The Ethnic Essay Example for Free

The Ethnic Essay ETHNIC RELATIONS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA: THE CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS Abstract This paper looks at the changing ethnic relations in Peninsular Malaysia in terms of the interactions between the state’s policies to advance Malay cultural dominance and reduce ethnic economic inequality and the aspirations and actions of the Chinese community. The state of ethnic relations partly will depend on whether the majority of the ethnic members, in particular the ethnic elites, are pursuing separatist or amalgamative strategies and goals, and on whether the rival ethnic groups stand in positions of marked inequality or near equality to each other. In this sense, since the 1969 ethnic riots, ethnic relations have eluded out right conflicts in part because the rival ethnic communities have pursued mainly amalgamative strategies and goals, and in part because the economic inequality gap has narrowed between the Malays and non-Malays. However, the expanding place of Islam in the Malay personal, and hence collective, identity and the relative success in making social classes more multiethnic have added additional complexities to the future of ethnic relations. Introduction Ethnicity remains the most potent force in Malaysia even if of late its influence has been somewhat adulterated by other social stratification forces, principally class and gender. The potency of ethnicity lies in its ability to combine both affective and instrumental appeals. As members of distinct and self-conscious cultural communities, Malays, Chinese and Indians naturally were inclined to identify with and treasure their respective languages, cultures and religions, and thus actively strived to preserve and propagate them. 1 Since they share a common pool of generalized symbols and values, the ethnic members would primarily socialize and associate with their own. Ethnicity thus continues to constitute an integral constituent of the individual Malaysia psyche and ethnic membership critically demarcates his/her social life and taste. It follows that the effectiveness of affective appeals originates from the evident passionate attachments to a particular ethnicity that continue to sway individual identification and pattern of social life. Passionate attachments are readily excited for the purposes of galvanizing ethnic individuals to preserve, protect and promote their culture, language, and religion. Historically, in Malaysia, the affective appeals also became intimately intertwined with the instrumental pursuit of political and economic goals that aimed to manipulate the system and distribution of rewards in preference of the particular ethnic members. Consequently, because ethnicity combines â€Å"an interest with an affective tie†, ethnic groups were more effective and successful than social classes in mobilizing their members in pursuit of collective ends in Malaysia. In post-independent Malaysia, ethnic relations became entangled and influenced by the rival ethnic communities’ struggle over the cultural constituents of national identity, the share of political power, and the distribution of economic wealth. This paper is divided into two parts. The first part examines the development in the cultural relations and the second part on the economic relations. The Cultural Dimension In the Western European experience, the process of nation building was preceded by or coincided with the cultural process of collective identity formation that was grounded in ethnicity. If and when ethnicity formed the basis of nationality, the construction of a national culture/identity almost always would be based on the dominant ethnic group’s culture with the concurrent marginalization, and usually annihilation, of the minority ethnic groups’ cultures (Smith 1986). In most of the Western European nations, assimilation of the minority ethnic groups into the dominant ethnic group culture became the normative historical experience. The tacit conflation of nation and ethnicity largely arose from the emergence of European nations with relatively homogeneous national cultures. Indeed, the tacit conflation entrenched and perpetuated the notion of a nationalism that imagines the nation in terms of a people sharing a common history, culture, language and territory. In the colonial world, the conflated conception of nationalism powerfully captured the imaginations of most of the national liberation movements. Inspired by 2 the image of a homogenous cultural nation led to efforts by the dominant ethnic groups in the postcolonial world to fashion national cultures out of their own. A result of this was the proliferation of assimilationist policies in many of the postcolonial nationstates. But, given the multiethnic character of nearly all the postcolonial nation-states, the imposition of assimilationist policies regularly resulted in accentuating the relations between the dominant and minority ethnic groups. Although Malaysia is an exception to the rule in terms of not pursuing an outright assimilationist policy, the Malays, nevertheless, persisted on the construction of a national culture founded on their culture. The