A Worn Path Phoenix Jackson free essay sample

1. ) The protagonist in â€Å"A Worn Path† is Phoenix Jackson, an elderly black woman who lives along the Natchez Trace. History shows that the Natchez Trace was a road begun in 1806, extending from Mississippi to Tennessee and was approximately 500 miles long. The story depicts Phoenix’s long journey on foot, from her home to Natchez, a small outlying town. The story characterizes both internal and external conflicts in Phoenix’s quest to acquire medicine for her sick grandson. Poor vision, unsteady gait, age, and nature are impediments against Phoenix but she unselfishly presses forward for the health of her grandson. . ) Phoenix faces antagonists both internal and external on her long journey to town. External factors: her obvious age, impaired gait (falling in a ditch), poor vision (she thinks she sees a dancing ghost but really it’s a scarecrow, recalls seeing a two-headed snake, a boy approaches her and offers her a piece of marble cake-no child was present),weather (cold frozen earth), untied shoelaces/attire, wild animals (which she thinks are in her path), bush/thickets (she thinks is a green bush), large log lying in her path, a barbed wire fence, big black dog, hunter. We will write a custom essay sample on A Worn Path: Phoenix Jackson or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Internal factors: her conscious (knows stealing is wrong but pockets the nickel anyways), fearless (hunter points the gun at her), and memory loss (can’t remember what she made her long journey for when she gets to the hospital). 3. ) When reading the title of this short story, â€Å"A Worn Path† the theme it hints at is a path worn due to a symbolic journey. After reading the story, the major theme remains the same. The story is set during the Christmas season which may symbolize Christianity. Phoenix represents the true spirit of giving and self-sacrifice when she walks to town for her grandson. The hunter assumes she is going to town to see Santa Claus and the nurse at the hospital dismisses her as a charity case. Despite the obstacles the she faces along her journey, Phoenix is determined to get the medicine needed to treat her grandson. 45. )A Phoenix is a mythical Egyptian bird symbolizing resurrection. After living for centuries, it dies, and rises from its own ashes. Phoenix helps create a theme of life emerging from death in this story. The mythological and Christianity symbolism for Phoenix is why I feel that Welty chose the name as the Protagonist in this short story. The name is significant in this story because it ties the Christian and mythical meaning of Phoenix together . Phoenix is the symbol of perseverance, stamina, and life in the face of hardship and death.

Swing is Back essays

Swing is Back essays The scene: A crowded dance floor. Its dark, the fans are dressed wildly, the music is blaring, and the dancers are going crazy. Its the year 2002. Normally, in this situation, youd expect the music to be some kind of rock, alternative, or even country. However, the music is swing, and the fans are all between the ages of sixteen and thirty-something (aside from a few elderly people sitting in the back and enjoying the music), followers of a recent movement aptly labeled neo-swing. This recent craze of swing music is one that is getting larger all the time. After swing music lost its popularity in the late postwar 1940 s, nobody really expected it to make a comeback. They were wrong. The movement is larger than was ever expected, and still growing. Popular mostly with a generation labeled X, swing music is much more than just music. Its about retro clothing, a new, more laid-back attitude, a dance that lets young people let loose, and the fusion of classic big-band sounds from the old Swing Era with new music. Before one can really understand swing musics recent popularity, its important to know about the Swing Era of the 1930s - 1950s. With names like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, and Glen Miller, swing music evolved from classic jazz in the late 1930s/early 1940s. Back then, swing music served as a cultural escape from World War II and the seriousness of the times. Its own unique language, dance steps, and call and response rhythms created a subculture that immersed its participants emotionally and physically in the music. However, when the war ended, so did the cultures interest in swing (Mahoney). Today, many people are wondering, Why has swing become popular again? It was gone fifty years ago! Many of the same reasons for its original popularity apply to the recent craze. ...

Intro to Astronmy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Intro to Astronmy - Article Example In 200 AD, astronomers believed that planets moved round the earth in small circles called the epicycle. The Heliocentric model later explained that all planets including the sun revolved around the sun. This model also explained that the retrograde motion of planets did so as the earth which moves faster than the other planets overtook the other planets. Other planets are categorized as superior or inferior to the earth. Time that is able to elapse between the configurations that are identical and consecutive is known as the synodic period. It was Copernicus who determined the sidereal period of other planets. He was also able to know the distance between the planets and the sun. Kepler was able to come up with a law that stated that every planet has an orbit that about the sun know as an ellipse. He also came up with the semi major axis. This happens to be the distance between the planets and the sun. The measure of the deviation from the perfect circle is known as the eccentricity. Kepler had three laws to explain the motion of planets and this was a major achievement in the field of astronomy. Galileo was able to discover a lot more with the aid of a telescope. He was able to know that the earth was not at the centre of the universe. With his telescope, he was able to know that the earth was not at the centre of the universe and that the earth was just like any other planet moving around the sun. Isaac Newton later came and introduced three laws. Inertia, force and action and reaction. He was also able to come up wi th the laws of the universal gravitation. The law of gravitation states that two bodies attract each other with a force directly proportional to each and every mass of the two bodies. This force is also inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Using the law of gravitation, Kepler’s three laws can be summed up. Newton’s was able to note that every

