Human Diversity and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Human Diversity and Justice - Essay Example Another reason for exception is to give way for the cases in which the permissibility of abortion is in line with the argument. According to marquis, abortion is permissible if the continuation of pregnancy will endanger a woman’s life. Killing a fetus is wrong just as killing an adult human being. This is because killing denies us an opportunity to unleash our potential, achieve our dreams and reach a moment of self actualization. What makes abortion wrong is the fact that killing a human being deprives him/her the value of his/her future. There is what we value now, and what we would have to value later, so it becomes a serious issue to kill children and infants. The main objection to marquis argument is that fetuses do not have a desire to go on living and killing them is not wrong. He continues to argue that only victims can be wronged since they have sentience. An embryo is not a victim, it does not have sentience and, therefore, it is not wrong to have an abortion (Landa u, 2007). The most serious problem with this argument is the killing of embryos that do not have the sentience. Anti-abortionists claim that fetuses are both human and alive and human beings have a right to life. Therefore, fetuses have a right to life too. ... Abortion activists mostly appeal to the criterion of being human. In this sense, fetuses are clearly human; they do not belong to another species. A correct theory on the wrong of killing a fetus is similar to how it would be wrong to kill peaceful persons from outer space who come to pay a visit to our planet regardless of whether they biologically resemble us or not. If they are persons like us, they will have futures like ours so it would be wrong to kill them. For marquis, his stand against abortion is too absurd to be acceptable. His emphasis is on the value of life rather than a potential person. These arguments then are too absurd to be acceptable because they deem contraception as being wrong (Landau, 2007). Question 2 Most of Thomson’s arguments on the defense for abortion rely on the premise that a fetus is a human being - a human being from the time of conception. To her, the argument that the development of a human being from conception to childhood is not clear be cause there is no point for distinction between being a person at one stage and not a person on the other. Concluding that a fetus is a human being from the time of conception is not valid. She does not support the different stages of development of a fetus into a child. Her assertion is that the fetus is already a person well before birth. By the age of ten weeks, the fetus begins to acquire human characteristics like face, arms and legs as well as brain organs. A fertilized ovum is just like an acorn in an oak tree. Thompson gives an anecdote of a kidnapped person who wakes up to find himself attached to an unconscious violinist who has a fatal kidney failure. His circulatory system has been plugged to the victim for him to survive. Both have a right to life, but the victim’s

The Three major Categories of Motives Essay Example for Free

The Three major Categories of Motives Essay MOTIVES Motives can be define as a distressful feeling experienced by a person or animal that is ended by performing a behaviour that the organism believes will or might end the feeling.   According to encyclopaedia britannica it is defined as those forces acting either on or within a person to initiate behaviour. (Encyclopaedia Britannica) Motives are often categorize into Primary (basic), Secondary (learned) and Stimulus Primary Motives include hunger, thirst, sex, avoidance of pain. It’s unlearned motives and common to both animals and human. It is related to homeostasis which is basically entails maintenance of normal (steady) physiologic body state.   Primary motive acts to maintain homeostasis. Example of primary motives is the feeling of hunger which is also known as need for food. Secondary motive; are learned motives. They varied from one animal to the other and person to person. Example of secondary motives includes curiosity, ambition, competition, aggression, interest, Attitudes, Achievement and Power motivation. It’s usually acquired as part of socialization process. Study also indicates that individuals have the ability to learn new motives. The motives can be acquired by the following technique; classical, instrumental, and observational learning. Stimulus motives are innate but they involve motives to increase rather than decrease stimulation. People and lower animals need stimulation and activity. They also require exploration and manipulation. Example of stimulus motives can occur when someone is walking under a mango tree and a ripe mango fell on his head. The distressful feeling he might experience would be pain on the head as a result of the impact from the mango. This can subsequently motivate him to take analgesic when he gets home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reference John, Philip, Smith. (2006).   Motives. Immediate cause of Behavior. Alternative Psycological Textbook. Retrieved July 12, 2008. From http://members.aol.com/psychquery.

Cell phones and handheld computers advancement

Cell phones and handheld computers advancement Cell phones and handheld computers are two important technological inventions that have changed the face of our world as we see it today. Since the emergence of cell phones, many people are able to communicate wireless without having to stay at home communicating through their LAN line phone and dont have to worry about all of those dangling phone chords that are just unnecessary. Most people use cell phones as an electronic device for mobile telecommunications such as mobile telephone, text messaging, and or data transmission over a cellular network of specialized base stations known as cell sites. The current cell phones of today support many additional services and accessories such as SMS for text messaging, email, packet switching for access to the Internet, gaming, Bluetooth, infrared, camera with video recorder and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video, MP3, AM/FM radio, and GPS. Cordless phones just seem to pose a big hassle for people who are always on the go and als o for many people who work for big time businesses. Handheld computers were the successors for the desktop computers t and are mostly used for in home usage for those people who dont go out very much are just love doing all of their work and or business from the privacy of their own home. Laptop computers are designed for mobile use and are very small and light enough to sit on a persons lap while in use. A laptop computer integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device (a touchpad, also known as a track pad, and or a pointing stick), speakers, and often including a battery, into a single small and light unit. The older desktops didnt have as many features as the newer ones which posses most of the features that a current laptop has minus the ability to connect to the internet wireless. It seems like year after year, there are more new technological advances to both cell phones and laptop computers. For example, a n ewer advancement to cell phones is that most cell phone manufactures are starting to make cell phones that are touch screen. This allows people to be able to not always have to use their keypads to dial numbers or type out messages. The development of Bluetooth technology has also had an impact and has saved many lives by allowing the user to be able to answer thir cell phone without even picking up the phone so they will be able to focus on any situation rather than picking up the phone and holding it to their ears which is sometimes complicated. Also, with laptop computers, the new advancements of bigger and better hard drives and WIFI technology have proven to be the best new advancements. I feel that since new technological advancements are made with these two products every year, it will be very exciting to see what new advancements will be in store for both of these products in the near future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cell phones have really made a very big impact on organizations in the way employees communicate, conduct transactions, and access information in the workplace. With the quick development in technology, cell phones are surely becoming more and more popular with each passing day (Sedycias, pg 1).With the invention of cell phones, employees and employers are able to communicate through cell phone technology to receive and send data. Back in the day, people had to communicate through sending messages through mail rather than being able to send messages through the telephone which I find is much easier to do than sending messages through the mail. For example, many of the people back in the day had to send their messages through mail or typewrite their letters in order to try to communicate with other people. Since there were no telephones back then, you had future inventors thinking up ways to improve their technology even back before my time. When th e telephone was invented, people didnt realize how much far in advancement that the telephone would have reached after they were dead and gone and the newer generation started to play important roles in technological inventions. Cell phones have taken over the LAN line telephones of the past and even though many people still use regular phones in their houses, I tend to use my cell phone on a daily basis which I can communicate with my employer or employees in case of an emergency or if I have any data that I want to share with them while I am away from my home. Communication is very important in the workplace and also outside the workplace and thats when cell phones really come into play. Most employers want to know where their employees are if something happens to them which can prevent them from coming into work. It is much easier to have a cell phone in a situation like this because if you have to call your employer to inform he or she that you will be late or cant make it to wo rk, you will have your cell phone with you to inform your manager about any situations or incidents that you may have. Im not saying that this could not be accomplished through a LAN line phone, but it is good for everyone to have their own personal phone due to the fact that a lot of people cannot be trusted and then you are forced to try to use other peoples phones to try to contact your employers or your family members in case of an emergency. Also, companies can use cell phones to conduct business transactions. If companies want to make purchases or conduct transactions, they will be able to without having to leave their desks. They will be able to use their own cell phones and conduct any business related transactions that they may need to do. I feel that it is very much convenient because employers and employees will be able to communicate with people all over the world from the comfort of their own home or at the workplace. Having cell phones makes business peoples lives much easier because they are so much more convenient than regular phones due to their accessibility and that now you can do so much more with a cell phone than a regular phone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Handheld computers or as some say laptop computers has also made a big impact on society as well as an impact on big corporations. Computers I feel were a big enhancement from the original typewriters which were used back then in order to type and deliver messages. Since the emergence of computers, many people will be able to send and receive messages without even having to leave the comfort of their own homes. It has also helped corporations with preparing presentations as well as making transactions with other business and consumers without having to have a face to face meeting. When laptop computers started to emerge, they quickly became an instant impact because of the fact that people were used to dealing with bigger PC computers which were too heavy to carry around on a day to day basis. By having a laptop computer handy, people and businesses now had the opportunity to actually carry their own personal computer around with them to take care of any business that they needed to take care of. For example, companies use laptops a lot when preparing presentations and for doing business related work outside and inside of the workplace. It has made life so much easier for them because they do not have to sit at a desk all day on a PC computer to do any of their work. Whether they are out shopping or on the road, they can still communicate with other employees and workers through their laptop whenever they feel the need to. I have also started to notice that many people are starting to not buy PC computers anymore and that many are starting to make the switch to purchasing laptop computers. For the price of a laptop, you could purchase a desktop, which is faster, easier to expand and more powerful,(Jasper, pg 2). Laptop computers bring customers and business convenience and immediate access to information whether its from saved files or from the Internet. They allow for better collaboration between employees and managers meani ng that laptop computers can be flipped open to find a solution anytime and anywhere. For examples, if you are someone you know is in a meeting and had forgotten an important document, they can simply access it at any time and any other information that they have forgotten from their laptop computer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that both cell phones and laptop computers have both had a really major impact on organizations in many ways and I believe that there is plenty of room for improvement. With cell phones, there are many new technological features which include games, internet, touch screen options, MP3, picture messaging, and also text messaging. These are all really great features that are very beneficial, but I also feel that a new feature that can be added to cell phones that would be very beneficial to organizations is probably a video chatting option. This will enable people who work for companies the opportunity to talk to other co-workers and see them at the same time while they are talking chatting with them. This feature will be able to let business communicate with other business and be able to actually watch them though the telephone or if someone is unable to attend a very important meeting due to delay, they will still be able to listen and wa tch the meeting form their cell phone. I would really love to see this feature added to cell phones for the simple fact that many employees who work for big companies are faced with transportation issues and issues that may deal with a family emergency which can cause them to be absent for one day or maybe late. The new technological feature of cell phone chatting will be able to place that employee at work without even physically being there which can work out for both the employee and the employer. In the case of laptop computers, I feel that here has been many new technological advances that have really impacted businesses and provided them with easier ways of communications and despite all of the advancements from the original PC computers to the personal laptops, I would love to see better security programs to prevent viruses, hackers, and spyware form damaging the laptop and also placing a built in tracking device for laptops. I feel that with newer and enhanced security progr ams, this will be able to help business from damaging viruses, hackers, and spyware that can potentially do harm to their laptops. If a computer in general catches a virus, it will cost the company money to get this problem fixed and this could cause that company to lose money as well as important data. Also, by having a built in tracking device located inside of laptop computers will allow employees to be able to track their computer in case of a theft. When working for a business, there are a lot of personal and confidential information that is stored in laptops which if lost without a backup disk can be harmful if that information is lost or is in the hands of a thief. I feel that companies and their employees should always have that extra added protection when owning a laptop computer for daily personal needs and for company matters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In closing, even though there has been many technological changes in todays society, I feel that the emergence of cell phones and handheld computers has had the most impact on my life, but I also feel that business were also majorly impacted by the emergence of cell phones and handheld computers as well. Such advancements as E-Commerce, Intranets and Extranets, and distance learning all aided in the way businesses operates, but I feel that all of these did not make a bigger impact on our society as the cell phones or handheld computers did. I feel that technological advances are really hard to follow especially if you are working in a business environment and knowing that whenever technology changes, that you must change also. One of the major things about on-demand is that it helps a business become not just more innovative, but also much more efficient and much more responsive to change (Wladawsky-Berger, pg 1). I try my best to stay prepared for any new technological advancements or any new changes that are bound to happen whenever I am working for any company. I feel that since our world is filled with the ability to develop and manufacture newer and more innovative products every year, it is very important to try to adapt to whatever new technology that is created especially when working in a business environment because the one thing that businesses likes are employees that catch on and adapt to their surroundings quick and are able to do whatever is necessary to take their company to the next level. Resources http://kb.wisc.edu/showroom/page.php?id=3044 http://www.inc.com/telecom/articles/200802/cellphone.html. Valencia, Gina. Convenience Main Benefit of Laptops. Daily Trojan.1999.pg 2. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-using-a-cell-phone.html. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2002/tc20021231_1219.htm.

