Outline and Evaluate Essay Example

Outline and Evaluate Paper Feminism is a movement for women trying to get equal rights for themselves. Feminism first emerged in the late 60s, but women as early as the beginning of the 20-century, called the Suffragette movement tried to get the vote for women. The Feminism movement of the 60s and especially feminist sociologists were critical of sociology, for ignoring gender issues and women and research being malestream. And so feminists took it upon themselves to open up new research other than that of research by men focusing on men. The new areas of research by women were taken into the work place, education and health. The womens liberation Movement in the early 60s founded the feminist perspective and had 7 aims such as: equal pay, equal education and job opportunities, 24-hour nurseries, free contraception and abortion, legal and financial independence for women. And end to discrimination against lesbians and the right of all women to define their own sexuality and an end to all the laws, assumptions and institutions that perpetuate male dominance and mens aggression towards women. These 7 aims led to research into institutions such as the work place and education system to work out what could be done. Early feminists are critical of malestream research in sociology. They argue that a lot of important sociological research is focused on men, this is called malestream sociology. Feminist research has contributed to the research into the position of women in society. In this research the key concepts developed are gender, ideology and patriarchy, and gender in particular will come across in all topics of research. An example of malestream and recent feminist approach to research is in sociology of deviance. We will write a custom essay sample on Outline and Evaluate specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Outline and Evaluate specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Outline and Evaluate specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The traditional malestream approach focused on juvenile delinquency, football hooliganism and other predominantly male deviance while the feminist approach looks at the crime against women such as domestic and sexual assaults and the victims of crime, not the criminals. More relevant to todays society is the research in education, in the early 60s through to early 90s girls always did worse than boys in school, and so feminists took it upon themselves to research why girls did worse than boys. Research by Dale Spender (1983) Invisible Women The schooling scandal. Showed that schools reinforce gender inequalities, her evidence was that the boys received 60% of the attention. Jane French (86) said socialisation of the children is the problem, they are conditioned to except roles. Sue sharp (76) Just like a girl Research suggested secondary education was to blame for the gender gap and sexism. All this research by feminists has made the central government focus on the inequalities in education. Nowadays more attention and effort is given to girls on achieving, GCSEs and A level coursework favours girls and now girls are doing better than boys. This is shown in Sue Sharps re-study (90) showed that fewer women were conforming to stereotypes, suggesting that the sexism and gender gap in education is becoming smaller. This shows that research by feminists can actually strongly benefit the women of society and contribute to sociology. Sociology would class that there are 3 main feminist perspectives, Liberalism, Marxist and Radical. While feminists would argue there are 7 main feminist perspectives, which also include Feminist Marxist, Materialist, Socialist and Black. These 7 feminist approaches have all contributed to sociological research by researching different aspects of society. Marxist feminists regard the economic position of women as crucial to their oppression. Veronica Beechey (1977) regard womens position in the family makes them a special target for capitalist exploitation- women still seen as primarily unpaid homemakers dependant on husbands finance. Research such as this has led to government handing out financial aid to women of families, which gives women money directly, which they can spend when they need it. Christine Delphy (1984) is a materialist feminist rather than a Marxist feminist because she claims Marxism cannot explain womens oppression; Karl Marx sees a genderless proletariat and does not pay enough attention to women. She uses the Marxist method but alters the content of its theories. She says there are two modes of production: industrial and domestic. The latter leads to patriarchal exploitation and the formation of two classes: men and women in which the man exploits his wife for sexual and domestic services. He dominates and controls. Women are domestic slaves. So Christine Delphy would argue that research has highlighted the problem but know we need to do something about it. The feminist contribution to sociological research has been strong. It has pointed out patriarchy in the home, and in society and education and in research it self. Black feminists would argue that feminist theory as a whole lacks concern and relevance to black women, they see the feminist theory has been about western women ignoring third world women. And so the Black feminist movement has led to research for black women and a greater awareness of the inequalities black women face around the world. In all the feminism has contributed a lot to sociological research, as originally research just focused on males, but now 50% of all research focuses on women as well which allows sociology to be more relevant to society. Evidence to show that feminists have contributed to sociological research is in the education institution. Before research on girls in education, boys were doing much better at exams, but since the research on girls in education. Girls are doing much better than boys in exams, which shows that the research actually helped people and is relevant to society. But now the question is, is the feminist contribution to research still relevant, as the research already done highlights the problems for females in society. But the answer is yes as we need the research to show that we are not converting back to a patriarchy society, and that we are still striking a balance in research and not being malestream.