Regulatory bodies are best placed to secure environmental protection Essay

Regulatory bodies are best placed to secure environmental protection Discuss - Essay Example The compliance assurance features of better regulation include initiating time limits for regulatory decision making, minimising the onus of paperwork by substituting to self-reporting and enhanced overseeing of compliance monitoring activities so that business assigns minimum resources and time to inspection by government authorities. The UK government so as to overhaul its industrial pollution control system has introduced a new Integrated Pollution Control system (IPC) as early as 1990 through the Environmental Protection Act. The Environmental Act 1995 established the Environmental Agency. (Bohne: 435). Further, the UK government had combined the additional policy objective with its regulatory reform with an aim to regain more influence on European Environmental Regulations. In UK, the Hampton Principles was adopted which outline a regulatory system perused in tune with the requirements of the 21st century where risk assessment will be the foundation for all environmental program mes. Further, the UK government has made public a regulatory code of practice to compel both the local and national regulators to adhere the Hampton Principles. In April 2008, the Regulators’ Compliance Code came into force. Further, UK has also adopted a common framework for evaluating administrative burdens namely the Standard Cost Model. Moreover, the Impact Assessment Guidance issued by the UK Better Regulations Executive needs an evaluation of the â€Å"aggregate annual cost of enforcement of the regulatory proposal. Further, UK government is contemplating to introduce a system of regulatory budgets to minimise the aggregate costs of its new regulations’ adherence cost on the economy. (OECD2009:45). 2. What are the main characteristics of the British system of regulation? What processes are involved? What are its strengths and weaknesses? The UK government so as to overhaul its industrial pollution control system has introduced a new Integrated Pollution Control system (IPC) as early as 1990 through the Environmental Protection Act. UK can be said to be the leader of an integrated pollution control system not only in the Europe but in the whole world. Section 7 (4) & (7) was successfully exported to Europe from UK. As per Emmot and Haigh (1996:305), the IPC concept of â€Å"Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost† (BATNEEC) which was employed to evaluate the emission limit values which reappeared in the BAT specification of the IPPC directive. As per farthing et al (2003:75), the holistic IPC doctrine of â€Å"Best Practicable Environment Option† (BPEO), though not overtly emphasised in the IPPC directive, is mirrored in the regulations of the IPPC directive to accomplish a greater level of safeguard for environment as a whole, and not to shift the pollution from one medium to another i.e. air, water and land through the Art. 9(1) and (3) of the IPPC directive. (Bohne2006:435). UK assumed the leadership role in EU industrial pollution control legislation by exporting the IPC system to Europe. As per Bell and McGillivray (2006:770), UK kept the administrative and legislative upheaval for the transposition of the IPPC directive to a bare minimum. (Bohne 2006:435). EIA – Environment Impact Assessment It is a technique to make us to understand the probable environmental impacts of major projects both the existing and in the development stages also. The regulations and

Professional Issues - Child Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Professional Issues - Child Protection - Essay Example In the task of looking after the children who are being abused the child protection workers have to face many problems. Child welfare work is difficult and Child protection social workers have to face lots of challenges in relation to the management of violence done to the children. These child protection professionals have to face the threatening of the parents and they also have to challenge the underlying assumption that working with parents is always possible. Many of the workers have to face the threats of not only the parents but also of the supporting agencies. Decision making is the main thing which is the essence of child protection. Rebecca Aviel in his article Restoring Equipoise to Child Welfare says that an error in decision making from the part of a social worker will lead him/her to answer the questions raised by the federal court. (Aviel, 2010). Despite the area of consultation a social worker has to make decision about child safety. In a monthly article titled Ã¢â‚¬Ë œCPS Supervision: What does the present suggest for the Future?’ it appeared that despite the area of consultation a social worker has to make decision about child safety. For this they need assistance for sorting out the problems of maltreating families. When the workers do not get any assistance they make it anyway which may not be a proper one. Many young people are coming into this field without any proper education or training. They cannot be considered as professionals and they are prone to make wrong decisions which may affect the child in a bad way. In such a condition of lack of professionals the supporting agencies do not even think of keeping supervisors. The agencies also support an ineffective means of treatment of the social workers. They often try to compensate and support the ineffective supervisors and they ignore the work of the supervisors. (Liddle, et al, 1988). Child workers work in close association with the families to monitor child’s safety and well being. They have to assess the on going service needs of the children and also of the foster parents. They also have to ensure the safety of the child and look for â€Å"stable living arrangements that promote the well being of the children† (Child Welfare Caseworker Visits with Children and Parents: Innovations in State Policy, 2006). Formerly being a social worker, Robert Tapsfield, Chief Executive, Fostering Network says that it is a challenge for a social worker to make the decisions and make it right. It should be identified that the protection of the children who face child abuse is not the sole responsibility of the social worker. The responsibility is to be shared among the directors, managers, supporters, lead members and the counselors. One of the main difficulties faced by the social workers is to find out or identify the families in which the child is abused. They family may try to hide matters from the social worker who go to interview the child. Robert Taps field says that it may need officials or professionally skilled persons to undertake this task. (Milton, 2011). Social workers are to be well trained to do this task of finding facts from the family in which a child is abused or suffering. They also find it difficult to work with aggressive and violent parents who may not disclose the secrets in front of a stranger. They may indulge in violent means to prevent this. â€Å"