Solar Cookers: They’re not just for Greenpeace :: Essays Papers

Solar Cookers: They’re not just for Greenpeace Solar cookers are not only part of our solar history, but quite possibly, part of our solar future as well. Solar cookers are thought to have originated around 1767. A Swiss naturalist named Horace de Saussure is believed to be the first solar cooking pioneer. Since the solar cookers invention, it has taken on three basic forms; the box solar cooker, the panel solar cooker, and the parabolic solar cooker. Like many renewable energy applications, each design has distinct advantages and drawbacks over traditional cookers as well as other solar designs. The box solar cooker is the simplest in design and therefore, the easiest to recreate. Directions on building one’s own box solar cooker can be found easily with an internet search. Box solar ovens can also be purchased commercially and range in price from $50.00 to upwards of $200.00. Typical box solar cookers are lightweight, easily set-up, and fairly safe. They do not lend themselves towards the most intense cooking temperatures. However solar cooking proponents are quick to point out that high temperatures aren’t necessary for cooking. The lower the temperature, the more time needed to cook. Also, food cannot exceed 212ï‚ °F until all of water has been evaporated, so really, any hotter than that is unnecessary. Many proponents also describe boiling times in terms of hours. Panel solar cookers are one step up in complexity from the box cooker. They can typically be assembled in an hour or so. These are widely produced in developing nations. They can be mass produced inexpensively and are easy to use. They reach generally higher temperatures but are less suited to cooking in more temperate environments. Manufactured units are available, though harder to find. The third solar cooker, the parabolic cooker, is the most variable in appearance. Some are very large exceeding 10 feet in diameter and others are so small they can be taken as a backpacking cook stove. They units available commercially are also variable; the relatively simple SolaReflex by Clear dome is 2 ft by 2 ft and retails for $89.00. Parabolic cookers can also be found for prices in excess of $200.00. Parabolic cookers can also be dangerous. They can create bright spots that can do damage to the eyes as well as hot spots that could burn you or your food.

Social Media and Violence

Why are so many young people turning to prescription drugs to get high? By survey, almost 50% of teens believe that taking prescription drugs is much safer than using illegal street drugs. Prescription drug abuse is a major issue that does not seem to be moving towards a solution. There's a reason why prescription drugs are intended to be taken under a doctor's direction if people don’t use them as they are to be taken, they can be extremely dangerous. Despite what many people think, abusing prescription drugs is not safer than abusing illicit drugs.The facts do state that prescription drugs can have dangerous short and long-term health consequences when used incorrectly or by someone other than they were intended for. Medicines are drugs that are intended to speed up or slow down or change something about the way your body is working, to try to make it work better. Sometimes they are necessary. But they are still drugs: they act as stimulants or sedatives, and too much can ki ll you. So if you do not use medicines as they are supposed to be used, they can be as dangerous as illegal drugs.People take drugs because they want to change something in their lives. Here are some of the reasons young people have given for taking drugs: * To fit in * To escape or relax * To relieve boredom * To seem grown up * To rebel * To experiment Young people think drugs are a solution. But eventually the drugs become the problem. To some it may be difficult to face problems, the consequences of drug use are always worse than the problem a person is trying to solve with them. The real answer is to get the facts and not to take drugs in the first place.Something that is not known by most young people is the risk they are taking by consuming these highly potent and mind altering drugs. Long term use of painkillers can lead to dependence, even for people who are prescribed them to relieve a medical condition but eventually get caught up in an addiction. In many cases, the dange rs of painkillers don’t surface until it is too late. In 2007, abuse of the painkiller Fentanyl killed more than 1,000 people. The drug was found to be thirty to fifty times more powerful than heroin. Association, 2012) Prescription painkillers are powerful drugs that interfere with the nervous system’s transmission of the nerve signals we perceive as pain. Most painkillers also stimulate portions of the brain associated with pleasure. So, while blocking pain, they produce a high. The most powerful prescription painkillers are called opioids. They are manufactured to react on the nervous system in the same way as drugs made from the opium poppy, like heroin. The most commonly abused opioid painkillers include oxycodone- is the number one abused prescription drug and has the greatest dangers.It is as powerful as heroin and affects the nervous system the same way, hydrocodone, meperidine, hydromorphone and propoxyphene. (htt2) According to the National Center on Addictio n and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, teens who abuse prescription drugs are twice as likely to use alcohol, five times more likely to use marijuana, and twelve to twenty times more likely to use illegal street drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and cocaine than teens who do not abuse prescription drugs. (Association, 2012)What is our government doing to help? In 2011 the Obama Administration with the help of the National Drug Control Strategy came up with a prescription drug abuse prevention plan and is as follows. * Education. A crucial first step in tackling the problem of prescription drug abuse is to educate parents, youth, and patients about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs, while requiring prescribers to receive education on the appropriate and safe use, and proper storage and disposal of prescription drugs. * Monitoring.Implement prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) in every state to reduce â€Å"doctor shopping† and diversion, and enhance PDMPs t o make sure they can share data across states and are used by healthcare providers. * Proper Medication Disposal. Develop convenient and environmentally responsible prescription drug disposal programs to help decrease the supply of unused prescription drugs in the home. * Enforcement. Provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to eliminate improper prescribing practices and stop pill mills. (htt4)Prescription drug addiction is a huge problem and appears to be growing. All people of life are affected by prescription drug abuse. Drug abuse in any form is a very serious issue and should be addressed as quickly as possible. http;//kidshealth. org/teen/drug_alcohol/drugs/prescription_drug_abuse. html http://www. theantidrug. com/drugabuse/prescription-drug-rx-abuse/default. aspx http://www. whitehouse. gov/ondcp/prescription-drug-abuse Association, A. p. (2012). School Librarian's Workshop, 32(4), 6. In Dealing with drugs.

