Can Art Change the Way We View the World

Can Art Change the Way We View the World? Susan Agee Classics in Philosophy of Art – P346 Gregory Steel Fall 2012 For centuries, art has been interwoven throughout the history of mankind. From primitive carvings on cave walls and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, to the Sistine Chapel and the Mona Lisa, artistic creations have enthralled the human race. Art may be a window to the creator’s world; it has potential to instill desire in the viewer to do something they have never done, be somewhere they have never been and inspire to fulfill a dream or goal.Additionally, Art may possibly allow the artist to illustrate their own perception of a place or even attempt to deceive the viewer. However, to truly understand how we see the world we must delve a little deeper than the obvious, which is through our senses, particularly sight. In order to comprehend the world around us, we must first realize that thoughts are based on perception foremost and that those ideas then create a subjective model of the world, constructed from experience, memory, logical inference, and our brain's ability to map out its own internal representation of our individual surroundings.Therefore, whether it is through visual art, literature, poems, sculpture, photography or cinema, art may very well be able to change the way we see the world, by changing our perception. The first recognizable art dates from at least 38. 000BC in Europe, Africa, and Australia. They are the products of minds as intellectually capable and sophisticated as our modern ones and they were just like us, despite the fact that their society was slightly more primitive than ours. Works of this early period are not simple, as if created by a child, but in fact they are quite complex pieces depicting animals, humans and symbols.Additionally, drawings similar to maps, as well as carvings, portable art and elaborately decorated animal skulls have been found in caves all over the world. In the book The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art by David Lewis-Williams, the author describes these items stating â€Å"many of these pieces bear images of animal, fish, birds and, less commonly, what appear to be human figures as well as complex arrangements of parallel lines, chevrons and notches. These objects d’art as people tend to think of them, were made from bone, mammoth ivory, amber and antler† (Lewis-Williams 2004).Were these ancient artists creating images to simply communicate with others or were they expressing their emotions in the only way they knew how? Although there is no way to tell for certain the artists’ intentions, it is evident that this â€Å"art† played a role in prehistoric society. Still, art has not always had the same meaning as it does today. In fact, in the time of the philosophers Plato, Socrates and Aristotle the idea of art was related to the Latin word ars, which means craft or specialized form.These individuals based their views of art on the notion that the artist must be trained for his craft and each had differing, yet very similar ideas about art and its place in society. For instance, Socrates believed that paintings and poems â€Å"stand triply removed from the real; that is, there are two realms of existence more real than art objects, the Forms themselves and the things of daily life. The basis for this view is the assumption that the goal of art is the imitation of mundane reality† (Wartenberg, 13). Our brain has developed a way of viewing the world over millions of years of evolution that enables us to succeed and survive.Natural selection has tuned our brains so that we may navigate, manipulate, and meaningfully differentiate our environment and the objects contained in it. So what we see in our minds is a functional model of the physical world, which closely approximates it but is not identical to it; certainly not in the way we are in the habit of assuming. But still this traditio nal skepticism about perceptual experience has often created questions as to whether we can know that things are as we experience them as being, or if the visual world is a grand illusion.To illustrate this idea that perceptual experience may be different than what is real, consider the optical illusion. Artists such as Charles Allan Gilbert and M. C. Escher were masters of the craft of illusion in art. For example, in 1892 Charles Allan Gilbert drew a picture that he called â€Å"All is Vanity†. This piece of artwork is an ambiguous optical illusion using a skull, which has been the object of many pieces of this type, where we see more than one thing in the picture. If we view the overall image, we see a human skull. When we focus on the details of the picture, we see a woman ooking in her vanity mirror. If we look at a close-up, cropped image of â€Å"All is Vanity†, we don't see the skull we just see details of a woman sitting at her dressing table. However, if we e xpand our view, even without seeing the entire image, once we know we're going to see a skull, we can't help but see it. Also, when we look at the picture from a distance, because of all the black surrounding it, once the details of the woman get distorted we still only see a skull. Additionally, M. C. Escher used his expertise in mathematics to create his optical illusions in art.He was fascinated with tessellations, which are arrangements of closed shapes that completely cover the plane without overlapping and without leaving gaps. Typically, the shapes making up a tessellation are polygons or similar regular shapes, such as the square tiles often used on floors. Escher, however, was fascinated by every kind of tessellation – regular and irregular – and took special delight in what he called â€Å"metamorphoses,† in which the shapes changed and interacted with each other, and sometimes even broke free of the plane itself.The regular solids, known as polyhedra, held a special fascination for Escher. He made them the subject of many of his works and included them as secondary elements in a great many more. In the woodcut â€Å"Four Regular Solids† Escher has intersected all but one of the Platonic solids in such a way that their symmetries are aligned, and he has made them translucent so that each is discernible through the others. Additionally, among the most important of Escher's works from a mathematical point of view are those dealing with the nature of space. In the book â€Å"The Magic of M.C. Escher† J. I. Locher states â€Å" this unique interplay between insight and limitation, between possible and impossible worlds has given Escher’s body of work a wholly personal presence in the panorama of visual arts† (J. I. Locher 2000). His woodcut â€Å"Circle Limit III† is a good place to review these works, for it exemplifies the artist's concern with the dimensionality of space, and with the mind's abil ity to discern three-dimensionality in a two-dimensional representation and Escher often exploited this latter feature to achieve astonishing visual effects.To get a sense of what this space is like, one can imagine that he or she is actually in the picture itself. Walking from the center of the picture towards its edge, he/she would shrink just as the fishes in the picture do, so that to actually reach the edge one would have to walk a distance that, to the individual, seems infinite. Indeed, being inside this hyperbolic space, it would not be immediately obvious that anything was unusual about it – after all, one has to walk an infinite distance to get to the edge of ordinary Euclidean space too.However, if one is observant enough, he/she might begin to notice some odd things, such as that all similar triangles were the same size, and that no straight-sided figure we could draw would have four right angles; that is, this space doesn't have any squares or rectangles. In addi tion to ambiguous and mathematical illusions, there is a process known as anamorphosis. There are two types of anamorphosis: perspective or oblique and Mirror, or catoptric. It requires the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point to recreate the image.While some of these works of art are more advanced than others, one thing remains constant; the perception of depth in a two-dimensional illustration. With mirror anamorphosis, a conical or cylindrical mirror is placed on the drawing or painting to transform a flat distorted image into a three dimensional picture that can be viewed from many angles. The deformed image is painted on a plane surface surrounding the mirror. By looking uniquely into the mirror, the image appears as it should in natural form.Just as Escher and Gilbert were masters in creating works of illusion with their drawings, so too are the artists that give life to their renditions of this type. Salvador Dali was among many other artists of hi s time to have been intrigued with this form of art and utilized this technique in many of his paintings. Modern day artists of this sort use sidewalks, underpasses, buildings and pavement as their canvases. This type of art is referred to as â€Å"3D art† and it has been seen everywhere from London to New York.

