The Language Of International Business Essay - 1741 Words

At the beginning of all times civilization stared to move to other countries in order to trade, and time passed they understood that in other villages they did not have the same language. When speakers started to trade, they communicate using their own language and adopting some words from the others as a result of the mix of this two â€Å"languages† it is known as a â€Å"pidgin†. Currently the society needs a language that acts as a universal language or â€Å"lingua franca† it means it is the language that plays a fundamental role sharing knowledge in a certain period of time. A Lingua Franca is a language that is used universally outside from the country where it is spoken as a native language. For example French, Portuguese and Latin has been a dominant lingua franca at some point in history. The most current lingua franca of international business is English. It is estimated, for example, that more than 80% of the global interactions occur between speakers whose native tongue this language. (Weil Weil, 2011). Nowadays, the global society is facing problems they require an answer which involves a good interaction and communication. In order to complete this process, dwellers needs to do it efficiently. English in the last century has become in one of the most international languages that allows the interaction in the world. The English language is widely spread throughout the world and has develop the mainly language in many regions. A big among of nations use it forShow MoreRelatedEnglish Is An International Business Language1399 Words   |  6 Pagesa universal way of life is proved by the spread of English. Language - the great agent of homogenization, it is the wave on which culture is transmitted. If English becomes the main language of communication, the consequences are obvious: culture of English-speaking countries will be dominant in the world. English is the first universal global language. Although there may be as many people who speak different dialects of Chinese language, as well as English-speaking, nevertheless, English is undoubtedlyRead MoreSilent Languages and the Business Culture Adopted by an International Business Organization2344 Words   |  9 Pagesï » ¿Silent Languages and Business Culture adopted by an International Business Organization University Name Introduction Every organization has its own business culture and silent languages that help its employees shape the organizations culture and accept its core values (Driskill Brenton, 2011). Business organizations that are engaged in international marketing express their business culture and adopt the silent languages throughout their business setups. It is imperative for organizationsRead MoreThe Importance of Understanding Cultural Differences in International Business Communications950 Words   |  4 Pagesglobalization, organizations rely on international transactions to take place to keep their business running. Even with knowledge of how important international interactions are for their companies’ success, miscommunication occurs and someone involved in the transaction is left scratching his or her head. This is a result of the lack of cultural training and understanding. This paper will discuss the different implications that have been discussed in the international business world. This paper will addressRead MoreEthical Issues With International Business1518 Words   |  7 PagesThe world we live in today revolves around business. International business is sometimes called; â€Å"The Study of Multinational Companies.† Doing business internationally is an interesting task. There are many cultures, behaviors and traditions that different countries have and it is important to be aware of them. Cultures become crossed when different countries negotiate business. Culture influences how people act, think, and communicate. When dealing business internationally, diving in head first isnRead MoreThe Issue Of Language Boundaries838 Words   |  4 PagesThe issue of language boundaries is particularly critical when everybody enter to new culture. Everybody need struggle to communicate what they want to get necessary information regarding new culture. The findings suggest that the language barrier generates negative emotional. There are so many differences like Body languages, eating food, Cloths wearing, communication. This paper describes the most well known and accepted new cultural with international language. These theories consider relationsRead MoreA Brief Note On Cross Cultural Communication And Understanding Cultural Differences1625 Words   |  7 PagesCommunication Competence in Global Business Celeste Aisien Lo COMS 2331 Dr. Richard Bello April 29th 2015â€Æ' Competence in cross-cultural communication and understanding cultural differences is becoming more crucial in today’s society. Technology is advancing in a rapid pace and is allowing more opportunities in migration therefore existing countries has never had so much to do with each other until today. As a result of becoming inter-connected, global business is progressing rapidly. Majority ofRead MoreCultural and Linguistic Differentiations1419 Words   |  6 Pagessuccessful future in an international business environment. Attitudes towards work and material possessions, entrepreneurship, willingness to accept risk, politics, religion, customs, the role of the woman in society, social classes, respect of the law and social institutions, and their reflection on trade and business, should be examined very carefully. All the above social attitudes and a lot more, are part of culture and appear to be very important in a world-wide business network. Companies canRead MoreEffect of Culture in International Business Essay1492 Words   |  6 Pagesimportant part of International Business. Culture is defining the collection of values, beliefs, behaviours, customs and attitudes of the member in the society. Culture is the behaviour that people act in the community. The characteristic of culture is also reflects learned behaviour that is transmitted from one member to another in society. There are also basic elements cultures such as social structure, language and religious. So the foreigner who wants to operate the business at the overseas marketRead MoreCultural Influence on International Businesses1462 Words   |  6 PagesRunning head: Cultural Influence on International Businesses Touro University International Wendell K. Speegle MGT 501 Module One: The Nature of Organizations and the Contemporary Environment Dr. Donna DiMatteo Abstract Culture will play a major part in the dynamics of the way we operated in international business circles. Managers today will need special skills in order to meet these challenges. Language differences, culture awareness, and management skills are necessary for success. These challengesRead MoreHow International Business Is The Exchange Of Goods And Services Among Individuals And Businesses845 Words   |  4 Pages International Business is the exchange of goods and services among individuals and businesses in multiple countries. International Business is also known as Global Business or International Marketing. People in this field have to understand the dynamics of different financial systems, their legal framework, also cultural and language differences. Consultants, as they are often called, have to deal with cultural sensitivities as well. An average day may include; research, dealing with public and/or

Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart The Relationship Between...

This essay aims to examine the connection or otherwise between law and morality from the perspective of Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart (HLA Hart) and Lon Fuller. Legal positivism, as propagated by Thomas Hobbes and HLA Hart is the idea that legal systems are composed only of positive law, which does not necessarily mean that law is not connected to morality at all. Hart proposed the concept of legal positivism by disassociating positive law from the imperative theory of law, moral philosophies, and analytical aspects of legal language. Hart characterized his thesis by suggesting that legal positivism involves the split between law and morals. Positivists suggest that the assessment of the content of law does not depend on moral†¦show more content†¦This perspective provides a distinction of law from morality. Moral values create duty and obligation to keep all citizens and the authorities in check. Hart argues that subjects under a coercive law are obliged to comply with the rules, but they are not bound or obligated by duty to obey such rules. Therefore, application of coercive rules does not create any form of obligation, whether legal or moral. Typically, citizens may not be cognisant of the legal structures and the criteria of their validity. The laws are considered valid as long as they are approved by majority of the officials on the basis of recognition and validity criteria. The role of citizens is solely to obey the primary rules that have been recognized as being legally valid. Hart believes that a legal system exists when citizens obey the valid rules of behaviour, and the rules of recognition and criteria of legal validity have been generally accepted by the officials. In this regard, the law is different from morality on the basis of recognition and validity. The fact that a rule of law is prudent, wise, efficient and just does not necessarily mean that it is actually law; and the fact that they are unwise, imprudent, inefficient and unjus t do not mean that they are insufficient reasons for creating a law. Positivism suggests that law has been socially constructed through ordering, decision, practice and tolerance. The laws may be unjust, andShow MoreRelatedThomas Aquinas, Natural Law And Legal Positivism710 Words   |  3 PagesThere are different types of relationships between Morals and Laws. It is important to distinguish these differences by the assertion and denial of them. In the book The Concept of Law there are two types of relations, Natural law and Legal Positivism. Natural Law is defined as â€Å"certain principles of human conduct, awaiting discovery by human reason, which man-made laws must conform to if they are to be valid (Hart 2012 p.185-186).† Legal Positivism is defined as â€Å"the simple contention that it isRead MoreAnalytical Philosophy : The Law Of The Land As It s Exists Today1049 Words   |  5 Pagesstructure of law, the meanings and uses of its concepts, and the formal terms and the modes of its operation. It draws on the resources of modern analytical philosophy to try to understand the nature of law. It is not concerned with the past stages of its evolution or its goodness or badness. The purpose is to analyse and discuss the law of the land as it’s exists today. It is a legal theory that draws on the resources of modern analytical philosophy to try to understand the nature of law. Although