unequal relation between the Malay and non-Malay cultures was formally recognized and written into the 1957 Constitution2. This was a radical departure from the colonial period where no one ethnic group’s culture was given privileged status and there was no conception of a common national culture. The colonial state moreover practiced an essentially nonintervention policy in the cultural development of the colony and each ethnic group had equal access to and could freely practice their culture in the colonial public space. The postcolonial state played, in contrast, an increasingly interventionist role in the cultural development of the society and actively promoted the public presence of Malay culture. In post-independent Malaysia, the site of cultural contentions was centered over the status and place of the different ethnic groups’ cultures in the public space. To construct a national culture founded on Malay culture necessary would mean the construction of a public space where Malay culture is omnipresence with the nonMalay cultures relegated to the periphery. However, to advance the Malay cultural symbols and Islam in the public space, the state would have to roll back the historically expansive presence of non-Malay cultural symbols in the public space in general and in the urban space in particular. Constitutionally, since the assimilationist notion was abandoned in Malaysia, the predicament was how to advance Malay cultural dominance without alienating the non-Malay communities and violating their rights to practice and to propagate their cultures as guaranteed in the constitution. In short, the ambivalence around the inclusion and exclusion of the non-Malays’ cultures constitutes the key predicament in the construction of the modern Malaysian nation. 3 In the 1960s, the cultural terrain was a fiercely contested arena. This was because, during this period, the majority of Malays and non-Malays held diametrically opposing stances on the cultural, religion and language issues. On the one side, the popular Malay opinion strongly backed the dominant and privileged position of Malay culture in the new nation and expected the state to uphold and promote Malay culture and the official status of Malay language. Consequently, the perceived slow progress made by the state in advancing Malay culture and language led to increasing numbers of Malays, especially the Malay cultural nationalists,3 to become disenchanted with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) leaders. On the other side, the majority of Chinese vigorously and persitently advocated the equality of status for every culture in the society;4 Mandarin as one of the official languages, equal treatment of Chinese culture and religion, and equal recognition of and rights to education in their mother tongue. The Chinese demand for complete equality was powerfully captured in the notion of a â€Å"Malaysian Malaysia†. The heated cultural contentions considerably envenomed the ethnic relations in the 1960s. In the immediate aftermath of the 1969 ethnic riots, the Malay-dominated state proceeded, aggressively, to reconstitute the public cultural landscape. The National Culture Policy was implemented in 1971 to amplify the symbolic presence of Malay culture and Islam in the public space. Also in 1971, the National Education Policy was executed to incrementally make Malay language as the medium of instruction at all educational levels. Indeed, after 1969, the preeminence of Malay culture in the society became a non-negotiable proposition, and questioning it could result in prosecution under the Sedition Act. Conversely, the pro-Malay cultural policies put the non-Malay communities on the defensive and prodded them to safeguard their cultural presence in and access to the public space. In particular, when the state imposed increasing regulations and restrictions on the their rights to stage public cultural performances or to acquire land to build Chinese schools and places of worship and burial, it induced the Chinese to mobilize to defend and struggle for their cultural space and rights. The impact of the state cultural policies on the ethnic relations over the years depends on several factors. One factor is connected to what was the prevailing conception of Malay culture and the elements of the non-Malay ethnic cultures that 4 could go into the national culture. Another factor has to do with the specific cultural policies formulated and the manner the Malay-dominated state had pursued them. They varying responses of the Malay and Chinese groupings to the state cultural policies constitute another important factor. In the 1970s, pressures from the Malay cultural nationalists pushed the state to strive aggressively to enlarge the presence and function of Malay cultural symbols in the official and public spaces. Since the 1980s, however, pressures from the resurgence of Islam among the Malays led the state to introduce more measures to enhance the â€Å"Islamicization† of the society. Simply put, the state allocated funds and established institutions to research on and propagate Malay arts and cultures, â€Å"altering them where necessary to fit current ideological and religious sensibilities† .

