IT †Foundations of Computing and Communication Essay

There is no doubt that with the increased availability of Communications and Information Technology, students often consider themselves as they know every information that their universities are providing with. Even parents are misguided by their children when they come to know that their children are capable of operating computers and gaining Internet access. However, the situation is just opposite of what is percept by the parents. Students operate computers thereby gaining access to Internet, not to learn new concepts and technological advancements to keep updated, but to be a part of entertainment provided by the Internet such as complex online games, chatting on workgroups, etc. Such widespread availability of Technology does not make any individual, literate enough to consider his class room studies outdated. In this context it would not be wrong to say that technology and communications (Example multimedia software and Internet access) brings a vast array of image-based information into the classroom. Before becoming available via the computer, this kind of information was found in the universities library and, on occasions, through the use of 16mm film, filmstrips and, later, videotape and then cassette. (Abbott, 2000, p. 6) Recent UK government policy on ICT is supported by five research reports from the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA). The most recent report was an analysis and investigation of the associations between ‘high level’ and ‘low level’ usage of IT (networked technologies) and the educational attainment of pupils at university stages. This was due to the reason students became over confident however there was a positive and satisfactory probability for acquiring ‘high’ ICT and pupil attainment in most of the associations (various subjects at different key stages) but in most cases this association was not statistically significant (7 out of 12 associations) and those associations that were statistically significant typically observed only very small effects. The most amazing aspect of the report was that the critical analysis negates the methods and data presented in the reports that does not consistently support the conclusions drawn by the government policy documents. Indeed, some of the data can be interpreted as showing that ICT is ineffective for students who misuse them. According to Andrews, â€Å"In addition, the evidence presented in the report was based on observational data and it is not by any means possible to establish and sustain a causal relationship between the level of ICT use and the educational attainment of the pupils because the observed effects could have been due to other known or unknown variables†. (Andrews, 2004, p. 34) The role of the learner should not by any means conflict with that of the teacher, as every teacher has his/her own teaching style. Therefore in situations where students consider IT learning available on every doorstep, it would not be right for a student to consider technological learning useless or underestimate the teacher’s lecture. Every teacher has its own mode and style of teaching IT which universities understand. Even most educational systems do not respond quickly to technological advances. Educational institutions act as a domain where universities are, by their very nature, conservators of prior knowledge, accepted understandings and proven methodologies. According to Mellon (1999) â€Å"Technology cannot guarantee learning as we cannot force students to learn; every student has a unique learning style followed by his teachers and teachers has their own importance in the eyes of the student even more important than the most sophisticated educational tools† (Mellon, 1999, p. 34). Mellon is right to the extent until students are keen to learn technological advancements, but obviously it is not the responsibility of a teacher who spends hours of hard work in preparing computing lectures. This is evident from the case study in which I interviewed Dr. Jack Thomas, a professor of Information systems at Glasgow University. Being a computer lecturer, Mr. Thomas still updates his knowledge every week, and in order to conduct a session he needs to prepare his lectures according to the student’s learning skills. He often conducts hands on experience session in which he wants his students’ to be technically acquainted with the changing IT trends. However in a course study of . NET framework class, in the very beginning of a lecture he found majority of the class was not serious about learning and in the last lecture he acknowledged that the remaining half of the students who actively participated in . NET session were not able to resolve simple . NET programming questions. According to Mcghee (2003) the new system which emerged in 2002 and highlighted various issues regarding information that universities would have or should have anyway and which is in any event assumed to be information normally produced by the HEI for its own internal QA procedures, has failed to identify the major cause of lacking skills among IT students. The QAA and HEFCE distinguish between information which should be available in all universities at a high level to enable academic quality and standards to be monitored, such as summaries of external examiners’ reports. (Mcghee, 2003, p. 44) An understanding of the importance of organisational culture in universities is important in designing quality assurance processes to apply to the use of ICT in teaching and learning, in making sure they are appropriate, and in being confident that they will gain acceptance. Effective management of universities is improved when the values of professional groups with strong shared cultures align with the organisational culture of the University. The design of quality assurance processes in teaching needs concerns about the values and roles of such groups, and to build on them from the top down and the bottom up, to maximise the effectiveness of such quality assurance processes. As far as quality is concerned, every year universities in UK traditionally work through coordination of collective decision-making processes, and this provides an important basis upon which issues relating to quality are played out. (Bhanot & Fallows, 2005, p. 23) It is therefore crucial to ensuring a student-centred approach to teaching and learning that quality assurance guidelines and measurable standards and performance indicators were established top down to adhere to standards, and bottom up to integrate with teachers’ judgements on the appropriateness of the educational applications of the technology. The real power of digital technology can be achieved only when we take advantage of the shift from the one-to-many character of broadcast media, to the many-to-many ability of digital networks. To this end, the most productive early applications of digital technology in higher education involved using computer conferencing, electronic mail, listservs (threaded discussions), and other computer-based collaboration technology to link together both students and faculty in highly interactive learning communities, unconstrained by geographical location or time. Students already make extensive use of digital technology for informal learning, typically without the involvement or even the awareness of the faculty. They build study groups, in some cases spanning several academic institutions, working together to seek information, answer questions, and develop learning skills. In a very real sense, such study groups based on computer networks are providing students with greater control over their educational experiences. They also represent a trend in which students construct their own consortia of learning resources and academic institutions just as the faculty build their own research consortia. Of course, these network-based student groups represent an important step toward active student learning. (In fact, when students are asked how they could best spend time on their college academic programs, they invariably rank student study groups at the very top, far above individual study or class attendance. ) On the other hand, today’s concept of a teacher is not what was in the past that a teacher is one who develops and presents knowledge to passive students. Today, faculty members who have become experts in certain subfields are expected to identify the key knowledge content for a course based in front of their students with an aim to inspire or impress their students. Only in this manner the students’ accept their tutors they should look forward to gain knowledge. Frequently, others, including graduate teaching assistants and professional staff, are assigned the role of working directly with students, helping them to learn, and providing them with guidance and counselling. In a future increasingly dominated by sophisticated educational commodities and hyper learning experiences, the role of the faculty member will shift. In the new paradigms where the demand of IT is increasing in our social and economic gatherings, the role of the faculty member has become that of nurturing and guiding active learning, not identifying and presenting content that is, they will be expected to inspire, motivate, manage, and coach students. (Atkins et al, 2002, p. 65) The widespread use of Information Technology does not mean that in a world driven by knowledge, students’ starts considering IT learning useless, enough or off-again experience. There is a need for people to realise that the only solution is to engage in continuous learning so that they can keep themselves and their skills updated. This need suggests that the relationship between a student, professor and the university may change just as we know that a student if gains technical skills of technology subjects can be ahead of his professor. Computer literacy courses were initially encounter between technical education in learning centres and theoretical education in universities, they emerged as a culture that regards microcomputer technology as a revolutionary social force, and faculty who regard the computer instrumentally as a tool or machine. Computer experts call IT knowledge that enables them to get command over mastery over the computer ‘problem solving’, which includes heuristics (‘powerful ideas’), attitudes about control (‘giving commands’), and social relations (‘consulting’) that transform the relationship between human and machine. (Shields, 1995, p. 24) Progressive reformers could not carry out their mastery program in IT earlier in the 20th century due to the reason that they did not have the means to deliver such individualised instruction. The advent of computer changed the Progressive movement thinking towards importance of students controlling their own learning; it had no way to create an environment that would allow such self-management to occur. (Schank, 1995, p. 67) Computer technology has made today’s students to acquire individualised attention and real possibility and possess the ability to present students with tasks they are interested in doing. The technical skills emerged from the IT has offerred students the possibility of becoming inquisitive, the possibility of exploration, and the possibility of recovery from failure that is free from embarrassment. Computer systems can free education centres and universities to follow the course prescribed by the processes of natural learning. In the same manner as understanding the place of technology and technological innovation requires an understanding of the culture in which the technology is embedded, in order to grasp the technological concepts a student has to understand and grasp the changes to IT. Computers where on one hand offer students to explore technology from the ground root level, on the other hand computers affects the ways students live and work in the context of existing individual and group social patterns. The Littlefield students did not believe that their increased access to computers distinguished them from other freshmen in significant ways, and our observations support this belief. Instead of isolating individuals, as computers are sometimes thought to do, the Littlefield network reinforced community life; the computers and the network presented a set of shared problems, the solutions to which were discovered through a set of shared resources. In this way, students’ interaction with the computers and with each other were typical of their behaviour in other domains. (Shields, 1995, p. 142)