Movie Essays

Movie Essays Movie Essay Movie Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is a documentary that entails the health life of Australian filmmaker Joe Cross. His story is about his overweight state, which is later corrected by consistency in fresh juice solely in 60 days. He aborts steroids and pharmaceuticals, which only worsen his health, putting him on the brink of death. Joe manages to toss 100 pounds from 310 pounds in only two months surviving with nothing but fresh juice. Therefore, in the documentary, Joe Cross seeks to advice the audience on how to take control of their health status by choosing the right things to eat, being physically fit and overcoming obesity without dependency on steroids and other drugs. Joe classifies foods into two categories namely, macronutrients and micronutrients. Fruits and vegetables are micronutrients while macronutrients are the other types of foods, which cause unhealthiness. At the beginning, Joe buys green leafy vegetables from the produce vendor. The vegetables are celery, onions and tomatoes. Joe uses these vegetables to make mean green juice that he purposes is vital for a natural cutback in weight. The components of the mean green juice as brewed by Joe are a higher percentage of dark green leafy vegetables with additives of other vegetables and fruits. These vegetables are rich in vitamins and nutrients necessary for the body system. Plant based foods are healthier than animal products or processed foods. Joe traveled to the United States because he wanted to venture into a fruit and vegetable fast for sixty days. The road trip only featured a juicer and a generator in his car. This period was documented by his camera crew, which tagged along and each step he made can be clearly viewed on the film. Joe had a serious autoimmune disease intensified the negative impact. The disease caused an overproduction of histamine in Joe’s body leaving it itchy and irritated with inflammations. For the first 30 days, Joe heads to New York City and travels across America for the rest of the days. He says he had been focusing on his wealth rather than his health before he embarked on the juice fast. Thus, his area of importance then was his affluent lifestyle Histamines protect the body from foreign infections and keep it healthy. When it is overproduced, it causes allergies. After graduating high school became a young Australian businessperson with flourishing businesses and this lavish life made him enjoy his life by exposing himself to an unadvisable diet that saw his health status diminish with a dilated weight. This posed a serious threat to his life. Fasting is the act of going without of few for a period so juice fasting is inclusive of natural juices. He deprived himself of anything other than the natural juice, justifying the term juice fast. The American diet that is processed food is 95%. Joe was required by his doctor to take blood tests every 10 days to ensure he was still healthy. The blood tests show that he is improving gradually. He finds out that he no longer needs his medication. One has to keep in check with the doctor to understand the progress just as Joe’s doctor, Dr.Joel Fruhman advises him. After Joe completes his 60-day, juice fast, his weight loss is 82 pounds and this shows great improvement. While on his adventure, Joe comes across other people with the same problem he had before his realization and one of these obese people is Phil Staples. At the time, Joe was interviewing people concerning their eating habits while at the same time proposing his juice fast. Some of the people approved his health strategy while others, mostly the young ones were reluctant to adopt it. After Joe completes his 60 days juice fast and heads back to Australia, Phil decides to emulate the health icon and gives him a call. Following the call, Joe travels back to the States to help Phil on the Juice fast as a way for his body to heal naturally. Joe first met Phil at a truck stop. In the movie, Phil is overweight with and his poor diet gradually pushes him towards a heart attack as the doctor said. Phil was among those who attempt to follow Joe’s healthy lifestyle. Phil’s situation appears to be identical to Joe’s before he embarked on the juice fast because Phil also suffers from the autoimmune disease. The juice fasting undertaken by Joe Cross proves to be a detoxification therapy as his doctor sees no more use of medication in his life. Inspired by Joe’s story, Phil has the urge to overcome his 429 pounds with the help of his health icon. Phil quits being a truck driver for the juice fasting experience and is able to lose a large amount of weight towards the end of the movie as depicted by him running around and playing with the son. He also cuts down on his medication and this shows the positive effects of the mean green juice on an individual’s body system. He sponsors a community juice fast and is no longer depressed. His work changed towards a direction of healthy living standards. In his family, Phil helps his brother who is in an even worse state of obesity than he is. He is more dedicated to his job at the YMCA. The parts of the movie, which I liked, are the remarkable transformation of Joe to a healthier person and the impact he had on obese people such as Phil Staples who could barely pass through the truck stop. Another interesting aspect is the rare similarity in unhealthy conditions of both persons. However, I did not like the idea of the mean green juice because it seems bitter and it takes a lot of courage to decide on taking it solely for a number of days to lower the calories in the body. Such a transformation would be difficult to fathom if one comes from a background of eating a lot of processed foods and animal products. Nevertheless, the idea holds water towards the end of the movie when we see the lives of two men change dramatically to a better and healthy body system. The advantages to this type of diet are that it does not have bad side effects as those of obese medication, It is also feasible and not life threatening since we can identify Joe Cross as a strong person at the end of the film and his efforts remolding Phil’s health. As proven by Joe and Phil’s chronicle, the medication on obesity and the autoimmune disease was not efficient as compared to the juice fast. On the other hand, the disadvantage with this type of diet is that it takes a long time and one has to be patient and daring to take it. A person may fall into temptation, go back to the unhealthy foods, and consume them with double effect, leading to more calories. Buying too much organic foods can be costly and overdoing the juice fast can lead to diabetic problems. Movie Essays Movie Essay Movie Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Fantasy in Harry potter movies Fantasy is a genre of fiction that consist of magic, imaginary worlds, quests, mythical creatures and great battles over good and evil. This genre uses supernatural occurrences as elements of plot or setting. Elements commonly used in this genre include wizards, elves, dragons and other imaginary creatures (Ledesma, nd).fantasy is anything that has no possibility of existing in the real world. Fantasy is related greatly to Harry potters movies because it is used to describe people, creatures, places, quest battles and many more magical happenings (Hill, 2005). Fantasy is used in the Harry potter movie to describe the Hogwarts School of wizardry and witchcraft where Harry goes to school at the age of eleven years. This magical place does not exist in the real world (Nikki, 2009). The students in these school all posse some magical power. this is revealed to Harry by a giant .fantasy comes out clearl y here when the giant a magical creature reveals to Harry that he is not an ordinary person like his relatives who have raised him up since the death of his parents. In addition, when Harry starts school he interacts with talented children like him. Fantasy relates to Harry potter, since most of the creatures are magical and posses’ extraordinary powers that ordinary creatures do not. In the movie, there is a scene where a gigantic three is the portions class. Another fantasy related to Harry potter is the magical spells cast on creatures and the wizards. The spells are used to disguise a wizard or witch, to wade off danger away or to create a camouflage. A scene from the movie that demonstrates this fantasy is the patronous charm spell that Harry uses against the dementors who are affecting Harry. In the real world, no magic spell exists to cause an effect on anyone or any creature. Another scene is when scabbers, Rons cat turns out to be a wizard in disguise. The wizard dec ided to disguise himself in order to spy on Harry and his friends and report to lord voldemort in the end Harry is able to kill voldemort with a single spell. Fantasy in relation to Harry potter is brought out in the power to see the invisible objects around. It is an extra ordinary thing to see things that are thought to be invisible, example ghosts. In the movie, Harry sees skeletal horses pulling the carriages at school. Another fantasy that relates to this movie is the evidence that one can hide a part of his soul to be retrieved later. This is brought out in the movie when Harry goes on a dangerous mission with Dumbledore to destroy apart of voldemort’s soul that is contained in a horcrux stored in different places. Fantasy is used in the movie to unite people who know each other in death, who in turn have conversations. Some have the power to choose whether to stay dead or to go back to life. From the movie this is shown when Harry dies and meets with Dumbledore who ans wers all his questions and alternatively gives him a choice of staying or going back to life. He chooses to go back and kill voldemort. The other fantasy used in the movie, is the ability for power to vanish from a person and regain it later. From the movie, this is witnessed by Harry when voldemont regains his power in a creepy graveyard. Another fantasy is the ability to speak the language of another creature. A scene in the movie is the ability of Harry to speak to snakes when he discovers he is a parslemouth. Work cited Ledesma, Debbie. Fantasy Fiction. suite101.com. 2011. Web. December 2, 2011 Hill, Joshua. Harry Potter and Fantasy – A Quick Look. sffworld.com. 2005-10-20. Web. December 2, 2011 Nikki. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. goodreads.com. Nov 29, 2011 04:01am. Web. December 2, 2011.

