Stigma Obesity

Laura Mealer 4/11/12 Essay #9 Stigma: Obesity The fat stigma is becoming a global problem according to an article in the New York Times by Tara Parker-Pope. â€Å"Dr. Brewis and her colleagues recently completed a multicountry study intended to give a snapshot of the international zeitgeist about weight and body image,†(NY times). ‘The findings were troubling, suggesting that negative perceptions about people who are overweight may soon become the cultural norm in some countries, including places where plumper, larger bodies traditionally have been viewed as attractive,’ according to a new report in the journal Current Anthropology.Dr. Lear, who is studying rising childhood obesity in that country and in Canada, agrees the potential for stigmatization exists. †We know in developed countries that obese people are less successful, less likely to get married, less likely to get promoted,† he said. The researchers elicited answers of true or false to state ments with varying degrees of fat stigmatization. The fat-stigma test included statements like, †People are overweight because they are lazy† and †Some people are fated to be obese,†(NY Times).Using mostly in-person interviews, supplemented with questions posed over the Internet, they tested attitudes among 700 people in 10 countries, territories and cities, including American Samoa, Tanzania, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Argentina, New Zealand, Iceland, two sites in Arizona and London. Dr. Brewis said she fully expected high levels of fat stigma to show up in the †Anglosphere† countries, including the United States, England and New Zealand, as well as in body-conscious Argentina. But what she did not expect was how strongly people in the rest of the testing sites expressed negative attitudes about weight.The results, Dr. Brewis said, suggest a surprisingly rapid †globalization of fat stigma. † But what appears to have changed is the level of criticism and blame leveled at people who are overweight. One reason may be that public health campaigns branding obesity as a disease are sometimes perceived as being critical of individuals rather than the environmental and social factors that lead to weight gain. †A public health focus on ‘You can change,' or ‘This is your fault,' can be very counterproductive,† he said. †Stigma is serious. ‘ â€Å"Key ideas in the global model of obesity include the notions that obesity is a disease and that fat reflects personal and social failing. In all our samples, some fat stigma is evident, and the global model suggests that the cultural shared idea that fat or obesity is a basis for judging the social and personal qualities of the individual. However, and critically, the shared cultural model also suggests the culturally correct perspective that expressing those judgments too obviously or forcefully is not acceptable. (JSTOR) â€Å"In summar y, these analyses suggest that norms about fat-as-bad and fat-as-unhealthy are spreading globally and that cultural diversity in conceptions of ideal or acceptable body size appears to be on the decline. Certainly, negative and especially discrediting ideas about fat/obesity are now seemingly much more widespread than a thorough reading of the available ethnographies would suggest. This process of cultural change appears to be happening very quickly, likely representing homogenization in beliefs in this domain just within the last decade or two.This leans us toward the age-old anthropological challenge of better understanding what drives the cultural diffusion of new ideas and feeds their gaining salience. Our findings hint that newer forms of educational media, including global public health campaigns, may be driving this trend. Whatever their source, it is important to understand the dynamics of fat-stigmatizing cultural models because of their potential influence on both physical and social well-being of individuals in a wide range of socioecological contexts. †(JSTOR)

The Early Release of Google Shares

Google  Inc. ‘s  GOOG  -0. 72%  quarterly earnings report hit Wall Street more than three hours early on Thursday due to a glitch. The bigger glitch was what the Internet giant's results actually showed. Enlarge Image Shares of Google plunged after the company's third-quarter results missed expectations of strong growth, and inadvertently were released well before the market's close. Does Google's notable revenue and earnings miss spell trouble for the tech sector? Is this a buying opportunity in Google shares? Ken Sena, Evercore managing director, joins The News Hub to discuss.Photo: REUTERS. Among the litany of issues, the Internet search giant's profits slid 20% from a year earlier to $2. 18 billion, or $6. 53 a share. Revenue rose 45% to $14. 1 billion, thanks to the incorporation of Google's new Motorola hardware unit. But revenue excluding Motorola slowed for the fourth consecutive quarter, dipping to a growth rate of 19% from rates of more than 20% for the past f ew quarters. At the same time, Motorola also revealed a bigger-than-expected operating loss. The weak results, coupled with their unexpectedly early release from financial printer  R.R. Donnelley  RRD  -2. 56%  ; Sons Co. , wiped $22 billion off Google's market capitalization halfway through the day. Google's shares halted trading for a time before resuming. Google shares tumbled after the company's Q3 earning slipped out prematurely. WSJ's John Letzing has details on Digits. Photo: Getty Images. As of the 4 p. m. market close, the shares had recovered slightly to end at $695, down $60. 49, or about 8% for the day. Still, the stock drop was a reversal for Google, which had experienced a run-up in its shares in recent months.The company's market capitalization had recently pulled even with  Microsoft  Corp. MSFT  +0. 44%  for the first time, fueled by perceived good news about its online-ad business and missteps from rivals such as  Facebook  Inc. FB  +0. 33% At the crux of Google's profit slide was the growth rate of its biggest and most profitable revenue engine: ads on its Web-search engine and video site YouTube. The growth rate of those ad sales has steadily dropped since mid-2011. In the latest quarter, sales of the ads rose 15%, but that was down from 39% growth a year ago. The growth rate for uch ads fell not because advertisers were buying fewer of the ads—in fact, Google sold 33% more ads in the third quarter. But the average price paid by Web-search advertisers to Google per click dropped by 15% in the third quarter, Google said. The Early Earnings Release * Heard:  Buying Opportunity * Early Release a ‘Human Error' * ‘Pending Larry's Quote' * @PendingLarry: From Silent to Meme * Five Takeaways * Google Unveils $249 Chrome Laptop * Retail Investors Can't Keep Up Driving the declining prices for the ads was the shift by advertisers toward mobile ads, analysts said.That change is hurting Google in the short te rm because mobile ads cost less than online ads viewed on desktop computers. Some industry experts, however, predict the price differential will be minimal by the end of next year. Other Web companies are also grappling with the shift to mobile ads. Facebook, which reports earnings next week, has been racing to offer more mobile ad formats after earlier focusing more on online ads viewed on PCs. Google also faces toughening competition in its core search market, which also has a knock-on effect on its search ads.People may be doing some of the most valuable type of Web searches—those that relate to shopping—on sites like  Amazon. com  Inc. AMZN  +0. 82%  rather than on Google, said Sameet Sinha, a stock analyst at B. Riley ; Co. Advertisers generally are happy with Google. But Microsoft Corp. ‘s Bing search engine, which also powers  Yahoo  YHOO  +1. 51%  Search, has been capturing market share over the past year, according to Aaron Goldman, chief marketing officer of Kenshoo Ltd. , which helps companies like  Expedia  Inc. EXPE  +1. 35%  and  Sears Holding  Corp. SHLD  +1. 4%  advertise online. â€Å"We're seeing the Yahoo/Bing network taking share because clients get a 30% better return on their investment than on Google,† he said. Enlarge Image On an earnings call Thursday, Google Chief Executive Larry Page quickly moved to calm fears about mobile after saying he was â€Å"sorry for the scramble† involving the premature earnings release. Mr. Page, speaking in a halting and hoarse voice, said there is â€Å"tremendous innovation in advertising, which I believe will help us monetize mobile queries more effectively than desktop today. He also noted there are more than 500 million devices powered by Google's mobile Android software and that come preloaded with Google's search engine and its other services. Google stands to take a bigger revenue cut from ads that appear on Android devices than it does from  Apple  Inc. ‘s  AAPL  +1. 36%  iPhone and iPad. Mr. Page said Google was on pace to generate $8 billion a year from mobile devices, including advertising and sales of music, movies and apps on Android devices. A year ago, Google said it was on pace to generate $2. billion related to mobile devices, but that included only mobile ads, not content sales. Google's $12. 5 billion acquisition of Motorola also dragged on results. In its first full quarter as part of Google, the handset maker generated $2. 58 billion in revenue, lower than the $2. 75 billion that Mr. Sinha expected. Motorola also had a loss of $527 million. Google has said that it plans to cut costs at the division, including by laying off 20% of Motorola staff, or 4,000 jobs. On the call Thursday, Google said Motorola's results would be â€Å"quite variable† in the coming quarters.Despite all the issues, some analysts who had been bullish on Google remained upbeat. â€Å"While slight ove rall, Google numbers are not as bad as they initially appeared,† wrote Doug Anmuth, a stock analyst at  J. P. Morgan Chase  JPM  -0. 35%  & Co. , during Google's stock halt, adding that any investors who bought into the stock would be â€Å"taking advantage of the sharp selloff. † Google said it had $45. 7 billion in cash at the end of September, up from $43. 1 billion at the end of the second quarter. Its head count was 53,546, down from 54,604 three months earlier, including 17,428 employees at Motorola.