Effects of Illegal Music Downloading on the Music Industry free essay sample

Music Industry Illegal downloading is commonly known as piracy, it describe that the steeling music from artists, songwriters, musicians, record label employees and others whose hard work and great talent who make music possible. Nowadays, downloading music is available for everyone on internet. However, it is still illegal. Downloading music on internet is what most people are doing because they do not have to pay, and they can choose only the songs they want to have.Unlike CDC which we have the whole album which might contain the songs that we do not want to listen to, plus we have to pay for it. However, it is not always a good thing, it might be good for the people who download the music, but what about the music industry? Is it killing the industry, or does it have profits on it? This paper will discuss both pros and cons of piracy downloading on the Music Industry. One of the most important influences that internet piracy has had on the music industry Is the sale of retail CDC. Until the past few years, CD sales were one of the key things that music Industry Insiders used In order to find out which musicians and albums were the most popular with the public. As the worlds technology has been growing, it made the digital music and internet piracy growing too, sales of retail CDC dropped amongst younger consumers to such an extent that the best selling CDC on the market began to bear very little resemblance to the music that was actually popular with the young listeners that form the backbone of the music Industry.For example, Bob Dylan album Modern Times quickly became the number one best seller when It was released In 2006, spite the fact that none of his tracks were highly requested on mainstream radio programs or popular with younger listeners. The most well-known case that involves internet piracy and the music industry was when a group of m ajor recording companies took peer-to-peer file sharing service Anapest to court for facilitating copyright infringement In the year 2000. After the Increasing of the Internet piracy, A;M Records and other record companies sued Anapest on three separate claims, and It was successful.These claims Included accusations that Anapest was espouse for allowing users to infringe upon existing copyrights and were even encouraging users to download unlicensed copyrighted materials. When the recording industry won this landmark lawsuit, Anapest stopped offering their file sharing services to users, and soon their company failed. The Institute for Policy Innovation make a conclusion that global music piracy causes $12. 5 billion of earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.Today, cost people who download music illegally do it by using new peer-to-peer networks like Bitterroot. The Bitterroot protocol is for of handling a lot of data very quickly and is very popular for people who upload and download copies of movies and television programs that have no license. In more recent years, dozens of major record labels torrent in order to distribute their content on their own terms and avoid the pirating of their content. The Institute for Policy Innovation concludes that global music piracy causes $12. 5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U. S. Jobs lost, ass of $2. Billion in workers earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes. However, there are some profits that the music industries get from the music piracy. One of it is that older music is still available. Because of the way contracts are constructed, artists do not own their own music-record labels do. So when artists that change labels, their new label is not allowed to produce the albums the artist made on the old label, and if the old label decides not to release he songs, the music is dead.Music downloading is the only way for people to access these old dead songs. It can also make the artists still be famous over time because people still listen to their music even if they are obsolete. Another positive thing is that the not well-known artists become more famous, and their music albums also have better sales. 81. 87% of the entire music industry was controlled by 4 record companies. But most artists arent signed to these labels. As the results, most artists do not get radio play, and their music videos are usually in low quality and they are to usually shown on the television.Music downloading is great for lesser known artists to get the chance to be more famous. Most people wont buy music they have not listened to. Music Piracy allows people who download music to experiment the unknown artists. This kind of experimentation cannot hurt the industry, it helps the Industry instead. As people would not have bought the music if they cannot download it, but downloading and having the music may either make them realize they like the music, and buy the albums, or share the music to their friends, who then eight like the music, and by the album, or even go to the concert.These smaller, independent artists have been on the rise in the past several years, and they also make profits to their industry. According to the ARIA, only 15% of albums make money. However, most record label contracts require that all costs for making the album be returned to the company, meaning that 85% of artists are in debt to their company after the records are released. Most artists repay this debt through money they got during concerts. And people who found out the artists through piracy may like the music enough to go to the concerts.The ARIA Consumer Profile in 2005 showed that CD sales at concerts have risen, it came from more people that go to Join the concerts and more people that Join these concerts do not own these CDC; both of this all came from online music downloading. From my experiences, I usually download music from internet, and when there is some artist I really like, I will become their fans and buy their albums. It also makes me know more artists that I never know of, and that is how it makes them famous. Iris is not Just happening to me, it also happens to most of my friends.These facts rove that the music downloading is not all bad, but it might be to some music industries which are not so famous Even if music Piracy is illegal, it is very hard for someone to control or forbid people from doing it. It becomes part of the music society, everyone downloads music from internet. Some people do not even know anything. However, it is also a good thing it benefits many things, both to the consumers and the industries. It might be bad for the industry in few years ago, but now people start to get use to it and make profits from it. Artists actually get more famous from it.

Financial Analysis of The Hershey Company free essay sample

Liquidity ratios measure a company’s ability to meet its maturing short-term obligations. In other words, can a company quickly convert its assets to cash without a loss in value if necessary to meet its short-term obligations? Favorable liquidity ratios are critical to a company and its creditors within a business or industry that does not provide a steady and predictable cash flow. They are also a key predictor of a company’s ability to make timely payments to creditors and to continue to meet obligations to lenders when faced with an unforeseen event. Current Ratio Current Assets/Current Liabilities This ratio reflects the number of times short-term assets cover short-term liabilities and is a fairly accurate indication of a companys ability to service its current obligations. A higher number is preferred because it indicates a strong ability to service short-term obligations. The composition of current assets is a key factor in the evaluation of this ratio. Depending on the type of business or industry, current assets may include slow-moving inventories that could potentially affect analysis of a companys liquidity how long could it potentially take to convert raw materials and inventory into finished products? (For this reason, the quick ratio may be preferable to the current ratio because it eliminates inventory and prepaid expenses from this ratio for a more accurate gauge of a companys liquidity and ability to meet short-term obligations. ) The current ratio for Hershey Company is 1. 44 indicates the company’s ability to service short-term obligations is satisfactorily. However, the value of the quick ratio will provide a clearer indication of the company’s success in this area. Quick Ratio (Cash + Marketable Securities + Trade Accounts Receivable)/ Current Liabilities This ratio, also known as the acid test ratio, measures immediate liquidity the number of times cash, accounts receivable, and marketable securities cover short-term obligations. A higher number is preferred because it suggests a company has a strong ability to service short-term obligations. This ratio is a more reliable variation of the Current ratio because inventory, prepaid expenses, and other less liquid current assets are removed from the calculation. The quick ratio for Hershey Company is 0. 81 indicates the company’s ability to service short-term obligations is unfavorable. Accounts Receivable to Working Capital Trade Accounts Receivable / (Current Assets Current Liabilities) This ratio measures the dependency of working capital on the collection of receivables. A lower number for this ratio is preferred, indicating that a company has a satisfactory level of working capital and accounts receivable makes up an appropriate portion of current assets. The accounts receivable to working capital ratio for Hershey Company is 0. 72 indicates that the company’s performance is sufficient in this area. Inventory to Working Capital Inventory / (Current Assets Current Liabilities) This ratio measures the dependency of working capital on inventory. A lower number for this ratio is preferred indicating that a company has a satisfactory level of working capital and inventory makes up a reasonable portion of current assets. The inventory to working capital ratio for Hershey Company is 0. 99 indicates that this ratio is in line with company goals. Long Term Liabilities to Working Capital Long Term Liabilities / (Current Assets Current Liabilities) This ratio measures the degree to which a companys long-term debt has been used to replenish working capital versus fixed asset acquisition. The long-term liabilities to working capital ratio for Hershey Company is 3.  42 indicates the value of this ratio is meeting the company’s expectations. Sales to Working Capital Sales / (Current Assets Current Liabilities) This ratio measures a companys ability to finance current operations. Working capital (current assets current liabilities) is another measure of liquidity and the ability to cover short-term obligations. This ratio rel ates the ability of a company to generate sales using its working capital to determine how efficiently working capital is being used. In general, a lower number is preferred because it indicates a company has a satisfactory level of working capital. However, an exceptionally low number may indicate inadequate sales levels are being generated. The sales to working capital ratio for Hershey Company is 10. 34 reveals that the companys level of working capital is strong. The company may want to make an effort to generate additional sales using the available working capital. Activity ratios provide a useful gauge of a companys operations by determining, for example, the average number of days it takes to collect on customer accounts and the average number of days to pay vendors. A key point to keep in mind when evaluating these ratios is that seasonal fluctuations are not necessarily reflected in the numbers that are derived from these calculations based on an account balance on one single day. Accounts Receivable Turnover Sales / Trade Accounts Receivable This ratio measures the number of times receivables turn over in a year and reveals how successful a company is in collecting its outstanding receivables. A higher number is preferred because it indicates a shorter time between sales and cash collection. The accounts receivable turnover for Hershey Company is 14.  40 suggests this ratio may be on target with company objectives. Days Sales in Receivables Trade Accounts Receivable / (Sales / Days) This ratio measures the average number of days a companys receivables are outstanding. A lower number of days is desired. An increase in the number of days receivables are outstanding indicates an increased possibility of late payment by customers. Companies shou ld attempt to reduce the number of days sales in receivables in order to increase cash flow. The general rule used is that the collection period should not materially exceed the credit period. The days sales in receivables for Hershey Company is 25. 35 days that indicates the company is effective in collecting outstanding receivables if the credit terms is 30 days. Inventory Turnover Cost of Sales/Inventory Inventory turnover is a measure of the number of times a company sold its average level of inventory during the period. A high rate turnover indicates relative ease in selling inventory. However, a high value can mean that the business is not keeping enough inventories on hand, and thus may result to lost sales. The inventory turnover ratio of Hershey Company is 5. 98 indicates increased company profitability since the company can use the cash normally tied up in inventory for higher return investments. Days Cost of Sales in Inventory Inventory/(Cost of Sales/Days) Average age of inventories provides a rough measure of the length of time it takes to acquire, sell and replace inventory. Days cost of sales in inventory ratio of Hershey Company is 61. 08 indicates that the company is efficiently moving its inventory. Operating Cycle Days. (Inventory / (Cost of Sales / Days)) + (Trade Accounts Receivable / (Sales / Days)) This ratio calculates the total conversion period for a company, or in other words, the average number of days it takes to convert inventory into cash from sales. It is calculated by adding together the days cost of sales in inventory to the days sales in receivables. Evaluating this ratio can be helpful in gauging the effectiveness of marketing, determining credit terms to extend to customers, and collecting outstanding accounts. The operating cycle days for Hershey Company is 86. 42 days indicates the company  is successfully minimizing the amount of time it takes to convert products and services into cash. Sales to Assets Sales / Total Assets This ratio measures a companys ability to produce sales in relation to total assets to determine the effectiveness of the companys asset base in producing sales. A higher number is preferred, indicating that a company is using its assets to successfully gene rate sales. This ratio does not take into account the depreciation methods employed by each company and should not be the only measure of effectiveness of a company in this area. Sales to assets for Hershey Company is 1. 40 indicates the companys performance in this area is satisfactory. Sales to Net Fixed Assets Sales / (Property and Equipment Accumulated Depreciation) This ratio measures a companys ability to effectively utilize its fixed assets to generate sales. This ratio is similar to the sales to assets ratio, but it excludes current assets, long-term investments, intangible assets, and other non-current assets. A higher number is desired, indicating that a company productively uses its fixed assets to produce sales. This ratio does not take into account the depreciation methods employed by each company and should not be the only measure of effectiveness of a company in this area. In addition, fixed assets that are almost fully depreciated, and labor-intensive operations may interfere with the interpretation of this ratio. Sales to net fixed assets for Hershey Company is 3. 97 indicates the company is efficiently making use of its fixed assets to effectively generate sales. Net Fixed Assets to Equity (Property and Equipment Accumulated Depreciation) / Total Equity This ratio measures the extent to which investors capital was used to finance productive assets. A lower ratio indicates a proportionally smaller investment in fixed assets in relation to net worth, which is desired by creditors in case of liquidation. Note that this ratio could appear deceptively low if a significant number of a companys fixed assets are leased. Net fixed assets to equity for Hershey Company is 1. 60 indicates the companys performance is adequate in this area. Profitability ratios measure  a company’s ability to use its capital or assets to generate profits. Improving profitability is a constant challenge for all companies and their management. Evaluating profitability ratios is a key component in determining the success of a company. It is important to note that all profitability ratio calculations are based on earnings before taxes. Percent Gross Profit ((Sales Cost of Sales) / Sales) * 10 0 This ratio measures the gross profit earned on sales and reports how much of each sales dollar is available to cover operating expenses and contribute to profits. The percent gross profit for Hershey Company is 43. 04% is a good indication of financial health for the company. Percent Profit Margin on Sales Earnings before Taxes / Sales * 100 This ratio measures how much profit a company makes on each sales dollar received and how well a company could potentially deal with higher costs or lower sales in the future. The percent profit margin on sales for Hershey Company is 15. 29% indicates sales is contributing enough to the companys bottom line. Percent Rate of Return on Assets Earnings before Taxes / Total Assets * 100 This ratio measures how effectively a companys assets are being used to generate profits. It is one of the most important ratios when evaluating the success of a business. A higher number reflects a well managed company with a healthy return on assets. Heavily depreciated assets, a large number of intangible assets, or any unusual income or expenses can easily distort this calculation. The percent rate of return on assets for Hershey is 21. 36% indicates that the company remains competitive and continues operating successfully. Percent Rate of Return on Equity Earnings before Taxes / Total Equity * 100 This ratio expresses the rate of return on equity capital employed and measures the ability of a companys management to realize an adequate return on the capital invested by the owners in a company. A higher number is preferred for this commonly analyzed ratio. The percent rate of return on equity for Hershey Company is 99. 87% indicates management is effectively managing the profits earned based on the owners investment in the company. Coverage ratios assess a company’s ability to meet its long-term obligations, remain solvent, and avoid bankruptcy. It measures how well a company’s cash flow covers its short-term financial obligations. Lenders evaluate coverage ratios to determine the degree to which a company could become vulnerable when faced with economic downturns. A company with a high level of debt poses a higher risk to long-term creditors and investors. Debt to Total Assets Total Liabilities / Total Assets This ratio measures what proportion of debt a company is carrying relative to its assets. A ratio value greater than one indicates a company has more debt than assets. Naturally, companies and creditors prefer a lower number. The debt to total assets ratio for Hershey Company is 0. 78 indicates the company is able to withstand losses without harming creditor interests or could obtain additional financing if desired. Percent Owners Equity Total Equity / Total Assets * 100 This ratio measures what proportion of total assets was provided by the owners equity. The higher the number the more total capital has been contributed by owners and the less by creditors. The percent owners equity ratio for Hershey Company is 22. 05% indicates the company owns an adequate portion of its asset. Equity Multiplier Total Assets / Total Equity This ratio measures the extent to which a company uses debt to finance its assets. The higher the number is, the more a company is relying on debt to finance its assets. The equity multiplier for Hershey Company is 4. 54 indicates a reasonable portion of the companys assets are owned versus financed. Debt to Equity Total Liabilities / Total Equity This ratio measures the financial leverage of a company by indicating what proportion of debt and equity a company is using to finance its assets. A lower number suggests there is both a lower risk involved for creditors and strong, long-term, financial security for a company. The debt to equity ratio for Hershey Company is 3. 54 indicates a solid performance in this area for the company. Times Interest Earned Earnings before Interest and Taxes / Interest Expense This ratio measures a companys ability to meet interest payments. A higher number is preferred, suggesting a company can easily meet interest obligations and can potentially take on additional debt. Note that this particular ratio uses earnings before interest and taxes because this is the income amount available to cover interest. The times interest earned ratio for Hershey Company is 11. 63 indicates the companys interest coverage is sufficient.

