Persuasive speech Essay

Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society? What about our communication skills? Well, there are many social networking sites out there. â€Å"35% of adults and 65% of teens in America who use the internet have profiles on social networking sites†. I feel because so how many have an account on these sites it is hurting our society. Additionally, people are not having face to face interaction, and these social networking sites are hurting peoples communication skills.Everyone has social networking these days. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are the leading forms of social media right now. I know all of us are guilty of it. I have problems with it just writing the outline. Social Networking can be very beneficial to us, but it is very harmful. By the end of my speech, I want the audience to know that there are many negatives to social networking. I am speaking on this topic, because social networking has many negative aspects. With it being so popular, people need to be aware of these dangers. Main Values: First value is Safety. Second value is Real life social skills. Now, let’s just take some precautions and look at the safety hazards. Safety. Safety is not being exposed to the risk or harm of danger. Social networking is not safe, because there is a lot of information on the internet that can travel fast. People share private information that can get into the hands of the wrong people. Online Scams or computer hacks can cause information to be stolen and your identity to be taken. People shouldn’t post personal information on social media sites. Always put a password on your accounts and put the private mode on your sites. This won’t completely protect it, but it helps. The misguided belief is that even though you have a password or security setting that your social media is safe. People post personal information on their sites like phone numbers, an address, or a class schedule. This should be avoided because you don’t know who is looking at it. Social Skills. Communication skills are used when talking to a person. You learn to be hospitable generous, patient, and kind hearted when talking to people face to face. You learn skills you need to use for the rest of your life. Social networking prevents people from face to face communication. Communicating with virtual friends can lead to people not having the time to  socialize with real people. Social media isn’t the right kind of social. Being on social media doesn’t mean that you are being social in the right way. According to interview with Dr. John Cacioppo, who is a professor in neuroscience at the University of Chicago, tells that â€Å"You can end up online so much that you end up sacrificing face-to-face contact. Having 4000 friends on Facebook might make you feel that you have lots of friends, but you have no face-to-face contact. In that case, loneliness increases.† It is not possible to make real relationship if people do not meet face to face. Being on too much social media causes depression and anxiety which actually makes you seem less outgoing. If you spend less time on social media, you can start improving real person relationships. Health conditions. Social media is responsible for revolutionizing traditional communication. However, research has shown that social networking sites can be very addictive. People who use social networking sites for their daily communication are hooked to a point that they neglect health responsibilities, especially their diet. The addictive nature of social media leads to eating disorders, obesity, heart problems, sleep disorders, and other pertinent health issues. Additionally, constant exposure to the internet because of social networking addiction prevents a child or teen from engaging in physical activities and socialization. They become so dependent on it that they start to think making contact with other people outside the social network is not necessary. As such, they become socially and physically stagnant. In conclusion, Social media isn’t always what we think it is. There are risks and downfalls to it. Cutting back on social networking is a sustainable thing because it has become, such a large part of our society. We want this world to be as comfortable as possible. You can do that by being safe, creating relationships, and continuing to grow as a person. We don’t have to stop social networking, we just need to be more aware about how safe we are being about it and how much we use it.

Us Military Endeavor in Bosnia 1993-1995

US Military Endeavor in Bosnia 1993-1995| | 08. 12. 2009| | Introduction: With Josip Broz‘s (Tito) death in 1980 the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has lost its political leader. Tito supported a wide ethnic representation in his country and a division of power. Without his strong leadership Yugoslavia would have broken up years before the Balkan war in 1992. Yugoslavia was politically weak without Tito and the country was hard hit by an economic crisis in the early 1980ies.Calls for comprehensive reforms were growing, especially from the constituent republics Slovenia and Croatia and the central government became incapable of acting. More and more power was given up to the constituent republics. At the beginning of 1990 the Yugoslavian unity party SKJ (Savez Komunista Jugoslavije) has fallen and majority party elections were established in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Political Parties were established that functioned mainly in the interest of their ethnical background.Hence the rivalry between the parties for more power developed into an ethno-political rivalry. On June 25 in 1991 Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence. Directly after, armed conflicts started between groups which defended their territorial and the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), the last institution of the SFR Yugoslavia. More and more constituent republics were involved and soon a war started that we will remember as the Yugoslav war that later reached Bosnia, where most of the fighting took place.It was a bloody civil war between neighbors in South Eastern Europe in the late 20 century that was ended too late. Many victims would be alive if the international audience would have been more concerned about its importance of involvement. The United States, as one of the countries, acted too late at the expense of human life. The Bosnian war was a failed humanitarian intervention of the UN, a weak NATO presence and a US policy that planned [†¦ ] to pursue a U. S. ommitment to Bosnia-Herzegovina that is short-sighted in vision and transparent in end state The ‘symbolic’ presence of the UNO and the early stage of the war In 1991 The United States just ended the Gulf War and hence the majority of the American population didn’t see the point in involving themselves into another war. It was an ongoing dispute of whose responsibility was to intervene in the Bosnian War. George Bush’s policy indicated to use diplomatic initiatives rather than the usage of American military force.After being involved in World War I and II the United States saw their mission in Europe completed. There was no more a Soviet threat and the European Community (EC) should be ready to deal with its problems by themselves which was also accomplished by the Maastricht treaty in 1992. The countries in the EC should be stable enough to ensure democracy and peace in Europe. However, the actions that have been initialized by the EC failed. The countries couldn’t find a consensus of working together and using a strategy that would end the war.The Yugoslavian conflict parties arranged, with the initiative of the EC, a plan on June 29th in 1991. The plan provided 3 points which was 1) ceasefire between Slovenia and Croatia and the withdrawal of their armies 2) Slovenia and Croatia should pause with their declaration of independence for 3 month 3) Serbia should give up his resistance towards the new elected Croatian President Mesic Beside the 3rd point all the other attempts to end this war failed. Another failure of the EC was to rush into recognizing Slovenia’s and Croatia’s independence.Bosnia was even rushed to motion its independence between the times of December 16th until December 23rd 1991. A week that was given to consider establishing a country which history is very diverse and complicated. In the late summer of 1991 the Moslem politician Izetbegovic asked the UNO to send observers a nd a peacekeeping force because he knew what a war would cause in Bosnia. The attempt failed due to the UN principles to intervene when all intern actions failed to prevent a civil war. After the war broke out the UN decided to send 100 and a few month later in June 1992 1. 000 peacekeepers to Bosnia. The modest aim was to ensure a complete defeat of the Moslem population with a minimum of UN forces. NATO In early May 1992 the UN sanctioned Yugoslavia or the parts that still remained Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and a few days later the UN Security Council placed an economic embargo on Yugoslavia. NATO warships were sent to the Adriatic Sea to enforce the internationally established embargo. In October 1992 the UN Security Council decided to forbid any military flights of the warring parties.However, there have been various violations against the flying ban. Therefore NATO decided to start their direct combat mission in the air in April 1994. It didn’t stop the Serbs to take UN peacekeepers and other observant as hostage. Thus the NATO’s first air attacks did not have a great effect for stopping the war. The establishment of ‘UN protected zones’ and the case of Srebrenica The UN protected zones were established mainly for the Muslim population that was surrounded by either Croatian or Serb territory.Building protected zones was another attempt to secure civilians even though they were fairly against the UN principles of impartiality and agreement of all warring parties. The history has shown us that the UN peacekeepers were tricked by the Serbs and the ‘protected zone’ was used to facilitate covert genocide that we know today by the name of The Srebrenica Massacre in July 1995. End of the war After violating the protected zones in Srebrenica and Zepa, NATO decided for massive air attacks on military and logistical targets of the Serbs. Until this moment there have been ten NATO air attacks during the war.It was obv ious that this was not enough to end the war. Through another UN Resolution, that was formally not necessary, the UN and NATO decided to intensify their air attacks by almost 2000 attacks in a couple of days. The war ended but it was a very long way for the US to decide the various kinds of intervention. Opinions went from not getting involved at all because the EC should deal with it by themselves to deploying US troops, first for humanitarian or peacekeeping efforts then for United Nations (UN) or NATO military actions, including rescuing UN peacekeepers.According to several polls at the beginning of the war, the Americans would support any of the humanitarian interventions and multilateral agreements. ‘Bosnia reveals that the ‘‘post-Vietnam syndrome’’ was still apparent in the preference of most Americans to stay out of foreign entanglements since the Reagan-era involvements in Central America’. Nevertheless, most Americans were sure that Bo snia won’t be the next Vietnam. Polls also show that interventions should be used if there is a case of genocide.However, it was a long way for the US government to fulfill the peoples will. It was talked too much around and the media used terms such as ‘civil war’ or ‘ethnic war’ to undermine the need of stronger interventions at the beginning of the war. A Presidential term was coming up and the need of actions was put aside regardless of moral principles. In a democratic country that is based on a will of people with representatives elected by the people, a public opinion is a crucial right.If a poll shows that most of the Americans agree with military humanitarian intervention before 1995 why did a hegemonic power, as the US back then, didn’t interfere earlier with more pressure on the International community to act stronger and precisely. A diplomatic intervention in 1992 had a great impact on the course of the war until 1995. The United States has supported the UN resolution of preventing genocide, as it was before declared to be a crime under international law. Sadly neither Bush senior nor Clinton have made efforts to prevent genocide in Bosnia.Samantha Power wrote ‘it is in the realm of domestic politics that the battle to stop genocide is lost. American political leaders interpret society-wide silence as an indicator of public indifference. ’ Not until Srebrenica did the domestic and international politics pushed Clinton into action of interfering with massive military forces which at the end brought the war into an end. ‘Clinton rode into the White House rallying against Bush’s non-interventionist policy and favoring commitments to stop genocide.Facing a re-election year, a time when an administration’s promises are measured against their actual accomplishments, Clinton was particularly sensitive to challenges to his earlier pledges. Dole’s role augmented an explosion of a united media campaign, increasing international pressure for intervention, and the embarrassing fall of a U. S. -backed ‘safe zone,’ aggravating Clinton’s original commitments to put an end to the Bosnian genocide and made the political costs of non-intervention too high for the Clinton Administration to withstand.Because of this conglomeration of pressures, Clinton could follow his own moral convictions and stop the genocide. ’ In conclusion: The US intervention in Bosnia has three significant phases. The first phase included a diplomatic interference at the beginning of the war. It was an European problem. Thus Europeans should deal with it. The second phase was a very modest humanitarian-military intervention (UN and NATO) by the US, in an area where such ‘experiments’ are fatal in the course of the war. The UN ‘peacekeeping master plan’ failed completely for one good reason.No one can heal a huge wound with a simple band ai d. After 3 years of a bloody fight and a never ending war what could the hegemonic power US do? Either withdraw its troops and run away and be an audience of a war that might have murdered a whole ethnic group or reinforce and fight. The third phase, which finally ended the war, it was crucial that the US as well as the EC, NATO and the UN realize the importance of a strong military interference which is based on a common consensus. The European Community failed completely to solve its Balkan problem due to self-interests, premature decisions and a lack of a consensus.However not being involved in the war, as some US elites suggested at the beginning of the war because it is an European issue, would have been against the principles of human rights and would have created a humanitarian disaster similar to the one in WWII. Bibliography Karadjis, Mike Karadjis. Bosnia, Kosova ; the West. Resistance Books, 2000. Kull, Steven . â€Å"Americans on the Crisis in Sudan. † The America n Public on International Issues N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 July 2009. ;http://www. pipa. org/OnlineReports/Africa/Sudan_Jul04/Sudan_Jul04_rpt. df;. Mellenthin , Knut . â€Å"Der jugoslawische Burgerkrieg, die UNO und die NATO. † Jugoslawien N. p. , 14 Dec. 1995. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. ;http://www. knutmellenthin. de/artikel/archiv/jugoslawien/der-jugoslawische-buergerkrieg-die-uno-und-die-nato-14121995. html;. Petrilli , Danielle Petrilli . â€Å"More Than Witnesses at a Funeral? : The U. S. and Humanitarian Intervention . † Duke Journal of Politics Duke University, 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2009. ;http://www. poli. duke. edu/undergrad/D. %20Petrilli%20writing%20sample. doc. ;. Power, Samantha. A Problem From Hell† America and the Age of Genocide. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print. Rachal, Louis N. â€Å"U. S. Strategy in Bosnia: Are We Really Committed?. † Military U. S. Strategy in Bosnia: Are We Really Committed? N. p. , 1997. Web. 28 Nov. 2009. ;http://www. global security. org/military/library/report/1997/Rachal. htm;. Sobel, Richard . â€Å"Trends: United States Intervention in Bosnia. † Public Opinion Quarterly Oxford Journals, 1998. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. ;http://poq. oxfordjournals. org/cgi/reprint/62/2/250. pdf;. ——————————————- [ 1 ]. Rachal, Louis N. â€Å"U. S. Strategy in Bosnia: Are We Really Committed?. † Military U. S. Strategy in Bosnia: Are We Really Committed? N. p. , 1997. Web. 28 Nov. 2009. . [ 2 ]. Sobel, Richard . â€Å"Trends: United States Intervention in Bosnia. † Public Opinion Quarterly Oxford Journals, 1998. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. . [ 3 ]. 80% of the respondents of the PIPA survey said that if the UN determines that genocide is occurring, the UN, including the US, should act to stop the genocide by military force if necessary http://www. ipa. org/OnlineReports/Africa/Sudan_Jul04/Sudan_Jul04_rpt. pdf [ 4 ]. à ¢â‚¬Å"Crimes within the Court's Jurisdiction. † Development and Human Rights Section United Nations, n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2009. . [ 5 ]. Power, Samantha. †A Problem From Hell† America and the Age of Genocide. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print. [ 6 ]. Petrilli , Danielle Petrilli . â€Å"More Than Witnesses at a Funeral? : The U. S. and Humanitarian Intervention . † Duke Journal of Politics Duke University, 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2009. .

