Slow and Steady Wins the Race free essay sample

My heart rate increases and the sweat drips on the purple and white uniforms. The team no longer became visable. I take a sharp left turn, look around, and pause, only to notice that no one is near. I am lost. I reverse to see other team mates following. Wrong way, I guess, I say nonchalantly. They all groan and curse under their short breaths. Coach Locke records my time. 19:56. I am a failure. Brutality struck when our senior leader instructed us to jog a twelve minute, one and a half mile cross country warm up. That imitation of the fat girl running behind the pack depicted in movies appeared true. Additionally, my nine minute mile splits felt worse. I told myself I would quit by the third week; I went to practice everyday for the rest of the season. Summer 2007 marked a new beginning cross country conditioning. The team traded in sleep to better themselves and sacrificed joy for a few hours of agony. We will write a custom essay sample on Slow and Steady Wins the Race or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We met every morning and trained harder than before. However, I knew that in order to keep up, I would need to try. Eventually, as the summer wore on, my times decreased and I kept up with the fastest runners. A year later, I run the same course. Except, Im a more experienced and capable athlete. I hold my head high for those two elongated miles and I refuse to let anyone pass. The pain bolts through my legs but I do not mind. I finish with a smile on my face. 15:26. Eighth overall. Perfect; a spot on varsity. Ive struggled throughout the past year to achieve the best time possible. Ive PRed(personal record) countless times, Ive tolerated numerous asthma attacks, and I ran Rim Rock (the hardest cross country course in Kansas). Ive survived it all. Ive achieved it all, Ive endured it all, Ive won it all. Slow and Steady Wins the Race free essay sample â€Å"Michael.. repeat these words back to mesaucer, cinnamon, coat, snake and dictionary.† I said â€Å"What?..oksaucer, cinnamon, coat, ummm†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.† This was the moment where the school specialist knew that something was wrong. It was fifth grade and I was having problems in school including trouble hearing, reading, taking tests and paying attention in class. My teachers took notice of this and decided to test me for an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). After testing, they determined I had hearing and reading comprehension problems. Assistance immediately began with speech classes during the day and tutoring after school in English and Math. Throughout the years, I built skills to overcome my learning disability.It was a slow, methodical process but I knew that I could do it and succeed with good grades. By the time I was a freshman in high school, I was well on my way to performing at the same level as students without IEPs. We will write a custom essay sample on Slow and Steady Wins the Race or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I continued to build on my foundation by managing my workload with new study habits that were taught to me by high school specialists. Fast forward to junior year in which I received an award for academic achievement in maintaining above a 3.4 GPA all four quarters. Receiving this award really inspired me and made me realize that I can do anything with hard work and dedication. Senior year I am taking a rigorous course load for me, but I am willing to put everything into it to prove that I am a smart and hardworking individual.