Human Motivation the Influential Drive Behind Human Altruism

Human motivation the influential drive behind human altruism At the forefront of social psychology the issue of what motivates one to act in a prosocial manner has arisen with a vast array of theory and response. The heart of the topic lies in the ambiguity as to whether one acts altruistically as a result of an innate response of empathy and compassion, or merely due to self interest. By definition altruism refers to, â€Å"behaviour that helps people with no apparent gain or with potential cost to one’s self†, (Western 2006). Yet, this concept in itself is not unproblematic in that undoubtedly displays of altruism exist, but may not ultimately be driven by selflessness. Motivation is indisputably the integral drive behind human behaviour, and is the most crucial factor influencing human altruism. Reciprocal altruism; simply the idea that we offer assistance and expect it returned, is undeniably practiced with the motivation of one’s personal wellbeing in mind. Similarly, the concept of motivation also provides a logical understanding of kin selection whereby we are inclined to help our genetic related, as aiding one’s family will ultimate better one’s self. A cost rewards analysis, as well as social exclusion can also be depicted as highly motivated by a person’s needs and survival; and therefore can once more be deemed selfish. Thus, by grasping a concrete understanding of one’s ultimate purpose in a given situation, the question as whether we are driven by a natural selfless capacity or with intention of maximizing personal gain can be ascertained. Unquestionably, acts of genuine and authentic altruism exist, however in situations that help is required, consciously or subconsciously the helper is more likely to personally benefit from their action, than not. A motive refers to the goal or object of a person’s action. Human nature is inherently selfish, therefore when deciding whether to engage in a prosocial act; an individual’s primary concern is oneself. This is not always conscious to the individual, yet whether it is a simple question of the motives for an occupation, or concern for the environment; it is linked to maximizing personally or for society as a whole. Krous (2005), conducted research in order to determine what would motivate people in help related fields such as psychology, education and nursing to work with underserved populations; which consist of groups such as ethnic minorities, the mentally ill, the homeless and elderly. The research was conducted using 135 students from Midwestern University majoring in help related fields. Whilst factors such as work autonomy, troubled past experiences or a parent in a helping profession did inspire some to work with such groups, economic reward and prosperity as well as diverse training proved to be vital to a vast majority. Another way in which we can relate people’s motivations with the concern for themselves is through their view on the environment. This was put to the test through a study by Berenguer (2007) whereby participants were presented with illustrations of eight large trees being cut down and a dead bird on the beach covered in oil. The findings concluded that participants conveyed empathy and were dismayed by the devastating state of the environment. One needs to pose the question; what motivates one to act altruistically toward the environment? The simple fact that they are ultimately a part of the environment that they endeavor to save, and thus prevent the personal and societal hardship that would follow its total destruction. The concept that an individual’s sense of belonging in a group impacts upon their willingness to behave in a socially caring manner, once more brings the notion of selfishness to the fore. People are encouraged by their culture and society to take part in prosocial behavior. While engaging in a prosocial act often entails risk and cost to oneself, in the big picture, belonging to a group provides vast benefits. The concept that one’s belongingness will ultimately impact upon a person’s willingness to engage in a prosocial act is questioned in a number of research experiments conducted by Twenge (2007). Experiment One – donating money; had 34 participants take a personality test. Responders were randomly allocated a personality summary of either ‘future alone’, ‘future belonging’, or ‘misfortune control condition. ’ Each participant received $2 for taking part and were informed that there was a collection for the Student Emergency fund. The results had only 37% of the ‘future alone’ donate to the fund contrasting with 100% of the participants in the other groups. Thus, social exclusion lead to a significant decrease in helping behaviour. This suggests that one’s emotional state will pertain to their ability to offer empathetic understanding and an inclination to help others, as Twenge states, â€Å"Social exclusion apparently renders the prosocial behaviour tool temporarily useless. † Therefore, when an individual is emotionally vulnerable and lacking self-esteem they lose their ability to care for the wellbeing of others. Once more the proving human beings as self-interested creatures who are only willing to help when they feel they have been helped or that their society accepts them. Evolutionary theories pertaining to altruism have played a nodal role in understanding human motivations, and moreover through the kin selection theory and the concept of reciprocal altruism emphases once again that we are compelled by rational self-interest, to always put ourselves first. Kin selection focuses on actions of people who are genetically related as stated by Neyer (2003), â€Å"blood is thicker than water, implying that kin are generally favored over non-kin. The motive behind a parent, whether human or animal in protecting their off springs is in their attempt to protect and ensure the next generation. The protection of our genetic code is explored by Maynard Smith (1964), which explains that we are more than likely to help direct family over our more distant family and our more distant family over non-ki n. This idea is heightened in a study conducted by Burnstein (1994) which found that life or death helping was significantly more likely to be offered with close genetic relatedness. The notion of looking after one’s genetic coding for future generations, through the idea of kin selection once more exemplifies the way in which we are hard-wired to act in a socially caring manner to maximize person gain. â€Å"Reciprocal Altruism†, refers to the way in which humans help another person, thus building a relationship where help is expected to be returned at a later date. It is an evolutionary process that clarifies prosocial acts that occur among the non-related. A basic example of such an exchange is acknowledged by Fitness (2007), whereby two fishermen in a village agree to share what they catch for the day with one another. Therefore if one fisherman does not catch any fish they are reassured that they will not go hungry. Such an example supports the theory that engaging in reciprocal altruism increases the chances of survival over individuals who act selfishly, as long as both parties involved reciprocate. Our willingness to help is determined by the likelihood that the help will be returned, therefore in a situation where a stranger requires help it is unlikely that an act will be reciprocated and therefore we feel less inclined to help. In order for the survival of reciprocal altruism, Dovidio (2006) explains that there must be a willingness to chastise those who do cheat and find ways of gratifying individuals that voluntarily refrain from cheating. Reciprocal altruism can be considered a two way street, a relationship in which both parties will profit; and therefore is a response visibly motivated to maximize personal gain. The cost and benefits of engaging in a prosocial act ultimately determines ones willingness to involve themselves, hence supporting the concept that we are hard-wire for personal gain. From this view, humans are rational and chiefly concerned with their own self-interest and agenda. Dovidio (2006) explains the notion of a cost reward analysis, whereby in a potential helping situation the individual weighs the possible costs and benefits in order to reach the most desired outcome. An important aspect of grasping the parameters of prosocial behavior consists of learning when people will help. Dovidio (2006) references the assault of Kitty Genovese, whereby arriving home late from work she was brutally attacked outside her apartment building. This horrific event took place over 45 minutes whereby the attacker returned three times, finally stabbing her to death; with a shocking 38 onlookers that did nothing to help. This incident confirms the view that we are predominantly concerned with our own survival and self-interest as the potential helpers perceived the dangers to dominate over the benefits. Contrastingly, Dovidio (2006) cites the case of Reginald Denny, who was brutally beaten during the civil disturbance in Los Angeles in 1992. Four African Americans were watching nearby on live television and rushed to the scene fending off his attackers and transporting him to hospital, consequently saving his life. Whilst the four helpers were deemed heroes and rewarded with internal benefits of self satisfaction and fulfillment of one’s duty, it challenges the idea that we are hard-wired for personal gain as this act is undeniably a genuine expression of altruism. continuum There is a vast array of motivators that explain why humans engage in altruistic behaviour, a large majority pertaining to the desire to maximize personal gain. Such motivations are reinforced by the evolutionary theories on kin selection and reciprocal altruism; as well as one’s emotional state and the concept of a cost and reward analysis. This is not to say expressions of genuine altruism do not exist, as we have clearly established they do; they are simply few and far between. It is evident that humans have the capacity both to be incredibly selfish and heroically altruistic it would seem that tragically selfishness is hard-wired into us where we are motivated with one leading concern, ourselves. References * John F. Dovidio, Jane Allyn Piliavin, David A. Schroeder, Louis A. Penner. (2006) Social Psychology of Prosocial Behaviour. [Book] Chapter 3 – The Context: When will people help? Chapter 4 – Why do people help? * Krous, Tangala M. D. ; Nauta, Margaret M. (2005) Values, Motivations, and Learning Experiences of Future Professionals: Who Wants to Serve Underserved Populations? [Education and Training in Professional Psychology. ] Volume 36(6), pg 688-694 * Twenge, Jean (M). ; Baumeister, Roy (F); DeWall,(C). Nathan; Ciarocco, Natalie (J); Bartels, (J). Michael. (2007). Journal or Personality and Social Psychology. Social exclusion decrease Prosocial behaviour. Volume 92 (1) p56-66 * Berenguer, J. (2007). The Effect of Empathy in Proenvironmental Attitudes. Environment and Behaviour, 39; 269 * Westen, D. (2006). Psychology 4th edition. John Wiley and Sons, Hobeoken. United States of America * Neyer, Franz J. ; Lang, Frieder R. (2003). Blood is thicker than water. Kinship Orientation among adults. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol – 84. Pg 310-321 * Fitness (2007). Lecture – Altruism and Prosocial Behaviour