Chinese Dynastys Over Time †History Essay

Chinese Dynastys Over Time – History Essay Free Online Research Papers Chinese Dynastys Over Time History Essay It is not unusual that we study famous and important people in history in order to understand what was going on at that time. However, did these people really change the history? I always wonder whether the present would be different if some of these people were not born. Are we meant to be where we are now or everything is just by chance? These questions are especially critical in modern Chinese history because there were many regimes and groups for different types of people’s interests. It seems like there were so many possibilities that maybe the history could really be different than the way it is. There is an old saying in Chinese-, (a one-hundred-year-old worm, its body would not be rotten after its death). It means that regimes which have ruled for a long time do not fail easily even though it is dead inside. Qing dynasty could be the best example; it did not collapse right away due to the internal and external problems, and it managed to get through the nineteenth century and on until 1912. Partial credit must be given to those scholars who worked hard on the Confucian restoration, trying to reform and revive Qing dynasty. Zeng Guofan was one of the most important representatives of this restoration attitude. Even though Zeng thought highly of traditional scholarly and moral values, soon he saw â€Å"the value of making selective use of Western technology† (Spence, P195). His good friend, Feng Guifen also presented Zeng a series of ideas about how and why â€Å"China must learn to strengthen itself†-â€Å"Why are France and Britain [they] small but strong? The answer lay†¦in four main areas, utilizing all their manpower resource, exploiting their soil to the full, maintaining close bonds between rulers and subjects, and ensuring ‘the necessary accord of word with deed’† (Spence P195). Not only did Zeng and Feng, scholars far away from the political center Beijing, realize that â€Å"China must learn to strengthen itself† (Spence P195). Prince Gong, an important Manchu in the royal family, also â€Å"emerge[d] as a reformer in the Tongzhi Restoration period† (Spence 198). Under his efforts, schools in Beijing started to offer classes in foreign languages, Western technology, science, mathematics, international law, etc. Also, Qing dynasty sent out teenagers to U.S.A., Europe and Japan to study in their schools, hoping these people could bring back the most updated technology in Western society. After Zeng’s death, Li Hongzhang gained the trust from the express dowager Cixi. He encouraged Chi nese people to open their own factories, to try to reduce foreign import , to develop arsenals and build up the Chinese navy army. These practices definitely boomed the Chinese economy and strengthened the Qing dynasty. However, the disastrous defeat in Sino-Japan war made it clear that â€Å"self-strengthening† was not as helpful as people expected-â€Å"the north China navy†¦with yet more damaging consequences to China’s self-strengthening goals† (Spence p221). Holding the fear that China would be carved up in the coming future, scholars attempted to seek a way to rescue China from Western domination. After the war with Japan in 1895, many people were amazed that Japan, such a small country, had managed to become so successful in only a few decades. Almost at the same time, because Japan was â€Å"not yet ready to risk an open test of strength with the forces of Russia or of other potentially hostile European countries† (Howard, p281), the Japanese government decided to develop a positive relationship with China. They offered assistance against Russia and other western powers, which was also in their own interest. Japan’s success and its assistance to China especially in â€Å"expanding and improving Chinese [its] military establishment† (Howard p283), started an trend in China that many scholars were attracted to the Japan’s restoration history and they believed China should follow Japan in its own restoration. Kang Youwei was the one who really tried to put these ideas into practice. He gained much of his knowledge of the Meiji reform in Japan from books. Kang’s faith in China’s success following Japan came from the similarity between China and Japan, the work Japan had already done, including the translation of an enormous amount of Western books, and Japan’s positive and helpful attitude towards the Chinese restoration. Kang was very eager to put his ideas intoreality after â€Å"his observations of the corruption and irresponsibility in political life†¦and the humiliation of the defeat by Japan† (Howard, p289). Finally, Kang got the chance to present his ideas to the young emperor, Guangxu, and received an enthusiastic response. With hopes that China might become as strong as Japan through the restoration, Guangxu, called for changes in four areas including â€Å"abolition of the highly stylized format known as ‘eight-legged essay’†¦t he convention of old academics to modern schools offering both Chinese and Western learning†¦local officials to increase the production of tea and silk for export†¦and the strengthening of armed forces† (Spence, p228). Guangxu mistakenly thought his aunt, the empress dowager Cixi would support him but Cixi was afraid of her power being taken away, she issued an edict on 21st September, 1898 that â€Å"the emperor had asked her to resume power† (Spence, p229), and ended all the movement. Many people argue that Kang’s picking Guangxu as the person to put his ideas into reality was a huge mistake, but it is less noticed that there were not many options for Kang. Kang had never got a chance to go to Japan to observe its policy until 1898, and all of his knowledge of Japan, especially about Meiji reform came from books. He was only a scholar without military power or bureaucratic experiences, and he needed to rely on someone who would appreciate his ideas and also be powerful enough to make a difference. He wanted to rescue China from western power which made it impossible for him to turn to western countries for assistance. At the same time in the Qing court where were full of conservative officials, his only hope left to be the young emperor even though he had nothing but a throne. Kang turned to Japan government for help after the failure of the movement, but all he got was private support from Okuma which was not even strong enough to rescue Guangxu. It is alm ost predictable that Kang would fail eventually because the â€Å"constitutional reformers† did not have any solid military power to support them and all the assistance they received from Japan was mostly sympathy but not anything practical. In this battle between the â€Å"conservative Qing officials’† and Kang as â€Å"constitutional reformers†, Zhang Zhidong played an interesting role. It seems to most people that it was difficult to understand which side he really supported. In his book-Quanxue Pian’s Inner chapters, he talks about â€Å"why the idea of popular power did not fit China’s needs† (Hon, p89), which made him in the opposite position of â€Å"constitutional reformers†. However, in the outer chapters, he suggested that people should not â€Å"stop(ped) eating altogether because of a hiccup† which encouraged people to change the old institutions according to the present needs. Zhang’s ambiguous attitude seemed to be confusing, however, still explicable. According to Tze-Ki Hon in his â€Å"Zhang Zhidong’s Proposal for Reform†, Zhang was â€Å"an experienced bureaucrat who knew how to bend to the political wings† (Hon, p95). I n Zhang’s time, there were two streams of power with conflicts. Even though Zhang had his own opinions of restoration and he wanted to reform the court, his experience as a bureaucrat prevented him from stepping up to support Kang. Therefore he proposed a coherent plan for founding a system to train new talent, which would slowly reform the Qing court. At the same time, he also worked on â€Å"how to reduce China’s reliance on foreign imports and†¦to build an efficient railroad system to improve transportation and bring the country together with a strong sense of national identity† (Hon, p93). Zhang’s plans might work but the emergence of Sun Yat-sen certainly did not give Zhang a chance to â€Å"gradually reform the Qing court†. Respected as the â€Å"Father of the Nation† in China, Sun Yat-sen showed his sympathy to Taiping rebellion and anti-Manchu hatred when he was very young-â€Å"while studying in Canton and Hong Kong, he is said to have admired Hong Xiuquan [Hung Hsiuchuan]† (Schiffrin, p 445). Different with Kang, Sun Yat-sen was not just a scholar who learned from books, he was fluent in English, and he had studied in many western countries. Being anti-Manchu, Sun realized that he needed assistance from foreigners â€Å"that no major political change could be carried out in China without the active assistance or friendly neutrality of foreigners† (Schiffrin, p447), therefore he went to Britain and Japan for assistance. Again and again, Sun showed his capability to â€Å"impress individual foreigners† (Schiffrin, p450). To British, he showed his â€Å"Christian affiliation† but in Japan, he appeared to be Asian and asked for help in â€Å"wiping away the humiliation of Asian yellow race† (Schiffrin, p452). Not only did Sun’s speech touch many foreigners’ hearts, also his image as a â€Å"Western-educated and Christian leader[s] of the Society to Restore China’s prosperity† also led foreigners to believe that they could benefit more from Sun in commercial trade, compared to Qing court which was trying to â€Å"reduce China’s reliance on foreign imports† (Hon, p93). All together, Sun successfully built up a positive relationship with foreigners, which brought him to the forefront of the anti-Manchu revolutionary movement-â€Å"Why was Sun chosen leader? †¦ one of the crucial factors was the overriding concern with the foreign threat and Sun’s purported ability to neutralize it.† (Schiffrin, p462). Sun’s success undoubtedly came from his personal charm, excellent lectures and his accurate analysis to complicated situations. At that time in China, foreigners were too influential to be neglected. Sun’s decision to develop a positive relationship with foreigners was definitely one of the key reasons why he succeeded to crash the Qing court and ended the â€Å"emperor system† existing in China for more than 2000 years. Unfortunately too much dependence on foreigners might also be the reason why he eventually failed to found a Republic China. From Zeng Guofan, Kang Youwei, Zhang Zhidong, to Sun Yat-sen, they all contributed to some degree to the modern Chinese revolution. However, as we may see from examples above, their success and failure were determined by the circumstances that existed where they were. I am not trying to argue that their individual beliefs were not influential in their decision making. On the contrary, the more we analyze how and why they made the decisions they did, the more we can see they did not have that many options. Inevitable as the outcome of the decisions were, I still appreciate the fact that they brought their personality into the decision making process, a truth without which they would not be known by us today. The Search for Modern China 2nd Edition, Spence Jonathan, New York, 1999 Howard, Richard Japans Role in the Reform Program of Kang Yu-wei Hon, Tze-ki, â€Å"Zhang Zhidong’s Proposal for Reform: A New Reading of the Quanxue pian Schiffrin, Harold Z., â€Å"The Enigma of Sun Yat-sen,† in China in Revolution: The First Phase, 1900-1913, ed. by Mary C. Wright Research Papers on Chinese Dynasty's Over Time - History EssayDefinition of Export QuotasWhere Wild and West MeetAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Bringing Democracy to Africa19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeTwilight of the UAWOpen Architechture a white paperAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaPETSTEL analysis of India

