Juche Ideology and Religion

Juche Ideology and Religion Juche is a Communist led and sponsored religion in North Korea made up of a mixture of ideology, philosophy, and religion for over 22,000,000 people, most of which are North Koreans, as stated by John Chin of the Religion-Info website (Chin). Juche is practiced, mandatorily, in North Korea by their government leader Kim Jong-Il, and is more of a social ideology instead of an actual religion. Although, the only way this ideology is promoted as a religion is by the way that Juche adopted some of the Confucius ideas. John Chin also states the ideas of Juche following only one â€Å"Great Leader†, and secondly that the Korean Worker's Party revolution belongs to the people (Chin). Then later the idea of self-reliance or self-sufficiency as a country was added to Juche which the word itself by Korean language means â€Å"self-reliance† (Adherents. com). Also, Jurgen Kleiner states that Kim Il-Sung created this ideology to save him from political and social obstacles of the day. So, really this religion in my opinion is not a true religion, but actually a social ideology; as a matter of fact, if Juche were really a religion then it would be a choice to adhere to not forced like it is in North Korea. Juche ideology is practiced majorly in North Korea where the choice is not given to the people on whether they want to believe in something else or to follow the Juche beliefs. By Jurgen Kleiner the Juche ideology saved Kim Il-Sung from getting too deeply involved in the earlier rift between the Soviet Union and China (Kleiner). So, by what Kleiner is saying the Juche ideology was used to keep Kim Il-Sung from being involved with any Soviet or Chinese involvement. This â€Å"religion† does not have a main saint who has a life or death childhood experience nor does it have a saint who has a God experince where the God of their culture passes a vision onto that main saint. The closest thing that Juche has to a main saint figure, and in the working people’s eyes he is a sain by what he declares, is Kim Il-Sung who is then followed by his son Kim Jong-Il. Kim Il-Sung who creates the social ideology of Juche declares one main ideal of Juche to be that there is one â€Å"Great Leader† who is to lead the world to the utopian philosophy (Oh and Hassig). Also, Kim Il-Sung makes it to where Juche is the only â€Å"religion† to have the proper methods by which paradise is able to be achieved. Now in my eyes these ideas are not the way that Juche can be called a religion. As I have stated, and will state again, I believe that Juche is not a religion, but actually a social ideology that is forced upon its people. Kim Il-Sung is making the typical dictator move to secure power over his subjects by making a nation wide religion. The easiest way that he procures such a feat is by finding the most abundant social class and makes them the most important of the social ideology. The manner in which Kim Il-Sung makes this â€Å"religion† such an accepted ideology among the common people is by the way in which he proclaimed the Korean Worker's Party revolution belonged to the people, and by making this move Kim Il-Sung has the entire working social class behind him to support him. By making this monstrously important move Kim Il-sung guarantees himself the survival of this ideology because of how the societal notions are regulated in North Korea. Secondly though, by Kim Il-Sung making this move he allows there to be someone to lead such a large group of people. So, Il-Sung by making such a large group without a leader comes up with the idea of a â€Å"Great Leader† in which the people who believe in Juche should follow, and who will also lead the world to the idea of a utopian society and paradise on Earth. Juche ideology made by Kim Il-Sung also led to the idea that there would be an abolishment of the social classes. Il-Sung stated that only with the establishment of communism, in which there would be no competing classes- the working class having taken control of the means of production- would contradictions disappear. If this dissolve of social classes is so important in the Juche beliefs then Kim Il-Sung should not have made the idea that the Korean Worker’s Party was so important. I am sure that Il-Sung is using the Juche ideology to control the people of Korea because if the absolving of social classes is so important then the idea that the Korean Worker’s Party belonging to the people would no longer be applicable to the ideology of Juche beliefs. Making the Korean Worker’s Party an important part of Juche ideals goes completely against the belief of having social classes become absolved because if the working class is so important then how could the Korean working social class still be important. Il-Sung made a mistake in adopting the idea that the Korean Worker’s Party s being so important while also saying that the social classes will be absolved. Now, the closest that Juche comes to being a religion is by how some beliefs of Confucianism are adopted. The ideas that are adopted are family values, material possessions, and self-sacrifice. The adoption of family values in that the family is important in society does coincide with the id ea of getting rid of societal classes, but also the adoption also could lead to a clash between these two ideas by how a rich family would treat its own family members as say a poor family. Family values are adopted to help strengthen society by making those family systems stronger in the way that they commune with each other and by the way they act with each other. The adoption of how to hold material possessions in life makes Juche closer to being a true religion in my eyes. Juche takes the idea that material possessions are not important in how life is valued, but that the family values that are shared and learned are more important. The adoption that material possessions come easily and go just as easily stresses the importance of the people and the bond between each other and not their possessions. Lastly, the adoption of the idea of self-sacrifice also strengthens the idea of absolving society to the point of where an individual is not more important than the whole. Although, with Juche having the main ideology of one â€Å"Great Leader† then that is the only individual that should not be sacrificed because of the importance that that specific individual holds in their acts. So, in part this idea of one â€Å"Great Leader† the idea of self-sacrifice cannot be fully applied so there is another contradiction in the ideology and belief system of Juche practice. So, overall in everything I have presented I believe that Juche is not a religion nor will it ever be one even if it were to adopt other ideals of other religions, and the reason it would not be even with the other adoptions is because of the two main reasons the foundation of Juche has in its own beginning. The two main beliefs of the Korean Worker’s Party being so important, and the belief of one â€Å"Great Leader†. Juche is not a religion, but rather a form of social ideology used to control a nation and her people. Kim Il-Sung making such a monumental Communist move to control the Korean people, and then trying to justify such a move by approving what he did as a form of religious worship does not make Juche a religion. In all actuality in my eyes, what Kim Il-Sung did was basically make himself a God by claiming himself and his male descendants as the â€Å"Great Leader† is the biggest flaw in Juche ideology, and will that single fact can keep Juche from being a religion. Also as a final side-note and to be kind of funny, another way I know that Juche is not a religion is because everytime I have typed it so far it is underlined by the red line as if I have mistakenly miswritten a word. If juche were a religion then I would not see that red line. Works Cited Adherents. com. Major Religions of the World. January 2000. 4 April 2009 . Chin, John. RELIGION-INFO. COM:A Guide to Religions, Religious Information and Help in Search for God. 21 December 2004. 6 April 2009 . Kleiner, Jurgen. Korea, A Century of Change. World Scientific, 2001. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia. Marshall Cavendish, 2007. Oh, Kong Dan and Ralph c. Hassig. North Korea Through the Looking Glass. Brookings Institution Press, 2000.

Baking

My parents worked a lot of hours when I was a teenager, so dinner was left to me to cook. I soon learned all the usual family classics Like spaghetti bologna's, shepherds pie, roasts and cooked breakfasts. I became a lot more adventurous when I had my own family and quite often get the recipe books out to try something new. I only really got into baking once our boys came along and wanted to make them homemade cakes for their birthdays.I remember the first cake I ever made was at school in cooking class. It was awful, it sated like a biscuit, the icing was a terrible hot pink color that ran off the sides of the cake as I hadn't let them cool enough. It was a disaster but with age I have become a lot more patient. When I started baking I Just tried Victoria sponges everyone that tried them said that tasted delicious. So then I went on to experiment with different flavors like chocolate, carrot and coffee and walnut and a variety of different flavor cupcakes.I still haven't tried cake pops even though I have a little machine to try them. Not all of my cakes turn out perfect, some sink In the middle or urn around the outside edges. It takes a while to get to know your oven , what temperature Is best to cook at and remember never to open the oven door to early. So now I had mastered the cakes it was time to get on with the decorating which is either easy and straight forward or a nightmare and you keep pulling the icing off and starting again.It can be really frustrating when the icing splits or cracks but what is really awful is when you've laid the icing over the cake and you turn and put your finger in it. That's not so bad if your covering the cake with flowers or other secretions because you hide it but if it has to be smooth you have to restart it or try and patch if it's not in a noticeable place. The first cake I made was for my eldest when he was three. He was crazy for fireman Sam. Looking back on what I can do now it wasn't really that good.For the cake I made a 8 Inch round Victoria sponge and covered It with white fondant. I colored red fondant and cut out a fire engine shape as seen from the front. I put a photo of our boys on the cake and laid the fire engine shape over the top so it looked like they were driving I added the blue lights, a few details to the fire engine, name, age and the happy birthday. Everyone loved it even though we couldn't eat the picture. I had found something that I really loved doing. I get a warm feeling when I see someone face after they have received their cake.I started making them for our boys but ended up making them for friends, their children and other family members. The first cake I made outside the family was for my best friends son on his third birthday. He wanted a treasure chest, this I was a little worried about as I had never tried to bake any other shapes other than circles r squares, and this needed to have a lid on It. I always start by looking in my cake books and the Internet. Ther e are millions of cake pictures on Google Images. I look at the pictures and decide what shape, flavors and colors I'm going to use.Then I get a piece of paper and draw a rough copy of the cake and add little notes as to what the color is going to be or the type of icing I'm going to use or where the decorations buying a Swiss roll to give the lid a curved shape. Whilst the cake was cooling I got to work on making the decorations so they would have time to dry out before putting hem on the cake. I then made up a pile of chocolate butter cream and sandwiched the cakes together and covered the complete outside and the lid which was made out of a cardboard rectangle covered with foil.Once it was covered I dragged a fork through the icing to give it a wooden effect and stared putting the decorations and the lid on. I put the lid resting on two skewers so I could have chocolate gold coins and some Jewels spilling over the top. I dusted all the yellow fondant with gold shimmer powder to g ive it some elegance. It was one of my successes and with allow sugar all around the bottom to look like sand. Just to add a little surprise I buried a two pound coin under the sand and placed an x on top then finished with the usual name age and happy birthday.Not all of my cakes have been so amazing. It depends on what the birthday boy or girl likes. One cake I hated making was a Manchester united football shirt . When it was finally finished it looked okay but getting it to the end was a nightmare. The icing kept splitting or cracking, I couldn't cover the sleeves without creasing the icing I ended up throwing the icing at the wall ND having a cup of tea. When I went back to it with fresh icing and changing tactics I got it covered but swore I would never do another one.I found it to be a very plain cake with very little decoration even so the little boy was delighted. It depends on what the â€Å"in† thing is with the children as to what I get asked to make. With girls it tends to be princess castles, horses or anything pink or sparkly. With boys the last couple of years it's been mine craft but they also like football themes, been 10 and the minions from despicable me. My all time favorite cake to bake was when my ingest asked for a yellow minion ( there are purple one too. I thought it was going to be quite complex but it turned out to be one of the easiest cakes I have ever made. Once I had baked enough cakes and cooled them I sandwiched them all together with butter cream and covered with yellow fondant. Whilst this was all setting I fashioned a pair of blue dungarees from fondant, his eye and goggle, arms and legs. When these were all ready I stuck it all together and it Just went together like a dream. He was awe struck when he saw it and everyone said it was amazing and tasted fantastic.

Argument. Men and particularly princes Essay

Argument Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Men and particularly princes should be very careful when making their decisions and they should not be concerned by the making decisions that always favors their subjects and friends but they should be concerned more on the outcomes of their decisions and whether those decisions will benefit their state. I strongly believe that there should not be procedures and methods set to be used by princes in dealing with their friends and subjects. This is because different situations require to be handled differently since the societies keeps changing and therefore, princes should not follow set procedures and methods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Princes are judged by their subjects through their qualities which will make their subjects either to praise them or to blame them. However, it would be very difficult for the princes to fulfill all the qualities that their subjects expect them to have due to human nature. Therefore, princes should be very careful to escape from bad reputation of those vices which would make them lose the state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I agree with the statement that a quality which seems to be a virtue, if pursued may end up destructing the individual who decides to pursue such a quality; while another quality which appears to be a vice, if an individual decides to pursue such a vice might end up being more beneficial to such an individual and to the society. Therefore, princes should be very prudent when making decisions since a quality which seems to be vice may end up being a virtue, and vice versa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Princes can be generous which seems to be a virtue but may end up giving them a bad reputation among their subjects. This is because such princes maybe generous and end up using up all their resources or overburdening their subjects with excessive taxes and doing everything possible in order to the funds. This quality of generosity may give such princes a bad reputation and his generosity may end up offending their subjects thus hating their princes. Also through not being generous may lead them to appear to be a miser according to their subjects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For instance, Pope Julius II although he used his generosity to attain papacy however he decided to end his generosity in order to reduce the expenditures so as to be able to wage war. Therefore, princes should use any virtue such as generosity in a way that will not harm them. In this regard, princes should avoid overburdening subjects or becoming poor as a result of their generosity. Also, in order for a prince to avoid destroying their rule they should not mind being branded as misers since this would be a key vice that would help them to rule their subjects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although princes should avoid being cruel and should be merciful but they should be very careful not to abuse their mercy. This is because being too merciful may be abused which may lead to disorder in a state resulting to increased crimes thus harming the society at large. For instance, although cesare Borgia was regarded cruel, he was able to restore order, peace and unity in Romagna through his cruelty. Therefore princes should not mind being refereed to be cruel in their attempts to keep their subjects loyal and united. It would be much safer for princes to be feared than being loved by their subjects. In this regard they should do anything to ensure that there is order, peace and unity in their states even if it means taking someone’s life for the benefit of their states at large. This may result to some of their subjects hating them however, this would be less harmful to them and also it would beneficial to their states at lar ge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Princes should not care much on keeping their promises to their subjects and in some circumstances the princes are supposed to manipulate their subject’s mind with shrewdness if this would be more safer for them and also if this would be more beneficial to their state. Princes must be aware of how to deal with different situations since fulfilling their promises in some circumstances would bring harm to them and to their subjects. In such situations such princes should be wise and know how to deceive their subjects to avoid fulfilling their promises where they feel that keeping their words would bring harm to their state or to themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this regard, princes are not necessitated to have all the good qualities but it is very important for them to appear as if they have them. This is because having those all qualities and practicing all of them would bring more harm. For example, appearing being faithful, religious, merciful, trustworthy and humane among other good qualities would be necessary and princes should know how to practice them in different situations, however, practicing all of them would lead to more harm than good as subjects would misuse them to cause disorder which may increase the crime rates which would be harmful to the states. References Machiavelli, NiccoloÃÅ'â‚ ¬. The prince. Belle Fourche: NuVision Publications, 2004. Print. Source document

Descartes vs Locke Essay

Socrates once said, â€Å"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing. † Several philosophers contradicted Socrates’ outlook and believed that true knowledge was in fact attainable. This epistemological view however had several stances to it, as philosophers held different beliefs in regards to the derivation of true knowledge. Rationalists believed that the mind was the source of true knowledge, while in Empiricism, true knowledge derived from the senses. Rene Descartes, a rationalist, and John Locke, an empiricist, were prime examples of epistemologists who were seen to differentiate greatly within each of their philosophies. However, although Descartes and Locke’s ideas did contrast in that sense, they both shared common concepts that helped mould the basis of their ideas. Descartes and Locke both agreed that there were things in life that exist that we can be certain of. For Descartes, human experiences did not provide sufficient proof of existence. He indicated that through his Dream Conjecture and his Evil-Demon Theory (Paquette 205). Descartes stated that we cannot be certain if reality is a dream or not, thus questioning our existence (Paquette 205). In his Evil-Demon Theory, Descartes claimed that for all he knew, an evil demon could be putting thoughts into his head, making him think that reality was true when it was in fact false (Paquette 205). Ultimately, all this thinking resulted in Descartes coming to the conclusion that the one thing we could be sure of existing is the mind (Newman 2010). This can be seen through his most famous quote, â€Å"I think therefore I am (Kaplan 2008). † Descartes claimed that since he was able to doubt and think using his mind, his mind must exist (Paquette 205). Similarly, Locke was also sure of existence. He believed that every object was made up of primary qualities as well as secondary qualities (Paquette 212). Secondary qualities rely on how a person senses the object subjectively, and is experienced differently depending on the individual (Paquette 212). Examples of secondary qualities include colour, taste, and sound (Paquette 212). Primary qualities, however, are objective and include aspects such as an object’s height and weight (Paquette 212). Through this, Locke claimed that the existence of objects can be made certain due to the primary qualities it possesses (Paquette 212). Similar to Descartes, Locke believed in a sense of existence. However, in his view, the facts from the primary qualities proved the object exists because the object exists within itself (Paquette 212). Descartes and Locke also believed in some sense of the external world. Descartes claimed that there is in fact an external world, however it does not exist outside people’s minds (Paquette 206). Since Descartes was a rationalist, he believed that the only method to acquire true knowledge was solely through the mind (Moore 2002). Through the process of doubting existence, Descartes realized that the mind exists (Paquette 205). He went further into thought and concluded that since he, an imperfect person, has knowledge of perfection, something perfect has to exist to have put that knowledge in his mind. From there he claimed the existence of God (Newman 2010). Descartes then stated that a perfect god would not deceive his people, indicating that the material world exists (Newman 2010). Therefore through this thinking process, Descartes came to the conclusion that the real world is of the mind, and the external world is everything else that falls into the material world made by god (Newman 2010). Like Descartes, Locke also believed in an external world. As an empiricist, Locke relied heavily on the senses to provide true knowledge (Moore 2002). He shared Aristotle’s belief that the mind is a blank slate, also known as tabula rasa, at birth (Paquette 211). Our sense experiences thereafter provide us with knowledge to fill in those slates (Paquette 211). In Locke’s â€Å"Representative Theory of Perception,† also known as Epistemological Dualism, he stated that material objects exist and are separate entities from human beings (Paquette 227). However, he also believed that objects exist in the mind as psychological entities (Paquette 227). Locke concluded that people can taste, smell, touch, and see the external world which, in turn, becomes impressions in our minds (Paquette 227). Descartes and Locke are thus seen to be similar in the sense that they both believed in an external world. Descartes and Locke both had a process for understanding knowledge as well. As a rationalist, Descartes believed in innate ideas; that all humans were born with some knowledge (Paquette 206). This differentiates from the empirical view that the mind is a blank slate at birth (Paquette 211). Descartes also used intuition and deduction to establish truth (Kaplan 2008). He believed that intuition is direct knowledge which can be known without ever sensing or experiencing it (Paquette 206). Deduction however, is where you start with a premise, or a statement you believe to be true, and then determine more truths based on that origin (Paquette 206). As shown, Descartes focused on the thinker and the thinking process when determining true knowledge (Paquette 206). Rather than a thinking process, Locke believed that understanding knowledge came from a process based on our senses (Paquette 211). He believed that when the external world triggers any of our five senses, those experiences turn into sensations (Paquette 211). Those sensations then turn into impressions in our mind, thus adding knowledge onto the slate in our mind which was once blank (Paquette 211). He claimed that our mind reflects on the impressions we received from our sensations (Paquette 211). Locke then stated that those reflections turn into an idea which can be either simple, or made up of a bundle of simple ideas called complex ideas (Paquette 211). Like Descartes, Locke is seen to use a process for finding knowledge as well. There are many aspects to Rene Descartes and John Locke’s philosophies that are clearly distinct from one another. However, it is essentially incorrect to claim that rationalist Descartes and empiricist Locke bear no similarities. The two epistemologists are seen to share a similar base within each of their philosophical ideas. Through the many differences between Descartes and Locke, their basic concepts of existence, the external world, and the process for obtaining knowledge are quite similar to each other. This connexion illustrates that although the ideologies people possess on life vary to a great extent, there can always be some sense of a common ground that brings us all together. Works Cited Kaplan, R. Philosophy – In our time. BBC – Homepage. BBC News. , 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Newman, L. Descartes’ epistemology.

Impact of Selfishness on Personal Life Essay

Every day, people make several decisions that more or less influence their live. However, it is necessary to consider other people and results before the decisions were made, since selfish decisions can cause lots of problems. The selfish choices that selected by the main characters in both â€Å"On the Rainy River† and â€Å"A Pair of Silk Stocking† cause regret and raise conflict between the main characters and themselves . Regret can be caused by selfish decisions. On the one hand, O’Brien, the narrator of the â€Å"On the Rainy River† felt guilty and worried about his families during the way to Canada because he fled away from the war: â€Å"I would go to the war–I would kill and maybe die –because I was embarrassed not to. That was the sad thing† (O’Brien 12). Clearly, O’Brien explained why he decided to go to Canada and continued his life without contradicting his own beliefs. Here he lost his chance at having personal happiness and would have to live with regret from then on. Even though, O’Brien went back and join the army in the end, he still could not get away from the guilt that rose by his decisions: â€Å"I survived, but it’s not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war† (O’Brien 14). Unlike most people, O’Brien did not regarded surviving form the war as a fortunate thing for him, instead, O’Brien considered himself as a coward and did not forgive himself for making the inappropriate decision from now on. On the other hand, Mrs. Sommer, the major character of â€Å"A Pair of Silk Stockings† also felt guilty about her family, for the mother used up all the fifteen pounds to purchase accessories and entertained herself instead of buying â€Å"so and so many yards of percales for new shirt waists for the boys and Janie and Mag†(Chopin 1). The fifteen pounds were supposed to spend on the clothing of their children according to Mrs. Sommers’s plan at beginning, but she spent all for herself. By the end of day, she did not want to go home: â€Å"in truth he saw noting—unless he were wizard enough to detect a poignant wish, a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere, but go on forever† (Chopin 3). Mrs. Sommers’s thought reflected her regret since she wished the cable can run forever, so that she did not need to go back home and face her families. Obviously, personal happiness cannot be achieved by selfishness, doing this can create nothing but regret that will follow a person through their life. Furthermore, the selfishness gives raise to conflict between people and themselves. In â€Å"On the Rainy River†, on the one side, O’Brien felt he was â€Å"too good for the war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything† (O’Brien 3) since the war is completely unreasonable for him. He did not want to be killed or kill anyone else. On the other side, he found himself is completely irresponsible for both his family and country, for the simple reason that he neither supported his country nor protected his family during the most dangerous time. Due to his strong sense of morality and the honourable values like bolstering his own country, O’Brien struggled with two conflicting forces in himself. Similarly, Mrs. Sommers struggled against herself to repress the urges and temptation of the luxury items. At first, she planned to spend the money on her children. However, as soon as she entered the department store, she had a powerful desire for a moment of luxury. She tried to hide the desire because of her economic situations. Eventually â€Å"she went on feeling the soft, sheeny luxurious things—with both hands now, holding them up to see them glisten, and feel them glide serpent-like through her fingers. Two hectic blotches came suddenly into her pale cheeks† (Chopin 2) and undoubtedly she succumbed to her desires. By the end of the short story, Mrs. Sommers was extraordinarily desperate for the luxurious life to never end â€Å"a poignant wish, a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere, but go on and on with her forever† (Chopin 3). The cable in some way symbolized her dream life since at that time only wealthy people were able to afford cable. Her wish represented she still wanted to enjoy the feeling of that unrealistic luxurious life and was unwilling to return back to reality. Ultimately , being selfish leads to the conflicts between people and themselves and annoyance in their life. Overall, the two short stories namely â€Å"On the Rainy River† and â€Å"A Pair of Silk Stockings† emphasized the negative impact of selfishness on human life. Both O’Brien and Mrs. Sommer suffered the regret and conflicting forces that rose by their selfishness. Therefore it is necessary to consider the result before making a decision since selfish decisions, in long term, cannot bring any happiness and self-satisfactory.

Portfolio Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Portfolio Project - Research Paper Example For constructing the portfolio, the stocks of internationally reputed companies like Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), South-west Airlines (LUV), IBM, Procter & Gamble (PG) and Hewlett & Packard (HPQ) has been selected. These companies pay dividend which is one of the pre-requisites set by the client. All the information relating to profitability, operations and other related activities of the company are easily accessible. This is important as the analysis of the company fundamentals is possible only if the requisite information is available. Moreover the selected companies belong to various sectors thus fulfilling the main purpose of portfolio i.e. ‘diversification’. Johnson & Johnson is the leading health services provider in US. The company extends support for the promotion of health and related services. It started its operations in the country nearly 20 years back and is presently working towards a global expansion. South-west Airlines is the leading airlines in US that managed to retain profitability even amidst the recent financial turmoil. During this time when the major airlines across the globe were struggling to stay afloat South-west Airlines managed its profitability status through efficient management operations. International Business Machines (IBM) is an IT company operating across five segments Global Business Services Segment (GBS), Global Technology Services (GTS) and Global Financing Segment. In the last few years the company has been engaged in the acquisition of companies like SPSS Inc, Lombardi, National Interest Security Company LLC etc (MSN Money-a, 2010). Procter & Gamble provides branded consumer goods. The company operates across 180countries through grocery stores, drug stores, mass merchandisers etc. Its business segments include beauty grooming, baby care, home care, health care, pet care family care and fabric care (MSN Money-b, 2010). The prices of all the above

Market research in another country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Market research in another country - Essay Example Inside Edge feels Russia is an ideal market for its new product offering. The average temperature throughout the year in Russia is 39 degrees Fahrenheit (Climatetemps.com,  2012). The warmest it gets on average is 75 degrees Fahrenheit, proving to be one of the colder countries on the planet (Climatetemps.com,  2012). These temperatures alone justify Inside Edge’s entry into the Russian Flooring market similar to Can-A-Floor’s home market of Canada (hence the name). According to  "Global Research & Data Services"  (2013),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Russian demand for flooring has been growing strongly with an average growth of 10.6% per year between 2002 and 2008. The situation in the market seems to be rather attractive for foreign flooring companies as the growth is predicted to continue in the following years (Global Research & Data Services, 2013). Because Russians see flooring as a way of establishing a comfortable living, the demand for these products is expected to contin ue to increase through 2015 (Marketresearch.com, 2013). This encouraging trend and high demand justifies the entry into the flooring market for any flooring manufacturer. Can-A-Floor is an engineered floating floor, similar in concept and design to a laminate, but with a heating element built in. Currently the most popular types of flooring in Russia are laminate and hardwood (Marketresearch.com, 2013). With Laminate being one of the top two popular flooring materials in the Russian market, Inside Edge can easily justify entering the market with its Can-A-Floor. Russia also is experiencing a declining unemployment rate along with a rising demand for new housing with its expanding middle-class (Marketresearch.com, 2013). The flooring market in Russia is on the rise with a trending increase in demand for all flooring products, home ownership on the rise, and unemployment slowing. These facts show the sustainability of the market while justifying Inside Edge’s entry into the market. Our

The Airplane is the Safest Transport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Airplane is the Safest Transport - Essay Example The media often emphasize that the occurrence of plane crashes is exceedingly infrequent. In fact, these statistics suggest that one is more likely to die driving to the airport than flying across the country (Curran 237). Airports are equipped with top-notch facilities to facilitate traffic control both at the airports while landing and in the sky during flight. Pilots have a multitude of assistance helping them from takeoff through landing with Control. Traffic control crews both at the departure point to the landing. These crews are in rotation around the clock 24 hours a day. Where they make use of radar procedures to track the planes in the sky, provide directions, authorization and the information about flight state of affairs. Pilots are not the only people in charge of safety in the air. However with road transport t, his is not the case, the driver has no one to help him or her in watching the road while he or she is driving. These drivers to multitask that required divided attention thus less focus. The pilots undergo rigorous training long before they get entrusted with the responsibility of flying a plane. The training takes more time to complete than a typical driving test does. A driving test requires one merely to demonstrate a mastery of steering, braking, signaling. Once the applicant shows a characteristic, he or she gets a driving license and considered fit to drive. Moreover, one must go to flight school to acquire a license. The training period enables pilots to enhance the ability of the pilot to gain some of the required experience (Curran 242). Customarily there are two pilots in any aircraft. In case anything is wrong with one pilot, the other one can typically take over. In addition, a crew onboard ensures all the passengers adhere to the rules of the aircraft to prevent any accidents.  

Iron Jawed Angeles- Movie analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Iron Jawed Angeles- Movie analysis - Essay Example They were not given the rights to vote because the society on the whole though they cannot choose candidates rationally. They simply lacked the understanding necessary to comprehend the complexities of politics. Alice Paul approaches Ben purely to further her agenda. Ben fancies her the moment they have their first conversation. It would have been compromising for Alice to get political and PR favors from him and secretly harbor a romance story. She was only interested in business and not pleasure even if she wanted to. Had she gotten romantically involved with Ben it would have hindered her efforts promoting the full voting rights for women. The way how the movie progresses showing Ban asking for dinner/lunch frequently shows that it is Ben who initiates the romance fling. Alice agrees to eat with him only after he had given her something in return. The other reason is Alice thinks if she would get romantically involved with Ben it will prevent her from reaching her goals. Somehow she will get distracted from her mission. During the scene when Ben is teaching her how to dance, he tries to kiss her. Even though she wanted to kiss him but somehow she turns her head away. Despite the fact that she fantasizes about him while taking a bath. The movie immediately shows a police officer listening to this threat. However, he does not react at all to such threatening insults. Even after one person throws a bottle at women, there is no reaction from the police authority. Thomas Leighton, the senator for the democrats sees the paper one morning and reads to his wife that her name is among the notable contributors to the National Women’s Party (NWP). Upon learning that the NWP is urging women voters not to vote for the Democrats, he takes away the monthly funds from his wife’s account. During the confrontational debate between Inez Milholland and Woodrow Wilson, the president is clearly preventing the

I did attachment. For all my decument. I want you to do for me just Essay - 1

I did attachment. For all my decument. I want you to do for me just part (1) And part (2) - Essay Example 1. work collaboratively with other campus personnel to develop, implement, evaluate, and revise a comprehensive campus professional development plan that addresses staff needs and aligns professional development with identified goals. 4. implement effective, appropriate, and legal strategies for the recruitment, screening, selection, assignment, induction, development, evaluation, promotion, discipline, and dismissal of campus staff. In the space below, reflect on your responses on the survey. Review your perception of importance of the principal standards, and identify or consider those that you answered with a 3, 2 or 1. If you answered 1 or 2 for some, explain why you do not consider these important. For the second column, frequency of practice, review your responses and consider those responses that received a 2, 1 or 0, and explain why you think these are not practiced. The perception on the survey about the school is quite important given that through appropriate leadership of all the stakeholders of the school ranging from parents, students and the management of the school the principle is able to steer the school forward. The principle is able to integrate all the factors with the school community to shape the culture of the campus. From the survey, the perception of this is very important receiving a 4 except in parameter number 3 where he does not always but use information where appropriate. In parameter number 6, the principle again rewards only when necessary given he is a good custodian of the school resources. The principal has effective communication skills and collaboration skills as well while he also tries as much as possible to always stay away from politics whether internal or external. Integrity and fairness is not given room at all cost with ethics and law upheld to ensure such virtues are well

Central Processing Time Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Central Processing Time - Lab Report Example The methods used in achieving the results in this experiment via the use of a standard deck of playing cards and the involvement of one subject or individual. The participant in this case is a male individual, weighing 120 pounds, is 5 foot 9’ and is 26 years old. The three tasks to be performed are listed below: The mean processing time varies across the 3 sorting tasks set for the experiment. The second task – Suit Sort took a longer processing time compared to the last task – Color Sort with Preview. The facts are listed down on the data sheet. The processing time is dependent on complexity of the task to be performed and the type of hand used, if either it is the dominant one or the non-dominant one. The color sort with preview process took a lesser processing time because it involved the preview and use of the dominant hand. The computer generated graph for the mean processing time across the three tasks is represented below: The graph is plotted to show the output relation of the plot processing time against that of the class average time for the three tasks

(Outline)Ban Driving of Gasoline Powered Vechicles in United States Essay

(Outline)Ban Driving of Gasoline Powered Vechicles in United States - Essay Example gasoline powered vehicles in the unites sates because it has many environmental hazards, high cost burden middle class citizens, and hinders the advancement of alternative fuel research. Today, more than ever before, terms such as global warming, environmental friendly and climate change have become common in conversations. For many years, gasoline powered cars have had negative impacts on the environment and health (Hunderson, 2008). Convectional gasoline powered cars have internal combustion engines that release carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is responsible for the increased rate of climate change and global warming. Nitrogenous oxides, when released into the atmosphere travel to long distances and smog on the Ozone layer, is created, in turn (Hunderson, 2008). Because of the high gasoline prices, many middle class motorists are struggling to make ends meet and fuel their cars, at the same time. Some have even given up the cars for scooters and bicycles. In the United States, the average price for a gallon of gas costs $3.59, this is very high compared to $3.19 at the same time last year (McKinney, 2011). The prices of gasoline are rising and will continue rising until people seek alternative powering systems for their vehicles. The United States accounts for more than 40 percent of the consumption of gas in the world. Americans are said to own more cars in a given household and drive longer distances this leads to increased dependency on the fossil fuels and requires additional financial resources to finance the mining, purchase and refining of the fuels (McKinney, 2011). The dependency of the United States on fossil fuels hinders research on other alternative methods of powering cars. Most of the American citizens have not felt the tremendous effects of using fossil powered cars (Motavalli, 2012). They continue using the fuel and are not interested to research on other methods that may rid the country

The UK public sector Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The UK public sector - Case Study Example In doing so, there was a definite movement towards policies that would influence the industrial relations and the trade union movement. (Driver et al, 1998) This was followed by changing political ideals and approaches towards the public sectors in the following decades. In recent times however, it has been seen that there is significant unrest and discontent within the trade union regarding perspectives on the public sector in terms of pay and industrial relations. This paper will discuss the causes and extent of such discontent through the context of theories, events and various facts related to the civil services in general. It is imperative to first define the public sector in UK. A country's public sector generally defines the horizon on which the various developments towards progression and growth of infrastructure take place. It is also the regulating force that underscores the activities within the market and that of the private sector as well. It is no different for UK's public sector which consists of basic amenity providing bodies like the postal service, the fire department, education, health and prison service, to name a few. Any country or organisation's basic and most important resource lies with its human element. The working force behind the industrial sector is in fact the work force, popularly known as the human resources. In giving the trade unions a large and important role to play as far as industrial relations were concerned, the UK government was trying to achieve the following results: Make optimum utilisation of its workforce. Create enough scope though accelerated production for economic growth which would in turn compensate the ravages of the two world wars Keep maximum resources and service provision bodies in the public sector through a demonstration of high capacity and capability. (Driver et al, 1998) With the identification of such goals, came the emergence of the trade unions which realised that it could exploit the public sector to a greater advantage. To make use of human resources for the achievement of such goals, the UK government gave into the demands of the employees. Thus, it can be seen that the public sector was governed closely by a set of standards set forth by the trade unions in context of pay and conditions of work. The trade union was thus a body that regulated the operational sphere of the public sector as it had important roles to play in various processes like decision making and centralisation of collective bargaining methods. This was not to last though. With the advent of the Thatcher government, there was a steady change in the equation enjoyed by the trade union within the public sector. (Driver et al, 1

Strategic Management - Staples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic Management - Staples - Essay Example The company’s financials of 2010 reveal a disappointing result with only about 1.1% increase and sales accounting to $24.55billions. Stock prices of Staples fell by 7% in 2010. Staples end its financial year in January like most retailers and it was revealed that its quarterly net income for 2011 dropped by 28% and revenues slipped to 3.8%. Further, office supplies tend to represents about 50% of its revenue and business machines represent next 30% while the remaining revenues are derived from office furniture and computers. Going back to its history, Staples was founded in 1985 by Thomas G. Stemberg and Leo Kahn and a year later they opened its first store. The original mission of Staples was to slash the costs, eliminate hassles of running an office and to make it easy for the customers to buy office products. In a way Staples was counted among the top office product companies (Grewal, 2008, p.459). SWOT Analysis Strength: Staples is considered to be the largest office Suppl ies Company Practices world class supply chain activities, extensive network of its retail stores along with strong relationship with its customers Strong marketing exposures leading the company to successfully create and embed into popular culture such as â€Å"Yeah, we’ve got that† and many more. ... opportunity which Staples should utilize and apply to its business model in order to stay ahead of its competitors and create a stable market share Strategic acquisitions will help the company in boosting its sales and enhancing its brand value Threats Intense competition from other brands which have created a brand name and image and provides Staples with tough competition Economic slowdown can also be treated as a threat as it might lead to low sales and revenue for the company New entrants into the sector pose a threat for Staples New Vision & Mission The new vision for the company will be to provide its customers with best experience both in offline and online modes of shopping and thus create a benchmark for itself, to help the company grow in the long run with clear, easy to follow, secure payment methods along with quick and fast delivery. This vision would be appropriate in the current situation because Staples is expanding its business into the online sector and deriving a v ision statement which showcases that it is into online retailing, will further enhance the brand value and also put a list of its goals in the statement. The new vision states that the company not only wants to become the best online site, but also offer a list suggesting ways in which they would operate. The current mission statement for Staples will be to work for the betterment of the people and the society and create a global presence. External Assessments Economic forces In general, the demand for office products is highly correlated with measures such as white collar employment, national GDP, spending of small sized businesses. In the sluggish economy, businesses and consumers tend to cut back on spending in order to save money and purchase few suppliers affecting the sale of Staples

Growing Staff Presentation as Human Resource Management Consultan PowerPoint

Growing Staff as Human Resource Management Consultan - PowerPoint Presentation Example has undertaken for the purpose of making sure that its top management have the right requisite skills that will translate in the production of the required results. This in essence will lead to the achievement of the goals and objectives that have been put in place by the firm. The first among this is the building of skills in the leaders. The dynamic nature of business operations calls for individuals who are in a position to adapt to the various situations that present themselves in the business world. This is not forgetting the Human Resource Issue. For this reason, the individuals should be more adaptive for the purpose of boosting their performance and overall score in the work environment. It is of the essence to note that the organization has various individuals working therein. For this reason, the propositions may not be taken in well by all the parties involved. To some, this may be taken as a way of locking out some individuals, especially those who are not well qualified for certain positions. However, it is of the essence to note that the training, which is undertaken, is for the benefit of all the individuals in the organization when it comes to their general performance. Fashion design is purely artistic and as such, it is the designer and the assistants who determine how far a brand goes. Nonetheless, technology has changed all fronts of our daily lives dramatically; adding innovativeness to what we have always done hence easing our daily loads. The current workforce of Michael Kors Fashion House is large. With 372 workers for a company of its size, it is a record. The large workforce’s output is limited in comparison with what they should be producing. The gap between the workers and the target output is in their inconsistency due to poor work ethics and lack of adaptation of technology. If the company can invest in its workers, it sure will invest in its future. The possibility of the company producing double the much it does today in the

Four Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Four Questions - Assignment Example In much of the considerations and analysis of the international system, experts would always make reference to World War I, World War II and the cold war. Occurrences that resulted in these three wars can be used to explain the basis of international world order and the establishment of the international system. O’rourke & Williamson, (2004) gives a broader look at the History of Diplomacy inn their work When did globalization begin? In submissions made in this piece, the authors assert that three great wars a reflection of how the international system considered a state-centric. The treaties signed and alliances formed during the three great wars were attempts by nations of the world in taking control of world affairs. In the history of diplomacy and international relations, states have remained to be a key force in determination of world politics. Just before the First World War, the concept of realism was borne, bringing to the fore an objective and critical analysis on the need for world order. In this respect, the international system was analyzed on the basis of both collective interests and the interests of certain states. Realists are of the opinion that state actors in the international world system can be identified on the basis of sovereignty, recognition of statehood, and the control of territory and population. From this perspective, countries cannot be ignored when defining the international system. From a realist perspective, the international system is a product of various historical occurrences, most on which took place in the twentieth century. The First World War was a major factor that brought out the need for a global or international-based system. As many countries in the European continue began fighting for colonies during the imperial era in Europe, conflic5ts between and amongst these countries emerged. Most of the countries started looking beyond national influence to influence within a wider geographical area. The consequence o f such rivalry was the development of the First World War. The development of two groups, the Central Powers and the Allies, during the war was pegged on superiority fight between nations that believed they could command or have great influence in world affairs. The end of the First World War was major milestone in the development of the international system as the allies went forth to instill heavy punishment to the Central Powers, led by Germany. The effects of the war were so serious that the League of Nations was formed so as to help avert such magnitude of conflict and war. The Second World War had also its share on development of the state centric International system. After the League of Nations failed, World War I was inevitable. The United States, Britain and France as the winners of World War II played a bigger role than other nations in the preparation of background for the formation of the modern day United Nations. By the United Nations and Russia awarding their selves with veto power in the world body, they had an edge over other countries. The state-centric nature of the world’s system would not be stopped here as even after the formation of the United Nations, the United States and the Soviet Union would still engage in supremacy tactics that is famously regarded as the cold war. Today, the United States remains to be the single most super power after the collapse of the USSR Richardson (2006) asserts that the United States

The Interrelationships between Languages and Cultures with Reference Essay

The Interrelationships between Languages and Cultures with Reference to Theory and Policy - Essay Example Visual images such as the pictures in the flashcards also bring life experience and background knowledge to what is being viewed. Nowadays, using flashcards to teach language is not recommended because research shows that actual experience with real objects and activities promote language learning better. However, in my time, my mother did not know any better, but I believe it worked for me. In my time, the English language was formally introduced to Chinese children in the intermediate grades. It was taught with a phonetic approach of learning the alphabet first, its symbol and sound and eventually, its grammar. I felt not much connection to the English language at that time. It was only taught by rote but not practiced enough for verbal expression. Besides, it is a far cry from how young children learn language today, with hands-on, interesting and engaging activities. If in my time, it was taught that way, then, I believe I would have learned the English language better and at a f aster rate. Bishop-Glynn (1999) cites the study of Wong-Filmore (1991) which finds that language differences between the home and school depends on the dominant language used. The language dominant in the wider society is usually maintained. In my case, Chinese language prevailed over English in our society, so English did not create a strong impression on me then. Still, Baker (2006) contends that evidence supports that there are cognitive and performance advantages in being bilingual over being monolingual. Cummins (1986) mentioned the BICS or the Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills and the CALP or the Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency as two tools in second language learning. Baker (2006) explained that students engage in BICS when they communicate with contextual supports and props such as face-to face â€Å"context embedded† situations where they read the other person’s non-verbal gestures, hand movements and sounds to support verbal communication. On t he other hand, CALP happens in â€Å"context reduced† situations requiring higher order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis or evaluation. This is usually encountered in more academic learning and communication where language is â€Å"disembedded† (Baker, 2006). On hindsight, I realize that while I was learning English, I was experiencing BICS and CALP as my classmates and I struggled to teach each other how to communicate in a foreign language not only with our speech but also our bodies. In school, we were taught the more formal Chinese language, Mandarin. However, at home, I spoke our dialect. So at that particular time in my life, I was speaking 3 languages! It reflected the culture I belonged to because we were a traditional Chinese family trying to adjust to modern changes and language is one aspect of the progress we were heading to. Makin, Campbell & Diaz (1995) discussed additive and subtractive bilingualism. One issue in second language acquisition is its effect on the first language of the individual. The immense concentration necessary to learn a second language may create a negative impact on the first language. This is known as Subtractive bilingualism. When a child becomes fluent in a second language due to immersion in that language, there is a strong tendency to forget the first language, causing disruptions in communication with family members who only know the first language. That was not the case with me since I continued speaking Chinese at home. There was no risk of

The Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Organization - Essay Example s profitability helped to the expansion of the organizational activities worldwide; currently, the firm’s sites operate in Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe. In 2009 the firm’s revenues were estimated to 447,661 (million pounds); in 2008 the revenues of the firm reached the 431, 062 (million pounds). The growth of the firm has led to its listing in ‘FTSE 250 and FTSE All Share indices’ (Stobard Group, Investors, Listing Information). A key point in the firm’s growth seems to be its acquisition by WA Developments International (in 2004); the firm’s new owners introduced important changes in the firm’s culture leading the organization to become one of the most powerful players in the British logistics industry. Stobard Group is among the UK’s major competitors in the logistics industry; the firm was first established in 1970; today, the firm’s sites in Britain, Europe and Ireland are estimated to 40 (corporate website, 2010); through the decades, the firm’s structure has been changed being aligned with the increased organizational needs – the expansion of the firm’s sites within and outside Britain led to the need for changes in organizational size and structure; the organizational culture can be characterized as stable; interventions have been made aiming to increase the firm’s competitiveness in its industry. The firm started as a family business – in 1960; in 1970 Eddie Stobart Limited was established under the control of Eddie and Edward Stobart; it was in 2004 that the firm’s ownership changed drastically; the firm was acquired by WA Developments International – a firm ‘owned by Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart’ (Stobart Group, History); up today the firm is under the control of A. Tinkler and W.Stobart who have introduced significant changes in organizational structure and culture – a fact that also positively affected the firm’s position in its industry. As noted above, the firm was first established as a

Hip-hop Essay Example for Free

Hip-hop Essay Sociologists say that the styles in music, literature and other arts are reflecting the processes that take place in the society where they emerge. Hip-hop culture gained power in ninetieth America. Nowadays various opinions exist about the nature of this phenomenon. David Abe said in his article ‘Tupac Plus 10: Hip-hop’s Diminished Potential’ that hip-hop had the power to change the world back in ninetieths, but due to commercialization its potential â€Å"had significantly diminished†, while David Brooks wrote about hip-hop romanticizing crime and violence against women, calling it a â€Å"culture of resistance† in his New York Times article ‘Gangsta’. The music of the rebels, of youth that felt they had no place for them in the society they had been raised in, hip hop became a way to express their thoughts and feelings. Hip-hop was music for youngsters who were not afraid to declare they wanted to change the world, and young people rarely share a non-resistance tactic. Hip-hop explained the world was corrupt, but the only way out it offered was active resistance – antisocial behavior and crime. This kind of ideas tends to attract lots of youngsters, and huge flocks of people around some idea tend to attract money. Soon hip-hop became business, like lots of culture phenomena before. The idea of hip-hop has deceased at the moment it became a merchandize available in nearest mall. Young and poor people in USA and outside it usually do not have means to change the world they live in. They dwell in slums, do not have medical insurance, their chances to get decent education and job are poor. Violence becomes their only way to express their anger and disappointment, and a seemingly easy way to get the things they see on TV and in fashion magazines, like expensive closes, gadgets and money. Hip-hop and rap music describe this problem-solving method in detail, and it is often introduced as the right thing to do, the one that makes boy a real man. â€Å"The gangsta is brave, countercultural criminal† – says Robert Brooks. It builds the image of â€Å"strong violent hypermacho male, who loudly asserts his dominance and demands respect†. And it is no wonder this image attracts ghetto teenagers from all over the world. There is some bond between Robin Hood and gangsta, as they both have this image of the noble bandit. Being gangsta means being â€Å"cool†, being powerful and able to change things that ought to be changed, it means becoming respected and significant. Violence especially that against women is seen at this context as one of the ways to prove significance and masculinity, and assert one’s right to get everything desired by force. In the same time Xzibit, a famous American rapper proves that rap and hip hop should not be blamed for its negative imagery. â€Å"If society wasn’t violent†, he says, â€Å"then hip-hop wouldn’t be violent. You can blame hip-hop but we’re like reporters; we tell you what’s going on in the neighborhood, and we tell you how it is. † Xzibit insists that hip-hop is just a mirror, where all the societal imperfections and problems are reflected. Thus the youngsters who listen and sing hip hop are just confessing about the things they see, and the world they are living in. Before blaming rap music and videos for encouraging children and teenagers to commit violent acts, people should try to find out why is this music so popular among them. Why American teens and young adults, at list part of them, want to listen and watch songs, clips, and movies where people abuse, rape and kill each other? Maybe something is wrong with the educational system, as it’s unable to persuade the youth in the futility and danger of violence, to teach them that their goals can be achieved using other methods? Or the problem lies within the society that cannot offer some of its young inexperienced members other sphere for actualizing their potential than that of crime and violence? Some journalists and psychologists prove that rap videos are just one of the ways of â€Å"selling† hip-hop culture. It’s true, that for many of the rap singers their music is just the way to earn money and popularity, thus they fill their songs with the content that sells successfully. Unfortunately, there is always a demand for violence on our market, and hip-hop is a good form for selling it. David Abe noted that: â€Å"†¦the content of the most requested rap songs and videos overrun in an exaggerated manner by rims, jewelry and thongs, as the business model evolved. † Now hip-hop is quite a profitable activity to be involved in, as Forbes. com website announced that in 2006 the earnings of such rap stars as 50cent, Jay-Z, and Sean â€Å"Diddy† Combs were $33 million, $34 million, and $28 million accordingly. It proves that there is quite a demand for the culture of resistance on worldwide market. Actually hip hop culture, which had been a culture of resistance transformed into a notion of culture of resistance that could be sold and bought in the department stores. Now hip-hop is not an element of cultural resistance, it is just an image of a social position, and even a fashion trend. David Abe proves that nowadays hip-hop â€Å"consistently fails to challenge and inspire critical thought in the people who listen to it† †And the more commercialized hip-hop becomes the more fans it has, as the thing that can be bought and sold is understandable to most people, while concepts that require some brain and spiritual efforts for understanding them are not very popular nowadays. At the beginning of the history of this cultural phenomenon it really had potential to change something, to influence the opinions and actions of people. While there were real emotions behind the words of the songs, while singers told about the things they saw, and that bothered them, asking their listeners questions they were encouraged to answer by themselves, hip-hop was an instrument to make world a little better. In the same time there always existed danger that young listeners would accept role models from often violent hip-hop lyrics. But in the end of ninetieths, when money came to hip-hop culture, hip-hop became the culture of people who wanted to look â€Å"cool† and to act â€Å"cool†. Its change-driving potential diminished; nowadays most of hip-hop lyrics telling about violence has no inner sense in it, no ideas of cultural resistance and changing the world, just poor role models for youngsters. Works Cited 1. Abe,D. ‘Tupac Plus 10: Hip-hop’s Diminished Potential’. The Times 2. Brooks, D. ‘Gangsta’ The New York Times 10 November: A29 3. Goldman, L. ‘Forbes And 50 Cent Get Money’. Forbes. 7 Seb 2007. http://www. forbes. com/home/media/2007/09/18/igetmoney-remix-50cent-biz-media-cz_lg_0918bizigetmoney. html 4. Rodriguez, K. Xzibit Defends Rap Lyrics, Hip-Hop Stigmas. 19 Sep 2006. http://www. nobodysmiling. com/hiphop/news/86714. php

Sizing up the Matter about Matters on Size Essay Example for Free

Sizing up the Matter about Matters on Size Essay The article by Roy Johnson was concerned about the sport open-wheel racing. The author noted that there are new policies regarding the weight of the vehicle, which included the weight of the driver. A lot of women are involved in such races, including those who were least expected—the modeling type of women. By being so light, there is an advantage in a race, both on and off the track. With lighter weighted drivers, it is almost expected to have the cars run faster. However, it is not just the weight that defines the speed of the driver. It also challenges the skills and knowledge of the driver about the sport. In this regard, when a model type women run through the races, and if her experience and knowledge lacks in comparison to those plus sizes, then who exactly has the greater advantage? The article also included that she is able to attain ranks in races wherein women never reached that almost equal levels with men. But after the many attempts and races she experienced, she was still lacking in excelling in this sport. In the end, does the size and gender really matter in attaining the most victorious position in any race? The first placer and grand price? Perhaps there are sports wherein people would have to accept that only men, or only women, can perfectly excel in a certain sport. I do no believe that it is being spiteful of sexes, or within sexes. Should the women really be that skeptical about their weight? With these said, he only answer that this paper could suggest is to keep in mind that sports do not only measure physical strength. It also involves skills and knowledge. Work Cited Johnson, Roy. â€Å"To the IRL, size matters. † Yahoo Sports. 28 March 2008. 11 April 2008 http://sports. yahoo. com/top/blog/roy_s_johnson/post/To-the-IRL-size-matters? urn=top,73900.

Business law definitions

Business law definitions Business Law Assignment Common law and stare decisis Common law is all that law that is made by judges. It is initiated by citizens when they file cases in courts. Stare decisis is a term used in the common law to mean that decisions made in court cases should be based on previous decisions. It simply means that the decision should stand. It therefore means that in business, this is a principle that can assure a business person of the ruling of a case that is similar to the previous. Rulings in business cases are hence made predictable. Bailment It is where a person delivers his personals to someone else for safety keeping. Bailor is the one delivering property while the one receiving is the bailee. It involves delivery of goods to somebody else in trust creating a contract either express or implied. The bailee must be willing to possess the property physically but is not entitled to use it. In business transactions, the bailee has both the duty of care and responsibility to re-deliver the property. Statute of frauds This is a requirement that certain contracts like sale of goods that exceeds a certain value, land sale or a guarantee of debt be made in writing and then signed to prevent perjury and fraud. Two sophisticated business corporations may enter into a joint venture say of about 10 years. There are different negotiations that they engage in and one party promises that it will join the negotiations in time. In case the party fails to honor the negotiations, the second party (business partner in the venture) can use statute of frauds in a court case as an affirmative defense in breach of an agreed contract. Civil law versus criminal law Civil law deals with disputes between organizations, individuals and between these two where compensation is given to the victim. Criminal law/penal law is a body of common and statutory law and generally deals with crime and punishment of criminal offenses. Civil law is mainly applied in business when there are property disputes like real estates and landlord/tenant disputes. Criminal law in business mainly affects those who engage in alcohol intoxication and trafficking in controlled substances. A civil liability arises out of the relations that a business has with the individuals it deals with. Federal and state courts Federal courts are the courts established under U.S. constitution to deal with disputes arising out of constitution and laws that are initiated by congress. On the other hand state courts are established by states and normally have a broader jurisdiction. State courts are entitled to grant corporations a merit of limited liability. Since the time of Sherman Act, federal courts have been increasingly regulating the businesses. 1970s saw creation of three bodies by the federal government. These include Consumer Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction and venue Personal jurisdiction refers to the requirement for a court to hear a case over the right parties involved in that case. Subject matter of the case is what has made rise to the case and this is what the court should deal with. On top of this, a roper venue should be selected to hear the case. Federal courts have limited SMJ. A business in dispute with another can only file a case and state the specific party in it and the main reason as to why they are filing the case is a requirement from the courts. In such a case, the case can only be heard in the appropriate federal district. Garnishment and execution Garnishment is a legal process through which property or money owed to a debtor or held by garnishee for the debtor is taken in order to pay the judgment. The most garnished properties are banks and wages accounts. Execution of judgment is enforcing a judgment legally through sale and seizing of debtors property. Just in case the garnishee is a bank, loan, savings or credit union, the creditor is supposed to produce a blank notice of right to claim exemptions. A business that wants to garnish wages for its employees must first obtain a judgment for the debts. This is because only a certain percentage of wages can be garnished. Garnishment of wages and execution of the same judgment is possible if the debtor in question is above poverty line. Mediation, arbitration and accord and satisfaction Assisted communications in any agreement is mediation. Arbitration is the legal process of resolving disputes outside the courts where the parties involved have agreed on it. It is mostly used in international commercial transactions where business disputes have risen. The third party chosen by the two parties is a neutral one. Accord and satisfaction refers to any purchase to be released from a debt obligation. Payment in such a case will normally be less than owed amount. Satisfaction is the consideration. An example is if a contractor is supposed to construct a building worth $6,000. The owner of the house after construction claims that inferior work lead to a building that did not match the pay to the constructor. A mutual settlement agreement of $4,000 is paid as full payment. This is a new contract created through offer, acceptance and consideration. Consideration is $2,000. Intentional torts, negligence and strict liability in tort A tort is a civil wrong. An intentional tort is a wrong that a defendant should have known or even knew that it would occur through their inactions and actions. Negligence torts will occur where the actions of a defendant are termed reasonable unsafe. Strict liability torts occur when an action causes damage, like in cases where a proprietor manufactures and sells a defective product. State law provides for the employer to compensate an employee injured in the job (strict liability). Intentional torts have damages that are broader than those in negligent torts. In business transactions, a difference arises between the intentional and negligent tort because the plaintiff must prove that defendant acted with intent. Requirements for an enforceable contract For a contract to be valid in a court of law whether its verbal or in writing, it has several requirements. An enforceable contract must have an offer, consideration and acceptance. Other requirements for an enforceable contract may also include consent, competence and legality. In any business contract, there must be a proposed deal which may remain open until the day the other party rejects, accepts or retracts it. A contract is voidable if it has got no acknowledgement and a bargained benefit. There are many business agreements but all those that bear no consideration or any of the requirements as outlined in business law are not contracts. The purpose of the uniform commercial code and its application to contract law The uniform commercial code is a body of legislation enacted so that the sale of goods and interstate commercial transactions can be facilitated in U.S. its essential elements normally address commercial transactions. This is usually in a single uniform code. Different states may apply UCC differently. It does apply to contracts in the sale of goods in different manners. In any commercial setting, any sale of movable goods requires the application of UCC. Sale of goods that require application of UCC usually involves a merchant. Click-Wrap Agreements and the electronic signatures in global and national commerce act Click-Wrap agreement is a common form of agreement that allows any user to go through the terms of agreements before acceptance. An electronic signature is any electronic sound, process or symbol associated and attached to a contract or record and is generally accepted and executed by those with intentions to sign the given record. In most bank transactions, PIN and passwords have been used to access an ATM or when one is purchasing merchandise on-line. E-sign is commonly used to permit parties in a contract take advantage of efficiencies in the digital world. Sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation and Limited Liability Company Sole proprietorship is a form of business owned and operated by one person called a sole proprietor. He has unlimited liability for all the business debts. He incurs all the losses alone and enjoys all the profits. A partnership is a form of business formed by a minimum of two and a maximum of 20 persons. It may be either general or limited. In a limited partnership, all general partners have unlimited liabilities but limited partners have limited liability for the debts while in a general partnership, all partners have unlimited liabilities (myownbusiness.org, 2003). A corporation is normally a form of business unit started and operated by the government. All investors in a corporation have limited liability. Limited liability companies are normally state run entities where all the members have limited liability. For income tax purposes, its taken as a partnership. Fee simple and life estate Fee simple estate is the absolute property ownership that entitles the owner to all the rights of that property. This applies to all property restricted by the private and law restrictions like covenants and zone ordinances. In this case, death of the owner results in the ownership transfer to the heirs (thismatter.com, 2005). Life estate, a freehold estate is where ownership of the estate is limited only to duration of a persons lifetime. This may be the life tenant or another designated individual. The owner of this estate has most of the benefits since he enjoys most of the ownership rights by possessing it, leasing it but this will automatically end whenever the life estate ends. Contrary to fee simple, a life tenant cannot pass the rights of ownership to the heirs. Warranty Deed and Quitclaim deed A warranty deed is a deed which states that the seller owns the given property and no liens in the property may be transferred over in case its old. It sets the record straight that the property is owned legally. Its a deed that ensures the buyer that he is dealing with the rightful owner of the property and thus no post purchase surprises. Its normally used in majority of property sales. In cases where another person claims the same property, the new buyer is entitled to compensation by the original owner. A quit claim deed is presented to the buyer by the person who holds responsibility of the property but not the owner. Such cases occur when death occurs and this property is passed on as inheritance. A buyer of the property is not given much protection by obtaining this deed like when he is provided with the warranty deed (fsboamerica.org, 2009). Adverse possession This is principle in real estate law which states that a person who may possess the land of another person in a given extended duration of time may be in a position to claim the title of that land. Where a business has been in possession of a given piece of land, they can prove adverse possession by showing that the possession was actual, hostile, exclusive, notorious, hostile, open, and continuous for the statutory period and under cover of claim. It is now commonly governed by statute and law. Its however stated that lands owned by the government are exempted from this principle. Where the land owner granted permission to the claimant in use of property the adverse possession claim is not deemed hostile and will thus fail. Employment at will versus TitleVII of the civil rights act of 1964 Title VII of the civil rights act of 1964 is an act that was passed so that it can protect people from being employment discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, color and national origin. This is a law that has been protecting job applicants and company employees. It applies to all companies that have 15 or more employees. Promotion s in companies cannot be decided on basis of race, color sex national origin or sex. All business are required to pay their employees in the same job group a uniform pay despite their different origins nationally, race, sex, religion or color. Employment at will means that the employer does not need a good cause to fire an employee. An employee employed at-will can be fired any time. Such an employee has limited legal rights to fight that termination. Most states except Montana have adopted have adopted policies that enable them to employ at will. The purpose of the securities act of 1993 and the purpose of the securities and exchange act of 1934 Securities act of 1933 was a federal legislation regarding sale of securities. Securities act of 1933 was enacted in order to provide more information about and within securities markets. Its a legislation that addressed for better disclosure where companies are expected to register with Securities and Exchange Commission. Its main purpose is thus to make sure that investors are receiving significant and material information about securities in public sale and prohibiting deceit fraud and other misrepresentations in sale of securities to public. Securities exchange act of 1934 created the SEC and it outlaws abusive and manipulative practices in securities issuance, required registration of brokers, stock exchanges listed securities and dealers and disclosure of certain financial information. Sarbanes-Oxley act This is a legislation that was enacted in 2002 in response to Enron and WorldCom financial scandals. Its manly used to protect the general public and shareholders from fraudulent practices and accounting errors. Its administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Common law legal system versus the civil law legal system In civil law system, legislation is the primary law source. As a result courts will usually base rulings on provisions of statutes and codes. When hearing business cases, courts normally reason merely on basis of general principles and rules in codes. On the other hand common law system use cases as the primary law source and statutes are taken as incursions and interpretations are narrow. Each an every state has a specific definition on doing business according to the common law. Foreign corrupt practices act Its provisions prohibit bribery of foreign officials of other governments by U.S. nationals prescribing record keeping practices and accounting. Any U.S. company that violates FCPA are fined up to $2million whereas individuals like directors and of companies and officers pay a fine of $100,000 and face imprisonment of 5 years or even both. In such cases there is imposition of civil penalties. References Fsboamerica.org. (2009). Warranty Deed vs. Quit Claim Deed. Retrieved from http://www.fsboamerica.org/Warranty-Deed-vs-Quit-Claim-Deed.cfm FMyownbusiness.org. (2003). Business Organization. Retrieved from http://www.myownbusiness.org/s4/ FThismatter.com. (2005). Estates in Land. Retrieved from http://thismatter.com/money/real-estate/estates-in-land.htm

Relationship Between Marketing and Consumer Demand

Relationship Between Marketing and Consumer Demand From the past decades to the new 21st century, the global economy had grown vastly over the years and the organisations had come to a realization of the importance of customer demands and the need for marketing. For most of the companies, their main objective was to make a certain amount of profit. Profit can be earned by satisfying the customers’ need through the use of marketing philosophies. Hence, customer value is an essential component for marketers to examine through the process of producing a product/outcome. In order to understand marketing and consumer demand, we will have to first elaborate the concept of what is marketing and look at the customer values. And the remaining essay would elucidate the relationship between the two. No matter in what type of industries or how large were the organisations, the company would have a certain amount of skill in marketing. So, what is marketing? Most of the people may picture a salesman straight away as they believe marketing were equivalent to the word ‘selling’. However, selling was only one of the several functions of marketing. â€Å"Marketing is the activity, set of institution, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.† (AMA, 2013) The first part of the definition, ‘activity, set of institution, and processes’ recognizes the broad scope of marketing. It indicates the roles/functions that need to be performed by marketers such as perform market researches and choosing target markets. The second part of the definition is ‘creating, communicating, delivering’. This suggests that marketing is to get the right goods and services to the right people at the right place at the right time at the right price (Elliott, Greg, Thiele Waller, 2012, ). This part of the definition included the creation and the delivery process of marketing. The third part of the definition ‘exchanging offerings that have value’ includes the process satisfying customers’ needs and wants through exchange which is one of the ways for individuals to get what they desired by offering certain things that the other party desired. For instance, money or other products. The last part of the definition â⠂¬Ëœcustomers, clients, partners, and society at large’ outlines the beneficiaries of the process of marketing. The benefits were not only received by the organisations and the consumers, the suppliers and the society can also gain benefits from marketing. The society can be benefited from marketing as marketing creates employments and society welfares and wealth as more people are spending and thus indirectly speeds up the GDP. Marketers have to perform functions such as identify the need, development of the product, pricing, distributing and promoting the product. Their main aim is to make selling superfluous. (Kotler Philip, 1983, p. 4) Apart from the definition, marketing can also be examined from the five philosophies of marketing. The production philosophy assumes the consumer would favor in the product and the main aim is to improve the efficiency of both production and distribution. The product philosophy looks at the quality of the product while assuming the consumers would favor the product. The selling philosophy involves organisations stimulate customer’s interests. The marketing philosophy questions the organisation, whether they did satisfy the customer’s needs efficiently and effectively or not compared with their competitors. And lastly, the societal marketing philosophy considers whether the organisation enhanced the consumer’s and the society’s well-being based on the marketing philosophy. For a product such as the Membership to Zoos Victoria, the marketers would have done market researches and targeted the membership to families and children as they had packaged a lot of benefits for children or family. For instance, there are 15% discounts from the stores in the zoo. Membership to Zoos Victoria also creates and deliver the good at the right time and right place, the product can be brought from online or at the zoo and even if the consumers purchased the membership after the visit to the zoo, they could get refunds for the ticket money. As mentioned in the previous, the zoo’s main target is family and children, as the kids can satisfy themselves while they visit the animals, the exchange was proceeded as the consumers, parents/families does gain happiness within the tour. Before we discuss about the customer value, I believe it is essential for us to understand value. Value is the worth, desirability or utility (Grà ¶nroos, C., 1997). On the other hand, customer Value is the difference between the benefits a customer sees from a market offering and the costs of obtaining those benefits (Quester, P., 2007). By all means, in order to make customers receive the benefits, they would have to give up certain things for the exchange of the product. In decree to get better acknowledged about the customer value, we can apply the diagram beneath. Functional/instrumental value is concerned with the products usability; the products unique characteristics and its desired function. This value is basically generated by the purchase and use of the product. Under the functional value, there are three main areas the correct attributes, appropriate performances and outcome. The correct attributes concerns with the characteristics a product has as consumers would prefer to buy a product that has the most suitable characteristics that they desired. Appropriate performances look at the quality of the product. So, the customer would be satisfied if the product is able to perform as well as it was appeared in its description. Lastly, the appropriate outcome considers whether the product reaches the outcomes that the consumer demanded. The experiential/hedonic value looks at the products ability in creating experiences, feelings and emotions of its users. For this value, there are four parts to it sensory, emotional, social/relational and epistemic. Some retailers focus on sensory value (such as aesthetes, ambulance, aromas, feel/tone) (Smith Mark, C., 2007). The third beneficial value is the symbolic/expressive value. This value is concerned with the extent to which the product gave its user a certain degree of self-worth or self-value. It is also a value that connects with personal meanings of the product to particular consumers. The social meanings of how the others think about you and conditional meanings such as Valentines rose or the dumplings that we have for Chinese New Year Festival. In order to have the benefits, customers also has cost/sacrifice values. This can be economic losses, risks associated with the product, personal investments and psychological losses. So, by knowing the customers concerns or hold back in the process of purchasing a product, the marketers would look at the costs and tries to minimize the costs so products can be sold more efficiently. For the Victoria zoos, its product: the mem bership of zoos Victoria has complied with the four values. The product does provide services/tours for its members and it has appropriate performance and outcomes (functional values). Furthermore, the membership also blends in with emotional, relational and epistemic values as the members can both enjoy the tour and learn knowledge about the zoo animals at the same time. It also helps to enhance the relationships between the consumers (families). It gave its consumers the experience to have a close interactions with the animals. The membership contains symbolic values as it carries out personal and social meanings. On the membership website, the campaign was focused on children or family relationship and it also mentioned about the fees for membership would be used for saving extinction animals. This would make the consumers of the zoo appears to be morally respectful to the society as they are indirectly helping/saving animals. Marketing and customer value has a close relationship. Customers are the core of marketing as the consumers would only buy products that they strongly desired. Thus, in order for the company to be successful, organisations would have to be customer orientated. Before organisations produce their product, a certain amount of market research would be made and these researches would have focused on the consumer needs. As more and more businesses had opened locally and globally, each organisation faces with a greater extent of competitions, no matter in quality, price or service. This growing fierce competition had led organisations to put strong emphasis on customer value and their needs. Therefore, when companies creating their product, they would put consumers values into the consideration so their product can outweigh the competitors’ products. The same concept was also adopted by the Victoria zoo, in their product, the membership to zoos Victoria. Consumers are able to receive benefits from the exchange process as their values being fulfilled by the product. For instance, members can visit new exhibits prior to the non-members, customers and there are 15% discounts for any purchase at the zoo stores. The consumer can also receive benefits such as the freedom to visit all the zoos in Victoria and there are special name cards for individual kids. These characteristics would satisfy most of the customers as they would feel being welcomed and well considered by the zoo. The zoo’s welcome letter also addresses themselves as a family, which would made consumers to felt being a part of a family. Overall, the membership of zoo Victoria is a successful product as its advertisement campaign was very well presented, there are considerations for the customer values and it adopts the marketing philosophies well through the product. For the purposes of gaining more consumers, the organisations must have a strong understanding in marketing, both as its definition and its five philosophies and in the concept of customer value. When marketing and customer values are being understood by companies, the organisation, customers and the society can all gain benefits from it as businesses can earn more profit, customers can enjoy their life by using the product and the society can gain benefits through the interactions between the two parties. Reference List America Marketing Association – AMA. (2013) Definition of Marketing. Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx Elliott, Greg, Sharyn Thiele, and David Waller. Marketing. 2nd Ed. (pp. ) Milton, Qld.: John Wiley and Sons Australia, 2012 Kotler, Philip. Marketing and Human Needs. Marketing in Australia. (pp. 4) New York: Prentice-Hall, 1983 Grà ¶nroos, C. (1997), â€Å"Value-Driven Relationship Marketing: From Products to Resources and Competencies,† Journal of Marketing Management, 13 (5), 407–419. J. Brock, S., Mark, C. (2007) Customer value creation: a practical framework. Associate Professor of Service Management, Faculty of Business, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Quester, Pascale G.. Chapter One. Marketing: creating and delivering value. 5th Ed. (pp. ) North Ryde, N.S.W.: McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd., 2007. Smith and Colgate. (2007) Customer value creation: a practical framework, Journal of Marketing Theories and Practices. Vol 15, No. 1, pp 7-23