A Dirty Job Chapter 25

25 THE RHYTHM OF LOST AND FOUND The Emperor was camped in some bushes near an open culvert that drained into Lobos Creek in the Presidio, the land point on the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate where forts had stood from the time of the Spanish, but had recently been turned into a park. The Emperor had wandered the city for days, calling into storm drains, following the sound of his lost soldier's barking. The faithful retriever Lazarus had led him here, one of the few drains in the city where the Boston terrier might be able to exit without being washed into the Bay. They camped under a camouflage poncho and waited. Mercifully, it hadn't rained since Bummer had chased the squirrel into the storm sewer, but dark clouds had been bubbling over the City for two days now, and whether or not they were bringing rain, they made the Emperor fear for his city. â€Å"Ah, Lazarus,† said the Emperor, scratching his charge behind the ears, â€Å"if we had even half the courage of our small comrade, we would go into that drain and find him. But what are we without him, our courage, our valor? Steady and righteous we may be, my friend, but without courage to risk ourselves for our brother, we are but politicians – blustering whores to rhetoric.† Lazarus growled low and hunkered back under the poncho. The sun had just set, but the Emperor could see movement back in the culvert. As he climbed to his feet, the six-foot pipe was filled with a creature that crawled out and virtually unfolded in the creekbed – a huge, bullheaded thing, with eyes that glowed green and wings that unfurled like leathery umbrellas. As they watched the creature took three steps and leapt into the twilight sky, his wings beating like the sails of a death ship. The Emperor shuddered, and considered for a moment moving their camp into the City proper, perhaps passing the night on Market Street, with people and policemen streaming by, but then he heard the faintest barking coming from deep in the culvert. Audrey was showing them around the Buddhist center, which, except for the office in the front, and a living room that had been turned into a meditation room, looked very much like any other sprawling Victorian home. Austere and Oriental in its decor, yes, and perhaps the smell of incense permeating it, but still, just a big old house. â€Å"It's just a big old house, really,† she said, leading them into the kitchen. Minty Fresh was making Audrey feel a little uncomfortable. He kept picking at bits of duct-tape adhesive that had stuck to the sleeve of his green jacket, and giving Audrey a look like he was saying, This better come out when it's dry-cleaned or it's your ass. His size alone was intimidating, but now a series of large knots were rising on his forehead where he'd smacked the doorway, and he looked vaguely like a Klingon warrior, except for the pastel-green suit, of course. Maybe the agent for a Klingon warrior. â€Å"So,† he said, â€Å"if the squirrel people thought I was a bad guy, why did they save me from the sewer harpy in the train last week? They attacked her and gave me time to get away.† Audrey shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. They were supposed to just watch you and report back. They must have seen that what was after you was much worse than you. They are human, at heart, you know.† She paused in front of the pantry door and turned to them. She hadn't seen the debacle in the street, but Esther had been watching through the window and had told her what had happened – about the womanlike creatures that had been coming after Charlie. Evidently these strange men were allies of a sort, practicing what she had taken on as her holy work: helping souls to move to their next existence. But the method? Could she trust them? â€Å"So, from what you guys are saying, there are thousands of humans walking around without souls?† â€Å"Millions, probably,† Charlie said. â€Å"Maybe that explains the last election,† she said, trying to buy time. â€Å"You said you could see if people had one,† said Minty Fresh. He was right, but she'd seen the soulless and never thought about their sheer numbers, and what happened when the dead didn't match with the born. She shook her head. â€Å"So the transfer of souls depends on material acquisition? That's just so – I don't know – sleazy.† â€Å"Audrey, believe me,† Charlie said, â€Å"we're both as baffled by the mechanics of it as you are, and we're instruments of it.† She looked at Charlie, really looked at him. He was telling the truth. He had come here to do the right thing. She threw open the pantry door and the red light spilled out on them. The pantry was nearly as big as a modern bedroom, and every shelf from floor to ceiling and most of the floor space was covered with glowing soul vessels. â€Å"Jeez,† Charlie said. â€Å"I got as many as I could – or, the squirrel people did.† Minty Fresh ducked into the pantry and stood in front of a shelf full of CDs and records. He grabbed a handful and started shuffling through them, then turned to her, holding up a half-dozen CD cases fanned out. â€Å"These are from my store.† â€Å"Yes. We got all of them,† Audrey said. â€Å"You broke into my store.† â€Å"She kept them from the bad guys, Minty,† Charlie said, stepping in the pantry. â€Å"She probably saved them, maybe saved us.† â€Å"No way, man, none of this would be happening if it wasn't for her.† â€Å"No, it was always going to happen. I saw it in the other Great Big Book, in Arizona.† â€Å"I was just trying to help them,† Audrey said. Charlie was staring at the CDs in Minty's hand. He seemed to have fallen into some sort of trance, and reached out and took the CDs as if he were moving through some thick liquid – then shuffled away all but one, which he just stared at, then flipped over to look at the back. He sat down hard in the pantry and Audrey caught his head to keep him from bumping it on the shelf behind him. â€Å"Charlie,† she said. â€Å"Are you okay?† Minty Fresh squatted down next to Charlie and looked at the CD – reached for it, but Charlie pulled it away. Minty looked at Audrey. â€Å"It's his wife,† he said. Audrey could see the name Rachel Asher scratched into the back of the CD case and she felt her heart breaking for poor Charlie. She put her arms around him. â€Å"I'm so sorry, Charlie. I'm so sorry.† Tears splattered on the CD case and Charlie wouldn't look up. Minty Fresh stood and cleared his throat, his face clear of any rage or accusation. He seemed almost ashamed. â€Å"Audrey, I've been driving around the City for days, I could sure use a place to lie down if you have it.† She nodded, her face against Charlie's back. â€Å"Ask Esther, she'll show you.† Minty Fresh ducked out of the pantry. Audrey held Charlie and rocked him for a long time, and even though he was lost in the world of that CD that held the love of his life, and she was outside, crouched in a pantry that glowed red with cosmic bric-a-brac, she cried with him. After an hour passed, or maybe it was three, because that's the way time is in grief and love, Charlie turned to her and said, â€Å"Do I have a soul?† â€Å"What?† she said. â€Å"You said you could see people's souls glowing in them – do I have a soul?† â€Å"Yes, Charlie. Yes, you have a soul.† He nodded, turning away from her again, but pushing back against her. â€Å"You want it?† he said. â€Å"Nah, I'm good,† she said. But she wasn't. She took the CD out of his hand, pried his hands off of it, really, and put it with the others. â€Å"Let's let Rachel rest and go in the other room.† â€Å"Okay,† Charlie said. He let her help him up. Upstairs, in a little room with cushions all over the floor and pictures of the Buddha reclining amid lotuses, they sat and talked by candlelight. They'd shared their histories, of how they had come to be where they were, what they were, and with that out of the way, they talked about their losses. â€Å"I've seen it again and again,† Charlie said. â€Å"More with men than with women, but definitely with both – a wife or husband dies, and it's like the survivor is roped to him like a mountain climber who's fallen into a crevasse. If the survivor can't let go – cut them loose, I guess – the dead will drag them right into the grave. I think that would have happened to me, if it wasn't for Sophie, and maybe even becoming a Death Merchant. There was something bigger than me going on, something bigger than my pain. That's the only reason I made it this far.† â€Å"Faith,† Audrey said. â€Å"Whatever that is. It's funny, when Esther came to me, she was angry. Dying and angry – she said that she'd believed in Jesus all her life, now she was dying and He said she was going to live forever.† â€Å"So you told her, ‘Sucks to be you, Esther.'† Audrey threw a cushion at him. She liked the way that he could find the silliness in such dark territory. â€Å"No, I told her that He told her that she'd live forever, but He didn't say how. Her faith hadn't been betrayed at all, she just needed to open to a broader understanding.† â€Å"Which was total bullshit,† Charlie said. Another cushion bounced off his forehead. â€Å"No, it wasn't moo-poo. If anyone should understand the significance of the book not covering everything in detail, it should be you – us.† â€Å"You can't say ‘bullshit,' can you?† Audrey felt herself blush and was glad they were in the dim orange candlelight. â€Å"I'm talking faith, over here, you want to give me a break?† â€Å"Sorry. I know – or, I think I know what you mean. I mean, I know that there's some sort of order to all this, but I don't know how someone can reconcile, say, a Catholic upbringing with a Tibetan Book of the Dead, with a Great Big Book of Death, secondhand dealers selling objects with human souls, and vicious raven women in the sewers. The more I know, the less I understand. I'm just doing.† â€Å"Well, the Bardo Thodrol talks about hundreds of monsters you will encounter as your consciousness makes its journey into death and rebirth, but you're instructed to ignore them, as they are illusions, your own fears trying to keep your consciousness from moving on. They can't really harm you.† â€Å"I think this may be something they left out of the book, Audrey, because I've seen them, I've fought with them, wrenched souls out of their grasp, watched them take bullets and get hit by cars and keep going – they are definitely not illusions and they definitely can hurt you. The Great Big Book isn't clear about the specifics, but it definitely talks about the Forces of Darkness trying to take over our world, and how the Luminatus will rise and do battle with them.† â€Å"Luminatus?† Audrey said. â€Å"Something to do with light?† â€Å"The big Death,† Charlie said. â€Å"Death with a capital D. Sort of the Kahuna, the Big Cheese, the Boss Death. Like Minty and the other Death Merchants would be Santa's helpers, the Luminatus would be Santa.† â€Å"Santa Claus is the big Death?!† Audrey said, wide-eyed. â€Å"No, that's just an example – † Charlie saw she was trying not to laugh. â€Å"Hey, I've been bruised and electrocuted and tied up and traumatized tonight.† â€Å"So my seduction strategy is working?† Audrey grinned. Charlie was flustered. â€Å"I didn't – I wasn't – was I staring at your breasts? Because if I was, it was totally by accident, because, you know – there they were, and – â€Å" â€Å"Shh.† She reached over and put her finger on his lips to shush him. â€Å"Charlie, I feel very close to you right now, and very connected to you right now, and I want to keep that connection going, but I'm exhausted, and I don't think I can talk anymore. I think I'd like you to come to bed with me.† â€Å"Really? Are you sure?† â€Å"Am I sure? I haven't had sex in fourteen years – and if you'd asked me yesterday, I'd have told you that I'd rather face one of your raven monsters than go to bed with a man, but now I'm here, with you, and I'm as sure as I've ever been of anything.† She smiled, then looked away. â€Å"I mean, if you are.† Charlie took her hand. â€Å"Yeah,† he said. â€Å"But I was going to tell you something important.† â€Å"Can't it wait till morning?† â€Å"Sure.† They spent the night in each other's arms, and whatever fears or insecurities they had been feeling turned out to be illusions. Loneliness evaporated off of them like the steam off dry ice, and by morning it was just a cloud on the ceiling of the room, then gone with the light. During the night someone had picked up the dining-room table and cleaned up the mess Minty Fresh had made when he crashed through the kitchen door. He was sitting at the table when Charlie came down. â€Å"They towed my car,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"There's coffee.† â€Å"Thanks.† Charlie skipped across the dining room to the kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down with Minty. â€Å"How's your head?† The big man touched the purple bruise on his forehead. â€Å"Better. How're you doing?† â€Å"I accidentally shagged a monk last night.† â€Å"Sometimes, in times of crisis, that shit cannot be avoided. How are you doing besides that?† â€Å"I feel wonderful.† â€Å"Yeah, imagine the rest of us all bummed about the end of the world, not being cheerful.† â€Å"Not the end of the world, just darkness over everything,† Charlie cheerfully said. â€Å"It gets dark – turn on a light.† â€Å"Good for you, Charlie. Now ‘scuse me, I got to go get my car out of impound before you start with the whole ‘if life gives you lemons you make lemonade' speech and I have to beat you senseless.† (It's true, there is little more obnoxious than a Beta Male in love. So conditioned is he to the idea that he will never find love, that when he does, he feels as if the entire world has fallen into step with his desires – and thus deluded, he may act accordingly. It's a time of great joy and danger for him.) â€Å"Wait, we can share a cab. I have to go home and get my date book.