Chardham Yatra: Way to Moksha

The Hindu philosophy of life is, when a man attains salvation or mukti, only then he is able to release himself from the repeated cycle of lives and death or reincarnations. It is believed that to come out of this whirlpool of life the best way is -to accomplish moksha. Moksha is the final release from self . It is like loosening of all the bondages and attaining oneness with the one or the almighty. All the religion believes in attaining mocha or salvation . They have different ways to achieve it. The Hindu philosophy believes in four disciplines to achieve it. The first discipline is karma yoga that is working for supreme. The second discipline is Janna yoga that is realizing the supreme. The third way to achieve salvation or moksha is Raja yoga that is meditating for supreme and lastly is Bhakti yoga that is serving supreme with loving devotion. Bhakti yoga is most acceptable yoga to attain salvation and visit to Chardham certainly helps in realizing it. These are four major pilgrimages that is why it is called Chardham. They begin with Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. It is believed that yatra or parikarma should always begin from Gangotri and should end at Badrinath . Ancient people believed that a visit to the Himalayas washes away all the sins . That belief still exists and therefore people who are believers come to visit Chardham at least once in their life time to attain inner peace and satisfaction. Situated closest to the nature these dhams are a sort of spiritual adventure. Away from the hustle bustle of city life, amid nature’s tranquillity, is a time of introspection and a time to realize Supreme Being. That is the reason people visiting dhams become enriched and start looking at the life with a newer perspective.

Celebrity Exploitation

No to Celebrity Exploitation Celebrities have been the eye-candy for mostly all walks of life. Many look up to celebrities whether it’s because of their beauty, talent, and or their accomplishments in life. Because of those reasons, celebrity culture has become one of our national obsessions. We feel the need to know every single thing that happens with all the famous stars, and have no problem invading their personal space. The paparazzi make celebrities feel like they’re a moving target – even when they’re not in public. They shouldn’t need to feel like that.Celebrities should be entitled to live without paparazzi exploitation, because at the end of the day, being a celebrity is just a job. They are people, too, and they are not entitled to entertain us with their private lives. There are many celebrities who have their privacy breached, and one of the recent celebrities to be exploited would be Kate Middleton. The Duchess of Cambridge has always been in the spotlight from the very beginning: to every event she has attended, her wedding, and now, her honeymoon – which was supposed to be personal.Tabloids everywhere published bottomless pictures of Kate Middleton, while she was on her second honeymoon with her husband. I feel the paparazzi have gone TOO far, with breaching one’s privacy. Is it really necessary to take pictures of people naked (yes, celebrities are people, too), without their consent? Kate Middleton has always been a huge role model for many people around the world, and to have the paparazzi try to degrade her image by exposing her personal body parts to the world is not right. Yes, she’s royalty, but she’s still human.I doubt any of you would like to have pictures of you naked leak out all over the internet without your permission. Before the bottomless scandal of Kate Middleton, there was another celebrity, which in my opinion, shouldn’t have been harassed the way she has g otten for her actions. Kristen Stewart, a very well-known actress, who have mostly gotten her fame from being the lead actress in â€Å"The Twilight Series†, had been heavily criticized by society, because she slept with her director – who is married and has children.But for crying out loud, Kristen is how old? 22? Her brain isn’t even fully developed yet, since the human brain fully matures at 25, according to a National Institutes of Health study. Jodie Foster, a well-known actress wrote a critique of Kristen Stewart, defending her. She wrote that, yes, celebrities get huge salaries, but that doesn’t mean that the media has a right to invade their privacy, and destroy someone’s sense of self. Kristen doesn’t deserve all the crap she’s been getting – at the end of the day, she’s only human.All of us make mistakes. So many people have affairs and they’re not being bashed on, what makes Kristen different? Creating tabloids about her mistakes isn’t helping with her well-being, and that’s why so many young celebrities turn out to be ill and do other reckless things. Many young celebrities have been consumed by the media’s judgement, and end up drowning themselves in drugs, sex, and parties to try and get away from it all. A perfect example would be Lindsay Lohan.Lindsay started her career at the age of 3, and now, she is currently 26 years old. Being 26, she has already been arrested several times for reckless driving and possession of drugs. Not to mention, her wild party lifestyle at the clubs. Now, she’s looked down upon many, after each and every mistake she has done. The paparazzi is partly to blame for trying to constantly expose these celebrities and their mistakes, feeling as if they are a moving target, being judge constantly by society to fit a certain standard just because they’re famous.The last celebrity, in my opinion, who is a great example of g etting over-exploited by paparazzi, was Princess Diana. Princess Diana was killed in a car crash, while trying to get away from paparazzi. This is a perfect example of a celebrity who has been harassed by paparazzi to a point of death, just because they wanted to get the new scoop of her and her lover, Dodi Fayed. I don’t think famous people should have to struggle being constantly harassed by paparazzi.It’s hard enough having to fit everyone’s standards of being a celebrity in public -good fashion, pretty face and body, and personality. They shouldn’t feel the need to fit that persona when they’re not in public. In conclusion, celebrities are normal people, too. They shouldn’t get criticized by media if they have been caught by the paparazzi doing things that may be considered scandalous. I’m pretty sure many people do what celebrities do in their private life, in their everyday lives.Yes, celebrities make more money and are generall y far more interesting than normal people, but sometimes, a little too much attention from the media can affect their personal lives. Being a celebrity is a job. And just like any other job, there’s a time and place just to have your personal time. Paparazzi can take pictures of celebrities when they’re in public, but please, they shouldn’t go so far as to invading one’s private life just to gain money. Just try putting yourself in these famous people’s shoes – I bet you wouldn’t want your personal lives be exploited, am I right?

Risk and Quality Management Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Risk and Quality Management Assessment - Essay Example Hospitals usually contain specialized personnel and equipment that need a lot of training and experience. Apart from their treatment services, they also provide rooms and beds for patients and always have emergency and trauma sections. Discussion Quality management is basically about the patients’ confidence whereas risk management is about patients’ needs and priorities, and protection of hazards. Quality management puts more focus on the effectiveness of results and efficiency in utilizing the resources whereas risk management is more focused on the potential effectiveness of results and potential efficiency to utilize resources. Patients’ safety is generally very important to both the patients and the authorities (Joshi, 2009). This is why governments and medical practitioners including other professionals have launched a lot of researches to assess the severity, occurrence and reasons behind many adverse events. Ways to enhance safety and reduce risks in heal th organizations through quality and risk management range from good coordination, human resources, good communication, updated information technology, standardization and improvements of the health organization. ... These include wound infections, wrong site surgeries and medication errors. There is therefore a relatively high risk of unsafe situations in hospitals and thus calls for measures to prevent them through quality and risk management (Kavaler, 2012). Hospitals should have flexible, participative and customer focused administrations. They should also possess values that are associated with participation, affiliation and teamwork in each and every improvement to make the quality if the services given better. There should also be a developmental culture based on risk-taking innovations that are supposed to improve the overall services of the hospital. Therefore the idea is to improve the institution while keeping the patients and the staff out of hazards that may be brought about by errors and other causes in the hospital. The key concept of quality management in the hospital is the development of the systems to prevent hazards, and of risk management is the process of minimizing risk by developing the systems to identify and analyze potential hazards (Lighter and Fair, 2004). Risk management, being an on going activity, should not only be about identifying the risks upfront and then forging ahead regardless. It plays a critical role in identifying, managing and containing risks related to patients’ safety. In a hospital environment, communication and good governance together with a systematic and an integrative approach will make risk management easy and adjustable according to the size of the organization. The steps followed in risk management start with a risk strategy which is basically the establishment of the internal and external risk management context and defining its structure. The second step is risk identification

British Social Policy and the Second World War Essay

British Social Policy and the Second World War - Essay Example It was their belief that the government should be spending more time taking action than wasting its time on policy building. (Alcock, 2003, page 88) In 1942 Joseph Schumpeter proposed an idea that Britain's socialism was less ethically sound as compared to the rest of Europe's. He believed that the people did not consider social justice as an endowment but as their right. This in turn led the Britons to take an unappreciative approach to the policy makers and government as a whole. A couple of other reasons included that after the World War many people believed that they would soon lose their jobs and would emigrate to some other country such as South Africa. The state wished to build a sense of solidarity instead they were faced with a state of emergency. People believed that the government could have diverted the war and was ineffective in managing the state's affairs. The people took for granted society's business to support them when they were unemployed and to care for them in their old age. But observing the development of the English citizen's social rights it can be seen that this attitude had been prevailing since the 1 930s. An Example of a movement which signifies this phenomenon is the rebellion against the Unemployment Assistance Board in 1935. This signifies that the workers knew of their rights and what they deserved even before the war was on the horizon. So contributing the welfare movement to the war seems imprecise. (Glynn & Booth, 1996, pages 98-99). By 1939 the government had now undertaken the responsibility to keep peace throughout the state, provide protection to the people, provide for their education but now the added responsibility included providing economic welfare to all its citizens. This was harmful for the government as now they had to look after the actual deserving such as widows and retired citizens as well as the undeserving such as unemployed drunkards (Jacobs, 1993, page 46). The war helped implement military efficiency into the system of welfare but the system did exist even before the war. Many war time inventions became adapted into people's personal lives during that era. The transistor radio is one such gadget that became incorporated into people's households. Aside from the technical inventions, the social experiments also became popular in their implementation in everyday procedures. The medical profession benefited from the new techniques in managing the influx of patients and it became easier to manage large number of patients. Wars also recognize social weaknesses. Evacuating people from different regions of the country discovered potential transportation problems and terrible living conditions (Addison, 1975, page 32). Around 1940 Ernest Bevin proved to be a major influencer of the time. He was the Minister of Labour and most of his decisions were beneficial for the people working in the industrial sector. Recognizing how the people working should be given the proper atmosphere and work place environment he instigated many policies related to minimum wages in a step wise procedure implementing them in industry after industry. He believed that these measures would bring about a Social Revolution for the working class. But even he was unable to