Eastern European Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Eastern European Politics - Essay Example At a certain point in these transformations, the communist parties gave up their monopoly of power -- often removing a constitutional clause on that subject and admitting rival parties -- and submitted to competitive elections, which turned over power to their opposition. There were significant differences, for example, with regard to the abruptness or completeness of the change among the elites, ranging from the purge of the old elites in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) to the sliding-scale, power-sharing arrangements in many other postcommunist societies (Robert, 1985). As in Southern Europe and Latin America, the ruptura with the old regime transferred authority only with certain de facto limitations to the new elites. Whereas in the former areas, the army and both private and foreign big business often continued to wield powerful influence, in Eastern Europe it was more often the bureaucracy and large, state-owned firms and farms. In Russia, the entire military-industrial complex at first survived the meltdown of communist control. The new governments began to make inroads into the realms of state-owned and cooperative enterprises whose managers had somehow inherited command from the defunct state planning commissions at the center of their command economies. In many cases, this left the economy half in and half out of the range of authority of the new democratic governments (David, & Bruszt, 1998). There is no need to go into the complexities of the transfer in each country, except to stress the paramount role of particular elites -- political or nonpolitical -- along with the rebellious masses in the unraveling of the old and the consolidation of the new regimes. The masses effectively challenged the authority of even the last hard-line dictatorship. "We are the people" was the chant of the East German demonstrators in Leipzig and elsewhere as they confronted the claims of popular legitimation of their communist government (Samuel, 1991). Were the economic crises of the old regime or its dictatorial character at the roots of rebellion Most immediately, the latter, although the multiple failures of the communist economy played a significant role under the surface. Crucial to the final collapse of the old regimes were also the defeat of the repressive apparatus at home -- especially the secret police and other repressive forces such as the workers' combat groups in large factories -- and the end of the outside military threat, both of Soviet power to reformist regimes like that of Alexander Dubcek and of the Western military counterpressure that had for so long been the alibi of Soviet pressure on the satellites. Once Mikhail Gorbachev had renounced the Brezhnev doctrine of Warsaw Pact intervention against nonconforming communist regimes and, in fact, encouraged them to follow in his path of glasnost and perestroika, hard-liners in Czechoslovakia and East Germany were on their own, with predictable results (Joseph E., 1 994). The complex requirements of a working democratic system, of course, did not automatically fall into the laps of the aspiring peoples of Eastern Europe when communism fell. Far from it, each element had to be acquired separately, and, as of this moment, some are still missing, incomplete, or in

Assigment two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assigment two - Essay Example Conducting a training needs analysis significantly helps in the process of evaluating the lacking areas of the teams and individuals of an organization and can significantly lead to the process of development of skills of the employees, thereby increasing their individual productivity as well as the productivity of the entire organization on a whole. Training needs analysis is increasingly considered as a highly important tool for planning and management as it aids in the process of growth and development of the individuals and the organization (Drummond, 2008, p. 5 - 6) Talking in terms of Wal-Mart, it can be said that since Wal-Mart is a global organization, with interests and stakeholders present in major and emerging markets of the globe, there are some specific areas of development that Wal-Mart can focus on for the process of providing better opportunities towards individual development and resources on a global note. The most important areas of development that Wal–Mart can focus on at the present moment are the processes of educating and developing the front line associates in the emerging markets to go for better customer engagements as well as imparting relevant product knowledge and required rack arrangement. Another important area where Wal-Mart can conduct a training needs analysis is the process of evaluating the need of technological and process developments in the emerging markets which can in return lead to achieving of better production and efficiency. The organization also needs to conduct training need evaluations of the customers in the emerging markets for the purpose of generating better responses in the e-retailing formats. Also, the company needs to conduct the analysis for the purpose of assessing the gap of technology experts’ team of the organization and their efficiency in generating the valuable insights from customer information by using data analytics technology. 2. It is of considerable importance to state that Wal -Mart is a global organization, which increasingly focuses on generating extreme value for customer through its product and service offerings (Annual Report, 2012, p.4). Hence, its key strategies are more focused in generating more value to the customer, while increasingly going through various evolutionary phases and individual development techniques of the internal stakeholders of the organization. Training Need Analysis for Wal-Mart is being provided through the following format Training Need Type of Training For Whom Objectives Front line associates of the various Wal-Mart outlets in some of the key emerging markets needs training in regards to style and fashion of involving in customer engagements. Role Playing Front line associates in Wal-Mart stores located in key emerging markets. To provide a superior shopping performance to the customers by providing high level of customer satisfaction through customer engagements. Front line associates of the Wal-Mart outlets in the key e merging markets needs training for rack arrangement as well as developing product knowledge. On job training Front line associates in Wal-Mart stores located in key emerging markets. To enable the front line as

