Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Life to the fullest must have the presence Essay

Living life to the fullest must have the presence of forgiveness as well as forgetting. Forgiveness is a conscious choice, a spiritual and physical act involving the will, a sensation or suit of feeling, an emotional state of being for letting go of the past. Try to imagine how happy we can be if we know how to forget bitter happenings in our lives. Having a feeling towards everything is fine, it seems so convincing to live great. Indeed to forgive is hard and difficult, but we must. It is a conscious choice, a spiritual and physical act involving the will, a sensation or suit of feeling, an emotional state of being for letting go of the past. Having a big pride will make you feel bad. God said, â€Å"Do unto to others as you would have them do unto to you. It would be very hard for one to forgive someone who has done so much wrong and leaped so much suffering on them. It is important that we forgive so that one can move on with his life and have a chance for a happier future. In the book NIGHT, a boy named Elie faced all of these hardships and people always asked him whether to forgive or not despite of all the pain, the sufferings, and challenges he had experienced? But Elie must forgive because GOD said that everyone should forgive one another, no matter what the circumstances are, hence, mobilizing us to find peace and serenity every single day of our lives. Nothing will bother us especially our inner sides. When someone else causes us emotional harm, whether intentional or not, learning to let go of this pain can be one of the most difficult transitions we would have to go through but it will enable us to live life, one which is free from worry and burden. Acknowledge that you’re living in real time carrying the baggage of old time. And then let go of it. Based on the book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren: Your past is your past, nothing can change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. The persons who have hurt you in the pass cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on the memories through resentment. Forgiving and forgetting is not a gradual one, it undergoes a process. How does one forget awful memories? How would one handle the situation if he/she is in too much pain? Can one ever forgive or relieve the bad memories that been caused by somebody? First, find a place where you can have a peace of mind, a quiet and a comfortable place. Sit down in a comfortable chair and close your eyes, even though it is painful and embarrassing, give some time to think what you are wishing to forget. Then, visualize a black and white picture of the situation that you are trying to forget. Afterwards, look on the illusionary replica of an experienced you hate the most. As you were looking to that picture, begin to tear it on your imagination until it turned tiny pieces where you can barely see it. Lastly, blow it away, ask if you were blowing small pieces of dust, so you know that the little speck is already gone away, and no one will ever see it. Fortunately, we are ending up forgetting the incident and forgiving the people behind the fear that circulated in their system so they could live a better life-a life without bitterness. Even the act of forgiving is difficult, forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Forgiveness may takes a lot of time, it may not easily come, it involves patience and a lengthy struggle just to reach that, because it affects the relationships that need to be work in order to reach the total completeness of forgiving. Always remember where we stand. To refuse it is to refuse God. There is no other exception. God means what He says. To forgive is hard, but we must do it at any cost.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Gambling on college sports Essay

