Huaorani of Ecuador

The Huaorani Indians live in the Amazonian rainforest in Ecuador, and they are a semi-nomadic horticultural society. They hunt wild game, gather fruits, and berries, but they also grow their own plants. They live off the land and have to move from time to time usually every ten years or so in order to not over use the area. They are feared by many people in their region because of their violent reputation, they are temperamental, and unpredictable. The men and women have different chores, but are treated equal when making decisions. They usually have only two or three children because there are not enough resources to support too many children. They live in an egalitarian social system. Many searches have been utilized in order to try to find the most reliable and credible information possible. Some of the areas used include Google scholar search engine, Ashford online library to include ProQuest, yahoo search engine, however the ProQuest articles provide the best information. There have been many disappointments with finding non-credible sites. The first time that the Huaorani peacefully had contact with outsiders was back in 1958, when evangelical missionaries from the Summer Institute of Linguistics convinced a Huaorani woman that was a slave to go back to the forest she lived in as a child and help them relocate her family to a settlement and convert them to Christianity (Baihua, 2009). Due to oil companies trying to take over as much of the land as possible in order to get more oil they continued trying to get the Huaorani people to move to settlements and convert to Christianity. The missionaries told them that their culture was sinful and savage, and tried to pressure them into giving up their traditions and way of life. Since the missionaries tried to convert as many of the Huaorani as possible they have forced many deeper into the forest. They have retreated deeper in order to stay as pure to their tradition as possible. Many however did go with the missionaries and convert to Christianity which upset the rest that stayed true to the culture. The Huaorani tried their best to stay away from the outsiders, but the outsiders keep going after them and taking over more and more of their land. The oil companies continue to take over more land in order to find more oil. The Huaorani face many issues because of the oil companies that have taken over a large portion of their land. The Huaorani faced new diseases that sickened, and killed many of them. Their homes were invaded and destroyed by the outsiders. The oil companies have built a road through the heart of the Huaorani territory. Since the oil companies have done this it has severely hurt the habitat in which the Huaorani hunt. The rainforest that they hunted and gathered from was depleting very quickly, which caused food shortages. The oil companies have their own camps built within the Ecuadorian forest, which has exposed the locals to all of the material items that outside world has. Things like stereos, televisions, alcohol, and other luxuries. â€Å"While some Huaorani have resisted the patrollers, others have become dependent on them, some even becoming oil company employees,† (Cuna, 2007, para. 8). â€Å"The Huaorani believe that when someone dies, the soul starts a journey towards heaven. On the way, in the middle of the path, a big anaconda is obstructing the way. Only brave souls can jump the boa and reach heaven. Whoever fails, returns to earth as a termite, and leads a miserable existence,† (Cuna, 2007, Para. 12). When it comes to death the Huaorani do not fear it, nor do they morn for the one’s that pass. They do not have a big funeral like Americans do. They simply bury their dead and go on with life, there are no condolences offered. They have no sense of time when it comes to age and things like this. If you were to ask a man or woman how old they were they would not be able to tell you because they do not keep up with that. The Huaorani of Ecuador hunt with blowguns and spears made out of chonta wood which is very heavy (Cuna, 2007). They also use a fruit carcass that is filled with cotton to make it hard, and darts that they are curare-dipped (Cuna, 2007). The curare is made by mixing various vines and plants together and boiling them, which creates the poison that paralyzes and kills the prey (Cuna, 2007). The Huaorani are primarily hunters and their diet consists of monkey, wild boar, and turtles, but they also eat bananas and other native fruits in the area. They have a connection with the forest that is unknown to many people. Their connection with the rainforest is important to their survival in that without that connection they would not have the knowledge and abilities to gather and survive otherwise. The Huaorani acquired a few new methods for hunting from the outsiders. These items include shotguns and dynamite, which caused them problems because it made it too easy. By making it so easy they killed more than they needed to, which depleted the wildlife in the area. They hurt themselves by doing this because by killing all the animals they no longer had any to hunt. With no animals to hunt they would have no food other than berries, which caused weight loss and forced them to move. Huaorani fear snakes because they believe that they are evil and that is why in death the warriors have to jump over a snake in order to go on to live forever. They honor the jaguar in a sense because they think that the jaguar allows them to communicate with the spirits. They also have respect and interest in the trees because of the medicine they get from them, and because they relate the growth of trees to their own growth. How the leafs change with age and how the trees progress throughout the years. The trees are complex in the way they mature and grow just as the Huaorani do. They usually live in small settlements that they have planted vegetable gardens in and they grow manioc, maize, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and many types of fruits. That way they can have something besides just the meat that the men gather from the forest. By planting these gardens they have to move every ten years or so in order to keep from over exerting the land. Moving allows the land to heal itself so that it can be planted again years later. Huaorani living quarters are made up of smaller sub settlements within the larger settlement which are positioned at distances of a couple days walk from one another. They do this in case of danger and resource depletion. This is a prerequisite to the egalitarian social system that they live by (Rival, 2005). Their houses can provide shelter for ten or so people all of the same family. There is almost always laughter and joking going on throughout the households because the Huaorani are very close. Men in the tribe wear a cotton string like clothe around their waist that also holds their genital in the upright position. Women wear a similar cotton string clothe, but theirs is thinner. Once children are able to walk on their own they can then wear the cotton string clothe, but not until then. Huaorani children are very self-sufficient and independent, and their relations with the adults are devoid of authority. Adults have no sense of hierarchical superiority, and they are not over-protective of the children. The Huaorani define independence as the ability to bring food back and share it with others. The next stage of maturity for both genders is when they are mature enough and decide they want to get married. This is when they get their ears pierced and have a wedding ceremony. These ear piercings are not like ours, they have hard pieces of wood placed in the holes until they get to the right size. Gender relations consist of the men being the hunters, the women can hunt but usually do not instead they gather fruits, and berries, and take care of the children. The men and women are treated equally when it comes to family decisions, however there are different chores. The Huaorani women are strong and independent, and also know what plants to use as a natural birth control in order to limit themselves to two or three children. The children learn from their elders by observing and trying to imitate them. At very young ages the children are able to be on their own, once they have learned to walk and share food. Huaorani do not really care about the children talking so much as they do singing, sharing, and hunting. The affect that the horticulturist life style has on the gender relations is noticeable by the roles that each member of the family plays. As far as being gathers of meat, berries, childcare, and marriage. There is informal education among the Huaorani when it comes to the children learning their place and responsibilities based on gender. The children stay close to adults knowing that they will not be sent away. No one tells the child to do this, but they begin to imitate what they see their elders doing. Children do not get scolded or praised for their behavior by anyone in the household. The children have no bedtimes they just play until they fall asleep. This type of education may not be acceptable in our society, but this is what they know. This is their way of life and how they grow and mature throughout their life. Children finish the first stage of life maturity when they can walk and gather on their own and in return home and share what they got. Kinship in the Huaorani society is very important in that family life is the most important thing to them. The kinship consists of mother, father, children, spouses, and grandchildren. This helps with the daily responsibilities that are required of the family. If something were to happen to a child such as becoming orphaned then other family members will automatically take the child in as their own. The horticulturist lifestyle affects the kinship of the Huaorani because they live in small groups based on their family unit in order to ensure that their families are provided for. They take care of family first as far as food and other much needed supplies are concerned. Political organization, there really is not any except for when there is a major conflict only then is there any type of leadership. No one gives orders to anyone, they all know what they have to do and they do it. There is no need for political organization unless there is a major issue that arises and that is usually not between kin or other Huaorani settlements, but outsiders. This is because they usually settle any disputes on their own by giving food to one another or by killing the offending party. The beliefs that they have affect the lack of political organization needed. Their main idea is to be as self-sufficient and independent as possible that is the egalitarian society. When a member of the household becomes sick all the other members have to live with the same food restrictions to help the sick person recover (Rival, 1998). Relatives that live in a different house do not share the same food restrictions. Members usually share illnesses when living in the same house. There is natural medicine made from various plants to help with certain diseases and for birth control. Illnesses have become worse since the Huaorani have made contact with the outsiders. The outsiders brought new diseases that they have never experienced before. These diseases have hurt and even killed many of them because they refuse help from the outsiders and they themselves do not have the cures for them. The Huaorani have had changes in their social life due to the outsiders taking much of their land. They have had to run deeper into the rainforest in order to remain free. By doing this their life changed because they had to give up some of the land that they once used for daily life. However, they still laugh and joke among each other. They still enjoy the company of their kin and make the best of their life. The outsiders have brought out the worst in them by angering them, which led to deaths of outsiders in order for them to protect their own way of life. Beliefs and values that are shared and practiced by the Huaorani are very important. Their beliefs are directly affected by their horticulturalist life style, in that they are all about sharing and taking care of their kin. They have ceremonies for important maturity stages such as becoming an adult, preparing for marriage, and the wedding itself. They values that they have are being true and taking care of their own. They do not value material items because they do not need them. Without their beliefs and values they would have nothing. Huaorani economy is all about sharing among the sub settlement members. They are all about sharing meat, berries, and other necessities. Adults share with each other and help one another when gathering food. Children go out with the adults and gather food also, and they bring it back to the house to share with everyone. Everyone works together in the household to ensure that no one lacks what they need to survive. They also defend their home together so that no harm comes to their family. Everyone in the household will have food to eat because the food collected by one member is shared with all. They do not however share with members of a different sub settlement because they have no reciprocity between them. This is just not a common thing for them. If they did give food and then got nothing in return it would cause a war between the two settlements. The future of the Huaorani looks very gloomy in my opinion. They have been through so much in the past thirty years, and who knows how much more they can endure. If the oil companies continue to take over more and more of the rainforest then the Huaorani will soon have nowhere left to hunt. Without the government standing by their word and keeping a certain amount of land secure for them they will surely come to their demise. Their cultural safety is in harm due to the continued desires for the oil rich soil that they depend on for their livelihood. In conclusion the Huaorani people are a semi-nomadic horticulturalist society that has little need for political organization, and gender relations and kinship are affected by their egalitarian social system. Their horticulturalist lifestyle affects every aspect of their daily life to include kinship, gender relations, and social organization. Everything in their daily life is affected in some way by their beliefs and cultural practices. Without their kinship there is no way that they would be able to survive as a people. Their lack of political organization may be a bad thing for them given their current state with the outsiders continually taking over more of their land.

