Eve And The Apple :: God Religion Religious Eve Adam Essays

Eve and the Apple   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No one completely understands the ways of God. Many of us can come up with our own opinions, and justify his ways in our own minds, just as Milton did in Paradise Lost. Just as Adam and Eve, we all are gifted with free will and the responsibility of making important decisions and choices in our life, which will determine our future. But we may well ask ourselves today, of what use would this free will be to us if we did not know good from evil? When Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden she had two different voices telling her what to do. God had said that Adam and Eve may eat any fruit from any of the trees in the Garden of Eden except for the tree that contains the knowledge of good and evil. Satan (disguised as a serpent) told Eve that she would not die from eating that fruit, that her eyes would be opened, knowing both good and evil. But at the time Eve made her decision, she did not have the knowledge of good and evil. Eve did not know the serpent could be Satan incarnate, nor did she know that her desire to become a goddess would be a sin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main reason Eve eats the apple is because she wants to become a Goddess. The serpent said that he was a beast and after eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil he became more human like. Eve was enticed by the words of the serpent who said that "If the fruit makes a serpent like a man, it should make men like gods." (Line 710: "That ye should be as Gods, since I as man, Internal Man, is but proportion meet; I, of brute, human; ye, of human, Gods.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other arguments that the serpent used to manipulate Eve included; 1,) You shall not die, look at me, I have touched and tasted and I have not died. 2,) Should man not be allowed a fruit that a beast has? 3,) How can God's tree give knowledge out against his will, if he already knows all?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eve also states that by God forbidding the fruit he made it more desirable. While contemplating whether or not to eat the fruit, Eve wonders, why the beast did not die after eating the fruit? Why should such intellectual food be reserved for beasts? But her main reason for eating their fruit is to acquire greater power, to become a "goddess". She tells Adam that "it was a Eve And The Apple :: God Religion Religious Eve Adam Essays Eve and the Apple   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No one completely understands the ways of God. Many of us can come up with our own opinions, and justify his ways in our own minds, just as Milton did in Paradise Lost. Just as Adam and Eve, we all are gifted with free will and the responsibility of making important decisions and choices in our life, which will determine our future. But we may well ask ourselves today, of what use would this free will be to us if we did not know good from evil? When Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden she had two different voices telling her what to do. God had said that Adam and Eve may eat any fruit from any of the trees in the Garden of Eden except for the tree that contains the knowledge of good and evil. Satan (disguised as a serpent) told Eve that she would not die from eating that fruit, that her eyes would be opened, knowing both good and evil. But at the time Eve made her decision, she did not have the knowledge of good and evil. Eve did not know the serpent could be Satan incarnate, nor did she know that her desire to become a goddess would be a sin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main reason Eve eats the apple is because she wants to become a Goddess. The serpent said that he was a beast and after eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil he became more human like. Eve was enticed by the words of the serpent who said that "If the fruit makes a serpent like a man, it should make men like gods." (Line 710: "That ye should be as Gods, since I as man, Internal Man, is but proportion meet; I, of brute, human; ye, of human, Gods.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other arguments that the serpent used to manipulate Eve included; 1,) You shall not die, look at me, I have touched and tasted and I have not died. 2,) Should man not be allowed a fruit that a beast has? 3,) How can God's tree give knowledge out against his will, if he already knows all?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eve also states that by God forbidding the fruit he made it more desirable. While contemplating whether or not to eat the fruit, Eve wonders, why the beast did not die after eating the fruit? Why should such intellectual food be reserved for beasts? But her main reason for eating their fruit is to acquire greater power, to become a "goddess". She tells Adam that "it was a

Essay --

South Africa Presenter: Mr. Confidence Okoye Board: Prof. Donna Cooke Class & Location: MAN3611 & LA 243 Date: March 12, 2014 Time: 9:30 am Customs South Africa (SA) is a multicultural society and therefore has many diverse customs, communication styles and cultural values. Among all the 9 provinces and the 11 official languages, the text will focus on only four: English, Africans, Xhosa, Ndebele, and Zulu. The English speakers inherited most of their customs from the British after they were colonized. The Africans also inherited a portion of the Dutch settler’s food traditions like rusk and biltong. The rusks are dried biscuit and they are often served with tea or coffee. The biltong is a way to preserved meat in place of a cold fridge. Xhosa tribe is located at the eastern cape of South Africa. This tribe in particular has many customs which is expected of their people to follow so as to be recognized by the community [Academia]. Since the birth of a child, the Xhosa speaking tribe initiate the new born into their customs. At a certain age in a man’s life the culture mandates that the male undergo a circumcision ritual to transform him from being a boy to a man [Academia]. A man in this context means someone who can partake in community discussions, acquire or inherit wealth and to have a wife. This ritual last for 3 months and any male undertaking the process will be referred to as a â€Å"thing† or a dog, of no significant value to the community and his family, until they have completed the requirements of the ritual [Academia]. The males must overcome pain as the surgeon clips a portion of the penis skin. This male shall also repeat these words stated by the doctor, you’re a man and the boy says I am a man. And by d... .... "THE HOFSTEDE CENTRE." South Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. . Deresky, Helen. International Management: Managing across Borders and Cultures: Texts and Cases. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Pearson Education, 2011. Print Katz, Lothar. "Negotiating International Business - South Africa." N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1-6. Rpt. in Http://instruction2.mtsac.edu/rjagodka/BUSM_51_Project/Negotiating/SouthAfrica.pdf. N.p.: n.p., 2007. Web. "Join Academia.edu & Share Your Research with the World." How Boys Become Dogs: Stigmatization and Marginalization of Uninitiated Xhosa Males in East London, South Africa. Qualitative Health Research Xx(x) 1-11. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. "Zulu Traditions." Reveal the Story of the Heavenly People – South African Tourism. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Texting and Driving