Physical Training In Badminton Physical Education Essay

Physical Training In Badminton Physical Education Essay Introduction In Badminton research, the plyometrics training is not extensively researched. This chapter will note the importance of understanding the related factors leading to the idea of conducting this study. The review of the related literature for this study is presented into five main sections: Physical Training in Sports Physical Training in Badminton Agility in Sports Agility Contribution in Badminton Plyometric Training in Improving Agility Physical Training in Sports Physical fitness is a very important factor affecting performance in sports. As in the preparatory phase of periodization plan for any training programme, the physical fitness is always the first to be developed before focusing into other training factors such as technical training, tactical training, and psychological training. Physical fitness contributes to sports performance. It serves as a foundation that leads to a higher possibility of succeeding in competitive arena of sports (Bompa, T. O. Haff, G. G., 2009). Many researchers have studied on various types of physical fitness training, such as balance training, agility training, sprinting training, resistance training, circuit training, interval training, and plyometric training. Many studies found that physical training serve the purpose of improving various physical attributes, such as flexibility, functional performance, muscular control, muscular power, distance running performance, running economy, strength performance, explosive power, vertical jump, initial acceleration, speed, agility, and many other attributes. Physical Training in Badminton Badminton is a highly competitive dynamic sport. At elite level, it is suggest that badminton is characterized by repetitive efforts of alactic nature and great intensity which are continuously performed throughout the match. Badminton players are required to be able to move in multiple directions while smashing and receiving a shuttlecock with fast speed. The speed of a shuttlecock can be up to 421kph (Guinness World Record, 2009). Badminton players are often required to perform speed, agility, flexibility, endurance, and strength capabilities at their limit. It is proposed by Badminton Association of England (2002) that the off-court type of fitness training for badminton can include strength training, aerobic training, speed and agility training, flexibility training, core stability training, and circuit training. As an explosive sport, badminton performance can be enhanced from resistance training. Effective resistance training programme requires a systematic process of analysis, implementation and evaluation to ensure maximum adaptation and improvement. The prescription of resistance training methods can enhance badminton specific performance in jump smashes, lunges, and fast change of direction. Agility in Sports Agility is often considered an essential element for many sports and activities. It is an ability that involves a rapid whole body movement with changes of direction or velocity in response to a stimulus. In many competitive sports such as badminton, the players do not perform at their own pace and move, but are performing in response to the shuttlecock, the opponent, or the partners. As such, agility in badminton is not completely an independent factor. Little and William (2005) proposed that agility is a specific physical attribute that is fundamentally important to sports performance for three reasons. First, developing agility will provide a strong foundation for muscular control and motor skill function, thereby establishing overall performance in badminton. Second, good agility enable players to move fast in balanced and stabled manner, and this proper movement mechanics and this may reduce injury risk. Finally, as an athlete matures, a heightened ability to quickly change directions will enhance overall performance in both proactive offensive and reactive defensive circumstances. According to Young and Farrow (2006) and Vescovi (2008), agility is important as many sports such as badminton performed on a court require high-speed total body movements. Many of these movements are in response to the motion of the shuttlecock, opponents, or partner. As such, fast movement is very important. Deterministic model of agility performance The multifactorial nature of agility has been represented by a deterministic model in Figure 2.1 which indicating the various factors contributing to performance. Figure 2.1 is the model suggested by Young et al. (2002) which indicated that main factors determining agility. Agility can be affected by a few factors, such as visual scanning, anticipation, pattern recognition, knowledge, technique, straight sprinting speed, and leg muscles quality. Agility Perceptual and decision making factors Change of direction speed Straight sprinting speed Technique Pattern recognition Anticipation Visual scanning Knowledge Leg muscle qualities Foot placement Strength Adjustment of strides to accelerate decelerate Power Body lean posture Reactive strength Figure 2.1 Deterministic model of agility performance. Perceptual and decision making factors According to Young et al. (2002), perceptual and decision making is one of the main factor affecting agility. The factors affecting perceptual and decision making included visual scanning, anticipating, pattern recognition, and knowledge. Visual scanning is the ability to process visual information in the competitive environment. In a badminton match, as it is like other ball games, players are paying their visual focus on the trajectory of shuttlecock or ball, or movement of opponent. A common words of à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"eyes on ballà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ , this shows that the badminton players are applying the visual scanning on the shuttlecock and opponent to analyze what is the next step to move. Anticipation and prediction in badminton match influences the movements of a player. From the visual information from visual scanning, badminton player process the information and start to anticipate the move of opponent and the shuttlecock. As the opponent tense up the body with great back swing, it is anticipated that the next move might be a smash; as the opponent remain relax and small actions of racket, it can be anticipated that the next move might be a soft drop. Pattern recognition is the ability to recognize the patterns of play by the opponent. This happened when a player has specific playing habit or favourite shots. It happen as simple as an attacking badminton player has more smashes and a defensive player has more return in high shots. By understanding the pattern, badminton player can be more agile by narrowing the possibility of stimulus to be response. Knowledge from experiencing different game play situations can help predict probable movements of opponent. When a player is out of position and the body is not in favourable position to return a shot, it is likely that the return will go to the front court rather than the back court. As such, a badminton player can be faster and more agile to react to the circumstance. Change of directional speed Young and Farrow (2006) also noted that agility is affected by the change of direction speed. Change of direction speed is influenced by the techniques, straight sprinting speed, and leg muscle quality. Techniques to change direction and change velocity quickly are expected to be influenced by the position of the body while running. A forward lean is required to accelerate, a backward lean to decelerate and stop, and a sideward lean to produce a lateral change of direction. These body positions are necessary in order to produce forces to the ground to evoke reaction forces in the desired direction. If a badminton player is ready to react and move to any direction in court, the ready stance of the body should be slightly knee bend, body leaning forward, and body weight more on toe than on heel (Badminton England, 2002). This ready stance enables the player to make quick adjustments to the running posture to execute a quick change of direction. Such quick adjustments of posture and positioning of limbs is clearly a skill that requires training. Young et al. (2001) conducted a study where found that the straight sprinting speed was improved significantly after six weeks of straight sprint training, but had no gains in changes of direction test. The six weeks change of direction training had limited contribution to straight sprinting speed as well. These findings can be explained by training specificity, and suggest that athletes must train specifically with the movement patterns required in their sports. Badminton requires a lot of sudden sprint and stop, deep lunge, explosive jumping but limited straight sprint. To benefit optimally from the training, badminton player must train specifically on the sudden sprint and stop in various directions but not only the straight sprint. Leg muscles quality is exclusively responsible for change of directional movements. The available research provides little support that leg muscle strength, power, and reactive strength are major contributors to agility performance. However, a rationale was made to suggest that plyometric training program involving jumping exercises that contain single leg lateral takeoffs, such as bounding in a zigzag pattern could potentially be beneficial to change of directional speed development. A better quality of leg muscle in badminton can help to reduce time taken from ready position to move to receive a shot. Agility Contribution in Badminton Motion analysis of a typical badminton match reveals that there are many changes in direction and it requires the athlete to be very agile in all directions . Notational analysis of European players during international tournaments indicated that badminton can be characterized by repetitive, short-duration, high-intensity efforts with high-frequency movement. Badminton is the fastest sport among the racket games with the speed of the shuttlecocks capable of travelling up to 421kph. This means in the court area of approximately 34m2 for badminton singles, the shuttlecock will take not more than 0.15 second to pass through the entire badminton court which is 13.4m in length (Olympics ABC, 2007). As a sport with such a high speed, agility plays a very important role to contribute to the performance. In an elite badminton match, the competition can be played up to more than 60 minutes, and the total running distance can be covered up to 6km. But it does not mean the energy spent for both players are the same. When a player is more agile and faster than opponent, he can play the shot to move opponent around in the badminton court which will lead to greater radius of movement for the opponent. In another word, throughout the match, the player who have better agility are having advantage and spending less effort and energy compare to the less agile opponent. Olympic ABC (2007) also proposed that a player need approximately 0.32 to 0.36 second to move from a ready position towards the shuttle and approximately 0.486 seconds to react to the coming shot. This lead to an idea that a badminton player needs about 0.8 second to react to a shot and move to receive the shot. In this condition, agility is a critical factor affecting the performance. Time taken to react to the coming shot is affecting by the perceptual and decision making factor, while the time taken to move from a ready position towards the shuttle is affecting by the agility, which have the direct relationship with the change of direction speed. Good agility and fast action to move from ready position enable a badminton player to return the shot in a favourable position and have advantage over opponent. Plyometric Training in Improving Agility Plyometrics are training techniques used by athletes in all types of sports to increase strength and explosiveness (Chu, 1998). Plyometric training program involving jumping exercises that could potentially be beneficial to agility development. Plyometric drills usually involve stopping, starting, and changing directions of movement in an explosive manner. These movements are components that can contribute to developing agility . Previous studies found that plyometric training, when used in a periodized manner, can contribute to agility gains . Agility is an explosive movement which can be referred to running speed and changes of direction ability. Fast running speed and quick change of direction contribute to good agility. Explosiveness is affecting the running speed and change of direction ability. Thus, improvement in explosiveness leads to agility development. Plyometrics have been proven to be an effective method to improve on explosiveness. By enhancing balance and control of body positions during movement, agility theoretically should improve . Plyometric activities have been used in sports such as football, tennis, soccer or other sports event. These sports are intermediate sports which require rapid whole body movement with changes of direction or velocity in response to a stimulus, which is similar to badminton. Conclusion Badminton is an intermediate sport which is the fastest among the racket games, it is a very high speed sport which the shuttlecocks capable of travelling up to 421kph (Guinness World Record, 2009), as such, agility is a critical physical attribute affecting the performance. In badminton, a player performed on a court requires high-speed total body movements. Many of these movements are in response to the motion of the shuttlecock, opponents, or partner. Agility permits badminton player to start quickly and efficiently, move in the correct direction, and to change direction or stop quickly to make a play in fast, smooth, efficient, and repeatable manner, in response to a stimulus. A competitive badminton match can be played up to more than 60 minutes, agility allow a player to play the shot to move opponent around in the badminton court which will lead to greater radius of movement for the opponent. In another word, agility lead to the advantage of lesser effort and energy spent than the less agile player. Young and Farrow (2006) noted that agility is affected by change of direction speed. Quality of leg muscles is exclusively responsible for change of directional speed. Better quality of leg muscle and good agility in badminton help to reduce time taken from ready position to move to receive a shot. This enables a badminton player to return the shot in a favourable position and have advantage over opponent. Agility refers to running speed and changes of direction in explosive manner. Fast running speed and quick change of direction is the key of good agility, which is affected by explosiveness. Thus, improvement in explosiveness should leads to agility development. Plyometrics has been proven to be effective and efficient in developing explosiveness. A rationale was made to suggest that plyometric training program involving jumping exercises could potentially be beneficial to agility gain Plyometric drills involve starting, stopping, and change of movement directions in an explosive manner. These movements contribute to agility development. Previous studies showed that plyometric training, when used in a periodized manner, can contribute to agility gains . Miller (2006) and Young and Farrow (2006) proposed that agility should improve by enhancing balance and control of body positions during movement. Plyometric activities have been used in sports which are similar to badminton, such as football, tennis, soccer or other sports event. These sports are intermediate sports which require rapid whole body movement with changes of direction or velocity in response to a stimulus.