I’ve been a sports fanatic since the day I was born. It didn’t matter if I was playing or watching or cheering, I just loved being around the game. I have always been very knowledgeable about it too, as I was well known and titled by extended family as â€Å"the stat man. † This of course referred to the often times erroneous and useless facts rattling around in my brain that I couldn’t help but show off. Needless to say, this topic means a lot to me, especially being a college football player myself. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to dig deeper into a topic that has lingered in our country for years. The issues that pertain to gambling on college athletics have a vast range of opinions that stem from the questions; should gambling on college athletics be legal? What are the effects it has on the college athletes? Some argue that it will be detrimental to the game and some argue it has little to no effect, however most land somewhere in the middle. A common justification against gambling brings up the numerous scandals of players taking illegal benefits or point shaving and in extreme cases these events leading to jail or death. This side also argues that it allows players to get mixed up with the wrong crowd and put themselves in danger. Arguments for gambling site the economic reach it has in our country and the illegality will shrink the economy as well as not protect the players any more. Many people on this side think it will not be stopped so if gambling on college sports is illegalized, then every form of it will be illegal causing more trouble. My goal is to reveal those opinions and create a more complex understanding from various viewpoints, and hopefully bring a small degree of clarification to others and myself. In the article, â€Å"Even at Columbia, Gambling And College Athletics Collide† found in the New York Times, Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson enlighten the readers about the gambling infractions that occurred in a Columbia University fraternity house. The authors begin by describing the situation and basic details of the gambling process. â€Å" (They) would accept bets on sporting events from dozens of other students and then phone in the wagers — typically from $40 to $200 each — to a gambling ring based in Queens and operated by people with links to organized crime† (Curry and Gershenson). They go on to unravel the situation further by stating that there were not only college athletes betting on the games, but even current and former players living in the house that was tirelessly on the phone collecting wagers. Curry and Gershenson then discuss the further investigations done by Columbia and the NCAA and the possible disciplinary action that the offenders can face. The authors then write about the numerous amounts of sports gambling incidents in the last decade and also how students and athletes looked upon the Columbia gambling scandal with lesser importance because of the lack of athletic excellence. â€Å" The presence of a gambling operation with connections to organized crime at a school whose football team is best known for a 44-game losing streak in the 1980’s seemed incongruous† (Curry and Gershenson). An athlete was also quoted saying, â€Å"It’s not like this is Arkansas or something. This is Columbia. † Curry and Gershenson conclude their article by including a nationwide 1996 survey of college Division one athletes that reveals 25 percent gambled on other college sports and four percent admitted to gambling on games they had played in. I believe this is an article with good overall quality, even though it was written about 14 years ago in 1998. The time period constraint may lead to questions of relevance to readers in 2012. However, I think if you take all the dates and years out of the article, the purpose is still fulfilled and relays the same messages. The intent of the article was to inform about the events of the Columbia gambling ring, the reaction around campus, and the nationwide relevance. The authors Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson, are fairly unknown writers as far as I am concerned but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the article because it was included in The New York Times, which only adds credibility. For this reason, there would be a nationwide audience because of the shear number of readers. Specifically, the audience would probably be more of the businessman or woman, who are the stereotypical readers of The New York Times. The exigence of this piece was the arrest of gambling ring participants at Columbia but also the fact that these types of gambling scandals had been becoming more and more common in that time period. This was a very eye-opening article for me to read and by far the longest and most in depth. Since it was written 14 years ago, it is a story that I was previously unaware of. It made me even more aware then I already was, of how long this problem has lingered in college sports. It mentioned, more then once, that there are bookies on every campus in America. This really made me think about how unbelievable the number of illegal bets being placed by college students and athletes must be. However, even though this article is depicting the illegal gambling as a bad thing, I think it unintentionally makes arguments for both sides of the issue. If gambling on college sports were acceptable, this would have been a legal act. Hypothetically if it were legal, it would cut down on crime like this, which is usually linked to people with other criminal activity going on. Disconnecting the link to other criminal activity would make it all around safer for bookies and bet placers and athletes, because frankly, I think that people will never stop gambling on sporting events. I had always just assumed that gambling on college sports should be illegal, but this article made me reconsider whether that would really be the smartest and safest resolution. In the article â€Å"NCAA threatens to move events out of New Jersey† from SportsIllustrated. com, the unnamed author introduces the proposed plan to legalize sports gambling in New Jersey as well as reaction from sports organizations nationwide. The writer kicks off the article by stating background information about New Jersey’s push to legalize sports wagering. The article then goes on to describe the reaction from sports organizations, and goes in depth on the quotes from NCAA officials as well as their threats to move all playoff games out of New Jersey. It is also mentioned that The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB have â€Å"collectively sued to block New Jersey’s sports betting law from taking effect. † However, there is also information and quotes from parties that are for the sports betting law. Quotes from State senator Raymond Lesniak and Governor Chris Christie demonstrate their support for the new law. The article is concluded with talk of â€Å"several new gambling options New Jersey is seeking to offer† (â€Å"NCAA Threatens†). The author writes that these other options include in-state Internet gambling and the use of hand-held mobile gambling devices at the casinos as well as at horse tracks. I thought this article was fairly credible and factual as well. It did not have an author to add to credibility but being a Sports Illustrated article maintained its effectiveness. I believe this piece was intended to inform the audience of residents of New Jersey as well as pretty involved sports fans. People who would read Sports Illustrated would obviously just be in it for the sports because that is the only information it obtains. This also acts as a constraint. The article cannot reach as much of the population because not everyone is a sports fan. The event that triggered this response was the attempt to make sports gambling legal in the state of New Jersey. My understanding of gambling in college sports was drastically upgraded by reading this article. It was an informative piece, so there was very little, if any, bias in the writing. The inclusion of statistics and legality of the topic really helped me understand why the sports organizations are hoping that the law will not pass. The shear amounts of money changing hands can lead to a lot of trouble, however for the same reason, legalizing that money could really boost economic growth. These types of pros and cons exist on both sides, making it an even tougher issue to sort out. My next source comes from a script from the testimony of Danny Sheridan before the Senate Commerce Committee on April 26, 2001. The testimony was for a hearing for the Amateur Sports Integrity Act (S. 718), which would determine the legality of gambling on college athletics. The first part of the testimony consists of Sheridan validating why his testimony should be considered by sharing his credibility and involvement in athletics. â€Å"My name is Danny Sheridan, and I have been involved with sports and the sports? promotion business for more than 25 years. I have published college and pro football? magazines, written about sports in a variety of national publications, and have been the? host of a number of sports TV and radio shows† Sheridan proclaims. Sheridan goes on to explain how he is also a friend of many high profile athletes and he knows first hand the dangers that athletic gambling has on athletes. Sheridan also includes many statistics in his argument. â€Å"An estimated 40 million Americans currently wager $6 billion illegally every weekend during the entire 20-week college and pro football season alone† (Sheridan). The testimony is concluded by Sheridan stating that he appreciates the good intentions of trying to legalize gambling, but it would instead, result in negative effects. The rhetor, Danny Sheridan, is a very well known sports industrial component, which gives his testimony (and therefore my source) credibility. He presented this to the Senate Commerce Committee in hopes to persuade them to vote against legalization of gambling on sports. The fact that this is a testimony, instead of a highly publicized article restricts the extent his message. I found the script on his website, however it isn’t an often visited site by the common Internet user, so the audience is a big constraint for this text. I found this testimony to be a great source for this project. It was interesting to read a text that wasn’t just a traditional article. My understanding for the anti gambling side grew significantly, because it was so biased. The speaker does a great job making his argument come full circle. For that reason, I came away from reading it with a slight lean towards supporting keeping gambling on sports illegal. Another interesting aspect is that this testimony was given in 2001. My previous source, about the gambling law in New Jersey, is a current issue, and the arguments made by Sheridan could simply be restated now with the same effects. It is astounding to see how such little progress has been made through the years. In the article â€Å"Study Provides New Data on the Extent of Gambling by College Athletes†, from netfiles.edu, Welch Suggs dissects a study done to determine the facts about college athletes that gamble on sports. Suggs begins by introducing the parameters of the University of Michigan study that was released by the athletic department. â€Å"The study, based on a survey of 758 football and basketball players, found that 72 percent of college football and basketball players had bet money at least once since entering college† (Suggs). The author goes on to give further statistics that the survey revealed. Welch Suggs concludes the article with opposing viewpoint quotes from NCAA employee William Saum, and former NFL player Lynn Swann. Suggs’ last statement included next shifting attention to basketball referees to gain information about their gambling experiences. This was a questionable source to say the least. It had some solid content but the article opened as a PDF and my research failed to try and find the original homepage of the website. Likewise, the author was a mystery man as well. This text was very brief, but I believe the purpose was to inform about the findings of the survey revealed by the University of Michigan athletic department. However, the audience is hard to determine because of the unknown author and questionable website. If I were to pick an audience though, I would say it was intended for the adult college sports athlete because of the language and the inclusion of quotes from Lynn Swann. This text also has massive constraints, mainly for the same reasons as stated before. The website is random and in an odd format, therefore finding Suggs’ piece would be difficult to come across. The audience is extremely limited because of this, and the credibility suffers as well. Also, it did not include dates it the article, so the exigence of the piece suffers because the provoking event of the writing cannot be identified. The facts that are stated in this article hold strong relevance for this topic. It is more of an anti gambling article based on the information it presents, but it also gives a quote of the opposite viewpoint. Numbers don’t lie, and the numbers from the study are very eye opening and convincing. It makes me think about how much gambling affects the games we love, without us even knowing. Since all the surveys were anonymous, nothing will develop in terms of punishment or solutions to the problem. In this sense, the article does a great job persuading the reader. However, nowhere in the article did it give a date of the information or of when the article was written, so it is hard to put it in context and determine the importance. This, along with the briefness of the article, made it more difficult to shape my thinking about the topic. After analyzing the four sources included in this essay, I have yet to come to a concrete conclusion. I began researching the topic with the idea that gambling on college sports should be illegal and that all the effects of illegal gambling are bad. However, my research has muddied my view a little bit, which is actually a good thing because now I am informed more then I even have been. Being informed in such a way makes me understand how this predicament has been able to linger around in our society and in our legal system for so long. There seems to be no perfect solution and neither side of the argument wants to budge. I think both sides would agree that the illegal activity that surrounds gambling is a bad thing, but the argument remains; would legalizing sports gambling have a more positive effect on unlawful activity then keeping gambling illegal? The next step for me would simply be gaining more knowledge and weighing the pros and cons of each side and coming to decision of which side to take. Until then, ill be sitting on the fence of the topic, along with most of America. What Are the Effects of Legal vs. Illegal Gambling on College Sports? I’ve been a sports fanatic since the day I was born. It didn’t matter if I was playing or watching or cheering, I just loved being around the game. I have always been very knowledgeable about it too, as I was well known and titled by extended family as â€Å"the stat man. † This of course referred to the often times erroneous and useless facts rattling around in my brain that I couldn’t help but show off. Needless to say, this topic means a lot to me, especially being a college football player myself. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to dig deeper into a topic that has lingered in our country for years. The issues that pertain to gambling on college athletics have a vast range of opinions that stem from the questions; should gambling on college athletics be legal? What are the effects it has on the college athletes? Some argue that it will be detrimental to the game and some argue it has little to no effect, however most land somewhere in the middle. A common justification against gambling brings up the numerous scandals of players taking illegal benefits or point shaving and in extreme cases these events leading to jail or death. This side also argues that it allows players to get mixed up with the wrong crowd and put themselves in danger. Arguments for gambling site the economic reach it has in our country and the illegality will shrink the economy as well as not protect the players any more. Many people on this side think it will not be stopped so if gambling on college sports is illegalized, then every form of it will be illegal causing more trouble. My goal is to reveal those opinions and create a more complex understanding from various viewpoints, and hopefully bring a small degree of clarification to others and myself. In the article, â€Å"Even at Columbia, Gambling And College Athletics Collide† found in the New York Times, Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson enlighten the readers about the gambling infractions that occurred in a Columbia University fraternity house. The authors begin by describing the situation and basic details of the gambling process. â€Å" (They) would accept bets on sporting events from dozens of other students and then phone in the wagers — typically from $40 to $200 each — to a gambling ring based in Queens and operated by people with links to organized crime† (Curry and Gershenson). They go on to unravel the situation further by stating that there were not only college athletes betting on the games, but even current and former players living in the house that was tirelessly on the phone collecting wagers. Curry and Gershenson then discuss the further investigations done by Columbia and the NCAA and the possible disciplinary action that the offenders can face. The authors then write about the numerous amounts of sports gambling incidents in the last decade and also how students and athletes looked upon the Columbia gambling scandal with lesser importance because of the lack of athletic excellence. â€Å" The presence of a gambling operation with connections to organized crime at a school whose football team is best known for a 44-game losing streak in the 1980’s seemed incongruous† (Curry and Gershenson). An athlete was also quoted saying, â€Å"It’s not like this is Arkansas or something. This is Columbia. † Curry and Gershenson conclude their article by including a nationwide 1996 survey of college Division one athletes that reveals 25 percent gambled on other college sports and four percent admitted to gambling on games they had played in. I believe this is an article with good overall quality, even though it was written about 14 years ago in 1998. The time period constraint may lead to questions of relevance to readers in 2012. However, I think if you take all the dates and years out of the article, the purpose is still fulfilled and relays the same messages. The intent of the article was to inform about the events of the Columbia gambling ring, the reaction around campus, and the nationwide relevance. The authors Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson, are fairly unknown writers as far as I am concerned but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the article because it was included in The New York Times, which only adds credibility. For this reason, there would be a nationwide audience because of the shear number of readers. Specifically, the audience would probably be more of the businessman or woman, who are the stereotypical readers of The New York Times. The exigence of this piece was the arrest of gambling ring participants at Columbia but also the fact that these types of gambling scandals had been becoming more and more common in that time period. This was a very eye-opening article for me to read and by far the longest and most in depth. Since it was written 14 years ago, it is a story that I was previously unaware of. It made me even more aware then I already was, of how long this problem has lingered in college sports. It mentioned, more then once, that there are bookies on every campus in America. This really made me think about how unbelievable the number of illegal bets being placed by college students and athletes must be. However, even though this article is depicting the illegal gambling as a bad thing, I think it unintentionally makes arguments for both sides of the issue. If gambling on college sports were acceptable, this would have been a legal act. Hypothetically if it were legal, it would cut down on crime like this, which is usually linked to people with other criminal activity going on. Disconnecting the link to other criminal activity would make it all around safer for bookies and bet placers and athletes, because frankly, I think that people will never stop gambling on sporting events. I had always just assumed that gambling on college sports should be illegal, but this article made me reconsider whether that would really be the smartest and safest resolution. In the article â€Å"NCAA threatens to move events out of New Jersey† from SportsIllustrated. com, the unnamed author introduces the proposed plan to legalize sports gambling in New Jersey as well as reaction from sports organizations nationwide. The writer kicks off the article by stating background information about New Jersey’s push to legalize sports wagering. The article then goes on to describe the reaction from sports organizations, and goes in depth on the quotes from NCAA officials as well as their threats to move all playoff games out of New Jersey. It is also mentioned that The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB have â€Å"collectively sued to block New Jersey’s sports betting law from taking effect. † However, there is also information and quotes from parties that are for the sports betting law. Quotes from State senator Raymond Lesniak and Governor Chris Christie demonstrate their support for the new law. The article is concluded with talk of â€Å"several new gambling options New Jersey is seeking to offer† (â€Å"NCAA Threatens†). The author writes that these other options include in-state Internet gambling and the use of hand-held mobile gambling devices at the casinos as well as at horse tracks. I thought this article was fairly credible and factual as well. It did not have an author to add to credibility but being a Sports Illustrated article maintained its effectiveness. I believe this piece was intended to inform the audience of residents of New Jersey as well as pretty involved sports fans. People who would read Sports Illustrated would obviously just be in it for the sports because that is the only information it obtains. This also acts as a constraint. The article cannot reach as much of the population because not everyone is a sports fan. The event that triggered this response was the attempt to make sports gambling legal in the state of New Jersey. My understanding of gambling in college sports was drastically upgraded by reading this article. It was an informative piece, so there was very little, if any, bias in the writing. The inclusion of statistics and legality of the topic really helped me understand why the sports organizations are hoping that the law will not pass. The shear amounts of money changing hands can lead to a lot of trouble, however for the same reason, legalizing that money could really boost economic growth. These types of pros and cons exist on both sides, making it an even tougher issue to sort out. My next source comes from a script from the testimony of Danny Sheridan before the Senate Commerce Committee on April 26, 2001. The testimony was for a hearing for the Amateur Sports Integrity Act (S. 718), which would determine the legality of gambling on college athletics. The first part of the testimony consists of Sheridan validating why his testimony should be considered by sharing his credibility and involvement in athletics. â€Å"My name is Danny Sheridan, and I have been involved with sports and the sports? promotion business for more than 25 years. I have published college and pro football? magazines, written about sports in a variety of national publications, and have been the?host of a number of sports TV and radio shows† Sheridan proclaims. Sheridan goes on to explain how he is also a friend of many high profile athletes and he knows first hand the dangers that athletic gambling has on athletes. Sheridan also includes many statistics in his argument. â€Å"An estimated 40 million Americans currently wager $6 billion illegally every weekend during the entire 20-week college and pro football season alone† (Sheridan). The testimony is concluded by Sheridan stating that he appreciates the good intentions of trying to legalize gambling, but it would instead, result in negative effects. The rhetor, Danny Sheridan, is a very well known sports industrial component, which gives his testimony (and therefore my source) credibility. He presented this to the Senate Commerce Committee in hopes to persuade them to vote against legalization of gambling on sports. The fact that this is a testimony, instead of a highly publicized article restricts the extent his message. I found the script on his website, however it isn’t an often visited site by the common Internet user, so the audience is a big constraint for this text. I found this testimony to be a great source for this project. It was interesting to read a text that wasn’t just a traditional article. My understanding for the anti gambling side grew significantly, because it was so biased. The speaker does a great job making his argument come full circle. For that reason, I came away from reading it with a slight lean towards supporting keeping gambling on sports illegal. Another interesting aspect is that this testimony was given in 2001. My previous source, about the gambling law in New Jersey, is a current issue, and the arguments made by Sheridan could simply be restated now with the same effects. It is astounding to see how such little progress has been made through the years. In the article â€Å"Study Provides New Data on the Extent of Gambling by College Athletes†, from netfiles. edu, Welch Suggs dissects a study done to determine the facts about college athletes that gamble on sports. Suggs begins by introducing the parameters of the University of Michigan study that was released by the athletic department. â€Å"The study, based on a survey of 758 football and basketball players, found that 72 percent of college football and basketball players had bet money at least once since entering college† (Suggs). The author goes on to give further statistics that the survey revealed. Welch Suggs concludes the article with opposing viewpoint quotes from NCAA employee William Saum, and former NFL player Lynn Swann. Suggs’ last statement included next shifting attention to basketball referees to gain information about their gambling experiences. This was a questionable source to say the least. It had some solid content but the article opened as a PDF and my research failed to try and find the original homepage of the website. Likewise, the author was a mystery man as well. This text was very brief, but I believe the purpose was to inform about the findings of the survey revealed by the University of Michigan athletic department. However, the audience is hard to determine because of the unknown author and questionable website. If I were to pick an audience though, I would say it was intended for the adult college sports athlete because of the language and the inclusion of quotes from Lynn Swann. This text also has massive constraints, mainly for the same reasons as stated before. The website is random and in an odd format, therefore finding Suggs’ piece would be difficult to come across. The audience is extremely limited because of this, and the credibility suffers as well. Also, it did not include dates it the article, so the exigence of the piece suffers because the provoking event of the writing cannot be identified. The facts that are stated in this article hold strong relevance for this topic. It is more of an anti gambling article based on the information it presents, but it also gives a quote of the opposite viewpoint. Numbers don’t lie, and the numbers from the study are very eye opening and convincing. It makes me think about how much gambling affects the games we love, without us even knowing. Since all the surveys were anonymous, nothing will develop in terms of punishment or solutions to the problem. In this sense, the article does a great job persuading the reader. However, nowhere in the article did it give a date of the information or of when the article was written, so it is hard to put it in context and determine the importance. This, along with the briefness of the article, made it more difficult to shape my thinking about the topic. After analyzing the four sources included in this essay, I have yet to come to a concrete conclusion. I began researching the topic with the idea that gambling on college sports should be illegal and that all the effects of illegal gambling are bad. However, my research has muddied my view a little bit, which is actually a good thing because now I am informed more then I even have been. Being informed in such a way makes me understand how this predicament has been able to linger around in our society and in our legal system for so long. There seems to be no perfect solution and neither side of the argument wants to budge. I think both sides would agree that the illegal activity that surrounds gambling is a bad thing, but the argument remains; would legalizing sports gambling have a more positive effect on unlawful activity then keeping gambling illegal? The next step for me would simply be gaining more knowledge and weighing the pros and cons of each side and coming to decision of which side to take. Until then, ill be sitting on the fence of the topic, along with most of America. What Are the Effects of Legal vs. Illegal Gambling on College Sports? I’ve been a sports fanatic since the day I was born. It didn’t matter if I was playing or watching or cheering, I just loved being around the game. I have always been very knowledgeable about it too, as I was well known and titled by extended family as â€Å"the stat man. † This of course referred to the often times erroneous and useless facts rattling around in my brain that I couldn’t help but show off. Needless to say, this topic means a lot to me, especially being a college football player myself. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to dig deeper into a topic that has lingered in our country for years. The issues that pertain to gambling on college athletics have a vast range of opinions that stem from the questions; should gambling on college athletics be legal? What are the effects it has on the college athletes? Some argue that it will be detrimental to the game and some argue it has little to no effect, however most land somewhere in the middle. A common justification against gambling brings up the numerous scandals of players taking illegal benefits or point shaving and in extreme cases these events leading to jail or death. This side also argues that it allows players to get mixed up with the wrong crowd and put themselves in danger. Arguments for gambling site the economic reach it has in our country and the illegality will shrink the economy as well as not protect the players any more. Many people on this side think it will not be stopped so if gambling on college sports is illegalized, then every form of it will be illegal causing more trouble. My goal is to reveal those opinions and create a more complex understanding from various viewpoints, and hopefully bring a small degree of clarification to others and myself. In the article, â€Å"Even at Columbia, Gambling And College Athletics Collide† found in the New York Times, Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson enlighten the readers about the gambling infractions that occurred in a Columbia University fraternity house. The authors begin by describing the situation and basic details of the gambling process. â€Å" (They) would accept bets on sporting events from dozens of other students and then phone in the wagers — typically from $40 to $200 each — to a gambling ring based in Queens and operated by people with links to organized crime† (Curry and Gershenson). They go on to unravel the situation further by stating that there were not only college athletes betting on the games, but even current and former players living in the house that was tirelessly on the phone collecting wagers. Curry and Gershenson then discuss the further investigations done by Columbia and the NCAA and the possible disciplinary action that the offenders can face. The authors then write about the numerous amounts of sports gambling incidents in the last deca.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Annotated Bibliogrophy

