Saturday, August 31, 2019

Equal Education in US

How many times has the United Negro College Fund aired the commercial including the phrase: â€Å"A mind is a terrible thing to waste? † The world would be rich to equate the repetitions with dollar bills. This famous slogan was a means to promote higher education. Unfortunately, there are many people who do not fit the description of a college student due to poverty. An uneducated parent feels powerless in this society. A young teenage mother may feel that there is no feasible schedule possible to fulfill her dreams. An elementary student looks to his parents and teachers for answers to the question marks surrounding his environment of lack. The people that are in these types of situations are held down by poverty. Children who have financial hardship comprise a sizeable portion of Texas public schools. According to an article published in Family Circle magazine, teenage births increased by more than sixty-five percent during the 1980†³s. There have been studies that prove persons receiving government assistance i. e. welfare have high illiteracy rates. What is the solution for the people suffering from these impoverished circumstances? It is of utmost importance that we prioritize and organize to set forth change . Our immediate attention as a nation will only make our economy stronger by putting a halt to the cycle. Poverty has the power to stagnate achievement. However, knowledge is power no matter where one may live. In order to break the power of poverty we need to educate our parents, offer vocational training for young single mothers, and encourage pursuit of higher education through the community. â€Å"Children of poor and poorly-educated parents are often caught in a vicious circle of educational failures. † (Block 72) Their rate of success is much lower than the rate of their middle-class peers. This is largely contributed to the level of education one receives and is able to pass on to his children. Many under privileged people are unarmed with the necessary knowledge to steer their child towards educational improvement. There are also many people are unaware of scholarship programs and what it takes to apply for one. If the information were readily available many would still be unable to adhere to a specific goal plan due to the absence of strategic planning and the high illiteracy rate of adults. These ideals must be instilled at an early age by the parent. Failure to do so results in an immediate disadvantage to the child. According to a 1993 federal report: Only about forty-five percent of high-poverty homes receive a newspaper, nearly half the rate of higher-income homes. About fifteen percent lack dictionaries compared to three percent for more affluent families. Poor parents spend more time doing chores with their children, while other parents take their children on educational outings. Poor parents are less likely to have finished high school. ( Bazeley 727) These facts come with great consequence for the child and are great examples of what happens in the average low income home. The time is overdue for parents of poor homes to become more active in their child†s education from early childhood. There are open Senate meetings and hearings that the common citizen can sit in on and react to but it takes someone who is willing to obtain drive to react for the sake of their future in America. It should become natural instinct for a parent to become actively involved in the pursuit of education for their child to excel. It is important for parents to get strong and learn in order to insure that their child will not experience life the same way they did. When people use the literary skills they are learning in their work , they not only improve their literacy and productivity levels but also increase their language use with their children and in their communities. † (Lewis 186) This supports the need for vocational training for mothers on welfare who are usually teenagers. Offering education to single parents and teenage mothers would also give them a better foundation in which to build their family upon. The real key to helping the young mothers is early prevention. There is a high mortality rate among teenagers who experience early pregnancy. It is a signal for an automatic start on the road to government dependency such as subsidized housing and welfare. Usually the children are born with drug and/or alcohol dependencies which automatically puts them in a negative position when it comes to their education. This escalates the need to reach the teen mothers when they are about to reach their sexual peak. The main focus is to guide the teenager into practicing abstinence delaying sexual activity. This job ties into the need for the parent to be more involved with the education process and progress. However once a child is born into that situation the young mother is placed in the position to be responsible. Vocational training would provide the foundation and confidence that the mother on welfare needs. This will allow her to boost her self esteem and will automatically affect the child in a positive way. The most important of all things is to offer encouragement while the child is young. It is very rare that a child will possess the drive to overcome adversity while he is young. It is the parents† responsibility to offer the goal of a higher education. Through the attainment of higher education the walls of poverty will start to come down one at a time. Parents play a critical role in offering cushion for school performance â€Å"†Time and time again studies show that being ready to learn before school starts is the best predictor of educational success,† says Dan Keating, director of the Human Development Program at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. † (Dwyer 70) Teachers and counselors also play a critical role. Linda Garcia is a neighbor and a single parent of three teenagers. Her oldest daughter is already a mother of two, on welfare and has a boyfriend who is a drug dealer. The other two are in high school. After discussing her children†s educational goals with school counselors, Linda became aware of the lack of concern that seemed prevalent. It appeared that counselors mostly encourage students who are naturally bright to excel past high school. Many counselors set up career plans with students who are high achievers and fail to respond to the students who are â€Å"just making it. † Inadvertently, these particular counselors are helping to suppress the desire that the below-average student may have to advance to college or beyond. Linda is a high school drop out and encourages her children but without additional forms of reinforcement her children may never excel past high school. We need to increase community and school participation in low-income families. Failure to recognize this problem denotes refusal to accept the economic changes that occur due to lack of education. Once we face this problem we will be able to grow more economically as a nation. Poverty is a very difficult position to be in. Many times there is not enough food to feed the family. So many other times our children turn to gangs and violence instead of better education. Not only does poverty effect education but it affects health as well. Many people in poverty are unable to visit doctors. Children lose focus in school from lack of sleep due to the surrounding environment. These factors magnify the need to put a halt to poverty. More people have to be able to identify this major concern of our nation for the good of America. Without the help of society as a whole it may become impossible to put an end to poverty in the United States. Not all stories have horrible endings so there remains a faint hope. For example, consider a young woman who grew up in low-income housing and on welfare. She had to deal with lack of transportation, adequate clothing, and many time no food in the pantry. Her environment consisted of firing guns, fighting, drugs, and constant visits from the police. Her greatest responsibility was taking care of her little brothers and sometimes missing school because her mother had no sitter. As a young child she had drive and ambition. Her inability to actively participate in school functions intensified her drive to overcome her surroundings. Her biggest dream was to help others to overcome. Where is this woman now? She has begun her long awaited dream and is finally in college full time. What does she desire to attain from a higher education? The answer is simple†¦.. she wants to be a teacher. She wants to leave a legacy and provide encouragement to others who may have experienced the same misfortune as a small child. No longer struck down by poverty she pursuing a degree in mathematics. Now her potential accomplishments are endless. Had she ever received encouragement from her mother? No. Just imagine how much closer her dreams would have been if her parents had given encouragement. â€Å"Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment. † Barbara Jordan, 1991.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Book Review on the Third Side by William Ury

