The Zen Koan Is A Written Or Verbal Puzzle Used In The Teaching Of Bud

The Zen Koan is a written or verbal puzzle used in the teaching of Buddhism to bring the student to the level of satori or enlightenment. According to D T Suzuki in An Introduction To Zen Buddhism, the word Koan "...now denotes some anecdote of an ancient master, or a dialogue between master and monks, or a statement or question put forward by a teacher, all of which are used as the means for opening one's mind to the truth of Zen."(Suzuki 102). Koans are often in the form of statements that seem, at first, to make little or no sense. This aspect of a Koan is intended to help the student concentrate on the words and pull meaning from them in the same way that they must pull meaning from themselves in order to achieve "satori". Koans sometimes seem to be constructed of two contradicting concepts, which may be true from the standpoint of the dynamics of language. This joining of two opposing concepts is meant to show the student that all concepts are actually a part of one another since they exist in the same world. Koans are intended to join the opposing concepts within the student, which is the "oneness" of Zen Buddhism. "Zen masters, by this means, would force the evolution of the Zen consciousness into the minds of their less endowed disciples."(Suzuki 102). The real "self" of Zen lies in the harmony of opposites. To those who pay more attention to the actual written words of the Koan, Koans will never make sense. Koans are deliberately meant to defy the logic that exists in the world outside the self, the world of government and social constructs. They are meant to help the student see the world undistorted by these learned concepts. The language of a Koan also uses simple concepts and objects that are universal. Keeping the subject simple, the student does not have to worry themselves over the symbolism of the subject, but rather, what the entire composition of the Koan represents. The composition as a whole, once it is thought of in this way, should reveal something about the wholeness of the individual who has figured it out. An example of this duality and simplicity is found in the following Koan: "When your mind is not dwelling on the duality of good and evil, what is your original face before you were born?"(Suzuki 104). The subjects of koans tend to be simple objects such as trees, animals or aspects of nature. Or simple words for concepts or emotions, such as love, hate, good and evil . This attention to simplicity helps the student to view the entire Koan, instead of being anchored to a complex, abstract concept. The reasoning behind every Koan is the same, that the world is one interdependent whole and that each separate one of us is that Whole. In the above Koan, there is simplicity in the choice of the words "good and evil" over any words that may represent these symbolically. In fact, the first part of the Koan may not even be the most important part, but only stated to make the student realize that they are concerned with the duality of the outside world. The conflicts of the outside world have been distracting the student from realizing the purity of their own face "before you were born." The famous Koan that goes: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" is interesting in the sense that if one thinks of it in terms of the logic that they were taught by the outside world, there is no such sound. "Ordinarily, a sound is heard only when two hands are clapping, and in that sense no sound can come from one hand alone...." This Koan, however, is meant to "...strike at the root of our everyday experience, which is constructed on so-called scientific or logical basis"(Suzuki 105). The duality here lies in what we have been taught to be logical. The Koan threatens our knowledge of the way our world is supposed to work. " The Koans, therefore, as we have seen, are generally such as to shut up all possible avenues to rationalization"(Suzuki 108). The Zen Buddhist Koan is naturally irrational,

British National Identity essays

British National Identity essays Chris Waters in Dark Strangers and George Orwell in The Lion and the Unicorn, address the topic of national identity before and after wartime England. However, they address the topic in two very different ways. Orwell takes a more cynical approach, referring to national identity in England as essentially a class identity, whereas, Waters addresses the topic in terms of racial identity as the defining terms of national identity in England during and after the war. Waters often speaks of an imagined community or and imagined national identity when referring to Britain. Orwell doesnt bring up these exact terms, but he does imply the same thoughts. Waters and Orwell seem to believe that after the war, national identity will/did crumble. Although these authors write at different times, and come from different backgrounds, they find a common means by which the people of England form a national identity. They attribute the formation of these identities to the role of the government, popular readings, radio, etc. However, in Orwell, national identity coincides with class whereas in Waters, national identity coincides with race. The two articles were written at very different times in history. Orwells article was written before the end of the war. He refers to the possibility of the decrease in national identity after the war due to a decrease in class difference. Orwells opinion of the situation is based on what was actually going on at the time in conjunction with his personal opinions. On the other hand, Waters article was written after the war and in retrospect. He was able to take in to account previous articles, research and actually history when drawing inferences as to the state of Britain concerning national identity. He attributes the decline of British national identity to the introduction of The Commonwealth and migration into Britain. He blames the role...

The Psychology of Victims and Punishment of Offenders Term Paper

The Psychology of Victims and Punishment of Offenders - Term Paper Example Therefore, it transpires that the person undergoing a trial needs to be in a competent state of mind for standing trial and this covenant should form the basis of criminal jurisprudence. The Sixth Amendment confer on defendants the right to seek counsel to assess their competency and in major cases, the defense also includes mitigation specialists, who have â€Å"the ability to elicit sensitive, embarrassing and often humiliating evidence (example: family sexual abuse) that defendant may never have disclosed† (ABA Guidelines, 2003, p.959). Thus, before making a final conclusion about the competency of Edward Wilson, to stand trial, I would like to get a clarification of the following aspects: (a) Did Edward Wilson have any traumatic experience when he was a child and if he did, what was it? (b) Has there been any such instance in Edward’s behavior before the age of 17 and if so, what treatment the parents have offered him? (c) Was he born with a deficiency in IQ and has it been registered throughout his developmental stages? If so, what are the measures his parents have taken to remedy the issue? Has he been provided any special education? (d) At the age of 17 did he not take proper medication, which aggravated his condition and later he become schizophrenic. It looks like his parents have not taken adequate care in attending to his medication, due to which his condition worsened. Also, there is no indication that his paranoia has been properly treated by seeking expert advice. Therefore, I would request more information on this aspect to investigate the case completely. (e) How did his parents treat him before he suffered from paranoia and what changes were there after his disease surfaced? Has Wilson received adequate support from his family during the illness phase? (f) Had there been some serious problems other than usual sibling rivalry between him and his younger sister? (g) Which school and college did he go to? How was his behavior there a nd how did the people there treat him? (h) Who were his friends and how did he behave with them? How was his relation with his neighbors and peers? II. In order to evaluate the case in its full perspective and determine his fitness or otherwise to stand trial, I would like to interview more people for collateral contact about him: (a) The subject’s younger sister is his only living kin and the only person who is close enough to throw light into the back history of the family as well as their mutual relationship. (b) He makes association with the ‘lost rock of creation’ which seems to have a religious connotation. He sends a rock, with five animal faces carved into it, to the mayor, who was in the CIA. I believe the aspect of his attacking his younger sibling within the pretext remains to be explored fully. These aspects need to be determined to count or discount before he is sent to a full trial. (c) Besides, he makes reference to his father being a KGB agent and his mother a witch. I would like to interview all the psychologists or psychiatrists who were involved with his case or who treated him so far to understand his case and make proper evaluation. (d) I would like to meet Wilson’s defense counsel and ascertain from all the information he or she has about his client. (e) Besides, I would also like to interview the following people: 1. The principals and teachers of all the schools he has attended during his childhood into his adolescence. 2. The friends Wilson had during his

