Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Why is part one of And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou called Touch Me, Life, Not Softly Essays

Why is part one of And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou called Touch Me, Life, Not Softly Essays Why is part one of And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou called Touch Me, Life, Not Softly Essay Why is part one of And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou called Touch Me, Life, Not Softly Essay Essay Topic: Maya Angelou Poems There are four parts to And Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou, the first of which is named Touch Me, Life, Not Softly, and contains eight different poems. Here, I will use these poems to explore the possibilities as to the origins of the title of the first section of the anthology.The touch me part of the phrase can be very ambiguous, as it could signify the way in which there has been physical touching, or being touched in an emotional or mental way, for example, being moved to tears. The latter could then be incorporated into saying the author feels life should affect her deeply, as also illustrated with not softly, which is a theme heavily referred to in this first section.The very first poem of the anthology is A Kind of Love, Some Say, which explores physical abuse within a relationship, and the way the abused partner feels there is still love between the couple, as shown with, Sorry eyes, spoke not/ Of lost romance, but hurt. The idea of life touching people is seen here, as the ph ysical abuse in the poem will surely affect the person in question deeply, not only in life in general, but through all of their future and present relationships. Our relationships with other people are a very large part of our lives, therefore the abused partners life could be said to change forever, as they may find it very hard to trust people ever again, or find it hard to relate to people.In A Kind of Love, Some Say there is also the phrase Love by nature, exacts a pain, showing how Angelou feels life itself makes love hard, in a way that cannot be matched by anything else Unequalled on the rack. This also relates back to the way life touches people, in a way nothing else can.The next poem is Country Lover, looks at the way men can often be seen to be very careless and lack value for women throughout life, as seen with the capital letters used throughout the poem, and the very specific parts of the mans night (Funky blues, High water pants), and then the final line of and anyb odys daughter, which lacks the capital letters or the specific woman in question, instead implying the man does not care who he goes home with, as long as there is someone. As this subject can be linked to all generations of men throughout the world, it strongly reflects how life can touch people, as there are many, many women who will have been affected by a similar situation, and not in a positive way, as they may feel they are lacking importance in life, as the word anybodys implies there is really no significance as to who the woman is. This could deeply affect women, as they may go through life feeling inferior to men and therefore possibly not making as much of themselves as they could.The third poem, Remembrance, focuses on the subject of sex, but rather than the actual act, the more intimate parts of making love, such as the foreplay and the aftermath. However, the title of the poem, Remembrance, also shows how Angelou feels her favourite part of the sexual intercourse is af terwards, when her partner has left, and it is then, only/ then, can I greedily consume/ your presence. This illustrates how she does not feel emotionally stable until this point, and it is at this point she can fully take in the magic of the experience. Sex is another part of life that often deeply affects people in very different ways, for instance, in the way they view the experience, or the way particular sexual encounters have affected them in the past. It is definitely not something that would touch someone softly.Where We Belong, A Duet is the fourth poem, and looks at the way people in the world appear to always be searching for a soulmate, throughout life Then I went to schoolrooms/ And poolrooms/ And half-lighted cocktail bars. Love, of course, plays a major part in everyones life, whether it is the platonic, unconditional or romantic kind, and therefore obviously can affect people very deeply, like with the sex in the above poem, due to past encounters, or the way they v iew love. Again, like sex, love is not a subject to be viewed lightly, as it can be said to affect everything in life.Next we have Phenomenal Woman, which explores the way Angelou and other people view her, and how she feels you do not have to be cute or built to suit a fashion models size in order to be a successful woman in life. Instead, the poet feels it is not what youve got, but what you do with it, for example the fire in my eyes, or the ride of my breasts. Our lives are often much affected by the way we are viewed and also view ourselves, as it can affect everything, from the way we act around certain people, to the way we treat certain situations. Life itself can also affect the above factors, as we are often shaped by the events we experience. This is therefore a strong example of how life can touch someone, not softly.Men looks at the experience of a young girl, through a sexual encounter, possibly viewed as rape or the loss of virginity Shattered./ It is your juice/ Tha t runs down their legs. and how she feels about it; in this case, not very positive, as shown with the aforementioned quote, and also, Your mind pops, exploding fiercely, and Your body has slammed shut. Forever. As mentioned with Remembrance, it is most often experience that shapes who we are and how we feel and react to certain situations. Both the loss of virginity and rape are very serious matters, especially the latter, and so are very likely to affect people in strong ways. Touch me, life, not softly therefore relates to this strongly, as no one who ever as been raped could say it was a light experience or that they have not been touched by it in some way, as it is highly likely to have been a very negative experience.The penultimate poem is Refusal, focusing on the plight of a woman on her death bed, who will not deign to die unless she knows the partner she adores will be with her in her future lives, as she feels he has been in her other lives and lands. I defy my bodys has te is a key phrase of the poem, as the word defy is very strong and shows just how much the woman in question does not want to let go without knowing she will see her greatest love again. Refusal implies that it is not just life that touches us, not softly, but also the people we meet throughout life, as she is so enamoured by her love that she never wants to leave him, even after death, so he has clearly had a very large impact upon her life. The fact that she appears to believe in reincarnation That we will meet again,/ On other worlds some/ Future time undated. shows how she believes her love will prevail all, if she can meet her soulmate again and again in many different lives. Therefore, life can also touch us deeply through the people we are deigned to meet throughout our course upon earth, and the ways in which they affect us.The final poem is Just for a Time, looking at past relationships and how despite not liking reminiscing about past events, the narrator still does thi s and looks at the ways he loved his girl. While the first two stanzas reminisce about the past love, the final stanza explores how the narrator feels now, I dont spill tears/ On yesterdays years/ But honesty makes me say,/ You were a precious pearl. Again, it is often our relationships throughout life that very strongly affect the way we react to and feel about things as we are touched by, not softly.Overall, I believe that the first section of Maya Angelous poetry anthology is called Touch Me, Life, Not Softly as all of the poems mentioned above focus on events and experiences in life that shape us strongly, and imply that life does not let us get away with things easily. However, as Angelou appears to be telling life to do this to her, she is saying, that without life demanding so much from us and affecting us so wholly, we would not be the people we are, and would possibly be not as strong as we are.

