Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Do culture and claims to human rights stimulate or limit change in Essay

Do culture and claims to human rights stimulate or limit change in international order - Essay Example Realism on the other hand believe that the way that international order is achieved is through states’ pursuit of power (Bromley and Smith, 2004). Liberalism theories of transformation are especially useful for analyzing whether or not culture and claims to human rights stimulate or limit change in international order. Liberalism theories draw attention to universality and particularity. In this regard, the question for consideration is different standpoints (particularity) find commonality and thus universality in structuring international order (Bromley and Smith, 2004). Human rights in the international political order is often perceived in terms of universality, yet strands of particularity are observed. Therefore, according to cultural relativism, while it is often claimed that human rights are universal because we are all human beings, there are individual claims that what rights are applicable and inalienable depends on cultural values, beliefs and practices (Donnelly, 2007). Cultural relativism is said to be more profound with the challenges resulting from globalization and a multicultural world (Ayton-Shenker, 1995). Disparities in terms of income, access to resources, cultural clashes and so on have raised concerns about whether or not universality in the international ordering can be achieved amidst profound and divergent particularity. Ayton-Shenker (1995) argues that cultural clashes and inequitable differences threatens the international order in that societies may inevitably resort to cultivating their own cultural values and identities. This research paper will therefore use liberalism theories of transformation, especially concepts of universality and particularity to analyse whether or not culture and claims to human rights stimulate or limit change in international order. This research paper hypothesized that if cultural relativism

Monday, October 28, 2019

The relationship between business strategy and IT strategy Essay Example for Free

The relationship between business strategy and IT strategy Essay Introduction The decision of enveloping IT into a business is one of the biggest decisions which need to be evaluated for their success and long term planning. Business strategy must be broken down into thought generation process, specifically the â€Å"what of the system†, evaluating the positive and negative sides of the business after IT alignment and forecast of the future direction for its customers and suppliers would make the strategy stand for success. The modernized view of things is to typically involve to the desired extent the suppliers and customers in the design process of the product so that they get what they want. Relationship between IT and Business strategy The relationship between the IT and business strategy can be attributed for organizing the business in a planned and organized manner so that all the business functions are effectively and efficiently performed giving optimum utilization of resources. Enveloping IT for a business enhances its capability to reduce cycle costs, allow other enterprises to collaborate in product design and production. It further helps in linking all the business departments and modules so that all the various organizational functions are merged together and combined together to create an collaborative enterprise. Business strategy is a goal-oriented approach and is the synchronization of all business decisions made and propagated among the departments for further processing and operation. To ease up this process IT comes in the picture to give it a new dimension. It not only brings every process in the same page but facilitates the flow of information and timely implementation of crucial decisions which can take advantage of a business opportunity for prosperity. The major components of IT in designing the process flow in an organization are quite essential in the long road of creating an environment of efficient communication and utilization of resources to avoid wastage and evaluate productivity at every stage. Enterprises require maintaining good communication with external environment so that it is able to focus on the challenges with regard to innovation of products and services. Good consumer and supplier relations are extremely essential for business continuity and steady progress.    Were there problems with Strategy formulation? Appropriately identifying the crucial static and dynamic variables shaping in the business environment and capitalizing on those resources is the absolute geniuses of any strategist. At the moment of framing the strategy the appropriate positive and negative factors of IT implementation must be considered for an organization. The amount of association to be represented among the various departments would be quite a challenging task and would include plan and awareness on the part of the strategist. Correct identification of the business workflow and the system functionality can be made with proper evaluation and walkthrough of the business scenario. Strategic formulation is to some respect responsible for the failure of the enterprise; however it can be argued that the variables considered can be judged with different eyes so that the ultimate formulation of the ideas generated is perfectly matched with the business scenario. The scope of the business must also be defined quite well so that the analysis phase is performed well. Were there problems with strategy implementation? The implementation of strategy is utmost essential for making the planned architecture by the strategists successful. Unless the plans are implemented well they stand quite baseless in the space of ideas. Definite implementation of the agreed plans must be undertaken so that all the concepts which were built around the fence would get a representation otherwise they would stand baseless. The technology faults get visibility in the scenario where appropriate implementation of strategy is not made. If the initial stages are not taken care and given a proper representation, the implementation of the strategy is almost impossible to the extent that all the wrong elements and plans would be implemented. Were there problems with the strategic process? The problems in the strategic process keep most of the resources out of view so that they are not indulged in the process of development. The process management must be accordingly taken care so that all the appropriate business processes are managed well and all the crucial processes are enveloped. Evaluation of the positive and negative impacts of a particular decision in the business must be researched thoroughly and accordingly the strategic process would be designed so that the other businesses in the atmosphere would feel advantaged with your business scenario and supplier relations. Creating a monopoly would make other enterprises quite envy. Strategic process must also focus on the past problems, present needs and future requirements. Enough analysis of the business scenario and modularizing of the business functions would make it more advantageous to cover the entire process cycle for its success. All such smaller process cycles would combine together to meet the focus of the central objective. Conclusion The value added services like including the concept of collaboration with other companies, suppliers and customers would make the enterprise a global entity. In addition to it, appropriate identification of such strategy must be responsible for its formulation and successful implementation for the benefit of all. Bibliography Sawhney Mohanbir. B2B: Execution of the Concept Is Key to Success. See: http://www.cio.com/article/ 31078/B_B_Execution of_the_Concept_Is_Key_to _Success Worthen   Ben. COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING and True Enterprise Architecture Is Still Two Years Away. See: http://www.cio.com/article/30605/COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING_and_True_Enterprise_Architecture_Is_Still_Two_Years_Away

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Essay on Utopia - Disneys Utopian Community -- Exploratory Essays Res

Disney's Utopian Community      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of utopian communities is a hot new commodity among major enterprises. The Walt Disney Corporation is currently marketing its own community called Celebration. Disney, known for creating worlds of fantasy through theme parks and movies tackles reality. According to architect Robert A.M. Stern, the idea behind Celebration is to "recapture the idea of a traditional American town, traditional in spirit, but modern in terms of what we know about how people live"(Oilande 1). Also, the town is "structured around the five cornerstones of life in Celebration: community, education, health, technology, and place"(Oilande 2). Celebration uses this concept to create a special utopian vision. Despite contradictions of artificiality, regulation, and price, Celebration is a good utopian vision because it has a sense of community, an outstanding educational system, and a credible health care system.    The notion of a artificial or theme park feel has come up as a possible concern. "The town resembles a movie set with the neat-and-pretty homes like facades"(Oilande 5). Disney is taking a community and making it a fantasy of the lost traditional suburb one would see on "Leave it to Beaver" or "Pleasantville". As one visitor of the new community stated, "the minute you drive into Celebration's property, Disney's visual magic takes hold. White fences reminiscent of Kentucky's Bluegrass Country, surround the property. Upon a closer inspection they prove to be plastic. And from a distance, the preview center looks like a classical mansion. It's not. It's a faà §ade. Behind the mansion door is a pre-fab"(Wilson3). This ideal is created in a conference room at a corporate office somewhere and it i... ...able: http://www.detnews.com/EDITPAGE/SAT1028/CANTOR.html. Cottrell, Kenny. Celebration: Frequently Asked Questions. Tuldp. Avaliable: http://www.tudlp.org/celebfaq.html. Disney. General Celebrations Facts and Figures. Available: http://www.primenet.com/~dbrady/oliande/celebfacts.html. February 1997. Hoffman, Derek. Review of Disney's Celebration. Avaliable: http://mason.gmu.edu/~dhoffman/week4.htm. 12 February1997. Lease, Daryl. Village theme for Disney: Wonderful World of Wal-Mart. The Free Lance-Star. Avaliable: http://.starweb.infi.net/columns/lease/dl032396.htm. 23 March1996. Oliande, Sylvia. A Visit to Celebration. Avaliable: http://www.primenet.com/~dbrady/oliande/celebration.html. 9&10 March 1997. Wilson, Craig. Celebration puts Disney in reality's realm. USA Today. Avaliable: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/usacelebration.html.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Comment Cuisiner Son Mari a L’africaine: How-to Manual or Cautionary Tale

