Aspects of Japanese uniqueness (history, culture, economics, etc) Essay

Aspects of Japanese uniqueness (history, culture, economics, etc) - Essay Example The major changes include the increased participation of women in paid work, the reduction of family size and the replacement of rural with urban lifestyles. The prosperity of Japan covers the discrimination and the unequal wealth distribution, which is channeled at some Groups. This paper will explore the uniqueness of Japan, including its culture, historical events and the country’s economics. One aspect of Japan’s unique history and economics can be traced to the introduction of many reforms, primarily by the Americans. One of the crucial areas of the reform agenda was that of women’s rights, where men and women were declared equals, followed by the women suffrage of 1946 and the promotion of education for women.2 Examples of the changes emanating from the reforms included the formation of 26 women’s universities, as well as the employment of 2,000 female police officials. In 1947, there was the passage of the equal pay policy. These policy changes and the reforms that emanated from them made the reconstruction of the Japanese economy and its production facilities faster than those of other countries that were left behind in the area.3 For example, instead of depending on the labor input of men to rebuild its infrastructure and to grow the national economy, Japan relied on the input of its male and female populations: the huge laborforce enabled it t o advance faster than other national economies. The unique historical changes of Japan and its economy can also be traced to the reduction of family size, which became evident during the 1950s, following a change of attitudes towards the family system and marriage.4 The changes included getting into marriage late, working prior to marriage, and giving birth to fewer children, so that they can remain actively involved in employment among other lines of productivity. The reduction in the size of the family – where many of the marriages are arranged and the women are

Leadership and Management in Nursing Essay Example for Free

Leadership and Management in Nursing Essay Nursing is a very demanding and dedicated profession and the current shortage is a serious problem at all levels of nursing and is the dearth of leaders among nurses. Leadership and management are essential skills for all qualified healthcare professionals and have a pivotal role in ensuring a delivery of high standards of care. Developing future nurse leaders is one of the greatest challenges faced by the nursing profession, (Mahoney, 2001). The author is currently working as a midwife in one of the big hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The average deliveries per month are 500-600. There are 22 midwives in this unit and there are eight vacant posts for midwives . Due to the shortage of midwives, these professional staffs are subjected to personal and work related stress. Preston et, al. (1981) defined stress as an adaptive response, mediated by individual characteristics or psychological processes. The negative effects of stress could be evident in staff absenteeism, hostility, and aggression. This will impair the provision of quality care and the effective functioning of the organization. (Healy amp; McKay, 1999). The adverse effect of workload and stress in the author’s placement has lead to an alarming high staff turnover. Apparently, the increased workload has affected the staff performances and the quality of nursing care. When the staff feel that they are not cared for, then they find it difficult to care for patients ( Atwater amp; Bass 1994, Lancaster 1999). In this assignment, the author will explore the various leadership styles and their theories and also distinguish the functions between leadership and management. The author will also critically explore the manager’s leadership practice in labor and delivery suite, thus creating a culture of reducing stress. The link of leadership style from the aspect of work, environment, communication, empowerment, delegation, implications, conclusion and recommendations will be discussed further. Leaders are not someone who holds top position but also able to give assistance to others, (Mahoney, 2001). Whereas in my placement, the head nurse, who is the leader, never gives a helping hand during the deliveries. She anticipates the midwives to conduct and manage the deliveries, even though there’s shortage of staff. The nurse manager has to prepare the correct number of staff on each shift with the credentials to do the job and must be aware of the policies regarding overtime, floating from one unit to another. She must form a competent team and manage them to carry out the plan for reaching the goal of excellent patient care. Effective leaders are not merely someone who is skillful but they must acquire good attitudes, (Cook, 2001). The nurse manager must understand the factors surrounding the current situation in the unit and have the knowledge of various approaches to leadership that will help to understand and determine the best leadership approach to create a positive work environment to reduce stress. Leadership is defined as the ability to influence, inspire and motivate a group of people towards the achievement of its goal, (Yuki, 2002). Management is a process of getting things done effectively through planning and organization of services which is one of the basic function of management whereas the leader is an intermediary between work group and the top management, (Marquis and Huston, 2006). The manager uses a formal and rational method whilst the leader uses passions and stirs emotions. Without enabling and empowering nursing leadership, efforts to improve the quality and safety of healthcare will be limited and short-lived, as said by Kelly (2008). For a leader to achieve the goal, she must have the three essential things which are power, authority and influence to act in a way that will stimulate a positive respond from the staff (Tomey, 2009). Leaders will emerge when nurses feel valued and inspired to strive for excellence. They aim to improve patient care via a cohesive work force by focusing on interpersonal relationships between leaders and subordinates, (Malby 1997). A nursing leader should have a distinctive set of personal qualities, integrity, courage, initiative, ability to handle stress, think critically, able to resolve problems without conflicts, skillful communication and must be empathetic. They are not those who control others but they act as visionaries who help staff to plan, lead, control and organize their activities, (Jooste,2004). There are many types of leadership. Autocratic type of leaders are those who make all decisions and expect others to follow without questioning and never seek advice from others, (Sullivan amp; Decker 2005). This situation had made some of the midwives to leave for greener pastures. The current health system has advanced in technology and improved in care giving services (Cook, 2001). The author feels that this leadership style is no longer tenable and fits into the contemporary nursing practice and a consumer responsive culture. Democratic leaders encourage the participant of staff and use a consensus for decision making, (Sullivan amp; Decker 2005) whereas bureaucratic leadership occurs when a leader rigidly adheres to rules, regulations and policies of the organization, (Jenkins and Henderson, 1984). Instead of providing sufficient support and consideration, my nurse manager demonstrates these leadership qualities because she uses rules and policies thus expecting strict compliance from the midwives. . By following the organizational hierarchy’s influence, she puts herself in a high position but never use her power constructively (Masquis amp; Huston, 2006). Due to top management instructions, she adheres to the current policies, making no changes in them but gives verbal instruction and changing policies to her likes and dislikes. This swifts away trust and open communications between the manager and the midwives. Due to unvented stress and high expectations from the nurse manager, the midwives burnout level have been exacerbated . Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment, as said by Maslach amp;Jackson (1981). Reports have proved that in this kind of environment, patient’s safety is at risk (Institute of Medicine, 2004). Participative leadership allows staff to participate in decision making and actively seek out the participation of those involved. This type of leadership allows staff to feel more committed to the goals they were involved (Faugier amp; Woolnough, 2002). The author feels that the head nurse should have these qualities so that the unit will run smoothly, and the staff will be appreciated and acknowledged so that good nursing care can be rendered. Transformational leadership is especially well suited for today’s fast changing healthcare environment where adaptation is extremely important (Welford,2002). It starts with the development of a vision that will excite and convert potential followers, (Outhwaite, 2003). To achieve organizational success, this style advocates for strong leadership qualities and these leaders use motivation in their approach than use rewards and punishment as said by Kouzes amp; Posner (2002). In the author’s point of view, this leadership is proposed as empowering leadership style which well suits in my unit and to be recognized by the nurse manager. According to Bowles amp; Bowels (2002), transformational leaders create a leadership culture for all team members nurturing empowerment, increase their autonomy and open communication for inclusive decision making. The nurse manager takes responsibilities for discussing care related matters with the midwives which makes them to be motivated and work more effectively to contribute to the development and provision of the unit, (Murphy. 2005). The ability of the leader to articulate a shared vision is an important aspect of transformational leadership (Faugier amp; Woolnough, 2002). Another leadership style is transactional leadership which focuses on providing day to day care between leaders and their employee. It aims to maintain equilibrium and harmony by using incentives to enhance staff loyalty and performance (Bass and Riggio, 2006). Laissez faire leadership is another style that leaves the staff alone to work with no directions or facilitations and is a highly risky form of leadership, (Sullivan amp; Decker 2005). Since the author’s placement is labor and delivery, it’s not advisable to have this kind of leader in this unit as it will increase the mortality rate. The high level of burnout and increased workload due to shortage of midwives and less rest days has resulted them to leave. This disequilibrium may trigger the risk of physical and mental health of these midwives. The manager has depleted the nurses basic psychological needs which are rest and sleep and at the same time reducing their self- esteem, as said in Maslow’s theory of human motivation. The leader should explore barriers and identify conflicts when they arise and collaborate with the team and be able to understand the employee’s perspective (Outhwaite,2003). A more effective form of leadership maybe situational leadership where the leader switches the style depending upon the situation at hand and upon the competence of the staff, (Faugier amp; Woolnough, 2002). The nurse manager must be good clinician and have judgment skills to handle any problem that cannot be handled by the staff. By doing so, the staff will listen to her as she guides them. Communication also plays a vital role as this can prevent conflict and smoothes the progress of team building in the unit Calpin-Davies, (2000). A good communicator gives the staff detailed instructions to perform tasks that are necessary to reach the goal. The nurse manager uses a communication book to provide important information to all the staff in the unit, as supported by Sullivan amp; Decker (2005). By reading and acknowledging with a signature, she assures the message has been reached effectively. As a leader, the nurse manager has to be a good listener. It provides the opportunity to receive valuable feedback that is used to avert some problems and resolve others and also giving greater understanding of the issues being discussed. When there are incidences in the unit, the nurse manager gives a listening ear to the staff and tries to solve the problems. She puts aside preconceived ideas or prejudices when listening to staff. Being a leader, the nurse manager delegates some of the tasks to the staff to focus on more complex aspects of running the unit. She delegates the right task to the right person, for example sending and collecting of narcotics by the midwife as these drugs used are cautioned in Saudi Arabia. A good leader fosters a congenial work environment by coaching, praising and training the staff to perform an excellent job and also by conducting continuous nursing education. Supervision goes in the observation of staff and to evaluate in the yearly performance appraisal. The author would recommend that the nurse manager in this unit has to change her leadership style to She should resources for proper quality care Conclusion Today, healthcare environment requires leaders to be skillful and knowledgeable and have strong inspirational leadership qualities across the health care organization. In this millennium, nursing must make a dedicated effort to nurture its young nurses to grow into effective and motivating leaders.

