Qur’an Nurcholish Madjid - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2569 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/10/10 Category Religion Essay Tags: Islam Essay Did you like this example? Qur’an  Nurcholish  Madjid (1939-2005), also widely known as Cak Nur, was a great neo-modernist Muslim thinker from Jakarta, Indonesia who introduced a new way of interpreting Islam through culture and influenced Indonesia’s development through desacralization and a religious-based, nationalized civil society. Madjid changed the vision of Islam for Indonesia with his famous slogan, â€Å"Islam Yes, Partai Islam, No,† a bold idea that dismissed the need for an ‘Islamic state’ and called for more recognition of the ‘spirit’ of Islam. He strongly advocated for the ‘cardinal principles’ of Pancasila, the Indonesian constitution, in which he emphasized the idea of civil society found in the Qur’an. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Qur’an  Nurcholish  Madjid" essay for you Create order One of Islam’s most well known theologians, Madjid founded Paramadina in 1986, the non-profit foundation, which today owns Paramadina University in Jakarta. In his quest for liberal Islam, the Paramadina organization was arguably his ultimate achievement in promoting secularization and democracy in Indonesia. Though Madjid did not focus on Qur’anic exegesis, his interpretations of the Qur’an socialized a neo-modernist approach, as he carefully looked at religious texts and reinterpreted them, developing an â€Å"inclusivist† understanding of Islam. The Paramadina Foundation’s manifested Qur’anic notion of civil society fostered a liberal Islam in Indonesia, but also reinforced challenges for Pancasila and national unity. Madjid used the word madina as a core theme of his speeches and his writings as a scholar and political activist. The etymology and cultural significance of the name Paramadina is quite fascinating. For instance, most of us know that Medina (or Al-Madinah), â€Å"the Radiant City,† is the holy city of Islam in Saudi Arabia. Medina was also the ideal Islamic city-state. As a result, many people interpreted the name Paramadina as â€Å"for the city,† para meaning â€Å"for† and Madina, â€Å"city†. Others believed that the foundation actually meant â€Å"our prime religion,† interpreting Parama as â€Å"prime† and dina, â€Å"our religion†. Madjid eventually accepted the name as â€Å"our prime religion† though it is not certain as to why. Even more interesting, the word madina can be found in the Indonesian phrase masyarakat madani, which translates to â€Å"civil society,† the ultimate focus of the Paramadina foundation. Masyarakat madani has now entered the Malay-Indonesian lexicon and is used by scholars, and government officials since the time of Soeharto (1990s). Habibie, ICMI’s first president, used the term extensively. The commissioned book Transformasi Bangsa menuju Masyarakat Madani (Nation Transformation towards Masyarakat Madani 1999) was authored by ICMI members and Nurcholish Madjid (319 Bakti). Islamic scholars of the Ciputat school of thought, who published numerous works on civil society, further popularized Masyarakat madani. Little do many of us know that the phrase â€Å"liberal Islam† was coined at Paramadina itself. Paramadina activists were also influenced by masyarakat madani and were considered members of the alternative name, â€Å"the Liberal Islam Movement.† The Paramadina Foundation is a highly cultural and religious landmark for Indonesia’s struggle of Islam as most of its founders were members of the â€Å"1966 Generation† who were actively politically opposed against Soekarno (1945-1967), the first president of Indonesia. Following Soekarno, President Suharto seized power in Indonesia as dictator and recruited many technocrats, who later became part of the 1966 Generation and Paramadina. These technocrats became intellectual activists within the liberal Muslim community with the agenda of restoring cultural Islam and an Islamic community (322 Taji-Farouki). Madjid was extremely influential during this time: even Suharto recognized the credibility of his ideas pertaining to Indonesian identity; Sudharmono, the former vice president of Indonesia, claims to have studied Islam at Paramadina. Though his ideas regarding Pancasila were controversial, the Indonesian government and civil society generally accepted Madjid. He was also part of the 1998 Reformasi era and fought for long-overdue social, cultural, and political reform during Suhartos control. It was in the post-Suharto aftermath that Madjid increasingly advocated for the core characteristics of Paramadina: inclusivism, pluralism, tolerance, and dem ocracy (322 Taji-Farouki). Madjid understood the influence of education in society as his education influenced him to improve it; Paramadina and Paramadina University are socio-religious and educational institutions that aim to shape individuals so that they pense sa culture, rethink their culture and definite their own culture rather than accept being dominated by it (500 Bakti). I believe Madjid’s philosophy for Paramadina was arguably inspired by his own educational upbringing, which was religious and liberal, local and international. Madjid completed his early education in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. He began at Madrasah al-Wataniyyah in the 1960s, a boarding school rooted in religious Islamic learning and attended Pondok Modern Gontor, another religious school, in East Java for high school. At the State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatulah in Jakarta, Madjid was twice elected president of the Muslim student association, Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam (HMI) in 1967 and 1969. At this time, Madjid was fluent in Arabic and deeply revered the Qur’an; his leadership of HMI, the largest student organization in Indonesia, attracted the attention of the Saudi Arabian government, which sponsored his hajj in March 1969. Soon after, he completed his thesis at the State Islamic University titled al-Qur’an: ‘Arabiyyun Lughatan wa Alamiyyun Ma’nan about the Qur’an and the Arabic language. A few years later, Madjid was accepted to the University of Chicago where he met Fazlur Rahman, the neo-modernist Muslim Pakistani American scholar who persuaded Madjid to pursue a PhD in Islamic Studies. In 1976 Madjid was participating in an international research seminar program on Islam and social change at the university and wanted to study Political Science. However, Rahman saw his passion for Islamic civil society and offered to mentor Madjid in Islamic Studies, pressing that the world needed more modern Islamic scholars. Madjid’s Qur’anic interpretation and perception of Islam was hugely influenced by Rahman, who shared many of young Madjid’s notions about Islam in civil society, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and Qur’anic teachings. Rahman was especially concerned with the Qur’anic teachings’ role in the achievement of social justice and the ideal civil society, which helped open Madjid’s eyes to the problems facing the Islamic world. Rahman also emphasized that political parties could not provide a solution. This led Madjid to â€Å"look behind the legal rulings to the values enshrined in the Islamic revelation†the Qur’anto see if there was a way to enhance Pancasila as the cornerstone of national unity (493 Bakti). This inclusivist understanding of Islam in part earned Madjid the name of a neo-modernist. At the University of Chicago, Madjid was also introduced more to Ibn Taymiyyah thought, whose ideas were particularly important to his quest for liberal Islam. Ibn Taymiyyah was one of Islam’s most famous theologians; he was a member of the Pietist school founded by Ibn Hanbal, who is considered the source of Wahhabiyyah, the mid 18th century traditionalist movement for socio-moral reconstruction of society. In addition, Ibn Taymiyyah sought the return of Islam to its sources, these sources being the Qur’an and the Sunnah, which deeply resonated with Madjid. Madjid’s understanding of Ibn Taymiyyah played a part in the formation of his personal view of the inclusivity of Islam. Ibn Taymiyyah’s values of social justice, religious pluralism, tolerance, and democracy are all reflected in Madjid’s passionate embrace of Pancasila, Indonesia’s constitution. Madjid wanted Indonesia to take a â€Å"peaceful, consensual, and solidarity-based approach† to humanity that relied on culture (495 Bakti). This approach was promoted by the Paramadina Foundation, an institution based on paguyuban, community. The community model seen in Paramadina is seen as open, plural and universal but Madjid’s unbreakable attachment to the concept of Madina, the ideal city-state, is what arguably hindered him from addressing a more global, open-minded civil society (496 Bakti). His neo-modernist perspective allowed him to interpret Qur’anic legislation to yield new laws for the present situation (17 Muin). In the process of formulating common values for Paramadina that favored a socially just, pluralistic, democratic civil society, he still failed when it came to addressing the prevalent issues of gender equality and discrimination against ethnic Chinese in Indonesia. Though Madjid did not produce any tafsir during his lifetime, through the guidance of Rahman he developed his own opinions about the ways Qur’anic teachings could achieve social justice and civil society in modern Indonesia; his concept of the ‘spirit’ of Islam hinted at a more metaphorical understanding of the Qur’an. In addition, he theorized about the authority of traditional ideas such as fiqh. Like Rahman, Madjid propagated the â€Å"heuristic device of contextuality† in his Qur’anic interpretation, specifically in terms of the way in which fiqh was meant to be practiced in civil society. One major example of this is how the Qur’an declares what will happen to an individual who turns aside from his Islam. Another example shows how the Qur’an declares that a human being is free to accept or reject belief in God and His Prophet: One who seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he will be among the losers [Q. 3:85]. Whoever believes, let him believe, and whoever rejects belief, let him reject it. We have prepared for those who do evil a fire that envelops them [Q. 18:29] (84 Taji-Farouki). Much of his focus involved pinpointing the authority of fiqh of previous centuries mentioned in the Qur’an and discovering how that authority could be applied to modern times in Indonesia (77 Taji-Farouki). This is arguably how Madjid used the Qur’an and hadith to find pragmatic and appropriate responses to the challenges facing Indonesia’s Muslim community. Perhaps Pancasila, Indonesia’s constitution could solve these challenges. In old Javanese, Pancasila derives from two Sanskrit words: panca, â€Å"five,† and sila, â€Å"principles.† It is thus composed of five inseparable principles that reflected Madjid’s ideas: the belief in only one god, civilized humanity, a unified Indonesia, democracy, and social justice for everyone. Pancasila is many thingsa constitutional law, a philosophy, and a socio-religious society. During Madjid’s time, Indonesia was, and still is, an extremely multicultural, multi-religious nation; the ideology behind Pancasila was that it would shelter and protect everyone under the umbrella of pluralism. Besides Islam, Pancasila recognizes seven official religions, including Catholic and Protestant Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Pancasila is a model for peace, but it has its shortcomings: only these Abrahamic religions, among a few others, are recognized and given legal status by Indonesia government, while Indonesia has over two hundred an d forty-five different minority religions. This begs the question: how is Pancasila inclusive or pluralistic? How could Pancasila be the â€Å"cornerstone of national unity† when it left out others? There appears to be some gaps in Pancasila. In Madjid’s eyes, masarakat madani, civil society, must depend on social justice by more importantly it must depend on one and only one god binding all citizens. In this sense Islam had to be and ethical and driving force in Indonesia. Pancasila is also resonant of the Qur’anic idea, in Madjid’s opinion, that the Qur’an does not address atheism since all humans believe in â€Å"something powerful within themselves† (495 Bakti). Again, masarakat madani is a model meant to be contextualized in a religious-based society, religion being the driving force behind the development of Indonesia, but a desacralized force. This is also the basic insight of the Paramadina Foundation, which embraced this neo-modernist approach. Madjid is so passionate about promoting inclusivism, integralism and the respect for human rights that he gave his own definition of â€Å"Islam† as belonging to any religion; he insisted that anyone belonging to the People of the Book could be considered Muslim because they were recognized by the Qur’an. This was the supposed ‘spirit’ of Islam. His embrace of the Islamic notion of fitrah—the intuitive ability to discern between right and wrong, good and badshowed his broad and simple interpretation of what Islam was and who it affected. Through fitrah, which was almost synonymous with al-Islam, almost anyone could acquire peace and salvation in Islam. Consumed by how Islam played a role in a civil society, in a religiously plural society, it was still difficult or Madjid and by extension Paramadina to see its position vis-à  -vis other religions . Idealizing Islam presents challenges in itself. The Algerian Muslim scholar, Mohammed Arkoun (1928-2010), sought the build a tolerant and ethicist future like Madjid, and called for the â€Å"dignity of man† and â€Å"spiritual responsibility†. A post-modernist scholar, his work was based on the Qur’an, the Bible and the Torah. He was a proponent of the emancipation of the so-called â€Å"human spirit.† Unlike Madjid, however, who wanted people to realize the ‘spirit’ of Islam, Arkoun wanted people to liberate themselves from â€Å"any orthodoxy whatsoever,† be it religious, ideological or philosophic. It was this type of person who would arguably be pluralist, â€Å"epistemologically able to see what goes on in building a particular tradition, philosophy, or worldview† (Hashas). For the human spirit, assuming a spiritual responsibility means providing oneself with all the means, and at all times the necessary conditions, for resisting all activities (once they have been duly identified) that aim to alienate it (the spirit), enslave it, mutilate it or mislead one or several of its faculties in an attempt to achieve an end contrary to what makes it the seat, the agent and the irreducible sign of the eminent dignity of the human person [16]. Arkoun believed that these intertwined concepts would help open up possibilities for â€Å"the emancipation of the human condition† (Hashas). â€Å"From Arkoun’s historiographical perspective, Islam has this potential of rehabilitating the debate on the dignity of man and human emancipation†¦ ‘There exists a liberal, critical Islam open to change, an Islam still little known and rarely taken into consideration’†[19] (Hashas). For both Arkoun and Madjid, the Qur’an was arguably perfectly compatible with modernity, since modernity was equivalent with rationality, and rationality was integral to Islam (79 Taji-Farouki). Both scholars were consumed by ideas of rationality within the Qur’an. Reason could be found in the Qur’an but it was their challenge to recover â€Å"rational dimension† of Islam. Madjid did not have a traditional understanding of the Qur’anic revelation. Influenced by theologian Ibn Taymiyyah and his mentor Fazlur Rahman, Madjid adopted a â€Å"heuristic approach of contextuality† in his own Qur’anic interpretation. As a neo-modernist leader, Madjid called for a liberal Islam and the desacralization of Islamic parties. He expanded his ideas under the Ciputat School of thought, founding the groundbreaking Paramadina Foundation, where the concepts of city, religion, and social justice were interdependent. Inspired by the Indonesian constitution of Pancasila, Madjid promoted the same ideas of pluralism, democracy, and social justice in Paramadina, though the application of such ideas was flawed. The Qur’anic notion of civil society, known in Indonesia as masarakat madani, helped to foster a liberal Islam but at the same time created obstacles for Indonesia’s national unity due to the fact that it depended on a religious-based s ociety where one god united all citizens. Works Cited Bakti, Andi Faisal. â€Å"Islam and Modernity: Nurcholish Madjids Interpretation of Civil Society, Pluralism, Secularization, and Democracy.† Asian Journal of Social Science, vol. 33, no. 3, 2005, pp. 486–505. Hashas, Mohammed. â€Å"Mohamed Arkoun: Unveiling Orthodoxy and Hegemony through Spiritual Responsibility.† Reset Dialogues on Civilizations | a Venue for All Tribes, 10 Sept. 2015 Muin, Munir A. â€Å"Nurcholish Madjid’s Idea of Inclusive Theology in Islam.† Islamika Indonesiana, vol. 1, no. 1, Jan. 2014, doi:10.15575/isin.v1i1.6. Taji-Farouki, Suha. Modern Muslim Intellectuals and the Quran. Nurcholish and the Quran. Oxford University Press, 2006.

