Cohabitation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dwelling together - Essay Example The leveling of the separation rate is concealing the precariousness in the increasing paces of living together that is being passed from age to age. Dwelling together outside marriage sociologically changes the development of the nuclear family. In a living together course of action, there is no legitimate duty with respect to the life partners concerning property and long haul kid care plans. Since it leaves the kids in danger, and because of strict and virtues, the demonstration of dwelling together frequently conveys a specific measure of social shame with it. However, research has additionally indicated that couples who cohabitate are fundamentally bound to get separated if the dwelling together advances into marriage. An investigation by DeMaris and Rao (1992) inferred that cohabitors have a higher danger of disintegration at some random time since marriage. [and] cohabitors are evaluated to have a danger of disintegration that is about 46% higher than for noncohabitors (p.183). The expanded pace of separation among already cohabitating couples might be a result of an insecurity in the relationship from the earliest starting point. As indicated by Bumpass, Sweet, and Cherlin (1991), About 40% of living together associations in the United States separate without the couple getting hitched, and this will in general happen rather rapidly. By around one and one-half years, half of living together couples have either hitched or separated (p.917). Regardless of whether the living together course of action disintegrates rapidly, or finishes in separate after a later marriage, the possibilities for a cohabitating couple are fundamentally more awful than for a couple that weds while never cohabitating. The paces of separation and dwelling together have been verifiably estimated by the Census Bureau. As per Fitch, Goeken, and Ruggles (2005), The abbreviation POSSLQ-People (or Partners) of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters- was authored by Census Bureau staff in the late 1970s. POSSLQ families named Unmarried Couple Households by the Census Bureau-are made out of two random grown-ups of the other gender (one of whom is the householder) who share a lodging unit with or without the nearness of kids under 15 years of age (p.2). Separation rates in theUnited States increased pointedly in the time of 1960-1980 followed Chart 1: Source (Schoen and Canudus-Romo) by a leveling off period during that time 2000 (See Chart 1). During this equivalent period, the Percentage of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters rates have kept on increasing forcefully (See Chart 2). Outline 2: Source (Fitch, Goeken, and Ruggles) A fascinating part of the separation and dwelling together rates is that as the living together rate was low and stayed consistent from 1960-1970, the separation rate increased forcefully. In any case, during the time of 1975-2005, dwelling together rates have increased drastically, while the separation rate has stayed consistent. From a mental point of view, no doubt a relationship that has violated from a dwelling together game plan to a marriage would have a superior possibility of progress. The accomplices would be acquainted with one another's living propensities and the duty to marriage would be founded on a very much educated couple. As would be normal, dwelling together has a higher disintegration rate than marriage, however this additionally reaches out to the couples who have hitched and now experience a higher separation rate. A few investigations have affirmed that couples who have

Improvements in Sri Lankan Logistics Industry

Sir Land's crucial to proceed with the force to turn into an indispensable piece of South Sais' drive to situate itself as one of the most significant worldwide monetary territories. Given the constrained size of Sir Land's International Ranking has improved local market, targets set by the from 137 to 81 in the World Bank government on send out development can't Logistics Performance Index 2012. Be met without Land's Logistics Sector's critical improvement in send out performance.Both trade item classifications and Sir Lankan has gained ground in this record on account of the upgrades it has goals should be differentiated. Put forth A deliberate attempt to plug into Asian framework, global shipments, flexibly coordinations Haines will likewise especially significant. Ata time when the worldwide financial focus of gravity is moving from West to East, Sir Lankan needs to address a circumstance where 60% of its fares in zones quality such and customs capability, following, following an d timeliness.The rating, which is being led once in at regular intervals depends on 6000 individual nation evaluations by almost are coordinated to the drowsy markets 1 ,OHO universal cargo forwarders, of Europe and North America and who rates the eight outside nations under 10% to the dynamic their organization serves most continuous markets in China and India In this setting Logistics Performance list (LIP) assumes a significant job to quantify the simplicity of working together just as the strategic agreeableness of the country..The Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Sir Lankan (CBS) is starting to lead the pack in achieving a huge improvement of Sir Land's positioning on this list. The objective is to take Sir Lankan into the main 30. 1 | Page China, India and Brazil †three of the alleged BRICE nations †remain the most prevailing developing markets for speculators, exporters, makers of purchaser merchandise, and coordinations suppliers. For the second back to back year, coordinations and exchange refashions positioned China, India, Brazil and Russia as the probable spots to develop as coordinations center points throughout the following five years.Sir Lankan Place Rank No 30th on † Agility Emerging Market Logistics Index 2013†³ The United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar are champions among nations that are littler markets with great financial possibilities and simple market passage. Sir Lankan additionally was a piece of that gathering. The Alp's six parts incorporates The effectiveness of the freedom process(speed, straightforwardness, and consistency of conventions) by outskirt control offices, including customs. ; The nature of exchange and transport-related framework (ports, railways, streets, data technology).For â€Å"market similarity' Sir Lankan scores higher than any Asian nation aside from China. Following a long, merciless common war, the nation has encountered solid monetary development and put security dangers behi nd it. All things being equal, Sir Lankan has not yet had the option to draw levels of remote direct speculation practically identical to those pulled in by nations of comparable size and potential. ; The simplicity of organizing seriously evaluated shipments. ; The fitness and nature of coordinations administrations (transport administrators, intermediaries). ; The capacity to track and follow transfers. The recurrence with which shipments arrive at the agent inside the planned or expected conveyance time. Source : Agility Emerging Market Logistics Out of six LIP list parts we are Index 2013 going to consider the initial two factors under the ventures we will talk about. With the Sir Lankan government execution and quick track programs on Information Technology ( arrangement Lankan ) the availability and stages were work over general society and private divisions to facilitate the procedures and method of working . This has improved the proficiency of the Public part enormously and furthermore a method of making forms denaturized.Also the administration has made a jump stride ahead to improve framework identifying with coordinations not just as far as Ports and Airport , new Highways , rail street's just as street networks are coming up. 21 Page Two Key Projects we will consider are, 1 . Colombo Port Expansion Project 2. SAUCED †Automated System for Customs Data COLOMBO PORT EXPANSION PROJECT The Colombo Port Expansion Project accommodates digging and jetty development adequate to suit three terminals, which will be built sequentially.The Project incorporates the foundation of another marine tasks enter, migration of a submarine oil pipeline, arrangement of navigational guides, and development of shore utilities. The Project will be created on an open private association premise. The harbor framework works, I. E. , digging, embankment development, and different works, will be actualized by the Sir Lankan Ports Authority (SLAP). The initial two terminals will be operational in 2013 and 2015 individually and built by administrators picked through open serious offering under form work move (SOT) concession agreement.Colombo Port is the regular transshipment † This is an advancement that will decrease cargo rates, purpose us progressively serious, and pull in more ships to call at Colombo. We are seeing this task to change over Colombo to the greatest transshipment center in the district. † center port for the South Asian locale. †Primary B. Zinger However, as of late Colombo Port lost Chairman , Sir Lankan Ports Authority piece of the overall industry of the local transshipment showcase in light of the fact that the essentials of the market changed and Colombo Port didn't adapt.Colombo Port can't offer the extra working limit required to go after the Indian subcontinent transshipment advertise or the profundity required to billet the most recent age holder ships. Colombo Port should build up extra holder billets with the necessary profundity to address these limit and profundity framework 3 | Page The Making off Hub The last time Sir Lankan manufactured a sea wall to secure its armada of boats, the tear formed island off the shoreline of India was called Ceylon, was still under provincial rule.Today, this autonomous nation of 21 million individuals is a local rising star, and the legislature is benefiting from the island's vital area to advance it as a financial center point in South Asia. The new embankment at Colombo Port is a piece of a $500 million port extension upheld to some degree y $300 million DAB advance †that is moving Sir Lankan toward this objective. Coulomb's sea wall has a profundity Colombo Harbor 18 meters, contrasted with the past 14 †1880-1890 to 15 meters †a pivotal distinction in a world wherein ever greater load ships require ever more profound docking berths.Around 7 hectares of ocean was recovered for the barrier, which highlights 34,500 extraordinarily st ructured stones †along Container taking care of limit before the task 3. 3 million with an extra 5-meter-high wave divider †that can safeguard the port against Container taking care of limit by 201 5 the most severe climate. 8. 1 million The barrier was finished in Container taking care of limit by 2024 April 2012 and two 400-meter-long 12. 5 million terminals by July 2013. A third 400-meter terminal is additionally in the arranging stages.These will make it feasible for Colombo Port to 4 page suit the most recent age of uber compartment ships, which convey 18,000 holders and then some. As indicated by authorities the task will in the end increment the port's ability to 12. 5 million holders for every annum from a present 5 million. Direct to Market The principle embankment and access channel empower the advancement of the three compartment terminals. The first of these, the South Container Terminal, is being thudded under an open private organization.

