Warning: This Is a Rights-Free Workplace

The article states about the economic factor in America. It sensitizes on the justice the workers in America should be given. The article talks about how the workers in America are treated with injustice. This is shown well when the article starts by, â€Å"If the laws of economics were enforced as strictly as the laws of physics, America would be a workers' paradise. † Visit the article in this link: http://www. barbaraehrenreich. com/workersrights. htm. Employee Rights in the Workplace The idea of employee rights involves many complex issues.An employee’s right to a workplace free of discrimination and harmful environmental factors is obvious. Yet, other issues surrounding privacy, personal expression, and communication monitoring are not as clear-cut. While employees may feel that they have the right to express their opinions and use business communications while working, not only may they be fooling themselves but they are acting in a way that is unethical. While bu sinesses do not have the right to control employee behaviors outside of the workplace, they do have the right to monitor and control communications and employee actions during paid time.As such, employees have the right to reasonable expectations in terms of communication, yet cannot (within limits) ethically demand a right to privacy, private communication, or personal expression while they are utilizing business property or on business time. Workplace privacy has been a hot issue in the last decade, as more and more workplaces incorporate email and Internet-use into the office environment. Many employees now use email and the Internet daily, not to mention the telephone (Nord, McCubbins, & Nord, 2006).With high volumes of communicatio employee privacy rights in the workplace Introduction Often the issues regarding privacy rights in the workplace focuses on employee rights to privacy in the workplace . Most advocacies support employee rights and criticize the efforts of companies t o monitor employees . However , despite the importance to protect every employee ‘s privacy , there should be a realization that Whether or not privacy is protected by law or contract , fostering a workplace culture where privacy is valued and espected contributes to morale and mutual trust and makes good business sense . Thus , privacy is not limited to rights but also entails employees ‘ responsibility to ensure that it is never abused and is not to the determent of the company ( Privacy in the Workplace , 2005 Challenges for Employers Employers have the right and responsibility to monitor their place of business to protect themselves and their employees from invasion . The irony is that this can only be possible if an employer is able to monitor communications and exchanges .Therefore , for a company to be able to afford the protection that employees need , they must surrender in trust their privacy to the company As much as a company should not invade the rights of i ts employees , it has the equal responsibility of ensuring that its privacy and that of its employees are not divulged or used in any personal intent by other employees . According to Nyman (2005 , more companies are being held accountable by employees whose privacy was compromised in the workplace because of what is seen as a lack in its measures to ensure their privacy .Therefore , if employers are being held accountable for such situations , Nyman believes that they should be given enough power to protect themselves from such liabilities An example given by Nyman is the case between Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA ) and Integrated Information Systems (IIS The allegation was that the latter allowed its employees to infringe the copyrights of MP3 s that the employees shared over the company ‘s networks . The settlement of the suit with RIAA cost IIS a million dollars .Aside from the settlement , the company also faced a public relations issue regarding the all eged sharing : IIS main service is electronic transmission of copyrighted material It would be safe to assume that the employees were aware of the issues regarding sharing and despite the IIS did not allow for the behavior , the fact that it did occur cast liability over the company The issue is not so much as an issue of whether the company was responsible for the sharing of the s but rather that it happened over its network Security RealitiesTechnology has afforded the transfer of a significant amount of information over the wires and with that has increased the risk that not just sensitive data or even whole databases and programs can easily be transferred in that manner . At the same time , other technologies in imaging have also increased the channels by which a person ‘s privacy can be compromised . From the perspective of employees , this has allowed for†¦If the laws of economics were enforced as strictly as the laws of physics, America would be a workers' paradise . The supply of most kinds of labor is low, relative to the demand, so each worker should be treated as a cherished asset, right? But there have been only grudging gains in wages over the last few years, and in the realm of dignity and autonomy, a palpable decline.What we need is nothing less than a new civil rights movement — this time, for American workers. Who will provide the leadership remains to be seen, but clearly the stakes go way beyond â€Å"labor issues,† as these are conventionally defined. We can hardly call ourselves the world's pre-eminent democracy if large numbers of citizens spend half of their waking hours in what amounts, in plain terms, to a dictatorship.

