Technology Effect On Society Essay Example For Students

Technology Effect On Society Essay The microeconomic picture of the U.S. has changed immensely since 1973, and thetrends are proving to be consistently downward for the nations high schoolgraduates and high school drop-outs. Of all the reasons given for the wagesqueeze international competition, technology, deregulation, the decline ofunions and defense cuts technology is probably the most critical. It hasfavored the educated and the skilled, says M. B. Zuckerman,editor-in-chief of U.S. News ; World Report (7/31/95). Since 1973, wagesadjusted for inflation have declined by about a quarter for high schooldropouts, by a sixth for high school graduates, and by about 7% for those withsome college education. Only the wages of college graduates are up. Of thefastest growing technical jobs, software engineering tops the list. CarnegieMellon University reports, recruitment of its software engineeringstudents is up this year by over 20%. All engineering jobs are payingwell, proving that highly skilled labor is what employers want! There isclear evidence that the supply of workers in the unskilled labor categoriesalready exceeds the demand for their services, says L. Mishel, ResearchDirector of Welfare Reform Network. In view of these facts, I wonder if thesetrends are good or bad for society. The danger of the information age isthat while in the short run it may be cheaper to replace workers withtechnology, in the long run it is potentially self-destructive because therewill not be enough purchasing power to grow the economy, M. B. Zuckerman. We will write a custom essay on Technology Effect On Society specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now My feeling is that the trend from unskilled labor to highly technical, skilledlabor is a good one! But, political action must be taken to ensure that thissocietal evolution is beneficial to all of us. Back in 1970, a high schooldiploma could still be a ticket to the middle income bracket, a nice car in thedriveway and a house in the suburbs. Today all it gets is a clunker parked onthe street, and a dingy apartment in a low rent building, says TimeMagazine (Jan 30, 1995 issue). However, in 1970, our government provided ourchildren with a free education, allowing the vast majority of our population toearn a high school diploma. This means that anyone, regardless of family income,could be educated to a level that would allow them a comfortable place in themiddle class. Even restrictions upon child labor hours kept children in school,since they are not allowed to work full time while under the age of 18. Thisgovernment policy was conducive to our economic markets, and allowed our country to prosper from 1950 through 1970. Now, our own prosperity has moved us into ahighly technical world, that requires highly skilled labor. The natural answerto this problem, is that the U.S. Governments education policy must keep pacewith the demands of the highly technical job market. If a middle class income of1970 required a high school diploma, and the middle class income of 1990requires a college diploma, then it should be as easy for the children of the90s to get a college diploma, as it was for the children of the 70s to get ahigh school diploma. This brings me to the issue of our countrys politicalprocess, in a technologically advanced world. Voting ; Poisoned PoliticalProcess in The U.S. The advance of mass communication is natural in atechnologically advanced society. In our countrys short history, we have seenthe development of the printing press, the radio, the television, and now theInternet; all of these, able to reach millions of people. Equally natural, isthe poisonin g and corruption of these medias, to benefit a few. *From the 1950suntil today, television has been the preferred media. Because it captures theminds of most Americans, it is the preferred method of persuasion by politicalfigures, multinational corporate advertising, and the upper 2% of the elite, whohave an interest in controlling public opinion. Newspapers and radio experiencedthis same history, but are now somewhat obsolete in the science of changingpublic opinion. Though I do not suspect television to become completely obsoletewithin the next 20 years, I do see the Internet being used by the same politicalfigures, multinational corporations, and upper 2% elite, for the same purposes. .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 , .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .postImageUrl , .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 , .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0:hover , .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0:visited , .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0:active { border:0!important; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0:active , .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0 .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua8534d4684ec1eb51d9c9124195eece0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: None Provided Analysis EssayAt this time, in the Internets young history, it is largely unregulated, andcan be accessed and changed by any person with a computer and a modem; nolicense required, and no need for millions of dollars of equipment. But, inreviewing our history, we find that newspaper, radio and television were onceunregulated too. It is easy to see why government has such an interest inregulating the Internet these days. Though public opinion supports regulatingsexual material on the Internet, it is just the first step in total regulation,as experienced by every other popular mass media in our history. This is why itis imperative to educate people about the In ternet, and make it be known thatany regulation of it is destructive to us, not constructive! I have been a dailyuser of the Internet for 5 years (and a daily user of BBS communications for 4years), which makes me a senior among us. I have seen the moves to regulate thistype of communication, and have always openly opposed it. My feelings abouttechnology, the Internet, and political process are simple. In light of thehistory of mass communication, there is nothing we can do to protect any mediafrom the sound byte or any other form of commercial poisoning. But,our countrys public opinion doesnt have to fall into a nose-dive of lies andcorruption, because of it! The first experience I had in a course on CriticalThinking came when I entered college. As many good things as I have learned incollege, I found this course to be most valuable to my basic education. I wasangry that I hadnt had access to the power of critical thought over my twelveyears of basic education. Simple forms of crit ical thinking can be taught asearly as kindergarten. It isnt hard to teach a young person to understand thepatterns of persuasion, and be able to defend themselves against them. Television doesnt have to be a weapon against us, used to sway our opinions toconform to people who care about their own prosperity, not ours. With the powerof a critical thinking education, we can stop being motivated by the sound byteand, instead we can laugh at it as a cheap attempt to persuade us. Inconclusion, I feel that the advance of technology is a good trend for oursociety; however, it must be in conjunction with advance in education so thatsociety is able to master and understand technology. I think technology has animportant effect on us, the way we act, react, and take actions in society. Wecan be the masters of technology, and not let it be the masters of us. BibliographyZuckerman U.S. News ; World Report, volume 119, pg 68 (July 31, 1995)?Wealth: Static Wages, Except for the Rich, By: John Rothchild Time Magazine,volume 145, pg 60 (January 30, 1995) ? Welfare Reform, By: Lawrence Mishelhttp://epn.org/epi/epwelf.html (Feb 22, 1994) ? 20 Hot Job Tracks, By: K.T. Beddingfield, R. M. Bennefield, J. Chetwynd, T. M. Ito, K. Pollack ; A. R. Wright U.S. News ; World Report, volume 119, pg 98 (Oct 30, 1995)

