Saturday, August 31, 2019

Proficiency Level in English Communication Skills Essay

â€Å"English is without a doubt the actual universal language†. While English is not an official language in most countries, it is the language most often taught as a second language. English is most widely used in communicating around the world. The information that we* the researchers gathered about communication and English made them realized that the two terminologies must be always together. Good communication creates a good ambience and relationship between everyone in every organization most especially if it is inside a business while English is now required in every company. Language is now considered a skill, in fact, big companies, both here and abroad, are now looking for good English communication skills among potential employees, sadly, these companies are disappointed. Sad to say that even the students nowadays are not practicing effective communication; some really don’t want to practice it and some are practicing it in the most improper way in the form of the so-called â€Å"taglish†, a combination of Filipino and English words in one sentence. We* The researchers became interested with the English communication proficiency of the secondary students nowadays; those who can afford to enroll in college will be privileged to learn and be trained more with their communication skills, but what about those students who cannot afford to be upgraded in tertiary level? Of course they’ll apply for a job to make a living, but the problem is, even the few available jobs for high school graduates require good communication skills, and unfortunately, we*as the researchers have noticed, most high school students are not prepared for this kind of challenge. Some of the students are good in written communication but not that good when it comes to oral because some are shy to let others hear their English, or afraid to execute a wrong grammars or bad sentence on how or the way they talk.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Discussing psychologist perspectives and their use Essay

Cognitive- This approach is portrayed by two theorists; Jean Piaget and George Kelly. This perspective refers to age-related changes in knowledge and acts of knowing plus understanding. Research shows that this approach is the best treatment practised for almost every single disorder, another positive point to this perspective is that it’s really quick with lasting changes; it also helps people become more confident and boost people with learning difficulties self-esteem. It’s also very easy and works for a majority of people. The negatives to this perspective are that it can be seen as non-person centred, it’s not effective for lower functioning clients, and some clinicians feel that it doesn’t address other issues. This can be used in health and social care through helping individuals who misread situations, as this approach mainly helps people with learning difficulties so it can help certain individuals come to terms with some irrational thoughts they may have. Biological- This perspective is about the view of personality that focuses on the way behaviour and personality are influenced by neuro-anatomy, biochemistry, genetics or evolution. This perspective also helps people understand how and why we have a certain diseases. The positives to this approach; the more we know about the brain, the more we should be able to explain how we operate and to understand what makes us ‘tick’. Also the main strength to the biological approach is that chemotherapy, ECT and psychosurgery can be used to treat the symptoms of abnormal behaviour directly and in a very short time. The negatives to this approach are the risk of side effects- e. g. in case of chemotherapy there is the risk that patients may become psychologically and physically dependent on the drugs involved. Symptoms often recur when the treatment stops, so many patients have to be re-admitted to hospital. It also raises serious ethical issues. Other things people look upon as negative is the fact that it’s hard to determine the extent to which genetic inheritance influences behaviour. This perspective can be used in health and social care through the use of developmental norms, this means making sure that a young child is developing properly, so that their behaviour and understanding matches that if their chronological age.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Brand survey Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brand survey - Assignment Example Students typing on their laptops sitting on the comfortable couches or chair can be seen when one enters Starbucks and the comfort also enables the students to purchase more drinks than they planned to. Compared to any other coffee store, Starbucks provides a wide range of drinks which includes 22 variations of iced and hot tea, variations of frappuccinos and various other flavors of every drink they offer such as smoothies and juices. However, DD does not offer tea to its customers. Bakery goods are also displayed in glass displays which the customers can easily see but Dunkin Donuts only displays their donuts. An increasing array of foods can be seen at Starbucks such as breakfast meals, various kinds of sandwiches, salads, yogurt as well as ice cream.1 The best thing about Starbucks compared to DD is that it provides an excellent customer service. A Starbucks worker asks a customer for his name which is then written on their beverage in order to ensure that they get the correct or der. Moreover, cup holders are also provided by Starbucks for the customers to use if their beverage is very hot. All these develop brand loyalty because of which the customers visit the store again and again.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Problem-solution essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Problem-solution - Essay Example Their behavior was a result of the severe psychological problems developed in result of unfriendly treatment by their classmates. The tragedy occurred with David and Paul is not just a unique case that should be recognized as an accident. However, this accident could have been avoided if both boys had enough proper parental care, if there were developed effective social programs against income and racial inequalities; and government bodies have restricted the gun control legislation. The accident could have been avoided if both boys had proper parental care and awareness of their sons. Lack of proper parental care was one of the main problems that have caused the tragedy at the public high school, attended by David and Paul. Parents had to try to understand this issue and pay more attention to their children, increase their parental care and awareness. While Paul and David were adolescents’ age, they needed more attention from the closest people, who would be able to understand their problems. Even though the parents of these teenagers were not directly mentioned in the case, their indirect participation or better to say lack of parental participation in the lives of their children was a critical point. First of all, parents are the people who should listen to their children, support them and help to solve their problems. Considering this parental responsibility, David’s and Paul’s parents had to resolve the psychological problems of their s ons by taking effective measures. They could speak by their own with sons, support them and give useful advice, provide them with a psychological support and optimism. If this failed to work, there was an alternative to hire a specially trained psychologist, with experience in working with adolescents. Also, David’s and Paul’s parents could take a decision to change school and thus to â€Å"relieve† boys from the unfriendly social treatment. However, neither David nor Paul

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Tears of men and women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tears of men and women - Essay Example Also, the tasks associated by varied cultures to the two different sexes relate a lot to their emotional mindset. The women mostly take care of children while the men earn and take care of the material and social needs of the family. Also, under the situations marked by emotional distress, women are more capable of being obvious with their tears while the men remain emotionally restraint. Yet, in the light of the available facts, tears do enable a person to give vent to pent up emotions and the hesitation on the part of men to be forthcoming with tears could give way to many health, psychological and social problems in them (Hales 1). Hence, the modern men need to be more sensitive and must be willing to come out with tears, if the need be. Being scarcely conversant with how men deal with emotions in other cultures, the views expressed by me are qualified by the norms and expectations of the culture in which I was born. Crying is perhaps the truest expression of human emotions as it allows a person to express one’s emotions. For instance, even young children who cannot speak do tend to communicate with their parents through crying. People tend to shed tears both when they are sad and when they are very happy. For instance the death of a loved one could undeniably lead one to tears. I distinctly remember that I wept when my son was born. This is because my wife was suffering from serious gynecological problems at that time and the doctors had warned her against conceiving as she had already miscarried twice. The point that I am trying to make is that crying tends to be extempore amongst both the sexes when they suddenly comes across sad or elating situation. However, things are not as simple. In a social context, most of the human traditions and practices do tend to regiment the expression of tears amongst men and women, which places men in psychologically difficult situations, hampering them from the natural expression of their emotions (Mens Line Austra lia 1). Perhaps, men hesitate from shedding tears has a lot to do with the weak status of the women in different societies. There is no denying the fact that both men and women are looking for love, affection and understanding in their life. Yet, women are more forthcoming with emotions as compared to men. It is also true that women are more prone to emotional, financial and sexual exploitation, at least in a visible context. Even men who become victims of exploitation in intimate relationships prefer to hide their dilemma. Hence, the more obvious exploitation of women in many societies makes men think that shedding tears is a mark of weakness and if they are more outright with their emotions, it will make them more vulnerable and will make them appear weak. This factor also amply inhibits men from expressing emotions. Many experts tend to hold that mentally women happen to be wired differently as compared to men (Lloyd 1). The mental anatomy of women makes it easier for them to giv e vent to their emotions by crying (Lloyd 2). In contrast the approach of men towards distressing and challenging situations tends to be different. Men approach emotional issues and situations in a more logical and restrained manner (Lloyd 2). However, this development of disparate mental circuitry in women and men over the evolutionary progress has in a way placed the women in a situation of advantage

Monday, August 26, 2019

Relations Of Marketing With My Major Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Relations Of Marketing With My Major - Essay Example Management  on the other hand is the act of using available resources well in organizing people with an aim of achieving set goals and objectives. Management involves planning, controlling, decision-making, leadership, and coordination. Management involves company managers and all employees of a company. Marketing relates with my management in many ways aimed at promoting business operations. Management is one of the determinants of marketing. Actually, the management makes marketing decisions while the employees and staff implements the decisions. The management decides what the company will produce, how much will be sold, the selling price, marketing methods, and the staff to carry out marketing. The management organizes the whole organization and the marketing staff. Indeed, the management gives marketing duties and shows how they will take place. In addition, the management trains the marketing team on the marketing strategies to use and the marketing language to use. The manag ement plays a very important role in establishing a good marketing environment. The mode of association between the marketers and the customers originates from the management. The management forms the basis of any marketing strategy that the employees use in selling the company’s products and services. A good marketing strategy encourages the participation of the management and the employees. Indeed, the management coordinates all marketing activities between the company and the customers. The management achieves this by allocating time, locations, and availing materials necessary for marketing operations. The management is also involved in planning all operations of an organization including the marketing operations where the managers are the leaders of such activities. The management not only recruits the marketing team, but also determines the remuneration of the marketing team. In addition, to determine

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Organizational Design Research Worksheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Design Research Worksheet - Essay Example National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was the first company to implement a formal matrix structure. They implemented the matrix system in their space program because it needed to simultaneously implement different projects at the same time. A matrix structure was the best option for NASA because unlike other structures, the matrix structure was less bureaucratic, slow-moving or hierarchical. It also enabled them to make every department independent of each other by equipping them with their own staffing and financing resources (Teitel, 2002). This defied the old models that had a single department to cater for the entire organization making it mandatory for one to consult and await approval before embarking on any project. Despite the matrix structure benefits, there existed some downsides for the organization. Some employees found themselves reporting to more than one superior at the same time making it real confusing for them to execute decisions which overlapped. This brought about a lot of problems for both the superiors and the subordinates. There was also duplication of work within the organization because all projects seemed to be self-sufficient in running all their affairs including the preparation of paperwork. This meant that the organization had many departments performing a similar function for example all projects had their own finance department. Despite the cons of this structure the pros outweighed them and the model has been seen to be adopted by many more organizations since its formal implementation by NASA. NASA was therefore successful in the implementation of this design (John, 2008). The most traditional of all the models of organization structures was the functional structure. It is sometimes referred to as the bureaucratic structure because of the existence of a rigid chain of command. Of all the structures it is the least complicated and easiest to understand. It is characterized by the existence