History and Background of the Kashmir Conflict

History and Background of the Kashmir Conflict Kashmir, officially referred to as Jammu and Kashmir, is an 86,000-square-mile region (about the size of Idaho) in northwest India and northeast Pakistan so breathtaking in physical beauty that Mugal ​(or Moghul) emperors in the 16th and 17th century considered it an earthly paradise. The region has been violently disputed by India and Pakistan since their 1947 partition, which created Pakistan as the Muslim counterpart to Hindu-majority India. History of Kashmir After centuries of Hindu and Buddhist rule, Muslim Moghul emperors took control of Kashmir in the 15th century, converted the population to Islam and incorporated it into the Moghul empire. Islamic Moghul rule should not be confused with modern forms of authoritarian Islamic regimes. The Moghul empire, characterized by the likes of Akbar the Great (1542-1605) embodied Enlightenment ideals of tolerance and pluralism a century before the rise of the European Enlightenment. (Moghuls left their mark on the subsequent Sufi-inspired form of Islam that dominated the subcontinent in India and Pakistan, before the rise of more jihadist-inspired Islamist mullahs.) Afghan invaders followed the Moghuls in the 18th century, who were themselves driven out by Sikhs from Punjab. Britain invaded in the 19th century and sold the entire Kashmir Valley for half a million rupees (or three rupees per Kashmiri) to the brutal repressive ruler of Jammu, the Hindu Gulab Singh. It was under Singh that the Kashmir Valley became part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The 1947 India-Pakistan Partition and Kashmir India and Pakistan were partitioned in 1947. Kashmir was split as well, with two-thirds going to India and a third going to Pakistan, even though Indias share was predominantly Muslim, like Pakistan. Muslims rebelled. India repressed them. War broke out. It wasnt settled until a 1949 cease-fire brokered by the United Nations and a resolution calling for a referendum, or plebiscite, allowing Kashmiris to decide their future for themselves. India has never implemented the resolution. Instead, India has maintained what amounts to an occupying army in Kashmir, cultivating more resentment from the locals than fertile agricultural products. Modern Indias founders- Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi- both had Kashmiri roots, which partially explains Indias attachment to the region. To India, Kashmir for the Kashmiris means nothing. Indian leaders standard line is that Kashmir is an integral part of India. In 1965, India and Pakistan fought their second of three major wars since 1947 over Kashmir. The United States was largely to blame for setting the stage for war. The cease-fire three weeks later was not substantial beyond a demand that both sides put down their arms and a pledge to send international observers to Kashmir. Pakistan renewed its call for a referendum by Kashmirs mostly Muslim population of 5 million to decide the regions future, in accordance with a 1949 UN resolution. India continued to resist conducting such a plebiscite. The 1965 war, in sum, settled nothing and merely put off future conflicts. (Read more about the Second Kashmir War.) The Kashmir-Taliban Connection With the rise to power of Muhammad Zia ul Haq (the dictator was president of Pakistan from 1977 to 1988), Pakistan began its slump toward Islamism. Zia saw in Islamists a mean of consolidating and maintaining his power. By patronizing the cause of anti-Soviet Mujahideens in Afghanistan beginning in 1979, Zia curried and won Washingtons favorand tapped into massive quantities of cash and weaponry the United States channeled through Zia to feed the Afghan insurgency. Zia had insisted that he be the conduit of arms and weaponry. Washington conceded. Zia diverted large amounts of cash and weaponry to two pet projects: Pakistans nuclear-weapons program, and developing an Islamist fighting force that would subcontract the fight against India in Kashmir. Zia largely succeeded at both. He financed and protected armed camps in Afghanistan that trained militants whod be used in Kashmir. And he supported the rise of a hard-core Islamist corps in Pakistani Madrassas and in Pakistans tribal areas that would exert Pakistans influence in Afghanistan and Kashmir. The corps name: The Taliban. Thus, the political and militant ramifications of recent Kashmiri history are  intimately connected with the rise of Islamism in northern and western Pakistan, and in Afghanistan. Kashmir Today According to a Congressional Research Service report, Relations between Pakistan and India remain deadlocked on the issue of Kashmiri sovereignty, and a separatist rebellion has been underway in the region since 1989. Tensions were extremely high in the wake of the Kargil conflict of 1999 when an incursion by Pakistani soldiers led to a bloody six-week-long battle. Tensions over Kashmir rose dangerously in fall 2001, forcing then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to de-escalate tensions in person. When a bomb exploded in the Indian Jammu and Kashmir state assembly and an armed band assaulted the Indian Parliament in New Delhi later that year, India mobilized 700,000 troops, threatened war, and provoked Pakistan into mobilizing its forces. American intervention compelled then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who had been particularly instrumental in further militarizing Kashmir, provoking the Kargil war there in 1999, and facilitating Islamist terrorism subsequently, in January 2002 vowed to end the presence of terrorist entities on Pakistani soil. He promised to ban and eliminate terrorist organizations, including Jemaah Islamiyah, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Musharrafs pledges, as always, proved empty. Violence in Kashmir continued. In May 2002, an attack on an Indian army base at Kaluchak killed 34, most of them women and children. The attack again brought Pakistan and India to the brink of war. Like the Arab-Israeli conflict, the conflict over Kashmir remains unresolved. And like the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is the source, and perhaps the key, to peace in regions far greater than the territory in dispute.

Top 7 Least Stressful Jobs That Pay Big Money [Infographic]

Top 7 Least Stressful Jobs That Pay Big Money [Infographic] Many people equate high pay with high stress but that’s not necessarily always true. There are many high paying jobs out there that are not very stressful. Here at  TheJobNetwork, we work with many industry experts who posses inside knowledge about the job market. That being said, following our research, here are our top 7 high paying least stressful jobs.Search for more jobs here

Communication and Relational Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication and Relational Dynamics - Essay Example Relational maintenance is one thing I have learned that I would use in future. Instead of drawing apart from people who I will come close to in the workplace, I would rather maintain the relationship. Discussion on managing dialectical tensions has enhanced my understanding of my communication style. In the face of tension and confusion, I have learned how to go to one side by denying the other. Balancing is another way I can manage tensions; by partially responding to both parties. Recalibration can also help to avoid any opposition from one party. Reaffirmation is yet another way that relates to being positive about a situation. These ways have enlightened me how I can respond to tensions in different circumstances.I am going to use metacommunication as a way to resolve conflict in a more constructive manner. We can resolve the conflict between my coworker, and I through this. What I like most in this discussion are the characteristics of relationships. It is interesting how relati onships turn out to be. You can be romantically involved with someone you will end up marrying you, but it reaches a point where disagreements come in making the relationship to come to an end. They keep on changing and are affected by culture. The least liked discussion was of the types of relational messages which I did not grasp how they occur. I suggest the topic on types of relational messages should be done individually to enhance my understanding and feature in YouTube for easier access.

Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate governance - Essay Example Governance is the way or the structure the CEO, the owner and board of directors together with direct, control, coordinate the business in terms of managing the assets, processes and systems within the organizational setting (Pounds, 2008, YouTube video). Corporate governance is the legal as well as organizational framework, or certain principles and processes by which corporations are governed. Corporate governance thus relates to powers, accountability and relationships of those people who are involved in the direction and controlling of the corporation (Plessis, Hargovan and Bagaric, 2010, p. 4). As Tricker (2012, p. 4) pointed out, all different types of corporate entities need governing body. For a company, the governing body is its board of directors, and for other types of business firms, it may be a council, a court, a committee or an agency. Corporate governance is thus all about the way the power is exercised over corporate entities. Importance of Corporate Governance Corpo rate governance is more concerned with directing and controlling of corporate bodies mainly with a view to enhance shareholder value. Since the processes and systems of corporate governance lay the foundation for business growth in the future, it positively impacts the profitability and overall business performance and this is the reason why it ensures enhanced shareholder value. Firms with credible corporate governance in place are free to go about their own ways to increase shareholder values and continue to gain growth. New investors can be encouraged to invest in securities or existing investors can be motivated to expand their investments only if there is effective corporate governing system at corporate levels. Are companies run ultimately for ‘profits’, or ‘shareholder values’ or social responsibilities? This is perhaps an overwhelming academic debate. Corporate governance doctrine underlies the fact that a company must be run for ‘shareholder value’. Lynn A. Stout, a modern thinker in the field of corporate governance and professor at Cornell Law School, argued that corporate governance is more likely to amount shareholder dictatorship. She is of the strong side that ‘shareholder value’ concept of the corporate governance is not the modern corporate practice. Shareholder value thinking has in recent years been found to harm investors overtime (Stout, 2011, YouTube video). Effective governance practices are becoming sources of competitive advantage among world economies to attract wider international capital. One of the main reasons why there has been considerable prominence in corporate governance in recent years was that companies were in greater need to access all types of financial resources and also to harness the power of private dictatorship for the social as well as economic wellbeing. Good governance not only ensures better shareholder values, but also speeds up competitive adaptation. Good co rporate structure to eliminate unethical behavior As to the core of corporate governance, the board of directors is supposed to fulfill three fundamental responsibilities; protecting stakeholder rights and interests, managing the risks and creating business values. These functions are closely related to eliminating unethical and unscrupulous practices that the board or agencies may practice. For

