Debut

Guests arrive Introduction EMCEE: Good evening to all of us. Welcome to Mapayapa Village,Clubhouse. Welcome to the party of our charming debutant who is now turning into a fine lady. This is quiet a very important event in her life and she is very much honor for your presence. She is now a real lady as she stepped onto the much higher level of what we call LIFE. Ladies and gentlemen, sit back as we groove, jive and enjoy her party for tonight†¦ EMCEE: But before we go on, it is my great honor to introduce all her special guests for tonight. Dad- Mr. Eduardo Benitez Mom- Mrs. Marilyn Benitez Sister- Maybelle Benitez Brother- Joemark BenitezWithout them, her life would be empty and unhappy. Let us all give a big round of applause to honor all the people whom she truly loved. Sabi nga, marami tayong mahahanap na kapuso, pero iisa lang ang ating kapamilya. GRAND ENTRANCE of debutante EMCEE: And now†¦. guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen, let us all stand as we welcome the deb utant as a woman of grandeur. Let’s give a big round of applause Ms. Mary Jane Benitez. TOAST IN HONOR OF THE DEBUTANTE INVOCATION OR PRAYER EMCEE: To spiritually open the program, may I ask everybody to please stand for the Lord’s Moment for our guidance and blessings to be led by DININGEMCEE: Now,I would like to announce that we will have our dinner this time. After the dinner, the family would like to request everybody to please remain for a while for the continuation of our program. Thank you. (after dinner) EMCEE: Once again, a sumptuous evening to one and all! It is my delight that you remain and let us rejoice for that. 18 Candles And to represent Jane’s Circle of Important People of her Life, let us welcome the following persons who will share their wishes and offer Ring ofEnlightenment which symbolizes friendship which binds two persons together, and the different colors of light from the ring represents all aspects of hardship and joy to make them clos er together. Of course these people will be the ones who will give her advices and kind words along the way on how to become a perfect woman. * Leah Mae Benitez * Dawn Garvida * Cristine Garvida * Francee Cutamora * Maybelle Benitez * Angelica Benitez * Nerili Garcia * Reyeen Vergara * Regina Mitra * Angielly Decoy * Grace Villena * Precious Feliciano * Jinky Aquino * Cha Sumacot * Donna Inguito * Christine Encomienda Jam Ballos 18 Treasures EMCEE:  Gifts symbolize ever flowing love, caring and admiration. * Mrs. Kristina Benitez * Mrs. Erlyn Villaruel * Mrs. Menchie Diaz * Mrs. Janeth Garvida * Mrs. Alma Illazar * Ms. Ruby Nacario * Mrs. Rosa Castillo * Mrs. Belen Navarro * Mrs. Fe Bulangis * Amy * Nanay Sally * Lita Cutamora * Tita Lon EMCEE: After the offering of the gifts, let us now proceed to the most important part of this should we call it rituals of turning 18? Let us now acknowledge one of the most loved and important persons in Jane’s life. This time to dance wit h her, let’s welcome her father†¦..Mr. Eduardo Benitez (after the dance) EMCEE: Mr. Benitez,Jane’s loving father will be followed by Jane’s Circle of 18 gentle bachelors who will offer to her roses that symbolize love. Love which Jane has for her family and all the people in her life. Each bachelor after giving Jane a rose will dance with her for about 1 or two minutes with the background music dedicated by each guy to the debutante†¦ let us start with†¦ (Modern Dance) SPECIAL NUMBER OF THE CELEBRANT EMCEE: Sharing is one of the virtues Jane possesses because it is what her parents taught her.To share to us one of her talents, let us hold our breath and fix our attention to what she will be given to us, ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome Ms. Mary Jane Benitez! TOAST FOR A SUCCESSFUL LIFE EMCEE: Are you amazed with what she has performed to us? Jane is really such a talented woman, full of art and wonderful ideas for herself and of course f or all the people whom she truly loved. The wine symbolizes commitment and triumph. Jane is considered victorious because she is able to reach the debutant age and it is a great time for this kind of celebration.To toast with her the wine for a long lasting victory of her life, let us all call in the following special persons who are in one way or another became a part of her life through thick and thin, ups and downs, right and wrong and sometimes good and bad times of life. Once again Jane’s Family to be with here for the wine toast. DEBUTANTE’S SPEECH EMCEE: To officially confirm the heat and legality of this party, at para na rin ipaliwanag ang lahat ng kaganapang ito†¦ let us now hear the speech to be given of course by our gorgeous debutante†¦ no other than†¦ Ms. Mary Jane Benitez! PARTY TIME!!!

Belonging Essay

Belonging, in essence, refers to the notion associated with the connections individuals make with people, groups and places. Conversely, by belonging to a certain group or place others are indirectly excluded from belonging in the process. Belonging is a connection that we all, as humans, instinctively seek out; it forms part of our natural behavior. Through this process of belonging we ultimately conform and grow as a person, the outcome through which is our place in society is established. The Immigrant Chronicle† by Peter Skrzynecki illustrates how difficult finding a sense of belonging can be by raising the issues experienced when attempting to assimilate in a new cultural environment with all the associated physical, personal and social changes. Similarly, Jeffery Smart’s painting â€Å"The New School† and the short film ‘Mr Cheng’ explore how barriers can hinder our sense of acceptance and belonging. Though it is an innate need to belong it is not always achieved. This idea is accentuated throughout â€Å"In the Folk Museum† as the composer struggles to relate to a history and culture which is not his own. The visit highlights his inner conflict of not knowing where he belongs. He does not feel like a ‘true’ Australian who may look at such ‘relics’ and see cultural significance to them and understand their historical value. Rather he views them in a detached sense â€Å"To remind of a past/ Which isn’t mine†. The poet uses a faceless caretaker as a representative of Australia’s past. She sits next to a â€Å"winnowing machine† an agricultural machine that separates grain from chaff, creating a metaphor for separating the ‘true’ Australians from new migrants. The poet illustrates the caretaker as dull and uninviting, matching her hair colour with the grey clay bottle that is in the museum; causing them to appear be made from the same entity adding to the composers discomfort and estrangement. The composer emphasises his lack of belonging by describing the colour of the museum as well as its â€Å"cold as water† touch showing the disconnection and isolation the composer experiences. The poem reinforces this idea, when the composer is asked to sign the visitor’s books emphasising that he is only a viewer of the Australian history rather than a part of it. Likewise â€Å"St Patrick’s College† also portrays the need to belong; however, it reveals that belonging does not always come naturally despite his mothers attempt to find a way to connect through uniform and the schools reputation. The poet explores this attempt to belong in the third stanza by the stress of â€Å"eight years† passing by and yet he is still â€Å"Like a foreign tourist, Uncertain of my destination, Every time I got off. † The poet reinforces this idea again by the repetition of time in the start of the fourth stanza, establishing that no matter how long, he is still not able to belong. Despite the use of uniform, it is evident that it is only a facade, used in order to create an illusion of belonging. It is not the uniform that binds students together, but rather a unique connection shared with individuals and place. (Link to question here and back to thesis). Jeffery Smart’s painting â€Å"The New School† establishes that although belonging is an innate need, it is not always achieved. Smart is described as a social commentator, a witness to the alienated city dweller or worker in a dehumanized landscape. Elements of his paintings are taken from real places but they are modified and generalised. The effect is that he creates universal scenes which could be renderings of any large modern city rather than being anchored in Australia or Europe. The concept of isolation is shown through the individual’s body language and placement of the hands as well as positioning in the painting. She is distant from the other students, as well as the school, showing she does not fit, emphasising her disconnection and lack of belonging. Jeffery Smart also creates a negative feel through the dark colour of the sky and the sadness the girl displays through her facial expression, showing the difficultly to belong and how the individual feels isolation as she has no connection with these people place or groups. Similarly â€Å"In the Folk Museum†, the composer feels alienated not being able to relate to the Australian culture and history. The poem initiates feelings of isolation and disconnection as the poet questions himself and his place in society as he does not experience a link with the history viewed. Both â€Å"St Patrick’s college† and â€Å"The New School† relate to a place and a lack of belonging. Smart furthermore highlights the struggle to belong by the vectors in his painting. This is shown by the lines of the basketball court, fading as they progressively near the individual, emphasising the student’s estrangement from the school. In the same way Mr Cheng experiences a lack of belonging through the vectors employed by the director, as images of his family appear however they fade emphasising his uncertainty of where he belongs. The director revisits the idea of isolation, illustrated through the severed family connections that Mr Cheng has suffered. Mr Cheng’s alienation is echoed throughout the piece as the director emphasises his exclusion throughout the film through Mr Cheng’s portrayal as being secluded from society. This struggle is shown by the projections of his memories on a brick wall throughout the film, creating a metaphor, representing the wall as a barrier, showing that although he possesses these memories he is blocked from accessing his true identity. Peter Skrzynecki’s, ‘The Immigrant Chronicle’, allows one to see the difficulties the poet, as a second generation migrant; experiences, this being, the dichotomy of belonging to a culture which is not his own and the feeling of estrangement from his parents’ culture. This concept is also shown through Jeffery Smart’s painting ‘The New School’ as the individual struggles similar to that of Mr Cheng to relate to an environment which is unfamiliar.

Ampex VTR organization Essay

After the second world war, the introduction of televisions opened way for the technological innovation of video recording. In the 1950s, there were major inventions in the video recording industry in the US and Japan. This case study involves the technological advancement in the video cassette recorders (VCRs) manufacturing industries. Six pioneering companies will be considered, namely; RCA and Ampex of USA, Japan Victor Company (JVC) and Sony, Toshiba and Matsushita all of Japan. JVC, Sony and Matsushita had the competitive advantage of management in this industry. They emphasized on opportunities that were more rewarding, productively positioned their technical efforts and executed these efforts in more productively. These companies learnt the market technological demands for videocassette recorders and produced in mass at limited costs. To prove their technological competence, these firms produced equipment with utmost sound clarity and consistently adhered to this. JVC was under pressure to come up with a common standard for its products which led to the advent of VHS system. RCA engineers came up with a video recording machine moving a narrow tape very fast past magnetic heads. At Toshiba, a recording head was made to rotate fast while the tape moved past at relatively slow speed (helical scanner). Despite these efforts, Ampex was the first to come up with a commercial video recorder. This VTR technology was patented but was soon shared out to other companies like RCA. Ampex failed to come up with a manufacturing capability for mass production despite the high performance designs. Ampex engineers opened up the helical scanner technology for broadcast recorder but Sony, JVC and Matsushita overtook them in this technology. RCA suggested the introduction of a television magnetic tape player but this was not considered by the management until later in 1958 in the design of VTR. Sony did not employ the method of market research but instead chose to insist on high technology and innovation. In 1950, Sony introduced the first Japanese magnetic recorder for sound and tape, followed by a TV camera and stereo tape recorder. In 1961, it unveiled the first fully transistorized VTR in the world. Matsushita was a diverse company dealing with a range of electrical appliances. To beat this company’s success, the rivals developed cheaper appliances. The diversities in technology led to a need for international standards to govern this. Sony wanting to outdo its foreign rivals collaborated with JVC and Matsushita in the establishment of ? inch tape cassettes. Sony, JVC and Matsushita made strategic management of technology by learning through trials. These companies were persistent and flexible. Ampex and RCA in America lacked consistency in their strategic direction making them fail to sustain technical development. The Japanese companies had stable technical teams which ensured stability in the organization. Top managers were involved in making critical decisions. Ampex VTR organization was however marred with instability (Rosenbloom & Cusumano, 1987). The basic VCR technology originated from the US and Europe although the Japanese industries have been successful in the industry. The success attributed to the Japanese industries was achieved by more improvements on the basic technology rather than just copying what the West had to offer. The advent of transistors, semiconductors and microchips greatly boosted the electronic industry in Japan.