Shirley Chisholm essays

Shirley Chisholm essays Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. Her Father, Charles St. Hill was an immigrant from French Guyana (now it is called Guyana) and her mother, Ruby (Seale) was an immigrant from Barbados. Charles was a factory worker and her mother was a seamstress and a mother to help provide for the family. Young couples had a hard time making ends meet, and in hope of saving some of their money, they sent their children back to the Caribbean. Shirley at 3 years old and her 2 younger sisters, Muriel and Odessa went to live with their grandmother in Barbados, where they stayed for 7 years. When Shirley returned to the U.S she was put into a class two years ahead, but in a year she caught up. When she graduated she was offered scholarships to Vassar and Oberilin colleges, but she enrolled in Brooklyn College because it wasnt costly. At college in the 1940s, Shirley majored in psychology and planned to become a teacher since teaching was the only thing profession open to black women. Shirley graduated with a B.A. with honors in 1946, then taught nursery school while studying for a masters degree in elementary education at Columbia University. During her college years she joined the Harriet Tubman society. In 1949she married a fellow Columbia student by the name of Conrad Chisholm, and she graduated with her M.A. In 1960 Shirley helped form the Unity Democratic Club to get more blacks to run for 17 Assembly District of New York State, and in 1964 she offered herself as a democratic candidate. She was chosen as the candidate. Shirley knew it would be hard but went to talk to people at street corners and neighborhood halls. Shirley won by a landslide. Shirley served the assembly for the next four years. She introduced more than fifty bills and two was passed. One was called the SEEK that helped kids to get to collage. The other was the first unemployment insurance program for work ...

A Competitive And Strategic Corporate Analysis Marketing Essay

A Competitive And Strategic Corporate Analysis Marketing Essay Introduction The airline industry is one of the most difficult business sectors where competition has proven to be extremely difficult among the many different competing airline services available around the world. Many airline services in the past have experienced disastrous business cycle, timeliness and overcapacity issues. Moreover, the different airline services also complain of their experienced difficulty in differentiating themselves from competition. These airline services also maintain such high-risk profiles because of such high expectations from their customers (Wirt, Heracleous & Pangarkar, 2007). Singapore Airlines, one of the strongest and famous airline service providers, remains to be one of the most profitable airline companies in the world today. Several reasons can be attributed to the huge success that Singapore Airlines enjoys today. One is its strong brand management strategies driven mainly by its excellent line-up of top-management and boardroom employees. S ingapore Airlines is composed of many dedicated and professional employees both in its front and back-end office who serve as the drivers of its solid brand strategy (Roll, M. 2010). Singapore Airlines is truly a global and diversified organization unified by one aim of delivering excellent quality and service to its customers. What separates this airline from other airline service companies is its heavy investment in building and maintaining its solid brand equity. The Singapore Airlines brand is known for its consistency in delivering its primary message to its consumers which is â€Å"Singapore Airlines- A great way to fly† coupled with its dedicated and honest delivery of that communication message to its consumers (Roll, M. 2010). The brand strategy of the Singapore Airlines is centered on its world-class in-flight experience: the warmth and hospitality of the Singapore Girl, its excellent service and its focus on the customer. Whereas other competing airline services al so tried to pursue the path that Singapore Airlines has taken, no other airline has matched Singapore Airlines in terms of its honest commitment and consistency in delivering its brand promise to its consumers (Roll, M. 2010). As a result, the Singapore Airlines brand managed to deliver excellent financial results through its three-fold strategy: a.) Avoiding knee-jerk reactionary behaviors on any price changes and consistently deliver the brand benefits in order to maintain a high revenue b.) Cut down the costs by pursuing ownership of the best yet most cost-efficient aircrafts and properly responding to increases in fuel prices and c.) Remaining true to the brand in terms of consistency in delivering service to drive up profits (Roll, M. 2010). Background This report-based paper on the â€Å"Competitive and Strategic Corporate Analysis of the Singapore Airlines† aims to evaluate the Singapore Airline’s actual application of the various analytical and planning tools i n Strategic Management. This paper will also discuss the overall strategic posture of Singapore Airlines at the corporate level, that is, whether it is pursuing a global strategy, multi-domestic strategy, international strategy or transnational strategy. Also, this paper will also evaluate whether the company’s management structure and philosophy is aligned with its overall strategic posture. Finally, this paper will come up with a list of recommendations with regard to the company’s strategic focus. Several recommendations will be presented in order for the company to improve and maintain its competitive position.

