Thinking About Diversity

The dimensions of cultural diversity are categorized as primary dimensions and secondary dimensions. Primary dimensions are generally considered fixed and involuntary. Age, gender, race, and ethnic heritage would be examples of primary dimensions. People do not have a choice of when they are born and thus their age. Gender, race, and ethnic heritage are also not open to choice. Mental and physical abilities are also usually defined as primary dimensions of diversity. Specific biological functions of the brain can be considered primary dimensions of diversity, but knowledge and education can improve mental ability. It is also possible to improve physical ability to a certain extent by incorporating healthy diet and physical conditioning into one’s lifestyle. Physical ability is listed as a primary dimension of cultural diversity because height, bone structure, and other physical attributes are genetic and not open to choice. Sexual orientation is also a primary dimension of diversity. Secondary dimensions of diversity include attributes that are considered less central to social identity. These dimensions can change based on life experiences. They include where one lives and works, socioeconomic status, education, and religion. Ethnic, Cultural, or Other Groups I Identify With I am a Black female who identifies with the Black community as well as other ethnic groups. I was born and raised in a large metropolitan city. I am a product of my big city upbringing. I believe that being raised in a large city has equipped me to be comfortable in many settings and with people from any group or cultural background. The Black culture and history is very important to my lifestyle. I work with young men and women in the Black community to advise them on career paths and encourage them to make positive life choices. As a woman, I am very concerned with many of the issues that are affecting women. The rise in teen pregnancy is one issue that I address with young women I encounter. Violence against women is also a problem that is prevalent in society. Women continue to be subordinated and discriminated against, and the struggle to change the situation is one of my top priorities. My social circle is made up of professionals who enjoy cultural pursuits such as plays, music, concerts, and charitable activities. Diversity and Inclusion Diversity refers to any mixture of items characterized by differences and similarities, (Harvey & Allard, 2009, p. 11). This definition refers not just to people but also to the differences and similarities of functions or conditions along a given dimension. In identifying diversity in an organization, it is also important to identify the similarities within a group. When management accesses a group of ethnically diverse individuals, if they focus on the similarities a mong them, it will be easier to build common ground and mutual respect. Inclusion is a technique that organizations can use to optimize the benefits of a culturally diverse workplace. Rather than just focusing on cultural diversity as a quota to fill, organizations can use the cultural, ethnic, and experiential differences of employees to add creativity, new ideas, and new strategies. When every individual thinks that he or she is operating in a safe environment, they can be comfortable sharing innovative ideas that may not follow the traditional concepts of the organization. Importance of Workplace Diversity Training Effective workplace diversity training can benefit an organization in many ways. Increased productivity can result when employees appreciate and learn from the cultural or ethnic differences of their fellow employees. Workplace diversity training will increase the emotional intelligence of individuals which will increase their tolerance of differences. Emotional intelligence is awareness of self, managing self, self motivation, awareness of the emotions in others, and managing interpersonal relationships, (Harvey & Allard, 2009). Emotional intelligence and emotional maturity can allow individuals to be open to the possibility of considering differing opinions and strategies. More openness among team members within an organization will increase creativity, cooperation, and collaboration. When cultural and ethnic diversity are successfully managed within an organization, minority employees will feel acceptance and comfort which will encourage them to express innovative ideas without fear of repression or ridicule. The majority employees will be given the opportunity to expand their acceptance and knowledge of different values, beliefs, and opinions. Workplace Culture and Inclusion I have had the opportunity to work in large and small organizations. During high school, I worked in a large department store. There were many races, ethnic groups and ages. The age groups in the workplace were in three categories. There were older workers who had worked in the store for many years and had made it a career. These employees spent most of their free time socializing with each other, such as breaks and lunches. They were generally very friendly and helpful to new employees. The second category was made up of managers ranging in age from about 25 to 40. Most of the managers were college educated and were hired specifically as managers. There were also managers who had started at an entry-level position and worked their way up to management. The third category, which I belonged to, was made up of young high school and college students. This category generally socialized with each other. I do not recall any negative interactions based on race, culture, sexual orientation, or ethnic heritage. Throughout my career I have worked with a variety of ethnic groups, races and ages in a variety of corporate settings. I have always been fortunate to work in very inclusive organizational settings. I have not worked in an organization that discriminated against employees based on their diverse ethnic or cultural backgrounds.

Explain Legal Issues, Policies and Procedures Relevant to Assessment

Q: Explain legal issues, policies and procedures relevant to assessment, including those for confidentiality, health, safety and welfare. Ans: For the smooth running of organization or/and to meet the internal and external requirements of awarding bodies, it is must to have some legal policies and procedures ready at hand in assessment. If, at one hand, it helps us go through the whole process of assessment smoothly, at the other, it builds a confidence among the learners who feel secure in the process. Training organizations are also subject to inspection by OFSTED so have to keep records for performance, safety and financial reasons. Registers-attendance at lessons. Visit Report Forms-proof you are visiting candidates. Individual Learning Plans-Targets and timescales. Equality and Diversity Forms-Ensuring no discrimination. Health and Safety Check Forms-Ensuring safe working environment. Course feedback forms-feedback from candidates. Course assessment sheets-record of tests and progress There are some basic policies and procedures that ought to be an integral part of whole organizational set up. Health and Safety Policy and Procedures: These are important. All organizations must carry out a  risk assessment  identifying the risks to employees, other workers, clients, members of the public and anyone who comes onto the organization’s premises or uses its services. They must then draw up a health and safety scheme setting out a program to reduce the risks, or to minimize the negative impact if they do happen. Since in assessment, there is possibility of learners being under 18, the assessor or the authority has to carry out a specific assessment taking into account the fact that young people may be inexperienced, immature and/or less aware of risks than adults. These requirements are set out in the Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997. Data Protection Act: The main thrust of Data Protection is protecting against abuse of data held on individuals. Data collection has to be fair. This now means that the individual must know who is doing the collecting, and the purposes for which the data are intended to be used. Data shouldn't be kept for longer than necessary, must be kept secure, and should be adequate, relevant and accurate. Thus the learners, in assessment, will feel secure as it ensures confidentiality.

Marketing Report for Teejay's Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Report for Teejay's - Assignment Example Proposed Market Teejays is a growing organization with a strong presence in the UK market. Therefore, the company requires a market that is equally growing and promising in the future. As such, the best market for Teejays would be China. Presently, China is one of the fastest growing market for customer care and other related outsourcing services. Also the country is set to be a new economic super power within few years. What makes China the potential market for Teejays is the country’s shift in the market focus. â€Å"Till today, the domestic market is still the principal part of China’s call center market, accounting for about 80 per cent, while Japan and South Korea have been China’s major offshoring markets, where China is in absolute dominance.† (Chunyan, 2010) But now the country has realized the importance of expanding the market to the western countries. This necessitates vigorous training of the potential employees as unlike the competitors India or Philippines, China has low proficiency in English language. The Chinese government has begun huge investment in English which throws out huge market opportunities for companies like Teejays. (Graddol, 2008) â€Å"Chinese people are bad at expressing themselves orally in a foreign language, however, they are good at reading and writing in it.† (Hongbing, 2010) The huge focus by the Chinese government on call centres as an economic power plant makes the Chinese market one of the most promising among the world. The Chinese government has even coined the term ‘Call Economy’ in order to represent the massive size of call centres to the Chinese Economy. (CCC, 2010) The Chinese economy was so far being dominated by manufacturing sector. But now the service sector is experiencing massive growth to emerge as the backbone of the economy. The annual growth rate in the Chinese call centre jobs is 15%. In 2009 itself more than 5 billion Euros were invested in the call cent re market. Way back in 2006, Chinese government has launched a project which designated 10 Chinese cities mainly for developing call centres and related service companies. Apart from that the country’s investment in the education sector is massive in order to equip the employable people to take up offshore business. As Teejays is primarily a call centre training consultant, it has huge potential market in China. Prospective call centre employees require improvement in their language proficiency. Government is also providing various supportive measures in order to foster the development of such training institutes. China has witnessed well known call centre companies entering the market in the recent years. â€Å"Growth in the number of Call Centers and number of agent positions seats in China is steadily increasing, and the revenue growth for technology vendors selling enterprise Call Center solutions has been in the double digits.† (APRG, 2011) With the boom in the ca ll centre industry, there is a huge growth in the revenue of technology vendors. Call centre training institutes have similar opportunity for increasing the market share and revenue. The increased presence of multinational companies in China has necessitated the need for better customer relationship management. Companies have

UK Banking Sector Reforms Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

UK Banking Sector Reforms - Dissertation Example The business environment in the modern world has become highly volatile. Different sectors make reformations that aim at responding to these changes in the economic, legal-political, technological and sociocultural environment. The United Kingdoms banking sector has experienced myriad reforms in the memorable past in this regard. Deregulation of the banking sector in the 1970s and 1980s in the United Kingdom enabled banks to take vantage of the lucrative opportunities that came with financial innovation and globalization. As a result, functionally large and geographically diverse banking groups have emerged in the United Kingdom. The public-policy attention in the United Kingdom has been focused primarily on the costs of the banking sector, which is dominated by complex and large institutions that appear too important to fail. New players and products have emerged in the industry over the last 50 years. Banks in the United Kingdom have continued to become larger and central to the provision of a full range of financial services. The emergence of highly interconnected universal banks in the banking sector has completely harnessed the economic network and tremendously increased the likelihood of system-wide contagion. The condition has been a characteristic of individual banks distress.

Research Paper Thesis Statementannotated bibliographyoutline Essay

Research Paper Thesis Statementannotated bibliographyoutline - Essay Example Health cannot be overlooked for the passion of fashion. It's precious. Remember, you live only once, so make the best use of it. Did it occur to you that slightly plumb women are equally attractive, if not better Everyone has a right to opinion. Let imitations be imitations, a part of the 23 billion a year entertainment. 3.0 Annotated Bibliography 1. Anna Nicole Smith's final adieu! http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/fashion-news/newsdetails.aspxnews_id=30498... 2007 Anna Nicole Smith passed away at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino located in Hollywood recently. Though the news came as a shock, further investigation was shrouded with mystery. Nothing was said to be the reason for her untimely death. 2. Life & Style, Models 'unhappier' than most women, www.smh.com.au/news/fashion/models-unhappier-than-most-women/2007/02/13/1171128961370.html There is no doubt that models enjoy their time on the catwalk, but later find themselves stacked against a whole lot of adversities including, poorer mental health, lower life satisfaction and psychological fulfilment. It's never easy to be in the limelight all the time. Despite being icons of beauty, these glamour queens felt less satisfied and more isolated than their peers working in ordinary office jobs. 3. Melissa Dittmann, APA Online, monitor on psychology, Plastic surgery: Beauty or Beast 2005, www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/surgery.html Plastic surgery has blossomed over the years with more and more people looking to improve their body image. There has been talk of the positives of plastic surgery among patients. However, a research publication in the April 2004 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Vol. 113, No. 4, pages 1,229-1,237), found several predictors of poor outcomes,...Hard work and self-sacrifice are eminent. There are no shortcuts to fame and the sacrifice can be devastating to say the least. Anna Nicole Smith passed away at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino located in Hollywood recently. Though the news came as a shock, further investigation was shrouded with mystery. Nothing was said to be the reason for her untimely death. There is no doubt that models enjoy their time on the catwalk, but later find themselves stacked against a whole lot of adversities including, poorer mental health, lower life satisfaction and psychological fulfilment. It's never easy to be in the limelight all the time. Despite being icons of beauty, these glamour queens felt less satisfied and more isolated than their peers working in ordinary office jobs. Plastic surgery has blossomed over the years with more and more people looking to improve their body image. There has been talk of the positives of plastic surgery among patients. However, a research publication in the April 2004 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Vol. 113, No. 4, pages 1,229-1,237), found several predictors of poor outcomes, especially for those with unrealistic expectations or have a history of depression and anxiety.

Learning Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Learning Styles - Essay Example Carl Rogers said, â€Å"I am talking about LEARNING-the insatiable curiosity that drives the adolescent boy to absorb everything he can see or hear or read about gasoline engines in order to improve the efficiency and speed of his cruiser. I am talking about the student who says, â€Å"I am discovering, drawing in from the outside, and making that which is drawn in a real part of me. I am talking about any learning in which the experience of the learner progresses along this line: ‘No. no, that’s not what I want’;† Wait! This is closer to what I am interested in, what I need; â€Å"Ah, here it is! Now I’m grasping and comprehending what I need ad what I want to know!† (Rogers, 1969) Learning began the natural way which was epitomized by conducting lessons in the open environment. Natural learning can be characterized by assuming responsibilities, asking questions, seeking answers, analyzing information which leads to more questions. Learning is a process which articulates questions which have no end and a method that trains the mind to go beyond boundaries in its search for answers. This is the key to educating one without being inter dependant. Benjamin Franklin was schooled for two years but his real education and learning was his process of life which sought the creation of challenging projects with familiar objects combined with his curiosity that there always has to be an alternative use. Learning is of different styles and approaches depending upon the individual and their mental framework. Individuals absorb and process the acquired knowledge through various methods. Through sight and sound, replicating, performing, motivating logically and instinctively, analyzing and visualizing. A learner can be classified into those who utilize the acquired knowledge and make things happen and produce a result or a learner can be those who watch

The new economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The new economy - Essay Example ftware have the capability of doing more word as compared to humans, it is also true that technology has helped many people monetize their homes and even employ others. A perfect example of how technology creates jobs is the Agriculture sector. The percentage of persons working on farms declined from 41%-2% in the last century. Over the same period agricultural production rose and farmers got employed in factories and cubicles. Economists have linked the shrinking American middle class to technological displacement of human labor. More jobs coming up are for Ph.D.s and casual labourers such as home cleaners. Drivers and self-driven cars threaten the jobs of chauffeurs & drivers. Software threatens the jobs of their very developers. However as these jobs go, others are created; according to Airbnb CEO Brian Cheskey, the firm may employ only 16000 but has 30 million users. It creates more jobs of the 21st century through creation of income for hosts monetizing their homes, as well local business & service providers (Foroohar, 2015). The new economy will therefore be more about individuals. Persons with good education, who are smart and have entrepreneurial minds, will thrive well in the new economy. The government should thus respond to the threat of displacement by reforming education, increasing training for the workforce as well as the social services net to accommodate the slack. Global supply chains will be affected by increased integration hanks to technology. This means that survival in the new economy and the evolving supply chains & logistics will require high calibre skills. I content that technology will increase output and therefore prosperity and thus going forward this knowledge will really influence my approach to

Personal Learning Profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Learning Profile - Essay Example feel delighted with certain courses that have been helping me to acquire useful life skills that can be of much value to me in tackling day to day challenges. In order to know much about myself, I had to carry out a self assessment. This, I did by keeping a daily journal throughout the semester. I was decided to take such an initiative because it is a better way of recording every event, activity and incident that could help me to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses. Actually, I later realized that the keeping of this journal was a good idea for me because it enabled me to exactly know what kind of student I really am (Roberts, 2006). Even if the journal enabled me to prove some of the earlier beliefs I had about myself, it also gave me a platform to learn about different qualities that I never thought I possess. Such knowledge was a clear indication that before then, I had a different version of myself. The first view I had of myself before the evaluating the journal is that I have been a very hard working student. All along, I had been yearning to be an economist. So, by managing to enroll for this course, I knew that I had already achieved my goal. In my opinion, this success did not come by chance, but was purely based on my hard work. May be, if I was not an industrious student, I would not have made it to the higher level of learning. I was as well convinced of my hard work since I had been excelling in this course and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) that I have been studying. For a very long time, I have not been scoring dismal marks in my examinations. These are the reasons why I had assumed that I am a hardworking student. I would like to categorically state that the same thing was confirmed by my journal. After carefully and objectively evaluating my journal, I confirmed that I have actually been a hard working student. The daily records in my journal indicated that I have been spending a lot of time studying and working on the quizzes given by my

Are Americans really free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Are Americans really free - Essay Example Historically, the USA is considered the birthplace of democracy, and which is important - democracy is an inborn feature of the American nation. The founding fathers of the Constitution of the United States can by no means be called the creators of our freedom - in fact, it already existed in the minds and, which is more important, lives of the colonists. Taking into account all the above said, it seems irrelevant to even question the fact that the Americans are really free yes, things are not so unambiguous in the modern society, and there are phenomena and facts that certainly limit our freedom. In this report, we will concentrate upon the problem of the USA as a panoptic society and the way it limits personal freedom. At the end of the 20th century (1975), a French philosopher Michel Foucault wrote a book Surveiller et punir (Disciple and punish) that gave a historical account of European prison, and the ideas contained in this book have become the basis for the new philosophy. The reason why we have to talk about Foucault's work is because the philosopher was the one who gave a new birth to the term "panopticum" that was first used by Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century to describe a prison allowing to constantly observe the prisoners, and which is more, ever since Foucault's book was released, the modern society began to be regarded as "panoptic" by some researchers. Foucault shows, in effect, how the system of surveillance first practiced in nineteenth-century prisons - those 'complete and austere institutions', as Baltard called them - has increasingly spread throughout modern Westernized societies. This dynamic is terminologically reflected in the shift from what Jrgen Habermas originally called the 'structural transformation of public space' to what he came to call the 'colonization of the life-world'. Colonization has returned home, equipped with appropriate technology. A new, and no less 'peculiar', Apparatus is central to Foucault's account: Bentham's Panopticum. (The Lesser Evil 2003, p. 55) Whereas M. Foucault begins from describing a prison, he finally reaches the conclusion that practically all social institutions are panoptic by their nature - i.e. hospital's wards, school or university's classes, etc. In a panopticum, "[a]n individual is an object of information, but is never a subject of communication". (Foucault 1999, pp. 292) Hence, since panopticum is meant to keep people from communicating, it is a way to suppress their freedom. As Foucault has it: "If there are criminals in the cells, there is no danger of a plot,.. if there are ill people-there is no danger of spreading infection. If there are insane people - there will be no risk of mutual violence; if these are schoolchildren - they will never be able to cheat; if workers are kept there-there are none of the pleasures which can keep them away from work". (Foucault 1999, pp. 293-294) For the French philosopher, panopticum is not only a certain particular organisation - it is, in fact, a principle, a mechanism that acts in the society and serves as means of suppressing individualism, controlling people, turning them into a crowd, forcing onto them some particular type of behaviour - all in all, limiting their

Rear Window Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rear Window - Assignment Example The principal themes in Rear Window are voyeurism and the care for another person, in this case the person living in the apartment building opposite the rear window of James Stewarts place who got murdered. People should ideally not bother themselves with affairs of their neighbors and should mind only their own business but a broken leg left the principal actor played by James Stewart with nothing to do but sit the whole day in his apartment. There are three different analytical points (perspectives) to view this film and these are voyeurism, patriarchy, and feminist theory. Voyeurism is depicted by actor James Stewart as he spends all day watching his neighbors, in effect spying on them. A patriarchal approach is also a viable perspective because most of the human relationships shown in the film were about male and female relationship with the male always aiming for dominance. Feminism is also used because the women in the film were either mistreated or treated without respect at all or were generally put in a not flattering light for the movie audience. In the movie, the girlfriend of Stewart named Lisa was shown as a sexual object for the fantasy of male viewers; Lisa was obsessed with style and fashion to the point of narcissism (McCabe 25). The film maintained its ability to create fear and panic because the auteur Hitchcock understood very well the human psychology of the fear of getting murdered, the attractions of voyeurism, and the overall portrayal of most human relationships in everyday events. Its film director allowed the audience, in a sense, to know in advance what will happen next. A lack of special effects used in modern films allowed Rear Window to showcase the talents of a real auteur who can manage to bring a story to the audience without use of special effects. Sigmund Freud is mentioned frequently with Rear Window because of the meaning of his

Olympian Destiny vs. Personal Choice Essay Example for Free

Olympian Destiny vs. Personal Choice Essay An Analytical Essay on the Tragedy of Oedipus in Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus the King† Debates on whether men control their fates or whether their fates are already dictated by another force are not new and has definitely not ended. Still, even if arguments on the subject has been exhaustingly discussed, there is still no conclusion formed of whether humanity really make their own choices or if there is a greater or heavenly force which deprives humanity of that choice. Such circumstance is depicted in Oedipus the King, one of the trilogies in a famous Greek tragedian’s plays. Sophocles, who is known to be one of the pioneers of tragedies (as a drama) in the world, writes of the sad and terrible fate of Oedipus who is the ruler of Thebes after he saves the people of Thebes from a â€Å"monster†. The play revolves around a prophecy that Oedipus wants to kill his own father and make his own mother as a wife. This leads to this essay’s purpose which is to discuss on whether Oedipus was destined to have such end or whether he was the one who actually made his own fate. In Oedipus the King, trouble brews in Thebes as the people are in pandemonium over a sickness that spreads over the city. Oedipus who is the present ruler of the city after defeating the Sphinx asks help from an oracle to decipher why Thebes if suffering such fate. The oracle reveals that Olympus is angry over the murder of Thebes’ past King and the city can only be restored to its proper order when the King’s murderer has been caught. This rather ominous scene sets the play in motion as the court of Thebes starts to investigate and prod on who is the possible murderer of the dead King. Through much explanation, interrogation and prodding, it is found out that it is Oedipus himself who has killed the King, making the prophecy of Apollo true—that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his own mother. Because Thebes needs to be saved and because Creon cries out for Oedipus to respect the desires of Olympus, Oedipus willingly exiles himself from Thebes and eventually (in the next and last part of the trilogy, Oedipus at Colonus) dies alone. The trilogy that Sophocles has written is known to be the Oedipus plays even if one of the plays played out with the King already dead. However, it is quite evident that in all the plays, Oedipus plays an important part because his fate serves as background of all the plays and his fate becomes a catalyst for all the other scenes in the plot. This fate that brings down such grief to Oedipus and his family is connected to Apollo’s prophecy that was predicted by an oracle in Delphi. Oedipus recounts this prophecy when he talks to Jocasta, his queen and wife (and unbeknownst to him, his mother) over the reason why he self-exiled himself from Corinth: And so I went in secret off to Delphi. / I didn’t tell my mother or my father. Apollo sent me back without an answer, / so I didn’t learn what I had come to find. But when he spoke he uttered monstrous things, / strange terrors and horrific miseries— it was my fate to defile my mother’s bed, / to bring forth to men a human family that people could not bear to look upon, / to murder the father who engendered me. (Sophocles 945-954) This excerpt points to the fact that it is Apollo who passed the knowledge of the prophecy and Oedipus is well aware of the said prophecy. Thus, it would seem that the fate of Oedipus is already determined but there is a possibility that although he made unconscious and innocent choices and decisions, Oedipus is still well aware that all the things that he will do leads to something greater and sadder. This something greater and sadder is his tragic fate that would result in the death of his own father and would result in an immoral relationship with his own mother. This premise neither proves nor negates whether Oedipus’s life was created out of the decisions, actions and choices he made or whether his life was already created by another force for him. Both arguments may be correct but the other holds more weight based on the text itself. With regards to the tragedy of Oedipus’ fate created by his own choice, it can be shown in how the Chorus of the play described Oedipus that he was a man who had his own power from his mental strength which resulted in his ability to be very cunning: You residents of Thebes, our native land, / look on this man, this Oedipus, the one who understood that celebrated riddle. / He was the most powerful of men. All citizens who witnessed this man’s wealth / were envious. Now what a surging tide of terrible disaster sweeps around him. (Sophocles 1805–1811) The Chorus described Oedipus as having feats that he alone did without the help of any other force or power—this would of course show that Oedipus’ total worth as a character and individual was not just created by the Olympian gods alone. Oedipus also had a hand in the making of his own totality as a person. Thus, his characteristics which lead to his â€Å"crimes† were the culmination of all these characteristics. For example, he is cunning and that is why he was able to defeat his father in battle and he was able to solve the Sphinx’s riddle. Because of these two circumstances, he killed his father and he won the queen of the city who is his mother. Apollo merely prophesised Oedipus’ fate—the sun god did not provide the weapon which would kill Oedipus nor did he provide the answer to the riddle. Thus, Oedipus was able to the things he has done based on his own judgement and discernment as a person. On the other hand, the premise that Oedipus is the victim of the tragedy of fate manufactured by the Olympian gods still holds more weight compared to whether he is a victim of his own misplaced judgements and actions. This can be proven by the following lines delivered by the Chorus of the play: In everything / our loftiest traditions consecrate, those laws engendered in the heavenly skies, / whose only father is Olympus. They were not born from mortal men, / nor will they sleep and be forgotten. In them lives an ageless mighty god. (Sophocles 1034-1040) The lines explain that men’s laws and the traditions that they exalt, whether good or bad and advantageous or remiss, is created by the heavens. Therefore, men are but putty in the hands of the gods and goddesses of Olympus. Whatever human beings do, it is determined already by the hands of the gods. If this supposition is correct, it just means that Oedipus’ entire life was created by the gods and it is up to the gods on how his life will end; even if the Queen Jocasta believes otherwise: â€Å"Fear? What should a man fear? It’s all chance, chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth can see a day ahead, groping through the dark. Better to live at random, best we can† (Sophocles 1068–1078). When the queen declared such judgement, she was not able to consider that even if chance rules humanity’s lives; chance is also something which the heavens also control. Though men make decisions in certain circumstances, those circumstances were also created by pre-determined fate: Oedipus had to be there at the exact same time his father was at the crossroads; Oedipus had to take the path going to Thebes; Oedipus had to solve the riddle by the Sphinx, etc. Thus, although Oedipus can make his own decisions which lead to his tragic fate, his tragic fate was already determined by his hands not his own. It was determined, based on the Greek mythologies, by the Fates. Works Cited Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Ontario: General Publishing, Ltd. , 1991.

Analyzing of Economic Data Using Big Data

Analyzing of Economic Data Using Big Data N.Rajanikumar, Dr.A.Suresh babu, Mr.G.Murali Abstract: Big data can help at the e commerce data. The big-picture problems, the economic indicator many investors, business fortunate and judges are rely on are just too outdated by the time they’re out. People â€Å"pitch to the number,† but the world has often moved since it was considered and they won’t know it until the next report comes out. Take, for example, the case of increasing food prices in India and China that are pouring up price rises for a major percentage of the world’s residents. But principle claims to have been seeing the movement shaping up for weeks. Premise is able to capture economic data in close to real-time in some cases or at least much closer to it in others thanks to the technology trifecta of e-commerce, cloud computing and Smartphone’s. However, while e-commerce data is supportive for gauging the prices of certain goods in certain economies, it doesn’t really touch emerging economies where the vast popular of transactions are still local and cash-based. If groceries prices are rising across Asia, for example, that likely income, along with other things, inferior health and less money to spend on non-essential end user goods. That’s where mobile devices come into play in the form of Premise’s Android host. The company has more than 700 contributors in 25 cities, mostly in Asia and Latin America, who go into stores and markets and capture data about exact items on which Premise desires data. â€Å"We use them as sort of detection agents. The contributors take a picture of the item either on the shelf or in a market stall; it syncs with Premise’s servers in the blur; and Premise’s system is then able to extract information from the photos. It can verify information such as price, brand and quality of the items, and even ecological information such as how clean the store is and how stocked the shelves are. Interestingly, but not without warning, the app that con tributors use is only for Android phones. Keywords: Apache Hadoop API Using HDFS, Mapreduce, Pig, Hive, Linux-Unix, windows,Eclips. 1. INTRODUCTION This paper mainly focuses on how to manage huge amount of data and how to analyse the data. The technology used for this is hadoop technology . In this project the data taken is Economic data from various E-commerce websites. Then the data is stored into HDFS( hadoop distributed file system) format in the form of clusters. After the storage is done, then the processing of data can be done based on the user requirements. The processing of data can be done using many modes. Hadoop basically contains many ecosystems which provide different ways of processing or analyzing the data in different environments. There are two basic methods of Hadoop are HDFS and MapReduce. HDFS is used to stock up the data and MapReduce is used to progression the data. In MapReduce we write codes in java to analyze the data in whatever way we want to. The ecosystems in Hadoop are also for processing and analyzing the data. The different ecosystems of hadoop are pig, hive, chukwa, HBase, ZooKeeper, sqoop etc. Here pig, hive and sqoop have been implemented. So the first ecosystem implemented is pig. Pig is scripting language. It can process both structured and unstructured data. In this pig scripts are written on the data to get results. Then hive is a query language, it can handle only structured data. In this queries are written on to the data to analyze it. Then finally sqoop, it is actually a support for hadoop rather than an ecosystem. It is used to transfer data from one data base to other. And after the processing of data the results are displayed. 2. What Is Big Data? Big Data refers to the data sets whose size makes it difficult for commonly used data capturing software tools to interpret, manage, and process them within a reasonable time frame. Big data sizes are a continually moving target, as of 2012 ranging from a few dozen TERABYTES to many PETABYTES of data in a single data set. With this difficulty, new platforms of big data tools are being developed to handle various aspects of big quantities of data. BIG DATA concept means a datasets which continues to grow so much it difficult to manage it using existing database management concept and tools. The difficulty can be related to retrieve the capturing of data, storage, searching and virtualization, etc. The challenges associated with Big Data are the â€Å"4 V’s†: Volume, velocity, Variety, and value. The Volume challenges exist because most businesses generate much more then what their system were designed to handle. The velocity challenge exists if company’s data analysis or data storage runs slower than its data generation. The variety challenge exists because of the need to process difference types of data to produce the desired insights. The value challenge applies to deriving valuable insights from data, which is the most important of all V’s in my view. Fig1. 4V’s of Big Data 3. What is E-Commerce? A type of trade model, or part of a larger business model, that enables a firm or individual to perform business over an electronic network, typically the internet. Electronic commerce operates in all four of the major market segments: business to business, business to consumer, consumer to consumer and consumer to business. It can be thought of as a more advanced form of mail-order purchasing through a catalogue. Almost any product or service can be offered via ecommerce, from books and music to financial services and plane tickets. Investopedia explains Electronic Commerce: e-commerce E-commerce has approved firms to set up a market existence, or to improve an active market spot, by providing a cheaper and more capable distribution chain for their products or services. 4. Why Big Data is a must in ecommerce The buzz nearby Big Data is far away from being needless. Not only does it permit merchants to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and industry trends, but it also lets them make more precise decisions to improve just about every feature of the business, from selling and publicity, to merchandising, operations, and even customer maintenance. Below are a few more points that deeper explain the impacts of Big data in the Ecommerce empire. From improving customer familiarity to developing better products or marketing campaigns, it’s no question that Big Data is the next big thing for online businesses. 5. Characteristics of Big Data A Big data proposal can give a solution which is planned specifically with the needs of the venture. The following are the basic characters of the Big data: Comprehensive – It should offer a broad platform, and address all three dimensions velocity, volume and variety. Enterprise Ready – It should include the performance, reliability, performance and security features. Integrated – It should enable integration with information supply chain including databases, data warehouses and business intelligence applications. Open Source Based It should be open source technology with enterprise class functionality. Low latency. Robust and reliability. Scalability. Extensibility. Allows adhoc queries. Minimal Maintenance. 6. BIG DATA OFFERS There are many vendors offering BIG DATA Analytics are IBM, KOGNITO, etc. Here in this paper I have discussed about the IBM Platform. Fig -2: IBM Platform of BIG DATA 7. Big Data Challenges There are focal challenges of BIG DATA are data variety, velocity, volume and analytical workload intricacy More number of organizations is belligerent to compact with many problems with the large amount of data. In order to solve this problem, the organizations need to ease the amount of data being stored and develop new storage techniques which can improve storage use. 8. Uses of Big Data for Online Retailers Most minute merchants’ think that Big Data analysis is for well-built companies. In fact, it is essential for minute businesses, too, as they attempt to partake with the larger ones. This becomes even more important as online retailers proceed together with their customers in real time. Note, however, that management large sets of data can increase a site’s load time. A slow site troubles every aspect of the shopping procedure. Here are six uses of Big Data for online retailers. Personalization, Dynamic pricing, Customer service, Managing fraud, Supply chain visibility,Predictive analytics. ‘Big Data’ and e-commerce Tuesday 25 September 2012 9. Conclusion The expansion of information particularly of unstructured dataposes a special challengeas the volumeand diversity ofdata. One of the most promise technologies is the Apache Hadoop and Map Reduce structure for dealing with this big data problem. Big Data is a popular trend in business and in marketing. The concept can indicate different things to different businesses. For ecommerce, retailers should seek to use Big Data to collect big information, if you will, that may be used to make better marketing decisions,. 10. REFERENCES [1] Ecommerce.about.com [2] bloomreach.com/2012/05/ecommerce-challenges-that-can-be-solved-by-hadoop-and-big-data-apps/ [2] Ziff Davis, â€Å"E-Commerce.† Software World, 2003, vol. 30,pp. 207-212. [3] X. J. Tong, W. Jiang, â€Å"Research of Secure System of Electronic Commerce Based on Mix Encryption,† Microprocessors, 2006, vol. 4, pp. 44-47. [4] S. H. Qing, Cryptography and Computer Network Security. Beijing: Tsinghua University Press, 2001. [5] Y. P. Hu, Y. Q. Zhang, Symmetric Cryptography. Beijing: Machinery Industry Press, 2002. [6] S. Z. Guan. Public Key Infrastructure PKI and Certification Authority. Beijing: Publishing House of Electronics Industry, 2002.

A Focus On Research Methodology Business Essay

A Focus On Research Methodology Business Essay 3.1 Introduction: The previous chapter discussed about the existing literature of how the innovation process and product life cycle works within a company. This chapter will focus on research methodology which is the set of method, providing a systematic technique to accomplish research aims and objectives and research questions. As per Kumar (2005), research methodology is the way to answer all the research questions. The researcher will clarify the types of research methods and also it will illustrate the correct process to meet the research aims and objectives, data collection process and evaluation of the data. The centre point of any research is to data collection and the analysis. Saunders et al. (2009, p-106) described this centre point as a centre of an onion which has different layers that need to be peeled away to get into the centre point. This onion is known as a research onion, which is shown below: Figure 3.1: Research Onion Source: Saunders et al. (2009) 3.2 Research philosophy: According to Saunders et al. (2009) research philosophy is the term that develops the knowledge and there is a strong relation between the nature of that knowledge and the research. To support to select the research strategy method it is important to take the supposition of the research. As per Johnson and Clark (2006) stated in Saunders et al. (2009, p.108) the management and business researchers need to be aware of the philosophies that be chosen for research report. They also added the significance of the research need to understand by investigation. In addition, there is been supportive statement by Saunders et al. (2009, p.108), The important issue is not so much whether our research should be philosophically informed, but it is how well we are able to reflect upon our philosophical choices and defend them in relation to the alternatives we could have adopted. According to research onion from Saunders et al. (2009, p.108), there are four main areas which cover the research philosophy. These are as follows: Pragmatism Interpretivism Realism Positivism 3.2.1 Pragmatism: In research philosophy pragmatism is the most important determination that focuses on the research question. In this part it is also possible to argue within both positivist and interpretivist view. This is also applicable for practical approach. It helps to collect and analyze data by integrating different perspectives. (Saunders et al. (2009, p.109) 3.2.2 Interpretivism: The term interpretivism stands for, as a researcher it is required to be aware of the difference between humans in their role as social actors. According to Saunders et al. (2009, p.116), The difference between conducting research among people rather than objects such as trucks and computers. The term social actors is quite significant here. In the same way we interpret our everyday social roles in accordance with the meaning we give to these roles. In addition, we interpret the social roles of others in accordance with our own set of meaning. 3.2.3 Realism: Realism is another important point of research philosophy which focuses on scientific enquiry. In other word, the existence of autonomous reality of the human mind is the realism. As per Saunders et al. (2009, p.114), quoted that, The philosophy of realism is that there is a reality quite independent of the mind. In this sense, realism is opposed to idealism, the theory that only the mind and its contents exist. Realism is a branch of epistemology which is similar to positivism in that it assumes a scientific approach to the development of knowledge. 3.2.4 Positivism: Positivism is the epistemological view that promotes working with a clear social reality. As a researcher when reflects their research with positivism philosophy, then that research adopt the natural scientist philosophical stance. Saunders et al. (2009, p.113) The research idea came from the business background of author which has driven to develop the knowledge of product life cycle and innovation process from the customer perception of Nokia mobile phone. To generate a research it is important to develop research hypothesis. According to Porte (2010), in order to focus the study, to give the flow of reading, researcher should able to meet the research question or hypothesis. As a researcher the following hypothesis can be identified: H1: Rapid changes in the product attributes over last few years as customers taste changes with diversified culture. H2: Technology facilitated more innovation and increasing rate of product obsolescence resulting changes in the product life cycle strategy. H3: Growing trend of open market economy is the reason of innovation. 3.3 Research approaches: The final outcome of the research is determined by the way the project is being designed. This is the first step to investigate the phenomenon and the type philosophy that will be guided to investigate the process. As Saunders et al. (2009, p.124) stated that The extent to which you are clear about the theory at the beginning of your research raises an important question concerning the design of tour research project. This is whether your research should use the deductive approach, in which you develop a theory and hypothesis (or hypotheses) and design a research strategy to test the hypothesis, or the inductive approach, in which you would collect data and develop theory as a result of your data analysis, insofar as is useful to attach these research approaches to the different research philosophies. There are two types of research approaches. These are as follow: Deductive approach Inductive approach 3.3.1 Deductive approach: Deductive approach is the method of purely formed theories arises as a generalization from observable data that are going to be explained. This approach was first introduced by Sir Isaac Newton (1643- 1726) in the late 17th century. (Holzinger, 2010). Research hypothesis and theory can be tested by collecting and analysis the data. According to Saunders et al. (2009, p.125), the theoretical plan of research approach needs to test by implementing the strategy which is particularly designed to test the hypothesis. Moreover Pathirage et al. (2008) added, deductive approach moves from theory to data. 3.3.2 Inductive approach: This is an alternative approach to conduct the research. Drosg (2009) stated that, inductive research depends on the variation of data values, which is a set of data of statically analysis. This kind of research is directly involved with the management research, because it involve with data analysis, issues and problems. Afterwards the researchers develop the theory based on those investigations. However, Crowther and Lancaster (2008) mentioned that inductive approach is flexible for sample size and data, because it does not require any established theory. Deductive emphasises Inductive emphasises Scientific principles Gaining an understanding of the meanings humans attach to events. Moving from theory to data A close understanding of the research context The need to explain casual relationship between variables. The collection of qualitative data. The collection of quantitative data. A more flexible structure to permit changes of research emphasis as the research progresses. The application of controls to ensure validity of data. A realisation that the researcher is part of the research process. The operationalisation of concepts to ensure clarity of definition. Less concern with the need to generalise. A highly structured approach. Researcher independence of what is being researched. The necessity to select samples of sufficient size in order to generalise conclusions. Table 3.1: Major differences between deductive and inductive approaches to research. Source: Saunders et al. (2009, p.127) This research is to design to investigate the impact and influence of product life cycle and customer perceptions on business innovation strategy. As per above discussion, this research will conduct through deductive approach. This will apply the related theory of product life cycle and innovation process; it will also find out the effectiveness of these theories with Nokia mobile company. 3.4 Research design: Research design reflects on research questions. This is to be contingent with research objectives which are obtained from research questions. Saunders et al. (2009, p.137) stated that, researcher need valid reason for research design and the justification of research rely on research questions, objectives and research philosophy. According to Heppner et al. (2008) research design is the centre component of scientific inquiry and the most difficult part is selecting a research design whose strengths and weaknesses help the researcher to examine research questions. 3.5 Research Strategy: Research strategy is the general plan to answer the research questions. As per Saunders et al. (2009, p.141) no research strategy is inherently superior; this is not important which label is attached with strategy, but this is most important whether this strategy will allow the researcher to answer the research questions. The following research strategy can be identified (Saunders et al.,2009, p.141): Experiment Survey Case study Action research Grounded theory Ethnography Archival research Experiment: This type of research is based on natural science research. However, social science and specially psychology types of research are fall into this category. This involves with a link of two variables. Survey: This is a deductive research. The main area of this research is business and management research. As a result, it more likely exercised for exploratory and descriptive research. Case study: Robson (2002, p.178) cited in Saunders et al. (2009, p.145) a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple of evidence. Case study mainly concentrates to gain and understand the knowledge of a specific area. Action research: This research is concerned about the change management and collaboration with practitioner and researcher. This is a management research. Grounded theory: This is an inductive research. Here theory is developed and data is generated by further observation. Ethnography: The strategy that focus on the description and interpretation of the social world from the first hand side. This type of research is very time consuming. Archival research: This final strategy considers the administrative records and documents for its principle source of data. From above discussion, it has been decided by the author, this research topic will go along with case study strategy. This research is based on theory of product life cycle and innovation strategy, which is fall into deductive approach and supported by this strategy. This research will build the knowledge of product life cycle and innovation process by collecting the information from Nokia Research Centre and will compare with the most up to date theory. 3.6 Data collection method: There are two kinds of data collection process for research project (Saunders et al. (2009). These are as follow: Primary data and Secondary data. 3.6.1 Primary data: The data gathered solely for research purposes to meet the research question is known as primary data. Saunders et al. (2009, p.598) quoted, data collected specially for the research project being undertaken. The primary data can be collected through interviews, surveys, questionnaires and discussions. This reflects on the real scenario of the project and there is presence of validation by the secondary data. 3.6.2 Secondary data: The data that have already been published and reanalysing for some other reason is called secondary data. According to Saunders et al. (2009, p.256-258) secondary data contains both raw and published data. These data can be both quantitative and qualitative and can be used in both descriptive and explanatory research. Secondary data can be collected through documentary, multiple source and survey. Advantages and disadvantages of primary and secondary data: Advantages Disadvantages Primary Data Specifically addresses the research question Collecting and analysing data can be expensive Reliability, credibility and accuracy are known Researcher must have the necessary skills to conduct primary research Can address almost any research question Primary research is time consuming Secondary Data Can be very cost effective Reliability, credibility and accuracy may not be known Can usually be gathered quickly Units of measurement may not be appropriate Does not require the same expert skills as primary data collection Data may not be presented in a usable format Interpretation and analysis skills are still required Data may be untimely or out of date Source or sponsor of the research may not be known Table 3.2: Advantages and disadvantages of primary and secondary data Source: Morgan and Summers (2005) This research will conduct by collecting both primary and secondary data to attain the aims and objectives. Secondary data will be collected from journals, newspapers, internet (online publications) and specially Nokia Research Centre (NRC). The primary data will be collected by conducting questionnaire design on 200 customers to get the outcome of the customer perception of Nokia mobile phone. 3.7 Quantitative vs. Qualitative: Saunders et al. (2009, p. 151) quoted that, Quantitative is predominantly used as a synonym for any data collection techniques (such as questionnaire) or data analysis procedure (such as graphs or statistics) that generates or uses numerical data. In contrast, qualitative is used predominantly as a synonym for any data collection techniques (such as an interview) or data analysis procedure (such as categorising data) that generates or uses non- numerical data. The researcher will use both quantitative and qualitative data for this research. However, this research is mostly based on qualitative data; as this research will consider with the modern theory of product life cycle and innovation process. The quantitative data will also be considered to calculate the customer perceptions. 3.8 Evaluation techniques: Evaluation techniques depend on the types of research and how the data will be analysed. The researcher will analyse both quantitative and qualitative data. There are some specific ways to measure these kinds of data. UWE (n.d.) stated that, the quantitative data analysis often consider descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data analysis may do by considering analysis of visual data and analysis of narrative data. To evaluate the both primary and secondary data, the researcher will represent them with graphical, tabular and chart context. The researcher will also investigate the Nokia Research Centre (NRC) website for their product life cycle and innovation strategy to compare with the most recent situation. 3.9 Limitations: This research project has certain limitation in context of the entire study. However, this limitation can be taken as a scope for further research. The first limitation of this study is not taking any primary data direct from Nokia head office, which is situated in Europe and this research is conducting from London. 3.10 Summary: This study will collect the data from secondary sources and designing questionnaires for the customers. This methodology of the task can be a number of procedures that have followed to prepare a meaningful report. The findings and analysis will be discussed in the following chaper.

Intellectual Freedom - It Isnt Free :: Politics Political

Intellectual Freedom - It Isn't Free We have lingered in the chambers of the sea By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown Till human voices wake us, and we drown. T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Very few of us are unfamiliar with the Genesis account of creation, where it is written that "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." [1] The obvious point is that God creates the world; but later writings have chosen to focus on the idea that the divine being both creates and destroys by the power of His word alone. God spoke, and "it came to be." [2] By the time of the Gospel of John was put to paper, we are informed that the word is not merely an expression of God: it is, in fact, no less than God himself. [3] The word is divine. Especially after Augustine, who articulated Christian doctrine as the road to God passing directly within self, the inner word has been seen not only as the source of innermost self, but of conscience as well. [4] In terms of Augustinian inwardness, "God is to be found in the intimacy of self-presence." [5] The inner triangulation of self involves what the Athanasian Creed referred to as the "reasonable soul and the flesh" as two elements, with God the third in between. [6] In fact, it is clear that the original construction of the First Amendment was devoted to protecting precisely this Augustinian notion of inner light, this inner word and presence of God. [7] This is what Tom Paine, chaplain to the American Revolutionary soldiers (and author of Common Sense) referred to when he wrote his well-known dictum that "my own mind is my church." [8] As early as the 1740s, for example, it was the New Light Congregationalists (ironically similar in theological outlook to the ill-fated Anne Hutchinson [9] ), who posed what became the central axiom of the American revolution: the idea that "liberty of conscience" is the "inalienable right of every rational creature." [10] Note how similar Paine's notion of his own mind being his inner sanctum is to the Quaker notion of the "inner light," which Staughton Lynd described as "the preamble to the political faith of the Dissenter, as of the subsequent Declaration of Independence.

The Effects of Technology on the Right of Freedom of Speech

The Effects of Technology on the Right of Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democratic political and social institutions. It is responsible for the free flow of ideas and information to anyone who wishes to listen. Freedom of speech supports freethinking and sharing of thoughts, but along with these good characteristics there are also harmful ones. With the positive aspects such as art, journalism, and the pursuit of truth come negatives aspects such as pornography, gambling, and hate and shock sites. To continue with free speech people, must accept these negative aspects such as The Blackplague shock site, "The Blackplague", http://www.blackplague.org/. The contents of this site are repulsive, disturbing, and offensive to the majority of the population. There are countless pictures, texts, and videos of sex, death, and the most evil human behavior imaginable. No matter what is included in the site though, it is still a reflection of society and paints a picture of reality because of the people who maintain and contribut e to the site. The creators of this site use digital methods to spread their message and raise some questions about free speech and the Internet as a whole. Should the Internet be regulated and more government control take place or should the Internet not be regulated and allow disturbing material such as "The Blackplague" to be accessible to everyone including little children? These are major social questions that are being raised with major implications for the future attached to the answers. Technology has changed the issue of freedom of speech because it has changed the amount of access and overall information people have available to them today. Technology, such as the Internet, ha... ...iterate culture’s root metaphor, for the human mind"(pg. 11). Print-thinking’s boundaries cannot control digital thinking as print technologies regulations cannot control digital information. Hate and shock sites must be left uncensored because they defend a principle. They are one of the ugliest parts of that principle but they are still a very important and vocal part of it. Total freedom of speech is inevitable, as digital thinking will not tolerate boundaries because they are contradictory to its very nature of constant dynamic change. Works Cited Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. 1991 Gilster, Paul. Digital Literacy. Wiley Computer Publishing Landow, George P. Hypertext 2.0 Lanham, Richard A. The Electronic Word. University of Chicago Press. 1989 "The Blackplague". 12-2-98. http://www.blackplague.org/

Bank Accounts, Joint or Separate? :: essays research papers

Introduction The topic I chose to discuss is if couples have separate bank accounts and if they have arrived at this solution after trying to use a single account or if this was their first attempt at martial checking. I chose this topic because I always had the notion that a married couple should have a joint bank account, meaning that their finances just like them were intertwined and inseparable. After I was married to the love of my life, I noticed the concepts and methods we practiced regarding the monthly budget and our finances were vastly different and at times conflicting. She was brought up in a household where her parents never discussed budgets or savings, they just spent their money on whatever they wanted and when the money ran out, they would barrow to continue spending. I was brought up in a poor household where we had to scrimp and save to make ends meat. I’m sure you can figure that this was the source of a lot of conflict and hard ship in the first years of our marriage. We had tried many different techniques to settle things, but no matter what we tried conflict still arose on how the money was spent and when it was spent. Finally after researching the topic and talking to mother married couples who I knew and respected, I came to the conclusion that no matter what my personal opinion on how the finances should be, my wife and I were never going to agree on this and that I should look for another solution instead of trying to indoctrinate her with my philosophy. One of piece of advice I was given was to split up the family budget in whatever ratio is necessary and allocate the money accordingly. This resulted in my wife being put over the groceries, clothing, and school needs for the family and I was put over the rest of the bills (mortgage, insurance, phone, etc.). I also tried to find a way to tuck a little money away each month into a savings account. Since the inception of this solution we had two separate bank accounts which has resulted in my less conflict and we have been able to put money away for the future for the first time in our marital history. I wanted to research if this problem was common or not given the diversity of financial backgrounds now in society.

Major Historical Developments of the Early Renaissance

According to Perry in his book, during the Middle Ages people praised the greatness of God.   They saw preparation for heaven as the most important reason for life.   The beginning of the change from the medieval outlook to a modern one is called the Renaissance, or rebirth.   It was the time of gradual change, not a sharp break in the Middle Ages.   They continued to believe in the teachings of the Church.   But to their religious beliefs they added many worldly interests and activities. During the Medieval Europe, we can say that the Church plays an important role in the society, particularly the Christian belief.   It is said that it was the foundation of medieval civilization.   It gives form, direction and unity in the society.   The people believe that the path to heaven is through the church. The church was the center of life among medieval people.   It was used as a community center.   The church services were part of medieval people’s daily lives.   The priests also play as the teacher among villagers.   They taught them the sacraments and teachings of the church.   They provided services among the villagers like mass, provided care for the needy and sick, and taught children Latin.   The Monks and Nuns were the finest examples of the Christian way of life according to the people during this period. One contribution to civilizations of the Middle Ages was that the convents and monasteries during this time established hospitals and provided shelter for travelers.   It is also consider as the center of learning.   They converted pagans to Christianity.   Mendicants were visible in towns and even on open roads. They preach and they meet their needs by begging.   Among those mendicants were Franciscans, Poor Clares and the Dominicans.   The Dominicans main goal was not only to preach but also to convert every individual. The Church during this time insisted that people should obey the rules and doctrines of the Church in order to reached heaven. They tried to persuade heretics to return to the fold.   If that failed, it would threaten them with excommunication.   An excommunicated person would be expelled from the church and denied the sacraments.   In the Age of Faith no punishment could be worse than this one. Renaissance Renaissance is the term used during the beginning of change from the medieval outlook to a modern one; it also means rebirth.   It was also the time of gradual change.   Renaissance people during this time were neither nonbelievers nor heretics.   They still believe in the teachings of the church.   But as time goes by, changes have brought to their beliefs that affect their activities and worldly interests.   Renaissance does not only bring some changes in the beliefs of the people.   Humanism is one example of this.   There are individuals who were known as humanists. The first great humanist of the Renaissance was Francesco Petrarch.   He collected ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts and imitated the style of Great Roman poets.   He explored and sought his innermost feelings.  Desiderius Erasmus, a gentle Dutchman was one of the respected Christian humanists.   He was interested in studying human behavior.   He wanted people to be kind and reasonable.   He was consider as a Christian humanist because he spread the new learning and sought a deeper and purer religious devotion. There were medieval artists that were known during this time like Raphael, Michael Angelo Buonarotti, and Leonardo da Vinci.   They express their feelings through paintings.   Their work of art focuses on religion.   Among their work of art were Madonna by Raphael; the paintings of Michael Angelo in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; and even Mona Lisa of Leonardo da Vinci.   All of this was reflections of the Christian religion.  Like the Renaissance, the Reformation plays a big role during this time.   Reformation was the time when many Christians left the Catholic Church. There are people that led to this reformation. One is John Wycliffe, he was from England who questions the basic teaching of the church – – that people can reached heaven through the Church.   Another reformist was John Huss of Bohemia who was influenced by Wycliffe.   He challenged the authority of the Pope, denounced the wealth of the clergy and called the deepening of spiritual feeling.   The third reformist was Martin Luther, who was a German Monk who believes that people could reach God by Faith alone. He also nailed on the door of Wittenberg his Ninety-Nine Theses which denounces the indulgences of the Church. As a whole I can say that reformation plays a big role in the changes that occur to the religious beliefs of the people.   It divided the unity of faith among westerners from Catholicism emerge Protestantism.   The Reformation also helps to develop modern economics attitudes.   The secular attitude of the Renaissance contributed in the politics and the economic life of people in the society. Reference: Unfinished Journey: A World History. 1983. Marvin Perry. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, Massachusetts. ISBN: 971-11-0125-4      

A Day When Everything Went Worng Essay

I just cannot think myself lucky when a day of my life goes totally wrong. Recently after starting university a day made me totally upset and frustrated. It was a normal day but my mobile did not give any alarm in the morning so I woke up late. While I was in hurry for university my mother told me that our driver did not come today so I had to go alone. I lived in Dhanmondi and the university was in Bashundhara so I had to take a CNG for university. As soon as I reached Nabisco the CNG had stopped. I asked what happened to the CNG driver. He answered me that the gas was finished and he had to refill it now. As I was late before I just came out from the CNG and hired another one. Finally I reached to the university but it was 10 minutes late. I saw that everyone was writing in the class. When I asked what was going on, they replied me that miss was taking a surprise test. My heart was biting fast but when I heard about the test it started biting faster. After the class I went to the cafe for a cold drink but I found that I had only 50 taka with me. See more: Defining research problem and setting objectives Essay Then I remembered that in harry I forget to take money from mother for CNG rent and I already paid 180 taka to the CNG when I came here. So, I had no money for food at the same time no money for further CNG rent. I had to take bus for home but I never had a bus ride alone before. After asking some of my friends I got an idea about the bus counter here. Then I went there and took a bus. When I heard the bus conductor was screaming ‘New Market’, I found that I was in the wrong bus. This bus was in new market but I should take a bus which had a stoppage in Kolabagan. Since I had nothing to do, I had to get off in new market and took a rickshaw. When finally I was in home it was 6 pm. As long as I met with my mom I saw she was getting ready for going out and she was looking tensed. I asked her what happened. She answered me that one of my aunts was in hospital and maybe she had cancer. I just suddenly became blank. What should I do now? After a while I decided to go with my mom. We were there in the hospital till late night. When I reached home I thought about the whole day and marked it as a totally wrong day of my life.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Cattle cars. Burning bodies. Auschwitz. These words are engraved in the mind of every Jewish person on Earth. After decades, Holocaust survivors still have nightmares about these thoughts. One word, one indescribable word, will forever stay with these people. Holocaust. Many people of the Jewish faith realize the power of that word, but many others still need to learn. A man is sitting peacefully in his home; he has no worries, even when Nazi soldiers dragged him into the horrendous ghettos. He also willfully went into cattle cars, and then finally into Auschwitz. This is where that man realized that his life became horrible.Throughout the months in the work camp, throughout all of the suffering, his will to survive surpassed the will to kill of Nazi soldiers. Years later, people know that events like the Holocaust will, and are happening right now, such as the Bosnian Genocide 1992. Education also will get rid of the desire for power in human beings. Educating students about the Hol ocaust, and other genocides, will help prevent genocides in future generations. Man has the will to survive and surpass evil like the Holocaust survivors, genocides like this will happen again, and education will help prevent genocides in the future.In the face of evil man can surpass the death that evil brings upon it. In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, he describes the event of selection which occurs every two weeks. Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. (Elie Wiesel) This quote symbolizes Elie’s first selection in Auschwitz.As he and his father follow the lines to the selection process, they walk by flames consuming live babies. This part in the book made me wince because just the thought of babies being bu rned can make even the toughest person get to the brink of tears. Once at the entrance to Auschwitz he faces a guard who asks questions about him. He passes the first selection and so does his father, but sadly this is the place where he leaves his mother and little sister, Tzipora, forever. After many years, Elie realizes that they were probably taken to the crematoriums right away. fter living in the concentration camps for a while they go through their next selection process. Every time the selection process comes around Elie and his father escape with their lives, while others aren’t as lucky and get sent to the crematoriums. Every time they were capable of working and they were healthy so he and his father were let off. Every time they passed the selection, they surpassed evil because of the Nazi soldiers. These Nazi soldiers wanted reason to kill people, and sometimes they did it without reason.They surpassed the death evil brought upon them by having the will to get th rough the selection process, and they knew that as long as they had each other each would have the will to survive and live another day. People believe the lie that events like the Holocaust will not happen again. This is a lie because genocides have occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Cambodia, and others. In all of these genocides one race had the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.In the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina the Serbs led a genocide against the Muslims in Bosnia. 200,000 Muslims were systematically murdered in this genocide. Beginning on April 6, 1994 the Hutu militia led a genocide against the Tutsis and the means of killing were clubs and machetes. As many as 10,000 civilians were murdered a day. In the one hundred day genocide 800,000 people were murdered. In Cambodia the leader of Pol Pot, Khmer Rouge attempted to make a communist peasant farming society, and in the process killed 25% of the population o f Cambodia by means of overworking, starvation, and executions.As you can see there have been many genocides over the years after the Holocaust, but these were the most devastating and brutal. Education will help our students learn the horrors of the Holocaust, and will hopefully prevent genocides like it from future generations. By showing our students the atrocities of the Holocaust all of them will say that something like this could never happen again, and if it did how would the world let it happen. There are many things taught in schools, colleges, and even classes for older people out of school to help them learn about the Holocaust and how to prevent genocides like it in the future.These efforts assume that learning about genocides will prevent its recurrence. However there are still genocides happening, like the ones I described in the paragraph above, so something about genocide education is wrong. There is a disjuncture about what people are teaching, and what is actually happening. In my opinion we need to do a better job teaching about the prevention of genocides. Doing this will hopefully make a big impact on the future, so nothing like the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia ever happen again.As you can see if man can survive the evil wrath, and surpass death with their will to survive, and even after educated people on the Holocaust, genocides like it have happened again and again. The holocaust has taught me a lot about the world around me, and from it I also learned that I should appreciate everything that I have because it can all be taken away in a second like the Jewish race. It also helped me learn about other holocausts and what we need to do to prevent it. We need to ask ourselves this question, if genocides are happening after the Holocaust, what are we supposed to do to prevent them? Night by Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel’s famous book, Night, was written as a memoir from his experience as a Jewish victim of the holocaust.   Written in the 1950’s, it serves as one of the best and most accurate resources on the holocaust, as well as being one of the few literary memoirs ever written on the subject.   As a young teenager, Wiesel struggles with his devout religious nature and the godless and destitute place he has just left and somehow survived.   On top of his own personal struggles, he is forced into a concentration camp, along with his father.   His struggle is recounted, and his life within Auschwitz and beyond is documented.The main character, Eliezer, is much more than just a character-he is also the narrative, telling his story and his direct experiences in the Nazi concentration camps.   (The main character, Eliezer, is not to be confused with the author, Elie.   Eliezer was an alter-ego made up by Elie in order to disassociate slightly with the tremendous ha rdships his character faces.)   I have only read a handful of book on the Holocaust, but this book proved to be particularly chilling, as the main character describes his experience incredibly intimately.You literally experience it alongside of him.   However, it is interesting that he not only described the physical events that he went through, but also the emotional and spiritual journeys he embarked upon.   His fundamental beliefs are suddenly called into question, bringing a much needed side of humanity to historical depictions of the Holocaust.One of the strongest themes throughout the novel is that of seeking and making peace with God.   Wiesel begins the story by speaking about his Jewish studies and his lengthy prayer rituals.   He describes how the Nazis have obliterated and destroyed the synagogue which he attends.   Towards the end of the book, any mention of Jewish observance has disappeared.   When his father passes, Wiesel states, â€Å"â€Å"[t]here we re no prayers at his grave. No candles were lit in his memory.†Ã‚   This gives implication to the fact that throughout Wiesel’s ordeal within the concentration camps, he has left his faith in God, or at the very least has lost the need for spiritual renewal through prayer and ritual.Wiesel struggles throughout the entire book with his faith in God.   Towards the beginning of the book, the author states, â€Å"â€Å"Why did I pray? . . . Why did I live? Why did I breathe?† when asked why he prays to his God.   This shows that his faith in God is much like God’s love for him-unconditional.   In addition, Wiesel struggles with the main teachings of Jewish mysticism.   For example, his faith is based around the basic belief that God is everywhere, God is a good and divine being, and since God is everywhere in the world, the world must therefore also be good.   His experiences tell him otherwise.As stated above, his faith changes and shifts significa ntly throughout his experience within the concentration camps.   However, throughout the middle of the book, Wiesel maintains that he is struggling with his faith, a significant and important distinction rather than abandoning his faith.   Almost all Christian faiths teach that not only is questioning one’s faith acceptable, it is encouraged.   After all, how can one have faith without doubting first?   At one point, Moshe the Beadle is quizzed on his reasoning behind prayer.He answers, â€Å"â€Å"I pray to the God within me that He will give me the strength to ask Him the right questions.†Ã‚   This is a perfect example of questioning faith in God.   However, throughout Wiesel’s experience during the Holocaust, he does much more than simply questioning his faith.   He must confront basic ideas of good and evil, and ultimately whether there is a God that exists that would allow such atrocities to be committed by humans to other humans.Ironically, at the end of the book, Wiesel states that his faith has been completely dissolved and destroyed.   However, he also states at the same time that he will never forget the things that he has experienced even if he â€Å"live[s] as long as God Himself.†Ã‚   He has just before completely denied any existence or presence of God, yet he is still only struggling with his faith in God-a major, recurring theme throughout the book.   However, Wiesel’s situation is also quite complex.   His heritage IS his religion.He is both Jewish in ancestry, as well as Jewish in religion.   How can your religion and mind escape your body?   It would be hard enough to abandon a religion you have grown up with, but this religion in particular is literally all-consuming.   It would be near-impossible for him to deny any existence of God because of this.Throughout the Holocaust museum, signs are posted with slogans such as â€Å"Never forget†-an anthem that was often used (and i s still used today) after September 11th, 2001.   However, Wiesel actually personalizes this â€Å"never forget† slogan when he eloquently states, â€Å"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed†¦Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust.Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.†Ã‚   This is one of the first times that the author is able to reflect upon and to take in what is happening around him.   This is also an ironic allusion to Psalm 150, where each line starts with, â€Å"Hallelujah† or â€Å"Praise God.† The author inverts these phrases, beginning each line with â€Å"never.†Ã‚   Psalm 150 is obviously a Psalm of praise.   The passage in Night calls into question the very existence of God, or at the least Wieselâ€℠¢s basis of faith in a God.One of the most obvious symbols, yet also the most complex symbol appearing throughout the book is the night itself.   Night and darkness is a symbol for the absolute worst in humanity, as well as an allusion to the creation of the earth.   God’s first act was to create light; therefore, this was God’s first actual presence on earth.   God’s seeming abandonment of His people is metaphorical within the idea of night.   In other words, Eliezer believe that he is living in a world without God.Most critics agree that Wiesel’s Night is one of the few pieces of literature that absolutely must be read by every person in the world.   Included in this is Thane Rosenbaum, law professor and reviewer for the New York Times.   She states, â€Å"This collection is a noble literary achievement.†Ã‚   She goes on later to say, â€Å"And on top of all of these mysteries and contradictions is the greatest of them all,† re ferring to the excellent style in which the author both engages the reader in an intimate conversation while still allowing the reader to imagine the painful experiences Wiesel must have experienced.Critic Itzhak Ivry had the same positive opinion of the book.   Ivry indirectly says that of course the subject Wiesel wrote on would be interesting, thought provoking, and emotional.   However, Wisel’s style of writing is praised, as Ivry states, â€Å"Mr. Wiesel writes in short, staccato sentences, in the simplest words, and in a relentless, self-denying effort to tell the whole truth as he saw and felt it, moment by moment, day by day.†Ã‚   Ivry discusses in detail Wiesel’s gradual disillusionment with God.Ivry also discusses and alludes to the Hall of Shoes lining the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.   There is a room filled with hundred and hundreds of shoes in every imaginable shape and size.   Many are still covered in dust, dirt, and ash.   Ivry alludes to this when saying, â€Å"Children’s shoes are a touching sight when piled up in a concentration camp storehouse, and a child’s reaction to the twentieth century’s greatest calamity is especially poignant.†One of the most difficult parts of reading this book is its intense resemblance of the current crisis in Darfur.   It is almost as if the book itself were echoing and simultaneously foreshadowing the voices of the lost children in the Darfur region of the Sudan.   One of the main points of the book is that all citizens of humanity are able to commit atrocities just like these, and the rest of humanity must keep one another in check, lest something happens just like the holocaust.   Unfortunately, genocide is taking place just a continent away.   It seems as though Wiesel wrote Night specifically for the purpose of encouraging us to â€Å"step up to the plate,† to make up for our lack of response during the Holocaust.Night proved to be an extremely difficult book to read.   Elie Wiesel is a fantastic author, and he truly captures the reader’s attention by not only telling his story, but also by showing how easily this happened, and how easy it would be for it to happen all over again.   Wiesel manages to bring about an aspect of humanity not apparent in other historical memoirs-and the critics obviously agree.   However, it is a book that I truly believe should be read by everyone, as it has incredibly valuable lessons to teach about faith and humanity.ReferencesIvry, Itzhak. â€Å"Memory of Torment.† Rev. of Night, by Elie Wiesel. Saturday Review 17 Dec. 1960.Rosenbaum, Thane. â€Å"Revealing, Concealing.† Rev. of Night, by Elie Wiesel. Los Angeles Times 22 Apr. 2007.Wiesel, Elie. Night. 3rd ed. New York: Bantam, 1982. Night by Elie Wiesel NIGHT ESSAY In the beginning of Night, written by Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, Wiesel has been in the concentration camps suffering changes in his life, physically, mentally, and spiritually. In the beginning of Night, Wiesel’s identity is an innocent child and a devouted Jew. He was a happy child with a desire to study the Talmud, until his experience in Auschwitz, in which he changed his mental ways. First of all, he used to believe that all people were nice and that human were not capable of hurting another human being.He later changed his mind after the way he saw the Hungarian police destroyed there own kind, human beings, and he no longer thought that way, â€Å"†Faster! Faster! Move, you lazy good-for-nothings! † the Hungarian police were screaming. That was when I began to hate them, and my hatred remains our only link today. They were our first oppressors. They were the first faces of hell and death (page 19). † The Hungarian police see the Jews as animals, a little insignificant animal they can devour.Another belief he used to have was that God should always be prayed and respected. He later told himself, â€Å"For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for† (Page 31)? † He felt like if God wasn’t doing anything to help these innocent human beings that practically praise him to save them all, when in reality, everyone is getting burned, abused, and getting shot.One of the thing the thought to have existed was the his opinion of the Hungarian police. In the beginning when the SS came to siget, the Jewish didn’t worry they welcomed them and they kept their space from them, he and the Jewish thought that they were not going to send them to those concentration camps Moishe the Beadle had told them about. all of the sudden everything changed, â€Å"From that m oment on, everything happened very quickly. The race toward death had begun. First edict: Jews were prohibited from leaving their residences for three days, under penalty of death.The same day, the Hungarian police burst into every Jewish home in town: a Jew was henceforth forbidden to own gold, jewelry, or any valuables. Everything had to be handed over to the authorities, under penalty of death. Three days later, a new decree: every Jew had to wear the yellow star (Page 72). † He had many changes in his life, physically, mentally, and spiritually. although, what changed him the most was how he had changed mentally because thats the way life is reflecting his attutude towards other people, things, and thoughts Night by Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel’s famous book, Night, was written as a memoir from his experience as a Jewish victim of the holocaust.   Written in the 1950’s, it serves as one of the best and most accurate resources on the holocaust, as well as being one of the few literary memoirs ever written on the subject.   As a young teenager, Wiesel struggles with his devout religious nature and the godless and destitute place he has just left and somehow survived.   On top of his own personal struggles, he is forced into a concentration camp, along with his father.   His struggle is recounted, and his life within Auschwitz and beyond is documented.The main character, Eliezer, is much more than just a character-he is also the narrative, telling his story and his direct experiences in the Nazi concentration camps.   (The main character, Eliezer, is not to be confused with the author, Elie.   Eliezer was an alter-ego made up by Elie in order to disassociate slightly with the tremendous ha rdships his character faces.)   I have only read a handful of book on the Holocaust, but this book proved to be particularly chilling, as the main character describes his experience incredibly intimately.   You literally experience it alongside of him.   However, it is interesting that he not only described the physical events that he went through, but also the emotional and spiritual journeys he embarked upon.   His fundamental beliefs are suddenly called into question, bringing a much needed side of humanity to historical depictions of the Holocaust.One of the strongest themes throughout the novel is that of seeking and making peace with God.   Wiesel begins the story by speaking about his Jewish studies and his lengthy prayer rituals.   He describes how the Nazis have obliterated and destroyed the synagogue which he attends.   Towards the end of the book, any mention of Jewish observance has disappeared.   When his father passes, Wiesel states, â€Å"â€Å"[t]he re were no prayers at his grave. No candles were lit in his memory.†Ã‚   This gives implication to the fact that throughout Wiesel’s ordeal within the concentration camps, he has left his faith in God, or at the very least has lost the need for spiritual renewal through prayer and ritual.Wiesel struggles throughout the entire book with his faith in God.   Towards the beginning of the book, the author states, â€Å"â€Å"Why did I pray? . . . Why did I live? Why did I breathe?† when asked why he prays to his God.   This shows that his faith in God is much like God’s love for him-unconditional.   In addition, Wiesel struggles with the main teachings of Jewish mysticism.   For example, his faith is based around the basic belief that God is everywhere, God is a good and divine being, and since God is everywhere in the world, the world must therefore also be good.   His experiences tell him otherwise.As stated above, his faith changes and shifts sign ificantly throughout his experience within the concentration camps.   However, throughout the middle of the book, Wiesel maintains that he is struggling with his faith, a significant and important distinction rather than abandoning his faith.   Almost all Christian faiths teach that not only is questioning one’s faith acceptable, it is encouraged.   After all, how can one have faith without doubting first?   At one point, Moshe the Beadle is quizzed on his reasoning behind prayer.He answers, â€Å"â€Å"I pray to the God within me that He will give me the strength to ask Him the right questions.†Ã‚   This is a perfect example of questioning faith in God.   However, throughout Wiesel’s experience during the Holocaust, he does much more than simply questioning his faith.   He must confront basic ideas of good and evil, and ultimately whether there is a God that exists that would allow such atrocities to be committed by humans to other humans.Ironicall y, at the end of the book, Wiesel states that his faith has been completely dissolved and destroyed.   However, he also states at the same time that he will never forget the things that he has experienced even if he â€Å"live[s] as long as God Himself.†Ã‚   He has just before completely denied any existence or presence of God, yet he is still only struggling with his faith in God-a major, recurring theme throughout the book.   However, Wiesel’s situation is also quite complex.   His heritage IS his religion.   He is both Jewish in ancestry, as well as Jewish in religion.   How can your religion and mind escape your body?   It would be hard enough to abandon a religion you have grown up with, but this religion in particular is literally all-consuming.   It would be near-impossible for him to deny any existence of God because of this.Throughout the Holocaust museum, signs are posted with slogans such as â€Å"Never forget†-an anthem that was often u sed (and is still used today) after September 11th, 2001.   However, Wiesel actually personalizes this â€Å"never forget† slogan when he eloquently states, â€Å"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed†¦Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.†This is one of the first times that the author is able to reflect upon and to take in what is happening around him.   This is also an ironic allusion to Psalm 150, where each line starts with, â€Å"Hallelujah† or â€Å"Praise God.† The author inverts these phrases, beginning each line with â€Å"never.†Ã‚   Psalm 150 is obviously a Psalm of praise.   The passage in Night calls into question the very existence of God, or at the least Wieselà ¢â‚¬â„¢s basis of faith in a God.One of the most obvious symbols, yet also the most complex symbol appearing throughout the book is the night itself.   Night and darkness is a symbol for the absolute worst in humanity, as well as an allusion to the creation of the earth.   God’s first act was to create light; therefore, this was God’s first actual presence on earth.   God’s seeming abandonment of His people is metaphorical within the idea of night.   In other words, Eliezer believe that he is living in a world without God.Most critics agree that Wiesel’s Night is one of the few pieces of literature that absolutely must be read by every person in the world.   Included in this is Thane Rosenbaum, law professor and reviewer for the New York Times.   She states, â€Å"This collection is a noble literary achievement.†Ã‚   She goes on later to say, â€Å"And on top of all of these mysteries and contradictions is the greatest of them all,â₠¬  referring to the excellent style in which the author both engages the reader in an intimate conversation while still allowing the reader to imagine the painful experiences Wiesel must have experienced.Critic Itzhak Ivry had the same positive opinion of the book.   Ivry indirectly says that of course the subject Wiesel wrote on would be interesting, thought provoking, and emotional.   However, Wisel’s style of writing is praised, as Ivry states, â€Å"Mr. Wiesel writes in short, staccato sentences, in the simplest words, and in a relentless, self-denying effort to tell the whole truth as he saw and felt it, moment by moment, day by day.†Ã‚   Ivry discusses in detail Wiesel’s gradual disillusionment with God.Ivry also discusses and alludes to the Hall of Shoes lining the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.   There is a room filled with hundred and hundreds of shoes in every imaginable shape and size.   Many are still covered in dust, dirt, and ash.   Ivry alludes to this when saying, â€Å"Children’s shoes are a touching sight when piled up in a concentration camp storehouse, and a child’s reaction to the twentieth century’s greatest calamity is especially poignant.†One of the most difficult parts of reading this book is its intense resemblance of the current crisis in Darfur.   It is almost as if the book itself were echoing and simultaneously foreshadowing the voices of the lost children in the Darfur region of the Sudan.   One of the main points of the book is that all citizens of humanity are able to commit atrocities just like these, and the rest of humanity must keep one another in check, lest something happens just like the holocaust.   Unfortunately, genocide is taking place just a continent away.   It seems as though Wiesel wrote Night specifically for the purpose of encouraging us to â€Å"step up to the plate,† to make up for our lack of response during the Holocaust.Night proved to be an extremely difficult book to read.   Elie Wiesel is a fantastic author, and he truly captures the reader’s attention by not only telling his story, but also by showing how easily this happened, and how easy it would be for it to happen all over again.   Wiesel manages to bring about an aspect of humanity not apparent in other historical memoirs-and the critics obviously agree.   However, it is a book that I truly believe should be read by everyone, as it has incredibly valuable lessons to teach about faith and humanity.ReferencesIvry, Itzhak. â€Å"Memory of Torment.† Rev. of Night, by Elie Wiesel. Saturday Review 17 Dec. 1960.Rosenbaum, Thane. â€Å"Revealing, Concealing.† Rev. of Night, by Elie Wiesel. Los Angeles Times 22 Apr. 2007.Wiesel, Elie. Night. 3rd ed. New York: Bantam, 1982.