E-business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

E-business - Essay Example In order to cater to a wide variety of audience and considering the hectic life schedules of the target customer, the firm has introduced an online store named ‘scoop shops’. Access to the web page would help a customer to find the product as well as the different product specifications including nutritional requirements. The web page also has a store locator that helps customers to locate a particular store. In addition, the web page also has a section that is devoted to generating feedback from the customers. This helps in gathering a large database of customers as well as analysing the demands of the customers. It also helps in garnering knowledge about any gap in the product or service offering. However, the organization’s website does not have a section that can help customers place orders directly over the internet. This limits the scope of the website as customers can only view product information. The web page, however, has a section that links it to socia l networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. This has enabled it to get access to millions of internet users in a highly cost effective manner (Singh, Becker & Wiliams, 2009, p.134). The website of Ben and Jerry unlike its competitor Baskin and Robbins do not have a section that segments customers based on their needs. ... Moreover, the web page is designed in a manner so that it attracts and suits the needs of the US based consumers. This is detrimental to the company’s strategy of international business expansion. Consumers may often get confused as they would not find any section dedicated to their personal needs. The web page also does not provide information regarding the detailed pricing of the products of the store. Hence, online consumers would find it difficult to compare the food items of the firm. It is also important to note that pricing constitutes one of the most important factors that influences the decision making process of the consumer. Hence, non availability of pricing data emerges as one of the key constraints of the web page. In order to address these constraints, the firm must undertake a radical change of the layout of its website. The opening page emerges as a highly attractive one but should also contain more specific information regarding the product line of the organi zation. It should also contain a section that would effectively try to segment the customers based on the product requirements. This would enable easy navigation for the customers who can easily find the product of their choice. This would reduce the confusion among the customers and would also serve to segment the customers on the basis of their needs and wants. The organization should also make efforts to provide more details of the product offering which would compulsorily include pricing details of the products. This would tend to offer a more informative outlook to the customers. The section of customer feedback must also be modified to an extent that on one hand it tries to analyse the demands of the customers and on the other hand, it tries to portray any gaps in the product

MGT509 - Human Resource Management Mod 3 SLP Essay

MGT509 - Human Resource Management Mod 3 SLP - Essay Example After taking the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory Test, the scores that I received were 3.73 in regard to Hostile Sexism and 2.82 in relation to Benevolent Sexism. This compares to 1.9 for Hostile Sexism and 2.0 for Benevolent Sexism being the average for the USA, so both my scores were on the higher side and above the average scores for males and females here. This was a little surprising for me, because most of the time I consider myself a traditionalist and am respectful towards women. Anyhow, it could be an eye opener to any gender prejudices I am harboring. When I compared my scores to those from Germany, I was surprised to find that the average males and females both had lower scores than mine in regard to both dimensions. The average score was 1.8 for Hostile Sexism and 2.2 for Benevolent Sexism there. Comparing my scores to those from Peru, I found that the average female rated 2.6 regarding Hostile Sexism and 2.8 regarding Benevolent Sexism. The males were a little higher on both dimensions but still lower than mine. When I compared my scores to those from Japan, I found that the scores of both males and females were less than my own. The females rated around 2.6 for Hostile Sexism and 2.8 for Benevolent Sexism. These scores were a little less than mine. The male scores for Japan were about two points higher than the females. Lastly taking the case of an African country, I considered the scores in South Africa. The scores here indicate that there is a very high rate of Hostile Sexism among the males and females alike, while there was also a very high rate of Benevolent Sexism among both sexes. The city of Johannesburg in South Africa a few years ago used to be considered the ‘rape capital’ of the world, with a rape occurring once every three minutes (Lindow, 2009). The scores were higher than mine on both counts. This means that the females here

The Rise of a Successful Turkish National Movement Essay

The Rise of a Successful Turkish National Movement - Essay Example According to Shaw, during that period, the Empire gained first control over one of its conquered land known as the Anatolian peninsula. The Ottoman Empire was recognized as one of the successful and powerful states in the world due to a chain of reasons including military tactic and the collapse of the Byzantium Empire. Nevertheless, during the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire succumbed to war. This strong nation was overpowered and reduced to be the land of Turkey. The Empire signed Armistice of Mudros on October 30, 1918, to call off the war, due to the fear of losing everything. Their decision had repercussions since the empire lost control over its Middle Eastern territories to France and Britain under the Sevres treaty. After the downfall of the empire, the Turks began the Turkish national movement, led by Mustafa Kemal since other countries came up with their new territories. This was a result of the occupations of Izmir and Istanbul along with the invading Greek, French, and British. They declined to acknowledge the government in Istanbul and the invading forces. The movement also came up with a people’s army, defending the empire from intruders like the Greeks, French, and Italian. Atatà ¼rk led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. He tactically defeated the forces sent by the allies since he had established a strong provisional government in Ankara, which was loyal to him. His planned military campaigns liberated his country to emerge as an independent state. As an aficionado of the age of Enlightenment, he transformed the former Ottoman Empire into a democratic, modern, and secular state. The principles of Ataturk’s reforms that led to the establishment of Turkey are known as Kemalism.  

Promotional and advertising strategies Research Paper

Promotional and advertising strategies - Research Paper Example The further discussion will illustrate different recommendations for the organizations in terms of utilizing marketing information to different themselves within the marketplace. The study will also discuss the use of consumer-oriented promotion methods for the sports apparel industry along with the pricing decisions used by leading organizations. Finally, it will also discuss the most effective advertising methods and mediums for the organizations of sports apparel sector. The compare and contrast analysis of Nike and Adidas will emphasize on the similarities as well as different approaches of the organisations in terms of promotional procedure. Nike is an American retail brand which deals in manufacturing and marketing sports apparel and accessories. The organization has established their business in 1971 and they are headquartered in Oregon, USA. They possess near about 1600 retail stores across major cities of the world (Nike Inc. 2014). Adidas is a German multinational sportswear retail company which is headquartered in Bavaria, Germany. The organisation was founded and established in 1949 and it currently possesses almost 1746 concept stores (Cullers, 2013). The organization prefers to use informational appeal by the celebrity endorsement. Nike has hired a number of athletes, such as well known soccer players and famous basket ball players, to promote their brand to the potential consumers worldwide. Strong brand promotion through powerful slogan and distinctive logo has been also a pull promotional strategy of the organization. â€Å"Just do it† can be considered as one of their convincing slogans while their â€Å"swooch† logo creates a powerful impact to pull the potential consumers. Adidas also highly focuses on celebrity endorsement in terms of promoting their marketing activities. In comparison to Nike, Adidas prefer to promote their product marketing through athlete as well as movie

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Research Paper Example When my Aunt, Elizabeth was a young woman, a wife for five months, all she could dream of is becoming a mother of three lovely kids. Due to anxiety, she could sit to watch baby stories on TLC, and always cry when the baby is born, a feeling of joy felt by a new mother. She thought every part of motherhood had to be the most amazing feeling. Such was the feeling that she decided to hasten the decision to become pregnant contrary to the agreement with her husband that they would only become parents once they achieve status they can comfortably take care of a baby. According to her plans she thought she would labor for a while, and then have a perfect delivery and start breastfeeding expecting to start bonding with the baby instantly. As a first time pregnant mom, it was natural that she would always think of how fun it will be. She is just one woman among the many who undergo such expectations before becoming pregnant after all. It was not long after that she found out it was not all glitters as she had dreamt it would be. Like other women, she experienced varied emotions coupled with life changing moments that she would be forgiven for dismissing the idea of having a second baby in the near future. An occasional drinker in her youthful years, she stopped her habit, stopped eating her favorite cheese and meat products. Instead she had to drink milk and other foods as advised by those magazines that she read. She even began keeping track of the amounts of fruits and vegetables that she because she was obsessed with being the perfect pregnant woman. Now not interested anymore in working and having resigned all she would do was master the TV programs that would help further her know-how on motherhood. All these adjustments to her were a small sacrifice to make; the baby was that entire she cared for. In the first months of pregnancy frequent vomiting, fatigue, and

