How does adult educational programming support Jesuit values today Essay

How does adult educational programming support Jesuit values today - Essay Example Jesuit core values consist of promotion of academic excellence, whole person education and promotion of open-minded arts. Jesuit tradition emphasizes on the pursuit of academic excellence. It promotes the love for learning among individual community members. Jesuit education emphasizes on whole person education, which is based on the tenet that the core feature of Jesuit education is to help in the development of all the God-given talents in people. Jesuits believe that people’s potential can be harnessed through offering education and learning opportunities to them. Through the implementation of adult education programming, Jesuit achieves its objective of imparting knowledge to every member of the society, which improves their intellectual capacity. Through the program, adults can easily read their bible and make informed decisions because they are enlightened. The program can significantly promote the love for education among adult members of the society, which is a core ingredient of the Jesuit education and tradition. As such, the implementation of adult educational programming is likely to promote the fundamental values of Jesuit tradition such as fostering academic excellence and education of whole

Liberal Principles and Minority Rights Essay Example for Free

Liberal Principles and Minority Rights Essay Liberal Principles and Minority Rights BY shax0521 We live in a world with differences, biases and hindrances we tend to take into account to be able to cope up with the changes happening around us. These differences could be between races,religion, culture, language, etc. But within a country, these differences also exist. Most countries are composed of diversed culture that divides the society to the majority and the minorities that establishes cultural differences related problems. It is often heard that minorities are deprived from certain freedom and the majority avails most of the best previleges that could e given. Minorities are often Judged by different steoreotypes and prejudices that establishes conflict between the groups. The main point of Prof. Hans Ingvar Roth, head of the sweden research team of the University of Lund in his article Liberal Principles and Minority rights, minority groups particularly in a liberal democratic society should be able to deal with the existing problems confronting their existence and culture in relation to the liberal principles through group-targeted measures. These group-targeted measures will be further explained throughout the article critique. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief summary of Roths article Liberal Principles and Minority Rights, what are the liberal principles of a liberal democratic society how it affects the condition of the minorities and my point of view as a reader. It will also tackle the different features of a liberal society, the problems encountered by minorities and the possible solution to the problems. In other words, the life of the minorities in a liberal democratic society. According to Roth, inequalities in modern western societies are faced by the inorities particularly ethnic, racial and religious which sometimes seen to result to discrimination. The minorities are confronted by social, political and cultural inequalities which were percieved to be the consequences as a memberofa liberal democratic society. Moreover, the majority enjoys the benefits and priveleges that were given by the society. In relation to this, to know the reason why these inequalities occur, we must know the grass roots of this condition. Roth stated in his article his definition ofa liberal democratic society. According to him, a liberal democratic society is charcterized by the certain institutions or norms that are seen among many of its citizens as essential guidelines for the organization of society. A liberal democratic society has its liberal principles namely, majoritarian democracy, free moblity, market economy, meritocracy and neutrality. The first principle is the majoritarian democracy or the rule of many . This concept of democracy implies disadvantages to the minorities because literally, it shows how minorities are outnumbered by the majority in terms of their cultural survival. As stated in the article, this idea of democracy have serious consequences for defenseless minorities. Furthermore, another liberal principle which is a burden to minorities is free mobility where people get to move freely without any intent hindrances but it has its limit in reality. Roth expounded it as the ideal of open borders for refugees from non- european countries in contrast to the migration policies implemented on various principle is the easy access of majority population into minority territories that could threaten the cultural survivability of the latter which is also dependent upon its eography. Moreover, the market economy as a principle which assumes freedom of choice that is considered to be the prevailing model for arranging economic activities systems in liberal societies. Roth added that according to many of his critics, the market economy could lead the majority to cultural supremacy over the minorities where the former has more access to important resources that could affect the cultural life of a country. It is considered to be the most efficient among other economic systems. Another liberal principle is meritocracy. According to Roth, merit should administer the appropriation of employment and places in higher education. This implies that the majority will dominate the labour-market of the society and eventually earn the highest ranks in offices. This would result to the alienation of the minorities in any encounter of several forms of higher education because the majority gets the best priveleges they could have in the society. In addition, Roth cited another principle which is neutrality or even-handedness. This occurs when the government doesnt interfere with certain policy decisions uided by religious views or substantial philiosophies of life and this kind of action implies contradiction to relgious minorities and securalism in some way influence the society. The abovementioned principles in any circumstances could stand in conflict with one another. As we have tackled the 5 principles of a liberal democratic society, it is also important to know some features of this kind of society which could have significant consequences on the cultural standing of different minorities in the society. The first feature is lingua franca which refers to having a common language in the society for he people have one language they could use to communicate with each other. Roth stated in his article that the language is an important element for the cultural identity of a group. Eventually, the language of the majority will be the lingua franca due to its long history in the country and the minorities must accept it and use to be able to communicate with others. However, this doesnt mean that the languages from the minorities cannot be recognized as official languages in significant bailiwick of society such as education or law. Another feature of a liberal democratic society is nation building. Roth referred it as the creation of various institutions, traditions and spheres of society in which it will be affected by the long history of the majority group. In this case, it stresses that even without ethnic or cultural nationalism; the majority culture is advantageous because of its historical standing in the society. According to Roth, cultural preservation of minority groups depend on the members itself. They should have the best interest in maintaining and preserving their culture. A part from Roths article tackled about the shared values in the ulticultural debate for minority rights where possessing a secure cultural belonging could be valuable in a way that it is an important condition to an individual well being or it could be a crucial part of a ones personal identity or as a framework adapting the majoritys culture and integration or affiliate with the majority on the other side. However, they have one common view that minority groups should not face anu unfair or excessive burdens in maintaining their cultures. Furthermore, if a minority group had encountered am intense discrimination from the other groups in he society, they should pay for the serious cultural disadvantage that the minority group faces. In other words, cultural diversity should be reagarded as a valuable objective for the whole society and a shared public responsibility to secure the preservation of the minority culture. However, if a certain minority in question have encountered no grim history of discrimination, and its cultural changes was due to voluntary change of its own members, it conditions become more unclear. The members itself should pay the price of maintaining or preserving their culture given hat they have been attracted to the majority culture. In addition, the majority is not coerced to share a costs of preserving that particular minority. As discussed earlier, there are ethnic and religious minorities in a society and their situation could be less favourable in certain conditions. Roth emphasized in his article that cultural influence by the majority usually occurs to the minorities that live in so-called open agricultural territories, small in size and the history of discrimination. Furthermore, it was stressed that shared language, religion and a istory of discrimination or an idea of geographical location make the minorit group maintain their culture. There are minority groups that prefer to attain independence and others to lower their claims and instead strive for various forms of cultural autonomy. In the entire article, the two main problems of minorities in relation to the liberal principles are cultural preservation and problems of integration. According to him, problems of preservation arise when liberal principles such as free mobility and the endorsement of a market economy may threaten a traditional form of community life. Due to the dominance of the majority in terms of size, resources and historical standing, these principles work to their cultural advantage. Furthermore, the practice of having a lingua franca gives more disadvantage to the minorities in terms of preservation of their own language. The abovementioned problems has its group-targeted measures so that the minority culture will survive. These are metaphors the fence, the ladder, the springboard and the plane. With these meaures, there could be a continous existence of minority groups in liberal democratic societies. Through the fence it ould take form of exceptions from laws that burden traditional cultural practices or even property rights that would prevent majority population from buying lands from the minority territories. In addition, Roth used the cultural autonomy with regards to certain forms of legislation such as family as an example of a fence which protects the minority from being influenced by the family customs of the majority. Another measure is the ladder wherein group representation should be practiced by religious and ethnic groups in order to have a level of representation in the society. This metaphor can neutralize and attenuate unfair thresholds or hindrances such as blind spots, various forms of animosity, stereotypes and nepotism. To be able to gain entrance in the main sphere of society in spite of the diminish this hindrances in the remote future. The first measure or method is called the springboard that would present opportunities to minorities such as labour market and higher education in instances that they face discrimination and prJudices in the society. According to Roth, the springboard is not enough for minorities to be able to enter to such society that is hy the plane was created. It is considered to be the supplementary method of the springboard. It aims to alter engrained and stubborn attitudes and habits among the majority population through information campaigns and cross-cultural meeting places. From what I understand in the Roths article, inequalities of minorities in the society are caused by the liberal principles. I agree on it due to the different situations presented in the article. These principles namely majoritarian democracy, free mobility, meritocracy, market economy and neutrality are advantageous to the ajority population and affect the minoritys cultural preservation. The articles premises are still valid according to the current situations in most western countries. His interpretation of the evidences presented were likely to lead us to the same conclusion that the liberal principles should be improved rather than to replace them with something different in order to solve such inequalities in such society. His arguments regarding the disadvantages of the minorities in the society such as the lingua franca where the majoritys language will be the official language of the ociety and meritocracy where the majority gets the highest ranks in the offices had the biggest impact to me which I agree on. If we compare it to the philippines, a non- liberal democratic country but compose of a majority and minorities, due to the geographical boundary and size of population of christians with tagalog as their language is considered to be the official language of the country, officially called as Filipino and in terms of meritocracy, the muslims as a minority experience biases regarding employment in government and other fields of offices because of different stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination.

Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper (2001) Framework for Diabetes

Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper (2001) Framework for Diabetes Reflective account, using framework from Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper (2001) of a patient with regards to a long term condition and identification of a learning need to be achieved during the module. This essay is reflective based on my experience while on a clinical placement. The aim is to demonstrate an understanding of my views encountered in practice using the Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper (2001) framework with regards to diabetes mellitus which is a long term condition. According to Bennett and Morisson (2009), Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong condition marked by high level of sugar in the blood and a failure to transfer this to the organs that need it. The framework will show how it has been used to reflect on the condition, what has been learnt and the outcome on current and future practice. It also based on learning needs to be achieved during the module. It was an eight week placement on an acute unit which consist of a male bay, one female bay and three side rooms. My mentor and I was assigned to the male bay. This was when I came into contact with Mr. A. Pseudonym will be used to conceal patient identity. Confidentiality will be maintained throughout in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008). Mr. A was a 64 year old gentleman who was admitted to a critical unit from Accident and Emergency (AE), in my third week of my first year as a nursing student but my second placement. He had several conditions inflicted on him. They were acute pulmonary oedema secondary to silent myocardial infarction (MI), acute kidney injury (AKI) and CKD. Past medical history of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), quadriplegic amputee and HONK. He was basically admitted for hyperglycaemic control It became clear during hand over that this was a challenging and interesting case for effective learning to take place especially as a student nurse. Learning is a relatively permanent change in knowledge, skills or ability as a result of experience (Bennett Morrison, 2009). However, I felt anxious as this was just my second placement for my first year as a student nurse and I did not feel experience enough to deal with all I was hearing about this patient. My first impression when I saw Mr A. was a sad one because of his quadriplegic amputee. I realised that hearing or reading about a condition and actually giving hands on care is different. According to Bulman and Schultz (2008), thinking can be intellectual, thus emphasising the importance of practical as well as theoretical for learning. My first encounter with Mr A. on the ward he appeared to be drowsy and somewhat confused from the conversation we had. For instance, his wife was sitting at his bedside and he told me he took his wife to a party last night. During the time he was mentioning he was hospitalise. Drowsiness can be a sign of hyperglycaemia as in Mr. A Case. As nurses and other health professionals, we are faced with challenging and unique situations in practice, therefore, by reflecting on these experiences it allows learning to take place and again flexible ways in which to respond to these situations (Burns Bulman, 2000). While caring and carrying out assessment of Mr A., it was noticed he had intravenous infusion (IV), urethral catheter, insulin pump, heparin infusion and central venous pressure line (CVP). I was assigned to monitor hourly observation because the patient was critical and this had to be done until they were stable, especially the blood sugar which was elevated. According to Dougherty and Lister (2008), maintenance of normal blood glucose should be within 4-7 mmol/l. I can remember at one point it was 27 mmol/l. Whenever I noticed any abnormalities in the observation I would inform my mentor. I noticed increase in insulin administration via pump when blood sugar level is elevated and decrease when lower readings. Also, the patient was unable to carry out self-care or assist in his care because of his quadriplegic amputee. He was totally dependent on the nursing staff to take responsibility for all his basic needs and to promote high quality care (NMC, 2004). However he was given the care that he needed with consent. For example, wash in bed and assisted with nutritional needs such as feeding. When food was given he would refuse, but with much encouragement on my part in a good way he would. I can remember Mr A. asking me to scratch his head because he was unable to. Strict fluid balance I maintained because the patient was reluctant to drink. I informed my mentor and I was advised to give at least 30 mls of fluids per hour. I asked Mr. A. what was his favourite drink, he told me tea. I remembered going to the kitchen after informing my mentor of my intention to make sure an eye was kept on him. The patient was also monitored using a water loo chart. This was used mainly because of his immobility and he was prone to pressure ulcer if proper care is not given. During one of my encounters while nursing Mr. A, I remembered him saying to me diabetes is not good because it leave him without limbs. At that moment I felt compassion for him. At the same time he said that to me, I was pricking his earlobe to monitor his blood sugar. I felt sad for him thinking about the pain he was going through pricking his earlobe every hour. At times I felt impotent because of my lack of experience and been unaware of how to deal with situations such as Mr. A condition. I was limited in my experience and it was my first hospital placement. I wanted to reassure patients, support my colleagues, and give sound advice but I did not have enough confidence and experience to do that. I didn’t know how to ask Mr. A. about the pain he was experiencing when pricking his earlobe, but I gained the confidence to approach him and ask to tell be about when his earlobe is been pricked. My reason for asking is because I noticed every time his earlobe was pricked he would grimace on his face He said it hurts and is painful. Mc Caffery and Pasero (1999) states pain is what the patient says it is. However, I have learnt something about myself. I have learnt basic communication skill especially listening just by sitting at Mr A. beside and listening to his conversations he would tell me about his country of birth Barbados and how he ended up living in Trinidad. I did not know that with just a few simple words of empathy and encouragement it would please and calm the patient. According to McCabe Timmins (2006), communication is the process of conveying information between two or more people. Communication is essential in building relationships with patients and gaining trust. To highlight how important communication is in the nursing profession, NMC identified it as being an essential skill and only if a student is competent in this skill they can go on and register as a nurse (NMC, 2007). Communication has been describe as being both simple and complex process. For communication to be effective, the sender has to be very clear about the purpose of the message (McCabe Timmins, 2006). The care the patient receive has direct potential to improve through reflective practice it helped to make sense of complicated situations and staff can become motivated and empowered. This has given me a chance to link theory to practice. The way I communicated with Mr. A., had a positive outcome for both of us in that all his needs were met, and I learnt effective communication helps in building trusting bond between patient and nurses (Almond Yardley, 2009).

Women, Words, Writing :: Gender Literature Papers

Women, Words, Writing During my morning commute, I cut myself off from the world around me and think. The last thing I see before "shutting off" generally starts a process of free association that is carried on by memory. For instance, this morning a woman sat beside me, reading The Alchemy of Race and Rights by Patricia Williams. Williams is someone I have heard of and read. I remembered her essay "And We Are Not Married"-a wonderful sample of women's writing. For the rest of the time I traveled by subway, I thought of pieces of writing I have read that, somehow, bear the mark of their writer's gender. Now I'm home, at my desk, and I am re-reading the texts I have thought of in the morning, trying to understand why and where I feel the mark of gender. Take, for example, Williams's essay; as I go along, I am fascinated by its complexity, by its huge network-or should I say labyrinth?-of ideas, so huge that the reader can easily get lost, become powerless, and abandon the struggle. Williams argues, among other things, that the practice of certain forms of rhetoric constitute acts of ideology, that style is never neutral, so that types of writing and behavior are always suffused with political content. One of her primary rhetorical tropes is the telling-and retold-anecdote, which always requires interpretation. With each story she relates, new possible paths appear, and one doesn't know which of them is the right one: the "Benetton incident," with its three consecutive versions. Then Tawana Brawley. Maxine Thomas. Mrs. Williams, her mother. Herself. Professor Bell and Geneva Crenshaw. Mr. Williams. Finally, the dream. The stories are presented at length, and commented upon; each affirmation is supported-either because of the author's juridical experience or because of her exactness-by footnotes. This makes the overall structure of the essay a bit confusing. For example, the listing of opinions expressed about Maxine Thomas is backed up by eighteen footnotes. The reader's eye has to go back and forth in order to read everything, and going back and forth eighteen times can be very challenging. In addition to that, the language is sometimes difficult; at times even impenetrable: "the rhetoric of increased privatization, in response to racial issues, functions as the rationalizing agent of public unaccountability, and, ultimately, irresponsibility" (696). One has to stop reading and figure out what she means, to figure out the idea behind that gathering of legal (and thus certainly esoteric) terms.