Measuring and Managing Foreign Exchange Risk Dissertation

Measuring and Managing Foreign Exchange Risk - Dissertation Example Although a firm may hedge its foreign exchange contracts, limiting its transaction exposure, economic exposure is difficult to estimate and further, hedge. Economic exposure arises because future profits from operating as importer or exporter depend on exchange rates, and due to its nature, this type of exposure is difficult to mute. (Faff & Iorio 2001, Mullem & Verschoor). (Mullem & Verschoor, 2005). However, there is greater complexity between the relationship between exchange rate fluctuations and competitiveness and this leads to difficulty in correctly estimating economic exposure and hence hedging it efficiently (Mullem & Verschoor, 2005). Firms that do business abroad must be ready to account for changes in exchange rates that lead to variability in their cash flows. (Solt & Lee, 2001). Transaction exposure reflects the risk that exchange rates change between the time a transaction is recorded and the time actual receipt of cash or payment of cash is made. (Solt & Lee, 2001). Due to its short-term nature futures and forwards can be used to hedge transaction exposure and thereby eliminate its influence on the value of a firm. (Solt & Lee, 2001). Economic exposure, on the other hand, is the long-term effect of exchange rate changes on the future cash flows and thereby on stock returns. (Solt & Lee, 2001).

Managing Financial Resources and Decisions Assignment

Managing Financial Resources and Decisions - Assignment Example The advantages of being a sole trader make a business owner easy to start and run his business, no retirement for registration but it has boundless liability for debts, greater personal assets are at risks and many business taxes to settle. You may find lack of credibility when it comes to marketplace, hard to attract loans and investments and get it more difficult to sell your business. You need to consider that business imply lasts based on the lifetime of the sole trader. Thus, if you want to  start up  your business as a sole trader, it is good to search for company office and secure the Intellectual Property Office to make sure that the name you want for your business is not existing and protected by other business owner/s. Partnership, on the other hand encourages you and your brother to run together in the business that you both are trying to venture. Each of you shares responsibility in running the consultancy business, shares equally on profits or loss unless otherwise s tated in your terms and agreement. Both of you are liable within the partnership. Your partnership with your brother gives full advantages which requires no pay for income tax and it distributes the partnership income to the partners and both of you will pay the business tax on their own share.   The partnership in business structure you plan involves no registration between you and your brother and it offers wide-range to share the costs of business operation costs such as those people who operates to share a joint office. The disadvantages of this type of business  form  includes the partners liable for debts acquired by any of you, partnership conflicts may arise, possible complicating issues such as when their partner dies, or leave the partnership and personal assets are also at risk. Since you are the more business oriented compared to your brother and he is undoubtedly a little more technically gifted than you, the good blending or combination of your effort and his ski ll make both of you best to invest and make a partnership on your business. It offers the quality steps a long way your business works also  the contribution of  your brother’s work to make both of you successful in your business consultancy, besides  the combination of  your heads as engineers surely will make you reach your successful business venture. Possible financial sources for your business are: Own Capital    Partnership is the form of structure of your business together with your brother so own capital is the common source of finance, especially for startup is money from the  individuals  who are forming the business. Advantage: Own capital is a  costless  form of finance, but carries the risk of the money being lost. Disadvantages: The money once mismanage is totally lost and considered a personal  endeavor  which can affect business operations adding to liabilities.

