Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Plato - Knowledge vs. True Belief Essay - 661 Words

Knowledge vs. True Belief The discussion of true belief and knowledge in the Meno develops in the analogy of the traveling men; one who knows the correct path to Larissa and the other who has a true belief of the correct path to Larissa (Meno 97a-c). Socrates tells Meno that if both men led to the same result, then true belief is no more useful than knowledge and both beneficial (Meno 97c). This comparison changes in book five of the Republic when Socrates says an ideal state must have a philosopher-king as a ruler (Republic 473d-e). Socrates and Glaucon conclude that knowledge and true belief are different powers so their natures cannot be the same (Republic 477c-478a). Knowledge is the most effective power, while true belief†¦show more content†¦Socrates then introduces the discussion of â€Å"what is completely,† â€Å"what is and what is not,† and â€Å"what is not completely,† (Republic 477a, 478a-478c). Knowledge is to know something that exists (i.e. object of knowledge) . While objects of belief consists of what does exist and does not exist. This shows how knowledge is infallible and true belief is fallible. Knowledge is eternal and does not change or go anywhere, and true belief is the opposite. It is a similar reference that Socrates speaks about in the Meno, specifically on the example of the Daedalus statue (Meno 98a). Having the statue tied down ensures its eternal presence. It is always there in the soul and never wrong. While not having the statue tied down conveys true belief. When the statue is there it serves as a benefit to man, it is what exists. Since you cannot be guarantee the statue will remain, the departure of the statue explains how belief will change over time. This is what will change belief to what does not exist. The meaning for the particular will change, indicating it is not eternal. One consistency in both texts of the Meno (Meno 99c) and Republic (Republic 472d) is that people who use true belief cannot show or explain how their belief is the truth. I believe this is one of the largest distinctions between knowledge and true belief. Knowledge isShow MoreRelatedPlatos Philosophy in Apology1375 Words   |  6 PagesPHL202H5 Plato s Philosophy in Apology Plato was known to be one of Socrates students, and knew him for over 40 years. Although Plato s version of Apology is popularly believed to be (the most accurate) historical recount of what happened in 399 B.C on the day of Socrates trial, historians cannot be sure the validity of everything he wrote. It can be argued that it is actually a philosophical work, remarking on the teachings of Socrates and his beliefs, which he stood by even until hisRead MoreThe Scientific Method Essays1678 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"COMPARING BELIEF AND THOUGHT† EUTHTHYPHO vs. SOCRATES Saint Leo University PHI 110 Professor Anthony Nattaninia A young man by the name of Euthyphro involves himself in a conversation with the well known Socrates. During this conversation Euthyphro attempts to impose unrealistic beliefs concerning piety. Euthyphro is the plaintiff in a murder suit that he is filing against his very own father. Euthyphro believes that he has a case against his father, the reasons the youngRead MoreEnlightenment Vs. The Comfort Of Fantasy Essay1541 Words   |  7 PagesEnlightenment vs. The Comfort of Fantasy Plato is known as the most progressive and fruitful philosophers of his time. He created the practice of questioning everything, and he illuminated the knowledge ignored by the majority. His ideas were rejected, despite his intentions of expanding knowledge and creating a more clear vision of the world. However, his students of philosophy, Aristotle and Glaucon were the most prominent of those who chose to learn from him. Plato engaged in dialogue with theseRead MoreHume vs. Plato on Knowledge: A Comparative Analysis1541 Words   |  6 PagesHume vs. Plato on Knowledge Introduction Platos ideas on knowledge represent, perhaps, the most foundational and influential attempt to establish the boundaries of what can be known. His ideas have had an immense influence on successive philosophers as well as Western Civilization as a whole. David Hume, who came over two millennia after Plato, represents perhaps the most relevant attempt to establish the boundaries of what can be known. Thesis: According to Humes position on ideas and causationRead MoreAn Ideal Hero: Greek vs. Roman Essay1527 Words   |  7 Pagescultural propaganda. Greek Heros= models of courage skill to men (what to be) women (what to look for- sense of security). a. Dominant Theme: warrior code of personal honor and glory b. Contrasting themes: Family principle, simple country life vs. war, admiration of enemies. 5. Literary works by Homer Blind poet Homer - represents the culmination of a long and vigorous tradition in which oral recitation—possibly to instrumental accompaniment—was a popular kind of entertainment. Read MoreEssay about Socrates vs Gilgamesh1173 Words   |  5 PagesJoe Arce 19 Sept 2011 Socrates Vs. Gilgamesh Socrates’ view of death in the Phaedo, Crito, and Apology is complex. His argument tries to prove that philosophers, of all people, are in the best state to die or will be in the best state after life because of the life they lead. Socrates’ views are sharply contrasted in The Epic of Gilgamesh. In fact, he would probably say that Gilgamesh had not lived the proper kind of life and his views of life, and death would lead to an unsettled existence in theRead MoreAnalysis Of Plato s Republic, We Read About The Allegory Of The Cave1644 Words   |  7 Pageseducated about them and how one would incorporate our actions after having that knowledge. In The Republic, Socrates poses two different views on education. â€Å"Socrates uses numerous varying and often conflicting ideas and images (among which is the first account of education) to gradually guide his pupils toward a personal realization of knowledge and philosophy.† In this paper, I will address the different views Plato writes about education. The way these views differ will be explained. The â€Å"AllegoryRead MoreAristophanes Vs Socrates1472 Words   |  6 Pagesthe significance of Socrates contribution to the society cannot be sidelined based on the dynamics which still expose his attributes in line with the perspectives of many experts of the ancient and present times. For example, both Aristophanes and Plato were determined to present their opinions over the life of Socrates . However, there is a huge contrast in how Socrates in perceived in their different revelations from their works. Aristophanes, a comic playwright professional, uses a more flexibleRead MoreCharacteristics Of The Tragedy Of Platos Apology1068 Words   |  5 PagesThe relationship of comedy and tragedy are often overlapped in meaning, notably in ancient Greek drama and arts. Comedy often presupposed tragedy and are known to compliment one another in literary work. P lato displayed the proper elements of adversity within the â€Å"Apology† and detailed the unfairness the democratic society of Athens presents by punishing an opposing, equally justified force. Socrates preforms his defence arrogantly and sarcastically in the courtroom of Athens, humouring his own trialRead MoreNature Vs Nurture : Assignment Written By Jessica Lovelock1386 Words   |  6 PagesNature Vs Nurture – Assignment written by Jessica Lovelock The Nature-Nurture debate has been scrutinised by psychologists for over a hundred years and, more recently, by biologists in the field of cognitive science. It inquires as to the influence of both ‘nature’; the hereditary present factors of a person determined by biological genetics; ‘Nurture’ is based on circumstance, the belief that the person we are is purely influenced by our environment, upbringing and circumstances that we encounter