De tous les arts, l'art culinaire est celui qui nourrit le mieux son homme. – Pierre Dac Calixthe Beyala was born in Cameroon in 1961. She was very disturbed by the extreme poverty of her surroundings. She went to school in Douala, and she excelled in Mathematics. Calixthe Beyala traveled widely in Africa and Europe before settling in Paris, where she now lives with her daughter. Beyala has published prolifically, and her most recent novel, which came out earlier this year, is called La Plantation.Beyala’s novel Comment cuisiner son mari a l'africaine appeared in the year 2000, published by Albin Michel. It is similar in structure to Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate, where the narrative is interrupted by the recipes which figure in the plot line. In her book, Beyala includes twenty-four of the recipes which her heroine Aissatou prepares to attract her neighbor and compatriot, Souleymane Bolobolo. In this way the book serves as a how-to manual, as its title sugg ests, on how to seduce, marry and keep a husband by cooking for him.The book begins with a prologue in the form of a legend where a woman arrives at the remote home of the recluse, Biloa. She announces that she has dreamed of him since she was a little girl, and that she has always known that they would marry. Biloa protests that he isn't the one she is seeking, repeating â€Å"Ce n'est pas moi†, but the woman tempts him with food so Biloa admits his identity, â€Å"C'est peut-etre moi,† and takes the woman and the basket of food into his house. This, according to the legend, is how Biloa came to be a member of the society of men.This prologue does, indeed, prefigure the struggles of Aissatou, our novel's heroine, who is a une dame-pipi28 caught between her identity as a Parisian and as an African. Fed up with romantic disappointments, she has chosen her neighbor Bolobolo to be her husband, though she hasn't really even met him. Aissatou, who habitually eats only three grated carrots for her dinner, and always takes her tea without sugar in order to maintain her slim figure goes to a marabout for advice on how to seduce Bolobolo, and is provoked by the other women that are also waiting there for advice.According to them, Aissatou's problem is that she is too skinny, and they lament the fact that â€Å"ces filles d'aujourd'hui ne savent meme pas cuisiner†¦.. et ca se veut des femmes. â€Å"29 Aissatou takes this all to heart and armed with the recipes she learned from her mother and grandmother, she attacks her neighbor on the culinary front. She begins by bringing â€Å"beignets aux haricots rouges† to Bolobolo's elderly mother who is suffering from a mental illness, and then continues tempting her neighbor with other exotic and spicy dishes.Aissatou is not unopposed, however, and deals with her rival, Bijou, by again eclipsing her performance in the kitchen. Eventually, Aissatou does seduce Bolobolo, and after his mother's death, t hey do marry. But the story doesn't end here. In an epilogue, the reader gets a glimpse of Aissatou and Bolobolo's marriage twenty years later. Aissatou admits that she cooks to save her marriage, which is constantly imperiled by her husband's infidelity.But, as her mother had told her, â€Å"There comes a time when one must prefer one's marriage to one's husband,† and so Aissatou sacrifices her pride and tends her relationship in the kitchen even though she realizes that her husband is an adulterous coward. The epilogue leaves a bitter taste at the end of such a delicious novel, but it keeps it honest, and doesn't allow it to seem like the simple re-telling of the legend of Biloa. Whereas the themes of food and cooking often serve as expressions of nostalgia in other novels, in Beyala's book, food is a language spoken by the different characters.Aissatou hears her mother's voice prescribing certain dishes to mend a broken heart and other dishes to soothe herself and her fami ly, for as she says, â€Å"Ventre plein n'a point de conscience. â€Å"30Her daughter, however, doesn't initially have the same reaction when feeling low and instead she makes herself a bowl of ‘veritable soupe chinoise en sachet. ‘ This means that prior to her decision to seduce Bolobolo by cooking for him, the only cooking that Aissatou undertakes is nothing more than adding water to a dried powder and heating it up.The fact that the dried powder is identified as ‘real’ and ‘Chinese’ point to the fact that it is really neither. Aissatou is not concerned with her food’s quality or ethnicity, and cares only about its convenience and calorie count. In the course of the novel, Aissatou will give up her proclivity for these ‘inauthentic’ foods and begin to enjoy the foods of West Africa prescribed by her mother and other African characters. In Beyala’s book, African food is imbued with nearly magical qualities. Yes, it does put meat on the bones of those who enjoy it, but it also excites the senses, and inflames the passions of those who eat it.Moreover, the true connoisseurs and sages of African food are all women. Even when Aissatou goes to consult a marabout about her love life, it is the women who actually reveal her ‘diagnosis. ’ Maimouna, who is known as ‘la cheftaine-reine des cuisines† amongst the women at the marabout’s apartment says that Aissatou’s problem is that she is too thin, and that a certain spicy shrimp dish will always attract a man. Once Aissatou decides to begin cooking African food in order to achieve her goal of seducing Bolobolo, she is also able to influence other situations through her cooking.She decides to provoke a macho response in her passive male best friend and prepares a jus de gingembre, a drink formulated to send him into a frenzy of desire, just to see what will happen. When confronted by her angry rival, mademoiselle Bi jou, she cooks a bouillie de mil for her to show that she is civilized and in control of the situation. Later, angered by Bijou's assessment of her relationship with Bolobolo, she also takes revenge on him by putting a laxative in a favorite dish of his. And of course, Aissatou's prime objective, clinched by her pepe-soupe aux poissons, is to arouse an appetite for passion within Bolobolo.Aissatou is speaking through her cooking, revealing her desires and fears, using food to express those things which she cannot explicitly state. In addition to its function as a way to provoke a physical response in the eater, food acts as an important cultural identifier in this novel. Through it we see the transformation of Aissatou from Parisian, back to African and from white, back to black. In other words, she effectuates a reverse migration, and food and cooking are the vehicle that she uses to bring herself back to her roots.Though this migration is easy to track, as she embraces her motherà ¢â‚¬â„¢s attitudes toward food, cooking and even marriage, it is more difficult to find Aissatou’s point of departure. In the beginning, Aissatou’s very racial and ethnic identity is called into question by Beyala’s own publisher’s blurb on the back of the novel itself. It describes her as  « une Parisienne pure black en proie au tourments de l’amour.  »31 But Aissatou claims that her self-imposed exile in France has made her forget the fact that she is black and that she doesn’t know when she became white.She admits that she has become white by imitating the thin, white Parisian women who are, as she is, completely caught up in the constant pursuit of beauty that is calculated to please men. She realizes that she has adopted a foreign mentality when it comes to her own body image and describes herself thus: â€Å"Moi, je suis une negresse blanche et la nourriture est un poison mortel pour la seduction. Je fais chanter mon corps en eplu chant mes fesses, en rapant mes seins, convaincue qu'en martyrisant mon estomac, les divinites de la sensualite s'echapperont de mes pores. 32It is interesting to note the use of the kitchen techniques, which indicate how previously her only cooking projects served to keep her thin. She combines these techniques where she literally scrapes her body until it is thin with words like martyr and divinity, playing into the idea that the denial of food in order to remain thin is a somehow sacred task. This is a long-standing dialectic, where women align divinity and asceticism when that same asceticism really represents a societal imperative to conform to ideals of beauty.This statement is a declaration of success; she has martyred her body in order to be desirable, and therefore white. Though Aissatou admits that she diets constantly and obsessively, like other Parisian women, she also lies about what she eats, just for the sake of being cruel. When asked about her diet by an apparently jealous overweight woman, Aissatou joyfully tells her that she has, since her birth, eaten, â€Å"le coq au vin, arrose d’un bon beaujolais nouveau; les epaules d’agneau aux champignon noirs, le ris de veau a la creme fraiche et le couscous mouton a la tunisienne. 33Of course, it is completely untrue that she ever indulges in such rich food, and certainly doubtful that she ate these traditional French dishes as a child in Cameroon. It is worth noting the inclusion of Tunisian couscous with the list of very traditional French food. Couscous has entered the repertory of French foods and is a common dish, despite its colonial origins. Though one may argue about the ‘authenticity’ of a Parisian â€Å"couscous a la Tunisienne† and how it plays on French ideas of exoticism, it is undeniably a part of French cuisine.This is in contrast to sub-Saharan African cuisine, which is much more difficult to find in the capital. Though you can eat couscous in every arrondissement, you would be hard pressed to find many restaurants that serve food from West Africa or the provisions necessary to make them at home. With this book, Beyala presents a fictionalized cookbook, and if the intrepid home cook should retrace the steps of the heroine, it could even serve as a guide for shopping for the ingredients in the recipes.As mentioned previously, this book’s structure is similar to other popular novels where recipes for the dishes prepared by characters are included, like Frances Mayes’, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Laura Esquivel’s, Like Water for Chocolate. But in these novels, the recipes are most often a part of the narration itself and sometimes are even recounted by one character to another, mimicking the traditional way that cooking recipes are transmitted, orally, from one cook to another, most often mother to daughter.In Beyala’s book, which features African characters who themselves benefited from the oral traditi on of passing down culinary knowledge, Beyala’s chooses to completely disconnect the recipes from the text, placing them on a separate page at the end of the chapter, and printing them like a traditional recipe that could be found in any cookbook or magazine article. Also, Beyala’s book differs from Mayes’ and Esquivel’s because their novels are both set in a time or place that is foreign to the reader.Esquivel’s novel is set during the Mexican revolution, and Mayes’ is set in Italy, and their settings automatically place them in a foreign and/or exotic locale. Despite this fact, the reader can easily recreate the recipes that their characters make, thereby exoticising themselves by their appropriation of the foreign meal. In contrast, Beyala’s book is both more accessible in its setting, and less accessible to the home cook. Comment cuisiner son mari a l’africaine is set in the present-day French capital and is completely reco gnizable in terms of its location and lifestyle.But re-creating the recipes that Aissatou makes is nearly impossible, because many of the ingredients listed in these recipes are not translated or even described. Though it would seem that this cookbook is intended for other immigrant women to use in re-creating dishes from West Africa, the lack of information about ingredients or possible substitutions runs counter to other cookbooks with similar propositions. Therefore, the status of the book as a manual is questionable, since it is not clear that one can even follow the recipes.Beyala’s book may just be using the recipes as other novels use illustrations. They are glimpses of a foreign culture provided by the author in order to pique the interest of the reader, just as an illustration does. Beyala’s location of the text in Paris is key in the novel, because it allows her to set up a cultural dialectic between France and Cameroon. Her heroine must navigate the multicul tural space of the post-colonial capital to assess the compromises and concessions that white and black women make.Aissatou is caught between her Parisian reality where sexual value is based on how thin a woman is, and her memories of her mother's advice which promoted the importance of domesticity and especially culinary satisfaction in the life of a couple. â€Å"Un homme qui vous fait ressentir de telles emotions†¦.. merite le paradis,†34 she would say as she seasoned a dish to please her man. Aissatou imagines the questions that her mother would have asked her if her daughter had come to her after a failed love affair.Her mother would have asked if first, she had satisfied him sexually, second, if she had kept the house well, and third if she had prepared nice dishes for him. As Aissatou begins cooking savory dishes for herself her thin figure fills in with more womanly curves, eliciting pitying looks from some who think that she has let herself go, and approval from others. Race, beauty, food and sex are all locked into an uneasy correlation that she cannot accept. She gives up on the idea of maintaining a French, i. e. thin, ideal of beauty and trades it for the African ideal of sensual pleasure of food as a means to attract men.Interestingly, she does not trade her French beauty regimen for an African one. She even cites the methods that she is unwilling to follow and decides that braiding her hair, massaging herself with shea butter and pretending to be fragile is not for her: â€Å"Rien qu’a y penser, je m’epuise comme si c’etait deja a l’ouvrage. †35 This return to her roots is unquestionably problematical for Aissatou. She is torn between the two worlds constantly. For example, when she sees Bolobolo leaving the apartment building, she is struck by her sudden ‘African’ reaction: â€Å"Si j'etais sa femme, je serais restee a la maison a l'attendre. But just as quickly she asks herself, â₠¬Å"Mais pourquoi dans le partage des roles les femmes doivent-elles garder le foyer, cuisiner, allumer les lampes†¦. jusqu'a ce que mort s'ensuive? †36This is the same reaction that she has when she asks herself if she is capable of using African methods of seduction. Aissatou’s onerous task is to reconcile her African mother’s advice on how to seduce and hold on to a man with her French post-feminist questions about that role. She knows that her mother is right, and that she will be able to seduce this African man by appealing to his sensual desires and African identity.So, she picks at Bolobolo's sensibilities as an African man and critiques him for doing the marketing himself, saying: â€Å"Vous vous etes finalement bien adapte a l'Occident qui voudrait que l'homme soit une femme et l'inverse. †37In this way, she calls attention to the cultural difference in the French and African views on the traditional division of labor and highlights the fact t hat she and Bolobolo share a common culture, though they may be forced to adapt to French practices.Aissatou also seeks to call attention to their shared culture when she uses Bolobolo's mother's condition as an excuse to get involved, which she does with ulterior motives: â€Å"J'ai l'impression que mon discours est en decalage, espace et temps. Je sais que j'ai eu une reaction africaine ou tout le monde se mele des casseroles etrangeres. â€Å"38 This statement is telling because it shows that Aissatou knows that she is acting in bad faith.She knows that she has rejected certain aspects of African seduction and that she is not being honest about her intentions, but she nevertheless goes forward with her culinary seduction of Bolobolo and his mother. When Aissatou brings the beignets to Bolobolo's mother he mentions that she mustn't have anything better to do if she is cooking for others, but Aissatou reminds him: â€Å"Oui, parce que dans ce pays il faut etre vieux ou au chomag e pour se rendre compte qu'il est important que l'on s'occupe des autres,† again setting herself apart from the French and reminding him that they are compatriots.She finally gains access to his house with this plate of food. Once inside, she professes that she loves to cook and he answers that he loves to do dishes, seeming indicating that they are ideally suited for each other, but also indicating that he may be an African man, but he has adapted to a non-African setting. And this is the prime reason that Aissatou cooks, and especially why she cooks African food, to spark Bolobolo's passion for her. Aissatou cooks constantly, and she cooks the most exotic dishes and uses ingredients that she must search for in all the African boutiques of the capital.Her apartment building is infused with the heady aromas of African cuisine, which causes different reactions among her French neighbors. The concierge battles the smells of cooking with the Airwick spray, but the old lady who li ves on the first floor creeps up the steps to hover on the landing while Aissatou is cooking. Aissatou’s cooking, because it is foreign and strange smelling, makes her black in the eyes of the racist concierge and Bolobolo’s metisse girlfriend, Bijou.Aissatou decides to invite Bolobolo and his mother to dinner at her apartment, where she intends to win him over with her prowess in the kitchen, but when she goes downstairs to invite him, another woman is in the apartment with him. Unfazed, she announces that she would be happy to bring dinner down to them to enjoy together. The dinner is a success with Bolobolo but his girlfriend, a lovely metissse named Bijou, doesn't enjoy herself at all: â€Å"Je n'ai jamais aime la cuisine africaine†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Parait qu'ils mangent des singes, ces Negres! † To which Aissatou responds: â€Å"Du serpent boa egalement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.C'est excellent, n'est-ce pas†39Again, the food has served to bring together the African s and place them in opposition to a separate group because they share a taste for a dish that others find objectionable. Aissatou even goes further in invoking their taste for boa constrictor, because she knows that Bijou will be disgusted by this prospect. Since Bijou is mulatto and not just French, Aissatou and Bolobolo’s shared food preference places emphasis on the fact that they are from the same country in Africa and therefore share a distinct culture, and should not be lumped in with other ‘people of color. But Aissatou's main goal for her fabulous dinner is achieved after Bijou's departure when Bolobolo starts kissing and caressing Aissatou while she is cleaning up the kitchen. This woman, who previously denied herself any sensual pleasure at all from food, is altered by her dinner with Bolobolo. With her seduction of Bolobolo she acquires a new language, where food metaphors dominate the description of sex and the body. Nicki Hitchcott sees the narrator’ s almost over the top references to food to be a demonstration of cliches on which Western advertising depends. 0But at the same time, this dinner is evocative of the traditional polygamous African family dynamic, where the wife who cooks for the husband is the one who sleeps with him that night. Although Aissatou must still deal with her more powerful rival, Bolobolo's mother, she is eventually successful in seducing and keeping him with her culinary talents. By the end of the novel, Aissatou's transformation is complete. She does experience uneasiness when it comes to her own motives and doubts regarding her role in what Hitchcott calls ‘postnational’ France, but Aissatou settles on using cooking in order to maintain her relationships.She has gone from being a self-described white woman who viewed food as a ‘fatal poison' in the matter of seduction, to using food as a tool to accomplish her goal of seducing Bolobolo. She now sees food as a positive, unifying for ce: â€Å"La nourriture est synonyme de la vie. Aujourd'hui elle constitue une unite plus homogene que la justice. Elle est peut-etre l'unique source de paix et de reconciliation entre les hommes.  »41And in this novel, cooking can also reflect passion, love, comfort, anger and civility.Food and Aissatou's deft manipulation of people through her cooking give her power that she doesn't have otherwise in French society. As Bolobolo’s mother says in the novel, cooking is indeed becoming a rare skill especially in large capital cities like Paris because women are increasingly working outside the home, and don’t have the time or even talent to cook, since they never really learned the skills from their mothers. Even though France may be a center for haute cuisine technique, it suffers the same problems of all modern countries where there has been a redistribution of domestic tasks from inside to outside the home.Women don’t cook as much as they used to, and more a nd more people eat outside the home. Therefore, we must ask ourselves for whom the didactic element of this book is intended. As stated above, it is not descriptive enough to satisfy a food adventurer in search of the exotic and by virtue of the fact that it is written and published in France, it is clearly not intended to be used by African women. Perhaps the reader who would find Beyala’s recipes to be the most accessible are women like herself, immigrant women who might need to be tempted back to the kitchen.When this is considered along with Beyala’s problematical portrayal of marriage, the book appears as an invitation to take up cooking, not as a way to experience the exotic, but as a way to reject the Western ideal of beauty and to appropriate some power within the community. Aissatou returned to this aspect of her African heritage, because she had a specific goal in mind and felt that this would allow her to achieve it. She questions herself, her methods and he r motives all along the way, and ultimately accepts the limitations of â€Å"un bon pepe-soupe† and her husband’s monogamy.Just as she advises her neighbor whose husband has begun to stray from the conjugal bed, she doesn’t reproach Bolobolo and accepts his infidelity, knowing that eventually, he will return to her. She rejected the literal and figurative hunger that she experienced as a ‘negresse blanche† and chose the culinary tools that allow her to make her husband happy, even though she knows that he will sometimes hurt her. Beyala’s heroine fully understands the limitations that she faces in a Paris, and negotiates an identity through her cooking that she can live with.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Regional Airlines Case Study

