Sunday, November 24, 2019

In the best interest of science essays

In the best interest of science essays In reading and reviewing Goulds essay on the morals of nature called Nonmoral Nature, he gives us a brief overview of the age old religious philosophical point of view God has his reasons and were on a need to know basis and we dont need to know, the master plan to which we are a major part but are not allowed the privilege of knowing the end result. (Death is inevitable, but what happens next and where are we going?) Kind of like building a race car and never getting to see it race. The irrefutable truth is, if you can apply scientific method and prove a hypothesis on more than one account and by a different hand each time, then you have what you have and you wont have to hide behind any form of speculation. In this essay Gould goes on to talk about the Ichneumon Phylum of wasps to which there are more species than in the whole of the vertebrate phylum. In this discussion he divulges the predatory habits of the wasps including their table manners and feeding agenda. The Ichneumon w asps, flies, ants and bees paralyze their prey and inject a seed or group of egg larvae into a victim; most commonly a butterfly or moth caterpillar but there are those that like aphids and even a few that prefer spiders. Then the larvae consume their prey from the inside out eating the parts first that will allow the caterpillar to sustain life until all the parts are gone. This is referred to as endparasitism. Ectoparasitism would be just the opposite, from the outside of the body of the host. The Theologians would have you believe that this is all part of the big picture, the road map of life that leads to the end of our days in the human realm, written in stone and oblivious to us, the out come is the inevitable step into everlasting life. Gould on the other hand is separating City from state so to speak with the idea that all is what it appears to be, science is science, religion is religion and thats just the way ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Political economy midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Political economy midterm - Essay Example The basic classes of ontology available include upper ontology, process ontology, domain ontology, and interface ontology. Ontology focuses on status of reality, which can either be dependent or independent. Independent reality implies that reality does not depend on human interpretation2. Human beings have their own ways through which they interpret various aspects affecting their lives; when their interpretation of life does not determine the definition of reality, philosophers refer to that type of reality as independent reality. Dependent reality, on the other hand, implies that the meaning of reality depends on how human beings interpret the state of being. In this case, human beings are the determinants of how reality is interpreted. Positivism, as a philosophy of science, posits that the exclusive source of knowledge constitutes information derived from logical and mathematical studies plus the reports of sensory experience. According to the positivists, exclusive knowledge must be based verified data derived from empirical evidence. Empirical evidence refers to facts derived from scientific research as opposed to hearsay. Schroeder and Chester contend that positivists believe that the society operates according to general laws, just like the physical world3. Positivism subscribes to the belief that the study of the social world is similar to the study of the natural world. The natural world actually exists and its study depends on clearly observable features. Positivists believe that it is possible to understand the casual mechanisms characterizing the political economy just as it is done in physical sciences (Horwitz and Koppl 32)4. The primary objective of positivism science is to discover the universality of the aspects under investigation. For example, if positivists want to understand causes of poor economic performance, they focus on the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Club IT's Information Management Needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Club IT's Information Management Needs - Essay Example To make it clear and execute effectively I visited the website of Club IT to get more information. It helped me to comprehend the basic structure of the informational technology resources available to them and to implement strategies that can attract more clients. With this in mind, I recollected the five strategies that companies use to achieve competitive advantage in their industries. They are, Cost Leadership strategy-produce products and services at the lower cost in the industry Differentiation strategy-It offers different products, services or products features Innovation strategy- introduce new products and services, put new features in existing products and service and develop new ways to produce them Operational effectiveness strategy: improved the manner in which internal business process is executed so that a firm performs similar activities. Customer-orientation strategy: It is to follow the basic principle of focusing on customers and be at the best.( Rainer & Turban, p . 52) After reviewing the place and its needs I have decided that the best strategy for competitive advantage for Club IT is to use the Customer-Orientation Strategy. The Club IT’s Mission is "We, Ruben and Lisa, offer you live music, DJ's, dance space and refreshments that suit your lifestyle. You are our friends, and we seek to build a community that meets regularly at Club IT" (â€Å"About Club It†, n.d.).This reflects that the club wants to provide friendly environment. The entertainment that they get from the live music and the dance space allows them to be a part of Club IT for a longer period of time. The primary clientele that I have come across is young aged to mid age like 20’s and 30’s.They are jubilant at the fun-filled place and mostly are music lovers with high spirits. It helped me to focus on this section and to enhance the IT resources that are available. The Club IT’s information include intranet resources and it can be well utili zed to the advantage of the clients. It can be managed by a Club In charge or a Manager who is well versed with the computer usage. I suggested that the software can be upgraded to upload the photos of the clients, e-mail address and so forth. It would be a good practice to enter the clients’ name and basic information at the entrance so that we can have track on the number of people visit daily and to give special preference to regular customers. This helps the management to avoid any discrepancy caused by under-aged drinkers. The best part would be to have track of the regular customer record and show them the gratitude and allow them to enter the place without any normal proceedings. They can have suggestions box in the website to get feedback once they visit the place. They can use around 2 to 4 computers as the place is small. The files have to be updated in an accurate manner. This type of software is a lifesaver for clubs, there is not much maintenance needed. The Cust omer-Orientation Strategy would be the right one to follow as its inclination is towards making the customer happy. The foremost step is to make the existing clients happy and to do so we can use the information that they provided and give them the details of the coverage of events through e-newsletters. The database that the club follows must have the information of the clients like the email

Monday, November 18, 2019

Aphasia and Grammar Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aphasia and Grammar Paper - Essay Example The fact that we do not lose language by damage to our vocal chords is proof that language is a function that originates from the brain. Language is such an integral part of our lives yet we take words and their systematic arrangement in a sentence, grammar, for granted until we lose the ability to speak coherent grammatically correct sentences. This condition or disorder is called Aphasia. Damage to our vocal chords only limits our sounds and expression of the language but in the case of Aphasia the main centre in the brain that is linked with our linguistic ability gets damaged. This can happen when our brain is unable to communicate within its cortex walls to send the right signals to the sensory organs effectively to create the sound, deliver the words in the right arrangement and form a coherent language? Simply put, Aphasia is a disorder, which damages the parts of the brain that are responsible for language, as we know it. Typically a person with Aphasia loses the ability to s peak coherently or form grammatically coherent sentences. In other words, grammar is lost to the person with Aphasia. The disorder can happen to anyone or any age group and is usually the result of a stroke or damage to the brain. Most people with Aphasia have been known to regain their language skills through intense therapy by way of reacquainting their brain with language skills. In that case, it leaves us with the following questions. When a person gets Aphasia 1. Where does the grammar go? 2. How is it able to resurface suddenly? This article hopes to examine Aphasia and find some answers to the above questions. Where does the grammar go during Aphasia? To understand this point we need to go a bit in detail into the condition itself from a physiological point of view. Language is a function that is predominantly controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain. The left hemisphere as we all know controls the right side of the body and is also responsible for abstract reasoning an d anything that involves a systematic progression. This linear model of progression is the basis of language, which is a composite of words and sounds. Therefore a blow, stroke or damage to the left hemisphere can cause language disability or Aphasia. But the brain is a complex organ and this same language centre, and the consequent Aphasia is divided into two sections in the frontal and posterior regions of the left cerebral cortex, named after the neurologists who identified them. They are Broca’s Aphasia after Paul Broca and as Wernicke’s Aphasia after Carl Wernicke respectively. To explain in very simple terms, Broca’s region is the one that is involved with structural format or grammatical reasoning while Wernicke region is like a storehouse of words, like nouns and verb as well as phrases and composite words derived from familiar objects and have thus formed by association with Broca’s region. Grammar is the structural format that is the basis of se ntences, phrases and composite formations. Therefore it is important for Broca’s and Wernicke’s regions to connect. It has been found that they are intricately connected by some specific neurons. When this connection gets severed or if there is damage to either one of the regions, Aphasia occurs. Let us examine how this damage actually brings about the loss of grammar. In the case of Broca’

