Indigenous Religion Essay - 1785 Words

Indigenous religions, full of vibrancy and color, are often misconstrued or written off as primitive. Examples include: Animism, a belief system that stretches back to the earliest human and is still in practice today. It is thought to be a dangerous, shamanistic religious practice that is looked upon negatively. Buddhism, a religion that people believe is practiced only by environmentalists and the â€Å"hippies† of the world. The reality is it is practiced by the majority of East Asia. It has a powerful spiritual leader that has done a lot to bring awareness about the suffering of his country. And Vodou, which is misinterpreted to be a dangerous, violent religion where people participate in sacrificial rituals and wild sexual orgies. It is†¦show more content†¦Animism shows up in many different religions. In Buddhism all things have a soul, and because of that, all things are linked. There is also a rich afterlife concept, including karma and rebirth. In Hinduis m, god spirits inhabit animals, and there are evil and good spirits. In Christianity, evil spirits, such as the devil and demons, can possess humans; there is again the concept of an afterlife, dividing evil and good spirits in heaven and hell. Shamans were spirit healers in early tribal communities. They believed that the spirit was housed within the body. They healed the people of the tribes by using deep mental states of trance. Early tribes had shamans that would make concoctions out of hallucinogenic plants to send the sick or dying into another reality. They would dance and play music and chant while applying the concoctions in an attempt to heal the spirit. Animism is a powerful belief that everything has a soul. It is ancient, and because of this it has more primitive elements such as respect for all living things. Like animism, the indigenous beliefs of Buddhism are the foundation of many contemporary religions. Buddhism could be considered the next evolution of the belief of animism because Buddhism shares the belief that everything has a soul. Buddhism is also based on respecting all living things. This is what environmentalists and hippies are attracted to inShow MoreRelatedIndigenous Religions Essay1368 Words   |  6 PagesIndigenous Religions of the World What is an ‘indigenous’ religion or belief system? When we hear the term ‘indigenous religion’, what comes to our minds? How do we react internally when those words are mentioned? How do adherents of indigenous religions feel about those outside of their social and cultural circles, who know very little of their beliefs and who understand them even less. And how did the term ‘indigenous’ become associated with various belief systems that, in many cases, precededRead MoreEssay on Indigenous Religion: Druid Religion672 Words   |  3 PagesThe Druids are a major division of Indigenous Religion and are located in the British Isles and Scotland. The Druids are most commonly associated with the Indigenous Celtic people of Ireland. Druids are known to have existed as far back as 3rd century B.C.E. (History of Britain: Rise and Fall of the Druids) The Druids passed down rituals and history through stories rather than through written text so a lot is still unknown about how they lived. There are still many people in today’s culture who activelyRead MoreThe Indigenous Religions Of The World1244 Words   |  5 PagesThe Indigenous Religions of the World Throughout the world there are many various religions, some very common to you and I. However, there are many religions that are common in several isolated places all around the world in Japan, Australia, and the Americas. Many of these religions, called Indigenous Religions are based on nature, and the earth. The practice of these religions is considered sacred to the people that follow them. Many of these indigenous people are fully sacrificed to their religionRead MoreEssay on Indigenous Religions of the World1535 Words   |  7 PagesIndigenous religions exist in every climate around the world and exhibit a wide range of differences in their stories, language, customs, and views of the afterlife. Within indigenous communities, religion, social behavior, art, and music are so intertwined that their religion is a significant part of their culture and virtually inseparable from it. These religions originally developed and thrived in isolation from one another and are some of the earliest examples of religious practice and beliefRead MoreIndigenous African Religions1192 Words   |  5 PagesSan hunter-gatherers and the Bantu speaking farmers in every aspect of their unique cultures; how these two groups met and how they influenced each other. I will also discuss the influence the Colonists had on indigenous African cultures and if it is appropriate to refer to all the indigenous cultures as one collective group of people by discussing what these two groups (San hunter-gatherers and Bantu speaking people) have in common. Since there are no written records of the pre-colonial period, allRead MoreAfrican Indigenous Religions Essay930 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction African traditional religions were the first recorded religions to grace the plains and coasts of Southern Africa and possibly even the world. The earliest group of people living in Southern Africa has been named the San people. It was thought that San etchings and implements found in caves dated back to between 10 000 and 20 000 years ago (Deacon, 1999). However in 2008 the oldest art to date was found in a cave in Still Bay in Cape Town, called the ‘Blombos’ cave. It was named by ChristopherRead MoreFreedom Of Religion : Indigenous People And The United Nations2340 Words   |  10 PagesFreedom of religion is a widely accepted right recognized through various governments and the United Nations. In Canada this right has been neglected for Indigenous people, specifically First Nations. Indigenous religions describe a religion that belonged to the people who are originally from an area. They are known to be holistic and focus on relationships, whether that be with the Cr eator, the land or the people. They often have a common belief that they are apart of nature and it is viewed asRead MoreIndigenous Religions : Native American Indians Essay823 Words   |  4 PagesAround the world, many indigenous religions exist and share their beliefs and culture with other individuals around them. Indigenous religions are unique because in the world today, a lot of people can go back in history and reveal that they came from indigenous people. When examining indigenous religions, there are a variety of cultures within this religion, but specifically looking at the Native American Indian tribes, there were many ways they practiced their culture in order to serve a purposeRead MoreReligious Beliefs And Practices Common Among Indigenous Religions964 Words   |  4 PagesIn what ways might the various beliefs and practices common among indigenous religions relate to definitions of religion as being that which binds back or re-connects people to an underlying and g reater sacred reality? Although western religions have some parallels, indigenous religions are much more interconnected with each other and their sacred reality. After reading this chapter, it is apparent that studies have found there is a greater connection between the people and the earth. WhileRead MoreIndigenous Religions and Their Sacred Reverence Toward Nature2252 Words   |  10 PagesIndigenous Religions and their Sacred Reverence Toward Nature Kimberly Kitterman Barstow Community College Abstract Many indigenous religions and cultures viewed the earth with great respect and reverence. This can be seen through their kinship with the land, their belief in animism, their hunter/hunted relationship, and their origin stories. Indigenous Religions and their Sacred Reverence Toward Nature Most indigenous cultures had a profound respect for their environment. They believed that

Samuel Beckett, Absurdism, Existentialism, And Nihilism

Philosophy in the 20th century was something that rocked the world in Pre, During, and Post War Europe. There was much death and question of human mortality and morals. Perfectly fine human beings performing unimaginable atrocities, and then even more average humans suffering against each other. It was an era of hopelessness and despair. Folks were wondering what could this existence come to? What could it call absolve to become? Soren Kierkegaard, Albert Camus, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre and others explored the ideas and schisms that deconstructed the world into base, human-centric concepts. Absurdism, Existentialism, and Nihilism are three concepts that are intrinsically connected as a holy trinity of meaning of 20th century†¦show more content†¦the Theatre of the Absurd strives to express its sense of the senselessness of the human condition and the inadequacy of the rational approach by the open abandonment of rational devices and discursive thought† Ion esco is quoted about what that is absurd: â€Å"Absurd is that which is devoid of purpose [†¦] Cut off from his religious, metaphysical and transcendental roots, man is lost; all his actions have become senseless, absurd, useless.† All three of the playwrights have a majority of works similar to Waiting for Godot’s style of dialogue - rhythmic patterns, nonsensical dialogue, and fugues that tend to have a deeper layer of meaning under the thin skin of the page. They all make the audience look within themselves for the meaning of the work, and then look deeper. The most absurd part of Godot, other than Didi Gogo’s exchanges, is Lucky’s ‘speech.’ LUCKY: Given the Existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of a personal God quaquaquaqua with a white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for rea sons unknown but time will tell†¦ (29) This goes on for another three pages in a similar style, seamlessly traversing one irreverent topic to another, ‘quaquaquaqua’ to ‘quaquaquaqua’. This is essentially aShow MoreRelatedOverview of Three Interpretations of Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot3226 Words   |  13 Pages Samuel Beckett wrote Waiting for Godot between October 1948 and January 1949. Since its premiere in January of 1953, it has befuddled and confounded critics and audiences alike. Some find it to be a meandering piece of drivel; others believe it to be genius. Much of the strain between the two sides stems from one simple question. What does this play mean? Even within camps where Waiting for Godot is heralded, the lack of clarity and consensus brings about a tension and discussion that has lastedRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 PagesEssentialism vs. Existentialism Essentialism: A belief that things have a set of characteristics that make them what they are, amp; that the task of science and philosophy is their discovery amp; expression; the doctrine that essence is prior to existence While, Existentialism:A philosophical theory or approach, that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free amp; responsible agent, determining their own development through acts of the will. Existentialism * is