Friday, November 22, 2019

20 Facts About Principals Every Teacher Should Know

20 Facts About Principals Every Teacher Should Know Principals and teachers must have an effective working relationship for a school to be successful. Teachers must understand the role of the principal. Every principal is different, but most genuinely want to work with teachers to maximize the overall learning taking place within each classroom. Teachers must have a clear understanding of their principal’s expectations. This understanding has to be both general and specific. Specific facts about principals are individualized and are limited to the unique qualities of a single principal. As a teacher, you have to get to know your own principal to get a decent idea of what they are looking for. General facts about principals encompass the profession as a whole. They are true characteristics about virtually every principal because the job description is generally the same with subtle changes. Teachers should embrace these general and specific facts about their principal. Having this understanding will lead to greater respect and appreciation for your principal. It will foster a cooperative relationship that will benefit everyone in the school including the students whom we are charged to teach. 20. Principals Were Teachers Themselves Once Principals were teachers and/or coaches themselves. We always have that experience on which we can fall back. We relate to teachers because we have been there. We understand how hard your job is, and we respect what you do. 19. It's Not Personal Principals have to prioritize. We are not ignoring you if we cannot immediately help you. We are responsible for every teacher and student in the building. We must evaluate each situation and decide whether it can wait a bit or whether it requires immediate attention. 18. Stress Affects Us, Too Principals get stressed out. Almost everything we deal with is negative in nature. It can wear on us at times. We are usually adept at hiding the stress, but there are times when things build up to the point where you can tell. 17. We Do What Seems Best, Based on the Information Available Principals must make difficult decisions. Decision making is a crucial component of our job. We have to do what we believe is best for our students.  We agonize over the toughest decisions making sure they are well thought out before being finalized. 16. The Words Thank You Mean a Lot Principals appreciate it when you tell us thank you. We like to know when you think we are doing a decent job. Knowing that you genuinely appreciate what we do makes it easier for us to do our jobs. 15. We Want to Hear Your Opinion Principals welcome your feedback. We are continuously looking for ways to improve. We value your perspective. Your feedback can spur us to make significant improvements. We want you to be comfortable enough with us that you can offer suggestions with a take it or leave it approach. 14. We Appreciate Individuality Principals understand individual dynamics. We are the only ones in the building that have a true idea of what goes on in each classroom through observations and evaluations. We embrace different teaching styles and respect individual differences which have proven to be effective. 13. We Want to See Passion Principals loathe those who appear to be slackers and refuse to put in the time necessary to be effective. We want all of our teachers to be hard workers who spend extra time in their classrooms. We want teachers who realize that prep time is just as valuable as the time we actually spend teaching. 12. We Want You to Be Your Best Self Principals want to help you improve as a teacher. We will offer constant constructive criticism. We will challenge you to improve in areas in which you are weak. We will offer you suggestions. We will play devil’s advocate at times. We will encourage you to search continuously for improved ways to teach your content. 11. Our Time is Limited Principals do not have a planning period. We do more than what you realize. We have our hands in just about every facet of the school. There are a lot of reports and paperwork that we must complete. We deal with students, parents, teachers, and pretty much anyone who walks through the doors. Our job is demanding, but we find a way to get it done. 10. We Are Your Boss Principals expect follow through. If we ask you to do something, we expect it to be done. In fact, we expect you to go above and beyond what we have asked. We want you to take ownership in the process, so putting your own spin on a task will impress us as long as you have met our basic requirements. 9. We Are Human Principals make mistakes. We are not perfect. We deal with so much that we will occasionally slip. It is okay to correct us when we are wrong. We want to be held accountable. Accountability is a two way street and we welcome constructive criticism so long as it is done professionally. 8. We Are a Mirror of Your Performance Principals love it when you make us look good. Great teachers are a reflection of us, and likewise bad teachers are a reflection of us. We revel in delight when we hear parents and students offering praise about you.  It provides us reassurance that you are a capable teacher doing an effective job. 7. We Trust the Data Principals use data to make critical decisions. Data driven decision making is a critical component of being a principal. We evaluate data on an almost daily basis. Standardized test scores, district level assessments, report cards, and discipline referrals provide us with valuable insight that we use to make many key decisions. 6. We Expect Professionalism Principals expect you to be professional at all times. We expect you to adhere to reporting times, keep up with grades, dress appropriately, use appropriate language and submit paperwork in a timely manner. These are just a few of the basic generalized requirements that we expect every teacher to follow without any incidents. 5. No One Enjoys Disciplining Students Principals want teachers who handle the bulk of their own discipline problems. It makes our job more difficult and puts us on alert when you continuously refer students to the office. It tells us that you have a classroom management issue and that your students do not respect you. 4. The Job is Our Life Principals attend most extra-curricular activities and do not get the entire summer vacation. We spend an inordinate amount of time away from our family. We are often one of the first to arrive and the last to leave. We spend the entire summer making improvements and transitioning to the next school year. A lot of our most prominent work occurs when no one else is in the building. 3. We Want to Trust You Principals have a hard time delegating because we like to be in total control. We are often control freaks by nature. We appreciate teachers who think similarly to us. We also appreciate teachers willing to take on difficult projects and who prove that we can trust them by doing an outstanding job. 2. Variety is the Spice of Life Principals never want things to get stale. We try to create new programs and test new policies each year. We continuously try to find new ways to motivate students, parents, and teachers. We do not want school to be boring for anyone. We understand that there is always something better, and we strive to make substantial improvements on a yearly basis. 1. We Want the Best for Everyone Principals want every teacher and student to be successful. We want to provide our students with the best teachers who will make the biggest difference. At the same time, we understand that being a great teacher is a process. We want to cultivate that process allowing our teachers the necessary time to become great while trying to provide our students with a quality education throughout the entire process.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Sociological Imagination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sociological Imagination - Essay Example According to Robert Weiss, there are two types of loneliness. In social isolation, a person feels deprived of a network of friends or relatives; in emotional isolation, a person feels deprived of a single, intense relationship. These two kinds of loneliness share a common emotional core, and there is some debate about how clearly they can be distinguished (Russell et al., 1984). Either one can be momentary or a long-lasting characteristic of the individual. Emotional Isolation often strikes the war veterans at the same time as social anxiety and depression. Like social anxiety, emotional isolation and depression are characterized by the deliberating pattern of social interaction. Social anxiety comes in two varieties. The state of social anxiety is a momentary experience that flares up at a certain time or in a certain place, and then passes. The trait of social anxiety is more enduring: a characteristic of certain individuals that persists over time and across situations. For those chronically afflicted, their anxiety locks them into increasingly unpleasant social interactions. Such individuals tend to reject other people, perhaps because they fear being rejected themselves. They are withdrawn and ineffective in social interactions, perhaps because they perceive negative reactions even where there are none. In fact, however, other people often do react negatively to interactions with socially anxious individuals. Feelings of social discomfort can arise from a number of sources. They can be a learned reaction of to unpleasant encounters, as social problems in the past contribute to social anxiety about the future. That is why, it has often been seen that war veterans usually suffer anxiety. Depression: Depression is a psychological disorder characterized by negative moods, low esteem, pessimism, lack of initiative, and slowed thought process. Although there are numerous influences on depression, social psychologists have paid particular attention to the role of cognitive factors. Researchers believed that depression is caused due to the exposure to uncontrollable, aversive stimulation. They proposed that organisms exposed to an uncontrollable event learn something- namely that control is not possible. Faced with this knowledge, they stop trying to exert control even in a different situation. That is the case of war veterans. They have seen too much cruelty, huge toll of human lives, immense loss of property and resources, heinous and inhuman war crimes; and above-all the aftermath-miseries, diseases and moral decay, over which they have no control whatsoever. This feeling of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