Case Analysis: Job Dissatisfaction and High Turnover

Case Analysis: The Treadway Tire Company: Job Dissatisfaction And High Turnover at The Lima Tire Plant Case Analysis Questions: 1. Briefly describe the situation today at the Lima Tire plant. 2. What is the relationship between line foremen at Treadway’s Lima Plant and other groups within the plant: general supervisors and area managers, top management, the union, hourly workers, each other? Why do you believe the relationships are as they are? 3. How do you feel line foreman feel about their jobs and why? Be specific about their sources of dissatisfaction.How engaged are the line foreman? How would they respond to Gallup’s 12 Questions of a Strong Workplace? Expand on your position. 4. What are the costs of turnover within the Lima plant? Direct? Indirect? How would you calculate the cost of turnover if you were Ashley Wall making a presentation to top management? (Hint: Look at number of hours worked per month, salary plus benefits, and how long it takes to come up to speed in the role) What is the magnitude of the turnover problem? formula for calculating the direct cost of turnover:Average Hours Worked/Month x Wage/Hour (including benefits) x Number of Months for Learning Curve x Productivity during Learning Curve x Number of Positions Turned Over = Direct Cost of Turnover 5. Discuss the elements of the current work system that are contributing to the problem. How does each negatively impact engagement and job satisfaction? 6. What action plan should Ashley Wall recommend? Be specific in describing your recommended actions. 7. What key lessons will you take away from this case relative to building an engaged work culture and being an effective manager?Analysis Q. 1]Treadway Tire’s Lima Plant is faced with a critical problem of employee dissatisfaction and high turnover among its line foremen. The turnover rate ran 46% in 2007. Additionally, the plant was facing skyrocketing raw materials costs and intense global competition. The plant, at Lima, Ohio, had 970 unionized hourly employees and 150 salaried employees. 50 Line foremen were floor level managers who supervised hourly employees. The plant operates 24Ãâ€"7, with four rotating shifts.Problems associated with the foremen are part of deeper concerns with workforce management and the role that these people play in the production process. The foremen are caught in the middle of an adversarial relationship between the union and management. Ashley Wall, Director of Human Resources at Lima plant, identified the cause of turnover as serious morale issues with line-foreman segment, and their job dissatisfaction. Turnover is one obvious area where plant could focus to reduce costs & increase productivity. Analysis Q. ]An employee satisfaction survey and exit interviews of departing foremen revealed significant discontent in the plant and highlighted concerns about the line-foreman position. Several other incidents highlighted tension between hourly workers and foremen . Foremen expressed concerns about their lack of authority and adversarial relations with the hourly workers. General supervisors, the next management level after line foremen, judge foremen by their ability to meet or exceed forecasts. Foremen express that a lot of expectations, are beyond their control and management does not understand that.Serious morale issues in the line foremen segment also lead to imperiled relations between management and the union. Serious morale issues in these relationships are apparent as every group feels isolated. Foremen were only expected to achieve production forecast. They were not communicated about long run goal or strategy. Be it foremen, hourly workers or upper management, they had not shared a common value-based work environment. Foremen often pulled in different, conflicting directions by management, workers and the union. They had no clear understanding of upper management expectations.They were not involved in the grievance committeeâ€⠄¢s ruling and disciplinary decisions. Hourly workers had trust issues with foremen. They did not understand what kind of authority and tools a foreman would require in meeting the objectives. Analysis Q. 3]Unequipped: Line foremen complained that they were placed on the job without any training and given no coaching once they got there. They felt disengaged on the job without the required skills and competencies. In a Lima Employee Survey, 96% foremen do not feel prepared to accomplish duties of their job.Little discretion dealing with employees: Union contracts dictated annual pay raises, & grievance procedures had not involved foremen. General supervisors appear to look favorably upon traditional management methods which tended to be adversarial. Career frustration: Few foremen, those were external hire, must have felt frustrated by their low potential for advancement as almost all of promoted positions at Lima were filled from within the plant. Isolated / not involved: Foremen h ad not felt recognized or connected. Foreman lack required authorities to perform assigned duties. 6% foremen felt the management is not sensitive to their problem. Although foremen’s job involved different duties, they do not feel engaged due to lack of communication with hourly employees as well as with upper management, conflicting situations and morale issues. Gallup’s 12 questions: Based on the current scenario, foremen’s responses would reflect their dissatisfaction and disengagement at work: Foremen would not agree to the Base Level questions. Due to conflicting management direction, they were not sure what is expected from them.Foremen would not agree they had required development tools, training and authorities to drive their work duties. They would not agree to Level 1 questions. They are expected to meet or exceed forecasts in their 12-shift but they also had to perform other administrative duties that had little to do with their daily deliverables. T hey expressed insensitivity of upper management in the survey where only 3% foremen see their supervisor is a positive role model. Their responses to Level 2 questions would also be alarming.Upper management had lack of communication with them and operated according to their own priorities and had unresponsive and unsupportive to the foremen. They were not involved in union grievance process and had lack of control over various tasks measured as their duties. Their responses to Level 3 questions would be concerning too, as illustrated in the employee survey where 68% foremen thought they had no opportunity for career progress. Due to lack of trainings, foremen felt their learning and development curve is not much forwarding. Analysis Q. ]Turnover costs are categorized as direct costs and indirect costs. Based on the research, referenced in the attachment, we considered employee benefit as 40% of the base remuneration; 4 months for new hires to become 100% productive and 50% producti vity during the period of learning curve for new hires. Based on the case study, average days worked in a month for line foremen was about 15 days, with 12-hour shift or workday, giving us 180 work hours; foremen’s hourly rate as $42 (including 40% benefits with current base rate of $30); Positions turned over in the current year is 23.Based on the cost model, provided in the questionnaire, direct turnover cost will be: 180 x $42 x 4 x 0. 50 x 23 = $347,760. Indirect turnover cost may include loss of productivity from other employees filling in for vacant position; hiring costs; administrative costs; training/induction costs etc. These costs are more difficult to quantify and assign a dollar figure to, but they are very real. Based on the references, provided in attachment, the indirect costs of turnover can be 2 to 5 times higher than direct costs.Taking an estimated figure of 2 times direct turnover cost, the indirect cost can be calculated as: $347,760 x 2 = $695,520 This will give us total turnover cost in Lima plant as: Direct Cost $347,760 + Indirect Cost $695,520 = $1,043,280. This calculation although not a comprehensive assessment of the cost of turnover, but it is a quick way to illustrate the fact that turnover is indeed expensive, even when looking at the most basic costs. We see that Lima plant could save $589,680 as annual turnover cost even if the turnover rate could be reduced to even 20%; that is twice the average turnover rate in manufacturing industry.Attachment provides a more detailed analysis of this saving*. Analysis Q. 5]Following key elements contributed negatively towards building a strong work force at Lima plant. These elements had resulted in unprepared, isolated and despair foremen that kept them from putting their best at work and provided dissatisfaction. 1. Lack of training: Many of the foremen are placed on the line after only a few hours’ training: â€Å"The general supervisors expect them to just sink or swim. † Foremen felt unmotivated by their lack of preparedness.Such lack of knowledge made commitment to the total organization difficult and enhanced feelings of dissatisfaction and disengagement towards the job. Ashley Wall initiated training program, was not considered a priority and removed from the budget. 2. Lack of communication: Much of the alienation felt by line foremen was due to the almost total lack of communications from other groups within Lima plant. Other departments operated separately, according to their own priorities and seemed unresponsive and unsupportive to the foremen. . Motivation and Development: General supervisors were not connected to their team. They had no understanding of where an individual will fit right or what area he is stronger in. Supervisors’ expectations from foremen had no intention of personal advancement of every foreman. 4. Support and Recognition: 94% foremen did not think their immediate supervisor is a role model. With this en vironment, foremen would not consider themselves as part of the company nor would they see any opportunity to advance themselves further. 5.Recruitment process: There was little evidence that interpersonal skills such as the ability to communicate, ability to delegate, ability to work well with others, etc. , were given much weight at all in the recruitment and screening process, the emphasis seemed to be on the task and short-term results rather than selecting best talent for the job. Analysis Q. 6]Action Plan 1. The training programs need to be a top priority and should provide new foremen with extensive, formal, and on-the-job training that can make them feel stronger while performing job duties.The benefits of the training program will outweigh the costs in reducing time for a foreman to work at 100% productivity and providing tools necessary to be successful on the job. Wall must provide Bellingham* with a cost-benefit analysis. 2. Instead of expecting lower level managers to m eet forecasts and control hourly employees, immediate supervisors should be more involved with the team and leadership should connect and communicate long term vision to help make their lower management feel involved. 3. Technological innovations should be introduced to reduce foremen’s efforts and operating costs.Pay for performance and other psychological rewards should be made available to help increase both productivity and employee engagement at work. 4. Human Resources should institute regular meetings with salaried work force & bring in representatives from every department to help make flexible organization structure and to discuss common issues, problems, and concerns. Lower management should also be given opportunity to express their opinions and proposed changes that may prove cost effective and high productive. . Balanced hiring policies should be adopted like the one proposed by Ashley Wall i. e. ; 60% internal hires, 30% college graduates, and 10% company transf ers. Then foster formal & informal interaction among foremen, by promoting the exchange of individual skills and competencies. Analysis Q. 7] Lessons Learned 1. Although high expectation from employees is an important key yet they should also be provided with required tools and trainings necessary to make them feel strong for the job.Based on individual employees’ talent at job, they should be provided with advance learning and development opportunities to advance their career and personal progress. 2. Employees should feel connected to the organization. This can be achieved by recognizing their work, rewarding their performance, develop them regularly, and continuously communicating with them to listen their concerns, appreciating their achievements and providing necessary help to increase their job satisfaction. 3.Management could incorrectly think about saving time and reducing cost by ignoring employees’ concerns and job related learning & development. On the contr ary, organization could save more by having satisfied employees that helps in reduced turnover cost and increased productivity. 4. Long organization hierarchy only creates isolated groups and lack of clear communication. Flat structure is necessary to improve communication and make strong connections. Attachment *Turnover cost saving by reducing turnover rate to 20%: Current turnover rate is 46% that resulted from 23 foremen turned over from total 50 hence 23/50 = 46%.As part of the 2007 edition of its Compensation Data Survey, CompData Surveys publishes 10. 2% as average turnover rate in the manufacturing industry. By the turnover cost presented above, it can be illustrated that if Treadway Lima plan could reduce turnover rate to a conservative 20% then cost savings will be $884,484 (Turnover reduced to 20%; 50 x 0. 20 = 10. 23 – 10 = 13 fewer foremen turning over. Using above mentioned costing model, and considering 13 positions turned over, Lima plant could save Direct Cos t $196,560 + Indirect Cost $393,120 = $589,680). Brandon Bellingham is the plant manager at Treadway’s Lima, Ohio Tire Plant. References: http://www. workforce. com/article/20000126/DEAR_WORKFORCE/301269997/idear-workforce-i-indirect-cost-of-turnover http://www. workplaceinfo. com. au/human-resources-management/hr-strategy/costs-of-employee-turnover http://www. jemperformance. com/Articles/highcostofturnover. htm http://www. beta. mmb. state. mn. us/doc/wfp/turnover. pdf http://www. compensationforce. com/2008/02/2007-turnover-r. html

Closely analyse the poems ‘Sacifice’ by Taufiq Rafat and ‘Out, Out’ by Robert Frost