Joint Family and Kinship in India

INTRODUCTIONIndia offers astounding variety in virtually every aspect of social life. Diversities of ethnic, linguistic, regional, economic, religious, class, and caste groups crosscut Indian society, which is also permeated with immense urban-rural differences and gender distinctions. Differences between north India and south India are particularly significant, especially in systems of kinship and marriage. Indian society is multifaceted to an extent perhaps unknown in any other of the world’s great civilizations—it is more like an area as varied as Europe than any other single nation-state.Adding further variety to contemporary Indian culture are rapidly occurring changes affecting various regions and socioeconomic groups in disparate ways. Yet, amid the complexities of Indian life, widely accepted cultural themes enhance social harmony and order.Many Indian societies were organized around principles of kinship. Kinship ties based on bloodlines or marriage formed the basis of the political, economic, and religious system. Succession to political office and religious positions, ownership and inheritance of property, and even whom one could or could not marry were determined on the basis of membership in a kin group. Social bonds with relatives must be reinforced at family events or at rites crucial to the religious community.Indian SocietyHierarchyIndia is a hierarchical society. Whether in north India or south India, Hindu or Muslim, urban or village, virtually all things, people, and social groups are ranked according to various essential qualities. Although India is a political democracy, notions of complete equality are seldom evident in daily life.Societal hierarchy is evident in caste groups, amongst individuals, and in family and kinship groups. Castes are primarily associated with Hinduism, but caste-like groups also exist among Muslims, Indian, Christians, and other religious communities. Within most villages or towns, everyone knows the relative rankings of each locally represented caste, and behavior is constantly shaped by this knowledge.Individuals are also ranked according to their wealth and power. For example, some powerful people, or â€Å"big men,† sit confidently on chairs, while â€Å"little men† come before them to make requests, either standing or squatting not presuming to sit beside a man of high status as an equal.Hierarchy plays an important role within families and kinship groupings also, where men outrank women of similar age, and senior relatives outrank junior relatives. Formal respect is accorded family members—for example, in northern India, a daughter-in-law shows deference to her husband, to all senior in-laws, and to all daughters of the household. Siblings, too, recognize age differences, with younger siblings addressing older siblings by respectful terms rather than by name.Social InterdependenceOne of the great themes pervading Indian life is social interdependence. People are born into groups–families, clans, sub castes, castes, and religious communities–and live with a constant sense of being part of and inseparable from these groups. A corollary is the notion that everything a person does properly involves interaction with other people. A person's greatest dread, perhaps, is the possibility of being left alone, without social support, to face the necessary challenges of life.This sense of interdependence is extended into the theological realm: the very shape of a person's life is seen as being greatly influenced by divine beings with whom an ongoing relationship must be maintained. Psychologically, family members typically experience intense emotional interdependence. Economic activities, too, are deeply imbedded in a social nexus. Through a multitude of kinship ties, each person is linked with kin in villages and towns near and far. Almost everywhere a person goes; he can find a relative from whom he can expect moral and prac tical support.In every activity, social ties can help a person and the absence of them can bring failure. Seldom do people carry out even the simplest tasks on their own. When a small child eats, his mother puts the food into his mouth with her own hand. When a girl brings water home from the well in pots on her head, someone helps her unload the pots. A student hopes that an influential relative or friend can facilitate his college admission. A young person anticipates that parents will arrange his or her marriage. Finally, a person facing death expects that relatives will conduct the proper funeral rites ensuring his own smooth passage to the next stage of existence and reaffirming social ties among mourners.This sense of interdependence extends into the theological realm. From birth onward, a child learns that his â€Å"fate† has been â€Å"written† by divine forces and that his life is shaped by powerful deities with whom an ongoing relationship must be maintained. Social interaction is regarded as being of the highest priority, and social bonds are expected to be long lasting. Even economic activities that might in Western culture involve impersonal interactions are in India deeply imbedded in a social nexus. All social interaction involves constant attention to hierarchy, respect, honor, the feelings of others, rights and obligations, hospitality, and gifts of food, clothing, and other desirable items. Finely tuned rules of etiquette help facilitate each individual's many social relationships. .Indian Family structureIndian family structure is believed to be the unit that teaches the values and worth of an honest living that have been carried down across generations. Since the puranic ages, Indian family structure was that of a joint family indicating every person of the same clan living together. However, this idea of elaborate living had been disintintegrated in smaller family units. The essential themes of Indian cultural life are learned within the bosom of a family.The joint family is highly valued, ideally  consisting of several generations residing, working, eating, and worshiping together. Such families include men related through the male line, along with their wives, children, and unmarried daughters. A wife usually lives with her husband’s relatives, although she retains important bonds with her natal family. Even in rapidly modernizing India, the traditional joint household remains for most Indians the primary social force, in both ideal and practice.Large families tend to be flexible and well suited to modern Indian life, especially for the more than two-thirds of Indians who are involved in agriculture. As in most primarily agricultural societies, cooperating kin help provide mutual economic security. The joint family is also common in cities, where kinship ties are often crucial to obtaining employment or financial assistance. Many prominent families, such as theTatas, Birlas, and Sarabhais, ret ain joint family arrangements as they cooperate in controlling major financial empires The ancient ideal of the joint family retains its power, but today actual living arrangements vary widely. Many Indians live in nuclear families—-a couple with their unmarried children—-but belong to strong networks of beneficial kinship ties. Often, clusters of relatives live as neighbors, responding readily to their kinship obligations.As they expand, joint families typically divide into smaller units, which gradually grow into new joint families, continuing a perpetual cycle. Today, some family members may move about to take advantage of job opportunities, typically sending money home to the larger family.FAMILY TRANSFORMATIONAn Analytical look on various studies: by different sociologist point of viewsThe Study of family in India centers on the debate of joint family versus nuclear family. The first authentic study on family comes from the writings of Sir Henry Maine, who was law adviser to the colonial government of India.He developed intellectual interest in family studies. He indicated that joint family is characterized by:Common property holding.Absolute authority of ‘Karta’.He considered that joint family is corporate unit where people make contribution differently but share rewards on the basis of their needs. He said that joint family sustains in India because it is considered as moral institution with the members are obliged to perform rituals for common dead ancestorsGS Ghurye considered that ‘joint family is a product of Indian culture that glorified classical values. There is universal presence of joint family cutting across caste, religion which promoted unity among people in Indian society.PN Prabhu in his analysis of family and kinship in India considers that individual association with joint family is driven by moralist, therefore when morals is replaced by individualism (when tradition is replaced by modernity) then joint family is transformed into nuclear family.Irawati Karve offered an exhaustive definition of joint family. She writes that joint family refers to a social group where people belonging to 3 – 4 generations organically related to each other, hold property in common, share common residence, eat food prepared in common kitchen, participate in common rituals and ceremonies and they have, obligations towards the head of the family known as ‘Karta’. She considers that joint family is a product of culture and therefore despite economic transformation joint family system persists in India. It sustains itself as it is driven by cultural ideology rather than driven by economic interest.During 1960s two group of sociologist took considerable interest in the field of family study. One group conforming to modern theory looked into complete integration of joint family system whereas the other group went for empirical studies to examine regional variations in family transformatio n under the various process of modernity. These two theories cannot be  considered as qualitatively different because there position stand vary only on the question of the degree of changes in family.MN Srinivas, SC Dubay find out that there is a strong linkage between caste and joint family. Empirical study indicates that higher castes go for joint family system and lower castes go for nuclear family. Therefore joint family is driven by economic logic rather than cultural moralist. It is also noticed that joint family is not breaking down completely under the influence of urban living.Alan Rose in a study of Bangalore finds out that around 70% of families manifest either structural joint ness of functional joint ness or a mixture of both. MS Gore in his study of Agarwals of Delhi finds out that how mother – son relationship precedes over husband – wife relationship and family operates as a strong support base to its members in matters related to selection of occupat ion, financial assistance and selection of mates. TN Madan indicates how residential separation has not given way to break down of joint family. In his theory of â€Å"money order economy† he indicates that family joint ness has always been enduring in case of India.Thus these scholars concluded by saying that family transformation in India is not a replica of family transformation in the West. Therefore social change in India is Indian in character and so Western theories and models cannot explain family transformation in Indian societyHousehold dimensions of the FamilyFamily transformation in India has puts a fundamental question that, whether in India joint household is disintegrating or joint family is disintegrating. He finds out that proportion of joint household is more today in comparison to past. He points out the reasons for the same i.e. due to rising population; construction of house has become costly, migration in