Bottled water commodity chain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bottled water commodity chain - Research Paper Example ny bottled water companies have been faced by numerous challenges, with others even being forced to close down due to excessive competition that exists in this industry. To evaluate the issues that exist in this industry, it is important to carry out a commodity chain analysis using FWC as an example. Fiji water has always been ahead of other companies when it comes to the production of bottled water. The production process begins with the tapping of rain water that is purified by the equatorial winds after travelling through the Pacific Ocean. The water is then filtered for a long period during which essential minerals such as ions and silica are gathered to increase the health of the consumers. The company’s marketing structure has been one factor that has enabled them to gain popularity and acquire a competitive edge against rival companies such as Dasani water from Coca Cola, Nestle’ water among others. FWC bases its strategy on the premise that when the consumers understand that their product originates from a remote aquifer in Fiji, they will have a liking towards it since it would represent an â€Å"untouched water with untouchable taste,† (Sorrells, 2012, para.1). This therefore implies that creating an identity to the customers would increase the cus tomer reliance on the product. Fiji’s marketing strategy has been a success over the last few years. This success can be attributed to the use of ideal aspects such as perfect market timing, a unique product positioning, premium product pricing, creating image publicity, innovative packaging and effective distribution. For instance, they have created a notion to the customers defining that their premium product is far from pollution, acid rain, industrial waste, and it is uncontaminated, untouched and uncompromised. According to Jessop, this product has been â€Å"preserved and protected by geography and geology† (2013, p. 10). This therefore results to a fine taste and mineral properties that are enjoyed

Childhood Obesity, the parent's role in prevention Research Paper

Childhood Obesity, the parent's role in prevention - Research Paper Example With the changing trends and lifestyle, obesity in children is increasing day by day. Traditionally kids were more involved in outdoor activities which would require physical effort and strength. But the introduction of various video games, internet, children movies and other technological advances has made children couch potatoes. With lesser amount of physical activity comes more weight gain and lethargy among children. Statistics show that about 15% of children between 6-11 years and adolescence between 12-19 years are overweight in the United States. These statistics are set to grow as children indulge in unhealthy eating habits and lesser physical activity. Obesity is one of the greatest health challenges and brings many risks to a child life. Apart from looking out of shape, obese children face many health issues from early ages as compared to their lean friends. â€Å"In the short term, overweight and obese children are more likely to develop certain gastrointestinal, cardiov ascular, endocrine and orthopaedic problems than their lean peers that may exacerbate in the long run.† (Hills, King, and Byrne, 2007) The problem of obesity in children is difficult to handle. For a child, strict diet is not an option for weight loss because he needs all food sources and appropriate nourishment for his body. Another problem that hinders obesity management is the lack of data available for obese children. Very few countries publish data showing obesity in children and thus there is a lack of public and strategic health programs in schools reinforcing a healthy lifestyle. Looking at some of the available figures for childhood obesity gives us an idea of the overall health level for children. â€Å"The figures presented here are based on the latest and most reliable available, some of which were previously published in 2006 by Wang and Lobstein: Table 1.1 Estimated prevalence of excess body weight in school-age children in 2010 Region Obese Overweight (includin g obese) America 15% 48% Middle east & N. Africa 12% 42% Europe & Former USSR 10% 38% West Pacific 7% 27% South East Asia 5% 23% Africa Less than 1% Less than 5% Countries in each region are according to World Health Organization Source: Wang & Lobstein† (Waters, Swinburn, & Seidel, 2010) The causes of obesity in children are wide and debatable. Some attribute the childhood obesity to pure genetic behaviour say that childhood obesity s transformed from one generation to the other and there is not much prevention in this case. According to the people who label childhood obesity as genetic phenomenon, a child cannot escape from gathering excess fat in his body because of his genetic tendency and metabolism rate. However, there are people who believe that obesity comes from the way of life that is built up in the very early ages of a child’s development. According to them if a child is made to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet, he can not only overcome the g enetic label of weight gain associated with his family but also remain fit and healthy avoiding many diseases associated with weight gain. The group of people, who are of the opinion that the child’s way of living is the major reason for the excessive weight gain, argue that at many times you will see lean and fit parents having overweight and obese kids. In that case one can see that overweight is not inherited but acquired through a poor and unhealthy lifestyle.

Revlictive report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Revlictive report - Assignment Example I got the skills through tutoring and self-train, which have played a significant role in the developing them. My personality and behavior has pleased great number of workmates, since we socialize and interact well. Some good characteristics that my fellow staffs members have recognized and appreciated are; honesty, self-motivated, courageous, risk taking, innovative, and creative. We managed to escalate the business organization to another level through good interaction with my staff members, I have made sure that I handle myself well and avoid misbehaving at the work place (Caruth D, & Caruth, G. & Pane, 242). Even though I have excelled in most of the fields, there are areas where I have faced challenges, and need to work on. I have failed to work overtime because of the responsibilities I have to work on outside the job area. Working extra time is a big challenge to me although I respect the normal working time and take it seriously. Therefore, I will working on the weak point and trying to settle down and concentrated more on my job in the coming phase. My strong areas discussed in my first phase are exceptional job skill, great personality, and good behavior, though I have failed to sacrifice my time and work extra time. Appraisal report generally assists in evaluating staff members and by letting, they realize their own strengths and weak

Gender equality in islamic Iran Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11500 words

Gender equality in islamic Iran - Coursework Example The methodology adopted is based on history of Islamic laws and policies on gender to compare the status of men and women in the society. This is further elaborated by a classical view, with particular emphasis on the status of women in the Islamic society of Iran and their present day situation outlining the developments that happened through various forms of reformist movements post the Islamic Republic of Iran movement of 1979. Discussion based on our findings from the methodology and approach revolves around the present status of Iranian Women under Islam with a comparison of modern and traditional women. Supporting the voice of modern women, the Convention of human rights laid post Revolution has been discussed. The paper concludes with a summary of the entire research and findings, extending to mention the current happenings in the name of reformist movements in Iran. Limitations of the study have been briefed along with a proposal for another method of studying the presence of gender differences in Iran. Gender, being a social and human concept, ideally does not enter the territory of God. Traditional views of gender roles and relations have persisted in tandem with changes in the status of women both within and outside the family. The realities of women's lives remain unclear and hidden to men and women, and this invisibility persists at all levels from family to the nation. Although men and women seem to coexist on earth, yet, they live in different worlds. They both enjoy different sets of rights, freedom, duties, culture, and even socio-economic status, and these differences cannot be traced to any particular period in history. Though, in front of God, men and women are equal as stated in Qu'ran, and status of women and men also defined with respect to their roles. Shari'a, the Muslim law, defines many differences between the two genders' roles, rights, and obligations. Most of the Islamic women do not enjoy uniform rights with regards to marriage, divorce, civil rights, legal s tatus, dress code, education, though the rules are said to be based on the Islamic holy teachings of Qu'ran. Majority of the social benefits given to women are based on teachings from Qu'ran. Nevertheless, scholars and other

Film analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Film analysis - Essay Example The film was also novel in terms of starring women in its 130 speaking roles including the animals like horses or dogs shown in the film. This all-female film earned the director the title of â€Å"women’s director†. The film ‘The Women’ received a volley of criticism and it is quite evident for an all-female film that it would be subjected to feminist interpretation. The absence of men completely denies the fact or dejection of the concept pertaining to â€Å"the female as an object of gaze†. A consistent mark of heterosexuality and that of bleak mark of lesbianism is noticed in the film through the character of Nancy Blake. Heterosexuality in the pre-war era among the high class societies is a predominant theme of the film. The film ‘The Women’ is circular in nature and the final scene of the film shows the predicament and fulfils the beginning discourse of the film. The final scene of the movie is not only the concluding scene but it is also a sumptuous scene indeed. Divorce was a social taboo at that point of time when the film was made. Naturally, Cukor knew it well that his audience amid this oestrogen stimulating movie would love to watch Mary rushing out from the party to finally succumb to the waiting arms of Stephen, her infidel husband. Mary learns about her foolishness and a close shot with a narrow frame gets focused on the facial expression of Mary. Norma Shearer excellently portrays the expression most apt for this scene and the play of light and shadow with the to and fro fine agile movement of the camera enables to capture a tight-lipped close shot of Shearer’s expression specially her eyes that captivated a sense of longing, desire to fall back on the arms of the beloved and pinning to replenish all that she has lost becomes evident when Mary is shown rushing out of the party hall almost in the vein of a bullet from the gun through the movement and language of camera. The background score, building a climactic appeal

Tank Leak Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tank Leak - Personal Statement Example The issues of soil contamination will need to be addressed and the abandoned tank removed for reasons of safety and structural stability. The local agency responsible for the environment may have to be consulted to determine the magnitude and extent of risk of environmental contamination the leakage poses. That agency may also require to be consulted before an appropriate remediation programme is adopted and the soil contamination cleaned up. Following are a few remediation techniques published in the Oil Remediation Index that we could choose from: 1. Dig and dump - As the name suggests this method involves removing all the contaminated soil and disposing it off to the nearest landfill site. While excavation and dumping is becoming increasingly expensive, this is the most effective of the methods for removal of contamination and possibly most appropriate for your site as we are already in the process of excavation. 2. Soil Vapour Extraction - This is an in-situ process that involves inducing an air flow through the soil to remove the volatile components of the contaminant. Since oil is not as volatile as say petrol, this technique might not be very appropriate here. 4. Bio-remediation - This method involves using micro-organisms such as fungi, bacteria etc to degrade organic contaminants.