Monday, December 16, 2019

Is College Still Worth It - 915 Words

In â€Å"The Great Debate: Is College Still Worth It?† author Ricardo Azziz endorses post-secondary education by stating its economic advantage in today’s society. The author begins his article by introducing a survey done by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, which shows that the majority of college graduates believe college education is worth its cost. Not only are people convinced of the value of a college education, adults with a degree of some sort (bachelor’s degree or associate degree) tend to earn more than those without one. But also, post-secondary education gives people a better chance at achieving the â€Å"American Dream† through diligence and hard work. Azziz states that â€Å"college graduates were 5.3 times more likely to leave the bottom quintile than non-college graduates†. In addition, in times of an economic downturn, individuals with a college degree are often able to better cope with the difficult y than those without. However, amidst the benefits of college, Azziz does not forget to address the reality that attending college is still, without a question, an expensive endeavor. The author raises many key points that I find to be all valid. As an avid believer of college education, I find value in it and that is why I am currently attending university. There are a myriad of claims and stories of people who have succeeded without a college degree, and therefore argue against its necessity. However, in reality, such cases are rare andShow MoreRelatedCollege: Is it Still worth it? Essay1199 Words   |  5 PagesElementary school, middle school, high school, college―that’s how we’re told our education careers should go. After college you go on and get a job based on the degree you received. Seems simple right? According to Erik Lowe in his Seattle Times article â€Å"Keep Washington’s College Tuition Affordable,† he informs that people in his generation are the first to be less educated than their parents, in the United States. He explains that this is due to the high cost of tuition followed by a huge amountRead MoreIs Col lege Still Worth The Expense?921 Words   |  4 Pagesthemselves asking is college still worth the expense? With tuition continuing to sky rocket each year. Textbooks with their outrageous sales tax. It adds up, that I am sure of. So again is it really worth it? I say, yes. College changes and shapes individuals in ways unimaginable. Whether you attend college or go immediately into the workforce, many recognize the amazing opportunities college has to offer its students. In high school, high school opens doors for college. In college, college unlocks opportunitiesRead MoreIs An American College Education Still? Worth It?1465 Words   |  6 PagesIs An American College Education Still ‘Worth It’? One of the realities of the past several decades is that society has come to place an increasing level of emphasis upon the importance of education. Whereas it has been understood for decades that education is an integral component of the overall level of success that a person might hope to experience during their lifetime, the necessity of each and every individual striving for a college degree has been a more and more defining aspects of the driveRead MoreCollege Education Is Still Worth It For Everyone1751 Words   |  8 Pagesunemployed college graduates have increased for each year, many people have been debating whether everyone should have college education and whether college education is still worth it for everyone. Some people found that they did not gain the benefits that they wished from college education, and some people found that they still could not find the job they desired after they spent all the money they had on college education and being in heavy debt. Therefo re, everyone was not sure that colleges are designedRead MorePersuasive Essay1334 Words   |  6 PagesFatemah Karim Ms. Meyer AP English 11 February 22, 2013 Is it really worth going to college, owing hundreds of dollars in order to get a degree in a profession to become successful and experienced in the real world? Today, as tuition costs increase students are questioning whether college is fit for them or not. For one, college can be really expensive, for example at the University of Minnesota for an undergraduate during the academic year of 2011-2012, the cost for one credit was $448.08 and $5Read MoreIs College Still A Good Investment?958 Words   |  4 PagesIn Does College Still Pay, Lisa Barrow explores that even though the college tuition costs are increasing rapidly, is college still a good investment. Barrow states that college still worth wild and there is no evidence of a downward trend to students attending college due to increasing college tuition. Barrow also claims that by getting a bachelor s degree today, a college student can expect to regain all of their investments they have put towards their education within 10 year s after graduationRead MoreCollege Education Essay1364 Words   |  6 PagesIs College Still Worth it ? Since their childrens infancy parents have always encouraged their children to go to college and become a professional. But in this new age economic crisis, is college really worth it? Tuition costs are rising to a criminally high price has everyone arguing. Is college really a good investment? Well in a very short way, yes it is. An investment that makes you 500,000 to a million dollar lifetime payout is uncomparable. In the end, today an average college graduate willRead MoreIs College Worth The Cost?1296 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: The U.S. is home to some of the greatest colleges and universities in the world. But with an overwhelming 1.3 million students graduating with an average student loan debt of $29,000 each and with youth unemployment elevated, the question of whether or not college tuition is worth the money arises (The Institute for College Access Success, 2013). Higher education faces intimidating challenges: continually rising costs, access and completion problems, constant changing of technologyRead MoreCollege Is Necessary for a Successful Future Essay788 Words   |  4 Pagesyears of school enough? Who needs college anyway? Working a nine to five job with no chance of a promotion would not be that bad, would it? Do not deny, this is not the desired lifestyle of most young adults. Clearly, the way to achieve a superior job and future is college. College is the most necessary tool in order to be successful in life. College gives its graduates the greatest ability to achieve a higher paying job. Furthermore, adults who attend college earn higher wages over those who doRead MoreThe Cost of Your Future1436 Words   |  6 Pages The Cost of Your Future At one point you may have asked yourself whether or not college is worth the cost. By cost I mean the financial cost, the personal sacrifice and the time it takes to actually garnish a degree. College students weigh out these factors every day; but at the end will it all be worth it? As a college student, I have witnessed these phases happen to not only me, but my fellow classmates as well. For example, we see students switching

Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Period From The Eighth To The Fourteenth Century Was One Of Vast R Essay Example For Students

The Period From The Eighth To The Fourteenth Century Was One Of Vast R Essay eforms,some for the better and some for the worse. During this period in Europe, commonlyknown as The Middle Ages, economic reforms took place as well as social, political, andreligious changes. One common theme throughout The Middle Ages consisted of therelationship between the Church and the State. The Catholic church during this era held aprominent role in society, and it had an abundant amount of power and authority duringthis time. The Catholic Church exercised its authority in many different stages, in which aresponse from the people occurred because of the way the Church showed its power. The nature of the Catholic Church began its reform around the time Charlemagne,from 768 to 814, took control. He became a Christian emperor and the first great politicalleader in Western Europe. His main goal was to promote the Roman Catholic religionthroughout all of the world known to man, and to do this Charlemagne coordinated withthe pope, which in turn the pope crowned him the holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagnestrived to reestablish central authority and revive the culture of the Early Middle Ages,and he succeeded by gaining authority over a large area, including almost all of Westernand Central Europe (Charlemagne p.130-131). Charlemagne also made many reforms,mostly Church and educational ones. He first reformed the monasteries by making themBenedictine; he also made sure that the churches were abiding by the rules and not doinganything wrong. Charlemagne designed a system in which four archbishops were set up infour different regions with their headquarters in cities in that par ticular region. Thearchbishops appoint bishops authority in their territories. As the Catholic Churchsauthority increases during this time, it also comes with consequences. This system ofarchbishops and bishops are great for the Church, but Charlemagne uses them as royalagents, which is part of royal policy. Furthermore, Charlemagne makes reforms ineducation in order to further improve the Church; he sets up a system which strengthensthe priesthood by setting up bishop schools. These reforms indicate a lack of divisionbetween religious and secular affairs (Charlemagne p.131). Who really has authority, is itthe pope or the king? King Charlemagne did make all of the reforms, but the pope alsocrowned him holy Roman Emperor. This will create problems in the near future betweenthe Church and the State. The nature of the Catholic Churchs authority again changed during the HighMiddle Ages in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Basically, the papacy became moreconfident by claiming greater powers and actually challenging the monarchs themselves fortotal authority (Sherman p.166). Pope Gregory VII is a great example of the increasedconfidence and authority during these times. The papacy under this pope asserted itspowers under the proposition derived from Pope Gregory VII. It indicates many of thepowers that the Church claims to hold. Some of them include: The pope is the onlyperson whose feet are kissed by all princes. He may depose emperors. He may bejudged by no one (Pope Gregory VII p.168). The pope is obviously claiming higherauthority over the State, especially over the emperor. The Church also had the power toexcommunicate members of the Catholic Church, which holds a sever punishmentespecially during the Middle Ages. Because an excommunicated person was forbiddenfrom all socia l intercourse, this punishment would thus be terrible politically, socially, aswell as economically (Noble p.204). In the thirteenth century, Pope Innocent IIIcontinued to claim powers for the Church and even had some of his claims hold up. Heclaimed that the royal power derived the brilliance of dignity from the pontifical authority,which includes the pope (Pope Innocent III p.197). Central governments in the Europeannations began to evolve and try to change the ways of the papacy, which, in turn, broughtup problems for the Church (Noble p.205). This is especially true with the case of PopeBoniface VIII. He issued a letter which forbade the taxation of the clergy without explicitpapal permission, and King Philip IV responded by campaigning against the pope. This,in turn, rallied support for the monarchy in France (Noble p.222). This attack on PopeBoniface VIII unveils the extreme splits in the Christian community; it seemed apparentafter these events that European governments had n o intention of recognizing absolutepapal authority (Noble p. 226). .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 , .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .postImageUrl , .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 , .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60:hover , .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60:visited , .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60:active { border:0!important; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60:active , .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60 .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9141eefa22db5cc4f0798aecd2df2d60:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: In Cold Blood EssayThe nature of the Catholic Church was basically transformed during the LateMiddle Ages in the fourteenth century, due mainly to the aftermath of the Great Schism, asplit between rival popes in Rome and Avignon. Because of the problems between theChurch and the State and the challenges that kings laid on the Church, popes had to dealmuch more carefully with the governments of Europe. During the Late Middle Ages, thekings of France and England along with the rulers in Germany, Italy, and the papacy allovercame the political and cultural crises that arose during the schism. The nature of the Catholic Churchs authority during the Middle Ages is apparent,but how does the Church use the power they hold and beset to discharge its religiousmission? During the Early Middle Ages, Charlemagne mostly spread Christianity throughconquering new lands and basically forcing the new peoples to abide by the rules of theCatholic Church. He was often on the move with his troops and missionaries going tonew lands preaching Christianity. Charlemagne became involved in numerous wars withthe Saxons. Soon, the Saxons were forced to accept the terms of Charlemagne; they hadto leave their pagan religion, accept Christianity, and be united with the Franks (Einhardp.133). During the eleventh and twelfth centuries in the High Middle Ages, the Churchdischarged its religious mission through the crusades, initiated by the Church in order tospread Christianity at the cost of the Islamic religion (Sherman p.183). The first crusadeswere very successful because the Christian forces reestablished control of Spain andestablished control in the Holy Land for most of the twelfth century (Sherman p.183). Pope Urban II justified his call for a crusade in a plea that he stated. He justified his callfor a crusade because the Persians, a race of people which he states are alienated fromGod, have destroyed the churches of God or appropriated them for the rites of their ownreligion (Pope Urban II p.185). Basically, he seeks change in the areas where the Persianslive, and he demands a change; therefore, he called for a crusade. Furthermore, PopeEugenius IIIs inducements for crusades further exemplified the power of the papacyduring the twelfth century. He states that the Church can grant full remission of sins, andthe mens wives, children, and other possessions are under protection of the Holy Church(Pope Eugenius III p.187). In the fourteenth century of the Late Middle Ages, the churchs authority wasbeing questioned by powerful European monarchs, so the Church had to fight for the rightdischarge its religious mission; the powers it used to hold were being questioned, so theChurch was more worried about keeping those rights than anything else. Furthermore, theConciliar Movement was brought up in discussion and placed ultimate power to a Churchcouncil, which would diminish the powers of the pope. This movement was extremelypopular and also revealed the problems facing the Church; no spread of Christianity wastaking place. The Decree Sacrosancta declares that the Church council had powers overanyone in the areas of things that pertain to the Church of God (Sherman p.218). TheDecree Frequens states that a council will always be in session (Sherman p.219). Thesetwo decrees would definitely limit the powers of the pope, but this never happened due tothe election of a single pope, Martin V. Moreover, heresy was a major problem facing theChurch. Groups like the Waldensians posed a major threat to the Church. They wereexcommunicated because they did not abide by the Church, they preach that they are in noway under the power of the pope, and they claim that they hold the power of hearingconfessions without even being a member of the Church (Gui p.219-220). Heresy posed ahuge threat to the Church; they were more worried about losing authority during thesetimes instead of promoting Christianity. .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a , .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .postImageUrl , .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a , .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a:hover , .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a:visited , .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a:active { border:0!important; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a:active , .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc092c4f43d4381ab4c108f1b8c09364a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Espionage and thrillers EssayChristianity throughout the Middle Ages, from the eighth century until thefourteenth, has been impacted several times by the monarchies of Europe and by thepapacy. Considering everything the Catholic Church has gone through , was it successfulin the religious mission it set out for. The answer to this question is very opinionated tohistorians, but I believe the answer is no. Notably during the High Middle Ages in whichthe crusades occurred, many popes set out into various lands including Byzantium andIslam in order to spread Christianity and stop the popularity of the Islamic religion. Manyhistorians believe that the Crusades contributed to the economic and intellectualdevelopment of Europe by reopening Mediterranean east-west trade, but these people arewrong (Cantor p.192). All the Crusades did was stir up religious prejudice and theintolerance of Muslims (Cantor p.193). Although the Christian world learned a great dealfrom the Muslims, the Crusades were not a part of this occurrence. In addition, the factthat heresy occurred from such groups as the Hussites and the Waldensians further provesthat the papacy had problems with people actually turning away from the Catholic Church. How could the Church be successful in its religious mission if groups of people arebreaking away from it?

