Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 8

I'm not sure how long we stayed in the room together. The minutes ticked away on the grandfather clock in the corner, but all I was aware of was the rhythmic sound of Katherine's breath, the way the light caught her angular jaw, the quick flick of the page as we looked through the book. I was dimly conscious of the fact that I needed to leave, soon, but whenever I thought of the music and the dancing and the plates of fried chicken and Rosalyn, I found myself literally unable to move. â€Å"You're not reading!† Katherine teased at one point, glancing up from The Mysteries of Mystic Falls. â€Å"No, I'm not.† â€Å"Why? Are you distracted?† Katherine rose, her slender shoulders stretching as she reached up to place the book back on the shelf. She put it in the wrong spot, next to Father's world geography books. â€Å"Here,† I murmured, reaching behind her to take the book and place it on the high shelf where it belonged. The smell of lemon and ginger surrounded me, making me feel wobbly and dizzy. She turned toward me. Our lips were mere inches apart, and suddenly the scent of her became nearly unbearable. Even though my head knew it was wrong, my heart screamed that I'd never be complete if I didn't kiss Katherine. I closed my eyes and leaned in until my lips grazed hers. For a moment, it felt as though my entire life had clicked into place. I saw Katherine running barefoot in the fields behind the guest house, me chasing after her, our young son slung over my shoulder. But then, entirely unbidden, an image of Penny, her throat torn out, floated through my mind. I pulled back instantly, as if struck by lightning. â€Å"I'm sorry!† I said, leaning back and tripping against a small end table, stacked high with Father's volumes. They fell to the floor, the sound muffled by the Oriental rugs. My mouth tasted like iron. What had I just done? What if my father had come in, eager to open the humidor with Mr. Cartwright? My brain whirled in horror. â€Å"I have to †¦ I have to go. I have to go find my fiancï ¿ ½e.† Without a backward glance at Katherine and the stunned expression that was sure to be on her face, I fled the study and ran through the empty conservatory and toward the garden. Twilight was just beginning to fall. Coaches were setting off with mothers and young children as well as cautious revelers who were afraid of the animal attacks. Now was when the liquor would flow, the band would play more loudly, and girls would outdo themselves waltzing, intent to capture the eyes of a Confederate soldier from the nearby camp. I felt my breath returning to normal. No one knew where I'd been, much less what I had done. I strode purposefully into the center of the party, as if I'd simply been refilling my glass at the bar. I saw Damon sitting with other soldiers, playing a round of poker on the corner of the porch. Five girls were squeezed onto the porch swing, giggling and talking loudly. Father and Mr. Cartwright were walking toward the labyrinth, each holding a whiskey and gesturing in an animated fashion, no doubt talking about the benefits of the Cartwright-Salvatore merger. â€Å"Stefan!† I felt a hand clap my back. â€Å"We were wondering where the guests of honor were. No respect for their elders,† Robert said jovially. â€Å"Rosalyn's still not here?† I asked. â€Å"Y know how girls are. They have to look just ou right, especially if they're celebrating their impending marriage,† Robert said. His words rang true, yet an unexplainable shiver of fear rushed down my spine. Was it just me, or had the sun set remarkably quickly? The revelers on the lawn had changed to shadowy figures in the five minutes since I'd been outside, and I couldn't make out Damon within the group in the corner. Leaving Robert behind, I elbowed my way past the party guests. It was odd for a girl to not show up at her own party. What if, somehow, she'd come into the house and she'd seen †¦ But that was impossible. The door had been closed, the shades drawn. I walked briskly toward the servants' quarters near the pond, where the servants were having their own party, to see if Rosalyn's coachman had arrived. The moon reflected off the water, casting an eerie, greenish glow on the rocks and willow trees surrounding the pond. The grass was wet with dew, and still trampled from the time when Damon, Katherine, and I had played football there. The knee-high mist made me wish I were wearing my boots instead of my dress shoes. I squinted. At the base of the willow tree, where Damon and I had spent hours climbing as children, was a shadowy lump on the ground, like a large, gnarled tree root. Only I didn't remember a tree root in that spot. I squinted again. For a moment, I wondered if it could be a pair of intertwined lovers, trying to escape prying eyes. I smiled despite myself. At least someone had found love at this party. But then the clouds shifted, and a shaft of moonlight illuminated the tree–and the form beneath it. I realized with a sickening jolt that the shape wasn't two lovers in mid-embrace. It was Rosalyn, my betrothed, her throat torn out, her eyes half open, staring up at the tree branches as if they held the secret to a universe she no longer inhabited.