The Zodiac Killer Project - 2069 Words

The Zodiac Killer Project The crime spree murders of the Zodiac killer is one of the greatest unsolved murdered cases of all time. The Zodiac’s murders took place from later 1960s, through to about 1972. Most of The Zodiac’s murders took place in Northern California. Some main areas where murders took place are Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa, and San Francisco, California. Two out of the four men that were attacked lived and three women out of the three were killed. The ages of the victims goes from 16 up to about 29 years of age. The Zodiac claimed he murdered 37 people in the letters he sent to the local newspaper. Investigators were only able to confirm seven victims, two out of these seven survived. The seven murders consisted of†¦show more content†¦He then had Shepard tie up Hartnell and then he tied up the other victim and then continued to stab them repeatedly. The murder then walked 500 yards up to Hartnells car where he carved the Zodiac symbol on the car door. Beneath it was written Vallejo/12-20-68/7-4-69/Sept 27-69-6:30/ by knife (wikipedia). Later that day at around 7:40in the evening, the Napa County Sheriff’s Department got a call from the killer; he reported his most recent crime. The killer had called from a payphone, the phone was found hanging off the hook, a few minutes later at a Car Wash on Main Street in Napa. The car wash was 27 miles from where the crime had taken place but only a few blocks from the Sheriff’s Department and they were able to extract a wet palm print off the phone but couldn’t match the print to anyone. When sheriff’s department arrived they were able to fine Shepard conscious and she was able to provide them with a description of who attacked her. The victims were taken to Queen of the Valley Hospital but Shepard lapsed into a coma and passed away two days later, fortunately Hartnell survived the attack was able to answer question and respond to the press. 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Nuclear Family Definition, Advantages Disadvantages free essay sample

Using material from item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that the nuclear family is no longer the norm. 24 marks The traditional nuclear family is defined as being a family consisting of a heterosexual couple with 2 or more dependent children (own or adopted) with a clear division of labour. Meaning the men are the instrumental role (breadwinner) and the women are the expressive role (domestic and caring/childcare). Over time this has changed and the nuclear family as become less dominant, some sociologists agree ith this such as Rapport, however some strongly disagree and believe that the nuclear family is the best type of family, such as the New Rights. Rapport argue theres many more factors causing more family diversity and how this means the nuclear family isnt necessarily the norm and that this diversity represents a greater freedom of choice and acceptance of cultures. For example cultural diversity, they say is that different cultures, religions and ethnic groups all have different structures iving in the I-JK, an example of this would be Indian ethnic groups being a largely extended family and African-Caribbean households are mainly headed by women. We will write a custom essay sample on Nuclear Family: Definition, Advantages Disadvantages or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They also argue that the nuclear family is not the norm now because of life-stage diversity. This means that family structures differ depending on the stage in their life reached, for example newlyweds with no children arent a nuclear family nor is a retired couple with independent children living away from home or widows/widowers iving alone, even though they may have been a nuclear family at one point, they arent anymore because of the stage in their life reached. Another reason Rapport argues is of organisational diversity. Referring to different family roles, such as Joint conjugal roles and two wage earners, meaning the males and females have equality in their relationships and both go out to work, meaning they cant have the typical expressive and instrumental roles seen in a nuclear family.

