Cognitive Skills in Baseball

Cognitive Skills in Baseball By Garrett Pape Lamar Community College The skills that people use on a daily basis are extraordinary, the way we use these skills can be extraordinary or disastrous. There are so many things that a human accomplishes with physical activity, yet these physical activities are started with a set of skills that most human beings have. These skills involve the brain and are called cognitive skills. The brain is where all activity starts; before a person does anything their brain tells them how to do it.For example, if a person wants to pick up a cup of water off of the table, their brain will order their hand to the right placement for you to be able to accomplish the task at hand. Cognitive skills, also known as cognition, are known to influence peoples lives daily. These influences will affect a person’s life in ways that are not understood by most. A person’s thoughts can be described as a use of cognition. This cognitive skill is very broad, but when one looks at their thoughts they will understand why things happen the way they do.Now we’re talking about something known as, â€Å"The Self-fulfilling Prophecy†. This prophecy is looked at in particular to negative thoughts, but the same consequences hold true for positive thoughts. Kenrick describes the Self-fulfilling Prophecy in his online book, Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction, (2011) 5th Edition, as when an initially inaccurate expectation leads to actions that cause the expectation to come true (Kenrick, Neuberg, and Cialdini pg. 79).When a person has thoughts about something they can easily change the outcome of the thought by changing their attitude about it. For example, in baseball cognitive skills are taught exclusively at times, allowing players to repeat simple tasks that can easily go wrong. In baseball, there are many aspects of the game that differ physically but have little difference mentally. During practice a pitcher on a baseball team practices his physical skills by throwing what is known as a â€Å"bullpen†. A bullpen is when the pitcher practices throwing all of his pitches for strikes.This consists of a pitcher and a catcher. It is easy for a pitcher to go into his bullpen and throw strikes because he does not have a high risk of failure, there is not a hitter there competing against him. So, he can easily succeed by throwing strikes. When a hitter steps into the batters box facing the pitcher there is physically only one difference in a game to the bullpen, the hitter. The pitcher must still throw the exact same strike as he did in the bullpen, now the use of cognition really affects the pitcher.With the hitter putting for risk for failure into play, the pitcher can either use his cognitive skills to help or hurt him. If the pitcher throws the exact same pitches that he practiced, the hitter would not have a very high chance of hitting the pitch. The way a pitcher can help himself through cognit ive skills are simple but affective. â€Å"When evaluations are positive, thoughts are completed rapidly, and you get right on with your thinking about the next pitch. When the evaluations are negative you have a difficult time forgetting the event.Many times you’re still thinking about what went wrong on the previous pitch or play, as you’re beginning to throw the next pitch†(Dorfman and Kuehl pg. 301). This can directly result in a repeat of the outcome, positive or negative. If something has gone wrong and a person is still thinking about it while trying to perform the next task, they are mentally preparing themselves to repeat the failure. Same holds true for positive outcomes, and the repetition of success. The key to using this set of skills is to master a positive outlook on whatever it is one is trying to accomplish.This sounds very easy, but if you have ever failed in your life, it is very easy to quit or say, â€Å"I can’t do it†. Childre n learning new things in school will tell themselves that they cannot do something after failing at it once, they will get frustrated and quit. Good teachers will pick them up and show them that they can do this, and they can do it on their own. With baseball the term â€Å"don’t† is used quite often. This term is actually frowned upon in baseball because of its meaning, or lack there of.There is really no definition for the word, â€Å"don’t†. An example of this term for a pitcher could be, â€Å"don’t give up a homerun†, if there is no definition for the word don’t, then what is really being said? If a person asked 100 pitchers, â€Å"what happened after you told yourself don’t give up a homerun? †, 100 pitchers would say they gave up a homerun. Keeping the positive outlook and picturing oneself succeed will result in success. One way to keeping the positive outlook is to picture the event taking place in your head, pi cture success.After picturing yourself succeed, you have already seen yourself accomplish the task. This makes it much easier and proves in your own head that you can do it. Seeing yourself in your head fail will also prove that you cannot do it and are incapable with that outlook. Gary Mack, the author of, Mind Gym, quoted Ty Cobb saying, â€Å" The most important part of a players game is above his shoulders. † Mind Gym is an athletes guide to inner excellence. This promotes positive thoughts and picturing yourself succeed before ever physically performing the task.Referring to baseball, Yogi Berra a famous catcher said, â€Å"90 percent of the game is half mental†. Yogi is known for saying bizarre things that somehow makes sense. This quote is hard to understand but is viewed as the majority of the game has to do with your mental approach. Thinking positive thoughts is easy, but how easy is it when somehow failure seems to take over. Athletes get into what is known as, â€Å"slumps†. Slumps are a period of time when the athlete is performing poorly, or below their ability.How can a person stay focused on thinking positive thoughts when they are in a slump? It is a hard thing to do, but Getting Focused, Staying Focused takes on an approach to keeping a positive head on your shoulders. â€Å"By studying the highly developed minds of the Yogis, Martial Artists, and Zen Masters of China, Japan, and India, the Soviets devised and instituted mental training techniques that enabled their athletes to perform under the most pressure-filled conditions with a clear, calm and controlled mind†(Jaeger pg. i). Further in the book explains that once competition starts, the game is purely mental. Practice and preparation will get you ready and prove you are able to physically perform the event, being confident and picturing success will let you use your physical skills to their full capability and the game becomes easy. Practice is meant for the game to become second nature, it is when we are not confident with ourselves that the game becomes a foreign language. Most mental flaws come from what is known as â€Å"dead time†.Dead time is a gap in performance that interrupts our performance. Athletes can get in the zone and success becomes effortless. Its when failures or dead time occur that athletes lose focus. This dead time can cause an athletes thought’s to wonder, this is not good for mental approaches. When minds wonder, thoughts creep in and take over. Most athletes can remember a time when they said, â€Å"what if? † or â€Å"I should have†, this is bringing up the past and thinking of things they did wrong, this is only bringing failure and negative thoughts to mind.A coach will say take out of the game the positives and dwell on those, not the bad things that may have happened. Shawn Green, a retired baseball player said, â€Å"There, I’d learned to separate my awareness from my m ind and move it into my body and ultimately into the present moment. There, I first began to understand what it means to chop wood and carry water†(McAlpine pg. 156). In, Introduction to Psychology, Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian describe something known as a cognitive map, a mental presentation in the brain of the layout of an environment and its features (Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian pg. 23). This was first shown by rats learning to move through a maze with a reward at the end. Once the task has been accomplished, it is known that it can be done again, the mind barrier is a powerful thing. So powerful that once a mile was ran in under 4 minutes people realized it could be done, and now it is done daily by people everywhere. In baseball the reward is success, and the cognitive map is known as practice, and for pitchers, bullpens. References Dorgman, H. A. (2002). The mental game of baseball. 3rd ed. ). New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield. Jaeger , A. Getting focused, staying focused. Al an Jaeger. Mack, G. (2001). Mind gym. New York, NY: Stone/Robert Daly. McAlpine, G. (2011). The way of baseball. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Plotnik, R. (2008). Introduction to psychology. (9th ed. ). Canada: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Santrock, J. (2010). Children. (12th ed. ). McGraw Hill: Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction, (2011)5th  edition Kenrick, Nueberg, and Cialdin