Global business environment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global business environment - Term Paper Example Slate tablet is a newly developed organization going to compete in the global consumer tablet industry. The organization is trying to adopt and implement cost leadership business level strategy in business operation process in order to support the affected purchasing power of the consumers. The organization should try to focus on the large and emerging consumers markets to gain potential competitive advantages. In addition to this, the organization should also try to develop its own distribution and supply chain network in order to justify its adopted and implemented cost leadership business level strategy. Most importantly, the organization needs to use the promotional mediums and platforms such a way, so that the target customers can understand the market position of the products. Lastly, it is highly important for the management of the organization to focus on both social media and traditional media promotional strategy to create significant brand awareness. Target Market and Positioning of Slate Tablet It is clear from the previous assignment that Slate tablet is going to introduce in global tablet industry. But, initially and certainly the brand will compete in the consumer tablet market. It is clear from Part 1 that global tablet industry has become highly competitive and saturated. Therefore, it is highly important for the management of Slate to develop an effective and significant targeting and positioning strategy for the brand considering the nature of the competitive global market place. However, it is clear from the previous assignment that the management of Slate is trying to focus on consumer tablet market.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hewlett-Packard (HP) - Research Paper Example The Middle East countries are Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others (HP, â€Å"Welcome to HP†). 4 3.0 Strategies Used 5 4.0 Success of HP 6 5.0 Reasons for Success 7 References 9 1.0 Product and/or Service Hewlett-Packard develops such products that may be easily accessible globally. Their services and technologies are handy to the disabled as well as the aged ones. Their technology is highly beneficial to the customers who use their products as well as services. The major focus of their product is to make the life of the people better with uncomplicated and valuable along with trusted experience associated with technology (HP, â€Å"HP Accessibility†). There are various products of HP that include laptop and tablet PCs, printers, ink, toner along with paper, desktop and workstation, scanner and faxing machine, server and storage, monitors, smart phones and networking along with accessories and various parts (HP. â€Å"Products and Services†). The services of Hewlett-Packard comprise of imaging along with printing services, computing systems as well as information technology services required for personal use and business (Lynn, â€Å"Trading Idea - Momentum Building in Hewlett Packard†). ... 2.0 Countries or Regions The products and services of HP are available in various regions such as Africa, America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East. In Africa, it is available in Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya and other regions. In America, it has its presence in Brazil, Mexico, the United Sates, Venezuela, Colombia, Canada and Argentina among others. The countries of Asia Pacific involve Australia, India, China, Hong-Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and various others. The European countries where products and services of HP are available include Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Turkey, Switzerland and few other countries. The Middle East countries are Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others (HP, â€Å"Welcome to HP†). 3.0 Strategies Used HP has developed various strategies while marketing in the international arena. The company has given importance in three areas of strategies such as Cloud, Connectivity and Software. They decided to develop complete Cloud Stack as well as help the transition customers with an intention to mix cloud environments. They also try to leverage the scales as well as maintain consistency and security in their recent software, hardware along with other services they offer. HP has developed higher-value services that may offer them with greater strategic importance. A device-aware HP Cloud would construct and send suitable services related to the device that has been used by the customers. This service of the device might fulfill the need of the customers (HP, â€Å"HP Sets Strategy to Lead in Connected World with Services, Solutions and Technologies†). The other strategy is Connectivity which means that HP tends to be