Failing business Essay

Many are quick to remember one’s failure and slow to remember the redeeming moments. My life is no different. I am only human and I too have made my own mistakes in life. Though I sometimes have the tendency to move on from failure and perhaps forget, there are many who are only too quick to remind me of my past. Learning from this, I have vowed to treat each failure as a learning experience; One that makes me stronger and makes me better. This is the lesson that I learned from what some people would consider as one of the most challenging days of my life. I recently discovered that the pursuit of one’s goals is not as easy as it seems. When one looks at all the successful businessmen in the world, it does not seem apparent that they had to undergo many challenges to become successful. Yet as I have learned, there is so much work and effort that is needed to succeed in life. This is how my first business, a commercial cleaning service, became a failure but ultimately a success because I learned a very valuable lesson from it. The plan of the commercial cleaning service was simple. I had intended to take advantage of the lack of cleaning services in my area. I noticed that there were very few cleaning services and if there were any they were either inefficient, too expensive or both. Being a novice entrepreneur, I figured that this was an opportunity that was a guaranteed success; after all, all I had to do was simply offer better service and better prices. This was my first mistake. In making this assumption, I did not consider the fact that the ones who had established themselves before me had probably thought of these same advantages. I was naive to think that only I had the monopoly of great ideas and that others were not able to think as well. This presented the first challenge because I was unprepared for what happened. The initial costing for supplies and capital equipment was way higher than anticipated due to the fact that I was trying to provide quality service. Since I had already made those investments, I had to readjust my computations on Return on Investment and saw that the only way that I would be able to cover the daily expenses was to increase the price. So, instead of providing cheap and good quality service, I was constrained to offer only quality service. This unfortunately paved the way for the next problem which was the fact that I did not have prior experience in this field. While I did consider myself a neat freak, I was certainly out of my league when it came to running a commercial cleaning service. I failed to consider the fact that there are so many variables to consider and that when one has employees one has to ensure that they do their duties satisfactorily. This was no longer just a simple matter of telling people to clean something and making sure it was done properly. It involved going over the shifts and ensuring that every detail was not overlooked. Aside from this, I had to also consider the welfare of the people who were working under me. No matter how motivated I was, I could not seem to convince my employees to have the same passion and conviction. This was lesson number three for me; I learned that employees are never really motivated to perform unless they have a personal stake in the matter. I needed to get them involved on a personal level and believe in offering quality service at a good price. Unfortunately, the only thing they were interested in was clearing their pay and spending their money. Suffice it to say that the business soon failed. I was disheartened by the harsh reality check that happened but I am proud to say that I have learned from this experience. I could have lost much more to learn that valuable lesson. As I look back at that memory, I greet it with a smile knowing that even though it resulted in failure, I would not be the person I am today were it not for that experience. The thing about life is that there is always hope and there are several chances to fail and even more chances to succeed; as long as one has the drive and the passion.

Constitutional Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Constitutional Law - Research Paper Example The legislative branch of the United States federal government is the framer of Article One of the United States Constituency. This article is comprised of various sections and sub-sections that deals with structure, composition and functional ability of the government (See Touby vs. United States, 191). However, the way this article is written, the language seems to more be favorable to the Congress and not others. As it says all the legislative powers should be vested in a Congress of United States. What if there is some other government gets the opportunity to form government. Then it would look like they will amend this section in favor of them and it would go on like that (Mistretta vs United States, 1989). Though Sections 9 and 10 deals with the limits of both Congress and States it would have been more impactful if the framer of the constitution would not get influenced while framing the Article. This article constitutes the executive branch of the government. This includes President, Vice President and other executive officers and staffs that are appointed by the President. In this article it is mentioned that the executive powers of the federal government is vested in the President (Woods, 2013). The language of this article is more impactful as it clearly states what are the roles and responsibilities of the President without confronting Congress or Republican Presidential Candidate. This article looks like the framer does not get influenced by any party or the government and the article clearly mentions that the President should hold the Office for four years along with the Vice President post which the election of the new President would be held according to the constitutional procedure (Vasan & Sidak, 2002). Unlike Articles I and II, Article III has only three sections. This section deals with federal courts and judicial powers of the States. This article establishes the judicial branch of the

Cuban Legal System and Stereotypes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cuban Legal System and Stereotypes - Essay Example The movie creates negative stereotypes of Cuban people as criminals and drug-dealers. It portrays that the majority of immigrants are criminals who follow the same way of life in America. Immigrants can acquire schooling in either the country of origin or in the country of destination. The movie portrays that immigration has been an economic phenomenon, operating through labor demand within more or less competitive labor markets in the United States. Workers like Manny and Tonny, have quickly responded as economic men and women to any indications that jobs were available to them; the pay that they could earn in the United States was many times greater than the sums that they received for subsistence farming, hired farm work, or other kinds of low-skilled employment in Mexico. With wages on the order of seven to ten times higher in the United States than in Ciba throughout the century, an extremely strong motive force for migration has existed and has produced actual migration wheneve r U.S. employers have beckoned. Cuban people are portrayed as low skilled and low educated who agree on any job even if it illegal. I select these stereotypes (stereotypes of a criminal and poor immigrant) because they reflect the plot and message sent by the movie. Poverty and underemployment in Cuba are conditions from which many workers have obviously wanted to escape, but escape is not possible until there is someplace to escape to. The United States at various times has put out a call for Mexican workers. Poverty in Cuba has meant that an ever-ready pool of labor has been available south of the border, waiting to be tapped; it is clear that U.S. economic agents, largely employers, have decided when that pool would be tapped. In other words, Mexican migration, at least until recently, has not been a case of workers and their families unilaterally overriding U.S. border and immigration control in order to escape

Find a research based article in a business journalsand appraise the Essay

Find a research based article in a business journalsand appraise the methodology employed and the - Essay Example Primarily analyzing the business information through a set of processes can be termed as market research. It involves the use of technology for obtaining the desired information from these processes. Basic purpose of acquiring information by any organization is to assess the business environment, carry out marketing research, make sales forecasting and conduct competitor analysis. Various technologies and methodologies are used for collecting and saving the information in easily accessible format. This data is frequently used for making correct and timely decisions for enhancing the profitability. (â€Å"Business Planning,† 2005). The article under review is â€Å"Managing the development of technology-based courses success factors from eight government training courses† written by Rowley, Kurt published in Acquisition Review Quarterly; January 2003. In this article primary research techniques are employed to â€Å"determine success factors identified in traditional higher education distance learning research literature were important to technology-based course development† (Kurt, 2003) The researcher started the article by giving brief background of the subject and then reviewed the literature with accredited and authentic citations. Primary research methods of data collection were used by adopting qualitative methodology. Various formats of guided interviews were designed for primary data collection. The interview were designed in such way so that exploration process may become easier, the interview question were prepared in the light of literature review and objectives of the research.. The interviews were conducted directly for gathering more reliable data. The interview methodology was properly ratified by involving two researchers at initial stage afterwards one researcher conducted interviews. (Kurt, 2003) After collecting primary data and reviewing literature the data was analyzed systematically in the light of prior knowledge

Behaviorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Behaviorism - Essay Example Write a speech to be delivered in front of politicians, appealing to them to act for a drug-free state MATERIALS AND RESOURCES Instructional Materials: Copy of the poem Pad paper for writing Ballpen Pictures of street people doing drugs Resources: â€Å"We Real Cool† A Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN Sequence of Instructional Procedures/Activities/Events (provide description and indicate approximate time for each): 1. Review/Assumptions Students already know the basic concepts in analyzing a poem such as persona, addressee and situation. They should know that the persona and the author are different. Although there are times when the situation in the poem relates closely with the experience of the author, it should be assumed that the author is thinking of another persona as his poem’s persona. 2. Presentation of New Information or Modeling: The teacher provides a brief introduction about the author, Gwendolyn Brooks and how famous her poem is (5 minutes). 3 . Guided Practice: The teacher shows the way to write a speech by asking students to think of a thesis statement they can use to start the speech and asking them to identify three points for discussion. The teacher checks if the students are able to write these four ideas before they proceed with the writing (5 minutes). 4. Independent Student Practice: Students work in pairs to write a persuasive speech based on their reaction to the poem. After writing, one of the students in the pair reads the speech in front of the class (20 minutes). 5. Culminating or Closing Procedure/Activity/Event: Students choose the best speech and tell the reasons why they like it (5 minutes). Pedagogical Strategy (or Strategies): Partner work; Reader-response Approach Differentiated Instruction: Students with difficulties will be paired with those without difficulties, in the same way that those who are good in English writing will be paired with those who are not. The students are encouraged to think of three points to discuss in their speech but there is no requirement as regards the length of the speech. Student Assessment/Rubrics: The following rubrics will be used to evaluate the speech made by students: Criteria 1 2 3 4 5 1. The speech has a well-defined thesis. 2. The speech contains three main points that support the thesis. 3. The speech is persuasive; its main points are clear and true to the real-life scenario. 4. The speech is free of grammatical errors. 5. The speech is free from biases and fallacies; direct to the point and informative. â€Å"We Real Cool† A Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks The Pool Players.   Seven at the Golden Shovel. We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon.   B.   Discuss how you could modify the lesson plan you provided to incorporate behaviorism. 1.   Justify a curriculum content modification in the lesson plan that incorporates behaviorism. Setting the mood of st udents is an important feature of the behaviorist classroom (Wheldall, 2012). Behaviorists try to avoid negative behaviors by reinforcing positive ones (Wheldall, 2012). In the given lesson, the teacher could say, â€Å"

Will be provide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Will be provide - Essay Example creased from 3 to 3% and following system stabilization the flow set point percentage was found to remain constant but the position of the flow valve had closed slightly from 30.1 to 47.5%. Additionally, the level valve had closed from 32.7 to 25.6%. The results were recorded. The level of the tank and the capacity section was ascertained with the help of a meter stick attached to the tank and the reading was compared to that of a controller. The compared levels ((%) vs. level) was plotted in meters and from the figure the line of best fit as determined by the transmitter gain was found to be1.206 %/cm. The next part of the experiment involved comparison of readings taken from four different flow measuring devices to a standard change in volume over time. While the flow rates of the rotameter and transmitter were read in USGPM, those of the controller and console were taken as percent rates. With gradual increase in the height over time the changes noted in the height was used for volume calculation. Appendix 2 includes the flow rates and after conversion of the actual flow rates to USGPM, a comparison between all the actual, rotameter and transmitter flow rates indicated a mutual agreement in the rates. The flow rates of the console and controller were closer as they used the same controller. The characteristics of the valve were determined for the flow and level value by increasing the flow percentage and taking the valve position values from the display controller. A plot of the Fractional Flow (Flow %/Max Flow %) vs. fractional valve opening which is indicative of the flow and level valve can be used to determine valve characteristics such as to quick-opening, linear, or equal-percentage relationships. In this case, a plot of both valves showed an almost linear valve character except for a slight distortion in the quick opening which can be attributed to drop in pressure across the value. While the valves had identical and linear characters originally,

Opening Excises Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Opening Excises - Assignment Example The teacher then can explain what the term means to the students. This way, the class is already introduced in the subject in a fun and engaging way. The game can be divided into two rounds. The first round is the easy round scoring only 1 point per guess. The second round will be the difficult round and the score is two points. Losing team/s will still have a chance to catch up in the difficult round. There is a catch however. In the difficult round, there are two boxes of papers that will be guessed. The words or phrases that will be guessed by the other team will instead be chosen by the other team/s to make it more difficult. As usual, the other competing teams can also steal the point by correctly guessing the word or phrases by one attempt. The game can also be modified depending on the subject. The words and phrases can be replaced by other words. It can even be used during parties, events and gatherings to break the ice among