IAS 17- LEASES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

IAS 17- LEASES - Essay Example Recognizing this need for a proper accounting of lease financing transactions the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has issued IAS 17 in respect of the leasing and financial instruments in the year 1982. It is observed that in spite of the changes that these standards propose to bring about the companies are still able to resort to Off Balance Sheet Financing which vitiates the objectives of the standards introduced by IASB. This paper presents a detailed review of the effectiveness of IAS 17 in achieving its objectives and comments on the new standards proposed to be issued in this respect. "A finance lease should be reflected in the balance sheet of a lessee by recording an asset and a liability at amounts equal at the inception of the lease to the fair value of the leased asset net of grants and tax credits receivable by the lessor; if lower at the present value of the minimum lease payments." (Khan, 2007) The lessee should be appropriated between the finance charge and the reduction of the outstanding liability. A finance lease involves the accounting of the depreciation charge for the leased asset as well as the financing charge for the relevant accounting period. In respect of the operating lease the rental expenses for the accounting period shall be charged to income. The charge to income should be recognized on a systematic basis which represents the time pattern of the benefits for the user. The amount of the assets that are subject to finance lease should be disclosed at the values as at the balance sheet date. Liabilities relating to the leased asset should be disclosed separately from other liabilities. The liabilities are to be differentiated between the current and long term portions. The lessee's commitment for minimum lease payments under finance lease or non-cancellable operating lease having tenure of more than a year should be disclosed in summary form. This disclosure should specify the amounts and periods in which payments would become due. The accounting statements should also specifically disclose any significant financing restrictions or other conditions attached to the leases. Accounting and Disclosure under IAS 17 by Lessor An asset held by the lessor under finance lease should not be disclosed in the balance sheet as property, plant and equipment. Alternatively the asset item should be shown as receivable at value that equals the net investment in the lease. The recognition of finance income on the lease should be calculated using any specific pattern that reflects a constant periodic rate of return. This rate of return should be based on either the net investment outstanding or the net cash investment outstanding in respect of the particular lease under consideration. There is no specific method prescribed for estimating the value or the net return. Rental income on the lease should be recognized on a straight line basis over the term of the lease unless the lessor finds any other systematic basis that is more representative of the time pattern contained in the lease contract concerning the earning process. The main

How Technology has Affected Nurses Research Paper

How Technology has Affected Nurses - Research Paper Example So she will feed all the data about a particular patient in the computers so that others can use this data and respond properly. Impatient care is provided by a team of support staff that rarely meets as a group but is in constant communication. Each team member is dealing with multiple patients and care management tasks with many information transfers and patient hand offs that must be reliable and coordinated if care is to be effective safe and timely(Turisco & Rhoads, 2008, p.3) According to Rantz et al (2005), â€Å"Technology has the potential to help address common problems encountered by older adults related to functional decline. Collaboration between Nursing, Computer Engineering, and Health Informatics is likely on a path to improve the quality of life of seniors† (Rantz et al., 2005, p.40). Elderly healthcare is a big problem everywhere in the world. It should be noted that many of the old people may lose their functionality partially or fully during their end of li fe situations. Nurses may face lot of problems while managing such patients. Better technologies can help nurses immensely in dealing with such cases. Lots of new technologies are currently in place to assist nurses in their profession. Distant care is one area in which technology helps nursing profession immensely. For example, it is possible for the nurses to use home dialysis equipment to change the blood of the patients in their home itself. Better communication technologies with the help of internet enhance the two communications between the patients and the nurses. For example telecare technology is currently used extensively in America to provide care to the needy people even from a distant place. â€Å"Technology has greatly influenced the evolution of... As the discussion declares  clinical information systems, electronic health records, drug retrieval and delivery systems, personal digital assistants, medical devices etc are some areas in which technology helps nursing profession in one way or another. Charting and documentation are other areas in which technology helps nurses immensely.From the report it is clear that impatient care is one area in which technology helps nursing professionals. It should be noted that impatient care is provided by a group of support staffs including nurses that meets rarely in person. For example, nurses are working in shifts and therefore it is difficult for a nurse in the previous shift to give all the feedbacks about a particular patient directly to the nurse working in the present or future shifts. So she will feed all the data about a particular patient in the computers so that others can use this data and respond properly.  Lots of new technologies are currently in place to assist nurses in their profession. Distant care is one area in which technology helps nursing profession immensely. For example, it is possible for the nurses to use home dialysis equipment to change the blood of the patients in their home itself.   The influence of technology on nursing care can be visible not only in the cases of patients with chronic diseases, but also in the case of patients with minor diseases like fever. For example, earlier nurses used glass thermometers for recording the body temperatures of patients.