Teacher As Leader Essays - Pedagogy, Educational Psychology, Teacher

Teacher As Leader Touching more lives, affecting the outcome of so many futures a teacher is the epitome of a leader. Just as a leader has his or her own style, their way of motivating their students, also plays an important part in a students success. Spending more time with our children then most parents do, a teacher is fundamental in shaping our children. If they are poor leaders our children suffer. When they shine as leaders our children blossom and the universe is wide open to them. As a teacher it is of utmost importance that you tune your leadership skills and find the best style of teaching for the students you are teaching. In finding resources for this paper it was interesting to note that all the information fell under the category of leadership and not teacher qualities. It was also interesting to note that the principle the US Army teaches on leadership are included in an overwhelming number of corporations as well taught mostly by retired military themselves. The intrinsic characteristics of a teacher can be categorized into a few main teaching styles or leadership styles. Directing, Participating, Delegating, and Combined styles are the main forms of teaching and leading. The qualities associated with these styles are imperative to any teacher. The purpose as teachers is fundamentally the same as leaders, to provide purpose, direction and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission in this case to educate. All four of these actions must be present in order for a student to benefit. A leader or teacher is not born but cultivated through his/her upbringing and environment. In my experience as a leader, teaching in Educational Psychology, being a parent, I have learned that what you as a leader or teacher bring to your students or audience is imperative to their development and learning. A teacher's personal characteristics are also crucial factor in students' development and motivation. The first principle is purpose, which has to be conveyed to the student. "Why do I need to learn Math? How will studying History benefit me?" Without the "why's" we as students are lost. A teacher must give the purpose. "It is important to you because..." If this question is left unanswered the student will not consider the value of the topic being discussed. To move from purely acceptance to questioning and understanding denotes a higher level of learning. This is the main objective of teaching. Moving the students from regurgitation to higher realization is the ultimate goal. Teachers need to take the time to explain the "why's" and in the long run it will benefit both the teacher and student. Direction is tied to purpose. Direction is the steps we are going to take to get to that important purpose. Without steps or direction, we lack the framework in which to learn. By prioritizing small tasks (you must teach numbers before adding them) your lessons will be more effective. By conveying the direction or path to your students you are setting up the checklist for them to follow on to higher learning. Purpose and direction are essential aspects to convey to your students. Without motivation however these factors will not be effective. The motivation will give your students the will and desire to do things. You can tell a student the purpose of a task and the direction in which to go but without the internal motivation of that student, sparked by your personality and learned tactics in dealing with students, these will be meaningless. Motivation is the drive and will to do what needs to be done to accomplish the mission. To instill motivation a teacher has to know his/her students and their capabilities. A teacher must know what the students can relate to, what tasks the student are capable of, and what method of teaching will relate to the students. If a student can handle not being supervised on a task, then the teacher doesn't baby-sit them. Some students need a teacher looking over their shoulder at all times; it's important to know which student you have. To instill positive motivation when they succeed - praise them; when they fail - show them how to succeed next time. If this is done properly it will be a teacher's strongest tool! Motivation is not just the words you say to your students, it is the actions that you do and the example you set for them. I have found that no matter what I tell my subordinates, or my son, the best way to teach them is

Genetic Engineering Essays (1906 words) - Medical Ethics

Genetic Engineering Essays (1906 words) - Medical Ethics Genetic Engineering Genetic Engineering Future Harmony or Future Harm The world of science has experienced many profound breakthroughs and advances in the twentieth century, but none perhaps as great as that of genetic engineering. However, the twentieth century society is not prepared or even willing at times to accept the moral and ethical controversies genetic engineering is creating. Genetic engineering, defined as the use or manipulation of an individuals genetic material in order to produce desired characteristics or results in the same individual, other individuals of the same species, or other species, is undoubtedly changing societys relationship with nature, medicine, and perhaps its own cultural values (Thro 69). It has been predicted for the year 2020, people will have new definitions of health and illness (Oleksy 108). The completion of genome mapping will allow a health plan for each person, preventing genetic disease and promoting a better life (Oleksy 108). However, genetic engineering, also called gene splicing or gene cloning, is not being welcomed with open arms. It affects the moral values of human beings, as well as other living things. The competing goods in genetic engineering, i.e. creating a stronger, more advanced human race vs. a natural selective process created by God, are virtually impossible to avoid and have placed a temporary hold one the progress of this new technology and societys moral view. Our society must be persuaded that genetic engineering is of great value in order to become an accepted social practice. This is something that society obviously lacks the conviction for thus far, making genetic engineering an object of continued scientific, as well as philosophical study. 1 Throughout history, science has allowed for advances in production, transportation, and even entertainment. Although, never in history has science been able to so deeply affect our lives as genetic engineering is undoubtedly doing and will continue to do in the not so distant future. Genetic engineering can help us create a stronger and more advanced human race by increasing food production, revolutionize new medicines, even enhance human intelligence, physical beauty and strength. Diseases could become weakened and cleaned out of humans genetic makeup. For example, if one parent had a bad gene or some type of hereditary disease, it could be removed from the embryo and replace with another clean gene. This process is called embryo screening (Oleksy 48). Embryo screening is used to determine if an embryo has received a defective gene. Several embryos could be genetically cloned, the DNA from one of the embryos could then be removed and standard genetic testing would be used to detect whether or not that embryo contained the genetic disease. If this cloned embryo contained a disease, then one of the other embryos could be used for implantation in a parent, thus, guaranteeing that the child would be free of genetic disease (Oleksy 49). This process would certainly be beneficial for couples who are infertile and want to have children. Genetic engineering would enable the couple to produce a baby with their characteristics. In fact, they would be able to pick and choose the characteristics of their unborn child. Another benefit of genetic engineering, is the possibility of cloning body organs. This process would prove to be very beneficial to people who have lost a body organ such as a kidney. Scientists could clone a particular organ of an individual. This process could have the potential to work better than a transplanted organ, because the genetic makeup of that individual would be used in the re-creation of the organ. 2 Not only does genetic engineering present the possibilities of saving lives; it can save entire species from extinction. Genetic engineering could be used to increase the population of endangered species of animals, thus saving them from total extinction. This would help maintain a natural balance, and provide a continuous life cycle. Even though there is the belief by some that genetic engineering is overall beneficial, many suggest that genetic engineering is unnatural and not ethically correct. Also, we know too little about this technology to understand the long-term effects of replacing old genes with new ones. Genetic engineering is triggering an ethical emergency within society, and causing this new science to be cast in a dim light. Anti-technologists, political extremists,