Italian Neorealism In Bicycle Thieves

Italian Neorealism In Bicycle Thieves It is evident that Italian Neorealism and the life of post-war shaped DeSisas film Bicycle Thieves (1948). However, with much debate, one can argue that the sentimental nature of the film overwhelms the films potential to make a powerful political statement. With reference to important scenes from the film, Italian neorealist principles focused on; location, lighting, typage, dà ©cor, loose camera shots, eye-level angles, invincible editing and reportage, as well as and the usage of sentiment One can justifiably claim that the powerful political statement is not overwhelmed by sentiment, and in fact enhances the message the film aims to give off. The uniqueness of the Italian works, vise-a-visa other relevant cineamas, lies in their stylistic organization of elements of apparent rawness, their emotional intensity, and their focus on current political and social problems. (P. Adams Sitney, 1995) Thus, one is able to identify Italian Neorealism as the harmonizing of sentiment (emotional intensity) and awareness of political and social problems through Neorealist principles, which inevitably feeds off from an happening that affected the world, and specifically as we see in the history influence in this film; Italy. This change in society brought about characteristics and principles which became noticeable in cinema during this time period. These principles not only molded the film Bicycle Thieves, but were used to bring about a message to the audience. A message which was not overwhelmed by emotional rawness but a message of a social movement awareness reflected through cinema. Neorealism was not only what I came to see as a propaganda device, but an influential and significant movement in film history, which occurred in Italy at the ending of World War II. (John Stubbs, 2010: pg 1) Italy moved from fascism and dictatorship, whereby much was revolved around a single-party position as one can clearly see in the Holocaust, to an equal and democratic society. Here we see this so effectively reflected through Bicycle Thieves when converging neorealist principles, the idea of sentiment to enhance the political statement and the apparent rawness which adds power to the social conditions through the overall statement to justifiably prove that sentiment was not a downfall to DeSicas focus. The filmmakers and directors clearly believed they had an ethical task to use cinema and film as a means to promote the social amendment that had just occurred post the war. Ideally, it wasnt so much about the storyline of the film and its characters, but more about making the public aware of the difficulties that working people had to face. Here we see a Marxist approach on the rebuilding of Italy whereby unlike the mythology of Classic Hollywood, no single person can change the world and the ultimate society would inevitably be a classless society, as Leo Tolstroy (1882) successfully explains; Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself, for when everyone changes themselves, the world will change.   Neorealisms origin of strength lies in the documentary excellence which is used to portray the realism of the story as realism can only occupy in art a dialectal position. (Andrà © Bazin, 1971) One might speculate what Bicycle Thieves would be like in colour, however the black and white aspect highlights the tone of the film being a bleak, depressing emotion contrary to the usage of colour which would highlight liveliness and energy and go against the tone of the film. Black and white not only attaches a emotion, but Thus, clearly showing that the sentiment brings about the tone of the film which enhances the message of presenting the gloomy conditions of poverty in post-war Italy. Andre Bazin (1971: 20) describes this through referring to the term reconstituted reportage. Reconstituted reportage is seen through how the every day events are shown, and the daily happenings which would have and did happen in Italy at that period of time. This adds, as discussed above, far more truth to the film and is not the making of a documentary but rather shown and seen in a documentary-type way through what Bazin (1971) refers to as a journalistic style. Bicycle Thieves has gives off a documentary experience to the audience which could not be removed from the script without thereby eliminating the whole social setting into which its roots are so deeply sunk (Bazin, 1971: 20). Bazin (1971) points out that realism and truth in film is a product of artifice. Truth is an important principle of neorealism, as truth brings realism; the more believable the film is to the audience, the more truthful it is thus, it is seen as realistic. We see this through DeSicas film techniques extensively set out to enhance the opportunity for the audience to live in the story. The real location shooting aids far more freedom and looseness for mise-en-scene, to such an extend that the camera-man is unsure what to look for. An example from the film can be seen when Antonio and Bruno walk away from a car in the street, meander in the streets for a bit heading in the same direction and then suddenly they both go the opposite way. As a viewer, the focus of the camera comes across somewhat as uncertain as the viewer experiences when watching a film for the first time. Here we see how such a camera technique can enhance realism and the opportunity for the audience to experience it. Another technique which is so different to Eisensteins Battleships Potempkin (1925) is that montage is avoided due to jump cutting, removing a sense of truth and realism, with noting that montage is, if anything, modifies realism. This can be seen through the truth of the characters the aesthetics of realism; lighting, location, dà ©cor, camera shots, camera angles and editing. This not only brings about authenticity but also creates a much stronger message for the audience. In Bicycle Thieves, there is a correlation between truth and sentiment, and truth and the