Free Essays on Christian Forefather Of Our Country

As I relaxed upon the couch a few days ago and began to read the freshly printed pages of Catherin Millard’s The Rewriting of America’s History I began to feel as warm and cozy about our countries past and the role Christianity played in it as the freshly printed paper in my hands. It seems Millard set out to find this â€Å"lost chapter† in American history and reported back with all kinds of evidence that pointed towards the profound role Jesus Christ teachings played in the early stages of this country. Catherin starts off by telling an account of how on one of her more recent tours of Washington D.C she conducts, (showing tourist Christian landmarks and background in the capital) many in the group were in a kind of awe about what she was showing to them. It seemed like these new revelations had gone against everything these people had been previously taught or conceived to be the truth. Millard then states that because of this all too common thought-pattern among Americans citizens she is taking up writing this piece in hopes that readers will rediscover their deeply rooted Christian heritage in this country and throw out the falsehoods and stories they had been taught up to this point. I did find one point particularly interesting Catherine touched upon. She raised the question of why when talking about our early beginnings do when spend so little time (this class being the exception) discussing things pertaining to the founding period of our country. We read about every battle that took place during the Civil war and all the events that led up to and followed it. This, of course, was arguably the biggest event in our young countries history because of the many effects but what about how our country was started though? Yes, we read about the making of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights but do we know as much about the beginning of our nation as we do about Civil War times? Why is that? I guess ma... Free Essays on Christian Forefather Of Our Country Free Essays on Christian Forefather Of Our Country As I relaxed upon the couch a few days ago and began to read the freshly printed pages of Catherin Millard’s The Rewriting of America’s History I began to feel as warm and cozy about our countries past and the role Christianity played in it as the freshly printed paper in my hands. It seems Millard set out to find this â€Å"lost chapter† in American history and reported back with all kinds of evidence that pointed towards the profound role Jesus Christ teachings played in the early stages of this country. Catherin starts off by telling an account of how on one of her more recent tours of Washington D.C she conducts, (showing tourist Christian landmarks and background in the capital) many in the group were in a kind of awe about what she was showing to them. It seemed like these new revelations had gone against everything these people had been previously taught or conceived to be the truth. Millard then states that because of this all too common thought-pattern among Americans citizens she is taking up writing this piece in hopes that readers will rediscover their deeply rooted Christian heritage in this country and throw out the falsehoods and stories they had been taught up to this point. I did find one point particularly interesting Catherine touched upon. She raised the question of why when talking about our early beginnings do when spend so little time (this class being the exception) discussing things pertaining to the founding period of our country. We read about every battle that took place during the Civil war and all the events that led up to and followed it. This, of course, was arguably the biggest event in our young countries history because of the many effects but what about how our country was started though? Yes, we read about the making of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights but do we know as much about the beginning of our nation as we do about Civil War times? Why is that? I guess ma...

GDI Graphics in Visual Basic .NET Tutorial

GDI Graphics in Visual Basic .NET Tutorial GDI is the way to draw shapes, fonts, images or generally anything graphic in Visual Basic .NET. This article is the first part of a complete introduction to using GDI in Visual Basic .NET. GDI is an unusual part of .NET. It was here before .NET (GDI was released with Windows XP) and it doesnt share the same update cycles as the .NET Framework. Microsofts documentation usually states that Microsoft Windows GDI is an API for C/C programmers into the Windows OS. But GDI also includes the namespaces used in VB.NET for software-based graphics programming. WPF But its not the only graphics software provided by Microsoft, especially since Framework 3.0. When Vista and 3.0 were introduced, the totally new WPF was introduced with it. WPF is a high-level, hardware accelerated approach to graphics. As Tim Cahill, Microsoft WPF software team member, puts it, with WPF you describe your scene using high-level constructs, and we’ll worry about the rest. And the fact that its hardware accelerated means that you dont have to drag down the operation of your PC processor drawing shapes on the screen. Much of the real work is done by your graphics card. Weve been here before, however. Every great leap forward is usually accompanied by a few stumbles backward, and besides, it will take years for WPF to work its way through the zillions of bytes of GDI code. Thats especially true since WPF just about assumes that youre working with a high-powered system with lots of memory and a hot graphics card. Thats why many PCs couldnt run Vista (or at least, use the Vista Aero graphics) when it was first introduced. So this series continues to be available on the site for any and all who continue to need to use it. Good Ol Code GDI isnt something that you can drag onto a form like other components in VB.NET. Instead, GDI objects generally have to be added the old way by coding them from scratch! (Although, VB .NET does include a number of very handy code snippets that can really help you.) To code GDI, you use objects and their members from a number of .NET namespaces. (At the present time, these are actually just wrapper code for Windows OS objects which actually do the work.) Namespaces The namespaces in GDI are: System.Drawing This is the core GDI namespace. It defines objects for basic rendering (fonts, pens, basic brushes, etc.) and the most important object: Graphics. Well see more of this in just a few paragraphs. System.Drawing.Drawing2D This gives you objects for more advanced two-dimensional vector graphics. Some of them are gradient brushes, pen caps, and geometric transforms. System.Drawing.Imaging If you want to change graphical images - that is, change the palette, extract image metadata, manipulate metafiles, and so forth - this is the one you need. System.Drawing.Printing To render images to the printed page, interact with the printer itself, and format the overall appearance of a print job, use the objects here. System.Drawing.Text You can use collections of fonts with this namespace. Graphics Object The place to start with GDI is the  Graphics  object. Although the things you draw show up on your monitor or a printer, the Graphics object is the canvas that you draw on. But the Graphics object is also one of the first sources of confusion when using GDI. The Graphics object is always associated with a particular  device context. So the first problem that virtually every new student of GDI confronts is, How do I  get a Graphics object? There are basically two ways: You can use the  e  event parameter that is passed to the  OnPaint  event with the  PaintEventArgs  object. Several events pass the  PaintEventArgs  and you can use the to refer to the Graphics object that is already being used by the device context.You can use the  CreateGraphics  method for a device context to create a Graphics object. Heres an example of the first method: Protected Overrides Sub OnPaint( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim g As Graphics e.Graphics   Ã‚  Ã‚  g.DrawString(About Visual Basic vbCrLf _   Ã‚  Ã‚   and GDI vbCrLf A Great Team, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  New Font(Times New Roman, 20), _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Brushes.Firebrick, 0, 0)   Ã‚  Ã‚  MyBase.OnPaint(e) End Sub Click Here to display the illustration Add this into the Form1 class for a standard Windows Application to code it yourself. In this example, a Graphics object is already created for the form  Form1. All your code has to do is create a local instance of that object and use it to draw on the same form. Notice that your code  Overrides  the  OnPaint  method. Thats why  MyBase.OnPaint(e)  is executed at the end. You need to make sure that if the base object (the one youre overriding) is doing something else, it gets a chance to do it. Often, your code works without this, but its a good idea. PaintEventArgs You can also get a Graphics object using the  PaintEventArgs  object handed to your code in the  OnPaint  and  OnPaintBackground methods  of a Form. The  PrintPageEventArgs  passed in a  PrintPage  event will contain a Graphics object for printing. Its even possible to get a Graphics object for some images. This can let you paint right on the image the same way you would paint on a Form or component. Event Handler Another variation of method one is to add an event handler for the  Paint  event for the form. Heres what that code looks like: Private Sub Form1_Paint( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal sender As Object, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs) _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Handles Me.Paint   Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim g As Graphics e.Graphics   Ã‚  Ã‚  g.DrawString(About Visual Basic vbCrLf _   Ã‚  Ã‚   and GDI vbCrLf A Great Team, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  New Font(Times New Roman, 20), _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Brushes.Firebrick, 0, 0) End Sub CreateGraphics The second method to get a Graphics object for your code uses a  CreateGraphics  method that is available with many components. The code looks like this: Private Sub Button1_Click( _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal sender As System.Object, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Handles Button1.Click   Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim g Me.CreateGraphics   Ã‚  Ã‚  g.DrawString(About Visual Basic vbCrLf _   Ã‚  Ã‚   and GDI vbCrLf A Great Team, _   Ã‚  Ã‚  New Font(Times New Roman, 20), _   Ã‚  Ã‚  Brushes.Firebrick, 0, 0) End Sub There are a couple of differences here. This is in the  Button1.Click  event because when  Form1  repaints itself in the  Load  event, our graphics are lost. So we have to add them in a later event. If you code this, youll notice that the graphics are lost when  Form1  has to be redrawn. (Mimimize and maximize again to see this.) Thats a big advantage to using the first method. Most references recommend using the first method since your graphics will be repainted automatically. GDI can be tricky!

Waste Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Waste - Essay Example There are several disposal methods that are available to humans and this paper will discuss the following; ocean dumping, incineration, sanitary landfill, recycling and open dumping. These factors both have their advantages and disadvantages. Ocean dumping kills plankton and overburdens oceans, however, it is not expensive and when harmless products are disposed, they can serve as a food source. This method maybe made more effective by restricting the material disposed in oceans as some of it harms the fish or other habitants in the ocean. Sanitary landfill involves the disposal of waste materials into an open hole; this hole is closed after the waste has been disposed. This is advantageous in the sense that the land filled can be used for other community purposes. Lining these landfills with plastic, clay and sand reduces the chances of the waste being redistributed by the wind or animals. The government should implement policies that equip citizens with knowledge on methods to manage their own waste as the economy can benefit from these policies. Fuel sources are declining and the ecosystem has been recognized as a potential replacement. Hence, preserving the ecosystem can have economic benefits for the country. Recycling also reduces the costs from extracting raw materials to create a certain product. This shows that each party can benefit from waste

Design Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Design Project Report - Essay Example IS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW PEOPLE WHO DEFY NORMS, THE NONCONFORMISTS, CHALLENGE POPULAR NOTIONS AND THRIVE IN A WORLD OF FREEDOM, BREAKING THE SHACKLES OF SOCIAL MANDATES. THIS RESEARCH PAPER DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTITY THAT REFLECTS IN SUBCULTURES OF 20TH CENTURY.IT IS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW PEOPLE WEAR UNIFORMS DIFFERENTLY WITH PERSONAL CHARACTERISTS ENGRAINED INTO IT. THIS SERVES AS AN EXAMPLE OF ANTI CONFORMITY, THE DESIRE TO EXPRESS ONE’S SELF AND MAKE A STATEMENT. Humans, being touted as civilized social animals, have to conform to various norms that the society imposes upon them and find themselves â€Å"just going along† (Epley & Gilovich 1999:588). These norms originate from culture, traditions, judicial systems and a host of other regulations that dictate the existence of human beings in a so called civilized society. Thus, they become forced to conform to the notions of what is civilized, to secure their safe haven within the society and to be recognized as respectable citizens. However, beneath this faà §ade a primeval animal lurks with its natural instincts suppressed and doused for fear of being outcast or alienated from the society. Conformity can be perceived as an attitude that compels humans to comply with the societal norms in vogue and modulating their behaviour to â€Å"match the responses of others† (Cialdini & Goldstein 2004:606). Thus, due to risks of being ostracized from their social cocoon, people normally comply with the dictates that society imposes on them. Human tendency or pressure to conform occurs even from the early stages of their community life, which is school. Therefore, they feel a â€Å"vital need to conform to peer pressure† to attain a sense of ‘belonging’ to a specific group (Younger et al 2005:18). While this trait can be good in the context of life of an individual within the society, from the point of view of artistic expressions, conformity can be a major limiting factor to one’s creative talent. It is

Teenage Pregnancy Essay Example for Free

Teenage Pregnancy Essay Young i Teenage Pregnancy Thesis statement: Teenage pregnancy is a growing problem that can be prevented by using contraceptives. I. Introduction II. Teenage pregnancy A. Emotional effects B. Finances III. Contraceptives A. Condoms B. Birth control pills IV. Conclusion Young 1 Teenage Pregnancy Teenage pregnancy is increasing rapidly in our country. In fact, Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate in America. There are factors that contribute to this increasing problem. Teen pregnancy comes with effects that can cause serious problems. Teenage pregnancy is a growing problem that can be prevented by using contraceptives. Teenage pregnancy is a growing problem. It can cause many emotional effects. Being pregnant can cause a teenage mother to wonder how and why she got pregnant in the first place. A teenage mom is also affected emotionally by realizing that she has to carry the child for nine months, and the father does not. He gets to go out and do whatever he wants to do. Finances are more problems for the teenage parents to have to face. They have to have a job to support the child. Most teen families end up on welfare. Contraceptives are the main solution to this rapidly increasing problem. There are two main contraceptives used by teens. Condoms are the most common used contraceptives among teens, but are not 100 percent effective. Condoms can break, rip, and tear. It is always safer to use two contraceptives together. Birth control pills are another highly used contraceptive among teenage girls. This method of birth control is not 100 percent affective either. The most effective way to use the birth control pills is to take one pill at the same time every day. If you miss a pill it is a higher risk of becoming pregnant; but if used correctly, the pills can definitely cut down on teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is rapidly increasing, especially in Mississippi. Two main factors that are involved with this crisis are emotional effects and finances. To prevent all of these problems, teenagers should use contraceptives.

The Science Behind The Bell Curve :: Bell Curve Essays

The Science Behind The Bell Curve      Ã‚  Ã‚   The science behind The Bell Curve has been denounced by both the American Psychological Association and the Human Genome Project. Its authors were unqualified to speak on either genetics or intelligence, since their expertise lay in other fields. Their project did not rise through the usual system of academic publishing, and in fact the authors ducked the process of peer review. The Bell Curve was ultimately funded by the wealthy, far-right Bradley Foundation, which used its media connections to launch a massive national publicity campaign. And The Bell Curve relies heavily on studies that were financed by the Pioneer Fund, a neo-Nazi organization that promotes eugenicist research.    "The scientific basis of The Bell Curve is fraudulent." (1)    With those words, the American Psychological Association denounced The Bell Curve, the controversial book that claims that blacks generally have IQs 15 points lower than whites. The authors assert that because IQ is mostly genetic and unchangeable, programs promoting equality (affirmative action, welfare, Head Start, etc.) are a waste of money. For those unfamiliar with the American Psychological Association, it is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, and includes over 142,000 members.    The story of how a scientifically unsound book like The Bell Curve bypassed the usual checks and balances of the scientific community reveals a great deal about how wealthy conservative businessmen are trying to create their own alternate academia.    To begin with, the authors of The Bell Curve were largely unqualified to write a book about genetics and IQ. Charles Murray is a political scientist, whose specialty lies in welfare and affirmative action issues. Richard Herrnstein (who died shortly before publication) was indeed a psychologist, but he spent his career studying pigeons and rats, not genetics and IQ. In fact, Herrnstein never published anything in peer-reviewed journals about genetics and IQ during his entire 36-year career. (He did publish a few articles in popular magazines.) The most that can be said for either of them is that they were familiar with the scientific method and were experts in fields that were distantly related to the topic.    The writing of the book was shrouded in secrecy, but it was launched directly to the American public in a magnificently funded and organized media campaign, one that included cover stories in Newsweek, The New Republic and The New York Times Book Review.

To what extent has the conservative party Essay

The conservative party accepts that a degree of state intervention to create more social justice can be justified. This may involve welfare, but also intervention in family situations, in education and through social services in general. There is a sense that we are responsible for the welfare of those less fortunate than ourselves. Thatcherism suggested that we are responsible for ourselves as long as we have the capability and that we should not rely on others or the state. Modern conservatives now accept that we do have mutual responsibilities. Thatcherism saw crime and disorder as a matter of personal responsibility. Though the modern party also believes in personal responsibility, it also accepts that some crime, mainly among the young, has social causes and will respond to intervention by the state and voluntary organisations. Thatcherites would have argued that environmental problems have a market solution based on technology. The current Conservative Party believes that these problems will not right themselves automatically and therefore need state intervention. Thatcherites were extremely traditional in their view of the constitution and political system. Modern conservatives now accept that constitutional reform is essential and that the political system needs a good deal of democratic renewal. Although tax cuts are part of the ‘Cameron agenda’ in the long run, the modern party accepts that tax cutting should not be part of a dogmatic ideology, but instead should only be undertaken when the economic conditions are favourable. In general Cameron’s Conservative party is more adaptable and pragmatic, whereas Thatcherism was a more fixed, dogma with fixed principles. There are, however, several points which could be seen as ways in which the modern Conservative Party retains some Thatcherite ideas Some Thatcherite ideas are that the party still accepts that free markets and competition are essential for successful wealth creation. The party still fundamentally believes that the private sector is a better producer than the public sector. There is still a suspicion of state power. Current  conservatives still believes the state should be curbed and that it interferes too much in personal lives and in business with too much taxation and too much regulation. Although modern conservatives support the pursuit of social justice, poverty reduction and the welfare state, there remains a general instinct that excessive welfare can be a disincentive to work and enterprise. It remains a monetarist party, believing that the state should intervene as little as possible in economic management, should restrict itself to responsible public finance and control of the money supply to combat inflation. The party remains antagonistic to the power of organised labour, seeing it as a barrier to economic innovation, competitiveness and growth. The party retains the euro-scepticisms of the Thatcherites, although its antagonism towards European integration is less marked than it used to be. Fundamentally the party still supports economic free markets in Europe, but not any loss of political sovereignty. In conclusion, the current conservative party has abandoned Thatcherism to a certain extent, as many opinions on issues such as welfare, crime and disorder and constitutional reform have changed since the days of Thatcher. On the other hand, There are still parallels that can be drawn between the conservative party today and Thatcherism, such as ideas of a small government with less economic responsibility, low taxation and a scepticism of Europe.