Financing Education Equitably & Sources of Revenue Essay

Financing Education Equitably & Sources of Revenue - Essay Example But are these funds enough to cater for the rising population? The issue of funds allocation in the education system has over the years been debatable. 1. In the modern century, several trends have come up which detects the mode of allocation and expenditure of the funds. In general the trends are developed to determine the school district wealth. One of the most used methods is the determining of the state’s current operating expenditure per pupil (COEPP). The measurement covers expenditure on curriculum materials and teacher’s salaries. It is also inclusive of administration and student’s transportation charges. Generally, it detects the difference in expenditure costs per children in different regions of the country. This trend however provides a good field to fraud the government. According to Brimley & Rulon (2008) the trend can be easily fraud by increasing the totals in the expenditures which will provide unnecessary inequality. Another trend is the assump tion of activities and projects to be undertaken by a school at the start of every educational year. These assumptions are obtained from the regional school calendar. The calendar contains all the possible events of the year and their financial estimates. Apart from the activities there is also the determination of possible curriculum changes. The teachers’ funds are also included in the estimates. The estimates and assumptions are close to accurate which provides less probability for great deficits. After the allocation of these funds the regional schools are provided with surplus cash which will cover small adjustments in the course of the year. With these allocations, there is prior planning and management of these funds and school projects. However, if in the course of the year there are major adjustments it could be difficult for regions to tackle the issues. Another shortcoming is that schools may be forced to stick to a particular program and curriculum thus preventing elasticity (Brimley & Rulon, 2008). 2 a. Equity: This is the financial benefits of investors after all liabilities have been accounted for. In educational matters if refers to the benefits the students will have from allocation of funds. Generally, it can be referred to the value of an institution or organization’s assets after all debts and liabilities have been cleared. b. Regressive tax: This is a tax whereby the taxation rate reduces while the amount subject to taxation increases. c. Proportional tax: This is tax whereby the tax rate remained fixed. The amount subject to taxation is directly proportional to the amount of the tax. d. Progressive tax: this is a tax imposed whereby the tax rate increases while the amount subject to taxation also increases. e. Tennessee Basic Education Program (BEP): this is a money generating and funding program whereby state education funds are generated and distributed to Tennessee schools. f. ADA: It is the acronym of Average Daily Atten dance. The average student attendance helps in the determining of allocation of funds. ADA is calculated by the number of days of school attendance by a student divided by the number of the days teachers taught in the school (Brimley & Rulon, 2008). For example, if Isaac attended 142 days of the total 142 of teaching days, he has a 1.0 ADA. g. ADM: it the acronym of Average Daily Membership. This is the count of residential and state based

The health systems of Canada and Australia Essay

The health systems of Canada and Australia - Essay Example On the other hand, private healthcare system is majorly financed through private health insurance programs or out of pocket payments by the patients. The healthcare system in Canada is provided through the public funded system. The publicly funded health system is basically free during the point of use, and provides services mostly through the private entities. The Canadian health system is controlled through the 1984 Canadian Health Act. The Canadian government applies the federal standards in determining the healthcare quality. The health information of the patients is not accessed by the government; this ensures the confidentiality between the patient and the physician. The Medicare systems that are managed provincially in Canada have proved to be cost effective, due to the simplicity in the administration process. In every province, the physician presents the insurance claim on the provincial insurer. The patient is usually not directly involved in the healthcare billing and also the processes of reclamation. The proportion of the expenditure for private health institutions is approximately 30% (Warren, 2008). The Canadian Health Act is not supposed to cater for the cost of; prescription drugs, dental care, prescription glasses, long term care and homecare. This implies that patients cater for these health expenses through cash payments or private insurance. However, the provinces cater for partial costs of the health services not covered from the health act, for the vulnerable members of the society like children and elderly citizens. Competitive practices such as advertising are controlled. This ensures the maximization of revenues that are used directly in the healthcare. The health costs are generally catered for by the income tax funding. The Canada Health Act does not allow user fees; however, some doctors charge the yearly fees for the non-essential services such as doctors’ notes and prescription

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Research paper - Essay Example Children can steal for a variety of reasons like poverty, lack of parental guidance, and bad family culture. For a child that steals, there are certain roles and responsibilities of the parents and teachers. With mutual effort, parents and teachers can guide the child’s behavior so that they do not steal. It is important to differentiate between children and adults when punishment is being decided for the crime of stealing. â€Å"Your child is probably not evil or destined for life in prison† (familyeducation, 2012). Children need to be dealt with much more carefully and strategically because they have a lot of room for improvement. Reasons why children steal Children can steal for different reasons that may include but are not limited to poverty, lack of guidance, and culture. Poverty Poverty is the biggest cause of stealing among children. Children steal something when they do not get it granted to them by legitimate means. The legitimate means for a child are parents or the caregivers. Parents generally do try their best to provide everything for their children but sometimes they cannot because of which children are tempted to steal. Lack of guidance Many children lack parental guidance. Every day, so many babies are born to unmarried mothers in their teenage. As single parent, the mother cannot spend enough time with the child because she has to take care of her studies and work. The child remains alone most of the day. Even the grandparents cannot look after the child the way a parent does. â€Å"School-age kids usually know they're not supposed to take something without paying, but they might do so anyway because they lack enough self-control† (KidsHealth, 2012). The child attempts to steal. When nobody forbids, it becomes child’s habit. Family culture Every family has its own culture. In certain families, stealing is not discouraged because the parents themselves are thieves and criminals. They inculcate the same values in the ir children. In such cases, children adopt the habit of stealing from the parents. Miscellaneous reasons According to the Hudson Valley Parent Magazine (2012), children steal either to address a need like lack of attention, affection, or love from parents or because they have gained approval for stealing directly or indirectly or the children want to attack the parents by causing them embarrassment with their behavior. Guiding children’s behavior Parents’ role It is fundamentally the parents’ duty to guide their children towards the right path. Parents that find that their child steals should first teach the child with patience and love not to steal. Parents should tell what the consequences of stealing are and why it is considered a sin in the religion and a crime in the law. Most probably, the child would not steal again. If the child does, next time the parents should beat and scold the child for this and again forbid him/her to steal. Most children would def initely stop stealing. Still if a child steals, parents should refer the case to a psychologist or police. Teachers’ role Teachers also assume very important roles in guiding the children towards the right path. Since children remain with them for a considerable portion of the day at school, teachers get to learn the psychology of each child and can thus know