Impact and Challenges of Citizen Reporters

Impact and Challenges of Citizen Reporters Abstract As the global affectation by voyeuristic media challenges the standardized impart of information, it is through the contiguity of citizen reporting that standards of exchange will be challenged and influenced towards a significantly positive outcome. The following dissertation represents an amalgamation of current arguments both for and against citizen reporters and their integration into mass media. The information presented will quickly acclimate the reader to the historical importance of this debate, and through representation of an objective viewpoint, conclusions will be drawn regarding the relative sustainability of this form of media integration. The establishment of a world body of reporter will be shown as necessitated by our expansion as a world of voyeurs, which aligns the inherent need for human contact with the decided assimilation of global information. Research Questions The following questions represent my interest in the topic of Citizen Reporters: Who are the citizen reporters in today’s society and what effect do they have on the current media climate? What does the future look like for citizen reporters and what challenges lay ahead for a free-form integration of their unique viewpoints on important global incidents? Triangulation The obvious utilization of multiple sources, expanded upon either side of the citizen reporter debate will enable my objective view of all arguments and discussion. Additionally, through research and identification of current sources of citizen reporters I will be able to determine the accurate analysis of these entities within outside research, as well as my own integration of their framework into my discussion. Methodology Due to the extremely modern relationship between the substantial integration of citizen reporters and current forms of media exploitation, the most important research of this topic was encountered in magazines and journal entries which represent subjective viewpoints on both sides of the debate. Additionally, discussion with editors of affluent news entities substantiated my research and offered a more immediate impression of the distinct challenges ahead of citizen reporter utilization. Introduction As the high swells battered the coast of New Orleans, a young woman stood on the balcony of her seventh floor apartment watching cars and mailboxes as they were swept away in the current. Her images appeared days later as eyewitness accounts of the terrible Hurricane Katrina disaster and offered the public a firsthand glimpse of terrible devastation. Across the globe, â€Å"the potential value of citizen journalism first became glaring in 2005 when camera-phone images of the London Underground bombings†¦made front pages around the world.†[1] Regardless of incident, the power of the uniquely positioned citizen to provide the world with spectacular images of important global events has set precedence for the future of reporting. The debate rages, however, as to the efficacy of these first hand accounts, and the dilution of media with illegitimacy has further proffered doubt into the validity of citizen reporting. Hypothesis Ultimately, it will be through the efforts of a collaborative world media that barriers and boundaries to the freedom of information may be dismantled and dependent upon the prudent editorial mitigation of erroneous reports, the world will greatly benefit from incorporation of citizen accounts into their media diets. Personal Affectation The research herein details a highly introspective look into my own apprehensions regarding citizen reporting. In the end, through the acceptance of a world necessity for a decrease in censorship and an integration of a wide variety of sources, not just the current information monopoly, I determined that I accept and appreciate the utilization of citizen journalists. The information was readily available, yet distinguishing the more pertinent arguments from those that are simply jaded and encouraged by fear of change was a bit more difficult. In the end, personal discussions with publication editors, as well as a wide variety of material greatly assisted in my appreciation for this form of media. Defining Citizen Reporting In an effort to determine the actuation of citizen reporting, one may only need to turn to current events to spark acumen in the realization of this form of communication. The impact of images of Rodeny King in and the impactive racial slurs of Michael Richards in the US or the devastating destruction of the Underground Bombings in London, have all had an extremely provocative influence on citizen media dedication. In fact the illumination of a world of purported truths has only been affected as the local media conglomerates have begun to accept citizen participation as a necessity in the struggle for accurate and realistic information. The import of reality television and online voyeur websites such as YouTube continue to affirm the power of viewership and the necessitated prioritization of information. In fact, it is through the socialization of news and first-hand integration of rapid iconography of media shakers that the revision of global media has become a perpetual debate. The citizen reporter can potentially evolve from anyone with a camera or even a mobile phone who is lucky enough to encounter a rare and important (and sometimes not so important) circumstance. The ensuing integration of this visual media into local news shows and global media behemoths alike sustains the necessity of in depth interaction with world events. The proliferation of such varied forms of transportable media continues to affirm a desire for interaction within a global community, and through the attraction of citizen reporters, information sharing continues to become far easier. The Supporters—The World Media Conglomerate As world media organizations struggle to identify the veracity within citizen journalists’ contributions, many are accepting their import as a necessitated integration into their future business plans. In fact, through the continued assimilation of the informal journalistic body, the more impactful events will become global focuses unlike ever before seen. â€Å"The journalists role is now to concentrate harder on how, when and where we can add value through our strengths of analysis, context, background and range. But as we do this we must be open to what members of the public bring to our attention. When handled properly, it adds value and improves quality.†[2] The analytical comport of the true journalist will become the equivalent of intensive factions of editors who receive and re-interpret the findings of their citizen journalists in order to proliferate the desires of a well-informed society. Several local citizen based websites and firms have taken this approach to the extreme, standardizing their workforce into the contributions of citizen journalists, many with no prior skill or training. Yet, their effectiveness is debatable, and as financial corporations, supporting their perpetuation does not yet seem to be the most prudent of financial decisions. â€Å"Internet analyst Jay Park at Samsung Securities in Seoul argues that OhmyNews was successful because it was politically motivated, not business-oriented.†[3] The reality for countries such as Korea is that government regulation of media inhibits the ability to receive unbiased broadcasts important to political elections and the legislative power of the people. The fundamental necessity of free media continues to drive global interaction in regards to citizen reporting, oftentimes inspiring the camera toting voyeur to explore scenarios previously impenetrable to the traditional news reporter. The redefinition of media will continue to include citizen reporting into its annuls, challenging journalists to significantly change tactics and seek more affluent and provocative stories in addition to daily occurrences as their focus shifts from subversive to immersive. ‘â€Å"Traditional journalism is the outside looking in,’ Mitch Gelman, executive vice president of CNN.com, said. ‘Citizen journalism is the inside looking out. In order to get the complete story, it helps to have both point of views.’†[4] Obviously, the ability to see all dimensions within a breaking news story becomes an integral part of the global assimilation of citizens into the scheme of media reporting. Additionally, through a necessitated desire to affect change and political activism, the pertinent inclusion of a wide variety of media offers an escape from government regulated politicking. Whereas in the UK, the regulation of political campaigns means minimalizing mass media integration of television advertising, sourcing additional communicative avenues has become a significant priority. The Labour party, inspired by the power of YouTube took to advancing their cause through the well known presence of Tony Blair in an unprecedented inclusion of a major British political figure into a world formerly ruled by lonelygirl15, a once powerful yet innocuous YouTube force. It is integration of multiple media avenues which continues to afford a world media the opportunity to view uncensored information, and while political propaganda is undeniably susceptible to the affectation of the representative party, the viewers are now challenged to explore many avenues to effectively decipher thei r own pertinent information. The Naysayers—The Struggle to Protect Media Yet, the converse of the global citizen integration into mass media also poses significant concern and potential debilitating effects to this veracity based empire. So far, the most significant naysayers continue to be journalistic supporters who feel that the potential integration of citizen reporting poses significant problems for information exchange. Namely, the ability to regulate citizen content or invoke accountability protocol against those who misuse their powers and global affectation, signifies a dilution of world media which could negatively affect the transfer of important facts to the public. As governments refuse to regulate electronic content, namely publically shared information, â€Å"such changes raise policy issues that disturb some colleagues. How can our journalistic reputation be protected when we are not fully in control of our content?†[5] Oftentimes subjected to the infiltration of a derisive surfer, web and media content must constantly be edited and investigated in order to assure the publication of truth in global broadcasting. â€Å"Just as the printing press was disruptive in its time, the ubiquity of the Net and the cheap tools that give voice to anyonewhether talented or nothas kicked off a period of creative ferment.