aggregate,about our activities. Store and forward messaging systems can continue to store after they forward. As we all conduct more and more of our lives on the networks. It is the freedom of expression itself that moderates the impact of radical different opinions. The only fear of Internet freedom is its lack of use by the holders of contrary, yet more mainstream opinions. As the electronic frontier matures, there will be co ntinual conflicts between those who want free access to information and those who want to participate in the networks without automatically giving up all rights to control the flow of the resulting transactional data. Before we treat these conflicts as appropriate matters for a new type of "property" law, however, we should remember that almost everyone will be on both sides of any new "fence." If we approach

The Lord Of The Flies: The Hunts :: essays research papers

A running theme in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is the hunts and their progression, as well as symbolic meaning it possesses as the hunts continue. The hunts always ultimately revert back to an evil and primitive nature. The cycle of man’s rise to power, or righteousness, and his inevitable fall from grace is an important point that Golding proves again and again. Lord of the Flies, is a story of a group of boys of different backgrounds who are marooned on an unknown island when their plane crashes. As the boys try to organize and formulate a plan to get rescued, they begin to separate and as a result of a decision a band of savage tribal hunters is formed. Eventually the boys almost entirely shake off civilized behavior. Jack has always been an ill-natued boy even from the start of the book when he told Piggy to "Shut up, Fatty." (p.23). Dispite Jack’s unpleasent personality, his lack of courage and his conscience preventing him from killing the first pig they encountered. "They knew very well why he hadn’t; because of the enormity of the knife decending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood." (p.34) When Jack was chosen to keep the fire going, he decides to get meat instead of tending to the fire. His pursuit for killing a pig is symbollizing a sexual desire built into human nature. While he was out pursuing the pig, the fire went out. This symbollized the fact that Jack's sexual desires led him away from hope and deeper into despair. Jack represents a Satan like, deathly force. The blood that he wallows in is a further representation of deathliness. After his first kill, "Jack transferred the knife to his left hand and smudged blood over his forehead as he pushed down the plastered hair," he unconsciously imitates the ritual of the tribal initiation of the hunter, whose face is covered with the blood of his first kill. Jack then successfully convinces many big'uns and little'uns to come along with him and join a tribe of savages. These savages have face-paint on, which makes them anonymous. This anonimity allows for each tribe member to do things he would not have normally done because of the fear of being judged by society. They basically had no shame left. So they went out, killed a pig, acted as if they were raping it, and cut off its head.

Cultural Self-Assessment Essay

I got 9 correct answers and 14 incorrect answers. This score is lower than I expected. I was anticipating to get more than half of the total questions right because I thought that the set of questions on cultural competency for health care providers is an easy subject to tackle. However, my assumptions have proven me wrong. I have realized that this topic required more knowledge about different cultures and its relation to providing high-quality and culturally competent medical services. Prior to taking these quiz, I thought that giving medical attention to people from different cultural backgrounds was an uncomplicated task. The reason behind this thinking is that culture is an issue that is familiar with every individual. More so, when dealing with a problem that involves the interaction of two or more dissimilar cultures, the natural instinct is to treat the difference with sensitivity and respect. It may seem that this is as simple as it sounds. But as I learned about the results of the quiz, there appears to be more than just being considerate and being polite. What we currently know does not necessarily mean that it is everything that we ought to know. People should go beyond their comfort zone and try to understand things that are foreign to us. In the field of medicine, it is very important to practice this so as to provide the best care to patients in aid of prolonging and improving their lives. 2. Which items did you answer correctly? Which items did you answer incorrectly? To what do you attribute your incorrect responses? Out if the 23 questions in the quiz, I got mostly correct answers on questions about communicating the similarities and differences of people from different backgrounds. However, there were some aspects of this subject matter that I did not do well such as asking about the patient’s personal background in a non-offensive way and soliciting g information in a non-verbal manner. Meanwhile, the 14 incorrect answers that I obtained were mostly about the beliefs and mannerisms of specific cultures. Also, I did poorly on handling language interpretation between a medical practitioner and the patient. Apparently, based on these results, I have a lot of learning to do to be able to be a competent medical practitioner in a culturally diverse environment. I think that one of the main reasons why I did so badly in this quiz is the assumption that handling cultural differences has a universal approach. More so, I thought that a certain method or attitude can be applicable to numerous race and ethnicity. But in reality, every culture demands to be treated distinctively because a Hispanic patient can have dissimilar needs with and Asian patient or a Western medical approach cannot be applied to a medical problem of a patient from an African descent. 3. How will you enhance your cultural competence in any areas in which you were deficient? How will you maintain your cultural competence in areas in which you were proficient? Since I was able to get more wrong answers than the right ones, I have realized that I have a lot of things to learn that will increase my knowledge about cultural competency and also I have to improve my skills in handling patients of diverse cultural backgrounds. One way of achieving this is by immersing myself to another cultural environment. Thought this, I can have a first-hand experience about the various traditions and beliefs that a certain culture practices. The knowledge that I will gain from this cultural encounter would aid me in becoming more sensitive and more informed on the different aspects of a specific culture which can guide me to become an efficient health care provider. On the other hand, with the culture competence areas that I am proficient, I plan to further my knowledge when it comes to communicating similarities and differences of people from different backgrounds. It is important to properly execute this in order to gain accurate information from the patient and also to provide effective measures as a medical practitioner.