A Year in the South 1865: The True Story of Four Ordinary People

A Year in the South 1865, written by Stephen V. Ash, was published by First Perennial Press in 2004. It runs to 304 pages and deals with a year in the American south during the final year of the bloody United States Civil War.This war cost more American lives than any other conflict in the nation’s history and turned families against each other as sides were drawn. Stephen V. Ash, appropriately enough, teaches history at the University of Tennessee and has authored other books on the Civil War, including When the Yankees Came: Conflict and Chaos in the Occupied South.A Year in the South 1865 covers the twelve month span between January and December of 1865 as the war was winding toward its rather foregone conclusion. Ash has chosen to revisit this story of the fall of Dixie in a personal way, using four citizens of the bellicose Confederate States of America that stood in armed rebellion against the federal government of the United States as narrators.The year 1865 was chaotic in the United States, seeing the assassination of a great American leader, the end of the armed conflict, the beginning of the period termed Reconstruction and the emancipation of slaves in American States.Each narrator has a unique vantage from which he views the occurrences related in this work. One of the figures is a former Confederate soldier, one is a slave, wanting his freedom more than anything else, one is a widow, hungry and hopeless and the fourth is a planter and Christian minister whose faith is sorely tried.By 1865 the handwriting was on the wall. Early in the year North Carolina’s effectiveness as a haven for blockade-runners was broken.   William T. Sherman’s sweep through Georgia, creating a swath of scorched earth as he marched, was repeated in South Carolina, virtually destroying the state. It was blitzkrieg without the air support. It was lightening on the ground and it was devastating in its intensity and frightening in its brutality.Sherman lef t nothing behind. Against this backdrop the forces of the Army of the United States Federal Government came closer and closer to Richmond, and all but the deaf and blind understood the fall of Old Dominion was a fait accompli.Lee evacuated the capital in early April and the end was imminent. Jefferson Davis had made peace overtures to Lincoln early in the year, with demands that the independence of the south be recognized. Lincoln knew the war was all but over and dismissed the peace feeler out of hand.The Old South is dead and the four protagonists of the Stephen Ash work bear witness to the birth of the New. Ash captivates the reader with vivid tales of triumph and tragedy as the protagonists try to cope in a society whose very fabric is rent and bloodied in the ashes of disheartening defeat. Each of the individuals presented in this book are writers and keep journals of their times.This is a fascinating look into the lives of four ordinary people who are witness to a microcosmic view of the death throes of an age now long dead and of the nova that produced the New South, which is much the same today as when it first began in that painful birthing period in the year 1865. The subtitle of this book calls 1865 the most tumultuous 12 months in American history. It is not merely hype.John Robertson was a Confederate soldier, doing his duty as he saw it, though this duty caused him to stand in rebellion against his nation’s government and take arms against that institution. It must be understood today that the American civil war is more than just a difference of ideologies that lead to an armed confrontation.It is a renunciation of vows and oaths of loyalty to one’s own. It is to turn traitor to the homeland. â€Å"If such there breathe, go, mark him well; for him no minstrel raptures swell;†¦and, doubly dying, [he] shall go down to the vile dust from whence he sprung, unwept, unhonored, and unsung,† wrote Sir Walter Scott in The Lay of the Last Minstrel.Robertson is the target of vigilantes during the year of 1865, pursued by those with different ideologies. In the course of the year he is to flee over a thousand miles to escape the wrath of those bent on taking revenge on him for his perceived part in the bloody conflict.The cities of the South are occupied by what amounts to an alien army, while the frontiers of the relatively young republic are less civilized, and the citizens of the wilderness territories are subject to more than a modicum of frontier justice as well as to the dockets of more than a few kangaroo courts.The politics of this period are such that the victorious north is determined, by hook or crook, to impose its will upon the defeated insurgents in general, and those it can identify as ex-soldiers in particular. Ideally it will achieve its aims at the polling place, but if it can not, it is not adverse to a bit of armed confrontation of its own.Robertson finds himself the subject of reprisals as union loyalists seek their revenge on those who are available to them and he is forced to flee for his life.At one point he finds it expedient to move into the north, and comes to rest in a community in Iowa, where he feels like a fish out of water, unable to cope with cultural differences and what he perceives as a cold and calculating veneer spread over the peoples.Yankee and German immigrant merchants are not as warm as his fellow Southerners. The lack of Southern charm and hospitality is more than he can bear and he ultimately realizes that he cannot stay in such a place.This same hospitable citizen of a once genteel South hates Negroes with a blind passion and is willing to give his life to see that a form of government that holds some human beings to be chattel will survive and prosper. Ash quotes him as describing some blacks as, â€Å" ‘the greasiest bunch of nig[g]ers I ever saw.’ Just being around them made him sick,† (56).   When the shoe is on the other foot there is a great lack of understanding as to why man must be so callous in regard to his fellow man. Robertson is shocked to learn that bigotry can be directed toward him. Isn’t he white? Isn’t he a Southerner? Did he not fight to preserve his heritage? He feels forced to flee from is home in Knoxville.He feels that the Negro is rising above his station and the world, it must seem, has turned upside down. It is ironic that Robertson’s saga, his tale of misery in the aftermath of a war which he violently abetted, is found in the same tome as is found the tale of a former slave whom he considered below him and fit only for servitude. Robertson would not have liked to share the stage with a Negro in all likelihood.He is stunned that he becomes the second-class citizen in his travels and he has difficulty believing the incredible lack of manners exhibited by northerners. He finds it unacceptable that they do not offer the simple hospitality of a hot meal to visitors and he feels that they are looking down on him. Robertson eventually becomes a preacher, accepting the call to spread the gospel of Christ to his fellow man.Louis Hughes begins his narrative as a slave who has risen to what is stereotypically considered to be a plum assignment for a man in his position, that of house-slave.He becomes the family butler eventually. Having a good job as a slave seems similar to the old adage of enjoying a comfortable seat in hell. His is witness to the death of his twin children as his wife is too over-worked to see to their needs and they die of neglect.He tries to escape, and is recaptured by a military patrol. When he is returned to his rightful owner he is beaten by the kindly old white master, who puts him in stocks to administer the requisite justice, pausing when he tires, to rest and read the newspaper (120).It is the disparity of view and juxtaposition of these two narrators that adds so much flavor to this history. Hughes seems to be the more sympathetic of the two, and is the more altruistic.He is called upon to demonstrate his intestinal fortitude and acquits himself well. He manages to save members of his family and proves his ability to learn and expand. He comes to Milwaukee, where he becomes a nurse, doing much good for those in need. Both men travel far and see much. Their sojourns give added dimension to their tales and prevent them from narrating with a frog’s eye concept of life in the post-bellum American South.Cornelia McDonald is the widow of a Confederate officer. She lives in Lexington, Virginia. Her story is the only one told from a woman’s perspective and it fills in many of the gaps left by the tales related by the male narrators in that she deals more with the domestic issues of her day. She is also witness to the abject hunger and devastating poverty which settled over the south like an all intrusive fog, penetrating to the core of the land, pervasive and all encompassing.He r bitter struggle to simply find enough food to subsist is a telling point in this work. All too often a history will deal only with the nuts and bolts of the events, relating the politics and mechanizations that occurred in the reconstruction of a defeated and fallen society, overlooking the seemingly insignificant issue of bread.McDonald’s tale covers this aspect of the bitter year when a once proud and even arrogant people lost everything, falling lower than they believed it possible to fall.McDonald is left with seven hungry children and struggles daily just to find them enough food to survive. She relates a tale of how she unwove a mattress to recycle the threads into a suit of clothing for one of her sons (36). It is a story reminiscent of the classic scene described by Margaret Mitchell of how Scarlett O’Hara took the velvet drapes from the windows of her once glorious Tara and had the material tailored into a ball gown.Planter cum preacher, Sam Agnew is the fou rth member of this group of narrators of the year 1865 in this southern history. He bears further witness to the hunger and utter destitution left in the wake of the merciless marauding Union army.He comes bearing tales of the land and people in a way unique to a farmer who has witnessed a period when even heaven seemed to conspire against the south, withholding rain and desiccating the crops, bringing famine and disease (150).McDonald is perhaps a metaphor for the land, relating how she survived that year of infamy, prospering eventually, and becoming a friend of the revered icon of all that is Southern, General Robert Edward Lee.She relates rather poignantly how Lee remains the courtly Southern aristocrat in defeat and urges his fellow Southerners to forgive and forget and move on with their lives. She does not mention how this courtly aristocrat, a graduate of West Point, reneged on his solemn oath to the United States and took up arms against it.She fails to mention that what he and the other Southern officers, who had once been Union officers, had done was treason and could have resulted in their execution.It seems the least bit fatuous for an historian like Ash to glorify the mien of Southern gentry who were largely responsible, if not for causing the war, then at least for extending it by years with the military expertise they had been taught in a United States military academy. Had they all refused to gainsay their sacred oaths the war might not have been prosecuted for lack of leadership.Works CitedAsh, S.V.   A Year in the South 1865: The True Story of Four Ordinary People Who Lived Through the Most Tumultuous Twelve Months in American   History   New York: First Perennial Edition 2004   

Using McEwan, A., & Tsey, K. (2009) as a starting point, explain the Essay

Using McEwan, A., & Tsey, K. (2009) as a starting point, explain the importance of spirituality in a social and emotional wellbeing framework as described in current literature - Essay Example They suffer the consequences of European settlements and have high death rates and lower life expectancy compared to other Australians. In spite of these setbacks, their spirituality is deeply rooted in their culture and the land enabling them to have high social and emotional wellbeing (UN Chronicle, 2010). Spirituality among the aboriginals is believed to play important roles in their well being. First, is healing which is part of family and personal health (Gorsuch, 2002). For instance, when an individual is sick, he/she can communicate with the ancestors who have passed on to receive strength. They can also receive mental, emotional and physical healing from their religion. Mental health includes issues such as trauma, parental neglect, depression, suicide and self harm which affect individuals and families throughout their Lifecycle. Therefore, recognizing spirituality is critical to Aboriginal wellbeing and an important factor in developing and implementing health promotion and preventive projects (McLennan et al, 2004). Protection is also a point of consideration in their spirituality. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people depend on spirituality for protection. They believe that it protects people from problems by giving them skills and solutions. Also, it unites people, protect the children by being responsible and offers guidance (McEwan et al, 2008). Spirituality also plays a major role in promoting unity. It brings about family and community unity and wellbeing. Children and adults can consult the elders who are living and those who have passed on concerning issues of peace, conflicts, and problems. A perfect example is the high number of youth committing suicide in the community in order to pass a message to the ancestors and spirits. This brings about a cohesive community and enables each person to take responsibility in family and community life (Commonwealth of Australia, 2000). It also helps in solving

The commonest form of contract law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The commonest form of contract law - Essay Example A court of law usually enforces the contract as long the offeree proves that he posted the letter. For the case of Bella, the letter he posted on 25th September 2006, but arrived on 30th September 2006, the contract to purchase the text book became binding immediately he sent the letter of acceptance. It does not matter that the letter was delayed by the post office. On the issue that since the recommended textbook for the course has changed, and Bella does not wish to buy the textbook, this would not apply. Acceptance one made, it cannot be revoked. The moment Bella expressed his acceptance of an offer, that very moment the contract is concluded, and it does not matter whether the acceptance is by word of mouth or even by writing. On the case of Chu who accepted Arun's offer by telephone, his contract became complete when the acceptance was heard by Arun on 30th September 2006. According to the law of contract, there is an exception to the communication of acceptance. A contact is complete only when acceptance is actually communicated to the offeror. But a contract made by telephone is complete only when the acceptance is heard by the offeror. For this case, Chu should not revoke the acceptance on the basis that the book will not be useful since it is not recommended text book in his course. An acceptance once made, it cannot be revoked. On the case of Dilma, who accepted the offer by email sent on 27th September 2006 but read by Arun on 28th September 2006, the contract became binding immediately the email of acceptance was sent. According to law of contract, there is an exception to the communication of acceptance as acceptance made by cable takes effect from the moment of posting is an exception to the general rule, that a contract is complete only when acceptance is actually communicated to the offeror. For this case, Dilma cannot be able to revoke the acceptance since an acceptance made cannot be revoked. Past Consideration is Sufficient Consideration Although consideration must not be past, there are three exceptions to this rule that past consideration is no consideration. The exceptions to this rule are applicable when:- The past consideration consists of services rendered at the express or on legally implied request of the promissor. A relevant case studied on this concept is that of:- Lampleigh vs. Braithwait In this case B, under death sentence, requested L to obtain King's pardon for him, which he did. B subsequently promised to pay 100 to L, which he failed to pay, and pleaded the defence that his promise was based on past consideration. It was held that as the plaintiff performed services as the express request of the defendant, a subsequent T promise to pay would be binding on him. When a debt, the payment of which is barred by statute of limitations, is revived by a fresh promise in writing for example if a creditor does not demand the repayment of the loan from his debtor within six years of the loan hence he cannot enforce his claim in the court in case the debtor refuses to pay. Lastly in the bill of exchange Act that provides that an antecedent debt or liability on the part of the promisor or drawer of the