Book Review of â€Å"The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop â€Å"by William Ury Reviewed By: Syed Shahzad Ali Class: M. Phil ( DPA) Review Submitted to: Dr. Anila Amber Dated: 17th October 2012 Book Review of â€Å"The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop â€Å"by William Ury This is a state-of-the-art book on conflict management and negotiation by well known negotiator and mediator William L. Ury, an American National, who is world's leading negotiation expert, he has mediated situations ranging from corporate arena to wildcat strikes, and from family disputes to ethnic wars in the Middle East, the Balkans, N.Ireland and many other places. He has also worked on the problem of how to prevent nuclear war as a consultant to The White House Crises Management Center. He received his B. A from Yale and his Ph. D. in social anthropology from Harvard University. The structure of paperback â€Å"The Third Side† is concerned, it’s 251 pager light weight wi th blue cover page book which is easy to carry and read any where even in a train or bus while travelling or in coffee shop or at bed time, the font of Times New Roman has been used in the book with Bold heading ; text of book is justified.It facilitates the all state of affairs and human situations whether they belong from corporate arena to management ; labor disputes and from family crises to negotiation or peace talks between two warring countries i. e. its transforming conflict at home, at work and in the world in to Peace. This book has been written ; published in USA by Penguin Books. The title of the book is quite attractive and self explanatory for the affairs of conflict and its resolution i. e. â€Å"The Third Side † . The cover page content, color and logo again, portray the whole theme of paperback, its xplanatory subtitle on cover page of â€Å"Why We Fight And How We Can Stop† and In logo two human have been depicted in front and the word Third has been placed in between, in which the Alphabet â€Å"I† has been presented as Human which for surely complement the main Title of Book. The Purpose of book is to diminish the possibilities of conflict and change the culture of conflict within our families, our workplaces or organizations, our communities, and most importantly within our world. The idea of paperback is to explore the reasons we are in conflict and sets forward a roadmap to resolution.The author has given ten roles convincing manner for the prevention (Provider, Teacher, Bridge-builder), containment of conflicts(Mediator, Arbiter, Equalizer, Healer) and its resolution(Witness, Referee, Peacekeeper). These ten practical roles described as managers, teachers, parents, and citizens–that each of us can play every day to prevent destructive conflict, but much detailed has not been given about which sort of personalities can adopt to which role/s or Can anyone play the all roles simultaneously?And in our Pakistani s ociety where we have limitations to interfere into the other affairs as third side by using all ten roles cannot be possible to play by one individual. Apart from mediation, all roles lack in to tell someone that how one can develop the qualities to perform such roles and how you can do it? As far as his methodology is concerned so it's quite simplified but more hypotheses can be created region wise graphical representation but book lacks in it for instance author can segregate the chapters region wise that how one conflict resolves in one society i. . in east or west etc and variation in conflicts level in different societies or cultures. Much of examples are from his personal cases or experiences which have been discussed over again and again throughout the book but case studies from some other references can be included to prove his point of view which must give his work more authentication. Author is an anthropologist that’s why he has given too much depth in first too ch apter where he specifies about the history of human being and its evolution, culture development, population growth on earth , agriculture istory, industrial & Knowledge revolution, Development of weapons & wars etc, which some time distract the reader ‘s attention from its main theme of conflict management. Tone ; Expression of author was strong in beginning but it has become soften when third segment of book started from How can we stop? And at the end again tone ; expression of author found strong. Ideology of an author is ideal which might be varied from culture to culture ; Society to Society. Argument presented in the paperback with lot of enthusiasm ; conviction, one should appreciate it as well.Grip on content were sufficient within a single part of book and linkages among thr paragraphs were better but among the three parts it bit distracted as first part of book was bit lengthy ; over detailed and reader may lost the direction if he is not reading it in a one sitting . Conclusion has been depicted in a very persuasive ; suggestive manner which left the profound impression on the reader mind about the third side ; Conflict Management. It’s a significant contribution by William Ury to the domain of conflict Management.It's not only give the new meaning to manage the relationships while dealing with difficult people which is need of today's world specially for the society of Pakistan, but also it is equally instructive for the students of social sciences or psychology. One should read it once in his/her life whether one is professional or not or student of conflict management, to create a better understanding about the third side ; conflict resolution. It is the prime need of our society in Pakistan to include this special gift on Conflict resolution to make it the part of our educational curriculum.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Analysing data production