the great gatsby Essay -- Literature

Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a novel that explains the conflicts between love, sin, and death. It is a story of love and how love can be quickly lost or hidden beneath the surface. It reveals what people go through in this decade, as well as the novel’s decade. There are conflicts throughout the novel of lust, sin, and pure evil. It basically explains the way the human mind operates when the heart is completely and undeniably in love with another. The fact that the people in this novel went to the extreme to have the one they loved, innocent people tragically ended up in a realm of violence, betrayal, and their own undeserved death. The Great Gatsby is a novel that takes the reader back to the time of the â€Å"Jazz Age†. Times were simpler but love was confusing. The most explicit written by Cheever to Gatsby comes earlier in the story to alert the reader of the more subtle parallels to the novel that follow (Allen). Jay Gatsby had everything except for the one thing he desired most, Daisy. She was the love of his life, yet, unfortunately for him, she had already been married to Tom. This small predicament, however did not seem to stop Gatsby. Throughout the novel, one can see how Jay and Daisy’s love grows. What started out as a simple friendship grew much stronger. Meanwhile, while they were rekindling their love, Tom had another secret love of his own. He was seeing Myrtle Wilson, a woman who, herself, was already married as well to George Wilson. This novel is about the circle of love affairs that tie this group of individuals together. Unfortunately, by the end of this novel, no one ends up with their ‘happily ever after’. No one was truly satisfied with what they had. The way this group of friends interacted with each oth... ...e Work." The Great Gatsby: The Limits of Wonder. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990. 11-15. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. Phelps, Henry C. "Literary History/Unsolved Mystery: The Great Gatsby and the Hall-Mills Murder Case." ANQ 14.3 (2001): 33. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. Sutton, Brian. "Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." Explicator 59.1 (Fall 2000): 37-39. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit: Gale, 2005.Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Jan. 2012. Trask, David F. "A Note on Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." University Review 33.3 (Mar. 1967): 197-202. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 26 Jan. 2012.

Epicurus

True happiness is state of being that each and every human has the ability to experience. It can either come from indulging desires or come from mental and or spiritual happiness in which two great philosophers have studied and mastered in great depth. Although Epicurus and Epictetus both had very strong opinions to this argument, Epictetus showed that it is necessary to have a knowledgeable understanding of what is giving you that satisfaction.With his idea we see that it is important to see the big picture in order to be happy rather than Epicurus' simple stand of satisfying your basic desires. In my personal opinion I believe that you should not go out of your way to make yourself happy if it consists of hurting others. To begin we must understand that there are many types of happiness. Happiness that come from pleasures such as eating tasty food or taking warms baths. Happiness that comes from engagement, for example trying something challenging and succeeding in doing so.Happine ss that comes from meaning, in other words being religious and belonging to a higher being. Last but not least happiness that comes from accomplishments, achieving a lifelong goal or dream. As you can see there are many different ways to be happy and if you are living happy then you are living a good life. Epicurus and Epictetus have some of the same view on the achievement of the good life. Epicurus believes that nothing is created out of nothing, in other words everything has a reason for existing.He believes that knowledge is the key to finding true pleasure and without pain there is no pleasure, so both pain and pleasure must coexist. He says people should not have fear in God because God does not interfere with their lives and people cannot control their destiny but they can control their happiness, so they should live their lives not with the fear of dying because the anticipation of it is considered to be painful, but rather they should pursue knowledge and pleasure and take appropriate measures that will make the most of pleasure and make light of pain.In Epictetus's view he believes that happiness is achieved only when people are able to get their wants or needs, so if someone desires something that is out of their power they will not be happy. He believes that in order to avoid unhappiness people should control their desires, that is with self discipline and self control which will help us change our view or attitude towards certain things. He believes that everyone has a obligation and a role towards others and God plays an important role in life.Certain times God will let us make the decisions but in other circumstances it is not within our power and is prearranged for us. So unlike Epicurus, Epictetus believes that God controls everything and he says that people are a â€Å"fragment of God† so we as a whole have to look out for each other. For Epictetus the good life comes in compliance with reason and truth and basically believes in the po wer to self. Where for Epicurus the good life is a healthy, comfortable, and controlled life and the way to achieve it is by disciplining oneself by the use of reason and secondly to study philosophy, which Epictetus believes too.Epictetus believes philosophy is the guide to achieving a peaceful mind, people have to control their desire. All displeasures is the result of a gap between our wills and the external world. People think that happiness is possible only when the external world comes up to their expectations, so in their minds they make up scenarios of their wants or needs. This builds up hope but will soon be a disappointment. So therefore people should only desire what is real. He says that the person who can master this can go on to doing what he set out to do.Epicurus contends that composure is a condition of the good life. He says in order to have a peace of mind you must have a peaceful environment, escape distress from the sense of right and wrong and not worry about the future. In order to do this Epicurus explains that people must develop a quality that is considered morally good or desirable in a person. He states that . â€Å"The man who does not possess the virtuous life cannot possibly live pleasantly†. Epicurus declared that prudence is a virtue which all other virtues are derived.