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Maya Angelou Explains ( In Her Autobiography, Why The Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou explains ( in her autobiography, Why the Caged Bird Sings,) why her religious background and church upbringing are so important to her life and poetic writing. I came to know Jesus, as I was married and sad, I found in him a resting place, and He made me glad. (page 124). She also states The good Lord gave me another day and I'm thankful. (page 122). I know I am a witness for my Lord. (Page 124). The Bible says, he who can hear let them hear. Maya wants the world to hear her sing through her poetry. Understanding Maya Angelou's religious upbringing and faith in God is the key to understanding her as a bblack female poet and writer caged in the rascism of America. Her belief in God shapes her writing and gave her the courage to sing in a caged racist society. After reading Maya Angelou's book, Why the Caged Bird Sings, it was obvious that her religious background and upbringing in the church is an important key to understanding her writing. As I read her book , I came to realize the caged bird is symbolic of how Maya feels about life. She is the caged bird. The cage is the racsim and pejudice in America against Blacks and females. Maya's poetry is her song. God meant for birds and Maya to sing. God also meant for birds to be free. Maya's faith in God has freed her to sing her beautiful poetry. Her religious upbringing gave her the courage to sing through her poetry as a black female trapped in an invisable cage made of racial prejudice and economic poverty. Maya Angelou literally and sybolically sings through her writing and her poetry. The caged bird is sybolic of a black female learning to cope and fight against the the racist attitudes and realities that exist in America. Maya knows why the caged bird sings because she realizes she is a caged bird in a rascist society. A caged bird can sing a beautiful song or a black female in America can write beautiful poetry. Her belief in God set her free to express herself without fear of reprisal. God gave Maya a gift and she uses it to honor God. Her family and church upbringing gives her the confidence and belief in herself that she can succeed base upon her her own character and God-given talents. Maya's determination and drive to succed as a poet, literally sets her free from the rascist cage she is imprisioned in both as a child and a young woman. A bird is set free when it sings whether it's caged or not. The act of singing or freely expressin oneself through poetry sets a person free. The soul and spirit cannot be caged. A true belief in God set Maya Angelou free to pursue her dreams and use the literrary talents God gave her. Religion and family are central influences on Maya Angelou's life. She called her grandmother, a big bullheaded Christian who was always witnessing to everyone. (page 254) Her Grandma was like a mother to her and her brother and always took them to church twice a week. Maya's grandma was always quoting biblical scripture. Maya believes her grandmother was trying to teach her through the examples of Jesus Christ. Grandma always had a moral to her religious stories. (page 131). Like her grandma, Maya takes great comfort in the fact that she has accepted Jesu into her heart and knows she's going to Heaven. Maya has no fear with God and is free to sing. Church gatherings are also a major influence on Maya's life. These gatherings give her a chance to learn the Word of God , and intreract with her peer and elders. Socially and spiritually, Maya finds a place where she's accepted. She learns to be free of the racial shackles that oppressed her people. She learns to sing like the caged bird. Nothing can keep her from singing even if she and her people are caged. God gives her the faith and belief that she can do anything. Like the old Negro Hymnal states, We shall overcome. Religious revivals bring Maya's whole community together. Revivals are a

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Louis Vuitton in Japan

Louis Vuitton in Japan Abstract Japan is a lucrative market for global luxury brands. Many companies have realized this fact and have concentrated most of their operations in this country. Louis Vuitton is no exception. It succeeded in this market. This paper shows that the unique demographics of the Asian country and the company’s aggressive marketing campaigns have contributed to its Japanese success.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Louis Vuitton in Japan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Evidences from this paper also show that poor economic conditions and changing customer preferences, in Japan, threaten the French-based company’s profitability. Nonetheless, there are many opportunities for increasing its sales growth. This paper suggests that the company should open new stores in mid-sized towns to increase its brand presence in the market. Similarly, it suggests the need to improve the popularity of Louis Vuitton brands by undertaking more local marketing campaigns. Overall, this paper shows that although Japan accounts for most of Louis Vuitton’s profits, the company could increase its dominance in this market by adopting new marketing strategies. Introduction Louis Vuitton is a global luxury brand that has operated in the Japanese market for more than four decades (Ivey, 2008). As a case study, this paper explores how the French-based company started its operations in the Asian nation and why it has achieved tremendous success in this market. Since Louis Vuitton is a successful global entity, this paper also investigates whether global economic conditions affect its operations. Similarly, it highlights how the company can overcome some of these challenges and exploit the demographics of the Japanese market to improve its market success. These analyses give a comprehensive understanding of Louis Vuitton’s operations in Japan. Why Louis Vuitton Succeeded in the Japanese Market Japan i s an important market for Louis Vuitton because it accounts for almost 50% of the company’s profits (Ivey, 2008). Aggressive marketing campaigns have boosted the brand’s profile in the country’s fashion industry. The success of the Omotesando marketing campaign, in Japan, attests to this fact (Ivey, 2008). Such campaigns have provided a platform for introducing extravagant stores in several parts of the Asian country (including successful outlets in Ginza and Roppongi) (Ivey, 2008). Besides its aggressive advertising strategy, Louis Vuitton’s success, in Japan, also stems from the company’s pricing strategy.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the past, the company adopted a premium pricing strategy for its branded products, but uncertain economic conditions have made it untenable for the company to continue doing so. Since then, i t has changed its strategy and now adopts a flexible pricing plan that portrays the Louis Vuitton brand as affordable. This strategy largely boosted the brand’s sales. Opportunities and Challenges for Louis Vuitton in Japan Challenges: Poor economic conditions and changing customer preferences present the most notable challenges for Louis Vuitton’s operations in the Japanese market. These challenges affect the company’s sales and make it difficult for the brand to understand the nature of future fashion trends. Opportunities: Undoubtedly, there is a notable market presence of the Louis Vuitton brand in Japan. However, there is a lot of potential for the company to expand its operations in mid-sized cities and other locations where the brand does not have a notable market presence. This move would popularize the brand (further) and increase its revenue streams. Specifics of the Japanese Fashion Luxury Market The Japanese fashion market has accepted Louis Vuitton because of its unique social and economic dynamics that differentiate it from western markets. For example, besides being fashion-conscious people, the Japanese society buys luxury brands as a status symbol. Moreover, a demographic analysis of the market shows a large middle-income population that affords luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton. Furthermore, there is a huge population of middle-aged women who prefer to update their fashion, often (Ivey, 2008). Lastly, the Japanese culture requires people to dress according to their social status. People who have a high income prefer to have fashionable products like Louis Vuitton. This is why many global luxury brands depend on Japan to support their global operations (Ivey, 2008). Original Entry Strategy of Louis Vuitton in Japan and the Strategies it adopted to strengthen its Market Presence Louis Vuitton’s entry into the Japanese market started in 1977 through a direct market entry strategy. Albeit controversial, this strateg y allowed the company to acquire two stores. The stores were departmental and stocked a few brands. They accounted for more than $10 million (in annual profits) after selling directly exported fashion products from France (Ivey, 2008). The success of the stores paved the way for expanding the company’s network of outlets. Statistics, from 2007, show that Louis Vuitton owns more than 54 stores in Japan (Ivey, 2008). However, as a group, the company manages about 250 stores in the same market (Ivey, 2008). In the last decade, the brand has changed its operational strategy by operating some stores as franchises. Most of them are in Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Louis Vuitton in Japan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Will the Global Financial Crisis Affect Louis Vuitton and how will the Company Overcome it? Louis Vuitton is vulnerable to the intrigues of the global economy. Its vulnera bility stems from its reliance on tourist markets and disposable income fluctuations. Therefore, when the global economy suffers from terrorism threats and poor economic outcomes, the company suffers declined sales. Louis Vuitton learned this lesson in Japan after the 2001 terrorist attack in the US and the 2007/2008 economic crisis. It suffered decreased sales from low tourist numbers and a growing hesitation by shoppers to spend their money on expensive luxury items. To overcome such challenges, the company needs to localize its marketing strategy and grow its domestic markets (Melicher Norton, 2014). This strategy would make most of its global stores independent. For example, instead of relying on tourist markets to support the Japanese stores, the company should popularize its products to the Japanese people and make its stores independent. Therefore, when, an economic crisis happens in one part of the world, other stores (that do not operate in the affected regions) are not af fected (Pearce Robinson, 2013). Conclusion Louis Vuitton’s Japanese success mirrors the success of other global luxury brands in the same market. This paper shows that the unique demographics of the Asian country largely contribute to a growing demand for Louis Vuitton products in Japan. Poor economic conditions and changing customer preferences emerge as the main challenges of the French-based company. However, there are many opportunities for increasing its sales numbers. Consequently, this paper suggests that the company should open new stores in mid-sized towns to increase its brand presence in Japan. Focusing on improving Louis Vuitton’s popularity in the country would also reduce the company’s reliance on overseas markets. Overall, although Japan accounts for most of Louis Vuitton’s profit, the company could benefit from adopting new strategies to improve its dominance in this market. References Ivey, R. (2008). Louis Vuitton in Japan. Retrieved fr om https://www.asiapacific.ca/Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Melicher, R. W., Norton, E. A. (2014). Introduction to Finance: Markets, Investments,  and Financial Management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley. Pearce, J., Robinson, R. (2013). Strategic Management: Planning for Domestic   Global Competition. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Punctuation on ACT English Apostrophes, Colons, and More

