Cities of Salt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cities of Salt - Essay Example The historical setting of this novel is crucial in explaining the relationship that existed between tradition and modernity. This novel is set in an Arabian emirate, where western companies are involved in hunting for oil (Munif, 9). This leads into the transition of the people of this emirate from their traditional methods or ways, in to modernity. The author uses this dynamic for purposes of explaining the forces of commoditization and alienation which are depicted to any emerging capitalistic culture. Take for example Miteb al-Hathal, the leader of Wadi al-Uyoun (Munif, 22). This person is confronted by the various changes occurring in his home, and he finds it difficult to use words for purposes of explaining these changes. The silence of Miteb and his disappearance is a representation of the loss that his people are experiencing. It is a symbol of the effects of imposed modernization, and even people who are supportive of it, are unable to use language for purposes of explaining the events and issues that is affecting their lives. A good example that can be used to illustrate this point is Daham al-Muzil (Munif, 25). He is an enthusiastic and loyal worker of Ibn Rashed, an Arabic Speaking individual. He refuses to stop working for Rashed, and learn modern skills that come with technology (Munif, 25). Furthermore, he is unable to speak effectively with the Western workers, who were speaking English. This is a sign that Daham al-Muzil was reluctant to embrace modernity by learning new skills, and working for the new companies that were searching and hunting for oil in the emirates. In this novel, the dramatic change from the Bedouin nomadic culture to modernity, which is represented by Western companies, is problematic. For example, when modernity arrives at Wadi al-Uyoun, the people in this region have been living in a similar manner as their ancestors (Munif, 29). These

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Research Project - Essay Example This was a consideration since the human tendency to judge others work and performance created a lot of problems related to the motivation, ethics, legal ruling etc. at workplaces (Cannell and Wood, 1992). To ensure that the appraisal systems were just, lawful, fair and accurate, performance appraisal was introduced. The process was linked to the material outcomes, i.e. if an employee’s performance is to less than ideal then there would be a cut in pay, however if the performance was better than the ideal level set by the supervisor, then there would be a rise in pay. In 1950’s United States observed the usefulness of appraisal as a tool for motivation and development. This model was now being gradually recognised and the general model of performance appraisal started on from that time (Strebler, M. T., Thompson, M. and Heron, P., 1997). The birth of performance related pay was somewhere in 1980s, when many employers felt it was a great solution to improve performance and enthusiastically embraced the idea. It was then that businesses wanted to move from the service related pay progression to a more result oriented form of pay. Businesses wanted to ensure that the business objectives were met by setting performance goals for employees (Dervon, M. G., 1990). This however did not last for a very long time. In 1990s, employers felt the need to have a more improvised form of the theory as the efficiency of the theory was now being challenged by a lot of scholars and businesses. It was noted during the 90s that the scheme had failed to deliver the expected results and businesses were now looking to develop a better revised approach of performance related pay (Dowling, B. and Richardson, R., 1997). However in the current situation the definition of employee contribution is not only dependent on the output i.e. the end results achieved but also depends on the inputs by the employee i.e. what the employee is willing to contribute to the business. In

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari English Literature Essay

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari English Literature Essay The monk who sold his Ferrari is a story about Julian Mantle, a high-profile attorney with an extreme schedule and a set of priorities that centre on wealth, power and reputation, which provides a tactic to living a simple life with greater balance, strength, courage and abundance of joy. This story by Robin S. Sharma is the tale of Julian Mantle, a lawyer brought head on with a spiritual calamity. The fable starts in a  glorious garden  with a  lighthouse  in the middle of the soil. Out of the lighthouse walks a  nine foot tall, nine hundred pound Sumo wrestler who is naked apart from a  pink wire cable  covering his private areas. He trips over and falls on a  stopwatch,  which had been lying on the floor, and loses consciousness. Nevertheless, the wrestler wakes up to the  fresh perfume of yellow roses  coming from a distance and when he looks over there, he discovers that there is a diamond-studded pathway there. He takes that pathway only to continue on in this magnificent life and to complete his journey of spiritual importance and search for inner peace. Julian Mantles spark of life begins to flicker and so he begins a life-changing journey and unearths the ancient ethnicity of India. During this journey he learns the value of time as the most important commodity and how to cherish relationships, develop joyful thoughts and live fully, one day at a time. Julian Mantle, being the exceptional lawyer he was, had achieved everything most people would like to have: professional triumph with a seven-figure income, a luxurious mansion in a neighbourhood occupied by celebrities, a private jet, a summer home on a tropical island and his cherished possession a flashy red Ferrari parked in the centre of his driveway. Suddenly he had to come terms with the unforeseen effects of his disturbed lifestyle. John, who is a friend as well as co-worker of Julian, narrates the story. He begins by describing Julians extravagant way of life, his over-the-top courtroom theatrics, which constantly made the front pages of newspapers and his late night trips to the citys most excellent restaurants. The turning point in Julian Mantles life came about when he collapsed in the courtroom all of a sudden. The doctors said that it was his obsession with work that had caused him the heart attack. The last few years Julian had worked day and night without caring about his mental and physical health. That helped him become a very rich and successful lawyer but took charge of his physical, as well as mental state. At the age of fifty-three he looked like he could be seventy and to top that, he had lost his sense of humour. At the hospital, he had refused to meet any of his colleagues and then on one fine day he quit the law firm and packed off without saying where he was headed. Three years passed without any news from Julian then one day he stopped by to surprise his friend and former colleague John, who was now a pessimistic older lawyer. However Julian, in the past three years, had been astonishingly altered into a healthy man with physical exuberance and spiritual vigor. His heart attack shook him into realization mode and Julian Mantle decided to sell all his property and left for India. The author talks about Julians odyssey, how he met the sages of Sivana who had an enormous effect on him. Julian Mantle discloses his story of transformation and his secrets of a happy and rewarding life with his friend John. Julian portrays to him Sivana a small place located in the Himalayas, the land of rose-covered huts, composed blue waters with white lotuses floating on the surface, adolescence and liveliness, stunning glowing faces, fresh and exotic fruits. He tells John about the sages of Sivana who knew all the secrets of how to live life happily and how to accomplish ones dreams and attain ones destiny. Julian narrates his experiences with Yogi Raman, the leader of the sages of Sivana, as he was the person who taught Julian the secret of leading a happy life. He narrates to John the fable that contained the seven virtues for a life abundant with inner peace, joy and prosperity of spiritual gifts. Mantle reveals the seven virtues of enlightened learning. Them being 1) master your mind, 2) follow your purpose, 3) practice kaizen, 4) live with discipline, 5) respect your time, 6) selflessly serve others and 7) embrace the present. He tells John the methods that he learned from Yogi Raman on how to tackle our minds with simple techniques like the heart of rose technique and the secret of lake technique. He tells John how to develop the mind and how to use obstacles for expanding knowledge ones self. He talks about establishing and pursuing our own principle and teaches John the ancient art of self-leadership with practices such as do the things you fear and the five step method for attaining goals. He expands about the importance of self-discipline and respect for time. He describes techniques such as the ancient rule of twenty and the vow of silence. He teaches John, as well as the reader, on how to focus on the priorities and thus maintain stability and simplify life. He gives examples that prove that determination is the essential virtue of a fully actualized life. Julian teaches John the virtue of self-sacrifice in serving others. He asks John to embrace the present and live in the present. He tells him not to sacrifice happiness for accomplishment and to relish the journey of life and live as though each day was his last. Towards the end of the book Julian asks John to spread these secrets for the benefit of other people. Embracing John like the brother he never had, Julian departs. The message is a bit too clichà ©d and the lectures too finicky for the reader who is more or less familiar with the values and insights gathered by Julian Mantle from the sages of Sivana. Each of the things Julian Mantle came across on his spiritual journey signifies something important. 1) The magnificent garden represents ones mind It is important to cultivate ones mind on a daily basis. Letting only positive thoughts into the mind is essential. Negativity should be considered a sin. 2) The lighthouse signifies our principles in life. A persons life is restricted and so it is vital to concentrate on ones lifes main aims. Laugh, love and live everyday fervently. As Julian had learnt at from the Great Sages, every day should be treated as ones last one. 3) The sumo wrestler symbolizes self-development This involves building strength of character, developing mental toughness and facing problems bravely. The word Kaizen  means the never-ending and daily development of ones self. It signifies crossing the limits in order to develop mind, body and spirit in spite of fear, danger and anxiety. 4) The pink wire cable signifies control A wire cable consists of many strings that have been woven together. The strings, by themselves, are feeble and yet, together when they form the cable it is strong. Determination and discipline are like the strings that need to be woven together to make the mind and body strong. Discipline and self-control are the acts of controlling the mind and this can be done by replacing weak and negative thoughts with strong and positive ones. 5) The stopwatch represents time: Time is the most important service of ones life and it is essential to learn how to make the most use of the time given. Time is fixed and everyone must be able to live life to its complete potential. It is said that time mastery  is the foundation of  life mastery. 6) The fragrance of the fresh yellow roses denotes service 7) The diamond-studded pathway represents enlightened living Live an enlightened, blissful and rewarding life. Live and believe in the now factor. As Julian Mantle had learnt, live in the present and think that every day is the last one. In brief, The monk who sold his Ferrari written by Robin S. Sharma should be regarded as one of his best written books as it looks into the deeper aspects of life; those aspects being the reasons as to why each person is themselves.

Philosophy on education :: essays research papers

The philosophy that I feel the strongest connection to is Progressivism. In my educational journey the teachers that have made the most significant impact have been progressive. From K-12, I had two teachers who used the progressivism method and the lessons that I learned from them are still with me today. The progressive teachers express more individuality and creativity than others. Progressive educators relate material to real-life experiences that the learner can relate to. They generally conduct group activities rather than individual assignments. Progressivism opposes many of the concepts and practices associated with essentialism. My personal philosophy adopts ideas from both. Essentialists believe that children learn from traditional basic subjects such as reading, writing, history, math, and science. Progressives believe that learning is stimulated by tuning into problem solving skills. I believe that students learn most effectively when both concepts are utilized together. Many teachers that I have encountered were essentialist because this is what they were taught. The essentialism philosophy had been the dominant approach to education in America from the beginning of our history. However early in the twentieth century essentialism was criticized as being too rigid to prepare students adequately for adult life. Dewey was a major figure in the Pragmatic movement that later became known as progressivism. Every educator has their own thoughts and ideas about education, educational processes, and what they feel is the best way to educate students of today and tomorrow. These philosophies are built on the individual’s personal experiences and beliefs. My philosophy is like that of many new teachers, eclectic. There are ideas of many philosophies that I agree with and just as many that I disagree with. Teachers are as diverse as the students they teach. I believe that it takes a combination of several philosophies to reach each student in a classroom. Harris-Stowe State College’s Conceptual Framework advocates for effective teachers for a diverse society. Their roles include the user of technology, counselor, skilled instructor, communicator with parents, and diagnostic prescriber to name few of the criteria that would make for an effective teacher according to Harris Stowe’s framework. Successful teachers also have to utilize strictness, motivation, compassion, patience, honesty, and flexibility to educate the students that are a part of our diverse educational arena today. Teachers are not just responsible for their student’s educational growth. They have to be responsible for the growth of the whole child.

Costing Methods Paper Essay

Variable and absorption costing methods are two different costing methods. Almost all successful companies in the world use both methods. Variable costing and absorption costing cannot be substituted for one another because both the systems have their own benefits and limitations (Accounting for management). This paper will complete and discuss exercise 19-17 in Wiley Plus: it will discuss the following questions: In this case, would it be better to use the variable or absorption costing method, and why? In this example Polk Company should use the absorption method, because the absorption only uses overhead that allocates to the 80,000 units sold. Whereas the variable method counts the fixed overhead as a period expense, the fixed overhead during this period is calculated on 95,000 units produced, when the absorption method is used. The variable method just calculates fixed overhead on 80,000 units sold. What are the benefits of the two methods? Both systems have their own benefits and limitations. The absorption method gives management information of product cost this is the main benefit of the absorption method. The benefit of the variable method is it gives an output the mimics the cash flow of the company. Which method would lead to the best decision when a competitor is submitting a lower bid for your product? The absorption method would be best although both methods are used, with variable costing expenses remains the same, and with the absorption method fixed production cost are period cost. Variable costing method helps with demand based pricing. References Accounting for management. (n.d.). Variable costing versus absorption costing. Retrieved from http://www.accountingformanagement.org/variable-vs-absorption-costing/

Black House For David Gernert and Ralph Vicinanza

You take me to a place I never go, You send me kisses made of gold, I ‘ll place a crown upon your curls, All hail the Queen of the World! -The Jayhawks. Right Here and Now . . †¦..RIGHT HERE AND NOW,as an old friend used to say,we are in the fluid present,where clear-sightedness never guarantees perfect vision. Here:about two hundred feet,the height of a gliding eagle,above Wisconsin's far western edge,where the vagaries of the Mississippi River declare a natural border.Now:an early Friday morning in mid-July a few years into both a new century and a new millennium,their way-ward courses so hidden that a blind man has a better chance of seeing what lies ahead than you or I.Right here and now,the hour is just past six a.m., and the sun stands low in the cloudless eastern sky,a fat,confi-dent yellow-white ball advancing as ever for the first time toward the fu-ture and leaving in its wake the steadily accumulating past,which darkens as it recedes,making blind men of us all. Below,the early sun touches the river ‘s wide,soft ripples with molten highlights.Sunlight glints from the tracks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad running between the riverbank and the backs of the shabby two-story houses along County Road Oo,known as Nailhouse Row,the lowest point of the comfortable-looking little town extending uphill and eastward beneath us.At this moment in the Coulee Country, life seems to be holding its breath.The motionless air around us carries such remarkable purity and sweetness that you might imagine a man could smell a radish pulled out of the ground a mile away.