I'll cook for you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I'll cook for you - Essay Example You will also need time and money to look for the best advertising agency to suit your business needs (Grow and Altstiel, 2006). Since you have a career in nutrition and perhaps you do not have sufficient knowledge about advertising or marketing, then you need to hire an advertising agent. The second thing that you need in your business is to grow it. It is just a start-up, so you need to devote all resources to make it grow. At this initial stages there could be some constraints of money; hiring an advertising agent will drain your money instead of using them to grow your business since it is just a start-up. However, it may also be necessary to hire an advertising agency once the business grows because you will need to establish the business first before you can get enough money to hire skilled in-house advertising or marketing team. On the other hand, in-house advertising agency requires online advertising and marketing resources because it is the best way to communicate with potential customers at the start-up stage in which you will be busy handling your food service operations. Furthermore, if you are familiar with the advertising and marketing, then you may handle the advertising work in-house but you will need to sacrifice some time out of your food service operations and deal with advertising services. As small as the business is currently, you will need to devote a lot of time to your business in order to make it grow. There are also various advantages and disadvantages of in-house advertising and hiring an advertising agency. One of the advantages of an advertising agency is that it brings advertising and marketing expertise and specialized knowledge into the business. Agencies have resources to provide advertising knowhow that your small business does not have. Another advantage of an advertising agency is that it saves time for the business. While you

Dunkins brands strategic performance Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Dunkins brands strategic performance - Article Example Dunkin Brands Group is the parent company of Dunkin Donuts (DD) and Baskin-Robbins (BR) that has its headquarters in, Massachusetts in the United States. Dunkin Donuts and Baskin-Robbins were initially owned by a French multinational corporation that was known as Pernod Ricard and afterwards they were bought purchased by the American Multinational company that is known as Dunkin’ Brands. Its history of offering breakfast meals that is supposed to be simple and straightforward has given it an edge over the competitors that are in the same industry such as Starbucks since the company targets the people who are modest and mind about how they spend their money. The company tries to grow in all the aspects so that it can be able to reach as many customers as possible and develop more products that will appeal to these clients in an effort to achieve proper retail placement which normally can be a delicate balance. The company partners with several grocery retailers but does not put its business in the store within a store concept that will include a grocery since they want to be within big places that are frequented by more consumers as the target more people. Dunkin’ donuts has not been left behind as far a technology is concerned since the have employed the use of software that if adopted is able to tell the location of their different stores that are to come up as the software called iSite from geoVue helps the company to analyze where it can put more restaurants that will better serve the people. In the fourth quarter of 2012 Dunkin’ Brands had a variety of highlights that included a 3.2 percent growth in the sales of its Donuts compared to the other stores that are in the United States. In the rest of the world the brand also posted significant success that was exhibited by the opening of 256 new restaurants that included 149 Dunkin Donut restaurants

International Marketing(2) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Marketing(2) - Essay Example The organization of EITC or Du mainly offered services such as fixed lines, mobile services, internet services, telephony as well as digital television services that enhanced its revenues and net income by US$ 2.77 billion and US$ 540 million in the year 2012. Moreover, due to the presentation of varied types of services, the brand image and reputation of the organization enhanced by a significant extent as compared to many other rival players (Du, 2014). Bargaining power of the customer: the bargaining power of the customers of Indian market is extremely high. This is mainly due to the presence of numerous rival players such as BSNL, MTNL, Vodafone, Airtel, Aircel etc. As a result, the organization of EITC or Du need to offer new services at a competitive rate so as attract the customers of Indian market towards the brand as compared to others (Grant, 2010, pp. 110-123). Bargaining power of the suppliers: the bargaining power of the suppliers is quite low. This is mainly because; the branded and reputed organizations always try to maintain an agreement with the popular suppliers so as to attain best services to its target customers. Therefore, in order to retain its position and reputation in the market, the suppliers had to obey the rules and regulations of the organizations (Grant, 2010, pp. 110-123). Competitive rivalry: the level of rivalry is extremely high in India. This is mainly due to the presence of many rival players such as Vodafone, BSNL, Airtel, Idea, Aircel etc. Other than this, each and every telecom service provider is trying to offer varied types of inventive services to its customers so as to enhance its dominance and market share as compared to others. Therefore, in order to maintain its position and ranking, the organization need to offer high concentration over product development strategy as compared to others. Threat of substitute products: the threat of substitute products is extremely high in the market

Demand and Supply Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Demand and Supply Analysis - Essay Example b) The relationship between the quantity demanded and the price is of negative relationship while that between quantity supplied and price shows a positive relationship. Quantity demanded of a commodity according to the theoretical information is the quantity of a commodity that a buyer is willing and able to purchase at the prevailing market prices (McEachern, 2011). When prices go up few buyers will be willing to buy depending on the nature of the good. This shown by the negative gradient depicted by the demand function of -2, it means that for every 1 unit increase in price quantity demanded reduces by 2 units. Quantity supplied on the other hand is with reference to suppliers and producers. It is defined as the quantity of goods and services that a provider is willing and able to produce and supply at the prevailing market prices (McEachern, 2011). Suppliers are always willing to supply more when prices are high as opposed to when they go down. This is depicted by the positive gr adient of the supply curve of +1. This means that if prices are increased by 1 unit, quantity supplied also increases by 1 unit. c) The slope of the demand function is -2; this means that an increase in price by 1 unit solicits a reduction in quantity demanded by 2 units. d) The slope of the supply function is of +1. This means that an increase in price by 1 unit solicits an increase in quantity supplied by the same unit. 12. ... 1. Among the ten countries, price elasticity of demand for food is high in Tanzania and it decreases sequentially with Tanzania having the highest price elasticity all the way to the US having the lowest elasticity. This is explained by the general principle that with general increase in income demand for food normally goes down while that of luxury and junky foods goes up (Tucker, 2008). Developing countries still have a population that is still of the need of basic needs like food, this explains the reason as to why developing countries like Tanzania have high price elasticity of demand. Both the quantity demanded and supplied of the commodities in Tanzania is composed of food and food products. The agricultural products also add to the supply of food into the economy (Tucker, 2008). Consumers in developing countries with relation to food are related to then food prices and their income. Rise in income in such countries leads to an increased consumption. Changes in prices also thre aten the food consumption patterns in such countries. The only food consumption that is not threatened is that of basic staple foods. This implies that there is high purchase of foods and foodstuffs in Tanzania than the same is for the US. High purchases are realized in staple foods. On the contrary, consumption of high value foods like meat experiences high purchases in the US (McEachern, 2011). 2. Fig. 2: Tax effect on demand and Supply 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Before taxation is imposed on the commodity, the equilibrium quantity is Qe while the equilibrium price is Pe. Tax has the tendency of normally increasing prices of commodities as well as

Business Proposal for Photo Rental Equipment Company Assignment

Business Proposal for Photo Rental Equipment Company - Assignment Example mpany that aims to provide a digital platform, both web and app, from which travellers across the globe would locate and rent their desired photography equipment. In addition, renters may use the same platform to increase the market visibility of their products. The renter places their products in the platform and the travellers then selects a product based on their specification and location. The main goal of the company is to increase the ease at which the photography rental equipment industry is keen to administer the needs of the regular traveller. The company recognizes that the regular traveler relies heavily on the abilities of their mobile phones to access basic travel amenities. For this reason, the creation of a website and an application provides the ease at which the traveller may access photography rental services. This is the mission shared by the organization as it strives to increase its online presence for the use of travellers across the globe. Revenue sources for the company are directly linked to the web platform created. Majorly, both the user and the renter that uses the digital platform pay a commission to the company. The users are required to pay a higher commission to the company than the renter. Other revenues sources from the venture include the provision of a marketing prospect for business in the field. For instances, tourism hotspots may use the digital platform to market their products and services. The success of the company is based on the creation of stages for the market introduction, penetration and dominance. After creation of the product the product would go through the first stage of the website creation. The website would then be marketed in New York City. The second stage sees the expansion of the product to the city of Chicago and Miami. The two stages rely massively in the use and maximization on the marketing opportunities provided by giant social networks of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The other stage