Punctuation on ACT English Apostrophes, Colons, and More SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What's the difference between a periodand a semicolon? Between a comma and a dash? These questions bedevil not just students, but evenprofessional writers. Punctuation can be one of the weirdest, most confusing parts of writing. However, the ACT English section isn't writing- it's a multiple choice test, which means that every question has to have only one correct answer. The ACT tests a specific set of punctuation rules, most of which deal with commas. Icovered commasin a separate post- here I'll be explaining the other punctuation rules you need to know, which deal with apostrophes, semicolons, colons, and dashes. Here's brief rundown of everything this article will cover: Using apostrophes in possessives and contractions Understanding the differences between semicolons, colons, and dashes Answering ACT English questions on punctuation ACT English practice questions Feature Image Credit: xlibber Apostrophes: Possessives and Contractions Apostrophes on the ACT can be really tricky. You mayassume you know the rules, but the ACTtests these concepts in its ownweird way. As such, I'm going to briefly review the relevant rules, and then go over in detail how these concepts are tested on the ACT and what the common errors that you need to watch out for are. Possessives The basic rules for forming possessives are quite simple. If a word is singular or if it's plural but doesn't end in "s," then you add "'s" to the end of the word. the fox → the fox’s the women → the women’s To create a possessive for a plural word thatdoes end in "s," you simply place an apostrophe at the end of the word, after the "s." the archaeologists → thearchaeologists’ Let's look at how this works in a sentence: At the tinkers convention, Jose browsed for a long time before deciding he wanted to buy something from the leather workersstall. Clearly, this sentence is missing a number of apostrophes. Theconvention is for a lot of tinkers, so there should be an apostrophe after the s. It's probably just one leather workerat the stall though, so the apostrophe should go before the s. At the tinkers' convention, Jose browsed for a long time before deciding he wanted to buy something from the leather worker'sstall. On the ACT English, possessives questions aren't so much about knowing the rules as they are about determining whetheryou need an apostrophe at all and, if so, whether the noun is meant to be plural or singular. Should This Noun be Possessive? Happily, there's an easy trick to determine whether a noun should be possessive. "Sally's ball" is just another way of saying "the ball of Sally." So if you want to figure out whether a noun is meant to be possessive, take the noun, put an "of" in front of it, and stick it after the noun or phrase that follows it. This may sound complicated, but it's actually very easy. Let's walk through an example. When my computer crashed, I lost a months work on my plan to take over the world. Should month be possessive? Try switching it around: When my computer crashed, I lost thework of a month on my plan to take over the world. That makes sense: the point is that I lost all the work I did in a month. The correct version of the sentence is: When my computer crashed, I lost a month's work on my plan to take over the world. It's easy to assume that because a month isn't a person it can't be possessive, but that's not the case. Any noun can be possessive. In general, when dealing with possessive nouns, you're more likely to see questions where there's a necessary apostrophe missing (or misplaced, which we'll discuss shortly), than you are to see ones with extra apostrophes that you don't actually need. Is the Noun Meant to be Plural or Singular? The other factor you'll need to consider when placingapostrophes is whether the possessivenoun is meant to be singular or plural. Whether "the neighbor's dog" or "the neighbors' dog" is correct is dependent on whether there is only one neighbor or more than one. When working on ACT English questions, you'll need to look at context clues to determine how many of the noun there are meant to be. Let's revisit our example from above: When my computer crashed, I lost a months work on my plan to take over the world. We've already established that "months" should be possessive. But how do we know that it's "month's" not "months'"? The singular article "a" gives us the clue- "a months" makes no sense, so the noun has to be singular. Consider a slightly different version of the sentence: When my computer crashed, I lost somemonths work on my plan to take over the world. "Some" indicates more than one. So when we make "months" possessive, we need to put the apostrophe after the "s": When my computer crashed, I lost somemonths' work on my plan to take over the world. Keep in mind that the relevant context clues may sometimes be trickier to spot, so check the sentences before and after the underlined one if you're unsure. ACT Example The ACT tests possessives in almost exactly the same way we just discussed. Take a look at this example from an official ACT English section: Let's go through our two questions in order. Should "family" be possessive? If we switch around the word order to "the farm of his family" that makes sense, so yes, the noun should be possessive. (In this example, you might also say "family farm" but you'll notice that isn't an answer choice.) Is it "family" or "families"? First, think about what clues you can use- "his" is a good one. We're talking about Banneker's family specifically, and people generally only have one family. The singular form is correct. Nowwe know that we need an answer with "family" and an apostrophe, which narrows it down to A and B. We need to pick the one that correctly places the apostrophe before the "s" (since we're dealing with a singular noun), which is B. Whoever wrote this sign didn't know the correct rules for apostrophes ( ©Leo Reynolds) Contractions When working with contractions, you only really need to know one rule: the apostrophe replaces the missing letter or letters. Do not→ don't (apostrophe replaces the second "o") They have→ they've (apostrophe replaces the "ha") There are a few weird cases like "won't," but you don't need to worry about them. In fact, the ACT English generally doesn't ask about spelling of contractions. Why are we going over this rule then? Because there are a couple of very common contraction-related errors that the ACT English does test. Could Of vs. Could've If you've doneany ACT English practice you may have seen the construction "could of," "should of," or "would of." For example: I should of gone to bed early, but I stayed up to play video games instead. This sentence sounds fine if you read it aloud, but it's actually incorrect. I'm trying to say that I should have gone to bed- the correct spelling is"should've" not "should of": I should'vegone to bed early, but I stayed up to play video games instead. Should of, could of, and would of are always wrong. If you're trying to determine if a contraction is correct in general, though, replace it with the fully written out form. This technique will come in handywith our next category of errors as well. Pronouns One of the most common mistakes students make on the ACT English is mixing up "it's," "its'," and "its." Do you know the difference? It's - it is or it has Its - possessive form of it Its' - not a word Think about it this way: a contraction must have an apostrophe to replace the dropped letters while no other pronoun possessives (his, her, my) have apostrophes. Its', meanwhile, is just a weird construction that only shows up on the ACT- it is never correct. To summarize: for pronouns, an apostrophe ALWAYS indicates a contraction. Though they're less common, errors with they're, there, and their and errors with who's and whose may also appear on the test. For more details on those, take a look at our post on word choice. Semicolons, Colons, and Dashes: Connecting Clauses and Phrases We've covered apostrophes (above) and commas (elsewhere)- that leaves only three more punctuation marks: semicolons, colons, and dashes. Like commas, which they're often tested in conjunction with, these punctuation marks help clarify the relationships between clauses and phrases. Also like commas, you are far more likely to make an error by adding an unnecessary punctuation mark than by removing a necessary one, so err on the side of less punctuation. We're going to go over the exact uses for each of these punctuation marks, but, first a quick disclaimer. Semicolons, colons, and dashes are almost always tested with commas or in the context of sentence fragments and sentence structure. We have separate posts on each of those, so make sure to look at them as well. Semicolons Semicolons are basically wishy-washy periods (or so their detractors claim); they connect two independent clauses. That previous sentence is an example! A semicolon is only correct if it could be replaced with a period. Incorrect: After seeing that the amusement park hadfour roller coasters; Maria was determined to ride them all. Correct: The amusement park has four roller coasters; Maria was determined to ride them all. In the first version of the sentence, a semicolon is being used incorrectly in place of a comma to connect a dependent and an independentclause. In the second version, it is correctly placed between two independent clauses. Remember that semicolons are interchangeable with periods- this means that you will never be asked to choose between them. If the only difference between two answers is that one has a period and the other semicolon in the same spot, both answers must be wrong. There is one other, much less common, use of semicolons: to separate items in a list, especially if they include commas. For example: My whole family was at the reunion, including my cousins, Kirsten and Jeremy; my aunts, Tracy and Megan; and my grandparents, Carl and Jen. Again, there's a small chance you'll see this usage on the test, but it'sverysmall. Don't worry about it too much. Make sure to keep your semicolons happy by only using them between independent clauses! ( ©Mauricio Balvanera) Colons Colons are easy to mix up with semicolons because the two punctuation marks look similar and have similar names. Colons can, in fact, connect two independent clauses, but they are usually used to introduce lists or explanations (you may have noticed that I tend to employ them for the latter purpose quite a lot). The key rule for colons is that they must come after a complete sentence. You should be able to put a period at the end of the clause before the colon and have it make sense. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if you're introducing a list or explanation, it's still wrong. Incorrect:Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween, including: fake blood, plastic spiders, and a witch’s hat. Correct:Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween: fake blood, plastic spiders, and a witch’s hat. Correct:Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween: a holiday when people dress up in scary costumes and eat a lot of candy. Correct:Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween: she was planning to dress up as a zombie witch. The first sentence is incorrect, because the part that comes before the colon isn't a complete thought; "Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween, including" makes no sense on its own. The other three versions all correctly locate a colon at the end of the independent clause, "Liz went to the costume shop for the supplies she needed for Halloween." You may have noticed that semicolons, colons, and periods can all be used between independent clauses. However, as I mentioned in regard to semicolons, you will never be asked to choose between the three- the distinctions are purely stylistic. If you have more questions on this topic, read our guide to sentence fragments and run-ons. Dashes Dashes are a strange and flexible punctuation mark- personally, they're my favorite! However, for the sake of the ACT English, you really only need to understand two of itsuses: markingoff a non-essential clause or phrase (just like a comma)and introducing a list or explanation (just like a colon). Non-essential clauses and phrases provide extra information that can be removed without altering the meaning of the sentence. When dashes are used with non-essential clauses or phrases, the key is making sure that you don't mix them with commas. Both are equally correct, but you have to stick to one or the other. Incorrect: Allie was minding her own business when her brother, a mischievous eight-year-old- snuck up and surprised her. Correct:Allie was minding her own business when her brother- a mischievous eight-year-old- snuck up and surprised her. Correct:Allie was minding her own business when her brother, a mischievous eight-year-old, snuck up and surprised her. To mark off non-essential clauses is by far the most likely way you'll see dashes tested on the ACT English. However, you may also see dashes used to introduce a list or explanation, like so: Allie’s eight-year-old brother surprised her- he snuck up behind her and yelled â€Å"boo!† Dashes are relatively rare on the ACT, so just understandroughly how they can be usedand you'll be fine. ACT Example As I mentioned above, these punctuation marks are often tested together. You cansee what that looks like in this official ACT question: On questions like this one, it's often easier to determine what doesn't work than what does. So let's start with the semicolon; "but versatile boat" definitely isn't an independent clause, so we know a semicolon can't be correct. This construction alsoisn't a non-essential phrase (if you take it out the sentence no longer makes sense), a list, or an explanation, so we canrule out the dash. The comma is tempting because it's right before the coordinating conjunction "but," but it's actually incorrect. Think about what commas, dashes, colons, and semicolons are all meant to do: clarify relationships between clauses and phrases. That means you generally shouldn't stick them in the middle of a thought. "simple but versatile boat" is one idea, so you don't want to interrupt it with unneccesary punctuation. B is the correct answer. Remember to always consider whether you really need a punctuation mark- you often don't. Breaking the rules is great sometimes, but not on the ACT. ( ©Edward SImpson) Applying Punctuation Rules on the ACT English We've covered a lot of rules and strategies for answering punctuation questions on the ACT English. I've rounded up the key points below, so that you can seethe key rules to remember and best strategies to implement! Key Rules for Punctuation: Possessives: theapostrophe goes before the s for singular nouns and plural nouns that don't end in s and after the s for plural nouns that do end in s Contractions: the apostrophe replaces themissing letters Possessive pronouns don't have apostrophes Semicolons connect twocomplete sentences Colons come after a complete sentence and introduce a list or explanation Dashes mark off non-essential clauses or introduce lists and explanations Helpful ACT English Strategies: Use "of" to check whether a noun should be possessive Use context clues to determine whether a possessive noun is plural or singular Remember that non-person nouns can be possessive Answer choices that are always wrong: should of, could of, would of, its' You'll never be asked to choose between interchangeable punctuation marks: either you're missing something or both answers are wrong Make sure the punctuation marks around a non-essential clause or phrase are always the same: either a pair of commas or a pair of dashes, never one of each Since there are a variety of different punctuation marks that serve similar purposes, use process of elimination to rule out the ones that can't be right, rather than trying to figure out what you think it should be If onechoice doesn't have a punctuation mark at all,be sure togive it carefulconsideration- it will often be the correctanswer Make sure to study the related topics of commas and run-on sentences as well Put Your Skills into Action! The best way to improve on the ACT English is to practice. To that end, I've created some sample ACT style questions where you can test out your new knowledge. 1. The twomain types of camels are; bactrian camels, which have two humps, and dromedary camels, which have one. A. NO CHANGE B.are: bactrian C.are bactrian D.are, bactrian 2.Tootsie Pops are beloved forthe lollipops chocolatey centers, even thoughno one knows how many licks it takes to get to them. F. NO CHANGE G. lollipops' H. lollipop's J. lollipop 3.Adding to the drama, Joe according to the rumor mill- stole Alfonso's girlfriend. A. NO CHANGE B.Joe, C.Joe who D.Joe - 4. Even though she's been trying to cut it down, Fran's action albumcollection is still impressive: over 400 vinyl records, 2000 CDs, and even a handful of tapes. F. NO CHANGE G. impressive; over H.impressive over J.impressive, it's Answers: 1. C, 2. G, 3. D, 4. F What's Next? Make sure you also understand the comma rules on the ACT English. Commas are often tested in conunction with other forms of punctuation. Not sure what else you need to study? Check out our guide to the most commonly tested ACT grammar rules. Start thinking big picture! Learn the 5 key concepts you need to ace the ACT English and the 9 steps to a 36 (as tested by a perfect scorer). Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Ajax Minerals and Perrier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ajax Minerals and Perrier - Essay Example Communications is highly necessary in regard to change management because it helps in creating mutual trust. The first way that communication to employees and the middle level management will help is in creating trust by the employees. This can be seen in the history of Ajax. In the past, Ajax failed to communicate to employees, and this led to the employees being suspicious any time the firm is about to make any changes. Communication is seen as a way to create trust because through good communication, it helps in making sure that the employees understand the need for change rather than leave the employees to speculate. The same kind of speculation has been the cause of resistance to change because the employees are extremely suspicious that any change process will affect the negatively. Involvement Involving the employee and the middle level managers is essential in helping to smooth out the process of change. When communication and involvement is used in concert, the best result will be achieved. Ajax is trying to involve the employees in the development of the solution and this will be necessary due to a number of reasons. The first reason is the fact that the involving the employees and the middle level managers will result in a change solution that will be accepted by the employees. Involvement will create minimal resistance from the employees. It will also be good in creating a solution that is most holistic in the way the firm deals with future problems. Will it succeed? Although Ajax has chosen to use this particularly valuable strategy to change management, there cannot be a guarantee that the strategy will succeed. This is because Ajax failed to use this strategy right from the beginning and there is a lot of suspicion in among the employees. Perrier case Perrier has a t least two sources of resistance. The first source of resistance is from the worker union CGT, which believes that Nestle does not have the right to cut off the number of workers in Perrier. The second source of resistance is definitely from the employees who feel that they need to protect their jobs. Nestle has tried to cut down employees in order to salvage the Perrier brand. When the employees could not allow the firm to cut the employees, the management placed the product of another brand in their cafeterias as a way to have the employees see the sense in trying to change. This method of trying to deal with the issue of change resistance did not help the firm to do away with resistance. If anything, this method of dealing with the issue made things between the management and the employees worse. Comparison There are a number of differences in the way the managers in both of these cases handled the case. Although the Perrier case was more complicated by the issue of the worker u nion that was