Mass Spectrometer

Research Task On Mass Spectrometer When was the first mass spectrometer made and by who? Find an example of a mass spectrogram for an element and explain how it is used to find the relative atomic mass of that element. A solid disk of unknown mass ad known radius R is used as a pulley in a lab experiment, as shown. A small block of mass m is attached to a a lab experiment, as shown. A small block of mass m is attached to a string, the other end of which is attached to the pulley and wrapped around it several times. The block of mass m is released from rest and takes a time t to fall the distance D to the floor. econds before the plane is directly overhead? 14) Johnny Rockabilly has just finished recording his latest CD. The company can produce the CD with no fixed cost and a variable cost of company can produce the CD with no fixed cost and a variable cost of $5 per CD. A) Find total revenue for quantity equal to 10,000, 20,000, and so on. What is the marginal revenue for each 10,000 increase in the quantity sold? B) What quantity of CDs would maximize profit? What would the price be? What would the profit be? C) If you were Johnny†s agent, what recording fee would you advise Johnny to demand from the record company?Why? 15) A pop singer has a monopoly over a scarce†¦ if a nation's real GDP increases from 100 billion to 106 billion and its population jumps from 200 million to 212 million, its real GDP per its population jumps from 200 million to 212 million, its real GDP per capita will†¦ 2. What were the risks associated with outsourcing to Flextronics? Did Microsoft mitigate these risks? Do you think Microsoft would have Did Microsoft mitigate these risks? Do you think Microsoft would have been better off making the Xbox itself?

Lord of the Flies Antrhopology

Thomas Hobbes was one of the most controversial philosophers of all time. He argued that the, â€Å"Life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short† (Hobbes 77). Clearly he didn’t think that humanity was a good group of beings. In the Lord of the Flies by William Golding, one character, Jack Merridew, displays many characteristics of Hobbes’ philosophy on man. Time after time, Golding subtly refers to Hobbes’ philosophy through Jack and his reactions with other characters in the book. After Golding introduces the boys, they want to elect a chief, and already, Golding is using Hobbes’ anthropology.In Hobbes’ Leviathan, he states, â€Å"And therefore, if any two men desire the same thing which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies† (Hobbes 76). The two main contenders for the chief position are Ralph and Jack. Jack fervently believes that he should be chief, and he says, â€Å"’I ought to be chief,â €™ said Jack with simple arrogance, ’because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp’† (Golding 15). Fortunately, Ralph is elected chief, and Jack is disappointed. This simple election creates the dispute between the two boys for the whole book.Ralph and Jack cannot share the position, and both cannot enjoy it, so Jack begins to have an aversion to Ralph. Hobbes’ philosophy basically predicted that this would occur. They both wanted a thing, leadership, and one got it, making them both enemies. This enmity that Jack has eventually pushes him to the point of wanting to kill Ralph in order to lead the island without opposition. This craving for murder also demonstrates another philosophical point by Hobbes. Far later in the book, Jack’s relations with Ralph once again clearly display one of Hobbes’ points.In Leviathan, Hobbes writes, â€Å"In all times kings and persons of sovereign authority, because of their indepen dency, are†¦ in the state and posture of gladiators, having their weapons pointing and their eyes fixed on one another† (76). After Jack splits from the tribe in order to make a new one, he immediately sees the other tribe as a threat. He even literally has his weapons pointed at Ralph in one scene specifically, in which the two leaders are dueling. The narrator narrates, â€Å"Jack made a rush and stabbed at Ralph’s chest with spear. Ralph sensed the position of the weapon from the glimpse he caught of Jack’s arm and put the hrust aside with his own butt† (Golding 159). Even though Hobbes may have intended this to be figurative without the actual leaders fighting, but their armies doing their work, this seems to fit the same kind of description. Hobbes really means that kings, or in this case chiefs, are always looking to fight each other, always ready for battle, always looking to rid themselves of their opponents. In the same way, Jack is always lo oking to fight Ralph, always ready for battle against Ralph, always looking to rid himself of Ralph. Golding ultimately connects Jack to Hobbes through Jack’s lack of mercy and justice.An unknown author composed a summary of Hobbes’ argument pertaining to this subject, and wrote â€Å"The state of nature†¦ was founded upon a savage egoism which drove man to seek a maximum of pleasure without hindrance from a norm of justice or mercy toward other men. Every man was continually engaged in war against all other men† (Paragraph 9). Throughout the book, Jack fastidiously tries to not offer mercy or due justice to people. In one instance, Ralph pleads for mercy upon the twins, Sam and Eric. The narrator says, â€Å"’Grab them! ’ No one moved. Jack shouted angrily. I said ‘grab them’! ’ Their spears were taken from them. ‘Tie them up! ’ Ralph cried out hopelessly against the black and green mask. ‘Jack! â€℠¢Ã¢â‚¬  (Golding 161). The key word of this scene is â€Å"hopelessly. † This simple word makes Ralph’s plea seem impossible; henceforth, Jack is not giving mercy at any cost. Jack wants the twins to leave Ralph and join his tribe. This essentially gives him pleasure because he knows that Ralph is hopeless. Whatever plea Ralph makes will not be granted because it will hinder his pleasure. Justice will not be served because it will hinder his pleasure.Mercy will not be served because it will hinder his pleasure. Hobbes directly says that people will not give justice or mercy when it will hinder his own pleasure. For Jack, to offer mercy is to rid himself of pleasure; therefore, he will not give the mercy according to Hobbes’ philosophy. Golding clearly thought of Hobbes’ philosophy when he was contriving Jack. Jack displays almost all of the qualities that a human being should display according to Hobbes. First, his enmity toward Ralph is solely based on a thing that he can’t have, which is what Hobbes predicted would happen.Second, he and Ralph, because they are both opposing leaders, have weapons pointed at each other, symbolizing how opposing leaders always quarrel with each other according to Hobbes. Third, his lack of mercy and justice for those who deserve it is nonexistent because it will hinder his pleasure according to Hobbes. In conclusion, in almost every act that Jack does, he relates back to Hobbes’ philosophy pertaining to human nature. Works Cited â€Å"The Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. † 1998. The Radical Academy. 15 March 2010. <http://www. radicalacademy. com/philfthomashobbes. htm>.Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. The Harvard Classics. 1904-14. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. I used passive voice because the subjects are more important than Jack, who would be doing the action. (This isn’t rhet oric, it’s just and explanation) [ 2 ]. I used epistrophe to emphasize the point that Jack will not do the things that will hinder his pleasure [ 3 ]. I used antithesis here to kind of show a cause and effect. If he was to offer mercy (the cause) then he would accept defeat (effect). It seemed more logical to use antithesis right here than other forms of rhetoric.