†[6] In fact there are significantly powerful web spiders or congregations of hackers and dissenters seek to flood virtuous areas of media with their own petulant inklings. Mitigation of these groups means constant warfare, and as vacillatory as the world public is, their accidental integration into global media could mean dissonance and refusal of participation in sites whose news publications incorporate citizen reporters. A secondary opinion detailing concern within the integration of citizen reporting lies in the fact that trends and fads fade when public opinion becomes stagnant. â€Å"Other industry watchers also express doubts that citizen journalism will turn out to be a going concern. Had it been an attractive global model, ‘someone would have made lots of money by now.’†[7] And, regardless of whether someone has cornered the market on citizen journalism or not, the willingness of the public to accept its efficacy plays an integral role in its future success. While many companies are copying the model set up in South Korea, the perception is that their eventual disintegration will spell a reaffirmation of journalistic principles and affect a minimalization of citizen journalism. The Future—Dog Walking Star Breaches Headlines Currently, there are few websites completely devoted to the perpetuation of citizen journalism. In South Korea, â€Å"OhmyNews, set up in 2000, now has about 90 full-time staffers 65 of them journalists and some 44,000 citizen contributors. Together, they produce around 150 articles a day. This year, it expects revenues of about $6 million, 60% of which come from online ads and the rest from the sale of the companys news product to Internet portals, and from miscellaneous services.†[8] The challenge of a completely integrated site such as this one is that online advertising, regardless of integration of unpaid citizen reporters into a news site is the influx of capital which assures perpetuation and expansion. Should this particular site not attract the investment capital needed, their failure is immanent. Yet their power and assimilation of attentive citizens represents a significant advance at the forefront of global media. They have even branched out in order to attempt incorporation of global audiences into their media focus. â€Å"OhmyNews English-language news division is produced by nearly 1,500 citizen reporters from more than 100 countries, plus five professional editors based in the U.S. and Korea.†[9] Remarkably, the reliance on conventional media continues to minimize the effectiveness of online agencies such as this one, and in spite of potentially similar broadcasts with integrated content that might represent government censorship in their countries of origin, viewers and readers have not yet attached their interests to the facilities of global reportership. Additional global journalism integrates the use of similar electronic voyeurism such as YouTube into more socially affirmative avenues such as Yahoo News. â€Å"Users can visit the section of Yahoo News, dubbed You Witness News, to upload pictures and video that will then be uploaded to Flickr and related video sites. Yahoo and Reuters editors will then go through the material to determine if any of the content can accompany news articles.†[10] It is through the dedicated editorial departments of such online agencies that the perpetuation of public support for citizen journalism will predominate the views of naysayers. Without thorough source analysis and standardized operating procedures which will guarantee the clarity and veracity of reports, sites such as Yahoo and OhMy will continue to encounter significant resistance from a traditionalist mindset. Where the romanticism of citizen journalism and the freedom of information exchange may capture the majority of the world’s nations with the novelty of more widespread and un-censored media coverage, in France, stringent legislation has now been enacted in order to ban this idea of free reporting and videography. â€Å"The ostensible purpose of the ban is to curb ‘happy slapping,’ the recording of assaults and other crimes by accomplices in order to post videos on the Internet as trophies†¦France is the first country to legislate against it Quite apart from instances of official misconduct, however, the ban attempts to squelch the growing phenomenon of ‘citizen journalism.†[11] This drastic measure has hardly been challenged by the French media organizations, as their government owned framework mitigates the exposure of the world to uncensored French news. Highly evident within this government influence is the limited media coverage of the 2005 u rban riots during which the majority of informatory video came from citizen broadcasts. The resistance from the French regime to accept the global implications of incorporation of its citizens as news correspondents shows an ongoing manipulation of public media sources. The unfortunate fact of this censorship is that dissonance among citizens results in redistribution of French attention towards online media broadcasters regardless of government regulation. The right of humanity to remain informed is an accepted practice throughout the globe, yet political interference continues to hamper the advance of propaganda-free broadcasting. Finally, asides to the mainstream influx of news sources continue to spring up throughout the global information deluge. â€Å"The Center for Citizen Media, which launched a website last month, is setting out to encourage grassroots media, and especially citizen journalism. Its one of the latest new media groups jumping into the movement to further citizen journalism online.†[12] Through encouragement and incremental journalistic education for citizens, the electronic media centers throughout the world will enforce a tactic of freedom of information, which enlivens a residual essence of historical significance: the right to know. Through dedication to human information involvement as well as integration of first-hand accounts into global events, the continuation of information sharing will stand resilient to selfish naysayers. Issues of Confidentiality One area which must be addressed within the scope of citizen journalism is the mitigation of privacy infringement. The idea that anyone with a camera or a pen could become a global media informant makes the lives of media makers much more susceptible to exposure. An individual’s scheme of recognition might include photographically accosting a famous icon with the expectation that through utilization of their image and a distorted narrative, that they could influence headlines worldwide. Throughout my research, the paparazzi played an important role already in this media manipulation, yet the integration of potentially millions of would-be journalists drastically increases the size of their information army. It will be extremely important for major media organizations to discourage their potential affect on the pervasive exploitation of media icons in order to continue to support privacy and fairness regardless of global integration. Conclusion It is not the quality of the reporting, nor is it the frequency, but it is the inherent freedom of citizen reporters which challenges the global media magnates to incorporate the influential view of its people into daily information sessions. Where news was once the ability of government bodies to communicate their policies, the integration of daily human interest stories reminds the global citizenship that it is the interest of humans which most drives effective media. Through perpetuation of the World Wide Web, the global community has shrunk the distance between continents, oftentimes finding as much brotherly interaction across borders as within. It is the unique ability to voyeuristically involve all world citizens in the occurrences which shape society and the environment with which it interacts that determines the approach taken towards future challenges. It is absolutely a necessity to mitigate the effect of journalistic elitists through citizen challenges of an information i nflux; in this way, the reeducation of a global community will be dependant on all unique perspectives, and not just those relative to the monopolistic media organization. References â€Å"Bloggers, Citizen Journalists See Katrina From the Inside; As News Organizations Cover the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Broad Strokes, Bloggers Citizen Journalists are Reporting on the devastation While Living its Consequences.† Information Week: September 1st, 2005. Fernandez, Sophie. â€Å"Happy Slapping the French Public; Sarko Takes a Stand Against Citizen Journalism.† The Weekly Standard: March 13th, 2007. Ihlwan, Moon. ‘â€Å"OhmyNews’ Oh My Biz Problem; The Korean Site for Citizen Reporting Hasn’t had Much Success So Far With its Moves Into Other Markets—And it’s in the Red at Home (Asia).† Business Week Online: November 2nd, 2006. Johnston, Garth. â€Å"YouNewsTV Turns Viewers Into Stringers.† Broadcasting Cable: 137:10, March 5th, 2007. Levy, Steven. â€Å"Dawn of the Amateurs; A Flap Over Fraud on Wikipedia Raises Questions About the Reliability of Information in the Age of ‘You Media.† Newsweek International: March 26th, 2007. â€Å"Media Analysis: Citizen Journalism Acceptance Impacts PR. (User Generated Content).† PR Week (US): December 11th, 2006. â€Å"More Sites Venture Into Grassroots/Citizen Media; There’s a Growing Number of New media Groups Pushing a Movement To Further Citizen Journalism Online.† InternetWeek: February 1st, 2006. Sambrook, Richard.â€Å"Citizen journalism and the BBC: ‘ when major events occur, the public can offer us as much new information as we are able to broadcast to them. From now on, news coverage is a partnership’ (citizen journalism).†Nieman Reports: 59.4, Winter 2005. 1 Footnotes [1] Garth Johnston, â€Å"YouNewsTV Turns Viewers Into Stringers.† (March 5th, 2007) [2] Richard Sambrook, â€Å"Citizen journalism and the BBC: ‘ when major events occur, the public can offer us as much new information as we are able to broadcast to them. From now on, news coverage is a partnership’(citizen journalism),† (Winter 2005) [3] Moon Ihlwan, ‘â€Å"OhmyNews’ Oh My Biz Problem; The Korean Site for Citizen Reporting Hasn’t had Much Success So Far With its Moves Into Other Markets—And it’s in the Red at Home (Asia),† (November 2nd, 2006) [4] â€Å"Bloggers, Citizen Journalists See Katrina From the Inside; As News Organizations Cover the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Broad Strokes, Bloggers and Citizen Journalists are Reporting on the Devastation While Living its Consequences,† (Sept 1, 2005) [5] Richard Sambrook, (Winter, 2005) [6] Steven Levy, â€Å"Dawn of the Amateurs; A Flap Over Fraud on Wikipedia Raises Questions About the Reliability of Information in the Age of ‘You Media,† (March 26th, 2007) [7] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [8] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [9] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [10] â€Å"Media Analysis: â€Å"Citizen Journalism Acceptance Impacts PR,† (Dec 11, 2006) [11] Sophie Fernandez , â€Å"Happy Slapping the French Public; Sarko Takes a Stand Against Citizen Journalism,† (March 13th, 2007) [12] Richard Sambrook, (Winter, 2005)