The video Game Console Wars Essay Example for Free

The video Game Console Wars Essay Compare and contrast Nintendo’s marketing strategy for the Wii with Sony’s strategy for PS3. By the end of 2006, two game console industry giants, Nintendo and Sony had launched their respective new products; the Wii and PS3. Various marketing strategies were implemented by both rivals and this writing attempt to analyse common and differing elements. Similarly, both companies had a product differentiation strategy, with the aim of being distinctly set apart from their competitors by the viewing market.  However, different elements of this strategy were focused on by the firms. For instance, Nintendo differentiated via product form and design. Instead of the traditional controller where buttons are pressed, the Wii had a wireless motion-sensitive controller, which recognises the player’s arm movements. Thus, actions such as golfing, tennis and even dancing can be detected by the game. It is assumed that the rationale behind this is the fact that â€Å"new things and ways of doing things† always grab attention, whether good or bad. Thus, Nintendo’s aim would have been to gain the market’s attention and then convince them positively about the Wii. Conversely, Sony attempted to differentiate through performance quality. Heavy investment was made on a new processing chip and a laser diode, which would rev up the speed drastically and offer superior graphics quality. The video gaming industry prides itself on graphics; hence differentiating in this area may significantly increase demand. One believes however, that Nintendo’s product differentiation strategy had a stronger impact than Sony’s. This is because Sony followed the industry norm, of each new generation of machines being faster and more powerful than the preceding generation, as the case states. Thus, the market was already expecting the enhanced features, compared to the curiosity of a completely new game design by the Wii. With reference to the Ansoff Matrix framework, Nintendo implemented a marketing diversification strategy, whereby they offered a new product to new markets (in terms of untouched customer segments). Nintendo’s designers, according to the case, deliberately developed a machine that is simpler to use, since the complexity of current games appeal only to advance gamers.  This thus,  would allow market reach to a broader demographic of new segments, thereby beginning to challenge Sony’s market share dominance. For instance, males and female above and below the common age bracket of video game players may now demand the Wii. On the other hand, Sony implemented a product development strategy, by launching a new product in their existing market segment of customers, as the Ansoff theory advocates. Hence, Sony’s PS3 targeted their current customer segment for the PS2. A marketing strategy of Sony may have been to have first mover advantage, by launching in November 2006 in the United States before the Wii. Most studies indicate that the market pioneer gains the greatest advantage, however sometimes it can be risky and expensive. In Sony’s case, they would have easily been able to capitalise on the fans of the playstation and PS2 and new customers entering that market. Their downfall however was inadequate launch preparation and planning with regards to their diode technology, as mass production issues caused shortages. Thus, achieving the Christmas season’s full revenue potential was lost. Even though Nintendo was the second mover launching a month after in December, they had an international marketing launch strategy being executed. They made the Wii available in the United States, the Eurozone and United Kingdom. As a result, the benefits of being the first mover would have been gained in the Eurozone and United Kingdom. It is note d that Sony launched the PS3 four months after in Europe. Being the second to enter that market, Sony may have researched any problems Nintendo may have encountered and adjusted accordingly, for a smoother launch. Nintendo appears to have implemented a market-penetration pricing strategy. The Wii at a cost of $250 is 50% less than the 20-gigabyte PS3 (smaller hard drive machine). At this lower price, it is easier for the product to penetrate the market due to affordability in most segments. This aligns with the assumed company’s aim of maximising market share in the current and new segments. To achieve this, Nintendo ensured that the Wii was less costly to manufacture. Moreover, a higher sales volume may lead to lower unit costs and higher long run profits. Conversely, Sony is believed to have a market-skimming pricing strategy. The company invested $2 billion in technology, so this strategy aims at recovering the maximum amount of revenue to cover the high costs incurred in the early stages of the product life cycle. Additionally, S ony has a strong brand due to the success of their previous machines (PS2 and  playstation) and the high price assists in communicating the image of a superior product with quality.What is the key to the Wii’s popularity? The key facet responsible for the Wii’s popularity lies in the innovative design, which â€Å"calls to action† the player with physical movement. The writer views the wireless motion sensitive game console as a new, simple and fun method of gaming for all age groups. As a result, it may appeal not only to the traditional expert video game player like the PS3, but other individuals outside that segment. It thus makes marketing sense, if Nintendo promoted the game as a family requirement for cultivating an enjoyable, quality family time with members. It seems also a great game for various informal social events. Furthermore, since different types of games can be played, the Wii has the potential to appeal to a vast number of different market segments. For instance, The Wii Fit is an exercising game, where aerobics, yoga and other body strengthening activities can be done. Thus, the Wii Fit may have been positioned as a convenient way of losing or maintaining your weight, as it can be done in the comfort of one’s home and a more enjoyable method compared to simply following an instructor on a DVD. Likewise, sports fanatics may gravitate towards the Wii sports for the games of their interest. There also is the possibility of the Wii being used for rehabilitation after a stroke or injury, due to it body strengthen capabilities. It must be noted, that Nintendo’s international marketing strategy of launching in three distinct major areas, was a contributing factor towards the quick popularity gained. The areas were the United States, the Eurozone and the United Kingdom. This means that great strategic marketing focus had to be made on the different areas, to accommodate international cultural differences and legalities. As a result, Nintendo may have had to implement global product strategies for market adaptation in areas such as price, sales promotion, colours, labelling and advertising execution, to name a few. 3. Do you agree with Sony’s decision to incorporate a Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3. The writer agrees with the decision to incorporate a Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3.  Firstly, Sony is considered one of the market leaders in the consumer electric industry; where the brand is known for high quality and advance technology. Since the  consumer market started demanding more high definition TVs and viewing of DVD’s in high definition, it made good marketing sense to satisfy that need for high definition imagery in the video games, which ultimately reinforced the company’s brand. A â€Å"spin off† from this implementation of Blu-ray, is that the PS3 can actually be used by consumers to watch Blu-ray DVD movies, for those who may not own a Blu-ray DVD player. Thus, the value of the PS3 may increase, due to more product uses than the main function. Secondly, it was wise for Sony to include the Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3, due to their current product range developments. Sony had already launched the Blu-ray video format in their DVD players, thus the inclusion in the PS3 was a commendable and necessary marketing move, in order to keep as many products in the range up to date with the latest technological advancements. More importantly, this was a medium to push and promote the adoption of the Blu-ray in the market, reflecting strong strategic planning for profit maximisation. The draw back to the implementation however, was the issue of mass-production difficulties of the diode for the Blu-ray, resulting in shortages for the U.S holiday launch, as the case explains. Thus, it is assumed that there was a deficiency in proper operational planning and execution. This can be a critical concern with new product planning, since shortages can greatly impact forecasted revenue streams and significant opportunities may be lost. In Sony ’s situation, the launch was around the Christmas season, where many PS3s may have been gift considerations and individuals generally spend more on commodities at this time, due to Christmas bonuses and advances. Thus, Sony would not have been able to capitalise on this, due to low supply of machines. In the final analysis however, if Sony had anticipated any production issues to cause marginal temporary shortages at the launch, one is of the opinion that this is not drastic a problem enough, to decide forgoing the implementation of the Blu-ray. This is because consideration is given to the return on investment with the Blu-ray inclusion and the technological drive in the industry at large. The Blu-ray would have generated greater demand than the HD-DVD and take longer to become obsolete, thus having an extended life-span. Some industry observers have noted that the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is reminiscent of the showdown between Beta and VHS videocassette  formats in the 1970s. What was the outcome? The videocassette showdown between Beta and VHS in the 1970’s mainly was a clear example of â€Å"listening and responding† to what the market wants. It began when Sony produced Bata, a video standard which had a recording time of 60 minutes. Almost one year later, JVC launched the VHS, which is another video standard that had a recording time of 120 minutes. The two videocassettes were different in size and completely incompatible. The VHS was cheaper than Beta; however the longer the recording time resulted in a degraded quality of image. The market nevertheless, wanted a longer recording time, which allowed for longer movies and football matched to be recorded. Sony held their end for more years supplying the more upscale market with the 60 minute high quality videocassettes, but eventually in the mid 80’s they had to offer videocassettes with a longer recording time to remain competitive. By then however it was too late and VHS already held dominance in the market. VHS won the battle and in 2002 the last Beta machine was produced. Sony’s mistake was not listening to what the market wants and not willing to compromise the quality to satisfy the market. The battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is quite similar, however this time Sony is not the defender, but the challenger. To forecast who the winner may be, the same underlying factor exists, regarding listening to the market and responding. The case explains of the continuous electronic industry’s upgrade towards high definition TVs and DVD movies. Thus, one can assume that consumers want a player which provides the greatest quality of high definition. A common element between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is that they have 1080 lines of resolution (the highest quality video playback possible) on their widescreen HDTV set, as the case shows. Thus, consumers are going to look for other factors which can determine which player provides better quality. Firstly, the fact that Sony’s Blu-ray technology is incompatible with Toshiba (assuming other rival products as well) and can only be used on Sony products, signals that Sony is trying to maintain a type of niche market, which in essence aims at guaranteeing that using Blu-ray technology on Sony products will produce the best quality. This is similar to what Apple does with their range of products. Secondly, over the years Sony has positioned and built their brand to represent â€Å"high quality† and thus brand loyalty is strong among customers in the electronic industry. Lastly, price sends  market signals and the common understanding is that high price tends to reflect high quality. The case states that Sony BDP-S1 and S300 cost $999.99 and $600 respectively, compared to Toshiba’s models ranging from $399.99 to $799.99. Thus the higher price of Sony can be assumed to have better quality. Conclusively, HD-DVD and Blu-ray battle is almost mirrored in Beta and VHS rivalry. VHS won the battle since they satisfied the market’s demand for longer recording time with the videocassette. With HD-DVD and Blu-ray, the market is assumed to want high quality on their high definition widescreen HDTVs. The writer believes that Sony with their Blu-ray technology would win the battle, given that they can reflect a better level of quality over Toshiba, through â€Å"non-1080 lines of resolution† factors.