Reflection Paper Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin Emergence: Labeled Autistic Positive Outcomes Born in 1949, Temple Grandin was first diagnosed with brain damage at the age of three and then, at the age of five, labeled Autistic. Today Temple Grandin, self-labeled as a recovered autistic, is a well-respected doctor in animal science, a professor at Colorado State University, a bestselling author, an autism activist, and a leading consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior.While it is easily argued that Temple Grandin’s life does not represent the norm for most children with autism, her autobiography, Emergence: Labeled Autistic (1986) offers a powerful picture of the influences and experiences that steered Temple through her journey ‘emerging’ from autism. Considering Temple’s challenging behaviors as a toddler and the norms for the time, it would not have been surprising if Temple’s mother had followed the advice of the doctors and placed Temple into an institution at t he age of three or kept her isolated at home.Instead, her mother provided therapy and activities that kept Temple â€Å"from tuning out and failing to develop† (p. 20). At the age of three, Temple began regular therapy with a speech teacher who â€Å"helped [her] hear the consonants by stretching out and enunciating the consonants† (p. 17). Although the reader only has a glimpse of the challenge it must have been, it is clear that Temple was included in the daily and special activities of her family’s life with little allowances made for her atypical behavior: â€Å"Being a child of the 1950’s was an advantage because of structured Miss Manners meals and lots of turn-taking games kept me tuned in.The family meals and games also taught essential social skills† (p. 20). As Temple grew older, her mother continued to strive for Temple to have a normal life, enrolling her in kindergarten at the age of five, while also taking a proactive role in preventi ng problems before they happened. â€Å"The school I attended was a small private school for normal children. Mother had discussed my problems extensively with the teachers. On the first day of school I was kept home so that the teachers could explain to the other children that I was different† (p. 32).Temple’s mother was consistently an advocate for her; she did not shy away from providing Temple with experiences that would be challenging for Temple, for herself or for others. The summer after third grade, Temple went to sleep away camp. Even though this experience could be labeled a failure, Temple’s mother did not place the blame on Temple; she believed that the poor outcomes were the result of the adults handling the situation ineffectually. â€Å"When Temple is in secure surroundings where she feels love above all, and appreciation, her compulsive behavior dwindles† (p. 2). â€Å"The second problem was the camp personnel’s lack of insightâ₠¬  (p. 55). After graduating from her small elementary school, at the advice of her teachers and therapists, Temple was enrolled in a large private school. When it became clear that this setting was not appropriate for Temple, her mother, once again did not blame Temple. â€Å"I explained and she listened carefully. As usual, she stood up for me† (p. 68). Temple’s mother then took considerable time (and, in likelihood, spent considerable amount of money) to find a school that would be the best match for Temple.With Temple’s input, Temple’s mother selected the Mountain Country School in Vermont. â€Å"The Mountain Country School was started for gifted children like you† (p. 70). The Mountain Country School, as described by Temple, appeared to be an ideal school for children with high-functioning autism even by today’s understanding and standards. The basic philosophy of the school rested upon the principle of permitting students an opportuni ty to achieve what they could in specific areas, while at the same time both academic and personal allowances were made for areas of emotional handicaps (p. 2). There were four essential areas for both the school and the individual: an understanding of an individual’s personal problems and what to do to correct them; mastery of study skills; developing the social skills essential to everyday association; and the competition of everyday living either in or out of school (p. 72). Throughout Temple’s ‘emergence from autism’, Temple’s mother focused on Temple’s strengths and affirmed Temple’s differences and way of looking at the world. In letters to Temple, Mrs. Grandin wrote, â€Å"Be proud you are different.All bright people who have contributed to life have been different and found the path of life lonely. While the joiners and social butterflies flutter about, Temple, you’ll get real things done (p. 124). â€Å"You need symbo ls. You live them. Like a work of art they are a physical expression of what you feel† (p. 125). â€Å"Wanting to grow really loves yourself, loving the best part of yourself† (p. 148). Temple’s mother was not her only champion. While at the Mountain Country School, a teacher, Mr. Carlock emerged as an influential mentor for Temple. Like Temple’s mother, Mr.Carlock â€Å"didn’t see any labels, just the underlying talents† (p. 90). â€Å"He didn’t try to draw [Temple] into his world but came instead into [her] world† (p. 90). Through Mr. Carlock, Temple learnt many social skills. â€Å"He didn’t preach but showed by his own conduct a social perception that I envied and tried to emulate. From him I was learning humanistic values that I lacked because of my autism† (p. 91). Mr. Carlock did not try to force Temple to study material simply because it was the curriculum. Instead he started with where she was and used her interests to connect her to learning. â€Å"We start with you, Temple.If you want to prove your theory, then you’ll have to learn math, read scientific articles in the library, do some research† (p. 107). He realized that fighting Temple’s fixations was futile; instead he â€Å"channeled [her] fixations into constructive projects† (p. 90). These projects benefited Temple in many ways: she learned through creating; she was motivated to learn academics that might help with her projects; she stayed focused and busy which decreased her anxiety and limited her chances of ‘getting into trouble’; and she was productive, raising her worth both in her own eyes and that of her teachers and peers.Like Temple’s mother, Mr. Carlock affirmed Temple’s worth. â€Å"You’re a gifted individual, Temple- much more than any individual with just sex appeal. Your appeal, when you grow up to it, will be not only physical but intellectual, tooà ¢â‚¬  (p. 92). Years later, Mr. Carlock, perhaps unaware of what he is doing, sums up his own successful approach in his preface for Temple’s autobiography, â€Å"†¦there is hope for the autistic child – that deep, constant caring, understanding, acceptance, appropriately high expectations, and support and encouragement for what is best in him will provide a base, from which he can grow to his own potential† (p. ). From a very young age, Temple began to dream about â€Å"a magical device that would provide intense, pleasant pressure stimulation to [her] body. In [her] imagination this wonderful machine would not be a substitute to [her] mother’s hugs, but would be available at any time to soothe [her]† (p. 36). Perhaps due to her high intelligence and the acceptance by the adults around her, Temple was able to hypothesis the similarities of experiences that made her feel better. â€Å"Since I had no magical, comfort device, I wrapped myself in a blanket or got under sofa cushions to satisfy my desire for tactile stimulation.At night, I tucked in the sheets and blankets tightly and then slid in under them. Sometimes I wore cardboard posters like a sandwich board man because I enjoyed the pressure of the boards against my body† (p. 37). Through a lucky twist of fate, during a summer visit to her aunt’s ranch, Temple encounters a cattle squeeze machine; a strongly built stall for holding cattle still to minimize the risk of injury to both the animal and the operator whilst work on the animal is performed. Temple was fascinated by the squeeze machine: she observed over and over that when placed in this machine, the nervous animals calmed down.When Temple climbs into the squeeze machine herself, she finds that it has a similar effect on her own nerves: â€Å"the effect was both stimulating and relaxing at the same time† (p. 95). The magic device, ‘the squeeze machine’ came to play a signific ant role in Temple’s journey. First, it became another project for her to focus constructively on. It also began to give Temple some control over her debilitating anxiety. The device also provided Temple with an incentive as she â€Å"wouldn’t allow [herself] the relaxation/stimulation of the chute until [her] homework was completed† (p. 00). In college, proving the value of the squeeze machine for herself and other individual’s with autism became a purpose for learning skills and subjects that did not come easily to Temple. Eventually, the squeeze machine became a major reason for Temple’s career choice. During her time at Mountain Country School, Temple was able to find spiritual strength in visiting The Crow’s Nest. The Crow’s Nest was a small observation room on the roof where Temple could look out and see the mountains.With the characteristically literal thinking of an individual with autism, Temple had latched on to a Bible read ing she heard at chapel: â€Å"Before each of you there is a door opening into heaven. Open it and be saved† (p. 84). Temple began to search for the door. She finds a little wooden door that opened out onto the roof and to The Crow’s Nest. For Temple, this door, this place became her door to her Heaven where she could feel safe, hopeful and peaceful and was able to explore herself: her past, her present and her future.Temple believed that in going through this little door, in spending time in the Crow’s Nest, she experienced an awakening of her soul and mind (p. 87). The Crow’s Nest became a symbol to Temple that she could move forward, walk through new doors and grow. While most of Temple’s ‘emergence from autism’ took place before research on positive transition outcomes for children with disabilities, it is easy to see that Temple’s experiences demonstrate what research confirms to be true.Positive transition outcomes are mor e likely when parents or other family are involved; when the student has experienced school and community inclusion; the student has input into the goals; the student has had opportunity for employment experiences prior to graduation from secondary school; the student has an appropriate level of social competence; he student has developed skills and talents that are wanted and needed by the employers; the student has self-determination and self-advocacy skills; and the student has postsecondary education.Parent Involvement Temple was blessed with a mother who provided practical and emotional support as well as sourcing appropriate resources for Temple including therapy, a skilled nanny, schools and other experiences that helped Temple develop. Throughout her life other individuals took a personal interest in Temple, acting as mentors and guiding her academically and socially. The affirmation that Temple received from her mother and her mentors fueled Temple’s will to succeed. Experience in School and Community InclusionFrom the beginning Temple’s mother facilitated Temple’s inclusion in school and the community. Temple attended schools for typical children, was expected to participate in family activities, was supported in having friends, learned to swim and ride horses and attended summer camp. When a difficulty arrived, her mother advocated strongly for Temple while accepting Temple’s challenges. And when necessary, Temple’s mother sought out another school and community that was a better match for Temple. Student has Input into GoalsTemple’s teachers and mentors followed Temple’s interests, her fixations, and used these interests to persuade Temple to learn academic skills that did not interest her directly. Her interest in animals leads her to a degree in Animal Science. Temple states in her introduction, â€Å"Successful people with Asperger’s that I see †¦ were able to develop their ‘tal ent’ area into skill that other people appreciate and want† (p. 16). Self-determination and Self-advocacy Skills It is probably that Temple was born with a certain amount of determination to do what she wanted.Although often what she wanted was not what others wanted, this determination was refocused by her mentors into productive goals and projects that took into account what Temple wanted. Postsecondary Education Temple, with the support from both old and new mentors, attended college and graduate school. The college was carefully selected to meet Temple’s needs. â€Å"I will forever bless those who selected a small college for me† (p. 107). Skills and Talents that are wanted and needed by Employers/Opportunity for Employment Experiences From early on Temple was encouraged to create things.Later on she had opportunities to build and repair useful things such as a system to open the gate to her aunt’s ranch from the car. Although details are not gi ven in Emergence, the book suggests that she had responsibilities at Mountain Country School to help with the farm and the horses. During her visit to her aunt’s ranch she is encouraged to try out running different equipment. The summer after high school graduation Temple spends the summer working at her Aunt’s ranch. While at college she works with children with disabilities.Temple herself advocates: â€Å"Develop their talents into skills that can be used in a job or hobby. The goal is to provide them with skills that can give them satisfaction in life through shared interests. Some of the happiest people in the autism spectrum are the ones who have friends that share their special interest† (p 14). Social competence Through opportunity, experiences, role models and guidance from mentors she respected and felt cared for by, Temple was able to learn sufficient social competence to continue her education and hold jobs.Temple Grandin’s book, Emergence, off ers a real life example of how love, support, experiences and appropriate teaching and guidance can allow an individual to overcome her disability. While Temple stands out as an astonishing story of success, where everything that contributed to her positive outcome came together almost as a miracle, educators and parents of children with difficulties can use her experiences combined with the more recent research to plan deliberately to improve positive outcomes for their children.