search of employment etc. Bigger joint households are now splitting into smaller households.People living in different households have strong emotional ties therefore joint household is disintegrating but not joint family and so family should be studied from household perspective and  changes in household and family patterns must be investigated to examine actual nature of family transformation in India.Classical sociologists were greatly committed to family study either by considering family as cornerstone of human society or by looking into changing nature of society. With the advent of modernity it was perceived that household is a residential space but family is a social institution. However, with the rise of feminism both as an ideology and as social movement, women's approach towards marriage has gone through a series of transformation. AM Shah in his book â€Å"household dimension of the family in India† indicate that even in traditional context, household and family do not mean similar things.Citing the case of In dia he considers that family and household were absolutely different but family studies in India immensely focused attention on the transformation of joint family into nuclear family. Household refers to residential space where people living together may or may not constitute family. Looking at household pattern one could effectively study nature and form of transformation taking place in Indian society. In recent analysis of global migration and family pattern, it has been found out that in countries like Philippines and India a large chunk of women in search of employment go out to advanced countries of the world. Though most of them are married they don't stay with their family. As a result they constitute independent household.These households may constitute many friends living together or a person living with working partner to whom he/she is not married or a person living all alone. It is generally perceived in case of India that household is less durable an alternative to fam ily system, which gives more importance to friendship than kinship. Household offer immense individual liberty, sexual freedom, limited or no liability towards the other members of the household. Thus it can be concluded that household is evolving into a replacement for family in many developing countries including India. Therefore sociology of kinship is shifting its focus from the study of marriage and family to the study of friendship and household.Sexual Division of LabourFeminist sociologists are of the opinion that whether it’s joint family or nuclear family, in no way family transformation is affecting to the status of women in India. Therefore reproduction, sexuality, division of labour are all determined by the values of patriarchy than by principles of equality. Talcott Parson indicates that industrialisation, urbanization, migration have contributed for occupational mobility, empowerment of women and gender gap within and outside family has sufficiently been reduce d.The modernist theory also indicates that in case of India relationship between husband and wife is now proceeding over parent-child relationship. Conjugal relationship is considered as more important than obligation towards kinship. Irrespective of gender every child inherits the property from parents, selection of mates is no longer family’s responsibility and childbirth is greatly a matter of economics and mutual agreement between spouse. Therefore modernity has broken down traditional form of marriage, hierarchical form of relationship.Traditionally, males have controlled key family resources, such as land or businesses, especially in high-status groups. Following traditional Hindu law, women did not inherit real estate and were thus beholden to their male kin who controlled land and buildings. Under Muslim customary law, women can—and do—inherit real estate, but their shares have typically been smaller than those of males. Modern legislation allows all Ind ian women to inherit real estate.Traditionally, for those families who could afford it, women have controlled some wealth in the form of precious jewelry. In the Indian household, lines of hierarchy and authority are clearly drawn, and ideals of conduct help maintain family harmony. [i] All family members are socialized to accept the authority of those above them in the hierarchy. The eldest male acts as family head, and his wife supervises her daughters-in-law, among whom the youngest has the least authority. Reciprocally, those in authority accept responsibility for meeting the needs of other family members.Systems of Kinship in IndiaKinship is considered as the heart and soul of Indian social life. Despite India's exposure to technological and industrial modernity, descent plays a significant role in the life of people. GS Ghurye writes in detail about various descent groups living together in different regions of the country carrying different names and identities. These differe nt lineage groups bringing together a multi-civilization thereby making India a land of pluralism. However, all these descent groups imbibe common rules of marriage, common food behavior, common cultural, religious ideology radiating from Hinduism and that made Indian society a land of diversity.Indologists look into the role of descent in defining marriage, family and kinship in India. The people belonging to similar descent group are located in a given region where they worship to their common ancestors, follow common way of life and when the size of descent group expands, they migrate to different areas but still carry their identity. Therefore caste is nothing but an expanded descent system that maintains its boundary, distinguishing itself from the other caste.Andre Beteille indicates association of man and kinship is so strong in India that voting behavior is driven by kinship rather than on the basis of merit. In all the political parties of India kinship is the primary sourc e of political recruitment. Thus democratic polity in India is engaged in social and cultural reproduction.In case of India family/kinship offers ideological, economic, infrastructural support to individual to determine the nature of occupation. In conclusion it can be said that the role of descent and kinship not only determines the private sphere of an individual’s life like marriage, family, household, gender role, rituals but also has great influence over his public life like occupational selection, political participation and identity formation. Therefore the role of descent and kinship has changed very little under the influence of modernity in India and so while studying social transformation one cannot afford to ignore the same.Lineage system can be divided into two parts in India i.e.Unilineal systems: a system of determining descent groups in which one belongs to one's father's or mother's lineage. Both patrilineality and matrilineality are types of unilineal descen t.Non-Unilineal systems: a system where there exists multiple forms of relationship.Classical anthropologists divide descent groups into two fundamental types such as:Patrilineal : inheriting or determining descent through the male line.Matrilineal : inheriting or determining descent through the female line.Types of kinship systemsKinship is a relationship between any entity that share a genealogical origin (related to family, lineage, history), through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. The first sociologist to study kinship systems in India is Irawati Karve, she divided India into four different kinship zones such as:North Indian kinship systems.South Indian kinship systems.Central Indian kinship systems.Eastern Indian kinship systems.North Indian kinship systemsThis kinship system is present in Hindi speaking belt and also in areas where Aryan culture influence is substantive. It includes West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. In North India kinship systems, the rules of marriage is highly exhaustive because a large body of people are excluded from alliance relationship. One cannot receive women from his mother’s group or mother's mother group, father’s mother group and from within his own village. Hence exogamy is quite exhaustive and marriage involves not intra-family ties but inter-village ties. Residential system is very Virilocal (bride lives with husband's father’s group) type . In North Indian kinship father – son relationship precedes over husband – wife relationship.South Indian kinship systemsThis type of relationship system is largely present in all southern states and some of its influence is also largely noticed in pockets of Maharashtra and Orissa. In southern India kinship systems, no distinction is made between patrilineal or matrilineal. In case of South India cross cousins marriage take place and so exogamy is not exhaustive like in North India. The relationship between husband and wife is not su bdued to father – son relationship as in case of North India. Hostility of relationship between the in laws driven by suspicion is also weak in South India.Central Indian kinship systemsThis system is practised in case of Gujarat, Maharashtra, MP which is a mixture of elements of North and South India. In case of Rajputs marriage is greatly determined on the basis of family status of girl. Rajputs are permitted to marry any girl on the basis of their choice rather than simply follow the rules of caste. Marathas are divided into 32 clans which are put into primary, secondary and tertiary divisions and so the rules of marriage are determined accordingly between various divisions. In case of â€Å"Kumbi† of Gujarat one is not supposed to marry women belonging to first-generation from father's side and three generations from mother's side. In case of Rajasthan on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiyamassive marriages take place involving people belonging to different age g roups and their rules of marriage is sufficiently relaxed.Eastern India kinship systemsIt largely includes kinship patterns followed by different tribal groups like Munda of Orissa, Manipuri of Manipur, Nagas, Kukis and Khasi. These kinship systems don't follow specific patterns .A daughter carries the name of patrilineal grandmother and son carries the name of patrilineal grandfather, divorce is common among them In conclusion these regional variations in kinship largely speaks about differential residential patterns, entitlement on the basis of gender, social status of men, women and children bringing the point back home that Indian culture is largely pluralistic in character.Therefore unity in India should not be seen as destruction of the process of diversity but rather it should respect the process of diversity.CONCLUSIONGradual changes have been ushered in by religious, social, and cultural reforms. Industrialization, urbanization, and technological advances have been instrume ntal in changing family structures, values, and lifestyles. Ganeswar Misra (1995) emphasized that middle- and upper-class families in urban areas were undergoing a dramatic transformation because the younger generation is questioning power issues, traditional roles, hierarchical relationships, obligations, loyalty, and deference for kinsmen and elderly.With changing times, Indian family structure, functions, traditional division of labor, and authority patterns have altered, favoring more egalitarian relations between the husband and the wife and also a move toward more shared decision-making patterns between parents and children. Despite these changes, the fact remains that most individuals continue to value and give top priority to the family, and families continue to maintain strong kinship bonds and ties.