The Impact of Christianity on Western Civilization

The Influence of Christianity on Western Civilization The positive influence of Christianity is far reaching especially in the rich history and culture of Western Civilization despite a long standing ignorance or adamant denial of its contributions. The Bible itself is responsible for much of the language, literature, and fine arts we enjoy today as its artists and composers were heavily influenced by its writings. Paul Maier, in writing the forward to the book How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J.Schmidt, says this about the profound impact Christianity has had on the development of Western Civilization: â€Å"No other religion, philosophy, teaching, nation, movement—whatever—has so changed the world for the better as Christianity has done. Its shortcomings, clearly conceded by this author, are nevertheless heavily outweighed by its benefits to all mankind† (Schmidt 9). Contrary to the history texts treatment of the subject, Christian influence on value s, beliefs, and practices in Western culture are abundant and well ingrained into the flourishing society of today (Schmidt 12).In the Old Testament book of Hosea the writer states: â€Å"my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,† a statement that can well be applied to those today who are forgetful of the past (The Reformation Study Bible, Hosea 4. 6a). Schmidt writes regarding liberty and justice as seen by today’s culture: â€Å"The liberty and justice that are enjoyed by humans in Western societies and in some non-Western countries are increasingly seen as the products of a benevolent, secular government that is the provider of all things.There seems to be no awareness that the liberties and rights that are currently operative in free societies of the West are to a great degree the result of Christianity’s influence (248). History is replete with examples of individuals who acted as a law unto themselves â€Å"often curtailing, even obliterating the n atural rights and freedoms of the country’s citizens (249). Christianity’s influence, however, set into motion the belief that man is accountable to God and that the law is the same regardless of status.More than one thousand years before the birth of Christ the biblical requirement given by Moses comprised an essential component of the principle that â€Å"no man is above the law. † One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. (Deuteronomy 19. 15) Thus the accuser, regardless of position in society, could not arbitrarily incarcerate or execute the accused and was himself subject to the law.The New Testament also mandated two or more witnesses in ecclesiastical matters regarding an erring Christian in Matthew 18:15-17 (Schmidt 249). The criminal and justice systems of many free countries today employ this Judeo-Christian requirement of ha ving witnesses testify and in British and American jurisprudence, witnesses are part of â€Å"due process of law,’ a legal concept first appearing under King Edward III in the fourteenth century (Schmidt 249). One startling example of the concept that no man is above the law is seen in the conflict between the Christian emperor Theodosius the Great and St. Ambrose. It happened in 300 A. D. hen some in Thessalonica rioted and aroused the anger of the emperor who overreacted by slaughtering approximately seven thousand people, most of whom were innocent. Bishop Ambrose asked the emperor to repent and when Theodosius refused, the bishop excommunicated him. After a month Theodosius prostrated himself and repented in Ambrose’s cathedral. Often mistaken as a struggle for power between church and state, the evidence in which Ambrose’s letter to the emperor cited sole concern for the emperor’s spiritual welfare conclude this as being the first instance of applyi ng the principle that no one is above the law (Schmidt 250).The Magna Carta served as a courageous precedent some five hundred years later to the American patriots in the creation of the unique government of the United States. The charter, signed in 1215 at Runnymede by King John granted a number of rights never held before this historic occasion including that â€Å"(1) justice could no longer be sold or denied to freeman who were under authority of barons; (2) no taxes could be levied without epresentation; (3) no one would be imprisoned without a trial; and (4) property could not be taken from the owner without just compensation (Schmidt 251). The Magna Carta had important Christian ties as demonstrated by its preamble that began, â€Å"John, by the grace of God†¦,† and stated that the charter was formulated out of â€Å"reverence for God and for the salvation of our soul and those of all our ancestors and heirs, for the honour of God and the exaltation of Holy Chur ch and the reform of our realm, on the advice of our reverend [church] fathers† (Schmidt 251).This document also followed the precedent established in 325 at the Council of Nicaea in which Christian bishops wrote and adopted a formal code of fundamental beliefs to which all Christians were expected to adhere. The Magna Carta displayed what its formulators as Christians expected of the king and his subjects regarding civic liberties (Schmidt 251). Natural law is a concept with a long history dating back to the Greco-Roman philosophers.Despite some variations among philosophers one point of agreement was understood as â€Å"that process in nature by which human beings, through the use of sound reason, were able to perceive what was morally right and wrong† (Schmidt253). With the emergence of Christianity common law was clarified to state that â€Å"natural law was not an entity by itself but part of God’s created order in nature through which he made all rational human beings aware of what is right and wrong† (Schmidt 253). The Apostle Paul expressed this in the New Testament book of Romans: For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them† (Romans 2. 14-15). Martin Luther stated: â€Å"Why does one then teach the Ten Commandments? Because the natural laws were never so orderly and well written as by Moses† (Schmidt 253).In his Two Treatises of Government, physician and political philosopher John Locke (1632-1703) claimed that government existed only to uphold the natural law and that governmental tyranny violated the natural rights of man (Schmidt 253). Natural rights were derived from nature and not from kings or government. The renowned English scholar Sir Willi am Blackstone had immense influence on the American patriots in the eighteenth century who used his Commentaries of the Laws of England (1765) while formulating the fledgling government as evidenced by the Declaration of Independence.The words â€Å"the Law of Nature and of Nature’s God† document the reliability on the Christian understanding of the natural law (Schmidt 254). The Declaration of Independence goes on to state that â€Å"whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government,† thus reiterating the concept of â€Å"inalienable rights† given by nature. The term â€Å"self-evident† has Christian roots going back to theological writings of the eighth century.Schmidt quotes Gary Amos, author of Defending the Declaration, as saying: â€Å"To the medievalists, ‘self-evident’ knowledge was truth known intuitively, as direct revelati on from God, without the need for proofs. The term presumed that man was created in the image of God, and presumed certain beliefs about man’s rationality which can be traced as far back as Augustine in the early fifth century† (pp. 254-55). Schmidt believes it is quite plausible that St. Paul’s biblical concept of â€Å"self-evident† (Romans 1. 20) knowingly or unknowingly influenced Jefferson when he wrote the term into the Declaration (Schmidt 255).The last portion of the Declaration includes the phrase â€Å"Supreme Judge,† a term used in Locke’s The Second Treatise of Government, where he refers to Jephthah calling God â€Å"the Judge† in Israel’s fight against the Ammonites (Judges 11. 27). If this is taken from Locke’s work, Amos contends, â€Å"then we have a direct link between the Bible and the Declaration of Independence (Schmidt 255). The Constitution, the hallmark of the foundling government in America, was greatly influenced by the French Christian and philosopher Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) as evidenced by the three branches of America’s government.Schmidt makes note that one historian has said that Montesquieu’s book, The Spirit of the Laws (1748), â€Å"[gave] American Constitution writers their holy writ† and called Montesquieu â€Å"the godfather of the American Constitution† (256). Montesquieu’s political theory was incorporated into the Constitution mostly as a result of the role taken by James Madison, known as the principal architect. His arguments for a separation of powers stemmed from the Christian teaching of the fallen nature of man. He is quoted as saying, ‘The truth [is] that all men, having power ought to be distrusted, to a certain degree. In his Federalist Paper number 51 he notes, â€Å"If men were angels, no government would be necessary† (Schmidt 257). Many history texts have made note that the three powers are derived from Montesquieu’s theory but have failed to note the influence of Christianity on his beliefs: â€Å"It is not enough for a religion to establish a doctrine; it must also direct its influence. This the Christian religion performs in the most admirable manner, especially with respect to the doctrines of which we have been speaking.It makes us hope for a state which is the object of our belief; not for a state which we have already experienced or known† (Schmidt 257). The founding of America’s republic government can best be described as the pinnacle of our American Christian heritage. Noah Webster defined government in his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) as: â€Å"Direction; regulation. ‘These precepts will serve for the government of our conduct. ’ Control; restraint. ‘Men are apt to neglect the government of their temper and passions. â€Å" Thus Webster defines government in a way that reflects the biblical con cept of governmental authority, that is, beginning with the individual and extending outward to include all institutions (DeMar, God and Government, pp. 4-5). The Founding Fathers recognized the importance of self-government. As DeMar states, â€Å"A self-governed individual is someone who can regulate his attitudes and actions without the need for external coercion† (14). Believing God’s law to be the sole standard for determining right and wrong John Adams wrote, â€Å"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.It is inadequate to the government of any other. † The words of Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) reveal the mindset of many who fled to the shores of America in search of religious freedom: â€Å"He knows not how to rule a Kingdom, that cannot manage a Province; nor can he wield a Province, that cannot order a City; nor he order a City, that knows not how to regulate a Village; nor he a Family that knows not how to Govern himself; neither can any Govern himself unless his reason be Lord, Will and Appetite her Vassals; nor can Reason rule unless herself ruled by God, and (wholly) be obedient to Him. †Though the Constitution does not implicitly assume a Christian nation or acknowledgement of the providence of God in national affairs, an omission greatly regretted by the Christian public at the time of adoption (Morris 296), fundamentals of Christianity were incorporated into the State Constitutions of the Revolution which demonstrated the Christian life and character of our civil institutions (Morris 269). Among other things, the influence of Christianity has spread into the concept of freedom and rights of the individual. Without this freedom there is no real freedom on the economic, political, or religious level (Schmidt 258).From its inception, Christianity has placed a high value on the individual in stark contrast to the Greco-Roman culture in which the individual was always subordinate to the state (Schmidt 259). Malcolm Muggeridge, once a non-Christian but later a strong defender of Christianity, said, â€Å"We must not forget that our human rights are derived from the Christian faith. In Christian terms every single human being, whoever he or she may be, sick or well, clever or foolish, beautiful or ugly, every human being is loved by his Creator, who as the Gospels tell us, counted the hairs of his head. † (Schmidt 260).Individual freedom has led to many positive effects in the history of Western society. One essential aspect of this began with individuals such as Tertullian, Lactantius, St. Augustine, and later Martin Luther who promoted religious freedom. Luther, standing before Emperor Charles V and the Diet of Worms in 1521 declared: â€Å"Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot and will not recent any thing, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.God help me, Amen. † The First Amendment echoes the desire of prominent Christian forbears in promoting religious liberty and freedom of the individual (Schmidt 263). Christianity’s influence on education can be seen at its very inception with the teachings of Jesus who used words, parables, and human-life illustrations and taught others who then would become teachers themselves (Schmidt 170). Schmidt notes that the earliest Christians were mostly Jews who came from a long-standing tradition that valued formal education. St.Paul in his epistles makes references to Christians teaching in Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, Thessalonica, as well as other places (171). Teaching continued after the death of the apostles and in the very early church (A. D. 80-110) the Didache, basically an instruction manual for new converts to Christianity, appeared. Ignatius, a bishop of Antioch in the first decade of the second century, in sisted that children be taught the Scriptures and a skilled trade, a concept carried over from the Jews (Schmidt 171). Jesus Christ’s command to the disciples and all Christians was to teach people â€Å"all things† that he commanded him.Newcomers, in preparation for baptism and church membership, were taught orally by the question and answer method. Both men and women over a period of two to three years were catechized and first were instructed in the teacher’s home (Schmidt 171). These types of instruction lead to formal catechetical schools with a strong emphasis on the literary. Justin Martyr, around A. D. 150, established schools in Ephesus and in Rome. Other schools quickly spread throughout the regions. The school is Alexandria, Egypt was well noted for its literary qualities (Schmidt 171).Christian doctrine was the primary focus of these schools though the one in Alexandria also taught mathematics and medicine and when Origen succeeded Clement he added g rammar classes (Schmidt 172). Although Christians were not the first to engage in formal teaching