Case 2: Regional Airlines Case 2: Regional Airlines Case Introduction A+ for effort, Customer Service Pays for Itself In an extremely regulated and thus relatively uniform industry such as the commercial airline industry, the successful airline is the organization which sets itself apart from the competition. Within an industry that requires customer planning to interface with flight schedules and security measures, a major operational aspect which can aid an airline in gaining an edge on the competition is customer service.The effective consumption of air travel (finding flights, buying tickets, getting through the airport, boarding a plane, and finally reaching the final destination) is not the same simple consumer –supplier relationship that the consumer experiences in a trip through the Wal-Mart checkout counter; the nature of air travel makes the interaction between the airline and the customer very complex.Almost every facet of the complex relationship between the airlin e and customer can generate a large amount of stress for the consumer; consumers find poor customer service in the face of tight travel deadlines and paid for travel plans that did not necessarily go as intended extremely frustrating. Analysis Investigating Salient Case Issues To capitalize on offering a high level of effective customer service, an investment must be made.The airline must ensure their customer service department not only understands that customer service is highly valued in the organizational environment but also must ensure that the customer service department has the tools and resources to offer effective customer service (Graham, 2012). Like any business investment, the organization must make smart decisions when providing customer service resources; for instance a call center of fifty employees which only answers two calls an hour is a humongous waste of resources that would be better allocated towards another goal.The problem of understand that an investment to wards more effective customer service is needed, but at what cost to make that investment, is the problem which faces Regional Airlines in the case study on page 539 of the 2012 Anderson, et al, text: An Introduction to Management Science Regional Airlines is expanding its customer service operation by setting up a new phone system for the purpose of providing ticketing services and customer assistance over the phone.The airline is going ahead with the new phone system; however, two major decision points exist, how many agents to allocate to the line (one or two) and what complexity of system in which to invest (a system that provides a holding function versus one that does not). The expected call load for the new operation is one call every 3. 75 minutes, available metrics indicate that on each call a ticket agent spends 3 minutes with a customer; effectively this results that for every customer attended to, there will be 45 seconds of downtime (Anderson, et al, 2012).Unfortunately for Regional Air, those figures are only averages, there will be an indeterminate amount of calls which meet or exceed the 3. 75 minute span in between calls. The decision between systems which provides a hold function versus the one that does not will determine will determine if that customer is placed on hold or if the call is just dropped. Placing an unanswered call on hold provides a buffer for the agent to end the call and then service the holding customer; however, for a customer that stays on hold for an inordinate amount of time will begin to feel less and less like a well-served customer.The expected call load versus the time it takes for an agent to deal with each call is the basis of allocating only one agent to man the call system. The second option of allocating two or more agents is in effect, insurance that each call will be answered in a timely fashion and callers will not have to wait for extended periods of time. The decision of how many agents to allocate to the phone system is based upon the apparent cost for an extra agent sitting around not actively engaged in a call; however this view is relatively short sighted because it does not take into account the revenue lost from dropped calls and dissatisfied customers.The salient issue of the case is determining what the appropriate level of investiture to make for the phone system to provide an expected (and beneficial) level of customer service Group Discussion Exploring Simulations Simulation is a quantitative technique developed for studying alternative courses of action by building a model of that system and then conducting a series of repeated trial and error experiments to predict the behavior of the system over a period of time (Srivastava, Shenoy, & Sharma, 1989, p. 753). Of all the simulations waiting line simulations are of the most important to the customer service industry.In the airline industry long waiting times can lead to poor customer service scores and diminished sales. Reg ional Airlines is establishing a new telephone system for handling flight reservations (Anderson, Sweeney, Williams, Camm, & Martin, 2012). The airlines main goal is to decrease the wait time at its call centers and increase sales. Regional’s management team agrees that its goal should be to answer 85% of its incoming calls immediately. The following analyzes Regional Airline’s (RA) current reservation system and ways to improve it. Analysis of Current SystemCurrently RA is answering one call every 3. 75 minutes during 10:00 a. m. to 11:00 a. m. time period (? (average arrival time) = 60 minutes / 3. 75 minutes = 16 calls per hour). The average service time is 3 minutes per customer ( µ (service rate) = 60 minutes / 3 minutes = 20 calls per hour). With only one reservation agent, the probability that a caller will be blocked because of a busy signal is P1 = . 4444 ? o = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! = . 5556 ?1 = ( ? / ? ) 1/0! i=1k ? /? 1 /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) 1/0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! = . 444 With two reservation agents, the probability that a caller will be blocked because of a busy signal is P2 = . 1509. ?o = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 4717 ? 1 = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /1! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 3774 ? 2 = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /2! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 1509 Regional Airlines’ current phone reservation system will answer an approximate of 85% of phone calls with two employed reservation agents.However, the other 15% will be blocked because of a busy signal. Customers who do not get a hold of an agent may not call back and contribute to negative customer service reaction and adversely affect the business. Analysis of Agents Needed Proposed expanded system will allow callers to wait. Instead of being blocke d when all lines are busy, customers can choose to stay on the line and calls will be answered in the order received. With only one reservation agent for Regional Airlines in the expanded system, 80% (Pw) of incoming calls will end up waiting. The average waiting time is also at 12 minutes (Wq).Cited numbers above show a horrendous system that is both undesirable and a business model doomed for failure. So in order for RA to realize the benefits of the expanded system, it needs to employ two or more reservation agents. Po=1- ? /? = 1-1620=0. 20 Lq = ? 2 ? (? – ? ) = 16 2 20 (20 – 16) = 3. 2 L =Lq + ? /  µ= 3. +1620=4 wq+Lq / ? =3. 216=0. 20 hours=12 minutes W = wq + 1/ µ = 0. 20 + 1/20 = 0. 25 hours = 15 minutes Pw= =1620=0. 80=80% At the planning meeting, Regional Airlines’ management team agreed that answering at least 85% of the calls is an acceptable customer service goal.This means that the probability of waiting will have to be 15% or less. Pw= 1k! k k? k? – ? Po k = 2 agents Pw= 12! 16202 2 202 20- 16 0. 4286= 0. 2286 k = 3 agents Pw= 13! 16203 3 203 20- 16 0. 4472= 0. 0520 Po=0. 4472 Lq=0. 0189 L=0. 8189 Wq=0. 0012 hours=0. 07 minutes W=0. 0512 hours=3. 97 minutes Using three agents clearly meets the company’s goal. With three reservation agents, only 5% of the calls will be waiting, which is way below the 15% targeted cap in order to meet the goal of 85% answered calls. Average waiting time is also at a minimum, calculated at 0. 012 hours or 0. 07 minutes. System Recommendation The current telephone reservation system design does not allow callers to wait; callers instead must attempt to reach a reservation agent when all agents are not occupied. Should callers reach the service line when all agents are busy they will be met with a busy signal. The management at RA is seeking to switch to an expanded telephone system to combat this problem. Based on the calculations in the previous paragraphs, RA will need appro ximately 3 reservations agents to run an expanded phone system.Group 3 recommends that the company employ the multiple channels waiting line which consists of two or more service channels that are assumed to be identical in terms of service capability (Anderson, et. al. , 2012). Regional airlines could support at least a two-channel operation to service the needs of its customers. MANAGERIAL REPORT ASSUMPTIONS: a. One call every 3. 75 minutes during 10:00 a. m. to 11:00 a. m. time period ? (average arrival time) = 60 minutes / 3. 75 minutes = 16 calls per hour b. Average service time of 3 minutes with each customer  µ (service rate) = 60 minutes / 3 minutes = 20 calls per hour 1.An analysis of the current reservation system that does not allow callers to wait. How many reservation agents are needed to meet the service goal? With only one reservation agent, the probability that a caller will be blocked because of a busy signal is P1 = . 4444 ? o = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! = . 5556 ?1 = ( ? / ? ) 1/0! i=1k ? /? 1 /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) 1/0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! = . 4444 With two reservation agents, the probability that a caller will be blocked because of a busy signal is P2 = . 509. ?o = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /0! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 4717 ? 1 = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /1! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 3774 ? 2 = ( ? / ? ) ? /0! i=0k ? /? i /i! = ( 16 / 20 ) ? /2! (16/20)o / 0! + (16/20)1 /1! + (16/20) 2 /2! = . 1509 Conclusion: Regional Airlines’ current phone reservation system will answer an approximate of 85% of phone calls with two employed reservation agents. However, the other 15% will be blocked because of a busy signal.Customers who do not get a hold of an agent may not call back and contribute to negative customer service reaction and adversely affect the business. 2. An analysis of the expa nded system proposed by the telephone company. How many agents are needed to meet the service goal? Proposed expanded system will allow callers to wait. Instead of being blocked when all lines are busy, customers can choose to stay on the line and calls will be answered in the order received. With only one reservation agent for Regional Airlines in the expanded system, 80% (Pw) of incoming calls will end up waiting. The average waiting time is also at 12 minutes (Wq).Cited numbers above show a horrendous system that is both undesirable and a business model doomed for failure. So in order for Regional Airlines to realize the benefits of the expanded system, it needs to employ two or more reservation agents. Po=1- ? /? = 1-1620=0. 20 Lq = ? 2 ? (? – ? ) = 16 2 20 (20 – 16) = 3. 2 L =Lq + ? /  µ= 3. +1620=4 wq+Lq / ? =3. 216=0. 20 hours=12 minutes W = wq + 1/ µ = 0. 20 + 1/20 = 0. 25 hours = 15 minutes Pw= =1620=0. 80=80% At the planning meeting, Regional Airlinesâ₠¬â„¢ management team agreed that answering at least 85% of the calls is an acceptable customer service goal.This means that the probability of waiting will have to be 15% or less. Pw= 1k! k k? k? – ? Po k = 2 agents Pw= 12! 16202 2 202 20- 16 0. 4286= 0. 2286 k = 3 agents Pw= 13! 16203 3 203 20- 16 0. 4472= 0. 0520 Po=0. 4472 Lq=0. 0189 L=0. 8189 Wq=0. 0012 hours=0. 07 minutes W=0. 0512 hours=3. 97 minutes Using three agents clearly meets the company’s goal. With three reservation agents, only 5% of the calls will be waiting, which is way below the 15% targeted cap in order to meet the goal of 85% answered calls. Average waiting time is also at a minimum, calculated at 0. 012 hours or 0. 07 minutes. 3. An analysis of the expanded system proposal by the telephone company. A representative from the telephone company suggested that Regional Airlines consider an expanded system that accommodates waiting. In the expanded system, when a customer calls and all agents are bus y, a recorded message tells the customer that the call is being held in the order received and that an agent will be available shortly. The customer can stay on the line and listen to background music while waiting for an agent.Expanded System with waiting allowed Pw for 1 agent P0= (1-? /? ) 1-16/20=. 20 Lq= ? 2 =16(2)= 3. 2 ?(? – ? ) =20(20-16) L= Lq+( ? /? )=3. 2 +(16/20)=4 Wq =(Lq/ ? )=3. 2/16=. 20 (12 minutes) W=Wq+(1/ ? )=. 20+ (1/20)= . 25 (15 minutes) Pw= ? /? = 16/20=. 80 Expanded System with waiting allowed Pw for 2 agents Pw=1/k! ( ? /? )k k? / k? – ? P0 1/2! (16/20)2 2(20)/2(20)-16 . 4286= . 2286 Expanded System with waiting allowed Pw for 3 agents 1/3! (16/20)3 3(20)/3(20)-16 . 4472= . 520 In order to use this system, Regional Airlines would have to use three agents to keep the customer service of 85% of the calls being answered immediately. The telephone arrival rate of incoming calls is expected to change from hour to hour. Describe how your waiting line analysis could be used to develop a ticket staffing plan that would enable the company to provide different levels of staffing for the ticket reservation system at different times during the day. Indicate the information you would need to develop this staffing plan.This analysis only covers the 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM time frame. As we have seen with the equations used, we have to have historical data for the other time frames. If the phone lines are open from 08:00AM – 08:00 PM, we could use the data from each hour. Keeping with the 85% rate of phone calls being answered immediately for good customer service and the use of the limited amount of call agents required to save Regional Airlines money, after further analysis, Regional Airlines will have the data need to make the best decisions for their company. 4. Staffing PlanIn order to develop a ticket agent staffing plan that would enable the company to provide different levels of staffing for the ticket reservation syst em at different times during the day, a similar simulation method and analysis used above are needed. By implementing the same application, the right number of reservation agents each hour can be determined. In addition to the number of agents used, it is also possible to use the same information to determine the full-time and part-time shift schedules that meet the company’s customer service goals.But in order for RA to do this, it needs the hourly average arrival rate for the whole day. 5. References Anderson, D. , Sweeney, D. , Williams, T. , Camm, J. , & Martin, K. (2012). An Introduction to Management Science Quantitative Approaches to Decision Making. Mason, OH. South-Western Cengage Learning Graham, J. (2012). Think Like the Customer – Or Lose the Sale. American Salesman, 57(4), 18-23. Srivastava, U. K. , Shenoy, G. V. & Sharma, S. C. (2005). Quantitative techniques for managerial decisions (2nd Edition). New Age International Publishers: New Delhi.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Hinduism Intro