Analysing data production The process of research is not only about learning and discovering, but also about sharing these discoveries with others, so that society as a whole can benefit from the efforts put in by the individual. When it comes to complex academic concepts, the choice of words for how a concept is described can make a difference to how well it is understood by others , especially when moving between research domains.    Hence we make such use of metaphors and analogies when it comes to describing complex concepts. Tying a concept (for example, quantum superposition) to a real world â€Å"thing† (for example, a cat in a box ) allows people unfamiliar with the original concept to connect it with something they have experience of, and provides a foundation which can be elaborated on. If, upon further examination, it is found that the analogy gets stretched beyond all reason, then that is acceptable, as long as those using it don’t simply rely on it as an article of blind faith. Analogies and metaphors require critical thinking. Scientific concepts are formulated in human language, and as such, are intended to be processed by the human brain (even if that brain needs to be highly trained before it can properly grasp the concepts being described). Scientific data, on the other hand, is designed to be machine consumable (as well as predominantly machine produced). Measurements are often not useful without the context surrounding them. It is one thing to know that a particular river level rose by 10cm. It is only by knowing where this happened, how high the river was to begin with, and how high the rise would have to be at that location to flood the houses built there, that we are able to put the data into context, and make it useful. Yet we still need that data. If a homeowner who got flooded wished to claim on their insurance for flood repairs, having that data and context available means they’d have proof that it was river flooding that caused the damage, rather than a burst pipe. We also need to have the research data which underpins key research findings available and understandable, both for reproducibility and to prevent fraud/misuse. Making data usable by others takes effort and time and is often unrewarded by the current system for gaining academic credit. Metaphors and Analogies â€Å"No one metaphor satisfies enough key data system attributes and that multiple metaphors need to co-exist in support of a healthy data ecosystem†(Parsons Fox, 2013) Data publication as a metaphor has been addressed extensively in (Parsons Fox, 2013), leading to the quote above. But before we dive into examples of metaphor and analogy in the data domain, it is helpful to review what they mean. From (Gentner Jeziorski, 1993): ‘Analogy can he viewed as a kind of highly selective similarity. In processing analogy, people implicitly focus on certain kinds of commonalities and ignore others. Imagine a bright student reading the analogy â€Å"a cell is like a factory.† She is unlikely to decide that cells are buildings made of brick and steel. Instead she might guess that, like a factory, a cell takes in resources to keep itself operating and to generate its products. This focus on common relational abstractions is what makes analogy illuminating.’ (Gentner Jeziorski, 1993) p448 This action of focussing on some commonalities and ignoring others is crucial when using analogies to illustrate scientific concepts. We can produce an analogy that â€Å"a dataset is like a book†. Commonalities include that both contain information, in a structured and formatted way, which is consumable by a user, and both are the product of sustained effort, potentially from a wide range of actors. The differences between them make it just as easy to say â€Å"a dataset is not like a book†, in that a dataset can be constantly changing; may not be a physical, but a virtual object; mostly isn’t designed for humans to read unassisted ; and often a dataset isn’t a self-contained unit (as it requires extra information and metadata to make it understandable and usable). Obviously, it is possible to push analogies too far, and have them break. This is more likely to happen when users of the analogy don’t have a good understanding of each of the two things being compared. In the (Gentner Jeziorski, 1993) quote above, if the student didn’t have any other concept of what a cell was, she could easily imagine that they were tiny buildings made of bricks and steel, and the analogy used would do nothing to correct that misapprehension. It’s also important to remember that analogy is not causation – if two phenomena are analogous, it does not imply that one causes the other. Types of metaphor and real world scientific examples: Data Publication Data publication, as a metaphor, came about as a result of the drive for researchers to publish as many works as possible in as many high impact journals as possible, and the need for those involved in creating datasets to be given recognition for their work, and their efforts to make the data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. This resulted in pressure to squeeze all research outputs into shapes that resemble publications, hence the proliferation of the data journal, a place where researchers can publish a paper about their dataset, linked via permanent identifier to the dataset itself (stored in a trustworthy repository). The data paper then can be cited and used as a proxy for the dataset when reporting the importance and impact of the researcher’s work. A real-world example of a dataset that has been published in a data journal is the Global Broadcast Service (GBS) datasets (Callaghan et al., 2013), measurements from a radio propagation dataset investigating how rain and clouds impact signal levels from a geosynchronous satellite beacon at radio frequencies of 20.7 GHz. The data streams linked to the paper, and which the paper describes in detail, are the result of a definite, discrete experiment, resulting in a well-defined, discrete and fully completed dataset, which will not change in the future. The dataset has been through two levels of quality assurance: the first was performed on ingestion into CEDA , where the file formats were standardised and metadata was checked and completed. The second level of quality assurance was performed as part of the scientific peer review process carried out when the data paper and dataset were submitted to the Geoscience Data Journal for review and publication. As this dataset is complete, well-documented and quality assured, it can be considered to be a first-class, reference-able, scientific artefact. There are other peer-reviewed journal articles which use the GBS data as the basis for their results, see for example (Callaghan et al., 2008) . However, datasets can be discrete, complete, well-defined and permanently available without the need for the proxy of a data paper, or any other publication attached to them. This is of particular value when it comes to publishing negative results, or data that don’t support the hypothesis they were collected to verify, but may be useful for testing other hypotheses. These types of datasets are possibly the closest thing we have to the â€Å"dataset as a book† analogy, and therefore are the easiest to fit into the data publication mould. Unfortunately, many other datasets do not fit in with this shape. Many datasets are dynamic, and are modified or added to as time progresses. Then there are issues with granularity – some researchers may only need a subset of a larger dataset for their work, but need to accurately and permanently identify that subset. Citing at the level of every one of the subsets results in reference lists that are long and unwieldy, and can make it difficult to find the subset required in a long list of very similarly named datasets. For text based items, such as books and articles, tools exist to compare text from one instance of an article to another, allowing the reader to be sure that the contents of two instances are the same, regardless of the format they are in (for example, an article in hard copy in a journal as compared with a pdf). We currently do not have a way of evaluating the scientific equivalence of datasets regardless of their format. The ease with which it’s possible to modify datasets (and not track the changes made) also means that it can be very hard to tell which dataset is the canonical, original version, or even what the differences are. Data publication can work very well as a metaphor, but users must be aware that it really is only applicable to the subset of datasets which can be made complete, well-documented, well-defined, discrete and quality controlled. Big Iron (industrialised data production) Big Iron, as defined in (Parsons Fox, 2013) typically deals with massive volumes of data that are relatively homogenous and well defined but highly dynamic and with high throughput. It is an industrialised process, relying on large, sophisticated, well-controlled, technical infrastructures, often requiring supercomputing centres, dedicated networks, substantial budgets, and specialized interfaces. An example of this is the data from the Large Hadron Collider, CERN, but in the Earth Sciences, the Coupled Model Intercomparison Projects (CMIP) are another. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) regularly issues Assessment Reports, detailing the current state of the art of climate models, and their predictions for future climate change. These reports are supported by the data from the climate model runs performed as part of CMIP. Each CMIP is an international collaboration, where climate modelling centres around the world run the same experiments on their different climate models, collect and document the data in standard ways and make it all available for the wider community to use, via custom built web portals. CMIP5, the most recent complete CMIP, resulted in datasets totalling over 2 PB of data. As this data is the foundation for the IPCC assessment and recommendations, it is vital that the data is stored and archived properly . Dealing with these data volumes requires not only custom built infrastructure, but also standards for file and metadata formats (e.g. NetCDF, CF Conventions, CMOR, etc.). Collecting the metadata describing the experiments that were run to create the datasets alone took several weeks’ worth of effort, and several years of effort to design and build the CMIP5 questionnaire which collected the metadata (Guilyardi et al, 2013). The industrialised production of data is likely to increase over the next years, given the increased ability of researchers to create and manage big data. The opposite of this analogy is also valid in many cases, as described in the next section. Artist’s studio (small scale data production, unique and non-standard output) Similar to Big Iron, this analogy focusses on the method of production of a dataset, rather than the dataset itself. The artist studio analogy covers the long tail of data produced by small groups or even single researchers, working in relative isolation. Artist studios generally produce one-of-a-kind pieces, which may have standard shapes and forms (e.g. oil paintings) but may equally come in non-standard shapes, sizes and materials (e.g. sculptures, video and audio installations, performance art etc.) The aim is to produce something of use/interest to a consumer, even if they are part of a limited domain. Similarly, it’s often not easy, or even possible to share the outputs of the studio (it is possible to make copies/prints of paintings, and smaller models of sculptures, but other objects of art, like Damien Hirst’s famous shark in formaldehyde (Hirst, 1991) are nearly impossible to reproduce ). Datasets produced by small research groups follow this analogy. The emphasis is on the production of the finished product, sometimes with the supporting documentation and metadata being neglected, due to lack of time, effort and potentially interest on the part of the creator. If the dataset is only aimed at a small user group, then the metadata is provided as jargon, or users are simply assumed to have a sufficient level of background knowledge. Sharing the data is often not considered, as for the researchers, holding the only copy of the data makes it more valuable, and therefore more likely that they’ll receive extra funding. An example â€Å"artist studio† is the Chilbolton Facility for Atmospheric and Radio Research (CFARR) . It is a small facility, located in Hampshire, UK, with approximately 6 permanent staff, who collectively build, maintain and run a selection of meteorological and radio research instruments. In recent years, the focus of the facility has been on collaborations with other research groups in universities and other research centres. Previously the facility had been more focussed on radio research, and as such had developed its own data format for the instruments it built, rather than tying in with existing community standards. Similarly, the data was stored on a variety of servers, with a bespoke tape backup system. When CFARR’s funding structure changed, pressure was put on the staff to archive all new data and the majority of existing data in CEDA. This made it easier for the facility staff, in that they no longer needed to maintain servers or the backup system, but it made things harder in that effort was needed to convert the data files to netCDF, and to collect and agree on the metadata that should accompany them. The culture change to move from the artist studio model to a more standardised and collaborative model took effort and time, and should not be underestimated. Science Support Science support is what CEDA do on an operational, everyday basis. Even though we’re not directly (or physically) embedded in a research organisation , we interact with researchers and research centres on a regular basis to ensure that the processes for data ingestion are carried out smoothly and efficiently. For data centres embedded in a research centre, data management can be seen as a component of the broader â€Å"science support† infrastructure of the lab or the project, equivalent to facilities management, field logistics, administrative support, systems administration, equipment development, etc. In our case, CEDA concentrates on data management, and providing services to make it and use of data easier for the researcher. Different data centres will have different ways of providing science support to their core user base. For example, an institutional data repository, responsible for all the data being produced by, for example, a university, will have datasets which are non-standardised and are usually geared towards a specific set of intended uses and local reuse in conjunction with other local data. In terms of the â€Å"artist studio† analogy, an institutional repository is like an art gallery or museum, where different datasets will have different data management requirements. By contrast CEDA, which has multiple PB of data in the archives, must standardise in terms of file formats, metadata models etc., hence moving towards a more â€Å"Big Iron† metaphor. In common with institutional repositories, CEDA also focusses on managing data (and sometimes merging datasets to create more useful resources) in order to meet the needs of our user community, which is international in scope and covers a wide range of users, from schoolchildren, to policy makers, to field researchers and theoreticians. Map Making Map making as a metaphor refers to the final representation of the data, and the process of putting the data into a context, primarily geographical. Maps also help to define the boundaries of what is known, and what isn’t. Though data presented in this way tend to be fixed in time, maps are useful for showing dynamical datasets, or time slices through complex multidimensional processes, e.g. the four dimensional structures of clouds/rain changing in time. The results of map making, the maps themselves, are datasets in their own right, and so need to be treated in the same way as other datasets with regard to preservation, metadata etc. The act of plotting some parameter on a geographical map results in a well-standardised structure for intercomparison and visualisation. Linked Data The â€Å"data† in Linked Data are defined extremely broadly and are envisioned as small, independent things with specific names (URIs) interconnected through defined semantic relationships (predicates) using model and language standards (e.g. the Resource Description Framework, RDF). It has a major emphasis on Open Data, as linked data focuses on enabling the interoperability of data and capitalising on the interconnected nature of the Internet. Linked data isn’t commonly used for dealing with scientific data, but instead, is predominantly used in our metadata, where we have complete focus on preservation, curation and quality, unlike other linked datasets available elsewhere. Using linked data for metadata structures does require standardisation and agreement on the formal semantics and ontologies. Linked data is very flexible, and lends itself well to distributed and interdisciplinary connections, provided the formal semantics can be agreed to be applicable across multiple domains. Linked data as a concept unfortunately hasn’t fully permeated the research environment as yet – many scientific researchers don’t understand the semantics (and have little interest in them). Linked data is often used as a support structure for Big Iron. The Cloud: â€Å"x as a service† There is an argument that the mechanisms for data publication should be invisible, and data should be accessible and understandable without any prior knowledge. Cloud services such as Dropbox allow users to store their data, and access them from any web browser, or mobile app, provided they have an internet connection. â€Å"Data as a service† ties in with â€Å"software as a service†, in that the users only take the data they need at any given moment, and in some cases may not even download it, instead using dedicated computing resources elsewhere to perform the manipulations needed on the data. An example of this is JASMIN , a system that provides petascale storage and cloud computing for big data challenges in environmental science. JASMIN provides flexible data access to users, allowing them to collaborate in self-managing group workspaces. JASMIN brings compute and data together to enable models and algorithms to be evaluated alongside curated archive data, and for data to be shared and evaluated before being deposited in the permanent archive. Data, in this context, aren’t the fixed and complete products described in other analogies, but instead are more fluid and dynamic. Still, once the datasets are deposited in the permanent archive, they become fixed products, and are citeable and publishable. Providing significant resources for data manipulation is undoubtedly useful, but the focus with this system is on the service, not necessarily on the data. The data however, is the backbone of the system – there is no point having the service without the data and the users who want to analyse it. Conclusions It goes without saying that all analogies are wrong, but some are useful, and hence should come with a health warning – especially when following an analogy to the furthest reaches of its logic can result in sheer absurdity . When dealing with data, just like in life, there is no all-encompassing metaphor for what we do. Instead, metaphors and analogies should be used in ways to illuminate and clarify, but we should always remember that metaphors are useful tools for thinking about things, but can also limit how we think about things. (Ball, 2011). Pushing an analogy so far that it breaks can be a useful process, in that it helps determine the limits of understanding, especially as part of an ongoing conversation. Finally, for this essay, the author would like to leave the reader with some very appropriate words from (Polya, 1954, page 15): â€Å"And remember, do not neglect vague analogies. But if you wish them respectable, try to clarify them.†