AQA AS Philosophy Reason and Experience Key Points Essay Example for Free

AQA AS Philosophy Reason and Experience Key Points Essay †¢There are different types of knowledge: acquaintance, ability and propositional knowledge. Theories of knowledge discussed here are about propositional knowledge. †¢Knowledge is not the same as belief. Beliefs can be mistaken, but no-one can know what is false. †¢Knowledge is not the same as true belief, either. True beliefs may not be justified, but can be believed without evidence. To be knowledge, a belief must be justified. †¢Rationalism claims that we can have synthetic a priori knowledge of how things are outside the mind. †¢Empiricism denies this. It claims that all a priori knowledge is only of analytic propositions. Do all ideas derive from sense experience? †¢Locke argues that the mind at birth is a ‘tabula rasa’ – there are no innate ideas, which Locke defines as ideas present in the mind from birth. †¢Locke argues that there is no truth that everyone, including idiots and children, assents to – so no truth is innate. †¢Rationalists define innate ideas as ideas (concepts or propositions) whose content can’t be gained from experience, but which are triggered by experience. †¢Locke and Hume argue that all concepts are derived from sense experience, from impressions of sensation or reflection. †¢They claim that simple concepts are copies of impressions; complex concepts are created out of simple concepts by combining and abstracting them. †¢One argument for innate concepts is to challenge the empiricist to show how a particular complex or abstract concepts, for example, a physical object, is supposed to be derived from experience. If it cannot be, and it is used by children, then this is a reason to think it is innate. Are all claims about what exists ultimately grounded in and justified by sense experience? †¢Hume argues that all a priori knowledge is of relations of ideas, and so analytic. All knowledge of synthetic propositions, matters of fact, is a posteriori. It depends either on present experience or causal inference, which relies on past experience. †¢Our knowledge of matters of fact that relies on induction can only be probably – never proven. †¢Some rationalists, for example, Descartes, try to show that we can use a priori intuition and deductive argument to demonstrate what exists. †¢The core of the idea of rational intuition is that you can ‘see’ the truth of a claim just by thinking about it. †¢Descartes argues that sense experience on its own cannot establish what exists – how can we know that all sense experience is not a deception cause by an evil demon? †¢He argues that he cannot doubt his own existence, and that the mind can exist without the body. †¢Descartes argues for the existence of the physical world by first arguing for the existence of God. From God not being a deceiver, it follow that our sense experience in general can’t be completely mistaken – so they physical world exists. Conceptual schemes and their philosophical implications †¢Thinkers who defend the idea of conceptual schemes often argue that there are two distinguishable elements to our experience – the data of the sense, and then the interpretation of these data by a set of concepts. †¢Some argue that human beings have formulated different conceptual scheme which are not translatable into each other. From the same sense experience, they form different views of the world. †¢Because we must use concepts to formulate truths, we can argue that truths are relative to conceptual schemes. Or more accurately, some truths can only be stated in certain conceptual schemes and not others, and there is no one conceptual scheme which we can use to state all truths. Do all ideas derive from sense experience? II †¢One objection to the empiricist theory of the origin of concepts is that there are some complex concepts, for example, knowledge and beauty that cannot be analysed in terms of simpler concepts. †¢A second objection is that some simple ideas, for example, a particular shade of blue, don’t have to be derived from sense impressions. Empiricists can respond in two ways: all ideas could be derived from sense experience’ or some ideas are exceptions to the rule that all ideas are derived from sense experience, but these exceptions are derived from ideas that are derived from sense experience. †¢Another objection is that it is not possible to derive any concepts from experience, because in order to form concepts, we must make judgements of similarity and difference to classify experiences. But we can only make these judgements if we already have the concepts. †¢Defenders of innate ideas maintain that we innately have very specific capacities for forming particular ideas, and these ideas count as innate. †¢Suggestions for the origin of innate ideas include evolution, God, and a previous existence. Are all claims about what exists ultimately grounded in and justified by sense experience? II †¢Rationalists claim that we have synthetic a priori knowledge either innately or through rational intuition †¢Plato argues that many particular objects can have the same property, for example, beauty. These properties can exist independently of the particular objects, as shown by the fact that is we destroy all beautiful things, we haven’t destroyed beauty. These properties are instances of the Forms. †¢Plato argues that innate concepts are our knowledge of the Forms, from a previous existence. Unless we had such innate memories, we wouldn’t be able to classify experience using concepts. †¢Descartes argues that he cannot doubt his existence. We can object that he cannot know he exists; only that thoughts exist. †¢Descartes also argues that the mind can exist without the body. We can object that just because he can conceive that this is possible doesn’t show that this is possible. †¢Both these arguments and the objections use a priori reasoning. Hume objects that a priori reasoning can only establish analytic truths. †¢Nietzsche argues that reasoning is not, in fact, something independent that reveals the truth, but is grounded on assumptions about value. Metaphysical theories are the result of attempts to defend a particular way of understanding the world, one that rests on the false assumption that good and bad are opposites. †¢The verification principle claims that a statement only has meaning if it is either analytic or empirically verifiable. However, the principle itself is neither analytic nor empirically verifiable. †¢Rationalists argue that mathematics is an example of synthetic a priori knowledge. Empiricists argue that mathematics is analytic. Is certainty confined to introspection and the tautological? †¢Descartes argues that what we can doubt is not certain enough to be knowledge. However, we can argue that certainty and justification are not the same thing, and that while knowledge needs to be justified, we need an argument to show that it must be certain. †¢Certainty can refer to a subjective feeling, to a proposition being necessarily true or to the impossibility of doubting a proposition. †¢Empiricists claim that analytic truth is the only kind of necessary truth. Rationalists argue that there are synthetic a priori truths that are also necessary. †¢A necessary truth is certain. Claims about mental state, based on introspection, may also be certain for the person whose mental states they are. †¢Whether any other claims are certain depend on whether there are necessary synthetic a priori truths. Conceptual schemes and their philosophical implications II †¢Kant argues that experience is of objects, and asks how it is possible for experience to be intelligible in this way, not a confused buzz. †¢He answers that what makes experience possible are certain concepts, which he calls categories. These categories together express the ‘pure thought of an object’. †¢One such category is causality. This enables us to distinguish the temporal order of our perceptions from the temporal order of objects. †¢Kant argues that to talk of concepts interpreting sensation is misleading. Our sensory experience is always already conceptualised as experience of objects. †¢Two implications of Kant’s theory are that the structure of the everyday world of objects is defined by our a priori concepts; and that we cannot know anything about how reality is completely independent of how we think of it.

Local Government between Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam

Local Government between Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Comparison of Local Government between Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Rifka Aulya a. Indonesia State:Indonesia Currency: Rupiah (IDR) Capital: DKI Jakarta State Structure: Unitary Form of Government:Constitutional Republic (Presidential) Local Government: There is Local Government in Indonesia Indonesia is the one of the country in south-east Asia. To manage the resources on whole area in this state, it is possible if all of the management is undertake by central government. So, Indonesia has implementation of local government to manage each area according to the law No. 32/2004 on Local Government. To manage their resources within own area, Indonesia divide into 35 province that lead by Governor who chosen through an election every 5 years. The province is divided into districts and municipalities, which each province, counties, and the city has a local government, which is regulated by legislation. And, each sub-district (kecamatan) consists of some villages that can define as the lowest level on Local Government in Indonesia. The scheme about Local Government in Indonesia is on picture bellow. Local Government in Indonesia Local government in Indonesia defines into 3 terms. They are local government as Implementation of local autonomy, government as an organ, and localities. The implementation of local autonomy is the role of government as a function. There are two functions there, once is the authority as policy-makers and to implement that policy, the other is as function/ responsibility/ affairs. There are many functions that can take by local government such as providing an education, health service, and many more. But, there’s a function that can’t handle by local government, just taken by central government that we call absolute affairs including defense, religion, security, monetary and fiscal, juristic, and foreign-relation. Government as an organ is the person or actors who implementing local government. The person is like the head of province (Governor), council (Bupati), Regents, etc. And localities is about the communities who live in local area. The definition of localities Local government in Indonesia also divided into 4 categories that have a specific authority, they are deconcentration, decentralization, delegation, and devolution. Deconcentration also called administrative decentralization, it’s only in administrative. Decentralization is transferring authority of responsibility from central to lower government include managing the administrative, politics, economic, fiscal, etc. Devolution is decentralization in political only (political decentralization), it’s mean that local government can make or unmake the policies to make politic stability in their localities. And delegation also called administrative decentralization. b. Brunei Darussalam State: Brunei Darussalam Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan Currency: Brunei Dollar (BND) State Structure: Unitary Forms of Government: Constitutional Sultanate Local Government: There’s no Local Government Local Government in Brunei Darussalam Brunei Darussalam is the one of ten countries in south-east Asia in which capital of the country is Bandar Sri Begawan. Brunei Darussalam has 422.700 populations and the wide area is 5.765 sq km. Forms of government is constitutional monarchy with the head of the country is majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzadin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang dipertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam. The Sultan is appointed by Council of succession. Sultan has absolute and full of authority in any state policy to govern the country, including the status of impunity for he and his family empire. People are not given the slightest power. All rules are made by the Sultan without regard to the desires or aspirations of the people. To manage their state, Sultan is assisted and advised by six councils, namely: the Council of Ministers, the Legislative Council, the Religious Council, the Privy Council, the Adat Istiadat Council, and the Council of Succession. People have handed their rights over the Sultan to rule unanimously. Sultan should be responsible not only to society but also to Allah SWT to bring the communities to achieve the welfare and prosperity. Thus came the proverb in indigenous perspective that says Raja tidak zalim, rakyat pantang menderhaka kepada raja† and †Raja wajib adil, rakyat wajib taat†. Sultans role is enshrined in the national philosophy of Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB). There are six roles of the Sultan in the context of MIB: 1) The Sultan as an umbrella of Allah on the earth, 2) Sultan as the supreme leader of the Islamic religion, 3) Sultan as head of state, 4) Sultan is the head of government, 5) Sultan as supreme leader vogue, and 6) Sultan as supreme commander of the armed forces In the Beraja system there are 3 elements, namely: the king (Sultan), the government and the people. Sultan will be respected and loved by the societies, if government can perform its function well in providing services to the public. By itself the people then will show his loyalty to the Sultan. The government should be able to run the administration well in order to run successful development. In Brunei Darussalam, it’s only divides into 4 districts, they are Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, and Tutong. The council of minister is appointed by their residents. So, there’s no election in Brunei Darussalam. There’s no local government in Brunei Darussalam, although the local administration takes place through the four districts. At the local level, people are represented by their respective penghulus, ketua kampungs as head of the village, and heads of longhouse. The Local Government differentiation between Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam DIFFERENTIATION INDONESIA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM Local Government There’s Local Government There’s no Local Government form of Local Government Decentralization Deconcentration Delegation Devaluation Centralization Election There’s an election every 5 years to determine/ choose the head of localities There’s no election, because the head of district was chosen by own residents (their own communities) in their respective areas. Responsibility Local government have responsibility to Central Government have responsibility for their respective communities’s welfare. The Similarities between Local Government in Indonesia and  Brunei Darussalam Similarity Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Head of districts Both of the countries have head of districts area to lead the own area, although with different name. In Indonesia, the district of Province, lead by Governor, municipal by Council (Bupati), regents by â€Å"camat†. In Brunei, the districts lead by penghulus and ketua kampungs. Daftar Pustaka Dodo, 2009. Kesultanan Brunei Darussalam. Access Date on April 7th 2014 through http://nationalgeographic.co.id/forum/topic-96.html Permana, Renaldy. 2009. Konstitusi Brunei Darussalam. Date access on April 7th 2014, trough http://renaldypermana.blogspot.com/ 009/11/konstitusi-brunei-darussalam.html