finn essays

finn essays Throughout the pages of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck fights with two distinct voices. One is siding with popular opinion, saying Huck should turn Jim in, and the other is realizing the wrong in turning his friend in, not viewing Jim as a slave. Twain wants the reader to see the moral difficulty Huck is going through, and what slavery can do to a person who is pure like Huck. Huck does not think about Jims impending freedom until Jim himself starts to get excited about the idea. Hucks first objection to Jim is gaining his freedom, when Huck says, Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free-and who was to blame for it? Why, me. I could get that out of my consciounce, no how nor no way. I think that that was the popular opinion not his own. Huck did not realize at this point that he was just falling other peoples values at this time. Huck totally misunderstood slavery. Huck does not treat Jim like a slave when they traveled together, Huck treated Jim as a friend. Huck saw having a slave only as owning the person. Not actually being a slave to someone. Therefore, when he helps Jim runaway it would be like stealing. His conscience is telling him that Miss Watson, Jims master, never did anything wrong to him and that he shouldnt be doing anything wrong to her by helping Jim escape. Miss Watsons view is totally different from than Hucks perspective. Huck always disliked Miss Watson, but now that this society voice plays a part in Hucks judgment his views are changed. Societys view allows Huck to see Jim, a friend, only as a slave and Miss Watson, almost a foe in his young views, as a dear friend. Twain is showing the reader the injustices of slavery in this little story, as well as his moral opinion to slavery...

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, The source of mental illness

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, The source of mental illness In the novel, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, many of the patients in the ward have lack of self-respect and dignity. The lack of dignity and self-respect causes many people to become depressed, and even mentally ill. The three patients that lack the most self-respect and dignity are Billy Bibbit, Chief, and Harding. These three characters have had tragic past experience that causes them to lose their dignity, or "man hood". Billy Bibbit lost his dignity by "flubbing" the proposal to the woman he loves, Chief lost his self-respect by being ignored in the past, and Harding lost his man-hood because he can not satisfy his wife. All of these patients suffer from their lost pride and dignity, and all of them became mentally ill from the lack of self-respect. The novel shows how lack of dignity and self-respect of one self is the source of mental illness.English: Maj. Gen. Mark Graham speaks openly about...Billy Bibbit is born with a speech impediment. He stutters almost ev ery word he tries to say. His mother treated him poorly in the past, and he was never taught better. His life starts be being made fun of. He flunks out of college because when he has to answer, he stutters. "You were suppose to say, 'Here sir,' and I never c-c-could get it out" (119). Because of Billy Bibbit's stutter, it has made him mentally ill by causing him to lose his self-respect. Not only does Billy's stutter weaken his dignity, but he also loses his pride and self-respect by the reaction of the woman he loves. "I said 'Huh-honey, will you muh-muh-muh-muh-muh...' till the girl broke out l-laughing"(121). Billy's past experience will stay with him forever. His speech impediment and destruction of his dignity from the woman he loves causes his...

Strategic Management Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Management Master - Essay Example The political environment of Tesco includes factors relating laws, government agencies and any other pressure groups that can influence Tesco. Fair trading is becoming increasingly important in UK's business environment. For instance, 15000 African slaves working in African cocoa fields is a big concern of chocolate consumers in UK; likewise there are fair-trade factors that influence Tesco as well. Hence it comes under the scrutiny and keen observation of the Office of Fair Trading for applying monophony in agricultural markets. Community organizations in the UK have put in efforts to boycott supermarkets and large confectionary manufactures and supports small scale retailers in order to avoid their use of dominant power by dictating favourable terms and regulations on suppliers. Increased availability of credit is an important economic factor in the UK business environment of Tesco because the availability of credit itself provides financial confidence to the consumer and as a result it leads to the growth of premium foods and less demand on economy products. Large grocery retailers in UK moved in to non food retailing so as to improve margins in the highly competitive market. The UK market is largely affected by negative inflation which is driven by 'Wal-Mart effect'; that is every day law price strategy. Social People like shopping well if they get everything under a single roof. So, the convenient shopping especially 'everything under one roof strategy' is very important in Tesco's business environment. As large scale retailers cut labours by providing self service facilities it consequently local communities are haemorrhaging quantities of meaningful skilled jobs. Confectionary market is largely being affected by 'small treat' trend which in fact leads consumers to select small chocolates and small food products instead of large meals (JESS HALLIDAY -2008). Consumers always seem to be 'time poor' and hence they tend towards choosing small treat and small food items that they can have on the go. These factors as well largely affect Tesco's market. Technological The growing use of electronic data interchange, barcode readers, credit or debit card reader equipments, laser and self scanning and other points of sale tools has become a feature of recent innovation by retailers. The sophisticated technology used in store card system also becomes significant in the UK market. Online shopping and other new trends in retailing like home delivery services, after sales services and home shopping play vital role in consumer satisfaction and hence it is a significant factor that influences Tesco' market. Environmental The environmental issues like pollution and green house gas emission have gained attention from public part. Public always concerns environmental pollution and emissions of green house gas that causes ozone depletion and finally global warming. All the retailers have taken this factor to be a major concern and have taken actions so as to avoid any further consequences. There are other factors like packaging food, cleanliness,

Personal Case Study Reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Case Study Reflection - Assignment Example The other team members I lead are J.J (John), Su and Wang. Leadership and Communication (interpersonal communication) Proper communication is a very crucial skill in leadership. Communication is the core element of leadership since the leader is set in a position of dealing with human beings who naturally differ in behavior and emotional stability (Goldhaber, 1993). Different people communicate differently and to set a healthy interpersonal communication among them, the leader has to be knowledgeable of their distinct nature and handle them with relevant and appropriate skills to ensure that work continues in an atmosphere conducive for interpersonal relations (Agarwal, 2010). The leader must develop appropriate communication skills when dealing with his or her subjects. This promotes high productivity among the subject and even sets the working environment full of peace and tranquility (Goldhaber, 1993). In my groups first meeting, everyone maintained the state of tranquility since we were ball strangers and everybody was mindful about the exposure of their true personalities; but, in the second meeting, hell broke loose. Lack of communication; especially between Su and J.J, who seemed to be different in everything from the content of their ideas to the nature of their personalities. It appeared that at times they were both right but had different ways of how they presented their ideas and this led to further confusion. Effective communication involves should be maintained both between the management and the subjects and between the subjects themselves for proper interpersonal communication (Harvard business review on effective communication, 1999). As I reflect on what I had to go through to get the group working, I realized that the first and the most important element of leadership that the leader must struggle to have is the right communication skills for his or her subjects: the communication skills that will promote peace among the members. Motivational leadership and Goal setting I had to set the goals and ensure all the team members adhered to the conditions set to meet these goals. However, the team members needed motivation in order to execute the processes set to meet these goals. Wang’s personality and attitude was not good enough to get the team effective and efficient. On the other side, Su was effective and hardworking, but too had her limitations when it came to communication strategies. She was the emotional type who would rather please her emotions at the opportunity cost of her function. J.J or John was the worst in the group. He was non co-operative and controversial. He paralyzed the group’s progress with this negative attitude. All these had to be solved so fast before the time limitation. Because of the differences between Su and John, Wang’s non-contributory nature was making the group’s situation worse; and this is why I had to think fast and provide the necessary motivation she requir ed. If only she could emerge effective at the face of Su and Johns differences, they would realize the need for important contribution other than conflict and this really took the group extra miles. She effectively contributed on one occasion and surprised everyone with the great ideas she came out with – attributed to the motivation and the boost of self-confidence she attained when we had a private talk. Su and John started to resolve their conflicts and in the last meeting, they were all helpful as the group met for the final revision of the

Environmental Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Environmental Economics - Essay Example Ragweed plants are not native to Europe but were imported into the continent from America in the 19th century (Borenstein). According to the study co-author Robert Vautard, a scientist at the Climate and Environment Sciences Laboratory in Yvette, ragweed are not yet spread across the continent but they will have covered most parts by 2050 (Borenstein). According to Robert, some parts of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany do not have the deadly allergens. According to Daniel Chapman, a species expert at Center for Ecology and Hydrology in Edinburgh, the increase in temperatures and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will enable ragweed to be more active thus spreading further north. Although he did not participate in the study, Chapman praised the study and stated that the number of allergic sufferers will definitely increase (Borenstein). By using computer simulations with varying concentrations of carbon dioxide, the researchers estimated that if the amount of emissions from oil, coal, and gas are not reduced as expected, there will be annual pollen increase of 100 to 1100 percent (Borenstein). According to Vaudart, the study, which was simulated for 35 years, shows that the average increase in pollen concentration will be 300 percent. In addition to that, Vaudart added that only one third of the increased ragweed is caused by land use and the manner in which these plants take over new territories. The rest of the ragweed increase is mainly caused by climate change (Borenstein). According to earlier research and studies, ragweed season for pollen grain dissemination has extended its duration by around three weeks in North America mainly due to climate change (Borenstein). Michael Kolian, a US Environmental Protection Agency scientist stated that the new study matches with previous studies and US National Climate Assessment which established that climate change and the

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Tobacco Industry Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Tobacco Industry - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the tobacco industry has consistently increased its corporate social responsibility presence in the society as a public relations exercise. This is with the intention of negating the ills of its operations on the society. Nevertheless, regardless of its efforts, smoking continues to cause death, deforestation, child labor and environmental degradation at a level that should be stopped by all means possible. The tobacco industry has capitalized on the health, social, economic and environmental problems its causes as a business opportunity to promote its image without sincerely addressing the problems CSR is supposed to tackle. Therefore, the industry’s CSRP is not ethical and defeat the key essence of CSR principles in the business world. The corporate social responsibility attempts by the British American Tobacco Malaysia, which involved assistance to tobacco farmers, charitable donations, scholarships grants, and anti-smuggling enforcement, succeeded in improving the company’s image in the public and negating criticism directed at its activities. The continued uncensored operations would lead to more public health and environmental problems for the world. Tobacco farming worldwide directly causes environmental degradation through soil depletion and erosion, and water table pollution. In developing countries, child laborers exposed to harmful pesticides and nicotine poisoning characterize tobacco farming. This is unethical and unacceptable. There are serious concerns for environmental sustainability as tobacco farming causes around 4 % of the world’s annual global deforestation and the company has no effective measures of dealing with these problems. Transnational tobacco companies CSR initiatives are deceptive and seek to increase smoking and tobacco farming, which Increases their profits. In my view, the transnational tobacco companies have violated various global business standards in thei r persistent effort to defeat the various strategies and regulations aimed at controlling the tobacco industry. The world health organization advances most of these schemes.