Structure and meaning in literary discourse Essay - 1

Structure and meaning in literary discourse - Essay Example As Robert E. Longacre declares, "a discourse revolution of some sort is shaping up in response to the demand for context and for greater explanatory power." (Longacre, 1) It is also relatable here that the current use of the term 'discourse' incorporates two areas of linguistic concern such as the analysis of dialogue and the analysis of monologue. Significantly, a workable discourse incorporates prominence and cohesion or coherence. In cohesion as well as coherence two basic components are included and they are surface structure cohesive devices and semantic and lexical coherence. The pre-eminence of a plot as a coherence device in a narrative has been generally recognised. Plot may be comprehended as notional structure of narrative discourse and there is correspondence between notional structural features and the surface structure. Embedded discourse has been a significant tool used in the plot and peak pf a literary piece in order to encode the inciting moments and developing conf licts in the notional structure as surface structure episodes. Charles Dickens' celebrated novel A Tale of two Cities has significantly several examples of embedded discourses and the novel marks the climax as well as the denigration as peak in its surface structure. ... both the climax and the denouncement as peak and peak' in its surface structure." (Longacre, 38-39) Therefore, there are several examples of embedded discourses in A Tale of two Cities and they relate to each other and integrate into the entire novel. The marking of surface structure peak has great implication in the literary discourse and it is important to recognise peak when embedded discourse is existent. There are several methods of embedded discourse like rhetoric underlining, concentration of participants, heightened vividness, change of pace etc. In rhetorical underlining, the narrator uses extra words when he wishes to keep the important pint of the story. Parallelism, paraphrase, and tautologies are some of the tools employed. The crowded stage has been recognised as the feature of peak. The notional structure climax or peak can be evidently found out in the novel A Tale of two Cities in the second trial of Charles Darnay. Heightened vividness is a major method which results from a nominal-verbal balance by way of tense shift. In the novel A Tale of two Cities one clearly finds a tense shift in one of the most important moments of the story. Thus, there is a tense shift to present tense in the novel following the trial a nd arrest of Sidney Carton instead of Charles Darney. The shift of the tense has importance in the story's development. The tense shift "adds vividness and excitement andmarks a peak' which encodes part of the notional structure denouncement of the story." (Longacre 40-1) Therefore, one may distinguish peak or climax from peak' or denouncement in the surface structure of the novel A Tale of two Cities. Change of pace is another method used by the literary discourse and its main devices are difference in the constructions and difference in

Genetic Counseling--Christian Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Genetic Counseling--Christian Perspective - Essay Example Preparations for Hemophila can be life saving for the child (Lehrman, 1998). If the child is cut, the parent does not waste time trying to stop the blood. Counseling after the child is born until they reach adulthood can also be helpful. An early diagnosis helps the parent and child cope with their illness. Abortion is murder, but so is euthanasia. Reputable doctors do not counsel people to commit suicide or perform euthanasia on an ill patient. What makes an unborn baby with an illness that is not even certain different? Genetic testing cannot give 100% yes or no answers. Even if the child has one of the above conditions, genetic testing cannot predict symptoms or severity of the disease (Rutter). No Christian counselor can condone abortion. Under the law, they cannot prevent abortions, but it is a Christian genetic counselor’s duty counsel against termination of pregnancy. A Christian genetic counselor cannot deny Biblical teachings. The Bible states â€Å"thou shalt not kill† (Exodus 20:13, King James Version). To counsel a woman to have an abortion would be under any circumstances wrong. The Christian counselor must reinforce man’s way is not God’s. A child with a genetic defect can be healed by God, but a sick child can also be a blessing. Even if the parents go ahead with the abortion, maybe later in life the parents can be convicted by what the counselor witnesses today. Either way God will bless the counselor for relying on His

Communication, Culture and context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Communication, Culture and context - Essay Example support the essay. Definition of Terms Globalization has been defined by Mazrui (2001) as consisting of systems and operating processes aiming to ultimately be interrelated with global protocols on a continuously growing exchange of transactions among diverse countries and regions (p. 1). On the other hand, Landay (2008) averred that â€Å"virtual commodification is a process of transforming experience, ideas, and ideas about the self into the quantifiable products of inworld consumer culture, and placing those products in a social context in which people define things in terms of themselves, and themselves in terms of things, i.e., that â€Å"self† is created and understood through the goods and appearance of the goods people consume† (p. 4). From the qualification of terms, commodification becomes global in perspectives in so far as a product, service, artifact, image, or idea is turned into a commodity. To expound on the concept in a global context, one opted to sele ct a social networking game that became famous through Facebook, FarmVille. FarmVille A social networking game that was developed by Zynga, a social game developer located originally in San Francisco, California, became a global phenomenon – FarmVille. According to its official site, â€Å"Zynga is committed to transforming the world through virtual social goods. Zynga players have made real change by raising millions for several international nonprofits since Zynga.org launched in October 2009† (Zynga: What, 2010, par. 1). Zynga was founded by Mark Pincus in January of 2007 with the mission of connecting people though social games (Zynga: About, 2011). FarmVille is just one among 18 games accessible through Facebook. A prospective player needs to have a Facebook account to be able to play any of the games developed by Zynga. Other social networking games by Zynga are accessible through other social networking sites such as MySpace, Mobile and Yahoo (Zynga: Games, 2011 ). As proffered by Helft (2010), the mechanics for the social game is explained as follows: in FarmVille, its most popular game, players tend to virtual farms, planting and harvesting crops, and turning little plots of land into ever more sophisticated or idyllic cyberfarms. Good farmers — those who don’t let crops wither — earn virtual currency they can use for things like more seed or farm animals and equipment. But players can also buy those goods with credit cards, PayPal accounts or Facebook’s new payment system, called Credits. A pink tractor, a FarmVille favorite, costs about $3.50, and fuel to power it is 60 cents. A Breton horse can be had for $4.40, and four chickens for $5.60. The sums are small, but add up quickly

Economic Report on Housing Sector in Scotland Essay

Economic Report on Housing Sector in Scotland - Essay Example This paper is divided into three parts. Part A will present an analysis of the Scottish housing market for the first decade of the new millennium (2000-2010). It will look at the major factors affecting demand, supply, and price of housing units. In the process of analysis, it will also seek to determine whether the housing sector in Scotland is volatile or not and what are the reasons for this. Part B will go on to review specifics regarding the reasons for the ups and downs in the housing sector. Part C will differentiate between factors that are indigenous to Scotland and factors that may affect the whole of the UK housing sector. It will then end with recommendations to be implemented that when done, will hopefully reduce the volatility of the housing market in the UK in general and in Scotland in particular.  Ã‚  Available data shows that the average number of new housing units established per year in Scotland since the 1980s was 20,000 units; these have however peaked at 25,0 00 in 2007 and there has been a decline since then to around just 17,000 units in 2010. This decline was seen in the years 2009 and 2010. The average UK house price was  £163,244 at the end of 2010, with London being the most expensive region in the UK overall, and Edinburgh leading the price rise in Scotland.  Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire were areas that had recorded a housing demand growth of 4 percent over the year ending December 2010. These areas have benefitted from strong and stable economic opportunities.  

Practitioner Values in Dementia - Portfolio 1 Essay

Practitioner Values in Dementia - Portfolio 1 - Essay Example 1). It will also look at values and government legislations as ethical basis for healthcare. People with dementia are losing their memory, especially those that are aging (US National Library of Medicine, 2012, p. 1). The dysfunction in their brain has serious effect to their memory and their ability to communicate. Though this illness is common among elderly, but this is not normal for all of those that are aging (US National Library of Medicine, 2012, p. 1). Whitehouse,  Price,  Struble,  Clark,  Coyle,  and Delon (1982) explained memory loss of patient with dementia and Alzheimer based on evidences indicating that the nucleus basalis of Meynert, a distinct population of basal forebrain neurons, is the source of cholinergic innervation of the cerebral cortex (pp. 1237-1239). Post-mortem research illustrated the profound reduction in the presynaptic markers for cholinergic neurons in the cortex of patients with Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia of the Alzheimer's typ e (Whitehouse et al., 1982, pp. 1237-1239). Research further bared that memory loss is associated to that neurons of the nucleus basalis of Meynert which undergo a profound and selective degeneration at more than 75% in these patients and provide a pathological substrate of the cholinergic deficiency in their brains (Whitehouse et al., 1982, pp. 1237-1239). Demonstration of selective degeneration of such neurons represents the first documentation of a loss of a transmitter-specific neuronal population in a major disorder of higher cortical function and, as such, points to a critical subcortical lesion in Alzheimer's patients (Whitehouse et al., 1982, pp. 1237-1239). Recent analysis of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), involving representative sample of Health and Retirement Study (HRS), bared that health care for people with dementia have increasing emotional and physical demands (Vaughn, 2013, p. 1). Thus, add to the financial burden for care. It also inspires the National Hea lth Institute to find effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, too (Vaughn, 2013, p. 1). Through NAPA, health expert established and enforced National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease the institution also capitalized on research and development of BRAIN initiative, with the support of the president, to generate approaches to broaden our understanding on the neurological disorders, inclusive of neurological disorders and Alzheimer (Vaughn, 2013, p. 1). Dementia is an illness that could be genetically inherited by offspring from their elders or parents. Alzheimer is considered as the worst form of dementia which may appear at 65 years of age or further (Alzheimers.org, 2013b, p. 1). Hence, health practitioners call this a familial disease. Vascular and fronto-temporal dementias are other forms of dementia (Alzheimers.org, 2013b, p. 1). The first can be developed by high cholesterol levels in their bodies. Other milder forms of dementia which can be de tected at an earlier age are dementia with Lewy bodies, Down’s syndrome, and Huntington’s disease (Alzheimers.org, 2013b, p. 1) Medical experts admitted difficulty in determining the cost of dementia care, both in formal and informal setting, because majority of those who suffered in this illness has also multiple medical

