Department of Food Science Essay

According to Stable Micro Ltd. (2013), â€Å"Texture analysis is the mechanical testing of food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, adhesives and other consumer products either in compression or in tension. The TA. XTplus Texture Analyser assesses textural properties by capturing force, distance and time data at a rate of up to 500 points per second which is then displayed by fully integrated Exponent 32-bit software†. Characterization of food texture commonly falls into two main groups, based on sensory and instrumental methods of analysis. Sensory analysis includes of the senses of smell, taste, sound and touch. Evaluation of food texture by touch includes the use of fingers, as well as the lips, tongue, palate and teeth in the mouth. Strain is one of the rheological quantity associated with deformation which a measure of the relative displacement between the particles of a material. TA. XT2 texture analyser can be used to measure the strain, the change in length per unit length. The other quantity that being measured is a stress, a measure of force concentration on a material. Stress is the force per unit area that its magnitude be expressed in pascals. The variety of probes and fixtures for TA. XT2texture analyser which based on empirical principles may be classified according the type of action involved. As examples, compression, puncture and penetration, cutting and shearing, extrusion, tension, fracture and bending or snapping and adhesion. REFERENCES: Stable Micro Ltd. (2013). THE WORLD STANDARD FOR TEXTURE ANALYSIS. Stable Micro Systems. Retrieved from http://www. stablemicrosystems. com/frameset. htm? http://www. stablemicrosystems. com/taxtplus2. htm

Life’s Path Is A Maze Essay

As a writer, I feel I am going through a maze. In the beginning I realized there is more than one path to take, either it can lead me toward success or it can lead to a dead end. In my mind I know it can be easy at times, but other times when I come to a stopping point I overthink things. I feel like my choices need to be made right away. I think of it as temptations being called from every direction. One way will lead me to the finish line and the other path will only take me back to where I had started. When I’m given a writing assignment I feel the pressures is on. I’m ready to step up and face the biggest challenge I have in English class which is essays. As I was told, it is okay to write my first draft essay badly to make it easier, but as we get further along everything seems to be going faster. â€Å"When we are finished with the essay the pressure on my decisions are finally over.† I am relieved and confident in my first draft. Hopefully this will lead m e to the key to life in English. A Radiology Technologist performs imaging of the human body for diagnosis or treating medical problems. My dream is to become a Radiology Technologist and day after day it had transformed me into an ambition which I wanted to move towards. A Radiology Technologist requires you to gain four top skills throughout your learning experience; Communication, Physical, Clinical, and Education. First, I will keep working hard at Seward so I’m able to get the appropriate basic skills for me to get into the Radiology program in Weatherford. I will acquire a variety of classes that will challenge me to write many different papers. In order for me to become successful in my career I will focus on becoming a better writer. Writing will be a huge part of my career because I will need to interview patients to learn about their medical history, write reports for referring doctors, and also communicate Therapeutic and Diagnostic position. Although this will be a challenge, I will try my best to achieve this goal. My goals for school are ridiculously challenging. I want to be able to  understand critically and accurately, which means I have to develop my own reasoning and stand up for what I believe in. My second goal is to learn to write clearly and precisely. I am determined to be able to expand my vocabulary so that I can paint a strong mental picture in someone’s mind when I’m explaining something. My third goal is to be exposed to ideas outside of my own background. I need to be able to get out of my comfort zone, I’m a shy person when it comes to doing activities that I’m not familiar with. This goal will give me the opportunity to use personal and professional skills which I will gain as I get further along in my studies. My last goal is to learn how to interact reasonably and responsibly with others. Interacting with others provide great working relationships, and successful communication. This goal helps build strong character with others as a Radiology T echnologist. â€Å"When life hands you lemons, have someone else make you some lemonade.† This is a quote I found on the internet that I’ve followed through life which has helped me now and will also allow me to face many challenges in the future. In my eyes it means when something negative happens try to make the best of it and when something positive happens you make it sweet. When I hear someone say smart goals I think of Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. My English teacher from sophomore and senior year taught me this. It means, my specific goal would be to become a Radiology Technologist. I would then ask myself how much time will this take. How will I know when my goal is accomplished? When I look at these questions it helps me realize how important my goal. I also have to think about how my goal is realistic? In my opinion yes, because it isn’t impossible to go into the medical field. You have to be willing to put others before yourself. The last part I think about is how much time this will take. I want to be able to transfer to a four year university in order for me to get the right training for my career. Dreams are the most amazing thing people can strive for. We all love to dream, to hope, and to see ourselves get better each day. Every one of us dreams of being something big in life whether it’s becoming a lawyer, doctor, or maybe a police officer. In order to pursue my dreams I have to become a stronger writer. Which means I have to complete my studies and work hard to achieve many more goals in life. If I put my best abilities forward I can accomplish my goals in the best way possible. There’s no doubt that there will be times when I feel  like giving up, but I know I can’t give up on myself and my family. I have to learn to just stand up and try even if I have to try for a thousand times. when I finally reach my goals I’ll feel happy from deep inside my heart because then I’ll l be doing exactly what I love to do and I’ll be testing my wildest dreams . I believe nothing can be compared to this moment because when you set your dreams in front of your eyes and work for them, there will be no d oubt in my mind that I will achieve them someday. I will also be able to say I’m proud of myself because I proved that there’s nothing impossible when I actually was determined to do.

Sexual harassment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sexual harassment - Essay Example The American public figure and the publicist Warren Farrell is convinced, that we already for a long time live in conditions of matriarchy. According to Farrell, women during all the XX century were an exclusive class of the western society, and the feminist - their fighting group - have led struggle on the destruction of the already crushed opponent. Everyone can come to this conclusion that will approach to a question of an equality of sexes, using the system of universal criteria. Since women have received suffrages, they stable, simply by virtue of higher for a long time life, make the majority of the electorate. Especially zealously Ð ¤Ã °Ã'€Ã'€Ð µÃ »Ã » opposes the myth that women during the centuries were the victims of man's oppression, numerous requirements of fair indemnification are based on what statement in the form of profeminist policy.And for many results of the newest sociological researchers lead in Britain, show that exactly men most often are the victims of violence in the families. What is considered to be sexual harassment in civilized countries? Not only aspiration of the tyrant to the sexual coitus. Not only the threat, at which victim is offered or to obey to sexual requirements, or to suffer the consequences but also and obscene jokes, jokes, hints, indecent touches, - that is any actions unacceptable for the reasonable woman. The woman has the right to keep on the certain standards of behavior at work which should not include sexually directed behavior.

Racial and Ethnic Groups Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Racial and Ethnic Groups - Assignment Example Under the Jim Crow laws, blacks and whites were not allowed to intermarry; it was considered a criminal offense. Canada has a large proportion of indigenous people as compared to other countries worldwide. The need to preserve cultural traditions shapes the strategies established to promote economic development. The number of immigrants in the country increases early. These immigrants maintain the same cultural pattern adopted in attaining economic development. It has been suggested that Brazil is a racial paradise. That is not the case, as the country continues to deal with significant disparity among people of color. Mexico maintains a mosaic of native indigenous people and mestizos to create a diversified society (Schaefer, 2001). Segments of the population that feel ignored and disadvantaged are encouraged to participate in public and civic activities. The apartheid era in South Africa indicates how race can be used to suppress millions of people. The post-apartheid era is denoted by the continuous reconciliation of the different ethnic and racial groups. Reconciliation is fundamental for these groups, which are facing issues involving education, land, health and public safety. Slave trade in both Brazil and the United States began in the 17th and 18th centuries. Slavery was central to the colonial economy. Slave trade was brought about by the need for laborers to assist in building economic foundations. In Brazil, slaves were required to work in the mining and sugar cane sectors. In the United States, slaves worked in the cotton fields (Schaefer, 2001). Captives from Africa were transported through the Atlantic Ocean to the United States and Brazil. The main point of departure of the slave trade in these two countries is the slave death rate. In Brazil, the slave death rate was higher than that in the United States. Colonialists in Brazil could not sustain the slave population without importing more captives from Africa.

Concept Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concept Analysis - Research Paper Example These instructions provide patients with critical information on how to manage themselves in terms of medication, diet and which symptoms should prompt the patient to return back (Lee & Bokovoy, 2005). Issuing of discharge instructions to patients is a key requirement of health care facilities by the health accreditation institutions such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations-JCAHO (JCAHO, 2007). Despite holding to this requirement, it is widely reported that patients fail to comprehend or remember the discharge instructions. This is contributed by both parties: practitioners failing to elaborate clearly the instructions and patients failing to follow the instructions. This paper is a concept of comprehension that focuses on discharge instructions and how patient’s comprehension of these instructions affects their outcome. Concept of Comprehension on Discharge Instructions Discharge instructions refer to instructions given to patients upon discha rge from hospital. These instructions detail diagnostic information and measures to be taken. As noted by Forster et al. (2004) close to a quarter of patients discharged experienced adverse cases in a span of one month. These events were medication errors, orders/prescriptions filling, confusing discharge instructions, neglect of following unresolved cases and infections. Some of these effects were preventable whereas others called for further treatment probably half of the effects. Moreover, Forster et al asserted that a third of the events were linked with disability (Forster et al., 2004). According to Zavala et al. (2011) 78 percent of discharged patients from emergency department failed to fully comprehend the discharge instructions. However, 20 percent acknowledged they did not understand the discharge instructions. This was achieved from a study conducted in a healthcare facility in Virginia, Reston Hospital Center. This study focused to reach the discharged patients from the facility in order to get their understanding of discharge instructions and its effect. A fifth of the patients interviewed did not understand the discharge instructions based on the medicine described. Additional 9 patients reported worsened and continued symptoms where they were reminded to follow up treatment. A few patients reported their discomfort about the discharge instructions and some did not receive the discharge instructions (Zavala et al., 2011). Understanding as well as memorizing discharge instructions is very challenging. This is associated with several aspects such as discomfort and literacy levels. Relative to discomfort, patients and their surrogates are filled with various discomforts emotionally and physically. More specifically, patients and their surrogates are filled with excitement of leaving hospital. This carries away their attention and thus they are less concerned about the discharge instructions. Additionally, the busy hospital environment during discha rge also causes discomfort to the patient/patient surrogates and distracts their attention to discharge instruction. In such a situation, the busy physicians assume patients understand the instructions and to further complement this health brochures are given. Majority of patients obtain and understand little of these information from the health brochures. This creates great disparity between the reading and literacy level