Political Control In Han China And Imperial Rome Essay

Han China and Imperial Rome were amazing empires in their own way. Both of these civilizations had ways of maintaining the political control over their people. Han China and Imperial Rome’s method in political control has many differences and similarities, but I believe there are more similarities than differences. Han China’s political control was large. This empire developed a political philosophy called legalism. Legalism advocated clear rules and harsh punishments as means of enforcing the authority of the state. With this new philosophy, Shihuangdi decided to launch a military campaign to reunify China. This empire also believed military force was very important. Han China’s leading figure was an emperor. In their government, religion often took the major role in their society. Han China also had more equality in political control than Imperial Rome. Imperial Rome’s political control was mainly based on social status. For instance wealthy men dominated over women, and poor men. They had a written code of law that offered plebeians (poorer class) protection from abuse. This gave the plebeians an opportunity to shape public policy. Romans took great pride in this, and believed they enjoyed greater freedom than most of their neighbors. They had a rule of law, the rights of citizens, the absences of pretension, upright moral behavior, and keeping ones word. This was later recognized as â€Å"the way of the ancestors.† Once these empires political control were established, they shared many similarities. Both of them worked to unite the empires and create peace among them. They also both believed the gods helped them rule and succeed as an empire. Both of these civilizations also had a custom religion, Christianity in Imperial Rome, and Buddhism in China. Roman and Chinese authorities both had supernatural sanctions to support their rule. Romans began to regard their deceased emperors as gods and made a religious cult. Roman authorities persecuted the refusing Christians that didn’t take part.

Prospectus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Prospectus - Essay Example One of the most asked questions among several professional Historians is how the women gained the voting rights in 1893. Why didn’t they get the freedom rights in 1877 after putting all efforts pressurizing the then Colorado political rulers? Some Historians refer to the most popular theory â€Å"Myth of the Frontier† in explaining the concepts2. According to this theory, the Western women enjoyed their independence, freedom, and democracy to the maximum level during the 1870s, especially in the 1876. More reasons and answers came from certain individuals who asserted some of the Colorado Politicians granted and favored women suffrage in order to create for themselves a good image sin the political field. Another explanation or view is that the Colorado men never granted the women rights to vote such easily. They, however, fought political war; organized among themselves as suffragists with several goals, one of which the right to vote3. This argument tends to explain w hy these women never achieved gained the rights in 1877 despite their struggle. Colorado women remain in pride over the achievements of their early great grandmothers of the 19th century. The above three reasons explaining how the women achieved their independence can be discussed widely to give more and pithy explanations concerning the endlessly asked

Freedom of Choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Freedom of Choice - Essay Example In some stories, the choices are more obvious than others. Updike’s â€Å"A & P† focuses entirely on the events leading up to Sammy’s life-changing decision. Although he does say, â€Å"it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it's fatal not to go through with it† (Updike 18), his original decision was based on his own personal worldview, in his appreciation of beauty. Although Sammy only makes a single choice in this short story, it is the choice that feels right to him. His manager even tries to persuade him to take another path, but Sammy refuses. In fact, in this case, to recant his decision would be to allow someone else to choose his fate. Although he knows his choices will make life hard, he deliberately chooses not the path that will make things hard, but the path that will ensure he does not turn into the story’s final image: Lengel, â€Å"His face†¦dark gray and his back stiff, as if he'd just had an injection of iron† (Upd ike 19). Sammy is choosing his own freedom, along with all its attendant difficulties. Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† paints a picture of a thirty-five year old woman who might seem somewhat trapped in her own life. However, the story shows that Elisa is still a strong woman who can make choices for herself. Although she says of the life of a tinker in a wooden caravan, â€Å"It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things† (Steinbeck 258), she knows that she can do anything the visitor can do. Further, she has the power of her magic â€Å"planters’ hands†.