Examining methods for allocating overhead costs

Examining methods for allocating overhead costs Overhead cost is an ongoing  expense  of operating a business and is usually used to group expenses that are necessary to the continued functioning of the business, but cannot be immediately associated with the products/services being offered as in the costs do not directly generate  profits. Overhead cost includes indirect product cost or indirect cost of responsibility centre. Indirect product cost is known as manufacturing overhead whereas indirect cost of responsibility centre is known as non-manufacturing cost. Manufacturing overhead is those manufacturing costs that are incurred to a variety of products. It cannot be traced to individual products like depreciation and insurance of manufacturing equipment, cost of occupying, managing and maintaining a production facility. Manufacturing overhead is the cost that could be traced to individual product but it is not worth the trouble to like cost of lubricants and glue used. Manufacturing overhead also include cost that is more appropriately to be treated as cost of all outputs like overtime premium, cost of idle time, utilities cost. Non-manufacturing cost includes customer service, marketing and research development cost. ALLOCATING OVERHEAD COSTS Normally, only manufacturing overhead is allocated to products. However, depending on the industry the business is in and to obtain more comprehensive estimates of product cost, management accountant may allocate non-manufacturing cost to products. One example is Apple Co. with high research development cost, to obtain accurate product costing, they allocate part of the research development cost to product cost. ABSORPTION COSTING Production overhead, or usually refer to as manufacturing overhead, is recovered by absorbing them into the cost of a product. This process is known as absorption costing. Absorption costing means that all of the manufacturing costs are  absorbed  by the units produced. In other words, the cost of a finished unit in inventory will include direct materials, direct labor, and both variable  and  fixed manufacturing overhead. As a result, absorption costing is also referred to as full costing or the full absorption method. Absorption costing is often contrasted with variable costing or direct costing. The fixed manufacturing overhead costs are not allocated or assigned to (not absorbed by) the products manufactured under variable or direct costing. Variable costing is often useful for managements decision-making. However, absorption costing is often required for external financial reporting and for income tax reporting. Absorption costing includes 3 stages, namely apportionment of overheads, reapportionment or allocation of service (non-production) cost centre overheads and also absorption of overhead. For apportionment of overheads, there are no hard and fast rules for which basis of apportionment to use except that whichever method is used to apportion overheads, it must be fair. Unlike direct cost, indirect cost is usually allocated to cost objects and is not directly traced to cost objects. Cost object is defined as item that is assigned separate measure of cost. To facilitate allocation of overhead cost, overhead cost that have common allocation base is pooled together and is known as cost pool. For each cost pool, bases of apportionment are chosen. Bases of apportionment are some factors or variables that allow us to allocate costs in a cost pool to cost objects. The selection of the base of apportionment should be on causal-and-effects grounds, which mean it should be a cost driver. Some examples of bases of apportionment include floor area, net book value of fixed assets and number of employees. Floor area is usually used for rent and rates overhead. It is assumed that the greater the floor space occupied by the production centers, the more rent, cleaning and electricity usage are consumed. Net book value of fixed assets is used for depreciation and insurance of machinery. It is based on the assumption that Number of employees is used for canteen cost. The assumption is when the number of employees increases, the canteen cost will increase. Example: ABC Ltd has two production departments (Assembly and Finishing) and two service departments (Maintenance and Canteen). The following are budgeted costs for the next period: The second stage of absorption costing is reapportionment or allocation of service cost centre costs overhead to production cost centers. Service cost centers (departments) are not directly involved in making products. Therefore the fixed production overheads of service cost centers must be shared out between the production cost centers using suitable basis. Examples of service cost centers or also referred to as support department cost centers include maintenance department, payroll department, stores and canteen. In contrast to operating or production department which engages in production of the products and directly adds value to a product or service, support or service department provides the service that assist and complements the smooth functioning of the production departments in the company. Methods of allocating support or service department cost to production department include direct method, step-down method and reciprocal method. DIRECT METHOD The  direct method  is the most widely-used method where it allocates each service departments total costs directly to the production departments. It ignores the fact that service departments may also provide services to other service departments. Under this method, there is no interaction between service departments prior to allocation. Example: Machining and Assembly are the only production departments that used the services of the Human Resources Department in March. Costs from Human Resources are allocated based on the number of new hires. Machining hired seven employees in March and Assembly hired three employees. Human Resources incurred total costs of RM93, 000 in March. Allocation of H.R. Department costs to Machining:70% of RM 93,000 = RM 65,100 Allocation of H.R. Department costs to Assembly:30% of RM 93,000 = RM 27,900 No information is necessary about whether any service departments utilized services of the Human Resources Department is the characteristic feature of the direct method. It does not take account whether no other service department hired anybody, or whether three other service departments each hired five employees (implying that more than 50% of the hiring occurred in the service departments). Service department to service department services are ignored, and no costs are allocated from one service department to another when using the direct method. STEP-DOWN METHOD Thestep-down methodor known as sequential method allocates the costs of some service departments to other service departments. However, once a service departments costs have been allocated, no subsequent costs are allocated back to it. The choice of which department to start with is very important. The sequence in which the service departments are allocated usually effects the ultimate allocation of costs to the production departments, in that some production departments gain and some lose when the sequence is changed. Hence, production department managers usually prefer over the sequence. The most defensible sequence is to start with the service department that provides the highest percentage of its total services to other service departments, or the service department with the highest costs, or the service department that provides services to the most number of service departments, or some similar criterion. Example: Human Resources (H.R.), Data Processing (D.P.), and Risk Management (R.M.) provide services to the Machining and Assembly production departments, and in some cases, the service departments also provide services to each other: The amounts in the far left column are the costs incurred by each service department. Any services that a department provides to itself are ignored, so the intersection of the row and column for each service department shows zero. The rows sum to 100%, so that all services provided by each service department are charged out. The company decides to allocate the costs of Human Resources first, because it provides services to two other service departments, and provides a greater percentage of its services to other service departments. However, a case could be made to allocate Data Processing first, because it has greater total costs than either of the other two service departments. In any case, the company decides to allocate Data Processing second. In the table below, the row for each service department allocates the total costs in that department (the original costs incurred by the department plus any costs allocated to it from the previous allocation of other service departments) to the production departments as well as to any service departments that have not yet been allocated. After the first service department has been allocated, in order to derive the percentages to apply to the production departments and any remaining service departments, it is necessary to normalize these percentages so that they sum to 100%. For example, after H.R. has been allocated, no costs from D.P. can be allocated back to H.R. The percentages for the remaining service and production departments sum to 92% (7% + 30% + 55%), not 100%. Therefore, these percentages are normalized as follows: For example, in the table above, 59.78% of RM136,000 (= RM 81,304) is allocated to Assembly, not 55%. The characteristic feature of the step-down method is that once the costs of a service department have been allocated, no costs are allocated back to that service department. As can be seen by adding RM 105,522 and RM 134,478, all RM 240,000 incurred by the service departments are ultimately allocated to the two production departments. The intermediate allocations from service department to service department improve the accuracy of those final allocations. RECIPROCAL METHOD Thereciprocal method is the most accurate among the three methods for allocating service department costs. It is because it recognizes reciprocal services among service departments. However, it is also the most complicated method, because it requires solving a set of simultaneous linear equations. Using the data from the step-down method example, the simultaneous equations are: H.R. =RM80,000 + (0.08 x D.P.) D.P. =RM 120,000 + (0.20 x H.R.) R.M. = RM40,000 + (0.10 x H.R.) + (0.07 x D.P.) Where the variables H.R., D.P. and R.M. represent the total costs to allocate from each of these service departments. For example, Human Resources receive services from Data Processing, but not from Risk Management. 8% of the services that Data Processing provides, it provides to Human Resources. Therefore, the total costs allocated from Human Resources should include not only the RM 80,000 incurred in that department, but also 8% of the costs incurred by Data Processing. Solving for the three unknowns (which can be performed using spreadsheet software): To illustrate the derivation of the amounts in this table, the RM36,423 that is allocated from Human Resources to Machining is 40% of H.R.s total cost of RM 91,057. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN METHODS AND PROBLEMS USING THE METHODS Direct method allocates support cost only to operational departments and there in no interaction between support departments prior to allocation. On the other hand, step down method allocates support costs to other support departments and to operating departments that partially recognizes the mutual services provided among all support departments. Under this method, there is one-way interaction between support departments prior to allocation. Reciprocal method allocates support department costs to operating departments by fully recognizing the mutual services provided among all support departments. It is full two-way Interaction between support departments prior to allocation. Direct, step-down and reciprocal methods of support department cost allocation gave slightly different total overhead cost and overhead rates for each production department. It is because of the different recognition that each method gives to support relationships. The direct method does not recognize any relationships that exist between support departments whereas step-down method gives only partial recognition to these relationships. Reciprocal method gives the most accurate results when allocating of multiple service departments costs to operating departments. The power of reciprocal method over other methods (direct method, step-down method) lies in its considering the mutual services provided among all service departments which means the costs of service departments are allocated to each service department (except the service provider) besides operating departments. However the application of this more powerful method is rare. It is because it is more complicated than other methods and it requires sophisticated computer aid. Some firms that use ERP software since this method requires additional modification in coding. Therefore most of the companies prefer employing either of direct or step down methods. Reciprocal method considers mutual services provided among all service departments, direct method and step-down method ignore this point. Moreover service department cost used by other service departments are also ignored in direct method. The drawback of direct method is partially reduced by step-down method by following a hierarchy among service departments while considering cost allocation. There is a ranking among service departments as to which department to begin allocation according to different rules which in turn yields different allocation figures. The drawback of step-down method to reciprocal method is that once the cost accumulated in the first in ranking service department is allocated, that department does not take any share from other service departments. Two main rules determine the raking. The first approach considers the number of departments served by the service departments to judge on which service department to begin allocation and which ones to move on. The service department that serves to the highest number of departments is the first department to begin allocation. In case of more than one department serve the highest number of departments, the department with highest accumulated costs is the first in the ranking and so on. The second approach adopts the percentage of service in determining the ranking of service department to begin with and to carry on. The service department with highest percentage of service to other departments is the first in the ranking and so on. In case of more than one department with equal the highest service percentage, the one with higher accumulated costs is set as the first and so on. Lastly reciprocal method or algebraic allocation method (REC) considers all served departments including service departments and operating departments by a service department except the one whose costs are allocated. There is a two way interaction among service departments unlike step-down method. The method yields equations with multiple unknowns which are equal to the number of service departments since the method considers all the costs of the service departments to be allocated. As the number of service departments increase the number of equations with multiple unknowns increase and hence a computer aid is required to solve the equations simultaneously. CONCLUSION Out of the 3 allocation methods to allocate service/ support department cost to production department cost, reciprocal method is said to be the most precise method. It is also the most complicated method as it requires solving a set of simultaneous linear equations. However, direct and step-down methods are simple to compute and easy to understand. Nonetheless, direct method is the most widely used in industry. Direct method allocates each service departments total costs directly to the production departments, and ignores the fact that service departments may also provide services to other service departments. The direct method and step-down method have no advantages over the reciprocal method except for their simplicity, and the step-down method is sometimes not very simple. Nevertheless, the reciprocal method is not widely used. Given advances in computing power, the reciprocal method would seem to be accessible to many companies that are not using it. Presumably, these companies b elieve that the benefits obtained from more accurate service department cost allocations do not justify the costs required to implement the reciprocal method.