Mestizaje and Its Critics

A word of many definitions and implications, mestizaje is usually associated with regions that have a history of Spanish or European colonization. It is an issue that has been concealed, denied, and debated upon in the cultural, social, and political sense in these colonized regions. Common issues related to this ideology are racism, racial discrimination, chauvinism, and the like. In this particular paper, the focus group of such ideology would be more on Latin America and the Afro-population or the black since this group mostly experienced the effects of the consequences of such prejudice.  Ariel Dulitzky’s A Region in Denial: Racial Discrimination and Racism in Latin America talks about Latin America’s refusal to tackle the issue on racism and racial discrimination. It summarizes the kinds of denials that this region executes to find their way out before or when getting into discussions about the issues mentioned earlier. These denials are categorized in three: lit eral denial, interpretive denial, and justificatory denial.Literal denial, as the name implies, is the rejection of the thought that racism exists.   The government does not acknowledge the presence of â€Å"race†, therefore making the existence of racism null. The second category, interpretive denial has four subcategories. In the first, it is not the color of the skin or the race but the social status of the person/group that is being criticized.   This denial is euphemism.   The next one, legislative, is somewhat related to the first category. It is said that there are no laws made about racial discrimination because there is no need for such for the reason that they don’t segregate the race of people.Some argue that there are very few complaints about discrimination.   Maybe because the public is not aware about laws and sanctions, if there are any, regarding acts of racial discrimination. The third category is denial of responsibility. This is when the gov ernment says that discriminating acts, or whatever they may want to call it, are due to old practices or traditions. The last category is called just isolated events.An explanation of this would be to say that these events of racism eventually happened just at this day and at this time. There is the denial that it, racism, happened in the past, therefore there can be no way that they can be called a racist region. The last category would be justificatory denial. From its root word â€Å"justify†, people who do this either rationalize things or point a finger to the victims themselves. People in control indicate that they belong to a mixed race, thus racial segregation does not exist.Despite all these denials, the Convention Against Racism or the â€Å"Convention† pulled some strings to help these regions and the victims acknowledge that racial discrimination really does exist. Luckily, the effort became an eye opener to others. For the first time, debates about racism were done and more groups were created to protect and implement the Convention’s regulations against racial discrimination.Associated with a region’s ability to discriminate is the huge question about that region’s identity. One article that talks about Latin America’s national and cultural identity is that written by Lourdes Martinez-Echazabal. She discusses the different view points of writers of the same nationality, Cubans, to be particular, pertaining to national identity and racial discrimination together with its effects on people’s actions and beliefs. In the given time, 1845-1959, the Afro-population had been identified with anything negative – the poor, the brainless, the filthy, and the barbaric.As a result of this notion, the end to slave trade was once made in an attempt to stop the multiplication of the Afro-population in Latin America since more black people implied an uncivilized and diseased region that would hinder if not s top the social and cultural development of communities in their region. Some writers thought that crossbreeding with people of lighter complexion was a step towards civilization. They were into making reforms with the colonizers.On the contrary, the other group of writers was after the independence of the region. They do this by not looking at the man’s color to judge his/her moral values or legal status. They use this argument of having a national identity, just one color regardless the mixture of race or color of the skin. Interaction and socialization among different races were encouraged in making a better and enlightened society.To be more particular, an article by Charles Hale focused on this region divided into what they call the ladinos and Mayas, ladinos being the ones with the whiter skin and European mix, and the Indians as the Mayas. As narrated in Hale’s publication, the ladinos used to be the superior group in the past decades, and the Mayas being the inf erior one. Interaction of ladinos with Mayas is prohibited by the ladino elders. As time passed by, there had been some changes in the political and social set up of Guatamela.There were Maya cultural activists that fight for their cultural rights. Some ladinos changed their perspectives about the Mayas by somehow respecting the latter’s religious belief such as the fiesta of their patron saint for a start. Racism was definitely gearing towards the Mayas, but due to the number in population with the Mayas taking up considerably the higher percentage of the population, the ladinos started to become confused if they really are the reigning race.The people interviewed by Hale were still hesitant, somehow, when asked about the cultural discrimination against the Mayans. Their answers were unsure maybe because there is no certainty on the cultural development of their region. Confused answers to simple cultural questions were provided. Confused people with confused cultural belief s would definitely result to complications in interest and one confused country.It is amazing how these writers distort ideas and beliefs. From the denial, to the national identity, to the confused region, now, we have another twist of things about mestizaje and cultural and national identity. Saldaà ±a-Portillo’s arguments, still, are about mestizaje and how particular regions react to it. In her publication, mestizaje is promoted as a step towards citizenship, towards establishment of national culture. In the past reviews, it is usually the â€Å"whites† dominating or taking over the â€Å"blacks†.However in this case, it is still true that Indians are viewed as a sign of an uncivilized community, but some things are viewed the differently. Not that these Indians literally taking over the region and the government, but these colonizers, the Spanish and the Europeans, actually being taken over by the Indians in other perspectives. It is about the women coloniz ers and the Indian men, Spanish not being the first language, and a biological trace in history.Discussion about women having their roles and rights in the community, for the first time, were mentioned and discussed upon for these â€Å"rights† might be at odds with their group’s statute. Ethnic groups were also given right to the land they lived on. Regardless these new points that might unite certain regions, mestizaje would remain to be seen as these regions accept one another regardless the race, the face, or the beliefs.I must admit that racial discrimination, despite all the efforts to avoid and fight it, still exists up to this day. There are similarities in situations in these articles. These readings are mostly about the search and battle for cultural and national identity mostly of people in the Latin American region. The Afro-population or the â€Å"black† as others would commonly label their group, is often, if not mostly deprived of access to proper ty, media, and means of production. I agree when they say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with people – don’t judge a person by his color because a person is more than just the color of his skin or the details of his face. There is the spirit. There are the values.Maybe the good thing about classifying people is when they are proud to be of that race not because they are whiter or taller, but because people from their region, their race has done something good and inspiring that effect people of other race or region. It is when that person is proud to be of that race because his people have helped so many deprived others. But how often do these things happen? How often does a person become proud because he has â€Å"Indian† features? This is one proof that racial discrimination has been in existentfor so long that it has been part of our practices and to think and establish such notions.Generalization should be avoided b ecause this starts the heating debate and fight about discrimination. Every human being is different, unique. It just so happened that he/she possesses such features, that he/she was born on that region. Nevertheless, that person is no different from you and me. Mestizaje has affected so many races, if not all of them, that it actually is a part of life, of history, of the lives even of the first people on earth.. It is inevitable because it is human nature socialize, and interact.The good thing about the present is having institutions against racism, acknowledgment of the problem, and awareness that the system applies sanctions to violators because it does not tolerate such prejudice. It is good to know that with these things, we need not be afraid for our children and our children’s children because there are people to protect them and fight for them. However, when can we really say that we, our children, and the coming generations would be free from hatred? From prejudice? From undergoing the inequality we had been experiencing since time immemorial? When?Works CitedDulitzky, Ariel. A Region in Denial: Racial Discrimination and Racism in Latin America†, Neither Enemies Nor Friends: Latinos, Blacks, Afro-Latinos. Ed. A. Dziedzienyo and S. Oboler. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. pp.39-60.Hale, Charles. â€Å"Travel Warning: Elite Appropriations of Hybridity, Mestizaje, Antiracism, Equality, and Other Progressive-sounding Discourses in High Land Guatamela.† Journal of American Folklore. 112. 445 (Summer 1999): 297-315.Martinez-Echazabal, Lourdes. â€Å"Mestizaje and the Discourse of National/Cultural Identity in Latin America, 1845-1959.† Latin American Perspectives. 100 vols. 25.3 (May 1998). 21-42.Saldaà ±a-Portillo, Josefina. â€Å"Who’s the Indian in Aztlan? Re-Writing Mestizaje, Indianism, and Chicanismo from Lacandon.† The Latin American Subaltern Studies Reader. Ed. I.Rodriguez. NC: Duke University Press, 20 01. pp.402-423.

Al-Qaeda Network Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Al-Qaeda Network - Term Paper Example According to President George Bush, the Islamic terrorists ‘hate us because of our freedoms.’ This, of course, is faulty, simplistic reasoning much the same as the logic he used to promote his ‘Global War on Terrorism’ which has served only to increase terrorist attacks. This discussion examines the question of why al-Qaeda attacked on 9-11, reasons which should have been understood prior to waging war against this organization or as an excuse to invade a sovereign country that had no ties to this action. Top leaders of the Al-Qaeda network were identified as Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahri who was killed in a U.S. air strike on June 7, 2006. Al-Qaeda’s attempt to cause massive destruction would serve all the traditional purposes of terrorism: symbolism, propaganda and psychological impact, irrespective of the failure or success of the mission. There’s a faulty premise in the current strategy on the war on terrorism, that suicide terrorism and Al Qaeda suicide terrorism in particular is mainly driven by an evil ideology, Islamic fundamentalism, independent of other circumstances. However, the facts are that since 1980, of the suicide terrorist attacks around the world over half have been secular. What over 95 percent of suicide attacks around the world are about is not religion, but a specific strategic purpose – to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory that the terrorists view as their homeland or prize greatly. This is in fact a centerpiece of Al Qaeda’s strategic logic, which is to compel the United States and Western countries to abandon military commitments on the Arabian Peninsula. Suicide terrorists are not mainly depressed, lonely individuals on the margins of society. University of Chicago’s Professor Richard Pape studied 462 suicide terrorists from around the world since 1980 (cited in O’Brien, 2005).

Innovation and Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Innovation and Change - Assignment Example 7) and he argued that entrepreneurs are those who perform and carry out new combinations by finding and taking opportunities to be seized to create new products or service and to establish a new marketable contribution to the economy (McDaniel, 2002, p. 57). Innovation is one of the most vital constituents in advancing living standard and wealth creation. Innovation may occur from different guises, but the roles played by both large scale and small to medium sized enterprises in creating innovation and translating the same to useful needs and wants to be met by customers in the market are undeniably critical. Since Schumpeter argued that entrepreneur is an innovator in 1950s, many researchers investigated the relationship between innovation and performance and examined whether small to medium or large scale enterprises are better at innovating than the other (Gronum, Verreynne and Kastelle, 2012, p. 257). The importance of Small and Medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as drivers for econ omic development and for improved social wellbeing has been increasingly acknowledged. Moreover, innovation capacity is a critical requirement for the survival of SMEs (Wolf, Kaudela-Baum, Meissner, 2011, p. 242) mainly because better entrepreneurs are those who are good at innovating and therefore they are found to be successful. This piece of research paper investigates the argument that small to medium sized enterprises are better at innovating than large scale businesses and examines how successful are SMEs in innovating their goods or services. In order to analyze and critically evaluate the argument, this paper explains the meaning and conceptual framework of SMEs, addresses their role in the economy and explains why they are considered as important in terms of its contribution to innovation. Small and medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute the vast majority of all businesses in almost all the countries and they play a very central role in the economy. SMEs are the major sources of entrepreneurial skills, innovation and employment that in turn help the economy grow further. Analoui and Karami (2003, p. 25) defined SMEs as one that has only a small share of its concerned market and is managed in a personalized way by its owner or part-owner, but not through a medium of an elaborate management system. SMEs are not sufficiently large to get access to the capital market for publically issuing of securities. Researchers used different constructs such as annual sales, number of employees, value added, value of assets, annual profits etc to define and explain SMEs. Out of these constructs, number of employees and annual sales are most often used to delimit the category of SMEs. For most researchers, a small to medium sized firm is one that employs no more than 250 persons and is having annual sales of not more than ?50 million (Analoui and Karami, 2003, p. 26). According to OECD, SMEs are non-subsidiary and independ ent firms that employ less than a given number of people. The most frequent upper