Mergers, Acquisitions, and International Strategies Research Paper

Mergers, Acquisitions, and International Strategies - Research Paper Example The second company is selected on the merit that it is a public corporation with no history of mergers and acquisition and it operates solely within the United States market; the company that was selected under this merit is the Buffalo Wild Wings. The researcher paper will evaluate the strategy that led to the mergers and acquisitions undertaken by McDonald’s Corporation and it will stipulate whether the mergers and acquisitions were wise choices. In addition, the research paper will evaluate McDonald Corporation’s international business-level strategy and corporate-level strategy and then provide recommendations for improvements. Secondly, the research paper will identify one company that would be a profitable candidate for Buffalo Wild Wings to merge with or acquire. Lastly, the paper will propose one business-level strategy and one corporate-level strategy that can be effective and profitable for Buffalo Wild Wings. McDonald’s Corporation According to Warwick (2013), McDonald Corporation is the largest publicly traded hamburger fast food restaurant chain in the world, which serves averagely 60 million customers in over 115 countries across the world on a daily basis. The McDonald brothers originally started the company in 1940 but it was fully acquired by Ray Kroc who joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955, and this marked the first experience of the company with mergers and acquisitions. Among the companies that the McDonald Corporation has acquired or merged within its years of operations, including the Piles Cafe, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Donatos Pizza but it has sold off the two latter subsidiaries (Warwick, 2013). The McDonald’s restaurants offer a wide menu to their customers, which consist of French fries, hamburgers, chicken, cheeseburgers, soft drinks, breakfast items, desserts, milkshakes, fruits, smoothies, wraps, salads, and fish. Presently, the company boasts of total assets worth over $32 billion and tot al revenue of over $27 billion and a net income of over $ 5 billion in the past financial year. Buffalo Wild Wings Warwick (2013) wrote that Scott Lowery and James Disbrow opened up the first Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in 1982 at Columbus, Ohio. As of 2013, the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant chain, which trades at the NASDAQ, had established its operations in approximately 910 locations mostly in North America and currently, there are ongoing talks about the expansion of the restaurant chain. The menu of Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants mainly consists of Buffalo wings and sauces. In the last financial year, the company generated $748 million in revenues from across its entire business operations. Strategy for McDonald’s mergers and acquisitions According to Warwick (2013), McDonald’s boosts of more than 34,000 locations worldwide and this has been facilitated by the franchising strategy that has so far enabled the corporation to have representation in many countries a nd further enabling it to become among the most popular brands in the world. Besides the franchising strategy, McDonald’s has been able to have a wide market presence because of acquisitions and mergers with other restaurant chains. Concerning this Warwick (2013) stated that McDonald’s undertook various mergers and acquisitions deals during the 1990’s which enabled it to significantly increase its market share, revenue level, and the net income.

Analyse current issues facing schools, teacher and the education Essay

Analyse current issues facing schools, teacher and the education system and evaluate the impact these issues have on the school and the wider community - Essay Example ain homework in a wider way, several researchers explain that the teachers provide few educational tasks to their students during the non-instructional time. According to the report of L.A. Country High School (2014), homework is having an influence on the educational development of the students in the US. From a generalised viewpoint, homework can be described as an important quality task, which is assigned by the teachers to apprentices as a measure of their regular progress and as a tool to identify the developmental needs throughout the process. Homework is mainly instructed by teachers to be completed during the free hours for students at home, which also makes it a difficult process to be mentored and monitored. Based on this notion, Hendrickson (2012) argues that in the modern educational era, the actual importance of importance of homework in the student’s life remains to be obscure and unclear, especially in subjects like maths. Correspondingly, this essay focuses on obtaining an in-depth understanding regarding the importance of homework in the modern educational system and the challenges it presents thereto. In this regard, the study also emphasises the impact of homework on students, teachers and parents. In addition, an analysis has been conducted with the aim of determining the issue relating to whether the system of homework should be banned. When arguing on the banning of homework, Provenzano & Yue (2011) affirmed that it is an inseparable part of the educational life of the students in Japan when learning English. Notionally, homework is determined as a bridge of creating interaction between school and home. It is in this context that the research conducted by Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) revealed teachers, parents and school leaders, to consider homework as a valuable educational tool for enhancing the key skills of the students that include their cognitive skills and interpretation skills (Falch, 2011). Commonly, in the modern

A Tale of Two Cities Character Carton Analysis Essay Example for Free

A Tale of Two Cities Character Carton Analysis Essay In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney Carton’s character went through a series of decisions that affected the outcome of the novel. Sydney Carton looks almost looks exactly the same as Charles Darnay, but the main difference, was that Darnay was sober a majority of the time, and he cared and worked for his life. Lucie, the love of Carton’s life, had fallen in love with Darnay. After Carton realized that Lucie would have picked him if he hadn’t been so slavish and drunk a majority of the time, he decided to change. He knew he had already lost Lucie, but he thought that maybe he could still use the rest of his life for the better. His decision to change was not state out right, but the events in the novel, led the reader to the conclusion, that he turned around his life for Lucie. At the beginning of the novel, when Carton is first introduced, he is sitting in the courtroom staring at the ceiling. The author made it seem like Carton did not care what was going on in the courtroom, but later the reader discovers that Carton was listening to the case the entire time. Carton had heard a flaw in the prosecutor’s plan, and he gave a note to Stryver, resulting in an acquittal, which Stryver had received full credit. As the reader continues reading, it is later discovered that Carton is the hand guiding Stryver, while Stryver is just the image. Carton never did anything for himself; because he was too busy helping others. Later in the novel, Carton planned an almost full proof plan to help Charles Darnay. Even though he had made the decision to change, and think out a plan, he never lost the characteristic of putting others before himself. Although he took the place of the Darnay, before his death, he took it for Lucie. As Carton’s character is slowly unfolded throughout the second book, the reader can conclude that Carton dislikes Darnay. Carton dislikes Darnay, because Darnay is the constant reminder to Carton of what he could have been like, if he had not made bad choices in law school and made good choices in general. Whenever Carton came over to the Manette’s home, and was in the presence of Darnay, he was even more quiet then usual. However, when he decided to turn his life around, he buried his hatred for Darnay, and treated him with respect. Even with this decision, carton could not have Lucie, but she accepted him as part of her own family, and he was content with that. At the end of the novel, Carton takes time to plan out a five-step plan to save Darnay, and ends up sacrificing himself for a man he use to hate. Part of Carton’s old personality, was that he always wore his emotions on his sleeve. He thought he was useless and he lacked self-esteem. This was shown throughout the beginning of the book, for he was a drunk resembling his worthless life. He didn’t speak in the conversation unless it was a topic that he truly cared for. Right before his change, he professed his love to Lucie. After his change, he learned to hide his emotions. Although he may not like Darnay, he kept those feelings to himself. He stayed mysterious in Book III, in order for his plan to be successful and his appearance to be surprising. The character, Sydney Carton, was given a second chance as their life was resurrected. Lucie Manette is responsible for the resurrection of Sydney Carton, for she was the inspiration that got Sydney Carton off his feet. Carton twice saves Charles Darnay even though he disliked him. Carton described himself as a wasted creature but Lucy explained that she had faith in him and that he was capable of doing better things. He ended up promising that he would do anything for her, sacrificing his life for Charles Darnay. By hiding his emotions, he was able to carry out a plan without anyone attempting to stop him. Carton strived to become a better person and change his life around because Lucie believed in him. Because of the change in Carton, Darnay’s life is spared and Carton dies with dignity, knowing his life was not a waste.

