AI essays

AI essays Artificial Intelligence and Singularity Within the next thirty to fifty years, there will be technological means on earth which can create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after this occurrence, humans will no longer be needed to run the world and therefore the human era will be extinct. The question that we all need to ask ourselves is, can we avoid this process? If this process is not avoidable, can humans still guide these events so that the human era survives. The rise of technology is the single most amazing event in this past century. The speed of technology has been mind-blowing. In the next thirty to fifty year, human life will change on earth drastically due to great advances in technology. The exact cause of this great change will be the creation of technology which is grater than human intelligence. According to Verner Vinge [1], a world famous mathematician, author, and computer scientist, the consequences of this event will be that greater-then-human intelligence is much more rapid. An example used by Vernor Vinge is that animals can adapt to problems and make inventions in their environments, but often no longer than nature can do its work on a place. He continues to say that the world acts as its own simulator in the case of natural selection. Humans have the ability to solve problems in their heads much faster than natural selection. But by creating machines which can execute problems at much faster speeds than humans, humans will be entering a world which is much different than the human past. For example, humans will no longer be needed for jobs that they are needed for now because computers will be able to have a though process which is much faster than the human one. This process can be described as singularity. Stan Ulam [2], a respected member of the national mathem atical society, paraphrased John Von Neumann [3], professor, mathematician, and author, by saying, One conversation centered on the eve...

Funny Quotes for Your Christmas Celebration

Funny Quotes for Your Christmas Celebration Want to make witty remarks this Christmas? Ogden Nash, Dave Barry, Charles Dickens, and many other authors share their Christmas humor with you on this page. Peter Dickinson The threat of Christmas hung in the air, visible already in the fretful look of passersby as they readied themselves for the meaningless but necessary rites of false jovialities and ill-considered gifts. Max Lucado, God Came Near Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts. Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space. Ogden Nash People cant concentrate properly on blowing other people to pieces if their minds are poisoned by thoughts suitable to the twenty-fifth of December. Katharine Whitehorn, Roundabout From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it. Frank McKinney Hubbard ​Next to a circus there aint nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit. Bill Waterson, Calvin Hobbes Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer... Whod have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously? Dave Barry, Christmas Shopping In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it Christmas and went to church; the Jews called it Hanukkah and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say Merry Christmas! or Happy Hanukkah! or (to the atheists) Look out for the wall! W. J. Cameron There has been only one Christmas the rest are anniversaries. Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Out upon merry Christmas! Whats Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer...? If I could work my will, said Scrooge indignantly, every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas upon his lips should be boiled with his won pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!

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

COFFEE TRENDS - Essay Example Due to the high caffeine content and other chemical substances in coffee, it is believed that coffee is addictive, and in addition, health activists claim that to some extent it contributes to weight gain. Nevertheless, since its introduction, coffee has played an imperative role in human lives in various ways such as cultural, social, political, globalization, economical, and medicinal aspects. Coffee is popular in all occasions and is a customary gesture in many societies. For example, it is presented and consumed in many societies whereby it plays various roles with regard to a particular culture. For instance it acts as ethnic or religious representative of many groups, matrimonial or funeral essential commodity, irreplaceable element for individuals and professionals at all times. In addition, coffee is a symbol of hospitability, whereby social hospitable norms of many ethnic and religious groups require them to offer at least â€Å"a cup of coffee to their guests† as their standard etiquette (Topik 86). This is commonly seen in various religious societies, in which guests are often presented with a cup of coffee. For example, Muslims either in Ramadan or in their traditional weddings, keep coffee as a mandatory item for their guests. Similarly, Catholic, Jews and orthodox also keep this social beverage at important events such as funerals, marriage ceremonies, political and social meetings, and most importantly at professional work places (Croegaert 468). Throughout history, coffee houses have been social places for political and revolutionary movements across many nations. Companies such as Starbucks, Nestle, Proctor and gamble among others are popular for promoting a coffee culture where people can go relax in their coffee outlets and lounges, and consequently catch up or discuss political and social issues. Starbucks even went as far as providing Wi-Fi in their coffee lounges in Australia so that customers can

Based on the above statement. discuss and critically evaluate the Essay

Based on the above statement. discuss and critically evaluate the conceptual Business Model framework with reference to structur - Essay Example Success in this case is not only valued in the amount of money that a business is able to make but is based on whether the organization is able to achieve all the objectives it had set out for itself at the beginning of the business. For example, a Non Profit organization does not focus on increasing their profit margin but have other objectives on hand (mainly to do with helping others) and it is by achieving these objectives that they consider themselves successful. A business model will determine the structure and purpose of an organization as well as how that organization will evaluate itself. The model is chosen at the beginning of the formation of the business and will determine how a business will proceed henceforth in attaining the objectives that it has set out for itself (Pike & Neale, 2003). The type of business will depend on the ambition of the organization and what they hope to achieve by setting up the business (Spencer, 2000).. ... Therefore it can be said that the business model used brings out the character of a business. There are a number of objectives that an organization that enters the market may hope to achieve and it is these objectives that determine the type of business model that will used by the company (Cuthbertson & Nitzsche, 2001). It is essential to understand the main categories of these objectives in order to understand the business models that have been employed to achieve them. The main categories of business objectives include: Profit – This is the most traditional objective in existence when it comes to businesses. Most organizations are set up in order to make money from the activities that they participate in and thus the main objective of such a business would be to improve their profit margin as much as possible (George & Bock, 2012). Such businesses will employ a business model that mainly focuses on gaining a controlling hold on the market and attracting as many consumers as possible while using the least amount of money in terms of cost in activities such as production and other required necessities that may include factors such as marketing and advertising strategies and remuneration among other costs. Social Uplifting – This is a newer concept with organizations and has developed from the emergence of social responsibility that organizations may feel towards the society that they operate in. This objective focuses on improving the lives of individuals within the society that they operate in and do not only focus on improving profit margins. In such an organization, decisions are influenced by how they will affect the society and do not only focus on the bottom line (George & Bock, 2012). These organizations feel that it is possible for everyone to

Decision Analysis Essay Example for Free

Decision Analysis Essay In business today, many decision-making situations occur under conditions of uncertainty. The demand for a product can be one number this week and double that number next week or vice versa. There are several decision-making techniques to aid the decision maker in dealing with these types of uncertainties. There are two classes of decision situations, situations where probabilities can be assigned to future occurrences and probabilities that cannot be assigned. A decision-making situation includes several components, the decision itself and the actual events that can occur in the future, we refer to those as states of nature. The states of nature can be good and bad economic conditions, cold or warm weather, and an accident or no accident. The state of nature that does occur will determine the outcome of the decision, but the decision maker has no control over which state occurs. Payoff tables are organized so that the decision situations can be analyzed. Using a payoff table is a means of organizing a decision situation, including the payoffs from different decisions, given the various states of nature. Each decision will result in a specific outcome corresponding to the particular state of nature that occurs in the future. Payoffs are usually expressed as revenues or costs, but the can be expressed in a variety of values. Once a payoff table has been organized, there are several criteria available for making the actual decision. One of those is the maximax criterion. The maximax criterion results in the maximum of the maximum payoffs. The decision maker would be very optimistic. They would assume the most favorable state of nature would occur. When considering profit, the decision maker would pick the state of nature that gains the highest revenue. When considering cost, the decision maker would select the minimum of the minimum of costs, which is also referred to as the minimin criterion. The maximin criterion is another criteria that can be used. The maximin criterion results in the maximum of the minimum payoff. This is a pessimistic criterion. The decision maker assumes that the minimum payoff will occur. Of those minimum payoffs, the maximum is selected. If the decision maker were to consider costs instead of profits as the payoff, the conservative approach would to select the maximum cost for each decision. Then they would select the minimum of those costs. The minimax regret criterion minimizes the maximum regret. Regret is the difference between the payoff from the best decision and all other decision payoffs. With this criterion, the decision maker attempts to avoid regret by selecting the decision alternative that minimizes the maximum regret. To use this criterion, the decision maker selects the maximum pay off under each state of nature and then subtracts the other payoffs from those amounts. The Hurwicz criterion is a compromise between the maximax and maximin criteria. The decision maker is not totally optimistic not totally pessimistic. With this criterion, the payoffs are weighted by a cofficient of optimism, which is a measure of the decision maker’s optimism. The coefficient of optimism must be determined by the decision maker, which is a limitation. It can be difficult for a decision maker to accurately determine his or her degree of optimism. This is a completely subjective decision making criterion. The equal likelihood criterion is done in the same way. The equal likelihood criterion multiplies the decision payoff for each state of nature by an equal weight. In conclusion, decision making analysis is a key component to maximizing profit and minimizing cost. There are several different decision-making criteria. Which criteria is used would be based on the decision makers outlook on the future.

Essays --

On November 28th, 1942 a fire broke out in Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston. The fire killed approximately 492 people, injuring 166, and impacting numerous others (Cocoanut Grove Fire). This event became known as one of the deadliest nightclub fires of its time. The causes for such a devastating event can be analyzed using utilitarian ethics presented by John Stuart Mill. The decisions made by the owners of the nightclub will be evaluated as being right or wrong based on utilitarian theory. The utilitarian ethics theory in a nutshell basically states that â€Å"the good is the well-being of all, impartially considered (Riley 68).† What is emphasized in utilitarian theory is that the greatest good be produced for the greatest number of people. This brings up the question of what â€Å"good† actually is. Many utilitarian theorists believe there are two kinds of good, intrinsic and instrumental. Intrinsic good is good considered just by itself while all other things are instruments for gaining the intrinsic goods (Schinzinger 55). Mill believes that the only intrinsic good is happiness and thus the emphasis can be rewritten as the greatest happiness produced for the greatest number of people. In other words, happiness is basically the only thing desirable as an end in itself. However, once again we ask the question of what happiness really is. When explaining his utilitarian theory, Mill separates happiness into two types, the higher and the lower (Mill Ch.2 ). Mill defines the higher happiness as being that of humans including such qualities as justice, creativity, morality and nobility. On the other hand, the lower happiness is that which is associated with animals and is purely pleasure based. Using these two types of happiness, Riley c... ...at the owner did not act like Socrates dissatisfied but instead he acted like a fool. In other words, in this case the owner did not act like a smart man with dissatisfaction because of lack of money, but instead he acted like a fool with plenty of money. This fool believes that having more money is the ultimate happiness, when in reality it is only a stepping-stone towards happiness. In the aftermath of the Cocoanut Grove fire, building codes were amended by adding two outward-opening exit doors next to revolving doors, clearly marking exits that could be unlocked from within and keeping every exit unobstructed, requiring sprinklers and emergency lighting. (Boston Fire). However, due to poor decisions and management, the rapid spread of the fire and the intense heat & toxic smoke resulted in the majority of people inside the Grove to never have a chance to escape.

Healthcare Management Essay

When creating a strategic business plan, one of the most important analysis tools that can help management identify areas that need improvement and the areas that are strong and already beneficial to the company is a SWOT analysis. Using this tool management can determine the parts of a business that may need more of their time and resources in order to outcome obstacles that may prevent growth. In this paper, we will create a SWOT analysis for our fictitious company Vandalay Healthcare Inc. Strategic Healthcare Plan A SWOT analysis is a tool that can be used by management to measure or audit the organization as a whole. SWOT is an acronym for the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats by internal and external that can effect and hinder a company in various ways. Using the SWOT analysis a company can learn to identify the parts of a business that are helping the business grow and the same analysis can identify areas where the business can make improvements (Marketing Teacher, 2012). The greatest distinguished features that management should include when creating a SWOT analysis is, where the business is today and where it hopes to be in the future, and the analysis should be subjective and specific, the most effective analysis are short and direct. The SWOT that was created for the fictitious company, Vandalay Healthcare Inc., is as follows: SWOT Analysis Vandalay Healthcare Inc. The goals for Vandalay Healthcare Inc., as defined in the company’s mission and vision statements is to become one of the most successful company’s in the field of Certified Life Care Planning, and also to build the company to maintain a certain level of integrity. The external and internal environments that would directly affect this company can possibly cause the company to become in financial trouble at some point, since the knowledge of the field is expanding and the threats of medical advancements could hinder the need for this type of business, the company can be tempted to cut corners. However, by instilling the vision and mission statement the company was founded and expanded on, the possibilities to allow this type of behavior can decrease by over 75%. A continuous improvement plan is defined as a process that continues to bring gradual change to a business (O’Hara, 2012). In the development of the continuous improvement plan the company must first decide where they plan on going in the future. For Vandalay Healthcare Inc., the company has already established the desire to be one of the best CLCP types of companies in existence. The best way to achieve this is by evaluating the outcome measures for the company. The outcomes are specifically the results achieved by the interaction of the patient/client and the business (Mireles, n.d.). To measure the outcomes Vandalay Healthcare Inc., will provide survey cards to be completed by clients, which will be done on an anonymous basis. By allowing the clients/patients to complete the surveys on an anonymous basis, the company can indicate the areas in the service sector that may have issues as well as eliminate any gaps that can occur in the performance areas of a business. The vision and mission statements for Vandalay Healthcare Inc. are as follows: In the next few years, Vandalay Healthcare Inc. will have succeeded in establishing a name for itself within the field of Certified Life Care Planner by being an honest organization that focuses 100% on patient care. And the mission statement for Vandalay Healthcare Inc., is: âž ¢Patient Care Mission – to provide the best care to every patient regardless of the ethnic, cultural, or demographic background âž ¢Community Mission – provide support within the community by providing honest medical care âž ¢Economic Mission – operate and grow the organization at a profitable rate through sound economic decisions The SWOT analysis and the continuous improvement plan are both focusing on the constant improvement of patient care. Our company’s mission and vision statements are both also directly focused on the patient care. The company’s service strategy is related to the environment of the facility itself. The environment includes the employees, having the proper training and the company being adequately staffed to accommodate clients in a timely and professional manner. And the setting and following guidelines set forth by government agencies to ensure the moral and ethical standards of the company are higher then the others, as to set Vandalay Healthcare Inc. on a different level then similar companies within the same industry. By adhering to each of these goals, such as the mission statement, the vision statement and the intended service strategy, Vandalay Healthcare Inc. can set new standards within the healthcare industry, and this can be beneficial to the healthcare organization as a whole be causing other agencies to also raise the quality of care their patients may currently receive. Reference: Marketing Teacher. (2012). SWOT Analysis. Retrieved on July 8, 2012, from http://www.marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-swot.html Mireles, Sandra. (n.d.). How to Measure Outcomes & Evaluations. Retrieved on July 8, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/how_6578817_measure-outcomes-evaluations.html O’Hara, Jane. (2012). How to Develop a Continuous Improvement Plan. Retrieved on July 8, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/how_8054214_develop-continuous-improvement-plan.html

Uses and Abuses of Information in Orwell’s 1984

In George Orwell†s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, we are presented with a dystopian vision of the future. Orwell†s book follows the life of Winston Smith, a citizen of Airstrip 1, formerly Britain and part of the nation of Oceania. The country is governed by Ingsoc, the English Socialists, a totalitarian regime led by the iconic leader Big Brother. Oceania is constantly at war with as well as always being in alliance with one of the other two nations of the earth, Euraisia and Eastasia. The population is divided into three social groups, at the top of the power structure is the Inner Party, whose members are the policy makers and number relatively few. Below them are the members of the Outer Party, who are educated and work in governmental departments. It is this group which Winston Smith belongs to. Underneath them are the proletariat, the uneducated masses that made up 85% of the population. The life of a party member involves being constantly subjected to government propaganda by the medium of the telescreen. This is a device similar to a television placed in the home and workplace of Party members, unlike a television it cannot be turned off and it transmits as well as receives. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, one of four government ministries. The Ministry of Love is concerned with law and order, The Ministry of peace concerns itself with war, The Ministry of Plenty which deals with economic affairs and The Ministry of Truth which is responsible for the production of news, education, entertainment and fine arts. Orwell is said to have based the infrastructure of Oceania on that of Stalinist Russia of the 1940s. I want to compare and contrast Orwell†s vision of the future and control of information to the world of today. I hope to draw parallels in the ideology of Insog, governments of the present day and those of past regimes. Winston worked in the records department of the Ministry of Truth. His job consisted of the constant updating of news archives. He was responsible for altering or ‘rectifying† news reports from back issues of the state newspaper. For example, it appeared from The Times of the seventeenth of March that Big Brother, in his speech of the previous day, had predicted that the South Indian front would remain quiet but that a Eurasian offensive would shortly be launched in North Africa. As it happened, the Eurasian Higher Command had launched its offensive in South India and left North Africa alone. It was therefore necessary to rewrite a paragraph of Big Brother†s speech, in such a way as to make him predict the thing that had actually happened. (Orwell1949). In another case the Ministry of Plenty promised there would be no cut in the chocolate ration. After a cut in the ration, this speech was rewritten to say that they had predicted a cut some time in the future and eventually that the ration had been increased. Once these articles had been rewritten, the old newspapers were destroyed, new issues printed and used as historical records. All documentation of the past had been tailored to say exactly what the government wanted it to. No other records of the past existed other than those that had been manipulated and falsified by the ministry of truth. This may seem fantastic and unfeasible in modern western society, but Orwell himself performed a similar role in the BBC during World War II. This gave him a solid taste of bureaucratic hypocrisy and may have provided the inspiration for his invention of â€Å"newspeak,† the truth-denying language of Big Brother's rule in Nineteen Eighty-Four (Johnson 1993). In 1944 Orwell wrote a letter to tribune bringing up the question of how true history actually is. He said that until recently the chances were that major events were recorded with some accuracy. He says that the battle of Hastings probably happened in 1066, that Columbus discovered America, that Henry VIII had six wives, and so on. A certain degree of truthfulness was possible so long as it was admitted that a fact may be true even if you don†t like it. (Orwell1944). He goes on to say that even as late as just prior to World War I, a substantial amount of facts in the encyclopaedia Britannica are compiled from German sources and were regarded as neutral. An account of World War II would vary from different sources. The Nazis of the day would have a completely different account of the war than that of the Allies. The decision of which of these accounts reaches the history books is decided on the battlefield. If Hitler and the Nazis had won the war, the ‘history books† would undoubtedly be different from those we are brought up to believe in post war Britain. For example Orwell says that in 1941 and 1942 the Luftwaffe were busy in Russia, whilst at the same time German radio was proclaiming the devastation of London through aerial bombing. According to our history, these raids never happened. If we were living in London at that time we would know that those raids never happened, if Hitler then seizes power, those raids might as well have happened as the history books will be written accordingly. This theory is the basis that Orwell uses for the management of information in the fictitious Ministry of Truth. There are countless examples of history being re-written. Orwell gives other examples: Is the protocols of the Elders of Zion a genuine document? Did Trotsky plot with the Nazis? How many German aeroplanes were shot down in the Battle of Britain? Does Europe welcome the New Order? In no case do you get one answer that is universally accepted because it is true: in each case you get a number of totally incompatible answers, one of which is finally adopted as the result of a physical struggle. History is written by the winners. (Orwell 1944). Noam Chomsky develops these ideas and applies them to the Vietnam and Gulf wars. He describes a study that was done at the University of Massachusetts on attitudes towards the Gulf war. This study was designed to gauge the beliefs and attitudes of television watchers. One of the questions asked in that study was, How (sic) many Vietnamese casualties would you estimate that there were during the Vietnam war? The average response on the part of Americans today is about 100,000. The official figure is about two million. The actual figure is probably three to four million. (Chomsky 1991). This example highlights an almost eerie foresight into the future from Orwell. Are the telescreens that pump out propaganda and manipulated facts and figures to the population of Oceania really that different in principle to the televisions that are dotted around our houses now? It seems that the information broadcast on television is believed by its viewers. The history of the Vietnam war has probably altered since it ended. It may be hard to write an objective history of it from an American perspective, as attitudes toward the conflict seem to be ambiguous. When the war ended, American vets were seen by their country as failures, now they are honoured officially. It is unclear who is writing the history of Vietnam. During the conflict, news coverage was biased toward the plight of the American forces and anti communist ideals, creating a monster out of the enemy as to keep people†s thought irrational and unquestionably loyal to the American war effort. Towards the end of the seventies we saw the first of a wave of Vietnam feature films. It was now the directors telling the story, but whose is correct? Mc Carthyists may argue that Hollywood is adopting a communist point of view and thus siding with the old enemy. Is it just wars whose facts and figures are subject to alteration? Who is to say for instance that the so-called financial boom of the eighties actually happened? As it the decade gets more vague in our memories, it may be open to historical manipulation for political means. The likelihood is the current Labour government of 1999 will have a different recollection of the financial situation of the last twenty years than that of the Conservatives. Which, if either, account is correct? We (the public) have our own realities of the era; the amount of money we had at the time. As individuals though we are not in a position of power with which to rewrite history. Chomsky talks about the first modern government propaganda, that of the Woodrow Wilson Administration of The United States at the time of World War I. The population of America were pacifistic at that time and saw no reason to become involved in a European conflict. The Wilson government were committed to war and decided to do something about it. They established a government propaganda division, called the Creel Commission, which succeeded, within six months, in turning a pacifist population into a hysterical, war-mongering population which wanted to tear the Germans limb from limb, go to war and save the world. (Chomsky 1991). These same techniques were used for anti socialist campaigns after the war, which destroyed unions and restricted the freedom of the press. The same techniques were used by the British propaganda ministry, whose commitment at the time, as they put it in their secret deliberations, was ‘to direct the thought of most of the world†. (Chomsky1991). Chomsky goes on to say that the British propaganda ministry†s aim was to control the thought of the more intelligent members of the community in the United States, who would then disseminate the propaganda that they were concocting and convert the pacifistic country to wartime hysteria. He says that this taught a lesson to Hitler and many others that state propaganda, when supported by the educated classes and when no deviation is permitted from it, can have a big effect. A concise example of the use of propaganda in nineteen eighty- four is the rabble rousing Two Minutes Hate. This is a daily gathering where members of the Party vent their hatred for enemies of the state, In particular the spectre of Emmanuel Goldstein. Party members gather together in front of a telescreen while a film of the traitor Goldstein is shown. The participants are worked into a fury of hate before being brought back to calm by the image and voice of Big Brother. In chapter 1 of the book Orwell describes the event: Goldstein was delivering his usual venomous attack upon the doctrines of the Party – an attack so exaggerated and perverse that a child should have been able to see through it, and yet just plausible enough to leave one with an alarmed feeling that other people, less level headed than oneself, might be taken in by it. (1949) I believe evidence of Orwell†s own belief in the power of persuasive propaganda is expressed through the thoughts of Winston. Although Winston is a rebellious thinker who initially uses the two minute hate to vent his detestation of Insoc and it†s subsidiary organisations, he finds his feelings switching to a hatred of the image of Goldstein. He then voluntarily switches his hatred to the image of the girl behind him. Oceania is personified by the image of Big Brother, whilst its enemies are symbolised by Goldstein. This rhetoric is well used in propaganda and there are many examples, either official, as with Marianne and Germania, or unofficial, as in the cartoon stereotypes of John Bull. (Hobsbawm 1983). I have not really scratched the surface of concepts of information manipulation that Orwell highlights in Nineteen Eighty- Four, Newspeak for instance. A whole book could be written on this language and probably has been. After reading Orwell and Chomsky a great deal of correlation is evident between their ideas. Orwell says: The really frightening thing about totalitarianism is not that it commits ‘atrocities† but that it attacks the concept of objective truth; it claims to control the past as well as the future (1944) Although we live in a so-called democracy today the practice of history rewriting still seems to be prevalent. Chomsky says: the picture of the world that†s presented to the public has only the remotest relation to reality. The truth of the matter is buried under edifice after edifice of lies upon lies†¦ It†s not like a totalitarian state, where it†s done by force. These achievements are under conditions of freedom (1991). Although we do live in a free society (try arguing that we don†t with someone who†s lived under an oppressive regime), we live under what Chomsky calls a self-imposed totalitarianism (1991) with our televisions as our telescreens. As our daily newspapers switch political allegiances, who is to say that they are not employing modern day Winston Smiths to change accounts of the past. Why should the Sun hark on about the good old days under the Tory government when they want Blair to win the next election?

Musashi essays

Musashi essays Who is the sword saint? Some say Miyamoto Musashi is a sword saint. He was born around 1584 in the village of Miyamoto in the Mimisaka province. Many people know him only by the name of Musashi. His real name however is Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Genshin. He took the name of Miyamoto to honor the village of his birthplace. Musashi was a great warrior. No one could match him and no one really ever got the better part of him. He never lost a duel. He was also an excellent writer and artist The book Musashi written by Eiji Yoshikawa is an excellent book portraying the life and time of Musashi. Yoshikawa provides well-developed characters with the context needed for a modern reader(Raven Para.2). It is a thorough and interesting piece of writing. I have read it twice already and watched the movie based on made from it about five times. Yoshikawa does a great job portraying the achievements that Musashi accomplished and the feats he overcame as a youth in a warring period of Japan. He follows his entire life from when he was a young teen until he was about forty- five and then he goes into meditation. Musashi was an intense type of warrior and very loyal to his art. He hardly ever had a girlfriend while he was wandering the countryside and fighting in numerous duels. He was always trying to improve his skill and create new styles. Therefore he never had much time to be involved in relationships.He created one of the most difficult sword techniques of the time called two-swords. After he used that technique in combat and the word got it around it put fear into all of his adversaries and opponents. He killed his first opponent at the age of thirteen. He was being bullied by a student of the Shinto-Ryu school of military arts and was tired of his harassment. He ...

Jane Eyre Questions for Study and Discussion

Jane Eyre Questions for Study and Discussion Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre is one of the foremost works of British literature. At its heart, its a coming-of-age story, but  Jane Eyre  is much more than girl-meets-and-marries boy. It marked a new style of fiction writing, relying on the title characters internal monologue for much of the storys action. A womans internal monologue, no less. Put simply, the story of Jane Eyre and Edmund Rochester is a romance, but on the womans terms. Originally Published Under Male Pseudonym Theres no small irony in the fact that the distinctly feminist  Jane Eyre was originally published in 1847 under Brontes male pseudonym, Currer Bell. With the creation of Jane and her world, Bronte introduced an entirely new kind of heroine: Jane is plain and orphaned, but intelligent and proud. Bronte depicts Janes struggles with classism and sexism from a perspective that was almost unheard of in the 19th-century Gothic novel. There is a heavy dose of social critique in Jane Eyre, and distinctly sexual symbolism, also not common with female protagonists of the time period. It has even spawned a sub-genre of criticism, that of the madwoman in the attic. This, of course, is a reference to Rochesters first wife, a key character whose impact on the plot is significant, but whose voice is never heard in the novel. Regularly on Top 100 Best Book Lists Given its literary significance and its groundbreaking style and story, its no wonder that Jane Eyre regularly lands on Top 100 best books lists,  and is  a favorite among English literature instructors and students of the genre. Questions for Study and Discussion What is important about the title; why does Bronte choose a name for her character that has so many homonyms (heir, air). Is this intentional? What is significant about Janes time at Lowood? How does this shape her character?   Compare Brontes descriptions of Thornfield with the descriptions of Rochesters appearance. What is she trying to convey? There are many symbols throughout Jane Eyre. What significance do they hold for the plot?   How would you describe Jane as a person? Is she believable? Is she consistent? How did your opinion of Rochester change when you learned what his secret was? Does the story end the way you expected?   Do you think Jane Eyre is a feminist novel? Why or why not? How does Brontes portray other female characters besides Jane? Who is the most significant woman in the novel other than its titular character? How does Jane Eyre compare to other heroines of 19th century English literature? Of whom does she remind you?   How essential is the setting for the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else? Do you think Jane and Rochester deserved a happy ending? Do you think they got one?   This is just one part of our study guide on Jane Eyre. Please see the links below for additional helpful resources.

Group Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Group Dynamics - Essay Example Additionally, particular reference will be paid to the Rofle reflection model theory. Within a group, the individual members always interact and continuously communicate to achieve a particular objective. The members of a group are connected by universal harmony and combined forces. Plasters, Sagull and Xiao (2003) cite that in most cases, the members of a particular group have matching abilities and rely on each other in a robust power-sharing and accountability framework. According to Duffy (2010), there are different domains in a group dynamic that emphasize on different types of teamwork skills. For example, the group dynamics in an operating room is different in some ways from that of the intensive care unit team due to the nature of work performance in the two areas. The two areas have different role team structures, time pressure, criticality, as well patient volume. Weaver et.al (2010) observes that medical care and practice is undeniably a team effort. Weaver et.al (2010) elaborates that different types of groups are important to all organizations; however, these groups should observe high standards of communication, cooperation and coordination. Well-coordinated teamwork especially in complex service areas such as the operation theater is associated with crucial patient outcomes like increased patient satisfaction while reducing nursing turnover (Machary et.al 2006). Furthermore, Weaver et.al (2010) asserts that effective teamwork is also linked with other positive outcomes such as job satisfaction and reduced stress level. Mosser and Begun (2013) are of the opinion that teamwork in the operating theater makes task performance faster because of the rapid interaction of individuals in the working the team. Subsequently, teams also enable the OR personnel to learn to provide high quality health care by working closely with each other. Within the healthcare set up, there exist four main types of