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Marketing Strategy for new Cereal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Strategy for new Cereal - Essay Example Also, having regard to the virtual dominance of the breakfast cereals market by five major companies, attention is focussed on special characteristics of the product which could ensure some market penetration. New Product 3 Manufacture and Marketing of a New Breakfast Cereal in Australia Introduction The product is a new breakfast cereal called â€Å"GoodHealth†, and it differs from those already on the market in two important respects: its ability to remain crisp for longer when milk is added, and its lower salt content (Oakenfull, 2009). The product will be manufactured to complement the existing range of food products already produced by â€Å"PolyFoods†, a small company founded in 2001 and located in the outskirts of Canberra. The first intention is to market GoodHealth throughout Australia, and then to expand into the global marketplace. In order to achieve this aim attention will be given to exploiting modern marketing theories as they apply to the appropriate mac ro-environment outside the organisation. The application of marketing theory The aim of marketing is to sell the product and over the years a number of theories have been developed to identify the factors which are necessary for the construction and implementation of an effective marketing strategy. ... y of Marketing† that the central feature is the ‘Transaction of buying and selling’ based on the perceived ‘value’ of the product by the buyer. This perception, which is underpinned by ‘brand image’ is subject to such fluctuations as needs, financial situation, experience and taste. Linn (2010) offers a dual model of the process ‘Price Asked < Perceived Value’ and states that â€Å"The condition for the transaction being performed is, in principle, that the buyer values the product to equal or New Product 4 more than the price asked† (Linn, 2010). It is now appropriate to consider the six main macro-environments which will affect the target market for the product and consequently hte company’s product strategy. Analysis of the macro-environment Demographic In the late 1990s 49% of Americans ate cereals at breakfast – almost 20% more than any other product or combination (Topher, 1997). Statistics gathered in Australia at about the same time (AUSSTATS, 1999) found that over 65% of the population ate cereals daily, although there was no clear breakdown into easily identifiable products. However, the figures showed that children in the age range 2-15 years consumed more breakfast cereals – as did adults over 45 years – than the age group 16-44 years. These trends indicated some marketing target areas. Firstly the adolescent group, and the over 65s who generally preferred ‘something warming’ such as porridge. For the former it is essential to stress that breakfast cereals are not just nourishing but ‘cool’ and for the latter it is important to stress that the added vitamins and nutritional properties of breakfast cereals, and â€Å"GoodHealth† in particular can contribute to wellbeing and delay the onset of various diseases such as cancer of

