Secrets Of Living A Long Life Katharine Weber - 1649 Words

Josh FitzPatrick Mrs. Vicknair English III AP 13 April 2017 Secrets to Living a Long Life Katharine Weber is an avid gardener, constantly travels, entertains weekly, does her own taxes, and she’s also 103 years old. Katharine is not your stereotypical elderly person. She is a happy individual who can take care of herself. She still bakes cookies and does chores around the house. While most of us will probably never reach 100, we can still live our last few years with as much spirit as Katharine does (Glassman). In order to increase their lifespan, people must make healthy lifestyle choices, have a healthy social life, and must have knowledge of their body. It has been said our entire lives that a healthy diet is important for our body.†¦show more content†¦Not only can exercise slow aging, it may be possible that it can help reverse aging. In 2008, a team of Canadian and American researchers ran tests to see the effects of exercise on aging. They had elderly volunteers undergo strength training for six months and took biopsies from their thigh muscles. Af ter the six months, the genes from the muscle cells resembled those from twenty-two year old males and females. After closer inspection, it became clear that the genes involved with the mitochondria were the ones affected. Mitochondria are basically the powerhouses/generators of a cell. It is widely believed that when Mitochondria start to falter cells die, muscles shrink, gray hair appears, and brain volume drops. In other words, we experience aging (Agus 228). Exercise is a major factor in prolonging one’s life. Although exercise is good for our bodies, not knowing how to exercise won’t do much good. Ideally, the best exercise routines involve cardio, strength training, and stretching. Each activity has its own unique benefits. Cardio can strengthen the heart and lungs while also trimming off extra body fat. Strength training keeps bones strong and prevents loss of muscle mass. Lastly, stretching can help with joint pain and the condition of chronic inflammation. Lea rning to balance all three different types of exercises is ideal. It doesn’t take much to get the positive

The Political Nature Of Emergency Management And The...

The Political Nature of Emergency Management and The Future of Disaster Policy In this paper we will discuss the history of Emergency Management and the political influence shrouding this field for the past two hundred years. Political influence has been steadily increasing and this can be attributed in part to the rise in social media and the increased involvement by local leaders during disaster recovery and response. To support this theory we will also analyze Hurricane Sandy and looking at three politically charged components of the disaster. Finally, we will discuss disaster policy and the future of emergency management. History of Political Influence in Emergency Management The Emergency management field is intrinsically influenced by politics. The shear nature of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a government entity means it will always be influenced by politics and those in office. Emergency Management in an organized fashion, had very humble beginnings in 1803, when congress passed an act to provide fund to a New Hampshire town that had been severely impacted by a fire (Haddow, 2014). This act would precipitate a 200 plus year relationship between the government and emergency response. The Obama administration toyed with idea of removing FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and making it an independent organization again (Haddow, 2014). This did not come to pass however, the current administrator at the time, W. Craig Fugate, created theShow MoreRelatedEmergency Management. Tehron Cates. North Carolina Central1100 Words   |  5 Pages Emergency Management Tehron Cates North Carolina Central University Emergency Management According to the IPCC (2007), climate change refers to a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g. using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. It refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activityRead MoreWhat is a Disaster?1205 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Disaster has been defined as â€Å"A natural or human-caused event, occurring with or without warming, causing or threatening death, injury or disease, damage to property, infrastructure or the environment, which exceeds the ability of the affected society to cope using only its own resources†. The word to remember here is â€Å"without Warning†. This makes it a task, a management issue. 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Pine is the Director of the Disaster Science and Management, Professor-Research with the Department of Environmental Studies and Interim Chair of the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. (225) 578-1075 Email: jpine@lsu.edu httt://www.risk.lsu.edu Abstract This chapter takes a look at the impact that management theory and how the basic functionsRead MoreEmergency Management Stakeholders15452 Words   |  62 PagesCHAPTER 2 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STAKEHOLDERS This chapter will introduce the many actors in emergency management and examine some of the problems inherent in dealing with the complex emergency management policy process. The first section will address four basic issues. First, how is a â€Å"stakeholder† defined, especially in the context of emergency management? Second, who are the stakeholders emergency managers should be concerned about? 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Sweatshirts to Sweatshops free essay sample

In the essay â€Å"Sweatshirts to Sweatshops,† many of the universal intellectual standards are violated. To begin with, the speaker talks about the â€Å"little girl†¦working hour after hour†¦trying not to collapse from the heat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and that violates the fairness of the argument. He is trying to manipulate the audience by appealing to their emotional side. This argument is not based in factual evidence, and therefore, could be dismissed by the audience. There may not be a little girl in this exact situation described, and therefore, this statement is irrelevant. This could be corrected by leaving the entire story of the â€Å"little girl† out, or an interview of a child that works in the factory could be conducted giving a first-hand look into the conditions of the workplace. The essay also has an error in accuracy. The speaker uses a report done by the â€Å"WorldWeave Foundation† and the audience may never have heard of this foundation. We will write a custom essay sample on Sweatshirts to Sweatshops or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many â€Å"facts† are stated in the paragraph about this report, yet there is no way for the audience to check these â€Å"facts. No websites or articles are cited in order for the audience to verify the speakers statements, so these statements cannot be perceived as facts just because the speaker says they are. This could be corrected by including the document spoken of in the essay or citing the document and giving instructions on how to access it. Another error in accuracy is when the speaker states that â€Å"observers noticed some children who appeared to be as young as eleven or twelve†¦Ã¢â‚¬  because it uses the word ‘appeared. ’ This word does not give to factual evidence. We have no proof that these people the speaker refers to were actually eleven or twelve. This could be resolved by leaving this statement out or even getting proof from the workers of their ages. Verification is needed in this instance. Another violation in universal intellectual standards is a violation in breadth. Although the speaker is calling for a boycott of the sweatshirts made by Transterra Textiles because of underage workers and poor working conditions, we need to consider the workers’ point of views. These workers may not have anywhere better to work and desperately need the money. This violation could be resolved by interviewing workers about their jobs and doing research to find out the conditions of other job opportunities in their area. Another point of view is definitely needed in this argument. 2. At the end of the essay, the speaker gives only a choice between one or the other solution, leaving out any other options, which is known as a false dilemma. The speaker states, â€Å"[t]here are two things we can do to put an end to this exploitation. We can demand that Cromwell obtain its logo merchandise only from garment companies with socially responsible labor practices, and we an refuse to wear or purchase any Cromwell clothing until the college switches to an acceptable apparel supplier. † This is a false dilemma because the speaker does not include any other possibilities. This hurts the essay because the speaker only gives the audience a limited number of options. The speaker wants the audience to feel that they only have a limited amount of choices, when in reality, they could just ignore the problem. Emotive language is another fallacy that the speaker uses. Emotive language is when the speaker tries to appeal to the audience using peer pressure, flattery, pity, and/or fear. The speaker states, â€Å"We have a choice: to do what we can in support of global economic justice, or to become the oppressor. † No one wants to be responsible for the oppression of a people, so the speaker is using peer pressure to get the audience to agree with him. The speaker is basically saying, â€Å"either side with me, or you will be the oppressor. † In reality, the people buying the t-shirts are not oppressing anyone directly, but the speaker wants the audience to feel that they would be totally responsible. This is a poor choice for the speaker because he does not put the blame where it belongs, but pushes it off onto someone else causing the audience to agree with him based on their guilt, not facts. The speaker uses post hoc in his essay as a means to convince his audience that buying shirts is causing these factory workers to remain working in poor conditions. Post hoc is when a cause-effect relationship is suggested just because one thing happened before another. The speaker says that by buying sweatshirts from the school, they are oppressing the workers. In reality, the oppression come from government standards of the country in which factory is located. Finally, the speaker uses ad populum, a device that appeals to audiences and their natural yearning to be a part of a group. At the beginning of the essay, the speaker calls the audience â€Å"[f]riends. † This automatically groups the speaker and the audience together pushing the audience toward agreeing with the speaker without ever hearing any facts. The essay is flawed now because the speaker is not getting people to agree with him based on facts, but on camaraderie.