Unequal moving to Being Equal: Impact of â€Å"No Child Left Behind† in the Mississippi Delta. (91),. pp. 18-32. This article looks at 3 specific elementary schools tracking the achievement level index of said schools in the Mississippi Delta from 2003 to 2007. They analyzed the teachers of these schools and looked at what is needed to make the NCLB work. Upon further research of the authors they have written a plethora of scholarly articles many concerning education; furthermore, the data published in this article if very clear and informative. Although this article is based on a very small sample group it gives a look at the educator’s point of view on how to make the NBCL work better. Also the data was collected very recently. Again being that this article is a very small sample size I would conclude that it is bias toward these three specific school’s needs but they do represent a larger population of lower income schools all across America. This will not be a main source for my research but this article will be useful in that the NBCL is criticized for hurting smaller, low income school systems in which this article was written. Dee, S,Thomas. , Jacob, A,Brian. (2010). The Impact of No Child Left Behind on Students, Teachers, and Schools. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, (2),:pp. 149-207. This article studies how the NCLB act has changed accountability in our school systems with new testing. Furthermore their studies indicate that at lower grades we are finding gains but at higher grades there are little to no gains. Both Thomas and Jacob are affiliated with two major universities making this article both scholarly and relevant. With over 5 pages of graphs and other forms of research this article is broadly based and the statements made have sufficient research to back up said statements. Because of the recent data that this article provides I will use the studies as a major research in the NCLB act and testing in general. Hoikkala, T. , Rahkonen, O. , Tigerstedt, C. , Tuormaa, J. (1987) Wait a Minute, Mr Postman! -Some Critical Remarks on Neil Postman’s Childhood Theory. Acta Sociologica, (30),. 1: pp. 87-99. In this critique the authors assess Neil Postman’s views and theories on how children learn in a technologically driven society. The author’s points out in many instances were Postman contradicts himself throughout his works as time and technology changes. The leading authors of this scholarly article both hold major positions at a University levels making this critique a worthy article to cite. Written in 1987 I feel this article was written at a time in America were technology was changing from television to computers making this an interesting view on how children in America are learning and growing up in a different world than the birth of television. While the article feels bias towards Postman it still has very worthy points on education, testing in America, and how children in our society grow up with new forms of technology. This article while helping my research on the effects of the NCLB act and testing in general will not be a primary source but will provide me with a view on our society concerning this subject at the time right before computers were in every household and therefore I find it very useful. Lohmeier, L, Keri. (2009). Aligning State Standards and the Expanded Core Curriculum: Balancing the Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act. Journal of Visual Impairment Blindness, (103),. 1:pp. 44-47. This article addresses the vision impaired learning process concerning the NCLB act and how law makers can merge laws concerning the teaching the vision impaired to better work with the NCLB. Keri L. Lohmeier, Ed. D. , sits as a cochairman of National Agenda Goal 8, board of directors, Division on Visual Impairments making her more than qualified on the subject at hand. The charts and tables she sites are well organized and easy to follow giving the reader an idea why her ideas on changing the way we teach the vision impaired at a governmental level. Written in 2009 this article is recent and relevant. The subject of vision impaired education points out how major acts such as the NCLB have difficulty in helping all of our students and although this article will not be a major part of my research on testing the fact stated above proves how general testing has major problems reaching all students. Mayers, M, Camille. (2006). Public Law 107-110 No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Support or Threat to Education as a Fundamental Right?. Education, (126),. 3:pp. 449-461. The article looks at the goal of the NCLB concerning helping lower income students having the opportunity to the right of a fair education. Camille is works as an Educational Guidance and Counseling at the California State University making this article scholarly and or worth in my research for testing and NCLB. I would deem his research trustworthy as his points and statistics backing them up are up to date and relevant. His conclusion is one that I share in that the NCLB does not help lower income students as intended so I may be bias but his sources are scholarly and his arguments are not biased. If this article covered more than just lower income students I would defiantly consider this as a main source of research but unfortunately it is not. Pederson, V, Patrica. (2007). What is Measured is Treasured: The Impact of The No Child Left Behind Act On Nonassessed Subjects. Clearing House. , (80),. 1:pp. 287-291. In this article the author studies the impact that the NCLB act has played on the arts and humanities subjects in our school systems. Upon further research of Pederson she has many published scholarly articles concerning education making this article worthy or research. The tables and data shown in this article are gathered from 2001 to 2005 and are well detailed and comprehensive. As with most of my previous articles chosen for this research it is written our current times this one being 2007. The article is very clear in that it does not delve in subjects that the NCLB was intended for but how it takes away from other important subjects that law makers overlooked in the act. This article will not serve as my primary source of evaluating the NCLB act but it is very important to understand how this act effects studies in subject in which it was not intended and why law makers feel they are not as important. Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. New York: Knopf. In this book author Neil Postman analyzes technology from the viewpoint not often looked upon, the negative effects it has on society. From the mid 60’s to present day Neil Postman has been writing and teaching his views on technology making any of his works a worthy topic in this field. Technology is changing every day. Being that this book was published over 20 years ago one would infer that it is out of date but on the contrary many of his theories on the subject are still being analyzed. The author’s thoughts on testing in an educational form make this book very useful for analyzing and critiquing the NCLB. Postman, N. , Weingartner, C. (1969). Teaching as a subversive activity. New York: Delta Books. In this book the authors take a look at the problems as they seem them with the education system in America and propose solutions to this problem. As I have already stated in this bibliography Postman is more than a worthy source to analyze concerning education and testing. This book has theories and opinions stated by the authors that some may agree or disagree with but in my humble opinion it is the problems that are pointed out in this book that are most concerning especially considering that it was written in 1969 and we still have many of these problems. While the authors are very opinionated in their ideas they promote a new way of thinking about our problems with education in America. Even though this book was written in 1969 I feel the ideas and solutions to education make this book worthy of a main resource. Powell, Deborah. , Higgins, J, Heidi. , Aram, Roberta. , Freed, Andrea. (2009). Impact of No Child Left Behind Act on Curriculum and Instruction in Rural Schools. Rural Education, (30),. 1:pp. 19-28. This article examines a number of rural elementary schools concerning how the NCLB has affected their curriculum and how it will further shape what is taught in rural schools in order to help students pass tests created by said act. While the authors are unknown to myself the journal in which it is published concentrates on specific government acts concerning education. The data portrayed in this article varies from negative to positive making this source unbiased and being that this article was published in 2009 makes this data up to date and useful. While still up in the air in which role this article will play in my research the article directly delves into a topic that hits home as a future educator in a rural school system; furthermore, what and why the NCLB act changes what we teach our youth. Ross, M, S. (2009). Postman, Media Ecology, and Education: From Teaching as a Subversive Activity through Amusing Ourselves to Death to Technopoly. The Review of Communication, (9),. 2: pp. 146-156 The purpose of this review of three of Neil Postman’s major works concerning Education is to point out Postman and his sometimes co-author Weingartner’s theories, concerns and solutions to education and teaching. Susan Ross, an educator herself, writes this review while providing examples of how these books helped shape her career as an educator. Susan is an assistant professor and the Gulf Coast Speaking Center Director in the Speech Communication Department at the University of Southern Mississippi therefore giving her readers a valuable view at the subject at hand. This article was published in 2009 making it relevant to today’s standards. While this will not be my primary research on Neil Postman and his impact on education concerning The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the use of conventional testing Ross does delve into Postman’s ideas and concerns on testing and furthermore the article was written during the era of the NCLB. Tavakolian, Hamid. , Howell, Nancy. (2012). The Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act. Franklin Business and Law Journal, (1),:pp. 70-77. This article is a direct look at the NCLB and its impact on the graduation rates of the American school system and how that in turn relates to young adults enrolling into a higher learning institution. The authors are concerned with how the NCLB impact on today’s demanding job market and whether or not our education system promotes an environment where children can compete in said market. The leading author is a Professor of Management at California State, Fullerton making this work a scholarly. I find this article to be of worth because the overall objective of education should giving our youth the best opportunity possible at competing in the job market. Published this year, this article gives a very fresh look at the NCLB act and its impact on our educational institutions. Because of the articles specific purpose this will be a major resource in which I will use in writing about the NCLB act. Annotated Bibliogrophy Unequal moving to Being Equal: Impact of â€Å"No Child Left Behind† in the Mississippi Delta. (91),. pp. 18-32. This article looks at 3 specific elementary schools tracking the achievement level index of said schools in the Mississippi Delta from 2003 to 2007. They analyzed the teachers of these schools and looked at what is needed to make the NCLB work. Upon further research of the authors they have written a plethora of scholarly articles many concerning education; furthermore, the data published in this article if very clear and informative. Although this article is based on a very small sample group it gives a look at the educator’s point of view on how to make the NBCL work better. Also the data was collected very recently. Again being that this article is a very small sample size I would conclude that it is bias toward these three specific school’s needs but they do represent a larger population of lower income schools all across America. This will not be a main source for my research but this article will be useful in that the NBCL is criticized for hurting smaller, low income school systems in which this article was written. Dee, S,Thomas. , Jacob, A,Brian. (2010). The Impact of No Child Left Behind on Students, Teachers, and Schools. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, (2),:pp. 149-207. This article studies how the NCLB act has changed accountability in our school systems with new testing. Furthermore their studies indicate that at lower grades we are finding gains but at higher grades there are little to no gains. Both Thomas and Jacob are affiliated with two major universities making this article both scholarly and relevant. With over 5 pages of graphs and other forms of research this article is broadly based and the statements made have sufficient research to back up said statements. Because of the recent data that this article provides I will use the studies as a major research in the NCLB act and testing in general. Hoikkala, T. , Rahkonen, O. , Tigerstedt, C. , Tuormaa, J. (1987) Wait a Minute, Mr Postman! -Some Critical Remarks on Neil Postman’s Childhood Theory. Acta Sociologica, (30),. 1: pp. 87-99. In this critique the authors assess Neil Postman’s views and theories on how children learn in a technologically driven society. The author’s points out in many instances were Postman contradicts himself throughout his works as time and technology changes. The leading authors of this scholarly article both hold major positions at a University levels making this critique a worthy article to cite. Written in 1987 I feel this article was written at a time in America were technology was changing from television to computers making this an interesting view on how children in America are learning and growing up in a different world than the birth of television. While the article feels bias towards Postman it still has very worthy points on education, testing in America, and how children in our society grow up with new forms of technology. This article while helping my research on the effects of the NCLB act and testing in general will not be a primary source but will provide me with a view on our society concerning this subject at the time right before computers were in every household and therefore I find it very useful. Lohmeier, L, Keri. (2009). Aligning State Standards and the Expanded Core Curriculum: Balancing the Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act. Journal of Visual Impairment Blindness, (103),. 1:pp. 44-47. This article addresses the vision impaired learning process concerning the NCLB act and how law makers can merge laws concerning the teaching the vision impaired to better work with the NCLB. Keri L. Lohmeier, Ed. D. , sits as a cochairman of National Agenda Goal 8, board of directors, Division on Visual Impairments making her more than qualified on the subject at hand. The charts and tables she sites are well organized and easy to follow giving the reader an idea why her ideas on changing the way we teach the vision impaired at a governmental level. Written in 2009 this article is recent and relevant. The subject of vision impaired education points out how major acts such as the NCLB have difficulty in helping all of our students and although this article will not be a major part of my research on testing the fact stated above proves how general testing has major problems reaching all students. Mayers, M, Camille. (2006). Public Law 107-110 No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Support or Threat to Education as a Fundamental Right?. Education, (126),. 3:pp. 449-461. The article looks at the goal of the NCLB concerning helping lower income students having the opportunity to the right of a fair education. Camille is works as an Educational Guidance and Counseling at the California State University making this article scholarly and or worth in my research for testing and NCLB. I would deem his research trustworthy as his points and statistics backing them up are up to date and relevant. His conclusion is one that I share in that the NCLB does not help lower income students as intended so I may be bias but his sources are scholarly and his arguments are not biased. If this article covered more than just lower income students I would defiantly consider this as a main source of research but unfortunately it is not. Pederson, V, Patrica. (2007). What is Measured is Treasured: The Impact of The No Child Left Behind Act On Nonassessed Subjects. Clearing House. , (80),. 1:pp. 287-291. In this article the author studies the impact that the NCLB act has played on the arts and humanities subjects in our school systems. Upon further research of Pederson she has many published scholarly articles concerning education making this article worthy or research. The tables and data shown in this article are gathered from 2001 to 2005 and are well detailed and comprehensive. As with most of my previous articles chosen for this research it is written our current times this one being 2007. The article is very clear in that it does not delve in subjects that the NCLB was intended for but how it takes away from other important subjects that law makers overlooked in the act. This article will not serve as my primary source of evaluating the NCLB act but it is very important to understand how this act effects studies in subject in which it was not intended and why law makers feel they are not as important. Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. New York: Knopf. In this book author Neil Postman analyzes technology from the viewpoint not often looked upon, the negative effects it has on society. From the mid 60’s to present day Neil Postman has been writing and teaching his views on technology making any of his works a worthy topic in this field. Technology is changing every day. Being that this book was published over 20 years ago one would infer that it is out of date but on the contrary many of his theories on the subject are still being analyzed. The author’s thoughts on testing in an educational form make this book very useful for analyzing and critiquing the NCLB. Postman, N. , Weingartner, C. (1969). Teaching as a subversive activity. New York: Delta Books. In this book the authors take a look at the problems as they seem them with the education system in America and propose solutions to this problem. As I have already stated in this bibliography Postman is more than a worthy source to analyze concerning education and testing. This book has theories and opinions stated by the authors that some may agree or disagree with but in my humble opinion it is the problems that are pointed out in this book that are most concerning especially considering that it was written in 1969 and we still have many of these problems. While the authors are very opinionated in their ideas they promote a new way of thinking about our problems with education in America. Even though this book was written in 1969 I feel the ideas and solutions to education make this book worthy of a main resource. Powell, Deborah. , Higgins, J, Heidi. , Aram, Roberta. , Freed, Andrea. (2009). Impact of No Child Left Behind Act on Curriculum and Instruction in Rural Schools. Rural Education, (30),. 1:pp. 19-28. This article examines a number of rural elementary schools concerning how the NCLB has affected their curriculum and how it will further shape what is taught in rural schools in order to help students pass tests created by said act. While the authors are unknown to myself the journal in which it is published concentrates on specific government acts concerning education. The data portrayed in this article varies from negative to positive making this source unbiased and being that this article was published in 2009 makes this data up to date and useful. While still up in the air in which role this article will play in my research the article directly delves into a topic that hits home as a future educator in a rural school system; furthermore, what and why the NCLB act changes what we teach our youth. Ross, M, S. (2009). Postman, Media Ecology, and Education: From Teaching as a Subversive Activity through Amusing Ourselves to Death to Technopoly. The Review of Communication, (9),. 2: pp. 146-156 The purpose of this review of three of Neil Postman’s major works concerning Education is to point out Postman and his sometimes co-author Weingartner’s theories, concerns and solutions to education and teaching. Susan Ross, an educator herself, writes this review while providing examples of how these books helped shape her career as an educator. Susan is an assistant professor and the Gulf Coast Speaking Center Director in the Speech Communication Department at the University of Southern Mississippi therefore giving her readers a valuable view at the subject at hand. This article was published in 2009 making it relevant to today’s standards. While this will not be my primary research on Neil Postman and his impact on education concerning The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the use of conventional testing Ross does delve into Postman’s ideas and concerns on testing and furthermore the article was written during the era of the NCLB. Tavakolian, Hamid. , Howell, Nancy. (2012). The Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act. Franklin Business and Law Journal, (1),:pp. 70-77. This article is a direct look at the NCLB and its impact on the graduation rates of the American school system and how that in turn relates to young adults enrolling into a higher learning institution. The authors are concerned with how the NCLB impact on today’s demanding job market and whether or not our education system promotes an environment where children can compete in said market. The leading author is a Professor of Management at California State, Fullerton making this work a scholarly. I find this article to be of worth because the overall objective of education should giving our youth the best opportunity possible at competing in the job market. Published this year, this article gives a very fresh look at the NCLB act and its impact on our educational institutions. Because of the articles specific purpose this will be a major resource in which I will use in writing about the NCLB act.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Health of Family Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Health of Family Business - Essay Example The organisation with the assistance of quality and homemade ingredients is facilitated in providing fresh products, which have assisted in performing business operations in a financially stabilised manner. The marketing activities have also aided the organisation in creating better awareness amid customers in the market segments. However, certain limitations are identified in the area of financial operations, investment procurement and management structure. In this regard, recommendations are made which include online business operations, external investments and developing business relationship with external business consultants in order to ensure that business operations are conducted sustainably. Subsequently, it can be stated that the business operations of the organisation are performed moderately in the market segment of the UK. Family business is a kind of business domain which is conducted based on the prevailing ethos of a family. Family business is recognised as an importa nt backbone responsible for the development of an economy. The concept of family business has assisted in generating wealth along with job opportunities in a community. A business is identified to be a family business if an individual, who has developed the firm, possesses the majority of the rights in making decisions. Additionally, in circumstances when the business operations are managed by family members, it is recognised as a family business correspondingly, a very close family friend operates .