political statement Which are justifiably both used in this film without over powering one another (balance) in order to positively enhance the films message. Inevitably, in order for a director to get an actual event (post-war) understood by his audience truth and realism is the most effective approach. Neorealism focuses on the characters and themes without much focus on the plot itself as the plot is seen to warp the truth about people if focus is too much on the execution statement and not the input which is the reasoning for the statement and the very focal point the viewers need exposure to (John Stubbs, 2010: pg 4) Thus, the film wouldve not only been monotonous if there was no sentiment (due to there not being enough material if there was no storyline about characters and a central theme), but to know and understand a situation, one must be put in a stance where one has the opportunity of learning a huge amount about the faith and frustrations of a human being. Equally, a monotonous film due to no sentiment from characters and a central theme, is inevitably a failed film. Through this, neorealists are able to portray truth to a greater extend through bringing about simplicity yet a means of understanding the real life through everyday characters and a central theme (getting t he bicycle back); a main appeal in films even today. Likewise, without sentiment, we wouldnt be exposed to a equilibrium between objective shots of each of the characters and subjective shots showing the audience the characters point-of-view in the social and political conditions they are experiencing. One can also agree that the sentiment aids the whole use of Neorealism principles. Without characters, loose shots wouldnt be blatant to the audience (also in comparison to the few novelty used close-up shots) as loose shots show freedom, which thus emphasizes truth and realism. The storyline being as simple as the search for a bicycle, doesnt take the political statement too far away from the message. Likewise, the actual characters in the film are everyday normal people. We can see this through the workman being found in the factory, the child being found wondering around the streets and the wife being found through her writing. (Andre Bazin, 1971) This is known as Typage whereby there is no star system which immediately creates a far more realistic/truth approach and feel. Similarly, the locations and dà ©cor are real and not built-up or made-up, the lighting is natural which attempts to present reality as it is, the editing is invincible which enhances truth and the camera is free which is unrestricted and brings about a far more convincing viewing. Neorealists not only conformed to such techniques for that these techniques best suited execution of maximum realism in cinema, but is a cinema movement which brought about much rebellion too. Italian Neorealism had already provided a cinematic model for rebellion, both against the conventions imposed by the political and social states ideology (Mark Mesaros, 2010) and past cinema movements such as the success seen in montage in German Expressionism. With the storyline of the characters and the truth which is by principle brought about, I fully agree that it brings sentiment to the screens. However, it puts you (the audience) in a far more heart-felt and understanding position which I believe brings about the political statement in a far more expressive way, rather than a theoretical and cold approach. And as some agree, its not even sentimental its just painful. (The Internet Movie Database, 2010: retrieved 28 April) Instead of a cold theoretical approach which would entail no sentiment, we are introduced to a family who are ordinary and by no means are glamorous heros which is commonly seen in Classical Hollywood. Quite frankly, if we werent introduced to characters and the sentiment they bring, which play a role in this film, I personally dont think much of a political statement would be made as one needs interest to grasp a statement. As we see in Classic Hollywood, the emotional character identification influences the message of the film and is a central characteristic, contrary to Italian Neorealism where characters are everyday individuals who are put in a equal light which intention, also enhances the message this movement wishes to portray. The character of Ricci is the focus of the film, however we are not interested in him but rather what will happen next in the films sequence of events. And even though characters bring about sentiment and the viewer starts becoming attached to the ro le the characters plays, in Bicycle Thieves, Bruno the son unsentimentally still criticizes and looks down on his father. Noticeably very different to what we see in Classic Hollywood. In response to the representation of the political statement made in this film, we are clearly able to see this in noticeable scenes in the film. In the first scene, the camera follows Ricci from the unemployment gathering to his wife where the housing project is in the background, which is fully exhibited to the viewer showing the bleak conditions. We see the men and woman arguing about employment and shortage of water. This emphasis on long and medium shots which appeals to the truth in the film enhances the political message due to the events getting exhibited on a whole Whereas close up would bring more sentiment. Long and medium shots show the actor loosely framed in his environment and allow the viewer opportunity to look around in that environment with the added enhancement of the shots taken at eye level. As well as minimized jumps and shifts through editing to bring more real life to the cinema audience. Thus we see here that sentiment is not overwhelming the political statement, but rather the political statement is actually taking dominance in the shots. Of course DeSica did move in for close-up shots every now and then which becomes a novelty and is in effect very strong and holds the base to string along the story of the characters and the central object, which