The Zen Koan Is A Written Or Verbal Puzzle Used In The Teaching Of Bud

The Zen Koan is a written or verbal puzzle used in the teaching of Buddhism to bring the student to the level of satori or enlightenment. According to D T Suzuki in An Introduction To Zen Buddhism, the word Koan "...now denotes some anecdote of an ancient master, or a dialogue between master and monks, or a statement or question put forward by a teacher, all of which are used as the means for opening one's mind to the truth of Zen."(Suzuki 102). Koans are often in the form of statements that seem, at first, to make little or no sense. This aspect of a Koan is intended to help the student concentrate on the words and pull meaning from them in the same way that they must pull meaning from themselves in order to achieve "satori". Koans sometimes seem to be constructed of two contradicting concepts, which may be true from the standpoint of the dynamics of language. This joining of two opposing concepts is meant to show the student that all concepts are actually a part of one another since they exist in the same world. Koans are intended to join the opposing concepts within the student, which is the "oneness" of Zen Buddhism. "Zen masters, by this means, would force the evolution of the Zen consciousness into the minds of their less endowed disciples."(Suzuki 102). The real "self" of Zen lies in the harmony of opposites. To those who pay more attention to the actual written words of the Koan, Koans will never make sense. Koans are deliberately meant to defy the logic that exists in the world outside the self, the world of government and social constructs. They are meant to help the student see the world undistorted by these learned concepts. The language of a Koan also uses simple concepts and objects that are universal. Keeping the subject simple, the student does not have to worry themselves over the symbolism of the subject, but rather, what the entire composition of the Koan represents. The composition as a whole, once it is thought of in this way, should reveal something about the wholeness of the individual who has figured it out. An example of this duality and simplicity is found in the following Koan: "When your mind is not dwelling on the duality of good and evil, what is your original face before you were born?"(Suzuki 104). The subjects of koans tend to be simple objects such as trees, animals or aspects of nature. Or simple words for concepts or emotions, such as love, hate, good and evil . This attention to simplicity helps the student to view the entire Koan, instead of being anchored to a complex, abstract concept. The reasoning behind every Koan is the same, that the world is one interdependent whole and that each separate one of us is that Whole. In the above Koan, there is simplicity in the choice of the words "good and evil" over any words that may represent these symbolically. In fact, the first part of the Koan may not even be the most important part, but only stated to make the student realize that they are concerned with the duality of the outside world. The conflicts of the outside world have been distracting the student from realizing the purity of their own face "before you were born." The famous Koan that goes: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" is interesting in the sense that if one thinks of it in terms of the logic that they were taught by the outside world, there is no such sound. "Ordinarily, a sound is heard only when two hands are clapping, and in that sense no sound can come from one hand alone...." This Koan, however, is meant to "...strike at the root of our everyday experience, which is constructed on so-called scientific or logical basis"(Suzuki 105). The duality here lies in what we have been taught to be logical. The Koan threatens our knowledge of the way our world is supposed to work. " The Koans, therefore, as we have seen, are generally such as to shut up all possible avenues to rationalization"(Suzuki 108). The Zen Buddhist Koan is naturally irrational,

How should I study to improve my academic performance in school Essays

How should I study to improve my academic performance in school Essays How should I study to improve my academic performance in school Essay How should I study to improve my academic performance in school Essay Analyzing is non reading. It requires a more intense and organized attempt. To analyze efficaciously, you must hold good planning, memory, reading, note pickings and clip direction skills.A To analyze efficaciously you must get the hang certain accomplishments: A planning, memorizing, clip direction, note pickings, and sometimes pull offing emphasis. Everyone has a different learning style . Consequently, everyone has a different studying style . But the manner that you are analyzing right now might non be the best for you. How would you cognize? Easy: If your classs aren’t what you’d like them to be, so you likely need to alter how you study! A ) . A Good Study Place Although analyzing in a seated room or residence hall room ( for pupils in get oning schools ) , A is convenient, it is frequently a hapless topographic point to larn. The dorm/sitting room has a overplus of distractions including sweet voices of your singing friends. If you want to better your concentration and efficiency as a pupil, learn to analyze from the category, library or any other quiet topographic point. You need a good survey topographic point to be prepared to analyze. You should be able to reply YES to all of the undermentioned inquiries: 1. Be my survey topographic point free from breaks? It is of import to hold uninterrupted survey clip. You must keep silence in category. Research shows that most pupils study best in a quiet environment. Survey at the same clip and at the same topographic point, devoted to analyze merely. This helps you to tie in the clip and topographic point with analyzing and concentrating. You will happen that you get into a wont of analyzing every bit shortly as you sit down. However, alteration of environment may assist in pull offing emphasis. 2. Make my survey topographic point contain all the survey stuffs I need? Be certain your survey topographic point includes mention beginnings and supplies such as pens and pencils, paper, swayer, reckoner, and whatever else you might necessitate. 3. Does my Study Space contain a clean desk or tabular array? While working on an assignment or analyzing for a trial, use a desk that is free from other distractive stuffs. Allow adequate room for authorship and seek to avoid jumble. You need adequate room to hive away your survey stuffs. Be certain you have adequate storage infinite to let you to maintain your desktop or other work surface clear of unneeded stuffs that can acquire in the manner. B ) Pull off Your Time Schooling is a full-time occupation. And pull offing your clip is of import. If you have an activity after category that you do merely for merriment or if you participate in co-curricular activities ( whether school-related or non ) , maintain your precedences in head: Your academic work should come foremost! Set yourself a grade end. If you don’t run into it, cut down on some of the activities you are involved in. C ) Take Notes in Class A ; ever Rewrite during prep clip Good perusal Begins with good notes taken in category. Just as everyone has a different acquisition manner, different instructors have different instruction manners: Some instructors lecture, some lead treatments, some facilitate single work ( as in a lab ) , etc. Consequently, different schoolroom scenes will necessitate different note-taking techniques. The followers are some of the suggestions: I. Take Complete Notes The cardinal thought of taking good notes in category is to compose down every bit much as possible. There are several grounds to take notes that are every bit complete as possible: 1. It will coerce you to pay attending to what’s traveling on in category. 2. It will maintain you awake ( ! ) 3. There will be less that you’ll have to memorise that clip since you have a mention. 4. It enhances understanding when you review your notes. But if you have uncomplete notes, it will be difficult for you to larn what you didn’t take notes on. two. D ) Ask inquiries and do remarks If you have a inquiry or something comes to mind as you’re taking notes, you have two picks: You can lend to the category treatment by inquiring your inquiry or doing your remark. Or you can jot your inquiry or remark down in your notes. I suggest ever making the latter, but besides making the former every bit frequently as possible. One ground that you should ever set your inquiry or remark in your notes is so that you won’t bury it ; you can so ever convey it up subsequently, either in category or one-on-one with the instructor or a fellow pupil. By the manner, if you have a inquiry, particularly if you need elucidation of something that the instructor said or wrote ( perchance because it was unhearable or illegible ) , inquire it! Make non be embarrassed about inquiring it! I can vouch you that there will be at least one other pupil in the category ( and frequently many more ) who will be highly thankful to you for holding asked the really same inquiry that they were excessively embarrassed to inquire, and they will come to see you as wise and brave for holding asked it. ( So will the instructor! )