Educational Website Evaluation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Educational Website Evaluation - Research Paper Example Before healthcare professionals recommend any websites to patients, the must make sure of the quality of content and information is accurate to serve the purpose. Based on the given references, â€Å"accuracy† is a key factor to check the sources for content. The information may also come from more than one source. If the information comes from a reputed source, then it is good to use. For example, websites like www.cdc.gov gives users ample information on health topics. Within the site one can find links that provide information in details on recent outbreaks in the country, health and safety topics related to all diseases. Accuracy of particular site deals with the updating of the site, the quality of language, authentication of the site, appropriate links within the site, etc. In CDC on the home page itself the visitors can view â€Å"Health and Safety Topics† that takes them to a vast array of information on various diseases and prevention methods. They can also get A-Z information on all health topics as each topic is provided with featured links and sub-topics making the information easily accessible. For example, the â€Å"heart disease† topic will give the visitors links for coronary artery disease, symptoms and recommendations. However, relying on the internet for health information is a risky proposition as one cannot blindly believe on all the sites. Many times, people end up with websites giving them irrelevant or false information. Fortunately, the users can verify the contents of CDC and it is accurate. Regular users of internet can easily identify the genuineness of this website. While searching for right health information few aspects needs to be considered. These include whether the site is authorized, does it ask for personal information or whether it makes unbelievable claims. It is also desirable to check the â€Å"About Us† page of the site for finding the answers about the questions relating to the promoters of the sites. To a certain extent, the â€Å"site map† can also be helpful. In the â€Å"About Us† page of CDC one can get to know about CDC organization, mission and vision, their training and education and how they are connected with social media. These points are enough to answer the authorization of the site. Second factor is the author of the website, who must have â€Å"verifiable credentials† (Website Evaluation Guide, n.d., p.1). The author must be easily accessible through e-mail address or other contact details provided on the site. CDC gives the users the complete postal address and how to contact the owner through twitter and FaceBook – CDC tweets and CDC FaceBook Posts. Evaluating health websites is impossible without authorization and details of sponsor. When a person checks on the authority, two important things must be noted such as (a) why the site is created and (2) which sponsor runs the site? If the site is making unwanted claims to the u ser that means the site does not have a sponsor or proper author. If one takes the example of the earlier mentioned site he or she can find that the site is run by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In the â€Å"About CDC† page of the site, there is a link for â€Å"CDC 24/7† which gives you information on how â€Å"CDC officials† work with other health care providers to spread health awareness. This provides clear details of who runs the site and what is its purpose. Another important

Suffering from depression Essay Example for Free

Suffering from depression Essay In one of the first workshops we initially produced a brainstorm of ideas as to why people may be institutionalised. Below I have listed a selection of illnesses which were brainstormed.  Medication non-compliance: Not following treatment and/or not taking medications as prescribed.  Cognitive impairment: Defined as unusually poor mental function, associated with confusion, forgetfulness and difficulty  Depression: A psychiatric disorder showing symptoms such as persistent feelings of hopelessness, dejection, poor concentration, lack of energy, inability to sleep, and, sometimes, suicidal tendencies Incontinence: Often used to refer to a lacking in moderation or self-control, especially related to sexual desire.   Everyone worked in pairs where one of us had been put into the institution by the other. Holly and I worked together, we decided I would be the character in the institution and I was then hot-seated. I decided I was a thirty-five year old woman who had been left by her husband and as a result of this, tragically suffering from depression. As a pose to helping me herself, Holly carelessly decided it was best to leave me in an institution, not knowing this sudden change in surroundings, faces and routine would in fact provoke my illness, leaving me worse than before. When brainstorming ideas as to why people may be institutionalised, depression seemed an obvious and popular idea. This influenced my reasons for rendering my character depressed. After we were hot-seated our teacher asked us questions about the characters we had created, I found the hot-seating helped tremendously when trying to understand and form my character, thus making it easier to answer questions about her. As I was able to understand my character through the hot-seating, I found I was able to form a deeper connection with her; I believed this would significantly help my portrayal when acting her character. We then created a duologue. This helped me further develop my character as it allowed me to see how she reacted when left face-to-face with Holly, through improvisation. It was clear from our characters opposing behavior towards one another that our relationship had been damaged due to the institution. Not only had my condition worsened but Hollys cold nature penetrated the already bad atmosphere between us making everything more awkward.Holly visits the institution to see if my condition has improved. This is the first time in two years she has visited and my hostile behavior towards her shows I am affected by her lack of visits. When she enters my room I am sitting in the corner, dribbling, rocking and the lights are off; she is horrified my depression has worsened and tries to leave immediately. Quickly I get up and run to the door, barricading it. I ask her why she put me here and left me for two years, followed by my monologue. In reply to this Holly performs her monologue explaining my depression was affecting her and everyone around me. Furiously, Holly pushes me aside and runs out of door, I am left crying on the floor in a ball, screaming and shouting why did you do this to me, scene cuts here. FINAL PERFORMANCE I found the final performance ran successfully, Holly and I remembered our lines and our stage directions; this, I thought, played a big part in the overall success of our performance. I believe my character came across well to the audience as the general feedback was positive- this showed the audience was able to identify with and understand my characters feelings and difficulties. Although the majority of the performance went well I, however, believe there is always room for improvement. Holly and I could have incorporated a flash back at the beginning of the scene, showing the audience the day I was put into the institution. I think this may have furthered the audiences understanding of my character and make the fact my condition had not improved clearer. This would not have only benefited the audience, but myself. By developing the scene in this way, I would have been able to also develop my character further on a whole, learning more about her.

Designing a process of Intercultural aspects of conflict resolution Essay Example for Free

Designing a process of Intercultural aspects of conflict resolution Essay In the course to evolve a systematic cultural response to conflict, the first step is to breed familiarity among cultures that adds plurality and multicultural dimension to broaden existing views. In the process of evolving cultural familiarity communication, approaches towards conflict, cultural interpretation of life and identities and roles are identified as essential parameters (Carbaugh, 1990). Out of these, role and range of communication has already been discussed. Now it is time to look at rest of three factors. Responses towards a conflict situation are largely culture dependent, guided by the ways each culture has systemized itself towards conflict. Direct and straightforward ways of approaching conflict, generally acceptable in western society, may seem threatening and offensive in eastern cultures accustomed to third party negotiations. Similarly, cultures that follow calm and reasonable response to conflict, may feel intimidated by emotional and passionate response to conflict situation (Carbaugh, 1990). Cultural interpretation of life sets the starting point for people that forms basis of their thinking, values and philosophy, eventually deciding the role they would play in every conflict and their outcome they come across. It is the cultural orientation that makes societies disciplined or diffused, generalized or specific, value oriented or bohemian, and cooperative or isolated (Carbaugh, 1990). Hence cultural conflict resolution ultimately depends on the depth of understanding attained through interaction. References Burrel, N. A, 1990. Theory and Research in Conflict Management. edit M. Afzalur Rahim editor. Praeger Publishers. :New York Rahim, M. A (2001), Managing Conflict in Organizations. Contributors: M. Afzalur: Quorum Books. Westport, CT Handbook of Conflict Management. (2003) . Jerri Killian ,William J. Pammer Jr. (edits): Marcel Dekker. New York. Womack, D. F, 1990. Theory and Research in Conflict Management. edit M. Afzalur Rahim editor. Praeger Publishers.:New York. Leborn, M. 2003. Culture and Conflict. Accessed online on 17. 11. 2007. http://www. beyondintractability. org/essay/culture_conflict/ Grosse, C. U. 2002. Managing Communication within Virtual Intercultural Teams Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 65, 2002. Holliday, A. , Hyde, M. ,, Kullman, J. 2004. Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book; Routledge, Carbaugh, D. 1990 Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Impact of Human Expansion on Wetland Areas