In preparation for this essay I read and analysed a series of poems. Some of these poems include ‘Tich Miller' by Wendy Cope and ‘City Jungle' by Pie Corbett. For the main part of the essay I read the two poems ‘Sacifice' by Taufiq Rafat and ‘Out, Out' by Robert Frost and found out, about the two different cultures. ‘Sacifice' is about a goat being sacrificed when they are laying the foundations of a friend's house, where as ‘Out, Out' is about a boy having his hand chopped off by a buzz saw. In class, as a group we took down notes about the two poems. I will now individually show my understanding of the two poems and write an analysis for them both. I will now analyse ‘Sacrifice' by Taufiq Rafat. The poem is about laying the foundations of a house. To do this they have to perform a ritual. The ritual is that the owner of the house has to sacrifice a goat. In the first stanza we can see that the poet feels empathy for the goat as it says ‘I can feel its point on my throat'. It is suggesting that he has taken the persona of the goat and feels what it feels. This stanza is almost out of order, as the poet Rafat could have put line five ‘We are laying the foundations of a friend's house' as his first line. He could have done this deliberately because he wants to create effect and to catch the reader's attention by having a strong first stanza with language like ‘geysers'. You can tell by the language of the poem that the person who is performing the sacrifice is disturbed and doesn't want to kill the goat as it says ‘A hot sticky sweat breaks out on my body'. This line in the poem stands out for me because it creates a strong image in my mind and tells me exactly how he is felling towards the sacrifice. In the next stanza we find out that there is a group of people that are involved in laying the foundations of a friend's house, as the sentence starts with ‘We are laying the foundations of a friend's house'. By the words ‘a brief prayer' and ‘we stand in a tight circle' you can tell that the culture of the poem is a religious one and that they are also a close community by them all involved in a ritual also by them all laying the foundations of a friend's house. The line ‘The heat, and the smell of blood make me dizzy' tells you how this sacrifice is making him feel and once again it shows that he thinks this is uncivilized. I think that when it says the goat has a ‘civilized and patient look' it makes me feel that the goat doesn't deserve what is about to happen to it and they are going to kill it when he doesn't expect it. In the next stanza they are now performing the sacrifice of the goat. When the poet writes ‘Part of the ritual that it is his hand only' it tells you that the person who has to kill the goat is the one who is having his house blessed. In the line ‘How keenly it cuts! ‘ the poet Rafat is showing that the goat cuts easily and that it is almost like the knife wants to kill the goat. I think that the explanation mark at the end shows the shock and the response of the poet. When the poet writes ‘The movement is a little unsteady' this stands out for me because as well as him being nervous I would be too if I had to kill any animal. Also I think it is ironic that by him being nervous, because he doesn't want to hurt the goat, he is actually causing the goat to feel more pain by not being steady. The word ‘butchering' makes this sacrifice feel more unpleasant because butcher means they kill. ‘Four calloused hands imprison my jerking legs' this tells us that they are working class people because calloused hands suggests that people work with their hands. Also by saying that the hands are calloused, which means harden, it could suggest that they have hard emotions to this sacrifice. Also with the words ‘jerking legs' the poet is taken on the persona and empathy of the goat. In the next stanza they have killed the goat and are now burying it. When Rafat writes ‘the children are fascinated by the tableau' he is saying that the children might want to do this in the future and suggests that this culture could be passed through generations. The goat is forgotten about forever when it says ‘Two spadefuls of dirt will cover me up forever' I feel that it is sad that some people would just kill an animal for their culture and just forget about it afterwards. When Rafat says ‘a white-bearded man chants something holly' it is coming back to the idea that their community is a religious community. At the end of the sentence we can tell that this sacrifice is recent by the words ‘the cameras click' it also suggests that to some this is a celebration but as you read the last stanza the poet has another opinion. The poet Rafat writes ‘we are not laying the foundations of a house, but another Dachau. ‘ The language he is using is very strong at the end. As I read this last stanza it made me think that when he used the word Dachau that means Concentration Camp or even a Death Camp he clearly shows that he disapproves to the whole sacrifice as I would but he also makes it clear that people have different opinions and feelings, to this. Over all I think that Rafat makes it clear you can't change the way people feel, this may be because of there religion or culture. I will now analyse ‘Out, Out' by Robert Frost. The poem ‘Out, Out' is about a young boy who is working in a factory in Vermont. As the poem goes on we find out that a buzz saw the boy was working with chops off his hand. In the first line the poet Frost writes ‘The buzz saw snarled' this suggest that by the word snarled there is danger to come. Also personification is used by ‘buzz saw'. The poet suddenly changers the tone of the poem by using the words ‘sweet-scented' and also saying in line five about the ‘Five Mountain Ranges' and ‘Under the sunset into Vermont'. I think that personally this was very clever because the poet has brought the scene alive and goes on to set a pleasant scene with the Mountain Ranges in Vermont. He also tells us a bit about the culture. He does this by mentioning the Mountains, which tell us that this is an isolated community. In line seven the poet has once again changed the tone of the poem by coming back to the saw. In this line he has used repetition by repeating the words ‘Snarled and Ratted'. He explains why the buzz saw was snarling and rattling in the next line by saying ‘As it ran light, or had to bear a load'. When the poet writes ‘and nothing happened: day was all but done'. This Suggest to the reader that it is just a normal day and that nothing special was going to happen. I found this clever because it is misleading. In the next line the poet shows a bit of emotion by saying ‘call it a day, I wish they might have said'. By using the words ‘I wish' it makes you think that something bad may happen to him. To please the boy' the poet writes in the next line. This is the first time the poet introduces him as just a boy. This suggests that as apart of their culture they get young children to work. I disagree with this because I think that young children are not as experienced with using dangerous equipment such as a buzz saw and something could happen to them if they are not careful and could get hurt. The poet goes on to introduce his sister in line thirteen ‘His sister stood beside them in her apron'. As the poet does this it could suggest that as a part of their culture, families work together. Frost also writes that the sisters tell the rest of the workers it's supper ‘To tell them ‘Supper†. This could suggest that the poet has given them traditional roles for the genders. This is that the men have to do the work and the women have to cook. My response to this is that I disagree because it is sexism and I think that is wrong. In the next couple of lines Frost describes how the buzz saw cuts the boys hand off because he is not paying attention and gets distracted by his sister saying to word ‘Super' and loses his concentration. Frost writes just after the word ‘Super' that ‘the saw, As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, leaped out at the boy's hand' it is as if the saw decides to eat by hearing the hearing the word supper so he users personification. He explains that ‘he must have given the hand' and that the boy couldn't pull away in time. ‘But the hand! ‘ the poet writes, which means that he is in shock and dismay by the exclamation mark at the end. By his hand getting chopped off it tells as that it is very physical, manual, dangerous work they do. The boy's first outcry was a rueful laugh'. This suggests that he doesn't really realise what has happened to him. By the poet using the word ‘rueful' it tells us again that he is in shock and doesn't believe it. Frost writes in line twenty ‘as he swung toward them holding up the hand, Half in appeal' this could mean that the boy has reacted different to his hand being chopped off. This is because at first he was in shock and then he was looking for help by swinging towards them. The poet then writes ‘but half as if to keep the life from spilling'. This could refer to the title ‘Out, Out' because as the blood is spilling out of him it is also like the life is spilling and going out of his body as well. The boy's final reaction is when it says ‘then the boy saw all' this suggests that he knows that he is going to either be disabled or even die. The poet writes how the boy has now become a teenager by using the words ‘big boy doing a man's work' even though the boy is a ‘child at heart'. In the next few lines it tells us that the boy has lost his hand and that he has even lost his life. At first the poet brings the boy alive by using speech and getting him to say ‘Don't let him cut my hand off'. The poet now changers the whole pace of the poem by just having the word ‘So' by itself. This suggests the finality of the poem. ‘But the hand was gone already'. This means that despite what he wants it doesn't matter because the hand was gone and it couldn't have been used again. In the next sentence we find out that their medical provision is quite basic because it says ‘the doctor put him in the dark of ether'. The ether is for the boy to cope with the pain. The boy ‘lay and puffed his lips out with his breath'. I think this was sad because we know that he is going to die and that could have been his last breath, but it still suggests that there is life still there. ‘And then-the watcher at his pulse took fright'. This just means that the fright caused his pulse to go down. Also the hyphen could suggest a dramatic pause. His life is slowly going away from him now when Frost writes ‘Little-less-nothing! I think that the exclamation mark means the end and it goes on to say he has died ‘and that ended it'. My response to the end of the poem is a one of disbelieve. This is because the poet writes ‘Since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs'. I personally find this hard to believe that their culture is quite hard hearted and that they think death and danger is a normal part of life. I don't know how some people would just carry on with their lives ins tantly and think it was just another death. This poem must be quite old because of the whole attitude towards death has changed. This is not like ‘Sacifice' because that was quite recent because of the ‘Cameras'. I will now write about the similarities and differences between the two poems and compare them both. I will start off with some of the similarities between ‘Sacifice' and ‘Out, Out'. The first thing I have notice between the two was that they both have quite a sad, and depressing tone towards them. This is because they are both about death. Also in both of the poems the characters take the deaths quite lightly e. . in ‘Sacrifice' they just forget about the goat ‘Two spadefuls of dirt will cover me up forever' and in ‘Out, Out' they feel that it is just another death ‘Since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs'. Another similarity is that the poet, or the voice of the poem, does not appear to share the views of the communities described. This is because in ‘Sacrifice' the poet does not want to kill the goat but community does and in ‘Out, Out' the boy does not want to carry on working ‘Call it a day, I wish they might have sad'. They both tell a story and they create a serious tone because they are in blank verse. As they are in blank verse it sounds like someone is telling a story. The last similarity I found is that they both give insights into the cultures in which they are set. Also they imply criticism of the aspect of the culture they are describing. For example in ‘Out, Out' one criticism is that a young boy like him should not be working at such a young age but it is apart of their culture to do so. An example of a criticism in ‘Sacrifice' is that they should not kill the goat but they do so because it is apart of their culture. Now I will describe some of the differences between the two poems. The main difference would have to be that ‘Out, Out' is about a human where as ‘Sacrifice' is about an animal. They both describe different cultures. For example ‘Sacrifice' is a religious community and ‘Out, Out' isn't. I found that one difference was that ‘Sacrifice' includes empathy with the goat, where as ‘Out, Out' just describes what happens. Also ‘Sacrifice' is divided into stanzas and is in clear sections, where as ‘Out, Out' is not in stanzas and just flows chronologically through the story. Another difference would have to be that the poet in ‘Sacrifice' is more involved where as in ‘Out, Out' the poet is more of an observer. The last difference I can think of is that the death of the boy was an accident where as the death of the goat was on purpose. Overall I found that ‘Sacrifice' by Taufiq Rafat was very sad because I don't think it was right for them to go ahead with the ritual sacrifice of the goat just because they are laying the foundations of a house. The only decent and respectful bit towards the goat was from the poet himself. He doesn't think this was right either and at least his heart is in the right place. He lets us know from the very beginning that his real sympathies are with the goat: ‘As he moves the knife across the neck of the goat I can feel its point on my throat'. But Rafat's sympathy isn't much use to the goat. This is because if he has his doubts about the ceremony and he knows he is going to sacrifice the goat, I don't get why he is there in the first place if he doesn't want to kill the goat. Apart from this I found it a very interesting poem to read. For ‘Out, Out' by Robert Frost I felt that it is a tragedy that a young boy who lives in a rural area, is propelled to work longs days, doing a job that is fit for a man and that he is doing this instead of spending the days as a youth. When Frost writes ‘Call it a day, I wish they might have said, to please the boy by giving him the half hour that a boy counts so much when saved from work' I felt that not only do these lines inform us that the boy wished he did not have to work but it also reflects a sense of regret on the bystanders part. It proposes the fact that if they had finished up early, or even not made this young boy do a job fit for his superior then his death may have never occurred. I found this part particularly important to me because if they had done the right thing and not gave him this job he could have still been alive! I liked the fact that Frost uses particular techniques such as, personification, repetition, onomatopoeia, and word structure, which produced a precise rhythm to the poem. Another bit of this poem I liked is that throughout the poem the buzz saw is personified and is given human and animal like qualities. And the saw snared and rattled, snarled and rattled as it ran light or had to bear a load'. This I found suggests that the saw is in fact some kind of creature, which may posses more power than the boy. To some up I think that Frost's ideas of life and death, the harshness of life's demands, and how he shows personal interest in the way in which individuals deal with life's issues su ch as death are clearly reflected in the poem ‘Out, Out'. I think that this was a great poem to read.