Driving a Thin Line I’d be lying if I said I never text while driving. But I recognize the dangers, and try to do it as little as possible. However, there are still incidents that occur. One day, I was driving down Highway 6, passing Walmart, and received a text from my brother asking what time baseball practice was. I went to reply and took my focus off my driving. This immediately endangered myself, anyone else in the car, and everyone in the cars around me. While texting, I have no ability to respond to events as they occur around me on the road. Even if I may be able to text while driving and maintain control and not crash, if someone around was to do something dumb, my ability to react safely to that is severely diminished. For example, the other day I was driving home on Williams Trace, my radio blaring 94. 5 The Buzz, Erik in the passenger seat, when someone swerved to avoid debris on the road. I was able to react to this, and get out of the way, because I was focused solely on the road, with no distractions. Driving is always dangerous, because even if I drive perfectly, I could still get in a wreck because of the actions of others, over which I have no control. And by texting while driving the chances of this are greatly increased. That also assumes that when texting, I am also able to retain 100% of my normal driving faculties. This is completely false though. Even if I am able to text without looking at my phone, my mind is still distracted from an activity that requires my full attention. And if I do take my eyes off the road to text, I might as well be driving blind. My ability to conduct myself safely is almost completely gone at that point. There have been times when I’ve been looking at my phone texting, then looked up to find myself rapidly approaching stopped cars, and had to slam on the brakes. Every time so far I’ve been lucky, but that can only last so long. Eventually I won’t look up in time, and will slam into the back of those cars. Every time I pick up my phone, I’m putting lives on the line. Who knows who’ll be in that car I hit? It could be full of little kids on their way home from soccer practice, and I just potentially hit them. Texting while driving goes beyond just endangering myself on the road. Every time I pick up that phone, I’m potentially harming all of my passengers, plus all the cars around me. A lot of the time when I drive, my brother is in the passenger seat. So when I drive with him, its my responsibility to keep him safe. It goes beyond just making a stupid decision that affects myself, I’m making a stupid decision that affects my little brother. I’m putting his life on the line through my own foolishness and selfishness. The same holds true for anyone on the road with me. That grandmother driving to the store to pick up some groceries, or the little kid riding along with their parents to get some lunch, I’m personally putting their lives on the line when I text and drive. There is rarely any legitimate reason to text and drive. The vast majority of the texts I receive and send are not life or death situations that require my immediate attention, but when I answer that text, I put myself in a life or death situation. I’m also failing in the responsibility that I and every other person takes up when they get behind the wheel, to drive to the best of my abilities in order to keep myself and those around me safe. It would hurt nothing if I was to simply ignore my phone for the duration of the trip, then answer any messages I’ve received. So by texting while driving, I’m putting at risk the lives of all around me, plus my own, all so that can have conversation that could wait. Texting and Driving It has commercials, ads, and billboards all over the united States promoting not to text and drive â€Å"it can wait†, because it is very dangerous; not only for their life but others as well. This somewhat graphic commercial asserts that an ordinary person can take their eyes off the road and in an instance destroy his/her live or the lives of others, and does this effectively through graphic images, common text message subject matter, and a negative theme. The use of graphic Images are very apparent In this commercial. This commercial appeals to their sense of compassion by having a very shocking end result.In the rhetorical appeal they are using ethos because they are showing what could actually happen. They choose to use very graphic real images, so people may actually listen and see what can happen that fast. The somewhat disturbing result helps people to see the real case scenario in hopes that maybe they can get the message across. It has a very emotional mood because n o one wants to crash and possibly die from that mistake. This commercial Is very appealing because it works to show Just how quick things can happen.The first time someone sees this particular commercial AT&T can remember make a vow to never ext and drive again. It shows that the text messages are coming through and the girl is reading and testing back then the crash happened. The rescue people knew she was testing and driving because they found her phone and text messages were still coming through and she crashed not long after she sent the text. It Is one thing to hear what â€Å"can† happen, but to actually see a real Life scenario on the TV screen did something to the viewers, and they believe this happens to too many when they see it.The commercial appeals to teenagers by showing a common theme in their conversations. The girl is testing her friend about a boy. She keeps looking down at her phone and back up at the road. The testing then suddenly becomes more Interesting to her, and she Is more wrapped up in the phone than she is the road. Then she does not make It to where she Is going because that text was more knows she is about to crash, but it is then too late to do anything about it. Waiting to check a phone can help save people from getting hurt or killed.Taking eyes off of the road for five seconds equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. Testing