The Challenge - Original Writing Essay - 1008 Words

The Challenge - Original Writing In life, I am absolutely positive that we all face challenges at a certain point. In fact, life itself has always been a challenge to many, and I will not deny that fact. However, it is the various challenges and how you overcome them that make each challenge a special part in your life. I have been through good times and bad times. Yet all my life, I have never backed down from an obstacle in my life, yet this time, I wanted to fall asleep and never open my eyes again. This was a challenge that in my opinion was virtually impossible to overcome. It had all happened to quickly†¦ It had been just another lazy Sunday morning. The sun shone brightly through†¦show more content†¦My mother put down the plate she was washing, as we headed to the door to find out who the ‘mysterious guest’ was. As the door creaked open, we could see the silhouette of a frail middle-aged woman standing outside the gate. She looked vaguely familiar, and beared a striking resemblance to someone I knew, but I could not pinpoint who exactly. I quickly dismissed the thought as I saw my parents’ jaws drop wide open, as they stared at the woman in recognition. A sense of foreboding eased its way to the pit of my stomach as I wondered who the woman was, and why did my parents have such a strong reaction upon seeing her? Something was amiss, but I was not sure what. â€Å"Can I come in?† the woman queried in a surprisingly loud voice. After recovering from their initial shock, my parents looked uncertainly at each other, before nodding their heads reluctantly. From the way my parents were looking at each other, then at me, I was positive that something was definitely wrong. As my mother’s voiced boomed with amazing similarity to that of the woman’s, I was ordered to go up to my room. And from the worried yet serious look in her eyes, I knew my mother was not joking. This was something serious. Daring not to defy her, I made my way up to my room, racking my brain, with only one question in my mind – ‘Who was she?’ As I tried toShow MoreRelatedJames E. Porter’s Idea of Originality in Intertextuality and the Discourse Community778 Words   |  4 Pagesmoment I see myself focusing much more on paraphrasing and not committing plagiarism than the quality of the ideas that I am writing. However, I hav e noted that most of my ideas and opinions are probably based on somebody else’s work I might have read before. Therefore, is it not plagiarism? In the article â€Å"Intertextuality and the Discourse Community,† James E. Porter challenges the idea of what plagiarism truly is. He states that it is almost impossible to write without committing some sort of plagiarismRead MoreThey Say I Say, By Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, And Russel Durst1266 Words   |  6 PagesGerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst outline strategies writers can use to avoid common mistakes often seen in academic writing. The book thoroughly outlines the different components that make up academic writing, such as initially summarizing what others have said before, responding with original ideas, proving a purpose to the writing, and connecting the writing in a logical and eloquent manner. The first part of They Say I Say focuses on how to properly introduce what others are sayingRead MoreThe Effects Of Television On The Entertainment Industry925 Words   |  4 Pagesestablished television networks in North America. Since screenwriters are writing for television networks and not themselves, they are not always able to create content that is meaningful and relevant to them. This essay will argue that screenwriters for television shows in North America struggle to produce creative content that is attractive to and will not be regulated by television networks. First, the essay will examine the challenge screenwriters face when approaching networks with creative contentRead MoreSubjective Reality in Anne Carsons Autobiography of Red Essay1233 Words   |  5 PagesSubjective Reality in Anne Carsons Autobiography of Red Anne Carsons Autobiography of Red is a world of subjective reality. Carson explores the relationship between subject and object through a reworking of an original Greek myth. The original myth is of Herakles, whos tenth labor was to kill Geryon, a red winged monster who lived on an island, and steal his cattle. Carson takes the insignificant character of Geryon and creates a story based on his life, as if set in modern times.Read MoreAn Internship Program With Evan Guthrie Law Firm1437 Words   |  6 Pagesand put our rules and standards into force. Like jobs in any other field, to work in the field of law requires expertise. Trained experts are the most desirable to be hired by organizations, tasked to manage justice, to direct their operations. By writing articles for the legal website, I learned to assess law enforcement situations orderly. I learned to make use of the basic legal and management theories to analyze the situations. I got the opportunity to show my understanding of the key process inRead MorePortfolio Reviewers : My Experience Before English 2201 Essay1294 Words   |  6 Pagesan A+ on that research paper. I wrote every subject in great detail to meet the page length criteria; Stayed after school for tutoring. Requesting feedback in my sentence sense of direction, and sentence structures. The processes of successfully writing research papers never change. No matter what grade level or institution you are in. Research is always the first step. One must have a clear understanding of what angle they want to take; How they want to format their creation. Taking notes on theRead MoreNarrative Writing : High School917 Words   |  4 Pagesrequired a freshman writing class, I was irritated and dreaded the experience so