Defining Data Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Defining Data - Assignment Example (Edwards, 2011) Teradata has transformed a lot of business organizations by aiding in the heavy lifting associated with data management and analysis by providing prebuilt solutions such as analytic data solutions which dramatically reduce effort and risks. Teradata enables business organizations to simplify business intelligence by providing services that allow business access and actionable information. Teradata avails current data to business organizations that are in turn used in business decision. The data and information provided by Teradata to business organizations is decision ready thus allowing the business to analyze current and long term trends while providing instant alerts on problems and opportunity.(Edwards, 2011) Teradata is one of the leading data warehousing corporations there is. It is capable of managing its systems for maximum and all round throughput while catering for various organizational demands effectively. The company is contemplating on dynamically adopting workload mix in order to ensure fast response time and high throughput in addition to visualizing the current and long term trends given the evolving

Works Ethics Focusing on Engineering Ethics Term Paper

Works Ethics Focusing on Engineering Ethics - Term Paper Example To enhance the effectiveness in engineering work the association has a code of ethics that every engineer must follow. First, a professional engineer must follow some fundamental canons in regard to completion of their expertise duties. They are required to perform services in areas within their competence. Safety, welfare, and health of the public should be held paramount. The statement offered by a professional engineer must be released in a truthful and objective manner. Engineers must be trustees or faithful agents for clients or employers. They should conduct themselves responsibly, ethically, honorably, and lawfully in order to enhance the reputation and honor of their professional importance. Secondly, professional engineers’ duties are guided by regulations of practice. Regarding their duties towards the society, they need to notify the appropriate authority in case of circumstances endangering property or life of people before they overrule any judgment. Engineers sha ll not disclose data and facts without the preceding consent of an authorized employer or client according to the law (Davis 34). The only documents engineering shall use will be those in conformity with the standards applicable. They shall not use and allow associates in business or their names to engage in dishonest or fraudulent enterprises. Following their performances in their areas of competency, they also need to act appropriately.  Engineers serving publicly as advisors, employees or members of a department shall not give directions with respect to solicited services either provided by themselves or business in public or private engineering practice.  

Coca-Cola Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

Coca-Cola Company - Assignment Example The company produces ready to drink juices and teas in over 100 flavors. There has been a visible decline in the consumption of carbonated drinks as a result of the rising health concerns. Carbonated drinks make up a significant portion of Coca-Cola's sales. This is a good opportunity to increase sales of the non-carbonated drinks by entering into newer untapped markets. This document serves as a marketing plan for Minute Maid healthy beverages for the subsequent 12 month period. 2. Situation Analysis 2.1 SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is used to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of an organization and the external opportunities and threats. The SWOT Analysis for Minute Maid is as follows: Strengths Weaknesses Strong brand with world wide recognition Strong supply chain Established distribution channels Excellent financial performance Quick response to market need Partnerships and licenses with other brands Standing out against competition in the saturated market More customer loyalty to the core the Coca-cola products Dormant market demand for soft drinks Opportunities Threats Changing consumer trends towards soft drinks Entering new market segments Developing further partnerships with other brands Competition Health concerns Risk of cannibalization Table 2.1 SWOT Analysis 2.2 FEPSOS Analysis Marketing Functions Marketing functions for Minute Maid include its strong branded high quality products which are designed around customer needs. The products are priced to deliver value and quality to the customers in monetary and non- monetary terms. The products are backed by and effective, extensive and result oriented marketing mix. Minute Maid also has a... Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest manufacturer, marketer and distributor of carbonated soft drinks and other beverages. The company was established in 1886 and has been successfully operating business over a span 123 years. Coca-Cola has established its presence in more than 200 countries and has 92,400 employees across the globe. The company boasts a product portfolio of over 3000 beverages and has a world wide market share of 47.2% with sales of 4107.1 million cases (1). There has been a visible decline in the consumption of carbonated drinks as a result of the rising health concerns. Carbonated drinks make up a significant portion of Coca-Cola's sales. This is a good opportunity to increase sales of the non-carbonated drinks by entering into newer untapped markets. Marketing functions for Minute Maid include its strong branded high quality products which are designed around customer needs. The products are priced to deliver value and quality to the customers in monetary and non- monetary terms. The products are backed by and effective, extensive and result oriented marketing mix. Minute Maid also has a strong distribution network which delivers its goods to the customers where and when they are needed. Porter's Five Forces Model can be used to analyze th

Medicare and Insurance Coverage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Medicare and Insurance Coverage - Essay Example The Medicaid, on the contrary, is a program designed to assist people with a few resources to access health care services. For a State to access the Medicaid services from the Federal State, it has to meet some set standards. Thus, by studying a case, it becomes necessary to answer some questions that aid in understanding the functionality of these programs. The case study provided presents Mrs. Zwick, a 77-aged woman, a permanent resident of the United States, hospitalized due to a mild stroke. The study has indicated that, she underwent an admission for five days and later transferred to a different facility for rehabilitation services. After a considerable time, the doctor diagnoses her with a hospital obtained â€Å"Urinary Tract Infection† (UTI) (Kaplan, 2004). As a result, the doctor prescribes some medications for her. The case has further highlighted the fact that Mrs. Zwick has the Medicare part A, B and D coverage. Mrs. Zwick’s daughter lacks sufficient knowle dge concerning how the coverage indicated above can assist her mother in settling the hospital bills (Kaplan, 2004). Therefore, the administration has demanded that I discuss with the daughter on costs covered fully or partially by the three parts of the Medicare program entitled to h er. The part A of the Medicare also identified by the name Hospice Insurance (HI) will cater for the following bills (Kaplan, 2004). For instance, it will settle all costs incurred due to her stay in the facility. These entails the meals, tests performed on her for diagnosing reasons, as well as for her stay in the skilled nursing home, where she underwent the rehabilitation. In addition to the above, the Medicare part A will settle bills needed for the walker. Moreover, the Medicare part B will also play a monumental part in helping cover the different costs entitled to her. This part, for instance, will cover all-home care services entitled to Mrs. Zwick after her discharge. Finally, the Medicare par t D will also be necessary, as it will cater for costs incurred in accessing her medication. In addition, the later part will partially repay the bills arising from the medication of the hospital acquired UTI. The current medical policies enacted discourage the reimbursement for hospital-acquired infections. In 2006, George Bush who was the United States president enacted an act aimed at plummeting the amount of finances dedicated to treating disorders resulting from medical errors. This was due to a rise in the occurrence of such errors thus costing the federal government enormous funds. As a result, payers of such services decided to monitor the expenditure of such finances. According to the board in charge of budget in the US, the decision would help the local government save $29 billion (Kaplan, 2004). The current policy formulated would adversely affect Mrs. Zwick. Therefore, she will have to spend her own finances for the treatment of her UTI. The infection she has acquired is amongst the ten conditions that Medicare does not compensate. Therefore, catering for the treatment of such an infection might result to the risk of deprived health or death. Mrs. Zwick may not pay all finances needed for her treatment thus a decline in her health. The â€Å"Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act†

Christianity versus Judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Christianity versus Judaism - Essay Example The relationship between Christianity and Judaism is that they have had strains for over two thousand years of history before the coming of Jesus. Christians accused the Jews of refusing Christ Jesus as their Messiah, and on the other hand, the Jews accused Christians of interfering with the aspect of one God by emphasizing on Jesus. (Dietrich pg 150) The Jews believed that the expected Messiah will be like any other person; his mother l conceive like any woman and he will be born like any other human. He will not be empowered with supernatural powers. Christians claim that Jesus had no father and was born from a virgin who conceived through the Holy Spirit. The Jews claim that Jesus failed to observe the Torah; they had great faith in the expected Messiah and they hoped that the Messiah will guide them in following and observing the laws. It states that all mitzvoth (commandments) will never be altered, and whoever attempts to change it is viewed as a false prophet (Deut 13:1-4). In some cases in the New Testament, Jesus went contrary to the Torah and claimed that the commandments are not applicable. For instance, John 9:14 documents that Jesus violated the Sabbath by making a paste. Apart from all the other existing religious groups, only the Jews believe is solely based on national revelation. They believe that God will speak to the whole nation. They claim that if God intends to start a religion, therefore he will tell everyone but not only one person. Judaism does not rely on miraculous claims as their religious basis. (Neusner pg 201) The Jews claim that Jesus was not a prophet, they believe that prophecy can exist in Israel alone when the majority of the world is inhibited by Jewry.  

Homework Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Homework - Case Study Example The employees think that they will have lesser control over their functions and that the new way of doing things is posed to lessen their influence on strategic operations of the organization. Finally, and obvious resistance to change is the lack of skills especially in computer technology. Most employees are wondering how they will cope with information systems that they barely understand. The first step in dealing with resistance to change is awareness creation among all employees. Awareness creation should take place early enough so that the employees can understand the urgency and need for the proposed change. After creating awareness, it is imperative to train employees in the necessary skills for handling computer programs. In this case, Martin should develop training programs that focus on fully equipping employees with the computer skills. Another way of dealing with resistance to change is diversifying job functions since computers will render some staff jobless. There should be initiative to encourage task diversification so that employees can handle more than one function within the

Contamination and remediation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contamination and remediation - Essay Example The contaminated land may be contaminated either by low or high concentrates hazardous wastes or pollution but are potential enough to be reused after remediation processes. But the land which is severely contaminated by such contaminants does not come under brownfield classification. It has also been seen that there are few cases where the owners are â€Å"not willing to transfer the brownfield or put it into productive reuse†, as those of Mothballed brownfields in United States. It is because these may cause blight, threaten public health and the environment and even hold back economic development and revitalization i.e. staking social, economic as well as environmental wellbeing.2 The extent of cleaning and the costs involved in the remediation process wholly depends upon the type, amount and area of contamination. The standards of cleanup adopted also influence the cleanup process. For example the clean up standards would be more stringent if the property or land is to be used for residential purposes and less strict if to be used for industrial purposes as the exposure to the contaminants would be quite less in this case. And the types of the contaminants too determine the cost while clean up process. For example if the groundwater of the site is found contaminated the cost of remediation process will be much higher than if just the soil is found contaminated. The costs of the cleanup to the property owner can also be contributed by other parties such as previous owners if they too are found responsible for contributing towards the contamination. (footnote 1) It has been seen that due to costs involved in the safe standards of cleaning processes of contaminated sites, most of them usually sit idle and unused for huge number of years. It is because the even the worth of the property after cleanup is much less than the costs of