New York Times Newspaper Paywall Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 33

New York Times Newspaper Paywall - Case Study Example New York Times used a device-specific and metered system that allowed the readers to access up to 20 articles a month for free, but readers would be charged to access more articles except for the front page that was free all the times for all the users. The number of free articles was made to ensure active readers remain engaged and promote the social buzz generated by the articles. The strategy entailed differentiated pricing strategy that entailed three tiers depending on the device used by the reader to access the content and introductory offers and discounts for the customers. The digital pricing was cheaper than print home delivery, but the price was higher than that charged by other newspaper companies’ digital content. The distinctive pricing is essential in order to cater for the unique needs and amount of content accessed by the user (Kumar, Anand, Gupta and Oberholzer-Gee 7). The ‘leaky wall’ design accommodated users from social networks and search engi nes. Readers from Google search were restricted to five-articles per day limit over and above the 20 monthly free articles (Kumar, Anand, Gupta and Oberholzer-Gee 6). In addition, readers who came in from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook faced no links if the articles were linked directly from those social media sites. The paywall is a complement of the print newspaper since it provides the additional revenue stream and enhances the audience. Some readers will prefer the print newspapers especially advertisement companies. The newspaper industry is in trouble due to decline in the overall circulation and decline I the traditional sources of revenues such as subscription, classified advertising, and retail. Accordingly, the nature of the industry makes it difficult to reduce editorial staff, production and distribution costs since they are fixed.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

