Sam Shepards American Siblings essays

Sam Shepards American Siblings essays True West is an intense dramatization of the relationship between two brothers: Lee and Austin. As each scene progresses, the brothers rivalry and animosity towards each other become more and more apparent, building towards a single emotionally involving climax. Throughout the play, the characters undergo subtle changes as each brother subconsciously attempts to absorb the part of the other brothers life which he feels might complete him. This role reversal is the pivotal instrument in which Sam Sheppard shows the intensity of sibling rivalry. The play starts en medea res. Lee and Austin have not talked to each other in some time, and Lee obviously resents Austin. In the conversation Lee almost has something to prove to Austin. A few sentences into the conversation, Austins estimation of Lee and Lees hostile resentment of this view become apparent: AUSTIN: Ive got too much to deal with here to be worrying about- LEE: Yer not gonna have to worry about me! Ive been doin all right without you. I havent been anywhere near you for five years! Now isnt that true? (P. 8) Austin clearly thinks of his brother as a responsibility, and does not think of him as an equal, much less as someone who can take care of himself. For Lee on the other hand, being looked down upon by his younger brother is insulting. Lees reaction to his brother is immediately defensive. When the subject of Lee staying at their mothers house comes up, Lee snaps at Austin: AUSTIN: Well, you can stay here as long as Im here. LEE: I dont need your permission do I? LEE: She mightve just as easily asked me to take care of her place as you. LEE: I mean I know how to water plants. (P.7) Throughout this scene, Lees hostile attitude towards Austin constantly disrupts the flow of the conversation, and is a continual reminder that these two men have an u...

Navigating controversial topics in the workplace

Navigating controversial topics in the workplace Generally speaking, most people know that conversations that dip into politics, religion, or intimate relationships are best to avoid in professional settings. Yet in the current political climate, taboo topics are becoming harder and harder to avoid, causing people to share more opinions and exercise a lot less restraint and privacy in the workplace.Regardless of who brings hot button issues into the conversation, it’s always best to be prepared to deal with them without putting your foot in your mouth or offending someone.  Here are some tips on how to keep it classy (and keep yourself out of trouble) when controversy arises at work.Always follow the rules.Your company almost certainly has some policies in place regarding religious or political expression. You might not be allowed to hang up a campaign button or bumper sticker in your cubicle, for instance, or decorate your desk with anything a coworker might deem offensive. Take a quick glance at the employee handbook now and then to make sure you’re coloring between the lines.Listen, smile, and keep quiet.Its easier said than done, but if the conversation around you turns heated, its often best to just sit back and take in the opinions of everyone around you. If you do more listening than talking on average, then you have fewer opportunities to say something you’ll regret or that will get you in trouble.Unless youre in a situation where a legitimate wrong or injustice is taking place, if you find yourself wanting to say something- and asking yourself Is this okay to say?- chances are you should probably hold that thought and keep it to yourself.Document wrongdoings.If you have a coworker (or boss!) who’s spewing offensive commentary or bullying you or someone else- or, worse, engaging in hate speech- then you’re going to want to build a case before you do anything or tattle. Have something tangible you can present to HR if that becomes your best option. Frame your concer ns in terms of safeguarding the health of the company and culture.If youre upset, say something.Rather than making assumptions or leaping to conclusions about a person’s character, sometimes it’s better to just be up-front and frank with a coworker who has offended you. This doesn’t mean leveling accusations. It means approaching that person respectfully with an olive branch and a chance to talk things through. Dont accuse- explain. Tell him or her why youre upset. Having the confidence to do this in the first place is a tricky skill to master, but this can be quite effective in neutralizing an otherwise fraught situation.Own your mistakes.If you’re the one making people uncomfortable- even unintentionally- own up to it, take responsibility, apologize, and change your behavior. Otherwise your job might end up on the line. Remember, you’re not the only one in the office whose opinions and feelings matter.The bottom lineIf a conversation arises and y ou have passionate feelings, by all means, speak up. But if you do, keep your tone and language as professional as possible. Try to diffuse rather than accuse. Ask questions rather than asserting strong statements. Keep an open mind and your emotions at an even keel- its possible to be both passionate and polite.