Dialogue in Education free essay sample

In nearly every debate the ultimate motive is to prove that one side is right and the other is inherently wrong, rarely leaving any room for middle ground. Sadly, because of debate’s prevalence throughout society, American culture and education has been deduced to lecturing and mere dualistic contention. From news shows to elementary classrooms, logic and reason serve as the gateway to discovering truths, according to western education. But what exactly are the consequences of a debate-centered education system, and can America make changes in order to diminish any negative consequences? For one, it is evident that in comparison to Asian nations, American education is lacking. When it comes to academic achievement, according to the International Business Times, the US is ranked 17th in the world (Gayathri). Additionally, research has shown that Americans do not appreciate education like many Asian nationals who value knowledge as, â€Å"integral to what it means to be a person, and that socialization, education knowledge and morality are inseparable† (Alexander 11). In order to address these two issues and better America’s education system, one solution does not exist. A hybrid of solutions must be explored. The two articles The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue and The Power of Context: Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime, written by Deborah Tannen and Malcolm Gladwell, respectively, offer two theories that could revolutionize western education. By considering, and possibly implementing, the authors’ theories regarding the importance of dialogue and the influential power of our environment, America would permanently improve its education system. In her article, Deborah Tannen mentions an important consequence of the debate pedagogy dominating western school systems: â€Å"The tendency to value formal, objective knowledge over relational, intuitive knowledge,† she claims, â€Å"grows out of our notion of education as training for debate† (405). The Georgetown professor addresses the agonistic, debate focused educational system by referring to it as warlike, â€Å"deeply rooted in Western tradition, going back to the ancient Greeks† (Tannen 402) American education has always been centered on discovering abstract truth through the debate of two ideas. Tannen explains how seeking to prove others wrong, as opposed to discovering new ideas or solutions, has become an end in itself (413). For example, western education teaches that academic essays are, for the most part, only supposed to be written in direct opposition to another essay. If an author fails to objectively choose a side, then their opinion is often considered unnecessary. But how can we expect students to think creatively and discover new solutions when they are only told to tear down and refute already presented ideas? Tannen considers this very question. Despite the millennium long roots in western society, she believes America is capable of altering its education system to a more dialogue based method of teaching, and explains the benefits of doing so. Early in her article, Tannen asks readers to compare the contention filled western education model with that of the dialogue dominated Chinese culture. As stated earlier, many Asian nations, including China, have far surpassed the US in academic achievement, and Tannen believes the inherent presence of dialogue throughout their culture may be the reason why. She explains how educating children by using a dialogic approach fosters an increased access to knowledge because â€Å"the aim [is] to ‘enlighten an inquirer,’ no to ‘overwhelm the opponent’† (403). Whereas, in western culture and education, critical response is limited to critique; therefore, students are, â€Å"not doing the other kinds of critical thinking that could be helpful; looking for new insights, new perspectives, new ways of thinking, new knowledge†- all processes made possible through dialogue (414). Consider Asian talk shows, for example. As opposed to American shows such as the O’Reilly Factor, Chinese talk shows portray how approaching a situation from many perspectives instead of simply two opposing viewpoints can be very beneficial (Tannen 422). Not only does adding multiple perspectives expand the possibility of discovering solutions, but it diffuses arguments into discussions instead of escalating them into tension-filled disagreements, as debate often does. Western society allows debate to dominate over any type of dialogue, thus snuffing out the possibility of exploring already proposed ideas. If a dialogue mentality was adopted into western education, however, people would no longer instinctively view solutions and truths from within the constraints of a limited, directly opposing argument. Rather, many people would search for other solutions instead of remaining intent on proving an idea right or wrong. With problems becoming more complex annually, and the US becoming more globalised, solutions to problems are no longer linear and as clear cut as before. Multiple perspectives and opinions must be considered, and without dialogue in the classroom, we are only preparing students to carry a one-dimensional mindset in a world that requires multifaceted solutions. Nevertheless, many authors believe that dialogue in the classroom does more than prepare students to solve the most complex problems. They argue that dialogue lays the entire foundations of a â€Å"good society†. For example, in his essay Education as Dialogue, Professor Robin Alexander from the University of Cambridge concurs with, and expounds upon, the benefits of dialogue that Tannen mentions. Dialogue, unknown to most, is more than conversation. â€Å"Dialogue requires willingness and skill to engage with minds, ideas and ways of thinking other than our own; it involves the ability to question, listen, reflect, reason, explain, speculate, and explore ideas†¦dialogue within the classroom lays the foundations of social cohesion, active citizenship and the good society† (Alexander 2). Clearly, Alexander believes dialogue in the classroom determines a student’s behavior and the behavior of society as a whole. What may seem extremely trivial, such as how a question is posed in the classroom, can affect the fate of society and â€Å"our private lives,† according to Alexander and Tannen (Tannen 426). Alexander believes dialogue is imperative during the primary education years due to the human brain’s expanded learning power throughout that time period. According to his research: Neuroscience shows us that between birth and adolescence, brain metabolism is 150 per cent of its adult level, and synaptogenesis, or the growth of brain connections, causes the brain’s volume to quadruple. In this process language plays a vital part†¦The period from birth †¦to adolescence [is] critical for all subsequent development, for during this phase of life the brain restructures itself†¦Language, and especially talk, help drive that process (Alexander 6). With dialogue having such a monumental effect on society’s structure and people’s ability to discover truth, it is crucial the US education system begin utilizing a pedagogy focused on dialogue as early as elementary school. It is important to note, however, that Alexander does not believe debate or recitation pedagogies should be thrown out, but rather included alongside dialogue for the most effective teaching to occur (7). Alexander’s notion that the educational environment plays a pivotal role in student behavior leads to Gladwell’s discussion of behavior and the Power of Context Theory. Gladwell attributes human behavior to what he believes is quite a radical idea. In his article, he searches to discover what causes behaviors to â€Å"stick† or become pervasive, and at what point a government or organization becomes able to make a societal change. The article covers New York City’s drop in crime rates during the 1990s, attributing the decline to the Broken Window Theory by claiming that people’s behavior is heavily influenced by their environment. Thus, small things, such as graffiti or dilapidated buildings, will inevitably lead to increased crime. His Power of Context Theory is quite similar, claiming that the immediate context of one’s environment is most important in guiding one’s actions (Gladwell 164). Essentially, â€Å"behavior is a function of social context†, and, â€Å"it isn’t just serious criminal behavior that is sensitive to environmental cues, it is all behavior† (Gladwell 159,165). With this reasoning, it becomes simple to see how the Power of Context can be applied to the realm of education. For the first twenty-two years of most students’ lives, their most influential environment is school. Just as Gladwell explains people’s behavior is influenced by the appearance of buildings and side-walks, a student’s behavior is defined by the environment set by a school’s physical appearance. Naturally, the debate of whether determinism or constructivism is the main cause for one’s behavior arises. It seems to reason, according to Tannen, Alexander and Gladwell that determinism wins and whether people like it or not, they are molded by their environment. As a result, in order to maximize student learning, school systems must make every effort to improve classroom environment as much as they are able. While clean buildings ensure students are not distracted from learning, dialogue serves as the â€Å"Stickiness Factor† of an environment according to Gladwell (164). This is what Tannen is referring to when she talks of relational knowledge in the quote mentioned earlier. It is the ‘x-factor’ of personal connection that engages a student and brings them fully into dialogue. Tannen gives the example of an elementary student who brought a rock to class for show-and-tell. He spoke of the rock’s personal meaning to him, quickly tying contextual and emotional strings to the object. The teacher redirected the student and began to ask questions relating to facts about the lava instead of the relation between him and the lava. â€Å"The example†, says Tannen, â€Å"shows  the focus of education on formal rather than relational knowledge – information about the rock that has meaning out of context, rather than information tied to the context† (405). According to Gladwell, keeping things in context is all-important, and that is exactly what dialogue does. Bringing American education back to the top â€Å"can be done through the influence of special kinds of people, people of extraordinary personal connection†¦it can be done by changing the content of communication [dialogue], by making a message so memorable that it sticks in someone’s mind† (Gladwell 164). By building rapport. Applying the Power of Context to education may seem as a bit of a stretch, â€Å"but in reality it is no more than an obvious and commonsensical extension of the Power of Context, because it says simply that children are powerfully shaped by their external environment† (Gladwell 165). A mixture of the approaches mentioned above could very well serve as Gladwell’s â€Å"Tipping Point† to move the US back into contention as a world leader in education. A core argument against implementing dialogue into western education is the effectiveness of doing so. Unlike Asian nations where collectivity is already stressed in their culture, American culture focuses on competition and individualism, and therefore lacks natural collectivity in the classroom and society. Alexander notes, â€Å"In a British and American context, shifting towards a more collective and less individualistic learning culture may demand considerably more than it does in Asian classrooms, where the collective principle is more firmly established† (9). Nevertheless, despite Asian schools being able to easily introduce collectivity through dialogue, they have failed to implement reciprocity into education. Alexander believes, â€Å"Interaction which is collective without being reciprocal remains monologic and therefore suitable only for transmission teaching† (9). What he means by reciprocal is the willingness of the student and teacher to ask and answer questions. With reciprocity, the two listen to each other and give consideration to each other’s comments, â€Å"questions are framed on the assumption that there are alternative answers, some of them unanticipated†¦ideas are exchanged and it is accepted that students know things which teachers do not† (Alexander 5). Implementing reciprocity is a matter of choosing to alter the immediate environment, as Gladwell would state, and does not require a societal connection in order to be implemented with ease. Others would also argue that the US has already implemented dialogue into the classroom with the popular adoption of the Socratic Method. However, according to philosopher Janice Moulton, Americans have misinterpreted the Socratic Method as a process of asking questions to lead someone into admitting error (Tannen 414). The true Socratic Method was to discover new insight by â€Å"asking questions rather than merely accepting what one is told† (Alexander 9). Essentially, the true adoption of the Socratic Method would utilize reciprocal discussion to discover a solution neither side initially proposed. Reciprocity is a pillar of dialogue that Asia lacks and America is capable of implementing. In fact, due to the stress on respecting authority, many Asian nations would be extremely wary of reciprocity in its schools. America could easily use reciprocity in education to maximize the results of dialogue and improve its educational standings in comparison with Asia. Each of the theories presented serve as a possible solution to improve American education, and collectively have the potential of revolutionizing society. This may seem to be a drastic statement, but according to Alexander, dialogue, â€Å"may be one of the keys to our survival as a species† (10). While the reasoning for much of this may seem theoretical, authors Brian Ripley and Randy Clemens outline how community dialogue in Lynchburg, VA and Syracuse, NY have already significantly built trust and tolerance amongst residents (Everyday Democracy).