There Is Still Time To Save Revolution Essay Example for Free

There Is Still Time To Save Revolution Essay It has been the scientists’ consensus: the world is undoubtedly warming (Pew Center). Thorough researches have proven that this warming is primarily the result of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), in its February 02, 2007 report has found a strong link of these emissions on human activities which include industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and changes in land use.   The report further said that the world shall experience an increase in temperature for about 2. 5 ºF to 10.4 ºF by 2100 if the current emission trends continue. The good news however is, the scientists believe that there is still time to slow global warming and to lessen many of its most severe consequences if we act quickly. Since it is primarily the human beings who are held responsible for global warming, the future of the world’s temperature is in our hands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greenhouse gases like Carbon Dioxide, methane, halocarbons and tropospheric O3 come from burning of fossil fuels, landfills and CFCs (D. Carpenter). From here, we can clearly see what we can do. Carbon dioxide makes up 60% of the total amount greenhouse gases and it primarily comes from the combustion of fossil fuels. If this is the case, an individual can contribute to the world’s effort of reducing carbon dioxide emission by reducing the usage of cars. Transportation has been the major source of this emission so by reducing car usage, we can reduce carbon dioxide emission. Walking to reach short distance destinations is one good step. The use of bikes, as that of Vietnam is also a good thing. Anyway, it is a good form of exercise. As ordinary citizens, we all the power to elect able lawmakers who would be concerned enough with the environment and the human health. As with nitrous oxide emission, we can do something with the reduction of use of trash incineration as its major source. Simple means of waste segregation and composting are of good contribution. Proper waste disposal can reduce the use of garbage incinerations. Recycling and reuse are also good steps. Let us reduce the use of disposable plastic containers because burning of plastics contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases. If we can reuse these plastic containers, then we can consequently reduce the amount of plastics to be burned. We can use paper bags instead of plastic containers in our daily routine. If we can reduce the use of fertilizers as enhancers to our mini orchidarium and gardens, then it will be of great help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We can also contribute with the reduction of Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) and other Halocarbons. At home, we can reduce the use of artificial products that uses refrigerant and propellants as that of aerosol cans. There are already products available in the markets which are water-based. Of course, air conditioners and refrigerators have been our buddies at home and in the office. They are almost in everyone’s house. If we can get rid of using them, we can probably choose the products or brands that make use of lesser amount of CFCs. We almost all have our television sets, the access to internet and the daily papers. We can learn from these media on how to choose products that are environment-friendly. Primarily, we should be one who are to be environment-friendly because it is us who have the ability to think and feel and to distinguish friendly ones from that of the harmful stuffs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also a direct correlation between global warming and deforestation (T. Socha). Research also shows that decline in forest cover adds up to 20% of greenhouse gases buildup. It means the lack of shaded areas has allowed higher surface temperatures. Because trees are natural consumers of carbon dioxide and in turn a natural source of oxygen, their presence in the environment is vital.   With lesser trees, there will be lesser consumers of carbon dioxide and consequently will lead to more emissions. Though it is a fact that it takes years before a tree is full grown, it does not necessarily mean that our hope of reducing the effects of global warming is gone forever. We still have the chance of planting more trees. Of course, it will be impossible to reconvert deforested areas that have already been converted to industrial areas. But we still have acres and acres of land that we can utilize as vegetation areas. There is no better time to start planting than now. Now is the right time to help in tree-planting projects that are sponsored by the government and even non-government organizations. Let us find time to participate in these activities. If time is what we lack, we have the opportunity to share our financial resources to support such projects. Moreover, we have current policies as with the routine harvest of trees. What we can best do is to adhere with government policies concerning the environment. If we find violations, we all have the media to coordinate with authorities. If we are financially capable enough to play golf or to operate golf courses, then it is our responsibility to re-consider its unhealthy effects in the environment. The operation of golf courses requires deforestation, then the use of vast amount of fertilizers in the maintenance of the grass areas. Voluminous water used to water the grass areas run through areas with the pollutants that is contained in the fertilizers. In general, a golf course is environmentally unhealthy. For all these facts, we can see that even ordinary citizens have the power to reduce the impact of global warming by the reduction of the usage of products that are the main sources of greenhouse emissions. We don’t need to be lawmakers and scientists or even be in the government seats in order to help. Even in our daily routine, we all have the chance to make this world a better place to live in. WORKS CITED Carpenter, David. â€Å"Health Effects of Global Warming† Institute of Health and the Environment University. Albany Socha, Thomas. â€Å"The Potential Effects of Global Warming† Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.cato.org/pubs/books/climate/069-88.pdf â€Å"Global Warming Basics† Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics    Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1990). Working Group II. â€Å"Potential Impacts of Climate Change†. 6-3,6-4,6-9. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carpenter, David. â€Å"Health Effects of Global Warming† Institute of Health and the Environment University. Albany Cross, Eleanor and Kenneth Hyams. â€Å"The Potential Effect of Global Warming on the Geographic and Seasonal Distribution of Phlebotomus Papatasi in Southwest Asia.† â€Å"The Environmental Health Perspectives. Vol. 104. July 1996. pp. 724-727 Gorman, Christine. â€Å"How It Affects Your Health† Time Magazine. March 26, 2006. Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.time/magazine/article/0,9171,1177002,00.html Lashof, D. (1989). â€Å"The Dynamic Greenhouse: Feedback Processes that may Influence Future Contractions of Atmospheric Trace Gases an Climatic Change.† pp. 213 Moore, Curtis (1997) â€Å"Warming up to Hot New Evidence† International Wildlife. Vol. 27. pp24-27 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1990) Working Group II. â€Å"Potential Impacts of Climate Change† pp. 6-9 Patz, Jonathan. â€Å"Alarming Health Effects of Global Warming† Medical News Today. November 19, 2005. Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=33768 Rauber, Paul (1997). â€Å"Heat Wave: If WE Continue to Ignore the Danger Signs, the World of the Future will be Hotter, Poorer, Deadlier Place; Here’s What It Might Look Like.† Vol. 82. pg. 34-38 Socha, Thomas. â€Å"The Potential Effects of Global Warming† Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.cato.org/pubs/books/climate/069-88.pdf Thompson, Dick (1997). â€Å"Climate: Melt Away Future the Ice Caps are shrinking†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Time International. Vol. 11. p. 38 West, Larry. â€Å"Global Warming is Unstoppable and Humans are to Blame, says UN Report† Retrieved on April 17, 2007 from http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/ipcc_report.htm    Cooler Heads Coalition. â€Å"Potential Health Effects of Global Warming; Urban Heat in Atlanta; CBS Climate Hype† April 20, 2000. Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.globalwarming.org/article.php?=225    National Resources Defense Council. â€Å"Consequences of Global Warming† Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/fcons.asp U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. â€Å"Global Warming-Impacts† Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://yoshemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ImpactsHealth.html      Ã¢â‚¬Å"Strongest Evidence Yet of Human Link to Global Warming, Expert Says† The Science Daily. February 5, 2007. Retrieved on April 17, 2007 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/2070204111643.htm