Gendering Childhood Essay

Toy stores are places where the gender of different children is being shaped – be it femininity, masculinity or gender-neutrality – according to the current ideas of society and culture about gender. It is therefore evident that toy stores are actually catalysts to the ongoing ideas about a certain kind of gender. In terms of gender-neutral toys, toy stores can be seen as a channel for interaction or equality between the sexes, although this is only seen some of the toys intended for toddlers and teens, and the toys that are digital/computer-based such as educational toys and consoles. In most toy stores, there are clear divisions and may even be separated and placed on opposite ends of the store. There are also sections where it is not clear whether or not the intention is for either gender. The toy stores are also divided depending on the age of those who are going to buy them. Usually, the age is progressive as one goes deeper into the store from the most simple of dolls and balls for one-year olds to the complex digital, computerized toys that can span from the age of seven and up. Looking at the store itself, the general theme of a certain section can actually point to whether or not the section is intended for boys, girls or neither gender. It is seen in many ways including the color scheme of the section, the featured toys and, sometimes, even the salespersons manning the section. However, the toy stores aren’t explicit in their customers in terms of labeling a section either for boys or for girls. Most of the signs in the sections are only implicit in the themes that they take. Gender neutral sections are often filled with toys that are educational and electronic gadgets. Also, gender neutral sections often have neutral colors such as white and silver as opposed to the gendered colors of pink and blue. They are also often seen in the middle of the gendered section. In terms of packaging, some of the toys are explicit in their intended customers by showing either boys or girls playing with the toys they are selling printed on the boxes. Gender neutral toys are often printed with both a girl and a boy on the cover, cooperating or looking very intrigued as they play or tinker with the toys. Other gender-neutral toys have neither child involved but only a feature of the product without any action that denotes the culture’s (in this case, America’s) notion of femininity or masculinity. The colors are neutral – often just a white background – and does not feature any actions that could be seen as either soft (feminine) or hard (masculine). A gendered toy’s packaging, on the other hand, has an implicit message conveyed on the box. Action, competition, adrenaline, and the macho effect are often portrayed in the boxes of boys’ toys in the boys’ section. On the girls’ section, flowers, happy homes, cute and sexy themes seem to dominate the shelves; often, older themes of make-up and fashion are being made as toys, as if pushing for girls to be women at a younger age. Going further into the connection of age and gendered toys, there seems to be a pattern concerning gendering them with respect to age. This is not to say, however, that other toys that don’t fall into these two categories are not gender neutral. There are also toys, most belonging to sports, which are gender-neutral. Toddlers usually have gender neutral toys intended for two things. The first involves amusement in the form of dolls and other soft items that they can chew on, throw, fall on and hit without causing them any harm or danger. Some of these toys may be gendered but many of them are not. The second is to educate them. These educational toys are completely gender-neutral as toy-makers consider the minds of either sex of the children as capable of processing basic information that they should learn, such as knowing what a cow is and what sounds they make. And since toys are not exactly limited to children, some toys that can have adults as audiences as well, such as game consoles and sports-oriented toys, are gender-neutral and are only gendered when it comes to the accessories and other things that they append to these toys. Some examples include the game cartridges. Because of gendering of the majority of toys in the formative years of the child, the idea of femininity and masculinity are instilled in society in an ongoing cycle. The current society’s ideal of masculinity are seen instilled in children in the early stages, dictating and instilling ideas on how girls and boys should be and how they should grow up to be. This forces them to conform to society’s current ideas of them aside from possible biological and other external influences that dictate children from their earliest years. Although gender preference may change in the later years, the influence of toys given to children – even if it is â€Å"feminine† toys given to boys – is a factor in how these children grow up to be.

The Global Pharmaceutical Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Global Pharmaceutical Industry - Essay Example Using PEST-L analysis to prepare for strategic plans in taking advantage of opportnities in the external environment and addressing eminent threats, one understands that the consumers of the pharmaceutical industry are patients who need the drugs and medications to address various health concerns. As the prices of medicines were highly dependent on the amount, level and extent of research and development, consumers have no control nor say on the strategies involving prices. As shown in the chart on one of the branded prescription drugs marketed in the U.S., when compared to other areas around the world, the chart would reveal that the price of Lipitor was highest in the U.S.. Buyer power, is therefore considered restricted and limited as it is highly dependent of the prices dictated by drug manufacturers. In addition, the demographic profile of consumers affect and influence strategies designed by drug manufacturers as these profiles affect the demand and purchase of the products. As disclosed from the case, ageing population significantly affect the stragies designed since consumers from this age range more frequently buy drugs than those from the younger age ranges. Therefore, aside from considering the prices of this drugs to ensure that they could be afforded by the older generation, strategies would also consider the media by which products are advertised and promoted; the availability of substitutes, as emphasized in Porter’s threat of substitutes; and the manner by which these products are distributed and made available to the consumers. Political factors could be closely evaluated using the PEST-L analysis where laws and regulations impact on the industry’s operations and performance; as well as in the development of strategies. As the industry was characterized to be â€Å"subjected to rigorous regulatory scrutiny† (Holland, 2010, p. 548), the length required for clinical trials to ensure safety and security of consumers are considerably long. Further, the patent protection of 20 years also influence strategies of manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs since upon expiry, the threat of entry from generic drug manufacturers rise and significantly affect the level of sustained demand and consumer purchase. Legal factors encompass laws in terms of government controls on pricing and the extensive efforts taken into consideration from discovery and clinical trials to approval and final marketing. The imposition of parallel trade strategies in response to price control have influenced the global pharmaceutic al industry in terms of protecting not only drug manufacturers but moreso the consumers who get to evaluate significant price differentials as drugs could be sourced from other low priced markets. The implication for this is that international health organizations, like the World Health Organization, must monitor and address pricing strategies of global pharmaceutical companies to ensure uniform standards and benefits are accorded on a universal perspective. In an article written by Shah (2010), the author clearly cited Stiglitz work which

Website Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Website Analysis - Essay Example It has only used the phrases that must be used. This in itself sends a strong message. This tends to show that the company believes its their products, (Thomas and Stoddard 89). The website is easy to navigate. The key buttons are arranged horizontally on top of every page in the website. This means that a customer can access the index from any page of the entire site. The index is the first page of the website. It s also called the home page. In most websites, the index is accessed through a link button called home. The index is the image of the entire website. It shows a brief overview of the contents of the entire site and contains the main links. The Apple.com website has a well thought out index with well labeled links, (Thomas and Stoddard 89), making it easy for any visitor to navigate through the website. The Apple website has multiple articles. A website with exceptionally few articles show the company is either small or the site development was in a hurry. This website has many informative articles. The information varies from the products, history of the apple company to their future plan, (Thomas and Stoddard 89). Some of these articles carry information that would not be found elsewhere. This leaves the audience feeling the website is worth their time. The apple website is not static. It contains dynamic data. It is easy to see images swapping, products blinking, and images of Apple products just as they appear in the market, (Thomas and Stoddard 89). Moreover, the website is truly interactive. It is possible to check the features of apple products from the website, e.g. apple laptops, imacs, etc. Then order for it through the same website. The website can simply interact with its audience and achieve the intended goal. It has a place for enquiring any issue concerning Apple and its product, (Thomas and Stoddard 89). These are plenty of resources to download, ranging from text to audio data content. This data is

Active LNG 4 & 5 CRJ 520II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Active LNG 4 & 5 CRJ 520II - Essay Example Yes, Motivational Interviewing should be taught to all Probation Officers including those with years of experience on the field of corrections. This should be done through training workshops. The training should focus on strengthening core skills, role play, and coaching. The trainers should have prior experience with probation services and on the field of corrections. According to Clark, Walters, Gingerich and Metzler (2006), Motivational Interviewing brings officers back into the "business of behavior change." Probation officers become enforcers of court orders, but not active participants in the offenders behavioral change. Motivational Interviewing helps probation officers to build a positive and collaborative relationship with offenders. This creates an atmosphere of trust where offenders can express themselves and talk about change (Clark et.al, 2006) Motivational Interviewing trains probation officers in basic listening and speaking strategies such as ask open questions, affirm positive talk and behavior, reflect what you are hearing and seeing and summarize what has been said. This technique enables probation officer to gather information about offenders such as their personal strength and assist them in planning (Clark et.al, 2006). Motivational Interviewing encourages officers to be honest with offenders about supervision and sanctions should they go wrong. Clark, M.D., Walters, S., Gingerich, R. & Metzler, M.(2006). Importance, Confidence and Readiness to Change: Motivational Interviewing for probation and parole. Journal of American Probation and Parole Association. 30(1), 37-45 The ability to conduct Motivational Interviewing is one of the essential skills of a Probationary Officer because it facilitates the "business of behavior change." While Probationary Officers may not be the active personnel to

What are the methods, justifications and impacts of transgression on Essay

What are the methods, justifications and impacts of transgression on the rhetorics of the media South Park - Essay Example The use of rhetoric in various mediums is able to define and express specific approaches to those that are developing specific ideologies. In some instances, the traditional rhetoric is altered because of the expression which is used. This develops a sense of persuasion and understanding in a way that is able to create alternatives. The transgression is used to express opposition to the current political, social and economic environment, while developing personalized theories from the authors that are expressed in each episode. Transgression of Rhetoric of South Park â€Å"South Park† is now recognized as one of the most controversial shows on television. The show aired in 1992 with the â€Å"Spirit of Christmas,† which starred Jesus Christ battling his rival Satan. From this point, the show developed into productions based on Hollywood flicks, political controversies and statements which rebelled against the popular culture in society. The approach is one which continu es to develop with the issues which are currently associated with conflict in society while approaching these with a sense of cultural and political humor. The approach which has been taken by â€Å"South Park† in the last 20 years has developed it as a show noted as an oppositional culture. Instead of defining acceptable in terms of the political and social order, the show transgresses all of the order and opposes every angle with dichotomies and by negotiating the ideologies which are currently accepted in society (Gournelos, 2009: 15). ... The communication which is used is developed by taking apart the popular communication and showing that this exposure is one which does not provide relevant content to the current approaches. By opposing the statements which are made, â€Å"South Park† uses the transgression to make an even stronger statement. This is based on how the exposure in popular culture and in politics is irrelevant and is usually a substitute or metaphor toward an issue which is not being confronted or which does not exist at all. The tactic of oppositional culture then creates a transgression that shows another theory the authors effectively express (Pype, 2011: 114). An example of the oppositional culture that is created and the transgression that shows the irrelevance of the points is from the episode â€Å"Imaginationland† in season 11. This particular show was defined with the terrorist attacks of 9/11 that began to take over the popular media. The oppositional culture is one which define d the terrorist attacks as non – existent. The opposition was based on the continuous statement by the main characters of the â€Å"terrorists taking over the imagination† of those that were a part of the area. This moved into a red alert with the fear that was shown by the government of the terrorists taking over all of imagination land with no recovery. The show leads into not only oppositional statements about the terrorist attacks, but shows the clips as controversial because of the absurd which is used, such as seen in figure 1. Figure 1: Imaginationland The opposition which is created is based on rejection of the theories and media of terrorism. This is combined with the discourse and rhetoric which rejects the political and cultural theories about terrorism

Answer the Qs theology faith and seeking Assignment

Answer the Qs theology faith and seeking - Assignment Example The fact that it is a source, as is the scripture, also identify its support for the scripture to facilitate understanding. In my life, tradition offers a basis for understanding my environment and factors to it such as how to interact with different types of people. Believing that God created the universe might make a difference in a person’s life by creating the person’s allegiance to a faith and its requirements. The belief allows God’s influence on a person’s life as the person feels obligation to follow a religion’s rules. ethical conscience then develops to dictate the person’s life. The problem of evil fails to prove that God does not exist because it does not explain the role of humans in the presence and consequences of evil. God gave humans freedom of choice that creates evil. Explaining that humans do not exercise the freedom and God then failed to solve the problem would be the