it appears they were the first to teach both sexes in the same setting. Schmidt notes W. M. Ramsey as stating that Christianity’s aim was â€Å"universal education, not education confined to the rich, as among Greeks and Romans†¦and it [made] no distinction of sex† (172).St. Augustine once said that Christian women were better informed in divine matters than the pagan male philosophers (Schmidt 172). Details on the education of children are not known until the fourth to the tenth century when cathedrals and episcopal schools were maintained by bishops. The schools taught not only Christian doctrine but also the trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and logic) and quadrivium (arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy). The espiscopal schools primarily trained priests but also enrolled others.Children of royalty and the higher social ranks attended the cathedral schools and othe rs were instructed in monasteries or nunneries, where girls predominated. Although children were encouraged to enter church vocations most entered secular ones. At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther, to his dismay, found widespread ignorance when he visited the churches in Saxony. He proceeded to write Small Catechism in 1529 noting that the common people had little to no knowledge of Christian teachings and that many pastors were incompetent to teach. He criticized the bishops for this indiscretion (Schmidt 176).Luther urged a state school system â€Å"to include vernacular primary schools for sexes, Latin secondary schools, and universities. † He also said that parents who failed to teach their children were â€Å"shameful and despicable† (Schmidt 177). Education in early America was built on the heels of the Reformation of the sixteenth century which â€Å"stressed reclamation of all of life, with education as an essential transforming force (DeMar, America ’s Christian Heritage, 39). Modeling the Academy of Geneva (founded by John Calvin in 1559), universities sprang up that would apply the Bible to all of life (DeMar 39).On of the first colleges to be founded was Harvard in 1636 three years after John Eliot (1604-1690) first proposed a college for Massachusetts Bay. Harvard’s curriculum emphasized the study of biblical languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic), logic, divinity (theology), and communication (public speaking and rhetoric). Latin also linked students to classical studies and the writings of the church fathers (DeMar 43). The Puritans held to the belief that the collegiate education proper for a minister should also be the same for educated laymen.There was no great distinction between secular and theological learning (DeMar 44). The early motto of Harvard was Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae (â€Å"Truth for Christ and the Church†). Harvard’s motto today has been reduced simply to Veritas (DeMar 45) . Other early universities built exclusively on Christian principles were William and Mary (1693), Yale (1701), Princeton (1746), King’s College (1754), Brown (1764), Rutgers (1766), and Dartmouth (1769) (p. 42). The education of colonial children was provided by a curriculum of three books in addition to theBible: the Hornbook, the New England Primer, and the Bay Psalm book. The Hornbook, a single parchment attached to a wooden paddle, contained the alphabet, the Lord’s Prayer, and religious doctrines written or printed on it. The 1690 first edition of the Primer contained the names of the Old and New Testament books, the Lord’s Prayer, â€Å"An Alphabet of Lessons for Youth,† the Apostle’s Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Westminster Assembly Shorter Catechism, and John Cotton’s â€Å"Spiritual Milk for American Babes† (DeMar 41). The Primer was the most commonly used textbook for almost 200 years.Another popular textbook was The Mc Guffey Reader (Schippe 9). Noah Webster, educator and compiler of the 1828 An American Dictionary of the English Language wrote: â€Å"Education without the Bible is useless. † (DeMar, America’s Christian Heritage, 40) Christian faith was integrated into every facet of education in early America. Christianity’s influence on language, literature, and the arts is often overlooked and even taken for granted. Without the Bible much of what we enjoy today would be non-existent. The English language incorporates many words and phrases taken from the Bible when first translated.In 1380 John Wycliffe translated the Scriptures in its entirety and from it appears many of the words we still use today including the words adoption, ambitious, cucumber, liberty, and scapegoat among others (Schippe 12). William Tyndale translated the first English translation from the original texts. A gifted linguist skilled in eight languages with impeccable insights into Hebrew and Greek, T yndale was eager to translate the Bible so even â€Å"the boy that drives the plow† could know the Bible (Schippe 13). Some familiar words and phrases of his include: â€Å"let there be light (Genesis 1. 3),† â€Å"the powers that be (Romans 13. ),† â€Å"a law unto themselves (Romans 2. 14),† and â€Å"fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6. 12)† (Schippe 13). The influence of Tyndale on the English language was solidified in the publication of the 1611 King James Bible which retained about 94 percent of Tyndale’s work (Schippe 12). A renowned scholar on the literature of the Bible, Alistair McGrath notes, â€Å"Without the King James Bible, there would have been no Paradise Lost, no Pilgrim’s Progress, no Handel’s Messiah, no Negro spirituals, and no Gettysburg Address† (Schippe 12). Despite the hostility and persecution towards the Christians in the early centuries under Nero and Domitian and ater under the Catholic Church prior to the Reformation the Scriptures were meticulously copied by the priests and monks which in later years were translated into the languages of the common people even under threat of punishment (Schippe 14). Tyndale first worked in secret and when later betrayed and about to be burnt at the stake he called out, â€Å"Lord, open the King of England’s eyes. † Within a year King Henry allowed English Bibles to be distributed. Two million English Bibles were distributed throughout a country of just over six million nearly seventy-five years after Tyndale’s death (Schippe 14).Writers, artists, and musicians over the centuries have been greatly influenced by the Bible. From Dante to Milton to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the words and themes found in the Scriptures have made their way into much of the literature we study and enjoy today. Other great writers in the history of Western Civilization include Chaucer, William Shakespeare, John Donne, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herma n Melville, William Blake, T. S. Eliot, and William Faulkner, to name a few (Schippe 44). Art depicting biblical scenes was made popular especially during the Renaissance with artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt.Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the most famous composers, was greatly influenced by the Scriptures. His Magnificant was written for the Christmas service of 1723 at St. Thomas’s Church in Leipzig (Schippe 237). The cantata, a genre of vocal music in the Baroque period and a key part of the German Lutheran service, was primarily used in Bach’s music. A deeply religious man, Bach signed his cantatas â€Å"S. D. G. , which stands for Soli Deo Gloria—â€Å"to God alone the glory† (Schippe 237). Many other forms of music known today have Christian roots such as the sonata, the symphony, and the oratorio.Most forms of music began as psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs and the outgrowth from there progressed as the monks and churches spre ad throughout the ages. Ambrose (340-97) first had members of his congregation sing psalms antiphonally and allowed all people to participate in the morning and evening church services by setting the words of his hymns to â€Å"an easy metrical form, the iambic diameter (Schippe 316). Biblical stories were dramatized and performed in song as early as the ninth century. A well-known church drama in the tenth century was Visitatio sepulchri (The Visit to [Christ’s] Sepulcher). Schmidt notes there is good eason to believe the opera evolved out of church dramas that appeared five hundred years before the Renaissance (316-17). The works of Handel, Beethoven, Mozart, and Mendelssohn among others have greatly been influenced by the words of the Bible; oftentimes the music itself directly reflected that influence (Schippe 328-29). With the publishing of Andrew Dickson White’s A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom in 1896 the idea that Christianity w as responsible for the arrival of science has largely been pushed out of the minds of the people, especially in academic circles (Schmidt 218-19).However, there is a pronounced difference between the pagan and Christian religions, that being the Christian presupposition of one God who is a rational being. Schmidt asks the question, ‘If God is a rational being, then may not human beings, who are made in his image, also employ rational processes to study and investigate the world in which they live? † (219). It was Robert Grosseteste (ca. 1168-1253), a Franciscan bishop and first chancellor of Oxford University, who first proposed the inductive, experimental method and his student, Roger Bacon (1214-94) who asserted that â€Å"all things must be verified by experience. Nearly three hundred years later Francis Bacon (1561-1626) gave momentum to the inductive method by recording his experimental results. Bacon has been called â€Å"the practical creator of scientific induc tion. † Besides his scientific interests he also devoted time to theology and wrote treatises on the Psalms and prayer (Schmidt 219). The inductive empirical method guided by rational procedures stood in stark contrast from the ancient Greek perspective of Aristotle which had a stranglehold on the world for fifteen hundred years.Even after these empirically minded individuals introduced their idea the scholastic world for the most part continued to hold to Aristotelianism which was the real â€Å"struggle† between the Catholic Church and science (Schmidt 219-220). One other prominent presupposition of Christianity is that God, who created the world, is separate and distinct from it unlike Aristotelian philosophy which saw the gods and universe intertwined. Pantheism regarded the scientific method as sacrilegious and an affront to divine nature and thus only in Christian thought where God and nature are separate would science be possible (Schmidt 221).Schmidt quotes Lynn White, historian of medieval science, as saying â€Å"From the thirteenth century onward into the eighteenth every major scientist, in effect, explained his motivations in religious terms† (222). William Occam (1280-1349) had a great influence on the development of modern science. His concept known as â€Å"Occam’s Razor† was the scientific principle that states that what can be done or explained with the fewest assumptions should be used. It is the principle of parsimony.As was common with almost all medieval natural philosophers, Occam did not confine himself to scientific matters and wrote two theological treatises, one dealing with the Lord’s Supper and the other with the body of Christ, both of which had a tremendous impact on Martin Luther’s thinking (Schmidt 222). Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), while a great artist and painter was also a scientific genius who analyzed and theorized in the areas of botany, optics, physics, hydraulics, and ae ronautics. However, his greatest benefit to science was in the study of physiology in which he produced meticulous drawings of the human body (Schmidt 223).Andreas Vesalius (1514-64) followed in Da Vinci’s footsteps. In his famous work, De humani corpis fabrica (Fabric of the Human Body), published in 1543, he corrects over two hundred errors in Galen’s physiological writings. (Galen was a Greek physician of the second century) The errors were largely found by dissecting cadavers (Schmidt 223). The branch of genetics flourished under the work of Gregor Johann Mendel (1822-1884), an Augustinian monk, who after studying Darwin’s theory of evolution rejected it (Schmidt 224). In the field of astronomy great advances were made under devout Christian men Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo.In physics we encounter Isaac Newton (1642-1727), Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716), Blaise Pascal (1623-62), Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), Georg Simon Ohm (1787-1854), Andre Ampere (1775-1836), Michael Faraday (1791-1867), and William Thompson Kelvin (1824-1907). These men held to a strong Christian faith as evidenced by their writings. Before he died, Kepler was asked by an attending Lutheran pastor where he placed his faith. Kepler replied, â€Å"Solely and alone in the work of our redeemer Jesus Christ. † Kepler, who only tried â€Å"thinking God’s thoughts after him,† died with the Christian faith planted firmly in his mind and heart.His epitaph, penned four months before his death stated: I used to measure the heavens, Now I must measure the earth. Though sky-bound was my spirit, My earthly body rests here (Schmidt 230). Such was the mindset of the fathers of modern science who held to deeply religious beliefs and saw no contradiction between faith and science. Had it not been for those men who believed in a rational God who created rational men who sought only to understand the world that God had created and obeyed the command to ha ve â€Å"dominion† (Genesis 1. 28) over the earth, science would not be as it is today.History books are filled with the rich details of men and women whose lives were changed by Jesus Christ and impacted the world through ideas found in Scripture in a wide array of disciplines. To deny the influence of Christianity on Western Civilization is to deny history altogether. Although at certain times there loomed dark areas in church history by those who deviated from the faith the overall positive contributions far outweigh the negative. There is no mistaking the fact that Christianity has changed the world for the better. Works Cited DeMar, G. (2001).God and Government: A Biblical and Historical Study. Powder Springs, GA: American Vision. DeMar, G. (2003). America’s Christian Heritage. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers. Morris, B. (2007). The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States. Powder Springs, GA: American Vision. The Ref ormation Study Bible. R. C. Sproul, gen. ed. Orlando: Ligioner Ministries: 2005. Schippe, C. , & Stetson, C. (2006). The Bible and Its Influence. Fairfax, VA: BLP Publishing. Schmidt, A. (2004). How Christianity Changed the World. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Corporate new ventures at procter & gamble Essay