Friday, November 15, 2019

Research Methods Aims And Objectives In Business Business Essay

Research Methods Aims And Objectives In Business Business Essay The purpose of this Chapter is to discuss and justify the methodology used to effectively investigate the phenomenon informing the research title which is; The Impact of a company managed online community on purchase decision and brand loyalty Firstly, this chapter explains the conceptual structure of the research which will describe how the author is going to carry out the research. Then, explains research method types and methods use to retrieve the collected data by primary research. Research methodology explains the overall structure of the study. According to Croswell J (2010) methodology is the analysis of principle methods, rules and evaluation employed by a researcher. The discussion is focused on matters regarding the purpose of research, research philosophy, research approach, research strategy, data collection, data analysis, and quality standards. 3.2 Research aims and objectives The study aims seek the dimensions of an online community hosted by a company and how it affects consumers purchase decision. In addition, this study investigates how an online community can attribute to generate their brand loyalty through its own brand community. These are the objectives: To investigate a company managed online community and characteristics To identify key influencer in online purchase decision To investigate the relationship a company managed online community and consumer purchase decision To find out the relationship between a company managed online community and brand loyalty 3.3. Research Process The research process used to define the approach of the research in the study in exhaustive. In figure 3.1 research process onion describes the issue underlying the choice of data collection methods (Saunders et al. 2009). Below figure shows the overview of the researchers methodology towards this research. Figure 3.1 Research Process Onion. Source: Created by the Author, adopted from Saunders et al (2009:108) Also, figure 3.2 shows the outline of process for this research. Figure 3.2 Process of the authors research Source: Created by the Author(2010) 3.4. Purpose of research There are three different types of research, and Yin (2009) writes that these are exploratory, explanatory, and descriptive. The purpose of the research determined which one of these to use in order to be able to fulfil this purpose. Saunders et al (2009) describe exploratory research as a way to find or look for new insight or to see what is going on. They further state that it is especially good to use if the purpose of research is to increase the understanding of a problem. Gliner et al(2009) complement the characteristics of exploratory research by adding that this type of research calls for flexibility, since new information can change the direction of the research. Gliner et al(2009) conclude that descriptive research is characterized by that the problem is clear and well structured. Saunders et al (2009) writes that it is necessary to have a good picture of the problem before the data collection. The focus of an explanatory study is to find interrelations between the variables in the studied situation or problem (Saunders et al, 2009). Saunders et al (2009) also states that analysis of quantitative data can show correlations between factors which gives the researcher a picture of the relationships involved. The overall purpose of this research was to investigate the area of online communities and its influence on purchase decision and brand loyalty. The goal was to seek out if marketing in these specific media channels are more accepted among consumers, and why this is the case, in order to gain a better understanding of their effectiveness and influence. This led us to use a both exploratory and explanatory approach. In the data collection and in the analysis we explore, and in the findings and conclusions we begin to explain. 3.5 Research Philosophy The research philosophy is determined by the philosophical points of views, as there are different approaches about the way in which the knowledge is urbanized and judged as suitable. Thus, the research philosophy relates to the development of knowledge and the knowledges nature (Saunders et al, 2009). The literature suggests three main approaches in which to conduct a research process and all of them have an important part and role in business and management. These are Positivism, Realism and Phenomenology. 3.5.1 Positivism Positivism is described as the conventional way of research and it acquires a clear quantitative approach to find out phenomena as an alternative of qualitative approach (Croswell, 2009). That is also said that positivism is very important approach in natural science (Remenyi, 2002). The understanding of this idea may not be proven but the philosophy based on positivism is far more powerful than the ideas for reaching targets and achieving goals. Positivism is very important research philosophies for creating new ideas. Thus, positivistic research tries to identify the non-financial motivation techniques provided by Tesco-express. The researcher uses the idealistic approach of positivism while using a questionnaire with a group of people. 3.5.2 Realism Another approach which relates to the positivism is realism (Saunders et al, 2007). According to Kothari, (2005) Realism is the source of many ideas, belief and opinions of human. 3.5.3 Interpretive Interpretive studies presume that people produce and correlate their own subjective and inter subjective meanings as they interact with the world around them. Interpretive researchers thus attempt to understand phenomena through accessing the meanings participants assign to them (Orlikowski and Baroudi 1991). Here researcher has decided to choose a Positivism philosophy, based on the aim of the research. The reason behind choosing this approach is responses does not influence the researchers belief and the knowledge (Proctor 2006). Also Positivism is one of the strongest research philosophies for creating new ideas. In addition to this, according to Gill (2002), the importance of a highly controlled methodology facilitates replication and experimental explanation to statistical analysis. 3.6 Research Approach There are two different types of approach for research. These are deductive and inductive theories(Bryman, 08). Deductive theory represents the commonest view of the nature of the relationship between theory and social research(Bryman, 08). First, theory and the hypothesis come and drive the process of gathering data. On the other hand, inductive process involves observations first and generalise the theory after the observations. This study is a business problem, more specifically how online community hosted by a company influence its consumers. Therefore, the aim of this study is to understand of the consumers who use online communities as a tool of interaction. Therefore, this study needs deductive approach. 3.7 Research Method There are mainly two types of research strategies which we can choose: quantitative and qualitative. These approaches are depending upon the structure and the purpose of the study(Bryman, 2010). Quantitative research can be constructed as a research strategy which collect and analyse quantitative data. Quantitative research requires a deductive approach to the relationship between theory and research, also it has incorporated the practice the natural scientific model and norms of natural scientific model and positivism approach(Bryman, 2010). A quantitative research approach used numbers ask base for the analysis instead of words like a qualitative would do. Blaxter et al(2010) adds to this explanation by describing that quantitative research uses a large-scale set of data. Qualitative research is more exploratory and focuses on smaller numbers and depth data. Qualitative data is mostly collected using conversation, and unstructured and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data, the corresponding are; structured observations, interviews and surveys, and attitude scaling. By contrast, qualitative research emphasizes words rather than quantification in the collection and analysis of data(Bryman, 2010). Qualitative research data is collected from focus groups, in-depth interviews and observations. Qualitative research can be used to understand more deeply consumers attitudes towards purchase decision. But qualitative research is hard to analyse, and evaluate. Also, small number of target audiences cannot be represented whole population. For this research, a quantitative study is better because of the need for several different views on the questions and to decrease the factor of that different people think differently. 3.8 Research Strategy The decision of which strategy to use can be guided by the form of research question, the degree of control needed of behavioural events and if the focus is on current or historical events (Yin, 2003). The different choices of strategies available are; experiment, survey, case-study, grounded theory, ethnography and action research (Saunders et al, 2000). Experiments are commonly used in natural sciences and psychology, and are characterized by for example the introduction of planned changes on the variables in the experiment, and control of the other variables (Saunders et al, 2000). Surveys allow for the gathering of large quantities of data from a population in an economically efficient way (Saunders et al, 2000). Saunders et al (2000) also describe this method as having the advantage of that the analysis of the data will allow for easy comparison between the respondents. A case study is especially useful for gaining rich and detailed data (Saunders et al, 2000). They also state that case-studies are particularly good to use when asking how, what and why questions (ibid). Grounded theory is based on that a data collection is performed without the previous construction of a theoretical framework (Saunders et al, 2000). The initially gathered data is then used to make predictions that then are tested in the later stages of the data collection (Saunders et al, 2000). Moreover, the purpose of ethnography is defined by Saunders et al (2000) in the following way; The purpose is to interpret the social world the research subjects inhabit in the same way in which they interpret it (Saunders et al, 2000, p.95). They also state that ethnography is not commonly used in business research (ibid). Action research is however dedicated to researching the management of change, and the researcher often must participate in the setting where the change occurs. (Saunders et al, 2000). At first, action research, grounded theory, ethnography and experiments were discarded from the planning because of the mismatch between these methods and the purpose of research. After this, the search for a method with a match between the purpose of research and the characteristics of the method started. In table 2 below, these different criterions for the use of a survey are presented. 3.9 Data Collection Methods Bradley stated that the term primary data can describe information which is collected for a special purpose. On the other hand, secondary data has already collected by someone else for their purposes(Bradley, 2007). 