Impact of Religion, Faith, or the Dominant Ethical System on Politics Essay - 1

Impact of Religion, Faith, or the Dominant Ethical System on Politics - Essay Example Statistics of the breakdown in religious affiliations of the faithful in the Philippines reveal that â€Å"the main religious group in the Philippines is Roman Catholics who account for 83% of the population. Other religions include Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%, Buddhist and other 3%.† (NationMaster, 1) In view of the predominance of Roman Catholics in the Philippines, the majority’s religious beliefs have a strong effect on the view towards politics and the existing governmental structure. The long history of colonization from Spain brought great changes in the political, economic and cultural life of the Filipinos. Christianity was introduced to replace the old religion based on spirit worship and a centralized government was established over the ruins of the barangays. (Leuterio, 223) Dolan proffered that â€Å"with the advent of United States control, the Catholic Church relinquished its great estates. Church and state officially were separated, although the church, counting more than 80 percent of the population as members, continued to have influence when it wanted to exert it.† (Dolan, Church-State Relations, 1) Further, Dolan clearly distinguished Catholics falling into three groups: â€Å"conservatives who were suspicious of social action and held that Christian love could best be expressed through existing structures; moderates, probably the largest group, in favor of social action but inclined to cooperate with government programs; and progressives, who did not trust the government programs, were critical both of Philippine business and of American influence.

SABmiller Strategy Case Study

SABmiller Strategy Case Study 3.1 Strategic position SABMillers one strategy is continuing to acquire other companies around the world and continuing to expand, especially in developing countries. As we all know, SABMiller and Molson Core, the two sides decided to merge operations in the United States and Puerto Rico. The two sides announced that it would form a joint venture. Johnson, Scholes Whittington (2008) defines corporate strategy as sum of companies objectives and goals and its plans for pursuing those purposes. According to Andrews (1980) corporate strategy can define the company policies, its range of businesses, and its human and economic organization and its contributions to stakeholder. From there definitions it is clear that one should analysis SABMiller business environment, core competencies capabilities and stakeholder expectation to identify SABMiller strategic position. SABMiller in current strategic position has provided us with a clear picture of the opportunities and challenges that the S ABMiller operating domestic, worldwide and its growth come though entering developing market, acquiring businesses brands, and growing them it face in the business environment but stakeholder expectation, core competency and market the reality is the strategy not match to business environment which will create a big dilemma for SABMiller. Consolidation exam of that the reducing the risk that associated the more developed market like Africa, Europe and US will ensured as firm in base of possibility of emergent market might reducing the risk on vulnerable region. It would be feasible particularly given SABMillers competence that been responded by obtaining the business success in the risky market. Further more while it is undoubtedly possible to improve the companys position in developed markets improvement need might quite marginal. 3.2 Table 1: Mission, Vision and Strategic Objective Mission Statement: Stability of reputation of the company Leverage the local and global market Increasing the number of demand Job opportunity to the local and global environment Leverage the new branding production. Competitive advantage Strategic Objectives: Assessing Reach and development RD of the brewery Analyzing the demand of the customer Reaching the stability of the economic Considering Non-factor qualitative Differentiation of the new product Visions Statement: Leverage the production and stability of the company reputations of the SABMiller. Number one operational in the market The mission and vision of the SABMiller Company will be leverage is there company will focus in certain area providing of the strategy objectives by reach and develop the production and merger to the other develop market and to be number one to the industry and help the stability of economic to the environment of the global and market place. 3.3 Strategic Options Using the Porters Generic Strategic, Ansoffs Matrix and BCG Matrix to help me evaluate and analyzed the following strategy option 1 product development, option 2 market developments and option 3 joint venture. The fist strategic choice is product development to diversity the production of improvement and growth of the quality product. For option 1 according to generic strategy the product development need to focus and diversify the differentiation product strategy which SABMiller has a unique product and might reach the target scope industry worldwide. Differentiation strategy like creating a new product like wine or liquor and sell it on the low cost of production that can effectively bust on the target scope of SABMiller. For option 1 according to ansoff matrix the product development and diversification will achieve the existing production and entering new market of the new product of the company with diversification. Product development not only in the brewery SABMiller has a lot of potential to diversify other product and continue to develop it but its must be depends to the demand of a customer. Diversification of the new product for a new market potential are more reliable to manipulate by SABMiller. For Option 1 according to BCG Matrix the question marks for SABMiller creating a new product to the new mark et it will be risk to the cost of production if the new product didnt exist to the market pretty hard to consider and evaluate what customer wants and need. The second strategic option is market development which is SABMiller has an opportunity to entering new market in any country that need to develop or re develop a production to increase higher profit and market share in every country. For option 2 according to generic strategy the low cost of leadership will achieve by having the lowest prices of the product in the target market segment, or at least the lowest price to value ratio (price compared to what customers receive). Offering the lowest price while still achieving profitability and a high return on investment, the firm must be able to operate at a lower cost than its rivals of the market. Since the SABMiller operating entire of the country they have some disadvantage of lower customer loyalty, as price-sensitive customers will switch once a lower-priced substitute is available. A reputation of the SABMiller leader may also result in a reputation for low quality, which may make it difficult for a firm to rebrand itself or its products if it chooses to shift to a differentiation strategy in future. For the option 2 according to ansoff matrix is market development strategy must be focus on develop a cost leadership may have the disadvantage of lower customer l oyalty, as price-sensitive customers will switch once a lower-priced substitute is available. A reputation as a cost leader may also result in a reputation for low quality, which may make it difficult for a firm to rebrand itself or its products if it chooses to shift to a differentiation strategy in future. For option 2 according to ansoff matrix the market development is need to focus and come out new product for the new market based on the case study the SABMiller existing product only a beer that they has a multi distribute to other county if they develop the new market they need to introduce new product. For option 2 according to BCG matrix the market development is start because if the market development will continue to develop in every market of the country the SABMiller will foresee to success. The third strategic option is joint venture to associate other developed or developing country to leverage a good stability of the SABMiller market to other county. For option 3 according to generic strategy the joint venture is differentiation not only in the product to the other association of the market every country has a different market joint venture will giving a knowledge for the local market and will giving to SABMiller new idea how to difference the product to distribution country. For option 3 according to ansoff matrix the joint venture creating a new product using there current existing market in worldwide the interrogate of changing market esp. thru technology will affect the connection of the associate people to the joint venture. For option 3 according to BCG matrix the joint venture is cash cow coz its still need to re engineer the product strategy and to re develop more joint venture to the other country but to joint venture to other country will cost higher volume of the money and massive of reaching for the company will join on SABMiller company. 3.4 Recommendation for SABMiller company are product development and differentiate there existing product and the new product considering to the other demand of other country and focus to the technology ever market will interrogated of the technology. Product development still consider the effectives of the new production so far based to the case study new beer products and transference of the beer products and brand between market. They need to be transferring brands across different market and across region for example selling different brand outside of southern African it could carry on doing well and it will expand using channel to introduce brands from across the world new market however this may not provide of the SABMiller company with the sort of growth that is now being expected of it and it may underestimate the value of loyalty across the world. Differentiate to the existing product and new production will help to increase the continue of the market growth of the SABMiller esp. across the region they need to evaluate the region market before they will entered to the new market region population of the region and analysing economic will help to cane out with the uniqueness new product but still need to invest higher capital. Joint venture to the local region will give a larger opportunity to be success but investing to the new region with new joint venture will be a area of critical long term growth, But may require a great deal patience but the SABMiller company must meet the expectation of the stakeholder and the other particularly intuitional investor across the region coz there following the insistence on the need for hard currency growth with the presence of the new countries opportunity for growth. Evaluating and analyzing will help to SABMiller to be secure there company reputation across the region and to the future market region.

