Friday, November 29, 2019

The Cause of Poverty in Southeastern Ohio of the Appalachian Region and the Solution Essay Sample free essay sample

Introduction In malice of being on top of the universe. America is fighting to extinguish poorness in some parts of its counties. The Appalachian part has long been a challenge to the authorities for coevalss. Possibly. President Johson’s declaration of â€Å"War on Poverty† in 1964 proved to be unsuccessful after all. or is it over already? Discussion The world. â€Å"In 1990. for individuals 25 old ages and older. the area’s high school graduation rate was 69. 2 % ; for the province. it was 75. 7 % . The per capita income in Ohio’s Appalachian part was $ 15. 145 in 1993 ; 77 % of the statewide per capita income of $ 19. 696. The unemployment rate in Ohio’s Appalachian part was 6. 6 % in 1995. compared to a 4. 8 % unemployment rate in the full state† ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. good-works. net/stats. htm ) . These figures may look to be really manageable. However. despite the promotion of engineering and research. America has non posed a sustainable solution to cover the insufficiencies and jobs in these parts. We will write a custom essay sample on The Cause of Poverty in Southeastern Ohio of the Appalachian Region and the Solution Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The inquiry. so is. â€Å"What is the ultimate cause of the poorness in Southeastern Ohio? † Solution In an on-line article several spreads including income. occupation. health care among others were mentioned. All these are results of the biggest spread there is. instruction. The per centum of grownups non completing the 9th class is 12 % in the Appalachian part of Ohio. about three times the national average† ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. good-works. net/stats. htm ) . â€Å"A huge organic structure of economic research demonstrates the positive nexus between educational attainment and the economic position of persons every bit good as parts and states. and that this nexus is causal† ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. clevelandfed. org/Research/Commentary/2007/020107. cfm ) . If the people in the part would put on their instruction and development to make full in the spreads. the part may so be sustainable and the economic job may be for good set aside. Execution For the clip being. stricter Torahs must be made as a policy for every individual in the province to be educated and to go on their instruction. This should be made compulsory. â€Å"Southeastern Ohio is a feasible location for hi-tech industry due to the location of eight higher instruction establishments throughout the part including Marietta College and Athens’ chief Ohio University campus. Portsmouth’s Shawnee State University offers one of the nation’s few four-year plans in computing machine gambling programming through its Fine. Digital and Performing Arts program† ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. ohiomeansbusiness. com/regions/southeast. php ) . Benefits These establishments are available for their development and should be maximized to profit the people and the province for long term. Education should make full in the spreads that are mentioned and would set the people at par to how serious their state of affairs is and have been to the political and economic civilization of the state. Decision A batch of similar surveies have been made by research workers. every bit good as political and economic scientists on the cause of the poorness of the Appalachian part and until now there has non been a solution that has provided the province a lasting solution. Possibly. it is clip for the solution to be legislated so that the people will take the affair earnestly. Mention Appalachian Regional Commission ( 2007 ) .Appalachian Region Economic Review. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. discharge. gov/index. make? nodeId=26 Flowers. Gary ( 2006 ) .Merely The Facts.hypertext transfer protocol: //www. good-works. net/stats. htm Ohio Means Business ( 2007 )Ohio. Construct Your Business. Love Your Life. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. ohiomeansbusiness. com/regions/southeast. php Ziliak. James P. ( 2007 ) Economic Commentary.Human Capital and the Challenge of Persistent Poverty in Appalachia. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. clevelandfed. org/Research/Commentary/2007/020107. cfm

Monday, November 25, 2019

Prussia essays

Prussia essays Analyze the military, political, and social factors that account for the rise of Prussia between 1640 and 1786. The rise of Prussia between 1640 and 1786 occurred as a result of a combination of military, political, and social factors. War and the threat of war aided Frederick William and Frederick William I greatly in their attempts to build royal absolutism in Prussia. Due to the wartime atmosphere, Frederick William and Frederick William I were able to reduce the political power of the landlord nobility, and allow them to keep control over the peasantry. The landlords, satisfied with being unchallenged masters of their peasants, did not challenge the monarchs power, which ultimately led to the rise of Prussia. When Frederick William, of the Hohenzollern family, later known as the Great Elector, gained power in 1640, in Brandenburg, Prussia, and scattered land along the Rhine in western Germany, he was determined to unify the areas and assert royal absolutism. During the early seventeenth century, the Estates of the provinces, dominated by the nobility and landowners, or the Junkers, controlled taxation. However, the Great Elector gained power over in Brandenburg in 1653 and in Prussia between 1661 and 1663 to levy taxes without the Junkers consent. The Great Elector took military actions to defend his land. In 1660, he first financed a permanent standing army. He obtained the revenue to do so by imposing permanent taxes on the Estates without their consent. The soldiers doubled as tax collectors and policemen, becoming the core of the rapidly expanding state bureaucracy. Due to financial independence and an excellent army, Frederick William reduced the power of the Estates. He also tripled the states total revenue during his reign and greatly expanded the army, welcoming French Huguenot immigrants as talented, hard-working soldiers. ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

The Commercialization of Football Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Commercialization of Football - Assignment Example The English Premier League is one of the most luxurious sporting leagues in the world. This league attracts football teams such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, etc (Soderman & Dolles, 2013). Players in this league are earning millions of dollars, and this is through their weekly salaries, and endorsements that they are getting from large companies such as AIG, Nike, Samsung, etc (White 2013). Because of the huge amount of money that is used by English teams to pay off their players, most of these clubs are always in debts. An example is a club such as Manchester United, Liverpool and even Chelsea who are operating their balance sheets out of deficits. The main stakeholders to a football club are the owners, football managers, fans, the management, players, the government and the Football Association. These stakeholders partner to play a role that has a level of control on a club. The influence of each can be direct or indirect to the club. If a club changes ownership like i n the case of Liverpool football clubs acquisition, the debts of the club are transferred to the new owners (Chadwick 2010), and it is their responsibility to service the debt. In the ownership of the club, the government can decide to regulate the process and limit the impact of the team acquisitions on the performance of the ownership. The Football Association is also a major stakeholder in the league, and this is because it is responsible for setting up rules, and fixtures for the games. In fact, without the FA, then the English Premier League would not be there (Kennedy and Kennedy 2014). These stakeholders normally have different interests, and because of these differences they normally clash on most occasions. It is important to explain that the major source of conflict between football managers, players, and the management of the organization lies on the money.