Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Intangible Justice is in the Soul Essay - 1352 Words

Intangible Justice is in the Soul Plato’s Republic, although officially divided into ten books, can be separated into two very distinct sections. The first section, roughly spanning Books I through IV, contains a rather tangible investigation of justice in practice. Namely, the section considers what acts or occurrences are just, either in a city or in a man. The second section, beginning around Book V and continuing through the end of the dialogue, deals with the much more abstract issue of justice in a soul. The backbone of this section is the Allegory of the Cave, and the establishment of the philosopher. Within these discussions, a new concept of justice is revealed which proves to be the most profound in the dialogue, and†¦show more content†¦This is a profound step, as it can be paralleled with releasing someone from the â€Å"noble lie† created during the formation of the just city—an act considered and completely refuted at the time. Socrates continues to describe the proce ss of release. â€Å"Take a man who is released and suddenly compelled to stand up, to turn his neck around, to walk and look up toward the light†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The most significant piece of this description is the introduction of the â€Å"light†, representing education and a realization of reality and truth. Socrates describes this liberated person as feeling pain, at first blinded and unaccepting of the new reality placed before him. In order to make the person see the light, â€Å"someone† (515e) drags him towards it, and only after time he would become accustomed and begin to see what has really been presented to him. Every detail of the Allegory has some other meaning[3], but two of its elements are far and beyond the most important—the â€Å"light†, and the â€Å"someone† who aids in the liberation. The light, and more specifically the â€Å"sun†, that Socrates speaks of is nothing more and nothing less than being told the truth. At first it is rejected, not surprisingly, because it overturns everything that was known to be true. But after time, it is gradually accepted until the person accepts the new reality just as he accepted the old reality of puppets and shadows. The â€Å"someone† that brings the person out of the cave isShow MoreRelatedEssay Philosophical Debate1211 Words   |  5 Pagesto practice for dying and death.† While the body desires pleasures of the flesh, the soul desires wisdom. Truth cannot be perceived by senses. So if the search for final and absolute truth is accompanied by one’s body, the person is bound to be deceived. â€Å"For whenever it attempts to examine anything with the body, it is clearly deceived by it.† A philosopher must avoid the lusts and desires that trouble the soul when it is imprisoned within the body. He knows not to place the highest value on theRead More Plato on the Parthenon Essay905 Words   |  4 Pagesexists in our real world. The Parthenon is an architectural project and deals with forms of science and mathematics. Platos view of science and mathematics are categorized as forms in the Intelligible World, which are intangible. Through analysis of illusory tactics, the Tripartite Soul, the simile of the line, and the artistic qualities of architecture, Platos, as well as my view of the Parthenon will become evident. The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess of wisdom, Athena. When structuresRead MorePlato on the Parthenon Essay928 Words   |  4 Pagesexists in our real world. The Parthenon is an architectural project and deals with forms of science and mathematics. Platos view of science and mathematics are categorized as forms in the Intelligible World, which are intangible. Through analysis of illusory tactics, the Tripartite Soul, the simile of the line, and the artistic qualities of architecture, Platos, as well as my view of the Parthenon will become evident. The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess of wisdom, Athena. When structuresRead MoreComparison of Plato, Aquinas, Aristotle and Augustine1464 Words   |  6 Pagesimperfect and changing manifestation in this world of these unchanging forms.(Plato) Virtue Virtue can indeed be taught, not merely by words, but in and through a vision of the exemplary acts of its bearers. (Plato) God God is an intangible, impersonal entity that encompasses and is the precondition for all ideas, all reality, all of the Forms but is not a religious interpretation and thus does not coincide with any standard view of who or what God is. The point is not to establishRead MoreComparison of Plato, Aquinas, Aristotle and Augustine1473 Words   |  6 Pagesthe imperfect and changing manifestation in this world of these unchanging forms.(Plato) Virtue Virtue can indeed be taught, not merely by words, but in and through a vision of the exemplary acts of its bearers. (Plato) God God is an intangible, impersonal entity that encompasses and is the precondition for all ideas, all reality, all of the Forms but is not a religious interpretation and thus does not coincide with any standard view of who or what God is. The point is not to establishRead MoreThe Divine Comedy By Dante Alighieri1725 Words   |  7 Pagesprejudices into the placement of souls within the Comedy. Ultimately, this results in a few inconsistencies in Dante’s logic that surface throughout the three different canticles. One such inconsistency is the ambiguous nature of Dante’s (or basically God’s, since Dante is, after all, playing the role of God) judgment of pagans. Right off the bat, readers run into virtuous pagans doomed to spend the rest of eternity in Limbo. Although, as their name suggests, these souls were actually respectable andRead MoreSt. Augustine Accepts Platonic Concept Essay771 Words   |  4 Pagesof Philosophy and Christianity. In class, we have discussed a number of ways in which St. Augustine accepts the ideas of Plato; one of those being the theory of forms. Plato’s theory of forms describes the divine to be in the invisible, perfect, intangible world. St. Augustine believed that Plato’s theory of the forms was compatible with his Christian beliefs because of a vision he had while trying to picture God. We are introduced to the Forms in Plato’s dialogue the Phaedo. The Theory of FormsRead MoreMusic, Music And Music1293 Words   |  6 Pagesemotions when words do not seem to be enough. The dulcet hum of the violin or even the sharp notes from an electric guitar are more than enough to express those intangible, yet impressionable feelings that cannot be fully appreciated through words. However, combine words and music together and the composer has a tool that can awaken a thousand souls all at once. Over the millenniums, music has had a profound ability to capture revolutionary moments, condemn injustice, and raise hope for change in theRead MorePlatos Theory of Knowledge Essay918 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom darkness. He put it this way, the conversion of the soul is not to put the power of sight in the souls eye, which already has it, but to insure that, insisted of looking in the wrong direction it is turned the way it ought to be. Platos two worlds: the dark, the cave, and the bright were his way of rejecting the Sophists, who found true knowledge impossible because of constant change. Plato believed there was a true Idea of Justice. The Cave showed us this quite dramatically. Read MoreFunctionalist Criminology And Positivist Criminology Essay1525 Words   |  7 PagesPositivism are two theories that assess the mind and different approaches to human nature; classicist is a rational act and liberty. This method was industrialized between the 18th and 19th Century, it was created in order to process the criminal justice system and make sure everyone was treated equally (Classical Criminology is connected with Cesare Bonesana , Marchese de Beccaria). Positivism Criminology Is a an theory that is established by the concept of scientific understanding of law-breaking

Monday, December 23, 2019

Essay about The Darkness of Irony in Flannery OConnors...

The central theme of Flannery O’Connor’s three short stories is irony. Her stories are parables, that is, short stories with a lesson to be learned. She was a writer who suffered from Lupus. Her father died of the same illness when she was thirteen. Her Catholic beliefs reflected in her work, as well as the implementation of violence and darkness ironically used in her short stories. The titles in the stories give the readers an idea that the stories are the opposite of what the titles really state. She uses metaphors and similes to describe the characters and the settings of the stories. Each story relates to the darkness of the characters: people with racial prejudice, ignorance, and evil. Each story ends in a tragedy. The use of irony†¦show more content†¦The little boy’s mother attacks Julian’s mother, symbolizing the freedom that blacks now have attained. The religious symbolism in this story is present because in God’s eyes we are all the same, and Julian wants his mother to acknowledge it. Somehow, she fails to comprehend. The title itself is a metaphor. Just as bubbles bang into each other as they rise to the top in boiling water, the women in this story clash with each other as the black woman rises to the top of her social status and the white woman resists. The second story, â€Å"Good Country People†, is a story of a thirty-two-year-old woman who has a wooden leg. Ironically, the author was thirty-two when she died. Another irony: the woman’s name is Joy. The wooden leg symbolizes not only a physical but emotional and religious impediment to Joy-Hulga, who loses her leg due to a childhood accident. She is a well-educated woman with a PhD in Philosophy; she is also an atheist. She uses philosophy to deny faith, but the irony in this story is she gives her wooden leg to a Bible salesman. This part of the story symbolizes that even those who do not profess to religious beliefs need to believe in something or someone. Joy-Hulga’s leg gives support to her body, and her soul gives meaning to her life. The use of simile is shown in the sentences, â€Å"But she was as sensitive about the artificial leg as a peacock about his tail. She took care of it as someone else would his soul.† (674). When sheShow MoreRelatedFl annery OConnor Essay988 Words   |  4 PagesFlannery O’ Connor’s method of writing is extraordinary with the right amount of religion. She writes in a way in which the reader can easily comprehend. Nonetheless, let us first discuss her short story â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† in this particular piece of writing O’ Connor gives us a sense of irony and suspense throughout the reading. One can easily recall when the family was passing by the beautiful scenery of Georgia and the grandma had made a racist remark of a Negro child standing in frontRead MoreCharacteristics Of Southern Gothic Literature1694 Words   |  7 Pagesera of Southern Gothic Literature through the pieces of Southern Writers born in the aftermath of The Civil War. One such example of Southern Gothic is A Good Man Is Hard to Find, written by Flannery O’Connor. This story takes place in the state of Georgia during a family road trip. A sense of darkness is instilled in the reader within the first paragraph with the mention of The Misfit, a frightening killer without a conscience. The Grandmother reads about him in the newspaper, stating â€Å"Here thisRead MoreAnalysis Of O Connor s A Good Man893 Words   |  4 PagesIn O’Connor’s short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† the definition of what it takes to be a â€Å"good man† is very misconstrued. In the beginning of this story a â€Å"good† character does not exist. The family is habitually mean to the grandmother, and the grandmother is a conceded, selfish human being. The misfit, another main character, is a criminal and is not a morally good person either. The central theme of the entire story is the concept of the word â€Å"good,† a nd what it takes to meet this expectationRead MoreGothic Literature : The Southern Gothic Fiction1476 Words   |  6 PagesAuthors use morbidly dark and eccentric characters combined with southern charm and the ever-present gender divide to tell stories that represent a writing style known as southern gothic literature. â€Å"Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. Elements of a Gothic treatment of the South were apparent in the 19th century, ante- and post-bellum, in the grotesques of Henry Clay Lewis and the de-idealized visions ofRead MoreThe Grotesque Pursue Of Goodness2189 Words   |  9 Pages290 5 May 2016 The Grotesque Pursue of Goodness in A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor â€Å"The great advantage of being a Southern writer is that we don’t have to go anywhere to look for manners; bad or good, we’ve got them in abundance. We in the South live in a society that is rich in contradiction, rich in irony, rich in contrast, and particularly rich in its speech† (Flannery O’Connor). Mary Flannery O’Connor was born in 1925 in a Catholic family in the south of the United States,Read More Regal Imagery in Flannery O’Connor’s Everything That Rises Must Converge1013 Words   |  5 PagesRegal Imagery in Flannery O’Connor’s Everything That Rises Must Converge Flannery O’Connor uses images of regality as represented by hats, colors, and ironic regal references in the short story â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge† to symbolize Julian’s mother, and her societal views. She, like the hat, is not as upper class as she would have herself or others believe. In addition, her racist beliefs are challenged when a black woman enters the bus with the very same hat, forcing her to realizeRead MoreAnalysis Of Everything That Rises Must Converge By Flannery OConnor1676 Words   |  7 PagesFlannery O Connor’s works are nothing short of extraordinary. They frequently step into the realm of the extreme to make a statement or prove a point. The result is that her messages are stark and vivid, and O Connor is able to make bold positions on controversial subjects. She achieves this effect through a number of means, which consist primarily of Christian symbolism, character foils, and literary irony. Combined, they create ri ch, intense environments in which radical events push and twistRead MoreEverything That Rises Must Converge By Flannery O Connor1583 Words   |  7 PagesIn Flannery O’ Connor’s, â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge†, Julian’s resentment towards his mother becomes the cause of his own self-revelation. In a selfish attempt to teach his racist mother a lesson in morality, Julian does not sit with her on an integrated bus because It is his fantasy that she will be forced to sit next to an African American person. His wish comes true when an African American woman and her son get on the bus and take a seat next to each of them. However, contrary toRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesthat may prove helpful. PLOT The Elements of Plot When we refer to the plot of a work of fiction, then, we are referring to the deliberately arranged sequence of interrelated events that constitute the basic narrative structure of a novel or a short story. Events of any kind, of course, inevitably involve people, and for this reason it is virtually impossible to discuss plot in isolation from character. Character and plot are, in fact, intimately and reciprocally related, especially in modern fiction

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Assessment of Ell Students Free Essays

Running head: Assessment Assessment of English Language Learners Student Name Grand Canyon University: ESL 534 August 8 2012 With the implementation of the No Child Left behind Act of 2001, states are required to assess ELL students to determine if students are making adequate progress towards their language development goals. The purpose of the NCLB act is to challenge students to meet higher standards, close the achievement gap, and ensure that all students have the same opportunities to reach their full potential. There has been much criticism regarding the NCLB act and the high stakes testing that has developed as a result, especially when it comes to ELL students. We will write a custom essay sample on Assessment of Ell Students or any similar topic only for you Order Now ELL students not only have to learn required content objectives as other students, but have the challenge of learning the English language simultaneously. Students, schools, and teachers are evaluated with standardized test annually to ensure the initial goals are met. The concern that many have with standardized testing is they do not show the overall progress of the student which may lead to inaccurate results regarding a student’s language proficiency. English Language Learners are a diverse group with different languages, cultures, and backgrounds. Their language acquisition can be effected by many things including socio-economic factors and educational backgrounds. Understanding language acquisition theories can give critical insight into how assessments should be developed. Some of the popular theories of language acquisition include the threshold hypothesis, which states that a student’s language skills need to reach a critical level before students can benefit from bilingualism (Cummins, 1979) and the Critical/ Sensitive period hypothesis which states that students who are not exposed to a second language before puberty will never reach the proficiency of a native English speaker (Bailey Heritage, 2010). According to Hakuta 2000, it takes several years for ELL students to reach the level of proficiency needed to learn new academic content through a second language. This theory and others hould cause educators to question the current objectives that we have for ELL students and the time frame that ELL students have for meeting those objectives. Language proficiency assessments are an important tool used to measure students’ progress as well as record their starting point. Stiggins and Chappuis 2005 argue that students make conclusions ab out their capability of learning based on the assessments that teachers provide. and that â€Å"feedback delivered once a year from standardized district, state, national, or international is far too infrequent and broadly focused to be helpful (Stiggins Chappuis, 2005 p. 2). Stiggins and Chappuis believe that our current educational system places far too much emphasis on assessments and that one test does not provide an accurate measure of a schools or students success. Instead, they argue that student involved assessments are more beneficial for the student and teacher and set the student up for success. With student involved assessments student and teachers work as partners to monitor their achievement creating an environment where students feel secure and know what is expected of them and what it takes for them to meet their goals Stiggins Chappuis, 2005). Within the last ten years there have been numerous debates centered over how or if ELL students should participate in standardized testing. Some have argued that standardized test can be biased against ELL students because they don’t take into account cultural differences in language structure. Standardized test provide only a snap shot of the learning and growth that has taken place for ELL students and is not a way to accurately monitor the progress of students. With standardized testing we shift the attention from learning and building knowledge for the future to focusing on short term results. With unrealistic goals for standardized testing it can be difficult to tell the difference between schools that are serving the needs of ELL students and those that are not. References Bailey, A. L. and Heritage M. (2010). English Language Proficiency Assessments Foundations: External Judgments of Adequacy. Evaluating the validity of English language Proficiency Assessments. (An Enhanced Assessment Grant). Retrieved August 2, 2012 from http://www. library. gcu. edu Stiggins, R. and Chappuis, J. Using Student-Involved Classroom Assessment to Close Achievement Gaps Retrieved August 2, 2012 from http://www. library. gcu. edu How to cite Assessment of Ell Students, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Comparison between NPV and IRR Method-Free-Samples-Myassignment

Question: Describe the Net Present Value (NPV) method for Investment appraisal and explain the arguments that suggest that NPV should be preferred to Internal Rate of Return (IRR) when choosing among mutually exclusive capital investment projects. Answer: Introduction NPV method which is also known as Net Present Value Method and the Internal Rate of Return Method are popular methods of decision making. Investment proposal is analyzed with the help of these techniques and their future productivity. The investment proposal is selected after analyzing by these techniques. These methods are widely used by the business organization because of their accuracy in the projection but no method can provide an accurate projection of the future outcome. Therefore there is some limitation in these methods too. Net Present Value The net present value is the technique of selecting best investment project from different investment projects available. The net present value of investment proposal is defined as the sum of present value of all future cash inflows less the sum of the [present value of all cash outflow associated with the proposal(accountingtools, 2017). The concept of selection of projects under net present value is simple. The present value of all the future cash flows received from the project is discounted at the discount rate prevailing in the market and from that the present value of all the future cash outflows that are going to arise in the future will be subtracted. The investment project whose net present value is higher from all will be selected before other projects. The calculation of net present value is simple and effective. Following steps are followed by while calculating net present value: Determine total cash outflow arising from the project and the year in which these cash flows are arising. Then the total cash flow will be discounted with the discounted rate and converted into present value. Now calculate the total cash flow derived from the projects in different years. The life of the projects can be more and the projection, in that case, is difficult to be assessed. The total cash flows calculated in the above step will be discounted with the present value to derive the present value of cash inflow. The net present value is calculated by subtracting the total net present value of cash outflow from the project from the total cash inflow of the project received throughout its life. The project will be accepted if the project has positive or 0 Net Present Value. The project with higher Net Present Value will generate more profit for the company so they should be selected first. Comparison between NPV and IRR method: The future survival and growth of a business organization depend on its capacity to make the right decisions. The management of the company should take a decision by applying their due diligence and professional skills and these decisions should result in the development of the company. The project evaluation decision is one of such major decision which contributes to the growth of the company. There are different methods available to evaluate projects that should be accepted(Jan). The two methods net present value method and the internal rate of return methods are used widely by different organization. There is some issue between the uses of such methods over other methods. Both of the investment analyzing technique uses the concept of present value of money(efinancemanagement, 2012). The result of both the techniques is same in most of the cases but in some case, they might have a conflict with each other. For example, in some case, the net present value of one project is higher bu t the internal rate of return is lower(efinancemanagement, 2012). The net present value method calculates the opportunity cost of the different projects over another project. This conflict between the projects arises due to the nature of the project whether they are independent or mutually exclusive. The net present value method is considered best in the case of to be more useful in case of a mutually exclusive project than the internal rate of return. The meaning of mutually exclusive project is that one projects consideration does not include some other project. The internal rate of return consider the reinvestment of the same project over the expiry of its life, but net present value focuses on the single project that is into consideration. The reinvestment of the project is not practical there can be some more option in the future and the demand of present situation to give judgment on the presently available option. Further, the internal rate of return considers discounting of the future reinvestment of the project with the same rate. The internal rate of return based on too much future assumption. This is not practical neither accepted in the present competitive market. In the case of the internal rate of return, the rates derived from the calculation are sometimes impracti cal and too good to be true such as 30% or 35%. In a practical market, this return is impossible to achieve. The net present value, on the other hand, is taken into consideration the practical lending or borrowing rate which are prevailing in the market at that time. The internal rate of return simply calculates the rate at which the present value of cash inflow is equal to the present value of cash outflow arising from the project. The project with a higher rate of return will be selected from all the other projects. In the case of the mutually exclusive project, the net present value is best suitable than the internal rate of return. It gives more accurate result than the internal rate of return method and does not takes into account any assumption figures. The net present value always uses the true market rates. The internal rate of return is a relative method and ignores the total value added by acceptance of the project. Net present value is simpler than the internal rate of return and can be easily understood by the general public, it does not require any financial education on behalf of the user of information. Advantages and disadvantages of net present value method: There are many pros and cons associated with NPV method utilization. Some of them are pointed as follows Advantages The main advantage of net present value method is that it takes into consideration the future value of money(investopedia). Future value of money will always be less than it is now in the present Every year cash flow arising from the project is then discounted by the discount rate and converted into a present value which will be lower mainly. The net present value states clearly the total benefit arising in the future year from a project. The total benefit is subtracted from the total expense on the project which will be income from the project. It takes into account the inherent risk in making future projections. It also takes into account the cost of capital also. While evaluating the projects the risk and profitability factors associated with the projects are taken into consideration. The main concept of net present value is maximizing the value of the firm. Disadvantages The biggest and main disadvantage of the net present value of the project evaluation is that the cost of capital taken into calculation requires some assumption on a personal basis which can differ on an individual The net present value cannot be used while comparing two projects of different life. The project should be assumed that it will be reinvested again if such comparison is to be made which is impractical. Some people find the calculation of the net present value of the project very difficult because it contains some assumption on discounted The appropriate discounting rate cannot be calculated easily. Advantages and disadvantages of internal rate of return method: The internal rate of return as part of capital budgeting technique has certain advantages and limitations. Some of them are detailed as follows Advantages The internal rate takes into consideration the time value of money which one of the prominent factors to be considered while analyzing projects The internal rate of return is simple to understand by the general It simply gives the rate of return of each project that is under evaluation(Kumar, 2010). These rates of returns are then evaluated and the project with a higher rate of return will be selected. The internal rate of return can be used to evaluate two projects of different duration. For example, one project which has a life of 3 years can be compared with another project with 5-year Disadvantages The internal rate of return ignores all the future hidden cost which may arise. It only considers the time value of money but other changes in cost due to economic or political factors is ignored(Lanctot). This can affect the return received from the investment. The internal rate of return method makes the assumption the reinvestment of the project can be done at the same rate which is calculated now. But the future assumption cannot be used to achieve accuracy in business decision making. The Internal Rate of Return specifies the result in percentage basis and does not give the total benefit or loss in the term of dollars. The Internal Rate of Return calculation requires large formula. This formula can be hard to remember and even harder to execute in practical condition. Bibliography accountingtools. (2017). net present value analysis. Retrieved July 30, 2017, from accountingtools: https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/2017/5/17/net-present-value-analysis efinancemanagement. (2012). Why Net Present Value is the Best Measure for Investment Appraisal? Retrieved July 30, 2017, from efinancemanagement: https://efinancemanagement.com/investment-decisions/why-net-present-value-is-the-best-measure-for-investment-appraisal investopedia. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of the NPV and IRR Methods By Investopedia. Retrieved July 30, 2017, from investopedia: https://www.investopedia.com/exam-guide/cfa-level-1/corporate-finance/advantages-disadvantages-npv-net-present-value-irr-internal-rate-of-return.asp Jan, O. (n.d.). NPV vs IRR. Retrieved July 30, 2017, from accountingexplained: https://accountingexplained.com/managerial/capital-budgeting/npv-vs-irr Kumar, V. (2010). Advantages and Disadvantages of Internal Rate of Return. Retrieved July 30, 2017, from Accounting Education: https://www.svtuition.org/2010/05/advantages-and-disadvantages-of.html Lanctot, P. (n.d.). The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internal Rate of Return Method. Retrieved July 30, 2017, from chron: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-internal-rate-return-method-60935.html

Friday, November 29, 2019

Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example Essay Example

Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example Paper Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Introduction Shared Trait between Humans and Chimpanzees Anthropology 101 Section Fall 2010 Professor Diane Sank For many years, numerous individuals including anthropologists have attempted to explain how a single species evolved into another. From the time of Charles Darwin to Creationism, anthropologists have established that chimpanzees are human’s closet relative. Furthermore, with the extensive voluminous amount of information, not only are chimpanzees genetically and evolutionary similar to human but share analogous traits. For instance, chimpanzees like human make and utilized tools in various techniques. Another trait shared is eutheria, where offspring depend on the placenta and grown internally of their paternities. In addition to the highly mobile digits that assist chimpanzees in grasping and climbing. These illustrations are just a few. This paper is twofold; to highlight humans and chimpanzees shared traits that can aid in recreating the past of humans, secondly to heighten my knowledge of the evolution of humankind and chimpanzees. Human are classified in the primate order. The primate order contains countless species of prosimians, monkeys, apes, and us. Moreover even though humans are classified along with other primates the nearest relative is chimpanzees. Similarly, humans and chimpanzees share, â€Å"anatomy, and genetic material† that has been noted for several years now. By sharing similar traits it is noted as a vital part of human evolution. Human evolution is the development of humans also known as Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens are categorized in the Hominidae family, a family that has shown to ensure increased brain size with complexity and bipedalism. Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Body Paragraphs Chimpanzees have undergone many different changes during that resulted in binocular vision, mobile digits without claws but nails, decreasing in sense of smell due to a reduced snout, large and complex brains. Specific traits are illustrated distinctively within humans (Kottak, 2009). The first trait chimpanzees share with humans is grooming. Grooming is the action of cleaning oneself or another. The purpose of grooming among primates has many functions. The first is to clean another while the other is is sharing a bonding experience with a partner or friend. Both primates experience, â€Å"friendless, submission, appeasement or closeness. embracing, touching, and jumping up and down. † These behaviors assist in shaping closeness between the two chimpanzees taking part in grooming (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, amp; McBride, 2005). Two chimpanzees sit face to face with each other and perform these procedures. Chimpanzees use their digits to â€Å"remove parasites or detritus from another’s hairy body surface,† resulting in the consumption of parasites There are different grooming habits among chimpanzees. For instance, some chimpanzees groom each other face to face while other chimpanzee let the one being groomed to move about as they feel. Some chimpanzees use sticks, or leaves as tools for grooming. In humans grooming is also used as a bonding experience for example between mother and child (McGrew, 1998). The second trait is the increase in the size of the brain and complexity. Primates have the highest intelligences. The size and complexity of brain enables primates to retain additional information to utilize in tool making or climbing. The advantages of a large brain with complexity assist in â€Å"navigat[ing].find[ing] food in a highly complex environment. † The brain size of chimpanzees is larger than most other mammals (Kottak 2006; Stanford, Allen, Anton, 2006). The third trait is highly mobile digits. In humans mobile digits a re hands. Chimpanzee’s highly mobile digit allows them to grasp items and climb trees more efficiently. Chimpanzees like human have five fingers on both digits (hands and toes). Primates also have opposable thumbs and tactile pads. Tactile pads empower chimps to have great sensitivity to what they come into contact with. The tactile pads are located at the end of chimp’s digits. Chimps do not have claws but nails (Kottak, 2009). The fourth trait chimps share with humans is tool making. Chimps are every diversified in utilizing and make tools. Chimpanzees construct their tools from surrounding material within the forest such as twigs, bark, and leaves. Tool constructed have multiple functions. For example leaves can be rolled to create a cup for drink water. Another example is utilized leaves for fishing and grooming varies parts of another chimpanzee. Finally leaves can be used in pre –mating procedure and to make medication. Chimpanzees also utilized tools to g ather food such as sticking sticks into the ground to gather ants and termites for food. Chimpanzees are able to use their surrounds to help create everyday task to be performed with ease (McGrew, 1998). The fifth trait chimpanzees share with humans is being eutheria. Eutheria are mammals who reproduce internally via placenta. Similar to human chimpanzees do not have a breeding season. This allows chimpanzees to mate at any time of the year. Since mating seasons do not exist in chimpanzee culture, the majority of female chimpanzees throughout their life becomes pregnant or nurse constantly. Once offspring are born they are: â€Å"Dependent for 4 or 5 years.chimpanzee infant cannot survive if its mother dies before it reaches the age of 4 at the very least. During the juvenile period, young primates are still dependent upon the largest social group rather than on their mother alone, using this period for learning and refining a variety of behaviors. If the juvenile primate’s mother dies, he or she will be â€Å"adopted† by an older male or female member of the social group. † Not only does the infant depend on their mother for a period in time, the community takes care of them as they reach a certain age (Stanford, Allen, Anton, 2006). The sixth trait chimpanzee share is bipedalism. Bipedalism is the art of walking on two legs. This trait is a major trait that has evolved. Chimpanzees usually walk on all fours. However at times chimpanzees walk bipedally when they have to hold something in their hand. Furthermore Chimpanzees â€Å"cannot sustain bipedalism locomotion for more than 50 to 100 yards [before retracting to] knuckle-walking† (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, amp; McBride, 2005). Human infants like chimpanzees walk on all fours, at times walking bipeadlly shortly until they retract to walking on all fours. The seventh trait is the act of playing. The process of playing among chimpanzees is learning skills that can be used later in life as adults. The act of playing is shown not only in infants but juveniles as well. Infants and juveniles play to â€Å"learn about their environment.social skills. [and] testing a variety of behaviors. The act of playing is a tool for learning how certain things work and what is and not accepted in their community (McGrew 1998; Stanford, Allen, Anton, 2006). The eighth trait chimpanzee share with humans is the art of learning. Since the brain of a chimpanzees has increased in size and complexity this trait has assisted in advantages. Younger chimpanzees stay close to their mothers in order to learn how to perform certain task. For example, chimpanzees in West Africa use stones to crack open nuts. At first the offspring fail to perform the task until a great deal of practice is chieved. This process is call aping, the act of observing then imitating the adult they learned from (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, amp; McBride, 2005). The ninth trait is sexual behavior among chimpanzees. Chimpanzees and humans alike are promiscuous. The reason being primates do not have a set partner, another primate to mate with and stay with as a neutral family. Within chimpanzees communities both male and female engage in finding partners to mate with. There is no standard for the men to only look, but women take part in finding a mate rather than waiting for one. Female chimpanzees similar to humans go through several periods in time when they are vulnerable to impregnation. This period in time is known as estrus, not only where the female is vulnerable to impregnation but skin surrounding the genitals swell. In a recent study â€Å"twelve to fourteen males have been observed to have as many as fifty copulations in one day with a single female in estrus†(Stanford, Allen, Anton, 2006). Sexual promiscuity is a norm in chimpanzee’s community as well as humans. In our culture sexual promiscuity is portrayed in the form of pornography. Even though it is frowned upon ind ividuals still take part in it. The tenth trait similar to humans is communication. Chimpanzees have diverse calls that can be visualized with face and body expressions. There are various calls such as, â€Å"warning calls, threat calls, defense calls, and gather calls. [that accompany] gestures and postures.. [that is at] the level of a 2 to 3 –year-old human child† (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, amp; McBride, 2005). Chimpanzee unlike humans cannot speak but they do display language skills incorporating by call and gestures. I have learned that chimpanzees are extremely intelligent and should be studied more often. In my opinion chimpanzees are becoming more and more intelligent than the average American. For example some American can barely read and write let alone communicate their wants and needs. While chimpanzees communicate their wants and needs by using gestures and postures. It is extremely heartbroken more and more primates are slowly being extinct or becoming re search models not to benefit the understanding of their ways but for biomedical research. It truly was remarkable learning about chimpanzees an there shared trait humans’ utilize as of today. I am grateful and wish someday I too like Jane Goodall can do research on primates to learn their ways. We as humans should learn more and take care of our closest relative then would we truly understand their ways and ourselves. Chimpanzees, Pan Troglodytes, have acquired traits that are established already in humans. Chimpanzees are highly intelligent primates who display eutheria, the process of growing their offspring internally. Chimpanzees are extremely social creatures that take part in grooming as a process of bonding with another primate. While infants and juvenile learn through play which creates a learning environment for the children to learn what they will be required to know when they are adults. The increase in brain size and complexity has assisted chimpanzees to make and utilize tools, walk bipedally, and able them to climb and grasp with their high mobile digits. It begs the question: what will the future hold for the evolution of humans as chimpanzees become more and more rick in knowledge? This report contains 9,445 characters and 1,788 words References 1. Haviland, W, Prins, H, Walrath, D, amp; McBride, B. (2005). Living primates. In N. Root (Ed. ), Anthropology: the Human Challenge (pp. 62-87). Canada: Wadsworth. 2. Stanford, C, Allen, J, amp; Anton, S. (2006). Biological anthropology. New Jersey: Pearson Education. 3. Kottak, C. (2009). Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity. New York: The McGraw Hill Companies. 4. Culture in nonhuman primates. (1998). Annuals Review of Anthropology, 27, 301-328. We will write a custom essay sample on Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Shared Trait Between Humans and Chimpanzees Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Monday, November 25, 2019

Which Essential Office Support Staffer Are You

Which Essential Office Support Staffer Are You Are you a secretary or an executive assistant? According to CEO and founder of Office Dynamics International, Joan Burge, secretaries are assistants who develop a routine and get comfortable with a set list of tasks. A secretarys role is static support- they may be crucial in the office, but their position is not as conducive to same amount of growth and opportunity as a dynamic executive assistants gig.An executive assistant may have the same responsibilities- phones, scheduling, paperwork, correspondence- but their perspective is more adaptive. Their function requires reflecting on past experience and developing strategies to improve future outcomes. Its right there in the name- you need executive  functions.If youre an executive assistant and want to up your game, check out Burges training videos! Featuring lessons on time management, adminology, and frank feedback from executive and office professionals, theyre free on her website:  http://officedynamics.com/educational-video s/A Secretary vs An Executive AssistantRead More at officedynamics.com

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Critique on Fat Acceptance

â€Å"Fat Acceptance: A Basic Primer† by the Vancouver-based author Cynara Geissler is a remonstration against the relentless pursuit of conforming to the socially approved body structure by paining one’s body and soul (3). Appearing in Geez Magazine for the first time this essay germinates new energy in the fat-acceptance movement in 21 st century. The author in this essay heavily protests against food moralizing and idealizing a certain parameter for body dimension. It has been an important issue indeed in the contemporary world, where everything including human body is being precariously rhapsodized under the influence of glamour industry. The author precisely points out the perils of blindly following the ideal of a thin body pleasing to the eyes of society and presents her argument on how this vain pursuit has been affecting the overall physical and mental health of the people. Geissler happens to be a staunch supporter of fat acceptance movement since she herself has experienced the consequences of hazardous dieting due to the plight of mind body shaming caused to her. She describes how people crossing the limit of size and weight dictated by the fashion magazines or movies become victims of society’s pre-conceived notions. They are often termed as â€Å"lazy, undisciplined, incapable and out of control† for no good reason (Geissler 2). Ironically, this adverse pressure comes from the health and diet industry itself who oblivion of the fact that health is to be fit and strong and not conforming to a particular body shape consistently tends to criticize the term fat. This has made the stigma of fat so ingrained in the minds of people that they forget to be tolerant of even normal sized people, â€Å"The West, especially the U.S., operates under gendered ideas of beauty that emphasize thinness as the ideal body type† (Williams 15). Apart from people in the society, this obsession also works in the persons who look at themselves with the eyes of established norms and start condemning their own body. Thus begins the relentless process of dieting and losing of weight without caring about the very idea of health. This compelling pressure comes from the very circle of â€Å"misinformed friends, relatives and health care professionals† who try to fit the non-conforming people into the size boxes which glamour industry has created over the years (Clair et al. 230). Sometimes this vain pursuit results in deadly consequence to the body or if not that leaves the mind in a dispirited state. The inevitable reaction that they develop for their body is self-denigration and an intense revulsion for their own self, which arise out of the rejection they face in their social existence (Bombak 15). This increases an inclination to the falsely advertised solutions claiming to fix one’s body; undoubtedly, this busines s trend capitalizing on the degrading approach to human body is harmful beyond imagination. The fat acceptance movement has, therefore, immense importance in this context since it primarily teaches people to be tolerant of all body sizes and weight as well as rejects all myths that make people suffer in the name of diet. The movement, which includes all successful professionals from different fields, questions about â€Å"efficacy of shame as a motivational tool†; quoting Allison it can be said â€Å"that suffering does not ennoble; it destroys†. It shatters not only the necessity of the compelling act of repentance in food and working habits but denies the efficacy of self-sacrifice to achieve the self-styled success of possessing a ‘perfect’ body (Geissler 2). We can fairly agree to the idea of accepting fat because undoubtedly it is a noble initiative. Fat shaming does not really do anything positive for one’s body rather only builds up hostility and aversion between the obese person and the rest of the society. By the virtue of the move ment, people have relearned to live their life without being worried about the social fixity- â€Å"thinner is better†. It entitles body autonomy to a person and reaffirms the fact that the concept of health is not necessarily affixed to any specific size or weight. In addition, fat acceptance endows a person with all the gratification about oneself and grants access to an enjoyable life. Probably the most important reason for agreeing to Geissler’s idea of fat acceptance is that it formulates acceptance to ‘Health at Every Size’ (Geissler 3). Besides, the movement has always emphasized liberty in the choice of food, personal presentation and physical activity that gives forth the need of that person and mere imitation of body shaming views. While we can agree to the most part of Geissler’s views, there remains some domains in her essay that are likely to catch objections. She takes body autonomy to another level where she has almost denied the necessity of having healthy food at times. According to her experience, having healthy food and working out has been a punishment whereas it cannot be denied that these things are intrinsic to a fit and healthy body. The autonomy of food may catalyze the peril of obesity but surprisingly the author evades such a significant relevant issue in this context. On the other hand, the idea of ‘Health at Every Size’ seems to be very vague in the essay. While it proclaims that, having anorexia cannot be considered as a sign of health and that it is damage for the body, it continues to maintain the idea of an extremely obese person being capable of leading an active life despite the diseased physical condition. In fact, both the extreme poles of weight scale are equally dangerous and the essay has missed to profess this vital medical truth. Apart from this, food addiction often leads to serious medical problems, which the fat acceptant people either consciously or unconsciously do not admit. Thinking that one’s own body is his or her own business and the person can feed it to any extent is entirely a misconception for it really cannot be approved to feed oneself to ill health. This is especially applicable to the rapidly increasing child obesity problem all over the world and the major cause aggravating the problem is the arbitrary food habit among children. It should not be that the fat acceptance movement carries any wrong message to them making them ailing and sedentary. The movement of fat liberation, therefore, must not give opportunity to people to be unapologetic and remain gratified despite their excess weight. Having discussed all the aspects of the essay, both that have been explored and those of the possible approaches that have been missed by the author it can be concluded that approving fat is not the goal but accepting the fat ones as equal is. The author successfully holds up the idea that it is high time the fat people accept their body image in a positive light instead of constantly living in the shadow of a fat-fearing culture. The concept of ‘Health at Every Size’ necessarily involves spontaneous yet conscious eating while regulating weight at the same time. Therefore, while acknowledging the words of Geissler, it can be stated that there is nothing indecent and degrading in a fat body that should be associated with shame and subjected to agonizing diet and excruciating physical exercise. Rather, as the author conveys, fat acceptance is that one revolutionary idea that advocates tolerance, size acceptance, equality for all body types, weight neutrality and most signi ficantly body positivity. Bombak, Andrea E. "The Contribution Of Applied Social Sciences To Obesity Stigma-Related Public Health Approaches". 2014. Clair, Matthew, Caitlin Daniel, and Michà ¨le Lamont. "Destigmatization and health: Cultural constructions and the long-term reduction of stigma."  Social Science & Medicine  165 (2016): 223-232. Geissler, Cynara. "Fat Acceptance: A Basic Primer". Geezmagazine.Org, 2010, https://geezmagazine.org/magazine/article/fat-acceptance-a-basic-primer/. Williams, Apryl A. "Fat People of Color: Emergent Intersectional Discourse Online."  Social Sciences  6.1 (2017): 15.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Exam question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exam question - Essay Example In the depression period of 1930s, the economy in majority of the countries was down and cases of massive corruption were reported all over. Canada at this period became centralized in order to consolidate all its resources for easier distribution to everyone and it did this through social welfare system. The Canadians at this point were unemployed and the new government under the rule of Bennet came up with Dominion Unemployment Relief, a legislature meant to provide people with relief as a form of social welfare service (Ferguson 34). Social services like hospital care and insurance, old age services offering people work at minimal wages in relief camps were provided by the government in order to ensure everyone got the services despite the depression looming at this point and unemployment being the order of the day. After the Second World War, people lost their jobs and had nothing more to do until the Korean War. The government therefore as a way to sustain its people continued with the centralized government and also continued with the social welfare it had carried out during the depression period. The family allowance Act ensured that parents received monthly payments to take care of their children. The government had provided social welfare services to its citizens after the depression by giving them employment and this also took place after the Second World War. People still wanted the government to continue with the social welfare program after the Second World War, and this put pressure on the government to continue. Under the governance of Louis St. Laurent which is the one that experienced most of the social pressure, there was initiation of social welfare services like public housing, federal hospital grants and also assistance programs for the disabled in the society. Changes in the pension and old age security and where even the aboriginal people were offered cash benefits were also experienced. The private charities which were offering

Monday, November 18, 2019

Victoria Kite Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Victoria Kite Company - Essay Example Total collections $47200 $66100 $51500 January February March Schedule c: Purchases Budget Desired ending inventory $0 $0 $0 Cost of goods sold $20950 $37500 $19000 Total needed $60000 $37500 $19000 Beginning inventory $39050 $0 $0 Purchases $20950 $37500 $19000 Schedule d: Disbursements for Purchases 100% of previous month's purchases $23050 $20950 $37500 March 31 accounts payable $19000 Financial Statements Exhibit I VICTORIA KITE Budgeted Statement of Cash Receipts and Disbursements For the Three Months Ending March 31, 2005 January February March Cash balance, beginning $5000 $5000 $10850 Minimum cash balance desired $5000 $5000 $5000 (a) Available cash balance $0 $0 $5850 Cash receipts and disbursements: Collections from customers (Schedule b) $47200 $66100 $51500 Payments for merchandise (Schedule c) $35550 $37500 $19000 Rent $8050 $250 $250 Wages and salaries $15000 $15000 $15000 Miscellaneous expenses $2500 $2500 $2500 Dividends $1500 $0 $0 Purchase of fixtures $0 $0 $3000 (b) Net cash receipts & disbursements ($154000) $10850 $11750 Excess (deficiency) of cash before financing (a + b) ($15400) $10850 $17600 Financing: Borrowing, at beginning of period $15400 $0 $0 Repayment, at end of period $0 $0 $15400 Interest, 10% per annum $0 $0 $385 (c) Total cash increase (decrease) $15400 $0 ($15785) from financing (d) Cash balance, end (beginning balance + c + b) $5000 $10850 $7665 Exhibit II VICTORIA KITE Budgeted Income Statement For the Three Months Ending March 31, 2005 Sales (Schedule a) $175000 Cost of goods sold (Schedule...Thus, the JIT philosophy is an elimination of non-value adding activities in the company's supply chain to boost manufacturing efficiency, driving down cost, and ensuring maximum customer satisfaction by driving down prices of commodities. This report will look at the feasibility and compatibility of this system to the company's current operations. Since these factors can be best measured quantitatively, this report will present a master budget utilizing the company's assumptions. Part 1 will provide the schedule of Victoria Kite's sales budget, cash collections, purchases budget and disbursements. The next part looks at the impacts of JIT to the company's financial performance by providing a pro-forma income statement, cash flow, and balance sheet for the first quarter of 2005. The financial statements presented in Exhibits 1-3 shows that JIT will bring in profits and incremental shareholder

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Shots at Fortune and Life Essay Example for Free

Shots at Fortune and Life Essay Very few people get a shot at Fortune and Life but Margaret Bourke-White simply snapped her fingers and got into both. This very attractive and talented photojournalist made her name in the industry through her pictures for Fortune and Life Magazine. Living during the era when journalism was still way ahead of video productions, her photographs told much of a story with a shot from her lens. Margaret Bourke-White was born on June 14, 1904 in the Bronx, New York to Joseph White and Minnie Bourke. Joseph was of Polish-Jewish background while Minnie had Irish-English blood. (Women in History) Her parents were both believers of a religion called Ethical Culture which was a form of atheism. Ethical culture was very rigid to the point that it only allowed sexual intercourse between married couples for the sole purpose of creating children. (Goldberg 1986 pp. 4-5) In adherence to its philosophies, the couple brought up their children in a mentally stimulating and moral home. (Keller 1996 pp. 8-9) Mr. White was an engineer who was able to develop many versions of printing presses while his wife was totally dedicated in nurturing their children. Minnie was a very strict mother. She limited the children’s exposure to fried food and funny papers. Joseph, on the other hand, was an amateur photographer who was able to pass on his love for still pictures to his daughter. Margaret’s passion for photography began when as a child of eight years, she went with her father to watch the manufacture of printing presses. The marvel of seeing molten iron being poured captivated the photographer in her. (Margaret Bourke White par. 1) However, her total absorption into photojournalism was still far behind her mind. She began her college years in 1922 at New York’s Columbia University in a course for herpetology which is the study of reptiles. However, she met Everett Chapman, an engineering graduate student and got married in 1925. The marriage ended in divorce a year later which was also the time she decided to incorporate her mother’s last name into her own. (Margaret Bourke-White Biography 2007 par. 2) She became the student of Clarence White, a known photography instructor which sparked her interest enough to leave herpetology. She switched courses and schools several times before she finally graduated in 1927 at Cornell University. (Bois 1997) She opened her own photo studio after college at Cleveland wherein she specialized in architectural photos of industrialization. At that time, Cleveland was enjoying industrial progress and she marveled in taking pictures of this era which can be considered as symbols of economic prosperity. â€Å"She romanticized the power of machines through close-ups, dramatic cross lighting and unusual perspectives† that gave people a different view of industrialization. (â€Å"The Photography of Design† 2004 par. 5-6) Her pictures got the attention of well-known publisher, Henry Luce. By 1929, he was able to get her to shoot as staff photographer for the first issue of Fortune Magazine. The assignment was a difficult one that had to focus on Swift and Company’s hog processing plant but her perseverance to be the best made her finish the job well. (Cox 2003) By 1936, Luce introduced the first issue of Life Magazine. The front page photo of Fort Peck Dam that at that time was still under construction was shot by Bourke-White along with her essay inside. Fortune and Life magazines gave her numerous opportunities to see the world for various photo assignments. She was able to capture photos of World War II in Europe including Nazi camps, Mohandas K. Gandhi, the Korean War and the social unrest in South Africa. (Lee Gallery par. 1)

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Date Rape :: essays research papers

Date Rape When people think of rape, they might think of a stranger jumping out of a shadowy place and sexually attacking someone. But in fact there different forms of sexual assault. Acquaintance Rape also known as date rape, is one of the most common among female adolescents and college students. About 60% of all reported rapes are committed by someone the victim knew. Rape is a crime of violence, and you can be arrested, prosecuted and properly punished by the law. There are ways to try to prevent date rape. The most common way to get into trouble is the idea of â€Å"you say no but you mean yes.† Since women are most often the victim of date rape, they must be firm in their response against sexual advances. If a person feels they don’t want to do something, be firm with the rejection. Being embarrassed, or coy will not send a clear signal and will lead to trouble. A possible disadvantage is that, some may take this the wrong way, perhaps of being accused of something they had no intentions of, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Another form of prevention is a specific plan. Know what’s on the itinerary, where one will be going, what kind of place it is, and inform others of possible whereabouts. This way a female for example does not find themselves in a situation that could be potentially harmful. The advantage to this is that if the date has any ideas about using date rape as a romance technique, he will see awareness and intelligence and perhaps think twice about the crime about to be committed. A disadvantage, as in any other situation, sometimes a woman with enough self esteem to protect herself, is intimidating to some men. One may find it harder to achieve a second date. The third and final way to prevent date rape is to get and pay for your own drink. Loud music and poorly lighting can definitely affect our senses, specially when it is so easy to stick a tablet into a drink that dissolves within seconds. If a female pays for her own drink and it stays with her at all times, there will be no worry of drug use for the purpose of rape. Although it is very tempting to let a handsome stranger buy drinks, it is a big risk to take, when you don’t know who that person is. Date Rape :: essays research papers Date Rape When people think of rape, they might think of a stranger jumping out of a shadowy place and sexually attacking someone. But in fact there different forms of sexual assault. Acquaintance Rape also known as date rape, is one of the most common among female adolescents and college students. About 60% of all reported rapes are committed by someone the victim knew. Rape is a crime of violence, and you can be arrested, prosecuted and properly punished by the law. There are ways to try to prevent date rape. The most common way to get into trouble is the idea of â€Å"you say no but you mean yes.† Since women are most often the victim of date rape, they must be firm in their response against sexual advances. If a person feels they don’t want to do something, be firm with the rejection. Being embarrassed, or coy will not send a clear signal and will lead to trouble. A possible disadvantage is that, some may take this the wrong way, perhaps of being accused of something they had no intentions of, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Another form of prevention is a specific plan. Know what’s on the itinerary, where one will be going, what kind of place it is, and inform others of possible whereabouts. This way a female for example does not find themselves in a situation that could be potentially harmful. The advantage to this is that if the date has any ideas about using date rape as a romance technique, he will see awareness and intelligence and perhaps think twice about the crime about to be committed. A disadvantage, as in any other situation, sometimes a woman with enough self esteem to protect herself, is intimidating to some men. One may find it harder to achieve a second date. The third and final way to prevent date rape is to get and pay for your own drink. Loud music and poorly lighting can definitely affect our senses, specially when it is so easy to stick a tablet into a drink that dissolves within seconds. If a female pays for her own drink and it stays with her at all times, there will be no worry of drug use for the purpose of rape. Although it is very tempting to let a handsome stranger buy drinks, it is a big risk to take, when you don’t know who that person is.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Hamlet: Act I Sc III Essay

In the Act I Sc III of Hamlet, the readers get three sets of conversational exchanges that illumine Shakespeare’s assured grasp over the many threads of his complicated plot. It is often argued by Feminist critics like Lee Edwards that: â€Å"We can imagine Hamlet’s story without Ophelia, but Ophelia literally has no story without Hamlet†. Except the Little digressive episode of the â€Å"few precepts† (202) of Polonius to his son, the scene throws light on the characterization and representation of Ophelia as purity and innocence personified, establishing femininity in a patriarchal discourse as passivity, subservience and lack. Laertes feels sincere anxiety for Ophelia because of Hamlet and â€Å"the trifling of his favour† (197). He warns Ophelia against the youthful Hamlet in brilliant rhetoric, who might love her for the time being, but â€Å"His greatness weigh’d, his will is, not his own†(199). The most intriguing aspect of his advices is the unmistakable anxiety for the loss of his sister’s â€Å"chaste treasure† (199) or virginity. Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain If with too credent ear you list his songs, Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open To his unmaster’d importunity. (199) This leads to stage productions of Hamlet since the 1950s where directors have hinted at an incestuous link between Ophelia and Laertes. Trevor Nunn’s production with Helen Mirren in 1970, for example, made Ophelia and Laertes flirtatious doubles. Also in the delightful text of Laurence Olivier, Confessions of an Actor (1982), he noted that in other productions of the same period, Marianne Faithful was a haggard Ophelia equally attracted to Hamlet and Laertes. In the classic study by Elaine Showalter, ‘Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism’, she notes that in one of the few performances â€Å"directed by a woman, Yvonne Nicholson sat on Laertes’ lap in the advice scene and played the part with rough sexual bravado†. The parental advices given by Polonius to Laertes were a tradition of the period. Those conventional advices establish Polonius as a man of practical prudence, experience and underline his role as the father. However, his advices for Ophelia open up deeper possibilities of thematic expansion. All his advices carry specific messages about femininity and sexuality. In a psychoanalytic seminar on Hamlet, held in Paris in 1959, Jacques Lacan argued: â€Å"As sort of a come-on, I announced that I would speak today about that piece of bait named Ophelia †¦Ã¢â‚¬  In his paper, he established Ophelia as the object of Hamlet’s male desire; in his words, â€Å"she is linked forever, for centuries, to the figure of Hamlet. † Such conceptions stem from the announcement of Polonius that Ophelia is nothing but a â€Å"green girl† (204) and advises to â€Å"Tender yourself more dearly† (204). The phallic bait game is assured when Ophelia finally utters: â€Å"I shall obey, may lord. † 9207). Critics like Theodor Lidz present the view that while Hamlet is neurotically attached to his mother, Ophelia has an unresolved Oedipal attachment to her father. In this scene, it is Ophelia’s unquestioned obedience to her father, which is in other words her subservience to the phallic order that infers her inevitable tragedy. Ophelia’s role as a sister and a daughter in a self-assertive male world obscure her sense of agency; as Polonius and Laertes not only make her doubt her own instinctive understanding of Hamlet, but also make her fear her own self by pointing out her inexperience in resisting temptation, she is â€Å"Unsifted in such perilous circumstance†(204). Confused, she takes the recluse of passive obedience. And it is the precise reason why A. C. Bradley speaking for the Victorian male tradition in Shakespearean Tragedy (1904) pointed out; â€Å"Large number of readers feels a kind of personal irritation against Ophelia; they seem unable to forgive her for not having been a heroine. † The most potential aspect of the scene is the brilliant contrast between the eloquence of the male characters and the silence of the female; that underlines Ophelia’s role of the powerless creature cornered in a fiery game of male power play who can only find meaning in madness in a patriarchal discourse. Hamlet: The Arden Shakespeare. U. K: Methuen, 2000.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Legacy of the Canadian Residential School System

We all have an identity in this world. When we were born as human beings, we were all given an identity based on our gender, ethnicity, and the society we were born in. This identity is further strengthened by our experience throughout the journey to adulthood, creating a bond and belongingness to one’s own culture. When a language is eventually learned during childhood, it becomes one of the major factors in determining our identity. Cultural customs are also integrated into our minds as we grow up.As we approach adulthood, our basic cultural identity is shaped; we maintain our cultural identity as we enter the local society, as it is the label that sticks with us for the rest of our lives. Along the way, we have the freedom to choose which of the religions to believe in, but our choices will most likely be affected by our identities as well. The First Nations people in Canada are suffering from a loss of language, religion, and identity due to the horrible past they had suff ered in the past century.In the 1880s, the residential school system was established by the government of Canada (Miller 2011). From then on, First Nations children were forced to attend these Catholic schools instituted based on European standards and regulations. Injustice went on for almost another century, in which many First Nation cultures were diminished and obliterated. Steven Harper may have apologized to the First Nations for the rest of the Canadians, but the damage is already done (Dorrell 2009). The Residential School System extinguished the hopes of Canadian First Nations in maintaining their own cultures.In this article we will use St. Mary’s, a residential school located in Mission, BC, as a case study to investigate the severity of the impact the RSS had on First Nations cultures. Language is the mean of communication of a society and a significant factor in cultural and social development. It is also the distinct identifier of a specific culture. By analyzin g the complex systems of the languages of different cultures, sociolinguists can relate the languages’ properties to aspects of the culture.Language is also tightly intertwined with the culture of a civilization: the Chinese and Japanese consider calligraphy—the act of writing in an unique but artistic way with ink brushes—a major art along with music, painting, and the chess game of Go; the Medieval Romans were inefficient and limited in their mathematics due to their numeral system until the Arabic system was introduced. In short, languages can be considered as the backbone of a culture. It is also the backbone that the First Nations began to lose as soon as the Residential School System was initiated.In residential schools, any languages other than English were forbidden; the violators of this rule were severely punished. In Terry Glavin’s Amongst God’s Own, one of his interviewee Meredith Hourie (2002: 61) commented that the nuns at St. Maryâ⠂¬â„¢s referred to the native tongues as â€Å"devil’s language†; in their eyes, speaking another language in a Catholic residential school is blasphemous. Benjamin Paul Millar (Glavin 2002: 66) felt that he was beginning to improve in his native language until he was discouraged by slaps in the face and on the backside for breaking the rules; now he could only recall a few words of his native tongue.Genevieve Douglas (Glavin 2002: 62) admitted that she cannot understand her own native language due to the policies at St. Mary’s; students were not allowed to answer to questions unless they can fully interpret what was asked and know how to respond in English, hence the students had to focus their limit in language acquisition on English. Children who were new to the residential schools (such as St. Mary’s) were not familiar with these rules. They felt alienated and were desperate to fit in.As a result, these new First Nations students had to resocializeâ⠂¬â€or â€Å"Westernize†Ã¢â‚¬â€themselves in order to survive. While these cases might seem trivial at first glance, consider this: there were 80 residential schools scattered across Canada at its peak, with over 11000 students being taught (Kirmayer, Simpson, and Cargo 2003). The magnitude is immense, and numerous dialects of the native tongues were lost. It is also worth noting that the majority of students who enrolled in St. Mary’s had Western first names and last names instead of native ones.Under these circumstances, a child would feel even more out of place when comparing one’s own name to the elders’ more native names. They might believe that they were not welcomed in their society and opt to blend into the Western society instead. For instance, a Scotland-born Chinese child would likely to grow up to be more attached to the Scottish culture if his last name was chosen by his parents to be McGregor instead of Lee. Traditions are also identifiers for the cultures they belong to. Each culture has their unique customs, beliefs, and mythologies.For example, the Gods with the most power in terms of mythologies are mostly male due to the fact that almost all cultures are male-dominant. In ancient Greek mythology, Zeus was regarded as the ruler of Mount Olympus and said to be the â€Å"Father of Gods and Men† by Hesiod, reflecting the differences in the status of genders in ancient Greece. In Chinese mythology the Gods were told and categorized as emperors, royal families, and government officials, ultimately referring to the hereditary monarchy political system that the dynasties of China followed for millennia.While First Nations traditions may not be as well known as the bigger cultures in other parts of the world, they have their unique and intriguing perspective in the world they live in. Their view on how all things ranging from animals to inanimate objects have spirit and soul is echoed by Plato’s world-soul idea. However, their inspirations cannot be further explored in the future since these First Nations beliefs are facing extinction. These traditional practices such as Shamanisms were discouraged, as they were viewed as witchcraft in the eyes of Catholicism.Due to the nature of residential schools, children could hardly see their family during their time as a student. Wayne Florence (Glavin 2002: 68) was severely injured by one of the nuns at St. Mary’s, and even then he could not gain the privilege to meet with his family, or even talk to them through the phone for that matter. This separation leads to the inability to learn of and be familiar to their customs. Not only were the children prohibited from learning of their own cultural religion and heritage, they were led and forced to believe that there is only one â€Å"correct† religion—Roman Catholicism.According to Catholic rules, all other religions are false and are blasphemous. First Nations students lear ned that they were not born with freedom, but with sins to be cleansed of; this idea induced fear in them and contempt in their traditions. Aside from a loss of culture, it was estimated by scholars that as many as half of the children died during their involvement in the residential schools, either from abuse or committing suicide (Robertson 2003). We are living in the generation of globalization. In Canada, it is not uncommon for one to have multiple cultural backgrounds.We can notice numerous people of Chinese descent who do not know a single word of Mandarin nor Cantonese; Scandinavians who do not feel the urge to assimilate into another culture’s customs, and even Indian-Canadian comedians who became successful amongst the public by showing observational humor with regards to racial dissimilarities. These people of the general public—whose voices can be heard through the media—are of a majority; whether they are currently living in their affiliated society they were born in or have their homes on the other side of the globe, they feel that they are a member of their culture.No matter which part of the world it is, dates with cultural significance like Christmas, the Lunar New Year, and the Ramadan are celebrated and practiced annually. The same cannot apply to the First Nations in Canada after the residential school system tragedies. Imagine that no one can understand your first language and cultural customs—while communication with others will still be possible through other means like secondary and body language, you can hardly feel the familiarity and ease in comparison to talking freely in your own first language. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?If you know a language but no one else can comprehend it, does it still exist? If no one in the world other than you knew the family gathering tradition on Thanksgiving, would this day still mean anything at all? While these question s may seem hypothetical to us, the First Nations in Canada are facing these issues today. Writings and symbolic arts in dying tribes may never see their original meaning comprehendible ever again. Canada may consider First Nation reserves and universities as national treasures, but the fact is that cultural maintenance in these smaller tribes is not encouraged and our treasure is continuously decreasing in depth.All cultures in the world are established by the contributions of their people over time; they are the condensation of knowledge, customs, heritage, and language. Each culture is unique in its own way, and should be preserved with the most effort. However, not only did settlers and colonizers took over the First Nations’ lands by force, they also nearly wiped out their culture with a weapon in the form of the Residential School System. These residential schools, such as St.Mary’s, denied the students of their chance to inherit their respective culture, and even took away some of their lives as a byproduct in resocialization. As a result, First Nations languages and traditions were lost; some First Nation survivor might even be the last remaining member of his or her tribe. These are losses that we simply cannot put ourselves into their perspective. I sincerely hope that the government of Canada will not only compensate, but also try their best to maintain the enduring First Nations cultures someday; an apology is simply not enough.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Code Switching Definition and Examples in Language

Code Switching Definition and Examples in Language Code switching (also code-switching, CS) is the practice of moving back and forth between two languages  or between two dialects or registers of the same language at one time. Code switching  occurs far more often in  conversation  than in  writing. It is also called code-mixing and style-shifting.  It is studied by linguists to examine when people do it, such as under what circumstances do bilingual speakers switch from one to another, and it is studied by sociologists to determine why people do it, such as how it relates to their belonging to a group or the surrounding context of the conversation (casual, professional, etc.) Examples and Observations Code-switching performs several functions (Zentella, 1985). First, people may use code-switching to hide fluency or memory problems in the second language (but this accounts for about only 10 percent of code switches). Second, code-switching is used to mark switching from informal situations (using native languages) to formal situations (using the second language). Third, code-switching is used to exert control, especially between parents and children. Fourth, code-switching is used to align speakers with others in specific situations (e.g., defining oneself as a member of an ethnic group). Code-switching also functions to announce specific identities, create certain meanings, and facilitate particular interpersonal relationships (Johnson, 2000, p. 184). (William B. Gudykunst, Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication, 4th ed. Sage, 2004)In a relatively small Puerto Rican neighborhood in New Jersey, some members freely used code-switching styles and extreme forms of bo rrowing both in everyday casual talk and in more formal gatherings. Other local residents were careful to speak only Spanish with a minimum of loans on formal occasions, reserving code-switching styles for informal talk. Others again spoke mainly English, using Spanish or code-switching styles only with small children or with neighbors. (John J. Gumperz and Jenny Cook-Gumperz, Introduction: Language and the Communication of Social Identity. Language and Social Identity. Cambridge University Press, 1982) African-American Vernacular English and Standard American English It is common to find references to black speakers who code switch between AAVE [African-American Vernacular English] and SAE [Standard American English] in the presence of whites or others speaking SAE. In employment interviews (Hopper WIlliams, 1973; Akinnaso Ajirotutu, 1982), formal education in a range of settings (Smitherman, 2000), legal discourse (Garner Rubin, 1986), and various other contexts, it is advantageous for blacks to have code-switching competence. For a black person who can switch from AAVE to SAE in the presence of others who are speaking SAE, code switching is a skill that holds benefits in relation to the way success is often measured in institutional and professional settings. However, there are more dimensions to code switching than the black/white patterns in institutional settings. (George B. Ray, Language and Interracial Communication in the United States: Speaking in Black and White. Peter Lang, 2009) A Fuzzy-Edged Concept The tendency to reify code switching as a unitary and clearly identifiable phenomenon has been questioned by [Penelope] Gardner-Chloros (1995: 70), who prefers to view code switching as a fuzzy-edged concept. For her, the conventional view of code switching implies that speakers make binary choices, operating in one code or the other at any given time, when in fact code switching overlaps with other kinds of bilingual mixture, and the boundaries between them are difficult to establish. Moreover, it is often impossible to categorize the two codes involved in code switching as discrete and isolatable. (Donald Winford, An Introduction to Contact Linguistics. Wiley-Blackwell, 2003) Code Switching and Language Change The role of CS, along with other symptoms of contact, in language change is still a matter of discussion. ... On the one hand, the relationship between contact and language change is now generally acknowledged: few espouse the traditional view that change follows universal, language-internal principles such as simplification, and takes place in the absence of contact with other varieties (James Milroy 1998). On the other hand, ... some researchers still downplay the role of CS in change, and contrast it with borrowing, which is seen as a form of convergence. (Penelope Gardner-Chloros, Contact and Code-Switching. The Handbook of Language Contact, ed. by Raymond Hickey. Blackwell, 2010)

Monday, November 4, 2019

Legal infrastructure in Asian countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Legal infrastructure in Asian countries - Essay Example Instead, it is an action of society in which it has a need to direct by Government law, policies of the specific countries, where these activities are going to start and where these special programs are needed. To develop an industry like legal Information Technology, agriculture, and marketing etc, the knowledge of market of specific country is also very necessary. A market design tells about the thickness, congestion, and safety of an industry.Boat and Yacht industry is an excellent opportunity for China because China’s development Marines is speedy. China’s market is very slow still because of China’s rules and regulations regarding boat industry. There is not clear concept of laws, taxation and license in China as compare to other countries. To develop this industry China needs numbers of boats and yacht because it will be costly to purchase from other countries without any expertise. Many foreign shareholders can take benefits of it by investing in this busi ness industry. to develop such industry China has to take license so that the business dispute and social dispute can be settled and people can save from any legal pursuit and take benefits from fair dealing. CCP has reforms its laws and attempted to train the lawyers for effective deals with increasing commercial and civil caseload. The CCP’s purpose is to establish the legal infrastructure of the China and has ventured on this in technocratic style of analyzing the laws of other countries and systemizing its Chinese adoption.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Legal & Ethical Issues in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal & Ethical Issues in Nursing - Essay Example -The second principle implies that, under some circumstances, the physicians can rely on implied informed consent of the patient information in order to deliver their services as illustrated when the staff used information from Antonia. The patient disclosed that he wanted to kill himself, and they, therefore, used the information to put him under soft psychiatric restraints pending the admission to the acute care psychiatric unit to prevent harm (Ginny, 2010). -The third principle is that paediatricians should bring out the best health outcomes, and should collaborate with other health care teams in creating safe environments for patients as well as prevent the medical errors. We get this from the Antonia’s wife suing the medical staff and the facility for ignoring the health condition of her husband (Ginny, 2010). Defendants Defendants refer to any person/object charged of committing a crime. The defendant must answer the plaintiff in the civil lawsuit before the court, or before the party accused or charged of violating the criminal statute. In the case presented, defendants comprise the staff members and the facility. Staff members could be potentially held liable for failing to provide the direct patient observation. The staff should take charge of one-to-one observation of the patient as outlined in the paediatric principles. Failure to take care of the patient results to harmful consequences, of which some may result to death as in the case of Garcia. This clearly indicates neglect of duties and responsibilities. The staffs were aware of the condition of the patient, and after administering restraints, they failed to keep a check. (Ginny, 2010). Court Ruling I think the court will judge against the staff and the facility. This is because there is evidence of complete ignorance of regulations and rules of paediatric principles. First, failure of observing the patient on one-to-one basis until he runs away is a serious offense that shows the neglect of duty. This is an unconstitutional violation of patient’s safety law. Usually, medical malpractice is a serious offense in law, and lawyers use it to refer to negligence resulting in injury or death by the healthcare provider upon failure to adhere to the accepted standards of practice for relevant procedure. Professional care providers refer to doctors, technicians, nursing home facilities and hospitals among other entities involved in the provision of medical care. Also, medical malpractice may occur through the outpatient with hospital negligence involved. The cases involving medical malpractice are handled by the law firm where the attorneys prove the l iability of the hospital in offering resources to insurance companies. The court is likely to penalize the medical staff. Also, the court can review their rulings and formulate Acts that will protect the patients against medical malpractice. For instance, giving the examples on such court rulings; in August 2007, a woman in California underwent mastectomy twice, after which she discovered that she never had breast cancer. A medical malpractice lawsuit ruled of payment of $198,000. The breasts of Ana Jimenez-Salgado were removed at Los Angeles hospital after external pathologists said that the biopsy results indicated that the cells were cancerous. She discovered that she never had cancer after she went for reconstructive surgery later. The lawsuit alleged on negligence of

Thursday, October 31, 2019

ART HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ART HISTORY - Essay Example This construction is often used in bazaars in some of the Arab markets today. Pei and Parteners.The Bank of China, 1989 was constructed as beautiful architectural masterpiece with geometrical perfection of the mathematical design of each piece of glass. This was the precursor of his constructing the pyramids of the Louvre. Architecture in the commercial world has been transformed into art in itself. The design of Pei, the US Pavillon of Budminister Fuller and the beautiful buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright are just a small indication of how architechure has changed since the early 1950's. Art is to be beautiful to the eye visible at 180Â ° and promote social cohesion. Chapter 10: MORTALITY AND IMMORTALITY Man was deified and made immortal through art. 3000 BCE were the Pyramids in Egypt or the Chichen Itza in Mexico. Because of many social changes including the overcrowding of cities, graveyards became the responsibility of civil authorities. This can be seen in the Romanticism era wi th Pere LaChaise in 1804. (p265). As more controls were established less ornaments were allowed on gravestones. In some graveyards, stones were discontinued all together as in Memorial Lawn outside of Los Angeles. It is significant to bring up the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square (p 266) for the architecture of the building and for the statue outside. A similar edifice can be seen in North Korea and in Moscow. There are two photos in this section which the writer feels should go in Chapter 12. Chapter 12: SOCIAL PROTEST AND AFFIRMATION The following two photos were in the last chapter for the number of people who have died. It is important to look at the date of publication of this book and the six years that have past and the importance of social affirmation. "Modern commemorative art serves a psychological need of loss" and of closure. The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a commemorative work which promotes cohesion. Other commemorative works in Chapter 11: USA MARINE CORPS WAR ( p 297) and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, (p 1982) No other time in history have people been able to congregate in masses to mourn their losses. The most significant piece of architecture today is the computer designed Liberty Tower or 7TC. Land has been broken and it is scheduled to be finished in 2013. This site represents a corporate structure built will a shape that has never been used before which has no national or cultural significance. It will be used a memorial for the thousands who have died and who have died in war. In building one of the highest buildings in the world, it will be a social protest and a social affirmation that terrorism can be won. The context might be considered subjective to those who were not part of September 11 2001. Context therefore is depended on the person's culture. An American reading this report will not have the same perspective as someone from an Eastern

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Diwali Essay Example for Free

Diwali Essay Deepavali or Diwali, popularly known as the festival of lights, is a five-day Hindu festival[3] which starts on Dhanteras, celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna paksha (dark fortnight) of the Hindu calendar month Ashwin and ends on Bhaubeej, celebrated on second lunar day of Shukla paksha of the Hindu calendar month Kartik. Dhanteras usually falls eighteen days after Dussehra. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali is an official holiday in India,[4] Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC.[5][6] Arya Samajists, celebrate this day as Death Anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. They also celebrate this day as Shardiya Nav-Shasyeshti. The name Diwali or Divali is a contraction of deepavali which translates into row of lamps.[7] Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.[8] These lamps are kept on during the night and ones house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome.[9] Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits.[10][11][12] During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year. The second day of the festival is called the Naraka Chaturdasi. Amavasya, the third day of Diwali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The fourth day of Diwali is known as Kartika Shudda Padyami. The fifth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya, and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes. Deepavali or Diwali, popularly known as the festival of lights, is a five-day Hindu festival[3] which starts on Dhanteras, celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna  paksha (dark fortnight) of the Hindu calendar month Ashwin and ends on Bhaubeej, celebrated on second lunar day of Shukla paksha of the Hindu calendar month Kartik. Dhanteras usually falls eighteen days after Dussehra. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali is an official holiday in India,[4] Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC.[5][6] Arya Samajists, celebrate this day as Death Anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. They also celebrate this day as Shardiya Nav-Shasyeshti. The name Diwali or Divali is a contraction of deepavali which translates into row of lamps.[7] Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.[8] These lamps are kept on during the night and ones house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome.[9] Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits.[10][11][12] During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year. The second day of the festival is called the Naraka Chaturdasi. Amavasya, the third day of Diwali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The fourth day of Diwali is known as Kartika Shudda Padyami. The fifth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya, and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes. It begins in late Ashvin (between September and October) and ends in early Kartika (between October and November). The days in Ashvin are in the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) of that month, while the days in Kartik are in its Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight). The first day is Dhan Teras. The last day is Yama  Dvitiya, which signifies the second day of the light half of Kartika. Each day of Diwali marks one celebration of the six principal stories associated with the festival. Hindus have several significant events associated with Diwali: The return of Rama after 14 years of Vanvas (exile). To welcome his return, diyas (ghee lamps) are lit in total of 14. The killing of Narakasura: Celebrated as Naraka Chaturdashi, one day before Diwali, it commemorates the killing of the evil demon Narakasura, who wreaked havoc. In different versions, either Krishna or Krishnas wife Satyabhama killed Narakasura during the Dwapara yuga. Other events associated with Diwali include: Return of Pandavas after 12 years of Vanvas and one year of agyatavas (living incognito). Diwali being the festival of lights, across India people celebrate it via symbolic diyas or kandils (colourful paper lanterns) as an integral part of Diwali decorations. Diwali celebrations are spread over five days, from Dhanteras to Bhaiduj. In some places like Maharashtra it starts with Vasu Baras. All the days except Diwali are named according to their designation in the Hindu calendar. The days are: 1.Govatsa Dwadashi or Vasu Baras (27 Ashvin or 12 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Go means cow and vatsa means calf. Dwadashi or Baras means the 12th day. On this day the cow and calf are worshiped. The story associated with this day is that of King Prithu, son of the tyrant King Vena. Due to the ill rule of Vena, there was a terrible famine and earth stopped being fruitful. Prithu chased the earth, who is usually represented as cow, and ‘milked’ her, meaning that he brought prosperity to the land. 2.Dhanatrayodashi or Dhan teras or Dhanwantari Triodasi (28 Ashvin or 13 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Dhana means wealth and Trayodashi means 13th day. This day falls on the 13th day of the second half of the lunar month. It is considered an auspicious day for buying utensils and gold, hence the name ‘Dhana’. This day is regarded as the Jayanti (Birth Anniversary) of God Dhanvantari, the Physician of Gods, who came out during Samudra manthan, the churning of the great ocean by the gods and the demons. 3.Naraka Chaturdashi (29 Ashvin or 14 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Chaturdashi is the 14th day This was the day on which the demon Narakasura was killed by Krishna – an incarnation of Vishnu. It signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness (Gujarati: Kali Chaudas, Rajasthan : Roop Chaudas). In southern India, this is the actual day of festivities. Hindus wake up before dawn, have a fragrant oil bath and dress in new clothes. They light small lamps all around the house and draw elaborate kolams /rangolis outside their homes. They perform a special puja with offerings to Krishna or Vishnu, as he liberated the world from the demon Narakasura on this day. It is believed that taking a bath before sunrise, when the stars are still visible in the sky is equivalent to taking a bath in the holy Ganges. After the puja, children burst firecrackers heralding the defeat of the demon. As this is a day of rejoicing, many will have very elaborate breakfasts and lunches and meet family and friends. 4.Lakshmi Puja (30 Ashvin or 15 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Lakshmi Puja marks the most important day of Diwali celebrations in North India. Hindu homes worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Ganesh, the God of auspicious beginnings also known as the remover of obastacles, and then light deeyas (little clay pots) in the streets and homes to welcome prosperity and well-being. 5.Bali Pratipada and Govardhan Puja (1 Kartika or 1 Shukla Paksha Kartika) : In North India, this day is celebrated as Govardhan Puja, also called Annakoot, and is celebrated as the day Krishna – an incarnation of god Vishnu – defeated Indra and by the lifting of Govardhana hill to save his kinsmen and cattle from rain and floods. For Annakoot, large quantities of food are decorated symbolising the Govardhan hill lifted by Krishna. In Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it is celebrated as Bali-Pratipada or Bali Padyami. The day commemorates the victory of Vishnu in his dwarf form Vamana over the demon-king Bali, who was pushed into the patala. In Maharashtra, it is called Padava or Nava Diwas (new day). Men present gifts to thei r wives on this day. It is celebrated as the first day of the Vikram Samvat calendar, in Gujarat. 6.Yama Dwitiya or Bhaiduj (also Bhayyaduj, Bhaubeej or Bhayitika) (2 Kartika or 2 Shukla Paksha Kartika): on this day, brothers and sisters meet to express love and affection for each other (Gujarati: Bhai Bij, Bengali: Bhai Phota). It is based on a story when Yama, lord of Death, visited his sister Yami (the river Yamuna). Yami welcomed Yama with an Aarti  and they had a feast together. Yama gave a gift to Yami while leaving as a token of his appreciation. So, the day is also called YAMA DWITIYA. Brothers visit their sisters’ place on this day and usually have a meal there, and also give gifts to their sisters Goddess Lakshmi Puja[edit source] Main article: Lakshmi Puja Diwali marks the end of the harvest season in most of India. Farmers give thanks for the bounty of the year gone by, and pray for a good harvest for the year to come. Traditionally this marked the closing of accounts for businesses dependent on the agrarian cycle, and is the last major celebration before winter. Lakshmi symbolises wealth and prosperity, and her blessings are invoked for a good year ahead. There are two legends that associate the worship of Lakshmi on this day. According to the first legend, on this day, Lakshmi emerged from Kshira Sagar, the Ocean of Milk, during the great churning of the oceans, Samudra manthan. The second legend (more popular in western India) relates to the Vamana avatar of the big three Vishnu, the incarnation he assumed to kill the king Bali. On this day, Vishnu came back to his abode the Vaikuntha; so those who worship Lakshmi receive the benefit of her benevolent mood, and are blessed with mental, physical and material well-being.[13] As per spiritual references, on this day Lakshmi-panchayatan enters the Universe. Vishnu, Indra, Kubera, Gajendra and Lakshmi are elements of this panchayatan (a group of five). The tasks of these elements are: Lakshmi: Divine Energy (Shakti) which provides energy to all the above activities. Vishnu: Happiness (happiness and satisfaction) Kubera: Wealth (generosity; one who shares wealth) Indra: Opulence (satisfaction due to wealth) Gajendra: Carries the wealth Saraswati: Knowledge Diwali is not only celebrated by Hindus; it is somewhat also a Sikh festival as it marks the Bandi Chhor Divas festival. Spiritual significance[edit source] While Diwali is popularly known as the festival of lights, the most significant spiritual meaning behind it is the awareness of the inner light. Central to Hindu mythology is the belief that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. The celebration of Diwali as the victory of good over evil, refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance, the ignorance that masks ones true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening comes compassion and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings anand (joy or peace). Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this Inner Light. While the story behind Diwali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region (festive fireworks, worship, lights, sharing of sweets), the essence is the same – to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying Reality of all things (Brahman).