The Constitution Protects The Civil Rights Of Americans But Again The

The Constitution Protects the Civil Rights of Americans but again the Constitution does protect the civil rights of Americans. Even though some laws are passed that violate the civil rights of people in the United States, the Supreme Court corrects these errors. The cases reviewed here ask if it is okay to compose and mandate prayer in schools, whether the death penalty is Constitutional, and how much privacy is given to the American people. In the following Supreme Court cases, the reader will find that the decisions made are Constitutional and ensure that the civil rights of Americans are protected. The First Amendment to the Constitution forbids the government form supporting religion. In the Supreme Court case, Engle v.. Vitale, a New York school system composed a prayer and forced children to pray in the mornings at school. This action by the school system clearly violates the no establishment clause of the First Amendment, which states, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion... The Supreme Court ruled six to one that it was unconstitutional for schools to compose and mandate prayer. The Engle decision was a good decision. Since the government now had no say in how school children prayed, the rights of minority religious groups were protected. This decision ensures that students in schools across the country will not have to go against their religion to please the government. Because this decision ensures the people's right to worship in the way that they choose, American society as a whole benefits from this decision. The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. In the case, Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was not unconstitutional as long as it was not arbitrarily applied. This case was accurately read because the writers of the Bill of Rights did not believe that the death penalty constituted cruel and unusual punishment. They believed that cruel and unusual punishment was punishment that inflicted excessive pain on the convicted. Since the death penalty is humane, it does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment and is therefore acceptable to use as a form of punishment. The Gregg decision was a good decision. The death penalty is a fair and just punishment for those that have committed capital offenses. Although some might argue that it is a revenge-based punishment, it is only doing to the convicted what he did to his victim, although in a way much less painful. Because the death penalty is humane, causing almost no pain to the person being executed, it is a fair and allowable punishment for those that deserve it. The Ninth Amendment to the Constitution allows citizens more rights that those listed in the Constitution. It can be inferred that the writers of the Bill of Rights meant for privacy to be included in this amendment. In Connecticut, there was a law that forbid the use and distribution of information about contraceptives. This law was overruled by the Supreme Court in the case, Griswold v. Connecticut, when it ruled that the law violated Constitutionally protected privacy. The government only has the right to censor information if it endangers national security or if it is considered obscene. Since the use and distribution of information about contraceptives does not fall under any of these categories, it is not Constitutionally correct for the government to violate people's privacy in the way that it did in the Connecticut law. The Griswold decision was a good decision. Because people deserve and are Constitutionally given privacy, it seems illogical that a state would make a law like the one that was made in Connecticut. This type of action can be interpreted as a state not respecting a person's right to privacy, which is not only unconstitutional, but wrong. Because the Supreme Court abolished the Connecticut law forbidding the use and distribution of information about contraceptives, the people of the United States can rest assured that their right to privacy is being protected. In the preceding Supreme Court cases, the Justices that heard the cases upheld the meanings of the Amendments contained in the Bill of Rights. The decisions all agreed with what the writers of the Bill

Angry Birds Physics Lab Essays

Angry Birds Physics Lab Essays Angry Birds Physics Lab Paper Angry Birds Physics Lab Paper Kyle Brooks 11/13/12 Angry Birds Projectile Motion Lab How to Perfect Distances Of Birds using Launching Angles Purpose: The Purpose of this Lab is to discover which launch angles give the birds the longest and shortest time in flight. Hypothesis: I believe that the bird will launch the farthest at the 45 degree angle because that’s exactly half of 90 degrees which will give it the maximum height in comparison to length. I also think that the bird will launch the shortest at 0 degrees because it will go a very short distance because it has such a steep launch angle. Apparatus: Materials: Angry Birds application Protractor to measure angles Level with no obstructions in the birds path (level 1) Red angry birds Procedure: 1. )Gather birds, launcher, other materials, and open up angry birds application. 2. )Launch birds at 0, 45, and 90 degrees (or your choice of angles to test) and record data. (Make sure the level is one that doesn’t obstruct the path of the birds and contains only red angry birds. Like level 1. ) 3. )Repeat step 2 3 times and record distances for each angle. . )Look at the qualitative data and come to a conclusion of which angle gives the bird that farthest distance and which the least. (Record distances. ) Variables: Controlled: Power birds are launched at (maximum), type of angry birds (red birds), level where test were done (level 1) Independent: Angle the angry birds are launched at Responding: Birds travel a certain distance based off the angle they are launched at. Data: Distance Traveled by Bird (Qualitative) Angle of Launch Trial0 degrees45 degrees90 degrees Slightly ForwardOut of the screenNearly to the Structure 2 Slightly ForwardOut of the screen2/3 to the Structure 3Slightly BackwardsOut of the screen? to the Structure 4No MovementOut of the screen2/3 to the Structure 5Slightly BackwardsOut of the screen? to the Structure Data Analysis: According to the previous data, the birds launched at 45 degrees went the farthest each time; they went out of the screen on all 5 trials. Birds launched at 0 degrees, on the other hand, barely moved at all and went the shortest distance. Picture of Data: x x xx y y yy y zzzz Key x=0 degrees y=90 degrees z=45 degrees =launch point for birds =the structure birds are aiming for Conclusion: The Question in this lab was which angle would result in the birds going the farthest and shortest distances? I hypothesized that the birds launched at 45 degrees at maximum power would go the farthest because this has the highest height to length ratio. After testing, 45 degrees turned out to help the birds travel the farthest while the birds traveled the shortest distance at 0 degrees. This proves that my hypothesis was correct and 45 degree angle does allow the angry bird to go the farthest distance. Since we had to use a protractor, the design of the experiment doesn’t do a great job of finding the best angle for launch because the level doesn’t tell you what exactly 45 degrees is or what exactly 30 degrees is. This means each test had close to the desired angle, but never the exact. The data has to be measured qualitatively because the application doesn’t give distances or angles. However, we still know that birds travel the farthest at 45 degrees because that is the optimal angle to launch at. Ways to improve this experiment include using an application that gives distances and exact angles to make the data more accurate and the chance to measure quanitativly, applying this experiment in real life to see how accurate the previous data is, and trying more angles to see what other angles work and don’t work for traveling far. To apply this to real life, a real slingshot would have to be made that could be shot at accurate angles and then measure the distance of the projectiles.

Octopus way of winning essays

Octopus way of winning essays Mondex, backed by the largest bank HSBC in Hong Kong, is a cash-based smart card which also targeting the small payment market in Hong Kong. Mondex was launched at almost the same time as Octopus, and they are direct competitors with each others. Unlike Octopus, Mondex has a very low penetration rate after its first launch and totally disappeared in 2001 in Hong Kong. (Teams, please verify this data) Octopus and Mondex are launched almost at the same time and both are backed by big players in Hong Kong, why Octopus is so success now while Mondex totally failed? This could be explained by the positive feedback of network industries strong gets stronger and weak gets weaker; success begets more success, and failure breeds failure. Positive feedback provides increasing return to the network industries. The more customers a network gets, the more attractive that network becomes to other customers. That makes it easier for the network to attract another customer. That customer makes it even easier for the network to attract the next customer, and so on. Positive feedback is especially important on the merchant side of this payment card industry. As more consumers have a particular card brand and more merchants take that card brand, it becomes harder and harder for other merchants not to take that card brand. Merchants may risk losing sales if they dont take that card brand. Octopus adopted a revolution approach by controlled migration. With the retirement of common stored value ticket (CSVT), customers are forced to change to use Octopus. This helped Octopus to gain millions of card holders in just a few months and get into virtuous cycle easily. As more and more customers own Octopus, more and more other merchants willing to join the Octopus network. Unlike Octopus who started from the mass transportation and, Mondex started in other consumer markets with just on ...