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Paper Tigers by Wesley Yang Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paper Tigers by Wesley Yang - Essay Example Yang speaks mostly about men, and Pozner examines stereotypes about women. From the analysis and comparison of the arguments of the two articles, it follows that racial stereotypes operate in different ways for men and women. Overall, the essay will analyze racial stereotypes created in corporate America (based on Yang’s work), racial stereotypes on the media (based on Pozner’s piece) and compare the ways racial stereotypes operate for men and women (through the analysis of the two articles). As it has been mentioned above, in his essay, Wesley Yang addresses stereotyping of Asian American males at the workplace, in corporate America in particular. Specifically, Yang discusses the notion, which is referred today as the Bamboo Ceiling defined as â€Å"an invisible barrier that maintains a pyramidal racial structure throughout corporate America, with lots of Asians at junior levels, quite a few in middle management, and virtually none in the higher reaches of leadershipà ¢â‚¬ . In other words, the author of this article claims that despite the fact that many of Asian Americans graduate from elite universities with higher grades than representative of other ethnic groups living in the United States, they are not perceived as suitable for holding leading positions in business. To prove this, Yang addresses the statistical data, in accordance to which Asian Americans, and Asian American men in particular, are in the minority when it comes to holding leading positions.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Position Arguments on Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Position Arguments on Immigration - Essay Example According to Johnson (138), however, another portion of these analysts resist the free trade point of view affirming that it is subdued by agencies and regulated by international alliances which include the International Monetary Fund in conjunction with North America Free Trade Agreement and hence resulting in greater deal of imbalance and interference in the Latin American nations economy. They assert that this economic depression results after enormous agribusiness bodies own large tracts of Mexican farming lands and hence force the destitute to relocate. The displaced individuals then end up seeking asylum in the developed nations such as United States of America. Analysts too have scrutinized the significant contributions played by emigrants’ remittances dispensed back to their own developing nations and hence take part in elevating their homeland Gross Domestic Product. However, a portion of these analysts content with this affirming that the most considerate option is to enlighten the developing nations to boost their economy through reinforcing education and generating more employment opportunities (138). Johnson (139) affirms that, analysts have evaluated the range in which the vast emigrants in the host countries should be granted the liberty to alter the authentic culture amongst the natives in the host countries. Nations such as the European Nations has emphasised on the need of adopting multicultural systems which stipulate segregation among the emigrants and natives in the host countries. Other persons including President Nicolas Sarkozy affirm that emigrants should master and absorb the prevailing heritage and customs thriving in their host nations. However, a portion of the analysts’ content with this perspective affirming that it portrays racism and intolerance. These group of analysts urge the natives to consider incorporating unity amongst the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Adopted Children Will Face Depression Problem Psychology Essay

Adopted Children Will Face Depression Problem Psychology Essay Adopted children have additional factors that affect their lives. They may have been in one or more foster placements before their adoption. They may have been in one or more foster placement in homes where other children already lived and who may have resented the intrusion of strangers into their own family and space. Each temporary placement brings a confusing array of conflicting values into the childs life. Some of these values studies have linked adoption to an increased risk of depression in adopted child. While reports are can be conflicting and confusing for adoptive parents and health care providers, there are some theories, symptoms, facts and treatment options to keep in mind when caring for or treating adopted children who may suffer from depression. They always thing themselves are no values in the world and so on. Adopted children often have mixed feeling about their adoption. They may learn to love their adoptive parents, but struggle with the fact that their own birt h mothers gave them up. They might ask the adoptive parent. Why do you want me? Why didnt my birth mom want me? What is wrong with me? Worse, they might think these things, but not ask them. They sense that something is not right about their situation, and they dont know what to think or how to feel about it. It will affect their childhood memory. An extensive literature examining behavioral, diagnostic, and demographic characteristics of adopted children has provided several plausible explanations for the high rate of behavior problems among adopted children. They feel different from the adoptive family and struggle with a sense of loss, rejection, and even shame and embarrassment over their adoption. Even with these questions, they do not act out or cause major difficulties within their adoptive family or at school. I agree all the adopted children will face depression problem because they always look down themselves and embarrassment. They feel different from the adoptive family. Some adopted children are afraid to talk or ask questions about their birth family so they fantasize about the birth family instead. My life would be great if only I could live with my parents. They would love me and take me places and give me money and I wouldnt have to follow all these rules. I would be much happier back home. Many children fantasize about what their birth parents look like, what they do for a living, and how much they are missed. Life events frequently draw adopted children back to memories of the past. Birthdays, holidays, and important events are hard for these children. What is a time of celebration for others is often a sad reminder of loss or rejection for them. We celebrate the day of their birth; but they secretly mourn the loss of their parents. Children interpret life and