Lower Division Capstone Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Lower Division Capstone - Assignment Example the employees, a company is able to sustain and to compete in the competitive markets by introducing new innovative products and services in the market (Tutar, Altinoz, & Cakiroglu, 2011). Penetration pricing in marketing context is considered as a strategic measure through which the company can fix their products or services price to be relatively lower than the existing market price. It can facilitate to draw customers at the initial phase of a product launch due to lower price of the product. Penetration pricing can be defined as the measure implemented by the company while launching new products in the markets in order to attract customers. This measure can help the company to increase customers’ demand and loyalty for their products and services (Holden & Nagle, 1998). Contextually, in accordance with globalization, the business markets on a global basis have become competitive where a company needs to implement new innovative ideas into their operational process in order to sustain in the market with continued growth. In relation to this context DHL, a logistic company has incorporated the process of employee empowerment culture in Nigeria in order to sustain and to compete with its rivals in the market. In this process, DHL’s HRM considered two measures which included hall session and suggestion box for all the employees in order to engage them in the operational process (Myers Leadership, 2012). In relation to penetrating pricing, Microsoft implemented the pricing strategy into their business process in order to compete with the rivals through increasing customer demand for their products and services. With the help of this strategy, Microsoft has lowered its communication suits product prices in the market in order to attract customers and to increase their product demand (Perez, 2012). DHL’s considered measures followed under the culture of employee empowerment are hall session in which all the employees are gathered inside a hall and the HR