The Symbolic Pearl in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Pearls have always held a great price to mankind, but no pearl had ever been earned at as high a cost to a person as in Hester Prynne, a powerful Heroine in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Her daughter Pearl, born into a Puritan prison in more ways than one, is an enigmatic character serving entirely as a vehicle for symbolism. From her introduction as an infant on her mother’s scaffold of shame to the stormy peak of the story, Pearl is an empathetic and intelligent child. Throughout the story she absorbs the hidden emotions of her mother and magnifies them for all to see. Pearl is the essence of literary symbolism. She is, at times, a vehicle for Hawthorne to express the inconsistent and translucent qualities of Hester and Dimmesdale’s unlawful bond, and at other times, a forceful reminder of her mother’s sin. Pearl Prynne is her mother’s most precious possession and her only reason to live, but Pearl also serves as a priceless trea sure purchased with Hester’s life. Pearl’s strange beauty and deeply enigmatic qualities make her the most powerful symbol Hawthorne has ever created. The product of Hester’s sin and agony, Pearl, was a painfully constant reminder of her mother’s violation of the Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Hester herself felt that Pearl was given to her not only as a blessing but a punishment worse than death or ignominy. She is tormented by her daughter’s childish teasing and endless questioning about the scarlet letter and its relation to Minister Dimmesdale. After Pearl has created a letter â€Å"A† on her own breast out of seaweed, she asks her mother: But in good earnest, now, mother dear, what does this scarlet letter mean? -- and why dost thou wear it on thy bosom? -- and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart? In saying this Pearl implies that she knows much, much more about the scarlet letter than she lets on. T hroughout the conversation Pearl is impish and teasing, saying one thing and contradicting it soon after. She refuses to say just what she means, which makes it hard for Hester to give a straight answer. Hester is shocked that her playful daughter has lead their conversation to the topic of the scarlet letter, and even more disturbed that she has assumed Hester’s letter and Dimmesdale’s habit of pressing his hand to his heart a branch from the same issue. The Symbolic Pearl in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays Pearls have always held a great price to mankind, but no pearl had ever been earned at as high a cost to a person as in Hester Prynne, a powerful Heroine in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Her daughter Pearl, born into a Puritan prison in more ways than one, is an enigmatic character serving entirely as a vehicle for symbolism. From her introduction as an infant on her mother’s scaffold of shame to the stormy peak of the story, Pearl is an empathetic and intelligent child. Throughout the story she absorbs the hidden emotions of her mother and magnifies them for all to see. Pearl is the essence of literary symbolism. She is, at times, a vehicle for Hawthorne to express the inconsistent and translucent qualities of Hester and Dimmesdale’s unlawful bond, and at other times, a forceful reminder of her mother’s sin. Pearl Prynne is her mother’s most precious possession and her only reason to live, but Pearl also serves as a priceless trea sure purchased with Hester’s life. Pearl’s strange beauty and deeply enigmatic qualities make her the most powerful symbol Hawthorne has ever created. The product of Hester’s sin and agony, Pearl, was a painfully constant reminder of her mother’s violation of the Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Hester herself felt that Pearl was given to her not only as a blessing but a punishment worse than death or ignominy. She is tormented by her daughter’s childish teasing and endless questioning about the scarlet letter and its relation to Minister Dimmesdale. After Pearl has created a letter â€Å"A† on her own breast out of seaweed, she asks her mother: But in good earnest, now, mother dear, what does this scarlet letter mean? -- and why dost thou wear it on thy bosom? -- and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart? In saying this Pearl implies that she knows much, much more about the scarlet letter than she lets on. T hroughout the conversation Pearl is impish and teasing, saying one thing and contradicting it soon after. She refuses to say just what she means, which makes it hard for Hester to give a straight answer. Hester is shocked that her playful daughter has lead their conversation to the topic of the scarlet letter, and even more disturbed that she has assumed Hester’s letter and Dimmesdale’s habit of pressing his hand to his heart a branch from the same issue.

Music history Essay

One quote that seams to sum up this legend is â€Å"Are not there little chapters in everyone’s life that seam to be nothing and yet affect the rest of history.† Eva Cassidy was a young woman that had a great passion for the things she loved, and her voice will affect the rest of music history forever.  Eva was born on the 2nd of February 1963 in Washington D.C. Being born into very artistic and music family it was no surprise when Eva showed an interest in the arts from a very early age. Painting at the age of two, everyone around was amazed with her creativity. Eva’s father was a sculptor and encouraged Eva with her art. Also being very musical, when Eva was nine years old he got the family to form a 4 piece ensemble, Eva’s father on bass and cello, her brother on the violin, her mother and of course Eva herself singing. In their teens Eva and her brother got together again playing in a pop group called â€Å"Stone Henge.† From these very early years in her life it was obvious that Eva was very talented. But this was not a woman full of confidence wanting to get to high places; this was a lady painfully shy with no ambitions or future goals in life. This was a lady with a passion for beautiful things and only wanted to sing nice songs and make good music. It is this unassuming lady with no hopes of stardom that touches mEva didn’t really want to pursue a career in music and went to university to study art. During this period she produced wonderful paintings inspired by some of the impressionist painters, such as Monà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t and Van Gough. Eva would get very frustrated with people that didn’t appreciate these artists. Eva then became a plant propagator, playing sessions on the sideline. Playing as a backup singer in local pubs and bars, Eva was discovered by Chris Biondo, who naturally fell in love with Eva’s sweet, heart filled sound. Talking her round, Eva reluctantly made her demo tape called â€Å"Natural Woman† in order to get more work as a backup singer. During 1990 Eva was pleased to receive a lot more session work through her demo tape. At one of these sessions, Chuck Brown saw Eva and suddenly she’d been talked into doing a commercial recording with him in 1992 called â€Å"The Other Side.† Chuck and Eva played together in a lot of sessions and he describes those moments as the best in his career. During this period Eva sadly suffered from melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Eva was very week, but being so determined, she played her last concert with Chuck Brown in Blues Alley, where she had often performed with him. Fighting against this awful disease, one day in bed Eva said to her mother â€Å"All I want to do when I get well is sing and travel the world with my music.† Sadly Eva never did get better, recovering from melanoma once; it came back and killed her on the 2nd of November 1996 at the tragic age of 33. Eva left behind few possessions and few recording of her beautiful, pure voice but what she did leave behind were lots of grieving loved ones and now she leaves behind a huge fan base. A month after the death of Eva, a tribute concert took place in Greenbelt Park, Maryland. Eva’s brother played the violin and her friends sang†¦Ã‚  Canu  Rhywle del i ganu  Rwy’n dy glywed yn y glaw  Awen di-ben-draw  Sibrwd yn yr yd  Canu o hyd  Singing – somewhere still singing.  I can hear you in the rain  A never ending inspiration  A whisper in the corn – still singing  Five years later, half way across the world in England, DJ Terry Wogan played Eva’s cover of â€Å"Somewhere over the Rainbow† referring to her as the â€Å"late but mighty Eva Cassidy.† Shortly after this publicity there was a huge demand from the public to hear more. Eva had a pure voice. Full of warmth, full of hope and most of all full of love. Eva once said to a friend â€Å"I have the easiest job in the world. All I have to do is sing and play the guitar† To all of the songs that she covered, Eva somehow managed to bring them to a whole other dimension. Eva’s first official cd was released after her death, â€Å"songbird.† It quickly reached 1 in the UK album charts. More cds can be found, such as â€Å"Eva by Heart† and â€Å"The Other Side† with have all entered at high positions on many online shops such as amazon.com. 5% of the profit of each cd is now being donated to cancer research. Eva’s cover of â€Å"Fields of Gold† by Sting is now appearing in a cancer research advert on the television. It brings a tear to anyone’s eye. Maybe it’s the sadness of Eva’s story that touches us; maybe it’s her wonderful talent, or maybe a combination of both. It is very sad that Eva missed her fame and her fortune. But in some ways it is good that it is happening now. Would this shy, quiet lady vulnerable to criticism have really wanted the spotlight shone on her? Would she just have cowered away? We will never know, but what we do know is that this was a lady with a gift that was luckily caught before it was too late.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Now we are left with her music – and it lives where is always belonged†¦. at the very top.† Nikki Lee, a close friend of Eva’s.  any hearts today with the wonderful gift of her voice.

His Promised Land book review essays

His Promised Land book review essays The autobiography of John P. Parker, a former slave and conductor of the Underground Railroad, could be best described as the life time battle of one man against slavery of the African American people. In his own definition of this great injustice, that sadly effected many lives, Parker describes slavery as a phenomenon that "was the making of a human being as an animal without hope . . . and that slavery's curse was not pain of the body, but pain of the soul"(Parker, p26). This troubled him so much that he devoted his life to make a change. Although he often risked his own life along the way, he not only fought for his own freedom, but for the freedom of other slaves as well. His struggle takes place during the darkest time for blacks, particularly in the southern regions of the United States, and part of the most shameful of American history. Slavery was introduced in 1619 as a response to a shortage of labor in southern plantations. By the 1700s, the height of slavery, enslaved blacks came to outnumber whites in the south almost two to one. Between 1730 and 1760, as a response to a fear of black revolts, laws were passed to establish white control over the status of black slaves, enshrining it into law (Mckay, p895). Economics led to the social and legal institutionalization of black slavery, racist arguments were a means of justifying that institutionalization. In the last throws of the struggle, only years before Lincolns 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, that led the way for the eventual abolishment of slavery, Parkers struggle is significant because it was against a centuries old practice and a deeply entrenched institution in Southern states. Parker's memoirs reveal an interesting account of the life of a slave in the mid 1800s and, more important, as an Underground Railroad participant The Underground Railroad was a network of free African Americans and sympathetic whites that concealed, cl...

Free Essays on Fannie Mae

Fannie Mae Enhances True Cost Calculator; Version 2.0 Offers New Features to Help Lenders and Borrowers Consider Cost of Mortgage Products Faster WASHINGTON, DC – As consumers decide whether to buy or refinance their mortgages to benefit from the recent drop in interest rates, Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE), the nation’s largest source of financing for home mortgages, today introduced its newest version of the True Cost CalculatorSM, an online tool that provides a simple way for consumers to consider various mortgage options as they work with their mortgage lender. The newest release of True Cost Calculator 2.0 allows consumers to benefit from a more intuitive design and new features such as the ability to create a file and save multiple loan scenarios for comparison purposes without having to re-enter their data."We are pleased to offer these enhancements to the True Cost Calculator," said David Voth, chief product development officer, Fannie Mae/eBusiness. "With our new web in frastructure, we are able to provide our lender partners with a version of True Cost Calculator that is more powerful, faster, and more reliable. This enables us to offer the new online capabilities, and time-saving efficiencies to the growing number of partners who are linking to the True Cost Calculator."Launched in April 2000 as part of Fannie Mae’s Mortgage Consumer Bill of Rights, the True Cost Calculator helps consumers calculate all the costs of getting a mortgage including interest rate and points, mortgage insurance costs, appraisal fees, title insurance fees, and miscellaneous settlement charges.The True Cost Calculator also allows borrowers to calculate those fees over the full term of the loan or the time they actually plan to hold the loan. By calculating the costs over the period of time the borrower actually plans to hold the loan, the True Cost Calculator can provide a more useful and realistic cost assessment.Through their Web browsers, consumers ca... Free Essays on Fannie Mae Free Essays on Fannie Mae Fannie Mae Enhances True Cost Calculator; Version 2.0 Offers New Features to Help Lenders and Borrowers Consider Cost of Mortgage Products Faster WASHINGTON, DC – As consumers decide whether to buy or refinance their mortgages to benefit from the recent drop in interest rates, Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE), the nation’s largest source of financing for home mortgages, today introduced its newest version of the True Cost CalculatorSM, an online tool that provides a simple way for consumers to consider various mortgage options as they work with their mortgage lender. The newest release of True Cost Calculator 2.0 allows consumers to benefit from a more intuitive design and new features such as the ability to create a file and save multiple loan scenarios for comparison purposes without having to re-enter their data."We are pleased to offer these enhancements to the True Cost Calculator," said David Voth, chief product development officer, Fannie Mae/eBusiness. "With our new web in frastructure, we are able to provide our lender partners with a version of True Cost Calculator that is more powerful, faster, and more reliable. This enables us to offer the new online capabilities, and time-saving efficiencies to the growing number of partners who are linking to the True Cost Calculator."Launched in April 2000 as part of Fannie Mae’s Mortgage Consumer Bill of Rights, the True Cost Calculator helps consumers calculate all the costs of getting a mortgage including interest rate and points, mortgage insurance costs, appraisal fees, title insurance fees, and miscellaneous settlement charges.The True Cost Calculator also allows borrowers to calculate those fees over the full term of the loan or the time they actually plan to hold the loan. By calculating the costs over the period of time the borrower actually plans to hold the loan, the True Cost Calculator can provide a more useful and realistic cost assessment.Through their Web browsers, consumers ca...