Treatment of People in Chronicle Essay Example

Treatment of People in Chronicle Paper The novel Chronicle of a death foretold by Gabrià ©l Garcà ­a Marquà ©z revolves around the death of Santiago Nasar, who is purported to have taken the virginity of his murderers’ sister. The way this man is treated by his killers as well as the members of the town points toward a more general phenomenon of culture that dictates how various types of people are treated in different situations. According to the events of this novel, within the Colombian context, women are treated in specific ways, as are men. The way relatives treat each other is also noteworthy, as it regards the solidarity of familial bonds and the upholding of honor within a particular family circle. The situations, issues, and coincidences of this story can be found to rely upon the policies regarding the treatment of others that tacitly yet inexorably exist within the culture of this Colombian town. Santiago’s murder is allowed to occur because of a specific form of treatment that is accorded to him by all those who reside in the town. Santiago’s death could have been prevented, but because of the sentiments that existed toward him, he is allowed to face his attackers in ignorance and unprepared. The people in the town demonstrate a high level of complexity in their treatment of Santiago. On the one hand, several of them considered him astute and powerful enough to take care of himself. Garcà ­a Marquà ©z writes, â€Å"No one even wondered whether Santiago Nasar had been warned, because it seemed impossible to all that he hadnt† (1984, p. 22). As a rich man, it is also possible that they treated him with respect and considered him well informed and invulnerable to attack. Both Divina Flor and Victoria Guzman, for instance, are knowledgeable concerning the impending murder and also have the opportunity to warn Santiago of his plight. However, these two wome n eventually do nothing, out of a belief that Santiago has everything under control. We will write a custom essay sample on Treatment of People in Chronicle specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Treatment of People in Chronicle specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Treatment of People in Chronicle specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer On the other hand, the people of the town are also highly steeped in a culture that demands honor of all who reside in their society. The possibility that Santiago could have been guilty of taking the virginity of an upstanding female citizen places him in the position of tyrant. Murder as a form of retribution to such a man who would ruin the chances of a woman to marry well and to elevate her head in society may have been considered by all who knew as precisely what he deserved. This analysis appears to be more conducive to the facts. The author even places these words in the mouth of one character: â€Å"there were few of us who didnt know that the Vicario twins were waiting for Santiago Nasar to kill him† (Garcà ­a Marquà ©z, 1984, p. 67). This highlights the fact that everyone in the town knew exactly what would happen to Santiago, yet not one of them makes it known to him. Furthermore, the attempts made by some of them to alert Santiago appear to be half-hearted at bes t. Even Colonel Lazaro Aponte who takes the knives from the young men also act in a fashion intended to deter only the most indecisive and spineless murderers. In reality, the citizens of the town treat Santiago as a convicted rapist sentenced to death, and this is proven in that they all come out to witness the murder as though they gather for an execution. In the end, Santiago is treated like an outcast against whom all of society has a personal grievance. The events of the novel are deemed plausible because of the culture that prevailed within the society Garcà ­a Marquà ©z portrays. The events of the novel turn out the way they do because of a combination of ways in which women are regarded and treated. The twins Pedro and Pablo Vicario are incensed by the fact that someone has taken the virginity of their sister because of the importance placed upon the purity of women in that society. If a woman is somehow shown to be impure, her respectability, along with that of her whole family, vanishes. The women themselves are treated with disgrace—as is Angela when she is beaten and forced to leave the town. Indeed, she is a woman, and in such a culture â€Å"they’ve been raised to suffer† (Garcà ­a Marquà ©z, 1984, p. 34). Without this respectability, she is treated like an outcast and is left without any chance of being honored with the request of marriage. She therefore loses her ability to move upward in life and becomes an old maid who, being unable to provide for herself, becomes a burden to her family. This is the prospect that Angela Vicario faces, and the extent of the disgrace to which she as a woman is to be subjected is mirrored by the drastic nature of the act performed by her brothers in an attempt to defend her honor. The men of the story are treated in a manner that places major responsibilities upon their heads. The responsibility for defending the honor of the family rests squarely upon the shoulders of the men within a given household. Marquà ©z writes of the Vicario family: â€Å"The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls were brought up to be married† (Garcà ­a Marquà ©z, 1984, p. 34). Such men who conform to what society expects of them are treated with honor. This can be seen in the way that the twins are treated before and after their murder of Santiago. These men, who know the worth of honor in their town, determine to kill Santiago. Yet, despite the fact that a murder is about to be committed, the townspeople (who believe so strongly in the need for men to defend their family’s honor) do hardly anything to prevent the fateful event from taking place. Even Prudencia Cotes vows never to marry her fiancà © Pablo Vicario if he fails to go through with the plan that would regain his family’s honor. The community’s good treatment of men who defend family honor is also demonstrated by the feeble penalties granted the two youths for Santiago Nasar’s gruesome murder. They are given only three years in the local prison—a sentence that acknowledges the evil of murder, but which also lauds the defense of the honor that was the motive for the murder. The treatment of people within Gabrià ©l Garcà ­a Marquà ©z’s novel Chronicle of a death foretold shows the town to be occupied by citizens overcome by an old-fashioned tradition of valor, dignity and honor. The fact that Santiago may have been responsible for taking a woman’s virginity causes him to be effectively ostracized from society, so that the news known by all of his impending murder is kept from him—to his detriment. The good faith and support of the community for the Vicario twins also demonstrates that society’s treatment of men, of whom honor is expected, and to whom respect is accorded when they demonstrate themselves willing and able to defend family honor. The treatment of women in this society also demonstrates itself in the strict lifestyles to which they are forced to adhere and the extreme measures that must be taken whenever their actions (or those of another) cause them to stray. References Garcà ­a Marquà ©z, G. (1984). Chronicle of a death foretold. New York: Ballantine Books.

Dunkirk was a great deliverance and a great disaster Essay Example

Dunkirk was a great deliverance and a great disaster Essay Source d is a first hand painting of the evacuation of Dunkirk it shows the ships being bombarded with shells, bombs and torpedoes form planes, It shows hundreds of men on the beach rushing towards the boats in big swarms, proving the fact that they were very nervous and desperate to get on board and off the beaches, thee is a lot of smoke coming from the destroyed ships, in which thousands of solders and crews would have been killed in each boat! Source e is a photograph of troops waiting on the beaches, this photo shows the troops quite in order and disciplined, there is also no attacks from the Germans at this point so this must mean that the attacks werent on going and there were breaks. There are hundreds of solders in this single photograph so this means that there were thousands and thousands being evacuated. Source f is a different matter this is a point were the solders are being attacked on the beach, as they are firing at planes above, there is a very low possibility that they would hit the planes, although it could scare them off! This also gives you evidence that thee was bravery along the beaches as the English and French were fighting back. Source g isnt a primary account as this person was not on the beaches but he was the English minister of war of the time, so this evidence could be counted as first hand, he describes how the army is not destroyed but is there fighting as veterans as they have now have gained in experience of warfare and self-confidence. He is also saying that the British army has got Great Spirit and those they refuse to accept defeat, which is the guarantee of victory. This source is saying that the evacuation of Dunkirk was a great success but also a great disaster. We will write a custom essay sample on Dunkirk was a great deliverance and a great disaster specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Dunkirk was a great deliverance and a great disaster specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Dunkirk was a great deliverance and a great disaster specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Source H is two extracts from the daily express a English news paper that was published in may 31st, 1940 the newspaper articles see the evacuation of Dunkirk as a great success, as they point out the bravery of the ships crews daring the German guns, pointing out that tens of thousands back softly already but do not point out that thousands dead and captured, calling the fleet an armada of ships-all shapes and sizes, but that was only the first article the second is more of a rundown version as it is calling the army: Tired, Dirty, Hungry but unbeatable this is not far from the truth, also saying that there was a touch of glory in the army as it was see-able on the solders faces. Source I is an extract from a book from 1965 written by an British Historian so this is a secondary piece of evidence, he gives a lot of information on the evacuation but we cant be sure that it is reliable as he was not there, he believes that operation dynamo succeed beyond all expectation, He gives evidence of boats such as destroyers and says that there was a wide verity of boats helping, he proves that on the 3rd June the last men were evacuated, in all 339, 226 men evacuated but only 139,997 were French this shows that a lot of French were left behind either presumed captured or dead, it was a great deliverance as nearly all the B.E.F. were saved. All guns, tanks and other heavy equipment were lost, 6 destroyers were sunk and 19 were damaged, the R.A.F. had lost 474 planes. This extract is a great source of evidence for the question. Source J is my own information from various other sources, I found out that there was more or less no food, weapons or ammunition and this adds more info to the fact that it was a great disaster as well. All together 220 ships were destroyed these include, fire ships, travel, destroyers E.T.C. And from these destroyed ships smoke was seen in Dover. When the solders were getting on the boats they were tired, warn out, and a lot of them had gone slightly crazy from the sight of battle and death so as they were climbing aboard they were in a hurry, so they tried to scramble up the slippery sides of the boats which quite a few of people didnt make it and fell back into the smaller boats or water and had to go all the way back to the back of the line, this proves that the solders had turned undisciplined and non-organised, which caused a great delay and trouble in the evacuation. The planes used by the Germans were Ju87 dive bombers which whilst scattering bullets and bombs over the solders and beaches, these planes were designed to go very low at an vertical axis (they were able to pull up very quickly and avoided crashing), which to the solders looked like it was going suicide to hit them, this caused more despair and a loss of self-confidence. There were 2 very long wave breakers that were untouched the navy tried to bring up a large destroyer beside one and it managed to collect about 1000 solders every hour, this was a quicker way of evacuating, but it was bombed and the ship was destroyed but this proved hat it worked, on the second wave breaker they retried this and it worked again, the Germans did not destroy this one and it proved effective. In the begging when the B.E.F. was sent to Dunkirk in September they were sent with insufficient food and equipment, which pro-told the events, which would happen.

How the Government Goes essays

How the Government Goes essays A democracy is a system of government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representative. Democracy means people for the people, so loosely translated, democracy is ruled by the people. There are three types of democracy; Direct or Participatory Democracy, Democratic Centralism, Representative Democracy. Direct Democracy is a democratic system of government in which all citizens participate in politics and decision making. Democratic Centralism is the form of government, which operates on the premise that a government is democratic if it serves the true interests of the people, is associated with communist regimes of the twentieth century. Representative Democracy is the most common democratic form in modern times. Instead of allowing all of the eligible citizens to participate in the government, a small number are elected to serves as representative. Democracy (Greek demos,the people; kratein, to rule), political system in which the people of a country rule through any form of government they choose to establish. In modern democracies, supreme authority is exercised for the most part by representatives elected by popular suffrage. The representatives may be supplanted by the electorate according to the legal procedures of recall and referendum, and they are, at least in principle, responsible to the electorate. In many democracies, such as the United States, both the executive head of government and the legislature are elected. In typical constitutional monarchies such as the United Kingdom and Norway, only the legislators are elected, and from their ranks a cabinet and a prime minister are chosen. Although often used interchangeably, the terms democracy and republic are not synonymous. Both systems delegate the power to govern to their elected representatives. In a republic, however, these officials are expected to act on their own best judgment of the needs and int...