Social Media Analysis and Customer Behaviour Research Proposal

Social Media Analysis and Customer Behaviour - Research Proposal Example With this accessibility and transparency of information the decision making process of the consumer is highly influenced. Traditional methods of advertising through the use of mass media have become highly ineffective as the consumers are eager to seek more information directly from the company. Therefore, companies have to work the market and find out the reception of the consumers to their brand, what influences their decisions positively and negatively (Lee, 2013). In this paper we shall examine the influence of social networks on the decision of a buyer. The first segments will presents an introduction to the chosen theme which includes the background and statement of the problem, the objectives and significance of the study, in the next chapter relevant information on literature review will be clearly provided from previous specialized studies. The third chapter will describes the research methodology and data analysis and final conclusions of the study. Marketing was done mainly through the mass media, advertisements would run on televisions and announced on the radios. Telemarketers would call consumers to market their brands and offer promotion services. This was all done beforeinvent of the online platform. The consumers would rely on the information offered by the manufacturers on the advertisements about the products.In the 20th century the internet was in full force and various social sites would connect people online, through easily- accessible and innovative features various social sites have linked people from different places in the world and has helped the layman connect with professionals. The use of mobile based platforms has increased the online presence of consumers as most people subscribe to different social sites. Companies have embraced this trend and established multiple accounts that offer customers services to their consumers. The online presence has made today’s consumer more divulging with

Ulysses Simpson Grant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ulysses Simpson Grant - Essay Example He implemented strategies that mobilised the union army successfully concluding the Civil War in 1865. However the two terms of his presidency were comparatively less successful and almost all his attempts directed towards reconstruction and establishing social and economic stability in the states failed. The attempts to harmonise the society ultimately failed leading to an increasing divide in between the whites and blacks. During the earlier phase of the civil war Grant worked in the state of Illinois where he mustered in volunteers in the Galena regiment and later took it to the state capital, Springfield. s In the capital he continued mustering more individuals in the army and hence raising many regiments. Taking note of this acts of grant, and impressed with his performance, he was appointment as a colonel of the Illinois volunteer regiment. He inculcated military discipline in the newly recruited soldiers of the regiment. Grant, successfully as a leader, led these regiments against pro-Confederate guerrillas in Missouri and achieved initial success. Taking note of his exceptional performance, and on account of the leadership skills that he displayed, he was raised as brigadier general. Grant was successful in winning some of the earlier victories for the Union forces with the capture of Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River and Fort Henry on the Tennessee River. The unconditional surrender of confederate Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner, along with his 14,000 men made Grant a national figure almost overnight, and he was nicknamed "Unconditional Surrender". With this victory, he gained the promotion to major general of volunteers. However, with the spiritless and inefficient display at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee in April 1862, Grant earned the anger of the men in north. Later in 1862, Lincoln promoted Grant as the commander of all Union forces in western Tennessee and northern Mississippi. Besides leading his own Army of the Tennessee, Grant now had at its command, the Army of the Ohio. Grant worked out strategies for attack on Vicksburg in Mississippi, in the autumn of 1862. That was one of the Confederate strongholds on the Mississippi River. Having failed in several attempts during the winter, Grant devised a new strategy of attack. In April 1863, marching his army towards south along the west side of the river, he took position on a point well below the heavily defended city. There, with the aid of the Union river fleet, he crossed the river and began a swift march eastward. On May 12, 1862 he captured Jackson, Mississippi, the capital of the state, directly east of Vicksburg. Then he turned west toward Vicksburg. Later, in the mid of May at Champion's Hill and Big Black River, Grant defeated General John C. Pemberton, commander of the Confederate forces defending Vicksburg, and drove him to prepared positions within the city. Grant's assault on the main Confederate works at Vicksburg failed, however, and he resorted to a siege or isolation of the city from supplies or reinforcements to compel it to surrender. The siege lasted six weeks. On July 4, 1863, bottled up on land and prevented by Union forces from escaping across the river, Pemberton surrendered his 30,000 men to Grant. With effective war strategies and able administration, he was able to convert this was in to victory, one of his

European-English language Essay Example for Free

European-English language Essay As Ammon Ulrich puts it, the English language is the most hospitable languages in the world because of its character for being open to other languages (2002). The English language accepts words and expressions from other languages. It even borrows the native words and expressions of some countries. Such hospitability of the English language can be proved by appealing to the etymologies found in some English terms (Algeo Pyles 2004). Yet, he argued that such hospitability does not entail humbleness. In fact, he argued that the English language has started to dominate the world by making the world accustomed to use and speak the English language (Ammon 2002). The sixteenth, seventeenth and the eighteenth century signaled the rise of the English language in Europe (Anderman Rogers 2005). These periods marked the impeccable influence of the English language in the European civilizations. Because of trades and shipping businesses, it was said that Europe had increasingly exposed themselves on the English language (Phillipson 2003). The nineteenth century made almost all of the European languages to have distinct affinity with the English language likewise the European languages include vocabularies and terms that were derived from the English language (Anderman Rogers 2005). In the twentieth century, England took a very significant role in expanding the influence of the English language in the whole European region. Because of cultural relations, economic transactions, and global communications, English had truly penetrated Europe. There was this mixed European and English language – combination of structures, terms, expressions and styles of the two languages (Anderman Rogers 2005). Nonetheless, in this period, English does not have any special place in European countries. It is not even regarded as an official language by other European countries (Phillipson 2003). Though there are some countries which used English as their native language. There are countries in Europe which are opposed with the idea of translating files and documents from their native language into English (Ammon 2002). Bilingualism is allowed in the European region (Phillipson 2003). However; European countries do not think that making the English language as their official language would make significant change for them. As a result, they refuse to consider translations of newspapers, official documents and declarations into the English language. There are separate editions and issues of magazines that are printed and published in English (Ammon 2002). According to the European Union, though the English language has truly proven its importance in international business and communication, it does not necessarily mean that they would ardently adopt it (Anderman Rogers 2005). What happened is that, European countries, together with their cultures, reconstructed the English language with their own native language. For example, the combination of French and English is called Franglais. The combination of German and English is Denglish, Spanish and English is Spanglish, Dutch and English is Nederengels (Anderman Rogers 2005). Besides this reconstruction or the mixing of European languages and the English language, the European Union announces that although the English language is key factor in business communication, local cultures and communication should be first considered. Consequently, English is only regarded as an ordinary language used and spoken by the people in Europe (Stavans 2002). Crawford’s â€Å"Heritage Languages in America: Tapping a ‘Hidden’ Resource† English Language is known as the official language of America (Crawford 1999). All the states of America use and speak of it. There is no such thing as native language except for the fact that America has been inhibited by many other people with different nationalities and cultures (Cheshire 2007). It is tagged as the melting pot of the world. For this reason, it is undeniable that every attempt to come near it would mean exposing oneself from the very influential power of the American culture including the use of the English language (Crawford 1999). According to James Crawford, it is inevitable that the world would bend over the English language (1999). Evidently, one cannot survive in the international scene without knowing how to speak and understand English. As repeatedly mentioned in this paper, international communication requires the English language (Crystal 2003). He stressed in his arguments his contention to those countries which try to establish an anti-bilingual campaign (Crawford 1999). It is to be noted that there are really bills and laws that are currently against the use of English as a second language. He saw no logical reason for pushing such campaign. American people honor and recognize the role of the English language. They see how it significantly affects their lives and the world. No matter how the English language is differently used and spoken by different countries in the world, no doubt that it pushes the world to take big leaps with regards to technological, scientific, political and mostly economic advancements. English language-policy system in America is geared towards the unification of native tribes and groups with the whole of America (Johnson, 2000). It does not really undermine or debilitate native languages. It serves as the key weapon in improving the lives of the people, and making them realize that the world is really moving towards modernization and globalization. There is no way that the English language would not affect the international relations of the world (Cheshire 2007). However, according to James Crawford, it does not imply that other languages would be thrown out of the picture. He insisted that native languages should be tied up with the native languages so as to preserve the culture and heritage of particular regions and groups in America while making efforts to advance the quality of life they have (Crawford 1999). Conclusion The English Language cannot really own by one nation. In fact it is not exclusively owned by any one. It is a freelancer language which tends to be accessible to all that needs a common medium for particular and specific purpose. The research studies presented in this paper proves that the English language has really penetrated the international scene – leaving either good or bad effects. More so, its evolution took place in the midst of criticisms and oppositions against it. China, Japan, Europe and America admitted that the English language significantly takes part in every transformation of the world. It is a very dynamic language which allows the assimilation and inclusion of almost every other languages and culture. Bilingualism may be seen as problem or threat for others. Nonetheless, bilingualism opens the door for better communication. References: Algeo, J. , Pyles, T 2004, The Origins and Development of the English Language (5th ed. ), Heinle. Ammon, U 2002, English As An Academic Language In Europe: A Survey Of Its Use In Teachin,. Peter Lang Publishing. Anderman, G. M. , Rogers, M 2005, In And Out Of English: For Better, For Worse? (Translating Europe, Multilingual Matters Limited. Brownell, J. A1967, Japans second language;: A critical study of the English language program in the Japanese secondary schools in the 1960s, National Council of Teachers of English. Burchfield, R 2003, The English Language,. Oxford University Press. Burnley, D 2000, The History of the English Language: A Source Book (2nd ed. ), Longman. Cheshire, J 2007, English around the World: Sociolinguistic Perspectives, Cambridge University Press. Cheshire, Jenny 1991, Introduction: sociolinguistics and English around the world, In Cheshire: 1-12. Crane, M 2004, English as a Second Language, Grand Central Publishing . Crawford, J 1999, Heritage Languages in America Retrieved July 2007, 2007 from http://ourworld. compuserve. com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/HL. htm Crystal, D 2003, English as a Global Language (2nd ed. ), Cambridge University Press. Fennell, B. A 2001, A History of English: A Sociolinguistic Approac,. Blackwell Publishing Limited. Gorlach, M. 1991, Studies in Varieties of English around the World, 1984-1988, Amsterdam/Philadephia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. Graddol, D 1996. The History of the English Language (First ed. ), Routledge. Hamers, Josiane F. Blanc, Michel H. A 1989, Bilinguality and Bilingualism, Cambridge: CUP. Johnson, F. L 2000, Speaking Culturally: Language Diversity in the United States, Sage Publications, Inc . Kachru, B. B 1992, The Other Tongue: ENGLISH ACROSS CULTURES (2nd ed. ), University of Illinois Press. Kahcru, Braj B 1986, â€Å"The power and politics of English†. In World Englishes, Vol. 5, No. 2/3: 121-140. Liu, J 2007, English Language Teaching in China: New Approaches, Perspectives and Standard, Continuum International Publishing Group. Marciamo 2005, Japan more accommodating to English speakers than to speakers of other languages, Retrieved July 28, 2007 from Japan Reference: http://www. jref. com/language/english_friendly_japan. shtml McMillan, R. R 1999, English as the Second Official Language in Japan? Retrieved July 28, 2007, from Garden City Life: http://www.antonnews. com/gardencitylife/1999/12/17/opinion/ Pennycook, Alastair 1994, The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language, Harlow: Longman Group Ltd. Phillipson, R 2003, English-Only Europe? : Challenging Language Policy (First ed. ), Routledge. Porcaro, J. W 2002, â€Å"Translating literature and learning culture. (teaching English as a foreign language in Japan†, Academic Exchange Quarterly , 6 (4), p. 113. Ross, H. A 1993 China Learns English: Language Teaching and Social Change in the People`s Republic, Yale University Press. Saito, T. , Nakamura, J. , Yamazaki, S 2002, English Corpus Linguistics in Japan, Rodopi. Shaobin, J 2002, English as a Global Language in Chin,. Retrieved July 27, 2007, from ELT Newsletter: http://www. eltnewsletter. com/back/May2002/art992002. htm Stanlaw, J 2005, Japanese English: Language And The Culture Contact (Bilingual ed. ), Hong Kong University Press. Stavans, I 2002, On Borrowed Words: A Memoir of Language, Penguin Non-classics. Weixing, G 2003, The Origin of English Language Teaching in Chinas School, Monash Asia Institute.

