Social And Cultural Factors Have A Significant Influence

Social and cultural factors have a significant influence on the way a child interprets and views language. Language is a form of behaviour, a series of cultural and social practices that should be seen as appropriate (or not appropriate) for a given context (Green 2006). We could describe language as a set of conventions or rules that have been developed over time to provide communication and speech between one another. Not only is language important to society but specifically to education and most importantly in the classroom. Language is conventional and dynamic, shared across multiple cultures. Its universal in the case that everyone understands language. If its speaking, or things like music, dance, drama. They are all different†¦show more content†¦Language was given meaning over time and each word or phrase or saying is unique. I strongly agree with the Grugeon and Gardner statement. It places an important emphasis on the fact that as much as we sometimes want to view language as an object, there is always meaning behind it, and that human interaction was so significant in shaping language. It gave that meaning and emotion behind it and from the beginning, language was influenced strongly by human interaction and it is through this and meaning that language has been influenced. Throughout past years, numerous theorists that have developed and come up with ideas about how language and literacy and our cognitive development are largely influenced by our social and cultural interactions. Lee Vygotsky, a Russian theorist in the late 1900’s, had a major influence on the socio cultural theory and proposed ideas about language and cognitive development. His theory suggests that cognitive development or the higher mental function develops in stages. He soon identified that there were three stages which consisted of ‘clustering things into unorganised heaps’, ‘putting things into complexes based on concrete factual bonds’ and finally ‘thinking in concepts’ (Vygotsky 1978). Vygotsky stated that learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organised, specificallyShow MoreRelatedThe Biggest Influences On Young Adolescents1192 Words   |  5 PagesWhat are the biggest influences on y oung adolescents’ religious and spiritual beliefs? Throughout this investigation, the question I wish to explore is â€Å"What are the biggest and more significant influences on young adolescents’ spiritual and religious beliefs?† To thoroughly investigate and answer the specific question, vast amounts of information from different sources need to be obtained. Hence, I produced a survey that primarily focuses on the factors that influence young adolescents’ religiousRead MoreThe Impact of Culture on Consumer Behavior1788 Words   |  7 PagesThe impact of culture on consumer behavior [Author] [Institute] [Instructor] [Course] Table of Contents Abstract: 3 Introduction: 4 General cultural differences: 4 Culture other than Own: 5 Own Culture: 5 Cultural differences in marketing and consumer behavior: 6 Consumption: 6 Motives for Consumption: 8 Implications of cultural differences on marketers: 8 Discussion: 8 Examples of behaviors: 9 Conclusion: 9 References: 11 Appendix 1: 12 Survey Form: 12 Abstract: Read MoreConsumer Decision Making Process And The Beverage Brand Products1421 Words   |  6 Pagestown in England know as Huddersfield. 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Embedded Journalism and War Reporting - 2282 Words

Embedded Journalism and War Reporting Dion E Jones University of Phoenix COMM 220 Maureen, Duffy M.A. May 13, 2012 Embedded Journalism and War Reporting Journalism covers the principles of reporting in different circumstances such as the time-based news as in press conferences or untimely news of crisis, disasters and conflicts. Even though the reporting objectives are vast, and the journalists are expected to perform their duties without any fear or bias, it is the responsibility of the journalists to observe certain ethical considerations. At times, what journalists consider their responsibility may†¦show more content†¦In such a scenario, the integrity of the profession of journalism comes into question. Any acts of bias by the journalists may adversely affect the profession of journalism. Therefore, the question of ethical considerations takes a very serious turn with regard to war reporting. Journalists need to be sure that the information being imparted is precise and accurate and it does not disclose any confidential information. Journalists must also ensure that the sources from which the information is being collected are credible and the risk of misreporting is acceptably low. Debate on War Journalism The extent of war journalism is still contentiously debated, and mostly due to the same reasons as previously mentioned, i.e. Safety, Security and Strategic disclosure. International journalism has comprehensively dealt with the coverage of war and this is because of the dramatic nature of conflicts. The trend of sensational reporting has been observed to be on rise in the recent past and this practice compromises on the professionalism of journalism. 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Titles Free Essays

Do magazines marketed for teenagers send the wrong message? Using at least three specific magazines for support, argue for or against the moral and ethical messages that dominate magazines directed for the teen demographic. Is it freedom of the press or harassment? Argue whether the paparazzi helps or hinders the purpose of the free press. Are grades important? Discuss whether grades are necessary in order to keep students on track with learning. We will write a custom essay sample on Titles or any similar topic only for you Order Now Is homework necessary? Hazing is a problem on university campuses America could start using year round school People should have green burial Non-essential plastic surgery should be illegal for children under 18 Parents should be informed if their child is given birth control It has been said that America’s biggest export is pop culture. Is Hollywood a good ambassador for America? Should public schools provide more classes and internship programs for students who choose not to go to college? Are college entrance exams like the SAT or ACT good indicators of university success? Would a voucher system that allowed for more school choice be a positive change for the American education system? Should parents be allowed to sumbit their teens to drug testing? Would single-sex public schools be more effective than co-ed? Doctor-assisted suicide should (or should not) be legal. Every automobile driver should (or should not) be allowed to send their junk mail. Every automobile driver should (or should not) be required to take a new driver’s test every three years. Electroshock treatment is (or is not) a humane for of therapy. Every student should (or should not) be required to learn a foreign language. Solar power is (or is not) a viable alternate energy source. Drug addicts should (or should not) be put in hospitals for medical treatment instead of in prison for punishment. American workers should (or should not) be guaranteed a three-day weekend by law. All health professionals should (or should not) be tested annually for HIV infections and AIDS. Self-proclaimed â€Å"militia† should (or should not) be closely monitored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assault weapons should (or should not) be out-lawed. All owners of firearms should (or should not) be required to register their weapons with the police. A two-week waiting period should (or should not) be required for anyone attempting to purchase a firearm. The death penalty for murderers should (or should not) be abolished. The death penalty should (or should not) be imposed on juveniles. Drug dealers convinced of distributing large quantities of drugs should (or should not receive the death penalty. The U. S. military should (or should not) be used to curb drug smuggling in the U. S. The U. S. should (or should not) cut off all foreign aid to dictatorships. Smoking should (or should not) be banned in public areas such as restaurants and airport terminals. State and local governments should (or should not) operate lotteries and gambling casinos. The U. S. should (or should not) remain in the United Nations. Immigrations into the U. S. should (or should not) be restricted. Churches should (or should not) be required to pay taxes. Federal funding for the arts should (or should not) be provided. The present-day tax system is (or is not) unfair to middle-class and lower-income Americans. College athletes should (or should not) be required to meet the academic requirements of their schools. Sex education should (or should not) be required course in all schools as early as sixth grade. Everyone should (or should not) be required to pass a competency exam before being allowed to graduate from high schools. Chronic mental patients should (or should not) be housed in â€Å"halfway houses† or residences in the community, rather than in remote mental hospitals. The President should (or should not) be limited to a single six-year term. Billboards should (or should not) be outlawed on interstate highways. Business should (or should not) be permitted to make unsolicited telephone calls to citizens. IQ tests are (or are not) valid measures of human intelligence. Psychologists and psychiatrists should (or should not) testify in court on behalf of the not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity plea. Regardless of income, all Americans should (or should not) be guaranteed basic medical care under a national health insurance program. Heredity is (or is not) a more powerful influence on personality development than environment. ESP is (or is not) a demonstrable scientific fact. Scientific experimentation on animals should (or should not) be outlawed. Heroin should (or should not) be legal as a pain reliever for terminally ill patients. Acupuncture is (or is not a valid medical technique. Beauty pageants do (or do not) debase women. The minimum wage should (or should not) be waived for adolescent and young adult workers. Despite their legal tax deductions and loopholes, all millionaires should (or should not) be required to pay federal income tax. Police should (or should not) be allowed to set up roadblocks to isolate and arrest impaired drivers. Athletes should (or should not) be allowed to use steroids. Students need to be more vigilant and observant to avoid becoming victims of campus crime. Citizens should resist efforts being made to shut down zoos and aquariums. Steps must be taken to reduce contaminants in the nation’s water supplies. Children and teenagers need to be educated on the dangers of huffing (sniffing solvents and aerosols). Lawmakers need to pass tougher legislation to discourage the growing number of stalkers. Every person should stipulate that in the event of death, he or she is willing to donate organs. People of all races and ethnic groups should be aware that overexposure to the sun can cause skin cancer, regardless of a person’s skin color. Dog and cat owners should have their pets spayed and neutered. Citizens with cellular phones can help thwart crimes and assist in the capture of criminals. People wanting cosmetic surgery should investigate the risks before submitting to surgery. How to cite Titles, Essay examples