Greenwashing in Media Essay -- Ethical Issues, Misleading Customers

Research ProjectGreenwashing in Media In this day and age companies have mastered the technique of misleading customers by fabricating false claims about a green product or service that they swear to provide. This insincere display of information is called ‘Greenwashing’, a spin-off of ‘Whitewashing’. Greenwashing could be said to be a global phenomenon and it’s commonly seen in advertisements, on products packing, websites, emails, speeches, and videos (just to name a few). Greenwashing is a thought out process, a planned and typically well designed campaign. There is a wide range of reasons why companies are eager to partake in greenwashing; divert attention for regulatory change, to persuade critics or consumers, expand the company's market, and to make the company seem appealing. The goal of this paper is to provide three examples of ‘greenwashing’ and to relate these examples to Downing et al. concepts. To help further explain these misleading claims, a well recognized company by the media is called Terrachoice. â€Å"The Terrachoice Environment Marketing Consulting practice converts knowledge of markets, science and marketing into winning, client-centered solutions to help sustainability leaders deliver results† (â€Å"The "six sins," 2007). Terrachoice has conducted a study of the â€Å"Environmental Claims in North American Consumer Markets† and found shocking results that made them want to give warning to potential consumers about the ‘six sins of greenwashing. The Terrachoice Company was designed to improve the communication between the purchasers and consumers, helping to enhance, strengthen, and prove market relationship. Companies that carry out greenwashing commonly use the words, ‘green’, ‘energy efficient’, and ‘clean’ to expo... ...efit† (p. xx). More and more individuals will run into greenwashing ads from the news to even advertising; however it’s important to recognize the exaggeration, persuasiveness and omission of information in these ads. It’s evident that any form of media is filled with manipulation; pulling the perception, actions, fears, desires, and values out of the consumer. In our text Downing et al. begins saying, â€Å"empiricist communications research†¦are concerned more with questions, problems, and perspectives than with the mere recitation of detailed facts. Indeed, critical scholars would argue that facts by themselves are impossible to interpret if they are not placed into some model or theory about how the media and society work† (xxviii). I think this sums up why we all should be critical in a positive manner, and should use the theories that help us analyze media material.

The Importance of Accountability and Responsibility

What is the importance of accountability and responsibility? Accountability and responsibility are two important values individuals can exercise in their daily lives, and workplace. They really go hand in hand with each other. By acting responsibly people will learn to trust that you will do what you say you agree to. It then in turn lets people feel like you can be counted on. When people are accountable to each other a bond of trust is built allowing for honest opinions and ideas. The sense of one being responsible puts trust in a relationship.Accountability and responsibility allows people to exercise autonomy with the expectation that they will feel more invested in and, therefore, will perform better, more efficiently and more creatively. If you actively practice accountability and responsibility in such places like the workplace, or with friends you tend to feel more prideful and have ownership. This also builds trust and secures a bond. With my work experience in the military responsibility and accountability is greatly increased when you have a set order of rules to follow and abide by.Being responsible in the US Army has got to be one of the utmost important in my opinion. The obligation for the proper, custody, care, and safekeeping of property or funds entrusted to the possession or supervision of an individual needs one to be held accountable. Accountability is being responsible or answerable for an action. By taking ownership of your actions and not make excuses makes you also more reliable. People have a hard time believing in you once they feel they have been lied to or cheated.Gaining credit or accountability takes time and is hard work if the trust is broken. It is better to be honest and say what you mean. By giving your word make sure to follow through. This shows ownership. It also makes people show you being accountable to your word. The obligation you show to yourself or another is important in showing you are responsible and can handle si tuations. The importance of it is huge; it shows a high character trait and unselfishness by not just looking out for your own interest.A solider must behave and be responsible in all scenarios they are in. even if it’s in uniform or without. It increases when soldiers believe that they have personal control over their mission performance, performing out of desire to do well instead of just following orders. A lot of studies show that when a person shows desire to have control over a job they try perform at a higher level. They even solve problems better. Accountability and responsibility play major roles in a person’s character and how they view to complete the mission.They have a positive psychological disposition and feel confident physically. These two words Responsibility and accountability are two of the main factors in being a successful Soldier in today’s U. S. Army. You must be a responsible soldier if you want to make it through deployment alive. There are so many situations that can be handled incorrectly if you slack off and not care if the proper attention is given. A worse situation would be affecting the lives of other soldiers and putting them in harm’s way.

What Is Mindfulness?