The strengths and weaknesses of the EU

The strengths and weaknesses of the EU In 2005 Turkish Foreign minister stated I believe that Turkey will become a full member of the EU in the end. Then those who have some hesitations about Turkey will have totally different views. In fact, Turkeys orientation towards the institutions of the West dates from the creation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Since then, commitments to Westernization and modernization have been central themes of Turkeys state ideology.Indeed, Turkish political elite considers that accession to the EU is a symbol for the successful completion of the longà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ term Ataturk revolution On the other hand, from the European perspective and according to the last European progress report; Turkey has significant deficiencies from a political, economic and even institutional perspective. And so, Turkeys membership might not be very well perceived from the European angle. In fact, even thought significant political and economic changes were made, Turkish accession to the EU is still at a slow pace. Some consider that this is due to the fact that turkeys membership will push the European borders to some troubled region, and as a consequence the EU will acquire direct contact with region of instability. And so, if for some, Turkey will weaken the EU because not only it does not belong to the EU geographically and identically but also because it has many structural and institutional weaknesses for others a literate and qualified Turkish population will make a positive impact on the EU . Therefore, the question here will be whether the Turkish membership will strengthen or weaken the European Union. And my thesis is that Turkeys membership could affect not only the nature but also the functioning of the EU. In order to answer this question, focuses will be made on the liberal intergovernmentalism theory. In fact this theory considers that members will calculate the advantages of enlargement in terms of the cost and benefits of socioeconomics interdependence of various types. And so, liberal intergovernmentalism seeks to analyze how can we rescue and adapt the nation states mainly by analyzing state preferences not only in economical but also in geopolitical and ideological field. Hence to achieve this Chapter I will approach how Turkeys membership will strengthen the European Union Chapter II will analyze how Turkey can weaken the EU and finally Chapter III will be a synthesis. Main part: The European Union has never been an exclusive club. From the beginning of the integration process, fellow European countries were welcome to apply for membership. However, as the Union was deepening its integration and growing in size, the question of where and when to stop the enlargement became controversial. In fact, with Turkeys possibility to join the EU many debates seems to be emerging. Therefore, it seems necessary to the EU to a democratic governance system to ensure that a Union of 28 or 30 or more countries can function effectively not become a recipe for stagnation or even implosion. For the accession to be possible Turkey has also to maintain its progress in both economic and political because regression would be fatal to its goal of EU membership. 2.1- Turkey Weakening the EU: Many European leaders have argued that the European identity will be lost if Turkey joined the European Union. For instance, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl once said that a Muslim country like Turkey does not belong in Europe. In addition, the former President of France, Valà ©ry Giscard dEstaing stated in an interview in Le Monde in 2002 that a future inclusion of Turkey in the Union would be the end of Europe since Turkey is not a European country. In fact, from the unions perspective the accession of a country is rational if it provides security to the union and raises the economical benefit. However since Turkey has a small economy and has limited trade volume, many assume that it will have marginal effect on growth in the current EU. As the numbers that were published concerning this subject shows Turkey is considered to have the poorest income in the region. And so, Turkish accession (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) would increase regional economic disparities in the enlarged EU by an estimated 9%, representing a major challenge for cohesion policy. In addition to that, Turkeys demography is also considered as a burden to the EU. In fact, Turkeys population estimated at 73 million is considered one of the largest populations in Europe. And so, with the accession of Turkey there is a risk that migration from Turkey to other European countries raises. Moreover, Turkeys demography might also affect negatively the decision making in the European Union. As Laffan and Stubb note there are fears that Turkey as one of the largest states in the EU could deteriorate not only the voting relations between the members states but also the whole political and institutional European architecture. And so, with a population predicted to increase to 83 million by 2014, Turkey will be the most powerful country in the voting system. In fact, if Turkey joined the EU, Turkey will have right to 96 members in the European parliament and by this she will be joining the club of the big countries such as France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. So with this sharing system Turkey will have a proportion of 12, 8% of votes. This is why smaller countries such as Holland are opposed to this enlargement. Actually, they refuse the idea that Turkey, a new coming country will play such an important role in the decision making of the union whereas their role is being reduced with every enlargement. In fact, with Turkeys adhesion, and a European union with 28 countries, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Turkey will be deciding the future of the 24 others. Turkish demography is also considered a problem because the Turkish population in mainly Muslim. In fact, some government insisted to mention the Christian nature of the EU in the draft of the European constitution in 2003 and this shows to what extent some might refuse the idea that countries without Christian tradition become members of the EU. Moreover, recent polls show that the majority of Europeans now oppose further enlargement of the European Union, and that Turkey receives particularly low levels of support in France, and across Europe more broadly, mainly because it is perceived as religiously different . Furthermore, Turkish accession means that the EU in reality swaps the instability problems of a stable neighbor with severe instability problems of Iran Iraq and Syria. In fact, Turkeys difficulties in gaining EU membership might be better understood as practical geopolitical problems associated with enlargement. And so, being caught between the Middle East and the Caucasus would make the enlarged EU more exposed and vulnerable. Finally, Turkeys relation with its neighboring European countries does not bring any help and so Turkey faces two local rivals (Greece and Cyprus) in the EU who hold veto power over Turkish accession. 2.2- Turkey Strengthening the EU: In opposition, Turkey might positively influence the European Union. First of all, and from an economical perspective, Turkey is considered as one of the largest market in the world. It is the seventh major import partner with the EU and the fifth major export partner. As Avery notes its growing economy and young labor force would bring benefits for the single market. And so, since EU will need in the future young and cheap labor, Turkeys accession might then be helpful for the future development and the economic growth of the European Union. Besides, Turkey is a large country with a large demography, and so its potential as a market of good is important. In fact, as the statistics shows turkey is the seventh major important partner of the EU and the fifth major import partner. In addition, and since the construction of the oil pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Turkeys role as a key transit country for energy supplies is also imperative to the EU. And so, It can be argued that in economic terms Turkey not only is important to the EU both for its impact on internal and external economic relations but also that it will strengthen the EUs economic capabilities. Secondly, Admission of Turkey to the European Union would provide undeniable proof that Europe is not a closed Christian Club . In fact, with Turkeys accession the union will appear as a more tolerant society. And so, with this integration Europe could play an inestimable role in future relations between the West and the Islamic world. This can also help promoting the soft power of the European Union and reinforcing it. Moreover, due to her geo- strategic position Turkey would add new dimensions to the Unions foreign policy efforts in such vitally important regions as the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Central Asia and South Caucasus.And so; this will help the union gain an important role in those regions. For instance, concerning the Middle East region, Turkeys membership would be very helpful to the EU. In fact, the good relations that Turkey entertains with both Israeli and Palestinians will help increasing the unions weight and this could be put to good use in common efforts towards peacemaking and stabilization in this strategically critical region. Furthermore, concerning the European Security and defense policy Turkeys considerable military capabilities and the countrys potential as a forward base would be important and much-needed assets. In fact, Turkey has participated in the work of the convention to the future of Europe and brought her own vision to improve the European security and defense policy so that she can be able to face todays challenges. In addition, As one of the strongest NATO partners, with a clear orientation toward ESDP, Turkey would be of great value for the European defense system. Finally, refusing the integration of Turkey, might affect the credibility of the EU. In fact, as Smith notes The sense of responsibility toward the candidate countries, the sense of shared European identity, the strategic imperatives favouring big bang enlargement and the fact that the EU could not have backed down from its promises without a serious loss of credibility and legitimacy all helped to sustain the momentum. Synthesis: Turkey has two souls: one secular and European, the other Asian and Muslim. And this is where the whole problem stands. On one hand, Turkey tend to join the EU and resemble to the European countries and on the other questions about whether Turkey is European or whether Turkey should join the EU are still subject of debates. In fact, another problem needs to be raised here: The Turkish public opinion. Actually, The Turkish public is becoming increasingly resentful towards the EU because of a perception that, while the country is negotiating membership, the EU itself is still debating whether or not it should be allowed in. Even thought Turkey has made many reforms in order to attain the European standard, some changes still needs to be done. First of all and from a political perspective, Turkey has ratified two UN treaties the first concerning civil and political rights and the second social and economic rights but this is still not sufficient. The European Commission still argues that political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights are not fully guaranteed and that more efforts are needed to enhance the coherence of legal provisions and practice. From an economic point of view Turkeys recent economic reforms have shown it capable of lowering inflation and promoting enterprise growth while weathering two recent, regional economic shocks. And so, if liberal intergovernamentalists, such as Moravcsik, perceives economic groups as the key driving force for integration then with the changes that were made Turkey can be perceived as capable of being member of the EU since both Turkey and the EU will benefit from this integration. In fact and as we said before, Turkey is an important market of good for the EU and can provide the young labor force that the union needs which makes it eligible to be a member. From a religious point of view, its true that Turkey is a big country with a population mainly Muslim, but lets not forget that 12 million Muslims live already in Europe and many more are likely to make their way to Europe. In addition, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina are also Muslim countries and potential candidate to the EU and no one is objecting their potential candidature. Finally, a NO to Turkey-now or in the very near future-would have extremely grave and negative consequences not only for the nearby region but also for European security interests. And so, the thesis that Turkeys membership could affect not only the nature but also the functioning of the EU is proven. In fact, even if the arguments that proves that Turkey will strengthen the EU seems to be more convincing from my perspective, the idea that Turkey will bring changes to the nature of the EU seems to be a fact whatever ones conviction is. However, the changes can be seen differently according to ones perspective. And so, being convinced that Turkey will weaken the EU, then the changes will be seen negatively and vice versa. 3. Conclusion: In his recent book, The Limits of Europe, EU Commissioner Frits Bolkestein warns against European overstretch. Turkish accession, he argues, would reduce Europe to a glorified customs union, and create risks for the European project. What Bolkestein meant, as he made clear in September 2004, was that Turkeys large population might well create a more Muslim Europe, either by intra-European migration or by EU voting mechanisms weighted by population size (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)The advantages for an enlarged Europe, he argues, lie in exporting stability but at the risk of importing instability. However, And based on the arguments showed below, we can say that the conditions that are presented as weakening the EU are not very convincing anymore. In fact, since the enlargement in 2004, things have changed. And so, if the European Union would like to prove today, that shes a united international actor, and if the European Union would like to prove that having one purpose might bring together actors no matter how different they are, but willing to work for that purpose, then the EU should accept Turkish membership. But what about the alternative presented by the French president Nicolas Sarkozy? Will turkey become a privileged partner instead of a full member? And what about the possibility to make some changes for reducing Turkeys influence before Turkeys entry to the EU, as it was the case with the Nice Treaty before the eastern enlargement?