3.9.1 Primary data When executing a quantitative method of data collection, the most common way of collecting data is through the use of questionnaires as it gives greater opportunity to gather information from a large number of respondents without a great amount of resources (Johannessen Tufte, 2007; Saunders, Lewis Thornhill, 2000). For the empirical research a self-completion questionnaire was deemed appropriate. This is because the research was conceptualised around obtaining information from, or about, a defined set of people or population; namely online community users (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe Lowe, 2002). There are generally two ways of conducting a questionnaire: through a self-completion questionnaire or a type of structured interview assisted by the interviewer. A self-completion questionnaire is, as the name suggests, a questionnaire where the respondent answers the questions themselves unassisted. This is in contrast to an interviewer assisting the questionnaire process by, for example reading the questions and marking up the responses as conducted in structured interviews (Christensen et al, 2001). As the research aims to understand online users, the internet was the natural medium in order to reach the desired target group. Therefore it was clear that the questionnaire would be designed as a self-completion questionnaire given that assisting the questionnaire process through structured interviews would be difficult to execute via the internet. 3.9.2 Secondary data Secondary data is formed of paper documents such as books, special reports, government produced records, and internet sources. Secondary data can help to combine it with other facts. Therefore, secondary data it good for enhance understanding of results and to confirm results(Bradley, 2007). Secondary data called as desk research, these can be searched from various sources any time. Therefore, this research can give time and cost beneficial to researchers. On the other hand, secondary research has limitations such as irrelevant to the research. But secondary research can gives general ideas of the research theories and can help save the time. In this research, following secondary data can be used to understand and enhance research. 3.9.1. Books My research is involved consumer behaviour, brand loyalty and online communities. Therefore, theories from literatures those books will be relevant to my study. Also those theories can gives general ideas about this research. Moreover, theories about culture also can be used to understand Korean culture. Books have many advantages, for example, books are easy to access, and easy to get information which is relevant to my study. Meanwhile, printed books are heavy and sometimes only can access old ones. But, nowadays, online books are widely disseminated. Internet technology helped to access those resources without any restriction of place. Internet books are very useful to get information easily. For my research books are important to understand the theories. Books can be found in the libraries and internet. 3.9.2. Journals Previous researches such as online communities, consumer behaviour, cosmetics, and decision making processes can be used as a literature review and as a guideline for my research. These previous researches can be found in the internet journal web sites such as ebsco host. Also, written journals can be found from the libraries. Journals have many advantages; journals include recent researches and recent information. Therefore, journals can give new ideas and new information for my research. On the other hand, some journals are not be accessed easily. Thus, there is a limitation for access. But, journals are useful for research to get recent research finding and applied theories to wide my research. 3.9.3. Online database Internet sources can be categorised as online database. Information search engines such as google, yahoo, or blogs and company web sites will be used for gathering secondary data. These secondary data will help guide my study and enhance understand the research areas. 3.9.4. Statistical database Published government database, government web sites, and the companies figures will be used for secondary data. These data will give a real figures about the industry which I will study and support my research as an evidence. 3.10 Sampling and Questionnaire design 3.10.1 Sampling Sampling is the process of taking parts form a defined population in order to examine these parts, usually with the aim of making judgements about the parts of the population that have not been investigated(Bradley, 2010). Also, it has a major advantages compare with other methods which is that it usually cost saving and time saving because, it investigate small portion of the whole population. On the other hand, the major disadvantage is that the process cannot summarise every characteristic in that given population(Bradley, 2010). This study identifies the target group of respondent which are Beautynet users. Data collected from the designed questionnaires and these questionnaires is sent to the online community users through the internet. However, the sample size of this study is limited 300 users from the online community, because of limited research time and limited analysis time. Returned questionnaire is analysed using statistical methods. Statistical methods are useful to understand the relationship and the users behaviour patterns. Therefore, this method can explain the relationship between the online community and its influence purchase decision, and the relationship between the online community and brand loyalty. 3.10.2 Questionnaire design The questionnaire was designed to collect the demographic information of the respondents covering age. Social class information includes education, occupation and income, (questions number 1, 2, 3, and 4) using multiple choice questions. According to Fisher (2007) this type of questions provides respondents with a choice of three to five options and asks them to choose one. This type of questions giving unambiguous options that is mutually exclusive. Authors also applied multiple choice questions to study the respondents purchasing behavior in questions number 5 to see the frequency of purchasing makeup products, question number 6 to see how much money they spend on buying makeup and question number 7 asking respondents about type of makeup product they buy mostly of. Lastly, Likert scales was applied to ask respondents about their opinions and attitudes and to ask them to choose a position on a five-point scale between strongly agree and strongly disagree (Fisher, 2007, pp.195-196). A Likert scale was applied to question number 8-26 to study the respondents attitude toward brands and their purchase decision. 3.11 Analysis of Data In order to analyze the data collected through the survey, the numbers were first statistically sorted to facilitate the surveys different ways of thinking, and then further analyzed to find possible significant patterns. This process of making sense of the raw data was made with the help of the statistical computer software Excel, from which we could generate different tables and diagrams. The raw data, together with an overview of the results can be found in chapter four. The analysis found in this chapter had two purposes; initially t to help the readers to understand, and secondly help us as researchers. In order to make the gathered data more clear, it was coded with the help of Excel and made fit in a spreadsheet, as suggested by Saunders et al (2009). 3.12 Quality Standards Validity and reliability are the two most important quality standards in research studies which this research aims to uphold a high standard of. Validity is concerned with how accurately a variable fits a concept, that is, through determining how accurately the instrument chosen measures the features intended to be measured (Bouma Atkinson, 1999). According to Easterby-Smith, Thorpe Lowe (2002) there are three ways of estimating validity namely (1) face validity: whether the instrument or its items are plausible; (2) convergent validity: the confirmation from comparing the instrument with other independent measurement procedures; and (3) validation by known groups: which is as suggested, comparing groups otherwise known to differ on the factor in question. The questionnaire was carefully constructed based on the models used in the research in order to achieve, as certain as possible, the intended results from the questions probed. Easterby-Smith, Thorpe Lowe (2002) recommend that tests for validity and reliability should be made at the pilot stage of an investigation, before the main phase of data collection. As such a pilot study has been conducted to ensure that the web-questionnaire is constructed to examine, as closely as possible, what it should examine. This was also initiated in order to secure that the questions would be interpreted correctly by the respondents thereby testing the validity of the questionnaire. In reality, it is not known whether all the questions were interpreted as intended, although a pilot study provides useful indications of problems in advance so that miss-interpretation can be minimised. Reliability is concerned with the stability of the research (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe Lowe, 2002). As stated by Christensen et al (2001) a study should be able to be conducted a second time by other researchers and yield the same results if it has a high reliability. Since this research had been conducted with a social constructionist approach reliability is not particularly relevant to the quality standards. This is because a social constructionist approach is interpreted by the researchers knowledge during the analysis process of the research. The personality of the researcher is also an influencing factor within the results. Therefore the research is limited in its ability to yield the same results if conducted a second time. 3.11 Research Limitations The study is conducted within the limited time. Thus, the population of the target audience is limited to a certain number. Therefore there is a limitation to understand all online community members and their attitudes. Also, this study aims to find out the online community and its impact on purchase decision and brand loyalty. Therefore, this study only focused small parts of consumer behaviour. Thus, future research should be considers include some other areas of consumer behaviour and large numbers of target audience to get more reliable data. 3.12 Conclusion The researcher has chosen the positivism philosophy for the research after given explanation of different kind of philosophy. While this research is about business problem, therefore, deductive theory has chosen to explain previous theories about business matter. Researcher has used quantitative method for the analysis of the data and the reason behind choosing is the population of Beautynet is too big to do qualitative method and quantitative method can be used to understand the target audiences behaviour patterns. Primary data has collected by survey from Beautynet users, and secondary data was collected by using the relevant books, journals, Most appropriate option for conducting the research is the descriptive type of research approach. The data collected for this research is using both questionnaire and the secondary data from the books, journals, online database, and statistical database.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders Essay -- Health Violence Papers

Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders The possible relationship between sexual abuse and the development of an eating disorder has gained attention over the last few years. Researchers have attempted to clarify this potential link using a variety of population samples and research methodologies. As will be shown, the results of these investigations are rather diverse and sometimes inconclusive. In the following review of the literature, the complex relationship between sexual abuse and eating disorders will be examined while also discussing the methodological limitations of the various designs. Anorexic Samples Steiger and Zanko (1990) compared rates of incestuous abuses (sexual contacts with family members) and extrafamilial abuses (sexual traumata involving other perpetrators) among eating disordered women who met DSM-III-R (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) criteria, women with psychiatric disturbances, and normal women. The authors’ interest in the psychological effects of abuse led them to examine psychological defenses which are believed to filter perceptions and affects. Defenses were of interest to the authors for two reasons: (1) incest victims often resort to maladaptive defenses with a self-victimizing quality, in which anger at others is expressed through self-sabotaging acts; and (2) the authors’ previous work suggests that eating disordered women use primitive defenses when compared to normal and psychiatrically disturbed women. This particular study was designed to determine the degree to which traumata like sexual abuse might have effects upon defense-sty le development. In order to compare rates across eating disorder subtypes, the eating disordered women were divided into the following groups: (1) ... ... Test: The BULIT-R. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 3, 119-124. Walters, C., Smolak, L., & Sullins, E. (1987). Parent-child interactions and severity of child sexual abuse. Paper presented to the annual convention of the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore. Welch, S.L., & Fairburn, C.G. (1994). Sexual Abuse and Bulimia Nervosa: Three integrated case control comparisons. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 402-407. Wonderlich, S., Donaldson, M.A., Carson, D.K., Staton, D., Gertz, L., Leach, L.R., & Johnson, M. (1996). Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 11, 195-207. Zlotnick, C., Hohlstein, L.A., Shea, M.T., Pearlstein, T., Recupero, P., & Bidadi, K. 1996). The Relationship Between Sexual Abuse and Eating Pathology. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 20, 129-134.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Differentiate Mencius and Confucius Class in Human Nature Essay