My favorite type of Music - Instrumental Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My favorite type of Music - Instrumental - Essay Example It especially taught that the authentic life is the one in which a person is true to his emotions and not shackled to traditions or the old way of living. It sought to create an aesthetic life rather than a grim and boring one. One of my favourite pieces by Chopin is the Nocturne. This starts off slowly with a melancholic air about it. The melody is quite pretty and delicate. It seems to come from within a deep well inside the composer. The low notes played by the left hard are largely the same, maintaining a certain stability or grounding, while the melody played by the right hand darts around with a much larger range. Sometimes the notes are very high on the keyboard only to fall away like a cascading waterfall down to a lower register. Although the music starts off quite sad, it appears to turn in the middle and to end on a high happy note. The lower notes fade out and the high notes dominate. I especially like this song because it feels like some tension has been resolved. It reminds me a bit of a sunset: at first you are sad to see the day go, but as the sun sinks down and the sky turns pink, you think, â€Å"Ah, the beauty of the sunset is worth the fact that it is now night and a bit cold out.† It is a fine song to relax to. Another favourite piece by Chopin is the Revolutionary Etude. This is a very strong, passionate piece. One of the stories I have heard about it was that Chopin was sick when there was a revolution in France. He was unable to participate because of his health, so was forced to put all of his feeling into this music. What he felt about the revolution went into the composition. It moves along at a tremendous pace, full of gusto and energy. There is a constant shift from soft notes to hard ones, marking it as a very dynamic piece. It requires a great deal of dexterity from its performer, especially to keep the constant swarm of

Metrics Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Metrics Plan - Case Study Example Therefore, the metric is based on % completion. A practice whose percentage completion falls below 70% is considered non compliant, that which falls between 71% - 95% is considered degraded and that above 95% compliant. With the overall practice compliance of 37.79%, the 11th Marine Regiment is considered non compliant in conducting EMS practices. Out of the 8 practices, none was compliant, meaning the scores were below 95%. However, there was 100% compliance in the training of some course such as spill abatement and EMS training. TNA describes procedures for identifying abilities, skills and knowledge necessary to achieve desired performance requirements which is keeping the environment safe (Jean, 2006). There are three elements to the TNA; Demographic Information, Installation Environmental Characteristics, and Quantified Environmental Training Requirements. For the purposes of this Metrics Plan, the Quantified Environmental Training Requirements were used to collect and analyze data. The TNA was used to identify what practices are performed, their location, number of personnel requiring training, and what training is required to enable personnel to perform their activity in an environmentally safe manner. Maintaining environmental compliance is everyone’s responsibility. While working aboard Camp Pendleton, you are required to know and understand how EMS practices impact your work activities and the environment. Environmental compliance means performing all your work tasks in a safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible manner that will protect and prevent harm to human health, natural resources, and the environment. This Metric Plan will help you develop the skills you need to maintain an environmentally friendly work environment and to complete your work tasks in accordance with your installations environmental policy. To fulfill the training requirements of the 8 explicit environmental

Short Answers on Merchants of Cool Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short Answers on Merchants of Cool - Coursework Example 3) â€Å"Marketers have to find a way to Seem Real† means that the marketers have to give an impression that they are ‘real’ by living lives that the teen generation can identify with. They have to adopt attitudes that to teenagers perceive as ‘cool’. 5) To counter the plummeting ratings in 1990s, MTV adopted ethnography study. In this study, MTV focused on learning the teens by visiting their homes and collecting personal information. They did this by asking them personal questions and go through their belongings such as their music albums. The researchers also got involved in the teens’ lives by accompanying them to social places such as to nightclubs. These activities were recorded as they happened then later, they were translated to video clips that were presented to MTV’s management. "Midriff" is the character inclined to teenage girls. It is highly sexualized, sophisticated and populates television shows such as Cruel Intentions. A juvenile and boorish behaved character on the other hand brands the â€Å"mook†. The "Mook" is a misogynistic, crude, and extremely angry adolescent. 7) The system designed to appeal to the â€Å"MOOK† keeps the teens’ under incessant surveillance. This helps the researchers determine the things that trigger the teens’ emotions and actions thus understand them better and 9) To overcome the resistance, marketers have to embrace the challenge and market the products in spite of their inadequacies. For instance, in the case of Insane Clown Posse, MTV marketed their music relentlessly even though the genre of music they created represented violence, profanity and misogyny. Today, the band has become a big name in the music industry. 10) Marketers have gone too far in their efforts to sell to the youth. Every marketer has his or her version of what should be perceived as cool. This readymade version of ‘cool’ has taken away the teens’ power to focus on their