The Rhetoric And Introductory Research Writing Philosophy Essay

The Rhetoric And Introductory Research Writing Philosophy Essay Most people believe the vision system exists solely in the eyes. In reality, the eyes make up only a small part of the system. For instance, just as the camera is a small item in a large TV station, the eyes play a small part in vision. Like a camera, all the eye does is deliver a bunch of colored dots. It is in the brain that the real work of seeing begins. So, what do we actually see? And, what is it that our eyes dont see? Through the variations of darkness, there is light; but, what does that mean to the person who struggles with a mental illness? A contributing factor to this paper will be the relationship between; the blind eye, the minds eye, the third eye; as well as the conscious and unconscious phenomena of the mind. The analyses that will be used in this paper will be based on the views of well-known authors. All of these sources are highly reliable and are thoroughly described in this research. Martha Stout Mental Illness Oliver Sacks Blindness Robert Thurman/Karen Armstrong Religious Beliefs Thais Campos Consciousness I want to know why the mental processes, ranging from the supreme clarity of consciousness at moments of creative inspiration, through the dimness of the half-sleeping mind; to the complete darkness of the unconscious, accounts for a large part of man mental life. On the other hand, we have the term consciousness what does this mean, and how do we describe this level of the mind? Why, is it so important for us to find an answer? We know that consciousness, is considered the highest form of mental activity, and is seen only in human beings. However, it does not exist in the newborn child, in certain categories of the mentally ill, in people who are asleep or in a coma. For philosophy, the main question is the relationship of consciousness to being, and the existence of the different levels of consciousness that remains a target for research by many sciences. I step back and wonder how the mind finds its way through the many varieties of mental illnesses; and, how observing the conscio usness will easily relinquish this information that will help us to understand, where and how far do we travel when we blank out. Introduction I have spent most of my life in a daydream state of consciousness and un-consciousness. I know that others notice that I have a tendency to be distracted, but they have no idea that usually I am gone even when I seem to be paying attention. I wander off for brief moments, and when I come back I have to grasp quickly what was said before I forget it, then I wander off again. This goes unnoticed because even though I am gone, whatever was said during the previous second or two, is still there for me to grab when I return. It is almost impossible for me to pay attention when somebody is telling me something that does not interest me. In that case, I go away and think about things unrelated to what is being said. I am gone into a never land inside my mind and I just come back regularly to check and see that everything is going well outside, that is, that I dont get caught in the act of not paying attention to what is being said. I do not do this on purpose. I cannot avoid doing it, and m ost of the times I do not even realize that I am doing it. When I am alone, for instance, when I am working on a writing topic of some sort, I am gone all of the time. I may think what I am going to write about when I get to the computer, and I might get some pretty good ideas, but it is useless, since by the time I get to the computer, I will have forgotten everything that I decided to write about, or forget in mid-sentence where exactly I was going with this idea pertaining to the topic of research. Lately, I have been taking a legal pad with me everywhere to write down my ideas. I also speculate a lot about what is going to happen in the future. I even talk with people in my mind, not only what I will say but also what they will reply. But of course, in real life it never turns out to be like I anticipated. I have tried several times not to go away. I can prevent it only for a very short period of time. It is as hard as trying to stay with our minds blank, that is, without thinki ng about anything. You can do it, but you have to concentrate not to think, and as soon as you lower your guard, you are doing it again. I have been diagnosed with Bipolar Depression, and I am not sure which is worse; the illness itself, or the medication that I use to help manage this illness. Martha Stout: Mental Illness Martha Stout(2002) specializes in treating patients who have suffered psychological trauma; Stout uses her case studies to show that the ability to dissociate from reality, which functions as a life preserving defense mechanism during times of stress in childhood, can develop multiple personalities in order to contend with life many demands(p. 380). Dissociation also accompanies depressive disorders as well some of the medications that treat these disorders, will render the persons mind registering actual events in a daydream state without remembering what just took place. Most of us have days when we dont feel like ourselves. Some of us have moments, sometimes more than moments, when we feel disconnected from our surroundings, our actions, ourselves. The best example that I can give here is: Driving to the doctors office, with no recollection of the drive from home. The summary that is given about the essay, When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday by Martha Stout, says that th e term divided consciousness refers to those times when we withdraw mentally from the world around us. Daydreams and other forms of subjective escape often help us to keep our mental balance by shutting out events when they threaten to be overwhelming. The article Chaos, Brain and Divided Consciousness by author Petra Bob (2007), gives insight to how the mind works. Chaos and self-organization seem to be particularly important for research of some fundamental problems regarding mind-brain relationship. Relevant problems among others are formations of memories during alterations of mental states and nature of a barrier that divides mental states, and leads to the process called dissociation. This process is related to a formation of groups of neurons which often synchronize their firing patterns in a unique spatial manner (P., 2007). Oliver Sachs Blindness In the Minds Eye: What the Blind See by Oliver Sacks (2003), he is quoted as saying For those who lose sight so early, the very concepts of sight or blindness soon cease to have meaning, and there is no sense of losing the world of vision, only of living fully in a world constructed by the other senses (p. 305). We are presented with a brief view of Oliver Sacks. Before even contemplating writing a book on being blind, he felt it was necessary to write about the mentally ill, in ways that foreground the humanity of those who are suffering from diseases that generate all manner of strange behaviors (Sacks, 2003, p. 302). This summary of In the Minds Eye, makes one wary of how scarily fragile the brain is. To what extent are we; our experiences, our reactions, shaped, predetermine, by our brains, and to what extent do we shape our own brains? Does the mind run the brain or the brain the mind? p. 303. In The Minds Eye, Oliver Sacks explores the relationship between vision, recognition, and perception, and the amazing ways that the brain and spirit can adapt to disorders of vision. He gives case studies of persons who have lost their sight and have learned new ways to accommodate their seeing with other senses and the powerful possibilities of the human brain and mind. It is through his own experience with a cancerous tumor behind his right eye followed by blindness that he writes what is physically happening and shares his inner thoughts and the full range of his emotional reaction. We are all close to the brink of being someone else. For instance, a person who has had a mind-shattering stroke or head injury, one of many possible complications can arise from this stroke: There is death, paralysis, loss of memory, or you have become blind. Consider this, your thoughts, memories and emotions, your perceptions of the world, and your deepest intuitions of selfhood, are gone. We take o ur fragile brains so much for granted. Ultimately, Sacks tries to show the progress made in the knowledge of what centers of the brain are responsible for vision and its interpretations, but still lacks the knowledge of how things really work inside our heads. We all depend on our power senses sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Each one serves a particular purpose and when we end up losing one of these senses, we become forced to replace that sense in order to elevate. So when an individual is physically blind they devise ways to adapt to their surroundings. Now when a person is mentally blind, they allow other people of authority around them to construct ways for them to live because they do not see the importance in self. They trust everyone else before themselves. Needless to say, lose no time searching for a way to find your true self. It goes beyond knowing what your favorite food is or favorite color, but really getting to the essence of what you are about, therefore no none else can define you by making you blind to yourself and more importantly no one can trick you. Robert Thurman, Karen Armstrong Religion Spirituality is based on the experience of one persons awareness, one cultures awareness, and where life itself experiences universality. Awareness, what does this term really mean? According to the Webster dictionary; aware or awareness is defined as, conscious (of), informed; cognizant. In order to understand spirituality, we need to be consciously aware of the peace, and cognizant of the enlightenment that lies within this peace. Have you ever found yourself looking at the sun shining through the white fluffy clouds in the sky and wonder if there is something more hiding behind them, something of a more spiritual nature? For example, is there really a heaven, and what about hell? In this moment of being immersed in the daydream state of consciousness, are we on the path to awareness? Could enlightenment feel like this? For one un-noticed minute, we have become part of the peace, and it is afterward, when we realize that we are just a paint stroke that is part of the masterpiece of life. We have become one glittery particle that connects to an infinite number of other glittery particles that make up the divine space, which is nothingness. To know this nothingness, is to know what awareness means. Yet, to experience this spirituality we need to become in tuned with our inner voice, our minds eye, our core consciousness known as our soul However, this kind of understanding goes well beyond what our mind, intellect, and ego can fathom. In religious traditions this core consciousness is part of a more universal domain of consciousness referred to as God. Even a partial glimpse of this level of awareness, a person can experience joy, insight, and intuition: an awakening of love, and compassion. People in all cultures discovered that by pushing their reasoning powers to the limit, and by living as selflessly and compassionately as possible, they will that enables them to affirm such suffering with serenity and courage. In Karen Armstrongs essay Homo religious, and Robert Thurmans essay Wisdom, they explain their meaning of Nothingness, awareness, and enlightenment through religion, the self, the universe, and knowledge. It is through years of studying and learning, that both of these authors articulate their views/beliefs on the consciousness; the sacred energy and show just how similar their beliefs are to one another. Self When people believe in something with every fiber of their being, they make sacrifices and live their lives in ways that others on the outside looking in may not understand. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zones and do something that we normally would not do to find what is right for ourselves. Stepping out ekstasis is a term used in Homo Religiosus, written by Karen Armstrong (p. 27). She writes of a universal principle of most religions, that implies, the only way to truly connect with the sacred energy of the universe is to let go of ones self totally and to put aside preoccupation with promoting ones own ego and selfishness. However, when a person becomes selfless, that person is then open to what can truly be obtained by doing away with personalities, egos, and other obstacles that tend to limit one from true release; The Greeks referred to this process as kenosis or emptying (page 34). In the excerpt Wisdom taken from the book Infinite Life (2009), Robert Thurman describes the meaning of selflessness in relation to the Buddhist beliefs. Thurman (2009) writes, Selflessness does imply that any one person is considered nobody. To find true selflessness we must let go of self-preoccupation and self- centeredness (Page 464). It is by letting go that the self can find true enlightenment. Similarly, Thurman writes that the Buddha was happy not knowing who he was because this selflessness made him more compassionate toward others. (Page 463) To know true selflessness and enlightenment we must remove the I from our existence. Thurman (2009) goes on to say; that when we find true selflessness we discover a true connection between ourselves and others. In addition, we see everyone as equal to ourselves but at the same time different in their own ways (Page 473). Universe Karen Armstrongs view is that, religion has always been a matter of doing rather than thinking. People were able to become more creative and draw on their inner self. Yet, it is through the experience of nothingness that we discover the depths of ones own being (p.36). Armstrong expresses the central concern of the self and its connections to the universe as a whole. Energy starts as a consciousness, a self-awareness that nearly every religion in the world experiences, and every scientific theory and or conclusion have based their beliefs on. Self-emptying connects the individual core within our mind and soul with the sacred energy of the universe. This is when our senses are no longer our main focus, freeing us and also brings us closer to our soul and our deep thoughts. Nothingness puts creativity into peoples minds, because the presence of nothing means that there are no wrong ideas or beliefs. One of the ways that self-emptying connects the individual with the sacred energy of th e universe can be explored, possible through the energy of deep meditation. Armstrong (2009) remarks that, You had to acquire the knack of thinking outside the ordinary (p. 35). Thinking outside the ordinary is to prepare us for the nothingness, when through our spiritual purification; we will find the reason for our being, and our purpose. On the other hand, Robert Thurman, author of Wisdom shares his knowledge on the Buddhist tradition, and explains what he has learned throughout the teachings by the Buddha. It is with words such as: Selflessness, and Enlightenment, that we learn why this tradition is important to so many. What exactly is Enlightenment? And how does it differ from salvation? According to Thurman (2009), enlightenment means to look deeper into yourself, to find out what youre existence means to life, finding the greatest answer, the moment that will finally free us from the unhappiness that one feels from everything negative in life, which keeps us a prisoner within our conscious mind and soul. Reaching enlightenment means to finally experience the quiet and oh so calming sense of peace: Being in the zone. Religion Armstrong suggests that through the history of past civilizations, religious beliefs have always been and still is the link that connects us all. Whether spoken through different tongues or through art, the message is the same: religious discourse should not attempt to impart clear information about the divine, and should help us appreciate the limits of language and understanding (Armstrong, 2009, p. 38). However, it is the proof in religion throughout humanity that not only feeds our beliefs, but provides the essence of knowing that there is another dimension that could ultimately prove that there is a Supreme Being. By exploring the basis of religion in human culture, Armstrong suggests that from ancient times to modern culture mankinds beliefs have changed and evolved. Humans have gone from believing in many gods that govern our world to a belief in one superior being who created and controls all things. Armstrong also points out that by believing in a Supreme Being one loses the ability to understand the all-encompassing, wholly transcendent reality around them (Pg. 38). This being is not one that is in the form of man, but instead encompassed all of what man could see, knowing that life was continual yet, more importantly, it was what he could not see. It simply was a matter of knowing that something bigger than man, in fact, does exist. It is through the studies of Buddhism that Robert Thurman relates his experience in his essay, Wisdom. Thurman speaks of his journey into enlightenment, selflessness, the Buddha, and nirvana. He explains that enlightenment is different from salvation as salvation delivers us from harm, strife, and struggle. On the other hand, enlightenment is realizing selflessness. Selflessness is the awareness that you are now more perceptive; aware, that you have opened up your wisdom, and youve realized that knowing who you are is the trap, an impossible self-objectification (p.462). In contrast, this fascination with wanting to know thyself or self-knowledge is actually a fundamental misunderstanding, a delusion, this revelation is what became a defining moment for the Buddha, thus is at the core of the philosophy of Buddhism (p 466). The Buddha called his failure to know who he was enlightenment. that selflessness kindles the sacred fire of compassion; the inner self is now energized with compa ssion and the infinite life becomes your ongoing work of art (p.463). This could mean, that helping others will become an art form, that will continue to blossom in various ways. It is through unselfish acts of love and kindness shown to all forms of life, that we feel happiness: enlightenment. In Buddhism, the main focus is the mind. Enlightenment consists in realizing that Buddha-nature exists in everything and everyone (Lieberman). Buddhism leads you beyond your bodys (awareness), senses, breath, conscious mind, unconscious mind (nothingness) and then to the center of consciousness known as the soul within you, the main source of light and life within you. Knowledge The meaning of religion has never really been understood. Religious truth has always been symbolic and its symbols will vary according to context; they will change as society changes, and understanding the reason for these changes. In order to learn the meaning of religion and what mysteries it has to offer; many cultures present their beliefs through forms of art, music, or poetry which is transformative (Nielson, 2011). Karen Armstrong elaborates in great length and detail in her essay, Homo Religiosus, that some of these places were in deep caves that had writings on the walls. For many cultures, keeping religion sacred was to keep religious beliefs secret and holy by hiding them in the catacombs and bowels of the earth. Karen Armstrong shares her knowledge of such art by sharing her experiences in the deep caves in the Lascaux labyrinth, she comments that there are about six hundred fresco and fifteen hundred engravings there (p.22). Art, such as these paintings on the walls of c aves that date back thousands of years ago, have left mankind consistently asking the same ageless questions: Is there a god?; Why are we here? What is our purpose? And is there, life after life? People have come to realize that beyond the obvious for clues about the meanings and secrets contained in various art forms, religion is still mans creation. Yet, the quest for spirituality is the eternal search for a supreme being, the divine and the connection that binds all living beings. Armstrong sees religion as an expression of art. Still, with some of us, we can have an out of the body experience, in the conscious sense experience and never consider that this would be a privilege, the unknown or the self-emptiness revealing itself. Armstrong states that people become more alive and creative through experiencing nothingness, because it is comparable to a rebirth or rejuvenation of ones entire being-both spirit and body (p.27). Life is all around, as is creativity. Armstrong goes on to say that nothingness, is the moment when ones conscious mind and body becomes the sacred energy that holds the breath of life that explains everything you had questions about. Yet, many times to experience this nothingness; a person needs to experience a tragedy, the death of a loved one, or face death themselves. In order to feel and understand the meaning of which we are, what is; and accept that there is nothing more, we need to experience nothingness, and understand enlightenment . Selflessness is to understand that you do not know your inner self. the conscious thought that defines your spirit. Whereas, know thy self, defines the outside shell, your persona. This then will lead to discovering selflessness, which is the way to enlightenment. IV. Consciousness The self plays an important role on the Path of Consciousness because it is through the self and its many different aspects that we are aware of our emotional, energetic and vibrational reality. Through awareness of the material self, our third dimensional, human self-aspect, we are aware of our disconnection, fear and alone-ness in a vast Universe that we cannot control. But that is an illusion which lacks the element for transformation, enlightenment. To become conscious within our highest self-aspects we can enlighten the self, reminding us of our divinity and joining our human self into our spiritual self. Yet, when we consider the many different aspects of the self, all of which can be expressed as different levels of consciousness, we can choose what we will be aware of and can then apply enlightenment to those areas. Our reality unfolds according to the self-aspect we choose to express. To create a different reality, we have to enlighten this self-aspect and raise its energy. How much enlightenment is required? It depends on which self-aspect we choose our intention for enlightenment and the desired outcome for our post-enlightenment awareness. Our intention for joy, peace and abundance will guide us to the level of enlightenment required to achieve those things. As we choose our path, our self-consciousness can express the highest, most powerful aspects of who we are and our enlightened being will manifest the heaven on earth that can be our path of consciousness. The Symbolic Meaning of the Lotus Flower Lotus Flower grows in the deep mud, far away from the sun. But, sooner or later, the Lotus reaches the light becoming the most beautiful flower ever. The Lotus flower is in many different cultures, especially in eastern religions, as a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth. Its characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition: even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the Lotus produces the beautiful flower (Campos, 2010). According to Buddhism, every person has the potential to become perfect and enlightened, and it is just a matter of time until each human reaches the light. Buddhists that its necessary to be reborn thousands of times, polishing ones being through many incarnations, until one reaches nirvana the highest state of consciousness that humans can access (Campos, 2010). What Is Consciousness? Consciousness is a state of being in the sense that without it, we would not be nor exist nor have such faculties that allow us to make choices. Consciousness is our existence, our awakened moment. It is the reality between our now and the present. It gives us the awareness of being alive in the present. The science of the mind (religious and spiritual science) is where we look at the mind as an energy form. Conclusion So, where is the mind? This is a question that still mystifies scientists and philosophers. It seems to be widely accepted in some camps that the mind exists as an external realty to our physical form under its own consciousness, yet it remains a part of who we are. Where it exists, no one knows. Yet, it is claimed to be part of the divine essence of universal consciousness. It is the higher self and the real you.