Beijing Sammies Essay Example for Free

Beijing Sammies Essay The AGROVOC Concept Server (AGROVOC/CS) Workbench is a web-based working environment consisting of numerous functionalities for the distributed management and enhancement of the AGROVOC/CS built from the AGROVOC thesaurus. Following the Semantic Web’s vision, that emphasizes collaboration in the development of data and metadata to be shared and reused across the web, the management of AGROVOC will progressively be transferred from a few individuals in FAO to a wider community of international AGROVOC experts. These interested and competent users will share the collaborative maintenance and extension of AGROVOC, one of the most frequently used terminological resources for agricultural information management in the world. Maintenance of the future extended AGROVOC will thus be completely decentralized with people worldwide contributing to its development. This report provides a brief note on the technical aspects of the AGROVOC/CS Workbench. Technical details †¢ Multilingual web interface and content (UTF8). †¢ The software is developed in pure JAVA (version 1. 5. x), with no calls to any third party modules requiring precompiled DLLs or other operating system specific features. †¢ The Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is used with an Eclipse plug-in for development of the system. It is used to build the system as a fully Java based AJAX client browser application that is compatible with all common web browsers. †¢ Where possible the JSP 2. 0 Expression Language (EL) is used for any JSP development within the project (it’s a way of writing script-less JSP pages). Protege OWL api framework is used to connect OWL. †¢ MySQL is used as RDBMS. †¢ The system is DBMS-independent. Additional database abstraction layer for interacting with the OWL backbone and the relational database will be used (e. g. the hibernat e persistence and query service, etc. ). The system follows FAO guidelines for HTML publishing: †¢ Guidelines for Web site development; †¢ File naming convention and file organization guidelines; †¢ Check list for the clearance of Web sites. In summary, the system is based on the following components: Development components †¢ Eclipse 3. 2 †¢ JAVA-JDK version jdk1. 5. x †¢ Apache Tomcat (that supports JSP and JAVA Servlets) Google Web Toolkit (for AJAX framework), version 1. 4. 60 †¢ Google Web Toolkit Incubator, version 1. 4 †¢ Protege OWL API 3. 4 libraries †¢ Hibernate 3. 0 libraries †¢ Hibernate 4 GWT, version 0. 5 RC2 †¢ MySQL version 5 Server side †¢ Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Linux †¢ Apache Tomcat 5. 5. 9 or higher †¢ JAVA-JDK version jdk1. 5. x or higher †¢ MySQL version 5 or higher †¢ Protege OWL API 3. 4 libraries †¢ Hibernate 3. 0 libraries †¢ Hibernate 4 GWT, version 0. 5 RC2 †¢ WAR file with compiled JAVA files and necessary libraries Current Server Configuration †¢ OS : Debian GNU/Linux 2. 6. 22-2 †¢ CPU: AMD 64 bit †¢ Memory: 8GB †¢ MYSQL version: 5. 0. 45 TOMCAT Version: 6. 0. 14 †¢ Java-JDK: 1. 6. 0_04 Required Application 1. MySQL version 5 or above Available link to download: http://dev. mysql. com/downloads/ 2. Apache Ant version 1. 7. 1 or above Available link to download: http://ant. apache. org/ 3. JAVA JDK version jdk. 1. 5. x or above Available link to download: http://java. sun. com/javase/downloads/index. jsp 4. Apache Tomcat version 6 or above Available link to download: http://tomcat. apache. org/download-55. cgi 5. Protege Version 3. 4 beta Build 130 Available link to download: http://protege. cim3. net/download/old-releases/3. 4%20betas/build-130/full/ 6. GWT Version 1. 4 Build 1. 4. 62 Available link to download: http://code. google. com/webtoolkit/versions. html The Step of Configuration 1. Download AGROVOC Concept Server Workbench code from the CVS Server. 2. Download the sql script from CVS Server at folder named sql. Create the database. †¢ Run the sql script file located at your_directorySQLadministrator_agrovocwb _v_0_2_beta. sql This will install administrator_agrovocwb database. †¢ Run sql script file to install the owl model database located at your_directorySQLlank model _v_0_2_beta. sql Here we have provided blank owl model. †¢ You can convert owl file directly to database by using stand alone java program located at: our_directorysrcorgfaoaoscsserverprotegeconvertToDatabaseProject. java †¢ You need the change the variables in the file. |18 private final static String url = â€Å"jdbc:mysql://†; | |19 private final static String table = â€Å"†; | |20 private final static String user = â€Å"†; | |21 private fina l static String password = â€Å"†; | |22 private final static String uri = â€Å"file:/c:/†; | 3. To add model in the ontology list, go to database and table and insert new row with these values. Ontology id: (Auto increment) †¢ Ontology Name: Blank Model †¢ Ontology Description: AGROVOC Concept Server Workbench – Blank AOS Module †¢ Database URL: jdbc:mysql://:3306/? requireSSL=false&useUnicode=true&characterEncoding=UTF-8 †¢ Database Driver: com. mysql. jdbc. Driver †¢ Table Name: †¢ Database Username: †¢ Database Password: †¢ Display Ontology on the list: 0 for hide and 1 for Show 4. Use java editor to †¢ Change the configuration of the hibernate file that located in your_directorysrchibernate. cfg. xml Change the property of your connection password instead of â€Å"your_password† and change the property of your connection url instead of â€Å"your_url†. 13 your_password | |14 jdbc:mysql://your_url | †¢ Change the configuration of the database properties that located in your_directorysrcorgfaoaoscsserverow lDatabaseConnection. properties Change the property of your username of database instead of â€Å"your_username† and change the property of your password of database instead of â€Å"your_password†. |4 userAdminDB = your_username | |5 passwordAdminDB = your_password | †¢ Change the configuration of the mail file that located in your_directory srcorgfaoaoscsutilityMail. properties Change the property of your host name instead of â€Å"your_mailserver_host†, change the property of your port instead of â€Å"your_port†, change the property of your user instead of â€Å"your_user†, change the property of your password instead of â€Å"your_password† and change the property of your from information instead of â€Å"sender_email†. |1 host=your_mailserver_host | |2 port=your_port | |3 user=your_user | |4 password=your_password | |5 from= sender_email | †¢ Run build file to create war file using Apache ANT. 5. Copy the war file to folder of tomcat installation directory. 6. You can use the program by opening your browser and type †¢ http://localhost:8080/your_project_name Beijing Sammies. (2018, Oct 25).