Pay and Rewards in Human Resource Strategies

Pay and Rewards in Human Resource Strategies Introduction Socometal is joint ventures were 52% owned by French company and 48% by Senegalese it deals with metal container and can. 150-800 are working in the company for the past 20 years with the profit of $144 million. Analysis In this case study we can find three important people they are Diop is a Senegalese engineer (Asst Production Manager), Mr Olveir Bernard is a production Manager from France and NDiaye is a factory worker. African Management systems are followed in running the company. Majority of the managers are from Africa with only 8-10 Managers are from France. There was a meeting, where NDiaye requested Diop to sign an agreement regarding the overtime of two hour benefits to increase the production by 30%. NDiaye is solely responsible for the entire production process. Accepting the offer he positively replied that â€Å"We could even produce more†. 12000 units are manufactured per day and requests for 30% increase in the production level. Mr Bernard did not have good quality of manager as he was arrogant, uncommunicative and negative because of his character growth was limited. Socometal agrees with the contract to meet the short time increase in the volume of production. After doing so me calculation this was not agreed by Mr Bernard as he said â€Å"We will never get from our workers† after saying this he went to his home town due to illness. After the agreement proposal by Diop, he went to different department to discuss the proposal. Some French and Italian expatriates expressed that the workers will not do overtime but â€Å"most agreed it was worth a try†. Diop gave his agreement on condition to NDiaye by ensuring 30% increase in production by end of the day. Wages will be fixed only after assessing the increase of production by the management. One old French logistics manager said â€Å"Africans arent lazy but they work to live, and once they have enough they refuse to do more†. Action came into play after four days negotiation between Diop and NDiaye. Work was allocated to two of his subordinates to save enough time and energy to mobilise the workers. One of the Senegalese foreman declared that this agreement is an one of the best pract ice were workers can earn an extra money and also show French management that they are more capable workers than they think. Worker started one extra hour per day to increase the production to 8% more than expectation. Production levels been increased to 18000-22000 units per day between 38%-43% in two month time they created history and all the workers were so proud of their results. Mr Bernard returned from his illness he was shocked to see changes in the company there was dispute between Diop and Mr Bernard regarding the two hours pay to the worker, where work was achieved in one hour. Diops agreement with worker was not accepted by his manager and he stated that you have put the management in trouble and acted against company policies. He was unable to express his views about the process change to his manager as he was not interested. Thinking in employees prospective he plans to meet the Managing Director. To respect the words of Diop and NDiaye workers decided to maintain the new production level. The worker expressed if Mr Bernard deals the same as he did before the production reduces to normal. Background of HRM in India In todays world there is intense cut throat competition and everyone wants to reach great heights in order to stay in the top level for a longer period of time. India is land of opportunities and it is becoming one of the hot spots in the world. Human resource management is not same all over the world, its entirely differs from the societies within individual countries. Culture is defined as a group which moulds a person values, ethics and identity with the following differences like ethnicity, race, gender, class, religion, country so on and so forth. Cross culture in management terms- It means people working in the different cultural environment with different sets of people with different culture, caste and etc. However it is said that culture is concerned with the behaviour of our job, its all about adopting to the working environment, cultural differences, styles, participate in meetings, what we speak and finally dealing with the differences. Every company has an organisation s tructure and differs with each company; it literally means the companys structure of an organization according to their designation and ranks, 3 types of hierarchy system which is maintained in our country namely hierarchical, matrix and flat. These structures are prepared keeping just one home culture which indirectly hits back as diversity of culture is involved. It deals with the vision of the company and also defines responsibility to each staffs or individuals. It is also called as a management tool where division of labour is cultivated and it gives detailed structure of role from upper level management to lower level of management. Most companies in India are quality centric organizations which are ISO 9001:2000 certified which generally means quality is maintained. Managing people in India requires micro management strategy only with this strategy best outcome is resulted as when we compare to our western countries is different. Companies tends to run business on one talente d individual who will have the main control to direct the employees in order to get the assigned work done without any further questions. Meaning of pay in management terms Pay means its an amount which is paid to the staff in the organisation for the services rendered. There are 2 types of pay i.e. fixed and variable pay. Pay scales vary as per the role and designation in the company. Now let me take you to the subject matter of pay satisfaction in India. We all know that salary is an outcome of an employees work and it plays a vital role in the tenure of stay in an organization. Two types of organisation are operated in India they are Private and Public organisation. Private organisation pays more to employees compare to public organisation. Job security is less in private organisation when compared to public organisation. Some employees are paid more than the fixed salary due to personal attributes there are 2 types of variable are fixed and variable pay. All the companies in India are performance driven organization and they will undertake various improvements on research and development techniques by encouraging SMART objectives in order to drive and reward performances. In order to encourage performance, the company institutes a variable pay plan, for staff members in Work Level 1 and Work Level 2, Variable Pay is based completely on individual performance outcomes and for staff members in Work Level 3 and above the plan is based on documented annual corporate milestones translated into annual departmental and individual goals and performances. The performance contributions in the individual and corporate goals are rewarded every quarter. Below table is one of the examples of variable pay scheme. Managers in India Managers are one of the core head of a company with a significant impact in terms of their implementation in international companies. A manager should build a good rapport with his employees and moreover he should be kind and if any problem arises he should handle it carefully as many of the employees future hangs with him. There is a saying like, â€Å"Good managers gives good business†. Managers are exceedingly excellent and they have their own strengths in companys point of view. Strengths as follows like communication skills, managing a team, convincing employees, motivation and etc. Employees work harder and their work will not be notified as more of internal politics takes place. Let me give u an example to support my statement. Eg- Mr A works in, â€Å"MT† company for 5 years and he does not have good skills to support his tenure in the company, he was staying only because he had good rapport in the higher level management and Mr B joins Mr A as a colleague in the same department 3 years earlier, after 2 years there was an requirement for senior position where Mr B had all the requirements to support his 2 years stay in the company, management took a bad decision by recruiting Mr A stating that he had better work experiences when compared with Mr B. This is how mangers in the company hire an existing employee to a next level even though employee has good skills and all the qualifications to match the job profile, they would rather go to an employee who has only experience and not anything else. The final area of consideration in human resource management is pay and reward in perception relating to cross culture Cross culture issues come in the organisation level, the simple reason is that companies operates in different countries organizes their daily activities or business differently. Cross culture takes place when company goes for globalisation. One of the major competitions that the companies in India encounter is that in the domestic market, for instance, that international firms now faces a stiff competition from goods produced in India by imports and MNCs. Cross culture differences causes a great challenge to HRM Factors affecting industrial relations, loyalty, productivity etc are the attitude of the employers, values, outlooks, beliefs and the social factors. Its a never ending process and there is no stoppage to pick the cross cultural differences as they are many. We can differences in the labour mobility and inter personal factors. Let me give a best example. In UK we can find that head of the company or boss will be called as MR or by name but in our country addressing a boss by name would not be received Attitude towards employment Attitude varies from one individual to another individual, in the same way attitude of employers and employees in different country changes. We have heard about, â€Å"Fire and Hire policy†, as it is common in many countries but in some countries they follow lifetime employment. Earlier we (India) were following lifetime employment and employees will have right to change job as they preferred without giving any opportunities to newcomers by creating a surplus manpower and in these situations it is great difficult in dislodging inefficient employees. However the good news is that we are changing to the foreign culture by implementing Fire and Hire Policy. Salary Salary is nothing but a sizeable amount which is paid to employees of the company which may be fixed or variable. Money plays a major part in everyones life and it has become an essential resource just like water and air where we cant live without it. In India salary is not fixed for all the employees even though staffs in the same team work together, there lot of differences which really hurts in a big time. This is because of internal politics among employees and management, in this case not only management has to be blamed but also employees who uses personal force like emotions, love or attachments. Recommendations or influence Recommendations play an important role in India. For instance an employee, who does not have any management skills and ability to work in a company, still will be recruited to work due to the influence of higher authorities like politician, senior workers in the organisation and etc. When compared to other parts of the world, the entire management system is purely based on the individual working skill and attitude. Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is nothing but the assessment of employees performance and meeting the set targets. In India appraisal is done on yearly basis and employees will be intimidated by the pay increase from the management. We have skilled labours and pay is not compensated with that skills. By evaluating employees performance management takes all the necessary aspects into consideration like metrics which should always be green and not even amber is entertained. Before performance appraisal, managers would speak in such a way that better appraisals are given to the workers and get the job done even on weekends where salary is not counted for that day. They would also tell that they will look after the future growth in the company but fail to do so even though they employees have brilliant track records. Once appraisals are done managers does not even listen to employees feedback on appraisals. The following chart demonstrates increase in HRA, Current Allowance and Medical Allowance and there is no difference in Basic Salary even though performance appraisal in increased by 4% Compensation and rewards Compensation entails salary and other benefits, salary refers to the wage or salary the employees earn, the reason for compensation is that employees work harder which will influence the attitudes and behaviours. In other words its just like a motivation or energising employees to perform at the highest well. Compensations are just said but its not given. Managements Decision Management takes decision only in companys point of view and not in employees perspective. Before taking decision even suggestions from the employees are not welcomed. Even employees do understand its not necessary to consult in the entire cases but to some extent it has to be discussed where employees are involved in the work. An individual opinion does not count even though we (employees) are called as company assets. Employee Relations Good employee relations will be recognised with the good rapport and team building environment but in India employee relations are not as very good as it was earlier. Employees are not valued as they are underrated even though they perform well. Recommendations Each and every employee should be treated equally with no variances All the employees must be treated equally with respect and there should not be any variances. It means that management sets up company policies stating that there should be no discrimination, harassment of any employee either directly or indirectly with respect to race, culture, nationality, marital status and age etc. However employees do not follow and creates hassle in the organisation by not following the ethics and principles. Manager should build good rapport with the employees There are several factors which contribute to build rapport with the employees. Managers earn their respect by respecting the employees. If an employee does not perform well or fail to meet the target, discus the problems that they face in an informal way and support them when they are down and out. Have an informal talks when needed than formal talks, they should not neglect their work as priority should be given to employees work than anything else. A manager should entertain to have open discussions Manager is not the only person who works in the organisation but there are many of the employees, staffs and workers work above or under him. Good decision yields good business to the company so when managers take decision he should take decisions in management point of view and with the employees perspective in a better way. Minimum wage act as per Government of India Revised wage is Rs 100 per day and it is not properly designed to lower categories of people working in the organisation such as security, housekeeping department, etc. Some people do not know what our minimum wages is and company utilizes the resources very well, as majority of the employees are illiterate. Government of India should ban consultancies or agencies who operates illegally Consultancy is a recruitment centre where people are trained and recruited on behalf of the company. There are number of consultancies in India and its rapidly growing, People who lack skills can even join the company by paying huge amount of money and consultancies are misusing it in the name of recruitment. Where as in other countries the role is to forward the resume to the company and their work stops. Employees should be compensated with better pay Awards and reward is not given to the individuals who works in the company and their work is not recognized by the top level management. Skilled labours are not paid properly for their work. Most of the MNC companies have their employees to sign a contract or just like a bonded labour which is illegal in India but management follows the same and interestingly employees signs the contract because of stiff competition in the market and risk of not getting the desired job. Compensations are not paid fully and correctly in time during emergencies. During training period and internship programmes trainee should be given atleast minimum wages to satisfy the basic needs Salary structure should be well organised by the management Management should implement good performance appraisals as in India we can find that whenever appraisals are done only with respect to HRA, medical and travelling allowances, no changes are made in the basic salary. Management plays a hidden role in fixing the basic salary to the employees, as it should fix different levels of basic pay as per the role and designation in the company. So whenever an employee moves forward to the next level, he should be accompanied with respect to the salary structures as per the requirements of the specified designation demands. References Armstrong, M. (1997) People and Organisation. London Henderson, I. (2008) Human Resource Management. London: CIPD Johnson, R. (2004) The Practice of Cultural Studies. London: SAGE Perkins,Stephen J. Shortland, Susan M. (2006) Strategic International Human Resource Management. London: CIPD Sharma, a. Khandekar, A. (2006) Strategic Human Resource Management. London: SAGE Thomas J Bergmann Vida G Searpello (2000) 4th edn. Compensation Decision Making. London: Willy McCourt Derek Eldridge (2003) Global Human Resource Management. London: (n. d.) [online] available from [04.04.10] (n. d.) [online] available from [08.04.10] (n. d.) [online] available from [15.0410] (n. d.) [online] available from [16.04.10] (n. d.) [online] available from [17.04.10] (n. d.) [online] available from [14/04/2010]

Japanese Culture Essay

In an article written by Cristoph Mark entitled Love, ‘darling’ style for the Daily Yomiuri, he discussed the issue of having an international marriage in Japan meaning that the couples have different nationalities or cultural background. In Japan, only a small percentage engages in mixed marriages, probably because Japanese seemed more traditional and close-knit. Also, Japanese cultured tend to be more conventional and more family-oriented. Having diverse origins between a husband and a wife would entail a clash on what practices or beliefs should prevail in the household. Based on the couple that was interviewed by Cristoph who were Tony, an English social advocate and Saori, a Japanese manga artist and writer, they conceded to the idea that an international marriage causes cultural differences. However, in their case, they believe that their differences are just mere variation of preferences that are most likely influenced by their partiality over a certain belief or inclination and not by tradition or culture. But at the latter part of the article, the couple mentioned that they have been experiencing difficulty in determining the language that they would teach their son (Cristoph, 2009). This clearly shows that no matter how much people exert an effort to have tolerance and acceptance to make international marriages work, cultural difference will always be a concern. In Japan, much importance is given to the concept of family. Japanese families have continuity. From their ancient ancestors to present descendants, each member of the family is respected and their traditional practices are passed on from one generation to another. Also, the head of family always fall into the hands of the father making a Japanese family patriarchal. However, due to changing times and the occurrence urbanism and low birth rate, this traditional practice and belief is being challenged. Nowadays, contemporary Japanese are opting to prioritize their careers rather than starting a family particularly among women. For them, having a contemporary lifestyle is more convenient and practical than their traditional practices. Despite these changes, a majority of the Japanese still prefers to adhere with their traditional concept of a family. In an another article published at the Daily Yomiuri entitled Girl upset over mom marrying foreigner, it talked about the dilemma of a Japanese woman who had married a non-Japanese man without the approval of her daughter and her family after she had separated from her first husband. Because of this issue, it caused a major rift between the woman and her daughter (Daily Yomiuri, 2009). As mentioned, a typical Japanese family is close knit and very conservative. Based on Japanese culture, weddings are treated as sacred rituals that symbolize the rite of passage from one social status to another. More so, weddings can represent the transition to adulthood or a step to parenthood. Traditionally, wedding ceremonies should have family involvement. Also, it should follow several preparatory steps prior to the wedding itself. There is the seeking of parental approval and then choosing mediator, followed by betrothal gift and the scheduling the date and selecting the location for the wedding. The ceremony can either be based on Shintoism or Christianity wherein the rituals are categorized into formal and informal stages. These wedding rituals always represent a symbolical meaning that pertains to the futures roles of the couple as husband and wife. The Japanese also stresses the concept of permanence. They believe that an ideal marriage is forever and they also strongly disagree with the idea of divorce. But in the reply of the lawyer to the letter of the woman, he did not despise the actions of the woman even though she violated most of the Japanese practices on weddings. For him, international marriages are common. But in order to resolve her problems, all she needed to do is talk with her daughter. Tradition and culture does not pose a major threat anymore in finding true love or in the woman’s case financial support and the completion of their family (Daily Yomiuri, 2009). Generally, Japanese culture has remained intact for centuries. It was able to preserve its traditional beliefs and practices particularly on the concept of a family. But due to the birth of modernization, new sets of perspectives and ideas are enticing the Japanese to adapt a more contemporary way living which entails discarding or compromising their Japanese culture and tradition. References Cristoph, M. (2009, April 10). Love, ‘darling’ style. Retrieved April 17, 2009, from http://www. yomiuri. co. jp/dy/features/arts/20090410TDY12001. htm Daily Yomiuri. (2009, April 10). Girl upset over mom marrying foreigner. Retrieved April 17, 2009, from http://www. yomiuri. co. jp/dy/columns/advice/20090410TDY13001. htm