Red Cliff and Early Chinese Notions

Red Cliff and Early Chinese Notions Introduction The philosophies of early Chinese thinkers differ greatly from the mindset of modern day philosophers. The four major philosophies of China, Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism arose primarily during the Warring States era from 475 BC to 221 BC. Following the end of the Qin Dynasty and the fall of Qin Shi Huang, Confucianism became the dominant philosophical school in China.Confucianism represented the teachings of Chinese philosopher, Confucius, concerning the fields of ethics and politics and emphasizes on personal and government morality, humaneness and one’s duty to family and society. Following the popularity of Confucianism and the death of Confucius, the creation of The Analects or Lunyu , was written by Confucius’ followers and disciples in the Warring States period. His teachings were the first to introduce the concept of meritocracy which considers that one’s status in society should not be determi ned by ancestry, wealth, or friendship but rather on education and one’s character.Confucius also explores notions on human nature and self cultivation and the purpose of human existence. This paper will focus on early Chinese philosophies of the relationship between the individual and the state and the relationship between man and nature with references and examples from the film, Red Cliff. The Relationship between the Individual and the State The three core concepts of Confucianism, â€Å"filial devotion (xiao), humaneness (ren), and ritual decorum (li)† (Sources of Chinese Tradition, p. 3) embed the behavioural standards and expectations of how a person should practice these virtues. Furthermore, the three essential values integrate into Confucius’ views on government as well. Filial piety practiced within one’s family translates into how much one is willing to give to society which results in the stability of a state. Humaneness observes the importan ce of a ruler treating his people as how he would want to be treated if he were in their position. In Confucius’ perspective, ritual offers a sense of respect s rites are a mean of expression of a leader’s morality and also â€Å"encourages a sense of dignity and responsiveness among the people† (Sources of Chinese Tradition, p. 43). Filial piety ? is considered the most fundamental of all Confucian teachings. The term can have a broad meaning that not only includes the obedience a child must show for his parents but also respect that should be shown to the living and dead. Filial piety develops into five relationships: ruler to ruled, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend.When subjects respect their ruler and the ruler respects the Heavens, the state will in turn thrive and prosper. From The Analects, Confucius states, â€Å"If a ruler himself is upright, all will go well without orders. But if he himself is not upright, even though he gives orders they will not be obeyed†. The concept of filial piety is displayed in many different ways in the film, Red Cliff. Because of the compassion and brotherhood the southern warlord, Liu Bei, has shown towards his subjects, they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for him and the state.Because Liu Bei has treated his ministers and warriors with respect, as a result, they willingly followed his leadership. Conversely on Cao Cao’s side, his subjects were obedient towards him but only because they were afraid of him. They know not to trust Cao Cao because of his apprehensive and suspicious character that could result in impulsive decisions to kill anyone without any reason or justification. Loosely quoted from Zhuge Liang, â€Å"Although Cao Cao leads a large army, the majority surrendered to him so they are not as trustworthy. † He has not shown humaneness ? o his subjects, therefore they were not motivated to fight for him. Anot her example of filial piety and the relationship between the individual and the state is displayed through Xiao Qiao’s decision to cross over to Cao Cao’s camp in order to buy time for the Southerners. Her duty to her husband and the state required her to forsake her personal interests including her life, her child’s life, and her relationship with her husband, for the greater good. â€Å"This is our home. Our people gladly give their lives for her sake. How can I stand idly by. † – Xiao Qiao (Red Cliff II, 2009)Many Western philosophers may not understand and argue that the Chinese philosophy of individualism emphasizes on one’s connection to external powers of authority rather than total independence and creativity. However the Chinese tradition is not about conforming each person’s ideas and sacrificing oneself for society, it â€Å"focuses on the individual as a vitally integrated element within a larger familial, social, politic al, and cosmic whole† (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Brindley). The core meaning of individualism is the thought of one’s self cultivation and the moral obligation to society and the importance of public service.This definition leads to the term junzi which simply means the ideal of becoming the â€Å"perfect man† who â€Å"combines the qualities of saint, scholar, and gentleman†. The two most prominent examples of a junzi in the film are Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang. Zhou Yu’s forgiving nature allows him to achieve a greater good for his people when he chose to pardon his friend’s action of siding with Cao Cao. He did not choose to kill him when his childhood friend tried to convince him to surrender to Cao Cao but instead tolerated his friend’s disloyal character.On the other hand, Zhuge Liang is a good representation of a junzi as he uses his moral autonomy to help the people. Because he knows clearly what is right and wrong, he combines his intelligence with righteousness to convince others of accepting his strategies as an advisor. In conclusion, both having filial piety and being a junzi are two of the ways the early Chinese believe an individual can contribute back into society. In the film Red Cliff, the underlying moral of the story relates back to these two themes whether it is in the form of brotherhood, husband and wife or a leader and his subjects.The Relationship between Man and Nature The relationship between man and nature in classical Chinese philosophy can be characterized as the â€Å"relation of Heaven and man† or the fundamental concept of â€Å"tienren he yi† . The academic aim of Chinese thinkers was to educate the people on this philosophy. As quoted from Sima Qian stating the purpose of his work Records of the Grand Historian, â€Å"I want to hereby elucidate the relation of Heaven and man, to discern its historical development from Past to Present, and to state my disti nctive views. After the middle period of the Warring States, classical thinkers strongly emphasized the relation of Heaven and man. When Confucius speaks about the â€Å"Mandate of Heaven† and when Mozi talks about the â€Å"Will of Heaven†, they are ultimately referring to nature as Heaven being the supreme entity of the world, above all kings and all sources of power. However this philosophy was divided into two sides, one highlighting the unity between man and nature and the other putting much emphasis on the separation of the two.Nevertheless, the doctrines supporting the unity of man and nature was more influential and accepted more widely as the thought of stressing on the separation of the two was only held by a minority. Therefore it can be assumed that most Chinese philosophers place high social values on peace and harmony and the idea of â€Å"unity of nature and man†. To the Chinese, the relationship between humans and nature was regarded as reciproca ls. Heaven, earth, and man represented a single unity governed by the cosmic law or dao.Mencius, the most famous of Confucius’ followers, thought of Heaven as the highest order in which even the emperor or â€Å"Son of Heaven† should obey. Reinstating the idea of the hierarchy of respect Mencius states that †¦when the personal life is cultivated, the family will be regulated; when the family is regulated, the state will be in order; and when the state is in order, there will be peace throughout the world. From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all must regard the cultivation of personal life as the root or foundation.Mencius believed that a person’s moral self is the basis of having a harmonized society. And in order for a leader to earn the respect and support of his subjects, he must first respect the Heavens. Since humans are an integral part of nature, man should also obey the laws of nature. According the Mencius, human nature is given by He aven, therefore the two are interconnected. In Confucian thinking, the meaning of Heaven or nature has a variety of aspects, including the sky, weather, the natural order, and also a moral order. One of Confucius’ disciples Xunzi quotes â€Å"tian as a atural order, operating according to unchanging principles, not intervening in extraordinary ways in human affair but, rather, providing the context within which all living things exist† (Sources of Chinese Tradition, p. 170). Other Confucians also adopted the idea of oneness of Heaven and man. â€Å"All things exist together, and they do not harm each other; all ways exist together, and they do not come into conflict† – Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean). In the film Red Cliff, an example of acting out against nature or Heaven can be seen from Cao Cao’s perception of the war.When Cao Cao tells Zhou Yu that he cannot believe he lost the war because of the wind, Zhou Yu replies him, â€Å"Because you d on’t understand the Will of Heaven. † The meaning of this phrase can be seen as having two connotations. The first, because Cao Cao did not understand the patterns of the weather, he was unable to predict the time when the wind was going to change directions. The second significance has a more profound undertone in which Zhou Yu means that Cao Cao did not recognize the natural order wherein society should follow under harmonized principles that the Heavens intended (tian yi, . Because Cao Cao always thought he was responsible for bringing together all the states as an order of the Emperor, he could not see past his own greed and ambitions. He perceived the war as child’s play and disrupts peace in the country to achieve his goal of total dominance. His belief of unifying the states contradicts the early philosophers’ notions of all things existing in harmony and having self cultivation and moral order as the true â€Å"Will of Heaven†. ConclusionIn conclusion, one can see that classical Chinese philosophers developed ideas that are rarely seen in Western philosophies. The Chinese philosophies characterize how fundamental they perceive moral principles and self cultivation as the basis of society. Essentially, these notions relate to the promotion of human relations towards a harmonious society through its inclusiveness of Heaven, Earth, and Human order. Reference List De, Bary William Theodore, Irene Bloom, Wing-tsit Chan, Joseph Adler, and Richard John Lufrano.Sources of Chinese Tradition. New York: Columbia UP, 1999. Print Hagop Sarkissian. â€Å"Individualism in Early China: Human Agency and the Self in Thought and Politics (review). † Philosophy East and West 62. 3 (2012): 408-410. Project MUSE. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. . Red Cliff Chi Bi. Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2008. DVD â€Å"Theories Concerning Man and Nature in Classical Chinese Philosophy. † CHAPTER I. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .

Louis Joseph Papineau essays

Louis Joseph Papineau essays Papineau was born October 7, 1786. He was an Aristocratic Seignior of the old school who inherited from his father the seigneury of La Petite Nation (The Small Nation) on the Ottawa River. He was Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1815 to 1823 and from 1825 to 1832. With his forceful interventions in the House and his popularity as a powerful speaker, Louis-Joseph Papineau became the champion of the nationalist movement. In his youth he had great faith in British Institutions and believed that the Quebec Act was all that French Canada needed to ensure a successful development. He believed in British parliamentary democracy for the sake of what I could bring to French Canada. His goal was self-government of Quebec un the British Crown. When he reached his middle age his view points changed. He was disillusioned with the British Constitutional way. The British-based government would evade the assembly in every way possible and he saw it as a poor base and example for the French Canadian to follow. He then turned to the American way. He admired the American way to insist on independence and the fundamental rights of each individual. Papineau ambitioned a democratic republic. As leader of the Canadian Party, which later became the Patriot Party, he made an important speech in the House of Assembly on February 28, 1834, on the Ninety-two Resolutions which criticized the oligarchic system of the government. He demanded that the elected assembly could have more control over colonial revenues, and more political control as well. London responded to these requests rejecting all the demands made, causing an economic crises (especially for the Farmers which couldnt afford new products to re-farm) to flourish in Lower Canada. Their terms only swelled the discontent, and rebellion took shape. In 1836, warrants were issued for the arrest of Louis-Joseph Papineau and the other main leade ...

Back-Channel Signal Definition and Examples

Backs .In conversation, a back-channel signal is a noise, gesture, expression, or word used by a listener to indicate that he or she is paying attention to a speaker. According to H.M. Rosenfeld (1978), the most common back-channel signals are head movements, brief vocalizations, glances, and facial expressions, often in combination. Examples and Observations Fabienne: I was looking at myself in the mirror.Butch Coolidge: Uh-huh?Fabienne: I wish I had a pot.Butch Coolidge: You were lookin in the mirror and you wish you had some pot?Fabienne: A pot. A pot belly. Pot bellies are sexy.(Pulp Fiction, 1994)We .. show we are listening and do not wish to interrupt by giving back-channel signals, such as yes, uh-huh, mhm, and other very short comments. These do not constitute turns or attempts to take the floor. On the contrary, they are indications that we expect the speaker to continue.(R. Macaulay, The Social Art: Language and Its Uses. Oxford University Press, 2006)Karen Pelly: Brent might learn a little lesson if his security camera got stolen.Hank Yarbo: Yeah.Karen Pelly: By someone.Hank Yarbo: Hmm.Karen Pelly: Someone he trusts.Hank Yarbo: Yeah, I suppose.Karen Pelly: Someone he would never suspect.Hank Yarbo: Yeah.Karen Pelly: Plot the cameras motion and approach from a blind spot. You could pull it off.(Security Cam, Corner Gas, 2004) Facial Expressions and Head Movements The face plays an important role in the communication process. A smile can express happiness, be a polite greeting, or be a back-channel signal. Some facial expressions are linked to the syntax structure of the utterance: eyebrows may raise on an accent and on nonsyntactically marked questions. Gaze and head movements are also part of the communicative process. (J. Cassell, Embodied Conversational Agents. MIT Press, 2000)And here Mrs. Aleshine nodded vigorously, not being willing to interrupt this entrancing story.(Frank R. Stockton, The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine, 1892) A Group Process Turn-taking and suppressing signals are given by the current speaker; they are used to defend the right to continue speaking on the same subject or with the same level of emphasis. ​Back-channel signals are communication acts by others, such as a person agreeing or disagreeing with the speaker. The types of signal and the rate at which they are used relate to the underlying group process, particularly the group regulatory forces. Meyers and Brashers (1999) found that groups use a form of participation reward system; those who are co-operating with the group receive helping communication behaviors and those in competition are received with communication-blocking behavior. (Stephen Emmitt and Christopher Gorse, Construction Communication. Blackwell, 2003)

Dimensions of national culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dimensions of national culture - Essay Example Music, theatre, fine arts, language and literature are developed in order to add some color and entertainment in everyday living, as well as improve on communication. Sports and educational syllabuses are also developed for entertainment and improvement of skills. All these facets of life among others keep on changing from one form the other thus enriching culture (Marcus, 1995). All of these developments are recorded for future references in different symbols including writing, drawings, cave paintings or passed from one person to another orally. As this culture is passed on it is modified through innovation, borrowing from others. Elements like language therefore constantly improve and diversify as time goes by (Cohen, 1985). This paper sets out to analyze the development of national culture and to explain why people within a certain nationality or region typically develop traits that are unique to themselves. The paper looks at how different cultural backgrounds affect persons wor king within an organization. It also explains the effects impede or support the realizations of the objectives of the said organization. Elements of Organizational Culture Every nation is renowned for certain things. For instance the vast majority of people of Britain enjoy association football [also known as soccer] whose rules were founded in that country in 1863; very much. This is different when compared to Americans who prefer their own version of football which is closer to the Rugby that is also loved a lot in Britain (Maccambridge, 2004). This same case applies to organizations. According to Hofstede(1980), national culture directly influences organizational culture. Organizations exist within countries and are therefore influenced by the prevailing culture within them. In his study of national cultural influences he identified four dimensions of culture. These he classified as power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism vs individualism and masculinity vs femininity (Hofstede, 1980). The first dimension, power distance, refers to the difference of power allowed by the society between the highest and lowest echelons of power. A high power difference score means that there is a great difference between the power wielded and the privileges enjoyed by people high ranking individuals and their lower ranking counterparts within the organization (Schein, 2005). A low score on the other hand means that everybody in the organization enjoys almost equal rights to anybody else (Schein, 2005). The measure of power distance in different nationalities revealed that countries such as Australia, Austria, Denmark and Israel had some of the lowest power distance levels while sub-Saharan African and Malaysia among others had the highest (Hofstede, 1980). The second one uncertainty avoidance refers to extent of anxiety about the unknown in a society. In cultures where there is strong uncertainty avoidance, people prefer operating with explicit rules and laws that govern labor and social relations. Employees in this system tend to keep the same job for long since they feel less uncertain about the future and feel strongly that the rules guarantee their rights. The societies with weak