experiences, whether or not we talk to them about it. Often we avoid discussing what we dont want to deal with, thinking that children will not think about it. An emotionally challenged child who is adopted might go through depression and withdrawal. In some cases, it can get so severe that intervention and treatment is necessary. The adopted parent must be patient with the child and try to communicate with the child as much as the child allows. Problems with self-identity are usually the case with adoptive chil dren. This is especially true of children who have been adopted from other countries. They go through culture shock and wondering where they fit in. Some might become insecure because of a language barrier. At school, these children might find it difficult to make friends. Adoptive parents should make every effort to embrace the childs culture as well as teach the child about the new culture and surroundings. Sometimes, if they want to buy some toys or whatever and their adopter parent are not but it let the adopted children felt not treat them like son. Adopted children may sad over the loss of a relationship with their birthparents and the loss of the cultural and family connections that would have existed with those parents. They always thing what reason their birthparents want to leave them. There are very trouble and feeling abandoned, and not good enough, coupled with specific hurt feelings over the birthmothers choice to reject the children. The feeling of not being wanted is another problem for them. I make the adopted children felt very disappointed and depression. If they have experienced abandonment, the adopted children will not trust their new parents until they get to know them. This might take a while for the adjustment to take place. By talking openly about the adoption, the adoptive parent will offer a reassurance of stability. Adopted children may also suffer from a loss of access to important medical or genetic birth family histories. So the adopted children will thing this problem until become depression. Adopted children may feel as though they are betraying their adoptive family and that they will hurt their adoptive family by expressing their desire to learn about their birth family. In a best case scenario, adopted children do not have to wonder how their adoptive family members feel about their interest in their birthparents because adoptive parents will have addressed these concerns directly in previous conversation. Even in such a best-case scenario, the emotions may still be somewhat painful or difficult. It is not obvious that an adoption has occurred when adopted children physically resemble their adoptive parents since people are unlikely to spontaneously ask about adoption issues. This type of attention can quickly become annoying and even hurtful if adoptive parents do not take steps to shut it down. Otherwise, it can cause many argument and tragedy. Sensitive adoptive children may also fall victim to teasing and bullying at school, where other children taunt them in an attempt to make them feel ashamed for being adopted. Not every adopted child will express an interest in his or her birth family history. Some children become aware that most adoptions occur when birthmothers judge themselves financially and emotionally unable to raise a given child, and come to feel that there isnt anything to gain by wondering about or seeking out their birth family. Such children prefer to just leave the adoption as a done deal and move on with who they are now, letting the past stay in the past. There is nothing wrong with adopted children who fail to show concern about their birth parents, and likewise, nothing wrong with adopted children who do show such interest. Both reactions are normal, if sometimes painful. In addition, the adoption issues of difference, impermanence, feelings of mutual obligation and fear of abandonment are generally poorly understood and form the basis for the development of unique interaction patterns of communication. I know many adoptive parents who are raising traumatized children. One thing that fascinates me is how infrequently I hear adoptive parents talking about dissociative disorders. I say this because, on message boards for adult survivors of childhood abuse, dissociative disorders are high on the list of areas in which adult survivors struggle. They developed their disorders as young children, and as adults, they struggle to find a way to heal from them. Almost all the adopted children are diagnosed depression, so I agree about that the children will face this problem. Conclusion Eventually, I felt very compassionately on the adopted children and find the way to solve the problem. Adopted children often have mixed feeling about their adoption. They may learn to love their adoptive parents, but struggle with the fact that their own birth mothers gave them up. We try to overcome this problem and give them a happy childhood memory. Emotional and psychological problems are usually part of the reason why the child is placed in the adopted home. The adopted parent must be sensitive to a child that has experienced emotional and physical abuse. Working with a counselor or psychiatrist will help the child to make an easier transition to a new home and life. They always thing themselves are no values in the world and so on. Adopted children often have mixed feeling about their adoption. So we give so confident them to overcome. In adolescence, the adopted child is likely to have an increased interest in his or her birth parents. This open curiosity is not unusual and d oes not mean that he or she is rejecting the adoptive parents.   Some adolescents may wish to learn the identity of their birth parents.   Adoptive parents can respond by letting the adolescent know it is okay to have such interest and questions, and when asked should give what information they have about the birth family with sensitivity and support. Children should learn of their adoption from the adoptive parents.   This helps give the message that adoption is good and that the child can trust the parents.   If the child first learns about the adoption intentionally or accidentally from someone other than parents, the child may feel anger and mistrust towards the parents, and may view the adoption as bad or shameful because it was kept a secret. Question 2 Introduction Nowadays, teenager like to abuse drug, glue addiction, and cigarettes. Beside that, a new addiction is emerging and known as computer game addiction. This  phenomenon  is a quite new one and because of that not much of a  real  research or studying has been done on this subject, so  it hard  to tell when your computer usage has gone too far.   A heavy user of computer games should be aware on how much time  he spends in front of the computer and think about the choices he have, one way is to just sit in front of the computer playing games and let time pass by. Computer  game addiction can be on both good and bad sides.  Its a quite rare thought but game addiction got some advantages.  