Essay --

The importance of investing in astronomy and space research It is a widespread opinion that space research and astronomy are trivial issues, often regarded as useless, and that the money invested in them would be better used elsewhere. In the U.S alone —the country with the largest space program, conducted by the famous agency know as NASA—, the percentage of citizens who believe that the space program should be cancelled increased from 4% to 8% between 1998 and 2009 (acoording to a Gallup poll from 2009 carried by the NBC)[1]. Another study conducted by the CNN and the ORC in 2010 showed that 50% of the Americans felt that the money destined to the space shuttle program —which had concluded the year before— would have been better spent somewhere else [2]. The main goal of this essay is to prove those missconceptions wrong through arguments and evidence. The most widespread thesis against space research is that the large amounts of money it costs would be better spent in other fields such as improving social policies like healthcare and education, providing help to the impoverished, and helping restructure the damaged economy in this times of world economical crysis. However, once one looks at the figures with some detail, this idea falls by its own weight. Actually, the investment in space research programs has a dramatic possitive impact on the economy of any country. As Richard Garriott de Cayeux, former astronaut, says in his article in the Huffington Post Investing in Our Future: Does Investing in Space Exploration Help or Hinder Progress Towards Prosperity?, â€Å"Investments that reduce the costs of basic survival needs, or expand access to the tools that allow people to help themselves, is universally a good investment.† [3] Wh... ...a trivial matter which does not desire, that missconception has been proven wrong throughout this essay. It not only has provided us with countless technologies and solutions that make our life easier and better, but also enhaces our knowledge about the universe and aims to give answer to some of the big questions in the history of mankind. Human being has become the dominant species thanks to its superior intelligence and its thirst to push himself towards new limits, explore new boundaries and obtain superior knowledge that makes for his weaknesses compared to other spscies. If we wank to keep moving on, if we want to keep our overpopulated planet sound and its popullation fed, pushing the boundaries stronger than ever is now a must. And refusing to invest in scientific research and education is definetly an step backwards in this path that we, as a society, share.

Critical analysis on A good man is hard to find Essay -- essays rese

Religious Symbolism in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† This paper will present a rhetorical context for the use of violence in the short story, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† as she presented in her essay â€Å"The Element of Suspense.† The form of classical tragedy in this story will also be analyzed from the critical theories of Aristotle and Longinus. Tolstoy will be used to examine the use Christian symbolism. Nietzsche will provide a more well-rounded universal conclusion to the uses of tragedy and spiritual elements in this classic story. Flannery O’Connor gave a talk about â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† in 1963 at Hollins College, Virginia, which was published as the essay, â€Å"The Element of Suspense In ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find.’† In this essay, O’Connor defined the reasons for using violence in her stories. To establish a basis of reason within the story, O’Connor stated â€Å"Much of my fiction takes its character from a reasonable use of the unreasonable, though the reasonableness may not always be apparent. The assumptions that underlie . . . are those of the central Christian mysteries† ("Suspense" 803). O’Connor placed her characters in seemingly unreasonable situations as a means of creating a sublime experience. Her beliefs were strongly evident in the collected body of her fiction. She commented that, â€Å"Belief, in my own case, is the engine that makes perception operate† ("Suspense" 803). Perhaps the stronge st influence on her writing was her illness with lupus. O’Connor’s struggles with being ill and facing death certainly affected the creation of the characters who awaited a moment of grace. To justify the use of violence in her fiction, O’Connor stated â€Å"in my own stories I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace† ("Suspense" 804). Her characters were closed-minded and self-centered. â€Å"Their heads are so hard that nothing else will for the work,† was her justification for using violent means to awaken the characters to reality ("Suspense" 804). Although she employed terror and death in many of her stories, she stated that violence was not the ultimate goal of the stories. â€Å"It is in the extreme situation that best reveals what we are essentially† ("Suspense" 805). O’Connor believed the violent situations her char... ...vior as a means of coping with the tragedy of existence (422). â€Å"The gods show us how there is a need for a whole world of torment in order for the individual to produce the redemptive vision† (422). O’Connor employed Christian beliefs to create cathartic works of fiction in the same way Greek writers used their gods and heroes in tragic literature. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† has spiritual meaning which transcends exclusively Christian ideals. O’Connor intended for the audience to become aware of what traits were essential for living and were â€Å"taken into eternity† ("Suspense" 805). The actions of the characters could be viewed through a more open minded screen which, actions that demonstrated the â€Å"real heart of the story† on a level which deals with â€Å"the Divine life and our participation in it† ("Suspense" 803). O’Connor intended for the story to â€Å"transcend any neat allegory† or â€Å"pat moral categories a reader could make† (803). The true heart of the story â€Å"must have somehow made contact with mystery† (803). Readers of diverse spiritual beliefs could still derive meaning from this story, since the unifying feeling of brotherhood is common among major religions.