Business Strategy in a Global Environment Essay

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Designing and managing networks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

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Geared to Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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How a peace inititative started from private american university can Case Study

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The Case Against Pirating Movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Ethanol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethanol - Essay Example It was mostly used industrially and for lamps until 1862, when the U.S. Congress placed a $2 per gallon tax on it to help fund the Civil War. In 1896, Henry Ford built his first vehicle, a Quadricycle, which ran entirely on pure ethanol. The first hybrid flexible engine was also built by him for his Ford Model T; made from 1908 until 1927. It could run on ethanol, gasoline or kerosene. As World War I and the depression created a need for more fuel, more research was done to provide the necessary means for energy when gasoline was not readily available. During the prohibition years, extensive taxation made it impractical to produce alcohol, although in the 1920's, the Standard Oil company started using ethanol as a fuel additive to reduce engine knocking and raise the octane of the fuel to enhance performance issues with automobiles. As the advancement of the combustion engine progressed, so did the need for ethanol research. It was also at this time that Brazil discovered a way to us e the ethanol made from sugar cane in their automobiles. It was in the 1930's that gasohol; fuel comprised of 6-12% ethanol was first used. Brazil passed a war time law in 1943 requiring automobile fuel to contain 50% ethanol, in order to reserve petroleum resources for the military use. They have continued to develop that technology into a world class economy today. Due to the oil embargo, in 1974, the U.S. began doing extensive research regarding turning organic materials into ethanol. In 1980, the U.S. placed foreign excise tax on all foreign made ethanol in an attempt to stimulate the domestic economy and reduce flooding the market with cheap imported ethanol. That tariff remains in place today, securing the place for the U.S. as the number one ethanol producer in the world. By that time, Brazil was considering fuel rationing, when Fiat built the first, ethanol only, modern car; within three years, 90% of the cars in Brazil were ethanol vehicles. Today, Brazil continues to be th e leading sugar cane ethanol producer, refining more than 40% of that country’s domestic ethanol. By 1992, the Energy Policy Act passed, requiring automakers to create and sell cars capable of using alternative fuels; also giving tax deductions to those selling those cars or ones capable of being converted with a special conversion kit. This kit made adjustments to the fuel-to-air ratio through the use of fuel sensors that determined how much ethanol was in the system to prevent engine damage. Ethanol as a fuel additive can be derived from many organic sources, such as corn, wheat, sugar cane, sugar beets, sweet sorghum, sweet potatoes, switch grass, and miscanthus. There is research constantly being conducted to search for new sources of feedstocks to produce this valuable renewable source of energy. Potential non-corn feedstocks include cotton stalks, and trees as well as certain forms of algae. This would require a special and complicated process to separate cellulose from the sugars for the fermentation process and much more research is needed in this area. There are many other uses of ethanol than just for car fuel. It is also used to make industrial compounds and solvents, antifreeze, vinegar, perfume, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paint, and alcohol wipes and antibacterial hand sanitizers. The grain alcohol that is used for human consumption is of a much higher quality and therefore a different product entirely. One