High Luxury Fashion Management Essay

High Luxury Fashion Management Essay High Luxury Fashion Management Essay High Luxury Fashion Management Essay This paper compares two high-end fashion stores based on various aspects. The fashion stores chosen are Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman. For better comparison, a shoe brand and a handbag brand have to be chosen and compared respectively. The shoe brand chosen is Valentino sneakers. Both Saks and Bergdorf offer Valentino sneakers in their stores. However, Bergdorf offers more floor space to the shoe brand compared to Saks. For the type of counter space employed, both stores are the same. Each store uses the shoe-in-glass design of counter space. Given the higher amount of floor space given to Valentino sneakers by Bergdorf, the store offers more types of the sneakers than Saks. In fact, Bergdorf offers all the available types of Valentino sneakers . The materials and fabrications used in both stores more or less depend on the brand of shoes. The standard materials used include soft leather, synthetic leather, and canvas. There are more types of shoes in Bergdorf than Saks. To be specific, Bergdorf offers all types of low-top sneakers as opposed to Saks. Saks mostly offers rockrunner sneakers. While Saks favors bright colors of sneakers such as white and gray, Bergdorf offers sneakers of all colors in equal amounts. The prices of the shoes are similar in both stores. However, each store seems to have a different price structure depending on demand for a specific type of shoes. The low-top sneakers are the most favored given that they are light and comfortable to wear in the city. In summary, Saks and Bergdorf are direct competitors as far as sneakers are concerned. They offer similar products to the same group of people. However, Valentino sneakers are more demanded in Bergdorf as evidenced by the bigger space provided to the bra nd. As for the handbags, Bottega Veneta handbags were chosen for comparison purposes. Bottega Veneta is a premium brand offering a wide range of fashion items. When comparing the two stores, it was found that Bergdorf Goodman offers 142 types of handbags compared to only 50 by Saks Fifth Avenue. Bergdorf, therefore, gives more space to the handbag brands. Like in the case with the shoes, Bottega Veneta handbags in both stores are put behind clear glass to be easily viewed by customers. Bergdorf presented all the major product presentation styles including giving of offers on certain handbags. The only type of offer given in Saks was that of buying three bags at the price of two. The bags found in Bergdorf are made of faux fur, leather and suede, linen, polyester fabrics and their blends, rayon, silk, tapestry, velvet, and velveteen. Saks did not have bags made of rayon and velvet. Bergdorf offered, among many other styles, A-shaped woven tote bags and small pillow woven cross body bags. Saks focused more on hobo bags. Both stores, however, focused on the major feminine colors such as pink, beige, blue and black in their various versions. The color emphasis did not make a big difference between the stores. The price structure was based more on the manufacturer (or designer) than on a particular store. However, given that both stores offered products to the upper class, the prices were relatively higher than bags of other brands offered in other stores. Both Saks and Bergdorf offer high-quality products and customer services. They also ship goods to locations outside the United States. They both record high levels of customer demand given that New York has the highest concentration of high-class people. Besides the differences in the amount of floor space given to each premium brand, both stores have almost similar methods of presentation of their products. Having visited the two stores, it was concluded that Bergdorf had a bigger selection of both Bottega Veneta Handbags and Valentino sneaker shoes as compared to Saks. However, Saks had better customer service. First of all, Bergdorf Goodman has a bigger store in general in New York. Thus, it can afford to give more space to both Bottega Veneta Handbags and Valentino sneaker shoes. Besides, the two brands are among the most sought after in the luxury fashion realm. Though not based on facts, Bergdorf can be said to be making more from its sales of Bottega Handbags and Valentino sneakers. Of the two items selected, the most demanded items in both stores are Bottega Veneta handbags. The handbags are favored for their high quality and unique design. In both stores there were more loyal and return customers in regard to handbags as com pared to Valentino sneakers The presentation of the two products, as stated above, is almost similar. Bottega Veneta handbags and Valentino sneakers are placed in glass stands. An interested customer can ask to touch the products as a way of deciding whether he/she wants to buy them or not. Besides, some highly-priced handbags had offers attached to them to encourage customers to buy them. During a conversation, a department manager stated that Valentino low-top sneakers were highly favored for various reasons. First of all, they were fairly priced. Secondly, they were light as city life requires brisk walking. Thirdly, they lasted long and could be used for various purposes such as jogging and days out with families. The reason why Saks is considered to have better customer service was that while at the store, a sales associate approached the author asking if she could be of any help. The author took that opportunity to gauge the real quality of customer service in the store. First of all, there were no signs of discrimination against customers in the store as far as their appearance was concerned. In some other luxury stores, prejudgment is made based on the customers` appearance; if a customer is poorly dressed, it could be assumed that he/she is not be able to afford items being sold. Saks (as well as Bergdorf) had none of that. The sales associate in Saks asked questions and answered mine in the politest manner possible. The author endeavored to ask about the types of celebrities who frequented the store regularly. The sales associate stated that they served some famous people including hip hop musicians like Jay-Z and J Cole. They also serve movie actors and actresses the most recent of whic h were Idris Elba and Kate Beckinsale starring at the Pacific Rim and Underworld respectively. Given the chance to improve the two stores, the author would majorly increase the campaign advertisements to have a bigger customer base. However, these advertisements should be made cautiously given that premium fashion brands are cheapened whenever they are advertised too much. Besides, it is advisable that the two stores expand their international reach given that rich people have no problem spending a lot of money as long as the product is of high quality. Saks should also endeavor in offering more products either by replacing the poorly-performing brands or opening more stores to offer all the products available. In conclusion, both Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue are among the best fashion stores around the world. Valentino Garavani was born on May, 11th 1932 in Voghera, Italy. Fashion design was his passion from a young age. He studied it until he started his personal line of clothes in 1959 in Rome. A few years later, thanks to his distinctive talent he became one of the most recognized cloth designers in the world. He became the most favorite designer of many women around the world. One of his most famous customers was Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of the 35th president of the United States (John Fitzgerald Kennedy). Others include Elizabeth Taylor, Marie-Helene de Rothschild, Queen Paola of Belgium, Begum Aga Khan, and Audrey Hepburn. One of Valentino’s early influencers was his aunt Rosa under whom he worked. Besides her, Valentino worked under several other local designers before his formal training in Paris (Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and Ecole des Beaux-Arts). His had an apprenticeship with Guy Laroche and Jean Desses before he embarked on a personal career. Howev er, Valentino`s first choice for an apprenticeship was Jacques Fath and then Balenciaga. He attested to have learned a lot from his masters as observed from his borrowing of a few ideas from his teachers. Valentino is famous for a distinctive shade of red color known as â€Å"Valentino Red†. Valentino left Jean Desses under controversial circumstances and endeavored to make a name for himself in 1959 in Rome. A part of his success is attributed to his first partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Giametti was an architecture student who helped Valentino build his brand and distinctive â€Å"Valentino Red†. Valentino gained popularity after having participated in a show in Florence in the Pitti Palace. The show made him famous among the rich and the famous. He quickly became the summit of Italian fashion design. When Valentino moved to New York in the 1970s, he had effectively expanded into the American market following his high profile clients in America. Before his retirement, Valentino had various names under his original house. They included Valentino R.E.D., Valentino Roma, Valentino and Valentino Garavani. All names represent a part of his line of wares serving a specific mark et. Currently, Valentino is interested in shoes, bags and belts. As a result, Valentino is a household name. Valentino’s life is very interesting. Now aged 82, Valentino met his wife in 1950 but separated from her in 1972. However, they remained close and maintain homes in various countries including France, Spain and Switzerland. Valentino and Giammetti have filed their homes with art given that it is their ultimate passion. In 1998, Giammetti and Valentino announced their retirement from the fashion industry. They did this by selling off their company for around $300to HdP, an Italian conglomerate. Four years later, HdP sold the company to Marzotto Apparel. The changes in ownership were overseen by Valentino himself since his advice is considered invaluable. As a special way to say goodbye to the fashion industry, Valentino organized a final haute couture in Paris at the Musee Rodin in January 2007. It featured such household names as Eva Herzigova, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell. All in all, Valentino’s lines of clothes and shoes have become a household name among the rich and the famous all around the world. Italy is famous for luxury. To make a name in such a market in the same way as Valentino did requires talent and dedication.

Book Smarts vs Street Smarts Research Paper Example

Book Smarts vs Street Smarts Research Paper Example Book Smarts vs Street Smarts Paper Book Smarts vs Street Smarts Paper Essay Topic: Education In 2006, when five hundred dropouts were interviewed, they gave many reasons for leaving school. Forty-seven percent, almost half of the students interviewed said that they left simply because they found their classes were not interesting. I think that a main problem in today’s school systems is that they are not connecting enough with the students and gaining their interest. Many students’ street smarts greatly surpass their book smarts. I believe that instructors can strengthen students’ book smarts by encouraging them to write, read, think, and learn about personal areas of interest. They can accomplish this by taking students on field trips so they actively experience what their learning in the class room, and use these â€Å"street smarts† to build a stronger foundation of what their trying to teach. So what exactly are street and book smarts? There are many definitions of what people believe correctly define them. I think a good definition of a street smart person is someone who uses their life experiences, and common knowledge to make decisions. On the other hand, Urbandictionary. om defines a book smart person as â€Å"Being able to succeed scholastically, and not necessarily in the real world. † I think what it basically comes down to is what is taught through academics, and what is taught through experience. I feel like a mix of both would be the best combination for a student. Gerald Graff, author of â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism† in the book They Say, I Say explains in his writings that intellect does not only exist in the educated form of thinking. He explains that esides the traditional academic intellectualism there can be some forms of hidden intellectualism that does not come from â€Å"book smarts,† or academics, but come from â€Å"street smarts† such as things learned from fashion, sports, or current culture. He expresses that every â€Å"street smart† student has just as much potential as a â€Å"book smart† student. He believes that knowledge does not just come through the classroom, but through everyday experiences. Graff uses his own experiences as a child to back up his reasoning. When he was younger he was very into sports and sports magazines. He states that he â€Å"Hated books, and only cared for sports† (199). Graff explained that he had a hard time balancing his street and book smarts. He wanted to fit in with the â€Å"hoods† and didn’t want to act like he was smarter around them. â€Å"I grew up torn, then, between the need to prove I was smart and the fear of a beating if I proved it too well; between the need to not jeopardize my respectable future and the need to impress the hoods† (200). Graff’s point here is that he found it hard to find a balance between acting too smart, or playing too dumb. Through engaging with friends in conversation about â€Å"Who in school is the toughest† (201) and sports Graff began to â€Å"learn the rudiments of the intellectual life: how to make an argument, weigh different kinds of evidence, move between particulars and generalizations, summarize the views of others, and enter a conversation about ideas† (201). He began to realize that his â€Å"street† conversations made him more intellectual, not less. Graff explains â€Å" I believe that street smarts beat out book smarts in our culture not because street smarts are nonintellectual, as we generally suppose, but because they satisfy an intellectual thirst more thoroughly than school culture, which seems pale and unreal† (202). Basically, Graff is saying that street smarts let the student really get out and experience what they’re learning, so it feels more real to them. Like Graff, Malcolm X has similar experiences regarding book and street smarts. X grew up as a smart child, however when he was in eight grade he dropped out of school. Years later he began committing petty crimes and began coordinating various narcotic, prostitution and gambling rings. X was sentenced to seven years in prison after being arrested and convicted on burglary charges. It was there in prison that he taught himself how to read and write. X was â€Å"Immensely proud to realize that not only I had written so much at one time, but I’d written words that I never knew were in the world† (22). X moved on to be a successful man and fight for equality in the world. Malcolm X obviously had the street smarts, but like Graff he mixed his new book smarts with his street smarts to be successful in life. Both Malcolm X, and Gerald Graff make very interesting points about street and book smarts. I respect what Graff, and X have to say and agree with them, both book and street smarts are very important. I definitely believe that you must have both street and book smarts to be the most successful in life. I really like when Graff says, â€Å"Every â€Å"street smart† student has just as much potential as a â€Å"book smart† student, and knowledge does not just come through the classroom, but through everyday experiences. So many times people think that if a person appears to have more street smarts than book smarts then they don’t have as much potential or aren’t as smart. They think that because book smarts aren’t taught, they aren’t as useful, or don’t make the student as educated. I believe that just having book smarts can’t get you through real life, and just having street smarts doesn’t give you enough education. I like that Graff can identify that both are pretty equally important, and one isn’t much better than the other, as well as much good without each other. I also really like Malcolm X’s story of someone already possessing street smarts, but striving to acquire book smarts. I think it is amazing that someone could be in such a bad situation, and be able to positively use it for good. X definitely had street smarts, but knew that he wouldn’t get anywhere without any book smarts. He realized the importance of having both, and worked hard to learn and become educated. He realized something that some people don’t always grasp until later; in life you need both street and book smarts. I have been an independent studies student for most of my high school education, and have loved every minute of it. Compared to a â€Å"traditional† high school, I have had so much more academic freedom. My school does really well with encouraging students to not just have book smarts from the classroom, but get outside experience to learn. They can turn pretty much anything you’re interested in into a class, and you get credit for it! I have done community service, 4-H, and have been a teachers aid as an elective. Through these three experiences I have learned how to do things that I could have never learned how to do out of a book. Sometimes you can read about something, or be taught, but you never know what it will actually be like unless you can personally live it out. I consider myself lucky to have had the experiences that I did, and be able to learn from experience. On the other hand, public school systems seem to favor teaching their students to make them more book smart. Very rarely will they choose to take the students out of the safe school world, and out into the real world. They instead keep them inside, and try to make them learn by reading. I think that if instructors worked harder to mix book and street smarts students would be more interested in the subjects taught in school. They could do this by taking students on field trips to get them out into the real world to see what’s going on, and how what their being taught ties into the world. Maybe schools could even offer more â€Å"independent classes† so students would be able to experience what their learning like I have been able to do. This way the students can get out, learn by experience, and learn how to be responsible by being their own teacher. It’s obvious that both street and book smarts are needed to get through life. The sad truth is that more and more people are uneducated. Why is this? A large amount of these people, like X, are dropouts from school. School systems and schools need to balance book and street smarts, so their students will remain interested, and have a desire to learn. They need to make learning seem fun, and actually apply it to the real world to students will be able to succeed by themselves.