Marketing communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing communication - Essay Example their feedback for the services and extent of their satisfaction etc, being collected from various reliable sources so that communication channels and methods can be planned effectively. Defining target audience includes knowing the behavior, attitude and individual tastes of each customer or various sub groups in the target groups in order to facilitate playful environment and joyful natural sceneries. Defining the target market also includes giving the prospective customers a compelling as well as logical reason to go out of competitors’ way and to spend their money for your goods or services (Harper, 2003, p. 75). Viejas Outlet Centre considers this as virtual point that can pave a way to marketing success for the next one year. Money spenders and Childs will be communicated regarding what makes Viejas different from other outlet centers and thus to attract them to the joyful environment provided by Viejas. Sales promotion will be a key ingredient in the marketing and communication campaign of Viejas. According to Martin (2008), sales promotion is a marketing process that provides extra value to the sales force, distributors and final consumers in order to stimulate immediate sale (p. 124). Viejas basically consider this material fact that customers must be provided extra value through various methods of promotion. In order to do so, Viejas proposes both loyalty or store card facility and golf carts services and therefore sales and total revenue can be stimulated. Both loyalty cards and golf carts will definitely promote the sales from the targeted audience. Linked with store card system, Viejas plans to provide offers and lucky draw program in order to attract more children apart from free parking. Children will be highly motivated towards offers and lucky draw to get rewards and appreciation and thus they may find more times to spend in the Outlet

Understanding Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Understanding Organisations - Essay Example Understanding Organisations The firm was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford and since then it has manufactured a large number of commercial cars. Ford also manufactures luxury cars but they are marketed under the brand Lincoln. The chief executive of the company has taken measures since 2008 to simplify the fleet of all Ford cars across the world (Vlasic, 2008). The company has also shaped several automotive components. Ford Australia is an Australian subsidiary company of the original corporation. This subsidiary was founded in Geelong, Victoria in the early 1925. In May 2013 Ford president Bob Graziano has announced to cease the manufacturing process of the company in Geelong (Reuters, 2013). The industry for automobiles is highly competitive in nature in the current economic era. The establish firm of Ford has undergone certain losses since the last six years. The president claimed that the company’s manufacturing cost in Australia is extremely high when compared to that of Asia and Europe (News Geelong, 2 013). Thus, in order to reduce its costs and losses the company has decided to cease its operating plants in Geelong by 2016, as its fabrication in Geelong is not economically viable in the long run (Lambreth, 2007). The decision of Ford to cease its manufacturing unit in Geelong Australia may be actually beneficial to the economy of the country according to modernistic view (Goodwin and Wright, 2007). It is believed by many economists that the domestic economy of Australia would evolve as a result of the decision taken by Ford. Newscastle was another city that experienced a similar situation in 1999, when the city lost the BHP Steelworks. After BHP steel ceased its business in Newscastle, the city shifted its competences towards medical research, education and innovation. Thus the decision of BHP Steelworks was a blessing for Newscastle in 1999. It is thus felt that the people for Geelong should be optimistic regarding their future despite of experiencing a closure of Fords manufacturing and loss of employment opportunities. It is believed by the modernistic thinkers that this incident would help Geelong to carve new ways for improvements of in segments of the economy like academics and medical research. Though it is true that the loss of Ford business would render many individuals jobless but still according to the modern optimistic view the growth of other industries would surely generate more employment opportunities in Australia (Raschella, 2013). Environmental Impact The decision of Ford to cease its manufacturing division in Geelong would surely create a stressful atmosphere in its working environment. The closure of the factory was reported to cease 510 job losses in Fords Geelong engine plant (News Geelong, 2013). The president of the Australian branch of the company along with its CEO Bob Graziano stated that it was necessary to end the production unit of the company in Australia because the company faced a loss of almost $141 million in the recent financial years. Such situation would surely create an uncanny environment in the existing workplaces of the company. The existing workers would fear to lose their jobs in this crisis, when the company is facing severe financial instability. The employees would surely resist to the decision of manufacturing cease, as they would not want their jobs to be lost. Internal

What are the pros and cons of the rise of networks Essay

What are the pros and cons of the rise of networks - Essay Example To put it simple, â€Å"a network society is a society whose social structure is made of networks powered by microelectronics-based information and communication technologies.† In this definition, it is evident that network as an essential part of social structure has a two-fold basis for its functioning. In this context, it is necessary to concentrate on the reasons of network to empower. In fact, this argumentation enables to comprehend the core contradiction that appears with the rise of networks. Among the key drivers towards the new network society, Castells (2010) mentions technological revolution, growing interdependence between contemporary economies.In other words, â€Å"social changes are as dramatic as the technological and economic processes of transformation†.In the case of technology, the very ability to analyze innovations in the close link with social movements rejects technological determinism. In particular, it is presented as a deeply rooted in the so cial fabric instance, which is a mirror of prevailing type of social and economic knowledge, organizational framework, and network disposition (Castells, 2010, p. 35). In the context of the latest technological revolution, Castells (2010) emphasizes the role of Silicon Valley in America as a precise driver of this significant change (p. 62). Moreover, he stresses on the genetic engineering as â€Å"they also refer to the decoding and recoding of the information of living matter†.

Research Topics with Explanation Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Topics with Explanation - Research Paper Example overnment is in a dilemma of either eliminating farm subsidies on the basis that the farmers have the capacity to fund their activities, or increasing this funding for the better of the country. The debate about nuclear energy has been ongoing for a long time. Thus, there are many resource materials about this topic. Additionally, many people have interest on issues concerning nuclear power. Information gathered would be highly invaluable to me and other people as well. The world faces a mounting task of preserving energy sources as the needs for energy keeps on rising. Scientists have proved that nuclear energy is one of the most clean and efficient sources of energy available to humankind. The same scientists are quick to add that the use of this source of energy pose the greatest threat to the same people it is supposed to be benefiting. Crime rates in America is said to be one of the highest in the World. The fact that it is affecting the minor is even more worrying. A lot of research has been done on the issues facilitating this kind of behavior. Communities living in the U.S are very much aware of this situation. Although the government is doing a lot to help the situation, they seem to be failing in the mission. This topic has the potential to provide an understanding of the problems young people are facing and how to respond to them. It is with no doubt that, there has been an upward trend of minor getting involved in violent criminal activities. However, the debate has been whether these kids should be held responsible for their action or simply put the blame on some other

Load Shedding (self created Problem) Essay Example for Free

Load Shedding (self created Problem) Essay The electricity load shedding in Pakistan would have not been a big problem to cope with but its made much bigger by adopting the defective policies. One of the causes of load shedding is called the circular debt, which means the private electricity generation companies keep generating the power but they do not get the money for the electricity they have provided, in that case they can generate the electricity for limited period and after that when the outstanding amount to be paid by government to these companies cross a limit, by being not able to fuel costs these companies stop the production till they have get paid back by government. This have been happening very much lately, current approach from government is they let the circular dept build up and while companies stop production they are paid back after many months and mean while that halt brings in more shortage and more electricity load shedding subsiquently. Now this is the place where the issue of rental power plants come in. The question is, when you are not able to finance the current infrastructure and when you are not fully utilizing the current generation capacity, why on earth you need the rental power plants? – It would have made some sense if the rental power plants would have have come with low cost electricity but unfortunately other than thinking of paying back the circular dept and taking all the current resources in action our government have chosen to bring in the rental power plants. The plants which does not still started generating the power but we already started paying the rent money. After carefully reading whats written above one can decide that the rental power plants stunt was really not required at the moment. Moreover when you live in country which is blessed with so much of natural resources why on earth you have to go for rental power plants. Wind forms and solar energy power plants have got huge potential in this country which can bring in lots of low cast energy, also if more dams are planned, we can get much more hydro power. After that come in the coal reserves which is blessing for this nation, we have got the coal reserves which are in few biggest coal reserves of the world. Research shows that if we use just 2% of these reserves for power generation we will be able to keep on generating the extra 25000 Mega Watts of power for next 40Â  years just from coal and we just have overall electricity consumption of 16000 Mega Watts country wide today. 12000 Mega Watts of power out of our 16000 mega watts is already being generated. The above facts clearly show that if the right policies are adopted we can not only generate enough power to meet our energy requirements but also generate power to sell out. The problem of our country have never been the resources but only and only the sincere leadership which really cares for the country and all the souls living in it. For the moment we can just pray to Allah for blessing Pakistan with the leadership which is sincere and capable of making things happen. Next time when you vote in elections just think for your country and nothing else, keep the previous experiences in mind, they will help you much