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Plato Essays -- essays research papers

Plato was a philosopher and educator in ancient Greece. He was one of the most important thinkers and writers in the history of Western culture. Plato was born in Athens into a family that was one of the oldest and most distinguished in the city. His father Ariston died when Plato was only a child. The name Plato was a nickname meaning broad shoulders. Plato's real name was Aristocles. Plato had aspirations of becoming a politician, however these hopes were destroyed when his friend Socrates was sentenced to death in 299 B.C. Extremely hurt Plato left Athens and traveled for several years. In 387 B.C., Plato returned to Athens and founded a school of philosophy and science that became known as the Academy. Topics such as astronomy, biological sciences, mathematics, and political science w...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Religion and Ethnic Diversity Essay

Religion and Ethnic Diversity Buddhism was first found in India about 2,500 years ago. Buddhism is an increasing popular religion that continues to be the leading religion in the Far East. Buddhism has advanced over to a large amount of countries that have embraced a vast variety of customs, rituals, beliefs, and practices. Buddhist’s do not believe that a God created Earth. Buddha is the only Master, Buddhist’s believe in. Buddhist’s acknowledge that the ultimate purpose of life is to establish consideration for all living beings without inequity and to perform for their piece, good, and happiness. Buddhist’s have incorporated the Four Noble Truths in their lives, which are Dukkha, SamudÄ ya, Nirodha, and Magga. According to â€Å"The Four Noble Truths† (2013), † 1.The truth of suffering (Dukkha). 2. The truth of the origin of suffering (SamudÄ ya). 3. The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha). 4.The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga),â₠¬  (The Four Noble Truths). Buddhism does not share common characteristics with other religion groups. Buddhism is, however, receptive to other religions and beliefs. This religious group acknowledges the way other religions teach those involved. These individuals do not believe in a God. It is a belief system like all other religious groups. There are individuals who do not accept Buddhist and believe that those who do are not going to heaven. Others who refuse to understand Buddhism and how it works dismiss it completely because it is not what they believe in. Even though Buddhism is not America’s most practiced religion, its beliefs and ideas have been passed into American culture. It has helped blend American culture. Today there is a large amount of Buddhist’s who contribute to promoting peace amongst one another, reaching out to those who are in prison and who are homeless, and some even do advocacy for the environment. Buddhist’s experience hate just like other people in other religions. In 2003, Chung Tai Buddhist Group applied to construct a meditation and worship center in the city of Walnut, California, but the application was later denied. Not only did the City Planning Commission deny the application, but also residents were against building the center. Residents disputed against the plan because they believed there would be an increase in traffic and noise. A few years later the City Planning Commission approved an application to build on some of the area Chung Tai had prepared to use. In 2010, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit stating the city of Walnut; California treated the group unreasonably while dealing with the permit to build the worship and meditation center for Chung Tai Buddhist Group. The Department of Justice came to the conclusion that it was religious discrimination. After learning what Buddhism is and where it originated from allows me to understand it more. I now know that it is not only about humming and repeating a few words in another language, but also learning how to live a happier, more pure life even with the struggles and unfortunate events that can occur. Not only that, but respecting every living thing as it is. The Chinese are quite different from other racial/ethnic groups. The two most common languages used in China are Mandarin or Cantonese. Mandarin is t he government, education, and media’s main language that is used in China. Known as the ‘common language,’ mandarin is the first language that is spoken. The Chinese are a combined society with the urge to associate themselves in groups, whether it is to their work group, family, country, or associates. The Chinese depend on non-verbal communication like tone of voice and facial expression, to reveal what other maybe thinking or feeling. The Chinese believe in an ethical system known as Confucianism. Confucianism is a set up of ethics and behaviors that signify responsibilities of people towards one another based on their relationship. The Chinese have and continue to contribute to American culture in many ways. Many Americans embrace Chinese religions. Converting to Buddhism and so many other Asian religions. In the 1800’s Chinese immigrants helped working with the gold miners. These men helped construct the intercontinental railway. The Chinese have brought their recipes to American cultures that have been passed down from generation to generation. The Chinese brought their customs, language, and social organization into Amer ican culture. On May 6, 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed into law. It was brought about in reply to economic concerns in the West Coast, where Americans imputed unemployment and withheld wages to Chinese workers. Americans at the time viewed the Chinese as racially indifferent. Even though the act was repealed during World War II it only allowed 105 Chinese immigrants per year into the United States,  which still showed prejudice against the Chinese. I believe the source of prejudice against the Chinese was economic benefit. A large amount of Chinese immigrants came to the states to seek employment opportunities, but were denied at times because of the direct need for employment. I do believe what I have learned about the Chinese helped me understand this group. I learned what a big contribution to our culture they provided. I also learned that because of their great impact on American culture some individuals take those same customs and values and incorporate them into their own lives. The Chinese and Buddhist experienced similar situations dealing with discrimination because they were both persecuted for being who they are as individuals. Neither one of these groups tried to be something they were not, so they were prejudged and treated unfairly. These groups experienced different situations dealing with discrimination because the Chinese were discriminated against based on real and observed racial dissimilarities. Buddhistâ₠¬â„¢s were discriminated against based on who or what they believed in. Buddhist’s were also discriminated against because of their feeling towards their religion and those belonging to other religious groups. Discrimination towards these two groups and the many others is wrong. It has restricted these groups from opportunities that should have always been available to not only one group, but also all groups of individuals regardless of their appearance or their beliefs. 1. The Four Noble Truths. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml 2.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Altruism among humans Essay