The Spread of Religions Essay Example for Free

The Spread of Religions Essay Religion has played a fundamental role in shaping today’s history. Much of recent history in the Western hemisphere has been heavily influenced by Christianity and all that religion offers. Whilst in the Eastern hemisphere, Buddhism is one of the dominating religions. The spread of these religions have impacted many regions socially, economically, and/or politically. When the word Christianity is said, the things that come to mind for several people are church and God. Many people have heavily influenced the awakening of this religion and the way it was spread. Cortes played a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity in Mexico. The emperor of the Aztecs at that time allowed Cortes to speak to the people about Jesus Christ and his ways. Cortes instructed the people in the law of Christ. This region was heavily impacted socially because they were introduced to something new that they had never heard about and now they were asked to follow what was said. In 1519, Cortes and his men easily conquered the Aztecs helping them in the spread of Christianity (Document 3). Document 5 talks about a huge part of what the Christian religion is about, Church. The Church at that time played an important economic role as a circulator of money. The Church was a supplier of social services and helped as many people as they could in all ways. The Church was a provider of education, health care and poor relief to the general population. Christianity traveled across great distances bringing different ideas between regions. The spread of Buddhism was aided by trade, but it was the Buddhist Monks who truly spread this religion to many different regions. The Monks spread Buddhism using a very smart strategy. They traveled around for the welfare of the people. Buddhist missions were not large and well organized, and instead they took the form of Monks traveling the land spreading the religion. These Monks spread their ideas along with the traders and royal emissaries. â€Å"According to traditional accounts, the first foreign mission was to the island of Sri Lanka† (Document 7). Document 8 talks about the high period of Chinese influence in Japan which was heavily marked by Buddhism itself. Japan was divided into two parts due to the heavy impact Buddhism caused in Japan. The impact of Buddhism in Japan came to play three ajor roles, it brought a new system of beliefs, brought Chinese civilization, and it became a strong force in Japan’s political affairs. The Japanese people rapidly accommodated Buddhism along with their indigenous Shinto beliefs. Buddhism helped to foster harmony within the country. Many of the world religions today that have been introduced to other cultures have flourished, gaining the â€Å"vote† of several different people. So based on this essay, you can concluded that Christianity and Buddhism have truly changed the social, political, and economical aspects of several different regions.

Wine project Essay Example for Free

Wine project Essay Valais is known for its exceptional climate, whereby the mountains stop most of the rainfall, but create ‘foehn’ winds which assists in the late autumn months with the essential ripening process of late varieties of grapes. Almost continuous sunshine for most of the year attributes to hot and dry summers, while winters can be cold and snowy, even on the lower levels of the valley, yet the frost, which is usually the worst enemy of winegrowers, is rare, as the seasons change gradually, not abruptly. Soil Composition Light, well-aerated soil, poor in clay. This warms up rapidly in sunshine but does not retain water very well. The soil composition varies from plot to plot, diversity due to the geological upheavals, which occurred in this region. Type of wine Rose wine Character of the wine Dry, full bodied, typical flinty taste Food harmony (2 dishes) Seared cod with red wine sauce, Sautà ©ed chicken with wild mushroom. Commercial argumentation This beautiful Pinot Noir opens up with very aromatic flavors. It is essential summer wines, easy to drink fresh and fruity. It has a lovely red fruit aromas with the smooth end. Cost sale price 2009 Dà ´le Blanche, Charrat, Verteys Price: 14 Chf. References: Swiss Wine Growers Association. (1994). All About Swiss Wine. Geneva: OFD Communications. artisan-vigneron.ch. (n.d.) Retrieved February 26, 2013, from http://www.artisan-vigneron.ch/vins.html Chà ¢teau Brane-Cantenac Appellation Chà ¢teau Brane-Cantenac Country France Region Bordeaux Sub Region Margaux Village Margaux Estate Vineyard/ Grand cru Brane Cantenac Grape(s) Variety(ies) Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Franc 5% Climate conditions Bordeaux has a warm summer and long mile autumns, but suffers plenty of rainfall. In vineyard terms, it is a marginal climate, where grapes need a good site and a good year to ripen fully. Soil Composition Deep gravel from the quaternary era, with white gravel, sand and less clay. Type of wine Bordeaux-style red blend Character of the wine The wine has leafy, blackcurrant aromas a flavorsome but light wine for the vintage. Food harmony (2 dishes) Ratatouille, Roast duck with fig and orange sauce. Commercial argumentation A gorgeous deepest violet color by far that is made from world- quality grapes; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It will deliver wines of charm and fine texture rather than brute power. It is blend in Bordeaux style, but don’t lack of attentiveness and structure. The wine is aged for eighteen months with the love and care from the wine maker. This wine could be considered as the most sophisticated as the wine is built in a long hue, and still very much on the way to go further. Cost sale price 1988 Chateau Brane-Cantenac, Margaux, France Price Range of 750ml bottle, ex-tax in CHF Average: 85CHF   Ã‚  From: 55CHF   Ã‚  To 120CHF References: Crook, S. (2009). The complete Bordeaux. Great Britain, Octopus publishing group. Wine-searcher.com. (n.d.) Retrived February 26, 2013, from http://www.wine-%09searcher.com/wine-8-1988-chateau-brane-cantenac-margaux-france Chambertin Appellation Chambertin Country France Region Burgundy Sub Region Cà ´te de Nuit Village Gevery-Chambertin Estate Vineyard/ Grand cru Gevery-Chambertin Grand Cru Grape(s) Variety(ies) Pinot Noir Climate conditions Relatively hot, dry summers and cool, crisp winters. Particularly in summer, this climate type brings high diurnal temperature variation, which helps to maintain a balance between natural sugars and acidity in the wines. Soil Composition The soil varies depending on how high up the hillside the vineyard is located. The primary component is limestone, mixed with some clay and flint. The amount of clay decreases in site higher up the hill Type of wine Red wine Character of the wine Chambertin is full, firm and austere at the outset and structured and fleshy, with initial flavor of black fruits, liquorice and coffee beans, mellowing into something rich, concentrated, generous and warm-hearted when they mature. Food harmony (2 dishes) Beef wellington, Cheese soufflà © Commercial argumentation The most prestigious and luxury wine produced from Burgundy, France with the deep colored, full body, smooth and very complex red wine from the world famous Pinot Noir. The wine is made at the northern end of the Cà ´te d’Or, with the rich of soil and perfect amount of sun, these factors render Chambertin to be named as â€Å"King of Wines†. It offers a strong and rigid structure with the hints of black berries fruits, and coffee beans, blended together until reached the top of quality. Chambertin is full of flavor and powerful in aromas that will definitely deliver the pleasure to anyone who taste it. Cost sale price 1988 Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils Chambertin Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France: Price Range of 750ml bottle, ex-tax in CHF Average: 1,083CHF   Ã‚  From: 885CHF   Ã‚  To 1,362CHF References: Anderson, P.J., (2012). About wine. USA, Curio Press. Coates, C., (2008). The wine of Burgundy. University of California Press Wine-search.com. (n.d.) Retrieved February 26, 2013, from http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-37013-1988-domaine-armand-rousseau-pere-et-fils-chambertin-grand-cru-cote-de-nuits-france Laurent Perrier â€Å"Alaxandra rosà ©Ã¢â‚¬  Appellation Laurent Perrier â€Å"Alaxandra rosà ©Ã¢â‚¬ / Champagne Country France Region Champagne Sub Region NA Village NA Estate Vineyard/ Grand cru Laurent Perrier Grape(s) Variety(ies) Pinot Noir 80%, Chardonnay 20% Climate conditions Champagne is a cold place, at the northern climatic limit of grape growing, a factor that leaves the grapes with low tannins but a particularly fine varietal aroma. Sometimes July and August will be hot, and occasionally September and October will be warm. Soil Composition The prominent soil type is chalk, though this is not always visible in the surface Type of wine Champagne, rosà © Character of the wine A pale salmon pink with an orange tinge. Complex and powerful, the first aromas are reminiscent of strawberry jam. These are followed by floral notes such as rose petal. Lively and crisp, with dominant flavors of red berry fruit such as wild strawberries. Full-bodied, with a velvety texture and a finale showing hints of dried apricots and orange peel. Food harmony (2 dishes) Duck in bilberry sauce, Green salad with Caviar and smoked salad Commercial argumentation A lively rosà © champagne from the world famous Pinot Noir blended with another well-known Chadonnay in a perfect combination. Laurent Perrier â€Å"Alaxandra rosà ©Ã¢â‚¬  reached the top quality to be one of the best rosà © champagnes in the world. The wine offers the flavor of red berries and wild strawberry with the hints of dried apricots and orange zest. It has kept its freshness while building the element of toasty and maturity which renders the taste to be crips, and powerful in aromas. The full-bodied, elegant champagne with a smooth texture and a complex finish will never disappoint anyone. Cost sale price 2004 Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle Alexandra Rose Millesime, Prestige Cuvee Champagne, France: Price Range of 750ml bottle, ex-tax in CHF†¨Average: 275CHF   Ã‚  From: 275CHF   Ã‚  To 276CHF References: Kolpan, S., Smith B.H., Weiss M. A., (2010). Exploring wine. USA. Willey Press. Wine-searcher.com. (n.d.) Retrieved February 26, 2013, from http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-16145-2004-laurent-perrier-grand-siecle-alexandra-rose-millesime-prestige-cuvee-champagne-france Lauren-perrier.com. (n.d.) Retrieved February 26, 2013, from http://www.laurent-perrier.com Mondavi private selection Meritage Appellation Monterey County Country USA Region California Sub Region Central coast Village NA Estate Vineyard/ Grand cru NA Grape(s) Variety(ies) 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot Climate conditions The 2008 growing season on California’s Central Coast was one of great variety. Flowering was on the late side due to winter drought and a strong frost in late March. Summer temperatures were inconsistent, alternating between cool and excessively hot. Soil Composition Sandy, well-drained soil Type of wine Red wine Character of the wine The wine offers lavish dark plum, black cherry, and blackberry aromas along with a velvety texture and succulent mid-palate flavors. Its finish is impressively long and enhanced by well- integrated tannins. Food harmony (2 dishes) Grilled rib eye with garlic butter, Osso Bucco Commercial argumentation With the brilliant invention of Robert Mondavi, he created the wine with Bordeux style and presented it into a very nice wine. The wine is an amazingly rich with the dark plum color, yet tasteful and easy to drink. It consists of five different Bordeaux red varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot that were blended in the perfect combination until reaching the same quality as Bordeaux wines. Cost sale price 2008 Robert Mondavi Winery Private Selection Meritage, California, USA Price Range of 750ml bottle, ex-tax in CHF†¨Average: 10CHF   Ã‚  From: 7CHF   Ã‚  To 13CHF References: Kolpan, S., Smith B.H., Weiss M. A., (2010). Exploring wine. USA. Willey Press. Robertmodavi.com. (n.d.) Retrieved February 26, 2013 from http://www.robertmondavi.com/rmps/wines/our_wines/meritage/ Wine-searcher.com. (r.d.) Retrieved February 26, 2013 from http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-77785-2008-robert-mondavi-winery-private-selection-meritage-california-usa