Spring 2010 Application Notes COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Spring 2010 Application Notes COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Just a reminder to those applying for spring 2010 admission that the deadline is fast approaching.   The deadline is October 1st all documents should be uploaded or in our office by this date.   Any information received after October 1st will be considered late.   Please take the necessary steps to ensure information is submitted to our office on time. Here are a few notes regarding spring admission: Our goal is to have decisions published via the application site in early November.   We do not have a specific date set, it partially depends on the number of applications received.   Continue to follow this blog for updated information. Admitted applicants will have until December 1st to pay the required $1,000 enrollment deposit. U.S. Citizens and permanent residents should plan on filing the 2009-2010 FAFSA as soon as possible. Everyone should be searching for external scholarships now.   Get started here. Unfortunately we do not have a loan program for international students that does not require a cosigner at this time.   International students should be considering cosigner options at this point if they plan on borrowing through a loan program. We are unable to provide SIPA fellowships for applicants that start in the spring.   Spring students can apply for second year SIPA fellowship funding. Orientation will take place the week of January 11th, 2010. Classes will begin on Tuesday, January 19th.

Spring 2010 Application Notes COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Spring 2010 Application Notes COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Just a reminder to those applying for spring 2010 admission that the deadline is fast approaching.   The deadline is October 1st all documents should be uploaded or in our office by this date.   Any information received after October 1st will be considered late.   Please take the necessary steps to ensure information is submitted to our office on time. Here are a few notes regarding spring admission: Our goal is to have decisions published via the application site in early November.   We do not have a specific date set, it partially depends on the number of applications received.   Continue to follow this blog for updated information. Admitted applicants will have until December 1st to pay the required $1,000 enrollment deposit. U.S. Citizens and permanent residents should plan on filing the 2009-2010 FAFSA as soon as possible. Everyone should be searching for external scholarships now.   Get started here. Unfortunately we do not have a loan program for international students that does not require a cosigner at this time.   International students should be considering cosigner options at this point if they plan on borrowing through a loan program. We are unable to provide SIPA fellowships for applicants that start in the spring.   Spring students can apply for second year SIPA fellowship funding. Orientation will take place the week of January 11th, 2010. Classes will begin on Tuesday, January 19th.

Zaras success for fast fashion Free Essay Example, 1750 words

It is basically labor intensive which is the reason that with increased competition most apparel manufacturers source their manufacturing from low-wage countries, which means they are distant from the consumer market (Diaz, 2005). Fresh fabrics introduced every season, new and original designs created every now and then, mark the fashion and clothing industry today. Their product life cycles are three weeks, twelve times faster than industry average (Diaz, 2005). Zara maintains 80% of its production processes in Europe, 50% in Spain, which is very close to its headquarters (Slashdoc, 2005). While its competitors outsource manufacturing, Zara keeps almost half of its production in-house. It does not push its factories in maximizing output but intentionally leaves extra capacity. It does not choose economies of scale but produces in small batches. It is thus able to manage the designing, warehousing, distribution and logistics function itself. Zara has an unorthodox and cutting edge approach and applies the sense and respond business model. This helps the company to respond to the rapidly changing markets. They have a super responsive supply chain in which they control everything what happens to products till the customer buys them (Ferdows, Lewis & Machuca, 2004). We will write a custom essay sample on Zara's success for fast fashion or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Usually companies collect data but analyze it monthly or fortnightly while Zara responds to the changing needs on a weekly are daily basis. They sense the need and respond to the changing consumer demands. To respond is to take action whether it is changing product mix or capacity allocation which is essential in the fast changing fashion industry (Clifford, 2005). Zara produces 300,000 stock keeping units, or SKUs and the garments come in garments come in five to six colors and five to seven sizes (Ferdows, Lewis & Machuca, 2005). Their designing and production areas are combined where the designers sit amidst the production process. Against an industry average of 20 designers, Zara has about 200 designers sitting right in the midst of the production process. The designers work in close connection with market planners. They have the latest fashion magazines around and a small prototype shop in each hall so that everyone is free to comment as soon as one design is ready. This enhances the speed and quality of the design process. Thus they involve everyone is their designing and manufacturing process which is not possible if the manufacturing is outsourced. Zara uses the latest information technology to facilitate informational exchanges.

Crash Sociology - 1247 Words

Bryant Smith February 7, 2012 Cultural Diversity Crash Movie Paper The movie Crash is a drama film that shows you several life experiences of different people living in Los Angeles. All the characters in the film are somehow inter-related to one another. A police detective who mother is strung out on drugs and has a brother who likes to kill, two car thieves, a white district attorney, a racist cop, a black Hollywood director, a full Persian descent father, and a Hispanic locksmith are all the characters in the film. This film has some sociological problems that occur everyday in the United States. One of the problems in our society is institutional discrimination. Institutional discrimination refers to the unfair, indirect†¦show more content†¦Instead he caroused his hands up her dress while the Hollywood director just stood there and watched disgustedly. I think that the racist cop didn’t intend to harass the couple but because of the phone call he had with an African American female insurance manager he decided to take his anger out on his job. This type of behavior is all over the world and needs to stop. People who seem to be prejudice rarely have sympathy for other people because if they did they wouldn’t act shameful toward them. Prejudice refers to making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy. A district attorney and his wife was car jacked by two African Americans and wanted to be safe from now own. So to hold their idea accountable they changed all the locks in their house with new ones. The Hispanic locksmith coincidentally was there to do perform the job. The district attorney wife busted out that she wanted to get the extra key sets from the worker because she had told herself that he would give the keys to his other Hispanic friends and they would break in the house. The district attorney tried to convince his wife that her assumption wouldn’t happen. He managed to leave the situation alone without telling the Hispanic what his wife ordered him to do. Nevertheless, the Hispanic worker without the district attorney telling him what his wife said returned the keys to theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Racial Sterotypes in the Movie Crash966 Words   |  4 PagesCrash is a movie that had several detailed events of sociological concepts. The movie Crash showed that everyone created has good intentions and good hearts but unfortunately they may grow up and learn the prejudices of the world. Crash is a movie that brings out racial stereotypes; as the movie is set in Los Angeles, a city with a diverse race of every nationality. The movie starts off with several people being involved in a car accident. We are then taken back to the day before the crash, whereRead MoreEssay on Sociological Concept of Crash1145 Words   |  5 PagesThe Sociological Concept of Crash Sociology is the systemic study of human society and social interaction. Sociologists study human societies and their social interactions in order to develop theories of how human behavior is shaped by group life and how, in turn, group life is affected by individuals (Kendall, 4). The movie Crash (Haggis, 2005), is full of many sociological issues, such as race, social class, and gender. 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He then counters the conventional argument that poverty explains these phenomena by presenting examples of heightened suicide during periods of economic prosperity, including in newly unionized and industrialized Italy inRead MoreExploring Suicide Essay1489 Words   |  6 Pageslate 1880’s, he offered a series of lectures to the public and later published what was his third major work ‘le suicide’ in 1897. ‘Le Suicide’ is of great importance because it is his first serious effort to establish empiricism in sociology, an empiricism that would provide a sociological explanation for suicide which was traditionally regarded as exclusively psychological and individualistic. 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The primary objective of Neo-Marxism was to begin expandingRead MoreDurkheims Work in Sociology Essay1500 Words   |  6 PagesDurkheims Work in Sociology Some studies maybe more recent, but Durkheims work remains the most significant Sociological analysis of Suicide in modern societies Assess the extent to which Sociological arguments and evidence support this claim. In regards to Suicide it would seem perhaps more realistic to consider the subject as an individual and personal act, a job which might seem more suitable for Psychologists to explain, it may not seem an obvious subject