Impact of Human Expansion on Wetland Areas Human exploitation damaged a lot of wetland areas. Expansion of settlements and agricultural lands affets wetland directly and spoils the natural form of particular wetlands. Bhindawas and Tal Chhapar also faces some challenges and altered by man with some natural degardational factors. The impacts of various factors are described here. Loss of Habitat: Dense forest is scarce in Tal Chhapar and Bhindawas wetland areas. Most of avifauna and wildlife needs dense forest as their habitat to secure food and shelter in these wetland areas. Dense forest provides safe habitation for Blackbucks and Nilgai’s to hide themselves from predators. Blackbucks migrates in the Tal Chhapar wetland, in the day time for their feeding and during night to save themselves from foxes and other predators, mainly stray dogs who enters the sanctuary after chasing calves, older and other ill Blackbucks in the sanctuary. These animals migrate to eastern parts of the Tal Chhapar which is covered with dense woody vegetation than the western part of the wetland but these animals’ moves towards western parts of the sanctuary or outside the sanctuary for their food as the core of the wetland is covered with sewan and other nutritious grasses. Fencing around the sanctuary protect these animals but these animals face difficult to find an entry after sunse t and they falls prey to stray dogs outside the wetland area of some times killed by vehicular movement on the road which passes through the Tal Chhapar as well as its boundary also encroached by road made by Public Works Department of Rajasthan. In the western side the wildlife faces heavy dumpers and loaded trucks while central encompassing road dominated by buses, trucks and other fast moving vehicles while the eastern side road is followed by jeeps, motorcycles with blowing pressure horns. Eradication of Juliflora plant in the western side also pose a threat to Blackbucks as they move outside the sanctuary area and forget the path after sunset. These animals chase by stray dogs from Surwas and Chadwas villages outside the wetland area. They cannot enter the sanctuary area due to fencing and dig walls around the Tal and constructed wall in the northern side of the wetland. Wild Boer also face the similar situation, these animals feels safe in grassy area but they cannot stay at a safe point as Blackbuck moves freely in this area. Wild Boer avoids thick woody area as they make their habitat in the tall grassland in the core area. Spiny tailed lizards live in the open patches of the eastern side area of wetland close to Devani village. Spiny tailed lizards also eaten by Monitor lizards and Cobra snakes. Reptiles are killed by vehicular movement as they move mainly during night towards eastern side for their food. Spiny tailed lizard’s falls prey to foxes also due to open patches in the eastern side of the wetland. Many migratory birds come here during winter for their breeding season. This avifauna resides in colonies mainly in the extremes of western side or open forest area outside the sanctuary area. The wild animals exhibit phenomenon of local migration within the sanctuary and to neighboring areas. The migration is mostly for water, but some times animals migrate for food also. During summer the wildlife migrates and confine near the water holes. The carnivores migrate out.,side / the sanctuary area, during night. Few migratory birds also visit the area and leave it again in late February. Migration of exotic fauna is regular phenomena in the sanctuary. Most of bird and animal species always like dense forest for their habitat for much availability of food and safety point of view. Due to lack of dense forest there is very less plant and animal species founding the sanctuary. 1. Various type of habitat There are basically four types of the habitat in the sanctuary. On the basis of topographical considerations and it has been classified as under (a) Soil habitat (b) Grassland habitat (c) Aquatic habitat (d) Rocky habitat (e) Other habitat (a)Soil Habitat Bhindawas wetland is part of Indo- gangetic plain under South- West Haryana Sandy areas in Jhajjar district of Haryana. Soil habitat lies on outer side of main lake boundary where water could not reach even in the monsson season. Soil habitat area is an open space, used by Nilgai, Chinkaras, reptiles, small insects, rats and other creatures who lives beneath the soil cover. Tal Chhapar sanctuary falls in Indian thar desert where wind erosion is common feature, like other deserts, high velocity of wind shift the sand dunes. The sand dunes are also found in and around the sanctuary. A long range of dunes having near southern periphery of the sanctuary. The sandy habitat is liked by chinkara, Reptiles, lizards, Rodents and many beetles of desert. (b) Grassland habitat Unlike other desert of the world, Indian Thar Desert bears comparatively high density of flora and fauna. Grasses like Sevan, Dhaman, dhob, mothia etc. are found on plane area of the sanctuary. The Grassy habitat is suitable for black buck the black buck takes grasses like Lana, luni and lender shoots of ber, ker etc. The habitat also helps wildlife by providing them food, shelter and place for reproduction. Saline soils of Tal Chhapar area reduce chances of the development of trees and sewan grasses but places having fresh sand deposition are occupied by grass species. The patches with high salinity remain barren. Plant of prosopis julie flora are gradually coming of the saline and gravel soil, if Julie flora plant are not controlled properly then the whole area may be occupied gradually by these plants, which will make the habitat unsuitable for other species to-grow there. Grassland habitat in Bhindawas wetland dominated by small creatures only. These are actually water fens and weeds which prohibits other wildllives to make their shelter. Rodents, ants and other beetles survive in these areas. (c) Aquatic habitat Bhindawas wetland is typical aquatic habitat for many water birds and water snakes, fishes, tortoise etc. Main lake provides a strong and safe habitat for all aquatic life. Large water bodies are perfered by fishes and water snakes. It protect these creatures from heat and dust at the time of â€Å"Loo† and from illegal hunters too. Water maintains an optimum water temperature which is crucial for aquatic life. In and around the sanctuary have many small nadies and salt mines. The saline water remains in these nadies for a longer time. These scattered salt lakes form aquatic habitat, which attracts many species of animals and birds. Presently there are four Talabs and two Talabs are located in the sanctuary and another two are located in the periphery of the sanctuary. The degree of water salinity varies from water hole to water hole. Out of these four water holes, the Nadi situated on the junction of Bikaner-Chhapar and Chhapar-Sujangarh roads, is having comparatively less domestic animal of surrounding villages. As mentioned earlier the Tal Chhapar sanctuary is located in a depressed zone with a poor drainage system. Due to bad drainage pattern water gets accumulated, in the depression and that water lasts for a considerable long period. Among common aquatic fauna found in and around these lake are cattle Ergot, small ergot, Pond heron, black winged stilt, King fisher, common crane etc. (d)Rocky habitat `There is no rocky habitat in Bhindawas wetland. It is a plain saucer shaped depression filled with water and dominated by weeds and tress. Gravels exposed rocks; small hillocks and magra land are found in the western desert. The hillocks with low height are three i.e. towards gopalpur Chadwas villages. This habitat with inter spread grassy patches is suitable for hares, partridges and carnivorous species like fox, jackal etc. (e)Other habitat Tal Chhapar sanctuary is a species specific habitat for some mammals. The santuary is a home for the black buck. Well stocked population of black buck, in a compacted area of 719 hectare, shows that the habitat is suitable for this species. Though other wild animals are also found in the area but their population is still very less and the population trend is not towards increase. Open patches in water bodies are prefect place for basking in the winter season and are used by avifauna for breeding, mainly migratory birds in Bhindawas wetland. Habitat Change: There is consensus among intellegentia and even local pepole in considering habitat change and fragmentation of habitat as one of the major threatening factor for wildlife, bird and reptiles at the global scale. Habitat change causes by expansion of exotic species in water and over the land in Bhindawas. Polluted water of drain no. 8 mixes with wetland water affects fish species too. Toxicity of water from drain no. 8 kills fishes near outlet of wetland, ultimately forest department does not forward fishing activity near the drain. Expansion of water hyacinth and othe exotic weeds forbid birds to sit on open patches of land. Sedimentation by canal water reduces open areas which are uses by birds as breeding sites. Conversion of forest land into waterbodies destroys shelter of Nilgai and other animals in the wetland. Now these animals take refuge in Prosopis juliflora plants. There is migration of blackbucks from western part of Tal Chhapar to eastern parts in the night as lack of thick forested patches in the western parts pose them to stray dogs in the night, for safety puposes these animals moves to small thick areas dominated by large trees. The large-scale effects of habitat alteration produced by oil-industry related pollution on the habitat use of four species of freshwater turtles (Pelusios castaneus, Pelusios niger, Pelomedusa subrufa, Trionyx triunguis) were studied in the River Niger Delta, southern Nigeria (West Africa) between 1996 and 2004 was studied by Luca Luiselli, Godfrey C. Akani and E. Politano (2006). Decrease in Carrying Capacity: Carrying capacity of a wetland is a measure of the ecological, hydrological, biochemical processes and its ability to support entire ecosystem and biodiversity.Carrying capacity defines as support to ecosystem of a wetland without damaging productivity of the wetland and habitats within it. Availability, requirement and production of resources to sustain its ecosystem on any wetland is real determinant to describe carrying capacity of the wetland. To assess carrying capacity, a long term study requires over any wetland but there are changes in land use pattern, species of avian fauna, numbers of wildlife and sources of poin based with non point sources of pollution also helps to determine carrying capacity of both wetlands. Guangwei Huang and Masahiko Isobe (2012) developed a method to quantify the carrying capacity of a water body with regard to massive waterfowl was developed through the study of five wetlands that are used as the wintering ground by a large number of waterfowl in Japan. It takes into consideration water depth, retention time, and in-lake phosphorus concentration. For one of the sites, Sakata Lagoon, which is a registered Ramsar wetland in Japan, the assessment of its carrying capacity suggests that the number of waterfowl should be reduced by half to sustain the water quality of this wetland. Available nutrients in water and soil of Bhindawas wetland indicate carrying capacity of the wetland. This wetland supports vegetation of different types but infestation by water hyacinth destroys other water plants which can not compete with exotic species to survive in the wetland. The situation presents that carrying capacity of wetland has been decreased. Numbers of migratory birds also less than Khaparwas sanctuary which is smaller than Bhindawas wetland also indicate carrying capacity of the research site. Tal Chhapar is a small area, preserving its carrying capacity with limited available natural resources. Open lands has been converted into grassland and some tree patches to support blackbucks in the sanctuary area. Total counts of wildlife and other reptiles are contantly same during study period. Supportive system provided by forest staff like water availability during drought period, purchase of fodder for minor or injured wildlife manages it carrying capacity more or less. Impact on Wildlife: The wildlife face a spread of disease particularly herbivores from outside livestock as these animals moves outside the sanctuary area for fresh and nutritious food like green leaves in kankars (lush green vegetation line to demarcate boundary between villages and major revenue fields). These Blackbuck mixes with domesticated livestock and get infected with disease which are not prone to their co- habited wildlife in the wetland area. Fencing with in wetland obstructed free movement og wildlife of Tal Chhapr. Mid way fencing pose threat to animals as they falls into dig walls or may struck into fenced wires of Forest department. The passing through road, connecting Bikaner with Sujangarh cuases severe loss to wildlife mainly reptiles as well as Blackbucks, Nilgai and Wild Boers. Degradation of the Catchment Area: Capacity of the wetland catchment areas to intercept, process and to store water is influenced by many factors including time and amount of precipitation, land use, vegetation, topographic relief, soil type, temperature and ground water connection. Catchment areas of Tal Chhapar wetland that includes Chhapar, Chadwas, Gopalpura, Rampura, Devani and Surwas villages, in the last ten years the open land has been converted into built up areas. Built up areas means constructions of petrol pumps, roads in the periphery of sanctuary, establishment of a stone qurrying and stone cutting small scale industry and mushrooming of road side dhabas on NH 65. All these activities degarades catchment areas of the wetland which depends on rainfall water and on rivulet channel from Gopalpura hills. But this water pollutes by salt plant which are situated in western parts of Tal Chhapar. Rajasthan government has issued NOC to a big stone qurrying industry in Chadwas village which may disturb ecosystem o f the Tal areas. Bhindawas is surrounded by 12 villages, mostly dominated ny agricultural castes, those practices intensive cultivation that requires heavy fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and water consuming put pressure of these polluters in nearby areas of the lake. Due to leaching of water and salinisation of waterlogged areas outside the embankments mixing of residues of pesticides and urea is going on. All these practices degrades catchment areas as well as wetland areas and pressure on wetland ecosystem. Sometimes blackbukcs and peopcocks go out of wetland for their food and consume pesticide infested crops and that cause their death. Land Conversion: Open land has been converted into built up areas in the catchment areas of Tal Chhapar. Main cause of this conversion is developmental activities in the area. Construction of road from Rampura to Surwas via Devani has done, land of Forest department was taken for this purpose, this land was under buffer zone area in the southern part of the Tal. This small land conversion for the road allows heavy trucks to carry mud qurries, stone from Gopalpura area and salt from the vicinity of sanctuary. These heavy trucks kill blackbucks while they comes from fields or goes at the time of road crossing. Snakes, lizard particulary spiny tailed which has medicinal as well as ecological value smashed under loaded heavy vechiles on Bikaner- Sujangarh road and Rampura – Surwas road. Some grassland was taken by Prosopis juliflora plants but now these plants have been removed from those areas. Bhindawas wetland does not face land conversion from its land area but with in wetland there is change in land use pattern which is also harmful. Forestland occupied by waterbodies and grassland while waterbodies converted into grassland. This type of land conversion directly affects migratory bird as it swallow small patches of land, a breeding and basking site. Wetland Exploitation: Wetlands in semi – arid or arid area are those ecozones which offer good ecological conditions with high productive potentials and divergent conditions to exploit. Since civilizations wetlands uses by man for their needs either in the form of food or clothes. Exploitation of wetlands passes through different stages from Early Neolithic period. Man uses wetlands from subsistence food gathering to exploitative axing of trees to make big ships. These wetlands are considered as excellent bases for exploitation from fishing to high end products in the international market. Nature and intensity of wetland exploitation depends on its location and richness in biodiversity. Apart from agricultural exploitation, early medieval wetlands may have provided important additional resources of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl, their abundance mainly dependent on the primary productivity (e.g. Prummel 1983). In addition, the importance of salt production in coastal and estuarine areas is well att ested. (e.g. Besteman1 974;Adshead 1992). Tal Chhapar wetland was used by local people for grazing their small animals before its taken over by the Rajasthan government. After completion of fencing work, local people take other alternates for their fuelwood and grazing of small animals. Some people took Spiny tailed lizard from the sanctuary area for their valuable oil but forest department put an end on all this type activities. Bhindawas wetland was constructed after repetition of floods and construction of Jawahar Lal Nehru canal in Haryana. This wetland was notified as a protected forest area by Haryana government to store flood water oor excess water during Monsoon time. People exploitate Bhindawas wetland for grazing animals including cow, buffalos, sheep and goats. These people take fuelwood for their homes. Sometime farmers extract water for their crops. Bhindawas and Tal Chhapar wetland are International Bird Area (IBA) sited for bird watching, mainly migratory birds. Hunting/ Poaching: The primary association between hunters and wetland environments was clearly linked with hunting till Nineteenth century but it is still prevalent in developing countries. Some tribes in Indian states earn their livelihood from hunting in wetland areas. But Indian government banned hunting and other activities associated with it. But there are some tribes in Rajasthan state and few notorious communities are living near the wetland areas in Haryana. Tal Chhapar area is dominting by animal worshiping communities, so there is rare chance of hunting or poaching happens in Tal or any adjoing areas. Bilochpura is a near by village to Bhindawas wetland. Some persons engaged in hunting but these people perform their hunting activity during night time only.