Control cycles-a general model Essay Example for Free

Control cycles-a general model Essay A general model of organizational control includes four components that can operate in a continuous cycle and can be represented as a wheel. These elements are: 1. Setting a goal. Project goal setting goes beyond overall scope development to include setting the project baseline plan. The project baseline is predicated on an accurate. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) process. Remember that WBS establishes all the deliverables and work packages associated with the project, assigns the personnel responsible for them, and creates a visual chart of the project from highest level down through the basic task and subtask levels. The project baseline is created as each task is laid out on a network diagram and resources and time durations are assigned to it. 2. Measuring progress. Effective control systems require accurate project measurement mechanisms. Project managers must have a system in place that will allow them to measure the ongoing status of various project activities in real time. We need a measurement system that can provide information as quickly as possible. What to measure also needs to be clearly defined. Any number of devices allow us to measure one aspect of the project or another; however, the larger question is whether or not we are getting the type of information we can really use. 3. Comparing actual with planned performance. When we have some sense of the original baseline (plan) and a method for accurately measuring progress, the next step is to compare the two pieces of information. A gap analysis can be used as a basis for testing the project’s status. Gap analysis refers to any measurement process that first determines the goals and then the degree to which the actual performance lives up to those goals. The smaller the gaps between planned and actual performance, the better the outcome. In cases whe re we see obvious differences between what was planned an what was realized, we have a clear-cut warning signal. 4. Taking action. Once we detect significant deviations from the project plan, it becomes necessary to engage in some form of corrective action to minimize or remove the deviation. The process of taking corrective action is generally straightforward. Corrective action can either be relatively minor or may involve significant remedial steps. At its most extreme, corrective action may even involve scuttling a nonperforming project. After corrective action, the monitoring and control cycle begins again. The control cycle is continuous. As we create a plan, we begin measurement efforts to chart progress and compare stages against the baseline plan. Any indications of significant deviations from the plan should immediately trigger an appropriate response, leading to a reconfiguration of the plan, reassessment of progress, and so on. Project monitoring is continuous, full-time cycle of target setting, measuring, correcting, improving, and remeasuring. MONITORING PROJECT PERFORMANCE As we discovered in the chapters on project budgeting and resource management, once we have established a project baseline budget, one of the most important methods for indicating the ongoing status of the project is to evaluate it against the original budget projections. For project monitoring and control, both individual task budgets and the cumulative project budget are relevant. The cumulative budget can be broken down by time over the project’s projected duration. The Project S-Curve: A Basic Tool As a basis for evaluating project control techniques, let us consider a simple example. Assume a project (Project Sierra) with four work packages (Design, Engineering, Installation, and Testing), a budget to complete of $80,000, and an anticipated duration of 45 weeks. To determine project performance and status, a straightforward time/cost analysis is often our first choice. Here the project’s status is evaluated as a function of the accumulated costs and labor hours or quantities plotted against time for both budgeted and actual amounts. We can see that time (shown on the x, or horizontal, axis) is compared with money expended (shown on the y, or vertical, axis). The classic project S-curve represents the typical form of such a relationship. Budget expenditures are initially low and ramp up rapidly during the major project execution stage, before starting to level off again as the project gets nearer to its completion. Cumulative budget projections for Project Sierra have been plotted against the project’s schedule. The S-curve figure represents the project budget baseline against which budget expenditures are evaluated. Monitoring the status of a project using S-curves becomes a simple tracking problem. At the conclusion of each given time period (week, month, or quarter), we simply total the cumulative project budget expenditures to date and compare them with the anticipated spending patterns. Any significant deviations between actual and planned budget spent reveal a potential problem area. Simplicity is the key benefit of S-curve analysis. Because the projected project baseline is established in advance, the only additional data shown are the actual project budget expenditures. The S-curve also provides real-time tracking information in that budget expenditures can be constantly updated and the new values plotted on the graph. Project information can be visualized immediately and updated continuously, so S-curves offer an easy-to-read evaluation of the project’s status in a timely manner. (The information is not necessarily easily interpreted, however, as we shall see later.) Our Project Sierra example can also be used to illustrate how S-curve analysis is employed. Suppose that by week 21 in the project, the original budget projected expenditures of $50,000. However, our actual project expenditures totaled only $40,000. In effect, there is a $10,000 budget shortfall, or negative variance between the cumulative budgeted cost of the project and its cumulative actual cost. In the table it shows the track of budgeted expenditures with actual project costs, including identifying the negative variance shown at week 21. In this illustration, we see the value of S-curve analysis as a good visual method for linking project costs (both budgeted and actual) over the project’s schedule. S-CURVE DRAWBACKS When project teams consider using S-curves, they need to take the curve’s significant drawbacks into consideration as well as their strengths. S-curves can identify positive and negative variance (budget expenditures above or below projections), but they do not allow us to make reasonable interpretations as to the cause of variance. Consider the S-curve shown. The actual budget expenditures have been plotted to suggest that the project team has not spent the total planned budget money to date (there is negative   variance). However, the question is how to interpret this finding. The link between accumulated project costs and time is not always easily resolved. Is the project team behind schedule (given that they have not spent sufficient budget to date) or might there be alternative reasons for the negative variance? Assume that your organization tracks project costs employing an S-curve approach and uses that information to assess the status of an ongoing project. Also assume that the project is to be completed in 12 months and has a budget of $150,000. At the six-month checkup, you discover that the project S-curve shows significant shortfall; you have spent far less on the project to date than was originally budgeted. Is this good or bad news? On the surface, we might suppose that this is a sign of poor performance; we are lagging far behind in bringing the project along and the smaller the amount we have spent to date is evidence that our project is behind schedule. On the other hand, there are any number of reasons why this circumstance actually might be positive. For example, suppose that in running the project, you found a cost-effective method for doing some component of the work or came across a new technology that significantly cut down on expenses. In that case, the time/cost metric may not only be misused, but might lead to dramatically inaccurate conclusions. Likewise, positive variance is not always a sign of project progress. In fact, a team may have a serious problem with overexpenditures that could be interpreted as strong progress on the project when in reality it signals nothing more than their inefficient use of project capital resources. The bottom line is this: Simply evaluating a project’s status according to its performance on time versus budget expenditures may easily lead us into making inaccurate assumptions about project performance. Milestone Analysis Another method for monitoring project progress is milestone analysis. A milestone is an event or stage of the project that represents a significant accomplishment on the road to the project’s completion. Completion of a deliverable (a combination of multiple project tasks), an important activity on the project’s critical path, or even a calendar date can all be milestones. In effect, milestones are road markers that we observe on our travels along the project’s life cycle. There are several benefits to using milestones as a form of project control. 1. Milestones signal the completion of important project steps. A project’s milestones are an important indicator of the current status of the project under development. They give the project team a common language to use in discussing the ongoing status of the project. 2. Milestones can motivate the project team. In large projects lasting several years, motivation can flag as team members begin to have difficul ty seeing how the project is proceeding overall, what their specific contribution has been and continues to be, and how much longer the project is likely to take. Focusing attention on milestones helps team members become more aware of the project’s successes as well as its status, and they can begin to develop greater task identity regarding their work on the project. 3. Milestones offer points at which to reevaluate client needs and any potential change requests. A common problem with many types of projects is the nature of repetitive and constant change requests from clients. Using project review milestones as formal â€Å"stop points,† both the project team and the clients are clear on when they will take midcourse reviews of the project and how change requests will be handled. When clients are aware of these formal project review points, they are better able to present reasonable and well-considered feedback (and specification change requests) to the team. 4. Milestones help coordinate schedules with vendors and suppliers. Creating delivery dates that do not delay project activities is a common challenge in scheduling delivery of key project components. From a resource perspective, the project team needs to receive supplies before they are needed but not so far in advance that space limitations, holding and inventory costs, and in some cases spoilage are problems. Hence, to balance delays of late shipments against the costs associated with holding early deliveries, a well-considered system of milestones creates a scheduling and coordinating mechanism that identifies the key dates when supplies will be needed. 5. Milestones identify key project review gates. For many complex projects, a series of midterm project reviews are mandatory. For example, many proj ects that are developed for the U.S. government require periodic evaluation as a precondition to the project firm receiving some percentage of the contract award. Milestones allow for appropriate points for these review. Sometimes the logic behind when to hold such reviews is based on nothing more than the passage of time (â€Å"It is time for July 1 review†). For other projects, the review gates are determined based on completion of a series of key project steps (such as the evaluation of software results from the beta sites). 6. Milestones signal other team members when their participation is expected to begin. Many times projects require contributions from personnel who are not part of the project team. For example, a quality assurance individual may be needed to conduct systems tests or quality inspection and evaluations of work done to date. The quality supervisor needs to know when to assign a person to our project, or we may find when we reach that milestone that no on e’s available to help us. Because the QA person is not part of the project team, we need to coordinate his or her involvement in order to minimize disruption to the project schedule. 