Jails, Prisons, and Rehabilitation Essay -- Criminal Justice

Prisons and jails are both referred to as incarcerations. A prison is where people get physically confined and lack personal freedom, and also those awaiting trails and those serving a term exceeding one year are confined here, while a jail is where inmates are housed prior to their trials on local level and those serving a term of one year or less. The society is protected from the offenders by them being confined in prisons, where their behaviors can be monitored, or they can be placed in community-based facilities which are secured and also offer an opportunity for the prisoners to acquire skills and knowledge through work related activities. The jail on the other hand serves the purpose of detaining law offenders of which they shall be knowledge on the reason for detention as they go through the process of criminal justice. The jails do so by holding people who are awaiting trials, convictions or those to be sentenced; those who have already been sentenced and are waiting to be taken to prison, and also holding law violators who cannot afford to pay the bonds so that they can appear for trials. The jail also serves the purpose of holding people convicted of less offense for the period ordered by the court. In general, the prison holds people for a period of more than one year. Prisons consist of many facilities since most people serve for long periods behind the bars. They are inclusive of exercise places, dining rooms, places to socialize and education facilities like classrooms, libraries, churches and workshops. Prisons hold more people as compared to jails in which they are ranged according to the crimes committed by the offenders, and this is due to safety precautions. Prisons also have such facilities as to carry out ... ...to and until now the prison society has been on the forefront to ensure justice in all the prisons and jails is followed and no acts of inhuman are committed. The society is made of a staff more than one thousand members, with full support of the organization. The inmates are treated in very humane ways and it is appealed upon them on the need to reform. List of references Norman Johnston, PhD, (2011). The Pennsylvania Prison Society, prison reform in Pennsylvania. Retrieved from: http://www.prisonsociety.org/about/history.shtml. Robin James Dr., (2004). House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, Rehabilitation of Prisoners, pp. 11 $ 12. Retrieved from: http:// www.prisonreforms.org.uk WiseGeek, (2003). Clear Answers for Common Questions, copyright 2003. Retrieved from: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-jail-and-a-prison.htm

