Automated Wars Essay Example

Automated Wars Essay Example Automated Wars Essay Automated Wars Essay Automated wars In our world today, wars are being fought openly and discretely. Warfare is becoming more sophisticated and intelligent. The weapons business has become a lucrative means of earning money for the parties involved. These parties sell war as a necessity for our wellbeing. However the promotion of war is not an easy task. War is known to cause destruction, it is the cause of many innocent deaths, more often than none wars do not resolve issues. For these reasons and many more, wars are not welcomed, people donâ„ ¢t want to be killed and for that matter kill others. But what if wars could be fought with precision What if only the bad guys died What if a machine calculated a threat level and made the decision to kill This is the direction the modern warfare is headed towards. The ability for a machine to automatically locate and attack a target, with minimal human intervention is the focus of leading global militaries. Organizations such as United States Air Force (USAF) are focusing o n artificial intelligence to conduct reconnaissance and make decisions based on their findings. However, are these intelligent machines going to work with us Or will we eventually reach a point where we will have to fight the machines for our survival This essay will evaluate this question and prove that a heavy reliance on artificial intelligence may eventually cause us more harm than good. The USAF has released an action plan in which the main focus is to evolve existing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to include artificial intelligence (AI) to make combat decisions, while acting within legal and policy constraints without necessarily requiring human input (June, 2009). The UAS have been in development for several years and are only recently being relied upon as dependable service machines. This technology, along with the assistance of humans were developed to allow forces to conduct dull, dirty and dangerous missions, like searching tunnels and caves for terrorists, rescuing wounded soldiers, spying on enemies and even killing humans (Lin, 2009). There are more than 7,000 unmanned aircrafts and 12,000 ground robots currently in service in both Afghanistan and Iraq (Lin, 2009). The USAF believes that by 2024 the military will be at a point where the UAS will be able to carry out orders that would otherwise be limited by the lack of precision, and speed of reaction by h uman soldiers. (USAF, 2009, p. 14). The USAF holds an instrumentalist point of view in which they believe that the use of technologies such as the UAS is a solution to our existing problems in warfare. It is believed that the human soldiers are limited to their performance and physiological characteristics. Current manned aircrafts cannot be exposed to certain risks due to the fear of losing human life. Some missions are also assumed to be jeopardized due a soldierâ„ ¢s reaction time to a situation. With the use of UAS, battlefield decision will be made much more rapidly by allowing these machines to perceive a certain situation and act independently without human intervention. (USAF, 2009, p. 14) Although the idea of using AI enabled machines as tools to fight our wars, while saving soldiersâ„ ¢ sounds appealing, should this be accepted as a solution within our society Patrick Lin, raises a good point in his article The Ethical War Machine , by stating that the use of these military machines may make it easier for nations to wage war largely because they reduce risks and friendly casualties which usually bear a heavy political cost (Lin, 2009). With reduced political risks and less fear of losing soldiers, governments may not face the same amount of resistance from activists that they would receive today. As a result starting a war would become a lot easier than it is today. If these wars are waged, what social impacts will these machines have on our society If these machines worked as planned, and did not raise problems of their own, one has to wonder how this will affect the opposing party. Lin believes that since these machines can deliver quicker, more decisive victori es for us (Lin, 2009), the enemy may retaliate by resulting to more desperate strategies and tactics. Enemies may also have their own machines to fight their battles. If this happens, are we safer in the future with these machines than we are now This of course is a dilemma that we would face if the AI machines were to work as proposed. We know from past events in history and according to Murphys Law that not all technological inventions have and will perform exactly as projected. A big believer of this method was Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Kaczynski viewed technology from a dystopian point of view, he believed that the design and use of technology would have unintended consequences (Joy, 2000). However, the USAF has a different point of view. They believe that with proper ethical discussions and policy decisions these AI machines can be guided towards a set future. Additionally they believe that the systems for the UAS will be programmed to be based on human intent, with humans monitoring the execution of operations and retaining the ability to override the system at any point during a mission (USAF, 2009). Choosing an ethical perspective to guide the machines seems to raise another issue. In our society people hold varying ethical beliefs and values. How then, will we figure out which ethical theory we sho uld use to guide these machines Lin raises a good ethical question that these machines and the creators of these machines would face. He asks Should we let a robot decide that it is permissible to sacrifice one innocent person (for instance, a child) to save 10 or 100 others This is an interesting question because our soldiers have yet to figure out exactly how to distinguish illegal targets in the battle field with 100% accuracy. If this is a problem we cannot solve our selves, how will we guide these machines to make these decisions for us Maintaining this perspective we can also question the morality of these machines. In his article, Lin questions how these machines would react in certain situations. He explains that as a band of brothers, soldiers trust and support each other which can sometimes lead to abuses and cover-ups (Lin, 2009). He questions how these machines, which will have cameras to monitor action and ensure proper behaviors, will uphold the brother hood. Additionally Lin also suggests that the use of machines to conduct operations may increase distrust among the people living in the country, he questions how effective these machines will be in winning hearts and minds of the other side to achieve a lasting peace (Lin, 2009) The USAF believes that as time passes and as these machines become more sophisticated in the battle field they will learn from their actions. They also imply that if these machines are being found to make errors, humans will retain the ability to change the level of autonomy as appropriate for the type or phase of mission (USAF, 2009, p. 59). Building a sort of Kill switch into these machines is a great idea, but it may not be very practical if the purpose of these machines is to conduct their missions with minimal human intervention. The goal of the USAF is to have fewer human operators flying; instead they would be put in charge of directing swarms of these machines. With one soldier controlling multiple machines, is it possible to have the soldier pay attention to every little detail that the machine sees In the article Can AI fight terrorism, Juval Aviv describes a similar problem that exists with AI today. A person standing a couple of feet from his or her suitcase for more than a few minutes at an airport could set off an alert with an AI-monitored camera system, whereas a human being looking at the same scenario would know that there is not yet a cause for concern. This can result in a boy who cried wolf scenario where too many false alarms cause alarms to be ignored (Aviv, 2009). If the soldiers begin to ignore ce rtain alerts, are we not allowing these machines to think on their own The USAFâ„ ¢s plan is to allow these machines to automatically perform repairs in flight and conduct routine ground maintenance without human touch labor. Some might argue that allowing these machines to think on their own, and giving them the ability to perform repairs may give them a life of their own. However this may not necessarily be the case. Billy Joy explains this in his article Why the future doesnt need us. He states that the human race would never be foolish enough to hand over all the power to the machines (Joy, 2000); this is the same ideology that organizations such as USAF share. However, Joy also suggests that the human race might easily permit itself to drift into a position of such dependence on the machines that it would have no practical choice but to accept all of the machines decisions (Joy, 2000). This is a valid point, as we can look back in history to when the internet was invented. At first the internet was introduced as a mere tool to extend our methods of communication. Today, many people have become heavily reliant on the internet and without it they feel lost and disconnected from the world. The heavy reliance on these machines to fight our wars may bring us to a point in the future where we would begin to trust the judgment of these machines. We may not be able to disconnect ourselves from these machines as they will perform operations at a rate which we will not be able to match. Shutting down these machines in the future may cause us to become overwhelmed with the work that would lie ahead. We can look at this scenario from Neil Postmanâ„ ¢s critical points about technology. Neil suggests that for every advantage that technology offers, there is always a disadvantage. In the case of AI machines, we can see that the obvious advantage to this technology is convenience and efficiency. While the disadvantages are potential overreliance on these machines, as well as the lack of experiences we have in dealing with such technologies. Neilâ„ ¢s second point of view suggests that technology is the enemy of culture and tradition. The use of these machines can certainly harm our current traditions. The bond that soldiers maintain today will be eliminated with the introduction of machines. All future battles would be monitored by surveillance devices and cover-ups and the code of silence will become obsolete. The third point implies that technology has become more important than culture and tradition. Just the fact that our governments are exploring these technologies as poss ible machines to fight our future wars demonstrates that technology is becoming more important than our traditional methods. The fourth point Neil makes is that technology does not empower us. This point is somewhat debatable in the case of AI machines. The party with the most efficient and powerful machines will certainly become empowered, but this does not necessarily mean that their problems will disappear with the increased power. This brings us to Neilâ„ ¢s final point which suggests that technology does not solve our problems. These machines are being created to solve problems such as the loss of soldiers or the lack of precision in our battle fields today. However are these problems really solved With a closer inspection, it can be argued that although soldiers will not be pushed to the front lines, they may still be in danger as enemies will have similar technologies to counter attack. In addition, the militaries will have to worry about the types decisions these machines may make, as they may not resolve issues with the same ethical perspective as a human soldier would. The invention of these machines is inevitable as our governments will continue to develop technologies to stay ahead of their enemies. These AI enabled machines may not solve our problems as organization such as the USAF has planned. Instead they may result in more complex problems that may become much harder to solve. Our increased reliance on these types of machines may lead us to a point of no return. ? Bibliography Aviv, J. (2009, June). Can AI Fight Terrorism Retrieved July 2009, from Forbes: forbes.com/2009/06/18/ai-terrorism-interfor-opinions-contributors-artificial-intelligence-09-juval-aviv.html Joy, B. (2000, April). Why the future doesnt need us. Retrieved July 2009, from Wired.com: wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy_pr.html June, L. (2009, July). US Air Force says decision-making attack drones will be here by 2047. Retrieved July 2009, from Engadget: engadget.com/2009/07/28/us-air-force-says-decision-making-attack-drones-will-be-here-by/ Lin, P. (2009, June 22). The Ethical War Machine. Retrieved July 2009, from Forbes: forbes.com/2009/06/18/military-robots-ethics-opinions-contributors-artificial-intelligence-09-patrick-lin.html USAF, U. S. (2009, May 18). Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan. Retrieved July 2009, from Government Executive: govexec.com/pdfs/072309kp1.pdf