Cold and Green in Gawain and the Green Knight. How does the season and Essay

Cold and Green in Gawain and the Green Knight. How does the season and the color green convey some of the themes in Gawain and the Green Knight - Essay Example This goes well on the first two days, but on the third, the Lady hands him a girdle which will prevent Gawain from being harmed during the return blow. Gawain is tempted into keeping the girdle, when he should have handed it over, and when the Green Knight comes to give the blows, makes two feints with the axe, and then strikes Gawain with the blunt end of the axe. The Green Knight reveals himself as the Lord of the Castle, and explains that the two feints stood for the two days when Gawain kept his promise, and the small cut was for the third day, when Gawain was tempted into keeping the girdle. The poem itself contains a number of symbolic sequences, the most commonly noted being the number three (three nights at the castle, three kisses, and three swings with the axe). The beheading game itself is part of an older tradition which celebrates the symbolic killing of the Holly King by the Oak King, and the Holly King's return of the favour with the next season. Indeed, although this is an outwardly Christian allegory, there are plenty of references to pagan and nature religions as well. Many commentators have associated the Green Knight with one element of nature worship, the Green Man. Traditionally, this figure is a 'wild man' deity, closely tied in to nature and the changing seasons. The Green Man represents all that is wild and awesome in nature. The Green Knight clearly symbolises this element when he gatecrashes the King's Christmas party to lay down his challenge: The butterflies and birds embroidered thereon In green of the gayest, with many a gold thread For much did they marvel at what it might mean That a horseman and a horse should have such a hue Grow green as the grass, and greener, it seemed Than green fused on gold more glorious by far. (Abrams, page 237-239) However, as well as nature, ancient texts associated green with death and magic, two other unpredictable forces which the medieval audience would be familiar with. The Green Knight's association with Morgan Le Fay emphasises his connection with magic, as does his appearances during the Christmas period: During the twelve days of Yule the forces of death and chaos Were unleashed upon the earth.We see himas the force Of both, life and death which intrudes into the human world. (Rowan 1995) In this interpretation, the beheading contest is a test of Gawain's courage and mettle, a knightly adventure which ends with Gawain's symbolic death and rebirth - a ritual with meanings in European societies far into the Christian period. Green is mentioned more than fifty times in the poem, and is the most frequent colour used by the poet. The Green of the Green Knight would bring to mind all of these issues to medieval listeners; and his role as a tester of Gawain in order to initiate him into the mysteries of life and death. Gawain returns to Arthur's court wearing a green sash, emphasising that he has passed the test and become a member of the Green Knight's court. In this interpretation, the meaning of Gawain's journey through the winter wastelands is clearly associated with the test. If the Green Knight is the lord of Life and Death, then the wasteland is the symbol of Gawain's moving from the reality of

Placement in a Law Firm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Placement in a Law Firm - Essay Example In regards to short-term goals, I have an objective to develop an ambitious personality  skills. To achieve the goals, I would enhance my interaction with the learning experience. This could be achieved through participation in classroom activities and conducting research on course requirements (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2002). Before graduation, one should possess full academic qualification and understanding on their career requirement. The two objectives could be achieved by ensuring that one takes part in all learning activities and completed all course subjects. Completion of the course effectively would enable a person to develop an understanding of their career requirements. Long-term goals are based on the ability to possess a complete understanding of career requirements and putting them into practice at the organization level. Two years after graduation, my goals would be to have worked in a law firm and achieved a total understanding of my career (Hazard & Dondi, 2004). W orking in a law firm may be on an internship basis. This experience would increase my understanding of the career (Sealy & Hooley, 2003).

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Tobacco Industry Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Tobacco Industry - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the tobacco industry has consistently increased its corporate social responsibility presence in the society as a public relations exercise. This is with the intention of negating the ills of its operations on the society. Nevertheless, regardless of its efforts, smoking continues to cause death, deforestation, child labor and environmental degradation at a level that should be stopped by all means possible. The tobacco industry has capitalized on the health, social, economic and environmental problems its causes as a business opportunity to promote its image without sincerely addressing the problems CSR is supposed to tackle. Therefore, the industry’s CSRP is not ethical and defeat the key essence of CSR principles in the business world. The corporate social responsibility attempts by the British American Tobacco Malaysia, which involved assistance to tobacco farmers, charitable donations, scholarships grants, and anti-smuggling enforcement, succeeded in improving the company’s image in the public and negating criticism directed at its activities. The continued uncensored operations would lead to more public health and environmental problems for the world. Tobacco farming worldwide directly causes environmental degradation through soil depletion and erosion, and water table pollution. In developing countries, child laborers exposed to harmful pesticides and nicotine poisoning characterize tobacco farming. This is unethical and unacceptable. There are serious concerns for environmental sustainability as tobacco farming causes around 4 % of the world’s annual global deforestation and the company has no effective measures of dealing with these problems. Transnational tobacco companies CSR initiatives are deceptive and seek to increase smoking and tobacco farming, which Increases their profits. In my view, the transnational tobacco companies have violated various global business standards in thei r persistent effort to defeat the various strategies and regulations aimed at controlling the tobacco industry. The world health organization advances most of these schemes.

Placement in a Law Firm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Placement in a Law Firm - Essay Example In regards to short-term goals, I have an objective to develop an ambitious personality  skills. To achieve the goals, I would enhance my interaction with the learning experience. This could be achieved through participation in classroom activities and conducting research on course requirements (Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2002). Before graduation, one should possess full academic qualification and understanding on their career requirement. The two objectives could be achieved by ensuring that one takes part in all learning activities and completed all course subjects. Completion of the course effectively would enable a person to develop an understanding of their career requirements. Long-term goals are based on the ability to possess a complete understanding of career requirements and putting them into practice at the organization level. Two years after graduation, my goals would be to have worked in a law firm and achieved a total understanding of my career (Hazard & Dondi, 2004). W orking in a law firm may be on an internship basis. This experience would increase my understanding of the career (Sealy & Hooley, 2003).