Corporate new ventures at procter & gamble - Essay Example It also requires an extensive mobilization of the overall corporate resources in order to achieve the required targets. (Hill and Jones). This case study outlines some of the key aspects of the CNV however; it is focused on P&G only and describes the process which is based upon the overall strengths of P&G as an organization. Considering the traditional size of the organization and its past history, it may not be necessary to have big products. However, due to the previous size of the products and the kind of revenue they have generated in the past also requires that P&G must have the big hit products in order to ensure that they meet the standards set by the earlier products. The existing corporate and divisional R&D of the firm can actually contribute towards the achievement of this goal by sharing their strengths with the CNV to achieve the overall objectives of product innovation. Though P&G has the ability to absorb the risks arising from new entrepreneurial activities however, in order to keep sustaining its existing and proven line of businesses, it may be too big. This is also due to the fact that the entrepreneurial activity itself is a very demanding process and the overall risks are high. Further, if the new ventures or ideas are outside the overall objectives of the firm, the same can actually drift P&G away from its traditional competencies. I would recommend that P&G only allow such ventures which fit into its overall organizational objectives and

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AGGINMENT(short answer questions) Essay

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AGGINMENT(short answer questions) - Essay Example Another important external factor is globalization which has created new business opportunities. HR departments have to analyze the benefits and costs of outsourcing business processes (Richardson & Thompson, 1999: Pg 67). The HR department is also influenced by the internal factors. Technology, innovation, and creativity might be implemented at the workplace. The HR department can seek to hire and recruit workers who have adequate skills in installing and configuring technological applications. Innovation and creativity is also required in order to enhance productivity and output. HR departments need to take into account the individual factors. Employees must have high levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction in order to function at optimum levels. The HR department plans a system of incentives and rewards for performing employees. It can use assessment instruments in order to create satisfactory work environment. The HR department is at the forefront of an organization’s corporate strategy. The work force should be selected on the basis of certain competencies. Workers should exhibit high levels of efficiency and effectiveness. Their ability to work as teams and under pressure improves the corporate strategy of the organization. Further the work force should demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness. The goal of the HR department should be develop specific competencies like leadership, management, organization, planning, and coordination amongst the work force. Workers should be trained to collaborate and cooperate with each other (Beaumont, 1993: Pg 123). A dual HR strategy refers to the creation of appropriate business rules and regulations. It seeks to regulate and monitor employee actions and performance. The advantages of this approach are that it enables the department to create accurate and reliable job descriptions. Further employee concerns and aspirations are addressed in a s mart and reliable manner. A

'Majority rule is the right response to resolving disagreements in Outline

'Majority rule is the right response to resolving disagreements in society.' Discuss - Outline Example Government is an institution majorly formed to create stable society for the people that it governs. The people are however a complex group with widely varying wishes, needs and ideas as such the government must always turn to majority rule. The government cannot in anyway please everyone all the time. It must focus on making most of the people happy in order to gain stability faster (Web, N.d). Right is conformance with justice, law or morality. It is fair and effective. Rights can also be defined as entitlements to perform certain actions, or to be certain in states or entitlements that others perform certain actions. They dominate modern understandings of what actions are permissible and which institutions are just. They structure the form of governments, content of laws, and distribution of freedom and authority. Thus to accept a set of rights is same as to approve a distribution of freedom and authority and hence to endorse a certain view of what may, must and must not be done ( Wenar, 2010). Many theorists agree that A’s claim-right gives B a second order reason not to act on some first order reason. To go by this route we would need to tamper the conclusiveness of the conclusive reasons implied by assertions of rights to accommodate the fact that some rights have priority against others, and if any, few rights outweigh absolutely all non-right considerations in all circumstances (Wenar, 2010).This paper will focus mainly on the principle of majority rule and the rights of the minority. The main arguments are that majority rule is the right response to resolving agreements and supermajority rule is a better response to resolving disagreements in the society. Majority rule is right to resolving disagreements because it provides utility and fairness. Utilitarian argument The principle of utility states that in any circumstance that action ought to be done and that institution ought to obtain all the alternatives available, produces the greatest net ba lance of happiness over unhappiness when we sum up all happiness and unhappiness over all sentient beings from now in to the future (Cohen, 2002). The main feature of utilitarian political feature is that it calls for the maximization of happiness summed over all and not any particular distribution of happiness and subject to the constraint of everyone is above a certain minimum level. Thus from this emphasis on aggregation, utilitarianism requires that we trade off the burdens on some people and benefits to other people. The utility principle reduces highly contested and vague issues of right and wrong to problems that can actually be addressed through public methods of observation and calculation rather appeals to equally vague and contested intuitive ideas. Because of the gains in analytical tractability one may be able to secure greater public agreement about what is at stake in a political dispute and how to resolve it. Hence this principle represents one way to treat people as moral equals and it assigns the happiness of each affected party equal weight in determining what ought to be done. In actual sense the principle of utility represents a refinement of the intuitive idea that conduct and policy are right just in case they have the overall consequences or best results (Cohen, 2002). Egalitarian argument Egalitarian view that equality is the special sense of comparative equality but the prioritarian view that

Leadership Phase 1 individual Project 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership Phase 1 individual Project 1 - Essay Example Similarly in case of change the situational leader will concentrate on the people or his subjects who cannot adjust themselves to change. According to Ken Blancard the situational leader will analyses the needs of the situation dealt by him and his team. This will be the first step in adopting him and his team to the situation. After analyzing the situation he decides on the style of leadership. This has been applied with different types of managers at different levels. The situational model is simple to understand and can be applied in various environments. Not only to the managers, can the situational model of leadership be applied universally to any person in work and at home? The leadership behavior depends on the strengths of the leader. The strength of the leader decides the direction and the support received by him from his supporters and vice versa. In this manner the style I select is about direction the leader gives to the followers and the support he receives from them. In the direction the training is involved and in the support of the followers, the delegation is involved. This involves problem solving, which can be termed as an important aspect in the course of leadership. The style of leadership decides the development level. As the leadership style depends on the followers it is up to the leader to mould them according to the style. This can increase the development level of the follower by the leader. The leader should show competence, commitment to make the followers increase their development levels according to the styles of the leader. Here the styles are direction and support. The followers must be in a position to support the leader an d this position shall arise due to activities and strength of leader. The direction and support styles will suit the situational leadership because the development levels of the followers are situational and should vary with changes they face. The situational model I chose will be comfortable to me