much that I delayed taking the course to second semester. Very confident in my writing ability as my high school featured a grueling English department and having received high grades on my history and sociology essays in first semester classes, I presumed that I wouldn’t learn anything in FWS. Though I struggled with the drafting process, as my preferred method of essay writing involved writing the entire piece to perfectionRead MoreThe Importance Of Professional Writing Throughout A Nurse s Career823 Words   |  4 PagesNurses utilize writing every day in clinical practice, making the attainment of professional writing skills an important goal for students. Scholarly writing is form of communication which exchanges health information amongst professionals and consumers. Professional nursing literature is formatted according to the American Psychological Association (APA) formatting standards. Producing well-written nursing documentation or publications helps nurses enhance their professional respectability alongRead MoreFirst Quarter Reflection Paper1571 Words   |  7 Pagestried including the best supporting evidence in my writing. In the past, I have had trouble coming up with examples to support my main point. This quarter I tried thinking of more points and picking the best points instead of just the first ones that come to mind. This has proved to be a good strategy with positive results. Overall, I feel that I have become a better writer and more hardworking student this quarter in APLAC because I took writing to anoth er level. I have gone into more in depth inRead MoreHow Can Technology Play A Role?1128 Words   |  5 PagesConduct an online search to find information about the challenges related to business writing. Write an essay that describes your findings. At a minimum, address the following items: - What are the challenges you identified? - Identify at least one of the challenges that you experience in your own writing efforts. - How can technology play a role in addressing these challenges? In every business perspective many people would say business writing can be one of the most challenging endeavors one could

Education Policies Free Essays

string(123) " commission was appointed to advise the government on the formulation and interpretation of national educational policies\." Education is so important in any given society. For this reason, it forms a major part of any government’s plans. The plans that any government wishes to implement as regards their education system is determined by existing policies. We will write a custom essay sample on Education Policies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Factors which influence formulation of policies form the subject of this discussion. For orderly presentation, the essay is divided into three chapters namely the introduction, the main body and conclusion. The introduction gives definitions of key terms used in the essay as well as conceptual frame work, the main body outlines and discusses major factors which influenced education policies in African countries after achieving their independence and lastly the conclusion draws a summary of the essay. 1. 1 Statement of essay purpose This essay aims at discussing the factors which influenced education policies in African countries after their achievement of independence. The essay will outline these factors and later give a detailed discussion of each factor. 1. 2 Definitions of terms In order to make this discussion meaningful, it is imperative that definitions of key terms that are involved are done. The key terms involved in the discussion are education, policy and independence. The definitions of the terms are as given below Education According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Culture Organisation (1975:1), education is defined as â€Å"organised and sustained communication designed to bring about learning† Thus education in this context involves a lifelong process by which an individual is incorporated into the group and made capable of behaving in the ways expected by the society for an individual of a particular age, sex or status. Education can take place formally, non formally and informally. However, in this context the emphasis is on formal education. Policy A policy is defined as a deliberate plan of action which is put in place to guide decisions and achieve intended outcomes. Policies differ from rules or laws. Rules or laws are established to compel or prohibit certain behaviours while policies guide actions towards desired goals. This discussion, however, focuses on education policies. Bartlett and Burton (2012:134), define an education policy as the â€Å"rafts of laws and initiatives that determine the shape and functioning of educational systems at both national and local levels. Therefore, education policies give direction to the functioning of an education system. Independence This is defined as the freedom from being governed or ruled by another country. African countries in this discussion acquired the freedom to rule themselves from colonial mast 1. 3 Conceptual Framework Blackmore (1999), states that there are three models of policy making namely popular participation, decree and delegation models. This discussion will refer to these three models in outlining and discussing the factors which influenced education policies in African countries after achieving their independence. These models are discussed in detail below. (a) Popular Participation Policy making model (b) In this model, everybody is given an opportunity to contribute to the formulation of policies. People in African countries were given opportunities to make suggestions on changes to make to the education system. For example, Zambia’s educational reforms of 1977. (c) Decree Policy Making Model In this model, the head of state makes pronouncements on the direction to be followed in a given education system. (d) Delegation Policy Making Model This involves appointing a commission to review the education system of a given country. For example the Onide Commission was appointed to review the education system of Kenya in 1963. Policies are made with respect to the findings of the commission. CHAPTER TWO 2. 