The Townshend Act and Protest of the Colonists :: American America History

The Townshend Act and Protest of the Colonists The Townshend Acts’ repeal of the Stamp Act left Britain's financial problems unresolved. Parliament had not given up the right to tax the colonies and in 1767, at the urging of chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend, it passed the Townshend Acts, which imposed taxes on lead, glass, tea, paint, and paper that Americans imported from Britain. In an effort to strengthen its own authority and the power of royal colonial officials, Parliament, at Townshend's request, also created the American Board of Customs Commissioners whose members would strictly enforce the Navigation Acts. Revenue raised by the new tariffs would be used to free royal officials from financial dependence on colonial assemblies, thus further encroaching on colonial autonomy. Once again the colonists protested vigorously. In December 1767, John Dickinson, a Philadelphia lawyer, published 12 popular essays that reiterated the colonists' denial of Parliament's right to tax them and warned of a conspiracy by a corrupt British ministry to enslave Americans. The Sons of Liberty organized protests against customs officials, merchants entered into nonimportation agreements, and the Daughters of Liberty advocated the nonconsumption of products, such as tea, taxed by the Townshend Acts. The Massachusetts legislature sent the other colonies a circular letter condemning the Townshend Acts and calling for a united American resistance. British officials then ordered the dissolution of the Massachusetts General Court if it failed to withdraw its circular letter; the court refused, by a vote of 92 to 17, and was dismissed. The other colonial assemblies, initially reluctant to protest the acts, now defiantly signed the circular letter, outraged at British interference with a colonial legislature.In other ways, British actions again united American protest. The Board of Customs Commissioners extorted money from colonial merchants and usedflimsy excuses to justify seizing American vessels. These actions heightened tensions, which exploded on June 21, 1768, when customs officials seized Boston merchant John Hancock's sloop Liberty. Thousands of Bostonians rioted, threatening the customs commissioners' lives and forcing them to flee the city. When news of the Liberty riot reached London, four regiments of British army troops-some 4,000 soldiers-were ordered to Boston to protect the commissioners. The contempt of British troops for the colonists, combined with the soldiers' moonlighting activities that deprived Boston laborers of jobs, inevitably led to violence. In March 1770 a riot occurred between British troops and Boston citizens, who jeered and taunted the soldiers. The troops fired, killing five people. The so-called Boston Massacre aroused great colonial resentment. This anger was soon increased by further parliamentary legislation. Bowing to colonial economic boycotts, Parliament, guided by the new prime minister, Lord Frederick North, repealed the Townshend Acts in 1770 but retained the

Buried Child Essay

It represents the fragmentation of the American nuclear family in a context of disappointment and disillusionment with American mythology and the American Dream, the 70s rural economic slowdown and the breakdown of traditional family structures and values. It reflects the universal frustrations of American people. The postmodern style of this play incorporates surrealism and symbolism. Surrealism is part of the play. The use of symbols such as the rain and the corn give the play a symbolist element. The humor is also an essential element. All these stylistic elements give the play a postmodern feel. Eclecticism and skepticism have also to do with postmodernism. Dodge + Halie = Tilden and Bradley Tilden has son Vince whose girlfriend is Shelly The character of Ansel: he is the son that Halie idolizes as an All-American hero despite his death. Tilden and Bradley: both failed their parents’ expectations. Both are expected to take over the farm or at least care for their parents in their old age. However both are handicapped: Tilden emotionally and Bradley physically. They are unable to care for their parents and thus unable to carry out the American Dream. Tilden: he has no purpose, no direction in his life. He had sex with his mother. (Vince) Bradley: aggressive, lost his leg. He Is emasculated by the removal of his leg. Dodge: felt the failure of the farm and the family. He failed to make the farm successful. He is an alcoholic. He has been emasculated by his son and the infertility of his fields. The Priests reflects the breakdown of morality and ethics in America. The act of incest and the murder breakdown the family values. It’s a dysfunctional family.