International expansion-business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International expansion-business - Essay Example In the case of transaction it is the case that if Natural Detergent inc, were to engage in a contract with a Mexican supplier than the company runs the risk that arises out of a time delay from the moment they sign the contract and the moment they execute the contract. In this regard if the Mexican peso were to rapidly appreciate against the American dollar than it would theoretically cost more money to settle the contract. In regards to a translation risk this is the risk associated with Natural Detergents inc. keeping some measure of wealth (Property, plant, equipment, cash reserves etc.) and if the value of this measure dominated by a foreign currency that was to rapidly appreciate against the American dollar than Natural Detergent inc. would recognize a loss. One could conclude that before any expansion project were to move forward than a firm understanding of the Mexican peso and its historical exchange rate to the American dollar would be of utmost importance to potential inves tors. Historically speaking, Mexico has had a lot of commercial ties with the United States and the economy of Mexico was strongly affected by the strength (Or weakness) of the American economy. For these reasons according to Iowa State University Department of Economics (2010) Mexico had indeed pegged the Peso to the United States Dollar. What this translates to is that the country had determined what the exchange rate ought to be (typically between 9 and 13 peso’s per dollar) and this became the official exchange rate. During these times there was effectively very little risk to engaging in commerce with Mexico because the exchange rate was always known, and any changes that would be made to the exchange rate would not typically be too drastic. However it is the case that the inflation rates of the two countries varied vastly and as such the decision to ‘float the currency’ was made. This sets the stage for how the peso now

World religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

World religion - Essay Example This yoga holds very importance in both the religions. Tantrism is associated with the religious scriptures known as the Goddess Shakti. She is the sacred feminine in Hindu religion, whom people worship. Hindu considers it as anit-vedic in character. In Hinduism traditionally it contains four parts; Metaphysical knowledge of religion known as Jnana, meditative practices knows as yoga, ritual practices and religious and ethical practices of conduct named as Charya. Today in Hinduism this yoga traditionally exists in Saurya, Shiva, Shakta, Ganapatya and Vaishnava. Tantrism came into being in Buddhism around the 3rd century till 12th .In Buddhism, Tantric is also known as Vajrayana. It is different in Buddhism because of its rituals. Rather than the meditation their goal is to achieve the Godhead, with Upaya/skills.Vajrayanais difficult and complicated than the Hinduism because of its rules and complications in language, to read.It is performed in Buddhism for the followers to experienc e the true Buddha nature, before they tend to achieve the enlightenment(Dolls of India - The Role of Tantra in Hinduism and Buddhism) In the psychological study of religion, considering postmodernity, Erickson has given very much importance to the religion in every stage of life. He has done the biographies on Gandhi and Martin Luther, which have proved his thoughts in the matter of religion. Erick stated that for human personality development, religion plays an important role because it is only primary way where virtues are promoted with each stage of life, on the basis of culture. Erick’s theory couldn’t attain much benefit from systematic empirical study but it left the influential effect on the human minds(Schachter). Whereas considering the postmodernity Jones states that today the world is moving within the new sets of modernity. The thoughts of people are changing as a strong reflection of modern themes, specially the youth ministry. Jones says that youth ministry should

Jack Welch Essay Example for Free

Jack Welch Essay Jack Welch joined General Electric (GE) in 1960 and became vice president (1972) and then vice chairman (1979). In 1981 he became chairman and CEO of GE; at 45, he was the youngest person ever to have held that position. Having taken GE with a market capitalization of about $12 billion, Jack Welch turned it into one of the largest and most admired companies in the world, with a market value of about $500 billion, when he stepped down as its CEO 20 years later, in 2000. (Reference for Columbia Encyclopedia) Welch took bold actions to improve GEs ability to compete globally before it ran into serious difficulty. Welch leads two different revolutions in his tenure as CEO. The first revolution had to do with hardware: what businesses GE should be in and what businesses it should divest. Welch quickly changed GEs approach to strategic planning. The matrix approach developed under Reginald Jones was replaced with Welchs Number One Number Two strategy. If a GE business wasnt first or second in its markets worldwide, or couldnt be made so, it would be sold. At the start of Welchs tenure GE administration was built around three hundred separate businesses, a recipe for inefficiency. Welch tore into the ossified corporate structure with a vengeance and by the mid-1980s had overseen nearly 120,000 layoffs and earned the nickname Neutron Jack. The name was derived from the neutron bomb, a weapon designed to minimize heat and blast effect but maximize dispersal of lethal neutron radiation—in effect, eliminating people but leaving buildings and equipment intact. (Reference for The New GE) By 1985, billions of dollars had been made or saved through sales and layoffs. Welch sought opportunities for growth by reinvesting those billions and considered possible takeover targets. Indeed, there were more than 200 acquisitions in his first five years as CEO, the largest being the $6.3 billion acquisition of RCA in 1985. RCAs assets included not only its electronics and defense businesses, but also the NBC television network. This resulted in its becoming the worlds largest manufacturing, technology, and service company, with 1999 revenues of over $110 billion. (Reference for Jack Welch The G.E.Way) The second revolution has to do with software: how to run GEs existing businesses better. Jack Welch firmly believed that top performers deserved to be handsomely rewarded. He established a performance-review program to identify the top 20 percent of employees, who were accorded bonuses, as well as the bottom 10 percent, the lemons, who were typically fired and replaced. (Reference for The New GE) Welch instituted the Six Sigma program at GE. Initially implemented at Motorola and Allied-Signal, the program was developed to maximize the efficiency of manufacturing processes through the minimization of production of defective units. When applied at General Electric it became the largest quality-control measure ever adopted in corporate America. The program required a huge investment in training and tracking but ultimately led to great gains in profit and productivity. (Reference for Jack Welch The G.E.Way) Welch is seeking productivity gains by involving GE’s workers as well as its managers. In September 1988, Welch said to Jim Baughman, the former Harvard Business School professor in charge of Crotonville, Jim, we have got to capture what happens here at Crotonville and push it across the whole company. We have to create an atmosphere where people can speak up to somebody who can do something about their problems. The result was the development of an ongoing series of what GE calls Work-Out sessions, a sort of town meeting for workers and managers to work out problems at the plant or facility level. The key idea is that for employees to become more productive, they must be empowered to make the changes themselves, not to refer problems endlessly upward in the bureaucracy. (Reference for The New GE) By the end of the 20th century GE had developed an electronic-business program; another of Welchs initiatives, the system electronically tied the company directly to suppliers and customers. The e-business was just one aspect of what Welch dubbed the boundaryless company, a company without administrative walls between separate business units and where knowledge applied to one area could be applied companywide. At the time of his retirement Welch had only begun to see his vision of a boundaryless company come to fruition. (Reference for Jack Welch The G.E.Way) Lessons learned * Education-The essential element of organizational success is having educated and well trained individuals that make up the organization. * Change is good.-See Change as an Opportunity. * Get good ideas from everywhere.-New ideas are the lifeblood of business. * Eliminate Boundaries-In order to make sure that people are free to reach for the impossible, you must remove anything that gets in their way. References: Robert Slater. 1993. The New GE: How Jack Welch Revived an American Institution. Mountain View, CA: Business One Irwin Robert Slater. 1998. Jack Welch The G.E.Way. New York: McGraw-Hill Reference for the Columbia Encyclopedia. 2008. Jack Welch. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Welch-JF.html (Retrieved as of October 12, 2011)

