Monday, September 30, 2019

Descriptive Essay Essay

There are few moments in a person’s life in which they can take a step back from their conscious minds and realize a change in â€Å"direction† or change of â€Å"purpose† within their paths. Most of life seems like a continuous flow of a journey, an ever speeding ride that starts and finishes as the sun’s journey through our day light. We are, when you get down to the core of it, simply a combination of our past experiences and memories. But some of us, few and far between, have experienced a brief moment in history in which we felt the tides of our own oceans turning. The moment is brief. The moment is sometimes small. Yet the moment is forever fleeting. Like a cool breeze that suddenly crosses over the hot sands of our minds, we suddenly are swept up from something that finally brings a new sense of understanding into our lives – ultimately changing us forever. This moment came for me when I was rather quite young. In fact, I was in the middle of my third year of elementary school. Before we go any further down this recollection trip of ours, I will have you know a little about my past. In my younger days, I had been branded as what you may refer to as a â€Å"liar†, but the reality wasn’t found in the sense of that word. Instead of â€Å"lying† in modems of deceit, I simply and honestly believed with all my being that if something was conceived within my thoughts and plopped out of my mouth that it was systematically true. It probably sounds absurd, simply believing in something and taking it as true when there was no evidence behind its conception other than my frivolous thoughts. But that’s how it was, or so I thought, in my world of being. In fact, I vividly remember telling my brother one day that I was actually not his sister, rather a lost princess in need of finding her way home. Where from the cosmos did that idea originate from? Well, since I can’t even tell you, God would be the only one to know. With the daisy chain I labored at making for hours around resting atop my curly locks and birds singing every which way I turned, I was a princess. Nothing that â€Å"reality† presented to me was truer than that. And so time went on. I was a royal princess. I did not eat the last cookie. I had magical powers. Just no one else knew about it yet. Imagination was the all-powerful and ruling force of my world – the seams of reality and dream forever muddled and intertwined. It was like I had not really been born yet, like I was not actually alive, rather just stuck in purgatory of pre-life and had not yet taken the steps into the real universe yet. And then came  third grade. It was Mrs. Alley’s class – she was a rather â€Å"persnickety† as she liked to call it lady who absolutely wouldn’t let anyone get away with anything. She was nice though, I could tell she had a warm heart and I liked her better than my last teacher. All the other kids had done and finished their detailed map of the California state, all colorful and bright from crayons wax. But then there was me – perfectionist who would draw four pencil etchings and then erase five. Mrs. Alley announced that everyone that was done could go outside and begin a game of â€Å"kick ball†, which was the absolutely best part of any school day. I was put in between a rock and a hard place. As everyone else started fileling out of the room, a silence began to pervade the place. Eventually I was alone, sitting in a desk with a half lightly drawn potion of California on my paper. Eventually I just put my pencil down and started to look around the class room. It’s truly amazing how the absence of sound and souls can change a place. As the clock ticked onwards, my mind came to recollect the perfectly printed version of the California map that was resting in the pages of my history section of my binder. One envisioned, there was no turning back. I ran to the other side of the class room and tore my binder from the top shelf, turned the history tab and found my booty. It didn’t take long, the copying of the whole thing and the end product was rather magnificent if I have the right to admit so myself. By the time I was finished though I could hear little third grader feet beginning to scuff on the outside stairs. With the zip of a zipper and a scurry across the room, all proof of the occurrence had been erased†¦ or so it appeared. When everyone had come back in, Mrs. Alley announced that there would be a contest for whoevers map looked the nicest. As she walked around she gave nods and smiles to the other children, but when she came to peer over my shoulder she stopped. With perfect lines and strait edges my map probably seemed like a masterpiece of Van Gogh’s proportions compared to everyone else’s. It all happened rather quickly. The asking, the removing of the binder from the book shelf, the  hol ding of the map up to the window against the original, but all throughout this process a thought formed from within my head and there was no point of return: I had not traced it. I had done it all by myself with my own hands. For all I could have known in that moment I could have been outside the whole time with the rest of my class, but the history of the past hour was completely erased from my mind. It seems odd really, even for me to talk about the thought that I gave myself subject to and belief in, as if almost I am only recalling memories from another world or a half remembered dream. All I can remember from that moment is that from the whole moment is my whole body and being screaming â€Å"No† from every angle, every corner of the depths of my being. But she did not give in, she did not even falter. Eventually we sat alone in her room, fists clenched, face red, and eyes wet and still neither giving in. And then she turned to me and said â€Å"Ok Courtney† with the most unsatisfactory unbelieving persona that I have ever have witnessed in my life. As the car wised by the pine and cedar trees I could still feel the heat of anger come off my face. Why didn’t she believe me? My mom crying from the driver’s seat tried to lecture and yell sense into me. She was a good mom, is and always will be. Neither she nor my father had ever taught me to â€Å"lie† or let me get away with it. The sting of getting spanked had often been upon my bum in my younger years. But I honestly didn’t know what I was doing wrong. The â€Å"lies† I was accused of making were simply given truths in my mind. And then it hit me. Like a hail storm sent from the Greek gods that fell and tore away the bond between me and my fuzzy pink fog of fantasy, the memory. The remembrance of what had really occurred in the class room a couple hours ago. My world wasn’t real, or at least the one I had been creating wasn’t in the least. The bands of the horizon in my life slowly started to unravel and integrate in front of my very eyes. All of a sudden, from the very depths of somewhere in my being, a very distant kind of concrete place that resides behind my head, I heard a voice. Sweet and low, comforting yet powerful I heard a voice that was not of my own in my head. And it seemed to bend down and pull me close as a parent does to their kids after a thunder storm has just passed as it whispered somewhere within me, â€Å"BE ALIVE†. I started to cry, in fact rather mentally break down. And through my tear I finally gained sight of the light of day that penetrated and wished all the fuzzy thick fog of my fantasy  world away.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Digital Art

Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process. Since the 1970s, various names have been used to describe the process including computer art and multimedia art, and digital art is itself placed under the larger umbrella term new media art. The impact of digital technology has transformed activities such as painting, drawing and sculpture, while new forms, such as net art, digital installation art, and virtual reality, have become recognized artistic practices. More generally the term digital artist is used to describe an artist who makes use of digital technologies in the production of art. In an expanded sense, â€Å"digital art† is a term applied to contemporary art that uses the methods of mass production or digital media There are two main paradigms in computer generated imagery. The simplest is 2D computer graphics which reflect how you might draw using a pencil and a piece of paper. In this case, however, the image is on the computer screen and the instrument you draw with might be a tablet stylus or a mouse. What is generated on your screen might appear to be drawn with a pencil, pen or paintbrush. The second kind is 3D computer graphics, where the screen becomes a window into a virtual environment, where you arrange objects to be â€Å"photographed† by the computer. Typically a 2D computer graphics use raster graphics as their primary means of source data representations, whereas 3D computer graphics use vector graphics in the creation of immersive virtual reality installations. A possible third paradigm is to generate art in 2D or 3D entirely through the execution of algorithms coded into computer programs and could be considered the native art form of the computer. That is, it cannot be produced without the computer. Fractal art, Data moshing, algorithmic art and Dynamic Painting are examples.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

MEDIA ETHICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

MEDIA ETHICS - Essay Example However, he does not take sides with his country, the USA, in its conspiracy. Although the President releases a statement Wilson’s investigation, these are contrary to Wilson’s findings. Wilson does not accept the president’s misinterpretation of the findings. He therefore, goes ahead to publish his own account of the investigation, making it available to the public. This therefore, conflicts with Bush’s statement. Wilson was courageous and stood for the truth, not letting anything to compromise his truth. He refused to sit back and watch how the truth was being violated publicly. Therefore, he acted. By coming out publicly to make the truth available to the people, through publishing this article, I compare Wilson to the philosopher W.D, Ross, who developed a moral system called â€Å"intuitionist,† which claims that individuals are inherently aware of their moral obligations (Plaisance 10). Therefore, when Wilson came out fearlessly and published the article, no one had forced him to do so. Deep down, he knew he had the responsibility of performing his moral duties. Ross’ philosophy also holds that a person has a responsibility of honoring their moral standards and principles (Plaisance 10). Therefore, one of Wilson’s moral values must have been truthfulness, which is why he had to honor it by publishing the article to bring out the truth. In this philosophy, Ross also believed that the moral values one must honor include fidelity, justice, not harming others, and self-improvement (Plaisance 10). The values of fidelity, justice, and not harming others coinc ide with Wilson’s actions. He was against Bush’s propaganda of war with Iraq, since he knew this would cause harm to the Iraqis, as well as the US soldiers, who would die in the war. Wilson upholds justice, because he did not want the USA government to accuse Iraq falsely. Finally, he shows fidelity when he investigates the case, presents truthful findings, and ensures false statements

Friday, September 27, 2019

Diversity and Global Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diversity and Global Culture - Essay Example The USA is strongly committed to democracy, in which views of the majority prevail, and strives for equality in law and institutions. The American Heritage College Dictionary defines hip hop as, "The popular culture of big city and especially inner city youth, characterized by graffiti art, break dancing, and rap music-of or relating to this culture." Hip hop is a cultural phenomenon that developed in the late 1970's in the Brooklyn and the Bronx, and a musical style emerged from it. Hip hop has become a pervasive element of popular culture and there are hip hop exercise videos, children's books, adult books, magazines, magazine articles and theses devoted to it. Further, hip hop's roots are much older and its use of music from other genres is reflected in Renaissance parody masses. The roots of this phenomenon lie in Jamaica of the 1940's and by the 1960's trucks fitted with sound equipment started playing American rhythm & blues records, in street corners, for the listening pleasure of the people in the neighborhood. Hip hop music, rap or rap music is a style of popular music, which consists of two main components, namely, rapping or MCing and DJing or audio mixing and scratching. Along with break dancing and graffiti or tagging, these compose the four elements of hip hop, a cultural movement that was initiated by inner-city youth, mainly the African Americans. This phenomenon was wide spread in the Farragut Projects in Brooklyn, NY. Some of the early DJs were Coxson Dodd, Prince Buster, Duke Reid, Maboya, Plummer and Kool DJ D who concentrated on disco music. One of them was Kool Herc who had immigrated from Jamaica and settled in the Bronx with his sound system he called "the Herculords." Kool Herc focused on rhythm & blues and funk records and one of his innovations was to play just the "break," or the musical material between the verses of a song, over and over again. He achieved this effect by using two turntables mounted with the same record. This came to be called "break-beat deejaying." People began to perform "strange, acrobatic twisting dance routines" to these episodes that came to be called "break dances" (Stancell, 1996). Kool Herc hired MCs or master of ceremonies who had to keep up a light banter between the songs with the audience. This was the origin of "rapping." DJ Hollywood, one of the early MC's at Kool Herc's parties would use rhyming verses in his rap. One of these included the words "hip hop" "which much later were used interchangeably to define the music of rap and the culture of those who attended Kool Herc's part ies(Stancell, 1996)." Afrika Bambaata was another early figure in the rap and hip hop world. He participated in many competitions between DJs and MCs often termed as battles. In addition to rapping, these battles were decided on who had the more interesting collection of breaks to play. Afrika Bambatta's breaks were drawn from many genres, including rock, rhythm & blues, mambo, German disco and calypso (Stancell, 1996). This practice of hip hop of incorporating existing sounds like recorded samples of music by other groups in addition to voices or ambient sounds led to lawsuits when the groups involved failed to credit their sources(Romanowsky and George - Warren, 1995). Another early

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Business ethic homework 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business ethic homework 2 - Essay Example hical principle of deontology which states that actions as well as decisions can be regarded as ethical or morally correct if the maxim which refers to the intention as well as the reason of that particular act or decision is based on doing well to the society (Shaw 66). One of the critics of Kant’s ethical theory is that not all actions are considered ethical or legal in all regions, actions are considered as ethical or unethical depending on where they occur. 3. The two ways through which Kant believes that categorical imperative can be formulated is that while an individual takes an action, the reason behind that particular action should be that he/she is ready to face the same action when it is carried out against him in same or any other situation (Hayden 18). The second way of formulating the categorical imperative is that people should take actions while considering other individuals as ends and not simply considering them as means to achieve

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

SOCIALIZATION ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SOCIALIZATION ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Recent political upheavals have proved this point. Dictatorship has eventually failed – be it Germany or Libya, people rebelled against such oppression and domination and finally the new government form is a democracy. Freedom of the common man is of extreme importance. This is because society is governed by the culture, values, beliefs and traditions which are followed by persons residing in a particular area or region. Many art and art forms, religions, constitutional and civil rights and laws followed in a particular country are based depending on the culture and norms akin to a particular society. However, modernization in the twentieth century is widely regarded as a westernized system which has increasingly impacted the non – western society. The third world countries have started going for what the people regard as ethically better culture followed by the westerners. Take the case of English. The popularity of this language has spread so much that it is now among one of the official languages in most nations. To conclude, economic changes have spurred a change in the values, beliefs, traditions and rituals that people followed. There is a direct connection between economic development and systematic changes. People hailing from an economically advanced nation are more flexible to changes and their values reflect a change. These people are more tolerant, rational, participatory and trustworthy (Inglehart & Baker 19 –

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Faith schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Faith schools - Essay Example The term faith schools is aimed at the relationship between education and faith (Grander, et al, 2005). They are one of a variety of schools including speciality schools, grammar schools, comprehensive schools and others. They can be defined as "schools, both primary and secondary, which are provided under the aegis of recognized religious faith" (Wallace, 2008). Thus, they provide students a general education with a framework of specific religious belief including formal and informal activities. The discussion about faith schools is not easy because it involves a number of complications at both policy and practice levels. A strong debate rises among politicians, educators, media and the public conducted with a level of bias about whether this type of schools should be banned or not. This essay will investigate this issue presenting the various sides of debate. It will critically demonstrate the different assumptions, principles and verifications that each perspective gives and reveals the significance of such debate on the educational process in the UK. Doing so, it will focus on three main aspects that form the base of such debate. These include: the matching with educational aims, the educational achievement and the implications on community integration. The aim of education is to develop capacities and capabilities among people to lead a good life (Pring, 2005). Such abilities include problem solving and critical and analytical thinking that encourages personal development and build the foundation for a truly rational individual (King cited Pring, 2010). Some people stand against faith schools as they believe they mismatch many of the essential aims of education. They argue that these schools work under specific agendas that focus on nurturing particular set of religious beliefs and attitudes over the presence of attaining the basic common educational purposes. Accordingly, they

Monday, September 23, 2019

Republican vs democrat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Republican vs democrat - Essay Example As liberals, they believe that the government has a great role to ensure welfare of individuals. In other words, they have strong conviction to support for social rights, tolerance for political and social change (Bardes, Shelley and Schmidt, 18). So they do not strongly oppose the ideology that the government should initiate move to reduce poverty and redistribute wealth. Republicans on the other hand believe conservatives build a strong force especially for supporting capitalism. To ensure capitalism, government should initiate positive actions. Unlike the Democrats, majority of republicans support for traditional values, strong level of patriotism, and they have this insight that it is possible for private sectors to outperform the government (Bardes, Shelley and Schmidt, 18). Unlike the Democrats, Republicans have a strong stand to oppose government program to redistribute income or wealth. In other words, Democrats promote economic security, equal opportunity and social liberty. On the other side, Republicans promote economic liberty, morality and social order. To sum this up in general detail, Democrats have strong stand to support property and economic equality while Republicans carry higher weight on social order and privileges (DuCharme and Constant, 11). Let us take a look at the stand of how Romney and Obama could further improve the health care system in the US. As the one representing for the Republican Party, Romney has strong conviction that the federal government should not take over health care (Camia). Rather, he wants to emphasize private market and each person could work hand on hand to further improve the health care system in the US. Obama on the other hand, believes that a state-based or state-centric plan for health care is more efficient as there is always an opportunity for insurance companies to raise costs for their policies and offerings (Camia). The implication of having private companies in the health care system to take control o f costing will possibly end up people paying relatively higher cost for health insurance as what Obama would want to point out. Obama and Romney stands have strong level of difference as the former believes in the positive government action in the economy while the latter considers positive government action to fulfill capitalism. Republicans therefore are more business-oriented relying on the potential of individual to contribute a significant change for the community. Thus, it is not far from their consideration to effectively look forward to economic sustainability. Maximization of profit is essential for them so they might have different stand on environmental sustainability. For them, it is all about creation of opportunity. The need to minimize level of carbon dioxide emission is an opportunity for them to create a significant point to produce offerings that would guarantee efficiency and productivity. Democrats on the other hand may not be so conscious of this for as long as they believe capitalism may not create any good at all for the environment. Al Gore for instance, a Democrat believes factories and technological advancement created by capitalist movement momentarily destroys the environment. So as the proponent of the â€Å"Inconvenient Truth† his claim about the global warming issue and industrialization triggers a remarkable impact on the stand of conservative individuals who are trying to maximize individual gain rather than long-term sustainability. At this point, it is clear Democrats tend to head to more

Sunday, September 22, 2019

No topic Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

No topic - Term Paper Example I can surely claim that this employee is one of the best employees, who worked in our organization. Mr. Sutherland worked for two years in our volunteer organization as a devoted human resource manager. His open mind and creative ideas helped us many times. It was very interesting for us to see the way he managed to deal with different problems of our employees. This young man deserves further promotion, because he always does his best. Bill Sutherland has an outstanding motivation and there is no need to take a closer look at him. He operates at a full pace. He is ready to learn quickly and effectively. He always does his work in time and no delays were ever noticed. A sense of maturity and professionalism are two permanent companions of Mr. Brown. Our Company enjoys working with this employee and colleagues have positive attitudes towards him. Professionalism of this employee is integrated with his outstanding personal features. I will be looking forward to tell you about Mr. Brown in details for you to know that he is the best candidate for this position in your Company. I am always ready to confirm my words and I have no doubts that you will be satisfied with performance of this employee. Please do not hesitate to call me at 708-900,

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Online Marketing - Grocery Retailing Business Essay Example for Free

Online Marketing Grocery Retailing Business Essay â€Å"With household internet access continuing to increase, the customer base for online grocery shopping is widening, while other technological innovations such as the advent of smart phones is further benefiting the market† (Source: â€Å"Global Market Review of Online Grocery Retailing† report available at www.MarketResearch.com). The grocery retailing industry has many opportunities inherent in it for online marketing, and the competitive advantages that it would provide. While local brick-and-mortar storefronts will always be necessary due to the perishable nature of many items, the bulk and expense of shipping groceries and the occasional need to purchase something immediately – there are ways in which the internet can be leveraged to add to consumer convenience and increased profits. Providing online shopping is a possibility for grocery retailers. It’s very different than dry-goods retailers such as books, music, shoes and apparel – or services being marketing such as travel. â€Å"To date, sales of food and drinks over the internet have yet to make the same impact observed in other parts of the consumer goods industry, most notably books, clothing and electronic items such as computer equipment† (Source: â€Å"Global Market Review of Online Grocery Retailing† report available at www.MarketResearch.com). One way to leverage the internet – and I have seen this at my local ShopRite – is to purchase groceries online and pick them up at the local store. The shopper clicks on the items they want in an online virtual market, which are then gathered by a â€Å"personal shopper† in the store. The shopper then drives over to the market, pays at the customer service counter near the front of the store, from which an associa te will even wheel the cart out and load the bags into their vehicle. The potential is also there for personalization. By tracking online purchases, a profile can be developed with shorter lists of preferred items from which selections can be made. There could be a â€Å"standard template  order† (bread, milk, eggs, etc.) or whatever the consumer buys on a regular basis – which could provide a starting point, then be tweaked or added to by the consumer depending on their needs at any particular time. The system could become so sophisticated so as to proactively tell a consumer of an upcoming discount or sale price on an item. In this form of integrated marketing, For example, I’m entering an order and going to put an item on there that I usually buy. The smart technology has already prepared an item profile, and can tell me that it is going on sale in a few days, in case I want to wait to take advantage of the lower price. It could also inform me of a manufacturer’s coupon I may not be aware of – and send me to that supplier’s website for a printable or scannable coupon. Online shopping can reach more customers. Perhaps there are elderly, handicapped or other shut-ins for whom it is inconvenient to shop in a grocery store. So maybe they let a relative do their shopping, which would be at the store of the relative’s choosing. Now, the consumer can bring their business to the store of their own choosing, and simply ask someone to pick it up. Or perhaps they can drive, just not walk around the store. This could also increase the order size, since someone will be pushing it around the store and loading it into their vehicle for them. The opportunity also exists for a store to provide or arrange for delivery service to the consumer’s home. Increasing customer loyalty is another way in which grocery retailers can utilize online marketing to increase business. Many stores already have store cards with store discounts and coupons attached to them, as well as incentive goals to be reached with benefits attached. With online marketing, all of this information can be tracked. The coupons that print at the register and many people throw away or misplace, can now all be stored virtually and in one convenient place to be accessed when needed. The removal of expired coupons could also be automated. The opportunities for marketing in this space are vast, and we have only scratched the surface.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Understanding Difference Diversity to Develop Empathy

Understanding Difference Diversity to Develop Empathy Phil Makins 13th December 2016 Session 8 The topic of discussion today was Understanding Difference Diversity to Develop Empathic Understanding. We explored why an understanding of difference and diversity was important when using counselling skills in helping roles. We then went on to broaden that understanding and consider difference and diversity within our own personal relationships and in the wider social context to understand how this impacts on counselling. The reason difference and diversity is an important part of counselling training is to recognise that we are not all the same, everybody on the planet is a unique individual, even identical twins will have many differences in the way they feel and respond to different things. Whilst researching this topic I have come to realise that it is more complex than I first thought and goes far beyond the common diversity issues of gender, race, religion, and disability. Diversity runs much deeper than this and also comprises diversity of personalities, experiences, beliefs, and reactions to events. It is important to recognise such diversity if empathic understanding is to be provided to clients, but what is empathic understanding? And why is it so necessary? Empathic Understanding is one of the three core conditions of Person-Centred Counselling, the other two being Unconditional Positive Regard and Congruence. To be empathic has been described as seeing the world through the eyes of another person or walking in another persons shoes. It means that the counsellor accurately understands the clients thoughts, feelings, and meanings from the clients own perspective. When the counsellor perceives what the world is like from the clients point of view, it demonstrates not only that that view has value, but also that the client is being accepted. Could I show empathic understanding to a person or group whom I harbour stereotypical views or prejudice about? I doubt that I could be truly empathic in that situation so I would either change my mindset and try to remove the prejudice or take advice from my clinical supervisor. Further to this, empathy has often been confused with sympathy but they are very different. Empathy is something that is don e with someone whereas sympathy is a reaction to someone. Sympathy suggests feeling sorry for someone and that in turn suggests some sort of power imbalance, i.e. the person sympathising is in a greater position of power. Empathy is about being on an equal footing by entering into the clients world to try and understand and also communicating with each other to clarify and confirm that understanding. Without recognising diversity, it would be all too easy to impose our own thoughts and feelings onto a client, especially if the client is experiencing something we have experienced as It is human nature to look for similarities in other people and to identify with them. As counsellors, therefore, the challenge comes in identifying difference and being ok with it working with it, rather than being threatened by it. The counsellor who cant do this is merely placing more conditions of worth onto the client, which is incompatible with another one of the Core Conditions mentioned, namely, Unconditional Positive Regard. I started to think about my own beliefs and prejudices, do I have any prejudices? Surely not, I am a trainee counsellor and I work in a bank! But whenever I hear a Birmingham accent I`m afraid I do think that the person talking must be stupid. When I hear a Liverpool accent I think of youths, hoodies and joyriding. A quick bit of internet research shows that the three most disliked accents in the United Kingdom are Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow in that order with Birmingham being the most disliked. I know that for me to think all people from Birmingham are stupid and all youths from Liverpool are criminals is incorrect and wrong but our prejudices are deeply ingrained in us and difficult to remove as they have probably been instilled in us over a period of many years, possibly (probably) since childhood. So, how do we start to work towards removing our own prejudices? I should imagine one good way would be to Increase your exposure to or contact with those who belong to the groups toward which you have learned some prejudicial stereotypes. Misconceptions remain effective only when you avoid contact with those about whom you have misconceptions but, unfortunately, I do not know anyone from Birmingham or Liverpool. However, whenever I have prejudicial thoughts now I try and examine these thoughts and analyse why I am thinking them. I normally find that there is no real reason for my generalisation or prejudice and try and tell myself to remove the prejudicial feelings. If I keep reinforcing this I am sure it will start to work. We all experience things in a different way. A situation that could upset or annoy me could be viewed completely differently by another person. An example of this could be when theres a traffic accident and the police ask for witnesses to come forward and describe what happened. They like to have as many witness statements as possible so that they can build up enough evidence to give them a broader, more realistic version of events. In a traffic accident, there will be many different perspectives on what happened. The driver of one car will have one view, another driver or a passenger will have yet another view. Each onlooker who witnessed the accident will have a slightly different perspective, depending on where they were, how far away they were, how good a view they had, what else was going on, how much danger they felt they were in, how the accident affected them, what the accident means to them etc. Its the same principle with everything each situation, event or conversation means something different to all those involved, and also to those not involved. We give different meanings, according to our belief systems, and how we are affected by the event.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay --

The first reason that teacher content knowledge is important is that it changes the way teachers involve students in the activities. Like for instance, in math, students that have teachers that show different ways of working out a problem will usually learn more from them than teachers that just go by the basic rules.†More knowledgeable teachers tend to focus on approaching the students question mathematically rather than looking up the answers and giving it to the students.† Similarly, like science teachers with more content knowledge tend to suggest different explanation and give additional information that can be used. The second reason why teacher content knowledge is important is that it influences the way teachers approach and use instructional materials. â€Å"More knowledgeable teachers were more skillful at identifying reasonable math or science story lines in materials, while less knowledgeable teachers have a hard time doing so.† â€Å"In mathematics, content knowledge also had an effect of teachers instructional decisions when using materials. In science, when planning a lesson on... Essay -- The first reason that teacher content knowledge is important is that it changes the way teachers involve students in the activities. Like for instance, in math, students that have teachers that show different ways of working out a problem will usually learn more from them than teachers that just go by the basic rules.†More knowledgeable teachers tend to focus on approaching the students question mathematically rather than looking up the answers and giving it to the students.† Similarly, like science teachers with more content knowledge tend to suggest different explanation and give additional information that can be used. The second reason why teacher content knowledge is important is that it influences the way teachers approach and use instructional materials. â€Å"More knowledgeable teachers were more skillful at identifying reasonable math or science story lines in materials, while less knowledgeable teachers have a hard time doing so.† â€Å"In mathematics, content knowledge also had an effect of teachers instructional decisions when using materials. In science, when planning a lesson on...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The History of Babylonian Mathematics Essay -- Babylonia Mathematics E

The History of Babylonian Mathematics The history of ancient Babylonia is really long, but this essay is a short and to the point summery of the entire history. The history of Babylonia started near the end of the year 2000 BC, when invaders were attacking the Sumer kingdom. Sumer was a powerful kingdom in the western part of Asia, and it some what occupied what would become Babylonia. After the kingdom of Sumer was destroyed the city-states of Larsa and Isin came into settle on the land once occupied by Sumer. This led to fighting between Larsa and Isin. After hundreds of years of fighting Larsa defeated Isin. But, just as Larsa beat Isin, Hammurabi came to power in the city of Babylonia. Hammurabi went on to defeat Larsa and start a vast kingdom in the place where the Sumer kingdom used to be. Hammurabi was a very powerful military and political leader. Also he set up a code of law stating â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†, this law is called the Hammurabi code and is still used today. Hammurabi’s dynasty was also called the First Dynasty of Babylonia. This dynasty ruled for about 200 years until 1530 BC. Under the control of this dynasty, Babylonia entered a period of prosperity and peace. The Babylonians developed an abstract form of writing based on wedge-shaped symbols. Their symbols were written on wet clay tablets that were baked in the hot sun. Many of thousands of these tablets have survived to this day. They had to use straight lines because curved line could not be drawn in the wet clay. They used these tablets to aid in the calculations of problems. They studied math with the help of these tablets. They studied in mathematics because having a peaceful nation they had no need to specialize in military and warfare, so they learned math and discovered new forms of math. A tribe known as the Kassites began to attack Babylonia when Hammurabi’s son ruled the empire. Over the centuries, the Kassites weakened Babylonia. Finally, around 1530 BC a Kassite dynasty was set up in Babylonia. After about 150 years, the Babylonians and the Kassites lived in peace until the Assyrians attacked Babylonia. They weakened Babylonia so much that the Kassite dynasty fell from power and the Assyrians took control. Because of an influx of many nomadic tribes, Babylonia fell into anarchy for about 200 years. During the 800s B... ...e. And if their table of reciprocals, which was used to help them do math, was used today, it would most likely confuse everybody. But, back then they had to use because they did not have calculators or computers to make math easier. We also don’t use a positional number system where the base is 60 rather than the base of 10. One thing that the Babylonians used that is still in use today is the Pythagorean triples. The study of math he study of math is important because with out math we wouldn’t have all the things we have today, such as computers, cars, planes, space exploring technology, etc. With out math all that stuff, which we take for granted would not be around. We would still be in the dark ages if people with a great understanding for math hadn’t been there to invent new things and pull us out of the dark ages and into the techno age. Even though I may not me a mathematical genius, I realize that with out math I would have to write my whole report out on hand instead of a computer. I could not play my video games or chat online with friends if it wasn’t for math and the understanding of it. The study of math is important to society and probably always will be.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Tested in Every Way Essay -- Christopher Ruddy

Tested in Every Way: the Catholic Priesthood in Today’s Church, written by Christopher Ruddy, is a report and at the same time a reflection on the Seventh Annual Cardinal Bernardin Conference which was held in the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX in 2003 . Ruddy reports the voices of academic and pastoral expertise sharing about the challenges and the identity of being a priest. Besides of giving a report, the book opens up and finishes with the Ruddy’s insightful reflections. Ruddy opens up with an â€Å"examination of the cultural and ecclesiological contexts of the priesthood in today’s church (13)†. In the first chapter of the book Ruddy mentions three challenges the church and priest are facing today: popular skepticism, erosion of biblical and theological literacy, and the impossibility of a genuine diverse but unified moral and religious community. He states that the rise of skepticism contributes to a hermeneutics of suspicion. That type of hermeneutics lead to a construction of narratives of progress and redemption, but sometimes those narratives are held to twist the reality (19) creating divisions among other groups (20). To face the mentioned challenges, Ruddy says: â€Å"the priest are called to model catholicity in the face of pluralism, defend objective truth against skepticism, and to speak about the obstacles to hope†. Finally, Ruddy mentions that there have been many contextual and demographical changes in society tha t have shaped the identity of the priest, but as John Paul II puts it, â€Å" the priest receives his identity and his ministry from the communion he shares with Christ, his bishop, brother priests, his fellows baptized, and the entire human community (48). In the chapters two, three and four... ... see a priest witnessing what he preaches, and a priest that takes into account the gifts, talents and knowledge of all the member of the community. Bevan’s image of the conductor of an orchestra is what people want to see. In other word a priest as a person that leads the community to work in harmony and through that community work lead people to Christ. Tested in Every Way is a book that needs to be read by priests, seminarians and those who are in training for future ministry. The book opens our mind to a broader perspective of what the priest is today and what is expected of him in the future. I see the book as an invitation to reflect on my own image of the priesthood and at the same time to work toward a vision that embraces me in a community which is sustained by the relationship with God and all the members of the faithful community.

Monday, September 16, 2019

A Brief Literature Review of Qualitative Research

The application of qualitative research to social science studies has received mixed reviews. Some social scientists subscribe wholeheartedly to the use of qualitative research as a counterpoise to the traditional quantitative research methodology, which has been the vogue in social science research. Other social scientists however question the application of qualitative research to social science studies. Some reviewers, for example, question the appropriateness in retrospective evaluation of programs of programs in organizational change (Blackler and Brown, 1983, p.  349).Other reviewers of the same research argue that good qualitative evaluation â€Å"entails close and continuous involvement with the process of change. † Blacker and Brown employed qualitative research methodology in their study of retrospective evaluation of programs of organizational change. They concluded that â€Å"unlike some natural science paradigms, competing paradigms should not be thought of as mutually exclusive† in application of qualitative research in social science. (Blacker and Brown, ibid)Crawford titled his paper ‘Putting money in research pays: How companies large and small – benefit from research plans’. In it he discussed the advantages gained by business enterprises in the United States of America through both quantitative and qualitative research. (Crawford 2006). Dale in his study: ‘Partnering with management to implement ergonomics in the industrial workplace’, concluded that for implementation of any research to be effective in changing workers’ attitude, there must be effective collaboration between the researcher and the management of the industrial establishment.(Dale, 2004). Harris in his article entitled: ‘Business to Business comes of age in qualitative research’, highlights the use of modern information technology in advancing the frontier of qualitative research in business and industry. It is Harris’s opinion that use of such technology as teleconferencing will not only ensure objectivity in data collection, but can allow the researcher to administer his protocol to large respondents at the same time. (Harris, 1995)The role of qualitative methodology in ergonomics is discussed by Hignett in his paper ’Theoretical Issues to Ergonomics Science’ Here, a four stage sampling method of qualitative research was used in the interview of academics and management practitioners to gain their views on all areas of ergonomics. (Hignett and Wilson, 2004). Karami, Rowley and Analoni studied some research methodologies used in generating knowledge for management through research. They concluded that whereas earlier research was skewed in favor of quantitative methodology, present day studies tend to favor qualitative research methods.(Karami et al 2006). McPhee employed a qualitative research approach to his study of the organizational behavior of business practi ce in Europe. He concluded that although until recently, the pyramidical hierarchy structure was the norm in organizational framework of European companies, globalization of the world economy has forced many European firms to employ qualitative research in their transition to a more democratic organizational arrangement (McPhee, 2002). Russell in his paper titled ‘Dangerous Intersections’ x-rays the use of qualitative research as a tool in the campaign sponsored by an insurance company.The thrust of the campaign was on awareness, education and safety promotion within the United States. (Russell, F. 2002). Yates in his paper drew attention to the opportunities which practitioners in business communications now have to shift emphasis away from quantitative methods to qualitative methodology in their research. (Yates, J. 1993). This brief literature review leads us to the analysis of the qualitative research methodology employed by Maximillian Brown in his dissertation tit led: ‘Trust, Power and Work place democracy: Safety and Health Works Councils in Oregon’. Description of Methodology:In analyzing the qualitative research methodologies used in ‘The Brown Dissertation’ salient aspects of each methodology will be highlighted. The sum total of the evaluation of the ‘Brown Dissertation’ will reflect the contributions of all the different paradigms to the overall results of the qualitative research. The following are the research methods employed by Brown for his case studies. †¢ Preliminary contacts with employees and management in of target firms selected for his studies in the summer of 2002. †¢ Actual interviews took place in Fall 2002. †¢ Designing of research project. †¢ Gaining access to the worksites†¢ Process of actual interviews. Preparation for Field Work In order to become familiar with the environment of his research, Brown became an insider of the work stations. Brown used his membership of the Safety Committee in his university, and participated actively in its programs in order to gain first hand information on the philosophy underlying the Safety Committee operations. Moreover, in order to have a comprehensive knowledge of the safety operations in his university, he sought and obtained permission to attend meetings of those safety subcommittees in which he was not a member.Furthermore, brown received training conducted by the State of Oregon in safety committee operations. By his own admission, Brown’s experiences as a member and active participant in safety committee meetings strongly influenced his research design and the process of conducting interviews with his subjects. The oral questions put to his subjects were structured along the lines of his experience as a participant rather than an outsider. Being an insider conferred on him certain advantages which he utilized in preparation of his research protocols.Brown was able to ask questions which were directed at specific areas of operation of the safety councils; which an outsider might not be privy to. Brown also gained leverage on his subjects by being knowledgeable about their schedule of duties. More so, Brown’s membership of a university committee whose functions are similar to those of the subjects of his enquiry influenced his tailoring his questions to more specific subject matters which an outsider will not be aware of. Brown’s research protocols were gleaned from Richard Freeman and Joel Rogers book with the title: ‘What Workers want’ which was published in 1999.Furthermore, Brown had gained prior and valuable hands-on experience of the workings of the industries in which he was to later conduct his qualitative research. After choosing two very different industries in which he wanted to conduct his research, Brown set out to get a working knowledge of these industries. He relied heavily on authoritative publications of the Oregon State Occupational Safety and Safety Administration for first hand information on the industries of his choice. These publications complemented his own practical experience in one of the industries; while filling the gaps in his knowledge of the other.With these preparations, Brown was thus able to formulate intelligent questions for his target interviewees. Brown acknowledged the obvious fact that an outsider cannot know as much about a factory as those who work in the place. As an icing on his cake, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) assisted Brown to select target factories relevant to his research. Visits to Target Factories Brown approached his target audience in three stages. He first made preliminary visits to the factories in order to get himself familiar with the people and places where he was to conduct his research.His initial visit to each of the two factories afforded Brown the opportunity to conduct background checks on the facilities avail able in the factories. Some of the background information he had earlier obtained from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration website came in handy during his preliminary visits. From OSHA website he had obtain vital statistics about each factory. These included the number of employees in each factory, products manufactured, and the mission statement of each organization on their safety and health programs. The next stage of his approach was to make a preparatory visit to each factory.He was able to obtain a tour of each factory. He also used the opportunity of the preparatory visit to collect in-house documents which came in handy to him while preparing his research protocols. These documents included minutes of committee meetings, training materials, and other records germane to his investigations. Brown’s subsequent visits represented the third and last phase of his plan. This was the stage at which he conducted open-ended interviews to representatives of both m anagement and labor in the premises of the two factories earlier chosen. Equal numbers of representatives of labor and management were interviewed.The interviews were conducted in private. The identities of those interviewed were kept confidential as per university policies on such matters. After explaining the purpose of the research project to the subjects, their written consent was individually obtained before the interview started. Since his project was targeted at the safety policies and practices in the selected factories, only members of the safety committees were interviewed. The interviews which were conducted in a free and friendly manner, employed the ‘active interview’ format designed by Holstein and Gubrium.(Holstein and Gubrium, 1995). In this interview approach, subjects were asked questions which had been prepared in form of a protocol. At the onset, subjects were asked general questions pertaining to their working experiences at the factory. Subjects we re also asked questions of personal interest to the respondents with respect to the issue central to the research This phase formed the preliminary stage as formulated by Holstein and Gubrium. The next set of questions centered on the perception of the respondents regarding the effectiveness of the program of the committee in which they were members.The subjects were asked of the perception of their fellow workers on their election or selection into the committee. This formed the overview question stage of the interview. The next stage of the interview centered on training. The respondents were asked to assess the depth and relevance of the training which they received towards performance of their duties as committee members. Questions on the perceived quality of the content of their training, the methods of dissemination of information and the net change effect of the training on the participants, concluded the set of questions on training.The next set of questions for the subjects , centered on the meetings of the committee. Subjects were asked to analyze the interpersonal relations among members of the committee, the atmosphere of the meetings; the procedures adopted during the meetings and the dissemination of information to members before and after each meeting. The last set of specific questions put to the subjects was on the authority granted the committee by management, and the influence of the committee on management.They were questioned on how they communicated the decisions arrived at their meetings to management, and the effect of their recommendations on management policies. Subjects were also asked to give their views on the industrial atmosphere of their work place, and specifically on the labor and management relations; whether they were cordial, or if there were unresolved issues dividing the two parties. Finally, subjects were asked whether they felt a sense of power by their membership of the committee. Evaluation of Brown’s Qualitativ e Research MethodologyThe methodologies applied by Brown in his dissertation are identifiable and well structured. They follow the pattern of a well organized qualitative research project. Preliminary work was done in two main areas. Relevant literature was searched and the context applied as and when necessary, as per specifications in the original publication. For example, the method of interview was patterned after the universally accepted standard procedure of Holstein and Gubrium termed:†Active Interviews† (Holstein and Gubrium,1995).The use of ‘Active Interviews’ by Brown was appropriate to the qualitative research design in his case study. A lot of preliminary work was done by Brown, in order to identify firms at which to carry out his research study. Background studies were first carried out on these companies. Where the researcher felt that he had insufficient experience and inadequate knowledge and information, necessary recourse was made to author itative state government publications on the subject of his research. Initial visits to the premises of the firms under study, were made by Brown.He got himself familiarized with both the staff and the environment of the factories where he planned to administer his qualitative research protocol. Those initial visits afforded him the opportunity to interact with representatives of both labor and management. The visits also afforded him the chance to obtain their consent and cooperation. Brown prepared his interview protocols in two similar sets, one for employees and the other for managements of the firms under study. The research protocols were well structured in such a way as to first put general questions to his subjects.From the responses elicited from the respondents, more specific questions relevant to the subject matter of the study were then put to the subjects. This pattern of questioning is in line with the Holstein and Gubium process of ‘active interviews’. Ma ximillian Brown’s success in putting his subjects at ease at this initial stage, helped him to take the interview to a less formal and friendlier conversational atmosphere. Subsequent pieces of information obtained from the respondents were then given freely and honestly without pressure. Brown’s approach evidently made for more reliable and truthful answers to the interviewer’s questions.With the active cooperation of the subjects, Brown was able to plumb the depths of the activities of the safety committees under study, to arrive at a more reliable assessment of their functions, and the perceptions of members of the committee on the relevance and importance of their work on the committee. Limitations and Weaknesses of Brown’s Qualitative Research Methodology By his own admission, Brown recognized that there are some obvious limitations and weaknesses in the methodology he employed in the qualitative research for his dissertation.Three of these weaknesse s, Brown identified as follows: Problems of trust, accuracy in record keeping, and validity of subjects responses. Unless the interviewer is able to scale the wall of distrust erected between him and his subject during the interview, the information gathered from the respondent will be suspect. According to McCracken, lack of trust between interviewer and respondent will restrict the interview to a mere formality. â€Å"The intimacy required for the two parties to move from formal to informal conversational style will be inhibited.†(McCracken,1988). Hence the first objective of an interviewer is to gain the trust of the interviewee. Right from the onset, the interviewer needs to establish a friendly rapport with his subjects even before the interview is scheduled. Brown admitted his lack of familiarity with his subjects, which made some of them to give curt and perfunctory replies to his questions. Secondly, Brown’s inability to import a reliable means of recording his interviews made his transcripts of such interviews less than accurate.The third problem of validity of his subjects’ responses, Brown admits to be his most difficult. There is no easy solution to the issue of whether a respondent is truthful, except perhaps to administer a lie-detector test to each respondent before the interview, as a method of pre screening all participants. Applications of Brown’s Qualitative Research Methodology The research methodology of ‘active interviews’ adopted by Brown in his dissertation generated valuable in formation on the social interactions within an industrial environment.In spite of its limitations and shortcomings, Brown’s qualitative research methodology provides a suitable and reliable template on which further research study can be undertaken to obtain knowledge of the interpersonal relationships within an industrial workplace. By using modern information technological innovations like teleconferencing and re mote control recording devices, greater objectivity can be introduced into Brown’s qualitative research methodology. (Harris,1995).Overall, the methodology employed in Maximillian Brown’s dissertation can be validly adopted in qualitative research studies for dissertations and other quality academic publications. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Blackler, F. H. M. , Brown, C. A. (1983), Qualitative Research and Paradigms of Practice, Journal of Management Studies, 20(3), 349-366. 2. Crawford, A. P. (2006). Putting money into research pays: How companies — large and small — benefit from research plans, Public Relations Tactics, 13(8), 20-20 3. Dale, L. (2004). Partnering with management to implement ergonomics in the industrial, Work, 22(2), 117-124. 4. Freeman, Richard B., and Joel Rogers. 1999. What Workers Want. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. French, Carroll E. 1923. â€Å"The Shop Committee in the United States. † Johns HopkinsUniversity Studies in Histor y and Political Science. 41: 107-207. 5. Harris, L. M. , (1995), Business-to-business comes of age in qualitative research, Marketing News, 29(12), 17-17 6. Hignett, S. , Wilson, R. (2004), The role for qualitative methodology in ergonomics: a case study to explore theoretical issues, Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 5(6), 473-493 7. Holstein, James A. , and Jaber F. Gubrium. 1995. The Active Interview. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications8. Karami, A. , Rowley, J. , Analoui, F. (2006), Research and Knowledge Building in Management Studies: An Analysis of Methodological Preferences, International Journal of Management, 23(1), 436-52. 9. McCracken, Grant. 1988. The Long Interview. Newbury Park,CA: SAGE Publications. 10. McPhee, N. (2002). Gaining insight on business and organisational behaviour: the qualitative dimension, International Journal of Market Research, 44(1), 53-70. 11. Russell, F. (2000). Dangerous intersections, Marketing News, 34(5), 18-18. 12. Yates, J. (1993) , The Opportunity of Qualitative Research, Journal of Business Communication, 30(2), 1999-200

Movie: Crash / Movie Review

Crash is a movie which tackles racial and social conflicts in Los Angeles, California. It was directed by Paul Haggis and it was released in the international market by the year of 2005. Haggis was inspired by a true to life event wherein his own car was carjacked in 1991. The story shows how human beings were born inherently good, yet as they grow older, people tends to have their own prejudices in life. Crash is a movie which depicts prejudice, racism, and racial norms. The location of the film was good in that Los Angeles is home to different people, of different culture and different beliefs.Crash begin when a number of people are engaged in a multi-car mishap. From then on, the audiences were brought to the day before the crash happened. It allowed the audiences to see the lives of the characters of the story, as well as the problems and the dilemmas they came across on that fateful day. An LADP cop was featured while he was attempting to get medical assistance for his sire. How ever, he encountered a problem with a black HMO clerk who would not allow in giving his sire consent to see a different doctor.This led to him turning his annoyance out on a black couple in the course of a traffic stop. Sandra Bullock, a rich girl, along with a District Lawyer (Brandon Fraser) was then on showed being carjacked by 2 black juveniles. In turn, Sandra released her fury on a Mexican locksmith who, at that point in time, was innocently working on the door locks of their house. Later on, the Mexican locksmith was once more deprived of hid own dignity by a Persian store-proprietor. The story depicts how each character shows their good side, only for the movie to later on show their negative side in the story.Crash, by Higgins portrays the way we tackle every facet in our daily lives which could be linked to the world’s class and racism. Each plot processions were constructed in such a way that tackles racism and class in the center. The movie itself allows the audie nce to relate to a variety of emotions. Higgins is exceptional by making supplementing each act with certain turn of fates which leaves the audiences in certain thoughts even after the movie was already over.Each characters of the story leads a complex life and though we were allowed a brief view of what their lives were, we were still unable to fully comprehend the intricacies of each character. The movie was constructed in such a way that it allows us the opportunity to relate ourselves with that of the characters. The film was successful in tackling the problems and hazards of stereotyping and racism in today’s society.They were able to accomplish this goal by inspecting personal apprehensions of other cultures, biases, marginalization, and racism from the numerous standpoints of the characters in the film. In a way, Crash dares its viewers to question the beliefs and biases they held within themselves. In the end, the movie was able to make a statement that each and every one of us has our own set of prejudices which at times leads us to making a wrong move or decision.In the short period of two days, the protagonists in the movie look as though they are interwoven with each other. The characters appear to be caught up with their personal encounters with racism. A good example of this would be the couple, Christine Thayer and Rick Cabot. When they arrived home after being carjacked, Christine was both frantic and disturb, she claimed to know better and believed that there is little chance of the same thing ever happening again.She even went as far as giving those two Black juveniles the benefit of the doubt. People tends to act the same way Christine did, after we experience something bad or traumatic we prefer to forget about the incident and move on. At times we even try to think why people do certain things. We would certainly feel better if we know that what they stole from us was used for good reason such as feeding their family than to think th at they did something terrible simply because they think that doing that thing is fun or the like.Another scene in the story which specifically points towards the issue of racism is when Matt Dillon pulled over a black couple for no apparent reason at all. If we were one of the couples surely we would be shocked to be pulled over when we know very well that we did not commit any crime. The couple does not have any inkling whatsoever that the only reason they were pulled over were linked with racism and Dillon’s anger towards the Black man who refused to allow his father to see another doctor.The movie was able to make us realize that we face the same instances on our daily lives. Although slavery was already abolished the long ago rift between the Blacks and the Whites still exists. This is all true to every people of different color all around the world. We are then faced with the issue of color. Is color that important for other race to be so racist with the other culture? Personally I believe that color is only skin deep and that is why I find it hard to fathom why people tends to go racist over that of people of other color or ancestry.However the movie made me realize that although I long ago believed that color is of no importance and that I went to great measure to be sure that I treat each people I come across as fairly as I can, I realized that I was not really all that fair with my dealings with other people. Sometimes, although we are unaware of it, we tend to get racist. In the film we were shown an episode wherein Sandra Bullock let out her anger on the Mexican locksmith fixing her door.This particular incident made me realize the fact that we actually tends to do things that way. We usually let out our frustration on other people especially if we believe that our rank is far superior to them. As I have mentioned before, though unaware, we sometimes commit racism towards other culture. Maybe it is all due to that hidden feeling lying somewh ere there for all of us. It maybe that belief or the inherent wish for our culture to be the best, it may have stemmed up from our inherent belief that our race is far superior to that of another. In reality, we are thrown into a world full of hostility and violence. In a way, I commend the ability of the movie to make its audiences question their own biases in life.For one, I never really thought that I am capable of racism until I started questioning myself if I could truly tell myself that I have never in my life, been racist.   Although the movie centered most of its theme on racism, and although it made its audiences aware of some reality in life, the movie in itself did not give any ways nor did they explained how are we going to fight racism. The fact that the movie gave us a sense of awareness may be enough and in a way it is good that it did not give us any tips regarding the matter. Personally I believe that we alone could judge or determine the proper ways to fight raci sm. The truth of the matter is racism still exists; it is still there although we refuse to acknowledge it. Racism is prevalent in every society that even the most open minded of people is caught in the act of doing it.The movie showed in detail our all fight against our personal demons. It was clearly portrayed that no matter what race you are you are guilty of the crime of racism. This is evident by the way Cjristine realized later on the movie that her problem did not arise from the Mexican locksmith and maid. Rather, the problem lies within her self. In fact, the maid proved to be a great friend in the end. The inherent goodness of mankind is evident all throughout the movie. In the end, human beings were just that-humans, capable of mistake yet also capable of compassion and understanding.This is highly apparent as each character changed some of their attitudes. For one, the very cop who insulted the woman in front of her husband was the one who saved her own life. Another inst ance was when one of the black juveniles who stole Bullock’s car liberated an illegal Asian immigrant which remained concealed in the van There was also an instance when people of different races and color were seen in the screen (each one of them have certain problem towards that of another). Certain offensive phrases were thrown towards each other, covert biases were disclosed, and political rightness was thrown.This is one of the things I admired in the movie, it is indeed invigorating to be able to hear and feel all of those emotions on a widescreen. However, although I could say that the film is good in its own right there are still certain things to which, I believe the film failed. Although the film gave us a chance to reflect, I still believe that the way it was made was all so typical. For one, the irony of the film is that the so-called racist cop ended saving the day of the woman he earlier insulted wherein the supposedly good cop ended up killing an innocent black man. It was all there, it was already expected that this particular twist of event was already foreseen and lost its surprise in the process.Another factor is that Haggis gave us a brief glance on each character in the story but that alone was not enough. It made the story more complicated since there are so many stories you need to link together to be able to decipher the story as a whole. The brief glance we have of the other characters been too short for us to fully gauge what kind of stuff they are really made of. Due to Haggis intense hope to link each story of the characters with each other (which produce too much coincidences and luck) he failed to ignite some interest in the characters individual lives.â€Å"Crash† indeed is a good title for the movie, since it already says it all – the fact that we crash into different people without realizing that no matter how different we are from that of another, in the end we were all one (unity in diversity). Towards th e end of the movie they played an assortment of extensive music which portrays everyone on the cast looking so touching and emotional while an indie-rock song plays in the background. Basically, this particular scene in the movie was meant for the audiences to have some kind of a self reflection based on the movie we have just watched.The brilliance on the film lies on the way Haggis portrayed racism. He did not went on portraying racism as a white man always abusing that of a Black, rather he went on to show that racism is a natural phenomenon and each and every one of us is capable of being a racist without even realizing it. He did not portray racism as a sin prevalent only to the whites rather he showed us that no matter what race you are in you could still be considered a racist at some point in time. The fact that the movie did not give any explanation or tips on how we are supposed to end racism made some feel rather irritated. However, that particular lack of advice could be viewed as Haggis acknowledgement of the fact that racism is inherent in all of us and as of the moment there is still no cure to solve this particular disease.One thing is for sure though, Haggis was successful in making us realize that we are all at fault in some point in time and thus, we do not have any right to judge other people (or accuse other people of racism for that matter) since we are all guilty of the crime. We certainly could not blame others and mock racism without insulting our very own selves. It is great how Haggis portrayed each character as someone who is annoying and made us feel certain kind of irritation towards them. However, as the film progress we see ourselves reflected on the characters themselves. We then on realize that the characters Haggis made were indeed us – humans who are inherently good yet acts bad depending on the situation which arises.  As a whole, the film made me realize my mistakes towards my attitudes when dealing with other peo ple. At times, when we are so down, when we loses hope, we failed to realize that we are exerting our anger towards innocent people and an abuse of power occurs. The film also made me realize that there lays goodness within each and every one of us. The fact that we are all so different yet so alike is a fact we often overlook. What good could too much similarity give to us? If we are all created all similar to each other then certainly there would be a lost in balance in the universe.That is the very reason why we are created alike and yet different from each other. There are things only some group of people can do. Not simply because you are different from me it already means that you are inferior and I am superior from you. The color of one’s skin and the like does not necessitate that we act all mighty and superior towards other races. For peace to prevail, the important thing for us to do is to learn to accept the views and beliefs of other people. By boxing ourselves on our own personal beliefs and cultures we fail to acknowledge the beauty that lies on other people’s culture.Although our beliefs are different from that of another we must still learn to listen and to respect their own beliefs. It does not necessarily follow that by listening and by respecting other people’s beliefs we are already accepting that belief as our own. In the end respecting other people’s view would serve the best of our interest in that we avoided hurting other people’s feelings, we avoided causing commotion and we attained peace.Reference:Crash. 2005. Marina Grasic, Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

2 Unit Religion – Aboriginal Spirituality.

What does Terra Nullius mean? From at least 60,000 B. C. , Australia was inhabited entirely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with traditional, social and land rights. To the Aborigines the land was everything to them and is closely linked to their Dreaming stories. Dreaming is the belief system which explains how the ancestral beings moved across the land and created life and significant geographic features. In consideration, the Indigenous Australians are a people with a close relationship with the land, and through the land they maintain the spiritual links to the ancestral beings.The land is sacred, and for many thousand years, Aboriginal people lived in harmony on their land. After the arrival of the British colonies in 1788, Australia was declared â€Å"Terra Nullius†, which is a Latin term meaning land belongs to no one. As a result of this, Captain Cook, the British captain of the first fleet of ships to arrive at Australia’s shore, claimed that al l of the east coast of Australia belonged to Britain. The underlying argument was that Aboriginal people were so low on scale of human development that their needs were discounted.Because Aboriginal people did not farm the land, build permanent houses on it or use it in other familiar ways, the British decreed that they did not have rights over the land nor did they have any proof of land ownership. Another reason was that there was no identifiable hierarchy or political order which the British government could recognise or negotiate with. Once European settlement began, Aboriginal rights to traditional lands was disregarded and the Aboriginal people of the Sydney region were almost obliterated by introduced diseases and, to a lesser extent, armed force.First contacts were relatively peaceful but Aboriginal people and their culture was strange to the Europeans as well as their plants and animals. Consequently, Terra Nullius continued on for over 200 years. Figure 1: Eddie Mabo Figur e 1: Eddie Mabo Who was Eddie Mabo? Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo (seen in figure 1) was born on 29 June 1936, in the community of Las on Mer, known as Murray Island in the Torres Strait. His birth name was Eddie Koiki Sambo; however he was raised by his Uncle Benny Mabo through a customary ‘Island adoption’. During this time, the concept of â€Å"terra nullius† was legislation.When Eddie was growing up, life for the people of the Torres Strait Islands was strictly regulated with laws made by the Queensland Government. However, the Meriam people strived to maintain continuity with the past and continued to live a traditional lifestyle based on fishing, gardening and customary laws of inheritance. At the age of 16, Eddie was exiled from Murray Island for breaking customary Island law, and he set off for the mainland where a new life was waiting for him. Through university, Eddie read a speech in front of people about his people’s belief about the land own ership.A lawyer heard him and asked if he would like to argue with the Australian government about the right for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to have land rights. After this, Eddie Mabo was successful in addressing the concept of native title to the Australian government on behalf of Murray Island people. He is known for his role in campaigning for indigenous land rights and for his role in a landmark decision of the high court of Australia which neglected the legal doctrine of â€Å"terra nullius† land belong to nobody, which characterized Australian law with regards to land and title.Eddie died in 21 January 1992 and was unable to see the native title given to them. What were the Mabo case and the high court decisions? In the 1970’s, the Queensland Government took over Aboriginal land and was unsympathetic to the concept of land rights or any idea of native title to the land. On the 20th of May 1982, Eddie Koiki Mabo and four other Torres Strait Islanders c hallenged â€Å"terra Nullius† and began their legal claim for ownership to the Supreme Court of Queensland of heir lands on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait since their people had lived on the islands long before the arrival of the white settlement. Eventually, the supreme court of Queensland dismissed the case. Later, another challenge to the concept of â€Å"terra Nullius† was witnessed when Mabo and the four other islanders took the case to the High court of Australia. They requested that the court declare that their traditional land ownership and rights to the land and seas of the Mer Islands had not been extinguished. Furthermore, they claimed that the Crown’s authority over the islands was subject to the land rights of the Murray Islanders.It was not until 3 June 1992 that Mabo case No. 2 was decided. By then, 10 years after the case opened, Eddie Mabo had died. By a majority, six out of one of the judges agreed that the Meriam people did have tradi tional ownership of their land. The judges held that British possession had not eliminated their title and that the Meriam people are entitled as to possession, occupation, use and enjoyment of the lands of the Murray Islands. This decision has wiped the concept of â€Å"terra nullius† and awarded the indigenous Australians with the Native Title.Consequently, the term â€Å"Native title† is still in existence and contributed to allow the Indigenous Australians to maintain a continuous spiritual and cultural connection to the land. Therefore, this decision was important because it recognised that Australia was inhabited By the Indigenous Australians long before the White settlement and hold the native title. What is the Native title Act (1993) Commonwealth? Native title is a legal term which recognises the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the use and occupation of lands with which they have maintained a continuing, traditional connections.Eventu ally, in the 1970’s the Queensland government began to remove the land rights of people of Murray Island in the Torres Strait. One of the Meriam people, Eddie Mabo, took the Queensland Government to court to prevent this from happening. Sadly, this case failed. Moreover, Mabo and some other people took the case to the high court of Australia. The high court decided in favour of the Meriam people and recognised the principle of Native title. Ultimately, during this historical event, Eddie Mabo was dead. In 1993, The Keating Labor government passed the Native Title Act.This Act accepted the notion of Native title in law and also recognised the rights of owners of freehold property. Nevertheless, pastoralists and miners were still concerned, and many people leased land from the government. The legislation aimed to codify the Mabo decision and implemented strategies to facilitate the process of granting native title. However, it had not resolved the question of whether the granti ng of pastoral lease extinguished Native title. In this case, the High court argued that native title could co-exist with the rights of leaseholders.However, the pastoralists and the mining companies who lease lands were still concerned that the court was too much in favour of native title. In 1997, native title act passed by the Howard government. This act stated that Native title and leasehold rights could co-exist and in any conflict, the rights or the leaseholders would come first. What was the Wik Decision (1996) commonwealth? The Native title Act of 1993 had not resolved the question of whether the granting of a pastoral lease extinguished Native title.In 1993, the Wik people on Cape York in Queensland made a claim for land on Cape York Peninsula which included two large Pastoral leases. The federal court upheld the Native Title Act 1993 against the Wik people, with an argument that Aboriginal Australians had no control over land that has been leased. This case was further tak en to the High court of Australia. In December 1996, the high court ruled that the granting of a pastoral lease had not in fact extinguished native title. With reference to a letter from 1848 in which a British secretary of state for colonies wrote to governor ofNSW which stated that the leaseholders had to negotiate with the traditional owners to allow them access. Pastoralists viewed the Wik decision with great concerns, for they had always believed that they had full and sole rights to manage their leases. After the Wik decision, Pastoralists would have to negotiate with any group who could prove native title right. Unfortunately, the pastoralists and miners increased the pressure on government because they were not happy with the Wik decision and the idea that Indigenous Australians had rights to leased land.After a debate on this issue, the Howard government passed an amendment to the 1993 Native title Act. This change reduced the rights of indigenous Australians under the act and removed their right to negotiate with pastoralists and miners. This new law, made it difficult for Aboriginal Australians to make land rights claims Outline the importance of the Dreaming for the land rights movement? The Dreaming for Australian Indigenous people (sometimes referred to as the Dreamtime or Dreamtimes) refers to when the Ancestral Beings moved across the land and created life and significant geographic features.The land rights are of critical importance in relation to Aboriginal spirituality, because the dreaming is inextricably connected with the land. Since the Dreaming is closely connected to the land, the land rights movement is an important movement in helping Aboriginal people re-establish spiritual links with their sacred land which was lost as a result of the European settlement. The dreaming is essential to the land rights movement because of many reasons such as: To the Aborigines, the dreaming is the central role which land occupies in Aboriginal spirit uality, as land is the path through which the dreaming is experienced and communicated.Without the land, the dreaming cannot be communicated because it is from the land that the stories of ancestor spirits in the dreaming flow. It is through their intimate connection to the land that the foundational concept which lies at the heart of Aboriginal spirituality, that is, the dreaming can be accessed. The land therefore, acts as the mother for the Aboriginal people, and that since it is, the identity of every Aboriginal person is closely linked to the land. Therefore, the importance of the land rights movement for Aboriginal spirituality should not be underestimated.More importantly, the dreaming stories provide the entire ethical and moral basis by which Aboriginal people live on their land and relate to each other. It is known that the access to their land is fundamental to the putting into practice of Aboriginal law. This factor underlies the Aboriginal law is the knowledge and ritua l relating to sacred sites. These sites need to be cared for and this is done through ritual ceremony. Each person is linked to the spirit ancestor who created the land, and it is this which creates an Aboriginal person’s identity.Through the dreaming, Spirit connects each person with particular sacred sites, with the result that each person has a connection with specific places on the land. According to the Aboriginal belief system, individuals have clearly defined responsibilities in relation to the land, in particular the protection of sacred sites. Sacred sites may be desecrated through grazing, mining, or perhaps contact with site by people without knowledge of the necessary ritual. Access to these sites is critical for the performance of rituals and ceremonies so that the law can be taught to new generations.Another importance of the dreaming is that the dreaming connects each tribe to a totem. A totem is an emblem mainly a plant or an animal that has become a symbol fo r a group who is believed to be responsible for their existence. The totem unifies the Clan (group) under the leadership of the spirit ancestor and thereby also creates a metaphysical connection with other clans bearing the same totem. Without their access to their totems, the Aboriginal people would lose their identity and prevent the belief system to be passed on to the next generation. Also, being taken away from a totem can alienate the individual from their clan.The land rights movement can re-establish the access to the totems and belonging to the same clan under the sacred totem. Thus, the dreaming which explains the clan’s existence by their totem is essential to the land rights movement. For the purpose of land rights and spiritual fulfilment of the land, the Australian History has witnessed many land rights movement. Those include the Yolgnu people of Yirrkala in 1963 and the 1966 Gurindji people. In 1963, the Yolgnu people of Yirrkala sent a typed petition in both their own language and English to the federal parliament because the government had granted a mining company the right to mine auxite without consulting the traditional owners. The paper was fixed to a surrounding bark painting which depicted the people’s relationship with the land, and the Yirrkala people were seeking recognition of rights to their traditional lands on the Gove Peninsula. This however, was rejected in the court. To not underestimating this land rights movement, it was the first Aboriginal land rights movement and was an important step in the eventual recognition of indigenous land rights movement.Another Early land rights movement was in 1966, when the Gurindji people began a strike at the British-owned Wave Hill station in the Northern Territory to protest about intolerable working conditions and low wages. They set up a camp at Wattie Creek and demanded that some of their traditional lands to be restored to them. The protest eventually led to their being g ranted the rights to Wattie Creek by the Whitlam Government in 1975. The passing by the Fraser Government of the Commonwealth Land Rights Act northern territory, 1976, gave Aboriginal people freehold title to traditional lands in the northern territory.As shown, the land rights movements were based on the belief of the dreaming. This is because the land is closely linked to the dreaming and by restoring land rights again, the Aboriginal community could re-establish the dreaming which involves the land, sacred sites, totems and ancestral beings. How has dispossession affected Aboriginal spirituality? (seperatio Land, kinship, stolen generation). The Dispossession of the Indigenous Australians has had a major impact on their Spirituality and beliefs, including their connection to the land, kinship and explored a major effect which is the stolen Generation.When the White Settlement began in Australia in 1788, Australia was called â€Å"terra Nullius† meaning that the land belong s to no body. What was unknown to the British settlement is that the land is the home for the Aborigines and those Aborigines have been living in this land for more than 50,000 years. In the nineteenth century and much of the twentieth century the official policy towards Aboriginal Australians was called protectionism. Protectionism is the idea that Aboriginal Australians needed to be separated from the white society and be protected because they were unable to do so.As a result, they were removed from their traditional lands and placed in missions which at that time were controlled by Christian churches. This was a major factor in separating Aboriginal people from their own culture and religions. Since the Aboriginal religion is based on the dreaming which refers to the time where ancestors created the land, the dreaming is closely connected to the land because it is through the land that the stories of the dreaming emerge. Many of their rituals and ceremonies were inseparably link ed to the land and sacred sites.Consequently, many Aborigines were separated from their spiritualties and beliefs. Another major effect of dispossession from land is when separated people have later tried to gain access to their land but have no knowledge of the law and tradition and also no proof of their connection to the land. Therefore, dispossession from land has impacted on the Aborigines because the land plays a major role in their spiritual beliefs. Similarly, separation from Kinship groups has limited the Aboriginal people’s opportunity to express their religion in traditional songs and dances.The Kinship is a complex system of belonging, relationships and responsibilities within a tribe that are based on the dreaming. Due to the fact that most of Aboriginal tribes had their own language, separation from kinship made it impossible for Aboriginal people to preserve their own language and dreaming stories of their clan (tribe). It is known that each Aboriginal individu al has a responsibility within their clan. Many Aborigines as a result of dispossession lost the opportunity to participate in rituals that would gain them acceptance into the clan.Eventually, Kinship groups had the responsibility for raising and nurturing children even though they were not their biological children. When children were taken away from their clan by the white colonisation, the community lost the responsibility of taking care and nurturing the children and thus, lost the concept of kinship. Another effect of separation from Kinship groups is that the separation prevented individuals from inheriting the traditional parenting skills such as teaching the young their responsibilities and the dreaming stories.Separation from Kinship can also mean isolation from the ceremonial life. Ceremonies such as initiations or funerals are of a critical importance because they are a part of the Aboriginal life. Without these ceremonies, a person is disconnected to their kinship and th eir Aboriginal spirituality. This also limited the spread of their beliefs to the next generations. Hence, Kinship separation has led to the loss of spirituality. The so called â€Å"Stolen Generations† have also affected the Aboriginal spirituality.The term â€Å"Stolen Generation† refers to the children who were removed from their homes between 1900 and 1972 by the Government and Church missionaries in an attempt to assimilate these children into European society. Most of the children who were taken away lost contact with other Aboriginal people, their culture, beliefs and land. In addition, they also lost their own languages. As a result, the stolen generation found it difficult to restore the connection with their own people and culture. The children were only exposed to white culture, because they were told that their families had rejected them or they were dead.The contact between the children and families was rarely allowed. This lead to a lack of role models ta ught the Aboriginal beliefs. Some of the stolen Generation could not pass on the dreaming stories of the ancestral beings to their children, unlike how they were initially taught with their Aboriginal community. Many of the children were exposed to Christianity in its various forms. The children were taught the Christian religion in Christian missions, which undoubtedly contributed to the destruction of aboriginal culture and spirituality. Thus, the removing of the Aboriginal children had impacted on the Aboriginal spirituality.Therefore, the dispossession from the land, kinship and the stolen Generation has affected the Aboriginal Spirituality. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. http://www. aboriginalheritage. org/history/history/ [ 2 ]. http://www. parliament. nsw. gov. au/prod/web/common. nsf/key/HistoryBeforeEuropeanSettlement [ 3 ]. Religion and Belief system in Australia post-1945 [ 4 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Eddie_Mabo [ 5 ]. http://www. racismnoway. com. au/teaching-resources/factsheets/19. html [ 6 ]. http://www. racismnoway. com. au/teaching-resources/factsheets/19. tml [ 7 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Eddie_Mabo [ 8 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Eddie_Mabo [ 9 ]. Religion and Belief system in Australia post-1945 [ 10 ]. Religion and Belief system in Australia post-1945 [ 11 ]. http://www. aboriginalheritage. org/history/history/ [ 12 ]. Religion and Belief system in Australia post-1945 [ 13 ]. Religion and Belief system in Australia post-1945 [ 14 ]. www. atns. net. au/agreement. asp? EntityID=775 [ 15 ]. http://www. library. uq. edu. au/fryer/1967_referendum/labour. html [ 16 ]. http://www. library. uq. edu. u/fryer/1967_referendum/labour. html [ 17 ]. http://reconciliaction. org. au/nsw/education-kit/land-rights/ [ 18 ]. http://www. library. uq. edu. au/fryer/1967_referendum/labour. html [ 19 ]. :http://www. abs. gov. au/Ausstats/[email  protected] nsf/Previousproducts/1301. 0Feature%20Article21995? opendocument [ 20 ]. http://reconciliaction. org. au/nsw/education-kit/land-rights/ [ 21 ]. http://reconciliaction. org. au/nsw/education-kit/land-rights/ [ 22 ]. http://www. library. uq. edu. au/fryer/1967_referendum/labour. html [ 23 ]. http://www. library. uq. edu. au/fryer/1967_referendum/labour. html

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Starting From Scratch Or Buying An Existing Business

Starting From Scratch Or Buying An Existing Business If you're about to have a business, you'll think about how to get it, by staring a new one or buying an existing one. Anna Bryant bought an existing salon when she had the chance instead of starting her own.The reasons for that are because she had no business experience or skills but she believes that she have the capabilities to run this salon, also she's an entrepreneur for the first time and this will save her the time of the stating period plus the effort of building the business name and make it stand in ground, it also have customers and taff and already been running for years so she can start making sales from the first day.Before buying the business there are some steps to be taken, studies, plans and more, like knowing the first owner decided to sell the business and if there are major problems within the business and figuring out how to solve them. Appraising the business is a must too because she wouldn't want to pay mor e for the business. She should get help and ask experts about all the details as she also need to sit plans about how she'll run the business and about the changes needed to be made and ake expectations to be reached. Also evaluating the risks and see how to avoid them.After finding the reasons and applying the required steps before buying, Anna Bryant is now able to make her decision. Successful Entrepreneur Effectiveness A Successful entrepreneur have special characteristics, passion, willingness to take risks, Positive attitude, Confidence, respect, and trust are all needed in the entrepreneur character. Commitment, leading skills, team building and flexibility also makes a good entrepreneur. knowledge in markets and how to run businesses and ow to communicate with others, all these characteristics build a Successful entrepreneur.Having no previous experience as an entrepreneur doesn't mean that the business won't be successful. Anna's first business succeeded because she had a l ot of a successful entrepreneur characteristics, the first was her love to the business and her passion about fashion. Courage, Wisdom, and excitement all were in her heart, and the desire to take the business to the next level all made her a great entrepreneur. Anna didn't have an experience but she was determined to gain it by consulting and getting help from others. She sat goals and put plans, she had a vision and this is one of the entrepreneur characteristics. ne of the challenges that face any business is financial management, high expenses, low sales and insignificant protlts, these problems and more which were facing Anna's business can be solved by using analysis techniques and take the right action based on the analysis process. Anna was able to improve the business finance by hiring a professional team and using their help, also by working on herself and gaining knowledge about the business market and learning some marketing techniques,. By studying the businesses' hance s, opportunities, strengths and weaknesses she was able to manage it Just right.After that she started to make changes in the business and make it more effective and attractive, by offering new services and new fashionable designs that are desirable which brought her new customers, Anna didn't wait until she make the salon exactly as she wants, she stared to work and make profits right away plus working in making the needed improvements, taking an advantage of all the available opportunities of the existing business made in easier for her to manage all the financial matters and this made her a great entrepreneur.My references Nitish. (2011). Main Reasons to Buy an Existing Business. Available: http:// accessed 29th April 2013. From E-library Slavec, Alenka-Prodan, Igor. (2012). The influence of entrepreneur's characteristics on small manufacturing firm debt financing. East European Management Studies. 17 (2), 22-23-24. The Advantages Of Franchising Owning and running a franchise ins tead of starting a business is an action taken by a lot of business people, John is one of them.Franchising have advantages which makes it a better option, as for John, a franchise have a lot benefits to offer like having big known brand to stand by you and support you for different aspects like the product knowledge, training development and sales. It was way easier that staring his own business. A franchise makes profits quickly, and it have a proven business format and it's supported by the Franchisors. It have lower risks and worries and a help is available when needed from the Franchisors who have powerful motivation.From my point of view franchising have five main advantages, Branding, it offers a strategic identity which impact on the market, big businesses spend millions on their branding and ranchisee gets the advantage of that, and the Franchisors are mostly well known for customers. Advertising, advertising takes a lot of the business expenses and a business can't survive without expensive and effective advertising. Name Recognition, which makes people guarantee the quality of the products and a known name gives them that.Reputation, which enable the Franchisee to enjoy protectiveness against lawsuits or accidents or any issues with the employees. Support, running a business needs training, and by have a Franchise you'll get all the train you need, they want you to be successtul because your success is ll possible ways. A Successful Franchise Business their success so they'll support you in Acquiring a franchise is a successful business to run, as it's cleared by the advantages of franchising. t have the benefit of having an access to the franchiser established system which have been running for a long time, franchisers spend a lot of time to modifying their system to the best it can be and hand it over to the franchisees, the system includes information about the products or services and all the details of the market methods, plus they make researc h to determine the best ocation for the franchise and some of them also manage the building and the renting matters which leave less worries for the franchisees.Another thing is, franchisees are not alone, the are supported by the franchisers who really want them to success, they train them to operate the business effectively , this is a very important reason why franchising can be a successful business. Moreover, franchisees' customers have a full awareness of the business and its products so they can trust without even trying it, means that loyal customer exists with any effort.John made it in his business and he became very successful because he had the experience of running a franchise before, he picked a good company with sound model to franchise and he started with full energy and high confidence. He received different trainings in different parts of the company, and used what he have learnt effectively and ran the business properly, he succeeded perfectly and became one of th e best too.Here are a study which clears the success of franchising: franchises success rate is 90% comparing to only 15% of business staring from scratch, meaning hat a franchisees will surely succeed as long as they follow the franchisors the instructions and use the support system effectively. My references: Don Daszkowski. Higher Likelihood of Success with a Franchise Business . Available: http://franchises. about. com/od/buyingafranchise/a/franchise-success. htm. Last accessed 1st may 2013. From the E-library: Abell-Mark1. (2010). The franchising advantage. Managing Intellectual Property. 9 (1-2), 16-17-18.GOING FOR A BUISNESS Starting a business is never easy whether it was a franchising, entrepreneurial enture or an independent small business. If I'm about to start my own business I wouldn't go for franchising, not because it won't be successful or because it's hard, it's Just that I'd rather to come up with new idea and add something to the world rather that applying the ide a of someone else, franchising may be profitable and better option tor those who are seeking tor cash and high incomes but I'm one ot those who cares more about changing the world and putting my fingerprint on it.Becoming an entrepreneur of an existing business is a good idea which will save a lot f preparing time in the starting period, still the existing business may not apply my own perspectives which means I'll have to do a lot of changes and this may cost me more that what I'll may pay if I started it myself, That's why my best option is to start from the ground. My new small business is about handmade stuff trade, not going to say it's growing fast but I follow the saying: think big and start small.My band is LA FEMME TOM and it's a one-person business so far, it's growing slowly but it's giving me all I need at the moment, plus it's helping me to spread the awareness of the mportance and the value of the handmade stuff which is one of the business aims, it is about selling my handmade stuff, giving courses on how to make them and supporting those who have a talent in this field.I sell my stuff online and in some places, I don't have my own shop yet but soon I'll do as it's planed for. The business approach is to grow and have many branches, it's in a progress development and aiming to have partners and hire working hands to take the production to the next level. Basically the business activities are about girls hobbies to fell the spear time with useful and beneficial things.