Statistically, there are over 700 million Hindus, mainly in Bharat (India), and Nepal. Hinduism is referred to as Sanatana Dharma, the eternal faith. Hinduism is not strictly a religion. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. A detailed explanation of Hindu texts are found in Veda page and the links pointed to from there. Since Hinduism has no founder, anyone who practices Dharma can call himself a Hindu. He can question the authority of any scripture, or even the existence of the Divine. The following article is based on my limited understanding. While religion means to bind, Dharma means to hold. What man holds on to is his inner law, which leads from ignorance to Truth. Though reading of the scriptures (shastras) would not directly lead you to self-realization, the teachings of the seers provide a basis and a path for spirituality. Despite being the oldest religion, the truth realized by the seers prove that the Truth and path provided by Hinduism is beyond time. Hindu Scriptures are broadly classified into Shruti (meaning 'heard'), Smriti (meaning 'remembered') and nyaya (meaning 'logic') based on its origin not on the mode of transmission. Therefore, shruti means something which were heard (directly from the Gods) by the sages while smriti refers to what was written down and remembered. shruti is considered more authoritative than smriti because the former is believed to have been obtained directly from God by the spiritual experiences of vedic seers and has no interpretations. Vedas constitute the shruti while the rest including Itihaasa-s (epics), PuraaNa-s (moral stories), and Agamas (emanated scriptures) are known as smriti while Vedanta-sutras (vedanta aphorisms) are classified as Nyaya. smriti and Nyaya always agrees with shruti. The oldest and foremost among them are the Vedas. The vedas are called shruti and stems from the inner spiritual experience of the ancient seers. Hindus believe that Vedas... Free Essays on Hinduism Intro Free Essays on Hinduism Intro Statistically, there are over 700 million Hindus, mainly in Bharat (India), and Nepal. Hinduism is referred to as Sanatana Dharma, the eternal faith. Hinduism is not strictly a religion. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. A detailed explanation of Hindu texts are found in Veda page and the links pointed to from there. Since Hinduism has no founder, anyone who practices Dharma can call himself a Hindu. He can question the authority of any scripture, or even the existence of the Divine. The following article is based on my limited understanding. While religion means to bind, Dharma means to hold. What man holds on to is his inner law, which leads from ignorance to Truth. Though reading of the scriptures (shastras) would not directly lead you to self-realization, the teachings of the seers provide a basis and a path for spirituality. Despite being the oldest religion, the truth realized by the seers prove that the Truth and path provided by Hinduism is beyond time. Hindu Scriptures are broadly classified into Shruti (meaning 'heard'), Smriti (meaning 'remembered') and nyaya (meaning 'logic') based on its origin not on the mode of transmission. Therefore, shruti means something which were heard (directly from the Gods) by the sages while smriti refers to what was written down and remembered. shruti is considered more authoritative than smriti because the former is believed to have been obtained directly from God by the spiritual experiences of vedic seers and has no interpretations. Vedas constitute the shruti while the rest including Itihaasa-s (epics), PuraaNa-s (moral stories), and Agamas (emanated scriptures) are known as smriti while Vedanta-sutras (vedanta aphorisms) are classified as Nyaya. smriti and Nyaya always agrees with shruti. The oldest and foremost among them are the Vedas. The vedas are called shruti and stems from the inner spiritual experience of the ancient seers. Hindus believe that Vedas...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Soviet Collapse