The Tibetan Book of the Dead Essay Example for Free

The Tibetan Book of the Dead Essay Introduction All the teaching of Buddha, known all over the world as Buddhism, is based on the ideas of karma and reincarnation. Buddhists believe that after death the person is reborn and gets another incarnations in order to pay his karmic debts and get a chance to become enlightened of liberated. That is the reason they regard death as nothing but a pass to another physical incarnation and try to use this chance to get better conditions of life. The Bardo Thodol, also known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead belongs to the secrete texts of Buddhism and describes the experience of the death and gives guidelines how to pass from one incarnation to another. The name Bardo means the period between the death and next birth. The Tibetan Book of the Dead contains practical guidelines on the way to the next incarnation. In addition to ancient rituals and rites, it also contains main philosophical doctrines of Buddhism. The study of this book can give a better understanding of fundamental ideas of Buddhism and key concepts of this religion. General features of Tibetan Buddhism Buddhism is one of three major world religions. It was founded about 2.500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. Its main idea is a salvation from the world sufferings with the help of meditation. There are more than 350 million of followers of Buddhism in the modern world. Most followers of Buddhism live in India, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Tibet. Buddhism came to Tibet and 12 centuries later it appeared in India. It became widespread in Tibet beginning from the 7th century. It came in conflict with local religion called Bon, despite their main concepts agreed on many points. Tibetian Buddism assimilated a lot from Bon and The Tibetan book of The Dead is a perfect example of synthesis of these two religions. Buddhist term for awakening is nirvana. Nirvana means liberation from samsara – cycle of rebirth and entering another mode of existence. Buddhism states that all human beings are born in life full of sufferings and pain. Desires make people unhappy, as our mind can’t be satisfied with anything it gets and always asks for more. Making true one wish people start longing for something else and this vicious circle never ends. Existence full of sufferings and pain doesn’t stop after death as Buddhists believe in rebirth – the repeated process of life and death conditioned by the karma law. The only way out of this misery and pain is nirvana, which can be achieved through meditation and following the principles of Buddhism and to achieve the enlightenment or awakening of selfhood. Reaching enlightenment means reunion with one’s true Self. The state of nirvana is hard to define, as it lies beyond words and notions, but the most appropriate categories used to define it are emptiness, space and openness. In other words, reaching the state of nirvana means realization the emptiness of the true Self. Buddha is a Sanskrit term that means â€Å"awakened one† and it describes Buddha’s nature. Buddha was the first person who achieved liberation or awakening and could pass his experience to other people. He teaches people that all of them have the potential to become Buddha, reaching the state of nirvana. Tibetan Perspectives on Death and Dying The concept of death accepted in Buddhism is fundamentally different from the one, which exists on the West. Eastern people believe in reincarnation and that is why the death for them is not an end of existence but just an interesting journey and great opportunity. Buddhist teaching pays special attention to the death experience as a transitional state from one incarnation to another. Death rituals, described in the Book of the Dead derive from Bonism, traditional Tibetan religions, which preceded Buddhism. Ideas from Bonism naturally supplement new Buddhism concepts and together they combine an organic combination of religion, philosophy and practical rituals. The concept of death in Buddhism has two meanings and The Book of the Death speaks about two of them. In the first interpretation the death is regarded as a physical death, the cease of earthy existence. The first part of the Book of the Dead, The First Bardo deals with this death. Another meaning of death is a death of ego. It’s an esoteric meaning of death and it stands for inner transformation. This inner transformation is the ultimate goal of Buddhism and The Book of Dead deals with this kind of death too. As Tibetan Lama Govinda states in his introduction to this book, It is a book for the living as well as for the dying. (The Tibetan Book of the Dead: or, The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdups English Rendering) The book contains a lot of layers of meaning and can have several levels of interpretation. For centuries this book was kept in secret and only separate religious authorities could access it. Bardo Thodol – the Guidance for the Death and Life The Bardo Thodol was used by lamas. Literary translation of the name of the book means â€Å"liberation while hearing being in the intermediate state†. Lamas use this intermediate state as a mean to appeal to the true self of the person, when his physical body is passing away and thus give him an opportunity to stop the endless chain of births and deaths and get final liberation, or nirvana. There are three intermediate states described in the Book of the Dead. They are: the chikhai bardo, or bardo of the moment of death; the Chonyid bardo, or bardo of experiencing of reality; and the sidpa bardo, or bardo of rebirth. (The Book of the Dead) The Chikhai bardo makes the person ready to meet the very moment of the death. This moment is very important because the moment when vital force leaves the body and last directions if heard in time can help the person to pass the intermediate state correctly. As the Book of the Dead states, â€Å"When the expiration hath ceased, the vital-force will have sunk into the nerve-center of Wisdom and the Knower will be experiencing the Clear Light of the natural condition . Then the vital force, being thrown backwards and flying downwards through the right and left nerves the Intermediate State (Bardo) momentarily dawns.â€Å" (The Book of The Dead) In his commentaries, to The Tibetan Book of the Dead Evans-Wentz explains that â€Å"never centers† mentioned in the book mean psychic centers or cakras and the Center of Wisdom mentioned in the book is located in anahata cakra in the center of the chest. (Evans-Wentz) The Knower mentioned in the same passage stands for the mind in the state of impartial observer. The Chikhai bardo explains the changes in the energetic structure of the body with the coming of death. It doesn’t only describe physical changes, which occur in the body and the way energy leaves the body, but also stresses on the necessity to remain in the state of observer, in order to get the liberation. As Detlef Ingo Lauf states in his commentaries to the Secret Doctrines of the Tibetan Book of Dead â€Å"This is the very content and substance of the state of liberation, if only the soul can recognize it and act in a way to remain in that state.† (Lauf, 254) Special words, repeated several times, must help the dying person to fulfil the main purpose of his pass and help him find the right way in Bardo, where â€Å"wherein all things are like the void and cloudless sky, and the naked, spotless intellect is like unto a transparent vacuum without circumference or centre.† (The Book of the Dead) During the reading lama must change the body position of the dying person in order to create the right flow of energy in the body. The main purpose of all rites and ceremonies, described in The Book of the Dead, is to make the person stay conscious during the very moment of the death. This will enable him to remain conscious in the Bardo, and this way â€Å"From the union of the two states of mind, or consciousness, is born the state of Perfect Enlightenment, Buddhahood. The Dharma-Kaya (Body of Truth) symbolizes the purest and the highest state of being, a state of supramundane consciousness (The Book of the Dead). The person should overcome fear and his own egoistic desires and meet the moment of death pure and full of compassion to all living beings. The Book of Dead states that most of the people fail to remain consciousness at the very moment of the death. This can be explained by the weight of their past karma, fear and selfishness. â€Å"According to the wisdom of Buddha, we can actually use our lives to prepare for death† and that is why this moment is so important ( Ringpoche, 45) In this case they fail to see â€Å"Clear Light of Ultimate Reality† and should pass to the next stage. The Bardo Thodol gradually describes next steps of the process of passing away and stresses on the different opportunities to get liberation on the different stages. Conclusion The main message of The Bardo Thodol is to be conscious at the moment of death. The book describes different techniques used by lama in order to â€Å"awake† the person at the very moment of death or afterwards. At the same time, if we think about our life carefully, we will understand that we approach death with every second of our life; and being conscious in everyday life can be also the way to get liberation. As Sogyal Rinpoche states in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: â€Å"In the Buddhist approach, life and death are seen as one whole, where death is the beginning of another chapter of life. Death is a mirror in which the entire meaning of life is reflected.† (Rinpoche, 45) This holistic approach peculiar to Orinatal religions and philosophical systems illustrates their attitude to the death as a natural continuation of life and vice versa. Sources Rinpoche, Sogyal. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1992. Sogyal Rinpoche is a Tibetan Teacher. He did a perfect job adapting ancient texts, which compose â€Å"The Book of the Dead† for the modern reader. Original book even with commentaries and comments was very hard to comprehend for the unprepared reader. Sogyal Rinpoche made this text easy to read. At the same time he managed to write his book in such a way that the text did not lose its original meaning and those, who are interested in studying sacred Buddhist text, can read â€Å"The Book of the Dead†, which is one of central texts of Tibetan Buddhism in easy and comprehensive interpretation. The book investigates the topics of death and dying, which are central notions of Buddhism. The author introduces Buddhist concepts of karma, mediation, reincarnation and bardo in interesting and understandable manner. The book also contains practical guideline of dealing with the death. Reading this book transforms one’s attitude to the question of death and to life. Overcoming the fear of death can become that turning point, which changes the whole life, and Rinpoche’s book helps to deal with this fear. The author gives practical advice, which can help both – experienced seekers and people, who only start their acquaintance with Buddhism. The Tibetan Book of the Dead: or, The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdups English Rendering. Ed. W. Y. Evans-Wentz, Oxford University Press, 1949 This book gives Buddhist vision of the process of death and dying. This book teaches not only the process of dying, it also centers on the process of living and uncovers new levels of meaning of our earthy existence. The text produced in this addition is Lama Kazi Dawa Sammdup’s interpretation of the Bardo Thodol edited by the famous specialist in this field and first translator of this book to English Evans-Wentz. Their creative tandem gave birth to new interpretation of classical text. Commentaries of C.G. Jung, the representative of the New School† psychology helps Western people to get prepared for dealing with such complicated issues as death and dying, which is a very difficult topic for Westerners. Introduction written by Lama Anagarika Govinda, a modern religious authority, helps to understand the ancient texts. All those, who contributed to this book, made a great job by making an ancient Orintal wisdom understandable for western audience. General information about Buddhism, which makes the third part, can be useful for those, who want to penetrate deeper into this religious teaching. Comments and commentaries presented in the book make it not only ancient classics, but also a comprehensive book about self-improvement and coming in terms with your life. Detlef Ingo Lauf. Secret Doctrines of the Tibetan Books of the Dead. (Trans. by Graham Parkes) Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1989. Detlef Lauf is a famous German religious scholar and Tibetologist. In his â€Å"Secret Doctrines of the Tibetan Books of the Dead† he provides his own commentaries about the famous text. He introduces different variants of The Book of the Dead and uncovers their deep symbolism. Religious concepts are supplemented by historical information, which makes their comprehension easier. The book written by Detlef Ingo Lauf is a necessary addition to the information, presented in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The book is a deep survey of Buddhist and pre-Buddhist relations’ teachings, which attributed to the Buddhist concepts of death and dying. The author makes a research of the different deities, Buddhist doctrines and principles created a necessary basis for the right understanding of the classical texts of the Bardo Thodol or the Book of the Dead. The author goes even further and compares the concepts of death discovered in the Book of the Dead with views on death applied in different religious doctrines of Rome, Greece, Eqypt, India and Persia. Information about the death and dying received by modern Western scholars help to understand the basic ideas of the book. References 1. Evans-Wentz, W.Y. (ed.) The Tibetan Book of the Dead. London/Oxford/New York; Oxford University 1960. (Trans. by Graham Parkes) Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1989. 2. The Tibetan Book of the Dead: or, The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdups English Rendering. Ed. W. Y. Evans-Wentz, Oxford University Press, 1949 3. Rinpoche, Sogyal. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1992. 4. The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo. By Guru Rinpoche according to Karma-Lingpa. (Translated Francesca Fremantle, Chogyam Trungpa). Boston and London: Shambhala Pocket Classics, 1992. 4. Detlef Ingo Lauf. Secret Doctrines of the Tibetan Books of the Dead.

Renewable Energy Essay Example for Free

Renewable Energy Essay Climate change is one of significant issues that have been considered in recent years. According to Anderson (2009), most climate researchers recognise it is essential to reduce 80 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 to prohibit effects of climate change. Furthermore, carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most important causes to produce GHG which is combusted from heating, transportation and electricity generated by fossil fuels. However, one of the solutions for reducing CO2 emissions is using renewable energy to replace fossil fuel. In addition, renewable energy is generated by natural resources such as sunlight, wind and biomass which produce less or no pollution when generate energy. Furthermore, renewable energy will be demanded for approximately half of the worldwide electricity supplies to reduce CO2 emissions by 2050, which it is estimated by The International Energy Agency (Cited in Shi 2010). This essay will focus on two forms of renewable energies which are solar power and biofuels. Firstly, solar energy has been widely used to generate heat and electricity recently. Moreover, it will show the benefits and also point out some drawbacks of solar energy. After that, the discussion will describe the second form of widespread renewable energy in the transport sector which is biofuels. Finally, it will reveal advantages and a disadvantage of this energy. This essay argues that renewable energies, which are solar power and biofuels have been extensively utilised in recent years. Furthermore, they have more advantages than disadvantages. Solar Energy The sun is the largest source of energy, which is transformed to solar power for generating heat and electricity and has been widely used in recent years. According to European Union (2011), there are several applications to use solar energy for heating such as hot water at home, heating in factory and building and swimming pool. In addition, a cooling system also uses solar energy as heat absorption system to generate air conditioning and cooling system in refrigerator. Moreover, this kind of energy can be transformed to generate electricity by two ways. First of all, Prasad Bansal (2011) state that electricity is converted directly from light by Photovoltaic (PV) via semiconducting materials, whose basic composition is solar cells. Furthermore, Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) is another way to generate electricity, in which parabolic solar tower focuses the light to be used for a single point heating, and then produces steam to impel a turbine (European Union 2011). However, PV and CSP can collect electricity in the different ways. PV plants store the energy by connects to batteries, or sent to the electricity grid. On the other hand, CSP system can store heat by itself. Therefore, this power can be generated during the absence of sunlight during the day and night time (European Union 2011). Although there are many reasons for using solar energy, there are some reasons against the use of this kind of energy such as limited condition and the high cost. Firstly, the most significant problem of solar power supply is this energy is not available during the absence of sunlight (especially at night). Furthermore, in winter that often has cloud cover, there are only a low amount of solar power is available (Lakatos, Hevessy Kovacs 2011). However, this issue can be overcome with the use of CHP as it can store the power by itself. Therefore, it can be used during the absence of sunlight. In addition, thin film photovoltaic (PV) power is another solution of the places that have cloud cover. According to Blakeslee (2012), there are three layers in thin film PV for covering a wider spectrum of light. Thus, the light is scattered in all directions by clouds more than usually block it. Secondly, another disadvantage of solar is the high cost is considered as another obstacle of solar energy. As he states that, â€Å"A recent NYU study found the following actual 2005 costs in cents/kWh: Geothermal 3.1-4.3 Biofuels Energy Another widespread renewable energy is biofuel which has been developed to use instead of fossil fuels in the transport sector. There are two principle forms of ‘biofuels’ which are biodiesel and bioethanol. First of all, most of biodiesel is created from oil which is produced by oleaginous plants such as sunflower, rapeseed and palm by reacting with methanol (European Union 2011). Moreover, the viscosity of these oils decreases when they are heated. In addition, Adelekan (2012) points out that these oils can be transformed directly to a diesel engine when they burn, or they can be generated to produce fuels as biodiesel by chemical process. Another form of biofuel is bioethanol or ethyl alcohol which is burned easily to produce a flame, which is generated by distilling products from the sugars and maize when they are fermented such as sugar beet, cereals, sugar cane or biomass (Ortiz et al. 2011). In many countries, there are an increasing number to use bioethanol as ga sohol or oxygenate in gasoline. In addition, bioethanol is elementary to process and manufacture (Adelekan 2012). As well as solar power, using biofuel also brings some disadvantages such as an impact on demand for food. According to Habibah (cited in Adelekan 2012), A huge demand for crops, sugar and oleaginous plants might be impacted from the demand for biofuels which will be result for an increasing cost of food price, increasing level of poverty and food insecurity problem. In addition, biofuels are enemy for agricultural land that would have been used for growing food crops despite being used for growing energy crops now (Adelekan 2012). Therefore, the number of lands for agriculture would be decreased that would have an effect on shortage of food. However, if the government launches the policy of regulation to use agriculture land for growing energy crops, this issue would be overcome. Conclusion In conclusion, there are several significant benefits in the use of renewable energies which are solar power and biofuels to be utilised for replacing fossil fuels. As can be seen in the discussion above, solar energy can be transformed to generate heat and electricity with Photovoltaic and Concentrating Solar Power. In addition, biofuels, another renewable energy can be used in transport sector to replace fossil fuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol. However, although there are some disadvantages of both kinds of energy, their effectiveness is greater. In addition, these obstacles could be overcome in the near future. Therefore, the use of these renewable energies could be the essential alternative way to reduce CO2 emissions for the solution of climate change.

Globalization and Indigenization Relationship

Globalization and Indigenization Relationship In this paper we will try to understand the relationship between indigenization and globalization by looking at how globalization in its process acts as a tool for homogenizing certain culture and lifestyle as ideal over others and often works mainly through the market, media, music and other technology. Secondly we will also look into how globalizations try to reinforce itself through indigenization by adapting certain popular local culture which are selective and therefore marginalized certain culture over others in a society. Therefore, we will focus mainly on social, economic and cultural life of state and people in globalization era and will be looking through the lens of social science perspective. For further clarity we will also look at experiences of some countries in Asia that are changing due to globalization as an empirical evidence. In this paper I would like to argue that globalization and indigenization are interrelated and that globalization is an economic drive for p rofit maximization and therefore in the process of setting up markets it creates homogenization; and indigenization of selective cultural manifestation which often leaves out other cultures and creates tension within a pluralist society In social science discourse it is very difficult to define any term. Globalization, term origin of concept can be seen as first used by Roland Robertson according to Malcolm Waters, which came at the background of countering Immanuel Wallertein theory that has a heavy base on economy, Robertson suggested therefore that globalization is a phenomena both taking place in human consciousness and culture. For our present paper we will be looking at globalization as an economic process mainly driven by the so called developed or the western world through international financial bodies that ultimately challenges culture. Globalization therefore means a global economic process that controls international economy and nation state governance as trade and investment process produces growing interconnection between nations. Hirst and Thomson (1999, 8-10) said that interconnection between nations often result in the form of nations specializations and the international division of labours. The im portance of trade also becomes increasingly centralized which acts as the organizational principle of the system. They become internationally autonomous and socially disembodied, as market and production becomes truly global. Domestic policies becomes predominantly international determinate. This creates a systematic interdependence as it is transform to be permeated by and for international. Thus, globalize economy posed a problem to the domestic actors in formulating its policies. Globalization according to Petra and Veltmeyer (2001, 11) carries both descriptive and prescriptive meanings, descriptive as  [1]  globalization referring to the widening and deepening of the international flows of trade, capital, technology and information within a single integrated global market. Prescriptive as globalization involves the liberalization of national and global markets in the belief that free flow of trade, capital and information will produce the best outcome for growth and human we lfare (UNDP, 1992). On one hand, there are scholars like Keith Griffin (1995) who considers globalization as inevitable and needs adjustment for both necessary and possible human development. On the other hand, there are some who view it as a class and not as a process, the network of institutions known as the global economic system is an intentional and contingent, subject to the control of individuals who represent an seek to advance the interest of a new international capitalist class, this class consists of TNCs, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, etc and all these financial institution form a new system called global governance. Barnet and Cavenagh (1994) term this as a global financial network. Here the question do not only boils down to whether globalization is inevitable or not as we need to be very critical on this issue but for this paper we should move further and say that globalization is an economic process that is driven by few powers to regulate, generate and su stain capitalism. At the meantime globalization process can also be seen as the dissemination of religion and culture; it evolves interaction of people, groups, communities mainly through trade and commerce. Sociology study on globalization focus on the processes and flows in society whether at local level, national or global level. Sociologist like Barrington Moore, Charles Tilly, Theda Skocpol and Immanuel Wallerstein have looked at society broadly to understand connections of human lives with various field like economics, culture, media, technology etc, so, in short globalization is a process driven for economic growth by few international institutions that controls the process and outcome of global economy. Indigenization The term indigenization originates from the meaning indigenous. According to Websters New World Dictionary defines Indigenous as existing or growing naturally in a region, country, Sefa Dei (2002) said indigenous knowledge as unique to a given culture or society characterized by the common sense ideas, thoughts, values of people formed as a result of sustained interaction of society, nature and culture. In Sociology indigenous mean to integrate ones refection on the local culture and society or history into his or her approaches. Yet it is important to note that not all culture is indigenous for eg in Yangs article he clarifies that indigenous culture in Chinese context was to study traditional Chinese culture I.e. Confucian tradition and not local tradition like Gelao tradition in Taiwan. Indigenous people constitute more than 70% of the world out of which 250 million people lives in Asia. They are known by different names like hill tribes in Thailand, Scheduled Tribe in India, cult ural communities in Philippines, minorities nationalities in China etc. Heterogenisation, globalization, hybridization and indigenization have all become part of the wide ranging cultural studies in different discourse and debate about the diversity of local interaction with global capitalism. Roberston (1995, 28) states relation to globalization with culture said that in numerous contemporary accounts globalizing trends are regarded as in tension with local assertions of identity and culture. Here we will not be focusing so much on identity but look at how social cultural practices gets undermined in globalization. Globalization and homogenization We will now see how globalization process works as homogenizing tools that are often selective in nature and homogenized certain culture over another leaving out the importance of plurality of a nation. According to Nederveen Pieterse (2004)  [2], there are  [3]  three views on the issue of globalization. The first view looks at globalization as clash with civilization as expressed by scholars like Samuel Huntington. The second view is expressed by the term Mcdonaldisation of the world that would also mean homogenization of particular culture over others, that often overlooks at the plurality and differences of cultures diversity. The third view is based on hybridization and synthesis, as this view suggest that much of the worlds culture has evolved through exchanges, mixing or diffusions where there exist a constant movement and interaction between people who are the carrier of culture. Here the idea of homogenization and indigenization becomes quite critical as it is driven b y the market economies that are profit driven, which we will look at as we proceed further. To understand globalization and homogenization we will argue on the first and second view of globalization as stated earlier, as a clash of civilization and mcdonalization through global financial network. .Yamashita argued that the history of Southeast Asia itself can be a good example of glocalisation.The Economist (10 Oct 1994) predicted that China would be the worlds largest economy by 2020 overtaking United State and also the developing countries will dominate more than 60% of the worlds economy leaving just 40% with the developed countries. The experiences of many Asian countries like Hongkong, South Korea, Taiwan etc showed rapid economic growth in early 1990s. Global economic institutions like World Bank 1993 reports The East Asian Miracle observed and perceived these policies to be stable, market friendly policies with internal and external financial market liberalization to attract foreign investment. However, by late 1990s the economy of East Asian went into crises, which World Bank commented as inability to turn their domestic banks into western style institution that emphasis on transparency and rational market oriented criteria. On the other hand, addressing this same problem Hirst and Thompson (2002) said that South Korea and Singapore have suffered the most in this crises as they both depended heavily on short term loans from international financial institutions, and generally they concluded that the nations were heavily depended on the Western advice, and receiving praise for it from such institutions as the IMF which complimented Thailand on its macroeconomic policies in 1996. Polity was driven by conformity with Western doctrine. Thus, East Asian Crises clearly showed the bias policies of the West to expand its market that often demands so much from the recipient nation to make their policies favorable foe investment otften at the cost of the nation. Still there are some scholars like Khondker who argues that intellectual closure to others will close dialogue between societies or nations. He urges that in globalization era nations should open up yet not be a blind imitator of western ideas and concepts and give importance to local context and values. This crisis shows how global financial institutions controls and directs the policies of other developing nations and homogenized certain western values as ideal values over local values. State sovereignty in the process itself becomes restructure and reorganized through globalization, it systematically becomes a puppet at the hands of the financial giants, so there should be a space and right for nations to reject or reform or influence the policies and conditions that will affect them. There is also this tension with globalization as on one hand it seems to be creating diversity yet on the other hand it has further strengthen localization. According to Ritzer, McDonaldization does not represent something new but, rather, the culmination of a series of rationalization processes that had been occurring throughout the twentieth century. He said that globalization is not necessarily westernization. At some point this argument seems acceptable but as we look around we cannot ignored the McDonaldization as the popular culture even in India shows more Americanization as top chart music are dominated by popular singers like Madonna, Rihanna etc or hip hop culture, all the latest loud style statements are made through foreign products like Nike, Addidas, Puma, Samsung, Vodaphone etc, television shows like Simpsons, American Idol, Friends etc capture the popular media culture. McDonald, KFCs international food joints are seen in every cities and in many products they modify or indigenized it with selective culture to fit into new culture a classic example can be the introduction of aloo tikki in McDonald menu or nimbu pani drink s in KFC menu. The process of globalization started with trade and commodities now is moving towards services. Globalization and Indigenization The term globalization and indigenization have become a coveted term. According to Samuel Huntington in, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order he argued that because of new ideas like modernization, urbanization and mass communication and the end of Cold War there will be contest of ideology, this would lead to a conflict that will not be based on ideology or economy but on culture. His prediction seems to be coming true as we see the contestation worldwide on globalization and indigenization that challenges the base on culture. The impact of globalization on culture is seen differently by different scholars. Some like transformative says that culture is evolving and changing therefore needs interaction that will promote integration and removed negative cultural barriers. Spectics have argued that it will create uneven cultural globalization, Many other see it as a negative influences upon each other, as the global financial institutes like IMF policies has shown very bias approach driven for economic profit. The growing protest against international organizations meetings like G-8, European Union in Seattle, Washington, Genoa and Barcelona is a proof of growing discontent among many people. Indigenization of certain culture becomes important question as we see that it is intractably related with the state, identity and economy. Lieber and Weisberg suggest that culture within globalization have to do deeper than its surface phenomena and McDonald, American music, language, art and lifestyle has within it a form of alienation that owes to the changes and disruptions brought by modernization and globalization. They argued that in Middle East, South Asia and Africa there is a rage of anger against corrupt and authoritarian rule, which came into being after the breakdown of their traditional social, political and economic relationships. Thus, these new institutions fails to meet the needs of the societies thereby there is a deep resentment agai nst the Americans that have pose a challenged to identity  [4]. They considered culture as an area of contestation. The US, considered as the main actor of globalization has been playing a dual role in sustaining and protecting capitalism. The United States of America with less than 5% of the worlds population accounts for one fourth of its economic accounts. They have all captured power in international institutions and dominate world economy. Thereby, homogenizing popular culture of other nations. American English is the most common spoken language in the world; approximately 380 million people use English as their first language and 250 million as their second language. A German diplomat Karsten Voight with US said that The USA has long been setting standards on a worldwide basis, not just for the general populace, but has been leading the field in the classic cultural spheres, for example in research and teaching, or films and modern art. Its global role rooted in a hitherto unknown blend of economic power, the ability to set the global cultural agenda and military superiority. (International Journal of Politics, 2002, p277) Media also plays an important role for indigenization process as Hollywood films captures more audiences than any other film production company. As there are many generations of men who grew up all wanting to be a cowboy as the influence of cinema was very strong in earlier time, even though due to space and time, physical constrains the degree of homogenization might be lesser though am not denying the massive lifestyle influence that time. Now, we can see that social and cultural globalization over lapse with commercial economy. The global media are control by few countries through radio, internet and cinema. There are scholars like Ben Beakidn, who wrote Media Monopoly and argued that global economy is controlled by only few countries. He gives an example that by 1998 only six Multi National Corporation or MNC control more than half of world social and cultural life like Disney, other minor MNCs were Fox, BBC, Microsoft, Yahoo all these are dominated by developed nations and even localized within their territory, I would like to argue here that these MNCs acts a major tools for homogenizing and indigenizing western culture that gets strongly reinforce through popular mass media and this has intensify due to continue interaction over the years under rapid globalization era. These social and cultural phenomena as seen above often subscribe to few dominant cultures mainly term as Americanization that creates a universal history. Media has created soft power in homogenization and indigenized few cultures at the expense of other, eg in India the introduction of cold drinks like Pepsi, Coke, Sprite etc has wiped out many traditional drinks like Lassi or nimbu pani, and many traditional small scale earner that depended on these trade for livelihood are displaced and almost non existent now, we can also see now market also commodities goods like the introduction of packet nimbu pani which are projected as more healthy over traditional drinks. There are hardly any si gns of traditional culture of lifestyle especially in the market like traditional earthen pots ghara as water cooler is almost non existence, which are natural, environment friendly and healthy. The indigenization process that caters to new customers for profit by selecting popular culture over other are very evident as discussed earlier the introduction of aloo tikki or vegetarian menu in McDonald, the latest fashion are also projected as wearing certain logos and tags like Reebok, Adiddas, Nike (JUST DO IT) etc replacing traditional attires like kurtas and salwar kameez, though we see them yet still but we need to realized that many traditional trade that deal with these product are now non existent or struggling for survival as new technology can produce the same more efficiently and in large amount, which makes the traditional product more expensive and since so called rational consumer goes for cheaper goods it ultimately lead to the decline of some efficient traditional cultur e. This phenomenon also artificially creates a division among people as we also see the indispensable growth of Trans national elite in every society. There are greater connection among people around the world and which also lead to some positive outcome like growth in Human Rights Movement, Feminist movement and Environmental lobbies etc. not overlooking the positive aspects of globalization as well we can still argue and before we can conclude it would be interesting to ponder on what Gupta (2007, 88-89) writes in chapter title Business as Usual that globalization bring in new ideology that are clearly visible in which business are projected in India, trade union has been laid down, productions are driven by consumers want it is no longer about employment, economic independence or strong trade union. In this competitive capitalist process unfortunately for country like India it poses a problem to citizenship and neglect of underprivileged people. Business or corporate giant in Ind ia are part of family business so it puts family above all else, this vividly captures the state of India present scenario that is driven for economic growth and profit driven in globalization world and has intensified over the years. Conclusion Through this paper I have tried to highlight the underlying current of globalization that is basically driven by few developed countries mainly US. Globalization as a process starts and ends with economic expansion, by which it homogenized selective culture and projects it as superior over others and indigenized itself to be accepted as it enters new markets. In this process globalization creates a complex phenomenon that creates contradiction within the notion of culture, for some nation like Singapore globalization has been beneficial as they are driven with the quest for latest technology as they have high standard of living in generally. However, for a nation like India it is problematic as we have seen that by homogenizing and indigenization only selective culture dominants over other and India been a pluralist country with so much of diversity. The roles of citizens also greatly diminish as there is no space for choice, so underprivileged sections of society bears the greatest burden. There should be a constant effort on the part of nation to provide substantive equality to citizens make welfare policies free from any foreign influences. Culture keeps changing and evolving but we should keep in mind that any chances should be directed to make every individual live a respectable and dignified life and in right cultural context.