The intelligence and definition of Led Policing

The intelligence and definition of Led Policing A lot has been discussed about Intelligence Led Policing (ILP), yet there is no standard definition of ILP (McGarrell, Freilich, Chermak, 2007). Ratcliffe (2003) said it is the application of criminal intelligence analysis as objective decision making tool in order to facilitate crime reduction and crime prevention through effective policing strategies and external partnership projects drawn from an evidential base. His notion found support from Sheptycki (2005) who defined Intelligence Led Policing as The technological effort to manage information about threats and risks in order to strategically manage the policing mission. Lint (2006) differs slightly and says ILP is a policing model which is built around risk assessment and risk management. He also says ILP is a strategic, future-oriented and targeted approach to crime control, focusing upon the identification, analysis and management of persisting and developing problems or risks. In the last several years, the definition of ILP has been expanded to include more integrated to tenets of Problem Oriented police solving. This has led to revision and a new definition of ILP as : Intelligence ­led policing is a business model and managerial philosophy where data analysis andcrime intelligence are pivotal to an objective, decision ­making framework that facilitates crime and problem reduction, disruption and prevention through both strategic management and effective enforcement strategies that target prolific and serious offenders. (Ratcliffe, 2008) The 3i Model Ratcliffe (1993) was looking for a simple model to intelligence and crime analysts what their function in an intelligence-led policing environment should be. This was because most of them spent analysing crime on a micro environment while forgetting about the bigger picture. Ratcliffe along with an Australian Federal agent analysed the situation and came up with a 3i model to show or suggest to the crime analysts the purpose of crime analysis in the modern policing world. It is a more proactive model compared to the previous methodology of problem oriented policing. Ratcliffe (2003) said that intelligence-driven crime reduction is a three-stage process, which requires that: law enforcement agencies interpret the criminal environment, influence decision-makers which may include people not sworn in as police officers like the general public, judiciary, the legislature, other organisations and the criminals themselves, and finally the decision-makers impact on the criminal environment. This 3i model (interpret, influence, impact) is used as the framework for an evaluation of the intelligence process. In the 3i model (interpret, influence, impact) the analytical arm of the police department gathers data or intelligence, understands and analyses the criminal environment and determines or interprets things like who the main players are, and what are the significant and emerging threats. This is the intelligence part of the model. As the diagram shows the intelligence thus gathered is used to influence the decision makers whoever they are. The 3i model does not determine who the decision maker is. It depends from case to case and situation to situation. The Decision makers then decide the best course of action and implement it. This impacts the criminal environment. ILP does not occur by just one or two functions, it needs all three to work together. The Intelligence needs to be collected and the analysts need to interpret the information and Influence the decision makers, the decision makers then need to act on the given information. If one of the steps is missed, ILP will collapse. Importance of Interpretation Out of the three Is I personally feel that Intelligence gathering and interpretation function is the most critical of them all. If intelligence collected or gathered is incorrect or interpreted wrongly, then the remaining actions would not solve the purpose or the aim of ILP. In the model that Ratcliffe suggests, the arrow represents the flow of data and it runs from the intelligence analysis unit to the criminal environment. This is a reflection of the way things work in real life in crime intelligence analysis. While a push model, where analysts send out information requests via forms and then wait for the requested information to come back sounds easier and more manageable; in practice it is not so. The reasons for this include a lot of information is at times hear say or word on the street. Also a lot of times, the information is tacit. It is not advisable to write down such information for fear of moles in the police departments, who might let the criminals know of the moles in their organisation. It is a bit James Bond-ish with espionage and counter espionage activities going on all the time. The situation is aptly described by Higgins (2008, 80) as: The Push model does not work well in practise. The bureaucratic structure and culture of law enforcement agencies militates against the effective communication of intelligence requirements. The culture also thwarts the push model because a large volume of information remains tacit, inside officers heads rather than recorded in intelligence records which can be shared at the push of a button. Since the push model does not work effectively, the analysts have to resort to a pull model for gathering information. It is a more proactive way of doing things. In this approach, the analysts seek information or intelligence from investigating officers, confidential informants and debriefing handlers. It is a more active approach as the analysts might even have to go to the field rather than getting all the information at the fingertips. The analysts can hence have a better feel of what is actually going on. The added benefit that I see in this model is that while it is the job of the analysts to interpret data and influence the decision makers, if they are fed data, they can in turn be influenced easily on what data is to be sent. They would be more open to manipulation by field agents. In the pull model, since the analysts actually meet some people, they have a better chance at evaluating if a person is lying to them or manipulating them by looking at the person. Officers are tra ined to spot such people who lie. They can notice the nervous twitch, sweating, tone of voice, rate of speech etc and have better judgement if the intelligence is true or useful. Practical Observations The General Department of Criminal Investigations (CID) is the backbone in all matters relating to crime and criminals. It has varied functions and duties can accommodate wide geographical area of the United Arab Emirates. The mission of the department is a) to utilise all available means to prevent crimes. B) Detaining outlaws and providing conviction evidence in accordance with the regulations and legislation in force in the country and c) Maintaining security and stability, and sustaining regulations and legislation. It is entrusted to controlling crime in all forms, following the ways it develops, and utilizing all means to prevent it, and to achieve social stability. To meet its aim, the CID in UAE follows the 3i model. Intelligence is gathered by various means including surveillance, scientific evidence collection and analysis, use of people inside crime rings- informants and constabulary on patrol. The data is interpreted and then the decision makers are informed. As is in the 3i model, sometimes the decision makers are not from the police departments but affected parties as the case study would demonstrate. Case Study I have worked as a police officer for three years in Al Modena police station in CID section. It is a great place to work. The senior officers and the government is very supportive. There is a feeling of doing good and giving back to the community working as a police officer. In last few years we noticed that the number of shop theft crime increased dramatically especially at night in different areas. That was because the careless on the part of shop owners. They would keep their shops open late into the night and employ people without verifying their antecedents. The shops were designed like the newer malls but without the added precautions like RF security tags on goods or parabolic mirrors. There would be little or no security at the shop in form of security guards or cameras and this coupled with other factors like low population of people and police at streets in night, lure of easy money and quick getaways thanks to small size of the emirates meant the shopkeepers were sitting targets for the shop lifters. Process for prevention: We created new strategy when we recorded the names of all people who were working at the shops in that area. This helped reduce the number of fake cases of shoplifting being reported as police could analyse the trend if a worker moved to a shop and they started reporting an increasing number of shoplifting cases. This pointed towards collusion between the workers and the shoplifters. Encouraged the shopkeepers to invest in RF tags for goods. Police and government cooperated and made new law, shops most close before 11 p.m. Also shops should put alarms. This was done after analysis of the data that most of the shopliftings take place late in the night. There were several factors that came to light including low police presence and lesser people meant fewer witnesses. Increase the number of patrol cars in the hot spot areas. This was done after going through several studies which concurred that police presence acts as deterrence and the most effect is generated when the visit is between 11 and 15 minutes.(Koper, 1995) Send undercover officers who were of different nationality so they did not rouse suspicions amongst the criminals. The known bad characters of the area were kept under constant surveillance. This led to the criminal environment being aware that the police was aware of the problem and would not tolerate shoplifting as petty crime. Challenges: Shops did not follow rules. Not enough police men to cover area. Long working hours of policemen meant that they were tired and did not want to register complaints or work on them as they were considered non serious offences. No experience with the some officers to deal with such crimes. The shopkeepers did not have any training to react to shoplifters. The ethical question: should owners be still allowed to keep money at shops so that encourage the criminals to steal? Use their money as bait? This had the possibility of someone getting hurt besides loss of money. (Barocas, 1973) Shopkeepers reluctant to invest a lot into security as they said it was a state matter. The government should provide for security for the people. Police did not work very well at night. Very few policemen on streets and at police stations. Non Co-operation even in the department as different officers had different styles of working. Some were just not interested in working hard as they were on a loan from a different area and solving or not solving the crime had no affect on their career growth chart. Suggestions: Better and more frequent training for the policemen. This would include the introduction of the 3i model right from the academy training days so that new policemen know the value of intelligence, how it how it is to be collected, interpreted, how it influences the decision making process and what or how does it impact the criminal environment. Employ more policemen to tide over the shortage. This would also mean more police presence on the street which is a great visual deterrent. Several studies conducted have long proven this. (Andenaes,1974)(Goldstein, 1990)(Felson, 1987) et al. Provided training to shopkeepers on what to do in situations like hol ups or shoplifting. Imposition of heavy fines and cancellation of shop license for shops that flout the rules and stay open past the closing hours of 11 PM or do not have adequate security measures like the silent alarms or security guards etc. Reward and recognition for police men who perform well. Mandatory installation of CC TV (cameras) at these shops. CCTVs act as great deterrents. (Webster, 2009) Working with the 3i model, information was first collected on the crimes committed. This included getting data of the number of people arrested, the times when these crimes were committed, understanding the psyche of the criminals, the environments where these incidents took place. It was noted that most of the crimes occurred at night when the police presence was minimal. It was also noted that the security measures at the places was next to none. There were no cameras, no security guards, no alarms and the store owners did not even train the workers how to react in cases of theft or holdups. The information was interpreted and the crimes were analysed as crimes of opportunity. The Police realised that there were only so many things that they could do and more effort was needed from the shopkeepers too. The shopkeepers hence were the critical decision makers in this example. They had to perform majority of the actions including installation of RF tags, alarms and Closed Circuit TV c ameras. They were also explained that the state would not be able to cover their losses, but at most would try and find the persons who stole. Recovery rate of stolen goods is low. They also had to register their employees and provide sufficient training. The impact of these actions was that the crimes eventually reduced to low levels as the criminals understood that they had little to gain from petty shoplifting and the punishment was not worth the crime. The above mentioned steps also align with Situational theory of crime. Enhancing natural surveillance is a prime objective of defensible space, and also, more explicitly, of neighbourhood watch. (Ronald V. Clarke 1992 pg 18). The basic tenets of the theory include Target hardening, Access Control, Deflecting Offenders, and controlling facilitators, Identifying property, increasing guilt and shame of offenders. By constant Policing the acquisition of a soft target became difficult. The offenders too understood that the crime is not worth the time. By installing alarms and security guards and CCTV Cameras, the control over the premises was facilitated. All the steps working in cohesion helped the problem come down to manageable levels. Conclusion There seems to be no standard definition of what ILP- Intelligence Led Policing is. Its definition has been dynamic and open to interpretations. While some see it as a philosophy (Ratcliffe 2003 and Sheptycki, 2005) and as an objective decision making tool to facilitate crime reduction and crime prevention through effective policing strategies and external partnership projects, others see it as a model (Lint 2006) built around risk assessment and Risk management. He also sees it as a strategic, future-oriented and targeted approach to crime control, focusing upon the identification, analysis and management of persisting and developing problems or risks. The 3i model talks about the process of ILP as a three stage model where intelligence is collected from the criminal environment and analysed and interpreted by the analytical wing of the department. The second stage is influence where the decision making happens. The decision makers need not be sworn police officers, they could be an yone from organisations to people, judiciary etc. The decision thus made impacts the criminal environment. The process can not be complete unless all the three stages happen. If the information is collected wrongly or interpreted wrongly, this in turn would influence the decision makers in an incorrect fashion and the impact on the criminal environment would not be the desired impact. The paper also talks about my personal experiences in the CID in UAE and how the 3i model has helped reduce the crime of shoplifting.