Momentous events in history are often looked in hindsight as having been inevitable. An example of this is the collapse of the Soviet empire in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This event, utterly unimaginable just a few years earlier, was immediately greeted with a flood of literature arguing that it was obviously preordained. In fact, it was recently written that â€Å"The end of the Soviet Union was predetermined when Khrushchev began a process of de-Stalinization.† This statement, while very concise, makes enormous assertions about the very nature of the Soviet political structure. If we are to accept this statement, we must also implicitly accept that the system was not able to sustain itself without a constant use of power and that it was so very rigid that it was destined to collapse if any reforms at all were implemented without the use of deadly force. This is completely untrue. During its relatively short post-Stalinist history, the Soviet system underwent an impressive amount of political, economic, and social transformation quite successfully. None of these changes threatened the viability of the system in any way. Since de-Stalinization is a multidimensional phenomenon, it is now necessary to examine the reforms implemented by Krushchev and attempt to pinpoint their effects on the system as a whole. Upon coming into power in 1953, Khrushchev proceeded to dismantle Stalin’s personality cult. He denounced Stalin’s crimes against his own people and proceeded to undo some of their effects. He also implemented tremendous economic changes which fundamentally altered the relationship between the state and its citizens. The end of the Stalin era was a complex event with enormous repercussions. Had Stalin been a dictator who took power by rallying military support and staging a coup d’etat, his death would have certainly meant the beginning of the end for the system which he had created. However, this ... Free Essays on Soviet Collapse Free Essays on Soviet Collapse Momentous events in history are often looked in hindsight as having been inevitable. An example of this is the collapse of the Soviet empire in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This event, utterly unimaginable just a few years earlier, was immediately greeted with a flood of literature arguing that it was obviously preordained. In fact, it was recently written that â€Å"The end of the Soviet Union was predetermined when Khrushchev began a process of de-Stalinization.† This statement, while very concise, makes enormous assertions about the very nature of the Soviet political structure. If we are to accept this statement, we must also implicitly accept that the system was not able to sustain itself without a constant use of power and that it was so very rigid that it was destined to collapse if any reforms at all were implemented without the use of deadly force. This is completely untrue. During its relatively short post-Stalinist history, the Soviet system underwent an impressive amount of political, economic, and social transformation quite successfully. None of these changes threatened the viability of the system in any way. Since de-Stalinization is a multidimensional phenomenon, it is now necessary to examine the reforms implemented by Krushchev and attempt to pinpoint their effects on the system as a whole. Upon coming into power in 1953, Khrushchev proceeded to dismantle Stalin’s personality cult. He denounced Stalin’s crimes against his own people and proceeded to undo some of their effects. He also implemented tremendous economic changes which fundamentally altered the relationship between the state and its citizens. The end of the Stalin era was a complex event with enormous repercussions. Had Stalin been a dictator who took power by rallying military support and staging a coup d’etat, his death would have certainly meant the beginning of the end for the system which he had created. However, this ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Using the Spanish Verb Contar

Using the Spanish Verb Contar Although contar is a cognate of the English verb to count, it has a wide variety of meanings, some of which seem more closely related to the variety of meanings of account. Perhaps the most obvious meaning of contar is to count in the sense of to add up: Quiero encontrar un programa que cuenta las palabras de que se compone una web. I want to find a program that counts the words that make up a web page. Es posible perder peso sin contar calorà ­as. It is possible to lose weight without counting calories. Contamos las horas para estar con ustedes. We are counting the hours until we are with you. At least as common is using contar to mean to tell (as in to give an accounting of): Contà ³ la historia de un chico que decidià ³ grabar todo en una cmara de và ­deo. He told the story of a boy who decided to record everything on a videocamera. El amor de mi vida no me ha contado que es casado. The love of my life hasnt told me that hes married. No se lo cuentes a nadie. Dont tell it to anybody. When it is followed by a time period, contar can often be translated as to have: Cuenta 10 aà ±os de experiencia en montaà ±ismo. He has 10 years of experience in mountaineering. Another meaning is to take into account: Cuenta que esto no es todo. (He is taking into account that this isnt everything.) The phrase tener en cuenta also is frequently used for that meaning. Contar occasionally means to count in the sense of to matter: La corte ha declarado que este error no cuenta. The court has ruled that this error is immaterial. The phrase contar con usually means to count on or to rely on: Para ese trabajo contà © con los expertos mexicanos. For that work I counted on the Mexican experts. Gracias a la nueva ley, contaremos con un sistema de pensiones. Thanks to the new law, we will count on a pension system. Cuento contigo. Im counting on you. Sometimes, contar con has the same basic meaning but is best translated in a weaker fashion, depending on the context: Contamos con una legislacià ³n que norme el uso del ADN humano. Were expecting a piece of legislation that would set standards for the use of human DNA. Cuento con los derechos de reventa de este producto. I have the resale rights for this product. Occasionally, contar con can be translated directly as to count with: Contà © con los dedos de mi mano. I counted with my fingers. Con esto no yo contaba. I wasnt expecting that. In question form, contar can be used as a friendly way of showing interest in what a person is doing:  ¿Quà © cuentas? (Whats happening?) The reflexive form can be used in the same way:  ¿Quà © te cuentas? In reflexive form, contarse often can be literally translated as to count oneself or otherwise to indicate the concept of inclusion: Muchos escritores escriben por impulso, y me cuento entre à ©stos. Many writers write on impulse, and I count myself among them. Los medios espaà ±oles se cuentan entre los mejores del mundo. The Spanish media are among the best in the world. Keep in mind that is conjugated irregularly.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Multiple Sclerosis and its Development Case Study

Multiple Sclerosis and its Development - Case Study Example This has been continuous and thus has been associated with the cause of the hearing loss. His condition caused a lot of misery in his life since he mysteriously lost over 20 pounds of weight and often become fatigued. This prompted Philip to seek medical attention where a few medical and neurological checkups led to MRI scan of the brain. The results indicated a patchy demyelination controlling every part of his body, thus a confirmation of multiple sclerosis. The results proved quite challenging to him with concern for his family members, his real estate business, and fear of loss of more physical attributes (Richard, 1). Despite the condition, Philip never gave up but intensified search for more knowledge about the disease. In his endeavor of the search, he met Dr. Swank, a neurologist who introduced the low dairy diet as well as low fat for the patients suffering from the disease. This program seemed effective for Philip, and thus reducing the severity of his condition. Despite experiencing some improvements, Philip never gave up and this offered him the opportunity to meet Dr. Richard, an orthomolecular practitioner. Due to his desire to get better, he accepted a neurological diagnosis, which authenticated the weakness in the left foot, failure of concordant rotational motion of the hands, hand tremor. Moreover, he displayed junky movements of the left limbs in case of stimulation by the neurological hammer (Richard, 1). Moreover, he experienced left-sided hyperactive reflexes, had nystagmus among other symptoms of MS. However, the laboratory report was more promising and indicated an iron overload due to the high presence of ferritin, which stores a lot of protein. Consequently, the thyroid panel indicated a low activity of 1.1 while the nerve cells were sensitive to mercury due to the presence of tubulin protein. Nevertheless, the laboratory test revealed deficiencies of vitamins pyridoxine and thiamin,  which facilitate nerve function (Richard, 1).  

Friday, October 18, 2019

Designing a Training Program Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Designing a Training Program - Research Paper Example Consequently, the overall attitude and dedication of the employees along with its integration with the core objectives of the business is also important in ensuring the overall succession of the unit (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). Correspondingly, in this particular research focused would be levied on developing a training program for a group of 20 employees for a particular organization. In this process planning has been undertaken for providing training to 20 employees of the business in order to mitigate the prevailing issues of the workplace, which is highly required to make employees efficient in terms of their skills, abilities and dedication towards the work that they execute within the workplace. In this regard, it can be affirmed that appropriate training will be important in order to increases the capability of the 20 employees of the business especially towards attaining better operational performance along with dealing with the dynamics of the external environment. . Moreover, it has also been ascertained that training program will significantly assist these employees to reboot their skills and knowledge regarding the necessary roles and responsibilities that they will require to have to comply wi th the implementation of a new technology within the workplace. Besides, it is also the current organizational culture of the business that encourages the workforce to acquire the diversified skill in their respective task, which can be steered using appropriate training program (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). The training session has been carried out for two days with a formal procedure, which is deemed to be sufficient in developing specialization of knowledge for the employees. In this context, it has also been ascertained that the training secession will help the employees to develop soft skills and enhance their learning in the area of production and other operational related aspects. Moreover, method of

Report on Religious Field Research Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Report on Religious Field Research - Term Paper Example (Jungman, 2012) During the first 280 years in Christian history, Christianity was ruled out in the Roman Empire and Christians were heavily persecuted. This arbitrary changed after the â€Å"conversion† of the Roman Emperor Constantine. He allowed Christians to worship and made Christianity legal with the Milan’s Edicit in A.D 313. In A.D 325, Constantine summoned the council of Nicaea in an attempt popularize Christianity. Constantine postulated that Christianity would unite the Roman Empire which at that time was fragmenting gradually. This generated positive results towards the development of Christianity at the time. (Jungman, 2012) However Constantine did not fully accept Christianity, instead he mixed some Roman pagan beliefs which are still intact up to date. The impetuous behind Constantine’s action of blending Christianity and Roman paganism was that Christian was a foreign religion and Romans could not have just left their religion and embrace a foreign one fully. Some of the Christianized beliefs include: (i) Cult of Isis was a mother –goddess from Egyptian religion. It was absorbed and harmonized with Christianity and it was replaced by the Virgin Mary. Many titles that were meant for Isis were attached to Mary, i.e., â€Å"Queen of Heaven†, â€Å"Mother of God†, theotokas (â€Å"God –bearer†) among other adoration names. Mary was given supreme positions as the roles far much ahead than the bible ascribes to her. This was done in order to attract the Isis worshippers to Christianity. Failure to do this, any efforts would lead to frustration. (George, 2009) (ii) Mithraism was a renowned religion in the Roman Empire which was practiced in the 5th century A.D .It was popular among the Roman soldiers sand also the Roman Emperors. Mithraism lacked the â€Å"official â€Å"status in the Roman Empire, it was accepted as the de facto official religion not until the Roman Emperors replaced Mithraism w ith Christianity. The key aspects of Mithraism was sacrificial meal (theophagy, eating ones god), sacraments among other conspicuous features. Constantine and the successors found it easy to substitute Mithraism with the Lords supper /Holy Communion which unfortunately prompted some early Christians to attach mysticism to the lords supper, rejecting the biblical idea of remembrance worship and meditation of Christ’s sacrificial death and the blood He shed. (Charles, 1982) (iii) Henoticism is a distinguishing feature of roman pagan religion. It involves believing in the existence of many gods but focuses primarily on one particular god which is considered to be the most superior god. For instance, Jupiter was the supreme Roman god. The Roman sailors normally worshipped Neptune, which was the god of the oceans. Christianization of Roman paganism involved the replacing of Roman gods with saints just as the Roman chain of gods had a god of love, god of peace, god of war, god of s trength among other gods which were claimed to exist(Charles, 1982.) The â€Å"Papacy† that exists in the hierarchy of Catholic Church is a continuation of what was created by the Roman Emperors,