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Write an annotation entry consisting of a Citation, a brief Summary, Essay - 8

Write an annotation entry consisting of a Citation, a brief Summary, and a short paragraph Evaluation of the text below - Essay Example sident Obama acknowledged the fact that there is no need to have the Ferguson’s report to establish the truth that racial discrimination still exist in the current generation. Nia-Malika views that part of the speech as a way by which the president is making a call that people need to be cowards but focus on the past and not just the events of Ferguson to justify the existence of racial discrimination. Gwen reflects on the recent statement by the attorney general at the same event and asks if that is a responsibility or a burden to the first black president. In giving her response, Amy says that it is both a burden as well as a responsibility but admits that the speech by the president sought to offer hope and the realization not all is lost in the quest for a generation of impartial racial treatment. She admits that inequality still exist in the America society and it is closely tied to education and income. Gwen proceeds on another part of the speech in which the president directed his statements on close to 100 members of the Congress in the wake of their call to renew the voting rights Act. The president acknowledged the fact that the voting rights Act was one of the greatest achievement of American democracy which was as a result of the efforts by both the Republicans and the Democrats. The act was signed by various former presidents such as Reagan and Bush while they were in the Oval Office. Henderson argues that the statement has a lot of impact among the Republicans whom she considers to be a bit different from those of the past hence they are likely to show a different view of the Act. Amy considers the Act to be partially partisan in relation to geographical distribution of the various races in the Unites States. On the part of Hillary Clinton using her personal emails for official duties, Amy comments that she has to stand out on her own to defend herself without expecting the help of anyone. The interview by Gwen is very useful as it offers a deeper

Friday, July 26, 2019

Brazos Co-Mark Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brazos Co-Mark - Case Study Example in proving to the potential lenders that the CoMark deal has been carefully evaluated and will be able to generate the money needed to offset the loan given. As a result of the tough economic times brought about by the economic recession of 2008, apart from lenders being more careful the corporate bond market is also not as attractive since investors are very careful with their dollars. Sellers on the other hand as in the case of the founders of CoMark are very hesitant as they expect continued recovery and as such would take their time before committing to transactions. As the economy continues to recover however, the investment environment should become favourable going forward and as such the investment in CoMark will yield returns. The fallen oil prices should also mean a friendlier investment environment. So as to guarantee return on the investment in the CoMark deal as well as assure lenders and potential investors of value due diligence must be taken in every aspect. The first area of due diligence is the company’s profile and its industry. CoMark is strategic in the sense that unlike peers in the industry, it is completely integrated with own production and sales forces. As such the company is easy leverage upon. Firstly it can control prices and also effectively management investment with sales persons involved from the production to the final point where the product is sold. CoMark’s marketing strategy of selling to the end users, majority of whom are government agencies, educational institutions and the private sector is differentiated. As such on this end therefore the company is capable of withstanding recession thus will prefer to go ahead with the investment. Second is the management aspect, CoMark is a family owned business which fits well in the strategy of Brazos. It is well managed and has unique business model in the entire industry hence will approve the deal. The other area of due diligence is the company’s cash flow; CoMark strategy

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Apply knowledge gained pertaining healthcare services in the US, users Coursework

Apply knowledge gained pertaining healthcare services in the US, users of health information, information systems, and their use - Coursework Example While the duration of the patient stay continues to shorten therapies that were traditionally completed in the acute care setting are performed at home (Advanced care Inc, 2012). Finishing a course of intravenous antibiotic therapy used to be a rational for hospitalizing patients and this is not the case anymore. As long as the patient is steady, a peripherally inserted central venous catheter is placed and the patient is sent home with the catheter. Arrangements for the client are also made for them to get and complete a therapy at home. As both a licensed and a joint accredited infusion pharmacy, Advanced Care Inc makes the patient comfortable and safe at home. Advanced care Inc understands its requirement for exceptional healthcare. It pays great detail and excellent care as the home infusion specialists. This is a company owned by nurses and this makes its concentrate on the patient’s wellbeing. The company also commits itself to advanced patient care by offering both nurs ing and pharmacy services. The company’s main objective is to put the needs of the patients first and not profits. With the company’s experienced pharmacy staff and nursing staff, it continues to develop to meet the needs of insurance companies, physicians, hospital discharge personnel and individual patients. Infusion therapy involves the administration of medication through a needle or catheter. It is prescribed when a patient’s condition is so severe that it cannot be treated effectively by oral medications. Typically, â€Å"infusion therapy† means that a drug is administered intravenously, but the term also may refer to situations where drugs are provided through other non-oral routes, such as intramuscular injections and epidural routes (into the membranes surrounding the spinal cord). Diseases commonly requiring infusion therapy include infections that are unresponsive to oral antibiotics, cancer and cancer-related pain, dehydration, gastrointestina l diseases or disorders which prevent normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system, and more (Advanced care Inc, 2012). Other conditions treated with specialty infusion therapies may include cancers, congestive heart failure, Crohn’s Disease, hemophilia, immune deficiencies, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. Home Infusion Therapy Until the 1980s, patients who used to get infusion therapy had stay in the setting of inpatient for the period when they got the therapy. Amplified importance on cost-containment in healthcare plus expansion in the administration of clinical therapy, led to approaches of administering infusion therapy in alternate settings. For individuals who need long-term therapy, in patient care is not just extremely costly, but also averts the individual from recommencing normal work activities and lifestyles. Home infusion has been confirmed to be efficient and safe to inpatient care for a number of therapies and diseases. For most patien ts, getting treated at home or outpatient infusion group setting is appropriate for the care of inpatient. A number of providers of therapies of home infusion work on more than one ambulatory infusion suites that are preferably meant for some situations of patient therapy. A provider of infusion therapy is usually a closed door pharmacy that provides infusion therapies at the comfort of the home. Demographic Information Patients of all ages and races visit the hospital on a regular basis. These patients include patients aged between 13 years up to 30 years. Patients aged 30

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

A study on strategic management as a determinant of organization Dissertation

A study on strategic management as a determinant of organization performance.(casestudy of coca cola plc) - Dissertation Example This is where business strategies or strategic management is required. This report, thus, aims to identify strategic management as a key determinant of organizational performance. The main objective of this research is to understand the importance of the strategic management in a business, so that organizations can utilize them for improving the efficiency of the business, as well of its employees. The report gives a literature review on the topic and also explains the rationale of the study. It discusses the studies and opinions of many analysts, who have clearly mentioned in their views the connection of the use of business strategies and high performance work. The research is believed to provide crucial knowledge on the impacts of strategic management as a factor for organizational performance. Interpretive research methodology has been used in the data collection and analysis. The research approach has been qualitative, where the literature review has been used, and case study me thod has been applied. A case study on the Coca Cola Company in Nigeria has been used for the research purpose, which has helped to answer the research questions. Apart from this, interviews have also been conducted, the records of which have been collected and analyzed. During the entire research program, all the ethical issues have been taken care of, and the purpose and procedures of the study have been clearly declared. The dissertation explains all the procedures applied for data collection, the results that have been obtained, and a clear analysis based on the examinations has been provided. Based on the analysis, a view has been provided on the importance of strategic management in business organizations and its role in determining the organizational performance. Acknowledgements Table of Contents Serial no. Topic Page no. Introduction 7 Limitation of the Study 10 The Research in Detail 11 1 Introduction, Aims & objectives 11 1.1 Introduction 11 1.2 Aims 12 1.3 Objectives 12 2 Literature Review 13 3 Research Methodology 23 4 Findings 28 5 Discussions 41 6 Conclusion 44 7 Recommendation 47 References 51 List of Figures Figure no. Topic Page no. 1 Response to Q.1 29 2 Response to Q.1 29 3 Response to Q.6 33 4 Response to Q.6 34 5 Response to Q.8 36 6 Response to Q.8 36 List of Appendices Serial no. Topic Page no. Appendix A Questionnaire 48 Introduction Different types of managers are present in an organization having different skills and capabilities. It is essential to make these skills work simultaneously to deal with various strategic tensions that an organization encounters (Joyce & Woods, 2001, p.3). A strategy is a cohesive and harmonized set of obligations and actions planned to develop core competencies and achieve competitive advantage (Sadler & Craig, 2003, pp.9-13). Strategic effectiveness is achieved when a firm successfully puts together and applies a value-creating approach. While choosing a strategy firms make choices among viable alternat ives. Such alternative courses of actions are accomplished using the strategic management process. A strategic management process is a full set of commitments, evaluations, and measures essential for a firm to achieve premeditated competitiveness and earn more than average returns (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisso, 2009, pp.4-6). It was as early as 1916 when Henry Fayol had suggested that planning should be used as a practice to

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Plato or dubois Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plato or dubois - Essay Example Between the fire and those who are shackle that is behind their backs there runs a walkway at a certain height. Imagine that a low wall has been built the length of the walkway, like the low curtain that puppeteers put up, over which they show their puppets. The images carried before the fire (Griffith, 2003). So now imagine that all along this low wall people are carrying all sorts of things that reach up higher than the wall: statues and other carvings made of stone or wood and many other artifacts that people have made. As you would expect, some are talking to each other as they walk along and some are silent (Griffith, 2003). This clearly opens up to us that these prisoners are viewing shadows of the objects and that what’s they believe in not the really objects. Latter on one of the prisoners is released and what he encounters is the fire whose light hurts his eyes, the same happens when he is dragged out of the cave the sun’s rays do only intensify his pain. This indicates change of environment. He still doesn’t believe in what he sees but with time he adapts and this is a result of gradual interaction with the new environment that he was introduced. He comes to the realisation that all that what he has been seeing during his stay in the cave were mere shadows and the echoes didn’t necessary signify the projection of what the passing shadows were engaging in; actions such as footsteps and the conversations they held as they passed by. Finally the prisoner has come to this realization that the reality is based on frequent and deep exposure to the environment. According to the Allegory of the Cave by Plato this freed man should go back to the cave and shade light that they truly lack; those prisoned in the cave. In today’s life the Allegory of the Cave actually is a true reflection of man’s life, and the way he does carry out himself out in his daily activities. We are very stubborn and don’t want to let in the reality, we do claim that we