Better Acquisition Planning and Contracts Term Paper

Better Acquisition Planning and Contracts - Term Paper Example DHS, HHS and NASA preferred proper implementation of policies to ease their work. Moreover, the three departments adopted the need to establish a proper time frame. The three agencies: HHS, DHS and NASA, as well as, USAID developed policies, which formulated various different necessities and levels of supervision for the acquisition planning that was aimed at providing a balance between oversight and time and organizational load. Together, HHS, DHS and NASA opted for a written acquisition plans that were closely related to the fundamentals contained and defined in the federal acquisition regulation. All the departments and agencies were required to have all their cost approximation and obligations ready during acquisition planning; its aim was to ensure that time consumption and operational costs were minimized. However, NASA and DHS guidance considered the inclusion of essential lessons learned and new skills acquired from the past contracts they have been involved in the acquisitio n planning. In contrast, the three agencies have established differing conditions on the acquisition planning, for example, the individuals to carry out reviews of the documents (Compton, 2010). Implementation of the policies established under the acquisition planning took varying approaches. ... DHS, on the other hand, stated that the acquisition plans did not provide for acquisitions, for example, urgent situations, acts that had been integrated in an earlier plan already approved or procurements carried out within the mandate of Small Business Research Program (SBRP). NASA, just like HHS stated that acquisition plans did not provide room for un-sourced for proposals. NASA also confirmed their wish that architect-engineering services and research from nongovernmental organizations should not be included in the acquisition plans. Basing on the dollar awards, DHS, HHS and NASA had different requirements for different levels of grant. DHS viewed that it was essential to have vital information stored in an advanced Acquisition database for all rewards valued below $10 million. DHS proposed that failure to include the information in a database, a written acquisition plan had to be prepared. NASA opted for meetings on procurement strategy, which was aimed at establishing the way forward for awards below $10 million. The main agenda of the meeting was to look for approval of their proposal (Compton, 2010). HHS and NASA required that written acquisitions be provided for contracts that were way higher than the expectation of the agency; HHS demanded written documents for contracts above $500,000, while NASA opted for documents for any value of $10 million and above. Several elements are essential in an acquisition planning that includes cost, time, need and lessons learned from past contracts. It is very crucial to ensure that proper cost estimations are made so that the awards can cover the proposed use. The organization requesting for grants should work in collaboration with other stakeholders so that they can coordinate the process. The

What are the key issues faced by first year undergraduates Essay

What are the key issues faced by first year undergraduates - Essay Example Therefore, the issues that this easy intend to discussed are in terms of personal challenges, academic challenges, environmental challenges and social challenges. Every issue will present basic idea with a practical example. Moreover, the essay will further detail these issues that students in first year face as well as the reasons why these issues have become an obstacle for their retention and integration in the university. To begin with, Personal challenges that first year students face at the University might cover several challenges but let us talk about loneliness. Loneliness is usually an emotional feeling that arises when someone feels that she/he has been left out by friends, usually in an entirely new environment. In addition, this is a quite common problem faced by most students in their first year at Universities when they leave their families so as to seek abroad studies in higher institution of learning. A practical and a classic example is when these first year student s feel Home and lovesick which normally happens when they are missing their family or someone so special to them in life, who is far away from them. Fortunately, this sort of emotional feeling can only last for few weeks or months after which they recover from it, as they will meet more friends in due time. Besides Personal challenges, there are environmental challenges first year student face that that threaten their retention and integration into the university system. Learning in a totally new environment is not that easy as one may think, as it demands adaptation to that new Environment which is not an easy task for everyone. The mode of learning and teaching methods may be different from those that these first year students at the University may have used while still in high schools. For instance, the using the library catalogue is a new idea to most students in first year. Additionally, there can be sluggish learning progression in a too crowded and noisy environment for the s tudent in first year at the University. A productive and a successful learning outcome requires a conducive and private environment and therefore most students in first year at the University find difficulties in learning in crowded environment, since it associate with numerous negative impacts; for example, lose interest in learning processes and lose of concentration. However, after a couple of semesters, the students in first year at the University need to have been adapted and familiarized with the system if at all they are eager to learn and not pull out from the university. The third issue is educational challenges these student in first year at the University face. This issue is always of concern as well to a good number of first year students. Academic side in institutions of higher learning are highly professional than High Schools contrary to what the majority of first year students may expect, therefore, a good number of them are never serious enough with their time manag ement. First year students are devoid of efficient time management skill which simply explains how a person plan and allocate her/his daily activities in accordance to time available. At times, first year students lose opportunities to obtain additional marks in their final assessment simply because they never planned well for their time at the university (Gibney, Murpy & O’sullivan, 2011). For example, they might fail to attend or be late to attend to labs and tutorial, which implies they will lose marks. Moreover, procrastination is always a toxic attitude towards time management. This attitude is referring to the behavior of keeping tasks like homework and assignment to be done in a later date. Consequently, this attitude of University`s first

Classroom Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Classroom Management - Essay Example This essay explores the classroom management field that demonstrates the progression of ensuring that teaching and impartation of knowledge is undisturbed by undesired students who through disruptive behavior can cause disturbance while a class is in session. The researcher states that application of management in a classroom at times can prove to be intricate while trying to teach and experiencing such crisis can cause teachers to depart. The reason behind for the departure of teachers from the teaching field is caused by the attitudes and discipline of the negative students. Classroom management can be based on motivation, discipline and respect. Every academic year witnesses the adoption of various rules and systems but unfortunately by the middle of the term most often these rules are broken. The researcher suggests that in order to understand as to how to implement CM one needs to understand the mentality of every student. Various approaches of classroom management, such as the self discipline approach wherein the student can be trusted to investigate and change their behavioral pattern. The Desist approach that was also presented in the essay proclaims that the teacher has full responsibility in controlling the classroom. In conclusion, the researcher states that the most important aspect is to construct a positive relationship between the teacher and student thereby creating a constructive educational atmosphere and sums up that every student should develop a sense of trust, sovereignty and inventiveness.