Leo Strauss :: essays research papers

In 1899–1973, American philosopher, b. Hesse, Germany. Strauss fled the Nazis and came to the United States, where he taught at the Univ. of Chicago (1949–68). Strauss is known for his controversial interpretations of political philosophers, including Xenophon and Plato. Strauss wrote an influential critique of modern political philosophy, i.e., philosophy since Machiavelli, arguing that it suffers from an inability to make value judgments about political regimes, even about obviously odious ones. As a model for how political philosophy should proceed, Strauss held up the work of the Ancients, i.e., Xenephon and Plato. He defended the ant historicist position that it is possible for a person to grasp the thought of philosophers of different eras on their own terms. Strauss then wrote a book Natural Right and History (1952), Thoughts on Machiavelli. This Strauss, like his namesake Levi, was a German-Jewish emigre who brought to his adopted country tools and techniques to tailor the frayed fabrics of American garb. The vestments with which Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was concerned, however, were intellectual rather than mall-type paraphernalia. Specifically, he may have been this century's most profound critic of the adornments of modernity. There is, he argued, a fatal flaw concealed in the rationalistic optimism of the Enlightenment project, and its ramifications have been made manifest by the twin scourges of National Socialism and Leninism. Diagnosis of the malady was his life's work - diagnosis and intimations concerning appropriate therapy. But although politics was Strauss's passion, his pursuit of the political was indirect and abstruse. He had no time for party pronouncements or the policy scuffles of the day. Rather, his method was to offer exceedingly close readings of classic philosophical and theological texts and to attempt to elicit from them the political prerequisites necessary for human beings to live well together.Strauss is best known - indeed, notorious in various academic circles - for claiming that the great philosophers of antiquity and the medieval world wrote in a sort of code so as to disguise their real meaning. They did so, he argued, for two reasons. First, they might thereby hope to escape persecution for views deemed harmful or heretical by those possessing a power to impose penalties (think of Socrates' cup of hemlock). Second and more fundamental, these evasive prose maneuvers were designed to transmit truths to those capable of advantageously knowing them without simultaneously planting in the less able ideas which would bear pernicious fruit. Leo Strauss :: essays research papers In 1899–1973, American philosopher, b. Hesse, Germany. Strauss fled the Nazis and came to the United States, where he taught at the Univ. of Chicago (1949–68). Strauss is known for his controversial interpretations of political philosophers, including Xenophon and Plato. Strauss wrote an influential critique of modern political philosophy, i.e., philosophy since Machiavelli, arguing that it suffers from an inability to make value judgments about political regimes, even about obviously odious ones. As a model for how political philosophy should proceed, Strauss held up the work of the Ancients, i.e., Xenephon and Plato. He defended the ant historicist position that it is possible for a person to grasp the thought of philosophers of different eras on their own terms. Strauss then wrote a book Natural Right and History (1952), Thoughts on Machiavelli. This Strauss, like his namesake Levi, was a German-Jewish emigre who brought to his adopted country tools and techniques to tailor the frayed fabrics of American garb. The vestments with which Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was concerned, however, were intellectual rather than mall-type paraphernalia. Specifically, he may have been this century's most profound critic of the adornments of modernity. There is, he argued, a fatal flaw concealed in the rationalistic optimism of the Enlightenment project, and its ramifications have been made manifest by the twin scourges of National Socialism and Leninism. Diagnosis of the malady was his life's work - diagnosis and intimations concerning appropriate therapy. But although politics was Strauss's passion, his pursuit of the political was indirect and abstruse. He had no time for party pronouncements or the policy scuffles of the day. Rather, his method was to offer exceedingly close readings of classic philosophical and theological texts and to attempt to elicit from them the political prerequisites necessary for human beings to live well together.Strauss is best known - indeed, notorious in various academic circles - for claiming that the great philosophers of antiquity and the medieval world wrote in a sort of code so as to disguise their real meaning. They did so, he argued, for two reasons. First, they might thereby hope to escape persecution for views deemed harmful or heretical by those possessing a power to impose penalties (think of Socrates' cup of hemlock). Second and more fundamental, these evasive prose maneuvers were designed to transmit truths to those capable of advantageously knowing them without simultaneously planting in the less able ideas which would bear pernicious fruit.

Essay --

In Defence of Terror and Liberty This essay is a summary of the first two chapters of â€Å"In Defence of Terror and Liberty.† It takes into cognizance important points raised by the book in regard to the French Revolution. The first part of the summary deals with chapter 1 of the book while the second one summarizes chapter 2 of the same book. The first chapter to discuss is â€Å"The Emotions in the Demand for Terror.† To the French people, the Revolution was a national project which was to be undertaken by all bonafide citizens of the country. Also, they viewed the Revolution as a fight to defend their basic rights. This chapter of this book presents a lot of points in connection with the Revolution. The first point is that the people’s feelings are closely tied to events which further elicited more reactions. One of such events happened in 1793: the death of Marat. In the quotation, â€Å"the death of Marat aroused a feeling of dread in the people of Paris. This dread was initially sublimated in the form taken by Marat’s funeral ceremony, before being turned into a popular demand for vengeance and terror.† In the quotation above, the events that was closely tied to the demand for vengeance is the manner Marat’s death. Apparently, Marat was a revolutionist who died while fighting for what they believed in. The way Marat died elicited dread, which is one of the basic ingredients that unified the people to request for the addition of terror to their defense when defending themselves against their enemies. To have a firm grip of why dread was a stimulus, it is essential to understand the people’s belief in regard to freedom. The second point highlighted by this chapter is that the death of a martyr is considered as a tragedy which demands ve... ...t not be desecrated by anyone. Attempts to do so were met with a fight. These are highlighted by skirmishes among revolutionists. Having read through the book, I find it both technical and interesting to read. It is technical because the choices of words and sentence structure were top-notch and efforts were not spared at making the paper interesting. Further, after reading the book, it seemed as if I was reading the French Revolution for the first time because it gave detailed analysis of facts which could easily elude the public. Conclusively, I did have ‘enough’ knowledge of the Revolution before reading this book. However, I had not read these parts of the Revolution before in any book. The first few facts I encountered in chapter one whet my appetite to read further. Eventually, I read the book and feel more knowledgeable on the Revolution which shook France.

John Knowles A Separate Peace and Struggle for Power :: Knowles Separate Peace Power Essays

John Knowles' "A Separate Peace" and Struggle for Power John Knowles' A Separate Peace depicts many examples of how power is used. In A Separate Peace, two opposing characters struggle for their own separate might. Gene Forrester, the reserved narrator, is weakened by his struggle for power. While, Phineas was inspired by his own power within. The novel conveys how peace can weaken or inspire during a mental war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phineas, a natural rebel, is known as the best athlete in school. For example, he and three others come to look at a tree, which is considered among the Upper Middler students at Devon an impossibility. Phineas demonstrates his supreme power by stating that the tree is, indeed, a "cinch" (p. 6). No Upper Middler had dared to do the unthinkable, vaulting off a tree to land in a shallow river. Phineas is the first to do this. This single statement tells us much about him. He doesn't mind taking risks, enjoys intimidating others, and over exaggerates. It tells that he is very strong and powerful to be able to do what others can not do. The denotation of power is "the capability of achieving something." Not only is Phineas achieving something from jumping off this tree, he is achieving power by gaining the respect of fellow classmates. Phineas' spontaneity inspires many others to be like himself and jump off the tree. Another example of Phineas' power is his character establishing scene of disrespect to the school by wearing his pink shirt and the Devon School tie as his belt. We here, again, see him as the spontaneous individual who "can get away with anything" (p.18). Phineas' nature inspired Mr. Patch-Withers, a teacher at Devon. Phineas has an eloquence about himself, allowing him to get by with so much. Phineas "might have rather enjoyed the punishment if it was done in some kind of novel and known way" (p.20). Even with negative actions, Phineas can enjoy a situation if it presents something new and different. It is this spontaneous and contradictory nature which Gene cannot understand and which ultimately contributes to his attempting to destroy Phineas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gene Forrester, after being gone for fifteen years, returns to the Devon School to recollect his past memories of the summer session when he was sixteen years old. As stated before, Phineas was considered the best athlete in school, but Gene tried to compensate by being the best student in school. Gene's continuous competition with Phineas weakened his personality, hence causing Gene's rebellion on Phineas. Gene begins to think that his purpose is "to become part of Phineas" (p.

Normative ethics Essay

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. [1] The term comes from the Greek word ethos, which means â€Å"character†. Ethics is a complement to Aesthetics in the philosophy field of Axiology. In philosophy, ethics studies the moral behavior in humans, and how one should act. Ethics may be divided into four major areas of study:[1] Meta-ethics, about the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions and how their truth values (if any) may be determined; Normative ethics, about the practical means of determining a moral course of action; Applied ethics, about how moral outcomes can be achieved in specific situations; Descriptive ethics, also known as comparative ethics, is the study of people’s beliefs about morality; According to Tomas Paul and Linda Elder of the Foundation for Critical Thinking, â€Å"most people confuse ethics with behaving in accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs, and the law†, and don’t treat ethics as a stand-alone concept. [2] Paul and Elder define ethics as â€Å"a set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient creatures†. [2] The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that the word ethics is â€Å"commonly used interchangeably with ‘morality’ †¦ and sometimes it is used more narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group, or individual. â€Å"[3] Meta-ethics is a field within ethics that seeks to understand the nature of normative ethics. The focus of meta-ethics is on how we understand, know about, and what we mean when we talk about what is right and what is wrong. Meta-ethics came to the fore with G. E. Moore’s Principia Ethica from 1903. In it he first wrote about what he called the naturalistic fallacy. Moore was seen to reject naturalism in ethics, in his Open Question Argument. This made thinkers look again at second order questions about ethics. Earlier, the Scottish philosopher David Hume had put forward a similar view on the difference between facts and values. Studies of how we know in ethics divide into cognitivism and non-cognitivism; this is similar to the contrast between descriptivists and non-descriptivists. Non-cognitivism is the claim that when we judge something as right or wrong, this is neither true nor false. We may for example be only expressing our emotional feelings about these things. [4] Cognitivism can then be seen as the claim that when we talk about right and wrong, we are talking about matters of fact. The ontology of ethics is about value-bearing things or properties, i. e. the kind of things or stuff referred to by ethical propositions. Non-descriptivists and non-cognitivists believe that ethics does not need a specific ontology, since ethical propositions do not refer. This is known as an anti-realist position. Realists on the other hand must explain what kind of entities, properties or states are relevant for ethics, how they have value, and why they guide and motivate our actions. [5] Virtue ethics describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behavior, and is used to describe the ethics of Socrates, Aristotle, and other early Greek philosophers. Socrates (469 BC – 399 BC) was one of the first Greek philosophers to encourage both scholars and the common citizen to turn their attention from the outside world to the condition of humankind. In this view, knowledge having a bearing on human life was placed highest, all other knowledge being secondary. Self-knowledge was considered necessary for success and inherently an essential good. A self-aware person will act completely within his capabilities to his pinnacle, while an ignorant person will flounder and encounter difficulty. To Socrates, a person must become aware of every fact (and its context) relevant to his existence, if he wishes to attain self-knowledge. He posited that people will naturally do what is good, if they know what is right. Evil or bad actions are the result of ignorance. If a criminal was truly aware of the mental and spiritual consequences of his actions, he would neither commit nor even consider committing those actions. Any person who knows what is truly right will automatically do it, according to Socrates. While he correlated knowledge with virtue, he similarly equated virtue with happiness. The truly wise man will know what is right, do what is good, and therefore be happy. [6] Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) posited an ethical system that may be termed â€Å"self-realizationism. † In Aristotle’s view, when a person acts in accordance with his nature and realizes his full potential, he will do good and be content. At birth, a baby is not a person, but a potential person. To become a â€Å"real† person, the child’s inherent potential must be realized. Unhappiness and frustration are caused by the unrealized potential of a person, leading to failed goals and a poor life. Aristotle said, â€Å"Nature does nothing in vain. † Therefore, it is imperative for persons to act in accordance with their nature and develop their latent talents in order to be content and complete. Happiness was held to be the ultimate goal. All other things, such as civic life or wealth, are merely means to the end. Self-realization, the awareness of one’s nature and the development of one’s talents, is the surest path to happiness. [7] Aristotle asserted that man had three natures: vegetable (physical/metabolism), animal (emotional/appetite) and rational (mental/conceptual). Physical nature can be assuaged through exercise and care, emotional nature through indulgence of instinct and urges, and mental through human reason and developed potential. Rational development was considered the most important, as essential to philosophical self-awareness and as uniquely human. Moderation was encouraged, with the extremes seen as degraded and immoral. For example, courage is the moderate virtue between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness. Man should not simply live, but live well with conduct governed by moderate virtue. This is regarded as difficult, as virtue denotes doing the right thing, to the right person, at the right time, to the proper extent, in the correct fashion, for the right reason. [8] [edit] StoicismThe Stoic philosopher Epictetus posited that the greatest good was contentment and serenity. Peace of mind, or Apatheia, was of the highest value; self-mastery over one’s desires and emotions leads to spiritual peace. The â€Å"unconquerable will† is central to this philosophy. The individual’s will should be independent and inviolate. Allowing a person to disturb the mental equilibrium is in essence offering yourself in slavery. If a person is free to anger you at will, you have no control over your internal world, and therefore no freedom. Freedom from material attachments is also necessary. If a thing breaks, the person should not be upset, but realize it was a thing that could break. Similarly, if someone should die, those close to them should hold to their serenity because the loved one was made of flesh and blood destined to death. Stoic philosophy says to accept things that cannot be changed, resigning oneself to existence and enduring in a rational fashion. Death is not feared. People do not â€Å"lose† their life, but instead â€Å"return†, for they are returning to God (who initially gave what the person is as a person). Epictetus said difficult problems in life should not be avoided, but rather embraced. They are spiritual exercises needed for the health of the spirit, just as physical exercise is required for the health of the body. He also stated that sex and sexual desire are to be avoided as the greatest threat to the integrity and equilibrium of a man’s mind. Abstinence is highly desirable. Epictetus said remaining abstinent in the face of temptation was a victory for which a man could be proud. [9] [edit] HedonismMain article: Hedonism Hedonism posits that the principal ethic is maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. There are several schools of Hedonist thought ranging from those advocating the indulgence of even momentary desires to those teaching a pursuit of spiritual bliss. In their consideration of consequences, they range from those advocating self-gratification regardless of the pain and expense to others, to those stating that the most ethical pursuit maximizes pleasure and happiness for the most people. [10] [edit] Cyrenaic hedonismFounded by Aristippus of Cyrene, Cyrenaics supported immediate gratification or pleasure. â€Å"Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. † Even fleeting desires should be indulged, for fear the opportunity should be forever lost. There was little to no concern with the future, the present dominating in the pursuit for immediate pleasure. Cyrenaic hedonism encouraged the pursuit of enjoyment and indulgence without hesitation, believing pleasure to be the only good. [10] [edit] EpicureanismMain article: Epicureanism Epicurean ethics is a hedonist form of virtue ethics. Epicurus â€Å"presented a sustained argument that pleasure, correctly understood, will coincide with virtue†. [11] He rejected the extremism of the Cyrenaics, believing some pleasures and indulgences to be detrimental to human beings. Epicureans observed that indiscriminate indulgence sometimes resulted in negative consequences. Some experiences were therefore rejected out of hand, and some unpleasant experiences endured in the present to ensure a better life in the future. To Epicurus the summum bonum, or greatest good, was prudence, exercised through moderation and caution. Excessive indulgence can be destructive to pleasure and can even lead to pain. For example, eating one food too often will cause a person to lose taste for it. Eating too much food at once will lead to discomfort and ill-health. Pain and fear were to be avoided. Living was essentially good, barring pain and illness. Death was not to be feared. Fear was considered the source of most unhappiness. Conquering the fear of death would naturally lead to a happier life. Epicurus reasoned if there was an afterlife and immortality, the fear of death was irrational. If there was no life after death, then the person would not be alive to suffer, fear or worry; he would be non-existent in death. It is irrational to fret over circumstances that do not exist, such as one’s state in death in the absence of an afterlife. [12]

Culturally Competent Nursing in an Ever Changing Diverse World Essay

In nursing and healthcare the issue of culture is more pronounced than anywhere else. This is because many people various ethnic, religious, racial and cultural backgrounds come forth to hospitals and healthcare centres in search of health solutions. Due to these cultural disparities, patients often fail to receive quality services because of practices that are lacking in cultural competence. Cultural competence in nursing and healthcare refers to the efficiency with which a healthcare provider is able to offer quality service in a cross-cultural setting thus enhancing the system’s or institution’s capacity to function in effective manners (Dolhun, E. P. et al 2003). Culture influences an individual’s values, perceptions, beliefs and opinions. It influences how patients respond to healthcare givers and the medication prescribed to them. Therefore it is very important that nurses and other medical practitioners seek to improve their awareness towards the issues raised by cultural diversity in order to improve on service delivery. This paper examines ways in which a nurse can be more culturally competent. It also examines the opportunities in the work place and nursing school that requires culturally focused health practices. Additionally the paper discusses the issues of self-assessment and client assessment that is geared towards the delivery of culturally competent health solutions. Importance of Culture to Nursing. The US is comprised of the most culturally diverse population. A big percentage of the world’s ethnic, religious and cultural groups are represented in this population. This has created a most unique opportunity as well as challenge to many organizations in the service delivery sector. This is because people from all cultures get ill at one point in time and they have to seek treatment. Nurses are thus presented with patients from very diverse cultural backgrounds. Culture influences how different people will respond to the different ways of health service delivery, interventions and treatment (Dolhun, E. P et al. 2003). It is therefore important for nurses to move towards achieving cultural competence in order to effectively deal with the challenges that come with the cultural reality. Because of the demographic situation in America service providers are under pressure to provide more culturally correct services. The nursing profession cannot be left behind and therefore the need to comply with the changing needs is overwhelming. Language limitations are also another issue of concern in attaining cultural competence. Ethical Factor One ethical principle that guides nurses in their endeavour to provide culturally appropriate care is the appreciating that everyone regardless of their cultural persuasion is entitled to receive quality health care. Cultural differences can influence the caregiver’s prejudices and bias towards a patient (Galanti G. A. 1997). In a similar way a patient can misconstrue the caregiver’s actions and words. This can serve to lower the quality of care given to this particular patient. Professional ethics require that there be no form of discrimination in the provision of health care but in a situation where there is prejudice on either party, then the quality of care is compromised. Similarly what is considered ethical may have serious consequences when viewed from a cultural context. A fitting example is when the doctor feels obliged to divulge some information to a patient or a certain member of the family, because in some cultures it is believed that giving certain information to a sick person is unacceptable, the doctors ‘ethical’ actions may be viewed in very bad light Nurse’s responsibility Nurses are usually supposed to care for the general well being of a patient, they ought to be able to understand and empathize with the patient in order to cater for their physical and emotional needs. On an individual level, a nurse has a responsibility to learn the practices that are in accordance to cultural competence. It is important that nurses should have an attitude that goes further than just learning acceptable cultural behaviours. Nurses must be motivated by compassion to the patients and driven by moral responsibility (Tervalon M. Murray-Garcia J. 1998). This allows them to display a genuine concern and is thus motivated to internalize harmonious attitudes towards achieving cultural competence. In a hospital setting a nurse is required to be able to anticipate the issues that may arise due to cultural disparities and lack of proficiency in certain languages. They are also to understand the others’ points of view as well as appreciating the strengths and weaknesses of these points of view. In addition to this, respecting the cultural differences is key to the ability to provide culturally appropriate care. Since the issues raised by cultural diversity are multi-faceted in nature, they require a holistic approach that calls for a total overhaul in the nurses’ ways of thinking. There is no one culture that is the standard of what is good or bad and therefore an open mind is important as nurses move towards delivering health care that exemplifies cultural competence. Achieving this kind of competence is only possible if one comes to self-awareness and recognizes their own values, beliefs, opinions, prejudices and biases (Dolhun, E. P. 2003). From here, they can be able to understand how they respond to different points of view from other. Inorder to come to self-awareness one needs to examine their own cultural and environmental backgrounds. An underlying ethnocentricity is part most people where one is protective and to an extent defensive when it comes to cultural differences (Switzer, G. E et al 1998). However in the nursing practice each nurse should be flexible and work towards developing skills of responding to varied cultural settings and situations. Nursing Schools Similarly in nursing schools one is required to meet most of the aforementioned standards. In addition to that communication skills are developed in school. Learning to communicate effectively in a cultural context entails being open-minded, respectful and shunning any form of prejudice or bias (Robins, L. et al 1998). It is a great opportunity to learn form and about other cultures. Other communication skills that are essential are listening skills that enable one to establish a rapport with the others. Language skills also play an important role in communication and as such each student nurse has a responsibility to learn other languages. Ofcourse it is not possible to learn all the languages there are but one can do their best and that is what is required of them. In the same way nurses should have skills that would enable them to assess the patient in a cultural context. This would entail finding out as much detail on the patient as possible. It would help to understand their ethnic background, socio-economic class, religion, age group and other social entities that they identify with. Learning about their experiences could also aid in establishing biases. Impact of culture on health care In the year 2010 more than 45% of all patients in the US will come from minority cultures. This is due to immigration that is the greatest contributor to the cultural diversity (Tervalon M. Murray-Garcia J. 1998). The health sector has realized the reality of these facts and medical practitioners are now given incentives to encourage them to take up learning on cultural diversity. This is changing the entire medical profession. Many initiatives have been put in place in order to bridge health differences that exist between minority groups and the white Americans. The existence of cultural difference may impact negatively on the care given. Cultural factor do affect the response to the different methods of treatment and diagnosis. Some ideas are perceived differently in different cultures and in some extreme cases family members can react in ways that may seem bizarre in the western world. Conclusion The issue of culture is increasingly attaining great importance with the ever-changing cultural mixture. The provision of healthcare is now taking cognizance of the effects of culture on the delivery of these vital services. It has been realized that cultural differences have been an impact on the quality of care given. Nurses and other medical practitioner are now under increased pressure to attain cultural competence in order to achieve high standards of quality. This paper opines the achievement of an all round cultural competence is a long journey. It will take a collective as well as an individual effort to achieve. Nurses have a personal responsibility to seek to understand the cultural factor. Additionally each one of them needs to appreciate their moral duty to seek self-awareness inorder to understand their own behaviour in response to other people with a differing opinion. Respect and a non-judgemental attitude are important if one is to overcome the ethnocentricity that is part of every human being. This awareness cultivates interest and inquiry. Once this point has been reached cultural differences will be viewed as learning opportunities that will spur personal growth. Reference Dolhun, E. P. Munoz, C. and Grumbach, K. (2003). â€Å"Cross-cultural education in U. S. medical schools: Development of an assessment tool. † Academic Medicine. Galanti G. A. (1997). Caring for Patients from Different Cultures: Case studies from American hospitals. 2nd ed. University of Philadelphia Press. Philadelphia, PA. Riddick S. (1998). Improving access for limited English-speaking consumers: A review of strategies in health care settings. J Health Care Poor Underserved. Supp vol 9: Robins, L. S. Alexander, G. L. , Wolf, F. M. , Fantone, J. C. , & Davis, W. K. (1998). â€Å"Development and evaluation of an instrument to assess medical students’ cultural attitudes. † Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, Switzer, G. E. Scholle, S. H. , Johnson, B. A. , & Kelleher, K. J. (1998). â€Å"The Client Cultural Competence Inventory: An instrument for assessing cultural competence in behavioral managed care organizations. † Journal of Child and Family Studies, Tervalon M. Murray-Garcia J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. J Health Care Poor Underserved.

