Hp Case Study

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. INTRODUCTION4 Hewlett-Packard: The Company4 The HP Way4 2. Current Situation4 Current Performance4 Strategic Posture4 Mission Statement of Hewlett Packard4 Vision statement of Hewlett Packard5 Improved Mission statement5 Improved Vision statement5 Why? 5 Comparison of Mission statement to a leading competitor statement5 Objectives:5 Strategies:6 The Current Strategy6 Focus on Your Customer6 Create Measurable Goals6 Create Major Initiatives6 3. Strategic Managers7 Board of Directors7 Top Management7 4. External Environment(EFAS Table)7MEGA Scanning(PEST analysis)7 Task Environment (Porter Five forces Model)7 5. Internal Environment (IFAS Table)8 Corporate Structure8 Corporate culture8 Corporate resources8 Marketing8 Finance8 R&D8 Operations9 Human Resources9 Information System9 Market Position9 6. Strategic Myopia (Filtration)10 7. Analysis of Strategic Factors10 Situational analysis (SWOT)10 TOWS Matrix13 SPACE Matrix15 INTERPRETATION16 Interpreting t he SPACE Analysis Matrix Diagram17 ixixGrand Starategy matr18 QSPM18 8. Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy20 Recommended Strategy20 9.Implementation20 Expanding Geographically21 Reaching into new market segments21 10. Evaluation and control22 Appendix A23 Gross profit margin ratio23 Operating profit margin23 Net profit margin23 Current ratio23 Quick ratio23 Inventory turnover ratio23 Sales to receivables ratio24 Return on assets24 Debt to worth ratio24 1. INTRODUCTION Hewlett-Packard: The Company In 1938, two Stanford graduates in electrical engineering, William Hewlett and David Packard, started their own business in a garage behind Packard’s Palo Alto home. One year later, Hewlett and Packard formalized their usiness into a partnership called Hewlett-Packard. HP was incorporated in 1947 and began offering stock for public trading 10 years later. Annual net revenue for the company grew from $5. 5 million in 1951 to $3 billion in 1980. By 1997, annual net revenue exceeded $42 billion and HP had become the world’s second largest computer supplier. The company, which originally produced audio oscillators, introduced its first computer in 1966. In 1972, the company pioneered the era of personal computing by introducing the first scientific, hand-held calculator.Hewlett-Packard introduced its first personal computer in 1980. Five years later, HP introduced the LaserJet printer, which would become the company’s most successful product ever. The HP Way In 1956, Bill Hewlett, Dave Packard, and a handful of other HP executives gathered at the Mission Inn in Sonoma, California, to create a set of values and principles to guide their company. The six objectives that this small group subsequently created not only helped shape â€Å"a new kind of company, but ultimately became the foundation for what came to be known as â€Å"the HP way. 2. Current Situation Current Performance See Appendix 1 Strategic Posture Mission Statement of Hewle tt Packard â€Å"We are committed to developing a wide range of innovative products and multimedia services that challenge the way consumer’s access and enjoy digital entertainment. By ensuring synergy between businesses within the organization, we are also constantly striving to create exciting new worlds of entertainment that can be experienced on a variety of different products. † Vision statement of Hewlett Packard We recognize and seize opportunities for growth that builds upon our strengths and competencies. † Improved Mission statement To provide product, services and solution of highest quality and deliver more value to our customers that earn their respect and loyalty. Improved Vision statement To view change in market as an opportunity to grow, to use our profit and to ability to develop and produce innovative products, services and solutions that satisfy customers need. Why? They are brief and to the point. It is highlighting all the main points.Compar ison of Mission statement to a leading competitor statement IBM IBM, we strive to lead in the invention, development and manufacture of the industry most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, storage systems and microelectronics. We translate these advanced technologies into value for our customers through our professional solutions, services and consulting businesses worldwide. DELL Dell mission is to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. Organization |Customers | |Opportunities: |Threats: | |Globally acceptable software used in the laptops which makes them easy to use and|Competitor’s technology & pricing. | |repair Political-Legal. |Less global coverage than competitor. | | |Low compatibility with non- HP product. |The prices are very affordable. |Booming of mobile technology such as IPAD and IPHONE. | |Potential of using technology is very high. |Due to toug h competition bargaining power of customer is low. | |One of the top market leader with trusted Brand name. | | | | | |The HP is continuously keeps on updating their technology which keeps the | | |interest of the customers intact. | |High product differentiation (servers, Laptops, scanners Printers and others. | | |Expansion of retailed stores for customer convenience. | | |Participation in joint venture | | |Mass production leads to high bargaining supplier power. | |Key External factors |Weight |Rating |Weighted Score | |Opportunities | | | | |1. Globally acceptable software used in the laptops which makes them easy to use and repair |0. 02 |4 |0. 08 | |Political-Legal. | | | | |2. The prices are very affordable. 0. 1 |3 |0. 3 | |3. Potential of using technology is very high. |0. 05 |4 |0. 2 | |4. One of the top market leader with trusted Brand name. |0. 1 |4 |0. 4 | |5. The HP is continuously keeps on updating their technology which keeps the interest of the customers |0. 1 |4 |0. 4 | |intact. | | | | |6. High product differentiation (servers, Laptops, scanners Printers and others. |0. |3 |0. 3 | |7. Expansion of retailed stores for customer convenience. |0. 1 |3 |0. 3 | |8. Participation in joint venture |0. 05 |2 |0. 1 | |9. Mass production leads to high bargaining supplier power. |0. 01 |3 |0. 03 | |Threats | | | | |1.Competitor’s technology & pricing. |0. 2 |3 |0. 6 | |2. Less global coverage than competitor. |0. 01 |3 |0. 03 | |3. Low compatibility with non- HP product. |0. 01 |2 |0. 02 | |4. Booming of mobile technology such as IPAD and IPHONE. |0. 1 |2 |0. 2 | |5. Due to tough competition bargaining power of customer is low. |0. 05 |3 |0. 5 | |Total Weighted Score | | |3. 11 | Current strategy can catch opportunity and avoid threats |Key Internal factors |Weight |Rating |Weighted Score | |Strengths | |Organized into 7 business sections with strong position in each |0. |4 |0. 4 | |The company competes both at local and international leve l. It has increased its competitiveness |0. 1 |4 |0. 4 | |through policies and strategies that supports free-market economies | | | | |Strong financial position |0. 1 |4 |0. | |Leading provider of personal computers and imaging and printing |0. 05 |4 |0. 2 | |Good Operational Efficiency |0. 05 |3 |0. 15 | |Multi-vendor customer services, including infrastructure technology and business process  outsourcing,|0. 05 |3 |0. 5 | |technology support and maintenance, application development and support services  and consulting and | | | | |integration services. | | | | |Highly talented workforce |0. 05 |4 |0. 2 | |Ability to provide end-to-end IT solution H/W, application development and support. |0. 15 |4 |0. 6 | |Hewlett-Packard is a global enterprise and especially after its  merger  with Compaq, the company |0. 5 |3 |0. 15 | |became world’s biggest  computer hardware  and peripherals consort in the world and has ranked 20th in | | | | |the Fortune 500 list. | | | | | Weaknesses | | | | |Financial condition leans very heavily on the state of economy not just in the US but worldwide |0. 5 |2 |0. 1 | |Struggling to Add Value and Remain Profitable in Low-Cost High-Volume PC Business |0. 01 |1 |0. 01 | |R&D department has significantly less investments compared to historical spending |0. 1 |1 |0. 1 | |Slow speed to market or responsiveness The past acquisition of Peregrine made the HP’s  portfolio  even|0. 5 |2 |0. 1 | |more diverse and complete but HP Open View’s lack of mainframe management capabilities created | | | | |several problems | | | | |Lack of in-house management consulting division |0. 1 |1 |0. 01 | |Dependency on third-party suppliers, and our revenue and gross margin could suffer if HP fails to |0. 01 |2 |0. 02 | |manage suppliers properly | | | | |Pay cuts has brought low morale to employees |0. 02 |1 0. 02 | |HP did not yet hit a CMDB  product  that includes discovery and mapping. This cause many customers to | 0. 05 |1 |0. 05 | |switch the brand | | | | |Total Weighted Score |3. 6 | HP has strong internal position TOWS Matrix |IFE |Strengths: |Weaknesses: | | |Organized into 7 business sections with strong |Financial position leans very heavily on the | | |position in each. state of economy not just in the US but | | |The company competes both at local and international|worldwide. | | |level. It has increased its competitiveness through |Struggling to Add Value and Remain Profitable in | | |policies and strategies that supports free-market |Low-Cost High-Volume PC Business. | |economies. |R&D department has significantly less investments| | |Strong financial position. |compared to historical spending. | | |Leading provider of personal computers and imaging |Slow speed to market or responsiveness the past | | |and printing. acquisition of Peregrine made the | | |Good Operational Efficiency. |HP’s  portfolio  even more diverse and complete but| | |Multi-vendor customer service s, including |HP Open View’s lack of mainframe management | | |infrastructure technology and business |capabilities created several problems. | |process  outsourcing, technology support and |Lack of in-house management consulting division. | | |maintenance, application development and support |Dependency on third-party suppliers, and our | | |services  and consulting and integration services. |revenue and gross margin could suffer if HP fails| | |Highly talented workforce. to manage suppliers properly. | | |Ability to provide end-to-end IT solution H/W, |Pay cuts has brought low morale to employees. | | |application development and support. |HP did not yet hit a CMDB  product  that includes | | |Hewlett-Packard is a global enterprise and |discovery and mapping.This cause many customers | | |especially after its  merger  with Compaq, the company|to switch the brand. | | |became world’s biggest  computer hardware  and | | | |peripherals consort in the wor ld and has ranked 20th| | | |in the Fortune 500 list. | |Opportunities: |SO: |WO: | |Globally acceptable software used in the laptops |S1, S2, S3, S7, O3 to develop new products |W5, O8 to develop new