0 Main Body This chapter outlines and discusses the major factors that influenced education policies in African countries after achieving independence. These factors are as given and discussed below. Education for Economic Development The consideration given to education as an important vehicle for economic development is one of the factors which influenced education policies in African countries after achieving independence. Investment in formal education was considered as an essential precondition for economic growth. African countries learnt lessons from developed countries that a high basic platform of education was a catalyst to rapid economic development. There was a belief among developing countries that the modernisation, industrialisation and wealth of developed countries were the direct consequence of their educational systems. Coombs (1970) argues that during the 1960s education in developing countries was regarded as a sort of intellectual yeast which would ferment and transform pre industrial societies by promoting knowledge, skills and attitudes which were favourable to economic and social development. Therefore, education policies in African countries after the achievement of independence were directed at promoting education pro vision expansion in order to achieve meaningful development. In fact an argument is advanced by Anderson (1965), that analysis of evidence from major developed countries such as Britain, France, United States of America and Russia that in general terms, a thresh hold male literacy rate of 40 percent was required before there be any significant take off of economic development. To this end, African countries directed their policies on education after attaining independence towards increased access to education in order to reach the required thresh hold of literacy. Therefore, in the 1950s and 1960s, demand and plans for investment in formal education by African countries increased. Education was regarded to be a principal weapon in achieving economic growth. To this end rapid quantitative expansion of the education system became the order of the day in newly independent African countries. Man power Shortages After attaining independence, African countries were confronted with shortage of manpower in various sectors of the economy. As a result of this scenario, they experienced economic stagnation. Man power shortages were heavily felt in technical and managerial fields. Thus, education policies in most African countries were directed towards resolving the man power shortages experienced. This situation was evident from what obtained in Kenya. As Eshiwani (1993:26), observes ‘’at independence in 1963, Kenya found herself with a high shortage of skilled manpower to run the economy. In order to solve this problem, a commission was appointed to advise the government on the formulation and interpretation of national educational policies. You read "Education Policies" in category "Papers" † Therefore, it can be stated that man power planning in newly independent countries of Africa gave a direction to the formulation of education policies. Consequently, the governments of newly independent countries of Africa saw it paramount to expand the education systems of their countries in order to produce more graduates from the education system that would fill the manpower gaps which were experienced in various sectors of the economy. Most technical and managerial jobs at independence in most African countries were occupied by foreigners. Therefore, the aim of most African governments was to decolonise the education systems, produce more output from secondary and higher education so that manpower to participate in national development could be realised. Fafunwa (1974), Contends that education development in African countries like Nigeria was treated as a national emergency for the reason of curbing manpower shortages in crucial areas of the economy. In order to meet the requirements of manpower in various sectors of the economy, the policies of African countries after independence were directed at increasing school enrolments, especially at the post primary level. Rapid expansion of secondary and higher education was considered as a pre requisite for sustainable economic growth. Enhancing education as a basic human right Newly independent African countries were confronted with a task of providing to every child their basic, essential right to education. The kind education that was to be provided was supposed to be relevant to the child in his or her African setting. For this reason, most newly African countries had massive capital and recurrent budgets towards the financing of primary education for all. The provision of education especially at elementary level to citizens of newly independent African countries was prompted by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights in which education is enshrined as a basic human right. As Bishop (1989:1), postulates, â€Å"Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. †Therefore, from the foregoing, newly independent African countries were compelled to provide education especially primary education on the grounds of human justice and equity. The newly independent African countries were supposed to consider primary education as the birth right of every child. This was due to the fact that education was seen as an effective way to give all children regardless of sex or family background an equal start in life. Furthermore, the