And I can take this statement because Ive seen what it has done to people, I have a friend who was taking drugs, he was never home and he didnt care shit about the school. Teenagers only focus in computer and not mind on his studying. Either way, the teenager is living out a fantas y life. The internet and computer is often an escape from reality for teenagers who feel they do not fit in with the real world. Either in chat rooms or with games, the teenager can be whomever they choose to be. All it takes is a click of the mouse and they are in their fantasy world living out their dream life, either in the form of a hero in a game to being somebody they are not in a chat room. Otherwise, teenagers also explore the porn website to download some movie and pornography. It is unfortunate that for a minority of teenagers, role playing of this kind turns into a full-on addiction. Computer game addiction among teens is very often the cause of family arguments because the teen will forgo social and family events preferring to use their computer instead. Very often an internet addict will stay up all night playing games or using a chat room. In the worst cases, teens will quit school or college favoring their computer game addiction. Symptoms of computer game addiction c an include mood changes, they can become withdrawn, bursts of anger and a huge impact on their social relationships. Answer Computer games are most popular among teenagers. Thus, too many teenagers are only playing computer game and abandon their academic. Computer games excel at getting people addicted. Although a young person can develop an addiction to almost any video game, the most problematic gaming genre is that of massively multiplayer online role playing games, the most famous of which is World of Warcraft. When a person falls prey to the temptation of letting this game turn from a hobby into an obsession, it is very easy for teenagers to develop a true psychological addiction to the game.  World of Warcraft are virtual brain candy, designed to keep users addicted by adding endless amounts of content.   A mundane task as grinding gold can be extremely addicting to the average user, simply because of the reward system that is in place.  Otherwise, online gaming is seriously because many teenagers play online game everyday. Researchers have found that a survey of 1500 teenagers indicated 25% were compulsive video gamers. Fifty per cent of those surveyed used the word addiction to describe a friends gaming behaviors. Because excitement becomes the reward for playing and because the games are set up to reinforce behavior intermittently, they are extremely habit-forming, and even potentially addicting. Psychologists think that video games are addicting because they provide many basic psychological needs to the users.   Online video games offer rewards, virtual freedom, and often a connection with people.   Addiction to computer games can be caused by psychological problems such as antisocial personality disorder, depression, and social phobia.   Users want a way to escape from their reality, and video games provide the perfect escape. Because of their widespread use, many studies provide data on the short and long-term effects of regularly playing computer games. Some studies conclude there is a link between playing violent video games and tendencies towards violent behavior. Increasingly, the social element to playing computer games affects how teenagers interact with peers. Playing computer games has also been shown to improve problem-solving skills and increase adeptness at using technology overall. But an addictive aspect too many games suggest that playing in moderation is critical. The short term effect of computer addiction are the most prominent being that violent games change the way gamers interpret and respond to aggressive acts. Even those who arent predisposed to aggression respond with increased hostility after playing a violent video game. The game becomes whats called a situational variable which changes the perception of and reaction to aggressive behavior. Long-term effects of violent video games are still uncertain and are fiercely debated. No long-term studies have been conducted to date, so there are only hypotheses. Anderson and Bushman theorized that excessive exposure to violent video games causes the formation of aggressive beliefs and attitudes, while also desensitizing gamers to violent behaviors. Though long-term effects havent been clinically documented, one need only look at the way video game violence has progressively increased over the past two decades to get a sense of potential long-term effects. Parents would be wise to monitor the amount of time their kids spend gaming and watch closely for any negative effects. Many teens can play video games a few hours a week, successfully balancing school activities, grades, friends, and family obligations. But for some, gaming has become an uncontrollable compulsion. Just like gambling and other compulsive behaviors, teens can become so enthralled in the fantasy world of gaming that they neglect their family, friends, work, and school. They were excitedly playing a computer game they had just downloaded. This father felt lucky to overhear his son, disturbing as it was. He was able to steer the boys to non-violent games, more appropriate for their age and more in alignment with the familys values. Additionally, if a child or teenager sits in front of a game all day and night, there is no physical activity involved, which can lead to obesity and other health problems. Internet computer addiction among teens is very often the cause of family arguments because the teen will forgo social and family events preferring to use their computer instead. Very often an internet addict will stay up all night playing games. In many ways, teen computer game addictions have remarkably similar symptoms to any other form of compulsive or addictive behavior. Whether it is drinking, gambling, gaming or drug abuse, all activities that encourage compulsive behavior exploit the pa rt of the brain that is responsible for delivering rewards for our actions. The internet and computer is often an escape from reality for teenagers who feel they do not fit in with the real world. Either in chat rooms or with games, the teenager can be whomever they choose to be. All it takes is a click of the mouse and they are in their fantasy world living out their dream life, either in the form of a hero in a game to being somebody they are not in a chat room. Conclusion At the end, I felt a parent of a teenager suffering from internet and computer addiction should act upon it as soon as they see the symptoms by trying to limit the amount of hours the teenager spends on the computer. To prevent internet computer addiction among teens is somewhat a challenge. Encouraging the child to take up other pastimes or hobbies can in most cases turn their attention away from the computer. An organization specifically set up to combat internet computer addiction among teens, and has helped many thousands of teens and indeed, people of all ages, with their computer and internet addiction. State governments have attempted to regulate access to age-inappropriate content. We must organize some specifically camp motivation to set up combat internet computer addiction among teens, and has helped many thousands of teens and indeed, people of all ages, with their computer and internet addiction. Identifying triggers involved in Internet addiction is another area where p sychological counseling is important. Such triggers are the thoughts and feelings that precede the teens use of the Internet. Training in social skills development or communications is also recommended, as many teens that have become addicted to the Internet are socially withdrawn and lack the ability to communicate easily with others on a face-to-face basis. One point that is also common to other types of addictions holds true for Internet addiction as well. Left untreated, Internet addiction can consume more and more of your teens time and energy, physical and emotional consequences may ensue, and relationships, grades, job and career opportunities may suffer.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Tommy Hilfiger Versus Ralph Waldo Emerson in the Battle of Conformity :: essays research papers