What Constitutes Good Usage :: Teaching Writing Education Essays

What Constitutes Good Usage The idea of good usage can be explored in many facets. Many writers such as Dowst, Sale, Thomas and Albutt have enlightened me to their own views on what constitutes good or bad usage. The thought never occurred to me that I too am guilty in many ways of improper use of the English language, including grammar, word use, tense, structure, the list could go on. But then again what is termed good use by me may not be good to another. To me, my own personal use of language is acceptable and could probably stand some improvement. However, without learning grammar, syntax, diction, etc., I never would have been able to get to where I am now today. According to Audre Lorde in Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, the American norm is à ¬white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, Christian and financially secure.à ® This seems to be the epitome of one who has à ¬good usageà ® of the English language. I donà ­t see it that way. Good usage begins early in life and is a never-ending process. The population of today is becoming more diverse as ethnic groupsà ­ population figures present and project into the near future. According to Cyndee Miller in Advertising Age, the Asian American population is the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and is expected to reach around 15 million by early next century. To a good portion of this growing segment, English is not their first language. In fact, translating the English language into other languages loses a lot of à ¬formà ® rather than substance. Many languages do not have the same grammatical or structural form which makes it extremely difficult translating either way. So how can society judge what is good or bad use? Usage of English language has its purpose, to convey meaning and understanding to a certain audience. But how does that affect one who does not speak or understand the language? People still communicate in their own Native tongues and have so for many years. With the globalization of many companies today, communication is very critical. Without effective communication, markets of today would be limited as there would be no exports or imports, etc. The audience that receives the message communicated via English language plays a key factor in determining its à ¬properà ® usage. For example, when I go back and visit my relatives, ità ­s not important to use the à ¬officialà ® style for particular word use.

The Benefits of Environmentally Responsible Residential Housing Essays

The Benefits of Environmentally Responsible Residential Housing    Beginning in the 1960s, our society has become increasingly aware of mankind’s negative impact on the earth. We have heard more about topics such as pollution, water contamination, Acid Rain, and Global Warming. All of these environmental concerns have displayed a need for more environmentally sensitive development. Environmentally responsible residential development is defined by Brewster as, "the production of building and communities that conserve resources and reduce waste through more efficient use of materials, energy, and water; that are more durable and useful; and that are designed for adaptive use or the recycling of their materials" (33). By definition alone, this type of development fits the description of sensitive development. I propose that we, as a society, must provide more incentives to encourage development such as environmentally responsible residential houses, because it will help reduce pollution, conserve limited and natural resources, and ensure a susta inable future. The need for such housing must be established with consumers before more environmentally responsible houses are demanded in the market. One reason for this type of building, would be to properly address the problems of the energy crisis. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the energy crisis as, "a serious shortage of energy-producing fuels" (Simpson 5:241). Today, we are consuming our fossil fuels at ten million times the rate they are produced naturally (Griffin 4). At this rate, we will eventually deplete all of our fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gases. The energy crisis also addresses another reason to build environmentally responsible development, which... ...itute, 1974. Loeb, Penny. "Very Troubled Waters: Despite the Clean Water Act, the Quality of Rivers Worsens." U.S. News and World Report. 28 Sept. 1998: 39-41. Phillips, Kristi. "Home Made of Junk Takes Load off Planet." The Arizona Republic 24 Oct. 1998: E1. Pijawka, K. David, and Kim Shetter. "Sustainable Design." The Environment Comes Home: Arizona Public Service Environmental Showcase Home. Tempe: Herberger Center for Design Excellence, 1995. Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner. The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 5 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989. United States. Panel on Energy Demand Analysis, Committed on Behavioral and Social Aspects, of Energy Consumption and Production, Commission on Behavioral and Social Science and Education, and the National Research Council. Improving Energy Demand Analysis. Washington D. C.: National Academy Press, 1984.

The Yanomamo of the Amazon Basin Essay -- essays research papers

Yanomamo Paper Assignment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Napoleon Chagnon has spent about 60 months since 1964 studying the ‘foot people’ of the Amazon Basin known as the Yanomamo. In his ethnography, Yanomamo, he describes all of the events of his stay in the Venezuelan jungle. He describes the â€Å"hideous† appearance of the Yanomamo men when first meeting them, and their never-ending demands for Chagnon’s foreign goods, including his food. There are many issues that arise when considering Chagnon’s Yanomamo study. The withholding of genealogical information by the tribesmen, and how Chagnon was able to obtain his information is an interesting and significant aspect of this study. Why did Chagnon feel that this genealogical information was important? And was Chagnon’s choice to study the Yanomamo, despite their hesitancy to cooperate, a wise and ethical one?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chagnon spent his first five months collecting what he thought was an intricate and elaborate table of genealogical information, marriage relationships, and kinships within the Yanomamo village of Bisaasi-teri. He knew from the beginning that it would be difficult to obtain the actual names of the tribesmen because it is a symbol of honor, respect, dignity, and political admiration. The less your name was spoken in public within the village, the higher you were regarded. And it was considered an extreme taboo to discuss the names of the deceased as well, which made it exceptionally difficult for Chagnon to trace family lineages to the past. Chagnon would interview villagers asking for the names of all members of their community, including the deceased. He recounts many situations in which the interviewee whispered a name into his ear, made him repeat it aloud and then the person whose name he was supposedly calling would cry out in anger while others laughed. It w asn’t until five months into his development of a genealogical chart, on a trip to another Yanomamo village, that he discovered the name he had for the village headman translated into â€Å"long dong† and that all of his names were in fact ridiculous and, of course, incorrect. For months and months to follow Chagnon would have to be incredibly strategic and smart in choosing who to interview and what to ask them. He began to only interview in his hut in private, where distractions from other village members could not in... ...ission. The Yanomamo seemed to be quite hesitant in accepting Chagnon, and even now he recounts events where they try to take advantage of him and the things that he brings. This is part of their culture, but what is the global importance of his research? I’m sure there is an answer because his study is widely accepted and taught, hence this paper, but I have not been able to understand the purpose of such projects other than fascination. In general, the â€Å"ethics† of something is an issue that must be decided by those involved in the situation. The opinions of the Yanomamo as to whether or not Chagnon’s genealogical study was ethical are just as important as the western scientists’ opinions. And if language presents a barrier to communicate and agree on a study taking place, then maybe that study just was not meant to happen. Not everything and everyone in this world is open to be analyzed, photographed, interviewed, etc. by western scientists. So was it ethical for Chagnon to go to Bisaasi-terri, drop his bags and start working? I say no. Was it really that important for Chagnon to go there and study people who didn’t come out and announce their welcoming of outsiders? I say no.

Dutch Culture Compared to United Arab Emirates and Colombia Essay

Culture can be defined as the way in which a group of people solve problems and reconcile dilemmas. Culture has a high influence in the process of doing business and managing. The main objective of this essay is exposing the main social differences between our host country, the Netherlands, and the two potential export destinations, the United Arab Emirates and Colombia. The main method used to discoverer the cultural differences is based on Parson’s five relational orientations. In terms of relationships and rules Dutch culture is highly universalistic, this means that the behavior from most Dutch individuals tends to be rule-based. In Dutch society, every person is treated the same; there are no exceptions to the rule. In situations such as asking a special favor from a friend that would violate Dutch legislation, it is likely that the friend will deny the request. The situation is the opposite in both Colombia and the United Arab Emirates, both societies being fairly particularistic. Judgments in these countries tend to focus on the nature of the present circumstances, rather than the general rule. Colombians would not think twice before helping a good friend in the previously mentioned situation, neither would Emiratis. Exporting flowers to a particularistic country would imply careful considerations in terms of negotiating contracts, timing a business trip, and job incentives and rewards. Negotiating contracts in the Netherlands is a common business standard, yet it might be seen as an offensive display of mistrust to your business partners when setting up a venture in the UAE. Particularistic cultures value personal relationships more highly than legal documents, and will commit to all verbal agreements in order to maintain a worthy business partner. In terms of Human Resource Management the Dutch manager in a Particularistic culture will have to understand the importance of relationships and focus on building informal networks to create private understandings. The next highly influential factor that could affect any business relationship between the three countries is the way feelings are demonstrated within society. Colombian culture is particularly affective; they tend to publicly display any emotions that arise at any given moment. The UAE and the Netherlands, while more emotionally neutral than Colombia, are situated in the middle of the rank. It is the norm to see a Colombian worker screaming, enraged after a certain project failed, yet this does not mean that he is more emotionally affected than a Dutchman in his same situation, the Colombian just expresses his anger in a different manner. Another notable difference between affective and neutral cultures is their tone of voice. In Latin cultures, such as Colombia, tone of voice tends to swift from low to high tones, demonstrating emotional attachment behind what is being said. For more neutral cultures, like the UAE, this might seem distractive and exaggerated. Our Dutch manager will most likely have no problems when dealing with Emirati employees; on the other hand he should avoid being emotionally unattached in order to gain the affection of his Colombian co-workers. How people accord status to each member in society is another highly variable factor that should distinguished between the three previously mentioned countries. Every society gives some members a higher status than others; the difference is on which basis do they do so. Achievement-oriented societies focus on the personal accomplishments. Ascriptive societies, conversely, place emphasis and are more influenced by the virtue of a person’s age, class, gender, education and so on. Both Colombia and the UAE are considered to be highly ascriptive societies, the Netherlands lies somewhere in the middle. Members or friends of the governing families in ascriptive countries have quasi supra-legal powers and advantages over the rest of the population. This can have serious effects on the way business is conducted. One example of a situation where the Dutch company could encounter problems is when sending a bright young manager to negotiate with a team of senior Emirati CEOs. While the Dutch manager could be more than capable of managing the situation, the Emirati CEOs would not take him seriously and might even feel insulted. It is therefore recommended that the Dutch company makes sure the negotiation team has an older, formal position-holder to provide a better impression to the Emirati Company. The Human Resource department should also take into account the importance of titles when recruiting employees, as assigning an employee without sufficient titles might cause tension within a work unit. An individualistic society is that in which each individual’s actions are oriented towards the self. On the other end of the spectrum a communitaristic society has common goals and objectives. Dutch society is highly individualistic, Emiratis are somewhere in the middle, and Colombians are highly communitaristic. Colombia’s communitaristic roots lie on both its Catholic beliefs and the influence communism enforced over the country a few decades ago. The implications of setting up a business and employing individuals in a communitaristic society are mostly motivation related. The Dutch manager should assign group-oriented tasks and give credit on a department-based basis, in order to satisfy and motivate Colombian employees. Another factor that should be considered is how responsibility is assimilated in a both societies. Individualistic employees would accept guilt and responsibility in most situations, while communitaristic employees would quickly place blame on his workgroup. When providing negative news managers in Colombia should avoid using â€Å"you† as the object of the sentence, and instead explain the problem indirectly. Finally, the last factor that should be considered when deciding to export abroad is how specific or diffuse a culture is. In specific-oriented cultures each member’s role in society varies according to each particular situation; that is to say, somebody’s manager is only his superior during official corporate situations, in all external situations they are both equal members of society. The Netherlands is ranked as one of the most highly specific cultures in the world, the UAE ranks somewhat below the Netherlands, and Colombia is positioned amongst the most diffuse. It is recommended that managers coming from a specific culture allow private and business issues to interpenetrate. Another issue that should be considered when setting up an HRM strategy in a diffuse culture is the appreciation for ambiguous and vague instructions, which allow for subtle and responsive interpretations through which employees can exercise personal judgment. Due to the cultural similarities between Dutch and Emiratis societies, it would be recommended that the UAE is the chosen country to set up a business venture; however special attention must be given to factors such as the way society accords status, area which the two countries have the greatest differences.