Motherhood in The Bean Trees Essay

   Another prominent example of motherhood is Lou Ann’s relationship with Dwayne Ray. Although the baby has not developed a personality yet, and cannot respond with his mother, we cannot tell how Dwayne Ray’s part of the relationship is, but we can predict how it will be. It can be assumed that he will always be cared for by his mother, Lou Ann, for her worrisome ways and fear of her sons death keep her a vigilant mother, unrelenting in keeping him as safe and healthy as possible. When she asked Taylor of her opinion of her motherhood skills, Taylor replied that â€Å"‘The flip side of worrying to much is just not caring†¦ Dwayne Ray will always know that, no matter what, you’re never going to neglect him. You’ll never just sit around and let him dehydrate, or grow up without a personality, or anything like that. And that would be ever so much worse. You read about it happening in the paper all the time†¦ Somebody forgetting a baby in a car and letting It roast, or some such thing. If anything, Lou Ann, you’re just too good of a mother. ‘† (pg. 156) of which she speaks total truth that Lou Ann, although worrisome and lacking in backbone, still is a good mother, because she tries with all her efforts to make sure Dwayne Ray grows up. She is of the most passionate of mothers in the book, and will do her utmost to see to it that Dwayne Ray will live past 2000, despite whatever her dreams and nightmares may tell her. Taylor, the main mother of the book, is the only non-biological mother represented, which makes her relationship with Turtle all the more special, meaning that she took her despite their lack of family ties, and fought to keep her, although she could have easily relinquished her duties as mother. Throughout the book, she plays a role she’s avoided all her life, in order to protect and care for this little girl that was given to her care against her own wishes. She has absolutely no clue what to do, and constantly worries that she isn’t raising Turtle properly. Her worries are lessened, however, after Turtle beings speaking, her first noise being laughter because if Turtle was unhappy, she would have not laughed when she did a somersault. Taylor becomes more confidant in her role, and eventually accepts it to be perfectly normal, as does everyone else, and no one even considers Turtle not to be Taylor’s child, proven when many biological references are made between the two, despite their lack of blood ties. After Turtle is attacked in the park, Taylor begins to think that she isn’t doing a good job as a segregate mother, and when Turtle is threatened to be taken away from Taylor, she feels that the case to save Turtle is helpless and begins to think that the state department would do better than she would in raising the child. However, Mattie convinces her otherwise when she tells Taylor that she isn’t asking the correct questions, that â€Å"You’re asking yourself, Can I give this child the best possible upbringing and keep her out of harms way her whole life long? The answer is no, you can’t. But nobody else can either. Not a state home, that’s for sure. For heaven’s sake, the best they can do is turn their heads while the kids learn to pick locks and snort hootch, and then try to keep them out of jail. Nobody can protect a child from the world†¦ Do I think it would be interesting, maybe even enjoyable in the long run, to share my life with this kid and give her my best effort and maybe when all’s said and done, end up with a good friend. ‘† (pg. 178). What Mattie says here when comforting Taylor is a Barbara Kingsolver definition of motherhood. Taylor worries that she is unable to care for a child, and that with this attack, even the state would do a better job than she could, but, as Mattie said, no one can protect a child from the world, and especially someone that doesn’t care for them, like the state. They need a mother, a guardian, anyone that cares about them to raise as good a child as chance permits. Through the caring and affection Taylor received as a child, the worry and extreme concern Lou Ann pays Dwayne Ray, and Taylor’s behavior towards a child that is not her own, all show examples of how, biological or not, a mother or a mother-like role in a child’s life can lead them to riches or ruin. Their moral fiber, their behavior, their ethics all depend upon what they are taught and raised upon. Newt Hardbine and Jolene Shanks never had these morals and ethics instilled in them, thus leading them to terrible, even short lived, lives. Barbara Kingsolver uses these examples, even through minor characters such as Sandi at the Burger Derby and Bobby Bingo who sells vegetables out of his truck. All examples seen in The Bean Trees show that Motherhood and the role of a mother plays a predominant part not only in the book, but universally.