Ulysses Essay: Sexuality and Linguistic Versatility :: Joyce Ulysses Essays

Sexuality and Linguistic Versatility in Ulysses  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to discuss the relations between sexuality and linguistic versatility I have chosen the two female characters, Molly and Gerty. The major reason for this is because the female voice in Ulysses is heard at length on only two occasions but I would argue is very important. So important in fact, that Joyce chooses to conclude the novel with Molly’s monologue. I hope to convey some of the contrasts and similarities in these differing monologues (despite the fact that in Gerty’s case it is technically not ever her monologue). In addition, I have tried to take into account that one is perceiving relations between female sexuality and linguistic versatility through the eyes of a man. Molly’s monologue is in the form of a soliloquy as opposed other forms of internal monologue. Molly’s monologue in common with Gerty’s is frequently rambling. Inevitably, it leads one to suppose that neither Molly nor Gerty has had much formal education. But the style of Molly’s monologue is that of colloquial speech. There is also an absence of punctuation in Molly’s monologue, which has the affect of speeding up ones reading tempo. Because of this, one feels that the language is explorative and exclamatory. About one quarter of all "becauses" in Ulysses are found in the episode ‘Penelope’ which consists entirely of Molly’s monologue. In both Molly’s and Gerty’s monologue the over use of "because" gives a superficial logic to their train of thought: "Like that one denying it up to my face and singing about the place in the WC too because she knew she was too well off yes because he couldn’t possibly do without it that long." Significantly well over another quarter of "becauses" are found in the first part of Nausicaa which concerns Gerty: "..but this was altogether different from a thing like that because there was all the difference because she could almost feel him draw her face to his and the first quick hot touch of his handsome lips." I think the over use of "and" give a flow to both their monologues. The ebb and flow of thoughts strongly relates to the movement and flow of the sea, which seems to have a great prominence in both these episodes. I think the language is relating to us a difference between men and women, namely that women are less rational than men are.

John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Essays Papers

Of Mice and Men In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there was a character by the name of Lennie, a mentally challenged man. Lennie who had the mind of a three-year-old and the body of a giant was a sweet, outgoing guy. Although Lennie never remembered anything, he always remembered the words of his father figure George’s words. One of Lennies most passionate qualities was his love for animals; the way he cared for the touch of soft things made that love even stronger. In Lennie there was a special, passionate, and forgetful man. Lennie, whose brain didn’t develop properly often acted like a small child, yet had the strength of 10 men put together. These characteristics were presented to us by the way he would always ask questions and run around like a young rambunctious kid, although he had the power to kill animals by simply petting them. Lennie was childlike by the way he portrayed his emotion, like running away and crying when yelled at. Even though Lennie never meant any harm to anyone he had more power than he knew what to do with, when trying to stop the wife from screaming, he snapped her neck without even knowing it. In conclusion Lennie was a strong powerful man, even if at heart he was a simple child. The passion Lennie often showed was that of his love of soft things. Lennie couldn’t resist petting and stroking the smooth, lovely beings. Lennie when trying to explain his desire for nice surfaces, to prove he wasn’t crazy said to the wife â€Å" No I ain’t,† â€Å" George says I ain’t. I like to pet nice things with my fingers, sof’ things.† This was 1 of many statements Lennie used to describe this passion. So after al, Lennie who may have often hurt animals and people, never meant for it to happen, it was just his way of trying to show his true love for the species. Although time and time again Lennie was told things, that for any other man would be simple to remember, Lennie constantly forgot. â€Å"I forgot,† Lennie said softly. â€Å"I tried not to forget. Honest to god I did, George.† This was a close resemble to the constant reply heard most from Lennie. Although there was one thing Lennie always remembered and that was the stories and answers that came from George. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men :: Essays Papers Of Mice and Men In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there was a character by the name of Lennie, a mentally challenged man. Lennie who had the mind of a three-year-old and the body of a giant was a sweet, outgoing guy. Although Lennie never remembered anything, he always remembered the words of his father figure George’s words. One of Lennies most passionate qualities was his love for animals; the way he cared for the touch of soft things made that love even stronger. In Lennie there was a special, passionate, and forgetful man. Lennie, whose brain didn’t develop properly often acted like a small child, yet had the strength of 10 men put together. These characteristics were presented to us by the way he would always ask questions and run around like a young rambunctious kid, although he had the power to kill animals by simply petting them. Lennie was childlike by the way he portrayed his emotion, like running away and crying when yelled at. Even though Lennie never meant any harm to anyone he had more power than he knew what to do with, when trying to stop the wife from screaming, he snapped her neck without even knowing it. In conclusion Lennie was a strong powerful man, even if at heart he was a simple child. The passion Lennie often showed was that of his love of soft things. Lennie couldn’t resist petting and stroking the smooth, lovely beings. Lennie when trying to explain his desire for nice surfaces, to prove he wasn’t crazy said to the wife â€Å" No I ain’t,† â€Å" George says I ain’t. I like to pet nice things with my fingers, sof’ things.† This was 1 of many statements Lennie used to describe this passion. So after al, Lennie who may have often hurt animals and people, never meant for it to happen, it was just his way of trying to show his true love for the species. Although time and time again Lennie was told things, that for any other man would be simple to remember, Lennie constantly forgot. â€Å"I forgot,† Lennie said softly. â€Å"I tried not to forget. Honest to god I did, George.† This was a close resemble to the constant reply heard most from Lennie. Although there was one thing Lennie always remembered and that was the stories and answers that came from George.