This paper presents an examination of the phenomenon of ‘altruism’ among humans. Altruism is defined as a behaviour that may be to one’s advantage but is also to the advantage of others. The questions of why we behave this way or what motivates us to behave in this manner and the relevance to society today are the focus of this paper. Various research and theories has explained why altruistic behaviour is undertaken intentionally in the human world. Introduction We often read or hear about acts of generosity and courage, such as, fund raisers or concerts to  help homeless people, the fostering of a child and sponsoring his or her education, or of volunteers risking their lives to help victims in incidents like September 11 terrorist attack in the United States. We could have donated some money to orphanages or cared for a wounded dog. Such humane acts are defined by Psychologists as ‘altruism’ (Moghaddam, 1998). Altruistic acts could be unselfish or done for personal gain or egoistic reasons. Indeed in a psychological paradigm, psychologists believe that true altruistic behaviour does not exist (Moghaddam, 1998). But how do we account for the behaviour of Mother Theresa or Mahatma Gandhi and many other unselfish acts of human endeavours? In order to explore this we have to understand the ‘person variable’ and ‘situational variable’ motivating the altruistic act (Simons, Kalichman & Santrock, 1994). As we are aware behaviour is determined by personal and situational variables. A person’s ability to empathise with the needy or to feel responsible for another’s welfare has great impact on altruistic behaviour. Situations influence the strength of the altruistic motivation. Reciprocity and exchange are important aspects of altruism (Simons, Kalichman & Santrock, 1994). Humans give and receive from others everywhere. Reciprocity is the basic principle of every religion in the world for example, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam (Brosnahan, 2003). To act altruistically, requires consciousness and caring, and similarly, pet owners can often cite altruistic behaviour or at least conscious acts of kindness on the part of cats and dogs (Simons, Kalichman & Santrock, 1994). Another good example would be the nursing,  profession founded on the notion of helping people, sometimes even at a cost to nurses themselves. There are many ways people show altruism. To explain why we do altruistic acts like volunteering, donating or raising funds, we need to distinguish between four different forms of altruism which are observed in humans – that shown towards kin, a partner, a friend, and individual who does not fit into these categories (http://www. theunityofknowledge. org/the_evolution_of_altruism/introduction. htm, 2003) Of the several types of altruism a main focus has been on ‘heroic altruism’ (Moghaddam, 1998). It is a short term intervention requiring physical action and tends to fit more the masculine gender. On the other hand ‘Nurturant altruism’ requires more patience, listening and a caring attitude with long term involvement. This more closely fits the image of the traditional feminine gender (Moghaddam, 1998). The ‘Bystander’ effect greatly influences helping behaviour, because of common ignorance of bystanders and assumptions about other bystanders’ actions. Each person’s scope of responsibilities can decrease in the presence of others ( Moghaddam, 1998). In  order for Bystander to help he or she has to posses social skills to interpret the situation and take appropriate actions (Moghaddam, 1998). Initially from a theoretical perspective if a person knows how to overcome obstacles to he or she giving help, subsequently other people start questioning whether the helping behaviour was true altruism (Moghaddam, 1998). A later there was a theory of Daniel Batson – ’empathy-altruism’, believes that people help out of a genuine desire(Moghaddam, 1998). Other theories propose that altruistic behaviour is egoistic and put the hypothesis that helping behaviour is a way to  repair a helper’s image (Moghaddam, 1998). Methodology An interview was conducted with a woman who volunteers her services with meals on wheels and has done nearly sixteen years. She is a retired school teacher living alone. I assumed that her altruistic behaviour had a self fulfilling motive. Therefore I chose her and I wanted to clarify or confirm my assumption. In order to facilitate my focus interviewee was given ten questions asking about her volunteering profile, and her motivating factors. This interview created awareness of other influencing factors motivating her altruistic behaviour.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Eero Saarinen essays