A Dirty Job Chapter 22

22 RECONSIDERING A CAREER IN SECONDHAND RETAIL Anton Dubois, the owner of Book 'em Danno in the Mission, had been a Death Merchant longer than anyone else in San Francisco. Of course he hadn't called himself a Death Merchant at first, but when that Minty Fresh fellow who opened the record store in the Castro coined the term, he could never think of himself as anything else. He was sixty-five years old and not in the best health, having never used his body for much more than to carry his head around, which is where he lived most of the time. He had, however, in his years of reading, acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of the science and mythology of death. So, on that Tuesday evening, just after sundown, when the windows of his store went black, as if all the light had been sucked suddenly out of the universe, and the three female figures moved toward him through the store, as he sat under his little reading light at the counter in the back, like a tiny yellow island in the vast pitch of space, he was the first man in fifteen hundr ed years to know exactly what – who – they were. â€Å"Morrigan,† Anton said, with no particular note of fear in his voice. He set his book down, but didn't bother to mark the page. He took off his glasses and cleaned them on his flannel shirt, then put them back on so as not to miss any detail. Just now they were only blue-black highlights moving among the deep shadows in the store, but he could see them. They stopped when he spoke. One of them hissed – not the hiss of a cat, a long, steady tone – more like the hiss of air escaping the rubber raft that is all that lies between you and a dark sea full of sharks, the hiss of your life leaking out at the seams. â€Å"I thought something might be happening,† Anton said, a little anxious now. â€Å"With all the signs, and the prophecy about the Luminatus, I knew something was happening, but I didn't think it would be you – in person – so to speak. This is very exciting.† â€Å"A devotee?† said Nemain. â€Å"A fan,† said Babd. â€Å"A sacrifice,† said Macha. They moved around him, just outside his circle of light. â€Å"I moved the soul vessels,† Anton said. â€Å"I guessed that something had happened to the others.† â€Å"Aw, are you disappointed because you're not the first?† said Babd. â€Å"It will be just like the first time, pumpkin,† said Nemain. â€Å"For you, anyway.† She giggled. Anton reached under his counter and pushed a button. Steel shutters began to roll in the front of the store over the windows and door. â€Å"You afraid we'll get away, turtle man,† said Macha. â€Å"Don't you think he looks like a turtle?† â€Å"Oh, I know the shutters won't keep you in, that's not what they're for. The books say that you're immortal, but I suspect that that's not exactly true. Too many tales of warriors injuring you and watching you heal yourself on the battlefield.† â€Å"We will be here ten thousand years after your death, which starts pretty soon, I might add,† said Nemain. â€Å"The souls, turtle man. Where did you put them?† She extended her claws and reached out so they caught the light from Anton's reading lamp. Venom dripped from their tips and sizzled when it hit the floor. â€Å"You'd be Nemain, then,† Anton said. The Morrigan smiled, he could just see her teeth in the dark. Anton felt a strange peace fall over him. For thirty years he had, in some way or another, been preparing for this moment. What was it that the Buddhists said? Only by being prepared for your death can you ever truly live. If collecting souls and seeing people pass for thirty years didn't prepare you, what would? Under the counter he carefully unscrewed a stainless-steel cap that concealed a red button. â€Å"I installed those four speakers at the back of the store a few months ago. I'm sure you can see them, even if I can't,† Anton said. â€Å"The souls!† Macha barked. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"Of course I didn't know it would be you. I thought it might be those little creatures I've seen wandering the neighborhood. But I think you'll enjoy the music, nonetheless.† The Morrigan looked at each other. Macha growled. â€Å"Who says things like ‘nonetheless'?† â€Å"He's babbling,† said Babd. â€Å"Let's torture him. Take his eyes, Nemain.† â€Å"Do you remember what a claymore looks like?† Anton asked. â€Å"A great, two-handed broadsword,† said Nemain. â€Å"Good for the taking of heads.† â€Å"I knew that, I knew that,† said Babd. â€Å"She's just showing off.† â€Å"Well, in this time, a claymore means something else,† Anton said. â€Å"You acquire the most interesting things working in the secondhand business for three decades.† He closed his eyes and pushed the button. He hoped that his soul would end up in a book, preferably his first edition of Cannery Row, which was safely stored away. The curved claymore antipersonnel mines that he had installed in speaker cabinets at the rear of the store exploded, sending twenty-eight hundred ball bearings hurtling toward the steel shutters at just under the speed of sound, shredding Anton and everything else in their path. Ray followed the love of his life a block up Mason Street, where she hopped on a cable car and rode it the rest of the way up the hill into Chinatown. The problem was that while it was pretty easy to figure out where a cable car was going, they only came along about every ten minutes, so Ray couldn't wait for the next one, jump on, and shout, â€Å"Follow that antiquated but quaint public conveyance, and step on it!† And there were no cabs in sight. It turned out that jogging up a steep city hill on a hot summer day in street clothes was somewhat different from jogging on a treadmill in an air-conditioned gym behind a row of taut fuck puppets, and by the time he got to California Street, Ray was drenched in sweat, and not only hated the city of San Francisco and everyone in it, he was pretty much ready to call it quits with Audrey and go back to the relative desperation of Ukrainian Girls Loving Him from afar. He caught a break at the Powell Street exchange, where the cable cars pick up in Chinatown, and was actually able to jump on the car behind Audrey's and continue the breathtaking, seven-mile-per-hour chase, ten more blocks to Market Street. Audrey hopped off the cable car, walked directly out to the island on Market, and stepped onto one of the antique streetcars, which left before Ray even got to the island. She was like some kind of diabolical rail-transit supervixen, Ray thought. The way the trains just seemed to be there when she needed them, then gone when he got there. She was master of some sort of evil, streetcar mojo, no doubt about that. (In matters of the heart, the Beta Male imagination can turn quickly on a floundering suitor, and at that point, Ray's was beginning to consume what little confidence he had mustered.) It was Market Street, however, the busiest street in the City, and Ray was able to quickly grab a cab and follow Audrey all the way into the Mission district, and even kept the cab for a few blocks when she was on foot again. Ray stayed a block away, following Audrey to a big jade-green Queen Anne Victorian building off Seventeenth Street, which had a small plaque on the column by the porch that read THREE JEWELS BUDDHIST CENTER. Ray had his breath and his composure back, and was able to watch comfortably from behind a light post across the street as Audrey climbed the steps of the center. As she got to the top step, the leaded-glass door flew open and two old ladies came rushing out, frantic, it seemed, to tell Audrey something, but entirely out of control. The old ladies looked familiar. Ray stopped breathing and dug into the back pocket of his jeans. He came up with the photocopies he'd kept of the driver's-license photos of the women Charlie had asked him to find. It was them: Esther Johnson and Irena Posokovanovich, standing there with the future Mrs. Macy. Then, just as Ray was trying to get his head around the connection, the door of the Buddhist center opened again and out charged what looked like a river otter in a sequined minidress and go-go boots, bent on attacking Audrey's ankles with a pair of scissors. Charlie and Inspector Rivera stood outside Fresh Music in the Castro, trying to peer in the windows past the cardboard cutouts and giant album covers. According to the hours posted on the door, the store should have been open, but the door was locked and it was dark inside. From what Charlie could see, the store was exactly as he had seen it years ago when he'd confronted Minty Fresh, except for one, distinct difference: the shelf full of glowing soul vessels was gone. There was a frozen-yogurt shop next door and Rivera led Charlie in and talked to the owner, a guy who looked entirely too fit to run a sweetshop, who said, â€Å"He hasn't opened for five days. Didn't say a word to any of us. Is he okay?† â€Å"I'm sure he's fine,† Rivera said. Three minutes later Rivera had obtained Minty Fresh's phone numbers and home address from the SFPD dispatcher, and after trying the numbers and getting voice mail, they went to Fresh's apartment in Twin Peaks to find newspapers piled up by the door. Rivera turned to Charlie. â€Å"Do you know of anyone else who could vouch for what you've been telling me?† â€Å"You mean other Death Merchants?† Charlie asked. â€Å"I don't know them, but I know of them. They probably won't talk to you.† â€Å"Used-book-store owner in the Haight and a junk dealer off lower Fourth Street, right?† Rivera said. â€Å"No,† Charlie said. â€Å"I don't know of anyone like that. Why did you ask?† â€Å"Because both of them are missing,† Rivera said. There was blood all over the walls of the junk dealer's office. There was a human ear on the floor of the bookstore in the Haight.† Charlie backed against the wall. â€Å"That wasn't in the paper.† â€Å"We don't release stuff like that. Both lived alone, no one saw anything, we don't know that a crime was even committed. But now, with this Fresh guy missing – â€Å" â€Å"You think that these other guys were Death Merchants?† â€Å"I'm not saying I believe that, Charlie, it could just be a coincidence, but when Ray Macy called me today about you, that was actually the reason I came to find you. I was going to ask you if you knew them.† â€Å"Ray ratted me out?† â€Å"Let it go. He may have saved your life.† Charlie thought about Sophie for the hundredth time that night, worried about not being there with her. â€Å"Can I call my daughter?† â€Å"Sure,† Rivera said. â€Å"But then – â€Å" â€Å"Book 'em Danno in the Mission,† Charlie said, pulling his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. â€Å"That can't be ten minutes away. I think the owner is one of us.† Sophie was fine, feeding Cheese Newts to the hellhounds with Mrs. Korjev. She asked Charlie if he needed any help and he teared up and had to get control of his voice before he answered. Seven minutes later they were parked crossways in the middle of Valencia Street, watching fire trucks blasting water into the second story of the building that housed Book 'em Danno. They got out of the car and Rivera showed his badge to the police officer who had been first on the scene. â€Å"Fire crews can't get in,† the cop said. â€Å"There's a heavy steel fire door in the back and those shutters must be quarter-inch steel or more.† The security shutters were bowed outward and had thousands of small bumps all over them. â€Å"What happened?† Rivera asked. â€Å"We don't know yet,† said the cop. â€Å"Neighbors reported an explosion and that's all we know so far. No one lived upstairs. We've evacuated all the adjacent buildings.† â€Å"Thanks,† Rivera said. He looked at Charlie, raised an eyebrow. â€Å"The Fillmore,† Charlie said. â€Å"A pawnshop at Fulton and Fillmore.