Ethical neutrality Essay

In what follows, when we use the term â€Å"evaluation† we will mean, where nothing else is implied or expressly stated, practical value-judgments as to the unsatisfactory or satisfactory character of phenomena subject to our influence. The problem involved in the â€Å"freedom† of a given discipline from evaluations of this kind, i. e., the validity and the meaning of this logical principle, is by no means identical with the question which is to be discussed shortly, namely, whether in teaching one should or should not declare one’s acceptance of practical evaluations, regardless of whether they are based on ethical principles, cultural ideals or a philosophical outlook. This question cannot be settled scientifically. It is itself entirely a question of practical evaluation, and cannot therefore be definitively resolved. With reference to this issue, a wide variety of views are held, of which we shall only mention the two extremes. At one pole we find (a) the standpoint that there is validity in the distinction between purely logically deducible and purely empirical statements of fact on the one hand, and practical, ethical or philosophical evaluations on the other, but that, nevertheless – or, perhaps, even on that account- both classes of problems properly belong in the university. At the other pole we encounter (b) the proposition that even when the distinction cannot be made in a logically complete manner, it is nevertheless desirable that the assertion of practical evaluations should be avoided as much as possible in teaching. This second point of view seems to me to be untenable. Particularly untenable is the distinction which is rather often made in our field between evaluations linked with the positions of â€Å"political parties† and other sorts of evaluations. This distinction cannot be reasonably made: it obscures the practical implications of the evaluations which are suggested to the audience. Once the assertion of evaluations in university lectures is admitted, the contention that the university teacher should be entirely devoid of â€Å"passion† and that he should avoid all subjects which threaten to bring emotion into controversies is a narrow-minded, bureaucratic opinion which every teacher of independent spirit must reject. Of those scholars who believed that they should not renounce the assertion of practical evaluations in empirical discussions, the most passionate of them – such as Treitschke and, in his own way, Mommsen- were the most tolerable. As a result of their intensely emotional tone, their audiences were enabled to discount the influence of their evaluations in whatever distortion of the facts occurred. Thus, the audiences did for themselves what the lecturers could not do because of their temperaments. The effect on the minds of the students was to produce the same depth of moral feeling which, in my opinion, the proponents of the assertion of practical evaluations in teaching want to assure – but without the audience being confused as to the logical distinctiveness of the different types of propositions. This confusion must of necessity occur whenever both the exposition of empirical facts and the exhortation to espouse a particular evaluative standpoint on important issues are done with the same cool dispassionateness. The first point of view (a) is acceptable, and can indeed be acceptable from the standpoint of its own proponents, only when the teacher sees it as his unconditional duty – in every single case, even to the point where it involves the danger of making his lecture less stimulating – to make absolutely clear to his audience, and especially to himself, which of his statements are statements of logically deduced or empirically observed facts and which are statements of practical evaluation. Once one has granted the disjunction between the two spheres, it seems to me that doing this is an imperative requirement of intellectual honesty. It is the absolutely minimal requirement in this case. On the other hand, the question whether one should in general assert practical evaluations in teaching – even with this reservation – is one of practical university policy. On that account, in the last analysis, it must be decided only with reference to those tasks which the individual, according to his own set of values, assigns to the universities. Those who on the basis of their qualifications as university teachers assign to the universities, and thereby to themselves, the universal role of forming character, of inculcating political, ethical, aesthetic, cultural or other beliefs, will take a different position from those who believe it necessary to affirm the proposition and its implications – that university teaching achieves really valuable effects only through specialised training by specially qualified persons. Hence, â€Å"intellectual integrity† is the only specific virtue which universities should seek to inculcate. The first point of view can be defended from as many different ultimate evaluative standpoints as the second. The second – which I personally accept – can be derived from a most enthusiastic as well as from a thoroughly modest estimate of the significance of â€Å"specialised training†. In order to defend this view, one need not be of the opinion that everyone should become as much a pure â€Å"specialist† as possible. One may, on the contrary, espouse it because one does not wish to see the ultimate and deepest personal decisions which a person must make regarding his life, treated exactly as if they were the same as specialised training. One may take this position, however highly one assesses the significance of specialised training, not only for general intellectual training but indirectly also for the self-discipline and the ethical attitude of the young person. Another reason for taking this position is that one does not wish to see the student so influenced by the teacher’s suggestions that he is prevented from solving his problems in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience. Professor von Schmoller’s favourable disposition towards the teacher’s assertion of his own evaluations in the lecture room is thoroughly intelligible to me personally as the echo of a great epoch which he and his friends helped to create. Even he, however, cannot deny the fact that for the younger generation the objective situation has changed considerably in one important respect. Forty years ago there existed among the scholars working in our discipline, the widespread belief that of the various possible points of view in the domain of practical-political evaluations, ultimately only one was the ethically correct one. (Schmoller himself took this position only to a limited extent. ) Today this is no longer the case among the proponents of the assertion of professorial evaluations – as may readily be observed. The legitimacy of the assertion of professorial evaluation is no longer defended in the name of an ethical imperative resting on a relatively simple postulate of justice, which both in its ultimate foundations as well as in its consequences, partly was, and partly seemed to be, relatively unambiguous, and above all relatively impersonal, in consequence of its specifically trans-personal character. Rather, as the result of an inevitable development, it is now done in the name of a motley of â€Å"cultural evaluations†, i. e. , actually subjective cultural demands, or quite openly, in the name of the teachers’ alleged â€Å"rights of personality†. One may well wax indignant over this point of view, but one cannot- because it is a â€Å"practical evaluation† – refute it. Of all the types of prophecy, this â€Å"personally† tinted type of professorial prophecy is the most repugnant. There is no precedent for a situation in which a large number of officially appointed prophets do their preaching or make their professions of faith, not, as other prophets do, on the streets, or in churches or other public places- or if they do it privately, then in personally chosen sectarian conventicles – but rather regard themselves as best qualified to enunciate their evaluations on ultimate questions â€Å"in the name of science† and in the carefully protected quiet of governmentally privileged lecture halls in which they cannot be controlled, or checked by discussion, or subjected to contradiction. It is an axiom of long standing, which Schmoller on one occasion vigorously espoused, that what takes place in the lecture hall should be entirely confidential and not subject to public discussion. Although it is possible to contend that, even for purely academic purposes, this may occasionally have certain disadvantages, I take the view that a â€Å"lecture† should be different from a â€Å"speech†. The unconfined rigour, matter-of-factness and sobriety of the lecture declines, with definite pedagogical losses, once it becomes the object of publicity through, for example, the press. It is only in the sphere of his specialised qualifications that the university teacher is entitled to this privilege of freedom from outside surveillance or publicity. There is, however, no specialised qualification for personal prophecy, and for this reason it should not be granted the privilege of freedom from contradiction and public scrutiny. Furthermore, there should be no exploitation of the fact that the student, in order to make his way in life, must attend certain educational institutions and take courses with certain teachers with the result that in addition to what he needs, i.e. , the stimulation and cultivation of his capacity for understanding and reasoning, and a certain body of factual information – he also gets, slipped in among these, the teacher’s own attitude towards the world which even though sometimes interesting is often of no consequence, and which is in any case not open to contradiction and challenge. Like everyone else, the professor has other opportunities for the propagation of his ideals. When these opportunities are lacking, he can easily create them in an appropriate form, as experience has shown in the case of every honorable attempt. But the professor should not demand the right as a professor to carry the marshal’s baton of the statesman or the cultural reformer in his knapsack. This, however, is just what he does when he uses the unassailability of the academic lecture platform for the expression of political – or cultural-political- sentiments. In the press, in public meetings, in associations, in essays, in every avenue which is open to every other citizen, he can and should do what his God or daemon demands. The student should obtain, from his teacher in the lecture hall, the capacity to content himself with the sober execution of a given task; to recognize facts, even those which may be personally uncomfortable, and to distinguish them from his own evaluations. He should also learn to subordinate himself to his task and to repress the impulse to exhibit his personal sensations or other emotional states unnecessarily. This is vastly more important today than it was 40 years ago when the problem did not even exist in its present form. It is not true – as many have insisted – that the â€Å"personality† is and should be a â€Å"whole†, in the sense that it is distorted when it is not exhibited on every possible occasion. Every professional task has its own â€Å"responsibilities† and should be fulfilled accordingly. In the execution of his professional responsibility, a man should confine himself to it alone and should exclude whatever does not strictly belong to it – particularly his own loves and hates. The powerful personality does not manifest itself by trying to give everything a â€Å"personal touch† on every possible occasion. The generation which is now coming of age should, above all, again become used to the thought that â€Å"being a personality† is a condition which cannot be intentionally brought about by wanting it and that there is only one way by which it can – perhaps- be achieved: namely, the unreserved devotion to a â€Å"task†, whatever it – and its derivative â€Å"demands of the hour†- may be in any individual instance. It is in poor taste to mix personal concerns with the specialised analysis of facts. We deprive the word â€Å"vocation† of the only significant meaning it still possesses if we fail to adhere to that specific kind of self-restraint which it requires. But whether the fashionable â€Å"cult of the personality† seeks to dominate the throne, public office or the professorial chair – its effectiveness is only superficially impressive. Intrinsically, it is very petty and it always has injurious consequences. It should not be necessary for me to emphasise that the proponents of the views against which the present essay is directed can accomplish very little by this sort of cult of the â€Å"personality† for the very reason that it is â€Å"personal†. In part, they see the responsibilities of the university teacher in another light, in part they have other educational ideas which I respect but do not share. For this reason we must seriously consider no only what they are striving to achieve, but also how the views which they legitimate by their authority influence a generation with an already extremely pronounced predisposition to overestimate its own importance. Finally, it scarcely needs to be pointed out that many ostensible opponents of the academic assertion of political evaluations are by no means justified when they invoke the postulate of â€Å"ethical neutrality†, which they often gravely misunderstand, to discredit cultural and social-political discussions which take place in public and away from the university lecture hall. The indubitable existence of this spuriously â€Å"ethically neutral† tendentiousness, which in our discipline is manifested in the obstinate and deliberate partisanship of powerful interest groups, explains why a significant number of intellectually honorable scholars still continue to assert personal preferences in their teaching. They are too proud to identify themselves with this spurious abstention from evaluation. I believe that, in spite of this, what in my opinion is right should be done, and that the influence of the practical evaluations of a scholar, who confines himself to championing them on appropriate occasions outside the classroom, will increase when it becomes known that, inside the classroom, he has the strength of character to do exactly what he was appointed to do. But these statements are, in their turn, all matters of evaluation, and hence scientifically undemonstrable. In any case, the fundamental principle which justifies the practice of asserting practical evaluations in teaching can be consistently held only when its proponents demand that the proponents of the evaluations of all other parties be granted the opportunity to demonstrate the validity of their evaluations from the academic platform . But in Germany, insistence on the right of professors to state their preferences has been associated with the very opposite of the demand for the equal representation of all tendencies- including the most â€Å"extreme†. Schmoller thought that he was being entirely consistent when he declared that â€Å"Marxists and the Manchester school† were disqualified from holding academic positions, although he was never so unjust as to ignore their intellectual accomplishments. It is exactly on these points that I could never agree with our honoured master. One obviously ought not in one breath to justify the expression of evaluations in teaching – and when the conclusions are drawn therefrom, point out that the university is a state institution for the training of â€Å"loyal† civil servants. Such a procedure makes the university, not into a specialised technical school- which appears to be so degrading to many teachers- but rather into a theological seminary, although it does not have the religious dignity of the latter. Attempts have been made to set certain purely â€Å"logical† limits to the range of evaluations which should be allowed in university teaching. One of our foremost professors of law once explained, in discussing his opposition to the exclusion of socialists from university posts, that he too would be unwilling to accept an â€Å"anarchist† as a teacher of law since anarchists, in principle, deny the validity of law – and he regarded this argument as conclusive. My own opinion is exactly the opposite. An anarchist can surely be a good legal scholar. And if he is such, then indeed the Archimedean point of his convictions, which is outside the conventions and presuppositions which are so self-evident to us, could enable him to perceive problems in the fundamental postulates of legal theory which escape those who take them for granted. The most fundamental doubt is one source of knowledge. The jurist is no more responsible for â€Å"proving† the value of these cultural objects which are bound up with â€Å"law†, than the physician is responsible for demonstrating that the prolongation of life should be striven for under all conditions. Neither of them can do this with the means at their disposal. If, however, one wishes to turn the university into a forum for discussion of practical evaluations, then it obviously is obligatory to permit the most unrestricted freedom of discussion of fundamental questions from all standpoints. Is this feasible? Today the most decisive and important political evaluations are denied expression in German universities by the very nature of the present political situation. For all those to whom the interests of the national society transcend any of its individual concrete institutions, it is a question of central importance whether the conception which prevails today regarding the position of the monarch in Germany is reconcilable with the world interests of the country, and with the means- war and diplomacy- through which these are pursued. It is not always the worst patriots nor even anti-monarchists who give a negative answer to this question, and who doubt the possibility of lasting success in both these spheres unless some profound changes are made. Everyone knows, however, that these vital questions of our national life cannot be discussed with full freedom in German universities . In view of the fact that certain evaluations which are of decisive political significance are permanently prohibited in university discussion, it seems to me to be only in accord with the dignity of a representative of science and scholarship to be silent about such evaluations as he is allowed to expound. In no case, however, should the unresolvable question – unresolvable because it is ultimately a question of evaluations – as to whether one may, must, or should champion certain practical evaluations in teaching, be confused with the purely logical discussion of the relationship of evaluations to empirical disciplines such as sociology and economics. Any confusion on this point will hamper the thoroughness of the discussion of the logical problem. However, even the solution of the logical problem will provide no aid in seeking to answer the other question, beyond the two purely logically required conditions of clarity and an explicit distinction by the teacher of the different classes of problems. Nor need I discuss further whether the distinction between empirical propositions or statements of fact and practical evaluations is â€Å"difficult† to make. It is. All of us, those of us who take this position as well as others, come up against it time and again. But the exponents of the so-called â€Å"ethical economics†, particularly, should be aware, even though the moral law is unfulfillable, it is nonetheless â€Å"imposed† as a duty. Self-scrutiny would perhaps show that the fulfillment of this postulate is especially difficult, just because we reluctantly refuse to approach the very alluring subject of evaluation with a titillating â€Å"personal touch†. Every teacher has observed that the faces of his students light up and they become more interested when he begins to make a profession of faith, and that the attendance at his lectures is greatly increased by the expectation that he will do so. Everyone knows furthermore that, in the competition for students, universities when making recommendations for promotion will often give a prophet, however minor, who can fill the lecture halls, the upper hand over a much weightier and more sober scholar who does not offer his own evaluations. Of course, it is  understood that the prohet will leave untouched the politically dominant or conventional evaluations which are generally accepted at the time. Only the spuriously â€Å"ethical-neutral† prophet who speaks for powerful groups has, of course, better opportunities for promotion as a result of the influence which these groups have on the prevailing political powers. I regard all this as very unsatisfactory, and I will therefore not go into the proposition that the demand for abstention from evaluation is â€Å"petty† and that it makes lectures â€Å"boring†. I will not go into the question as to whether lecturers on specialised empirical problems must seek above all to be â€Å"interesting†. For my own part, in any case, I fear that a lecturer who makes his lectures stimulating by the intrusion of personal evaluations will, in the long run, weaken the students’ taste for sober empirical analysis. I will acknowledge without further discussion that it is possible, under the guise of eliminating all practical evaluations, to insinuate such evaluations with especial force by simple â€Å"letting the facts speak for themselves†. The better kind of parliamentary and electoral speeches in Germany operate in this way – and quite legitimately, given their purposes. No words should be wasted in declaring that all such procedures in university lectures, particularly if one is concerned with the observance of this separation, are , of all abuses, the most abhorrent. The fact, however, that a dishonestly created illusion of the fulfillment of an ethical imperative can be passed off as the reality, constitutes no criticism of the imperative itself. At any rate, even if the teacher does not believe that he should deny himself the right of rendering evaluations, he should make it absolutely explicit to the students and to himself that he is doing so. Finally, we must oppose to the utmost the widespread view that scientific â€Å"objectivity† is achieved by weighing the various evaluations against one another and making a â€Å"statesman-like† compromise among them. The â€Å"middle way† is not only just as undemonstrable scientifically – with the means of the empirical sciences – as the â€Å"most extreme† evaluations: in the sphere of evaluations, it is the least unequivocal. It does not belong in the university – but rather in political programmes, government offices, and in parliament. IThe sciences, both normative and empirical, are capable of rendering an inestimable service to persons engaged in political activity by telling them that (1) these and these â€Å"ultimate† evaluative positions are conceivable with reference to this practical problem; and (2) that such and such are the facts which you must take into account in making your choice between these evaluative positions. And with this we come to the real problem.