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Evangelism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evangelism - Essay Example Rainer reports the findings of a survey done of more than four thousand churches in US and he points out that many congregations are abandoning the biblical model of pastoral ministry. The pastor is actually required to spend time in prayer and in the ministry of word. However, congregations are demanding more attention and time from the Pastor for tasks that are not related to the biblical foundation. As time passes, more and more new and unreasonable expectations would be placed on the overburdened pastors and if the pastors have to meet all the perceived needs and demands of church members, they would have little time to devote to their primary and main calling preaching. The author has also attempted to justify that though the pastor is expected to be involved increasingly in the community in non-theological tasks but the extent of involvement should not be considered as the measure of success and failure when attendance at a Church starts reducing. The author also reports that a few decades back, the pastor had a position of respect and esteem and unfortunately today, many pastors get very little respect in the communities where they survive. In fact, many of the harshest and most unloving critics of pastors can be found within their own congregations (Rainer, 2001, p. 55). In later sections of the Chapter, Rainer gives details of the interview he conducted with 353 formerly unchurched people. Two main questions were asked that brought about significant responses about pastors and the first was did the pastor and his preaching play a part in your coming to the Church?" For this question, more than 97% of the respondents replied that they agreed. The second question require a much more subjective response and asked about what factors led you to choose the Church?". The subjective question items and the percentage of responses are indicated as below. As seen in the above figure, the

Monday, August 26, 2019

A Very Different Age - Americans of the Progressive Era Essay

A Very Different Age - Americans of the Progressive Era - Essay Example During this era, the American society experienced various changes socially, economically and politically. The bulk of the book deals with how American people felt during the revolution and to what extent their lives changed. The book focuses on society as a whole, and does not emphasize on a particular person or event alone, there was a lot of struggle and opposition between people, as Diner writes "living increasingly in an interdependent society comprised of large institutions, individual Americans made numerous choices and competed with each other as never before to control their lives"( 3). A very different age narrates the efforts of and lives of different groups of people during the progressive era, including, businessmen and industrial workers, small businessmen and big businessmen, industrial workers and farmers, European immigrants and African migrants, middle class women and men, industrial workers and middle class workers, businessmen and professionals. The reform included the growth of "labour unions joined mostly by businessmen"(47), but these unions removed the "African Americans", women joined the workforce, immigrants accepted low paid jobs for the sake of improving their overall status, they were mostly employed in factories and mills. Inhabitants of America felt superior to the immigrants; farmers mostly had to depend on the vague capitalist system to earn a respectable income, "African American" had to fight for their rights to freedom, most of them flee the country, but it was the middle class that appeared to be the most powerful during the progressive era. According to Diner, despite the progress, there were many setbacks that occurred during the revolutionary era. Thousands of Americans still lived in poverty; African Americans struggled for their identity and "racism" (125) existed. The writer skillfully includes the work of many historians in his book; he praises some of the reformers of the time but criticizes many renowned progressives like "Teddy Roosevelt" (229) and "Woodrow Wilson (219)" who worked for their selfish motives instead of bringing change, Diner disparagingly asserts that "progressives, like other Americans, joined a contest for control under rules set by industrial capitalism" The author explains in his book that the "historians"(199) believe that the political behaviour of many Americans during the progressive era changed widely as fewer votes were cast and citizens no longer remained linked to their political parties as strict laws prevented them to cast votes. Furthermore, many social historians believed that common people were victims of intolerance and inequality, and there were many people who faced the harsh circumstances bravely and travelled from place to place in search of better jobs. People who left were mostly farmers and industrial workers, whereas, most of the urban came to America and urban population in South increased by 900,000(131), "Midwestern farmer's children went further west to buy more lands" and "African Americans" moved to rural areas. A diner is of the view that the progressive period though brought many gains but it at the same time ruined the lives of many. The "Industrial Revolution" had a different impact on different people; with its many accomplishments, it also created problems for many people. The revolution affected women’s lives most negatively and their lifestyle changed significantly.     Ã‚  

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Analyzing Supply Chain Management and Innovation (WAL-MART) Essay

Analyzing Supply Chain Management and Innovation (WAL-MART) - Essay Example The success of Wal-Mart stores Inc. can be attributed to its ability to manage the supply chain efficiently. This essay analyzes the strategies that Wal-Mart uses for its supply chain management and innovation practices. Wal-Mart has a wide array of products targeting families and middle class individuals with modest incomes. Most of these customers are more focused on the quality of the products they purchase from Wal-Mart stores, rather than the branding of the products. There are four main elements of Wal-Mart’s supply chain management strategy. These are technology, vendor partnerships, integration, and cross docking and distribution management (Leeman, 36). The whole process starts from strategic sourcing, which is aimed at identifying high quality products at the best prices from reputable suppliers who have the ability to meet the existing demand. The organization then forms strategic partnerships with most of the vendors, creating a long term relationship that benefits the customers. The suppliers will then ship their products to the Wal-Mart stores for cross docking and delivery to stores in other locations around the world. The cross docking process, efficient management of distribution, and the transportation process helps Wal-Mart to maintain a constant inventory to cater for market demand. The company also focuses on eliminating inefficiencies that can undermine the whole process. Wal-Mart is highly regarded for its innovative business practices in the industry(Leeman, 69). For instance, it was among the first companies on the global scene to centralize their distribution system and rely heavily on Information Technology. Wal-Mart manages its Supply chain by using a highly integrated approach that brings together elements of logistics, operations management, information Technology, and procurement. The success of Wal-Mart’s strategy of