Relationships and Marriage - Couples Should Live Together before Getting Married :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Couples Should Live Together before Getting Married      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my mother's house it was never discussed whether I should live with someone before marriage. In my culture, you are not allowed to live together until after you are married. Since I did not have the chance to live together with my husband while we were dating, it was difficult during our first year of marriage. We argued a lot, mostly because we were afraid of the unknown and the possibility that we had made a mistake. Living together before making our vows would have reassured us about a lifelong commitment. From my own experience, I believe that couples should live together before getting married, so they can start to know each other on a closer, more personal level; moreover, they can start thinking about the compatibility of their future spouse.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Couples start knowing each other on a closer, more personal level when they live together, which prepares them for a married lifestyle. For starters, you learn what your partner likes and dislikes, although this isn't always easy. There is a lot to discover about your partner and from your partner; the only way to do this successfully is to move in together. For example, does he like broccoli, female mud wrestling, sleeping with the windows open? Maybe he likes to spend the whole weekend on the couch watching basketball! Believe it or not, it's little details like these that can often make or break a relationship. Second, you learn what kind of bad habits you and your partner have and whether or not you can get rid of them. I really don't like it when my husband forgets to fill the ice trays, forgets to replace the empty toilet paper holder, or leaves the toilet seat up; I, on the other hand, tend to forget to put perishables in the refrigerator after I take them out for cooking, and I leave the clothes in a pile, all wrinkled, when they come out of the dryer. Moreover, you can see how much fun you have with each other and realize how much you would miss by not getting married. Try to plan a vacation in advance, have a dinner date in town after work, or go to the movies on a Wednesday night when you know you have to get up for work the next morning.

Week 1 Eco 365

Oil ECO/365 – Principles of Microeconomics Oil In today’s economy many trends in consumption patterns can determine where the supply and demands are needed. In the article â€Å"East Bay Oil Exports Have Become Huge Business,† by Glantz (2012), it touches on the subject of trends and consumption of oil. Many people are aware; however forget that there is a whole lot of oil around us that can be used.This paper will discuss and address the utilities derived, the change that demand for the product or service of market and equilibrium prices, what has occurred to change the demand and supply of the oil, and is demand for oil product or service price elastic or inelastic. According to Glantz (2012), the utilities derived from the article have to do with the way the community consumes the oil that is being used. When the gas prices are up there is a necessity for the oil or fuel and it will most likely cause the prices to go down.In contrast, when the prices of the oi l go down, there will be more of a demand and a possible shortage of oil because the demand would have been great. According to Glantz (2012), the increased of oil export from the East Bay was linked to the economic changes and the way individuals are consuming in the United States. Also, in the West Coast they also saw the same increase in demand for oils as the demand for domestic used was lowered.For example: higher gas prices, manufactures vehicle that are fuel efficient and fewer individuals commuting to and from work have all contributed to the changes in the demand for such oils consumption. Additionally, the economy and individuals losing their job also changed the demand because they no longer needed to commute to work. Therefore, the demand for oils was no longer needed causing the prices of the gasoline to increase. * According to Colander  (2010), the market and equilibrium changes that have occurred to the supply (oil) by assuming that the demand stayed the same.It re vealed that it did cause a big change to the price. The fewer consumers used the product the more the price rose causing a change in the market. When the prices changed and began to rise, the consumers used other methods of getting to places they needed to go without using oil or their vehicles. * It is my opinion that oil supply can either be elastic or inelastic. According to Colander  (2010), elastic is when the supply or demand percentage changes in quantity is much larger than the percentage change in the price.On the other hand, inelastic is when the percentage changes in the quantity are much lower than the percentage change in the price. The oil supply can be elastic because at times when the prices rise individual will try to preserve and us other alternative to not have to pay the bigger price causing the supply of oil to be increased. Vice versa, the oil supply can also be inelastic because individual are always going to need fuel for their vehicle in order to get from point A to point B. In conclusion, no matter the cost or shortage of the supply, some individuals or consumers will always pay what is needed in order to get where they need to go. Oil is one supply that will always be needed for either our vehicles, our food, or for exportation to other companies. Reference Glantz, A. (2012, March  8). East Bay Oil Exports Have Become Huge Business. THe New York Times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2012/03/09/us/oil-exports-have-become- huge-business-in-the-san-francisco-bay-area. html? _r=0 Colander, D. C. (2010). Economics (8th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. * *

Land Question and Ethnicity in Darjeeling Hills Essay

ABSTRACT Although economic factors are often considered as essential for augmenting ethnic movements, the analytic relationship between economic issues and ethnicity is far from being clear cut. In an attempt to address the problem of ethnicity in a non-Marxist theoretical plane, most of the studies on ethnic problems inadvertently indulge such logical inconsistencies. Such a critical reading led us to conceptualize ethnicity as a lived-in category – much like the concepts of class or caste – where both the material and cultural domain of routine life congregates. With the help of a case study of the Gorkhaland movement in the Darjeeling Hills (India) and the input of a particular field of material predisposition – namely, the issues related with land and agrarian social formation, this paper attempts to argue that ethnic movements are a dynamic podium wherein the encoded meanings of material and/or economic issues/grievances are decoded in cultural idioms. Even if the discussions on ethnicity have an inbuilt tendency to develop a theoretical plane that criticizes Marxian class analysis and demands an autonomous conceptual frame duly encouraged by post-Marxist and poststructuralist/postmodernist theoretical renditions, literatures on ethnicity for the most part have stressed economic factors, in some way or the other. Hence, finding available studies, which have made considerable advances in understanding the problem of Gorkha ethnicity, that have concentrated their focus on economic factors as the root cause of ethnic antagonism and conflict in the Darjeeling Hills (West Bengal, India) is common. ‘Economic stagnation’ (Dasgupta 1988), ‘uneven implementation of development policies’ (Chakrabarty 1988), ‘economic deprivation and negligence’ (Bura Magar 1994; Lama 1988; McHenry Jr. 2007; Nanda 1987), ‘petty-bourgeoisie aggrandisements against the dominance of monopoly capitalists of the Centre and the State’ (Sarkar 1988), ‘economic negligence, exploitation, and unavailability of white-collar jobs’ (Chadha 2005), ‘growing unemployment and step motherly attitude of the state regarding the overall development of the hill areas’ (Timsina 1992), ‘uneven development’ (Dasgupta 1999; Datta 1991), ‘endemic poverty, underdevelopment, and the perception of being â€Å"malgoverned†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Ganguly 2005), are some such factors many scholars put as the root cause of the Gorkhaland movement in the Darjeeling Hills. However, none of these studies have made it abundantly clear how economic conditions – the domain of the material – are linked to the desires of ethnic separatism, which conceptually remained under the rubric of culture – the non-material. Again, if the economic factors remarkably remained so significant, as the studies show, then why ultimately the cultural warpath (i.e., 81 ethnic conflict) and not an economic one (i.e., class conflict) appeared as a suitable remedial strategy? One obvious question arises thus: how the ‘material’ is transposed into ‘cultural’? The present paper is an attempt to answer such questions by analyzing the case of the Gorkha ethnicity and movement as it emerged out of the people’s grievances experienced through their quotidian life processes cloaked in their relative positions within the structural inequality. In fact, ethnic identity much like the issues of class or caste is a lived-in category that emerges out of the perception of reality and receives constant reformulation, since the reality is itself dynamic. In our treatment ethnic identification – much like all other identifications – is overall rooted in the larger canvas of social experience, which determines the processes of framing contending relationships between and among groups based on their varying capacity of possessing the valued and scarce resources available in the society. Instead of pinpointing the causes of the movement, our analysis attempts to show that the assertion of Gorkha ethnic identity has had payoffs with respect to resource access and utilization and that the protracted struggle of the Gorkhas for separate statehood is that trajectory wherein both the cultural and material aspects of routine life coalesce. Sometimes this happens even without an immediate ethnic ‘other’. This is particularly the case, as the study shows, with the hill agrarian sector. It thus becomes imperative that the problem should be studied in a historical plane putting utmost emphasis on the social formation of the Darjeeling Hills, which would help us focus the pattern of resource distribution on an ethnic plane vis-à  -vis the question of structural inequality. The importance of treating the issue of Gorkhaland movement as a historical phenomenon can hardly be ignored, especially when one finds that the Darjeeling Hills has experienced a century long historicity of protest – sometimes accommodative, sometimes violent – to achieve a separate politico-administrative arrangement for self rule. Moreover, the historical perspective is needed to show the fundamental changes that have taken place within the social formation of the region since the colonial days and had corresponding effects for furthering the cause of the movement in the post-colonial period. Therefore, a proper historical analysis of ethnicity can help us understand how the grievances of the masses were articulated and were translated into the courses of violent action, how new equations came up because of state intervention and how the overall dynamics of the movement kept on rolling, putting ethnicity at the center stage. SOCIAL FORMATION AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Indeed, there can never be a single cause of an ethnic movement that stretched over a century.1 However, our concern regarding the causes of Gorkhaland movement is not about degree but of kind, by which we mean that Gorkha ethnicity, or for that matter the Gorkhaland movement, is embedded in the social formation of the Darjeeling Hills. It is neither entirely the product of primordial sentiments nor even the result of elite manipulation, but had been the outcome of a dynamic social formation that reproduced its productive forces, relations of production, as well as the relations of subjugation and exploitation meted out by its incumbents. The onus of social formation in augmenting the cause of social movement has been stressed by most of the major theoretical paradigms in some form or the other. For example, functionalism, though lately emerging from its erstwhile position of bracketing social movements as pathological social behavior, became increasingly concerned with the analysis of social movement as a variety of (normal) collective action and showed the necessity of framing a general hypothesis on the social system while analyzing social movements as a collective phenomenon of some sort. Likewise, symbolic interactionism and resource mobilization theory, in their attempts to analyze social movement, put stress on the relational structures and on the complex processes of interaction mediated by certain networks of belonging, respectively. The Marxist tradition, perhaps, has given utmost emphasis on the necessity to view social movements in relation to structural arrangements available in the social formation. Each social formation is rooted in a particular structure of relationship and movement is not the cause but the outcome of the differentially arranged social order in which privileges and rewards are more in possession of some minority groups compared with the majority others. Even the post-Marxist or for that matter the New Social Movement (NSM) perspective in their zeal to study the identity-based movements as manifestations of post-material claims hardly denied the importance of social formation while understanding the so-called post-material claims of the NSMs. In outlining the principles for the analysis of collective action, Melucci (1996:24) – a prominent figure of NSM school – points out that the analytical field of the NSMs depends on the systems of relationships within which such action takes place and toward which it is directed. The recorded history of the Gorkhaland movement suggests that the first spurt of the movement can be marked out in the year 1907 when the hill people submitted a memorandum – for the first time – to the colonial government urging separation from the then Bengal and the need to formulate a separate administrative arrangement for the Darjeeling Hills. ALTHUSSER, SOCIAL FORMATION, AND THE DYNAMICS OF RURAL DARJEELING Taking a cue from the centrality of social formation in the study of social movement as analyzed above, an attempt has been made to focus on the social formation of the Darjeeling Hills2 and its contribution to the development of a protracted ethnic movement in the region. Our treatment of the concept of social formation is Althusserian in inspiration and is viewed as a complex whole composed of concrete economic, political and ideological relations that provide the pretext upon which the consolidation of selfhood of the individual or the group within a given social space becomes feasible. It is worth mentioning here instead of using such terms like ‘social system’, ‘social order’ or for that matter ‘society,’ Althusser (1997) preferred the use of ‘social formation’. Since he believed while terms like ‘social system’ and ‘social order’ presupposes a structure that reduces the form of all its emanations, ‘society’ as a concept is loaded with pre-Marxist humanist conception that treats social life as ultimately the product of individual human beings. Althusser has used the concept of social formation with some broader theoretical appeal. He problematized the so-called base-superstructure module by bringing together the notions of social system, order, and society closer to his postMarxist formulation of social formation. Social formation, for Althusser, is constituted of a complex of concrete economic, political, and ideological relations, bound together and given their particular character as capitalist, feudal or whatever by the fact that economic relations, is the ‘determinant in the last instance.’ Conceived in this manner the concept of social formation presupposes that under this model social reality is neither determined, nor to be explained by a single causal variable but always by the whole structure (a notion that he labels as ‘overdetermination’), which remains amenable to the economic determinant only in the last instance. The uniqueness in Althusser’s concept of social formation lies in the fact that it problematizes the ‘base-superstructure’ relationship (that remains central, almost invariably, to the whole realm of post-Marxist scholarship) to that extreme of Darjeeling has been one of the prominent hill stations developed by the British i n colonial India.