An Evaluation of My Writing :: How Have I Changed As A Writer

Over my career of schooling my writing has changed dramatically at times and very little at others. Through my years of schooling people have determined my main weaknesses and strengths that I should work on with my writing. My biggest weakness is writing introductions and conclusions they must be so complicated and require so much thought to be defined as good. I excel at writing body paragraphs and explaining all the facts that back up your main ideas though. In all my years of going to school I have had trouble writing introductions and conclusions for my papers. All of my teachers would tell me that you would want your introduction to flow and clearly start what you are going to talk about. When ever I would write an introduction it would never flow. It is always fairly choppy and I could not figure out how to smoothen it out. Now that I am in college people have told me to not summarize my paper in my introduction. This requires even more creativity and thought to create an introduction, which I can never seem to think of. This also applies to my conclusions as well on how they must be so complicated. When writing an introduction and or conclusion there are suppose to be all different techniques to help write them but I can never apply any of them to what I am writing so they rarely help me. Also depending on the class I am writing for determines how difficult it is for me to write an introduction and conclusion. For exampl e, English papers and philosophy papers usually give me a bit more trouble then history papers. I have learned from being in college that English and philosophy papers need to be much more elaborate and deep. When writing a history paper you must be direct and right to the point and that is what I seem to do best. It shows because my history paper grades are a bit higher then my philosophy and English papers. Where there are weaknesses there are also strengths and mine lie within the body paragraphs. I arrange my ideas well by using quotes about my subject and explaining them.

The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: a Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century

â€Å"The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century† Translation: Ross E. Dunn Ibn Batutta was a self-proclaimed scholar of the fourteenth century who traveled extensively throughout sub-Saharan Africa under the banner of Islam, and wrote of his travels in an autobiographical book entitled ‘The Travels of Ibn Battuta’. The financing for his ventures was derived from Muslim rulers inhabiting the cities he visited. His text regarding the cities and their occupants provide great insight into the cultural diversity and economic conditions of medieval Africa, Middle East and Asia.Ibn Battuta also exposes intricate details of daily life regarding food, clothing and rituals. His journals relay a precarious existence where food is not always palatable; clothing is optional and indigenous rituals conflict with his own beliefs. Religious studies students may question the need for this intricate detail; however, Ibn Battuta was gathering the cruc ial knowledge to help other Muslims make the journey. His observances also allowed community leaders to learn of the actions of other community leaders.Among his many observations Ibn Battuta describes the terrain where he travels and the manner in which each community receives him. On many occasions, particularly when crossing the desert, advance notice was sent to make provisions for his lodging. This advanced notice also served a vital task, to arrange for a group of people to meet the traveling party several days outside of town with the necessary supplies to complete the journey. The text discloses unfortunate events where couriers were lost, resulting in the death of entire parties because additional supplies were never sent to meet them.Recording this type of information would be an invaluable resource for other Muslims who desire to go on a pilgrimage. The Travels also discuss the danger of storms at sea and seasonal conditions that limited the availability of this mode of t ransportation. The rigorous and perilous nature of distant travel is emphasized in the text and endured often by Ibn Battuta throughout his life. Although he expresses a modicum of regret at his abstinence from a stationary life, his descriptions of events and beautiful places belie his propensity for wanderlust.This seems a rather unexpected attitude for a religious scholar caught in the midst of desert travel. But from the standpoint of the reader, beauty serves as reward for the hardships endured on the journey. Several other passages in the text divulge the author’s valuation of nature and beauty. The Ibn Battuta reflects an almost pantheistic attitude that is simultaneously appreciative and respectful of both the desert and cultivated gardens. It is likely that this expressed reverence toward nature was intended as an enticement or encouragement his audience to travel.Interestingly enough Battuta also expresses knowledge about Plato Although Ibn Battuta seems to be conte nt with all facets of nature, and speaks highly of the morals and purity of many men, discord appears when his beliefs are challenged by the perception of unconventional behavior, such as the wood burning ceremony in Om Obida, Persi, or the burning of widows in Hindustan, â€Å"The woman adorns herself, and is accompanied by cavalcade of the Infidel Hindoos and Brahmans, with drums, trumpets and men following her, both Infidel and Muslim alike† (emphasis mine) He also remarks about his shock regarding the public nudity of women.This is another example of direct contrast with his cultural heritage, which dictates that women are kept completely covered with the exception of their eyes. This reaction comes as no surprise because sexual infidelity, on behalf of women, is contrary to Ibn Battuta’s religious beliefs. As an ulama, Ibn Battuta’s Muslim beliefs were far more conservative than many of the cultures he visited. The text of Ibn Battuta stands as a relevant w ork from and autobiographical standpoint, as well as a study of regional cultural diversity among Islamic communities.It can be said that Ibn Battuta functioned as a type of intelligentsia for the medival Muslim communities, spreading information between the many towns he visited. His journal entries could easily have influenced the attitudes of community leaders by allowing a direct comparison with the practices and habits of other rulers. Through this methodology, Battuta garnered a modicum of individual power.Although community leaders did not fear Ibn Battuta, his critique of their habits could cause other communities to question a particular leaders respect of Muslim charity laws. This would also call into question that leaders religious devotion to Muslim tradition. Students of religious studies can use the text to discern historical information about the size and resources of ancient cities, trade relationships/predominant commodities of value, and similarities and difference s in the cultures of the Fourteenth Century Islamicate.We are also given an idea of the prosperity of cities despite any possible bias the author might have held toward particular regions or rulers. Closer examination reveals, for the most part, Muslim reverence for travelers on pilgrimage and particularly those of the Ulama class. Perhaps most importantly, the author relays information about daily Muslim life in the medieval age that is not readily available from other academic sources.