God Is Not Great Essays -- Literary Analysis, Christopher Hitchens

In his book God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchens dissects and criticizes the various claims of religions and the tragic events that have been caused by various religions. The title of the book sums up the arguments of Hitchens in this book in the fact that he makes many arguments of why â€Å"religion poisons everything.† The majority of the chapters in this book discuss why he believes religion to be a manmade notion that has led to more trouble than anything else in the world. Most of his focus is on the three Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism but he does fit in criticism of other religions as well. The topics he chooses to discuss range from the sketchy origins of Mormonism to the problems with circumcision. Through his various arguments, Hitchens not only claims that religion is manmade, but also that the idea of any type of divine being is absurd. Hitchens makes the argument that there is no divine being by analyzing the various faults of religion. He begins with his own religious falling out during his grade school years and from their goes on to question religion on a larger scale. He spends a good part of the book his book analyzing the wars and suffering caused by people of faith. He questions the customs and ethics of the God in various religious texts. Hitchens focuses all of the attention of the book on the negative aspects of religion and decides that due to these negative aspects of religion there is no higher power to the universe. His argument goes beyond trying to discredit religion, but he sees a call to put an end to religion. He states, â€Å"Above all, we are in need of a renewed Enlightenment, which will base itself on the proposition that the proper study of ... ...uses does have merit because throughout history religion has had its detrimental effects. What Hitchens has done with these examples is tried to present them in a way to make a person not very well informed in reasoning skills to think that religion has caused only bad. He makes statements that paint those with religious beliefs as fanatics with the main purpose of killing those who don’t believe the way they do. By not fully exploring the way in which religion has had beneficial effect, Hitchens has set up an argument that could easily convince people that religion only has negative effects. The next stop on this exploration of this book is chapters seven through nine which reviewer Geoffrey Sutton says â€Å"seems to be the center point in his book† (372). These three chapters go into in depth analysis of the Old Testament, New Testament, and Koran, respectively. God Is Not Great Essays -- Literary Analysis, Christopher Hitchens In his book God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchens dissects and criticizes the various claims of religions and the tragic events that have been caused by various religions. The title of the book sums up the arguments of Hitchens in this book in the fact that he makes many arguments of why â€Å"religion poisons everything.† The majority of the chapters in this book discuss why he believes religion to be a manmade notion that has led to more trouble than anything else in the world. Most of his focus is on the three Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism but he does fit in criticism of other religions as well. The topics he chooses to discuss range from the sketchy origins of Mormonism to the problems with circumcision. Through his various arguments, Hitchens not only claims that religion is manmade, but also that the idea of any type of divine being is absurd. Hitchens makes the argument that there is no divine being by analyzing the various faults of religion. He begins with his own religious falling out during his grade school years and from their goes on to question religion on a larger scale. He spends a good part of the book his book analyzing the wars and suffering caused by people of faith. He questions the customs and ethics of the God in various religious texts. Hitchens focuses all of the attention of the book on the negative aspects of religion and decides that due to these negative aspects of religion there is no higher power to the universe. His argument goes beyond trying to discredit religion, but he sees a call to put an end to religion. He states, â€Å"Above all, we are in need of a renewed Enlightenment, which will base itself on the proposition that the proper study of ... ...uses does have merit because throughout history religion has had its detrimental effects. What Hitchens has done with these examples is tried to present them in a way to make a person not very well informed in reasoning skills to think that religion has caused only bad. He makes statements that paint those with religious beliefs as fanatics with the main purpose of killing those who don’t believe the way they do. By not fully exploring the way in which religion has had beneficial effect, Hitchens has set up an argument that could easily convince people that religion only has negative effects. The next stop on this exploration of this book is chapters seven through nine which reviewer Geoffrey Sutton says â€Å"seems to be the center point in his book† (372). These three chapters go into in depth analysis of the Old Testament, New Testament, and Koran, respectively.

Dry White Season Summary Essay

Summary – â€Å"Dry White Season† Adam Simon – CGW 4U1 Dry White Season was what I felt to be an exemplary interpretation of how native South Africans truly condemned the immoral Apartheid political system of the mid 1900’s. Though the film was quite graphic, explicit nature seemed necessary to prove how racial brutality towards the black community really did exist. I enjoyed the whole idea of a narrow-minded white man making the transition from a life of socially superior racial prejudice to become a devoted supporter of black rights. I found this really helped create a strong liberal message to aid viewers in understanding the sick intolerance of the majority of white South Africans at that time. Racial separation was clearly evident to me while watching this video, as I noticed blacks being forced into their own â€Å"homelands† which retained a much more compact living than the whites, as well as Afrikaans being sub-divided into smaller ethnic groups to make whites appear to be the largest authority in South Africa. Blacks outnumbered whites 6 : 1) I think A Dry White season illustrated very well how the whites compromised such a small portion of the country, yet ultimately dominated the South African government, recourses, and economy. I really liked the use of indirect symbols to cleverly make points throughout the movie. For example, the white boy and the black boy happily playing together in the beginning was a interesting way to foresee an ideal future for South Africa that was obviously non-existent at that time. Also, Susanne slipping on her sunglasses was a clever way to show how whenever she was given opportunity to contradict the Apartheid, she simply ignored it. This represented her blindness from the truth well, and how she was ultimately hiding from the light of reality. The film became somewhat predictable as we were given more and more insight into each character though. All main characters seemed to follow the generic arrangement that is seen in various other stories that result in a strictly complete and final moral. Benjamin is the hero; the incoherent individual that learns an unpleasant lesson due to one event that changed the course of all events prior, (Gordon’s death) Captain Stoltz was the villain; the sadistic, power hungry oppressor with manipulative ways that ended up determining his fate, Johan represented the loyal and resourceful character that led the viewer to believe there was a shed of hope throughout any struggle, and Stanley was the character I’ve seen way too often, the random bystander that provides the cathartic release by ultimately giving the villain what he deserved. Despite some predictable qualities, the characters were still interesting. I thought Donald Sutherland played the part of Benjamin superbly. His air of seriousness and integrity really keep me interested in his character. Sure, he was naive before the death of Gordon, and it was â€Å"best to just let it go† at first, but he grew from being pessimistic and cynical, to an entirely optimistic, likeable person to me the end by going neck deep into the mystery of Gordon‘s disappearance. My favourite character of all though, was no doubt Mr. McKenzie. Though he only was vaguely present, he absolutely dominated the screen during the courtroom trial. I found his use of sarcastic remarks in the courtroom hilarious, yet so fittingly applicable to his realist character. He clearly is a trail blazer in the sense that he is a white man fighting for black rights, yet he does so anyways, just to wittingly prove his point so well. This film helped me see how cynical the South African government really was. Their response to any criticism was basically that they had their own right to pursue its own domestic policy as it sees fit. I though it was interesting how South Africa was also quick to point out how blacks in South Africa had the highest standard of living amongst all blacks in Africa. It’s ironic that they do not admit that this is still an absolute garbage living standard, and blacks here were still innocently imprisoned and couldn’t even educate themselves in English to gain better chances at surviving in the workforce. Countries like Canada could do a number of things to show their unacceptance of Apartheid policies. First, they could employ trade sanctions against South Africa and refuse to remove these sanctions until all Apartheid policies were destroyed. Also, they could remove South Africa from major events such as the Olympics (recently in Vancouver, Canada) and furthermore decline their entry until these policies are abolished. Canadian business people, activists and clergy also played parts in bringing about all-race elections in 1994, and a surprisingly peaceful end to apartheid. I think Canada is also involved in major discussion at UN and related meetings, which allows them to converse with other countries along with adding innovating suggestions of their own, to help diminish racist policies altogether. As a whole, after seeing this movie for the second or third time now, I can honestly say I have a sincere appreciation for what black South Americans went though in the apartheid times, and that I entirely oppress any association with these obscene policies.