Joining the Leader in Death Phenomenon Essay Example for Free

Joining the Leader in Death Phenomenon Essay 1. Introduction History is replete with incidences of group or mass self inflicted deaths following the demise of powerful leaders. In such instances followers, in varying numbers, chose to die, of their own will, either after or on foreseeing the death of their leader. While group or mass deaths of this nature have occurred at historically different times in dissimilar cultures and globally diverse locations, and have been appropriately recorded in historical documents, the evolution of anthropological studies in the last century has led to significant research into the subject. Researchers have delved into the traditions, social customs, mores, behavioral motivators and demotivators of people of different civilizations and regions to locate commonality and establish reasons for this kind of uncommon, if not deviant behavior. These studies have become increasingly relevant in the current social and religious scenario where instances of mass suicides have occurred in cults, involving hundreds of members, who, along with their leaders, have chosen to die painful and self inflicted deaths for illogical, inexplicable and emotional reasons. The Jonestown suicides of 1978 and the deaths of the members of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God in 2000 were particularly tragic and gruesome episodes, in which hundreds of people along with their leaders, died. It is evident that such irrational tendencies still exist, even in advanced western societies. Anthropologists and historians firmly believe that serious and detailed investigation into such incidents, with particular emphasis upon the then prevailing social, environmental, political, economic, and historical conditions, could well provide clues to the reasons behind such uncommon behavior and help in preventing such tragedies in future. (Wessinger, 2000) This paper aims to examine the historical precedents of such incidents and takes up one particular incident for detailed social and anthropological analysis. 2. Historical Overview Psychiatrists commonly think of potentially suicidal people to be unhappy about their current physical and emotional situation and undecided about the path to be followed to resolve the crisis. Suicide is resorted to as a simple and easy solution to their problems and plays the role of a convenient exit. Individual suicides accompanied or preceded by such reasoning is exceedingly common, and though tragic, is, in a number of societies, a routine occurrence among disturbed and underprivileged people. Its incidence, in the developed nations, is still high in certain segments like mentally ill individuals, prisoners, prostitutes, drug addicts and HIV patients. Mass or group suicides following the death or defeat of a leader, while being far more uncommon than individual suicides, have, nevertheless occurred on a number of occasions, more particularly so in specific cultures. While historical instances of groups of people joining their leaders in death, have occurred periodically there is very little to connect these disparate incidents apart from defeat and dishonor in war and, in the case of women, the desire to avoid consequent rape and molestation. During the closing years of the 2nd century BCE, the Teutons, after a series of bloody battles were defeated by the Roman General Gaius Marius, (in 102 BCE), near Aix-en-Provence, and their leader Teutobod captured. The captured women, thinking their king dead and certain of being ravaged by Roman soldiers committed suicide. Ironically the Teutons were the cause of a similar episode in 1336 at the siege of Pilena. The defenders, besieged by the marauding Teutons, joined their leader, Duke Marqueris in death when they realized that the battle was lost. The defenders set the castle on fire and committed mass suicide along with their leader rather than be captured by the invaders. (Purkiss, 1996) In India, both men and women of the warrior classes of the Indian region of Rajasthan have traditionally adopted to commit suicide after the death of their leader. Women, especially, the wives and concubines of the king have, until recent times followed the ancient tradition of immolating themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands. The custom, known as Sati, while illegal, is still followed in particularly backward areas of the region. Chittor, now an abandoned fortress in West India became famous because of three separate incidents in which hundreds of men and women killed themselves after the death of their leader. Chittor has been overcome thrice and each time the outcome was Jauhar, when women along with their children immolated themselves on huge funeral pyres on the death or capture of their leader, while the men, wearing ochre robes attacked the enemy and faced certain death. Alauddin Khilji overpowered Chittor in 1303 A. D. , overcome by an obsessive longing to own the regal beauty, queen Padmini. Myth has it, that he saw her face in the reflection of a mirror and was struck by her gripping exquisiteness. The queen, along with her attendants, however chose to follow her dead king rather than accept the invaders proposition jumped on to a huge funeral pyre lit in the middle of the castle and burned to death. In 1533 A. D. , during the rule of Bikramjeet, Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, attacked Chittor and once more Karnavati, the then queen, along with more than a hundred women preferred to die following the death of the ruler. The final episode occurred more than 30 years later when the Mughal emperor Akbar attacked the fortress. In Rajasthan such incidences of joining the leader in death had certain particular features. Episodes necessarily commenced with the siege of a force by an invading army and ended in mass death only if the invading army was successful. Once it was certain that the war was lost and the king was dead or would certainly die the warriors and their wives decided to end their lives, the men through suicidal attacks on the enemy and the women by leaping into enormous funeral pyres. The women were led in this effort by the queen of the fortress. It is important to understand that this practice was restricted only to the warrior classes and did not extend to the priests, the traders, the farmers or the other classes. Tales of invading armies entering deserted and lifeless stories are apocryphal and baseless as warriors and their families did not account for more than a quarter of the total population of a city. It also needs to be pointed out that acts like these had very little mythical precedent and ancient Hindu scriptures, like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, do not contain any such incidents. Incidentally the opposite appears to be more true and there are various instances in the Ramayana of the wife of the King choosing to marry the invader after the defeat and death of her husband. (Harlan, 2003) This paper attempts to recreate the social and cultural scenario within the fort when Queen Padmini and hundreds of other men and women chose to die after the death of the King Rawal Ratan and the fall of Chittor. The following section on Chittor is written in the present tense and from the perspective of an active observer of the complete episode. 3. Chittor a. Society Chittor, today, (in the early fourteenth century), is one of the many Hindu kingdoms that dot the desert plains of Rajasthan in the North West region of the Indian subcontinent. Orthodox Hinduism, over the first ten centuries of period that commenced after the birth of Jesus Christ, has succeeded in eliminating Buddhism from the land of its birth only to see it replaced by an aggressive Islam beating at its doors with unabated fury. Waves of Islamic soldiers have lashed at the borders of the Indian states for the last five hundred years until the establishment of Islamic rule at Delhi. Despite Islamic sovereignty a number of small Hindu kingdoms continue to exist, mostly in the west and south, often waging protracted battles with the rulers of Delhi. While a certain amount of integration between Hindus and Muslims has taken place with time, it is still too early for any such constructive rapprochement to occur in Chittor. Years of siege, first from an ever expanding Buddhism, and then from a militant Islam, has made structured Hindu society insular, orthodox and inward looking. The caste system has become rigid and religious laws and rules govern every aspect of society. Hindus are prohibited from marrying outside their castes and even the glimpse of a Muslim is considered sacrilege, requiring inflexible and strict penance. The Muslim practice of†purdah† has been adopted comprehensively by the Hindus, ironically to protect Hindu women from male Muslim eyes and women remain indoors most of the time. While every city has its share of courtesans, women do not work. They are deprived of economic or political power, being content to be glorified as mothers, sisters and wives. Society is structured into four main castes, the priests, warriors, traders and lower classes. Political and military power lies with the warriors and to a certain extent with the priesthood who are consulted by the kings and nobles before important decisions. The traders, despite their lower status, are economically powerful and kept in good humor by both the nobles and the priests. The warriors are bound by a strict code of honor, which in fact has been the main causal factor behind hundreds of members of the