Dave Mathews Band Essay Example

Dave Mathews Band Essay Example Dave Mathews Band Essay Dave Mathews Band Essay Dave Mathews Band Title: The Soul of Bluegrass Backup Topic: The Dave Matthews Band Specific Purpose: I would like to inform the class on the success of this great band. Thesis Statement: Past, present, and future the Dave Matthews Band represents a striking pop success story. Introduction Attention Material: As I sat in my chair wondering what to write this speech on, I first had no clue at all. I had my CD player on, and I realized that my speech would be on my favorite band, The Dave Matthews Band. Song after song, I can listen to this band for hours. Credibility Statement: Now some of you might think I am a Dave Matthews freak, and that I know everything about the band. You might be right. If you listen to what I have to say, maybe someday you too will appreciate the band as well. Thesis Statement: Past, present, and future the Dave Matthews Band represents a striking pop success story. Preview Statement: Today I would like to inform you about the band?s history, the experience of seeing them live, and what we might see in the future from them. (Transition: Let me start by informing you how the band came about.) Body I. The year 1991 was the beginning of band, dave, matthews, first, future, live, two, success, music, cd?s, about, songs, song, show, present, months, might, history, great, fan, experience, cd, bring, years, year, wrote, very, think, ten, striking, start, speech, shows, seeing, represents, pop, play, one, new, musicians, maybe, listen, led, just, joined, inform, few, favorite, everything, day