What 9th Grade Essay Topics Is - and What it Is Not

What 9th Grade Essay Topics Is - and What it Is Not Ok, I Think I Understand 9th Grade Essay Topics, Now Tell Me About 9th Grade Essay Topics! An argumentative essay requires you to choose a topic and have a position on it. When you choose a topic, ensure you choose a well-defined, controversial matter. Perhaps, you feel that now you must sit and produce the ideal essay topics all on your own, which could take lots of time and energy. It's possible to select an intriguing topic from any area of science. Odds are, all you have to do is relax and locate a topic you're passionate about and, needless to say, one that's debatable. Writers often need to do some thorough research on the subject. Researching the topic permits you to find out more about what fascinates you, and should you pick something you truly like, writing the essay will be more enjoyable. It's important to get solid and verifiable sources from which you are able to draw your information. Typically, the teachers or professors assign the topics independently. Students are requested to indicate how a specific sentence may be corrected or improved or the way the organization or development of a paragraph may be strengthened. To compose a fantastic argumentative essay the students first must investigate several sides of the argument, which permits them to make an educated stance. The 9th Grade Essay Topics Trap The essay is just one of the important methods you're able to distinguish yourself. When writing an argumen tative essay outline you should make certain that you have each of your facts straight. Pick the essay you are interested in getting the report for and click create. At times you might require some expert help with argumentative essay topics. Informative essays are somewhat more descriptive. Colleges can tell whenever your essay is simply a form essay. Although you may know what format, style guide, and whether the essay needs to be double spaced, you might be confused on what actually produces an excellent essay topic. Life After 9th Grade Essay Topics Mastering an arduous concept increases your kid's confidence in addition to improve their grade in the class. Writing about nuclear weapons is always a superb idea. The procedure for converting a typical spss table to apa format may get overwhelming whenever you have a full manuscript worth of tables. Formatting is among the steps on the best way to your preferred grade. 9th Grade Essay Topics - the Story Nobody really wishes to compose an essay. When you are finished with your essay, you must not simply check it for spelling and grammatical errors, but nevertheless, it also has to be checked for logical fallacies. You should try out something new, if you pref er to create the best essays. Our essay writing worksheets below give very good practice with various kinds of essay writing. Your thesis needs to be relevant so the report can use a structure that's flexible in order to fit in the shoes of the readers. Argumentative essay topics are so important since they are debatableand it's important to at all times be critically considering the world around us. A personal essay provides the reader a glimpse of your private life experience. You may continue to keep your argumentative essays for your upcoming job portfolio in case they're highly graded. The Downside Risk of 9th Grade Essay Topics Following that, you've got to keep in your mind several things. Select a distinctive topic that others may not think of, and whatever you select, make sure that you know a lot about it! A whole lot of times you may have to compose a personal essay. Remember you may make funny argumentative essays if you do a few things. Argumentative essays are a structure and form of an essay that's supposed to argue a particular idea or concept that's then brought through a process which delivers support and data that could enhance or take away from the view of the scenario. When you've got a completed outline, you'll have a step-by-step guide that you are able to follow till you're done writing. The option of compare and contrast essay topics isn't a simple task because you have to clearly show your analytical skills. Thus, it's important to read corresponding formatting guide. The Ultimate 9th Grade Essay Topics Trick First decide what you want to strive to modify about yourself. Students lead busy lives and frequently forget about an approaching deadline. Another reason is to observe how well students argue on distinct views and demonstrate understanding of the studied subject. Some students utilize the very first idea that arrives in their head and work on it, but the outcome isn't profitable.

The theme of Huxley’s Brave New World Essay Example For Students

The theme of Huxley’s Brave New World Essay The theme of Huxley’s Brave New World is community, identity, and stability. Each of these three themes represents what a Brave New World society needs to have in order to survive. According to the new world controllers, community is a result of identity and stability, identity is a part of genetic engineering, and stability is what everyone desires to achieve. These themes are represented in the book by the symbolic meaning of the phrase â€Å"Children are from bottles† and the hypnotic phrase â€Å"Everybody belongs to everybody else† (qt. Hazlitt 285). For a better understanding it is useful to explore these themes in detail. Community refers to the thought of one whole unit. Everyone is connected, by their actions toward each other in every day life, sexual desires, and what they do to remove the feeling of horrible emotions. This connectedness and lie, and its effects can be seen in the character of Bernard, a person who hates what society has become. Bernard is disgusted by the thought of â€Å"having anyone† he says, referring to sexual relations with women. Bernard is longing for a sense of individuality which he cannot posses in Brave New World. He emerged with a self-consciousness intensified to the pitch of agony. He is utterly miserable, and perhaps it is his own fault† (Huxley 86, ch. 5). Thereby jeopardizing the stability of the community as a whole, near the end, it was decided that he be banished to the Falkland Islands, so that he could not tell anyone else of his individuality. In Brave New World community is upheld and reinforced at any and all costs. Identity is the one thing that no one person can experience. There is no individual identity in Brave New World. There is only a collective identity which is shared by all members of society. Collective Identity is achieved by forcing everyone in society to conform. It is maintained in society by making someone who has any individuality feel different almost as an outcast. But sometimes as in the case of the character Bernard, people in Brave New World long for their own identity. For example, Bernard was having feelings and thoughts he is not proud of, â€Å"Did you ever feel you had some sort of extra power,† Bernard said to a friend while talking secret (Huxley 69, ch. ). The extra power Bernard is referring to is individuality. This shows that as much as the world controllers try to rob people of their individuality, it cannot be taken away that easily. Stability is a third of these three goals, but it is the one most mentioned in the book. â€Å"The world is stable now. People are happy; they’re blissfully ignorant of passion and old age; they’re so conditioned that they practically can’t help behaving the way they ought to behave† (Huxley 226, ch. 16). The desire for stability, requires the production of large numbers of genetically identical humans, because people who are exactly the same are less likely to come into conflict. Stability is seen in Brave New World to minimize conflict, risk, and change. Setting plays a particularly important role in Brave New World. The novel opens about six hundred years in the future. Civilization as people know it has ended. There has become a new world state, an all powerful government headed by ten world controllers. Almost all traces of the past have been erased. Faith in Christ has been replaced by faith in the community. The cross has been replaced by the T, and My Life and Work has replaced the bible. â€Å"Religion like genuine learning thrive on sacrifices and passions, which are impossible in a standardized superficial world with its cheap department store happiness† (Hesse 286). But some parts of the world were allowed to remain the same. For example, the savage reservation, the New Mexican home of the Zuni Indians. It is a world away from civilization, the Zunis are still threaten by disease, filth, and religion. A Farewell To Arms Analysis EssayWhen Huxley was sixteen and a student, a sickness made him nearly blind, but he was able to recover enough to attend Oxford university. Huxley graduated Oxford with honors and published his first book, a collection of poems, in 1916. It is during this time that he found a passion for writing. After college, Huxley moved to fascist Italy. His experiences in Italy with the fascist government and its methods reinforced his outlook that the future of society was doomed to a Authoring manner. With this idea in mind Huxley began to write Brave New World. It took only four months for Huxley to write Brave New World. It is important to remember that Huxley wrote Brave new World before the rise of Hitler to power in Germany and before Stalin started killing millions in the Soviet Union. Huxley had then no real life reason to make tyranny and terror major elements in his story. After world war II Huxley said â€Å"The future dictatorship of my imaginary world was a good deal less brutal then the future dictatorships† (qtd. Oreston 307). Obviously referring to the crimes of Hitler and Stalin before and after world war two. What Huxley thought to be a overdone look at the future dictatorship’s turned out to be no were as brutal as real life. Suddenly, the story of Brave New World did not seem so much like fiction as it did a window to the future. â€Å"That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach† (Huxley qtd. Yonson 3). It is this willingness of man to make the same mistake twice that in 1997 the ideas in Brave New World do not seem that far off base. Most people thought that with the collapse of the Soviet Union it would put an end to the suffering and an all controlling government. But with an influx of clones, test tube babies, government controls of television, needless violence, and the search for the perfect mood altering drug. Who is to say that Brave New World is not earth in fifty years? As more people lose their individuality they become connected with community. It is with this connection that they begin to let others control their lives and humanity is already headed in that direction. Brave New World should not only be seen as a great piece of science fiction. It should be seen as a warning. Of what can happen when people live up to the influence of outside sources.

5 Ways to Tell if Your College Crush Likes You

5 Ways to Tell if Your College Crush Likes You Have your eye on someone as a potential date? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Or, at the least, someone to ask out for coffee or a drink, away from the college crowd? Trying to see if he or she likes you or not can be maddening. These five situations can help you gauge the other persons feelings- as well as your own- about possibly taking things to another level. 1. Go Out in a Group Is this person by you the whole night? Are you by them? Are they interested in what you have to say? Do they laugh at your jokes, wait for you when the group moves around, and pay attention when you talk? Are you frequently making eye contact? If you close your eyes and imagined the person not with the group, would your experience change? Answering yes to any of these questions might indicate an interest in you in particular instead of just common group dynamics. 2. Do Something Together Off Campus If you have to visit a local museum for your art history paper, see if this potential-date wants to come along. Their eagerness at doing so, and the chemistry that happens while you guys are out, can be a great way to see whats going on between the two of you. Of course, if youre heading off campus, make sure youre safe about it. 3. Grab a Meal Together If youre interested in someone, chances are that you have things in common and have done things together, or with a group, already. If so, try to carry that momentum into a seemingly-friendly meal together. Did you work together on a class project, seek his or her advice on your computer science program, or research similar paper topics in the library? If so, say you want to celebrate finishing by grabbing a quick meal off campus. Keeping it really casual can be the key to seeing what your dynamics are when youre alone. Running off campus for a quick lunch of a burger or dim sum has a much different feel than a nice, sit-down evening meal thats been planned two weeks in advance. 4. Ask for Help With Something If you like someone and he or she is really smart in a certain subject or has some experience in a research topic youre working on, see if they are interested in helping you. You can have a great discussion that will help expand your understanding of something you already find interesting, and you can see what this person is like on a more personal level. Have they had a lot of classes with a new professor of yours, and if so, can they talk to you about how that person grades? Are they majoring in a discipline youre taking your first class in? Can they give you some feedback on a survey you want to pass out to people in your residence hall? Then, of course, see how the conversation goes. Are they willing to help? Friendly? Interesting and engaging? Supportive? Someone youd want to have more conversations with...say, over a real college dinner date that isnt made of food you both sneaked into the library? 5. Share Some Exciting News Did you just hear that you were accepted into your summer internship program? Get an A on that project you asked for help with? Get happy news from one of your friends or family members? Share it with your potential crush and see how he or she reacts. If they are supportive, interested, and want to celebrate with you one-on-one, it might be a sign that the friendship could develop into more. A Note If You Feel Self-Conscious Around Your Crush Remember that having a crush on someone, and even putting it totally in the open, is something that should be very flattering. Anyone worth dating in the first place should be touched by your sentiments and handle them with respect, no matter what their feelings are in return. Put yourself out thereotherwise, youll never know!