Religion Is Incompatible With Modernity Theology Religion Essay

Religion Is Incompatible With Modernity Theology Religion Essay As a cultural condition, modernity colors religions perception in various ways. Popular modernization theorists such as Daniel Bell and Karl Marx have asserted that the result of economic development is persistent cultural changes. However, other scholars such as Samuel Huntington and Max Weber have argued that cultural values are an autonomous and enduring influence on society. Religion, which is the broad cultural heritage of society, leaves an imprint on values, which endure in spite of modernization. This paper presents a discussion the impact of religion on modernity. Discussion What is modernity? A traditional meaning of this term refers to the social conditions that resulted from the rise of industrialization. Certainly, the term modernity is normally used to describe the social patterns that accompanied the Industrial Revolution, which commenced in mid-eighteenth century in Western Europe. Therefore, modernity is the process of urbanizing, industrialization, increasing use of new and scientific technologies, and social, cultural and political changes, which have accompanied these developments. Though popular scholars such as Marx and Bell predicted the decline of religion because of modernity, it is important to note that religion or spirituality has not faded. In the twentieth century, modernization was broadly viewed as distinctively Western processes, which societies in non-Western countries could follow as they deserted their conventional cultures, and incorporated ethically à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“superiorà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ and technologically Western ways. However, in the second half of the twentieth century, non-Western societies surprisingly surpassed their Western role models in significant elements of modernization (Dawkins, 2006 pp. 167). For instance, East Asia achieved the highest rate of economic growth in the world. Japan led in consumer electronics and automobile manufacturing, and had the highest life expectancy globally. Presently, few scholars would attribute ethical superiority to the West, and economies of Western countries are no longer believed to be the model for the globe. With regard to secularization, secular simply means without religion. Individuals who are non-religious live secular lives. Secular government runs along humanistic and rational lines. In democratic nations, this is the norm. People, who make up the government, have the freedom to whatever religion they want, as is the population. In a multi cultural world, because of this freedom, there is a requirement for authorities not to cause divisions by identifying itself with a certain religion. Secularism is the belief that religion should be a personal, private, and voluntary affair, which does not impose on others. Thus, secularization is the process of things becoming more secular. The Western world has witnessed this standard come to dominate civil and political life. Because religion causes issues, it retreats from the public sphere because individuals choose to meet in peace in neutral terms. Secularization theory is a sociology theory that argues that religion retreats when the soci ety advances in modernity. Scientific and intellectual developments have undermined the supernatural, paranormal, spiritual and superstitious ideas on which religion relies for its authenticity. There are three forms of secularization: privatization of religion, social differentiation, and the decline of religion. According to secularization theory, as contemporary society advances, it will become more secular and religion will in turn become hollow. Ever since the emergence of science in the seventeenth century, scholars have asserted that religion might be in a permanent decline, while others have proposed to intelligence and science are anathema to spirituality or religious faith. Bruce (1992 pp. 78) asserts that though contemporary church membership is dropping, religious belief is still strong. One aspect of conventional secularization theory is that one widely questioned fact among modern religion sociologists is the claim that modernity leads to the decline of religion. Rather than withering away, organized religion has a large presence in many parts of the modern world (Thompson, 1992 pp. 148). Whereas participation in churches has sharply fallen in many modern societies in Europe, the picture is still complicated. In the 90s eighty one percent of the British, and forty percent of Italians attended church at least once a week. In the U.S, a modern society, approximately forty percent attend church on a regular basis. Secularists have tried hard to explain this theory. Is Secularization occurring in Britain? If being a secular nation means keeping religion out of education and public life, then it is evident that Britain is not a secular nation. The Church of England, which can be dated from the seventh century, predates Britain itself. Although the influence of Christianity in formal ways in public life is less that it previously was, it is still apparent. The presence of prayers in the English Parliament, church legislation passed by parliament, exercise of patronage by the Lord Chancellor reveals that religion is still very much tangled in British national life. This demonstrates that the Christian religion is largely part of British national life. The afro mentioned can also be observed at the local level. Secularism is just not about removing religion from national life. It is rather about removing it from public life (Ruthven 2004 pp. 167). Numerous Anglican churches still hold countless civic services and in some places, they are actively involved in local life, for example when selecting Bishops and so on. This reveals the observation of many people involved in the selection process, which the Bishop does and should play a notable role in symbolizing the Church in public matters. Another notable area where Britain shows that it is not a secular state is in education. Almost all of the primary schools in Britain are Church of England schools. In addition to this, the high number of public schools has Christian foundations. Latest statistics reveal that at least seventy two percent of the British refer themselves as Christians. That is almost three-quarters of the overall British population. But, these statistics do not prove much, it is possible to have a country where all of its population is of one religion, but the state is secular. Because the Christian religion is deeply entangled in national life in Britain, the statistics are quite relevant. However, it should be noted that relatively few people in Britain have altogether opted out of religion; atheists are rare. Additionally, although it has been observed that there can be little doubt about trends, Beyer (1994 pp. 104), asserts that by the twenty first century, believers in religion are highly likely to be only found in small numbers likely resisting global secular culture. The U.S is a secular country both in its government and most of its private sector. The population in the United States is still mostly Christian, yet by any ballpark figure, secular Americans make up a larger section of the public than any religious minority. Still, secularists do not start to exert influence exerted by religious institutional; whether they represent large Christian denominations or small minorities such as Judaism. In the United States, the reason as to why secular groups have little influence in states governed by Christian fundamentalists is scientifically clear, but the issue of why secularists are mostly ignored by the President is more complicated. The United States demonstrates that the impact of religion on national life is simply not one of formal engagement. The customs and laws of countries are not draw from a vacuum due to the fact that law makers are individuals themselves and thus, normally reveal the values of those around them. When the individuals of a country have been severely shaped by a certain religion, the values of that particular religion will in general, be echoed in the national life. In the United States, the influence of Christianity has been felt in spite of the contrasting degrees of separation of the state and the church. However, to a large extent, this situation is changing. There is an increasing observation that Christian ethics are been abandoned. In this context, Christians will wish to influence the life of the country and those around them. In Britain, this appears to be largely accepted due to the nature of the Church to the state. On the other hand, in the United States, a region where Christ ians are more in numbers and actually more aggressive, the opposition of their views is not on certain issues, but on the very notion of Christians influencing national life with secularists disputing that it is unconstitutional (Bruce, 1992 pp. 137). Also, no secular institution can affect the lives of its sympathizers and members to the scale that churches can. This is somewhat about the social pressure and partly about money, which binds church members together as a population. No secular group can claim special authority in attempting to convincing secular Americans to support a certain position. However, during trying times, such as during the terrorist attacks of 9/11, there is strong religious unity. For example, immediately after this attack, shocked political enemies gathered together for prayer at a National Cathedral, including a Muslim imam who even read verses from the Koran. But, it did not take long for the tender feelings of tolerance and togetherness to be replaced by hostility and division. Some policymakers and leaders embraced Samuel Huntingtonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s argument that the West was busy in a clash of civilizations with Islam (Gray, 2003 pp. 289). On the other hand, secularists embraced the idea that the world was split between dangerous religionists and secularists. Secular scholars have hoped and predicted for years that as our societies become more advanced, religion would become less significant. However, while the last decade has inspired countless challenging discussions about the link between democratic societies and religious communities, it has also proven that religion decline is not inevitable in modern society. Trust in religious leaders and institutions as well as secular institutions have declined. However, Americans still continue to value religion with about eighty percent telling pollsters that religion is a significant part of their lives. And the relocation of religious immigrants to America and Britain has shown that Western societies are by no means a civilization in which religion is imperceptible. What is more, many conflicts are occurring in modern societies over religion: banning of hijab in French schools, debates over teaching evolution in schools, and so on. Nevertheless, when focusing on such conflicts, we normally miss a fascinating fact. In the face of modernity, old religious traditions are not fading away. Instead, they are acclimatizing and forcing modern societies to adapt to them. According to the conventional view, major universal features of modernity tend to wear away religious faith. Rationalization and industrialization have often been mentioned as forces that would divide the world. However, it is not evident that churches and other religious institutions can thrive in highly rationalized and industrialized societies. At times, urbanization coincides with the decline of religion, but it is regularly linked with church growth, and in various parts of the globe, the megacity has generated the mega church (Beyer, 1994 pp. 87). Another major element that corrodes religious faith is mass entertainment. No country has a lot of mass entertainment than the U.S; however, it does not seem to have led to any clear decline in church attendance. Just like in Britain, Sunday in the United States has become a day to watch football or shopping day. In the U.S, the great secular holiday is the Super Bowl Sunday. There are also other indications. Many Americans prefer to get buried or married without any kind of religious ceremony. At education institutions, such as universities, departments dedicated to the study of secularism are starting to be established. Books written by authors who are atheists are bestsellers. And there is still little uncertainty that religious groups still wield a lot of influence in American public life and politics, particularly in major parties. Another element of modernity that seems to corrode religion is the pluralism of modern societies. Sociologists have regularly argued that pluralism corrodes religion; the existence of so many religions challenges the plausibility of religious faith. However, pluralistic societies contain numerous people with strong religious belief. But, we all know that pluralistic societies contain numerous people with strong religious beliefs and if this was not false, then pluralistic societies could not exist. According to a recent study, evangelicalism in America positively thrives on pluralism due to the fact that living in a pluralistic society causes evangelicals to sharpen their different religious identities. Norris Ingle-hart (2004, pp. 245) asserts that post-modernity with its expressive consumerism and individualism, challenges tradition religion. Some types of religion appear to blossom in a post-modern environment. This is most noticeably true in Pentecostal and charismatic forms of evangelicalism that strike in with easy-to-read individualism of post-modernity. Still, there is no strong evidence that science is a key agent of secularization. According to a 1996 survey, roughly forty percent Americans believe in a personal god. Science is not a secularizing force. But, a factor that appears to closely correlate with secularization is the western style higher education. Though Americans are known for their religiosity, there is compelling evidence that social elites are rather highly secularized. Still, in the United States and Western Europe, individuals with a higher education are more likely to be keenly involved in churches than people with little education (Cohen Kennedy, 2000 pp. 154). It is notable that none of modernityà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s universal features can explain the reason why some areas of the modern world are more highly secularized than other areas. The effect of these features is dependent on the particular context that they operate. Additionally, global factors are poor predictors of secularization, and religious decline can only be explained with reference to independent variables present in societies that are highly secularized. Beyer (1994 pp. 178) asserts that modernization essentially leads to a decline of religion, in the minds of people and in society. Conclusion When evaluating the role of religion in modern societies, it is crucial to address secularization. There is a lot of pressure exerted to make Britain a more secular nation. However, Britain retains a strong Christian basis in education and public life. On the other hand, the population in the United States is still mostly Christian, but secular Americans constitute a larger segment of the public than any other religious minority.

Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Environment Essay

The Deepwater Horizon spill occurred on 20 April 2010 and was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 workers and injured 17 more. The drilling rig, located 66 kilometers southeast of the Louisiana coast, left an oil gusher that was finally capped on July 15, almost 2 months later. This was the largest accidental marine oil spill in history and the largest offshore environmental disaster in the United States (Telegraph, New York Times, BBC News). It is estimated by scientists that over 4.9 million barrels of oil were released into the ocean, about half of the crude oil the U.S. imports each day and worth $400 million (Popular Mechanics, CBC News). About 1070 kilometers of coastline were contaminated. Over 47 thousand personnel were deployed, 1.4 million barrels of liquid waste collected, and $40 billion spent on cleanup. Aerial photo taken in Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Louisiana showing the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burning after a deadly blowout of an oil well. Credit: Gerald Herbert The Gulf of Mexico contains commercially important aquatic life, including blue crabs, squid, shrimp, and fish. Toxins in the oil can kill these species or cause injuries such as genetic damage, disease, cancer, and reproductive and immune system impairment. Marine mammals, fish, reptiles, and birds depend on clean, healthy habitats to provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds. The presence of discharged oil in the environment can cause decreased habitat use in the area, altered migration patterns, altered food availability, and disrupted life cycles. Plants affected by the oil could die, eliminating the roots that help bind and stabilize the soil in the ocean floor, leading to erosi... .... Web. 6 November 2011. Gunter, Ford. â€Å"Explosion could have Disastrous Business Consequences.† Portfolio. Wall Street Horizon, 28 April 2010. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"Bird Impact Data and Consolidated Wildlife Reports.† FWS Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, n.d. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"Sea Turtles, Dolphins, and Whales and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.† Office of Protected Resources. NOAA Fisheries, n.d. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"Gulf Coast Oil Spill: One Year Later.† Gulf Oil Spill Response. National Parks Conservation Association, n.d. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"British Companies’ Reputation in the U.S. is Under Threat.† The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 14 July 2010. Web. 6 November 2011. â€Å"David Cameron confronts Barack Obama in Battle to Protect BP.† The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 16 June 2010. Web. 6 November 2011.