How Important is Setting in Gulliver’s Travels? Essay

Gulliver’s Travels was written in 1726 by Johnathan Swift. Swift was a very outspoken member of the Church of England. His previous book, The Tale of a Tub satirized the feuds between Catholics and Protestants, and ruined his chances of being a bishop with its unpopularity. Swift uses setting in Gulliver’s Travels to reveal his own criticisms of humanity and his views on society. He presents several different societies, which each represent an exaggerated aspect of 18th century Europe. The eponymous ‘hero’ is Lemuel Gulliver, whose name indicates his nature: He starts off extremely gullible. As Gulliver travels through Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnugg, and the Land of the Houyhnhnms, he becomes disillusioned with his own humanity and ends up disgusted by other humans and spending his life talking to his horses. In Lilliput, Swift draws parallels with England, the nobility and parliament in particular. The emperor is small-minded and probably represents George I. George I was German and never learnt to speak English. He was reputed to be vain, like the emperor, who needs long introductions and fancy title to boost his ego. In Lilliput, Swift also introduces the idea that the stature of a human is proportional to the generosity, kindness, and wisdom of a human, contrary to Gulliver’s expectations. At the start of his second voyage, he even says, â€Å"Human creatures are observed to be more savage and cruel in proportion to their bulk†. This is after he has been tied up, shot at, and trapped by the tiny Lilliputians, which enforces the idea that Gulliver’s observations are not always accurate. This incorrect observation highlights the almost perfect society of the Brobdingnagians, who are much bigger than Gulliver. Swift mainly uses Lilliput to draw attention to the absurdity of religious wars, such as the conflict between the Catholics in Ireland and the English Protestants. The main way he does this is by giving an exaggerated example of a stupid religious war: Lilliput’s war with Blefescu. The war started because the then Emperor of Lilliput passed a law saying that everyone had to break their eggs at the small end. People who broke this law were discriminated against, and books by them were destroyed and not published. This is very similar to the situation in Ireland which Swift strongly objected to, despite the fact that he was a Protestant himself. Furthermore, the mutually sacred book of the Little-endians and Big-endians says, â€Å"All true believers shall break their egg at the convenient end†. This is blatantly Swift saying that war between Catholics and Protestants is foolish because they are only arguing about their interpretation of the same book. His point is convin cing because he uses an obviously ridiculous example to demonstrate his idea. As well as drawing attention to the absurdity of the conflict in Ireland, Swift also reflects on vanity in humans. The Lilliputians, though incredibly small, are so vain that they think they can imprison Gulliver. Another example is when Gulliver saves the Empress and her possessions but instead of thanking him, she is so proud that she cannot cope with the way he put out the fire, even though it was the only way to save her apartment. She pressures the government to get rid of Gulliver because of the harm he has caused her reputation. The Empress is thought to represent Queen Anne, who was displeased by Swift’s earlier book The Tale of a Tub because she thought that, while it might dissuade interest in Catholicism, it would do the same for Protestantism. Her disapproval meant that Swift would never become a bishop. In contrast to Lilliput, Brobdingnag is almost utopian; all resources are pooled and divided equally, and the King and Queen are wise and just. During Gulliver’s stay in Brobdingnag, he attends the king several times to tell him about England and Europe. Gulliver recounts â€Å"He was perfectly astonished with the historical account I gave him of our affairs during the last century, protesting it was only a heap of conspiracies, rebellions, murders, massacres, revolutions, banishments, [and] the very worst effects that avarice, faction, hypocrisy, perfidiousness, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, envy, lust, malice, or ambition could produce†. These are incredibly strong words from such a kind king, which shows that he is very upset by the actions of a race that is so similar to his own. Swift makes Gulliver seem stupid in Lilliput, by making him endure his captivity, be afraid of the Lilliputians, and other things related to his size in relation to his captors, and because Swift has given us the impression that Gulliver is a fool, we start to believe his opinions less and less, and start to interpret his narrative in different ways. This in turn helps us believe that the Brobdingnagian King is at least partly right in saying that â€Å"the bulk of your natives [are] the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the Earth†. Gulliver then says that the king must be excused because he is so far from the rest of the world that his standards could not fit in our country. Even though Swift portrays Brobdingnag as a sort of Utopia, and it is by far the most civilised place Gulliver visits, it is not perfect. The dictionary defines ‘Utopia’ as â€Å"an ideal and perfect place or state where everyone lives in harmony and everything is for the best†. There is still crime in Brobdingnag, because Gulliver himself watches the execution of a murderer, and there are still bad people, as in every society, like the dwarf, who drops Gulliver in a bowl of cream. Perhaps Swift is saying that even the best human societies cannot be truly perfect, because of the nature of humanity; some people are born bad. This is at odds with the thinking of the time, when people optimistically thought that human nature was basically good. Swift is suggesting that this is untrue. Gulliver’s next voyage is to Laputa. Swift uses Laputa to show his opinion of the (then) current obsession with scientific knowledge and learning. The Laputians are so deep in thought all the time that they have to employ ‘flappers’ to bring them back into a conversation by flapping them on the ears and mouth. They are unable to carry out a conversation, or do anything physical, without a flapper. Because of this, their wives and daughters escape to the mainland underneath Laputa whenever they can, and some do not come back. Swift uses the Laputians to show the stupidity of science just for science’s sake; when scientists start to ignore the rest of the world because they are so concerned in astronomical and mathematical matter, they are not helping anyone. The word ‘Laputa’ sounds like the Spanish word for ‘prostitute’, ‘la puta’, and Swift would have known this, so he may be suggesting that the Laputians have prostituted themselves to science. Laputa is also a floating island, kept up by a magnetic stone, so the Laputians literally have their heads in the clouds. After realising that Gulliver is not as clever as he is supposed to be (he is a doctor), the reader has begun to read into Gulliver’s descriptions and should see the ridiculousness and the comparison to scientists. Also on this voyage, Gulliver visits a place called The Academy, which represents the Royal Society of London, a scientific institute set up by Isaac Newton. The experiments described Gulliver that take place in The Academy actually happened in the Royal Society, despite how ridiculous they are. They include extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers, using spiders to produce silk, and ploughing the ground with pigs who are trying to find acorns that have been planted there. Each of the professors doing these experiments is odd in appearance, to draw attention to the strangeness of their experiment. All of the places Gulliver travels to on this voyage are obsessed with knowledge, except Luggnugg, where those born with immortality are feared and looked down on. These people have realised the problems with immortality. At first, Gulliver imagines how he would spend an infinite lifetime, but he imagines himself eternally young, but this is a different thing to immortality. After seeing the aged Struldbruggs, he says, â€Å"My keen Appetite for Perpetuity of Life was much abated. I grew heartily ashamed of the pleasing Visions I had formed, and thought no Tyrant could invent a Death into which I would not run with Pleasure from such a Life.† Gulliver’s final voyage, and the most controversial one, is to the Land of the Houyhnhnms, which sounds a bit like the word ‘human’ when said by a horse. In this Land, Gulliver firsts sees the Yahoos, which he sees as some kind of animal and not as humans at all. He describes their appearance as he would an animal, and compares them to other animals, noting, as the Brobdingnagian scientists did, that they weren’t very well equipped for survival. Because of their wild appearance, he does not recognise them as human, and is shocked when he discovers that they are. In the Land of the Houyhnhnms, horses are the ruling species, and keep Yahoos as pets. The Yahoos emphasise everything Swift has implied about humanity; they show avarice, lust, and greed, the leader is always the slyest and disgusting one. The grey mare, Gulliver’s companion on this voyage, says that when more than enough food is given to a group of Yahoos, each one will try to get it all to itself. The Land of the Houyhnhnms is by far the most ideal society Gulliver encounters, albeit not for the humans. However, it is almost completely devoid of emotion, and is the only place Gulliver visits where the ‘people’ do not have names. As well as this, if a family has two same-gender foals, they will trade one with a family that has two foals of the opposite gender, to keep the balance. This would be impossible in a human society, as nobody would trade his or her own child. The closest a human society gets to this is in Lilliput, one of the most ridiculous countries Gulliver visits, where the children only see their parents for a few days a year, and live communally the rest of the time. Swift may be suggesting, by making this happen in Lilliput, that it is a bad idea, and that parents should keep their own children, even at the cost of society. the Land of the Houyhnhnms shows that a ‘perfect society’ is possible, but as Swift chooses to compose it of horses, with humans as a hindrance to it, he is probably suggesting that because of the nature of humans, we cannot possibly have an entirely perfect society, we can only try, as in Brobdingnag. In conclusion, Swift uses each setting to emphasis one or more of humanity’s flaws. In Lilliput, he demonstrates pride in the Lilliputians, in Brobdingnag he shows us the stupidity of the vanity of the women by pointing out all their blemishes from close up (â€Å"Their Skins appeared so coarse and uneven, so variously coloured, when I saw them near, with a Mole here and there as broad as a Trencher, and Hairs hanging from it thicker than Pack-threads, to say nothing further concerning the rest of their Persons.†) In his third voyage, the thirst for knowledge and immortal life is ridiculed, and in the Land of the Houyhnhnms, everything Swift has said so far is confirmed, in the disgusting Yahoos.