Differences Between Taoism and Buddhism

Differences Between Taoism and Buddhism The differences between Taoism and Buddhism Taoism is originated in China and many believe that it is started in the sixth century B.C. whereas Buddhism is said originated in the 500s B.C. in India. Both Taoism and Buddhism are great philosophical traditions and religions that have long histories and had strongly influenced and shaped the Chinese culture and values.   These two religions have some similarities, they even considered as one kind in Malaysias culture. Both Taoism and Buddhism belief in reincarnation which means the life after death and both have similar ultimate goals.   However, they are very different in their beliefs, practices and perspectives about individual life, society, values, culture, the environment and even the universe. Taoism and Buddhism have different objective principles, different views and beliefs about the life after death which is widely known as reincarnation, different ways and solutions to cooperate and solve the problems in life, and different perspectives and practices about marriag e. The word Tao of Taoism in Chinese means the way or the path. In Taoism, its objective is to achieve Tao which means to attain the right path in life and by doing so; we will be able to become immortal.   Besides that, Tao is sometimes also considered as the origin of everything which already existed and guiding the whole world and everything to work on their roles before the universe was being formed (Wow Essays, 2004). In Taoism, it is more focusing on personal or individual philosophy, because it is more focusing on how to achieve Tao, harmony and balancing of one-self and it do not motivate people to find ways and solutions to help and improve the community or society as in every individual should do it by herself or himself (EduBook, 2008).   It is also said that everything in the world is simple, correct and good, life becomes complex is because human being choose to live a complex life (Wow Essays, 2004). On the other hand, in Buddhism beliefs live is suffering which is different by comparing with Taoism that believes that life is all about goodness, Buddhist believes that having illness or suffering is the nature of life which we cannot escape from (Difference Between, 2010). Birth, get old, get sick or ill, and death are the nature cycle of life. According to Buddhism, the only way to put suffering in life to an end is to understand the four noble truths of life and practice the noble eightfold path which are the right knowledge or understanding, right intention, right speech, right behavior or action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration (Buddhist Temples). The first noble eightfold path is right knowledge that refers to the correct understanding of what is life about or the understanding about the four noble truths of life (Wow Essays, 2004).   The second path is right intention means the right wills aspect which is to abstain from lusts, to gain immunity of negative emotions such as hate and anger, and to be innocuous which is not to be violent or aggressive (Knierim T., 2010).   The third path is right speech which brings the meaning of not to talk bad or harmful words and to be aware of what we are saying by choosing the right words and right tone.   The forth path is right behavior or right actions which is to act in a correct way and the reasons of action or behavior, and this consists of the five main rules of Buddhism which are not to kill, pilfer, consume alcoholic drinks, commit in sex crimes, and also to be honest (Wow Essays, 2004).   The fifth path is right livelihood which is to gain or earn money and wealth in the legal and moral way (Knierim T., 2010).   The sixth path is right effort involves practicing the right will and control self-serving devotion and thirst (Wow Essays, 2004).   The seventh path is right mindfulness which is to be aware and have the ability of see things without affected by the other people or environment.   The eighth path is right concentration refers to the mental force of focusing on the ultimate goal of Buddhism, and this involves practicing the meditation which is to clear your mind and develop the right concentration (Knierim T., 2010). Both Taoism and Buddhism believe in the life after death which is known as reincarnation (Wow Essays, 2004). They believe that life cycle does not have a beginning or an ending which simply means that life, death and rebirth are perceived as a continuous cycle; they think that death is not the end of the life (Valea E., n.d.).   But both of them have different explanations and perspectives on reincarnation.   According to Taoism, soul or spirit never die, it will be shift to the other body which is to reborn to be another person and this will be repeated until it attain the Tao.   It is said that everyone has a inner light of oneself which can guide us back to clean and clear mind and pull away from distractions and lusts, Tao can only be obtained by following this inner light of oneself (Wow Essays, 2004).   Taoism also believes that soul has the ability to travel through space and time and becomes immortal when Tao is achieved (Difference Between, 2010). Whereas in Buddhism beliefs, samsara, the wheel of rebirth and the sufferings of life will only come to an end when ones achieve Nirvana which is the highest or final state of the life cycle and become immortal (Religion Facts, 2010).   The other belief of reincarnation in Buddhism that is different from the belief in Taoism is that Taoism believes that reborn is a transformation of soul from one human body to another, but according to the Buddhism belief, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth consist of good and evil behavior which divides the transmigration into three different stages and this lead to the transformation of souls into different forms respectively.   The ones who act totally different way from the rules and practices of Buddhism will be send to the hell and this is the first stage of the transmigration.   In the second stage, those who did something which is considered quite bad or evil will be transmigrating into animal forms, yet spirits will become more alik e to human or rebirth as a human again after turns of transmigration.  Ã‚   The following stage which is the third stage, involves the spirit becomes chaste by putting down self egos and lusts which is change from aesthesis to non-aesthesis, and it also consist of going through many phases of spiritual transformation and rebirth; finally reach the Nirvana which is the ultimate goal of Buddhism.   The stages of reincarnation is determined by ones action, it is said that the past action decide the current life, and present action decides the future life, because Buddhist believes that ones behavior is according to the mind and thoughts but not fate, therefore one shall deserve what it takes from the result of what he or she did (Wow Essays, 2004). Besides than the perspectives and beliefs, the difference between Buddhism and Taoism is the ways of handling and solving the problems in life such as health problems.   According to Taoism, everything in this world has its own natural order, and the way to handle problems first is to understand the nature; the Yin-yang concept is the core concept of this particular principle.   Yin-yang concept state that reality are binary which consist of the combination of two opposite elements to form the entirety by balancing these two totally opposite elements.   In addition, by conquering the defectiveness of soul by attaining the balance of oneself, then lead to conducting the mental or cosmic energy that is known as Chi in one selfs body is believed that can help to heal illness or sickness of body (EduBook, 2008).   The creation of the Tai Chi exercise is based on the Yin-yang concept which can help to circulate and balance the Chi in the body and maintain body health because Taois t believe that illness are cause by the imbalance or jamming of Chi in the circulation of body (Robinson B.A., 2010)    Meanwhile, in Buddhisms beliefs, problems in life like illness and sickness are a part of life; hence they should be accepted as the nature of life.   Buddhism requires the finding of problems source; meditation is the practice of Buddhist that guide people to find focus, peace and calm in one self, and the presence of focus, peace and calm will help to identify the origin of problems and guidance to take good actions to overcome the problems (Knierim T., 2010).   At the same time, unlike Taoists healing illness by balancing the opposite elements and conducting the Chi, Buddhists seek for medications (EduBook, 2008).   However, because Buddhists believe in the nature of life, so herbal medications which are extracted and purified from the plants is the only medication that is used by Buddhists. Buddhism and Taoism are also different in how they look at relationships and marriage. According to Buddhism beliefs, marriage is not a necessary event ones life, so there is no special type of ceremony or practices for getting married.   Besides that, sexual activity is only accepted socially and ethically when it takes place in marriage, and it is not accepted when there is not within a marriage relationship.   Buddhism beliefs that in a marriage, both husband and wife will need to possess four important qualities to become a well-matched and maintain a good marriage, the four qualities are faith, virtue, generosity and wisdom.   Faith requires the understanding between the husband and wife, it is through understanding each another helps to build up trust, honor and faith, and faith is the main key which will lead to the development of virtue, generosity and wisdom.   According to Buddhism beliefs, satisfactions of the five senses and reproduction are the two main purposes of marriage because it is said that not a single figure, sound, smell, savor and touch can attract a man more than a woman and this same goes to a woman. Besides that, reproduction is important to the society because of the obligations of the family which means children will be the one who are responsible to take care and support the parents and protect and continue the unique customs of the family (Gamage C., 1998). On the other hand, Taoism believes that woman represents Yin and man represents Yang, and the Tao means the path to harmony will be achieved when a woman and a man get into a relationship and commit together as one, the Yin chi will be accepted by the man and Yang chi will be received by the woman, then both Yin and Yang will combined into one and balanced.   Some people relate the word Tao with marriage by saying that marriage is the Tao to future means the way or path towards the future because the life after marriage is like a new life and through marriage babies are born: babies are the hope and creation for the future.   At the same time, since Taoism emphasize on balancing and harmony of nature, it also laid stress on the harmony of the relationships between people especially for husband and wife.   Thus, husband and wife should avoid confrontations and serious conflicts.   Prevention of confrontations or even conflicts can be made by calm, love, caring, respect, accept ance, humility, communication, emotional control, self-awareness, self reflections, sacrifice, and support and understanding of each another. On the whole, both Taoism and Buddhism are religions that guide people how to live a good life and teach the important values of life.   These two religions have some similarities and sometimes these similarities may even cause people to mistaken that both of them are the same religion or some may mistaken the beliefs and practices of Buddhism and the beliefs and practices of Taoism.   There are similar beliefs between these two religions such as both of them believe in the life after death and life cycle never end and also both have similar ultimate goal, but their objective principles, their understanding, beliefs and interpretation about the life after death, their perspectives and methods to deal with the problems especially health problems in life, and their point of view and practices in relationships and marriage are very different.   