Confucius’ view on human nature was not clearly and distinctly supplied in the Analects. It is no surprise that one of his disciples complained that â€Å"one cannot get to hear his view on human nature† (A, 5:13).1 In two passages of the Analects, Confucius classified men as belonging to three groups: â€Å"upper, middle and lower,† but as this classification was made according to man’s â€Å"learning ability† it had nothing to do with the common nature of man.2 Another two passages expressed more directly Confucius’ opinion in this respect. THE THEORY OF CONFUCIUS ON HUMAN NATURE Confucius’ view on human nature was not clearly and distinctly supplied in the Analects. It is no surprise that one of his disciples complained that â€Å"one cannot get to hear his view on human nature† (A, 5:13).1 In two passages of the Analects, Confucius classified men as belonging to three groups: â€Å"upper, middle and lower,† but as this classification was made according to man’s â€Å"learning ability† it had nothing to do with the common nature of man.2 Another two passages expressed more directly Confucius’ opinion in this respect. On the basis of Confucius’ teachings, Mencius and Hsà ¼n-tzu developed philosophies which sometimes were considered mutually complementary. As regards the theory of human nature, however, Mencius and Hsà ¼n-tzu obviously held incompatible views. The following discussion will try to show that Mencius’ theory of â€Å"human nature as good† is in fact a theory of â€Å"human heart as good,† and Hsà ¼n-tzu’s theory of â€Å"human nature as evil† is actually a theory of â€Å"human desire as evil.† These two theories are not necessarily contradictory, since they share the same underlying idea that human nature tends toward goodness. To clarify this point, we will lay more stress on the works of Mencius and the Chung-yung which directly elaborated on this idea than on those of Hsà ¼n-tzu and the I-chuan which accepted this idea in an implicit way. Mencius Etymologically, human â€Å"nature† (hsing) comes from â€Å"birth† or â€Å"to be born with† (sheng). The common understanding of this word in ancient China can be formulated as follows: â€Å"The inborn is what is meant by nature† (M, VI, A, 3).5 However, this consideration of the origin of nature exhibits only what a thing has rather than what a thing is: it expresses at most the sameness rather than the difference of all things. In order to determine what a thing is, it is necessary to know its essence: the genus plus the difference of species. This rule, made familiar by Aristotle, was true also for Mencius. First, Mencius was quite aware that in dealing with anything of the same kind, we must determine what this â€Å"same kind† means, and this is even more true when applied to man. Mencius said, â€Å"Now, things of the same kind are all alike. Why should we have doubts when it comes to man? The sage and I are of the same kind† (M, VI, A, 7). The wicked, however, also belong to the same kind. Thus, in determining the essence of human beings, we should find the difference of species. Mencius said, Slight is the difference between man and the brutes. The common man loses this distinguishing feature, while the gentleman retains it. Shun understood the way of things and had a keen insight into human relations. He followed the path of benevolence and righteousness. He did not need to pursue benevolence and righteousness (M, IV, B,19). Clearly, the essence or the distinguishing feature of man must be understood through the â€Å"slight difference† between man and the brutes. The statement about Shun is an example that benevolence and righteousness are the interior path of man, following which will have a great effect. The implication of this whole sentence is probably that benevolence and righteousness belong to the â€Å"slight difference.†6 Another paragraph will also help clarify the distinguishing feature of man. â€Å"A gentleman differs from other men in what he retains in his heart–namely, benevolence and propriety† (M, IV, B, 28). Granted that the human essence of man can be described as benevolenc e, righteousness, propriety, etc., how can common people lose it? Can something be defined by a feature which can be lost? The key to the answer lies in the idea of â€Å"heart,† which is to be understood here as neither bodily heart, nor soul, but mind with sensitivity. Concerning human nature, Mencius presents his famous theory of â€Å"the four germs of the heart,† concluding as follows: From this it can be seen that whoever is devoid of the heart of compassion is not human, whoever is devoid of the heart of shame is not human, whoever is devoid of the heart of courtesy and modesty is not human, and whoever is devoid of the heart of right and wrong is not human (M, II, A, 6). These four states of heart are named, in turn, the germs of â€Å"benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom† (M, II, A, 6) within man’s heart, which forms the difference of human beings. Human nature must be defined through this heart: Mencius said, â€Å"That which a gentleman follows as his nature, that is to say, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, is rooted in his heart† (M, VII, A, 21). Therefore the goodness of human nature resides in the goodness of the heart. A reservation, however, must be added, namely, that goodnes s exists only in the state of germ and needs to be retained, nourished, and developed. In this way Mencius demonstrated that human nature is tending toward goodness. He did not stop at this point, but continued to examine the nature and origin of the heart. Mencius affirmed that there is a propensity for development within the heart which makes it an â€Å"evaluating heart.† If this means an ability to be moral and human beings are moral agents,8 does not its propensity for development imply in some sense a â€Å"commanding heart†?9 It must be the case, then, that the evaluating heart is at the same time the commanding heart, for otherwise how could Mencius honor as gentleman those who â€Å"retain† it? Only with this understanding does it become meaningful to say that â€Å"there is nothing better for the nurturing of the heart than to reduce the number of one’s desires† (M, VII, B, 35). Only if the heart does more than evaluate can Mencius say, â€Å"The sole concern of learning is to go after this strayed heart. That is all† (M, VI, A, 11). On the basis of this double character of the heart, we can loo k further at the heart in itself. Mencius used one word â€Å"thinking† to sum up the function of the heart. He said, â€Å"The organ of the heart can think. But it will find the answer only if it does think: otherwise, it will not find the answer. This is what Heaven has given me† (M, VI, A, 15). By thus explaining the source of the heart, especially its function of commanding, he bridges the gap between Heaven and man. Therefore, instead of stating that Mencius substitutes â€Å"self-legislation† for â€Å"external divine command,† we prefer to say that man’s self-legislation is bestowed on him by Heaven.10 The relation between Heaven and man is another interesting topic in Mencius’ thought, but is beyond the scope of the present essay. What we have established thus far is that the reason why human nature tends toward goodness consists in its relation with Heaven. Better known in China as â€Å"Master Meng† (Chinese: Mengzi), Mencius was a fourth-century BCE Chinese thinker whose importance in the Confucian tradition is second only to that of Confucius himself. In many ways, he played the role of St. Paul to Confucius’ Jesus, interpreting the thought of the master for subsequent ages while simultaneously impressing Confucius’ ideas with his own philosophical stamp. He is most famous for his theory of human nature, according to which all human beings share an innate goodness that either can be cultivated through education and self-discipline or squandered through neglect and negative influences, but never lost altogether. While it is not clear that Mencius’ views prevailed in early Chinese philosophical circles, they eventually won out after gaining the support of influential medieval commentators and thinkers such as Zhu Xi (Chu Hsi, 1130-1200 CE) and Wang Yangming The Mencius of History Like the historical Confucius, the historical Mencius is a vailable only through a text that, in its complete form at least, postdates his traditional lifetime (372-289 BCE). The philological controversy surrounding the date and composition of the text that bears his name is far less intense than that which surrounds the Confucian Analects, however. Most scholars agree that the entire Mencius was assembled by Mencius himself and his immediate disciples, perhaps shortly after his death. The text records several encounters with various rulers during Mencius’ old age, which can be dated between 323 and 314 BCE, making Mencius an active figure no later than the late fourth century BCE. The other major source of information about Mencius’ life is the biography found in the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) of Sima Qian (c. 145-90 BCE), which states that he was a native of Zou (Tsou), a small state near Confucius’ home state of Lu in the Shandong peninsula of nort heastern China. He is said to have studied with Confucius’ grandson, Zisi (Tzu-ssu), although most modern scholars doubt this. He also is thought to have become a minister of the state of Qi (Ch’i), which also was famous as the home of the Jixia (Chi-hsia) Academy. The Jixia Academy was a kind of early Chinese â€Å"think tank† sponsored the ruler of Qi that produced, among other thinkers, Mencius’ later opponent Xunzi (Hsun-tzu, 310-220 BCE). Mencius inherits from Confucius a set of terms and a series of problems. In general, one can say that where Confucius saw a unity of inner and outer – in terms of li (ritual propriety), ren (co-humanity), and the junzi (profound person)-xiaoren (small person) distinction – Mencius tends to privilege the inner aspects of concepts, practices, and identities. For Mencius, the locus of philosophical activity and self-cultivation is the xin (hsin), a term that denotes both the chief organ of the circulatory system and the organ of thought, and hence is translated here and in many other sources as â€Å"heart-mind.† Mencius’ views of the divine, political organization, human nature, and the path toward personal development all start and end in the heart-mind. . Theodicy Again, as with Confucius, so too with Mencius. From late Zhou tradition, Mencius inherited a great many religious sensibilities, including theistic ones. For the early Chinese (c. 16th century BCE), the world was controlled by an all-powerful deity, â€Å"The Lord on High† (Shangdi), to whom entreaties were made in the first known Chinese texts, inscriptions found on animal bones offered in divinatory sacrifice. As the Zhou polity emerged and triumphed over the previous Shang tribal rule, Zhou apologists began to regard their deity, Tian (â€Å"Sky† or â€Å"Heaven†) as synonymous with Shangdi, the deity of the deposed Shang kings, and explained the decline of Shang and the rise of Zhou as a consequence of a change in Tianming (â€Å"the mandate of Heaven†). Thus, theistic justifications for conquest and rulership were present very early in Chinese history. By the time of Mencius, the concept of Tian appears to have changed slightly, taking on aspects of à ¢â‚¬Å"fate† and â€Å"nature† as well as â€Å"deity.† For Confucius, Tian provided personal support and sanction for his sense of historical mission, while at the same time prompting Job-like anxiety during moments of ill fortune in which Tian seemed to have abandoned him. Mencius’ faith in Tian as the ultimate source of legitimate moral and political authority is unshakeable. Like Confucius, he says that â€Å"Tian does not speak – it simply reveals through deeds and affairs† (5A5). He ascribes the virtues of ren (co-humanity), yi (rightness), li (ritual propriety), zhi (wisdom), and sheng (sagehood) to Tian (7B24) and explicitly compares the rule of the moral king to the rule of Tian (5A4). The dependence of Tian upon human agents to put its will into practice helps account for the emphasis Mencius places on the satisfaction of the people as an indicator of the ruler’s moral right to power, and on the responsibility of morally-minded ministers to depose an unworthy ruler. In a dialogue with King Xuan of Qi (r. 319-301 BCE), Mencius says: The people are to be valued most, the altars of the grain and the land [traditional symbols of the vitality of the state] next, the ruler least. Hence winning the favor of the common people you become Emperor†¦. (7B14) When the ruler makes a serious mistake they admonish. If after repeated admonishments he still will not listen, they depose him†¦. Do not think it strange, Your Majesty. Your Majesty asked his servant a question, and his servant dares not fail to answer it directly. (5B9) Mencius’ replies to King Xuan are bracingly direct, in fact, but he can be coy. When the king asks whether it is true that various sage kings (Tang and Wu) rebelled against and murdered their predecessors (Jie and Zhou), Mencius answers that it is true. The king then asks: â€Å"Is it permissible for a vassal to murder his lord?