7. Milestones can delineate the various deliverables developed in the work breakdown structure and therefore enable the project team to develop a better overall view of the project. You then are able to refocus efforts and function-specific resources toward the deliverables that show signs of trouble, rather than simply allocating resources in a general manner. For example, indications that the initial project software programming milestone has been missed allows the project manager to specifically request additional programmers downstream, in order to make up time later in the project’s development. Problems with Milestones Milestones, in one form or another, are probably the simplest and most widely used of all project control devices. Their benefits lie in their clarity; it is usually easy for all project team members to relate to the idea of milestones as a project performance metric. The problem with them is that they are a reactive control system. You must first engage in project activities and then evaluate them relative to your goal. If you significantly underperform your work to that point, you are faced with having to correct what has already transpired. Imagine, for example, that a project team misses a milestone by a large margin. Not having received any progress reports up until the point that the bad news becomes public, the project manager is probably not in a position to craft an immediate remedy for the shortfall. Now, the problems compound. Due to delays in receiving the bad news, remedial steps are themselves delayed, pushing the project farther behind. EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT An increasingly popular method used in project monitoring and control consists of a mechanism that has become known as Earned Value Management (EVM). The origins of EVM date to the late 1960s when U.S. government contracting agencies began to question the ability of contractors to accurately track their costs across the like of various projects. As a result, after 1967, the Department of Defense imposed 35 Cost/Schedule Control Systems Criteria that suggested, in effect, that any future projects procured by the U.S. government in which the risk of cost growth was to be retained by the government must satisfy these 35 criteria. In the more than 30 years since its origin, EVM has been practiced in multiple settings, by agencies from governments as diverse as Australia, Canada, and Sweden, as well as a host of project-based firms in numerous industries. Unlike previous project tracking approaches, EVM recognize that it is necessary to jointly consider the impact of time, cost, and project performance on any analysis of current project status. Put another way: Any monitoring system that only compares actual against budgeted cost numbers ignores the fact that the client is spending that money to accomplish something-create a project. Therefore, EVM reintroduces and stresses the importance of analyzing the time element in project status updates. Time is important because it becomes the basis for determining how much work should be accomplished at certain milestone points. EVM also allows the project team to make future projections of project status based on its current state. At any point in the project’s development we are able to calculate both schedule and budget efficiency factors (the efficiency with which budget is being used relative to the value that is being created) and use those values to make future projections about the estimated cost and schedule to project completion. We can illustrate the advance in the project control process that Earned Value represents by comparing it to the other project tracking mechanisms. If we consider the key metrics of project performance as those success criteria discussed in Chapter 1 (scheduling, budget, and performance), most project evaluation approaches tend to isolate some subset of the overall success measure. For example, project S-curve analysis directly links budget expenditures with the project schedule. Again, the obvious disadvantage to this approach is that it ignores the project performance linkage. Project control charts such as tracking Gantt charts link project performance with schedule but may give budget expenditures short shrift. The essence of a tracking approach to project status us to emphasize project performance over time. While the argument could be made that budget is implicitly assumed to be spent in some preconceived fashion, this metric does not directly apply a link between the use of time and performance factors with project cost. Earned value, on the other hand, directly links all three primary project success metrics (cost, schedule, and performance). This methodology is extremely valuable because it allows for regular updating of a time-phased budget to determine schedule and cost variances, as identified by the regular measurement of project performance. Terminology for Earned Value Following are some key concepts that allow us to calculate Earned Value and use its figures to make future project performance projections. PVPlanned value. A cost estimate of the budgeted resources scheduled across the project’s life cycle (cumulative baseline). EVEarned value. This is the real budgeted cost, or â€Å"value,† of the work that has actually been performed to date. ACActual cost of work performed. The cumulative total costs incurred in accomplishing the various project work packages. SPISchedule Performance Index. The earned value to date divided by the planned value of work scheduled to be performed (EV/PV). This value allows us to calculate the projected schedule of the project to completion. CPICost Performance Index. The earned value divided by the actual, cumulative cost of the work performed to date (EV/AC). This value allows us to calculate the projected budget to completion. BACBudgeted cost at completion. This represents the total budget for a project. Creating Project Baselines The first step in developing an accurate control process is to create the project baselines against which progress can be measured. Baseline information is critical regardless of the control process we employ, but baselines are elemental when performing EVM. The first piece of information necessary for performing earned value is the planned value; that is, the project baseline. The PV should comprise all relevant project costs, the most important of which are personnel costs, equipment and materials, and project overhead, sometimes referred to as level of effort. Overhead costs (level of effort) can include a variety of fixed costs that must be included in the project budget, including administrative or technical support, computer work, and other staff expertise use (such as legal advice or marketing). The actual steps in establishing the project baseline are fairly straightforward and require two pieces of data: the Work Breakdown Structure and a time-phased project budget. 1. The W ork Breakdown Structure identified the individual work packages and tasks necessary to accomplish the project. As such, the WBS allowed us to first identify the individual tasks that would need to be performed. It also gave us some understanding of the hierarchy of tasks needed to set up work packages and identify personnel needs (human resources) in order to match the task requirements to the correct individuals capable of performing them. 2. The time-phased budget takes the WBS one step further: It allows us to identify the correct sequencing of tasks, but more importantly, it enables the project team to determine the points in the project when budget money is likely to be spent in pursuit of those tasks. Say, for example, that our project team determines that one project activity, Data Entry, will require a budget of $20,000 to be completed, and further, that the task is estimated to require 2 months to completion, with the majority of the work being done in the first month. A ti me-phased budget for this activity might resemble the following: Activity| Jan| Feb| †¦| Dec| Total| Data Entry| $14,000| $6,000| | -0-| $20,000| Once we have collected the WBS and applied a time-phased budget breakdown, we can create the project baseline. The result is an important component of earned value because it represents the standard against which we are going to compare all project performance, cost, and schedule data as we attempt to assess the viability of an ongoing project. This baseline, then, represents our best understanding of how the project should progress. How the project is actually doing, however, is, of course, another matter. Why Use Earned Value? Assume that it is now week 30 of the project and we are attempting to assess the project’s status. Also assume that there is no difference between the projected project costs and actual expenditures; that is, the project budget is being spent within the correct time frame. However, upon examination, suppose we were to discover that Installation was only half-completed and Project Testing had not yet begun. This example illustrates both a problem with S-curve analysis and the strength of EVM. Project status assessment is only relevant when some measure of performance is considered in addition to budget and elapsed schedule. Consider the revised data for Project Sierra. Note that as of week 30, work packages related to Design and Engineering have been totally completed, whereas the Installation is only 50% done, and Testing has not yet begun. These percentage values are given based on the project team or key individual’s assessment of the current status of work package completion. The question now is: What is the earned value of the project work done to date? As of week 30, what is the status of this project in terms of budget, schedule, and performance? Calculating the earned value for these work packages is a relatively straightforward process. We can modify the previous table to focus exclusively on the relevant information for determining earned value. The planned budget for each work package is multiplied by the percentage completed in order to determine the earned value to date for the work packages, as well as for the overall project. In this case, the earned value at the 30-week point is $51,000. We can compare the planned budget against the actual earned value using the original project budget baseline. This process allows us to assess a more realistic determination of the status of the project when the earned value is plotted against the budget baseline. Compare this figure with the alternative method, in which negative variance is calculated, with no supporting explanation as to the cause or any indication about whether this figure is meaningful or not. Recall that by the end of week 30, our original budget projections suggested that $68,000 should have been spent. Instead, we are projecting a shortfall of $17,000. In other words, we are not only showing a negative variance in terms of money spent on the project, but also in terms of value created (performance) of the project to date. Unlike the standard S-curve evaluation, EVM variance is meaningful because it is based not simply on budget spent, but value earned. A negative variance of $10,000 in budget expenditures may or may not signal cause for concern; however, a $17,000 shortfall in value earned on the project to date represents a variance of serious consequences. Steps in Earned Value Management There are five steps in Earned Value Management (EVM): 1. Clearly define each activity or task that will be performed on the project, including its resource needs as well as a detailed budget.As we demonstrated earlier, the Work Breakdown Structure allows project teams to identify all necessary project tasks. It further allows for each task to be assigned its own project resources, including equipment and materials costs, as well as personnel assignments. Finally, coupled with the task breakdown and resource assignments, it is possible to create the budget figure or cost estimate for each project task. 2. Create the activity and resource usage schedules. These will identify the proportion of the total budget allocated to each task across a project calendar. Determine how much of an activity’s budget is to be spent each month (or other appropriate time period) across the project’s projected development cycle. Coupled with the development of a project budget should be its direct linkage to the project schedule. The determination of how much budget money is to be allocated to project tasks is important. Equally important is the understanding of when the resources are to be employed across the project’s development cycle. 3. Develop a â€Å"time-phased† budget that shows expenditures across the projects life.The total (cumulative) amount of the budget becomes the project baseline and is referred to as the planned value (PV). In real terms, PV just means that we can identify the cumulative budget expenditures planned at any stage in the project’s life. The PV, as a cumulative value, is derived from addin g the planned budget expenditures for each preceding time period. 4. Total the actual costs of doing each task to arrive at the actual cost of work performed (AC).We can also compute the budgeted values for the tasks on which work is being performed. This is referred to as the earned value (EV) and is the origin of the term for this control process. 5. Calculate both a project’s budget variance and schedule variance while it is still in process.Once we have collected the three key pieces of data (PV, EV, and AC), it is possible to make these calculations. The schedule variance is calculated by the simple equation: SV = EV – PV, or the difference between the earned value to date minus the planned value of the work scheduled to be performed to date. The budget, or cost, variance is calculated as: CV = EV – AC, or the earned value minus the actual cost of work performed. USING EARNED VALUE TO MANAGE A PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS Earned Value Management can work at the portfolio level as well as with individual projects. The process simply involves the aggregation of all earned value measures across the firm’s entire project portfolio in order to give an indication as to the efficiency with which a company is managing its projects. Other useful information contained in the Portfolio Earned Value Management table includes the total positive variances for both budget and schedule, as well as determination of the relative schedule and cost variances as a percentage of the total project portfolio. The use of Earned Value Management for portfolio tracking and control offers top management an excellent window into the firm’s ability to efficiently run projects, allows for comparisons across all projects currently in development, and isolates both the positive and negative variances as they occur. All of this is useful information for top-level management of multiple projects.