Issues on Paying College Athletes

For several years amateurism has posed a big controversy in college sports. Being a professional athlete is making the final cut, this is when athletes get paid for their talents for the use of entertainment. The athletes are given contracts due to their level of skill and performance. College is for students to get an education and prepare for a career. Most athletes attend college to get an education just in case they don†t make it to a professional sport level. College athleticism could be considered a stepping stone, it is a preparation stage for student athletes hoping to move on to the professional level. Many athletes attend college and play sports, but when they get to the professional level, they still aren†t capable of performing as well as expected. This is not the case with every athlete though, some of these young amateurs hit the professional league and explode and achieve beyond their expectations. Some of the collegiate athletes hit the professionals and perform better than experienced veterans. In the light of these facts, the question: â€Å"Should college players be paid? † is often posed. This question has been tossed around for a good number of years. It has probably been discussed since before college basketball players began to leave school early to become pro. As a college athlete I often feel that I deserve something extra, but every time I feel this way I always end up re-evaluating the situation. Once I†ve actually thought through the situation, I usually come to the conclusion that college athletes are already being paid. The education we receive and the experience of earning a college degree has no price value. This is the same thing South Florida coach Seth Greenberg stated when he was asked: â€Å"should college basketball players be paid? † in a series of questions asked by The Tampa Tribune (available at tampabayonline. net/final4/q&a. htm). It is a fact that college athletes generate millions of dollars of revenue for universities, but despite the question, there are very important facts that are overlooked when it comes to discussing this issue. As I stated earlier, it is fact that college athletic programs produce a large sum of money. This money usually comes through television rights fees, bowl games, ticket sales and other means. In light of these facts, many believe that student athletes deserve more than just a scholarship or grant for their efforts. These facts could bring one to conclusion that the financial arrangements between universities and student-athletes are unfairly balanced in the favor of the college institutions. There are many hidden facts that explain the impossibilities to pay our student athletes. At Notre Dame, for example, grants-in-aid to student-athletes are worth about $5 million a annually. Add that to the millions of dollars spent on travel, housing, equipment, health care and several other cost and pretty soon, you are talking about big time money. So, while athletes generate millions of dollars for universities, there are also millions of dollars in expenses, most of which directly assist the student-athletes. Even at smaller colleges that do not generate as much money as the universities, the money generated through the sporting events usually invested in equipment and other necessities for the student-athletes. In other words, it is a two-way street, college athletes are well compensated, in other words well paid already. Without college most of America†s young athletes wouldn†t even get the exposure needed to make an impression on for the professional leagues. The system has been around and working for many years now, the thought of changing the rules to enable college athletes to be paid seems to me as a total act of greed. As stated by Mark ([email  protected] net) in an article found at www. mhoops. com: â€Å"the whole stinking show is rift of greed in my opinion. It is a fact that CBS forks over $3 billion, this is proof (in their minds) that they don†t need to change anything. I feel that if this money were cut, they would change things as quickly as possible. I see athletes being paid in college as a disadvantage, not only to the less wealthy schools who wouldn†t be able to afford the better players, but to the student/athletes as well. I feel that the colleges with the most money, and the wealthiest alumni†s will always have the very best teams in college sports if this happens, this will leave the less wealthy colleges with the bottom of the barrel players. How could you expect the less wealthy schools to ever win? How fair could this rule transition be? Paying players to attend a school is cheating them of the education they would have gotten better at another school to give them a better chance at winning a game of football, basketball, or what ever kind of sport they play. Sports are not promising, any athlete could have a career ending injury at anytime; however, the education they receive will always be able to open doors for them. Another reason why I feel that college athletes shouldn†t be paid is because it is too expensive. Many colleges are not on the best budget. Some barely make enough money to support their team sports. CBS college basketball analyst Bill Packer, in the same Tampa Tribune question series listed above states: â€Å"It†s a moot question (Should college athletes be paid? ). Under Title IX, what colleges do for one sport it has to do for all. Because of that, the funds aren†t available to pay students from each of a school†s athletic programs. Paying [basketball players] is thrown out a lot in discussion, but if people understood the process of Title IX, they would realize paying players would be an impossibility. This is something easily understandable, if colleges could afford this kind of money then they should be able to afford more and better scholarships. College is a place for education. Many people look at the money generated by college sports and start to imply that the athletes bringing this money in should benefit from it. These same people never seem to see that the college athletes already are. If these students were never given scholarships to attend these colleges then they probably wouldn†t be there. The same athletes you see playing the many different sports they play in college, would more than likely be playing these same sports back home in the neighborhood just for fun if they weren†t attending college. This makes you wonder: â€Å"why can†t they play sports in college without being paid? † there isn†t much of a difference. The opportunity to get an education should be enough, too many people get caught up in the money though. The world of sports has changed enormously because of greed. Professionalism is the level when athletes get paid. Paying college players would completely eliminate amateurism. That would make college players professional, but professionals are supposed to be the best of the best, the cream of the crop and all college athletes are not amongst the best: â€Å"so why should they be paid? † Under the article of Title IX, paying one player means paying them all, and paying one sport means paying all sports in an institution, since all collegiate athletes aren†t the best players it seems to be a waist of money. The idea of paying college athletes is very demeaning. Since it is a known fact that many athletes do not go to class, and stay involved in many mix-ups, the idea would only bring forth more comodity. I think paying college athletes would bring in more students who have no purpose in college besides playing sports. This would also affect the population at many schools. I also feel that this would be asking for more incidents and to occur. As many athletes get involved in violations at universities with partying, drinking, and drugs, one would think that these rates would rise with several students who have no intentions on becoming educated on campus. This matter could be stereotypical, but at the same time it is a fact that several athletes drop out, flunk out, or are kicked out of school. My position is to keep them out, and not paying college athletes is one of the major ways to do so. If college athletes begin to get paid everyone will want to attend and for many that would be the only reason. This is not what college is designed for. College is a task, an opportunity, not a job, but it will prepare you for one in the future, if you prove yourself there then you will be paid. The principle is that the only way to eliminate this question would be to pay the college athletes, but that would produce a great decline in the population of education. To perform a task such as; colleges would have to drop all â€Å"scholarship† college sports and allow colleges either to run Division III programs or own minor league teams where the players are paid (under some salary cap) but they wouldn†t need to be college students. That would bring forth the problem of distinguishing: getting the best students in a college and getting the best players. . I think that would take away from our society and economics, leaving us with fewer professionals. College athletes should not be paid, this would eliminate the sole purpose of attending college. Who would attend class.

6 New Years Resolutions for the Lazy Professional

6 New Years Resolutions for the Lazy Professional We all get a little lazy sometimes. Or rather, we get a little too comfortable in our jobs, and things start to slide ever so slightly. As you get ready to make your resolutions for the new year, think about doing some super-easy things to start 2017. And think how accomplished you’ll feel when you check them off! 1. Make inroads with one coworker.If you find you’re having lunch with the same peeps every day or you stand awkwardly silent at the copier while another colleague does the same, aim to connect with a  new person. You don’t have to become BFFs, but a little coworker bonding outside your comfort zone is not only good for you, it’s good for workplace morale in general.2. Set a distraction-free hour each day.We’re all champs at multitasking these days. You can run reports while checking voicemail and also checking Facebook. I get it. I do it too. But what if you gave something your whole attention for just one hour? That means no checking F unCelebrityNewz.com, or personal email, or whatever your biggest distraction temptation is. It will still be there when you go back, and you might find that your hour of focus helps you find solutions you might not have seen if you were trying to do four things at once.3. Walk around your office.This one sounds weird, I know. This doesn’t mean â€Å"be a creeper who stands at the edge of someone else’s cubicle.† But every once in a while, take a lap around your office when you have a few spare minutes. The obvious benefit is that it gets you away from your desk for a bit, but it’s also nice to see your colleagues at work. We can get so mired in our own day-to-day stuff that it gets easy to forget that everyone is working toward a common goal. Step back and look at your beehive, and it might re-energize your feelings about your role there. (Or make you want to realize you want to get out and go to a different hive, stat.)4. Check your voicemail.You know, t hat one message that’s been hanging around forever, the one you skipped at the time for whatever reason and is now haunting your phone like Jacob Marley’s ghost? Even if it’s not a relevant to-do, listen to the whole thing, then delete. Satisfying!5. Take down your OOO.Don’t be That Guy who has his â€Å"out of office† message up three days after he got back from vacation. Nothing tells bosses and colleagues â€Å"I don’t want to be here† quite like a zippy â€Å"I’m out!† message when everybody knows you’re sitting at your desk.6. Think about your goals for the year.Don’t write anything down, don’t create a PowerPoint. Just think about what you want to achieve. You can even use part of your distraction-free hour to do this! Of course, at some point you’ll probably need to take concrete steps to make said goals happen, but for now just think about it. You’d be surprised how many people don’t take the time to think through their wants and goals, and that makes it tough when you’re put on the spot when it’s review time, or when you really need to make a career change.You’ve  got this. These are resolutions we can keep even when we’re not feeling like the biggest go-getters.