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Current issues in financial reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Current issues in financial reporting - Essay Example Because of this, there is a huge interest as well as apprehension regarding the basis upon which accounting data is collected and reported. Thus, the statement made by Solomons (1991) that ‘[i]f accounting is to retain any credibility – and without credibility it is worthless – its guiding light must be neutrality in financial reporting’, surely, assumes that the records on a balance sheet or profit and loss statement ought to be a precise indication of a business’s performance. This, unarguably, is the function of accounting. It is a language that explains as well as communicates features of company to its owners along with other concerned parties. The goals of financial statement turn out to be intricate during current years as the quantity and complication of disclosures have risen, and the users of financial statement have become even more demanding. Accounts are no longer merely a description of earlier activity and existing solvency. In the pre sent day, investors as well as other users of accounts anticipate to be able to utilize them to estimate business’s potential and to predict its success. Accounting information within financial statement may well be precise in the solely legal aspect but may not expose fiscal or business truth. Clearly, there is nothing novel regarding this condition; the regulations that guide the preparation of an account are â€Å"legion† (Pounder, 2009, p. 102), and a few of them are practical whereas a number of them seem very flexible and difficult to deal with; thus, accountants attempt to understand the regulations in the best manner that matches the principles. Nonetheless, there are reasons for considering that something will currently have to be done regarding the situation. The latest wave of abrupt as well as unanticipated failure and crash of major financial institutions has tended to destabilize assurance in audited account. Lately, it has been noticed that well-informed chief executives of banks show reluctance regarding their enormous â€Å"paper profits† (Botzem, 2012, p. 76). This is a sign that financial reports all over the globe are considered to be misleading and not telling the real position and that by large, inaccuracies could surface in later years. This reality indicates a somewhat sorry image of the condition of the accounting work and reliability of available financial reporting. In spite of all this, there is still a word of support due to several truthful and straightforward accountants who press for telling reality in their accounts and whose approach has support from their boards and their auditors, therefore guaranteeing that the â€Å"black art of cosmetic reporting† (Botzem, 2012, p. 76) in accounting is at least lessened if not eradicated. Accounting information is consistent if it is reasonably exempt from inaccuracy and partiality and truly reveals what it intends to reveal. Information is dependable when it h as representational authenticity and is confirmable as well as neutral. Representational authenticity is the level of connection between the stated accounting measurements or depictions and the financial sources and commitments as well as the dealings and events creating alterations in these items (Alexander et al., 2011, p. 120). Having a high level of representational authenticity is helpful in decreasing measurement prejudice. Verifiability is the capability of measurers to agree that the chosen technique has been

Master of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Master of Education - Essay Example Several competencies may be used in the classroom, such as: how to use the multiple intelligence strategies where the educator is able to decipher which intelligences are appropriate according to the student population in the classroom. The use of both the intellectual quotient and the emotional quotient will prepare the students to be well prepared for their academic work as well as becoming part of the workforce in due time. I hope to be in a position where I may use these elements in educational settings.This academic graduate program will help me to be able to reach my educational goals and prepare me to put these strategies and theories into practice. It will help me to become a well-rounded educator so that I may share my knowledge with my students and the educational system that include my colleagues.My strengths are that I am an achiever. I am a leader in those activities that I become involved with and I also know how to become a follower. I start and finish tasks on or befo re their due dates. I am a responsible person and I am also a dedicated person.One of my weaknesses was that for personal reasons my grades fell and my attendance was affected. This was due to my mother ´s illness. I had the responsibility to care for her. This, however, became part of my strength since I knew that I wanted to pursue my educational goal and that is the reason why I am applying to your graduate program.I hope University gives me the opportunity to pursue my educational goals.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Affect of oil on our economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Affect of oil on our economy - Essay Example Oil also has consequences that are unintended and have negative impact. In the previous decades, the prices of oil have always been high going for $100 per barrel. Because of increased oil consumptions in nations like China and wars in major oil countries like Iraq. The production of oil in fields that are conventional could not supply the demand efficiently hence the prices increased. The high prices made companies it Canada and USA to begin drilling, hard to get crude. Then all over sudden, the demand for oil started to reduce in places like Asia and Europe and in the USA, due to economies that were weakening and the introduced efficiency measures. Later in 2014, oil supply had risen much more that what is actually demanded. The unused oil was stored away for later use, by September, prices reduced sharply (Cochran, et al.45). The boom before the fall boosted Texas economy for nearly a half a century was finally over. The oil business in West Texas will take at least two years to recover as Houston audience was told by an economist who is familiar with Texas oil producers’ economic indicators. As the boom brought good moments in life, the downturn will lead to economic problems in Texas and other places that were beneficiaries of the boom (Henderson, Rebecca D 37). The cost of oil, permits issued and the numbers of rigs operating in Texas are in the decrease and this means the jobs of many people are in stake. Oil indexes were at the peak in October at it stood at 312.9 but it reduced in December to 309.5, and that was officially the end of a 54 month duration that the Texas energy industry expanded. It is expected that 50,000 upstream jobs will be lost in the Texas as the contraction of oil industry continues, plus additional 250,000 more jobs that are related to the oil and gas industry. GE Oil & Gas is one of the companies that has cut job, it informed the regulators that it is going to lay off 330 of

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Macbeth - Directing Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2 Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Directing Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2 Essay From the directors point of view, this scene is very dramatic because of the impact on Macbeths decision in Act 1 scene seven. In this scene Macbeth almost decides that he has talked himself out of killing the king, but his wife Lady Macbeth has other plans and forces him into a decision that will lead to the death of the king. This affects the two scenes I will be directing because in these two scenes the decision is put into practice when Macbeth kills the king. So I have to direct the two crucial scenes that see the king murdered by Macbeth. The setting for act two scene one is in Macbeths castle. It is dark and Banquo and Fleance are in the courtyard discussing what time of day it is, and as to whether it is past midnight or not. They work out what time it is by seeing if the moon is down, and then the candles are blown out. Now it is at this point large gusts of wind are heard howling throughout the castle with thunder and lightning clashing down around the audience. Owls are heard calling and all manner of nightlife is heard. This effect is used so that the audience are made intense and unaware as to what is happening next and to create tension. The sounds would be achieved through sound effects being played over the speakers and sharp, crisp lighting would be used to symbolise the lightning. A background tune will be played very lightly to create a mood so scary it will keep the audiences fixed to the stage from the edges of their seats. When Macbeth meets Banquo, Macbeth tells him that he is sorry for not being as good a host as usual and Banqou reassures Macbeth that he has been an excellent host to the king. Then he brings up the subject of the witches. He says that he dreamed of the weird sisters the night before, and tells Macbeth To you they have showed some truth. Macbeth replies, I think not of them, which is a deliberate lie. It is true that we havent heard him mention the witches, but he has been thinking of nothing except how to make the prophecies come true. If I was the director I would introduce Macbeth by letting him enter from right and to walk on quietly, sneakily in fact with only soft dull lighting to imitate the moon light. He would be wearing a long black smock to represent the fact he was upset or in regret that he was about to commit a terrible deed. The black would be used because it is traditionally the colour of the night and Macbeth had to blend into the background and move like the night in order not to be spotted or noticed. Banquo would be wearing red pants and a silver lightweight vest created out of steel with the imprinted cross of Scotland on the vest. He would be wearing a polished steel helmet with a sword placed neatly in its pouch, left hanging on the brown leather belt fastened around his waist. He would also have a spear in his hand with a long shaft that would also be used as a walking stick. He would be dressed like this because as a general protecting Duncan king of Scotland he would be expected to wear the kings finest military uniform. As a director I would expect Macbeth to deliver his lines to Banquo in a nervous manner. I would have him stutter and muddle up his words he would also jolt and pause in mid-sentence to give the impression to the audience he is unsure and nervous as to the crime he is about to commit. The lighting in this part of the play as I have already touched on would be dull yet crisp to create a sense of atmosphere and to create a mood, which would help Macbeth, deliver his lines. The torchlight the servant would be carrying at this point would be quite sharp and a glowing effect would be used to create the fire effect. Macbeths facial expressions would be few and far between because I would want him to be pale and blank faced so that it looked like he had other things on his mind, more important and life threatening things. At the opening of Act 2 scene two, Lady Macbeth is stood near to Duncans room waiting for Macbeth to return. At this point, I would want to emphasise the crime that is about to be committed and to create strong tension between the audience and the stage. Ideally the audience would be sitting focused, eyes fixed on the events and I would want them to feel a sense of danger and betrayal the moment Macbeth kills the King. The effects used to create this feeling would be sudden cold gusts of wind lashing through the audience. A strong gust of smoke would slide swiftly along the surface of the stage creating a dark musty atmosphere. Sharp lightning would be seen jolting over the stage with deep blasts of thunder to follow. Lady Macbeth would be dressed in a long silk red dress to represent betrayal and guilt even though she does not show any. When Macbeth returns with the daggers, I think it would be a dramatic moment, so I would chose to have a powerful spotlight focusing on Macbeth as he staggers across the smoke filled stage to his wife. My decision for this is that I would like the whole audience to be fixed to Macbeths every movement. I would want this because I would want the audience just to think about him and the crime that he was just committed. Makeup would be used on Macbeth to make him look like a ghost he would be completely white except for the small dashes of red on his face that would represent the kings blood. His hands and the area around his waist would be completely covered in blood to give the impression that he had hacked the king to pieces. At the opening of act two scene one, Macbeth is confident that he is ready to kill the king. When he tells the lie to Banquo that he has given no more thought to the witches predictions, he should deliver these lines with a certain stutter including repeating and missing out some words. He would also stop and jolt in mid sentence. I think he should speak like this because it makes the audience think he is not sure about what he is about to do and he isnt sure as to whether he can or not. When Macbeth hallucinates he thinks that there is a dagger before him and he reaches out for it and of course cant grasp it. Macbeth is not sure, and wonders whether it is A dagger of the mind, a false creation. If I was the director, I would make Macbeth say these words with confidence then I would make him sound confused as to what he was saying. To give the impression his mind was thinking one thing but common sense was thinking about something else. As Macbeth speaks of the bloody business and how wicked dreams abuse/the curtained sleep, he appears much more confident. To indicate this, I would make him start of whispering the lines then slowly increasing the sound so by the time he had delivered the lines he was screaming them from the rooftops. I would expect his face to be blank, a dark spotlight would be shining on him, as he started shouting his lines he would smile and the spotlight would be turned up, eventually when he had finished Macbeth would be smiling, and the spotlight would be shining brightly. After Macbeth has murdered the king and he returns with the bloody daggers, he seems to be nervous and edgy. His repeated question whos there? What ho? indicates this. I would show this by making Macbeth speak his lines in a slow, shallow majestic voice with the words flowing slowly but surely one after the other with a short silent pause between each precious word. Macbeth considers the enormity of the crime that has been committed, and is terrified, as he knows that he can never be forgiven. He stresses how he could not say Amen after the murder, and how he thought that they heard a voice cry Listning their fear, I would not say Amen, when they did say God bless us. To make this point more dramatic, I would chose to make Macbeths voice cry lightly and sharp frequent drops of water would be seen running across his chin and dripping onto the stage. It would sound like he was in pain with sudden shrieks lashing through the audience as though he wants everyone to experience the heart breaking pain that he is going through. After the murder, Macbeth says I am afraid to think what I have done /look ont again I dare not. Perhaps Macbeth does feel genuine remorse for his crime, or maybe he is more afraid about what will happen to his soul when he dies. I think that he does show some genuine remorse because I think deep down he didnt want to kill Duncan but was in fact talked into by his wife and has now noticed the error of his ways. I could show this by making him drop to his knees and holding his head in his hands crying out for mercy from God. In act two scene one, I would choose to have Banquo to speak in a stern but tired way, as he is Macbeths friend. I would indicate to the audience that he is honest by making sure that he is looking loyal and worthy along with proud and upstanding when he is speaking to another character. Throughout the scenes, Lady Macbeth is revealed to be calm and calculated. When Macbeth returns from the scene of the murder, he says I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. Did not you speak?. I would reflect her unemotional state by having her speak nicely; soft and quiet. Her eyes would wonder as if she were thinking of something completely different. Lady Macbeth seems ill concerned with her husband when he talks of his inability to sleep. She warns him You do unbend your noble strength to think/ so brain of things. Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there: go carry them, and smear the sleepy grooms with blood. If I were the director, I would show her irritation by speaking to her with an abrupt sarcastic voice with a tone that suggests that shes speaking to an idiot. She will snap and snarl at Macbeth and look down on him. To conclude I have tried to answer each section as best I can. I have tried to incorporate the mood set by each characters lines by using lightning and sound effects as well as the way the actors portray their lines. My aim was to try to get the audience involved in the play without them actually acting, so that they could experience one to one the characters moods, so that they could really understand and get into the play. I would chose Ozzy Osborne to play Macbeth because he is older than some, dresses in black and has a certain element of disguise in him which I feel Macbeths actor needs to portray well. I would choose Halle Berry to play Lady Macbeth because her latest film Gothika was a perfect example of a spooky story of which she played her part extremely well.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Theological Themes In The Chronicles Of Narnia Religion Essay