† â€Å"Me, too. I left mine on the front seat of the car. You know those two clients I missed – they're here. Alive.† â€Å"Audrey told me,† Charlie said. â€Å"There's six of them altogether. She did that p'howa of undying thing on them. Obviously that's what's been causing the cosmic shit storm, but what can we do? We can't kill them.† â€Å"No, I think it's what you said. The battle is going to happen here in San Francisco and it's going to happen now. And since you're the Luminatus, I guess this whole thing is riding on your shoulders. So I'd say we're doomed.† â€Å"Maybe not. I mean, every time they've almost gotten me, something or someone has intervened to pull out a victory. I think destiny is on our side. I feel very optimistic about this.† â€Å"That's just because you just shagged the monk,† said Minty. â€Å"I'm not a monk,† said Audrey, bounding into the room with a sheaf of papers in hand. â€Å"Oh, shit,† said the Death Merchants in unison. â€Å"No, it's okay,† Audrey said. â€Å"He did shag me, or, I think more appropriately – we shagged – but I'm not a monk anymore. Not because of the shagging, you know, it was a preshag decision.† She threw her papers on the table and climbed into Charlie's lap. â€Å"Hey, good-looking, how's your morning going?† She gave him a backbreaking kiss and entwined him like a starfish trying to open an oyster until Minty Fresh cleared his throat and she turned to him. â€Å"And good morning to you, Mr. Fresh.† â€Å"Yes. Thank you.† Minty leaned to the side so he could see Charlie. â€Å"Whether they were here for you, or for our clients who didn't die, they'll be back, you know that?† â€Å"The Morrigan?† said Audrey. â€Å"Huh,† said the Death Merchants, again in chorus. â€Å"You guys are so cute,† Audrey gushed. â€Å"They're called the Morrigan. Raven women – personifications of death in the form of beautiful warrior women who can change into birds. There are three of them, all part of the same collective queen of the Underworld known as the Morrigan.† Charlie leaned back from her so he could look her in the eye. â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"I just looked it up on the Internet.† Audrey climbed out of Charlie's lap, picked up the papers on the table, and began to read. â€Å"‘The Morrigan consists of three distinct entities: Macha, who haunts the battlefield, and takes heads of warriors as tribute in battle – she is said to be able to heal a warrior from mortal wounds in the field, if his men have offered enough heads to her. The Celtic warriors called the severed heads Macha's acorns. She is considered the mother goddess of the three. Babd is rage, the passion of battle and killing – she was said to collect the seed of fallen warriors, and use its power to inspire a sexual frenzy for battle, a literal bloodlust. And Nemain, who is frenzy, was said to drive soldiers into battle with a howl so fierce that it could cause enemy soldiers to die of fright – her claws were venomous and the mere prick of one would kill a soldier, but she would fling the venom into the eyes of enemy soldie rs to blind them.'† â€Å"That's them,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"I saw venom come from the claws of the one on the BART.† â€Å"Yeah,† Charlie said, â€Å"and I think I remember Babd – the bloodlust one. That's them. I have to talk to Lily. I sent her to Berkeley to find out about them, but she came back with nothing. She must have not even looked.† â€Å"Yeah, ask her if she's seeing anybody,† Minty Fresh said. To Audrey: â€Å"Did it say how you kill them? What their weaknesses are?† Audrey shook her head. â€Å"Just that warriors took dogs into battle to protect against the Morrigan.† â€Å"Dogs,† Charlie echoed. â€Å"That explains why my daughter got the hellhounds to protect her. I'm telling you, Fresh, we're going to be okay. Destiny is on our side.† â€Å"Yeah, you said that. Call us a cab.† â€Å"I wonder why of all the different gods and demons in the Underworld, the Celtic ones are here.† â€Å"Maybe they're all here,† Minty said. â€Å"I had a crazy Indian tell me once that I was the son of Anubis, the Egyptian jackal-headed god of the dead.† â€Å"That's great!† Charlie said. â€Å"A jackal – that's a type of dog. You have natural abilities to battle the Morrigan, see.† Minty looked at Audrey. â€Å"If you don't do something to disappoint him and mellow his ass out, I'm going to shoot him.† â€Å"Oh yeah,† Charlie said. â€Å"Can I still borrow one of your big guns?† Minty unfolded to his feet. â€Å"I'm going outside to call a cab and wait, Charlie. If you're coming, you better start saying good-bye now, because I'm leaving when it gets here.† â€Å"Swell,† Charlie said, looking adoringly at Audrey. â€Å"I think we're safe in the daylight anyway.† â€Å"Monk shagger,† Minty growled as he ducked under the doorway. Auntie Cassie let Charlie into their small home in the Marina district and Sophie called off the greeting hump of devil dogs almost as soon as it started. â€Å"Daddy!† Charlie swept Sophie up in his arms and squeezed her until she started to change color; then, when Jane came out of the kitchen, he grabbed her in his other arm and hugged her as well. â€Å"Uh, let go,† Jane said, pushing him away. â€Å"You smell like incense.† â€Å"Oh, Jane, I can't believe it, she's so wonderful.† â€Å"He got laid,† Cassandra said. â€Å"You got laid?† Jane said, kissing her brother on the cheek. â€Å"I'm so happy for you. Now let me go.† â€Å"Daddy got laid,† Sophie said to the hellhounds, who seemed very happy at hearing the news. â€Å"No, not laid,† Charlie said, and there was a collective sigh of disappointment. â€Å"Well, yes, laid,† and there was a collective sigh of relief, â€Å"but that's not the thing. The thing is she's wonderful. She's gorgeous, and kind, and sweet, and – â€Å" â€Å"Charlie,† Jane interrupted, â€Å"you called us and told us that there was some great danger and we had to go get Sophie and protect her, and you were going on a date?† â€Å"No, no, there was – is danger, at least in the dark, and I did need you to get Sophie, but I met someone.† â€Å"Daddy got laid!† Sophie cheered again. â€Å"Honey, we don't say that, okay,† Charlie said. â€Å"Auntie Jane and Auntie Cassie shouldn't say that either. It's not nice.† â€Å"Like ‘kitty' and ‘not in the butt'?† â€Å"Exactly, honey.† â€Å"Okay, Daddy. So it wasn't nice?† â€Å"Daddy has to go to our house and get his date book, pumpkin, we'll talk about this later. Give me a kiss.† Sophie gave him a huge hug and a kiss and Charlie thought that he might cry. For so long she had been his only future, his only joy, and now he had this other joy, and he wanted to share it with her. â€Å"I'll come right back, okay?† â€Å"Okay. Let me down.† Charlie let her slide to the floor and she ran off to another part of the house. â€Å"So it wasn't nice?† Jane asked. â€Å"I'm sorry, Jane. This is really crazy. I hate that I put you guys in the middle of it. I didn't mean to scare you.† Jane thumped him in the arm. â€Å"So it was nice?† â€Å"It was really nice,† Charlie said, breaking into a grin. â€Å"She's really nice. She's so nice I miss Mom.† â€Å"Lost me,† Cassandra said. â€Å"Because I'd like Mom to see that I'm doing okay. That I met someone who's good for me. Who's going to be good for Sophie.† â€Å"Whoa, don't jump the gun, there, tiger,† Jane said. â€Å"You just met this woman, you need to slow down – and remember, this comes from someone whose typical second date is moving a woman in.† â€Å"Slut,† Cassie murmured. â€Å"I mean it, Jane. She's amazing.† Cassie looked at Jane. â€Å"You were right, he really did need to get laid.† â€Å"That's not it!† Charlie's cell rang. â€Å"Excuse me, guys.† He flipped it open. â€Å"Asher, what the hell have you done?† It was Lily. She was crying. â€Å"What the hell have you let loose?† â€Å"What, Lily? What?† â€Å"It was just here. The front window of the shop is gone. Gone! It just came in, ripped through the shop, and took all of your soul thingies. Loaded them into a bag and flew away. Fuck, Asher. I mean FUCK! This thing was huge, and fucking hideous.† â€Å"Yeah, Lily, are you okay? Is Ray okay?† â€Å"Yeah, I'm okay. Ray didn't come in. I ran into the back when it came through the window. It wasn't interested in anything but that shelf. Asher, it was as big as a bull and it fucking flew!† She sounded like she was on the edge of hysteria. â€Å"Hold on, Lily. Stay there and I'll come to you. Go in the back room and don't open the door until you hear me, okay.† â€Å"Asher, what the fuck was that thing?† â€Å"I don't know, Lily.† The bullheaded Death flew into the culvert and immediately fell to all fours to move through the pipe, dragging the bag of souls behind him. Not for much longer – he would not crawl much longer. The time had come, Orcus could feel it. He could feel them converging on the City – the City where he had staked his territory so many years ago – his city. Still, they would come, and they would try to take what was rightfully his. All of the old gods of death: Yama and Anubis and Mors, Thanatos and Charon and Mahakala, Azrael and Emma-O and Ahkoh, Balor, Erebos, and Nyx – dozens of them, gods born of the energy of Man's greatest fear, the fear of death – all of them coming to rise as the leader of darkness and the dead, as the Luminatus. But he had come here first, and with Morrigan, he would become the one. But first he had to marshal his forces, heal the Morrigan, and take down the wretched human soul stealers of the City. The satchel of souls would go a long way toward healing his brides. He marched into the grotto where the great ship was moored and leapt into the air, the beat of his great leathery wings like a war drum, echoing off the grotto walls and sending bats to the wing, swirling around the ship's masts in great clouds. The Morrigan, torn and broken, were waiting for him on the deck. â€Å"What did I tell you?† Babd said. â€Å"It's really not that great Above, huh? I, for one, could do without cars altogether.† Jane drove while Charlie fired out phone calls on his cell, first to Rivera, then to Minty Fresh. Within a half an hour they were all standing in Charlie's store, or the wreckage that had been Charlie's store, and uniformed policemen had taped off the sidewalk until someone could get the glass swept up. â€Å"The tourists have to love this,† Nick Cavuto said, gnawing an unlit cigar. â€Å"Right on the cable-car line. Perfect.† Rivera was sitting in the back room interviewing Lily while Charlie, Jane, and Cassandra tried to sort through the mess and put things back on their shelves. Minty Fresh stood by the front door, wearing shades, looking entirely too cool for the destruction that lay strewn around him. Sophie was content to sit in the corner and feed shoes to Alvin and Mohammed. â€Å"So,† Cavuto said to Charlie, â€Å"some kind of flying monster came through your window and you thought this would be a good place to bring your kid?† Charlie turned to the big cop and leaned on the counter. â€Å"Tell me, Detective, in your professional opinion, what procedure should I use in dealing with robbery by a flying monster? What the fuck is the SFPD giant-fucking-flying-monster protocol, Detective?† Cavuto stood staring at Charlie as if he'd had water thrown in his face, not really angry, just very surprised. Finally, he grinned around his cigar, and said, â€Å"Mr. Asher, I am going to go outside and smoke, call in to the dispatcher, and have her look that particular protocol up. You have stumped me. Would you tell my partner where I've gone?† â€Å"I'll do that,† Charlie said. He went into the office with Lily and Rivera and said, â€Å"Rivera, can I get some police protection here at my apartment – officers with shotguns?† Rivera nodded, patting Lily on the hand as he looked away. â€Å"I can give you two, Charlie, but not for longer than twenty-four hours. You sure you don't want to get out of town?† â€Å"Upstairs we have the security bars and steel doors, we have the hellhounds and Minty Fresh's weapons, and besides, they've already been here. I have a feeling they got what they came for, but the cops would make me feel better.† Lily looked at Charlie. She was in total mascara meltdown and had smudged her lipstick halfway across her face. â€Å"I'm sorry, I thought I would handle it better than this. It was so scary. It wasn't mysterious and cool, it was horrible. The eyes and the teeth – I peed, Asher. I'm sorry.† â€Å"Don't be sorry, kid. You did fine. I'm glad you had the sense to get out of its way.† â€Å"Asher, if you're the Luminatus, that thing must be your competition.† â€Å"What? What is that?† Rivera said. â€Å"It's her weird Gothy stuff, Inspector. Don't worry about it,† Charlie said. He looked through to the door and saw Minty Fresh standing at the front of the shop, looking at him, shrugging, as if saying, Well? So Charlie asked: â€Å"Hey, Lily, are you seeing anyone?† Lily wiped her nose on the sleeve of her chef ‘s coat. â€Å"Look, Asher – I, uh – I'm going to have to withdraw that offer I made you. I mean, after Ray, I'm not sure I really ever want to do that again. Ever.† â€Å"I wasn't asking for me, Lily.† Charlie nodded toward the towering Fresh. â€Å"Oh,† Lily said, following his gaze, now wiping her eyes with her sleeves. â€Å"Oh. Fuck. Cover for me, I've got to regroup.† She dashed into the employee washroom and slammed the door. Rivera looked at Charlie. â€Å"What the hell is going on here?† Charlie was going to try to come up with some kind of answer when his cell phone rang and he held up his finger to pause time. â€Å"Charlie Asher,† he said. â€Å"Charlie, it's Audrey,† came the whispered voice. â€Å"They're here, right now. The Morrigan are here.†