is needed to (as mentioned earlier) keep the audience interested and not bored. The central object being the bicycle. They are everywhere and yet treasured, and the shortcoming of the Ricci familys position is enforced when Antonios bicycle is stolen. Here, the object brings sentiment to enforce the political statement, and what I find even more interesting is how the title changed from Bicycle Thief to Bicycle Thieves as ultimately it becomes a vicious cycle of survival as one has to steal their own bicycle back from the thief, therefore becoming a thief resulting in thieves. This therefore constitutes to the message of the film, for the continuous battle of the haves and have-nots. Through the character of Antonio, it is the faith that drives him and allows him follow within his quest to find his stolen bicycle. Although DeSicas bleak realism of the post-war gives purpose to the central theme of the film, it is ultimately the conflict of human-optimism which gives the film and its political statement its power and without human sentiment, one can argue that the film would not produce affective power. If we look at three scenes, we are able to see how sentiment brings power to the political statement. In one scene we see Antonio and Maria trade in their bed linen. The camera moves away from them (long shot) and we see the heaps of bed-linen behind the counter-table, a tacit bleak reminder of the extensive nature of unemployment while recognizing its effect on the heart of families household lives. Again we see how realistic the lighting is and how the framing is loose to incorporate the environmental conditions to promote the political message. In another scene we see Ricci reporting his bicycle stolen and is directed by the policeman to the piles of alike reported cases. His account and circumstances are not singular, and we see here how it is not only this family that is going through this but also a lot of people. (Note the title: Thieves and not Thief) Thus portraying the political message that goes beyond this familys personal sentiment. Here we are also shown how humanitarianism prohibited Ricci from pressing official charges anti the thief, and the same moral fiber that spared him after he was caught stealing a bicycle. He did what the thief did to him. Such a film was essential in Italy as through this family we have the opportunity of being a bystander to the brutality of a civil war amoungst fascists and its on going of killing and reprisals through seeing how this effects one, and how not only effecting this family but many others. Italy in post-war was in need of healing and compassion even at the cost of a perceived injustice. (Paul Baxa, 2011) Healing does not come from the government and leaders of the country, but comes from within the everyday man on the streets you and me. Thus, from the Riccis, those being affected by the war and living within such conditions as well as the audience viewing this film who can in many ways relate. In another scene, arguably the most sentimental scene yet what I believe portrays the political message more powerfully than any other- we see the father and sons relationship come to a mend. It is understood with looking into the Italian family lifestyle, that the father and sons relationship is by far the strongest and most special. Little Brunos appearance when taking his fathers hand in the last scene is merely a realistic point of life and is a means of facing life with your father an important part in Italian culture. With Bruno being the witness of the tragedy and finally coming to realize his father is not a hero after all (contrary to Classic Hollywood), much like the audience being a witness too, this scene gives off a sense of aggravation, mortification, paradox and most of all acceptance to survival. These sentimental feelings therefore expresses the political statement as this ending of when the father and son take hands, expresses manhood and the hardship of survival one needs to go through with still looking for a sense of acceptance. Bazin (1971) explains this father/son scene as reaching puberty. Up to that moment the man has been like a god to his son and their relations came under the heading of admiration. By the fathers actions of becoming a thief, the father has in doing so compromised all heroism that his son had seen in him. However, this scene is seen as acceptance not only in survival, but also acceptance of ones father and supposed role model. He will love him henceforth as a human being, shame and all. (Bazin, 1971: pg 54) This scene inevitabely becomes a deceptive one, as the truth and reality of this acceptance and now found happiness through the fathers wrong doings, depends all on the central object the bicycle. Bicycle Thieves therefore inevitably portrayed the political statement through expressing the social conditions without expressing solutions. One might argue that this is a downfall, however at this moment in time solutions were not theoretical and if healing was going to occur it was going to have to come from the people. Thus, this film is inevitably awareness that needs to be found in each individual, which will create its own solution. Much like the theme and characters inevitably creating a plot on its own in Neorealism. The neorealist approach doesnt have an inbuilt political statement solution, as the most widespread attribute of neorealism is; on location shooting and the feeling of truth. (John Stubbs, 2010) Exactly what Bicycle Thieves so effectively does. One must also remember when viewing this film in the 21st century that twenty-five percent of the Italian workforce was unemployed at the time (William Heuvel, 2008) and if you were employed, getting to work was with th e use of a bicycle. The object of the bicycle thus symbolized survival. In conclusion, one can therefore justifiably argue that the sentimental nature of Bicycle Thieves does not overwhelm the political statement but essentially enhances it. If the political statement made in the film was to feed off a means of a solution, and the solution could only be found in the common individual like the Riccis family then one needs to understand the individuals situation as well as have an opportunity to walk in their shoes. Through sentiment that is not overly used in this film, one can see the hardship for survival through the story of these characters in order to become aware, as well as stay intrigued. Without focalizing power of the central character but rather the political statement through the characters, this film uses The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic. (Joseph Stalin, 1953) to its advantage by effectively showing the tragedy of individuals with indication to the masses statistic through apparent rawness and emotional intensity focused on such political and social problems. (P. Adams Sitney, 1995)