Stalwart

Stalwart Stalwart Stalwart By Maeve Maddox A reader asks for clarification regarding the word stalwart: I am confused about the meaning of â€Å"stalwart† in the following context: â€Å"One of the most influential companies in high technology right now may be a 135-year-old industrial stalwart.† According to OED, as a noun, stalwart means â€Å"loyalist, hard-working supporter.† Nonetheless, I fail to grasp the meaning of stalwart qualified by industrial as adjective. As a noun, stalwart has more than one meaning; â€Å"loyal supporter† is only one of them. Stalwart began as an adjective. The Old English adjective stalworth was applied to things like ships to mean â€Å"serviceable.† When applied to people and animals, it meant, â€Å"strongly and stoutly built.† The meaning extended to include brave, courageous, and valiant. In Scots dialect, the word became stalwart and was reintroduced into English thanks to the popularity of the novels of Sir Walter Scott. In modern usage, stalwart functions as both adjective and noun. Adjective As an adjective, stalwart means, resolute, unbending, and determined, as well as brave, courageous, and valiant. For example: The epic valor of the Greeks in driving back the Italian invaders together with Britain’s stalwart resistance to Hitler’s crushing blows, has given new meaning to human courage in war. Her stalwart defense of the environment in Maryland is embodied in her support for building a green jobs workforce, protecting the Chesapeake Bay, and for a clean energy economy. Noun â€Å"A stalwart† can be a person who has achieved wide recognition in some business or pursuit: Hollywood stalwart Ernest Borgnine dies at age 95 Josh H. Groce, a  noted stalwart  of the Texas trial bar Or it can refer to a company or institution that has been in operation for a long time. This is the sense in which stalwart is used in the sentence submitted by the reader. Here are some more examples of this use of stalwart to refer to a company: Sales for the New York-based pharmaceutical stalwart  were $13.56 billion against last years $13.89 billion. The remaining companies experiencing growth last year [included] electronics retailer HHGregg Inc. and pharmaceutical stalwart Eli Lilly and Co. And while many of its architects are well-known Silicon Valley companies, longtime Milwaukee industrial stalwart Rockwell Automation Inc. has positioned itself at the heart of the phenomenon, which some consider the next industrial revolution. Finally, in the context of politics, the noun stalwart means, â€Å"a sturdy uncompromising partisan†: AIPAC lauds re-election of pro-Israel stalwarts First deficit panel picks are Democratic stalwarts Utah is overall a conservative state much in line with the public policy principles of Republican stalwarts like Gov. Mitt Romney, Gov. Michael Leavitt and Gov. Jon Huntsman.   Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?44 Resume Writing TipsPersonification vs. Anthropomorphism

Why Alcohol Is Good for You Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why Alcohol Is Good for You - Essay Example The major objective of this paper is to explore the type of risks that are taken by the writer while composing the article. The discussion intends to produce an effective critical summary of the article with respect to management of risks and languages. The writers require taking risks in order to make any writing more effective. Unless and until a writer takes risk, the writing can become boring and weak. The aspect of risk taking can result in discovering new subjects and broadening opportunities towards learning the reality. One of the major types of risks in writing is avoiding the sense of safety. However, safety is not a preferred component in writing. In relation to the article, it can be observed that the author i.e. Jonah Lehrer has taken the risk of revealing the beneficiaries of alcohol consumption in human life where most of the people know the evil aspects of the same (Centrinity Inc., â€Å"Newspaper Article Expectation Sheet†). Risk can appear in the form of choosing highly controversial topic or subject. Writing on controversial topic can raise significant risks in terms of raising arguments from the readers on any opinion or oversight of the writer. The author also undertakes this risk of writing on a highly debatable topic and dared his viewpoint about how alcohol can provide benefits to people. Biasness is the other aspect of writing which can generate risk in writing. Any sort of writing must demonstrate both positive as well as negative aspects of a chosen issue or subject so that it can avoid any misperception or prejudice. In the article of Jonah Lehrer, it can be observed that the author has described both favorable and unfavorable aspects of consuming alcohol. He also described alternative approaches for improving the lifestyle of the people. A good article demonstrates both aspects of a subject without making a final judgment. Hence, it

Diffusion weighted (DW) Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI Essay

Diffusion weighted (DW) Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI - Essay Example The exploration of diffusion in MRI includes the way MRI is sensitized to diffusion; the effects of spins, both stationary and moving spins; how diffusion-weighted images are affected by physiological motion; the how of the achievement of the various diffusion weightings; and information on diffusion and how those are measured (Hagmann et al. 2006; Mori and Barker 1999, pp. 102-106; Tonarelli 2012; Parker 2004, pp. S176-S178; Everdingen et al. 1998; Barker 1999; Maas 2005; Le Bihan et al. 2006; Yablonskiy et al. 2003; Koh and Collins 2007; Le Bihan 2011; Basser and Jones 2002; Battal et al. 2012; De Foer 2010; Luypaert et al. 2001; Williams et al. 1992; Topgaard 2006) II. Background on Diffusion Diffusion on the molecular level is said to be the result of natural Brownian movement, where molecules randomly move through the diffusion medium because of the agitation caused by thermal characteristics of the medium. In all the displacement of the molecules comes up to zero by mean figure s, but over time, there are positive probabilities associated with the non-zero movement of a molecule, so that over time, a molecule is said to probably have moved from an initial position at an earlier time. Here the time elapsed corresponds to a correlation with the distance moved, where different fluids acting as diffusion mediums determine the distance as characterized by the diffusion constant for that liquid type. There is a difference between the freely diffusing movement of water molecules, meanwhile, to the diffusion of liquids in the tissues of human beings, so that in human tissues one talks of an ADC, or an apparent diffusion coefficient, to be differentiated from the free diffusion coefficients of liquids outside of human bodies, such as those used to characterize water in containers at certain temperatures. On the other hand, for human tissues, various considerations further come into play, such as differences in the mobility of different fluids in different parts of the body and in different parts of a particular organ, such as the human brain. Boundary conditions also differ for liquids found in different body parts. All these affect the coefficient of diffusion in various ways, with the general observation that the ADC is generally smaller in comparison to the free diffusion coefficients of liquids like water outside of the human body (Luypaert et al. 2001; Roberts and Rowley 2003). Going into diffusion types, meanwhile, there are two, one being isotropic diffusion and the other being anisotropic diffusion. In isotropic diffusion, the rate of diffusion is the same in all directions, and so the resulting diffusion distribution is spherical. In anisotropic diffusion, the diffusion rate depends on where the diffusion is oriented, and there is uneven diffusion in different directions. The distance of the diffusion is orientation-dependent, in other words, and the diffusion distribution is characterized by an ellipsoid (Module 1 2013). III. MRI an d Diffusion A. How MRI is Sensitized to Diffusion In a hypothetical case, the typical distribution of displacement of water molecules in such a container is said to follow a bell curve, with majority of the water molecules able to travel only for short distances from their initial location, whereas a few of the water molecules are able to be displaced at further distances from average. For a given initial temperature of the water, moreover,