leadership of newly independent African countries considered education to be the great equaliser that would help to narrow the wide disparities which were apparent in conditions of living in rural and urban communities. Before the attainment of independence, education in most African countries was a preserve for the elite. In order to correct this, African leaders made radical changes to their education systems to make them more accommodative to everyone. As Carmody (1994:23), contends â€Å"As in most African countries, from the early days Africa’s leaders viewed education as a powerful, often the most powerful vehicle for social transformation. Thus, as the UNIP government assumed power, among its immediate priorities were the elimination of racial segregation in schools and expansion of education provision. Tuition and boarding fees were abolished. † A point was also made by Bishop (1989), which in the days of the 1950s and 1960s massive expansion of education provision was regarded as the best means available for rooting out old prejudices and socio economic injustices. Therefore, education was regarded as basic human right which everyone needed to enjoy as provided in the foregoing arguments. In the pursuit of providing universal primary education, newly African countries set for themselves benchmarks. For example, the Addis Ababa conference on the development of education in Africa held in 1961 recommended that primary education was to be universal, compulsory and free by 1980. The conference further recommended that secondary education was to be provided to 30 percent of the children who completed primary school. Similarly, the conference of Arab states which met in Tripoli in 1966 also set 1980 as the target date for achieving universal primary education. To this end, it can be argued that one of the factors that influenced the formulation of education policies of African countries after achieving independence was related to the consideration that education was a basic human right which every citizen of a given country was supposed to enjoy. Hence, massive investment in the provision of education was undertaken by African countries after attaining independence in order to promote the achievement of universal primary education. As Court and Kinyanjui (1978:14), comment on the provision of Universal Primary Education in Tanzania. â€Å"President Nyerere had the choice of expanding the number of classes at grades V to VII so that those children entering primary education received seven years of schooling instead of four†. It can be concluded from the foregoing statement that the decision was arrived at because it enabled finances to be spent on the provision of 7 years of education to one child which helped him or her to become a useful member of society. African countries aimed at improving the access to education by increasing the number of school places which was facilitated by expanding already existing schools as well as construction of new schools in different parts of their countries. Promotion of Modernisation African countries formulated their education policies with respect to the purpose of attaining modernisation. In order to influence modernisation in their countries, there was massive investment in education. This was a result of the belief that schooling would assist in the inculcation of modern ideas and attitudes. Bishop (1989), postulate that evidence seemed to indicate that schooling influenced the development of modern traits and ideas. To this end, schooling had some impact on modernisation. This was manifestated in higher levels of modernity among urban people and lower modernity among rural people. Consequently, many African leaders in newly independent countries felt modernisation of attitudes and behaviours was an important pre requisite for their countries’ development. According to Carmody (1994), education should socialise a nation’s population into modern values, attitudes and personalities. For this reason there was more emphasis on the expansion of education systems in newly independent African countries in order to enhance the access levels. Increased access to education meant increased modernity levels within a given country. In studies which were conducted be Inkeles and Smith (1974), indicate that education was the single most variable for modernisation. The studies indicate that each year of schooling improved a person’s score on their modernity scale by about 2 points. Education was also very effective in the development of positive attitudes and values. For this reason, formulation of education policies in newly independent African countries was influenced by the idea of modernisation. Modernisation was to be attained by every citizen in the newly independent African countries through education. Ensuring Citizens’ Political Participation The citizens’ participation in political affairs of their countries could be seen as one of the major factors which influenced education policies in African countries after achieving independence. Political participation of citizens of a particular country was linked to the notion of modernisation. This was due to the fact that knowledge was regarded as power. For this reason, many political leaders of African drafted educational policies which were responsive to the promotion of political participation of citizens in nation matters. This was highly evident in the content of education which was offered to the citizens . Again this could only be realised through the wide spread of education in African countries which most leaders promoted through the expansion of the education system. Cowan (1965), stressed that any political principle which governed education policy in independent African countries was supposed to regard as a top priority the provision of an education that would establish the most vigorous form of self government and independence. Therefore, extending schooling to a larger population would make more people politically and socially conscious and more active in the process of nation building. Thus, if equal political rights were to be enjoyed by everyone then everyone ought to have at least an adequate primary school education to participate more fully in the political process of their country. Promotion of Social Equality and Removal of Divisions The attainment of social equality is among the major factors which influenced education policies in African countries after achieving independence. Education was regarded as an instrument of social equality which was critical in the upbringing of social responsibility. Therefore, education policies which were put in place by African countries after attainment of independence were directed towards the promotion of social equality within their countries. Consequently, more and more school places were created in most parts of African countries to bring about the issue of equality within their countries in the provision of education services. Equality in the provision of education was called for as it ensured that child was provided with varied and challenging opportunities for collective activities and corporate social services. Furthermore, Eshiwani (1993), points out that the promotion of social equality in the formulation of education policies in African countries after achieving independence helped young people to acquire positive attitudes of mutual respect which enabled them to live together in harmony and to make a positive contribution to the national life. This contribution to national life was not supposed to be extended to every part of the country, hence the need of social equality in the provision of education. Respect and Development of Cultural Heritage The formulation of education policies in African countries after achieving independence was influenced by the need for promoting respect and development of cultural heritage. Education policies were directed towards the promotion of respect, fostering and developing the rich cultures which African countries have. For this reason, policy formulation as regards this situation was clearly addressed in the content of education which African countries were to provide to their people. The content of education was adapted to the culture of the people in any particular African country. In support of this assertion, Eshiwani (1993), states that the commission which was assigned to review Kenya’s education system in 1963 recommended that Kenyan schools were to respect the cultural traditions of the people of the country, both as expressed in social institutions and relationships. Similarly, Damachi et al (1978), reports that education policies in African countries after attainment of independence were influenced by the need to enhance every aspect of human development which included the promotion of cultural heritage. Consequently, African countries were to state clearly their language of instruction in their education system both at lower and higher levels. This was done with the sole aim of promoting the preservation of cultural heritage and national unity. To this end the education policies which most African countries drafted after the attainment of independence were geared towards learners understanding of past and present cultural values and their valid place in contemporary society. Education for Self Reliance The education policies of African countries were influenced by the need for the curriculum offered to respond to the attainment of self reliance. Thus the recipients of such education were supposed to engage themselves in self employing activities. The curriculum of African countries emphasized practical subjects in order to ensure the acquisition of self reliance by learners. It was realised that the kind of education which was offered in some countries in Africa was too bookish and academic. The education system in most African countries separated manual work from learning. Thus theory was separated from practice. This situation further alienated young people from their societies. Therefore, education reforms in most African countries were inevitable so as reverse this trend. As Bishop (1989:116), reports â€Å"By the mid 1950s it was being argued once again that schooling should be reformed principally through curriculum reform to include more practical and vocational studies’’ Similarly, Carmody (1994), reports that Zambia’s First National Development Plan pointed to the need for increasingly relating secondary education to the needs of the country by diversifying the secondary school syllabus into technical and commercial fields and giving a new place to agriculture. Therefore, it can be pointed out that education policies in African countries were supposed to address the concept of self reliance. Academic schooling was to be placed side by side with technical and vocational training in African countries. Improvement of Education Efficiency The education policies of most African countries after achieving independence were influenced by the need of improving the efficiency of the education systems. In education systems of African countries, it was felt that there was no correlation between inputs and out puts as well as between costs and returns. Education policies were centred on the need of making the systems of education to be more efficient. That is, the education systems were supposed to achieve their output at the lowest cost and also get the greatest return for a given cost. According to Bishop (1989), most education systems in African countries after achieving independence were inefficient, particularly at secondary and higher levels. The inputs such as expenditure per student or teacher training did not seem to have the