The Difference Between Two Orphans Essay Example for Free

The Difference Between Two Orphans Essay Last week, every newspaper in Korea printed two American names with two Korean faces. But Toby Dawson and Jae Harrell made the newspapers for very different reasons. Every year, Korean orphans are being adopted by American parents. Last year alone, an estimated thousand six hundred and thirty children were taken in from South Korea to America. This is not so surprising, considering that Americans have been adopting orphans from South Korea from a long way back. This is where Toby Dawson and Jae Harrell’s stories begin. Both of them have been born in Korea, and both have left their country when they were adopted by Americans. They both felt loneliness and isolation: suddenly, they found themselves in another country with nobody they knew, with a language they do not understand, and with people who looked so different. They grew up realizing that it was them who looked different in this world of Caucasian people – they were Americans, but their faces revealed their heritage.   We can imagine how they suffered – not only with the fact that they knew they were adopted and were having issues with their identity as to who their biological parents were and where were they and why they were separated from them, but growing up in a different country and being reminded of that fact everyday as they look in the mirror, they must have felt the pang of isolation more vividly. But whatever pain they felt, the similarities they shared ended there. Toby Dawson was born Bong-seok in Pusan, South Korea. His father, Kim Jae-su, was a truck driver. On one fateful day, his mother lost him in the market. By the time his father got home from work, it was already too late to look for him. His father searched for him in the market and nearby places, in different orphanages, but to no avail. Defeated, his father gave up looking for him. But the fates must have smiled at Bong-seok, because soon an American couple, ski instructors Mike and Deborah Dawson. The couple took him to their home in Vail, Colorado. He was three. Toby did not know English, and for the first year that he stayed in the country he had nightmares, screaming in his sleep almost every night. Everything was so different – the culture was different, and he was living with adoptive parents when he knew he used to have parents back in Korea. He struggled with his sense of identity, with being different, with being adopted, with being a minority in this part of the world. He accepted his situation and decided to make the best of it. He attended summer camp for adopted children from South Korea and other Asian countries, and made friends and shared bonds with other children like him who were going through the same ordeal. He learned to ski at a young age, although probably because his parents wanted him to learn how to ski, but eventually skiing became an outlet for his aggression. Toby worked hard on his skiing – he has had his share of accidents and broken bones, but still he keeps at it to become the best in his field. He has competed in the major skiing competitions like the World Cup Circuit, and even won a bronze in the Olympics. He also has not forgotten the pain he endured in his childhood – whenever he has time, he spends it with the kids, volunteering for the summer camp that helped him so much before. It seems that everything is going his way, and the only thing left is to make peace with his past. And after his Olympic fame, Toby finally decided to meet his parents. With his new status, a lot of Koreans came forward to claim him as their own, but genetics has a way of clearing things up, and soon Toby found out who his real father was. Toby and Kim met, together with his younger brother. He did not reproach his father for abandoning him – instead, he even told him: I have been waiting a long time, Father. And Kim was moved and proud to see that despite everything, his son has grown up to be a wonderful man. Toby Dawson’s story is made known to all of America last Tuesday in Oprah. But with all the good fortune that has come his way, it must be remembered that Toby worked hard to make the best out of what life has to offer. He faced life and all its challenges bravely, and for that he is reaping the fruits of his labor. On the other hand, things did not fare as well with Jae Harrell. Adopted when he was a newborn baby by Ruth Harrell and her husband, Toby must have felt isolated just like Toby when he was growing up when he realized that he did not look like his parents, that he looked different. Unlike Toby, Jae took a different path. Whereas Toby spent his time in summer camp to cope with all the things that are happening to him, Jae turned to drugs and alcohol. Whether for fun or consolation or he just needed to forget, Jae’s reliance on alcohol and drugs did him no good, and soon he was on a list for mental health watch. He let remorse and hatred overcome him, and perhaps he felt anger towards his parents in Korea who sent him away, and maybe he felt anger too with the position he found himself in this country, and he had no productive outlet for his aggression. Charged and found guilty of retail theft in November, he was sentenced to three years in jail but was granted parole last January. But he did not stop there. His anger took over him and he ended up killing his mother, the one who adopted him and raised him up. Jae had been charged with battering his mother Ruth a year ago, but the charges were dropped after his mother declined to show up in court. This time, she was not so lucky. After an argument with Ruth, Jae struck his mother with a hammer on the head and then strangled her. He put her in her car and drove her to local school’s parking lot, and checked back if somebody found her. Seeing that the body was not discovered, he drove the car to I-290 and left it there. The car and the body were found by a worker from the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Jae Harrell has been arrested and bail set at $ 300 million. Toby Dawson and Jae Harrell were both orphans, both adopted from South Korea. They both had a difficult time adjusting to their situation here in the United States. However, they led significantly different lives. It was the decisions they made that took them where they are now. Toby’s effort, hard work and optimistic attitude made him a successful skier and gave him happiness. Jae’s negative attitude, his reliance on drugs and alcohol, and his failure to see the good things in life gave him disgrace and this tragic affair. In the end, it does not matter where we are from or what we look like because what matter is what we are inside.

Historical Cost Accounting: Criticisms and Alternatives

Historical Cost Accounting: Criticisms and Alternatives Introduction Accounting is a measurement and communication of financial information about economic activities to interested persons.  [1]  The primary role of accounting is to provide an effective measurement and reporting system which is also accounting information system for decision making. The corporate form of a large business has created separation of business ownership and control. Outsiders of an organization, usually, dont possess first-hand knowledge of the day-to-day running and condition of the business, which makes them dependant, to some extent, on accounting reports for information. Management is considered to be a company insider, who has access to the important information about a company that can affect its stock prices or might influence investors decisions. This creates conflict of interest as company insiders are in a position to exploit a professional or official capacity in some way for their personal or corporate benefit. International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) view that investors need information on risk and return; employees are interested in their stability and profitability; lenders are concerned with loans and interest to be paid when due; suppliers and other traders want to know whether owed amount will be paid or not; and customers are interested in continuance of the enterprise.  [2]  Information is needed by various users to be able to decide when to buy, hold or sell equity of investment; or to access the stewardship or accountability of management. Creditors and suppliers use information to assess security for the amount lent to the enterprise. However, not all users of information have interest or confidence in the information provided by the management. Due to separation of ownership and control; and managements ability of exploiting outsiders for their own benefits, many investors have no interest or confidence in analyzing a companys financial statements. Instead, they rely on market analysis by other specialists about the psychology of the market and its effect on share prices. This report is focused on the historical cost accounting adopted by most of the countries and why, even though has many problems associated with it, have governments accepted this system even with availability of alternative accounting systems. This report details the benefits and criticism of historical cost accounting along with alternatives to historical cost accounting and their criticisms. 2. Historical Cost Accounting The historical cost accounting values an asset for balance sheet purposes at the price paid for the asset at the time of its acquisition.  The historical cost accounting is the situation in which accountants record revenue, expenditure and asset acquisition and disposal at historical cost: that is, the actual amounts of money, or moneys worth, received or paid to complete the transaction.   Historical cost is based on actual transaction rather than forecasts. There are supporting records for all the figures provided in the financial statements. It is also relevant in making economic decisions, as past data transactions are needed for making future decisions. Another defense of historical cost is that historical cost has been used throughout history as financial statements which use historical cost are found to be useful. Profit is the excess of selling price over historical cost. Profit is a very well accepted concept of measure of performance. It is the difference between revenue and cost that determines on decision to continue a product line or division. Historical Cost Accounting is very much based on this concept of profit and loss. Others, in defense of Historical Cost Accounting argue that historical cost is less subject to manipulation of data than other forms of accounting such as Current Cost. The use of current cost or exit price opens the door to manipulation of these numbers. In other words, how are current costs to be determined and how can accountants determine which value is true and fair? More importantly accountants must guard the integrity of their data against internal modification. Criticisms of Historical Cost Accounting Overtime, criticisms of historical cost accounting have been raised by number of notable scholars, particularly in relation to its inability to provide useful information in times of rising prices.  [3]  Historical Cost Accounting record all assets at an original cost and continue to use these historic figures throughout the assets life, while time-value of money is completely ignored. Across time these criticisms appear to have been accepted to a certain degree by accounting regulators. In recent years various accounting standards have been released that require the application of fair values when measuring assets. For example AASB 116 gives financial statement preparers a choice between the cost model and the fair value model in measurement of property, plant, and equipment. Financial Instruments (AASB 139), investment properties (AASB 114), and biological assets (AASB141) are required to be valued at fair value as opposed to historical cost. Chambers in 1966 argued that the historical cost accounting information suffers from problems of irrelevance in times of rising prices. It is also questioned whether it is useful to be informed about something that cost a particular amount many years ago whereas its current value might be considerably different. It has been argued that there is a real problem of additivity.  [4]  The matter at issue is whether it is logical to added together assets acquired at different periods when those assets were acquired with amounts of different purchasing power. Alternatives to Historical Cost Accounting Current Cost Accounting Current Cost Accounting (CCA) attempts to provide more realistic book values by valuing assets at current market buying prices. It takes into account time-value of money and inflation. It is more complex than the traditional accounting, and it has created controversy about what adjustments are appropriate. Unlike Historical Cost Accounting, there is no need for inventory cost flow assumptions such as last-in-first-out and weighted average. The business profit in CCA shows how the entity has gained in financial terms the increase in cost of its resources, which is ignored by historical cost accounting. Differentiating operating profit from holding gains and losses has claimed to enhance the usefulness of information being provided by CCA. Holding gains are different from trading income as they are due to market-wide movements which are beyond the control of the management.  [5]  Therefore, CCA doesnt rewards managers for profits from holding gains and losses which isnt an actual profit and also gives useful information to investors. Supporters of CCA are convinced that it provides more useful information than conventional accounting but still they do not agree on all issues. There is one group who believe in the financial capital concept in which the holding gains is included in the profit and the other group is those who believe in the physical capital concept. Under physical capital concept, holding gains and losses are not included in the profit and are supported by the theory of optimal resource usage that uses current costs as a measure of input opportunity cost. Criticisms of Current Cost Accounting Measurement errors may have reduced the usefulness of current-cost and replacement-cost data. Replacement-cost valuations of plant and equipment often include the cost of technological advances and often these advances would reduce operating costs below the level reported by historical cost. As a result, when replacement-cost depreciation is substituted for historical-cost depreciation, the cost of doing business includes the high capital cost of the advanced technology as well as the high operating costs of the older technology in use, which creates measurement errors.  [6]   The supporters of Historical Cost Accounting criticize CCA because it violates the traditional revenue recognition principle by recognizing increases in the value of the assets, both current and non-current, before they are sold. This is irrelevant as changes in market price dont mean anything until the assets are sold. A non-current asset isnt more valuable to a business just because its current cost has increased. Another problem is the subjectivity of determining the amount of the increase in cost. There are some non-current assets that dont have a second-hand market because it was specifically built or made for that business only. So the basis of determining the current cost must be the new asset expected to replace the old one. CCA also involves a mathematical problem of additivity. This is because the figures generated from CCA arent of the same nature because it involves a variety of measurement models. Exit Price Accounting Exit Price Accounting (EPA) also known as Continuously Contemporary Accounting (CoCoA) has been proposed by researchers such as McNeal, Sterling, and especially Raymond Chambers. Its an accounting theory that prescribes that assets should be valued at exit prices and that financial statements should function to inform about an organizations capacity to adapt.  [7]  Chambers described the entitys capacity to adapt as the cash that could be obtained if the entity sold its assets. Chambers believed that economic survival of the entity depends on the amount of cash it can command and the balance sheet is crucial to these decisions. Chambers used the term current cash equivalents to refer to the amount that was expected to be generated through the orderly sale of assets. He believe that the information about current cash equivalent were fundamental to effective decision making. Chambers stated that the accounting rules used were so different in effect that comparison between companies was often quite misleading.  [8]  One of the main arguments for EPA is that it provides useful information to the users. They believe that EPA reports all profits and losses and values as determined in competitive markets and provides a true and fair financial statement that serves the purpose of the shareholders. Other arguments that support EPA is the additivity function. EPA values all elements in the balance sheet and income statement at their exit prices, which, therefore, provides one consistent rule that could be applied by all or any company. It involves references to real-world examples because untestable assertions arent made such as depreciation. Criticism of Exit Price Accounting According to Chambers model of CoCoA, if assets cant be sold separately, they are deemed to have absolutely no value for the purpose of determining organizations financial position. This is considered to be too extreme by many accounting practitioners and researchers. Assets such as goodwill and work-in-progress have no selling value therefore will be have no value at all in the financial statements. Other criticisms of CoCoA are that it doesnt consider the value in use. An asset that is held rather than sold out must be worth more to its owner than its exit price, otherwise, it would be sold. In case of specialized resources such as a blast furnace has positive value in use, but cannot be sold separately, for the purpose of CoCoA has no value.  [9]  Even though proponents of EPA argue for the additivity of exit prices, the concept of current cash equivalent doesnt recognize the possibility of selling assets as one package. Some assets sold as a package are worth more than when sold individually in the market. This concept has been ignored in the exit price accounting. CoCoA has also been criticized on the basis that exit prices are determined by the price that could be achieved in an orderly sale.  [10]  The sales might be at different times and wont necessarily reflect values at balance date. Therefore, the financial statements based on these values might not be useful for monitoring the companys management. Positive Accounting Theory and Efficient Markets Hypothesis Milton Friedman was the one who strongly supported and backed the positive theories in economics. He stated that the ultimate goal of a positive science is the development of a theory or hypothesis that yields valid and meaningful predictions about phenomena not yet observed. Watts and Zimmerman also stated that the objective of positive accounting theory is to explain and predict accounting practice which was consistent with the views of Friedman. The beginning of positive accounting theory is the Efficient Markets Hypothesis (EMH). The EMH is based on the assumption that capital markets react in an efficient and unbiased manner to publicly available information. The main strengths of Positive Accounting Theories over Normative Accounting Theories are the facts that hypothesis are framed in such a way that they are capable of falsification by empirical research. Also, these theories aim to provide an understanding of how the world works rather than stating how the world should work. Moreover, PAT tries to understand the relationship and connection between various accounting information, managers, firms, and markets; and also analyze these relationships within an economic framework. There are several assumptions made in development of positive accounting theory. The first is that the firm is a nexus of contracts. In relation to PAT, because there is a need to be efficient, the firm will want to minimize costs associated with contracts. Contract costs involve accounting variables as contracts can be stipulated in terms of accounting information such as net income, and financial ratios.  [11]  The firm will choose the accounting policies that best acknowledge the need for minimization of contract costs. PAT recognizes that changing circumstances require managers to have flexibility in choosing accounting policies which brings forward the problem of opportunistic behavior. This occurs when the actions of management are to better their own personal interests. The other assumption is that the managers are rational economic decision makers and will act to maximize their own profit and not the profit of the company. Under PAT, firms want to maximize their prospects for survival, so they organize themselves efficiently. Criticisms of Positive Accounting Theories One of the main criticisms of PAT is that it doesnt provide prescription for accounting and therefore doesnt provide any means of improving accounting practice.  [12]  This, therefore results in alienation of practicing accountants. It is argued that simply explain and predicting accounting practice is not enough. There is no guidance on what people should do, as there is a general absence of prescription. The other criticisms of PAT relate to the fundamental that all action is driven by a desire to maximize wealth. Many researchers find this statement very negative in nature. They believe that PAT promotes a morally bankrupt view of the world. The concept of positive theory is drawn from an obsolete philosophy of science and is in any case a misnomer, because the theories of empirical science make no positive statement of what is.  [13]  And also of course, Watts and Zimmerman do say, We do not contend that all issues are settled, but rather encourage others to pursue, correct, and extend our analysis. Conclusion Quite clearly the several limitations and flaws of the traditional historical costs method have been highlighted and picked upon from time to time. Still historical costs are the standard form of accounting due to its unique features and conventions that make it better than most available alternatives. Historical cost accounting has and is still been widely recognized and accepted by corporations across the world. There hasnt been any development of better alternatives to Historical Cost Accounting. The alternative accounting such as current cost accounting and exit price accounting carry more problems in them than historical cost accounting. For examples countries like Unites States and United Kingdom have tried to adopt current cost accounting system but later withdrew as there were many complexities in using current cost accounting. Even if accounting bodies simply pick an existing method to form the standard of accounting, it will definitely not be better than historical cost accounting. However, in my opinion, the current use of historical cost accounting by many firms have been a contributing factor in masking the true and fair value of their assets. As investors are the primary users of financial statements, priority must be given to the needs and wants of the shareholders. Empirical evidences show that investors want both measurements i.e. historical cost and current cost accounting.  [14]  I believe a process should be created where historical cost and current cost operate side-by-side, which will enhance relevance, reliability, and comparability. Rather than debating between different approaches, focus should be given to implement an accounting system which reports all assets and liabilities at their true value without eliminating the benefits of historical cost accounting.

