Population: 485; Culture Essay

Michael Perry introduces several themes throughout Population: 485. Love, pain and acceptance are all touched upon in his memoir, but one that seems to stick out and is brought up again and again is death. As a volunteer firefighter, most of the connections he makes with the people of his community are caused by responding to emergency accident and fire calls- many of which result in death. In our culture, and every culture, death is an inevitable fact of life. We all, at some point in our lives, are going to encounter the death of someone close to us. Whether it will be a family member, friend or ourselves, young or old, it is going to happen and we will have to face it. Death affects everyone differently and the way we cope with loss varies with every person and with every culture. When the majority of us think of death, we see someone old and sick, frail and weak. While mourning the loss of a loved one is never easy, regardless of age or cause of death, losing a young friend or family member is an even more challenging reality to face. It is often the unexpected losses that don’t make sense. We ask ourselves â€Å"Why? † â€Å"Why did this happen? and try to bring meaning to the tragedy. â€Å"Surely we can’t die just because we hit a patch of pebbles on a curve. Surely there is preordination in the pea gravel. We are creatures of myth, hungry for metaphor and allegory, but most of all, hungry for sense. † (p. 132). This is one of the ways our culture copes with death. We refuse to believe that a you ng person could die so quickly and meaninglessly and we are swift to find a reason behind it all. In reality though, there is no answer. Seven years ago a close friend of mine died due to injuries caused by a motorcycle accident. He was twenty years old. It was a painful experience that left me questioning my faith and asking why such a good person was taken away at such a young age. I did try to find reasoning behind it, but never really came up with an answer. I cried for weeks, for hours at a time. I couldn’t stop thinking about how real this was, how I was never going to see his face or hear his voice again. So many things in life he didn’t get a chance to experience. I longed to go back in time to find a way to prevent his final outcome, but I soon realized there was nothing I could do. His death brought many people close together. We had huge gatherings, for a couple months after he passed, with all of his friends and family. We told stories and talked about our greatest memories we had with our friend, laughed and cried together. We supported each other, shared our feelings and listened to one another. It was our way to cope with our loss. We soon realized that the world doesn’t stop for people to grieve, so after a while, the parties died down and we all got back to our normal routines. Life forces you to get it together and to move on and time heals all wounds. I now hold my friend as a memory and know that I will see him again someday. We often see this in our culture. People come together to help each other through hard times. Emotional support and counseling are other ways people in our culture cope with death. This memory has been triggered by the story Michael Perry tells of Tracy Rimes. Tracy was killed in a motor vehicle accident while taking a corner too fast or too wide. She was just a teenager, not even graduated from high school. Parts of her story are brought up again and again by the author throughout the book. I think this incident got to him and he had a hard time coping with this one. Maybe it was because she was so young with a lot of life ahead of her. Maybe it marks a milestone or turning point for him. â€Å"Today we had tragedy, but it was our tragedy, and we dealt with it not only as public citizens, but also as friends and neighbors†¦ To feel at home is a rare, precious thing, and I began to feel at home that day. † (p. 16). It was the day he made his connection and found his place. Maybe he relates aspects of the incident to his own life. In chapter one there is a paragraph where he is talking about the accident and he describes how the girl was â€Å"pinned in silence† after the violent squalling, glass exploding, rubber tearing, steel tumbling and then just stillness. As if peace is the only answer to destruction†¦ The girl is terribly, terribly alone in a beautiful, beautiful world. † (p. 4). He describes the land and nature so much in the book with such life and love, and also comes off as kind of an outsider always looking in, trying to find a place to belong. Does he too feel terribly, terr ibly alone in a beautiful, beautiful world? I think this is another way to cope with death. Find a positive outcome from a tragedy. Death can make a person stronger. It