Handbook Of Operant Classical Conditioning â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Handbook Of Operant Classical Conditioning? Answer: Introduction Change management is a process of identifying changing market trends, designing a change program and introducing a change in the workplace in order to cope up with the market trends and to remain competitive (Kotter, 2007). The spread of globalisation has made the business world more complex and competitive. With the increase in the reach of business organisations and also of the customers, business organizations in all industries are competing with each other at a global scale and have become vulnerable to multiple internal and external environment factors, which can undergo a change in real time. Environment factors, such as social, economic, technological, etc. can undergo a change in real time, which forces business organisations to introduce changes in their work operations and processes, in order to remain competitive and ensure market sustainability (Techtarget, 2015). Resistance to change Introducing changes in the workplace has become an important factor in organisation success as it assists business organisations in increasing their overall competencies and in remaining competitive but managing workplace changes is not an easy task (McSweeney Murphy, 2014). Designing and implementing changes in the workplace is such a dubious task that a number of organisations have miserably failed in their attempt to introduce workplace changes while some organisations have lost their market share to their competitors in their attempts to implement changes. One of the prime reasons behind the failure of business organisations in implementing workplace change is resistance to change. Resistance to change is a natural process where the stakeholders demonstrate a negative reaction towards the change program if they perceive it as a threat (Changingminds, n.d.). Why employees resist workplace changes? Resistance to change has been considered as one of the prime reasons behind the failure of change initiatives but most of the times, it is the inability of the management to implement the change effectively and in dealing with the resistance to change offered by the stakeholders. Resistance to change during a change initiative can occur due to a number of reasons. Some of the reasons behind the origin of resistance to an organisational change are discussed below: Loss of status, power or job insecurity it is a natural tendency of human beings to resist changes that can have an impact on their work lives, personal lives or can bring them out of their comfort zones. In an organisational setting, resistance to change can be shown by employees whenever they feel threatened by upcoming technological or administrative changes, which can result in their role and responsibility being reduced, undermined or eliminated. The employees perceive such changes as a threat to their existence in the organisation and end up offering resistance to the change program (Tanner, 2017). Organisational wide changes can sometimes involve downsizing of the workforce or can sometimes involve a complete restructuring of an organisation. When such changes are being planned and implemented, the employees become insecure about their jobs and are more likely to resist such change programs (Bytestart, 2015). Therefore, loss of status, power or being insecure about their jobs is one of the prime reasons, which makes the employees show resistance to change programs. Fear of the unknown and improper communication another major reason behind the failure of change management programs and also behind the origin of resistance to change is the fear that the employees develop in their mind when they are not properly informed about the change program and its objectives (Stark, 2010). Most of the times, the management fails to effectively communicate the change management program with its stakeholders and lesser the stakeholders know about the change program and its likely impact on the organisation, more will be the resistance that they would offer to the change program. As a result, most of the people are of the view that keeping the employees involved in the change management process can help business organisations in dealing with resistance to change (Adenle, 2011). Peer pressure Whether introverts or extroverts, all employees working in a business organisation are a part of a group and have a tendency to resist changes that are against the interests of the group to which they belong. If a change is perceived by the employees as a threat to the bond that they have with the other people, they will show resistance to change and make it difficult for the organisation to successfully implement a change. Organisational climate and politics the climate of an organisation and the politics within a workplace has a major role to play in the process of introducing workplace changes. If there is lack of trust in the organisation, implementing a change can become a night mare for the managers as the employees are not able to place their trust in anybody and perceive a change program as a threat to their jobs (Rick, 2011). On the other hands, organisational politics and bureaucracy can also become a prime reason for resistance to change because the employees can resist change to prove that the leaders of the change program are not worthy of their position or to prove that their initiatives are not going to bring any fruitful results for the company. Poor timing in certain cases, it is not just about the actions of the change facilitators that paves way for resistance to change but can also be sometimes because of the change being introduced at a wrong time or in an awkward situation. It is important for the managers to introduce a change at the right time so that the employees are adequately prepared for the change and do not consider it unwanted or ineffective (Ford, Ford, D'Amelio3, 2008). An apropriate example of resistance to change due to poor timing or not recognizing the need for a change can be studies from the rivalry between traditional taxi companies and companies like Uber and Ola. The traditional taxi companies resisted some technological changes at a time when they were necessary and tried to implement them at a time when it was already too late. Thus, a majority of the traditional companies have still not been able to implement technological changes and have been entirely thrown out of the market competition. (BOUQUET RENAULT, 2014). Lack of reward one of the most obvious reason for the origination of resistance to change is the lack of reward that can possible help in reinforcing the changes that the employees are able to demonstrate in their behaviour. In absence of rewards, the employees are not able to associate any benefits with the change program and are more likely to resist a change program as it would not have any benefits for them in any possible way (Glassman, 2009). Thus, it is important for the change facilitators to associate rewards with change programs so that they can reinforce the changes that have been successfully implemented and can reduce the resistance that the employees can offer to the change programs. Relation between power and resistance to change In an organisational setting, power refers to the possession of authority and influence that a person has over others. Higher a person sits in the hierarchy, higher is the power that he would possess. Business organisations that have complex structures, complicated hierarchies and also have power distributed differently at different levels, are more likely to experience politics and bureaucracy in the organisation (Merchant, n.d.). Power has been considered to be have a negative effect on the behaviour of people, when assessed in an organisational setup. A number of studies have concluded that higher the power a person holds in an organisation, higher will be the resistance that he or she would offer to the change program unless he or she is going to receive some benefits out of it. When people, who possess power in an organisation, try to convert their power into actions, they are likely to give rise to politics as well as groupism (Virtual Learning Environment , 2017). One of the prime reasons for powerful people to resist organisational change is the fear that they develop in their minds. People who enjoy a powerful stature in an organisational setup often develop a fear in their minds that an upcoming change would undermine their authority and it would become difficult for them to exercise their control over others. As a result, they are more likely to indulge into politics and have a negative influence on others, which makes it difficult for the managers of an organisation to implement workplace changes successfully. On the other hand, change management theories also suggest that the senior level managers can chose organisational leaders as change facilitators or change agents and convince the people to accept the change through them (Dickson, 2013). But when the organisational leaders are themselves opposing the change, it becomes very difficult for business organisations to promote the change. In one of the cases, a company experienced a lot of resistance from its managerial level position when a change was being planned. The senior level management of the company planned to implement a system where all the employees would receive instructions about their jobs or tasks through an online portal. The managers thought that such a system would limit their power over the employees, which would have an impact on their status in the organisation. As a result, they demonstrated a lot of resistance to the change and the change program had to be dropped because of the resistance (Strebel, n.d.). Therefore, it is not wrong to say that power and resistance in an organisational setup are directly proportional to each other i.e. higher the power that a person holds, higher will be the resistance that he or she would offer to a change program if he or she perceives it as a threat to his or her authority or power. Ethical issues related with power and position As discussed above, power and the ability to resist a change are directly proportional. In other words, higher the power that a person has, higher and stronger will be the resistance that he can offer to a change program. The resistance that the powerful people in an organisation offer to change programs raises a number of questions on an ethical ground. Where the scholars and the pioneers in the field of change management have concluded that using leaders of the organisation and powerful people as change agents, it becomes easier for the management to implement changes, if such people are themselves exercising their power in a negative way to introduce politics and groupism in the workplace, without understanding the need and importance of change and to satisfy their own needs and demands, it is completely unethical on their part. Such people are not just disturbing the overall environment of an organisation but are also not fulfilling the responsibility that they have towards the stakeholders in the business because of the power vested to them (Wisdomjobs, n.d.). From an ethical point of view, it becomes an important duty of all those people who have a higher authority in an organisation, to understand the change management program in depth and figure out whether it is required for the betterment of the organisation on the whole or if it will have certain negative impacts in future, which the higher management could not foresee while designing the program (Jacobs Keegan, 2016). People with power should base their decisions to resist or to promote a change program on some credible piece of information and not just base their decision to resist a change on the basis of fear that their power would be undermined or they would lose the control that they have over the others. Conclusion Management of a change programs in business organisations is not an easy task. It requires a lot of practice and careful administration to successfully implement even a smallest change as even a small change can have a great impact on certain stakeholders in the business. It is important to implement changes in the workplace in order to remain competitive and to increase organisational competencies but it should only be done at the right time. Implementing changes just for the sake of trying what others are doing can prove to be a huge disaster for business organisations as many of them have already lost their entire market shares to their competitors because of their failure to implement changes at the right time. Further, it is also important for powerful people in an organisation to have a greater understanding of the ethical role that they have to play towards the stakeholders and avoid getting into politics or groupism to satisfy their own need of power or authority. Powerful people should understand the importance of workplace changes and help their organisations in implementing the required changes, rather than spreading negativity in the workplace or resisting the change. References Changingminds. (n.d.). Resistance to Change . Retrieved September 26, 2017, from changingminds.org: https://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/resistance_change/resistance_change.htm Techtarget. (2015, April 30). Change management . Retrieved September 26, 2017, from searchcio.techtarget.com: https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/change-management Kotter, J. P. (2007, January). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail . Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2007/01/leading-change-why-transformation-efforts-fail Tanner, R. (2017, February 1). Organizational Change: 8 Reasons Why People Resist Change . Retrieved September 26, 2017, from managementisajourney.com: https://managementisajourney.com/organizational-change-8-reasons-why-people-resist-change/ Adenle, C. (2011, July 26). 12 Reasons Why Employees Resist Change in the Workplace . Retrieved September 26, 2017, from catherinescareercorner.com: https://catherinescareercorner.com/2011/07/26/12-reasons-why-employees-resist-change-in-the-workplace/ Rick, T. (2011, May 23). TOP 12 REASONS WHY PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE . Retrieved September 26, 2017, from www.torbenrick.eu: https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/12-reasons-why-people-resist-change/ Glassman, A. (2009). Reasons for Resistance to Change. Retrieved from semanticscholar.org: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/21f0/a4338a59a6a587149b01eba9b4ba026cec6b.pdf Ford, J. D., Ford, L. W., D'Amelio3, A. (2008). Resistance to Change: The Rest of the Story . Academy of management Review, 33(2). Virtual Learning Environment . (2017, September 29). Politics in Organization . Retrieved from vle.du.ac.in: https://vle.du.ac.in/mod/book/view.php?id=9726chapterid=15607 Merchant, P. (n.d.). 5 Sources of Power in Organizations . Retrieved September 29, 2017, from smallbusiness.chron.com: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-sources-power-organizations-14467.html Wisdomjobs. (n.d.). Principles Of Management And Organisational Behaviour - Resistance To Change. Retrieved September 29, 2017, from www.wisdomjobs.com: https://www.wisdomjobs.com/e-university/principles-of-management-and-organisational-behaviour-tutorial-366/resistance-to-change-12903.html Jacobs, G., Keegan, A. (2016, September 8). Ethical Considerations and Change Recipients Reactions: Its Not All About Me . Journal of Business Ethics , 2017(September), 29. Dickson, J. (2013, October 7). Power and Resistance to change. Strebel, P. (n.d.). Why Do Employees Resist Change? . Retrieved October 2017, from hbr.org: https://hbr.org/1996/05/why-do-employees-resist-change Stark, P. B. (2010, January 10). Why Employees Resist Change . Retrieved October 2017, from www.peterstark.com: https://www.peterstark.com/why-employees-resist-change/# Bytestart. (2015, December 23). 7 Common reasons why employees resist change and how to encourage them to embrace new developments . Retrieved October 2017, from www.bytestart.co.uk: https://www.bytestart.co.uk/employees-resist-change-encourage-embrace.html McSweeney, F. K., Murphy, E. S. (2014). Resistance to change. The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Operant and Classical Conditioning . BOUQUET, C., RENAULT, C. (2014, September 7). Uber: Example of resistance to change . Retrieved October 5, 2017, from iol.co.za: https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/companies/uber-example-of-resistance-to-change-1747187