Sometimes I think the translation of the word â€Å"mindfulness† is incorrect in two ways. Right Mindfulness is a step of the Eightfold Path and is the centerpoint of Buddhist practice. First, it's not a good translation because â€Å"mindfulness† is kind of an insipid word. â€Å"Be mindful† — what does that mean? It doesn't have the kind of inspiring quality of spaciousness, courage, or living fully.Perhaps if you pronounced it differently and said, mindfulness, that would be a better understanding of the word and its power. But a more fundamental difficulty in even talking about mindfulness, whatever that means for us, is that the mind and the heart are the same word in Sanskrit or Pali. So perhaps a better word would be â€Å"heartfulness† — live in a heartful way. Forget about this mind stuff all together. You could do without a lot of it, if you haven't noticed.The Buddha very often said that mindfulness was the heart or the essence of his practice — to be heedful or aware — that was the road to liberation and to the deathless, to freedom from even birth and death; that is, freedom from being caught in the cyclic nature of things, stepping outside the cycle of things. What does â€Å"mindfulness† mean to us sitting here as a group. We sat for an hour this evening or a little bit less, but for those of you who have attended regularly, we've been sitting here for a year doing something supposedly related to paying attention and being mindful.What does it mean? What are the qualities of it, what are we doing here? We sit, we pay attention to the breath, or our body sensations, or the sounds, or the people walking by, or the various thoughts and images in our mind. To be mindful first means simply to come into the present — to listen with our senses, with our heart, with our physical body, with our ears, with our eyes, to what is actually here in the present; the body, the heart and the min d. It's that thing I've spoken of many times before, the sign from the casino in Las Vegas, â€Å"You must be present to win. In Las Vegas, in therapy, in meditation, it's all the same thing. In order to awaken or to use our life in a skillful way, the first task is to get here, to start to live in the present moment, which means not living so much in our fantasies, in the future, not living so much in the past, in our images and memories, and reliving things that are gone already. The first is learning to be present, which itself is a very wonderful thing, because†here† and â€Å"now† and â€Å"in the present† re the only places that we can appreciate life to begin with. Otherwise, it's kind of second-hand, what happened a few years ago — that's a nice memory — or what we fantasize about. Where can you really appreciate this life we're given? Only in the present. Also, there is something else which interests a lot of people and can only be f ound in the present, and that is love. If you want to love a person or you want to be loved — some of you perhaps know anyway, right? — where does love take place? Or â€Å"when† is a better question.Again, it's a nice memory, â€Å"Gee, I was in love once or twice† — or more in some of your cases. It was very nice. It evokes a nice thing to remember it. Or it's in the future, â€Å"Oh, if only I could meet that right wonderful person,† or â€Å"this person that I live with,† or â€Å"this family,† or whatever, â€Å"if they would change so they would become right, then I could fall in love all over again with them or be happy with them. † The only place that you can really love a person or be loved is in the present. No other possibility for it. All the rest is fantasy.Also in the present comes the possibility of touching our intuition, of creativity, of clarity; all kinds of things. So the first aspect of awareness is simply learning in some way to live more fully here in our present reality. If you learn nothing else from meditation practice than that, you get your money's worth — especially since there's no charge. Secondly, mindfulness or heartfulness mean seeing clearly. It means non-grasping, non-greed, non-hatred, it means not pushing away, and it means not going to sleep, but seeing what is present for us.Bare attention, remembering, being in the present, without trying to change it somehow, which is a hard thing to learn because we're generally planning on what we're going to make this something into next. But then what happens? We end up doing that all the time and missing all the somethings that are here, always waiting for the next one. Mindfulness is really a way of learning to see what is here in a very clear way. People talk about learning mystical things in meditation or spiritual life. There is nothing more mystical, or startling, or bizarre, or amazing, than what is right in front of us.In my days I've done a lot of strange things. I've been to a lot of different countries on this planet, and observed saddhus on beds of nails in India, and strange animals in other parts of the world, and in my early days I took a number of the various kinds of psychedelics and drugs one could take, and have had all kinds of realms and weird experiences, and all kinds of things in meditation. I have never encountered a realm as peculiar, or bizarre, or as interesting as this one. Someone said: The mystery of life is not a problem to solve, or something that you find somewhere else, but it's a reality to experience here.We went to the zoo with the baby on Sunday. If you landed on some weird planet, and then you saw pygmy hippopotamuses or 300 pound ostriches and really wrinkled elephants — Did you ever look at elephant skin? Just amazing! — or the kind of snakes that are there, or sloths hanging upside down, you would say you had come by your spaceship to a really peculiar planet. And yet we forget that. We start to take it all for granted. It all becomes very ordinary, and it's not. If you attend a birth, it's an amazing thing to see a baby being born out of a human body.How does that happen? How does it get in there? I know you know how it gets in there. But I mean, how does it really get in there? Like the ship in the bottle. An incredible thing happens in there, the baby coming out of a woman. And we take it for granted. So to pay attention means to somehow have a newer or a fresher vision, to see clearly. It means to stop our judging and our planning and just see what's here, which is part of what we do in meditation; to stop and not judge a single thing; let it be exactly how it is.Let God take over for a little while and run the show rather than our minds, which get very tired, and very full, and very busy anyway, and need a rest. Someone said: The classic question is: If you pay attention and you don't judge, then how do you live in the world? What part of attention or awareness is that? That's called sampajanna. Sati is mindfulness, sampajanna means clear or right comprehension. It means not only do you pay attention to what's here, but then when you act in your life you also look at the context, at the suitability or the intention of it; what is present.When you act, you first have to see what's here, and then some intuition, or inspiration, or thought arises, â€Å"I'll do this or do that. † It's to pay attention to where your heart is, what motivates you, what the intention and the purpose of your action is, so that you pay attention but you also note the context. The way Joseph, my colleague and friend, answers the question when people say, â€Å"When you just pay attention and note ‘lifting, moving, placing' in the walking, or the in and out of the breathing, how can you live? He said, â€Å"Well, I was doing my lifting, moving, placing one day on a road in India near the Burmese t emple where I lived, just moving my feet and paying attention, and all of a sudden I heard ‘clang, clang' of the bells, and I recognized it. I knew what those bells were. I looked up and sure enough the elephant that lived in town was coming down the road right towards me. I noted ‘hearing, hearing' and ‘seeing, seeing'; then I noticed the intention to move out of the way arise, and then I walked out of the way. † So there are two parts.The first is seeing what is here, living in the reality of the present, and then responding to it wisely, being aware of the situation that we're in. At times this year I've talked in this class about another aspect of awareness which I think is really important to remember in our lives, and that is the very interesting question of why we don't pay attention; why do we go to sleep, why do we drive on automatic pilot, why do we eat three meals a day, two-thirds or three-quarters or ninety percent of it on automatic pilot? Why d o we live so much not here?It's a pretty interesting question, maybe even more interesting than saying, â€Å"One should pay attention or live in the present. † How come we don't? There's a story: When Krushchev pronounced his famous denunciation of Stalin, someone in the Russian Congress Hall was reported to have said, â€Å"And where were you, Comrade Krushchev, when all these innocent people were being slaughtered? † Krushchev paused, looked around the hall, and said, â€Å"Will the man who said that kindly stand up? Tension mounted in the hall. No one moved. Finally Krushchev said, â€Å"Well, whoever you are, you have your answer now.I was in exactly the same position then that you are in now. † Why is it that we don't pay attention? One reason is fear, that if we actually come into the present, there are certain things we have to deal with that we haven't had to in our lives. For some people it's boredom. We're really afraid of being bored. For some it's loneliness. For some it's grieving, something in their hearts that's not finished. So it's better to distract yourself, see a lot of movies, talk to people, keep yourself busy, stay on the phone, and keep yourself working, so you don't have to feel certain things. Another reason we don't stay awake is habit.You could be very peaceful, not have any grieving to do, and be comfortable being alone, and so forth, but it's like there's this huge flywheel inside. And there you are. It's a quiet day, you're just sitting down in the park, and all of a sudden out of nowhere you start thinking about what you'll do next week or next year, making plans, and playing back memories, because there's this powerful habit of thinking. It takes training to kind of release the clutch and let it slow down. That's part of what meditation is about. Also, pain is another reason, because if you live in the reality of the present moment, what do you experience?Up and down, light and dark, night and day, and pl easure and pain. And if you don't like pain which a lot of people don't — understandably — then what you have to do is manufacture some fantasy, to live in a lot of thought and busy-ness so you don't feel it. However, you rob yourself of something very, very important when you do it, which is that you rob your life of living, of heartfulness, of fullness, of vitality, of your existence. To live in the present means that you have to face your boredom and your loneliness when they come. They're not there all the time, and they're not so bad actually when you come to terms with them.They're a little scary but they're not so terrible. And you have to face the fact that there is this habit of greed, and hatred, and fantasy, sort of a machine that spins out thoughts out the habit of it. So you have to be willing to be aware of pain as well as pleasure. But if you are, the rewards are fantastic, because then you can really experience being with anot her person, walking down t he beach, taking a walk in the park, walking outside and seeing the stars. It's really very interesting to start to pay attention to when we go on automatic pilot.If you were to look at something in your meditation, rather than trying to be aware, try to be mindful of when it is that you go to sleep, what it is that's hard for you to be aware of. That is something that is quite interesting to learn about. Use it as a signal. â€Å"I haven't been very mindful today. I wonder what's going on? I haven't been very mindful this week. I wonder why? What's happening? Oh, I'm sad. It's hard to be sad, so I have to keep myself busy,† or â€Å"This thing is coming up that's difficult to deal with, so I think a lot and plan, rather than just notice that it's really hard. We learn somehow to find the center in the moment rather than toppling forward or into the past. If you let yourself do that, then everything stops. And one of the most wonderful things about awareness or heartfulness or mindfulness is that it allows us to come to rest, because there's really only one place to rest, which is in the present. We're householders, we're not monks and nuns. And the question often asked is: In order to be mindful does it mean we have to talk slowly and sit many hours a day and go into an ashram or some monastery?How can we bring mindfulness, heartfulness, wisdom here into our lives? How do you do that? Well, of course, as I said in the past few weeks, sometimes you do have to look at your life and see if you want to slow it down a little bit, if it's crazy, if it's real busy. Because our culture is a little bit mad in that way, you might need to take a look and see, â€Å"Gee, is it time to stop doing a few things, to make a little more space, to slow down? † Fundamentally, â€Å"mindfulness† means to learn to be aware where we are. If not here, where else? If not now, when?Mindfulness is the opposite of â€Å"if only,† it's the opposite of hope, i t's the opposite of expectation. It has in it a certain kind of contentment, not that one might not choose to change the world, but a kind of acceptance that this is really what we get, these sights, these sounds, these smells, these tastes, these perceptions. This is it! Then in another moment, there will be another â€Å"it. † It's not something else. â€Å"I know that this is all it is, but this is it. † When one accepts it, then one can come to rest. Mindfulness in a way is the opposite of grasping, or attachment, or identification.And it can go very, very deep when we allow ourselves, because what we start to see — if we slow down a little bit and pay attention — is how it is a kind of conditioned phenomenon, like a machine, the mind spins this stuff out in a very orderly way by habit — thoughts, fantasies and memories. The world works in certain conditioned patterns, and that's it's nature, and it's all impermanent and quite ungraspable. Wher e is yesterday? What happened to your weekend? Where is it? What happened to 1984, your 20's, or whatever it was — maybe you're 20 now. For some of you, your 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's, where did they go?They all disappeared, gone. Isn't that an amazing thing? It's a very profound thing to start to be aware of life coming out of nothing and disappearing into nothing. A day appears for awhile, and then it's gone. It can't be grasped, it's like a bird flying. You cannot hold time and fundamentally you can't hold yourself. So the spirit of mindfulness is learning to live in an awake way. As the Buddha said, â€Å"I'm not a man, I'm not a God. I'm none of these things. I'm awake. † How can I convey the spirit of this? There are songs from the monks and nuns who lived after the Buddha died that are in these poems.If you readTherigatha, the songs of the sisters, there are many enlightenments that take place while they're walking through the forest. One nun is in the forest ta lking about how happy she is that she doesn't have to do housework anymore and she drops a cup or something like that on the ground, maybe it breaks, and all of a sudden she's enlightened. She says, â€Å"Oh, that's how it is. † Things arise for a while and then they pass away. If you can accept that and see that — each day, each moment, with each person, to experience what's there — and then leave it and go to the next, you can live in a