Qualities Required To Achieve Life Objective Essay

Qualities Required To Achieve Life Objective - Essay Example As every success opens the new horizons of self-confidence, pleasures and containment, similarly the impact of failure can cause lasting damage to self-esteem and the consequences can influence an entire lifetime. The same argument is also applied for academic career too. There are numerous factors that can influence the students’ academic career. These factors can be related to students financial, social or psychological status, teachers’ behavior and their teaching methods, lack of commitment to study, problems with learning environment, problems with subject content and examinations systems unsatisfactory relationship with family, future concerns related to chosen field of study or problems of time management. Although most of the students manage to cut through these barriers based on their motivation and perception of their goals yet a reasonable number of students’ romaine handicap to tackle their problems and hence they fail (Aysan, 1). The following sectio ns highlight few of the factors that really affect the academic career.(a) Financial Problems: Money is a substantial entity for living as we all need money to buy essential things required for our survival. Money also plays a vital role for academic career. In order to enter and attend a college or university a student has to pay his education stipends and if he is facing financial problems then his academic career will obviously be affected. ... manager, a counselor, a decision maker, a role model, and a surrogate parent. These qualities required practice, skills and effective teaching methodology (Dolasir, 2). (c) Drug: It is a well known fact that many students are also involved in drug addiction. The use of any type of drugs greatly affects human body as drugs deteriorate the very functionality of human body and hence result the lose of life objectives including the academic career. (d) Social problems: Social disproportions and unsatisfactory relationship with family or friends can also bring the students to the brinks of failure. Since academic study or research demands concentration yet social unevenness diverges the human concentration and greatly influence the human psyche. (d) Commitment to study and time management: Lack of commitment to study and time mismanagement is also major contributor to student failure. Lack of commitment results the precious time lose and hence time mismanagement. Works Cited Aysan, Ferda. "Perceived Causes of Academic Failure among the Students at the Faculty of Education at Buca." ERIC. (1996). 18. 9 July, 2007. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019 b/80/16/74/9a.pdf Dolasir, Semiyha. "Effective Teacher Behaviors that Contribute to Students' Academic Success." ERIC. (2004). 9 July, 2007. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019 b/80/1b/dd/1c.pdf . . . 10 July, 2007 Qualities Required To Achieve Life Objective It is a well known fact that great objectives demand the best qualities. Achievement of an effective life objective or goal is essentially related a number of key qualities and passion

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The causes of crime are ultimately matters of individual Essay

The causes of crime are ultimately matters of individual responsibility and choice. Critically discuss - Essay Example Many of the different approaches to dealing with crime are developed within those frameworks from the various assumptions and values which hold sway within that particular nation. It is more likely that, for countries or systems that believe a criminal is a product of his or her environment, money will be spent on rehabilitation and treatment with much less emphasis on custodial sentences. For those who believe people are responsible for their actions and intend to commit crimes (indeed intention, or mens rea, is required in all systems in order to convict someone of crime), the emphasis is likely to be on punishment, generally not specifically intended to address rehabilitation, such as custody. Clearly these concepts require a great deal of unpacking which will be done in the course of this essay. The key thing is to examine the various explanations as to why people commit crimes, be they biological psychological or sociological, and what sorts of criminal systems such approaches g enerate. It is quite imperative to begin this analysis by acknowledging the variety of definitions of crime as used by various criminal justice systems all over the world. The variety of such definitions has been brought about by the modern society whereby some people differ on what is good and what is wrong. In relation to this, some crimes are said to be acceptable in some circumstances by some groups while others, non-criminal, actions are believed unacceptable. What then ringers in our minds is who has the power to define the term crime? However, the term has had a number of definitions. To start with, a crime is said to be an act prescribed by law and is subject to punishment. It can not only be an act, but also an omission which is failure to act where law enforces a duty to act. It is worth noting that in the recent times, crimes are not only being restricted to acts and omissions that can violate that rights of other people, but also those which can either harm the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Healthcare system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healthcare system - Essay Example Each organization faces different challenges. Hence, the articles discusses what can be done to rectify the trials in the healthcare industry. The two changes that will impact this is healthcare reform such as HIPAA and the Medicare issue that is lingering. There are many implication for this marketing strategy since the market is heavily segmented. One of the heavy reflections that was taken from the article is the administration of Social Security within the context of HIPAA. This strategy is more for a standardized approach and does not cater to an individual organization. Hence, a more integrated approach is needed in order to understand and acknowledge the perspectives all stakeholders is illogical because every case is different. The second implication is the tax implications that healthcare organizations may face with new health plans. The role of states health departments is to provide maternal and child health care. State and local health departments must take a proactive approach to not only collect information, which can be an extremely critical situation for medical personnel. Even though it is almost to estimate the cost of fraudulent claims, taxpayers have to atone for the financial woes as their tax money is utilized. Th e worse aspect in this whole scenario is the fact that money lost to improper financial billing can be used to support lower income individuals. The lower income individuals instead have to suffer as a result of fraudulent claims. Health care marketers will play a role in helping their organizations by ensuring that technology and business processes are placed. Another important aspect within the realm of 120,000 eligible healthcare professionals and more than 3,300 hospitals have qualified to participate, which allows a seamless access of patients to extract their information online â€Å"outpatient lab reporting† as a menu

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Cooking Is My Hobby Essay Example for Free

Cooking Is My Hobby Essay I enjoy cooking because it keeps me happy in my life. Whenever I feel sad or upset, cooking ease that for me in a big way. I started cooking when I was 6, but it was as simple as putting ham and cheese between 2 slices of bread and used my favorite condiment of maynaise and let it heat up for about 30 seconds. When I grew older, my knowledge of food grew to new depths when I learned how to cook American food on the grill when I was 13 and my dad was the sole reason why I got better since he explained to me how to use temperature control. The 1st dish I made on my own without any kind of assistance was Alaskan Cod with Lemon Pepper which I enjoyed very much when it was baked in an oven. Now, in my college years, I evolved into making cursine in many cultures such as tacos from Mexico, crepes from France, peking duck from China, and pizza from Italy using my ingredients I purchased from HEB, Fiesta, or Chinatown in my hometown. Cooking is the only thing in which I know how to do best and I usually cook for my family, relatives, friends, or people whom I do not know. Sometimes, I cook multiple of one thing for homeless people and disturbute them across the city. My least favorite thing to cook is vegetables since I do not like them, but if someone requests them on their plate, I will not be unwilling to cook them. Instead, I would embrace their desires and make it for them. I have invested hours of my time per day to be more knowlegable about different cooking methods from various chefs instead of just one in order to be prepared for different styles of cooking and perferences from guests. My signature dish is pork and leek dumplings with either soy sauce or vinegar or my orange chicken with basil and coconut broth so if you are ever in my area, I will be willing to cook for you.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Metamorphosis & Existentialism Essay Example for Free