Stammering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stammering - Essay Example This paper examines the causes, symptoms, effects of stammering and methods of treating and managing the condition. Causes of stammer Researchers have studied stammering for a long period but a lot of information about the disorder remains relatively unknown. However, research studies indicate that the condition is caused by a combination of several factors, including developmental and environmental factors. From these contributing factors, the causes of the disorder are classified into two groups namely developmental and acquired. The beginning of developmental stammering is during early childhood and it progresses to the adulthood. Normally 20 percent of children are affected by developmental stammering from the age of about two and half months. During this age, most children are learning about speech and language skills (Bogue, 2005). Developmental stammering is the most common type and it is normally characterized by repetition of syllable or words. These signs are accompanied by other secondary symptoms including observable physical tensions while speaking. As the child develops into adulthood, he or she may start avoiding people or situations that require verbal communication. However, many young children are not cognizant about their speech disruptions. Children who develop the condition early may experience various patterns of stammering. In most situations, the speech disruption is in two episodes, occurring in sequences of stammering followed by periods of relative speech fluency (Bogue, 2005). Developmental stammering is easy to manage and most patients recover from the condition. However, in other situations, the affected children encounter much more difficulties while speaking as stuttering develops into an advanced stage. In such children, the initial relaxed stammering develops into a more tense and repetitive speech disruption accompanied by pauses and speech prolongations (Bogue, 2005). According to Lewis (1902), the development of stammering i n children could be influenced by environmental factors such as parenting of the affected child. Exerting intense pressure on the affected child in order to acquire normal speech increases development of stammering, because it undermines the confidence of the child (SFA, 2000). In addition, unregulated speech correction techniques applied by guardians make the affected child to become more anxious and fearful, which are some of the factors that accelerate the development of more chronic stammering (SFA, 2000). As the child grows older, secondary stammering symptoms become evident. These include avoiding social contact and situation requiring verbal communication, rapid blinking of the eyes and trembling of lips. Other behavioral symptoms that develop after the child becomes cognizant of stammering condition include phobia of sounds, people and situations that involve talking. The secondary reactions to stammering become more evident in adolescence and early adulthood causing a lot o f humiliation, shame and disappointment to the affected persons. In rare situations, adults with normal speech ability acquire language impairments, which lead to stammering (Lewis, 1902). According to NIDCD (2007), acquired stammering sometimes occur from neurological impairment, arising from medical conditions such as stroke, injury or trauma on the head, brain tumors and abuse of certain drugs. Acquired

How Attitudes Are Formed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How Attitudes Are Formed - Essay Example Attitudes once formed play a vital role in governing the behaviors of the people (Albarracin, Johnson & Zanna, 2005). Many factors can have an influence on forming the attitude of the people, which includes learning from social environment, evaluation of social aspects, personal beliefs, cultural and religious norms, heredity factors, and personal or family life experiences. Since the attitude is directly in proportion to behaviors and behaviors have a direct impact on the actions of an individual, therefore, a positive attitude can only come under formation when one’s perception is optimistic. Cognitive, behavioral, and affective components also help in forming one’s attitude. There can be many theories that define how a person can form his attitude, amongst which two theories – Mere Exposure and Classical Conditioning comes under discussion below (Albarracin, Johnson & Zanna, 2005). Mere Exposure is one theory that defines that a recurring confrontation with an object or a person presides over the fondness of an individual as it influences the perception. For example, if a person is repeatedly watching a television serial or listens to a song repeatedly, each time his understanding of the images he watch or the sound he listen becomes better and his perception transforms into either his liking or boredom (Fiske, 2010).

Comparing Roman Empire and Han Dynasty Essay Example for Free

Comparing Roman Empire and Han Dynasty Essay Roman Empire and Han Dynasty had many things in common and uncommon.During their falling era they were experiencing facts which were really similar to each other therefore emphasizing on them will make the topic.And also their characterstics were similar in their way of ruling and living so also they will be included. Firstly,to talk about their characteristics we can see that they both had well organized bureaucracy the only difference was , Han’s bureaucracy was based on Confucian ideas whereas Romans’ bureaucracy was based on their own law and classic learning. Another common characteristic about them was their emphasis on family.Han Dynasty’s were patriarchial and Romans’ were pater families.They both attached importance on engineering and made great accomplishments such as, roads,cannals,the great wall by Han Dynasty and aqueducts,domes,sewage systems,central heating by the Romans. To talk about their similarities during their fall we can say that they were affected deeply by the Germanic Invasions factor which caused both of them to loose power.They were both abrogated by the same conflicts since Germans had a great military power to constantly oppose to them.They had the same problem that caused them not to be able to protect themselves.It was their monetary problem that made them defenseless to Germans. Another problem they were both facing was they problem of not electing a new ruler that will reconstruct them and unify them. They were in total decline in morals and values.Their public health was jeopardized so they needed to find a way out to the political corruption however seeing that these empires fell it means that these needs were not provided and they could not be unified which was their common problem. To conclude , we discussed their common qualities and problems from their characteristics to their fall.It was obvious that they had many things common so this was the reason why they both fell.If they had been able to find a way out to their common problem they would have remained.

United states search for alternative fuel sources Essay Example for Free

United states search for alternative fuel sources Essay The world over, nation’s economies depend on fuel sources for their growth. Fuel sources are crucial as they offer fuel and act as sources of power for the production of goods and services. A nation’s economic growth is very crucial since it also affects the politics of the nation as well as people’s social life. Consequently, nations have had an increased demand to develop alternative fuel sources. The United States of America has not lacked behind. As a developed nation, it has been compelled to see to it that it develops and adopts alternative fuel sources so as to sustain its economic growth and ensure that the future economy is safe. In the United States of America, the search for alternative fuels was still a matter of concern. Before the year 1920, the super power was still in the verge for searching for alternative fuel sources. In fact, the Stanley Steamer Automobile was not in the market by the mid 1930s (Bernstein, pp 54) the steamer was powered by different types of fuel i.e. gasoline, coal, charcoal, raw petroleum and wood. Combustion of coal and other petroleum products produced smog, which was a health hazard. Gasoline then became the only source of power for motor vehicles (Berinstein, pp 59). Alternative fuels are usually used to mean fuels for motor vehicles but not gasoline. Any other fuel that is not fossil can also be termed as an alternative fuel source. Alternative sources of energy or power like hydroelectric dams and geothermal power plants cannot be said to be alternative fuel sources. Alternative fuel is also known as non-conventional fuels. The term alternative fuels usually refer to renewable sources of energy (Hass, pp 61). Examples of common alternative fuels included biodiesel, ethanol, butanol, chemically stored electricity (batteries fuel cells), peanut oil, hydrogen methane, and natural gas. The growing interest of people desiring to change their way of life is one of the factors which has led to the search for alternative sources of fuel in the United States of America. People desire to raise their living standards by looking for alternative sources of fuel. They need power sources, which are efficient and can be relied on. In addition, United States economy is high and the nation wants to ensure that production and manufacturing of goods and services is not affected so the nation has seen to it that sources of power are efficient and reliable. As a Super power, the United States of America has to ensure that its politics are carried out well not to forget its fight against terrorism which requires effective power sources. One of the reasons for the search for alternative fuel sources is sustainability. The economy, environment, and the geopolitics of the United States of America require sources of fuel which can be sustained. One of the main aims when looking for a source of fuel is its ability to store energy. The energy has to be stored in a form that is stable and that can be transported easily from its point of production to the consumer. Most fuels that store chemical potential energy are referred to as chemical fuels. This is important so that the user will consume the fuel whenever he wants. The energy released is in the form of heat and can be used as a source of power for an engine or a source of heat for a building. Most alternative sources of fuel can be used more than once and can sustain their energy for long a long period of time. The United States of America has had a great zeal and zest to search for alternative fuel sources. This is as a result of the environmental hazards caused by the existing ones. Secondly, another major concern has been the fact that, direct use of conventional fuels may contribute to the global warming crisis. Continued use of alternative fuels in the United States of America has affected and will continue to affect the country’s economy. For instance, in the 1940s, there was a lot of smog in American cities, which caused a serious hazard to its environment ( Bernstein pp 60) in the 1960s, most of America’s waters were not fit for human consumption because there was a lot of acid rain poisoning (Flavin, pp 98 ). As a result, American States decided to rise up and fight air pollution, which was eminent in their states. Each state stood by itself and decided to take measures to end the eminent dangers. Laws were enacted by the federal government whose aim was to reduce air pollution and eventually end it (Hostetter pp 76). In the early 1990’s, vehicles powered by ethanol were introduced in the market in a bid to meet the regulations of the 1990 Clean Air Act in the United States. By the end of the year 1999, ethanol, which is produced from corn and other plant products yield approximately $5 billion (US Dollars) annually to farmers (Hass pp 60). Vehicles powered by electricity were also introduced in the market. The major set back with these vehicles was that recharging posed a major challenge to the users. Manufacturers also opted to substitute traditional diesel, which is derived from vegetable oil with biodiesel. Motor vehicle manufacturers in the United States of America have preferred to use methanol, which is derived from natural gas. Consequently, gasoline has been substituted with compressed natural gas (Hass, pp 61). In developed countries like the United States of America, a great percentage of the total energy budget is spent on trucks and automobiles. Since most of the interests on alternative sources of fuels have paid a lot of attention on vehicles used for transportation, which consume nearly ? of petroleum consumption, most alternative fuels have been found not to be effective (Berinstein pp 34) In the United States of America, alternative fuels are designed with the citizen’s needs in mind, not withstanding the types of needs, whether economic, political or environmental. For instance, in the Mid-West of the United States of America particularly in Illinois and Minnesota, gasoline is more expensive than E85, environmentally; cars powered by gasoline pollute 90% more than those powered by electricity (Hass, pp 62). It is costly for governments to develop alternative fuels. Most governments offer task breaks to manufacturing companies, which develop alternative sources of energy (Berinstein, pp 45). Consequently, this will affect a country’s economy and the United States of America is no exception. In addition, the amount of available oil reserves is uncertain. It is difficult to see underground and determine the amount of oil reserves even if the reserves have been supplying oil for a long period of time (proven-reserves). Nowadays, oil extraction process uses a lot of energy, electrical energy and heat, which comes from natural gas, which is in short supply. Currently, non-conventional oil production is not very efficient in producing energy and has a large environmental impact than conventional oil production (Berinstein pp 69) In conclusion, the United States of America will relentlessly continue to search for alternative fuel sources, which will continue to affect the country’s economy, both negatively and positively, in the present and in the future. This is because humans cannot meet their social, economic and political needs without the use fuels. What the United States needs is to ensure that the alternative fuel sources can be sustained and cannot cause health hazards to the environment. References Berinstein, P. Alternative Energy: Facts, Statistics and Issues. Westport, Conn. : Oryx Press, 2001. Flavin, C. â€Å"Clean as a Breeze. † Time, 15 December 1997. 60-62 Hass, N. â€Å"Alternative Fuels. † Financial World, 19 January 1993. Hostetter, M. , ed. Energy Policy. New York: H. W. Wilson. 2002.