Direct-sequence spread spectrum

Direct-sequence spread spectrum Direct-sequence spread spectrum Direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) is a modulation technique used in telecommunications. In this modulation technique, as with other spread spectrum technologies, more bandwidth is occupied by the transmitted signal than the information signal that is being modulated. In Spread spectrum modulation technique the carrier signals occur over the full bandwidth (spectrum) of a devices transmitting frequency and that is where the name Spread Features of Direct-sequence spread spectrum Ø In DSSS a sine wave is pseudo randomly phase-modulated with a continuous string of pseudo noise (PN) code symbols called chips. Each of these chips has a much shorter duration than an information bit. In effect information signal is modulated by chips sequence which is much faster. Therefore, the chip rate is much higher than information signal bit rate. Ø In DSSS the chip sequences produced by the transmitter to modulate the signal is known at receiver end and receiver uses the same chip sequences to demodulate. As same sequence chips are used at transmitter and receiver, both have to be in sync with respect to chip sequence. Transmission method of Direct-sequence spread spectrum In Direct-sequence spread-spectrum transmissions the data being transmitted is multiplied by a noise signal. The noise signal used is a pseudorandom sequence of 1 and −1 values. Also the frequency of noise signal is much higher than that of the information signal. In effect we can say that the energy of original data is spread to a much higher bandwidth than the bandwidth of information signal. We can say that the resulting signal will look like white noise, like an audio recording of static. But this noise signal will be used to reconstruct the original data at the receiver end where it will be multiplied with pseudorandom sequence of 1 and −1 values which is exactly the same sequence which was used to modulate the data signal. As 1 Ãâ€" 1 = 1, and −1 Ãâ€" −1 = 1 so multiplying two times the data signal with pseudo random sequence will restore the original signal. The process of multiplying the signal at receiving end with same chip sequence used at transmitter end is known as de-spreading. In De-spreading a mathematical correlation of the transmitted PN sequence with the PN sequence at receiver is constituted. As it would have been clear by now that to reconstruct data at receiver end, transmit and receive sequences must be synchronized. It is done via some timing search process. This requirement of synchronization of transmitter and receiver can be considered as drawback. But this drawback gives a significant benefit also. If we synchronize sequences of various transmitters, the relative synchronization which we will do for receiver can be used to determine relative timing. This relative timing can be used to determine receivers position if transmitters position is known. This is used in many satellite navigation systems. Process gain is effect of enhancing signal to noise ratio on the channel. The process gain can be increased by using a longer PN sequence and more chips per bit. But there is a constraint here that physical devices which are used to generate the PN sequence have practical limits on attainable processing gain. If a transmitter transmits a signal with a PN sequence the de-spreading process give a process gain if we demodulate it with same PN sequence. It does not provide any process gain for the signals transmitted by other transmitters on the same channel but with a different PN sequence or no sequence. This is the basis of for the code division multiple access (CDMA) property of Direct-sequence spread spectrum. This property allows multiple transmitters to share the same channel. But this is limited by cross-correlation properties of PN sequences. We can consider the transmitted signal will be roughly a bell shaped enveloped centered on the carrier frequency (same as in AM transmission) but the noise which we add causes the distribution to be wider. As this description suggests, a plot of the transmitted waveform has a roughly bell-shaped envelope centered on the carrier frequency, just like a normal AM transmission, except that the added noise causes the distribution to be much wider than that of an AM transmission. If we compare frequency-hopping spread spectrum with Direct-sequence spread spectrum then we will find that frequency-hopping spread spectrum pseudo-randomly re-tunes the carrier, instead of adding pseudo-random noise to the data. This retuning of carrier results in a uniform frequency distribution whose width will be determined by the output range of the pseudo-random number generator. Benefits of Direct-sequence spread spectrum Jamming resistance for intended or unintended jamming. A single channel is shared among multiple users. Interception is hampered due to reduced signal/background-noise level. Relative timing between transmitter and receiver is determined. Uses of Direct-sequence spread spectrum Used by European Galileo satellite navigation systems and The United States GPS systems DS-CDMA (Direct-Sequence Code Division Multiple Access) is a multiple access scheme based on Direct-sequence spread spectrum, by spreading the signals from/to different users with different codes. It is the most widely used type of CDMA. Used in Cordless phones operating in the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands Used in IEEE 802.11b 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, and its predecessor 802.11-1999. (Their successor 802.11g uses OFDM instead) Used in Automatic meter reading Used in IEEE 802.15.4 (PHY and MAC layer for ZigBee)

Destiny of Oedipus the King :: essays research papers

Oedipus the King Sophocles demonstrates in the play Oedipus the King that a human being, not a God, ultimately determines destiny. That is, people get what they deserve. In this play, one poorly-made judgment results in tragic and inescapable density. Oedipus fights and kills Laius without knowing Laius is his father. Then, Oedipus's pitiless murdering causes several subsequent tragedies such as the incestuous marriage of Oedipus gets into the flight with Laius. However, Oedipus's characteristics after Laius's death imply that Oedipus could avoid the fight as well as the murder of his father, but did not. Ultimately, Oedipus gets what he deserves due to his own characteristics that lead him to murder Laius: impatience, delusion, and arrogance. One characteristic that leads Oedipus to flight his father is impatience. Oedipus?s impatience is obvious when Creon reports news from Apollo. After Creon says only two sentences, Oedipus cuts him off by saying, ?but what were the god?s words? There is no hope / and nothing to fear in fear in what you?ve said so far? (1302). Oedipus is too important to listen to even three sentences from Creon. Oedipus also shows his impatience during a conversation with Tiresias. Oedipus blames Tiresias, who is reluctant to tell Oedipus that Oedipus himself is the murderer. Looking at the impatience behavior it explains how Oedipus comes to flight Laius on the road out Corinth. Oedipus rushes into the flight without thinking whether it is necessary when Laius?s men ?shoulder [Oedipus] off the road.? It can be that Laius?s men think Oedipus as a common person, not royal because Oedipus is walking alone, or that the group is simply in a rush for some reason. However, Oedipus ?strike[s] [Laius?s man] in anger,? (1321) without thinking why Laius?s group acts against him. Oedipus acts like a modern day outlaw ? shoot first and ask questions later. In this way, Oedipus starts the fight without patience and as a result fulfills Apollo?s prophecy perfectly. Not only impatience but also delusion is a characteristic that leads Oedipus to fight his father. After listening to Laius?s assassin, Oedipus?s delusion is noticeable through his statement, ?Whoever killed the king might decide to kill me too, / with the same violent hand- by avenging Laius / I defend myself? (1304). Without any evidence to link Laius?s assassin to Oedipus, Oedipus believes the murderer who killed him. Another example of Oedipus?

Plato’s Influence on Western Civilization Essay -- Greek Metaphysics,

Our country is built on a set of values derived from ancient civilizations, individuals, and city-states; both negative and positive attributes of these relics can be proven to have assisted in molding our government into a unique and prized entity. Never would one imagine that western civilization is actually inclined by theories of truth and the human beings perception of it. Few would have thought that a primitive concept could be linked to the setbacks of other societies and their forms of socialization, as well as to the success to ours. The basic concept of truth and our natural response to socialization developed an ideal image of our current day country, long before our country existed. In ancient Greece, a great philosopher named Plato founded one of the most famous schools in all of history. Plato was a student of an enlightened man and a teacher of many others. Plato’s contribution to our existing government is given little credit, yet thanks to him we function as o ne of the most sophisticated societies in the entire history and the world. Plato, whose real name was Aristocles, was believed to have been born the year 427 BCE in Athens, Greece. He was born into a wealthy, Athenian aristocratic family, who actually came to rule Athens in 404 BCE. Because of his family’s prosperous background, Plato was treated to fine education. Plato’s upbringing ultimately influenced his viewpoints on particular subjects pertaining to philosophy and politics, a majority of his thoughts were pulled from two chief occurrences in his life; the Spartans victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War, and the teachings, as well as the execution, of Socrates. The Peloponnesian War began before Plato’s birth, yet didn’t end until he was abo... ...Web. 25 Nov. 2013. . Patten, Joseph, and Kevin Dooley. "Ancient Political Theory." Why Politics Matters: An Introduction to Political Science. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Co, 2011. 35-47. Print. "Politics." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. . "Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander." Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander,New Directions in Philosophy and Education, Plato's Academy. The Annenberg CPB/Project, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. . Thornton, Bruce S. Greek Ways: How the Greeks Created Western Civilization. San Francisco: Encounter, 2000. Print. Plato’s Influence on Western Civilization Essay -- Greek Metaphysics, Our country is built on a set of values derived from ancient civilizations, individuals, and city-states; both negative and positive attributes of these relics can be proven to have assisted in molding our government into a unique and prized entity. Never would one imagine that western civilization is actually inclined by theories of truth and the human beings perception of it. Few would have thought that a primitive concept could be linked to the setbacks of other societies and their forms of socialization, as well as to the success to ours. The basic concept of truth and our natural response to socialization developed an ideal image of our current day country, long before our country existed. In ancient Greece, a great philosopher named Plato founded one of the most famous schools in all of history. Plato was a student of an enlightened man and a teacher of many others. Plato’s contribution to our existing government is given little credit, yet thanks to him we function as o ne of the most sophisticated societies in the entire history and the world. Plato, whose real name was Aristocles, was believed to have been born the year 427 BCE in Athens, Greece. He was born into a wealthy, Athenian aristocratic family, who actually came to rule Athens in 404 BCE. Because of his family’s prosperous background, Plato was treated to fine education. Plato’s upbringing ultimately influenced his viewpoints on particular subjects pertaining to philosophy and politics, a majority of his thoughts were pulled from two chief occurrences in his life; the Spartans victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War, and the teachings, as well as the execution, of Socrates. The Peloponnesian War began before Plato’s birth, yet didn’t end until he was abo... ...Web. 25 Nov. 2013. . Patten, Joseph, and Kevin Dooley. "Ancient Political Theory." Why Politics Matters: An Introduction to Political Science. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Co, 2011. 35-47. Print. "Politics." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. . "Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander." Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander,New Directions in Philosophy and Education, Plato's Academy. The Annenberg CPB/Project, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. . Thornton, Bruce S. Greek Ways: How the Greeks Created Western Civilization. San Francisco: Encounter, 2000. Print.