warrior community choosing to die after defeat in battle and the death of their leader. b. Politics and Religion Chittor, in the early years of the fourteenth century is one of the smaller Hindu kingdoms resisting the Islamic emperors occupying the throne at Delhi. The warrior classes of Chittor trace their lineage for centuries and, apart from being engaged in ongoing strife with the Delhi throne, constantly wag war against the other Hindu kings in the region. It is also not uncommon for Hindu kings to form alliances with the Muslim emperor and wage war against each other. The political scenario is extremely fluid, (much like medieval Europe), and with numerous kings and noble existing in uneasy alliances, war often breaks out over trivial reasons. While the official religion of the Delhi court is Islam, and correspondence is usually in Arabic, migration of traders, artisans and workers ensure that Hindus and Muslims coexist, albeit with a certain amount of resentment and antagonism. Sati, the practice of self immolation by women on the death of their husbands, is a common practice in Hindu states. The practice is prevalent more among the priestly and martial classes and is practically absent in the other castes and the aboriginals. The prevalence of Sati among the priests and warriors is due to the traditionally inferior status of women and their uselessness to society in the absence of child bearing potential. As such while wives are looked upon as necessary because of their capacity to bear children, widows are thought to be non contributing burdens. (Harlan, 2003) A widows unwanted status is also because of religious taboos that prevent her from participating in domestic chores as her touch, her voice, and even her appearance is thought unholy, impure and to be shunned and abhorred. The sanctification of virginity in brides also makes it practically impossible for them to remarry after the death of their husbands. As such the practice of immolation is an extreme but logical outcome of these circumstances. The priests and the warrior classes of Rajasthan have also perpetrated the tradition by providing it with a halo of honor and deifying women who chose to take this route. The episode that occurred in Chittor before my eyes in the early years of this century (the 1300s) and involved hundreds of men and women joining their leader in death needs to be analyzed in light of the existing social and political environment in order to obtain an appropriate perspective. c. Joining the Leader in Death The ruler of Chittor, Rana Rawal Ratan married the young Padmini, the daughter of a Rajasthani prince, when he was in his early teens, and she was yet to enter her adolescence. In accordance with existing tradition the bride continued to live in her paternal home until she reached puberty and Rawal Ratan brought her to Chittor with much fanfare on her fourteenth birthday. Padmini was an acknowledged beauty and became a much appreciated princess as she grew up, known in princely circles for her exquisite looks, aristocratic breeding and regal demeanor. When Rawal Ratan succeeded to the throne of Chittor in the closing years of the thirteenth century she took her place by his side in an extravagant ceremony attended by princes from all over India as well as nobles from the Delhi throne. It was this ceremony that led to further speculation and gossip about Queen Padmini and aroused the curiosity of Sultan Alauddin Khilji at Delhi. Rawal Ratan was known to be a fair and just king and, apart from his well known love for Padmini, was a patron of the arts. One of his court musicians, banished from Chittor because of his involvement in witchcraft, ingratiated himself with Alauddin Khilji, and persuading the Sultan of the ethereal beauty of the queen Padmini incited him to attack Chittor and take the queen for himself. On reaching Chittor, Alauddin found the fort to be heavily defended. Desperate to see the legendary queen he sent a missive to the King that he thought of Padmini as his sister and wished to make her acquaintance. While the unsuspecting king did not find any reason to doubt Alauddin’s intentions, the wiser queen refused to meet the sultan personally and instead agreed for him to see her reflection in a specially constructed mirror. The wily sultan came to the fort with his selected warriors, and after the meeting with the queen, managed to kidnap the king even as he was escorting them back to the gate. On the following day when the Chittor generals heard about the ransom demand, that of the hand of the queen for the sultan, in exchange for the safe release of the king, the Chittor generals went into a huddle, and with the assent of the queen, sent word that the queen would come to the sultan the next day along with a hundred and fifty attendants. At the crack of dawn the next morning a hundred and fifty palanquins, each carried by four strong men wound their way to Alauddin’s camp and stopped in front of the tent where the king was being held prisoner. As the sultan rejoiced a hundred and fifty armed men rushed out of the palanquins before his astonished eyes, freed the king and along with the bearers galloped back to Chittor on horses seized from the sultan’s stables. A furious Alauddin ordered his army to storm Chittor, Brutal resistance from the defenders of the fort led to the decision to lay siege to the fort, an operation that carried on for many months until dangerously low supplies forced the honor bound warriors to take a decision to storm the vastly larger sultan’s armies in what could only lead to certain death. The queen, who was party to all the confabulations, decided that as the army, led by her husband rode out to certain death, she, along with the wives of the warring soldiers and all the children would jump into a huge fire lit in the centre of the fort and end their lives, thus joining the king in death. Rawal Ratan and his warriors, though immensely saddened agreed to this to be the most fitting and honorable denouement. At the end of a brutal and bloody battle fought between the troops of the Delhi Sultanate and the suicidal warriors of Chittor, Alauddin entered the fort only to find the ashes of the queen and the wives of the warriors, a pyrrhic victory, if ever there was one. (Bose, 2000) 4. Conclusion The instance of Padmini, her female attendants and the wives of the warriors of Chittor, joining the leader in death has been chronicled a number of times by various historians for it to be reasonably accurate. While the case of male warriors following the leader into certain death has taken place on many occasions, instances of women dying en masse are rare, and occur because of specific historical and environmental reasons. Anthropologists feel that in most such cases the persona of the leader, his mesmeric hold over his followers, and the accompanying trauma and desolation felt at the death of the leader induce the followers to embrace death and join their leader. A number of instances, including the suicides of some of Hitler’s trusted generals, provide some evidence that the argument could hold some merit. In the case of Padmini while legend and myth continue to pay obeisance to her love for her husband, the mass deaths, especially of the attending ladies, necessarily needs to have a more significant historical and social reason. The decision to embrace mass death at the fall of the fort and the certain death of the king Rawal Ratan is most probably due to a number of reasons, chief among them being the prevalent practice of sati and the halo of honor that the act had acquired over the centuries. This halo of honor has to be seen in the light of the compulsions of Islamic rule in India during the medieval ages and is essentially logical and in accordance with social patterns and expectations. From the 13th century until the establishment of the British Empire, the position of women continued to remain insecure due to the arbitrary power structure associated with the feudal society, and the compulsions of perpetuating a male dominated inherently unequal society. Even though the Mughals tried to bring in a modicum of gender equality the subservient status of women continued to exist until the middle of the twentieth century. It was most probably this craving for honor, accompanied with a genuine fear of the treatment that the women would receive at the hands of the furious invading soldiers that tilted the scales in favor of the decision to embrace death to that of joining Alauddin’s harem. In any case the episode remains one of the more abiding instances of joining the leader in death phenomenon and continues to intrigue historians and anthropologists. Pages: 10 Word Count: 3000 References Bose, M. (Ed. ). (2000). Faces of the Feminine in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern India. New York: Oxford University Press. Harlan, L. (2003). The Goddesses Henchmen: Gender in Indian Hero Worship. New York: Oxford University Press. Its All the Raj; Travelindia. (2005, December 14). The Daily Mail (London, England), p. 45. Maaga, M. M. (1998). Hearing the Voices of Jonestown (1st ed. ). Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. Metcalf, B. (2005). David Chidester. Salvation and Suicide: Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and Jonestown. Utopian Studies, 16(2), 335+. Purkiss, D. (1996). The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-Century Representations. New York: Routledge. Wessinger, C. (2000). How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heavens Gate. New York: Seven Bridges Press.