Choose a company or organisation. Suggest an additional green product Essay

Choose a company or organisation. Suggest an additional green product or service it could offer in the market - Essay Example Although we may not recall, reusable diapers with their security pins and artificial wrappings kept numerous of us dry as babies. Today, throwaway diapers have become the standard mostly due to their convenience. However, much has altered in latest years and there are numerous causes for holding our natural environment. The days of being restricted to disposable diapers and plastic diapers should be gone. Many parents who are focused on eco friendliness have found the expediency of disposables hard to give up. In detail, the diaper argument can get a bit confusing. Proponents of disposable diapers contend that eco friendly diapers or cloth diapers need time, water, electrical power, and petrol for consignment and washing. However, it is significant to recall that if the output method for organic piece of cloth diapers is much friendlier on the soil than the method for disposables. Washing piece of cloth diapers does take electrical power and water but if you integrate them into your laundry usual and restrict many of additional burdens, the added influence can be reduce. Organic Diapers are free of chemicals; organic cotton fabric diapers bypass the use of chemicals and thus are much device for your babys skin at a time when your babys skin is very weak. In compare, not reusable diapers use several chemicals, which are either for aesthetics or soaking up power. One demonstration is sodium polyacrylate which is utilized in diapers to make them permeable. Sodium polyacrylate can soak up as much as 400 to 800 times its group in water which makes it one of the most significant components of a throwaway diapers. However, sodium polyacrylate has been discovered to origin allergies in offspring amidst other troubles. Throwaway diapers may furthermore comprise find allowances of dioxin which is a side-effect of the bleached paper used (Brody

Mal-Adapted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mal-Adapted - Essay Example The mentioned contributions, however, are not exhaustive and are only intended to demonstrate the extent to which IT has become an integral part of corporate life and the business process. At the same time, however, IT functions as an organization's primary area of vulnerability as it is through their malicious use that attackers can infest an organization's system with viruses, worms, spyware and countless other types of malware (Gold, 2001; Rhode-Ousley, Bragg and Strassberg, 2003; Chen, Thompson and Elder, 2005). In light of dependency versus vulnerability, therefore, it is incumbent upon organization's and business entities to institute such protections as would shield the entity from such attacks. Sometimes, however, whether intentional or unintentional, the attack may come from within. Discussing the extent of my organization's vulnerability to malware with the head of the network and ICT department, I learnt that the company had been subjected to several attacks in the past, two of which were quite serious and, both caused by the activities of employees. As the head of the ICT department remarked as a prelude to his description of the attacks, two years ago and, in the wake of an external attacks which bordered on the catastrophic, the organization made a substantial investment in network security. At the department's recommendation, the organization's leadership consented to the implementation of third generation IA technologies which focused on in-depth defense. As explained by Liu, Yu, and Jing (2005, p. 112) this type of IA embraces all of as "(a) boundary controllers, such as firewalls and access control, (b) intrusion detection and (c) threat/attack/intrusion response." Upon the implementation of the defined system, the general assumption was that the organ ization was immune to external attacks and to malware. This, as evidenced by later events, was an erroneous assumption. The source of the first malware infestation suffered by the organization following the implementation of the defense in depth IA system, came from the Research an Development Department. The ICT department had initially recommended the securitization of the network against direct downloads from the internet, even at the explicit request and consent of users. The R&D department had vehemently argued against this, emphasizing that were such a security procedure to be implemented, their work would be literally brought to a standstill. The argument presented was persuasive and, therefore, the R&D department maintained the mentioned privilege. Less than two months following the implementation of the system, complaints regarding adware and spam email which contained malicious attachments, remained high, to the extent that it seemed as if the defense in depth system installed was ineffectual. Indeed, the department remained as engaged as ever in the removal of adware and in dealing with malicious spam. Needless to say, the cost of wasted time and effort was substantial since, as the employees whom I discussed this event with recalled, attempting to access the internet was futile. Pop-ups and constant redirections from addresses initially requested simply meant that getting any work done was a monumental task in itself. The ICT department, as the head informed me, determined to trace the source as the possibility of the installed system being ineffectual simply defied logic. As the