Colonialism and Imperialism - A Post-colonial Study of Heart of Darknes

A Post-colonial Study of Heart of Darkness         Ã‚  In this paper, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness will be examined by using a recent movement, Post-colonial Study that mainly focuses on the relationship between the Self and the Other, always intertwined together in considering one’ identity.  Ã‚   The Other is commonly identified with the margin, which has been oppressed or ignored by Eurocentric, male-dominated history.  Ã‚   Conrad is also conscious of the Other's interrelated status with the Self, but his main concern is the Self, not the Other, even though he deals with the natives.  Ã‚   As Edward W. Said indicates in his Orientalism, the Orient (or the Other) has helped to define Europe (or the West) as its contrasting image, idea, personality, experience.1  Ã‚   For Conrad, the Other becomes meaningful only so far as it gives some insight or information for the construction of Eurocentric self-image.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Heart of Darkness, the story is set in the Congo, the literal battleground for colonial exploitation.  Ã‚   Marlow perceives natives along stereotyped Western lines, even though he also manifests a sense of sympathy towards suffering natives.  Ã‚   The natives cannot be understood or seen represented from their point of view.  Ã‚   The colonial aspects in Heart of Darkness begin to be explored through Marlow’ perspective of history.  Ã‚   Seeing history as cyclic, Marlow juxtaposes the Roman invasion with that of the present British imperial project.  Ã‚   According to Marlow, when Romans had first come to Britain, they might have felt the same way the British did in Africa: "the Romans first came here . . . darkness was here yesterday . . . savages, precious little to eat fit for a civilized man, nothing but Thames water to drink " (9-10). ... ...lism, Racism, or Impressionism?† Criticism (Fall, 1985) Burden, Robert. Heart of Darkness. London: Macmillan, 1991. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. ed. Robert Kimbrough. 3rd. edition. New York: Norton, 1988. Lionnet, Francoise. Autobiographical Voices. Cornell UP, 1988. Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978. ------------ The World, the Text, and the Critic. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1983 ------------ Joseph Conrad and the Fiction of Autobiography. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1966) Shaffer, Brian. â€Å". Rebabarizing Civilization: Conrad’s African Fiction and Spencerian Sociology,† PMLA 108 (1993): 45-58 Thomas, Brook. "Preserving and Keeping Order by Killing Time in Heart of Darkness," in Heart of Darkness, ed. Ross Murfin, (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989)