The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Essays - Literature, Fiction

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Narrarator : The setting is in the Pacific Ocean somewhere along Costa Rica. Where Pym, Augustus, Parker, and Dirk Peters are on a ship called the "Grampus." The ship has lost all of its sails due to the high winds and thunder storms and is basically floating wherever the wind and the waves take it. The rest of the crew has killed each other off when they attempted to mutany the ship. They have been without food for about 5 days and have been living off rainwater they catch in their clothes. The ship is filled with water so they cant travel below deck to get any food from the store room and they are all very weak and are despretely looking for a new source of food to keep them alive until a ship should stumble across them and pick them up. Peters : Maybe one of us could swim below the deck and get to the store room and find some fresh water and some food. Pym : But you would have to feel your way to the store room because you couldn't see in this salty water. Hey Augustus don't you know your way to the store room well? Augustus : Yea. Tie this rope around my waist so i can have something to follow back if I cant find my way. Parker : Ok. If you need help just pull on the rope and we will pull you up. Augustus : Ok here I go...................................I think I found it but the door was locked, hand me that axe over there and I will take that down with me and maybe I could break down the door.....................................well I got into the room but all I could find was broken glass. I think everything was broken when the ship was rocking back and forth during the storm. Parker : Oh great so what do we do now sit here and wait to die. WAIT!!! I have an idea maybe one of us should die in order to keep the others alive. Pym : You mean cannabilism? Parker : Yea Pym : NO WAY!!! Peters : Acually I dont think we really have a choice. Either we do that or we die. Augustus : Yea I agree with Peters and Parker I dont think we have a choice. Pym : Ok, fine but who is going to be the one to sacrifice there self and to get eaten by the others? Parker : Well I say we draw straws. I am going to take these splinters of wood and have three long pieces and one short piece. Is that fair with everyone? Pym : Yea i guess Peters : Yea Augustus : Yea Parker : Ok, Peters you draw first. Peters : Ok, here I go................YES!!! A LONG PIECE!!! Parker : Ok, Augustus your turn. Augustus : Ok, ......................A LONG PIECE!!! Parker : Well it looks like its down to me and you Pym do you want to draw or do you want me to draw? Pym : I guess I'll draw. I cant look............................... Narrarator : To find out if Pym gets the short straw and gets eaten by the others or if he gets the long straw and manages to survive one more day read The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.

