Pre-Socratic Philosophers Essay

â€Å"Pre-Socratic† is the expression commonly used to describe those Greek thinkers who lived and wrote between 600 and 400 B.C. It was the Pre-Socratics who attempted to find universal principles which would explain the natural world from its origins to man’s place in it. Although Socrates died in 399 B.C., the term â€Å"Pre-Socratic† indicates not so much a chronological limit, but rather an outlook or range of interests, an outlook attacked by both Protagoras (a Sophist) and Socrates, because natural philosophy was worthless when compared with the search for the â€Å"good life.†To give the Pre-Socratic thinkers their full due would require an article of encyclopedic scope. Given that, I have decided to list a number of sites on individual Pre-Socratic thinkers.Anaximander1. Life and SourcesThe history of written Greek philosophy starts with Anaximander of Miletus in Asia Minor, a fellow-citizen of Thales. He was the first who dared to write a treatise in prose, which has been called traditionally On Nature. This book has been lost, although it probably was available in the library of the Lyceum at the times of Aristotle and his successor Theophrastus. It is said that Apollodorus, in the second century BCE, stumbled upon a copy of it, perhaps in the famous library of Alexandria. Recently, evidence has appeared that it was part of the collection of the library of Taormina in Sicily, where a fragment of a catalogue has been found, on which Anaximander’s name can be read. Only one fragment of the book has come down to us, quoted by Simplicius (after Theophrastus), in the sixth century AD. It is perhaps the most famous and most discussed phrase in the history of philosophy.We also know very little of Anaximander’s life. He is said to have led a mission that founded a colony called Apollonia on the coast of the Black Sea. He also probably introduced the gnomon (a perpendicular sun-dial) into Greece and erected one in Sparta. So he seems to have been a much-traveled man, which is not astonishing, as the Milesians were known to be audacious sailors. It is also reported that he displayed solemn manners and wore pompous garments. Most of the information on Anaximander comes from Aristotle and his pupil Theophrastus, whose book on the history of philosophy was used, excerpted, and quoted by many other authors, the so-called doxographers, before it was lost. Sometimes, in these texts words or expressions appear that can with some certainty be ascribed  to Anaximander himself. Relatively many testimonies, approximately one third of them, have to do with astronomical and cosmological questions. Hermann Diels and Walter Kranz have edited the doxography (A) and the existing texts (B) of the Presocratic philosophers in Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, Berlin 1951-19526. (A quotation like â€Å"DK 12A17†³ means: â€Å"Diels/Kranz, Anaximander, doxographical report no.17†³).| 2. The â€Å"Boundless† as Principle According to Aristotle and Theophrastus, the first Greek philosophers were looking for the â€Å"origin† or â€Å"principle† (the Greek word â€Å"archà ªÃ¢â‚¬  has both meanings) of all things. Anaximander is said to have identified it with â€Å"the Boundless† or â€Å"the Unlimited† (Greek: â€Å"apeiron,† that is, â€Å"that which has no boundaries†). Already in ancient times, it is complained that Anaximander did not explain what he meant by â€Å"the Boundless.† More recently, authors have disputed whether the Boundless should be interpreted as spatially or temporarily without limits, or perhaps as that which has no qualifications, or as that which is inexhaustible. Some scholars have even defended the meaning â€Å"that which is not experienced,† by relating the Greek word â€Å"apeiron† not to â€Å"peras† (â€Å"boundary,† â€Å"limit†), but to â€Å"perao† (â€Å"to experience,â⠂¬  â€Å"to apperceive†). The suggestion, however, is almost irresistible that Greek philosophy, by making the Boundless into the principle of all things, has started on a high level of abstraction. On the other hand, some have pointed out that this use of â€Å"apeiron† is atypical for Greek thought, which was occupied with limit, symmetry and harmony. The Pythagoreans placed the boundless (the â€Å"apeiron†) on the list of negative things, and for Aristotle, too, perfection became aligned with limit (Greek: â€Å"peras†), and thus â€Å"apeiron† with imperfection. Therefore, some authors suspect eastern (Iranian) influence on Anaximander’s ideas. Anaximenes (d. 528 BCE) According to the surviving sources on his life, Anaximenes flourished in the mid 6th century BCE and died around 528. He is the third philosopher of the Milesian School of philosophy, so named because like Thales and Anaximander, Anaximenes was an inhabitant of Miletus, in Ionia (ancient Greece). Theophrastus notes that Anaximenes was an associate, and possibly a student, of Anaximander’s. Anaximenes is best known for his doctrine that air is the source of all things. In this way, he differed with his predecessors like Thales, who held that water is the source of all things, and Anaximander, who thought that all things came from an unspecified boundless stuff. 2. Doctrine of Change Given his doctrine that all things are composed of air, Anaximenes suggested an interesting qualitative account of natural change: [Air] differs in essence in accordance with its rarity or density. When it is thinned it becomes fire, while when it is condensed it becomes wind, then cloud, when still more condensed it becomes water, then earth, then stones. Everything else comes from these. (DK13A5) Influence on later Philosophy Anaximenes’ theory of successive change of matter by rarefaction and condensation was influential in later theories. It is developed by Heraclitus (DK22B31), and criticized by Parmenides (DK28B8.23-24, 47-48). Anaximenes’ general theory of how the materials of the world arise is adopted by Anaxagoras(DK59B16), even though the latter has a very different theory of matter. Both Melissus (DK30B8.3) and Plato (Timaeus 49b-c) see Anaximenes’ theory as providing a common-sense explanation of change. Diogenes of Apollonia makes air the basis of his explicitly monistic theory. The Hippocratic treatise On Breaths uses air as the central concept in a theory of diseases. By providing cosmological accounts with a theory of change, Anaximenes separated them from the realm of mere speculation and made them, at least in conception, scientific theories capable of testing. Thales of Miletus (c. 620 BCE – c. 546 BCE) The ancient Greek philosopher Thales was born in Miletus in Greek Ionia. Aristotle, the major source for Thales’s philosophy and science, identified Thales as the first person to investigate the basic principles, the question of the originating substances of matter and, therefore, as the founder of the school of natural philosophy. Thales was interested in almost everything, investigating almost all areas of knowledge, philosophy, history, science, mathematics, engineering, geography, and politics. He  proposed theories to explain many of the events of nature, the primary substance, the support of the earth, and the cause of change. Thales was much involved in the problems of astronomy and provided a number of explanations of cosmological events which traditionally involved supernatural entities. His questioning approach to the understanding of heavenly phenomena was the beginning of Greek astronomy. Thales’ hypotheses were new and bold, and in freeing phenomena from godly intervention, he paved the way towards scientific endeavor. He founded the Milesian school of natural philosophy, developed the scientific method, and initiated the first western enlightenment. A number of anecdotes is closely connected to Thales’ investigations of the cosmos. When considered in association with his hypotheses they take on added meaning and are most enlightening. Thales was highly esteemed in ancient times, and a letter cited by Diogenes Laertius, and purporting to be from Anaximenes to Pythagoras, advised that all our discourse should begin with a reference to Thales (D.L. II.4). 1. The Writings of Thales Doubts have always existed about whether Thales wrote anything, but a number of ancient reports credit him with writings. Simplicius (Diels, Dox. p. 475) specifically attributed to Thales authorship of the so-called Nautical Star-guide. Diogenes Laertius raised doubts about authenticity, but wrote that ‘according to others [Thales] wrote nothing but two treatises, one On the Solstice and one On the Equinox‘ (D.L. I.23). Lobon of Argus asserted that the writings of Thales amounted to two hundred lines (D.L. I.34), and Plutarch associated Thales with opinions and accounts expressed in verse (Plutarch, De Pyth. or. 18. 402 E). Hesychius, recorded that ‘[Thales] wrote on celestial matters in epic verse, on the equinox, and much else’ (DK, 11A2). Callimachus credited Thales with the sage advice that navigators should navigate by Ursa Minor (D.L. I.23), advice which may have been in writing. Diogenes mentions a poet, Choerilus, who declared that ‘[Thales] was the first to maintain the immortality of the soul’ (D.L. I.24), and in De Anima, Aristotle’s words ‘from what is recorded about [Thales]‘, indicate that Aristotle was working from a written source. Diogenes recorded that  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ[Thales] seems by some accounts to have been the first to study astronomy, the first to predict eclipses of the sun and to fix the solstices; so Eudemus in his History of Astronomy. It was this which gained for him the admiration of Xenophanes and Herodotus and the notice of Heraclitus and Democritus’ (D.L. I.23). Eudemus who wrote a History of Astronomy, and also on geometry and theology, must be considered as a possible source for the hypotheses of Thales. The information provided by Diogenes is the sort of material which he would have included in his History of Astronomy, and it is possible that the titles On the Solstice, and On the Equinox were a vailable to Eudemus. Xenophanes, Herodotus, Heraclitus and Democritus were familiar with the work of Thales, and may have had a work by Thales available to them. A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the North or South Pole. The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun’s path (as seen from Earth) comes to a stop before reversing direction. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with the seasons. In many cultures the solstices mark either the beginning or the midpoint of winter and summer. The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense, as the date (day) when this occurs. The day of the solstice is either the â€Å"longest day of the year† (in summer) or the â€Å"shortest day of the year† (in winter) for any place on Earth, because the length of time between sunrise and sunset on that day is the yearly maximum or minimum for that place. Proclus recorded that Thales was followed by a great wealth of geometers, most of whom remain as honoured names. They commence with Mamercus, who was a pupil of Thales, and include Hippias of Elis, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Eudoxus of Cnidus, Philippus of Mende, Euclid, and Eudemus, a friend of Aristotle, who wrote histories of arithmetic, of astronomy, and of geometry, and many lesser known names. It is possible that writings of Thales were available to some of these men. Any records which Thales may have kept would have been an advantage in his own work. This is especially true of mathematics, of the dates and times determined when fixing the solstices, the positions of stars, and in  financial transactions. It is difficult to believe that Thales would not have written down the information he had gathered in his travels, particularly the geometry he investigated in Egypt and his measuring of the height of the pyramid, his hypotheses about nature, and the cause of change. Proclus acknowledged Thales as the discoverer of a number of specific theorems (A Commentary on the First Book of Euclid’s Elements 65. 8-9; 250. 