Criminal Law Intoxication Essay

For hundreds of years, it has been assumed that individuals behave more aggressively while under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol related crimes cost the UK taxpayer  £1.8 billion on average per year . However, society has taken an ambivalent attitude towards intoxication. Alcohol consumption is generally depicted as a puritanical moral barrier used to escape pain and the harsh realities of life. Intoxication can conversely be portrayed as a sign of weakness, impeding human reasoning leading individuals to behave in an unacceptable manner. Does this lack of consistency in society’s opinion reflect the clarity of the law as regards to when intoxication can be a defence? Drunkenness was a crime punishable by imprisonment in the form of stocks or a fine from 1607 to 1828. The law in this area concentrates on whether the accused who committed the prohibited act, has the necessary mens rea due to voluntary or involuntary intoxication. There are two extreme approaches that the law could follow on intoxication; the strict subjective theory emphasizes the defendant lacked the required mens rea and supports the idea of absolute acquittal from liability. The absolutist policy theory highlights the importance of public protection and endorses punishment. This arena consisting of the two aforementioned principles have created a tangled web that leaves numerous questions unanswered. The law has tried to achieve an intermediate compromise, rejecting both theorems in favor of adopting different strategies for each criminal offence. An initial distinction has to be drawn between being drunk and being intoxicated. It was expressed in R v Sheehan and Moore that ‘a drunken intent is nevertheless an intent.’ A drunken individual would not be able to use the defence of intoxication, as he is still capable of forming the necessary mens rea. The case of R v Stubbs stated that intoxication needed to be ‘very extreme’ as it is impossible to form the mens rea due to the effect of copious amounts of alcohol. This essay will investigate the situations when intoxication can be used as a defence, analyzing the decision in R v Majewski and its impact on the specific and basic intent dichotomy. The Law Commission has taken a ‘stripped-down approach’ attempting to codify the main principles of the common law regarding voluntary and involuntary intoxication. There is an opinion that ‘there is much in the Report to commend it’ but others have drawn attention to the production of ‘head scratching provisions’ leading some to question whether intoxication should be called a defence at all. The Scottish Law Commission have recognized the difficulty in reforming the law and have stated ‘intoxication as a complete defence in all circumstances would be extremely serious.’ To what extent is intoxication used as a defence in criminal law and should the legal boundaries be clearer? Voluntary Intoxication Voluntary intoxication is defined in the Butler Committee Report as ‘the intentional taking of drink or a drug knowing that it is capable in sufficient quantity of having an intoxicating effect.’ In reality, the law does not support the stringency of this explanation. The main rationale is that the intoxicant must be able to impair the defendant’s rationality and human reasoning abilities. In the case of R v Hardie, the question of whether valium could be classed as an intoxicant arose. The defence was that the valium was only administered for relaxant purposes and according to Lord Parker, ‘there was no evidence that it was known that the appellant could render a person aggressive.’ Does this mean the court has to decide whether a substance is an intoxicant individually for each case? The Law Commission believes this approach is overall inadequate. The law in England and Wales presumes that intoxication is voluntary unless evidence is produced that allows the court or jury to conclude that it was involuntary. Recent government proposals refrain from attaching a definition to ‘voluntary intoxication,’ preventing the creation of a narrow approach developing. Consequently, voluntary intoxication is not a defence in the law but it can become a mitigating factor and be considered as a â€Å"partial excuse† reducing the echelon of criminal liability. This area has caused serious problems in English criminal law, as it is fraught with ambiguity and uncertainty. How should the law decide the effect voluntary intoxication has on the defendant’s liability? The effect of voluntary intoxication on the mens rea of criminal acts is often comprised of the defendant foreseeing the consequences or intending their occurrence. The strict subjective theory emphasizes that intoxication will always be relevant to the outcome of the case but the absolutist policy theory allows the possibility to escape liability completely. Each theorem supports contrasting trains of thought and makes the options for reform more unenviable and unclear. In an attempt to reach a ‘compromise’ and stabilize the theoretical problems and public policy issues involved, the law has categorized criminal offences into two groups; specific and basic intent offences. Despite the broad scope for divergence, the Law Commission has approved the common law’s implementation of this â€Å"midway course† distinction. Specific and Basic Intent Dichotomy ‘All people have the right to a family, community and working life protected from accidents, violence and other negative consequences of alcohol consumption.’ The essence of the law in England and Wales is not dissimilar to this aim in that intoxication can provide a defence to crimes that are of specific intent, but not to those that are of basic intent. The House of Lords in the leading case of Majewski depicted this approach, which has been dubbed a ‘dichotomy.’ They declared it must be proved in specific offences that the defendant lacked the necessary mens rea at the time of the offence. It is for the prosecution to establish the actual intent of the defendant, taking into account the fact that he was intoxicated. In crimes of basic intent, the actuality that intoxication was self-induced provides the necessary mens rea. The original distinction between crimes of specific and basic intent initially appeared to be clear: the courts did not want a defenda nt to escape liability for his crimes caused during his intoxication. In practice, the distinction is difficult to ascertain and has created incongruity in the law. The courts also desired the dichotomy to be flexible allowing partial defences and mitigation in some cases. Simester argues this similarity is ill founded, as ‘intoxication is a doctrine of inculpation†¦and work in opposite directions.’ Simester’s view regarding the dichotomy is persuasive but I believe clarification is needed before the law can be deemed acceptable. Lord Simon developed another analysis where ‘the prosecution must in general prove that the purpose for the commission of the act extends to the intent expressed or implied in the definition of the crime.’ Another approach put forward was the ‘ulterior intent test,’ which was more widely accepted. This supports the idea that in specific intent crimes, the mens rea extends beyond the actus reus and in basic intent crimes, the mens rea goes no further than the constituents in the actus reus. However, the most prevalent explanation, the â€Å"recklessness test,† which was given by Lord Elwyn-Jones and later approved in the House of Lord’s decision in the case of R v Caldwell. An individual is Caldwell-type reckless if the risk is obvious to an ordinary prudent person who has not given thought to the possibility of there being any such risk, or if the individual has recognized that there is some risk and has nevertheless persisted in his actions. This test states intoxication can only be relevant to crimes that require proof of intention and it is immaterial to crimes that are committed recklessly. Lord Diplock took the objective view that classification of offences into basic or specific intent was irrelevant where â€Å"recklessness† was satisfactory to form the mens rea. However, the distinction between the varying offences is important if the intoxicated person who is charged with an offence of basic intent has thought about a possible risk and wrongly concluded it to be negligible. In this case, there is a lacuna in the â€Å"recklessness test.† The defendant would be acquitted unless convicted under the Majewski ruling on the basis that the actus reus of an offence of basic intent has been committed. Lord Edmund-Davis dissented arguing ‘however grave the crime charged, if recklessness can constitute its mens rea the fact that it was committed in drink can afford no defence.’ Is this too harsh to adhere to the justice proclaimed in the English legal system? The case of R v Heard, the Court of Appeal rejected the recklessness test in favor of the â€Å"purposive intent† and â€Å"ulterior intent† test. The judgment contains vast amounts of ambiguity with the difficulty of ‘fitting an offence into a single pigeon hole.’ The â€Å"recklessness† test was finally confirmed in the 1980 Criminal Law Revision Committee Report and provided an ample explanation for voluntary intoxication. The offence of rape provides a good illustration of the difficulties involved in the â€Å"recklessness† test. The case of R v Fotheringham concerned the rape of a 14-year-old girl by an intoxicated husband who mistakenly underwent sexual intercourse in the belief that the girl was his wife. The offence of rape at that time could be committed recklessly but this has been altered to the principle of ‘reasonable belief.’ The court had to decide whether the defendant had an intention to carry out unlawful sexual intercourse or whether recklessness was sufficient for conviction. Public policy of protection triumphed over the strict subjective theory where intoxication would prevent liability and defined rape as a basic intent offence. The recent case of R v Rowbotham (William) concerning the offences of murder, arson with intent to endanger life and burglary were invalidated where defence expert evidence showed the defendant’s mental abnormalities combined with extreme intoxication had prevented him from forming the specific intent necessary. This case illustrates the dichotomy is still used by courts today despite aspirations for reform. Involuntary Intoxication The courts have taken a moderate approach to defendants who have become intoxicated through no fault of their own. The most common cases of involuntary intoxication involve intoxication that is unknowingly induced by a third party. The main principle is that a defendant will not be held liable for any crimes they carried out while involuntary intoxicated. Their transparency and lack of knowledge shields their ability to form the necessary mens rea. This is not a â€Å"blanket† rule and there are various requirements as to what satisfies the definition of ‘involuntary intoxication.’ Lord Mustill in R v Kingston described the phenomenon as a ‘temporary change in the mentality or personality of the respondent, which lowered his ability to resist temptation so far that his desires overrode his ability to control them.’ He declared the Court of appeal supported the view that protection flows from the ‘general principles’ of the criminal law, b ut what exactly does the term â€Å"general† entail? The first criterion is that the defendant cannot claim they are involuntarily intoxicated if they were misinformed about the description or specific alcohol content. This is illustrated in R v Allen where a man was convicted of indecently assaulting his neighbour even though he had no knowledge of the high alcohol content of the home made wine that he was drank at home having returned from the pub. The second criterion imposed by the courts is that the defendant must have been intoxicated to the point where it would be impossible to form the mens rea to commit the crime. The case of R v Beard created the rationale that there is no remedy if an individual’s inhibitions are lost due to involuntary intoxication. This case was more complex as it involved succession of acts; the defendant whilst intoxicated, raped a 13-year-old girl, placed his hand on her mouth to stop her from screaming, and thus suffocating her resulting in her death. The trial judge at first instance erred in a pplying the test of insanity to a case of intoxication, which did not amount to insanity. Has the ambiguity in this case been eradicated? A recent paradigm of involuntary intoxication can be seen in the Kingston case involving a situation where a 15-year-old boy was drugged and indecently assaulted after the defendant’s drink was spiked. The trial judge directed the jury to convict if they found that the defendant had assaulted the boy pursuant to an intent resulting from the influence of the intoxication. The Court of Appeal upheld the appeal on the basis that it was the defendant’s ‘operative fault.’ Smith has depicted this outcome as ‘surprising, dangerous and contrary to principle.’ The opinion of the House of Lords, who took a narrow view of blame, was Smith’s preferred alternative but others favor the creation of a new common law defence determined by character assessment. Sullivan has described this as comparing the defendant’s â€Å"settled† character with their â€Å"intoxicated† character. If the character is ‘destabilized, he should have an excuse.’ Should the blame not be directed at the 3rd party instead of the defendant though? This method creates a schism between the relevant blame and moral fault. As a consequence, mens rea is being given a more normative meaning negating its cognitive counterpart. However, the Commission is adamant to reject the creation of a new approach and wishes to give statutory effect to the decision in Kingston. They believe that ‘there should be no defence or reduced inhibitions or blurred perception of morality where the defendant’s condition was caused by involuntary intoxication.’ Only time will tell, if the legal reform bodies will cling to their orthodoxy or embrace change. Dutch courage and diseases of the mind To what extent is alcohol-related crime attributable to those with already dysfunctional lives, with a propensity to problematic behaviors, rather than apparently ‘normal’ people engaging in criminal acts when intoxicated? The union of actus reus and mens rea is known as contemporaneity. It is necessary to establish for a conviction to be successful. However, the Dutch courage rule, where the accused gets into a drunken state after deciding to commit a crime, is an exception to this principle. It was decided in Attorney General for Northern Ireland v Gallagher that the accused would be liable for the crime even though they were too drunk to satisfy the required mental element. Lord Denning declared ‘the wickedness of his mind before he got drunk is enough to condemn him.’ Although, it has been recognized that ‘it is almost inconceivable that the case envisaged could ever arise.’ The sale and consumption of alcohol are legal so should we accept t he consequences of diminished responsibility as a cause of criminal activities if perpetrated whilst under the influence? There has been more discussion surrounding the affiliation between alcohol and diseases of the mind. The case of R v Dietschmann concerned a defendant who was intoxicated at the time of the killing that suffered from a mental abnormality due to a recent bereavement. Lord Hutton said ‘drink cannot be taken into account as something which contributed to his mental abnormality.’ The main principle is that drunken defendants are not excluded from pleading diminished responsibility or insanity if they suffer from mental abnormalities. Ashworth believes the task of the jury to decide whether the mental abnormality affected the mens rea is ‘fearsomely difficult.’ Medical experts to some extent aid the task of the jury but the margin for error is significant as the effect of drink and drugs is unique to every individual. It has also been argued that there could potentially be a genetic predisposition to alcoholism but the scope of this is unknown. Tolmie’s conceptualizations of the ‘disease model’ and the ‘habit model’ are eccentric and provide light recovery from psychoanalytic evaluations. I particularly enjoy the fact that she has highlighted the importance of ‘normal human processes†¦and bad choices,’ which are often overlooked. She concentrates on the need for treatment for defendants and does not fall into the trap of defining intoxication as an express defence. The current position of the law in this area is unfair as it deforms other doctrines, supports unprincipled sentencing and punishes some defendants far more than they deserve. Adoption of a generic, doctrinal mitigating excuse of â€Å"partial responsibility† with application to all crimes would solve these problems. This alternative option would function in a similar manner to the ‘not proven’ verdict used in Scotland. In the end, to provide blame and punishment reduction based on fair respon sibility ascription will not support a denial of responsibility. Reform Certain statutes expressly state that a defendant has a defence if they possess particular beliefs. Does this apply where a belief is acquired through intoxication? There is only one type of case where an intoxicated belief can be used as a â€Å"defence.† In the case of Jaggard v Dickinson, the defendant appealed against a conviction of reckless criminal damage to property. The accused, owing to voluntary intoxication, mistakenly but honestly believed that she was damaging the property of a friend and that they would have consented to her doing so. A major anomaly in the law is found when the approach taken in Jaggard is contrasted with that taken in Majewski where the Criminal Justice Act 1967 was not relied upon. Wells has commented that ‘it is difficult to see how†¦the sections perform any different function.’ The area surrounding drunken mistakes is just one theme encircled with uncertainty. There has been much discussion of reform regarding the position of intoxication in the law. The concepts of basic and specific intent are ambiguous, confusing and misleading. The Law Commission has created a proposal to abandon them but the substance of the distinction has been retained. The main question regarding the specific and basic intent dichotomy is the affect it has on the voluntary intoxicated defendant’s liability. The blameworthiness of the defendant is expressed by an evaluation of criminal liability. An enlightened system of criminal justice should respond differently to ‘common criminals’ and voluntary intoxicated defendants. If a man commits mischief when intoxicated, should society take steps in the framework of the criminal law to prevent him? Judicial insistence upon the requirement of mens rea might remove the problem of antisocial drinking but alternatives will not develop if the courts allow these problems to be thrust upon them. The Majewski decision has been criticized as it allows conviction for causing harm where mens rea has not been formed. This is even the case where a defendant is convicted of a basic intent offence instead of a stricter specific intent offence. The House of Lords decision acknowledged the principle of allowing intoxication to be adduced to show that the mens rea for specific intent offences did not exist. They were persuaded by policy objectives to convict of basic intent offences despite the intoxication. This â€Å"midway course† is acceptable on policy grounds but it fails to accord with the basic principles of justice in the criminal law. Is this a clear and logical compromise? The idea to secure conviction for serious offences without satisfying the criteria of mens rea is conjured. This conflicts with the burden of proof, which is placed on the prosecution. This means the fictitious objective â€Å"recklessness† test allows conviction of offences, which require proof of subjective â€Å"recklessness.† The current rationale of the law is that the subjective reckless involved in becoming intoxicated is the moral equivalent of the subjective recklessness usually required for liability. A further criticism is that â€Å"recklessness† relates to the risk of becoming intoxicated and not to the risk of specific harm being caused. As a result, the liability for the harm caused whilst intoxicated goes against the principle of contemporaneity and is constructive, which is contrary to the trend of current law reform. The English law reform bodies have created proposals to replace Majewski with a separate offence of intoxication. This separate offence would remove the possibility of a complete acquittal, which is available in specific intent crimes. A disadvantage to the proposal would be the construction of a â€Å"status† offence with no mens rea involved. This contrasts with previous social policy illustrated in the case of Reniger v Fogossa where a drunken killer was hanged to death to protect human life. However, the Criminal Law Revision Committee rejected the idea of a new offence of intoxication and instead suggested the codification of the law, whilst approving the â€Å"reckless test.† Authors such as Jeremy Horder, who depicted the Law Commission’s efforts as making ‘little effort to discern any deeper principles underlying the common law’, have criticized the Law Commission attempts at clarifying the law. The reform bodies now intend to amend their previous proposals and return ‘to the subject with a stripped down approach.’ Conclusion Why is it taking an unbounded amount of time to evaluate reform of the law on intoxication when 61% of the population perceives alcohol-related violence as worsening? The bare components of the law on intoxication are complex but the added series of exceptions that the Law Commission have proposed to introduce, in my opinion, will undermine the principle of justice in England and Wales. The common law has found a reasonable balance between the subjective and absolutist theories but the ‘midway course’ of specific and basic intent is not satisfactory. The dichotomy requires the courts to evaluate individual criminal acts on their merits putting them into a category of specific or basic intent, which squanders the court’s time and thus, decreases the overall inefficiency of the legal system. Child’s innovative approach involving the correlation with subjective recklessness is an alternative to the recent reform proposals. He declares intoxication will constitute fault only where the burden is replaced by subjective reasonableness and if the defendant would have foreseen the risk if sober. The ‘midway course’ is preserved but in a clear and logical manner without a list of exceptions. However, I disagree with Child’s interpretation of intoxication as the equivalent to recklessness. I believe more research needs to be given to determine the extent of their connection and ultimately decide whether they are analogous or mutually exclusive. Ultimately, liability is ascertained by the intention element but how can this truly be deduced when automatons are intoxicated? Lady Justice Hallett in the recent case of R v Janusz Czajczynsk commented that ‘drinking to excess and taking drugs seems to us to be something of a two edged sword.’ It is tempting to view the defence of intoxication as denying a defendant ‘a valueless opportunity to exculpate himself by pleading his own discreditable conduct in getting drunk.’ However, it is impossible to accurately determine an individual’s thoughts at a precise moment and draw a line where a defendant’s account matches the truth. Simester suggests the intoxication doctrine is reversed to benefit prosecution, becoming constructive liability instead of a defence. I believe there is some accuracy in this initiative but it fails to address the main problem regarding the mental state of the accused. Should there be a common law or statutory defence of intoxication expressly declared? The courts and the Law Commission know the law is not clear and desire to reform the law only after exploring every open avenue. The Law Commission has rightly prioritized consistency, precision and simplicity in their Reports but ‘another round of re-evaluation’ is definitely needed before a firm conclusion can be established. We can only hope that time does run out, allowing the reform debate to finish sooner rather than later.