The Economic Problem faced by Iraq Essay Example For Students

The Economic Problem faced by Iraq Essay Yr 12 Economics Essay1) Outline the economic problem faced by IraqThe economic problem of Iraq is how to use what little resources they have to satisfy the countries unlimited wants. Iraq is only just starting to recover from the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein and with the Americans trying to help rebuild the process is coming along steadily. The country is very oil rich but because of previous wars many of the oil refineries are badly damaged or destroyed, this means that they have very little to export. There was a time when the country was farmed but again under the regime of Saddam Hussein to much emphasis was put on oil production on no money was put into the agricultural sector, thus the industry went broke. This had led to a decrease in exports from agriculture but it has also meant that Iraq has had to import food that it would normally produce in its own backyard. This may not seem a bit issue but over a decade it will end up costing the country millions. The economic probl em within Iraq is the same for all countries, how to use their limited resources to satisfy their unlimited wants. In their case though they have to rebuild the whole country with their resources and try and get the country to achieve a surplus budget. We will write a custom essay on The Economic Problem faced by Iraq specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now 2) Explain what type of economic system would best suit Iraq and how Iraq would decide the What, How and For Whom decisions faced by all societies. Iraq needs a new economic system after the U.S.A overthrew the Saddam Hussein dictatorship. It is obvious that they will need a mixed economy as is outlined below. This will help them to eventually get back on their own two feet, without relying on other countries for foreign debt. A traditional economic system is one in which individuals produce goods and services for the peoples own use and not for exchange. Customs and age old traditions play an important role in the way people cater for their needs. Iraq would need some sort of traditional economy to produce agricultural goods which once upon a time made up a significant part of the Iraq exports along with oil. In a market economy decisions are made according to the market forces rather than tradition. Households and firms made spending decisions according to their own private wants. The What to Produce is decided by the interaction in the market place of consumers, business and government. With the power of What to Produce belonging to the people it gives them greater flexibility in what is created. Consumers make most What? decisions through casting dollar votes in the market. How to Produce is mainly decided by the managers of businesses who choose a combination of resources which is most efficient and cost effective. They produce at the lowest cost so as to receive the greatest profit. For Whom to Produce is determined by peoples ability to pay. Those with the highest incomes receive the greatest access to what is produced. A Market economy would help Iraq because the people get to choose what is produced by casting dollar votes. It will also give them the ability to change products if necessary. The market price would be determined by supply and demand rather than on what the government say. Also most resources are privately owned and therefore the profits belong to the people and will not go the government. This will benefit the rest of the community because the money will stay within the community when it is spent and provide others with an income. .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 , .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .postImageUrl , .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 , .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765:hover , .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765:visited , .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765:active { border:0!important; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765:active , .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765 .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udc5f2dfd3e3bd85ff3104ab540c0a765:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: DBQ: Reforming Movements affect on the Democracy o EssayA planned economy is one where the basic economic decisions are made by government on behalf of the people and resources are owned in common, by the people and allocated by the government. The most important belief in the ideology of a command economy is that everyone should have equal access to the economys production of goods and services. This means that every citizen should receive the same wage. Decisions about What to Produce are made by a central bureau that sets plans for the production pf capital and consumer goods. Individuals have little influence over what is produced. Decisions about How to Produce are al so made by a central bureau. Productive resources are socially owned and controlled by the state. Methods of production are determined on the basis of what is socially desirable. The central bureau will choose the method that is best for the people and not necessarily the cheapest to produce. This might mean instead of using machinery to make a dam they will use human labour. This will benefit the community because a lot more people are employed, and more money is in the community. This would help Iraq because the people are going to be able to find jobs easily, and money will be available to anyone who is willing to work, this way more people will have a decent quality of life. For Whom to Produce decisions are based on the social good of the community. There is greater equality of income distribution. The State determines incomes and prices. Allocation of resources is largely dictated by a central authority. This system provides few material incentives. Moral and social incentives play a larger role, such as worker of the month awards. This type of economy would be a great advantage to Iraq because the people would have all their needs in terms of food and clothing met by a central bureau. This would create an equal society with only a small gap between the rich and poor. The best sort of economy for the country of Iraq would be a mixed economy. Utilizing the most effective parts of all the different kind of economies Iraq would have a very sound system operating in their country. Mixed Economy of IraqSHAPE * MERGEFORMAT PlannedMarketTraditionalThis would be the place to operate for the people of Iraq. Here they have the freedom to produce a lot of items that they want, with little interference with the government. On the other hand the government has enough power to keep a firm eye on what is happening and also produce what it believes to be in the best interest of Iraq. Finally there is the traditional, which does not make up a very large part of the economy but is very important none-the-less. This will be used to sustain the country and give it something to build on in the future. As you can see you from the diagram above, a mixed economy if the only option for Iraq is they want to successfully rebuild their country.