Free Essays on Personal Assessment

Personality Assessment After completing the Personality Assessment, it has given me an outline of my strengths and opportunities for growth in certain areas. My strengths are in areas of being dramatic and sensitive. The areas where I have room to grow are being adventurous and having self-confidence. My strength of being dramatic is very important to me. Through this, I have become who I am today. Having this trait allows me to be a lively and fun person. Others enjoy my company at both a social and serious level. I am able to make any experience, good or bad, quite enjoyable for myself as well as others. For example, when my wife failed her â€Å"G† driving test, instead of not doing anything about it, I took her to an indoor go-cart racetrack and taught her how to drive. It was quite an enjoyable moment and she loved the fact that I was able to make her laugh and put a smile on her face. Another area of strength is sensitivity. This allows me to get in touch with individuals on an emotional level. I am able to look beyond the facts and see individuals in a pure state. There was one time when my little cousin was playing with my hockey stick and broke it. He started to cry out of fear that I would get mad. Although the hockey stick cost $300.00, instead of being upset, I realized that the child was only playing and did not have any intentions of breaking the stick. While others would get mad, I gave my cousin a hug! An area that I have the opportunity for growth is being adventurous. I usually play it safe and do things that I know I’m good at. Others might say that I’m cautious! There was a time when my friends and I went to Mount Tremblant in 2002 for New Year’s Eve. Everyone went either skiing or snowboarding. Since I knew neither, I opted to remain in the chalet. Big mistake, as I regret not going. Staying in the chalet alone for 3 hours was not fun. This leads into the second area in which I c... Free Essays on Personal Assessment Free Essays on Personal Assessment Personality Assessment After completing the Personality Assessment, it has given me an outline of my strengths and opportunities for growth in certain areas. My strengths are in areas of being dramatic and sensitive. The areas where I have room to grow are being adventurous and having self-confidence. My strength of being dramatic is very important to me. Through this, I have become who I am today. Having this trait allows me to be a lively and fun person. Others enjoy my company at both a social and serious level. I am able to make any experience, good or bad, quite enjoyable for myself as well as others. For example, when my wife failed her â€Å"G† driving test, instead of not doing anything about it, I took her to an indoor go-cart racetrack and taught her how to drive. It was quite an enjoyable moment and she loved the fact that I was able to make her laugh and put a smile on her face. Another area of strength is sensitivity. This allows me to get in touch with individuals on an emotional level. I am able to look beyond the facts and see individuals in a pure state. There was one time when my little cousin was playing with my hockey stick and broke it. He started to cry out of fear that I would get mad. Although the hockey stick cost $300.00, instead of being upset, I realized that the child was only playing and did not have any intentions of breaking the stick. While others would get mad, I gave my cousin a hug! An area that I have the opportunity for growth is being adventurous. I usually play it safe and do things that I know I’m good at. Others might say that I’m cautious! There was a time when my friends and I went to Mount Tremblant in 2002 for New Year’s Eve. Everyone went either skiing or snowboarding. Since I knew neither, I opted to remain in the chalet. Big mistake, as I regret not going. Staying in the chalet alone for 3 hours was not fun. This leads into the second area in which I c...

