Asian Religion and Technology free essay sample

An overview of the uses and effects of materialism, Westernization, Christianity and modernization on religious life in Asia (India and Thailand). Asian Religion and Technology Asia has not escaped the impact of modernization. Changes began in the religious-cultural systems in Asia with contact and colonization. Traditional Asian religions recognize kingship as a divine right and responsibility from which political organization follows. The legitimacy, of a government, derives from divinity, not from the population (Engel, 1994, p. 429). Westernization, modernization, and technology have made their impact felt on the religions and culture of the people of Asia. The beginnings, of the impact of western methods and technology, were perceived with the recognition of the nation-state. Modern technology continues to change how Asian religions are practiced and to an extent their belief systems. The importation of western governmental and social belief systems has also had a

Essay Chinese Language and Class

Essay Chinese Language and Class Essay Chinese Language and Class Chin 101 Fundamentals of Chinese Fall 2013 Class Time: Sec. 3 TuTh 10:00 am – 11:50 am Class Room: PH2 - 101; Call Number: 5253 Instructor: Xiaowen Wu Office: LA5-269 Office Phone: 562-985-4515 Instructor’s email: xiaowen.wu@csulb.edu Office hours: TuTh 12:15 pm –1:45 pm or by appointment Course Description: Chin 101 is the first semester of a full-year course of elementary Chinese designed for non-native speakers. Students with prior knowledge of Chinese are not eligible for taking this course. It provides basic training in pronunciation, grammatical structures, commonly used expressions, character recognition and writing. It aims at developing students’ elementary level of communicative skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing, and knowledge of the Chinese language and culture as well. Course Objectives: By the end of the Chin 101, Chin 102 sequence, the students are expected to acquire: 1. The knowledge of the Chinese phonological system and grammar, 2. The ability to converse, read and write on simple topics related to students’ daily life, 3. The ability to command 250-300 words and approximately 150 characters, 4. The ability to type Chinese texts using a Chinese word-processor, 5. And to reach the language proficiency level of Novice Midbased on the ACTFL’s (the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages) guidelines. Course Outline: (1) The class time will be used for lectures and activities. (2) â€Å"Survival Chinese† will be taught in the first several weeks of the class. (3) Afterwards, students will learn useful expressions and grammatical structures. Approximately 14 lessons will be covered in the first semester. (4) The teaching schedule and content may be changed based on students’ progress. (5) Students are expected to preview each lesson (including grammar points and vocabulary) before class, complete the assigned homework and study the covered contents after class. (6) Characters will not be practiced in class. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the Workbook, the computer aided multi-media learning software CyberChinese and Learning Chinese Online web page (see below). Requirements: Students are expected to (1) attend the class (all officially unexplained absences will be treated as â€Å"unexcused†); (2) review the grammar and memorize the vocabulary of each lesson before class; (3) finish the assigned preparation, language lab work, and homework on time; (4) take tests, mid-term and final and (5) participate in the class activities. Textbooks: (1) Practical Chinese Reader: Book 1 (Traditional character edition). Beijing Language Institute. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company, 1990. (2) Practical Chinese Reader I & II: Writing Workbook (Traditional character edition) edited by Teng, Shou-hsin. Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company, 1990. (3) Chin 101 Study Guide and Homework (including character practice sheets and homework sheets), available online (csulb.edu/~txie/101/) or through the course Beachboard. Students should print the handouts and bring them to class. Recommended Learning Tools: Dictionary Concise English-Chinese/Chinese-English Dictionary. The Commercial Press & Oxford University Press, 1986. Software Pinyin Master, by Professor Sanpao Li and Jeff Winters, available in LAB 306 (Language Art Building) Cyber Chinese, by Professor Sanpao Li and Jeff Winters, available in LAB 306 Penless Chinese software, installed in LAB 306. It can also be downloaded from penlesschinese.org/download.html Web site Chinese 101 class page (http:/www.csulb.edu/~txie/101) Learning Chinese online

Class Difference Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Class Difference - Essay Example Social classes in most parts of the world are categorized on the basis of material wealth and political power and influence. People in different social classes are characterized by various defining factors that serve as the key identifying characteristics of that class. The higher a social class occupied by an individual in society, the better their living conditions and life compared to other lower social classes in society. Through the ages, different individuals have used literature to portray the differences that exist in social classes across various cultural and traditional contexts. The use of literature to highlight and discuss class differences in various contexts of society is seen as an elaborate way of creating awareness about these aspects. Literature is a tool that surpasses and permeates across gender, cultural and traditional barriers that are set up by society and it can be used to convey vital messages. Through the various readings in class, there have been illustra tions from books that touch on class differences and their characteristics, influences and impacts on society. This paper seeks to discuss class differences as portrayed and depicted by various authors, the context in which these class differences are used in the books. Garcia Marquez’s short story titled A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings tells of a family’s encounter with a strange-looking man with wings on his back. This man was discovered washed up on the shores of the ocean by Pelayo and Elisenda’s children. This family took the man in and gave him shelter in a chicken coop where he recuperates from his injuries and illness. There are various notions of social class in this short story as portrayed by the positions and opinions taken by different characters in the story. According to the tone and tune of the story, it is apparent that the community is largely composed of peasant fishermen and women. This can be attributed to the observed industrious nature and ability to turn misfortunes into fruitful and productive ventures that serve to alleviate their position and class in society. The characters’ industrious nature that is seen in their efforts to make money is a translation of people’s awareness in the importance of wealth and money in order to change their class status. The Pelayo family saw a money making opportunity with the old man with enormous wings, and they started charging 5 cents to anyone who wanted to see the old man. This saw them amass a large amount of money enough for them to build a mansion with nets, gardens and balconies. The same is seen when a woman who is said to have disobeyed her parents turns into a tarantula spider and goes by the name spider woman. In the case of the spider woman, people who want to hear her story have to toss meatballs at the Spiderwoman (Williams 53). Meatballs were her only forms of nourishment thus she opted to take advantage of people’s curiosity to earn a mean s of survival. Social classes are portrayed to be constructed notions that can be attained as illustrated by the industrious efforts of characters in the abovementioned short story. People recognize the elemental importance of money or wealth in creating favorable conditions for an ideal class. Father Gonzaga can be construed to have held a higher social class that most of the citizens in the mentioned community in the short story. This gives insight into the intricacies involved in the construction of social classes because in this case, father Gonzaga’

Write 2 suggestions for each of the 6 Dimensions of Wellness that Assignment

Write 2 suggestions for each of the 6 Dimensions of Wellness that would be beneficial for easing into the aging process - Assignment Example Emotional- this includes self esteem, self confidence and satisfying relationships that leads to a person having emotional wellness. Maintaining emotional health requires monitoring your thoughts and feelings (Hettler 23). Emotional wellness is a dynamic state that influences all the dimensions of health. Intellectual- The height of intellectual health includes openness to novel ideas, capacity to think critically and the willingness to master new skills. In order to enjoy intellectual health, one should never stop learning (Hettler 27). One realizes new experiences and challenges as he actively solves them. Environmental – a person’s health is dependent on his surroundings. There are various threats that challenge our environmental health and this includes UV radiation and different forms of pollution. To have an environment that is healthy, one should try to avoid such hazards by eliminating them or avoiding them. Social – social health is very important as it also helps in one’s physical and emotional health. There is need for mutual affectionate and offering support to other people. Good communication skills will help someone to develop interpersonal skills. This will cultivate the aspect of caring for

Initial Public Offerings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Initial Public Offerings - Essay Example So as to fully understand IPO and how it works this article will briefly discuss the Starbucks Co. (SBUX) IPO. The Starbucks Co. is known worldwide for its ability to provide among the best brewed coffee in the market as well as offer outstanding customer service extending this to the community through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The company specializes in the purchase of high-quality whole coffee beans which it roasts and sells together with fresh ones. Starbucks also supplies an array of richly brewed coffee, ready-to drink beverages, cold blended beverages, various types of premium teas, Italian-style espresso beverages, beverage related equipments and accessories and a myriad of complementary food items. As a result, the company has managed to operate in more than 50 countries where it runs about 15,000 retail stores in the US only. From the year 2001 to 2005, Starbucks managed to open approximately 1,200 stores on a yearly basis. During the same period the company man aged to go public by issuing an IPO. This enabled it to increase its revenues from $2.17 billion to approximately $5.39 billion. Its net earnings also drastically increased from $94.9 million to about $494.5 million. Moreover, Starbucks is committed to developing a long-lasting connection with its customers wherever it is located thereby bringing an exceptional experience to all.

Why Did Collective Security Fail In The 1930s History Essay

Why Did Collective Security Fail In The 1930s History Essay The 1930s saw the failure of the League of Nations in terms of Collective Security. Several shortcomings and problems resulted on three major crises that proved the League to be helpless. In the grip of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the major powers of the League (Britain and France) were more inclined to a policy of appeasement. Basically a more liberal alternative to the Balance of Theory, Collective Security was the idea that nations should group together in condemnation of any aggressor and pursue sanctions against them, whether economical, diplomatic, or military. This idea was enshrined in Articles 10, 11, and 16 of the Leagues Covenant. There was, however, a major flaw in the Leagues proposal of Collective Security; none of it was enforceable, nations could choose whether or not comply, therefore making it little more than a code of honour, and since when has honour ever been of any value on politics when it comes to each nations interests? The aforementioned articles do not specify any particular sanctions or punishments for offending nations, merely stating that the Council will advise upon the course of action to be taken. Following the major events of the 1930s, the League failed spectacularly in upholding international peace and the Second World War broke out in 1939. The League did not meet once during the war and in 1946, its duties were given to the newly formed United Nations. Aside from the three major crises that occurred (which will be looked into later in this paper) there were some basic problems that prevented Collective Security from ever being a reality. Firstly, the USA preferred an isolationist policy at the time, and was therefore not a member of the League of Nations, and their support and influence was therefore absent from all negotiations. Even thought the Americans would voice their opinion at times, they took no action. In terms of their military, Britain and France were in a very weak state, and the world knew it Therefore, their diplomacy help very little sway as they could not back up their threats with any action; this, plus a lack of Soviet support, meant they could do little but shake their heads at the antics of rogue states such as Germany, Japan, and Italy. Economically, they were also very weak. The Great Depression had hit both nations hard and their defence spending was down. Furthermore, in British politics, it was the common opinion of politicians that the British public cared little for issues far from home. Who among the public would care for the Manchurians, or Ethiopians, or Czechoslovakians? In the grip of such a terrible depression, it is easy to see why the British politicians would only seek to improve conditions at home. They therefore only declared support for economic sanctions, merely to keep a good image in international politics. It is interesting to note that Winston Churchill, when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, was a strong opponent of appeasement. The first major challenge to Collective Security was the Mukden Incident and subsequent Japanese invasion of Manchuria in China. Japan was as hard hit as any other nation by the depression and sought to overcome its economic problems by creating an empire. At the time, the Japanese had control of the Manchurian railway and it was speculated that they had for a long time intended to invade, but simply waited for an excuse to do so. In 1931, the Japanese claimed the railway in Mukden was sabotaged by Chinese nationalists and proceeded to attack the Chinese army in the region (who had recently executed a Japanese spy). The Chinese forces, knowing that the Japanese simply wanted an excuse to invade, offered very little resistance. In no time at all, the Japanese had launched a full scale invasion and their tenacious and well trained troops had no problem in overcoming the Chinese army. Within weeks, key locations in Manchuria were already in Japanese hands and by February 1932 the whole of Manchuria was captured. The Japanese controlled state of Manchukuo was set up the same year with the former Chinese emperor running it. In response to this, China appealed to the League of Nations to do something about the Japanese attack. The League sent a delegation to Manchuria to look into the issue and come to a conclusion about who was to blame. The delegation, however, took until September that year to conclude that the Japanese were to blame and recommend that Manchuria be returned to the Chinese, something the Japanese ignored. In February 1933, a special League Assembly was held to discuss the matter, in which 40 countries agreed that Japan had acted aggressively without justification and that they had to withdraw from Manchuria, which would be returned to China. The Japanese delegate had said at the meeting, due to the fact that China had only recently emerged from a revolution and was still in the midst of a civil war, that China was not a real country. When an agreement could not be reached, Japan informed the League of its intention to withdraw from it. Japan was no longer a member of the League of Nati ons and in 1933 invaded Jehal, the next Chinese province next to Manchuria. Economic sanctions were suggested at the League but never put into effect because Japans main trade partner, the USA, was not a member of the League. Further, the British had trade interests with Japan and did not want to sever trade with them. The League did not even order a halt on arms sales to the Japanese, in fear of a Japanese declaration of war. The next incident to threaten Collective Security was the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. Ironically, as recently as September 1928, Italy had reaffirmed its Treaty of Friendship with Ethiopia. This was, however, all about to change. The Italians did have some fortified military bases in Ethiopia (without Ethiopian consent it should be added) and because these were never disputed they assumed that the international community recognised it as their right. In December 1934, at a base in Welwel, Ethiopia, an Anglo-Ethiopian boundary commission encountered an Italian fortified base. Once the commission had finished, it withdrew, but left behind its Ethiopian military escort. The escort ended up fighting the Italians. Both parties complained of the others guilt. In September 1935, the League of Nations exonerated both parties in this incident. However, due to the delay and the subtlety of the British and French political manoeuvrings, Mussolini perceived the weakness and helplessness of the British and French, and concluded that there were no obstacles in his path. Therefore, on October 3rd, 1935, Italian forces invaded Ethiopia from Eritrea and Italian Somaliland without a declaration of war. Four days later, the League unanimously declared Italy an aggressor but did nothing further. In another display of belligerence, an Italian Baron in Geneva taunted the League of Nations, saying that Italy was ready for war with Europe should they oppose Italys plans, and that peace would soon follow. The Ethiopian armies were no match against Italys modern army with its tanks and aircraft and after seven months of war, Ethiopia was defeated and its emperor, Haile Selassie, had fled the country, much to the disgust of the Ethiopian people. During the wa r, the Italians had even used poison gas against the Ethiopians and the Leagues proposed armaments embargo was ignored. In June the following year, Haile Selassie was in Geneva, and gave a speech to the League of Nations. He said that they had to now decide whether they supported Collective Security, or International Lawlessness. This was all of to avail, as Britain and France soon recognised Italys control of Ethiopia and, also in June, the Italians formed a constitution that joined Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Italian Somaliland into one administrative unit, split into 6 provinces. In response to a failed assassination attempt on the Italian commander in Ethiopia, Graziani, the Italians executed 30,000 Ethiopians, mostly from the young and educated in society. Italy had extended its empire as the Leagues members merely dithered and debated among themselves. The third and final crisis that more or less finished off the League and brought about the end of Collective Security was the Munich Agreement and Germanys subsequent invasion of Eastern Europe. The nation of Czechoslovakia was formed in 1919 from territory of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. In a typically cack-handed attempt by the Allies at creating a post-WWI nation, the country had around 7.5million Czechs, 3.2million Germans, 2.3million Slovaks, 560,000 Magyars, and 100,000 Poles. This multiethnic society had many issues, particularly among the Germans, who resented being ruled by others. The Germans were mainly concentrated in an area called the Sudetenland. The Sudeten Germans Peoples Party, formed in 1931, had demanded that the region be given to Germany; a demand ignored by the Czech government because it could encourage other ethnicities in Czechoslovakia to demand independence and because the Sudetenland was very rich in natural resources like lignite and coal. Therefore, in 1938, Adolf Hitler instructed his generals to prepare for the invasion of Czechoslovakia. Although France had signed a defence pact with Czechoslovakia, Hitler was confident that the French would do nothing to interfere in order to avoid war with Germany. The British policy favoured peace above all else because it was simply not in any position to impose any threats on Germany. The might of Britains armed forces was the Royal Navy, which could not access the landlocked nation of Czechoslovakia and the Royal Air Force was still undergoing a change from biplane to monoplane aircraft and was therefore in no fit state for action, especially against Germanys Luftwaffe, whose might Hitler had been displaying for quite some time. Therefore, Neville Chamberlain (prime minister of Britain) and Edouard Deladier (president of France) met with Hitler in a place called Bertesgaden, near Munich, to discuss Germanys claim to the Sudetenland. Chamberlain was informed by his military staff that in the first 60days of fighting alone, despite the capable Czechoslovakian army, over a million Czechoslovakians would be killed by the German bombing alone, necessitating the need for mass graves. The British and French propose that all territory in Czechoslovakia with more than 50% German population should be handed over to Germany. These talks, however, failed, and, at Mussolinis suggestion, Hitler calls for a meeting to be held in Munich between Britain, France, Germany, and Italy to discuss the matter again. It is noteworthy that Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union were not invited to these talked, much to the anger of Joseph Stalin. This time, Chamberlain persuades Deladier that they must appease Germany in order to mainta in peace, which he agrees on. Without Czechoslovakian consent, the British and French bowed to Hitlers demands and signed the Munich agreement, giving Germany the Sudetenland and making it clear to the Czechoslovakians that, if they objected, they had to face Germanys army alone. This was done on the condition that Germany would make no further territorial claims. Chamberlain returns to Britain and is hailed as the man who saved Europe from war. The Czechoslovakian frontier guards were ordered to leave their posts; Germany took control of the Sudetenland, and soon violated the agreement by stationing military units in the region. These three incidents in the 1930s completely undermined the whole concept of Collective Security. Collective Security sought to condemn and punish aggressors, to protect the sovereignty of its members, and maintain peace in general. The League of Nations failed in this respect, the biggest proof of this is the Second World War that followed these events. The British and French merely tried to appease the aggressive states, a policy which only delayed war. Furthermore, the USA maintained its isolationist policy until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, when they finally entered the war. The League was powerless to enforce any effective sanctions against offending states, often due to an unwillingness to act on the part of the British and French, their inability to cooperate with Russia, and Americas abstention from taking part. Whether or not the powers could have enforced the Leagues decisions is a debateable point. According to Churchill, the Royal Navy was perfectly capable of sinking any Italian ship in the Mediterranean headed for Ethiopia. It could also be argued that Britain could have used its Navy, in agreement with Frances more considerable Army, to force Germany to come to terms. Although the Royal Navy could not access Czechoslovakia, it could still have threatened to blockade German ports if Germany wanted to invade. Instead, the British signed a treaty with Hitler allowing Germany to have a navy one third the size of Britains. The British and French did not prevent the Italians from using the Suez Canal during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and the fact that they merely threatened sanctions but did not enforce them achieved nothing but to push Italy into an alliance with Nazi Germany. To top all of this, the Soviets tried to invade Finland in 1939-40. Stalin was worried about the proximity of Leningrad to the Finnish border, which he feared was vulnerable to Nazi artillery fire. When the Soviets attacked, the British and French condemned it, and sent reinforcements to Finland that ousted the Soviets. This seems like the British and French realising, too late, that they had lost the fight for peace. The Second World War began with Germanys violation of the Munich Agreement by invading Poland. Too late the British and French took up arms to fight for peace. Germany already controlled much land beyond its borders, Italy had furthered its imperial ambitions in Africa, and Japan was steadily spreading its empire in Asia and the Pacific. Collective Security had therefore failed in all respects. The First World War was called the War to End All Wars and the League of Nations was established in an effort to prevent another global conflict; it failed, another World War was fought, and the League did not meet once during the 6 years of conflict. In 1946, its duties were transferred to the newly created United Nations. Sources: http://www.americanforeignrelations.com/A-D/Collective-Security-The-1930s-and-the-failure-of-the-league-of-nations.html http://www.johndclare.net/league_of_nations8.htm http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=23501 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/id/88739.htm http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/leagcov.asp http://modern-british-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_understand_appeasement http://www.johndclare.net/league_of_nations6.htm http://www.johndclare.net/EL5.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWleague.htm http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/czechoslovakia_1938.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0212881/invfin.html http://www.country-studies.com/ethiopia/mussolini%27s-invasion-and-the-italian-occupation.html

Saving Private Ryan :: essays research papers

The book I read and am doing a presentation on is called Saving Private Ryan by Max Allen Collins. Saving Private Ryan is about the heroism of soldiers of soldiers and their duty during wartime, World War Two. This story is to remind you, the reader, that war is nothing but hell, orders on the front line can be brutal, and absurd. The story is set in Europe of 1944, as the Nazis are still advancing and taking over cities and countries. On June 6th, 1944, Captain Miller, and hundreds of other men leave Europe to accomplish one mission, Operation Overlord, also known as D-Day. When they get there, there will be a new task awaiting them. In saving Private Ryan, the same character is Capt. Miller. He is the leader of a squad of 7 men on a mission to save Pvt. James Ryan. Capt. Miller is a â€Å"to himself person†. He does not talk much when not in battle, and when he does talk, he is giving out orders. Capt. Miller played a major roll in this book. He was in charge of Company C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, when landing on Omaha Beach. He then had to lead the 7 men on a long mission to save Private James Ryan. Private James Ryan is a very sociable person. He lost 3 brothers in the war, which is why he is getting sent home. I said he is sociable because when he was rescued towards the end, he enjoyed talking to Capt. Miller very much. He would tell stories about his childhood before he left for basic, with his 3 brothers. There were 7 men under Miller’s Command. They were Sgt. Horvath, Pvt. Reiben, Pvt. Jackson, Pvt. Mellish, Pvt. Caparzo, Medic Wade, and Cpl. Upham. They all fought against the German resistance to save Pvt. Ryan. One metaphor that was said in the novel was â€Å"Sounds like the Midnight Limited†. This was said by Pvt. Caparzo on the boat before they landed on the beaches. He was describing the boat movement as is sailed through the water. After reading Saving Private Ryan by Max Allen Collins, I would say the overall theme of the novel is heroic. I believe the overall mood of the novel is heroic because eight men took on a mission to save one soldiers life. I would say the overall mood/tone of this novel is courage.