FISH! †A Philosophy of Team Work

FISH! – A Philosophy of Team Work Free Online Research Papers FISH! is a philosophy that people around the world are implementing in workplaces and educational facilities to help foster fun and teamwork in their business. This philosophy is interesting and has been successful. The founders Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen pulled together to create three books on teamwork which are named Fish!, Fish! Sticks and Fish! Tales. In these books they give pointers and tell stories of how making work fun and working as a team creates success. (Lundin, Paul, Christensen, 2000) The idea of this philosophy emerged in 1998 from a film produced by John Christensen. The film is about Seattle’s World Famous Pike Place Market. John translated and depicted through his film that â€Å"even in a workplace where fishmongers spent smelly 12 hour shifts stocking, selling, and packing fish that amazing things can happen when people accept the invitation to: 1) Be There for their co-workers and customers, 2) Play, 3) Make someone’s day and 4) Choose their attitude about how they show up for work.† (Christensen, 2007, p. 1) After the film appeared the book Fish!, this has been on the best seller’s list and translat ed into 17 different languages. Today the Fish! Philosophy has flourished among corporate and educational markets throughout the world. â€Å"We are not afraid to use words like love, soul, and spirit because those are an essential part of our humanity. But these values are just as important to businesses†¦We are on a journey together.† (Christensen, 2007, p. 1) Lundin, Paul, and Christensen believe that there are four secrets and strategies for a better way to create fun and teamwork in businesses. First, be there for co-workers. The biggest ways to do this is by smiling and acknowledging people while walking by them. Say hello, converse with co-workers, be friendly and help co-workers laugh. Take the time to listen to people around the workplace. When seeing a co-worker not happy, go up to them and give them a pat on the back and a compliment. Make an effort and try to get to know everyone. Show up for work to help the team. A team is not a team with people missing. These are all some of the things we can do to be there for co-workers. These strategies are used worldwide and seem to help. The second strategy is to play at work. Playing helps energize the workplace. Some examples of play are telling jokes to co-workers, maybe even pass around appropriate jokes (no personal jokes), saying things throughout the day to help people laugh. Have theme days where everybody dresses up differently. Having office parties helps unite play and team because everyone gets together. Create bulletin boards and decorate the office with fun stuff ensuring everyone’s involvement. Making work fun helps work to get done and makes people want to participate in a team. Third, make someone’s day which is easy to do and makes the team run smoother. Several ways to make someone’s day are as easy as saying hello, complimenting their looks, bringing baked goods to work, having a candy bowl out for others to enjoy, thanking people for the small and often overlooked things they do for us, acknowledging others’ accomplishments, being nice, and by simply volunteering our time. When working as a team it is very important to remember team means â€Å"we† not â€Å"I† that is why it is so important to help the team work easier. (Morton, 2007) Fourth, choose your attitude. Attitude plays an important role in teamwork as well. The good thing about attitude is you can choose a new one. Some ways to keep a positive attitude and help support the team are start each day with a personal positive thought, go to work with a positive attitude, put on a smile, start the day with a laugh or by being helpful, think positive. If you feel yourself getting a bad attitude change it so it does not affect others, be pleasant even if your day is not going well, leave home at home and last walk around, speak to co-workers and wish them a good day. Successful teams all over the world are using these strategies and making them work. Some of these teams are Ford Motor Company, Wells Fargo, Sprint, the U.S. Army, the May O Clinic, Harley-Davison, the National Weather Service and Verizon Wireless. (Lundin, Paul, Christensen, 2000) An article about Verizon Wireless struck an interest to me. It tells about how the Fish! Philosophy has helped the Southfield Verizon Wireless’ office. Call centers can be tough. Upset and angry customers call with billing and service questions, even problems. They chew up whoever answers the phone and results can hurt the company. They could have loss of customers, revenue, and employees. In a Southfield Verizon office receiving approximately 5,000 calls a day, you would probably expect it to be a stressful and frustrating place to work but due to them applying the Fish! Philosophy they say no. Instead the cubicles are decorated with cartoon fish and lessons for employees are taped on construction paper, employees can look forward to special days such as Mardi Gras, Black History and many others. Not only are they just all around happy, out of 273 employees, most appear happy. Verizon started using Fish! in 2002 and reported results have been excellent. There was a significant decline in the call center’s complaints. The Southfield Verizon center that uses this philosophy ranks top amongst the company’s other 24 four call centers for solving customer problems on the first call. (Morath, 2005) How amazing that a philosophy developed from watching quaky workers at Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market have fun, interact with customers and become a tourist attraction even though very smelly and not the cleanest place, tends to inspire, motivate, and engage employees through a system that makes work fun by rewarding creativity empowering employees. Most of all they keep employees and even more important they work as a team. (Morath, 2005) These are just some of the many successful companies using the Fish! Principles and this philosophy continue to grow. Teamwork is a vital part of life and we apply it everyday. We use it all over the place, why not have fun while doing it. (Tucker, 2007) Doing this research on Fish! not only interested me but has taught me a great deal. I have learned some very helpful tips in just this little time and if applied might truly help me not only in my job but with life and life’s struggles. Being part of a team is better than trying to accomplish tasks by oneself. I plan to keep learning and applying the Fish! Philosophy and the four principles; Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose the right attitude to enhance my life and work. References Christensen, J. (2007). FISH! Philosophy: What is FISH!. Retrieved August 15, 2007, from charthouse.com. Lundin, S. C., Paul, H., Christensen, J. (2000). FISH! New York, NY: Hyperion. Morath, E. (2005). Fish Philosophy catches on. Michigan Live, 2005, Retrieved August 15, 2007, from mlive.com. Morton, B. (2007, August 11, 2007). Team big concept in todays workplace; (Final Edition). Star Phoenix, Saskatoon, Sask, 2007, August, Pg. F.20. Retrieved August 13, 2007, from ProQuest database. (Document ID: 1319529891). Tucker, C. (2007, March 21). Having fun at work and play; Fish followers; Fish! Philosophy helps workers have fun. York Daily Record, p. 6. Retrieved September 5, 2007, from ProQuest database. (Document ID: 1240070001). Research Papers on FISH! - A Philosophy of Team WorkWhere Wild and West MeetAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaTwilight of the UAWThe Project Managment Office SystemResearch Process Part OneMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayHip-Hop is ArtThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings

Leadership Methods and Skills Research Proposal

Leadership Methods and Skills - Research Proposal Example The appropriate leadership style applied to a specific situation and issue may help in understanding the participative decision-making and the motivations that induce such participation. Functional participation (Yukl, 1981)2 is present; when a leader has the authority to make a decision, the decision is made without stringent time limitation, subordinates have the relevant knowledge to discuss and implement the decision, subordinates' characteristics (values, attitudes, needs) are congruent with the decision to participate, and the leader is skilled in the use of participative techniques. Vroom & Yetton (1973) developed a normative model of leadership decision-making based on Maier's (1963) classification3. The Vroom-Yetton model is one of a number of contingency models designed to provide guidance for managers concerning when and how much subordinate participation should be used. The model focuses attention on the nature of decisions and attempts to designate conditions under which participation will be most successful. The Vroom-Yetton model might appropriately be classified as hierarchical control models that derive their principal assumption from the rational design view of organizations.

Subvertising and advertising culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Subvertising and advertising culture - Essay Example Subvertising is a blend of two words â€Å"subvert† and â€Å"advertising†.It is about making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements,so as to make a statement. Subverts take the form of a new image of an existing image or icon generally, in a satirical manner. It is also a meme hack and a part of social hacking or culture jamming (Posner 1982). It mimics the look and feel of the targeted ad and the viewers suddenly realize they have been duped. Their primary goal is to damage political candidates and campaigns, corporations and other targets. Subverts create cognitive dissonance by cutting through the hype  and glitz of mediated reality and, momentarily, reveals a deeper truth within." History In 1972, the logo of Richard Nixon's reelection campaign posters were subvertised with two x's in Nixon's name (as in the Exxon logo). It referred to the corporate ownership of the Republican party. In 1977, The Billboard Liberation Front, used this techniq ue in San Francisco  . After the U.S. presidential election of 2000, John Kanis, a supporter of the Republicans, designed a saying "Sore Loserman" to mock Democratic party candidates Gore-Lieberman. However, the Supreme Court, halted the process. Over the years, no large organization or brand, has managed to escape the wrath of subvertising. Examples of such targets include Ford, Coke, Pepsi, McDonalds, BMW, Visa, Nike, Marlboro, Smirnoff, Absolute Vodka, Benetton, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and a horde of the other best brands in the world. Even politicians and other celebrities like Richard Nixon, George Bush, John F Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Paris Hilton have not been spared. Subvertising vs advertising (Advertising is any paid) form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor. (Subvertising refers to the) practice of making spoofs and parodies of corporate and political advertisements. The following table draws up a compar ison and a contrast of the two concepts. \Advertising Subvertising Paid form Unpaid form Non-personal in nature Non-personal in nature Promotes goods, services Depromotes goods, services Sponsor identified Unidentified Creative Destructive Promotes brand building Encourages brand killing Encourages consumption of goods and services Discourages consumption of goods and services Humorous Satiric Positive message Negative message Initiated by marketers Initiated by anti-consumerists Wide reach and long lasting appeal Wide reach but short-lived appeal Benefits outweigh disadvantages Effects doubtful Positive publicity Negative publicity Subvertising - Strengths and weaknesses Subvertising does enjoy a host of advantages. They are: 1. Attention grabbers 2. Highly creative 3. Positive intent 4. Can be used for good causes 5. Promotes sustainable consumption 6. Highly inexpensive 7. Easy to create Subvertising is popular, essentially, due to its tremendous attention grabbing effect. It sho cks the viewer into a moment of reflection and thought. Obviously, subverts are highly creative. Parody and spoofery does require a lot of brain racking and though the individual does not have to create the subvert from scratch, unless it is very creative, the spoof will miserably fail. Though the subvert is negative in nature and tone, the intent behind the act is, can be, positive. The purpose is to make the viewer think about the negative aspects of advertising and create a positive influence. Though, most or almost all the time, Subverts are used for wrong purposes or causes, at times, good cause subvertising also exists. Subverts on smoking advertisements, promoting sustainable consumption, Greenpeace initiatives are a handful of cause-related subvertising examples. Advertising, essentially, encourages limitless consumption, for purposes of sales and revenue generation. Subvertising on the contrary forces us to think of sustainable consumption in harmony with nature. Since Subv erts need only to mimic the advertisement and bring

Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Analysis

Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Analysis Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot is a play both funny to watch and to read. Yet, the feeling that one walks away with in the end is not one of amusement, but that of slight discomfort. Upon closer inspection, one begins to notice tragic qualities neatly hidden but subconsciously blatant. One also sees the play labelled as a tragicomedy. In an attempt to further explore this issue, I explored the research question: Is Waiting for Godot a tragedy or comedy? To what end do these elements contribute to the play? In order to answer this research question, an in-depth analysis of the various themes present in the play was carried out. Aspects of the play that contributed to each theme were singled out and their respective comedic and tragic elements compared by examining their roles and contribution to the theme. The investigation also extends itself into interpreting the authors beliefs and purposes, namely Luckys speech, to study the tragic or comedic notes. Through my investigation I concluded that there are more tragic than comedic elements in Waiting for Godot, but more accurately, Beckett veils the tragedy of his play behind humour, and uses the comedy to heighten the tragic elements. In Waiting for Godot, a tragicomedy in two acts by Samuel Beckett, two characters unconsciously express the sombre emptiness in life by comical means. At face value it is funny and light-hearted, yet a second glance at the hidden metaphoric and symbolic devices reveals a forbidden garden blooming with tragedy. The two genres complement one another, humour creating tragedy, tragedy creating humour. Indeed, it is this peculiar pairing that qualifies the play both in essence and as a pun: a tragicomedy. At a superficial glance, the play seems full of un-humanlike action and harbours an inane sense of humour. The intended message of the motif is unclear and many of the characters are left hidden in darkness amidst a vast complexion of dialect that is comical at the surface. This hints at the notion that a thin blanket of obvious comedy is utilised to disguise the ultimate tragedy present at heart. This tragedy is carried forth via a splattering of motifs, such as time, meaning and existe nce, and God. By exploring this relationship, a cohesive understanding of the comical and tragic elements becomes possible, allowing us to decipher the roles they play in the play. As such, will elucidate that Waiting for Godot does contain more elements of tragedy, and their significance and meaning are far greater than any of this plays comedic value. II. Analysis In order to investigate both the comedic and tragic elements, an understanding of how they are used in conjunction is necessary. In other words, we must first understand what a tragicomedy entails. By definition, a tragicomedy is a dramatic work incorporating both tragic and comic elements. However, this denotation does little more than restate what we already know. In actuality, the meaning of a tragicomedy has morphed over time. It was initially coin by Plautus, a Roman dramatist in the 2nd century B.C.E. as a play in which gods and men, masters and slaves reverse the roles traditionally assigned to them, gods and heroes acting in comic burlesque and slaves adopting tragic dignity. Then during the Renaissance, tragicomedy became a genre of play that mixed tragic elements into drama that was mainly comic. With the advent of realism later in the 19th century, tragicomedy underwent yet another revision. Whilst still mixing the two elements, comic interludes now highlighted the ironic counterpoints inherent in a play, making the tragedy seem even more devastating. In this way, it can be said tragicomedy is a more meaningful and serious existence than traditional tragedy. Lastly, modern tragicomedy is sometimes used synonymously with Absurdist drama, which suggest that laughter is the only response left to man when he is faced with the tragic emptiness and meaninglessness of existence. The last two classifications are the most relevant explanations and I believe them to be identical to Becketts understanding of tragicomedy when he labelled his play as such during his translation. Certainly, there is comic interlude such as the discussion that occurs between Vladimir and Estragon in Act II during Pozzos cries for help We should ask him for the bone first. Then if he refuses well leave him there (p89), which highlights the tragic state that Pozzo is in through their comically serious bout about whether or not to help him and certainly there too is an exploration of the emptiness and meaninglessness of existence, which is fundamentally the underlying theme of the entire play. A bleak and tragic tone permeates the atmosphere at the beginning of the play. The stage is empty aside from a bare tree and two ragged tramps, Estragon and Vladimir. The very start of the play begins with the narrative, Estragon, sitting on a low mound, is trying to take off his boot. He pulls at it with both hands, panting. He gives up, exhausted, rests, tries again. As before. (p2). Immediately after, Estragon, who gives up yet again, speaks the famous words Nothing to be done, arguably the defining mode of the entire play. The surrounding circumstances of the characters emanate an alien disconnection to the world and leave the audience utterly perplexed and bewildered by the seemingly nonexistent motive of the characters. The tragic elements are seen in the circumstances of the characters, their physical disabilities, their lost sense of time and utmost futility, their doomed existence where à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nothing happens and nothing can be done,à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  and the empty stage while the comic elements revolve around the games the characters invent, their interactions with each other, and the vaudevillian routines. Vladimir and Estragon are portrayed as homeless tramps devoid of purpose, as strongly supported by their paralysis, Well, shall we go? Yes, lets go. They do not move. In much the same way, other characters, such as Pozzo and Lucky, are characterized too as directionless pairs, symbolized by their deafness and muteness in Act II Pozzo is blind(p87). From simply examining the characters, we can see that they, like all human beings, have the potential to become better characters with better common sense. Our definition of normal and expected human behaviour may just as well be non-applicable to the setting of the play, hence the usage of better is questionable. Our expected definition of tragedy may be a derivation of our own experiences. When someone falls into a situation that, as a result of societal conformation, causes us to develop certain emotions, we feel for their loss or misfortune. However, the context of Waiting for Godot places us in a realm so undesirable, because undernea th the initial intentional comedy lies a dimension of tragedy that we cannot clearly relate to, defining itself as delusional even to the point of becoming disturbing. The inane dialogue and personalities of the plays subjects sets a situation so capricious that the limits of analysis must be broadened to accept such ideas of human behaviour before it is possible to understand Becketts message and embrace the idea that one can be so unresponsive to an apparently interminable wait. By capitalizing on the fixed perspectives of the audience, their actions become an absurd comedy that contributes to the tragic tone of the entire play. The unchanging Nothing to be done (p2) reinforces helplessness and utter desperation in lieu of the protagonists. Their physical disabilities are the tragic circumstances that baffles the audience and while making us laugh, shows us the meaninglessness of their existence , such as Vladimirs bladder problems, hinted at when advancing with short, stiff strides, legs wide apart (p2), and Estragons struggles with his feet, disturbed rest, and abuse by individuals he has no memory of, spending the night in a ditch and claims that they beat me, where they is never identified Such dialogue can be labelled as tragic as their own distinct personalities and personal problems lead to the original, main point that comedy merely shrouds the tragedy. An excellent example of such a scenario can be seen on (p85) when Vladimir and Estragon spontaneously break out into unanimous, unprecedented argument and mark each other with insults such as Ceremonious ape! and Punctilious Pig! After the banter, They embrace. They separate. (p86). While at the surface this scene may be deemed comedic due to the spontaneous outburst, if we bring ourselves to look past this, we see that it is tragic when they reconcile. The tragedy exists in their relationship. They both agree that each would be better off alone, as Estragon says You piss better when Im not there. (p64) and Vladimir replies, I missed youand at the same time I was happy. (p64). Despite this, they continue to stay together, not knowing why. Because of this, it can be said that it is tragic how Vladimir and Estragon have no control over themselves nor the external factors affecting them. What is even more tragic is the futility of their wait. The fact that Godot does not ever arrive and that nothing is achieved with the evident passing of time as symbolized on (p62) by the statement that The tree has four or five leaves define the seemingly meaninglessness of their goal. This idea of eternally unproductive progress proves to display a tragic image in the minds of the audience. Right after this scene is another just as tragic at heart. Estragon begins by questioning, What do we do now? (p86) to which Vladimir responds We could do our exercises (p86). This is followed by a series of exaggerated actions and comically tires Estragon out after a simple hop Thats enough, Im tired. (p86). This once again shows their inability to do what they want, an idea that is visited once more at the end of the play on (p109) when Vladimir questions, Well? Shall we go? to which Estragon responds, Yes, lets go. but both do not move. This inability to accomplish such simple actions can be deemed tragic , and questions the purpose of their existence. We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression we exist? (p77). Note that Estragon uses the word impression, implying that they are aware of the meaninglessness and futility of their wait. Something must happen yet nothing must happen when waiting and Beckett skilfully achieves this balance. It is not only the general act of waiting that is tragic, but also the things Estragon and Vladimir do during their wait that is tragic. True to the essence of the play, many of the comical actions are paired with tragedy. The two insult each other and then reconcile. Vermin! Abortion!Now lets make up!(p85) and is quite amusing, except that we once again overlook the tragedy: throwing insults at each other because they have nothing to do. Vladimir loses his sense of time, a recurring motif, after having regained a bit of it Youre sure you saw me, you wont come and tell me tomorrow that you never saw me! (p106) and Was I long asleep? I dont know. (p107). His uncertainty is humorous, but the same uncertainty creates a sense of disarray. What this multitude of examples signify is mankinds inexhaustible search for meaning, to which Beckett believes leads nowhere but tragedy, and that comedy, imbued with tragedy, is tragedy itself. Through this, human life, its meaning and existence, as displayed in Waiting for Go dot, concludes in tragedy. Vladimir and Estragon are not the only characters used to express tragedy. Another pair exists, and they play just as crucial a role as the others. Pozzo and Lucky are portrayed in such a way that it is hard to imagine that Lucky was once Pozzos mentor, and is now treated like a slave. Masters and slave reversed the roles traditionally assigned to them. He is depicted as the most intellectually vacuous character, yet it is suggested that he has a past which hints at the fact that Lucky can think, recite, and sing, strongly reinforced by his lengthy, confusing, and almost nonsensical speech: Given the existenceunfinished (p45-47). However, I find it doubtful that Beckett would dedicate so much text into a speech if its sole purpose was to confuse. Luckys speech reveals that he must have spent many hours exploring the deplorable human situation. By meticulously breaking down Luckys outburst, one will see that, just as Beckett has hidden tragedy inside comedy, there is a deeper meaning concealed within the speech and its purpose is not solely comedic. Reasonably speaking, Luckys speech during the play appears completely disoriented, a chaotic mass of incoherent language, given the short amount of time the audience has to process each clause. But going past this comical veil of nonsense, a spectacular construction put together as meticulously as the play itself materializes. The speech has three distinct parts. The first part of the monologue begins by assuming the existence of a God as a given and then describing him. Removing extra phrases, we get roughly with white beardoutside time without extension wholoves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknownare plunged in tormentin firewhose firewill fire firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm (p45) God is described as a paradoxical fatherly figure always present regardless of time, whom may be affectionate, but at the same time states that if it is, many are excluded. That those beings are sent into hell, symbolizing earth, into fire, whose fire w ill destroy the blue and calm vault of the sky (firmament), which is a contrast between peace and human suffering. Then there too is the mention of divine apathia, divine athambia, and divine aphasia. Divine refers to God. Apathia is apathy and means the absence of passion, emotion, or excitement. Athambia is imperturbability, to be incapable of being upset or agitated and not easily excited, and aphasia is an inability to vocalize. These three Greek words serve three purposes. The first is that they have characterized the impuissance of Christianity as a modern religion. God is apathetic: he does not intervene. God is imperturbable: he has never been reached by living humans. And God is aphasic: he has never spoken, even to prove his very own existence. In this sense, Lucky, who in this case represents the literary embodiment of Beckett, is rejecting the existence of a God, by stating that even if he did exist, he has abandoned us, leaving only despair. The three words also serve as Becketts view on what the direction society as a whole is headed towards. That we are gradually becoming wrapped in apathy: we do not seek out others; wrapped in athambia: others are unable to reach us; and wrapped in aphasia: there is no more voice, with the advent of Internet and social communications/networking. Finally, the three words describe Luckys deterioration. It expresses, in turn, his lack of emotion, followed by an oblivious awareness of his surroundings, and lastly, when we next meet him, his voice. This perhaps, serves as a metaphor for the decline in the human quality, alarming and appalling. It would appear then, that this first part of Luckys speech hides a dreary and tragic tone underneath the torrent of disorientated words. The second part of his speech becomes increasingly difficult to decipher. There are many more interruptions and repetition of phrasing, obscuring the message. This perhaps may be on purpose, as Beckett could be expressing the repetitiveness of life and its lack of meaning. Condensing recurring phrases and removing interruptions, I get and considering what is more that as a result of the labours left unfinishedthe labours of menestablished beyond all doubtthat manwastes and pinesin spite of..the practice of sportsof all sortsconcurrentlytime will tellfades awaythe death of Bishop Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounce per headno matter whatthe facts are there (p45-46) The message here says that, to add onto the absence of God as previously stated (hence labours unfinished), it is confirmed, without a doubt, that man is in a state of decline, despite technological advancements (labours of men) and physical exercise (practice of sports). Bishop Berkeleys death marked the begi nning of this fall. With all this happening at once, only time will tell when we will eventually fade away. Lucky attempts in his speech to bring back Berkeleys harmonization of God and science, but ends up doing the opposite. By associating each head with one inch four ounce, it quantifies life and hence devalues humans, slowly reducing us to an execrable state. It becomes apparent that the comedy of Luckys speed is only a cover up, the real message is an appalling and tragic commentary on human progress. The increased entropy in Luckys speech is reflective of his life. He was once very intellectual and had great mental capacity, but just like man, has degraded. This third and final part of his speech can only be described as chaotic and anxious, building up towards a climax. and considering what is much more grave that in the light of the labours lostin the plains in the mountains by the seas by the riversrunning firethe great cold the great darkthe earth abode of stonesI resume the skull fading the flames the tears the stonesthe skull the skull the skull the skullalas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skullthe stonesso calmunfinished (p46-47) These ideas explain that as a result of this decline (labours lost), grave consequences appear, in the plains, mountains, seas, and rivers. Running fire symbolizes widespread chaos, followed by cold desolate despair, alone. The earth becomes reduced to stones, and skulls, representing the death of men, wastes away. Chaos tears through the earth, and death is rampant. As God has abandoned men, left them unfinished, death continues on earth, and there is calm because unfinished. He is cut off with unfinished as his last word, referring to the incomplete speech and shrinking of mankind. With the conclusion of the final part of Luckys speech, it becomes apparent that while it indeed fulfills its role as amusing humour, the true meaning is cataclysmic, and the fact that we are laughing at it is dramatically ironic. Luckys speech has much to do with time, with good reason. The play contains a series of events where time seems to be moving at a crawl, if at all. It is something much more complicated than it may seem. On the surface, time is a numerical in which growth is measured. On a much deeper level, time can be very difficult to define. Throughout the play, the main concept of what time really is, is examined. In the context of what has happened or what will happen, time can be classified as good or bad. In Waiting for Godot, the stress of waiting makes time drag. If time is what growth is measured by, if nothing changes, did time really pass? Within the play, we await change, waiting for Godot. However in reality, things change as a constant, where we do not realize we are waiting. It is only when change is slow to come when we realize that we are in a state of inaction. It is during this realization that brings a source of pain to the individual. Vladimir and Estragon constantly strive to be spontaneous and dynamic in order to ensure change, but always come to the inevitable realization that they were waiting. Characteristic of the play, we often hear them say Lets go. We cant. Why not? Were waiting for Godot. It is comical how Estragon seems to forget their purpose, and is constantly reminded, but more importantly, this shows their sudden realization of their anticipation of change. Yet Godot himself never appears in the play. His identity is irrelevant, what is important is the act of waiting for someone or something that never arrives. He is the essence of change and a final solution. The repetition of his name impresses upon the audience the same feeling of anticipation. It is tragic as the play concludes that Godot never does show up, demonstrating that the two acts are but a slice of a cycle, or of two mirrors reflecting endlessly. The end of the play can be matched to the beginning. Nothing has changed, little character development is made and what little changes that have occurred have reverted back to original, such as Vladimirs epiphany in which he proclaims: Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! p(91) and coerces the audience into thinking that perhaps, finally, some semblance of development will appear. Alas, the powerful soliloquy reaches an anticlimax, interrupted by the constant change of topic inherent in the play. Time appears to be circular , as opposed to linear. The latter has broken down, because events do not develop into progress and change. The boy returns bearing identical messages, Godot never comes and tomorrow never seems to arrive. Vladimir mentions that time has stopped (p37). Estragon and Vladimir, during their finite existence, are moving relentlessly towards a presumably unobtainable event. It is like an asymptotic curve, always getting closer to a value, but never reaching it. Estragon expresses this tragic fate of uneventful repetitive existence as he exclaims, Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, its awful! (p43). The realization that there will never be an end to the waiting is evidence for their contemplation of suicide, as Estragon says, What about hanging ourselves? (p12). Once the audience has grasped this, a plethora of ideas emerge. Some are linked to other themes in the play, such as the meaningless in waiting, because it stops time and progress, whilst the repetition of the setting emphasizes the repetition of life. Thus as we have seen, while the play maintains a humorous shell, as it progresses, the audience begins to feel sympathetic. The time that Vladimir and Estragon spent together was comedic, but after peeling apart this shell and revealing to us their consciousness, devoid of time, we will find naught but woeful anguish. VI. Conclusion The comedy present in Waiting for Godot turns into tragedy at the instance the audience understands the helplessness of Vladimir and Estragon. Unhappiness is one of the funniest things we as humans see, but at the same time, it is despairing. The way Pozzo treats Lucky is hilarious, to both the reader and audience. Lucky is constantly jerked around by his rope and this exaggerated action creates humour, but at the same time, we overlook the cruelty that is so obviously implied. It is tragic how we so readily accepted this treatment, and as the play continues, laugh at it even more. This signifies a part of Becketts view of human nature, that it is not until it becomes personal do we start caring about the tragic tones and implications. Comedy has been suppressed by the tragic elements. The play becomes a tragedy imbued with tragedies. The small, easily noticed tragic happenings contribute to a greater, deeper despair. Such as Estragon suggesting death as an escape. It is sad to see one suggest such a thing, yet it is also funny because of the nonchalant light-hearted way he suggests it, as well as the conversation that ensues. The two tramps engage in meaningless, pointless activity to pass the time, waiting for something that never comes. This absurdity is a fundamental source of tragedy. However, what is really tragic is that in the end, they are unable to make a decision, to live or die and as a result of this hesitation, are forever frozen in progress. This essentially shows their paralysis of time and continuity. Didi and Gogo are stuck, day in day out, waiting for Godot to no avail. This act of waiting is the very thing Beckett is trying to portray. It is only during lapses in action, where we are waiting, th at we begin to realize the meaninglessness of what we are doing. An overwhelming sense of despair washes over the audience in this moment of realization, and all sense of humour is gone. All that is left is a mixture of anxiety, confusion, and hopelessness.

american gods :: essays research papers

American Gods There was silence as they crossed the bridge. "Who did kill those men?" she asked. "You wouldn’t believe me if I told you." "I would." She sounded angry now. He wondered if bringing the wine to the dinner had been a wise idea. Life was certainly not a cabernet right now. "It’s not easy to believe." "I," she told him, "can believe anything. You have no idea what I can believe." "Really?" "I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren’t true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they’re true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen-I believe that people are perfectible, that knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkledy lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kick everyone’s ass. I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline in good sex in America is coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theaters from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste. I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we’ll all be wiped out by the common cold like the Martians in War of the Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one-armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind’s destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it’s aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there’s a cat in a box somewhere who’s alive and dead at the same time (although if they don’t ever open the box to feed it it’ll eventuall y just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself.

Sociology and Social Sciences

The traditional social sciences which have been developed as part of the totality of learning in the West have been brought over to Asia. It is now becoming increasingly evident that the validity of such social sciences, whether in the realm of research theory or of action policy, can no longer be accepted uncritically. An appreciation of what is valid or invalid, applicable or inapplicable, is therefore imperative.Such analysis is necessary not only as an academic venture; social change is basic to the Asian aspiration for modernization and the need is urgent for such change to be directed towards the achievement of what may well be Asian as distinguished from non-Asian goals. CULTURE The problem is clear and present. The Asian academic world, until now, has been staffed with many scholars whose training has been, for the most part, in Western universities and institutions. At the same time, the political and intellectual leadership in the larger life of its society is held to a sig nificant degree of Western-trained leaders.The orientation of many of these leaders has been conditioned by the predominantly Western culture. Trained to think in Western terms through the medium of Western languages, some are experiencing a reawakening to the reality of their situation. Asian intellectuals are undergoing an agonizing period of soul-searching. Their system of values, developed through years of training in, and broad exposure to, Western philosophies, is being shattered by a realization that these values may not be suitable to the Asian environment.Recently, Professor Ruben Santos-Cuyugan of the University of the Philippines expressed misgivings about the movement towards the unification of all knowledge, including the assumption of â€Å"universal categories of culture† and the universality of value judgment. This movement, according to him, makes the social scientist evade one of his fundamental responsibilities which is â€Å"to examine the ways by which h is science and thought, indeed his very perceptions, are rooted in the matrix of his own culture† (Santos-Cuyugan 1967). POLITICSIn the meantime, in the realm of politics, the postwar leaders of Asia have discovered that independence has not automatically ushered in the Utopia. Thus, they are not seeking the nature and structure of government that will best meet their needs, the political philosophies their peoples should embrace or adopt, and the policies that will bring about the good society by their indigenous standards and values. A starting point is the fact that with a few exceptions, the developing countries of Asia profess belief in freedom and human rights, the rule of law and constitutional government.These concepts and maxims are manifested in their constitutions. However, in spite of guarantees enshrined in their constitutions, these countries find it difficult to achieve real constitutional democracy. For the constitutions of the West have, in many cases, been tr ansplanted to Asian soil without the historical experience that nurtured them in the West, where they were the products of a long period of evolution and development. Democracy implies mass participation by the people in the political process.But if the people are not sufficiently educated in the processes of democracy, or have not sufficiently imbibed its spirit, how can it flourish? In fact, one wonders whether or not the structure of government of the Philippines, patterned as it is after the outlined in the American Constitution, is not really a hindrance to, rather than an instrument for, national development. In any case, it has become quite clear that Western-style democracy has to be modified so as to satisfy the urgent Asian desire for economic progress and social justice.Liberty, as this term is used in the West, has mainly the negative connotation of freedom from arbitrary restraint. In the Asian setting, it must be given a positive content; governments have to assume a g reater responsibility for providing opportunities for the growth and self-realization of citizens. In the same manner, â€Å"justice† has had mainly a political connotation in the West, where it is usually associated with law and social behavior. In Asia, if political justice were not integrally related to economic justice, it would be almost peripheral to the real problems.In so far as Asians are concerned, economic justice is the more relevant concept because it touches the heart of the existing social order. In this sense, it is associated with the eradication of poverty and the alleviation of human suffering. Another qualification should be made. There is so much lip-service to the concept of â€Å"rule of law† in many Asian societies. By this, people are supposed to be guided by certain legal precepts in their social relations. However, in the Philippine experience, despite the fact that most Filipinos are professed and vocal adherents of the â€Å"rule of law.â € They do not find difficulty in transgressing legal rules because in the business of everyday living, non-legal rules oftentimes command greater obedience than legal ones, especially when values such as family and kinship ties are involved. This is part of the explanation of such phenomenon as nepotism. Which is certainly frowned upon by the formal laws of society, but which is carried out in practice by almost everyone in political authority. Finally, bureaucracy, as an institution, is in external forms and manifestations similar to its prototype in the West.The same formal methods of recruitment, of organizational charts, of job descriptions, etc. , are utilized. But the ethos that animates Asian bureaucracy is obviously quite different from what animates Western bureaucracy. ECONOMICS The discipline of economics fives many illustrations of the limits of applicability of Western concepts, values and methods. The most evident at the moment is the emergence of new branches of st udy, such as development economics, and of a more socio-psychological approach to the study of economic systems than Keynesian economics allowed at an earlier period.Thus even in the West, there is a growing recognition (e. g. , Hagen 1962), that if economic growth is to occur, a country’s cultural patterns must be such as to produce â€Å"high need-achievement† directed towards â€Å"clusters of followers† once innovations are made. In fact, to achieve substantial economic development, it is suggested that the number of individuals with the entrepreneurial-motivational complex, and particularly with high achievement drives, will have to be significantly increased.Again, many Western economists have been laboring under the assumption of conventional analysis that the missing elements in developing societies are modern technical knowledge, capital, specially trained manpower, and a sound plan for using capital, manpower and technical knowledge. Once these element s were made available, they assumed, progress will automatically ensue. The international economic policy of the Western nations have therefore generally been geared towards providing these missing elements, with perhaps the strongest bias being in the provision of capital as the principal agent of development.The view is still widespread that if Asian countries can only obtain, through their own efforts or through foreign assistance, as sufficient amount of capital, they would be able to â€Å"finish the job† of development. The truth is that investment, whether public or private is subject to the risks, uncertainties and eccentricities of the poor public administration. Since development is a process, it is subject at every stage to how effectively the government can execute its plans.Moreover, it is now clear that traditional marginal analysis, however useful it may be as a basis for the understanding of advanced economics, can be very misleading for underdeveloped ones. W hen such factors as population growth and technological progress are made an integral part of analysis, instead of being left out altogether as in traditional equilibrium theory, out analysis can lead to policy conclusions exactly the reverse of what orthodox equilibrium theory might suggest.Even with the emergence in the West of development economics as a new field for the study of developing countries, certain biases continue to show. An example is the fact that in the West, economic development as a goal has been reckoned almost exclusively in terms of increases in annual national income. The corollary problem of income distribution has been merely glossed over. This is a serious omission because of the existing wide disparities in incomes among the peoples of the developing nations. This is illustrated in Philippine society.For this society may be likened to a social pyramid with an acute apex and a very broad base. At the apex is a very small segment of society, the rich and th e very rich; at the base are the broad masses of those who are poor and very poor. The constellation of power in our society has traditionally consisted of the hacendero-politico class at the apex of the social pyramid, which held sway over the lives of human beings. More recently, a new industrial class has appeared to increase their numerically few but historically powerful ranks.The elite class enjoys the benefits of modern technology and the affluence that it makes possible while the vast mass of the population lives close to the subsistence level. There is this a distressing and ever-widening gap in the process to goods and services. It is clear, therefore, that to be relevant to the realities of the Asian situation, economic development should not be reckoned only in terms of annual rates of economic growth, or of doubling national incomes in a decade.It should be vitally concerned with promoting economic justice, in spreading more widely the benefits of economic progress, and in continuously opening up new opportunities to an ever-widening circle of entrepreneurs and investors in the developing countries. In short, the achievement of economic democracy has to be a primordial goal, alongside the acceleration of the growth process. SOCIOLOGY In the realm of rural sociology, many practical limits to Western social research concepts and methods have been actually discovered in the Philippines. Methods and TechniquesTo begin with, planning a research project on the Western pattern is often not warranted by the amount and quality of available resources. There is, for instance, the problem of shortage of local professional social researchers compounded by the attitude which rural folks have for those social researchers. In the West, its rural folks are used to extension workers, welfare-agency volunteers, missionaries and the like. On the other hand, Philippine researchers and interviewers have been looked upon as philanthropists, as some sort of Rockefeller o f Ford Foundation representatives ready to give out material aid (Feliciano 1965).The establishment of concepts and definitions has not been easy. Social research is built around a framework which requires certain concepts such as household, family, literacy, religion, cooperation, and the like. But a research group, led by Professor Gloria D. Feliciano of the University of the Philippines, has recently concluded that in diagnostic studies wherein these concepts need to be stated in more refined or precise terms, an adaptation is necessary to avoid getting inaccurate data (Feliciano 1965).The term â€Å"religious affiliation. † For instance, has a connotation in the Philippines different from that in the West, where individualism and not â€Å"familism† prevails. In the West, it implies not only membership of an individual in a religious group. But usually religious preferences as well. In the Philippines, where close family and community ties are predominant, religiou s affiliation becomes a family or community matter. Hence, the term does not necessarily imply the religious preference of the individual.Another example mention by a Philippine research group has to do with family types: In this country (Philippines), one may not find a simple or nuclear family defined and interpreted according to Western standards. For, although it may appear simple nuclear structurally, functionally it usually partakes of the character of the extended type. Studies in recent years have exploded the myth that structurally the Filipino family is of the extended type. Rather, they showed that although the majority of the nuclear families live apart from one another, this did not deter them from helping one another in times of need or crisis.  (Castillo 1963 and Feliciano 1964, cited in Feliciano 1965).In reporting one of his studies, a Filipino researcher expounded on the problem he encountered in regard to the concept of cooperation: In the West, where this term gave rise to cooperatives, one usually thinks of it in terms of a disciplined, highly ordered code of behavior, de-emphasized family loyalties, rigid business principles, and a high degree of rationalized behavior. In short, the term has come to be associated with individual independence.In the Philippines, however, where the practice is deeply rooted in familiar or family ties, it is a matter of interdependence among indivuals. (Provinse 1960, cited in Feliciano 1965). Finally, insofar as the concept of literacy is concerned, a further refinement of sub-types is needed in the Philippines. It has been discovered that very often one encounters people who could literally read and write but who do not fully understand what they read or write.Role of Women, Role of Education In another report, Professor Gelia T.  Castillo, a pioneer rural research scholar in the Philippines, has found it necessary to reexamine the role of women in the development scheme (Castillo 1964). Her findings s howed such strong female influence in family and farm decision-making that for purposes of development work, it would be more fruitful to classify the Filipino woman in the rural scene as an active initiator, legitimizer, and decision-maker in her own right, rather than just a person who plays a mere supportive role to her husband, her father, or her barrio.A closer examination of the role of education has likewise been suggested because, while it is a potent instrument for effecting change in agricultural production, education acquires a different dimension when it â€Å"rules out mud on educated hands. † This view has been corroborated by another rural researcher, Professor Juan F. Jamias (1967). Who has an interesting explanation for the effectiveness of the â€Å"verbal culture† (education, research and extension) in increasing agricultural productivity in the Philippines.He states that the agricultural college degree in the Philippines has been â€Å"white-collar ized. † He cites data on the employment distribution of graduates of the College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines, which show that except for 8 percent engaged in farming, all the rest may be classified as white-collar workers. A later and more comprehensive survey revealed that only 1. 3 percent were actually engaged in private farming or business. Most of the graduates were actively involved in teaching and extension work. There are other examples of generalization that need closer scrutiny.In community leadership, does youth versus age necessarily mean change versus status quo? Is the mutual self-help circle, often regarded as an existing resource for cohesive community action, coterminous with the village unit of operations? The problem of concepts and definitions aside, the Feliciano research group has found out, too, that Western scientific sampling techniques are quite difficult to apply because, oftentimes, sampling universes such as geographic, or politic al subdivision lines are not definitely established.Furthermore, in many places, the basic socio-economic structure of the occupational groups, ethnic and religious groups, and types of land-use and land ownership have not been objectively defined. Raw Materials from Research in Action Programs The traditional social research method, which has come down to us from the West, calls for empirical evidence to support existing ideas. Our experience shows that rural research theory in the Philippines, in fact, being enriched by various experiences in research in action programs.The findings of Professor Gelia Castillo show that the researcher in action setting â€Å"has a unique advantage in obtaining substantive and methodological insights while actually participating in real life events which are part of the process of bringing about change. † At times, she says the problem which defies any design except the kind which involves a faithful description of down-to-earth happenings, is the most fertile source of insights. Examples to support this view have been cited.In the Philippines, many extension workers have claimed that most of the researches done are not practical and economically feasible under village conditions (From The Innovator, 1965). In the Philippines, experience, new theories in rural sociology are arising from empirical evidence. And the existing facts and data gathered are quite interesting because they are the results of pioneer efforts, empirically identified with their meanings laid bare rather than assumed by the conceptualizer. Truly, the agents of change in rural Philippines are breaking virgin ground. Knowing One’s AudienceAs we have said, in effecting directed social change, Western social scientists have focused their attention on knowing one’s audience. Even in the voluminous literature on diffusion studies in the United States, rarely have investigators addressed themselves to the nature of the innovation and the cha racter of the carriers of change. Among the advocates of change, there is an unchallenged assumption that the change being introduced is good, that the change agent is effective and that, therefore, the farmer who refuses to accept the innovation is irrational (Castillo). To be sure, the audience should be known.Who is the Asian farmer, for instance, whose ways are sought to be changed? This is an extremely important question. Again, one should know his audience in order to evaluate his data. It has been found that the reliability of farmers’ responses depends upon the respondent’s image of the researcher or interviewer and their expectations from the project. The Role of the Change Agent Be that as it may, to understand the subsistence farmer’s response or lack of response to the innovations sought to be introduced, the innovation itself must be proved, and the role of the change agent fully studied.On the latter point, one of the findings is that oftentimes a change agency is as rigid as the farmers it seeks to change. A former consultant has been quoted as saying that â€Å"the problems of development exist just as much in the organization charged with instituting change schemes as they do in the populace they are trying to change. † (Kumata 1960) To other findings have come out of the Philippine experiments. One is that a change agent can hardly expect to be effective unless his roles is accepted by his clientele.Rapport with the villagers, therefore, becomes a key factor. The other is that the agent of change in the Philippines should have a versatility unmatched by his counterpart in the West. The enormity and diversity of problem situations he comes to grips with require an interdisciplinary thinking, especially when he is the only social scientist within a radius of many kilometers. He should not be just a rural sociologist or an agricultural economist but a social scientist with expert preparation in his own discipline.He n eeds sophistication in social theory, mastery of research methodology, adequate comprehension of bureaucracy and political behavior, and intensive exposure to the world of village action, administration and policy. Towards a Theory for Developing Asian Nations It is of the highest priority that the teachers and practitioners in the social sciences in Asia emancipate themselves from the value-bias of Western concepts and postulates of reasoning. There is need for escaping the universalizing that characterizes much of the social sciences as they have developed in Western academic circles.Asian social scientists should undergo a truly creative engagement with their own culture and society, making use, in the process, of frameworks that provide standards of relevance to the experiences and aspirations of their own people. It should be constantly borne in the mind that there are limits to the applicability of Western concepts, values and method to Asian realities. It is important therefo re, that organized efforts be undertaken to compile and codify the vast amount of scattered data on particular subjects of social research in the different countries which are to be found in research offices and libraries of universities.With a commitment to intellectual efforts with a decidedly Asian value base, more genuine works of scholarships in the social sciences should come out of the academic world. With the growing data from field works and social sciences which enable d us to verify the referents of concepts in our respective countries, we may usefully embark on the ambitious project of setting up a theory for the developing Asian nations, and in the process, hopefully, understand ourselves.