HR policy in order to | |which makes them easy to use and repair |(Intensive strategies). |retain the human capital. | |Political-Legal. |S2, S3, S5, O9 (backward integration – Integrative |W6,O9 (backward integration – Integrative | | |strategies). |strategies). | |The prices are very affordable. | | | |Potential of using technology is very high. | | | |One of the top market leader with trusted Brand | | | |name. | | | | | | |The HP is continuously keeps on updating their | | | |technology which keeps the interest of the | | | |customers intact. | | |High product differentiation (servers, Laptops, | | | |scanners Printers and others. | | | |Expansion of retailed stores for customer | | | |convenience. | | |Participation in joint venture | | | |Mass production leads t o high bargaining supplier| | | |power. | | | |Threats: |ST: |WT: |Competitor’s technology & pricing. |S2, S9, T1 to offer products standardizing with |W1,W8, T1 to develop new products (Intensive | |Less global coverage than competitor. |lowest cost for broad range of customers |strategies) and to drop the non-profitable | |Low compatibility with non- HP product. |(competitive strategy). |products. | |Booming of mobile technology such as IPAD and |S2, S3, S5, T4 to develop new products (Intensive | | |IPHONE. strategies). | | |Due to tough competition bargaining power of |S2, S3, S5, T2 to open retail stores worldwide | | |customer is low. |(Forward integration -integrative strategies). | | | | | | SPACE Matrix Internal Strategic Position |External Strategic position | |Competitive Position (CP) |Industry Position (IP) | |Market Share |-2 |Growth Potential |5 | |Product Quality |-1 |Profit Potential |5 | |Customer Loyalty |-2 |Financial Stability |5 | |Technological know-h ow |-2 |Labor cost |2 | |Control over suppliers and |-4 |Technological know-how |5 | |distributors | | | | |Total |-11 |Total |22 | |Average |-2. 2 |Average |3. 7 | |Financial Position (FP) | Stability Position(SP) | |Return on Investment |5 |Technological changes |-4 | |leverage |6 |Rate of Inflation |-2 | |Working Capital |5 |Price range of Competing products |-3 | |Liquidity |5 |Competitive pressure |-4 | |Price earnings ratio |4 |Barriers to entry into market |-2 | |   |   |Demand variability |-3 | |Total |25 |Total |-18 | |Average |5 |Average |-3 | |   |X Value = 3. 67 – 2. 2 = 1. 47 |   |Y value = 5- 3 = 2 | [pic] INTERPRETATION Assessing the SPACE Analysis Scores Each factor in the Strategic Position and Action Evaluation matrix can be quickly judged but there are benefits for exploring each in detail.There are a large number of factors that can be considered and each industry will have its own key features which should be included in the detailed SPACE evalu ation. A few factors to be considered to give you a flavour of what to include in your SPACE analysis are listed below. SPACE Analysis Factors For Financial Strength †¢ Return on Sales †¢ Return on Assets †¢ Cash Flow †¢ Gearing †¢ Working Capital Intensity SPACE Analysis Factors For Competitive Advantage †¢ Market Share †¢ Quality †¢ Customer Loyalty †¢ Cost Levels †¢ Product Range SPACE Analysis Factors For Industry Attractiveness †¢ Growth Potential †¢ Life Cycle Stage †¢ Entry Barriers †¢ Customer Power †¢ Substitutes SPACE Analysis Factors For Environmental Stability †¢ Political Uncertainty †¢ Interest Rates Technology †¢ Cyclical †¢ Environmental Issues Interpreting the SPACE Analysis Matrix Diagram The arrow indicating the strategic thrust can be drawn from the origin by calculating the net result on each axis and plotting this net position. The Aggressive posture in the SPACE Anal ysis Matrix occurs when all the dimensions are positive. The implicit strategy is to aggressively grow the business raising the stakes for all competitors. The main danger is complacency. ? According to the space matrix score HP falls in the â€Å"AGGRESSIVE quadrant† . Their strategies should be one of the following: Vertical and horizontal integration1 Market penetration2Market development3 Product development4 Diversification5 ixixGrand Starategy matr |[pic] | | | |Horizontal diversification | |Concentric diversification | |Conglomerate diversification | |Divestiture | QSPM | |Key Factor |Weight |Horizontal |Market |Product |Horizontal | | | |Integration |Development |Development |Diversification | |   | | |Low Product Cost |This orientation is focused on developing the lowest cost or highest value product. This is typical of companies| | |with commodity type products, products reaching a mature phase in their life cycle, or where there is | | |consolidation or a shrinking market. This orientation typically will require additional time and development | | |cost to optimize product cost and the manufacturing process. | |Low Development Cost |This orientation focuses on minimizing development cost or developing products within a constrained budget. | |While this orientation is not as common as the other orientations, it occurs when companies are developing | | |products under contract for other parties, where a company has severely constrained financial resources, or | | |where a â€Å"stealth† development effort is being undertaken on a â€Å"shoestring†. This orientation is somewhat | | |compatible with time-to-market, but involves tradeoffs with product performance, innovation, cost and | | |reliability. |Product Performance, Technology & Innovation |This orientation focuses on having the highest level of product performance, the highest level of functionality | | |or functions and features, the latest technology or the highes t level of product innovation. This orientation | | |can be pursued by companies in many industries or many products except commodity products. Pursuit of this | | |strategy involves higher risks with newer technologies and accepts a trade-off of time and cost to pursue these | | |objectives. | |Quality, Reliability, Robustness |This orientation focuses on assuring high levels of product quality, reliability and robustness.This | | |orientation is typical of industries requiring high quality because of the significant costs to correct a | | |problem (e. g. , recalls in the automotive or food processing industries), the need for high levels of reliability| | |(e. g. , aerospace products), or where there are significant safety issues (e. g. , medical devices, | | |pharmaceuticals, commercial aircraft, nuclear plants, etc. ). This orientation requires added time and cost for | | |planning, testing, analysis and regulatory approvals. |Service, Responsiveness & Flexibility |This orientat ion focuses on providing a high level of service, being very responsive to customer requirements as| | |part of development, and maintaining flexibility to respond to new customers, new markets and new opportunities. | | |This orientation requires additional resources (and their related costs) to provide this service and | | |responsiveness. | 10. Evaluation and control 1. Determine what to measure: Top managers and operational managers must specify implementation process and results to be monitored and evaluated.The processes and results must be measurable in a reasonably objective and consistent manner. The focus should be on the most significant elements in a process – the ones that account for the highest proportion of exposure or the greatest no. of problems. 2. Establish standards of Performance: Standards used to measure performance are detailed expressions of strategic objectives. They are measures of acceptable performance results. Each standard can be usually includ es a tolerance range, which defines any acceptable deviations. Standards can be set not only for final output, but also for intermediate stages of production output. 3. Measure actual performance.Measurements must be made at predetermined times. 4. Compare actual performance with the standard – if the actual performance results are within the desired tolerance range, the measurement process stops here. 5. Take corrective action: If the actual results fall outside the desired tolerance range, action must be taken to correct the deviation. The action must not only correct the deviation but also prevent its recurrence. The following issues must be resolved: †¢ Is the deviation only a chance fluctuation? †¢ Are the processes being carried out in correctly? †¢ Are the processes appropriate for achieving the desired standards? Objectives of Strategy Evaluation and Control Organizations are most vulnerable when they are at the peak of their success †¢ Erroneous s trategic decisions can inflict severe penalties and can be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. †¢ Strategy evaluation is vital to an organization’s well-being; timely evaluations can alert management to problems or potential problems before a situation becomes critical. Appendix A Gross profit margin ratio The gross profit has increased from 23. 61% to 24. 53%. This means that profitability at the basic level has increased from previous year. This is a sign of good ratio. Operating profit margin Profitability before interest and tax has increased from 4. 00% to 7. 15%.This means that efficiency of the business before taking any financing has increased from the previous year. This also is a sign of good ratio. Net profit margin This also has increased from 2. 7% to 6. 76%. This means that overall profitability has also increased. This is a sign of good ratio. Current ratio Current ratio has decreased from 1. 38 to 1. 35. This means that working capital t o meet short term obligations has decreased, which shows a poor use of working capital. This is a sign of bad ratio. Quick ratio This ratio has also decreased from 1. 16 to 1. 13. So this shows that the ability to pay immediate financial obligations has also decreased. This quick ratio is acceptable but has decreased.Inventory turnover ratio The ratio has decreased from 9. 63 to 8. 93, which means that more capital is tied up in inventory which is not a good sign. Sales to receivables ratio It also has decreased from 8. 75 to 8. 43. This means that the efficiency in collecting accounts receivables has deceased. Return on assets This ratio has increased from 6. 9% to 13. 0% . This is the sign of good ratio. Debt to worth ratio This ratio has decreased to 6. 52% from 9. 12%. This means that debt financing has decreased and hence the risk also has decreased. Working capital . Working capital has increased from $11,874 to $12,414.This shows that the ability of a company to endure diffic ult financial periods has increased. |Gross profit margin |24. 53% |23. 61% | |Operating profit margin |7. 15% |4. 00% | |Net profit margin |6. 76% |2. 7% | |Current ratio |1. 35 |1. 38 | |Quick ratio |1. 13 |1. 6 | |Inventory turnover ratio |8. 93 |9. 63 | |Sales to receivables ratio |8. 43 |8. 75 | |Return on assets |13. 0% |6. 9% | |Debt to worth ratio |6. 52% |9. 12% | |Working capital |$12,414 |$11,874 | ———————– EFE

Why College Is Necessary

Why A College Degree is Necessary Posted in General Information An education is something that no one will ever be able to take away from you. It is the best gift that you can give yourself. College usually requires a big financial investment upfront, but the reward is definitely worth it. Over the course of your lifetime, you are likely to pay far less for your college education then you would in earning potential by not having a college education. In simpler terms, a college degree usually equates to more MONEY. In fact, each level of college education that you receive will increase your overall earning potential. In other words, the more education you obtain, the greater your chances are at earning more money. For example, if you decide to pursue a one-year degree in a technical field such as a medical assistant – this will provide you with the opportunity to earn more than you would with just a high school diploma. Similarly, an associate’s degree (or 2 year degree) will give you an opportunity to earn even more money. The same is true for a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Most students begin their careers after obtaining their bachelor’s degree. However, some students decide to remain in school for graduate studies in order to obtain a master’s degree. In some careers, a master’s degree further increases an individual’s earning potential. The Cost of Obtaining Advanced Degrees A lot of students either choose to pursue advanced degrees later on in their career or not at all because of how expensive they can be. For some students, it is important that they complete school so that they can find a job and support themselves and/or their families. However, with the advances in technology and increase in flexible schooling programs, obtaining advanced degrees is becoming more affordable and attainable. With the rise of online degree programs, night classes, and weekend classes, advanced degree seeking individuals are able to go back to school without sacrificing their current careers or family during the process. The â€Å"information age† has made it a lot easier for students to meet their educational and future goals. Education & Careers How will an education help you land that dream job? Well, your level of education will help you get your foot in the door. Most jobs have baseline requirements that typically require a degree in a certain field of study (i. e. accounting, education, psychology, etc. ). Current job trends demonstrate that employers are placing more value on degrees than work experience and if you want to remain competitive with your peers, then you must equip yourself with the proper education. Also, some jobs will offer bonuses or promotions to employees who decide to go back to school to seek an advanced degree, particularly if the advanced degree is related to their current position. Tuition Reimbursement A lot of companies have tuition reimbursement programs. What does this mean? This means that the company will either reimburse you for a portion of your tuition related fees or in some cases, all of your tuition fees. These types of programs prove that employers value education. There is really no wrong reason to get an education. Even if your bachelor’s degree or advanced degree doesn’t fit the specific job that you are applying to, it may still give you a leg up on the competition. A college degree is becoming more and more necessary in today’s competitive job market, so you should take every opportunity that is presented to you to earn a college degree. Taken from the website. http://www. thecollegehelper. com/why-a-college-degree-is-necessary

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 21

Chapter 21 AVENGING ANGEL Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, Theo thought. He twisted his ankle when he hit the ground; pain shot up his leg like liquid fire. He fell and rolled onto his back in the mud. He'd pushed the remote button that unlocked the Range Rover too soon the vehicle had chirped and the lights had blinked, alerting the undead. He'd made the jump blind, and missed. They were coming for him. He pushed himself up and started hopping toward the Range Rover the car key ready in his right hand, his flashlight lost behind him in the mud. Grab him, you rotting fucks,† screamed Dale Pearson. Theo fell forward as his good foot slipped out from under him, but he rolled back to his feet, a bolt of pain shooting white-hot across his shin. He caught himself on the back window of the black Range Rover, snatching at the rear wiper for balance. He risked a glance back toward his pursuers and heard a loud thump by his head followed by a deafening screech. He turned just in time to see a skeletal woman sliding across the roof of the Range Rover, leading with her teeth. He ducked, but not before he felt fingernails raking his neck, teeth thumping into his scalp. She rode him to the ground and he could feel a grating pain in his head as the zombie tried to bite through his skull. His face was pushed into the mud. His nostrils and mouth filled with water, and amid a flashing whiteness of terror he thought, I'm so sorry, Molly. â€Å"Yuck! That's hideous!† said Bess Leander, spitting a couple of teeth on the back of Theo's head. Marty in the Morning grabbed Theo by the head and licked the teeth marks that Bess had left. â€Å"That's horrible. He's stoned. I'm not eating stoned brains.† The undead moaned in disappointment. â€Å"Get him up,† said Dale. Theo inhaled a great spray of mud along with his first breath and he went into a coughing fit as the undead lifted him up and held him against the back window of the Range Rover. Someone wiped the mud out of his eyes, and a stench that made him gag filled his nostrils. He could see the dead but animated face of Dale Pearson only inches from his own. The corpse's foul breath overwhelmed him. Theo tried to twist away from the evil Santa, but decaying hands held his head fast. â€Å"Hey, hippie,† said Dale. He held Theo's flashlight down by his Santa beard to illuminate his face from below. There were two stripes of bloody drool running down either side of the beard. â€Å"You're not thinking that your pot-smoking ways are going to save you, are you? Don't.† He pulled a snub-nose revolver out of the pocket of his red coat and shoved it under Theo's chin. â€Å"We'll have plenty to eat. We can afford to waste you.† Dale ripped open the Velcro fasteners of Theo's jacket and started feeling around his waist. â€Å"No gun? You suck as a lawman, hippie.† He went to the pockets of Theo's cop shirt. â€Å"But this! The one thing you can be depended on for.† Dale held up Theo's lighter, then reached in, tore the whole pocket off the cop shirt, and wrapped the dry fabric around the lighter. â€Å"Marty, try this. Keep it dry.† Dale gave the lighter to a rotting guy with a wet Ziggy Stardust red mullet, who slogged back to the pile of debris at the side of the chapel. Theo watched as Marty in the Morning bent over the pile of plywood, pine branches, two-by-fours, cardboard, and the torn-up body of Ben Miller. The wind was still whipping, the rain less intense now, but even so the drops stung Theo's face when they hit. Don't light, don't light, don't light, Theo chanted in his head, but then his hope drained away when he saw the orange flame catch on the debris, and Marty in the Morning pull away with his sleeve on fire. Dale Pearson stepped aside so Theo could see the fire whipping up the side of the building, then put the .38 against Theo's temple. â€Å"Take a good look at our little barbecue fire, hippie. It's the last thing you're going to see. We're gonna eat your crazy wife's brains char-broiled.† Theo smiled, happy that Molly wasn't inside, wouldn't be part of the massacre. â€Å"I didn't hear ‘Shave and a Haircut, † said Ignacio Nunez. â€Å"Did you hear ‘Shave and a Haircut'?† Tuck panned his flashlight across a dozen frightened faces, then one whole side of the chapel went orange with the light from the fire outside the windows. One woman screamed, others stared in horror as smoke started to snake in around the window frames. â€Å"Change of plan,† Tuck said. â€Å"We go now. Guys in front of your groups. Give the car keys to the next person back.† â€Å"They'll be waiting for us,† said Val Riordan. â€Å"Fine, you burn up,† Tuck said. â€Å"Guys, knock over whatever gets in your way, everyone behind just keep going for the cars.† All the barricades and braces had been removed from the chapel doors. Tuck put his shoulder against one door, Gabe Fenton was on the other. â€Å"Ready. One, two, three!† They threw their shoulders against the doors and bounced back into the others. The doors had only opened a couple of inches. Someone shone a flashlight through the gap to reveal a huge pine-tree trunk braced against one of the doors. â€Å"New plan,† shouted Tuck. Theo tried to look at the fire, but he couldn't see beyond the undead eyes of Dale Pearson. Thought had fled. There was just fear and anger and the pressure of the gun barrel against his temple. He heard a whooshing sound and a thump by his ear and the gun barrel was gone. Dale Pearson was stepping away from him, holding a dark stump where his gun hand had just been. Dale opened his mouth to shout something, but in that second a thin line appeared across his face at nostril level and half of his head slid to the ground. He slumped in a pile at Theo's feet. The hands that were holding Theo let go. â€Å"Brains!† screamed one of the undead. â€Å"Crazy-woman brains!† Theo fell on top of Dale's rekilled body, then spun around to see what was happening. â€Å"Hi, honey,† Molly said. She stood on the roof of the Range Rover, grinning, wearing a leather jacket, sweatpants, and her red Converse All Stars, holding the ancient Japanese sword in Hasso No Kamae before her, the blade gleaming orange in the light from the burning church. There was a dark swath across the blade where it had hewn the head of the zombie Santa. Theo had never been a religious man, but he thought in that instant that this must be what it was like to look on the face of an avenging angel. The zombies who had been holding Theo reached for Molly's legs, and in a single motion she stepped back and brought the sword around in a low arc that sent a rain of severed hands flying into the mud. The undead wailed around her, and tried to claw their way onto the SUV with their stumps. Bess Leander tried to replicate the move she had used on Theo, stepping up the hood behind Molly and diving across the roof of the Range Rover. Molly spun and sidestepped, making a low swing with her sword that would have not looked out of place on a golf course. Bess's head rolled off the top of the Land Rover into Theo's lap. He pushed it aside and got to his feet. â€Å"Honey, you might want to go let everyone out of the chapel before they burn up,† said Molly. â€Å"I'm not sure you want to watch this.† † ‘Kay,† said Theo. The undead had left their stations at the front and back doors of the chapel, where they had been waiting to ambush the escaping partyers, and charged Molly. Three fell headless while Molly stood on the Land Rover, but as they surrounded her, she ran and leaped over the heads of the mob, landing behind them. Theo ran for the front doors of the chapel, his vision blurred from the rain and the blood running into his eyes from the bite wound on his head. He looked back for a second and saw Molly sailing over the top of her attackers. He nearly ran into two great pine logs that had been braced against the chapel doors. He looked back a second and caught a glimpse of Molly mowing down two more zombies, one split down the middle from the crown of his head to his sternum, then he turned and tried to get his back under one of the logs. â€Å"Theo, is that you?† Gabe Fenton had his face pressed in an inch-wide gap between the doors. â€Å"Yeah. There are logs against the doors,† Theo said. â€Å"I'm going to try to move them.† Theo took three deep breaths and lifted for all he was worth, feeling as if veins would explode in his temples. The wound on his head throbbed with every heartbeat. But the tree trunk moved a couple of inches. He could do this. â€Å"Is it working?† yelled Gabe. â€Å"Yeah, yeah,† said Theo. â€Å"Give me a second.† â€Å"It's filling up with smoke in here, Theo.† â€Å"Right.† Theo strained again and the log moved another two inches to the right. Another foot and they'd be able to get the door open. â€Å"Hurry, Theo,† said Jenny Masterson. â€Å"It's – † She went into a coughing fit and couldn't finish what she was saying. Theo could hear everyone coughing inside. Wails of rage and pain were coming from the side of the chapel where Molly was fighting. She must be okay, they were still yelling about eating her brain. Another lift, another two inches. Gray smoke was streaming out the crack between the doors. Theo fell to his knees with the effort and almost passed out. He shook himself back into consciousness, and as he prepared to put his back into another effort, hoping it wouldn't be his last, he noticed that the screaming had stopped at the side of the chapel. Rain, wind, the coughing of the trapped, and the crackle of the fire. That was all he heard. â€Å"Oh my God. Molly!† he screamed. A hand on his cheek, a voice at his ear. â€Å"Hey, sailor, need a little hand getting your church door open, if you know what I mean?† Sirens sounded in the distance. Someone had seen the burning chapel through the storm and had somehow gotten through to the volunteer fire department. The Lonesome Christmas survivors were gathered in the middle of the parking lot, illuminated by headlights. The heat from the fire had driven them nearly seventy-five yards to the street. Even this far away, Theo could feel the heat on his cheek from the fire as Lena Marquez bandaged his head. Others sat in the open hatchbacks of SUVs, trying to catch their breath after being exposed to the smoke, drinking bottled water or just lying there dazed. Around the burning chapel the wet pine forest steamed, a great white cloud rising into the sky. Down the left side of the chapel: carnage – a rekilling ground of the undead, where Molly had hacked them into submission, even chasing down the last few in the woods and decapitating them after she and Theo had let the partyers out of the chapel. Molly sat beside Theo, under the open hatchback of someone's Expedition. â€Å"How did you know?† he asked. â€Å"How could you possibly have known?† â€Å"The bat told me,† Molly said. â€Å"You mean he showed up and you said, ‘What's wrong, boy, is Timmy trapped down a well? and he barked to tell you that's what was wrong? Like that?† â€Å"No,† Molly said. â€Å"It was like, ‘Your husband and a bunch of other people have barricaded themselves in the chapel against a horde of brain-eating zombies and you need to go save them. Like that. He has some kind of accent. Sounds Spanish.† â€Å"I for one am glad that you went off your meds,† said Tucker Case, who was standing next to Lena as she bandaged Theo's head. â€Å"A few hallucinations are a small price to pay, if you ask me.† Molly held up her hand for him to be quiet. She stood and brushed the pilot aside, looking back toward the burning church. A tall dark figure in a long coat was coming toward them through the killing field. â€Å"Oh no,† said Theo. â€Å"Everyone get in the cars and lock them.† â€Å"No,† Molly said, dismissing Theo's instructions with a distracted backward wave. â€Å"We're okay.† She met the angel in the middle of the parking lot. â€Å"Merry Christmas,† said the angel. â€Å"Yeah, you, too,† said Molly. â€Å"Have you seen the child? Joshua?† asked Raziel. â€Å"There's a kid over there with the others,† said Molly. â€Å"That's probably him.† â€Å"Take me to him.† â€Å"That's him,† Theo said. â€Å"That's the robot guy.† â€Å"Shhhhhh,† Molly shushed. Raziel walked to where Emily Barker was holding her son, Joshua, sitting on the back of Molly's Honda. â€Å"Mom,† wailed Joshua. He hid his face in his mother's chest. But Emily was still stunned by witnessing her mate's death, and she didn't react at all except to hold the boy tighter. Raziel put his hand on the boy's head. â€Å"Fear not,† he said. â€Å"For I bring you tidings of great joy. Behold, your Christmas wish has been granted.† The angel waved toward the fire and the carnage and the exhausted and terrified survivors as if he were a game-show hostess presenting a washer/dryer set. â€Å"Not what I would have wished for,† the angel said, â€Å"but I am but a lowly messenger.† Josh rolled in his mother's arms and faced the angel. â€Å"I didn't ask for this. This isn't what I wished for.† â€Å"Sure it is,† said Raziel. â€Å"You wished that the Santa you saw killed be brought back to life.† â€Å"No, I didn't.† â€Å"That's what you said. You said you wanted him brought back to life.† â€Å"That's not what I meant,† said Joshua. â€Å"I'm a kid. I don't always get stuff right.† â€Å"I'll vouch for that,† said Tucker Case, stepping up behind the angel. â€Å"He is a kid, and he is wrong most of the time.† â€Å"We still should cut your head off,† said Josh. â€Å"See,† said Tuck. â€Å"Always wrong.† â€Å"Well, if you didn't mean you wanted him brought back to life, what did you mean?† asked Raziel. â€Å"I didn't mean I wanted Santa to be a zombie and kill big, dumb Brian and everything. I wanted everything to be okay. Like it never happened. So it would be a good Christmas.† â€Å"That's not what you said,† said Raziel. â€Å"That's what I wanted,† said Joshua. â€Å"Oh,† said the angel. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"So he's an angel?† Theo said to Molly. â€Å"Like a real angel?† Molly nodded, smiling. â€Å"Not a killer robot?† Molly shook her head. â€Å"He's here to grant a Christmas wish, to one child.† â€Å"Like it never happened?† the angel asked Joshua. â€Å"Yeah!† said Josh. â€Å"Oops,† said the angel. Molly stepped over and put her hand on the angel's shoulder. â€Å"Raziel, you fucked up. Fix it?† The angel looked at her and grinned. Perfect teeth, if a little sharp. â€Å"So be it,† he said. â€Å"Glory to God in the highest, peace on Earth, goodwill toward men.†