Macbeth:Concious Villain To Unrepentant Tyrant Essay -- essays researc

Macbeth: Conscious Villain to Unrepentant Tyrant Thesis: To trace the degradation of Macbeth from a hero to a conscious villain to an unrepentant tyrant. I. Macbeth as a Hero. A. Admired warrior B. Duncan's Admiration II. Macbeth as a Conscious Villain A. First tidings of villainy B. Murder of Duncan C. Guilt-Ridden Soliquoy III. Macbeth as a non-repentant Tyrant A. Murder of Macduff's family B. Selfish thoughts of sleep C. Feelings of Invincibility Macbeth, like most tragedies tells the fall of the protagonist from grace. Macbeth, originally a hero, degrades into a conscious villain who feels guilt and then into an unmerciful, non-repentant tyrant. A man once heralded as a hero becomes the bane of the land and his people. At the start of Macbeth we are introduced to him and it is implied that he is a great warrior and a great man. He is the hero of the recent battle and is the subject of rewards from King Duncan. In fact one critic describes him as "A great warrior, somewhat masterful, rough, and abrupt, a man to inspire some fear and much admiration. There was in fact, much good in him †¦ certainly he was far from devoid of humanity and pity."(Bradley "Macbeth") This paints the picture of an admired, somewhat inpersonable hero who was admired for his bravery and courage. In fact even Duncan, his later victim, admired him. Duncan gives him another kingdom and appoints him the Thane of Cawdor. The captain says of Macbeth to Duncan that: For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name -- Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution, Like valor's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which nev'r shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops (I, ii, 16-24) These are the words of a man who admires Macbeth, and at this point rightly so. This is the heroic Macbeth of whom we are speaking. Unfortunately Macbeth soon begins his down fall and becomes a conscious villain. Macbeth degradation to a conscious villain begins with his first tidings of villainy. These tidings begin when Macbeth hears that the Duncan's son is the next in line for kingship. Macbeth says of this: The Prince of Cumberland... ...all concerns: to get a good night's rest."(Scott ?#) He has no feelings for others but envy, "He envies the murdered Duncan in his rest."(Scott ?#) At this point after all his actions his main want is rest. Truly he has become an unfeeling tyrant. The tragedy of Macbeth has a common plot, that of a hero losing his heroism. Macbeth once the admired warrior soon becomes the hated tyrant of Scotland. Through key points in the play you can trace this devastating downfall. From Hero to Unfeeling tyrant, that is the tragedy of Macbeth. Consulted Bibliography Andrews, F. John, ed. William Shakespeare: His Work, II. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1985 Bradley, AC "The Character of Macbeth." England in Literature. Ed. James E. Miller Jr., et. al. Illinois: Scott Foresman and Co., 1973. Scott, Mark, ed. Shakespeare for Students. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1992 Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth, The British Tradition. Eds. Ellen Bowler, et. al. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996

Use of Coincidence in Vonneguts Cats Cradle :: Vonnegut Cats Cradle

Use of Coincidence in Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle Most modern novelists avoid the use of coincidence as a plot device, and such use of coincidence is looked on as trite and cheap. This was not always the case, as novelists of yore, Charles Dickens is a great example, have been known to throw in a suspicious coincidence at the very climax of the book that ties up the plot nicely but leaves modern readers feeling betrayed and deceived. Perhaps due to more literate, sophisticated readers, or just the maturation of the novel form, writers no longer have the luxury of plot coincidence. Modern novelists have to navigate through their plot with well-crafted character motivations, understated if any foreshadowing, and logical rising action. In other words, the reader has to feel that they could have known what was coming next, even if they really had no clue. So why is Vonnegut exempt? In Cat's Cradle, most of the plot revolves around the character's coincidental meetings and odd bits of shared history. Can such a plot be credible? And why, as readers, do we let Vonnegut get away with this circus of manipulation? The most obvious reason that we let Vonnegut get away with it is because we are busy laughing. This is no coincidence. Vonnegut makes each coincidence so absurd that it's humorous. Instead of hiding the fact that a certain scene comes about as coincidence, he focuses on the coincidence, repeats it, creates another scene with it, whips us back around again, until the reader no longer thinks, "How convenient of all his characters to end up on the same plane." The reader instead starts guessing ahead, examining the details that might lead to more absurdity. Vonnegut also introduces a medium for coincidence early. If Vonnegut waits until the plot thickens, heavy in coincidence, to tell us about "Bokononism" and the inexplicable nature of a "karass", he would quickly lose credibility.

Capital Punishment Essays -- essays research papers

Capital punishment is necessary in order for justice to prevail. Capital punishment is the execution of criminals for committing crimes, so bad that this is the only acceptable punishment. Capital punishment lowers the murder rate, but its value as retribution alone is a good reason for handing out death sentences. It is one of the only fair punishments allowed by the judicial system. Another issue is that it saves money compared to the alternative of life in prison.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1972, in the case of Furman vs. Georgia, declared capital punishment cruel and unusual punishment. However after the Supreme Court Decision of Gregg vs. Georgia, the Supreme Court said that capital punishment was not unconstitional and the capital punishment resumed under new guidelines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are seven main types of execution: Hanging, where the prisoner is blindfolded and stands on a trap door, with a rope around his neck. The trap door is opened suddenly. The weight of the prisoner's body below the neck causes traction separating the spinal cord from the brain. The second most widely used technique is shooting, where a firing quad shoots the prisoner from some meters away. Another method is Guillotine, a device consisting of a heavy blade held aloft between upright guides and dropped to behead the victim below. Then there was Garroting, in which a tightened iron collar is used to strangle or break the neck of a condemned person. One of the more r...