† â€Å"Let's go,† Rivera said, taking Charlie's arm to help speed-limp him to the car. â€Å"So I'm not a suspect anymore?† Charlie asked. â€Å"We'll see if you live,† Rivera said, opening the car door. Once in the car, Charlie called his sister. â€Å"Jane, I need you to go get Sophie and the puppies and take them to your place.† â€Å"Sure, Charlie, but we just had the carpets cleaned – Alvin and – â€Å" â€Å"Do not separate Sophie and the hellhounds for one second, Jane, do you understand?† â€Å"Jeez, Charlie. Sure.† â€Å"I mean it. She may be in danger and they'll protect her.† â€Å"What's going on? Do you want me to call the cops?† â€Å"I'm with the cops, Jane. Please, go get Sophie right now.† â€Å"I'm leaving now. How am I going to get them all into my Subaru?† â€Å"You'll figure it out. If you have to, tie Alvin and Mohammed to the bumper and drive slowly.† â€Å"That's horrible, Charlie.† â€Å"No, it's not. They'll be fine.† â€Å"No, I mean they tore my bumper off last time I did that. It cost six hundred bucks to fix.† â€Å"Go get her. I'll call you in an hour.† Charlie disconnected. Well, claymores suck, I can tell you that,† said Babd. â€Å"I used to like the big sword claymore, but now†¦now they have to make them all splody and full of – what do you call that stuff, Nemain?† â€Å"Shrapnel.† â€Å"Shrapnel,† said Babd. â€Å"I was just starting to feel like my old self – â€Å" â€Å"Shut up!† barked Macha. â€Å"But it hurts,† said Babd. They were flowing along a storm sewer pipe under Sixteenth Street in the Mission. They were barely two-dimensional again, and they looked like tattered black battle flags, threadbare shadows, oozing black goo as they moved up the pipe. One of Nemain's legs had been completely severed and she had it tucked under her arm while her sisters towed her through the pipe. â€Å"Can you fly, Nemain?† asked Babd. â€Å"You're getting heavy.† â€Å"Not down here, and I'm not going back up there.† â€Å"We have to go back Above,† said Macha. â€Å"If you want to heal before a millennium passes.† As the three death divas came to a wide junction of pipes under Market Street, they heard something splashing in the pipe ahead. â€Å"What's that?† said Babd. They stopped. Something pattered by in the pipe they were approaching. â€Å"What was that? What was that?† asked Nemain, who couldn't see past her sisters. â€Å"Looked like a squirrel in a ball gown,† said Babd. â€Å"But I'm weak and could be delusional.† â€Å"And an idiot,† said Macha. â€Å"It was a gift soul. Get it! We can heal Nemain's leg with it.† Macha and Babd dropped their unidexter sister and surged forward toward the junction, just as the Boston terrier stepped into their path. The Morrigan backpedaling in the pipe sounded like cats tearing lace. â€Å"Whoa, whoa, whoa,† chanted Macha, what was left of her claws raking the pipe to back up. Bummer yapped out a sharp tattoo of threat, then bolted down the pipe after the Morrigan. â€Å"New plan, new plan, new plan,† said Babd. â€Å"I hate dogs,† said Macha. They snagged their sister as they passed her. â€Å"We, the goddesses of death, who will soon command the all under darkness, are fleeing a tiny dog,† said Nemain. â€Å"So what's your point, hoppie?† said Macha. Over in the Fillmore, Carrie Lang had closed her pawnshop for the night and was waiting for some jewelry she'd taken in that day to finish in the ultrasonic cleaner so she could put it in the display case. She wanted to finish and get out of there, go home and have dinner, then maybe go out for a couple of hours. She was thirty-six and single, and felt an obligation to go out, just on the off chance that she might meet a nice guy, even though she'd rather stay home and watch crime shows on TV. She prided herself on not becoming cynical. A pawnbroker, like a bail bondsman, tends to see people at their worst, and every day she fought the idea that the last decent guy had become a drummer or a crackhead. Lately she didn't want to go out because of the strange stuff she'd been seeing and hearing out on the street – creatures scurrying in the shadows, whispers coming from the storm drains; staying at home was looking better all the time. She'd even started bringing her five-year-old basset hound, Cheerful, to work with her. He really wasn't a lot of protection, unless an attacker happened to be less than knee-high, but he had a loud bark, and there was a good chance that he might actually bark at a bad guy, as long he wasn't carrying a dog biscuit. As it turned out, the creatures who were invading her shop that evening were less than knee-high. Carrie had been a Death Merchant for nine years, and after adjusting to the initial shock about the whole phenomenon of transference of souls subsided (which only took about four years), she'd taken to it like it was just another part of the business, but she knew from The Great Big Book of Death that something was going on, and it had her spooked. As she went to the front of the store to crank the security shutters down, she heard something move behind her in the dark, something low, back by the guitars. It brushed a low E-string as it passed and the note vibrated like a warning. Carrie stopped cranking the shutters and checked that she had her keys with her, in case she needed to run through the front door. She unsnapped the holster of her. 38 revolver, then thought, What the hell, I'm not a cop, and drew the weapon, training it on the still-sounding guitar. A cop she had dated years ago had talked her into carrying the Smith & Wesson when she was working the store, and although she'd never had to draw it before, she knew that it had been a deterrent to thieves. â€Å"Cheerful?† she called. She was answered by some shuffling in the back room. Why had she turned most of the lights out? The switches were in the back room, and she was moving by the case lights, which cast almost no light at the floor, where the noises were coming from. â€Å"I have a gun, and I know how to use it,† she said, feeling stupid even as the words came out of her mouth. This time she was answered by a muffled whimper. â€Å"Cheerful!† She ducked under the lift gate in the counter and ran to the back room, fanning the area with her pistol the way she saw them do in cop shows. Another whimper. She could just make out Cheerful, lying in his normal spot by the back door, but there was something around his paws and muzzle. Duct tape. She reached out to turn on the lights and something hit her in the back of the knees. She tried to twist around and something thumped her in the chest, setting her off balance. Sharp claws raked her wrists as she fell and she lost her grip on the revolver. She hit her head on the doorjamb, setting off what seemed like a strobe light in her head, then something hit her in the back of the neck, hard, and everything went black. It was still dark when she came to. She couldn't tell how long she'd been out, and she couldn't move to look at her watch. Oh my God, they've broken my neck, she thought. She saw objects moving past her, each glowing dull red, barely illuminating whatever was carrying them – tiny skeletal faces – fangs, and claws and dead, empty eye sockets. The soul vessels appeared to be floating across the floor, with a carrion puppet escort. Then she felt claws, the creatures, touching her, moving under her. She tried to scream, but her mouth had been taped shut. She felt herself being lifted, then made out the shape of the back door of her shop opening as she was carried through it, only a foot or so off the floor. Then she was hoisted nearly upright, and she felt herself falling into a dark abyss. They found the back door to the pawnshop open and the basset hound taped up in the corner. Rivera checked the shop with his weapon drawn and a flashlight in one hand, then called Charlie in from the alley when he found no one there. Charlie turned on the shop lights as he came in. â€Å"Uh-oh,† he said. â€Å"What?† Rivera said. Charlie pointed to a display case with the glass broken out. â€Å"This case is where she displayed her soul vessels. It was nearly full when I was in here – now, well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rivera looked at the empty case. â€Å"Don't touch anything. Whatever happened here, I don't think it was the same perp who hit the other shopkeepers.† â€Å"Why?† Charlie looked back to the back room, to the bound basset hound. â€Å"Because of him,† Rivera said. â€Å"You don't tie up the dog if you're going to slaughter the people and leave blood and body parts everywhere. That's not the same kind of mentality.† â€Å"Maybe she was tying him up when they surprised her,† Charlie said. â€Å"She kind of had the look of a lady cop.† â€Å"Yeah, and all cops are into dog bondage, is that what you're saying?† Rivera holstered his weapon, pulled a penknife from his pocket, and went to where the basset hound was squirming on the floor. â€Å"No, I'm not. Sorry. She did have a gun, though.† â€Å"She must have been here,† Rivera said. â€Å"Otherwise the alarms would have been set. What's that on that doorjamb?† He was sawing through the duct tape on the basset's paws, being careful not to cut him. He nodded toward the doorway from the shop to the back room. â€Å"Blood,† Charlie said. â€Å"And a little hair.† Rivera nodded. â€Å"That blood on the floor there, too? Don't touch.† Charlie looked at a three-inch puddle to the left of the door. â€Å"Yep, I think so.† Rivera had the basset's paws free and was kneeling on him to hold him still while he took the tape off his muzzle. â€Å"Those tracks in it, don't smear them. What are they, partial shoe prints?† â€Å"Look like bird-feet prints. Chickens maybe?† â€Å"No.† Rivera released the basset, who immediately tried to jump on the inspector's Italian dress slacks and lick his face in celebration. He held the basset hound by the collar and moved to where Charlie was examining the tracks. â€Å"They do look like chicken tracks,† he said. â€Å"Yep,† Charlie said. â€Å"And you have dog drool on your jacket.† â€Å"I need to call this in, Charlie.† â€Å"So dog drool is the determining factor in calling in backup?† â€Å"Forget the dog drool. The dog drool is not relevant. I need to report this and I need to call my partner in. He'll be pissed that I've waited this long. I need to take you home.† â€Å"If you can't get the stain out of that thousand-dollar suit jacket, you'll think it's relevant.† â€Å"Focus, Charlie. As soon as I can get another unit here, I'm sending you home. You have my cell. Let me know if anything happens. Anything.† Rivera called the dispatcher on his cell phone and asked him to send a uniform unit and the crime-scene squad as soon as they were available. When he snapped the phone shut, Charlie said, â€Å"So I'm not under arrest anymore?† â€Å"No. Stay in touch. And stay safe, okay? You might even want to spend a few nights outside of the City.† â€Å"I can't. I'm the Luminatus, I have responsibilities.† â€Å"But you don't know what they are – â€Å" â€Å"Just because I don't know what they are doesn't mean I don't have them,† Charlie said, perhaps a little too defensively. â€Å"And you're sure you don't know how many of these Death Merchants are in the City, or where they might be?† â€Å"Minty Fresh said there was at least a dozen, that's all I know. This woman and the guy in the Mission were the only ones I spotted on my walks.† They heard a car pull up in the alley and Rivera went to the back door and signaled to the officers, then turned to Charlie. â€Å"You go home and get some sleep, if you can, Charlie. I'll be in touch.† Charlie let the uniformed police officer lead him to the cruiser and help him into the back, then waved to Rivera and the basset hound as the patrol car backed out of the alley.

Aquinas’ and St. Anselm’s Proofs of the Existence of God

It is generally understood that people that are nonbelievers in God would never believe in the philosophies of the believers with regard to His existence. Nevertheless, there have been a number of important philosophers who have sought to prove the existence of the Almighty by thought alone. According to these philosophers, the presence of God may be understood by reason. Throughout the ages of humanity, believers have claimed to have felt the presence of God. All the same, there is no room for personal proofs in the philosophy of religion. St. Thomas Aquinas was a believer in God, who proposed five ways to know God. The first way of proving God’s existence, according to the philosopher, is by means of observing motion; that is, everything in movement throughout the universe should prove to us that there is a Prime Mover of all things. This way of proving God’s existence is similar to the argument of the creationists who assert that everything that we observe must have a Creator, just as all things that are man-made have originators. On a similar note, the second way of knowing God according to St. Thomas Aquinas is by understanding that all effects have causes; and so, there must be a First Cause of everything. The third way of proving the existence of God is by observing that everything in the universe is â€Å"possible to be and not to be;† so therefore, there must be an Essential Existence without which the existence and nonexistence of other things are meaningless (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, 1920). This proof is intricately tied to the earlier proofs, including the current argument of the creationists. St. Thomas Aquinas describes it thus: The third way is taken from possibility and necessity, and runs thus. We find in nature things that are possible to be and not to be, since they are found to be generated, and to orrupt, and consequently, they are possible to be and not to be. But it is impossible for these always to exist, for that which is possible not to be at some time is not. Therefore, if everything is possible not to be, then at one time there could have been nothing in existence. Now if this were true, even now there would be nothing in existence, because that which does not exist only begins to exist by something already existing. Therefore, if at one time nothing was in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist; and thus ven now nothing would be in existence — which is absurd. Therefore, not all beings are merely possible, but there must exist something the existence of which is necessary†¦ This all men speak of as God (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas). St. Thomas Aquinas also writes that everything that is necessary must have been made necessary by something else. However, there must be something that is necessary in and of itself. Furthermore, this entity of necessity must cause other entities to believe in its necessity. This is the meaning of God, according to the philosopher (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas). The fourth proof proffered by St. Thomas Aquinas is similar to Plato’s concept of Forms. The philosopher believes that there is a ranking in place throughout the universe (â€Å"Thomas Aquinas and the Five Ways,† 2000). One person may be better than the others. Given that we compare attributes of people and things to rank them reveals that there must be â€Å"something which is truest, something best, something noblest and, consequently, something which is uttermost being;† in short, something that is Supreme in comparison with the rest (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas). The fifth way of proving the existence of God is exactly the same as the argument of creationists in our times. St. Thomas Aquinas discussed intelligent design with the philosophy that everything in the universe serves a special, intelligent purpose that has been designed by the Creator. This proof is based on the assumption that everything around us is essentially unintelligent – except God, of course (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas). In fact, all five proofs of God’s existence proffered by St. Thomas Aquinas may be said to revolve around the intelligent design argument. St. Anselm was another believer like St. Thomas Aquinas who proved the existence of God by reason alone. Yet, the ontological argument proffered by St. Anselm is the simplest. Instead of five proofs of God’s existence, St. Anselm offered only one, that is, God is that beyond which there is no greatness that we can conceive of (â€Å"St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument,† 2008). But, St. Anselm’s argument also rests on five logical points. The following is the argument with its corollaries: (1) God is that than which no greater can be conceived; 2) If God is that than which no greater can be conceived then there is nothing greater than God that can be imagined; Therefore: (3) There is nothing greater than God that can be imagined; (4) If God does not exist then there is something greater than God that can be imagined. ; Therefore: (5) God exists (â€Å"St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument†). The gist of the above argument is the very definition of God’s existence, according to St. Anselm. This definition – â€Å"God is that than which no greater can be conceived† – is different from all proofs of St. Thomas Aquinas (â€Å"St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument†). Moreover, it is a reasonable proof, similar to St. Thomas Aquinas’ statements about God’s existence. After all, it is easy to suppose that God must be that beyond which we can conceive of no greatness. Besides, nobody in the history of humanity has ever claimed to be greater than God. Even if someone were to claim that he or she is greater than God, it would be impossible for the majority of humans to believe in the claim, seeing that God would not compete with the claimer as in a debate. With our limited perceptions, we are unable to see God, and neither could we imagine something or somebody that must be greater than God. If we cannot find anything that is greater than God, the Almighty must be Real, according to St. Anselm. Even so, the essential argument of the philosopher does not answer the beliefs of the atheists that perhaps there is no greatness in the universe, as everything is equal. Similarly, St. Thomas Aquinas’ arguments are refuted by the atheists who proffer proofs of the evolution theory of Charles Darwin to contradict the existence of God. According to the atheists, the proofs of St. Thomas Aquinas and the ontological argument of St. Anselm could be refuted because they are based on basic beliefs of the people rather than universal facts. The truth that St. Thomas Aquinas believes in the First Cause of everything means nothing for the disbelievers in God, who might claim that there is nothing to precede anything except in the evolutionary cycle that everything must go through, that is, things evolve one from another without a Prime Mover or First Cause. As a matter of fact, there is no argument to bridge the gap between the claims of believers and disbelievers in God. For as long as we know the difference between truth and falsehood, there would be arguments. The claims of each group are refuted by those of the other. It may very well be that these arguments and refutations would continue for as long as there is humanity on our planet. Seeing that God cannot be seen, and neither does He support the believing philosophers by speaking out aloud to all the rest that these philosophers are correct in their belief systems – it is possible to refute the godly thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Anselm until the end of time. Conversely, those who believe in their philosophies and do not doubt could be ones that have felt the presence of God beyond reason. In fact, believers in God may suppose that it is impossible to know God by reason alone. Given that truth cannot be turned into falsehood by argument alone, there must be a singular truth about the existence of God nevertheless. What is the truth? – In the discipline of philosophy, it is the fact that everything in the universe is not known to be confined to the realm of reason. For the believing philosophers, therefore, God is a Reason beyond reason.