Writing Style :: Writing Style Styles Essays

Writing Style When constructing a piece of writing, a student may sometimes find herself struggling to remember grammar rules or style principles. A handy reference guide would help her out immensely. William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White’s book, The Elements of Style, and Joseph Williams’ book, Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, assist writers improve their work in various ways. Strunk and Whites’ book took a simple approach, while Williams went more in-depth, with elaborate explanations and varying choices for each writing style. Strunk and White’s approach was directed towards basic principles of composition, elementary rules and a general approach to style. Each principle was stately plainly, but without much explanation. Rules were meant to be strictly followed, and not questioned. They weren’t hard to follow, but some did seem unhelpful. An example is Strunk and Whites’ rule about not using the word â€Å"nature†; they believe that â€Å"the reader cannot tell whether the poems have to do with natural scenery, rural life, the sunset, the untracked wilderness, or the habits of squirrels† (53). This rule seems strange to me. Nature doesn’t need to be that structured. But, possibly the odd aspects of this book are connected to the date it was written. Strunk and White’s book was first published in 1935, and revised over the years. But, somehow the book hasn’t grasped the idea of change. The book seems to still be stuck in 1935; for instance, some of the examples refer to Moses and Isis. As we discussed in class, this seems fairly outdated. I’m ashamed to say I’m even unaware of who Isis is. Strunk and White also warn against using the phrase â€Å"the foreseeable future†, stating it is â€Å"a clichà ©, and a fuzzy one†¦How much of the future is foreseeable?...By whom is it foreseeable?† (Strunk and White 59). I don’t quite understand this rule; it seems old-fashioned to advise against referring to the future. It seems useless and unnecessary to state. Other principles in Strunk and Whites’ book were useless, as well. One rule describes the use of the word â€Å"clever†. Strunk and White claim that â€Å"the word means one thing when applied to people, another when applied to horses. A clever horse is a good-natured one, not an ingenious one† (Strunk and White 43). I may seem picky, but this just seems ridiculous. How often is a person going to write about a clever horse? Not only were many principles in Strunk and Whites’ book useless, but many were also vague and unclear.