and driving is as bad as drinking and driving. Most people who are exiting and driving spend more time in the other lane than their own. The ad is not only for teenagers but it is for everyone. Parents are Just as bad as teenagers about testing and driving. Phones show be turned off while the vehicle is in motion and not back on till the vehicle stops. Negative themes are quite uncommon for commercials.Commercials usually try to promote the ads. In a rhetorical appeals, they use pathos because they are showing the emotional content. In this instance, it is very eff ective to teenagers. The commercial makes them actually believe that this could happen to them. AT&T wants to use the worst possible scenario to make sure teenagers see the consequences that could come of their actions. Nobody wants to lose a love one because of this mistake, so that is why the commercial is promoting to not text and drive.Negative images are more realistic and make people actually see what can happen very quickly. Making the mistake to text while driving is not only putting one person's life in danger but everyone who they meet on the road. When meeting a car on the same side of the road is never a good feeling and then seeing them on their phone. AT has decided against preaching the same boring message we may hear room our parents â€Å"stay off of that phone! † They have chosen a much more effective way to get the message across by using a drastic and emotional theme.As people can see, AT effectively uses a common text message conversation, a negative them e, and graphic images to get a very powerful message across. Since AT is so popular, people think it can potentially save more lives. It pulls at the viewer's heart strings and shows Just how easily something like this can happen if they do not pay attention to the road. AT&T is trying to get the message out that the text messages can wait. There is nothing more important to do or say while driving. Texting and Driving It has commercials, ads, and billboards all over the united States promoting not to text and drive â€Å"it can wait†, because it is very dangerous; not only for their life but others as well. This somewhat graphic commercial asserts that an ordinary person can take their eyes off the road and in an instance destroy his/her live or the lives of others, and does this effectively through graphic images, common text message subject matter, and a negative theme. The use of graphic Images are very apparent In this commercial. This commercial appeals to their sense of compassion by having a very shocking end result.In the rhetorical appeal they are using ethos because they are showing what could actually happen. They choose to use very graphic real images, so people may actually listen and see what can happen that fast. The somewhat disturbing result helps people to see the real case scenario in hopes that maybe they can get the message across. It has a very emotional mood because n o one wants to crash and possibly die from that mistake. This commercial Is very appealing because it works to show Just how quick things can happen.The first time someone sees this particular commercial AT&T can remember make a vow to never ext and drive again. It shows that the text messages are coming through and the girl is reading and testing back then the crash happened. The rescue people knew she was testing and driving because they found her phone and text messages were still coming through and she crashed not long after she sent the text. It Is one thing to hear what â€Å"can† happen, but to actually see a real Life scenario on the TV screen did something to the viewers, and they believe this happens to too many when they see it.The commercial appeals to teenagers by showing a common theme in their conversations. The girl is testing her friend about a boy. She keeps looking down at her phone and back up at the road. The testing then suddenly becomes more Interesting to her, and she Is more wrapped up in the phone than she is the road. Then she does not make It to where she Is going because that text was more knows she is about to crash, but it is then too late to do anything about it. Waiting to check a phone can help save people from getting hurt or killed.Taking eyes off of the road for five seconds equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. Testing and driving is as bad as drinking and driving. Most people who are exiting and driving spend more time in the other lane than their own. The ad is not only for teenagers but it is for everyone. Parents are Just as bad as teenagers about testing and driving. Phones show be turned off while the vehicle is in motion and not back on till the vehicle stops. Negative themes are quite uncommon for commercials.Commercials usually try to promote the ads. In a rhetorical appeals, they use pathos because they are showing the emotional content. In this instance, it is very eff ective to teenagers. The commercial makes them actually believe that this could happen to them. AT&T wants to use the worst possible scenario to make sure teenagers see the consequences that could come of their actions. Nobody wants to lose a love one because of this mistake, so that is why the commercial is promoting to not text and drive.Negative images are more realistic and make people actually see what can happen very quickly. Making the mistake to text while driving is not only putting one person's life in danger but everyone who they meet on the road. When meeting a car on the same side of the road is never a good feeling and then seeing them on their phone. AT has decided against preaching the same boring message we may hear room our parents â€Å"stay off of that phone! † They have chosen a much more effective way to get the message across by using a drastic and emotional theme.As people can see, AT effectively uses a common text message conversation, a negative them e, and graphic images to get a very powerful message across. Since AT is so popular, people think it can potentially save more lives. It pulls at the viewer's heart strings and shows Just how easily something like this can happen if they do not pay attention to the road. AT&T is trying to get the message out that the text messages can wait. There is nothing more important to do or say while driving. Texting and Driving It has commercials, ads, and billboards all over the united States promoting not to text and drive â€Å"it can wait†, because it is very dangerous; not only for their life but others as well. This somewhat graphic commercial asserts that an ordinary person can take their eyes off the road and in an instance destroy his/her live or the lives of others, and does this effectively through graphic images, common text message subject matter, and a negative theme. The use of graphic Images are very apparent In this commercial. This commercial