Enrollment System Essay Example for Free

Enrollment System Essay ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, I would like to say â€Å"Thank God†, for giving me the health and strength in doing this project work until it done. Not forgotten to my family for providing everything, such as money, to buy anything that are related to this project work and their advise, which is the most needed for this project. Internet, books, computers and all that as my source to complete this project. They also supported me and encouraged me to complete this task so that I will not be procrastinate in doing it. Then I would like to thank my instructor, Mr. JoeySuba for guiding me throughout this project. We had some difficulties in doing this task but he taught us patiently until we knew what to do. INTRODUCTION Interest in information system has increased during the recent years not only in education but also in all areas where resources are managed. Two main reason account for this- the increasing population and the need for improved problem-solving tools. Student information system has always been a difficult task, but it is more so today than ever before, where administrators uses the traditional way of filing records on a cabinet. As the population of the students goes up, it is becoming more complex. Data should be stored in safer places, and can be retrieved easily and fast when someone needs it. Administrator’s task has becoming more complex, there have been efforts to improve the effectiveness of problem solving and central to this are quantitative techniques and electronic devices such as computers. In the field of education, researchers and theorists have focused intensively in recent years on examining the concepts and use of information to assist administrators, teachers, students and parents. Others have raised and discussed fundamental issues and uses of school information system to facilitate judgment and decision-making in schools. Schools, like any other organization used to manage all sorts of data and information to ensure attainment of its goals and objectives. The emerging needs in most schools for accurate and relevant data and reliable information strengthen the Student Information System. PROBLEM DEFINITION: This study attempted to identify the quality of information system in San Simon Integrated School . Based on my observations during the interview, i found out that on the manual system that the school is presently using, information and records were not kept accordingly that causes lost of important papers and documents. The student’s Form-137 was kept by the present teacher of the student as well as birth certificate or baptismal certificate, which has no assurance of safety keeping. Another problem identified is when the entries of names in the student’s lists are not updated, where some are complaining when records are incorrect if someone needs the documents. One respondent said that lists of classes were not produced immediately upon the start of the school year, that’s why it takes 2 to 3 days to know what the student’s section. ANALYSIS: Student information system has enhanced the quality of information generated in terms of precision or accuracy of data. Important things must be specified and considered for the proper usage of the system. This is designed to create a user-friendly program. The system must be kept in place that is well ventilated to avoid any risk of damage to the system. It must also be password protected to avoid from viruses and computer crime such as information theft. The system includes a manual that can be used by the authorized personnel to operate the program correctly. It must have a pleasing design and should be right coded for the benefit of the user. Audiences involved in the system must be secured and restricted. Proper maintenance and regular check-up of the system must be done to avoid any failures of it. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED Because of the rapid growth of the student’s population in San Simon Integrated School, there are lots of problems encountered by both parents and the school administration. By using the manual enrollment system, problems such as time consuming production of information, unable to make corrections in student’s record, and tracking of student’s profile were not done fast and effective. Here are some alternative solutions that can be proposed to the school to avoid these kinds of problems:  · Provide a computerized enrollment system that has the ability to track records, make corrections and that can generate data fast and effective.  · Provide a system that can secure all the information and record of the students.  · Provide a software that will lessen the workloads of the teachers and the administration.  · To have a system that can give the students a successful enrollment system. RECOMMENDATION: Because of the problems encountered by San Simon Integrated School, we recommend to the administration to have another Enrollment system that is useful in many ways, and that is the computerized enrollment system. An enrollment system that has the ability to store students information, that can easily be retrieved and printed when needed. This enrollment system also can be able to make corrections of entry easily and fast. Through this, we can be sure that all the information will be kept in a single database so that we can minimize some problems like lost of records. It is recommended to the San Simon Integrated School that the detailed specification and implementation of the system would ensue as long as the administration approved the computerized enrollment system. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY San Simon Integrated School is a public school in San Simon Pampanga. Based on the investigations conducted, the school uses the traditional manual enrollment system. Data and information were kept on a filing cabinet, which finds difficulty and time consuming in retrieving the documents when needed. Grades were also kept by the present teacher of the students, which has no assurance of safe keeping. It also takes a long time to process the billings, lists of students, and correction of entries. During the first day of school, the students finds it hard to locate their names in a list posted on the doors of the classroom. Because of this, we are proposing the computerized student information system. This software has the ability to keep student’s records in a single database. This system can be the solution to some of the problems encountered by the school as defined previously. It is recommended to the school to provide a computer where we can install the system. And also, a committee which can be headed by some teacher must be organized to operate the system. This software can be acquired in a very minimal cost. Free seminars and trainings will be given to the person who will operate the system, and manuals will be provided. Some of the benefits that can be acquired in this system were: * easy correction of entries * effective and efficient production of data * grades can be kept in a database for future use * upon enrollment, students can immediately know their designated sections * will lessen the workloads of the teachers and staff * effective enrollment processing This proposed system is guaranteed to use, and will not be useless. Alternative solutions should be considered to make their enrollment system improved and progressive.