Eating Disorders in Adolescent Girls

Introduction Eating disorder among adolescent girls is a health issue that has become very common in the United States over the last decades. According to Golden et al (2003), this disorder arises when adolescents deliberately eat an amount of food that is below the standard levels based on the requirements of the body.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Eating Disorders in Adolescent Girls specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As Field et al. state, â€Å"although the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing, the desire to be thin or to have well-defined or toned muscles is still very widespread† (2003, p. 900). For a human body to function properly there is a specific amount of food intake that should be observed on a daily basis. This will help in the normal running of bodily organs. When this amount is not met, the body will be forced to work with lesser amount of energy. This leads to malno urishment among those who are suffering from this complication. The most common sign among people with this disorder is a thin body. This condition may occur when an individual lacks enough food to make them healthy. However, it is a worrying trend that girls at their adolescent consider being thin as a sign of beauty. For this reason, they starve themselves in the name of fighting excessive fat. They deliberately avoid taking some means, and when they have to eat, and then their diet is always lean, with lots of water. The problem is so contagious that majority of the American adolescent girls currently suffer from this health complication. These adolescents want to be noticed. Peer pressure and the press have convinced them that the only way through which they can be noticed is when they have a thin body (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Slim has been considered as a sign of beauty, and adolescent girls are willing to go an extra mile with their diet in order to achieve th is. The result has been massive malnutrition that brings other health complications. Discussion from the Interview In order to get more insight into the causes, effect, the prevalence and solution to eating disorders among the adolescent girls in this country, the researcher interviewed Paul Marcus who is a psychologist who works in private practice with adolescents, especially girls with eating disorders. According to this psychologist, eating disorder starts among the adolescent aged between 12-14 years.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, their condition escalates when they reach between the ages of 15-20. It is at this stage that these girls seek much attention and are very concerned of their appearance. Some of the risk factors that would make girls of this age develop this disorder include dysfunctional family dynamics, being in a culture where being thin is highly valued, peer and media pressure on the beauty of being thin. Girls of this age are always under pressure and anxiety to look presentable in order to gain acceptance among peers. They let their anxiety control them. Unstable families where parents are not in control of the behavior of their teenage children are always more likely to have children suffering from eating disorders than those with stability where parents are in control of the welfare of their children. Children exposed to abuse at home, either physically or psychologically are also more likely to develop this disorder. This is because they will always be looking for comfort outside their homes, and this can only be achieved when they look presentable. According to this psychologist, it is possible to detect early signs of eating disorders before the negative impact is manifested on the victim. Some of the most common signs include avoidance of meals either at school or at home, visiting the washroom immediately after me als, a lot of time dedicated to looking self on the mirror, obsession with nutrition, vomiting without just cause, anemia, and over-exercising. The above are some of the symptoms that an individual is taking the ideas of being thin very seriously. This psychologist also states that eating disorders are always combined with other psychological disorders. Because this is a type of anxiety disorder, it is always accompanied with other psychological disorders such as GAD, OCD, depression or even substance abuse. Depending on the level of anxiety and dissatisfaction with the current body weight, an individual can develop a series of other psychological disorders as she tries to push herself beyond limits in order to reduce weight to levels she considers acceptable among her peers. Marcus says that there are a number of effects of eating disorder. One such effect is weight loss. Patients suffering from eating disorder always lose weight at terrific rates, especially when they push themsel ves very hard on the need to lose weight.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Eating Disorders in Adolescent Girls specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These are some medical consequences that are related to this weight loss such as ulcers, infections in the throat, stomach and intestines, heart complication due to lack of enough energy, mood disorders among others. The family will also be affected as such an individual will tend to be an introvert, especially when the weight loss is not coming at the anticipated rate. Some girls are also vulnerable to stomach infections and infertility. Paul Marcus says that in order to treat this disorder, it is important to start by appreciating that this is a psychological disorder and can only be treated from the psychological perspective. One of the most common ways of treating this disorder is through cognitive behavioral therapy. This will involve making them appreciate their body the way they are and dispelling the idea that only thinness is a sign of beauty. This therapy will also dispel the perfectionist notion that these adolescents always develop. Another approach will be family therapy. In this case, the family will be involved in making the victim recover from this condition. The family will be demanded to show love and care to the victim, and make her feel valued by the family members irrespective of her weight. The family members will also monitor the diet of the victim closely to ensure that she takes enough food every day. Marcus says that there are a number of ways of determining if an individual has met the DSM IV criteria for bulimia or anorexia nervosa. Blatant refusal to maintain body weight at or above minimally acceptable weight for age and height is one such indication. Intense fear of any slight body gain and being at peace with a skinny body is another indication. Others are in constant denial that their weight is below the mi nimally accepted level, while others engage in inappropriate compensatory measures whenever they feel that they had taken excess meals at one time. Fasting and excessive exercise, misuse of laxatives and diuretics is another indication. Marcus admits that treating eating disorder patients is an extremely challenging. This is because they are not easily convinced that weight loss can be dangerous to their health. Because this is a psychological problem, if the patients fail to internalize the importance of having a normal body weight, they cannot accept the treatment offered.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They also need close family supervision. This psychologist summarizes by saying that adolescent girls at puberty who are concerned with the emerging cultures in this society should be observed very closely to ensure that they do not get this disorder in the name of looking for beauty. Supportive Literature The issue of eating disorder among the adolescent girls in this country has raised a lot of questions among the policy makers, parents and other stakeholders. According to Killen et al (2006), eating disorders among the adolescent girls has been on the rise. When they reach puberty, girls realize that they should look beautiful and presentable among their peers. At this stage, they do not have to struggle looking for the information of what makes a lady beautiful and presentable. This message is all over in the media, among the peers and the articles they read. They realize that the solution is to reduce their body weight. According to Graham (2010), the problem starts when they r ealize that the weight loss is not coming at the desired rate. This makes them push themselves beyond their limits. This scholar says that the message that teenagers get from their peers and from the media has massive influence on their behavior. For instance, it is common to find a situation where those who are considered as overweight being rebuked by their peers. In such instances, the victim or a witness of these abuses will try to avoid such scenario. To achieve this, they try to regulate their eating habits in order to gain the weight that their peers would consider admirable. The media also plays a massive role in influencing adolescent girls to regulate their eating habits. According to Fritz (2008), media has successfully convinced the adolescent girls that beauty can only be achieved when one is beautiful. The models are women who are skinny, and this makes young girls admire being thin. The process of weight loss always starts by avoiding some kind of foods which are cons idered to contain excessive fat. This is a good move towards healthy eating. However, this gets worse when these youngsters get pressure of increased weight loss within the shortest time possible. They lower their food intake to the levels where the body gets malnourished. What is worrying is that when they become malnourished, they consider themselves slim enough to earn acceptance and admiration among peers. It is at this stage that one would be considered to be suffering from eating disorder. As Golden et al (2003) observe, this disorder may have serious negative impact on an individual. For this reason, it is important for all the stakeholders to advise the adolescent girls on the dangers of this eating disorder. They should be made to appreciate their condition. Conclusion The discussion above has clearly demonstrated that eating disorder in adolescent girls is an issue that is on the rise within this country. The gravity of this issue shows that no adolescent girl is safe from this disorder as long as they are exposed to the wrong impression from media and their peers that beauty can only be achieved when one is slim. Parents must be responsible for their families and convince their adolescent girls that they are beautiful the way they are. References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th Ed.). New York, NY: American Psychiatric Association. Field, A.E., Austin, S. B., Taylor, C. B., Malspeis, S, Rosner, B., Rockett, H.R., Gillman, M.W., Colditz, G.A. (2003). Relation Between Dieting and Weight Change Among Preadolescents and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 112(4), 900 – 906. DOI: 10.1542/peds.112.4.900. Fritz, R. (2008). The power of a positive attitude: Discovering the key to success. New York: AMACOM. Golden, N., Katzman, D.K., Kreipe, R.E., Stevens, S.L., Sawyer, S.M., Rees, J., Nicholls, D., Rome, E.S Society For Adolescent Medicine. (2003). Eating disorders in Adolescents: Position Pa per of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Journal of Adolescent Health, 33(1), 496-503. Graham, J. (2010). Critical thinking in consumer behavior: Cases and experiential exercises. Prentice Hall: Pearson. Killen, D., Hayward, T.C., Wilson, D. M., Haydel, K.F., Hammer, L.D., Simmonds, B., Robinson, T. N., Litt, I. Varady, A. Kraemer, H. (2006). Pursuit of thinness and onset of symptoms in a community sample of adolescent girls: A three year prospective analysis. International journal of eating disorders, 16(3), 227-238. This research paper on Eating Disorders in Adolescent Girls was written and submitted by user Braelynn Rose to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

History and Impact of African-American Slave Songs essays

History and Impact of African-American Slave Songs essays Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; Jimmy Crack Corn; Frankie and Johnny; String of Pearls; Blue Moon; Jingle Bell Rock; and Dirty Pop: none of these songs would be here today without influence from African-American culture. Some people have a hard time listening to black music, meaning Jazz, Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop but using the same logistics, you would have to put Rock, Pop, many church hymns, and much of choral literature in the same category. For the most part people do not understand the origins of the many types of music we hear around us every day. Unless your high school music teacher found this type of appreciation necessary, or you happened to take some music courses in college, chances are youre a part of the most people. To understand and fully appreciate the music you enjoy today, you must first understand that while African-American slave songs were a prominent part of pre-Civil War culture, they have also had great influence on modern culture. In order to further understand African-American music, you must first know a certain amount of information about African music and culture. Music was and is a very important part of African culture. Much of African music was used as a way to document history. Because they did not have a written language, history was told through stories and in traditional folk songs. Music was also used in celebration of anything you can possibly think of. There were traditional songs to celebrate weddings, births, and even the loss of a baby tooth. In response to his own findings, Ralph Ellison wrote [I]t was the Africans origin in cultures in which art was highly functional which gave him an edge in shaping the music and dance of this nation. (Collier 1) African speech added to the use of music. Much like changing the tone of your voice can add a new meaning to a sentence, changing the pitch or quality of your voice changes the meaning of most Af...

Family Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Family Communication - Assignment Example Second level is connected which means that the family members are experiencing some closeness with sense of belonging and loyalty. Thirdly, cohesion is a type of relationship which involves family members are striving for emotional closeness, loyalty, and togetherness with the emphasis on some individuality. Enmeshed is the last level of family communication which means that the family members are very close, loyal, and dependent and there is almost no individuality (Kathleen M. Galvin, 2012). My mom and dad have been having a good relationship between themselves and also with the other relatives. One day Mr. James my brothers teacher came home and reported that my brother Vin was not attending classes and had was always late in school. My mother disclosed all this information to father meaning that she possessed good self-disclosure characteristics. In addition to this, my mother spoke to my brother regarding the problem while we were taking supper. She explained to my brother that education was important and it defined ones future. This shows that my mother has good listening skills. To prove that my brother was a good a good listener, he looked directly at my mom. He responded to my mother’s instructions by nodding his head which is a positive feedback for someone with good listening skills. Since this day my brother has never missed

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example The paper throws light on cyberspace, a mine field for seekers of information. With every interaction with websites, there would be an increasing demand for personal information. Such have been used by malicious persons for their own gains. Air travel has been hard hit by cyber crime and cyber-security in airports has been a challenge with each passing day. The internet has been used for various purposes which include gathering, storage, processing and transfer of vast data amounts, which include sensitive and proprietary personal, transactional and business data. Organizations have heavily depended on computer systems for day-to-day businesses. Even as this capability has been relied more and more by various individuals and organizations, the internet has been plagued by threats of cyber-security. The information available in the internet has been used to create threats to operations of businesses and individuals. These threats evolve with the expansion of the internet and the risks that come with it continue to grow globally. The United States of America remain to be the hardest hit by cybercrime according to the report on internet crime by Bureau of Justice Assistance. There is a wide range of cyber attacks. Insider threats form the core perpetrators in computer crimes. According to Vatis, â€Å"insiders do not need a great deal of knowledge about computer intrusions† as they posses adequate knowledge on the systems which they attack which allows them to have unrestricted access â€Å"to damage the system or to steal system data†. ... ge about computer intrusions† as they posses adequate knowledge on the systems which they attack which allows them to have unrestricted access â€Å"to damage the system or to steal system data† (2002, p.3). Criminal groups have also increasingly used cyber intrusions for monetary gains. Vatis gives an example of such a group referred to as ‘Phonemasters’ who were indicted for stealing and accessing federal interest computer and being in possession of access devices for which they were unauthorized. Virus writers also pose a great threat to security in IT. Viruses propagate quickly because of the high speed networks currently available. Anti-virus software available and being careful with attachments would go a long way in curtailing such epidemics. Other cyber attacks emanate from terrorists, hackers and information warfare. Vatis defines cyber attacks as â€Å"computer-to-computer attacks carried out to steal, erase, or alter information or to destroy or impede the functionality of the target computer system† (2002, p.10). These could be categorized into three, namely; unauthorized intrusions where the attacker uses hacking techniques to break into a computer or unauthorized access by an insider to accomplish unauthorized tasks in the network; destructive worms or viruses spread through computers using forms of data exchange such as emails causing some parts of the network to lose functionality; and denial of service attacks where a computer would be overloaded with communication thus hampering its functionality. Due to the ever increasing critical business partners connected to customers and partners on the internet, many organizations have been left exposed to cyber attacks. There is no guarantee that malicious acts or intrusions would not happen. But aviation

