Christian religion Essay

Many aspects of our Christian religion today have developed because of these early religious beliefs and culture of the Romans. At the beginning, the Roman Empire was able to develop more than any other country because of its acceptance of some areas of culture and religion of its conquered enemies and allowing them to keep their religion and culture, blending the old ways with the new. How little was known, that the paganism belief system of the Roman Empire would eventually lead the way to the new Christianity religion of the world. Paganism, with its gods and goddesses, answered humanity’s problems and provided answers at the whim of these supernatural beings. In the early stages of Greek and Roman culture, mythology answered all questions regarding the origin of the world and of man. (Case, 1929, p. 12) In the early days of Greece and Rome, everything under the sun was explained by the gods and goddesses — humanity was at their whim along depending on their whims, just as today everything we do is explained through the Christian belief of God and Jesus, instead of the Roman gods and goddesses. In Rome, mythology answered all questions while today Christianity answers all of ours in regard to the world and mankind’s problems, all being subject to superhuman beings who have a lot to do with the affairs of mankind. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire under the Emperor Constantine in AD 324 (the Emperor Julian, known to Christians as the Apostate, failed to bring about a pagan revival a few years later), and pagan forms of worship were finally made illegal in 390 by Theodosius. The myths of the pagan gods were particularly vulnerable to Christian attack, as can be seen in Lactantius’ Divine Institutes I 9-22 and Augustine’s City of God. (Rivers, 1994, p. 22) According to Barry Banning’s article entitled, â€Å"The Irony of Faith†, which is part of the research done for his book The Unspoken Power of Rome, he refers to the fact most world religions expect people to believe in something that cannot be detected, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. Researching the fact that Rome had a serious influence on early Christian’s beginning and formation, he also says that people are expected to believe in something that doesn’t exist physically and can’t be proved in normal human experiences. In most of the world religions, people are asked to believe in something that can not be detected, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. They are asked to believe in something that doesn’t exist physically and can’t be proven in normal human experience. And when confronted with numerous, obvious discrepancies, the normal response is â€Å"faith†. Faith is the key to understanding. Faith is the key to believing in concepts that cannot be explained. (Banning, 2001, 1) Over the last several years, most Christians have accepted blindly this philosophy of faith, not realizing how much influence that Rome had on Christianity and how we perceive it today, in its early beginnings. Very little credit was ever historically given to Rome for having any influence on Christianity and how we look at it presently – many Christians refusing to believe that many aspects of Christianity had its origins in the pagan arena of Rome, and in the development of our present social orders. However, most of this credit was because of the way Christians hid inside the Roman Empire, to avoid persecution or death by the Romans. The hardest thing possible was to believe in one God instead of many gods and goddesses, remaining anonymous, while still living as Christians in brutal Rome. Early Christians, facing scorn at best and persecution at worst, depending on Emperor and the era, were forced to blend in with their Pagan counterparts. In order to celebrate the ‘holidays’ of their religion, the Christians used pre-existing holidays and festivals to blend in. Christmas, for example, was originally part of the great festival of the Winter Solstice, or the Saturnalia. By adopting this grand event as the celebration of Christ’s birth, Christian revelry was allowed to take place, largely unnoticed. The Church too manipulated customs and traditions of the Pagan Empire to make their faith more adaptable. (Kousoulas, 2006,1) Christianity had been the official religion of Rome since 392, before Rome’s official fall in 476 when its last ruler, Romulus Augustus, fell under Alaric and the Visigoths in 410 and later destroyed by the Vandals in 455. According to Professor Richard Baldwin at the Gulf Coast Community College in Florida, this fall of Rome would later influence the Middle Ages and its civilizations in classical Greek and Roman cultures, Christianity, and the Germanic culture. With modern science and intellectual knowledge today slowly replacing the word of God and Christian beliefs, public and society religious dedication has become a thing of the past — unwelcome in schools and sports, government buildings, and bringing down the morals of society. We need to look at Rome’s influence on the world accompanied with many other civilizations that were also influential on the world that led to Christianity. The development of human societies was not continuous. It was started several times anew–in India, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Scandinavia, and in Western Europe, beginning each time with the primitive tribe and then the village community. But if we consider each of these lines separately, we certainly find in each of them, and especially in the development of Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire, a continual widening of the conception of mutual support and mutual protection, from the clan to the tribe, the nation, and finally to the international union of nations. (Kropotkin, 1934, p. 17) Christianity today is going through another revival such as in Rome, with many Christians now looking deeply inside – philosophizing and asking inner questions concerning what they have always been told – such as, is Christianity a pure religion in itself, or is it a combination of other religions. As Barry Banning said, previous Christian philosophies and hierarchical leaders told us to never question anything about our churches or what we have been taught. Christians are individuals who have unique mindsets, they are going to grow and change in their perception of the world around them, and this is a time when humanity is asking questions, seeking to find out truths. We are beginning to observe what Christianity is really about, not blindly accepting what we have been told by our superiors. The Roman imprints left from the early Christian development have simply extended an age-old religious philosophy that has long been past due for a change and maybe a needed updated version. Over the centuries, Christianity has not only changed in an intellectual theory but also with the philosophy regarding its impact by Rome. People change and learn in different ways, with continuously changing perceptions that cross many barriers – age, education, beliefs, or culture. Nevertheless, the bottom line is, without Rome we would never have had Christianity. Moreover, today Christianity as a single religion is ranked as the world’s largest religion, with sub-groups being included in this statistic. For the purpose of statistics, Christians refer to varying degrees of religious activity within Christianity – including Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, African Indigenous Churches, and others. All of this is very different from the early days of Rome, with terrified Christians being persecuted for speaking and attempting to practice their religion. Yet, no matter where we look regarding Christianity, we find ourself looking also at the Roman Empire and its early heritage and culture, still breathing today inside our churches and religious cultures. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS: Banning, B. (2001). The Unspoken Power of Rome. 1st Edition. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Wellspring Books. Case, S. C. (1929). Experience with the Supernatural in Early Christian Times. New York: The Century Company. Laistner, M. L. (1951). Christianity and Pagan Culture in the Later Roman Empire. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Kropotkin, P. P. A. (1934). The Present Need of Determining the Bases of Morality. New York: Dial Press. Potter, D. S. (2004). The Roman Empire at Bay: AD 180-395. New York: Routledge. Rivers, I. (1994). Classical and Christian Ideas in English Renaissance Poetry: A Student’s Guide. New York: Routledge.

Implications for Marketing Organizations Essay

Among these, the shift in the nature and growth rates of the world population has perhaps drawn much more attention of the business leaders because demographic variables reflect changes in consumer patterns and behaviors (Martins & Brooks 2009) which can impact their business practices. This report will examine the main trends in age structure of the global population and their implications to business strategies of marketing organizations throughout the world. The increase in ageing population is an important trend in many parts of the world, especially in developed countries (Madalina 2010), resulting mainly from the decline of fertility and increase in life expectancies (United Nations, 2011). After World War II, there was a sudden rise in the population which was termed as Baby Boom (Tombs & Seamons, 2010). They form an important target group for marketers. However, Tombs and Seamons (2010) pointed out that following the baby boom, the birth rate declined significantly in several nations such as Australia and New Zealand and a low fertility rate has existed since the mid 1970s. According to United Nations (2011), the aged population in the developed world is increasing rapidly and the number of old people will probably have outnumbered the young for the first time by 2050. People now prefer smaller families and this has led to a sharp fall in the birth rate. The improvement in living standards has a contributed to an increase in life expectancies. These factors have caused major changes in market patterns as well as in the type of goods being bought. For example, Gumbel (2008) demonstrated that the generation of Japanese women aged in their twenties who drove the growth in luxury fashion groups in most of the 1990s have mostly settled down to start families and buy apartments. As a result, the sales of luxury goods in Japan have fallen sharply. The age brackets which make up different proportions in the demography as a result of the changing age structure, have influenced the targeted markets and marketing strategy of companies (Tombs & Seamons 2010). The authors distinguish 6 different age groups within the Australian population, wherein each one has specific growth rates. The first category consisting of children below the age of five accounted for 6. 2% of the population in 2007. It is a promising market for companies who provide childcare services and children-related products. The population in the second group consisting of 10 to 19 year olds had declined at the beginning of the 1990s, but is gradually rising. This bracket is a targeted market for education, garment products, and entertainment. Post-teenagers and young adults aged 20 – 34 years constitute the grown-up category which was affected by the low fertility rate during the 1970s, causing its reduction through the 1990s. This group with a high disposable income purchase a variety of technologically advanced electronics along with branded garments. The fourth group of early middle aged people consisted of 13% of Australian population in 2007 and is predicted to increase to 23-25% by 2056 (Chandler 2008, cited by Tomb & Seamons 2010). The subsequent category is ‘Late middle age’ (Tomb & Seamons 2010, p. 161). Both these segments will have more importance for companies in the coming years as its share of the total population will grow gradually and consume a variety of high-priced luxury products. The last group comprising of senior citizens will also have a positive growth rate during the coming years similar to the two previous groups. These aged people are more interested in health care services, travelling and relaxation as opposed to the younger population which is easily attracted by technological commodities providing a positive social experience, creativity, innovation and uniqueness (Cuddeford 2012). A very important methodology behind television advertisements while targeting the middle aged groups is portraying celebrities in middle aged characters in order to please them by creating a sense of familiarity and thus, affinity (Diaz 2012). This is especially effective when several marketing ploys propagate youth culture. This approach is targeted towards expanding this segment which is attractive not only because of its increasing growth rate as the world population is ageing, but also because their exhibition of a loyalty related to service industry is considerably highercompared to the younger age groups (Paul & Patterson 2007).

Historical events Essay

Depending on the political views of a reporter, columnist, author, or news agency, the facts can be reported in a variety of different ways. This can often cause controversy regarding the truth, as different sources report differing things as being true. This is also true when speaking of historical events, as different people will speak differently of different events, depending on their political affiliation and beliefs. By slating the information in a particular way, the reporter can further his or her own political agenda, by making his or her beliefs seem like the right ones. If a person is a conservative politically, it would not make much sense for him or her to report the news in a manner that would support liberalism and vice versa. This is apparent in the way that Fox News and CNN report the news on a daily bases. There are clearly some political biases that distort the fact, in order to best serve the beliefs held by the people at these agencies. In a historical sense, it would not make much sense for a government to re-tell history in a manner that makes it seem tyrannical or even blood thirsty, so based on these political goals, the government can simply choose to leave certain aspects of history out. This makes it possible for them to manipulate public opinion in the manner that best compliments their objectives. An example of how the manner in which a news story is reported can change the entire event is perceived is a recent story that was picked up by both Fox News and CNN. The story was about a tour that President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld embarked on in order to increase support for the war in Iraq. While the exact same speech was covered by both news agencies, the information that was passed on to the public was different in each case. Fox News focused on the positives that had been accomplished in Iraq. It started by giving numbers on how many Iraqi soldiers had been trained to fight insurgents in the region. Rumsfeld was quoted as saying that â€Å"95 battalions, 50,000 of the 212,000 Iraqi force, are trained, equipped and in the fight against insurgents† (Baier). Fox also made a point of mentioning how Iraqi forces were taking an increased role in the stabilization of Iraq and they were well on their way to being able to defend their own country. Fox continued on by including Rumsfeld’s quote that withdrawing troops from Iraq would be counter productive to their anti-terror movement and would â€Å"put the United States ‘at still greater risk’† (Baier). Fox News did not forget to mention how George Bush said that he has a strategy for victory, despite the fact that no specific strategy is discussed. Lastly, Fox News included Rumsfeld’s claim that â€Å"most citizens in Iraq are not supporting their (the insurgents’) cause† (Baier). By comparison, CNN took this story in a completely different direction by adding negative views on the war to its coverage. CNN begins by mentioning that the war is becoming â€Å"increasingly unpopular† (Bush: No Iraq Pullout Without Victory) in the United States. CNN continues on with its unflattering views by saying, â€Å"About 159,000 troops are in Iraq, up from about 138,000 in the summer† (Bush: No Iraq Pullout Without Victory). This shows how unsuccessful the Bush administration has been at accomplishing its goal of getting the troops out of Iraq. The CNN articles also reminds the reader that the war began under the assumption that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction and that despite this claim, no weapons had been found in the country. This is something that the government would desperately like the people to forget, but CNN will not let them. CNN also gives figures on the death toll of American troops in Iraq. This is another soft spot, as those who oppose the war often bring up the fact that many American soldiers have died fighting in a war that has no point. A quick mention is also given of anti-war demonstrators that showed up while Bush was speaking. Fox made no mention of this because it is very anti-Bush. Finally, CNN’s coverage of this story included the opinions of Senator Jack Reed, who is a Democrat from Rhode Island. His opinions are anti-Bush, due to his political affiliation. Reed comments add to the negative picture this article paints of Bush. These two articles cover the exact same thing, but they are obviously spun in very different directions. While some of the same quotes are used in both stories, they are not used in the same manner. Due to their conservative viewpoints, which coincide with the Republican Party’s viewpoints, Fox News focuses on the positives that are coming out of Iraq. Since Fox News is seen as a supporter of the Bush administration, it will slant its stories to paint Bush and his associated in a positive manner. Fox also does not include any opposing statements or differing points of view in its article, which gives the reader the impression that what they are reporting is the only opinion of this subject matter. CNN, on the other hand, is better at exploring both sides of the story. This article is more centerist than anything else, as it presents both sides of the story, although perhaps not equally. CNN says a lot of negative things about the war in Iraq, due to its liberal ideology, but it also does include what Rumsfeld said about certain things. CNN’s coverage does not follow one particular political ideology but can rather be interpreted as anti-conservative which, in turn, makes it anti-Bush. Seeing as how a story that quotes both Bush and Rumsfeld would only give one political view, CNN brought in the help of a Democratic Senator, in order to give a differing ideology on the matter. Both of these networks take the events that occurred, and organize them in a manner that will appeal to their viewers the most, even though both of them leave things out and include outside resources that contribute to their goals. This trend, however, has led to the public becoming â€Å"increasingly cynical toward the news media, as reflected in the slumping credibility ratings for many outlets. More generally, a majority of Americans (53%) agree with the statement ‘I often don’t trust what news organizations are saying. ’ And while 43% disagree with that statement, just 9% completely disagree with it† (Attitudes Toward the News: News Audiences Increasingly Politicized). A historical event that that has been changed due to a particular political ideology is the happenings surrounding the Nicaraguan election of 1990. The American government had the ideology that the Sandinistas, who were in power in Nicaragua, were not good for American interests in the region. It was reported in the New York Times just after the election that this was a long overdue victory for the opposition party, as American political ideals did not agree with the Socialist regime in Nicaragua. David Shipler wrote, It is true that partly because of the confrontation with the U. S. , Nicaragua’s economy suffered terribly, setting the stage for the widespread public discontent with the Sandinistas reflected in Sunday’s balloting. But few governments become moderate during a war; the contra war strengthened Sandinista hard-liners and probably contributed to their oppressive policies. The way to resolution opened only when Congress suspended the war, in effect, to give the Sandinistas a chance to proceed democratically. . . . Thus, Nicaragua’s election has vindicated Washington’s fledgling program of providing public, above-board funding to help democratic procedures take root in countries with authoritarian regimes. (A. 27) Due to the slant that the American government wanted to put on this situation, they only released certain information to the general public, which gave the public a favorable opinion of how the situation was handled. The American government portrayed Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega as a vicious man who tormented his people for years and only lost the his power when he agreed to a democratic election. In reality, however, Ortega won an election in 1984 by quite a wide margin and had been making strides in Nicaragua, until a group of U. S. backed militants began a war with him and his troops. This is the dominant ideology as well. During this time period, the United States was able to use the fact that the Sandinistas are a left wing party, as the Communist Party in the Soviet Union was, in order to gain support for their actions in Nicaragua. The American government to this day continues to tell the people of the United States that U. S. policy aims to continue supporting the consolidation of the democratic process initiated in Nicaragua with the 1990 election of President Chamorro. The United States has promoted national reconciliation, encouraging Nicaraguans to resolve their problems through dialogue and compromise. It recognizes as legitimate all political forces that abide by the democratic process and eschew violence. U. S. assistance is focused on strengthening democratic institutions, stimulating sustainable economic growth, and supporting the health and basic education sectors. (Background Note: Nicaragua) A differing political view, however, is held by Noam Chomsky. He has reported much different happenings in Nicaragua, due to his political angle being much different than the American government’s and the New York Times’. He has reported that â€Å"Nicaragua was†¦exceptional in the strength of that government’s commitment†¦to improving the condition of the people and encouraging their active participation in the development process† (Chomsky 42) which makes the United States’ goal of keeping the Sandinistas out of power seem odd. The real reason why the American government did not want to have the Sandinistas in power was that they believed in distributing wealth evenly among its population. They had a steal from the rich and give to the poor-type of mentality. This goes against the capitalist society that the United States prides itself on. The American government saw that socialism had the potential to work in Nicaragua and was worried about what kind of message that would send to the rest of the world. As it turns out, reports Chomsky, the American government funded the insurgents that caused so many problems for the Nicaraguan government while they were in power. They were provided with American weapons and resources, in order to make the people of Nicaragua believe that the government was not in control of things, in order to make them vote for someone one. None of these things were reported very regularly in American newspapers because of political views and they have changed the way this entire situation has been viewed in history. Throughout history, politics have played a huge role in the way news is reported. The political ideologies held by an individual or agency can impact the story that the public hears. Many times, different agencies will report on the exact same story, but with different results. Other times, the real story does not make it to the mainstream media, but rather comes out later in books and journals. These political views change the way things are reported and also the way things are remembered in the future. It is entirely possible to have your entire memory of an event molded by the network you switched to in order to watch the coverage. Past, present, and future events have all been manipulated by media and this trend will continue because there will always be political bias. Because of this, it is important to get news from as many sources as possible, and make an educated decision on what the real truth is.

Assign Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assign - Assignment Example The attitudes of the younger generations toward and relationship with the old in Qatar are quite varied and are affected by various factors. The factors that affect the young people’s attitudes toward the old are not reserved to the state of Qatar but commonly apply to other parts of the world as well. Some of these factors include racial/ethnic/cultural, religious, and educational background (Hagestad 515). In Qatar, the transition to old age is characterised by retirement, poor health, advanced chronological age, death of spouse as well as mental and physical weakening. Some of the attitudes that youth have toward the aged are negative as the latter are associated with unproductiveness, forgetfulness, intellectual rigidness and other stereotypical notions leading to discrimination and prejudice against them (Sijuwade 1). No wonder many youths in Qatar prefer not to work with the aged. On the other hand, some people associate old age with wisdom, blessedness and respect. As a matter of fact, attitudes may change over time. In 50 years time, the current young population will be aged and newer generations in existence. The population of the aged in the state will probably be greater than it is now, the literacy level higher than it is today. There is a high likelihood that the aged population will be viewed in positive light then considering various

The Workplace Environment Improvement at Ojuice Company Essay

The Workplace Environment Improvement at Ojuice Company - Essay Example This lack of creativity shows in the products and advertisement which affects the sales and profits. The traditional management paradigm is based on the principle of planning, organizing, staffing, controlling and directing (Fayol, 1917). However, the development in the modern management paradigms has resulted in a key inclusion in the management: Employee involvement (Parr, 1992). The workplace environment in an organization depends on a large extent on the behavior and attitude of the manager. Success of a firm is majorly impacted by the manager’s ability to understand and work with people who have different needs, perceptions, and aspirations (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2004). Managers, who believe in Theory X control, direct and coerce employees, whereas Theory Y managers believe that employees are internally motivated, seek and accept responsibility and are innovative (McGregor, 2002). Involving employees in decision making improves employee satisfaction.   In order to improve the workplace environment at Ojuice, Janice needs to change the work culture in the organization. The first thing that needs to be done is to decentralize decision making by empowering the employees. Management controls shall be set up on the basis of feedback and mentoring. Janice shall invite ideas from employees to improve any aspect of the organization. Ideas that garner maximum number of votes shall be implemented. Managers shall also encourage the culture of innovation amongst the employees. This can be done through conducting outbound sessions on innovation and creativity. Besides, the top management shall regularly communicate to the employees on the company strategy and the path. These communications can be in the form of emails, town-hall meets or lunch with senior management.  

Human Motivation in Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Human Motivation in Organization - Essay Example On the contrary, an energized person toward a conclusion is regarded as motivated. Most people working with others are concerned with motivation and thereby raising the question of the amount of motivation one has for a task arises. Practitioners foster more motivation in those close to them. The forces, which drive motivation, can occur in different nature: biological, emotional, cognitive, or social2. Individual conduct is at the heart of a person’s motivation and it is so vital in understanding and influencing motivation. Individual behavior is important in comprehending and influencing motivation for a number of reasons. Each person possesses a set of requirements as well as a diverse set of objectives. Individuals conduct themselves in a manner aimed at satisfying their needs and fulfilling their goals. Thus, people behave differently. Businesses, such as firms can provide some of the contentment sought by individuals. For example relationships, personal development, sens e of belonging, and intellectual encouragement among others. Motivation is important for businesses and the best ones have the best-motivated employees. Some characteristics define well-motivated workers: increased productivity, quality work without much wastage, prompt urgency, availability of feedback and suggestions necessary for improvements, and more feedback demands from the management. Motivated employees produce more for a particular resources level than poorly motivated employees do. Such employees make things happen, when they need to and take ownership of their duties. In this regard, my position is that individuals are not simply motivated by money offered to perform given tasks for a firm, but other things can explain why people do things the way they do. Motivational theory can explain why people do things the way they do. Discussion Behavior is directed to and originates from unsatisfied needs. According to Maslow, unsatisfied is the most significant word, he states, â€Å"If we are interested in what actually motivates us and not what has or will, or might motivate us, then a satisfied need is not a motivator.† When behavior is termed goal-oriented, it implies that people feel a need, want, or drive to accomplish something, which results in realization of a goal. However, the question arises if the goal is a part of the self already in existence. It thus questionable if the factor stimulates the need or if the goals as well as the needs are the same thing. A goal is the outcome that one strives to achieve in order to satisfy particular needs. It is the resulting yield, the need, the steering force, which encourages obtaining the result3. A good exemplar is a student aiming to attain an A marks. This goal may display different needs and thus, the student should confirm his or her competence; colleagues may be all scoring A’s thereby forcing this student to wish the same to obtain their esteem, to attain the best, and may be to obta in a scholarship. Therefore, it is hard to deduce goals from needs. Money is sometimes described as a motivator. It represents dissimilar things to diverse people thereby saying that people work for money is worthless. All we should understand is the needs the money is fulfilling, be it survival, success, status, belonging, or a convenient performance scorecard. As noted earlier, conduct is directed to as well as results from unsatisfied

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Assignment Example In other words, patents give these inventors the right to keep a monopoly for twenty years. Monopolies are so important in this context because if they did not exist, an inventor would probably not receive any financial compensation for his or her work, since the imitators would steal it and flood the market with copied stuff, making the price collapse along with them. As a result, in a world without patents, a lot less people would invest their time, effort and money required to achieve new things. In order to remedy this situation, the nations all around the world offer inventors monopolies on patents. The result is much quicker innovation; an economic growth much more accelerated and at quicker speeds in the lifestyles. In truth, it is difficult to think about a more beneficial monopoly from the social view of patents (http://www.beginnermoneyinvesting.com/html/examples_of_good_monopolies_.htm). 2. USPS The maintenance of the USPS monopoly is good because provision of uniform subs idized mail service (particularly to remote areas) produces positive externalities that would be underproduced by a competitive market; and ii) provision of conventional mail services lends itself to "natural monopolies" in smaller markets. The USPS does not operate its enterprise in order to maximize profits, as would a conventional monopolist.

Sales Organizational Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sales Organizational Plan - Essay Example Sales Organizational Plan Bracrekunmitso Pharmaceuticals can use the Internet and local press for advertising purposes. Also, it is possible to use employment agencies to find professional staff in a short period of time. Selection practices will be based on manual resume screening and computerized. This procedure will help to select high professional applicants for the first interview. If the recruitment is competitive, it can create a feeling that those who are selected are truly valued. It can help build a positive self-image if the on-the-job experiences confirm that feeling. For Bracrekunmitso Pharmaceuticals, to recruit high qualified professionals is crucial especially for direct sales and customer support services. Medical degree and experience within pharmaceutical industry will be the main requirement applied to all candidates. The main criteria for selection will be professional skills and practical knowledge, personal characteristics and experience. Interviews will consist of several parts: behavi or based analysis, training and experience evaluations, biographical information and motivational fit (Armstrong 2001). Bracrekunmitso Pharmaceuticals will need expensive training programs for new staff. A special programs will be designed for pharmaceutical representatives and physicians referrals. One approach, which is somewhat broader than an assess ¬ment of training needs, and may be biased to the strategic changes the company is facing, is to design a workshop for senior managers to work through what is needed to implement some of the strategic decisions the company has made. Armstrong (2001) divides training needs assessment into three levels: corporate, group and individual level. The aim of the training is to help employee to cope with new environment and develop effective communication skills. Customer orientation means application of quality control principles to design/specification activities to formalize the mechanism for ensuring that customer requirements are incorporated. One of the most basic dilemmas faced by trainers is the balance between theory and practice; between what may be considered as theoretically desirable and what participants perceive as practically possible to implement. It is also important to achieve an appropriate balance between the assimilation of knowledge information and the development of skills in order to do something. Employees, for their part, should receive positive recognition for good training achievements. Also, special programs could be designed for team leaders to ensure effective group work and communication. Training will help to inspire and motivate employees. (Campbell, 1997). Bracrekunmitso Pharmaceuticals can use learning curve. Following Schuler (1998) it ascends quickly, showing increasing proficiency. There are various levels in the curve, where an employee is consolidating and developing the knowledge. Where a group of persons is trained, the group may set 'norms' which may stop individuals from moving ahead, and therefore it is important to ensure that the group norms are the same as the objectives of the trainer, so that individuals can progress (Schuler, 1998). Policies and Procedures The staff can exercise self-direction and control to achieve objectives to which they are committed, if they are persuaded by the

What were the major factors in the establishment of the American Research Paper - 1

What were the major factors in the establishment of the American colonies - Research Paper Example World history has seen a lot of timelines. The prominence of some of the timelines made it extremely difficult for anyone to believe that such moments in world history would ever pass away but eventually, these moments of great history passed. The same phenomenon about world history makes the future of the social world quite unpredictable. For instance it is quite difficult to predict whether technology would eventually fade off to give room for a new kind of world and social history. One prominent moment in history is undeniably the formation of colonies. According to People Hofstra (2001), an 18th century definition of a colony has been given as â€Å"a settlement in a new territory under the political and economic control of its parent country. Usually the settlers conquered and either dominated or replaced local peoples.†1 Most commonly, colonies were established as a means of expanding the territorial powers of kingdoms and nations. It was not surprising therefore that ma jor nations of the world would in the 1700s go every extent and to every length of the world to capture weaker components of the world and lord themselves over as colonial masters. One of such prominent colonization was the colonization of America by the English2. Events leading to this all important moment in world history have left historians with a lot of studies into what the probable factors that accounted for the establishment of the American colonies were. Historians also discuss the relevance of these factors and how they eventually imparted on the eventual colonies that came into existence.3 The essence of this essay therefore is to review such factors that led to the establishment or formation of the American colonies. Background to the American Colonies At the beginning of the 17th century, several countries and nations made attempts to colonize North America. These different colonies came with different mission statements and at different times. Primarily however, they w ere present in North America to have an opportunity to possess the land and colonize it. Some of the early countries that made progress in settling in North America include Spain, France, Sweden, Holland, and England. According to Horvath (1972, 45-57), â€Å"the literature on colonization would appear to have no end; and understandably for colonization has been one of man’s preoccupations.†4 Although colonization ranks with the most influential processes in man’s history, western scholars have not fully come to grips with the phenomenon. This assertion of uncertainty on the definition of colonization is being made because of the seemingly different forms that colonization takes. This is indeed not different with what happened in the instance of the establishment of the American colonies. The first nations namely Spain, France, Sweden and Holland landed in North America in different fashions but all left the scene in no time. Basically, these nations could not s tay because the North American settlers were hostile to their dreams. Unlike these attempted colonial masters perceived, they were not going to pick gold from the ground but were supposed to go through very hard times to have their aspirations of making wealth fulfilled. England however took a bolder step apart from the first four nations. Though Britain went through ostensibly difficult times even at the beginning, they persevered and eventually became the only nation that remained. By the year 1607, England had established herself as the colonial master of North America. It took England one hundred and six more years to complete establishing what came to be known as the thirteen colonies of America5. This means that the formation or establishment of the thirteen colonies of America spanned from the period of 1607 to 1733; by which time Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Car olina, and Rhode Island and

ART THROUGH THE AGES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ART THROUGH THE AGES - Essay Example An artisan suitably applies these elements to ensure that intended information is passed to an audience. Gaultier (2012) observes that understanding functions of arts calls for analysis of various forms of art. This paper explores various aspects of arts. In particular, the paper explains my exposure to various forms of arts and relationship between arts and society. As a way of learning importance of forms of arts, I have visited various museums, attended different theatrical demonstrations, and acquired different films and photos. I have also interacted with artisans of specific forms of arts. In other words, I consider my exposure to various forms of arts as comprehensive. By visiting museums, I have learnt various techniques involved in sculpture. All carvings and sculptured products preserved in museums have also enabled me to understand how sculpture is an important mechanism of communication to humans. By sampling objects where filming, painting, and photographic skills are displayed, I have understood how artisans hybridize various elements of arts to effectively pass a message. In addition, listening to different music and attending movies and other theatrical have enabled me to understand functions of visual and performing arts. Visual and performing arts are valuable and interesting than other forms of arts. Gaultier (2012) supports the claim by asserting that visual and performing arts play crucial roles in human life. Components of visual and performing arts include: movies and cinemas, dance, music, and other theatrical demonstrations. According to Pooke & Newall (2007), the forms of arts are effective means of communication because a large audience is reached easily. Unlike sculptural works, which are mostly preserved in museums, visual and performing arts are easily displayed in several public and/or social facilities. Visual and performing arts enables an audience to easily

Coca Cola product life cycle Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coca Cola product life cycle - Case Study Example This concept holds that the life of any product can be divided into four distinct periods. The first one is the introduction phase, in which the initial sales are made to customers that like trying out new products, although sales in this phase are inadequate to recuperate costs of the product’s development (GecÃŒÅ'Evska et al, 2010: p209). The second phase is the growth stage, in which the sales rapidly increase with increasing product popularity and profits begin to be generated. The third stage is referred to as the maturity stage, which generates most of the product’s profits and sales and is the longest phase. Most companies seek to prolong this phase to increase profits by implementing extension strategies. The last stage is decline, in which the product sales begin to fall and being profitable. Marketing strategies should be adapted to external dynamics within the marketplace for every stage (Matsokis & Kiritsis, 2010: p789), which Coca-Cola has done to make it t he most consumed global soft drink company. Coca-Cola was founded in mid-1886 by John Pemberton and was first introduced in form of a soda fountain drink (Coca-Cola Company.com, 2012: p1). During this stage, it was sold at 5 US cents for each glass. Because John Pemberton’s partner and accountant Frank Robinson believed that C’s would be attractive in advertising, they settled on the name Coca-Cola. The objective of Coca-Cola during this phase was to generate initial awareness about the product and put it in the market for trial by the public, which exceeded Dr. Pemberton’s initial targets (Allen, 2012: p13). In addition, they only launched a basic product that was not even sold in bottles. Rather, they sold the product from soda fountains located strategically at Dr. Pemberton’s businesses. In addition, the company used a cost plus pricing strategy during this phase and it has been suggested it is most likely they used price skimming in order to

Racism and Non-Western Discrimination Essay Example for Free

Racism and Non-Western Discrimination Essay Slavery dates a thousand years back and now comes to be one of the sources of dismay for people who are relatively concerned with their neighbors. Africans are the main victim of this atrocious treatment, having a different color and being considered to be the most underdeveloped human being compared to their European and white counterparts. This classification of people, through their skin color and place of birth, accompanied by extreme feeling of hatred and disgust is widely known as racism. It attracts other people to look at a persons natural characteristics, their nose, hair, complexion, etc., as basis of their capacities. Thus came more superior races because of being more desirable and developed than the others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Racism has been evident in the past decades and has been the basis of bloody wars and genocide. Hitlers hatred over the Jews killed thousands of these religious descendants because of his belief that his bloodline is supreme than that of David. Until now, the holocaust denial movement insists that there are no mass murder committed against the Jews. This anti-Semetic treatment over Jews continue until now, evident mostly in their war in the Middle East (â€Å"Anti-Semitism,† 2001, n.p). The concept of Deicide, or the killing of a God, has intensified this hatred in the rise of Christianity. Radical racism has encouraged separatism, a tradition where the inferior race is removed of the benefits enjoyed by their superior counterparts (â€Å"Racism,† 2001, n.p). In the U.S., white supremacist groups continue to establish racism against the blacks, spreading the word of inequality all over the country with their skin-head members.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One recent issue that needs appropriate concern is the interne-hate. It is an online propaganda, primarily using internet websites, to conjure and express hatred and discriminate people of perceived inferior race (â€Å"Internet Hate,† 2001, n.p). Because of internets free environment, almost absolutely allowing every person with access to express their thoughts, it became the battle ground and sanctuary for many racist activities all over the world. Publication of hate inciting materials in the world wide web has been greatly tolerated because of the lack of internet related laws prohibiting or limiting the freedom it offers to its users. Furthermore, the growth of this technology helped in proliferating violent messages to millions of users around the world, including children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other means of racist behavior before have included pamphlets, brochures, posters, and magazines. Racism also manifested through radio and TV shows, theater plays, and movies. Taking advantage of recent technological advances, racists elevated their campaign against other races through the internet, where information is sent in a split second to millions of users. They can send electronic mails to private users and fellow racists, comment on internet contents, join discussion groups, upload hateful videos and music, and incite violence through blogs without being identified. They can literally hide their identities, use multiple profiles, and present pictures not their own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Racism can also be widely encouraged through this system. Racists can easily find other racists who can strengthen their claims and remove them of any dissonance. They can also insist that they are backed up by thousands of other racists, to scare their targets and attract supporters. One particular website is the BlackMonitor. It contains articles and discussion posts from unknown sources. Articles are primarily against blacks – black athletes, celebrities, families, criminals, perverts, politicians, and terrorist. There are criticisms against even talented blacks, like Fifty Cent (â€Å"Nigger 50 Cent Hates Alicia Keys,† 2008, n.p) and Wesley Snipes (â€Å"Nigger Wesley Snipes off to Nigger College,† 2008, n.p). Most particularly, presidential candidate Barrack Obama has been targeted with so much criticism, a comment even asked for an assassination (Lies, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The internet phenomenon is deemed to be the most influential source of information being easily accessed by millions of users. Also, the lack of rules because of its international coverage is primarily the reason for its wide use for racist activities. Local and federal laws may exist, other countries may have implemented strict censorship, and some websites may have established their own guidelines for publication. However, these may not be enough to stop this hateful attitude toward people perceieved to have inferior race.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Racism itself is hard to vanish. No matter how hard we try in alleviating discrimination, some people who will always think that they are better than the other and will resolve to violent attacks against them. However, there are basic solutions we can employ to help the abused people. Counter superior-inferior racial notions Implement equal opportunities, blacks and Asians remain less developed because their white counterparts are being entertained well in many companies. Incorporate anti-racism in childhood education and enforce it well in the preceeding years. Encourage international and intercultural education. Specify racial crimes and establish punishments for it. Dissolve racist groups and give its members appropriate measures and education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Racism basically becomes violent because of misinformation. By removing the wrong notions about racial classifications and implementing effective education on children and young adults, and enforcing laws against racism we can minimize this long criticized issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Internet Hate in particular can be limited through censorship and establishment of necessary laws to stream its contents. This may limit freedom of expression and thought, but freedom is never absolute. There are details that should be removed because of their harmful contents. States have a great responsibility in prohibiting malicious contents in their areas since international laws may be hard to enforce in local cities. Registration of websites can also be an effective solution. Through this we can identify who owns and manages a website and have people to blame in cases of discrminatory contents. Censors may also be established to have constant checks, though this may be very exhausting due to the thousands of websites that are active in the world wide web. However, users reporting malicious contents can help in determining websites that should be sanctioned and ordered for closure. Again, this may bar certain rights and privacy policies, but if we are really serious in removing inequalities and minimizing those discriminatory eyes against our unfortunate friends, we can take this step in alleviating racism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of us may think that freeing this world of racism is impossible. Lawmakers, who are secretly racist themselves may oppose such acts. Nationalist movements and groups may also prevent us from reaching our goal of equality and non-racial classification. However, many people have suffered enough because of this kind of treatment, of constantly giving them a hateful stare, beating them on their way home, treating them like dogs, under paying them, and lastly trafficking these innocent people. These actions may force them to be aggressive towards us, and that gives us new reasons for discriminating them. It just wont stop this way. Indeed, there will always be inequality, but at least, let us, more developed individuals, be more compassionate and understanding of their situation. References Anti-Defamation League. 2001. Anti-Semitism. Retrieved 29 April 2008. http://www.adl.org/hate-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   patrol/antisemitism.asp Anti-Defamation League. 2001. Internet Hate. Retrieved 29 April 2008. http://www.adl.org/hate-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   patrol/internet_hate.asp Anti-Defamation League. 2001. Racism. Retrieved 29 April 2008. http://www.adl.org/hate-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   patrol/racism.asp Blackpubwatch. Nigger 50 Cent Hates Alicia Keys. Black Monitor. Retrieved 29 April 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://blackmonitor.wordpress.com/2008/04/20/nigger-50-cent-hates-alicia-keyes/ Blackpubwatch. Nigger Wesley Snipes off to Nigger College. Black Monitor. Retrieved 29 April   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008. http://blackmonitor.wordpress.com/2008/04/20/nigger-wesley-snipes-off-to-nigger-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   college/ Black    Monitor. Lies. Comment on Barack Obama Pathological Liar Extraordinaire by blackpubwatch.   Retrieved 29 April   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008. http://blackmonitor.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/barack-`  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   obama-pathological-liar-extraordinaire/

The Power Of Shakespeares Macbeth

The Power Of Shakespeares Macbeth The world of Macbeth explores the destructive nature of power and ambition through the collapse of individual identity and the Christian emphasis on the moral hierarchy. Published in 1623, nearly twenty years after it was first performed, Macbeth was written shortly after James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, and Shakespeares play clearly supports his divine right to the throne. Shakespeare was inspired by Raphael Holinsheds Chronicle of the reigns of Duncan and Macbeth (A.D. 1034-57), but the invention of the framework of the witches who tempt both Banquo and Macbeth with prophecies of greatness are his own. A story of witchcraft, murder and vengeance, Macbeth can be read as a morality play which warns against the dangers of ambitious power. Clearly, Macbeth is a figure whose ambition and hubris result in his fall from power, echoing the biblical story of the fall from grace; however, the play also expresses a profound fear of feminine power as subversive and destructive. The very text of Macbeth itself reflects the single-minded ambition of its main character. With only 2,100 lines, Macbeth is one of Shakespeares shortest plays, and with the exception of such characters as the porter, is devoid of the subplots which characterise Shakespearean tragedies. Coleridge has noted that the play begins at an aggressive pace with Hamlets gradual ascent from the simplest forms of conversation to the language of impassioned intellect, and Bradley follows by describing the beginning of the play as one in which the action burst into wild life. Shakespeares typical tragic worldview represents a complex human world of infinite variety. Macbeth, in contrast, is sparse and single-minded because it is a symbolic play which resorts to soliloquy and symbolic locales to echo the dichotomous world of the Christian morality plays. The focus of Macbeth, like that of Shakespeares famous tragedy Richard III, is an egotistical man with measureless will power who murders his way to the crown and, in doing so, alienates himself from the very world which he wishes to rule. It is commonly said by Shakespearean critics that Macbeths tragic flaw is ambition, and he himself admits that he has no drive but vaulting ambition, but it is ambition without reason or application. He does not, like Shakespeares Tamburlaine, believe it to be passing brave to be sovereign king and ride in triumph through his kingdom, or even desire the power which he would then have over his comrades. Indeed, the sole drive behind Macbeths ambition seems to be the act of competition itself, which is clearly shown by his celebrated success on the battlefield. The audience is introduced to Macbeth through the description by the Sergeant in Act I Scene II. The description of the battle scene and Macbeths eruptive entrance into the horde of kerns and gallowglasses reveals Macbeths ambition and the violence of his power. Brave Macbeth well he deserves that name Disdaining fortune, with his brandishd steel Which smokd with bloody execution, Like valours minion, carvd out his passage Till he facd the slave; Which neer shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseamd him from the nave to th chaps, And fixd his head upon our battlements (I.ii. 16-23) Macbeths fierce interruption into The fray and his ruthless domination on the battlefield are indicative of his insatiable thirst for power and status in the political arena. The rhetoric of the soldiers description paints a picture of an epic struggle of good versus evil, with the defiant Macdonwald and the villanies of nature swarming like flies, and Macbeths interruption is both violently brutal and magnificent. This introduction to Macbeth is fitting, for he is a character of decisive action and agency, and his ruthless domination of the battlefield foreshadows his ruthless domination of the political scene as well. However, unlike Macbeth himself, his wife does not have agency of her own, and must enact her own desires and drive through the action of her husband. Her power lies in the power to persuade, and indeed it is argued that the female characters in Shakespeares play hold the real power in the action of the play itself. In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth tries to drive her husbands courage to the sticking point by questioning his manhood. She mocks him with the reminder that it was his initial idea to plan the murders, and if he fails to follow through he is weak and impotent. What beast wast then / That made you break this enterprise to me? (I.vii. 47-48), suggesting that it was Macbeths own evil mind which began the murderous plan, and the witches manipulated his ambitious nature rather than revealing him to be the victim of fate. Lady Macbeth herself describes her husband: I do fear thy nature: Thou wouldst be great; Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it; what thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holly; wouldst not play false And yet wouldst wrongly win Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crownd withal (I.v.14-28) Lady Macbeth recognises that her husband has the potential for great power, but lacks the fundamental hard nature and cunning wit to achieve the high reaches for which they both aspire. She, however, has the necessary ruthless nature and calculating wit and vows to help her husband in his ascension to power. The characterisation of the relationship between Lord and Lady Macbeth, like that of the witches and Macbeth, reveals an anxiety of female power as manipulative and subversive. Macbeth is a murderer in thought if not in action at this point, and the lady acknowledges openly that his milk of human kindness will not dissuade him from attempting regicide, but only from catching the nearest way, that, executing it himself. Lady Macbeth, coming upon her husband as he finishes his soliloquy full of cold calculation of his success rate, questions his manhood as an attempt to persuade him to action. I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none When you durst do it, then you were a man (I.vii. 46-7, 49). Lady Macbeth draws him on with the idea of decisive action, countering his doubts of the great taboos against the deed. Lacking the authority to both independently gain political and social power, and to enact the murders necessary to further their position, Lady Macbeth wields her powers of persuasion to manoeuvre her husband. According to Janet Adelman, the play strikingly constructs the fantasy of subjection to maternal malevolence in two parts, in the witches and in Lady Macbeth so that what the witches suggest about the vulnerability of men to female power on the cosmic plane, Lady Macbeth doubles on the psychological plane (Adelman 97). Critics have noted the parallel between Lady Macbeth and the witches in their attempt to subversively gain power over the male characters. In Macbeth, manhood is tied to ideals of strength and the force of will. Lady Macbeth uses the idea of manhood to manipulate her husband, knowing that in his desperate attempt to prove his manhood and advance politically he will do anything she tells him. Macbeth, under the influence of female power of both his wife and the weird sisters, murders Duncan, but his increasingly violent form of power is an attempt to escape from this manipulative feminine influence. Macbeth carries out the murderous intent which Lady Macbeth so shrewdly articulates, and despite his efforts to establish his own ambitious power, he embodies her fantasy of subversive power. And yet, Macbeth is unaware of his own manipulation and rejects the women in his life. To be dependent on a woman is to be threatened with a loss of autonomous selfhood, in essence emasculating him and stripping him of his source of masculine, martial power. Lady Macbeth, paralleled with the enigmatic power of the three witches, is representative of the cultures deepest fear of the subversive and destructive power of the feminine. Common critical opinion reduces Lady Macbeth to a fierce, cruel woman, brandishing a couple of daggers, and inciting her husband to butcher a poor old king (Jameson 369), and this sense of self-interested manipulation has shifted the culpability for the murder of the King away from Macbeth to the women whispering in his ear. Beyond the obvious concern with the problematics of political power as divinely bestowed, Macbeth is a play that explores the nature of masculine and feminine power. Lady Macbeth becomes the psychological force over her husband in order to arouse the initiative and violence for the deed, and in the act deprives Macbeth of his masculine power. Back to: Example Essays Works Cited Adelman, J. (1987) Born of Woman: Fantasies of Maternal Power in Macbeth in Cannibals, Witches, and Divorce: Estranging the Renaissance. ed. by M. Garber. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 90-121. Jameson, A. (1979) Characteristics of Women: Moral, Political and Historical, London: George Bell and Sons. Shakespeare, W. (1997) Macbeth. ed. by A. R. Braunmuller. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Biography of the Beatles

Biography of the Beatles Music Analysis: The Beatles Introduction So much has been said and written about the Beatles and their story is so mythic in its sweep that it is difficult to summarize their career without restating clichà ©s that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans. To start with the obvious, they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era, and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century. Moreover, they were among the few artists of any discipline that were simultaneously the best at what they did, and the most popular at what they did. Relentlessly imaginative and experimental, the Beatles grabbed a hold of the international mass consciousness in 1964 and never let go for the next six years, always staying ahead of the pack in terms of creativity, but never losing their ability to communicate their increasingly sophisticated ideas to a mass audience. â€Å"Their supremascy as rock icons remains unchallenged to this day, decades after their breakup in 1970.† (Jansen, Lloyd 2005) Even when couching praise in specific terms, it is hard to convey the scope of the Beatles achievements in a mere paragraph or two. They synthesized all that was good about early rock roll, and changed it into something original and even more exciting. They established the prototype for the self-contained rock group that wrote and performed their own material. As composers, their craft and melodic inventiveness were second to none, and key to the evolution of rock from its blues/RB-based forms into a style that was far more eclectic, but equally visceral. As singers, both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were among the best and most expressive vocalists in rock; the groups harmonies were intricate and exhilarating. â€Å"As performers, they were exciting and photogenic; when they retreated into the studio, they were instrumental in pioneering advanced techniques and multi-layered arrangements.† (Jansen, 2005) They were also the first British rock group to achieve worldwide prominence, launching a British Invasion that made rock truly an international phenomenon. History More than any other top group, the Beatles success was very much a case of the sum being greater than the parts. Their phenomenal cohesion was due in large degree to most of the group having known each other and played together in Liverpool for about five years before they began to have hit records. Guitarist and teenage rebel John Lennon got hooked on rock roll in the mid 1950s, and formed a band, the Quarrymen, at his high school. Around mid-1957, the Quarrymen were joined by another guitarist, Paul McCartney, nearly two years Lennons junior. A bit later they were joined by another guitarist, George Harrison, a friend of McCartneys. â€Å"The Quarrymen would change lineups constantly in the late 50s, eventually reducing to the core trio of guitarists, whod proven themselves to be the best musicians and most personally compatible individuals within the band.† (Turkalo, David M 1990) The Quarrymen changed their name to the Silver Beatles in 1960, quickly dropping the Silver to become just the Beatles. Lennons art college friend Stuart Sutcliffe joined on bass, but finding a permanent drummer was a vexing problem until Pete Best joined in the summer of 1960. He successfully auditioned for the combo just before they left for a several-month stint in Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg was the Beatles baptism by fire. Playing grueling sessions for hours on end in one of the most notorious red-light districts in the world, the group was forced to expand their repertoire, tighten up their chops, and invest their show with enough manic energy to keep the rowdy crowds satisfied. When they returned to Liverpool at the end of 1960, the band was suddenly the most exciting act on the local circuit. They consolidated their following in 1961 with constant gigging in the Merseyside area, most often at the legendary Cavern Club, the incubator of the Merseybeat sound. They also returned for engagements in Hamburg during 1961, although Sutcliffe dropped out of the band that year to concentrate on his art school studies there. McCartney took over on bass, Harrison settled in as lead guitarist, and Lennon had rhythm guitar; everyone sang. In mid-1961, the Beatles made their first recordings in Germany, as a backup group to a British rock guitarist/singer based in Hamburg, Tony Sheridan. The Beatles hadnt fully developed at this point, and these recordings many of which (including a couple of Sheridan-less tracks) were issued only after the bands rise to fame found their talents in a most embryonic state. The Hamburg stint was also notable for gaining the Beatles sophisticated, artistic fans such as Sutcliffes girlfriend, Astrid Kirchherr, who influenced all of them (except Best) to restyle their quiffs in the moptops that gave the musicians their most distinctive visual trademark. Near the end of 1961, the Beatles exploding local popularity caught the attention of local record store manager Brian Epstein, who was soon managing the band as well. He used his contacts to swiftly acquire a January 1, 1962, audition at Decca Records that has been heavily bootlegged (some tracks were officially released in 1995). After weeks of deliberation, Decca turned them down, as did several other British labels. Epsteins perseverance was finally rewarded with an audition for producer George Martin at Parlophone, an EMI subsidiary; Martin signed the Beatles in mid-1962. By this time, Epstein was assiduously grooming his charges for national success by influencing them to smarten up their appearance, dispensing with their leather jackets and trousers in favor of tailored suits and ties. One more major change was in the offing before the Beatles made their Parlophone debut. In August 1962, drummer Pete Best was kicked out of the group, a controversial decision that has been the cause of much speculation since. â€Å"There is still no solid consensus as to whether it was because of his solitary, moody nature; the other Beatles jealousy of his popularity with the fans; his musical shortcomings (George Martin had already told Epstein that Best wasnt good enough to drum on recordings); or his refusal to wear his hair in bangs.† (Turkalo, 1990) What seems most likely was that the Beatles simply found his personality incompatible, preferring to enlist Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey), drummer with another popular Merseyside outfit, Rory Storm the Hurricanes. Starr had been in the Beatles for a few weeks when they recorded their first single, Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You, in September 1962. Both sides of the 45 were Lennon-McCartney originals, and the songwriting team would be credited with most of the groups material throughout the Beatles career. The single, a promising but fairly rudimentary effort, hovered around the lower reaches of the British Top 20. The Beatles phenomenon didnt truly kick in until Please Please Me, which topped the British charts in early 1963. This was the prototype British Invasion single: an infectious melody, charging guitars, and positively exuberant harmonies. The same traits were evident on their third 45, From Me to You (a British number one), and their debut LP, Please Please Me. Although it was mostly recorded in a single day, Please Please Me topped the British charts for an astonishing 30 weeks, establishing the group as the most popular rock roll act ever seen in the U.K. What the Beatles had done was to take the best elements of the rock and pop they loved and make them their own. Since the Quarrymen days, they had been steeped in the classic early rock of Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, and the Everly Brothers; theyd also kept an ear open to the early 60s sounds of Motown, Phil Spector, and the girl groups. What they added was an unmatched songwriting savvy, a brash guitar-oriented attack, wildly enthusiastic vocals, and the embodiment of the youthful flair of their generation, ready to dispense with postwar austerity and claim a culture of their own. They were also unsurpassed in their eclecticism, willing to borrow from blues, popular standards, gospel, folk, or whatever seemed suitable for their musical vision. Producer George Martin was the perfect foil for the group, refining their ideas without tinkering with their cores; during the last half of their career, he was indispensable for his ability to translate their concepts into arrangements that required complex orchestration, innovative applications of recording technology, and an ever-widening array of instruments. Just as crucially, the Beatles were never ones to stand still and milk formulas. All of their subsequent albums and singles would show remarkable artistic progression. Even on their second LP, With the Beatles (1963), it was evident that their talents as composers and instrumentalists were expanding furiously, as they devised ever more inventive melodies and harmonies, and boosted the fullness of their arrangements. She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand established the group not just as a popular music act, but as a phenomenon never before seen in the British entertainment business, as each single sold over a million copies in the U.K. After some celebrated national TV appearances, Beatlemania broke out across the British Isles in late 1963, the group generating screams and hysteria at all of their public appearances, musical or otherwise. Capitol, which had first refusal of the Beatles recordings in the United States, had declined to issue the groups first few singles, which ended up appearing on relatively small American independents. Capitol took up its option on I Want to Hold Your Hand, which stormed to the top of the U.S. charts within weeks of its release on December 26, 1963. The Beatles television appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964 launched Beatlemania (and the entire British Invasion) on an even bigger scale than it had reached in Britain. In the first week of April 1964, the Beatles had the Top Five best-selling singles in the U.S.; they also had the first two slots on the album charts, as well as other entries throughout the Billboard Top 100. No one had ever dominated the market for popular music so heavily; its doubtful that anyone ever will again. The Beatles themselves would continue to reach number one with most of their singles and albums until their 1970 breakup. â€Å"Hard as it may be to believe today, the Beatles were often dismissed by cultural commentators of the time as nothing more than a fad that would vanish within months as the novelty wore off.† (Turkalo, 1990) The group ensured this wouldnt happen by making A Hard Days Night in early 1964, a cinà ©ma và ©rità ©-style motion picture comedy/musical that cemented their image as the Fab Four: happy-go-lucky, individualistic, cheeky, funny lads with nonstop energy. The soundtrack was also a triumph, consisting entirely of Lennon-McCartney tunes, including such standards as the title tune, And I Love Her, If I Fell, Cant Buy Me Love, and Things We Said Today. George Harrisons resonant 12-string electric guitar leads were hugely influential; the movie helped persuade the Byrds, then folk singers, to plunge all-out into rock roll, and the Beatles (along with Bob Dylan) would be hugely influential on the folk-rock explosion of 1965. The Beatles success, too, had begun to open the U.S. market for fellow Brits like the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Kinks, and inspired young American groups like the Beau Brummels, Lovin Spoonful, and others to mount a challenge of their own with self-penned material that owed a great debt to Lennon-McCartney. Significance Between riotous international tours in 1964 and 1965, the Beatles continued to squeeze out more chart-topping albums and singles. In retrospect, critics have judged Beatles for Sale (late 1964) and Help! (mid-1965) as the bands least impressive efforts. To some degree, thats true. Touring and an insatiable market placed heavy demands upon their songwriting, and some of the originals and covers on these records, while brilliant by many groups standards, were filler in the context of the Beatles best work. But when at the top of their game, the group was continuing to push forward. I Feel Fine had feedback and brilliant guitar leads; Ticket to Ride showed the band beginning to incorporate the ringing, metallic, circular guitar lines that would be appropriated by bands like the Byrds; Help! was their first burst of confessional lyricism; Yesterday employed a string quartet. John Lennon in particular was beginning to exhibit a Dylanesque influence in his songwriting on such folky, downbeat numbers as Im a Loser and Youve Got to Hide Your Love Away. And tracks like I Dont Want to Spoil the Party and Ive Just Seen a Face had a strong country flavor. â€Å"Although the Beatles second film, Help!, was a much sillier and less sophisticated affair than their first feature, it too was a huge commercial success. By this time, though, the Beatles had nothing to prove in commercial terms; the remaining frontiers were artistic challenges that could only be met in the studio.† (Jansen, 2000) They rose to the occasion at the end of 1965 with Rubber Soul, one of the classic folk-rock records. Lyrically, Lennon, McCartney, and even Harrison were evolving beyond boy-girl scenarios into complex, personal feelings. They were also pushing the limits of studio rock by devising new guitar and bass textures, experimenting with distortion and multi-tracking, and using unconventional instruments like the sitar. As much of a progression as Rubber Soul was relative to their previous records, it was but a taster for the boundary-shattering outings of the next few years. The Paperback Writer/Rain single found the group abandoning romantic themes entirely, boosting the bass to previously unknown levels, and fooling around with psychedelic imagery and backwards tapes on the B-side. Drugs were fueling their already fertile imaginations, but they felt creatively hindered by their touring obligations. Revolver, released in the summer of 1966, proved what the group could be capable of when allotted months of time in the studio. Hazy hard guitars and thicker vocal arrangements formed the bed of these increasingly imagistic, ambitious lyrics; the groups eclecticism now encompassed everything from singalong novelties (Yellow Submarine) and string quartet-backed character sketches (Eleanor Rigby) to Indian-influenced swirls of echo and backwards tapes (Tomorrow Never Knows). Some would complain that the Beatles had abandoned the earthy rock of their roots for clever mannerism. But Revolver, like virtually all of the groups singles and albums from She Loves You on, would be a worldwide chart-topper. Influence For the past couple of years, live performance had become a rote exercise for the group, tired of competing with thousands of screaming fans that drowned out most of their voices and instruments. A 1966 summer worldwide tour was particularly grueling: the groups entourage was physically attacked in the Philippines after a perceived snub of the countrys queen, and a casual remark by John Lennon about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus Christ was picked up in the States, resulting in the burning of Beatle records in the Bible belt and demands for a repentant apology. Their final concert of that American tour (in San Francisco on August 29, 1966) would be their last in front of a paying audience, as the group decided to stop playing live in order to concentrate on their studio recordings. This was a radical and unprecedented step in 1966, and the media was rife with speculation that the act was breaking up, especially after all four spent late 1966 engaged in separate personal and artistic pursuits. The appearance of the Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever single in February 1967 squelched these concerns. Frequently cited as the strongest double A-side ever, the Beatles were now pushing forward into unabashedly psychedelic territory in their use of orchestral arrangements and Mellotron, without abandoning their grasp of memorable melody and immediately accessible lyrical messages. Sgt. Pepper, released in June 1967 as the Summer of Love dawned, was the definitive psychedelic soundtrack. Or, at least, so it was perceived at the time: subsequent critics have painted the album as an uneven affair, given a conceptual unity via its brilliant multi-tracked overdubs, singalong melodies, and fairy tale-ish lyrics. Others remain convinced, as millions did at the time, that it represented pops greatest triumph, or indeed an evolution of pop into art with a capital A. â€Å"In addition to mining all manner of roots influences, the musicians were also picking up vibes from Indian music, avant-garde electronics, classical, music hall, and more. When the Beatles premiered their hippie anthem All You Need Is Love as part of a worldwide TV broadcast, they had been truly anointed as spokespersons for their generation , and it seemed they could do no wrong.† (Jansen, 2000) Musically, that would usually continue to be the case, but the groups strength began to unravel at a surprisingly quick pace. In August 1967, Brian Epstein prone to suicidal depression over the past year died of a drug overdose, leaving them without a manager. The group pressed on with their next film project, Magical Mystery Tour, directed by themselves; lacking focus or even basic professionalism, the picture bombed when it was premiered on BBC television in December 1967, giving the media the first real chance theyd ever had to roast the Beatles over a flame. In early 1968, the Beatles decamped to India for a course in transcendental meditation with the Maharishi; this too became something of a media embarrassment, as each of the four would eventually depart the course before its completion. The Beatles did use their unaccustomed peace in India to compose a wealth of new material. Judged solely on musical merit, The White Album, a double LP released in late 1968, was a triumph. While largely abandoning their psychedelic instruments to return to guitar-based rock, they maintained their whimsical eclecticism, proving themselves masters of everything from blues-rock to vaudeville. As individual songwriters, too, it contains some of their finest work (as does the brilliant non-LP single from this era, Hey Jude/Revolution). The problem, at least in terms of the groups long-term health, was that these were very much individual songs, as opposed to collective ones. Lennon and McCartney had long composed most of their tunes separately (you can almost always tell the composer by the lead vocalist). But they had always fed off of each other not only to supply missing bits and pieces that would bring a song to completion, but to provide a competitive edge that would bring out the best in the other. McCartneys romantic melodicism and Lennons more acidic, gritty wit were perfect complements for one another. By the White Album, it was clear that each member was more concerned with his own expression than that of the collective group: a natural impulse, but one that was bound to lead to difficulties. In addition, George Harrison was becoming a more prolific and skilled composer as well, imbuing his own melodies (which were nearly the equal of those of his more celebrated colleagues) with a cosmic lightness. Harrison was beginning to resent his junior status, and the group began to bicker more openly in the studio. Ringo Starr, whose solid drumming and good nature could usually be counted upon (as was evident in his infrequent lead vocals), actually quit for a couple of weeks in the midst of the White Album sessions (though the media was unaware of this at the time). Personal interests were coming into play as well: Lennons devotion to romantic and artistic pursuits with his new girlfriend Yoko Ono was diverting his attentions from the Beatles. Apple Records, started by the group earlier in 1968 as a sort of utopian commercial enterprise, was becoming a financial and organisational nightmare. These werent the ideal conditions under which to record a new album in January 1969, especially when McCartney was pushing the group to return to live performing, although none of the others seemed especially keen on the idea. They did agree to try and record a back-to-basics, live-in-the-studio-type LP, the sessions being filmed for a television special. That plan almost blew up when Harrison, in the midst of tense arguments, left the group for a few days. Although he returned, the idea of playing live concerts was put on the back burner; Harrison enlisted American soul keyboardist Billy Preston as kind of a fifth member on the sessions, both to beef up the arrangements and to alleviate the uncomfortable atmosphere. â€Å"Exacerbating the problem was that the Beatles didnt have a great deal of first-class new songs to work with, although some were excellent. In order to provide a suitable concert-like experience for the film, the group did climb the roof of their Apple headquarters in London to deliver an impromptu performance on January 30, 1969, before the police stopped it; this was their last live concert of any sort.† (Jansen, 2000) Generally dissatisfied with these early-1969 sessions, the album and film at first titled Get Back, and later to emerge as Let It Be remained in the can as the group tried to figure out how the projects should be mixed, packaged, and distributed. A couple of the best tracks, Get Back/Dont Let Me Down, were issued as a single in the spring of 1969. By this time, the Beatles quarrels were intensifying in a dispute over management: McCartney wanted their affairs to be handled by his new father-in-law, Lee Eastman, while the other members of the group favored a tough American businessman, Allen Klein. It was something of a miracle, then, that the final album recorded by the group, Abbey Road, was one of their most unified efforts. It certainly boasted some of their most intricate melodies, harmonies, and instrumental arrangements; it also heralded the arrival of Harrison as a composer of equal talent to Lennon and McCartney, as George wrote the albums two most popular tunes, Something and Here Comes the Sun. The Beatles were still progressing, but it turned out to be the end of the road, as their business disputes continued to magnify. Lennon, who had begun releasing solo singles and performing with friends as the Plastic Ono Band, threatened to resign in late 1969, although he was dissuaded from making a public announcement. Most of the early-1969 tapes remained unreleased, partially because the footage for the planned television broadcast of these sessions was now going to be produced as a documentary movie. The accompanying soundtrack album, Let It Be, was delayed so that its release could coincide with that of the film. Lennon, Harrison, and Allen Klein decided to have celebrated American producer Phil Spector record some additional instrumentation and do some mixing. Thus the confusion that persists among most rock listeners to this day: Let It Be, although the last Beatles album to be released, was not the last one to be recorded. Abbey Road should actually be considered as the Beatles last album; most of the material on Let It Be, including the title track (which would be the last single released while the group was still together), was recorded several months before the Abbey Road sessions began in earnest, and a good 15 months or so before its May 1970 release. By that time, the Beatles were no more. In fact, there had been no recording done by the group as a unit since August 1969, and each member of the band had begun to pursue serious outside professional interests independently via the Plastic Ono Band, Harrisons tour with Delaney Bonnie, Starrs starring role in the Magic Christian film, or McCartneys first solo album. The outside world for the most part remained almost wholly unaware of the seriousness of the groups friction, making it a devastating shock for much of the worlds youth when McCartney announced that he was leaving the Beatles on April 10, 1970. The final blow, apparently, was the conflict between the release dates of Let It Be and McCartneys debut solo album. The rest of the group asked McCartney to delay his release until after Let It Be; McCartney refused, and for good measure, was distressed by Spectors post-production work on Let It Be, particularly the string overdubs on The Long and Winding Road, which became a posthumous Beatles single that spring. Although McCartney received much of the blame for the split, it should be remembered that he had done more than any other member to keep the group going since Epsteins death, and that each of the other Beatles had threatened to leave well before McCartneys departure. With hindsight, the breakup seemed inevitable in view of their serious business disagreements and the growth of their individual interests. As bitter as the initial headlines were to swallow, the feuding would grow much worse over the next few years. At the end of 1970, McCartney sued the rest of the Beatles in order to dissolve their partnership; the battle dragged through the courts for years, scotching any prospects of a group reunion. In any case, each member of the band quickly established viable solo careers. In fact, at the outset it could have been argued that the artistic effects of the split were in some ways beneficial, freeing Lennon and Harrison to make their most uncompromising artistic statements (Plastic Ono Band and All Things Must Pass). Georges individual talents in particular received acclaim that had always eluded him when he was overshadowed by Lennon-McCartney. Paul had a much rougher time with the critics, but continued to issue a stream of hit singles, hitting a commercial and critical jackpot at the end of 1973 with the massively successful Band on the Run. Ringo did not have the songwriting acumen to compete on the same level as the others, yet he too had quite a few big hit singles in the early 70s, often benefiting from the assistance of his former band-mates. Yet within a short time, it became apparent both that the Beatles were not going to settle their differences and reunite, and that their solo work could not compare with what they were capable of creating together. The stereotype has it that the split allowed each of them to indulge in their worst tendencies to their extremes: Lennon in agit-prop, Harrison in holier-than-thou-mysticism, McCartney in cutesy pop, Starr in easy listening rock. Theres a good deal of truth in this, but its also important to bear in mind that what was most missing was a sense of group interaction. The critical party line often champions Lennon as the angry, realist rocker, and McCartney as the melodic balladeer, but this is a fallacy: each of them were capable, in roughly equal measures, of ballsy all-out rock and sweet romanticism. What is not in dispute is that they sparked each other to reach heights that they could not attain on their own. Despite periodic rumours of reunions throughout the 1970s, no group projects came close to materializing. It should be added that the Beatles themselves continued to feud to some degree, and from all evidence werent seriously interested in working together as a unit. Any hopes of a reunion vanished when Lennon was assassinated in New York City in December 1980. The Beatles continued their solo careers throughout the 1980s, but their releases became less frequent, and their commercial success gradually diminished, as listeners without first-hand memories of the combo created their own idols. The popularity of the Beatles-as-unit, however, proved eternal. In part, this is because the groups 1970 split effectively short-circuited the prospects of artistic decline; the body of work that was preserved was uniformly strong. However, its also because, like any great works of art, the Beatles records carried an ageless magnificence that continues to captivate new generations of listeners. So it is that Beatles records continue to be heard on radio in heavy rotation, continue to sell in massive quantities, and continue to be covered and quoted by rock and pop artists through the present day. Legal wrangles at Apple prevented the official issue of previously unreleased Beatle material for over two decades (although much of it was frequently bootlegged). The situation finally changed in the 1990s, after McCartney, Harrison, Starr, and Lennons widow Yoko Ono settled their principal business disagreements. In 1994, this resulted in a double CD of BBC sessions from the early and mid-60s. The following year, a much more ambitious project was undertaken: a multi-part film documentary, broadcast on network television in 1995, and then released (with double the length) for the home video market in 1996, with the active participation of the surviving Beatles. To coincide with the Anthology documentary, three double CDs of previously unreleased/rare material were issued in 1995 and 1996. Additionally, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr (with some assistance from Jeff Lynne) embellished a couple of John Lennon demos from the 1970s with overdubs to create two new tracks (Free as a Bird and Real Love) that were billed as actual Beatles recordings. Whether this constitutes the actual long-awaited reunion is the subject of much debate. Certainly these cuts were hardly classics on par with the music the group made in the 1960s. Some fans, even diehards, were inclined to view the whole Anthology project as a distinctly 1990s marketing exercise that maximized the mileage of whatever could be squeezed from the Beatles vaults. If nothing else, though, the massive commercial success of outtakes that had, after all, been recorded 25 to 30 years ago, spoke volumes about the unabated appeal and fascination the Beatles continue to exert worldwide. Revolution song Analysis Revolution is a song by The Beatles, written primarily by John Lennon and attributed to Lennon-McCartney. â€Å"The song appeared in two distinctly different incarnations, a raucous electric Revolution, and a slowed acoustic Revolution 1. A third connected piece, the heavily experimental Revolution 9, appeared on the same album side (i.e., side 4) as Revolution 1 on The White Album.† (Corliss, 2004) Lennon claimed the song was inspired by the May 1968 uprising in France. Another song called Revolution was released by the London psychedelic group Tomorrow in September 1967, a year before the John Lennon song. Tomorrows lyric Have your own little revolution, NOW! contrasts with Lennons lyric, including the opening lines, You say you want a revolution/ Well, you know/ We all want to change the world. There is a belief that in some studio versions of the song, the pronunciation of evolution early in the song has what sounds like an overdubbed voice distorting evolution into what sounds eerily similar to evil-jew-shin. A common myth is that Lennon wrote the track in disdain of overwhelming money-hungry businessmen. This theme of anti-semitism is not alone in this song, as in Come Together the verse verse can be interpreted as describing a hasidic jew. Revolution 9 is an experimental recording which appeared on the Beatles 1968 self-titled LP release (known as the White Album). The track marked the peak of the bands studio experimentation; the inclusion of such a sound collage or musique concrà ¨te on a pop music release was virtually unprecedented. The recording began as an extended ending to the album version of Revolution, to which were added vocal and music sound clips, tape loops, and sound effects influenced by t

Advantages of Cloning in Humans and Animals Essay -- Biology Medical B

Advantages of Cloning in Humans and Animals Cloning has existed for ages as a form of reproduction in nature. Now humans have harnessed the power to clone at will. This evokes an argument between those that support and those that do not support cloning. Among the population, there are fewer supporters than opponents. It might just be a gut reaction of humans to fear and suspect new technology, or it could be a well-founded fear. In the animal world, cloning could be used to save endangered species and increase production of livestock. In time, this relatively new technology may become a powerful and useful tool This study examines the many supporting arguments for cloning, including objectives, among them starting families, organ transplants, and medical research. The creation of Dolly revolutionized the scientific world and sparked a flaming debate of what might one day become reality. Humans now had the power to intentionally create what is essentially a copy of another organism. One day humans might also be able to create a copy of other humans as well. The question that loomed over our heads since then is whether human cloning is ethical. Furthermore, would the cloning of larger, more complex animals such as livestock and pets be ethical? Supporters of this cutting edge technology often found, and still find themselves outnumbered by those who strongly oppose cloning. The minority is by no means wrong; their arguments are just as well grounded as their opponents’, sometimes better. Likewise, the other side is also well reasoned. Cloning has many assets, despite obvious faults. It is prudent to investigate the affirmative arguments for cloning rather than just looking at faults. Cloning would be beneficial to help start fa... ... may abuse cloning; they must prove that the process of cloning itself is immoral. For reasons stated above, cloning does not appear morally wrong: clones occur naturally, and there are many benefits to cloning. (Worthy) At the moment, the success rate of cloning is low, and the risk of potential harm to a cloned fetus is too high for comfort. As the technology continues to progress, cloning advocates may ultimately rejoice as human cloning ceases to be science fiction. Advantages of Cloning 6 References Emig, R., et al. (1998, April). Practical Uses of Human Cloning. Human Cloning. July 27, 2005: http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~jones/tmp352/projects98/group1/home.html McGee, G., et al. (2000). The Human Cloning Debate. Berkeley: Berkeley Hills Books. Worthy, F. The Cloning Debate. Christis. July 28, 2005: http://www.christis.org.uk/archive/issue70/cloning.php

Blackberry Picking Essay -- Poems Poetry Berries Essays

Blackberry Picking Blackberry picking is about greed, growing up, how we struggle in life and how pleasure can be taken away from us very quickly. Heaney writes retrospectively, about the times he as a child would go blackberry-picking every year, as a metaphor for these experiences. The first stanza of the poem is mostly quite positive and enthusiastic. The first part of the stanza describes the the ripening of the berries, â€Å"given heavy rain and sun for a full week, the blackberries would ripen†. He also gives us an image of the berries. Heaney uses the metaphor â€Å"a glossy purple clot† for the ripe berries, and the similie â€Å"hard as a knot† for the unripe berries. When you say â€Å"hard as a knot†, the sound is quite short, indicating that the berries are not yet ripe. It then continues to write about the frenzy of picking them - â€Å"lust for picking†. Heaney presents the tasting of the berries as a sensual process, and also uses words like â€Å"flesh†, and â€Å"thickened wine† to make the berries sound so desirable. Alsoâ€Å"lust†, to describe the childrens unrestrained desire and appetite for them. Heaney uses a lot of figurative language in this poem. Personification and a series of metaphors and similies are used: â€Å"flesh was sweet like thickened wine†, the berry is personified and there is use of a similie, the metaphor â€Å"summer’s blood†, referring to the hard work and nourishment that nature has put into it, and then suddenly it is taken away by the children. It is the peoples â€Å"hunger† and â€Å"lust†for the berries that sends them out to fill up their â€Å"milk-cans, pea-tins, jam-pots† until they are fully filled up with blackberries – â€Å"until the tinkling bottom has been covered†. Onomatopoeia is used - â€Å"tinkling... ...ow long and painful the process of picking the blackberries are, how they got their hands full of thorn pricks. Then after a short while, the berries start to rot, and the â€Å"sweet flesh† of the berries would turn sour. Heaney writes this poem to reveal that life is about disappointment, and that good things won’t last, while relating it back to a childhood event of his past. It is also about growing up, and ageing, as we get the contrast of the adults and childrens view in the last stanza. I found this poem very enjoyable and interesting to study, because when I was reading the poem, it almost felt like I could taste the blackberries. I like his use of figurative language, especially the way he described the berries. Another reason why I liked this poem is because I like the way Heaney uses past events of his life to express certain ideas about life.