effects on test scores which educators anticipated. Therefore, education policies were designed in a manner that would make the education systems in newly independent African countries to be more efficient. Additionally, education in many African countries was dysfunctional. It relied heavily on rote learning and led to an inappropriate reverence for paper qualifications. Furthermore, most curricular in African countries were irrelevant to pupils’ future lives and created an imbalance with many school leavers unemployed. Consequently, African countries formulated policies which were aimed at addressing the challenges which were faced in education systems. Education as a means of fostering international consciousness Education policies in African countries were influenced by the need to foster international consciousness in learners. Education policies as complimented by the content of education provided to learners was supposed to ensure that positive attitudes towards other countries as well as the international community were upheld. This was emphasized because no country existed as an island. Each country depended on others for its prosperity. Therefore, it was essential that learners were provided with education that would instil international consciousness for the purpose of promoting cooperation among countries. CHAPTER THREE. 3.0 CONCLUSION Education policies in African countries after their achievement of independence were influenced by a number of factors. Some of the major factors which influenced education policies in African countries included manpower shortages, recognition of education as a basic human right, consideration of education as a tool for development, modernisation, improving education efficiency, need for citizens’ political participation, and promotion of international consciousness among learners as well as self reliance. Changes in education policies were inevitable due to the fact that African countries experienced change in government. A change in government is associated with an ideological shift, thus aspects of the education system in a given country will be in a continual state of reformation. Hence, changes occurred in education aspects such as content, teaching methodologies, assessment and structure. How to cite Education Policies, Papers

Of Anger Essay Example For Students

Of Anger Essay To seek to extinguish anger utterly, is but a bravery of the Stoics. We have better oracles: Be angry, but sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger. Anger must be limited and confined, both in race and in time. We will first speak how the natural inclination and habit to be angry may be attempted and calmed. Secondly, how the particular motions of anger may be repressed, or at least refrained from doing mischief. Thirdly, how to raise anger, or appease anger in another. For the first; there is no other way but to meditate, and ruminate well upon the effects of anger, how it troubles mans life. And the best time to do this, is to look back upon anger, when the fit is thoroughly over. Seneca saith well, that anger is like ruin, which breaks itself upon that it falls. The Scripture exhorteth us to possess our souls in patience. Whosoever is out of patience, is out of possession of his soul. Men must not turn bees; animasque in vulnere ponunt. Anger is certainly a kind of baseness; as it appears well in the weakness of those subjects in whom it reigns; children, women, old folks, sick folks. Only men must beware, that they carry their anger rather with scorn, than with fear; so that they may seem rather to be above the injury, than below it; which is a thing easily done, if a man will give law to himself in it. For the second point; the causes and motives of anger, are chiefly three. First, to be too sensible of hurt; for no man is angry, that feels not himself hurt; and therefore tender and delicate persons must needs be oft angry; they have so many things to trouble them, which more robust natures have little sense of. The next is, the apprehension and construction of the injury offered, to be, in the circumstances thereof, full of contempt: for contempt is that, which putteth an edge upon anger, as much or more than the hurt itself. And therefore, when men are ingenious in picking out circumstances of contempt, they do kindle their anger much. Lastly, opinion of the touch of a mans reputation, doth multiply and sharpen anger. Wherein the remedy is, that a man should have, as Consalvo was wont to say, telam honoris crassiorem. But in all refrainings of anger, it is the best remedy to win time; and to make a mans self believe, that the opportunity of his revenge is not yet come, but that he foresees a time for it; and so to still himself in the meantime, and reserve it. To contain anger from mischief, though it take hold of a man, there be two things, whereof you must have special caution. The one, of extreme bitterness of words, especially if they be aculeate and proper; for cummunia maledicta are nothing so much; and again, that in anger a man reveal no secrets; for that, makes him not fit for society. The other, that you do not peremptorily break off, in any business, in a fit of anger; but howsoever you show bitterness, do not act anything, that is not revocable. For raising and appeasing anger in another; it is done chiefly by choosing of times, when men are frowardest and worst disposed, to incense them. Again, by gathering as was touched before all that you can find out, to aggravate the contempt. And the two remedies are by the contraries. The former to take good times, when first to relate to a man an angry business; for the first impression is much; and the other is, to sever, as much as may be, the construction of the injury from the point of contempt; imputing it to misunderstanding, fear, passion, or what you will.