Both have their unique and different way of thinking and interpretation of life. Differences Between Taoism and Buddhism Differences Between Taoism and Buddhism The differences between Taoism and Buddhism Taoism is originated in China and many believe that it is started in the sixth century B.C. whereas Buddhism is said originated in the 500s B.C. in India. Both Taoism and Buddhism are great philosophical traditions and religions that have long histories and had strongly influenced and shaped the Chinese culture and values.   These two religions have some similarities, they even considered as one kind in Malaysias culture. Both Taoism and Buddhism belief in reincarnation which means the life after death and both have similar ultimate goals.   However, they are very different in their beliefs, practices and perspectives about individual life, society, values, culture, the environment and even the universe. Taoism and Buddhism have different objective principles, different views and beliefs about the life after death which is widely known as reincarnation, different ways and solutions to cooperate and solve the problems in life, and different perspectives and practices about marriag e. The word Tao of Taoism in Chinese means the way or the path. In Taoism, its objective is to achieve Tao which means to attain the right path in life and by doing so; we will be able to become immortal.   Besides that, Tao is sometimes also considered as the origin of everything which already existed and guiding the whole world and everything to work on their roles before the universe was being formed (Wow Essays, 2004). In Taoism, it is more focusing on personal or individual philosophy, because it is more focusing on how to achieve Tao, harmony and balancing of one-self and it do not motivate people to find ways and solutions to help and improve the community or society as in every individual should do it by herself or himself (EduBook, 2008).   It is also said that everything in the world is simple, correct and good, life becomes complex is because human being choose to live a complex life (Wow Essays, 2004). On the other hand, in Buddhism beliefs live is suffering which is different by comparing with Taoism that believes that life is all about goodness, Buddhist believes that having illness or suffering is the nature of life which we cannot escape from (Difference Between, 2010). Birth, get old, get sick or ill, and death are the nature cycle of life. According to Buddhism, the only way to put suffering in life to an end is to understand the four noble truths of life and practice the noble eightfold path which are the right knowledge or understanding, right intention, right speech, right behavior or action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration (Buddhist Temples). The first noble eightfold path is right knowledge that refers to the correct understanding of what is life about or the understanding about the four noble truths of life (Wow Essays, 2004).   The second path is right intention means the right wills aspect which is to abstain from lusts, to gain immunity of negative emotions such as hate and anger, and to be innocuous which is not to be violent or aggressive (Knierim T., 2010).   The third path is right speech which brings the meaning of not to talk bad or harmful words and to be aware of what we are saying by choosing the right words and right tone.   The forth path is right behavior or right actions which is to act in a correct way and the reasons of action or behavior, and this consists of the five main rules of Buddhism which are not to kill, pilfer, consume alcoholic drinks, commit in sex crimes, and also to be honest (Wow Essays, 2004).   The fifth path is right livelihood which is to gain or earn money and wealth in the legal and moral way (Knierim T., 2010).   The sixth path is right effort involves practicing the right will and control self-serving devotion and thirst (Wow Essays, 2004).   The seventh path is right mindfulness which is to be aware and have the ability of see things without affected by the other people or environment.   The eighth path is right concentration refers to the mental force of focusing on the ultimate goal of Buddhism, and this involves practicing the meditation which is to clear your mind and develop the right concentration (Knierim T., 2010). Both Taoism and Buddhism believe in the life after death which is known as reincarnation (Wow Essays, 2004). They believe that life cycle does not have a beginning or an ending which simply means that life, death and rebirth are perceived as a continuous cycle; they think that death is not the end of the life (Valea E., n.d.).   But both of them have different explanations and perspectives on reincarnation.   According to Taoism, soul or spirit never die, it will be shift to the other body which is to reborn to be another person and this will be repeated until it attain the Tao.   It is said that everyone has a inner light of oneself which can guide us back to clean and clear mind and pull away from distractions and lusts, Tao can only be obtained by following this inner light of oneself (Wow Essays, 2004).   Taoism also believes that soul has the ability to travel through space and time and becomes immortal when Tao is achieved (Difference Between, 2010). Whereas in Buddhism beliefs, samsara, the wheel of rebirth and the sufferings of life will only come to an end when ones achieve Nirvana which is the highest or final state of the life cycle and become immortal (Religion Facts, 2010).   The other belief of reincarnation in Buddhism that is different from the belief in Taoism is that Taoism believes that reborn is a transformation of soul from one human body to another, but according to the Buddhism belief, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth consist of good and evil behavior which divides the transmigration into three different stages and this lead to the transformation of souls into different forms respectively.   The ones who act totally different way from the rules and practices of Buddhism will be send to the hell and this is the first stage of the transmigration.   In the second stage, those who did something which is considered quite bad or evil will be transmigrating into animal forms, yet spirits will become more alik e to human or rebirth as a human again after turns of transmigration.  Ã‚   The following stage which is the third stage, involves the spirit becomes chaste by putting down self egos and lusts which is change from aesthesis to non-aesthesis, and it also consist of going through many phases of spiritual transformation and rebirth; finally reach the Nirvana which is the ultimate goal of Buddhism.   The stages of reincarnation is determined by ones action, it is said that the past action decide the current life, and present action decides the future life, because Buddhist believes that ones behavior is according to the mind and thoughts but not fate, therefore one shall deserve what it takes from the result of what he or she did (Wow Essays, 2004). Besides than the perspectives and beliefs, the difference between Buddhism and Taoism is the ways of handling and solving the problems in life such as health problems.   According to Taoism, everything in this world has its own natural order, and the way to handle problems first is to understand the nature; the Yin-yang concept is the core concept of this particular principle.   Yin-yang concept state that reality are binary which consist of the combination of two opposite elements to form the entirety by balancing these two totally opposite elements.   In addition, by conquering the defectiveness of soul by attaining the balance of oneself, then lead to conducting the mental or cosmic energy that is known as Chi in one selfs body is believed that can help to heal illness or sickness of body (EduBook, 2008).   The creation of the Tai Chi exercise is based on the Yin-yang concept which can help to circulate and balance the Chi in the body and maintain body health because Taois t believe that illness are cause by the imbalance or jamming of Chi in the circulation of body (Robinson B.A., 2010)    Meanwhile, in Buddhisms beliefs, problems in life like illness and sickness are a part of life; hence they should be accepted as the nature of life.   Buddhism requires the finding of problems source; meditation is the practice of Buddhist that guide people to find focus, peace and calm in one self, and the presence of focus, peace and calm will help to identify the origin of problems and guidance to take good actions to overcome the problems (Knierim T., 2010).   At the same time, unlike Taoists healing illness by balancing the opposite elements and conducting the Chi, Buddhists seek for medications (EduBook, 2008).   However, because Buddhists believe in the nature of life, so herbal medications which are extracted and purified from the plants is the only medication that is used by Buddhists. Buddhism and Taoism are also different in how they look at relationships and marriage. According to Buddhism beliefs, marriage is not a necessary event ones life, so there is no special type of ceremony or practices for getting married.   Besides that, sexual activity is only accepted socially and ethically when it takes place in marriage, and it is not accepted when there is not within a marriage relationship.   Buddhism beliefs that in a marriage, both husband and wife will need to possess four important qualities to become a well-matched and maintain a good marriage, the four qualities are faith, virtue, generosity and wisdom.   Faith requires the understanding between the husband and wife, it is through understanding each another helps to build up trust, honor and faith, and faith is the main key which will lead to the development of virtue, generosity and wisdom.   According to Buddhism beliefs, satisfactions of the five senses and reproduction are the two main purposes of marriage because it is said that not a single figure, sound, smell, savor and touch can attract a man more than a woman and this same goes to a woman. Besides that, reproduction is important to the society because of the obligations of the family which means children will be the one who are responsible to take care and support the parents and protect and continue the unique customs of the family (Gamage C., 1998). On the other hand, Taoism believes that woman represents Yin and man represents Yang, and the Tao means the path to harmony will be achieved when a woman and a man get into a relationship and commit together as one, the Yin chi will be accepted by the man and Yang chi will be received by the woman, then both Yin and Yang will combined into one and balanced.   Some people relate the word Tao with marriage by saying that marriage is the Tao to future means the way or path towards the future because the life after marriage is like a new life and through marriage babies are born: babies are the hope and creation for the future.   At the same time, since Taoism emphasize on balancing and harmony of nature, it also laid stress on the harmony of the relationships between people especially for husband and wife.   Thus, husband and wife should avoid confrontations and serious conflicts.   Prevention of confrontations or even conflicts can be made by calm, love, caring, respect, accept ance, humility, communication, emotional control, self-awareness, self reflections, sacrifice, and support and understanding of each another. On the whole, both Taoism and Buddhism are religions that guide people how to live a good life and teach the important values of life.   These two religions have some similarities and sometimes these similarities may even cause people to mistaken that both of them are the same religion or some may mistaken the beliefs and practices of Buddhism and the beliefs and practices of Taoism.   There are similar beliefs between these two religions such as both of them believe in the life after death and life cycle never end and also both have similar ultimate goal, but their objective principles, their understanding, beliefs and interpretation about the life after death, their perspectives and methods to deal with the problems especially health problems in life, and their point of view and practices in relationships and marriage are very different.   Both have their unique and different way of thinking and interpretation of life.

Censorship and Information Privacy Policies in Eastern Asia and the Uni

Censorship and Information Privacy Policies in Eastern Asia and the United States of America Introduction Fifteen or twenty years ago, no one would have been able to predict the magnitude of the impact that the evolution of computer internetworking technologies has had on the world. The advancement of computers and networking technologies, as well as the constant flow of new innovations has forever changed the way the human race communicates. People across the globe have been given a medium through which they can express their ideas and beliefs freely†¦for the most part. Many cultures span this great planet of ours, each with different cultural, spiritual and governmental beliefs. Some of these cultures share common beliefs, but as far as censorship and information privacy are concerned, there are some notable differences. Here in the United States, Internet communication is a way of life. Instant messaging, e-commerce, and World Wide Web surfing are staples in many American’s lives. Citizens are allowed to post web pages containing various types of material with minim al fear of governmental interference. On the contrary, East Asian countries such as China and Singapore are subject to far more intense scrutiny. While it would be easy to judge these sorts of censorship and privacy invasion policies as being immoral, there is definitely more to these policies than meets the eye. Censorship and Information Policies in the USA The United States has been a breeding ground for many of the major developments in the realm of internetworking. With the releases of these technologies come practical applications for them in the consumer world. Once computer networks became affordable for the general public, the World Wid... ...he beauty of the study of philosophy and ethics allows there to be different points of view; this case is no different. References Aneki.com (Facts taken from CIA World Factbook) http://www.aneki.com/facts/Singapore.html Ang, Peng Hwa. Nadarajan, Berlinda. June 1996. Censorship of the Internet: A Singapore Perspective. http://0-portal.acm.org.sculib.scu.edu/ft_gateway.cfm?id=228520&type=pdf&coll=portal&dl=ACM&CFID=20568552&CFTOKEN=95543504 Tan, Zixiang (Alex). Foster, William. Goodman, Seymour. China's State-coordinated Internet Infrastructure http://0-portal.acm.org.sculib.scu.edu/ft_gateway.cfm?id=303861&type=pdf&coll=portal&dl=ACM&CFID=20568552&CFTOKEN=95543504 Wiese, Kelly. April 27, 2004. USA Today Missouri tracks scofflaws via pizza-delivery databases. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/internetprivacy/2004-04-27-pizza-no-privacy_x.htm

Essay --

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is a multifaceted novel structured in a complex style. Roy has stealthily intertwined and connected her thoughts which require a deeper than surface level analysis from the readers. Creating an unusual yet successful narrative that achieved praise from most literary critics. The novel narrates the story of the Ipe family from Aymenem, India. The numerous members of the household each add to the unraveling series of events and the result of Sophie Mol’s death. The novel uses a wide range of literary devices such as symbolism and themes like the caste system. Roy creates vibrant imagery through the use of colors, more specifically blue, red, and yellow, that aim to stir up precise affect on the readers as well as to convey certain themes such as colonialism and oppression. There are three major colors that show up in The God of Small Things, which consist of blue, red, and yellow. But, the central color throughout the novel is blue. Blue merely symbolizes imperialism. â€Å"Pappachi, Baby Kochamma and Margaret Kochamma are the main representatives of the old social order that is under the threat of losing its grip on the local community" (Sadaf 74). In particular, the characters Pappachi and Baby Kochamma try to spread their love for the English culture in their post-colonial society. Ironically, the characters support Anglophilia instead of trying to salvage whatever is left of their rapidly diminishing Indian heritage and culture. Therefore, Roy might be attempting to portray these characters loyalty to the British culture by constantly associating them with the color blue. As a result, these characters along with the color blue aid in spreading Roy’s warnings about the negative effect... ... readers and created a realistic, nerve-racking mood. It is evident that while writing the novel, Roy laid the foundations of her story and then began to build and enrich the story line, as she would with a building. Roy jumps from present time to flashback each time creating a new puzzle for her audience to piece together. As we peel away the multiple layers of the story, Roy’s surprising talent in writing becomes obvious. She has somehow taken such a simple device like imagery, focused on specific colors and as a result, designed such a memorable story that revolves around colors. Roy instills certain feelings in her audience and depicts the themes of oppression and colonialism through her use of color symbolism and imagery. As we begin to comprehend the meanings of these colors, we successfully start to grasp the multiple messages Roy attempts to pass on.

Is Equal Opportunity Really Equal :: essays papers

Is Equal Opportunity Really Equal Is equal opportunity really equal? The civil rights act of 1964 should be revised in order to fit into our society today. I became interested in the topic quite some time ago while working for my stepfather’s small business in California. The rights protected by this act seem outdated. They include a person’s freedom to seek employment wherever they wish, and use of hotels, parks, restaurants and other public places. The act also established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where anyone with a discrimination complaint can go to the commissioner and the EEOC will take the issue to court. This was established for common individuals with lack of support or lack of income, which was an important civil right at the time. It is also illegal to refuse referral to another company due to race, sex or religion. The law forbids discrimination by any program that receives money from the federal government. The government may cut off financing for a program that does not end discriminatory practices or po licies. Who was involved in instituting this act? The president at the time, John F. Kennedy, would work with Martin Luther King Jr. as well as other leaders in the African American community to bring this issue to the Senate in 1963. A year later after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson continued to support it. The law was passed after a 75-day filibuster-one of the longest in Senate history. Out of this civil rights act came the phrase equal opportunity employment. In the publics eye this means equal consideration for employment regardless of an individuals race, color, religion, sex or national origin. These are the guidelines set up by the government for all businesses to follow. If that is true, then why is it that businesses are using the phrase equal opportunity employer as a tool in advertising to potential employees? I can recall a time when my stepfather, Alex Gabrera, placed an ad for another outside salesperson to add to his team of three. The ad did not have much of a description of what the job initialed but in the lower right hand corner in bold was EOE. When I asked why that was so prominent the only reason Alex could come up with was that he needed the best man for the job. Just by putting three little letters in the corner of his ad, he gave over a million readers the impression that he was a fair, impartial man whom will give each and everyone a chance to go to work for him.

An Essay on Vanity Essay

â€Å"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?† this ever so famous line quoted from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sticks to the back of our minds more often than expected. Modern day witches gradually start to emerge in our world with the same intention, or shall we say insecurity, as the witch in the fairy tale – to have the satisfaction of being on top. Nowadays, more and more people, especially teenagers, begin to look in the mirror to see if they are satisfied with themselves. Vanity, which is being worthless and futile, causes this. When an individual feels worthless, he becomes insecure because he feels that he is not â€Å"worth it,† regardless if it’s true or not. This leads to even more troubling problems like fitting in the â€Å"in crowd,† attaining high self-esteem and self-confidence, and finding one’s true identity. The feeling of worthlessness or simply called vanity leaves teenagers to have the craving to fit in. When one feels that he is not worthy, he seeks the attention of others and he feels that he needs their approval. What happens after this? Then, he tries doubly hard to fit in the â€Å"cool crowd† by wearing the trendiest clothes, saying the coolest lines, and doing the meanest things. This may make him one of the â€Å"cool people,† but this evidently doesn’t’ make him commendable. Another common thing for trying-hard-to-fit-in teenagers to do is start the hazardous habit of smoking. Their very own peers may well become their very own adversaries because they are the ones who pressure them in taking up smoking. Eventually, these vulnerable teenagers lose their self-image in exchange for a place in the â€Å"cool crowd organization.† Being a teenager is indeed a very difficult part in the cycle of life. It can ruin your self-esteem and self-confidence in a second. For example, cool kids pick on the insecure ones for the fun of it. These kids laugh at nerdy-looking teens and snicker at try-hard-to-fit-in ones. Usually, the ones being laughed at and looked down upon are the ones having problems with vanity. Their sense of futility plus the kind of attention they get from others decreases their self-esteem to zero, thus, causing their self-confidence to drop. This shouldn’t be the case. The vainer a person is, the more he should do something about it, and the more he has to believe in  himself. In extreme cases, adolescents alter their very own persona just to please others. An evident example of this would be teens who steal so that their peers won’t think of them as inadequate. They would rather be called â€Å"conyo† than be of the standard class. The question here is why do they have to steal? People who steal aren’t contented with what they have that’s why they make use of other people’s belongings and mark them as their own. By doing this, they would gain attention because their peers would commend them on the objects that they stole, which usually are expensive and classy ones. This is one of the persona alterations that vanity can cause. These common Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of teens are pretenders. They live their lives superficially, pretending to be somebody that they’re truly not. This is a real problem among adolescents. Since they are on the stage where they are able to intellectually contrast themselves with others, they feel that they should show another personality aside from their own so that they wouldn’t have to worry about people’s reactions to their true personality. They cover their faces with masks to keep others from finding out their true identity and to protect themselves from rejection. Because of their insecurity, they may never be able to find their true selves. They should take out their masks and show the world their true selves so that people may accept them for who they are, and not for who they are trying to be. To all those teenagers with problems regarding vanity and insecurity, you should be able to face your own fear of rejection so that you wouldn’t be living in a superficial world. Be brave enough to bring out your true identity because you should always give yourself a chance to prove that you are indeed â€Å"worth it.† They say that it is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. So dare to face your fears and dare to be true to yourself for it is only then that you would find inner peace and self-confidence.