20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting

20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting 20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting 20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting By Mark Nichol You know that in order to become a better writer, you need to become a better reader and so polishing off some classic novels is in your future. But who has the time? You do. Nobody’s admonishing you to get your book report in within two weeks. But if you still feel pinched between the hour hand and the minute hand, ease into great English literature with these short novels (most have fewer than 200 pages): 1. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens Spectral visitors take miserly businessman Ebenezer Scrooge on a tour of the past, present, and future to prompt his reevaluation of the wisdom of his skinflint ways in this Victorian fantasy that helped usher in the nostalgia-drenched Christmas tradition. To this day, innumerable stage adaptations knock elbows with ballet productions of The Nutracker Suite and singing of Handel’s Messiah. Dickens’s Hard Times is another relatively quick read. 2. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain The intrepid young hero, a half-feral but good-hearted boy, flees the deadly embrace of civilization, takes up with a freed slave and a couple of con men, and, with the assistance of one Samuel Langhorne Clemens, makes a library’s worth of observations about the human condition in one thin volume a triumphant survivor of censorship and political correctness. (The n-word pervades it quick, hide the children’s eyes and make reality go away!) See also The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which this book is a sequel to, and Pudd’nhead Wilson. 3. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll A young girl wanders into the woods and falls down a rabbit hole into a disconcertingly absurd hidden world in Oxford mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s satirical romp, laced with contemporary caricatures and poking at problems of mathematical logic. Like many great works of art, it was a critical failure but a popular success and, in the long term, the critics have come around. See also the sequel Through the Looking-Glass. 4. Animal Farm, by George Orwell A modern fable by the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four relates what happens when communism comes to Manor Farm: â€Å"All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others.† Orwell (birth name Eric Blair), a proponent of democratic socialism by definition, the antithesis of Stalinism wrote the story in response to his disillusioning experiences during the Spanish Civil War, when totalitarianism cast a shadow over socialist ideals. British publishers concerned about the manuscript’s frank condemnation of the United Kingdom’s World War II ally the Soviet Union rejected it, but you can’t suppress the truth down for long. 5. Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne Fastidious Victorian gentleman Phileas Fogg makes a foolhardy wager at his club: He will circumnavigate the planet in eighty days. With resourceful French valet Passepartout by his side and a Scotland Yard detective who mistakes him for a fugitive from justice on his heels, he sets out with his fortune, his freedom, and, most importantly, his honor on the line. These and other novels by Verne have, from the beginning, fired the imaginations of readers from all over the world, though poor early English translations led to them being long mischaracterized as juvenile pulp fiction. 6. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley After an introduction to a horrifyingly regimented future â€Å"utopia,† readers meet John, a young man who has grown up in an isolated, unenlightened community before being brought back to civilization, which, shall we say, does not match his expectations. Huxley’s novel, one of the most celebrated in twentieth-century literature and also impressively high on the lists of books targeted for censorship depicts a future in which hedonism, not repression, is the greatest threat to humanity. 7. Candide, by Voltaire Everybody’s favorite scathingly funny French philosopher introduces a young man raised in indoctrinated, isolated innocence who is repeatedly blindsided by reality when he becomes a citizen of the world. Anticipating the antipathy with which secular and religious authorities would condemn his work, Voltaire published it under a pseudonym, but everybody knew who had done the deed. Candide was widely banned, even in the United States into the twentieth century high praise, indeed. 8. Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck A run-down street in seaside Monterey, California, is as colorful a character as any of the people who populate it in this sweet Depression-era story about a community of the world’s cast-offs. This semiautobiographical novel, a warm wash of nostalgia, also serves as a requiem for a lost world the author could never find again. Steinbeck often kept it short and bittersweet: Look also for The Moon Is Down, Of Mice and Men, The Pearl, The Red Pony, and Tortilla Flat. 9. The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger Reading this mid-20th-century anthem of adolescent angst remains a rite of passage for high school literature students, who get a thrill out of reading one of the most frequently banned books of all time. The narrator’s sour sensibilities and his frank assessment of the world’s crapitude captivate many young readers, although the author (who exacerbated the allure of the book through his notorious reclusiveness) intended the book for an adult audience. Salinger’s other works include novellas and short stories, including Franny and Zooey, Nine Stories, and the twofer Raise High the Roofbeam Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction. 10. Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton This flashback novel immerses the reader in the tragedy of a romantic triangle, as the title character agonizes over his affection for his sickly wife’s cousin, who has come to live with them and help around the house. Warning: Things don’t end well. The critical reception to Wharton’s work was mixed, but those who praised it recognized it as a compelling morality tale (though based on a real incident and thought to allude to the author’s own unhappy marriage). 11. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury In a dystopian future where firefighters ignite inflammatory books (that is, all of them) rather than suppress conflagrations, one member of the book-burning brigade, increasingly alienated in his decadent society, is lured to the light side. Bradbury initially denied that the theme of the story is censorship, fingering the boob tube for libracide instead, but he later graciously realized he could have it both ways. 12. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley A scientist conceives the idea of creating a man constructed from body parts and bringing him to life but is disgusted by his creation, which, devastated by the scientist’s and others’ rejection as it struggles to learn what it means to be human, exacts vengeance. The novel, written by the daughter of philosophers who began working on it when she was still in her teens, initially received mixed reviews, but its stature has steadily grown, aided by its wealth of classical allusions and Enlightenment inspirations, not to mention its profound psychological resonance. 13. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald A young man gets caught up in the world of wealth during the Roaring Twenties, especially that revolving around the enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby, but he discovers how superficial and hollow the American dream is after observing the petty passions of the rich. Fitzgerald’s novel was well received but did not fare as well as his earlier works, and when he died in relative obscurity years later, he believed himself a failure. During and after World War II, however, The Great Gatsby experienced a resurgence, and it is now accounted one of the great American novels. 14. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad A riverboat captain in the Belgian Congo, looking forward to meeting Kurtz, the manager of an isolated upriver colonial station, is devastated when the man he meets turns out to be quite different from the imagined ideal. Conrad’s story, overshadowed by Francis Ford Coppola’s loose film adaptation, the antiwar epic Apocalypse Now, should be read on its own merits. Though much praised for its psychological insight, is also considered one of the most potent criticisms of colonialism in literature. 15. Night, by Elie Wiesel The author’s harrowing account of his early adolescence spent in Nazi concentration camps during which his father, with whom he was incarcerated, gradually becomes helpless, and young Elie rejects God and humanity is full of raw, stark power. Its critical reception was complicated by various factors: It is a memoir that contains a great deal of fiction, and it was published in quite different forms in Yiddish, then a pared-down French translation, from which a further abridged English version was derived. But that form at least is widely acknowledged as great art. 16. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde A beautiful young hedonist sells his soul for the price of agelessness, while a portrait of him painted by an admirer marks his physical dissipation. Wilde’s first novel was attacked for its homoeroticism and the scandalously frank depiction of debauchery but was received more favorably when the author toned down the former. Rich with allusions to, among other works, Faust, The Picture of Dorian Gray stands on its own as a tragic morality tale. 17. The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane A young Civil War soldier overcomes his initial cowardice, but, despite the fact that he acts heroically in a later battle, his humanity is diminished. Crane, who finished the novel when he was only twenty-four (he would die just five years later after a series of debilitating lung hemorrhages), was celebrated for its authentic detail about the conduct of war, though he had never experienced it himself. It was also hailed as a triumph of both naturalism and impressionism, as it realistically portrays the ordeal of battle while achieving allegorical stature. 18. The Sorrows of Young Werther, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Written primarily in the form of a series of letters, this semiautobiographical story relates the tragedy of a young man who falls in love with a woman already betrothed to another. Although it made Goethe’s reputation at a young age, it also precipitated â€Å"Werther Fever,† prompting a fad of overwrought young people lamenting the vicissitudes of unrequited love, and Goethe later disavowed it and decried the Romantic literary movement it epitomized. 19. The Stranger, by Albert Camus This existentialist classic chronicles the nihilistic life of an apathetic man who aimlessly commits murder and, once incarcerated, renounces humanity, which he has passively estranged himself from. Camus’s portrait of a man without a soul was a manifesto of his belief that life is bereft of meaning, and that the efforts of humans to find meaning are futile. 20. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte This complex melodrama about the compounded consequences of acting on selfish and vengeful motives has been overshadowed by Hollywood’s treatment of the thwarted love between a young woman named Catherine and her untamed foster brother, Heathcliff. But the story boasts an unflinching honesty about its deeply flawed protagonists, and though critical response to its publication was mixed, it has lived on as an expression of star-crossed ill fortune. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TensePersonification vs. Anthropomorphism