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

How have culture and ethnicity been politicised in South Africa Essay

How have culture and ethnicity been politicised in South Africa - Essay Example The nation attained internal self-independence in 1994 following a successful fight against Apartheid. Since the end of the apartheid movement in 1994, South African politics has been majorly dominated by the ruling party; African National Congress (ANC). The ANC has been winning all the previous elections with 60 plus percentage. The lowest percentage of those coming in the last general election where ANC garnered 63% of the votes while the strongest opposition party known as the Democratic Alliance attained 18% of the votes. South Africa is among the most advanced states in Africa and the world over. However, the electorate that has been handling political matters has majorly been hinged on the race, the culture and the ethnic line from which the individual originates. For starters, the blacks majorly dominate ANC; the ruling party. The officials in charge of the party are blacks. The blacks also control the different wings of the party majorly the ANC Youth League as well as the ANC Women’s League. The South African situation contrasts the nations where the ruling party tends to embrace all the races within the nation. In the United States, for example, president Barrack Obama, serving final term in office, is regarded as of African American origin. The Democratic Alliance, the major political party in South Africa, is mostly associated with citizens of white origin. Politics is said to be hinged on races because out of all the elections that have been carried out in South Africa, the blacks who form the highest population of voters, have not accorded the Democratic Alliance much support. In as much as the ANC has always promised them radical change in terms of development and failed to honor most of the pledges, the blacks have normally rallied behind the ANC with the Democratic Alliance receiving support from the coloured people of various origins. Observers and stakeholders in various sectors have