Effects of Automation on Business and Employment

Effects of Automation on Business and Employment Introduction Is the future of the world going to be driven by sophisticated technology and endless job opportunities or is innovation going to create an inevitable doom? These are some of the issues that the author of this argumentative paper will address. Innovation has resulted to technologies that are increasingly making the world a happy and a comfortable place to live in.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Effects of Automation on Business and Employment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Technology has the capability to change the way human beings associate with the world around them (Miller, 2008). The author of this paper contends that the seemingly endless use of innovation is wrought with dangers and threats to the human society. Automation on Business and Employment Futurists like Ray Kurweil are optimistic about the destiny of this world as far as technological innovation is concerned. But they appear not to be aware of the consequences attached to it. In his book titled Lights in the Tunnel, Ford (2009) contends that â€Å"The world is becoming increasingly automated. Robots and computer programs will edge human workers out of their jobs (and that) unless we take a drastic step †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.this will reduce mass market’s purchasing power† (p.7). Ford (2009) is conversant with the fact that the world is indeed at a dangerous point. In his arguments, the tunnel is synonymous with purchasing power in the mass market (Ford, 2009). Having read this book thoroughly, the author of this paper is not convinced that the title adequately addresses the automation issue. The author of this paper would like to restructure the statement for the reader. The question is: what are the implications of automation in the current and future economy? Answering this question will help in predicting the future by tackling the current situation.Advertising Looking for research pa per on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many people agree that robots and computer software will take jobs that were initially dominated or occupied by human beings. Some individuals are already experiencing the problems as popular automation machines such as Flexpicker and Adept Quattro are now taking part in the manufacturing industry as they are given the task of sorting and shifting goods. More human-like automation machines have taken over the industry. For example, in a few years’ time, the journalist will be replaced by these creatures as they possess the skills for virtual writing and even news’ anchoring. The vending machines are a classic example of this scenario where the right for employment has been rendered useless (Leontief Duchin, 2008). Some economists contend that even though the technology is progressing and increasingly taking over most of the jobs held by humans, it cre ates more jobs in real sense. Any worker displaced from the manufacturing line will automatically get a place in the maintenance segment. In addition, a couple of workers may become consultants. They even go ahead and stress that automation will never do away with jobs meant for human beings. However, whether the machines will replace humans or not will largely depend on how technology advances (Killingsworth, 2008). The Fallacy of the Luddites To address this issue effectively, the author will travel back in time to the industrial revolution. The textile workers of the Luddites rejected the use of looming machines contending that it was ‘greedily’ taking their daily share of bread. They protested that jobs carried out by machines will jeopardize the economy. Of course they were not right. But the reader will contend with the author of this paper that this is not a fallacy in the modern era given that technology meant to save and ease human labor is only escalating the rate of unemployment (Killingsworth, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Effects of Automation on Business and Employment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The author of this paper continues to argue that the fallacy will hold true if human beings are able to move at a faster pace than technology. This way, human beings will not be bullied by the greedy technology that is taking everything for itself. The fallacy that was structured during the revolution will be torn apart since the rate at which technology is advancing will overrun human capabilities. After the automation industry has taken over a substantial share of the global market, a large swathe of human workforce will be rendered redundant. In other words, future technology is a loss of jobs in the manufacturing industry (Watanabe, International Labor Office [ILO] World Employment Program [WEP], 2009). Another fact as far as job automation is con cerned is the many but lowly paying jobs in the industry. This is an indication that there will be just a few people able to purchase commodities. The few automated corporations will have formed a decimal generation of trillionaires with a diminished figure of consumers. This will result to fragmented purchasing power as consumer trust will fade allowing wealth to dominate in few places. At the end of the day, the wealthy tycoons will struggle to market their commodities bringing down the economy (Watanabe et al., 2009). Critiques Other economic scholars have challenged those thinkers who seem to support the fact that in a short while the world will become fully automated. They contend that not all jobs will become automated (Adler, 2010). For instance, artists, teachers, entertainers and such others will be saved as a sizeable proportion of human kind will prefer a touch of human hands in their services. They argue that in such circumstances, the economy has got nothing to worry ab out. This statement cannot go unchallenged. Currently, some of the high paying jobs include that of the office secretary, cashiers, food manufactures, lawyers and so forth. The question is, if the above mentioned jobs become automated, what are those involved in them going to become?Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Of course they will not change and become teachers, entertainers, or even artist. People from these automated positions will not have enough income to sustain themselves simply because not all will become artists or performers (Adler, 2010). Critics continue to challenge the effects of automation on the business and employment sector. They are of the view that to them, automation is not a problem. Human beings can transit from production to service based employment. They point out that human kind has evolved from an economy dominated by hunters and gatherers to that of craftsmanship, farming, and manufacturing by using their ingenuity. Modern worker can still shift and become a great entrepreneur (Essig, 2012). As entrepreneurs, they can own capital and use it to craft a new and different future. As the robots advance to take charge of the future, humans too can advance by investing in the robotic world. Wealth will not stagnate but will spread in all directions making life more com fortable. However, this argument has some weaknesses as it fails to address crucial issues. For example, not all people in the society can own adequate share capital from robots. The income realized cannot fully account for the total loss of employment and business opportunities (Ford, 2009). To respond to these scholars downplaying the automation threat, the author of this paper will try to give numerical evidence. A few years back, technology and employment went up at more or less the same rate. The reader should keep in mind that this trend is not the same today. But the reader will agree with this author that the performance of the companies exploiting technology is exceptional to say the least while, on the contrary, the employment rate has stagnated