Provide Leadership Across the Organisation

PROVIDE LEADERSHIP ACROSS THE ORGANISATION ASSESSMENT BY CHARLOTTE MCMANUS LEADER: The 14th Dalai Lama 1. INTRODUCTION The reason for selecting the Dalai Lama is because he has achieved many things in his life and is now considered amongst many researchers and writers, as one of the greatest leaders of all time. He has been a leader of a country, a religion, and more significantly, the leader of the spiritual world. He is a fascinating character that has experienced many difficult situations which increases the intrigue of this leader and the skills that he possess. He leads and promotes a way of life that encapsulates all humans, in all countries, of all religions, and uses very unique leadership skills, which will be very interesting to study. 1. 2BACKGROUND The Dalai Lama is a re-incarnation of a long line (13 before him) of â€Å"tulkus  (an enlightened Tibetan Buddhist lama/teacher) who descend from the  bodhisattva  Avalokitesvara†. The first Dalai Lama was Gendun Drup who lived in 1391 – 1474. Tenzin Gyatso was enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama in 1940 when he was five years old, and assumed â€Å"temporal responsibility of Tibet† (www. alailamafoundation. org) when he was 15 years old. He experienced an invasion of Tibet by the Chinese and escaped into exile in India when he was 24, making him the first ever Dalai Lama ever to leave Tibet. The Dalai Lama has dedicated his life to promoting a world free of violence and suffering, where all nature can live in peace and harmony together, irrespective of nationality and religious beliefs. He believes that through meditation, compassion and the respect for all life, each person will achieve happiness and contentment in their life. 1. 3ACHIEVEMENTS The Dalai Lama has achieved many things in his life to date, including being awarded with one of the most recognised awards in the world in 1989; The Nobel Peace Prize, which is a true indication of his world-recognised contributions to promote peace. To achieve this award the Dalai Lama has spent his entire life striving to create a more peaceful environment for the human race, with a great focus on reclaiming human rights in Tibet. This mission has seen him travel all over the world, meeting with leaders of many countries presenting new initiatives and being relentless in his message and strength to resolve these issues. These include his appeals to the United Nations during his exile, in 1959, 1961 and 1965, which resulted in three resolutions being adopted by the General Assembly. In 1987 he presented the â€Å"Five Point Peace Plan† to the Congressional Humans Rights Caucus. This was an appeal to the US Congress for the restoration of human rights in Tibet and to announce it as a zone of peace, therefore stopping the dumping of nuclear waste in Tibet, as well as urging â€Å"earnest negotiations on the future of Tibet and relations between the Tibetan and Chinese people† (http://nobelprize. org). In 1989 he offered the â€Å"Middle Way Proposal† at the European Parliament, which was not accepted, however, the Dalai Lama again proposed this in 1996 and 1997, when a preliminary opinion poll was held and the policy was adopted by Parliament. In April 1991, Tenzin Gyatsu travelled to the US and met with George Bush, which ended a boycott with the nation, and also resulted in US Congress passing the â€Å"Tibetan Policy Act 2002†, formalising US support for dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama, and also providing funding to Tibet for development projects within the country. This was a very strategic decision ade by the Dalai to create a valuable relationship with one of the most powerful counties in the world, and also resulted in the US awarding the Dalai Lama with the highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 2007. Whilst negotiating with parliaments and congress worldwide, the Dalai Lama has rebuilt communities for those living in exile, set up educational, cultural and religious institutions all over the world to assist in maintaining the Tibetan culture and teach Buddhism. He still continues to lead a population of an estimated â€Å"500 million Buddhists worldwide† (http://www. thedhamma. com). 1. 4LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS It is very clear that the Dalai Lama’s objectives are to restore â€Å"equality, respect, trust and mutual benefit† (www. nobelprize. org) between Tibet and China. His concerns are for â€Å"all members of the human family† (www. nobelprize. org), and he has remained consistent and relentless in his message which has resulted in loyalty and dedication from his followers. Personal values are very important to this leader, and he sets a moral example to his followers, yet also during the most difficult situations he still appears to act rationally. For example, it is reported that â€Å"20% of the Tibetan population have died in combat with the Chinese† (www. dityabirla. com), yet he consistently acts with integrity, compassion and empathy, whilst remaining strategic and controlled in his negotiations with this nation. The Dalai Lama’s values and morals are what lead him; this encourages his followers to also align their values with his. He sticks to his principles of right conduct, and therefore sets a moral example to his followers, which results in their unwavering support for him and his cause. These values and morals have prevented the Dalai Lama from behaving violently when in a threatening situation as they are part of his psychological makeup, and moral reasoning. Theory Y is applicable in this scenario as the Dalai Lama leads on the premise that people are intrinsically motivated, meaning that how they feel will impact and influence them more than external motivation. Because of his spiritual strengths the Dalai Lama has developed the highest stage of moral reasoning, which as Kohlberg has expressed is not always possible. Whilst Gyatsu’s morals remain the most important driver in his leadership, his culture is also something he is very proud of and is something that he is consistently working to retain. This is evident through his part in the leading the development of towns of Tibetans in exile across the world that celebrate and acknowledge the Tibetan culture, in particular, Buddhism, which has also clearly driven his behaviours and attitudes towards life. There are numerous groups following the Dalai Lama’s Buddhist teachings, with followers travelling all over the world to get the opportunity to meet or listen to his teachings live. This group cohesion ensures reciprocal influence and maximises the influence of his messages, which is another reason why the Dalai Lama spends so much of his time travelling. He regularly visits these groups to minimise interpersonal conflicts between the groups. It also allows for new groups to form at each event, which results in the group development process repeating itself throughout the world. The Dalai Lama’s leadership is both authentic and servant leadership. He promotes self-awareness, openness and inclusivity within the human family, yet he also acts as a servant for the people of Tibet to fight for their right to live in peace. I would say that the Dalai Lama is a transformational leader who provides vision for his followers and inspires them to â€Å"embrace his vision† of peace and happiness for all. He allows them to dream of what they can achieve, then designs a way for them to achieve it, and then continues to develop it through initiatives and programs that allow the vision to materialise, as we have seen in section 1. 3 â€Å"Achievements†. 1. 5TYPE OF POWER Due to his position within the Buddhism community the Dalai Lama possesses referent power over his followers, this has developed over a long period of time, which has allowed his followers to witness his leadership skills and what he is prepared to experience/sacrifice for his beliefs. This has resulted in his following growing consistently over the past 70 years, as people trust, respect and love him, therefore increasing his influence and support. As it is believed that the Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama he also possesses a level of legitimate power that has been passed down to him when he was enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama. This legitimate power would only be relevant to those that believe in Buddhism, therefore believe in the concept of reincarnation. This legitimate power is not a power that the Dalai Lama exercises, as he claims that he is â€Å"a simple monk from Tibet, I am no one special† (Nobel Prize acceptance speech). This claim also contributes to the respect that his followers have for him and also helps them relate to him through his personalised leadership, resulting in stronger bonds being formed. The Dalai Lama is also a community leader, as he does not have position power from any country, and also has minimal resources to communicate his message through. He also possesses the skills to build social capital, as discussed above and mobilisation, through the travel he does all over the world to communicate with his followers. 1. 6PERSONAL TRAITS The Dalai Lama uses his personal traits to communicate with people more effectively, which in turn ensures he gains their trust and respect. He is often smiling at people, listens intently, and always maintains eye contact with the listening or speaker. He appears to be comfortable discussing all topics and never interrupts the speaker during conversation, but listens, encourages them to continue and then responds calmly. The Dalai Lama speaks three languages, Tibetan, Chinese and English. This ensures he can communicate and connect strongly with his fellow countrymen in Tibet. It is also important that he can communicate effectively with those that he has conflicts with, the Chinese. English is also a language he has learnt, as this is the most common language spoken in the Western world and therefore means maximum exposure of his message to those across the world. When people talk about their encounter with the Dalai Lama, many mention his insatiable laugh and kind smile that result in them â€Å"warming to him† (www. youtube. com) and instantly wanting to listen and absorb his message. It has been reported by some, that he possesses an aura that has an amazingly positive effect on a person and is communicated to the receiver purely through facial expressions, including eye contact. As these aspects of the communication process makes up 50% of the message, it therefore ensures clarity and understanding for the receiver of the message. . 7LESSONS TO BE LEARNT The Dalai Lama has a lot to teach those that analyse his leadership skills, but I would say that the most profound teaching is that you must connect with your followers, by gaining their trust and commitment. This can only be achieved by being consistent in your message, whilst acting with integrity, and providing your group or team with a vision, and assisting with achieving the fi nal goal through support and development of the vision. It is also important to leave regrets behind and take forward the lessons which have been learnt by past mistakes, which ensures group cohesion, therefore maximising the chances of achieving that goal or objective. To be a successful leder you must be passionate about achieving your objective, as this will be communicated to your followers, therefore encouraging loyalty and passion iin them, whilst inspiring them to achieve their goal. Mentoring is also another important aspect of leadership, as it ssists in the changing of behaviours and also encourages aspirations in the less experienced, whilst passing on valuable skills and lessons learnt from a more experienced leader. This has been apparent by the lessons and support that the Dalai Lama has received from many leaders around the world, including religious political and organisational, and also by the time he spent as a child learning about Buddhism and Tibetan culture. 1. 8CONCLUSION In conclusion, it has been very interesting and inspiring to read about this leader, i have learnt about many skills that are required to be a successful and inspirational leader. However, this spiritual leader may have many more skills that I believe cannot be duplicated without many hours of meditation and the study of his culture. Yet, this in itself highlights how effective the Dalai Lama is in communicating his message in relation to Buddhism, and how inspirational he really is.