I turn my head and see a streak of blouse and miniskirt flouncing by, its wearer dark and supple with the tan of a Pittsburgh January and luxuriously blonde from the bottle of her favorite stylist. Her male companion wears a sweater that cost him more than the herd of sheep from whence its essential material came, with baggy blue jeans marked with the name of a certain Hilfiger fellow, and shoes pioneered by one Dr. Martin, likely a prominent podiatrist somewhere in the world. The girl giggles airily and shoves her companion playfully with a hand accented by newly (and plastically) long, manicured, French-tipped nails. A small wonder it is indeed that she did not lose her balance in so doing, for her towering shoes elevate her feet to such an alarming angle that I am scarce able to understand exactly how she is able to walk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They continue sauntering along together, linking arms and looking reminiscent of a modeling photo shot for that certain Abero-something-or-other clothing store, only in color and live action. I conjecture the communal price of their clothing and fashionable accessories. On second thought, I do not even want to conjecture; I have quite enough of an idea. â€Å"’The virtue in most request is conformity,’† I think to myself, repeating the adage mentioned by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay on Self-Reliance, â€Å"and from that standpoint, this is a very ‘virtuous’ couple indeed.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emerson precedes himself in wisdom. I heartily agree with his standpoint on conformity. Society today encourages many different aspects of compliance, but perhaps the most prominent one is conformity of appearance. There are societal standards for males, females, young and old that make them either ideal or outlying, and most of these standards are dependent upon cosmetic appearance. Ours is a superficial society, a manufactured American view of perfect people and perfect beauty thrives almost universally unbounded by resistance, whether passive or powerful. The manners in which people conform to the society’s image of beauty are many, including cosmetics, fashions of clothing and shoes, hair styles, modish colors; everything down to the size of purse a woman carries is first spotted in a magazine and then purchased and used once deemed to be worthy of public sight. Outlandish fashions become the mode primarily because they are advertised as being â€Å"th e things you simply cannot live without!† It is a universal truth that fashion is a form of ugliness so hideous that it must be changed every four months; but the public is content to stay within the confines of the current trend in order to conform, and not necessarily because the fashion is attractive.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Daughter of Kami: Shinto and Christian themes in ‘Nausica of the Valley of the Wind’

Religion has affected art for centuries, because human responses to art and religion involve similar processes: imagination and emotional involvement (Beit-Hallami, 1983). It seems natural for religion to continue its influence on popular culture, especially film, because of its wide reach. However, looking at Japan, is it possible for a â€Å"non-Japanese† religion like Christianity to exert influence its popular culture, and to what extent? To answer this question, we look at the 1984 animated film of Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa). Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is said to be the quintessential Miyazaki film (Osmond, 1998) and it earned 740 million yen, with almost a million viewers. It owes its popularity to the incorporation of universal themes like religion, the environment and industrialisation. It contains so many themes, both Japanese (feudalism, Shinto) and non-Japanese (Greek Mythology, Christianity, European medievalism). It is interesting to note that Miyazaki is often described as a humanist, following no particular religion, yet Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ contains an almost equal amount of references to Shinto and Christianity in the film. There are many English versions of the various terms and names of the characters in the film, partly because there is a more complex manga of the same name. For ease of reference to the film, I use names and terms as they appear in the English-dubbed version of Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ released in 2005, to convey the Shinto and Christian elements found in the film, looking at broad themes as well as symbols. Film synopsis The story in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ takes place a thousand years after a global war, the â€Å"Seven Days of Fire.† Great Warriors, biological weapons with nuclear capabilities, destroyed everything. However, enclaves of surviving human colonies exist throughout the Fukai, or the Sea of Decay. ,The Fukai is a new ecosystem consisting of a vast toxic forest of giant fungi and giant insects with the Ohmu as guardians. The main protagonist is Princess Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, daughter of the ruler of the Valley, a feudal community protected from toxic spores by strong sea winds. She is a nature-loving pacifist with a gift for communicating with insects and animals. Lord Yupa, a wandering mentor, inspires her to find a way to stop the spread of the Fukai. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ often explores the Fukai to obtain plant samples and cultivate them in her secret room. One day, an airship carrying a Great Warrior embryo crashes into the Valley. This embryo was first unearthed by the Pejites, but it was stolen by the imperialistic Tolmekians. These two states intend to use the Great Warrior to destroy the Fukai and the insects. In the struggle for the Great Warrior, Tolmekia invades the Valley. The Fukai and the insects are assaulted in this struggle, and the Ohmu are baited to the Valley to destroy it. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ sacrifices herself before the Ohmu, thereby calming their rage. They bring her back to life and heal her wounds, and then return to the Fukai, leaving life to return to normal in the Valley. Now we will look at two religions that are referred to extensively in the film: Shinto and Christianity. Shinto Traditional Japanese religiosity is a mixture of Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism and folk religions. â€Å"Shinto†, meaning â€Å"the way of the kami†, refers to the ancient native Japanese religious practices and sentiments. Shinto has four general tenets: worshipping and honouring the kami; love of nature; tradition and the family; and cleanliness (Picken, 1994, as cited in Wright, 2004). Muraoka Tsunetsugu (1964) distinguishes philosophical and ethical distinctive characteristics of Shinto: 1) accepting life and death, good and evil, as inevitable parts of the world we live in, and 2) reverence for the â€Å"bright† and â€Å"pure†, in all matter and thought, endeavoring to overcome physical pollution with rites of exorcism and bad thoughts with a â€Å"pure and bright heart†. The close link between humans, kami and nature, and the significance of purification and rituals are two themes in Japanese religion that carry on even to Japanese contempor ary religions today (Earhart, 1982). For the scope of this essay, I will look at the Shinto themes of harmony with nature, reverence for nature and life, and instance of purification and rituals found in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. Wa, or harmony with nature is seen to be of utmost importance. One accepts the good and bad with nature, and tries to make peace with it. Miyazaki explains that Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is based on a Phoenician princess in Homer's Odyssey and a Japanese heroine, a â€Å"princess who loved insects†1. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ believes that humans and the Fukai can live together in peace. She embodies the â€Å"relational resonance with humanity and the natural world† suggested by Tucker (1999). At any rate, the surviving humans have to learn to live with the Fukai or risk destruction by insects. The telepathic Ohmu and other insects can be seen as kami, animistic spirits with powers. The Ohmu went â€Å"blind with rage† when Pejites speared a baby Ohmu in order to bait the Ohmu towards the Valley and destroy the Tolmekians. Disharmony with nature is seen to have damaging consequences. In Japan, nature is still venerated and exalted, even though the actual state of nature may be the opposite. Shinto is associated with reverence for nature and all forms of life. In the first few minutes of the film, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is shown flying on her aircraft into the Fukai. The toxic jungle is rendered beautifully, with glittering poisonous plants, translucent flying insects and serene music in the background. Here we see the unconditional beauty of nature, be it harmless or poisonous. In a following scene Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ comes across a shell of an Ohmu. It takes up almost the whole frame and Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is miniscule in comparison. She pronounces the shell to be â€Å"perfect† and â€Å"amazing†. Embellished with vivid music, an image of a nature revered for its sacredness and perfection is projected. Reverence for nature also comes from seeing it as sacred, and from knowing its power. In the film, humans fear the lethal spores of the Fukai, and its constant spread. At the same time, as the viewer discovers later on, the Fukai actually has restorative powers. It is in fact cleansing the Earth of mankind's waste left behind from the Great War. Similarly, the Ohmu possess benevolent telepathic powers (although they can only communicate with Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½) as well as the power to destroy humans and civilisation. In another scene, Kushana, commander of the Tolmekian army, announces her plan to burn the Fukai. In response, the Valley people exclaim in hushed tones, â€Å"Burn the Toxic Jungle?†, â€Å"Is it possible?† showing that they consider the Fukai indestructible. These powers of the Fukai and the Ohmu cause humans to fear and respect nature at the same time. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ reveres the life of both humans and insects. She implores countless times to the warring Pejites and Tolmekians, â€Å"Please, no more killing!† and â€Å"I can't bear to have anyone else die†. Instead of killing insects that attack humans, she uses an insect charm to calm them down and coax them back to the jungle. This was the case with an Ohmu who was chasing Lord Yupa, and a giant insect that caused the crash of a Tolmekian airship. When two Pejites captured a baby Ohmu to use as bait, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ risked injury and her life to try and return the baby Ohmu back to its herd. Being part of nature, both humans and insects are seen as equally important and worthy of preservation. Hence, we can see the importance of harmony with nature, because of its sanctity, power, and its inclusion of all forms of life. Another main theme in Shinto is the importance of purity and the use of rituals to overcome a state of contamination. In Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, the Earth has been polluted by mankind, the worst being the nuclear-like Great Warriors which ultimately resulted in the Earth's destruction. Nausicaa realises the toxic Fukai is actually purifying the world: wastes are absorbed by the trees, which turn into stone, crystallizing the poison into harmless sand. The Fukai symbolises a purifying ritual, comparable to how a â€Å"bright heart† would continuously purify itself by ridding itself of bad thoughts, or wastes. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is an example of a â€Å"pure and bright heart† (Tsunetsugu, 1964) who in her mission for peace, tries to purify the hearts of humans from their lust for war and bloodshed against each other and the Fukai. However, she does not have any clear â€Å"rituals† that she uses to achieve this purification except perhaps, her repeated self-sacrifice. In comparison, Kushana also has a purification ritual of her own. She wants to clear Earth of the Fukai by burning it and destroying it completely in order to build a â€Å"world of prosperity†. This idea of sacrifice brings us to the other religion alluded to repeatedly throughout the film: Christianity. Although Christianity is not native to Japan, and not very well-received throughout the years, its prophetic and theistic messages do have some universal value and some Japanese can relate to them as they are something different from the animistic elements of Shinto. Christianity In many ways, the appearance of strong elements of Christianity, a ‘foreign' religion, is not surprising. Miyazaki's work is strongly Western-influenced due to his education (Osmond, 1998). Christianity still has a relatively small following in Japan, because Shinto and Buddhist rituals are still a major part of Japanese life what it means to be ‘Japanese'. The Christian themes in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ constitute one of many foreign elements that Miyazaki has appropriated into this film. Here we will look at three doctrines of Christianity: redemption, original sin, and resurrection. Throughout the film, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ repeatedly saves people. When Lord Yupa, the samurai-like wanderer, returns to the Valley, he praises Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ by saying â€Å"Who else would rescue me when I'm in trouble?† In another scene, the barge carrying Valley hostages comes loose and is about to crash into the Fukai. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ cries out to them â€Å"Everybody! I'll save you for certain!† These examples show the Messianic nature of Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. To further cement her image as a prophet-like being, in another scene Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is speeding back to the Valley after escaping from a Tolmekian ship and in desperation she implores â€Å"Please dear God, please hear this prayer! You must protect the people of the Valley!