Democracy in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Democracy in America - Essay Example If the headlines and pundits are to be believed, the American government is a wreck. The reality of the situation is the American government is alive, well and working much the way it was designed by the gentlemen that crafted it over two hundred years ago. The system of checks and balances keeps any one branch of the government from bullying the other, personal liberties are vigorously defended each day and an amazing amount of services, from safe food to national defense, are provided ceaselessly to the American people. Considering the often touted inefficiencies of our democratic government and the wonderful things that are actually accomplished and achieved each day, it is clear that there are certain aspects of the constitution that could be changed or updated. This is clear when one looks at many of the social issues that face the nation at this time. The changes do not need to be profound, but as in any system, when you make a change to one part of the system, you may see nega tive effects in other parts. As we examine the parts of the out governmental structure, it becomes apparent that our modern society requires some changes to how people are elected to government, how the departments of government works, the relationship of the executive to the other branches of government and even some of the personal liberties enjoyed in the Bill of rights. ... I would increase the length of term for a member of the House of Representatives to four years. As it stands now, most of the House of Representatives spend their time running for re-election and not running the country. Elections every two years are a huge distraction to these members of congress. Running an election is more complicated and expensive than it was when the constitution was established. For this reason, members of the house should have longer terms. The House of Representatives should have 25% of its members being elected each year. This means that some of the members will always be running for office, but it also ensures that there will be constant turnover if people are not pleased with the way the House of Representatives is running the nation. These changes will result in more focused legislators and a more responsive House. The second change that should be made concerns the role of money in the electoral process. The entire process of getting elected now focuses o n having enough money to get your message out, hire staff and run negative advertisements against your opponents. The only donors that can give enough money to really influence a national campaign are the ultra-wealthy and large corporations. The Supreme Court has recently ruled that corporations can make unlimited, anonymous contributions to political parties and individuals though Political Action Committees (Liptak, 2010). This ruling is very dangerous for our democratic process. The Court reasoned that money is the same as speech, as protected in the Bill of Rights. The justices ruled that if the government curtailed the spending of money in the political process, then it would be the same a curtailing