Egomania Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Egomania - Essay Example Another factor that is also worth noting about egomania patients is that they are not in love with themselves per se, but with the image that they create and believe that people will accept and respect (Kernberg, 257-287). This disorder has been found to possess a higher prevalence among men and male and female narcissists tend to use different techniques which include seduction, sexuality and physique. The above mentioned traits make it very difficult for these individuals to interact with other people and this aspect of the disorder has been widely debated. The paper will be dedicated towards analyzing the impact egomania symptoms have on other individuals. As mentioned above, egomania is associated with self-obsession. These patients rarely credit or acknowledge other individuals around them. This attribute is likely push people away (Kernberg, 257-287). For example, if a group of students carries out a project together. Egomania will not accept the input of others and instead illustrate their own viewpoints. This is likely to push other students away as they will be willing to participate in the project and gain a deeper understanding of the principle involved. In addition, every individual needs accreditation for his or work and this factor is likely to push other people away (Kernberg, 257-287).... The same example may also be used for workers in company as they are likely to be closer to their bosses. They are likely to be considered as â€Å"workaholics† and are also determined to go the extra the extra mile in this setting (Miller, 640). The bosses will have confidence when they delegate work and assignments to these individuals as they are less likely to neglect their responsibility. They are also likely to volunteer themselves for certain roles to show themselves and the community their superiority (Miller, 640). Egomaniacs also feel superior to everyone around them as they feel they have capabilities that other people do not possess. This factor is likely to have a negative impact on the attitudes of work mates towards these individuals. It is human nature for one to want to feel valued and making someone feel inferior is likely to decrease a person’s self esteem and hence reduce his or her positive feelings towards the oppressor. These individuals are also different to others around them as people are normally courteous, and humility has become an admirable trait in societal norms. Therefore, the way they act is likely to place them in a separate category from the standard behavioral traits and people are often unwilling to accept these negative changes. Egomaniacs have also been found to have a higher likelihood for success. This is because the attributes associated with this condition makes the people less attentive to societal distractions. Their goals and motivations are only centered on success and they have no conceptions of failure (Ronningstam, 222-227). This is an appealing quality to individuals in different spheres of life as these people