if not declined (Conference on Automation Systems for Business and Industry [Conference], 2011). Case Study Numerical evidence supports this fact. In North America, 41 out of 62 industries increased the use of information technolog y in their operations between 2007 and 2011. This development affected workers in the industries as technology took over their jobs. The difference was clearly seen when the rate of technology use rose by 10% as employment declined by 7% within the same period. This observation may be viewed as correlation as opposed to causation. It implies that industries making exorbitant profits have opted for technology over their employees. Technology is therefore the inability to hire workers (Taylor, Coppin Wealthy, 2010). The author of this paper appreciates the effects of automation given that it is predicted that by 2015, automation of business processes will have eliminated over 25% of human workforce in the labor market. For example, the ZDnet automation which has a self- service mechanism will invade the financial labor market and many other sectors leaving little to be done by humans (Taylor et al., 2010). The automation menace can be explained or categorized into three different cat egories. These are mechanization, automation, and process improvement. Mechanization and automation are well known for taking work from humans and transferring it to machines. The last category involves completely denying humans work and edging them out of the labor market. At the end of the day, unemployment will be on the rise (Taylor et al., 2010). James Albus (the inventor of some of the most intelligent machines) is worried about the fact that the automation machines he created will jeopardize the work meant for human beings. When he created these machines, he was optimistic that they will have the capacity to create wealth in the United States and around the world (Albus, 2009). To address his worries, he opted for what he calls capitalism in his book Peoples’ Capitalism: The Economic of Robot Revolution. This is substantial evidence that the world labor force is crumbling down. To avert such a scenario, he advises that the only way is to uphold capital income. He asser ts that if people acquire a substantial amount of capital income, it will help them compensate for the lost labor. According to him, this will be the economic system of the future. From this author’s point of view, Albus (2009) is only concerned with eradication of poverty, pollution, and maybe war. But he does not tell how the whole world will be able to own capital share (Albus, 2009) Having discussed the effects of automation on the employment sector, the author will shift the focus and address the effects of automation on business. Here, the reader will be made aware of the contribution of technology in business. Business and Automation The inventors of most of the automation machines argue that the creatures are not always cheaper than human labor. It is just that they give better and more promising results than their predecessors. They say that quality is a vital requirement in any business. No human being can match the quality of the results the machines can offer. A g ood example is the General Motor manufacturing industries. Robots are used to assemble thousands of part in a short time. No human employee can keep up with that (Oregon, 2008). The encroachment has extended to the medical sector where surgery in hospitals is done by robots with their backs stuck to computer tablets. The inventors contend that the robots are not preferred because they are cheap; rather, their work is quick and the patients are able to recover in a short time (Watkins, 2008). And with the ever increasing number of patients undergoing operations in hospitals, the significance of the robots cannot be downplayed. It is expensive to buy a robot and statistics indicate that only 400 were sold to serve in hospitals in 2011 (Jin Lin, 2012). If someone happens to undergo procedures such as prostatectomy, there is a high possibility that a robot was involved in one or various stages of the operation, complementing the work of the specialists. As such, automation is doing wel l as far as business is concerned. Automation machines need human intervention in all business processes. Although they would have sent home a significant number of workers, they will still need to be inspected whether they have performed the job correctly. As much as they can produce quality and precise work, they will remain machines. As such, intervention as far as their performance is concerned is mandatory (Jin Lin, 2012). Another classic example of automation in this field is the business process automation also referred to as the BPA. The idea here is to reduce operating costs by incorporating automatic software to increase business productivity. At the end of the day, quality and increased demand is achieved while business and automation are boosted (Jin Lin, 2012). Conclusion In this paper, the author looked at the effects of automation on business and employment in contemporary world. The paper adopted an argumentative nature where the author took a stand and tried to def end it. Opposing arguments were identified and debunked. It was found that the impacts of automation in these two fields are significant. In conclusion, the reader may ask themselves whether there is any job that is safe from automation. One would be tempted to say yes, there are some jobs that are safe from this menace. However, evidence in this paper clearly shows that none of the jobs is safe. Researchers are spending sleepless nights in laboratories trying to come up with algorithms that will give the robots the ability to search for facts and even narrate stories. This is an indication of the fact that the columns in the newspapers may be filled with stories written by robots (Miller, 2008). One may then ask who will read the stories. It is noted that the readers of the virtual writers will be many. Those sent home after their jobs have been taken away from them by the robots will idle around as they read the stories written by the same robots. References Adler, P. (2010). Tech nology and the future of work. New York: Oxford University Press. Albus, J. (2009). Peoples capitalism: The economics of the robot revolution. College Park, Md: New World Books. Conference on Automation Systems for Business and Industry. (2011). Proceedings of the EIA conference on automation systems for business and industry. New Jersey: Engineering Publishers. Essig, L. (2012). The speed of light: Dialogues on lighting design and technological change. Portsmouth, N.H: Heinemann. Ford, M. (2009). The lights in the tunnel: Automation, accelerating technology and the economy of the future. New York: Acculant Publishing. Jin, D., Lin, S. (2012). Advances in future computer and control systems (2nd ed.). Berlin: Springer. Killingsworth, C. (2008). Effects of automation on employment and manpower planning. East Lansing: Michigan State University. Leontief, W., Duchin, F. (2006). The future impact of automation on workers. New York: Oxford University Press. Miller, C. (2008). Digital s torytelling: A creators guide to interactive entertainment. Boston: Focal Press/Elsevier. Oregon, C. (2008). The effects of technological change on employment in the lumber industry. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Labor, Manpower Administration, Bureau of Employment Security. Taylor, A., Coppin, P., Wealthy, P. (2010). The impact of new technology on local employment: A study of progress and effect on jobs in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Aldershot, Hampshire: Gower. Watanabe, S., International Labour Office, World Employment Program. (2009). Microelectronics, automation, and employment in the automobile industry. Chichester: Wiley. Watkins, J. (2008). Information technology, organizations, and people: Transformations in the UK retail financial services sector. London: Routledge.