The Effects of Global Warming on Wetlands :: Geology

The Effects of Global Warming on Wetlands Introduction Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems. Wetlands include marshes, estuaries, bogs, fens, swamps, deltas, shallow seas, and floodplains. Wetland habitats support a vast range of plant and animal life, and serve a variety of important functions, which include water regime regulation, flood control, erosion control, nursery areas for fishes, fish production, recreation, plant production, aesthetic enjoyment, and wildlife habitat. Wetlands account for about 6% of the global land area and are among the most valuable environmental resources. The Problem The potential impacts of climate change on wetlands are of great concern. Increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by human activities are generally expected to warm the Earth a few degrees (C) in the next century by a mechanism known as the "greenhouse effect." Such warming could raise sea level by expanding ocean water, melting mountain glaciers, and eventually causing polar ice sheets to side into the oceans. Among the coastal areas of greatest risk in the United States are those low-lying coastal habitats that are easily eroded and which occur along the northern Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic coasts of the U.S. These coastal wetlands are especially vulnerable to direct, large-scale impacts of climate change, primarily because of their sensitivity to sea-level rise. Observational records indicate that sea level has already risen between 10 and 25 cm globally over the past 100 years. In addition, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected a sea-level rise of 15-95 cm as a consequence of global warming. Sea-level rise will also increase the depth of coastal waters and increase inland and upstream salinity intrusion, both of which affect fresh and brackish water wetlands. Sea-level rise has the potential for increasing the severity of storm surges, particularly in areas where coastal habitats and barrier shorelines are rapidly deteriorating. These direct consequences of global- and regional-scale changes will increase the vulnerability of coastal wetlands which are already heavily impacted by human activities. Analysis of sites in five coastal states indicate that many marshes and mangrove ecosystems receive adequate mineral sediments to produce enough organic sediment and root material to remain above sea level at the present rate of sea-level rise (1-2 mm per year globally). However, three of the twelve wetlands studied were not keeping pace with the current rate of sea-level rise. If sea-level rise accelerates, some additional sites would also begin to slowly deteriorate and submerge. The Effects of Global Warming on Wetlands :: Geology The Effects of Global Warming on Wetlands Introduction Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems. Wetlands include marshes, estuaries, bogs, fens, swamps, deltas, shallow seas, and floodplains. Wetland habitats support a vast range of plant and animal life, and serve a variety of important functions, which include water regime regulation, flood control, erosion control, nursery areas for fishes, fish production, recreation, plant production, aesthetic enjoyment, and wildlife habitat. Wetlands account for about 6% of the global land area and are among the most valuable environmental resources. The Problem The potential impacts of climate change on wetlands are of great concern. Increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by human activities are generally expected to warm the Earth a few degrees (C) in the next century by a mechanism known as the "greenhouse effect." Such warming could raise sea level by expanding ocean water, melting mountain glaciers, and eventually causing polar ice sheets to side into the oceans. Among the coastal areas of greatest risk in the United States are those low-lying coastal habitats that are easily eroded and which occur along the northern Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic coasts of the U.S. These coastal wetlands are especially vulnerable to direct, large-scale impacts of climate change, primarily because of their sensitivity to sea-level rise. Observational records indicate that sea level has already risen between 10 and 25 cm globally over the past 100 years. In addition, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected a sea-level rise of 15-95 cm as a consequence of global warming. Sea-level rise will also increase the depth of coastal waters and increase inland and upstream salinity intrusion, both of which affect fresh and brackish water wetlands. Sea-level rise has the potential for increasing the severity of storm surges, particularly in areas where coastal habitats and barrier shorelines are rapidly deteriorating. These direct consequences of global- and regional-scale changes will increase the vulnerability of coastal wetlands which are already heavily impacted by human activities. Analysis of sites in five coastal states indicate that many marshes and mangrove ecosystems receive adequate mineral sediments to produce enough organic sediment and root material to remain above sea level at the present rate of sea-level rise (1-2 mm per year globally). However, three of the twelve wetlands studied were not keeping pace with the current rate of sea-level rise. If sea-level rise accelerates, some additional sites would also begin to slowly deteriorate and submerge.

William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay -- Shakespeare M

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there are endless images of water and the moon. Both images lend themselves to a feeling of femininity and calm. In classical mythology, the image of water is often linked with Aphrodite, goddess of passion and love. Born of the foam of the sea, Aphrodite was revered as an unfaithful wife to her husband Hephaestus (Grant 36). This may have a direct coloration to the unfaithful nature of the four lovers, Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius, while in the woods. Perhaps more important, however, is Aphrodite’s link to the other Olympian maiden goddesses. As Aphrodite was attributed with love and beauty, Athena was the protector of war and arts, and finally, Artemis was the goddess of the woods and wild things (Hamilton 31). Artemis was brother of Apollo, god of the sun, and therefore she was the goddess of the moon. Through out literature it seems imagery of the moon and water can be used nearly intercha ngeably because they both imply feminine powers; water is representative of life and motion and the moon is representative of Artemis directly. Shakespeare seems to have been quite aware of the duties and powers of this ancient goddess. In many instances, this â€Å"protectress of dewy youth† is equated with other goddesses named Phoebe, Selene, or Luna (Hamilton 32). By any name, however, it is most important to realize the goddesses’ representation of the sky and woodlands. The character or Lysander makes direct reference to the relevance of this goddess in Act I, Scene 1 while talking to his forbidden beloved Hermia: Tomorrow night, when Phoebe doth behold, Her silver visage in the wat’... ...ancient mythology familiar to Shakespeare and his audience. Works Cited Grant, Michael and John Hazel. Who’s Who Classical Mythology Oxford University Press, NewYork: 1993 Hamilton, Edith. Mythology Warner Books, New York: 1942 Hamilton-Parker, Craig. â€Å"Moon† Remembering and Understanding Your Dreams Stearling Publishing Co. Inc., New York: 2000 Shakespeare, William. The Tempest Orgel, Stephen Ed. Oxford University Press, New York: 1998 Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies Greenblatt, Stephen Ed. W.W. Norton and Company, New York: 1997 Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Mowat, Barbra and Werstine, Paul Ed. Washington Square Press, New York: 1993 Thorndike, E.L and Clarence L. Barnhart. â€Å"Lunatic† Thorndike Barnhart Student Dictionary Scott, Foresman and Company, Illinois: 1988: (666)

Goal Statement Essay

I felt my scores were mostly accurate in rating how I feel about communicating because I am not a real shy in communicating with others, so I could get up and talk, if I am prepared. Three specific public speaking goals I want to achieve during the term are; listening speaking and confidence. The goals may prove rewarding for me both professionally and personally because no matter what you do professionally you will always have to listen to somebody either co-workers or clients. You have to actually understand them. Listen to what they have to say, questions they may have listening is very much needed. Now speaking you will always have to talk with others or interact with people in any professional job the way you speak to others is how they will respond to you. And last is confidence, confidence is also needed if your profession is banking you have to have confidence when talking to people. You have to act like it’s your best friend you’re talking to, have confidence in the way you speak. Now personally you need listening either to listen to your kids or family. Speaking is important also if your family is having problems if they come to you, you need to know how to speak to them properly. You need to have confidence personally to help you go through life people with try to bring you down and you will need to have the confidence to just ignore them and keep your head held high. My dream job would have to be a registered nurse, and they provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members. They work in hospitals, physicians’ offices, home healthcare services, and nursing care facilities. The can also work in correctional facilities, schools, summer camps, and with military. Sharpened communicating skills will prove rewarding to my career because they do a lot of talking with people, like setting up plans for patients’ care, consult with doctors and other healthcare professionals, teach patients and their families how to manage their illnesses or injuries. it will help me talk with my co-workers and patients because nurses will always be talking or interacting with people. You have to be able to walk up to them with confidence and say exactly what needs to be said. Most people think nursing is just talking blood and giving shots. There’s a lot more if you cannot talk to people you will have a rough time in nursing. So communication skills are very important in my dream job. This course will help me achieve my communication goals in many ways. It will hopefully help me learn to listen and learn how to take things in and actually listen to them not just in one ear out the other. May also help me learn how to speak in front of others and not be so nerve-racking. And last help me have confidence in general. I expect my peers to encourage me when I do have to get in front of them to talk, not to bring me down. And what I expect from my instructor is to tell me what I am doing wrong, what I need to improve and last expect him to help me achieve my goals. And help me do a lot better with all of the bad communication skills I have.