Florence Nightingale as one of the most powerful and influential women Essay

Florence Nightingale as one of the most powerful and influential women in history - Essay Example She became one of the most powerful and influential women in history giving women the right to engage themselves to different professions through her struggles and achievements. She exemplifies the power and ability of a woman who is allowed to express her talents and unique personality and share them with the larger society. Florence Nightingale was born on "May 12th, 1820" and was named after her birthplace in Florence, Italy. She was born into a wealthy, influential and upper-class British family. Although Florence's father did not want her to pursue a career, he encouraged her to educate herself in different fields. While Florence was developing her personality as an intellectual being, she realized how dissatisfied she was as an aristocratic woman. In contrary to her mother and sister who were enjoying this lifestyle. During her time, nursing did not count as an appropriate profession for a woman of her class and background because it is a vocation meant for poorer women; even comparing it to a cook. Despite that, she still pursued to study nursing and made it clear to those around her that this was her calling. Florence's parents did not agree with the idea and expected her to make a good marriage and maintain the typical aristocratic lifestyle. However, she rebelled against her family's wishes and succeeded in her struggle to study nursing after a long endeavor considering that they had no such tradition to training women to nurture a career apart from being a wife and a mother, not to mention the defiance she showed towards the "societal code for affluent young English women."1 Florence Nightingale As a young woman, Florence quickly became a famous, eminent and heroic figure in the nursing profession. She worked hard to "educate herself in the art and science of nursing." 2 Florence Nightingale She cared mostly for the poor and became an advocate of the improvement of medical services especially those in the infirmaries. With her advocate, she gained the support of then the president of the Poor Law Board, Charles Villier. "This led to her active role on the Poor Law's, extending further beyond the provisions of the medical care." 3 Florence Nightingale She became so devoted to her profession that she did not entertain a suitor in the name of Richard Monckton Milnes, a politician and poet, certain that marriage will interfere with "her ability to follow her calling to nursing." Nightingale considered marriage as her last concern; in fact, she declined Milnes marriage proposal much to her mother's dismay. But she had a long friendship with a politician by the name of Sidney Herb ert who, at that time, was the Secretary at War (1845-1846) and became "instrumental in facilitating her pioneering work in Crimea and in the field of nursing." 4 Florence Nightingale Florence even became a "key advisor" 5 Florence Nightingale to him in his political career. This proves how she is determined to change the status of women during her time and that someone of her gender can contribute her intellectual abilities for the betterment of the society. However, the support she got from Herbert did not hold true for her family, and even created conflicts for her at home. At that point, she had no support from anyone, yet she was determined enough to remain unmarried and continue

West in Civil War Essay Example for Free

West in Civil War Essay The contribution of the Western states in Civil War outcome are argued to be significant and crucial as Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Maryland has done their best to make the country free from slavery. Delaware supported the Confederacy, Kentucky and Missouri also pro-Union and pro-Confederate government fractions. Historians argue that the Western states with their favorable social, political connections were critical to the war outcome and slavery abolishment. Most of the Western states adopted Jim Crow law and worked towards slavery abolishment. During the Civil War the General Assembly of Delaware rejected secession, as well as Maryland. The year of 1863 appeared to play important role for Maryland as the state adopted new constitution that prohibited slavery, slavery. Thus, slaves were emancipated in the state. After Missouri rejected secession, the newly elected government called for authorization of a state constitutional convention. Missouri approved convention and voted for remaining within the Union, but it opposed coercion of the Southern States. (Monaghan, 1955) Further, Kentucky is argued to contribute to strategic victory in the Civil War, and Lincoln once announced that to loose Kentucky was the same as to be defeated in the Civil War. The importance of Kentucky laid in the fact that the state hold Maryland and Missouri committed to the West. In the beginning Kentucky tended to remain neutral and in 1861 the state asked for keeping out the war. However, the neutrality was broken when General Polk made an attempt to occupy Kentucky openly enlisting troops. Kentucky had to respond and state’s government passed resolution to demand evacuation of Confederate forces from state’s territory. (Coulter, 1926) Summing up, the contribution of the West was significant for the Civil War outcome as the state supported war against the slavery and slave discrimination. Despite initial attempts to remain neutral, Western states realized that only victory would bring relative peace. Thus, Western states have done their best to abolish slavery and to ensure them emancipation in the country. References Merton, Coulter E.. (1926). The Civil War and Readjustment in Kentucky. North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. Monaghan, Jay. (1955). Civil War on the Western Border, 1854-1865. New York: New York Press.

The Asian Financial Crisis Essay example -- Business Economics Globali

The Asian Financial Crisis Many economists have said that the growth experienced by Southeastern Asian countries during the 1980s and early 1990s was a "miracle." Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia and other countries in the region experienced annual growth rates of over 7 percent. Along with this rapid growth, these countries also saw very little unemployment and an almost invisible wealth gap between the different social and economic classes of citizens. Circumstances have dramatically changed, however. In the summer of 1997, Southeast Asia experienced a time of great financial and economic turmoil. At first, the economic crisis was isolated in Thailand's financial sector, but it quickly spread to Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea as well. The Prosperous Times It seems that Southeast Asia has always been able to turn bad times around and recover to end up as some of the strongest economies in the world. South Korea, for instance, was very weak and vulnerable after fighting a civil war with North Korea in 1953. However, between 1960 and 1990, the country experienced remarkable economic growth and recovery, and soon the world's 11th most powerful economy. Many other Southeast Asian countries had similar experiences. South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore were previously known as the "Four Tigers" because of their fast and aggressive entry into the global marketplace. Other examples include Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, each of which experienced rapid growth and prosperity in relatively short periods of time. In the U.S., the "Asian miracle" stirred up both awe and fear. This was especially so in the 1980s when Asian products became fierce competition for American products. Japan’s automobiles and electronics were rivaled U.S. products and caused much fear among producers in these U.S. markets. This competition, in part, led to a U.S. trade deficit. U.S. congress reacted by passing a number of trade regulations aimed at protecting U.S. industries. Southeast Asian governments engaged in acts that promoted certain industries and businesses. They provided them with tax credits or subsidies. These policies allowed Asian government leaders to pick the leading industries and helped to ensure their success rather than allow the free trade market to dictate such decisions. Thus, these countries had a power to control and dictate th... ...g-term effects are likely to be positive, at least when society as a whole is considered. As with all things, there will be winners and there will be losers. The hope of society is that the losers lose less than the winners win, and that the winner’s gains can be reciprocated to all involved. Bibliography: Bello, Walden. "The End of the Asian Miracle." The Nation. January 12/19, 1998: 16. Butler, Steven. "New Attitudes in Asia." U.S. News & World Report. December 29, 1997/January 5, 1998: 17. Hornik, Richard. "The Myth of the Miracle." Time. December 8, 1997: 40. Lacayo, Richard. "IMF to the Rescue." Time. December 8, 1997: 36. Lee, Charles. â€Å"The Next Domino?† Far Eastern Economic Review. November 20, 1997: 14-16. Richburg, Keith. "SE Asians Call for Help as Currencies Plunge." Washington Post. December 16, 1997: A1. Internet Sources http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~nroubini/asia/AsiaHomepage.html. What Caused Asia's Economic and Currency Crisis and Its Global Contagion? Nouriel Roubini http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/publicat/dp367.html. The East Asian Financial Crisis: A Reflection on its Causes, Consequences and Policy Implications. IDS Discussion Paper 367. Stephany