Racial Or Nationality Subcultures

Racial Or Nationality Subcultures In any society there are not only cultures, but also a variety of subculture and countercultures that develop within society. Subcultures and countercultures are formed by generalizations, occupation, class, lifestyle, likes, dislikes, etc. [1] Basically subculture is a group of people that belong to larger culture but differentiate from that. In early 1950s, there has been a distinction between an accepted majority style and a subculture as an active minority style. Dick Hebdige criticize that a subculture is subversion to normality. Subcultures have a nature of criticism and can be perceived as negative. Subcultures get together those individuals who feel neglected and allow them to develop a sense of identity. [2] A sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group is term as counterculture .In counterculture a group whose behavior deviates from the societal norm. Although distinct countercultural undercurrents have existed in many societies, here the term refers to a more significant, visible phenomenon that reaches critical mass and persists for a period of time. It is important to distinguish between counterculture, and subculture. [3] Subculture A subculture is a group of individuals that do share some qualities that the majority of society share, but the group has its own values, beliefs, norms, behavior, etc. Subcultures tend to be created when society endures problems or enjoys common privileges. Most individuals within a subculture have common interests and beliefs. Types of subculture   Following are the major types of subculture. Organizational Culture A type of subculture that allows members to have solidarity, community, and social relationships that influence individual behavior. It is the way an organization deals with the environment.   Counterculture It is a type of subculture that completely disregards societys norms and values and creates new ones. They tend to develop when people will not conform to the mainstream.   They have their own beliefs, problems with cultural integration, and have their own material culture. [1] Racial or nationality subcultures These subcultures tend to vary in their values, ambition and beliefs which get reflected in their consumption priorities, spend save patterns, purchase behavior, use of credit, social traditions and customs etc.Nowadays multiracial societies like America comprised of citizens who come from different nationalities or belong to different races. Religious subcultures: Most societies of the world today consist of people subscribing to different religions, which may differ in their beliefs, values and customs. The religious subgroups may follow different custom, have important rites of passage (like birth, marriage and death) performed in different ways and have different festivals. [4] Counter culture vs. Sub culture Counterculture can be defined as a group whose behavior deviates from the societal norm. It is different to the mainstream culture in their politics, norms, social beliefs, and way of dress and social structures. (or) A counter culture is one that reacts against the prevailing culture in place. Example: Throughout the last century examples of counterculture might be the suffragettes, the green movement, polygamists and feminists, punk movement and the infamous hippie counterculture movement of the 1960s, are formed and exist to oppose the dominant culture. All of these counter cultures have specific beliefs and values that cause social change. Counter cultures are large movements that cause social change. Counter cultures are against mainstream culture.[5] Members of a counterculture come together around their desire to reject movements within the larger, dominant culture. While members have this opposition in common, they may not share religious or political affiliations, similar socioeconomic situations, or values. Countercultures can be both negative and positive. They can also become larger when more people are involved and assimilate into the mainstream just as subcultures in general have this potential.[6] Biker Gangs, drug users, career criminals, prisoners, and terrorists have in common that they all have negative perceptions from society and are countercultures. [7] Subculture A sub culture can have its own beliefs, norms and values, but they are generally able to exist within mainstream culture. Their beliefs or manner of being may be different enough to make them stand out, but they are not at odds with society. Subculture is a culture shared and actively participated in by a minority of people within a broader culture. Examples: sub cultures might be Goths, emos, surfies, homies etc. Jews and Tea Party members are both examples of subcultures in the U.S. While the Jewish subculture is based around shared religious values, the Tea Party movement was primarily founded around dissatisfaction with the political status. Sub cultures tend to also share common interests and experience. Sub cultures can exist within mainstream culture.[5] Sub cultures are united by common aesthetics, interests and experience. Subcultures are distinctive segments of the larger culture of a region or society that are marked by shared interests in music or cultural phenomena, membership in a specific ethnic or religious group, or shared socioeconomic status. While some subcultures exist in contradistinction to the societys dominant culture, others exist harmoniously within it. Subcultures incorporate large parts of the broader cultures of which they are part, but in specifics they may differ radically. Subcultures bring together like-minded individuals who feel neglected by societal standards and allow them to develop a sense of identity. Subcultures can be distinctive because of the age, ethnicity, class, location, and/or gender of the members. [6] The qualities that determine a subculture as distinct may be linguistic, aesthetic, religious, political, sexual, geographical or a combination of factors. They certainly play an important role in any individual life and help to explain how each person develops a frame of reference. [7] Everybody has their own perceptions on society, values, and life in general. Values, attitudes, gestures, and sanctions tend to stem from the dominant culture in ones life. Throughout the dominant culture that a person spends his or her time in learning and changing through different experiences many subcultures have developed. Subcultures allow people, who share similar interests to assimilate, socialize, gives them a sense of belonging and fellowship among peers. [8] Similarities Countercultures and subcultures both identify themselves in juxtaposition to the dominant culture of a society. Members usually dress and behave in different ways than average citizens of a society and are usually identifiable by their different appearances. Differences Culture is made up of an amalgamation of subcultures. So, a single subculture is a small segment of the larger culture, which is usually defined by shared socioeconomic status or a common cultural interest. A counterculture, on the other hand, is defined by their opposition to the dominant culture. A member of a counterculture may oppose the prevailing cultures values. Or, it could just oppose certain segments of the culture, or certain subcultures. A subculture is differs slightly from the dominant culture in a society, while a counterculture opposes the culture or subculture itself.[6] Literature review Dick Hebdige argued that a subculture is subversion to normality. Subcultures tend to be perceived as negative and have a nature of criticism. [9] According to Hebdige, subcultures are actually an alternative and reconfiguration of the dominant cultures. As his all very brief references to black and West Indian cultures suggest that he considers these cultures to be transplanted dominant cultures within British society. This misrepresentation raises the question of whether ethnic groups or minorities fit into Hebdiges notion of what constitutes either a parent culture or subculture. [10] According to Wolfgang Ferracuti, subculture is a normative system of some group or groups smaller than the whole society .This implies that there are value judgments or a social value system which is apart from and a part of a central value system. But a subculture is only partly different from the larger culture, and cannot be totally different from the culture of which it is a part; otherwise it is what Wolfgang called contra culture. This implies that the subculture has some major values in common with the dominant parent culture. The transmission of sub cultural values involves a learning process that establishes a dynamic lasting linkage between the values and the individuals .But also important to Wolfgangs subculture of violence theory is the notion that people may be born into a subculture. They argue that the black subculture actually values violence and that it is an integral component of the subculture which experiences high rates of homicide. Just as the dominant society punishes those who deviate from its norms, deviance by the comparatively non-violent individual from the norms of the violent subculture is likewise punished, either by being ostracized, or treated with disdain or indifference. Also, the more a person is integrated into this subculture, the more intensely he embraces its prescriptions of behavior, its conduct norms, and integrates them into his personality. The subculture of violence theory might be even more relevant today than it was when it was first published, especially with regard to juvenile crime. It seems to be a common fear that adolescents today are more violent and lacking in empathy than those of only a generation or two ago. Parker (1989) criticisms of the black subculture of violence model are many: First, the use of global indicators describing an entire class of people, southerners or blacks, assumes that these communities are homogeneous in values and lifestyle, an assumption that is clearly false for any group as large as these groups. Second, particularly in the case of blacks, it entails an implicit pejorative indictment of urban minority residents and communities, which is unfair and racist in nature. Finally this approach ignores the role of institutionalized racism itself in producing a link between violence and racial composition. Wolfgangs subculture of violence theory has had its share of critics. Erlanger (1974), Parker (1989), Shihadeh and Steffensmeier (1994), are just a few of the investigators who have failed to find the theory useful in explaining sub cultural violence. Other authors have found that the sub-culture of violence theory is a useful model, particularly when it is used along with other theories Benedict and Baron. Kennedy and Baron call for such an integrative approach, and assert that often, different theories may complement one another. Finally, still other researchers continue to rely upon the model. 11] Scholars differ in the characteristics and specificity they attribute to counterculture. Counterculture might oppose mass culture, or middle-class culture and values. Counterculture is sometimes conceptualized in terms of generational conflict and rejection of older or adult values. It typically involves criticism or rejection of currently powerful institutions, with accompanying hope for a better life or a new society. Countercultures tend to peak, and then go into decline, leaving a lasting impact on mainstream cultural values. Their life cycles include phases of rejection, growth, partial acceptance and absorption into the mainstream. According to Sheila Whiteley, recent developments in sociological theory complicate and problematize theories developed in the 1960s, with digital technology, for example, providing an impetus for new understandings of counterculture. Andy Bennett writes that despite the theoretical arguments that can be raised against the sociological value of counterculture as a meaningful term for categorizing social action, like subculture, the term lives on as a concept in social and cultural theory to become part of a received, mediated memory.[12] Conclusion The term counter-culture is not entirely an adequate way of describing all of the changes that took place for several reasons: some changes were a progression of events throughout the century, other changes were due to scientific discoveries which have always produced new ideas and ways of looking at the world, and many changes can be better described as movements or ideologies.[14] Subcultures allow people, who share similar interests to assimilate, socialize, gives them a sense of belonging and fellowship among peers. Sub cultural studies often involve participant-observation, and may variously emphasize sociological, anthropological, or semiotic analysis in order to address the organization and production of relational, material, and symbolic structures and systems. [15] Suggestion Healthy sub-cultures share leaderships conceptualizations of how tasks should be accomplished; how employees can advance and take on greater responsibility; how employees interact with each other; the ways in which change is accepted and accomplished; and how new knowledge is acquired and perpetuated. Distinct, healthy sub-cultures are organizationally aligned in their understanding of how they must perform to produce successful and acceptable results and outcomes. Leaders actively seeking to influence their organizations culture must consider sub-cultures. The major point here is to make sure that you are integrating and linking your sub-cultures into the broader, intended cultural objectives. Accept and foster productive sub-cultures while consistently communicating how employees must perform in order for the organization to be successful.[13]