Management of Personal financial services. China case study Essay

Management of Personal financial services. China case study - Essay Example Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in financial services has become utmost important because of the present challenging marketing environment. Presently, the company differentiate themselves by delivering exquisite customer experience and offer product, which are unique, tailor-made for delivering customer satisfaction. By delivering highly innovative financial products for core banking, insurance and wealth management, the company would be able to develop meaningful relationship with its customers. Often termed as relationship marketing in China, it is also focuses on customer retention. CRM also helps in laying emphasis on the product features, which highlights the product benefits that are meaningful and necessary for the customers. The Chinese investment banking companies rely on the strength of the financial services that help the banks to make tailor-made financial products for customized customer requirements. Although, CRM is relatively a new concept, it entails the diffe rent marketing approaches involved in obtaining the refined customer information search, which helps the management to attract potential customers (Besson, 2000). The CRM activities in the financial institutions involve the incorporation of electronic business activities, relationship and customer management activities, and integration of customer centric strategy with the back office or front office executives (Carson, 2005). The main crux of CRM activities involves building of long term and healthy relationships to retain customers in the competitive financial environment. 1.2.1 Customer Relationship Management in Chinese Financial Institutions The long term relationship building process with the Chinese customers has not only become an enduring strategy for relationship building, but it has also augmented for customer loyalty and retention. It was observed in Chinese banking that due to the financial implications there was a strong correlation between customer loyalty and profitability of the bank. The deregulation and emergence of new banking technology in the financial services industry have also

Global running and competitive situation analysis of YUM Brands, Inc Essay

Global running and competitive situation analysis of YUM Brands, Inc. 182 - Essay Example This is because the company competes in a more like middle-size place with competitors like McDonald’s Corp and Doctor’s Associates Inc. being considered the large-size and small-size respectively. An outstanding characteristic of YUM is that as a food provider, it has a limitless number of target market which is partly a reason for its periodic yearly growth in revenue and net incomes as seen in table 1 below. the financial success of the company has been achieved with over 1,500,000 employees around the world and with divisions in China and India, as well as subsidiaries including KFC and Pizza Hut (Cash, 2012). The contribution of the restaurant industry in global economics cannot be overemphasized. Interestingly, apart from the contributions made by the industry already, it is expected to grow even further. From the figure below, it will be noted that by 2018, the value of the industry is expected to reach  £1,945 billion by 2018, which is 42.6% of growth since 2013. Again, according to MarketLine (2014), the industry is expected to play key role in reducing unemployment and thus improving the global economic outlook with a volume of 69,119 thousand employees, representing a growth of 10.8% from 2013 size.YUM however places a versatile role in the industry as its company dynamics represents what prevails with most other industry players (Narayan, 2013). YUM was therefore selected for its representative nature in business. Within the larger global food industry, restaurants and cafes are known to have the largest segment in terms of category segmentation. MarketLine (2014) actually estimates these two to contribute to 53.8% of the industry’s total value. This means that the growth of restaurant and cafes represent the overall growth of the restaurant or food industry. The aim of the research is therefore to find out ways in which the restaurant industry can reach its forecasted growth levels through the individual global competitive growth

PPD3 Career Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

PPD3 Career Management - Essay Example The second behavioral characteristics depicts a higher consciousness over liking and my personality is displayed as being more authentic and vigilant rather than relying on personal senses over definite vital matters. The third behavioral characteristic that I possess includes modest reasoning over sentiments. This aspect depicts my considerate nature on decision making rather than concentrating on my deeds to straightforward attitudes and self-made perspective. The SHL capability field demonstrates few areas where I have anticipated suitability while the others show major flaws. Decision making, conceptualization and managing are my major flaws areas. To sum up, I need to succeed in the information technology area as I have shown an average score. Despite of being capable of satisfying few applications in IT, I require to show excellence in these areas. I require a great performance scope in this practical field (Wanberg, Kanfer and Banas, 2000). I believe that it is increasingly important to possess certain skills that will help me to get a better job, to accomplish something and to open new horizons which will add to my professional abilities (Sturges, Conway, Guest and Liefooghe, 2005). I have obtained my personal skills from my knowledge, experience and communication. The table below depicts my skills audit results. It shows that I have strong communication skills including listening skills, presentation skills and feedback skills. I also have innovative problem solving skills such as describing an analytical problem, realising reasons of a problem and develop creative option to solve such problems. To sum up, it can be stated that many new technological developments have transformed the personal knowledge management. The personal and professional audit depicts the possibilities of a person and also the equivalent perspectives. Many jobs that offer us the right experience for

A 17th century audience Essay Example for Free

A 17th century audience Essay The Tempest is full of magic and illusion. Consider the effect this would have on a 17th century audience and a 21st century audience. How might the magic and illusion be presented today? William Shakespeare wrote The Tempest as a play. It was not intended for the text to be read by school children from a book. It was intended for performance in a theatre, where it would give enjoyment to an audience. One of the main themes of The Tempest is magic. Prospero is a magician, a sorcerer, a wizard, someone with magical powers. He uses these powers to make lots of things happen within the play. Indeed, the first scene focuses on the storm that Prospero has created to cause havoc on the ship upon which his enemies are travelling. At the beginning of the play, the storm just seems like any other storm, with an unfortunate crew being shipwrecked. By the end of Act 1, however, we discover that the storm was not a natural occurrence. Prospero conjured up the storm and deliberately picked out that ship. The audience get their first hint of this in Mirandas first speech of the play. Miranda has watched the storm destroy the ship and she feels pity for the shipwrecked people. In her opening line, she asks her father if the storm is a product of his magic: If by your art, my dearest father, you have Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. This shows that Miranda knows about Prosperos magic. She may not know everything that he does with his powers, but she knows that he does have supernatural powers. This storm is the beginning of a plan that Prospero has thought up to wreak revenge on his enemies. The plan involves a lot of magic. After being stranded on the island for 12 years, Prospero has had time to perfect his powers and to dream up a plan, a plan that never could have taken place without the storm. Because of this, the initial storm has a massive impact on the rest of the play. It also gives the audience an idea of how strong Prosperos powers are. He is able to control the elements, something that only God is supposed to be able to do. However, as we learn later on in the play, Prospero may be able to conjure up storms and illusions, but he cannot control human nature, and must rely on good luck when trying to make Ferdinand and Miranda to fall in love.

The Existence of Crime Culture Among Certain Social Groups Essay exampl

Albert Cohen’s thesis is that class based status frustration is the origin of subcultures. Crime culture existed in certain social groups and the individuals learned the value of the delinquent subculture through participation in gangs. Delinquent subcultures have values that are in opposition to those of the dominant culture. The strain is rooted by low economical conditions, poor parental relations, and low school standards, with no chance of succeeding in the future. The anti social structure of cities also affects the why a boy and or girl joins a gang. The formation of gangs in cities, and most recently in suburbs, is assisted by the same lack of community among parents. While almost half of high seniors used marijuana at least once, thirty-seven percent said they had used it in the past year, and twenty-three percent said they had used it in the previous month. Strain Theory, posits the disjuncture between socially and sub culturally sanctioned mean and goods as the cause of criminal behavior. Albert Cohen’s thesis is that class based status frustration is the origin of subcultures. Cohen's focus is on school based achievement status. The institution of the school symbolizes middle class values for honesty, courtesy, personality, responsibility, and the middle class measuring rod. It is this environment where competition takes place for status, approval, or respect. Strain is interpersonal, located at the level of group interaction. There are many problems facing today's society. One of the problems is the violent condition that surrounds the lives of children in America. We are awarded of the violence among our juveniles because we read, hear and see it. The newspapers, magazines, news media, and our neighborhoods testify the living proof of the chaos. What can we do to influence these kids to stay out off trouble? First of all, we have to realize this is a very serious problem. And it has to be stopped. The second step is to figure out what causes children to be violent and become juvenile delinquents. This negative attitude causes them to lead a life of delinquency and a life isolated from society's idealistic world. When we ask this question, many others come in mind. Do these problems begin in the family? Are parents good role models or are they condoning the violence? How can we prevent parents from destroying the minds and future o... ...ephan C., Understanding Criminal Justice. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999. Lyman, Michael D. and Gary W. Potter, Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts and Control. 3rd ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: Anderson Publishing Company, 1998. Nisbet, Merton, Contemporary Social Problems. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1971. Regoli, Robert M. and John D. Hewitt, Delinquency in Society. 4th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2000. Schmalleger, Frank, Criminology Today: An Integrative Introduction. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1999. United States of America, National Drug and Safety League, Leading the Fight Against Gangs in the United States. GPO, 1996 ---. National Center for Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. GPO, 1999. Dukes 17 ---. National Center for Juvenile Justice, 1998 National Youth Gang Survey. GPO, 1999. Void, George B., Thomas J. Bernand and Jeffery b. Snipes, Theoretical Criminology. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Williams, Frank P. and Marilyn D. McShane, Criminal Theory: Selected Classic Readings. 2nd ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: Anderson Publishing Company, 1998.