Course Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Course Project - Research Paper Example This is extremely in contrast with the view of Bueno that companies and organizations that do not carry out an evaluation of the performance of its employees cannot compete well with their rivals (7). This view is further supported by Maslow which describes performance appraisal as the estimation and evaluation of performance of workers during a specific period with the goal of determining their suitability and increasing revenue and profit (24). Evaluation based on results can be done in response to a performance crisis or to find the direction that the skills and knowledge of specific employees have to be developed to increase performance .This will end up helping a company move from a loss making trajectory to a profit making one (Buono 30). The techniques that are used to carry out performance appraisal can be widely grouped into three categories namely the absolute, comparative and the result oriented technique The comparative technique is done to compare performance of employees who work in a group. The result oriented is based on the achievement of a specific goal. Absolute performance evaluation, according to Maslow, is done to evaluate employee performance with respect to a set standard performance (40). The choice of the technique used hugely depends on the nature of the organization and the reason for carrying out the performance appraisal. An analysis of the study of ABC Company reveals that the performance of employees and their work patterns is influenced by four major factors. The first factor is attitude and skills. Employees who have the right skills and knowledge perform their duties as required as compared to the lowly skilled ones. The study reveals that those employees with positive attitude tend to enjoy their work. This directly translates to better performance .The workers with negative attitude do not feel empowered and appreciated and therefore their performance is below

Era of Totalitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Era of Totalitarianism - Essay Example All these totalitarian regimes consequently took monumental toll, with millions of people perishing and suffering under the insistence of the political party in power to regulate and dictate all facets of economic, social and even spiritual aspects of human existence. The mobilizing power of the totalitarian regimes, their ability to foster mass movements was based on extreme interpretations of the ideologies of Marx and Nietzsche. Both Marx and Nietzsche lived during a time in the 19th century when science was on the rise and religion was on a decline as the guidepost in matters of human progress and direction. The inward aspects of human existence, the spiritual aspects were seemingly irrelevant with the unprecedented economic progress as can be seen in the West, that was albeit accompanied by the marginalization of certain sectors of society (the toiling, labor classes of Marx) as well as corruption and decadence (the nihilism, the weaknesses engendered by the Christian religion1) as observed by Nietzsche. Both philosophers stressed the ability of mankind to change their reality, Marx in his deterministic belief that the workers rise to power is inevitable and in Nietzsche's trumpeting of the morality of the master over the slave. The historical determinism of Marx and the infinite call to power of the individual with no boundaries in Nietzsche's ideas were potent brews that combined to foster the totalitar ian regimes of the 20th century. Marx, whose ideas led to left-wing totalitarianism turned Hegel's dialectics on its head, converting the latter's predominance of ideas over reality to that of the material determining ideas of reality. For Marx, man is determined by his material or economic needs, forming superstructure for which social, moral and spiritual norms are erected. If mankind could take control of his economic life, and revolutionize it so that the workers will own the fruits of their labor, then all the other aspects of life could be wiped out clean, with oppressive relations disappearing and the mankind living in communal bliss. Far from blissful, the followers of Marx took cue on the deterministic flavor of his ideology from which the communist party became rather an organ of repression of dissent and of oppression in the dogmatic insistence on the interpretation of what constitutes and what will constitute reality. Nietzsche's ideas on the will to power and master morality on the other hand, were the Nazis' ticket to avenge Germany's humiliation after World War I. Morally relativistic, Nietzsche on the one hand when seem in a good light enjoins man to freedom, the creation of what one sees as fit for his life, without the encumbrances of societal traditions. But if used by a group or party out for political power, it had the most fantastic consequences where a nation could be made to believe that one's race is superior and consequently others are inferior - with the resulting Holocaust that killed millions of Jews in the altar of Aryanism.