The Grandmother in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find :: O’Connor A Good Man is Hard to Find

The Grandmother in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O’Connor is a master of the ironic, the twisted, and the real. Life is filled with tragic irony, and she perfectly orchestrates situations which demonstrate this to the fullest extent. A Good Man is Hard to Find is an excellent example of the mangled viewpoint which makes her work as compelling and striking as it is. Although this story is told in the third person, the reader’s eyes are strictly controlled by the meddling, ever-involved grandmother. She is never given a name; she is just a generic grandmother; she could belong to anyone. O’Connor portrays her as simply annoying, a thorn in her son’s side. As the little girl June Star rudely puts it, â€Å"She has to go everywhere we go. She wouldn’t stay at home to be queen for a day† (117-118). As June Star demonstrates, the family treats the grandmother with great reproach. Even as she is driving them all crazy with her constant comments and old-fashioned attitude, the reader is made to feel sorry for her. It is this constant stream of confliction that keeps the story boiling, and eventually overflows into the shocking conclusion. Of course the grandmother meant no harm, but who can help but to blame her? O’Connor puts her readers into a fit of rage as â€Å"the horrible thought† comes to the gra ndmother, â€Å"that the house she had remembered so vividly was not in Georgia but in Tennessee† (125). O’Connor uses many symbols to warn the reader of the impending doom that is about to befall the unknowing travelers. The grandmother is, of course, worried about The Misfit, and, not surprisingly, the family brushes off her concern. Here again is another conflict. If the grandmother can be blamed for the accident, can the family then be blamed for taking the trip in the first place? The grandmother warned them didn’t she? This may sound foolish, but it does follow the same logic. The grandmother also foreshadows the horrible events to come with her choice of attire to ride in the car. The â€Å"purple spray of cloth violets† (118) that she had placed on her blouse were to serve a purpose. The Grandmother in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find :: O’Connor A Good Man is Hard to Find The Grandmother in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O’Connor is a master of the ironic, the twisted, and the real. Life is filled with tragic irony, and she perfectly orchestrates situations which demonstrate this to the fullest extent. A Good Man is Hard to Find is an excellent example of the mangled viewpoint which makes her work as compelling and striking as it is. Although this story is told in the third person, the reader’s eyes are strictly controlled by the meddling, ever-involved grandmother. She is never given a name; she is just a generic grandmother; she could belong to anyone. O’Connor portrays her as simply annoying, a thorn in her son’s side. As the little girl June Star rudely puts it, â€Å"She has to go everywhere we go. She wouldn’t stay at home to be queen for a day† (117-118). As June Star demonstrates, the family treats the grandmother with great reproach. Even as she is driving them all crazy with her constant comments and old-fashioned attitude, the reader is made to feel sorry for her. It is this constant stream of confliction that keeps the story boiling, and eventually overflows into the shocking conclusion. Of course the grandmother meant no harm, but who can help but to blame her? O’Connor puts her readers into a fit of rage as â€Å"the horrible thought† comes to the gra ndmother, â€Å"that the house she had remembered so vividly was not in Georgia but in Tennessee† (125). O’Connor uses many symbols to warn the reader of the impending doom that is about to befall the unknowing travelers. The grandmother is, of course, worried about The Misfit, and, not surprisingly, the family brushes off her concern. Here again is another conflict. If the grandmother can be blamed for the accident, can the family then be blamed for taking the trip in the first place? The grandmother warned them didn’t she? This may sound foolish, but it does follow the same logic. The grandmother also foreshadows the horrible events to come with her choice of attire to ride in the car. The â€Å"purple spray of cloth violets† (118) that she had placed on her blouse were to serve a purpose.