† Mencius replied, â€Å"One who robs co-humanity [ren] you call a `robber’; one who robs the right [yi] you call a `wrecker’; and one who robs and wrecks you call an `outlaw.’ I have heard that [Wu] punished the outlaw Zhou – I have not heard that he murdered his lord. (1B8) In other words, Wu was morally justified in executing Zhou, because Zhou had proven himself to be unworthy of the throne through his offenses against ren and yi – the very qualities associated with the Confucian exemplar (junzi) and his actions. This is an example of Mencius engaging in the â€Å"rectification of names† (zhengming), an exercise that Confucius considered to be prior to all other philosophical activity (Analects 13.3). While Mencius endorses a â€Å"right of revolution,† he is no democrat. His ideal ruler is the sage-king, such as the legendary Shun, on whose reign both divine sanction and popular approval conferred legitimacy: When he was put in charge of sacrifices, the hundred gods delighted in them which is Heaven accepting him. When he was put in charge of affairs, the affairs were in order and the people satisfied with him, which is the people accepting him. Heaven gave it [the state] to him; human beings gave it to him. (5A5) Mencius is famous for claiming that human nature (renxing) is good. As with most reductions of philosophical positions to bumper-sticker slogans, this statement oversimplifies Mencius’ position. In the text, Mencius takes a more careful route in order to arrive at this view. Following A. C. Graham, one can see his argument as having three elements: (1) a teleology, (2) a virtue theory, and (3) a moral psychology. Confucius Better known in China as â€Å"Master Kong† (Chinese: Kongzi), Confucius was a fifth-century BCE Chinese thinker whose influence upon East Asian intellectual and social history is immeasurable. As a culturally symbolic figure, he has been alternately idealized, deified, dismissed, vilified, and rehabilitated over the millennia by both Asian and non-Asian thinkers and regimes. Given his extraordinary impact on Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese thought, it is ironic that so little can be known about Confucius. The tradition that bears his name – â€Å"Confucianism† (Chinese: Rujia) – ultimately traces itself to the sayings and biographical fragments recorded in the text known as the Analects (Chinese: Lunyu). As with the person of Confucius himself, scholars disagree about the origins and character of the Analects, but it remains the traditional source for information about Confucius’ life and teaching. Most scholars remain confident that it is possible to extract from the Analects several philosophical themes and views that may be safely attributed to this ancient Chinese sage. These are primarily ethical, rather than analytical-logical or metaphysical in nature, and include Confucius’ claim that Tian (â€Å"Heaven†) is aligned with moral order but dependent upon human agents to actualize its will; his concern for li (ritual propriety) as the instrument through which the family, the state, and the world may be aligned with Tian’s moral order; and his belief in the â€Å"contagious† nature of moral force (de), by which moral rulers diffuse morality to their subjects, moral parents raise moral children, and so forth. The Confucius of the Analects Above all else, the Analects depicts Confucius as someone who â€Å"transmits, but does not innovate† (7.1). What Confucius claimed to transmit was the Dao (Way) of the sages of Zhou antiquity; in the Analects, he is the erudite guardian of tradition who challenges his disciples to emulate the sages of the past and restore the moral integrity of the state. Although readers of the Analects often assume that Confucius’ views are presented as a coherent and consistent system within the text, a careful reading reveals several different sets of philosophical concerns which do not conflict so much as they complement one another. Those familiar with Enlightenment-influenced presentations of Confucius as an austere humanist who did not discuss the supernatural may be surprised to encounter the term â€Å"theodicy† as a framework for understanding Confucius’ philosophical concerns. Confucius’ record of silence on the subject of the divine is attested by the Analects (5.3, 7.21, 11.12). In fact, as a child of the late Zhou world, Confucius inherited a great many religious sensibilities, including theistic ones. For the early Chinese (c. 16th century BCE), the world was controlled by an all-powerful deity, â€Å"The Lord on High† (Shangdi), to whom entreaties were made in the first known Chinese texts, inscriptions found on animal bones offered in divinatory sacrifice. As the Zhou polity emerged and triumphed over the previous Shang tribal rule, Zhou apologists began to regard their deity, Tian (â€Å"Sky† or â€Å"Heaven†) as synonymous with Shangdi, the deity of the deposed Shang kings, and explained the decline of Shang and the rise of Zhou as a consequence of a change in Tianming (â€Å"the mandate of Heaven†). Thus, theistic justifications for conquest and rulership were present very early in Chinese history.By the time of Confucius, the concept of Tian appears to have changed slightly. For one thing, the ritual complex of Zhou diviners, which served to ascertain the will of Tian for the benefit of the king, had collapsed with Zhou rule itself. At the same time, the network of religious obligations to manifold divinities, local spirits, and ancestors does not seem to have ceased with the fall of the Zhou, and Confucius appears to uphold sacrifices to â€Å"gods and ghosts† as consistent with â€Å"transmitting† noble tradition. Yet, in the Analects, a new aspect of Tian emerges. For the Confucius of the Analects, discerning the will of Tian and reconciling it with his own moral compass sometimes proves to be a troubling exercise: If Heaven is about to abandon this culture, those who die afterwards will not get to share in it; if Heaven has not yet abandoned this culture, what can the men of Guang [Confucius’ adversaries in this instance] do to me? (9.5) There is no one who recognizes me†¦. I neither resent Heaven nor blame humanity. In learning about the lower I have understood the higher. The one who recognizes me – wouldn’t that be Heaven? (14.35) Heaven has abandoned me! Heaven has abandoned me! (11.9) As we all know that Mencius several times throughout Chinese history has been regarded as a potentially â€Å"dangerous† author, leading at times to outright banning of his book. This is because Mencius developed a very early form of what was to be called in modern times the â€Å"social contract.† Mencius, like Confucius, believed that rulers were divinely placed in order to guarantee peace and order among the people they rule. Unlike Confucius, Mencius believed that if a ruler failed to bring peace and order about, then the people could be absolved of all loyalty to that ruler and could if they felt strongly enough about the matter, revolt. I surmise if we go into details, it will probably take us months or maybe even years before finishing this comparison. I personally felt that Mencius and Confucius did not share nearly the same feelings for what was the most important unit in a society. I believe Confucius set up the belief of â€Å"Emperor, Master, and Father.â⠂¬  Basically, all subjects were obliged to the orders of the Emperor. All students were required to follow the footsteps of their Masters. In the same way that all children should obey their fathers commands. If at any given time these orders came in conflicts with one another, then everyone must choose to put the Emperor’s demands above everything else. Perhaps, this concept was one of the main reasons why Confucianism was promoted as the state’s ideology during the reign of Han Wudi. On the other hand, Mencius had a totally different view. Mencius insisted that â€Å"People came first Empires/Nations were only second, while the Emperor was the least important.† Well I am sure that not too many people would be happy to hear this argument let alone agree. This concept will definitely tolerate rebellions against a tyrannical ruler. The Emperor was working in the best interests of the people. Without the people’s support, the emperor had certainly failed his du ties as the leader. While Confucius’s theory I think that Confucius was more correct in his views than Mencius, not because of differing views (although they did differ at certain points), but because of the way these ideas were carried out throughout his career, and ultimately, his life. Confucius was a Chinese thinker and philosopher. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, and justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, such as Taoism during the Han Dynasty. Confucius’ thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy which has come to be known as Confucianism. It was introduced to Europe by Matteo Ricci, who was the first to come up with the Latin name â€Å"Confucius†. His teachings may be found in the Analects of Confucius, a collection of â€Å"brief aphoristic fragments†, which was compiled many years after his death. For nearly 2,000 years he was thought to be the editor or author of all the Five Classics, such as the Classic of Rites and the Spring and Autumn Annals, but this was not the case as many of these â€Å"fragments† cannot be directly credited to Confucius because of lack of written proof. Confucius was born in 551 BC in the Lu state of China, born into a warrior family. His father, Shulianghe, was a famous warrior who fought in the chinese military, and owned a large portion of land. Confucius lost his father when he was three years old, and then his mother Yan Zhengzai took him and left his father’s land because, as a concubine, she wanted to avoid the scorn from Shulianghe’s real wife. Therefore, Confucius lived in poverty with his mother since childhood. With the support and encouragement of his mother, Confucius studied hard as a child. When Confucius was seventeen, his mother died as a result of illness and exhaustion. Three years later, Confucius married. Though he had a good wife who loved him, he left his family to pursue his philosophical goals. Confucius sought to revive the As we all know that Mencius several times throughout Chinese history has been regarded as a potentially â€Å"dangerous† author, leading at times to outright banning of his book. This is because Mencius developed a very early form of what was to be called in modern times the â€Å"social contract.† Mencius, like Confucius, believed that rulers were divinely placed in order to guarantee peace and order among the people they rule. Unlike Confucius, Mencius believed that if a ruler failed to bring peace and order about, then the people could be absolved of all loyalty to that ruler and could if they felt strongly enough about the matter, revolt. I surmise if we go into details, it will probably take us months or maybe even years before finishing this comparison. I personally felt that Mencius and Confucius did not share nearly the same feelings for what was the most important unit in a society. I believe Confucius set up the belief of â€Å"Emperor, Master, and Father.† Basically, all subjects were obliged to the orders of the Emperor. All students were required to follow the footsteps of their Masters. In the same way that all children should obey their fathers commands. If at any given time these orders came in conflicts with one another, then everyone must choose to put the Emperor’s demands above everything else. Perhaps, this concept was one of the main reasons why Confucianism was promoted as the state’s ideology during the reign of Han Wudi. On the other hand, Mencius had a totally different view. Mencius insisted that â€Å"People came first Empires/Nations were only second, while the Emperor was the least important.† Well I am sure that not too many people would be happy to hear this argument let alone agree. This concept will definitely tolerate rebellions against a tyrannical ruler. The Emperor was working in the best interests of the people. Without the people’s support, the emperor had certainly failed his duties as the leader.