Career Opportunities Application Form Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Career Opportunities Application Form - Essay Example Use lots of action-oriented words, such as developing, solving, monitoring, checking, inspecting, controlling, supervising, preparing etc). Furthermore, one of the highlights of my experience would be the evaluation of the current warehouse practices and procedures, as well as the development and implementation of improved warehouse practices and procedures. (describe how you implement the procedures, in which part of the organisation have you implementation taken effect, then describe specifically the objectives met, it is not good enough to say achieve departmental objectives). I am also proficient with WMS, barcode reader, forklifts, word, excel (insert other warehouse systems that you know). (Would be great if you could provide specific examples of working with statistical data and variances, even if you only occasionally use them or so much as to play a tiny role in preparing it. I'm sure you would have helped in the compilation/manual keying of the data when preparing quality a ssurance reports, even though you are not the one who completes it.) (Provide an incident when you took the initiative to do something).

Hybrids and Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hybrids and Global Warming - Essay Example A number of people keep asking what these vehicles are, are they efficient enough, will I be comfortable in it, and will I get stuck on the road while driving. Such are the questions that linger on the minds of nearly all buyers. Well, the essay will explain the history of the hybrid car, but also all its advantages, disadvantages and benefits to the environment that arises from owning these vehicles. Where did these vehicles come from? According to Richard (2007), there was a request for a patent for an electric motor power train and a hybrid gasoline in 1905 gave birth to the hybrid technology motors. During this era, energy saving features was not the concern of these new dual power models. Nevertheless the history of hybrid had become born. During these periods, the vehicle was not known for speed, and researchers took a lot of their time trying to develop with ways in which they would counter the terrific speed of the traditional vehicles. These were just but a tip of the proble ms the manufacturers would face in their quest for a green car. No sooner had they received the right of building high speed vehicles, than they discovered that, all the car speeds had surpassed their intended speed. Only a few people became interested in purchasing this hybrid technology. Other inventors had realized that this technology might give the electric vehicles an added advantage, if they got combined with the horsepower that was available through the use of gasoline engines. During these periods when hybrids were on the development lane, consumers were more fascinated about speed rather than gas. The manufacturers had to develop models that would accommodate these high speeds. A number of health issues were on the rise during these periods caused by the internal combustion engines. The United States saw it necessary to act in order to minimize the rising air pollution, and came up with bills that ultimately led to the interest in the manufacture of the electric vehicles. With the growing interest on the vehicle, it was necessary for an advanced battery to be produced that would give these electric vehicles a chance to be appropriate for use in the highways. A number of experiments become carried to check on how the shell life of the batteries. As pollution effects are getting worse and worse in key cities, nations like Japan and Germany took the manufacture of hybrid vehicles to a new level. Both the two nations were pioneers in developing the first hybrid vehicles with the creation of Toyota and the Volkswagen featuring prototype engines and hybrid taxis. America too was not to remain behind in this race for new technology. Honda built the first hybrid two seated vehicles in America and moved to increase their models. Another gas saving model, the Civic, got made available in a hybrid form. Why Hybrids over the traditional gasoline powered vehicle? This is one question on every potential car owner’s mind. Well, the solution is simple, it is an industry answer to both the rising pollution concerns and also the rising fuel costs. If a person considers a number of car models, it is quite evident that the Hybrid will stick up against the traditional fuel burning vehicles (Berman, 2007). Even though, the vehicles are slightly expensive, the added cost is minimal compared to the future long term benefits of having the car. The Hybrid vehicle saves more on fuel costs saving the driver quite a lot

Gender in Asian Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender in Asian Studies - Essay Example They do this simply by following social systems that are dominant. She examined colonialism by Europeans in Asia, including areas in contemporary Indonesia, India and Malaysia (Rooy, 2000). The French, Dutch, and British were examples of colonialists that she used. She went on to claim that the status of women of European origin in the colonies had two main roles that were contrasting. These women oppressed the people that were indigenous, while also being oppressed by their European husbands and European men in general (Rooy, 2000). Stoler argues that colonialism by the Europeans was because of differences on the racial nature between non-whites and whites. They justified this prestige with the notion that they are a race superior to the colored people with darker skin (Rooy, 2000). While this distinction by race was of use in the creation of colonial authority, a pitfall in this system came up. This was the existence of children born of mixed race relationships, between local women and European men. The administrators of the colonies saw this as a worrying problem, as the existence of these children of mixed race would blur lines between the inferior and superior races (Rooy, 2000). During the early 20th century, there was concerted introduction of women from Europe to make the generation of children of mixed race cease. ... They also ensured their children did not take up customs from the local culture. These rules ensured a clear distinction between the natives and the colonialists. For the achievement of this goal, these women formed organizations for the preservation of European thought and lifestyle in the colonies. Her research showed there were two roles, very contrasting, for these European women: the oppressors and the oppressed. The women were subject to the strict rules aimed at placating their men not to wander, thus oppressed. They did this while enforcing actively segregation by race thus oppressing the indigenous people, who would, otherwise, been granted more freedom. 2. Faier, "Runaway Stories: The Underground Micro movements of Filipina Oyomesan in Rural Japan". Lieba Faier, a Geography assistant professor in the University of California, published this article in November 2008, in an issue of Cultural Anthropology. In it, Lieba tells us about migration of Filipinas, in large scale, int o Japan. They went as entertainers and were a section of a larger group of Marcos administration initiated emigrates. These migration patterns were initiated to increase foreign exchange and cut national debt in Philippines. Around 1980, Filipino unemployment had grown, and debt levels were critical. During this time, the Japanese economy was booming, and Filipinas looked to immigrate there. Brokers and managers began recruitment of women, both from rural and urban poor communities as bar hosts and sex workers. Women in Japan, on the other hand, removed themselves from this. Lieba brings to the fore stories of migrants of Filipina origin who, apparently, have escaped from their husbands in Central Kiso of Japan. He asked why these stories have become so significant, yet very few

My Chosen Ethical Framework Essay Example for Free

My Chosen Ethical Framework Essay In the field of Human Services a worker is faced with ethical dilemmas on a everyday basis. In some cases,a client may want to make choices that may not be in their best interest. As Harry and Mahoney (1999) stated the paramount goal of human service workers is to enable people to live more satisfying,more autonomous,and more productive lives, through utilizing societys knowledge,resources,and technological innovations. However, this is not always an easy task. The NOHS preamble states â€Å"Characterized particularly by an appreciation of human beings in all of their diversity, human services offers assistance to its clients within the context of their community and environment. Human service professionals and educators uphold the integrity and ethics of the profession, partake in constructive criticism of the profession, promote client and community well-being, and enhance their own professional growth. (Ethical standards for, 1996) However, as we look closely at this preamble we can see that it may cause its own ethical dilemmas especially in the field of addiction. What choices does a addictive professional make when the community and environment that the client lives in is filled with drugs,violence, and crime. It is not unlikely, for an addict to seek help,having no support because family has lost all trust, being poor, vulnerable,and depressed. They may not see anyway out of an abusive relationship and may have even contemplated suicide. They may be a single parent or both partners are using with the child in the home. It is in these circumstances that they do not have the self determination to make the right decisions. While the client has the right to self determination, the counselor has a decision to make like suggesting hospitalization or if there is children living in the situation contacting D. S. S, which violates the clients confidentiality. According to W. D. Ross we are faced with conflicting Prima Facie duties, because of the harm one is doing to themselves or others, we now have a legal duty to report it and violate our clients confidentiality, privacy and intervene for their own safety or the child’s. Therefore Locus-Aggregative Utilitarianism theory,under Teleology could be the only solution for me, because I agree with the philosophy of â€Å"maximizing the greater good amongst greater amount of people†. By using this ethical framework I have now protected the client or the child by removing them from a harmful situation, protected myself and I have protected my agency from legalities. In fact, it is this theory in which I try to live by in my everyday life. I have been married for over 16 years and have 3 children. I always teach my children that their actions they take affects not only them but the community as well. The community may be in the house or in society. To always look for the greater good in everything they do. I have been known to take people into my home because it benefited them. Of course, things didnt always work out right but it still didnt stop me from doing the greater good,So I am definitely, Locus-Aggregative in which maximize the greater good amongst greater amount of people and I dont see me changing these values as I enter into the field of addiction. I would also state that I would follow by Act Utilitarianism because I believe it is important to violate my clients confidentiality in order to protect them,their child, the agency, and myself. While I may lose their trust, if they receive the help they need then then I have done the greater good. Therefore, the preamble to follow the teleology would be as follows â€Å" Human Services is to provide the most good with the least harm to the client and all those who have been affected by their disease, offer assistance to its clients within the context of their community and environment (NOSH) when there is the least harm† â€Å"Addiction professionals,licensed/certified treatment providers,recognize that the ability to do well is based on an underlying concern for the well-being of others. This concern emerges from recognition that we are all stakeholders in each others lives the well-being of each is intimately bound to the well-being of all; when the happiness of some is purchased by the unhappiness of others, the stage is set for the misery of all. Addiction professionals must act in such a way that they would have no embarrassment if their behavior became a matter of public knowledge and would have no difficulty defending their actions before any competent authority.