Lets Get Dirty - Our Future Is Compost ::

Let's Get Dirty - Our Future Is Compost Have you ever wondered what happens to your trash after you put it in the garbage can? Most people do not, after all, sanitation workers remove the garbage and it is never seen again. Martin V. Melosi called this "out-of-site, out-of-mind mentality†¦ as long as someone removed wastes from the immediate range of the senses, the problem was solved."1 As a result, garbage disposal is a service that many take for granted. Yet, waste does not just disappear. It must be stored, buried, or burned somewhere. This disposal process has gone on for hundreds of years since populations produced huge amounts of waste. The continued use of landfills and dumps has caused the perception that there is a garbage crisis. Consequently, new techniques to deal with garbage have been attempted.. Recycling is but one example of a solution. Through recycling, old products like aluminum cans and glass bottles would be made into new products. While recycling has enjoyed success in the United States, many question its efficiency. Other suggestions range from shipping garbage to other areas to incineration. All these proposals to the garbage problem go under such scrutiny and examination in an effort to achieve some perfect solution to the disposal problem. One practice enjoying success today is the process of composting. Originally utilized by farmers and in backyards, composting is the natural breaking down of organic materials into soil. The popularity of composting seems reflect people's attitudes and desires to be closer to nature. Compost can occur from levels as small as backyard piles to the heights of corporate composting facilities. When done properly, composting can provide cost benefits and greatly reduce amounts of garbage. Either way, composting is a growing practice that's efficiency grows over time and may become as widespread as garbage collection today. The Garbage Crisis The first question you may be asking yourself is, is there really a garbage crisis? Many would argue there is, and it is easy to see why. The population of the world is always growing; this growth results in increasing consumption. Whether it is food, energy, natural resources, material goods, or property, everyone is involved. Mass consumption leads to an increase in garbage and pollution. The production of cheaper goods that are available to most economic groups has also increased this trend. These factors lead many to believe "that we produce too much garbage.

How has the Media changed over time

Freedom of Speech within the Media has progressed vastly over the recent years. National legislations restricted journalists, but as globalization began and spread quickly, along with technology, these national barriers disappeared, as did the legislations that go with them. The availability to a bigger and wider variety of information and news from all around the world has increased, and journalists have a larger freedom of expression. However, is absolute freedom of speech really desirable? This essay discusses changes in media over time and its influence on freedom of speech. Furthermore, it outweighs the benefits and implications that come with this freedom of speech.Old Media refers to the more traditional methods of communication and expression that have existed prior to the invention of the Internet, e.g newspapers, magazines and books. Alternatively, New Media refers to the access of information anytime, anywhere, and interactive user feedback and creative participation. Anot her characteristic is its unregulated content. (Schivinski et al., 2013, p. 5).The Old Media faced many constraints which new technology has aided to breakdown, making information today more accessible and easier to use. There are vast differences and progressions from the Old Media to the New Media. Briefly, information is easier to use and can reach wider audiences, it preserves and stores information more effectively, encourages copying, changing and growth of information, uses images and sounds instead of text and all in an instant, in faster ways, completely unimaginable before. Katsh (1988) points out 3 distinct qualities possessed by the New Media (electronic media) in transmitting, storing, organization and processing of information.The barriers of time and space that were obstacles in the past have been overcome through electric communication. The result now is the unimaginable increase in the speed of the transmission of information. The dependency on inefficient transport ation for distribution is no longer a barrier to the spread of information and through the Internet information can be transmitted instantaneously. This information can then be responded to and  passed onto others equally as rapid.The audience of this new media is much larger than that of the print era. Not only is information reaching a larger audience, but it is reaching new audiences and enabling communication between groups of people that previously couldn’t, through the disintegration of the geographical barrier. As Hiltz and Turoff (1978) explain, â€Å"until now there has been no means for a group of people to adequately exchange information among themselves and reach decisions, other than to meet frequently face to face and talk it out†.The computer and New Media has introduced new means of organizing and storing information. Compare the huge, almost limitless, quantities of information stored everyday on the internet to the restricted and finite storage capa city of traditional filing cabinets or print libraries. Katsh (1988) refers to it as an ‘information chain’ for the process of acquiring, processing and generating information, like a chain that grows longer and longer, building on existing knowledge.There is an obvious increase in avenues for acquiring information that coax ‘the seeker of knowledge’ to find alternative paths to information that are continuously being created. Katsh (1988) emphasizes that â€Å"because information is organized differently, the electronic media encourages interaction with data that is different from reading a book†.The processing of data has also drastically reformed in New Media. The digitalization and facileness of copying electronic data aid and increase the speed of processing information electronically. Katsh (1988) explains that digitalization is the process of recording reality by breaking it down into parts and are then given a numerical value which allows for data to be manipulated in ways that enlarge the number of ways it can be used and distributed. â€Å"All digital machines copy in order to communicate. They are essential repeaters able to regenerate perfect copies without abandon† (R. Solomon, 1985).Zuboff (1988) expands on this idea by arguing that â€Å"information technology, even when it is applied to automatically reproduce a finite activity, is not mute. It not only imposes information but produces information† and believes that New Media ‘informates’ as well as automates.Many of these characteristics that at first glance make the Internet appealing, (ease of transmission, perfect reproduction etc) is essentially what could cause problems with the technology. There are difficulties in enforcing and imposing freedom of speech rights in cyberspace as the Internet does not belong to any country in particular. It doesn’t belong within any geographical borders. So this leads us to the main issue: if the Internet doesn’t belong to any geographical boundaries, then which/who’s jurisdictions and laws does it follow?The ability to transmit information instantaneously online, without internet control de facto censorship and without the borders of countries, it is very hard to control the information appearing online. However, before proceeding, there appear to be many misconceptions about what free speech and its limitations and consequences are actually composed of. The U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 19, states: â€Å"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers† (U.S. Constitution).However, when these rights to freedom and expression were actually last clarified, the use of New Media and the Internet was highly underdeveloped and limited and its actual effect on mainstream media was still under speculation (OHCHR). As Katsch (1988) explains, â€Å"censorship laws were an attempt to use law to regulate what had been controlled earlier by the inherent qualities of writing†.So, what are the benefits of complete freedom of speech and expression? The importance of free speech as a basic and valuable characteristic of Western society cannot be underestimated. As previously discussed, the internet provides an outstanding amount of resources for information and knowledge. This allows for new opportunities for expression and participation of ideas. It becomes a great social strength promoting creativity and individuality and the sharing of ideas between people from different backgrounds and views.Practically, freedom of speech serves many functions. Arguably most importantly, freedom of speech is important at all levels of society as decision making is based on discussion and consideration of an array of various views. As well as this, gov ernments can benefit from getting direct opinions voiced from the people, and if the criticisms towards the government are openly voiced, they have the chance to respond to these unjust comments about it’s actions. If speech was otherwise restricted, these same criticisms and rumors would still circulate only another way, by word of mouth which the government is then in no position to respond or answer to these views as they aren’t publicly made. (Turley, 2012).However this freedom of speech can easily be misused. Implications of freedom of speech involves toleration of ‘a great deal of nonsense’ and there is the increasingly popular view that information based on ‘bad taste’ and offensiveness to particular groups should be censored. More extreme, what happens if a misinforming story goes viral shared between thousands of people across the world? When the right of freedom of speech was announced in the Universal Declaration of Rights, they did not foresee the power and largeness of the mass media of today. How in one second an article can be published online and the next it can be starting a huge discussion with thousands of people from opposite sides of the world.And what about extremist groups? As well as this what about fraud, child protection, decency, libel and hate speech? Shouldn’t these to a certain extent be controlled? John Stuart Mill (2007) suggests that it is only the prevention of harm to others which justifies the state in restricting our voluntary conduct (Cooray, 1997). But what does harm really entail?To conclude, the progression the Media has made in the relatively short amount of time merited by the introduction of the Internet and other electronic communications is undeniable. Many barriers to communications present in the Old Media have been eradicated, leading to quicker exchange of information, as well as a much more varied information scope and audience, connecting people through informati on from all around the world.It is these ‘benefits’ of diminished barriers of geography (which are irrelevant because information no longer needs to necessarily be published and distributed but can simply be posted online instantaneously) that actually pose the problem when it comes to freedom of expression. Because of these lack of borders the Internet/New Media doesn’t fall under any one particular country’s jurisdiction and the issue of who’s laws, language or  codes of conduct should be applied is raised. Furthermore, the importance of freedom of speech as a basic and valuable characteristic of Western Society cannot be denied. However there is a fine line when it comes to freedom of speech.I believe that freedom of speech will lead to an array of views, some which you will agree with, and others that you could find offensive or wrong. However if you want the right to express you opinion, there are certainly going to be ideas you disagree with or maybe even feel insulted by. But this is the price that comes with freedom.