Friday, November 8, 2019

A Guide to Halloween Customs in Germany

A Guide to Halloween Customs in Germany Halloween, as we celebrate it commonly today, is not originally German. Yet many Germans embrace it. Others, especially those of the older generation, believe that Halloween is just American hype. Though the commercialism of Halloween does indeed stem from North America, the tradition and celebration itself had its origins in Europe.   Halloween has gained much popularity over the past few decades. In fact, this celebration now brings in an astounding 200 million euros a year, according to the Stuttgarter Zeitung, and it is the third most commercialized tradition after Christmas and Easter. The evidence is all there. Walk in some of the larger German department stores and easily find Halloween themed decorations to match your gruesome tastes. Or go to a costumed Halloween party offered by many nightclubs. Have children? Then read through some popular German family magazine on how to throw a terrific, ghoulish party for your kids, complete with bat and ghost treats. Why Germans Celebrate Halloween So how did Germans get so excited about Halloween? Naturally, the influence of American commercialism and media is key. Furthermore, the presence of American soldiers in the post-war WWII era helped bring about a familiarity of this tradition. Also, because of the cancellation of Fasching in Germany during the Gulf War, the push for Halloween and its associated commercial potential was an attempt to make up for Fasching’s financial loss, according to Fachgruppe Karneval  im  Deutschen Verband der Spielwarenindustrie. How You Trick-or-Treat in Germany Trick-or-treating is the aspect of Halloween that is the least observed in Germany and Austria. Only in large,  metropolitan cities of Germany will you see groups of children actually go door-to-door. They say, either Sà ¼ÃƒÅ¸es oder Saures or Sà ¼ÃƒÅ¸es, sonst gibts Saure as they collect treats from their neighbors. This is partly because just eleven days later, children traditionally to go door-to-door on St. Martinstag with their lanterns. They sing a song and then they are rewarded with baked goods and sweets.   What Costumes Germans Wear on Halloween Halloween specialty stores are increasingly popular in Germany. One interesting difference between Germany and North America with regard to costumes  is that the Germans tend to indulge in more scary outfits than Americans do. Even kids. Perhaps this is due to the many other opportunities throughout the year that children and adults get to dress up for different celebrations, such as Fasching and St. Martinstag that is just around the corner. Other Spooky Traditions in Germany October is also the time for other spooky happenings in Germany.   Haunted Castle: One of the largest and most popular Halloween venues in Germany is the 1,000-year-old fortress ruins in Darmstadt. Since the 1970s, it has been known as Burg Frankenstein and is a popular destination for gore aficionados.  Pumpkin Festival: By mid-October, you’ll see some carved out pumpkins on people’s doorsteps in the streets of Germany and Austria, though not as much as in North America. But what you will see and hear about is the famous pumpkin festival in Retz, Austria, near Vienna. It’s an entire weekend of fun, family-friendly entertainment, complete with an elaborate Halloween parade that includes floats.Reformationstag: Germany and Austria have another tradition on Oct. 31 that is actually centuries-long: Reformationstag. This a special day for Protestants to commemorate Martin Luther’s launch of the Reformation when he nailed those ninety-five theses to the Catholic castle church in Wittenberg, Germany. In celebration of Reforma tionstag and so that its not completely overshadowed by Halloween, Luther-Bonbons (candies) were created.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Factors Influencing the Formation of Youth Gangs In Chicago essays