Osamu Dazai Essay Example for Free

Osamu Dazai Essay Osamu Dazai was one of Japanese novelist and considered one of the most important storytellers of postwar Japan. While known primarily as a novelist, Dazai also earned recognition for his numerous short stories, including â€Å"Omoide† (â€Å"Memories†), â€Å"Sarugashima† (â€Å"Monkey Island†), and â€Å"Ha† (â€Å"Leaves†), which were published in Bannen, his first collection of short stories. Like most of his longer fiction, Dazais short stories are autobiographical and reflect a troubled life marred by alcoholism, drug addiction, and several suicide attempts. Nevertheless, Dazais fiction showcases his artistic imagination and unique confessional narrative technique. Dazai was born the youngest of ten children in Kanagi, a small town in northern Japan, to one of the wealthiest families in the region. While Dazais later years were turbulent, he grew up a sensitive child in comfortable surroundings. Later in his life, however, his wealthy background led to self-consciousness, contributing to a nagging sense of isolation that is an undercurrent throughout his fiction. Dazai underwent his apprenticeship in writing during the 1920s while attending secondary schools in Aomori and Hirosaki and published many of his early stories in magazines founded and run by aspiring young authors. By the time he attended Hirosaki Higher School, however, Dazai began to live the unconventional lifestyle that brought him much fame. Despite his widely recognized talent, however, alcoholism, drug addiction, affairs with geishas, suicide attempts, and frequent psychological traumas plagued him the rest of his life. In 1930, Dazai enrolled in the Department of French Literature at Tokyo University, but by the end of his first year, he ceased attending classes. Instead, Dazai became involved with left-wing politics, caroused, and renewed his relationship with a geisha he met while attending Hirosaki Higher School. His family disapproved of this relationship, leading to one of Dazais suicide attempts. He attempted to take his own life on at least three other occasions and finally succeeded in a double suicide with a young war widow in 1948. This episode, among several instances of double suicide in Dazais fiction, is retold in his widely acclaimed novel, No Longer Human. Dazais highly autobiographical fiction first garnered popular and critical attention after the publication of his first collection, Bannen (The Final Years). The first and most significant of these stories is â€Å"Omoide† (â€Å"Memories†). With its highly personal tone, â€Å"Memories† reveals a common narrative technique in Dazais writing. Revealing his childhood and adolescent traumas, as well as his need for companionship and love, Dazais first-person narrative attracts the readers sympathy while raising doubts about the authenticity of the narration because of exaggerated rhetoric. â€Å"Gangu† (â€Å"Toys†), another tale in Bannen, illustrates Dazais playfulness. In this tale, the narrator — after briefly relating his financial troubles — details his plans to concoct a tale recounting the memories of an infant. While these and other early pieces exemplify the personal tone of much of Dazais work, another group of tales shows his talent for imaginative storytelling. Two tales — â€Å"Gyofukuki,† translated as â€Å"Metamorphosis,† and â€Å"Sarugashima,† translated as â€Å"Monkey Island† — provide good examples of this. In place of the Dazai like protagonist present throughout most of his other short fiction; â€Å"Metamorphosis† is about a peasant girl who, on the verge of puberty, takes on the appearance and identity of a fish. â€Å"Monkey Island† presents two humanoid monkeys as its protagonists. In astonishment, one of the monkeys soon realizes they are the objects of atte ntion, rather than the spectators, of the humans walking through the zoo. In his final years, he composed a series of stories that evince his interest in domestic issues, as titles such as â€Å"Villons Wife,† â€Å"Father,† and â€Å"Family Happiness†Ã¢â‚¬â€suggest. As critics have remarked, the stories of these collections are among the few works of artistic value produced by a Japanese author under the strict government censorship during World War II. While famous in Japan and avidly read — especially by the younger generation — Dazai has not achieved the international stature of Japanese writers such as Natsume Sseki, Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, and End Shusaku. This is partly due to problems with translating Dazais highly personal style. Yet Dazai has earned himself a position in modern Japanese letters more or less comparable to that of an F. Scott Fitzgerald, as opposed to a William Faulkner, in modern American literature. Donald Keene, Dazais principal English translator, has described him as a Japanese writer â€Å"who emerged at the end of World War II as the literary voice of his time.† While Dazais body of work is sometimes criticized for its narrow scope, many critics maintain that his fiction contains some of the most beautiful prose in modern Japanese literature. Dazai became celebrated for two short novels, The Setting Sun and No Longer Human, both translated into English. I read both of them back when I was reading all the Japanese fiction I could get my hands on, but did not care for either, and have not read either again. The Setting Sun was published in 1947, and is set in those years shortly after the end of the war. It was a very popular novel, and the title came to represent Japanese of the upper classes who had fallen because of the war and American occupation. But Dazai was already well known for personal characteristics reflected in the major characters as wellnihilism, drunken dissipation, despair (a kind of model for our hippie generation)so, although the central character is a young woman, Kazuko, the novel is read as strongly autobiographical. This is true for No Longer Human, too, which is perhaps even more autobiographical, and, as Donald Keene describes it, is an attack on the habits and traditions of Japanese society, but above all a record of his alienation from society. (1063) I was not attracted to the narcissistic qualities in these two novels, or to the fact that Dazai, after having failed in two previous love suicides (in which the women succeeded) succeeded in a love suicide June 13, 1948 (he and the woman drowned in the Tamagawa Reservoir). I just didnt much like him or his charactersnever used those novels in courses I taught. But I did use one of his short stories, Villons Wife, several times, because it was in the anthology I most frequently used in the survey course of Japanese Literature, Donald Keenes Modern Japanese Literature, and I actually came to like that story very much (sort of like Oes The Catch, the exception that proves the rule). The husband in the story may be the closest self-portrait of all, and the most despicable, in his drunken dissipation, unfaithfulness, and unforgivable treatment of his wife, but the story is told by the wife, who, in her attempts to accommodate herself to all of this comes through as an attractive and courageous characterand you realize that even Dazai, in his more sober moments perhaps, must have appreciated her virtues. Anyway, thats the one I recommendthen, if you want to read either, or both, of the novels, you will be reading fiction that was very popular in Japan in the decade after the end of the war, and may, indeed, reflect some of the values in flux in that traumatic time, particularly for young Japanese who would have seen themselves as having lost everything. I will be comparing Akutagawa to Edgar Allan Poe next month for their short lives and some of the qualities of their fiction, and it is easy to compare Dazai to Akutagawa (1892-1927), as well. Akutagawa was more of Tanizakis generation, but died in his late 30s, as a suicide, as Dazai did. But, I am happy to say, I am very fond of Akutagawaa highly disciplined literary artist. (MAIN BODY) â€Å"NO LONGER HUMAN† This book, by Osamu Dazai, is an example of the Japanese genre of shishosetsu, a kind of autobiographical fiction. Its different from what we think of as autobiography, in that the purpose is not so much to tell a story there is no real emplotment, beginning, middle, end in the traditional (or Aristotelian) sense, but rather, the text is a sort of rambling exploration of the self. Style is de-prioritized, sincerity and immediacy are tantamount. There is no constrained form, but rather, an attempt to establish a direct link between author and reader, to explain a particular perspective. The book is largely autobiographical, based on events from Dazais own life. He was a literary rock star, but a deeply miserable guy, attempting suicide several times before finally succeeding. Theres actually a monument at the spot where he killed himself (along with his mistress), and apparently people gather there