can make someone open there eyes to life and not take it for granted. It can make someone open their doors a little wider to friends and family and let people in. Michael shares a lot of stories throughout his book that involve the unexpected deaths he has encountered. In fact, he has seen a dead person so many times he says, â€Å"I can look at you and know exactly what you would look like dead. † (p. 128). I can relate to this in a way. While I have never imagined what the person sitting next to me will look like when they’re dead, I have also seen many a corpse. It comes as part of the package when you choose a career in healthcare. I have worked as a respiratory therapist for four years now in a hospital. We respond to all the codes and traumas that come in and are basically responsible for a person’s airway. We also manage the ventilators and occasionally have to â€Å"pull the tube† when it has been determined that the ventilator is just prolonging the dying process, if that is what the family wishes. At first, it was hard for me to deal with the situations. I would go home still thinking about that pale, lifeless body. I couldn’t get the voices out of my head of the family screaming the patients name and crying and praying. It all got to me. I cried the first few times, but then I quickly learned that you have to somehow detach yourself from the emotional aspect of the situation, sort of take your mind somewhere else for a minute than get back to reality, like the author seems to do in his writing. Now, after seeing so many, a dead body doesn’t even phase me. It’s no big deal anymore to respond to a code, perform CPR, suction nasty stuff from an endotracheal tube that’s deep in the throat of a patient covered in blood and bowel†¦ and then go eat lunch. Sounds gross, but it’s our job. You just learn to block certain things out. I think Michael uses his ability and love for writing as a way to cope with death. He seems like sort of a loner, maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable talking with someone about what he’s thinking or feeling, so he writes stories and anecdotes about them. The way he starts a story of one his calls, than jumps to a completely different subject, and then later returns to finish the story maybe is a reflection of another way he handles death. It’s like he takes a break for a minute and shifts his thoughts somewhere else, so that he can return to the facts of the story, and not be interrupted by emotions. I think writing or keeping a journal with our own stories, thoughts and emotions is another way our culture copes with death too. I think death is an aspect of our culture that we don’t much like to talk about, or think about. We know that we are all going to someday die, and that everyone we know will too someday pass, but it is much more comfortable to take for granted tomorrow. Death is something that could potentially happen to anyone, at any given moment and I think it is our avoidance of death that creates such grief when the death of a loved one comes unexpectedly. For me, it’s the unknown part of the afterlife that scares me. That and the thought of not being with my children. In the book, Michael Perry shares his own feelings of dying. He brings the reader to the woods, where he feels that sleeping in the presence of the trees and in the dirt joins him with the earth and gives him a sense of what it is to be holy. â€Å"I have come to think of my sleeps in the forest as a rehearsal for burial†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 140). He gives the impression that he is prepared for death and that we should ponder upon the fact that it is coming. Not how or where or why, just the simple truth that we will be gone someday and it may seem less discomforting if we just accept the fact and â€Å"give it a nod now and then. † (p. 140). Death can get to be a very sensitive subject in our world today. It means so many diverse things to different people and cultures and is handled in your own way by each individual. For the most part, I think coping with the loss of a loved one comes down to a person’s individual beliefs, traditions, and culture. It is a personal choice whether or not to prepare for and accept death. Michael Perry brings the subject to your attention several times throughout the book, almost forcing you to think about death. â€Å"Be grateful for death, the one great certainty in an uncertain world. Be thankful for the spirit smoke that lingers for every candle gone out. † (p. 142). We don’t know when or why or how, but death is coming. To you, to me, to everyone someday. It’s a scary thought, but I hope I can build an acceptance to the inevitable fact of life and be at peace with death when it knocks on my door, before it’s too late.

Lady Macbeth Essay

Explore how the narrator in ‘The Laborarory’, ‘Porhyria’s lover’ and Lady Macbeth and ‘Macbeth’ express their desire for power and control? Both Shakespeare and Browning are renowned writers from the world of English literature. The audience were forced to explore the choices made by the characters in both Macbeth and a selection of Browning’s poems to find out the different strategies they use to express their power and control. In Act one scene five, Lady Macbeth’s powerful character, having control over her husband is clearly expressed through her decisive language. ‘Thou must do, if thou have it.’ Lady Macbeth uses a forceful tone to convey her view on Macbeth murdering Duncan in order for him to achieve his ultimate goal of taking Duncan’s place. It’s clear on the control and power Lady Macbeth establishes on her husband and is a great contrast to how in the Elizabethan times women were worthl ess and didn’t have any say. Here, Lady Macbeth has reversed her gender role from being a kind loving hostess into a more affirmative, strong minded commander. This will be a rebellious character in the eyes of the society. Moreover Lady Macbeth begins to sharpen her plans but isn’t too sure as she thinks her feminity would become a weakness. She proclaims towards supernatural substances (spirits), which were seemed to be believed in the Victorian era. ‘Unsex me here’. This was a vivid way asking spirits to strip her of feminity weakness. She imagines herself as a vessel which h maybe emitted out and refilled with evilness. Also by risking her chance of having a baby for power shows her urgency toward power and control. This is odd as in the Elizabethan times it was the women’s duty to have children and look after them. Lady Macbeth wanted to get rid of her feminity for power which is quite odd and different to others like the speaker in the Laboratory, where feminity is threatened. Mo reover when she says ‘and take my milk for gall’, its suggesting that she no longer wants to be a female. ‘Gall’ comes from an excess of yellow bile. An imbalance of yellow bile can make one ruthless and insolent. If Lady Macbeth is internally poisoned, it would gain her control over the King. Moreover, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a very strong character, compared to Shakespeare’s other female protagonists where they are timid and weak. She uses this strength to fulfil her dream of Macbeth becoming the future monarch. This is further demonstrated through the use of alliteration of the letter ‘T’ at the beginning of each sentence in Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy  presenting the fact that Lady Macbeth is organised in a sense that she has planned every detail precisely. Similarly ‘In The Laboratory’, the female speaker uses language which comes across as forceful. ‘Grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste.’ Here we are seeing a female person giving out demands to a professional poison maker. This behaviour can be seen as unconventional, meaning that in the Victorian era women were not supposed to be demanding or forceful towards other individuals especially men. This decision the speaker had made is showing the audience that the speaker is strong-minded yet not too insane over her decisions. The speaker in ‘The Laboratory’ is being enthusiastic and decisive about creating an evil plan which in the audiences mind will come across as intriguing. Normally women of the Victorian era would most likely to be enthusiastic about hosting a dinner party and not preparing to kill a human. Both Lady Macbeth and the speaker in the laboratory wanted to kill but Lady Macbeth doesn’t actually want to fulfil the deed herself. Moreover the speaker in The Laboratory is very unsympathetic towards her victims, as she is very eager to get revenge. ‘the exquisite blue’. This indicates that she wants the potion to be strong so it should be a bright blue so that the revenge will be successful whereas if it is a grim colour then the potion won’t be strong and will look weak and old when it should be powerful. Her keenness for this to be successful is further demonstrated through the use of rhyme scheme, AABB, quickening the pace of the poem. It also indicat es that she is almost cursing the mistress and most of the lines are similar in length showing that she knows exactly what she is doing to acquire power. Also within the poem there are twelve stanzas with the rhyme scheme. This also reinforces the fact of the poem being quickened. Iambic pentameter is also being used due to her passion within her planning for the disgrace. ‘Brand, burn up, bite into its grace.’ This is an example of alliteration in the ‘B’ sound which is very harsh. This language shows her desire to inflict pain on her victims, cause their sufferings and disturb their beauty. On the other hand Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy is written in a logical order showing that she wants to get rid of her feminity slowly and slowly. The speaker in the laboratory similar to Lady Macbeth makes significant references to her religion. ‘empty church, to pray God in, for them! – I am here.’ This gives us an impression that for the speaker, it is more essential to create a potion to kill rather  than pray to God in a holy Church. This phrase can indicate that the speaker has chosen to take a negative route within her life therefore disobeying her religion. ‘for them’. This illustrates that she is referring to both her lover and his mistress; as if she is doing them a favour by praying to God. Her decision to make poison in the laboratory shows her as immoral and rebellious. From this it’s clear that the speaker gives no value to the views of her society as she is seen very disrespectful towards her society’s views on being religious. Similarly Lady Macbeth is shown to be making numerous references to religion which have great influences on her decision makings. â€Å"And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell† This emphasises on how she wants to hide her evil deeds from heaven and from herself. The actions and words portrayed through both these characters show great personality of the two women. These two dominant females are seen opposing their religion, reversing their role s in the society as well as becoming involved in sinful behaviour to gain either pleasure or status. However Lady Macbeth wanted to kill for her own gain to receive royalty, whereas the speaker in the Lab wanted to kill for revenge. Moreover the laboratory has been written in the style of a dramatic monologue. This form can reveal a lot about the speakers inner thoughts and can create a strong relationship with the audience as well. ‘and Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live.’ This portrays the power and control the speaker has over Pauline’s life and also emphasises on the fact that she now has the choice of killing whoever she likes. As she is the only speaker the audience can only look through her viewpoint. This perhaps can make the audience feel quite uneasy to trust a person who is making a potion as there are no other characters involved within the evil plot. On the contrary, Macbeth, is seen to have less courage and power while standing up against Lady Macbeth, who according to that society should be lower in hierarchy than Macbeth in terms of power and control. Macbeth wants peace of mind and wants the process to end once and for all ‘the be all and the end all.â€⠄¢ Macbeth speaks of an action not a personal thing; he wonders if the action will be all that is required and end all of all that he must go through to be the king. Macbeth would like his deed to be limited. As Macbeth is about to kill Duncan he says ‘it is the bloody business which informs. Thus to mine eyes’. This illustrates that Lady Macbeth has been able to gain full control of her timid husband as  he is been forced to kill. His words show that he is afraid to kill the highly respected king who is believed to be selected by God. Macbeth’s use of alliteration in Act 2 Scene 1 ‘bloody business’ presents the fact that Macbeth knows of this kind of business and hates it but yet is forced in to it. This is very ironic that Macbeth is scared to kill as he has just fought a war which involves mass killing. During Macbeth’s time killing a king was a great sin against God as kings were appointed by God. Also during that era men controlled the women whereas in Macbeth’s situation his wife controlled him. However on the other hand, in Porphyria’s lover the speaker sets positivity about his lover. This can show him as a higher classed person and he has gained a female follower. This makes himself immortal and feels like he is p laying the role of God. Thus going on to killing Porphyria and witnessing ‘God’s silence’. Unlike Macbeth, Porphyria’s lover felt no guilt after he slaughtered his lover as he felt ’no pain felt she’. He may even believe that she enjoyed the pain because he, her lover inflicted it. This implies that he’s an unsympathetic speaker. The language of the speaker in Porphyria’s lover shows how the narrator is ignorant to God ‘And yet God has not spoken.’ This implies the speaker is acting humorous in saying God didn’t speak and thinks it is acceptable to murder a female. ‘has not’ portrays the speakers choice of murder. He is seen as criticising his own faith of not directing him in the correct pathway of not committing evil. In the Victorian era men showed more sexuality towards women and most of the people believed in god. ‘and yet god hasn’t said a word’ this shows although they believed in faith they still sinned. ‘no pain felt she; im quiet sure she felt no pain’ the speaker comforts himself that porphyria felt no pain when he killed her. This may not be true. He does not feel sympathy for the fact that he killed her and in this statement he is justifying his actions. Lady Macbeth and porphyria aren’t similar to the average women in their times -they urge for power; porphyria’s lover is being controlled by porphyria. ‘she put my arm around her waist’ this implies porphyria is commanding and gives her lover no choice about what he wants to do. Similarly Macbeth is in control by a female, and this female being his wife, Lady Macbeth. ‘thou Marshall’st’ me the way that I was going.’ Lady Macbeth and porphyria are both in control. Porphyria’s lover has a simple structure; ABABB. This structure shows the madness in the eyes of porphyria’s lover. It  is laid out in one long stanza as Browning wants to preserve the moment. The structure of Macbeth and Porphyria’s lover are different. Porphyria’s lover’s structure was in one long stanza because he wanted to stop time, whereas Macbeth wanted to commit the scene as soon as possible.

Portfolio Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Portfolio - Assignment Example From traditional times, management helped in developing different process of control that would enhance in formulating as well as implementing management strategies. The principle purpose of maintaining managerial function is to develop a better understanding of the different approaches of management to formulate a strategic plan to manage business operations in a coordinated manner. In the diversified environment like the present day business scenario, dynamic planning is most efficient (Evans & Lindsay, 2012). In this context, management of organizations is observed to be effectively managing different management strategies, so that they are able to develop their organizational base and enhance the efficiency of the same. Different theorists have elaborated on the different approaches of management to develop organizational abilities to perform is a sustainable manner. These approaches of management are observed to be having a huge impact on the performances of a business. Effectiv e management of strategies helps in enhancing the productivity of an organization in order to improve the sustainability as well as profitability of an organization (Gibbins-Klein, 2001). In this regard, the assignment elaborates on the different approaches of the management that would enhance the ability of the students to perform better. The implication of the different strategies has been observed to be a part of management that influences personal development and leadership abilities of the managers. Rodrigues (2001) stated that the use of principles of management has deviated largely from its initial position owing to the changing needs in the developmental procedure of an organization. It has been noted that the principles of management have been changing according to the changing needs of the market environment. It has been identified that even though the theoretical approaches of

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Auditing - Essay Example Fraud refers to intentional miscalculations in the financial records. An unqualified opinion concludes that the financial reports are of true and fair view of the actual state of the ground. Audit risk is made up of inherent, control and detection risks. Inherent risk is more likely to occur where transactions are of a complex nature or in situations where financial estimates are through judgment. This type of risk is the worst case as all controls have failed. Control risk is the probability of a material misstatement occurs in management assertion about a group of transactions or accounts. The risk of detection entails the severity and the procedures carried out by the auditor will not detect material errors that have occurred in the accounting records. Since the financial statement cannot be as a whole, the auditor has to identify areas of heightened financial risks (Earley and Phillips, 2008). Cash and cash equivalents form a heightened area of risk. Cash at hand can easily be lost in fraud related activities as it is a liquid asset. The material misstatement of cash and cash equivalent increases the amount of assets in the company that would hinder the auditor from giving the actual state of the company. The amount of cash balance is â‚ ¬ 15.2m a decrease from the previous year’s balance of â‚ ¬ 20.5m. The auditor should use analytical tests to determine whether the expenditures attributed to cash are true. Some compliance tests include: the comparison of previous years balances and significant changes in amounts and deviations from the trends. Accounts opened and closed throughout the year should be investigated. Computations of quick current ratio should be taken and compared to other previous years. Lack of consistency in these ratios may indicate a material misstatement in the cash and cash equivalent account

Proposal on Energy Management Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On Energy Management - Research Proposal Example So, one sees US invading Iran and Middle East to get its hands on the oil reservoirs, Pakistan shifting from natural gas to coal and other countries following the same pattern (Fawkes, 2007). Another reason energy management has gained so much importance in the past few decades is because the world as a whole has undergone industrialization largely (Beggs, 34, 1999). From industrial revolution to the internet boom of 90s, there are very few economies left, which have not adapted to the change and these economies are either isolated or agrarian. All the rest of the economies have adapted to the change that the industrial revolution brought, and therefore are heavily reliant on industries, machineries, factories, and technology for their very subsistence and sustenance. More, these industrial economies need magnanimous amount of energy resources to run their respective economies without crashing (Moss, 28, 1994). Thus, energy management and optimal usage of this energy turns out to be the most pressing concerns of the economic systems around the world (AEE, 89, 1991). Out of all the energy resources, oil and gas serve to be the most widely used and thus the most significant ones of all. With their easy accessibility and efficiency of usage, economies have strived to never run out of these two energy resources. However, in the light of recent economic recession, many economists and observers think that the production of oil and gas is falling short of their respective requirements. This paper is an attempt to propose some guidelines for oil and gas industries to come at par with the growing demand of sustainable energy round the world and to highlight its importance. As the proposal suggests, the exploration and production of oil and gas needs acceleration in order to come at par with the current demands. Literature Review As one seeks to understand the mechanisms of energy management, two very important terms come up. Energy Intensity: It is a measure of energy r equired per unit output. Thus, using less energy to derive a product reduces energy intensity. Energy Efficiency: Inverse of energy intensity, energy efficiency increases when the given units of output results from diminished levels of energy input or a given level of energy is followed by an improved level of output or the service intended. Thus, energy intensity increases when energy efficiency is reduced and vice versa. As one compares different industries that produces materials for energy production, one finds that all industries are subjected to change. The changes can be structural like a shift in the product ranges from higher energy-intensive to lower energy-intensive or behavioral depending on the target market and their fluctuating inclinations. It is now important to turn to the issue at hand: how can oil and gas industry learn from other industries with regard to efficient energy usage and production efficiency? As a template, it is ideal to juxtapose China’s flo urishing coal industry to America’s oil and gas industry; and bridge connections and comparisons between the two. One of the main features of China’s coal industry is that it is a home industry and China manufactures all the coal by itself. This reduces its imports by a great margin. On the other hand, US economy imports coal from gulf regions and is therefore highly dependent on other countries for its economy (Petrecca, 45, 1993). Another important factor to consider when

Arts and Urban Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Arts and Urban Life - Essay Example Punch's versifier detailed 'The muck and mud that still our movements clog', while Conrad made the same point more sonorously in describing 'the enormity of cold, black, wet, muddy, inhospitable accumulation of bricks, slates, and stones, things in themselves unlovely and unfriendly to man." (Freeman, 89). The city of London is perhaps one of the oldest yet also one of the most powerful cities in the world. This account speaks about the atmosphere, weather, but not the people. All urban histories states about the city in terms of physical structures and ultrastructural layouts. When the reality is that the people of the city and their lives day in and day out constitute the core of urban life, which embodies their struggle, aspirations, and moments of heightened awareness, then art in the urban life in any form will also express those. In the detective fiction of Arthur Conan Doyle or Richard Harding Davis, fog underlay or encouraged the city's criminal associations, with Sherlock Holmes speculating as to how the 'thief or murderer could roam London' 'as the tiger does the jungle', since figures are but 'dimly seen, then blend once more into the cloud bank' (Doyle, CA, 913). The question arises, what is a city, is it the demonstrable difficulties of urban life, its malign incompatibility with human wishes, or entirely something else arising out of it. In some cases, the metropolis itself has been assigned a character in itself, which responds enthusiastically to the process of transformation in the city space and the ways it is perceived by the individual. Radical artists such as Whistler and Monet were exploring similar possibilities during the 1870s. Such figures moved away from the particularization of realist art and conventional topographic painting, concerning themselves with atmospheric evocation. James's immersion, in all senses, in London's fog was therefore something he shared with its most famous visual chroniclers, impressionist painters, even though he initially had little obvious sympathy for their art (James, 219). Accounts of London by Dickens, and, even more so, by Gissing, repeatedly emphasized the city's aromas and the tidal roar of its 'flaring and clamorous' streets where 'the odors of burning naphtha and fried fish were pungent on the wind'. To judge from The Princess Casamassima, the Thames is equally noisy and smelly, with Hyacinth (Gissing, 111), Robinson observing the 'grinding, puffing, smoking, splashing activity of the turbid flood', but in his own trip down river, James concentrates on the tonal limitation s of the scene, its blacks and sables, silvers and grays (Jackson, 277). Baldwin's "Another Country" is a novel, but more of an essay on love. Love on the backdrop of a city, where life at least takes the form of impressionist art. Love is a theme that the author had explored both on homosexual and heterosexual perspectives. On closer examination, there is another theme in this novel, racialism. While love is a necessity and is utterly constructive, hate is terribly destructive, and this theme is core concept

Changing the Channel - A Solution for Television Violence Essay

Changing the Channel - A Solution for Television Violence - Essay Example Already, many children spend more time watching television than they do playing with friends, being outside or involved in other stimulating activity. Recent studies, reviews, watchdog groups and many others suggest that the high prevalence of violence that is present on television is directly promoting aggression and violence in real life. Television critic Tim Goodman argues that while television has the potential to have a large impact on violence and aggression, the full blame does not rest on the media but on the parents. If they do not want their children exposed to violence then the most simple and effective solution is to turn off the television. This essay argues that this viewpoint does not offer an effective method of solving the problem, instead it is like ignoring the crisis and assuming that if we do not pay attention to what is happening then it will not affect us. One type of program that showcases violence is wrestling. Here, violence is one of the main factors that drive individuals to watch the program, and it is widely popular among both children and adults. WWE’s Smack Down and RAW have sky rocketed in popularity in recent years. The slapping, kicking, fighting, screaming and throwing people out of the ring catch the interest of children and even adults. When the younger generation watches this brutality on television, with thousands of people praising, they perceive that it is something good. This concept is backed by Goodman, who argues that encouraging violence in this manner, and making it appear as something that is desirable increases the likelihood that the children will emulate this form of behavior. There are many cases I have witnessed where children in school have backyard fights in which they try to mimic their favorite wrestler’s stunts on others, using abusive language as they see in the shows. Even in the house, they play at wrestling or walk around acting as their favorite wrestling star; talking and walking li ke him. According to my observation it is usually the younger or weaker kids that are targeted. While Goodman argues that blaming the media for the behavior is unreasonable, and that parents can remedy this behavior by preventing children from watching programs such as wrestling, the reality is not as simple as this. It is not simple the act of observing the violence on television that causes children to emulate wrestling behavior, or aggressive behavior in general. Other factors include what children watch at their friend’s houses, what actions that their friends do, and the fact that the violence and aggression is encouraged in many different forms of media. As a consequence, changing the channel or turning off the television does not appear to be a suitable tactic to prevent children from emulating aggressive behavior, or from learning that aggressive behavior is good and encouraged. Rather, this responsibility falls onto the parents. Whether children consider that violenc e and aggression is something to be encouraged comes from the opinions and lessons that are taught by the parents. Parents have a responsibility to themselves and when they observe this kind of solution it just shows how responsible they are towards their job. Turning off the television or switching the channel cannot assure that the child will not watch it later on or at a friend’s place. Chances are that they might even see it on the internet as now even

The subject of occultism in Africa Research Paper

The subject of occultism in Africa - Research Paper Example Why do we continue to mistrust them, despite the studies that have been done on occultism as a discipline? This paper intends to elucidate on occultism and explain magic as part of occultism. Now, occult is a word that many people use on a regular basis, but little do they understand it. â€Å"Occult is supernatural, mystical; the magical beliefs, practices or phenomenon. It is beyond the range of ordinary, knowledge or experience; it is mysterious.† (Oxford Dictionary, 2009). The literal translation of the word occult is ‘hidden’. The former definition had been incorporated into the Oxford Dictionary as the literal definition not too long ago. That is because occult or occultism is no longer simply something that is hidden. It is so much more than that. It has almost become a culture. And ergo, the definition had to be revised with the dawn of it as a discipline/discourse/culture. The British occultist, Dion Fortune has explained this phenomenon in her book. â€Å"Occult science is the branch of knowledge which is hidden from many and reserved for few† (Fortune, 2001). The author explains that there are times when certain people are able to transcend the states of consciousness that are considered normal. In this state, these people are able to experience â€Å"those forms of existence with whom normally no contact can be made† (Fortune, 2001). We understand from this that occultism is not merely knowledge of the unknown, or of the hidden. It is the opening to the world of supernatural/paranormal, to the world of mystery for us. And this can only be done when a person defies the norms; when one goes beyond the reality that we have come to understand as our only true reality. Only then, are they able to enter a world that had been anonymous to them before. Now, many believe this is through magic; that when people learn to control this mystical power, they are able to control the Nature around them, to manipulate the

Comparison of Saudi Aramco and Shell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Comparison of Saudi Aramco and Shell - Essay Example †¢ Saudi Aramco uses a program that helps the employees focus on ethical behavior within the work place. To sustain itself, it has adopted a flexible and efficient organizational structure to achieve operational excellence. Shell has taken an energy efficiency approach and providing the necessary assistance to its customers.†¢ Saudi Aramco uses a program that helps the employees focus on ethical behavior within the work place. To sustain itself, it has adopted a flexible and efficient organizational structure to achieve operational excellence. Shell has taken an energy efficiency approach and providing the necessary assistance to its customers.Driving forces†¢ In this industry, companies focus on demand and customer satisfaction. In addition, the industry has also placed its focus on launching campaigns aimed at building and further developing the future.Porter’s 5 Forces†¢ The buyers have a strong bargaining power because of their large numbers and the pro ducts are considered to be valuable to the consumers. The supplier power is also high because of the nature and importance of the commodity they are dealing with. There is a moderate threat from substitutes in the industry and competition as well.Generic competition strategy†¢ Saudi Aramco has adopted a low-cost strategy by improving research on the commodity and fulfilling its goals and targets. Shell has placed its focus on reducing the cost of electricity, thereby making the company competitive.Market sizing