The Relationship Between And Mother And Daughter English Literature Essay

The Relationship Between And Mother And Daughter English Literature Essay The most intriguing and challenging relationship on the planet is the one of mother and daughter. It is no shock as to why. There are so many factors involved in this relationship. There is a special and unmistakable connection between mothers and daughters. When a baby girl is born, the mother has an immediate connection that transcends comprehension. She knows that child is the best pieces of her. This child is connected to her as if she were her soul mate. so beautiful, rapturous , pregnant with their child. She told no one but she knew the baby was to be a girl. It would be herself again, reborn and this time perfect. As this little girl grows up, the relationship gets complicated. Intense love and intense hatred surface. Women are sociable. Talking about lifes problems comes easy to a young girl and her mother. She comes home from school and tells her Mommy about her day, her friends and her dreams. As she grows up she will go to her mother for advice about boys and have many laughs together. When she becomes a teen, mother daughter relationship can go one of two ways. One Is just as likely to happen as the other. Either the Mother and Daughter will come together emotionally and bond over lifes trials and tribulations. Or theyll become adversaries, suddenly making the mother who loved and nurtured her daughter, who was once her best friend, suddenly arch-enemy number one. The Mothers desire to be her daughters best friend conflicts with her daughters need to be an individual. Mrs. Dietrich is a divorcee mother that is yearning for meaning and love in her life. Nola is a young adult looking for independence and to feel like a grown woman. This is the theme throughout the story. Nola saw Mrs. Dietrich watching her and walked away angrily and when Mrs. Dietrich caught up with her she said, I cant stand it, Mother. Her voice was choked and harsh, a vein prominent in her forehead. Let me go. For Christs sake will you let me go. This relationship is a typical one of a seventeen year old girl and her mother, marked with the intensity only a teenage daughter can bring out of her mother . As Nola glances up, startled, not prepared to see her mother in front of her, their eyes lock for an instant and Mrs. Dietrich stares at her with hatred. Cold calm clear unmistakeable hatred. She is thinking, Who are you? What have I to do with you? I dont know you, I dont love you, why should I? Teenage girls want their mother both close to them and far away emotionally, but they are not sure how to achieve this so they give mixed signals. The daughters push away and instinctively their mothers try to regain control of their connection by pursuing the emotional closeness. In the attempt to keep their relationship close, mothers tend to smother their teenage daughters. Mrs. Dietrich sees Nola as her only source of love so she tries to keep that alive, unbenonst to her she is smothering Nola with her overbearing need to feel attachment. Sometimes in weak despondent moods, alone, lonely, self-pitying, when she has had too much to drink, Mrs. Dietrich thinks she is in love with her daughter. Mrs. Dietrich is not her own woman. Her divorce, compounded by her loneliness and alcoholism forces her to need Nola in a way that is not healthy. She hides behind her daughter because she doenst know how to live anymore. She spent her whole life being needed, by her husband and her daughter , and now that she doesnt feel needed she essentially is in crisis mode. As she tries to hold on to every little glance, every word and every breath her daughter takes, Nola asserts herself further from her grasp. When Nola is away she seems to forget her mother entirely-doesnt telephone, certainly does not write. Its the way all their daughters are, Mrs. Dietrichs friends tell her. Mrs. Dietrichs divorce from Nolas father is also a driving force behind each womans behavior. In theory, divorce need not mean disconnection. In reality, it often does. One large survey in the late 1980s found that about one in five divorced fathers had not seen his children in the past year, and less than half of divorced fathers saw their children more than several times a year. A 1981 survey of adolescents who were living apart from their fathers found that 52 percent had not seen them at all in more than a year; only 16 percent saw their fathers as often as once a week. Moreover, the survey showed fathers contact with their children dropping off sharply with the passage of time after the marital breakup. (world without fathers)   Ã‚  Once the oldest child hits adolescence, parents are catapulted into a process of life review. Where have I been, where am I now, where am I going? These questions gnaw at parents who observe their children at the brink of adulthood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It hits hardest the parent who is the same sex as the adolescent. Mothers and daughters actually have more difficulty than fathers and sons. In either case, the children tend to serve as a mirror of their younger lost selves, and bear the brunt of parents regrets as parents distance themselves. Among parents who have gone through a real divorce, the emotional divorce that occurs between adolescents and their parents can heighten difficulty. It may reawaken feelings of sadness. Parents who dont have many interests outside the family are also vulnerable. Their kids are telling them to Get a life! and that is exactly what they need to do.(adolencents whose hell is it)

The Apollo 11 Space Flight: Man Explores the Moon and Gains Perspectiv

The 1960's brought cultural transformation through outbreaks of violence and contention. The "Love and Peace" slogan led to a bloody fear of "War and Hate." It was an era of protest and revolt. The decade began with the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., escalated with the viciousness of Vietnam, and ended with the suspicion of Watergate. And somewhere in the terror of freedom, we saw two Americans walk on the moon. It was while staring at that crystalline sphere hovering above us that we pondered the scope of our opportunity. On that warm summer night it was a miracle of technology, a step into a new world, a celebrated triumph. We engaged in a political race to the moon against the Communists with a democratic pride that launched us to a new age of scientific exploration. They were footsteps that would be talked about for centuries bringing information that would influence us for decades. America's Race for the Moon Following the Atomic Bomb of World War II, the United States was a recognized "Superpower," the technological king of advancement. Through our new Elvis albums and poodle skirts, we were enjoying the satisfaction of being the "winning team." However, in 1957, our pride was pierced when news hit that Russia had successfully launched "Sputnik," the first artificial satellite to circle the earth. As President Kennedy said, "We are behind and will be for a period in the future" (Sullivan 142). We were no longer the superior champions we once were. The Soviet Union seemed unstoppable; by 1961 Russian Major Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the earth in a spaceship. Less than two months later, the United States publicly announced their 20 billion dollar space program, Project... ...s. By viewing the Earth as a whole, we discovered truths about humanity that sparked a new perspective of thought and understanding for our generation and the generations to come. "We touched the face of another world, and became people without limits" (Chaikin ix). Works Cited Chaikin, Andrew. A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts. New York: Penguin Books, 1994. Folger, Tim, Sarah Richardson, and Carl Zimmer. "Remembering Apollo." Discover July 1994: 38-58. Spirit of Apollo: A Collection of Reflective Interviews. AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1989. Sullivan, Walter, ed. America's Race for the Moon: The New York Times Story of Apollo. New York: Random House Publishers, 1962. Wilford, John Noble. We Reach the Moon; the New York Times story of Man's Greatest Adventure. New York: Bantum Books, 1969.

Music in William Shakespeare’s Plays :: Biography Biographies Essays

Music in Shakespeare’s Plays    Elizabethans, during the time of the notorious William Shakespeare (1564-1616), were extremely sensitive to beauty and grace and had an undying enthusiasm for music and poetry. Music was a vital part of Elizabethan society; it was thought that a man who could not read music or understand it was poorly educated. The common entertainment and amusement was centered on music, song, and dance, people of all classes enjoyed the splendor of the music at this time. Since music was so popular and so widely understood, it is little wonder that most Elizabethan plays, including Shakespeare’s plays, have music in them.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare uses music in his plays for several reasons, all of which are extremely significant. The first is evident in which music was so popular during this time that it influenced the performed plays. Shakespeare had a mixed audience who enjoyed and attended his plays. Music, which was understood practically universally allowed everyone to understand his plays and relate to them more easily. If people did not understand the language or the plot, the music could make it easier for them to follow along.      Secondly, on the stage music played a very important role. Music contributed to the atmosphere and set the mood in many of Shakespeare’s plays.   There was a special musicians’ gallery above the stage, the music sometimes was played on the stage, and there were occasions when it was played under the stage to achieve an eerie effect. During comedy plays gentle songs would be played with the lute and during tragedies and histories the sounds of trumpets and drums would echo through the theater. For example, if a king entered the trumpets would sound and everyone would know who it was. The Twelfth Night is also a good example; it includes instrumental serenades and rousing drinking songs, all to show the gaiety and sadness for the mood of the play.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some songs and music are intended to represent a soliloquy, when private thoughts and feelings are performed. Songs, music, and sound effects represent themes, tones, moods, emotions, and even people. Shakespeare, being a lyric poet, used fifty or more songs in his plays and wrote hundreds of stage directions calling for music.

The Effects of Clinical Instructors on Nursing Students

The effects of nurse instructors – or preceptors, as they are called in the nursing field — on nursing students in clinical settings can range from helpful to detrimental. Depending on the preceptor, the student may come away from the clinical teaching experience either confident or uncertain about herself as a nurse and her skills and may view nursing as either a positive or negative experience. Effective characteristics of clinical instructors in nursing are applicable to other health areas, such as physical therapy, radiography, and speech pathology. Confidence †¢ Most students who are beginning clinical instruction are anxious. They are afraid they won't perform procedures on their patients adequately and that they will make mistakes that might cause patient suffering. An effective instructor will develop a relationship with the student that is reassuring, nurturing and confidence-building. He will praise good work and create an atmosphere in which the student is allowed to make mistakes, learn from them and develop initiative. Role Model †¢The effective clinical instructor is a role model for the clinical student. She performs patient care with the student, observing or participating in accordance with established standards. The instructor exhibits leadership skills by delegating tasks, setting priorities and making decisions. The student, observing this role model, will identify with the instructor and work to imitate the skills exhibited. Relationship †¢The relationship the instructor develops with the student is critical for effective instruction. The instructor should be available to the student for questions and advice by providing a phone number for the student with questions, concerns or anxieties. The instructor should develop, with the student's input, regularly scheduled conferences to provide feedback on the student's progress, discuss student objectives and consider how they are being met. The instructor also should praise the student's good work and point out problems. Negativity †¢An instructor that is negative about nursing, the clinical environment and other staff members may harm the student's perception of nursing and its environment. When the instructor complains about hospital practices, the nursing profession or the clinical environment, he is encouraging the student to develop a negative attitude toward the field. As a role model, that is just what the instructor should not do.