The Metamorphosis Existentialism Essay Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a masterfully written novella about Gregor Samsa, a man who devotes his life to his family and work, for nothing in return. Only when he is transformed into a helpless beetle does he begin to develop a self-identity and understand the relationships around him. The underlying theme of The Metamorphosis is an existential one that says that any given choice will govern the later course of a person’s life and that a person has ultimate will over making choices. In this case, Gregor’s choices of his part in society cause him to have a lack of identity that has made him to be numb to everything around him. One morning Gregor awakens to find himself transformed into a beetle. Although the reader is never enlightened on how Gregor morphed into a beetle, or shown that Gregor gives much thought to having a body of an insect, Kafka gives the strong impression that Gregor is very devoted to his work and is the sole support of the family, none of which work themselves. Gregor devotes himself to a life of work and self-sacrifice, â€Å"[d]ay in, day out- on the road† (Kafka 4), following ever order, and expectation to a scurrilous degree. His life could be linked to that of a drone in an ant colony, and thus gives an explanation to Kafka’s logic when he is transformed into an insect, and thinks nothing of it. In fact upon finding himself transformed he immediately prioritizes his work above everything else; The next train left at seven o’clock; to make it, he would have to hurry like a madman, and the line of samples wasn’t packed yet, and he himself didn’t feel especially fresh and ready to march around. (5) Through his transformation into a beetle, Gregor abandons his mislead obligation to society and instead devotes the rest of his life to himself. Because of this Gregor’s family quickly grows to resent him as a burden to the household. Society and his family had no further use for him, so Gregor starves to death is his bedroom. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Gregor’s father began the story as a lazy and non-productive human being. He relied solely and completely on his son. After Gregor’s transformation, his father followed suit. He became a proud and productive individual of the lower bureaucracy. He found the balance between work and leisure that Gregor could not. According to Kafka and existentialism, people have both an individual side and a side with the commitment of society. It is our choices that must be in moderation of the two, to maintain balance. If a person chooses himself over society, he will lose the support of society; however, if a person chooses society, he will lose his individuality. Gregor initially chooses society over himself, which in turn transformed him into the working drone he was. After his physical transformation, he is forced reassert his focus to himself, and society abandons him. Through Gregor’s plight, his family became cohesive and productive in society, each contributing through work and leisure. Gregor learned to live for himself too late to become a whole person. Gregor begins to look for entertainment and fun in the form of a bug, a form that knows nothing but work, by crawling up to the ceiling and hanging from there, or from wall to wall over the various objects, this gave him a feeling of â€Å"almost happy absent-mindedness† (32). Haven given up any hope of returning to his human form or being a civilized working part of society ever again, this was one of the only joys Gregor had left in his life. By ignoring the purpose of being an insect, Gregor defeats the purpose of living in his new form of life, and in effect, dies. The Metamorphosis advances the existential view that choice is the opportune of the individual. It is the responsibility of the individual to maintain a balance between work and leisure. The Metamorphosis lends the idea that, if one chooses to devote their life entirely to work, they are no more than droning insects, yet if they devote their lives to leisure, they are no better off. A balance needs to be found. As rational beings, the burden of moderation between value to society and value to self must be assumed by the individual. One must be productive in order to be valuable to society, and one must have leisure in order to be valuable to them.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Literature Review on Preconception Counseling and Education