Intro to Fashion essays

Intro to Fashion essays The scene on the Paris runway has been transformed by floral prints with light and airy dresses. Milans Spring Summer showings concentrate more on detail than on shape and offered colorful styles. Pariss runway exhibit for the Spring and Summer of 2005 included the major designers starting with John Gallianos combination of politics and fashion. Christian Dior focused on femininity, colors and fun. Sex symbol designers such as Ddont tell me what to do attitude by incorporating Flamenco styles with Bohemian flair as his models walked the runway smoking thin cigars. Gautier and Prada are the designers that made an impression on me because they used unique methods of representing their fragments. However, Galliano introduced a more political stance by his Janis Joplin inspired cotton tops and John Lennons Imagine playing in the background. Gallianos political fashion presentation was not to my taste because politics and fashion have no relation. Versace and D ...

Leymah Gbowee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Leymah Gbowee - Essay Example sexual favors in return for accepting a girl to study at her school and also teenage girls being sold for prostitution on less than a dollar per night (Ted Talk, 2012). She was also lamenting on how we have policies such as the No Child Left Behind and UN Childrens Rights acts, but they do not seem to work. Most of these points are true such as the alarming teenage pregnancy rate among children and also that most girls, particularly in Africa, fail to go to school mostly because they lack the resources or society will not let them. Today, girls are married of at young age or sold to prostitution denying them a chance to go to school. What the speaker was trying to stress is that society sees girls as tools instead of human beings, which is mostly true in some parts of the world, for instance, Liberia (Ted Talk, 2012). The only part where I tend to disagree with the speaker is that policies such as No Child Left Behind an UN Childrens Rights. Most of these policies are effective in some regions, for example, the United States. It is up to these other regions like Liberia to effectively apply them. In such a speech, in order to greatly deliver your message, you need to make people truly feel what you are talking about. For example, when talking about the situation in Liberia it would be significant to use video clips or pictures or even bring the girls from the region to tell the story themselves. This will at least give the audience a clear picture of the message being delivered. However, these presentations should not be more of something fancy, but convey the topic of the talk. Your speech should be simple, with a clear start, middle and conclusion. Focus on one theme, and eliminate everything else. When Chris Anderson asked Gbowee what troubles her most about Liberia, she went into a lot of detail only to give a simple answer in her next response that it is teenage pregnancy (Ted Talk, 2012). An advice that I could give Gbowee to help her improve her speech

The Listening Skills Yeah Whatever Video and The Out of Office Reply Essay

The Listening Skills Yeah Whatever Video and The Out of Office Reply Video - Essay Example Pilar tells Miguel that he needs to have a system in place that tracks spending or tell his assistant to take over this responsibility. She even looks at the possibility of their having a meeting once a week. Miguel appears over the moon at his success and is not looking at Pilar, twiddling with his pen, taking a phone call and appearing generally disrespectful and self-absorbed. In the second part of the video, taken three weeks later, Miguel is seen coming to Pilar’s office and asking for a meeting with her. He has just heard that he has been taken off Jezebel’s account and seems shocked and unbelieving that this has happened. Pilar tells him that they had already had a meeting on his weaknesses the last time but he did not seem to acknowledge or want to understand the reality of the situation. In the second meeting, however, Miguel appeared to have come down to earth and is more attentive to Pilar’s instructions. Pilar tells him that it was Jezebel’s de cision to themselves replace him with Jack for the remainder of their campaign. She is, however, willing to give him another chance to make amends and tells him that he has to send in a report every Friday on the spending position of every account under him and that they could meet every Tuesday at 2.00 pm to discuss the issues that appear. This time clearly Miguel is more receptive and even notes the time of the Tuesday meeting in his appointment book or diary and tells Pilar that he will definitely send the spending report in by Friday as needed. On her part, Pilar says that she did not want to lose the Jezebel account and had no choice but to go with the client’s suggestion. Once the situation has settled down, however, Pilar tells Miguel that she will try to give him back the Jezebel account. In the Out of Office Reply video, we have the meeting between Ralph Ramos, the Senior Claims Manager and Angela Zanoni, a Claims Investigator. Angela has been working from home but i t seems that performance issues are cropping up. She is piqued that Bob Simmons has told her that he is getting better accounts to deal with while she feels that she is being sidelined because she is working from home and therefore not visible to Ralph. Ralph assures her that this is not the case and that both she and Bob have different skill sets and that he gives the employees the accounts to be handled based on their past relationships with the client. While he would not feel comfortable handling Angela the accounts that Bob had been handling in the past, he would also not give Bob her accounts so she is misinformed. At the end of the first meeting they set up and appointment to meet again, but in the second video recorded two weeks later, it appears that Angela has failed to keep her appointment. Always the gentleman, Ralph first tries to put Angela at ease by asking her a personal question about how she is and how things are at home, but it seems that Angela misreads him becaus e she is preoccupied. On probing into the matter further because it is not like Angela to miss a deadline-she has not done so in the four years they have worked together- Ralph finds out that Angela had missed the deadline because she felt that nothing fruitful would have come out of it.

Mission Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mission Statement - Essay Example The style of the company itself is to work with the energy present throughout our value chain and the passion of individuals within the organization to give our clients exactly what they demand. The researcher then presents the beliefs of company's team, such as belief that without passion and energy, no work and no task can ever be satisfactory and for that purpose, belief that all partners and stakeholders should have the same level of energy and the same level of commitment as the company do when it comes to making sure that the clients are satisfied and that there is no gap between what the company promise and what the company deliver. The researcher then analyzes several fields of business to fully describe values that are important to the company. Such values presented make improving the reputation of the business a primary focus of the company and it includes continually finding ways in which the team can serve their clients better. The issues and values mentioned in the essay add together as a mission of the successful company which drives the business forward and gives the company strength to remain in the race. In effect, it makes them the best company to do business with since such team not only speak their mission clearly but also live it and stand by it when it comes to making business decisions and looking at the competition with the right attitude. In conclusion, the researcher states that the energy and passion of the company and it's employees feeds into the mission they have developed.

Engineers create artefacts and processes through design Essay - 1

Engineers create artefacts and processes through design - Essay Example From the definition, artifacts are designed systems or objects, with inclusion of all the results of the process The design process is a sequence of linear events that start at one point and end at one point. An engineer uses design process steps to identify a problem, create or formulate models that will solve or give a solution to the problem, and in a manner meet the need of the situation. Design process, it is normal for the engineer to jump back and forth the design steps in a process called iteration. In design models, decision making is the key to construction of processes and paths (CK-12 Foundation, 2010). During this phase a lot of basic mathematical, scientific, and engineering science theories and concepts are applied to convert optimally available resources to meet a stated objective (Philip G. Kosky, 2012). In engineering, to come up with a stable process, one has to pass through these fundamental elements; establish the criteria and objectives, synthesize and analyze the concepts available, construct models, and lastly evaluate and test the process. Engineers formulate and create engineering artifacts through the complete and integrated multi-step processes (Pahl, 2007). These steps include field research, idea conceptualization, a feasibility study and assessment, establishing design requirements, perform preliminary design, create a detailed design, production tool and planning design, then finally the artifact or product (Yousef Haik, 2010). Engineering design therefore is the gradual refinement of requirements and specification. This also can be defined as creative, and systematic application of mathematical and scientific principles to practical ends such as manufacture, design itself, operation of economical and efficient processes, structures, systems, and machines. The whole idea brings out the fact that engineering

Real World Radical Formulas Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Real World Radical Formulas - Assignment Example The angle of deviation is . It is supposed to be small (see front view on the figure). We put that the origin of coordinate system is in the center of the boat and axis is along the water line. The submerged volume changes on the value for coordinate ( is infinitesimal, is the length of the boat). The corresponding additional momentum value that appears due to the Archimedes force is ( is the water density and is the acceleration of gravity). The full additional momentum value will be ( is the beam of the boat). According to the Newton’s second law for cyclic motion ( is the moment of inertia). Therefore we have equation for the natural vibrations. The solution is ( is the deviation angle at the initial time moment and is the natural vibration frequency). It is easy to see that. If the natural vibration frequency exceeds some critical value then the boat is unstable. It means that value also must not exceed some limit. To simplify this condition, one can suppose that the boat has some standard form and the centre of the boat is heavier than the edges. The assumptions give us ( is the mass of the boat and is the some characteristic length). It is well known that, because of the Archimedes law the mass of the boat is equivalent to the displacement of the boat. Finally, we conclude that must not exceed some limit. The cube root of this value multiplied by 4 is called the capsize screening value. The critical value corresponds to feet /pound1/3. Notice, that according to the consideration above, the capsize screening value proportional to the square of the natural frequency. Problem 103 b. Multiplying the formula by radical of displacement and dividing into for capsize screening value we obtain . The cube of the later formula gives us. The formula defines the displacement

Values of Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Franklin Essay

Values of Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example But it soon became apparent that education was incompatible with chattel slavery, Mr. Auld wisely concluding that no educated Negro could ever truly be content with a life of perpetual bondage. When the wisdom of the statement became apparent, that self actualization in the interest of education would forever unfit him for slavery, young Frederick resolved to make that his mission. Most men, such as Benjamin Franklin of the prior century seek learning and knowledge that they might become something worthwhile. The man of ingenuity betters himself to become suitable for a future pursuit. But for Frederick Douglass, an ironic twist of his fate required that he educate himself to become unsuitable, that he might be useless in the life of menial drudgery under the overseers whip. Only by becoming worthless at his imposed vocation, could young Frederick succeed at becoming a self-made man. It was an unsuitability that would stay with him for the rest of his days and usher in his true lifes work. Douglass exemplified his commitment to progress, and self-improvement not only through his own advancement, but during his youth in Baltimore he aided in the education of others, such as his surrogate father whom he calls "the pious Lawson". He imparted instruction to other slaves that desired self-improvement, while at the same time receiving instruction from sympathetic white boys. For his entire life, Douglass wrestled with the common conceit among whites that African Americans are soulless animals without human feelings.

Engineers create artefacts and processes through design Essay - 1

Engineers create artefacts and processes through design - Essay Example From the definition, artifacts are designed systems or objects, with inclusion of all the results of the process The design process is a sequence of linear events that start at one point and end at one point. An engineer uses design process steps to identify a problem, create or formulate models that will solve or give a solution to the problem, and in a manner meet the need of the situation. Design process, it is normal for the engineer to jump back and forth the design steps in a process called iteration. In design models, decision making is the key to construction of processes and paths (CK-12 Foundation, 2010). During this phase a lot of basic mathematical, scientific, and engineering science theories and concepts are applied to convert optimally available resources to meet a stated objective (Philip G. Kosky, 2012). In engineering, to come up with a stable process, one has to pass through these fundamental elements; establish the criteria and objectives, synthesize and analyze the concepts available, construct models, and lastly evaluate and test the process. Engineers formulate and create engineering artifacts through the complete and integrated multi-step processes (Pahl, 2007). These steps include field research, idea conceptualization, a feasibility study and assessment, establishing design requirements, perform preliminary design, create a detailed design, production tool and planning design, then finally the artifact or product (Yousef Haik, 2010). Engineering design therefore is the gradual refinement of requirements and specification. This also can be defined as creative, and systematic application of mathematical and scientific principles to practical ends such as manufacture, design itself, operation of economical and efficient processes, structures, systems, and machines. The whole idea brings out the fact that engineering

Values of Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Franklin Essay

Values of Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example But it soon became apparent that education was incompatible with chattel slavery, Mr. Auld wisely concluding that no educated Negro could ever truly be content with a life of perpetual bondage. When the wisdom of the statement became apparent, that self actualization in the interest of education would forever unfit him for slavery, young Frederick resolved to make that his mission. Most men, such as Benjamin Franklin of the prior century seek learning and knowledge that they might become something worthwhile. The man of ingenuity betters himself to become suitable for a future pursuit. But for Frederick Douglass, an ironic twist of his fate required that he educate himself to become unsuitable, that he might be useless in the life of menial drudgery under the overseers whip. Only by becoming worthless at his imposed vocation, could young Frederick succeed at becoming a self-made man. It was an unsuitability that would stay with him for the rest of his days and usher in his true lifes work. Douglass exemplified his commitment to progress, and self-improvement not only through his own advancement, but during his youth in Baltimore he aided in the education of others, such as his surrogate father whom he calls "the pious Lawson". He imparted instruction to other slaves that desired self-improvement, while at the same time receiving instruction from sympathetic white boys. For his entire life, Douglass wrestled with the common conceit among whites that African Americans are soulless animals without human feelings.

Eveline By James Joyce and Samphire by Patrick OBrian Essay Example for Free

Eveline By James Joyce and Samphire by Patrick OBrian Essay Both of these stories tell of women wanting to break away from dominating male influences in their lives. Eveline is fed up of working at home and of looking after her father where as Molly wants a life away from Lacy. But at the end of each story, neither woman is nearer to her goal of a new life. The start of Eveline is very descriptive and gives the reader the impression of her life so far. Although Eveline works around the house, in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne. She was tired and these three words set the tone of the story for the reader. In contrast, Samphire opens with the uplifting white cliffs and the vicious sea. The wind brought the salt tang of the spray on their lips. This opening is also very descriptive but in a different way to Eveline the sheer power of nature and the quiet and simple home. But both of these openings are effective in setting the scene for the story. Eveline lives at home with her father as her brothers and sisters were all grown up, her mother was dead. This last fact obviously had a huge effect on Eveline and her father, possibly making her father become violent, she sometimes felt herself in danger of her fathers violence. And now Eveline wants to go away like the others, to leave her home. Mollys problems or intentions about what she wants to do are not known about until near to the end. It is possible though to guess at what she is irritated about her husband Lacey. He had a high, rather unmasculine voice, and he emphasized his words. He is very persistent, three times he pointed it out; patronising, how he had even to be a little firm; childish, wagging his finger; trying to be humorous, made a joke about the shop being a house of ill-fume; but the tobacconist did not understand; not attractive, the thin, fluffy hair that covered his baldness, and extremely image conscious, and how the people would stare when they brought it back. But it wasnt all easy for Eveline either. She had to put up with her father who said that she used to squander the money and that she had no head. She had hard work to keep the house together and overall it was a hard life. But Frank was a totally different person, very kind, manly, open hearted compared to her violent father. Her relationship with Frank was going fine until her father found out the affair and had forbidden her to have anything to say to him. This is because he relies on her and that he doesnt want to lose. There is also the possibility that he is quite a stubborn man and that Frank is intruding on his relationship with his daughter. Throughout the whole story, there is the doubt or guilt factor that is preventing Eveline from leaving and going off to Buenos Aires with Frank. Now she was about to leave it (her life) she did not find it a wholly undesirable life; her time was running out, and that her father was becoming old lately, she noticed; he would miss her. Then near to the bottom of the second page come the crucial facts about why she does not want to leave home: the promise to her dying mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could. The plot of Samphire is that Lacey sees a clump of samphire on the edge of a cliff and is determined for Molly to see it. Once she has seen it, there is a great satisfaction from Lacey as he knows that Molly is scared of heights, heights terrified her, always had, but he still forces her to look at the plant. The next day Molly said she would like to see the samphire again much to the joy of Lacy. She obviously does this to keep him happy and possibly to keep him quiet for a little while. As they reach the top of the cliff and turn the path, Lacey cries out, it is still there. Oh jolly good. It is still there. As he stretched over the cliff to try and reach the plant, Molly stepped forward and tried to push him off the cliff, but as she pushed him she felt her arms weak like jelly. It is almost as if in her heart she doesnt want to push him off. For a second the wind bore his body and the stick scrabbled furiously for a purchase on the cliff. He gets up, screaming at her, you pushed me Molly, you pushed me, you pushed me. Lacey is in complete shock as he realises what Molly was trying to do. Still she stood, stone still not listening to him. She marches off down the path, with Lacey following after her. Before he was leading the way, but now she is the dominant figure in their relationship. And still he is trying to believe that it was an accident but he was lucky that she didnt push him all the way off. The end of Eveline results in her doing what her heart feels is best as well, just like Molly as she leaves Frank to stay with her father. All the seas of the world tumbled about her heart. It was a difficult decision but one that she had to make.