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand† The phrase, â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand† became famous as a quotation from Lincoln’s â€Å"A house divided† speech delivered at 17 June 1858, in what was then the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, upon accepting the Illinois Republican Party's nomination as that state's senator of the United States . The speech became the launching point for his unsuccessful campaign.Abraham Lincoln was not the first one who used the â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand† phrase: Sam Huston used it during the Senate debate on the Compromise of 1850,during the War of 1812; a similar line appeared in a letter from Abigail Adams to Mercy Otis Warren. Thomas Paine in 1776 and Thomas Hobbes, in 1651 used something very similar. We, as humans, are social beings†¦so we cannot live alone. We need friends and people with whom we can share our thoughts, our feelings, our life, our e xperiences and so on. For this reason we form all kinds of groups (friends group, school group, workplace group).If the members of a group are not united, they will be much more easier to defeat by a â€Å"common enemy† or by nature itself. If a group (house) is divided against himself, members will be more easier to beat one by one, then if they are united and their power cumulated. Even if, hypothetically, there is only one group and there will be no external danger, if the member of that group is disunited, the group could not stand and, sooner or later, if the conflicts are not solved, the group will divide in at least two other smaller groups( each one more powerless than the original group will be if its members are united).The â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand† phrase applies very well to smaller (but more bounding) groups. For example, a family where the partners are always arguing against each other, it will be very hard (if not impossible) to get over the life challenges and succeed together in life. It is even worse if that family involves at least a child, because it is very probably that he will follow his parents` example and be more rigid with his partner when he will grow up.Another good example are the groups formed in a world full of sharks all running for the biggest prey and winning: the businessman world. If two (or more) business associates are not united they will surely lose because bigger or more cunning sharks will profit from their division against each other. In conclusion a house divided against itself cannot stand (SEE What I did there? ) because it is much more difficult conquer it if its members are united than applying the famous quotation : divide et impera! .

Deadly Cartoons

Deadly Cartoons FREE SPEECH ZONES The recent #garlandshooting was allegedly provoked by controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed displayed in a community center in Texas, U.S. As shown here, these award-winning artistic expressions according to news report are religious sensitive and provoking materials that made some people in the Islamic world very angry. Similar to Charlie Hebdo magazine’s satirical cartoons of Prophet Mohammad that later led to the killing of 12 people in Paris early this year, these cartoons also received a deadly response. Clearly, our inherent freedom to voice or express one’s opinion has lethal consequences when abused or intended to ridicule a leader of a major religion. Academic institutions recognized the right to free speech but similar to artistic expression; it must be restricted to a safe level. The purpose of Free Speech Zones is to restrict student protest, activism, and free speech to certain places on campus to avoid disruption of classes and other educational activities. However, although the constitutionality of this content-neutral conduct restrictions rule is strongly criticized, it had reduced occurrence of derogatory comments that stigmatizes individual on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, and others. VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES AND SCHOOL VIOLENCE The content-based restriction is a law that restricts free speech on the basis of content, subject matter, or speaker’s viewpoint. For instance, a school may allow public speeches supportive of school-board policies but prohibit protester’s speech opposing critical school board policies as it such constitutes a viewpoint restriction. U.S. Courts according to study, normally allow schools to apply reasonable restrictions on oral, written, or symbolic expression such as banners promoting violence (read Fraternity Violence), use of illegal drugs, and others. Overall, schools can apply reasonable restriction on speech or expression that is likely to affect public safety. ARTISTIC CENSORSHIP Censuring work of art (see Art Essay) is made difficult by controversies associated with the term â€Å"objectionable content†. The appropriateness of artistic work, for instance, varies from person to person thus a student’s sculpture of a nude female torso that received an A+ from his art teacher may be displayed draped under a cloth if the old and conservative female school principal strongly objects to nudity. In the same manner, cartoons depicting and making fun of a highly respected religious leader are appropriate and display-worthy artistic expressions for some, may be so humiliating to others. In fact, these offensive works of art and creation of individuals enjoying the freedom of expression already frustrated millions of people and recently took a number of lives. SEXUAL CONTENT ON TV HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON TEENAGERS It is, therefore, critical to apply content-based restrictions on similar artistic expressions to avoid further conflict and deadly responses from the affected side. Satirical artistic expressions undoubtedly constitute artist’s personal viewpoint, promote violence, jeopardize public safety, and therefore deserving of reasonable restrictions. Some major U.S. publications already imposed self-regulation and avoiding publishing of offending cartoons or provocative images. Along with news media’s total restriction on provoking cartoons, free speech zones and artistic censorship in educational institutions, there is a strong possibility that anger of tens of millions of Muslims caused by previously unrestricted satirical artistic expressions will be reduced to a level that a deadly response is no longer necessary.

BUSINESS ETHICS essay part 2

BUSINESS ETHICS essay part 2 BUSINESS ETHICS essay part 2 BUSINESS ETHICS essay part 2BUSINESS ETHICS essay part 13) What are the Virtues of a Capitalist Free Market System? What is the Marxist criticism of such a system as exemplified by the Capitalist system? Does it follow then that if Marxism is correct that Capitalism is inherently flawed? How does Capitalism provide a Moral defense of its system?  The Virtues of a Capitalist Free Market System include the set of morally justified principles which aim at the justification of the capitalist system and making this system grounded on moral principles (De George 115). In this regard, one of the main virtues of a capitalist free market system is the free and fair competition which implies that all individuals have equal opportunities but some of them just fail to exercise their opportunities, whereas others use the full potential of their opportunities that bring them success and wealth. Furthermore, the Virtues of a Capitalist Free Market System imply that the market develops freely wit hout any regulations (De George 118). Therefore, there are no external powers or factors that may influence the position of individuals or actions of moral agents. In other words, the capitalist system implies the free development of individuals which are not bound by any regulations imposed on them by the government, for instance. As a result, individuals being absolutely free cannot complain on the system because this system turns out to be regulated by natural market laws but not written laws imposed on individuals by the government or other authorities. In this regard, Marxism criticizes the major flaw of capitalism which is the class antagonism and the oppression of the class of oppressed by the class of oppressors, whereas oppressors accumulate their wealth at costs of the class of oppressed by means of the full control over means of production, whereas oppressed have nothing but their labor which is their only source of income (De George 122). In such a way, Marxism reveals t he intrinsic inequality between people in the capitalist system and the gap between social classes cannot be bridged, unless the social revolution occurs and leads to redistribution of power and change of the classes of oppressors and oppressed or the creation of the classless society. In response to such criticism, the capitalism provides the moral defense grounded on the initial equality of all people and persisting equal opportunities for all people because formally every individual has a chance to become rich and prosperous, if he/she has a good business idea, for instance. In such a way, the capitalism attempts to justify the possible inequality of individuals in their socioeconomic standing by the lack of abilities, while formally all of them have equal opportunities to exercise their abilities and available resources to reach success. However, this argument is not always effective and persuading, when confronted by Marxist ideas which reveal the essence of inequality based on the difference in the access to the means of production (De George 124). To put it more precisely, Marxists stand on the ground that people cannot exercise equal opportunities because they do not have equal access to the means of production. For instance, if a person invents a technological innovation allowing him/her to manufacture a new product, he/she holds the full control over the means of production because he owns the production line he/she has created his/her write to own it is protected by law in the capitalist system. As a result, the public cannot exercise benefits from this invention starting its mass production because the owner of the innovation is the only proprietor of the means of production and new technology. The inventor does not make his/her innovation available to the public production. Instead, he/she retains the full control over the production and means of production. In such a situation, employees have to work for the owner of the means of production to ma nufacture the innovative product and they cannot start the production of the similar product or the same product because they do not own the means of production. The only thing they own is their labor. Thus, Marxists reject the moral defense of Capitalism and insist that Capitalism is the unfair and unjust social system, where the inequality of the class of oppressors and the class of oppressed cannot be eliminated otherwise but by means of the social revolution.

Medicaid Fraud in the State of Virginia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Medicaid Fraud in the State of Virginia - Essay Example They set up a personal care service center that is duly authorized to provide respite care to Medicaid recipients. Respite care is usually given by the family or another unpaid primary caregiver of the recipient. Having set up authorized respite care centers for Medicaid beneficiaries, such individuals then proceed to file false or fraudulent claims for reimbursement from the Medicaid program. Gilchrist claimed reimbursement for 38 non-existent Medicaid patients for which her company received approximately $294,713 (The United States Attorney General's Office, 2013). Cases of fraud on the Medicaid program have dire implications. This is especially the case when the US Government is lobbying to increase Medicare coverage to more Americans, especially the poor and those who cannot afford health insurance covers. For this reason, states have taken measures to arrest the problem. The state of Virginia, for instance, has set up the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to deal with defrauders.

VoIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

VoIP - Essay Example â€Å"IP telephony, Internet telephony, Voice over Broadband (VoBB), broadband telephony, and broadband phone are few other terms that can be used as an alternative of VoIP† (Davidson, 2007). Communication services such as SMS, voice messaging, facsimile etc. are the few examples of VoIP that uses the internet as a mode of transmission instead of PSTN (public switched telephone network) nowadays. According to an analysis made by analysts in the past few years, it has come into limelight that a proportion of 20 % of businesses in U.S. have brought VoIP into practice and this fraction is likely to accelerate in the upcoming years (Wallingford, 2005). In this modern era of breakthroughs, where VoIP has experienced a boom in the field of commerce, one of its prime examples includes ANSR, Inc. A small company, located in Midwestern U.S. that initiated its business as e-Marketing and real estate across the country with a wide spread employment network. Due to fast-moving business, s oon it necessitated system, which could address to its increasing communication requirements for its strewn workforce. However, ANSR also needed complete packaged phone related software that could integrate the two diverse branches of its business working in correlation at one place.

Values of American political thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Values of American political thought - Essay Example The American government derives its power from the people in form of a constitution which ensures checks and balances. America was a British colony and therefore subjected to the English law and constitution and is a monarchy form of a government ruled by hereditary kings. In such form of government, the will of the king is the law of the land hence the people are subject to oppression (Paine). The pilgrims from Britain thus found a colony in America and settled in the northern parts of Virginia and signed the mayflower compact on 11 November, 1620 to â€Å"preserve order and further their aims† (Mount). They thus created laws and constitutions and all individuals were to be bound by these laws. The laws ensured equality and fairness and determined the authority of the governors and were the foundation of the U.S constitution. According to Paine, men are born free and equal and live together as a society but as the population increases, the resources become scarce thus the nee d for designing regulations to govern the sharing which eventually become laws. The societies also enlarge and it becomes difficult to address all of their concerns hence the need to elect representatives who have the same interests as the majority thus forming a government. The American government is based on this idea of equality and fairness; it is a republican government which derives its power from the people through their representatives in the House of Representatives.The declaration of independence in 1776 also indicates that the government derives its power or authority from the governed.... The congress is made up of House of Representatives and the senate whereby the members of the House of Representatives are elected by the people. Madison James asserts that people have diverse interests hence the society is divided into parties consisting people of common interests. The federal government is able to break and control the violence brought about by factions through the use of the constitution. According to him, state governments are not able to do this as they have majority people with same interests hence fewer parties and may not represent the interest of all people. However, federal government is vast and few people represent the interests of the majority thus it is difficult to have biased interests. The constitution thus checks and balances the authority and power of government by controlling the effects of factions (Federalist, 10). The democratic form of government is a major competitor of the republican form of government. This type of government derives power and authority from the people the only difference from the republican government being that in the former, the people exercise their power directly whereas in the latter people exercise their power through representation in the government. The people in the democratic government meet often since they are situated at short distances but the number of individuals is limited to a certain number. The states that form the federal government are sovereign and have been against control by the federal government. The federal government makes and administers laws which are limited and the state governments make laws that concern only the state (Federalist, 14). They are smaller in size

Bycommitting suicide Essay Example for Free

Bycommitting suicide Essay Discuss the view that Eva Smith was an immoral troublemaker who, by  committing suicide, was responsible for her own fate, and the murder of her unborn child  This statement is neither right nor wrong, it has two different sides to it, and in this essay I shall try and discuss both sides of this opinion.  Eva Smith had an acceptable job at Mr Birlings factory, and she had the normal wages of a factory worker, but these wages were as low as the factory could make them, and they werent nearly enough to live off. With a few of her fellow workers Eva decided to ask for higher wages, instead of twenty-two and six they asked for twenty-five shillings a week, which is only two and a half shillings more, hardly a substantial increase. Their boss refused, so they decided to go on strike to try and get the rise that they wanted. However their pitiful savings didnt last long, and eventually they had to return to the factory, and ask for their jobs back. Most of the girls were taken on again, apart from the ring leaders, who were fired. Eva was one of these ring leaders, and she was fired along with the others. Mr Birling says that she was a good worker and that the foreman there told me he was ready to promote her into a leading operator head of a small group of girls. If Mr Birling himself said that she was a good worker then he didnt have to fire her, he could have kept her on and she would have worked even harder as a result of that. Also Mr Birling said that they should work for lower costs and higher prices, and why shouldnt Eva  strive for higher wages too? However no one forced Eva into taking part in the strike, and she should have been satisfied with the job that she had, she was better off than some people, and at least she had some wages. Also she would have known that it wasnt easy to find another job, and she shouldnt have risked so much on such a small pay rise, it was reckless and thoughtless of her to have gone on strike. After much hard searching and a stroke of luck, Eva managed to find another, very good job in Milwards, an expensive clothes shop. She was fired after only a couple of months, just when she felt she was settling down nicely (Inspector). She was fired through no fault of her own, but because of Shelia losing her temper, and because of Shelias jealousy of Eva. Shelia says that Eva was a very pretty girl with big dark eyes, and she looked as if she could take care of herself, so Shelia decided to use her power as a valued customer to fire her. There was nothing wrong with the way she was doing her work. They [the shop owners] admitted that. (Inspector). Shelia admits that she had been in a foul temper, and had taken it out on Eva by telling the manager of Milwards that if they didnt get rid of that girl, Id never go near the place again and Id persuade mother to close our account with them. All Eva had done is supposedly to smirk at the assistant whilst Shelia was trying on an ill-fitting dress. There is no proof that Eva had done this at all, and it is probably a figment of Shelias angry imagination at the time. Yet on the other hand, Eva may have smiled at the assistant because Shelia looked silly, to say doesnt she look awful (Sheila) and if she did, this was very presumptuous of her and she should have been more respectful of the customers. As a last resort to gain money, Eva (or Daisy, which she changed her name to) then went to the Palace Bar, and became a woman of the town. There was no other way for Eva to then make money apart from turning to prostitution. In the Palace Bar one night she was picked up by a friendly and handsome man, who offered her a set of rooms to stay in for a while, in fact he even insisted on Daisy moving into those rooms and he made her take some money to keep her going there (Gerald). Not surprisingly she said yes, for a woman in her position this must have been a lovely offer! She must have known what he would have wanted from her, but what he was  offering seemed so perfect, probably almost like heaven. He said he would supply food for her, and all she would have to do is offer herself to him in return. What woman in that situation would say no? She was broke, with no home, no way of earning an income, and it was stay with a nice man in a lovely set of rooms instead of prostitution. It wasnt remotely immoral of her to have taken Geralds money; he offered it freely to her, even insisted upon her taking it, and even though she did accept it, she also gave him what he wanted in return. Throughout the time she stayed with him, its not surprising that she gradually fell in love with him. He was so persuasive and charming, and she had never been cared for like that before, she  couldnt help but feel that way about him, he must have seemed like a saviour to her. Gerald says that she was intensely grateful and that he became at once the most important person in her life. Their relationship was completely dictated by Gerald; he was the one who started the relationship and if he wanted to see her, he would have to go to her, she could never come to him. Also Gerald only thought about his wants and needs during the relationship, he would never take into consideration that she  might miss him or she might wish he was with her more, it was only his thoughts that mattered. This is shown particularly by Gerald dropping Daisy as soon as he wanted to, when it was convenient for him. He didnt even think about whether it was convenient for her, he didnt ask her to leave, he just told her that she had to. Also Gerald knew that she had fallen in love with him, I didnt feel about her as she felt about me but he didnt let this bother him about leaving her, because he had never loved her, so it didnt matter that he was never going to see her. It was irrelevant to him that she loved him more than anyone else in the world; it didnt affect him. Then when he did ask her to leave she was very gallant about it (Gerald). This shows that she knew it wasnt going to last for ever; she wasnt stupid. However, on the other side of this point, it was stupid of Daisy to go to the Palace Bar in the first place. She knew what went on in the Bar, and she knew that the men didnt exactly treat the women there nicely. It was silly to put herself at risk to the rough-handling of men, and she should have expected what Gerald had done to her. Daisy should have tried for another job instead of going to the dangerous Palace Bar. She  could have at least applied for a factory job, like the one she had before, or she could have made an attempt to look for one. Also, she would have known that she would fall for this dashing young man who saved her from prostitution, and she should have refused his offer. She would have known that he wouldnt look after her forever, and she shouldnt have let herself get emotionally attached to him in the first place.

Revolutionary Opinion :: essays papers

Revolutionary Opinion They all say, ?Taxation without representation is tyranny.? Those revolutionary fools! Surely they jest! I am well aware that many of my fellow townspeople believe in this notion. It is rather sensible, after all. Who really likes to pay taxes? Not I! However, all those that subscribe to this train of thought are living in a dream world. In reality, it is the other way around. ?Representation without taxation is tyranny.? Revolution is futile and will only result in more taxes for the whiners to gripe and moan about. Frankly, I?ve had enough. A few days ago, I saw some protesters walking down the road chanting and marching with signs that read "Taxation Without Representation Is Tyranny.? I seem to remember that other Americans also once expressed similar views. Most people would now regard that point as a fair one. I am no great fan of democracy, as I prefer liberty, but even I can agree that people who are taxed but not allowed to vote are likely to be more than averagely oppressed by those who can vote. This then prompted me to consider the converse proposition: Representation Without Taxation Is Tyranny. It would, of course, be a fallacy to think that this is entailed by the first proposition, but surely it is just as reasonable. If we must have state services, it should at least be for those who pay for them to vote for which services they want and how much they wish to pay. To allow those providing, or living off, the services to vote is like allowing a shopkeeper to vote on what you must buy from him, or a beggar to vote on what you must give him. Naturally, I hear them say, ?but doesn't everyone pay tax, at least on goods and services?? Furthermore, is it not trivially true, insofar as morals can be ?true?? No, they do not and it is not. Not by a long shot. Lord Grenville, everyone?s favorite exchequer, has recently been parading around town saying how he realizes that the recent practices of taxation have been unfair and how he relates to the feelings of the townspeople. He even went so far as to state, or shall I say lie, about how much he strongly dislikes his job because he, like everyone else, has to pay taxes.

Changing Role of the Artist from Different Times

Art is contemporarily defined as the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects the senses, emotions, and/or intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression. The renaissance is the rebirth of classicism; classicism comes from the ancient Greece and Rome; they portray art to captivate perfection, harmony and order. Italian High Renaissance artists achieved ideal of harmony and balance comparable with the works of ancient Greece or Rome.Renaissance Classicism was a form of art that removed the extraneous detail and showed the world as it was. Forms, colours and proportions, light and shade effects, spatial harmony, composition, perspective, anatomy – all are handled with total control and a level of accomplishment for which there are no real precedents. Up until the middle ages, the role and status of artists in society were similar to other skilled, manual workers. They we re usually employed to work on specific commissions. Most artists worked anonymously.Any prestige associated with an artwork reflected more for or about, rather than on the artists. Until the 18th Century artists learnt their ‘trade’ as apprentices in the workshops of established artists. In retrospect this was the time period of sexual discrimination; men were still seen as highly regarded over the typical status of women. So only men could be certified and had the opportune to be an artist. During the renaissance there was a new emphasis on art as an intellectual activity, not just a manual skill.This altered the role of the artist; the renaissance artists played an active role in the intellectual life of the period, many of them wrote treaties on subjects such as perspective and painting. Their achievements as individuals were now recognised, and often celebrated. Some artists, such as Michelangelo Buonarroti, were seen as having almost divine creative powers. This e stablished artists as geniuses. Artists were portrayed as artist heroes- the artists creative powers were a revelation of god’s creative powers on earth.The artist as a romantic genius was a development of the renaissance artist as a hero. That the superlative artist gained superlative social positions; they were proclaimed as men of genius, their powers of creation exalted as never before. Concept of the artist as a genius was appropriate to an age obsessed with the potential of man and the style of talents personality. In the late 18th Century a German philosopher Immanuel Kant put forward the idea that artists are geniuses who are born rather then taught. Michelangelo Buonarroti; a renaissance Italian Male (born 1475-1664) was perceived as a born genius.His role as an artist was established as an high renaissance male who was multidiscipline and a mulit-skilled painter, sculpture, poet and scientist of anatomy; he was highly regarded as a ‘god like’ figure. Hi s tumultuous career, with its perpetual struggles and its passionate commitment to art, was to become the master pattern for the romantic genius. Michelangelo’s artistic skills were perceived to originate from birth nevertheless he practised as a trained apprentice at the age of 13 in the workshop of the established art master Domenico Ghirlandaio in Florence.Though as an early artist he was regarded by his father as he proclaimed that â€Å"Artists are no better than shoe-makers. The neoplatonic thought that was current amongst all seemed to underlie not only his poetry but much of his paintings and sculptures as he expressed â€Å"sculpture is the painting as the sun is to the moon. † Michelangelo’s reputation was established by the sale of a ‘sleeping Cupid’ as a genius antique. In its exquisite finish, its flawless classism, and it evocation of the human activity in the divine and the divine in the human, the pieta is indeed a consummation of f ifteenth century art.The perfection of the two figured is informed both by an expert knowledge of anatomy and by the Neoplatonic theory; that the beauty of the body is an expression of its spirit. Michelangelo was commissioned in 1501 by the new republican government to carve a colossal ‘David’, symbol of resistance and independence. Later in 1508 Michelangelo was summoned by Pope Julius II, to the Sistine chapel ceiling; this was Michelangelo’s most celebrated work.Panels portraying key stories from Genesis are surrounded by a framework with additional scenes and figured for a 4 year period. The ceiling endured Michelangelo’s deep religious faith, expressed through a profound reverence for the classical Antiquity. A modern art was nationally acclaimed and recognized. Modern Artists were perceived as an Avant Guarde that challenged the main stream, traditional art. It was focused on the artist brain. Modernism reflecting the industrial revolution; was the era of mass production and consumption. One development vident in the modern era, spurred by technological growth in this century, has augmented the artist role in society; the commercialization of art through the expansion of entertainment, communications, and indoctrination media. In this modern time period society did not establish the role of artist, the artist decided for themselves what role they would play in their art. Andy Warhol disrupted the common views of the role each artist should play in their art. Andy Warhol was a modern American male (born in 1928-87); He is a pop artist whose role as artist as a celebrity.His practise involves commercial artist advertisement and illustor. His portraits developed from Polaroid photographs. In Warhol’s art, there is absolutely no sign of the artist’s hand or that this piece was even made by an artist. An unknowing viewer might suspect that it belongs in a grocery store rather than not a gallery or a museum. Since he u ses different techniques than traditional artists, at times he may never touch the piece at all and it still will be credited to him. This corresponds to what was once expected from the artist. Skill is no longer involved; it is much more about content, conceptual appearance, and processes.He is infatuated by food, sex, death and fame; this fatuation led to consumer product, nudity and celebrity icons such as Jackie Kennedy, Elvis Privily and Marilyn. Warhol had a specific, obvious style; He used repetition and simplification. Popular culture has a huge influence on his art. His art caused controversy in society. His art challenged the modernist idea of originality of the artist. Critics originally ridiculed Pop Art; â€Å"A range of distasteful, stupid, vulgar, assertive and ugly manifestations of the worst kind of our society. (Solomon) Another critic Norbert Lynton quoted â€Å"pop art seems on the whole leave aside the basic questions and values of art. † The public resp onded t it favourably. American society, the post WWII and the cold war hugely influenced his art. Warhol would conditionally say Conflicting statements that shocked and corrupted society; â€Å"I want everyone to think alike. I think everybody should be a machine,† &â€Å"Once you see pop art, you can’t see America in the same way. † Andy Warhol picked his subjects off supermarket shelves and from the front pages of the tabloids. He would then mass-produce the image, repeating them by silkscreen duplication.The well-known images pushed art out of the museum and into mainstream. Warhol’s â€Å"100 can of Campbell’s Soup† created in 1962; was cans assembled in a line. The serial images of consumer items in a hard-edged graphic style, Warhol wanted a machinelike art without social comment or emotion. From 1963-68 Warhol made more than sixty films which reached new depths of banality. One silent film, â€Å"Sleep† runs six hours, capturi ng every non-nuance of a man sleeping; â€Å"I like boring things† Warhol stated. A natural self-promoter, Andy Warhol made himself into a media sensation; he conflicted the original role of the artist.A Post-modern artist has adapted from a modern Avant Guarde to the role of a deconstructor of previous roles. The Post-modern time period accepts both genders as artist. With the vast technological development art has new expressive forms; 2D, 3D and 4D. Their role is to convey messages to society that otherwise would go unheard, or perhaps cannot be said. Andy Goldsworthy is a British male born in 1956, Goldsworthy is a post-modern /contemporary artist; He is a trained artist who studied at Bradford College (1974-1975). He is an intuitive, solitary, environmental sculpture and land artist.His art practise involves natural installations that is documented using film and photography that is viewed by the public through published books of his art. Goldsworthy uses natural materia ls from his property in Britain and the scour river. This material consists of rocks, ice, twigs, leaves, clay, stone, water and flowers. His conceptual practise relies on the earth; â€Å"I need the earth but it doesn’t need me. † The ‘Dumfriesshire clay wall’ was created in June 1999; this was a filmed process that captured the decay. Goldsworthy ideology was focused on the cycle of collapse and rebirth; â€Å"I like to push things to the point of collapse.Goldsworthy has a deep conceptual meaning and symbolism in each of his artworks. He was influenced by nature, weather and seasonal change. â€Å"Movement, change, light, growth and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the energies that I try to tap through my work. † Goldsworthy’s â€Å"Storm King Wall† is a wall commissioned with builders to be 1. 8m high stretching across a forester, weaving through trees. The wall was built with stability to outlast seasonal change. One of his wo rks â€Å"The rowan leaves and hole† is autumn leaves organised in corresponding order of colour that spirals to make a black hole.Goldsworthy symbolises hole as death. Andy Goldsworthy challenges traditional ideas; the process instead of the art is the most important thing. Goldsworthy provokes at the role of the traditional artist. Examining the historical art we draw a conclusion about the nature of a society, and even this period of time, contemporary artists still say a lot about society and the mainstream way of thinking. The role of the artist has established as a manual worker, to an Avant Guarde that has adopted, manipulated and changed overtime. Artists are the mouthpiece of their culture.

Hinduism and Christianity

There are many known religions of the world and all of them have their own uniqueness about them. Some people are born into their religious faith and some are converts to their perspective religion. I have chosen Hinduism to compare and contrast with my religion Christianity. I found Hinduism to be an interesting religion to research because of the myths about idol worship and the Hindu place of worship, the temple. Through my research of references, material, an interview, a face to face visit, and common knowledge I will convey the history, provide an overview, and clarify some of the myths of Hinduism and Christianity.Both religions have some differences but they also have some commonalities among them. Hinduism and Christianity are distinctly different religions; however, they do posses some similarities between them such as, God the Holy Trinity, The Holy Book, and different denominations within the religion. [Well developed introduction] Hinduism is one of the oldest religions, originating over six thousand years ago in India, of the world and one of which that does not have no one founder. The root word of Hinduism, Hindu, derived from the name of River Indus.This river flows through the northern region of India and in early times the river was called Sindhu. The Persians that migrated to India called the river the Hindu, the land Hindustan, its inhabitants Hindus. The religion soon followed and came to be known as Hinduism. Hinduism is both monotheistic and henotheistic or having belief in only one God. â€Å"Hindus all believe in one Supreme God who created the universe. He is all-pervasive. He created many Gods, highly advanced spiritual beings, to be His helpers† (Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, 2007).There is a misconception that Hindus are worshipers of idol Gods; this misconception comes from lack of knowledge and understanding. Hindus worship the Supreme Being, God, but through different names. This was done due to the people of earlier In dia having different languages and cultures. They came to understand the one God in their own distinct way. So there came to be three representations of God or Brahman and they are: Brahma-the Creator, Vishnu- the Sustainer, and Siva or Shiva- the Destroyer. These Gods can be referred to as 3-in-1 or the Trinity and they all have a multitude of spiritual beings which are a reflection of the one God.From these Gods arose four denominations or sects of Hinduism and they are Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and Smartism. In Saivism the worshipers are called Saivites and God is Siva; in Vaishnavism they are called Vaishnavites and Lord Vishu is God; in Shaktism worshipers are called Shaktas and Goddess Shakti is Supreme; and Smartism they are called Smartas and all deities are seen and worshiped as the one God. In Hinduism it is believed that when God created the universe that he divinely set in place order and laws to preside over His creation. God’s divine law in Hinduism is cal led dharma.Dharma is the inner spirit of man or God within the person. Dharma aides one to discern what is morally right and wrong, disciplines, instills good order, spiritual truth and growth, and salvation. Dharma is not only connected spiritually and religiously but it is also associated with man’s law as well. According to Paul Hacker, â€Å"†¦the entire realm of civil law, criminal law, and state craft-royal law form part of dharma† (Hacker, P. , 2006, p. 483). Now that we have divine law there must be something to support the law, so do Hindus have a Bible? Yes, they do have a Bible. â€Å"Our â€Å"Bible† is called the Veda.The Veda, which means â€Å"wisdom,† is comprised of four ancient and holy scriptures which all Hindus revere as the revealed word of God† (Hacker, P. , 2006, p. 483). The Veda is the Hindu holy book and it is comprised of four books, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, which include over 100,000 verses (Hacker, P. , 2006, p. 483). Reincarnation is another belief of Hindus and the term carnate means in the flesh and reincarnate means to reenter the flesh. â€Å"Yes, we believe the soul is immortal and takes birth time and time again. Through this process, we have experiences, learn lessons, and evolve spiritually.Finally we graduated from physical birth† (Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, 2007). The graduation from the physical birth is the result of maturing in love, wisdom, and knowledge of God through following dharma. Hindus also believe that everything in nature is reincarnated, nature’s life cycle, not just the human soul. The term Karma is used quite often in the American society and it has come to mean that you are receiving that which you deserve. In most cases the American society equate karma to be negative; meaning that you have done something bad or wrong and you are now receiving its results.However Hindus take the whole spectrum of karma positive and negative; good and bad. The Hindus take the meaning and explanation of karma to be, â€Å"†¦the universal principle of cause and effect. Our actions, both good and bad, come back to us in the future, helping us to learn from life’s lessons and become better people† (Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, 2007). In Hinduism all living creatures are regarded as sacred with a special affection toward the cow. So the question arises, do Hindus worship the cow? â€Å"Hindus don’t worship cows. We respect, honor and adore the cow.By honoring this gentle animal, who gives more than she takes, we honor all creatures† (Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, 2007). Cows are known for yielding milk, its meat and its hide and all of these things are used to produce a multitude of everyday products that we have become to love, need, and enjoy. Hindus believe in non-violence in regards to all forms of life, therefore, most Hindus are vegetarians. There aren’t laws that forbid the consumption o f meat but through wisdom Hindus determine what they will put into their own body.However, â€Å"Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings. But in today’s world not all Hindus are vegetarians† (Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, 2007). It is common to see Hindus wearing a red dot on the middle of their forehead and most people will identify Indians, native of India, with wearing the dot. The meaning of the wearing of the dot, â€Å"†¦is a religious symbol. It represents divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu. For women, it is also a beauty mark† (Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, 2007).This dot is called a bindi and many, many years ago both men and women wore a bindi but today it is most common for women to faithfully wear them. Finally the Hindus have a caste system which consists of different levels within the Indian society. â€Å"Caste is the hereditary divisions of Indian society based on occupation. The lowest class, deemed untouchables, suffer from discrimination and mistreatment. It is illegal in India to discriminate against, abuse or insult anyone on the basis of caste† (Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, 2007). The caste system is broken down into four categories or varnas.The varnas are comprised of the worker, businessman, general, and priest. The beliefs and teachings of Hinduism are the belief in one God with different names; there is only one Supreme God or Brahman but He has many reflections. Hindus believe the divine law or dharma and the holy books of Veda are used to support the law. They also believe the soul is immortal and birth takes place many times otherwise known as reincarnation. Hindus are firm believers in karma and that your past words, deeds, or actions will return to you in the future.They regard all living creatures as sacred but they revere the cow as a symbol for all living creatures. Hindus are taught to be non-harming toward any living being. The teachi ng of vegetarianism is taught to minimize harm toward other beings. Although it is taught vegetarianism is not practiced by all Hindus. There is one distinct religious symbol that is worn on the forehead by some Hindus called a bindi, a red dot, and it is commonly worn by the Hindu women. There are four classes of people which are known as the caste system in the Indian Society.Hinduism is a very unique religion and it is very similar to other religions, however, without a clear understanding of Hinduism one might misinterpret and relay incorrect information about the religion. Knowing the beliefs and teachings with the reasoning behind them provides a clear understanding of Hinduism. The Hindu temple I chose to visit is in Riverdale, Georgia which is located approximately 15 miles south of downtown Atlanta. The temple is sculptured in design with a majestic appearance; it is white in color and it situated atop of a hill. The temple permits entrance to anyone as long as you abide by the rules.One of the rules is to remove your shoes prior to entering the temple. This is not a religious practice but cultural, Indians do this because it is dirty outside and it is clean inside, therefore shoes should be removed before entering a temple or home. Another rule is there are to be no loud noises because this is a time of worship. Inside the temple there are sanctums situated around the temple with the various deities inside them. The priest stands at the entrance of the sanctum of the main God Lord Vishnu and the worshipers walk around to the different deities submitting their prayers.There is no set order for mass worship but it is up to the individual as to what prayers they will submit and to what deity. After touring and witnessing the worship taking place I am glad to say that I was able to experience Hindu worship and to clear up any myths I may have had prior to my visit. While at the temple I was given the opportunity to interview the President of the Temple, Mr. Ravi Sarma. He was very welcoming and pleased that I wanted to know more about his religion. Mr. Sarma grew up as a liberal Hindu not having any strict rules enforced.As an adult he transitioned to the orthodox side of Hinduism, which is very traditional and strict. It was from Mr. Sarma that I received a better understanding of the Gods in Hinduism; after he explained that Hindus belief in one God but with different symbols or expressions. Mr. Sarma went in to detail about the Trinity of Hinduism and how it works as a cycle or reincarnation. The Cycle of Hinduism begins life with Brahma the Creator, life is sustained through Vishnu the Sustainer, and Siva the Destroyer into whom everything goes; the cycle then repeats itself.Even though most of the deities are in the feminine aspect referred to as Durgar; God is neutral being neither male nor female. Mr. Sarma went over the following holidays: Diwali-a festival of lights, Pongal / Sankranti- a harvest festival, Holi- a spring f estival, Ugadi-New Years (comes in spring), and Navratri (Dasara)- a nine day fall festival. Speaking one-on-one with Mr. Sarma I gained a valid knowledge about Hinduism and it also brought a clearer understanding of the course text, references, and materials.My religious faith is that of Christianity, which began some two thousand years ago. The faith of Christianity is predicated upon the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Fisher, 2005, p. 284). In Hinduism the term The Trinity is used but is most commonly used in Christianity. Some Christians refer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the Trinity. All of these names are known as God the one and only. God the Father is the creator of all things. God the Son is Jesus, the son of God and savior to all. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God and the comforter to all.There are two branches or denominations of Christianity and they are Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. The Roman Catholic Church is the first church of Christianity and the largest Christian denomination. Protestantism is the second major branch of Christianity, which, broke off from The Roman Catholic Church. My denomination Baptist falls within Protestantism. The term Baptist describes individuals belonging to a Baptist church. The name comes from the conviction that followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to be baptized or immersed in water as a public display of their faith.To live eternally is believed that through baptism and according to scripture, â€Å"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. † (Romans 10:9). It does not stop here; we must also be led by the Holy Spirit to do what is right. Therefore we have the Golden rule as it relates to karma is to treat others as you would want to be treated. The holy book that is used in Christianity is called the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is comprised of the Old and New T estament.The Old Testament consists of 39 books and the New Testament consists of 27 books. As with most religions there are different levels of leadership within Christianity to provide purpose, direction, and teachings such as a Bishop, Pastor, ministers, and deacons. Christianity is based upon the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Fisher, 2005, p. 284). The belief in the Holy Trinity, eternal life through baptism, treating all beings as you want to be treated, and the Holy Bible are beliefs of Christianity.There are also two major branches of Christianity, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, with Baptist being one within Protestantism. Within the various denominations there are different levels of leadership. In comparing Hinduism with Christianity I realized that there are some similar terms used but they mean something different for each religion. Both religions are monotheistic and they both have their own representation of the Holy Trinity. As Hindus believe in reincarnation Christians believe in eternal life of the soul. In Hinduism there are only four denominations where as in Christianity there are many.Lastly they both have a sacred book; in Hinduism the Veda is used and in Christianity the Holy Bible is used. I found Hinduism to be a very interesting religion and I was surprised to find out there were some commonalities between Christianity and Hinduism. By Hinduism having some of the same similarities as Christianity and with the reinforcement from my interview helped me to better understand Hinduism. Hinduism and Christianity are distinctly different religions; however, they do posses some similarities between them such as, God the Holy Trinity, The Holy Book, and different denominations within the religion.