Temporary files Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Temporary files - Research Paper Example Thus, erasing these files from the system is able to create tons of problems to our PC. In this scenario, the diversity is fact about the temporary files which are utilized to keep data which is presently utilized by plenty of programs, otherwise information to be exchanged by programs or by the OS platform. Additionally, the moment a computer program is working with data; it can create various temporary files. In this scenario application has the potential to make use of these temporary files while execution, as well as once the execution of a particular application is stopped; it must remove its temporary files subsequently. In addition, the increasing volume of temporary files inside our computer system gets room from our computer hard disk and consequently decelerates our system performance and capabilities. Since our computer hard drive has plenty of temporary files, every file is divided over a single portion. This division will surely enable our hard disk inconsistent/fragment ed; as a result of that computer hard drive will take extra time to find out the location of the files before reading a particular portion of hard disk. Therefore, this will certainly reduce the speed of our computer (FixMyComputerErrors, 2011; Beal, 2010).

Tranformational Leadership And Mahatma Ghandi

Tranformational Leadership And Mahatma Ghandi According to Yukl (2010), leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives. To put it simply leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. The leader is the inspiration. He/she is the person in the group that possesses the combination of personality and skills that make others want to follow his/her direction. Gandhi tells us a tale of how a person can make a difference. The movie describes how he changes the perspective of people and creates a revolutionary change. He was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He led the non-violence resistance movement against the British colonial rule in India during the first half of the twentieth century. He pioneered Satyagraha which is defined as the resistance to oppression through mass civil disobedience, a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total non-violence. This concept not only helped India gain independence but also inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Known as Mahatma (great soul), Gandhi was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule, and is widely considered as the father of the nation. His doctrine of non-violent protests, through his weapons of truth and love to achieve political and social progress has been largely influential to leaders across the world. (BBC on Gandhi) The following section deals with several leadership theories that can be used to explain Gandhis leadership style as portrayed in the movie (Gandhi, 1982). TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORY According to Bass (1985, 1996), the leader transforms and motivates followers by making them more aware of the importance of task outcomes, inducing them to transcend their own self interest for the sake of the organization or team, and activating their higher order needs. (Yukl, 2010) Transformational leadership increases follower motivation and performance. The extent, to which a leader is transformational, is measured in terms of his influence on the followers. The followers of such a leader feel trust, admiration, loyalty and respect for the leader and because of these qualities of the transformational leader are willing to work harder than originally expected. These outcomes occur because the transformational leader offers followers something more than just working for self gain; they provide followers with an inspiring mission and vision, and provide them an identity. The leader creates positive change in the followers and induces people to be aware of what they feel to feel their true needs so strongly, to define their values so meaningfully, that they can be moved to purposeful action. In this leadership style, the leader also enhances the motivation, performance and morale of his follower group. Gandhi demonstrated transformational leadership. His followers were influenced by his drastic method of nonviolent protests and he instilled trust, loyalty, admiration and respect amongst his followers. He also transformed his followers in a literal sense changed them in mind and heart, enlarged vision and clarified purposes to make behaviour congruent with his beliefs, principles and values. Bass (1996) further described four types of transformational leadership behaviour Idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and inspirational motivation. Types of transformational leadership behaviour in context to the movie Transformational Style Meaning Relation to the movie Idealized influence Arouse strong follower emotions and identification with the leader. Setting an example of courage and dedication, and making self sacrifices to benefit the followers. Gandhi talked about truth and love and preached the same through his non-violence resistance movements such as satyagraha and non-cooperation. Sacrifices like time away from family and long fasting periods for social protest. Intellectual stimulation Behaviour that increases follower awareness of problems and influences followers to view problems from a new perspective. Gandhi held several meetings to talk about the issues faced by people and the importance of following his values to fight for the countrys independence. He also ensured that his beliefs were followed in the manner as he preached. Individualized consideration Involves communicating personal respect to followers by providing support, encouragement and coaching. Gandhi was interactive, spoke to everyone and knew what was happening in their lives. Got involved with everyone and made them feel important by providing support whenever possible. Inspirational motivation Inspiring and empowering followers to enthusiastically accept and pursue challenging goals and missions. Gandhi inspired his followers through his principles and protests for which he was also sent to prison on various occasions. He was determined that his beliefs would finally attain swaraj (independence). Two key effects that transformational leaders achieve are to evoke strong emotions and cause identification of the followers with the leader. Mahatma Gandhi is a great example of a transformational leader because of his contribution not just to his country but to social thinking around the world that inspired many other different world leaders. Gandhi is considered as one of the few individuals who embodied the ideals of a transformational leader. SERVANT LEADERSHIP THEORY Servant leadership is primarily about helping people and fostering a relationship of trust and cooperation. Servant leaders must listen to followers; learn about their needs and aspirations, stand for what is good and right, oppose social injustice and inequality, must respect and appreciate the weak and marginal members of society and also empower followers instead of using power to dominate them. Greenleaf (1977) proposed that service to followers is the primary responsibility of leaders. The servant leader is a servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Another important quality of a servant leader is the ability to accept his people unconditionally. It is creative as it stems from a genuine concern for the people rather than external motivations such as the need for power. It also leads to larger issues as it ultimately leads to a desire to serve the society at large. A servant leader is motivated, not by a desire to control others, but by a desire to help them realize their dignity and power. Gandhi preached non-violence and dedicated his life to the achievement of a better life for the downtrodden. He served as a catalyst and example, providing vision and inspiring hope. He empowered the masses to march to the sea to make salt. In doing so they demonstrated their capacity for self governance and impressed upon history a very powerful image. One of the key qualities of the true servant leader is that he is chosen by the people. When Gandhi was returning to India after the conclusion of the case for which he had gone to South Africa, he was given a farewell party. Over there, he expressed his concerns for the bill that was then before the House of Legislature that sought to deprive Indians of their franchise. Before he quite knew it, he had been elected by the people to stay on and fight for their rights. This was the beginning of his mission to serve humanity Servant leaders transform people and bring out what they themselves dont suspect is in them. Gandhi did the same with the Indian masses during their struggle for independence. Gandhi also stated that service to the poor has been my hearts desire and it has always thrown me amongst the poor and enabled me to identify myself with them. Hence we can say that Gandhi was the quintessential servant leader. Key values of a servant leader with examples from the movie- Integrity Gandhi always communicated in an open and honest way. He only preached what he practiced himself and which were consistent with his values. He admitted and accepted responsibility for mistakes and never attempted to manipulate or deceive people. For example Gandhi swore to speak the truth and advocated others to do the same. Altruism Gandhi was willing to make sacrifices to protect and benefit others and always put the needs of others ahead of his own needs. For instance his hunger strike for activities which he believed were wrong such as riots between Hindus and Muslims, his march to the sea to make salt as he believed the British Empires monopoly of salt was wrong. Humility Gandhi always treated others with respect, avoided status symbols and special privileges and was always modest about his achievements. For illustration he respected his colleagues as well as people from all castes and creed. Despite being proclaimed a leader by the masses he always emphasized that he was not a leader and lived in modesty in a village in India with only the basic essentials required by a human being. He also spun the cloth that he wore which was the khadi. Empathy and healing Gandhi helped others cope with emotional distress, encouraged forgiveness and reconciliation after a conflict and acted as a peacemaker. For example upon his return to India he travelled various regions of the country and met with a lot of villagers who were suppressed by the landlords, given measly compensation and lived in extreme poverty. He heard their stories and provided them courage to protest against the landlords for which he was sent to prison also. Also to act as a peacemaker for the religious tensions within the country he stated that I am a Muslim and a Hindu and a Christian and a Jew and so are all of you. Fairness and justice Gandhi encouraged and supported the fair treatment of people, spoke against unjust and unfair policies and opposed violations of civil rights. For instance when he realized that the laws in South Africa were biased against the Indians, he decided to start a non-violent protest campaign to obtain basic rights for all Indians. He quoted that The function of a civil resistance is to provoke response and we will continue to provoke until they respond or change the law. They are not in control; we are. The government finally relented by recognizing rights for Indians. DEVELOPMENT OF A LEADER Leadership can be learnt unlike the trait theory which states that leaders are born with certain characteristics that make them a leader. The development of Gandhi as a leader explains how people or environments affect the actions of leaders. Gandhi was not a leader by birth, he developed the skills required to be an effective leader. In the movie it is very explicitly clear that Gandhi learnt and developed his leadership skills in South Africa and honed them in India. He had a feeling for his followers, but he developed tools and methods to become an effective leader over time. He had rock solid values from which his activities stemmed, and he had a totally interdependent relation with his followers.