Female Gender Role and Video Games in the Modern World Essay

Video games are an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Sixty-five percent of the households in the U. S play video games and two out of five gamers are female. Approximately ninety percent of video games feature men on their covers, and most of the women that are shown on the covers are portrayed in sexual and seductive ways. Female gender roles in video games are primarily presented as sexual object prizes and victims, but on the other hand male gender roles are shown as heroes, villains, and SUPER STRONG! Even the story of the most popular videogame â€Å"Super Mario† is about a hero saving the princess from the super villain Bowser, the male turtle-like monster. This reveals that female gender roles in video games are dependent on men, and women are portrayed as weaker than male gender roles in the game. The battle of equality has been fought by women throughout the generations and cultures, and has now reached the video game industry. If we look at outcomes, women have prevailed in most industry statistics, and there is no reason to believe that their right to be respected, their leadership roles within the games and as well, their ability to produce and develop games within the market place will not be denied. In Katherine Fletcher’s piece â€Å"Confessions of a call of Duty girl: Women in games today, she says that, â€Å"about 40% of the gaming population is made up of women, yet we are severely under represented and if we are represented it is in an overtly sexual way. (Fletcher, 2010) To repeat a commonly held phrase, sex sells, in the gaming industry. According to Fruzina Eordogh, â€Å"Sexually charged conversation is the dominant voice,† (Eordogh) apparently, male gamers want to see â€Å"boobs and skin†. Women who are gamers are frustrated by the lack of respect for their gender playing and creating the games in an organization that, according to Fletcher’s, â€Å"seeks to a ddress the industry’s gender awareness about women in the games industry,† (Fletcher,2010) the hope that this organization will develop a fuller understanding of games and game playing associations. Video games are played globally and have the opportunity to educate cultures about gender equality within the game as well as the equality of game creators. The initial audience for video games was males and focusing on the younger generation. The people making the games were men, starting in their basements; some were professional programmer, hobbyists, and women came late to the math, science and technology related fields, so the men had the advantage from the beginning. Today the gaming industry is a huge global market with 67 billion achieved in 2012, and new reports forecast 82 billion by 2015 easily. It is obviously clear that women will work to be a part of this gaming industry as they were in the growth of film and television. Today there is greater gender equality in the acting profession as well as in production. It is to be noted that today more and more female characters are demonstrating a strength that writers and developers have previously denied them. The field can be challenged when, â€Å"EA Sports, responsible for the lion’s share of sports video games, was recently called out by a 12 year old girl for continually failing to include woman in its smash hit FIFA soccer series and the presence of hyper sexualized female characters is hardly a thing of the past. † (Morris, 2013) Things are changing even in the parts where they aren’t the star in the game; female characters are showing strength and character development. It will take time and constant vigilance for women to achieve gender respect and equality in the field It is interesting to note that women are enjoying the art of playing games. The average age of a gamer is 30 years old and has been playing for at least 12 years. 68 percent of all gamers are 18 years of age or older. 47 percent of players are women, and women who are 18 years of age are over one of the industry’s fastest growing demographics. Another interesting fact is that today, adult women represent a greater portion of game-playing population than boys age 17 or younger. With this demonstration of women involved in playing games, there must be greater sensitivity in gender roles in the games. Women will not put up with old stereotypical attitudes in these games. As their playing numbers increase women will become responsible for making financial decisions that will affect the success or failure of products. If women are not respected in gaming roles, they will make their preferences felt, and the number of sales for a particular product will fall short. As the gap between numbers of gender gamers lessens, the industry ill have to look at the decision of targeting or, creating female- targeted games similar to male targeted games. Possibly the goal should be gender neutral games. to encourage the creative role of women producers in the industry. The development of games that are gender neutral will probably end up to be the industry’s choice. There will always be a small percentage of male and female gamers that prefer the old style stereo typi ng of men and women, but as education today encourage gender neutrality, the majority of gamers will enjoy the neutrality of games. Women will be encouraged to move in to the leadership field with the exiting challenges of creating new products. As in any new field, confusion as to direction can make or break the bank. There is still discussion in the boardrooms about male and female directed games. Some female developers are working on female- only games and are calling them â€Å"the games by girls for girls. † These have been supported by companies such as her Interactive, Girl Games, Girl Tech, Silicon Sisters, and Purple Moon. These are female owned and female staffed. These companies hope to stimulate a female- only market stressing on the fundamental differences between what girls want and like as do boys want and like in gaming. It is of interest to note that older female gamers prefer the gender neutral games. The Wii game has certainly introduced the females to this type of gaming and it has been hugely financially successful. Financial success is always the deciding factor in the market place, and it makes sense to target the untapped female gamer population rather than restricting the market to males only. Keith Stuart, writer for The GuardiN introduces his Article by saying,† Nearly half of the UK’s video game players Re women, and now they are designing and writing them too, in lauding top sellers Gears of War 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, as well as Uncharted 3. These three were the biggest game releases last year, and all were written by women. Siobhan Reddy, Studio Manager at Media Molecule says that, â€Å"games development is becoming more appealing to girls as a potential career. † Women have grown up with technology all around them, and in an era where entertainment, games and music are combined. In conclusion, women are growing in the video game and not so dependent on men as leaders. In the singing, men use females in games as sexual objects and remained the hero-who-saved-the-women. As the time keeps passes, our generation enjoys and needs more and more gender neutral games. The sexual exploitation of women in gaming will become a thing of the past in the production of mainstream games, and there will continue to be steady growth in the female production of games. Women went through their struggle in film and television and are well-respected in this industry. There is a beginning recognition of respect for women who are pioneering this gaming industry. The populations of female gamers are rising every day as well, and some day in the future they may even outnumber the male gamers; and most of the game programming companies will do what the â€Å"money† says. So, I can guarantee you that in the near future there will be the same number of female gender video games as the male gender video games and that is gender equality. We will see more and more women in the production field, developing wonderful products for men, women and children.