Theological Themes In The Chronicles Of Narnia Religion Essay Four siblings, Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy, were evacuated from World War2 to Professor Digorys country house. There was a huge wardrobe in one room of his house. The adventure began when four siblings pass through the door of a mysterious wardrobe into Narnia held captive for a hundred years under the spell of the White Witch. Lucy was the first to enter Narnia. When she returned the others do not believe her story of Narnia. But Edmund entered Narnia too. Finally, however, all four siblings passed through the magical land. Three of siblings joined forces with talking animals who are faithful to Aslan(Turkish for lion)  [1]  , the king of beast, creator of Narnia. Edmund, however, turned betrayer and went over to the White Witchs castle. Aslan paid the terrible cost of Edmunds betrayal by sacrificing his life to save the Edmunds life. With Aslans sacrificed on the Stone Table, the power of magic was broken. Narnia was freed since Aslans resurrection. The creatures that the Whi te Witch had turned to stone were freed by Aslan. The four siblings spent several years in Narnia, growing up into young adults and reigning as kings and queens during Narnias Golden Age. Eventually the four siblings returned to their own world. The Theological Themes The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe- is well known book in the world. The Author C. S. Lewis tells several theological themes through this book. This essay will discuss the theological themes of The Chronicles of Narnia. First of themes is the temptation. When the White Witch met Edmund, she tempted Edmund with Turkish delight. It was so delicious for him so he wanted some more. She asked for him, Son of Adam, I should so much like to see your brother and your sisters. Will you bring them to me?  [2]   When Edmund had Turkish delight, also he had greed. He tried to bring his family and revealed the plan that Aslan is gathering army. Because he wanted get some more Turkish delight and also wanted to be a prince. Thats results, he was trapped into the prison and Aslan was died. The bible says, Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death (James 1 : 14-15). One of the problems with sin is addictive.  [3]  It separates us from God. So, how can we overcome temptation? The bible says, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Second of themes is the spiritual gifts. Father Christmas brought gifts for each of siblings. Peter got the sword and shield. Susan got the bow and quiver of arrow. And Lucy got a diamond bottle of healing cordial and a dagger.  [4]  These gifts are tools that will help them fulfill their calling and face the challenges.  [5]  Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to each one of us. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7). All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:11). Each one of Christians have own special spiritual gifts from God. The last of themes are suffering and resurrection. Aslan is a redeemer. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for our sins. The results, we were freed from sins by his the redemption. Moreover, he resurrected from the death and fulfilled the covenant. Aslan is very similar as Jesus. First, he died on the Stone table for Edmund who betrayed him. Secondly, he resurrected from the death and he set free those the White Witch has held captive and turned to stone.  [6]  The last one is that the Bible tells us, He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:22-24). In conclusion, there are several theological themes in the Chronicle of Narnia. However, this is not a bible story but fantasy story that based on the authors theological faith. I received impression through the author. Because, every Christian have faith but they dont express their faith. However, C. S. Lewis expressed his faith through his gift from God that is writing. The more application of gifts is, the better gifts will have.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Representation Of Women In Mainstream Film Studies Essay