16-17). This suggests that Eudemus, Proclus’s source had before him the written records of Thales’s discoveries. How did Thales ‘prove’ his theorems if not in written words and sketches? The works On the Solstice, On the Equinox, which were attributed to Thales (D.L. I.23), and the ‘Nautical Star guide, to which Simplicius referred, may have been sources for the History of Astronomy of Eudemus (D.L. I.23). Pythagoras (c.570—c.495 BCE) The pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Pythagoras must have been one of the world’s greatest persons, but he wrote nothing, and it is hard to say how much of the doctrine we know as Pythagorean is due to the founder of the society and how much is later development. It is also hard to say how much of what we are told about the life of Pythagoras is trustworthy; for a mass of legend gathered around his name at an early date. Sometimes he is represented as a man of science, and sometimes as a preacher of mystic doctrines, and we might be tempted to regard one or other of those characters as alone historical. The truth is that there is no need to reject either of the traditional views. The union of mathematical genius and mysticism is common enough. Originally from Samos, Pythagoras founded at Kroton (in southern Italy) a society which was at once a religious community and a scientific school. Such a body was bound to excite jealousy and mistrust, and we hear of many struggles. Pythagoras himself had to flee from Kroton to Metapontion, where he died. It is stated that he was a disciple of Anaximander, his astronomy was the natural development of Anaximander’s. Also, the way in which the Pythagorean geometry developed also bears witness to its descent from that of Miletos. The great problem at this date was the duplication of the square, a problem which gave rise to the theorem of the square on the hypotenuse, commonly  known still as the Pythagorean proposition (Euclid, I. 47). If we were right in assuming that Thales worked with the old 3:4:5 triangle, the connection is obvious. Pythagoras argued that there are three kinds of men, just as there are three classes of strangers who come to the Olympic Games. The lowest consists of those who come to buy and sell, and next above them are those who come to compete. Best of all are those who simply come to look on. Men may be classified accordingly as lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain. That seems to imply the doctrine of the tripartite soul, which is also attributed to the early Pythagoreans on good authority, though it is common now to ascribe it to Plato. There are, however, clear references to it before his time, and it agrees much better with the general outlook of the Pythagoreans. The comparison of human life to a gathering like the Games was often repeated in later days. Pythagoras also taught the doctrine of Rebirth or transmigration, which we may have learned from the contemporary Orphics. Xenophanes made fun of him for pretending to recognize the voice of a departed friend in the howls of a beaten dog. Empedocles seems to be referring to him when he speaks of a man who could remember what happened ten or twenty generations before. It was on this that the doctrine of Recollection, which plays so great a part in Plato, was based. The things we perceive with the senses, Plato argues, remind us of things we knew when the soul was out of the body and could perceive reality directly. There is more difficulty about the cosmology of Pythagoras. Hardly any school ever professed such reverence for its founder’s authority as the Pythagoreans. ‘The Master said so’ was their watchword. On the other hand, few schools have shown so much capacity for progress and for adapting themselves to new conditions. Pythagoras started from the cosmical system of Anaximenes. Aristotle tells us that the Pythagoreans represented the world as inhaling ‘air’ form the boundless mass outside it, and this ‘air’ is identified with ‘the unlimited’. When, however, we come to the process by which things are developed out of the ‘unlimited’, we observe a great change. We hear nothing more of ‘separating out’ or even of rarefaction and condensation. Instead of that we have the theory that what gives form to the  Unlimited is the Limit. That is the great contribution of Pythagoras to philosophy, and we must try to understand it. Now the function of the Limit is usually illustrated from the arts of music and medicine, and we have seen how important these two arts were for Pythagoreans, so it is natural to infer that the key to its meaning is to be found in them. It may be taken as certain that Pythagoras himself discovered the numerical ratios which determine the concordant intervals of the musical scale. Similar to musical intervals, in medicine there are opposites, such as the hot and the cold, the wet and the dry, and it is the business of the physician to produce a proper ‘blend’ of these in the human body. In a well-known passage of Plato’s Phaedo (86 b) we are told by Simmias that the Pythagoreans held the body to be strung like an instrument to a certain pitch, hot and cold, wet and dry taking the place of high and low in music. Musical tuning and health are alike means arising from the application of Limit to the Unlimited. It was natural for Pythagoras to look for something of the same kind in the world at large. Briefly stated, the doctrine of Pythagoras was that all things are numbers. In certain fundamental cases, the early Pythagoreans represented numbers and explained their properties by means of dots arrang ed in certain ‘figures’ or patterns. Zeno’s Paradoxes In the fifth century B.C.E., Zeno of Elea offered arguments that led to conclusions contradicting what we all know from our physical experience–that runners run, that arrows fly, and that there are many different things in the world. The arguments were paradoxes for the ancient Greek philosophers. Because most of the arguments turn crucially on the notion that space and time are infinitely divisible—for example, that for any distance there is such a thing as half that distance, and so on—Zeno was the first person in history to show that the concept of infinity is problematical. In his Achilles Paradox, Achilles races to catch a slower runner–for example, a tortoise that is crawling away from him. The tortoise has a head start, so if Achilles hopes to overtake it, he must run at least to the place where the tortoise presently is, but by the time he arrives there, it will have crawled to a new place, so then Achilles must run to this new place, but the  tortoise meanwhile will have crawled on, and so forth. Achilles will never catch the tortoise, says Zeno. Therefore, good reasoning shows that fast runners never can catch slow ones. So much the worse for the claim that motion really occurs, Zeno says in defense of his mentor Parmenides who had argued that motion is an illusion. Although practically no scholars today would agree with Zeno’s conclusion, we can not escape the paradox by jumping up from our seat and chasing down a tortoise, nor by saying Achilles should run to some other target place ahead of where the tortoise is at the moment. What is required is an analysis of Zeno’s own argument that does not get us embroiled in new paradoxes nor impoverish our mathematics and science. This article explains his ten known paradoxes and considers the treatments that have been offered. Zeno assumed distances and durations can be divided into an actual infinity (what we now call a transfinite infinity) of indivisible parts, and he assumed these are too many for the runner to complete. Aristotle‘s treatment said Zeno should have assumed there are only potential infinities, and that neither places nor times divide into indivisible parts. His treatment became the generally accepted solution until the late 19th century. The current standard treatment says Zeno was right to conclude that a runner’s path contains an actual infinity of parts, but he was mistaken to assume this is too many. This treatment employs the apparatus of calculus which has proved its indispensability for the development of modern science. In the twentieth century it finally became clear that disallowing actual infinities, as Aristotle wanted, hampers the growth of set theory and ultimately of mathematics and physics. This standard treatment took hundreds of years to perfect and was due to the flexibility of intellectuals who were willing to replace old theories and their concepts with more fruitful ones, despite the damage done to common sense and our naive intuitions. The article ends by exploring newer treatments of the paradoxes—and related paradoxes such as Thomson’s Lamp Paradox—that were developed since the 1950s. Parmenides (b. 510 BCE) Parmenides was a Greek philosopher and poet, born of an illustrious family about BCE. 510, at Elea in Lower Italy, and is is the chief representative of the Eleatic philosophy. He was held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens for his excellent legislation, to which they ascribed the prosperity and wealth of the town. He was also admired for his exemplary life. A â€Å"Parmenidean life† was proverbial among the Greeks. He is commonly represented as a disciple of Xenophanes. Parmenides wrote after Heraclitus, and in conscious opposition to him, given the evident allusion to Hericlitus: â€Å"for whom it is and is not, the same and not the same, and all things travel in opposite directions† (fr. 6, 8). Little more is known of his biography than that he stopped at Athens on a journey in his sixty-fifth year, and there became acquainted with the youthful Socrates. That must have been in the middle of the fifth century BCE., or shortly after it. Parmenides broke with the older Ionic prose tradition by writing in hexameter verse. His didactic poem, called On Nature, survives in fragments, although the Proem (or introductory discourse) of the work has been preserved. Parmenides was a young man when he wrote it, for the goddess who reveals the truth to him addresses him as â€Å"youth.† The work is considered inartistic. Its Hesiodic style was appropriate for the cosmogony he describes in the second part, but is unsuited to the arid dialectic of the first. Parmenides was no born poet, and we must ask what led him to take this new departure. The example of Xenophanes’ poetic writings is not a complete explanation; for the poetry of Parmenides is as unlike that of Xenophanes as it well can be, and his style is more like Hesiod and the Orphics. In the Proem Parmenides describes his ascent to the home of the goddess who is supposed to speak the remainder of the verses; this is a reflexion of the conventional ascents i nto heaven which were almost as common as descents into hell in the apocalyptic literature of those days. The Proem opens with Parmenides representing himself as borne on a chariot and attended by the Sunmaidens who have quitted the Halls of Night to guide him on his journey. They pass along the highway till they come to the Gate of Night and Day, which is locked and barred. The key is in the keeping of Dike (Right), the Avenger, who is persuaded to unlock it by the Sunmaidens.  