Project 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project 5 - Essay Example Hyperbole refers to exaggerations beyond the reality, or beyond the realms of what is logically probable (Corbett 5). Hyperbole is meant to emphasize or as earlier mentioned create strong impression. An example of this kind of this device in a sentence would be as follows. â€Å"I have ton of homework to complete by evening.† Litotes can also be used to show emphasis. This is usually an understatement of what is meant by the words. For example, one can say that a situation is â€Å"not that bad†. This could still mean that the situation is excellent. An appropriate example of a trope under this category is metaphor. Metaphors enable readers to see the relationship between various objects. Metaphors involve making direct comparisons between different objects having one or more of similar characteristic (Corbett 13). An example in a sentence is â€Å"your voice is music to my ears†. Here, the reader can be able to see the connection between the two things compared. Music brings joy or happiness, as the same case with the voice. Some tropes enable the reader make comparisons of one thing to another. Similes are commonly used to make comparisons using words such as â€Å"like† or â€Å"as†. The objects may not necessarily be alike. The only requirement is that they must share a similar characteristic. An example in a sentence would be â€Å"her dress was red like a rose flower† or â€Å"he was slow as a snail†. In the later example, the common similarity shared among the two is the quality of being slow. Some tropes are used just to create a comic effect in the literary work. Irony is one of the literary devices used to create a comic effect. In some cases, irony is combined with other devices such as satire to bring out humor. Irony involves using words which are intended to give a totally different meaning – in most cases used to give the opposite meaning (Corbett 15). In literary works, authors may apply situational or dramatic

Medical School Secondary Application Essay Topics

Medical School Secondary Application Topics - Essay Example as a laboratory technician at Pharmacology-Toxicology Research Laboratory; as an animal laboratory technician at Pfizer Global Research and Development; and at Tutor Experts and the Making Changes Freedom School as a tutor-educator. These experiences have taught me the value of resilience, the age-old formula of hard work; passion for learning; a very strong sense of independence; and a good work ethic. Despite the ‘sweet’ burden of supporting myself through school, this did not prove an obstacle in being a man for others. I have worked as a volunteer for several institutions, recognizing that neither my ethnicity nor my financial difficulties should inhibit selflessness and an authentic desire to be of service. I have volunteered as a tutor / mentor in two institutions – the Making Changes Freedom School in Richmond, California, and at Tutor Experts in Walnut Creek, California. Through these venues, altruism and charity have been indelibly marked in my person; and I am as grateful for the experience as my students. I have also had the opportunity to volunteer for the California Pacific Medical Center and the American Red Cross Mobile, both in San Francisco California. A major consideration in the choice of Creighton University School of Medicine is my strong belief in its vision of â€Å"improving the human condition through excellence in educating students, physicians and the public, advancing knowledge, and providing comprehensive patient care.† The mission in itself speaks of service, altruism, physician competence and selfness – values which are remarkably consistent with my own. One other noteworthy feature of the university is its emphasis on Catholicism; I belong to a very devout Catholic family, and service to humanity, especially the underprivileged, has been instilled in me by my parents. Perhaps, this core value has been the driving force behind my strong sense of volunteerism, and sincere desire to help others. This emphasis on reaching out