Oedipus the King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oedipus the King - Essay Example Aristotle requirement in poetics supports the character of Oedipus as a humartia because all his traits depicts the character of Oedipus as a whole and no one trait supersedes the others. However, Oedipus will become a social misfit in the society after they discover his actions. It is morally wrong for him to kill an old man even if he was not motivated by taking his wife. Oedipus is not guilty by today’s legal standards. Sophocles arranged the play in a manner that the events of the play happened long ago before the play. For instance, Oedipus is guilty of incest and killing before the play actually opened. Although Oedipus received a curse form his father many years ago, we cannot link his behaviour with the curse in the play. Additionally, play main events are not part of the prophesy itself. That is most of the actions on stage do not form part of prophesy. According to Jones, Oedipus fault does not bear any relations to the actions from which guilt and sufferings flow an d thus cannot be punished (Carel 102). In the US a mere guess or suspicion does not amount to enough prove to convict somebody. However, reasonable to believe, reasonable suspicion, probable cause for arrest, some credible evidence or substantial evidence will lead to further investigation of a party to prove if guilty or not. The fact that one of the men in the chariot saw Oedipus killing Laius is enough evidence today to have him investigated and bring the crime to book (â€Å"United Nations Cyber School† web) In conclusion, the tale sheds more light on oracles and predestination. Many believe that something that is predestined to happen will, no matter how far we run from it. Oedipus parents run from the oracle, Oedipus too run from the... Oedipus is not guilty by today’s legal standards. Sophocles arranged the play in a manner that the events of the play happened long ago before the play. For instance, Oedipus is guilty of incest and killing before the play actually opened. Although Oedipus received a cursed from his father many years ago, we cannot link his behavior with the curse in the play. Additionally, play main events are not part of the prophecy itself. That is most of the actions on stage do not form part of a prophecy. According to Jones, Oedipus fault does not bear any relations to the actions from which guilt and sufferings flow and thus cannot be punished (Carel 102). In the US a mere guess or suspicion does not amount to enough proof to convict somebody. However, reasonable to believe, reasonable suspicion, probable cause for arrest, some credible evidence or substantial evidence will lead to further investigation of a party to prove if guilty or not. The fact that one of the men in the chariot sa w Oedipus killing Laius is enough evidence today to have him investigated and bring the crime to book (â€Å"United Nations Cyber School† web)In conclusion, the tale sheds more light on oracles and predestination. Many believe that something that is predestined to happen will, no matter how far we run from it. Oedipus parents run from the oracle, Oedipus too run from the Oracle but were later to catch up on all of them. Additionally, pre destination frees people from worry now that people understand that it is not possible to run from it.

Theory and practice of human rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theory and practice of human rights - Essay Example I shall then conclude by proffering an argument on how these premises can be limited so as to offer a reasonable and justifiable balance between the two competing interest. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights states that Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. Persons are all equally entitled to human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible. Accordingly, the normative totality of Human Rights revolves around: the Universality, indivisibility, interdependence, equality and obligations of parties and the State. UDHR though not a legally binding document, it values are immense. First, it set the pace for the States’ recognition and protection of Human Rights based on the Rule of Law. At the time of its promulgation, the UN General Assembly then proclaimed the Declaration to be; â€Å"a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of member states themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.† The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights1, for example, noted that it is the duty of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems. It provides in its preamble that; â€Å"Emphasizing the responsibilities of all States, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, to develop and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental

MACROECONOMICS AND THE TABLET PC INDUSTRY Research Paper

MACROECONOMICS AND THE TABLET PC INDUSTRY - Research Paper Example Therefore, this essay aims at providing complete insight into the United States tablet PC market by explaining the current factors that are affecting the growth of the tablet PC industries (Langdana, 2009). Additionally, the study will exploit factors that are driving this market growth and the underlying growth strategies that they need to implemented to be at per with the current completion. There has been immense competition among the world’s major table manufacturers especially after the launch of iPad from the Apple. Approximately five month after the launch of iPad, Samsung launched the Samsung galaxy tablet (Alvarez, 2007). This created an overwhelming competition with Apple and since this time, the tablet PC manufacturing industries have produced or released several players (Langdana, 2009). For instance, after the release and launch of iPad PC tablet, numerous tablet manufacturing industries including Asus, Lenovo, and HP among others released numerous tablet PC model s into the market; thus, it may be noted that the major product and marketing decision in these industries are influenced mainly be the stiff competition within the industry (Dhir, 2004). Notably, it seems that the current market of these tablet PC manufacturing industries is pegged mainly on the tablet manufacturing. Therefore, the future of these industries may be governed largely usage around these tablets. In other words, if there will be shift in the usage of these tablets to another device, then it implies that these industries will collapse (Taylor and National Bureau of Economic Research, 1984). The market domain of tablet PCs is governed intended usages of these tablets PC. Some of the usage are governed by screen size, distribution channels, and operating platform used. Analysis of these factors are vital in the understanding the market domain of tablet PCs within the United States market. Some market research revealed that tablet PCs are designed mainly for personal usage within the United States market. Nonetheless, with time, these tablet PCs are expected to be adopted or designed for commercial usage. In essence, if they are used adopted the corporate environment they are expected to reduce additional costs usually incurred on top of laptops and desktop computers. The Apple’s iOS operating systems holds the largest U.S. tablet PC market shares. The Apple has achieved this through its first mover advantage (Silvia, 2011). The Google’s Android operating system comes second while others including Samsung, HP, Motorola, Lenovo, and HP among other manufacturers take other ranks within the stock market. The tablet PC Market The market trend of the tablet PCs can analyzed according to the three macroeconomic variables including price indices, rate of unemployment, and exchange rate. These three elements usually affect the market trend in large extent in that high price indices usually affect how consumers buy the intended products. The tab lets PCs are new technologies in the market and their advent and manufacture have been expensive; thus, leading to high prices of these tablets. On the other hand, high rate of unemployment usually affects the off farm income especially of the farm operator families (Matsumura and Moreira, 2005). Additionally, the unemployment rates usually affect t

Open-door policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Open-door policy - Essay Example A key component of improving safety is to proactively identify hazards which when not removed, have potential to cause harm. Everybody’s input is necessary to ensuring a safe environment for all. Sometimes, undesired events which under slight different circumstance such as time, speed or distance could have resulted in significant harm. These events are known as a near miss. Safety concern is any observed event or situation that if left unchanged, could result in an incident, maybe a near miss or accident. Lost time accidents (LTA) are accidents which could otherwise be avoided but did not hence resulting to an accident that cost the company money and time.These events and concerns can appropriately be reported to the supervisor who will forward to the company safety committee through the use of safety concern cards. The Near Miss/LTA/Safety Concern program is a "no blame" method of reporting potential hazards. The primary goal is to focus on preventing and minimizing future h azards. This provides an opportunity to fix the system before it breaks, recognize symptoms of broken processes, and recommend improvements to improve safety at the workplace. An employee will fill the safety concern card, which is readily available on bulletin boards and give it to the supervisor, who will review the safety concern to determine the root cause and add corrective actions that comply with OSHA practices (Moran, 2011). He/she will then contact safety team via safety representative, who will input data into safety reporting system.... Safety Director. Safety Concern Card A key component of improving safety is to proactively identify hazards which when not removed, have potential to cause harm. Everybody’s input is necessary to ensuring a safe environment for all. Sometimes, undesired events which under slight different circumstance such as time, speed or distance could have resulted in significant harm. These events are known as a near miss. Safety concern is any observed event or situation that if left unchanged, could result in an incident, maybe a near miss or accident. Lost time accidents (LTA) are accidents which could otherwise be avoided but did not hence resulting to an accident that cost the company money and time. These events and concerns can appropriately be reported to the supervisor who will forward to the company safety committee through the use of safety concern cards. The Near Miss/LTA/Safety Concern program is a "no blame" method of reporting potential hazards. The primary goal is to focus on preventing and minimizing future hazards. This provides an opportunity to fix the system before it breaks, recognize symptoms of broken processes, and recommend improvements to improve safety at the workplace. An employee will fill the safety concern card, which is readily available on bulletin boards and give it to the supervisor, who will review the safety concern to determine the root cause and add corrective actions that comply with OSHA practices (Moran, 2011). He/she will then contact safety team via safety representative, who will input data into safety reporting system. The safety team will then provide technical assistance and also evaluate corrective actions to ensure regulatory compliance. Verbal report of injury policy From

Analyzing the conditions of oppressed women according to Simone de Essay

Analyzing the conditions of oppressed women according to Simone de Beauvoir's perception - Essay Example Based on the arguments of sexual politics, the economic realm of both sexes is considered to make up two social groups; for instance, men may hold better jobs, with increased wages and salaries, and more chances of success compared to women. De Beauvoir (1949) explains that men had acquired a higher position in industry and politics, thereby monopolizing principal positions. Besides, men had traditional prestige of education, which is aimed at supporting children, since the present is enshrined by their past, while the past resonated history that had been made by men. Nevertheless, women during that time were commencing to participate in affairs of world that was controlled by men. Nonetheless, women were bound to decline and refuse participation in dealing with issues that would derive advantage that are bestowed upon women. Therefore, sexual politics resonates on women’s dependency on men for material protection and this undertakes their moral justification based on their ex istence. Both sexes had ethical purpose of each individual affirming their subjective existence, though there were temptations relinquish liberty. However, this pursuit for women was not promising to those who took it passive; in fact, they became creatures of men’s will, thereby being denying women every value. Nonetheless, this has been a simple pursuit for people focusing on evading the strains involved in undertaking of genuine existence (de Beauvoir, 1949). For instance, men had been taking women as people without manifestation of inclinations focused on complexities, but this has gradually changed. Therefore, through sexual politics women are perceived to be laying claims to their condition of being subjected to deficiencies of definite resources, due to the feeling of being obliged to ties to men, despite reciprocity involve. 1. What is gender? De Beauvoir (1949) explain that men are present themselves as people of a particular sex that, which does not require declarat ion. In this case, definition of gender is based on the terms masculine and feminine, which apply symmetrical with differences based on their forms. Relationship between these sexes is not parallel given that men are considered to represent both positive and neural, as illustrated by application of the term man to stand for human being of both gender (de Beauvoir, 1949). On the other hand, the term woman is negative given that it represents negative; thus is defined with limits of criteria without reciprocity. Nevertheless, there are notions that have been developed by men through abstract discussion such as women have contrary thinking and perception to their own way of thinking because they are men due to understanding that man is no peculiarity. There are gender related notions, which such as a man being considered to be right due to the mere fact that he is a man and not a woman; in this case, a woman is considered to be wrong. Definition of gender has led to absolute vertical a ncients based on the reference to oblique and human type of masculinity (de Beauvoir, 1949). Furthermore, a woman has become subjects to imprisonment due to peculiarities associated by her biological nature such as having ovaries and uterus; in fact, this poses limits regarding her

Quality Management Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Quality Management - Article Example The onus is mainly on learners to furnish the required information in the templates after each unit based on the Read and Analyze Activity. After filling the information in the template they need to e-mail it back to the e-Tutor. The article titled â€Å"Towards a Better Understanding of Quality† by Hardie & Walsh (1994), gives an overview about the notion of quality management from a modern day perspective, elaborating on different theories. Discussion of the article initially emphasizes the traditional differences between qualities preferred and the actual quality outcomes. In subsequence, the article elaborates that with the implementation of the new methods, certain relationships could be identified among the different states of conditions, which has been referred with relation to (1) â€Å"how things ought to be† and (2) â€Å"how things are†. To be noted in this regards, the article successfully details out the quality relations among the different states and assists in understanding the common witnessed quality issues that impose strong impressions on the performance of an organization. Correspondingly, the article clearly diagnoses the quality problem faced in different states, p roviding a framework of the quality relations (Hardie & Walsh, 1994). The key learning points of the article can be identified with reference to the findings inferred by the authors. To be noted in this regards, the differences of the quality relations of the two states of â€Å"how things ought to be† and â€Å"how things are†, form the common base of arguments in various theories concerning quality management. As noted in the article, the issues regarding quality aspects, prevailing in an organization, can be identified in terms of the gaps persisting between the two states mentioned above. However, with the gradual introduction of new and more elaborated definitions of quality, several quality relations

Entrepreneurship.Excellent Leadership Qualities and Strong urge for Assignment

Entrepreneurship.Excellent Leadership Qualities and Strong urge for ethics and integrity - Assignment Example Clearly, this is a misconstrued notion that cannot be accepted in modern business management. Indeed, the modern day entrepreneur is expected to exhibit certain key characteristics, skills, and have certain background to the day to day management of his business, without which the business cannot be expected to grow. In this paper, some of the skills, characteristics and backgrounds that make successful entrepreneurs are discussed with real examples of how these features about some entrepreneurs have ensured success for them. There is specific emphasis and focus on emerging markets, but without any single emerging market in mind. The key characteristics that some entrepreneurs have exhibited over the years in various emerging markets, the aid of which has made them highly successful shall be discussed. Excellent Leadership Qualities The leadership of the company primarily refers to the management of visionary direction for the company. This responsibility is played by several people within the organization, and in some cases, some leaders becoming followers to other leaders (Coy et al, 2007). But as far as the entrepreneur is concerned, he is often seen as the last reporting leader within the organization. This is to say that the entrepreneur acts as the head of the organizational structure and is therefore the ultimate leader. In effect, the kind of leadership qualities that the entrepreneur displays will go a very long way to determine the visional direction that the entire organization will have. With the question as to what excellent leadership qualities are, Capelleras et al (2010) explained that it involves the ability of the leader to be identified with as many leadership styles as possible and learn to rightly apply each of them as and when they become necessary for an organizational scenario. In effect, a leader’s leadership must always be seen as appropriate in practice; and this is what constitutes an excellent leadership quality. Strong urge for ethics and integrity Show me a leader without ethics and integrity and I will show you a dying company and this is according to Benzing, Chu & Callanan (2005). Ethics and integrity constitute a personal and behavioral characteristic that is needed by the entrepreneur to make him trustworthy and credible in the area of business that he is involved in. with the advent of corporate image and corporate branding, stakeholders including customers, shareholders and suppliers are looking for corporate managers and leaders who represent not just a money making machine but an overall of credibility and trust when left with the finances and welfare of a larger group of people (Benzing, Chu & Callanan, 2005). Commonly, the way of thinking is that when entrepreneurs cannot on by themselves proof to be credible, they can easily use manipulative and unacceptable means of making their businesses grow. In an emerging market where most of the local customers are considered as vulnerable to market marketing mix strategies as lower prices, such entrepreneurs who are suspecting in their ethics and integrity can be tagged with dubious means of making their prices cheaper such as the invasion of taxes or use of unwholesome raw materials in manufacturing. Empowered Self Motivation Motivation comes in several forms, commonly intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In most cases, intrinsic motivation has been identified to be that type of motivation that keeps a person driving on when all other factors suggest that

Please see in other instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Please see in other instructions - Essay Example One of their more recent forays happened to be one into the financial industry, specifically in the form of Virgin Money plc which, at 17 years old, is still relatively new to this industry. Regardless, it was able to achieve a respectable level of success, if its global expansion in the turn of the millennium is anything to go by. Whatever complaints people might have about the level of customer service, Virgin Money plc must have at least halfway decent services if it has managed to go on operating for the past 17 years. have been getting mixed reactions from clients. Indeed, there are firsthand accounts on various forums and review sites on the internet that tell of the quality of Virgin Moneys services, not all of which are flattering. This being the case, it may be worth examining the customer service management approach taken by Virgin Money. The paper shall first provide a brief, 2-page history of Virgin Money, before introducing the concept of customer relations management - sometimes called customer services management - and how it applies to this firm. An explanation on the groups findings on the matter comes next, as well as on the methods used to obtain data. Rounding the study off is the conclusion, which includes recommendations as to how Virgin Money can improve on its customer service. Virgin Money was established as Virgin Direct by Richard Branson in 1995, and has always been owned by the Virgin Group. Based in the UK, this company deals primarily in banking and other financial services, and has been known as a pioneer of index tracking in its introduction of Personal Equity Plans at relatively affordable prices. Since it expanded its services worldwide early on in the past decade, the company went on to achieve even greater levels of success (BBC News, 2011). As with all companies, Virgin Money had tender beginnings of its own, having first been launched in partnership with Norwich Union in 1995 as Virgin Direct Personal Financial

Function of E-Book Essay Example for Free

Function of E-Book Essay Books are no doubt the main element in teaching and learning activities. As we all know printed books have already been used for a very long time. However in this modern era, books in electronic forms (eBooks) are taking place. EBooks had already been introduced not only for adults but children too. Finally, eBooks are already evolving slowly to take place in teaching and learning. A powerful stimulus for the production of a range of electronic instrument for education has been provided by the latest technology inventions. Numerous ideas and educational materials are invented and extensively published electronically to support the field of teaching and learning, however it is still unclear how far all of this is of use among the students and teachers when it comes to the virtual teaching and learning. Suggestions on how to improve the quality of the products and materials that are already available are still in great demand as the existing electronic books have not completely replaced the physical counterpart. The gap between utilitarian and usefulness is quite wide to prove the lack of effectiveness of the first generation of e-books, and the progress of e-books has been led majorly by technology instead of the user’s demand. In the education field, E-books can be found in various type of media instrument like CD-Rom, the internet and in any portable reading materials. Variety types of element are implemented in e-books, for example fiction and non-fiction. A textbook is a source of information on a particular subject. An electronic textbook on the other hand is almost the same but it is more special as e-textbook is an e-book that has a content of educational material for teaching and learning process. E-textbooks are now officially known as educational source that have already published electronically to help in both teaching and learning methods. They are ready to be used within a computer environment, through media such as internet or CD-ROM. In the early 1990s, the spread of educational multimedia was surprisingly very fast and it was proven by the people that it is more beneficial when converting printed publication into electronic form. Apart from that, it has been discussed that e-book is basically implemented to improve the process of studying outside the classroom, and as time goes by, a technological instrument was made where a powerful incentive is created to invent such electronic material for the students. It is better for the people to be updated to any information to learn by using e-book as printed books are always out-of-date and are only replaced with an average of eight years. Limitless and faster access to any latest news and information can be experienced via electronic learning (Hamilton et al., 2001). It was said that electronic education will benefit a lot of people because of its capability to enhance the co-operation and among the students and the teachers (Hambrecht, 2000). Apart from that, higher success rate can be seen. However more effort should be contributed towards promoting e-book among the new generations as financial support plays an important role in this matte (Wilson, 2003). Similar to the ordinary printed books, e-book helps the readers to understand and focus on important messages by underlining them and writing simple notes. In addition, e-books are user-friendly too as it is installed with portable dictionary program which made it easier to look up for unfamiliar words. E-book has definitely made the teaching and learning process to be more interesting than ever because the user get to watch clips and interact with a variety of specialities. It has been proven that the youngsters can gain a lot from the added applications (Maynard and McKnight, 2001). At schools, e-textbooks on the other hand will reduce the number of printed textbooks that not only burden both the teachers and students carrying them to-and-fro around the school compound. This enables the teacher to easily bring the notes including the exercises to be given to the student which thus increases the effectiveness of teaching. With the presence if the electronic book, space can be saved which particularly helps a lot in places mainly the libraries. Decades ago, e-books were not preferred because the prices were too high. In the year 2000, the production of e-books have became larger and the cost of each e-book is lowered (Mayfield, 2000). This indicates that a major procedure in promoting the usage of e-textbooks in school had been done. Another form of e-book, CD-ROM also known as the copy of the encyclopedia is also famous among the students nowadays. They can easily get copies of the syllabus of their subjects in order for them to study back at home and easily bring the topics for discussion among their peers. Another branch of e-book, Hypertextbooks is a famous instrument of interactive studying on the internet in the western country. This electronic file containing the learning materials enables the user to study at their own rhythm and the students will send their assignment to the respective person through email. This concludes that with the upgrading of the process of studying, the students will no longer have the reason not to send their assignments on time. Top of the information, at schools teachers will have no problem to control the class because the students will be more focused and enthusiastic to carry on with their assignments compared to the printed pages. Even though e-textbooks can contribute towards the improvement in assisting the process of teaching and learning, there are still factors that resist their acceptance such as the insufficient number of computers and labs and the low number of publishers. This signifies that e-book can help in the education field but the chance to make it a reality might prove problematic. According to Hambrecht’s theory, it is believed that e-education is potential in bringing the students and teachers to come together as one in order to enhance the class session’s activities (Hambrecht, 2000). The research about CD-ROM clarified that users will be more interested to learn and use their resources. The children especially, find that learning is more fun with the presence of beautiful graphics and sound effects. This thus motivates them to continue to learn more which in return will boost their thinking skills. Teachers on the other hand love this way of teaching as it is both entertaining and educational. The e-book users prefer to use this modern way of learning because of the more presentable format which brings a brand new perspective towards the people to experience a more lively way of reading especially the story book lovers. Children once exposed to the usage of e-book they will be used to electronic devices and in future, they will no longer rely on the old traditional method which is the printed book. Electronic texts are no doubt a passage for the generation to get an easy access in education for further study and analysis. The fertile ground for the improvement of teaching and learning, e-book, can benefit the generations greatly in terms of the enjoyment of interesting studying method. As a conclusion, the educators should look into this matter more clearly and make an effort to add electronic texts in their teachings if they haven’t start doing so. Cooperation among the parents and the educators are the key to success to make a change to the younger generations. This foundation will for sure end the upcoming obstacle in generating intellectual students. Reference Hambrecht, W. (2000), Exploring a New Frontier, Corporate E-Learning. Hamilton, R. , Richards, C. and Sharp, C. (2001), â€Å"An examination of e-learning and e-books†, available at: www. dcs. napier. ac. uk/ , mm/socbytes/jun2001/Jun2001_9. htm (accessed 20 November 2010) Mayfield, K. (2000), â€Å" Read a g ood e-textbook lately? †, Wired News, available at: www. wired. com/news/culture/0,1284,38059,00. html (accessed 12 November 2010). Maynard, S. and McKnight, C. (2001a), â€Å"Children’s comprehension of electronic books: an empirical study†, The New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, Vol. 7, pp. 29-53. Maynard, S. and McKnight, C. (2001b), â€Å"Electronic books for children in UK public libraries†, The Electronic Library, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 405-23. Sally Maynard, Emily Cheyne, (2005) Can electronic textbooks help children to learn? , Electronic Library, The, Vol. 23 Iss: 1, pp. 103 – 115. November,25, 2010 http://www. emeraldinsight. com/journals. htm? articleid=1464898 Wilson, R. (2003), â€Å"E-education in the UK†, Journal of Digital Information, Vol. 3 No. 4.

American Dream Essay Example for Free

American Dream Essay The idea of dreams is integral to the main protagonists throughout The Bell Jar and Death of a Salesman. These ideas stem from the concept known as the American Dream, which is the belief that with enough work anyone can be what they want to be. The American Dream can often be related to the term Manifest Destiny, which is the belief in Americas mission in the world and can often be related to expanding their control over land. There are different types of American Dreams in the texts. These include Material, academic, 19th Century (outdoors), 20th Century (business) and Happiness, which the authors use to give us an inside look into the characters. The concept of the American Dream is presented in Plaths The Bell Jar in a similar way to Millers Death of a Salesman, when Plath states, look at what can happen in this country suggesting that the American Dream is a predominant thought in the American minds. In contrast to Millers main character, Willy, that foolishly follows the American Dream, the main character of The Bell Jar, Esther, does not believe this to be true and fights against the current of mainstream ideas and belief that if you work hard enough you can achieve anything. This is represented in the character, Doreen who is successful for just being beautiful, showing the shallowness of society. The American Dream is shown in Millers Death of a Salesman through characters such as Ben. Ben is the exemplary man with the American Dream; Miller writes that he walked out into the jungle and that when he came out he was rich. This belief that the American Dream can happen to anybody eventually drives his brother Willy to the tragic heroism of his suicide. This is a very depressing view and one that a lot of people can relate to, that the concept of the American Dream has a base of lies, deceit and luck such as Ben who ended up in Africa which then later made him rich. Although they both have differing attitudes toward the American Dream they both seek to achieve their own goals in a different manner. Willy is much more of a protagonist; he talks about being successful and how he will take action in the morning. On the other hand Esther is more pro-active in the pursuit of her dream as she is very academically successful and has never answered one test question wrong. Both of these approaches to seeking their dreams give us an insight into how the characters should have followed their dream and where their mistakes were, such as with Willy who often reminisces that he should have gone with Ben to the mines. Willy is so disillusioned that he will do anything in order to help Biff and Happy to achieve their dreams, which is the main factor in Willys suicide. We also get a sense of selfishness from this act of disillusionment as Willy seems to use his sons as an excuse for him to commit this act he has been clinging onto the American Dream so tightly that it became a veil over his eyes that left him blind to see he has the wrong dreams. Plath often uses the happiness dream in conjunction with the academic and material dreams to contrast with each other and to explore what the American Dream is and how to achieve it. We see this when Esther fed her clothes into the night wind which is Plath showing the reader that in order for Esther to achieve her happiness dream she does not need material objects. Plath uses techniques such as interior monologues to give us the deep feeling of failure residing in Esther and this gives us the impression that we should follow our own dream, instead of following a fake dream. While in contrast Miller uses the 19th and 20th century dreams in order to explore what the American Dream really is and how to achieve it. We can see this when Biff asks, Why am I trying to become what I dont want to be and states he desires to be outdoors with his shirt off for him to build a future. Biff represents freedom from the shackles of society, often breaking the convention, such as committing crimes in order to rebel. These explorations of the American Dream are very different in the way they are presented but both lead to the same conclusion, which is that you need to do more than strive and talk about your dreams, but act upon them, which both characters try, but evidently fail. Both writers look to expose the myth of the American Dream and the harsh reality within the characters of the respective texts. This idea is shown predominantly through the main characters, Willy and Esther, who are complete opposites in this view. Miller portrays Willy as the average low-middle class American who only has the hope of the dream to cling to and keep him going, this is why Willy doesnt understand the true meaning of the American Dream, as he himself has fallen into the cast to what he thinks society wants him to be. This is evident when he exaggerates; it is his way of following the American dream. He talks about how popular he is and how his funeral will be massive, whereas in reality he is unknown. His dream is to be rich and famous and to an extent he fools himself into believing this, such as when he talks about how he sold five hundred in Providence but then realises that he only sold two hundred gross on the whole trip. This gives us a sense of tragedy, that no matter how hard he tries to provide for his family, he is destined to fail, which Miller hints at with the attempted suicide with the rubber tube. However, Plath portrays Esther as a bright young women, who has the opportunity of living the American Dream but she can see through the illusion of what society thinks she should be. When she has her photo taken, she has to hold a fake rose and the rose doesnt represent her as a person or what she aspires to be, which is the point that Plath explores with regards to the American Dream in The Bell Jar. Plath and Miller use very different techniques to represent the American Dream. This is due to the texts being of different styles; one is a novel and the other a play. That said they do share some similarities, such as non-linear narratives to give us an insight into the key themes. The techniques used give different insights into the individual thoughts of the American Dream. One technique used by Plath is the interior monologue, which gives us the intimate thoughts of Esther and what she thinks of the world around her. Plath uses this technique to show her thoughts about the American Dream, as though they are her own thoughts represented in Esther. This gives us a very powerful opinion on the American Dream, as it is an opinion that is close to what we may also think from reading the novel. However Miller uses the flash-back technique in order to show where the idea of the American Dream originates and Willy and Esther perceive it this way. This form of stream-of-consciousness gives us a clear-cut view into what the character perceives and can often help us to understand of why the characters act as they do. One way that both authors explore the concept of the American Dream is by how the characters can achieve their individual dreams; this often leads to pressure to pursue the wrong dream. This is present in a lot of the characters in both texts such as Biff, who is the only realistic one in the Loman family. He realises his boundaries and abilities but in spite of this he still attempts to make a businessman out of himself though it is not what he wants, which he shows when he says, Why am I trying to become what I dont want to be. He also informs us that Willy has all the wrong dreams. This idea of becoming a successful businessman is a carbon copy of Willys dreams, pressed onto Biff. Though Biff, unlike Willy, doesnt procrastinate, everything for Willy is done in the morning and this is the main reason why he is unsuccessful, he talks instead of taking action as we are shown when Charley says that Bernards gonna do it instead of saying it, which Willy seems to admire. On the other hand Esther is the opposite of Willy; she is academically successful, more popular and has the chance to grasp the American Dream. Esther says I was supposed to be having the time of my life but the only problem with Esthers dream is that society wants her to be something else and this pressure is one of the reasons for her latter depression, when she was meant to be happy. When Plath uses the stream-of-consciousness technique we see that Esthers thoughts about the American Dream seem to deteriorate as her mental stability does, not even noticing when she could have potentially had a dream life in the fashion industry saying its somebody else in the magazine photo. Another character that Miller shows is following the wrong dream is Happy. He follows what Willy thinks he should be and he is always looking for his father to notice him, such as when he comments on how he is losing weight. This is an example of following the wrong dream. Happy has fallen prey to trying to make someone else happy by living their dream instead of following his own ambitions, which is the point that Miller explores. Miller has deliberately set up the brothers to have contrasts as we can see within the dreams they possess. Miller also explores the idea that the American Dream is possible if you try; this is in the case of Bernard. Bernard, like Ben, is the prime example of the American Dream coming true. Although he isnt as popular as Biff or Happy, he manages to be an academic and now presents cases in the supreme court, which genuinely shocks Willy as he recognises that Bernards dream has come true. For Willy there is also an air of envy that Bernard has followed the right dream. We see how Willy blindly follows the American Dream and that he doesnt truly understand what it is, he thinks that a personally attractive man will be able to be successful in the world of business. Willys understanding of the American Dream is limited as he believes that superficial qualities such as being liked is all a man needs whereas we are shown that it is hard work and risks that allow men to live the dream, such as Bernard who he often ridiculed for being an anaemic. Another point that shows us Willys little understanding of the American Dream is the metaphor its dark there, but full of diamonds. This metaphor means that through the hardship there will be a reward and is the main notion that drives Willy but it often appears in the form of Ben who reminds him. Ben gives the impression to Willy that he can do it, but also shows us Willys loosening grip to distinguish from reality and dream. The pressure to be something else or something great can have a massive strain on ones being and we can see this through the various suicide attempts by both Willy, with the rubber tube, and Esther with her trying to hang herself. In conclusion, I believe that each text explores the concept of the American Dream in very independent ways that express the opinions of the authors. Miller presents to us ideas such as to achieve the dream you have to be disillusioned which we see in the main protagonist, Willy. The combinations of techniques that Miller uses gives us the impression that nothing good can come out of the American Dream, as if almost hopeless to even have a dream. On the other hand, Plath uses the ideas of isolation being the problem, which we see in Esthers case. Plath uses the ideas of isolation coupled with depression to show the bleakness of striving to achieve a dream, which is a belief that Plath shares. This idea of isolation resonates in both main protagonists and leads back to the notion of society being the problem. Both characters dont fit in with society and are both under strain to be something they do not want to be. This gives us the sense that they are born into the wrong society and this I believe is the point that both authors try to explore, that there is nothing wrong with the characters themselves but it is the world around them that is flawed and through various narrative and stage techniques the authors convey this conclusion successfully. Bibliography Plath. S The Bell Jar Faber (1966) Miller. A Death of a Salesman Heinemann (1949) Dan Clarke