Thursday, October 17, 2019

How to teach literacy and Multi-literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How to teach literacy and Multi-literacy - Essay Example Multi-literacy requires students to integrate technological educational tools. One of the ways teachers can teach literary and multi-literacy is by integrating them teaching. This means that teachers should integrate four essential components of multi-literacy teaching. These are overt instructions, situated practices, transformed action and critical framing (Gambrell, Marrow & Pressley, 2011). Situated practice focuses students to meaningful learning through the integration of primary knowledge. Overt instruction directs students to systematic processes of learning. Critical framing enables students to learn how to approach the diverse environment in order to improve their learning experiences. Teachers can also use transformed action teaching to teach students how to apply lessons to real life experiences. Teaching literacy and multi-literacy can lead to the adoption of new ideas and practices. It can also help in overcoming the limitations experienced in traditional learning approaches. Teaching literacy and multi-literacy introduces teachers to new pedagogical approaches and practices, which creates opportunities for future learning and teaching. The four ways in which teachers can teach literary and multi-literacy are the use of situated practices, critical framing, overt instructions and transformed actions. These methods have the potential to guide teachers to provide equal access to teaching and learning

Business Research Individual Work 1 Week 8 Essay

Business Research Individual Work 1 Week 8 - Essay Example Lastly, there was the stratum for the 100 taxi drivers in each of the major company who were to be interviewed. Random sampling was used in each of the strata mentioned above for example for choosing the countries, cities, taxi companies and lastly for the taxi drivers. There was no specified order for choosing any of the categories above and hence an assumption that the interviewers chose the kth item in each stratum is used. This sampling method not only simplifies the whole sampling method in the large population as well as reduces the expenses of having to travel to different places or collect unnecessarily large information. The fact that there are diverse drivers also makes the information collected generalizable (Zikmund, Babin, Carr and Griffin, 2012). The population in this case study was the taxi drivers because they were the ones whose information was being sought and who formed the basis for the whole research. However, in order to get the information from the taxi drivers but ensure the information was generalizable as well as was accurate and reliable, it was necessary to work harder. The taxi drivers had to be found in different countries which meant not only choosing the countries but the cities as well. Since the number of interviews to be conducted were many, it was necessary to find a taxi company with large number of drivers than the provided approximate of 100 drivers in each company so that they can be randomly chosen. The sample in the case was the number of the taxi drivers in each major taxi company which is 100 specified in the case study. The 100 taxi drivers were declared the sample because they were the ones who were to participate directly in the interviews for the research being carried out. The sampling method as mentioned above is the stratified sampling technique which is under the probability sampling methods because it is purely based on probability and not on judgment of the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

How to teach literacy and Multi-literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How to teach literacy and Multi-literacy - Essay Example Multi-literacy requires students to integrate technological educational tools. One of the ways teachers can teach literary and multi-literacy is by integrating them teaching. This means that teachers should integrate four essential components of multi-literacy teaching. These are overt instructions, situated practices, transformed action and critical framing (Gambrell, Marrow & Pressley, 2011). Situated practice focuses students to meaningful learning through the integration of primary knowledge. Overt instruction directs students to systematic processes of learning. Critical framing enables students to learn how to approach the diverse environment in order to improve their learning experiences. Teachers can also use transformed action teaching to teach students how to apply lessons to real life experiences. Teaching literacy and multi-literacy can lead to the adoption of new ideas and practices. It can also help in overcoming the limitations experienced in traditional learning approaches. Teaching literacy and multi-literacy introduces teachers to new pedagogical approaches and practices, which creates opportunities for future learning and teaching. The four ways in which teachers can teach literary and multi-literacy are the use of situated practices, critical framing, overt instructions and transformed actions. These methods have the potential to guide teachers to provide equal access to teaching and learning

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

School Couselor in charge of presenting a sex education course to Assignment

School Couselor in charge of presenting a sex education course to either the student body or their parents - Assignment Example But majority of them support sex education. â€Å"Over the past 20 years, in survey after survey, local, state or national, 80 to 85 percent of parents indicate they want their children to receive comprehensive, medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education.† (Parents as Advocates for Comprehensive Sex Ed in Schools , 2008). They need their children to come to know about delaying the inception of intimate sexual relationships when they become mature and responsible. The duty vested on parents also includes sharing the skills and information with their children for using condoms and other contraceptives when they are likely to be sexually active. A school counselor has to consider many factors when counseling the parents of the school aged children. As sex education is a broad field that includes the study of human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health abstinence, contraception and other aspects like human sexual behavior, a counselor has to make the parents aware of these factors. It is common knowledge that majority of the parents are embarrassed to talk to their children or teenagers about sex. A counselor can assume a vital role in sex education by encouraging the parents to share such matters with their children. Parents should understand the fact that their children will listen to them carefully, if they will only talk. It has been identified that the communication gap between parents and teenagers often causes for many issues related to children. A counselor should make the parent aware that a parent should always be ready to extend the hand of help, when a child seeks for it. It would be better for a parent to talk to a child around the age they first become sexually active, or when they are getting to that point (Parents and sex education, n.d.).They should be revealed of what can happen and the methods of birth control. One of the difficulties of parents in revealing or discussing sex

Monday, October 14, 2019

Sports and gamesan essential part Of Essay Example for Free

Sports and gamesan essential part Of Essay Sports is something that attracts every person in this world towards itself. Sports has become a very common field that everybody has interested in. People are gaining more and more interest in different sports from all over the world. And that is why sports engineering is gaining significance and recognition. It is a special field of engineering, which involves everything from the development to the testing of the different sports equipment. The discipline includes numerous activities and everything related to sports and sports equipment. The sports engineers have several responsibilities that are discussed here at length. The very first responsibility of a sports engineer is the designing of the sports equipment. With the development of different sports and an increase in their popularity, people are eager to make use of the best of the sports equipment. And this is where the sports engineers can contribute by developing new equipment that would help the athletes perform better. Sports engineers are also responsible for carrying out a complete lab and experimental testing of the sports equipment, athletes and the interaction between them. This is one of the most important parts of the job of a sports engineer because it is not possible to make use of anything without testing the equipment and the nature of interactions the users would have with the equipment. The sports engineers not only carry out laboratory testing but are also required to test the performance of the athletes and different devices in the field, i. e. the environment of the sports. Field testing needs to be completely accurate so that there is no scope of mistakes and the athletes are prepared to use their equipment in the real conditions and situations. Computational modeling has been used only for scientific purposes till now. Computational modeling approach is usually employed in physics and other scientific applications, whether it is fluid dynamics or any other experiment. Sports engineers are also making use of this technique and approach for determining the forces acting upon the working of the equipment and for stimulating its working before actually developing them. Sports engineers also need to continuously work with the different government bodies and the authorities for making sure that the rules are adhered to and everything is carried out within the pre-defined guidelines. Sports engineers also have to work with the athletes to regularly keep a track and improve the performance of the different athletes in different fields. They need to find out new ways and measures for enhancing the performance of the sportsmen. Thus, we see that sports engineers are extremely important people and they need to carry out all of their responsibilities sincerely for the development of different sports and for the betterment of the athletes. Reference link: http://classof1. com/homework-help/engineering-homework-help.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Review Of Im Nobody! Who Are You?