High School Athletes Should Consider College Over the NBA Essay

In the last ten years many young and talented high school basketball players have chosen to enter the NBA draft. These 17 and 18 year olds decide to skip college, and instead they choose to take a big risk and enter the NBA, hoping to become stars and earn millions of dollars. In many cases, these youngsters’ careers are a failure because they don’t turn out as talented as they thought to be. They end up spending only a few seasons in the NBA because they are not good enough to compete at that level. Many of them have to move on to doing other things, such as playing basketball overseas, doing everyday jobs, or going back to college to earn a degree. This essay will help you understand why making the jump from high school to the NBA is not good in most cases, and it will show you the benefits, for these kids, of going to college. The Success Rate Reggie Harding was the first high school player to make the jump from high school to the NBA, and he did this in 1963. He spent five mediocre seasons in the NBA and was never the special player that people thought he would have been. Since then, there have been around 40 high school players who have decided to skip college and declare for the NBA draft. The bulk of these players have come within the last seven to ten years. Out of these forty or so players, no more than ten have had a successful career. Last year seven high school players entered the NBA draft, and only one of those seven had a successful first season, and that was Lebron James (Smith). Although many youngsters fail in the NBA, there are a few high school players who have had, or do have a successful career in the NBA. Some of these are, Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant, Tracey McGrady, and this year’s most valu... ...arnett won’t give up as teammates change. 23 March 2001. ESPN NBA Online. 1 May 2004. . Carter, Fred. Pros and cons of high schoolers going pro. 11April 2003. ESPN NBA Online. 1 May 2004. . Hodge, Bill. Swift is 10th prep star to enter 2004 NBA Draft. 6 May 2004. ESPN College Sports. 7 May 2004. . Lebron James Player Profile. NBA Media Ventures. 2004. 1 May 2004. . Smith, Sam. Hype over LeBron doesn’t match Alcindor’s. 22 July 2003. ESPN NBA. 7 May 2004. . Tim Duncan Player Profile. NBA Media Ventures. 2004. 1 May 2004. .

Krishna and Ang Mahabharata Essay

Bahagi ng Mahabharata ang Bhagavad Gita (o Bhagavadgita), isang diyalogo o pag-uusap sa pagitan nina Krishna atArjuna. The Mahabharata or is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana.[2] Besides its epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes, the Mahabharata containsphilosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four â€Å"goals of life† or purusharthas (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the Mahabharata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, an abbreviated version of the Ramayana, and the Rishyasringa, often considered as works in their own right. habharata, ( Sanskrit: â€Å"Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty†) one of the two Sanskrit great epic poems of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana). TheMahabharata is an important source of information on the development ofHinduism between 400 bce and 200 ce and is regarded by Hindus as both a text about dharma (Hindu moral law) and a history (itihasa, literally â€Å"that’s what happened†). Appearing in its present form about 400 ce, the Mahabharata consists of a mass of mythological and didactic material arranged around a central heroic narrative that tells of the struggle for sovereignty between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra, the descendant of Kuru) and thePandavas (sons of Pandu). The poem is made up of almost 100,000 couplets—about seven times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined—divided into 18 parvans, or sections, plus a supplement titled Harivamsha (â€Å"Genealogy of the God Hari†; i.e., of Vishnu). sinulat ang tulang epikong ito na may layuning parangalan ang mga bayani nang maganap ang paglusob ng mga Aryano (mga Aryan) sa India.  Halos kapantay ng mga diyos ang mga maalamat na mga bayaning ito. The Mahabharata tells the story of two sets of paternal first cousins–the five sons of the deceased king Pandu (the five Pandavas and the one hundred sons of blind King Dhritarashtra–who became bitter rivals, and opposed each other in war for possession of the ancestral Bharata kingdom with its capital in the â€Å"City of the Elephants,† Hastinapura , on the Ganga river in north central India. What is dramatically interesting within this simple opposition is the large number of individual agendas the many characters pursue, and the numerous personal conflicts, ethical puzzles, subplots, and plot twists that give the story a strikingly powerful development. The five sons of Pandu were actually fathered by five Gods (sex was mortally dangerous for Pandu, because of a curse) and these heroes were assisted throughout the story by various Gods, sages, and brahmins, including the great sage Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa (who later became the author of the epic telling this story), who was also their actual grandfather (he had engendered Pandu and the blind Dhrtarastra upon their nominal father’s widows in order to preserve the lineage). The one hundred sons of the blind king Dhartarashtra, on the other hand, had a grotesque, demonic birth, and are said more than once in the text to be human incarnations of the demons who are the perpetual enemies of the devotees of the lord. The most dramatic figure of the entire Mahabharata, however, is Sri Krishna who is the supreme personality of Godhead himself, descended to earth in human form to reestablish his devotees as care takers of the earth, and who practice Dharma. Krishna Vasudeva was the cousin of both parties, but he was a friend and advisor to the Pandavas, became the brother-in-law of Arjuna , and served as Arjuna’s mentor and charioteer in the great war. Krishna Vasudeva is portrayed several times as eager to see the war occur, and in many ways the Pandavas were his human instruments for fulfilling that end. The Dhartarashtra party behaved viciously and brutally toward the Pandavas in many ways, from the time of their early childhood. Their malice displayed itselfwhen they took advantage of the eldest Pandava, Yudhishthira (who had by now become the ruler of the world) in a game of dice: The Dhartarashtras ‘won’ all his brothers, himself, and even the Pandavas’ common wife Draupadi They humiliated all the Pandavas and physically abused Draupadi; they drove  the Pandava party into the wilderness for twelve years, and the twelve years of exile had to be followed by the Pandavas’ living somewhere in society, in disguise, without being discovered. The Pandavas fulfilled their part of that bargain by living out side the kingdom, but the evil leader and eldest son of Dhartarashtra, Duryodhana , was unwilling to restore the Pandavas to their half of the kingdom when the thirteen years had expired. Both sides then called upon their many allies and two large armies arrayed themselves on ‘Kuru’s Field’ (Kuru was one of the eponymous ancestors of the clan), eleven divisions in the army of Duryodhana against seven divisions for Yudhishthira. Much of the action in the Mahabharata is accompanied by discussion and debate among various interested parties, and the most famous dialog of all time, Krishna Vasudeva’s ethical lecture and demonstration of his divinity to his devotee and friend Arjuna (the Holy Bhagavad Gita appeared in the Mahabharata just prior to the commencement of the world war. Several of the important ethical and theological themes of the Mahabharata are tied together in this Gita, and this â€Å"Song of the Blessed One† has exerted much the same sort of powerful and far-reaching influence in the Vedic Civilization that the New Testament has had in the Christian world. The Pandavas won the eighteen day battle, but it was a victory that deeply troubled all except those who were able to understand things on the divine level (chiefly Krishna, Vyasa, and Bhishma the Bharata patriarch who was symbal of the virtues of the era now passing away). The Pandavas’ five sons by Draupadi, as well as Bhimasena and Arjuna Pandava’s two sons by two other mothers (respectively, the young warriors and Abhimanyu, were all tragic victims in the war. Worse perhaps, the Pandava victory was won by the Pandavas slaying, in succession, four men who were like fathers to them: Bhishma, their teacher Drona , Karna (who was, though none of the Pandavas knew it, the first born, pre-marital, son of their mother), and their maternal uncle Shalya (all four of these men were, in succession, ‘supreme commanders’ of Duryodhana’s army during the war). Equally troubling was the fact that the killing of the first three of these ‘respected elders,’ and of some other enemy warriors as well, was accomplished only through ‘ trickery’, most of which were suggested by Krishna Vasudeva as absolutely required by the circumstances. The ethical gaps were not resolved to anyone’s satisfaction on the su rface of the narrative and the aftermath of  the war was dominated by a sense of horror and malaise. Yudhishthira alone was terribly troubled, but his sense of the war’s wrongfulness persisted to the end of the text, in spite of the fact that everyone else, from his wife to Krishna Vasudeva, told him the war was right and good; in spite of the fact that the dying patriarch Bhishma lectured him at length on all aspects of the Good Law (the Duties and Responsibilities of Kings, which have rightful violence at their center; the ambiguities of Righteousness in abnormal circumstances; and the absolute perspective of a beatitude that ultimately transcends the oppositions of good versus bad, right versus wrong, pleasant versus unpleasant, etc.); in spite of the fact that he performed a grand Horse Sacrifice as expiation for the putative wrong of the war. These debates and instructions and the account of this Horse Sacrifice are told at some length after the massive and narrative of the battle; they form a deliberate tale of pacification that aims to neutralize the inevitable reactio ns of the war. In the years that follow the war Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari , and Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, lived a life of asceticism in a forest retreat and died with yogic calm in a forest fire. Krishna Vasudeva departed from this earth thirty-six years after the war. When they learned of this, the Pandavas believed it time for them to leave this world too and they embarked upon the ‘Great Journey,’ which involved walking north toward the polar mountain, that is toward the heavenly worlds, until one’s body dropped dead. One by one Draupadi and the younger Pandavas died along the way until Yudhishthira was left alone with a dog that had followed him all the way. Yudhishthira made it to the gate of heaven and there refused the order to drive the dog back, at which point the dog was revealed to be an incarnate form of the God Dharma (the God who was Yudhishthira’s actual, physical father), who was there to test Yudhishthira’s virtue. Once in heaven Yudhishthira faced one final test of his virtue: He saw only the Dhartarashtra Clan in heaven, and he was told that his brothers were in hell. He insisted on joining his brothers in hell, if that were the case! It was then revealed that they were really in heaven, that this illusion had been one final test for him.