Philosophy And Development Of Greek And Chinese Mathematics Philosophy Essay

Philosophy And Development Of Greek And Chinese Mathematics Philosophy Essay At a glance, Greek mathematics would appear to possess the most influence on modern mathematics from methods of integration (developed from Eudoxus method of exhaustion) to the rigid logic adhered to in modern mathematics and would thus explain this thesis choice of comparing Greek mathematics. On the other hand, ancient Chinese mathematics appears to have differed largely from Greek mathematics in terms of development and for that reason was chosen for comparison in order to explore the possibilities of philosophical influence in mathematical development. Not only will this thesis explore the differences in the development of the respective mathematics and the factors involved in these differences, it will also explore the possible relevance of such findings to mathematicians in the further development of modern mathematics. However, given the rich history of each respective cultures mathematics, it would be next to impossible to explore their developments in vivid detail and as a result, only a basic overview of the characteristics of the mathematics prior to their interaction (when Matteo Ricci western missionary began introducing western concepts of mathematics to the Chinese) would be explored. Greek Mathematics? Easily identified by its focus on generalized mathematical theories and proofs, the Greeks seemed to have an idealized perception towards mathematics where instead of grounding them in reality, it was a goal to make mathematical concepts even more abstract. At the foundation of Greek mathematics were basic assumptions known as axioms. These axioms could neither be proven correct or wrong, and are considered self-evident. New theorems were derived from these axioms, and this happened in a process where conclusions were drawn from premises through the use of logic, otherwise known as deductive reasoning. An example of such use of deductive reasoning would be the 10 postulates (similar to axioms) seen in Euclids Elements which were used by Euclid to prove his various geometric theorems. Such a method of proving and deriving theorems deductively could be effectively seen as a form of abstraction, where abstracted theorems could be applied in any case related to the theorem. For instance, (Pythagorean Theorem) would be true for all cases of right angled triangles regardless of the numbers substituted into the theorem. Pythagoras was thus attributed to be one of the first men to grasp numbers as abstract entities.  [1]   With the prevalence of the use of deductive reasoning in the ancient mathematical schools of thought from the Sophist School to the Platonic School, it could be generalized that ancient Greek mathematics was characterized by abstract theories and generalized proofs. Chinese mathematics? The concept that the Chinese had of mathematics was radically different from the way the Greeks handled math. Instead of an axiomatic approach to mathematics (developing mathematics based on assumed axioms), the Chinese developed a far more practical approach. Science was valued for its many practical applications and astronomers in ancient China were also mathematicians who calculated planetary movements through the applied use of mathematics. Applying mathematics was seen even in the Jiuzhang Suanshu (considered one of the most important mathematical manuals in China to be written) which was in essence a collection of problems and rules that was applied practically. For instance the second chapter (Su Mi) of the book dealt with percentages and proportions for exchange of cereals, millet, or rice and helped in the production and management of grain. Chapter 6 (Jun Shu) allowed the calculation of proper distribution of grain and labour and dealt mainly with the problems of taxation of the people.  [2]   This problem-based approach revolved around the idea of applying the solutions of one problem to another in such a manner that would allow the other problem to be solved. For instance, the Jiuzhang Suanshu or Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is in reality a collection of mathematical problems and their solutions. Mathematicians were then expected to extrapolate from these solutions other solutions to other problems. In the words of the Zhoubi Suanjing (one of the oldest complete mathematical manuals found in China), a person gains knowledge by analogy, that is, after understanding a particular line of argument they can infer various kinds of similar reasoning.  [3]   Given that the majority of the mathematical manuals discovered in China possessed the attribute of problem-based approaches (Jiuzhang Suanshu, Xu Shang Suanshu, Suan shu shu) are just some examples), we can easily conclude that the ways in which the Chinese approached mathematics was radically different from that of the Greeks. Greek and Chinese Philosophies Having understood the differences between the mathematics of both cultures, we must now begin to explore the possible causes of such a difference, and we first take a look at the philosophy that has guided the respective cultures. Greek Philosophy? Although it is commonly agreed that Socrates, Aristotle and Plato were one of the few greatest philosophers originating from the Greeks, the father of deductive mathematics Thales, contributed to ancient Greek philosophy even before the great philosophers and with his close association with the origins of Greek mathematics, it would be a mistake not to consider Thales contributions to the philosophy. Thales belonged to a school of thought called the Milesian school and these philosophers believed that all things were defined by their quintessential substance, which Thales thought was water.  [4]   Regardless of what Thales or any other philosophers from the pre-Socrates period of philosophy thought, it was clear that from the beginning the Greeks had already begun to seek out a basic form or substance that all things would be defined by. We thus begin to see similarities between their goals of having a unifying substance that would define all things in philosophy and in mathematics, where they sought abstracted theorems and mathematical proofs that would have applied to all cases of any related problems. Even Plato, in Book VII of The Republic, argued for the existence of Forms in his allegory of the caves. He believed that what we thought to be real were simply shadows cast by actual Forms that we could not really see. Plato argued that these non-material abstract Forms did not exist in time and space, and were not the material world that we perceived with our senses. Plato even suggested that only through the study of these Forms were we able to attain genuine knowledge. Through these ideas of abstract forms and substances that Greek philosophy seemed to follow, we begin to see that there is a general direction in which both philosophy and mathematics went: abstraction. Chinese Philosophy? When compared, it is clear that the philosophies of the Chinese differed greatly from that of the Greeks. Where the Greeks asked questions about the possible existence of a monotheistic deity, the Chinese were more concerned about the development of philosophy as an ethical and practical guide. Confucius was a philosopher who taught the importance of virtue and moral perfection. He explored ideas of humanity, loyalty, piety and the characteristics of a gentleman (a perfect man) in his teachings. The most fundamental of which, humanity and righteousness have since been argued to form the basis of morality.  [5]  In the Analects of Confucius, he explores these concepts of moral perfection and explains the importance of individuals of authority possessing these attributes. Confuciuss philosophy possessed dimensions of practicality which was seen from that fact that his teachings about piety were essentially descriptions of specific duties that an individual had according to his relationship with another. For instance, Confucius believed that a child should have respect for his parents and that parents should in turn love and care for their children. Being one of the main schools of thought in Chinese philosophy, Confucianism is thought to have had tremendous influence on the culture and history of China.  [6]  Additionally, in other Chinese philosophies such as Buddhism and Taoism teachings we see a form of instruction on a practical level (Buddhism instructed on how one should live in order to attain enlightenment). Although a lack of credible literature fails to either prove or disprove the influences of Chinese philosophy on their mathematics, one might argue that the general direction in which Chinese philosophy has taken appears to be similar to that of their mathematics. Other factors influencing mathematics? Although little is found regarding the history of the Greeks that could have affected the development of Greek mathematics, aspects of Chinese history might suggest the problem-based approach towards mathematics that was developed. Plato believed and explained in Book VII of The Republic that mathematics was important in understanding and attaining the idea of good which is the ultimate objective of philosophy. Plato believed that arithmetic and geometry allowed the mind to reflect and thus come closer to the truth, and also that the true use of arithmetic is in compelling the soul to reason about abstract number and repelling against the introduction of visible or tangible objects into the argument.  [7]  It has thus been argued that Plato believed that the ultimate aim of philosophy was to help the mind to understand and acquire the idea of good and that mathematics was a tool that helped to achieve that end. On the other hand, the Chinese clearly believed in the practical value of mathematics and a quick study of Chinese history revealed that mathematics was developed with practicality in mind. One clear example would be the earlier mentioned chapters of the Jiuzhang Suanshu on grain growing and taxation with the Chinese placing great emphasis on the importance of proper governance, mathematics was developed in order to calculate optimal methods of fair governance. The fact that the Chinese wrote mathematics with characters instead of alphabets would have also explained the need for them to discover the decimal system before other civilizations.  [8]  As mathematics was written with characters, the decimal system was invented to prevent the memorization of countless characters in order to recognize large numbers such as the date. With a decimal system, Chinese mathematics was thus able to gain an advantage over other civilizations in terms of the development of mathematics. Furthermore, during the period of Chinese mathematical development before 100 BC, the Chinese were interested in the areas of astrology and had a need to construct the calendar. As a result, many of the works produced in that time were related to astrology such as the Zhoubi Suanjing which provided instructions on measuring the positions of heavenly bodies using shadow gauges termed gnomons.  [9]  With the need to measure heights and distances that could not be measured directly (heights of structures or the distance of an island away from the mainland), the Chinese also developed their own variation of the Pythagoras theorem, which Liu Hui demonstrated in his Haidao Suanjing. As a result of some of the problems that the Chinese faced, we see the development of mathematics in China as a solution to some of these problems. Taking into consideration these other factors, there is clearly a relationship between the physical and cultural factors affecting China and their development of mathematics. On the other hand, while geometry had its practical uses for the Greeks, their main purpose for the study of mathematics was for instruction and loftier ideals of perfecting their souls. Concluding on the Extent of Influence on Mathematics Having considered the factors both philosophical and practical that might have affected the development of mathematics, one can see the distinct similarities between the cultures respective philosophy and how it has caused mathematics to develop. Ancient Greek mathematics developed in a manner that sought to separate concept from object, as could be inferred from their development of generalized mathematical theories in geometry (concept) discerned from postulates (object) since these postulates were observable truths such as All right angles are congruent. At the same time, the philosophy of the Greeks had similar objectives as could be seen from the above mentioned Forms and quintessential substances that the Greeks believed in. On the other hand, Chinese mathematics followed similar trends to that of their philosophy. With a focus on concrete examples and using analogies to solve other problems, the Chinese were clearly more concerned with matters of reality and had a pragmatic approach towards mathematics. Philosophically, there is a similar trend of practicality with the Chinese exploring the duties and proper etiquette of what they believed to be the perfect man. Again, the lack of credible literature seemingly undermines the entire relationship, yet it would be foolish to simply discount the fact that both philosophy and mathematics take on a similar direction in terms of development. Thus in conclusion, one could easily argue that the method by which philosophy was approached has been similar to that of the way mathematics was developed. Relevance to Modern Mathematicians? Truth and Mathematical Certainty? Having affirmed the relationship between philosophy and mathematics, we begin to question the relevance of such a relationship to modern mathematicians. One of the greatest questions of mathematics is its relevance to truth, and how mathematical inquiry may lead to certainty and truth. Before we begin to explore the question of which mathematics (Greek or Chinese) was closer to mathematical certainty and thus truth, we must keep in mind that Greek and Chinese mathematics were radically different in terms of method as was previously shown. Based on those methods, we can categorize the mathematics according to the theories of truth that they appear to abide by. The Chinese appeared to base their system on the modern theory of truth that is pragmatism. According to the theory in a simplified form, a concept may be considered true if it is directly relevant to reality. This meant that a concept would be true if it had any practical consequence and was thus judged based on its practical value. Pragmatism is thus highly pertinent to the method of Chinese mathematics, which was in essence a study of the practical effects of theories of mathematics. On the other hand, the Greek method appears to follow the theory of coherentism, which in simple terms was the theory that the truth of a system of beliefs could be determined based on how well it coheres with other systems of belief. This seems to be applicable to the Greek method of approaching mathematics, where axioms were the basic beliefs and entire systems (theorems) would be developed from these axioms. The truth of these systems would then be appraised according to how well they cohered with the basic sets of beliefs. One might argue that foundationalism would have been a more applicable theory to the Greek method, yet the Greeks did not simply base their theorems on noninferential knowledge such as axioms, and instead used postulates (inferential knowledge) in geometry. As a result, the axiomatic method of the Greeks would have appertained to the theory of coherentism. It is important to note that despite these theories of truth being modern, the concept behind method of mathematics and theory of truth appear to be similar, and would thus be applicable in the exploration of mathematical certainty. Who was more Certain? Having ascribed to Greek and Chinese mathematics coherentism and pragmatism respectively, the question of who was closer to mathematical certainty becomes apparent. Both schools clearly had their strengths and weaknesses in such a comparison, with the Chinese being directly relevant to reality and thus closer to certainty in terms of practicality. On the other hand, the Greeks would have believed that they were aspiring towards certainty through the separation of concept from object (abstraction), where truth in the complete discovery of all Forms would have been certainty. Given the extent of influence on modern mathematics that Greek mathematics has, one would easily consider the adopted Greek mathematics as more certain. Yet the idea of complete mathematical certainty seems to be impossible, as proved by Kurt Godel with his theorems that a system is either complete or consistent and thus impossibleto fully prove any proposition.  [10]  The ramifications thus being that certainty is impossible to achieve, and that in terms of the axiomatic method, mathematical certainty can never be fully arrived at. Furthermore, the existence of various theories of truth might already suggest that there is a lack of existence of complete certainty, and this thus suggests the probability of the quest for mathematical certainty being futile.