Psychosocial stage of development Essay Example for Free

Psychosocial stage of development Essay According to Erickson’s psychosocial stage of development my age lies under the fourth stage i. e. industry versus inferiority. This stage starts from age 6 to 12 and in this stage a child is shifting from dependent circumstances to more independent circumstances. Like in this stage he becomes more desired to achieve something or to finish his tasks completely. He came out of that age of fantasy and became more responsible because after entering this stage a child starts learning new things, he knows if he’ll do well in school he’ll b admired by his parents as well as other people. If a child experiences the fulfillment of his achievements basically anything positive or constructive will easily be through by this crisis stage. On other hand he also knows that if he’ll b failed to complete his task then he will face criticism from family and others as well. If a child faces failure at his school responsibilities or even worse than that he is ignored and no one wishes to accept or develop his capabilities and strengths or not given a chance to discover their potentials then it’s quite obvious that a child would feel inferior or low and inadequate to do anything (Myers, 2009). Psychosocial Stage of Development Influences Behavior and Relationships: As per Erickson’s psychosocial stage of development my behavior and relationships are very much influenced by this theory of Erickson. Influences which can be seen according to Erickson’s psychosocial stage development on me were like when i start going to school at the age of three i have no idea that what will the situations i will be going through. My mind was not big enough to understand these things but as i got into junior high school i came across certain things which I have to handle by myself whether good or bad. Next thing was my relationship to my peers or companions which is based on some rules like if I am going to play some game like baseball i need a team to play with. This shows that I have developed a strong relationship through teamwork (Myers, 2009). Than if looking to my studies I have a certain group that studies along with me, if we have a homework given we do it regularly by which my behavior patterns got controlled and i get disciplined every year after. I went through all these things and finally i got hold on how to handle psychosocial crisis because having good relationship with your peer group and develop a good behavior can lead any person to the path of success. And if one person has made good decision at this level then he can easily be cautious about taking decisions on next levels or can say that he’ll easily be industrious (Cash, 2002). Positive Influence of Psychosocial Stage of Development: Positive influences which come out of my psychosocial stage development were that i have strong bond made between me and my peer group because we use to play and study and study together. By doing this we came across many victories which made us proud and give a sense of satisfaction that we can do something that can be appreciated by our families and other people as well. As this is the middle age in which a child wants to do things by his will without interfering of others. At my academic level things have been very positive for me as there is full support of my parents by which i have developed certain skill at my own. Like if you talk about behaviour i have made a timetable and put things which are suitable for me to do at certain time frame. My behaviour towards my studies would also be considered positive because i got support from my parents and also from my teachers which helped me in many ways(Cash,2002). Negative Influence of Psychosocial Stage of Development: Talking about negative influence of my psychosocial stage of development there are certain things which made me feel inferior when i was in the middle childhood stage were that when in school teacher used to say that you have to finish your lunch even if I am not that much hungry which made me feels awful many times. Regarding this food stuff which at my home also has been an issue for me was that in that middle childhood stage i use to see my mom cooking different cuisines for our family. Sometimes i also feel like to cook something for my family but my mother always use to lower my enthusiasm by telling me that I am too small to cook. This have been left a very negative impact on me and that’s why i still don’t know how to cook food properly because somewhere in my mind I have this complex that if I will cook something it would not be worth it(Cash,2002). Other Developmental Issues Influenced My Personality: Other development issues influenced my personality in such a way that when i was born i. e. when I am in the stage of trust versus mistrust, although i was too small to know that what happened with me at that time but looking to myself i can say that my family or my parents have taken very good care of me, because i don’t see any many negative points in my personality and it’s all because of my parents. The example of trust can be given that how much I am close to my parents. Next stage would be autonomy versus shame and doubt in which a child develops a sense of being a separate human being and wants attention that everyone knows him individually. Regarding this stage there are some negative aspects of my personality that after reaching to an age of three i still was not able to go to toilet by myself because i was not properly trained. So at that time this bring me shame that kids of my age are toilet trained but I am not. But on the other hand i was very much trained to do mess while I am having my food which helps me a lot handle spoon in my hand on my own. After that another stage come which is initiative versus guilt in which a child starts taking decision of his own that whether he wants to eat or not or what things he should do. This is the age which is also known as play age, when a child starts going to pre-school or nursery. In this age a child wants to start doing things on its own or wants to take risks. Like in this stage a child starts going to school and there he learns different things and skills. Like I have said my academic time has helped me a lot to develop my personality (Cash, 2002). If I have to experiment something which help me further then my teacher encourages me to excel my abilities and this helped me a lot in taking decisions in my afterlife. Regarding the stage which I have picked i. e. industry versus inferiority these above developments have influenced my personality till my middle childhood stage (Cash, 2002). Conclusion: If i have to say that how much influenced erickson’s psychosocial stage of development has made then to me its 90% correct that whatever he gives the theory can help people to understand their children if they are facing difficulties regarding their mood, behavior or actions. Through his theory people should know that a child cannot be treated forcefully he should get full time to develop himself. It’s been seen that people who went through the crisis of their early adulthood and resolved them successfully, they who are also successful in their adolescence. REFERENCES Myers, D. G. (2009). Psychology. Worth Publishers Cash, A. (2002). Psychology for Dummies. Hungry Minds Books

Monday, July 22, 2019

Culture and Formation of Culture Essay Example for Free

Culture and Formation of Culture Essay The word culture can be referred to the behavior of the human beings specifically with the objects, things and commodities around them and these objects are used as an essential part of this behavior. In this sense it is only the ability of the mankind to create a culture. And culture itself will include all the norms and behaviors of human beings like language, customs, beliefs, religions, tool, techniques, arts, rituals, ceremonies and common practice of every day life. There are numerous definitions of culture and every anthropologist has a different view about it. Some has defined culture as â€Å"learned behavior† or â€Å"ideas in mind† or â€Å"a logical construct†, but the most favored definition is that culture is â€Å"the abstraction from behavior† (Culture). Certeau (xi) states that Culture is the combination of every day practices of the societies. But instead of making the unit force an individual he has taken a more economist perspective and regarded them as â€Å"consumers† (Certeau, xi). While John Fiske produced a two economic theory and regards culture as a parallel economy against the financial economy and has named it as â€Å"cultural economy† (Fiske, 538). As every economy has a capital the cultural economy’s capital consists of pleasure and meanings (Fiske, 541). Frederick Engels while speaking in the context of history defines culture as â€Å"traditions, which haunt human minds† (Engels, 10). Speaking conclusively culture is not only behavior neither an action, but it is the combination of abstraction and behavior or a behavior explicating a concept. Formation of Culture: According the theory of evolution, the advancement of the human behavior from natural to learned and freely variable behavior, the particulars of which have the tendency to be transferred to the next generation and has the ability to evolve into a system of things. Thus culture is a man made environment brought into existence by the human ability to symbol. When a culture is established then it has a life of its own. It is a range of things and events in a cause and effect relationship (Culture). Different theorists have argued about the formation of culture in their own specific way and style. According to Bourdieu â€Å"cultural needs are the product of upbringing and education† (Bourdieu, 42). He initially states that the production of cultural goods as well as the description of different ways of appropriating these goods as work of arts as well as providing social conditions, which are considered legitimate (Bourdieu, 42). He further emphasis that all social practices, which are the core of any culture, are traced back to education or social origin (Bourdieu, 42). On the other hand Fiske says that culture is the opposite force developed in response to the producers of consumer goods. He states that culture is the parellel economic system, which runs in response to the financial economic system. According to him it’s capital is meanings and pleasure (Fiske, 538). This is a more economic perspective of rather than the anthropological perspective. Theodor Adorno while discussing the evolution of popular music culture states that the popular music culture and its hold on the masses is because of the urge to distract the individuals from the current realities to the world of fantasy, and popular music has the ability to distract the listener from it (Adorno, 80,81). Thus according to him a culture evolves as a reaction of the current cultural norms. That is the main reason that the popular culture did not evolved before the industrial revolution. Social Relations: Social relations are the behaviors of different social groups related to and in response of each other. Thus speaking about the ruling class, which is also regarded as the elite class or aristocracy is the social group, which has the means of production at its disposal Thus the ruling ideas and concepts are the expressions of dominant material relationships (Marx Engels, 8). According to Marx and Engels the historically speaking the relationship of the individual and the ruling class are reflected by the dominance of ideas and concepts during the dominance of that ruling class. For instance during the dominion of the aristocracy the concepts of loyalty and honor were dominant, while during the dominion of the bourgeoisie the concepts of equality and freedom were dominant (Marx and Engels, 8). The relation between the ruling class and the lower class has two ways. Either it leads or it dominates. The first relation is with its allies while the second is with its enemies (Gramsci, 12) Thus the social relations between the aristocracy has two conditions. If the aristocracy has friendly terms with the lower class, the lower class will follow accordingly under its leadership. But if the lower class does not consent the way the ruling class leads it will refuse to follow. As a result the ruling class will try to dominate the lower class in order to maintain its status. Marx has regarded the aristocracy as the material forces of production, which sometimes come into conflict with the property relations that is the lower class and results in the social revolution (Marx, 9). Engels says that the economic political and traditional i. e cultural factors are interrelated and they in combination play the determined role in the formation of history. Thus history is the product of the combine efforts of the economical, political and demographical factors. Thus one can very easily find the social relation between the economy, politics and cultural norms. Works Cited Adorno, Theodor W. â€Å"On Popular Music† Studies in Philosophy and Social Sciences. 1941. Bourdieu, Pierre. â€Å"Distinction and The Aristocracy of Culture†. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. 1984, Routledge, London. Certeau, Michel de. â€Å"The Practice of Every Day Life† 1984, Berkley University California Press. â€Å"Culture. † Encyclop? dia Britannica. 2007. Encyclop? dia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD 8 May, 2007. Fiske, John. â€Å"The Popular Economy† Television Culture. 1987, Routledge, London. Gramsci, Antonio. â€Å"Hegomony, Intellectuals and the State† Princeton Notebooks, Lawrence Wishart, London. Marx, Karl. â€Å"Base Superstructure† A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy. 1976, Foreign Languages Press, Peking. Marx, Karl Engels, Federick. â€Å"Ruling Class and Ruling Ideas† The German Ideology. 1970, Lawrence Wishart, London. Marx, Karl Engels. â€Å"A Letter to Joseph Bloch† Selected Letters. 1977, Foreign Languages Press, Peking.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Christmas and Chinese New Year Festival | Comparison

Christmas and Chinese New Year Festival | Comparison After researching both Christmas and the Chinese New Year Festival, interesting similarities between the two unique celebrations came into fruition. For instance, both contain traditional meals, presents, feasts, decorations, songs, poems, God(s), folk lore, and are family oriented occasions. When discovering similarities, there were also perceptible differences between the two, such as the time of year, and the significance of the occasion within their respective cultures. This paper will be showcasing both Christmas, and the Chinese New Year Festival in terms of their origins, as well as the similarities and differences they both share. Christmas is a religious celebratory holiday, which embraces the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas Eve takes place on December 24th, the day before Jesus Christ is born. This is the day where family members gather for a festive meal, which in North America, usually consists of a large turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, gravy and wine. It is significant to know that different cultures may eat different meals. According to Wikipedia.org, â€Å"In Poland, traditional Christmas Eve meals include one or more of the following foods: Golabki filled with Kasza, Pierogi, Borscht, fish soup, carp, and pickled Herring. Krupnik is sometimes drunk after dinner,†[1] and â€Å"In the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria, a coin is concealed in a bread loaf and the host breaks a piece of the loaf at the dinner table for each member of the household: it is believed that the one who gets the piece of bread with the coin will be fortunate in the forthcoming year. The dinner is accordin g to the rules of fasting: fish, baked beans, sauerkraut, walnuts and red wine are common. The dessert may consist of apples and dried fruits: plums, dates, figs. The table is usually not cleared after the dinner and until the next morning, to leave some food for the holly spirits a custom which probably comes from pagan pre-Christian times.†[2] Also, there are many families whom may attend mass or choose to â€Å"divine fast†[3]on this day, as a means to celebrate on the night before Jesus birth. It is important to know that non-religious individuals may also celebrate Christmas as well, whom primarily focus on the family, feasting, and gift giving aspect of Christmas. Some may view Santa Claus, a mythological figure, to be more important than Jesus Christ. Santa Claus is known for travelling across the world on December 24th, from the North Pole, delivering presents to the â€Å"nice† children, while the â€Å"naughty† children receive a lump of coal. H ence, Santas list for delivering gifts to children is called the â€Å"naughty or nice list.† Santa Clause originates from â€Å"St. Nicholas, whom tried to help others while inspiring his virtues. Legends of his unselfish giving spread all over Northern Europe, and accounts of his heroic deeds blended with regional folklore. Eventually, the image of the stately saint was transformed onto an almost mystical being, one known for rewarding the good and punishing the bad.†[4] How Santa Clauss name came to be in North America was due to Dutch immigrants whom â€Å"presented Sinterklaas (meaning St. Nicholas) to the colonies. In their excitement, many English-speaking children uttered the name so quickly that Sinterklaas sounded like Santy Claus. After years of mispronunciation, the name evolved into Santa Claus.†[5] December 25th is the day where Jesus Christ, known to many Christians as their savior, is born. This is the day where a few individuals will put up nume rous decorations, although many will decorate in advance. Examples of decorations used for Christmas are; miniature size nativity scene figures, stockings, wreaths, ornaments, candles, mistletoes, garlands, poinsettias, Christmas lights and most importantly, the Christmas tree. â€Å"The origin of the tree is credited to Saint Boniface (circa 722) who stopped a child from becoming a human sacrifice to a pagan god by striking down the oak tree destined for use as the stake. A fir tree sprang up in its place and he declared it a holy tree and instructed the faithful to carry one to their homes and surround it with love and gifts.†[6] Ultimately, the blending of numerous cultures is how Santa Claus, as well as the numerous traditions on Christmas Eve and Day, came to be. The Chinese New Year Festival is a major holiday, which has been celebrated in mainland China for many centuries, taking place on â€Å"the second New Moon after the winter solstice.†[7] It is significant to know that this festival is also celebrated in other countries by its Chinese inhabitants, while various foreigners have been known to participate in the festivities as well. During this coming year, 2010, the Chinese will be celebrating the year of the tiger, the first day being on February 14th. â€Å"According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nien (Chinese: ?;pinyin: nià ¡n). Nien would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year.†[8] The Chinese not only used food as a means to protect themselves from Nian, but they al so released firecrackers, and wore red attire. Hence, the color red is strongly used throughout the festival, such as clothing, decorations, envelopes, sweets, gifts, etc. When families come together, they will feast on meat, noodles, rice, dumplings, mandarin oranges, sweets, and so forth. Before the feast, which takes place on the Eve of Chinese New Year, red envelopes with money inside and gifts should have already been distributed amongst family members, and children. The Chinese New Year consists of fifteen days, with the majority of the days each signifying different customs and actions. For instance, â€Å"The first day of the Lunar New Year is â€Å"the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth.† Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them,†[9] â€Å"The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck,†[10] â€Å"the seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success,†[11] and on â€Å"the 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.†[12] These are just a few of the customs that the Chinese celebrate throughout their New Year Festival. â€Å"It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of â €Å"happiness†, â€Å"wealth†, and â€Å"longevity†.†[13] Decorations are usually red, consisting of pictures, greetings, and Chinese idioms. On the fifteenth and final day of the Chinese New Year Festival, the Lantern Festival takes place. During this period, numerous individuals decorate the streets with Lanterns they have lit, which are primarily red. Some people may add their own unique individuality to a lantern, by adding a song or a poem to it. The Chinese New Year Festival is a high-spirited, content time where family and friends come together in order to celebrate years of tradition, such as feasts, decorations, gifts, envelopes, mythology, fortune gods, national pride, etc. It is also an influential festival that has spread across the world, blending in with copious cultures. It is fascinating to learn that Christmas and the Chinese New Year have actual similarities, with slight variations to them. For instance, the use of flowers is strongly used in both celebrations, although the Chinese convention for flowers has a more significant meaning within their culture. A certain flower can symbolize different connotations, for instance, longevity, luck, prosperity, tranquility, health, etc. The Chinese are known for using many different flowers for the Chinese New Year Festival, such as pussy willows, plum blossoms, water lilies, bamboo, and so forth. For example, the reason for using pussy willows for the Chinese New Year is â€Å"In Cantonese, â€Å"Yin Liu† sounds like â€Å"Yin Lou† which is similar to â€Å"Yin Liang† (money). Therefore, having this plant around during Chinese New Year would represent the invitation of abundant luck and prosperity into homes.†[14] As for western cultures, when celebrating Christmas, individuals use flowers mostly as decorations. It is principal to know, that there is an origin story of how the poinsettia became the official flower for Christmas. â€Å"The poinsettia is a shrub that features green leaves combined with red, white, or pink leaves surrounding tiny yellow flowers. Used by the Aztecs as a dye and medicine, it is native to Mexico and Central America where it is known as â€Å"Flores de Noche Buena† (Flower of the Holy Night) and was used in these areas by Franciscan friars in Nativity processions as early as the 17th century.†[15] In terms of sweets and baked goods, sticky cake and Christmas cake closely resemble one another. Sticky cake, also known as Neen Gow, is a fruitcake that can be either steamed or baked. This particular cake is made in appreciation for the kitchen god. The Christmas cake started out as porridge from the English, evolving over the past couple of centuries into a fruit cake. The ingredients usually consist of eggs, flour, su gar, butter, marzipan, spices, dried fruit, spices, and whisky. â€Å"All Christmas cakes are made in advance. Many make them in November, keeping the cake upside down in an airtight container. A small amount of brandy, sherry or whisky is poured into holes in the cake every week until Christmas. This process is called â€Å"feeding† the cake.†[16]Both celebrations are also known for the process of giving and receiving gifts to friends and/or relatives. For instance, during the Chinese New Year, individuals will give gifts, which â€Å"are usually brought when visiting friends or relatives at their homes. Common gifts include fruits (typically oranges, and never pears), cakes, biscuits, chocolates, candies, or some other small gift.†[17] Christmas gifts are also distributed, and some gifts can be similar to those that are given on the Chinese New Year, but Christmas gifts usually consist from a large variety of options. For example, food, alcohol, jewelry, elect ronics, toys, household appliances, automobiles, etc. Christmas and the Chinese New Year are both important celebratory occasions, which can bring joy and anticipation amongst those whom celebrate these events. These are times when family, friends and even complete strangers, can come together in harmonious enthusiasm. Both events contain similarities, such as, folk lore, feasts, decorations, gifts, traditions, songs, poems, flowers, God(s), games, etc. Christmas, a westernized occasion, may contain different significance and symbolic meanings to those whom celebrate it rather than those whom celebrate the Chinese New Year. But, the most important thing about these two occasions, even with their differences, is they bring people together, and are both accepting towards all cultures and beliefs. Works Cited Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.wikipedia.org/chinesesnewyear Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/taboos.html Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.ci.lenoir.nc.us/index.asp?Type=B_EVSEC=%7BF083A2AC-A24E-4B3B-8944-F912226F078D%7DDE=%7B817E6FA1-42C1-4B01-8A28-F0EF2477494F%7D Retrieved November 27, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/chinese_new_year.htm (December.2, 2001)The Guide to Life, the Universe and Everything. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A665949 (February.8, 2007) Popular Chinese New Year Plants. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.nparks.gov.sg/blogs/garden_voices/index.php/2007/02/08/popular-chinese-new-year-plants/ Davis, John K. (November.10, 2009)The Origins of Traditional Holiday Plants. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://botany.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_origins_of_traditional_christmas_plants Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.nparks.gov.sg/blogs/garden_voices/index.php/2007/02/08/popular-chinese-new-year-plants/ Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://botany.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_origins_of_traditional_christmas_plants Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.northpolesantaclaus.com/santahistory.htm Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A665949 Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html Retrieved November 27, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve References Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.wikipedia.org/chinesesnewyear Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/taboos.html Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.ci.lenoir.nc.us/index.asp?Type=B_EVSEC=%7BF083A2AC-A24E-4B3B-8944-F912226F078D%7DDE=%7B817E6FA1-42C1-4B01-8A28-F0EF2477494F%7D Retrieved November 27, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/chinese_new_year.htm (December.2, 2001)The Guide to Life, the Universe and Everything. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A665949 (February.8, 2007) Popular Chinese New Year Plants. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.nparks.gov.sg/blogs/garden_voices/index.php/2007/02/08/popular-chinese-new-year-plants/ Davis, John K. (November.10, 2009)The Origins of Traditional Holiday Plants. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://botany.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_origins_of_traditional_christmas_plants Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.nparks.gov.sg/blogs/garden_voices/index.php/2007/02/08/popular-chinese-new-year-plants/ Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://botany.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_origins_of_traditional_christmas_plants Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.northpolesantaclaus.com/santahistory.htm Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A665949 Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html Retrieved November 27, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve Retrieved November 27,2009 from http://www.calendar-updates.com/info/holidays/us/christmaseve.aspx Retrieved November 27, 2009 from http://www.ornamentshop.com/history_story/part1.asp Retrieved November 27, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve Retrieved November 27, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve Retrieved November 27, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.northpolesantaclaus.com/santahistory.htm Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.northpolesantaclaus.com/santahistory.htm (December.2, 2001)The Guide to Life, the Universe and Everything. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A665949 Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.wikipedia.org/chinesesnewyear Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/taboos.html Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/taboos.html Retrieved November.28 2009 from http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/taboos.html Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/taboos.html Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.ci.lenoir.nc.us/index.asp?Type=B_EVSEC=%7BF083A2AC-A24E-4B3B-8944-F912226F078D%7DDE=%7B817E6FA1-42C1-4B01-8A28-F0EF2477494F%7D (February.8, 2007) Popular Chinese New Year Plants. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.nparks.gov.sg/blogs/garden_voices/index.php/2007/02/08/popular-chinese-new-year-plants/ Davis, John K. (November.10, 2009)The Origins of Traditional Holiday Plants. Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://botany.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_origins_of_traditional_christmas_plants Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/chinese_new_year.htm Retrieved November.28, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year Gulf of Tonkin Incident: Military Investigation Gulf of Tonkin Incident: Military Investigation Military Intelligence Organizations Military Intelligence is a division of military the purpose of which is to exploit the number of information collected and analysis techniques in order to provide guidance and directions to commanders in support of the crucial decisions made by them. They do it by performing an analysis and assessment of the available data which they gathers from wide range of sources, guiding and directing the commanders to make decisions or respond to focused questions as part of their operational campaign. The collected information is first identified and then incorporated into the process of intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination. Military Intelligence Organizations have played their role in resolving conflicts in any nation. Discusses here is the Gulf of Tonkin Incident and the role of U.S. Military Intelligence Organizations to resolve it. The incident took place on August 2 4 1964 (Kim, 1999). This was the incident that helped the America’s involvement in Vietnam War. Gulf of Tonkin Incident Overview When President Lyndon b. took over charge of the country after the death of President John F. Kennedy, he became worried about the South Vietnam’s ability to keep away the Communist Viet Cong guerillas that were actively operating at that time in the country. In order to follow the established policy of containment, the Secretary of Defense at that time Robert McNamara started to increase the military aid to South Vietnam (Trueman, 2000). Many Norwegian built fast patrol boats (PTFs) were purchased and sent to South Vietnam. These PTFs helped in conducting a series of attacks on coastal areas of South Vietnam as part of Operation 34A. 34A was originally began by Central Intelligence Agency in 1961, it was a extremely classified program of the covert operations against North Vietnam. Due to several early failed attacks, in 1964 it was transferred to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group, and the focus of it was shifted towards maritime operations. In due course of time, U.S. Navy was also instructed to conduct Desoto patrols off the North Vietnam. The Desoto Patrols consisted of the American warships cruising in international waters in order to conduct electronic surveillance operations (Shane, 2001). As a result of 34A and the Desoto Patrols, the ships offshore were made able to collect important information about the North Vietnamese Military capabilities. The First Attack On July 31, 1964 the destroyer USS Maddox conducted the Desoto Patrol off North Vietnam (Paterson, 2008). Under the operational command of Captain John J. Herrick, it steamed through the Gulf of Tonkin collecting intelligence information. This mission was accompanied by several 34A attacks including many big attacks on two islands of North Vietnam. The Government of North Vietnam decided to strike the USS Maddox and on August 2, three Soviet built P-4 Motor torpedo boats were dispatched to attack the destroyer. About twenty-eight miles cruising in international waters, the torpedo caught the USS Maddox. In the meanwhile, Herrick requested for air support from the U.S. Air Force. The request was granted and the four F-8 Crusaders were sent towards the Maddox position. Herrick also ordered to fire the three warning shots if the torpedo reaches a range of 10,000 yards of ship. These warning shots were fired and the P-4s launched their first torpedo attack. The Maddox scored fire on P-4s and was just being hit by one 14.5 millimeter machine gun bullet. Soon after fifteen minutes, the F- crusades arrived to rescue the Maddox and started hitting the targeted fires on North Vietnamese boats, damaging the two and leaving the third one dead in the waters. The attack was retreated and the Maddox returned to join its friends but the Desoto mission was continued as per orders of the commander in the Pacific. The Second Attack On August 4, the American radars, sonar and radio signals were received of another North Vietnam attacks. Taking evasive action, the U.S. Maddox fired on numerous radar signals targets. After this incident (Parados, 2004), Herrick was not sure that his ship was attacked by the North Vietnam. Reporting at 1:27 AM Washington times that due to freak weather, the radar and sonar signals did report some of the enemy ships but nothing has been visualized by the Maddox. After suggesting the complete evaluation of the affair conducted by the U.S military intelligence, Herrick radioed a request asking for a complete reconnaissance in daylight by the aircrafts. But the American aircrafts flying over the area failed to find out any North Vietnam ship. Although there were doubts about the second attack, those present on Maddox were convinced that the attack did happen. This along with the flawed signals intelligence from the National Security Agency led the forces to attack retaliatory airstrikes against North Vietnam. On August 5, the Operation Pierce Arrow saw aircrafts from USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation strike and attack about thirty North Vietnam vessels. Although the subsequent research and records prove that the second attack didn’t happen. This was also reinforced by the statements from the retired Vietnamese Defense Minister who admitted the August 2 attack but denied the second attack. After ordering the airstrikes, soon Johnson went on to address the nation on television regarding the incident. He in his address requested the passage of a resolution, which expresses the unity and determination of the United States in support of their freedom and in the hope to protect peace in the Southeast Asia (Cohen Solomon, 1994). He also argued that he didn’t want a wider war, and said that United States would continue to protect its national interests. As approved on August 6, 1964, the Southeast Asia (Gulf of Tonkin) Resolution, gave Johnson the power to use military intelligence and force in the region without requiring a declaration of war. Later on over the next few years, Johnson used this resolution to rapidly escalate the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Intelligence has fulfilled the wider ranging and very important functions in different section including security, diplomacy and statecraft (Augustin, 2009). However in past few years, the role of military intelligence in resolution of conflicts has expanded and broadened its range and now it forms the core element of conflict management policies and procedures. Ancient Greece is the first democracy in the world. It has established several institutions that served as intelligence services. Proxenia were the upper class citizens of Greece who served as top class agents. They used to collect information and even executed the assassinations if required. The Heralds collected the public and private information. Both were protected by the Law of Greece and only the Heralds used to get the rewards of bringing good news back to the nation. Greece impressive political and military achievements really lacked the true intelligence system like today. Although they didn’t have the proper intelligence system like today but still they had the intelligence cycle existed in their military endeavors. The two major requirements of intelligence services are democratic control and the effectiveness of the actions and activities (Augustin, 2009). African countries always had difficulties in managing and creating the solid intelligence systems. The territory of the Sahara Dessert is always problematic so the military intelligence related to that area is restricted. In 1997, the African countries created a security sector reform whose purpose was to try and narrow the challenges and constraints of developing a proper military intelligence system in the area. The main challenges that African countries are facing these days include the legacy of the African socialism and colonialism, autocratic military and security services and the unknown and informal activities of the military intelligence services. Gambia established the National Intelligence Agency in order to protect the regime. The unsuccessful attempts of Eisenhower and Kennedy to remove Castro from the power are considered as the failed military intelligence actions (Augustin, 2009). According to them the biggest threat to democracy is the communism. In Cuba, the America supported the Batista leading anti-communist government. After Castro being elected to power, he started quickly eliminating his enemies. And started to nationalize the economy and created knots with the USSR. His actions made it clear by 1960 that he was following the communism path for the Cuba. Eisenhower tried to remove the Castro from power by training Anti-Castro forces and sneaking them into Cuba. They began to target the Cuban sugar fields and the CIA developed an assassination program to eliminate Castro. Although such attempts were failed again and again, Kennedy tried to invade the Cuba by the Bay of Pigs operation but that was again a failure. This was all due to the strong military intelligence of Castro which saved him from all the American attacks. The Shah of Iran has a weak legitimacy and had lot of enemies (Augustin, 2009), ], so to overcome them in 1957, he formed the SAVAK, a national intelligence and security organization. The SAVAK served a tool to torture and eliminated anyone who could prove as a threat to the Shah and his dynasty. No open opposition was allowed against the institution in Iran during Shah Regime, but with the passage of time the resistance of people became worst. Khomeini got exiled to Iraq and then to France because of his increasing popularity and threat to his life. In 1977, censorship law was introduced in Iran in order to retain the Shah’s power but due to his detachment from the public, the public dismissed him and Khomeini came to power after the over throw of the Shah of Iran .In 1980 under the rule of Reagan (Augustin, 2009), The U.S. Intelligence Community realized a need for more intense intervention in Central America in order to stop the communist expansion. El Salvador’s mil itary government was the only potential barrier against the communism in the Central America. The DIA also tried to help the government of El Salvador to assist them fight against the leftist group called as FMLN. The DIA worked and operated with the direct military intelligence information sharing and between 1987 to 1989 a guerilla attack was made by the FMLN which surprised the El Salvador and the American armies. This also showed that how little the U.S support helped. Over all the defense of the El Salvador is considered as the failure in the history of the U.S. military intelligence. Intelligence is basically the sociological phenomenon that is used for the information gathering and to ensure the prevention of hostility (Augustin, 2009). It is important to differentiate between the intelligence that has been existed in any nation and the intelligence that is established as a result of state concept. Intelligence cycle, covert actions and counter intelligence are all the components necessary for decision making process. Intelligence focuses on the hostility both in democracies and non-democracies tenures. Intelligence in democratic system must have strong relations with the citizens and must work under a legal framework. The functions and scope of working of intelligence agencies must be clarified and their methods of working and sources of information must be protected. However intelligence in the non-democratic system concentrates more on internal opposition rather than external threats. So the intelligence is outside of the scope of legal framework in non-democ ratic system while intelligence in democracies should only be used to measure level of democracy in the country. In 1960, the Egyptian forces entered in Sinai which was a big surprise to Israel (Augustin, 2009). The IDF couldn’t respond in time and it lead to the result that intelligence was needed for an earlier warning of possible Egyptian attack. The methods or tools for an earlier warning were HUMINT, the SIGINT and the VISINT. The 1960 rotten affair and the 1973 Vom Kippur war failure show failure of the intelligence system and a need for strong intelligence system. References [1] Sankt Augustin (2009), Intelligence and Democracies in Conflict and Peace, retrieved from,  http://www.kas.de/israel/en/publications/18450/ [2] Tom Kim (1999), The Gulf of Tonkin Incident 1964, retrieved from,  http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/usa/GulfTonkin.html [3] Chris Trueman (2000), Gulf of Tonkin 1964, retrieved from  http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/gulf_tonkin_1964.htm [4] Scot Shane (2001), The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, retrieved from  http://911review.com/precedent/century/tonkin.html [5] Lieutenant Commander Pat Paterson, U.S. Navy (2008), The Truth about Tonkin, retrieved from  http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2008-02/truth-about-tonkin [6]  John Parados (2004), The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 40 Years later, retrieved from  http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB132/ [7] Jeff Cohen and Norman Solomon (1994), 30-Years anniversary, Tonkin Gulf Lie Launched Vietnam War, retrieved from  http://fair.org/media-beat-column/30-year-anniversary-tonkin-gulf-lie-launched-vietnam-war/