Does God Exist? :: essays research papers fc

Does God Exist?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  St. Thomas Aquinas has written several important works. Some of them are: The Disputed Questions on the Power of God, Exposition of Dionysius on the Divine Names and Disputed Questions on Spiritual Creatures. Most of Aquinas's works have been written to try to prove the existence of God. Aquinas has been a firm believer that everything had to have a creator and the only possible solution would be something called God. It is with this idea that Aquinas's Third Way was written.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his De aeternitate mundi contra murmurantes, Aquinas insists that human reason cannot prove the impossibility of an eternally created universe. Once again Aquinas has written with the certainty that God has to exist in order to have created the universe. There is no doubt in Aquinas's mind that everything was created for a reason and that reason was God's will.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the text Medieval Philosophy, St. Thomas Aquinas' article entitled Does God Exist? , Aquinas tries to show the different steps that can prove God does exist and that the world had to have been created by God. This article is comprised of five different ways in which Aquinas tries to prove that we can be sure that God exists. In the third way, Aquinas tries to show that God exists if it is true that we exist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the article Aquinas says that it is possible for things to exist and for them not to exist. He means that living things will one day become non- living things. Aquinas believes that all things can not be mortal because if it were true, then at some point nothing would exist. What he means is if all things were living things, meaning that they had to be mortal, then at some time these things must also become non-existing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquinas says that if everything were mortal, then nothing could be existing at present, because what is nonexistent begins to be only through something which already exists. This can be translated to mean that if all mortal things have to stop existing then there can't be anything which exists today. Aquinas believes that it takes a living presence to help create other live things in order for them to live also. This means that there must have been something which existed through eternity to help create living things which exist today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquinas believes that something had to have created life throughout time in order for things to be living today. He says this thing must have existed from the beginning and that it must still exist now. His belief is that living

Harley-Davidson Inc. Essay -- Business Management Harley Davidson Essa

Harley-Davidson Inc. Celebrating their 100th anniversary next year, Harley-Davidson is a true American success story. From their modest beginnings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to one of the most recognized company names worldwide, they have been passionate about motorcycles. Harley offers an experience like none other with the one of a kind look, feel, and sound only available on a Harley. Besides their main business of building and selling motorcycles, they have began to offer financing and insurance through Harley-Davidson Financial Services, and they also offer a full line of accessories and apparel to make the Harley experience complete. Harley-Davidson, the corporation, has many things to brag about. On top of their financial success over the years, they have built a solid reputation as a fair, honest, and caring company. In January 2002, Forbes magazine named Harley-Davidson its â€Å"Company of the Year for 2001and in February, Fortune magazine selected them as one of the nation’s â€Å"Most Admired Companies.† Every employee at the company can be proud of these achievements because the corporate culture stresses the importance of all employees. While maintaining a level of success in these areas, they have managed to increase their revenues for the last sixteen years straight. Even in the economic downturn of the last year, Harley-Davidson posted record revenue and earnings. Harley-Davidson states their mission as â€Å"We fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcycling by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles, branded products and services in selected market segments.† They have performed wonderfully over the past hundred years, and have not forgotten their mission or where they came from. Over the years they have stuck with the things they know, and also expanded into related services and products. Out of the 151 motorcycle manufacturers, Harley-Davidson and Indian were the only two companies to survive the Great Depression. Harley-Davidson was the only one in America after Indian dropped out in 1953, but face Indian again now since they re-entered the market in 1999. Harley-Davidson owns a twenty percent market share followed closely by Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki. One thing they have had to overcome in the marketplace is the stereotypical image associated with motorcycle owners. It seems the publ... ...Tot. Debt to Equity .27  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .46  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amount Borrowed/ Equity Activity: Inventory Turnover  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12.98  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.87  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Move inventory quickly Asset Turnover  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.20  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.26  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Effective utilization of assets Receivables Turnover  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.91  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6.71  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Collection of receivables / year Net Inc. / Employee  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  57,157  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  28,241  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Utilization of people Breakeven Analysis: Assumptions: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Total Variable Costs are 60% of Total Costs; While the other 40% are from fixed costs. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All units cost the same to produce and sell for the same price. Breakeven Point: Total Revenue (TR) = $3,363414000 Total Variable Cost (TVC) = $1,310,045,400 Total Fixed Costs (TFC) = $873,363,600 Total Cost (TC) = $2,183,409,000 Average Variable Cost (AVC) = $5,587.48 per unit Quantity Produced (Q) = 234,461 Profit (ï  ) = 1,180,005,000 Price (P) = $14,345.30 per unit 99,723.83 = 99,724 units Required Profit Analysis: Assume required profit is equal to selling, general and administrative expenses so after expenses they will breakeven. Required profit = $578,777,000 165,810.74 = 165,811 units

Walt Whitman Changes the Face of Literature Essay -- Biography Biograp

Walt Whitman Changes the Face of Literature When Walt Whitman published the first edition of Leaves of Grass it was received with a wide variety of reactions. From critics to fellow poets the reactions to his first volume were often admiring, but also dubious. This pattern continued with each of the six editions of Leaves. Many wondered where this 36 year-old "poet of the people" came from. The very way he presented his first volume of poetry was controversial. Whitman presented himself in this self-published volume as, "Walt Whitman, an American, one of the roughs, a Kosmos, a Disorderly, fleshy and sensual".eating drinking and breeding." (2725) This style of self declaration was unheard of at that time. "It was as if the beasts spoke," commented Henry David Thoreau on Whitman's departure from the typical literature of the time. (2725) Critical reviews of his work ranged from high praise to near disdain. It was written in United States Review that, "Self-Reliant, with haughty eyes, assuming to himself all the attributes of his country, steps Walt Whitman into literature, talking like a man unaware that there was hitherto such a such a production as a book, or such a being as a writer." (205) It was Whitman's style of self-proclamation that caused such a stir. When one reads Whitman poetry they must decide , "does this poet really speak for me, as he claims to?" The review of his works recognizes this question. Whitman proded people toward a new way of thinking. It was written that, "With strong and steady call he addresses men. Come, he seems to say, from the midst of all that you have been your whole life surrounding yourself with: Leave all the preaching and teaching of others, and mind only... ...ars to intend, his last literary effort, it closes firmly and fitly the literary career of a poet who has with pride and fidelity obeyed his own genius, and who has sought to understand and speak--in his oracular, strange voice--the experience of common humanity." (305) Works Cited Buchanan, Robert. "Walt Whitman." Broadway Magazine. November 1867, 188-95. Dana, Charles. "New Publications: Leaves of Grass." New York Daily Tribune. July 23, 1855, p. 3. Lauter, Paul. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 1998 Houghton Mifflin Co, New York. Literary World 22. "Goodbye My Fancy." September 12, 1891. 305 Morse, Sidney. "The Second Annex to Leaves of Grass." Conservator 2. September 1891, 51-2. New York Tribune. "A Melancholy Book". August 16, 1891. p. 14. United States Review. "Walt Whitman and His Poems". September 5, 1855. 205-12.