What Are Years? by Marianne Moore :: Poems, Poetry Analysis

I’ve read this poem quite a few times. I still don’t completely understand it but I do like this poem. I think what’s great about this particular poem is the fact that it has not left my mind since the first time I read it. I have read it again and again. There is something about the first lines â€Å"What is our innocence, what is our guilt? All are naked, none are safe.† Within those lines my attention was caught and I just knew that this was going to be a very interesting poem. I also like the last line â€Å"This is mortality, this is eternity.† It has this lasting, lingering quality that makes what you’ve just read stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Something in the way Moore wrote this poem really got under my skin and made me take a deeper look at what this poem trully means. I think what Moore is really talking about is satisfaction with the life you're living. Thre is no prefection in life, but if you can be happy with who you are as a person you will find joy.

Mattel’s Toy Recall And Supply Chain Management Essay

Why do firms contract overseas for production of products they sell? Answer: The firms contract overseas for production of the products they sell to gain certain advantages from the different countries. One of the biggest advantages is cheap labor that cut down the cost of the products. To get the advantage of the cheap fuel prices and raw materials to make the products at effective cost. The companies can get the tax benefits and other government policy advantages by producing their products at overseas. The companies can also get the lower cost suppliers from different countries. The company can get the advantage of currency fluctuation to produce the products at lower currency rate. What were the primary causes of Mattel’s recall problems? Answer: There were several causes for Mattel’s toy recall. But the primary causes are problems in manufacturing, design and usage. Manufacturing Problems: One primary problem is the use of excessive lead paint in toys. Lead was commonly used in paint. However, it is a neurotoxin and is harmful to developing brains in children. Repeated exposure can cause serious brain damage. Design problems: A second cause for recall was defect in product design. That was the result of increasing use of small powerful magnets in children’s toys. If the designs of these toys were deficient and did not adequately encase the magnets, they could become dislodged and swallowed by the children. When a child ingested more than one magnet, the ingested magnet could be bind together across intestinal folds, eventually perforating the intestine and causing serious injury or death. Product misuse: Some recalls were due to the potential for misuse. Some features of the toys generally were not a ca use for concern if children used the toy in intended way, but children often found creative ways to play that were not anticipated by designers. So, if potential danger was brought to the  company’s attention, the toy might be subject to recall. What actions taken by whom to deal with the recall problems? Do you think these actions were the right one? Why or why not? Answer: In early July 2007, one of the Mattel’s European retailer discovered excessive lead on some of the company’s toys. Mattel stopped production and launched investigation of the problem. The company received data that convinced that recall is necessary. In August Mattel announced voluntary recall of 83 Fisher-Price products sold from May 1 to August 1, 2007. The recall involved about 1.5 million toys worldwide. Two-third of the toys were pulled from inventory before they reached retail customers. After first recall Mattel announced second voluntary recall for toys with excessive lead content. The recall involved 436,000 toys worldwide. After the second recall Mattel announced to recall the Sarge toy cars, an expansion of earlier recall due to small magnets. It recalled 18.2 million toys worldwide. All of the toys recalled had been manufactured in China. Two weeks after the August 2nd recall, the owner of the Chinese factory that used the lead paint committed suicide. According to my opinion, the actions taken by Mattel were absolutely right. Mattel has been criticized heavily for having to recall not once but twice in as many weeks 20 million toys manufactured in China with lead paint and/or loose, potentially dangerous magnets. Clearly Mattel did not have sufficiently tight quality control procedures in its supply chain to compensate for the extra risks of outsourcing to relatively new Chinese subcontractors. Clearly there were design flaws in the toys with the magnets that could come loose. Though the recall of the products had created serious problems for Mattel and for manufacturers of China, the products were highly dangerous for the children which needed serious concern. But the positive point was both the Governments of China and U.S. tightened the rules regarding product safety. They also raised the product quality standards and product testing. The CEO of the Mattel had taken personal charge of the situation. He has apologized publicly and taken immediate steps to tighten quality assurance requirements on Mattel’s suppliers. What should Mattel do now? What should China do now? Answer: Mattel has faced a series of difficult and potentially crippling challenges, including the lawsuits. Mattel should attempt to rectify its mistakes and to prevent future mistakes as well. Mattel should work hard for  restoring goodwill and faith in its brands, even as it continues to be plagued with residual distrust over the lead paint scandal. Mattel should upgrade its safety standards and quality control. Mattel should be careful for approaching international supply chain management strategies. Mattel should make sure its Chinese suppliers operate ethically, including treating their workers fairly. Whereas Mattel can do randomly test finished toys, as it should now test every single batch of toys produced. Safety checks should also get beefed up at the supplier and subcontractor level prior to the finishing of the product. Reputations are hard won and easily lost, but Mattel should appear to be steadfast in its commitment to restoring its reputation. After the recall by M attel, China’s export manufacturing sector, an important factor driving country’s economic growth, had been stung by suffering highly visible problems. The â€Å"made in china† brand was in real danger. At that point China needed to prove that they could produce products to the quality and safety standards expected by the rest of the world. China should ask companies to hire full time inspection staff and allow their customers to inspect their plants. China should enforce quality licensing system for product exports. Chinese agency should increase efforts to certify exporters and should severely punish and blacklist the companies that fail to meet performance requirements. Though Mattel had taken full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to the Chinese people and all of their customers who received the toys, China was fighting with the brand image in the international market. How can accountability be increased and better managed when production is moved overseas to other firms in the supply chain? Answer: There are many criticisms levelled at multinational organizations for choosing to relocate their manufacturing operations from domestic markets in developed countries to developing countries many thousands of miles away. Suspicion is often focused on cheap labor and possibly lower or less enforced health, safety and environmental legislation all contributing to lower production costs. But to increase accountability and better production management at overseas the company needs to have law inventories, flexible manufacturing and close relationship with suppliers and customers. Better managed supply chain requires close coordination with suppliers to achieve the desire level of quality and delivery. It also needs to have frequent communications with the suppliers  and customers. It entails to have close coordination among product design, engineering, the manufacturing plant, and suppliers. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that its products are produced to the highest safety standards that its workers are not exploited and that health and safety and environmental standards not compromised in the search for lower prices. In this case the stakes are very high since the safety of all our children is at stake as well as the acceptance of the ‘Made in China’ designation in world markets.

Organisational Behaviour essays

Organisational Behaviour essays Organisational behaviour is the study of individuals or employees within an organisational environment, aimed at providing the ability to understand subordinate behaviour. A firm understanding of employee behaviour and the factors and attributes that influence this behaviour will enable managers to identify what measures will encourage high performance and satisfy employees. There are many measures and techniques available to encourage optimal performance and ensure job satisfaction. We shall examine motivation and empowerment approaches managers should use to create a satisfying working environment characterised by high performing employees. The Macquarie Concise Dictionary defines motivation as 1. A motivating; providing of a motive; 2. giving purpose There has been many theories established over time that assist managers to understand how motivation works, and what employees value in order to understand what measures can be used to motivate them, below is an explanation on a handful of these theories. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs presents the concept that individuals have varying and different needs and puts these needs in order of importance. Maslows formulation suggests that some needs have higher priority than others and therefore must be satisfied before the other needs may serve as motivators. (Wood, J.M., Wallace, J.P. and Zeffane, R. 2001 ). As shown in the diagram following, Maslow argues that the most pressing need has to be satisfied before another, higher in the hierarchy becomes active. At the most basic level, people have physiological needs - needs stem...

3 Things You Need to Do Before You Apply For a New Job

3 Things You Need to Do Before You Apply For a New Job If your current job isn’t keeping you challenged and on your toes, stepping out into the field might be a great idea. So take a deep breath, make sure you’re sure you want to quit  your job, and do the following three things. 1. Re-evaluate your current gigWhat did you love about this job? Can you remember why you were excited about it in the first place? What did you learn? These questions will help you to make the best choice about your next gig. By being honest about the good and bad aspects of your current job, you’ll know better what you’re really looking for with your next.2. Don’t burn any bridgesYou need to look for new connections and new mentors, but you also need to keep up the relationships you already have. Be as active as possible in recruiting new talent into your network, and getting yourself out there in your new industry or work group, but don’t let your existing network fizzle. You’ll never know when you might need those contacts.3. Come out in the openThe hardest part will be telling your current boss that you are leaving- or thinking about leaving. But it is much better to be up front about this. It’s the classy and professional move. Your boss will thank you for the lead time to fill your position- and a month to six weeks notice is much better than the standard two.As long as you’re honest with yourself and your current boss, you can walk clear-eyed and contented into your next opportunity.