This essay seeks to compare and contrast the approaches taken by Keith B. Richburg and Karl Maier in discussing Africa.The title is Woes of Africa

This essay seeks to compare and contrast the approaches taken by Keith B. Richburg and Karl Maier in discussing Africa.The title is Woes of Africa Over the past years, many writers have made bold attempts to address issues confronting Africa. The views expressed by these writers in their books are influenced by the major happenings on the continent within the time period the book is to be written. But one thing that leaves much to be desired about the approaches taken by some of these authors is the generalizations they make about the whole African continent, using the woes of just a few countries as a marker for the others. This paper seeks to compare and contrast the approaches taken by Keith B. Richburg and Karl Maier in discussing Africa.Richburg's confrontation of Africa in his book, Out of America, discusses his traumatic experiences in Africa. His approach reveals to the reader that the present-day Africa is just a replica of the Dark Continent described by early explorers. Richburg describes Africa as a "senseless continent" (153), "violent" (227), and a "strange and forbidding place" (237) where fighting and other nefa rious activities is the order of the day.Richburg, New YorkHe states that:"It's one of those apocryphal stories you always hear coming out of Africa, meant to demonstrate the savagery of "the natives." Babies being pulled off their mothers' backs and tossed onto spears. Pregnant women being disemboweled. Bodies being tossed into the river and flowing downstream. You heard them all, but never really believed" (xiii).Richburg thus imposes on the reader the "vicious" nature of Africans. He tries to justify this image he puts forth to his readers by his unrealistic and over-exaggerated descriptions of his encounters and experiences at the hands of civilians, the military, and guerilla fighters.Richburg does not have any positive thoughts about Africa during his travels from the time he "smells" (1) the continent till his departure. In Richburg's eyes,