Free Essays on Educational Reform in America

of Paulo Freire, the information given or taught by the teachers. According to Paulo Freire we take information given to us by teachers and categorize the information away for later use. Freire contends that when knowledge is passed vertically from teacher to student in the banking concept the knowledge is stored in the brains and cataloged away. An inefficient way to learn that holds us back from reaching our full potential. We, the students, never question the validity of the information. We simply understand that the teacher is right and we take for granted what the teacher gives us. Who says that all information is actually valid, how do we know until we, the students, actually do it. If a student reads in a text that a certain plant when eaten tastes sweet and another tastes bitter the students are then supposed to take for granted that what the text says and what the teacher says are correct. So how do we genuinely recognize two different tastes? Test it out for ourselves in a group session. Researchers ... Free Essays on Educational Reform in America Free Essays on Educational Reform in America The United States has been teaching its students for countless years now. Today's education process in the United States is that of the banking process. Paulo Freire gives light to a new and advanced process by which America should learn by, one that will prove to be an investment for the nations society, and soon will. For years now we have been learning in Americas institutions for the first eighteen to twenty-five years of our lives. Always being taught by our teachers and professors, hoping that what they say will give us light to a hopeful future. Students generally sit in a classroom and absorb or bank, to put it in words of Paulo Freire, the information given or taught by the teachers. According to Paulo Freire we take information given to us by teachers and categorize the information away for later use. Freire contends that when knowledge is passed vertically from teacher to student in the banking concept the knowledge is stored in the brains and cataloged away. An inefficient way to learn that holds us back from reaching our full potential. We, the students, never question the validity of the information. We simply understand that the teacher is right and we take for granted what the teacher gives us. Who says that all information is actually valid, how do we know until we, the students, actually do it. If a student reads in a text that a certain plant when eaten tastes sweet and another tastes bitter the students are then supposed to take for granted that what the text says and what the teacher says are correct. So how do we genuinely recognize two different tastes? Test it out for ourselves in a group session. Researchers ...

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Dance And Ethics In The Traditional African Philosophy Essay

Dance And Ethics In The Traditional African Philosophy Essay Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW This section looks at various functions of dance in the Traditional African Society, especially its use for interpreting ideas such as ethics of (Twene KÃŽÂ µse) festival. 2.1 Dance and Ethics in the Traditional African Context Dance as a tool for perpetuating some simple ethics of the social values within the Ghanaian society has received some attention over the years. For example, an adowa  [1]  dancer begs his or her drummers to play a good rhythm for him or her to dance and thus seeks permission from the gods, elders and drummers before dancing.  [2]  By this, I am referring to simple gestures that portray a sense of respect and acknowledgement in the society. Dance is one of the effective tools for communication and nation building. These help in ensuring good behavioral change in the community.  [3]  According to Abà ­ÃƒÆ' °bà ¶là ¡ (2001), the term ethics as stated in the introductory section of this thesis are grouped into four areas; Normative ethics the basis and justification of moral rules and principles Meta ethics the meaning of moral terms Applied ethics the nature, content and application of specific moral guidelines Descriptive ethics accounts of how people actually behave in situations requiring moral action Abà ­ÃƒÆ' °bà ¶là ¡ points out that, contemporary thinking on ethics in African philosophy is concerned with normative and descriptive ethics. In justification to this, he argues that many African philosophers on the topic of ethics raise the question of the position of African ethics. The question is, do these ethics come out of religious doctrines (normative ethics), or are they results of reason (descriptive ethics). Ethics, as defined in the introduction of this thesis connote good human behavior in relation to other humans in a society. This is without the inclusion of a supernatural being or religion. It is humane, for every individual in a society to adopt positive characters to live peacefully in and out of the community without any religious intuition. On the other hand, the traditional African, by nature, is a religious being whose daily affairs are based on his or her relationship with divinities (God, gods, and or ancestral spirits, etc.). Therefore, the understandin g of ethics (which are found in the traditional beliefs and customs) will not depart from religion. The faith, trust, and fear for the divinity by the traditional African makes him or her submissive to the laid down rules and regulations of the community. In this contemporary era, many will perhaps appreciate the relevance of ethics, which is communicated through dance. Though, dance as a traditional activity, has suffered adulteration through the passing on from generation to generation, its usage in modern choreography with all the theatrical elements like sound, light, projections, costumes and make-ups, props and other technicalities makes it more educational and applicable to formal education. Realistically, some ethics in the traditional African context may not be applicable to the modern or contemporary society due to technological advancement, modernization, religious beliefs and disbeliefs and formal education. However, the attempt to use Ghanaian traditional dances creatively will shed light on old but yet beneficial traditional values. For example, the original benefit derived from the Dipo ceremony, may have lost its relevance to the Dangme girl today, because formal education has taken up some responsibility of the dipo rite. This is where choreography as a tool, can be used to promote some ethical values of the dipo rite and also serve as a preservative measure for the dipo dance as well. Some ceremonial dances positively affect the moral lives of people within the society when their themes are geared towards the endorsement of good conduct. The bragoro and dipo ceremonies and dance of the Dangme of Ghana is a typical example. Adinku (1994) notes that, dance for social ceremonies such as the dipo is restricted to girls in their puberty stage because the norms demand that, they must undergo initiation to inculcate in them the values of womanhood, and prepare them physically and emotionally to face their feminine responsibilities with confidence.  [4]  The performance of dipo and bragoro  [5]  help to simplify some of the ethical and moral lessons acquired in the entire ceremonies. The adowa dance of the Akan portrays some ethics. For example, a dancer may humbly plead with his or her drummers to play a good music as he or she dances by bowing and putting the right hand in the left hand, showing respect. The dancer bows to reverence a king in state and waves his right hand to greet and welcome spectators. These examples suggest that some dances are indicators and tools for bringing about ethical behaviors in the society. Dance as a non-verbal form of communication transcends ethnic and racial boundaries with fewer limitations.  [6]   Dance is fun, healing, joy, freedom, love, meditation, dynamic, an expression, emotional, magic and real and because of these qualities, it draws peoples attention when it is performed to an audience. These audiences are then exposed to and affected by the above irresistible qualities, thus, influenced by the symbolic movements carefully selected and used by the dancer or performer to express an emotional state.  [7]  This thesis uses the power of dance to address the findings of my research, which is the influence of the Twene KÃŽÂ µse festival on the practice of ethics. 2.2 The Relationship between Dance and Ethics Like ethical practices of the traditional African society, dance is one of the oldest traditions of man performed in all social gatherings such as festivals, naming ceremonies, funerals, puberty rites, and enstoolment and disstoolement of traditional leaders, because it graces every occasion in the life-circle of people. Within the life cycle of these people are their ethics and according to Nii-Yartey, a renowned Ghanaian choreographer, in Africa, dance serves as an index to the value systems that enable the community to interpret and express the various events of life.  [8]  Some of these events of life manifest the communitys reaction to areas such as work, to food and shelter, social and economic conditions, religious beliefs and disbeliefs, moments of joy and sadness. All these are captured in the dances of communities, thus, the Africans way of life in totality is reflected in his or her dance. To most Africans, dance is a habit formation, thus, one develops the interest and ability to dance as one participates in events associated with dance. He or she becomes familiar with the requirements and values of the dance, because the dos and donts of each dances learnt are also congruent to societal norms. For example, a fontonfrom,  [9]  nagila and adowa dancer, during state functions, will pay homage by bowing to the king, requesting for permission to dance. In the same way in our society, an Ashanti man will remove one of his footwear, lower the cloth on his left shoulder and bow to greet or shake hands with an Ashanti King. Furthermore, an $kyer1me will lower his cloth to the waist level, slightly place his right foot forward while stepping on the tail-end of his sandals before pouring libation. One is introduced to the societal moral requirements which form the ethical practices and principles of society as he or she studies through participation. Therefore, it is assume d that one becomes morally upright based on ones level of participation in dance, and his or her responds to its requirements. Morality is not ours originally, but learnt through socialization in the community. Hence, as the African grows, he or she learns through this habit formation to choose to do what is right from wrong. This is so because, to be morally right is not an in-born trait, but acquired with the choices one makes. One, consequently, bears the cost of the good or bad he or she purchases. One of the most important principles of the African is the family system the interdependency of the African. Thus, the challenge of one person is the challenge of all. This is not different in their dance performances. One does not perform in isolation because there will be no one to drum, sing, or hail the dancer and these are predominant in the African dance performance. Dancers mostly perform in groups at social functions, and admirers may hail them by clapping or walking into the dancing ring and fixing a coin on the forehead of the dancer. Gyekye (1996) opines that, the African is by nature a social being oriented towards others in a community of persons. Community life directly involves a person in social and moral roles, responsibilities, obligations and commitments that must be fulfilled. The Ghanaian is identified as a community member and therefore, seeks to uphold the values inherent in these obligations. These social obligations are the moral standards which sum up the e thics of the community. What Gyekye says is not different from the direction of this study because, the concern of the social being to live in an environment of peace, prepares him or her to adhere to ethical practices and principles of the community for posterity. Some of these ethical practices and principles can be found in the traditional dances and the festival activities of the African, while others are found in the day-to-day activities of people in the community, exist in isolation and therefore, are getting diminished. With changes that have occurred in our ethical life due to modernization, perhaps dance, through the medium of choreography can capture the essence of some of these values and bring them to attention of this contemporary community. The African lives for his community and Anthony Egan confirms this by his statement that If the foundation of African ethics is in the notion of humanness, what is to be a person, ubuntu sees this humanness as personhood in the community: a person is a person through other people. This confirms the earlier point raised that no one lives in isolation in the African system: a person life because others live; therefore, his or her activities affect the progress of the society. In light of the above, therefore, there is no doubt that the distinctive features which help recognize the African people are their cultural practices, social activities and values, religious and traditional beliefs, and principally their dance and musical traditions. 2.3 The Meaning of Ethics and Its Relevance to this Study In other to situate this research work within the context of ethics, some assertions by philosophical scholars such as Gyekye, Mbiti, Kant and others will be considered. According to Gyekye (1987), the Ghanaian equivalent word for ethics is suban. He explains that, ethics may be translated as suban ho nimdee or suban ho adwendwen, studies or reflections on character, a rendition which, in stressing the notion of character, agrees with the Akan conception of morality and hence can correctly be used, sometimes with an additional word or words to reflect modern usage, as the Akan equivalent for the word ethics.  [10]   In his contention, suban is so vital and for this reason, it is given a central place in the Ghanaian moral language and thought that it may be considered as summing up the whole idea of morality. For example, an Akan will say, He has no character (onni suban) instead of, He has no morals. That is, onni suban is mostly used if a person is describing the negative moral status of another person. The word pa or papa, meaning good is sometimes added to the sentence to make the meaning clearer in a moral sense. For instance, onni suban pa (he has no good character, or his conduct is unethical). The opposite of this statement is, owo suban pa (he has moral, or he is ethical, moral). That is a person with a praiseworthy character. This takes our discussion to the meaning of character and its relationship to ethics. Gyekye again defines character as a state or condition of a soul which causes it to perform its actions spontaneously and easily.  [11]  This presupposes that, the moral habit of an individual is innate and as he or she grows, the society teaches him or her to adopt good character to act positively at all times and in spontaneous situations. In support of this, Kant (1724-1804), states that, act as if the principle on which your action is based were to became, by your will, a universal law of nature.  [12]  Kants statement has bearing in the Akan proverb that says abaa a yÃŽÂ µde b4 Tekyi no, yÃŽÂ µde b4 Baah. This is literally translated as, do what you want others to do unto you or and therefore one should be mindful of his actions so as not to negatively affect other people. According to Kant, one must be fully aware of actions, whether good or bad, so that he or she will be fully responsible for the outcome thereafter. Bad people are not welcomed in social gathering such as festivals and therefore do not add up to the decision makers of the community. On the other hand, a person is believed to have the capability of changing from unacceptable behaviors to acceptable behaviors through the teaching of moral values embedded in proverbs, traditional dances and folktales. Such people become part of the society because, it is in living virtuously that human beings can give meaning to their social life and existence.  [13]   Johnsons (2004) article on Kants Moral Philosophy indicates his (Kants) substitution of ethics with morals and proposes that Once we seek out and establish the fundamental principle of morality a priori, then we may consult facts drawn from experience in order to determine how best to apply this principle to human beings and generate particular conclusions about how we ought to act.  [14]  Kant has observed that, to understand what ethics really is, an in-depth analysis of our moral concept must be sought. For example, Saint Augustine (354-430), as he sought to reinterpret the virtues of classical Greece says, Temperance, courage, justice and wisdom are expressions of Christian virtue.  [15]  In this direction, an action is regarded as right if it is in agreement with a moral rule or principle.  [16]  The understanding of the concept of good will, obligation, duty, and so on as well as their logical relationship to one another, is inevitably linked with the African concep t of ethics; thus, we can determine the rationality of ones actions; whether he does what is right or what is wrong. To buttress this point, Bantham Jeremy (1748-1832) positions that, correct actions are those that result in the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.  [17]  To live in a harmonious ON environment with one another, ones deeds must bring about the greatest degree of joy and happiness to him or herself as well as people around him. To Jeremy, ones happiness is quantifiable to units of pleasure, therefore less units of pain. However, Socrates (469-399bc) concepts of ethics that every person has full knowledge of ultimate truth contained within the soul and needs only to be spurred to conscious reflection in order to become aware of it.  [18]  The ultimate truth found within the soul of the African, as confirmed by Gyekye, is interpreted in the Akan proverb that says, no one shows the child where God is.  [19]  In other words, even a child knows what is right from wrong and this is because of the ultimate truth, which is an in-born-trait and is contained in the soul of the individual. While some African thinkers hold the view that, the punishment given to a person who has gone against an ethical rule may spur on others from committing the same crime, others hold a different view on the matter. For example, when a parent or guardian disciplines a child for insubordination, it spurs on other children from doing same. On the other hand, the idea of motivating people to do the right thing does not sit well with others. Since the ultimate truth is embedded in everyone, it presupposes that one does not need to be motivated to do what is right. Socrates ideology concerning ethics is to incite people to do the right thing and thus, without incentives people may not consciously reflect on the knowledge of ultimate truths. I agree with the two assertions because, from childhood one experiences moral virtues through habit-forming activities such as traditional dances, folk tales and others that include singing traditional songs and proverbs for socialization.  [20]  Furthermore, the society bears the responsibility of helping to discipline a child when he or she goes wrong, because of the collective perspective of society for the upbringing of its members. When a child goes wrong, the onus falls on the members of the community to discipline that child. One significant example observed during my research trip is my experience of the sacred atmosphere the Adjumako-Kokoben town experiences a month before the celebration of Twene KÃŽÂ µse festivities. People are required to eschew antisocial behaviors most especially during the festival season. Unethical behaviors such as stealing, gossiping, fighting and desecrating of sacred centers like the Twene KÃŽÂ µse shrines and mpusuban  [21]  are highly prohibited. This is because the period of the festival is considered holy, where spirits of departed ancestors come back home to prepare the grounds for the up-and-coming events. The community frowns on people who go contrary to this ethical rule and culprits are summoned and fined by their traditional council. During the festival, such persons are ridiculed with insulting songs to spur on others during the celebration of the Abangye which leads to the climax of the Twene KÃŽÂ µse festival. It is also a belief that, the spiritual entity that protects the community with it source from the deity, Twene KÃŽÂ µse, does not condone unethical people in the society.  [22]  This raises the question of whether or not the ethical rules or principles have a link with the supernatural or their traditional religion. However, John Mbiti (1969) agrees that ethical rule practiced worldwide may promote peace and tranquility among people. He points out that; As in all societies of the world, social order and peace are recognized by African people as essential and sacred. Where the sense of corporate life is so deep, it is inevitable that the solidarity of the community must be mentioned, otherwise there are disintegration and destruction.  [23]   He believes that, the African community is bound together with kinship relationship and therefore the unethical deeds of one person affect the entire community. This becomes sacrilegious during the holy periods of traditional festivals. For the purpose of this dissertation, the word suban will be adopted, thus, the required suban proposed by either the community or the gods (supernatural entities) to be practiced in socio-cultural and political activities. Theories of philosophers concerning the source of ethics in the traditional African society in relation to my research findings will be pursued in the next section. 2.4 Theoretical Framework 2.4.1 Ethical Concerns in African Cultural Standpoint Many scholars have written extensively on the ethical concerns in the traditional African societies. Some have attributed the Africans practice of ethics to their religious beliefs while others have disputed the fact and said that, ethics have less to do with religion. One of such philosophers who have suggested a relationship between the Africans way of life and religion is Kofi A. Opoku (1974). He notes; The phenomenon of religion is so pervasive in the life of the Akan, and so inextricably bound up with their culture, that it is not easy to isolate what is purely religious from other aspects of life. It may be said without fear or exaggeration that life in the Akan world is religion, and religion is life.  [24]   According to Opoku, the African cannot segregate himself from religion and hence religion affects his moral obligations, and therefore the Akan morality is based on religion. In other words, a persons moral standards are to a large extent dependent on his religion. Furthermore, Opoku (1978) writes on Akan morality and states that, Generally, morality evolves from religious considerations, and so pervasive is religion in African culture that ethics and religion cannot be separated from each other.  [25]  The traditional African is seen as a religious being through his daily reverence to divinities in his or her life circle; birth, puberty or initiation and death. When a child is born, libation is poured to ask for blessing for it and thank the gods for its save entrance from the supernatural to the natural world. In some cases, names of ancestors who led moral lives are given to the child to honor them. Puberty (a period that marks the beginning of adulthood in both men and women) , farming, fishing, hunting, enstoolment and distoolment of chiefs are not performed without the consent of a deity, so as the death rite of individuals. These activities are the customs and belief systems of the traditional people. Some of the customs and belief systems of the African community contain some ethics. The ideas behind their practices are beneficial and connote morality in the community. For example, it is unethical for one to whistle and sweep at night in the most Akan societies. Whistling may attract snakes, which can bite one to death. In the same way, precious tiny objects may be swept away at night. These are beliefs which when practiced becomes beneficial to the people. Can it also be said that the gods propounded these beliefs? Bishop Sarpong, in support of the above discussion states, Ethics here merges with religious practices, and assumes communal proportions. Among the Ghanaian, every ethical conduct may be said to be religiously orientated.  [26]  Busia (1969) a notable scholar of Ghanaian culture also declares that religion determines the moral duties for the members of a group or tribe.  [27]  Finally, Mbiti reinforces that, there exist, therefore, many laws, customs, set forms of behaviors, regulations, rules (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), constituting the moral code and ethics of a given community or society. Some of these are held sacred, and are believed to have been instituted by Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [28]  All these assertions agree that ethics is hardly segregated from religion, and religion  [29]  has it source from Supreme Being (God or gods), not man. However, Kwame Gyekye, Segun Gbadegesin, Kwasi Wiredu and Polycarp Ikuenobe disagree with all the above claims. To them, moralities have less to do with religion where the source of this religion is God. Gyekye explains that, through his research in the Akan community, no one attributed rules of moral behavior to instructions from God. Nonetheless, Gyekye clarifies the relationship of Akan moralitys dependence on religion, and he provides two distinctions. He categorically states; It must mean or imply: (1) that moral concept such as good, bad, right, wrong, and ought are (to be) to be defined in terms of religious prescriptions or the commands of some supernatural being; (2) that moral beliefs, principles and ideas derive logically from those of religion and hence, (3) that religious prescriptions provide the necessary justification for moral beliefs, principles and judgments. Finally, (4) the moral conduct of individuals is determined or greatly influenced by their religious beliefs.  [30]   He distinguishes the above assertion of religion merging with morality and explains morality as referring, Either to a set of social rules and norms for guiding and regulating the conduct of people in a society, or behavior pattern, that is, responses or attitudes to such rules and norms. Thus, we speak not only of moral rules, beliefs, and prescription, but also of moral behavior, meaning behavior in conformity with accepted moral beliefs and rules: the moral person in one whose attitude or response to moral rule is satisfactory and commendable. So that the idea of the religious dependence on morality involves not only the sources of moral rules and principles, but also the influences that affect patterns of behavior.  [31]   Gyekye proves that there are visible distinctions with these two implications and for that matter, vivid analysis must be done in this aspect to avoid people from the mistake of given false conclusion on the issue of religion and morality in the African culture. According to Tufuhene Akorful IV and $kyer1ma Kwaku Aky1 from the Adjumako-Kokoben traditional Area, ethics are the morals values within the belief systems of the community that promote acceptable behaviors and were passed on from their forefathers unto them. Here, forefathers refer to the ancestors and traditional priests of the town. They believe that individuals do not accept acknowledgement for contributing to the welfare of the community, rather, wisdom is ascribed to people of old or ancestors, priest and gods. They therefore admit that, through the wisdom of the ancestor and the gods, ethical principles for moral behavior in the town, are propounded and communicated through their traditional priest unto the people. In this instance, one see two underlining features over here; the ancestors who were once human and the gods. Could it be that the provider of ethics is a shared responsibility of humans and the supernatural? Yes, because the traditional religion is a relationship b etween man and the supernatural, and though one is supreme over the other and may be the provider of ethics, the less supreme also has equal responsibility to make moral rules to protect his or her community. Yet, he or she does not take glory for his achievement, but ascribes it to the gods or ancestors. The Adjumako-Kokoben people believe that the traditional priest to the Twene KÃŽÂ µse god is the greatest priest of all times. He (the Twene Kese priest) protects his people by providing ethical rules. These are found within their belief systems. Table 1. The ethics found in some belief systems of the Adjumako-Kokoben people Examples Of Some Belief Systems In Adjumako-Kokoben The Ethics In Such Belief Systems Do not bring a whole bunch of Plantain called apim  [32]  to the house. Cut some fingers off first. By cutting some fingers off, it encourages sharing with others in the society. Do not bring a whole palm fruit to the house. Cut off some fruits first. Share some of the palm fruits with a neighbor. Do not pound fufu  [33]  at night. Eating heavy food at night may cause stomach upset. Insects or objects may fall in the fufu during pounding and cause harm to those who eat it. Do not go to the streams when menstruating or have a cut on your body. Diseases may be transmitted to other people. Do not bring dog to town. They are believed to carry bad spirit, which can affect the blessings of men. They can also bit and transmit diseases as well. Cut very long firewood into shorter pieces before bringing them home. They occupy lots of space. The carrier may hurt someone with it due to the length of the log. Unbalance may break the neck of the carrier. 2.5 Ethical Theories The fundamental principle of morality binds every individual in a community because ethics are about how to live a good life wherever one finds him or herself.  [34]  Meaning, harmonious life in a community depends on obeying the ethical principles therein. Richard T. Hull (1979), in his paper, The Varieties of Ethical Theories, explains various ethical theories and states the two fundamental types of ethical theory: those based on the notion of choosing ones actions so as to maximize the value or values to be expected as consequences of those actions (called consequentialist or teleological theories [from the Greek telos, meaning aim or purpose]; and those based on the notion of choosi