Haunted House Essay

It was a dark frightening night. I was running at full speed as I was being followed by some unknown men. I could not run anymore and entered into a house. I found myself in a very dark house. There were cobwebs everywhere. I was shivering like a leaf. It was a big house like those of the royal palaces, but that house seemed to belong to a witch. I just opened the door to see if those men were there and unfortunately they were outside, I immediately closed the door. I could not find sleep so I decided to visit the house. The house looked very beautiful from outside, but inside it looked very shabby. There were rats coming from a hole in a corner of the living room. It was disgusting. I then arrived near the rooms of the house. I found some books on a table and there was a diary on it. I just blew up all the dust from it and started to read it. That story made my heart pound heavily. In the diary, the last sentence written was â€Å" Angrily I kept them in one of the rooms†. That sentence made me look very tense. Curiously I went to open the rooms found in the house. I was anxious to know what were kept in one of the rooms. I continued to open the doors till I arrived near a door different from the others. I opened it and†¦ I quickly went downstairs, opened the door and left that haunted house. I promised to never enter that house. In

Extended Definiton of Emo

Frances Louise Y. GarayFinal Draft of Extended Definition Paper 11048492 A57 â€Å"Emo† â€Å"I wish my lawn mower was emo so it would cut itself. † Isn’t the word â€Å"emo† now a very familiar word to refer a person who is feeling gloomy, heartbroken and depressed? Nowadays, the word â€Å"emo† is used as an adjective to describe a person who cuts himself or a person who feels depressed whenever the rain is pouring hard and stares at it while listening to some emotional songs or â€Å"senti† songs.Emo is an abbreviation of â€Å"emotional hardcore† that originated in the mid-1980’s from the hardcore puck movement of Washington, D. C. Emo is a style of rock music typically characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. Emo, in modern time, used to describe people who are depressed and cut themselves. Emo is a young person who is considered to be over-emotional or stereotypically emo. The word à ¢â‚¬Å"emo† actually means a s something of a put-down for the kids who really like â€Å"Rites of Spring† and â€Å"Indian Summer† (Emo bands).The word â€Å"emo† is now used to describe people who have fashion like side bangs, tight pants, wearing black or sweater vest, chains and spiky bracelets. Emo people usually wear dark clothes and tight pants. However, happy people are usually seen wearing and light-colored clothes. In addition, a happy person has an aura of an uplifting, cheerful and happy-go-lucky type of person. They also have an aura that makes you comfortable and delightful. Unlike an emo person, it can give you a bad feeling, weird and pessimistic type of person when you see them.In terms of attitude, an emo person is usually depressed, emotional, dramatic, sensitive, expressive and heartbroken. They are also always feeling insecure and in pain. They have low self-esteem and they are anti-social. In contrast, a happy person has an attitude of being an optimistic, smiling, open-minded, jolly, confident and sociable type of person. Emo’s confessional lyrics are the reasons why people used the word â€Å"emo† to describe a person who is being dramatic, emotional and expressive to what they feel.Because of the lyrics of the song about the pain they felt and it should be expressed, it encouraged teenagers to cut themselves. It also encouraged them to become a loner and lose their ego because of their problems to other people. Lastly, it encouraged them to have a fashion trend of wearing black clothes and punk hairstyles because of the emo bands that made this fashion trend famous. Emo is a style of rock music typically characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive often confessional lyrics.The word â€Å"emo† is now used to describe people who are wearing dark clothes and tight pants, emotional and pessimistic kind of person. Because of this, it encouraged them to be different in society, to be a loser and to cut themselves. The word emo helped us in defining things around us. Instead of saying that person looks so depressed or is being so sad, we can just say ‘he’s just being emo today. ’ Though words can change its meaning overtime, it still, somehow contain the same thought of how the word was first used.

Compare and Contrast Sainte-Foy and the Chartres Essay

Both the Chartres cathedral and the Saint-Foy have many things in common and also many things that differentiate them from one another. Firstly they are both Christian churches, so they were made to worship Jesus Christ as the lord and savior. They are both located in northern Europe ; the Chartres in Chartres, France as it is named after the town, and then the Saint-Foy in Conques, France. Both of them were undertakings in which they were paid for by the leaders of the cities they reside in. They both are very much a part of the towns they are in, whereas there are building and houses right next to the churches. They were both built in the cross as most Christian churches are built to symbolize the cross of Jesus, their savior. They were both made of stone which proved to have a lot to do with the architecture of the structures. For the most part those are the major similarities. The differences outweigh the similarities though. The construction and architecture of the buildings (outside of the cross shaped naive) would probably be the main differences. The roofs of the structures are built with different support systems. The Sainte-Foy has a rounded arch on the ceiling. While the Chartres has a triangular arch system that use ribs as the main support structure to keep the building up rather than a sturdy rounded arch. The Chartres cathedral was built mostly of rib like beams that connected at the ceilings so that they could make room for the stained glass windows that are to prevalent on the walls. The stained glass allowed for a more holy feeling to the church, in a sense where you stepped into a piece of heaven when inside, as the light reflected off the pieces of glass as they told stories of the life of Jesus and other Christian stories. Sainte-Foy didn’t have that much glass; it was a lot more structurally sound with its walls being made up mostly by stone. The walls of the churches are built differently where the Chartres cathedral has to have flying buttresses on the outsides of them so that there is more support on the building due to the fact that the infrastructure is made up lots of glass. The Chartres cathedral was very much built with a more vertical feel to it than did Sainte-Foy. At almost every instant there is something in the Chartres that is almost pulling your attention upward towards the heavens whether you were inside or outside of the church.

Team paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Team - Research Paper Example One of the technological risks associated with Coca-Cola Company (which is a global business) is in terms of the cost. This is the cost of installing the new technology like internet cables. This is a concern especially in most third world countries where internet connectivity has not reached or people there do not know how to use it. This therefore means that the company has to incur extra cost in training the local staff (who are usually the majority) and also costs of installing the internet connectivity cables. The costs may be too high and this poses a risk to the company of having less than expected profits or taking too long to reach the targeted profit and meet the goals (Bouchet et al. 2003). The other technological risk is job displacement. This is common nowadays with the increase in technological inventions that employ the use of machines and not human beings. The machines like for cleaning bottles and packaging carry out the work that previously was being carried out by hundreds of workers. This therefore means that the workers will have to let off and only few to operate the machines will be required. The risks is in terms of the company being sued for terminating people’s contracts which may cause the company millions in damages hence the company ends up running a losing business or has to shift to another country which is still expensive (Bouchet et al. 2003). The introduction of internet in the company has exposed the country to risks of hacking of their systems. Technology has seen the rise in hackers who target the finance and management sectors and hence expose the company’s management and financials. The hackers may be employed by rival competitors or may just want to expose the company’s dealings. Some of these hackers steal money from the company and hence poses a risk to the business. All these risks that are brought about by technology make it hard for it to enforce some new

IKEA's Globalization Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

IKEA's Globalization Strategies - Essay Example IKEA emerged as the brainchild of Ingvar Kamprad who through his business acumen gradually made the company emerge as the global leader in furniture retailing. Moreover Ingvar started developing on some key strategies pertaining to designing the products, assembling the final merchandise and reaching out to the different showrooms located along various areas. Further the furniture retailer also works in the development of different catalogues which helps in enhancing the shopping experience of the consumers. However amidst these strategies the company further dreamt of marching to gain control of international markets. In this foray IKEA first focused on gaining control of several European markets. The European markets were attempted in the first case for the company being Swedish in nature happened to share the like cultural mix with the European nations. Thus the attempt to gain the views of the consumers gained success in the first attempt. However when the same expansion strategy was carried out in regards to the Asian markets the strategy countered a huge challenge. It was found that Asiatic countries like China and Japan shared several cultural differences which were needed to be addressed first to let gain an effective international base in these nations. In countries like China IKEA had to render great amount of transformation in its policies pertaining to human resources and marketing activities. These policy changes helped the company in gaining large market share in China. Similarly in country like Japan the company in order to gain a larger market share had to adapt to a new culture of changing the pricing structure of its products. The company had to reduce the... Countries like China and Japan are analyzed in the paper to provide a detailed understanding of the nature of challenges faced by the company and strategic actions taken thereby to counter such. Strategic tools are incorporated in the paper like Ansoff and BCG Matrix to reflect on the internationalization activities of the company. Moreover the marketing mix elements of the company relating to its production, pricing, distribution and promotional activities are also analyzed to understand its business potential in gaining larger markets. Similarly the two countries China and Japan are analyzed on the basis of factor analysis pertaining to political, economic, social and cultural, technological, environmental and legal factors to understand its impacts on the activities of the business organization to gain potential markets. The paper in turn signifies the main problem areas which needed to be effectively tackled by the company in regards to seeking an effective market in the Asian co untries. IKEA is found to have largely adapted to the changing cultural needs of the Asian countries through rendering changes in the business policies pertaining to production, packaging and pricing actions. Such initiatives were taken by the company to help render quality goods to the consumers at affordable prices. This practice helped the company penetrate larger market areas. Local warehouses were also designed to help in reduction of logistics and transportation cost which again helped in protecting the natural environment. All such practices helped IKEA gain a formidable position in the Asian markets.

Genetic Analytical Report. exmamine the postive & negative effects of Essay

Genetic Analytical Report. exmamine the postive & negative effects of providing patrents with information - Essay Example Awareness of the genetic predisposition to diseases will trigger the notion of taking pro-active measures to ensure health safety in the public. Cooperation and encouragement of the government of Australia are some of the most fundamental requirements of this notion. This research report will generate useful information for a common man as well as for the government of Australia to some extent who will be able to use this information to make informed decisions while making the policies regarding the promotion or restriction of disclosing the genetic predisposition to diseases to people. Researchers hold the consensus that human genetic predisposition is the cause of most chronic diseases. In a vast majority of cases, it takes more than a single defective gene to cause the disease. Nevertheless, this remains a fact that genetic component is the most fundamental causal factor in a lot of common diseases experienced in adulthood including schizophrenia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and several congenital malformations that include but are not limited to neural tube defects, cleft lip, and cleft palate. This has conventionally generated a consensus among the doctors that many individual genes play a little yet considerable role in predisposing a person to a particular condition of genetics. Despite that, identifying the genes causing a particular disease is a very cumbersome target to achieve. In order to determine and sequence such a gene, it is imperative that the scientists are able to tell a gene that is equipped with the predisposing power for a specific disorder from the others. This raises a question for the scientists whether going through such a tough process is worth it when the information has mixed effects on the life of the individual whose genes are being assessed. Telling an individual that he/she carries a certain gene that caused an awful disease in his/her parents can be very overwhelming and stressful for the individual. On the other hand, kn owledge of the existence of a dangerous gene and the likelihood of acquiring the disease in the future gets very alarming for the individual and he/she is able to take preventive measures in time. Thus, informing the individuals about their genetic predisposition to diseases has both positive and negative outcomes. This research paper is directed at identifying the potential pros and cons of letting the people know their genetic predisposition to diseases. 1.1   Background and recent findings   In order to perceive the way of portrayal of genetics and the scientists’ role in it, popular media has been studied a number of times by different researchers (Condit, Ofulue, & Sheedy 1998; Henderson and Kitzinger 1999, Conrad 2001, Petersen 2001, and Bubela & Caulfield 2004). Other researchers have conducted in-depth analysis of the published editorials and journal articles with a view to examining the way developments in genetics have conventionally been recorded by the clinici ans and past researchers and what role they have played in advancing the field of genetics (Cunningham-Burley & Amos 1999). Editorials are one of the most fundamental sources of information about the portrayal of genetics. â€Å"Published in peer-reviewed journals, editorials allow leaders of the research and clinical communities to provide commentary on developments in science and clinical practice†

The Economics of Education & Financing Education Adequately Essay

The Economics of Education & Financing Education Adequately - Essay Example This paper explores the evidences that increasing social problems may lead to large increases in the annual cost of public elementary and secondary education in Fentress County Tennessee. The paper also determines the current expenditures per pupil in Fentress County, three surrounding counties, and the state per pupil expenditure average. Response to question one. Increasing social problems could cause massive increases in the annual cost of public secondary and elementary education. Social problem involves social issues that may plague the system of education. For example, emotional, ethical, gender, economic, and cultural issues are some of the social problems in education. The major effect of these problems on education has always been to increasing the cost of education (Brimley, Rulon, Garfield, et.al. 2008). For instance, economic issues increase the cost of education by making the government give out financial support to families with low income, give scholarships, and run th e education programs. This leads to a high cost of maintaining education in the secondary and elementary levels of education. According to the Fentress County Tennessee, the average cost of educating a child placed in a public school was more than six thousand dollars ($7,436) for one year (Brimley, Rulon, Garfield, et.al. 2008). Of this annual amount, a huge percentage of funds are typically allocated to activities of teaching. This is an area where the effects of social problems are realized. The cost due to behavioral problems is approximately 65% or about $ 4,833. Even though, the other sections of the school like supervision and administration could also be affected by social problems, the annual figure of the teaching portion of education, in this case, was used in the calculation. As per a research conducted by the Public Agenda research group in Fentress County Tennessee, 45% of school teachers reported that they normally spend a significant part of their time to manage the behaviour of their classroom thus making them to spend a little time in teaching (Brimley, Rulon, Garfield, et.al. 2008). This implies that, for every ten teachers, four of them spent over 55% of their principal classroom time on dealing with social problems of the learners. In terms of finances, the impact cost of a statistic like this one is 55% of $4,833 which is equal to $ 2,658. This is the amount of finances that is wasted on the management of social issues for every child per year. A study conducted on a number of schools in Fentress County Tennessee, having different school size, reported a massive education cost due to managing social problems in the school (Brimley, Rulon, Garfield, et.al. 2008). From this study, a table (Table1) was drawn to display the cost impact of social problems on education. Table 1: Cost impact of social problems management in Fentress County District schools. School Size Cost impact of social problems management on education based on the percent o f time spent. 25% 30% 50% 250 $328,563 $394,275 $657,125 400 $525,700 $630,840 $1,051,400 500 $657,125 $788,550 $1,314,250 650 $854,263 $1,025,115 $1,708,525 800 $1,051,400 $1261,680 $2,102,800 1000 $1,314,250 $1,577,100 $2,628,500 The table (Table1) shows out the cost effect of managing the behaviour of students in the classroom. When observed keenly as a percent of the time lost out of approximately 180 days (a school year), the figures are disturbing. Number of school days lost due to social problems m

Leadership Theory of Situational Approach Research Paper

Leadership Theory of Situational Approach - Research Paper Example ys strategies that gives the manager the capabilities to deal with a wide range of people hence creating a more employee centric and innovative organization through the level of direct contact that the manager has with the employees at all levels. Situational Leaders adjusts their leadership style according to the behavior and level of their employees. The different leadership styles used by different leaders include: Directive, Coaching, Participating and Delegating (Fielder, 1967) Directive or Telling leadership approach is a leadership style where the leader instructs subordinates on what to do and how to do it. It focuses on goal achievement and less support. It is used mainly within the law enforcement, manufacturing assembly lines and Military. It provides a means of managing diverse group of people that span a wide range of experience and maturity levels. Coaching or selling is another leadership style where the manager provides information and direction. This form of leadership focuses on goal achievement and is supportive that is it gives instructions on how goals are achieved and supervises it. It is mostly used in an internship situation. Participating leadership on the other hand is a leadership style where leaders focus more on relationships than direction. In this style of leadership, the manager works closely with the team and shares decision making responsibilities. It is characterized by listening, praising, asking for input and giving back hence highly supportive and low directive (Hersey and Blanchard, 1977). It is used mainly by corporate leaders in an attempt to influence the board of directors towards developing a new policy. Delegating is also another leadership style where the manager is usually less involved with decisions, he or she tells the subordinates what need to be achieved and therefore he or she is able to focus on the work and achievements of subordinates. This style is applied mostly to university professors who are given

Rationalism and Empiricism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rationalism and Empiricism - Essay Example It is about the psychological side that Pinker claims, "The past tense is the only case I know in which two great systems of Western thought (rationalism and empiricism) may be tested and compared on a single rich set of data, just like ordinary scientific hypotheses." But Searle argues among other things that the debate about the past tense is not a case in which "two great systems of Western thought (rationalism and empiricism) may be tested and compared on a single rich set of data." Searle argued that the features that make them "great systems of Western thought" are left unaffected by the discussion of the past tense. Their debate also included history, computation and information processing in relation to rationalism and empiricism where both thoughts oppose each other. The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy which Searle (in Pinker & Searle, 2002) thinks is standard, defines rationalism as the position that reason presides over other ways of acquiring knowledge, or that it is the unique path to knowledge. It is most often encountered as a view in epistemology, where it is traditionally contrasted with empiricism, the view that the senses are primary with respect to knowledge (Audi, 1999). Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that asks the question "How do we know what we know" (Epistemology n.d.). This is a nature/nurture debate then, with Rationalists going for nature and Empiricists going for nurture. Some scientists think that people behave as they do according to genetic predispositions or even "animal instincts." This is known as the "nature" theory of human behavior. Other scientists believe that people think and behave in certain ways because they are taught to do so. This is known as the "nurture" theory of human behavior (Powell, 2006). Plato and Descartes were famous Rationalists, John Stuart Mill and David Hume were famous Empiricists. The following can be said to be the levels by which rationalism and empiricism may be differentiated. DIFFERENCES Etymology and emphasis. According to Carlo Sini (2004), the name Rationalism obviously derives from the word 'rational' which goes back to the Latin, 'ratio' meaning 'calculation'. This in turn goes back to another Latin word, 'ratus', which is the past participle of 'reor', meaning "think', 'deem', 'judge'. What runs through all of these is the emphasis on mind, an emphasis connected with the word 'rational' as well: rationalise, rationality, and similar terms. 'Empiricism' derives from another English word, 'empiric', meaning, 'derived from experience.' The term "empirical" was originally used to refer to certain ancient Greek practitioners of medicine who rejected adherence to the dogmatic doctrines of the day, preferring instead to rely on the observation of phenomena as perceived in experience (Sini, 2004). The doctrine of empiricism was first made by John Locke in the 17th century. Locke argued that the mind is a tabula rasa ("clean slate" or "blank tablet"or" white paper") on which experiences leave their marks. To Locke, the mind is like

Rapid Appraisal of Articles About the Pressure Ulcer Article

Rapid Appraisal of Articles About the Pressure Ulcer - Article Example The study of Kordestani et al. (2008) aimed to compare the wound healing rate and incidence of infection in wounds treated with either bioactive dressing (dressing with hydrophilic mucopolysaccharide, chitosan) or conservative treatment (gauze) (p. 323). Data were collected from 85 patients with diabetic ulcers but due to attrition, only 54 patients were analyzed. The result of the study found out that a statistically significant difference (p

The way in which the theme of prejudice is presented Essay Example for Free

The way in which the theme of prejudice is presented Essay From your reading of the novel so far, (up to and including chapter four), comment on the way in which the theme of prejudice is presented. The subject of prejudice is one of the major themes throughout the novel Of Mice and Men. There are three main characters that suffer prejudice from others, although this isnt always intentional. Crooks, Candy and Curleys wife are all examples of characters that are discriminated against, whether because of race, sex, age or appearance. Lennie receives some prejudice, however not nearly as much as the others. Candy is the oldest of all the ranch workers, and has lost his hand (presumably in a working accident), so therefore is resigned to be the swamper, as he cant do anything more. Because of this, he is isolated from the other workers in the bunkhouse due to his age and disability, and has become incredibly lonely. Candy is one of the three pairings in the novel, a relationship that is quickly destroyed. At the start of the novel, he is not as lonely as his old sheepdog provides company for him so his seclusion does not affect him hugely. However, in chapter 3, the other members of the group pressure him into allowing Carlson to shoot his dog, on the basis that he Dont know nothing that stinks so bad as an old dog. Although Candy loves his dog and doesnt want it dead, he eventually gives up and allows Carlson to take away his dog and shoot it. This shows how desperate he is for the other workers to like him more: that he would allow his only real friend on the ranch to be killed just to please the others in the bunkhouse. This also shows the amount of prejudice Candy suffers: it was inevitable that his dog was going to be killed, and if it had come to it he probably would have had no say in the matter. The event is foreshadowing of the fact that Candy is also old, and he too will die sooner than any of the other men. Further prejudice is seen as Slim offers him another dog from his new litter of puppies. The other ranch workers cannot see his misery, and treat him more like an animal by simply offering to replace what has been lost. Another of the victims of prejudice is Curleys wife, who is never given a name during the novel, to show that she has become one of Curleys possessions in the eyes of the workers, and, like all women, could never be treated as an equal. She is treated very harshly, suffering much verbal violence, for example being referred to as a bitch, tramp, poison, jailbait and a looloo. Most of these names are said in a cruel way, however some are merely how the workers refer to all women in general. Because of the neglect that she is given by everyone on the ranch, she dresses flamboyantly in order to gain some of the attention that she craves. She is said to have full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. She wears a lot of red, which is a symbol of danger and also is a vibrant colour that may get her noticed. Also, it is very similar to a description of Mae West a film star at the time. When Curleys wife first meets George and Lennie she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. This is done only so that people will notice her for her good looks and therefore (she hopes) will pay her some attention. Instead they are all rude to her behind her back as their only real experience with women is at the local brothel, where women are treated more as objects, and so because of this, the workers associate her with prostitution and treat her with no respect. Like most women, she is considered to have hidden dangers; one of the ranchers describes how Andys in San Quentin now on account of a tart. Lennie, although he receives a small amount of prejudice, still holds some respect, as the other workers fear his strength, especially after he crushes Curleys hand. However, behind his back, references are often made about the fact that George and him travel together, implying that he wouldnt be able to do anything on his own and George himself says many times how childlike and dependant he is. A character that receives a large amount of discrimination is Crooks, simply because he is black. Much of this is not intentional, names such as nigger are common language to use amount the ranch workers, and they use it without considering the affect it has on Crooks feelings. He is treated terribly in the novel and is forced to live in a small shed with the animals. He has become a proud, aloof man and is rude to everyone as they are rude to him. He is clearly very lonely, and for good reason- the only time that he is allowed into the bunkhouse with the others is at Christmas so that they can beat him up, and get pleasure out of watching him behave like an animal. The only people in the book who dont instantly discriminate him because he is a nigger are Candy and Lennie, Lennie only because he doesnt know how. Crooks is still bitter and rude to them though, because he is afraid of being friendly to people because he no longer trusts anyone to return the friendliness. When Lennie comes into Crooks makeshift home, Crooks is instantly very rude to him. However, when Candy also wants to talk to him, Crooks found it hard to conceal his pleasure with anger, showing that Crooks actually enjoyed the company. He starts to come out of his shell and even asks to be part of Lennies dream, but then Curleys wife enters and is met with nothing but rude comments. This causes her to become defensive and she is very scornful to Crooks, causing him to retire into the terrible protective dignity of the negro. He is put in his place, and refuses to be part of the dream, because, as he says, I wouldn want to go no place like that.

Determine Domain and Range Essay Example for Free

Determine Domain and Range Essay the graph by going to the graph window, clicking on File, scrolling down to copy to clipboard and clicking on copy to clipboard. In your opened Word document click on Edit/Paste. Below the pasted graph, answer the following questions. Express your answer using inequalities or interval notation. (1) What is the domain of ? The domain of is the set of all real numbers. (-? , +? ) (2) What is the range of ? The range of is the set of all real numbers greater or equal to zero ( ). [0, +? ) B. On the same graph in Winplot, repeat the procedure above for a new function and add the graph to the previous graph. Copy and paste the new graph into the Word document. Below the new graph, answer the questions below. Express your answer using inequalities or interval notation. (1) What is the domain of ? The domain of is the set of all real numbers. (-? , +? ) (2) What is the range of ? The range of is the set of all real numbers greater or equal to two ( ). [2, +? ) C. Again, on the same graph in Winplot that contains the other two functions, graph a third function . Copy and paste the graph into the Word document. Below the graph answer the questions below. Express your answer using inequalities or interval notation. (1) What is the domain of ? The domain of is the set of all real numbers. (-? , +? ) (2) What is the range of ? The range of is the set of all real numbers greater or equal to minus three ( ). [-3, +? ) D. By observing the answers you have submitted for parts A, B, and C, make a general statement about the domain and range for a function of the type: , for a 0 and also for a 0. The domain of is the set of all real numbers. (-? , +? ) The range of is the set of all real numbers greater or equal to a ( ). [a, +? ) 2. Graphing a Linear Function A. Use Winplot to graph the following linear functions on the same graph. See problem one for how to graph in Winplot and paste the graphs into Word. Copy and paste the graph into the Word document. Below the graph answer the questions shown below. (1) Of the three equations, which has the steeper graph? What is its slope? Of the three equations, has the steeper graph. The slope of is 7/4. (2) What point do all three lines have in common? (Express as an ordered pair. ) All three lines have point (0, 0) in common. B. Use Winplot to graph the following three linear functions on the same graph. Copy and paste the graph into the Word document. Below the graph answer the questions shown below. (1) Compare the graph of the first equation to those of the other two equations. What effect does adding the +1 (second equation) and then the -2 (third equation) have on their graphs as compared to the original graph (first equation )? The graph of equation is parallel to graph of equations and . Adding the +1 to the original graph of , moves graph up by 1 unit. Adding the -1 to the original graph of , moves graph down by 2 unit. (2) Complete the following sentence: The word which best describes the three lines in the graph is _Parallel__. (choose one: perpendicular, intersecting, or parallel. ) (3) What is the slope of each of the three lines? The slope of each of the three lines is ?. (4) What is the y-intercept for each line, respectively? Give the ordered pair for each. The y-intercept for lines , , and are (0,0), (0,1), and (0, -2), respectively. C. Using Winplot, graph the functions y = 3 and y = | x | on the same graph. Copy and paste the graph into the Word document. Below the graph answer the questions shown below. (Enter y = abs(x) into Winplot to graph the second equation). (1) Describe the shape of the graph y = | x |. The shape of the graph is similar to ‘V’. Since y = |x|, therefore the value of y will be always positive and the graph will be represented by equations of two line that forms ‘V’ shape at (0,0). (2) What orientation (horizontal or vertical) does the line y = 3 have? The line y = 3 have horizontal orientation. (3) List the ordered pairs of the 3 points which form a triangle in the picture, (-3, 3), (0,0), and (3,3) (4) Using the formula A = ? bh, what is the area of the triangle pictured? A = (1/2)bh = (1/2)*6*3 = 9 square units. 3. Match the Graph of a Function with its Equation A. Copy and paste all six graphs shown below into your Word document. Label each graph with the appropriate equation from the following list. Use Winplot to help determine the correct match of equation to the given graph.

Secularism And Its Effect On Society Religion Essay

Secularism And Its Effect On Society Religion Essay Secularism is the separation of state and religion. It is the exclusion or rejection of religion from political or civil affairs of the state. Being an ancient belief of some ancient Greek and Roman philosophers like Marcus Aurelius it has developed and expanded to reach different corners of the world. However, the term secularism is relatively new as it was first mentioned or coined by the British writer George Holyoake in 1851. In the 1700s different writers and philosophers of the Enlightenment Age had proposed its application in society. High Renaissance authors also gave rise to secularism and idealism in their works formed from Classicism, but it was mostly in historical rather than artistic and architectural works. Thus, secularism was formally born or started during the Renaissance but found a sure footing in the 18th century during the Age of Reason. The concept and its application grew stronger with the French revolution carrying until today. The most secular states in cont emporary times have more than doubled the number of non-secular states. However, some secular states do not apply it fully and still observe some religious idiosyncrasies like holidays. Some states, however, do not have a defined state religion because of different practices of a large number of its citizens. For example, Nigeria has Islam, Christianity and other Traditional religions but not as much as the first two- as the official religions of the nation. The entire nation observes both Islamic and Christian holidays and puts aside money in its budget for different purposes for this religion. Hence, secularism has had a boost in the last two to three centuries. Since its emergence, religion holds the role or status as the basis for law and all other legalities. It is the sole source of law and everyone is expected to obey its rules and regulations and failure to do so results in punishment of the guilty person or persons by religious decree. Therefore, the proper role of religion in every society is to lay down the rules or laws to be followed by every member. It also encompasses the entire life of a person, from his or her birth, daily activities and even to demise and further. Religion is absolute i.e. it is a divine decree from the Almighty. Europe was widely Roman Catholic Christians due to the Roman conquerors of the Dark and Middle Ages. Europe was a very religious continent. Hence, religion was the law putting the church over even the ruling Monarchs and nobles. However, this arrangement depended on the country and sometimes changed according to the ruler. For example, King Richard the Lion Heart of England was a strong catholic and a leader of the crusades therefore, had a good standing with the church while his brother John also known as John Lackland who became king after him did not. Pope Innocent II excommunicated him due to a dispute between them on who was to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Because the olden Norman and Angevin kings of England had had considerable influence with the church, he also assumed he could. However, the church triumphed and he kept on paying the church compensation money for some time. Thus, religious rules have been around for a long time due to religion and its willing followers. It can also be seen from the time of its emergence and evolution from animism to polytheism and finally monotheism, all religions allow for the belief in a power or deity that sets rules. These rules have been sometimes to the advantage of society and at other times to its detriment. For instance, in pre-Christian Rome, human sacrifice or bloodshed is said to be the bringer of the gods and goddesses mercy on the people of Rome. Human sacrifice brought about rainfall, good harvest and abundant wealth. Thus, it brought about the birth of the gladiators and their legendary fights to please the deities. Another example would be the Indian sacrifice of a widow on her dead husbands funeral pyre or later times the end of her social life and she is considered a bad luck charm for anyone. Thus, religion compelled society to either kill these widows or cut them off from society and force them to l ive together without support, wearing only white and selling their bodies to feed themselves most of the time. Some religions even support and approve of incest especially brother-sister incest which can be seen in Egyptian, Japanese and Chinese royal families of the olden days. Hence, the proper role of religion in society is to arrange and bring order not chaos to religion. But for the most part, Europe engaged in wars between its countries due to religion sacrificing thousands of lives to its cause. For example, the Crusades that were undertaken three times by different countries that threw all of their money into them by heavily taxing their people to finance wars which were lost in the end. Some countries, like England and France never recovered fully from this economical sacrifice which can be said the evolutions in both these countries because of poor standard of living. State religion in France after the revolution gave way to state atheism which promoted the suppression of religion. It is paramount to understand that secularism promotes religious freedom while keeping it from influencing its laws while atheism does not support the practice of religion at all. In modern or contemporary times, secularism is more popular because it promotes equality of religions before the law and can quell accusation of favoritism towards one religion. However, in communist states state atheism is promoted. The modern world should not abandon or relegate religion to the side as it is being done in most modern states. It is a given that some states have more than one major religions to consider. This might a present a problem to most states when it comes to law making. However in Nigeria, the law makers have done a good job inculcating its major religions i.e. Islam and Christianity with great results. The country also recognizes other practices of the less populated traditional religions accepting some things like marriage, paternity and adoption without a need for a legal representative at the time. It can be said that religion threw Europe in to a state of war, but it cannot be refuted that it also brought about stability at the time of its emergence in Europe. However, most people especially the philosopà ©s like Denis Diderot rejected the idea of God making religion synonymous to societies sufferings. He wrote an essay about a dying blind professor, Lettre sur les aveugles, in which he promoted his ideology. It is believed Diderots sisters death in a convent where she was a nun contributed to his dislike of religion. Thus, it can be seen that sufferings of people of the poor at the hands of the church led to many Europeans acceptance of atheism. On the other hand, it most states that have a single religion as its state religion and being non-secular have a relatively calm and orderly society. For example, the Middle Eastern states that use Islam as their official religion use the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as their law. Although there is crisis in the Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates enjoy a peaceful social and economical life which orderly and chaos-free. The separation of religion and state laws both has its advantages and disadvantages. It is still an ongoing debate on whether its benefits outweigh its shortcomings. If state is separated from religion, laws will have no direct religious influence. Man made religious rules saying is not the law. Tolerance of other religions will be developed. Nepotism and segregation or prejudice due to religious difference will greatly reduce. The state will not add religious expenses to its budget leaving it with more funds to pursue other state matters or problems. Atheist can also be tolerated and their views heard. Freedom of expression is greatly promoted in these societies. Democracy is also promoted. On the other hand, if state is not separate from religion it will incur extra expenses. There is less tolerance of other religions and their practice as can be seen in places like Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Yemen and Israel to a great extent towards Muslims. Religious sayings are considered as law. Atheism as well as bad mouthing the religion will be considered heresy and might even be punishable by death as seen during the churchs powerful hold in Europe. However, some of the advantages above can also turn into these disadvantages while some of the disadvantages turn into advantages. For example, tolerance of atheism can lead to its widespread and the decline in religion as evidenced in Europe with the advent of atheistic Enlightened philosophers. Although there was no tolerance in most countries, the Netherlands allowed these people to publish most of their works and in doing so helped the spread of atheism. Democracy can be said to be highly overrated because most states practicing it can also infringe on the rights of others and not tolerate their religious freedom. For example, the law that was passed in France by President Nicholas Sarkozy to prevent Muslim women from covering their head infringed on their freedom of religion and expression. So also were the punishments administered by most churches in early Europe which sometimes involved stoning or beheading depending on the magnitude of the sin in the churchs eyes. However, th ese rights later left the hands of the churches and transferred to the feudal lords who still took advices from their assigned priests. This however, seemed to lessen the punishment taking it away from women and children but mostly between men and their feudal lords. However, a more prominent example of non-separation problems can be seen with the popes of the Renaissance era in Italy. Their frivolous and sybaritic lifestyle damaged the image of religion and gave it no credence in the eyes of the believers. They didnt care for their people and mostly left them to suffer. Another example is the era of the Plantagenet Kings of England. All of these kings made England a very poor and unhappy country by taxing its people heavily and constant engagement in wars that were mostly petty and selfish. Further, Philip II launched a naval attack on England because of religion and without a thought to his people and their livelihood cut down Spains forests to build his ships led to the economic decline of Spain which was once had a robust economy. Thus, by separating or not separating religion and state, chaos occurs. Nonetheless, it is wiser to keep religion as a basis for law making. Divine messages if followed adamantly lead to peace not anarchy as can be seen in Saudi, U.A.E, Qatar, Brunei and others. Secularism in contemporary world has led to decline in before highly valued morals. Nowadays, sexual relationships are openly carried out i.e. a couple can move in together with the knowledge with both their parents and other people in society. On the other hand, non-secular and Old Europe frowned upon something like this. Fornication and adultery are seen as a sin from a religious point of view everywhere in the world. Although, the monarchs and aristocrats still indulged in the pleasures of the flesh and the priests and society look the other way as long as they are discreet for instance Henry VII with his six wives and countless mistresses. However, this example is unique to those societies that at the time were not very religious, frivolous and at times chaotic. For example, Italian renaissance that was characterized with frivolity and worldly pursuits because of they were not practicing religious sayings. This era can be identified with one of Europes most scandalous and licentious relationships and lots of unmarried mothers who suffered greatly. Synonymously, in the modern world, the Western world is highly secular and as such it also faces the problem of teenage pregnancy, unmarried single mothers living in poverty, high divorce rates, and numerous cases of infidelity and so on. However, after the wave of frivolity during the renaissance had been cleared by Paul III and hid successors, the enlightenment age brought with it a new wave of low moral standards. It can be seen from the 18th to the 19th century how extra-marital affairs became almost legalized. A wife was mainly the means to an heir. She was required to be faithful to her husband until she has given him an heir so that there will be no contest as to who the childs father was. S he can then have her affairs as long as she was discreet while the husband also has his own mistresses and affairs. Thus, bastard children belonging to the nobles and aristocrats were very high in number with a great many of the sons given titles while the daughters are at most times educated. All these eras though accepting of these low moral values make social pariahs out of its practitioners. Thus, secularism might promote or develop individuals to be independent but it does not protect them from the harsh realities of life. A religious and orderly society do not have such problems, although they do occur but not in such high numbers as in secular states. For example, the Puritans live their lives simply though of modern times, they do not believe in worldly pleasures. Moreover, the rate of suicide is seen to be much higher in secular states. There may be religious sacrifices as in the widow burning in Hinduism or stoning in Islam, it however, does not claim as many lives as suicide in the Western secular states. Furthermore, both of the aforementioned practices have falling into disuse while suicide is the most upcoming and pressing problem of deaths in secular societies. Having lived in a non-secular society where religion governs our day to day lives. I have witnessed how religious sayings from God can be turned and manipulated to suit the needs of men. In my opinion, secularism is a good idea but it also doesnt get to be practiced the way it is supposed to be. For example, recently the French government although calling itself secular passed a bill to stop women or specifically Islamic women from covering their faces. It is perfectly allowed to sanction those that refuse to show their faces for security reasons, but why persecute all on the basis of a notion or what a minority does? It goes to show that both secular and non-secular states need to work on where they stand in the modern world. Times have changed since people will take in stride what the state dictates. As it can be witnesses in France, although women are being sanctioned and charged, they still defiantly wear their head covering. To them, their veil is and identity of who they are an d what they represent as Muslim women. The French government will do well to learn from past mistakes of imposing sanctions on their people and its end results i.e. the revolution. I believe that religion plays a role in society that can be at most positive and sometimes negative. However, both sides can be argued according to ones own point of view. For an academic (western education), socialist or scientific point of view religion has more negative than positive sides. For example, gender inequality, female education and sacrificial roles to make someone give up his/her life. On the other hand, theologians or religious scholars will give credit to the positive side of religion for bringing about peace, tranquility and fairness. For instance, Islam in Arabia pulled the people out of ignorance or Jahiliyyah as the period is known to a blissful time of peace and love for all. Further, in the Christian and Islamic books i.e. the Bible and Quran respectively, stories showcased the way religion brought the people peace and escape from harsh and ruthless rulers as in the stories of Moses, Abraham and Jesus. Hence, the amalgamation of these two views still proves to be futile. To my understanding, until these two opposing point of views are united, secularism cannot and will not be practiced to everyones satisfaction. Democracy cannot be practiced fully without any partisan influence from religious groups either. The 9/11 attacks claimed by the Taliban are now being seen as attacks orchestrated by Jews and some say by the American government itself. President George Bush, the former president was said to be a member of a religious groups that rule America between themselves thus, eliminating any trace that all past democratic rulings were fair. Current president Barack Obama also hit a brick wall during his campaign for the post. Because of his Muslim-like name and his roots, he was considered a Muslim posing as a Christian to get Islam to rule America. This influenced so many people not to vote him fairly based on a judgment of his character. By separating religion and state, the deed has only fueled the widening gap between the two most dominant religions in the world ergo in America too. Schools do not teach their pupils much about religion; hence, they come out with a jaundiced view created by the media. Most politicians also do not hide their distaste for other religions as can be seen by Sarah Palin and her anti-Islamic sentiments. European history in its course from the ancient Greeks to the Romans to the Celts and the Vikings to Feudal systems and absolutist Monarchies and finally to the arrival of constitutional monarchy and democracy has shaped the world to what it is today. The West is the way it is thanks to these people who lived hundreds of years ago. But sadly, the world is yet to open their eyes and learn from past mistakes. European history in its course has shown us how absolutism or dictatorships can crumble in mere days when the people revolt. But the lure of power is too much for most leaders that they forget the past and only indulge in the present and paint and plan a happy future. This can be witnessed in the recent wave of unrest passing through some of the North African and Middle Eastern countries. The leaders of these countries had been there since kingdom come but are not ready to lose that power they hold so in their grip. It took a revolution for most of these rulers to surrender and st ep aside; however, some refuse like Libyan and Yemenis presidents. In my opinion, it all comes down to greed and the lust for power. The characteristics of these people can be witnessed from other historical figures like Napoleon I of France, John I of England, Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Philip II of Spain and others. Most of these leaders thirst and lust for power led to their ultimate downfall most especially Napoleon and his quest to create an empire for himself all over Europe. In conclusion, I believe secularism is only applicable to some states while in others it can never be well implemented. To my understanding, African countries like Nigeria cannot function well under secular rule because of the various religious groups in the country. Other places that witness Islam as the dominant religion can never use secularism to govern a state. Islam itself brings an entire system of the way a state under Islamic rule is supposed to function. It can be seen that most of these Middle Eastern states have flourished under this system. For Christianity, I believe the Vatican is a typical example of a religious state being ruled by a religious system that works pretty darned good. The Pope as its head and the people under him are leaving in a peaceful and non-hectic environment. However, the Christian world (West) has learned another lesson from European history of Christian wars and its rules. Therefore, it is wary of going back for seconds after breaking away and f orming other views that do not conform to the Catholic Church. As the saying goes once bitten twice shy so also do most Christians feel they cannot go back under influence and rule by the Church. But most of all European history, especially the Enlightenment age has left its mark on history by advocating atheism. As some figures and statistics show, the world religions are declining in number as more and more people stop believing in God. Atheism has spread its wings to touch every corner of the world not only the west but Asia and Africa, two of the most religious continents in the world. Hence, most people believe the growing rate of atheism should be synonymous with secularism so as to create a balance between the believers and the non-believers. However, I believe only time will tell what is the right path for us to follow and bring peace and harmony to our otherwise chaotic world.