† Obaba, the wise old woman of the valley, realises this explicitly for the benefit of viewers. At the beginning of the film, Obaba, or Grandmother, recounts the ancient legend of the saviour clad in blue who will come to save mankind and â€Å"guide the people†¦at last to a land of purity†. At the end of the film, she realises that Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is the saviour spoken of in the legend. The theme of redemption is clearly portrayed in the film. However, why does mankind need to be saved? The doctrine of redemption comes hand in hand with the doctrine of the original sin. In the concept of the original sin, mankind is born in a state of sinfulness and is doomed to hell unless he is ‘saved' by accepting Christian beliefs. Lord Yupa explains that he wanders to find out â€Å"if mankind is truly fated to be swallowed up by (the Fukai), or if there is still some hope†. Obaba teases him, claiming that he is in fact looking for the blue-clad Saviour. The film addresses mankind's inevitable doom and the search for a saviour. Symbols play an important part in portraying the doctrine of resurrection. Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ appears twice with her arms outstretched – reminiscent of Jesus being crucified on the cross – when trying to stop Asbel and the Pejites from shooting. Here we see that Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ adopted such a gesture as a symbol of righteous fearlessness (she was determined to stop the killing that she felt was wrong) and surrender (she put herself at the Pejites' mercy). In trying to save her people from an attack by the Ohmus, Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is shot twice, burned by acid and finally dies facing the Ohmu stampede. The Ohmus, however, revived Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. Her death and resurrection mirrors that of Jesus' after his death and burial. At the end of the film, a chiko plant grows in the pure sand in the Fukai, symbolising the resurrection of nature at last. We see that it is not only Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, but also nature, that is brought back to life. Conclusion In this essay, we have seen that Christianity can indeed influence a Japanese anime, however, the Shinto elements in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ are far more extensive. The Shinto themes mainly stress mankind's relationship with nature while the Christian themes focus on mankind's destiny. Apparently Miyazaki did not intend to have such religious overtones in Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. However, in the spirit of symbolic interactionism, these religious themes nevertheless have meaning for those who ascribe meanings to them. Viewers (like me) interpret the images and scenes in the film and make sense of them in different frameworks, such as religion. Did Nausicaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ manage to truly unite mankind with nature? Perhaps through the medium of popular cultures, she serves as a â€Å"female Japanese prophet† to remind us to strive towards peace and harmony with nature and mankind.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Johnsonville Sausage

Johnsonville Sausage – Quality Improvement through Change Situation Post 1980, Ralph Stayer began to observe decline in quality due to inattention of the workers as well as ill-maintenance of the equipment in the production unit. With the help of Mr. Lee Thayer, Stayer has planned to implement a major change in the company’s philosophy. Transition from old philosophy purged Stayer’s responsibilities of decision making by decentralizing the power of decision making. The new philosophy was implemented to bring out changes in various departments of the company viz. management structure, personnel, compensation, manufacturing and also systems and controls. According to Thayer’s new philosophy, performance of the personnel and requirement of guidance to personnel to achieve their objectives were the key elements. Management structure was broken down by hiring experienced personnel for the new superior level management to oversee finance, marketing and operation s functions. Stayer emphasized people development as the core element of the new philosophy. Changes in personnel include development of list of responsibilities by the workers themselves and eliminating the performance review process.These changes in personnel function led changes in compensation with the implementation of â€Å"company performance share† program which increased individual responsibility of workers. However this transition was not in agreement among workers while some are excited about it. In terms of manufacturing changes, lead persons were installed at various departments, eliminating supervisors, to seek information and provide necessary measures to train and improve capacities of workers under designated group. Responsibilities of lead person also include development of budget planning and production requirement planning.Job switching and alternating works were practiced to enrich workers’ capabilities and enhance performance and also job satisfac tion. System and controls changes included individuals to develop and be accountable for their own budgets and forecasts and also allow them to analyze performance data. In addition, subordinates were needed to self-evaluate their performance to respective managers. Problem The main issue of the case is the resistance shown by the personnel towards the company’s philosophy transition. According to Stayer, upon implementation of new philosophy, workers at all level were expected to embrace the change.Instead, the company faced issues related to the final goal of the implementation, unsuccessful organization structural changes, clash of responsibilities among the workers, participation of less number of employees in the company decision making process and finally lack of high job satisfaction. However, these issues were expected to expire once the transition is complete. Palmer Sausage offered its consolidated business to Johnsonville but the issue here was whether Stayer could handle an expanded Palmer contract.Stayer examined the situation by understanding that in order to run the contract the company would require to recruit and train a big set of people along with existing people acquiring new skills and retain high quality on both the in-house and Palmer products. In order to achieve this, Johnsonville needs to run the production six or seven days a week for more than a year until its new plant was ready. On the other hand, the company may need to run the business at risk i. e. , if Palmer canceled the contract with 30-day prior notice leaves Johnsonville not only with massive layoffs and but also huge inventory with no market for it.Analysis As the year 1980 folded, Stayer recognizes to restructure his management structure for the growing company. Stayer also realized that there was decline in the quality of the products and employees were also demotivated to work. Later on, in collaboration with Thayer Lee, Stayer has planned to implement new philo sophy which is focused on performance and helps people accomplish their objectives through well-defined job descriptions, clear understanding on performance standards, and providing the required resources. Johnsonville’s new values are based on deep moral commitment to the individual.The main aim of the transition is to augment people capacities, rather than the business. Stayer changed view of his autocratic leadership to a role as a leader delegating his subordinates rather than directing them. Furthermore, the new philosophy also motivated each worker to commit to the company’s betterment. Upon full transition, Stayer expects to create an atmosphere of constant learning and development. The transition also supports creativity, encourages responsibility, and empowers employees to develop solutions rather than simply follow orders.Over the period