Promotion of Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Nowadays our life is getting more and more tense. People live under the press of different problems, such as social, ecological, economic and others. They constantly suffer from stress, noise and dust in big cities, diseases and instability. A person should be strong and healthy in order to overcome all difficulties. To achieve this aim people ought to take care of their physical and mental health. There are several ways to do it. The state of your body depends on how much time you spend doing sports. At least everybody must do morning exercises every day. The most healthy kinds of sports are swimming, running and cycling. Doing simple exercises every day can increase your health level and improve your immune system. Physical training strengthens your organism and allows effective fighting with illnesses. So if you are active, breathe fresh air and don’t stay too much time indoors you will not have problems with your health. Healthy food is also a very important factor. Overeating causes many dangerous diseases. The daily menu should include meat, fruit and vegetables, milk product, which are rich in vitamins, fat, proteins and etc. On the other hand modern diets are very popular especially among women. Diets may be harmful, if they are used in the wrong way. Food is a key element of our good health. Eating healthy, nutritious and vitamin-rich products can improve your health. Fruit and vegetables are natural resources of vitamins A, B, C and E and other useful substances. Bread, dairy products, nuts and low-fat meat give you a large amount of energy and nutritious elements. To be healthy, people should get rid of their bad habits. It’s necessary to stop smoking and drinking much. Everyone should remember that cigarettes, alcohol and drugs destroy both body and brain. Besides according to statistics most of crimes are committed by people under the influence of drugs and alcohol. A person with bad habits risks to get a lot of illnesses. Smoking cigarettes shortens your life and can cause cancer. Drinking alcohol ruins your organism, destroys your nervous sytem and leads to liver malfunction. Taking drugs causes addiction and a large number of such illnesses as cancer, AIDS and tuberculosis. If you want to live a long and healthy life you should give up all your bad habits. In addition it is recommended to watch TV less, avoid anxiety and observe daily routine. Certainly it’s hard to follow all these recommendations, but every person have to choose between healthy life style and numerous illnesses. – good and healthy sleep: Sleep is one of the main factors that influences our health. Every person needs to sleep about 8 hours to stay active during weekdays. Bad sleep can decrease your mental and physical abilities, and become a reason for illnesses and stress. At the end I’d like to conclude that without health our life is miserable. People should be more careful of their health and organisms. If you have great health you will easily achieve everything you want. Health is very important in life of every person. It depends on our lifestyle, products we eat and habits we have. Health is much more precious than money, gold or some other stuff. So what things allow us to preserve a high level of health?! In the next 10 years, our organization will create more than 1000 free sports complexes in which all work will be carried out by volunteers. Our workers will create the mini brochure in which all reasons will be specified, why it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Information Businness Essay