Ressentiment and Rationality :: Philosophy Philosophical papers

Ressentiment and Rationality ABSTRACT: This paper is an investigation of the condition of ressentiment. It reviews the two most prominent philosophic accounts of ressentiment: Nietzsche's genealogy of ressentiment as the moral perversion resulting from the ancient Roman/Palestinian cultural conflict and giving birth to the ascetic ideal; and Scheler's phenomenology of ressentiment as a complex affective unit generative of its own affects and values. A single sketch of the typical elements of ressentiment is drawn from the review of these two accounts. One element in particular, the exigency of rationality, is highlighted. The rationality of ressentiment is found to be essential to the phenomenon as a whole and to its constitutive parts. Curiously, while their accounts imply and suggest the role of rationality, neither Nietzsche or Scheler make the centrality of rationality to ressentiment implicit. Ressentiment is a state of repressed feeling and desire which becomes generative of values. The condition of ressentiment is complex both in its internal structure and in its relations to various dimensions of human existence. While it infects the heart of the individual, it is rooted in our relatedness with others. On the one hand, ressentiment is a dark, personal secret, which most of us would never reveal to others even if we could acknowledge it ourselves. On the other hand, ressentiment has an undeniably public face. It can be creative of social practices, mores, and fashions; of scholarly attitudes, academic policies, educational initiatives; of political ideologies, institutions, and revolutions; of forms of religiosity and ascetic practices. The concept of ressentiment was first developed systematically by Nietzsche in his account of the historical emergence of what he terms 'slave morality' and in his critique of the ascetic ideal. While references to this condition can be found throughout his works, the chief sections in which he develops this notion are in his early work The Genealogy of Morals. Max Scheler provides an eidetic account of this complex affective phenomenon in his book entitled Ressentiment. The picture of ressentiment that emerges from these two thinkers is in part a function of their methodological approaches and their abiding philosophic interests. Nietzsche's historical approach to the development and the corruption of morality is empiricist and deterministic, but it does not have the marks of the narrow positivism that emerged later. His historical method is informed by his philological training in ancient Hellenic texts and by Enlightenment ideals. So, although Nietzsche writes of cultural conflict s in the ancient world as historical fact, he actually uses them as models with universal anthropological significance.

Creation community and vocation

The second theme stresses the importance for community ithin our world. Jesus was a relational person creating intimate friendships with all people. Therefore, we are to imitate His act and be interactive with humanity. Being relational includes discipleship, brotherhood, love, and reconciliation. The final theme–vocation discusses the difference between career and calling. When we are patient, seek Him first, and listen for his quiet voice, He will reveal our true calling.Although the three themes have distinct characteristics and differences from one another all three intersect and are important in the Christian life. When we lose our ense of purpose and meaning, we lose our sense of connection to others and God; we lose our sense of community. Without a sense of purpose we forget that we are created in His image and other people mean little to us because we no longer value ourselves. The image of God is in all creation. We see his reflection in kind and gentle humans and we marvel at the beauty of a summers' sunset.His reflection is found in every living thing and in the God-created beauty of nature. Man is the most unique among all of God's creation because we have a material body and a soul. â€Å"Then God aid, let us make man in our image, after our likeness† (Genesis 1:26, ESV). Having the â€Å"likeness of God† means that we were made to resemble God. Man is free to make decisions and reason-this is a reflection of God's intellect and freedom. â€Å"Not only are we created as trustees of God to experience the goodness of creation, we are created to be in community with all creation† (Birch).Since God has given us a responsibility over â€Å"the fish of the see and the birds of the air†¦ over all the earth† (Leviticus 25: 23-24, NIV), we are to fulfill this responsibility by taking care of these things. Creation relates to community in the fact that man was created for fellowship. This reflects God's nature and His love. In Eden, Adam's primary relationship was with God, but He made the first woman because â€Å"it is not good for the man to be alone† (Genesis 2:18, ESV). â€Å"Relationality is a part of the image of God.If we are free and responsible persons, and everyone else is similarly free and reasonable, we are inseparably linked to one another through our choices† Oacobsen ; Sawatsky). Creation relates to our calling as well in this way, â€Å"Our special status as bearers of God's image brings special responsibilities. In particular, we are called to use our gifts and talents in the service of God, in helping others, and in caring for the natural world† Oacobsen ; Sawatsky Man has been created as a relational people.This sense of community can be seen in many aspects of our lives such as the church, our families, our friends, and many other places. While Jesus was on this Earth, He made numerous connections with people through stories, sharing, and demonstrating acts of love. We are to follow in His footsteps. Not only are we supposed to reach out to others, but we are also supposed to reconcile with them. Reconciliation is key to having a relationship with someone, and sustaining it. Reconciliation can happen, because as Christians, we understand that God reconciled with us by sending Jesus Christ to save the world.Community is the perfect means to demonstrate how God has loved us. We can't practice authentic Christianity without Christian fellowship because love is at the very root of God's character. â€Å"God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him† (1 John 4:16, NIV). The church is the central place within Christian community. It is important to walk with other believers who can build us up, call us out, and who ill love us no matter what. We find strength in numbers and it makes our walk with God easier when we have people supporting us.A Christian community is necessary to help us recharge, be renewed, and be refreshed. â€Å"Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another† (Hebrews 10:25, NIV). Community and vocation are connected to one another in the sense that it is important for us to be a part of our local and nonlocal communities. We are called to be the hands and feet of God and He uses us to reach out to people we are in contact ith. We need to be attending to the needs of our communities and actively loving our neighbors by using out gifts, talents, and strengths.With what ever our calling may be, God insists that we use our abilities to encourage, strengthen, aid, and educate others because that is what Jesus did here on Earth. As Christians, we become whole persons through healthy relationships with God and others. This means that â€Å"we feel the need to encourage and support families, churches, and local communities, and the larger civil society so that these various social places can emain places where he althy relationships are able develop and where human dignity is protected† Oacobsen ; Sawatsky).Community and creation are connected to one another in the sense that God created an interrelated creation. â€Å"Not only are we created as trustees of God to experience the goodness of creation, we are created to be in community with all creation† (Birch). This is the only way we will be able to experience the wholeness God has intended for us. Each part of God's creation finds its fulfillment in interrelatedness with all. â€Å"The place God calls man to is the place where his or her deep gladness and the orld's deep hunger meet.The kind of work God usually calls man to is the kind of work that man need most to do, and also the work that the world most needs to have done† (Buechner). Calling and career are two separate things, but ultimately go hand- in-hand. Knowing the difference is an essential part of finding where God wants us to be. â€Å"A career is a partic ular line of work one does to earn an income. A calling is a specific vision of how God wants to use our time, energy, and abilities to serve Him in the world† (Sittser). As a Christian, we are to seek His kingdom first in our lives, but a alling often uses a career.Our calling should be bigger than Just a career. Many people think that finding a calling only applies to the Christian world , but everyone can contribute to the common good. Discovering God's will for our lives is not something that happens overnight. Often it is very hard to truly hear what He is saying to us. God can speak directly to us, but He often is heard through other the people, church, nature-even art and music. It is obvious that prayer is essential to the Christian life. It is especially important in