Karma And Samsara Essays (1277 words) - Shabda, Reincarnation

Karma And Samsara The belief in Karma and Samsara form the basis for the Hindu's religious worldview. It has been central to Hinduism for thousands of years, and as a result forms a major part in the philosophical thinking of many Hindu's today. The ideas of Karma and Samsara are evident in almost all of the great Hindu scriptures, being touched on in the Veda's, but first properly introduced in the Upanishads. When the idea of Samsara was first introduced it led to a quest for liberation through the practice of austerity or meditation or both. To be released form this life the Hindu's needed to wipe out the effects of their past actions or Karma. It is this set of beliefs that formed the background of many of Hindu's religious movements and beliefs. Karma is the belief according to which a person's future life is determined by past and present actions. Every action, bodily, intellectual or ethical, good or bad, big or small will have its effect. Nothing other than the effects of earlier actions has determined the present state of affairs and nothing other than the present actions will determine the future circumstances. The law of Karma allows no room for chance or divine intervention as everything is inevitably determined by it. The Brhardaranyaka Upanisad simply sates "By good actions one becomes good, by bad actions one becomes bad"(4.4.5) (Koller 1982: 59). Intertwined with belief in Karma is the idea of Samsara, which is the cycle of repeated births and deaths that subjects an individual not merely to one death but to innumerable deaths (Koller 1982:9). Hindu's believe that as a person dies the Atman (the unconscious, immaterial part of a human) carries the results of their good and bad actions (Karma) into their next existence. This previous Karma will determine what sort of position a Hindu will occupy in their new existence, for example, if a person in a low caste has been very good in their past existence they will be born into a higher caste in their next life. The ideas of Karma and Samsara have justified the unequal Caste system, which has been an integral part of Indian society for hundreds of years. At the time of the Rig Veda (the earliest Hindu scriptures around 1000 B.C.E) (Smart 1989: 60) the key concepts of Karma and Samsara had not actually been stated. However, it does mention that a person's conduct in this world determines his life after death. The brahmins (the religious leaders) stressed the importance of the sacred act of sacrificing which was supposed to have a bearing on man's fate in the next world, and consequently the Satapatha Brahmana 11.1.8,6, states that "the Sacrifice becomes the self of the sacrificer in the next world"(Stutley 1985: 23). So, even at this early stage of Hinduism, the idea of Karma played an important role in the Hindu's worldview. It was not until the Upanishads (the principal ones dating from 800-400B.C.E) (Smart 1989:49) that we first meet with the doctrines of Karma and Samsara. The Upanishads are concerned essentially with the meaning of the sacrificial rites, and come to the conclusion that knowledge in the ?true reality' is the key rather than expertise in rituals like the Rig Veda's were. In the process they introduce profound metaphysical and religious ideas, such as Karma and Samsara. The Chandogya Upanisad sums up the ideas of Karma and Samsara "those who are of pleasant conduct here the prospect is indeed that they will enter a pleasant womb, either the womb of a Kshatriya or the womb of a Vaisya (high Indian Castes). But those who are of a striking conduct here the prospect is indeed, that, they will enter the womb of a dog, or the womb of a swine, or the womb of an outcast"(Lipner 1994: 45). The central concept in the Upanishads is that of Brahman. Brahman is the highest truth, the eternal being on which all other beings depend on. Brahman is the same as the atman, in other words, that ultimate being out there, is the same as that eternal something within you. The goal for many Hindus became at this time to gain Moksha (release from Samsara) which meant a person's atman would be released from the cycle of rebirth and therefore become one with the ultimate reality, Brahman, like a drop of water into an ocean. To understand the Hindus preoccupation with breaking the cycle of Samsara and gaining Moksha one must understand the Hindu's view of time and space.

Top Three problems facing the nation, the congress and the p essays

Top Three problems facing the nation, the congress and the p essays The land of Freedom, Equality, and opportunities, is what is known to the world about the United States of America from the beginning of its origin. Here people from all around the world come for higher education, for better living, and seeking more opportunities. Each people in this country can make up their life to their best because of the rules and regulation that are in favor of all, and are not bias. As for example they can work hard because there are opportunities available equally to all on the basis of their education, and capacity. Thus, the United States of America is the land of freedom, equality and opportunities. The United States of America is the dwelling place of all nationalities. However, the nation now is facing problems regarding the freedom which the congress were struck at in the decision making process. The three major problem facing nation today and also in the congress and the president in the policy making process are the same sex marriage, the illegal wo rkers, and the most high tech jobs going offshore. In the state legislatures this year, there is action related to gay marriage. In most cases lawmakers have been considering proposed amendments to their state constitutions that would tighten existing bans on the same sex marriage. It has become the problem for the congress to pass the federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriages. Different state has different decision, but most of the states have the same outcomes, that though the house has passed the bill to senate, its very hard for the senate to pass the bill. President George W. Bush hasnt formed the clear opinion on gay marriage. In some states, people are forcing congress to allow the same sex marriage. In my opinion peoples freedom is beyond the limit. Congress is on the horns of dilemma. Obviously it is the serious problem in the decision making process. If it is made legal, nation may face many problem...