Database Design Proposal Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Database Design Proposal - Article Example The proposed research is intended for a health facility. Like other organizations, the health facility comprises several departments. The departments are further divided into sub divisions dealing with an array of activities. There are divisions that deal with personnel management. A range of working staff is available for accurate running of the hospital. Each category deals with different equipment and duties. There are patients, who are the core business of a health facility. There are inpatients and outpatients suffering from different ailments. The system needs to keep track of their ages, dates of admission and discharge, health progress, treatments they undergo, whether or not they succumbed to their illnesses among others. From this scenario, it is obvious that the database needed to safeguard information of the health center must be efficient. This is massive information, and there are several challenges associated with such immense data. †¢ Problems of redundancy could arise in data storage. This means that the same data could be stored severally in different platforms of the organization’s database. This leads to wastage of time and storage space. Lack of coherence between the different data stored in relational tables could lead to broken database. This makes it hard for the data users to access all the relevant data on a particular subject. Due to the above problems, normalization of data is a mandatory process to avoid redundancy and data incoherence.

Communication in Social Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Communication in Social Work - Essay Example communication is a reciprocal process among all these factions, some of which are not overly amenable to reciprocal interaction, begins to highlight why effective communication skills must be developed for a social worker to be effective. At the same time, it is important to remember that communication does not refer to just words, but also to a whole body of unspoken language that is depicted in letters, tone of voice over the phone or body language and facial expression in face to face meetings. According to Koprowska (2005: 6), â€Å"The quality of the relationship and the quality of communication are deeply connected with each other †¦ Communication is by definition interactive.† To help foster effective communication skills, it is helpful to both practice and analyse practice as a means of determining what was done well and what could be improved upon. Toward this end, a video recording of one social worker’s encounter with a client will be analysed to determi ne what was effective and what could be improved. The video analysed is available through Facebook, submitted by Gavin Lacey. It depicts the arrival of a social worker at the home of a young woman with two very young boys. The sound quality is poor, making it difficult at times to discern what is being said, particularly at the beginning when the case is introduced, presumably providing the viewer with the same basic information the social worker has been provided as to this particular family situation. The video spans from the social worker’s arrival at the apartment, through the beginning stages of the initial interview with the young woman. Rather than depicting through to the end of the interview, the video cuts off after approximately three minutes of conversation. The scenario presented in the video is that of Sylvia Walker, the social worker, visiting with Lorraine, a young woman with two young boys who has been reported as not properly caring for the boys. The opening segment of