deeply free way.So it really has the spirit of aliveness to it. In the monastery it was beautiful. We had all these rules, 227 major precepts and then some hundreds of minor precepts, and then they told you how to fold your robe, which side of the bowl you should put down, and how you should clean it properly. Even how to pee. There is a particular way monks are supposed to pee. You're supposed to squat down, you can't stand up, and you can't pee into water where there are obvious living things or on plants because you might ha rm them, and things like that. At first when I read this, I said, â€Å"Well, what's the difference if I squat down?Nobody is looking, first of all. These rules are dumb. † But after awhile of living them, in this beautiful forest monastery, where there wasn't anything else to do besides meditating and following the rules, which would drive you crazy initially, what you began to see is that somehow they brought you to see that everything was precious, that everything was worth caring for; that it mattered where you peed, that you could pee on the ground and not on a bush, and not harm it; or that it mattered how you took care of your bowl, which was one of your very few possessions.It was a gift from people who said, â€Å"We want to support you because we think that monasteries and what you're doing is valuable in the world and reminds all of us of something precious. So we'll give you a bowl. † You take care with your bowl, you take care with your robe, you take care with your car, you take care with your house, you take care with your clothes, because to be aware in some way means to remember the preciousness of life and to begin to take care with the earth and all the creatures and things on it.It's to be aware of ourselves and our bodies, of our actions, to be aware politically, to be aware economically, to be aware socially as well. Imagine if you were told that you have some disease, let's say AIDS because there's a lot of it that's happening, and it's both scary to people and very immediate and present, and real important to look at. Someone said, â€Å"Well, at best you have four years, maybe you have a year to go. † How would you start to live that year? Things would change for you, I assure you.Your life would become a lot more alive and precious for you. Or imagine that you've been in prison for a long time, as people are in many, many countries of the world. Amnesty International said that 55 countries have political prisoners who are imprisoned and often tortured because of religious views. The majority of the large countries on the earth imprison people for what they think. It's really painful. And then you were let out after a long time in prison, how would it be just to walk down the street in San Anselmo? What would the trees be like?Just the experience of being free, watching the cars, being able to go into a confectionery store and order any kind of sweet that you wanted, or just seeing the sky and feeling the air and being able to decide whether you're going to go down the block to the right or to the left. It's that spirit of heartfulness, of mindfulness that it comes to. It's not so much that you're supposed to be tedious about it at all, but it's somehow much more the spirit of an appreciation of life and of seeing it in a clear way. I remember when I was seven years old I spent a whole summer in bed.I had this kind of infection and I couldn't leave the house. And then when it ended and I fina lly could go out, I was given something like a dollar, which seemed like a lot of money at that time, and I went and I bought a ball and some bubble stuff, and I went to this big park near my house. It was like being let out of prison for a kid being in the house for a whole summer. I was so happy. To this day I remember the sun was shining, I could blow my bubbles and turn cartwheels and throw my ball and do anything I felt like. It was so wonderful. In some ways, that's part of the spirit of bringing awareness to our life.It also means, as I said, that we have to be willing to face that which is difficult, to open to what Zorba called â€Å"the whole catastrophe,† and to appreciate it in some way. It's really quite a trip. So first it means to take care with the earth, to learn that awareness means to receive, to see the preciousness of things. Secondly, then it allows our world to teach us, to let it teach you very simple truths which are the most important. For example, o ne monk went to his master after a long time of training and begged the teacher to give him enlightenment.The master led him over to a bamboo grove. He said, â€Å"See that bamboo there, how tall it is? See that one over there, see how short it is? † And the monk was enlightened. Things will teach us when we see them afresh, when we see them anew. We see them for a minute, we see the ungraspability of anything, of our own bodies — they change — of our thoughts, of our feelings, not to speak of the people and the things around us. — changing, ungraspable. And that they do. Sometimes they're big and sometimes they're small. That's the way that things are.It teaches us the preciousness of life. When we pay attention we can learn. We can learn from our families. We can learn when our hearts are closed and when they're open. We can learn what it means to be attached, what it means to let go and be freer. We can learn about all the forces in the mind. We can le arn about doubt and fear and anger, through awareness. We can learn about love and kindness through attention. It's really universal. We can learn to play tennis in a better way. To train ourselves to be aware is the gift of the Buddha.He said: Here, I'll give you a gift that can make life come alive for you, that can bring both happiness and freedom. And it's a very simple thing. Learn to train yourself to live more in the present. Do what it takes to do that in your life. How can we do it? Here we are, householders, right; not like we have all day to sit and walk in some monastery. Some hints perhaps. First of all, as I've said in previous evenings, one of the most beautiful expressions of awareness comes from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh where he says: See if you can learn to wash the dishes in order to wash the dishes.Usually we wash the dishes in order to get the dishes clean, right, and then we can get on and do something else, right, or talk to someone. Did you ever do anything like that, where you just did it in order to do it? Maybe we let ourselves do that on vacation. You go hiking in the Sierras, and if you're not too driven — â€Å"Can I get to this camp site by this hour,† or something — and you let go of that a little bit, you just walk along the mountains in order to be walking, everything becomes what it is. It's beautiful. That's the first hint, to start to take some things in our lives and do them for their own sake.Does that make sense to you? Another way is to listen with your heart a little bit more, to try to pay attention to what it's like when you're with people, and see if you can let your words come out of your heart, to say really what you feel inside, what you care about, and to listen with your heart rather than your mind. That's a very good way to wake up; especially the people you live with — your kids, your spouse, family, and things like that. People say, â€Å"How can you be mindful at work? I'm a w riter,† or â€Å"I'm a mathematician. † These are some of the questions I get at retreats. How do you do math mindfully? You have to think and ruminate. † Or, how do you write mindfully, or watch a movie? The best I have been able to come to in that is that when you write, just write; when you watch a movie, just watch the movie; when you read, just read. Not writing and also thinking how people will view it when you're done writing, and planning, and seeing how many more minutes you have to write, and so forth. Just be present for the writing. It doesn't mean to think or be in some special mode. Just do what you do. Not so complicated. When you do math, do math.Of course, sometimes it gets a little more complicated than that, and at retreats I've often told the story of Zen master Soen-Sa-Nim who generally teaches his great Zen teachings, â€Å"When you walk, just walk; when you're hungry, eat; when you're sitting, just sit. † So there he was at the breakf ast table eating breakfast and reading the paper. Students who saw this were very upset. â€Å"You know, you're the Zen master. You tell us, ‘When you eat, just eat,' and here you are eating and reading. How do you explain this? † He said, â€Å"Very simple. When you eat and read, just eat and read. The spirit of it is not so complicated. It's not to make something really false or different about it. It's more the quality of being a bit more where you are. I think that comes from Yoda in Star Wars. Another thing is to remember the power of the act of coming into the present. I told the story a few weeks ago of Robert Aitken-roshi who wanted to go to Japan to study Zen during the Korean War. It was considered a war zone and people weren't allowed. When he went to the consul or the ambassador who was a very learned and dignified Japanese man, he was told, â€Å"I'm sorry, we just can't have visitors; it's war time.The American government doesn't want it and the Japanese government is following that. † The ambassador offered tea. It was very nice. He said, â€Å"Why do you want to do that? I mean, there's this war we have to stop. † He took his cup of tea and he picked it up and he drank it very carefully and silently, and then he looked at the ambassador and said, â€Å"Taking a cup of tea I stopped the war. † With that the ambassador was wise and he understood that, and he arranged a visa for him to go to Japan to study. What we do, if we do it with our full heart and our full being, is a way of bringing the planet back into balance.All you have to do is look at the news or read Time or Newsweek; it's crazy. And it's crazy because it's all mind and thought and going in circles and it's not connected with the heart and the earth. Taking a walk you stop the war, taking a cup of tea, sitting a little bit every day, you stop the nuclear arms race because you let yourself get quiet and feel the earth and the air, and then your acti ons and your vibrations and the effect you have on other people, and maybe even the concerns that you act out politically, all come from that connection with yourself and with the earth around you.I have a good friend who is lawyer from Harvard Law School, a very fine lawyer. He sits through lots of meetings. He said he has really learned to work with his breath. Communication is kind of redundant. You could probably tune in on every tenth sentence and get most of the meaning of things. He is really in love. He says, â€Å"I love my breath. It's much better than what goes on in the meetings. † So you can use your meditation in grocery stores standing in line waiting for checkout, or traffic jams. Wonderful times to meditate. I remember sitting at my teacher's cottage.He sort of sat in a little chair, and people would sit around and he would receive visitors. I was sitting there and waiting for him. It was a really hot day. Usually they had iced coffee on a very hot day in the tropics. Iced coffee is first so good because it's so cool and delicious; and the Thai coffee is half sugar. And secondly, since you don't eat except one meal in the morning, to have a big glass of dark iced coffee filled with sugar is like about three or four hours of caffeine and sugar stimulation before it wears off. It's great sitting. It was a great drug for sitting, there's no question about it.I was kind of in the doldrums. â€Å"I've swept my cottage, now I'll go over and I'll sit and I'll wait. † And on hot days like this, if the teacher sees a lot of people sitting around, he says, â€Å"Okay, you can bring some iced coffee for these poor starving monks,† or whatever. So we sat. I kept thinking about how I was going to go back and meditate. I'd get to my cottage and then after I had it, for two or three hours I would be very alert and awake, and I'm kind of sitting there sweaty and hot and a little bit depressed and just waiting and waiting and waiting. He m ust have known it, and I'm waiting and waiting.Hours go by and other people come by and I'm waiting and waiting. I think, â€Å"God, when am I going to get this wonderful coffee so that it will perk me up and I can really meditate? † Waiting, waiting. It never came. Finally, it became real clear after a lot of hours of waiting; waiting to meditate. I was sitting there doing nothing. When are we going to meditate? â€Å"I'll do it when I get to the sitting, then I'll meditate,† or â€Å"I'll do it tomorrow. † Somehow it's to remember that it's here in the present we're talking about. In some way, mindfulness means coming back to our real home, coming to rest in the present.It is our real home. And our real home is not connected with grasping, our feelings, our bodies, our thoughts, our images, or all the things that are changing — but it's the ease that we can find in being with up and down, light and dark, and all of this duality which is changing. With a n open heart, with heartfulness, with mindfulness, being with it as it is, then receiving it and deciding, if we will, what things to choose to respond to in a wise or compassionate way. This is Don Juan to Carlos Casteneda: For me the world is incredible because it is mysterious, awesome, stupendous, unfathomable.My interest has been to convince you that you must learn to make every act count in this marvelous world, in this marvelous time, I've tried to convince you. You must realize that you are going to be here for only a short while. In fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it. I wanted to convince you that you must learn to make every act count. The spirit of awareness or mindfulness really means coming into our life, into the physical senses, into the feelings, into the movement of mind, and into the heart, and living each day from our heart. What do we care about?Taking a concern and a care for the preciousness of the earth. In the end what one discovers is that mindfulness and love are the same thing. To be aware, without grasping or resisting or trying to change — to receive what's here — is to love it; that they're not really separate, that the heart and the mind come together. Or as one of my teachers said: The mind creates the abyss and the heart crosses it. The mind creates distinctions, and coming into the present, into the heart, resolves all of that. The talk in a way is a reminder. Let me ask you a few questions as a way of ending.First of all, what keeps you, what keeps each of us from really paying attention in our lives, from living more fully? Just think about it as I ask. What fear or difficulty in your life keeps you from living here in the present? What illusion or misunderstanding in your life keeps you from living here in the present? What would you have to do to make your life really support living mindfully? What would you have to change to make a real support for this mindfulness or this heartfulness? Wha t would you have to change in your life to allow yourself to love more fully? And the last question is to ask in your heart should you make those changes.See what it said. Generally, it has a good answer. Even mindfulness, however, cannot be grasped. There are days when you're going to be more mindful and days when you're less mindful. And it too, like all things, comes and goes. What you can do is nourish and find ways. That's what we do together here. We sit together, sometimes we have discussions and questions, sometimes I talk to myself out loud and you get to participate, sort of listen to it. It is a way to remind ourselves that there's something really precious. Spiritual life is pretty simple. It's not easy but it's pretty simple.