“GOD” and “DOG” Essay Example for Free

â€Å"GOD† and â€Å"DOG† Essay Growing up, my summers were often spent at my uncles ranch. My mom would drive me up and leave me for about 2 to 3 weeks. Those were the most fruitful and fun-filled summers of my life. At the ranch, I would be far removed from city life and its hectic schedule. Instead, I would spend my mornings in bed, often waking up late to have a very fine breakfast prepared by my aunt. My cousins were very accommodating and my friendship with them remains to be part of my most-treasured memories. We still keep in touch by E-mail, and sometimes see each other when our schedules allow. Idyllic and fun as it was, the most haunting and persistent memory I have of those summers at the ranch is that of Evan. Evan is one of my uncles farm hands son, and although he was only slightly older than we were, he had already started working at the farm since he was eight or nine. His friendship helped shape the way I am now, and made a positive impact in my life. His story and friendship became a personal cause for me, and I am hoping I could lay it down to make it into a more public advocacy. * * * At first I thought his name was Moe, because my cousins called him Slow Moe. He was shy and kept to himself, and never went out of his way to talk to us. Mon, my eldest cousin, had another, and simpler, nickname for him: Stupid. I felt sorry for him. And maybe that was why I tried my best to befriend him. It was not easy at first, but then he cracked a smile and the conversation went smoothly after that. One thing that struck me about Moe was that he was actually intelligent. He knew his work, and was really passionate about the horses he tended to. He knew a lot of things about their nature, how to keep them, and how to pacify them if they were agitated. His knowledge also applied to other animals. We had a great time talking about a lot of other things: about his life, my life, current events, the news, and even the gossip around town. Just about anything and everything was up for discussion. Moreover, he had his own opinions about a lot of issues and I found that really admirable. Sometimes he taught me things like how to ride a horse, or how to jump into the lake without landing so painfully on my stomach. He also taught me about constellations, their names and how to identify them. I also found out his real name was Evan, but he had learned to live with Moe. One night, I ventured asking why he was not in school. Evan just chuckled and said that those kids were evil. I later found out that Evan attended up to the first grade and then refused to go back. His last day at school was an ugly episode wherein some kids in his class called him all kinds of names and beat him almost to death. My cousins initially resented the time I spent with Evan, and even the few times I brought him along with us. He was an outsider, they protested. And they were ashamed to be seen in town with the farm hand with no lights on up there. But Evan eventually won them over, and with my cousins realizing that they have been wrong with the guy, they developed a better relationship with him. Soon, his nickname was rarely mentioned among us, and we started using his real name. Evan is a dyslexic. During that time, however, he was just plain stupid. I doubt if his parents ever knew his condition or cared about it. Evan was taught at home by his mom, who used pictures and drawings to get herself understood. Evan was alright with verbal explanation, but not written ones. I learned about his condition when we ventured into town with my cousins and stopped by a bookstore. He was looking at the sign outside the store and read the sign as bokos. I laughed and he immediately fell silent. I sensed something was wrong, but I kept quiet about it until we reached home. Because we were already close friends by that time, I asked him about it.. He admitted that he couldnt read, and I told him I could not believe that. He seemed to be a smart and intelligent person, there is no way he was illiterate. He shook his head and insisted that he could not read. He explained that when he read, he always read it wrong. Evan explained that to him, E, M, and W all looked alike, as well as G, O and D. So he reads â€Å"GOD† and â€Å"DOG† as â€Å"OOO†. He further said that there are times that he could see the letters, and know what they are, but that they â€Å"danced around†. Like if he sees the word CAT, he can identify the letters C, A and T, but he could not string it together. Sometimes he’d see it as C, A and T, sometimes it’s A, C, and T. * * * Dyslexia is a disability that affects an individual’s reading and writing skills, a condition that is present in 10% of the general population in various forms and degrees (Dyslexia Action, undated, online). Today, an estimated 15% of American students suffer from dyslexia, and up to half of all Americans have some form of undetected learning disabilities. Other studies also report that as many as 2. 9 million school-aged American children have learning disabilities (Edwards, 2006, online. ) Heather Hardie, citing dyslexia expert Sylvia Moody, writes that dyslexia is simply difficulty with writing and reading, which may stem from short-term memory weakness, faulty information processing, and weak perceptual, spatial and motor skills. A dyslexic, therefore, can have problems with poor concentration and poor memory. It may manifest subtly, like when a child is slow in reading certain words, but reads them correctly; or it may be severe and obvious like in Evan’s case. Dr. Moody adds that a dyslexic may exhibit other symptoms and problems like bouts of forgetfulness, difficulties in organization and in keeping time. (Hardie, 2006, p. 26). The overall effects are dramatic. To a child suffering from dyslexia, school work may suffer. Reading is such a basic skill thats required in nearly all school subjects that a dyslexic child is put at a great disadvantage, and often leading to problems with learning. The child usually fails in school. It can also lead to low self-esteem, delinquency, aggression, behavioral problems, and social withdrawal (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2007, online). This was clearly seen in Evans case. He was extremely shy and preferred to work away from us and mostly kept to himself. This was unfortunate, because his friendship made my summers at my uncles farm more memorable. I hate to think how many friendships were not developed because of dyslexia. How many children had wanted to reach out and say hi, but was stumped by the fear of being laughed at. The moniker and label dyslexic is bad enough, but being thought of as stupid is a million times worse. A child with dyslexia needs a supportive environment both at home and at school. A parent should explain to the child that it is not his or her fault, and patiently explain the condition to him or her, this will enable the child to cope and compensate for his or her disability. Parents of dyslexic children should also get in touch with teachers, and it might help if they find support groups that can provide both emotional support and good information (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2007, online). Dyslexic students grow up to be dyslexic adults, and in the workplace, dyslexia is not much kinder to those who suffer from it. In fact, Linda Goldman and Joan Lewis (2007) writes that information processing disorders, like dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are considered legal disabilities, giving the suffered adequate legal protection against discrimination and requires employers to ensure fairness by making reasonable adjustments in terms of recruiting, training, employing and promoting employees with dyslexia (p. 16). Often a dyslexic worker produces below par work output, manifests poor timekeeping, and often fails to remember instructions. This puts him or her at greater risk to be terminated from work, especially if his or her condition goes undiagnosed and unrecognized (Goldman and Lewis, 2007, p. 16). Even so, most employees with dyslexia need only more time to do their work and to correct problems related to concentration and coordination. This is what reasonable adjustments are all about (Goldman and Lewis, 2007, p. 16). However, I take heart in the stories of a lot of people who have succeeded in spite of having dyslexia. Pamela Coyle (1996) chronicles the travails and successes of three of them: Sylvia Ann Law, David Glass and Jonathan Pazer. All of them are noted dyslexics, yet each one succeeded in their fields. Sylvia Law became a professor of, appropriately, law. She also teaches medicine and psychiatry. She is the author of several books and has served as lecturer, as well as strong influence in the fields of civil rights and poverty law. David Glass and Jonathan Pazer are both practicing lawyers. (pp. 64-67). Heather Hardie (2006, p. 24) adds businessman Richard Branson, comedian Eddie Izzard and architect Richard Rogers to the list. Their lives are shining examples of how dyslexia could be overcome, if only one does not give in to low self-esteem and engage in self-pity. More than that, a child with dyslexia should grow up in a supportive environment that would not only foster his development, but also instill in him or her the confidence needed to grow and live life. * * * The last time I saw Evan was more than two years ago. He had become a handsome and confident young man, and has a steady girlfriend who, along with Evan’s mother, is helping him study for a high school equivalency test. At the time, he was also working at a local fast food chain as a janitor, and at the local school doing odd jobs. But Evan still shies away from contact and conversation with strangers. For my part, I am happy to have met him at a time when I was growing up. He made me think and realize that people have their own problems, and it is difficult to judge them by what we see. Moreover, he made me realize that what’s more important is what we do not see. If I had not scratched below the surface, I would still be one of those kids who continue to call him â€Å"Slow Moe,† and that would have deprived me of a friend who had made my summers at the farm richer and more fulfilling with his stories, tips, and jokes. In a sense, I know I could never thank Evan enough for the impact he had in my life. But I know that I am thanking him with every child, dyslexic or not, that I tutor on reading and writing as a volunteer for our neighborhood pre-school. I am thanking him by not being mean to other people when they show a kind of â€Å"weirdness† or â€Å"stupidity. † I am thanking him by not judging people I meet right away. I wish I could do more. I want to tell Evan the next time I see him all about Sylvia Law and other people whom I think would influence him to do better with his life despite his disability. In fact, I hope to be able to tell people just how wrong they are at labeling dyslexic people stupid. What they need is love and support. They need all the leeway they can get to help them overcome their disability. They have all the potential to succeed in life, if we—friends, teachers, fellow students, employers, colleagues, and parents—only give them the chance. Acknowledgments: First of all, I want to thank (name of teacher) for giving us this assignment. This exercise has given me the opportunity to think about my life and appreciate a person who I never really thought much about before. Alvin John for proofreading all those drafts and giving suggestions that helped shape this paper. And of course, Evan for the friendship and the insights. References 2007. Dyslexia: Complications. Retrieved July 11, 2008, from Mayo Clinic, Web site: http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/dyslexia/DS00224/DSECTION=complications 2007. Dyslexia: Coping and Support. Retrieved July 11, 2008, from Mayo Clinic, Web site: http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/dyslexia/DS00224/DSECTION=coping Coyle, Pamela (1996). What Sylvia Law, Jonathan Pazer and David Glass confront when they read or write. ABA Journal, 82, 64. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 10121349).