Review Of Im Nobody! Who Are You? Thesis Statement: Emily Dickinson poem, Im Nobody! Who Are You?, is successful on influencing readers that the best ideas can come from nothing. Introduction: I chose this as one of the famous poets known poem, which is found at Chapter 10.1, entitled: The Speaker (Persona) in a Poem. It can also be found from Thomas H. Johnsons (1960) Book of Complete Poems as its 288th entry: Im Nobody! Who are you? Are you- Nobody-Too? Then theres a pair of us! Dont tell! theyd advertise, you know. - How dreary-to be- Somebody! How public-like a frog- To tell ones name- the livelong June- To an admiring bog! What about the poems form, language, content, or other dimension do you find engaging?: I find engaging its genre of lyrical form, English language using informal diction and bearing a very good rhyme scheme (o sound in lines 1 and 2 with g in 6 and 8) with 2 stanzas. The theme shows how one can find the identity of self and gather the best ideas can come from only doing nothing. It uses the simile and metaphor figure of speeches, because it was able to compare or equate unlike things in similarity (Nobody vs Famous persons) and used the word like in line 6 in the second stanza. Moreover, to dissect the poem, when the word they was mentioned in line 4, wherein the poet was pertaining to famous people or any person situated in high levels the of society (Essay on Emily dickinson i am nobody! who are you? para. 1). With a very short content of only 8 lines, Dickinson was able to quickly reach out to others who would want to have the same privacy she experienced and also gain fruitful o utcomes from this choice. Doing this is actually not seen as usual in famous persons or high level situated bodies. How does the poems use of language compare to that of everyday speech?: I can say that in terms of both modern and classic writing on poetry, it still uses informal diction, though there certainly will be a difference in the use of words if one can write it today. To site a modern view on Dickinsons way of writing in the Im Nobody! Who Are You? poem, Jessica Writes (2007) wrote an online essay saying that, it is evident here that she is referring to a friend that she had relationships kept in private, but were foretold mostly by her corresponding letters. Indeed she is successful in her field. Wherein, she was productive during times she was alone, nursing the gardens inside their yard, writing poetry and reading. Since, she preferred to be named as an anonymous poet to her poems; it shows a personal assessment as A Nobody in the society, being a direct reflection of ideals as a non-conformist to the society. Its psychological nature are greatly affecting to people and objects geared towards seeing themselves in this way in life. With todays social pressures, even the smallest poem can help. Back in the old days, wherein classic literature are given birth to, renaissance and revolutions are greatly affected with writers who seek for a new beginning and freedom thru their writing skills. How do the differences and/or similarities between speech and poetic form affect your experience of the poem?: Domhnall Mitchell (2000), a very good critic of literature, mentioned in his book, that the poem Im Nobody! Who Are You? is a form of confessional poetry. Wherein, I agree with this thought. That is why it uses the simile and metaphor figure of speeches, because it was able to compare or equate unlike things in similarity, which is the Dickinson and akin others being the Nobody type of persons judged against the Famous type of persons (who would not likely to favor practices of a Nobody.) At first, a reader would have taught that Dickinson was talking about herself, but there is a quick turn of mood when the poem becomes about the reader. I find this interesting. This can be seen after the 1 line was said, which is a statement about Dickinsons poetic self, and then there is a following string of questions pertaining to the readers own selves. Lastly, the poems 2 immediate co ncerns are: the readers asking who we are, as well as the how is the relationship existing between the reader and the poet (pp. 157-158). Do these differences and/or similarities influence how you think or feel about the subject matter of the poem?: In terms of familiarity, I can say that this poem is reflective of Dickinsons life and not the persons she sites in her poem. It is more personal in nature. For instance, Arthur Versluis (2001), another very good critic of literature in history, mentioned the opinion of John Cody, in his own book, that her works are pronouncing of her madness as a result. That is why the poem, Im Nobody! Who Are You?, has certain negativity touch on it. It was also quoted, one will inevitably misunderstand and trivialize much of Emily Dickinsons life and poetry if one fails to grasp the full intensity of her suffering and the magnitude of her collapse. For this reason let me state at the onset my thesis that the crisis Emily Dickinson suffered following the marriage of her brother was a psychosis (p. 175). Conclusion: Yes, I agree that the best ideas can come from nothing. You can occupy your time with writing poetries like what Emily Dickinson is known for during her time. Yet, even if one decides a secluded life, society will hunt. Dickinsons writes in such a way that she dictates and forces the readers mind to think the same and view society like her opinion. The advantage I can see here is that it is leading to a self-evaluation and growth in uniqueness as individuals. On the other hand, a disadvantage of her way of writing (as well as thinking) is that it fails to show the right personality for an individual. When, maturity takes place, when one knows his or her purpose in life, then the best ideas can come in, one can make fruitful outcomes and one can reach success. Even the quietest moments or disturbing scenes takes self-confidence and trust, a parallel thought to both being a Nobody and a Famous person.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Darkness Falls in Stantana - Original Writing :: Papers

Darkness Falls in Stantana - Original Writing In a village called Santana lived a young woman called Mary archer. Everyone hated her because she use to go to little children and offer them into her house, and she feeds them with poisonous food because when Mary was a little girl her mum was preparing dinner but she accidentally added washing up liquid with her knowing. When she put dinner on the table Marry came home from school with her father. While Mary was upstairs in the toilet, Mary's mum and dad helped their selves to the sweet and tasty paste. When Mary came downstairs she saw her mom and dad lying down on the ground perfectly still. Mary walked slowly to her mum repeatedly saying "mum, mum get up mum", but there was no reply. Mary knew something was wrong so she quickly and ran out of the house to her neighbors and told them what happened. Since then Mary wasn't the same. One day the mayor's son went missing, so all of the villagers set off hunting for Mary because they had a feeling that it was her that kidnapped the mayor's son Alex. When they reached Mary's house they saw Alex's bicycle lying on the floor outside the doorstep of Mary's house. The villagers kicked the door down and saw Mary with a butcher's knife in her right hand and blood was dripping off the knife. The mayor was in shock when he stepped into the kitchen and saw his son lying perfectly still and red blood surrounding him. The next day the mayor and the villagers all decided to burn the face of Mary and hang her. When they burned Mary's face, Mary put a curse on the village that 20 years later she will return and when darkness falls and children are asleep Mary will kill the child if the child or any other person in Santana looks at her face. After she made that curse she was hanged at the top of tall a wooded stick. 20 years later a young boy named James Patel 11 years old that lived