discovering our calling. â€Å"Prayer is listening.It is attentiveness, being in the presence of God, waiting expectantly for God to speak to our hearts† Oacobsen & Sawatsky). Waiting involves pati ence, which is often hard to achieve. Being able to understand that God will always show us where He wants us will help us get through that waiting period. God gave man the responsibility to be caregivers over the earth; this arises from being created in the image of God. God entrusted His own function as Creator to man along with abilities required to do so. This includes exploring, discovering, understanding, developing, and using creation to honor the Creator.Work is not incidental to man's being, but an essential part of his purpose of being on the earth. Community is also an essential part of using our vocation to honor Him. God wants us to meet our own needs and the needs of our own family and our own friends, but he also calls us to provide for the needs of others. â€Å"Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ† (Galatians 6:2, NIV). Whatever our career may be, within the work place we need to be aware of those who are around us. Cr eation, community, and vocation are three important aspects of the Christian ife.As has been shown throughout the previous paragraphs, each of these themes can be looked at separately, but they are often seen in connection with one another. Throughout the course, this connection wasn't specifically addressed, but reflecting back on the three themes, I am now able to intersect creation, community, and vocation. As people, we were created in the image of God; therefore He has provided us with skills, abilities, and strengths also achieved through experiences and our careers†to make a difference in our surrounding communities and throughout the world. References

A Streetcar Named Desired

The Character of Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche, Stella's is by far the most complex character of the play. An intelligent and sensitive woman who values literature and the creativity of the human imagination, she is also emotionally traumatised and repressed. This gives license for her own imagination to become a haven for her pain. One senses that Blanches own view of her real self as opposed to her ideal self has been increasingly blurred over the years until it is sometimes difficult for her to tell the difference.It is a challenge to find the key to Blanche's melancholy but perhaps the roots of her trauma lie in her early marriage. She was haunted by her inability to help or understand her young, troubled husband and that she has tortured herself for it ever since. Her drive to lose herself in the â€Å"kindness of strangers† might also be understood from this period in that her sense of confidence in her own feminine attraction was shaken by the knowledge of her husband's homosexuality and she is driven to use her sexual charms to attract men over and over. Yet, beneath all this, there is a desire to find a companion, to find fulfilment in love.She is not successful because of her refusal or inability to face reality, in her circumstances and in herself. Blanche has a hard time confronting her mixed desires and therefore is never able to sort them out and deal with them. She wants a cultured man but is often subconsciously attracted to strong, basic male characters, perhaps a response to her marriage with a cultured, sensitive man which ended in disaster. So although Blanche dislikes Stanley as a person, she is drawn to him as a type of man who is resoundingly heterosexual and who is strong enough to protect her from an increasingly harsh world.This seems to be the reason for her brief relationship with Mitch, but it becomes clear to Blanche that Stanley is the dominant male here and she begins to acknowledge that fact. When Blanche te lls the operator in Scene Ten that she is caught in a trap, part of her realises she has set herself up via her desires. Stanley is the embodiment of what she needs, yet detests, and, because of her sister, can never have. After Stanley has stripped her of her self-respect in this scene, she becomes desperate, unable to retreat to her fantasies and so this deeper layer of her desires is revealed. You can read also  Similarities and Conflicts in † a Streetcar Named Desire†Yet, Blanche does not know how to face these feelings and she senses to give into them could be disastrous for her. As Stanley advances towards her, she tells him, â€Å"I warn you, don't, I'm in danger! † but Stanley has made sure that this time there is no where for her to hide. In her final act, she silently acknowledges that her own desires have also led to this date. It is interesting that neither Blanche nor Stanley seriously seem to consider Stella as Scene Ten reaches a climax. They both recognise that somehow they are drawn together and also repelled by forces that are directly between them and that have little to do with Stella.Things come to a head so quickly that it is as if tensions have been bubblingore emotionally and mentally crippled than before. Yet, Stanley and by extension Stella, are not clear victors. Like Blanche, Stanley is also revealed to be capable of deceit, he does not admit the truth of what happened between him and Blanche to his friends, to Stella, and maybe not even to himself. Stella makes a conscious decision to believe Stanley instead of her sister because to do otherwise would be both emotionally and economically difficult with a new baby so she, too, is engaging in a measure of self-deception.Stanley survives because of sheer physical presence, not because of any innate superiority. Blanche suffers overall on many fronts in her new environment, but in conclusion although one does feel pity for Blanche she has to a large extent with her own weaknesses brought her own downfall. Blanche can not compete in the new household she is placed in Stella has already claimed her territory and ultimately will choose her marriage over her sister.Blanches past erupts into the present and without at the forefront is the contradiction to the facade Blanche has put up over her sexual needs and desires. So confused is Blanche over sex the one weap on she has to gain a husband her sexuality she can no longer use. In the end Blanche is living in a era which was smashed a hundred years before this moment of time in the play. This era Blanche lameness in is the gentile society of Southern America with wealthy European colonials engaging politely in society. For Blanche this refusal to let go of the past and adjust to her new surroundings and the