They pass in through the gate and are now, of course, in the realms of Day. The goal of the journey is the palace of a goddess who welcomes Parmenides and instructs him in the two ways, that of Truth and the deceptive way of Belief, in which is no truth at all. All this is described without inspiration and in a purely conventional manner, so it must be interpreted by the canons of the apocalyptic style. It is clearly meant to indicate that Parmenides had been converted, that he had passed from error (night) to truth (day), and the Two Ways must represent his former error and the truth which is now revealed to h im. There is reason to believe that the Way of Belief is an account of Pythagorean cosmology. In any case, it is surely impossible to regard it as anything else than a description of some error. The goddess says so in words that cannot be explained away. Further, this erroneous belief is not the ordinary man’s view of the world, but an elaborate system, which seems to be a natural development the Ionian cosmology on certain lines, and there is no other system but the Pythagorean that fulfils this requirement. To this it has been objected that Parmenides would not have taken the trouble to expound in detail a system he had altogether rejected, but that is to mistake the character of the apocalyptic convention. It is not Parmenides, but the goddess, that expounds the system, and it is for this reason that the beliefs described are said to be those of ‘mortals’. Now a description of the ascent of the soul would be quite incomplete without a picture of the region from which it had escaped. The goddess must reveal the two ways at the parting of which Parmenides stands, and bid him choose the better. The rise of mathematics in the Pythagorean school had revealed for the first time the power of thought. To the mathematician of all men it is the same thing that can be thought and that can be, and this is the principle from which Parmenides starts. It is impossible to think what is not, and it is impossible for what cannot be thought to be. The great question, Is it or is it not? is therefore equivalent to the question, Can it be thought or not? In any case, the work thus has two divisions. The first discusses the truth, and the second the world of illusion — that is, the world of the senses and the erroneous opinions of mankind founded upon them. In his opinion truth  lies in the perception that existence is, and error in the idea that non-existence also can be. Nothing can have real existence but what is conceivable; therefore to be imagined and to be able to exist are the same thing, and there is no development. The essence of what is conceivable is incapable of development, imperishable, immutable, unbounded, and indivisible. What is various and mutable, all development, is a delusive phantom. Perception is thought directed to the pure essence of being; the phenomenal world is a delusion, and the opinions formed concerning it can only be improbable. Parmenides goes on to consider in the light of this principle the consequences of saying that anything is. In the first place, it cannot have come into being. If it had, it must have arisen from nothing or from something. It cannot have arisen from nothing; for there is no nothing. It cannot have arisen from something; for here is nothing else than what is. Nor can anything else besides itself come into being; for there can be no empty space in which it could do so. Is it or is it not? If it is, then it is now, all at once. In this way Parmenides refutes all accounts of the origin of the world. Ex nihilo nihil fit. Further, if it is, it simply is, and it cannot be more or less. There is, therefore, as much of it in one place as in another. (That makes rarefaction and condensation impossible.) it is continuous and indivisible; for there is nothing but itself which could prevent its parts being in contact with one another. It is therefore full, a continuous indivisible plenum. (That is directed against the Pythagorean theory of a discontinuous reality.) Further, it is immovable. If it moved, it must move into empty space, and empty space is nothing, and there is no nothing. Also it is finite and spherical; for it cannot be in one direction any more than in another, and the sphere is the only figure of which this can be said. What is, therefore a finite, spherical, motionless, continuous plenum, and there is nothing beyond it. Coming into being and ceasing to be are mere ‘names’, and so is motion, and still more color and the like. They are not even thoughts; for a thought must be a thought of something that is, and none of these can be. Such is the conclusion to which the view of the real as a single body inevitably leads, and there is no escape from it. The ‘matter’ of our physical text-books is just the real of Parmenides; and, unless we can find room for something else than matter, we are shut up into his account of reality. No subsequent system could afford to ignore this, but of course it was impossible to acquiesce permanently in a doctrine like that of Parmenides. It deprives the world we know of all claim to existence, and reduces it to something which is hardly even an illusion. If we are to give an intelligible account of the world, we must certainly introduce motion again somehow. That can never be taken for granted any more, as it was by the early cosmologists; we must attempt to explain it if we are to escape from the conclusions of Parmenides. Heraclitus (fl. c.500 BCE) A Greek philosopher of the late 6th century BCE, Heraclitus criticizes his predecessors and contemporaries for their failure to see the unity in experience. He claims to announce an everlasting Word (Logos) according to which all things are one, in some sense. Opposites are necessary for life, but they are unified in a system of balanced exchanges. The world itself consists of a law-like interchange of elements, symbolized by fire. Thus the world is not to be identified with any particular substance, but rather with an ongoing process governed by a law of change. The underlying law of nature also manifests itself as a moral law for human beings. Heraclitus is the first Western philosopher to go beyond physical theory in search of metaphysical foundations and moral applications. Anaxagoras (c.500—428 BCE) Anaxagoras of Clazomenae was an important Presocratic natural philosopher and scientist who lived and taught in Athens for approximately thirty years. He gained notoriety for his materialistic views, particularly his contention that the sun was a fiery rock. This led to charges of impiety, and he was sentenced to death by the Athenian court. He avoided this penalty by leaving Athens, and he spent his remaining years in exile. While Anaxagoras proposed theories on a variety of subjects, he is most noted for two theories. First, he speculated that in the physical world everything contains a portion of everything else. His observation of how nutrition works in animals led him to conclude that in order for the food an animal eats to turn into bone,  hair, flesh, and so forth, it must already contain all of those constituents within it. The second theory of significance is Anaxagoras’ postulation of Mind (Nous) as the initiating and governing principle of the cosmos. Democritus ( 460—370 BCE) Democritus was born at Abdera, about 460 BCE, although according to some 490. His father was from a noble family and of great wealth, and contributed largely towards the entertainment of the army of Xerxes on his return to Asia. As a reward for this service the Persian monarch gave and other Abderites presents and left among them several Magi. Democritus, according to Diogenes Laertius, was instructed by these Magi in astronomy and theology. After the death of his father he traveled in search of wisdom, and devoted his inheritance to this purpose, amounting to one hundred talents. He is said to have visited Egypt, Ethiopia, Persia, and India. Whether, in the course of his travels, he visited Athens or studied under Anaxagoras is uncertain. During some part of his life he was instructed in Pythagoreanism, and was a disciple of Leucippus. After several years of traveling, Democritus returned to Abdera, with no means of subsistence. His brother Damosis, however, took him in. According to the law of Abdera, whoever wasted his patrimony would be deprived of the rites of burial. Democritus, hoping to avoid this disgrace, gave public lectures. Petronius relates that he was acquainted with the virtues of herbs, plants, and stones, and that he spent his life in making experiments upon natural bodies. He acquired fame with his knowledge of natural phenomena, and predicted changes in the weather. He used this ability to make people believe that he could predict future events. They not only viewed him as something more than mortal, but even proposed to put him in control of their public affairs. He preferred a contemplative to an active life, and therefore declined these public honors and passed the remainder of his days in solitude. Credit cannot be given to the tale that Democritus spent his leisure hours in chemical researches after the philosopher’s stone — the dream of a later age; or to the story of his conversation with Hippocrates concerning Democritus’s supposed madness, as based on spurious letters. Democritus has been commonly known as â€Å"The Laughing Philosopher,† and it is gravely related  by Seneca that he never appeared in public with out expressing his contempt of human follies while laughing. Accordingly, we find that among his fellow-citizens he had the name of â€Å"the mocker†. He died at more than a hundred years of age. It is said that from then on he spent his days and nights in caverns and sepulchers, and that, in order to master his intellectual faculties, he blinded himself with burning glass. This story, however, is discredited by the writers who mention it insofar as they say he wrote books and dissected animals, neither of which could be done we ll without eyes. Democritus expanded the atomic theory of Leucippus. He maintained the impossibility of dividing things ad infinitum. From the difficulty of assigning a beginning of time, he argued the eternity of existing nature, of void space, and of motion. He supposed the atoms, which are originally similar, to be impenetrable and have a density proportionate to their volume. All motions are the result of active and passive affection. He drew a distinction between primary motion and its secondary effects, that is, impulse and reaction. This is the basis of the law of necessity, by which all things in nature are ruled. The worlds which we see — with all their properties of immensity, resemblance, and dissimilitude — result from the endless multiplicity of falling atoms. The human soul consists of globular atoms of fire, which impart movement to the body. Maintaining his atomic theory throughout, Democritus introduced the hypothesis of images or idols (eidola), a kind of emanation from external objects, which make an impression on our senses, and from the influence of which he deduced sensation (aesthesis) and thought (noesis). He distinguished between a rude, imperfect, and therefore false perception and a true one. In the same manner, consistent with this theory, he accounted for the popular notions of Deity; partly through our incapacity to understand fully the phenomena of which we are witnesses, and partly from the impressions communicated by certain beings (eidola) of enormous stature and resembling the human figure which inhabit the air. We know these from dreams and the causes of divination. He carried his theory into practical philosophy also, laying down that happiness consisted in an even temperament. From this he deduced his moral principles and prudential maxims. It was from Democritus that  Epicurus borrowed the princi pal features of his philosophy. Empedocles (c.492—432 BCE) Empedocles (of Acagras in Sicily) was a philosopher and poet: one of the most important of the philosophers working before Socrates (the Presocratics), and a poet of outstanding ability and of great influence upon later poets such as Lucretius. His works On Nature and Purifications (whether they are two poems or only one – see below) exist in more than 150 fragments. He has been regarded variously as a materialist physicist, a shamanic magician, a mystical theologian, a healer, a democratic politician, a living god, and a fraud. To him is attributed the invention of the four-element theory of matter (earth, air, fire, and water), one of the earliest theories of particle physics, put forward seemingly to rescue the phenomenal world from the static monism of Parmenides. Empedocles’ world-view is of a cosmic cycle of eternal change, growth and decay, in which two personified cosmic forces, Love and Strife, engage in an eternal battle for supremacy. In psychology and ethics Empedocles was a follower of Pythagoras, hence a believer in the transmigration of souls, and hence also a vegetarian. He claims to be a daimà ´n, a divine or potentially divine being, who, having been banished from the immortals gods for ‘three times countless years’ for committing the sin of meat-eating and forced to suffer successive reincarnations in an purificatory journey through the different orders of nature and elements of the cosmos, has now achieved the most perfect of human states and will be reborn as an immortal. He also claims seemingly magical powers including the ability to revive the dead and to control the winds and rains.