Context of Communication Essay

Explain how to adapt communication with children and young people for: Building relationships is important in children and young people. You need to adapt your behaviour and communication accordingly. Assessing the situation and environment you are in. It is important that children in all situations feel secure and have a sense of value from you. Your interaction with them should show this. You need to be able to create a positive relationship with children and young people this in turn will create a positive relationship, which will allow them to feel, accepted as part of the school community. Age of a child or young person. Different ages will require different levels of attention. It is up to you to be able to differentiate the different levels. A younger child may need assurance and more physical contact rather than an older child. As a child matures the physical contact is reduced and instead there is an increase level of confidence needed. They will need more help in expressing their opinions and thought’s across as well as involving themselves in discussion. Adapting your vocab is a good way to help progress in these levels as well as your response. Reacting positively by listening and responding to them accurately will help in their progress of effective communication. The context of communication You need to be aware of different situations such as age, place etc. you will need to adapt the communication to this situation. Being aware of children/young adults’ level of development and understanding of cognitive and language ability. When starting to talk to child/young person it is usually best to try and talk about them about something they like. For example talk to them about football, music or computer games. When talking about something they know it is makes them feel more comfortable when talking to you. As well you can talk to them about hobbies, interests, friends and family which will hopefully let you know some of things they do at home and outside of school. This will make it easier to start a conversation off by asking about a family member or what a certain activity was like. Making the child/young person talk to you in friendly way. But it is important to remember though that you are not the child/young person friend or parent you have to always be clear a bout your role.

Filipino Mode of Thinking Essay

We, Filipinos, are considered hospitable and merry. It has been an attitude the majority enriches or embraces. For instance, looking into our hospitality, when a guest is present in our home, a treatment of respect and comfort will be provided for the person as if the guest is a member of the family. Whereas for being merry, when a problem emerges, a joke or two about the problem will be the response to make the atmosphere be calmer. All these qualities root from are â€Å"communal relationships†. Again we are known from these qualities. All of which are embedded in our culture that originated since pre-colonial times that we still carry today. A lot of things can still be considered to show our identity and uniqueness. It could either be present only in some areas or in the general public but all of these points to our Filipino mode of thinking. Our Filipino mode of thinking is considered as â€Å"oriental, non-dualistic, holistic and has unity between the subject and the object†. It is true on so many ways. Just observing the way our people act and build their houses are fitting cases. A Filipino identity is present even if one goes abroad; a habit that every Filipino will carry whenever he goes – the Filipino mode of thinking. A mode of thinking is a desirable element to have a rich culture and country; every country might as well have it but differs in their own notions or form. It may not apply to everyone due to the globalization, but a hint or two would still pass if there are people with that mode of thinking around that person. To give out examples of this Filipino mode of thinking, a lot can be stated. Two eminent cases are the tattooing art in the country and our â€Å"kamay-kamayan† eating or the buddlefeast. PhilippineTattoo Philippine tattooing has been an art since pre-colonial times which spreads to the three main islands of the country. The word â€Å"Pintados† (Painted Ones) was even dubbed for the Bisayans by the Spaniards. Tattooing is a phenomenon in the whole world nowadays that evolves since the early times. The so-called Pintados of the island of Visayas, Manobo of Mindanao and Kalinga of Luzon are the front runners of tattoo tradition and culture in the country. However, this tradition and art in the country has been partially diminishing in some of the tribes or areas. The few organizations and institutions are at times the only hope in trying to save this continuing crisis. PHILTAG, Mark of Four Waves Tribe and many others are the organizations that are reviving the tribal designs of our traditional tattooing tribes. These people advocate the start of a new revolution in Philippine Tattooing. It has been doing greatly for the past few years. At present, a lot of Filipinos here and abroad, and even those who are not Filipino, are having our tribal designs tattooed on them. Diversities and similarities are present for each country in terms of tattooing but it could still be identified through the processes or the designs themselves. Designs that depicts animals and nature which is one with the people that shows our mode of thinking is non-dualistic. Kamay-kamayan Filipinos are really fond in eating; it is seen in our fiestas, birthdays, wedding or just any party on that matter. These practices can also be the way one could show it hospitality and cheerfulness; for there are times when hosts give out carry-outs or take-outs for the guests or cases when even people the host does not know are invited or welcome. Eating has been essential to show one that he/she is high cultured using proper etiquette like the use of table knives, spoons and forks in different manners or activities. However, some Filipinos don’t practice such customs from time to time for they use their own hands to eat. It may look unhygienic or improper to others but it has been a practice that has been ongoing since before in our history; â€Å"Kamay-kamayan† or â€Å"kamayan† as they called it. I myself tried such a practice and discovered it is quite gratifying; and fitting for eating certain foods. It might as well be our bond to our ancestors which did not have those spoons and forks. It is still abundant in the country even in the urban areas. There are even restaurants that suggest people to eat with their bare hands. Also, â€Å"buddle feasts† are being a trend nowadays. It’s all about eating together, with a small or big number of people, having all the food on a same long tables sharing all these to everyone; another special thing about it is eating with your hands as well. This just shows that we live as a community and shows unity like that of the buddle feasts happening in the Philippine Military Academy and the annual event in Taguig that promotes unity and bonding. The sakop mentality and holistic concept also comes into play in this kind of practices. Eating with your hands may have its pros and cons but a culture correctly done will always be right and rich. Conclusion The Filipino mode of thinking is â€Å"oriental, non-dualistic, holistic and has unity between the subject and the object† as stated in first paragraph. The examples given show all these qualities. The Filipinos should also preserve and enrich these practices for the sake of the country’s culture. The country since before the coming of the Spaniards has a culture to be proud of. It is unique and shows the Filipino in its own way for â€Å"without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.†