“How to Tame a Wild” Tongue Essay Essay

In paragraphs 27 through 34 of Gloria Anzaldua’s essay â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue†; she subtly conveys her own disgust at the invariable destruction of her Chicano culture by using the rhetorical strategies of organized syntax, narrative flashbacks, and the incorporation of her â€Å"native tongue†. Between paragraphs 27 and 30, the syntax conveys Anzaldua’s deep emotions about her lingual identity using mostly balanced and declarative sentences. The perfect balanced in noticed in excerpts such as â€Å"Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself. Until I can accept as legitimate Chicano Texas Spanish, Tex-Mex, and all other languages I speak, I cannot accept the legitimacy of myself†. In a series of staccato complex sentences Anzaldua further describes her longing for lingual acceptance by stating â€Å"I will have my voice: Indian, Spanish, white. I will have my serpent’s tongue – my woman’s voice, my sexual voice, m y poet’s voice†. By organizing her sentences in this way, she draws the reader’s attention to the fact that she is virtually unable to accept herself without her own language being accepted as it is a part of her. In this way the reader is able to sympathize with the author’s lack of self-realization and is able to more fully understand the author’s indignation with the dissection of her mother-tongue. Anzaldua employs the useful tactic of a narrative flashback to further instill an empathetic emotion in the reader. She recounts her â€Å"stunned amazement† upon reading her first Chicano novel â€Å"City of Night†. Soon after that she is exposed to more Chicano literature an even poetry, and with each exposure she gains â€Å"a feeling of pure joy† and â€Å"a sense of belonging†. Here, she targets a the basic human emotion of wanting to be accepted among a group for who we truly are as opposed to what others want us or think us to be. Such a plea for acceptance is an easy concept for the reader to relate to, and thus this method serves to draw the reader into the author’s personal predicament and promote her feelings of resentment at the degradation of her â€Å"native† culture. The author does a wonderful job of incorporating her own language into the essay as a whole. She does so in a way that, even non-Spanish speaking  readers, can understand the gist of the message she is trying to convey. Also by integrating her native language into the essay she expresses its importance to her. In lines such as â€Å"People who were to amount to something didn’t go to Mexican movies, or bailes, or tune their radios to bolero, rancherita, and corrido music†, Anzaldua is not obligated to translate the last three words as the context of the passage reveals the basic meanings of those words to an acceptably understandable degree. Her incorporation of her language is almost seen as an attempt for her to personally save or even resurrect the language that she prefers most and wishes others would accept as justifiable so she herself can come to realize her own legitimacy. Throughout her essay, Anzaldua keeps to her course of trying to express her sadness at her cultures disassembling through several rhetorical devices, notably those of syntax, flashback, and by including the language she is most comfortable with. With these tactics she is able to better reach the average reader on a personal level and to gain their empathy in her hopes of preserving/reinstating her disappearing culture.

Educational Tour Essay

Educational Tour gives us ideas likewise opportunities to visit prestigious agencies that may help us visualize what we are learning at school. This activity helps us develop our personality since social graces and etiquette are learned too by experience. Moreover, important to every student since it is a part of our learning process to acquire more knowledge through actual exposure to the different agencies. Narrative Report: On July 4,2013 ,the faculty of World Citi Colleges held an educational tour for the Bachelor of Science and Tourism Management students. The locations are the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Resort World Manila and Island Cove. July 4, 2013, the day when I have to wake up early because it should be a big No for rush and the call time is 6:00 to 6:30. I have to commute to go to our school. It is around 5:00 in the morning when I left my house and started to wait a jeep in waiting area going to Cubao. Sadly, I wait for 15 minutes just to ride in a jeep. When I rode a jeep, I paid going to Anonas and dropped to our school. When I got there, I saw my classmates and we went to Bus no. 3. While waiting for others, I and my classmates sit in the vacant sit . We started to travel around 7:00 but of course we pray first for a safe trip. After the pray, here it goes! We already started talking, laughing, picture taking and of course we cooperate in our tour guide to answer some questions and he gives some rules. We arrived at Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Our tour guide in CCP gives us knowledge about the history of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and about some Arts that in the place who made it and why he/she made it. I recognized some of my classmates didn’t listening to our tour guide while some of us listening. He showed us the theater. He said, â€Å"I didn’t showed this to some groups but because you’re listening I will show you the theater. † We were in at a dark place and I saw the theater. It’s so big! It’s my first time to see a big theater. After that, we continued the tour again and of course we take pictures. After the CCP, we went again to our bus. We arrived at the Resort World but before we go out on a bus, a tour guide in Resort World showed and gave us some of the rules. We gave our member information to get a member card. He said that only 29 students will get the member card on a day of our tour. Luckily, I got it. After that, we toured in the resort world. Actually, that’s my first time to go to a luxury mall. We entered to a theater and then they showed us the rooms in hotel. We played games in Game zoo. They gave us a Game zoo Card for free play. After we played, we bought our lunch in Mc Donald. Then, we went back to our bus and ate the lunch while moving the bus going to Island Cove. We arrived at Island Cove which was our last destination. We walked in a bridge. There, we have a seminar with other branch of World Citi Colleges – Caloocan, Antipolo and Cubao. The seminar started. I learned many things about Tourism and of course being a tourist guide. After the seminar, we toured around the island cove. We saw a swimming pool and some slides. Too bad, we didn’t know that we can bring some clothes so we can swim. Because of that, we just took some pictures and toured the place. When we got tired, we went back to our bus. I and my classmates were talking, laughing, and taking pictures. Then all my classmates were got in the bus so we were going back to school. We left the Island Cove around 5:00 pm and arrived at the school at 8:00 pm because of the traffic. I got home safely around 9:00. The tour for me is great! I learn many things that I will I hope we have a tour again in a great place and an educational.