Milnacipran Hydrochloride (MIL) Uses in Medicine

Milnacipran Hydrochloride (MIL) Uses in Medicine Milnacipran hydrochloride (MIL) is a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. It was originally developed and manufactured by Pierre Fabre Medicament in France, and was approved in that country as an antidepressant in 1997 [1]. It has since been approved for this indication in multiple countries and currently marketed for this indication in over 45 countries worldwide including several European countries. Cypress Bioscience bought the exclusive rights for approval and marketing of the drug for fibromyalgia purpose in the United States and Canada in 2003 from the manufacturer Pierre Fabre Laboratories [2-3]. In January 2009 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved MIL only for the treatment of fibromyalgia, making it the third medication approved for this purpose in the United States [4]. Some of the drug information and properties are listed below: 2.1 Physical and chemical properties Chemical name : MIL is chemically designated as (1R,2S)-rel-2(Amino-methyl)-N,N-diethyl-1-phenyl-cyclopropanecarboxamide hydrochloride and its structure is shown in Figure 2.1. Synonyms : F-2207; Ixel; Toledomin; Dalcipran; Milnacipran Hydrochloride. Empirical formula : C15H22N2O. HCl Molecular weight : 282.8 CAS No. : 101152-94-7 Melting point: 179Â °C Physical description : MIL is a white to off-white, odourless, crystalline powder. Dissociation constant (pKa) : 9.65 Permeability coefficient (Log P) : 1.42 Solubility : It is freely soluble in aqueous buffers over the entire physiological pH range. It is freely soluble in water, methanol, ethanol, chloroform, and methylene chloride and sparingly soluble in diethyl ether [5-6]. BCS class : Class I, highly soluble and highly permeable drug. 2.2 Pharmacological properties Mechanism of Action Milnacipran blocks 5-HT and norepinephrine (NE) reuptake into the neuron, thereby increasing 5-HT and NE extracellular concentrations. This activates 5-HT and NE auto and heteroreceptors culminating in a decreasing 5-HT and NE neuronal firing rates, synthesis, and release. On Chronic use MIL continues to block 5-HT and NE transporters without desensitization, but 5-HT and NE auto- and heteroreceptors are desensitized and thus, down regulated. Firing rates of 5-HT and NE return to normal, and the amount of 5-HT and NE released per nerve impulse is increased [7]. MIL has no significant affinity for ÃŽ ±- and ÃŽ ²-adrenergic, muscarinic (M1-5), histamine (H1-4), dopamine (D1-5), opiate, benzodiazepine, or ÃŽ ³-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. MIL has no significant affinity for Ca2+, K+, Na+ and Cl– channels and does not inhibit the activity of human monoamine oxidases (MAO-A and MAO-B) or acetylcholinesterase [8-9]. One of the main differences between the various antidepressants and MIL is its equal preference and activity on the uptake of NE and 5-HT. The exact mechanism of the central pain inhibitory action and effectiveness in fibromyalgia symptom are unknown in Humans [10-11]. 2.3 Therapeutic Indications Treatment of depression Major Depression, also known as major depressive disorder or unipolar depression, is a highly debilitating disorder that has been estimated to affect up to 21% of the world population [12]. It is a CNS disorder characterised by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a persons ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy pleasurable activities [7,12]. Despite the advances in the treatment of depression with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), there continue to be many unmet clinical needs with respect to both efficacy and side effects. These needs range from efficacy in treatment resistant patients, to improved onset, to reductions in side effects such as emesis or sexual dysfunction. To address these needs, there are numerous combination therapies and novel targets that have been identified that may demonstrate improvements in one or more areas [12]. Management of Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex syndrome characterized by chronic musculoskeletal pain which is often accompanied by multiple other symptoms, including fatigue, sleep disturbances, decreased physical functioning, and dyscognition. Due to these multiple symptoms, as well as high rates of comorbidity with other related disorders, patients with FM have a reduced quality of life. The reduced serotonin and norepinephrine levels observed in patients with FM suggest that medications which increase the levels of these neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), may have clinically beneficial effects in FM and other chronic pain conditions. MIL is an SNRI that has been approved for the management of FM [8, 13]. MIL was viewed as a wonderful new weapon in the fight against both depression and pain. Treatment of Lupus Recent studies proved that MIL is also useful against lupus. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns against the body and harms healthy cells and tissues. It is a rheumatic disease which can affect many parts of the body including the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart or brain. Some of the most common symptoms include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints, unexplained fever, skin rashes, and kidney problems. Scientific evidence indicates that lupus is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Lupus is characterized by periods of increased or intensified disease activity, called flares [14-15]. Tolerability and side effects MILhas demonstrated numerous adverse reactions in human clinical trials with tolerability decreasing with an increasing dose. In the placebo controlled trials in patients with fibromyalgia, the most frequent spontaneously reported adverse events were as follows: nausea, palpitations, headache, constipation, increased heart rate and hyperhidrosis, vomiting, and dizziness [16]. Discontinuation due to adverse reactions was generally more common among patients treated with 200 mg/day compared to 100 mg/day. The adverse effects can originate from the fluctuation in the plasma drug concentrations of an active substance following administration and subsequent metabolism and/or elimination from the body. Most of the reported adverse events were reduced or disappeared with the discontinuation of treatment [17]. 2.4 Pharmacokinetics The pharmacokinetic profile of MIL is as summarized in Table 2.1 [1,5]. Absorption MIL is well-absorbed after oral administration. Absolute bioavailability is about 85-90 %. It is not affected by food intake. The peak plasma concentration is about 120 ng/ml achieved in 2 hours after a single 50 mg dose. Inter-subject variability is low. Plasma concentrations are linearly proportional with dose over the range of single acute doses of 25 to 200 mg as shown in Table 2.2 [1,2]. Distribution Protein binding is low (13%) and not saturable. The volume of distribution of MIL is about 5 litre/kg with a total clearance of about 40 litre/hour. Renal and non-renal clearances are equivalent [1]. Metabolism MIL is metabolized mainly by conjugation (Glucoronisation). Active metabolites have been found at very low levels without clinical relevance. Cytochrome P450 2D6 is involved in the metabolism of many psychotropic drugs and its inhibition is frequently a cause of drug-drug interactions. This enzyme has no impact on the metabolism of MIL and no oxidative metabolites of MIL have been detected in humans [1-3]. The pharmacokinetics of MIL are not modified in subjects who are deficient in the CYP2D6 isoenzyme (slow sparteine-like metabolisers). Furthermore, MIL does not interfere in-vivo with other isoenzymes of cytochrome P450 [1, 18]. Elimination Plasma elimination half-life is about 8 hours. Elimination occurs mainly via the kidney with tubular secretion of the product in unchanged form. After repeated doses, MIL is totally eliminated in 2 to 3 days after termination of therapy. The liver and kidneys are both involved in the elimination of MIL as illustrated by renal and non-renal clearances with values of 23.8 Â ± 7.3 and 16.4 Â ± 3.1 l/h, respectively. This balance between renal and non-renal clearances may be an advantage in patients presenting with moderate renal insufficiency [3,5]. 2.5 Dosage and administration The recommended dose titration schedule for MIL is 12.5 mg once on Day 1, then 12.5 mg twice a day on Days 2-3, and then 25 mg twice a day on Days 4-7, and then 50 mg twice a day after Day 7. Recommended maintenance dose is 50 mg twice daily. In clinical trials, MIL was evaluated with a dose titration schedule. The daily dose may be increased to 200 mg (or 100 mg twice a day) based on individual response. Dosing should be adjusted in patients with severe renal impairment (CrCl 2.6 Marketed formulations There are various brands of MIL are available with dose of 12.5 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg immediate release tablets or capsules as shown in Table 2.3 [19-21].

Insanity and Madness in A Rose For Emily and Yellow Wallpaper

Insanity in A Rose For Emily And The Yellow Wallpaper    The women in Faulkner's and Gilman's stories are victims of male over-protectiveness.   The men that rule their lives trap Emily in "A Rose For Emily" and the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper". Each character must retreat into their own world as an escape from reality. Emily is destroyed by her father's over-protectiveness. He prevents her from courting anyone as "none of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such" (82). When her father dies, Emily refuses to acknowledge his death; "[W]ith nothing left, she . . . [had] to cling to that which had robbed her" (83). When she finally begins a relationship after his death, she unfortunately falls for Homer Baron who "liked men" and was "not a marrying man" (84)... ...the trap that society has placed them in. Works Cited Faulkner, William. "A Rose For Emily." The Norton Introduction To Literature. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. 7th Ed. New York, Norton, 1998. 1: 502-509. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." The Norton Introduction To Literature. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. 7th Ed. New York, Norton, 1998. 2: 630-642.

Prince Siddhartha Gautama - Buddha :: Chinese China History

Buddha This report will be about the life of Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, and his influences on the people around him. It will explain how the religion of Buddhism came about and how the Buddha created it. It will also include not only what influenced Buddha to start preaching, but what influenced the people to listen. Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who would later be known as Buddha, was born in Lumbini, Nepal around the year 563 BC. He was the son of two important great people. Siddhartha's father's name was Shuddhodana, the King of the Sakyas. His mother, Queen Maya, was a lady "of perfect form and bee-black tresses, fearless in heart and full of grace and virtue." Siddhartha got his name from one of his mother's dreams. Her dream was that an elephant with 6 tusks, carrying a lotus flower in its trunk, touched the right side of Queen Maya's body. That was when Siddhartha was miraculously conceived. When she told her husband about her dream, he called Brahmins, or learned men to interpret it. They predicted that the child one-day would be the greatest king in the world or the greatest ascetic in the world. So that's why they called him Siddhartha, meaning "he whose aim is accomplished." When Siddhartha was about 20 years old he married Yasodhara, who was the daughter of one of the King's ministers. S iddhartha and his new wife had a child a year after they got married. They called their son Rahula, which means "impediment." Nine years later Siddhartha asked his charioteer to take him for a ride throughout the city. While riding he saw three things he had never seen before. One was an elder man, another was a man suffering from illness, and finally he saw a dead body surrounded by mourners. Since he had never seen anything like that before he asked his charioteer, Channa, what was wrong. He responded and told the Prince that these things were natural and unavoidable, that happen to all kinds of people. "Everything is transient; nothing in permanent in this world....Knowing that, I can find delight in nothing...How can a man, who knows that death is quite inevitable, still feel greed in his heart, enjoy the world of senses and not weep in this great danger?" Once again Siddhartha asked Channa to take him out into the city again and this time he was to see the last of four images that would change his life forever.