Free Essays on The Rich Boy Analysis

When reading Fitzgerald’s story â€Å"The Rich Boy† I realized that Fitzgerald does not believe that having money means that you will always be happy. You cannot just depend on money to make yourself happy, you need to go and do something or talk to someone in order to fell happy. When you look at Anson you see that he is very rich. But because of this he acts differently. He acts like certain rules do not apply to him. He does not see why he should have to play by anybody else’s rules, if he wants to drink himself under the table then why should he not be able to. He rich and believes that the rich make the rules. This way that he acts reminds me of Mr. Burns form â€Å"The Simpsons†. Mr. Burns is the richest and oldest person in the city of Springfield. He believes that he can take whatever he wants and do what ever he wants. An example of this is when he stole the oil form the elementary school just to make himself richer and when he tried to block out the sun just because he had the power to because he is rich. Anson finds out that he is wrong when he believes that when he is ready for Paula that she will be waiting for him and he finds out that she is already engages to someone else. The above reminds me of a situation that I was once in. When I was in high school I like this girl and I knew that she like me but I also liked this other prettier girl who I barely knew. I chose to ask out the one who I barely knew because the other one I knew liked me and there for I thought that she would be waiting for me. I was using her like a backup. After I got to know the other girl I found out that she was not too good of a person and that she already had a boyfriend, I decided to ask the girl that I knew liked me. When I talked to her and she told me that she already had a boy that she was dating I felt really stupid. Instead of just asking the one that I knew like me I tried to go for the prettier girl and ended up wi... Free Essays on The Rich Boy Analysis Free Essays on The Rich Boy Analysis When reading Fitzgerald’s story â€Å"The Rich Boy† I realized that Fitzgerald does not believe that having money means that you will always be happy. You cannot just depend on money to make yourself happy, you need to go and do something or talk to someone in order to fell happy. When you look at Anson you see that he is very rich. But because of this he acts differently. He acts like certain rules do not apply to him. He does not see why he should have to play by anybody else’s rules, if he wants to drink himself under the table then why should he not be able to. He rich and believes that the rich make the rules. This way that he acts reminds me of Mr. Burns form â€Å"The Simpsons†. Mr. Burns is the richest and oldest person in the city of Springfield. He believes that he can take whatever he wants and do what ever he wants. An example of this is when he stole the oil form the elementary school just to make himself richer and when he tried to block out the sun just because he had the power to because he is rich. Anson finds out that he is wrong when he believes that when he is ready for Paula that she will be waiting for him and he finds out that she is already engages to someone else. The above reminds me of a situation that I was once in. When I was in high school I like this girl and I knew that she like me but I also liked this other prettier girl who I barely knew. I chose to ask out the one who I barely knew because the other one I knew liked me and there for I thought that she would be waiting for me. I was using her like a backup. After I got to know the other girl I found out that she was not too good of a person and that she already had a boyfriend, I decided to ask the girl that I knew liked me. When I talked to her and she told me that she already had a boy that she was dating I felt really stupid. Instead of just asking the one that I knew like me I tried to go for the prettier girl and ended up wi...