Comparing Three Poems ‘Half-Caste’ Essay

Each of these three poems talk about certain problems faced by specific groups of people in today’s society. The poems have been written specifically to illustrate to people who have been brought up with derogative ideas about different types of people, that there are people who are different, but are neither superior nor inferior to themselves.  The main themes that run common in all 3 poems are the ideas of individualism, respect, culture and equality. The poem ‘Half-Caste’ by John Agard talks about the stereo typed judgement about half-caste people in society today. John Agard’s main argument in the poem is that being a half-caste person does not make you half a human being. He talks about how people make ‘assumptions’ about half-caste people.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦and when I’m introduced to yu I’m sure you’ll understand why I offer yu half-a-hand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This quote suggests that non half-caste peoples attitudes towards half-caste people is that they are not human, and do not do everyday things the way they would do themselves. Agard exaggerates his ideas in order to make his argument a lot clearer.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"..an when moon begin to glow I half-caste human being cast half-a-shadow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It is obvious that half-caste people do not caste shadows different to anyone else, but the emphasis on the ridiculousness of the mere idea of a different type of shadow makes the idea of half-caste people being ‘different’ just as ridiculous.  He explains quite cleverly how degrading the term half-caste can be by comparing half-caste people like himself to very worldly ideas that you would not title ‘half-caste’. â€Å"Yu mean when light an shadow mix in de sky is a half-caste weather†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His examples are all of things that people would associate with beauty, such as nature, art and music. His point being that if people call humans of two colours half-caste, then everything else with mixed colours must be aswel. People wouldn’t think twice about labeling a human half-caste, but when talking about nature or music and it would again be completely ridiculous to call Tchaikovsky’s composition a ‘half-caste symphony’. The poem itself also relays the message of individualism. It is written in phonetics to demonstrate his own personality with the language being English, but with his own Guyanan dialect. The readers are then forced to read the poem in a certain way, which enforces the message behind the poem.  Tom Leonard also uses this effective technique in his poem from ‘Unrelated Incidents’. This poem talks about status and social acceptance. Leonard talks about how people are reluctant to sit secure in the knowledge of a person with an accent, compared to someone who speaks with what is thought of ‘proper’, standard English in an English accent. He puts across the idea of how naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and narrow-minded people can be. â€Å"†¦if a tokaboot thi trooth lik wanna yoo scruff yi widny thingk it wuz troo†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  He suggests that people would believe anything from the mouth of a ‘proper’ speaking person, no matter how insane it may be and totally dismiss what a person with an accent like his, is saying. Even if it was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so to speak. The way in which he has put this idea across is by using what is very commonly known to be quite English a typical example of where this sort of discrimination occurs. The news, where you will mainly hear the news read from a person who speaks with the ‘right’ accent. â€Å"This is thi six a clock news thi man said n thi reason a tok wia BBC accent iz coz yi widny wahnt mi ti talk aboot thi trooth wia voice lik wanna yoo scruff†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The poem is a parody of a typical British news broadcast, it is ironic the way in which Leonard has used his own dialect and spoken in the style of the commonly known news. It is obvious that Leonard is frustrated and angry at the fact that him and others alike would be looked down upon because of the way they talk. Similarly with John Agard we can see the resentment towards those people who treat half-caste people differently and Tom Leonard with the way society looks upon people with accents that differ from their own. However, Sujata Bhatt’s â€Å"Search For My Tongue† discusses society and culture from a different perspective. The problem she finds herself faced with is trying to make a correct balance with her own culture and heritage and the culture in which she lives in. She explains her fear of losing her ‘mother tongue’ and never being able to be totally accepted by the ‘foreign tongue’. Her concern with the mother tongue being lost is very explicit in the poem: â€Å"And if you lived in a place where toy had to speak a foreign tongue, you mother tongue would rot, rot and die in your mouth until you had to spit it out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She explains how hard it is to keep your mother tongue healthy in a place where there is no use for it, and eventually it would become useless and you would eventually forget it about it. She talks not just about language but her whole culture and how she was brought up, what she was brought up to believe and live by and how society and different cultures sometimes make you forget. However she gets across to the reader that somehow, sub-consciously while she dreams, she dreams in her own language and reminds herself of her language and that she is still who she has always been and always will be.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"modhama pakay chay†¦ it blossoms out of my mouth.† The tongue is described to blossom out her mouth jus as she thinks she has forgotten it. This imagery of blossoming is beautiful and emphasises how important it is to be who you are because it is beautiful from whatever background and culture you belong to.

College Pressure at Lehigh University Essay

In †College Pressures†, author William Zinsser spends most of the time talking about students’ pressures, especially in the 60’s and 70’s, based on his experience at Branford College at Yale University. The article shows that students are facing pressures in lots of aspects, such as economic, parental, peer and self-induced aspects. However, these pressures are not rare in just a few universities. Economic pressure, parental pressure and peer pressure is present even in a prestigious university like Lehigh. Pressure is the new disease that is spreading through many universities and causing students to lose sight of the actual purpose of school by focusing only on test scores. To begin with, the tuition of Lehigh University increases each year, student’s economic pressure goes up as well. Since students don’t earn too much money, they have to plan each use of money carefully. For instance, in order to save money, students buy e-books instead of textbooks, buy things on Amazon, and sell things they don’t use anymore on E-bay. They have to save money for pursuing higher degrees later. It seems that the biggest pressure most students confront is the economic pressure. As Zinsser mentioned in the article, â€Å"The pressure is almost as heavy on students who just want to graduate and get a job.† (Zinsser, 1979, p.73) For international students, parents pay a lot for their children to study abroad because they want them to get a better education and thus lay a good foundation for their future. Studying in America costs lots of money, therefore, students have more pressure and push themselves to study harder. Additionally, competition for jobs and internships actually starts from freshman year. Chuxin, one of my friends at Lehigh University, goes to career services frequently to seek internships. I asked her why, and she said its better for us to care about our career since freshman year. Through internships, we can gain experiences for when we are looking jobs after graduation and add some excellent items to our resume as well. This obsession with getting a job as soon as possible is due to the desire to lower the economic pressure on the family of student. Moreover students have to face reality and make the best decision for their major and future direction. Sometimes a secure job is much more important than personal interest. As an international student in Lehigh University, I sometimes questioned myself about my purpose of studying abroad. Since seeking for good jobs has been a cruel race for undergraduate students in recent decades, pursuing higher GPA in college has truly stressed them out. Secondly, the parental pressure is another factor that is causing students much distress. One simple example, comparing their children to other children is one favorite way for parents to encourage their children, but this behavior sometimes can annoy children. Even though sometimes parents don’t intend to push their children, the children feel even more pressure. Parents work hard to pay for their sons and daughters; therefore, students should work harder to repay them. Take me as an example. When I was young, my parents divorced, eventually, my mother became a businesswoman and raised me up all by herself. I exert myself to get good grades so that I can return what she offered me one day. Hence, when getting bad grades on examinations, I feel sad and blame myself because I disappointed her, and because of my uselessness. For this reason, when I get bad grades, it will always be a long time for me to refresh the emotion. Furthermore, parents like to make choice, which in their mind, that considering the best for children’s future. My cousin, dreams to be an engineer, applied Lehigh University. Instead, however, her mother wants her to be a doctor because doctor has high social status, respected by others, and earns higher salary. She was matriculated by Case Western University already, which is good at medicine, but she is still waiting for the result of Lehigh University. She told me that she’s nervous because she doesn’t want to be a doctor at all. This creates the scenario in the article, where Zinsser said: â€Å"It is easy to look around for villains — to blame the colleges for charging too much money, the professors for assigning too much work, the parents for pushing their children too far, and the students for driving themselves too hard. But there are no villains, only victims. †(1979, p.73) Not only do students have to worry about parental pressure they are also concerned with peer pressure. From what I observed, half of students come with AP credits. I was once proud of m yself because of the superiority 14 credits in AP. Recently, however, I know that two of my friends already have 36 and 37 credits, and a few have more. One of my friends said to me †Hurry up, then we can graduate together!† I feel so nervous because everyone pursuits the higher-level academic performance and I stressed out because of the drastic competition. About 70 percent of my friends will go to summer school in the coming break, either in China or at Lehigh University. It seems that graduating in four years can’t satisfy us anymore; only if we study harder can we chase others’ rate of progress. Since competition among students becomes more severe, it causes peer pressure. Also, students care about each other’s study. One of my friends complains to me that her roommate cares her â€Å"way too much.† Her roommate always asks her where she is heading up to or what she is studying for. When the examination’s grade come out, she asks my friend’s final grade but doesn’t tell my friend hers. This kind of situation happens not rare. Students are interested in compare other’s grade with their own. In order to get greater achievement in study, students have to make the balance between time to study and time to do the activities. One of the students I know, for the sake of pursuing a higher GPA in this semester, has even give up the time for doing sports and participating extracurricular activities and dedicates his time to study to improve his academic performance. From my personal perspective, students will stress out by doing these kinds of things. I have a friend named Kai. He is a sophomore and has double major in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. He overloads several credits each semester and the most important is that he got a 4.0 GPA in freshman year. Therefore, he becomes the â€Å"target† for all freshman students. When he walks on the street, some people, even not familiar with him, always stop him and ask him how he handles the study. We once chatted, and he told me he is just interested in engineering and wants to obtain real knowledge. He just does what he likes and is not the kind of person who succeeds by studying hard for tests. While, pressures young people face become universal today. Pressure on students is an â€Å"epidemic† in Lehigh University basically in three reasons: economic pressure, parental pressure and peer pressure. These are pressures that are conspicuously faced by a large number of students, and stress is more likely based on students’ academic study. There are still some other pressures caused by professors, friends or even students themselves. Pressure is not totally bad because it can motivate students to move forward and explore themselves better; nevertheless, students can’t let academic performance dominate their entire campus life, and it’s good for them to relax a little bit; otherwise, students sacrifice their education by becoming skilled test takers rather than truly gaining any knowledge in college. Reference Zinsser, W. (1979). College Pressures. Blair and Ketchum’s Country Journal, 6(4), 72–78.