on the anniversary of his death every year. In any case, the book itself is interesting. It makes me want to learn Japanese, for starters, because no matter how great the translator, theres no getting around the fact that the grammatical structure of Japanese is completely different from that of English, most importantly, for this book perhaps, in that it is entirely possible, and even common, to construct a sentence in Japanese with no subject. Apparently the entire book is written in this form, which would be particularly appropriate to the work itself. Though I wonder if the Japanese reader would really think of this as particularly artful, given that its apparently a standard thing to them. But I guess thats a question for psycho-linguists to answer. The book is the related story of a very unhappy guy who is essentially chronicling his downward spiral. Though its hard to say if its really a downward spiral though he does pinpoint a moment at which he ceased to be human, its not entirely clear that he was ever really human (by his own definition) to begin with. One question is what it means, in his eyes, to be human. There is a clear parallel to Notes from the Underground (Dazai was big into Dostoevsky, and the main character refers to Crime and Punishment), in that both are notes from deeply unhappy men who are convinced of their own uniqueness, but there are definitely differences. Dostoevskys character is raging against rationality, and the way in which it dehumanizes people, so in a sense, though he calls himself a mouse, etc, he could be seen as claiming that he is really the only human. Dazais character, Yozo, sees himself as inhuman, mainly, it seems, because he lacks certain basic human traits. He claims, for instance, that he has never felt hungry. However, there is also a certain issue of domination at play he is unable to say no to anyone, to turn down anything. In this sense, one could say that he is entirely determined by the outside world. Despite the fact that he has an inner life, he keeps it hidden from the outside world. In fact, his behavior is entirely, he claims, an act, he plays the clown for the amusement of others, refusing to let his own feelings show. But Im not certain if this is really the case. For instance, he wants to be an artist, and actually disobeys his father in order to pursue his artistic career, and confesses to the other authority figure in his life, Flatfish, that he wants to make art. So it seems as though the masking process is incomplete in this case, and at times he does behave authentically. I wonder if the same could be said for the Underground Man? I think that its slightly different in his case, in that the construction of the Underground Man is such that he cant behave authentically, because he has no stable self. Yozo, on the other hand, certainly has an inner life, its just a rather empty one. He doesnt seem to have any real will of his own, or rather, the will that he does have is purely towards self-destruction he can get booze and drugs, and drink himself into a stupor, without any difficulties. But then again, he also seems to have a brief lull of happiness, directly following his marriage. But even there, its hard to say if hes happy. Maybe its most accurate to say that he is so constructed as to be incapable of happiness? Hmmm. Theres more thinking to be done here. Unfortunately, I seem to like each Dazai Osamu (1909-1948) book less than the previous one. No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku, 1948) is more epigrammatic that The Setting Sun (Shayo, 1947), but perhaps I am too old for it (as I was once too young to read Proust) to be much moved for the plaint of a creature too delicate for the world. I cant muster sociological interest in it as social history of the 30s either, since dissipitation is basically timeless (though the preferred means vary). I read the epilogue differently from translator and longtime Columbia professor Donald Keene: as showing the notebooks writer was successful at mimicking good nature, not that his widow is right and the writer wrong. (In the way that most men fail to see their own cruelty, Yozo had not noticed his gentleness and capacity for love-p. 9; really? a capacity for love? and gentleness? or solipsism mixed with diffidence?) I am not so sure that Keene was right that the Japanese are certainly much more like A mericans than they are like their ancestors of one hundred years ago. As far as literature is concerned, the break with the Japanese past is almost complete (p. 7), though this is more credible now than it was six decades ago. Dazai seems very traditionally Japanese to me in many ways, a descendant of Sei Shà ´nagon both in wit and to some degree in aesthetics (Dazai is still plenty delicate and fairly indirect, even about what she would have considered vulgar and even sordid matters, very regretful and very perishable). Would Keene have been moved to translate Dazai, if there was nothing of the Japanese tradition that Keene venerates in Dazai? Let alone, recall translating Dazai as if I were writing a book of my own, an experience he only otherwise had with Kenkà ´s Essays in Idleness (On Familiar Terms, p. 189). I like Keenes characterization of Yozo as a man who is orphaned from his fellows by their refusal to take him seriously (p. 8, see p. 139), which in turn is a result of his desperate clowning. Of course, this resonates with my experience of people not believing I could possibly be serious when I am, and feeling Im not like other people, incapable of getting by. And unusual or extravagant things tempt me (p. 23). It is interesting that someone who felt himself different from an early age and for whom it would be no exaggeration to say that my only playmates while I was growing up were girls (48) became a diffident lady-killer rather than a homosexual. Ã…Å'ba cannot forget his abuse by a female servant when he was young. In high school, he played the buffoon. At university, he finds bad influence from Horiki and leads a life of debauchery (nonstop smoking, alcohol abuse, promiscuity), culminating in a double suicide (it cannot seriously be billed a love suicide) in which the married woman drowns and he survives. After being expelled from the university, Ã…Å'ba is clan and sober for a time in a relationship with an innocent young woman, but Horki shows up and leads Ã…Å'ba back into temptation, now adding morphine to alcohol abuse and being incarcerated in a mental asylum, where he is numb rather than violent. As for being zombified by Japans defeat, Dazai seems to me to have been as self-destructive and intellectually nihilistic while the Japanese Empire was rising as in the general anomie after Emperor Hirohito renounced divinity and the US occupied the archipelago. (Imamuras Pigs and Battleships show some of this social breakdown and women who were better at surviving it than the men.) The original publication sold more than six million copies in Japan, more than any Japanese novel other than Kokoro (1914) by SÃ… seki Natsume. A manga version was published in 2009, the centenary of Dasais birth, and also filmed. (CONCLUSION) Attending Meiji Gakuin University from the age 15 to 19, Toson gradually became aware of literature under the influence of unconventional traditions of the school. Toson literature is even said to originate during his days at the university. Toson joined Bungakukai, a literary group, and as a romantic poet, published a collection of poems including Wakanashu. Later, Toson turned a novelist and published Hakai (â€Å"The Broken Commandment†) and Haru (â€Å"Spring†), and is thus regarded as a prominent naturalist novelist. His other works include, Ie (â€Å"Family†), considered to have achieved the highest level in Japanese Naturalism literature, Shinsei (â€Å"New life†), a confession of his own incestuous relationship with his niece, Yoakemae (â€Å"Before the Dawn†), a historical novel modeled on the life of his father. Altbough he began his serialization of Tohonomon (â€Å"The Gate of the East†) in 1943, he died of a stroke at his own hom e in Oiso, Kanagawa prefecture on 22nd of August. (BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST) Dazai, Osamu, and Donald Keene. No Longer Human. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle, 1981. Print. Lyons, Phyllis I., and Osamu Dazai. The Saga of Dazai Osamu: a Critical Study with Translations. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1985. Print. Hachimaki, Emi. ä º ºÃ©â€"“å ¤ ±Ã¦   ¼. é â€™Ã§ © ºÃ¦â€"‡å º «Ã£â‚¬â‚¬Aozora Bunko. Aozora, 1 Jan. 1999. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. http://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000035/files/301_14912.html. (REFERENCE) http://kirjasto.sci.fi/dazai.htm http://www.jlit.net/authors_works/dazai_osamu.html http://wlc.drake.edu/wordpress/japanese/2010/02/28/osamu-dazai%E3%80%80%E5%A4%AA%E5%AE%B0%E6%B2%BB%EF%BC%89/