MIT Oxygen, Network Technologies :: Essays Papers

MIT Oxygen, Network Technologies The more advanced our civilization becomes the more stress we endure. The Oxygen project at MIT is attempting to make our lives easier by taking out the little things to give us more time for the more important jobs in life. A small but significant part of the Oxygen project is WIND wireless networks of devices project. With the ability to have everything in your life networked through automatic wireless technology will make our devices in our world interact quickly with no setup time. The WIND project is developing middleware and protocols that will enable applications networks of devices, sensors, and computers to communicate with each other with minimal manual or a priori configuration. With the main goal is to provide the system infrastructure for a large class of pervasive computing applications for a world in which communication is everywhere and computation extends to even the most specialized of devices to make them connected to the network. The WIND software addresses several inter-related areas such as configuration and message routing, the task of automatically creating topologies and adapting them to mobility, making sure that messages are routed even in the face of dynamism, taking bandwidth, latency, and energy consumption into account. Resource discovery, the task of automatically discovering and using networked resources, without manual configuration or administration. The last goal is to be able to adjust to changing network conditions, including congestion, wireless errors, latency variations, and route changes. They have been working on developing location-dependent applications that use automatic location discovery and active map dissemination techniques to navigate new geographic environments and discover resources and people there. WIND uses the late binding technique provided by international naming system. Which integrates name resolution and message routing to track mobility and change, and uses intentional names to describe what its applications want or provide, rather than simply where in the network they might be found? WIND also uses self-configuring application-level overlay networks to achieve flexibility and deployment with minimal prior configuration. Ensuring secure and authenticated access to devices and maintaining device and user privacy is the most important factor in the WIND project.

Bhagavad Gita

Think of the phrase â€Å"finding yourself†. What does that truly mean? What makes it possible for a man to be able to find out who he himself is? Must we all be peaceful? Ghandi said, â€Å"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. † In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn the lesson of finding our inner selves (â€Å"twin†) first before answering questions of others. According to the God Krishna, our desires are what cause our evil deeds, and in order for us to be free, we must control our desires. This can only be done through practice. Is peace what we all really want for ourselves in the end? First we must think of what peace is. It can be a state of harmony between people or groups or even a freedom from them, but it can also be known as freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession such as a state of tranquility or serenity. Is that what we want in life—to be able to not worry about the troubles in life and just be happy? Peace gives us a calm and relaxed state of mind that helps bring about that joy and happiness. Happiness is what we are all trying to achieve in life. We fight for what will help us and our loved ones because it makes everyone happy. If you were to find yourself first, then no one would have to worry about to helping others or putting people down in order to help themselves because everyone would be taking care of themselves first. This state of comfort is an amazing state, but we as humans are driven by our desires and emotions, so can we truly have peace? One emotion can lead to another, and Lord Krishna says that it will all end in ruin because our desires are what cause the evil actions we do. Our â€Å"desire for pleasure and power† are what lure us to the evil actions (2. 43). So if our desires are what get us in trouble and make us sin, how do we stop them? The only way to stop these wrong-doings is to control our desires. â€Å"When a man gives up all desires that emerge from the mind, and rests contented the Self by the Self, he is called a man of firm wisdom† (2. 55). In other words, you have to drop your desires and not care about them in order to find yourself and be happy with how you are. Only when you get rid of all selfish thoughts will someone be able to renew themselves. He describes it almost as if it’s a rebirth. You do not think of the consequences, you just do it. If you let go of the expectations put upon us by society, there is no disappointment for yourself. Lord Krishna describes â€Å"firm wisdom† as the ultimate level of peace. He thinks that this firm wisdom is what we as humans should try to strive for. We must abandon â€Å"[A]ll desires born of [our] own selfish will, [and] a man should learn to restrain his unruly senses with his mind† (6. 24). The unruly senses he speaks of are the desires. He whose mind is untroubled by any misfortune, those craving for pleasures has disappeared, who is free from greed, fear, anger, who is unattached to all things who neither grieves nor rejoices if good or if bad things happen—that man is a man of firm wisdom† (2. 56-57). This further explains what â€Å"firm wisdom† is and makes you think of these traits as being almost God-like. Does God have this â€Å"firm wisdom† Krishna speaks of? Lord Krishna says that the mind is stronger than the senses that cause the desire, so we know that we can overcome these desires. The only question to answer now is how we can accomplish that. As the saying goes, â€Å"Practice makes perfect†, so this is the only way to control our desires. All of us think differently on the inside than the way we act on the outside. That is why we must learn to control our inner twin. Lord Krishna says, â€Å"†¦the mind is restless and hard to master; but by constant practice and detachment it can be mastered in the end† (6. 35). It is as if you have to make it a ritual and constantly do it. For example, giving up something for lent you have to control and practice your desire of not doing or eating what you gave up. If you cheat, even just once, you break the cycle and make it harder for you not to do it again. Practice gives you a routine to follow, and once you do it for so long, it almost comes natural and then you have nothing more to worry about. At this point, you are at peace not only with yourself but also with the people around you. Lord Krishna says if you accomplish this overwhelming task of self-control, you can fully surrender yourself to him in devotion, and so become an â€Å"advanced soul. † An advanced soul is he who has accomplished the steps of finding himself and has firm wisdom. On the other hand the impious souls find other objects to worship. How do we determine who are the advanced or impious among us? Are we only â€Å"advanced† if we believe in a certain god? However, we are striving to be God-like throughout our lives. Is there a point in striving for it if we know it cannot be done? In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn that in truth, finding God within us helps us find ourselves so this all helps find and keep the peace within us, which is what we want in the first place. Bhagavad Gita Think of the phrase â€Å"finding yourself†. What does that truly mean? What makes it possible for a man to be able to find out who he himself is? Must we all be peaceful? Ghandi said, â€Å"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. † In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn the lesson of finding our inner selves (â€Å"twin†) first before answering questions of others. According to the God Krishna, our desires are what cause our evil deeds, and in order for us to be free, we must control our desires. This can only be done through practice. Is peace what we all really want for ourselves in the end? First we must think of what peace is. It can be a state of harmony between people or groups or even a freedom from them, but it can also be known as freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession such as a state of tranquility or serenity. Is that what we want in life—to be able to not worry about the troubles in life and just be happy? Peace gives us a calm and relaxed state of mind that helps bring about that joy and happiness. Happiness is what we are all trying to achieve in life. We fight for what will help us and our loved ones because it makes everyone happy. If you were to find yourself first, then no one would have to worry about to helping others or putting people down in order to help themselves because everyone would be taking care of themselves first. This state of comfort is an amazing state, but we as humans are driven by our desires and emotions, so can we truly have peace? One emotion can lead to another, and Lord Krishna says that it will all end in ruin because our desires are what cause the evil actions we do. Our â€Å"desire for pleasure and power† are what lure us to the evil actions (2. 43). So if our desires are what get us in trouble and make us sin, how do we stop them? The only way to stop these wrong-doings is to control our desires. â€Å"When a man gives up all desires that emerge from the mind, and rests contented the Self by the Self, he is called a man of firm wisdom† (2. 55). In other words, you have to drop your desires and not care about them in order to find yourself and be happy with how you are. Only when you get rid of all selfish thoughts will someone be able to renew themselves. He describes it almost as if it’s a rebirth. You do not think of the consequences, you just do it. If you let go of the expectations put upon us by society, there is no disappointment for yourself. Lord Krishna describes â€Å"firm wisdom† as the ultimate level of peace. He thinks that this firm wisdom is what we as humans should try to strive for. We must abandon â€Å"[A]ll desires born of [our] own selfish will, [and] a man should learn to restrain his unruly senses with his mind† (6. 24). The unruly senses he speaks of are the desires. He whose mind is untroubled by any misfortune, those craving for pleasures has disappeared, who is free from greed, fear, anger, who is unattached to all things who neither grieves nor rejoices if good or if bad things happen—that man is a man of firm wisdom† (2. 56-57). This further explains what â€Å"firm wisdom† is and makes you think of these traits as being almost God-like. Does God have this â€Å"firm wisdom† Krishna speaks of? Lord Krishna says that the mind is stronger than the senses that cause the desire, so we know that we can overcome these desires. The only question to answer now is how we can accomplish that. As the saying goes, â€Å"Practice makes perfect†, so this is the only way to control our desires. All of us think differently on the inside than the way we act on the outside. That is why we must learn to control our inner twin. Lord Krishna says, â€Å"†¦the mind is restless and hard to master; but by constant practice and detachment it can be mastered in the end† (6. 35). It is as if you have to make it a ritual and constantly do it. For example, giving up something for lent you have to control and practice your desire of not doing or eating what you gave up. If you cheat, even just once, you break the cycle and make it harder for you not to do it again. Practice gives you a routine to follow, and once you do it for so long, it almost comes natural and then you have nothing more to worry about. At this point, you are at peace not only with yourself but also with the people around you. Lord Krishna says if you accomplish this overwhelming task of self-control, you can fully surrender yourself to him in devotion, and so become an â€Å"advanced soul. † An advanced soul is he who has accomplished the steps of finding himself and has firm wisdom. On the other hand the impious souls find other objects to worship. How do we determine who are the advanced or impious among us? Are we only â€Å"advanced† if we believe in a certain god? However, we are striving to be God-like throughout our lives. Is there a point in striving for it if we know it cannot be done? In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn that in truth, finding God within us helps us find ourselves so this all helps find and keep the peace within us, which is what we want in the first place.