Natural Language Generation Essay -- Computer Science

Natural Language Generation Abstract Natural language generation is a relatively new field in computer science. The two main questions to be solved are "what to say" and "how to say it." What to say includes answering questions not specifically asked by the user, and remembering previous statements made by the user and by the program itself. How to say it involves construction of logical sentences, use of pronouns, and sentence fragments. When speech synthesis is used, it also involves producing intelligible word rhythm, emphasis, and pauses. A new, exciting extension of speech synthesis is the inclusion of "emotion" in speech. User: ELIZA: Men are all alike In what way? They’re always bugging us about something or other Can you think of a specific example? Well, my boyfriend made me come here. Your boyfriend made you come here. He says I’m depressed much of the time. I am sorry to hear you are depressed. It’s true, I am unhappy. Do you think coming here will help you not be unhappy? I need some help; that much seems certain. What would it mean to you if you got some help? Perhaps I could get along with my mother. Tell me more about your family. My mother takes care of me. Who else in your family takes care of you? My father. Your father. You are like my father in some ways. What resemblance do you see? Natural language generation is the generation of printed text as well as synthesized speech. The transcript above is from a system that generates "psychoanalytic" responses to user input. This system is called ELIZA, and was developed at MIT in the 1960s. The program illustrates some of the issues of natur... ...gories such as pitch, voice speed, loudness, and pause length. She wrote a program that output these changes based on the emotion that it was asked to portray. Sample output from this program can be found online. When "emotion" can be output regularly in speech synthesis, a new breed of natural language applications will begin! Natural language generation is a young and exciting subject. There is still much research to be done to find the best way of representing a grammar, and providing a program capable of remembering previous statements, interpreting user input, speaking in sentences and sentence fragments, and providing a "natural" conversation. Even newer is the possibility of adding "emotional flavor" to synthesized speech. The windows that are opened by these studies present such a vast landscape of new applications that it is impossible to imagine them all.

Essay on Cruelty and Compassion in Homer’s Iliad -- Iliad essays

Cruelty and Compassion in The Iliad The Iliad, in that it is more about the Greek hero Achilles than any other particular person, portrays the Achaean in surprisingly shocking light at times throughout the story. In his encounter with Lycaon, who had previously been taken prisoner by Achilles long ago, Achilles demonstrates the extents to which his warlike demeanor can go. Yet it is equally surprising that he is capable of impressive compassion, as is depicted elsewhere in the Iliad. What seems to be an almost unbelievable fluctuation in attitude and mood is far from unexplained or contradictory, however. In fact, there is a well-defined regularity in Achilles' actions and demeanors, to the point of being capable of systematic classification. Achilles is not a loose cannon or an unpredictable firebrand. The method to his madness can be applied to his encounter with Lycaon as it can with any of his episodes in the Iliad. It is in Scroll XXI, at the height of his vengeful and destructive advance, that Achilles meets Lycaon. He has just captured twelve soldiers for sacrifice, and at the exact moment that he reaches Lycaon he is "thirsting for still further blood" (33). Lycaon entreats Achilles to have mercy on him. He mentions that he has been captured before by Achilles and has had precious little time to enjoy his regained freedom. He also distances himself from Hektor, who he knows has Achilles' enmity because of the death of Patroklos. In near desperation, Lycaon falls to his knees, declaring himself to Achilles as "suppliant" (64). Achilles' reaction at this instance is, along with his defilement of Hektor's body, among the most grim and bellicose moments in the Iliad and in Achilles' development as a character. H... ...rom being shocking, it is in fact completely consistent with the character of Achilles that we see throughout the Iliad†¹fearsome in combat, respectful of honor and courage otherwise. Works Cited and Consulted: Camps, W. A. An Introduction to Homer. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980. Goodrich, Norma. Cruelty and Compassion in The Iliad . New York: Orion Press, 1962. Homer: Iliad. Trans. Stanley Lombardo. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 1994. Richardson, Nicholas. The Iliad : A Commentary. Vol. VI: books 21-24. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1993. Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. Veiner, George, and Fagles, Robert, eds. Homer: A Collection of Critical Essays. Twentieth Century Views, ed. Maynard Mack. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1962.