Visualize This

Visualize This (VT) is a small start-up company specializing in virtual reality and computer visualizations. Located in the research park of a major university, the company was founded by Isaac Trice, a university professor, and staffed with the brightest of his former students. By all accounts the technology is cutting edge. Facilities include a lab of 14 high-end computer workstations adjacent to a CAVE (computer-aided virtual environment) and a small office. A conference room and central lobby are shared with other tenants in the building. Originally the company had partnered with the Swedish firm Salvania to create virtual environments for medical and industrial design. Trice and his staff would develop the software for each application; create a visual database supported with engineering or medical data, and run design sessions for their clients in the CAVE. Salvania provided the capital, generated the clients, and handled the business end of the operations. In its first two years of business, VT completed four projects. With each project, VT advanced its skills in visualization and developed customized tools to help its clients design intricate products. The clients were pleased but did not anticipate repeating the intensive design process for several years. Unfortunately, Salvania was unable to remain solvent and dissolved its partnership with Visualize This. VT was able to keep its workstations (whose salvage value was low), but gave up its rights to the CAVE and furloughed all but three employees. To stay afloat, VT needed new clients and a steady stream of income. Trice hit the streets and came back with the following possibilities: †¢ Designing computer-based training sessions for bank tellers of an international finance institution †¢ Conducting software certification for the sales staff of a large software vendor †¢ Designing virtual reality tours through history for a major museum †¢ Developing Web-based virtual models for a women's clothing retailer †¢ Creating virtual catalogues in which a customer can enlarge, rotate, and dissect a product online. This isn't what I had in mind for my company,† Trice lamented as he shared the list with his employees. â€Å"I wanted to be developing the next generation of visualization tools in concert with the brightest minds in industry, not digitizing pictures of products and making them turn around, or teaching people to use software that's not even our own! †

The main challenges and opportunities with expanding the sonic and Essay

The main challenges and opportunities with expanding the sonic and compositional potential of the piano - Essay Example Paddles, knobs, and notes may reduce its popularity and acceptability among pianists as well as from the audiences. It will help to increase the creativity of performers, composers and will satisfy the aesthetic senses of the audiences. The electronic implication in the piano and extra functionality is not easy to be fitted on the same keyboard. Their operations require extra switches and knobs that would pose an irritating hindrance in the instrument’s smooth play. Kim earlier attempt to produce new harmonics from the existing object on a piano became fail. However, the most important task for the project is to make a blend from a running piano with the sampler creating pleasantly coherent interfaces. It is also important to contain the economic aspect of the new piano in order to get acceptance from people. The electronic and computer interventions will surely increase the cost of the piano. Furthermore, it will be a real challenge to limit the size of the piano. Kim and Kate are also working to develop travel version of PNOSCAN for easy handling. The assemblage of the PNOSCAN in a piano is a laborious work of hours, and it is needed to be more simplified and easy. They want that the pianist should have access to the extended sounds produced from the super piano without any rearrangement in the keys of the piano. Also, three separate patches suggested by Kate are to be placed on the same keyboard that may hinder the free operation of the instrument and interact with the sounds in order to produce sound beyond its sonic abilities.

Analysis of Plutocracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Plutocracy - Essay Example He notes that such a rule can take varied forms. First, that some of the individuals who are at the helm of authority are rich and it is the wealth they possess that defines why they are in the high offices. The authority which such people exercise works in favor and the interest of the rich people. The actions that individuals in offices take are influenced by them since they have the primary influence on who hold the offices. Brenner notes that these aspects of plutocracy would not necessarily be exclusive. At some point, the government of the rich and for the rich may not be actually run by the rich. Brenner identifies certain circumstances in which the United States may be seen to be practicing plutocracy. One of the features of USA for the past decade is the gross income redistribution. He points at the statistics that point that since 1973, approximately 80% of the wealth generated nationally has gone to the 2% of upper-class America. Brenner points a few matters that define Plutocracy, including the suspension of equal application and protection by the law and when megabanks make profits which are illicit through the laundering of money for the drug cartels. The second article that the study needs to examine is the Robert Reich article in which he discusses The Koch Brothers and the Danger of American Plutocracy. In his argument, he points that blame should not be directed towards Charles and David Koch for having more wealth compared to the 40% of the Americans at the bottom put together. He notes that the two individuals have played by the rules and have obeyed the law, even with their petrochemical empire. Reich points that the point of departure from the rules is the efforts that the two brothers are making to use their wealth to change those particular rules in their favor. This action would be directly undermining the democracy that America has endeavored to protect. Â  

Humanities Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Humanities - Assignment Example The gods represented in the poem make their actions based on unknown hasty and premature decisions. As a result, the cause of the flood remains unclear: â€Å"Then came the flood, sent by gods intent.† (15). On the contrary, the Bible gives a definite answer: the cause of the flood was the immoral behavior of the people (Gen. 6.5). In other words, in the epic of Gilgamesh, the deadly flood was the result of a whim of the gods, while in the Bible - a punishment for sin. God of the Bible could not accept the immoral behavior of people since it offended His divine plan, and He deliberately decided to destroy mankind. In the poem, there is no explanation as to why Utnapishtim had an opportunity for salvation, while the Bible explains why God chose Noah to be saved: â€Å"Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God† (Gen. 6.9). For this reason, God of the Bible did not regret His decision, while the gods of the poem began to regret their acti ons, blaming Enlil that he did not punish the sole culprit of his anger. The Inferno by Dante is a world masterpiece of medieval literature. This literary work is linked with both ancient heritage and the ideas of Christian Catholicism to convey the most important religious issues that existed in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. This work is characterized by a special vividness of images that have been used by Dante to realize his goals. In The Inferno, the poet portrayed his journey to the afterlife. In general, The Inferno is based on Christian mythology as well as on the doctrine of heaven and hell (Raffa 2). The hero visits various fantastic places: Hell, which has nine circles, Purgatory, and Heaven. Dante sees the amazing wonders, meets with the angels, the righteous, the souls of sinners, God, Lucifer and his minions, as well as the heroes of ancient myths. The moral sense of Dante’s travel

Communication & leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Communication & leadership - Research Paper Example In the process of sharing information between two or more people a common understanding about a situation or an object occurs (Bateman & Snell, 2012, Chapter 9). Mutual understanding between the sender and the receiver of a message is the most important factor in the process of communication. Actually, people are involved in communication, because they want to reach common goals or mutual understanding. There is a need to simplify this process and make atmosphere of communication friendlier and full of trust. Within every organization there are a lot of barriers and pitfalls of communication. A real leader should be able to deal with difficulties and challenges and create a communication bridge among employees, CEOs, senior managers and managers. A concept of leadership has been considered in different researches and studies and various models of leadership, strategies et cetera have been considered many times. Still, a challenging concept of relation between effective leadership and communication still exists. A leader in the organization is the responsible person, which can bridge a communication gap between senders and receivers and encourage trust and understanding. There is a great importance to inspire employees to share their ideas openly and exert no negative influence on people within the organizations. A way to open thinking and generation of innovative ideas is a way to success for any organization. The modern business world is distinguished by a clear differentiation between definitions of leadership and management. Prof. Joseph Ross claims that a leader in the organization is a more influential person in his relations with employees in comparison with a manager, whose relations with people are based on authority (Maccoby, 2000). Vision about the future of the company is developed by the leader and managers take control over practical

American Conflicts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

American Conflicts - Research Paper Example The Revolution was seen as a war of independence. There are several stages in a revolution. One stage is that â€Å"the various fibers are knit together† and you have to stretch some parts while loosening the other parts. There can several analogies of a revolution. But one thing is certain, there has to be changed. Revolution is changing, and the change can be in the system, in the method and the ways of ruling. The social consequences of a revolution are not the result of the wishes and plans of those who started the revolution but by the desires of those who are in control. The American Revolution was started by only a few compared to the population at that time. It was started by a numerical minority, â€Å"just like the Viet Cong†, although by the end of the revolution, the majority of the colonists may have supported the struggle against Great Britain. The war between the Patriots and Tories resembled like the Vietnam-Vietcong conflict. The Americans sought foreig n aid instead of foreign alliance. John Adams warned that alliances would entrap America in future European wars.   For instance, the French did not want a second American invasion of Canada, and the French did not want the new United States full control of the North American continent because they had the fishing rights in the Mississippi.Wars mar the history of a nation (Morris, 1969, p. 350). The Civil War in America’s history, which marked its 150th year in 2011, tested the American spirit.

Managed healthcare Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managed healthcare - Research Paper Example errors have been attributed to various factors including miscommunication, bad handwriting, and confusion in names, poor packaging, and other dosing unit errors. In most cases, the errors occur because of several complex factors throughout the health care system generated by both healthcare providers and patients. For example, we all have, at one time or another scratched our heads trying to figure out what a physician wrote on the prescription note. In this regards, the health information technological systems (HIT) have been introduced into the clinical setting to prevent and minimize medication errors occurrence but the menace â€Å"medication errors† still remains as a major problem and a danger to patient’s safety in the clinical care setting. One great milestone in the health care delivery and management system was the introduction of health information technology (HIT) to clinical care setting. An example of such solutions is the computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system, which has marked a great milestone in healthcare delivery. Despite such improvements, statistics still indicate a worrying trend in medication error incidents (Chaudhry et al., 2006). Looking at a report by CDC in 2010, it showed that more thanâ€Å"700,000 emergency department visits and 120,000 hospitalizations were due to adverse drug events (ADEs) annually†. In 2005, the report given by CDC on death and hospital mortality rates indicated medication errors as the sixth leading cause of patient mortality, eight years down the line in 2013, medication errors was identified as the third leading cause of patient mortality (CDC, 2005, 2013). This can be attributed to lack guidelines, measures and policies to enhance the utilization of the s ystems as well as lack of the relevant information of the associated benefits with HIT systems utilization. Medication errors is a current issue in healthcare delivery and management that needs to be addressed with great care and concern. The