Enron Corporation Essays

Enron Corporation Essays Enron Corporation Essay Enron Corporation Essay Enron Corporation Enron Corporation 1. Describe how Enron could have been structured differently to avoid such activities. Public companies are required by law to share transactions with shareholders and the members of the investing public with several documents. Enron did not share facts that were important to understand certain transactions. Enron did not provide complete financial statements or give the CFOâ„ ¢s actual or expected benefits from the large transactions that were taking place. If the organizational structure had not been changed from the original structure things may have been different. Enron decided to hire people from outside the company and give them power to make big decisions. These big decisions would drastically affect the organization. Top performers were given more opportunity for bonuses and stock options when the reward system in the company changed. The system was controlled by internal authority and the people in control were on the same level so no one questioned what was going on. The average workers did not want to make their superiors angry so they would not report a ny wrong doing when the dishonest reviews came out. This is what started the fall of Enron. If the people in control had been on different levels and had to answer to someone, then it would have been harder to get away with dishonest reviews. Also if full financial statements had been furnished then transactions could have been questioned right away and people would have been held accountable. 2. Discuss whether Enronâ„ ¢s officers acted within the scope of their authority. Enronâ„ ¢s officers did not act within the scope of their authority. The scope of authority is limited by what is legal. The officers acted dishonestly and unethically to benefit themselves. The shareholders and other public investors were losing money because of the unethical and dishonest things the officers were doing. Anytime there is a law broken, then you are not within your scope of authority. 3. Describe the corporate culture at Enron. It takes organizational culture and corporate culture working hand in hand to make a corporation work. Corporate culture determines which practices are appropriate and which are not. This develops standards, guidelines, and expectations for individuals within an organization. For years the Enron Corporation was spending big and even when the warnings about the shaky finances began to surface, no one at Enron saw any reason to change. The company had to be better and flashier in everything it did. On Secretariesâ„ ¢ Day, Enron celebrated with gifts of Waterford Crystal and the company set aside $1.5 million for a Christmas party. The companyâ„ ¢s spending reflected a go-go corporate culture. Former employees said top executives cast traditional business controls out the window. Top officers, who insisted they were unaware of financial details and did not pay attention to conflicts, let executives sit on both sides of multimillion-dollar deals. Corporate culture can not be too lo ose or too soft to be real and important. The corporate culture at Enron was corrupt and led to the companyâ„ ¢s downfall. 4. Discuss two alleged irregularities in the actions between sellers of securities and Enron.?   One of the irregularities in the actions between sellers of securities and Enron was the financial statements that did not clearly show operations and finances with shareholders and analysts. With it complex business model and unethical practices required the company use accounting limitations to misrepresent earnings and modify the balance sheet to make the company look better. Another irregularity was how Enron executives were pressured to find new ways to hide debt. Jeffrey Skilling and Andrew Fastow , top executives, created off-balance sheet vehicles, complex financing structures, and deals so complex that few people could understand them. 5. Discuss whether or not Enron was liable for the actions of its agents and employees. A corporation is a legal entity, not an actual being. A corporation can not do anything on their own. Anything a corporation does is through their agents and employees. A corporation can be sued civilly or prosecuted in criminal court for the actions of its agents and employees if those actions constitute a crime. A corporation can not be charge with drunk driving just because he works there but when acting on behalf of the company, fraud can lead to charges for both the employee and the corporation. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal chron.com/news/specials/enron/

Hedging Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hedging Strategy - Essay Example By considering the Treasury bond futures hedging strategy, he can minimise his risk as it is an effective instrument of risk control and can also enhance his returns. As Treasury bond futures cover up a broad range of maturities from the bonds of long term to short term notes, so it will help Clark to construct trades depending on the disparities in the movements of interest rates alongside the yield curve. There is negative connection between the fluctuations in interest rates and the bond prices. The increase in the interest rates is bad for bonds because when the rate of interest rises, the shareholders or investors in the bond fund prefer to liquidate or settle their shares. Due to this, the finance manager might be compelled to sell its bonds prematurely to raise sufficient cash in order to meet its requests of redemption. This could have a pessimistic effect on the regular price of bond fund (Forbes, 2013). Conversely, a fall in the interest rates results in the increase in the bond prices. This happens because, if rates of interest fall after the purchase of bond, the worth of bond will rise as investors will not be able to purchase a new bond with a high coupon rate. In this situation, the value of bond will be more than the actual value. Consequently, it will be traded at a premium (Bodie et al, 2009). Clark should consider the short term hedging strategy. Investment in the short term bonds is recommended because long term maturities bond would be hit tremendously when there is an increase in the rates of interest. Along with this, he should consider the individual bonds but require being cautious with the issuer’s credit quality. Clark also needs to be sure that the company is monetarily strong and proficient to repay his principle on the maturity of bond. A short term bond is suggested because this will facilitate Clark not to become locked in a low interest rate for an extended period (Forbes, 2013). The reason behind suggesting the

Compare and contrast modern conservatism and modern liberalism Essay

Compare and contrast modern conservatism and modern liberalism - Essay Example The paper tells that one of the major requisites of the comparative analysis of modern conservatism and modern liberalism is a thorough understanding of the underlying principles of both these ideologies. In an attempt to classify the major arguments of modern conservatism, one may recognize that the body of opinion called conservatism does not have a clear-cut dogma or ideology. Rather than a system of ideological dogmata, it is mainly a body of sentiments which upholds the attitude we call conservatism. As Russell Kirk remarks, â€Å"Perhaps it would be well, most of the time, to use this word â€Å"conservative† as an adjective chiefly. For there exists no Model Conservative, and conservatism is the negation of ideology: it is a state of mind, a type of character, a way of looking at the civil social order.† However, a clear understanding of the major tenets of modern conservatism suggests that it is an ideology which shows respect for the institutions of law, Consti tution and the rights of the people. Although it has changed many of the traits of true conservatism, modern conservatism has played a crucial role in the equality, liberty, justice, and education of the people in the modern states. This fact is clear from Russell Kirk discussion of the ten principles that have loomed large during the two centuries of modern conservative thought, and he specifies that the conservative understanding of justice, education, etc have similar significance in the modern world. ... Rather than a system of ideological dogmata, it is mainly a body of sentiments which upholds the attitude we call conservatism. As Russell Kirk remarks, â€Å"Perhaps it would be well, most of the time, to use this word â€Å"conservative† as an adjective chiefly. For there exists no Model Conservative, and conservatism is the negation of ideology: it is a state of mind, a type of character, a way of looking at the civil social order.† (Guide, pg. 40) However, a clear understanding of the major tenets of modern conservatism suggests that it is an ideology which shows respect for the institutions of law, Constitution and the rights of the people. Although it has changed many of the traits of true conservatism, modern conservatism has played a crucial role in the equality, liberty, justice, and education of the people in the modern states. This fact is clear from Russell Kirk discussion of the ten principles that have loomed large during the two centuries of modern conser vative thought, and he specifies that the conservative understanding of justice, education, etc have similar significance in the modern world. In his comparison of the ideologies of modern conservatism and modern liberalism Russell Kirk considers that the former has more relevance than the latter. According to him, the great line of demarcation in modern politics is between the ultimate principles of these ideologies: â€Å"on one side of that line are all those men and women who fancy that the temporal order is the only order, and that material needs are their only needs, and that they may do as they like with the human patrimony. On the other side of that line are all those people who recognize an enduring moral order in the universe, a constant human nature, and