Representation Of Women In Mainstream Film Studies Essay According to Laura Mulvey women stand in patriarchal culture as signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live out his fantasies and obsessions through linguistic command by imposing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning. This argument can be seen in countless movies across generations and cultures. Mainstream Hindi film industry churned out countless movies where women represented as bearer rather than maker of meaning. However, the film No One Killed Jessica seems to be a departure from this trend. The film is based on the true murder story of Jessica Lal. In a crowded nightclub, Jessica Lal, a model working as a celebrity bartender, refused to serve Manu Sharma and two of his friends. Incensed, Manu Sharma pulls out a gun intending just to give Jessica a scare shoots her dead. More than 300 people were witnessed the event at the exclusive nightclub when Jessica was killed, but nobody came forward to tell the truth in court. The family of Jessica Lal fought legal battle against the rich and powerful for more than a decade and finally got justice. The film, No One Killed Jessica was purposively chosen keeping in view of its commercial success and audience acceptability. Its successful run at the box office implies most of the audience identifies with the films representation of society and individuals. As per general perception through various news media, it had a strong impact on the society regarding the changing image of women. The film can be clearly established on a syntagmatic level; the director (Raj Kumar Gupta), the script (amalgamations of fiction and reality), the directors relationship with his earlier film Aamir (2008). In addition to that, there were snapshots of today in the film in the form of models, fashion, glamour, journalism, sting operations, even stereotypes. All in all the film was a total explosive concoction. The most integral aspect was successful completion of process of making a film as a paradigm in itself.   No One Killed Jessica perhaps one of the rare films where the male gaze is absent, largely because there are no male protagonists, no song and dance sequences, and no overt sexualisation. The female lead is represented in a very masculine form. The film paved the way for newer films to represent women and their everyday issues in a positive light by breaking the existing stereotypes. Bollywood, considered to be among the top three film industries across the world, has time and again successfully adapted to new dimensions to understand and reflect the relatively quick changes in the evolving culture of Indian society. It also reaches Middle East, South Asia, Africa and among South Asian diasporas, world over. This further marks the study of mainstream commercial Hindi film as essential. The study can be taken as a critical base and can be re-examined for upcoming films. Theoretical Framework In mass media, representation is often perceived as the construction of reality in a virtual medium. Such a notion of representation is analogous to the mistaken assumption of a one-to-one correspondence of every word with its referent a language-world isomorphism (Saussure, 1983). Representation in cinema begins with building up of concepts of reality that include human beings, objects, places, cultural identities, and events and extends to the establishment of abstract concepts. In classical aesthetics, Plato identified representation as mimesis i.e. imitation without narration, somewhere close to theatre and differentiated it with the concept of diegesis i.e narration without imitation. Aristotle went further in his seminal work Poetics and suggested that mimesis can never reach the truth because on one hand the audiences are required to feel distant from it so that they can experience catharsis and on the other hand it has to strive hard to imitate reality as close as possible. In fact, Aristotle exclaimed that, Mimesis involves a framing of reality that announces that what is contained within the frame is simply not real. Thus the more real the imitation the more fraudulent it becomes. (Gebauer and Wulf, 1992) The modern aestheticist M. C. Beardsley (1958) proposed a classification of Representation as Depiction (i.e. representation of a type of object), Portrayal (i.e. representation of an individual), and Symbolizing (i.e. representation through a suggested or non-literal meaning). Incorporating all these typifications, representation can be approached from two standpoints. Towing the line of Aristotles interpretation of mimesis, Constructivists tend to believe that cinema is a construction of reality, where reality as an object can be perceived, consumed and witnessed in still as well as moving images and texts but with a catch this perception will always be plagued by cinematic alteration and manipulation and therefore, will always be distinct from reality itself. In other words, our perception of a film will be dependent on our body of knowledge i.e. epistemology, especially our knowledge that this is a film and therefore cannot be real. Thus, Myra Karn is able to portray Jessica Lal because the spectators have agreed to a suspension of disbelief about this fact. However, once this agreement is reached, it immediately leads to a subconscious apprehension that ultimately this is not the complete truth. On the other hand, Realists take an almost opposite viewpoint, best described by Bazins notion that film as a medium is subject to reality by the very incorporation of this capacity of capturing reality in the film-making process itself (Bazin, 1967; pp 21). Bazin went on to establish that there is a style of filmmaking which may be termed as realist which he ascribed to the likes of Jean Renoir, Orson Welles and Italian neorealist Roberto Rossellini all following techniques which render the projected image as close to reality as possible. With time constructivism went on to incorporate structuralism, Barthesian textual analysis, Marxist ideological analysis, Lacanian psychoanalysis, etc. leading to the foundation of cine-semiotics. This led to the birth of feminist film theory which incorporated feminist ideological criticism, cultural studies, psychoanalysis etc. According to Feminist Film Theories, cinema has been an important path on which debates, culture and identity is talked about and even challenged. There have been major theoretical developments and frequent discussions on woman as an object of desire, female spectatorship and cinematic pleasure. Many theorists have contributed to this school of thought. Mulvey in her essay, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1973, printed in 1975), highlights the concept of women as passive role players in films. According to her it baselines the concept of film as visual pleasure. She further stressed that such roles make women as tools of erotic visual effect for male v oyeurism. Mulvey points that in Cinema a womans representation is being a carrier of the meaning rather than making the meaning. Molly Haskell in From Reverence to Rape: The treatment of women in Movies (1974), analyzes how women are portrayed in films, the stereotypes depicted, the extent to which women are projected as passive or active. She also comments upon the amount of screen time given to women. Doane (1987), searches for the type of women representation in the women-oriented films. She insists that women refer to signifier of modernity, rebellious sexuality. According to her, woman as object is single terminology in systems of positioning. Linda Williams (1988) tells us that understanding of spectatorship is a result of representation through three-sided meeting historical and physical subjectivity; contradictory meanings; positions and pleasures. Julia Kristeva (1982) uses the term abject in direct contrast to Lacans object petit a (object of desire) to refer to the spect ators reaction of horror towards a possibly endangered deconstruction in the meaning caused due to the loss of power. Post-structuralist feminist philosopher Judith Butler theorized that gender is different from sex and while the later is biological, gender is actually performative and this performance is driven by rules put in place by strong patriarchal hegemonic structures (Butler, 1999). However, Feminist film theory has also met with strong criticism from various detractors, prominent being Christine Gledhill, who argues for a realist epistemology to underline contemporary feminist film theory (Gledhill, 1984). This follows from the premise that if a feminist film theorist asks the question whether a particular representation in a film is true to womens condition and nature, she has automatically assumed that there is a reality of womens condition and nature (Casebier, 1991; pp 121). In this paper, we attempt to provide a subtextual realism to applied feminist film theory principles using relevant phenomenological theories for example, Benjamins Angel of History and Heideggers Poiesis. Inspired by French Revolutions in 1789, 1830, 1848 and the Paris Commune of 1870, Walter Benjamin interpreted Paul Klees painting, Angelus Novus (1920) in his seminal work, On the Concept of History (1940). The Angel of History, as Benjamin dubbed it, has its face turned towards its past and sees a single catastrophe of revolutionary events, a pile of rubble on its feet even as it is caught up in a storm that drives him towards the future. Benjamin labeled this storm as progress. Further [1973 (1935)], he argued in favor of death of ritual with the birth of camera and mechanical images. Heidegger, M. [(1977) 1954], in The Question Concerning Technology, insisted that the essence of technology is not technological He used the term poiesis to find out forms of authentic production, one where every aspect of production process right from the creator to created is dependent and entangled with each other. As a result, there is a loss of being, individuality and freedom. It brings humanity to a position of servitude. Due to this a person speaks something but thinks absolutely differently. Heidegger takes the example of a fast and free-flowing river The Rhine when the river is controlled by a dam, which is built by humans, leads to curtailment of the rivers freedom. However, it also results in servitude of humanity because now they have to manage the dam as an additional work bound to their lives. Gender representation and Hindi cinema As discussed earlier, construction of reality presupposes the establishment of reality. The basic premise of cinematic suspension of disbelief is the realization that all that appears real on screen is actually a construction of reality. Similarly, to take up the subject of representation of women in Hindi cinema, first we must try to comprehend the existing reality of women, their status in India. Numerous Indian mythologies have given great respect to women, to the extent of calling them Mother Goddess. The contextual reality though is quite different. Unlike many nations, India has a larger male population as compared to females. One of the major reasons is women die even before they can reach adulthood. A large number of them are murdered in their mothers womb. The other important fatal imbalance is the mistreatment of these women. They do not have enough decision-making power and economic independence, face violence in and out of their families, face atrocities like murder, mole station, rape and every possible kind of sexual molestation to the extent that India stands at a miserable 56 rank out of 86 nations in the Social Institutions and Gender Index (OECD SIGI, 2012). This reality of Indian women has found its way straight into the silver screen. Since beginning, women in popular Hindi Cinema have their set roles somebodys daughter, wife, sister or mother. A modern woman has been portrayed to possess a loose character. She can be bar dancer or a college student, who is not at all interested in her career. Rare are the cases when lead female characters are depicted as strong individuals. We hardly witness them to be lawyers, journalists, business magnets, doctors etc. Even if they are portraying these, they are supposed to be holy, cultured, catering to males need and wishes. Even the song and dance sequences demand them to be voluptuous and good dancers. Their maximum achievement in life looks to be a shift from song and dance in discs and pubs to escape in Hindi cinema and do the same around trees. Woman as a maker of meaning: Gender representation in No One Killed Jessica An important precursor to the analysis of No One Killed Jessica is the actual Jessica Lal murder case. Jessica was a professional model who happened to volunteer as a bartender at a socialite gathering and was shot dead by a politicians son for refusing to serve him liquor at 2 am in the night. The case shocked Indian youth and generated a public outcry when the perpetrators were acquitted in a lower court. Subsequently, the media took up the case rigorously and managed to pressurize the higher courts to reopen the case and finally the guilty were put behind bars. No One Killed Jessica starts in a format of a hard-hitting documentary. Later the glamour quotient seeps in reminding us of watching a mainstream commercial Hindi cinema. Still throughout, the film showed touches of serious cinema as well. This movie boasts of two main characters Sabrina Lal (Vidya Balan) and Meera Gaity (Rani Mukherjee). Sabrina is shown to be simple, calm, nerdy, and docile and appears to be contended in her own space. She takes a back-seat in all the aspects of life as compared to her sister (Jessica Lal) and many other female counterparts. She is media shy and far from the glamorous personality of Jessica and Meera. Her usual attire is dull colored loose shirts and straight fit jeans and doesnt use make-up, establishing her as a person who tones down her sexuality. Meera is a fictional character, loosely symbolizing sensational but powerful Indian electronic media of the new millennium. The character is built around the famous journalist from NDTV Barkha Dutt, who had handled the case and is also the inspiration for the coverage of Kargil war and Kandahar hijack episode. Unfortunately, the film completely ignores print media journalists, who were among the first ones to uncover the truth and in fact, the sting operation was done by Harinder Baweja from Tehelka. In the movies credits, there is a caption congratulating Tehelka for their efforts but going by the general Indian film viewing standard, people do not sit back and watch credits. Ramani (2011) implored that the movie goes so far to accommodate the case for electronic media that it excludes and almost totally ignores contribution of main heroes of the story, i.e. the print media. Meera is established from the beginning of her film, first through her voice which delivers a monologue on Delhis inherent complexity and its fascination with power and then her credentials are established through her coverage of important but difficult news assignments like Kargil war and Kandahar hijack incident. From the very beginning, Meeras character is celebrated as a woman of substance, but subliminally, it is established as a transgendered male performance, as if the lines and the role was written for a male character but the sex was changed at the last moment. Thus Meera goes to great lengths to establish her gender performativity as male using tropes like frequent verbal abuse; dominant and emotionally detached frequent physical relationships; absence of family issues etc. Her stance of sitting and drinking tea in the office, her behavior with her colleagues and her maid furthers this establishment. The contrast lies in, the real women journalists who actually went to grea t lengths to solve this case and is comfortable in their gender, e.g. Harinder Baweja frequently wears Saris and flaunts her femininity without any reservations, and is quite humble in her interviews. Professionally, Meera comes out as a hard-hitting reporter. Her character is smart, dynamic, selfish, bitchy, successful, and manipulative. In fact, it seems as if the director of the film has a deliberate intention of creating such contrasting characters on the same platform. The downside of such a contrast is that, when played with the mise-en-scà ¨ne and sequence of events, the film impresses upon the audience that, a successful woman tends to have man-like attributes; at least her perfomative gender should be male. Otherwise she will absolutely fade away in the harsh realities of life. In an establishing scene, while returning from the Kargil war zone, she hurls expletives at a fellow male passenger something that is employed to make her representation adhere to the stereotypes of cool and bitch, as there appears no visible reason for such an outburst. However, we must give due respect to the makers of the film that they have not aimed at creating perfect heroines, although all these characters are seen to reflect certain exciting stereotypes. Jessica Lal, the omnipresent character throughout the film, even after her death, is the actual anchor of the story. Her character evolves as a young model free-spirited and modern an individual who is not scared to pick a fight while protecting her sister (Sabrina) against harassment. However, the stereotyping does not leave her ever. In the scene where she fights the street harassers, one can observe a multitude of gender and class representations. The harassers are on a cheap bicycle and apparently symbolize members of the lower economic class. Whether or not this scene is fictional, it reeks of class irony she was shot dead by a higher economic class male while these fellows were projected to be weak in front of her rage and verbal abuses. Another irony is that the verbal abuses that s he used are themselves misogynist. Further on in the film, her modernity is objectified in pure Kristevan (1982) sense by establishing her vulnerability as a vilified girl who likes to have a nice time, parties hard, drinks heavily and stays out till late. So in the film there are a number of scenes where Jessicas character develops against Sabrina in a contrast of bad vs. good. In one frame, Jessica invites Sabrina to a party which symbolically implies the one where she was shot dead and she is wearing a mini-skirt while Sabrina is in desexualized jeans and an oversized shirt. At the sequence leading to Jessicas murder, there is frequent jump cut between Sabrina sleeping in her bed while Jessica is serving drinks in the party. The dance sequence reeks of voyeuristic male pleasure with head to toe camera movements amplifying a mini-skirt clad female figure montage with extreme close-up shots of drunken men trying to get too close to her the sub-text is clearly pointing out that thi s image of a girl dancing in a short dress is easily approachable. The paradigm in the series of shots and the delicate imagery tend to establish a dangerous line of thought those who try to move away from the patriarchal hegemonies in place will have to face the brunt one day the audience is prepared to see Jessica get the bullet! This moment is the very mimetic driver that will lead the audience to witness the fight for justice and the road to catharsis, the final judgment in favor of justice. But the montage and the mise-en-scene establishing this mimesis subliminally also feed the stereotype of the vulnerability of the female gender. The conflict scene between Jessica and Manu is a more serious effort and focuses on her mid, close-up and extreme close-up shots as well as a good performance by Myra to highlight Jessicas strong personality. The audience senses the danger even more closely as the first gunshot goes off and yet another Jessica is hit in the head. Her fall in slow motion takes its time to ensure that the moment is mimetically established and mourned in the subconscious of the viewers. Phenomenologically, this moment is akin to Benjamins Angel of History where the angel is looking at the past and has no hope for the future. The storm from paradise has ensured that all progress lies in the rubble of history. As with Benjamins catastrophe of the Holocaust, the audience is forced to have a full gaze at the tragedy that unfolds on-screen. Although Meera Gaity operates on similar thoughts of rebellion and modernity, she is shown to have a different end a victorious one! Her male performative attributes have been discussed earlier as well. She uses the f word like her second skin and is abusive in speech just like any of her male colleague journalists. She does not pay any heed to the so-called moral police of the society sleeps out of wedlock, smokes frequently and is at top of her career by climbing certain manipulative ladders. In order to come out in the top league, she is not afraid to pull the right strings and take help of the crooks themselves. Her frequent use of abusive language and behaving very manly recreates the stereotype of women can be successful only when and if she behaves like a man. Her dialogues like when she says screw ethics confirms her revolting personality. She is shown to be rude both to her colleagues (she often call her colleagues bitch), and even to her maid at home. Further Meera confir ms her male performance by saying sentences like, this is the time to give back to those sons of bitches; lets nail the bastard; that bastard should be in jail and not at the next happening party; I think I deserve a much bigger and better story and many more. Despite all this, throughout the film Meera is no less than a hero. In contrast, Sabrinas character is deliberately underplayed. She could have easily been made the hero of the story. However she was shown to be easily dominated first by her sister, then by witnesses, culprit, media and Meera. Perhaps this was done to signify, that the good has to lean on the bad to fight and win over the ugly. That is, after she has literally broken down in her fight for justice for Jessica, Sabrina grabs the hand of Meera to fine the justice against the evil doers. As mentioned in the review of literature, psychologists Yassour Borochowitz, Dalit Buchbinder, Eli (2010) discovered a couple of aspects that explains a female weakness to violence. They said that language is not the base to create a meaning; in fact, it is the crux to create concept of whole world. For example, the language of Sabrina is measured, slow, and subtle; revealing her desexualized personality. Her not going to her sisters parties, her avoidance of drinks, her even stopping Jessica from fight ing against goons who tease her, shying away from media and trusting the witness in vein. All these hint at her contrasting personality and the course of events in the film. Despite these stereotypes, the characters of Meera and Sabrina are very important, especially for Hindi Cinema. Apart from the male mannerisms and extremities of the characters; both of them shown to be strong in their own right (Sabrina to start the battle of justice and Meera to finish it). In fact, Meera is projected to ultimately possess a conscience and in following that she leaves no stone unturned to get justice for Jessicas murder case. There have been very few movies that show women in such revolutionary light. Also it is noteworthy that this movie again shows two female leads and males as supporting cast. It is a breather that we could see Vidya Balan in what she does best (no-glamorously glamorous avatar) after a long time. What was more like a water-drop in the desert is Rani Mukherjees fire-crackling role. Moreover women in this movie are shown to be focused on their respective goals and not just running around the bush to chase for their prince charming and night in the shining armor. No One Killed Jessica is perfect example of globalization, digitization and repercussions. The mixed language used, slang, abusive words, are in a way helper for general audience to relate with the movie and the reality of the story. Moreover, it was Jessica that helped find her wings of freedom. However it was the same globalization and development that made her life so cheap so as to make her loose it just over one drink. This is where her rubble of progress carries her from her past of hope to the future of loss in the effects and counter effects of Justice for Jessica, just like Benjamins concept of Angel of History. Similarly, Heideggers digitization has its own weight in studying the film. The whole movie screams of inter-mixing of technology and perceptions. For example the March for Justice at India Gate could be possible because of mass interconnectivity owing to the SMS/MMS revolution. It brought about the adoption of hacktivism in the movie. The positive side of this technological paradigm is seen as a march of change after people watch and get inspired by the movie Rang De Basanti in a theatre. In a true Heideggerian irony, the movie subtly carries the negativity of Gestell or enframing as well. Over glamorization of digitization resulted in ignoring the essential facts. Print media was ignored and deprived of its due credit. (Ramani, 2011) The movie was biased in its promotion of sting operations and did not care to highlight the negative aspects of such acts. The overt projection of globalization made the urban city image as digital hurdle. Above all, the woman in the film has been given an out of the box characteristics, making them look league apart from the rest. However, the reality is there stereotypes of images have been created and recreated consciously or unconsciously by the makers. The audience perception of the film is of applause, yet they in a way identify their stereotypical perceptions with the created reality in No One Killed Jessica. Conclusion To conclude, there is an obvious difference between the reality and representation. However, presence of stereotypes weakens the boundary of this differences and the line thins further to an extent of creating almost a complete identification with each other. The film commendably made an effort to break the gender stereotypes by projecting the image of women as a maker rather than a bearer of meaning in the mainstream commercial Hindi Cinema. However, many major instances prove that this change is not frequent enough. These efforts may be genuine, yet are not enough to overcome stereotypes. Hence the change is not strong enough to bring about a change in thoughts, outlook, perception, projection as well as representation. What we need is more frequency and refinement in order to break the existing stereotypes that even No One Killed Jessica could not break in totality. Representation is there for sure. A bright future lies ahead for Bollywood an opportunity to resist the natural ins tinct of creating and adhering to negative gender stereotypes with conviction and courage.