Prepositional Object Pronouns in Spanish

Prepositional Object Pronouns in Spanish As in English, prepositions in Spanish need an object to be complete (for example, a sentence such as I am going to or Voy a doesnt make much sense). That object can be a noun or a pronoun (or sometimes a verb functioning as a noun). Most of the pronouns used with prepositions in Spanish are the same as the subject pronouns, but they are different in the first- and second-person singular. Otherwise their use is fairly straightforward, as indicated in the following list: mà ­ - me Es un regalo para mà ­. It is a gift for me.Salieron sin mà ­. They left without me. ti - you (singular familiar) Hablan de ti. They are talking about you.No valà ­a nada mi vida antes de ti. My life before you was worthless. usted - you (singular formal) Las flores son para usted. The flowers are for you.Ella no tolera fumar alrededor de usted. She doesnt put up with smoking around you. à ©l, ella - him, her Corrieron hacia à ©l. They ran toward him.Fue escrito por ella. It was written by her. nosotros, nosotras - us Vienen tras nosotros. They are coming after us.Andan al lado de nosotros. They are walking beside us. vosotros, vosotras - you (plural familiar) No estoy contra vosotros. I am not against you.Salgo sin vosotros. I am leaving without you. ellos, ellas - them El coche no es para ellos. The car isnt for them.Salgo con ellas. I am leaving with them. There are two main exceptions to the above usages: Conmigo and contigo: When used with con (usually translated as with) the forms conmigo and contigo are used instead of con mà ­ and con ti, respectively. Voy contigo. Im going with you. ¿Vas conmigo? Are you going with me? Use of yo and tà º with certain prepositions: The following six prepositions are used with the subject pronouns yo and tà º instead of mà ­ and ti, respectively: entre (usually translated as among or between), excepto (except), incluso (including or even), menos (except), salvo (except) and segà ºn (according to). Also, hasta is used with the subject pronouns when it is used with roughly the same meaning as incluso. Es la diferencia entre tà º y yo. Its the difference between you and me.Muchas personas incluso/hasta yo creen en las hadas. Many people including me believe in fairies, or many people, even I, believe in fairies.Todos excepto/menos/salvo tà º creen en las hadas. Everybody except you believes in fairies.Es la verdad segà ºn yo. Its the truth according to me.

building better credit report essays

building better credit report essays The American dream is a puzzle, both for those who study it and for those who pursue it. We should never forget that this dream is connected to the credit as much as a fragile flower to the sun. What would you say is the American dream? Todays American dream, Lendol Calder, author of the Financing the American Dream replies, includes a house in the suburbs with a backyard for the kids to play in, a patio for barbecues, a shady street bright and obedient children, camping trips, fishing, two family cars, seeing the kids taking parts in school and church plays, and online access to the world (3). This is not the end of the puzzle. In fact, its just the beginning. To reach this dream is necessary to keep credit clean and under control. There are important things that need to be done to improve credit. There are three important players in the consumer credit game; creditors, credit reporting services and credit repairing agencies. All of them are in the game to make money but none of them are truly here to help the consumers. Creditors are the first one. They allow clients, purchasers, customers and buyers to use future income to purchase goods and services today. In exchange, creditors expect to make their own profit by applying interest (Hammond 17-18). All the creditors put trust in one another significant player in the credit game, the credit reporting service. Information on millions of American consumers is gathered by these services to provide creditors with credit histories on every one of them. Three national agencies compile credit reports; Experian, Equifax and Trans union. In fact This information is provided to them by individual creditors such as department stores, mortgage companies and banks, known as subscribers in credit bureau parlance. (qtd. i n Hammond 18). Consumers credit history is being evaluated each time they apply for new cred...

What to Do If You Have a Bad College Professor

What to Do If You Have a Bad College Professor Perhaps the best way to kill the excitement of a new semester is realizing that one of your professors is not quite what you were hoping for. In fact, he or she might be downright bad. With so many other things to manage- not to mention a class to pass!- knowing what to do when you have a bad college professor can sometimes seem overwhelming. Luckily, even if youre totally stuck with Prof. How-Did-He-Get-This-Job, you still have some options for working around the situation. Switch Classes See if you still have time to switch classes. If you realize your situation early enough, you may have time to switch to another class or even postpone this class until a later semester (when a different professor takes it over). Check with the campus registrars office about the add/drop deadline and what other classes might be open. If you cant switch professors, see if you can just sit in on another lecture section. While this only works for large lecture classes, you might be able to attend a different professors lectures as long as you still go to your particular discussion sections/seminar. Many classes have the same daily reading and assignments, regardless of who the professor is. See if someone elses lecture or teaching style better matches with your own. Get Help Get help from other students. Chances are youre not alone in struggling with your professor. Check in with other students and see how you can help each other out: meetings after classes? study groups? sharing notes? helping to read each others papers or lab drafts?Get a tutor. Bad professors often can lead to bad grades. If you find yourself struggling, get a tutor as soon as possible. And dont be shy about it, either- would you feel worse asking for help now or possibly failing (and having to retake the class) again later? Check with a tutoring center, your residence hall staff, or any upper-class students about how to find a tutor as soon as possible. Drop the Class Remember that you have the option of dropping the class- by the deadline. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you cant make it work with a bad professor. If you need to drop the class, make sure you do so by the appropriate deadline. The last thing you need is a bad grade on your transcript on top of the bad experience. Speak With Someone If something serious is going on, speak to someone. There are bad professors that dont teach well, and then there are unfortunately bad professors who say offensive things in a classroom or who treat different kinds of students differently. If you think this is going on, talk to someone as soon as possible. Reach out to your adviser, your ​RA, other faculty members, the chair of the department, or even the ​dean or provost  to bring the situation to someones attention. Change Your Approach Take a moment to see how you can change your own approach to the situation. Are you stuck with a professor who you always disagree with? Turn those in-class debates into a well-researched argument paper for your next assignment. Do you think your professor has no idea what he or she is talking about? Show your mastery of the material by turning in a stellar lab report or ​research paper. Figuring out what you can do, no matter how minor, in dealing with a bad professor is a great way to at least feel like you have some control over the situation!

Compare the views of human nature advanced by two ideologies of your Essay

Compare the views of human nature advanced by two ideologies of your choice - Essay Example One of such theories was developed by Marx, on what is popularly referred to as Marxism. The theory of human nature developed by Marx primarily criticizes the conception of capitalism and communism, which are popular political ideologies. On the other hand, Aristotle describes the human nature as one that is unique and is notable by diversity. This paper compares the views of human nature as described by Aristotle and Marx. Aristotle maintains that man is naturally blind to morality, implying that human beings are amoral creatures. At the same time, Aristotle argues that man is born without knowledge and, therefore, morality cannot be a part of the human nature (Kupperman, 2010, p.4). In the course of his life, man continues to acquire the knowledge of morality. In this argument, Aristotle is not only making the argument that the nature of man is amoral but also the fact that morality is a post-acquired knowledge in the due course of life. The statement is backed by Aristotle’s later argument that wickedness is voluntary, and no man is born evil. It is the rational choices that human beings make after birth that make them either moral or immoral. Another important aspect of the human nature put forward by Aristotle is the idea that man is a hedonistic being. This means that he can shun the pain and pursue pleasure by nature. The man described by Aristotle is capable of dreaming, sleeping, and is anxious about the old age. He also lives in a political state and is continually fascinated by the animal world. Man is also naturally religious and tends to look at heaven with hopes of a better destiny. Aristotle believes that man is a rational social animal and that both the body and the soul were essential parts of the nature of man (Ward, 2005, p.290). At the same time, Aristotle maintains that; without a society, man would not be human. The self is mainly discovered through the natural potentialities

Proplem statment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Proplem statment - Essay Example There is a lack of enthusiasm in the workplace and the result is a failure to meet expected outcomes. Another difficulty is the relationship between management or leaders and workers or followers. Within KFIC, as discussed earlier in the module on management change, the making of decisions is kept within the upper layers of management at CEO level and with the company chairman. Others in the company, supposedly in positions of leadership are prevented from making decisions in their own rights as they are not given sufficient information, and have neither the skills required or the authority within the workplace that would enable them to do so. The other members of the work teams are well aware of this situation and this makes for poor co-worker relationships. Information is restricted to an elite and the result is a lack of motivation on the part of both team leaders and others. The leaders are unable to act as leaders and the others feel that there is a lack of support. Only minimal instructions are passed down. The problem is a cultural one within the organization. The lack of information sharing is due to lack of trust and workers are aware of this. The company is concerned with finance and investment. This means that there is much private knowledge which must naturally be safeguarded. However unless leaders and workers have sufficient knowledge they are unlikely to be able to make required decisions and carry out tasks given to a satisfactory level. In 2001 Guthrie discussed how the most successful businesses do not rely only upon their obvious assets, but also depend upon more intangible things such as knowledge creation and information held. This is something that KFIC needs to take hold of. They need to understand the importance of knowledge creation and the process of passing on necessary information. There have been a number of studies on the topic of knowledge management i.e knowledge creation, sharing and transfer according to Mitchell

IMMIGRATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IMMIGRATION - Essay Example The U.S. has never been the melting pot that was expected. Instead, immigrant ethnic groups have maintained their unique identities for generation after generation. The immigrant heritage has worked itself into the basic fabric of American life. The cycle of anti-immigrant feelings and politics seems closely tied to economic issues: when the nation needs laborers, immigrants of all kinds are welcomed, when jobs are scarce, immigrants are excluded. (Purcell, p.xii). In â€Å"Unchecked Immigration† what is Peter Brimelow’s claim, and what solutions does he propose? Using secondary sources to advance your argument, state whether you agree or disagree with Brimelow’s claim and solutions. According to Peter Brimelow, in the article Unchecked Immigration, the 1965 Immigration Act triggered an influx of historically high proportions, particularly compared to current U.S. birth rates. If the present trends continue, the U.S. population will reach 390 million by 2050. More than a third of the population would be post-1970 immigrants and their descendants. Because the 1965 Act arbitrarily choked off immigration from Europe, this influx has been almost completely from the third world. As recently as 1960, whites who were 90% of the population, by 2050 will be on the verge of becoming a minority. A demographic transformation such as this is without precedent in the history of the world. Also, the 1990 census revealed that native-born Americans both black and white were fleeing from the immigrant-favored areas, where they were being replaced in equal numbers by immigrants. They fled to two different parts of the country, where their own people were. Peter Brimelow claims that the U.S. is coming apart ethnically under the impact of the enormous influx. He wonders whether America continues to be the integration of ethnicity and culture as a nation, and whether the American nation-state can survive. The solutions to the problem, that Peter Brimelow offers are that: In

Travel marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Travel marketing - Essay Example This is exactly one of the objectives that informs this current report. From a face look there is no doubt that significant changes in the consumer behavioral patterns and stiffening threats posed by competitors are at the very core of this downward slide. Over the years the company’s principle of standing on the aisle of low-cost fares that includes the exemption of meal options onboard and other luxuries services have steadily lost their usefulness the failure to immediately recognize these indicators are the result of the decline that is currently taken place in the company. As a response, the company adopted a deliberately policy of segmenting the European market on a number of indices based on mainly income level and lifestyle. A cardinal objective of this report will be to highlight the operational environment of the company so as to gauge how effective and plausible its marketing strategies are. In a more narrow sense the goal is to identify where it stands with regards to the success of its advertisement campaigns within the framework of identifying its internal strengths that have the capacity to propel it into greater market heights in the phase of the stringent competition from other players in the industry. The advent of globalization with its attendant stiff necked competition has put players in the transportation industry; particularly those operating in the airline enterprises are now exposed to a new breed of challenges which require a strategic restructuring of policies that will enhance their ability to remain competitive. Among other things new campaigns are geared towards the enhancement of a standard level of customer loyalty. Robust marketing strategies have become an integral part of this new drive. Conscious of this, players in the industry have now brazed themselves up to respond to the new aggressive standards; this means that at the heart of all what needs to be done is to critically reassess

Sicail Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sicail Media - Essay Example Easily accessible information help in the management of disasters because it alerts citizens of an impending disaster even in remote regions; hence, warn them (Foundation, 2014). For example, locals of predictable tsunami zones can access the information not only from the media houses, but also through diversified sources including the internet. Easily obtainable information is prone to theft. For example, a person may use information from other sources to benefit from it by claiming to be the publisher or editor. Management of easily accessible information is compromised by the fact that classified information cannot be passed on safely, which further give rise to the insecure nature of such information (Ugah, 2008). Immorality is mildly spread by easily accessible information because everyone can access depraved information including the under age (Schleifer, 2014). Remarkably, easily accessible information may mislead the audience because such sources are always attributed to inaccuracy of the facts surrounding an issue (Monahan, 2010). Additionally, easy information accessibility poses a huge threat to the online banking services because of possible cybercrimes leading to massive loss of money. Social media forms an important aspect of communication because it enable easy and readily available medium of communication among individuals. Additionally, it provides a forum where an individual can inform his/her family members as well as friends through mass messages on upcoming events such as weddings (Stokes, 2003). Social media forms a virtue-meeting platform where individuals from various corners of the world can share ideas. Social media platforms such as Linked In have become a valuable business tool where individuals’ stands a chance to secure a job from top managers in various companies through endorsements. Furthermore, companies leap the e of social media for effective promotion and advertisement of their products (nibusinessinfo.co.uk,

Travel marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Travel marketing - Essay Example This is exactly one of the objectives that informs this current report. From a face look there is no doubt that significant changes in the consumer behavioral patterns and stiffening threats posed by competitors are at the very core of this downward slide. Over the years the company’s principle of standing on the aisle of low-cost fares that includes the exemption of meal options onboard and other luxuries services have steadily lost their usefulness the failure to immediately recognize these indicators are the result of the decline that is currently taken place in the company. As a response, the company adopted a deliberately policy of segmenting the European market on a number of indices based on mainly income level and lifestyle. A cardinal objective of this report will be to highlight the operational environment of the company so as to gauge how effective and plausible its marketing strategies are. In a more narrow sense the goal is to identify where it stands with regards to the success of its advertisement campaigns within the framework of identifying its internal strengths that have the capacity to propel it into greater market heights in the phase of the stringent competition from other players in the industry. The advent of globalization with its attendant stiff necked competition has put players in the transportation industry; particularly those operating in the airline enterprises are now exposed to a new breed of challenges which require a strategic restructuring of policies that will enhance their ability to remain competitive. Among other things new campaigns are geared towards the enhancement of a standard level of customer loyalty. Robust marketing strategies have become an integral part of this new drive. Conscious of this, players in the industry have now brazed themselves up to respond to the new aggressive standards; this means that at the heart of all what needs to be done is to critically reassess

The causes of the current aberrant weather patterns Essay

The causes of the current aberrant weather patterns - Essay Example Hence, a change in the weather pattern occurs. 2. Changes to Earth’s Orbit – For thousands of years, the earth got considered as a natural cycle that results to aberrant weather patterns. Its effect is extremely low. The tilting of the axis, the orbit’s shape and the rotation of the earth, affected the quantity of solar energy entering the earth causing atmosphere imbalances (Spencer, page 57). 3. Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Human industrialization has caused more to the environment. Industries produce some of the most toxic gas effluents to the atmosphere. These gases include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and many other gases. Carbon dioxide gets produced in surplus to the atmosphere leading to capturing of heat (Spencer, page 50). This causes imbalance to average temperature of the atmosphere. Hence, it leads to the aberrant weather pattern. 4. Pollution - Some of gases, such as sulfur dioxide results to depletion of the ozone layer. This results to entry of more harmful and powerful to the atmosphere causing global warming, which in turn leads to aberrant weather patterns (Spencer, page

Technology and Its Influences on Humanity Essay Example for Free

Technology and Its Influences on Humanity Essay As technology becomes a bigger part of our every day life, more people are questioning its influences on our humanity. There are many factors to consider when looking at this question, beginning with, â€Å"who is affecting whom?† Are we changing our technology to fit our ideas on humanity, or is our humanity changing the way we influence technology? We also need to look at the meaning of the words technology and humanity to understand the question fully. Yes, technology has a huge influence on our humanity as it is such a major part of our every day lives and has become part of the evolution of human nature, it modifies human qualities, while at the same time, humanity is influencing technology as the development and expansion of technology is created by humans. To start to understand this question we should look at the words and their meanings. Definition of humanity the quality or condition of being human, human nature. Human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting. Human nature is what gives us a moral sense, provides us with the social skills to live in society. The qualities of humanity include the abilities to feel, create and love however, it also includes qualities which are not necessarily appreciated such as suffering, aging, and being imperfect. All of these natural human qualities form unique individuals which make up the fascinating diversity of human nature. Next lets look at the word technology: how people modify the natural world to suit their own purposes generally it refers to the diverse collection of processes and knowledge that people use to extend human abilities and to satisfy human needs and wants. Genetics, robotics, information technology and Nano processes – which modify and transform humans and human nature are some examples of recent advancements in the technology field. These technological innovations are adding up to a world profoundly different from the one humans are accustomed to living in. Humans greatly benefit from these technological innovations as almost all technology is created in order to make life easier and more enjoyable. Although technology is making life easier and helping human desires to become reality, in the long run, it will change the course of humanity. Technology which accomplishes work much faster, easier and simpler than humans is increasing, hence, may result in the future where humans are not needed. Although technology has many benefits for humans, the rapid developments of technology could be said to be influencing the concept of humanity. However, this exponential innovation can be considered as a part of humanity. It is true that humans are the ones who have created these innovations, hence is it correct in considering technological innovations to be part of humanity or diverged from humanity? Here is a logical explanation of the fact that humanity is influencing technology. Technology comes about only because of the human, thinking, rational mind. The human mind is the essence and core of our humanity. Without the human mind, there are no life-saving comforts that we can take for granted. Without these life-saving comforts, all of civilization as we know it would collapse†¦. without humanity, there is no technology. The development of technology is humans extending their own horizons and hence, technology can be said to be influenced by humanity or to be part of the nature of the human species. Technology is rapidly increasing as it benefits and fulfills what people want in life. However, technology is likely to influence and affect humanity in negative ways such as altering the nature of humanity which can lead to issues concerning morals. Yet at the same time, technology can be considered as a part of the nature of human evolution or an influence of human nature. However, the importance of keeping humane qualities should not be influenced, forgotten or taken over by technology. When we consider how older generations had very little if any technology (in the same form that we now consider technology) compared to present day advancements, it would seem important to compare those from older generations with those from present generations. These advancements in technology really began to boom after the first world war, due to every changing requirements to make warfare more advanced than other countries. These very quick advancements are still the basis for a lot of todays technology. Through exploring this question, it can be understood that although technology can have negative effects on humanity, it is almost impossible to eradicate the developments of technology as it is part of the evolution of human nature. Hence, humans must aim to live with technology to create meaningful value for all humanity. On the flip side, there are a lot of technology advances that have made our health and well being more advanced, we are now living longer and are more aware of any possible health complications. As well as having more capable and complicated machines to do many different things, such as diagnosing and treating the sick. However, even though technology can be considered as part of humanity, it should not be taken for granted as it is more important to preserve the qualities which make people human. It is somehow necessary to our self-understanding of what we are as human beings†¦ you can’t have courage without risk†¦ real compassion or sympathy without the personal experience of pain. Therefore, it is necessary that technology allows us to more fully express our humanity, instead of overwhelming it. Thus, what is important is what humans do with the technology which has great influence on humanity. Hence, technology should be used and created while preserving humanity.

The accounting treatment for research and development

The accounting treatment for research and development Under IAS 38 Intangible Assets, the accounting treatment for research and development is different. It depends on whether the expenditure is incurred from research or development. In the Ruritanian Accounting Standard, research expenditure is charged to the statement of comprehensive income and development cost is to be capitalized as a part of intangible assets. Broadly speaking, it is common treatment in most of companies. However, this accounting treatment is not perfect. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this standard. Firstly, in the Ruritanian Accounting Standard, the definition of research and development costs have been given and set out the conditions that need to be satisfied in order to expense or capitalize. Research expenditure is not related directly to any of the companys products or processes whilst it conforms to a search process. In the research phase, an entity cannot demonstrate that it will become an intangible asset and generate probable future benefits. Otherwise, expenditure is recognized as development costs as an intangible asset. It is a similar definition in the IAS 38. However, the activities related to research and development but are not included neither research nor development phase are not classified in the standard. There is a situation existed in the research and development process, for instance, troubleshooting in connection with breakdowns during commercial production. IAS 38 does not provide a guidance of these activities but apparently it would be useful in deci ding whether expenditure can be capitalized under the rules identified in the standard. Moreover, expenditure cannot be classified into these two categories due to the complex nature of new equipment programmes, it is not possible to distinguish reliably between research and development activities until relatively late in the programme. Secondly, in the early standards, development expenditure could be capitalized only if it will make a profit. IAS 38 states that profitable development expenditure must be capitalized whereas SSAP 13 has given the options of either capitalizing the expenditure or charging as an expense. The IASBs Framework for preparation and presentation of Financial Statements says an asset is recognized in the statement of financial position when it is probable that the future economic benefits will flow to the entity and the asset has a cost or value that can be measured reliably. However, in the Ruritanian Accounting Standard, we give an advice of capitalizing all the development costs as an intangible asset rather than the options. There are some uncertainties on whether project can be completed successful and the costs of developing the product. On most of the conditions, people are always optimistic when developing the product and consider it will have future benefit. In practice, many proble ms are encountered during the process and the cost is much greater than estimates before. So, the development costs can be not estimated reliably till the completion. Thirdly, according to measuring the profit, it will have a difficulty in estimating future sales and future costs. Once the development has accomplished, the sales need to be checked if the sales of the product will be profitable. Two factors are related to sale value that is the selling price of each product and quantity sold. It is uncertainty about those figures. For instance, for some high technology products, selling price might be high initially and then will substantially decline as competitors occurs. It is called marginal costs. There is a relationship between quantity sold and selling price that the lower selling price is, the more increase sales will be. So, it will cause the problem in estimating future costs. It is uncertain that a product will be profitable and it will have inaccuracies in estimating the costs. Also, it may be difficult to satisfy the standard of being an asset and should not be recognized in the financial position. In a word, to capitalize total develo pment costs still exist to some extent inaccuracy when the situation above occurred. Lastly but not the least, a new treatment will arise from purchased goodwill in a business combination. The research and development part of subsidiary will be purchased and account for the intangible assets in the financial statement of parent company. There are two choices that are impairment and amortization. In IAS 38, it amortized the expense and impairment of intangible asset by using the reducing balance method. In the Ruritanian Accounting Standard, it is consistent with IAS 38 standard. However, there is a trend on impairment rather than amortization in the listed companies. Apparently, companies want to maximum their reported profit and amortization will reduce profit. One of the significant reasons is that if the future economic benefit of the goodwill is greater than its original cost, and thus will avoid a charge to the income statement. Under IAS 38 an intangible asset with an indefinite life is not amortized but to incur an annual impairment check which the impairment is less than its carrying value. It seems to be similar to other treatment of purchased goodwill. In summary, there are many advantages in the Ruritanian Accounting Standard and help to solve the principal problem in the existed accounting standard. Meanwhile, it eliminated some aspect inconsistent with accounting policy. It is unavoidable to have drawbacks in identify the research and development costs and whether to treat it in the finance position or income statement. Those problems still need to be discussed in the future.

Probation and Electronic Monitoring Essay -- essays research papers

I am doing this paper on electronic monitoring. I am doing this paper because I need a paper to write for you and this is the page I opened to in the book to get the idea. No, really because I believe that electronic monitoring is a terrific way to police probation and parolees when probation and parole officers are so severely overworked. By not having to check in on the offenders as much, because at any time we can hit a button and know exactly where they are, or be notified instantly when they are somewhere they shouldn’t be, it would be a lot easier on probation and parole officers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Electronic monitoring is a good idea and should be used more. The advances in technology can be very useful in community corrections. Implementing GPS technology into these el...

Black Like Me

Enri Duka A. P. United States History Ms. Bellemare, Ms. Loughlin, Mr. Marko 08/09/2012 Analyzation of â€Å"Black Like Me† Catastrophic events are a part of life just like the air that people breathe. Most of these catastrophes occur as a result of nature’s causes such as earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and etc. Unfortunately they kill millions of people every year. As painful as this is to hear, most people still disregard the amount of people that are killed and massacred every year due to race and religion. It is sad to think that instead of working together to build a better future, humans still fight and have social injustice.Many like to argue this statement seeing how the constitution forbids human inequality in front of the law. As true as this might be, discrimination still exists and is a part in our lives to this day. â€Å"Black Like Me† is a perfect example of this social crime. Unlike many other books, â€Å"Black Like Me†, is written in a n autobiographical memoir instead of a novel. The author, also being the main protagonist, is John Howard Griffin. The book takes place between the years of 1959 and 1960 and is build with chapters according to the different dates that main concepts occur.The reason for this book is to portray the horrors that segregation has to offer. Griffin starts his unbelievable adventure because of the curiosity and sympathy that he feels towards blacks. In order to quench his curiosity, Griffin believes that he has to be black as well and the only way is by undergoing surgery. He first proposes his idea to George Levitan and Adele Jackson, the owner and editor of Sepia magazine and asks them to publish his article. Although passionate and supportive of Griffin they warn him about the dangers that he will face when and after he is a black man.John Howard Griffin goes through a period of internal conflict for he is aware of the dangers imposed on a black man during these years of segregation. A lso, he is afraid for his family because of all the white racists who will try to harm them once they realize that a white man was disguised as a black. However, Griffin decides to follow through with the plan. In the book, he compares the situation of segregation to the years when he was partially blind. Griffin believes that white people are blind for they can not see through the eyes of a black man.John Griffin’s passion and sympathy for the social injustice applied on blacks overcome his fear of danger so he moves to New Orleans and is given medicine so he can turn black. On the process of becoming black, he is very surprised to see how an educated and liberal man such as a doctor could speak so poorly of the black race. As a matter of fact, this theme keeps on reoccurring throughout the whole novel. In a very short period of time he notices the differences between the two races. Instead of eating at a fancy restaurant like the previous day, now he is eating raccoon meat and rice out of a can.The difference between the two races is staggering as well as painful to see for Griffin. Not only is he denied a job by white employers; he is also hit with fruit by a group of white people, denied the right to bring in checks, and is humiliated by bus drivers who do not stop the bus at his destination just because of his color. The most important part of all these tragedies is the fact that even Griffin views himself differently. He begins to despise himself and other blacks for the pains that are being caused to him.Just like the blacks in New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama, he feels defeated and hopeless. Fortunately Griffin undergoes some good experiences as a black man. Although he is despised and hated by most whites; he still feels warm from the love and support that black people show for each other. There are even some whites who help him throughout his career as a black man. One of these helpers happens to be a good friend of Griffin and his name i s P. D. East. This person shows love and sympathy towards blacks and offers Griffin to stay as long as he needs.Upon his meeting with East, Griffin finds out that racism is a social problem that is enforced by white leaders such as politicians and lawyers who encourage and feed other white men with hatred toward blacks. Although Griffin is flattered by the courtesy of East, he decides to go to Montgomery. On the way he is unfortunately familiarized to the perspective that white males have towards blacks’ sexuality. He finds out that sexually frustrated white males use black girls for sex and when he is hitchhiking many are curious about his sexuality as well. This goes to the extreme point where one white male tries to convince him to show his penis.Once this long trip ends, Griffin finds himself in Montgomery where black people are more organized and have been influenced by Dr. King to resist the whites passively instead of with violence. Even so, Griffin decides that he has had enough suffering so he stops taking his medicine and turns white again. Again he sees major differences about the way that people look at him. When he is black, he is treated with hatred from white people and sympathy as well as camaraderie from the black community. On the other hand, when he is white, the black community greets him with fear and loathing while whites are extremely friendly.He decides to turn black again seeing how when he’s white he has the easy way out; something that is not available to a black person. Upon deciding, Griffin finds himself in Atlanta. Throughout the story, the readers see the protagonist in different cities in the South and almost every place that he visits is different when it comes to the level of segregation as well as how the black community react to it. In New Orleans, Mobile, and other towns of Alabama and Mississippi people are desperate as well as hopeless and defeated.On the other hand, in Montgomery and Atlanta, blacks are mo re optimistic and the community is filled with strong black leaders. Once Griffin visits all these towns he feels that he has found out enough about social injustice and prejudice against the black community. The third phase of this book focuses more on how John Griffin is treated after he publicizes his article. Once again he is warned about all the dangers as a cause of the release of this article. Once again he is so passionate about what he has done that it outweighs the risk.When the Sepia Magazine publishes the article, many TV stations and news broadcasts invite Griffin for interviews and are very astonished and proud of what he has done. He recieves many letters from many white people and understands the main reason of why so many people are racist in the South. Many white southerners write that they are not actually racists but that they are just afraid of the real racists. For this reason they neglect and tolerate racism. On the other hand, people in Mansfield, the town wh ere he lived, strongly oppose the deeds that Griffin has done so they make threatening calls and plan to assault and castrate him.Nonetheless, Griffin maintains his courage and sympathy. Because of all the hostility in the town, Griffin decides that it would be better if they moved to Mexico. While packing he talks to a black boy and realizes that blacks don’t understand whites just like whites don’t understand blacks. Just like the whites, the blacks have this recent rise of supremacy which is instilled in them by Malcolm X and other black leaders, just like the whites are influenced by politicians. This supremacy from both sides needs to end so we could finally have an equal America according to Griffin.An â€Å"equal America† started after the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were written which is right after the Civil War ended. Although blacks got the rights to escape slavery and be equal under the Constitution when it came to voting and other rights; it sti ll did not stop whites in America to treat them horribly. During the hard times of Reconstruction after the Civil War, the black Americans not only had to fight poverty; they also had to deal with racial segregation or in other words Jim Crow. According to the website, socialsitalternative. rg, the concept of Jim Crow is not only being a piece of legislation. It is considered to be a very well thought out plan by the higher end of society during the times of segregation. This legislation gave the right to the ruling class to make laws about lowering the wages of black workers and to divide the races so black workers could get pitiful wages. It is themes like these that keep on reoccurring in the fascinating book that John Griffin wrote. For example, his doctor, a well-educated and liberal man, had really racist views pertaining the black race.At the same time, we are familiarized with the concept that it is the ruling class such as politicians and lawyers who feed the rest of the pe ople with the hatred about the blacks. If it wasn’t for these influential figures, where would a regular white person get the idea of showing so much hatred toward a person that he does not even know. In one speech, Martin Luther King said: â€Å"The black revolution is much more than a struggle for the rights of Negroes. It is interrelated†¦ racism, poverty, militarism and imperialism. Evils that are deeply rooted in the whole structure of our society. This time period in American history will be remembered for decades because it really shows the injustices that the people that we choose as leaders commit in order to favor their own race. â€Å"Black Like Me† really gets to the main roots of segregation. There is no better way of showing this racial injustice unless you have experienced both sides of the situation. John Griffin gives the readers an opportunity to live on both sides of segregation. It really portrays the horrors of racial injustice and prejudice at its’ best. â€Å"Black Like Me† really grips the themes of American diversity and reform.The black and white race as described in this book are very different from one another and how they view their community, yet very similar at how they view each other. Throughout the book, Griffin noticed the difference between the living conditions and standards of both societies. When he is white, he is able to visit any restaurant, any store, and apply to any job with the optimistic view that they are most likely going to hire him because of his abilities. On the other hand, when he is black he is forced to eat very bad standard food.Although he has the money to buy food, restaurants would not sell it to him. At the same time, although he was well dressed and articulate in his job interviews; white employers would not even consider hiring him because of his skin color. Another enormous difference between the two races was the way that they view their community. In troubled pa rts of the South such as Mississippi and Alabama, Griffin describes the black community as hopeless and defeated. They were this way because the ruling class did not support them in any way. In contrast, they did anything to favor the whites over the blacks.One great example from the book is the lynching of Mack Parker. In the book he is accused of raping a white lady and then is lynched by a mob. Although the FBI found who lynched him, the all white jury decided that the people that did it were not guilty. The same sort of discrimination and segregation was shown against the Irish when they first moved to America because of the potato famine. According to the article â€Å"Prejudices and Discrimination Against Our Irish Ancestors†, Irish immigrants first began moving to the United States around 1847 when the Great Famine hit their country.When moving here they were laughed at and forced to move in little slums where only Irish people lived. Many caught diseases and died. Thi s sort of discrimination is very similar to the one that blacks had to endure for they had to build their own ghettos when they moved to the North for jobs. Another important theme of â€Å"Black Like Me† is that of reform. In order for the blacks to be equal to whites to this day they had to go through civil rights movements which were led by very adored people such as MLK and Malcolm X.The theme of reform is apparent in the book when Griffin goes to cities such as Montgomery and Atlanta. Instead of being hopeless and defeated, people there were optimistic and were opposing nonviolently. In the book it mentions of a time where two black people were sitting in a bus and the driver asks them to move so a white lady could sit there. Non violently the two black people did not move and a white person in the bus got up to hurt them and is stopped by the bus driver and the lady. In other words, the nonviolent resistance was working.American Diversity and Reformation are two major t hemes that the United States has experienced throughout the years. If these two themes did not exist, the United States that we know today would not be the same. In a way historians have always described America as a melting pot of cultures which is a very legitement statement seeing how its’ earliest populations migrated from different parts of Europe whether it was England, France, or Spain. This early migration caused the American Diversity that we know today.Also without all the reforms and wars to protect civil rights, America would no longer be called the land of the free or the place where all dreams come true. â€Å"Black Like Me† is a book that strongly fits both these themes and in a way it even defines them. Works Cited â€Å"The Civil Rights Movement. †Ã‚  The Civil Rights Movement. Socialist Alternative, n. d. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. . Daw, Chad. â€Å"Prejudices and Discrimination Against Our Irish Ancestors. †Ã‚  Yahoo! Contributor Network. N. p . , 19 Mar. 2009. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. . â€Å"The Civil Rights Movement. †Ã‚  Calisphere -. UC Libraries, 2012. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. Black Like Me Enri Duka A. P. United States History Ms. Bellemare, Ms. Loughlin, Mr. Marko 08/09/2012 Analyzation of â€Å"Black Like Me† Catastrophic events are a part of life just like the air that people breathe. Most of these catastrophes occur as a result of nature’s causes such as earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and etc. Unfortunately they kill millions of people every year. As painful as this is to hear, most people still disregard the amount of people that are killed and massacred every year due to race and religion. It is sad to think that instead of working together to build a better future, humans still fight and have social injustice.Many like to argue this statement seeing how the constitution forbids human inequality in front of the law. As true as this might be, discrimination still exists and is a part in our lives to this day. â€Å"Black Like Me† is a perfect example of this social crime. Unlike many other books, â€Å"Black Like Me†, is written in a n autobiographical memoir instead of a novel. The author, also being the main protagonist, is John Howard Griffin. The book takes place between the years of 1959 and 1960 and is build with chapters according to the different dates that main concepts occur.The reason for this book is to portray the horrors that segregation has to offer. Griffin starts his unbelievable adventure because of the curiosity and sympathy that he feels towards blacks. In order to quench his curiosity, Griffin believes that he has to be black as well and the only way is by undergoing surgery. He first proposes his idea to George Levitan and Adele Jackson, the owner and editor of Sepia magazine and asks them to publish his article. Although passionate and supportive of Griffin they warn him about the dangers that he will face when and after he is a black man.John Howard Griffin goes through a period of internal conflict for he is aware of the dangers imposed on a black man during these years of segregation. A lso, he is afraid for his family because of all the white racists who will try to harm them once they realize that a white man was disguised as a black. However, Griffin decides to follow through with the plan. In the book, he compares the situation of segregation to the years when he was partially blind. Griffin believes that white people are blind for they can not see through the eyes of a black man.John Griffin’s passion and sympathy for the social injustice applied on blacks overcome his fear of danger so he moves to New Orleans and is given medicine so he can turn black. On the process of becoming black, he is very surprised to see how an educated and liberal man such as a doctor could speak so poorly of the black race. As a matter of fact, this theme keeps on reoccurring throughout the whole novel. In a very short period of time he notices the differences between the two races. Instead of eating at a fancy restaurant like the previous day, now he is eating raccoon meat and rice out of a can.The difference between the two races is staggering as well as painful to see for Griffin. Not only is he denied a job by white employers; he is also hit with fruit by a group of white people, denied the right to bring in checks, and is humiliated by bus drivers who do not stop the bus at his destination just because of his color. The most important part of all these tragedies is the fact that even Griffin views himself differently. He begins to despise himself and other blacks for the pains that are being caused to him.Just like the blacks in New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama, he feels defeated and hopeless. Fortunately Griffin undergoes some good experiences as a black man. Although he is despised and hated by most whites; he still feels warm from the love and support that black people show for each other. There are even some whites who help him throughout his career as a black man. One of these helpers happens to be a good friend of Griffin and his name i s P. D. East. This person shows love and sympathy towards blacks and offers Griffin to stay as long as he needs.Upon his meeting with East, Griffin finds out that racism is a social problem that is enforced by white leaders such as politicians and lawyers who encourage and feed other white men with hatred toward blacks. Although Griffin is flattered by the courtesy of East, he decides to go to Montgomery. On the way he is unfortunately familiarized to the perspective that white males have towards blacks’ sexuality. He finds out that sexually frustrated white males use black girls for sex and when he is hitchhiking many are curious about his sexuality as well. This goes to the extreme point where one white male tries to convince him to show his penis.Once this long trip ends, Griffin finds himself in Montgomery where black people are more organized and have been influenced by Dr. King to resist the whites passively instead of with violence. Even so, Griffin decides that he has had enough suffering so he stops taking his medicine and turns white again. Again he sees major differences about the way that people look at him. When he is black, he is treated with hatred from white people and sympathy as well as camaraderie from the black community. On the other hand, when he is white, the black community greets him with fear and loathing while whites are extremely friendly.He decides to turn black again seeing how when he’s white he has the easy way out; something that is not available to a black person. Upon deciding, Griffin finds himself in Atlanta. Throughout the story, the readers see the protagonist in different cities in the South and almost every place that he visits is different when it comes to the level of segregation as well as how the black community react to it. In New Orleans, Mobile, and other towns of Alabama and Mississippi people are desperate as well as hopeless and defeated.On the other hand, in Montgomery and Atlanta, blacks are mo re optimistic and the community is filled with strong black leaders. Once Griffin visits all these towns he feels that he has found out enough about social injustice and prejudice against the black community. The third phase of this book focuses more on how John Griffin is treated after he publicizes his article. Once again he is warned about all the dangers as a cause of the release of this article. Once again he is so passionate about what he has done that it outweighs the risk.When the Sepia Magazine publishes the article, many TV stations and news broadcasts invite Griffin for interviews and are very astonished and proud of what he has done. He recieves many letters from many white people and understands the main reason of why so many people are racist in the South. Many white southerners write that they are not actually racists but that they are just afraid of the real racists. For this reason they neglect and tolerate racism. On the other hand, people in Mansfield, the town wh ere he lived, strongly oppose the deeds that Griffin has done so they make threatening calls and plan to assault and castrate him.Nonetheless, Griffin maintains his courage and sympathy. Because of all the hostility in the town, Griffin decides that it would be better if they moved to Mexico. While packing he talks to a black boy and realizes that blacks don’t understand whites just like whites don’t understand blacks. Just like the whites, the blacks have this recent rise of supremacy which is instilled in them by Malcolm X and other black leaders, just like the whites are influenced by politicians. This supremacy from both sides needs to end so we could finally have an equal America according to Griffin.An â€Å"equal America† started after the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were written which is right after the Civil War ended. Although blacks got the rights to escape slavery and be equal under the Constitution when it came to voting and other rights; it sti ll did not stop whites in America to treat them horribly. During the hard times of Reconstruction after the Civil War, the black Americans not only had to fight poverty; they also had to deal with racial segregation or in other words Jim Crow. According to the website, socialsitalternative. rg, the concept of Jim Crow is not only being a piece of legislation. It is considered to be a very well thought out plan by the higher end of society during the times of segregation. This legislation gave the right to the ruling class to make laws about lowering the wages of black workers and to divide the races so black workers could get pitiful wages. It is themes like these that keep on reoccurring in the fascinating book that John Griffin wrote. For example, his doctor, a well-educated and liberal man, had really racist views pertaining the black race.At the same time, we are familiarized with the concept that it is the ruling class such as politicians and lawyers who feed the rest of the pe ople with the hatred about the blacks. If it wasn’t for these influential figures, where would a regular white person get the idea of showing so much hatred toward a person that he does not even know. In one speech, Martin Luther King said: â€Å"The black revolution is much more than a struggle for the rights of Negroes. It is interrelated†¦ racism, poverty, militarism and imperialism. Evils that are deeply rooted in the whole structure of our society. This time period in American history will be remembered for decades because it really shows the injustices that the people that we choose as leaders commit in order to favor their own race. â€Å"Black Like Me† really gets to the main roots of segregation. There is no better way of showing this racial injustice unless you have experienced both sides of the situation. John Griffin gives the readers an opportunity to live on both sides of segregation. It really portrays the horrors of racial injustice and prejudice at its’ best. â€Å"Black Like Me† really grips the themes of American diversity and reform.The black and white race as described in this book are very different from one another and how they view their community, yet very similar at how they view each other. Throughout the book, Griffin noticed the difference between the living conditions and standards of both societies. When he is white, he is able to visit any restaurant, any store, and apply to any job with the optimistic view that they are most likely going to hire him because of his abilities. On the other hand, when he is black he is forced to eat very bad standard food.Although he has the money to buy food, restaurants would not sell it to him. At the same time, although he was well dressed and articulate in his job interviews; white employers would not even consider hiring him because of his skin color. Another enormous difference between the two races was the way that they view their community. In troubled pa rts of the South such as Mississippi and Alabama, Griffin describes the black community as hopeless and defeated. They were this way because the ruling class did not support them in any way. In contrast, they did anything to favor the whites over the blacks.One great example from the book is the lynching of Mack Parker. In the book he is accused of raping a white lady and then is lynched by a mob. Although the FBI found who lynched him, the all white jury decided that the people that did it were not guilty. The same sort of discrimination and segregation was shown against the Irish when they first moved to America because of the potato famine. According to the article â€Å"Prejudices and Discrimination Against Our Irish Ancestors†, Irish immigrants first began moving to the United States around 1847 when the Great Famine hit their country.When moving here they were laughed at and forced to move in little slums where only Irish people lived. Many caught diseases and died. Thi s sort of discrimination is very similar to the one that blacks had to endure for they had to build their own ghettos when they moved to the North for jobs. Another important theme of â€Å"Black Like Me† is that of reform. In order for the blacks to be equal to whites to this day they had to go through civil rights movements which were led by very adored people such as MLK and Malcolm X.The theme of reform is apparent in the book when Griffin goes to cities such as Montgomery and Atlanta. Instead of being hopeless and defeated, people there were optimistic and were opposing nonviolently. In the book it mentions of a time where two black people were sitting in a bus and the driver asks them to move so a white lady could sit there. Non violently the two black people did not move and a white person in the bus got up to hurt them and is stopped by the bus driver and the lady. In other words, the nonviolent resistance was working.American Diversity and Reformation are two major t hemes that the United States has experienced throughout the years. If these two themes did not exist, the United States that we know today would not be the same. In a way historians have always described America as a melting pot of cultures which is a very legitement statement seeing how its’ earliest populations migrated from different parts of Europe whether it was England, France, or Spain. This early migration caused the American Diversity that we know today.Also without all the reforms and wars to protect civil rights, America would no longer be called the land of the free or the place where all dreams come true. â€Å"Black Like Me† is a book that strongly fits both these themes and in a way it even defines them. Works Cited â€Å"The Civil Rights Movement. †Ã‚  The Civil Rights Movement. Socialist Alternative, n. d. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. . Daw, Chad. â€Å"Prejudices and Discrimination Against Our Irish Ancestors. †Ã‚  Yahoo! Contributor Network. N. p . , 19 Mar. 2009. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. . â€Å"The Civil Rights Movement. †Ã‚  Calisphere -. UC Libraries, 2012. Web. 13 Aug. 2012.