The coronation explain Essay Example for Free

The coronation explain Essay Between 1947 and 1959, the amount of television licences that had been sold increased very rapidly from only 0. 1 million to almost 10 million. The coronation was in 1953 and the largest increase in the amount of televisions that had been sold was between 1953 and 1959. This tells us that most of the people that brought televisions during this time period did not only buy them because of the coronation as the majority were sold in the years following it. Therefore, from this evidence we can tell that there must have been other reasons besides the coronation why the television became such a popular accessory. In 1953 queen Elisabeth was crowned. All of the people in England were able to view this on television sets, and it became clear that seeing it on television would be a lot better, and you would see a lot more than if you went to London and saw it in real life, because obviously access to the cathedral and the grounds around it would be very limited. People idolised the monarchy, and respected them hugely. As a consequence, the amount of television sets increased that were being sold. The coronation of the queen was quite a significant reason that the number of televisions that had been sold increased so much from 1947 to 1959. However, there were a lot of other reasons resulting in huge increases in television sales. Firstly, the television was an extremely riveting source of entertainment, like it is nowadays too. Television prices also dropped very rapidly in the year or two leading up to the coronation. People wanted not only to be entertained by the coronation of the queen, they wanted more from their money, they brought televisions so as to give them more options for things to do. It was thought that children especially would benefit from the new entertainment that was given by the television, as they were expected to amuse themselves. A man in 1920 remembers what life was like for him when he was a child we played marbles, tip-cat, flicking cigarette cards, hide and seek, hopscotch, all in the due seasons. Most children could not afford wooden hoops when that season came around, but an old bicycle wheel with a tyre made a good substitute. This extract from a conversation with a friend in the 80s tells us that there were a few things for children to do, but most of them involved being outside, and to be outside, the weather must be good, and you can never rely on the weather. If it was raining or snowing and the children could not go out, it would leave very little for them to do, and the few things that they could do, would probably get boring after a while. So a television would mean that the children always had something to occupy them, and no one could ever get bored of television because there are so many different programs it was a better quality of entertainment than had been seen before. Secondly, peoples wages and liesure time were increasing at this time, which meant that more people could afford televisions when they could not before. And if they still did not earn enough to buy a television straight away because they wanted to see the coronation, they could take up the option of hire purchase. This was when poorer people who could not afford to buy a television all in one payment, were allowed to pay the shop owner who sold them the television back in smaller, more manageable instalments but people still needed these higher wages to pay the instalments. Thirdly people were beginning to be given a lot more leisure time from their employees and this meant that they needed more to occupy them and so this reason (along with their increased wages) meant that a lot more people decided to buy televisions simply because they could and because they had more spare time to watch them, so it was not a waste of money at all. Fourthly many people simply brought televisions because they were a form of new technology, and they were so fascinated by them. They wanted and needed a part of this extraordinarily intelligent machinery in their homes. Also, people were more inclined to buy televisions because the number of television transmitters increased, meaning that television was available to a lot more people, and there were a lot more programs on show. Fifthly, probably one of the most important reasons that television sales increased so much was because to have a television aerial up on your roof, was a huge status symbol, and, in the words of a man aged 60, describing his early memories of television You could tell from the aerials who had and hadnt got sets. I remember that we were one of the first three in the road to get one. If you had a car and a TV set, youd really arrived. From this extract, we can see how very important having a television was to a lot of people and just for a slightly higher status. And lastly, there were bound to be other popular national events happening that would be broadcast on television, and a lot of people also brought televisions so as to ensure that they had a television to see them. So, in conclusion, the coronation did help a little in starting the sudden rise in the amounts of televisions being sold, but mostly, people brought televisions for more personal reasons, i. e. for a better status, for better entertainment, and simply to have a little bit of the new technology that was sweeping the nation and completely fascinating everyone.

Artificial Restraints In Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

"GOLDING PUTS SO MANY ARTIFICIAL RESTRAINTS ON HIS STORY IN ORDER TO EMPHASISE HIS POINT, THAT THE WHOLE THING COMES OUT TOO NEATLY AND, IN FACT, REDUCES THE POWER OF HIS MESSAGE."I think that, while the boys experience immense bad luck due to the author, the story still proves its point. It is still possible though, that the bad luck of the boys could have been experienced in real life. I think that without this bad luck, the point of the story wouldn't be as great, because without the restraint's Golding placed on the boys, life on the island would have been too easy for the boys.The major constraint that Golding puts on the boys is the personality clash between Jack and Ralph. From the beginning, when Ralph is elected leader, Jack hates Ralph, and towards the end of the book, the feeling becomes mutual. Without Jack and Ralph's problems, life would have been easy, and the 'darkness of man's heart' would not have been conveyed to the reader. Jack shows 'the darkness' and if he and Ralph had just been friends, there would never have been an opportunity for Jack to show this darkness which lurked beneath the surface. Golding also uses the dead pilot conveniently against the boys - the way in which he is caught in the trees just in the right position to be caught by the wind and look like the beast and the way the wind picks up after Simon has let him down from the trees and carries him out to sea, so that the other boys cannot see that it wasn't a beast. The author uses the boy's fear against them, and although this could possibly happen in the situation, Golding uses it as a weapon against them, their morale and their companionship. I think that the boys split up and go to Jack because of the fear - he can kill the beast, he can get them meat, and if they ever get upset, he can start a dance and all will be fine.