Health and Welness for the Employees :: essays research papers

There are many reasons for the employees to get involved in a wellness program. Whether they like it or not overall wellness will affect their everyday life, at home as well as at work. The fact of the matter is that people that are in good health are usually more coherent and are able to enjoy more out of life. With more incentive going towards corporations paying subsidies to encourage employee participation there is increasing demand by employees to have a wellness program implemented. A study of health risk data and medical insurance claims at a paper mill in Canton, North Carolina, revealed that the Canton employees who had taken part in a health and fitness programs spent an average of 30% less on medical claims than non-participants. Having established a clear link between health and fitness activities and lower health care costs, the Canton study led to refine and expand wellness programs. The company took a closer look at all the issues that could affect job performance and determined that the company needed to broaden the concept of wellness to include mental and emotional health as well as physical well being. In short, the company began to recognize that each employee is a whole person who brings much more than job skills to work every day. The company also began to understand that efforts at wellness promotion could only succeed by taking the needs of the whole person into account. Fitness programs can reduce absenteeism. There are many documented situations of fitness and wellness programs are effective. In a one-year study of over 500 employees, each took part in a work place fitness program. The for each employee that worked out as little one day a week, cut their average number of sick days in half, from over ten sick days on average in the previous year without any activity to less than five in the following year. The report also showed that the employees that did not maintain a workout load of at least once a week did not reduce any sick-days. (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 1997; 39:827-831) Each of the participants followed a one-hour supervised workout consisting of a warm-up, stretching, calisthenics, cardiovascular and strength-building program. Later in the study Dr. Lilian Lechner, M.P.H. stated, â€Å"While previous studies have found that employees most likely to partake in workplace fitness programs are those who already ge t the most regular exercise and tend to be in better health, the current show that work-based fitness offers added health benefits for employees regardless of their fitness level.

The Role of Government in Policy Making

While reading Chapter 2 on The Role of Government in Policy Making, I noticed that in the text it stated that â€Å"all fields of practice are affected by the social and organizational policy made by judicial decisions. † (Donald E. Chambers and Kenneth R. Wedel. Published by Allyn and Bacon pg. 35). The YWCA provides women and children with several different services. It is vital that the organization is careful of what they are doing with their clients and observe the policies for these social programs.The judicial branch of the government has a lot of power over these social programs and can completely discontinue the program under certain circumstances. This is done in order to keep the organization consistent with court orders. â€Å"The judicial branch restricts or expands the power of government administrators and officials so that they are consistent with past court decisions, with governmental principles, and (sometimes) with the fundamental constitutional rights of citizens. † (Donald E. Chambers and Kenneth R. Wedel. Published by Allyn and Bacon).The laws that are put in place for this organization or organizations similar to the YWCA can influence the decision making and its day to day operations by a simple change in law. A change in law could mean that the requirements have been altered or changed and in order to service their clients properly, there are guidelines that need to be met. â€Å"The judiciary both creates anew and reshapes old social policy. (Donald E. Chambers and Kenneth R. Wedel. Published by Allyn and Bacon). I found that the YWCA has to only engage in activities related to its mission or purpose.â€Å"The Association may not engage in any activities that do not further the Mission or its purposes as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation and these Bylaws. † (http://www. cortlandywca. org/pdf/ywcabylaws07. pdf) Some of the laws read were very particular about the dos and don’ts of the organization. The information read shows that these laws put in place definitely influences the organizations decision making day-to-day operations. These changes that the judicial branch make keeps the organization on their toes in making sure they follow guidelines.The role that the court system or law played in shaping policies that affect the YWCA is pivotal. The courts are very involved in the evaluative process. â€Å"The public policy values the court is free to evaluate are related to but independent from the political values which motivated the existence or absence of a statute†. The court system benefits the YWCA tremendously considering they provide shelter and protection from abuse. â€Å"Each year the YWCA helps hundreds of individuals obtain protection from abuse orders, and provides victim support in criminal and civil court cases.The YWCA court advocate provides assistance to victims who are involved in the district court system. † (http://www. ywcaofwichita. org/pr ogram-court-advocacy. htm). Knowing that the court system can not only have a negative impact on the organization but also help women who are in an abusive situation, and get away from whatever the problem is, no matter what her financial situation may be. â€Å"Courts can shape and frame social policy in regard to administrative rulings as well as legislation. † (Donald E. Chambers and Kenneth R. Wedel.  