Amusement Park Promotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Amusement Park Promotion - Essay Example You know what you are doing, but nobody else does† (as cited in Huddle, 2011, p.2). In this respect, the work of marketing department plays one of the most important roles in the future performance of any company, influencing on its profitability and prosperity. To satisfy the requirements of leadership, concerning season ticket holders of amusement park, it is imperative to implement the most effective instruments of promotion policy that is directed to give customers full information about services and persuade potential consumers to purchase them. Therefore the main goal of promotion is to raise demand for park’s services and convert occasional visitors to constant clients. Analyzing effectiveness and costs of all types of promotion, it is recommended to use advertising and sales promotion methods. First of all, it is important to influence on customers’ decision to choose amusement park with a help of flexible policy of discounts. It may be useful to reduce th e price of season ticket such way that buying occasional ticket will be less economic for visitors.

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Find a web site about a vernacular dance forms. It could be anything to do with ethnic, folk, ballroom, jazz, or tap dancing - Essay Example Shopping is divided into videos, music, books, gift cards, and customer service. The classifieds section offers a partner search and a dancewear section, while the directory offers teachers, studios, dance locations, vendors, services, clubs and teams, organizations, and other dance sites. The forum, or message board, is comprised of just about any topic that the reader may think of, as well as some others that may not be imagined. People can ask anything about anything related to dance. The site itself is full of a wide variety of information, and the information is arranged in a useful and easy to navigate manner. While the content provided is clear and concise, the site itself leaves much to be desired in terms of design. The site itself tried to appear fancy, though the colors, the fonts, and the attempts at adding sparkles to the fonts just end up making it look tacky. The videos themselves attempt to show the dances in a professional manner, however, the people look cheesy and fake, instead of like people who are genuinely interested in dancing; the overlaid text at the beginning of the videos is the same tacky fonts that are in use on the homepage of the site itself. If the site used something other than XHTML and javascript, the site could be done in a far more professional manner. Likewise, if the forum was to use phpBB instead of javascript, it would offer a far more professional look and feel. Overall, the site itself has a host of valuable information, and it is presented in an easy to use and easy to navigate manner, however, the style of the site leaves much to be desired. Ballroom dancing is supposed to be elegant and beautiful, and a poorly designed site tends to not only detract from that, but also shows disrespect to the art

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Ethics and Corruption at News International - Essay Example d in 2005 when Clive Goodman wrote an article at News of the World stating that a member of the Royal Family, Prince William borrowed a portable editing suite from Tom Bradby, a correspondent from ITV. There were no other people who were aware of it except for Prince William and Tom Bradby and figured it was likely that their voicemails must have been illegally tapped. An investigation followed headed by Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police that led to search of News of the World London office where they found voice mail accounts belonging to Prince William’s aides that included Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton. Clive Goodman and his associate Glenn Mulcaire were later arrested by the Metropolitan Police and were charged with tapping the telephones of the royal family which is a criminal offence under section 79 of the  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (The National Archives). Both plead guilty of the charge and were sentenced to four and six months in jail. During a July 2011 investigation, it was revealed that the phone tapping were not only limited to the Royal Family and other public figures but also included the relatives of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and the victims of the July 7 London bombings. The Metropolitan Police also estimated that there may be 4,000 possible targets from the documents they seized from News of the World Today (BBC News 2011a) Further investigation revealed that moneys were paid to police between  £20,000 to  £30,000 in exchange for information that News International would published as confirmed by a former Scotland Yard chief (Chapman 2011). These incidents of phone tapping and police bribery revealed the extent of unethical practice in the journalism industry in the UK that resulted in a public outcry against New International’s insensitivity for the already aggrieved victims of crimes and its total disregard of ethical propriety in obtaining information. The News International case also