How to Pronounce Italian American Surnames

How to Pronounce Italian American Surnames Everyone knows how to pronounce their last name, right? Since surnames are obviously a point of pride, its not hard to understand why families would insist on pronouncing them a certain way. But second- and third-generation Italian Americans who have little or no knowledge of Italian are often unaware of how to correctly pronounce their last names, resulting in anglicized versions that bear little aural resemblance to the original, intended form. Thats Not Italian In popular culture, on TV, in movies, and radio, Italian surnames are frequently mispronounced. Endings are truncated, extra syllables are added where none exist, and vowels are barely mouthed. Its no wonder, then, that many Italian Americans cannot pronounce their last names the way their forefathers did. If you cringe when hearing Italian words mispronounced, are interested in how your surname was meant to be pronounced in the original language, or want to recognize your own last name when spoken by a native Italian, there are a few simple rules to follow. When Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sang, in the 1969 Grammy Awards Record of the Year song Mrs. Robinson, Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? they turned the Yankee Hall of Famers last name into four syllables. In fact, the Italian pronunciation should be dee-MAH-joh. In 2005, amidst the blanket media coverage of the Terri Schiavo case (brain-dead and in a coma, her husband went to court to have her taken off life support) the American media persisted in pronouncing her last name as SHY-vo, which to Italian speakers sounded very wrong. The correct pronunciation is skee-AH-voh. There are many other examples in which no attempt is made for even a close approximation of standard Italian pronunciation, which has lead to the spread of careless sounding out of Italian last names. Ironically, in Italy native Italian speakers struggle with the same dilemma of whether to pronounce surnames on the grounds of nationality (i.e., to italicize a last name) or on the basis of the origin of the surname. The Correct Way If many English speakers cannot seem to pronounce Italian last names correctly, how can you avoid common pronunciation mistakes in Italian? Remember that Italian is a phonetic language, which means words are usually pronounced as they are written. Determine how to break down your surname into syllables and learn how to pronounce Italian consonants and vowels. Ask a native Italian or someone fluent in the language how to pronounce your cognome italiano, or post a message on the forums such as: How to pronounce the surname Lucania correctly (hint: its not loo-KA-nia, or loo-CHA-nia, but loo-KAH-nee-ah). At some point, the linguistic clouds will part, and youll be able to pronounce your Italian last name as it was meant to be. Stumbling, Mumbling Pronunciation There are a few letter combinations in Italian that frequently trip up even the most assiduous speaker, and lead to the mangled pronunciation of last names. For example, Albert Ghiorso was the co-discoverer of a number of chemical elements. But pronouncing the surname Ghiorso shouldnt require a Ph.D. in chemistry. The scientists last name is not enunciated gee-OHR-so but rather ghee-OR-soh. Other potential tongue-twisters include double consonants, ch, gh, and the ever-tricky gli. Master these articulation challenges, and youll sound like a native when pronouncing memorable Italian last names such as: Pandimiglio, Schiaparelli, Squarcialupi, and Tagliaferro.

People aged over 65 employment in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

People aged over 65 employment in UK - Essay Example One of these reasons is the economic depression that has been in the recent years which has necessitated people to continue working in order to make ends meet even if they are old or over 65 years of age (Barrow, 2011). There is also the issue of the workforce being reduced as the population of young people who can provide labour in the UK has continued to dwindle as people fail to give birth. The lack of enough labour force has forced the older generation to continue working way after their years of retirement have passed as they have no alternative if the economy is to continue to grow as it used to or if their country is to develop. Lastly is the boredom that most of these people face if and when they retire and in order to avoid it, they prefer to continue working until they are not physically able to do so. Barrow, B. (April, 13th, 2011). â€Å"Grey jobs boom: How over 65s are filling a third of new positions because they are too poor to retire.† Dailymail. Retrieved from: