Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Mandatory Written Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mandatory Written Assignment - Essay Example It was because of this reason that Ku Klux Klan was formed as a racist terrorist organization and its main aim was to drive black people out of politics. This group re-emerged in 1960s and fought against the Civil Rights Movements in the South. Ku Klux Klan traces its roots in 1866 when a group of six soldiers who had participated in the confederation war came together and formed a social club. They used to call themselves â€Å"kuklos† which is a name borrowed from their Greek college. Later on they changed the name to become "Ku Klux Klan." The members of this group developed a habit of walking in the night disguised in masks and robes. It did not take long before they transformed themselves into a political movement and started controlling former black slaves that had just been freed following the civil war. The members of this group did not want anything to do with black and so did everything to ensure that the black community does not gain good jobs or political freedom. For example, in 1869 this group terrorized black voters and rebelled against the Republican governments in the South. This group became very powerful as it had members from the White community who were highly respected1. Activities of KKK seemed to be supported by some of the court ruling of the Supreme Court. Republicans government did all they could possibly do to pass laws to stop this organizations from going on with their activities. Unfortunately, Supreme Court made a ruling in 1883 stopping the Congress from trying to make racial discrimination an illegal activity. The ruling said that the Congress lacked the authority to bring to an end or illegalize discriminative activities done by individuals or organizations. This ruling discouraged the national government from carrying on with its efforts of protecting the people from the black community. In general, the Klan community was highly respected and celebrated by the whites who saw

Monday, October 28, 2019

Narcissism in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Narcissism in the Workplace Essay I. Introduction and Purpose Having an encouraging self-attitude, being self-assured, and having high self-esteem are worthwhile attributes in both work and personal life; some take these positive attributes to the extreme and become self-regarding, self-adoring, egocentric, and show little empathy for the problems and concerns of others. These people can be considered narcissists, and they can be especially problematic in business settings. Narcissists in work organizations, I believe, are more problematic than beneficial. They tend to cause problems in the workplace due to their toxic personalities. The purpose of this research paper is to prove my point that narcissists are more harmful in a workplace environment than helpful. I will point out the failures of companies due to narcissistic leaders. Although there are companies that are successful who have had a narcissistic leader such as Jack Welch and his company General Electric, it will not be covered in this paper. Secondly, I will make the point that narcissists as leaders are toxic for companies due to their relationship patterns and how it can hurt the business. Freud’s three types of personalities relate to interactions between people that helps further prove the point that narcissists are not beneficial in workplace environments. Thirdly, I will discuss possible techniques to cope with narcissistic leaders and how employees can get their opinions across to their leaders. II. Failures due to Narcissistic Leaders As narcissists become progressively self-assured, they act more impulsively. They feel free of constrictions, and their ideas and beliefs flourish. They believe they’re invincible, which further inspires followers’ enthusiasm and feeds into feelings of grandiosity. One example of a company’s failure due to narcissism is Pehr Gyllenhammar and Volvo. He had a vision that attracted a broad international audience—a plan to transform the industrial workplace by substituting the dehumanizing assembly line mimicked in Chaplin’s Modern Times. His wildly popular vision called for team-based craftsmanship. Model factories were built and publicized to international praise. But his success in pushing through these dramatic changes also sowed the seeds for his downfall. Gyllenhammar started to feel he could ignore the concerns of his operational managers. He pursued chancy and expensive new business deals, which he publicized on television and in the press. On one level, you can credit Gyllenhammar’s falling out of touch with his workforce simply due to faulty strategy. But it is also possible to blame it to his narcissistic personality. His overestimation of himself led him to believe that others would want him to be the leader of a worldwide enterprise. In turn, these fantasies led him to pursue a partnership with Renault, which was extremely unpopular with Swedish employees. Because Gyllenhammar was deaf to complaints about Renault, Swedish managers were forced to take their case public. In the end, shareholders aggressively rejected Gyllenhammar’s plan, leaving him with no option but to resign. At the University of Amsterdam, a study was taken by Nevicka Babora to determine whether or not narcissists make for good leaders. The study recruited 150 participants that were divided into groups of three. One person was randomly assigned to be the group’s leader; all were told they could contribute advice, but that the leader was responsible for making the decision. Then they undertook a group task: choosing a job candidate. Of 45 items of information about the candidate, some were given to all three, and some to only one of the participants. The experiment was designed so that using only the information all three were privy to, the group would opt for a lesser candidate. Sharing all the information that was given would lead to the best choice. After the interviews, the participants completed questionnaires. The leaders’ questions measured narcissism; the others assessed the leaders’ authority and effectiveness. As expected, the group members rated the most narcissistic leaders as most effective. But they were wrong. In fact, groups led by the greatest egotists chose the worse candidate for the job. Barbora said â€Å"The narcissistic leaders had a very negative effect on their performance. They inhibited the communication because of self-centeredness and authoritarianism.† III. Narcissistic Relationships in the Workplace As narcissists move higher up in position in a company, they are more likely to maintain relationships with coworkers who are willing to conform to their ideas and motives. Some people believe narcissists benefit the workplace environment because they are good at making relationships quickly with groups of people by charming people with their charismatic personality at the first initial meeting. They also benefit the company by them willing, and able to make whatever personal sacrifices are necessary to gain reputation and position. Taken to a certain degree, these narcissistic traits are valuable to the person and the organization. They signal â€Å"leader.† Yet, as Manfred Kets de Vries has said, â€Å"narcissism is a strange thing, a double-edged sword. Having either too much or too little of it can throw a person off balance.† Narcissists will often become obsessed with gaining power and control. They tend to make decisions on impulse, with no second thoughts, leading to potential problems. Narcissists have trouble working with others and they often do not take blame for their mistakes and they do not like to share credit for successes. Leaders with a narcissistic personality often like to surround themselves with an unquestioning loyal and uncritical staff because they do not like to feel threatened by a colleague. Also, they exploit others; forming relationships only with those he or she feels will advance his or her goals and self-esteem. Jon Carlzon, former CEO of the Scandinavian airline SAS, is a textbook example of how a narcissist’s weakness can cut short a brilliant career. Carlzon compared the ideal organization to the Brazilian soccer team; there would be no fixed roles, only innovative plays. When another input of thought of a more military form of organization was added that disagreed with Carlzon’s belief, he stated, â€Å"Well, that may be true, if your goal is to shoot your customers.† He did not engage in serious dialogue with his subordinates, displaying his trait of self-interest. He also ignored the issue of high costs, even when others pointed out SAS could not compete without improving productivity. He spent tons of money investing in unnecessary items right before his company filed for bankruptcy. Carlzon’s self-image became so enormously inflated that his feet left the ground. Freud: The Three Types of Personalities Freud identified three main types of personalities: erotic, obsessive, and narcissistic. Most of us have elements of all three; therefore, we are all somewhat narcissistic. One type of personality will dominate over the other, making us react differently to success and failure. i. Erotics tend to be the compassionate and caring. They care about being loved and believe that it is most important. Erotics are dependent on people they fear will stop loving them. Erotic’s are generally teachers, social workers, and nurses; positions which help others in need. Erotics do not make the best leaders because they try to avoid conflict as much as possible and they make people dependent on them. According to Freud, they are the outer-directed people. ii. Compared to erotics, obsessives are more inner-directed. These people tend to be more self-reliant and conscientious. They make the most effective managers in a workplace environment due to their ability to create and maintain order. They are constantly looking for ways to help people listen and understand better to resolve conflicts and find win-win opportunities. Obsessives want to constantly improve due to their conscience and their sense of moral improvement. The best obsessives communicate effectively and set very high standards. They make sure that all procedures are followed according to plan and within the budget. The most productive obsessives tend to be great mentors and team players. iii. The third type of personality is narcissistic. Narcissists are not easily impressed and independent. In business, they are driven by their innovation to gain power and glory. The best narcissists go above and beyond being experts in their industries and they crave the knowledge to know everything about the companies and products. Compared to erotics, they want to be admired not loved. They are not afraid to express their feelings and put others back in pursuit of their goals. At the moment of success, narcissists are at the greatest risk of isolating themselves out of all three personality types. Narcissists constantly look for enemies due to their independence and aggressiveness. The most toxic relationships to be made are with narcissists out of the three personality types because they are the most unstable. Generally, a relationship with a narcissist is short term because of their fear of having someone be more superior than them and due to their independence. IV. How to Cope Narcissists are not likely to realize they do not have narcissistic personality disorder nor do they know how to react when they sense they are being targeted. The best thing for a person to do in order to work well with a narcissist is to follow along with the narcissist’s ideas or plans. The best way to determine if a leader is a narcissist is finding certain qualities that narcissists display. If he or she talks frequently about him or herself, and constantly uses the word â€Å"I† and bullies and abuses those who work for him and intimidates others to get his way, these are signs of a narcissist. Also, another sign would be in public if he or she presents himself or herself as patient, congenial, and confident; however, in private is smug, arrogant, snobbish, and patronizing to subordinates and coworkers. The biggest situation you should try to avoid is not to confront the destructive narcissist directly. Confrontation with them can lead to rage and a feeling of being attacked, causing a highly malicious response. Whatever happens, stay as calm as possible and behave in an admiring manner to calm the narcissist down. Never show that you are afraid of a narcissist for they will try to use it to think that you are of lower authority than them. Get everything you can in writing and keep notes of things that narcissists may lie, bluff, threaten, and deceive about. Narcissists are likely to apologize when they have no one on their side if a mist of an argument or disagreement. They will confess their wrong doings and ask for forgiveness however, they will not mean or believe what he or she is saying. Narcissists rarely see their wrong-doings until they have no one that is admiring them, so they may fake their emotions in order for the person to feel guilty and put the blame for the situation on themselves. This also relates to narcissists taking back the things they say in order for themselves to get out of tight situations. Expect the destructive narcissist to break contracts and agreements. Protect yourself emotionally and financially from betrayal. Have a backup strategy should the destructive narcissist go back on his word, which he or she probably will. V. Conclusion Narcissistic leaders are bad for companies due to their constant admiration of themselves and inability to take criticism well. They listen to only the information they seek and they don’t learn easily from others. If a company is at its highest stress level, adding a narcissist to the stress load may cause the company failure. Works Cited Boyett, Joseph H., Ph.D. Surviving the Destructive Narcissistic Leader. Apr. 2006. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. Bruner, Robert, and Robert Spekman. Alliances: Lessons from Volvo- Renault. 2 Apr. 1998. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Grunes, Dennis. MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin, 1936). MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin, 1936). 06 Nov. 2011. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. http://grunes.wordpress.com/2007/11/06/modern-times-charles-chaplin-1936/. Konnikova, Maria. The Narcissistic Leader: Not as Good as He (Or You) May Think. 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. http://www.maccoby.com/Articles/NarLeaders.shtml. Maccoby, Michael. Harvard Business Review. Proc. of Weaknesses of the Narcissistic Leader. 02 Aug. 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. http://www.maccoby.com/Articles/NarLeaders.shtml. Maccoby, Michael. Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredile Pros, the Inevitable Cons. Jan. 2004. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. Nevicka, Barbora. Narcissists Look Like Good Leaders—But They Aren’t! Association for Psychological Science RSS. 09 Aug. 2011 . Web. 26 Nov. 2012. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/narcissists-look-like-good-leadersbut-they-arent.html. [ 1 ]. Grunes, Dennis. MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin, 1936). [ 2 ]. Bruner, Robert, and Robert Spekman. Alliances: Lessons [ 3 ]. Nevicka, Barbora. Narcissists Look Like Good Leaders—But They Aren’t! [ 4 ]. Quoted in Andrea Giampetro-Meyer, Timothy Brown, S. J M. Neil Browne, and Nancy Kubasek, â€Å"Do We Really Want More Leaders in Business?† Journal of Business Ethics, 17, no. 15, (November 1998): 1730. [ 5 ]. Maccoby, Michael. Harvard Business Review. The Rise and Fall of a Narcissist [ 6 ]. Maccoby, Michael. Harvard Business Review. Proc. of Weaknesses of the Narcissistic [ 7 ]. Boyett, Joseph H., Ph.D. Surviving The Destructive Narcissistic Leader.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Who or what is Edward Hyde? Essay -- English Literature

Who or what is Edward Hyde? Due to the Victorian background of this book we are led to believe Edward Hyde is a completely different character to Henry Jekyll but we soon start to find out that they are actually one person, but with just a slight physical and mental change. Some readers in Victorian times would have interpreted the story as a struggle between good and evil, with Jekyll being the 'hardworking, normal guy' and Hyde being the 'twisted, evil person'. This was emphasised by the Christian belief of humans having a divided soul. If your soul had been good, on judgement day you would be saved into heaven where as if it was bad you would be damned to hell. During 1859 Darwin was showing his ideas of humans descending from apes or simpler forms of life this confused and scared many Victorians, they were know longer unique they were part of one species among many. Stevenson's own experiences may also help us to tell who or what Edward Hyde is. Stevenson grew up in Edinburgh, which in itself had two faces. There was the up and coming 'new town' which was the re-generated modern part of town and the 'old city', which was covered with disease and poverty. Stevenson also lived a double life by day he would be studying in the 'new town', but by night he would go out to the 'old town' until late at night. This could be interpreted as the character Jekyll in the story actually being like Stevenson. Jekyll would work in his lab by day but at night he would go out to the towns of Soho. There are many connections between Jekyll and Hyde. On first appearance we learn that Hyde is a short, ugly and not like any other ordinary man, he also seems strong and unstoppable. People reacted to Hyde with a stro... ...feel any slight bit of emotion. Also 'audibly shattered' implies the shear force of Mr Hyde and even though he is able to hear the shattering of the bones inside the body it still doesn't make him stop, he continues with the beating just so he is able to get his 'kick' out of seeing someone in pain. Having understood the need for scientific experimentation, do we assume all experiments are necessary? In the case of Jekyll I think he needed to find out the unknown, so he could be satisfied by his evil side, which he had locked up for years. If the experiments had been more closely controlled in the beginning this could have been a better ending. I think that taking potions (drugs) to dabble with mans dual nature is never a recommended path. The best method of release is always the natural way, let the inner good and evil show itself when it is necessary.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Life of Billy Joel :: Musicians Singers Biographies Essays

The Life of Billy Joel Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949 in Bronx, New York. He moved at the age of four to a small town on Long Island. This is where at the ripe age of four he discovered the art of music. Originally a classical music fan, Billy Joel honed his skills with classical piano training. This undoubtedly has had a major influence on his life and certainly his music. Growing up Joel was a big fan of such greats as Ray Charles, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Otis Reading. He was greatly persuaded into a career of music when he saw the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. Amusingly Joel's first band was inspired by the uncanny opportunity to meet girls. The band was called The Echoes, but this was not the best of times for Joel because his parents were involved in a messy divorce, which included serious financial shortcomings. Joel even began working professional music gigs at night to help support his mother. Joel's schoolwork suffered a little and he began missing school way too often. He was subsequently not allowed to graduate with his high school class due to the number of absences. After high school Joel immediately joined a very popular band called The Hassels for which he recorded two albums with. Within two years Joel was on to a new band which he named Attila, and featured heavy metal drummer Jon Small who he played with during his time with The Hassels. Despite the previous release of two albums Joel still needed to bring in more money so he worked many music related jobs and gigs. He even wrote a rock and roll criticism piece in a weekly column for a magazine. By 1972 Billy Joel was finally on to the big stage when he released his first solo album named, Cold Spring Harbor. He named the album after a small village near his hometown on Long Island's North Shore. This album began to get air time when a Philadelphia based radio station, 93.3 WMMR began playing a live version of a new song called, Captain Jack. Despite its popularity on the east coast, Joel went west in search of some notoriety. He performed in piano bars regularly under the name Billy Martin. This experience is the basis for his hit song, Piano Man. As the popularity of Captain Jack spread west Joel was offered a contract with Columbia Records where he quickly produced top 20 hit, Piano Man.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Skinhead and It Fashion Codes

Skinhead subculture is originated among working class youths in United Kingdom in the 1960s. The first skinheads were greatly influenced by Jamaican rude boys and British mods. Originally, the skinhead subculture was primarily based on elements of fashion, music and lifestyle, not politics or race. However, with the revival of skinhead in 1970s, the emergence of white power skinheads made them largely related to race and politics. Today, I will explain the skinhead identity by showing two clips from Romper Stomper and my partner Silvia will introduce different factions and politics of skinheads as well as their condition nowadays. Clip ] This clip presents the conversation between Hando and the woman in his room, illustrating his main purpose of becoming skinhead. Hando’s life as a skinhead is largely related to Nazi. As showed in the film, his room is decorated with a great number of Nazi objects including the Nazi helmet, posters, flag, book and tattoos on his body. The neo- Nazi culture commodities are used as subcultural capital, which is expected to raise their status and help differentiate themselves from others.However, audience of mainstream will interpret these subculture capitals as strange, deviant things and hence regard skinheads as a subculture which cannot be accepted by the mainstream culture. Although not clearly indicted in the film, the activities of these skinheads seem to be depicted as deviance that violates social norms. The first clip we intensively represents the deviant image of skinheads through scenes such as using violence to the Asians, and close-up of their unusual living place.Deviant acts can be a way to predicate identity, thus against norms of the dominant culture and in favor of a subculture. Fashion The identity of skinheads can be also maintained through fashion and music. Fashion is an essential element to distinguish skinheads’ identity not only from that of mainstreams, but also from different factions. Thro ugh fashion, skinhead groups form unique resources for individuals to project an image and hence achieve their identities. Skinheads are visually identified by their short hair and unique clothing styles.Although various factions of skinheads may have tiny differences in dressing, they all conform to a general dressing style which includes braces, fitted jeans, ‘sta press trousers’, button-down shirts, polos, boots, and flight jackets. Moreover, skinheads favor of several brands such as Ben Sherman’s button-down shirts, Fred Perry’s polos and Doctor Marten’s boots. The choice of particular fashion items is orchestrated by skinheads to reflect their collective identity. Furthermore, skinheads also use fashion to distinguish between factions.For example, several skinheads use different color laces in their boots to show their political identity, or stance on race. White laces refer to white power skinheads, red laces stand for communism and a combinat ion of yellow, black, and blue laces refer to anti-racist SHARPs. In addition, tattoos are used to identify different affiliations. Number 69 can be found in those who pay homage to the peak of 1969 of skinhead subculture, while nazi symbols can be found on those racist skinheads.MUSIC Music is another critical aspect for skinhead identity. Traditional skinheads were heavily impacted by Jamaican ska and reggae music. In 1960s, skinhead music was labeled as ‘skinhead reggae’ by record companies. Some bands such as Charmers, Desmond Riley were singing about skinheads. Thus, this early music reflects the clean cut fashion which is indicative of skinhead style. In 1970s, the emergence of Punk music not only drew skinheads’ attention, but also the mainstreams.Since many skinheads label themselves as the periphery of mainstream culture, a new form of punk called Oi emerged to uniquely express skinheads’ frustration and ideology. Similar to fashion, difference co uld be found in various factions’ Oi music. For example, racist skinheads’ music can be easily distinguished because the themes of their songs are racism, largely differ from others. That’s the end of my part; let’s welcome Silvia to introduce the factions and politics of skinheads and their condition nowadays. http://v. youku. com/v_show/id_XMzIyNTQ0ODI4. html

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Causes Of The Spanish American War

Causes of the Spanish American War Yellow Journalism Joseph Pulitzer – The World Wm. Randolph Hearst – The Journal These newspapers printed slanted and sensationalized articles about the war to attract readers. Cubans revolt against Spanish rule in Cuba Jose Marti – Cuban patriot who wrote newspaper articles about the struggle for freedom. Lola Rodrigvez ditio – Puerto Rican poet who wrote poems for Puerto Rican Independence. The U.S. wanted to protect their business interests in Cuba. Entrepreneurs saw natural resources and cheap labor. Expansionists saw new territories to conquer. The Yellow Press influenced decisions made in Washington, and the â€Å"jingoistic† attitude of national assertiveness made the plight of the Cubans something to fight for. General â€Å"Butcher† Weyler, nicknamed by Hearst’s Journal, was the commander of the Spanish forces in Cuba. He began a policy of â€Å"reconcentrado† where Cubans were forced into camps under the notion of being defended from the US. Rather this was done so that Cubans could not aid or join US forces. These people suffered greatly at the Butcher’s hands, and any sympathizers were executed. The U.S. wanted to enforce/expand the Monroe Doctrine. The battleship Maine exploded in Havana Harbor. The DeLome Letter The NY Journal published a letter from the Spanish Minister to the US, Dupuy de Lome, to Jose Canalejas, a Spanish editor and politician, which contained derogatory references to Pres. McKinley. The public was outraged. The Teller Amendment Demanded that Spain relinquish its authority and government in Cuba, and gave the president the authority to use land and navel forces to enforce this resolution.... Free Essays on Causes Of The Spanish American War Free Essays on Causes Of The Spanish American War Causes of the Spanish American War Yellow Journalism Joseph Pulitzer – The World Wm. Randolph Hearst – The Journal These newspapers printed slanted and sensationalized articles about the war to attract readers. Cubans revolt against Spanish rule in Cuba Jose Marti – Cuban patriot who wrote newspaper articles about the struggle for freedom. Lola Rodrigvez ditio – Puerto Rican poet who wrote poems for Puerto Rican Independence. The U.S. wanted to protect their business interests in Cuba. Entrepreneurs saw natural resources and cheap labor. Expansionists saw new territories to conquer. The Yellow Press influenced decisions made in Washington, and the â€Å"jingoistic† attitude of national assertiveness made the plight of the Cubans something to fight for. General â€Å"Butcher† Weyler, nicknamed by Hearst’s Journal, was the commander of the Spanish forces in Cuba. He began a policy of â€Å"reconcentrado† where Cubans were forced into camps under the notion of being defended from the US. Rather this was done so that Cubans could not aid or join US forces. These people suffered greatly at the Butcher’s hands, and any sympathizers were executed. The U.S. wanted to enforce/expand the Monroe Doctrine. The battleship Maine exploded in Havana Harbor. The DeLome Letter The NY Journal published a letter from the Spanish Minister to the US, Dupuy de Lome, to Jose Canalejas, a Spanish editor and politician, which contained derogatory references to Pres. McKinley. The public was outraged. The Teller Amendment Demanded that Spain relinquish its authority and government in Cuba, and gave the president the authority to use land and navel forces to enforce this resolution....

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Indian War

What struck me the most when I heard that 17,000 Native Americans had served in the Great War was that, not even thirty years after the end of the Indian wars, American Indians were willing to fight alongside their former enemy. I also was under the impression that most Native Americans had not been American citizens before the American Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and wondered therefore how they could have been enlisted in the army, but also if their actual enlistment had anything to do with the granting of citizenship to American Indians in 1924. With this in mind, I began to sift through books on American history for anything concerning Native Americans fighting with the American army ­and not against it ­and on the status of Native Americans in 1917 according to United States law. I also tried to gather sources on the situation of American Indian affairs in the years preceding the Great War Meanwhile, I looked for information on the participation of American Indians in World War I but found little. Books dealing with the general history of Native Americans either failed to speak about the subject or dismissed it quickly with a participation figure which varied from one text to the next. The first concrete elements I found seemed only indirectly related to what I was looking for: emblems. The insignia of the Second Division of the American Expeditionary Forces was a Plains Indian head.(1) Section One of the American Ambulance Field Service also used a similar motif,(2) as well as the Lafayette Escadrille.(3 )Exploring this phenomenon, I noticed that, on pictures of American memorials erected after the Great War in France, the same Indian head profile appears ­a motif taken even further in the memorial located in Tours where American intervention has been symbolized by an Indian raising his hands towards an eagle. While exploring visual traces, I also be... Free Essays on Indian War Free Essays on Indian War What struck me the most when I heard that 17,000 Native Americans had served in the Great War was that, not even thirty years after the end of the Indian wars, American Indians were willing to fight alongside their former enemy. I also was under the impression that most Native Americans had not been American citizens before the American Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and wondered therefore how they could have been enlisted in the army, but also if their actual enlistment had anything to do with the granting of citizenship to American Indians in 1924. With this in mind, I began to sift through books on American history for anything concerning Native Americans fighting with the American army ­and not against it ­and on the status of Native Americans in 1917 according to United States law. I also tried to gather sources on the situation of American Indian affairs in the years preceding the Great War Meanwhile, I looked for information on the participation of American Indians in World War I but found little. Books dealing with the general history of Native Americans either failed to speak about the subject or dismissed it quickly with a participation figure which varied from one text to the next. The first concrete elements I found seemed only indirectly related to what I was looking for: emblems. The insignia of the Second Division of the American Expeditionary Forces was a Plains Indian head.(1) Section One of the American Ambulance Field Service also used a similar motif,(2) as well as the Lafayette Escadrille.(3 )Exploring this phenomenon, I noticed that, on pictures of American memorials erected after the Great War in France, the same Indian head profile appears ­a motif taken even further in the memorial located in Tours where American intervention has been symbolized by an Indian raising his hands towards an eagle. While exploring visual traces, I also be...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Publishing and Crowdfunding with Publishizer

Publishing and Crowdfunding with Publishizer Crowdfunding is the perfect medium for today’s author raising funds for marketing and publishing expenses. But there is a hybrid alternative to straight crowdfunding. Instead of querying multiple publishers on their own, authors can raise funds on a platform like Publishizer that also matches authors with publishers based on pre-order milestones of their book. After doing much research, I chose  Publishizer  over  Kickstarter,  Indiegogo  and a number of hybrid crowdfunding/publishing sites such as  Inkshares  for one main reason: the idea of matching authors to publishers. I didn’t want to send multiple emails to publishers. I wanted them to come to me based on the merit of my proposal. All I needed to do was demonstrate proof of concept of the book Having gone through the experience growing my platform With Publishizer, you write a proposal outlining your book’s marketing plan for approval. You not only set a date to launch your campaign, but you also reach out to readers for pre-orders. The number of pre-orders lets Publishizer know that you are a serious writer and that there’s a following out there willing to buy the book. Then Publishizer queries publishers on your behalf based on number of pre-orders signed up Throughout the campaign, I worried whether I could even reach the 250 pre-order milestone needed to attract an indie/independent publisher, my ideal publishing goal. Acquiring 250 pre-orders takes endurance and stamina! To help me stay accountable, Guy Vincent, founder of Publishizer and his team set up weekly strategy calls (at no extra charge) via Skype and Zoom calls. They are big on helping you think outside the box in terms of getting supporters and talking about your book to sponsors to increase your marketability. Since I had an already established fan base, I reached out to those supporters first – most of whom supported this second crowdfunding campaign. I held contests, offered enticing rewards, did giveaways on social media, did several Facebook live videos, shared milestone updates – in short I built a lot of book buzz. At the end of the intense, three-month campaign, Sand and Steel: The Spiritual Journey Home was queried to 98 publishers thanks to 253 preorders that also included a very generous sponsor, growing my platform and fan base Out of the seventeen publishers who expressed interest, I ended up signing a contract with Mascot Books who, from the start, resonated very strongly with the themes and messages of my memoir about what it means to find a home in the United States as a returning American struggling with Reverse Culture Shock. It was a perfect match. Like publishing, the crowdfunding world is changing, and Publishizer is matching reputable publishers with authors like myself who otherwise, would not have known about these publishers.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Chinas Challenge to US Hegemony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinas Challenge to US Hegemony - Essay Example This strategy continues to be implemented, whereas the US is focusing on war against terrorism. China has gained a lot of fame globally; this has come as a surprise to the US, which has now started strategizing on how to counter China’s growth and influence. This paper is going to provide more evidence that shows the challenge that has been imposed on the US as a result of Chinese empowerment. The United States has been predominant over other nations for many decades; nations have found it almost inevitable to surpass this enigmatic nation. Nations have risen, while others have fallen apart, but the United States (US) has remained to be a superpower. However, this may not last any longer, because an Asian country by the name China has risen and given the rate at which it is growing, it’s enough to state that the US is under threat. It will be by no surprise that it will soon be surpassed. The US and China have been two closely related nations with economic interdependence and prevalence of democracy in the two nations. However, with the rise of China, there has grown a conflict of interest and ideological differences. This has led to the beginning of competition for supremacy between the two nations. Within the shortest period of time, China has created a large market for many nations, cutting across several continents including Africa and Asia. On the other hand, the US market has declined at a terrific speed. The rise of china has shifted concern by other nations from the US to China. The evidence to this is quite clear; in most countries of Asia, programs and national foreign policies are created while considering the position of china and how it may react to this (Freeman, Lardy & Mitchell, 2009). This increasing recognition of China by the rest of the world has left the US raising its eye brows, wondering what to do to curb China’s rising supremacy. China’s diplomatic tool, the â€Å"space program† has greatly helped China in promoting its

Friday, October 18, 2019

Analysis of the trends in the consumption patterns of oil Essay

Analysis of the trends in the consumption patterns of oil - Essay Example The definition of Economics can be classified into three broad categories, namely: (a) Wealth Economics Definition, (b) Material Welfare Economics Definition, and, (c) Scarcity Economics Definition. Of these three, the Scarcity Economics Definition is the pertinent for the present. According to this, economics is a â€Å"science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and means which have alternative uses† (Robbins, 1935). The study of Economics is divided by the modern economists into two parts, namely; microeconomics and macroeconomics. In macroeconomics, the economy as a whole is analyzed, while microeconomics analyses the economy in terms of its innumerable decision-making units. Microeconomics: The study of supply and demand inside a market is known as microeconomics. Microeconomics is â€Å"the study of particular firms, particular households, individual prices, wage incomes, individual industries, and particular commodities† (Boulding, 1969). Microeconomics offers solution for the problems: what should be produced, how those goods and services should be produced, and, who is allowed to consume those goods and services. It explains the composition of total production- why more of some things is produced than of others. In other words, it analyzes demand and supply for a product or service. The law of demand states that â€Å"a rise in the price of a commodity or service is followed by a reduction in demand, and a fall in price is followed by an increase in demand, if conditions of demand remain constant† (Samuelson, 1962). ... The major factors that influence the demand for a product or service are: price and availability of a substitute good, price and availability of a complimentary good, income, tastes and preferences, price expectations, stock of goods in consumer hands, and, population. Law of supply: Supply is the amount offered for sale at a given price. The law of supply states that "other things remaining the same, as the price of a commodity rises its supply is extended, and as the price falls its supply is contracted" (Boulding, 1969). The supply changes due to: i) costs of production, ii) unavailability of resources (like raw materials for the production), iii) improvement in the means of transportation, communication and technology, iv) political disturbances or war, and, v) the climate, irrigation methods and soil (in the case of agriculture products). Trends in the consumption patterns of oil The availability of oil and its price are linked by the laws of supply and demand. Each day approximately 84 million barrels of oil are extracted from the earth, and approximately the same amount is consumed. The world's rate of oil extraction will begin soon or has already begun to decline, while the demand for oil continues to grow which in turn will produce sharply rising prices for oil. In this study, the Oil Market Report by IEA dated 10th July, 2008 (IEA, 2008) is analyzed. The highlights of the analysis are given below: Microeconomics of oil - Supply and Demand: The oil market is one where small changes to the supply or demand cause large changes to the clearing price. In economics jargon, both oil supply and demand are "inelastic" - they show only a minimal short-term response to changes in

Business Resources Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Resources Management - Case Study Example Analysis of the business it operates in HSBC has grown from a mere local banking facility to a leading world banker. It has been able to establish most of its braches in most places in the United Kingdom and other Asian countries. It is the first and the largest financial institutions in the whole of United Kingdom. It has also been ranked the second world largest banking and financial service institution. This has been based on the fact that the business has been able to roll out a well established network in the whole world which provides a variety of services to its clients. It offer financial services including mortgages, insurance facilities, saving accounts, credit cards, loans, investment and others, consumer finance including credit cards, consumer loans, motor vehicle financing, commercial banking which is mainly meant to serve small and medium size enterprises, corporate investment including markets and private banking, and other services which are provided in all its branches. This means that it has been able to satisfy the financial demands of its customers by offering a variety of services. (King, 1991) The banking sector is one of the most competitive sectors in the world. There are many providers of the services and the survival of any financial institution depends on the competitive advantage that an institution is able to create over its competitors. There are some key elements that determine how a financial institution is able to create a competitive advantage in the market. This is based on the level of confidence that customers can have on the financial institution regarding how the business operates. The financial strength is of crucial importance as it determines how the... This essay looks at HSBC Company and evaluate the Human resource management in the company. The organization opened its door to customer in 1865 trading under the name Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. Since its inception, the company has been able to grow and expand in all part of the world. It has been able to establish a sophisticated network of agencies and branches not only in Asia but also in the other European countries. Therefore the bank is not just a leading banking facility in Asia but it can be ranked as a world leader in banking. HSBC has grown from a mere local banking facility to a leading world banker. It has been able to establish most of its braches in most places in the United Kingdom and other Asian countries. For a company with a worldwide operation like HSBC, there can be no better option than taking a close-knit approach in the management of its workforce. The researcher states that there must be an effective way of dealing with the demands of such large workforce and therefore effective HRM policies become an indispensable tool. The company has been able to apply good human resource management in order to enhance competence of its workforce. However, the researcher concluds that there’s still much that the company has to do in order to integrate all the workers especially to deal with the problem of discrimination in the work place. This will be in line with its policy of recognizing that every individual makes an impact in the company.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Planning for Data Collection Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planning for Data Collection - Term Paper Example According to Keough and Tanabe (2011), a ressearch question is considered a significant footstep in conducting methodical investigationss. It is important to keep in mind the fact that any questions used to gather information in refrence to the scenario ought to be quantifiable, include all the variables of the study, and also be comprehensible enough. The main focus of this study in reference to the scenario is patient satisfaction. The initial questions should therefore cover quantifiable factors such as age, race, gender, and place of residence. Sebsequently, questions to determine the patients experience can be asked. The following are examples of questions that can be asked to gauge the level of patient satisfaction: In such a scenaio, face to face interviews would be the most relevant method to collect data regarding patient satsfaction. It is evident from past studies that face to face interviews lets or permits the researcher to have a personal association with the patient hence s/he is more likely to get first class and higgh quality information. This can be made easier by constructing a questionnaire to ease the whole process (Keough and Tanabe, 2011). As postulated by Keough and Tanabe (2011), to determine sample size, conducting a power analysis is vital. In reference to the scenario, the health instituion serves 10,000 patients annually. To have a distributed sample size, it would be importnt to for instance divide the annual turnover of patients by twelve in order to determine the proportion of patients visiting the instituion per month. Through the employment of an easy and unsystematic sampling tool, the equivalent fractions of patients to use as the sample monthly and subsequently annually can be determined. The participants will be selected through random sampling. For example, by the use of a sample size calculator, for an error

Concept of Freedom in Samkhya and Yoga Philosophy Essay

Concept of Freedom in Samkhya and Yoga Philosophy - Essay Example Samkhya exists as one of the oldest and most prominent philosophies in India. Kapila, a great and eminent sage, founded this school. Two philosophical schools arose in India based on Upanishads. These included the Samkhya or realistic and the Vedanta or idealistic. The entire philosophy of Samkhya combines Yoga and Samkhya basic doctrines. However, Samkhya philosophy is representative of theory, while yoga is representative of practical or application aspects (Burley 23). The two have been characterized as practical and theoretical aspects of one system with Samkhya involving the theoretical background to Yoga’s more practical orientation. In this case, Yoga can be seen as a sub-school or branch of Samkhya because it inherits most concepts from Samkhya, although some scholars also argue that Samkhya and yoga have important conceptual and doctrinal differences (Burley 23). However, one of the concepts that the two share in common is freedom. This paper will seek to discuss the concept of freedom in Samkhya and Yoga.... While Samkhya practice has many similarities with classical yoga, samadhi is not a focus in Samkhya as far as freedom and liberation are concerned. However, both practices require asceticism for true freedom and liberation. Samkhya philosophy was essential in the formation of classical yoga and the two philosophies adopted, tested, borrowed, and discarded practices and ideas from one another until, eventually, there was a consistent model that came from each of the approaches with freedom being a central component of each (Burley 32). Samkhya has a dualism that is similar to ancient Jainism where all individuals had separate and unique jivas from other jivas, similar to the purusha in Samkhya that were also believed to be separate (Burley 35). Just like in ancient Jainism, classical yoga and Samkhya practice a form of fierce yoga that involves complete renunciation. However, renunciation by itself in Samkhya does not lead to true freedom from the grasp of Prakriti with discernment al so required. This discernment involves knowledge of the universe and its ways. However, this knowledge is not intellectual because intellect is still considered Prakriti. Discernment increases the ability to develop inner knowledge, which understands what is real and what is ephemeral, which separates the universes apparent from the true reality of the world. While discernment is achieved via reasoning, it also gives one the ability and will of renouncing what is not real, which is the beginning of freedom (Burley 35). The Upanishads from India tell of the soul, also referred to as the soul, which is, ultimately, one that has living and universal consciousness that is called Brahman or absolute. Brahman, which is the source of all that is alive, is

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Planning for Data Collection Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planning for Data Collection - Term Paper Example According to Keough and Tanabe (2011), a ressearch question is considered a significant footstep in conducting methodical investigationss. It is important to keep in mind the fact that any questions used to gather information in refrence to the scenario ought to be quantifiable, include all the variables of the study, and also be comprehensible enough. The main focus of this study in reference to the scenario is patient satisfaction. The initial questions should therefore cover quantifiable factors such as age, race, gender, and place of residence. Sebsequently, questions to determine the patients experience can be asked. The following are examples of questions that can be asked to gauge the level of patient satisfaction: In such a scenaio, face to face interviews would be the most relevant method to collect data regarding patient satsfaction. It is evident from past studies that face to face interviews lets or permits the researcher to have a personal association with the patient hence s/he is more likely to get first class and higgh quality information. This can be made easier by constructing a questionnaire to ease the whole process (Keough and Tanabe, 2011). As postulated by Keough and Tanabe (2011), to determine sample size, conducting a power analysis is vital. In reference to the scenario, the health instituion serves 10,000 patients annually. To have a distributed sample size, it would be importnt to for instance divide the annual turnover of patients by twelve in order to determine the proportion of patients visiting the instituion per month. Through the employment of an easy and unsystematic sampling tool, the equivalent fractions of patients to use as the sample monthly and subsequently annually can be determined. The participants will be selected through random sampling. For example, by the use of a sample size calculator, for an error

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Advise Peter and Anna with regard to the law relating to Essay

Advise Peter and Anna with regard to the law relating to misrepresentation - Essay Example The available remedy depends on the misrepresentation. The remedies mainly entail either rescission or payment or both of the losses incurred by the claimant as a result of misrepresentation. The right of rescinding the contract may, however, get lost in some instances. The law dealing with misrepresentation is found mainly in the common law with misrepresentation Act of 1967. Peter and Anna have entered in a contract with Neil and misrepresentation aspect is revealed. The document analyzes the possible measures that Peter and Anna can take to make sure that justice on their side gets served (Stone 2009, p.54).   The misrepresentation act got developed to protect consumers from fraudulent or false claims that induce an individual into entering into a contract or buying something. It also gives a person who finds himself in such a situation to claim the damages or losses incurred in case of fraudulent misrepresentation. The misrepresentation law is a common law and statute’s amalgam. Fraudulent misrepresentation is one of the available misrepresentations. It incorporates any presentation that turns out to be untrue while the presenter gave the lie either knowingly, without its truth’s belief as well as just carelessly/recklessly. The plaintiff in return suffered some damages as a result of this presentation that was made by this presenter (Poole 2012, p.45).   The negligent misrepresentation, on the other hand, enables the claimant to claim against the defendant on the representation that the defendant had made. The claimant has to show that the negligent misstatement of the defendant had caused the claimant to incur some losses. The last misrepresentation is the innocent misrepresentation. It refers to a situation whereby a person may manage to offer reasonable grounds for believing that the defendant’s false statement was true. The innocent misrepresentation makes use of the following basic elements. The person must make a

Are Emotion and Reason Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay Example for Free

Are Emotion and Reason Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay In analyzing human behavior and human thought processes it can be said that reason and emotions are always present in each major decision. There is no human being, even the most morally upright or the most unbiased observer can make crucial moral decisions without having to have felt the power of reason and the equally powerful emotions in his mind and body. If Emotion and Reason are taken together and if the proponent of this paper will not be given the freedom to choose one from the other then the answer to the query is no. There is no need to have the combined benefit of emotion and reason to justify a moral decision. But if allowed a free hand one should insist that Reason is necessary in justifying moral decisions. This paper will look into the implications of using Emotion and Reason in matters regarding moral decisions. This will be done by finding out what is the meaning of emotions and reason in the world of epistemology. But even before that there is a need to have a review of epistemology the theories on how human beings acquire knowledge. Background Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that deals with how man attains knowledge. For many the getting of knowledge from reading, observing the external environment and by doing experiments can be taken for granted. But for philosophers it is not simply about getting data and then having the ability to describe what was observed and inferred afterwards. Philosophers are persistent that man knows the exact process and if there is none then one should suspect if there is actual learning that occurred after all. With this in mind it is time to introduce two diverging schools of thought when it comes to epistemology and how man exactly acquires knowledge. The first group of philosophers believes that human beings can get knowledge using pure reason. It is the use of the rationale mind, to think using logic to deduce and infer from what can be observed. It is easy to say â€Å"reason† but it is difficult to explain the actual processes of how man looks at the different pieces of the puzzle and then be able to see the whole picture and finds a pattern or connection. Reason is the man’s secret weapon and allows him to reign supreme in this planet. There is no other creature that can use the harness the awesome power of reason in the same way as a human being. A good example is on how man can deduce that certain plants are edible while others are lethal. It is common knowledge that man learns to distinguish between a tasty snack and a vine of poison by observing animals around him. This is probably the same technique used to discover that the seeds hidden behind the coffee pod are not only edible but also a source of one heavenly drink. Without the ability to reason it would have been impossible for man to realize that there is something in that coffee pod after observing the goat or maybe birds taking a liking for the sweet fruit. Another example of reason is in finding a pattern and consistency in natural occurrences such as typhoons, fruiting seasons, gestation period etc. Using reason man was able to build a system where he can begin to tame nature and enjoy her benefits. He can plant and expect harvest. He can build shelter and expect to be protected by an upcoming storm. Man can also reproduce his kind and even multiply his flocks knowing pretty well that there are certain laws in nature that he can rely upon and all these are possible by unleashing the power of reason. Diverging Stream Another school of thought when it comes to the acquirement of knowledge is called empiricism. The empiricists believe that it gaining knowledge through reason alone is suspect. They argue that reason can be influenced by many factors and they conclude that biases and prejudices can interfere in the process. This is understandable because for thousands of years man has postulated about something and made predictions about the future only to be made a fool at the end. This is because reason has its limits. It is at this point that that man is advised not to jump to conclusions. Empiricists will assert that accurate knowledge is only possible if man avails of his senses. The eyes to use to see and measure; the hands used to grasp and determine shape; the ears to hear and determine sound; the nose for determining smells; and the tongue for taste. Emotions are feelings and better yet it is a reaction that a person can observe after the body and the mind – or the heart – is exposed to certain external factors. For example, a mother sees her baby crying because she had not eaten the whole day. The mother has no money to buy milk and she too begins to cry. Her emotion – can be labeled as sadness – tells her that her mind and body does not agree to the image that she saw which is her poor baby experiencing acute hunger. There is another view of emotions which can be very helpful in this study. There are those who assert that emotions are not only act as messengers that tell a person whether something good or bad has occurred but they can be feelings that propels a person to do what is right even when faced with great odds. Jaggar remarked that, â€Å"†¦it is appropriate to feel joy when we are developing or exercising our creative powers, and it is appropriate to feel anger and perhaps disgust in those situations where humans are denied their full creativity or freedom† (1996, p. 82). A good example of such an occurrence was again given by Jaggar who wrote, â€Å"Certain emotions may be both morally appropriate and epistemologically advantageous in approaching nonhuman and even the inanimate world Jane Goodall’s scientific contribution to our understanding of chimpanzee behavior seems to have been made possible only by her amazing empathy with or even love for these animals† (1996, p. 182). To those who are familiar with Goodall’s case will admire her courage and determination considering that she had to travel to Africa and be removed from the comforts and security of Western society and be immersed in a hostile environment, not with humans but with wild animals. It is a good instance of how emotions guided someone to do something heroic. It is easy to understand what emotions can do to lift ordinary humans to strive for things that exceed his grasp. Emotions can fire-up a person and allow him to go where no one has gone before. The history of the United States is replete with examples where tough moral decisions were justified with the cry for freedom and equality. But there is also a counter-argument that emotions are not needed to do justify moral decisions. Reason alone should be enough to move a person to do what is right. This is because emotions can be subjective. And there is no need to furnish volumes of scientific material to prove that point. Emotions can even be counter-productive when used to analyze tough moral decisions as evidenced from the results of a new study published in Newsweek. According to Wray Herbert – writing for Newsweek (2008): A large and growing number of psychologists now argue that a welter of prejudices are simmering just below the surface of society: prejudices against many ethnic groups, against women, gays, the elderly, and outsiders like the homeless and drug addicts. The big question is whether these unconscious animosities are potent enough to actually shape our actions, to make us do things we ourselves find shameful. A new study suggests that, unhappily, the answer is yes. Conclusion The question whether emotion and reason are equally necessary to justify moral decisions is a double-headed query that should have been simplified by separating emotion and reason; rephrasing it in two separate questions: 1) Is emotion necessary to justify moral decisions and 2) Is reason necessary to justify moral decisions. If this is possible then the proponent of this study will say no to the first and then say yes to the second question. But since the main topic used the phrase equally necessary then the answer is no meaning there is no need to bring both emotion and reason to the process of analysis of the problem and ultimately giving the justification for a moral decision. To clarify what is meant by using emotion in the decision process, one has to revisit the example of Jane Goodall and his work with endangered species, it was her strong feelings of emotions, specifically empathy that allowed her to do so much. Using this understanding of emotion the proponent still cannot endorse the use of emotion to judge a moral case because even with strong emotions one can still be mistaken. An excellent example would be the events that transpired in Germany in World War II. The residents of this nation enthusiastically embraced the idea given by Hitler that Jews deserve nothing but death and suffering. The majority agreed or at least the Nazis agreed that this is fact, even truth and they are responsible for the death of 6 million Jews. If one will go to Germany today and present the same ideas to present day Germans they will surely not react with the same fervor as they did in the time of Hitler but they will recoil in horror. This is a clear example of the subjectivity of emotions and therefore not needed to analyze tough moral issues.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Linear Programming: Advantages, Disadvantages and Strategies

Linear Programming: Advantages, Disadvantages and Strategies I LINEAR PROGRAMMING In a decision-making embroilment, model formulation is important because it represents the essence of business decision problem. The term formulation is used to mean the process of converting the verbal description and numerical data into mathematical expressions which represents the relevant relationship among decision factors, objectives and restrictions on the use of resources. Linear Programming (LP) is a particular type of technique used for economic allocation of scarce or limited resources, such as labour, material, machine, time, warehouse space, capital, energy, etc. to several competing activities, such as products, services, jobs, new equipment, projects, etc. on the basis of a given criterion of optimally. The phrase scarce resources mean resources that are not in unlimited in availability during the planning period. The criterion of optimality generally is either performance, return on investment, profit, cost, utility, time, distance, etc. George B Dantzing while working with US Air Force during World War II, developed this technique, primarily for solving military logistics problems. But now, it is being used extensively in all functional areas of management, hospitals, airlines, agriculture, military operations, oil refining, education, energy planning, pollution control, transportation planning and scheduling, research and development, etc. Even though these applications are diverse, all I.P models consist of certain common properties and assumptions. Before applying linear programming to a real-life decision problem, the decision-maker must be aware of all these properties and assumptions. The word linear refers to linear relationship among variables in a model. Thus, a given change in one variable will always cause a resulting proportional change in another variable. For example, doubling the investment on a certain project will exactly double the rate of the return. The word programming refers to modelling and solving a problem mathematically that involves the economic allocation of limited resources by choosing a particular course of action or strategy among various alternative strategies to achieve the desired objective. STRUCTURE OF LINEAR PROGRAMMING General Structure of LP Model The general structure of LP model consists of three components. Decision variables (activities): We need to evaluate various alternatives (courses of action) for arriving at the optimal value of objective function. Obviously, if there are no alternatives to select from, we would not need LP. The evaluation of various alternatives is guided by the nature of objective function and availability of resources. For this, we pursue certain activities usually denoted by x1, x2xn. The value of these activities represents the extent to which each of these is performed. For example, in a product-mix manufacturing, the management may use LP to decide how many units of each of the product to manufacture by using its limited resources such as personnel, machinery, money, material, etc. These activities are also known as decision variables because they arc under the decision makers control. These decision variables, usually interrelated in terms of consumption of limited resources, require simultaneous solutions. All decision variables are continuous, controllable and non-negative. That is, x1>0, x2>0, .xn>0. The objective function: The objective function of each L.P problem is a mathematical representation of the objective in terms of a measurable quantity such as profit, cost, revenue, distance, etc. In its general form, it is represented as: Optimise (Maximise or Minimise) Z = c1x1 + c2X2. cnxn Where Z is the measure-of-performance variable, which is a function of x1, x2 , xn. Quantities c1, c2cn are parameters that represent the contribution of a unit of the respective variable x1, x2, xn to the measure-of-performance Z. The optimal value of the given objective function is obtained by the graphical method or simplex method. The constraints: There are always certain limitations (or constraints) on the use of resources, e.g. labour, machine, raw material, space, money, etc. that limit the degree to which objective can be achieved. Such constraints must be expressed as linear equalities or inequalities in terms of decision variables. The solution of an L.P model must satisfy these constraints. The linear programming method is a technique for choosing the best alternative from a set of feasible alternatives, in situations in which the objective function as well as the constraints can be expressed as linear mathematical functions. APPLICATION AREAS OF LINEAR PROGRAMMING Linear programming is the most widely used technique of decision-making in business and Industry and in various other fields. In this section, we will discuss a few of the broad application areas of linear programming. Agricultural Applications These applications fall into categories of farm economics and farm management. The former deals with agricultural economy of a nation or region, while the latter is concerned with the problems of the individual farm. The study of farm economics deals with inter-regional competition and optimum allocation of crop production. Efficient production patterns can be specified by a linear programming model under regional land resources and national demand constraints. Linear programming can be applied in agricultural planning, e.g. allocation of limited resources such as acreage, labour, water supply and working capital, etc. in a way so as to maximise net revenue. Military Applications Military applications include the problem of selecting an air weapon system against enemy so as to keep them pinned down and at the same time minimising the amount of aviation gasoline used. A variation of the transportation problem that maximises the total tonnage of bombs dropped on a set of targets and the problem of community defence against disaster, the solution of which yields the number of defence units that should be used in a given attack in order to provide the required level of protection at the lowest possible cost. Production Management Product mix: A company can produce several different products, each of which requires the use of limited production resources. In such cases, it is essential to determine the quantity of each product to be produced knowing its marginal contribution and amount of available resource used by it. The objective is to maximise the total contribution, subject to all constraints. Production planning: This deals with the determination of minimum cost production plan over planning period of an item with a fluctuating demand, considering the initial number of units in inventory, production capacity, constraints on production, manpower and all relevant cost factors. The objective is to minimise total operation costs. Assembly-line balancing: This problem is likely to arise when an item can be made by assembling different components. The process of assembling requires some specified sequence(s). The objective is to minimise the total elapse time. Blending problems: These problems arise when a product can be made from a variety of available raw materials, each of which has a particular composition and price. The objective here is to determine the minimum cost blend, subject to availability of the raw materials, and minimum and maximum constraints on certain product constituents. Trim loss When an item is made to a standard size (e.g. glass, paper sheet), the problem that arises is to determine which combination of requirements should be produced from standard materials in order to minimise the trim loss. Financial Management Portfolio selection: This deals with the selection of specific investment activity among several other activities. The objective is to find the allocation which maximises the total expected return or minimises risk under certain limitations. Profit planning: This deal with the maximisation of the profit margin from investment in plant facilities and equipment, cash in hand and inventory. Marketing Management Media selection: Linear programming technique helps in determining the advertising media mix so as to maximise the effective exposure, subject to limitation of budget, specified exposure rates to different market segments, specified minimum and maximum number of advertisements in various media. (if) Travelling salesman problem The problem of salesman is to find the shortest route from a given city, visiting each of the specified cities and then returning to the original point of departure, provided no city shall be visited twice during the tour. Such type of problems can be solved with the help of the modified assignment technique. Physical distribution: Linear programming determines the most economic and efficient manner of locating manufacturing plants and distribution centres for physical distribution. Personnel Management Staffing problem: Linear programming is used to allocate optimum manpower to a particular job so as to minimise the total overtime cost or total manpower. Determination of equitable salaries: Linear programming technique has been used in determining equitable salaries and sales incentives. Job evaluation and selection: Selection of suitable person for a specified job and evaluation of job in organisations has been done with the help of linear programming technique. Other applications of linear programming lie in the area of administration, education, fleet utilisation, awarding contracts, hospital administration and capital budgeting. ADVANTAGES OF LINEAR PROGRAMMING Following are certain advantages of linear programming: Linear programming helps in attaining the optimum use of productive resources. It also indicates how a decision-maker can employ his productive factors effectively by selecting and distributing (allocating) these resources. Linear programming techniques improve the quality of decisions. The decision-making approach of the user of this technique becomes more objective and less subjective. Linear programming techniques provide possible and practical solutions since there might be other constraints operating outside the problem which must be taken into account. Just because we can produce so many units docs not mean that they can be sold. Thus, necessary modification of its mathematical solution is required for the sake of convenience to the decision-maker. Highlighting of bottlenecks in the production processes is the most significant advantage of this technique. For example, when a bottleneck occurs, some machines cannot meet demand while other remains idle for some of the time. Linear programming also helps in re-evaluation of a basic plan for changing conditions. If conditions change when the plan is partly carried out, they can be determined so as to adjust the remainder of the plan for best results. LIMITATIONS OF LINEAR PROGRAMMING There should be an objective which should be clearly identifiable and measurable in quantitative terms. It could be, for example, maximisation of sales, of profit, minimisation of cost, and so on, which is not possible in real life. The activities to be included should be distinctly identifiable and measurable in quantitative terms, for instance, the products included in a production planning problem and all the activities cant be measured in quantitative terms for example if labour is sick, which will decrease his performance which cant be measured. The resources of the system which arc to be allocated for the attainment of the goal should also be identifiable and measurable quantitatively. They must be in limited supply. The technique would involve allocation of these resources in a manner that would trade off the returns on the investment of the resources for the attainment of the objective. The relationships representing the objective as also the resource limitation considerations, represented by the objective function and the constraint equations or inequalities, respectively must be linear in nature, which is not possible. There should be a series of feasible alternative courses of action available to the decision makers, which are determined by the resource constraints. When these stated conditions are satisfied in a given situation, the problem can be expressed in algebraic form, called the Linear Programming Problem (LPP) and then solved for optimal decision. While solving an LP model, there is no guarantee that we will get integer valued solutions. For example, in finding out how many men and machines would be required lo perform a particular job, a non-integer valued solution will be meaningless. Rounding off the solution to the nearest integer will not yield an optimal solution. In such cases, integer programming is used to ensure integer value to the decision variables. Linear programming model does not take into consideration the effect of time and uncertainty. Thus, the LP model should be defined in such a way that any change due to internal as well as external factors can be incorporated. Sometimes large-scale problems can be solved with linear programming techniques even when assistance of computer is available. For it, the main problem can be fragmented into several small problems and solving each one separately. Parameters appearing in the model are assumed to be constant but in real-life situations, they are frequently neither known nor constant. Parameters like human behaviour, weather conditions, stress of employees, demotivated employee cant be taken into account which can adversely effect any organisation Only one single objective is dealt with while in real life situations, problems come with multi-objectives. II SITUATION ANALYSIS Phang furniture system Inc. (Fursys) manufactures two models of stools, Potty which is basic model and a better model called Hardy. SUPPLIES Maximum of 350 pounds plastic per day at the rate of $1.5 per pound by Keow supplies Up to 30 boxes of legs per day at the rate of $7.5 per box. Each box has 10 sets of legs by Yuen supplies Using linear programming the optimal production should be determined for maximum profit. Decision Variables The production units are in terms of number on daily basis. Therefore the decision variables are: Let, X1 = No. of Pottys production daily X2 = No. of Hardys production daily Objective Function The objective in the problem is to attain maximum profit. We have selling price for Potty and Hardy as $12.75 and $18. We need to calculate the unit profit gained by selling Potty and Hardy. Cost of production for 1 Potty = one pound plastic + one set of leg = ($1.5*1) + $0.75(1) = $2.25 Profit made by selling = $12.75 $2.25 = $10.5 Cost of production for 1 Hardy = 1.5 pound of plastic + one set of leg = ($1.5*1.5) + ($0.75*1) = $3 Unit profit made by selling Hardy = $18 $3 = $15 Constraints Plastic Potty requires one pound of plastic and Hardy requires 1.5 pound plastic. So the total plastic used daily is: (1)X1 + (1.5)X2 This plastic supply cant exceed the limit of 350 pounds daily, so constraint is (1)X1 + (1.5)X2