The Liberation Of The Peon Film Studies Essay

The Liberation Of The Peon Film Studies Essay The Liberation of the Peon uses art to communicate a political theme, much like Osiris and Isis by Kiefer. Although similarities do not end there. Both pieces feel relatively earthy. Riveras piece is earthy because of the way he chose to do his mural, in fresco. This is a technique of mural painting done on plaster right after it has been laid.  [2]  We see this in Kiefers piece as well. However, the main difference is that Kiefer uses it a paint application and contributes meaning to his piece, while Riveras decision was based on doing a mural for the purposes of reaching out to as many people as possible. Although, the earth tones do add to the themes of origin and history as both pieces suggest similar themes. In Kiefers piece, he is relating to his own past and the past of Germany. The struggles he faced as an individual in a society that was not very kind toward Germans. Kiefer portrays a stepped temple that is the central focal point of the piece. The work is physically overwhelming, measuring 150 inches by 220 inches. The piece feels very messy, the colours are all over the place. Jumping out yet, they still seem to produce a strong image. For example, on the middle-left on the piece, there are vertical strokes going over from the bottom of the page at the way to the sky. Yet, it still feels like its a part of the piece, creating a glowing-like effect. It is painted with an array of earth tones, grays, browns, beiges. All the colours have a little bit of each other of them. For example, if you look at the highlights, the whites arent pure white they have a mixture of the colours around them. He also includes mixed media into the piece. At the top of the piece, one can find an odd use of a television circuit board. The board connected by copper wires to pieces of what seems to be plumbing fixtures. These pieces of porcelain plumbing fixture can be found all over the canvas. Furthermore, they represent Osiriss lost body parts. This use of multi-media adds layers of meaning to the piece, in which one has to slowly peal back to really know what he intended. Rivera designed his composition such that it reflects the Lamentation. Similarities can be found on the naked body of the peon, and the cloth used to surround him. It draws on a piece by Giotto di Bondones Lamentation at the Capella degli Scrovegni of which Rivera had studied first-hand.  [3]   References to Mexican artistic traditions specifically, the Pre-Columbian influence, which can be seen in the rounding of the hands on the revolutionary soldier; who is covering the Peon with a red blanket, add to Liberation of the Peons impact. In his portable mural, Rivera carefully depicts the individual whip-wounds that cover the peons broken body. The piece seeks to answer the purpose of the Mexican Revolution. He uses muted greens, browns and yellows with an earthy tone because it emphasizes the brighter colours and thus the objects like the blanket. The blanket is a symbol of comfort and warmth. Two things that a peon would not be familiar with and the people providing this would be the Rebels. The use of colour does add to the propaganda theme of the piece. It also simply isnt coincidence that the blanket is the same colour as the dominant Communist Red. This then increases the popularity of the current government. Using those colours in that way, it also creates a center of interest around the Peon. The viewers eye is drawn to it because the blanket pops out and the theme becomes even easier to understand as a result as the slave now becomes the center of interest, not the soldier or the burning buildings. All movement leads to the focus. For example, that revolutionary soldier is using a knife to cut the rope. Movement is also created when the viewer follows the direction in which the revolutionaries are looking-directly at the peon. This ultimately creates visual movement toward the focus. Interestingly, the eyes of the horses are not pointing toward the slave, but the horses look directly at the viewer. This cunning trick draws the viewer into the grouping of figures and horses. Now, with Kiefer size is normally not an issue with mixed media paintings or paintings of any sort of that matter, size does play a role and does have a connection with his theme. Unlike Rivera who did his piece large because it was to be a public piece and because he wanted it shared with as many people as possible. Kiefer may have done a large painting because it could have reflected the large issue he was dealing with.  [4]   In terms of colour, Kiefer uses dirty, earthy and undesirable colours creating a doomsday atmosphere over the painting. He uses computer boards and other mixed media to specifically achieve a different set of meanings adding more depth to the value of his piece. Before the Mexican Revolution, haciendas, were large farms owned by very wealthy individuals, dominated the countrys social and political landscape.  [5]  In under fire, hinting that these individuals were the ones that inflicted the wounds on the peon. The mural depicts the reasons for the Mexican Revolution, making the theme relatively obvious for individuals who probably did not receive a formal education and individuals whom were likely illiterate. Although both pieces are extremely political, they both try to achieve completely different goals. In one sense they are similar because both pieces are about telling a story that has deep connections to the painters and they are both making references to the past. However, the way Rivera is depicting the past and Kiefer is depicting the past are two very diverse takes. For one, Kiefers piece is messy, dark, and somewhat mute. To someone without a background in Kiefers life or Egyptian mythology would not be able to understand what hes really trying to say. However, with Rivera although he has a personal connection to the piece, his background is not required to understand what the piece is about. Based on what we see we can assume that this is taking place in Mexico and that the people in the foreground, are the good guys because they are freeing the Peon, an innocent slave to a cruel master. We know those individuals were cruel because of the lash marks on the back. And we get the basic idea that these men likely burned the buildings in the background and because we know these guys are good, they must have burned the masters home, the bad guy. With Kiefer its a lot harder to peel back those layers without some form of background knowledge. There is no direct symbolism to the aftermath of Germany during the Post-WWII Era in the piece. His links are brilliant in that sense because the choosing of the Egyptian myth as an allegory for what took place could not be more fitting. Kiefer has pieces of porcelain all over the piece. Symbolically they represent the fragmented dismembered body of Osiris and he is literally in the piece because of this, Kiefer directly and physically links the tale of Osiris and his personal link, Germany after World War II. There is an obvious Pre-Columbian Influence to the Liberation of the Peon, seen in the rounding of the hands, the face and the fingers. Also, because this is a fresco, we tend to see a lot of washed out colours, this is because fresco is a technique of mural painting executed upon new plaster that has not set yet. Although, I personally feel that the Kiefers piece, Osiris and Isis, is cleverer in terms of how he depicts his artwork. He combines so effectively the different Egyptian and German civilizations and relates it all to his theme under multiple layers. However, if I had to choose which piece I felt was the better artwork in terms of which artist had more efficiently met their goals I would pick the Rivera piece. There are a number of reasons, the first being the fact that it is very easy to understand the theme and what Rivera was saying about the subject. Everyone who lived in Mexico would have been able to piece together exactly what Rivera wanted them to. He used the composition effectively, embracing a religious-esque approach to the way the Peon was depicted. The piece would have also met its goal of substantially helping the Party gain more members and the piece was very inspirational. The relationship between the background and the foreground is emphasized with what those sectio ns depict. With the foreground containing the victim and the good guys. We assume that they must have burned the estate, owned by the same person that caused the harm on the Peon. Justifying the actions of the good guys. His genius relies on how the piece seems relatively simple, however in reality we are dealing with a very cunning and intelligent use of space.