Ted Williams Career essays

Ted Williams Career essays His name is Theodore Samuel Williams, but to others he was known as The Kid, The Thumper, and The Splendid Splinter. Ted Williams, he played for the Boston Red Sox, and was one of Baseballs greatest hitters and the last player to have a seasons average of .400. He combined keen vision with quick wrists and a very scientific approach to hitting, to set numerous batting records, and become the best hitter in baseball, despite missing nearly five full seasons due to military service and two major injuries. He accomplished much in his years in the majors. Some of those things include a .406 season average in 1941, two Triple Crowns, two MVPs, six American league batting championships, 521 home runs, in which he joined the 500 Home Run Club, a lifetime average of .344, 18 All-Star Game selections, and fame world wide. Ted Williams stands 63 tall and weighs 205 pounds. He was born in San Diego, California, on August 30, 1918. He play baseball all his life. Through elemantry, middle, and in high school, he was the best ballplayer around. He was asked to join a the pros at the age of 17, But his mother would not let him because she wanted him to finish his studies at school. After he graduated from high school he joined the military. He went in to the Marines as a fighter pilot. Then when he finished after about two years in the military, he came back to baseball. He joined the joined the Major League Baseball and was picked up by the Boston Red Sox, and that was where he stayed for 19 years. Ted Williams may have been the greatest hitter of all-time. Hitting was what Ted did best. He had every tool a good hitter could want. He hit for power and average, which is remarkable. Very few hitters can hit for power and average at the same time. Power hitters are prone to strike out often, and contact hitters, which hit for average, do not often hit over 10 home runs a season. This is why ...

How Non-Native Business Writing Courses Help Global Employees Succeed

How Non-Native Business Writing Courses Help Global Employees Succeed Many companies have invested in a global workforce, drawing new strength and innovation from diverse international employees. However, for those who do not speak English as a first language, it can be difficult to meet the strict writing requirements of the modern English workplace. Non-native business writing courses tailored specifically for global professionals can help companies get the polished writing they need and help employees gain the confidence and skills to meet their individual business goals. Non-Native Writers are a Growing Part of Today's Workforce The Bureau of Labor Statisticsnotes that in 2012 foreign-born workers made up over 16% of the US workforce with that number steadily increasing since 1996. The largest non-native group was Hispanic men, making up close to 48% of foreign-born workers. While the weekly earnings of non-native employees were statistically less than their native-born counterparts, the survey also showed that educational attainment directly increased earning power.A recent study by Wharton management professor Laura Huang found "a widespread bias in the business community against non-native English speakers: Entrepreneurs with non-native accents, she notes, are significantly less likely to receive new-venture funding, and job candidates with non-native accents are also less likely to be recommended for management positions. Foreign-born workers need to invest in strong communication skills in both speaking and writing to overcome these prejudices in the modern workplace. What Problems do Non-Native Writers Face? While native writers develop an ear for their own language, for non-native writers it can be difficult to adapt to the unique structures and complexities of formal English. The most common struggle is in understanding the subtleties of English grammar. Many native speakers instinctively understand grammatical rules but are unable to communicate the reasons behind them to employees. Practice and study using real business documents as examples are necessarily to learn both basic and complex grammatical structures. One-on-one instruction can be especially helpful in identifying individual weaknesses. Other cultures often have different standards and techniques for handling logic and evidence in business writing, so explaining and understanding the expected standards of American business writing is essential. Do I Really Need to Improve My Writing to Succeed? For many, the talents of an employee are a stronger selling point than their writing skills. On the surface, who cares if an engineer can write a cohesive memo as long as they can design a functional product? However, businesses have quickly realized that communication skills, in any field, are essential to the success of both the employee and the company. Companies both in the US and around the world are increasingly conducting business in English. As theHarvard Business Review reported, the use of English can be a controversial decision, noting that employees "may feel at a disadvantage if their English isn’t as good as others’, team dynamics and performance can suffer, and national pride can get in the way. But to survive and thrive in a global economy, companies must overcome language barriers- and English will almost always be the common ground, at least for now." However through directed education and practice, all employees can learn to utilize English as another skill to add their already diverse talents to help themselves and their company succeed. How Can Personal Instruction Provide Targeted Improvement? Treating all non-native writers the same is neither helpful nor productive. Different cultures and languages face varied and unique challenges and a one-size-fits-all education can leave costly gaps in knowledge. Learning in the workplace can be a high-stakes endeavor with mistakes in a memo or proposal causing headaches for both employee and employer (and in the worst case scenario can lead to legal or financial problems for the company). Non-native writers can feel extreme pressure to perform when only writing for the business environment. Writing for an instructor, however, provides safety and supportthat focuses on improvement rather than simply results. Instructors can provide a detailed plan to follow in a structured writing course and can improve writing with targeted feedback tailored to the writer's specific needs. Please contact us for help finding a generalbusiness writing courseor non-native business writing course for yourself or your non-native employees. We're here to help.