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Swann’s Way Essay -- Literary Analysis

Memory takes centre stage in this novel, which departs from the traditional Nineteenth Century novel in that the narrative does not follow one protagonist throughout. In ‘Swann’s Way’ the protagonist is Marcel, but Proust, a modernist writer uses ‘distancing’ to create â€Å"an art of multiplication with regard to the representation of person ... creating aesthetics of deception for the autobiographical novel.† (Nalbantian, 1997, p.63). Also Proust referred to his narrator as the one who says ‘I’ and who is not always me.†(ibid). Proust’s highly subjective approach to fiction suits his subject of memory recall and the author uses this extract to analysis the voluntary or consciousness and the involuntary or subconsciouses memories. Marcel discovers through experience that intellectualising does not allow memories to resurface but familiar daily domestic sensations do. It is the â€Å"all powerful joy† and â€Å"exquisite pleasure† (p.58) of this subconscious memory recall which Proust is celebrating. The tone of the text is dreamlike and almost ecstatic, emphasising the spiritual aspect of memories. Proust uses lyrical words such as â€Å"fluted scallop of a pilgrim’s head† (p.58) which echoes â€Å"the little scallop-shell of pastry, so richly sensual under its severe, religious folds,† (p.61). This imagery associates the madeleines with sensuality and the cakes evocatively recall sexual fantasies. The lyrical vocabulary attempts to persuade the reader that the subconscious and involuntary memory recall provides â€Å"the effect which loves has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me, it was myself.† (p.58). Renza suggests that â€Å"memories [are] literally made new again by their introduction into the proleptic course of na... ...1980, p.53) and an â€Å"autobiographical consciousness [which] is that consciousness which thinks about itself â€Å"(Ibid,p.49). Swann’s Way is partly autobiographical. Yet it is also a literary novel which reflects upon memory and â€Å"creates a metamorphical representation of universal truths† (Lee,2000,P.89), which the reader can share in, as such it transcends Proust’s lifetime and can be emphasised with today, which can be seen from its current popularity. Proust’s text is one of â€Å"all-powerful joy† equating memories with happiness. He â€Å"manipulated the very genre of the autobiographical novel in order to convey his aesthetics regarding life and art.† (Nalbantian,1907.p.99). Deciding whether Swann’s Way is true or not is not as important as reading its evocative and beautiful language and feeling at one with Proust that memories are somehow more fulfilling than reality. Swann’s Way Essay -- Literary Analysis Memory takes centre stage in this novel, which departs from the traditional Nineteenth Century novel in that the narrative does not follow one protagonist throughout. In ‘Swann’s Way’ the protagonist is Marcel, but Proust, a modernist writer uses ‘distancing’ to create â€Å"an art of multiplication with regard to the representation of person ... creating aesthetics of deception for the autobiographical novel.† (Nalbantian, 1997, p.63). Also Proust referred to his narrator as the one who says ‘I’ and who is not always me.†(ibid). Proust’s highly subjective approach to fiction suits his subject of memory recall and the author uses this extract to analysis the voluntary or consciousness and the involuntary or subconsciouses memories. Marcel discovers through experience that intellectualising does not allow memories to resurface but familiar daily domestic sensations do. It is the â€Å"all powerful joy† and â€Å"exquisite pleasure† (p.58) of this subconscious memory recall which Proust is celebrating. The tone of the text is dreamlike and almost ecstatic, emphasising the spiritual aspect of memories. Proust uses lyrical words such as â€Å"fluted scallop of a pilgrim’s head† (p.58) which echoes â€Å"the little scallop-shell of pastry, so richly sensual under its severe, religious folds,† (p.61). This imagery associates the madeleines with sensuality and the cakes evocatively recall sexual fantasies. The lyrical vocabulary attempts to persuade the reader that the subconscious and involuntary memory recall provides â€Å"the effect which loves has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me, it was myself.† (p.58). Renza suggests that â€Å"memories [are] literally made new again by their introduction into the proleptic course of na... ...1980, p.53) and an â€Å"autobiographical consciousness [which] is that consciousness which thinks about itself â€Å"(Ibid,p.49). Swann’s Way is partly autobiographical. Yet it is also a literary novel which reflects upon memory and â€Å"creates a metamorphical representation of universal truths† (Lee,2000,P.89), which the reader can share in, as such it transcends Proust’s lifetime and can be emphasised with today, which can be seen from its current popularity. Proust’s text is one of â€Å"all-powerful joy† equating memories with happiness. He â€Å"manipulated the very genre of the autobiographical novel in order to convey his aesthetics regarding life and art.† (Nalbantian,1907.p.99). Deciding whether Swann’s Way is true or not is not as important as reading its evocative and beautiful language and feeling at one with Proust that memories are somehow more fulfilling than reality.

Friday, October 11, 2019

The Unabomber: Is He Serious? Essay -- essays research papers

The Unabomber: Is He Serious?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There comes a time when everyone has something to say. The next step would be to find someone to listen. If that doesn't work, I suppose you just have to make them listen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Unabomber's Manifesto was probably one of the most interesting and thought provoking points of view that I have read in a while. It's just too bad that every time he made a point that I could relate with, he would contradict himself before I was finished with the paragraph. In my opinion, the entire manifesto and every viewpoint expressed therein, was a strange mix of confusion, fact and storytelling. Although written with an abundance of detail and many strong convictions, I finished reading the selection without being able to see the purpose behind it all and what he stood to gain. I'm sure that wasn't exactly his intentions when he wrote it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I feel there is one thing the author deserves credit for right from the start; his uncanny ability to set a pessimistic mood. From the minute you glance at the introduction, he, assuming the author is male, begins to paint a picture of destruction and demise of the world in which we live. What could cause such a catastrophe? According to the author, it would have to be industry and technology of all things. He was convinced that due to the industrial- technological system in which we live, ultimately humans are going to be subjected to world wide suffering and inevitably a total shut down of humanity. Now at this moment I felt a little disbelief. I had heard he was actually an intelligent person, but I was starting to wonder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   His whole theory was based on the fact, that at one point or another, the human race will be taken to the point of complete break down. He feels that if it's bound to happen, we should make it happen now. The longer we wait, the more people will suffer. Now, I know our sun will eventually burn out, so does that mean that it should be the concern of everyone on the planet to devise a method to destroy it immediately and save us the trouble of having to do it later? I guess I wasn't too surprised when I read how he intended to induce an early break down with a revolution, but the next thing I read left me a little confused. I was interested in how and when he planned to d... ...here who actually make a difference.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology was a turning point in man's struggle in life. When we were first learning to use it, we used it for the wrong reasons. I believe we're moving past that now. We don't fear technology like he does any more. More and more people, including older generations are learning to use it. Not because they have to, but it's only natural for the majority of us to try something new. When everyone begins to use it, working together, that's what advances us into tomorrow. If everyone was as pessimistic as he, where would we be? Sometimes it takes someone like him to remind us what we used to be and how we used to think. It helps us all stay on track. In the long run, he just becomes someone who wouldn't change and society will forget him. It's ironic to think that we already have. People don't want war, revolution, or violence. We don't need to be the aggressor and more. Our survival isn't assured, but at least we have the means to provide it, to really harvest it when that need arises. People like the Unibomber only give us the motivation to keep on going. And what do we have to thank for our advancement? Technology.

Slavery in Rome and China

1. In ancient Rome slavery became the indispensable foundation of the economy, and social status was a way to have political privilege and was praised upon in society. But in ancient China, they didn’t have as many slaves as the Romans, the had more of peasants contributing to society by working in fields, laboring on imperial estates, and maintaining canal channels. Chinese slaves also had legal protections provided by contracts specifying and limiting what would be demanded of them. The government depended more on a large population of free peasants to contribute taxes and services to the state instead of ordering people to do it under a contract. Slaves weren't as important to China as to Rome because they did not rely on the labor of a large slave population, they were merely a provided service or someone to do chores more than an actual slave. The treatment of Chinese slaves was much less harsh of the Romans, mostly because it was against the law to kill your slave, kings even lost their kingdoms after it was found they had murdered their slaves. Slaves were mostly treated unjust and badly from their master, and were viewed as other forms of property. They were mostly treated like property when they were sold and purchased by masters. When they talked back or refused to work, most slaves were severely punished, although it was illegal to kill your slave in China. When they worked they were used to farm and fix things and with no rest or appreciation, inhuman things that were made for animals or tools. In ancient China the slaves â€Å"humanity† came into account when the Qin government sought to abolish slavery. However, the institution persisted into the Han dynasty and the Qin were unsuccessful in the abolishment of slavery, but it showed that the treatment of slaves were unjust and how they wanted to prohibit it. 3. Since slaves were overworked, and improperly treated most slaves tried some passive resistant tactics that slaves resorted to, to revolt against their master in a non violent manner. Most slaves made excuses not to work, blaming it on the weather, maybe even other slaves, and maybe the lack of tools or machinery for them to use. Some even slept too much to blame it on the lack of sleep their getting from overworking. The slaves did not really achieve anything but more work that had to be done. If it was raining outside, then they had to work inside, and if they complained about it they were punished. Slaves in china resulted in protection by a contract which made them protected by the government if masters broke the contract.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Existence of God

The Existence of God Kimberly Mongold PHI 208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning Instructor Kenneth Mentor April 07, 2013 ? Since the beginning of time people have often questioned the meaning of life, how the universe was created and the purpose for the wildlife and creatures that roam the earth. These things often lead us to question the existence of God. In order to even begin to answer these complex questions we must uncover the source of all of these occurrences. In this paper I will discuss the issue of Gods’ existence; present one basic dispute and clarify the arguments on multiple sides of this issue.I will structure an argument that supports the side of the issue I find to be better defended while explaining why I find my side of this debate stronger. In conclusion, I will state my own view and defend it with an argument. Does God exist or did the â€Å"Big Bang theory† or other natural theories play a role? Even though it is absolutely impossible to prove Gods’ existence, I personally believe that the presence of God is so evident that we do not need solid proof to verify that he is our creator. When it comes to the issue of Gods’ existence, everyone has his or her own view of whom or what â€Å"God† really is.Some people believe that there is one God while other believe in multiple Gods or even Goddesses. Most believers do not feel that is necessary to prove that God exists however, there are others that believe that it is essential to provide proof since there is no scientific evidence of his existence. People are often skeptical when it comes to this issue since God cannot be seen. This dispute often raises a very puzzling question. Should people be expected to provide proof of Gods’ existence or should we just accept that he exists based on faith alone?Skeptics believe that simple having faith that something is true without actually seeing it with their own eyes is meaningless. Most skeptical people center their b elief system on evidence presented in order to better judge certain claims. According to Queensborough Community College (n. d. ), â€Å"Physical or phenomenal evidence to validate religious beliefs is impossible to produce because religious experiences usually occur privately and are subjective, making it impossible to be justified and scrutinized rationally and honestly†.Since skeptics have not seen any type of proof about Gods’ presence, they will continue to disbelieve claims of his existence. Most people that question Gods’ existence often lean more toward science because they believe that evolution and other scientific theories make more sense. In this day and age scientific developments are increasing at a rapid pace, which often creates arguments against the notion that God is our creator. Many skeptics believe that natural causes contributed to our existence such as the â€Å"Big Bang Theory†. The big bang theory states that at some time in the d istant past there was nothing until a process known as vacuum fluctuation created what astrophysicists call a singularity and from that singularity, which was about the size of a dime, our universe was born† (Shestople, P. 1997). Skeptics are more accepting of natural theories because they seem to produce more accepting results than supernatural ones. If faith is centered on reasoning, analysis and proof, then it is very unlikely that skeptics will accept the assumption that there is a supernatural existence of any kind.Also there is so much evil present in the world, which can often cause a skeptic to form opinions against Gods’ existence. Occurrences that cause despair happen every day, which can make one question the reasons behind them. â€Å" In addition to the kinds of events that are caused by human beings, there are other events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, fires, and other natural disasters that have taken the lives of millions † (Mosser, K. 2010). Skeptics often wonder why these type of things occur if there is a God.If God is so powerful why would he allow these horrific things to happen which cause people to suffer? They believe that if an almighty and perfect God existed, he would prevent evil as well as natural disasters that often cause pain, suffering, and even death. Most skeptics believe that proving Gods’ existence is vital in order to find the answers that they are looking for. Faith in something that is invisible will never be enough to sway a skeptic. True believers in God do not feel that it is necessary to prove Gods’ existence because they have faith in his presence. God is hidden only to our body and our soul, but God is not hidden to our spirit, we must look for him† (Harvard Computer Society, n. d. ). Supporters believe that we must seek God with our spirit in order to contact him since we are unable to see, hear, or touch him. â€Å"When people believe in Chri st they receive his life into them† (Harvard Computer Society, n. d. ). Believers do not rely on science or any other proof of Gods’ existence because they do not need physical evidence to distinguish His existence.Believers do not think that we appeared here on earth from natural causes or from the â€Å"Big Bang† theory. A supporter of God believes that God is the creator of the universe as well as every living being. People that have trust in Gods’ existence believe that there are many examples that can demonstrate that we did not just appear here naturally. For example, the universe is designed so perfectly that there is no way that this happened by chance. The universe and the life forms in it all depend on each other for the existence.One example of this is the ecosystem; plants breathe in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen, while animals breathe in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide; plants feed animals while decomposed animals feed plants; this is the cy cle of life. â€Å" Consider how complex a single organism is†¦Each organ and tissue has purpose, all of which shows signs of an intelligent creator, there is no other possible explanation for it† (University of Houston, n. d. ). Believers in God have faith that God is our maker and that we are not here by chance. When it comes to evil things that often occur, believers in God do not think that God is responsible.God gave us the freedom to make choices and we choose to do the things that we do. â€Å"God has given us the ability to choose good and evil, and when we choose evil he allows us, and those around us to suffer the consequences of evil† (Eby,D. n. d. ). We have the ability to choose whether to commit good deeds or evil ones. â€Å"The evil that does exist is that caused by human being who possess freedom† (Mosser, K. 2010). Supporters believe that God does have the power to overcome evil as well as natural disasters, but he may not have the desire to do so for his own reasons that many of us do not understand.The argument that I find better defends the existence of God is that we do not need proof of Gods’ existence, our faith alone is good enough. Just because we cannot see him does not mean he does not exist. â€Å"His presence is no longer in his earthly body; it is rather in his spirit abiding our hearts† (Loyola University, n. d. ). I believe that the people that doubt Gods’ existence do so because they are unable to see the beauty and wonder of the world around us.When it comes to the evil in the world, I believe that God has given us the freedom to make choices and to learn from our mistakes while also dealing with the consequences. If we do not experience the aftermath of our bad choices we will not learn from our mistakes. â€Å"God cannot overrule every evil choice of man and every evil consequence there from without contradicting his own purposes in creating being with free will† (Mattis on, M. M. , n. d. ). This is part of the price we pay for freedom, and which God himself pays for creating us. God did not create evil, therefore, he should not be held responsible for it.In conclusion, although several people have attempted to dispute the existence of God with the advances of science and technology, there is still an excessive need to prove Gods’ existence. Since we cannot see him it is difficult for many people to believe he exists. Believers is God do not require any type of proof because they have faith of his presence. Gazing at the stars, observing the beauty of nature, believe that the laws of the universe seem to have been framed in such a way that stars and planets will form and life can emerge.Many constants of nature appear to be very finely tuned for this, and the odds against this happening by chance are astronomical. Understanding the complexity of the universe points to an intelligent designer, which is God. We do not need to see God with our e yes or even touch him in order to know that he exists. It is through our faith in him that we know he is real. I believe that God has surrounded us with so much evidence that he exists, but we must seek him in order to feel his presence. References Eby, D. (n. d. ). â€Å"Why Does God Allow Evil? † Retrieved from http://my,unbc. du/discussions/2026 Holy Spirit (n. d. ) Loyola University of Chicago. Retrieved from: http://www. luc. edu/faculty/pmoser/idolanon/Holyspirit. html Mattison, M. M. (n. d. ). â€Å"Don’t Doubt God† Auburn University. Retrieved from: http://www. auburn. edu/allenkc/openhse/theodicy. html#Power Mosser, K. (2010). â€Å"Philosophy: A Concise Introduction†. Bridgepoint Education, Inc. San Diego, CA Retrieved from: https://content. ashford. edu/books Proof of God (n. d. ) LeTourneau University Retrieved from: http://www. letu. edu/_Academics/Arts-Science/chem-phys/documents/ProofofGod. html