Religious Persecution of Christian Beliefs :: essays research papers

Religious Persecution of Christian Beliefs What is religious persecution? At the beginning of this project, I thought religious persecution was a black and white topic with a clear definition. I thought that religious persecution was simply the persecution of a group because of their religious faith. However, I discovered that there are no simple explanations of religious persecution, and it is a much more complex and controversial issue than I had imagined. In fact, some events categorized as religious persecution reveal only shades of grey and ambiguities and do not neatly fit this simple definition. I wanted others to come to this same understanding. Therefore, I have formulated my own definition of religious persecution. It is the persecution of individuals within a group in the struggle to maintain their religious identity, or the abuse of power by an individual or organization that causes members of a religious group to suffer. In the case of the Holocaust, there is little argument about who created the extermination camps or what caused the death of approximately 6 million Jews. The Holocaust is probably the most well-known case of religious persecution. But my research shows that the persecution of the Jews extended well beyond simply targeting all the members of a particular faith. Instead, Hitler labeled the Jews as a race, and used his political power to exterminate the entire race. While violence against Christians has been increasing worldwide, and while Christians in the East are becoming "an endangered species," according to author William Dalrymple, attention to the crisis in the broadsheets and broadcasts of the West is "occasional and momentary" at best. No doubt this reticence must in part have to do with the West's tendency to quarantine religion out of public discourse and concern. The persecution of Christians lays a special injunction on the church in the West to examine modern paradigms and strategies for evangelism. Often Christian missionary approaches are founded on racial and religious assumptions that assign native populations and traditional cultures to an inferior status. The general premise is that prior to the arrival of Christian missionaries, people lived in a morass of darkness and depravity. This traditionally has been the basis for the almost-militant missionary scramble for native souls. Some U.S.-based Web sites include references to India as a "a land of 333 million gods" that is a virtual "Babel" linguistically and the self-identification of missionaries as "warriors of Christ," "crusading" for the "lost" and "unreached. Religious Persecution of Christian Beliefs :: essays research papers Religious Persecution of Christian Beliefs What is religious persecution? At the beginning of this project, I thought religious persecution was a black and white topic with a clear definition. I thought that religious persecution was simply the persecution of a group because of their religious faith. However, I discovered that there are no simple explanations of religious persecution, and it is a much more complex and controversial issue than I had imagined. In fact, some events categorized as religious persecution reveal only shades of grey and ambiguities and do not neatly fit this simple definition. I wanted others to come to this same understanding. Therefore, I have formulated my own definition of religious persecution. It is the persecution of individuals within a group in the struggle to maintain their religious identity, or the abuse of power by an individual or organization that causes members of a religious group to suffer. In the case of the Holocaust, there is little argument about who created the extermination camps or what caused the death of approximately 6 million Jews. The Holocaust is probably the most well-known case of religious persecution. But my research shows that the persecution of the Jews extended well beyond simply targeting all the members of a particular faith. Instead, Hitler labeled the Jews as a race, and used his political power to exterminate the entire race. While violence against Christians has been increasing worldwide, and while Christians in the East are becoming "an endangered species," according to author William Dalrymple, attention to the crisis in the broadsheets and broadcasts of the West is "occasional and momentary" at best. No doubt this reticence must in part have to do with the West's tendency to quarantine religion out of public discourse and concern. The persecution of Christians lays a special injunction on the church in the West to examine modern paradigms and strategies for evangelism. Often Christian missionary approaches are founded on racial and religious assumptions that assign native populations and traditional cultures to an inferior status. The general premise is that prior to the arrival of Christian missionaries, people lived in a morass of darkness and depravity. This traditionally has been the basis for the almost-militant missionary scramble for native souls. Some U.S.-based Web sites include references to India as a "a land of 333 million gods" that is a virtual "Babel" linguistically and the self-identification of missionaries as "warriors of Christ," "crusading" for the "lost" and "unreached.

Christian and Jewish holy days Essay

The holy day of the Christian church is Sunday. Sunday replaces the Jewish â€Å"Sabbath† which takes place on Saturday. Jews chose Saturday as their day of rest because of the creation, God rested on the Seventh day (Saturday). God said that you must keep one day special for him and since he rested on this day, it would be logical for his people to also. Resting in its self reminded them that they were a free people. Christians chose Sunday to be their day of rest instead of Saturday because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. Easter Sunday is the Christians biggest feast of the year because Jesus is believed to have risen on this day. Christians also chose Sunday to sever the last tie with the Jewish religion. The Christian Mass takes place in two parts, these are: * The Liturgy of The Word * The Liturgy of The Eucharist The Liturgy of The Word includes readings from the bible, the priest may give a sermon, and ordinary Christians say the bidding prayers. During the Liturgy of The Eucharist the Holy Communion takes place. The mass is a sacrifice as Jesus is Sacrificed on the Altar at every mass, it is a meal because we are being fed with the Holy Spirit The Salvation Army is a group of Protestant Christians who do not have a Eucharist. William Booth, a Methodist minister, founded the army in 1878. They decided to make their mass informal to make new people feel at ease. They only do the Liturgy of The Word and they take part in singing and music. Christians believe that worshiping together as a community is very important, they feel that meeting as the family or people of God is a Key part of worship. They believe that God wants them to be with others and to celebrate their common beliefs. They also worship together because they sometimes need the support of the rest of the community. The word â€Å"communion† means to be one with others and to be one with God. They share special moments and celebrate feasts as God’s family Some Christians think that worshiping alone can take place of Sunday worship. When they are alone they can, read the bible, pray, they can sing or they can just be quiet and spend time with God. Some people think that this is not as good as worshipping with others because you don’t get the support of others, and you can’t celebrate with the rest of God’s family. A02 The next thing I am going to look at is the relationship of Christian belief and worship to the attitude, behaviour and actions of a lay Christian or a Christian community. At the end of a mass the priest tells the people to â€Å"go in peace to love and serve the lord†, they can achieve this in many ways. They can help their fellow man by donating to charity. This money will go to house the homeless and feed the hungry or to help the sick. Lay Christians challenge themselves to help others help others through their parishes and youth groups they can try to live by the gospel and attempt to love and serve the lord. Catholic parish’s communities contribute to the lives of others in many ways, for example: parent and toddler groups are set up to support young or single parents. It is not a crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½che but a group for mothers so that they can meet up and get advice from each other. There are groups set up to help the homeless, the unemployed and the disabled. Groups like St Vincent de Paul try to help those in need locally in a very private way. People can donate old items that they no longer need and the group will take them away and deliver them to those who need it. Lay Christians run all of these groups on a voluntary basis. They depend on financial support from parishes and donations from people. A03 Some people think that Non-essential activities should not take place on a Sunday. A small majority of the British population are Christians who actively worship on a regular basis and it would not be logical to let this minority dictate Sunday. For many people Saturday and Sunday are their only time off work and it would be unfair to make them work on these days. If companies were forced to stop working on a Sunday then they would lose lots of money and jobs would be lost however if everyone would be forced to work on this day then many people would not see their families. Sunday has been the day of rest of the Christian faith for 2000 years and is therefore a very important day.

Patagonia Another Way of Doing Business Essay

1Introduction Patagonia was founded in 1957 by Yvon Chouinard who defines himself as a reluctant business man. He started his business as a way to climb and surf year long, seeking to build the best product to satisfy his passion. â€Å"Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. † –Patagonia’s Mission Statement Patagonia grew out of a small company that made tools for climbers. Alpinism remains at the heart of a worldwide business that still makes clothes for climbing as well as for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running. Customers are willing to pay a premium for the Patagonia brand and environmental ethic. The company’s goal is as simple as it is challenging: to produce the highest-quality products while doing the least possible harm to the environment. Yvon Chouinard founder and owner of Patagonia has done business differently since the beginning of the company, placing environmental sustainability and social welfare of his employee before profit. Three examples of the company practice will show how marketing and business can meet ethical behavior. Patagonia: a different workplace environment Patagonia is hiring only passionate people (friends, family†¦) who are also product user so they don’t have to understand the customer because they are the customer. Patagonia has developed the Let My People Go surfing flextime policy to cope with the employee passion (surfing, backcountry skiing†¦). There are no private offices and the architectural layout keep communication opens. The cafeteria where employees can gather throughout the day serves healthy, mostly vegetarian food. The company has also an on-site child care center, the presence of children playing in the yard, or having lunch with their parents in the cafeteria helps keep the company atmosphere more familial than corporate. Patagonia has a program that allows employees to take off up to two months at full pay to work for environmental groups. Patagonia fosters creativity and authenticity through its work environment and hiring process enabling the development of original products. 3Patagonia: The 1% for the Planet Initiative Since 1985, Patagonia has devoted 1% of its sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. The company has awarded over $46 million in cash and in-kind donations to domestic and international grassroots environmental. In 2002, founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, created a non-profit corporation to encourage other businesses to do the same. 1% For The Planet is an alliance of businesses that understand the necessity of protecting the natural environment. As of today 1401 companies are members of the 1% for the Planet Initiative and donate 1% of their sales to a network of 2,735 environmental organizations worldwide. More than a marketing campaign, The 1% for the Planet Initiative is a really strong statement from Patagonia (no matter what are the financial results 1% of its sales will serve the environmental cause every year), it has reinforced the company corporate social responsibility and ethical image, hence the loyalty of its core customers. 4Patagonia: The Common Threads Initiative This marketing program first asks customers to not buy something if they don’t need it, then if they do need it, Patagonia ask that they buy what will last a long time and to repair what breaks, reuse or resell whatever they don’t wear any more. And, finally, recycle whatever’s truly worn out. Patagonia with The Common Threads Initiative is the first private company launching a marketing campaign telling its customers to buy less or to buy used gear. In September 2011 Patagonia launched an online marketplace in collaboration with eBay for customers to sell and buy their used Patagonia products. This feature is displayed on the homepage of patagonia. com. Recycling is what we do when we’re out of options to avoid, repair, or reuse the product first. That’s why I am so impressed with Patagonia for starting its Common Threads Initiative with the real solution: Reduce. Don’t buy what we don’t need. Repair: Fix stuff that still has life in it. Reuse: Share. Then, only when you’ve exhausted those options, recycle (Leonard, 2011). This new marketing campaign was unveiled at the New York fashion week as an experiment. Only a private company without public shareholder and a charismatic leader with strong belief can promote such a different business attitude. 5Conclusion Patagonia has always done business and marketing differently. In the seventies Chouinard Equipment had become the largest supplier of climbing hardware in the U. S. It had also become an environmental threat because its gear was damaging the rock. Yvon Chouinard and his partner decided to phase out of this business even it if was the main source of revenue for the company, it was the first environmental step for Patagonia. Instead of focusing on profit the company took a big risk by discontinuing a successful line of products to promote an alternative solution (aluminum chocks) for climbers. It became a success because Patagonia crafted the right product with the right message and stayed true to its core values. Today with the Common Threads Initiative they are pursuing the exact same philosophy and trying to push the industry to adopt more ethical business behaviors. Patagonia’s highly public search for a new way of doing business implies a new kind of relationship with customers, reinforced by unconditional guarantees, extremely high product quality and an explicit commitment to ethical codes of behavior (Reinhardt, 2000).