Dramatic Irony in the Pardoners Tale Essay Example

Dramatic Irony in the Pardoners Tale Essay Example Dramatic Irony in the Pardoners Tale Paper Dramatic Irony in the Pardoners Tale Paper Essay Topic: Dr Faustus Literature Both Dr Faustus and The Pardoners Tale seek to offer comprehensive views on both Christianity and its moral values. A particular emphasis in both texts is placed upon sin, and both the two eponymous characters, as well as the societies in which they live, seem to be incapable of halting their sins, or indeed redeeming them. Both Chaucer and Marlowe explore the theme of sin through several passages, one of which they have in common being their title characters. In The Pardoners Tale, the Pardoner is shown immediately to be a dishonest character with very few moral values whatsoever. Chaucers use of somewhat grotesque simile in his mere description makes us feel uneasy, with his hair as yellow as wax hanging down like flax. Later, when we are introduced to the principal aspects of his character, we find that he is dishonest, scheming and self-obsessed to the core. Moreover, he commits what the medieval world thought the greatest sin of all in that he is so proud of it. He tells us quite openly that his intentions are nought but to win [money], and nothing for correction of sin, and delights in recounting to the pilgrims how he is able to dupe his congregations into buying his pardons. The Pardoners sin is presented very effectively to us as readers, in exactly the same way that the Pardoner goes about his sinful acts, through his powerful oratory, and given that when The Canterbury Tales was written, poetry was designed to be read aloud and heard, this presentation of sin becomes even more appropriate. Marlowe makes use of a similar technique in Dr Faustus to show off his characters greatest sin, which also happens to be pride. The medium of drama lends itself probably best of all to exposing a characters shortcomings through their own words and actions, and this is exactly the image Marlowe gives us of Faustus. We first see Faustus arrogance in the opening scene, when he tells us that his common talk are sound aphorisms, and his self-important nature soon leads him to succumb to the chance to become a mighty god by the conclusion of the play. However, unlike Chaucer, Marlowe does not present Faustus as being a character wholly drenched in sin. Faustus is far more wavering, and indeed has many occasions in the play where he is unsure about what he is doing. This leads the audience to develop a somewhat sympathetic relationship with Faustus, which is totally different from our condemnation of the Pardoner. Faustus seems totally unsure in his own head what to do: I do repent, and yet I do despair, but his pride eventually becomes his downfall, as even after Mephistopheles warned him of his frivolous demands, Faustus pours scorn over him, telling him to learn of Faustus manly fortitude. The cruel irony that Marlowe gives us here is that though Faustus many be all-knowing in mortal terms, unlike Mephistopheles he has seen neither heaven nor hell, and therefore knows nothing of the latters true torment. The characters of the Seven Deadly Sins are physically portrayed in Dr Faustus. Mephistopheles conjures devils masquerading as each of the sins to present to Faustus. This is generally accepted by critics as Marlowes shorthand way of introducing the Deadly Sins into the play without adding numerous extra scenes detailing the incorporation of all the sins into Marlowes deeds. They are typical of a device often used in Elizabethan theatre, and would have been dressed grotesquely in such a way to extract laughter from the audience. This is somewhat contradictory, as making the sins into a joke may serve to lessen their potential to be a warning to Faustus to change his ways. However, considering firstly that Faustus sees them as a joke also (in any case he has no true belief that Hell actually exists at all), and secondly the words of the sins, they become a very useful symbolic device in the play. Through their self-description, we can link many of the sins traits to similar ones of Faustus. Pride, for example, has an arrogance that leads him to reject the place into which he has been born, having disdain for any parents. This is very similar to Faustus desire to escape the world of mortal knowledge. Covetousness tells us of its sweet gold: Faustus too tells us of his desire to heap up gold in the opening scene of the play. Thus, there are many warning signs for Faustus in the pageant, but whilst the audience may pick up on them, Marlowe makes sure the dramatic irony is effected by making Faustus oblivious to any of them. The Pardoner, on the other hand, is far from oblivious of his sin, but sin itself is portrayed in a rather different way by Chaucer. Rather than have the sins parade to him, the Pardoner details personally what he considers to be the worldly sins to the pilgrims. This creates the additional irony when the audience discovers that the Pardoner himself is guilty of all of them. Were The Pardoners Tale simply a sermon, an audience would perhaps not take it seriously, given that the Pardoners hypocrisy makes his words lack any true conviction or seriousness. However, the part-Parabolic nature of the tale itself brings a new element of meaning into the sins of The Pardoners Tale. The characters in the tale are described simply as three rioters, and the tale is clearly one of morality: The Pardoner does not focus on their deaths at the end of the tale, simply skating over the fact that they had him slain, and that anon, not getting drawn into the violent details but keeping the overall message of morality going. We know the Pardoner is only doing this in an attempt to make the pilgrims meekly receive his pardon and bag him a profit, but nonetheless the tale can be taken a lot more seriously than the Pardoners sermon given its uncanny resemblance to one of Jesus Parables. Both authors also seek to further the point that sin comes about by the devil taking advantage of ones personal weaknesses. In The Pardoners Tale, the Pardoner tells us that the fiend, our enemy put the idea of poisoning his fellows into the mind of the third reveller, which goes someway to absolving the third reveller of his sins because it was not his fault, but the devils. One possible reading of the character of the Old Man is that he is the devil in disguise, sat at the stile; the crossroads ready to lead the three men down the wrong path. This too would lessen the blame of the revellers for pursuing their sinful cause, although their treatment of the man and their desire for the gold are still both faults of their own. This idea of lessening the blame is also used by Marlowe in Doctor Faustus. All through the play, it is clear at points when Faustus starts to doubt the path he has chosen, Mephistopheles will conjure up a cheap trick to distract his interest. In addition, Mephistopheles explains to us when we first meet him that the reason he has come to Faustus is that when we hear one rack the name of God, Abjure the Scriptures and his Saviour Christ, we fly in hope to get his glorious soul. This element of alleviating blame is crucial in Doctor Faustus, and pivotal to its success as a play, because shifting an element of the responsibility for Faustus sins onto Lucifer allows us to empathise with Faustus, an emotion that would be otherwise impossible to justify. Similarly, we are able to empathise with Mephistopheles as he tells us that he is tormented with ten thousand hells and asks Faustus to leave his demands. It is clear from the language Mephistopheles uses in this passage in Act I, Scene III, that he still has an element of human nature about him. He conveys a sense of emotion and pain that we are able to relate to, in a way that we cannot with, say, Lucifer, as we never get to hear such intimate thoughts of his. Mephistopheles sin is also mitigated by the fact that he lives in hell due to conspiring against our God with Lucifer. The fact that it was Lucifer who committed the mortal sin, and Mephistopheles just a fringe party to it, again allows us to blame Lucifer for part of Mephistopheles fate. Despite some contemporaries and critics believing Marlowe to be an atheist, he nonetheless, along with Chaucer, presents a view typical of contemporary English belief that the devil is responsible for the sins of man. However, both authors go beyond this and suggest that the religious system itself is inwardly sinful, or at least not concerned with the plight of wider society. In Dr Faustus, the Papacy is displayed as greedy and gluttonous, concerned only with dainty dishes and who took the meat. The stupidity of the dirge also highlights the incompetence of the Church, and seeks to mock the general state of Catholicism. In fact, given the era in which the play was written, this may merely be an innocent satire, government-pleasing anti-Catholic propaganda, but even so within the context of the play it raises an important point: are the forces of good on the side of God really any better than Faustus and his path of evil? In most of the play, good and evil are kept very distinct, with Faustus Good Angel and Bad Angel consciences. However here, they become merged, and therefore it becomes more difficult to measure Faustus sins. In The Pardoners Tale, we do not suffer this problem. The Pardoners hypocrisy actually clarifies good and evil all the more because he is so outrageous that we can spot the irony that the good path of life he forwards is not the one he takes. Chaucer also attempts a satire at the Church system, because the Pope and cardinals are in on the Pardoners game. The Pardoner has come from the Court of Rome and he later tells us that he has been given pardons by the Popes hand. This gives us the impression that the Church, as well as the Pardoner, is using peoples fear of their own sins and retribution to make money. Human sin is a key strand of thought throughout both texts, and both authors present it in ways that invoke entirely different emotional responses from their audiences: Marlowes invitation of empathy and sorrow is entirely contrasted by Chaucers effect of comedy and farce. However, both in their own ways still leave a message of morality, and their different presentations of sin both contribute heavily to the audiences need for self-reflection after seeing or hearing the text.