of time, the company’s organizational structure was transformed in support to the new culture of worker empowerment. Autocratic management was decentralized in order to become more democratic. Conventional management position were replaced by lead persons and their teams who controlled their own compensation, hiring, firing, quality control, and near-and long-term company goals. Several ground-breaking solutions were instigated and evaluated and each member of the company was involved for the company’s success.Moreover, a rewarding compensation system was implemented to retain employees and hone their skills and performance. Over-the-time, Stayer had achieved a complete organizational transformation successfully. In terms of Palmer’s offer, Stayer has two recommendations – either he can accept or decline to take over the Palmer’s business. If Stayer had taken over the business, they might have the advantages of the opportunity for growth and additional revenue. On this regard, private label business offers a 25% return on assets.Contrariwise, the deal clashes with John sonville’s recent business strategy which prevents the company to push private label business over 15%. The company could compete for capital with the rest of the business once it crosses 15%. In addition to this, the company, while in contract with Palmer, is producing at huge capacity utilization. If the deal is on then the company might need to execute two long shifts for six or seven days a week in order to process the new business. Recommendation At this stand-off point, Johnsonville could be advised to accept Palmer’s deal which help the former to tap the revenue and growth opportunities.Stayer’s Johnsonville should continue to implement its new philosophy in a way that it does not affect the previous work-culture. During the agreement, Stayer should continue to involve employees in the decision making process to accept the private label business and planning to handle the additional workload as well. Apart from this, Stayer is required to motivate his tea ms to meet for evaluating staffing requirements, production and quality goals. With the involvement of workers and assigning responsibility for the important decisions, Stayer will help secure their buy-in for tackling the challenges ahead.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Development of Telemachos essays

Development of Telemachos essays The Development of Telemakhos adult self in the first four books of The Odyssey Telemakhos clearly makes the transition from boy into man during the first books of The Odyssey. This development into a man is not so much of the body as it is of the mind. Neither is this journey completely voluntary. Telemakhos must mature in order to deal with the turbulence surrounding his household. In the beginning of The Odyssey Telemakhos is unhappy, but uninspired to do anything about his unfortunate surroundings until Athena arrives. Athena is, in many ways, Telemakhos guide during his transformation. There is a vast difference between the Telemakhos of book one and the Telemakhos of book four; in the way he speaks, the way he thinks of his family, and in his In the beginning of Book One, Homer describes Telemakhos: ...sitting there unhappy among the suitors,/ a boy, daydreaming. What if his great father/ came from the unknown world and drove these men/ like dead leaves through the place, recovering/ honor and lordship in his own domains? Athena arrives in the next line of the poem, and Telemakhos immediately begins to evolve. With Athenas presence we see a more mature Telemakhos, ready to take on his somewhat limited role as head of the household. He is sympathetic to the stranger (Athena in disguise), and hurries him away from the noise of the suitors. While making conversation with Athena, Telemakhos displays doubt that Odysseus with ever return to Ithaka but preserves the fantasy of Odysseus triumphant Telemakhos must change his temperament considerably in order to even embark on the journey to find news of his father. Athena gives him both the wisdom and the strength he needs to begin the journey. The first indication of this is when Telemakhos scolds Penelope for asking the minstrel to stop singing about the homecoming from Tr ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Electronic Frontier Foundation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Electronic Frontier Foundation - Assignment Example Unsecure connections could provide opportunity for hackers and malware to tap on important personal information hence compromising on personal privacy. Secondly, use of authorized software on digital devices provides some level of assurance that personal information is not jeopardized. Most authorized software vendors have their policies checked by digital regulatory bodies. However, unauthorized vendors may have policies compromising personal privacy. Considering the use of cookies to check on user behavior, there is need to activate cookie notices in web browsers. As an additional buffer, it is important to delete cookies as often as possible especially after heavy browsing (â€Å"Electronic Frontier Foundation† web). This ensures that very few websites can tap on browsing activity. Emails have become a core tenet of internet use with most websites requiring an email for registration. It is therefore important to use anonymous emails for registering on less important websites. Emails used to register on payment platforms such as PayPal should be used minimally on other websites. On a different note, it is important to remain discrete with personal information especially when using social media platforms. As a precaution, it is always careful not to share personal information with strangers. â€Å"Electronic Frontier Foundation.† EFFs Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy. Electronic Frontier Foundation. 2002. Web 09 Feb. 2015.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The Ford Motor company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Ford Motor company - Essay Example The company has established manufacturing and distribution units, research and development facilities, warehouses across South and North American, European, Asian along with African regions. The company also undertakes the business of car rental, leasing business, car finance and other activities related to finance (ABR, 2010). Correspondingly, the paper intends to describe the strategic business audit of Ford Motor Company which is very important to study the current situation of the company through a systematic approach. The main purpose for using the strategic audit approach in this paper is to provide an evaluation of the current strategies that have been used by the company to position itself effectively in the competitive market. External and internal factors of analysis have been used in this paper to clearly determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the company that would provide an in-depth understanding of the position of the organization in the glob al domain. Qualitative research method has been used in this paper through the medium of secondary data in order to analyze the company. Ford Motors believes that change in the climate of natural environment poses major opportunities and threats to the company. The company concentrates on stabilizing the effects of greenhouse gas in the environmental atmosphere to a certain extent that would result in a minimal effect on the climate change through producing cars in which the level of carbon emissions is relatively lower.