Can Give Rise To Psychological Issues

Explain Can Give Rise To Psychological Issues? Withholding of the truth about Amy can give rise to psychological issues and have an impact on her quality of life. Her physical inabilities as difficulty to find words and repetition during a conversation and lack of concentration are contributing to her psychological distress, as she is unable to understand the reason of her sudden change in behaviour and memory. Withholding the information can have a negative impact on the patient’s attitude. It would reduce her coping ability, cause mood disturbances and anxiety and reduces her ability to prepare for the future(Kelley & Morrison, 2015). The withholding of life limiting illness about Amy also has serious negative impact on her family. Her mother is in her 80’s and witnessing such a change in behaviour and mood in Amy can have psychological impact and extremely painful. Her son Erik finds it difficult to conceal the truth of her life limiting illness from Amy and that might affect her end-of-life care and her compliance with the treatment and medication. This puts her family members in a hard situation and her family members face ethical dilemma whether to inform her or not. This situation raises ethical dilemma for me. Although, Amy and her family members wants to withhold her life limiting illness as posed by the family, the primary concern is to disclose the illness to her in culturally sensitive manner. This ethical dilemma can affect her end-of-life care and response to treatment. As she has limited English speaking ability, it is important to convey through family members or interpreters. The considerations include using of plain language, addressing of one piece of information at a time and ask about Amy’s worries, thoughts and understandings after illness disclosure through culture centred communication (Katz & Johnson, 2013). The care provided to Amy should include her cultural practices and spiritual needs and directed towards culture-centred care. It is important for the staffs to learn about her beliefs, cultural attitudes meanings of illness, health and symptoms. As she is diagnosed with life-limiting illness, it is important to recognize the unique cultural aspects of the care provision at the end-of-life (Wittenberg, et al., 2015). Knowing about cultural values of Amy would help the staffs to understand, grapple and navigate through the limiting illness. Integration of Amy’s cultural needs would help staffs in delivering her end-of-life care. Staffs need to understand that cultural factors and their integration into healthcare would influence her healthcare seeking behaviour, medical and clinical decision-making and finally health outcomes. Therefore, culture-centred end-of-life care act as driving factor in delivering culturally competent healthcare to Amy. By providing culture-centred, care to Amy would help her and family to respond to the end-of-life care and have a positive impact on their psychological well-being. The cultural consideration and specific spiritual needs of Amy would be fulfilled in her terminal diagnosis, as the staffs would provide culturally appropriate care that improves her and family situation. As a graduate health professional, I would like to spend time to develop an understanding of her feelings and specific needs to address anxiety and point of disagreement in providing end-of-life care. I will try to develop an empathetic relationship with Amy and her family in providing culture-centred care. For this culture-centred communication, principles are important through interpreters to understand Amy’s true preferences for receiving illness information. As she has limited English speaking ability, it is important to be cognizant about how her cultural factors and beliefs might affect her end-of-life care. This sensitivity to Amy’s individual and cultural preferences would help to avoid stereotyping and in making incorrect assessments in providing her end-of-life care (Moir, Roberts, Martz, Perry, & Tivis, 2015).   Katz, R. S., & Johnson, T. G. (2013). When professionals weep: Emotional and countertransference responses in end-of-life care. Routledge. Kelley, A. S., & Morrison, R. S. (2015). Palliative care for the seriously ill . New England Journal of Medicine,  373(8), , 747-755. Moir, C., Roberts, R., Martz, K., Perry, J., & Tivis, L. J. (2015). Communicating with Patients and their Families about Palliative and End of Life: Comfort and Educational Needs of Staff RNs. International journal of palliative nursing,  21(3), , 109. Wittenberg, E., Ferrell, B., Goldsmith, J., Smith, T., Glajchen, M., Handzo, G., & Ragan, S. L. (2015). Textbook of Palliative Care Communicaiton. Oxford University Press.

Careers in Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Careers in Mathematics - Essay Example In recent trends, students are able to have several opportunities to develop their career in mathematics. Mathematics provides wide range career opportunities for the students in several departments such as science department and engineering department among others. This subject provides statics as well as calculation knowledge to the students (LaLonde, Leedy and Runk 285-292). The paper intends to explain about the rewards of selecting a career in math along with the contribution of teachers to the American child to overcome their difficulties in learning mathematics. It also deals with the procedure based on which teachers can help the students to develop a competitive career and they become the next genius in mathematics. Mathematics is one the major subjects through which students can develop their career in several sectors and fulfill their aims in their professional life. Mathematics is majorly associated with science as well as engineering department. The students who have a greater knowledge about mathematics are able to enhance their talent and can easily have an understanding about statistical knowledge, which is presented in demand in the job market. It is a subject, which is required in every step of study and by selecting the subject for building a career; students can develop their career in different fields that include engineering, doctor and scientist among others. By choosing a career in mathematics, students are able to have excellent job opportunities in their professional life (Byrnes and Miller 599-629). In recent trends, it can be observed that most of the students want to grow their career in mathematics based on the job competition in the market. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduate students are essential for the American economy to maintain superiority in the STEM field. Mathematics has own field of career opportunity for the students. However, the students