GCSE PE summer holiday homework Essays - Critical Thinking

GCSE PE summer holiday homework Essays - Critical Thinking COMPONENTS OF FITNESS You are going to find out about the components of fitness and use the information you find to fill out this work book. This will require research so please remember to write details of any websites or books you used in the references section. Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 3 types Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on strength: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on speed: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on Power: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: What are the 2 fitness tests we use to measure power? Test 1: Test 2: Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Describe how you conduct the two tests for CV endurance: Cooper 12 minute runMulti-stage fitness test (bleep test) Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on Cardiovascular endurance: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ What is the fitness test for flexibility called? ___________________________________ Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on Flexibility: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: SKILL-RELATED FACTORS OF FITNESS Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Can you remember the name of the fitness test for agility? _______________________ Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on agility: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on balance: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Can you describe how to conduct the fitness test for coordination the alternate hand-wall toss? Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on coordination: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: Definition: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on reaction time: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: Timing is the ability to coincide movements in relation to external factors. It combines decision-making, reaction time and coordination to be able to perform some movement or action. Examples & explanations of which sports performers rely on good timing: Sports performer 1: Sports performer 2: Reason / explanation: Choose your favourite sport / activity that you participate in. Write a paragraph explaining how much or little you rely on each of the components and factors during your sport/activity (this could be as part of your positions role or a particular skill or part of the game / performance)

Intellectual Disabilities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intellectual Disabilities - Research Paper Example Moreover, intellectual disabilities affect individuals during aging. Understanding intellectual disability is critical in education to help students having this condition (Woodcock & Vialle, 2010). This paper will discuss the definition of intellectual, its characteristics and its impacts on intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. Moreover, strategies to assist students in this disability category will be described. Defining Intellectual Disability World Health Organization describes intellectual disability as the significant reduction of the ability to comprehend new information and in learning and applying new skills. The American Association of Intellectual and Development Disability (AAIDD) explain that intellectual disability is not usually an isolated disorder. AAIDD offers a three dimensional definition of intellectual disability and this is the most widely acknowledged definition (Barrett, 2011). According to the AAIDD, intellectual disability is a disorder that begin s before one gets to the age of 18 years that is characterized by great limitation in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. Intellectual functioning refers to various aspects of life such as learning, reasoning, problem solving (Barrett, 2011). On the other hand, adaptive behavior touches on a range of practical and social skills in areas of self-care, communication, self-direction, health, safety leisure and work. Intellectual disability has been introduced as a replacement to mental retardation that was previously used (Jellinek, Patel & Froehle, 2002). The prevalence of intellectual disability in America is relatively high with about one in every ten families affected. However, the estimated prevalence varies based on the criteria used in diagnosis, study design and ways of ascertaining (Barrett, 2011). For instance, when intelligent quotient (IQ) is used in diagnosis, the prevalence of intellectual disability is estimated at 3 percent but when applying the AAIDD defini tion, national prevalence stand at 1 percent. Prevalence of intellectual disability is higher among males and the male to female ration is about 1.5 to 1 (Barrett, 2011). Diagnosis and Assessment of ID Assessment of intellectual disability involves a multidisciplinary team comprising of psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists and clinical geneticists. The assessment is usually comprehensive where intellectual ability, adaptive behavior and medical and family history of the patient is assessed (Garbutt, 2010). DSM-IV-TR offers standardized criteria used in the diagnosis of the disorder and this is used among children and adults. Intellectual is characterized by below average intellectual functioning. The characteristics of intellectual disability include the fact that disorder begins before the age of 18. DSM-IV-TR requires that all the symptoms of intellectual disability must have begun before the age of 18 (Garbutt, 2010). However, this does not limit diagnosis after 18 years. Nevertheless, children who have not reached the age of two years should not be subjected to intellectual disability diagnosis. This may however be conducted in case a child demonstrates severe symptoms related to intellectual disability for instance Down syndrome (Garbutt, 2010). The other characteristic of intellectual disability is poor adaptive functioning. Adaptive functioning is described as the effectiveness of an individual to functioning in tandem with

Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Nursing - Essay Example Notably, nurses should clearly understand the procedure in which information is processed in the health care organization through getting training in the field of informatics. According to the tertiary education systems, an individual can obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing after a four-year period of study. After completing this program, they undertake the NCLEX-RN test. When they successfully complete this licensure examination, then they are identified as a registered nurse. After obtaining the degree in nursing, they are also required to have a similar degree in computer science or informatics which takes a period of at least three years. When they are through with the Master’s degree in informatics, then, they are identified as informatics nurses. In conclusion, this discipline is regarded as one of the most recent in the nursing profession. There are various issues that are more emphasized than others in this discipline. For example, the staff members are mainly involved in the implementation of plans that are aimed at digitizing patient records. This means that the staff members are supposed to analyze the efficiency of the computing methods. Furthermore, the informatics nurses can also take part in advertising and demonstrating of computerized systems in health care institutions. The informatics nurses are mainly involved in the programming aspects of the health care organization. For instance, the staff members can integrate their ideas to develop a program for nurses.