1. What management, organization, and technology factors were behind the Cincinnati Zoo losing opportunities to increase revenue Three main reasons why investments in information technology do not always produce positive results – Information quality which mean High-quality decisions require high-quality information – Management filters which mean Managers have selective attention and have variety of biases that reject information that does not conform to prior conceptions – Organizational inertia and politics which meStrong forces within organizations resist making decisions calling for major change 2. Why was replacing legacy point-of-sale systems and implementing a data warehouse essential to an information system solution? High-velocity automated decision making Made possible through computer algorithms precisely defining steps for a highly structured decision Humans taken out of decision For example: High-speed computer trading programs i. Trades executed in 30 milliseconds ii. Responsible for â€Å"Flash Crash† of 2010 Require safeguards to ensure proper operation and regulation 3. How did the Cincinnati Zoo benefit from business intelligence? How did it enhance operational performance and decision making? What role was played by predictive analytics? Business intelligence Infrastructure for collecting, storing, analyzing data produced by business Databases, data warehouses, data marts High-velocity automated decision making Made possible through computer algorithms precisely defining steps for a highly structured decision Information systems can only assist in some of the roles played by managers 4. Visit the IBM Cognos Web site and describe the business intelligence tools that would be the most useful for the Cincinnati Zoo. introduces the concept of business intelligence and analytics. The text gives the example of Hallmark Cards, which uses SAS analytics software to analyze buying patterns and determine the most effective marketing plan for different types of customers. For example, which customers would respond best to direct mail or e-mail, and to what types of messages. It is important to understand that business intelligence and business analytics are products defined by hardware and software vendors. This is also one of the fastest growing segments in the U.S. software