Fluctuation of Gold Price

read and give rewards to me ABSTRACT Gold is a brilliant yellow precious metal that is resistant to air and corrosion. Gold comes second after bank deposits when it comes to the preference for investment in India and considered a savings and investment vehicle. India is the world’s largest consumer of gold in jewelry as an investment.Gold is traded in the form of securities on stock exchange Even when the gold prices are high there is steel boom in the commodities market of gold hence the main purpose and the need of the study are to know the investment pattern in gold and to hedge the risk The data which is used in the study is secondary data. The analysis has been done by using the technical tools Relative Strength Index (RSI), MACD. From the analysis it can be concluded that gold as an investment avenue has increased. There wider market for gold and a person with small amount can trade in gold.RSI can be considered as the best tool to evaluate the price movement of gold. Th e investors have to keep a keen watch on the price of gold and since there is an upward momentum in the price of gold it is time for the investor to sell CONTENT | | | | |CHAPTER |PARTICULAR |PAGE NO | |NO. | | | |1. INTRODUCTION | | | |NEED FOR THE STUDY | | | |OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY | | | |SCOPE OF THE STUDY | | | |RESEARCH METHODOLOGY | | |LIMITATIONS | | | | | | |2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE | | | |TABLES AND GRAPH | | | | | | |3. COMPANY PROFILE | | | | | | |4. |DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETAIONS | | | | | | |5. FINDING | | | |CONCLUSION | | | |RECOMMENDATIONS | | | | | | |6. BIBLIOGRAPHY | | CHAPTER NO — 1 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION ABOUT INDIAN COMMODITY MARKET Commodity future trading is an old concept and flourished in the late nineteenth century. There were several such exchanges that traded in specific commodities in certain geographies. In the 1960s the futures market ran into trouble as high inflation resulted from a series of wars and droughts in the countr y which lead to considerable speculation and hoarding of agricultural commodities.Ever since the down of civilization commodity trading has become an integral part in the life of mankind. The very reason for this lies in the fact that commodities represent the fundamental utility of human being. Commodity markets are market where raw or primary products are exchange. These raw commodities are traded regulated commodity exchange they are bought and sold in standardize contract that may any movable property other them actionable claims, money and securities. This commodity market is becoming day by day the best for the increasing economy.Gold is valued in India as saving and investment vehicle and is the second preferred investment after bank deposit. India is world’s largest consumer of gold jeweler and in investment. Gold is traded in the form of securities on stock exchange. In the cities gold is facing competition from the stock market and a wide range of consumer goods. Do mestic consumption is dictated by monsoon, harvest and marriage season. Indian jewellery off take is sensitive to price increases and even more so to the volatility.For years, portfolio managers have recommended a minimum of 10% to 20% of one’s total net worth in gold as a hedge against inflation or as a safety net in the event that our paper money system collapses. Hence the study is about the commodities market in gold. Every commodity has its own price, and varies across markets even at the point of first sale, i. e. the wholesale market. There is of course another very active financial market, which has a price that is widely traded, i. e. the stock market. Here shares of companies are traded by investors at prices which are determined by multitude of perceptions. NEED FOR THE STUDY:- ? Since there is a cut throat competition in the present world market There is a need to study about factors affecting gold prices ? Even when the gold prices are high there is still boom in the commodities market of gold hence the main purpose and the need of the study are to know the investment patterns in gold and to hedge the risk OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:- 1. To know how gold is traded 2. To know the fluctuation of gold prices 3. To know the factors affecting gold prices 4. To evaluate the trend analysis of gold . To study the impact of gold on investors METHODOLOGY: – The data which is used secondary in a nature. SECONDARY DATA:- ? From various test books, journals, magazines, news papers and booklets from company. ? Information collected from different websites likes Gold World, MCX etc. SCOPE OF THE STUDY:- ? The scope of the study is about the day to day changes in the price of gold and the reasons behind the change. ? It focuses more on the fluctuations and the interest of investors to invest in gold even though the price is getting higher. The study also focuses more on the fluctuation in the gold and its relation to oil markets oil and gold are the two main items in the economy now that tends to increase day by day. LIMITATIONS:- ? Difficulty in getting the lives prices of gold in absence of online research software. ? Use of limited technical tools. ? Commodity trading is limited to gold only. ? There may be factor other than those studied in this research which may impact on gold prices. ? The study is limited only for a certain period of time i. e. April to June 2012 CHAPTER-2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE TRADING OF GOLD IN COMMODITY MARKETS COMMODITY MARKETCommodity markets are markets where raw or primary product these raw commodities are traded on regulated commodities Exchange in which they are brought and sold in standardized contract it cover physical product markets but not ways that services including those of government, nor investment debt, can be seen as a commodity A commodity trading is sophisticated form of investing it is similar to stock trading but instead of buying and selling shares of companies, an investor buys an d sells commodities likes stocks, commodities are traded on exchange where buyers and sellers can work together to either get product they need or to make a profit from the fluctuation prices. There are few ways to trade commodities. Futures are contracting to buy or sell commodities at specific date. An option is the right to buy or sell a commodity at a specific price and date. COMMODITY TRADING: Trading futures is the purest way to invest in commodities. To trade commodities, an individual trading account can be opened either directly with a futures commission merchant or indirectly through as introducing broker.Another way to trade commodities is through a managed account, where you give someone written power of attorney to make and execute decisions about what and when to trade. He or she will have discretionary authority to buy or sell for your account or will contract you for approval to make trades, or you can hire a commodity trading advisor for a fee. And lastly, ever incr easingly popular methods of diversified investing in commodities include commodity pools (limited partnerships) or commodity related mutual funds. In all futures markets, trading decision are made in two ways – Fundamental or Technical, although many traders use a combination of both.Fundamental analysis includes all factors that influence supply and demand. For the physical commodities markets, fundamental factors include weather and geopolitical events in producing countries – outside forces that influence price action. For the financial futures markets, factors such as Federal Reserve actions and economic reports are among fundamental forces affecting prices. Technical analysis is based strictly on inside market forces. It involves tracking various price patterns that occurred in the markets in the past. Analysts focus on a variety of time frames, and trading decisions are based on past tendencies with the idea these price patterns tends to repeat themselves.Technic al analysis involves a wide range of techniques, and a variety of market indicators are studied including volume, open interest, and momentum. Each individual analyst has his favorite approach – technical analysis is just as much art as it is science. REGULATOR OF COMMODITY MARKET THE DIFFERENT PRODUCT IN COMMODITY MARKET ARE USE 1. Precious metal 6. Plantations 2. Base metal 7. Spice 3. Pulses 8. Sugar 4. Cereals 9. potato 5. Energies Introduction Gold Gold is a unique asset based on few basic characteristics. First, it is primarily a monetary asset, and partly a commodity.As much as two thirds of gold’s total accumulated holdings relate to â€Å"store of value† considerations. Holdings in this category include the central bank reserves, private investments, and high-cartage jewelry bought primarily in developing countries as a vehicle for savings. Thus, gold is primarily a monetary asset. Less than one third of gold’s total accumulated holdings can be c onsidered a commodity, the jewelry bought in Western markets for adornment, and gold used in industry. The distinction between gold and commodities is important. Gold has maintained its value in after-inflation terms over the long run, while commodities have declined. Some analysts like to think of gold as a â€Å"currency without a country’.It is an internationally recognized asset that is not dependent upon any government’s promise to pay. This is an important feature when comparing gold to conventional diversifiers like T-bills or bonds, which unlike gold, do have counter-party risk History of gold in India Prior to 1962, India was the world’s largest gold market and the main trading center was Bombay. In 1962, the government enacted the Gold Contract Act, which prohibited the citizens of India from holding pure gold bars and coins due to loss of reserves during the indo-china war. It was declared that the old holdings in pure gold bars to be compulsorily co nverted into jewelry. Pure gold bars and coins were to be dealt only by licensed dealers.A large unofficial market sprung up which dealt in cash only as a consequence of this legislation that adversely affected the official gold market. This also made way for smuggling and black marketing, which comprised of many jewelers and bullion traders. In 1990, India was on a verge of default of external liabilities as it had a major foreign exchange problem. It had to give up the concept of controlling and licensing as it led to nothing more than corruption and shortages. As a result, the India government pledged 40 tones from their gold reserves with the bank of England. India had to adopt the concept of liberalization. The government abolished the 1962 Gold control Act in 1992 and liberalized the import of gold in India for a duty payment of Rs. 250per 10 grams.The government made up for the foreign exchange problem by allowing free imports and earning the taxes. This step expanded the gol d market and it also waved off the unofficial trade i. e. smuggling and black marketing. This makes India the most price-sensitive market for gold in the world. Gold in Indian present scenario Gold is valued in India as a savings and investment vehicle and is the second preferred investment behind bank deposits. India is the world’s largest consumer of gold in jewelry (much of which is purchased as investment). The hoarding tendency is well ingrained in Indian society, not least because inheritance laws in the middle of the twentieth century lent a great desirability to anonymity.Indian people are renowned for saving for the future and the financial savings ratio is strong, with a ratio of financial assets-to-GDP of 93%. Gold’s circulates within the system and roughly 30% of gold jewelry fabrication is from recycled pieces. India is typically also the largest purchaser of coins and bars for investment (>80tpa), although last year it had to concede first place to Japan in the wake of the heavy buying in the first quarter due to fears for the stability of the Japanese banking system. In 1998-2001 inclusive, annual Indian demand for gold in jewelry exceeded 600 tons; in 2002, however, due to rising and volatile prices and a poor monsoon season, this dropped back to 490 tons, and coin and bar demand dropped to 67 tons.Indian jewelry off take is sensitive to price increases and even more so to volatility, although this decline in tonnage since 1998 is also due in part to increasing competition from white and brown Goods and alternative investment vehicles, but is also a reflection of the increase in price. The Indian bride’s â€Å"Streedhan†, the Wealth she takes with her when she marries and which remains hers, is still gold, however (thus giving gold an important role in the â€Å"empowerment† of women in India). The distinction between gold and commodities is important. Gold has maintained its value in after-inflation terms ove r the long run, while commodities have declined. Some analysts like to think of gold as a â€Å"currency without a country’.It is an internationally recognized asset that is not dependent upon any government’s promise to pay. This is an important feature when comparing gold to conventional diversifiers like T-bills or bonds, which unlike gold, do have counter-party risk. SIGNIFICANCE OF GOLD IN INDIAN CULTURE Gold is a precious metal with which man kind has had a long and very intimate relation. Gold is considered as a symbol of purity and good fortune. Most of the gold that the entire world holds lies in India. The main reasons why Indians consider gold as an investment are. ? Gold is considered as equivalent to liquid cash: gold is considered as a security or assets which can be converted in to cash when ever required. Gold is very good investment :due to consistently increasing value, gold is considered as safe and secure investment ? Gold is a goof gift item: it i s precious and worthy it is again as gift during wedding birthdays or any other special occasions. It is symbol of prestige and is considered auspicious ? Gold considered as status symbol: Gold is symbolizes wealth. in Indian the weddings, the bride wears jewellary as a symbol of the family status. ? Gold has religious significance : Gold is a symbol of Hindu goddess lakshmi. Gold is bought or gifted on occasions of festivals like Dhanteras Dussera and diwali . ? Gold has great ornamental value: women and gold jewellery are inseparable from each other.Gold ornaments area always in fashion and will never become out of fashion . even the wedding rings are made of gold to mark a long lasting relationship ? Gold : Ancentral property: Gold is passed down from generation to generation as an ancestral property. .Gold producing countries †¢ South Africa †¢ United states †¢ Australia †¢ China †¢ Canada †¢ Russia †¢ Indonesia †¢ Peru †¢ Uzbekistan †¢ Papua new guinea †¢ Ghana †¢ Brazil †¢ Chile †¢ Philippines †¢ Mali †¢ Mexico †¢ Argentina †¢ Kyrgyz tan †¢ Zimbabwe †¢ Colombia The largest producer of Gold is South Africa. It accounts for an estimated 16. 5 million ounces of Gold annually in the next 3 year: and produces almost 20 percent of the world’s bullion.Hopping to control its declining production trend due to the extended weakness in the price of Gold in recent years. The South African Gold industry is working in the direction to lower its production costs and boost productivity. The second largest producer of gold is united states. It accounts for an estimated 10. 4 million ounces of Gold annually by 2001 and produces about 12. 5% of the world’ Gold supply Due to the expansion US Mining operations. And because of the reduced profitability due to the low price of Gold. Reduction in mine production is expected by 9% by the US during the next 3 years th e third largest producer of gold is Australia with an estimated 9. 6 million ounces annual production by 2001.Nearly 45% of the world gold supply was produced by the top 3 producing nations Latin America (Mexico, Peru, Chile and Brazil) and the Far East producer are accepted to increases production in the next three years. Though these countries add up to a very a small shares in the world’s totally supply there production increase will counter act some of the production cuts made up by the top 3 big producers Current Scenario in Indian Commodity Market Need of commodity derivatives for India India is among top 5 producers of most of the commodities, in addition to being a major consumer of bullion and energy products. Agriculture contributes about 22% GDP of Indian economy. It employees around 57% of the labor force on total of 163 million hectors of land Agriculture sector is an important factor in achieving a GDP growth of 8-10%. All this indicates hat Indian can be promot ed as a major centre for trading of commodity derivatives. INDIAN COMMODITY MARKET TRADING AND EXHANGES ? MCX: MULTI COMMODITY EXHANGE ? NCDEX: NATIONAL COMMODITY AND DERIVATIES EXHANGE ? NSEL: NATIONAL SPOT EXHANGE LTD ? NMCE: NATIONAL METAL AND COMMISSION EXHANGE MULTI COMMODITY EXCHANGE – MCX Multi commodity exchange is a commodity exchange based in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. The MCX is a demutualized electronic multi commodity futures exchange, and enables future trading of various agricultural and non agricultural commodities such as Metals, Pulses, Oils, Fiber, Energy, Petrochemicals, Plantations, Cereals, Bullion and Spices etc.As on 31st of December 2007, the exchange was offering futures trading in 55 different commodities. Established in November 2003 by Financial Technologies, the MCX hold a permanent recognition issued by government of India. Pattern on multi commodity exchange (MCX) MCX is currently largest commodity exchange in the country in terms of trade volumes, further it has even become the third largest in bullion and second largest in silver future trading in the world. Coming to trade pattern, though there are about 100 commodities trade on MCX, only 3 or 4 commodities contribute for more than 80 percent of total trade volume. As per recent data the largely trade commodities are Gold, Silver, Energy and base Metals.Incidentally the futures trends of these commodities are mainly driven by international futures prices rather than the changes in domestic demand-supply and hence, the price signals largely reflect international scenario. Among agriculture commodities major volume contributors include Gur, Urad, Mentha oil etc. whose market sizes are considerably small making then vulnerable to manipulations. NATIONAL COMMODITY AND DERIVATIVES EXCHANGE LTD – NCDEX The second largest commodity exchange in the country after MCX. However the major volume contributors on NCDEX are agricultural commodity but most of them have common inherent problem of small market size, which is making them vulnerable to market manipulations and over speculation.About 60% trade on NCDEX comes from guar seed, chana and urad (narrow commodities as specified by FMC). National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) is a technology driven commodity exchange. It is a public limited company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 with the Register of companies, Maharashtra in Mumbai on April 23, 2003. it has an independent Board of Directors and professionals not having any vested in commodity market. It has been launched to provide a world-class commodity exchange platform for market participants to trade in a wide spectrum of commodity derivatives driven by best global practices, professionalism and transparency.In December 2003, the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) launched futures trading in nine major commodities. To begin with contracts in Gold, Silver, Cotton, Soya bean, Soya oil, Ra pe/ Mustard seed, Rapeseed oil, Crude palm, and RBD palmolein are being offered. National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE) NMCE is third national level futures exchange that has been largely trading in agricultural commodities. Trade on NMCE had considerable proportion of commodities with big market size as jute rubber etc. But, in subsequent period, the pattern has changed and slowly moved towards commodities with small market size or narrow commodities.Analysis of volume contributions on three major national commodity exchanges reveled the following pattern, major volume contributors. Majority of trade has been concentrated in few commodities that are ? Non Agricultural Commodities ( bullion, metals and energy) ? Agricultural commodities with small market size ( or narrow commodities) like guar, urad, menthe etc The commodity markets are being classified as following types of commodities. 1. Agricultural products. 2. Precious metals. 3. Other metals. 4. Energy. GENERAL CHARACTERIST ICS OF GOLD: ? Gold is primarily a monetary asset and partly a commodity. ? More than two-thirds of gold’s total accumulated holdings relate to â€Å"value for investment† with central bank reserves, private players and high-carat jewellery. Less than one-third of gold’s total accumulated holdings is a â€Å"commodity† for jewellery in western markets and usage in industry. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOLD MARKET: ? Gold market is highly liquid and gold held by central banks and other major institutions and retail jewellery keep coming back to the market. ? Due to large stocks of gold as against its demand, it is argued that the core driver of the real price of gold is stock equilibrium rather than flow equilibrium. ? Effective Portfolio Diversifier: this phrase summarizes the usefulness of gold in terms of â€Å"Modern Portfolio Theory†, a strategy which is utilized by many investment managers today. Using this approach, gold can be used as portfolio diver sifier to improve investment performance. Effective Diversification During â€Å"Stress† Periods: Traditional methods of portfolio diversification often fail when they are most needed-that is, during periods of financial â€Å"stress†(instability). On these occasions, the correlations and volatilities of return for most asset classes(including traditional diversifiers such as bonds and alternative assets)increase, thus reducing the intended â€Å"cushioning† effect of diversified portfolio. INDIAN GOLD MARKET: ? Gold is valued in India as savings and investment vehicle and is the second preferred investment after bank deposits. ? India is the world’s largest consumer of gold in jewellery and in investment. In July 1997 the RBI authorized the commercial banks to import gold for sale or loan to jewellers and exporters. ? The gold hoarding tendency is well ingrained in Indian society. ? Domestic consumption is dictated by monsoon, harvest and marriage season . Indian jewellery off take is sensitive to price increases and even more so to the volatility. ? In the cities gold is facing competition from the stock market and a wide range of consumer goods. ? Facilities for refining, assaying, making them into standard bars in India, as compared to the rest of the world, are insignificant, both qualitatively and quantitatively. GOLD MARKET MOVING FACTORS: ? Above ground supply from sales by central banks, reclaimed scrape and official gold loans. Producer/miner hedging interest. ? World macro economic factors-US Dollar, interest rate. ? Comparative returns on stock markets. ? Domestic demand based on monsoon and agricultural output. IMPORTANT WORLD GOLD MARKETS: ? London is the biggest as well as the oldest gold market in the world. ? Mumbai under India’s liberalized gold regime. ? New York as the home of futures trading. ? Zurich as a physical turntable. ? Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong as doorways to important consuming reg ions. ? Tokyo was TOCOM sets the mood of Japan. Headquartered in Mumbai, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) is a state-of-the-art electronic commodity futures exchange.The demutualised Exchange set up by Financial Technologies (India) Ltd (FTIL) has permanent recognition from the Government of India to facilitate online trading, and clearing and settlement operations for commodity futures across the country. Having started operations in November 2003, today, MCX holds a market share of over 80% of the Indian commodity futures market, and has more than 2000 registered members operating through over 100,000 trader work stations, across India. The Exchange has also emerged as the sixth largest and amongst the fastest growing commodity futures exchange in the world, in terms of the number of contracts traded in of the number of contracts traded in 2009. MCX offers more than 40 commodities across various segments such as bullion, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and a number of a gric-commodities on its platform.The Exchange is the world's largest exchange in Silver, the second largest in Gold, Copper and Natural Gas and the third largest in Crude Oil futures, with respect to the number of futures contracts traded. The Exchange strives to be at the forefront of developments in the commodities futures industry and has forged strategic alliances with various leading International Exchanges, including Euro next-LIFFE, London Metal Exchange (LME), New York Mercantile Exchange, Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE), Sydney Futures Exchange, The Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET), among others. For MCX, staying connected to the grassroots is imperative.Its domestic alliances aid in improving ethical standards and providing services and facilities for overall improvement of the commodity futures market. EXCHANGE-TRADED GOLD: GOLD-BACKED SECURITIES Gold is traded in the form of securities on stock exchange in Australia. France, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Sin gapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. By design, these forms of securitized gold investment, all regulated financial products, are generally referred to as Exchange Traded Commodities or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and are expected to track the gold price almost perfectly. Unlike derivative products, the securities are 100% backed by physical gold held mainly in allocation form.These securities have had a major impact on the gold market, representing an annual average of 32% of identifiable investment and 6. 5% of total physical demand over the 5 years to 2008. Financial advisors and other investment professionals can provide further details about these products. FUTURES AND OPTIONS GOLD FUTURES Gold futures contracts are firm commitments to make or take delivery of a specified quantity and purity of gold on a prescribed date at an agreed price. The initial margin – or cash deposit paid to the broker – is only a fraction of the price of the gold underlying the contract. That means investors can achieve notional ownership of a value of gold considerably greater than their initial cash outlay.While this leverage can be the key to significant trading profits, it can also give rise to equally significant losses in the event of an adverse movement in the gold price. Futures prices are determined by the market’s perception of what the carrying costs – including the interest cost of borrowing gold plus insurance and storage charges -ought to be at any one time. The futures price is usually higher than the spot price for gold. Futures contracts are traded on regulated commodity exchanges. The largest are the New York Mercantile Exchange Comex Division (recently rebranded CME Globex, after a merger between Chicago Mercantile Exchange and NYMEX), the Chicago Board of Trade (part of CME) and the Tokyo Commodity Exchange. Gold futures are also traded in India a Dubai.The Commodity Futures Trading commission provides extensive reports on derivatives trading in the United States. Tradable commodity indices are based on fully collateralized baskets of long-only commodity futures, all of which include a small allocation to gold. GOLD OPTIONS These give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy (‘call' option) or sell (‘put' option) a specified quantity of gold at a predetermined price by an agreed date. The cost of such an option depends on the current spot price of gold, the level of the pre-agreed price (the ‘strike price'), interest rates, the anticipated volatility of the gold price and the period remaining until the agreed date.The higher the strike price, the less expensive a call option and the more expensive a put option. Like futures contracts, buying gold options can give the holder substantial leverage. Where the strike price is not achieved, there is no point in exercising the option and the holder's loss is limited to the premium initia lly paid for the option. Like shares, both futures and options can be traded through brokers. Gold price Fluctuation: Responsible factors Gold has widely used throughout the world as a vehicle of monetary exchange, as an investment, use in jewelry, medicine, the food and drink also. Gold provided the independent of states, currencies, productivity and credit worthiness.Many experts advice to the private investors that they do 5 to 10 % their investment in the gold because regular purchase of gold and silver coins helps to protect the smaller investor against price and currency fluctuation. Gold has always been prized as precious and valuable. It does not deteriorate. Gold is also maintained the liquidity in our portfolio because gold is traded around the world. With gold we can possess the international currency which we can sold around the world at any time. This table shows the gold price fluctuation. [pic] Table shows the gold price fluctuation In the recent scenario there are va rious issues and factor responsible for the gold price fluctuation. Increasing deficit in the balance of trade in the united states. ? The declining production of some gold producing countries the major gold producing company Africa, Canada, Australia, china, Philippines. ? Central bank and international monetary fund also play the major role in gold fluctuation. It is generally accepted that interest are closely related to the gold price. As the interest rate rise the general tendency is for the gold price, which earn no interest to fall and rates dip for gold price to rise. ? At the end of 2008 financial crisis captured all the global market, a trend start to develop of regular investor allocating a certain amount of their portfolio into gold.The most popular reason to own gold is as hedge against the inflation. ? From late 2009 Fears of Sovereign debt crises developed among the investors as a result rising the private and government debt levels around the world together with the wave of downgrading of government debt in some European states. The crises have major impact on several European countries, most notably on Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Several other factors which are responsible to pushes the gold prices upward political unrest and war monetary expansion, economic misbalance because of these reasons people lose their faith in the value of their currency and they invest into the gold as permanent or a fixed assets. [pic]