Eero Saarinen essays Eero Saarinen. What did you think when you heard that? You probably thought, Who is that? I have never heard of him. That is not surprising, because he accomplished many things he is not well known for, unless you do crossword puzzles which are filled with unusual information. If you do know who he is, however, it is probably because of his architecture or his curious furniture. After a very brief overview of Eeros life the focus will be on his work involving Dulles International Airport. Eero Saarinen was born on August 20, 1910, in Kirkkonummi, Finland, to Eliel and Loja Gesellius Saarinen. He and his family moved to the United States and became naturalized citizens in 1923. His father, who was an architect as well, settled near Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, because there was a lot of architectural work needed in that area. Eero Saarinen married Lillian Swann in 1939 and had two children, Eric (1942) and Susan (1945). Eero and Lillian were divorced however, and he eventually married Aline Louchheim and they had a boy named Eames (1954). Saarinen worked on many great architectural designs and won many awards, among these buildings were Dulles International Airport, the Master Plan for the University of Michigan, Drake University, General Motors Technical Center, and Vassar College to name a few. Eero died September 1, 1961, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, after having brain surgery on a tumor The airport was originally in Chantilly, Virginia, and was originally called Washington International Airport but was later named after John Foster Dulles. The building is 600 feet long and has huge columns that stretch up 65 feet to reach the large awning that canopies the large terminal. This was the first airport to be built in which the travelers convenience was considered in every line drawn on the blueprint (Temko Dulles International Airport was construc ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How To Redesign Your Website Like CoSchedule In 10+ Easy Steps