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible In connection to McCarthyism Essay

â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.† History is a â€Å"chronological record of events.† These events, whether positive or tragic, often repeat themselves. The McCarthy Hearings that took place in the 1950’s are a good example of this. The accusations of communism led to a nation-wide hysteria and fear of who was going to be named next. When this was over, the hope would be that nothing like it would ever happen again and nothing like it had ever happened before. However, we have not only repeated it on various occasions, but through Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, we also see the parallel of the event with the Salem Witch hunts that took place years before the hearings. The connection between The Crucible and the McCarthy Hearings is not an isolated one, but can also be made with other historical and current events that are happening today. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in response to The McCarthy Hearings. These two events can be connected in many ways; for example, people in each situation used hysteria for their own good. â€Å"Joseph McCarthy was a flagrant self-promoter† and extremely power-hungry. (Schrecker 242) He believed that by accusing people in high positions of having ties with communism that he would become a more respected figure. McCarthy’s accusations were based upon little to no evidence and of the tens of thousands accused, only a handful was actually persecuted. (Fried) â€Å"Throughout the early 1950’s, McCarthy continued to make accusations of communist infiltration of the U. S. government, though he failed to provide evidence†¦ These charges received extensive media attention, making McCarthy the most famous political figure in the nation after President Harry Truman. He was also one of the most criticized.† (Appleton History) McCarthy’s claims were givi ng him his desired attention and praise. He was already at a respected level in the government, however he desired more. In October 1953, McCarthy began investigating communist infiltration the United States Military. (Fried) When Army Chief of Staff Omar Bradley was accused, McCarthy’s popularity went down. Omar Bradley was a highly respected man and a true patriot. This can be connected to The Crucible because of what the main character, Abigail, does to get what she wants. Originally, all Abigail wants is a man, John Proctor. She accuses John Proctor’s wife of witchcraft in order to have  him all to herself. As Abigail realizes the empowerment she has gained, she begins blaming other innocent people of witchcraft. Eventually she becomes mad with power and blames Judge Hawthorne’s wife. â€Å"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.† McCarthy and Abigail both gained power through their accusations, and their desire for more power led to their demise. Another similarity between McCarthyism and The Crucible is that in both situations, people blamed others to save themselves. During the McCarthy Hearings, the only way to lower the charges against you was to expose another person working for the communists. Because of this, people were wrongly accused and punished. In the Salem witch trials, people were also released if they revealed someone who has â€Å"made a compact with Lucifer.† An additional similarity between McCarthyism and The Crucible was that there were explainable events that sparked the hysteria. In the McCarthy hearings, McCarthy’s false accusations sparked it. The hysteria could have been prevented simply if people were not so easily scared by the accusations and they took the time to examine their validity. In The Crucible, the event that sparked the hysteria was when the girls were dancing in the woods. This event could have been easily explained without tying it to witchcraft and many lives could have been saved. McCarthyism and The Crucible also have many differences. For example, the witchcraft in The Crucible was unbelievable and the testimonies were from children. If people in the village used reason, they could have determined the accusations were false. Joseph McCarthy was a respected general and had ties to the government. This made his claims very convincing and much more believable than the allegations made by children. Another difference was that the McCarthy hearings were on much larger scale than the Salem Witch hunts. In the McCarthy hearings nearly 10,000 people were affected, many of whom lost their jobs and their lives ruined. (Schrecker) The Salem Witch Trials were on a much smaller scale; only about 140 were affected. (Boyer) A third difference was that anyone who was accused of being a witch and did not confess or expose someone else was hung. Although more people were affected, no one was ever killed during the McCarthy Hearings. Hysteria is defined as â€Å"behavior exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic.† The McCarthy Hearings and the Salem Witch Trials were both hysterias. â€Å"McCarthy did not create the communist problem, but he exploited it shamelessly for political ends, accusing the Democrats in general with baseless, sweeping, shotgun allegations. He was a master of the sound bite, and played the press like a harp†. (Pinto) This was a time when people were afraid of war and the spread of communism. Because of this, they were easy victims to be caught up in the hysteria. McCarthy accused people to have ties with communism based on little evidence and thousands of people were wrongly accused. â€Å"Joe McCarthy was nosier, more impulsive, and more skillful in gaining publicity than the rest of the anticommunist network.† (Schrecker 242) McCarthy was good at spreading his message and got people scared of what could happen. The Salem Witch Hunts were also based on hysteria rather than facts or evidence. Puritans believe in The Supremacy of Divine Will in which God is absolute. (Reuben) When the girls were seen dancing in the woods, it caused panic in the town that â€Å"the devil is loose in Salem.† No actual evidence of anyone practicing witchcraft was presented, but accusations were made and the hysteria began. McCarthyism and The Salem Witch Trials are not the only examples of hysteria that occurred in history. Other events have had similar effects throughout history, causing impacts to society and to individuals. One example is the Japanese Internment Camps of the 1940’s and 50’s that changed the lives of about 120,000 Japanese Americans. (Sakurai 16) â€Å"Frightened children clutched their parents’ hands. The adults were scared, too, but they tried hard not to show their fear. Armed soldiers herded the families onto the trains and buses that would carry them far away from their comfortable homes. The United States government was sending Japanese Americans to bleak prison  camps. How could such a terrible thing come to pass?† (Sakurai 3) December 7th, 1941 Japan bombed the military base at Pearl Harbor. This began the discrimination against Japanese Americans. Until the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, the United States had been very firm about staying out of World War II; however, this unprovoked act forced a declaration of war on Japan. This caused fear and anger against the Japanese Americans. â€Å"Japanese Americans had done nothing wrong, but they shared a common ancestry with the enemy pilots who bombed Pearl Harbor.† (Sakurai 8) In The Fall of 1942, Japanese Americans were put in permanent relocation centers, isolating them from the rest of the world. This racist hysteria discriminated people not for their actions, but because of their looks and ancestry. This compares to the McCarthy Era and to the Salem witch trials because in each circumstance people were accused of being part of something to â€Å"be feared†. The accusations did not have any basis in this situation, except the physical features of the accused. â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.† The likelihood of hysteria, such as the McCarthy Hearings or the Salem witch trials, developing today is not only very probable, it is evident. Although there is very little chance that anyone is going to be convicted of being a witch like in Salem, people are still very scared of today’s â€Å"witches†. Since 9/11, our â€Å"witches† are those people who look different. They come from any place in the Middle East. It does not matter which of those countries they are from, or even if they were born here in the United States. Just the color of their skin, their dress, their religious beliefs, or their accents make them suspicious of being a terrorist. They have been searched, harassed, fired from jobs, physically harmed, and discriminated against. Our lives were drastically changed by what happened on September 11th, but our reaction has not changed much since the witch trials of Salem or the McCarthy Hearings. We truly have not learned from the lessons of the past and it is impossible to say if we ever will. Whether it is the fear of witchcraft, communism, war, diseases, or terrorism, it is easy to see that people are persuaded very quickly. There is no need for fact or proof, just a convincible  McCarthy or Abigail to make the accusations and start the hysteria. Perhaps that is why â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.† Works Cited Appleton History. 21 Apr. 2003. 12 Dec. 2003 . Belfrage, Cedric. The American Inquisition: A Profile of the ‘McCarthy Era’. New York: Thunder’s Mouth P, 1989. 183-275. Boyer, Paul, and Steven Nissenbaum. The 1692 Salem Witch Trials: . 1997. 10 Dec. 2003 . Fried, Albert. Learning Curve. The National Archives. 8 Dec. 2003 . Pinto, Jason. The Crucible Project. 2003. 6 Dec. 2003 . Reuben, Paul P. â€Å"Chapter 1: Puritanism & Colonial Period: to 1700.† PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. URL: http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap1/chap1.html Sakurai, Gail. Japanese American Internment Camps. New York: Childrens P, 2002. 1-48. Schrecker, Ellen. Impact Of McCarthyism. 1995. 10 Dec. 2003 . Schrecker, Ellen. Many Are The Crimes: McCarthyism In America. Boston: Little, Brown, And Company, 1998. 1-550.

#8220;Compare and Contrast Essay Sample on Canada Vs the USA #8220;

#8220;Compare and Contrast Essay Sample on Canada Vs the USA #8220; Both Canada and the USA have governments that seem to work quite well, amidst their differences. While the USA is a republic, Canada is a constitutional monarchy, and both are based on the ideas of democracy. However, they are different in many ways, and each government has it’s share of better methods than the other. For example, the USA has a definite term of office set for the president, 4 years, so that the president will know when he is done, and elections do not come as a surprise to the citizens. In Canada, the Prime Minister may sit for up to 5 years, calling an election any time he/she wants, from his/her first day in office, until the day before their last day in office. This can come as a surprise to the public, leaving them unprepared for an election. This is one of the ways that makes the USA system seem better than the Canadian. However, with the exact date known well in advance, campaigns in the USA start over a year ahead of the election, which can be quite ann oying to many people. Canadian campaigns last for only 50 days. The Canadian system does have it’s strong points, as well. In the USA, presidents may only be in office for a maximum of 10 years with the rare possibility that their predecessor is no longer able to run the country, during a term. In most cases, the maximum is 8 years per president, in 2 terms. This is not a very good system, if a president that is liked by all and makes decisions well is kept in office for 8 years, he is no longer allowed to be the president, no matter how much he’s liked. In Canada, there is no limit on how much a leader may be Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister proves himself to be a very good leader, he will be kept in office for as long as needed. If the Prime minister proves to be a bad leader, they will not be re-elected. The parties keep or replace leaders as they see fit, and the voters have the final word. The Americans have the better model for choosing government representatives, however. In an American election, the voters will vote on both the president and vice president, to ensure that they are who the people want. In Canada, we only indirectly vote for our prime minister, who then chooses his own staff all by himself, most likely all will be members of his own party. Canadians also have a better separation system between the highest levels of government, as well. When the voters in America elect a head of government, they are also electing the head of state. This one person is the president, who occupies both titles. In Canada, the head of state is the Queen and the Governor General, who are above the differences between the parties. They are there just to be the monarch, not to get involved with all the different ideologies of the political parties. In the USA, the president will be either republican or democratic, which does not bode well for the patriotic symbol of head of state. If there’s blame to be had, the American’s don’t know who did what, there are different parties in the different branches, and each branch blames the other. In Canada, it will always be the government party, so that the voters know for certain who did it. I can’t say for certain which government system I believe is better. Each country has different strengths and weaknesses, which balance each other out quite nicely. Canadian voters are more involved in government decisions, but lack the involvement in who is running the government, the Prime Minister appoints his staff. America lets their voters get more involved in choosing their leaders, but they cannot determine who to blame when something goes wrong. If I had to choose between them for sure, I believe I would choose Canada as the better government. Canada has a few poor qualities, such as the prime minister having immense power, but they can be made up for simply, such as choosing a prime minister that everyone can trust. You can order custom essays, term papers, research papers, dissertations and thesis papers on Canada and the USA from our professional custom writing service. Here is a list of the most popular essay writing topics on Canada: French Immigration in Canada with special view to the 17th century Canada should allow more foreigners to become Canadians The Gap Between the Rich and Poor in Canada The Four Most Significant individuals in Canadian History The place of Quebec in Canada is at the heart of the debate on constitutional reform but is not the only source of discontent within the Canadian federal system Should Canada strengthen its ties with America Multiculturalism in Canada Canadas political system Legislatures in Canada and the United States Refugee children in Canada: Searching for Identity SHOULD CANADA HAVE DEATH PENALTY Gun control in Canada Japanese Canadians in Canada Copyright Laws In Canada Renewable Resource Research in Canada Canadas great depression Terrorism in canada Marijuana: Should it be legalized in Canada? Social Issues in Canada

Customer portfolio and Strategic Account Management 04256 Essay

Customer portfolio and Strategic Account Management 04256 - Essay Example Arguments made by Johnson and Selnes (2004), states that focus should be made on the wider managerial perspective that considers the company’s entire customer portfolio rather than focusing on the few close customer relationship in order to maintain profitability, shareholder’s value and company growth. According to the authors Harri Terho and Aino Halinen (2007), customer portfolio analysis is an action by which a firm examines the present and the future customer values for building a balanced consumer structure through efficient allocation of resources to individual or customer group. The equilibrium of the customer portfolio can be considered as the vital goal of the customer portfolio analysis due to its explicit presence in all the proposed. Therefore the portfolio models earlier were based on mathematical optimization and have major focus on the formation of a favourable portfolio of products (Sackmann, Kundisch and Ruch, 2010). Ryals (2003) also stresses on the need to analyse the total relationships as an investment portfolio where the balance would be the consequence of the customer relationship related long term revenues and risks. The main focus of the customer base is to determine the significance of customer relationships to the company and differentiating between consumers of different worth. The analysis is the future outcome which is not restricted to the monetary value of the customers but also involves the varied consumer roles in providing present and future value for the company (Johnson and Selnes, 2004). The theory of customer portfolio study is related to the theory of segmentation but still varies considerably. Portfolio analysis centres on analyzing the existing value of customers as stated by H. Terho, A. Halinen in the Journal of Business Research (2007) from the main companys point of view whereas segmentation usually focuses on segregating the market into

DB2_SBS318 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DB2_SBS318 - Essay Example People live in the atmosphere of immigration, without beginning and end, but only few know the true origins of Mexican migration to the United States. As such, the purpose of Gonzalez’s book is to provide facts, describe the history of immigration from Mexico to the U.S. and to emphasize the differences between Latin American and European immigration. It is really important as the immigrants need to know the history of their move to the United States in order to understand their position and choose the right direction. In his book, Gonzalez (2001) discusses the three important themes. First, the roots of the Latino immigration and its evolution are described. A reader can learn the important facts, which were not known before. Second, Gonzalez applies to the anecdotal evidence from one particular family, to reconsider immigration experiences from the viewpoint of one Hispanic family. Finally, Gonzalez describes modern Hispanic immigration in relation to the growth of political mobilization among the Hispanic immigrants. The themes of cultural assimilation and the marginalization of minorities have to complete the picture of Mexican immigration to the U.S. This is essential for Mexican immigrants to obtain the right understanding of their past and the author wants to help with it. Unfortunately, not always can the author stay neutral. Gonzalez (2001) is a prominent Latino journalist, and he cannot always conceal his rage at American racism and domination. This can be easily traced throughout his writing. The struggle against racism is an important issue but the author seems to overemphasize the differences between European and Mexican immigration, while it is known that many immigrants from other countries were treated even worse. Nevertheless, what he writes at the end of the introductory chapter of his book lays the foundation and defines the direction of his argument: â€Å"The American people still cling to