An Example of Successful Change Essay

Introduction Why is Wal-Mart so Successful? Is it Good Strategy or Good Strategy Implementation? In 1962, when Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas, no one could have ever predicted the enormous success this small-town merchant would have. Sam Walton’s talent for discount retailing not only made Wal-Mart the world’s largest retailer, but also the world’s number one retailer in sales. Sam Walton has made certain changes that help Wal-Mart to achieve its success today. His change techniques involve changing people, technology, and product. Indeed, Wal-Mart was named â€Å"Retailer of the Decade† by Discount Store News in 1989, and on several occasions has been included in Fortune’s list of the â€Å"10 most admired corporations.† Changing People Wal-Mart is successful not only because it makes sound strategic management decisions, but also for its innovative implementation of those strategic decisions. In order to become a superstore, Wal-Mart decided to change the skill level of its workforce. Walton’s greatest accomplishment was his ability to empower, enrich, and train his employees. He believed in listening to employees and challenging them to come up with ideas and suggestions to make the company better. At each of the Wal-Mart stores, signs are displayed which read, â€Å"Our People Make the Difference.† Associates regularly make suggestions for cutting costs through their â€Å"Yes We Can Sam† program. The sum of the savings generated by the associates actually paid for the construction of a new store in Texas. One of Wal-Mart’s goals was to provide its employees with the appropriate tools to do their jobs efficiently. The technology was not used as a means of replacing existing employees, but to provide them with a means to succeed in the retail market (Thompson and Strickland 93). Changing Product Wal-Mart stores operate according to their â€Å"Everyday Low Price† philosophy. They provide customers access to quality goods, to make these goods available when and where customers want them, to develop a cost structure that enables competitive pricing, and to build and maintain a reputation for absolute trustworthiness (Evan, Shulman, and Stalk, 55). Through Sam Walton’s â€Å"Buy America† policy, Wal-Mart encourages its buyers and merchandise managers to stock stores with American-made products. In a 1993 annual report management stated the â€Å"program demonstrates a long-standing Wal-Mart commitment to our customers that we will buy American-made products whenever we can if those products deliver the same quality and affordability as their foreign-made counterparts† (Thompson & Strickland 68). With a variety of product and low cost, Wal-Mart has attracted more consumers. Changing Technology Wal-Mart has invested heavily in its unique cross-docking inventory system. Cross docking has enabled Wal-Mart to achieve economies of scale which reduces its costs of sales. With this system, goods are continuously delivered to stores within 48 hours and often without having to inventory them. Lower prices also eliminate the expense of frequent sales promotions and sales are more predictable. Cross docking gives the individual managers more control at the store level. A company owned transportation system also assists Wal-Mart in shipping goods from warehouse to store in less than 48 hours. This allows Wal-Mart to replenish the shelves 4 times faster than its competition. Wal-Mart owns the largest and most sophisticated computer system in the private sector. It uses a massively parallel processor computer system to track stock and movement which keeps it abreast of fast changes in the market (Daugherty 24). Information related to sales and inventory is disseminated via its advanced satellite communications system. Conclusion Sam Walton, a leader with an innovative vision, started his own company and made it into the leader in discount retailing that it is today. Through his savvy, and sometimes unusual, business practices, he and his associates led the company forward for thirty years. Today the company is still growing steadily. Wal-Mart executives continue to rely on many of the traditional goals and philosophies that Sam’s legacy left behind, while simultaneously keeping one step ahead of the ever-changing technology and methods of today’s fast-paced business environment. The future also looks bright for Wal-Mart, especially if it is able to continue its customer-driven culture, it should remain a retail industry leader well into the next century.

Behavior Modification Research Paper Essay

Abstract Reinforcing positive behavior is critical in many aspects. It helps parents, school teachers and managers seek positive behavioral responses from the subject whether it’s a child, adult or even an employee. â€Å"Reinforcement was first studied by Thorndike (1911), who illustrated that reinforcement is a process where the behavior is increased by the immediate consequence that follows. Thorndike placed a hungry cat in a cage and food outside the cage and the cat eventually learned to press the lever again and again to gain access to the food that was placed outside the cage. Thorndike called this â€Å"Law of Effect†, simply, because the cage-cat illustration showed how the animal learned (stimulus-response) through operant conditioning† (Thorndike 1911). Reinforcement can be either positive or negative (Miltenberger, 2011). Both have their own merits and demerits. Positive reinforcement is often considered as more desirable, especially, since the negative reinforcement cannot be sustained for too long and also it has chances of revoking resistance. Positive reinforcement through both primary and secondary methods helps win the respect and loyalty of the subject most of the times. Sustainable reinforcement is a mixture of the two types: positive and negative. For personal behavioral modification, people mostly choose to get positive stimuli. They do not like to be hurt or punished in order to perform a task. Likewise, I also chose the positive methods and would prefer that I am given appreciation at home, school and/or my workplace because that will help me to demonstrate increased productivity, dedication and commitment and it will also reduce the level of stress. These positive factors of reinforcement may include improving the work environment, improving timings and/or offering conveyance services. Introduction Behaviors are equally important at work as well as in our social lives. This is because positive behavior is connected to good performance and impact, and, negative behavior is connected to negative impact. During evaluation periods, employers review positive behavior from their employees and they focus on both positive and negative behavioral types when they looking to hire new employees. Behavior is a response that can be reinforced. Reinforcement concept of psychology helps find what reinforces positive  behavior and which activities reinforce negative behavior. There are both positive and negative reinforces and there are benefits and consequences for both behavior type. In the workplace, the Manager is not only required to find the factors that help in reinforcing positive behavior, but, also to assess the comparative success of these factors in different work and home environments as well. A detailed analysis of reinforcement literature will assist in effectively modifying th e behavior. Literature Review B.F. Skinner used the reinforcement theory to positively encourage the mouse to find a way out and get cheese and today, Managers make use of reinforcement theories to motivate employees. Reinforcing positive behavior allows the managers to determine what can be expected from their employee(s). Daymut (2009) says that positive reinforcement helps in homes, schools, offices and almost anywhere. Reinforcement is supportive in increasing the chances of certain behavioral response. The probability of behavior can be increased by increasing the stimulus to which the individual or employee responds. The primary reinforcers are physical stimuli and the appreciation and non-monetary rewards are the secondary reinforcing agents. Punishment serves as negative reinforcers while gratitude serves as positive reinforcers. People are inclined to different reinforcing factors based on their personality-type, the kind of environment they were brought up in and the things that are inculcated into their minds. The pleasure-pain principle suggests that some people are motivated better when they find pleasure in doing something, while, others may not indulge into an activity unless they find pain by not doing them. For example, getting ill due to over-eating and excessive weight gain is a negative reinforcing factor that will help an individual adopt a routine of healthy (adequate) eating choices and light exercising such as walking, etc. Reinforcement works differently in different environments. Some environments are better suitable for the positive reinforcement while the others are better for the negative reinforcement. However, in most of cases the positive reinforcement is considered more effective and useful (DeLeon, Neidert, Anders, and Rodriguez, 2001). The reinforcement of behavior is backed by some needs that can be personal, social or organizational. People even use these strategies for helping people with psychological problems since they are not able to  show response in normal conditions without induced stimuli. The stimuli in positive method should be such that they can be easily arranged as required. On the other hand, the negative factors should also not be too critical to result into a rebellious behavior of the subject. The common examples of positive stimulus or positive reinforcement includes but not limited to; offering gifts to children on getting good grades, paying extra amount for labor projects that were completed on time and/or increasing the salary of an employee or even promoting him/her. The example of negative reinforcement or negative stimuli includes but not limited to; punishing a child for not completing homework, asking an employee to sit late in office for not meeting sales target, etc. The type of reinforcement should not be selected based on the choices of manager, but, these choices should be made based on the behavior. Negative reinforcement should not be used unless the positive reinforcement factors have failed (Cosgrave, 2007). Positive behavior of an employee is desired not only to make the system efficient, but, also to get the job merely done in the first place. While reinforcing a behavior, the management of a company or the parents at home or the teachers at schools should be confident that the reinforcement agent will be effective in the long term. For example, it is not possible to promote an employee every time he completes a project or give gifts to the successful child every time he passes the exam and/or give the child candy every time he/she finishes his work on time. Secondary stimuli, making the contribution known and setting higher and more respectable targets can also serve as reinforcing factors that may be guaranteed in the long run. DeLeon, Neidert, Anders andRodriguez (2001) say that the positive reinforcement is very effective and has found to be helpful especially when positive behavior is to be evoked in the children with autism and other psychological diseases. Tuten et al (2014) say that friendly enforcement techniques are helpful for professionals as well as nonprofessionals. Treatment B.F. Skinners and many others have found that positive reinforcement is effective in evoking positive psychological behavior. Skinner described positive reinforcement in his mice study and it was a success. My clients (investors) believe in me, value and appreciate me, but, sometimes they try to assign me to tasks that are not related to my skills, and, I think they  tend to do this based on their perception of my capabilities and behavior. Sometimes, the work pressure is very high because I am given many tasks that are mandatory and need to be completed in a very short time frame and this make me feel stressed at work because (sometimes) because I work from home-all alone in the State of Georgia and the physical aspects of my job is located in other states (D.C.-Maryland area) and I have to rely on others to perform certain assignments in short time-frame. Therefore I suggest how reinforcement can be used in treating issues I face: Positive Reinforcement: I am requesting that my c ompany provide me with an office space in Maryland-DC area where I can travel to every other month. Also, my working hours should remain the same with some flexibility. Further, my company should allow me to hire a part-time assistant to help take care of some of the footwork, i.e., post court notices on doors, file legal paperwork in the courts, etc. Next, I perform better between the hours of 6am to 3:30pm and I would like to keep that schedule, if I can have an assistant. Therefore, I believe that if I am afforded the opportunity to work during those times that suit me then my performance will be 110% better. Negative Reinforcement: The management can announce that my salary will be deducted if I do not work for set number of hours every day. Also they can penalize me if for not completing my projects by its deadline dates which in return can also affect other projects in the company and lead to legal problems and loss of money. The negative reinforcement should be given only once in a while and it should not be introduced unnecessarily. What I wrote above is a good example of what I do as a Property Manager and I’ve described it in a way that would benefit me if I worked for an Employer. I am self-employed and my job can be stressful at times, so I hire local contractors in D.C.-Maryland area to help me achieve 20% of my work goals to reduce some of my stress. I think positive reinforcement is not only beneficial towards work-related behavior changes, but I would also suggest that people use positive reinforcement strategies to modify their own personal behavior as well. I would like to suggest that all of us should help others adopt these strategies, too. Conclusion Without controlling behavior, a person cannot successfully perform the routine tasks of life. It is sometimes not possible for an individual to  control his behavior and feel motivated. In such situations, external motivation factors are required that can be either appreciation or consequences for negative behavior. These positive and negative reinforcement factors should be used strategically because there are merits and demerits of each. I will prefer positive reinforcement because this will help me in feeling motivated and engaged. The negative reinforcement is connected to unpleasant feelings of shame and insult that will not be beneficial in the long run. Both individuals and organizations can use a combination of the two methods to get a positive outcome. References 1. Miltenberger, R.G., (2011). Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures. 5th Ed. 2. Thorndike, E.L. (1911). Animal Intelligence: Experimental Studies. NewYork:Macmillan 3. Cosgrave, G., (2007), â€Å"Negative Reinforcement†, Retrieved from: http://www.educateautism.com/behavioural-principles/negative-reinforcement.html#.U4XAT2dZrIU 4. Daymut, J. A., (2009), â€Å"Positive Reinforcement: A Behavior-Management Strategy†, Retrieved from: http://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/238_PositiveReinforcement.pdf 5. DeLeon, I. G., Neidert, P. L., Anders, B. M., Rodriguez, C. V., (2001), â€Å"Choices between positive and negative reinforcement during treatment for escape-maintained behaviour†, Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, 34(4):521-525 6. Tuten, L. M., Jones, H. E., Schaeffer, C. M., Stitzer, M. L., (2014), â€Å"Reinforcement-Based Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Comprehensive Behavioural Approach†, ISBN: 978-1-4338-1024-4

HARMONY AND COURAGE AS PRINCIPLES FOR SURVIVAL essays

HARMONY AND COURAGE AS PRINCIPLES FOR SURVIVAL essays Mononoke Hime is a powerful tale of the struggle between gods and humans. In pursuit of the cause and the cure of his curse, Ashitaka heads west where he is confronted by the bitter battle between the people of Tatara and the guardian-gods of the Forest of the Shishigami, worsened further by the antagonistic presence of the samurais. He is enchanted with the Mononoke Hime, San, a human raised by Moro, the head of the clan of mountain dogs protecting the forest. Given her upbringing, San has grown to hate humans, and has taken it upon herself to war against them for the sake of the forests preservation. Ashitaka later meets Eboshi Gozen, the head of the iron-making village of Tatara. Beloved to her people, composed of social outcasts, Eboshi, for her part, is set out to destroy the forest for the necessary mining activities. In all this, Ashitaka is caught between two factions who are essentially fighting for their respective survival. This dilemma evidently points to a central theme in Japanese religion-ultimately, Japanese life, and that is the close relationship binding gods (kami), humans, and nature to one another (Earhart, 1982, p 7). In contrast to monotheistic religions, the Japanese religion does not rank gods, humans, and nature in a vertical order, but perceive them co-existing in a harmonious relationship. To illustrate this quality of a non-hierarchy, experiences are not exclusive in gods only or in humans only. Case in point, the boar gods Okkotonushi and Naganokami felt immense pain and suffering, causing them to become Tatarigami. In turn, the Japanese believe, every being, including nature, can potentially have kami, in other words, become a god. Harmony is an important element in Japanese life (de Mente, 1994, p 2). It is believed to be rooted in the primitive religion of Japan, Shinto. Anthropologists, de Mente (1994) explained, attributed the need for harmony to the demands of rice cultivation and the ...

The Difference Between an Embassy and a Consulate

The Difference Between an Embassy and a Consulate Due to the high level of interaction between countries in our interconnected world of today, diplomatic offices, such as embassies and consulates, are needed in each country to aid in and allow such interactions to occur. Ambassadors are their countrys government representatives abroad in matters between the two countries. These offices also provide services for potential emigrants and international travelers. Although the terms embassy and consulate are often used interchangeably, the two are different. Definition of an Embassy An embassy is larger and more important than a consulate and is described as a permanent diplomatic mission, which is generally located in a countrys capital city. For example, the United States Embassy in Canada is located in Ottawa, Ontario. Capital cities such as Ottawa, Washington, D.C., and London are home to nearly 200 embassies each. An embassy is responsible for representing the home country, for handling major diplomatic issues (such as negotiations), and for preserving the rights of its citizens abroad. The ambassador is the highest official in the embassy and acts as the chief diplomat and spokesperson for the home government. Ambassadors are typically appointed by the highest level of the home government. In the United States, ambassadors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Usually, if a country recognizes another as being sovereign, an embassy is established to maintain foreign relations and provide assistance to traveling citizens. Embassy vs Consulate By contrast, a consulate is a smaller version of an embassy and is generally located in the larger tourist cities of a country, but not the capital. In Germany, for instance, the U.S. consulates are in cities such as Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich, but not in the capital city of Berlin. The embassy is located in Berlin. Consulates (and their chief diplomat, the consul) handle minor diplomatic issues such as issuing visas, aiding in trade relationships, and taking care of migrants, tourists, and expatriates. In addition, the United States has Virtual Presence Posts (VPPs) to assist people around the world in learning about the United States and the areas in which the VPP is focused. These were created so that the United States could have a presence in important areas without physically being there. The areas with the VPPs do not have permanent offices and staff and are run from other embassies. Some examples of VPPs include the VPP Santa Cruz in Bolivia, the VPP Nunavut in Canada, and the VPP Chelyabinsk in Russia. There are about 50 VPPs worldwide. Special Cases Though it might sound simple that consulates are in larger tourist cities and embassies are in capital cities, this is not the case with every instance in the world. Jerusalem One such unique case is Jerusalem. Though it is the capital and largest city in Israel, no country had its embassy there until President Donald Trump decided to move the U.S. Embassy there in 2018. Instead, most of Israels embassies are in Tel Aviv because most of the international community does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital. Tel Aviv is identified as the capital because it was the temporary capital of Israel during the Arab blockade of Jerusalem in 1948. Jerusalem remains home to many consulates. Taiwan Few countries have an official embassy in Taiwan to establish representation due to the uncertainty of Taiwans political status with regard to mainland China, the Peoples Republic of China. As such, the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other countries do not recognize Taiwan as independent because it is claimed by the PRC. Instead, the United States and the United Kingdom have unofficial representative offices in Taipei that can handle matters such as issuing visas and passports, providing assistance to foreign citizens, trade, and maintaining cultural and economic relationships. The American Institute in Taiwan is the private organization representing the United States in Taiwan, and the British Trade and Cultural Office fulfills the same mission for the United Kingdom there. Kosovo Not every foreign country recognizes Kosovo as independent (as of late 2017, 114 do), and just 22 have established embassies in its capital of Pristina. There are several other consulates and other diplomatic posts in the country as well. It has 26 embassies abroad and 14 consulates. Former British Empire The member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations (mostly former British territories) do not exchange ambassadors but instead, use the office of high commissioner between member countries. Mexican Consulates Mexico is distinct in that its consulates are not all confined to large tourist cities, as is the case with the consulates of many other countries. For example, although there are consulates in the small border towns of Douglas and Nogales, Arizona, and Calexico, California, there are also many consulates in cities farther from the border, such as Omaha, Nebraska. In the United States and Canada, there are currently 57 Mexican consulates. The Mexican Embassies are located in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa. Countries Without U.S. Diplomatic Relations Though the United States has strong diplomatic ties to many foreign nations, there are four with which it does not currently work. These are Bhutan, Iran, Syria, and North Korea. For Bhutan, the two countries never established formal relations, and Syrian relations were suspended in 2012 after the war started there. However, the U.S. is able to maintain varying levels of informal contact with each of these nations by using its own embassies in nearby countries or through representation by other foreign governments. However foreign representation or diplomatic relationships occur, they are important in world politics for traveling citizens, as well as for the economic and cultural matters that result when two nations have such interactions.

What strategies can policy makers employ to promote successful policy Essay - 1

What strategies can policy makers employ to promote successful policy implementation - Essay Example The researchers of this generation have identified that the research implementation process is not as simple as it is thought to be and there are a lot of complications that need to be considered. This generation has identified that there are several factors that are involved in the implementation of policy and these factors somehow influence the policy implementation therefore it is important to identify and consider these factors as well (Hill, 1997) On the other hand, the second generation is a bit realistic and it is considered as the classical generations to be too pessimistic. The scholars in the second generations are Berman, O’Toole and O’Toole and Montjoy, Hjern and Porter, and Tasmanian and Sabatier. This generation has kept its focus on the top-bottom approach and bottom-top approach. This generation has debated whether the top-bottom approach or bottom-top approach should be implemented for successful results. This generation has demonstrated that the implementation is a political process and to a great extent ignored other factor which has been later criticized by the third generation (Pitts, 2006). The last but not the least generation is the third generation or the analytical generation. This last generation is called the analytical generation as the researchers in this generation have more focused on the methods being used rather than the results that have been achieved. This generation has been criticized both the previous generations for ignoring the social factors. This generation called for better methods and more social factors within the implementation process. It could be said that this generation was not concerned regarding the failure or success of the process but were more interested in learning and understanding how the process works. This generation was more focused on improving the methods and procedures that could used to implement the policy successfully. Implementation,

Heritage Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Heritage Tourism - Essay Example It always includes the enjoyment of cultural resources, historical origins, and the natural resources of a particular region. Heritage tourism normally helps in promoting and preserving the cultural values of a specific region or society. Therefore, it is beneficial to the tourists, as well as to the local people who are visited by the tourists. Novelli (2009) denotes that the major motivation of special interest tourism is to enjoy a specific facility, culture or activity of a particular region. Therefore, the major motivation of special interest tourism is to experience these new products, cultures and facilities. Heritage tourism, as a special interest tourism is able to make tourists experience some cultural values of a particular region or place. Tourists are specifically interested in the cultural values or practices of the region under consideration (Thomas, 2004). An example can include an interest to explore the Italian art, or even an interest to experience the Brazilian music. These are specific cultural activities that a tourist would seek to enjoy. Based on these facts, it is possible to classify heritage tourism as an example of specific interest tourism (Patterson, 2006). Novelli (2009) is a great proponent of classifying culture as an example of special interest tourism. This is because the major intention of tourists is to explore the cultural values and beliefs of a specific region or place that they have visited. Spenceley (2008) provides an example of the grand tour trips that was common in the 16th century in Europe. These were trips made by young rich or noblemen in Europe (Walton, 2005). Their major intention was to explore the various cultural values in Europe, and America. They were specifically interested in classical antiquity, and the renaissance art, that was taking shape in Europe (Walton, 2005). This is an example of heritage tourism, because it aims