How To Redesign Your Website Like In 10+ Easy Steps Alright. So you’re about to start a huge REDESIGN of your company’s website. That’s no small task, and quite franklyit’s intimidating. 301 redirects, copy, coding, A/B tests, wireframes, sitemaps, planning! And that’s just the obvious ones. This summer, ’s product marketing team made the bold move to update our entire website. And while researching and learning from others was a huge help, the resources out there were pretty minimal (especially for small teams) like us. So, we decided to recap our experiences and share some life lessons. Here it goes: This is how two people (in-house) built a website from scratch in 4 months. The Process: 1. The Five Day Brainstorm Sprint There’s an awesome book called Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days. If you haven’t read it, here’s a great starting point: And it’s basically what we did. In a week’s time, we created three very different storylines with accompanying Photoshop designs. We forced ourselves to create a story, design it, and present it to leadership every other day. It was scrappy and tad intense, but it got us where we needed to go†¦ We started with anything and everything. Pushing outrageous ideas quickly- to help  us flesh out ideas, build off of them, and create the official story. From a  comic book feel with super heroes to little robots guiding marketers along their journey, each idea brought us a little closer to the final story. 2. Plot Out Your Sitemap. Put a name to every page on your new website. It doesn’t have to be overly complex, Megan (product marketing’s awesome UX/UI designer) built one in less than an hour. And with a high level view of your new site, you’ll be able to  build a strong path for conversions and a strong storyline to guide them along the way. 3. Write Your Copy Before  Design. Before a single wireframe was created, every line of copy was written for EVERY page. We spent a good three weeks creating skimmable  content and placing a major emphasis on good headlines for each talking point. Recommendation: Write a minimum of 25 headlines per talking point and (if you can), test and iterate on them with a team member. ’s Headline Analyzer is a great tool for writing headlines . Use the â€Å"but why† process to find your users WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Before a single word is written,  ask yourself this question to get to the real benefits or the real reason why anyone would care to read x blog, page, email, etc. If you haven’t already, watch Simon Sinek’s TED talk on Why ↠ it’s a great starting point to building a story your users will care about. 4. Build Wireframes For Your Designers Sanity Wireframes are the skeleton to design AND if you want your designer to still love you at the end of a project, DON’T skip this. Wireframes are a lot like sitemaps and are a simplistic view of a page layout. They help ensure that when designing really starts, you aren’t caught off guard by layouts and can move forward quickly. 5. Start With Photoshop, Then Code. Create high fidelity designs  of each page. Similar to writing copy for every page BEFORE design, high fidelity design should be done BEFORE code. Again, it’s a necessary step because it eliminates the need to â€Å"imagine† what your page or elements of the page will look like and makes changes easier (because you catch them earlier). 6. A/B Test (Tn The Midst Of Process). Start testing your assumptions early. After creating your copy and initial PS designs, start testing out a few of your ideas on your existing website (think elements: headlines, logos, images, etc). Quick How-To for Creating An A/B test: Create a hypothesis: Based on your current sites performance and the particular element youd like to test create a hypothesis to build your test around: For example: Replacing the static image on the homepage with a autoplay video will increase conversions Test it: Create a variation of your hypothesis (new homepage with video), and then A/B test it against the original page. Calculate the test duration with respect to your monthly visitors, current conversion rate, and expected change in conversion rate. (VWO will help calculate all of this for you HOWEVER if you dont have this,  heres a calculator). Analyze it: Dig into your results and see which variation performed the best. If theres an obvious  winner, go ahead an implement that variation to the real website. If results were a tad muddy, revise your hypothesis and keep testing. We tested a few headlines and added a video to the homepage during our website redesign, and saw a 6% increase in conversions → pretty awesome validation! It pays to test early. Never rest on your assumptions: prove and disapprove them with data! Recommended Tool: VWO for A/B testing. It’s great for non-designers and quick A/B experiments. Use â€Å"quick learnings† to get faster results when you can’t run a test for an extended period. 7. Coding: Once Designs Are Approved, Code It. Once youre at the coding stage stick to the plan. Focus on pushing out code, getting it out into the world, and iterate on it AFTER you launch your new site. Aside from minor bug fixes, avoid major overhauls at this point. 8. Push Code to your Staging  Site (For Review, Edits, etc.) This is where all your hard work comes to life (behind the curtain). Here you can test and revise the functionality of your designs. We use Meistertask for our QA  (quality assurance) phase. Similar to many Kanban views, its helps us to track the progress on edits as well as test, retest, and sign-off on edits. You can create  custom phases (open bugs, in progress, review, and done) and utilize Skitch to create visuals (your designer will love you for this). 9. Plan Time in the Project for Bug Fixes†¦ You will have bugs, so plan for it. Recruit folks from the team to purposely test and break your website (so real users don’t have to). In addition, test user experience during this phase. Observe a friend or team member, someone who hasn’t been involved in the project, click around the new site. Take notes and be ready to make changes. Getting a new set of eyes will help to validate if the user flow is second nature or clunky. Remember: Good design just works. If your user has to think youre doing it wrong. 10. Go Live!  Hold Your Breath and Release Your Hard Work Into the Real World. The 10+ step: Keep A/B Testing. Launching your new site is NOT  the end all be all. Its just the beginning. Throughout your redesign process build a list  of various items to test: color, images, copy, video, etc. And then build out a schedule for testing those ideas a few weeks after your launch. Remember, your website has one goal: to convert visitors into paying customers. And if you want to increase conversions, A/B testing will help you  to determine whats is and isnt working with your new design. Lessons Learned: Write Your Copy in the Customer’s Words The best way to sell to your ideal customer, is to use the phrases and words of your current customers. They’re your best advocate and they speak the buyer’s language. So how do you do this? When creating copy for ’s new site, we went through pages and pages of customer surveys. Polldaddy has this awesome feature that creates word clouds of the most populars words and phrases AS WELL AS a filtering option to rank popular answers (I relied on both of these heavily). In addition, customer interviews were part of the process. Over the project, I scheduled and recorded Skype calls with some of our current customers to find their stories. It was a great way to get natural, candid  responses to how and why they use . Daily syncs (more meetings can be good, if done with a purpose) Before this project, I was definitely on team â€Å"less meetings, more doing† But after this project I realized the problem isn’t the meetings, it’s the FOCUS in those meetings. For our entire redesign, the product marketing team met for 30 minutes (or less) each afternoon for a hyper focused  status update and feedback on our individual projects. These daily syncs helped us produce faster and push past blockers sooner. It was a highly focused meeting with an enforced timeline. And because of these guidelines typical meeting bullshit was rare. People left those syncs with clear action items and good feedback on their work. Recommendation: Pick two action items for each sync. Skip the small talk. And go right into the area you need feedback on copy, wireframe, design whatever it is. Remember, you’re on a time constraint, so honor it. Also, if you’re doing your syncs over the web, it can be awkward knowing how and when to end a meeting. Embrace the awkward, and just call it when it needs to end  (time is precious, and you’re doing everyone a favor).

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The concept of semiotics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The concept of semiotics - Essay Example Semiotics, also regarded as semiotic study is the study of signs and processes related to signs, indications, symbolism, communication and other aspects of understanding human language and their behaviour. The study closely resembles with the aspects of linguistics that largely deals with the study and understanding of language in a more precise manner. The study is often categories in three diverse branches which comprise semantics, pragmatics and syntactic among others. The branch of semantics deals with depicting the relationship between signs and the things they might refer to. Subsequently, pragmatics includes the relationship amid the signs and sign-using agents. Correspondingly, the branch of syntactic deals with the study of the relationship amid signs in formal structure. It is believed that the study of semiotics is quite vital in the aspects of understanding human culture and behaviour on the basis of their communication (Eco, 1979). Semiotics has become an important part of contemporary business. It is implemented in various domains of business today with the intention to enhance the operations of the business. Semiotics in business examines the nature, characteristics as well as information with the aim to organise various crucial activities. It has been observed that semiotics in organisations treats the business unit as an information system where information of various types are created, processed and stored so that it could be used in future context. Among the various use of semiotics in business, its role in branding and advertising department is quite vital. Unlike conventional forms of research which deals with the buying habits of the customers, semiotics in the domain of business advertising seek