Friday, October 11, 2019

Interstate conflicts Essay

Introduction: Interstate conflicts are an integral part of the 21st century. The previous century was dominated by two world wars which were extremely violent and the repercussions of which the world is facing even today. It becomes essential to the study the different dynamics of interstate conflicts in order to expedite the processes of conflict management and resolution. There are different actors in a conflict environment and mass media is an important one among them. It is through mass media that conflicts are communicated to citizens. Mass media influences the citizen’s impression and image of the other i.e. the enemy in question. Proliferation of mass media technology has resulted into mediates conflicts. Conflict is continuously hammered upon the audience by various forms of media and hence the need to critically examine the various aspects of media’s role in conflict. This study deals with the most crucial conflict in South Asia i.e. of India-Pakistan. This conflict has shap ed the political and economic situation in the sub-continent. Mass media’s role in the India-Pakistan conflict has been much debated by scholars and media n professionals alike. What has not been explored is the possibility of Peace Journalism as opposed to mainstream War Journalism between the two countries. For this very purpose, the researcher has selected a Peace Journalism campaign named Aman Ki Asha (Hope for Peace). The campaign was launched on January 1st, 2010 by The Times of India (India) and The Jang Group (Pakistan) leading media houses of the respective countries. The campaign intends to create an enabling environment by facilitating dialogue between the two governments, encouraging people-to-people contact, thereby contributing to peace between the two countries. The initiative is the first of its kind by print media in the sub-continent. It seeks to satisfy its quest for peace by discussion on all contentious issues between the two countries through mediums like seminars, conferences, cultural festivals and all other forums of people to people contact. The campaign has also committed itself to positive use of print media to promote the benefits of peace and give space to each others point of view on issues of dispute. So far, Aman Ki Asha has organized literary and music fests, editors conferences, trade conferences and strategic seminars to realize its vision. Peace Journalism in the context of India and Pakistan assumes much importance because media in both the nations have been  vehicles to spread hate and animosity. Dissemination of stereotyped images and conventional messages has been at the forefront of media activity in India and Pakistan. During the Kargil War (1999), media contributed to building up of the war hysteria. Thus, media has essayed a by and large negative role when it comes to promoting peace between the two neighbors. Looking at the above mentioned arguments, Aman Ki Asha offers a different perspective on what kind of role can be played by the media in the course of India-Pakistan conflict. It is a Peace Journalism venture launched for the first time in the media history of the two nations. Its critical examination can offer insights into the workings of the Peace Journalism model in current and conflicting times. Moreover, it comes at a time when there looms a constant threat about a nuclear zed conflict in South As ia. Hence, the campaign has been chosen for the study. HEALTH: Use war as a metaphor for disease one which needs cure Incorporate the idea that was is a disease that has afflicted the people of both countries Peace has been used as a metaphor for a healthy state of mind and body. Healthy and progressive relations between India-Pakistan can be established through peace. Intricate connections between war-disease and peace-health have been affirmed by all the articles under this theme. Cooperating on health issues is seen as a possibility of widening dialogue among citizens of both countries. The articles under this theme depict the campaigns stress on cooperation between soft areas like health, IT, education, agriculture, tourism etc. However, there is no specificity on what kind of mechanisms ought to be developed to counter these health threats. There is not much information available in the articles on what kind of health threats do people in Pakistan face and also no commentary about the need to channelize money being overspent on defense by b oth nations on building better health infrastructure. Thus, there is no correlation established between the concept of perceived threat and neglect of peoples issues in both countries. People-to-People contact through sector-wise cooperation has been emphasized repeatedly but questions about its sustainability and impact have not been addressed at all. The styles in which the three articles have been written is starkly different The stand point taken by all the three stories is  pro-peace and pro-cooperation The article dated November 20, 2011 seeks stories from ordinary people on both sides of the border. It talks about ailing Pakistani children being operated in India free of cost It shows that the existing gap between the two nations can be successfully bridged by its common people. There is no exploration of the facet of Pakistanis contributing to Indian medicine and healthcare in any way but the vice-versa has been reported. (1) BUSINESS/ECONOMY: Business/trade has been identified as another important area of cooperation by the campaign. This is evident from the number of articles devoted to the theme. The articles on business identify visa restrictions prevalent between the two countries as the major hurdle for advancement of economic ties. They contain important statements from policy-makers marking a shift in the attitudes of governments on both sides when it comes to trading. Eg: Statement from Pakistani Commerce Minister first to visit India in 35 years. Trading ties with India for Pakistan are a subject of national interest not only for its government and citizens, but also for its military establishment which speaks volumes about the military being an important stake-holder in the political system of Pakistan. The militarys stake in the peace process may lead to an entirely different set of consequences which has not been debated at all. There is also a passing mention about the arrangement of SAFTA (South Asia Free Trade Agreement) but no analysis of how its workings have been hampered by the discord between India and Pakistan. Apart from increasing trade ties, the two nations as mentioned in the articles can also help each other in building institutions of commerce and capacity building of people in the field of business. Enhancing trade tries is not viewed as being restricted to the easing of the visa regime but has been furthered to action oriented cooperation. A possibility to strengthen regional cooperation through SAARC (South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation) has been envisioned. This shows the desire for normalcy not only in bilateral relations but peace for the entire South Asian region items etc the latter granting the same to Pakistan in 1996.(2) POLICY: Kabul river treaty between Afghanistan and Pakistan and how Indias aid to  Afghan developmental projects is creating mistrust between India and Pakistan. This is in consensus to the Peace Journalism model developed by Galtung which says that peace journalism does not restrict the number of parties in a conflict to two and also reports about other parties which may have an indirect or direct influence on the conflict. The article provides a factual and critical analysis to dispel suspicious thinking on part of Pakistan. This is an important component of peace journalism because if threats of conflict are critically analyzed, then they might reveal certain misconceptions and pre-conceived notions.(3) This a very good example of peace reporting and it stands out among the entire lot of articles mainly because it is analytical in nature as opposed to factual reports. One of the characteristics of peace journalism is looking at larger benefits of peace and cooperation, which this article successfully does. It also prescribes peace alternatives for eg: How India can facilitate an Afghan-Pak water treaty to remove suspicions about its role. CULTURE/ENTERTAINMENT: Culture may not seem to be an obvious avenue of cooperation between the two countries but it is an important one because culture has deep influence and impact on people. It is through culture and different forms of mass media that existing stereotypes can be dismantled. India-Pakistan cooperation in the sector of culture is not an institutionalized one. It has grown by itself. Over the time, Pakistani artists have been accepted whole-heartedly by the Indian audience and they have also gained commercially by being a part of the Indian entertainment industry. Their Pakistani identity has not come in the way of their achieving success in Bollywood. They have made a home for themselves in India, says the article, which essentially signifies the transcendence from rigid to flexible national identities in this case. There is a possibility for greater cooperation in sectors of film and music by the way of cross country productions between India and Pakistan. For eg: An India-Pak film festival. This is a very significant article because the Aman ki Asha campaign itself has been a venue for various cultural exchanges between the two countries through which the ability of culture to bring people together is demonstrated. (4) Civil Society and Peace Activists: A number of civil society organizations and NGOs are working to promote peace  and harmony between two nations. They include among others South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), Pakistan, Green circle Organization (GCO), Pakistan, Institute for Secular Studies and Peace (ISSP), Pakistan and Aman Ki Asha (Hope for Peace) a joint venture of two daily newspapers of India and Pakistan. (5) Peace between India and Pakistan has been stubbornly elusive and yet tantalizingly inevitable. This vast subcontinent senses the bounties a peace dividend can deliver to its people yet it recoils from claiming a share. The natural impulse would be to break out of the straitjacket of stated positions and embrace an ideal that promises sustained prosperity to the region, yet there is hesitation. There is a collective paralysis of the will, induced by the trauma of birth, amplified by false starts, mistrust, periodic outbreaks of violence, suspicion, misplaced jingoism and diplomatic doublespeak. Tragically, opportunity knocks unheard on doors bolted on the inside. Opportunism, that appeals to atavistic passions, elicits an instant response to every single knock. It is one of history’s ironies that a people who share so much, refuse to acknowledge their similarities and focus so avidly on their differences. We believe it is time to restore the equilibrium. Public opinion is far too potent a force to be left in the hands of narrow vested interests. The people of today must find its voice and force the rulers to listen. The awaam must write its own placards and fashion its own slogans. The leaders must learn to be led and not blindly followed. Skepticism about the given is often the genesis of faith. This skepticism has been brewing. It can be unleashed to forge a new social compact between the people of this region. The media in India and Pakistan speaks directly to the hearts and minds and stomachs of the people. It can help in writing a final chapter, adding a happy t wist to a story that seemed headed for tragedy. It can do so by shaping the discourse and steering it away from rancour and divisiveness. It has the maturity to recognize the irritants and obstacles to peace and will not take a timid stance towards the more intractable and contentious issues – whether relating to Kashmir, water disputes or the issue of cross-border terrorism. It can offer solutions and nudge the leadership towards a sustained peace process. It can create an enabling environment where new ideas can germinate and bold initiatives can sprout. The media can begin the conversation where a plurality of views and opinions are not drowned out by  shrill voices. It can cleanse polluted mindsets and revive the generosity of spirits which is a distinctive trait of the subcontinent. It can help cool the temperature and wean away the guardians from fortified frontiers. It can argue the case for allocating scarce resources where they are needed the most. We believe that this is an intervention whose time has come. We recognize that set backs will occur but these should not derail the process. We will need t o reach out and pluck the low hanging fruit in the beginning before we aim higher. Issues of trade and commerce, of investments, of financial infrastructure, of cultural exchanges, of religious and medical tourism, of free movement of ideas, of visa regimes, of sporting ties, of connectivity, of reviving existing routes, of market access, of separated families, of the plight of prisoners, will be part of our initial agenda.. They talk to each other about food, about music, about poetry, about films, about theatre and about the prolonged absences spawned by lost years. They share anxieties, discuss rising prices, seek advice on their children’s education, gossip about their in-laws, trade anecdotes and laugh at the foibles of politicians. We want to lower the walls so that the conversation continues. We owe our unborn generations the right to rise out of the depths of poverty, and squalour. It is embarrassing to read the statistics confirming our resistance to positive change in the fields of education, health and poverty alleviation. All social indices are s tacked against us and will remain so unless we scatter the war clouds that menace our skies. There are external elements at work in the region that thrive on the animosity between the two neighbours. They have a stake in keeping the region in turmoil. We need to combat them by making them irrelevant. A surge of goodwill and flexibility on the part of civil society and the media will push these forces back by denying them the raw material that manufactures hate. Our subcontinent needs to follow the footprints left behind by the great poets, sufi saints and the bhakts who preached and practiced love and inclusiveness. This is the land of Tagore and Ghalib, of Bulleh Shah and Kabir, of Nanak and Moinuddin Chisti. It is their spirit that will guide us in this journey. The one and half billion people of this region await the dawning of an age where peace, equality and tranquility prevails. This will happen when every heart beats with Aman ki Asha. What Aman ki Asha has achieved so far: Aman ki Asha has brought about a sea change in perceptions about each other among Indians and Pakistanis. Independent surveys in India and Pakistan have shown that as a result of the Aman ki Asha campaign, every positive perception about Pakistan in India has improved, and every negative perception has decreased. Some of the more significant changes in perception include. Before Aman ki Asha was launched only 4% Indians knew Pakistan’s point of view on the Kashmir; after 12 months of campaigning this increased by 425%, to 17%.(6) 1. The terror perception of Pakistan decreased from 59% to 29%. 2. The hope for sustainable peace â€Å"in our lifetime† increased from 13% to 29% 3. The desire for peace amongst Indians increased from 62% to 82% Indians familiar with and following the Aman ki Asha campaign had an approximately 40% more positive perception about Pakistan than those not familiar with Aman ki Asha. By openly and aggressively campaigning forthe resolution of disputes, establishing trade and investment relations and greater people to people contacts, Aman ki Asha has enabled all other stakeholders , NGOs engaged in peace-building, politicians, the business community and civil society leaders – to openly advocate normalization of relations between Pakistan and India far more rigorously than before. (7) Aman ki Asha has brought the business communities of both countries together in their individual capacities as well as the two largest business associations of India and Pakistan the Pakistan Business Council and the Confederation of Indian Industries. By strongly advocating economic collaboration and making presentations to the Commerce Ministry of Pakistan, Aman ki Asha has provided impetus to Pakistan’s grant of MFN status to India. By providing a platform for an open and honest discussion on contentious issues and giving voice to the strong desire of the people of both countries for peace, Aman ki Asha has given tremendous confidence to both governments to negotiate with an open mind and show flexibility (during his visit to Pakistan, the then Indian Foreign MinisterS.M. Krishna publicly acknowledged that, â€Å"the sea change in the relations between India and Pakistan during the last two years is largely attributable to the efforts of Aman ki Asha and we now share the optimism of Aman ki Asha†). All mainstream political leaders of Pakistan – Mian Nawaz Sharif, then Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani, Altaf Hussain, Imran Khan, Liaqat Baloch – have strongly  endorsed the objectives and the positive contribution of Aman ki Asha. Aman ki Asha has not only captured the imagination of the people of both countries it has drawn wide and vocal support from the international community.(8) Conclusion: From the above analysis, we can conclude that the Aman Ki Asha campaign has focused on events like meetings of elites, dialogues with top level officials, policy makers, and subject experts to stress on sector wise engagement between the two countries. The campaign is an initiative to dismantle stereotypes prevailing in both countries and a subtle critique on the media which relies heavily on nationalistic discourse and demonizing the other. It has provided a scope for voices of peace to be heard and has ventured the path less treaded. It has tried to establish itself as a model of peace journalism by portraying the good work done by people on both sides of the border. The thrust of the campaign comes from the belief that peace can be achieved as a result of cooperation enhanced in different sectors. However, the articles of the campaign do not delve deeper and provide a critical commentary on various peace alternatives that can be made available to India and Pakistan. Certainly, pea ce reporting should be optimistic, but it should also be balanced with the aim of guiding future policy decisions. Many first time initiatives taken up by the campaign have been discussed in the articles (eg: meetings of delegations of subject experts, visit of Pakistan Commerce Minister etc). The campaign has been a platform for elites of the two countries to meet up and exchange ideas. The articles have not covered a single visit of an Indian delegation to Pakistan which may come out as a skewed form of 15 cultural exchange. This is not to conclude that vice-versa exchanges have never taken place. Only they have not been reported in the selected sample for study. The study is limited in the sense of not being able to study the Jang Group of publications for articles about the campaign that have appeared in the Jang newspaper and its other associates. The inability to study the Jang newspaper has been because of the language barrier. The articles in the newspaper are in Urdu. However, future studies can consider including The News International, a daily from Pakistan which has partnered Aman Ki Asha with The Times of India. Studies  including articles from Jang and The News International will be able to provide a more holistic and balanced view of the campaign. Also the paucity of news articles talking about exchanges between common citizens can be attributed to two reasons Since, the campaign is of a continuous nature it may not be possible to deem each exchange and interaction between representatives of both countries as news. Hence, only some which are considered to be important and of news value have been presented in the campaign. Foreign Policy is the domain of the elite and interaction between elites is perceived to be of much more importance than between ordinary citizens to bring about an effective change in the attitudes of policy makers. Despite the lacunae in the articles analyzed, the campaign comes extremely close to the normative prescriptions developed by Galtung for a Peace Journalism model. As has been observed in the data analysis section, all the articles conform to the selected considerations in some or the other way. All considerations may not apply at the same time to a particular article. Through analysis, there has been an attempt to depict the underlying nuances of the documents which may not be quite apparent to the reader. The campaign thus, serves as a Peace Journalism model the first of its kind in the context of India-Pakistan and assumes not just greater importance but also greater responsibility to meet the challenges that lie. References: 1 Patel, T. (2005). News Coverage and Conflict Resolution: Aid or Impediment. Unpublished M.Phil Dissertation, University of Queensland. Australia. 2 http://amankiasha.com/faqs.asp Accessed on February 23, 2012 3 Chattarji, S. (2008). Tracking the Media: Interpretations of Mass Media Discourses in India and Pakistan. Routledge, New Delhi. 4.http://amankiasha.com/joint_statment.asp 5. Alam, I. (2006). Media and Peace in South Asia. Pakistan: Free Media Foundation. 6. Anupama, C. (2007). King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Inidan Cinema. New York: Warner Books. 7. Bhaumik, S. N. (2006). Politics of Indian War Films. Pakistan: South Asian Policy Analysis Network. 8. Holm, A. N. & Holm, A. N. (2008). Batting for Peace. Germany: VDM Publishers. Bibliography: 9. Kukreja, V. & Singh, M. P. (2008). Democracy, Development and Discontent in South Asia. New Delhi: Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd. 10. Rao, S. (2010). Shah Rukh Khan: Symbol of Indian Secularism. Pakistan: South Asian Journal. (Journal # 29, named: Cinema in South Asia). 11. Saigol, R. (2006). Ideology and Curriculum in India and Pakistan. Pakistan: South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA). 12. Gupta, A. (2006). India’s Soft Power. Indian Foreign Affairs Journal. Page # 50-52. New Delhi: