NARRATIVE story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NARRATIVE story - Essay Example Only that morning, after my brother’s compulsion, I decided to get out of my room to go with him and my parents to the beach for some fun. At first I was very annoyed as I preferred to stay indoors and watch some television as it was a weekend. During the weekdays, I had enough and more school work to be done and got very little television time. So weekends are usually a television marathon for me and I would never go out. My brother and my father have a weekend routine which I thought was lame. They would go for swimming at a nearby club and invite me all the time. I always felt very nostalgic to swimming pools and the blue colored water spread across as if it were a blue blanket made me uncomfortable. But today, as the club was closed due to some maintenance activity, my brother had planned for this trip to a beach nearby and had compelled me to come. I thought I will just get some sun and stay away from the ‘deep blue sea’. After reaching there and watching eve ryone have fun, I was not able to control my rising yearn to hit the water. Unfortunately, failed to notice the board which said ‘this area is for strong swimmers only’. So, here I am dragged inwards toward the horizon by the strong waves. I opened my eyes and found that everything around me was different and that confused feeling was still there. I was looking around to figure out whether I was in heaven (hopefully). I could hear the sounds of people talking outside. I woke up fully to get back to reality. My brother was walking towards me and paid no attention to me. I was little bit ignited with this act, as I expected him to come and ask me how I felt after coming in close encounters with death. Instead, he just started hitting me with his towel asking me to get up. I got up, now fully awake, and was staring blankly at my brother who was yelling, ‘are you coming with us to the swimming club at least today?’ Just then everything hit

Towards Equality Of Women Essay Example for Free

Towards Equality Of Women Essay Nowadays, gender became a very sensitive issue. The word gender is not only limited to feminist and masculinity. Other than that, feminist movements are very active. They claim that man and women should be equally treated. Certain jobs and career should not be limited to a specific gender. There is also a kind of feminist movement that claims that women can do masculine work and engage in masculine sports. Examples are women who are working as cab drivers, police, and soldiers and joining sports such as weight lifting, wrestling, and boxing. Sapphireblue.com defines amazon feminism as follows: â€Å"Amazon feminism is dedicated to the image of the female hero in fiction and in fact, as it is expressed in art and literature, in the physiques and feats of female athletes, and in sexual values and practices. Amazon feminism is concerned about physical equality and is opposed to gender role stereotypes and discrimination against women based on assumptions that women are supposed to be, look or behave as if they are passive, weak and physically helpless. Amazon feminism rejects the idea that certain characteristics or interests are inherently masculine (or feminine), and upholds and explores a vision of heroic womanhood. Thus Amazon feminism advocates e.g., female strength athletes, martial artists, soldiers, etc. [TG]†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my own opinion, feminism and masculinity are only defined by the society. Masculinity just varies and it depends on how it is viewed in a culture. For example, there was a time in Japan when crying and being soft was their idea of masculinity. This view of masculinity might shock us because of our modern view but there was a time when it really existed in Japan. It is very interesting to know that there was also a time in Japan when masculinity means being a warrior or a samurai. It only means that an era or culture sets the standard of masculinity and there is no such thing as absolute masculinity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, there are people who think that there is such word as â€Å"too masculine†. It only means that an image or nature of work display too much quality that only man can satisfy. This word disqualifies any woman from doing or fulfilling that â€Å"too masculine responsibility. Now that we are living in a modern society, I think that the word â€Å"too masculine† is no longer applicable. Thanks to some feminist movements, career or any other responsibility are no longer limited to a specific gender. Any person, man or woman, is entitled to a career or responsibility as long as he or she is qualified. Actually, there are a lot of woman who are excelling in those fields which are traditionally for men. Examples are successful political leaders such as Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines, Benazir Bhuto of Pakistan, and Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain. They have proven that women can lead a nation as long as effective as men. Here, we can see that leadership position in the field of politics is no longer too masculine for a woman. Personally, I don’t believe in the word â€Å"too masculine† anymore. When I was a young student, I used to believe that each gender has a specific responsibility assignment. For example, taking care of children is for women only because of their gentle nature. But now, my mind was opened by feminist movements. Women can do tough work because they can also display strong character. On the other hand, men can also take the responsibility of women because they also have a gentle side.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although feminist movements promote gender equality, it also has a negative impact in our society. Based on what I observe in our society, manhood is no longer respectable. Sometimes, I feel that women are abusing gender equality. As a matter of fact, there is a kind of feminist movement which claims that men are no longer needed in the society. It is called radical feminism. About.com defines radical feminism as follows: â€Å"Radical feminism is a philosophy emphasizing the patriarchal roots of inequality between men and women, or, more specifically, social dominance of women by men. Radical feminism views patriarchy as dividing rights, privileges and power primarily by gender, and as a result oppressing women and privileging men. Radical feminists tend to be more militant in their approach (radical as getting to the root). Radical feminism opposes existing political and social organization in general because it is inherently tied to patriarchy. Thus, radical feminists tend to be skeptical of political action within the current system, and instead support cultural change that undermines patriarchy and associated hierarchical structures. â€Å"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even media promotes an image of a man that is submissive to women. Example is the Ax deo spray commercial where men act like sex slaves of women. Also, media nowadays suggest that women can use sex and their physical beauty to manipulate men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During our pre-agricultural past, when men and women are still hunters and gatherers, gender equality already exists. We can say that gender equality already exists because men and women are living in a egalitarian society. They had what we call values of belonging which is characterized by self restraint, generosity and mutuality. As explained by Carol Finders in tworock.com: â€Å"Throughout the eons that preceded the agricultural revolution, Flinders notes, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. Certain values are intrinsic to that way of life wherever it is lived.   Self-restraint, generosity, mutuality, balance, and a warmly reverent connection to the earth and other creatures are all adaptive to a nomadic, foraging existence.   They are the values of Belonging, and they defined the human condition for so long they exist still – in longing, in faint memory as an indestructible stratum in consciousness itself.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the culture of enterprise started to emerge during agricultural development. Men and women started to acquire their own property. In the culture of enterprise, aggression and competition are prevalent. As stated by Finders: â€Å"With the rise of agriculture and city-states, beginning just ten thousand years ago, a new set of values became adaptive: irreverence, willingness to exploit the natural world for profit; acquisitiveness, aggression, and competitiveness. The values of Enterprise.† I think that it is not necessary to take more of values of belonging because it is no longer applicable to our society. Culture of enterprise is well stabilized in our society and changing it may cause instability. Although aggression and inequality is inevitable in the culture of enterprise, I believe that we can regulate it by promoting positive values such as justice and respect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I chose education as a subject area to discuss the contrast between values of belonging and culture of enterprise. It is obvious that the culture of enterprise is very dominant in field of education. Nowadays, education is used to promote a person from his or her current social status. We can notice that mostly, education is only exclusives to the rich and middle class people. It is because educating the poor will surely uplift the status of poor people. If everyone can have an equal opportunity for education, poverty will be lessen. Here, the characteristic of the culture of enterprise is very evident and these are competition and acquisitiveness. We can’t deny the fact that educated people acquire the most number of properties and wealth. Meanwhile, if our society is still living in the values of belonging, definitely education will be free for all. Because in the values of belonging, everyone is equal and there is no competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We can apply the culture of enterprise to those societies where there is gender inequality. In those cultures where women are treated as second class citizen, women are deprived of the rights to education. It is because education can uplift the status of women in the society. Educated women will threaten the status of men in the society. Educated women can acquire more property than educated women. Here we can see that there is aggression and competition which are qualities of culture of enterprise. I believe that moving the values of belonging can be a solution to this gender inequality in education because the said values promote equality. When we move to the values of belonging, there will be an absence of competition between men and women in the society. Men will not be threatened by educated women. Equal opportunity for education will be easy to achieve. http://www.tworock.org/Values%20of%20Belonging.htm http://www.sapphireblue.com/dissident_feminist/factions.shtml#amazon

Adopt a Child :: Essays research papers, Adoption

Adopt-A-Child, Inc., is a licensed, non-profit adoption agency dedicated to the ideal of bringing together couples or individuals seeking to build their families with foreign-born infants or children who need homes. The children we identify for adoption have been irrevocably released by their parents or other relatives due to death or abandonment. These youngsters are orphans according to U.S. and international legal definitions. Therefore, in accordance with the laws of both countries concerned, they are fully available for adoption. Our staff of trained social workers have completed numerous adoptions with couples and individuals throughout the United States and with U.S. citizens abroad. We support and educate our clients, empowering them to make the best decision for their particular situations. Our focus throughout the process is on social service, to ensure the best possible adjustment of children and parents to their new families. Adopt-A-Child has developed a strong network of relationships with adoption officials in many foreign countries, gaining a reputation for unquestionable reliability and integrity. In each of these countries we have developed a trained, experienced and well-supervised staff with whom we communicate closely, and are able to direct via phone, fax, and e-mail. We also make regular visits to the countries from which we adopt in order to monitor operations, visit orphanages and to meet with adoption officials. We are a full-service agency providing not only adoption assistance but also pre- and post-adoption support counseling. Among our services, we maintain a very active parents network to provide a forum for education, socialization, recreation and mutual support.

Absorption and Variable Costing, Inventory Management

Absorption and Variable costing are very important tools for cost accounting. Both of these costing methods allow you to see the cost of your inventory, in a different way. For example the absorption method allows you to assign all costs to the product, while variable costing allows only variable costs to be assigned to the product. Inventory management is extremely important as well because it ties into efficiency and lowering your costs so that your company can be as profitable as it can in operations.Throughout this paper I will discuss the importance of both costing methods, how it is implemented as well as using the income statement for costing. Most companies don’t necessarily look at the costs of all departments; they break down the departments into separate entity’s called profit centers. The companies do this because by breaking down each department they can see if there are any problem areas that they should correct, involving the performance of the individual profit centers. To look at the overall company’s performance, most people find it useful to look at the income statement.However, this income statement is of little use for determining the viability of the individual business units or segments. Instead, it is important to develop a segmented income statement for each profit center. That is why these two costing methods have been developed. One of them is based on variable costing and the other is based on absorption costing. They are costing methods because they refer to the way in which product costs are determined. Product costs are inventoried; and they include direct materials, direct labor and overhead.Period costs are expensed in the period they are incurred. These are usually selling and administrative expenses or other expenses to run your company day to day. The one difference between the two costing systems is fixed factory overhead. Absorption costing is a costing system that assigns all manufacturing cost to the produce, including fixed factory overhead. Absorption costing includes direct materials, direct labor, variable overhead, and fixed overhead. The four costs define the cost of the product. Under absorption costing, fixed overhead is viewed as a product cost, not a period cost.Fixed overhead is assigned to the product through the use of predetermined fixed overhead rate and is not expensed until the product is sold. Absorption costing has product costs of direct materials, direct labor, variable overhead, and fixed overhead. While the period costs include just selling and administrative expenses. Variable costing assigns only the variable manufacturing costs to the product; these costs include direct materials, direct labor, and variable overhead. As you can see variable costing stresses the difference between fixed and variable manufacturing costs.Fixed overhead is than treated as a period expense and is excluded from the product cost. The reason for this is because fixed overhead i s a cost of staying in business. After the period is over, any benefits provided by this capacity are expired and are not inventoried. Fixed overhead of any period is than seen as expiring in that period and is charged in total against revenues for the period. The product costs for variable costing include direct materials, direct labor and variable overhead. The period costs include fixed overhead, and selling and administrative expenses.Now we move onto the relationship between the variable costing income and the absorption costing income. The relationship changes as the production and the sales change. If you sold more than was produced, variable costing income is greater than the absorption costing income. But if you sold more than you produced that would mean that you were selling the beginning inventory and units produced. Under the absorption method, the units that are coming out of the inventory have the fixed overhead from the period attached to the inventory.So the amount of the fixed overhead expensed by absorption costing is greater than what the current period’s fixed overhead by the amount of fixed overhead flowing out of the inventory. The variable costing income is greater than the absorption costing by the amount of fixed overhead coming out of the beginning inventory from the current period. But if the production and the sales are equal than there is no difference between the two reported incomes. The income relationship is consider to be that if production is greater than sales than the absorption income is reater than the variable income. But if the production is less than the sales than the absorption income is less than the variable income. So than if the production equals the sales than the absorption income is also equal to the variable income. The differences between the absorption and variable costing are the recognition of when the expenses are occurred. The recognition of the expenses associated with the fixed factory overhea d. With the absorption costing, the fixed factory will than be assigned to the units produced.This actually presents two problems, first, how do we convert the factory overhead applied on the basis of direct labor hours or the machine hours into factory overhead applied to the units produced? Also, what is than done when actual factory overhead does not equal applied factory overhead? Now we move onto the variable costing and the segmented income statements. The variable costing is a useful tool in preparing a segmented income statement because it gives us useful information on the variable and fixed expenses. A segment can be considered a division, department, product lines, customers class among other things.In the segmented income statements, the fixed expenses are broken down into two categories; direct fixed expenses and the common fixed expenses. The additional subdivision highlights controllable versus the non-controllable costs and than enhances the manager’s ability to evaluate each segment’s contribution to the overall firms performance. The direct fixed expenses are the fixed expenses that are directly traceable to a segment. They are sometimes referred to as avoidable fixed expenses, because they disappear if the segment is eliminated.Two or more segments jointly cause common fixed expenses. These expenses persist even if one of the segments to which they are common is eliminated. The segment margin is a profit contribution that each segment makes toward covering a firm’s common fixed costs. The segment should be at least able to cover both of its own variable costs and direct fixed costs. A negative segment margin drags the firm’s total profit down. Segment income statements are useful in management decision-making. The reason so is so that you can run your company at the most efficient level, while raising your profit margin.This is a very interesting topic because it helps show the importance of inventory control and how it affects your operating income. The inventory management is very key to a company. The reason for this is because when your costs are to high and your profit margin is too low than there is probably a reason of your inventory being to high or the overhead being to high. The stress of inventory management cannot be understated for many companies but especially manufacturing companies. Apart from the product cost of the inventory, there are other types of costs that relate to inventories of raw materials, work in process, and the finished goods.Inventory must be bought, received, stored, and moved. The inventory related costs include the demand for a product that is known with near certainty for a period of time. Two major costs are usually associated with this, if the inventory is purchased from an outside source, then the costs are referred to as ordering costs and carrying costs. If the product is produced internally, then the costs are called setup costs and carrying costs. Ordering costs are the costs to place and receive the order. Carrying costs are costs of keeping the inventory in your warehouse or store.There also can be a third categories, which includes stock out costs, which are the costs of not having a product available when demanded by the customer or the cost of not having a raw material available when needed for production. A company that uses these types of costing methods will definitely have a better grasp of the costs associated with their products. This will help a company become more efficient and have a better idea of which product is making the most money and which product is making the least amount of money.Yet again, this is not used for your company as a whole usually but it is used for each product individually. So if I had a red yoyo and a green yoyo and was selling a lot of each and equal than I would break them down individually between red and green and possibly see that the green yoyo is more expensive a product and there fore I would either have to sell it at a higher prices (even though it is exactly the same product except the color), or I would have to stop selling the green yoyo and just sell the red yoyo.In order to run any type of company a manager must show extreme care to the inventory management, because you can have the best selling product on the market but if your not efficient enough with your inventory than you may put a huge damper on the future of your company and not allow your company to grow properly. I think if managers use all of these techniques they will have better understanding of there company and how to exercise the correct inventory management.

Airwide Case Study

Airwide International is a rapid growing company of commercial and residential air conditioning systems in Europe. The company is broadly broken up into four divisions, one of which is Italy (Western Europe). Italy will be the country that the current dillema will be held in. Airwide shares competition with approximately 75 different manufactures of various air conditioning units. The existence of Asian companies has intensified the competition.Italy is the largest producer of air conditioning units but they are only found in j12 percent of homes. This is significantly low considering the United States has an average of 71 percent in homes. This is a problem that Airwide has been evaluating for some time. Since Airwide would like to increase the percentage of air conditioning units throughout Europe, especially Italy. It came to no surprise that a dealer from Genoa approached the company in hopes to persuade them to sell the units at the higher discount.Giacomo Marino, the dealer, st ated that if he were to purchase the price to distributer for each unit, that his sales would increase sales because the salespeople would get the opportunity to take away business from retailers that sell Asian brands. Airwide International is facing a common problem that most companies of their size go through. Should the dealer maintain title of a dealer but pay the same for the air conditioning unit. This has been an ongoing proposal from Nuova Climatizzazione to Airwide.The dealer would like to be granted the same financial status as a master distributer. Nuova has proven its success in their numbers. They serve approximately 320 accounts located in Genoa. In this proposal, Nuova stated that if they were to receive the higher discount this will increase Airwide sales by 20-25 percent in the next two years. One of the main concerns Airwide has with this proposal is that they have a master distributer in the northern region who believes the dealer will take away their business.Th e dealer has shown that the distributer has done a poor job in development through the region because it is too focused on high margin systems. This would be an issue for Airwide, however the distributer accounts for more than 70 percent of Airwide product sales. Airwide must choose to either give the dealer the higher discount or not. There is a conflict between the master distributer and the local dealer. The local dealer would like to decrease in market share and engage in the competitive industry.While the dealer would like to partake in the higher discount, he will have to determine if they will be able to support the minimum $3 million inventory cost. Currently, the dealer has $1. 2 million in sales. He forecasts, with the discount, his sales will increase by 25%. As a result, his overall sales for the year will be $1. 5 million within a two year period. This is half of the inventory minimum. If the dealer would like to be considered for the discount, he will have to show a bu siness plan as to how he will support the initial cost to obtain inventory.The distributer had $9. 7 million in sales of the residential and light commericial units in 2000. An alternative to allowing the local dealer to obtain the higher discount is to do nothing at all. Both parties are contributing well to the company’s success, so like the say, don’t fix what isn’t broken. This may impact the dealer in how they go forward with pushing Airwide business; however the company would not be as impacted on this situation as they would if the distributer were to be upset.The dealer is successful at selling the smaller units and the distributer is successful at selling the larger units since they have the funds for inventory. If Airwide will not give the dealer the higher discount, but they want to challenge him to see if he can gain sales up to 25%. The solution that best fits the company at this time would be to maintain what is currently the process. The dealer ha s not proven that they will be able to financially afford the minimum inventory budget. The distributer has a higher overall selling rate than the dealer.

The 4 Fundamental Forces of Physics

The 4 Fundamental Forces of Physics The fundamental forces (or fundamental interactions) of physics are the ways that individual particles interact with each other. It turns out that every single interaction observed taking place in the universe can be broken down and described by only four (well, generally four- more on that later) types of interactions: GravityElectromagnetismWeak Interaction (or Weak Nuclear Force)Strong Interaction (or Strong Nuclear Force) Gravity Of the fundamental forces, gravity has the farthest reach, but its the weakest in actual magnitude. It is a purely attractive force which reaches through even the empty void of space to draw two masses toward each other. It keeps the planets in orbit around the sun and the moon in orbit around the Earth. Gravitation is described under the theory of general relativity, which defines it as the curvature of spacetime around an object of mass. This curvature, in turn, creates a situation where the path of least energy is toward the other object of mass. Electromagnetism Electromagnetism is the interaction of particles with an electrical charge. Charged particles at rest interact through electrostatic forces, while in motion they interact through both electrical and magnetic forces. For a long time, the electric and magnetic forces were considered to be different forces, but they were finally unified by James Clerk Maxwell in 1864, under Maxwells equations. In the 1940s, quantum electrodynamics consolidated electromagnetism with quantum physics. Electromagnetism is perhaps the most prevalent force in our world, as it can affect things at a reasonable distance and with a fair amount of force. Weak Interaction The weak interaction is a very powerful force that acts on the scale of the atomic nucleus. It causes phenomena such as beta decay. It has been consolidated with electromagnetism as a single interaction called the electroweak interaction. The weak interaction is mediated by the W boson (there are two types, the W and W- bosons) and also the Z boson. Strong Interaction The strongest of the forces is the aptly-named strong interaction, which is the force that, among other things, keeps nucleons (protons and neutrons) bound together. In the helium atom, for example, it is strong enough to bind two protons together even though their positive electrical charges cause them to repulse each other. In essence, the strong interaction allows particles called gluons to bind together quarks to create the nucleons in the first place. Gluons can also interact with other gluons, which gives the strong interaction a theoretically infinite distance, although its major manifestations are all at the subatomic level. Unifying the Fundamental Forces Many physicists believe that all four of the fundamental forces are, in fact, the manifestations of a single underlying (or unified) force which has yet to be discovered. Just as electricity, magnetism, and the weak force were unified into the electroweak interaction, they work to unify all of the fundamental forces. The current quantum mechanical interpretation of these forces is that the particles do not interact directly, but rather manifest virtual particles that mediate the actual interactions. All of the forces except for gravity have been consolidated into this Standard Model of interaction. The effort to unify gravity with the other three fundamental forces is called quantum gravity. It postulates the existence of a virtual particle called the graviton, which would be the mediating element in gravity interactions. To date, gravitons have not been detected, and no theories of quantum gravity have been successful or universally adopted.

3 Ways You Can Live Life Like an Olympian

3 Ways You Can Live Life Like an Olympian Photo courtesy of Press Association Have you been watching the Olympics? I sure have, and I’ve been amazed not just at the athleticism of these amazing competitors, but at the clear impact of mental and emotional strength on who goes home as a winner, and who goes home disappointed. Here are just a few of the observations I’ve been making as to what makes a true Olympian: 1. If you fall and you CAN get up, get up. Mo Farah of Great Britain won the gold in the 10,000 meters after being accidentally tripped on the 10th lap. He was uninjured and unfazed, quickly returning to the front of the pack and ultimately winning his second Olympic gold in this event. Here’s what he had to say about the incident: â€Å"When I fell down I was just thinking, ‘Try to get up, try to get up. Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic.’ And then I got up, and I tried to just get through it.† In contrast stands Russian gymnast Seda Tutkhalian. Tutkhalian over-rotated on her dismount from the beam, falling on her backside, and then made exactly the same mistake in her floor routine. In the end, it was mental gymnastics that failed her. â€Å"I had been thinking about it and I was upset,† said Tutkhalian. â€Å"And on the floor I have fallen because I was upset after my fall on the beam. During the floor exercise, I don’t know, I didn’t have the strength anymore. I don’t understand why.† Are you reminded more of yourself by Farah or by Tutkhalin? I recognize myself in both of them. Farah’s attitude is one we could all stand to have when we meet with an accident, or with any kind of failure. When I make a mistake with a client (yes it does happen), or when I am made aware of a typo in my blog, I have an initial surge of despair; but I am generally able to talk myself out of panic, do whatever necessary to make amends, and cross the finish line one way or another. From now on I will have Farah’s fortitude in mind when I stumble in one of my pursuits. 2. It’s your effort that really matters- not whether you win. I heard the gymnastics commentators say again and again that the gymnasts who go home satisfied are the ones who know they have given it their all. Yes there might be disappointment, but no â€Å"what ifs† to haunt them. There are many athletes who set records for their countries while not winning medals. They have a lot to be proud of. There are others who scored their personal best. Not everyone goes to the Olympics with expectations of winning a gold medal or any medal at all. There are many ways to win. American gymnast, Alex Naddour, won a bronze, not the coveted gold, for pommel horse- but it was the first of any kind of medal in 32 years for the U.S. Naddour said he felt like he won the lottery. He shared, â€Å"This is exactly what I wanted since I was a young kid, to go out and hit a great routine, score the highest I’ve ever scored in my life, out of country.† For him, bronze was golden. I happened to catch one of the quarter-final matches of women’s beach volleyball, and I hope the Brazilian team goes home proud after losing their match in an epic battle. Yes they cried, but they gave it everything in front of their own nation, and to me that’s what matters. My own degree of satisfaction is definitely tied to how much effort I put in. I experienced this phenomenon on the dance floor this week. One night, I went out salsa dancing and felt scared to ask anyone to dance with me. I danced by myself for most of the night, and went home feeling defeated. The next night, I did not let my fear stop me and I danced with some new people, coming home having had a ton of fun. Then on Saturday, I decided to go berry picking. I preferred to have company, so I put in some effort to ask 5 friends to come with me. I ended up going by myself and had a wonderful time amongst the raspberry bushes. Knowing I had not given up was the key to my satisfaction. Picking berries was also a sweet meditative experience that inspired the idea behind this blog! 3. When you’re winning, keep pushing, and have fun! Swimmer Katie Ledecky took the lead from the start in the 800m freestyle, and she never let go of it. She was chasing something other than the 7 other swimmers in the pool: her own world record. And she beat it. So much for â€Å"Quit while you’re ahead.† Katie said she knew from the start of her race that she would have a world record breaking time. I’m guessing that having that goal kept her swimming faster and faster, even with the rest of her competitors trailing behind her by seconds. Katie won, in part, because she was there for the experience more than the medals: â€Å"I’ve just had a lot of fun this week not only in the pool but just with my teammates. The memories mean more than the medals to me.† Once again, it seems that having fun is key to performing well and maintaining the drive to win. And how about Simone Biles, who did not rest on her laurels after winning the women’s gymnastics all-around, but scored a more than perfect score on her final vault to clinch that medal too? The smile on her face after that vault showed in no uncertain terms that she was living by her motto: â€Å"If you’re having fun, that’s when the best memories are built.† Finally, the indomitable Usain Bolt. He ended a press conference by kickin’ it up with some Brazilian samba dancers. The man can dance! The same combination of pushing hard and having fun will bring success in many aspects of life, including business. Too many people become the best and then forget that they need to keep innovating to maintain their leading position. For me, it’s the ongoing striving for excellence that keeps things fun and challenging. When I noticed I was getting bored of speaking about LinkedIn, I hired a speaking coach. Already I am thinking of new and creative ways to present material, engage my audience, and promote my services. The fun is back and I’m planning to win this game. More Olympics are coming this week. What are you taking away from the amazing athletes in Rio?

Writing Habits to Jumpstart Your Creativity and Keep You Focused - Freewrite Store

Writing Habits to Jumpstart Your Creativity and Keep You Focused - Freewrite Store I don’t know about you, but for me, I find that creativity and inspiration are two of the hardest things to come by as a writer. Random flashes of ideas for stories are great when they happen, but what about all those times you need to intentionally create an idea for a story or an article? Today’s guest post is by  Matt Grant.  Matt is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor.  His  work has appeared in  Literary Hub,  Book Riot,  HuffPost, and  BookBrowse.  Find Matt  online, or follow him on  Twitter  and  Facebook. I don’t know about you, but for me, I find that creativity and inspiration are two of the hardest things to come by as a writer. Random flashes of ideas for stories are great when they happen, but what about all those times you need to intentionally create an idea for a story or an article? As humans, we’re all creatures of habit. But our habits are always doing one of two things: helping us or hurting us. The good news for writers is that we can leverage our tendency toward the habitual to aid us in the writing process. Good writing habits, when used correctly, can help us get into a regular rhythm that cultivates inspiration and keeps us focused during our writing time. Below are some of the best habits you can start today that will jumpstart your creativity and make sure your writing time is fruitful and rewarding. Before the Process Practice Morning Pages Morning pages were first introduced in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.The idea of morning pages is simple: the first thing in the morning, write three full pages in a journal or notebook, longhand, as stream-of-consciousness. It’s not supposed to be great writing, and you’re not to self-edit. The main purpose for practicing morning pages is to clear your mind of all distracting thoughts, tasks, and moods that might hinder your creativity that day. When it comes time to write, you won’t be thinking about the laundry you have to do or the conversation with a friend you need to have that day, because you’ve already written it out and set it aside for later. Do writing prompts I’ve recently discovered the huge benefit of writing prompts after being skeptical of them for many years. Often writers don’t think they need to do prompts because they prefer to come up with their own ideas.   But the right prompt can open up new ideas and ways of looking at things you aren’t able to see on your own. You can find writing prompts a variety of ways. Many are free online, you can buy a book of them, or come up with them yourself. Write them down to use at a later time. Try writing sprints Often the challenge for writers is to finish a piece of writing without worrying about it being perfect. That’s where sprints come in. Sprints are short bursts of writing, about 15 minutes at a time. They’re like doing repetitions at the gym. You do a sprint, then rest and do something else, then do another sprint, then rest again, and so on, for as long as you like. Similar to morning pages, you shouldn’t stop writing or try to edit your work during the sprint. Just pick a topic and write for fifteen minutes straight. When you’re done, you’ll have a finished thought or a piece of flash fiction that can then be edited and shaped into something more significant. Check out this free sprinting program  by the Freewrite team  to help you! Read voraciously I know, I know, I probably should have put this one first. It can sometimes be hard to see how reading directly affects your creativity, especially when you’re anxious to get a work in progress done, and you’d rather be writing. But the adage â€Å"a writer is first and foremost a reader† is absolutely true, so read widely anything you can get your hands on, any chance you get. Read different genres in different forms – novels, articles, essays, short stories, poetry and flash fiction. You never know when something you read will strike you as inspiring, and the more you absorb the words of others, the better your own words will get. To get started, try this reading challenge that forces you to read diversely. During the Process Pick the right time of day Once you’ve had that flash of inspiration and are settling in to get started on your work, it’s important to implement the right habits to keep you on track and focused. One of the first steps is figuring out when you’re likely to get your best work done. I’ve personally found that waking up extremely early and writing first thing in the morning has opened up the rest of my day. After I get home from work, I don’t feel as energized or as focused. Of course, not everyone is a morning person. For you, it might be at night, or in the afternoon. Pick which time of day you’re at your most alert and creative, and block out that time to write. And once it’s scheduled, stick to it! Change locales If you’re in a rut, one of the best things you can do is get a change of scenery. Often, finding a coffee shop or a nice library, surrounded by books or soothing music, can be a real boon to getting those creative juices flowing again. If you don’t have a place nearby where that’s possible, go for a walk to clear your head and come back to your work with fresh eyes. Put away distractions However, these locations can only be helpful if you’re not distracted, so be ruthless about putting distractions away! Buy a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, turn the wireless off on your computer, put away your cell phone, and stay away from your inbox. We all know the Internet is a black hole – one minute you’re looking something up for your project, and the next, you’ve spent an hour on Facebook. Set aside another time for planning and researching. Keep your writing time sacred for just that – writing.    Bonus Question: Do you really need to write every day? This suggestion is usually at the top of most writing advice lists. To be honest, I’m inclined to distrust it. I’m wary of anything that’s touted as a â€Å"must† or some mystical talisman. Of course, it’s a good idea to get into a habit of writing on a regular basis. Of course, you should often write and for long periods of time.   But I firmly believe, as with everything, writing should be done in moderation to maximize its effectiveness. More and more research is pointing out how, paradoxically, working less actually leads to more productivity. People who are constantly working are more tired, more anxious, and less inspired – all of which are deathblows to creativity. I regularly take vacations from writing, where I don’t do any kind of work at all. At the end of these breaks, I always come back to my work with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and motivation.    So, by all means, write as often as you can, but if you miss a day, give yourself some grace. When it comes to inspiration, there’s a lot to be said for being out in the world, doing other activities and experiencing things that will fuel your stories. For a writer, there’s no better inspiration than just living life. There’s no doubt that writing is work – hard, grueling, sweat-inducing work. Just as with everything, there are working behaviors and practices you can put in place to help you be more productive and less distracted. Obviously, not everything on this list is going to work for you, and there might be something I left out that’s even better. If so, please leave a comment and let me know what behaviors and practices you have that help keep you inspired! What writing habits do you swear by? Do you have any habits or routines that you love and would recommend to others? Let us know in the comments!    Matt Grant is a Brooklyn-based writer whose work has appeared in  BookRiot, The Huffington Post, BookBrowse, and  Pop Matters. When he's not writing or reading, he works in youth development as an after-school program director for one of the largest middle schools in Manhattan. You can find him online at www.mattgrantwriter.com or on Twitter: @mattgrantwriter.

Port state control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Port state control - Essay Example Generally speaking, governments possess neither the inspection expertise required to uphold international standards nor the worldwide network of surveyors needed to ensure compliance. Contracting for the assistance of private actors indicates an effort to comply with international standards. But it might be asked whether some of the states attempting to pursue a survey and compliance regime on their own have an adequate infrastructure to fulfill their treaty obligations. The IMO presses on and multilateral efforts to improve the overall performance of flag states will undoubtedly bear some fruit. Nevertheless, it appears that effective global governance of shipping safety in the foreseeable future will rely heavily on the actions of responsible port states, working unilaterally and in groups, and on the industry's reactions to port state control efforts. (IMO, 295) The right of the port state to take action against a vessel when it violates port state regulations established in accordance with internationally agreed-upon standards is well established in international law.

Movies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Movies - Assignment Example The words further make the intention of the marketer controversial as they, one way of the other, promote and highlight supremacy and reign of White over the Black (Stuart, 2006). After watching this advertisement, the general perception I drew about the Whites was somewhat grand and physically powerful while the image of Blacks went down to slavery that was ever associated with them. Although it is an advertisement of gaming consoles, the idea about the racial differences remain an important part of this billboard advertisement making it questionable and unacceptable for many viewers. In my opinion, the advertisement is disrespectful to one race and provides a hidden meaning of superiority of Whites over the Blacks that remain discriminatory in its true essence. If someone was to learn about racial dynamics in the U.S. purely through this ad, he/she might think of blacks as socially lower class and disrespected people and Whites as dominant and powerful who may control

English Composition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

English Composition - Essay Example I just don’t see how eliminating one particular part of your food supply, like carbs or protein, can be considered healthy. All it took was a little investigation to figure out those were bad ideas. But I hate jogging! That’s actually work. You run and run and run and get all sweaty and everyone sees you out there being sweaty and gross with your fat bouncing all over the place, which, by the way, is not comfortable at all. After circulating through my friends and their many suggestions, I didn’t find a single one that appealed to me. And then, the quiet guy in the corner looked up from his book and said, â€Å"Do you want to lose weight or tone muscle?† â€Å"Then you need to eat sensibly and get some exercise every day, at least 30 minutes,† he said. â€Å"It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something to get your heart rate going faster for 30 minutes a day. And it doesn’t matter what you eat, as long as you eat reasonable proportions of healthy or low-fat food.† Before I knew it, I was working out with a bunch of people who were much more out of shape than I am in a relatively easy program called Big Loser. The first week was really hard, the second week was not so hard and the third week, I added another show to my daily routine just to challenge myself. What made this so nice is that I could do it right in my own room, where no one had to see me looking all nasty and at the same time, every part of me was working out and getting in shape. I couldn’t see the changes every week, but I could feel them and that was

GCSS-MC Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GCSS-MC - Article Example If well developed and strategically applied, GCSS ensures accurate, timely and perfect provision of logistical information for all concerned parties. This means that the Marine Corps would effectively receive the logistical support that they need in varied operations, in their line of duty. Despite all the positive aspects targeted, it is sad to note that the DOD is yet to realize and enjoy the fruits of the acquisition of GCSS. This is because the department is still highly riddled with weaknesses in its programs and procedures. The weaknesses observed have created bottlenecks in line with observed management control. The entire acquisition process has not been justified. This means that many of the expected benefits cannot be observed from the acquisition of GCSS. All the design specification and all the accompanying documents cannot be traced (GAO, 2006). This could be equated to mean that the DOD does not understand the overall importance and significance of the purchase. In orde r for GCSS to attain its overall advantages, the DOD has to make varied adjustments. They have to ensure that the system undergoes concept refinement, which can be acquired through high system and technology development. All the concerned parties have to undergo a system demonstration to ensure that they comprehend its set demands and practices. This is the only way that GCSS would ultimately contribute to product deployment and operations support (GAO,

X Files and the Existence of Highly Intelligent Paranormals Movie Review

X Files and the Existence of Highly Intelligent Paranormals - Movie Review Example X-files film is a highly dramatized American science fiction series that perfectly exposes the antagonism that exists in the security network, with a particular focus on the FBI, concerning the idea of the existence of aliens. "Tempus Fugit," which is a Latin word for â€Å"time flies,† is the title given to episode 17 of the X-Files series emerges as one of the most important parts of the entire scientific series. The episode provides a crucial platform for critical examination and understanding of the overarching mythology of the X-Files series. The episode focuses on Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who are both Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents. Scully is charged with the responsibility of handling paranormal cases. In this episode, the viewers come face to face with a strong proponent of the idea of the existence of extraterrestrial life. The death of Max Fenig, who is an old friend of FBI agent Mulder, in a plane crash, invites suspicion about the existence of extraterrestrial beings. Agent Mulder has a strong conviction that a UFO tried to abduct his old friend, thus causing the plane crash. Max Fenig is featured flying on Flight 549 over upstate New York. In the process, Fenig sees a mysterious man on the plane. The idea of the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life is overtly featured in this episode when a bright light hits the plane, indicating that it has encountered a UFO. When agent Mulder and Scully trace the crash location of the ill-fated plane, Mulder postulates that aliens were responsible for Flight 549’s crash. However, the NTSB team, under the leadership of Mike Millar, disowns Mulder’s allegations. The creepy idea about the abilities of aliens is displayed when Mulder and Scully discover time discrepancy between crash time and the time indicated on the wristwatches of the plane casualties. Mulder believes that Max was abducted by aliens and that he will never be found. The idea of alien existence tantalizes human minds and souls (Harding 120).

GCSS-MC Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GCSS-MC - Article Example If well developed and strategically applied, GCSS ensures accurate, timely and perfect provision of logistical information for all concerned parties. This means that the Marine Corps would effectively receive the logistical support that they need in varied operations, in their line of duty. Despite all the positive aspects targeted, it is sad to note that the DOD is yet to realize and enjoy the fruits of the acquisition of GCSS. This is because the department is still highly riddled with weaknesses in its programs and procedures. The weaknesses observed have created bottlenecks in line with observed management control. The entire acquisition process has not been justified. This means that many of the expected benefits cannot be observed from the acquisition of GCSS. All the design specification and all the accompanying documents cannot be traced (GAO, 2006). This could be equated to mean that the DOD does not understand the overall importance and significance of the purchase. In orde r for GCSS to attain its overall advantages, the DOD has to make varied adjustments. They have to ensure that the system undergoes concept refinement, which can be acquired through high system and technology development. All the concerned parties have to undergo a system demonstration to ensure that they comprehend its set demands and practices. This is the only way that GCSS would ultimately contribute to product deployment and operations support (GAO,

Risk and quality management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Risk and quality management - Essay Example Tutor Signature: Date: Task 1 Introduction The following report includes the description of the term quality management and the term risk management. The report also includes the description of importance of these concepts at different stages of a project. The report also includes the description of BS ISO 10006-2003 and its adequacy with respect to the different stages of a project. The report also includes the suggestion as how this standard can be improved. Finally a conclusion has been drawn on the basis of the overall analysis. Quality management Quality management can be said to be the process of management of the quality of the project under consideration. Quality management has different definitions with respect to different businesses and processes. A project can be said to be a temporary endeavour having a defined beginning and end, which is undertaken with predefined objectives and goals, so it is vital for the effective attainment of objectives to manage the quality of th e project. The main aim behind quality management is to attain all the project objectives and goals by effectively honouring the preconceived constraints of the project and managing the quality of the objectives or results under consideration (Kerzner, 2010). ... Risk management Risk management can be said to be a simple process of identifying, analyzing, and responding to the factors associated with risks during the life of the project under consideration. Risk management, in simpler terms, can be said to be the controlling of the risk factors and the possibilities of the risky events and handling them in a proactive manner rather than in a reactive manner. Risk management includes two steps: the assessment of risks and the control of risks. The risk assessment is the process performed at each level of the project; the control of the processes is performed at stages when the implementation is done and the performance is derived from the standards set. Risk management is the vital step which needs to be performed at each stage of the project, so that the project can be accomplished with the available resources and so that the prescribed objectives can be achieved (Maylor, 2003). Prince 2 (Projects in Controlled Environment) This is a process- based method, which is highly effective in the management of projects. This is a de facto standard, which is extensively utilized by the government of UK and is also used in the private sectors for the management of the projects. The PRINCE2 provides greater control of resources, and this also helps manage the project risks and business risks in a more effective manner. PRINCE2 aids in several areas of project management: the justification of the business or project purpose; defining of the organization structure which aids the project management team; planning-based approach; emphasis on the project by dividing it into manageable and controllable stages and by outlining its specified structure. This method is highly

Security Strategies in Web Applications Essay Example for Free

Security Strategies in Web Applications Essay Web application design and coding defects are the main reasons to create a secure coding policy and guidelines. The policy/guidelines are to provide awareness and ensure security when developing code. Techniques to secure code review: Generally, IT analyst can divide the secure code review process into two different techniques: 1. Automated tool based/ Black Box: In this approach, the secure code review is done using different open source/commercial tools. Mostly developers use them while they are coding, but a security analyst may also take help of them. Tools are very useful while doing code review when we implement the secure SDLC process in the organization and provide the tool to developers themselves to do a â€Å"self-code† review while they are coding. Also, the tools are useful in analyzing large codebase (millions of lines). They can quickly identify potential insecure pieces of code in the code base, which may be analyzed by the developer or a security analyst (Infosec). 2. Manual/ White Box: In this technique, a thorough code review is performed over the whole code, which may become a very tedious and tiresome process. But in this process, logical flaws may be identified which may not be possible using automated tools, such as business logic problems. Automated tools are mostly capable of finding technical flaws such as injection attacks but may miss flaws like authorization problems. In this process, instead of going line by line through whole code base, we can concentrate on potential problems in the code. Those potential vulnerabilities can be given a high priority. For example, in C/C++, if we try to find any copying function in the code and check whether it’s using functions such as, strcpy() for performing copy function. As we know, strcpy() is known to be vulnerable to buffer overflow attacks. We may also want to check if any customized encryption is being used in the application, which automated tools may miss as they can identify standard algorithms only  (Infosec). Introducing security into NIST’s Five SDLC Phases: Initiation Phase Consists of all activities used to identify the different requirements from all stakeholders. This includes defining stakeholders, conducting stakeholder interviews and possibly some basic prototyping. It is also important to identify security requirements (Harwood, 2011). Development Acquisition Phase Transition functional and technical requirements into detailed plans for an actual information system. Results from interviews, use cases, and mock ups are developed into sequence diagrams, activity diagrams, state diagrams, and other artifacts that can be interpreted by software developers. User interfaces are also defined in greater detail (Harwood, 2011). Implementation Assessment Phase Actual coding of an information system. All of the analysis and design artifacts previously created are transformed into application code by developers/programmers. This phase also includes testing and debugging (Harwood, 2011). Operations Maintenance Phase Encompasses all activities required to keep the system working as intended (monitoring, patch management, application fault remediation and audits). Disposition Phase Ensures that information is retained, as necessary, to conform to current legal requirements and to accommodate future technology changes that may render the retrieval method obsolete (Harwood, 2011). Summarization: The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process to help ensure the successful development, operation and retirement of information systems. The SDLC has numerous methodologies including: Waterfall, Fountain, Spiral, Build and Fix, Rapid Prototyping, Incremental, and Synchronization and Stabilize. While they share common processes such as Design, Implementation, and testing, one of the most promising methodologies is Waterfall. It has several advantages: It is one of the most widely used and accepted methodologies and nearly all other methodologies derive from Waterfall. Its linear approach makes it easy to demonstrate where security fits into each phase. A crucial part of the SDLC is the source code review. The purpose of source code review is to discuss, exchange information, and explain the code. Explaining the code will help identify problems and may provide new solutions in the troubleshooting process. Effective code reviews can include  automated reviews. It is vital to implement security controls at each phase of the SDLC (Harwood, 2011). Best practices should include policies and guidelines that explain that software should be free from exploitable code vulnerabilities to meet the level of confidence. The code should provide security functionality as intended. Review and maintain Best Practices and guidelines annually. Including security early in the information system development life cycle (SDLC) will usually result in less expensive and more effective security than adding it to an operational system (Harwood, 2011). Works Cited Harwood, M. (2011). In Security Strategies in Web Applications and Social Networking. Burlington: Jones Bartlett Learning, LLC, an Ascend Learning Company. Infosec. (n.d.). Retrieved from Infosec: http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/secure-code-review-practical-approach/

The History Of The Meaning Of Stress Philosophy Essay

The History Of The Meaning Of Stress Philosophy Essay In  psychological terms,  stress  is a feeling of pressure, strain, anxiety, being overwhelmed. It is characterized by overall irritability, feeling of insecurity, nervousness, withdrawal from social activities, loss of appetite, depression, frequent panic attacks, exhaustion, low / high blood pressure, skin problems, inability to sleep, migraine, gastrointestinal problems (constipation or diarrhea) and menstrual problems in case of women. It can lead to more serious problems e.g. heart problems, etc. Stress in small amounts may be desirable, beneficial and even healthy for us in some cases.. Positive stress helps improve our performance and keeps us focused on our targets and also on out toes. It also plays a major role in motivating us, helping us in adapting to the environment and any changes therein and also manages our reaction to the environment. However, excess of anything is bad. This is true in case of stress also. Large amounts of stress can cause many problems in the body that will be harmful to us. Stress could be something external, that is, related to the environment  or it could be something internal, that is, affected by the internal perceptions of an individual that cause him to experience feelings of anxiety / negative emotions in relation to a given situation. Examples of negative emotions are pressure, discomfort, etc., which in excess prove to be harmful for us. For individuals experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), external factors that are not considered to be stressful or threatening to the individual are deemed as such. Examples of some such triggers are Reporting stress on hearing a particular song or a particular tune, seeing something that may remind the individual of prior events that he found threatening to himself. People experience feelings of stress, or perceive things to be threatening to themselves, when they believe that the resources that they have are insufficient for coping with difficulties. It can also be said that people think they do not have the resources that the circumstances demand them to possess. These difficulties may be some stimuli, situations or people. When people believe that the demands being placed upon them are beyond their coping ability, they perceive stress (negative). CAUSES OF STRESS Any stimulus that is perceived to be a threat, may it be a particular situation, circumstance, etc. is called a stressor if it promotes or causes an individual to experience stress. Some of the most common stressors in an individuals life are Personal Circumstances The personal circumstances of the individual are perhaps the most important stressor in an individuals life. These include any financial difficulties ha may be experiencing, any conflicts he may have with his family or friends, etc. These give a lot of stress to the individual. Health Status An individuals health status is also a cause of stress to him. If the individual is going through some health problems e.g. he has a disease like malaria, he will experience a lot of tension. In case the individual is poor, he will worry about the cost of treatment, hospital bills, etc. In case of a student, he will worry about the amount of studies that he will miss, the homework, assignments, etc that he will have to submit when he gets better, etc. In case of an employee, he will worry about the backlog of his work, whether his job in the organization is safe or he will be replaced, etc. Thus, health status is also a major stressor in the individuals life. Ethnicity, Gender, Age or Disability Ethnicity refers to a person belonging to a particular place, culture, etc. Sometimes the individual is subjected to bias on the basis of non ethnicity (in case of Indians working in Norway, the natives of Norway getting preference over Indians even though they may not be as competitive as the Indians), gender (not accepting individual for a particular post in the organization because of gender; this is usually found in the cases of women). Such bias also lead to a lot of frustration arising within the individual and giving him stress. Also, age of the individual is also a stressor for him. When he grows old, he starts worrying about his retirement, whether the company will firm him because of his inability to work productively any longer, how he will support himself, etc. This gives him a lot of stress. Similarly, disability is also a cause of stress for the individual. Personality The personality of the individual also affects the amount of stress that he takes, how much he is affected by the different stressors, etc. e.g. Someone, who has an easygoing, happy go lucky nature will not take a lot of stress or not take any undue stress. On the other hand, a pessimistic person will always be under a lot of stress as he will always think the worst in every situation and take a lot of stress from the same. Thus, personality of the individual can also be said to be one of the factors of stress. Background and Culture The background and culture of a person are a factor in shaping the personality of a person. Thus, background and culture can also be a factor of stress for the individual. Other than the above factors, there are various demands in and outside work which also contribute to giving stress to the individual. WORK RELATED STRESS Work related stress is the tension or stress that an individual experiences when he feels or he actually does not have adequate resources to cope with the various types and combinations of demands of his work. Work related stress usually arises due to lack of planning. In the absence of an organized and well designed plan to accomplish a goal, the individual feels stress while working towards accomplishment of the goal. However, planning or rather lack of it, alone, is not responsible for work related stress. There are various other factors which can be responsible for this stress. Some of them are given below :- Management Standards Management standards give definition to the culture and characteristics of the organization. They lay out the benchmarks for performance of the employees. The employee feels stress from the tension of not being able to achieve the target or not being up to the standard in the organization. He fears this will lead to him losing his job and thus, takes tension. Thus, management standards also cause stress to the organization. However, if this stress is taken positively, it can lead to great personal growth of the employee by serving as a motivator for the employee to perform better. Overworked Underling This scenario usually arises when there is a high demand for the services of the individual but he has very little or no control over how his services are volunteered or used in the organization. This tends to cause a great deal of psychological strain on the individual. The employee is usually overworked, is busy from the time he comes to work to the time he goes home, mostly comes early to work and goes home late. The employee does not get a say in the projects that he will be doing and often finds himself doing someone elses work also in addition to his own. Frustrated Go Getter Every employee, whether he is a hard worker or a smart worker, works with some specific objective in mind. This objective can be a raise in salary, appreciation for a job well done, promotion, etc. However, when this objective is not satisfied, even though the employee has worked fruitfully for the achievement of the same, the employee becomes frustrated. In this, someone else (e.g. the bosses) may take credit for employees work instead of giving him what is due to him. Whatever the reason may be, as the employee does not get any fruit for his efforts, he gets more and more frustrated. As his frustration increases, so does his stress and anxiety level. Thus, employee takes a lot of stress as a frustrated go getter. Castaway In this situation the employee feels like its just him against the world. He feels totally alone and feels that he cannot trust or rely on anyone except himself. His boss does not give him any guidance or help when he faces a problem. He feels that he does not have any friends who he can trust at the workplace. He becomes cynical and cannot find a way to channel all his negative feelings / emotions (frustration at the boss, fear of losing his job, etc.) There is no outlet for all these emotions. He is at a loss of who to turn to and feels totally alienated by everyone else at the workplace. This also gives the employee a lot of stress. Doormat This happens a lot in jobs where the employee has to deal directly with the customer. He is expected to talk politely to the customer irrespective of what or how the customer is talking to him. The same is true for the employees relationship with his seniors / manager(s). The manager may not treat employee with any respect but the employee must always treat the manager respectfully. He is always expected to maintain a faà §ade of professionalism and courtesy. Thus employee feels like he is being treated like a doormat on which anyone and everyone can step without there being any consequence of the same. He feels that he is being taken for granted and no importance is being given to his self respect. This also leads to bottling up of emotions on the employees part, thus giving rise to tension and stress. Tech Prisoner This is one of the adverse effects that technology has one our life. What with laptops, mobiles, Blackberry, etc. the boss can be in touch with the employee 24 X 7 X 365 i.e. all the time. Even at Sunday, which is an off day, the employee is usually working, albeit from home. In case he is sick, the boss tells him he need not come to officeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..he can work from home instead. Our home, instead of being a sanctuary to return to from work, has now become more like a 2nd workplace. The employee is imprisoned by the very technology that makes his work easier. Thus, the employee does not have any place or time to unwind or relax. He is always working. This gives rise to frustration on the employees part. This frustration, in turn, leads to stress. Bully Target In organizations, the boss is usually the ultimate bully. He holds the power to fire the employee, deduct his salary, etc. The boss knows this. The employee is usually the bully target for the boss. The boss can take out all his anger or frustration on the employee, give him enormous amounts of work to be finished within a very short period, insult the employee or dress him down in front of others as a show of power over the employee, etc. The employee, being under the bosss thumb cannot do anything but go on working and hope to please the boss. Even if this happens to others and not the employee himself, he is always afraid that it will be his turn next. Thus, these feelings of fear, anxiety, etc. give stress to the employee. Burnout Burnout begins with prolonged and excessive levels of job stress. Strain is produced as a result of this stress. The process is completed when employee copes with the job in a defensive manner and becomes cynical or rigid. It usually happens when an employee has been working his tail off continuously for a long period of time. As the term suggests, burnout refers to a state of total exhaustion, both physical and emotional, when the employee feels that he is just about to break down or collapse from overwork. It is usually characterized by a dramatic decrease in the employees productivity and a diminishing of interest on the part of the employee in the work that he has to do. It is caused by working for long hours, taking very little time to relax and a continuous competition with peers, the need to prove oneself to the superiors, etc. All this builds pressure on the employee and causes a lot of stress to him. Wronged Victim The employee feels that he is being wronged at the workplace. He may feel that the boss is playing favorites and being partial towards some employees e.g. the employee may be overburdened with work, while some other team members might have no work at all and may be relaxing. Even at the employees behest, the manager refuses to distribute his work among them. Thus, employee may feel the manager is being partial towards the other employees. Also, if the manager takes credit for work done by employee, he may feel wronged. This leads to employee feeling very frustrated with the manager as well as the organization and thus, feeling very stressed. The main work related stressor is burnout. CAUSES OF BURNOUT Long hours When an employee keeps working long hours continuously for a long period of time, he starts feeling exhausted, both mentally and physically. This also leads to him not being able to concentrate on his work, losing his interest in the same and feeling large amounts of stress. This leads to the employee experiencing burnout. Lack of down time As the saying goes, All work and no play made Jack a dull boy. Similarly, if an employee continues to work for long hours continuously for a long period of time without taking any time to relax or unwind, the exhaustion of the employee becomes two fold. Instead of helping him do the work faster by devoting more time to it (as he believes), the employee is actually slowing himself down by not resting at all. Once he rests, the productivity of employee can once again become high. On the other hand, when an employee keeps working without resting his productivity keeps getting lower until it is nil. This is when the employee is likely to experience a complete physical and mental breakdown. Continuous competition Competition, as long it is taken positively, is good for the employee. It helps in improving performance of the individual and also helps in his personal growth. However, Excess of anything is bad. This holds true in case of competition also. If an employee is always worrying about competition, it is liable to build pressure on him. This pressure, combined with all other pressures, can speed up the process of burnout of the employee. Thus, we can see that everything, may it be competitiveness, work or rest works positively for the employee only when done in moderation. Excess can lead to burnout which only adds to the employees problems rather than reducing them. SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT Low Job Performance The employees productivity falls and his level of performance decreases. Also, his job satisfaction also goes down. Employee is not happy doing his job and does not give the required level of productivity. Physical exhaustion / Fatigue Due to working for long hours for a prolonged duration, employee feels tired out and in great need of relaxation. He is unable to concentrate and focus on his job, bringing down his performance. He feels totally exhausted physically. Rigidity Employee becomes rigid i.e. inflexible towards change of any kind. Instead of being active and trying to adapt himself to any new changes in the job environment, the employee adopts a rigid attitude and does not want change of any kind. Apathy The employee becomes indifferent towards the activities of the organization. He loses his sense of purpose and becomes listless. Also, the employee does not work towards fulfillment of his objectives and does not really care about their fulfillment. Cynicism -The employee becomes cynical and shows distrust towards everyone. He feels that no one can be trusted and that everyone is motivated by their own selfish reasons only. Emotional exhaustion The employee is so drained that he acts like a zombie with no sense of what is going on or what is happening. He is totally exhausted emotionally as well as physically. He has no energy and is in dire need of relaxation to get back some energy. COPING WITH STRESS Individuals may perceive various threats to themselves. These perceived threats may prove to be stressful to them in various ways. Individuals have different coping mechanisms or defense mechanisms for handling this stress. However, all their variations are based on the same general idea: There are productive / positive and counter productive / negative ways of handling stress. As stress is perceived, the mechanisms given below may not necessarily deal with the actual situation that causes stress to an individual. However, they may be considered coping mechanisms if they give the individual a way to handle the stress in a better way such that the negative feelings / feelings of anxiety that the individual is experiencing due to the perceived threat may be reduced substantially, rather than actually fixing the concrete obstacle causing the stress. This actual fixing is not possible in real life. Given below are some widely accepted mechanisms for coping with stress 1) Highly Active / Problem-Focused / Adaptive Mechanisms These skills are used when the individual wants to face the problem head on, or at the very least, deal with the negative emotions experienced by him due to stress in a positive / constructive manner. This style is generally known as being adaptive in nature. a)  Affiliation   This method involves dealing with stress by involving oneself in social activities, turning to a social network for support, etc. However, the individual just uses these social interactions as a way to unwind or get away from his problems for some time. He does not share his problems with others in order to decrease the burden on himself or transfer the responsibility to someone else. b) Humor As it is said, Laughter is the best medicine. An individual often tries to get some relief in a stressful situation by injecting some humor or comic relief into the same. Besides decreasing the stress on the individual, this method also allows him to step away from the situation. This gives him another way of looking at the problem which can help him in finding a solution to the same. c) Sublimation   This method allows the individual to find an indirect way of resolving the conflict such that there is neither any loss of pleasure on the part of the individual nor any adverse consequences. Most importantly, this mechanism is characterized by the fact that it gives the individual a socially acceptable outlet for channeling his troubling emotions and impulses. d) Positive Reappraisal This method involves redirection of the individuals thoughts or cognitive energy to good events that are either happening or have yet to occur. It leads to introspection or self reflection, personal growth of the individual and awareness of the benefits of ones efforts or of how much the individual can achieve through his efforts.. Other adaptive coping mechanisms include altruism, anticipation and self observation. 2) Disavowal Mechanisms These mechanisms are used by the individual because they give him a diminished or even non existent (in some cases) awareness of his fears, perceived threats, feelings of anxiety, etc. This is because this mechanism causes the individual to become impervious to any perceived threats. Displacement   This is the technique of directing ones attention away from a threatening situation, event, etc. to a somewhat less threatening one. Repression   In this method, the individual tries to totally disconnect himself from the threatening situation by removing all feelings, thoughts, etc. related to the perceived threat from his awareness. This method is usually not advisable because when followed long enough, it is little more than denial of the threats that he faces. He is running away from the threats or hiding from them instead of facing or resolving them. Reaction Formation   This is similar to repression. The only difference is that in this method, in addition to removing all threatening thoughts, feelings, etc. from ones consciousness, the individual substitutes or replaces them with the exact opposite feelings, thoughts, etc. e.g. in case of threatening thoughts, individual will substitute pleasant ones. Other disavowal mechanisms include rationalization, undoing, dissociation, etc. Active Mechanisms In these methods, an individual deals with stress either by withdrawing from the threatening situation or by taking action against the same. Acting Out In this method, the individual, instead of reflecting on the problem and trying to find a way to solve it, starts taking maladaptive action i.e. instead of trying to adapt to the situation, the individual starts fighting against it. Such behavior is counter productive for the individual and is usually characterized as problematic or counter normative behavior. Passive Aggression   In this method, the individual deals with negative thoughts or feelings arising from the stress (anxiety, fear, etc.) by behaving in a resentful or hostile manner towards others. He rejects help from others and also complains about the circumstances and / or the present state of affairs. Depending on the situation, all the coping mechanisms given above may be characterized as being adaptive or counter normative. TO RELIEVE STRESS AMONG EMPLOYEES, A MANAGER CAN Include Employees In Decision Making This gives the employees a feeling of control over the work that they do. It helps in reducing the frustration that they experience with the managers and the organization at the amount of work they have to do. By making them a part of the decision making process, the manager is gaining their voluntary acceptance to do the work allotted to them. Increasing Transparency The manager can make the decision making process more transparent, explaining the reason for a specific decision. This does not mean that manager has to give an explanation to the employees for all his decisions but he may give reasons for those decisions which the employee perceives as having a negative effect on him. This will nip any notions of partiality by manager in the bud only and also make the employee feel more valued. Discuss Employees Problems The manager should have an open door policy and encourage employees to discuss their problems. This will help in clearing any misunderstandings or misconceptions that the employee may harbor and also assure the employee that he can come to the manager for help and guidance. This will reduce the stress on the employee. Giving Employees Time off This means literally giving the employee some time to relax. Just the fact that the employee is at home is not enough. If employee is working from home, he is still working only. Giving time off means not giving employee any work and just allowing him to unwind or relax himself. This will reduce the physical and emotional exhaustion of the employee and allow him to rejuvenate. Also, he will feel less like a tech prisoner. This will also reduce the stress on the employee. Periodic Performance Appraisal Managers should conduct periodic performance appraisals (weekly, monthly, etc.) of the employees so as to analyze their performance, check whether they are performing according to the set standards, find out the causes of deviation, if any exists. The manager can also instruct the employees on how to achieve their goals and where they are going wrong presently. This will reduce any feelings of frustration experienced by employees and also assure them that the manager wants to help them in achieving their goals. BENEFITS OF RELIEVING STRESS TO INDIVIDUALS Higher Job Satisfaction If the individual is not experiencing any stress or too much stress, he will be happy doing his job and thus, will have a high degree of job satisfaction. Easier To Achieve Goals If the individual is not experiencing an excess of stress and he has a high level of job satisfaction, he will also have higher productivity. With this higher productivity, individual will be able to achieve his goals in a shorter time. Harmony If individual does not experience too much stress and has high job satisfaction, he will automatically find a balance between his professional and personal life. Thus, he will find a harmony between both and be able to enjoy both to the fullest extent. Problem free The individual, in the absence of negative stress in his life, will be free of many of the problems relating to stress e.g. listlessness, emotional and physical exhaustion, etc. Thus, his life will be further enriched. TO TEAMS Harmony Between Team Members Due to lack of stress on individuals and reduced tension among the employees, there will be more harmony between the members of the team and team spirit will be significantly greater. Better Performance Due to greater harmony between the members of the team, the team members will perform better and be more productive. Subsequently, the team performance will also be much better. Achievement of Targets As the performance will be higher, the team will also be able to achieve all its targets in a timely manner. Higher Motivation Due to the combination of the above given factors (harmony between team members, better performance and achievement of targets), the team will have a high degree of motivation. TO ORGANIZATIONS Higher Productivity As the individuals will perform better and the teams performance will improve, the productivity of the organization will also increase. Lower Turnover Turnover here refers to the attrition rate or the rate at which employees leave the organization. If employees experience less or no stress, they will have job satisfaction and be happy doing their jobs. If they are happy working in the organization, they will not leave the organization. Thus, there will be lower turnover. Lower Absenteeism If the employees have a high degree of job satisfaction, they will not be absent frequently from the job and thus, there will be lower absenteeism in the organization. Better Reputation As the company will have a lower turnover, lower absenteeism and a higher productivity, its reputation in the market will improve greatly and the value of its goodwill will also increase, Thus, company will get more business and its income will increase.

Maxwell Relations :: essays research papers fc

My topic for the report is Thermodynamics Maxwell Relations, and in this report I will show how to derive the Maxwell Relations, as well as give several examples of how and when they are supposed to used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The change in U depend on the changes in the system entropy, volume and XI’s this idea may be abbreviation (1-1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  U = U(S, V, XI)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In system of constant mass and composition, whose work can be expressed only in terms of its PV properties, there are no X’s and U is changed only by reversible heat and P dV work. Therefore (1-2) dU = T dS – P dV. The differential of the accumulated internal energy in a fixed-composition, P dV – work system is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  = dH = dU + d(PV) (1-3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = dU + P dV + V dP. Substituting equation (1-2) in equation (1-3), we obtain (1-4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dH = T dS + V dP.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the defining the Helmholtz function A we obtain ( 1-5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dA = dU – d(TS) = dU – T dS – S dT. Substituting equation (1-2) in equation (1-5) (1-6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dA = -S dT – P dV. From the Gibbs Free Energy equation and equation (1.4) (1.7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dG = -S dT + V dP. We have in equations (1-2), (1-4), (1-6), and (1-7) expressed dU, dH dA, and dG in terms of P, V, T, and S. We know that thermodynamic properties have exact differentials. If a property M is a function of x and y, (1.7a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  M = M(x,y) then a differential change in M, dM, is the sum of the amount that M changes in the interval dx, with y held constant, plus the amount that M changes in the interval dy, with x held constant (see figure 1.1), or (1.8)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dM = (M/X)y dx + (M/Y)x dy. The terms (M/X)y and (M/Y)x are called partial derivatives of M and dM is called total differential. Equation (6-8) can be written (6.9)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dM = B dx + C dy, where B and C represent (M/X)y and (M/Y)x respectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now equations (1.2), (1.4), (1.6), and (1.7) are total differentials, and have the same form as equation (1.9). By comparison with equations (1.7a), and (1.8), equation (1.2) may be written as   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dU = (U/S)V dS + (M/V)S dV, form which it follows that   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  T = (U/S)V and P = -(U/V)S In a like manner, from equation (1-4) and (1-2) we obtain (1-10)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  T = (H/S)P = (U/S)V , And from equation ((1-2) and (1-6), (1-11)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  P = -(U/V)S = -(A/V)T and from equation (1-4) and (1-7), (1-12)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   V = (H/P)S = (G/P)T And from equation (1-6) and (1-7),

Problems of Conducting Research Into the Causes of Stress Essay

One problem when conducting research into the causes of stress is the generalisation of the sample, if the sample is restricted; this has limitations in terms of generalising the results to the total population. In the study by Johansson, a sample of only 24 workers was used and from a specific job type. This sample is unreflective of all job types and is too small to be applicable to the general population. Conclusions made may only be relevant to this sample. However it could be argued that the factors that cause stress in jobs such as deadlines and the dependence of others on you are common in all types of jobs and therefore using a sample of the specific job type becomes less restricted and applicable to other people in jobs with common stressors. A second problem when conducting research into causes of stress is the validity of measurements. Validity refers to whether the results measure what they are supposed to measure and this is often affected by the research method. The self report method is often questioned in terms of validity as participants have the ability to give socially desirable answers and steer away from the truth. In the study by Kanner, questionnaires were posted out to participants and a Hassles and uplifts scale was asked to be completed every month for 9 months and the Berkman life events scale after 10 months. This study, due to the use of self report lacks in validity, as researches are unsure as to whether data obtained reflects the true opinions of participants, which is an issue when trying to apply to everyday life. However the self report method is useful, despite it lacking in validity. It gives participants the freedom to write about their own subjective feelings and due to stress being individually perceived differently, it is useful in tailoring treatment to individuals to meet their needs. A third problem is reductionism, studies often reduce many factors that cause an individual stress to one factor, such as in the case of Johansson study, it was concluded work was the source of stress. However individual factors such as personality could play a role, researchers do not know that stress prone individuals are more likely to be in a high risk job. By failing to take into account other factors, resources and time may be used in the wrong area. However reductionism is useful as it does pinpoint an area that causes stress and allows in-depth research to be carried out to help participants.

Abortion and Lao Tzu’s Philosophy in Taoism: a Critique Essay

Taoism was founded by Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism. Lao Tzu believes that Tao is the Way which means that it is the Way of the ultimate reality; it is the Way of the universe; and it is the Way of human existence. Tao as the Way of the ultimate reality, can never be comprehended, described, perceived nor expressed. It can’t be comprehended by any mind. It can’t simply be described by mere words. It can never be perceived by any of our senses. Tao is the cause or the source of everything that exists. () Tao is too great to be spoken about that only those who really understand would not speak of it and that those who have talked about have not really grasped the true meaning of it. Tao as the Way of the ultimate universe is revealed in nature for it is beyond of our control. Nature has its own way that no one would be able to control its progressive move to change. According to Lao Tzu, the law of reversion is the fundamental law of change. This law implies that if there is a highest point there would also be a lowest point and vice versa just like if there is a beginning there will be an end or every ending has a new beginning. This law justifies that Tao has a â€Å"reversing movement† Lao Tzu further elaborates this reversing power through Yin and Yang, two opposing principle. Yin indicates darkness, femininity, and coldness while Yang indicates lightness, masculinity and hotness. These opposing forces could not attract each other without the help of the reversing movement of Tao. Therefore this lead to Lao Tzu to say that the Tao produces the one, that the one produces the two, and that the two produces the three. This means that the one is the Tao, the two is Tao and Yin, and the three is Tao, Yin, and Yang. (1) Tao as the Way of the human existence, Tao requires man to harmonize with nature. This is through practicing wu-wei-wu. This means â€Å"non-doing† or â€Å"do nothing† or in our modern expression â€Å"go with the flow†. But this meaning does not simply mean doing nothing it only implies to not intervene with nature’s own course. Through this practice of wu-wei-wu, man can harmonize with nature. However there are instances that people misinterpret the true definition of wu-wei-wu which is â€Å"doing nothing† and instead of harmonizing with nature it could lead to destruction of that harmony. Therefore people should further understand that you could actually do something but making sure not to disrupt nature’s natural course. In our world today, the application of Lao Tzu’s doctrine of Tao would be difficult since man has done much of overdoing that have lead to the destruction of nature. Man has succumbed to his obsession of trying to defy nature’s course of action especially in the field of science and technology. For instance, cloning, sperm implantation, sex change, and artificial contraception such as birth control pills and IUD. Therefore to summarize everything, Lao Tzu simply teaches that in Taoism man should learn to be one with nature and follow its course through the full understanding of Yin and Yang and its relation to Tao’s reversing movement and by practicing wu-wei-wu. ABORTION What is abortion? According to the dictionary, it is the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus. It can happen spontaneously or induced by human intervention. A spontaneous abortion or simply known as miscarriage occurs when a pregnant woman would experience some complications during her pregnancy. It could also happen possibly because of natural causes, accidents that may have caused a severe trauma to the abdomen or sometimes because of environmental factors. Miscarriages usually happen during the early stages of pregnancy and sometimes without the awareness of the mother. The risk for spontaneous abortion decreases after the 10th week from the last menstrual period. ()( ) An induced abortion is the type of abortion that we now simply call abortion. This is the type of abortion wherein there is already human intervention. This could be done in various ways depending on the gestational age of the embryo or fetus. There is therapeutic abortion which is done in order to save the life of the mother or to prevent any physical or mental risks. Also elective abortion which is done at the request of a woman for reasons other than maternal health or fatal disease. () However the type of abortion I am referring to as a social problem is the type where a woman chooses to terminate her own pregnancy simply because she doesn’t want the baby. It can’t be denied that there some people that would engage in something without even knowing the possible result of such action and if they are not prepared to face that consequence they would simply turn to this option, abortion. Abortion is the most convenient choice for those  people who are not prepared or who don’t want to have a child for their own certain reasons. They refused to accept the responsibility they need to accomplish. Abortions have become prevalent in our country today as evidenced by news reports about embryos or fetuses found together with the garbage, street alleys and sometimes even comfort rooms. There are many different ways that could be chosen to make such deed possible. An example would be the use of pharmaceutical drugs that are dangerous to the baby causing it to be aborted. Others could also purposely apply trauma to their abdomen disrupting the grip of the baby in the mother’s womb. Sometimes some would also prefer having the baby to be surgically removed from the uterus. The cause of these abortions is mainly centered on fear resulting to not accepting the pregnancy. Fear of the responsibility of having a child especially in terms of financial needs. Fear of what their parents or other people would say especially if they are not married. Fear to experience the hardships brought by 9 months of pregnancy and fear of the pain when giving birth. Sometimes the cause could also be anger or hatred because the child is the fruit of a horrific experience such as rape or maybe because hatred towards the father of the child. ABORTION AND LAO TZU’S PHILOSOPHY IN TAOISM: A CRITIQUE What is the relation of abortion with Lao Tzu’s Taoism? It’s simple. Lao Tzu’s teachings about Taoism is that it requires man to be in harmony with nature, to understand the concept of yin and yang and to let the course of nature continue and not interfere and abortion contradicts that teaching. Abortion, as I have observed, has become a common practice and mostly because some people simply could not accept the great responsibility that would lie ahead if they chose to continue the pregnancy. Some perceived it as a problem especially for teenagers who have engaged in premarital sex and are not yet prepared to face such responsibility. However if they’ve only seen in a different light just like Lao Tzu’s Taoism and its concept of yin and yang in relation to the Tao’s reversing Movement. In Taoism, the Tao as the Way of the ultimate universe have established that the fundamental law of change is the law of reversion. Therefore if you think that being pregnant is a punishment for something you were not supposed to do then it could also be a blessing that you should accept and be thankful for and not just merely end what is supposed to be a gift of life. Abortion should not be a choice unless the reason is for the welfare of the mother. This also brings us to the concept of yin and yang and the reversing movement of Tao. As stated before, Tao produces the one, the one produces the two, and the two produces the three and that the one refers to Tao, the two refers to Tao and yin and lastly the three refers to Tao, yin and yang. To translate this in relation to my problem, the Tao as the God in Taoism sometimes gives people a time of hardship for them to mature and this certain hardship which is unwanted pregnancy is yin. However if these two would be combined or connected in a certain way then maybe in time those people would be able to surpassed such hardship and continued the pregnancy amidst the possible difficulties ahead then they would feel a sense of fulfillment which is the yang. Now if only most people who have unwanted pregnancy would try to further understand their situation and let nature simply have its way and not turn to abortion as a solution then most would have enjoyed the joy of having such a beautiful blessing which is having a child. As for the concept of wu-wei-wu in Taoism which entails that man should do nothing to interfere with nature’s own course, abortion directly contradicts the idea because last time I checked being pregnant is only a natural response of a certain deed done by two people with opposite sex. Choosing to abort and terminate pregnancy disrupts nature’s way. It interferes with what is supposed to be natural. All and all, abortion contradicts Taoism because it would break the harmony of man with nature. Therefore to avoid such, we should simply accept what was supposed to be an expected result our action. We need to perceive our problems in a different light and try to solve it by doing what is right and not by choosing the fastest solution available. For people who have unwanted pregnancy, there are other options that could be considered other than abortion such as adoption. If their only fear is that they can’t handle the responsibility of being a parent then they could always try finding couples who wants to adopt at least with this option they did not only gave the baby a chance to live they have also given other people a chance to experience the joy of parenthood and with this option the harmony between man and nature could still be maintained. (). ——————————————– [ 2 ]. Eddie R. Babor, The Human Person: Not Real, But Existing, 2nd ed. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, 2007 [ 3 ]. ^ a b â€Å"Q&A: Miscarriage†. BBC. 2002-08-06. http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/health/2176898. stm. Retrieved 2009-04-07 [ 4 ]. ^ Nilsson, Lennart; Lars Hamberger (1990) [1965]. A child is born. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. p. 91. ISBN 0-385-40085-3. OCLC 21412111 [ 5 ]. ^ Encyclopedia Britannica, (2007), Vol 26, p. 674. [ 6 ]. Taryn Hodgson, Joy! Magazine, May ed. (Volume 16, Issue 3).