The most noticeable fallacy Essay Example for Free

The most noticeable fallacy Essay There are numerous examples of bias, fallacies, and specific rhetorical devices in the speech. First of all, none of electoral speeches can be regarded as unbiased for the ample reason there are implicit political, ethical, and pragmatic considerations influencing the impartiality of any such speech. It is evident that the speaker is biased against Jim W. Gettys and regards this person as the cause of all problems in the state. As concerns logical fallacies, they are abundant. The most noticeable fallacy is Ad Hominem: ‘An Ad Hominem is a general category of fallacies in which a claim or argument is rejected on the basis of some irrelevant fact about the author of or the person presenting the claim or argument’ (The Nizkor Project, 2008, ‘Fallacy: Ad Hominem’). In this case, the speaker is attacking Jim W. Gettys’ personality rather than specific proposals or policy. In this particular case, Ad Hominem Abusive, or Personal Attack, is present because the speaker uses abusive remarks instead of evidence. For instance, the speaker makes unsubstantiated claims about Gettys’ extension of powers. Another fallacy committed is the Slippery Slope: ‘The Slippery Slope is a fallacy in which a person asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question’ (The Nizkor Project, 2008, ‘Fallacy: Slippery Slope’). The speaker assumes that he or she will definitely become the Governor simply because opinion polls say so. Appeal to Pity can also be regarded as employed in the rhetoric surrounding the issue of working mean and slum children. Speaking about rhetorical devices, the speech features repetition (‘The working man The working man and the slum child ’), hyperbole, or using exaggeration to achieve greater effect (I will do everything in my power to protect ), and various forms of emotive language. The speaker often employs the so-called ‘rule of three’: ‘The rule of three is based on the technique that people tend to remember three things’ (Presentation Helper, 2008, ‘The Rule of Three’). For example, this rule is used in the promise to protect ‘the underprivileged, the underpaid, and the underfed’ or in the announcement of the intent to arrange for ‘indictment, prosecution, and conviction’ of Gettys. In fact, there are few fully developed arguments presented in the speech and no counterarguments. The speaker makes a constructive case trying to press his or her own agenda through without paying due attention to the position of the opponent and avoiding the real debate. Assessing the overall effectiveness of the speech, it is necessary to admit that it might have a limited appeal to people who rely on emotional rather than rational judgment. The speech uses affirmative language that has potential of influencing certain segments of society on subconscious level. Yet any in-depth analysis of the arguments delivered by the speaker will unveil the unsubstantiated nature of all the claims, coupled with numerous logical fallacies. In order for a speech to be effective, emotional and rational appeal should be both present and well balanced. References Presentation Helper. (2008). ‘The Rule of Three. ’ Retrieved January 21, 2008, from http://www. presentationhelper. co. uk/rule_of_three. htm The Nizkor Project. (2008). ‘Fallacies. ’ Retrieved January 21, 2008, from http://www. nizkor. org/features/fallacies

My Growth As A Writer Essay Example for Free

My Growth As A Writer Essay Writing has seemed to be a difficult process for me over the years. This is why it was my choice to enroll myself in creative writing classes over the last 6 years. The most difficult process for me in writing is generating ideas. You can learn to use proper structures for sentences but sadly creativity is something you can learn. In my play, The Doctor and the Patient, I displayed my best writing, and it gives a good example of what I have learned in this class. â€Å"THE PATIENT: Look,  man—we’re all different. Each individual can’t be typed into a group. All minds—souls, even— are different. But we all have something in common: we’re human. And it’s beautiful. † Is an allegory, often used in poetry. Due to the depressed nature of the patient, he finds something that can bring light into his world. Though he is stubborn, and rejects medicating and therapy sessions, he finds a false sense of security. My style of writing is usually freeform, in my spare time I usually write  post-apocalyptic situations, dark comedy, or serious. I have grown majorly at imagery and developing characters and dialogue. The tone of my writing is usually mellow, and flows rather quickly. And I have learned to construct a story arc that does not change too erratically. Future goals of mine would to get a few of my works published in a few small newsletters. Overall, I think my writing has improved drastically, I have learned how to style many different types of stories and writings.

Response to Hip-hop Feminism

Response to Hip-hop Feminism Let Me Blow Your Mind: Response to Hip-hop Feminism In Let Me Blow Your Mind: Hip Hop Feminist Futures in Theory and Praxis, Lindsey explores the origins of hip-hop feminism, its relation to Black feminism(s), and its application to urban education. She also challenges the centralization of the African American male perspective in hip-hop by focusing on the Black and Brown girls and womens, transgender people of colors, and queer people of colors lived experiences. In this essay, I will examine the social context of the writer, how she describes current realities, how she analysis these realities, her vision and strategy for the future, and how the historical contacts affects this theory. I will end by sharing how this theory has relevance to my own life. Dr. Treva Lindsey is currently a professor at the Ohio State University in the Womens, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College and her Masters and Ph.D. from Duke University. She specializes in Black feminist theory, womens history, and popular culture studies along with work in critical race and gender theory, sexual politics, and African diaspora studies (Treva Lindsey). Lindsey is a self-described diva feminist, which she describes as being audacious, vibrant, passionate, and fierce in [her] dedication to eradicating racism, poverty, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, and other forms of socio-historical, political, and cultural oppression and exploitation (Lindsey), who is informed by Black feminist theory, hip-hop feminism, and her position as an African American woman in academia. In her publication, Lindsey states that women and girls not only play an integral role in the formation and sustaining of hip-hop culture(s) but also provide distinct standpoints, perspectives, and interventions into one of the most powerful cultural movements of late-20th and early-21st centuries (Lindsey 53). This idea is the base of hip-hop feminism that argues these contributions and perspectives are ignored or exploited by hip-hop culture. Lindsey describes several key theoretical interventions of hip-hop feminismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦including bringing wreck, kinetic orality, sonic pleasure, percussive resistance, and Black girl standpoint theory (Lindsey 55) to challenge the devaluation of womens and girls engagement with hip-hop (Lindsey 53). This devaluation benefits the African American male perspective in hip-hop which, as hip-hop feminism has argued against, has led to pervasive sexism and misogynyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in rap music (Lindsey 62). Lindsey starts her analysis of this reality by first exploring the relationship, and the differences, between Black feminism(s) and hip-hop feminism. She explains that there are material and discursive differencesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦between second-wave Black feminists and women of the hip-hop generation (Lindsey 56). While both feminisms address sexism and the patriarchy, Black feminists do not believe it is possible to base a feminist epistemology in a movement where sexism and misogyny thrive. Hip-hop feminism argues for a feminism that considers the messiness and lived contradictions of human experience (Lindsey 56), such as the women who participate in a culture such as hip-hop, to better understand the reality of women and girls. Lindsey describes this argument perfectly stating if we do not take seriously the pleasure girls and women derive from music, even misogynistic and sexist music, we miss an opportunity to theorize the complexities of women and girls pleasure and enjoyment (L indsey 63). The analysis continues with her challenging the African American male as the subject of hip-hop. As stated, she used the theoretical interventions of bringing wreck, kinetic orality, sonic pleasure, percussive resistance, and Black girl standpoint theory to argue Black and brown womens and girls roles in creating and sustaining hip-hop culture. Activities such as hand-games, Double-Dutch, and childhood chants are ways girls learn to preform race and gender, while constructing a musical Blackness, that then becomes a pivotal part of hip-hop (Lindsey). However, this musical Blackness is also vilified in the hip-hop community as shown by Lindseys twerking example. The co-optation of twerking coupled with its decontextualized deployments in mass media also mirrors histories of cultural appropriation, hyper-sexualization of Black women and girls, and the demonization and devaluation of Black cultural forms and social practices performed by Black people (Lindsey 60). While Lindsey never explicitly states her vision, it is clear that she wants hip-hop to move away from the misogyny and sexism it is known for and for women and girls to both develop new music and to think critically about the music they listen to. She discusses hip-hop education as a possible strategy to address these concerns. Its been shown that the problematic lyrics and images of rap music were secondary to the beat of the music for the girls, even as the girls critiqued the music for its derogatory content (Love 91). This means that teaching women and girls media literacy will help them recognize the misogyny and sexism in music but not stop them from enjoying the genre; which may lead to more of these women and girls to either move towards music, in the same genre, that is less or not misogynistic or to create music that does not have these themes of misogyny. Creation of new music in the hip-hop genre is where hip-hop education can play an important role. Brown argues that we do not hear Black girls or their truths because their sound is at best misunderstood, and at worst, framed as problematic. According to Brown, the tonality of Black girls is the core of their expressivity, but often receives admonishment because of its juxtaposition to acceptable performances of girlhood' (Lindsey 61). Some hip-hop education organizations, such as Saving Our Lives Hear Our Truths (SOLHOT), demand that grown-ups not tell Black girls to quiet downà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to experience Black girls unique voices and articulations (Lindsey 62). Giving space for these girls to think critically about the messages around them and to develop their own voice and sound will enable them to influence the world and music around them in ways they could not before. Hip-hop feminism has its roots in the hip-hop movement of the late 20th century and Black feminism(s). In 1999, when cultural critic and journalist Joan Morgan coined the term hip-hop feminist, she did not imagine how instrumental her framing of her standpoint as someone simultaneously rooted in both hip-hop and Black feminism(s) would be for the emergence of the scholarly subfield, women in hip-hop (Lindsey 55). Lindsey uses hip-hop feminism to analyze women and girls contributions to the hip-hop genre, to challenge the centering of the African American male perspective in hip-hop, and to suggest possible ways to change the misogyny and sexism in the genre. Hip-hop feminism was created when women of the hip-hop generation felt Black feminism(s) did not apply to their lives because it did not view them as both empowering and problematic. This context created what Morgan called a functional feminism that focused on the unique lives and experiences of the women of the hip-hop generatio n. Unfortunately, I could not discuss every topic Lindsey addressed in this response. I chose to focus on Lindseys descriptions of musical Blackness and hip-hop education because those ideas have the most relevance to my current time and location. As a science educator, I am passionate about minority representation in and access to the sciences. I want the content I teach to be accessible to anyone who walks into my classroom but that is only possible if I ensure my classroom environment is safe for everyone. There are several aspects of hip-hop education that I could bring into my classroom, such as experience Black girls unique voices and articulations (Lindsey 62) as it applies to scientific discovery and inquiry, that would make the space more welcoming to students. By applying hip-hop feminist pedagogy to my classroom, I could help students see themselves as scientists. Lindsey uses hip-hop feminism to challenge the idea that the subject of hip hop is the African American male and to inform educational techniques to empower girls of color. While the theory itself does not have much relevance to my life, its application in the classroom could help me introduce the world of science to students in a way that is enjoyable. Hip-hop feminism may be generationally specific with a focus on critical race theory but it is applicable to many situations as Lindsey showed by applying it to both the hip-hop community, the classroom, and violence against transgender and queer individuals. Work Cited Lindsey, Treva. Blog post. A Diva Feminist. Blogger.com, 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 4 Mar. 2017. . Lindsey, Treva. Let Me Blow Your Mind: Hip Hop Feminist Futures in Theory and Praxis. Urban Education. 50.1 (2015): 52-77. Web. Love, Bettina. Hip hops lil sistas speak: Negotiating hip hop identities and politics  in the New South. Peter Lang. 2012. Treva Lindsey. Womens Gender and Sexuality Studies. N.p., 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 4 Mar. 2017. .