Social Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Media - Essay Example Michael Haenle in and Andreas Kaplan describe social media to mean "a set of Internet-based appliances that exploit the technological and ideological basics of Web 2.0, as well as permit the formation and interchange of user-generated information (2010). Additionally, social media hinges on web-based and mobile technologies to form extremely interactive programs through which communities and individuals co-create, share, discuss, as well as transform user-generated information. It initiates pervasive and significant transformations to communication among organizations, individuals and communities. Social media is different from industrial or traditional media in numerous aspects, for instance, reach, permanence, quality, frequency, immediacy, and usability. Social media technology takes on numerous different varieties including Internet forums, magazines, social blogs, weblogs, wikis, micro blogging, social networks, pictures or photographs, podcasts video, rating as well as social b ookmarking. Through applying a collection of concepts in the arena of social processes and media research, Haenlein and Kaplan formed a classification system in their Corporate Horizons (2010) article. They used six varied kinds of social media: micro blogs and blogs (for instance, Twitter), collaborative projects (for instance, Wikipedia), content communities (for instance, Daily Motion and YouTube), and social networking websites, for instance, Facebook. Others include virtual social worlds (for instance, Second Life), simulated game worlds (for instance, World of War craft).The technologies comprise blogs, wall-postings, picture sharing, email, vlogs, instant messaging; voice over IP and crowd sourcing, and music sharing. Much of these packages can be assimilated through social network accretion programs. Social media net websites comprise sites like, Twitter, Facebook, Viadeo, Vkontakte, Tuenti, Hyves, Daniel's World , Dreams village, MySpace, and Bebo. Once social media is appl ied in sequence with mobile gadgets it is termed as mobile social-media. Therefore, social media is a set of mobile promoting applications, which permit the formation and interchange of user-generated information. Owing to the datum that mobile-social media operates on mobile gadgets, it distinguishes from outmoded social media since it integrates new aspects, for instance, the current user location (location-sensitivity) and the time interval amid sending as well as receiving texts (time-sensitivity) (Watts, 2010). Whereas traditional-social media provide a range of prospects for corporations in a comprehensive range of corporate sectors, mobile-social media utilizes the time - and location -sensitivity facets of it to take on marketing research, sales discounts or promotions, communication, and affiliation loyalty or development platforms. E-commerce businesses denote to social media as CGM (consumer-generated media). A shared thread running within all social media descriptions is a combination of social interaction and technology for the co-formation of value (Li & Bernoff, 2008). Individuals obtain information, news, education, and other facts from print and electronic media. Social media is distinctive from traditional or industrial media, for instance, newspapers, film television, since they

Dictionary usage Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dictionary usage - Assignment Example The banshee comes from the Irish bean si, which is term used to refer to woman of the sighe or simply put, woman of the â€Å"fairly mounds† is female spirit in Irish folklore, typically viewed as an omen of death and a messenger from the realm of death. In fairy tale, a banshee is an elf woman who starts to weep if someone is about to demise. The term infernal comes from the Old French word infernal resultant from the Latin term infernalis resultant from the Latin term infernus which denotes (underlground, lower, the dammed amid others), which is resultant from the Latin term inferus. The English term interlude is resultant from the Medieval Latin term interludium that represents play or game. The term interludium is derived from Medieval Latin word ludus that denotes a game or play. The Spanish word interminable is resultant from the Latin word interminabilis which denotes unending. The mediation comes from the Latin word mediato which originally point outs any psychological or physical exercise done systematically. The word phoenix is derived from Latin word phoenix that is derived from the Egyptian fnkhw. This word signifies mythical bird. The word transcendence is derived from two Latin words trns and scandere. The word haughty is derived from Middle English hautein or hautain before becoming haughtiness derived from haute which stands for self-important. The word is derived from the Anglo-Saxon term tacen that represents sign or symbol. In all, the word bough is derived from Old English word bog which is closely related to the German boug shoulder. Romney’s reply to the Democrats seemed interminable. The loud music from our next-door neighbor came flying at us like a screaming banshee. I love soft rock concert interludes. The bough of the oak was easy to reach at my bedroom’s window. It is really fascinating to see the phoenix rise from its ashes. The professor sat at his desk looking rather meditative. The stints in the movie were clearly