An Observation of a Bat Mitzvah

The bar mitzvah is not actually a ceremony or rite of passage as many people believe. It is actually a boy of the Jewish religion who has attained the age of 13. It is thus a legal status that is automatically ascribed with no need for ceremony or any other religious rite. A parallelism would be attaining adult age, typically 18 in most societies.The bar mitzvah pertains to males while a bat mitzvah is to females, and females become bat mitzvot (plural of mitzvah) at the age of 12. Bar or bat mitzvah translates to a â€Å"coming of age† and signifies the transition of the child to that of beginning adulthood insofar as religious practice was concerned, and be counted as part of the minyan or quorum for public prayer. While it is widely practiced, there is actually no direct mention of it in the Talmud. Because women are traditionally not allowed to read from the Torah, it was a momentous occasion when in 1922 the daughter of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan was the first bat mitzvah to read from the Torah in celebration of her 12th birthday. (â€Å"The first American bat mitzvah†) Today, many young girls celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah with a grandiosity that rivals that of a Sweet 16 birthday party. I. The Ceremony The synagogue was a study of the diversity in the US. On one side was the families of the two girls who were to become bat mitzvot and since one of the girls was an adoptee of Chinese descent and the adoptive mother was not Jewish, there were quite a few who were not. Among the congregation, many were not Jewish as well, guests of the girls and their families who were to join in the celebration. (Schapiro) A box of commemorative yarmulke or distinctive skullcap enabled male guests to help themselves to one because it is expected that they cover their heads when participating in the service. However, only Jewish males over 13 wore the ritual fringes called the talit. Aside from this, there did not seem to be a distinction in dress for Jews and non-Jews. Some small children were present, and were quite surprisingly free to get up and roam as they pleased as long as they behaved. The unruly ones were quietly led away to what can only be supposed is a playroom. On the eastern wall of the synagogue, the Ark is evident. This is the repository of the Torah, and above the Ark is a light called the Ner Tamid or eternal light. There is also a representation of the Tablets of the Covenant. On the bima, the raised platform on which the service was to be conducted. The two girls were seated on the right side of the altar. The girls’ fathers laid the prayer shawl on their respective daughter’s shoulders, signifying a transfer of power, or responsibility, whichever perspective works, and the choir raised their voice in a welcoming song in Hebrew. The rabbi commenced with the reading, and at each part the congregation was told when to sit or stand. This was especially helpful for non-Jewish participants of the service. The girls then were directed to approach the Ark where the Torah scrolls were kept. Each took their scroll and carried it around the sanctuary, as each Jewish guest touch their prayer books to it to signify love and devotion to its teachings. The girls then took their place at the bima in front of the congregation to read out the scrolls in Hebrew. This is referred to as the aliyah. The girls each read part of Chapter 21 of Exodus which was the reading for the Shabbat for that week. Afterwards, each girl gave a speech in English, a d’rash about how the experience preparing for becoming bat mitzvot had meant to them. Each girl then touched the fringe of their prayer shawl to the Torah before kissing it and returning to their seat. The parents (excepting the non-Jewish mother) spoke before the congregation thanking God for the blessing of freeing them from the responsibility for their child’s sins. This part was spoken in English. The rabbi then said a few words directed at the new bat mitzvot and the girls then proceeded with the concluding prayers, the Haftorah and then the ceremony was over. The next part of the celebration was the fun part, the Kiddush and seudat mitzvah that translates today to a party held outside the synagogue, where speeches and advice are liberally given for the elucidation of the new bat mitzvah.   Traditional gifts with associations with the number 18 (considered a â€Å"lucky† number in Jewish tradition, means also â€Å"life†) and more generic gifts were given at the reception. (â€Å"Bar and Bat Mitzvah†; Rich â€Å"Gifts†) II. Discussion Mitzvah is the word for â€Å"commandment,† and bat is â€Å"daughter† so a bat mitzvah is a daughter of the commandment. The whole point of this rite is to commemorate the child’s coming of age but the way it is practiced tends to be highly adaptable to the particular societal context. The ceremony itself has no mention in the Talmud so the rituals have evolved over time and application. (â€Å"Bar & bat mitzvah†) Preparation for the bar or bat mitzvah typically begins a year or more prior to the projected date, especially for modern Jews or those who are newly converted. This is to allow the child to become familiar with the Jewish commandments, prayer, history and the Hebrew language. A large portion of this education is overseen by the cantor, or scholar. The responsibilities of the bat mitzvah includes the keeping of the mitzvot or commandments as embodied in the Torah, all 613 of them. She is also expected to observe rituals such as fasting days. Interestingly enough, this is also considered the point in which the bat mitzvah can decide to remain or not within the faith. Because of this, a confirmation ceremony is slated for the 16th or 18th year of the bat mitzvah in   some communities. (â€Å"Bar/bat mitzvah†) More orthodox Jewish families prepare their male children for eventual emancipation by starting their preparations at kindergarten age and beyond the age of bar mitzvah. Orthodox Jews do not allow women to participate in religious services, so becoming a bat mitzvah in these communities does not include the service and is usually celebrated at home with a small party that merely commemmorates the child’s 12th birthday. Reformist sects take the cue from their spiritual leader, the rabbi. This was what happened to Judith Kaplan the daughter of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan, who believed women should be given equal consideration and importance in the community. However, for the longest time bat mitzvot usually celebrated on a Friday rather than on the Shabbat, or did not read directly from the Torah, so deeply ingrained was the bias against women in the Jewish orthodoxy. (â€Å"The first American bat mitzvah†) With the influence of American society and growing diversity in religion, however practice has been inevitably affected. The number of religious intermarriages is rising and many religious groups have seen the wisdom of adapting to the changing society. This is especially apparent in the ceremony described above. The bar mitzvot are now allowed to read from the Torah, and are instructed in this by the cantor with the benevolent overseeing of the rabbi himself. They participate fully in the ceremony, and the fact that one of the parents is non-Jewish is no longer a big issue as long as they play a passive role in the service itself. Outsiders are welcome to participate in a passive manner as well, and religious scholars are more than willing to explain the intricacies of the service to the clueless. There is even a growing trend among newly converted Jews who become bar or bat mitzvah in ceremonies held at any point in their life, some as old as 80. Because these people came into the faith late in life, they are considered to have attained a â€Å"coming of age† when they have mastered the basics of the Jewish religion. III. Conclusion For all children, rites of passage are important highlights in their lives. For Jewish children in particular, the concept of becoming a bar or bat mitzvah and the formal celebration of the event focuses on the importance of having a good knowledge of Judaism. At the same time, it serves as inducting a sense of belonging for children, which at this particular point in their lives is crucial for optimal development. Because survival of the congregation that is yearly becoming diverse, even the most stringent religious traditions have been compelled to unbend and accommodate the evolving population. The practice of commemorating the becoming of a bat mitzvah is a particularly good example of this accommodation. Works Cited â€Å"Bar and Bat Mitzvah†. Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence. 20010406. FindArticles.com. 17 Jul. 2007. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2602/is_0000/ai_2602000074 Bar & bat mitzvah. Jewish Celebrations. 2007. Mazornet.com. 18 July 2007 . Bar/bat mitzvah. Patriarchy Website.January 2000. Israel CS Lim. 18 July 2007 . Rich, Tracey. Bar Mitzvah and bat mitzvah. Judaism 101. 2005. JewFAQ.org. 18 July 2007 . Schapiro, Moshe. What is a bar or bat mitzvah? Jewish Lifecycles. 18 January 2000. Aish HaTorah. 18 July 2007 . The first American bat mitzvah. Jewish Virtual Library. 2007. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. 18 July 2007 .      

Communication of Respect

| Business CommunicationTrimester 2 AssignmentSubmitted By:Aksha AnandPGDM-A(2011-2013)Roll No: 06| | | | | | | | The communication of respect has been established as a significant dimension of cross-cultural communication to define and fully understand respect in cross-cultural interactions. The communication of respect can be examined and seen as a field of study. This framework is devoted to the communication of respect from both respect and communication competence. Study describes that good communication is a serious and specific study of the communication of respect. Evaluation of cross-cultural communication competence of respect across cultures in an environment where such pan-cultural communication is growing is extremely important. EXPLAINING RESPECT There are different disciplines dependent upon communication. Respect according to many researchers is both group and individually defined and oriented. It is inseparable from communication as there is no way to show respect in the absence of verbal or non-verbal communication. Also, many researchers allow respect to go undefined relying entirely on participant perception of the term. However, unlike previous views, communication of respect is a complex concept and more than merely simple politeness and courtesies. COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE- THE DIFFERENCES Cross cultural communicative competence framework developed by Ruben, has identified seven behavioural dimensions of cross cultural competence. They are * Display of respect * Interaction posture * Orientation to knowledge, Empathy * Self-oriented behaviour * Interaction management * Tolerance for ambiguity. Several years later on, it has been increased to nine dimensions by sub-dividing self-oriented behaviour into three distinct dimensions – * Task oriented roles * Relational roles * Individualistic roles. Communication of respect is heavily impacted by cultural norms. For many Koreans, respect is communicated via formality whereas for many Americans, respect is communicated in initial interacti ons by treating others equally. Sometimes due to lack of cross culture language, respect may not be effectively communicated. CONSEQUENCES OF RESPECT AND DISRESPECT Respect is very important silent feature in our communication and there are serious effects related to respect or the lack of the same. Therefore the phenomenon merits scholarly attention. Success is often dependant on being able to communicate respect and avoiding communication of disrespect. Communicating respect leads to a â€Å"social healing effect† on psychological perceptions of previously strained relationships. This article seeks not only to recognize the important work devoted to the communication of respect that has already been written, but also calls for more work to be done. THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNICATION OF RESPECT One of the key conceptual frameworks devoted to communication of respect is presented by Van Quaquebeke (2009) which distinguishes respect from tolerance and elaborates on two distinct types f respect. Tolerance is aligned with appraisal, whereas respect is closely aligned with recognition. Appraisal respect is evaluative and focuses on a result, while recognition respect is more process focused and occurs in interaction. The author of this article emphasizes on interactional respect. From a culture general communication perspective, there are four domains of communication competence that determine how respect is communicated interpersonally.