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Coffee shop Essay Example for Free

Coffee shop Essay Studying the fundamental reasons why the proponents aim to establish a business coffee shop’. A coffee shop or cafeteria businesses are already popular worldwide, too many names, establishment and products. Almost every coffee shop businesses stay long because of satisfying income. How about innovation to this business that have a risk but can probably maximize profit. Mobile coffee shops that acquired equipments that almost within a vehicle that travels to different places is definitely unique and new that’s why it is feasible. The proponents are aiming to study the reasons this business should be implemented and figured out a solution to all the problems that may encounter to the research. These are some reasons and problems: 1. An innovation should have a perfect research before implementing and it is bit difficult to introduce to the mass market. 2. Risky is involved because it can easily bump by other cars that it may destroy the vehicle full of machineries and high value assets and equipment that can probably explode. 3. Implementing is one of the hardest part because it has a lot of process and there were only few high-ways to trip, also it has limited places to go like traveling at the urban areas and primary highways. 4. Supply of coffee beans can be also limited, Benguet, the province itself produce supply of resources wherein the harvest is by season. 5. The weather of course can cause the profit loss especially here in Benguet where rainy season is mostly half-year. I. Project Summary I. 1 NAME OF THE BUSINESS â€Å" Clique Mobile Cafe Clique is the proposed name of the business because it’s a converted vehicle that in just one click it is transformed into a business mobile and it has Wi-Fi. In addition, ‘mobile’, as the word itself, it can travel to one place to another while the mobile itself is the kitchen. I. 2 BUSINESS LOGO I. 3 LOCATION Burnham Park Baguio City, Benguet I. 4 DESCRIPTIVE DEFINITION OF THE PROJECT Clique Cafe is a coffee shop that serves not only beverages but includes food, bread and pastry products. It has small kitchen, machineries in making coffee and pastry products and a small portable comfort room. The dining is an open area just outside around the vehicle wherein all the tables and chairs are portable including the tabernacles and tent that covers the place. It has a dimension of 21ft x 9ft x 9ft. It’s a food and beverage business which the main product is coffee. It travels to different places where people usually hang-out. Clique Cafe serves some beverages such as herbal tea, hot and cold Choco coffee. I. 5 VISION AND MISSION Vision: We aim to travel nationwide to provide the best quality coffee and bread for breakfast in every Filipino household that can purchase our most affordable product. We intend to promote tourism and make our own trademark name of coffee product that positions ourselves as premier coffee shop nationwide. Mission: To provide the best quality and most satisfying offer produc   with high standard services. To continuously promote teamwork and excellence in our establishment and provide a good environmental relationship between our employees and customers. I. 6 Objective There are two main products we aim to provide to our market. Our cafe will establish the commonly used style of coffee which is serving coffee and bread. But we want to make name for our own product. We aim in making our very own unique taste for our products that our market would want to have. We strongly believe that this would be possible by the aid of using indigenous raw product we have in Baguio. Being a city located in the Benguet Province, the province mainly produces harvest of coffee beans that have quality which can compete with its own flavor. This flavor is what we want to introduce in the mass market. The Province also is the main provider of fresh vegetables and fruits that our cafe can make use of in producing breads. We will able to make recipes from these indigenous products. These are the product that Clique Mobile Cafe would be proud of and carry under its brand. Clique Mobile Cafe goal is to satisfy our customer by the unique products with the very best of goods and services that we can offer. And we want our business and product will known all over the world. I. 7 History †¢Coffee History The history of coffee goes at least as far back as the thirteenth century with a number of myths surrounding its first use. The original native population of coffee is thought to have come from East Africa specifically to Ethiopia, and it was first cultivated by Arabs from the 14th century. The earliest credible evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree appears in the middle of the 15th century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. By the 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey and northern Africa. Coffee then spread to the Balkans, Italy and to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia and then to the Americas. †¢Coffee shop History Coffeehouse and coffee shop are related terms for an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee and other hot beverages. Cafe or cafe or c aff may refer to a coffeehouse, bar, tea room, small and cheap restaurant, transport cafe, or other casual eating and drinking place, depending on the culture. A coffeehouse may share some of the same characteristics of a bar or restaurant, but it is different from a c afeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on providing c offee and tea as well as light snacks. Many coffee houses in the Middle East, and in West Asian immigrant districts in the Western world, offer shisha (nargile in Turkish and Greek), flavored tobacco smoked through a hookah. Espresso barsare a type of coffeehouse that specializes in serving espresso and espresso-based drinks. II. MANAGEMENT ASPECT BUSINESS ORGANIZATION A business organization is an individual or group of people that collaborate to achieve certain commercial goals. Some business organizations are formed to earn income for owners. Other business organizations, called nonprofits, are formed for public purposes. These businesses often raise money and utilize other resources to provide or support public programs. 2. 1 Partnership Partnership is a business organization in which two or more individuals manage and operate the business. Both owners are equally and personally liable for the debts from the business. Therefore the proponents will adopt the Partnership form of business. The proponents chose partnership because it’s not big and broad as a corporation and the capital is lesser than a larger business. The proposed project is easily managed by two or more people or the owners itself. ?Rules and Guidelines of Partnership One of the potential drawbacks of a partnership is that the other partners are bound to contracts signed by each other on behalf of the partnership. Choosing partners you can trust, and who are savvy, is critical. †¢Making Money Making money is the first rule because it is the biggest impetus for any deal. The deals that actually get done are the ones that can prove their worth. Companies often have a minimum monetary threshold, but if you can prove that a lucrative alliance can be made, then you should be in discussion about working together. †¢Naming Business Naming business partnership is actually a very important step in creating partnership agreement because it formally establishes the business entity for legal purposes. All documents referring to the partnership should use the partnerships name, once you and your business partners register it. †¢Contribution to Partnership A partnership agreement must include the capital or property each of the partners is investing in the company. The agreement should also include what roles each partner will be performing when the business is operational, including managerial capacities and who controls the day-to-day operation of the business. The partners dedicate resources such as financial, technical, staff and reputational toward achieving agreed objectives over time. They also establish a new organization with shared governance and a management unit to deliver these activities. Partners dont draw a salary and share profits and losses equally. Partners have a duty of loyalty to the other partners and must not enrich themselves at the expense of the partnership, and also have a duty to provide financial accounting to the other partners. †¢Allocating Profits and Losses Allocating profits and losses is a key element of companys partnership agreement. This section of agreement determines how much money each partner stands to make, including what percentage of profit each member may receive, as well as what percentage of business losses each partner must absorb. Its usually illegal to create a partnership agreement that assigns a higher percentage liability to a partner than the partner originally invested in the company. Keeping responsibility for losses commensurate with each partners percentage investment should preserve the legal integrity of the document. †¢Determining Partnership Authority Without specific language detailing each partner’s authority in the business, any partner can force the entire company into a binding legal agreement without the consent of your other partners. Clearly defining each partners power within the company to enter into binding agreements keeps the partnership from spreading itself too thin and making bad business decisions. This rule can also put a system in place for the partnership to make business decisions, including rules on voting and obtaining partner consent. The other rules would be found in a written partnership agreement. Such an agreement could outline procedures for making major business decisions, how profits and losses will be split, and how much control each partner maintains. 2. 2 Owner of the Business Clique mobile cafe is owned by Mr. John Ericson P. Amistad and Ahldrin L. Abellera.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Here is a brief overview of some of the individuals who contributed to