Monday, August 19, 2019

NO Spiritual Reward for Depriving the Physical Body Essay -- Theology

There is NO Spiritual Reward for Depriving the Physical Body of Comfort or Pleasure I. Doctrine There is a great falsehood that is perpetuated by the modern church, and it is one that threatens the very mission assigned to every believer in Matthew 28:18-20. Before one can address this falsehood, one must understand the duty of God's people in this life. It is the believer's task to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them as God ordained, and teaching them how to obey the teachings of Jesus. What then are the teachings of Jesus? As believers, we hold as doctrine that God the Father, along with the Holy Spirit and the Son created all that is. He gave Man, God's special creation made in His own image, dominion over the physical creation, directing Man to "fill the earth and subdue it". Scriptures outline in Genesis 1:28-30 this natural stewardship of Man over the fish of the sea, all living creatures on the ground, and the birds of the air. In addition, God gave to Man the use of "every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit w ith seed in it" (Genesis 1:29b). God, after reviewing all that He had created noted in Genesis 1:31 that it was "very good". Man's charmed life lasted until the Fall, by which sin and sin nature entered the world. Pain in childbirth, difficulty in agriculture, and, most importantly, death are all results of Man's disobedience (Genesis 3:16-19). Death, despite its negative connotations was given to Man as a gift, for only in death could the separation between God and Man be bridged. The practice of offering firstborn livestock to God began with Abel's first sacrifice. This offering pointed to God's ultimate resolution for sin's breach, first promis... ...s idolatry is the fundamental problem of this world, and drug-related idolatry is no different than any other flavor in God's eyes. Rejecting Christ is this world's flaw, and is the sin against which believers wage war. Teaching a drug idolater that the drugs are evil in and of themselves denies the basic truth that placing anything higher than God is sinful (Exodus 20:3-6). Programs like the 'Twelve Steps' teach blasphemy. They teach drug and alcohol idolaters to remain just that, although the idolaters no longer permit themselves to indulge in that which they worship. It is only through recognizing that God's creation is good and that Man commits evil that one can come to true freedom in Christ. It is with respect that this author pleads for such a tactic for those who seek healing in areas of addiction. After all, His grace and only His grace are sufficient.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The University Office of Information Technology :: Education Data Information Essays

The University Office of Information Technology Introduction In this paper I report on the history, mission, organization, finances, evaluation strategies, and current issues of a university’s office of information technology. I will use the term â€Å"office of information technology† throughout the paper. This term needs to be defined here because it is very general and each university seems to have a unique definition for it. Within this paper, office of information technology will refer to those areas of the university whose primary mission is to serve the information technology needs of the institution. Information technology needs include â€Å"that collection of technologies that enables data and knowledge to be stored and exchanged, assessed, displayed and communicated, and in some cases, synthesized and created.† (Iowa State University, 2000, p. 2). In other words, the computer hardware and software, communications hardware (phone and network) and software, media-related instructional technologies, and the organization needed to support this information technology infrastructure. These services touch the entire university and all its faculty, staff, and students. As with any administrative unit on campus, the organization of that unit will depend on the context in which it is set. Another term that I will use loosely in regard to the office of information technology is the university. While all institutions of higher education rely on information technology as a basic service to provide products to their clientele, I will try to keep my discussion and analysis confined to the concept of Kerr’s â€Å"multiversity†, or research university satisfying multiple goals. This is not to diminish the role of the office of information technology at smaller universities and colleges but only to focus this discussion. One area within a university that is often lumped into the â€Å"information† infrastructure is the library. While my definition does not include the library within the office of information technology, the technology used for many of its services is included. Lastly, I would like to preface the ideas presented within this paper through the perspective of Weick’s (1976) theory of loosely coupled systems. As discussed throughout, the office of information technology is a unit on campus that is intertwined with all other areas in some manner. Thus it must go beyond the â€Å"niche† perspective of individual units and departments and engage itself directly in the politics of the university as a loosely coupled system. As the reader will see, this has affected the history, mission, and organization of the office of information technology and is embedded in many of its

Kass and Genetic Technology :: essays research papers

Unregulated Genetic Technology Threatens to Dehumanize Society When James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA in 1959, they could not have known that their discovery would one day lead to the possibility of a human factory that is equipped with the capabilities to mass produce perfectly designed, immortal human beings on a laboratory assembly line. Of course, this human factory is not yet possible; genetic technology is still in its infancy, and scientists are forced to spend their days unlocking the secret of human genetics in hopes of uncovering cures for diseases, alleviating suffering, and prolonging life. In the midst of their noble work, scientists still dream of a world—a utopia—inhabited by flawless individuals who have forgotten death and never known suffering. What would become of society if such a utopia existed? How will human life be altered? Leon Kass, in Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics, acknowledges genetics technology’s greatness, and applauds it for its invaluable, benevolent contributions to mankind. However, Kass argues that if left to their devises and ambitions, geneticists—with the power of their technology—will steal away society’s most precious asset; genetic technology will rob society of its humanity. Genetic technology can, and will, achieve great things, but unless it is regulated and controlled, the losses will be catastrophic and the costs will far exceed the benefits. The age of genetic technology has arrived. Thanks to genetic technological advancements, medical practitioners, with the help of genetic profiling, will be able to better diagnose patients and design individual tailored treatments; doctors will be able to discern which medications and treatments will be most beneficial and produce the fewest adverse side effects. Rationally designed vaccines have been created to provide optimal protection against infections. Food scientists have hopes of genetically altering crops to increase food production, and therefore mitigate global hunger. Law enforcement officers find that their job is made easier through the advancement of forensics; forensics is yet another contribution of genetic technology. Doctors have the ability to identify â€Å"high-risk† babies before they are born, which enables them to be better prepared in the delivery room. Additionally, oncologists are able to improve survival rates of cancer patients by administering ge netically engineered changes in malignant tumors; these changes result in an increased immune response by the individual. With more than fifty years of research, and billions of dollars, scientists have uncovered methods to improve and prolong human life and the possibilities offered by gene therapy and genetic technology are increasing daily.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Knowledge without Character

Taking a more inclusive view of the biblically-based Seven Deadly Sins, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (i.e. Mahatma Gandhi) wrote his version: the Seven Deadly Social Sins.   One of the sins he warns of is â€Å"Knowledge without Character,† and to understand why he presents this combination as a potential sin, one must look at what Gandhi thought of education (Hansen). Of education, Gandhi said, The ancient aphorism â€Å"Education is that which liberates,† is as true as it was before.   [. . . .]   Knowledge includes all training that is useful for the service of mankind and liberation means freedom of all manner of servitude [. . . – . . .] slavery [and] domination from outside and to one's own artificial needs.   The knowledge acquired in the pursuit of this ideal alone contributes [to] true study.   (â€Å"Gandhi & Education†) A simple interpretation of this statement requires that those who are currently pursuing a higher  education in a collegiate setting need to analyze their reasons for doing so, and if they find that  the potential to earn a greater income is the primary drive, they are headed down a path of social  sin.   Students need to consider the bigger picture: what can their particular academic interests do  to make the world a better place?   Can the lessons learned in an economics class be applied to  that student’s participation in local government; to a solution to nation-wide obliteration of  homelessness; to increasing the wealth of the entire world so that no human being is faced with  dying of hunger; or is that lesson merely a small step towards making more money for a private  enterprise? A grander interpretation of these words could be applied to the current desire to end terrorism.   Looking back to WWII, the scientific knowledge needed to create the atomic bomb was used without character.   Without taking sides or creating a political debate, the fact is that the United States of America dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, and no other country before or since has dropped an atomic bomb in an act of war (Burr). Moving back to today, it is the United States that is leading the fight against terrorism, and that fight began as an eradication of world-wide weapons of mass destruction—weapons that were made possible and whose force was proven by the same nation that is currently acting as the world’s watchdog.   Fortunately, the United States is getting a second chance: if we are able to combat terrorism and eliminate the threat of atomic weapons and their kin, it may be that the knowledge gained so long ago regarding the devastation of the atom bomb will be applied today with the necessary character by assuring all of humanity that such force will never again be unleashed. The reason that the Social Sin of â€Å"Knowledge without Character† is such a great threat to humanity is directly related to the degree of power that is inherent to the possession of knowledge.   Looking back at the plight of Frederick Douglass, a man born into slavery who taught himself to read and write so that he might better understand his captors and eventually escape his enslavement, it is clear that absent the knowledge of reading and writing, he never would have had the power to forge his papers and flee to the South (Douglass passim). Today, politicians, attorneys, the media, and others like them who generate the information used by society to stay informed must comprehend the responsibility of what they do.   The power they possess to control the knowledge that is dispersed into society demands that they have the character to present all sides of an issue and report only factual details—of course, as Gandhi predicted, the character flaws inherent in the average human being often precludes the knowledge being disseminated in a manner that is completely accurate and/or honorable. Consumers of this information must take it upon themselves to assess what they read and hear and are told with a critical eye, and when discrepancies are found, each observer must demand correction.   The knowledge needed to assess information critically is often honed in the arena of higher education, so individuals involved in academia have an opportunity to gain knowledge and apply that knowledge with strength of character. Patrick Bassett expresses the relationship between educators and Gandhi’s Seven Social Sins in this way, we must continually seek to discover opportunities to challenge our students and to have them challenge us on values issues.   We must continually seek to carve out time to address issues of the community.   We must continually keep the moral agenda before us. When our first and second curricula merge, we teach youngsters to avoid all of Gandhi's sins and perhaps a few of their own design.   (Bassett) As responsible individuals in a world that is partially in our hands, we must each consider the words of Gandhi and our connection to them.   It may be the role of the educator to plan actions, but it is the role of the student to take them.   If this were not the case, the words spoken by Gandhi would have fallen uselessly to the ground, never having been truly heard and incorporated into the lives of those who have both the necessary knowledge and character.Works CitedBassett, Patrick F.   â€Å"‘Do the Right Thing’: The Case for Moral Education.†Ã‚   NAIS Academic Forum.   Dec. 1995.   Independent Schools Association of the Central States. Burr, William.   Ed.   â€Å"The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources: National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 162.†Ã‚   The National Security Archive.   5 Aug.   2005.   27 Sept. 2006.   . Douglass, Frederick.   Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself.   New York: Dodo, 2005. â€Å"Gandhi & Education: Basic Education (Buniyadi Shiksha).†Ã‚   MKGandi.Org: The Complete Site on Mahatma Gandhi.   25 Sept. 2006. . Hansen, Paul.   â€Å"Biblical Justice Consultancy: Gandhi's Seven Deadly Social Sins – A Reflection.†Ã‚   Redemptorists of the Edmonton-Toronto Province.   2005.   27 Sept. 2006.   .   

Friday, August 16, 2019

School-Based Consultations

Behavioral model looks closely at the behaviors of the victims, by going back by collecting data on their behavioral history. The behavioral modeling is meant to assess at the behavioral patterns of an individual from the past and relate to them to the present, know why individual is behaving in that strange manners, whether the causes for the behavior change could be the family, environment, the friends, the workplace or the community and then look for strategies that can assist in correcting the behavior. In behavioral modeling the consultant should look for ways of trying to modify the behavior of the boy and also know why the boy is behaving in that strange way. Within an overall setting of concern for the boy’s interest, the consultant’s intervention falls into one of the following categories; a) prescriptive which is about giving advice and instructions and being directive and critical, b) informative by imparting new knowledge, instructing and interpreting, c) confronting which is challenging a restrictive attitude or direct feedback within a caring context, d) carthartic, which is seeking to release emotion in the form of laughter, trembling and anger, e)catalytic which is encouraging the boy to discover and explore his own latent thoughts and feelings and f) supportive which is offering comfort and approval, affirming the boy’s intrinsic value. On the setting and background issues, the consultant should be prepared fully for the job. He/she should have all the necessary background information about the boy to be talked. The consultant should at least be briefed by the teacher on what has been done and areas which need to be looked at, such that when handling the boy, it could be easy to approach him and know what kind of questions to ask him. The place/room should be set for the consultation exercise and it should be convenient to the boy. The boy should be psychologically prepared for the exercise for it to be successful. The goals of consultation are to engage experienced and qualified personnel in a particular field from outside the institution, family, school organization or any set up so as to be able to handle a particular issue or problem from a different perspective without influence from any body. The consultant is supposed to be a person who is highly qualified and who has been in the field/profession for a long time and has that experience which is needed to handle a particular issue without any problem. The consultant should be a person who has good morals, follows the laid down professional ethics and codes of conduct and who respects his/her clients without regarding their age but treating them with much respect and care. They are supposed to be people who are highly dependable because their end product will be an important document which will be used to enforce or implement drastic measures that are meant to improve the present condition of a person from worse to better. For any consultancy to be undertaken, the consultant should be interviewed to find out whether he/she will be able to handle the problem at hand. This is meant to save time and get the expected results at the end of the consultancy. On the side of the consultee (the boy), the consultant should find out whether has had any encounter with any consultant previously and know how they interacted. The boy should at least be aware what consultations means and what is required of him during the exercise. The model coordinates a set of what is called steps which should answer two pertinent questions; when should each step be taken? and when are the inputs to each step determined? The steps include the following; a) Initiating a session-the consultant should first initiate a session for discussion. He/she should introduce him/herself to the boy so that the boy could be aware of who he is going to discuss with. The initial rapport will determine on how the discussion will flow. The consultant should tell the boy what he expects from him and the boy should be given time to decide if he will be willing to talk to the consultant. b) Find out about the historical background of the family/ information gathering- the consultant should critically look at the behavioral patterns of the boy’s family before making conclusions. He should find whether really the father’s sickness affects his performance. Are there other members of the family who are still in school and have been affected by the same? The consultant should find out whether if the boy was counseled previously and if there was any impact. He should compare the academic performance of the boy before the father was sick and during the time he is sick and then come up with a conclusion. It may be possible that the boy could be using the father’s sickness to perform poorly. At the same time if the family belongs to a fundamentalist religious sect that had been subject to investigative journalism into alleged mind control by a national news show, this can also change the boy’s behavior. The fundamentalist sects teach their followers on radical issues which completely changes the mind and behavior settings of their followers. Too much of radicalism and fundamentalism might have entered into the boys mind and changed him completely and thus affected his academic performance. The behavior patterns of the boy should be traced from the time he joined the fundamentalist religious sect and at the same time look at the behavioral patterns of the other family members. c) Explaining and planning-this is the best moment for the consultant to provide the correct amount and type of information that is required from the boy. Some information may not be necessary and it is up to the consultant to control the discussion with the boy and stick only to the topic so as not to waste time on matters that will not be helpful. The consultant should also make the boy recall of his worst behavioral acts such that these can bring the boy closer into condemning himself but at the same time trying to create a behavioral change within himself without being forced. This is meant to achieving a shared understanding between the boy and the consultant and makes a way for a shared decision making. d) Isolation- the boy should be isolated from others, but two or three people should be with him to give him company and must be visited to monitor on his behavioral change. The consultants should in isolation with the boy study his behaviors and know what is really happening. He should dig deep into the past history of the boy, the behaviors of the family and the circumstances that have made him to behave like so. This information can only be gotten from the boy when he is alone with the consultant whereby he has the freedom of expressing himself freely. When a victim of the circumstance is mixed with people of the same problem it becomes very difficult to get information from him/her because those who are with that person may influence his/her answering to the questions asked. Isolation does not mean that the boy should be completely isolated from other children or the family but put in isolation when talking to the consultant. The consultant must also make sure that the isolation process does not affect the boy but improves his concentration during the discussion exercise. ) Show the paternal and maternal love-the consultant should at his/her level best the paternal and maternal love to the boy. The boy may have been affected by the father’s sickness in that the boy might have been very close to his father and now he is sick and maybe admitted in the hospital. The boy is missing the paternal love from the time the father became sick. This has stressed the by to a point he can’t perform well in class. This is something very important that the consultant should look at keenly. Every person needs the love of both parents to grow and develop normally and if the boy is missing the love and absence of the father, his mind set and behavior will change. The teacher may conclude that the boy’s behaviors have change including his performance and that he is using the father’s sickness to perform poorly without considering that, true the father’s sickness is a contributing factor to his behavioral changes and poor academic performance. f) Become closer to the boy- the consultant should develop a very close relationship with the boy. He should make the boy to be comfortable with him/her all the time they will be spending together. The consultant should not be sympathetic to the boy as this will worsen the situation but should make sure that boy understands what he is going through and should develop a positive attitude towards change as this will be for the benefit of his psychological well being. The consultant must also involve the friends of the boy to find out more about the boy’s behavior when they are together. The friends should be encouraged to talk to the boy on changing his behavior pattern and they should at the same time tell him the consequences of his changed bad behavior in a friendlier manner. The consultant should even take the boy away from the school if the boy feels that the place is uncomfortable for him for discussions. This will give the boy more freedom to express himself and will build confidence and trust between him and the consultant. It is up to the consultant also to build the rust and confidence with the boy and this will depend as to how she/he will handle himself/herself towards the boy. The consultant must also involve the family members who should be urged to become closer to the boy. May be the mother is very busy attending to the husband’s sickness and so there is no one to even help the boy to relieve the tensions and stresses that are disturbing his well being. The family members and friends should play a bigger role in modeling the behavior of this boy through being closer and talking positively to him and infact this will make the boy to change his attitudes. g) The consultant should start counseling the boy on issues relating to what is happening to him. He should handle the boy with all the respect he needs and should prepare him fully for the counseling sessions. The counseling should not be made to blame him for his bad behaviors but should be meant to mould his behavior for better. The consultant should arrange the counseling sessions with the boy and should not be forced to attend the sessions. The consultant should in the process of counseling the boy be able to give the boy real life examples or show the boy video pictures of the boys of similar age of him, what they underwent and its consequences. From this point of view, the boy will be able to make a decision by himself without being forced but will have to be given options from which he can choose what is best for him. h) The consultant should avoid as much as possible condemning the boy for his bad behaviors but make him realize that his behaviors are not generally agreeable to he teachers and every body and so there is need for him to change. May be the boy has developed enemies including his teachers, but should try and reconcile with them. Since the boy has joined the fundamentalist religious sect, the consultant should not condemn the sect too much to a point of telling the boy that those in the sect have very bad behaviors, but should a look for away of explaining to the boy on the bad side of joining the sect and its negative effects on an individuals mind and behavior. i) The consultant should hold discussions with the teachers of the boy to gather more information about him. The teachers can also contribute towards the behavioral change and attitudes of the boy. There could be teachers instead of helping the boy to improve his performance are always condemning him of his failure. The consultant should request for the records of the boy from the class teacher which will give more information about the boy academic performance and the behavioral records. The teachers should explain to the consultant as to why they are concerned that the boy may be using the father’s illness as an excuse not to performing well academically or there are other hindering factors not including the boy not liking math and science subjects. The consultant should explain to the teachers that the boy says that he doesn’t like the teachers who do not take time to listen to him. ) The consultant should consider telling the boy that if he develops a positive attitude towards maths and sciences and if he concentrates more on his studies than in the fundamentalist sect, he will perform better and will be rewarded for this. This will be a roadway to behavioral change as the boy will be challenged to critically think and analyze his present behavior and its rewards and then measure it with what could become if he changes completely and its rewards. The rewards are meant to give morale and change the reasoning of the boy in that good behavior comes with good things. k) The consultant should make an effort of visiting the boy’s father privately to explain to him that his sickness has greatly affected the boy’s performance. The consultant should encourage the sick father to talk to the boy to change his attitude even though the sickness has affected his behavior and performance. At the same time, the consultant should visit the hospital with the boy so that they can have a discussion together. The father should encourage the boy to work harder in class and put aside his sickness as he (the boy) must continue normally with life and should have faith that father will get well quickly. If the parents of the boys are also members of the fundamentalist religious sect, the consultant should talk with them and express his concern about the boy’s behavior and at the same time discuss with them about how their sect is being discussed on national television and explain how this has affected the boy’s behavior and performance. This will give them food for thought and at the end of it all, they will sit down as a family and discuss seriously about this issue. l) If there is need to change the school where the boy is learning to a different new one, the change for the class teacher or the subject masters in the present school as per the recommendation of the consultant, it should be implemented. The general environment of the school can change the behaviors of the child for better or for worse. The boy should be made to make a wise decision and based on what the consultant will recommend, a shared and common decision will be made without hurting or influencing anyone. If it is found that the teachers handling maths and science subjects are bullying the boy because he is weak in those subjects, they should be told and be changed as may be there could be other children who are affected in the same way and have developed a negative attitude towards the teachers and the subjects and so their behaviors. This should be corrected earlier enough before the situation becomes a crisis. The implication for practice is to give the best professional advice to those clients who need the services. The services are about giving hope and bring change to the affected victims, their family members, friends and the community at large. Consultancy comes in when other alternatives have failed and this is regarded as the last resort as it gives recommendations which give the right way forward on what should be done to arrest the situation. Since the practice is more professional, it means that the end results will be practical and will provide a solution which will be workable and acceptable by all. Conclusion For any problem which arises, an approach has to be found. This approach should be relevant and should be able to solve the problem. Solving an issue related to the behavior of a human being needs a lot of time, commitment and perseverance. The person who has the problem should not be hurried or be blamed for the mistakes they have made or for their bad behaviors. They should be made to realize that what they are doing is not right and so should change for the better of their well being. Concerted efforts must be made by those who can be able to help the victims of the circumstance to change. Change is not forced but it is a process which takes time and it will depend on the individual’s behavior and attitude towards the change which could be good or bad. Consultants should handle their work more professionally because they are paid for their services. The end result must be acceptable and should provide a way forward on how a crisis will be solved. Finally the consultants should make follow ups on their clients to find out whether there is any positive change or a correction has to be made.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Greenlawn Commercial Package Business Essay