Next Generation Air Transportation System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Next Generation Air Transportation System - Essay Example In addition, this program also encompasses airspace redesign and human factors affected by the air transport Next Generation Air Transport System is a proposed overhaul of the air traffic control system by the FAA. This government organ is moving away from the traditional control plan to exploit the advancement of technology in operating and managing aircrafts across the country. Accordingly, the aviation department plans to move from ground-based radar surveillance to satellite-based automatic monitoring. This program’s essential idea is the concept of free flights across the country. Through the adoption of various innovations, the aircrafts are guided by satellite instruments in the cockpit (Barkowski 6). This technology replaces the ground-based radars that require assistance by numerous traffic air controllers. Additionally, NextGen refers to the technology program that is essential and appropriate for ensuring safe and efficient movements of aircrafts. Thus, individual planes are given freedom to chart their path from departure to arrival destinations without the influence of aviation staff on the ground. Under free flights, the satellite-guided software provides direct and accurate routes to pilots to their targets. The Next Generation Air Transport System is currently in use across the country. Adoption of this program has already improved the air transport system in the country. Through the adoption of the guidelines and provision of this program, passengers are now enjoying the use of air transport. The crafts are saving time and moving swiftly across the country (Dillingham 5). In addition, the agency’s direct flights from different places is also useful. As a result, the industry is saving on operations cost since aircrafts use limited fuel. The crafts are also less pollutant to the environment since the emission of exhaust fumes has greatly reduced. Moreover, the program is

Primary Influences on Individual Behavior and How Motivation can be Essay

Primary Influences on Individual Behavior and How Motivation can be used to Influence Others - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that influences on human behavior are caused by several factors. Social, cultural, religious and environmental factors are some of the factors that influence individual behavior. Social factors may be influential on human behavior where such aspects like peer groups, family, and other social groups may shape the behavior of an individual. An individual can also be influenced by environmental factors such as trends in one’s life such as demographic factors, abilities, and skills, perception and attitudes. Cultural factors like values, customs, and beliefs can influence the behavior of a person in a society. Religious factors are some of the most effective influential ways to human behaviors. Further, behavior can also be influenced by motivation where it can be used to drive human actions. This paper aims at outlining the primary influences on individual behavior while analyzing how these influences affect the behavior of an individua l. It will also focus on discussing how an individual’s behavior can be influenced by motivation. Behavior refers to how a human conducts himself or how he acts especially to others or to the environment. Behavior is largely influenced by a response to internal or external stimuli thus causing a reaction on someone. An individual can react to various responses to stimuli depending on various influential factors. Social factors are well known to influence the behavior of an individual. Social factors involve actions that are adopted by a person in relation to influencing he gets from other people. An individual can develop a behavior in relation to influences from others that affect his emotions, character or opinions. The aspect of social influence comes from people that surround the life of an individual. Family, workmates, peer groups or the community living within the neighborhood can influence the behavior of an individual in many ways. The influence that comes through so cial factors may be based on forms like, leadership, peer pressure, persuasion, conformity, obedience, socialization or sales activities. An individual is likely to adopt a certain behavior following factors such as peer influence where one may develop a positive or negative attitude towards his parents. Further, conformity or obedience is the form of social influence brought about by socialization with such people like parents, relatives or seniors in the society such as teachers.

Business Plan for BSN Restaurant PowerPoint Presentation

Business Plan for BSN Restaurant - PowerPoint Presentation Example At times, customers have visited restaurants only to find that the kind of food they are served that not have the value for their money, perhaps because it is of low quality, it does not match their interest, or because it is completely not what they could have imagined getting. What’s more, customers have been forced to keep shifting from one restaurant to another because they cannot get staff that can respect them and understands their interest. Yet still, many customers have complained that the price of the foods they are sold is too high, yet the food its self is of low quality. These among many other customer frustrations have seen the need to establish BSN restaurant, which will plug these gaps, to give the customers an experience that is hard to get any other restaurant. BSN restaurant strives to be the leading restaurant in the provision and adaptable and customizable customer experience, in the local market. We strive to ensure our patrons receive outstandingly high-q uality meals and hospitable customer care whenever they visit our restaurant. Not only will our patrons receive high-quality meals, but they will also be provided with an atmosphere full of excitement and relaxation. Customer satisfaction will be our overriding principle. In pursuant of this principle, we shall have our motto reading, â€Å"Our customers first, other things second!† Generally, our services will appeal to a broad population, including singles and families, male or female, and young and old. The welfare of our employee will also take a center stage. All will be treated fairly and with the utmost respect so they can be able to give the customers the best of their services.

Education and Public Policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education and Public Policy - Research Paper Example While the industrial educational policy regime emerged and spread fast at the start of the 20th century, the rights education period started with the emergence of civil rights movements and anti-poverty campaigns in the mid-20th century. The industrial education regime was characterized by policies, which supported vocational educational programs in the sectors of the economy. On the other hand, rights educational policies sought to address poverty and racial and socioeconomic segregation of the 19th and the 20th century. In addition, rights education movements fought for the creation and implementation of educational policies that promote human rights and equality. During the rights education regime, a rather detailed global framework was developed to promote human rights education and awareness where human rights violations were rampant. To achieve this objective, stakeholder partnership, especially by multilateral institutions was necessary.In particular,a vibrant and dispersed system of civil society activists and associations had to be created and involved in the human rights education policy development and implementation. In this partnership,the civil and human rights movements managed to achieve quite a lot. However,the institutionalization and implementation processes dragged on rather slowly and at different paces.Although reinforcement and implementation of suggestion courses of action remain relatively slow,the efforts of rights education have tremendously improved global responses to mass atrocities and other forms of human rights violations ... inforcement and implementation of suggestion courses of action remain relatively slow and inconsistent, the efforts of rights education have tremendously improved global responses to mass atrocities and other forms of human rights violations (Beitz, 2009). Rights education policies have made positive strides since its emergence in the mid 20th century. First, there has been an increase in the international community’s responsiveness to atrocities across the globe, especially in the Middle East (Beitz, 2009). Second, a lot of attention is currently directed at prevention of human rights abuse and accountability by governments. Furthermore, rights education has made citizens aware of their rights, making it rather difficult for great powers to block certain favorable courses of action at world bodies such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) (Beitz, 2009). Regarding industrial educational regime, a lot of positive strides have been made and success registered given its emphasis on industrial education that empowers the marginalized and the vulnerable. The regime was characterized by an approach to education that emphasized learning from an industrial perspective (Kincheloe, 1995). A core area in which industry-oriented education has been applied is in vocational education. Although in earlier time it was majorly offered to students with sub-degree education and in industrial setting training, it has been introduced and offered even for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students since 2004. Based on one’s employment, industrial educational policies prepared learners for specific crafts or trades at different levels. One advantage of industrial educational regime policies is that they are relevant to professions such as nursing, medicine, architecture, trade,

The below figures from the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Essay

The below figures from the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that in 2011 sales of hybrid vehicles were signifi - Essay Example The hybrid cars were less pollution causing in nature and run on biodiesel fuels. Thus the basic idea of petrol driven cars remained the same but it was innovated in a different environment friendly form. Diffusion of innovative products and factors influencing the tradeoffs According to the sales figures in UK in 2011, there was a reduction in the number of electric vehicles over the hybrid vehicles. Trade off is the system where certain features of a product are left out for the sake of some other feature. In case of innovative products like the carts there can be many features which might not be at par with the market conditions, economical scenario and environmental aspects. There can be a number of tradeoffs seen in the supply chain management system in marketing. There can be situations where the supplier of innovative cars may wish to transport in bulk but this might not be in accordance with the market scenario if the conditions in the market are grim. There can also be situa tions where the supplier might have to face an increased lead time. Sometimes, the supplier of cars may also wish to ship directly to the customer to save costs and time (Stevenson, 525). Apart from these, there can be tradeoffs in the design of the innovative product too. There can be situations where the company might think the design to be feasible but might have to give up going by the designs prevalent in the markets. This can make economical impacts too. Sometimes, the innovative products might not provide the required revenue to the company. In other words it might not be economical. In such situations again, trade off of the products comes into action. Tradeoffs can arise due to environmental constraints too. The innovative design thought by the company may not be in accordance with the environmental factors and might have to be removed or substituted. Any new product launched in the market spreads by innovation and it is affected by the technical, market, economic and envir onmental factors. These factors will determine the tradeoffs that will be introduced for the innovative products. Environmental impacts of the electric and hybrid vehicles Electric cars and hybrid cars have had their environmental impacts. While the former is considered not environment friendly, the latter does not cause much harm to the environment. Electric cars increase pollution levels than hybrid cars. Electricity that is generated to power electric vehicles led to more pollution caused by particulate matter than the pollution caused by the equivalent number in the petrol driven cars (Gayle, 2012). Though there are several benefits of electric cars over hybrid cars the harmful consequences are more in case of the electric cars. Sustainable consumption and its importance to global issues Sustainable production as well as consumption means the usage of goods and other services that caters to basic requirements and leads to a better quality in life, while reducing the usage of nat ural resources, decreasing the toxic materials and the harmful emissions of the wastes and the pollutants over the product life cycle, so that the conditions for the future generations are not jeopardized (Solid Wastes and Emergency Response, 2012).The concept of sustainable consumption is important to understand how to use optimum levels of resources and minimize the release of harmful substances. It is important in global issues as

Wk10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wk10 - Essay Example This research essay is an accountof educational technology use -- internet, presentation, and podcast technology -- within this organization, assesses its efficacy, and considers its shortcomings, One of the most pervading uses of educational technology in my institution is the use of the internet. Every teacher has a computer connected to the internet in their classroom and is required to check their school email daily for administrative announcements and parent, staff, or student emails. A number of teachers have begun implementing the internet in regards to lectures as well. While the school internet connection excludes use of YouTube videos, by submitting a request to the administration it is possible to get temporary access to specific video links. These videos have been incorporated into the broad spectrum of lesson planning, from as diverse subjects as home-economics cooking videos, to the watching of sports techniques in the physical education courses. I have witnessed YouTube videos employed as means of demonstrating historical events – Nixon/Kennedy Presidential debates, State of the Union addresses – as well as in analysis of music videos, or advertis ements. Chris O’Neal (http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-youtube-teaching-video) demonstrates that one need only do a brief user search to discover countless health education field videos on nutrition, exercise, or disease, all of them replete with upbeat music and editing that is able to maintain students’ attention spans where out-dated VHS or DVD public service presentations are not able or are not willing. YouTube has even been used in professional development at the institution. At departmental meeting a group of teachers presented on more effective means of constructing ‘word walls’ – these are walls of relevant terminology that go up in all the classroom. They opened their presentation with an attention grabbing video, and then proceeded