F-8 Crusader in the Vietnam War

F-8 Crusader in the Vietnam War The F-8 Crusader was the last fighter designed for the US Navy that utilized guns as its primary weapon. Entering service in 1957, it saw combat during the Vietnam War both as a fighter and ground attack aircraft. Variants of the F-8 remained in use with the worlds air forces and navies into the 1990s. Background In 1952, the US Navy issued a call for a new fighter to replace its existing aircraft such as the Grumman F-9 Cougar. Requiring a top speed of Mach 1.2 and landing speed of 100 mph or lower, the new fighter was to utilize 20 mm cannons in lieu of the traditional .50 cal. machine guns. This change was made as studies during the Korean War found that .50 cal. machine guns caused insufficient damage. Among the companies to take up the US Navys challenge was Vought. Design Development Led by John Russell Clark, the Vought team created a new design which was designated the V-383. The aircraft incorporated a variable-incidence wing which rotated 7 degrees during take-off and landing. This allowed the aircraft to achieve a higher angle of attack without affecting the pilots visibility. For this innovation, the design team won the 1956 Collier Trophy for achievement in aeronautics. Clarks variable-incidence wing was mounted high on the aircraft which required the use of light, short landing gear that were housed in the V-383s fuselage.   The V-383 was powered by a single Pratt Whitney J57 afterburning turbojet capable of 18,000 lbs. of thrust at full power. This gave the aircraft a top speed in excess of 1,000 mph and the type would become the first American fighter to achieve such speeds. Unlike future fighters, the V-383s afterburner lacked zones and could only be employed at full power. Responding to the Navys armament requirements, Clark armed the new fighter with four 20 mm cannons. To supplement the guns, he added cheek pylons for two AIM-9 Sidewinder missile  and a retractable tray for 32 Mighty Mouse FFARs (unguided folding fin aerial rockets). This initial emphasis on guns made the F-8 the last American fighter to have guns as its principal weapons system. Competition Entering the Navys competition, Vought faced challenges from the Grumman F-11 Tiger, the McDonnell F3H Demon (a precursor of the F-4 Phantom II), and the North American Super Fury (a carrier version of the F-100 Super Sabre).  Through the spring of 1953, the Vought design proved its superiority and the V-383 was named the winner in May. The F-11 Tiger also moved ahead to production though its career proved short due to issues with its J56 engines and the Vought aircrafts superior performance. The following month, the Navy placed a contract for three prototypes under the designation XF8U-1 Crusader. First taking to the skies on March 25, 1955, with John Konrad at the controls, the XF8U-1, the new type performed flawlessly and development progressed rapidly.  As a result the second prototype and the first production model had their inaugural flights on the same day in September 1955. Continuing the accelerated development process, the XF8U-1 began carrier testing on April 4, 1956. Later that year, the aircraft underwent weapons testing and became the first American fighter to break 1,000 mph.   This was the first of several speed records set by the aircraft during its final evaluations. F-8 Crusader - Specifications (F-8E): General Length: 54 ft. 3 in.Wingspan: 35 ft. 8 in.Height: 15 ft. 9 in.Wing Area: 375 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 17,541 lbs.Loaded Weight: 29,000 lbs.Crew: 1 Performance Power Plant: 1 Ãâ€" Pratt Whitney J57-P-20A afterburning turbojetCombat Radius: 450 milesMax Speed: Mach 1.86 (1,225 mph)Ceiling: 58,000 ft. Armament Guns: 4 Ãâ€" 20 mm (0.787 in) Colt Mk 12 cannonsRockets: 8 Ãâ€" Zuni rockets in four twin podsMissiles: 4 Ãâ€" AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 2 x AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-ground guided missilesBombs: 12 Ãâ€" 250 lb bombs or 4 Ãâ€" 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs or 2Ãâ€" 2,000 lb bombs Operational History In 1957, the F8U entered fleet service with VF-32 at NAS Cecil Field (Florida) and served with the squadron when it deployed to the Mediterranean aboard USS  Saratoga  later that year. Quickly becoming the US Navys top daytime fighter, the F8U proved a difficult aircraft for pilots to master as it suffered from some instability and was unforgiving during landing. Regardless, in a time of rapidly advancing technology, the F8U enjoyed a long career by fighter standards. In September 1962, following the adoption of a unified designation system, the Crusader was re-designated the F-8. The next month, photo reconnaissance variants of the Crusader (RF-8s) flew several dangerous missions during the Cuban Missile Crisis. These began on October 23, 1962 and saw RF-8s fly from Key West to Cuba and then back to Jacksonville. The intelligence collected during these flights confirmed the presence of Soviet missiles on the island.   Flights continued for six weeks and recorded over 160,000 photographs.  On September 3, 1964, the final F-8 fighter was delivered to VF-124 and the Crusaders production run ended. All told, 1,219 F-8s of all variants were built. Vietnam War With the US entry into the Vietnam War, the F-8 became the first US Navy aircraft to routinely battle North Vietnamese MiGs.  Entering combat in April 1965, the F-8s from USS Hancock  (CV-19)  quickly established the aircraft as an agile dogfighter, though despite its last gunfighter moniker, most of its kills came through the use of air-to-air missiles.  This was partly due to the high jam rate of the F-8s Colt Mark 12 cannons. During the conflict, the F-8 achieved a kill ratio of 19:3, as the type downed 16 MiG-17s and 3 MiG-21s. Flying from smaller Essex-class carriers, the F-8 was used in fewer numbers than the larger F-4 Phantom II. The US Marine Corps also operated the Crusader, flying from airfields in South Vietnam.   Though primarily a fighter, F-8s also saw duty in ground attack roles during the conflict. Later Service With the end of the US involvement in Southeast Asia, the F-8 was retained in frontline use by the Navy. In 1976, the last active duty F-8s fighters were retired from VF-191 and VF-194 after nearly two decades of service. The RF-8 photo reconnaissance variant remained in use until 1982, and flew with the Naval Reserve until 1987. In addition to the United States, the F-8 was operated by the French Navy which flew the type from 1964 to 2000, and by the Philippine Air Force from 1977 until 1991.