So, eventhough some significant costs such as lease expense, service techs, fertilizer costs and overhead costs have decreased, the decrease in revenues due to the decrease in applications leave only a 1% contribution margin vs a 13% contribution in the before scenario. 3- Personal recommendation. It appears to me that the organization has already indicated that it wishes to back Amy Carter and the biological engineering and environment vision. Calling Amy the division’s thought leader. This new era project is a â€Å"hat trick† for the division and is the vision for Greenlawn’s future. If the organization loses revenue in the short term, when can they expect to breakeven with the current revenues of the ten million. The expectation is that revenues will decrease to six million, but will then be capable of growing the customer base, whereby replacing the revenue lost by changing to the advanced new generation of products that are easier to apply, have lower costs and more importantly environmentally friendly. This environmentally friendly approach to Greenlawn’s business will keep the company at the cutting edge of technology in its field. Maintaining its status and reputation as the nation’s largest lawn-care and landscape-services company. I would recommend either keeping it the same as before with the revenues at ten million, or reducing the fertilizer costs and selling the new generation of products in order to gain more customers. If more customers are gained due to environmentally friendly process than the revenues and contribution margin will increase. Should the organization change, they can expect a short term reduction in revenue, with the likeliness of long term sustainability for generations to come.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Media Influence on Stereotypes

What you see is not always what you get In a society highly influenced by the media, stereotypes are used sometimes in a comedic way. In Harold and Kumar go to White Castle one of the main themes the movie is poking fun at is how stereotypes affect the lives of the two main characters one being of Korean decent and the other Indian. The movie opens introducing the first character Harold. The audience sees that he is an Asian male working in a cubicle for a banking company.The scene turns to Harold’s co-workers who are both white in an office that is nicer and bigger to that of Harold, discussing how they are going to have fun and party for the weekend when one of them has much work to do, so one of them suggests having someone else do it. The scene gives the impression that the two white co-workers are the main characters of the movie as the introductory scene shows primarily the two co-workers and have the most dialogue in the brief intro; however, later the audience will not ice that they are not seen again until the end of the movie.What this scene is shown to do is to make humor out of a normalized stereotype of the Asian American group. As this scene will be analyzed, the normalized stereotypes of Asians in society is highly recognizable in American culture and media, as it negatively privileges the Asian group while obscuring Americans insecurity of their own part in society. In today’s world most people are born with an identity already established for them. Generalized perceptions or a stereotype of a single group has instigated prejudice.With cultural representations already determined by the outside world, many strive to break such representations in order to form their own identity and not what was given to them. It has increasingly more difficult for one to break such representation due to factors in society normalizing these representations with the use of the media. The media has become a powerful tool in promoting such representation of groups. Stereotypes surround the whole world we live in and are unavoidable.No matter what we do, depending on our personality, attire, or even our hairstyle everyone fits into some sort of stereotype even by a little. The definition of a stereotype is a standardized conception or idea of a group of people (Hurst). Even though most stereotypes aren’t true there is a reason why they exist and continue to thrive. Stereotypes have flourished continually as the world has become more and more globalized. Especially in the United States one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.As stereotypes exist they have consequently affected the way that a particular individual or group lives in society. One particular representation that will be analyzed is the stereotypes of Asians in popular media, the movie Harold and Kumar go to White Castle and along with my own personal experiences being in the group within Asian Stereotypes will be used to assess the topic. Back at the beginning of this paper an introductory scene was described of the film Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Even though the scene is only about a few minutes many representations can be noted.The scene implements key normalized stereotypes seen in the public eye. The particular stereotype of Asian group has been connected to the term â€Å"Model Minority† which applies positive traits as a stereotype. The traits include qualities such as being hardworking, intelligent, studious, productive, and also inoffensive people. Also known to increase their social status through merit. The biggest opposition to the view is that it exaggerates the success of Asians. This false empowerment given by the stereotype covers up true problems that are faced by the Asian community.The belief that Asians are harder workers and thus leading to higher earning jobs has led to a more difficult level of climbing the work ladder into higher wage jobs, otherwise known as the glass ceiling phenomen a: The definition â€Å"The Glass Ceiling† refers to an invisible barrier that limits the level to which a woman or another member of a demographic minority can advance within the hierarchy in an organization. It often is a barrier that confronts Ethnic Americans in addition to women when trying to reach upper management levels in many companies (Hester, 2007)Corresponding to the glass ceiling phenomena, the model minority stereotype has been believed to been the cause that Asians must acquire more education and work more hours than their white counterparts to earn the same amount of money. We will go back to the same scene mentioned at the beginning and continue. The scene described before shows Harold the Korean descendent character working tenaciously in his cubicle filling out forms and papers and he is then approached by the two co-workers mentioned earlier that were contemplating how they are going to party over the weekend when they have work to do.Afterwards it shows the two co-workers giving Harold a pile of their papers and folders then persuading Harold to do the work for them with Harold then unenthusiastically accepting the task. Afterwards the scene shows the two co-workers in this short dialogue Co-worker 1: â€Å"Wow! That was amazing; I can’t believe how easy that was† Co-worker 2: â€Å"Dude, how do you think I get all my shit done? Those Asian guys just love crunching numbers. You probably just made his weekend. (Both leave laughing)Then the camera pans over to Harold as he shouts â€Å"Fuck! † The co-workers connect the traits of the stereotype to what they just did and sarcastically believe they did Harold a favor. What can be shown here in relation to the model minority stereotype is that Harold now has to do more work than is required of him for his white counterparts. However doing this extra work will not earn him more money or any merit while his white counterpart will be doing less work and receiving the same credit as Harold is.The dialogue shows that the co-workers jokingly believe they are doing Harold a favor due to his traits which allows him to do such tasks; however, the ending of the scene shows Harold shouting â€Å"Fuck! † which can be seen as epitomizing reaction of Asians frustrations towards how this stereotype has affected them. The scene shows rebellion towards the label of the model minority. This shows that even though the model minority label credits Asians with strong qualities in the end negatively affects them.What does the scene show about the white co-workers? The scene shows the co-workers of Harold irresponsibly passing off their work for someone else to do. This characteristic shows laziness in the white co-workers. This part of the scene was a way to laugh at both Harold and also the two white co-workers. Why was this funny? The thing is that it’s sometimes true that these kinds of situations occur that is where the audience connects the humo r in the situation. The scene reveals an abnormal of how Americans are usually viewed.Americans have been known to be hard workers through fighting for freedom through the revolution to rising to one of the most powerful countries of the 20th century. Time goes on being on top, strong qualities can be seen to be fading away. The polarity is seen as Harold the Korean is hard working while the white co-workers are not. In the scene the white co-workers are laughing away semi-sadistically as they leave the building after taking advantage of their Asian co-worker. The significance of this is that the laughing disguises the white co-workers insecurity of their own work ethic is not as strong.Using the model minority stereotype has in a way been used to exploit as shown in the scene with the white co-workers using the stereotype to use Harold as a work horse. Even though the two white co-workers can’t represent Americans it can represent a whole different stereotype to be uncovered America has had a history in dealing with Asians in the past. Around the 19th century a term known as the â€Å"Yellow Peril† developed as a fear to the increasing number of Asians would immigrate to the United States and would fill the country with foreign culture, speech, and even take away jobs from Americans.The fear that the hard working Asians would take away American’s position in the working world, a satire to the response of that fear is shown in the scene as it shows Harold has been used as a crutch to hold up the co-workers in power. In Amitava Kumar’s Language, a violent example is seen when Kumar describes the murder of Vincent Chin who was murdered by two white autoworkers in Detroit. During so he was called a â€Å"Jap† and told â€Å"It’s because of you motherfuckers that we’re out of work. †(p. 05, Critical Encounters With Text). Chin was murdered due to his ethnic identity which in some correlation was believed to p ut those auto workers out of work. Chin was murdered because in the view of the autoworkers was that he was somehow associated with the ethnic group that had replaced them. It could be that the people who replaced them were more efficient, harder working, or demanded lower wages. Whatever it was, they did not confront the face they themselves had anything to do with the fact they were out of work.Which is something that has become a problem in society is that people blame each other and do not choose to confront how they could have caused a certain event. The model minority stereotype has also affected my life personally being of Korean decent. Being part of the model minority stereotypes has caused to build expectations since we are expected to live up to our peers which fall into that category. In elementary school, I remember asking my teachers for help and noticed some reluctance in doing so. Then I saw my teachers helping other students seeming more inclined to help.This situat ion made it seem to me that I had to work a little harder than my peers in school. In high school, some teachers took personal offence if it seemed as I underperformed on an assignment believing I wasn’t trying or was being lazy. Even though if I tried hard and didn’t do well it was disappointing to see teachers lose faith due to a misinterpretation. All of these things were built upon the general assumptions brought on by the model minority stereotype, has made it so it was abnormal to not follow the trend of such a view.Assumptions are natural impulses that most cannot avoid to do. As human beings no matter what we see, there is some sort of impression that most of us come towards even without knowing the person. Some of these assumptions are guided from varying reasons including friends, family, face, hair, ethnicity, attire, gender, and the media. We analyzed how a particular scene in the film Harold and Kumar go to White Castle exemplifies a generalized assumption . Also a brief personal account on how the stereotype has affected me.Stereotypes create unfairness as it classifies groups based on assumptions. Awareness of the consequences of stereotypes will help the problems associated with it. Stereotypes will continue to die down as long as the world is becoming more and more globalized. So therefore groups and cultures in America will become more connected with each other as time goes on causing familiarity, bringing down assumptions on a group and with this the concept, true equal opportunity will continue to become stronger.Works Cited Jon Hurwitz, Danny Leiner, Hayden Schlossberg . Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. (2001) †¢ Amitava Kumar. â€Å"Language,† by, reprinted from Passport Photos by permission of University of California Press. (2000) †¢ Hurst, Charles E. Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences. 6. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc, 2007 †¢ Ruth Hester, published May 21, 2007 http://www. associ atedcontent. com/article/248276/the_glass_ceiling_and_its_effect_on. html? cat=3 †¢ Amy Kashiwabara, 1996 http://www. lib. berkeley. edu/MRC/Amydoc. html