Damage and Repair Mechanisms of Cells and Tissues Essay Example for Free

Damage and Repair Mechanisms of Cells and Tissues Essay Observation of the cells is something that modern biology has given an advantage of. Irritation of the cell can give critical information about the cell cycle, the damage on the DNA and its repair mechanism, and what will happen to the cell. In turn, since the cell is the basic unit of tissues, understanding cell damage can lead to understanding the fate of tissues composed of these same cells. Much damage to the cell can cause its death, and this can cause serious damage to the tissue, the organ, the organ system, and the organism itself. In connection to this, the study of cell damage is interplayed with discussion on biochemical toxicity, which just says that cell damage is corresponded by chemical damage which concerns a specific chemical in the cell, or a physical damage. A cell can be physically damaged through exposure to heat and radiation that are reasons for coagulation of its contents. Another damaging factor is the deprivation of supply of oxygen and glucose into the cell that may limit its survival because of its inability to maintain its processes without these agents (Monson, 2007). The damage on cells is usually because of toxic effects studied in xenobiotics, and usually the damage on the cells is not obvious. What happens in this case is (1) interference on the chemical that transfers signals across a neural synapse or (2) replacement of an essential chemical in the cells/tissues by toxic chemicals (Monson, 2007). It becomes obvious when involved are many cells comprising the tissue, which is visible to the naked eye. Necrosis is the process wherein the structural processes in the cytoplasm are progressive into failure. This either occurs in a group of contiguous cells or is also affective to tissue level. Continuous failure to function and deterioration of structure lead to the death of the cells or what is termed as the necrotic cells. Failure of the cytoplasmic processes is because of the reduced production of cellular proteins, electrolyte gradient changes, and membrane integrity losses. Following this process would be the apoptosis or the programmed cell death wherein it resorts to self destruction and in turn, regeneration. This process does not only happen in a single cell but scatters or spreads throughout the tissue. This is also a normal process wherein cell undergoes rebirth after it has consumed its lifespan. The organelles at this part of the process appear normal (Monsoon, 2007). The human body is very complex that it contains over 200 unique cell types with corresponding same amount of tissues, and with these figures are thousands of biochemicals that also act in complex mechanisms in order to fix the damages and keep the proper body functions correctly. Epithelial tissues repair themselves, and there are still some tissue types that are capable of doing it. The nervous tissues on the other hand are of the inability to conduct the same process. There are organs that in spite of damages still functional or which have functional reserve capacity (Monson, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most of the cycles of damage and repair happen among individual cells. In order to repair a tissue, there might be a large number of specific cells needed to successfully heal tissue damage. There are technologies serving this purpose, such as the adult stem cell technology that helps in providing the needed cells to proceed on repairing the damage. This is a venue for many applications that would lead to medical breakthroughs when explored. Its mechanism is highly sophisticated, since cells from other parts of the body become a nucleus for other cells to grow, and then repair back what has been impaired. The bone marrow contains much of stem cells needed for this kind of mechanism. There is only about 0.1% of the whole body’s stem cells that travel along the blood pathways. Once a body part is damaged, the corporeal blood shall circulate around the damaged part until a specific concentration of the stem cells is achieved on that part (Galloway, 2003). Some of the repair processes are spontaneous; some need medical attention to promote or to activate the healing process. It is important to give the body the highest possible care to avoid cells and tissue damages. Proper diet and exercise could be a lot of help to make the most out of the bodily functions, to stay healthy and out of illnesses and diseases. References Galloway, D. (2003). New Research Promotes a More Dynamic View of Adult Stem Cell Differentiation: Hematopoietic Stem Cells May One Day Be Used to Repair Tissue Damage Caused by Radiation Therapy or Chemotherapy OncoLog, 48(9). Monson, E. (2007). Cell damage from toxicity and tissue repair. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Cell_damage_from_toxicity_and_tissue_repair

Ludwig Feuerbach The Essence Of Christianity Religion Essay

Ludwig Feuerbach The Essence Of Christianity Religion Essay Feuerbachs own introduction to the second print of his The Essence of Christianity is as good an exposà © as any of both his intentions and the content of his book. His own comments on the style of his writing are insightful both with regard to the content of the book as of the Young Hegelian movement as a whole. Forms, it seems, encapsulates the direction which Hegelian thought seem to have taken. This sense of style seems both as a device by which Feuerbach distances himself from the at times tiresome and elaborate musings of the German philosophical tradition and as a means by which to demonstrate the immediate and down-to-earth conclusion he himself has drawn from studying the Christian faith. In doing so Feuerbach claims to walk a path wholly of his own making, far removed from the obfuscation associated with Hegels work. Style, then, is as much content as it is on the surface of things. It tells us both to whom the message is addressed and the context in which it is written. F euerbach is, perhaps as a result of his awareness of the to be resolved Hegelian dichotomy between form and content, highly self-conscious of the form he is taking in addressing his audience: I have never held, surely, the scholars to be the measure of true learning and of the art of writing; not those abstract and particular academic philosophers, but universal man instead. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) and I have made a law of the highest level of clarity, simplicity and determinacy to the extent to which the subject matter allows it. I have done so in all my writing, including this one, in order that every educated and thinking man can at the very least understand the main point of my work.  [2]   Feuerbachs style is inherently democratic and adverse to the prevalent mandarinism of the German intelligentsia. It is a statement in and by itself. The suggestion Feuerbach is making is that this is the language of science. These are not subjective utterances of a particular individual but irrefutable truth arrived at by virtue of strict application of a thoroughly rational methodology. Feuerbachs posture is one of a levelheaded thinker who aspires to the elementary truth. A truth that is, as we shall see, not shrouded in the abstract mysteries of abstract thought, but instead claims to be commonplace. One only needs to look clearly at the world in order for the ghosts of speculative idealism to dissipate. Feuerbach is practising the art of artlessness. Many of those influenced by Feuerbach have tried to emulate this posture and it is probable that a large part of the success of The Essence of Christianity is due to it tone. Its tone must have been seductive to an ever increasing contingent of thinkers barred from having a place within the established order. The author of The Essence, so it seems, took a certain pride in his lack of social stature. After all, such rogue thinkers might well be more inclined to think outside the box, not needing to adorn their truths in order to make them acceptable to all. This pathos is certainly recognizable in our present and practically an idiom in popular culture. At the time of its publication, however, the feeling was such that The Essence had cleared new grounds. It was frequently said that The Essence had a liberating effect. It expressed double entendre implied the spirit of the age. Or at least the very least the spirit of a particular segment within the 19th century German speaking coun tries of Central Europe. A segment of society that was repressed and excluded and had now, finally, found a voice to call its own. Feuerbachs aim was to clear away the alienating representations of Christianity in order to gain an empiricism that allowed to clearly state the nature of reality. Feuerbach: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) weiter will meine Schrift nichts sein als eine sinngetreue ÃÅ"bersetzung bildlos ausgedrà ¼kt: eine empirisch- oder historisch-philosophische Analyse, Auflà ¶sung des Rà ¤tsels der christliche Religion.  [3]   (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) my book wants to nothing more than a translation that is true to the senses expressed without images: an empirical- or historical-philosophical analysis, resolution of the mystery of the Christian religion.  [4]   In the above Feuerbach makes clear his intent. He wants to strip bare the Hegelian dialectic into its most elementary form and overcome an idealism that is identified as being synonimous with the teachings of Christianity. The truth attained after decomposing Christianity will be immediate, sensual, and therefore without images. These words resemble those of an iconoclast, of someone wanting to empty the faith of all idolatry that stands in the way of truth. This is feeling is enhanced by Feuerbachs insistence that the Christianity which he shall tackle is not the same today as it was at the moment of its own genesis.  [5]  The original teachings of the Christian faith by Jesus have been steadily corrupted, according to Feuerbach, by subsequent interpretations and explanations of theologists. Theology has transformed Christianity into dogmas that are contradictory and unintelligible. The Essence is an attempt to retrieve the religion of Christianity from its theology, and Feuerbach makes a clear distinction between the two. Only after going back to this moment of authenticity within the Christian faith, that is, of the original myths surrounding the teachings of Jesus, can we hope to gain a new insight as to what these myths really imply. This explicit disapproval of theology in Feuerbachs writing is, as we shall see, consistent with a particular strand of anti-intellectualism expressed in The Essence. For Feuerbach believed that he had transcended not only the limitations of religion but those of philosophy as well. The Essence is itself therefore not a work of philosophy but of anthropology. In anthropology both religion and philosophy were superseded; it provided immediate, scientific, truths about human nature. By emphasizing that he was practicing another form of enquiry altogether Feuerbach tried to make more dramatic his break with both Christianity and the excesses of speculative philosophy as done by Hegel. Anthropology was believed to provide concrete results that could be empirically verified by basic human understanding, doing so in a commonsense language untainted by jargon. Anthropology dealt with humanity in general and had as a field of study, according to Feuerbach, something concrete and real. For humanity was undeniable since we ourselves were human. Feuerbach abhorred the tendency of idealist thought to reduce everything to the consciousness of the single mind. This, he thought, was an absurdity since much of what one calls ones own can be seen to be embodied by other human beings as well.  [6]  The human body was as a source of non-intellectual understanding, or feeling, shared by all members of the species.  [7]   So too was (historic) human culture a field for the creation of collective meaning by which those unalienable qualities of the human race could be represented. Feuerbach remained a Hegelian in seeing historical development of human culture in connection with the development of human consciousness. He too believed that the ideas and truths developed and represented in culture would, given time, be embodied by human consciousness. Feuerbach diverted from Hegel in seeing this development in terms of mans understanding of himself as member of a species. This understanding was expressed in highly naturalistic and empirical terms. With regard to Strauss, Feuerbach said not to be interested in the question of whether Jesus Christ had truly existed or not. Nor would Feuerbach critically interpret theology, a field in which he had no interest other than a feeling of disdain. What was of interest was the instantly recognizable myth told by the Biblical story of humanities redemption through Christ. This was the core around which the webs of mystification were spun. Just as the life and death of Christ was key in Hegels understanding of the Christian faith in being his philosophys other. So too was redemption, according to Feuerbach, the single most important event which had taken place in human history. Feuerbachs task was to take this myth and explain it in atheistic, anthropological, terms which directly reflected the hope and aspirations of humanity at large. This was not, however, to reduce or criticize the essence of faith. Rather, this methodology exhibited in The Essence was to scientifically explain the myth central to Christianity. In the understanding of the dialectic this meant that the content of the Bible, which was still marred by an excessive dependence on representation, could be brought on a higher plain of immediate understanding. In other words, although Christianity contained a truth, this truth was itself marred by Christianity. Christianity was in contradiction with itself, a contradiction that had to be resolved by its being superseded by anthropology. Feuerbach says of this: Ich (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) lasse die Religion sich selbst aussprechen; ich mache nur ihren Zuhà ¶rer und Dolmetscher, nicht ehren Souffleur.  [8]   I (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) let religion speak for it self; I am merely its audience and translator, not its critic.  [9]   Feuerbach, like Hegel, sees Christianity as a mirror of human consciousness. The qualities ascribed to Christianity are, in truth, the qualities of the human mind at a given time. Throughout The Essence the claim is repeated that faith is but an alienated manifestation of the self-as-species. The consciousness of God is the self-consciousness of mankind, the knowledge of God is the understanding of mankind. Religion is the first attempt towards self-consciousness. Yet it is in itself flawed; it remains an indirect self-consciousness through the manifestations of religion. Feuerbach writes in a sentence that could have been made by Hegel himself; Der Mensch verlegt sein Wesen zuerst außer sich, ehe er es in sich findet.  [10]   At first man misplaces his essence outside himself, before finding it within himself.  [11]   Everything that is to be found in religion can be found in actual human consciousness itself. Religion is constituted by reverence for alienated qualities of the self. Despite all its grandeur, religion has no content that is particular to its self. Religion is alienation itself and therefore made up around nothingness. This also explain the vague, indistinct, character of the omnipotent Christian God. God is said to embody all virtues of man, yet none in particular. God is everywhere, yet nowhere in particular. God knows everything, because he knows nothing in particular. According to Feuerbach the very notion of God is itself void: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) weil alle Dinge, die der Vernunft imponieren, vor der Religion verschwinden, ihre Individualità ¤t verlieren, im Auge der gà ¶ttlichen Macht nichts sind. Die Nacht is die Mutter der Religion.  [12]   (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) because all things, that are impressive to the mind, vanish before religion, lose their individuality, are nothing in the eyes of God. The night is the mother of religion.  [13]   Religion is itself the very movement by which man loses his own essence. That which enriches our conception of God makes our understanding of ourselves all the more poorer.  [14]  The two are directly related in that what benefits one deprecates the other. In the mirror house of representation that is religion, a strange shift has occurred the puts the world upside-down. God, the representation, has replace man as representans, that is, as the very source from which the representation was brought forth. Der Mensch dies ist das Geheimnis der Religion vergegenstà ¤ndlicht sein Wesen und macht dann wieder sich zum Gegenstand dieses vergegenstà ¤ndlichten, in ein Subjekt, eine Person verwandelten Wesens; er denkt sich, ist sich Gegenstand, aber als Gegenstand eines Gegenstands, eines andern Wesens. So hier. Der Mensch ist ein Gegenstand Gottes.  [15]   Man this is the secret of religion objectifies his being and then again transforms himself into an object in relation to his own objectification, into a subject, a essence changed into a person; he thinks himself, is object to himself, but as object to an object, another being. There you have it. Man is an object of God.  [16]   As was hinted at in the above, however, Christianity carries within itself a contradiction. According to Feuerbach this contradiction means the end of Christianity itself and has to do with the notion of love. Love was crucial in the story of redemption. In this Biblical narrative man is redeemed in the eyes of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus had died for our sins in the name of mankind in an act of love and so had brought us into union with God. A harmony had been restored. A new holy light shone upon mankind in which all men were henceforth assured of the love of God. Feuerbach that this was the message and myth central to Christianity; a myth that was still clearly visible after ages of theological corruption. But Feuerbach believed that love did not unify mankind but, instead, divided it into those having Gods grace and those lacking it. The notion of love, central to Christianity, narrowed the conception of who was man and who was not. In practice love had gained a negative meaning; it served to denote the faithful from the heathen.  [17]  Love, then, determined who was to be fought and annihilated. Im Glauben liegt ein bà ¶ses Prinzip, that is, in faith there rests an evil principle.  [18]  Love is, according to Feuerbach, an completely natural and distinctly human instinct. Love is one of the most compassionate, benign, qualities of man. Love serves to bridge the gap between subject and subject; it is by virtue of itself inter-personal. Yet Christianity had managed to pervert love and make it not into a unifying notion, but a dividing one. Christian love, then, furthered particularity and subjectiveness, preventing a higher dialectical union in universal objectivity. Feuerbach had granted love a moral dimension. To love mankind is a moral type of love, to love a single individual is a personal, subjective love.  [19]  The former unifies, the latter divides. For to love a single person is to excluse others from your love. Only universal love of man-as-species is moral. Since love of God is love that is particular it shows itself to be immoral. The love of God deprives mankind from the love of both other human beings and himself as a member of mankind. Christian love is therefore intricately connected not only with the image of those who do not receive it and are the enemy but also with the notion of self-hate. To love God is to alienate that which make you human and thus reduce oneself to something underserving of that very love. This is why the concept of sin in a post-Christian era would not make any sense. Sin exists by virtue of God, a God whom we have granted our most valuable and essential qualities. We are sinfull because we have alienated our essence unto God. To deny God is to reclaim those qualities. Since I cannot be in contradiction with myself, there is not higher authority, I cannot live in sin.  [20]   Christianity is essentailly intolerant and adverse to any true understanding of love. It denies that which it claims is its essence. Christianity, then, in the end, denies itself. This is what Feuerbach meant with the idea that to let Christainity speak for it self is to end it. It is a negativity that negates itself. Love has to be made universal. We should not say, as Feuerbach would have it, God is love, but Love is god.  [21]  God is our own universal nature that we have alienated through religion. Love is synonimous with universality itself. Feuerbach: Die wahre Liebe ist sich selbst genug; sie bedarf keiner besondern Titel, keiner Autorità ¤t. Die Liebe ist das universale Gesetz der Intelligenz und Natur sie ist nichts andres als die Verwirklichung der Einheit der Gattung auf dem Wege der Gesinnung.  [22]   True love is enough by virtue of itself; it needs not special titel, no authority. Love is the universal law of intelligence and nature it is nothing else but the realization of the unity of the species on the road of natural inclination.  [23]   Love is only free when it is universal, unrestrained by particularity. Only then can it serve as the means by which man recognizes himself-as-species. The notion of species is not a cold intellectual thought; the very energy of love, our most human of inclinations, is that which constitues our species-being.  [24]  The historical figure Jesus Christ is therefore nothing else but our species-being represented in a singular image. Since we are all human, and therefore part of humanity, so too are all of us Christ.  [25]   (The emperorss new clothes by Hans Christian Andersson as a metaphor for Stirners Ego and Its own; The Emperor (Feuerbach) is not wearing any clothes!)