The Relation of Narratives and Video Games Essay Example for Free

The Relation of Narratives and Video Games Essay Video games are a relatively new form of entertainment; the first video game is considered to be Tennis for Two (1958), around fifty years ago, while film has been around for over one-hundred years, the printing press for over five-hundred, and storytelling for thousands of years before that. Because of its newness, video games are a developing medium, their conventions and potential have not been explored as fully in comparison with film and literature. Computers as a technology allow us to overcome more complex tasks and obtain and utilize information more quickly than previous technologies. Often there can be the tendency to describe the new medium as radically different from the old, solely based on its technology. However, it is not necessarily the case. Video games do have new capabilities that separate them from previous storytelling media and it is these new characteristics of video games that separate them from film and literature, creating an environment of storytelling where the traditional narrative structure does not directly apply. Using narrative media as examples a lot can be discovered about video games, however, one must remember what makes them games. See more: how to start a narrative essay Looking at video games as a continuation of games in general rather than an extension of film, they hold a history dating as far back as the ancient Egyptian game of Senet (discovered in the 2686 BC tomb of Hesy-re) (Juul, Half-Real 3-4). It is these game components that must be understood before looking at games from different perspectives. Jesper Juul drew from theorists before him to present what he denotes the classic game model. Juul defines that a game is: 1. a rule-based formal system; 2. with variable and quantifiable outcomes; 3. where different outcomes are assigned different values; 4. where the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome; 5. the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome; 6. and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable (Half-Real 6-7). This model is only a barebones description of what games are and does not outline the variety of games, or what makes games enjoyable. This model is also transmedial, meaning that games are not tied to any medium, just as storytelling is not tied to any medium—there is no ideal game medium and there is no physical component common to all games, but there exists the â€Å"immaterial† component of rules that is common to all games. Rules are the base component of games. They govern how the game is played and they should be designed in a way to make it clear what is and is not allowed in playing the game. Games therefore resemble a state machine, a term used in computer science to describe a machine that consists of an initial state, accepts a number of input events, that changes the state responding to the inputs using a state transition function (in the case of this example, the game rules) and then produces outputs using an output function. Visualizing a game as such, the activity of playing a game produces a game tree that can be seen as branching off at each decision and input. Playing a game is interacting with this state machine and exploring this game tree (Juul, Half-Real 55-56). Rules, however, are seen everywhere in the world, and it is not solely the existence of rules that makes a game. The second item of the classic game model—that games must have variable and quantifiable outcomes—is a salient feature of the game. If a game exists in such a way that no matter how the player interacts with it, it always produces the exact same result, it is not a game. The variable outcomes must also have different values, with some being more desirable to attain than others. In the video game Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo 1985) the outcome of losing all of the game lives is less desirable than defeating the last stage. A player must also exert effort to influence the outcome, generally in a manner that requires more effort to realize a more desirable outcome. It is not merely enough that the player interacts with the game, they must also have a sense of agency. Agency is not simply interaction, but interaction where the player has influence (Murray 126). This separates games of pure chance and gambling as borderline cases. In a game where the player rolls a die and the result of rolling a six is considered victory, the player only exerts trivial effort to roll the die, and exhibits no agency. The player of a game must also feel emotionally attached to the outcome—if the player loses all of their lives in Super Mario Bros. , the player has achieved a negative outcome, and agrees to feel sad, while if they defeat the last stage, they have achieved a positive outcome and agree to feel happy. If the player is not emotionally attached to the outcome, they would not exert the effort to play. The sixth item of the classic game model separates games from the real world—game theorists Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman call this subset of the real world a magic circle (95). Games are a part of the world that they exist in, but the rules carve out a world separated from the real world. It is here where the consequences of outcomes are optional and negotiable—games are a voluntary activity where players can decide the consequences of the game. Soccer, as an example, is a game where in some cases players decide the consequences are simply the glory of victory, but other players, decide that the consequences are career-changing (in the case of professional soccer players). On the other hand, the rules for a political election are game-like and could be played as a game, but an actual election has decided, non-negotiable consequences and therefore is not a game. In the same manner, it could be argued that professional soccer is not a game, but soccer itself is still considered a game as it is known that soccer is played recreationally and its consequences are negotiable. The classic game model outlines games as a voluntary activity that evaluates a players performance—based on a players effort and skill in interacting with the game rules, a variable outcome with an attached value is reached, to which the player is emotionally attached. However, with the advent of the video game (as well as the pen-and-paper role-playing game), the classic game model is not all there is to games anymore. It is still a valuable definition, but the addition of the computer to games modifies the standard game definition. When it comes to rules, the computer is able to handle far more complex processes than a human, allowing for games where the player is free from enforcing the rules of the game, instead having the computer run as a referee of sort. This referee capability can operate anywhere from playing tic-tac-toe to simulating entire fictional worlds. The ability of the computer to run as a referee also allows for rules and calculations to be kept secret from the player. This ability to manage a large amount of information, as well as the ability to run it in secret allows for the computer to manage whole fictional worlds spawning a new type of game, the progression game. This now means there exists two types of games (elements of which can be combined): emergence games and progression games. Most games that have existed before video games are emergence games—games where a large variety of game variations and outcomes come from a small set of rules. Chess, soccer and Pong (Atari 1972) are examples of the emergence game. Progression games require the player to actualize a predefined sequence of events in order to beat the game. The progression game came about with the adventure game and early examples include The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo 1986) and Final Fantasy (Square 1987). Now that video games can have this progression capability and the ability to easily run fictional environments, they have expanded to include storytelling components. The study of video games, therefore, delves into not just the study of rules and interaction, but also the study of narrative as well. Narratives operate fundamentally differently than games and one cannot use the same methods of study for both. Therefore, when comparing games and narratives, just as one must understand games, the basics of narrative in comparison to games must be understood as well. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a narrative as a spoken or written account of connected events; a story. There are three traditional components of the narrative: setting, character and events (plot)—a narrative consists of a world situated in time, populated by characters that participate in action. The world is independent of the question of fictionality, as narratives can be of real as well as fictional events. They can also be split into two levels, the discourse (the telling of the story) and the story itself. Each of these levels has its own time, discourse time and story time, respectively. The story time is the time it took for the actual events to occur, and the discourse time is the time it takes for the retelling (Juul, â€Å"Games Telling Stories†). A week may pass in a story with no event, and thus the narrative could write it off in one sentence, while an action scene that lasted merely a few seconds could take much longer to explain. This means that even though the narrative may be observing events at a time, there exists an understanding that the events are not actually occurring at the moment of reading (Juul, â€Å"Games Telling Stories†). Narratives are not limited to the novel or storytelling, and can recognizably be translated between different narrative media—The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R Tolkien is recognizable as the movie of the same name. However, not everything can be transferred equally as well. For example, film is better at conveying action and movement, while the novel is better suited to producing inner thoughts. With games and narratives understood, examining the two side-by-side displays several differences. The most apparent of these is the difference in timing. The narrative has two levels, discourse and story, but when examining games in the same manner it is near impossible to distinguish between the two. In playing Super Mario Bros., when the player presses the A button on their controller, the in-game character jumps, thus synchronizing story and discourse time. It is imperative of the narrative that this separation in time exists. Not only does jumping in Super Mario Bros. place discourse and story time together, it also influences the game world. The understanding, in experiencing a narrative, that the time of the discourse is separate from the time of the events means that in some manner the events have already occurred (even if the setting is in some supposed future)—the events are unable to be influenced. The very agency that the player exercises in playing a game contradicts the idea of narrativity; it is impossible to influence an event that has already occurred (Juul, â€Å"Games Telling Stories†). Because of this contradiction, games themselves cannot be narratives, but this does not limit them from employing and producing them. The very activity of playing a game can produce a narrative, the player can tell a story of their experience in the game. Just as well, games can have stories told through them (especially progression games) as many games contain back-stories and quests that offer the player narratives alongside their play. Video games have two parts: rules (discussed earlier) and fiction. For a number of years, the arcade game was all that existed and they contained both rules and fiction, but the two were loosely connected. This led some to conclude that a games fiction is easily removable and replaceable, thus making it unimportant in relation to the rules. Juul had previously taken the stance that rules are what make a game a game, fiction is unnecessary for a game, a game with an excellent fiction can still be a terrible game, therefore fiction is unimportant in games (Half-Real 13). When looking at simple games such as Space Invaders (Taito 1978), one could remove the theme of an alien invasion and portray an advancing German front; the players spaceship could become a Russian tank. If the rules were kept the same, the player would experience no real difference between playing either, but the same sort of procedure would not perform the same if it were attempted on a progression game such as Myst (Broderbund 1993) because the game experience relies more heavily on the fiction. Juul stated that, There are, of course, many relationships between theme and structure in a game. Whether or not any of those relationships are essential, they are complex and vital enough to resist my attempt to lightly shuffle them around (Half-Real 15). If the fiction of a game is tied to its experience, what role does it play in the game and its rules? In some cases the fiction may point to the rules, as well as the other way around; in other cases the fiction serves the rules in an incoherent manner, subservient to gameplay. When it comes to the fiction component of games, one main difference from narrative media is that they do not require anthropomorphic actors/characters in order to be entertaining (Juul, Half-Real 160-161). While films and other stories are largely about humans or anthropomorphic characters that a viewer/reader identifies with on a cognitive level, games such as Tetris (Pazhitnov 1985), Pong and Missile Command (Atari 1980) exist without such. This lack of a visible actor does not make Tetris any less of a game, and makes the idea of a movie based on Tetris an unlikelihood, but it shows how games can accomplish something different, and almost completely separate, than traditional narrative media. Another main difference is the progression of time in games. Previously the difference with discourse and story time was explored, but the chronological appearance of time also varies between games and narratives. Due to the fixed, predetermined nature of a narrative the telling can jump around to various points in the story time either in flash-forwards or flash-backs. To do the same in a game becomes problematic, for predetermination precludes agency. If the player is put back in time (in the past), they are put in a situation where they must actualize a series of events that allows the game in the present to exist, thus limiting the player. The same goes for flash-forwards where the player is put in a position of what is to happen, limiting their play upon return to the present. However, even though games are not narratives, games are no longer strictly abstract. They often contain fictional components as well, leading to new types of games. Besides just viewing games as emergent and progressive, there exists five categories of games: abstract, iconic, incoherent world, coherent world and staged. Abstract games are games that does not, nor do its pieces, represent something else. The game of Go is a game that is merely rules and although there exist conventions for the size and appearance of the various game pieces, they do not mean anything. Tetris is a well known abstract video game. Iconic games are quite similar abstract games, but their individual pieces simply have iconic meaning. In a standard deck of cards there is a king, queen and jack of each of the four suits, but there is no clear explanation of their relation to the other kings, queens and jacks of the other suits. Incoherent world games are games that have a fictional world, but it either contains contradictions or events in the gameplay that cannot be explained by the fictional world. In Super Mario Bros. , Mario has multiple lives, but there exists nothing in the fiction that explains it, it only serves the rules. Chess represents two parties at war, but to explain the movement of the units one must refer to the rules as it is not apparent in the fiction. Coherent world games are games that have a fictional world that contain nothing that prevents the player from imagining them in full. Most adventure games such as the recent The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks 2012) are coherent world games. Staged games are a special type of abstract or representational game that are played inside of a larger, more elaborate world. Mario Party (Nintendo 1998) contains an overarching fictional world and game, but is largely made up of individual staged games. Another instance of the staged game is in Shenmue (Sega 1999) where the protagonist can play on in-game arcade machines. Each of these categories of games has its own place in the world of video games and it is important to be aware of the varieties that exist. Of these varieties though, there is the coherent world—the progression game. In this type of game the player must perform a predefined set of actions in a coherent world setting. This kind of game sounds very similar to the narrative, but still has variable outcomes, player effort and other game components. One example of this kind of game is The Walking Dead (Telltale Games 2012). The Walking Dead is set in Georgia during a fictional zombie apocalypse. The player plays as Lee Everett, a professor convicted of killing a man he found sleeping with his wife. Due to the zombie uprising he does not end up in prison, instead ends up caring for a little girl by the name of Clementine. The gameplay mainly revolves around conversations that the player has with other characters and occasionally the player is put in a position where they must make a critical decision. At the end of each â€Å"chapter,† the game reports out on the player’s decisions as well as the percentage of other players that either disagreed or agreed with them. It is through this method that the player is able to reflect on the cause and effect of their decisions. This sort of environment demonstrates that games are a playground where the player may experiment with things they would or could not do in a real-life setting (Juul, Half-Real 193). It is this phenomenon of player-made decisions and the reflection of them that traditional narratives cannot accomplish. In conclusion, games are made up of six components that make up the classic game model: they are rule-based systems with variable outcomes that have different assigned values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the game are optional and negotiable. With the advent of the computer, there are new capabilities available to games. There are now two main types of games, emergent and progression games, with a spectrum of combinations between them. Emergent games are made up of a set of rules that combine to produce a large set of outcomes. Progression games require the player to perform a specific set of actions in order to complete the game. With this progression capability, it is important to compare video games and narratives. A narrative is a spoken or written account of connected events. Narratives have two levels, story and discourse, each of these with their own time. Games often do not have distinction between their story and discourse time (as the events are occurring in real time), and thus are not narratives. Games, although not narratives themselves, allow for players to produce narratives through playing them; players may recount their experiences in a game. Games may not themselves be stories, but that does not mean that they do not employ them or that player’s cannot tell stories about their experiences in a game. Games offer a different experience than the narrative media before it; the player gets to experience something rather than view it and has an influence in the environment. The player of a game also gets to experiment with ideas in a sort of playground and reflect on their decisions and the effects they have. That does not, however, imply that the medium is necessarily a superior or inferior one. Films, novels and other narrative media can provide experience that games cannot, just as games provide experiences that traditional narrative media cannot. Looking forward, one can only imagine what games can accomplish in the field of entertainment that was not possible before. Works Cited Aarseth, Espen J. Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1997. Print. Ebert, Roger. Video Games Can Never Be Art. RogerEbert. com. Ebert Digital LLC, 16 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Game Studies. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. Game The News: The Project That Birthed a Syrian Civil War Game That’s Been Pulled from the App Store. Edge Online. Future Publishing Limited, 8 Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. Juul, Jesper. â€Å"A Clash between Game and Narrative. † Thesis. University of Copenhagen, 1999. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. . â€Å"Games Telling Stories? A Brief Note on Games and Narratives. † Game Studies1. 1 (2001): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. . Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge: MIT, 2011. Print. Jenkins, Henry. Game Design as Narrative Architecture. Henry Jenkins. MIT, n. d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: MIT, 1997. Print. Narrative. Def. 1. Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University, n. d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013. Ryan, Marie-Laure. â€Å"Beyond Myth and Metaphor: The Case of Narrative in Digital Media. † Game Studies 1. 1 (2001): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. Salen, Katie, and Eric Zimmerman. Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2003. Print.