walmart :: essays research papers

Relationship Marketing King Wal-Mart Still No. 1 The economists are still telling us how bad the U.S. economy is, but don't say anything about the bad economy to your local Wal-Mart greeter. His or her employer just witnessed revenues grow by 12 percent in 2002, to $246.5 billion. He or she will probably proudly let you know that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was just ranked number one—again—by Fortune magazine, leading the top 500 corporations for a second year in a row. How do they do it? Sam Walton's 1992 book Made In America has all the details, but let me sum up: Wal-Mart knows relationship marketing. Rule No. 8 of "Sam's Rules for Building A Business" holds the secret to this winning formula of success. He says, "Let them (your customer) know you appreciate them." So what has Wal-Mart done to show that they appreciate their customers? They use one-to-one relationship marketing tactics, executed by the famous Wal-Mart greeter. The Wal-Mart greeting was the original method used by the giant retailer to show customers that they are appreciated. A greeter at the door thanks customers for coming in, assists with a shopping cart, and provides a "goodbye thank you" upon departing the store. The friendly senior citizen dressed in the blue vest conveys warmth and personality to every guest entering or exiting a Wal-Mart store. So why don't others adopt this simple marketing tactic? Some do. Meijer retail stores also use greeters; many restaurants, hotels and other businesses do the same. But most don't—because relationship marketing is not as simple as it seems. It takes a type of commitment different than traditional marketing. Relationship Marketing Has 4 Key Components: It has to be personalized. Personalization can come in the form of a highly targeted direct mail piece, a phone call or email. Obviously the handshake and a smile illustrated by Wal-Mart greeters also work well in personalizing the relationship. It has to be targeted. Wal-Mart invests money in maintaining relationships with existing customers. By targeting this group, Wal-Mart establishes long-term relationships with their most loyal shoppers. Targeting customers through programs that reward loyalty can result in big returns over the life of the customer. It has to be meaningful. Your marketing message has to connect in an emotional way to establish a lasting relationship. If the Wal-Mart greeter did not look you in the eye while saying "hello," the greeting would not have a lasting impact.

Essay examples --

Hacking has been around for more than a century. Members of the public have had their personal information stolen and passed all over the internet. A hacker is a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data. Like for an example in October 2011 Sony the company that owns PlayStation was hacked by some intruders. The intruders staged a massive attempt to access user accounts on its PlayStation Network and other online entertainment services (Hosaka,2011). ; this is also an example of port scan. Port scans and ping sweep, is very dangerous for companies because it will allow people to hack your network or personal information and create viruses that could do a lot of damage to your computer or network. Port scan is a very popular tool that many hackers use to get unauthorized access to a lot of networks across the world. A port scan is a series of messages sent by a hacker that is attempting to break into a computer to learn which computer network services have an open port. Usually when hackers have a plan to hack a company’s network they usually use port scan or sometimes ping sweeps because it’s a very great tool to use in a hacking process. Ping sweeps and port scans are very dangerous but can be preventable for most companies. Also port scan and ping sweep can impact a company in a negative way that can cause personal information to be given out to the public. If this happen to a company this can cause emergency shutdown and possible shutting down the company until the hackers are identify. (Jr. Pyles,n.d.). In the late 1980’s Kevin Mitnick a 25 years old veteran hacker secretly monitors the emails of MCI and Digital Equipment security officials. Kevin Mitnick successfully did this by using the port scan to fi... ...st couple of years. In order to prevent intruders from using port scans or ping sweep to enter a network, companies must have an antivirus software that fights off any intruders’ commands or entrance attempts because if companies do then they wouldn’t have a problem with hackers trying to hack their network system. References Hosaka, T. (2011, October 12). Sony hack october. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/12/sony-hack-october-2011-playstation-network_n_1006661.html Jr. Pyles, G. (n.d.). Ping sweeps and port scans. Retrieved from http://gregorympyles.wordpress.com/information-systems/case-studies/ping-sweeps-and-port-scans/ Ward, M. (2011, June 9). A brief history of hacking . Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13686141 A history of hacking. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sptimes.com/Hackers/history.hacking.html

Conflict Between Developing Economic Essay

The economy growth impact the protecting environment, on the contrary the protecting environment also impacts the economy growth. Whether the environment is a factor considering the economic growth? The core answering these questions is how to regard the relationship between economic growth and environment. Concerning on the situation of economic and environment whether has the intrinsic relation or has any type relation, this still has the dispute. In this essay I will analyze the conflict between the developing economic and protecting environment. Through the analysis cause where can get a balance between them. Keywords: Environment, Economic growth, Poverty, Conflict, Contradiction, Environmental Kuznets curve 1. Introduction Environment not only provides the substance foundation and activity space for human, but also is responsible for production castoff by human activity. Economic development not only enhances the integration national power and improves the people’s life quality, but brings a number of serous environmental problems, such as air pollution, water pollution, soil degradation, desertification, and so on. Whether does economic growth affect the environment? On the contrary whether also does the protecting environment affect the growth economy? Whether is protecting economy and protecting environment a pair of contradiction or not? What creates the environment problems? Poverty is a main factor. Solving this problem is that developing economy. How to increase economy under the protecting environment? Analyzing their relationship is the focal point. Problem formulation: what is the conflict between developing economic and protecting environment? 2. The developing economic brings some environmental problems Economy development is obvious at present. Many multinational enterprises have been invested following the all kinds of increased industries and agricultures. These such as machine, textile, chemical plant, foodstuff, and so on, not only are the record of the economic development, but also provide a great deal of working opportunities for the labor market, and reduce the burden of the country. That’s the positive points, but it has the negative points like the traffic jam, pollution, chemical, etc, a series of serious problems. In the traffic point, â€Å"The environment impact of transport has now become a global issue. Environmental impacts from transport in the developed world are now equaled or exceeded by those in developing countries. This is alarming given the relatively low level of car ownership and use in developing countries. Equally alarming is the advanced of modes of transport that are damaging to the environment and health, while less damaging modes are retreating. The impact of transport affects the global, regional, and local environment.

Is Migration Beneficial for Countries?

Countries largely benefit from migration As globalization increased the gap between the rich and poor countries, migration has become an urgent and debated issue to be solved. To answer the question whether migration is good for the countries or not, we have to define what this term mean. Migration means to go from one country, place or region to another. Although the inhabitants of host countries don't always realize the good aspects of migration, saying the majority of immigrants are leeches reducing the standards of living, migration has it's benefits both for the host country and for the country of origin.At first, it has a huge impact on education. Allowing permanent residence can be tempting for talented youngsters who later become quality workforce. For instance, American universities have always been the melting pot of extraordinary students: the percentage of international students enrolled at Harvard University is about twenty percents. More qualified workers products more capital. It has become clear that after a start-up period immigrants contribute to tax collections, labor and the production just as much as a native born citizen.If we talk about labor we must not forget that immigrants are more likely to start a new business in a country than natives which can also boost the productivity and creates new jobs. When it comes to safety, immigrants are often handled as people with immense willingness to commit crimes. In contrast, numerous reports have determined that legal immigrants have an incarceration rate multiple times lower than the general population. Another significant and positive effect can be the diversity that is brought by immigrants resulting a prospering and booming cultural life including arts, architecture and gastronomy.From the viewpoint of the country of origin emigration can reduce the pressure on resources (water or food scarcity) and can reduce the tensions in between ethnic groups. Migrates can form a powerful diaspora in th e host country which can represent the interest of the country abroad easily. Remittances sent back home by migrates also make a contribution to the economy of the country of origin. As a conclusion, migration means new blood, new investments and new opportunities for every country.

Uses of Job Description

Usefulness of Job Description 1. It Helps identify a job, distinguishing it from other jobs by its title. 2. It serves as a guide in employee recruitment, selection, and placement. 3. It establishes proper relationship between one job and the others within the same salary bracket. 4. It facilitates comparisons with similar jobs in other firms for purposes of wage surveys. 5. It serves as a guide in the organization and administration of a department, division, section, or unit. 6. It helps to form lines of promotion or transfer and to spot employees who need further training. . It contributes to the personal satisfaction of every individual employee with his job. Components of Job Design Job specialization Job expansion Psychological components Self-directed teams Motivation and incentive systems Ergonomics and work methods Job Specialization †¢ Involves o Breaking jobs into small component parts o Assigning specialists to do each part †¢ First noted by Adam Smith (1776) o Observed how workers in pin factory divided tasks into smaller components †¢ Found in manufacturing & service industriesJob Specialization Often Reduces Cost †¢ Greater dexterity & faster learning †¢ Less lost time changing jobs or tools †¢ Use more specialized tools †¢ Pay only for needed skills Job Expansion Process of adding more variety to jobs Intended to reduce boredom associated with labor specialization Methods o Job enlargement o Job enrichment o Job rotation o Employee empowerment Psychological Components of Job Design †¢ Individuals have values, attitudes, and emotions that affect job results o Example: Work is a social experience that affects belonging needs Effective worker behavior comes mostly from within the individual o Scientific management argued for external financial rewards †¢ First examined in ‘Hawthorne studies’ Self-Directed Teams Group of empowered individuals working together for a common goal May be organize d for short-term or long-term objectives Reasons for effectiveness o Provide employee empowerment o Provide core job characteristics o Meet psychological needs (e. g. , belonging) Motivation Worker performance depends on o Motivation o Ability o Work environmentMotivation is the set of forces that compel behavior Money may serve as a psychological & financial motivator Incentive systems o Measured daywork: Pay based on standard time o Piece rate: Pay based on pieces done Ergonomics and Work Methods Worker performance depends on o Motivation o Ability o Work environment Foundation laid by Frederick Taylor o Match employees to task o Develop work methods o Establish work standards Ergonomics Study of work Also called ‘human factors’ Involves human-machine interface Examples o Mouse o Keyboard

Explain How To Support Others To Promote Diversity Equality And Inclusion

Task A Short answer questions Ai Using the table below, explain in your own words what each term means. Give one example from care practice to illustrate your explanations. Diversity: The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.Example: One of my workmates wears a head cloth due to her religion, every one who works with her accepts that and do not object or make fun of her†¦ Every one respects her religion. Equality: Equality defined basically means equal rights for people regardless of what factors they might have that are different. Equality states that because they are human they must be equal. Example: every one is treated the same way. Inclusion: Inclusion is based upon the i dea of allowing everyone equal access to a service regardless of gender, disability, religion i e, There are many ways to ensure that your setting adheres to its inclusion policy.Example: I am feeling respected and valued for who I am at work. Discrimination: A person is treated less favourably than someone else and that the treatment is for a reason relating to the person’s protected characteristic (e. g. disability) Example: My workmate has a slight disability but is treated the same way as the rest of my â€Å"team† no favours or less favours, just the same as the rest of us. Aii For each of the following people/groups of people, describe two different possible effects of discrimination.An individual: Loss of opportunities, withdrawal and depression, loss of self esteem. Their families: Anger, frustration and helplessness. Wider society: Loss of opportunities (what the individuals could contribute to society), division and disharmony. Those who discriminate: False s ense of self importance, possibly shame if they are confronted about their actions (discrimination is not always intended). Aiii Using the table below, identify three ways of challenging discrimination, and describe how each will promote change. Way of challenging discrimination, how this will promote change. 1. Policy and Procedures. 2. Direct Confrontation. 3. Reporting Discrimination I can use each of these methods to encourage the abuser to see and understand what they have done wrong. This is more likely to promote a change in their behaviour than leaving them unchallenged. It also sends a message to others in the setting. Task B Leaflet Bi Your work setting is running an induction course for new social care workers in an adult social care setting.Guidance for new workers. How can I learn new things? You can be told information, watch someone else do a task, talk about ideas with other people, read information or guidance, watch a DVD, research, ask your manager. A combination of all of the above is probably best, but different people prefer some ways of learning to others. Find the way that suits you best. You should discuss and reach agreement with your manager about the ways that will help you learn best.You might at tend training sessions, or be asked to read part of a book, training package or policy document, or to talk about your work with another team member who has knowledge to pass on. How will I be assessed? During your induction period (which could be up to 12 weeks) you will be assessed to make sure you have understood everything you have learned. Someone within your organisation, for example, your line manager or your training manager, might carry out this assessment. If part of your induction includes an accredited training programme, then someone outside of your organisation may carry out the assessment.However, it will still be your manager who has the responsibility to sign off your Certificate of Successful Completion when you have successfully completed your induction period. How can I develop my skills further? Essential learning for specific tasks, the induction provide you with the basic information and skills necessary for work There will be some tasks, however, that you may be required to do, that will need further learning before they can be performed safely. Examples include, using moving and handling equipment and preparation of food.Your employer must provide you with the learning you need to be able to perform these and other tasks safely. You should not be asked to undertake these tasks without having added the appropriate learning to your induction. Learning should continue throughout your career, and should enable you to develop new skills, and open up career options. Remember that you need to have a look at our policy's and various Act's which may include: Sex Discrimination Act, Race Relations Act, DisabilityDiscrimination Act, Equality Act, Human Rights Act, Health and Social Care Act (Regulated activities) and the Essential Standards, Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers. For me as a trainer, I need to challenge any abuse and explain why it is wrong. c) A description of how inclusive practice can promote equality and support diversity . Through Training and Discussion: Training and discussions are essential to raise awareness of diversity, equality and inclusion in any work settings. Discussion in meetings or group discussion among staffs play a vital role to raise awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion.The more they will engage in discussion or obtain trainings about this issue the more they will learn and be aware of and also they will be able and put them in their everyday’s practice. d) An explanation of how to support others to promote diversity, equality and inclusion. Through providing leaflet, information and policies and procedures: Providing leaflets and sufficient information regarding diversity and equality can raise awareness to a social care worker by acquiring adequate knowledge about it.It also helps them to know about the consequences if agreed ways of working are not followed which restrain them from doing any form of discrimination relating this issue. Task C Reflective account C i Write a reflective account describing: †¢ How your personal preferences, attitudes, heritage and beliefs might impact on working practice. †¢ How to ensure that your own practice is inclusive and respects the beliefs, culture, values and preferences of individuals. Suggested word count: 500 – 700 words A normal work night†¦ I come into work about 19. 0 have a brew and then get handover at 20. 00. Depending if I am in charge or a floor worker I either give out the medicines or start suppers. If I work on the floor I go around to the residents and offer them a few different things they can have for supper, such as toasts with jam, marmalade or just butter, a selection of sandwiches, cereals and hot/cold drinks, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, horlicks and juice or milk. After supper some of my residents watch TV before they retire to bed, and some go to bed straight after supper and may need assistance to get ready.Our lady X likes to go straight after supper a nd needs guidance to her room and help with freshen up prior getting in to bed, I assist her with personal hygiene needs and to put her nightdress on. Then I tuck her in proper and make sure she is comfortable and safe in bed, make sure the commode is at the side of her bed and her pressure mat is in front of the bed (just where she usually sit up to put her feet on the floor) so that she alert us staff when she is up out of bed or if she requires assistance during the night.During the night we do 2 hourly checks on our residents to ensure that they are safe, dry, clean and having adequate rest/sleep. In the morning I usually help 4-5 residents to get ready for the day, I pick out two outfits and let the resident choose if they haven't already got something in mind what to wear. I make sure the water is warm before I assist with the personal hygiene needs and I check their skin integrity to ensure that they don't have any pressure points that are sore. I always ask the resident to try to do as much as possible by themselves to maintain their independence, and I always explain to my residents what I am going to do in advance so they can assist me in my job. My residents likes to have a laugh in the morning and some of them likes the radio on in their room whilst they are getting ready so I try to meet their needs as much at possible. We often talk about their lives, what they have worked with, where they've been on holiday and so on. The residents often like to hear about my life, since I'm from Sweden, and I tell them when ever they ask.I always try to respect my residents choices and wishes, I don't have a religion and is a non believer, but I respect that people have their own religion and believes and I would never say anything to upset or hurt any of my residents, workmates or anyone. If someone show me respect they get that respect straight back, I don't like people who go around and talk behind your back, if I have done/said something wrong, please say it straight to me so I can justify myself to make it right.Cii Write a brief account that describes examples of inclusive practice. Suggested word count: 150 – 200 words Inclusive Practice is a term which means the practical things that we do, when we are working with people who use our services, which demonstrate our professional values, standards, and principles in action. In particular Inclusive Practice is about participation, collaboration, and including people: where individuals are fully involved in choices and decisions that affect their lives and in the matters that are important to them.People who use mental health services say that being listened to, having their individual needs taken account of, and staff attitudes and values is a very important part of keeping well. The experience of participation is often as important as the end result. Participation itself may be an outcome. Inclusive Practice can benefit staff through sharing knowl edge and learning new and effective ways of working with people. People who use services bring new ideas, and we are able to respond from a more informed position. Inclusive Practice is good practice, and is also about a human rights and anti-discriminatory approach to mental health.Inclusive practice underpins anti-discriminatory practice and is the practical way in which we put our equality policies/agenda into action. All people are citizens and have rights and entitlements. They should be treated fairly regardless of race, religion or abilities. This applies no matter: what they think or say, what type of family they come from, what language(s) they speak, whether they have a disability or whether they are rich or poor. All people have an equal right to be listened to and valued in the setting. Equality and diversityMy thought on this subject is that it encompasses gender, race, age, disability, linguistic differences, learning abilities, sexual orientation, socio-economic statu s and cultural background and so on. Ciii Write a brief account that describes practice which excludes the individual and is discriminatory. Suggested word count: 150 – 200 words The activity coordinator might come to our unit to play dominoes with our residents but have to exclude two gentlemen, because one of them is deaf and the other one is blind, and that has everything to do with the lack of time and/or staff†¦To have the TV on so low that the blind gentleman can not hear the program he would like to listen to and have to go to his room and become isolated. Residents in wheelchairs that can't go on outings i. e a pub lunch because there is no wheelchair access to the pub or the door way are to narrow for the wheelchair. Residents with dementia that are excluded from outings due to being loud or noisy. To tell a resident to stay on his/her room because he/she is not allowed to sit in the lounge with others because he/she is shouting out at times or being very loud t alking to him/her self.

Career Planning for Hospitality Students

During the global economic downturn it was predicted that India and China would not be affected as much and hospitality industry in particular would undergo minor changes. Besides this Khanna, 2008 outlined that lack of infrastructure in India would not be sufficient enough to sustain growth of hospitality industry. However the argument can be ruled out as a number of private organization both national and international are investing into Indian hospitality sector. This can be said as Carlson group of hotels are planning to open 50 new properties by the end of year 2012 across India. Many More hotel groups like Fairmont etc are entering fresh in India. It was predicted that the growth in Indian tourism would be around 8. 8% till 2013 which is closely related to hotel industry. The jobs in hospitality were also available during the period of time and are still growing. Moreover the number of hospitality graduates is still very low as compared to the demand of the industry. Hence hospitality as a career is still considered as a fair option in order to grow and make life out of it. Graduate labor market As outlined by Harvey (2001, cited by Nabi, 2000) graduates should posses certain attributes and skills in order to help them find a job and have sustainable growth in it. This would further help them build a career in the industry. However Graduate employability for the industry is still addressed by a question mark. Freed, 2010 states that hotel industry requires flexible graduates, moreover students who are willing to work with variable odd shifts with an initial entry level low salary. Though the availability of jobs is high but still the question arises that weather a hotel management should stay with the industry itself or invade other possible dimensions as well. Besides hotel industry many multinational companies offer fixed working hours and five days a week unlike hotels. Moreover hotels have long working hours as well. On top of all this Maslow (1943, cited in Green 2000) states that a person opts for a job that satisfies his/or basic or physiological needs. The wide options available in other sectors without even specializing and the existence of the concept of equal opportunity make them a more attractive option. To add upon a hotel job is India is considered as a blue color job. A fresh hotel graduate in India or anywhere else is required to have a specialization in his/her area of interest. They are also required to have a considerable work experience with internships etc by the time they graduate as well. Hotel industry also requires high grooming standards and punctuality as well which not much of a requirement. Fresh hospitality graduates are offered three options for employment in the hotel industry. †¢ Operational trainee programs in different areas like housekeeping, kitchen and service †¢ Management trainee programs which are further extended to finance, sales and marketing etc. †¢ Entry level employment as Associate, commis or executive. †¢ Certain hotel organization also offers a corporate trainee program. Management trainee programs are offered usually to fewer students comparatively. These are the students with untreated talent which can nurture in order to produce future managers. It further involves students into finances of an operation as well. On the other hand an operational trainee program is offered to the students who are not yet ready for the management positions. Further it prepares them of core operational competencies. Moreover cooperate trainee program is the highest which is offered to students with rare competencies. An organization believes them to be the future leaders of the organization. The hotel industry in India requires a number future leaders and operational employees. Human resource plays a vital role in management of these services (Jauhari, 2006). It is important from a student perspective who is seeking employment to know what is exactly expected from them by the employers. Harrera (2003) outlines 99 competencies which are required for manager’s ethical behavior. Moreover Harvey (1997, cited in Jenner, 2000) outlines 20 core competencies which are required by employers. Jauhari (2006) states that hospitality organizations seek talented graduates to recruit for their trainee programs. These programs can be considered as investments from the employer’s point of view for their employees. Nabi, 2003 outlines that hotel organizations are looking for fresh employees with not only intellectual skills but also people management skills as well. Initially to begin with one can always be confused to join the industry because of a number of factors though the odds and positives seem have a balance. Questions like how are global travel trends going to be in the future? Weather an economic meltdown affects the hotel industry or not? Certain questions were addressed during our internship which was not being arranged internationally due to the global economic downturn. Other questions like aiming for a management trainee program or a regular job was also in my mind. Moreover Drucker, 199 states that one must review and introspect their goals as per the change in situations and circumstances. This is supposed to happen as personal life and work life goes through a lot of changes as well. As per Aggarwal, 2006 the decrease of workers in industrial and manual jobs will increase the opportunities to abstract from of thought. This includes people with analytical and problem solving skills, moreover possessing the capacity for innovation. The literate population of India has gone up by 6. percent since 2001. As per the NHDC report the travel and tourism industry in India is accounted with a 6% growth in GDP and 30. 5 million jobs. In terms of travel India stands 9th in the index of relative cost of access which is ticket taxes and airport charge to international air transport services. Tourism is said to be the one of the largest net earners of foreign e xchange for the country which was contributing at 11. 747 million in 2008 with a 9. 5% growth year after year. Besides this the demand in terms of skill labor is very high in the hospitality sector with a shortage of manpower. The table underneath shows the cities and the projected demand in terms of manpower by the year 2013/14. Ministry of tourism has 21 hotel management and catering institutes which are responsible to meet the growth in the industry. Career options There have been a number of campus placement interviews and other options available as well. I have participated is a very few as I look for a position in Sales and marketing with a little scope of compromise. These have been Carlson and J. W. Marriot both for sales and marketing. Most of the hotel organizations don’t seem to offer a position for sales and marketing. Major options available are housekeeping, kitchen, Food and beverage service and front office as these are the areas which require more manpower than compared to sales division. Other areas that I am still looking at are procurement which has the same problem as sales. During my internships in various departments I have realized that I have less inclination for other operational options available. As I look forward to choose an organization and stick to it for a long period of time I cannot use any other job as a stepping stone for my area of interest. Competencies required for the Position: We are made aware of the organizations that come in for interview or we go visit at. These presentations talk about the skills and competencies that are required for the job position they offer. They outline flexibility in terms of shifts, working elsewhere rather than your hometown, culture etc. as I mentioned earlier organizations offering sales were less but during my vocational job I found out certain competencies required for a sales executive. Later during an interaction with Parivah Rustogi, director sales for J. W. Marriot I found out they are looking for outgoing personalities who are not exactly too study oriented. Taj Groups of Hotels Taj group of hotel is one of the largest hotel chains in India which is run by Indian hotel company ltd (IHCL). Taj hotels resorts and palaces were awarded the â€Å"Gallup Great Workplace 2010’ title complimenting the work environment they have created for their employees. This further included a lot many parameters like retention, training etc. (tajhotels. com) Employee engagement There are a number of factors which are responsible for employee engagement. Taj group of hotels conduct departmental briefings. They are further categorizing into mornings and evening. They discuss agenda of the day, current status and other things related to the employees. This helps boost the moral and motivate them for better work. The organization conducts a lot of analysis for employee engagement. These are factors responsible for their absenteeism etc. further there are exit interviews, retention issues, feedback analysis etc to keep a check upon the factors affecting motivation of their employees. Moreover there are a lot loyalty and reward programs which are known as STARS. These are responsible for staff motivation and improving performance. Here the employee is not rewarded through cash but points which are gained through positive acts at work. These points can be redeemed as other benefits later. Further they also concentrate upon training and development which helps an individual to build upon his skills and progress in his career. CV Analysis In order to write an appropriate CV one need to know herself/himself. The word itself Curriculum Vitae refers to â€Å"the course of life† (Jenner, 200). It helps an employer know about the professional life, performance and objective of a particular employee. It’s not just about our self but also how we fit into the organization in contrast to its policies and procedures and our strength and weaknesses. After undergoing through †¢ The cover letter was missing from my CV. A cover letter is very important in order to demonstrate past experiences. Moreover makes it convenient for the employer to retrieve information about the objective, work experience etc at a glance. †¢ Most of the information listed in terms of the contact details and certifications so far weren’t quite relevant for the employer. There was less information provided in regards to the job position that I wish to seek. There weren’t any certificates or much appreciation letters which could demonstrate my communication skills, being innovative, problem solving etc. moreover there wasn’t anything listing my achievement so far. †¢ It only mentioned the places where in I did my internships. There was no mentioning of the area I have tra ined in and how does it makes a difference with other students. So we can say that there wasn’t any kind of supporting information or document that would have interest my employer for the job position I wish to seek. Competencies Demonstrated and Implementations of Them in Job Selection Processes It is very important to know one being a fresh graduate while preparing for interviews and selection processes. In order to achieve this I undertook certain tests to find out what exactly my career goals are and the skills which are required survive in the work environment today. There was assessment center simulation which would help us rate our self on parameters upon which the employers would hire us. I did the Jung Typology test (appendix 2) which helped me figure out that I am an extrovert person. An extrovert is the one with an outgoing personality. I have also mentioned before this has helped me in my job ventures in sales and have gradually helped me develop my interest in sales division. This makes it easy for me to communicate with people and help me find leads. This further helps me identify customer problems and solve them. It also states that my feelings are moderate and less sensitive to others at times. I don’t spend much time judging how people are though I am an emotional person. Further I took a communication test to find out about my communication skills as they play a vital role (appendix 4). This also involves listening skills which requires proper understanding of what one’s saying. I found out that I can fairly interpret what other people are trying to communicate in terms of words and body language. I can empathize with other person feelings for a better understanding. I can perhaps alter my behavior accordingly to the other person comfort level of his/her understanding. The johari window (Jenner, 2000) helped me find out what others feel about me and how much does it intersect with my opinion (Appendix 10). This helped me find a blind spot. There has been a gap between my perception about myself and what others perceive of me. My peer felt that I am an outgoing person as well, one who would socialize with people and make new friends. They perceived me a little over confident with my work most of the times which has also been the feedback by my professors as well. Though I am a sociologist but yet I keep my secrets from the world keeping a wide margin in my personal space. Though I know much about myself in terms of my skills but yet there is a lot which can be discovered by new experiences. I try and take up new challenges to find out what I really like and what I would really want to take up as a career. This includes my part time job as a commis and sales at times besides my internship. This further helps me identify my strength and weaknesses. Moreover my interactions with my mentor further help me plan how my career path should be considering the test that I took for my ideal job (appendix 6). Moreover I took the Myers test to find to more insights about me (appendix 3). My interest lies in what is unknown, I think a little before my actions. I consider theories and how they relate in practical life.