Death Unto Life essays

Death Unto Life essays Death Unto Life Is the mind capable of producing a pure thought? I think not. We live in a world influenced by power, prejudice, and greed among other things. It is a world where people inheritably accept the values and morals of their society. As a product of our environment we cannot help to be overcome by the fears, wants, and desires that flow through our world so readily. It is these very things which make us incapable of pure thought. Our thoughts are and always will remain impure as long as our body produces these opinions; the very poison that contaminates our thoughts. In Phaedo, a fictionalized account of Socratese, Plato speaks of the separation of the soul and body. He speaks of pure knowledge and reasoning without the use of the senses, a facet we find so necessary in almost any earthly task. Then he will do this most perfectly who approaches the object with thought alone, without associating any sight with his thought, or dragging in any sense perception with his reasoning, but who, using pure thought alone, tries to track down each reality pure and by itself, freeing himself as far as possible from eyes and ears, and in a word, from the whole body, because the body confuses the soul when it is associated with it. Will not that man reach such a reality? (Phaedo, 66e). The world as we know it will never theoretically be the world, as we know it, that is, until our body and soul are separated. What our body perceives and what our soul perceives are two separate entities. One goes through life with the precognition that they understand their surroundings. That when we view a beautiful painting we fully understand the essence of beauty and the aspects, which attribute to that painting being beautiful. A beautiful summer day may seem beautiful because it is comparable to that of other summer days. But what truly makes it beautiful? Perhaps it is really ugly ...

Free Essays on Vice-presidency

INTRO-THE VICE PRESIDENCY John Nance Garner disparagingly quipped, â€Å" [it] wasn’t worth a pitcher of warm spit.† Charles Dawes reciprocated his successors’ denigration by sniping, â€Å"This is a hell of a job. I can only do two things: one is sit up here and listen to you birds talk†¦the other is to look at newspapers every morning to see how the President’s health is.† Additionally, even John Adams, one of the most revered and illustrious pioneers of our democratic state, vilified the office he was first to hold, as, â€Å"†¦the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.† If the office, prey to the verbal assails above isn’t apparent to you, then I should divulge the obvious: it is the United States Office of the Vice Presidency. The American Vice-Presidency, despite once serving as a stepping stone for fourteen future presidents, has candidly always been regarded as the most ineffe ctive and ignored Constitutional office in the U.S. These days, on the forefront of the twenty first century, we are far from being embroiled in a constitutional crisis debating the necessity of this office, yet the proposition to abolish the vice-presidency has and does surface from time to time. While, I was moved by the quotes I read from former VPs, such as Spiro T. Agnew, who joked, â€Å"A little over a week ago, I took a rather unusual step for a vice president†¦I said something,† I elected not to support the abolition of the vice-presidency. Those who differ, craft convincing arguments outlining why the Executive Branch, that creates the conflict of a â€Å"[man] is nothing but†¦may be everything,† is in need of such a reform. The forefront of these arguments by anti-VPs is the â€Å"flawed†12th amendment, which details how the presidency is succeeded if its officeholder can no longer serve. The irrationality in their view is that the 12th amendment pla... Free Essays on Vice-presidency Free Essays on Vice-presidency INTRO-THE VICE PRESIDENCY John Nance Garner disparagingly quipped, â€Å" [it] wasn’t worth a pitcher of warm spit.† Charles Dawes reciprocated his successors’ denigration by sniping, â€Å"This is a hell of a job. I can only do two things: one is sit up here and listen to you birds talk†¦the other is to look at newspapers every morning to see how the President’s health is.† Additionally, even John Adams, one of the most revered and illustrious pioneers of our democratic state, vilified the office he was first to hold, as, â€Å"†¦the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.† If the office, prey to the verbal assails above isn’t apparent to you, then I should divulge the obvious: it is the United States Office of the Vice Presidency. The American Vice-Presidency, despite once serving as a stepping stone for fourteen future presidents, has candidly always been regarded as the most ineffe ctive and ignored Constitutional office in the U.S. These days, on the forefront of the twenty first century, we are far from being embroiled in a constitutional crisis debating the necessity of this office, yet the proposition to abolish the vice-presidency has and does surface from time to time. While, I was moved by the quotes I read from former VPs, such as Spiro T. Agnew, who joked, â€Å"A little over a week ago, I took a rather unusual step for a vice president†¦I said something,† I elected not to support the abolition of the vice-presidency. Those who differ, craft convincing arguments outlining why the Executive Branch, that creates the conflict of a â€Å"[man] is nothing but†¦may be everything,† is in need of such a reform. The forefront of these arguments by anti-VPs is the â€Å"flawed†12th amendment, which details how the presidency is succeeded if its officeholder can no longer serve. The irrationality in their view is that the 12th amendment pla...

If people are just complex machines, what does that suggest about the Essay

If people are just complex machines, what does that suggest about the moral status of machines Could I be committing murder every time I turn off my computer - Essay Example Every machine has a system that makes it work, which is composed of several electrical and mechanical subsystems. Likewise, human body functions as a result of mutual work of circulatory system, digestive system, and respiratory system etc. On the other hand, like every machine either needs charging or fueling to work, human body needs food for the systems to work. This paper analyzes the moral status of the act of turning a computer off and discusses whether it can be called as a murder or not in light of the perception that humans are just complex machines. While humans may qualify to be called machines keeping these factors in mind, there is a very important factor that humans contain that machines do not; Emotions. Humans have feelings. They can not only think, but also evaluate the pros and cons of different options and select the most suitable option in a given context. Machines do not have this capability. Some machines like computers do have the capability to evaluate the different variables of certain mathematical procedures, but that knowledge is fed into the computer by humans themselves. A computer does not have the capability to feel for something nor does any other machine. On this basis, it is irrational to define humans as complex machines. Hence, on the basis of the argument that humans are much more than complex machines, it is not justified to comment upon the moral status of machines as the laws of machines are different from those of the humans. While a human can be sentenced to death for having committed the murder of another human, a machine cannot be dealt with in the same way since the machine cannot commit murders in the first place. Likewise, turning a computer off is not similar to committing a murder. Concluding, on the basis of the points discussed in this paper, it is wrong to think of the act of turning a computer off

Relation of the issues, associated with the topic on global context of Research Paper

Relation of the issues, associated with the topic on global context of digital media, to the consumption of digital media - Research Paper Example However, digital media use can pose some significant for young people in relation to identity deception, placing them in the way of attack by other harmful virtual identities, as well as an unhealthy reliance on connectivity and feedback to other users. The paper seeks to answer a variety questions regarding the ethical gray areas in digital media space. How can self-expression online play a significantly positive role in the identity formation of a young person and what circumstances make identity play a deception? What do the youth gain by performing strategically and deliberately their various identities over a public forum? Finally, what are the potential costs to themselves, as well as to others? This paper focuses on the intersection between young people, digital media space and digital fluency. The perils and promises of the digital media space are especially salient when it concerns young people who have digital skills, spend a considerable amount of their time online and have begun to assume new identities there. These young individuals while being the best prepared to utilize digital media space for good tend to have high chances of perpetrating or becoming the victims of lapses in ethics. Psychological research into moral development is suggestive of the fact that, over time, experiences and social contexts affect the capacities for action and moral development. However, less is known in regard to the evolution of ethical and moral stances in the global digital space sphere. The development capacity of young people who are involved in digital media space is important, especially in the context of their capacities to discern ethical stakes in digital media space. There may be a need to revise the traditional psychological frameworks concerning moral development in light of the significantly distinct properties inherent in digital media space, coupled to the heavy participation of

Analyzing Success in the Stories of Martin Dressler and Robert Irwin Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Success in the Stories of Martin Dressler and Robert Irwin Essay When I first read Martin Dressler: The Tale of An American Dreamer, I thought it was a very inspiring book. It talked about the life of an individual whose hardwok and perseverance took him to the top of his dreams. Well, it can be inspiring in some way. Holding to your dreams and trying your best is one of the main themes of the story. However, after I finished the book, I realized that it was not as inspiring as I thought it is. For me, it is now a book that tells something about the bitter side of life and success. It exposes one of the painful things this world is trying to conceal—that success is the golden crown of an empty heart. From the story of Martin Dressler, I realized that success is not as great as what most of us think and dream of. Success is a traitor that kidnaps the people’s opportunities to be happy with the one they love. Once success has kidnapped you, it will ask for your most precious possession—your family—as its ransom. As Martin Dressler moves to the top of his ladder of success, he also moves down to the pit of his decaying family. Following his dreams was indeed an achievement for him, but it was also the same thing that leads him to a miserable family life. In my opinion, most of us share the same situation with Martin Dressler. I, myself, have also experienced to be kidnapped by success. When I started college, which I consider as one of my greatest achievements because not everyone could have the access to good education, I noticed that I was becoming too busy with my studies that I almost forgot to spend some quality time with my family. I got too blinded with the achievement that I was holding with my hand. During that time, I feared that I might lose the chance to be in college if I would not get serious with my schooling. As a result, I spent most of my time inside my room and in the library studying. Until one day, my mother asked me to have a conversation with her. From that, I learned how fast my relationship with them has changed since I went to college. I realized my mistake and from then on, I incorporated good time management to my everyday life. For me, success can never bring danger if one knows how to manage his time well. Success can never betray you if you know how to deal with it. Another thing that I noticed with the character of Martin Dressler is his great ability to make things happen. If examined, he started barely from anything. His perseverance was very admirable, especially during in his time when only the rich people could afford to put up a business like what he had. On my own opinion, though, hardwork and perseverance is not enough. One’s character is not the only thing that matters when following a dream. A person should not think that he can achieve success by relying solely on his own. He should also consider the people around him. Through building good relationships with people, one can have a better reach of his dreams. Everyone of us is a dreamer. Most of our dreams are actually an American dream. To be successful is not bad. To be on top of our achievements is not selfishness. However, I realized that if we let our dreams to be our masters, the more it is hard for us to achieve them. Our dreams are our navigator to the place where we want to be in the future. But they should never be the center of our life for we might miss the real treasure—our family. Meanwhile, another book shares almost the same things of Martin Dressler’s story—Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees, presenting the life of the American installation artist Robert Irwin. Although both characters have opposing personalities and were born in two different time frames, Martin Dressler and Robert Irwin still share the same experiences and philosophy in life. Both of their stories are a representation of a fulfilled dream—Dressler in achieving his dream of becoming a successful businessman, and Irwin in achieving his dream of finding the best field where he excels at. The two biographical writers namely Steven Millhauser and Lawrence Weschler, however, used two different approaches in portraying Dressler and Irwin. Millhauser, in his book The Tale of an American Dreamer, has included not only the beautiful and inspiring aspect of Dressler’s life but also the downside effect of the success he achieved. This was not incorporated by Weschler in presenting the life of Irwin. For me, his book simply narrates how Irwin started to have interest in the field of arts, how he became a painter, how he became inquisitive with his artistic limitations, and how he finally got his way to the field of installation art. Reading the first few pages of the book Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees, I easily got hooked into it. The first part was describing Irwin’s childhood and the people and the kind of environment that mainly influenced him. However, as I continue reading, I felt alienated in the way Weschler describing things on Irwin’s craft. Sometimes, I found myself clueless of what he was narrating. Probably it is because I have no idea at all with some of the jargons in painting and installation art. There were some words that I did not understand and required me to research about them. The book, for me, seems a little bit technical if compared to the book The Tale of an American Dreamer. Analyzing the main character’s life, though, leads me to conclude that his story is nevertheless the same as ours. In some point in our lives, we get confused on which path it is that we really will be taking. Everday, we are confronted with many choices, from the time we awake up to the time we take rest. It then makes me wonder how people make choices, specifically the right ones. What could be their criteria? In my own point of view, people make their choices by selecting the option where they would feel greater happiness or fulfillment. But depending on what kind of person you are, happiness and fulfillment is very subjective. Everyone has his own story when asked about what it is that makes him happy and fulfilled. Eventhough it is hard to agree on such an issue, I think the important thing to remember is that we fully identify and know ourselves. By knowing ourselves means knowing our needs, including our need for happiness. When we recognize this need, then I think it is easier for us to know where we can find happiness. This for me is what the book about Irwin’s life represents. He looked for his happiness by addressing his need to express his thoughts and his self. For me, the works that he did can make him feel that a portion of his self is being fulfilled. Talking about dreams, Dressler and Irwin, for me, are both portrayers of it. However, they represent dreams in two different faces: one is a dream in exchange for something, and two is a dream in search for something. It seems to me that Dressler’s American dream is crueler than Irwin’s dream. Although self- fulfilling, Dressler’s idea of success yields more on the financial aspect as compared to the psychological one that Irwin has. For me, that of Irwin’s is a degree higher than that of Dressler. As a result, both of them gained successes that are in two different aspects, too. What Dressler achieved is a financial success while Irwin attained a more personal one. Works Cited Millhauser, Steven. The Tale of an American Dreamer. New York: Vintage Books, 1997 Weschler, Lawrence. Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees. USA: University of the California Press, 1982

The Study and Findings of Climatology in Nepal Essay -- Climae Environ

The Study and Findings of Climatology in Nepal In many areas in Nepal, the history of climatology only dates back to 1956. Around this time, the Indian Meteorological Department instituted stations in various areas around the country, which were eventually taken over by the Nepalese government in 1966. Having these stations in place has given scientists significant insight into the Nepalese climate. However, some of the Indian equipment remained in the Nepalese stations, and unfortunately many Indian findings vary significantly from the Nepalese records of the same areas. Therefore, some information is unreliable, coupled by the fact that not all stations have operated since the start of the program (Thyer, 645). However, there are other sources of NepalÕs climate history, like extracts from articles written by climatologists from other countries, like Japan, the US, Germany, and France (Thyer, 645). Nepal is a small country, land-locked between India and the Tibet region of China in South America. It is 900 kilometers from east to west, and 150 to 250 kilometers from north to south (Spence, 223). Nepal is home to eight of the ten highest mountain peaks in the world, most notably Mount Everest, which lies at 8,848 meters. In contrast, some of the areas that are situated lower in Nepal are only about eighty meters above sea level. Clearly, Nepal has much climate variation; in fact, the climate progresses from tropical to arctic within a 200-kilometer area from south to north (Agrawala, 12). There are five geographical regions in Nepal (though, sometimes the mountain regions are grouped together as one). The Terai plain is the southernmost strip, bordered to the north by the Himala... ... Works Cited Agrawala, Shardul, Vivian Raksakulthai, Marteen van Aalst, Peter Larsen, Joel Smith, and John Reynolds. Development and Climate Change in Nepal: Focus on Water Resources and Hydropower. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2003. Spence, Captain F.S. Himalayan Survey. The Geographical Journal. Vol.153, No.2. July 1987. Thyer, Norman. Looking at Western NepalÕs Climate. The University of Calgary. June 1985. Unknown-1. Introductions about Nepal: Geography and Climate. Himalayan Dreams.com http://www.himalayandreams.com/climate.html Unknown-2. Nepal Weather. Adventure Travel with iExplore. 2007. http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Nepal/Weather+and+Climate Unknown-3. Kathmandu Climate and Weather. Globe Media Ltd., 2007. http://www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Nepal/Kathmandu/Climate

Jim Crow Laws in to Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Whites Rise, Blacks Fall â€Å"Not only a Finch waiting on tables, but one in the courthouse lawing for n*****s!† (135). This is an insult clearly said by Mrs. Dubose, a fictional character introduced by Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird. It is evident from Mrs. Dubose’s statement that blacks are discriminated against in Maycomb County, Lee’s fictional setting located in Alabama. The â€Å"Jim Crow† laws cause the inequality in the Maycomb community. The laws keep Negros from having the same rights as white citizens: â€Å"She ran to the front porch†¦she’s supposed to go around in back† (124). Scout, another fictional character created by Lee, is stating this. She is referring to the point that their black cook, Calpurnia, is going to the front door of a neighbor’s house instead of the back. The â€Å"Jim Crow† laws plainly explain that no Negro is supposed to go to the front of a white man’s house; blacks have to knock and enter from the back. Lee illustrates that the racial â€Å"Jim Crow† laws enforce segregation on social treatment to blacks and n*****-lovers in To Kill a Mockingbird. Negroes are considered as trash due to the influence of the â€Å"Jim Crow† laws. Mrs. Dubose mentions â€Å"Your father is no better than the n*****s and trash he works for!† to Scout one afternoon. (135). At this point in the story, Scout is almost accustomed to having insults thrown at her, but this is the first one from a mature adult. (136). Due to the â€Å"Jim Crow† laws, blacks and people who try to restore a bit of equality are given ghastly names. Atticus, another fictitious character of Lee and is also Scout’s father, tells Scout that â€Å"n*****-lover is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything–like snot-nose†¦ignorant , trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It’s slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody† (144). Negroes and white citizens who do not discriminate against blacks are given the nicknames â€Å"n*****s† and â€Å"n*****-lovers†. Those who try to make life better for a colored citizen are victimized along with the blacks. â€Å"†¦ now he’s turned out a n*****-lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again† (110) Most of the white population gets to be inhumane whenever blacks are mentioned in a discussion. Atticus does not get â€Å"why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a  Negro comes up† (117). Many colored citizens do not receive any education because of the â€Å"Jim Crow† laws. â€Å"Atticus said that Calpurnia had more education than most colored folks† (32) Due to the â€Å"Jim Crow† laws, the whites preside and discriminate against the Negros for a very long and dreary period. In Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, there is concrete evidence of the effect of the â€Å"Jim Crow† laws on her fictional characters and setting. The blacks in the story are bullied by most of the white population. The segregating laws prevent education for the blacks and regular day-to-day privileges that whites receive. Most of all, the â€Å"Jim Crow† laws counteract fairness and equality.

Critical Thinking Paul and Elder

Without reading the assigned chapter, and just looking at the stages of development of critical thinking, I immediately labeled myself as a practicing thinker. However, after reading chapter two of Paul and Elder Critical Thinking, I realized I was not even close to being a practicing thinker. Paul and Elder list these stages: Stage One: The Unreflective Thinker (we are unaware of significant problems in our thinking) Stage Two: The Challenged Thinker (we become aware of problems in our thinking) Stage Three: The Beginning Thinker (we try to improve but without regular practice) Stage Four: The Practicing Thinker (we recognize the necessity of regular practice) Stage Five: The Advanced Thinker (we advance in accordance with our practice) Stage Six: The Master Thinker (skilled and insightful thinking become second nature to us) Difficult as it was to admit, I was compelled to place my critical thinking ability at stage one: The unreflective thinker. Prior to reading this chapter, I was not aware of any significant problems in my thinking. I did not realize that I was continually making assumptions, forming concepts, drawing inferences, and thinking within points of view. My judgment of people as bad or good, based on my moral upbringing, further confirmed me as the unreflective thinker. Also, never having seriously questioned my thinking or its implications. Having made the decision to grow and develop as a thinker, my goals now include, making better decision through critical thinking and creative problem solving, and presenting my ideas clearly and concisely. I also realize that critical thinking is a skill that is learned and requires practice. Having these realizations, I can now move on to the Challenged Thinker stage. Paul and Elder note that â€Å"we have great capacity. But most of it is dormant; most is undeveloped. Improvement in thinking is like improvement in basketball, in ballet, or in playing the saxophone. It is unlikely to take place in the absence of a conscious commitment to learn. As long as we take our thinking for granted, we don’t do the work required for improvement. †

Fight the Good Fight Against Creeping Errors

Fight the Good Fight Against Creeping Errors Fight the Good Fight Against Creeping Errors Fight the Good Fight Against Creeping Errors By Mark Nichol Editing, the skill set practiced by the other half of my writer/editor dual personality, is a pleasurable pursuit for me. It enables me to practice problem solving, help people express themselves, and improve my own writing. But as I peruse some of the prose I examine professionally more than a million words each year I repeatedly come across banal but annoying errors that baffle me. There are corollaries of these mistakes in every profession, and in the personal compartments of one’s life. They’re the editorial equivalent of finding that the toilet seat has been left up. (I’m sure you can think of cognates in your experience.) These are among those indefensible editorial errors that seem to perpetuate themselves like a virus, inconsequential in isolation but aggravating in the aggregate. One irritating error I find often is the intrusive framing of a name in commas when it is an appositive of a preceding description of the person named, as in â€Å"The exhibition showcases the work of photographer, Mathew Brady, who produced many iconic images from the Civil War era.† This mistake is rarely replicated in well-edited publications. Unfortunately, many people are corrupted by its ubiquitous appearance in not-so-well-edited publications, and it is thus passed on to infect others. (This error is no doubt influenced by a superficially similar and correct construction: â€Å"The exhibition showcases the work of the photographer, Mathew Brady, who produced many iconic images from the Civil War era.† This is correct form only if the photographer has already been referred to as such in a previous sentence without being named. Also, some publications precede an epithet describing a prominent person with the as in â€Å"The exhibition showcases the work of the photographer Mathew Brady, who produced many iconic images from the Civil War era† though the insertion is an unnecessary affection but notice that the name is not set off by a pair of commas.) Many other examples of such evergreen errors exist, including words misspelled (definately in place of definitely), imperfectly rendered because they’re imperfectly heard (supposably substituting for supposedly), unnecessarily augmented (irregardless, when regardless is sufficient), or faultily combined (alot instead of â€Å"a lot†). The persistent prevalence of these mutations is baffling, considering that the correct forms are found in any self-respecting publication. But the answer must lie in the explosion of email and texting, the proliferation of blogs and websites with less-than-rigorous editing, and the erosion of editorial quality in traditional print publications. The only defense against deterioration of grammar, syntax, usage, spelling, and punctuation standards is careful writing and careful editing with the assistance of good role models, knowledgeable editors, and reliable reference sources. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know36 Poetry Terms1,462 Basic Plot Types

Redesigned SAT Essay Prompts

Redesigned SAT Essay Prompts    The SAT Essay is no longer a simple read and respond kind of a prompt where the tester forms his or her own opinion on a topic and supports it with facts and examples. The Redesigned SAT essay prompts require the tester to read a persuasive text, and then analyze the authors opinion, explaining how the author builds his or her argument.   Redesigned SAT Essay Prompts Here are some prompts from the College Board and the Khan Academy, followed by a prompt on this page so you can get started practicing right now! College Board SAT Essay Prompt 1College Board SAT Essay Prompt 2Khan Academy SAT Essay Prompt Practice With a Redesigned SAT Essay Prompt Now As you read the passage below, consider how Caroline Walker  uses evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed. Adapted from Caroline Walker, Media Outlets Are Getting the Drift That a Daily Dose of Heavy News Isnt Enough for Well-Rounded Brains.  © 2009 by the HuffingtonPost.com Originally published September 6, 2009. Caroline Walker is a freelance writer and editor. There’s a trend catching on in the news; it’s called seeing the bright side and it couldnt come at a better time. Despite associations with earnest idealism, â€Å"goodness† is a smart sell. It comes down to marketing logic - with the side benefit of possibly changing our collective conscience for the better. It’s about using language that engages readers and keep our hopelessness at bay. We already know what it feels like to be beaten over the head with gut-wrenching headlines. The timing is right to try something new. It starts simply, with softer columns peppered in among gruesome stories. Take this example from the New York Times, published a little while back and earning hefty responses from a slew of fans. In â€Å"The Consolation of Animalsâ€Å" by Richard Conniff, the author talks about witnessing animals in their element, watching wildlife do its thing. He makes the case that experiencing the wild kingdom doesn’t require an expensive safari or a swim down the Amazon. Check your backyard, your nearest pond, your shadiest tree. â€Å"People who do dumb stuff like racing red-throated loons down a beach in the dead of winter - or even just stopping to admire swans flying overhead, their wings creaking like door hinges - are liable to get a reputation for being a little nuts. But I prefer to think of it as what makes me almost sane. These encounters with the lords of life (and also with the soybeans) pull me up out of the pettiness and stupidity of my workaday life.† The post drew my attention to its home on the newish Times series called â€Å"Happy Days: The Pursuit of What Matters in Troubled Times.† Most headlines skew toward doom and gloom, leaving feel-good stories in the dust. Digging through daily articles to search for inspiring ones can sometimes feel like a futile treasure hunt. We know they’re out there, everywhere... they’re just not always easy to find. Media outlets also seem to be recognizing that a reader can only take so much heaviness, and that if we’re going to pitch in toward making things better in our world we’ve got to be reminded that there’s plenty of goodness to be found. From the Happy Days site: â€Å"The severe economic downturn has forced many people to reassess their values and the ways they act on them in their daily lives. For some, the pursuit of happiness, sanity, or even survival, has been transformed. Happy Days is a discussion about the search for contentment in its many forms - economic, emotional, physical, spiritual - and the stories of those striving to come to terms with the lives they lead.† The Times isn’t alone. CNN started the CNN Heroes series last year, and it’s still going strong. Then NBC Nightly News and Brian Williams asked readers to offer their own â€Å"good news† stories. Submissions - and requests - for positive news poured in. It can’t be long before others catch on and balance the necessity of learning about the world’s tragedies and struggles with the desire to hear about humanity’s efforts to heal these wounds. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve reached a point of compassion fatigue where crisis and tragedy don’t penetrate our brains and hearts in a sufficiently empathy-provoking way. We need balance. It’s important to know about war and economic crashes, disease and catastrophe that affect our world, but without anything to counter the heaviness, it makes for a rather desolate template. The state of affairs starts looking hopeless, change seems elusive, and the Kardashians become infinitely more mentally digestible than foreclosure rates and bombings. Wanting to re-frame issues in a good light isn’t just idealism; it’s responsible business and effective persuasion. It’s a little bit of subliminal manipulation, and it’s all good as far as I’m concerned - re-frame an issue with a positive slant and we can trick readers into learning about concerns that need our collective attention. It’s official: Kindness is cool. Nice is all right. Good news is here to stay. SAT Essay Prompt:   Write an essay in which you explain how Caroline Walker  builds an argument to persuade her audience that positive news stories are important. In your essay, analyze how Walker uses one or more of the features in the directions that precede the passage (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of her argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Walker’s claims, but rather explain how Walker builds an argument to persuade her audience.

Impact of WorkLife Balance on Employee Performance Essay

Impact of WorkLife Balance on Employee Performance - Essay Example In this paper, the main discussion will be centered on reviewing the relevant literature about the measures that can be implemented by the organization in order to create a fine balance between the needs of the employees and the company so as to enhance positive outcomes for both parties. According to Beauregard and Henry, â€Å"Competing demands between work and home have assumed increased relevance for employees in recent years, due in large part to demographic and workplace changes such as rising numbers of women in the labour force, an ageing population, longer working hours, and more sophisticated communications technology enabling near constant contact with the workplace†. In as far as work balance is concerned, the employees should also be in a position to cater to their own family needs and interests. There are likely to be positive outcomes for both the employees and the employers. Research has shown that employees who are not given the opportunity to pursue their own goals are less satisfied in their work compared to those who are given the autonomy to make decisions that can impact on their goals and the needs of the organization. Jackson and Schuler argue that employees are not only motivated by financial gains but the autonomy to make decisions as well as to pursue their personal goals. This helps to create quality relationships between the employees and the organizations where mutual understanding can be enhanced. Against the rising demand of the need to create good industrial relations where dialogue between the employees and the employers can be supported to work together for the betterment of the company as a whole, the UK government has established The Partnership at Work Fund and it was launched under the Government grant scheme through the Department of Trade and Industry in 1999.

Federalist Papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Federalist Papers - Essay Example For Madison, the faction in a government creates a problem because a certain select individuals who are minorities are inimical to the greater good. Individuals being men, are predisposed to advance interests favorable to him and this creates a problem in public service. Moreover, when faction rules the government, the people belonging to such faction will only advance their own self interests rather than public good. Being such, government agencies will just become a vehicle of private greed instead of an instrument that will serve greater good. Madison pointed out that a government dominated by a faction is no longer a democracy because it only serves the narrow interest of few people. In sum, factions create problem in government because self-interest will rule instead of advancing public interest and public service. The strength of the Federalist Paper No.10 lies in its proposal on how to address the faction in government and how to at least minimize its adverse effects. In the Federalist Paper No.10, the idea of a republic is proposed as a solution to the problem posed by a faction. This proposed republic is different from the pure and populist democracy because it is capable of protecting minorities and promotes greater good than pure democracy which could become a vehicle that will be used by factions. According to the Federalist Paper No.10, the weakness of a republican government can be reduced through the mechanism of representation. This kind of mechanism allows a greater probability for capable leaders to be elected than just those who are popular but only represents the interest of a faction. Having capable leaders to be elected in office is favorable to people because they would tend to craft policies that serves the greater good and will tend to advance the interest of the many instead of the few such as those interest inherent in a faction. Also,