appeals to their sense of compassion by having a very shocking end result.In the rhetorical appeal they are using ethos because they are showing what could actually happen. They choose to use very graphic real images, so people may actually listen and see what can happen that fast. The somewhat disturbing result helps people to see the real case scenario in hopes that maybe they can get the message across. It has a very emotional mood because n o one wants to crash and possibly die from that mistake. This commercial Is very appealing because it works to show Just how quick things can happen.The first time someone sees this particular commercial AT&T can remember make a vow to never ext and drive again. It shows that the text messages are coming through and the girl is reading and testing back then the crash happened. The rescue people knew she was testing and driving because they found her phone and text messages were still coming through and she crashed not long after she sent the text. It Is one thing to hear what â€Å"can† happen, but to actually see a real Life scenario on the TV screen did something to the viewers, and they believe this happens to too many when they see it.The commercial appeals to teenagers by showing a common theme in their conversations. The girl is testing her friend about a boy. She keeps looking down at her phone and back up at the road. The testing then suddenly becomes more Interesting to her, and she Is more wrapped up in the phone than she is the road. Then she does not make It to where she Is going because that text was more knows she is about to crash, but it is then too late to do anything about it. Waiting to check a phone can help save people from getting hurt or killed.Taking eyes off of the road for five seconds equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. Testing and driving is as bad as drinking and driving. Most people who are exiting and driving spend more time in the other lane than their own. The ad is not only for teenagers but it is for everyone. Parents are Just as bad as teenagers about testing and driving. Phones show be turned off while the vehicle is in motion and not back on till the vehicle stops. Negative themes are quite uncommon for commercials.Commercials usually try to promote the ads. In a rhetorical appeals, they use pathos because they are showing the emotional content. In this instance, it is very eff ective to teenagers. The commercial makes them actually believe that this could happen to them. AT&T wants to use the worst possible scenario to make sure teenagers see the consequences that could come of their actions. Nobody wants to lose a love one because of this mistake, so that is why the commercial is promoting to not text and drive.Negative images are more realistic and make people actually see what can happen very quickly. Making the mistake to text while driving is not only putting one person's life in danger but everyone who they meet on the road. When meeting a car on the same side of the road is never a good feeling and then seeing them on their phone. AT has decided against preaching the same boring message we may hear room our parents â€Å"stay off of that phone! † They have chosen a much more effective way to get the message across by using a drastic and emotional theme.As people can see, AT effectively uses a common text message conversation, a negative them e, and graphic images to get a very powerful message across. Since AT is so popular, people think it can potentially save more lives. It pulls at the viewer's heart strings and shows Just how easily something like this can happen if they do not pay attention to the road. AT&T is trying to get the message out that the text messages can wait. There is nothing more important to do or say while driving.

Accountability in Public Administration

Accountability in Public Administration Introduction Public accountability is one of the noble concepts immensely supported by scholars in the discipline of public administration. In the political discourses coupled with policy documents, the term finds an imperative usage since it portrays an image of trustworthiness and transparency (Forrer, et al., 2010).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Accountability in Public Administration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These two aspects are crucial since citizens who are also the clients of a state become satisfied that a system of administration is able to meet their anticipations in the public sector without exposing their resources to risks of fraud. In this extent, accountability emerges as one of the key values in the public administration. The aim of this study is to discuss the issues involved in making public organizations accountable. A consideration is also given to discuss the people whom public offici als are accountable to, and the most effective means of ensuring a balance between the demands for accountability and the need to have high-performing organizations. Issues involved in making Public Organizations Accountable Accountability involves making organizations transparent and responsible in their dealing in the effort to enhance their trustworthiness. For them to realize the goal, they need to address a number of issues concerning accountability. One of such issues is the development of the capacity to deal with emerging matters that may impede their efforts to attain their dream of being accountable. For instance, the advent of globalization presents many challenges to corporations and institutions of public administration seeking that to be accountable in many nations. Kearns (2003) supports the argument by further adding, â€Å"Globalization plays the role of shaping the current trends in the global economic markets and the increasing interactions among nations and peop le from different parts of the world† (p.76). Emergence of new interactions driven by the dawn of globalization introduces challenges to institutions of public administration in that they handle emerging new roles and expand their functionality sphere. The more expansive an institution or any system requiring checks is, the harder it becomes to handle all the individual facets of an organization, which may provide loopholes for acts of fraud. Emerging new issues such as those prompted by globalization also present challenges to accountability efforts of an organization due to â€Å"the need to understand the dynamics of global value chains, creating trade facilitation structures, developing partnerships, and the establishment of value chains and networks† (Kearns, 2003, p.81).Advertising Looking for report on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Existence of such new challenges means th at public administration officials have to constantly change their tactics for enhancing accountability since traditional approaches or styles for public administration cease to be effective in handling all the contemporary situations that may prove to be a challenge to the efforts of becoming accountable. From the above discussion, it is essential that an organization that seeks to be accountable in a globalized market to consider looking for new approaches of enhancing transparency as opposed to the traditional approaches for enhancing intelligibility in the public administration. In fact, this factor is yet another crucial issue involved in making public organizations accountable. The history of public administration reveals that the main approach for enhancing accountability is through exercising of control and close monitoring of persons who are mandated to execute certain affairs that are of public interest. This task entails â€Å"bureaucratic discretion through compliance w ith some tightly drawn rules and regulations† (Forrer et al, 2010, p.477). Alteration of such an approach is critical in the modern world that is driven by hefty interactions so that, rather than using a direct-control paradigm, an organization has to consider implementation of strategies for enhancing accountability. The strategy must be driven by the concerns of delegations as a methodology for breaking down the bureaucratic approaches to public accountability. The relevance of this issue for an organization that wants to be accountable rests on the platform that, although delegation is an effective way for enhancing accountability, it has its limitations. A challenge facing an organization that is determined to be accountable is the establishing of balance and determination of the extents and permissible thresholds of accountability in the organization. Thirdly, an organization needs to deal proactively with the issue of balancing levels of accountability anticipated from v arious stakeholders. In support of this argument, Forrer et al. (2010) reckon, â€Å"public managers report not only to a multitude of elected officials, but also to a plethora of interest groups, clientele, media, and other actors† (p.478). This argument means that public administrators serve many conflicting interests of different stakeholders, both formal and informal, through the deployment of appropriate mechanisms for enhancing accountability.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Accountability in Public Administration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The balancing mechanism that an organization that seeks to become accountable must deploy includes hierarchical accountability, public accountability, while not negating deploying of mechanisms for enhancing accountability to impersonal standards. Organizations that embrace the relevance of accountability as a way of development of trust among various stakehol ders must appreciate that one of the important issues they must put into perspective is that they must conform precisely to a myriad of legitimized but also competing anticipations for accountability. To whom are Public Officials Accountable? Public officials have to be accountable to various people. Essentially, accountability is a â€Å"means through, which public agencies and their workers answer to the citizens directly and indirectly for the use of their power, authority, and resources† (Kearns, 2003, p.9). From this definition, it is paramount to note that, in the first degree, public officials are accountable to the citizens who are also served by other persons and interest groups to whom public officials must also be accountable. Such other persons include city councils, administrators such as presidents, states’ legislatures, media, and professional associations among others. With the rise of and advocating for governance approaches that portray the exercise o f democracy as the chief mechanism of ensuring equal presentations of all citizens’ concerns and interests in the tools of administration, concerns have been alarming on the mechanisms that can ensure that governments are held accountable effectively. Consequently, with regard to Kearns (2003), internal means of enhancing accountability including â€Å"official rules, codes of conduct, administrative hierarchy, performance evaluation, organizational culture, and professional ethics† (p.65) have dominated the discussions of public accountability. Some of these mechanisms of enhancing accountability have been pinned in the constitutions of many democratic nations. All systems of power comprise executives, judicial, and legislative divisions of government. These divisions have the responsibility to keep public administrators on the check to limit their discretion to ensure they are achieving their noble mandates placed on them by citizens.Advertising Looking for report on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, in the US the progressive era marked the establishments of â€Å"independent government regulatory agencies, public commissions, and corporation to oversee government bodies through the executive branch† (Forrer et al., 2010, p.478). From the context of the roles of congress, public officials have a duty to ensure that they meet the requirements placed on them in terms of meeting the demands for accountability as stipulated by organizations for agency oversight and committees for budget appropriations among others. Since citizens cannot directly regulate the operations of public officials, such organs exercise control and monitoring of the activities of public officials on behalf of the citizens to ensure that they are accountable to any repercussions of the policies formulated and implemented by the public officials. Public officials are accountable to legislatures. Legislatures have roles to play to investigate the operations of various public officials and de mand to provisions of information on certain aspects that they may believe have comprised the national ethics and codes of practice in public offices including accountability. Organizations such as GAO can also be employed by legislatures and congress to scrutinize public agency programs. Consequently, public officials must be accountable to them. Since the goal of accountability is to ensure transparency to all interest groups and stakeholders in the operations of public administrators as argued before, public officials are also accountable to media, professional communities, and client groups. Client groups are interested in the implications of public policies. Such groups have specific anticipated outcomes from public officials. Should the public officials fail to meet these anticipations effectively, or do things at exorbitant and inflated costs, the officials have to be held accountable for the failure or embezzlements of funds. Conclusion: Balancing the Demands for Accountabil ity and the Need to have High-performing Organizations Accountability implies that public officials have to evaluate every policy or decision they take to ensure that it does not expose the interest of various stakeholders and interest groups at risk upon its implementation. This argument means that decisions and policies that have high potentials of yielding optimal results but possessing high-risk vulnerabilities may not be implemented. Measuring performance from the paradigm of the magnitude of returns, for instance, in terms of social benefit, failure to implement projects having high risks of failure but having high levels of returns means that the performance of a public institution is impaired. Public officials must balance demand for accountability and the need to have high-performing organizations. For instance, considering the experience of hurricane Katrina, it is arguable that the government ought to have invested heftily on strategies and equipments for dealing with aft ermaths and or for detection of both the likelihoods and the magnitudes of natural catastrophes in the bid to enhance effective disaster awareness through its established institutions for disaster management. Such a measure would make disaster management institutions highly performing if the investments turn out commensurate to the anticipated levels of response to human and logistical challenges posed by hurricane Katrina. However, in the effort to ensure that such organizations become highly performing, the question that emerges is whether indeed public officials charged with running such institutions would be willing to venture into risky decisions that would compromise their levels of accountability in the public domain. Koliba, Zia, and Mills (2011) support this line of thought by noting that it is important to develop both theoretical and empirical constructs â€Å"to identify and assess how and whether failures of accountability lead to failures in performance† (p.210) . Directly congruent with this proposal, it is of paramount importance that public officials be made to account for success rather than just failures. Such a strategy can help to balance demands for accountability and the need for high performing organizations. Obtaining a balance between accountability and the need for high-performing organizations is a challenge that public officials need to proactively address especially bearing in mind that the citizens whom they owe the ultimate responsibility while making their decisions do not directly elect them. Consequently, public officials may consider complying with political accountability roles since, according to Bovens (1998), â€Å"public officials are not rigidly constrained in their performance by narrow legal or procedural settings† (p.31). This case means that the capacity to form and operate public institutions driven by the motive for high performance may be compromised by the need to meet programmed guidelines issued by the appointing authority in hierarchical systems of administration. This argument is more imperative upon considering Bovens’ (1998) assertion that political accountability â€Å"tends to use outcomes as the main parameter for evaluation of performance rather than compliance with administrative rules and procedures† (p.31). As a repercussion, it is probable that public officials may fail to balance accountability with the need to create highly performing public institutions due to the need to satisfy the anticipations of the elected authority as opposed to direct anticipations of the electorate. Although in democratic and corruption-free nations, the elected persons may present the interest of the electorate. Hence, the anticipations of the elected and the appointing authority from the public officials have to measure up to the anticipation of the electorate. In the corruption-prone nations, the electorate interests are not presented by the elected persons. If publi c administrators appointed by the corrupt-elected persons have to be politically accountable, it means that a balance between accountability and the need to put in place a highly performing organization cannot be established. Reference List Bovens, M. (1998). The Quest for Responsibility: Accountability and Citizenship in Complex Organizations. Public Administration, 77(3), 455-474. Forrer, J., Kee, J., Newcomer, K., Boyer, E. (2010). Public- Private Partnerships and the public accountability question. Public administration review, 1(1), 475- 484. Kearns, P. (2003). Accountability in a Seamless Economy, in G. Peters and J. Pierre (eds.), Handbook of Public Administration. London: Sage Publications. Koliba, C., Zia, A., Mills, R. (2011). Accountability in governance networks: an assessment of public, private and nonprofit emergency management practices following hurricane Katrina. Public Administration Review, 1(1), 210-20.

Japans Past is Still the Ghost of the Present

Japans Past is Still the Ghost of the Present Free Online Research Papers â€Å"Haunting Past, Haunting Future-Why Japan’s ghost-like Past is still the Ghost of the Present† Japan committed numerous atrocities and crimes during WWII. Such crimes have occurred during Japan’s period of imperialism. Explicit examples of these include: mass killings, torture of POW’s, and looting. These examples have been accounted in events; indeed, the Nanking Massacre has been portrayed as the most notorious example. Ever since Japan’s surrender, compensation and official apologies have been made; however, during the past few years, Japan’s government seemed like they were trying to cover up their crimes. Additionally, the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines 14 class-A war criminals, has been regarded as a national monument; Prime ministers Koizumi and Abe have made controversial visits that have angered foreign neighbors. Despite the fact that there seems to be evidence of increasing amiability, the outlook for future relations is unpredictable as it seems. However, there is a chance that one can look forward to a better relationship between foreign nations- Japan and its neighbors. Japan has committed warcrimes for which they have tried to apologise for, but their denials are reflective of curr ent events, as well the outlook for future relationships. The severity of Japanese war crimes reached a pinnacle during the late 1930’s. As mentioned earlier, there was a mass execution of solders and innocent civilians, including women and young children. The death toll amounted to around 6 million murders. Such examples include the Manila Massacre (Philippines) and the Sook Ching Massacre (Singapore). The estimated death toll between these two countries is around 150,000. In China alone, 3.9 million lives were lost as a result of Japanese invasions. However, the controversial focus involves the Nanking Massacre from 1937-1938. Even the death toll cited has yielded radically different estimations; the number ranged from 8,000-430,000. Within the atrocities, Japanese soldiers have also conducted cruel scientific experiments on China’s POWs. â€Å"Victims were subjected to vivisection without anesthesia, amputations, and were used to test biological weapons, among other experiments†¦in some victims, animal blood was injected into their bodies†. As a result, there were 200,000 innocent lives lost due to bubonic plague, cholera, etc. Acts of cannibalism were later carried out in the 1940’s, while evidences of use of comfort women were prevalent, although the cannibalism reports and prostitution can only be proved through accounts from eyewitnesses. Ever since Japan’s surrender to the war, trials of war criminals followed. Some of the war criminals were convicted with death/life sentences, while some were not even given a trial. After the war trials, official apologies have been made; however, â€Å"they official apologies were widely viewed as inadequate by many of the survivors of s uch crimes and/or the families of dead victims†¦many people aggrieved†¦that no apologies has been issued for particular acts of and†¦the Japanese government has merely expressed ‘regret’ or remorse.† Basically, China and Korea want Japan to fully recognize the magnitude of the crimes Japan has caused. Japan has since made compensations to the POWs, but many have stated that Japan has never had the responsibility to compensate each of the victims. During the last 10 years till the present, Japan is still in constant debate between its neighbors. Visiting the Yasukuni shrine has become more prevalent and frequent during Junchiro Koizumi‘s term as Japan’s Prime Minister. The visits have been deemed as controversial because Japan’s leader has been visiting the enshrined souls of those who have been responsible of most of the atrocities. But Japanese people claim that he does not frequent it enough to pay respects. It has been known that Japan’s foreign nations are not quite thrilled with the shrine’s symbolism of Japan’s past military aggression. Japan’s indignant refusal to â€Å"face all of the facts† has been prevalent recently. In 2001, Japan’s neighbors were not content with the fact that Japan had not made an official apology, recounting and confessing all the atrocities that they have committed. Furthermore, textbooks and historic material taught in Japanese sch ools have changed Japan’s purported role as an aggressor during WII. Events, including the Nanking Massacre (or â€Å"incident†, as the Japanese prefer to call it), comfort women, and various other war crimes, have been ignored. Until now, this has yet to be changed. Koizumi’s successor, Shinzo Abe, renounced the issue that women had been forced into sexual slavery. He claimed that there was no tangible evidence that would prove such events had happened during WWII. He is currently trying to alleviate tensions between Japan’s neighbours. It is true that he is a committed visitor, but it does not seem to have a profound effect on China (like it had been years ago). For example, Chinese Prime minister Wen Jiabo has visited Japan to formalize a new cabinet level dialogue on economic co-operation, suggesting more economic opportunities for Japan. On 10th May 07, Beijing avoided direct criticism of Abe when he made his offering to the Shrine. Their purpose was to adopt a more forward looking approach with relations with Japan. A da y later, Japan has responded, citing that they would want to keep improving relations as well, sharing a goal in building common interests. Japan’s indignant refusal to embrace their faults regarding the war crimes has generated debates and controversy, but apparently this issue is starting to change, with Japan/China relations improving. Ergo, the relationship will improve, but because Japan still avoids and denies some of the atrocities, it is evident that Japan’s ghost like past foreshadows the present, as well as the future. Research Papers on Japan’s Past is Still the Ghost of the PresentCapital PunishmentDefinition of Export QuotasGenetic EngineeringPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Effects of Television Violence on ChildrenAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraTwilight of the UAWThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

The Domestication of Maize in America

The Domestication of Maize in America Maize (Zea mays) is a plant of enormous modern-day economic importance as foodstuff and alternative energy source. Scholars agree that maize was domesticated from the plant teosinte (Zea mays spp. parviglumis) in central America at least as early 9,000 years ago. In the Americas, maize is called corn, somewhat confusingly for the rest of the English-speaking world, where corn refers to the seeds of any grain, including barley, wheat or rye. The process of maize domestication radically changed it from its origins. The seeds of wild teosinte are encased in hard shells and arranged on a spike with five to seven rows, a spike that shatters when the grain is ripe to disperse its seed. Modern maize has hundreds of exposed kernels attached to a cob which is completely covered by husks and so cannot reproduce on its own. The morphological change is among the most divergent of speciation known on the planet, and it is only recent genetic studies that have proven the connection. The earliest undisputed domesticated maize cobs are from Guila Naquitz cave in Guerrero, Mexico, dated about 4280-4210 cal BC. The earliest starch grains from domesticated maize have been found in the Xihuatoxtla Shelter, in the Rio Balsas valley of Guerrero, dated to ~9,000 cal BP. Theories of Maize Domestication Scientists have put forward two main theories about the rise of maize. The teosinte model argues that maize is a genetic mutation direct from teosinte in the lowlands of Guatemala. The hybrid origin model states that maize originated in the Mexican highlands as a hybrid of diploid perennial teosinte and early-stage domesticated maize. Eubanks has suggested a parallel development within the Mesoamerican interaction sphere between lowland and highland. Recently starch grain evidence has been discovered in Panama suggesting the use of maize there by 7800-7000 cal BP, and the discovery of wild teosinte growing in the Balsas river region of Mexico has lent support to that model. The Xihuatoxtla rockshelter in the Balsas river region reported in 2009 was discovered to contain domesticated maize starch granules in occupation levels dated to the Paleoindian period, more than 8990 cal BP. That suggests that maize may have been domesticated by hunter-gatherers thousands of years before it became a staple of peoples diets. The Spread of Maize Eventually, maize spread out from Mexico, probably by the diffusion of seeds along trade networks rather than migration of people. It was used in the southwestern United States by about 3,200 years ago, and in the eastern United States beginning about 2,100 years ago. By 700 AD, maize was well established up into the Canadian shield. DNA studies suggest that purposeful selection for various traits continued throughout this period, leading to the wide variety of species today. For example, 35 different races of maize have been identified in pre-Columbian Peru, including popcorns, flint varieties, and varieties for specific uses, such as chicha beer, textile dyes, and flour. Agricultural Traditions As maize was spread outside of its roots in central America, it became part of already existing agricultural traditions, such as the Eastern Agricultural complex, which included pumpkin (Cucurbita sp), chenopodium and sunflower (Helianthus). The earliest direct-dated maize in the northeast is the 399–208 cal BC, in the Finger Lakes region of New York, at the Vinette site. Other early appearances are Meadowcroft Rockshelter Archaeological Sites Important to Maize Archaeological sites of importance to the discussion of maize domestication include Central America:  Ã‚  Xihuatoxtla Shelter  (Guerrero, Mexico), Guila Naquitz (Oaxaca, Mexico) and  Coxcatlan Cave  (Tehuacan, Mexico)Southwest USA:  Bat Cave  (New Mexico),  Gatecliff Shelter  (Nevada)Midwest USA: Newt Kash Hollow (Tennesee)Northeast USA: Vinette (New York), Schultz (Michigan), Meadowcroft (Pennsylvania) Some Recent Maize Studies This glossary entry is a part of the About.com Guide to  Plant  Domestications,  and part of the  Dictionary of Archaeology. Carpenter Slavens J, and Snchez G. 2013.  Los cambios ambientales del Holoceno Medio/ Holoceno Tardà ­o en el desierto de Sonora y sus implicaciones en la diversificacià ³n del Yuto-aztecano y la difusià ³n del maà ­z.  Dilogo Andino  41:199-210. Ellwood EC, Scott MP, Lipe WD, Matson RG, and Jones JG. 2013.  Stone-boiling maize with limestone: experimental results and implications for nutrition among SE Utah preceramic groups.  Journal of Archaeological Science  40(1):35-44. Freeman, Jacob. Crop Specialization, Exchange and Robustness in a Semi-arid Environment. Human Ecology, John M. Anderies, Andrea Torvinen, et al., Volume 42, Issue 2, SpringerLink, January 29, 2014. Gil AF, Villalba R, Ugan A, Cortegoso V, Neme G, Michieli CT, Novellino P, and Durn V. 2014.  Isotopic evidence on human bone for declining maize consumption during the little ice age in central western Argentina. Journal of Archaeological Science 49(0):213-227. Grimstead DN, Buck SM, Vierra BJ, and Benson LV. 2015.  Another possible source of archeological maize found in Chaco Canyon, NM: The Tohatchi Flats area, NM, USA.  Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports  3:181-187. Haas J, Creamer W, Huamn Mesà ­a L, Goldstein D, Reinhard KJ, and Vergel Rodrà ­guez C. 2013.  Evidence for maize (Zea mays) in the Late Archaic (3000-1800 B.C.) in the Norte Chico region of Peru.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  110(13):4945-4949. Hart JP, and Lovis WA. 2013. Reevaluating What We Know About the Histories of Maize in Northeastern North America: A Review of Current Evidence. Journal of Archaeological Research  21(2):175-216 Killion TW. 2013.  Nonagricultural cultivation and social complexity.  Current Anthropology  54(5):596-606. Matsuda, Masahiko. Upland Farming Systems Coping with Uncertain Rainfall in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar: How Stable is Indigenous Multiple Cropping Under Semi-Arid Conditions? Human Ecology 41, ResearchGate, December 2013. Reed PF, and Geib PR. 2013.  Sedentism, Social Change, Warfare, and the Bow in the Ancient Pueblo Southwest.  Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews  22(3):103-110. Snchez-Pà ©rez S, Solleiro-Rebolledo E, Sedov S, de Tapia EM, Golyeva A, Prado B, and Ibarra-Morales E. 2013.  The Black San Pablo Paleosol of the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico: Pedogenesis, Fertility, and Use in Ancient Agricultural and Urban Systems.  Geoarchaeology  28(3):249-267. Shillito, Lisa-Marie. Grains of truth or transparent blindfolds? A review of current debates in archaeological phytolith analysis. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, Volume 22, Issue 1, SpringerLink, January 2013. Thompson V, Gremillion K, and Pluckhahn T. 2013.  Challenging the Evidence for Prehistoric Wetland Maize Agriculture at Fort Center, Florida.  American Antiquity  78(1):181-193. VanDerwarker A, Marcoux J, and Hollenbach K. 2013.  Farming and Foraging at the Crossroads: The Consequences of Cherokee and European Interaction Through the Late Eighteenth Century.  American Antiquity  78(1):68-88. Warinner C, Garcia NR, and Tuross N. 2013.  Maize, beans and the floral isotopic diversity of highland Oaxaca, Mexico.  Journal of Archaeological Science  40(2):868-873.

Plan to Pursue at the University of California Personal Statement

Plan to Pursue at the University of California - Personal Statement Example Also, since my aunt is a businesswoman, working as an executive director in Li and Fung Trading Ltd, one of the largest trading logistics company in the world, I gained enough orientation and perspectives on economics in terms of both micro and macroeconomic exposures of the firm’s trading relationships with other institutions and its effect on the macro level. As a marketing trainee, I realized the importance of understanding the theoretical framework and concepts on economics as various economic models assist in understanding real word business implications of trading and could assist in predicting organizational behavior, in general. I am aware that by pursuing a degree in economics, I would be accorded the opportunity to be illuminated on economic problems and factors affecting organizations including policy design and analysis of alternatives to make the appropriate decisions which would maximize profits and growth potentials. The involvement with Li and Fung Trading Ltd provided the impetus for a more determined stance to pursue a degree in Economics. I was made more aware that most organizational problems can be analyzed and evaluated through an economic analysis approach and the kind of solutions that economic principles suggest are enormous and diverse. I would like to be instrumental in assisting my current and future organizations in determining effective solutions to problems through a better understanding of the local economy, national and world’s most pressing problems and the determination of appropriate approach to solve these problems through economic perspectives. Through working with Li and Fung Trading Ltd, I developed the necessary discipline and skills to pursue higher education. Through interrelationships with colleagues and groups, I developed group and interpersonal skills, as well as communication skills needed in academic disciplines.