Sanford and Son and The Chapelle Show :: comedy

Sanford and Son and The Chapelle Show   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was hilarious whenever Fred Sanford of the hit series Sanford and Son used to fake his heart attack saying that famous phrase, â€Å"I’m coming Elizabeth† or what about him telling Aunt Ester how ugly she was. No one took that type of comedy to the heart and it was intended to hurt no one. It was all for a laugh. Now in today’s time there are new shows on television such as The Chapelle Show, which is hosted and directed by the comedian Dave Chapelle. The object of this show seems to be how much fun he can make of a different race. Times have changed and so have peoples’ since of humor. People went from the laid-back type sitcoms such as Sanford and Son, The Three Stooges, and The Little Rascals, which are all types of shows that people can watch with their entire family, to shows even adults feel turned away from. Some examples include The Chapelle Show and In Living Color.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fred Sanford never meant any harm by acting as if he did not understand Officer Hoppy’s (the white cop) way of explaining things. Officer Smitty (the black cop) would always have to translate it so that Fred was able to understand what was going on. In the episode â€Å"We’ve Been Robbed†, Fred is cleaning up the place and accidentally knocks over Lamonts’ (his partner in business and thirty-four year old son) porcelain and glass collection. Fred acts as if they had been robbed whenever his son gets home and he informs Lamont that the two robbers were white. (Ruben) This was probably overlooked by most of the viewers not thinking twice about it. People thought laughter was good and Fred Sanford made them laugh without using all of the cuss words he knew to do it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These days, people think that cursing and making fun of people of other races is funny and that is just what The Chapelle Show does. The show comes on every Wednesday night at nine-thirty central time on comedy central with other discriminating shows such as South Park. South Park is a good example of racial discrimination because the only black character on there is a cook for a school. Boy that is one hell of a job. Chapelle tops them all though with skits such as The Racial Draft. In this skit he makes fun of every race there is.

Jackie Robinson :: essays research papers

Jackie Robinson: Breaking the Color Barrier It’s April 15, 1947 opening day at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn. Many people have turned out to see one man, the first black person to ever play in major league baseball. He is setting new standards for all blacks now and those to come. His name is Jack Roosevelt Robinson. We all wish him well and hope he can surmount the racial differences. At this time it was unheard of to have a black person treated equally to a white person, more the less it was highly unlikely to have a black person play on the same field as a white person. But for one man who stands alone Jackie Robinson’s conquest to break through the color barrier with the help of Branch Rickey has set new standards for all black athlete’s to come. Jackie Robinson grew up in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie attended UCLA where he played baseball, basketball, football, and track. After collage Jackie enrolled in world war two. After the war Jackie got an honorable discharge. After the end of the war Jackie didn’t know what he wanted to do and he was very short on money. Finally Jackie decided he wanted to join the Negro Leagues. In 1944 Jackie officially was on a Negro baseball team.(Shorto,Russell p. 5-10) In 1945 Branch Rickey the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers was looking for a black player to break the serration barrier and rise above it all and join the Major League Baseball Association. Rickey said that whoever the person was to be would have to cope with taunts and insult, with name calling and abuse. Rickey heard of the success of Jackie on the Negro League and sent his scouts to see Jackie. (Ritter, S. Lawrence p. 43-51). After a long meeting with Rickey, Jackie agreed to join the Brooklyn organization. Rickey singed Robinson to a Minor League deal in 1945. Jackie’s biggest challenge would be to overcome racial issues sought toward him without acting out with everybody looking at him. Jackie had death threats, racial slur’s, and people wanting to seriously take him out of the game of baseball. (Rampersad Arnold p. 176) In 1947 Rickey called up Jackie to compete on a Major League level and take his career to a much higher level. When people heard of this, that Jackie was going to play on a Major League level players said that if Jackie was going to play they would strike, even some of Jackie’s teammates demanded to be traded