Hinduism Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Hinduism Research Paper Essay For me, the process of reading this section and sorting the confusion of thoughts thereafter enough to write about, involved several attempts to reading, writing and letting it go. As I read through this section with much anticipation, I found myself struggling to capture the essence of the writings of Kant, Weber, Marx, Hegel and others. After numerous readings, I realised that I was reading about modernity through the perspective of western philosophical writers and social thinkers. My eastern heritage and western education had somehow missed adequate information on both Hinduism and a balanced approach to modernity. As I read the writings of Smith, shortly after the first page, the expectation of deepening my understanding of Hinduism was pushed to the back burner and I received an education on western philosophical and social thought. That was disappointing because I had hoped to learn more about Hinduism and its place in the modern day. My expectation was that somehow the author would reconcile so called rational theorisations (that I too am very attached to) and the in-explainable Hindu concepts that I was familiar with. Unfortunately, other than seeing shadows of faith based thinking in Hegel, the section on Hinduism and modernity abruptly ends with little or no understanding on Hinduism and the assortment of modern day theorists do not bridge the intellectual divide between the two concepts. A couple of days after reading this section and failing to write any thoughts, I suddenly realised another obstacle in my thinking. When I lived in India, amidst the Indian culture, I had come to accept Hinduism as the â€Å"modern† religion as opposed to Christianity or Islam. The basis of this label was that Hinduism lacked a book or structured definitions and paid no attention to conversion of others to Hinduism. As an organised religion, it was wonderfully ambiguous, largely spiritual and open to individual expression. It was okay to discard rituals or practices that did not my approval. That essence of Hinduism that I carried from my stay in India was a sharp contrast to the author’s perspective of Hinduism being the example of a â€Å"traditional† religion, and perhaps a far cry from modernity. My personal thought is that Hinduism, like philosophical or social theory has over the last 2000 plus years been defined by male dominated patriarchal societies. Like the cream on homemade Indian yogurt, that layer needs to be peeled away to study the essence of Hinduism or modernity and understand the closeness they share. European Discovery of Hinduism from â€Å"Hinduism and Modernity† The European discovery of Hinduism spans a period from the 15th century when the ports of Goa opened up for the Portuguese traders to the 18th century when the British begin to live in India and acculturate themselves with some of the Indian traditions. In these three hundred years, India seemed to change from an isolated country hidden from the world, to a country that could no longer hide its spices, its riches and its culture. Sadly though, the discovery of Hinduism for non Indians did not have a clear theoretical base, and was dependant on a largely oral and abstractly written sparse Hindu religious/cultural history, during a time when the Indian society was not open to sharing with the outside world. As a result, the accounts of Hinduism written by visitors depicted the Hindu religion as grotesque or insipid, by European writers who travelled to India and experienced the culture from their biblical eyes. The practice of sati, the deification of kings, the extreme deprivation of Brahmans and the overly sexualised art altogether presented a confusing picture that could not be corrected, because the language of India was not understood by the Europeans. To their sensibilities, the ways of the Indians were horrifying to say the least. The Europeans in India, who could have had the opportunity to experience the Hindu culture first hand, also were kept at the fringes by the Indians, as per the writings of Bentinck in 1807. It seemed as though their (European) â€Å"needs† and â€Å"business† were â€Å"taken care† for them, without them disturbing the hierarchy and the dictates of the local culture. At this point, it seems as though the hierarchical society in India was interchangeably used to represent the Hindu religion. There seemed to be very little understanding of the Hindu religion apart from the social structure, with the teachings of he religion being a closely guarded secret, by the priests and the wealthy. The fact that that Indians were not open to foreigners examining their religion is evident from Bernier’s writings. Bernier’s base of atomism of Gassendi could have led to a productive exchange between the European and Indian culture, however, it seemed as if he gave u p because he could not visualise a coherent Hindu cosmological theory and the â€Å"pundit† who was his only source of information, did not have enough skills to dialogue. There were sporadic writings through this time, for example by Abraham Roger, 1649, themed on â€Å"Paganism† that attempted to describe the Hindu culture of India, but at some point they tended to disintegrate into a judgemental dismissal of the body of knowledge that was very different to say the least. There always seemed to be enough examples to create caricatures and convince the western world, that India was not worthy of serious enquiry. All in all, from a modern day perspective, it seems that the Indians had created multiple layers to protect themselves from invaders, missionaries, scholars, traders all of them having an agenda to rip open the cultural centre and expose the vulnerability to the world. So it seems that visitors were kept at bay, given spices, gold, and sent on their way. The resistance also came from an established social structure and was maintained by those in power, for whom, it made sense to keep up the confusing and diffused aura, so they may profit as the privileged few who understood both sides. Marx and Weber’s writings in the 19th century are also historical sources of information on this time, although Marx did not write anything that helped the world understand Hinduism. Webers’s writings did contain some key concepts which were central to the Hindus, such as â€Å"Samskaras† or â€Å"Karma† but also contained some extreme views which were more true of Webers’ own personal struggles and growth. It was not until the late 18th century, under the colonial rule by the British, that Indians met westerners as friends, who wanted to understand or join the Indian culture, without an agenda. Around that time, Indians within India had also begun to look beyond their borders and the environment seemed ready for cultural exchange. The exchanges thereafter where both the Indian and the British culture absorbed elements from each other created an environment where a genuine interest could sustain and studies could be done. Dayananda Saraswati from â€Å"A Source-Book of Modern Hinduism† Dear Sikander Bhaiya, I came across something interesting and wanted to share it with you. I’m taking a class in Hinduism, about 10,000 miles away from home, and learning about Dayananda Saraswati, who as it turns out, is the founder of our Arya Samaj sect. You may recognize the Arja Samaj nurseries near our house, well here is some information behind the teachings at these schools. As my professor says, Swami Dayananda was born into a Brahmin family in 19th century India. But one point you should know is that his real name is Mool Shankar and he was born in Gujrat. He found the Arya Samaj, meaning cultural organization, after an impacting event during the night of Shivratri. When mice ran all over Shiva and ate the offerings given to him, he could not understand why the idol could not defend himself from a mouse. Then, after the death of his sister from cholera, he no longer believed and degraded idol worship. That is when he created the Arya Samaj movement for people who do not believe in idol worship. Nevertheless, Swami Dayananda did not form the Arya Samaj based on this one principle, looking at Hinduism as a whole he rejected all the â€Å"falsehood† and created an body who believed in all the good in Hinduism. Swami Dayananda studied believed in the Vedic scriptures. One such notion he believed in was Moksha. Moksha is the escape from the reincarnation cycle and to finally become one with God. But, I personally believe that reincarnation is not bad and have no desire to escape this cycle. Why would one not appreciate the life God has given us and instead escape life to be absorbed into the soul of the Divine Spirit? As Swami Dayananda proclaims Moksha â€Å"is not emancipation but death or annihilation†. Death and annihilation are not words that come with a good meaning. Not everyone should be influenced to reach Moksha but instead be grateful for and enjoy what God has given us. Education is the sector in which Swami Dayananda made the most progress. For one, he wanted the Veda Bhashya to be translated into English in order to pread the information contained in these scriptures to the Europeans. He also believed in equal education for all. At his point of time in history women were not given the same rights as men and were often left to take upon simple maiden tasks. But he stated that this would cause â€Å"warfare in the house†. Women will also be wanted a s teachers in all girls’ school and knowledgeable enough to be involved in administrative affairs. In addition, Swami Dayananda urged teachers and their scholars not to give into corrupt acts that could prevent teaching or learning. I think he wanted to ensure that people and their actions were not what kept them from acquiring knowledge. I greatly support Swami Dayananda’s belief that marriage should be Swayamvara. He believes that a man and a women should â€Å"suit each other† before marriage so they will be happier. In addition, he condemns child marriage, which usually results in women becoming widowed at a young age. This is such a pervasive phenomenon that completely stopping child marriage has still not occurred in India. Instead he added another custom that women can remarry as long as they were not â€Å"consummated† in their first marriage. This allows women to live a normal married life later on. I hope this letter has given you some light on Dayananda Saraswati and his Arya Samaj principles. Read on about this great Indian leader, his principles are inspiring. Tanya Ramakrishna Paramahansa, from â€Å"A Source Book of Modern Hinduism† Ramakrishna Paramahansa was a famous follower of Bhakti traditions of 19th century India. He was born into a poor Brahmin Vaishnava family in a Bengal village where he devoted his life to â€Å"strenuous spiritual discipline† (Richards,63) to reach union with the Divine, whom for Ramakrishna was Kali. He became a priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple near Kolkata, the city where his portrait hangs on every corner. Ramakrishna understood that Hinduism is like a shoreless ocean but still has two main facets Bhakti and Jnana, methods to become union with the Divine. He had chosen the Bhakti path to reach full consciousness with his Divine Mother, Kali. But he does not narrow his view of religion and God to only Kali. I agree with Ramakrishna when he says that God comes in various forms and as one becomes more devoted to God they begin to understand the wholeness of God’s existence in this universe. When one sees Kali, the idol, with a naked eye they see black. But her color can be compared to the blue sky, as one approaches the sky they realize it has no color. Yet, the sky is nowhere and everywhere, just like Kali. So, as one comes closer to Kali you will see her without color. Indians believed that there once existed Asuras , demons, who were tall, dark skinned and out to harm. Kali is a goddess who absorbed the negative physical attributes of the Asuras, hence her dark colored skin, but on the inside is a goddess who embodies Shakti, empowerment and strength. In India, Kali is considered the most powerful women who kills all evil and absorbs their poison so others are void of it. She is a powerful female warrior, which goes against the stereotype that men are the ones who hold the strength and power to fight. Hinduism as a religion gives great power to women, unlike the society which strips women of their influence. I strongly support Ramakrishna’s perspective that â€Å"each religion is only a path leading to God† (Richard, 65). I admire the many rivers into one ocean analogy used to describe his idea of different religions but only one God. He was accepting of all other religions and believed â€Å"it is not good to feel that one’s religion alone is true and all others are false† (Richard, 65). One can see that equality was important to Ramakrishna whether it was through religion, the caste system or gender rules. He illustrated that by finding love for God, one’s mind, body and soul no longer belong as a part of the cast system. In addition, during Ramakrishna’s time in history women were not given the same rights as men and were often demeaned. But his belief that women should be worshiped as â€Å"embodiments of the Divine Mother† (Richard, 73) severed this separation. I greatly admire Ramakrishna as he demonstrates his idea of ‘duties’ undertaken by people for name and fame, resulting in an individual’s ego. Duties that are made and carried out by one’s self is not as selfless as those completed as they are presented. Success from carrying out ‘duties’ is what creates a person’s ego. The ego makes people individuals and separates them into ‘you’ and ‘I’. But God sees everyone as one and wishes others would see the same. The only means by which all individuals can become one is by â€Å"going away from the world into solitude† (Richard, 69). This moves the individual away from the distractions of the Maya and allows one to concentrate on the inner self to develop the love of God. With the love of God and as part of one, they are no longer an individual ego. Mahatma Gandhi from â€Å"Gandhi’s Key Writings: In Search of Unity† Let me tell you about a man named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is known as Mahatma, meaning great soul, Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869 to a Vaishnava family. His mother and father were greatly religious people and influenced his perception of the world. However, growing up, he realized he was not a man of religion but of ethics. His interest in ethics drove him to study Law in London, England. With a background in Law, Mahatma Gandhi set out to create equality and morality amongst the people. His first attempt was in South Africa where he went to attain civil rights for the 62,000 Indians living there as laborers. At that time, Indians were not allowed to vote and were deprived of many other human rights. The civil rights movement lead by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa is where he found Satyagraha. Satyagraha as a theoretical principle was first introduced in Mahatma Gandhi’s book Hind Swaraj and he shows how he used this philosophical principle in South Africa through his book Satyagraha In South Africa. Satyagraha is a theory that â€Å"recognizes the universal possibility of goodness and virtue† (Suhrud,78). The original Gujurati title of Mahatma Gandhi’s book is Dakshin Africa Na Satyagraha No Itihas (Suhrud, 77) when translated into English it would read â€Å"A History of Satyagraha in South Africa†. However, Mahatma Gandhi had a strong stance between the words ‘Itihas’ and ‘History’, even though they can be considered direct translations of each other. He believed that Itihas in English means ‘it’s so happened’ as opposed to ‘history’ because for him history is associated with a past filled with wars and hatred. This is a glimpse of how Mahatma Gandhi coined the term Satyagraha as a â€Å"soul force† that is completely void of violence. (Suhrud, 77) Satyagraha’s meaning has many faces and the theory itself comes along with many values, but the real meaning of Satyagraha is â€Å"holding on to truth†. According to Mahatma Gandhi this meaning should insinuate love and firmness, bringing about non-violence. This is a separate term from passive resistance, because the latter is still considered a weapon using violence. In fact, one of the principles of Satyagraha is ‘Ahimsa’ meaning non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi started the Satyagraha struggle in South Africa with a series of non-violent protests. One such act was the burning of registration certificates at a community bonfire. This bonfire was an act of defiance against the Asiatic Registration Act of 1907. The means by which Gandhi took a stance against the act broke the law, hence he took the corresponding punishment i. e. multiple blows to the head. As a Satyagrahi, Gandhi did not respond to the violent punishment but instead attempted to get back on his feet and continue burning the registration certificates. Due to Gandhi’s persistence, he was thrown in jail for not succumbing to the police. This is one brutal example of how Mahatma Gandhi implemented Satyagraha in South Africa. Mahatma Gandhi believed that morals and ethics were essential in order to create unity amongst societies and the people within them. From moral and ethics he derived a dogma known as Satyagraha whose core values are truth and ahimsa. Mahatma Gandhi adopted this attitude and applied it in any of his rebellious acts in South Africa. This was an astute strategy he created, so regardless of his actions that stood against the power, he was still ethically correct, making it more difficult for the authorities to bring him down. In this manner, Mahatma Gandhi attained civil rights for the Indians in South Africa.

Poverty and Inequality Essay

Poverty and Inequality Essay Abstract The extent of poverty and inequality remains a topic of enduring interest in Australia and overseas. Poverty in Australia, however, is generally relative poverty. People are considered to be poor if their living standards fall below an overall community standard, and they are unable to participate fully in ordinary activities of society. Earnings inequality and the extent of child poverty is an important issue due to their innocence and their future life chances and social structure. This position paper provides a brief portrait the issues faced by the disadvantaged community at Sydney South West. How can various welfare organizations and agencies assist these disadvantage community groups, briefly explains few facilities provided by such agencies. The paper then discusses the affects of poverty in children and advantages of such knowledge to pre-service teacher. Finally we conclude by exploring the role of teachers and its effects. Community: Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winning economist, described poverty is the lack of substantive freedoms the capabilities to choose a life one has reason to value. And, as deprivation of basic capabilities rather than merely as lowness of incomes, which is the standard criterion for the identification of poverty ..the approach concentrates on deprivations that are intrinsically important (unlike low income, which is only instrumentally significant). Thus poverty in this sense is an oppression from which we should aim to liberate our people. Poverty is a condition of living which is difficult to measure and almost impossible to conclusively define. People living in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa may lack safe housing, struggle to find food and have no access to drinkable water. This standard of living is known as absolute poverty. But in Australia the standard of living are generally much higher than the countries like Africa. Poverty in Australia is measured relatively, that is benchmarking a disadvantage community groups standard of living with the life style of majority of the population in Australia. The main factors which contribute to poverty in Australia are inequity in the education system (which means some people have less opportunity to enter the skilled labor force), the casualisation of the workforce (which has meant that people have less job security), and reduced government spending on services which are of benefit to the community. The people most affected by poverty in Australia are those with low levels of formal education, the long-term unemployed and others who have restricted access to high-paying work. Certain demographic groups tend to fall into these categories. In 2000 it was recorded that Indigenous Australians, for example, had an unemployment rate of 17.6 per cent much higher than the national average of 7.3 per cent. Another group more likely to live in relative poverty are first-generation immigrants and refugees, many of whom arrive in Australia with few language skills and less support networks than Australian-born residents. Elderly people, disabled people and single parents also record higher rates of poverty. The reason poverty can be considered a spatial issue is two-fold. People of a similar socio-economic background tend to live in the same areas because the amount of money a person makes usually, but not always, influences their decision as to where to purchase or rent a home. At the same time, the area in which a person is born or lives can determine the level of access they will have to quality education and employment opportunities. As education and income can influence settlement patterns and also be influenced by settlement patterns, they can therefore be considered causes and effects of spatial inequality and poverty. Sydney provides an example of a large urban environment with a high level of spatial inequality. Suburban pockets of poverty can be found on the citys fringes, such as Sydneys south-west. This less-affluent (poorer) area is generally higher in unemployment, welfare-dependency, single-parent families, substance (drug and alcohol) abuse and crime, than other Sydney suburbs. The overseas migrants and refugees also chose to settle in this area, because the real estate is much cheaper and the ethnic and racial composition is generally more diverse. Unemployment figures from the 2001 Census revealed vast differences between many areas of Australia. Particularly alarming were certain areas of Sydney. The Glenquarie Housing Commission Estate in Sydneys south-west had an unemployment rate of 26.4 per cent; the national unemployment rate at that time was only 7.1 per cent. The highly publicized riots which occurred in this same area in 2004-05 were an example of some of the violence-related problems that can result if social inequalities are not dealt with. Nonprofit organizations and welfare agencies have played a critical role in helping community in need by providing education, training, residences, counseling, electricity or water vouchers, and in-kind and cash support. Organizations such as Inspire Community Services provide practical support, offering emergency relief, services, and assistance for individuals and families in crisis. They exist to break the cycle of poverty in South West of Sydney through inspiration and without discrimination. Services provided by this organization: Welfare Services Provides services like Emergency Relief,Food Careand Playgroups to Internet Cafà © and Christmas Hampers. EAPA (Energy Accounts Payment Assistance) vouchers for gas and electricity bills. WAPA (Water Authority Payment Assistance) vouchers for water bills. TBAP (Telstra Billing Assistance Program) vouchers for Telstra telephone bills. Clothing vouchers from Inspire Fashion. Direct Debit of Centreline payments through Centrepay. As well as moral support for any situation and other referring community organizations. Clients are assessed on their income and current circumstances. Providing quality fashion wears at a reduced price. Price ranges from 50 ¢ to $10. Enterprise Development Providing mentoring services in a real life professional business environment. Services such as meeting targets, working in teams, computer diagnosis and many more. Financial Solution Assist in budgeting, personal casework/budget,counseling and financial education. Offering free budgeting service to help clients prepare a budget that is targeted to individual needs. Employment Services Employment Services aims to help people within the community gainrelevant skills and self confidence for the workplace. Partnering withgreat organizations such as Mission Australia, MTC Work Solutions, Wesley Uniting Employment and Community First Step weprovide Work for the Dole Programs. These programs are designed to equip job seekers with highly valuable skills in order to prepare them for the workforce. We also offer on site skills following careers such as computer refurbishment, warehousing, screen printing, administration and gardening. Training Our Training Services department offers a variety of training opportunities ranging from accredited to non-accredited courses. Training packages are specially designed to increase clients knowledge and confidence in areas where they may have experienced limitation as well as enhancing their existing skills. Social Welfare We are dedicated to seeing our community empowered through our self development courses. We offer a variety of courses and workshops that relate to every day issues. Poverty has economic and social impacts. Sometimes, instead of being described as living in poverty, people in Australia who do not possess the living standards of the majority, are thought to be socially marginalized or socially isolated. This is because they may feel excluded from benefits of society that the mainstream enjoy, whether or not this is because of where they live or the amount of money they have. The widening the gap between rich and poor Australians is likely to increase this sense of social isolation, which will no doubt negatively impact upon social cohesion. This is particularly true of larger urban centers because the inequalities between different areas are much more obvious when they are in the same town or city. The more observable inequalities become, the more likely people are to directly compare their standards of living with those of others around them. This can have the effect of reducing the sense of mutual belonging and respect that is important for maintaining social cohesion in any community, however large or small. Children in poverty is an emotive issue that has engaged the attention of politicians ranging from Bob Hawkes famous 1987 election promise by 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty to John Howards March 2004 commitment of $365 million over four years principally for early intervention strategies to help children and families at risk of not growing up in a stable and supportive environment.

The British Imperialistic Presence In Northern Ireland History Essay

The British Imperialistic Presence In Northern Ireland History Essay The conflict in Northern Ireland in various literature and researches has been presented to us at its most basic as a struggle between those who wish to see Northern Ireland remain part of the United Kingdom and those who wish to see the reunification of the island of Ireland; the Protestants and Catholic respectively. However, reducing the whole cause of this conflict to this angle alone is blindfolding and remaining at its symptom level. It is important to note that the conflict was as a result of agglomeration of a number of factors such as the historical evolution of the Irish community, religion, politics, and economics . Prominent among these factors was the British imperialistic presence in Northern Ireland dating back the early antiquity and their system of divide and rule. The interplay of these factors created a fluid situation which was filled up by a violence that claimed thousands of lives, properties destroyed and, saw Irish community more fragmented . Therefore, this reflection paper will focus on how the British imperialistic presence from early antiquity among other factors planted the weeds that chocked the seed of peaceful co-existence and unity planted by Christianity in the protestant and Catholic communities of Ireland. The historical evolution of the British factor traces its roots from the first Norman invasion of the island of Ireland around 1169. This invasion was the starting point of direct foreign rule in Ireland, first by the English and later by the British engagement in Ireland. By this rule the whole Irish social system was not overhauled but halted and frozen thus making the history of Ireland a continuum of attempts to fight against oppression from foreign rule and social exploitation. They had to battle against the power of the sword with which the island was conquered and exploited by the Norman invaders. The inability of the Irish to resist and defeat the invasion resulted in to the sabotage and loss of their traditional clan system based on communal ownership of property and this was replaced by an exploitative system that saw much of the Irish land and wealth exchanging individual hands contrary to what existed before. Consequently, the Irish, who were majorly Catholics lost hold of their land and became landless in their own country with much of their land ending in the hands of the so called planters, who were majorly protestants from England and Scotland. With this, religious antagonism was already created. It was out of these planters that the British later created protestant oligarchy in Ireland as these planters increasingly became deeply rooted and absorbed the indigenous Irish way of life. In this kind of struggle for land ownership, conflict through rebellion was inevitable not only between the losers and winners of this struggle (the Irish and the Planter respectively) but also among the winners themselves(the planters) who were as well struggling among themselves to gain ownership of Irish land. This was one of the early conflicting situations Britain took advantage of through their system of divide and rule. As Hadden Peter puts it, à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"to rule in the face of these revolts the British chose to divide. Religion was the chosen instrument of division. Religious intolerance, the fostering of mutual suspicion, hatred and violence between Catholic and Protestant this became the shield of the ruling administration against the overthrow by the peopleà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ (Hadden P, 1980) . With a number of social, economic and religious differences already existing in the Irish society, an easier and a perfect environment was provided for the British to exercise their divide and rule policy which kept the Irish people fighting each other and made it possible for the British to advance their imperialistic interests in the whole of the Island. In other words, it was easier for the British to defeat and rule the Irish while divided other than while unified. At the onset of the 19th century, Britain had already established her imperialistic power in the whole of Ireland embodying her as part of the United Kingdom. This remained pain in the neck of the Irish people who wanted to run away from the British imperialism and form a unified republic of Ireland. The British implemented their colonial policy of divide and rule in Ireland by keeping high economic, social, political and religious disparity between the pro-British north and the rest of Ireland that remained anti-British. Economically,the north became more powerful as industry and manufacturing attained massive growth, offered better jobs and better living conditions, while in the south the reverse was true. The British managed to create protestant oligarchy in the south who owned much of the land and resources and this exposed the Catholic population in the south to deplorable conditions of poverty, unemployment and idleness . This later became a key factor in the conflict as the si delined Irish population began agitating for their welfare in seeking for social justice. The British successful prepared a battle ground through their divide and rule policy. The British imperialistic influence in Ireland further created more chaos as it antagonized the north and south of the country by passing the government of Ireland Act in 1920. By this Act, Ireland was split in into two different politically viable entities, each conferred with the powers of pseudo self-government. This Act was received with mixed reactions in that the Catholics mainly in the southern part of Ireland, who saw it as a perpetuation of British imperialism refuted it but the Ulster Protestants in the north, who saw it as a perfect move to keep their ties with England (protestantism) consented to the Act. The process of cultural and social diffusion and unity through trade, intermarriage, harmonious living, migration and settlement anywhere in Ireland was disrupted partly because the British then emphasized the differences and prejudices that fostered hatred and division rather than the similarities between the people of Ireland that would promote unity and harmonious liv ing. This was a deliberate act by the British to perpetuate their control over northern Ireland with the reasoning that the separation would give each country self autonomy to manage their own affairs and that they would continue dominating Northern Ireland people, who were more comfortable with their rule thus erasing the notion of the struggle for a unified Republic of Ireland that would either automatically oust them from the Island or suffocate their influence in the Island. This exploitative move by the British only succeeded in throwing the country in to division and bloody conflict contrary to what they expected. The British further perpetuated their imperialism in Ireland in late 1960s during a violent scuffle the involved the protestants and the Catholics in Belfast and Londonderry. In an attempt to quell this scuffle and bring about peace, the British government after a decade sought to the use of her mighty military power by sending soldiers to Northern Ireland. What remained puzzling was whether the involvement of the British soldiers in this scuffle was to play a neutral role or just to protect their imperialistic interests that were being threatened by the course of this conflict. However, the continued engagement of the British soldiers later answered this puzzle as the soldiers decided on a number of occasions to take parts in a number of conflicts siding more with the unionists who were promoting their interests while on the other hand used disproportionate military force to crackdown demonstrations, and uprising of the nationalists, whom they considered to be anti-British. With this kind of development, one would easily notice that the British had anterior motive to keep this conflict alive in order to extend a direct rule over Ireland in the name of restoring peace. They just wanted to create avenues for remaining colonial masters in Northern Ireland, thus the conflict. In conclusion, despite the fact that there were numerous other factor which brought the Irish into conflict, the British with their colonial policies prepared the weed bed and planted the weed against which the Irish were divided, weakened and failed to uproot it but simply nurtured it to their disadvantage. In other words, behind this conflict was British imperialism and for this imperialistic instinct to survive, the British had to divide the people of Ireland, who would continue fighting each other and remain weak so that it becomes easy to rule them. Unfortunately, religion was selected by the British as the best means to divide and later to rule the people of Ireland, thus creating the situation we read, watch, and hear of today in Ireland. Therefore, not mentioning it would be keeping a blind eye on what was evident, that the British colonial presence in Ireland from early antiquity to an extend was a catalyst in this conflict.

I Want to Become an Educator Essay -- College Admissions Teaching Phil

I Want to Become an Educator Why is education such an essential part of our culture? We, as a society, are extremely materialistic and view education as a ladder to a higher socio-economic plateau, which consists of better job opportunities and a better lifestyle. Education is at the core every career imaginable and, regardless of technological advances, there will always be a need for teachers. Teachers touch lives every day. I am becoming an educator because I feel that I can positively influence the lives of others. I am confident in my ability to interact with others as I look forward to improving students’ lives through education. I feel that in order for students to prosper they must be comfortable with their learning environment. I plan to have an well-organized classroom with various bulletin boards highlighting current chapters of study, as well as announcements and assignments. I also believe that you must keep students both interested and involved to achieve successful learning. Desks in my classroom will be organized in one large â€Å"U† formation facing my desk in the front to create a feeling of unity and coherence. To further promote this goal I will assign a seating chart (possibly alphabetically) to aid in the diffusion of cliques and to avoid exclusion of these who may have the tendency to be isolated. Individual and group projects will be incorporated into my curriculum to provide students the opportunity to work both independently, as well as a team member. My teaching style, although eclectic, will be predominantly pragmatic. The class (with my discretion) will establish our classroom rules and penalties in a democratic fashion. I will be teaching vario... ...aming. This issue is of particular relevance to me because my 6 year-old nephew was recently diagnosed with mild autism. Mainstreaming is a very difficult subject that teachers must face. Placing students that are physically, socially or mentally challenged into a fast-paced learning environment is extremely adverse for the student, as well as the teacher. In conclusion, the ideas presented here are an overview of my personal beliefs regarding education. I expect that experience may cause me to add to, delete or otherwise alter some of these views. It is my desire to continue to learn from my instructors, peers and ultimately my students so that I may become a well-rounded and effective educator. Someday soon, I would like to be able to describe my classroom as community of learners, having produced good citizens as well as educated individuals.