Here is a brief overview of some of the individuals who contributed to the revolution in physics and psychology. THE REVOLUTION IN PHYSICS & PSYCHOLOGY X-rays & radiation On November 8, 1895, a German physicist named Wilhelm Roentgen accidentally discovered x-rays. He placed a vacuum tube with a wire attached to each end inside a black box, creating a discharge tube. He turned the lights off in the lab and turned on the electrical current with a very high voltage across the tube. A short distance away he noticed a glowing fluorescent light. Roentgen did not know the origin of these rays, therefore he called them "x-rays." As he continued experimenting on these rays, he discovered that the rays could penetrate books and wood. He concluded that these "x-rays" where from the discharge tube. When the discovery of x-rays was announced, stories and poems were published in magazines and newspapers. X-rays are used in many ways, such as in medicine ( CAT scans and MRI's), industry, science, etc. X-rays also have dangers and side effects such as cancer, skin burns, hair loss, and other serious conditions due to the extremely high voltage. In 1902, Ernest Rutherford discovered that at least two types of radiation existed. He labeled these types of radiation alpha particles and beta particles. Rutherford also discovered that radiation was caused by the disintegration of atoms and suggested that immense stores of energy were present within atoms. In 1911, he announced his version of the structure of the atom. He proved that the atom has a very small, tightly packed, charged nucleus. With all of Rutherford's contributions and discoveries in science and radiation, he was president of the Royal Society, rece... ...ating force in human life. This causes compensatory mechanisms that result in self-centered neurotic attitudes. Rank came up with a theory of neurosis, indicating all neurotic disturbances to the trauma of birth. The psychoanalytic movement affected work in psychology, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, history, and literary theory. Works Cited - http://sirius.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/xrutherf.html> - http://encarta.msn.com/find/concise/default.asp?vs=x97&la=na&ty=1&vo=17&ti=02c88000> - http://encarta/msn.com/find/concise/default.asp?vs=x97&la=na&ty=1&vo=34&ti=064fb000> - http://www.pathfinder.com/Life/millennium/61.html> - http:/encarta.msn.com/find/concise/default.asp?vs=x97&la=na&ty=1&vo=37&ti=06aff000> - Kagan, Donald. The Western Heritage Brief Edition Vol. II: Since 1648. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

All the Presidents of India

1| Dr Rajendra Prasad (1884–1963)| | 26 January 1950| 13 May 1962| Dr. S Radhakrishnan| 1952 election page  &  1957 election page Prasad was the first President of independent India from Bihar. [7][8]  He was also an independence activist of the Indian Independence Movement. [9]Prasad was the only president to serve for two terms in office. [4]| 2| Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975)| | 13 May 1962| 13 May 1967| Zakir Hussain| 1962 election page Radhakrishnan was a prominent philosopher, writer, a  Knight of the Realm  and also held the position of  vice chancellor  of the  Andhra University  andBanaras Hindu University. 10]  He was also made a Knight of the  Golden Army of Angels  by  Pope Paul VI. [11]| 3| Zakir Hussain (1897–1969)| | 13 May 1967| 3 May 1969| Varahagiri Venkata Giri| 1967 election page Hussain was vice chancellor of theAligarh Muslim University  and a recipient of  Padma Vibhushan  andBharat Ratna. [12]  He di ed before his term of office was ended. | | Varahagiri Venkata Giri  * (1894–1980)| | 3 May 1969| 20 July 1969| | Giri was appointed as acting president following the death of Hussain. [13]  He resigned in a few months to take part in the presidential elections. [5]| | Muhammad Hidayatullah  * 1905–1992)| | 20 July 1969| 24 August 1969| | Hidayatullah served as the  Chief Justice of India, and was a recipient of the  Order of the British Empire. [14]  He served as acting president until the election of Giri as the President of India. | 4| Varahagiri Venkata Giri (1894–1980)| | 24 August 1969| 24 August 1974| Gopal Swarup Pathak| 1969 election page Giri is the only person to have served as both an acting president and president of India. He was a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, and has functioned as Indian Minister of Labour and High Commissioner to  Ceylon  (Sri Lanka). [15]| 5| Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed 1905–1977)| | 24 August 1974| 11 February 1977| Basappa Danappa Jatti| 1974 election page Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed served as a Minister before being elected as president. He died in 1977 before his term of office ended, and was the second Indian president to have died during a term of office. [16]| | Basappa Danappa Jatti  * (1912–2002)| | 11 February 1977| 25 July 1977| | Jatti was the vice president of India during Ahmed's term of office, and was sworn in as acting president upon Ahmed's death. He earlier functioned as the Chief Minister for the State ofMysore. [16][17]| 6| Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 1913–1996)| | 25 July 1977| 25 July 1982| Muhammad Hidayatullah| 1977 election page N. S. Reddy was the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh State. Reddy was the only Member of Parliament from the Janata Party to get elected from Andhra Pradesh. [18]  He was unanimously elected Speaker of the  Lok Sabha  on 26 March 1977 and relinquished this office on 13 July 1977 to become the 6th President of India. | 7| Gia ni Zail Singh (1916–1994)| | 25 July 1982| 25 July 1987| Ramaswamy Venkataraman| 1982 election page In March 1972, Singh assumed the position of chief Minister of Punjab, and in 1980, he became Union Home Minister. 19]| 8| Ramaswamy Venkataraman (1910–2009)| | 25 July 1987| 25 July 1992| Shankar Dayal Sharma| 1987 election page In 1942, Venkataraman was jailed by the British for his involvement in theIndia's independence  movement. [20]After his release, he was elected to independent India’s Provisional Parliament as a member of the Congress Party in 1950 and eventually joined the central government, where he first served as Minister of Finance and Industry and later as Minister of Defence. [21]| 9| Shankar Dayal Sharma 1918–1999)| | 25 July 1992| 25 July 1997| Kocheril Raman Narayanan| 1992 election page Sharma was Chief Minister of  Madhya Pradesh, and the Indian Minister for Communications. He has also served as the governor of  Andhra Pradesh,  Punjaband  Maharashtra. [22]| 10| Kocheril Raman Narayanan (1920–2005)| | 25 July 1997| 25 July 2002| Krishan Kant| 1997 election page Narayanan served as India's ambassador to Thailand, Turkey, China and United States of America. He received doctorates in Science and Law and was also a chancellor in several universities. [23]  He was also the vice-chancellor of  Jawaharlal Nehru University. 24]| 11| A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1931–)| | 25 July 2002| 25 July 2007| Bhairon Singh Shekhawat| 2002 election page Kalam, was a scientist who played a leading role in the development of India's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. [25]  Kalam also received theBharat Ratna. | 12| Pratibha Patil (1934–)| | 25 July 2007| Incumbent| Mohammad Hamid Ansari| 2007 election page Patil is the first woman to become the President of India. She was also the first female Governor of Rajasthan. [26][27]| ————————â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- [edit]Timeline

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Superior Court Observation

Business Law 115 Superior Court Observation The Superior Court session I observed was an alcohol impairment case. The defendant in this case, had been found guilty in District Court, but had filed an appeal to the District Court’s decision. The morning began with the juryselection process. The potential juror pool began with approximately 30 people. The Clerk of Court, Wendy Williams,drew twelve names at random form a bowl to begin the selection process. Once the initial twelve names were pulled, both attorneys had the opportunity to â€Å"interview† thepotential jurors. The prosecution attorney, Emily Cowen, began the process by asking each person to givesome general background information on themselves. This information included where they were from, how long they had lived in the Hendersonville area, their maritalstatus, occupation, etc. After getting this information, the prosecutor asked questions, such as: Did they feel they could hear the case and form an unbiased opinion? Had they ever served on a jury in the past? Had they ever had any negative experiences with any law enforcement officer? Other questions were asked more specifically referring to the DUI, such as: Did they have any family or friends who had been charged with DUI? The defense attorney, J. Michael Edney, then had the opportunity toask his questions. His questions had an emphasis on items such as whether they had a problem with alcohol use, etc†¦ After the initial questioning, three potential jurors were dismissed. One was dismisseddue to being a past victim of a drunk driver. The second was dismissed due to religious beliefs and the third was dismissed by the prosecutor for reasons that were not obvious to an observer. The Clerk of Court drew three more names from the bowl and those potential jurors were basically asked the same questions as the initial twelve. Of this group of three, the defense attorney dismissed two. The first was apparently dismissed because his brother had multiple DUI convictions. The reason for the second dismissal was not obvious. The Clerk of Court then drew two more names. These two potential jurors were questioned in the same manner and accepted by the attorneyson both side. After the jury of twelve was seated, the process was repeated to find an alternate. The purpose if the alternate was to step in if, for any reason, any of the jurors could not serve during the whole trial. The remaining jury pool was excused from the courtroom. The attorney for the Prosecution began with her opening statement, followed by the defense attorney. The prosecution called the first witness, an officer with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department. The officer was sworn in and then questioned by the Prosecutor about the events of the night when the defendant was placed under arrest. The defense attorney then cross-examined the witness, followed by a prosecution re-direct and then a defense re-cross examination. The witness was then excused. What struck me during the questioning were the actions of the judge. He sat with his head resting in his hand, almost like he was sleeping. However, he did not miss a beat when an objection was made. He either quickly sustained or over-ruled the objection without even raising his head. At this point in the proceedings, the judge called for a lunch recess. He instructed the jury of six rulesto follow during breaks, briefly these were: They were not to discuss the case amongst themselves. They were not to discuss the case with anyone else outside the courtroom. There should be no formation of an opinion until deliberation. They are not to communicate with anyone involved with the case. They should not read or listen to any media coverage about the trial. Lastly, if applicable, there should be no visitation of the crime scene or no independent inquiry. He explained that any violation of these rules would be considered contempt and punishable as so. After the recess, the prosecution called two more witnesses, another Sheriff’s deputy and an officer with the Highway Patrol. They were both questioned by the prosecution, then the defense. Both were also faced with a re-direct and a re-cross. The witnesses were excused after theirtestimony. At this point, the prosecution rested its case. The defense than began theircase presentation. The defense called the defendant to the stand to testify on his own behalf. After his initial testimony, he was cross-examined by the prosecution. There was no re-direct or re-cross. The defense rested their case. The jury was then sent out of the courtroom so the charge conference could take place. This process involves discussions the prosecution and defense as to which instructions would be given to the jury. There is a large set of written instructions and they discussed which are relevant to the case and would be provided to the jury. Once this was completed, the jury was called back into the courtroom and given instructions on the closing statements. These instructions were the same as they were for the opening statements. The defense gave his closing statement first, followed by the prosecution’s closing statement. The judge then instructed the jury on proper application of the law. He stated that if the prosecution did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, then they must find the defendant not guilty. However, if they did prove their case, the jury must find the defendant guilty. He also instructed the jury on the items agreed upon during the charge conference. The jury then retired to the deliberation room. At this point, the alternate juror is excused. While the jury was deliberating, I observed a conversation between the two attorneys and some other attorneys that happened to be in the courtroom. The prosecutor made the comment that the defendant admitted he had been drinking and that was basically the whole of the case. To that, the defense attorney relied, â€Å"The truth is irrelevant. † I found that statement quite surprising and it has stuck with me, I think, more than any other information. The jury did not come back with a verdict by the end of the day. When I called the Clerk of Court office the following morning, I was told that they had come back at around 10:30 am with a guilty verdict.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Big Business of Dairy Farming Essay Example

The Big Business of Dairy Farming Essay Example The Big Business of Dairy Farming Essay The Big Business of Dairy Farming Essay The Big Business of Dairy Farming : Big Trouble for Cows June 11, 2007 Most people are aware that dairies in the United States bear little resemblance to the idyllic pastures of yesteryear. As with other branches of animal agriculture, such as chicken and egg production, hog farming, and beef production as well as crop growing small, traditional dairy farms have been steadily pushed out of the business by large agribusiness concerns. Since the mid-20th century, the growth of factory farming has led to the transformation of agriculture, forcing small farmers to ? et big or get out.? Small farms cannot compete with big agricultural firms because they cannot achieve the same economies of scale. The American dairy industry annually produces about 20 billion gallons of raw milk, which is processed and sold as butter, cheese, ice cream, and fluid milk. This amounts to about INR 1,739. 31 billion in sales each year. There are between 65,000 and 81,000 U. S. dairies, yet corporate consolidat ion means that about half of the milk sold comes from just under 4 percent of the farms. While the large number of brands and labels on store shelves would seem to indicate a diversity of sources, in reality many of these brands are owned by a handful of large corporations. For example, the countrys largest dairy producer, Dean Foods, owns 40 or so brands, 3 of them representing organic milk. As the number of dairy farms has decreased, the size of those remaining has increased. Between 1991 and 2004, the number of U. S. dairies dropped by almost half, and the number of dairies with 100 or more cows grew by 94 percent. Because big businesses typically seek continuously increasing profits, production must be maximized, almost always at the expense of the cows in one way or another. The cows must be pushed to produce more and more milk. The production of large amounts of milk has called for changes that affect the animal’s health, including the use of drugs, mechanization, and factory-like housing conditions. Most dairy cows are raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs); about 10 percent of those are considered large CAFOs, each with more than 700 dairy cattle. One of the keys to higher production and higher profits is to increase the milk yield while raising fewer cows. Between 1950 and 2000, the number of dairy cows in the United States fell by more than half, yet during that same period, the average annual milk yield more than tripled. What made this possible, and how has it affected the welfare of the animals? Frequent pregnancy Cows are like any other mammal in that they produce milk for the nurturing of their young; in order to lactate, a cow must recently have given birth. In her natural state, a cow gives birth after nine months of gestation and nurses her calf for seven months to a year. This is ? wasted? time that a dairy factory farm can ill afford in addition to the fact that the milk is meant to go to market, not to the calf so calves born to dairy cows, whose primary purpose in being born is to induce lactation, are taken away either immediately after birth or within a day or so. This separation causes great distress to the mother, who would normally feed the calf more than a dozen times a day and, like other mammals, forms a strong bond with her young soon after birth. Male calves are killed or sent off to be raised for veal or beef. Females become dairy cows like their mothers; frequent replacement of herd members is necessary because the death rate of dairy cows is very high. Cows natural life expectancy is 20 years or more, but the average dairy cow lives just 3 to 4 years, exhausted by constant lactation and frequent disease. Cows on factory farms give birth once a year as a result of artificial insemination. About two to three months after calving, a cow is once again impregnated, and the cycle begins again. Lactation continues throughout, except for a few weeks break in between its cessation (about eight months or so after calving) and the next time she gives birth. Thus, dairy cows are induced to produce milk for most of the year. High-protein feed and growth hormones Cows naturally eat grass, which is how the bucolic image of dairy herds grazing in pastures became so well recognized. A diet of grass, however, is high-fiber and of low nutritional density and does not result in a high milk yield. The milk produced from this diet would be enough to feed a calf, but it is not enough to satisfy market needs. So modern dairy cows are fed a low-fiber, high-protein diet of grains such as corn and soy along with animal by-products. As ruminants, they have stomachs with four compartments that are made to process high-fiber grass; partially digested food, or cud, is regurgitated to again be chewed and swallowed, a process that occupies cows for up to eight hours a day. The feed given to cows on dairy farms, however, does not lend itself to this process and is thus difficult for them to digest, causing health problems. In addition, the use of high-protein diets because they contain animal protein, including, in the past, tissue from diseased cows has been implicated in the proliferation of mad cow disease. Another tool to increase milk yield is the use of the genetically engineered growth hormone rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). This hormone contributes to an average milk prouction of 100 pounds of milk per cow per day, 10 times as much milk as a calf would need. Maintaining such high production for such an unnatural length of time exhausts the cows bodies and depletes them nutritionally to such a degree that even the nutritionally dense feed cannot compensate. Copious milk production causes cowsbones to become severely deficient in calcium. They thus become prone to fracture, and the result is a sharp increase in the number of ? owned? cows, or ? downers,? a general term for farm and food animals who collapse, unable to stand up again, and must be destroyed. The use of rBGH causes other serious problems, including chronic mastitis (a painful bacterial infection and swelling of the udder), which is related to overproduction of milk. To treat infections and help prevent them, d airy farms routinely administer antibiotics to their cows. Antibiotics and rBGH find their way into the milk that humans drink. It is known that the overuse of antibiotics, including routine preventative use, encourages the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. In addition, milk from cows given rBGH shows an increased presence of IGF-1, an insulin-like growth factor, which has been shown to cause cancer in humans. The amount of IGF-1 present in milk produced by cows given rBGH is two to 10 times that in non-rGBH milk. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for regulating the use of such supplements, not only has allowed the use of rBGH but has also refused to allow the labeling of milk to advise consumers that it contains the hormone. The United States is the only industrialized nation that permits the use of growth hormone in animals used for food. How dairy cows are housed In 2001 more than 75 percent of dairy cows had no access to pasture. Cows in many dairies are housed in a combination of outdoor and indoor facilities, such as sheds, outdoor dirt corrals, and stall barns that may not have access to the open air and where cows may be tied up or otherwise restrained for long periods of time. Cows who are restrained in stalls show signs of stress from social isolation and the inability to lie down; further, they are likely to develop teat and skin injuries, lameness, and susceptibility to a variety of diseases. Over the last few decades, agribusiness dairies have experienced great growth in the southwestern United States, which has a very different climate from the country’s traditional dairy-producing regions, including New England and the Midwest. The Southwest does not have expanses of grassland, and most dairy cattle there are housed in unpaved dirt lots, or drylots. The undeveloped surface of such lots is hard on the cows and causes frequent lameness. Drylots offer inadequate protection from the elements, and heavy rains create layers of mud and manure several inches thick, often making it difficult or impossible for the cows to walk or lie down on a dry surface, which dairy experts recognize as a health requirement for cows. Further, the population density on dirt feedlots tends to be very high. In the southern regions of California, one of the largest dairy-producing states, the average number of cows per dairy was 800 to 1,000 in 2005aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ more than three times higher than it was in 1972. High density makes it difficult to maintain sanitation, and dairy cows housed this way are subject to frequent illness and infections. Organic dairies Unlike the sorry state of most so-called free-range? hicken facilities, the majority of organic milk producers do treat their cows well, providing access to pasture and proper feed, avoiding growth hormones, and adhering to ethical standards. However, the growth of the organic milk industry in the 1990s and the early 2000s has attracted the attention of agribusinesses, whose desire to participate in this lucrative market has led them to compromise organic standards and lobby for the degradation of such regulations at the federal level. According to a 2006 report by the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group, some of the countrys leading producers of milk, after entering the organic market, have attempted to transfer their factory-farm dairying techniques to the production of aâ‚ ¬? organicaâ‚ ¬? milk. The study found that nearly 20 percent of the organic-brand milk on store shelves was from producers following substandard practices. Consumers should be aware that some of the biggest names in the business are among those implicated.