Design an org Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Design an org - Term Paper Example It will be a non-profit organization that seeks to popularize space sports because of the perceived benefits of the same. In that connection, it will have a vibrant marketing team to recruit followers and a finance department to track expenditure and other financial implications. Finally, there will be a technical team to advice on the realities of playing basketball in outer space. In outer space, there is little gravity (Asimov, 2006). As such, the rules that apply to basketball on earth cannot apply to Mars. For example, since there is no gravity on Mars, one of the rules will be that that basketball passes through the ring from below and not from above. There also needs to be a rule on the standard basketball court applicable in outer space (Labossià ¨re et al., n.d). Most likely, it should be an enclosed structure with a ceiling to decelerate and stop the ball when it goes up. There could also be more points for an opponent who rescues a team member stuck on the ceiling because they jumped too high. All conflicts arising from outer space basketball will be directed to this body. Inevitably, human interactions are known to be incubators of discord. Any emerging differences will be reconciled in a hearing presided over by the Federation. The Federation will also be tasked with the responsibility of generating a calendar of activities throughout the year. Various tournaments will be organized, planned and executed in the year. Strict adherence to the annual events will fully integrate the sport in the society and create its indispensability. It is very unfortunate that there is very little that happens in outer space in the form of entertainment. Entertainment is necessary to rejuvenate the spirit after a hard day. It could even be a disincentive for more scientists to explore the universe. The Federation will seek to add glamor to space visits. The goal of tourism is poised to be a long-term economic breakthrough for interested

"The terrible Transformation" Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

"The terrible Transformation" - Essay Example The main contestants were the African Americans and the Europeans who had travelled to Africa in search for gold but initiated slave trade. The Terrible Transformation covers the earliest transformation of Free states into slave states including the process which initiated when servants became slaves for being black. The years presented in this documentary were 1450-1750; the years which brought the terrible transformation in the North American continent due to the European settlers (Bellows, 1998). Their world was largely destroyed and transformed by the European explorers who took over their land and wealth as well as began the slave trade by brining several Africans into America. This was the beginning of the slave trade which entered America and changed the whole social and economic system. It transformed the system from a free colony to a state where the colour of skin decided whether a person would be a free citizen or would be enslaved for life. Europeans took their position in the conflict as they entered Africa seeking gold. The trade was first focused on gold but ended up on humans. European settlers were travelling and colonizing the world, and as they entered Africa their focus shifted on human trade instead of gold. These Africans were basically needed for the plantations in America. They were held captives by the Europeans and when they reached America, they were given no respect or rights and the torture continued. The shift of the Europeans had eventually changed from having non-Christian labourers to non-white labourers (Bellows, 1998). The Europeans took this position in the conflict in order to expand their colonies and rule throughout. Africans took the position in the conflict because they were brought for gold and eventually ended up being tortured and forced into slavery. The effect of this practice of slave trade changed the