Published by Allyn and Bacon).Reading this passage has help me to realize how the judicial system really affects non-profit organizations or organizations in general. Any organization that meets the guidelines of the judicial system are affected by its policies. Keeping organizations consistent with the court orders ensures the organization effective execution when dealing with clients. Whenever a judicial decision has been made it is important for that organization to be well informed so that there is no discontinuation of the program.Although the legislative and executiv e branches are elected by the people, the judicial branch is a presidential pick. It is very important to stick with the policies, and procedures and be prepared for any changes that may arise. Having a preview of how the organization and the government works when it comes to a particular situation helps to help me better prepare for future endeavors. These laws and judicial decisions affect organizations all around the world, it can be a benefit to all, if everyone is well informed on what is going on and what is to come.

Green Washing and Its Effects on Consumer Perspectives Essay

The term green washing denotes the use of false or misleading information concerning green marketing by companies to compel consumers to buy their products on the perception that the company is environmentally friendly. It involves the misleading use of green marketing to endorse a false perception that the company products or policies are environmentally friendly. Green washing has been growing in the recent years mainly due to the increasing demand for green products. Due to increasing concerns about global warming, consumers are increasingly demanding for economically responsible products (Hart, 1997). Companies that seek to survive have no option but to either provide these products or to fake them. Another reason why green washing is growing is due to the fact that the sales of green oriented products have increased. A study carried out in the United States showed that in 2007, 328 products labelled â€Å"environmentally friendly† were launched by major manufacturers. This was a significant increase as in 2002 only 5 products were labelled the same (Bansal & Roth, 2000). The rise of green products in the market has forced companies to undertake green washing in order to compete effectively. Another reason why green washing is growing is that the communication of environmental messages is still not controlled by any industrial wide standards. Companies are free to disseminate information about their environmental policies without any restrictions hence they can provide misleading information at will. The final reason why green washing is common is that government action and regulation is still pending. An analysis by HSBC on passed and pending economic stimulus packages of 15 countries reported that over US $3 trillion is intended to stimulate economies for the next ten years (Bazzillier & Vauday, 2009). A large percentage of this money will support environmental objectives. This situation has resulted in the increase of lobbying which in turn has resulted in a situation whereby companies have to hunt tactical opportunities that do not conform to their messages on environmental friendliness. Ways of Carrying out Green Washing There are several techniques of green washing employed by companies. Although only a few literatures exist on the subject, the basis of identifying these techniques is that proposed by the TerraChoice Environmental Group. The group did research on the manners with which companies mislead consumers about their environmental friendliness and came up with six ways which they dubbed â€Å"the six sins of green washing. † The first sin is â€Å"the sinof hidden trade off†. This involves the attempt by companies to promote a product as green by using only one environmental attribute or an intolerable narrow set of attributes disregarding other more important environmental issues. Although the claims are not false, they portray a â€Å"greener† picture of the product which cannot be supported by a full environmental analysis. The second sin is â€Å"the sin of no proof. † This involves all information disseminated by a company about environmental friendliness but cannot be validated by easily accessible supporting information. According to a study by Bazillier and Vauday (2009), communication of full CSR activities by companies to customers is impossible. As a result, two types of information communicated to consumers exist, hard and soft information. Hard information is that which can be verified by customers but tends to be costly while soft information is that which is readily available to consumers but cannot be verified.