Poor Parenting Techniques Displayed in Maurice Sendaks Where The Wild

Poor Parenting can cause poorly behaved children 'Where The Wild Things Are' was first published in 1963 and is the first part of a trilogy of award - winning books by American author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. 'Where The Wild Things Are' is haunting and imaginative and describes how a young child, called Max, creates a fictitious fantasy world in order to deal with the terrifying reality of anger. Poor parenting is a lack of parenting techniques and skills in relation to the responsibilities and obligations, which need to be fulfilled in order to accomplish prominent problems within the family relationship. Poor parenting is most likely to come from an absence of cooperation from both child and parent, satisfying both needs and wants so that they both reach common ground. Depending on the age of the child, a lack of parenting techniques and skills affects a child differently psychologically, mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. However, it is manipulated by the events happening outside the home environment, which can include a divorce or war. The role of the parent in a child's life is very influential and possible outcomes of inadequate parenting techniques and skills can result in the child becoming poorly behaved. This is represented in the children's picture book, ' Where The Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak. While Max battles for authority, his mother demonst rates many parenting techniques, which have led to severe consequences in relation to his poor behaviour. Bad behaviour influences a child's long-term growth as a human being and stunts their journey from child to mature adult. Children develop a sense of acceptable behaviour based on the methods employed by their parents. Negative behaviour comes as a result of the child feeling insecure, becoming aggressive, angry, antisocial, demanding, dependant, undisciplined and also developing a hateful desire to ‘get back at the world.’ These bad behavioural aspects are outcomes reached as the parent has reacted to become over-controlling with orders, reminders of poor behaviour and warnings. With the parent being the unquestioned boss, it is common for the child with an authoritarian in the household to feel irritable, and get angry and temperamental quite quickly. As a result of being given orders and constant reminders on their behaviour it is no wonder why some children experience... ... expected then, that a lack of cooperation can cause problems. If a parent does not fulfil the obligations and legal responsibilities then it would be clear that poor parenting does cause poorly behaved children. BIBLIOGRAPHY †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Australian Family Law Guide (1999), 2nd Edition, CCH, Australia. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carter, G.B. (1995) Australian Legal System, Blackstone Press, NSW. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hennessy, C. (2004) â€Å"Violence and drugs top school woes,† The Gold Coast Bulletin, 25 Mar., PG 3. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kirshenbaum, M. & Foster, C. (2001), Parent-Teen Breakthrough – The Relationship Approach, Penguin Books, Australia. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Monahan, G. (1999), Family Law, LBC Nutshell, Sydney. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Williams, B. (1997), Encyclopaedia of Questions and Answers, Kingfisher, Sydney. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (1994) â€Å"Relationships Within The Family,† Mental Help, URL: http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/chap9/chap91.htm 25/03/04 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (2004) â€Å"The Artistry and Influence of Maurice Sendak,† Children’s Books URL: http://childrensbooks.about.com 25/03/04

Global Wine War Analysis Essay

1. Due to French history and tradition it was possible to gain a strong image in regard to vinery and example, which can be highlighted might be the invention of Champaign. The experience of France as a quality wine producer going back to the middle ages can be regarded as a source of competitive advantage. Another source is the strong wine culture in France creating a positive image for customers. The wine industry by itself is a very important economic factor in France, in the mid 18th century the wine industry accounted for 17% of the overall industry. As a consequence, in 1855 the government classified wine yard into five different levels of quality. This helped the consumers to identify the best possible wines and was unique at the time, which created sustained competitive advantage. Simultaneously, the introduction of mass production of bottles and use of cork stoppers facilitated the former difficult distribution of French wine to foreign markets. The â€Å"phylloxera† insect destroyed almost all French wine yards in the late 19th century, giving the first opportunity for New World ( US, Chile and Australia) wines to rise. Due to the complex protection system of French wines, quality was an issue in the production of wine as for example irrigation systems under the â€Å"AOC†-label are prohibited while in the New World there were no limits toward innovations. What changes in the global industry structure and competitive dynamics led France and other traditional producers to lose market share to challengers from Australia, united States, and other New World countries in the late twentieth century? 2. There were important developments in the global wine industry that lead to shifts in market share of old world producers to new world producers. First, demand changed severely starting in the late 19th century. Consumption in traditional wine consuming nations like France and Italy decreased significantly. This was mainly due to changing drinking preferences brought about by health concerns of substitute products. At the same time, although numerically not compensating for the decline mentioned before, wine demand rose in importing countries, a lot of them located in Asia. Second, drinking wine moved away from its mere traditional touch and became subject to quickly changing fashions and trends. This put France at disadvantage: They were unable to adequately adapt to these fashions because the French vineyards were too small to grow different kinds of grapes that could have met the currently preferred wine and growing high-quality grapes took several years. On the other hand, the US producers’ vineyards, for instance, were many times bigger on average allowing them to spread risk by growing different grapes. Third, the new world producers took away market share by actively engaging in innovations in the areas of production technology and marketing. For instance, Australian producers substituted the traditional glass bottles with containers reducing production costs and facilitating export. These innovations were possible because the new world countries were not subject to strict national regulations that wanted to preserve the traditional wine business in the old world countries. Fourth, the newly rising competitors often controlled the entire value chain from production to distribution. This left them with a bigger margin then their traditional competitors and made them less dependent of specific distribution channels. 3. a. Advice to the head of the French wine industry †¢Develop a brand â€Å"Produit en France†: Customers do not know what they want when they enter a wine store. Sharpen the image of the certification system, reduce its complexity, and communicate this to the customers so that they recognize the classification label as a strong brand b. Advice to the owner of the a Bordeaux vineyard †¢Get to know your customers and discuss founding a consortium to better adapt to changing fashions: Engage in thorough market research to predict consumers’ preferences and try to influence their preferences with targeted advertising. Discuss founding a consortium of different wine producers to produce different wines that will be high in demand soon in the future. c. Advice to the French Minister of Agriculture †¢Help your producers sell their vine: provide more funds for marketing campaigns and fund workshops on how they can identify their target group and do targeted, cost-efficient marketing ? 4. a. Australian Minister of Agriculture: The labeling of wine according to regions in Australia has been already done but not with protection by law. Tighten laws in relevance of how to label wines can be beneficial in the long run when it comes to value creation, as can be successfully recognized in France. Simultaneously, a financially subsidy should support wine yards with their surplus production hence the successful long-term strategy â€Å"Directions to 2025†, which foresees value growth by 2015 and global leadership on the wine market by 2025 might be eased. This is necessary since Australia will cannot compete on price in the long-term bringing to mind low cost production countries such as Chile. b. Australian wine industry association. Align marketing activities with the plan of â€Å"Direction to 2025†. Support the Australian’s wine image from cheap and cheerful into a classified and recognizable labeling scheme. It might be added that the new scheme can be restructured in a way that it does not mix up psychographic targeting with regional ones, since this might be confusing. The implementation of a regional scheme might pay off better, as it is currently done in other New World wine markets. Moreover the surplus production can be used in order to producing premium strong drinks hence value is added to products, as it is done in Italy with the â€Å"Grappa† or France with â€Å"Cognac†. c. Mid-size, well regarded vineyard Target customers more directly through own website and social media activities. Moreover a convenient retail should be found, both domestically and globally in order to assure a thriving placement of the vineyard’s products reflecting the premium brand image. In the long run brand value should be sustained and if possible enhanced in order to assure that his products do reflect supreme quality and is not associated with the â€Å"cheap and cheerful† Australian wine image. This can be achieved through the transition towards organic wine grow.

Individual Writing Assignment Essay

As requested, I have assessed the merits of the option presented at the meeting, and I have come up with the best recommendation to deal with the current issues. Despite the intriguing idea presented at the meeting, I feel it is not the best solution available for our current situation. In order to bring in more revenue for our amusement parks, I have concluded that we need to increase our ticket price on holidays and increase the varieties of the types of tickets that we offer. When analyzing our best solution, certain criteria needed to be met in order to establish a valid decision, including: a) Increase visits per customer b) Increase average spending per visit c) Attract new customers A) Different Tickets Ensure More Visits per Customer When we start to offer different types of tickets such as seasonal pass and yearly pass, average visits per customer would naturally increase due to the fact that we are offering these tickets. As a result, the sale of those tickets will generate enormous profit for us because of the average price of those tickets. Moreover, customers will happily and gladly purchase those tickets because seasonal and yearly passes are always a good deal. The guest card idea presented at the meeting does not address this decision criterion and this criterion is crucial for generating more revenue for amusement parks. Thus, by increasing the types of tickets we offer, we can generate significantly more revenue for Exquisite Entertainment. B) Higher Ticket Price Increase Customer Spending With the increase in ticket price on holidays and the increase in the types of tickets that we offer, customers’ average spending per visit will increase substantially mainly due to the ticket price. People go to amusement parks mostly on weekends and holidays. As a result, on those occasions the demand is extremely high. And according to the law of supply and demand, when demand is high, price should increase as well. Therefore, it is a suitable strategy to increase the ticket price on holidays to increase average spending per visit while without having to introduce special guest card to separate customers into different tiers and levels  that may ruin the whole customer experience. C) Attracting New Customers Without Losing Company’s Identity With the introduction of different varieties of ticket types, we are able to create a unique benefit to potential customers. New customers will be attracted greatly to our amusement parks because they can now enjoy our amusement parks several times at a discount price. Additionally, every type of customer will be satisfied and attracted instead of just time-starved, high-income professionals and their families proposed at the meeting. Therefore, by introducing different ticket types and not focusing our customers down to a narrow group, there will be more profits generated because we can attract more potential customers from various groups. And it fits our company’s history and culture perfectly as well. All of these factors make my recommendation a logical solution to Exquisite Entertainment, as it will not only increase average spending per visit with higher ticket price on holidays, but it will also attract new customers and increase visits per customer with different types of tickets. Ultimately, all factors lead to higher profits for our amusement parks.