India of My Dreams

Essay 4 You Get All type of Essays for you. School or college no problem all types of essays are available here. * Home * Main Site * Categories * About us The India of My Dreams School Essay, The India of My Dreams Key Words and Phrases: – past, great, today, evils, free, food, clothes, houses, education, jobs. – rich and strong, suffering from, India of my dreams, clean and healthy, free and happy, peaceful and united, to flow with milk and honey. India was very great in the past. She was rich and strong. She has given to the world great saints, scholars, thinkers, artists and soldiers. Today her people are suffering from many evils. Among these evils are poverty, ignorance, disease, bribery, corruption, indiscipline and disunity. The India of my dreams will be free from these evils. Her people will have good food to eat. They will have fine clothes to wear. They will have nice houses to live in. They will have proper education. They will be clean and healthy. They will be free and happy. There will be jobs for all. There will be no strikes and ‘morchas’. The people will be peaceful and united. India will flow with milk and honey. all of us want India to become a respectable super power in the world. India ha a rich past. it was because of its riches, that it was invaded innumerable times and its wealth was plundered. The British rulers exploited the country. At the time of independence, the country was in turmoil, its economy had been shuttered and there was unrest all around. In sixty years since independence, the country has made tremendous progress. However, it is still for behind the developed counties of the world. India of my dreams is a peaceful, progressive, literate country free from the pangs of poverty, where every citizen feels safe and secure, where health facilities are provided top all and where the women of the country are treated with utmost dignity and respect. India, is proud of its rich past. It was because of tis riches that it was invaded innumerable times and that its wealth was plundered. The Britishers ruled India for almost two centuries and exploited the country economically. At the time of independence (August 15, 1947) the economy of the country was shattered and there was social unrest all round. However it was time for India to write its own history. A lot of progress has been made on various fronts. There have been short comings in our planning as well as its implementation. However when we notice other counties, who also achieved independence around the same time, we feel we are much better placed. Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy. It provides employment to over 60 percent of the country's work force and it accounts for over quarter of India's gross domestic product. It also contributes substantially to export trade. However except for some pockets of development, agriculture scene in rest of the country is dismal. The farming community is generally under debt. A large number of farmers in recent years have committed suicide because of mounting economic difficulties. Industrial development plays a significant role in the growth process of the under developed counties. It helps in raising income levels and in absorbing rural surplus labour. It is believed that prior to 19th century India was a great manufacturing country. However at the time of independence the industry was in bad shape. Industrial development stared with the second five year plan. It has passed thought different phases. Many bottlenecks and red tapism came in the way of rapid development of industry. Some of the areas of concern have been addressed in the post liberation ear. The new industrial policy of July 1991 is market is needed for the growth of industry. India maintained a favorable policy towards foreign direct investment till 1967. Some preconditions and regulations were imposed from 1968 onwards. Realizing that these conditions were hampering India's industrial progress, the relaxations were made. With the economic liberalization from July 1991 onwards foreign direct investment has been encouraged and it has been allowed in many sectors. India has made its mark in ‘Service Sector'. It has emerged as an important Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs and Call centers) destinations. India fortunately has a large number of well qualified English speaking population, which is needed in this kind of enterprise. India's population as per 1951 census was 36 crore. In 50 year i. e. as per 2001 census the country's population on March 31, 2001 rose to 102. 7 crores. Such rapid growth of population places a huge burden on our limited resources and limited land area. India's literacy rare as per 1951 census was less than 20 percent. In over fifty seven years it has increased to about 65 percent, which clearly indicates that even today about 35 percent of the population over 350 million people in our country are still illiterate. It is truly a sad reflection of the sate of literacy in our country. India has made rapid strides in many spheres. the economic condition of the people is better today than it was at the time of independence. We have made tremendous progress in science and technology. Our infrastructure is far better. A large number of universities, colleges and schools have been set up. Industrialization has taken place. Better health care is now available especially in urban areas. Average life span has increased. Infant mortality rate has come down. Better employment opportunities are available to the youth of the country. Means of transpiration and communication have undergone a sea change. Print and Electronic media has played a key role in creating awareness and bringing people closer. Improvement is noticeable even in provision of sports facilities. India is the third English book producing country after USA and UK. Indo-English literature is now well-developed and internationally recognized. It is able to capture many international awards like Booker price. Pulizter prize etc. Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Anita Desai, Arvind Adiga etc. are some of the important names in this field. Despite all this progress which is commendable, a lot needs to be done to improve the living conditions of agricultural and industrial labor and the people working in unorganized sectors. Steps should be taken to stop crime and violence. The misguided youth of some troubled states needs to brought in the main stream. Communalism, regionalism and fundamentalism need to be curbed with a strong hand. Condition of women folk needs drastic improvement. Women empowerment is the demand of a civilized society. Equal opportunities need to be given to the girl child for education and career development. Illiteracy and poverty need to be rooted out. Self-sufficiency ought to be achieved in all spheres. Dependence on other counties should be a thing of the past. India of my drams is a country where nobody is illiterate and nobody sleeps hungry, where there is no distinction on the basis of genre, religion or caste, where justice to a common man is neither denied or deleted, where orruption in public life does not exist, where criminals can not occupy and ministerial berths nor enter legislative assemblies, where merit counts in every sphere of life, where jobs cannot be purchased, where rapists have to spend the rest of their lives behind the bars, where the intellectuals like Amartya Sen and Har Govind Khurana do not have to leave the country's shore for higher research and recognition w here the Shabad Kirtan from Gurudwaras, and Azan from Mosques, the Bhajans from Temples and chiming of the bells from churches merge and mingle and produce a harmonious, melodious, spiritual tune, loved by on MY INDIA MY DREAM ? JANA GANA MANA ADHI NAYAKA JAYAHE BHARATHA BHAGYA VIDHATHA? Yes, India? s pride never ends. It s a holy peninsular land. The great Himalayas act as strong barrier of the country. Thus India is a prestigious country. As a citizen of this beloved land I feel proud to dream about my country. I? m looking forward for a comfortable and settled life of Indians within a few years. ?JAHAN DAL DAL PAR SONE KI CHIDIYA KARTI HAIN BASERA, OH BHARAT DESH HAIN MERA? -Rajinder Krishna. Yes, that is the India of my dreams and I wish to translate these dreams into reality. What is required is our strife and struggle to annihilate the evils prevailing in our society in order to reach our goal. These evils have been inherited by a few of our own people from the British much before they left India for good, enough to award miseries, pain and insults to the masses, who continue to suffer for centuries. This is the land where ? ahimsa? was born. Even though India is a very great country with very old culture and tradition, she had not been playing a very important role in the world as she could never become independent in the real sense. But now the entire perfectionism of India has recognized. I would, therefore, like to see, in the first place, that each and every citizen, in my India, should possess a national character, which is absolutely essential to keep the banner of the country up. An erudite person should have respect for both literate and illiterate alike and the ? haves? really help the ? have-nots?. Next, India should be a place where the virulent notion of division, fragmentation or destruction through regional-national conflicts is considered an opprobrium of high degree ;the atmosphere paradisiacal with all its wonders up-to-date and the survival of its denizens , irrespective of all discriminations, absolutely necessary. Where the boundary of different states gradually ceases to exist or become truly artificial, making the national boundary healthier and stronger. Where creation of ? Gulistans? is substituted for ? Khalistans?. Today? s political ethos exhibits a very unhealthy trend. Wrong people with wrong motives are entering politics. I would like to see an India where politicians cannot inflame the spark of communal violence and riots or bamboozle voters with their duplex speeches. Every religion has impregnated its ambition with a particular shape and a specified bliss. Every religion teaches people how to love one another; we have used it to hate one another! In my India, I wouldn? t wish to see that one butchers neighbors in the name of religion and demolishes their religious places of worship. It would be a place where mere recitation of holy scripts and consecrated laws during worship would never reflect one? godliness, unless put into practice. Terrorism and militancy are raising their ugly head more than ever before. Harijans, the lowest and the most oppressed caste in India, have been successful in launching a nation- wide movement. I would love to see the people of my country free from all types of grievances, oppressions and demands. No one would ha ve to hang his head in shame. There would not be a single Indian who would not be proud of his country. While the India of my dreams would maintain amicable relations with neighboring countries, her foreign policy would be the best in the world. Even after 45 years of independence, she is still plagued by poverty, unemployment and foreign exchange trade deficit. I would, therefore, like to see India as a place where inflation and demonetization do not kill the consumers? ability to purchase. Where jobs are not deprived to even the poorest of the poor and everybody is satisfied. A healthy economy is the life-blood of a country. We would serve as a model of just such a vibrant economy- nurtured by an imaginative , innovative, liberal trade policy. The largest single source of foreign exchange for our country is tourism. I would wish this trend to continue. I would wish, in some years, India would be having the most creative entrepreneurs, the most dynamic business leaders and the sharpest financial brains. Nature has been kind to India by endowing her with the gift of abundant natural resources. Thus, in my India, there would be optimum exploitation of her resources. The machine- made articles of the world would be unable to compete with the handicrafts of our India of my dreams. Exports would be at their zenith; imports at their nadir. The quality of life cannot improve in India as long as the population keeps on ncreasing at the present alarming rate. Therefore, in my dream about India, people would be much rational and they would themselves, open-heartedly, check the population growth simply by having a child or two. Everywhere, everything would be in plenty for all. As on date, India? s is the fourth largest army, the fifth largest air force and the seventh largest navy in the world. A Pentagon report says that India is now the largest power in South Asia. I would wish to see her being ranked first in the world in all these categories and also regarded as the ? Mecca of scientific inventions and discoveries?. Also, I fantasy India as a place where cultures and civilizations are at their peak. Where child labor is unheard of and children not intentionally crippled and made to beg for personal gains of others. Where leprosy patients are not required to ask passers-by for help but provided with everything by the Government. Where men think it a sin to ask for dowry and women are treated at par with them and not harassed or burnt by in-laws. Where colleges and universities are not turned into political dense. Where the people think it ? better to spin with Penelope than dance with Helen?. Where her men and women are so perfect in all respects that they are imitated proudly by their counterparts in the rest of the world. May my India look like a fairyland to the children so that they are and all. A classes and casteless India, a country which all Indians can be truly proud of. > happy and able to weave the fabric of perfect loveliness and pulchritude. Progress is a purposive change. It can be either scientific or moral. India had tremendous progress since independence. But there are some more stages which India must cross to achieve complete progress. I wish my dreams of those progress would change India? s fate. ?HUM HONGE KAMYAB EK DIN? — Keeping this motto in mind, let us, therefore, cry to eradicate all the evils of our society and acquire the requisite culture, discipline, attitude and habit of tolerance, goodwill and mutual respect, so that everyone of us one day, will have so clean a heart and so pure a mind that he will have a glimpse of a novel dawn, and the first of the sun, that day, will be truly golden, enough to fulfill my dreams I LOVE MY INDIA use this poem -Where The Mind is Without Fear Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow? domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action– Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. — Rabindranath Tagorerays Economic inequalities or poverty that is the root cause of several social tensions and breakdown of law and order is a thing of the past with no one being forced to suffer the pangs of hunger; every citizen is a literate adopting the norms of a small family as a way of life and contributing to the zero-growth of population; all the people lead a healthy life with epidemics being confined to the pages of history and diseases resulting from under nutrition driven out of the country; food production is enough to take care of the needs of the country’s population and is exported to other countries where food production is not adequate to feed the people; the rural areas compete with urban areas in development and reduce the migration of rural poor from the villages to the cities; there is no shortage of electricity and other energy sources to keep the wheels of progress and development going; all the people have their own homes and do not feel insecure in rented houses; child labo ur is eliminated with all the children attending schools and enjoying the joy of childhood; the workers are not exploited by unscrupulous managements and are paid fair wages; legal cases are disposed off quickly and justice is speeded up; our industries compete with the multination’s and give them a run for their money in the other countries; infrastructure is adequately developed to facilitate more investments in industries; domestic satellite television channels are attractive enough to wean the people away from the foreign television channels; pollution is effectively checked with industries switching over to clean or environmental-friendly technologies and vehicles checking their emissions; computers play a complementary role in common man’s daily activities by being an integral part of all the homes; sportsmen excel in all the international sports meets and games; religion enforces discip0line and promotes communal harmony; we become a superpower and a member of t he Security Council and are not browbeaten by any other superpower with threats of economic sanctions; and the citizens really feel proud of being Indian.