Factors Influencing the Formation of Youth Gangs In Chicago essays Gangs are virtually everywhere in today's world. It is estimated that the number of gang members in our country equals over a quarter million of our nation's total population. Originally young people, most often teenagers, join a gang because they are lacking positive influences at home and/or at school. They also might be dealing with personal issues that they feel that they can't resolve without the help of someone whom they believe that they can confide in due to the bond of a common belief and loyalty that they share. The first publicly known street gang in Chicago was the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN). The ALKQN came together around the early 1940's. The Kings originally consisted of predominantly Puerto Ricans males whose philosophy was to overcome the racial prejudices brought onto them by the Caucasians and African Americans who were already living in Chicago. The area where many Puerto Ricans located themselves within the city was called the Humboldt Park neighborhood. At that time, African Americans and Caucasians largely inhabited the neighborhood, which led to many conflicts generating within the one neighborhood. Minorities were treated very poorly at this time, and there was great stress in living in these rough conditions, holding low economic statuses, working for low wages at long hours. At the same time, many of them were still adjusting to their new lives in America. Probably the most difficult obstacle of all to overcome in these situations is the language barrier. As a kid growing up in a new city, state, and country all at the same time, it can be stressful. When this is your situation at a young age, and when you enter school as a new, foreign student, you may feel helpless if you are not be able to communicate with others regarding the things that you need help with. Not only can that be an issue for teachers, but it can also create conf...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Ow hospitals in the health care industries have used new media Essay

Ow hospitals in the health care industries have used new media technology and study the social effects and cultural impact of th - Essay Example In the last quarter of 20th Century computer has started to play its role in communication and with passage of time a new term emerged in the field of communication. This new term was â€Å"New Media†. New media technology is any type of application intended to transmit information through digital techniques, computerized systems or data networks. New media technology is normally associated with information transfers meant to be manipulated in some way. The most common examples of new media technologies consist of Internet-based concepts like websites or digital mediums such as CD-ROMs and DVDs. Anything that is considered old media, such as television, film or paper-based products, are not part of new media. According to Donna Chu (2009, p 337), ‘Although there is a growing literature on new media (Hassan & Thom as, 2006), there is little consensus on what it will actually bring us (see Gauntlett & Horsley, 2004; Lister, 2003). ..... The unsettling debates are largely d ue to the lack of concrete details and contextualized understandings of how new media are actually used on an everyday basis.’ According to experts New Media will be able to alter the meaning of geographic distance. Furthermore it will allow for a huge increase in the volume of communication and provide the possibility of increasing the speed of communication. It will also provide opportunities for interactive communication. The rise of new media has improved communication between people all over the world and the Internet. It has allowed people to communicate blogs, websites, pictures, and other media. The new media industry shares an open association with different market segments such as software/video game design, television, radio, and mainly movies, advertising and marketing. Again Donna Chu (2009, p 338 & 339) is of the opinion that, ‘There are high hopes that new interactive media will add impetus to various social movements. It is in this light that new media a re cultivating a new social space, which is often linked to Habermas’ public sphere (Habermas, Lennox, & Lennox, 1 974), albeit in a virtual sense. Yet as noted by Papacharissi (2002), public space should not be confused with the public sphere. That new media provide forums for political deliberation does not automatically lead to the formation of a public sphere that facilitates democratic discussion. A crucial difference lies in the nature and quality of discussion found on the Internet (Fung, 2002; Tsaliki, 2002). In an era when new media is giving birth to a new social order, studies of the many for forms of collective behavio(u)r in evidence will yield a deeper understanding of how new customs and conventions are being created and maintained.’ Presenting Singapore as a model Terence Lee (2003, p 84) states that, ‘At present, Singapore's e-citizen portal, www.ecitizen.gov.sg, provides the best illustration of Singapore's successes in e-govemment. Launched in April 1999, the e-citizen website offers more than 180 e-services grouped in 16 online units based on categories that address family life, health, housing, education, employment, transport and other day-to-day issues (IDA, 2001).’ From the above paragraphs and quotations it is clear that new media is making huge inroad in the modern world. After looking at different aspects of new media, we will

Friday, November 1, 2019

Stop and frisk Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stop and frisk - Research Proposal Example causal relationship exist between two variables when a cause exist and some consequences follow the cause and policy enforcement is the cause with change in gun violence rate as the effect. Existence of a correlation relationship that other factors cannot explain is another requirement for a causal relations and research control can ensure this (Aparasu 72). Implementation of the policy is the independent variable while incidence of gun violence is the dependent variable. Implementation of the stop and frisk policy and effects of the implementation are the concepts for measure. Implementation defines effective enforcement of the policy within the perception of citizens while effects of implementation define associated change in gun violence behavior among the public because of the policy implementation. In addition to peer group questionnaire that background study identified, I plan to use existing data on the subject and opinions among psychology and criminology experts in collecting data on the concepts. Individuals who have been accused of gun violence and those who have close relation to the already accused individuals ate the study’s target population. One of the major characteristics of the population is arrest or issuance of arrest warrant against an individual. These characteristics forms the characteristics of the remaining population segments, associated of the accused. Criminal records from attorney’s office will help in identification of individuals who have been arrested or against whom arrest warrants have been issued for gun violence crimes. Background study on the identified individuals will facilitate identification of their associates. A survey design will be used will be used for data collection because of its potential to collect data of human traits (Aparasu 161). Cross sectional approach will be implemented to collect data relating to periods before the policy and after the policy. This will also incorporate data on application and