Literature Review on Preconception Counseling and Education Review of literature is an essential step in the development of a research project. It helps the researcher to design the proposed study in a scientific manner. So as to achieved the desired result. In this chapter the researcher will present the review of literature in the following heading. Section-I: Studies related to Importance of preconception counseling and health education. Section-II: Studies related to Knowledge and attitude regarding preconception care. Section-III: Studies related to Use of vitamin supplements prior to pregnancy. Section-IV: Studies related to Health awareness and promotion on preconception care Section-V: Studies related to Betty Neumanns system model SECTION-I: STUDIES RELATED TO PRECONCEPTION COUNSELLING AND HEALTH EDUCATION Bastani, Hashemi, Bastani, Haghani., (2010) conducted a study, among the women attending premarital clinics in Iran which was aimed to assess the impact of a health education workshop on their health locus of control and self-efficacy in physical activity. Randomized controlled trial was used as the design for the study. A questionnaire was used before and after the intervention. There were significant increases in scores of internal health locus of control and self-efficacy in the experimental group that is among the 109 samples in the post-intervention. Compared to the control group that is among 101 samples. Short-term health education can empower the women to adapt to the healthy lifestyles. Berghella,Buchanan, Pereira, Baxter., (2010) conducted study on the available literature, on preconception care. They have searched in the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and PUBMED from 1966 until January 2009. The target audience was Obstetricians Gynecologists, Family Physicians and adolescence. When they completed the educational programme, the participant was having knowledge to assess the potential benefits for women and their baby that which results from the preconception care. Jong-Potjer LC de, Elsinga, et.al., (2006) conducted a study on Preconception counselling can reduce negative pregnancy problems by finding the risk factors before pregnancy in Netherlands. Randomized trial of women aged 18-40years were used as sample in the study. The anxiety level was assessed among the women. After the Preconception care there was found an average decrease of 3.6 points in anxiety-levels (95% CI, 2.4 4.8). Mean scores of the STAI-3 were 38.5 (95% CI 37.7 39.3) in the control group (n = 1090) and 38.7 (95% CI 37.9 39.5) in the intervention group (n = 1186). Study proved that anxiety reduced after participation due to the effect of counselling. Therefore the offer of Preconception counselling to the general population is effective to reduce anxiety. SECTION-II: STUDIES RELATED TO KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE REGARDING THE PRECONCEPTION CARE Coonrod, Bruce, Malcolm, Drachman, Frey., (2009) conducted a study to find out the knowledge and attitudes regarding preconception care in a low-income Mexican American population. A cross-sectional survey was used and the sample size was 305. 89% agreed that improving preconception health benefits pregnancy. 77% expressed some interest in preconception health care. Areas of high knowledge included were the folic acid use in pregnancy; use of alcohol; and verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. The samples showed interest in the preconception education and agreed that preconception health will have positive effect on pregnancy outcomes. Maria , Morgan Debra Hawks, et.al., (2006) conducted a study to describe obstetrician-gynecologists opinions regarding preconception care. The Questionnaire was mailed to 1105 ACOG members. 60% was the response rate. 87% of the gynecologists think that preconception counselling is important and 94% think that it should be always recommend to the women planning for pregnancy. Around 34% thought their patients do not plan for their pregnancies and 49% said very few pregnant patients came for preconception counselling. Of those who obtain preconception counselling, 83% were believed to assure a healthy pregnancy because of an elevated risk for birth defects (20%). Janis Biermann, Anne Lang Dunlop, et.al., (2006) conducted two program focusing the urban African-American women which has included the interconception care also. Project was aimed to reduce the key risks in the women of childbearing age. 7 out of 21 women in the IPC were identified as having a previous chronic disease. 21 out of 21 women have developed a reproductive plan for themselves, and they didnt become pregnant within 9 months. The success rate of the project was greater than 70% among the participants. Preconception care appeared to be effective when specific risk factors were identified and interventions were given appropriately. SECTION-III: STUDIES RELATED TO USE OF VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS PRIOR TO THE PREGNANCY Carl J, Hill, DA., (2009) did a study that womens diet should be supplemented with 400 mcg folic acid every day which helps in reducing neural tube defects in their babies up to 72%. Blood glucose should be controlled prior to conception helps in reducing the birth defects and pregnancy loss. Reducing the caffeine consumption can reduce the risk of miscarriage. Counselling was given for women in these areas and found to be effective. Morgan LM, Major JL, Meyer RE, Mullenix A., (2009) proved that use of 400 mcg of folic acid among non-pregnant females of childbearing age in the Western North Carolina reduced the risk of neural tube defects by 50%-80. To the non-pregnant women free bottle of multivitamins was given to increase the consumption. The daily use multivitamin was increased after receiving a free three month supply. Weerd de, Sabina Thomas, Chris, Cikot, Rolf, Steegers, Eric., (2002) conducted a study to assess whether counselling the women who plans for pregnancy to start or to continue the folic acid supplementation can improves folate status. Women and their partners who have reported folic acid supplement intake were categorized as users or nonusers of supplements. The use of folic acid intake was addressed at a subsequent preconceptional consultation. Differences between reported supplement users and nonusers before counselling as well as between assumed users and nonusers of folic acid were analyzed. A total of 111 eligible women participated. Preconceptional folic acid use can improves the folate status among women planning to conceive. SECTION-IV: STUDIES RELATED TO HEALTH AWARENESS AND PROMOTION OF PRECONCEPTION CARE Vause, Jones, Evans, Wilkie, Leader., (2009) conducted a study whether counselling before conception is important. After completing the knowledge survey the woman was sent for initial assessment. 400 surveys were used for the data analysis. Patients were informed about the health optimization, consumption of folic acid, exposure to infectious disease, use of medication and use of recreational drug. Nulliparous women were found less knowledgeable. The more educated women had more knowledge. It was suggested that the women need their physicians to educate about pre-pregnancy lifestyle. Delvoye, Guillaume, Collard, Nardella, Hannecart, Mauroy., (2009) conducted a study regarding preconception health promotion. The study results showed that preconception care was not able to provide when pregnancy was unplanned. The study proposes flour fortification with folic acid; timely immunization, continuous training of health care providers in the provision of preconception cares. Delgado CE., (2008) done a study to assess undergraduate student awareness regarding preconception health. In the study 241 students were included as the sample. A questionnaire was designed to assess awareness related to preconception health and pregnancy. By answering 64% the students showed a mild to moderate level of awareness regarding preconception care. Individual student scores varied a great deal, ranging from 33% to 89% correct. Students who had previous such course containing information on pregnancy and/or child development correctly answered a greater percentage of items than those who had not taken such a course. Females had statistically significantly, higher awareness scores than males. Students demonstrated a high level of awareness for use of substance, a moderate level of awareness for sexually transmitted diseases and preconception care, and lower levels of awareness for folic acid, prenatal development, health, and pregnancy spacing. SECTION-V: STUDIES RELATED TO BETTY NEUMANNS SYSTEM MODEL Deepa Thomas, (1998) conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of instructional module on knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in selected schools in Trivandrum. In her study she used Betty Newmans System model (1989) for creating awareness regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls. Stressors in her study were hormonal, physical and psychosocial changes and the existing superstitions and lack of knowledge of adolescent girls and the reaction was poor menstrual hygiene and maladjustment. She used two interventions in her study. The primary prevention was done by using the instructional module for providing education to the adolescent girls regarding menarche, development of secondary sexual characteristics and menstrual hygiene. In her study the secondary prevention was detection of unhygienic practices and education to correct the practices. The reconstitution in her study was the better adjustment and better hygiene. Alpha.G., (2008) conducted a study to find the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on knowledge and attitude regarding changes related to puberty and menstrual hygiene among prepubertal girls in selected schools, at Salem. In her study she used Betty Newmans System model (1989) for creating awareness regarding menstrual hygiene among prepubertal girls. Stressors in her study were the physical and psychosocial changes related to puberty. She used one intervention in her study. The primary prevention was done through structured teaching programme on changes related to puberty and menstrual hygiene. The reconstitution in her study was the better knowledge and attitude towards pubertal changes and menstrual hygiene.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Comparing Spiritual Growth in Siddhartha and the Movie (Film), Seven Years in Tibet :: comparison compare contrast essays

Spiritual Growth in Siddhartha and the Movie (Film), Seven Years in Tibet The novel Siddhartha and the film Seven Years in Tibet are both comparable. They have similar plots and can relate to each other in many different ways. There are many characters that almost have identical personalities. In addition, both the novel and the movie are based upon ideas of Buddhism. Throughout both the novel and the movie there are many connections that can be made to show how both of these stories relate. During the movie and the novel there are many similar themes. There are many examples that show compassion for all living creatures. Having respect for all living beings is a belief for Buddhists. In the movie, Heinrich was building a movie theatre for the Dalai Lama. The townspeople were helping them, but while they were digging they noticed earthworms were living there. It would be cruel for them to kill the earthworms; so in order to build the movie theatre they must remove all of the earthworms and put them somewhere else to live. In the novel, Siddhartha always had respect for nature. The river is an object that meant a great deal to him. Siddhartha could never disrespect the river because that is what helped him get further on his journey to enlightenment. In the beginning of the movie, Heinrich leaves his wife pregnant. He doesn't care that he put climbing before his responsibilities of having a family. This shows how cold and egocentric Heinrich was in the beginning of Seven Years in Tibet. Siddhartha also has a period in his life when he is egocentric. While Siddhartha was with the Samanas, all he cared about was his own well-being. The small portions of food he acquired from begging was only to feed himself. Siddhartha never offered anything to anyone else while he was traveling with the Samanas. There are many characters from both the movie and the novel that are alike. Siddhartha and Heinrich are both the main characters in which the story revolves around. They both are on a journey and grow throughout their trip. They learn what life truly means to each of them. Govinda and Peter are also two characters that are similar.

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz :: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz In the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler clearly intends to portray his main character as a failure.   Duddy understands perfectly well that a man must pursue his dreams, which is why he is one of the most motivated young man of his time.   From the moment Duddy hears his grandfather say, "A man without land is nobody,† he is prepared to seek the land of his dreams.   This aspiration of Duddy’s is very respectable, but unfortunately his methods are totally inappropriate, and that leads to him being a failure.      The moment that Duddy began to immerse himself into the establishment of his film company, it could be seen that he was willing to do anything to get money, even if he had to lie.   For example, the film Duddy made for the bar mitzvah was of extremely poor quality, and as a result, the product was an obvious failure.   Duddy himself knew that well: â€Å"Duddy didn’t say a word all though the screening but afterwards he was sick to his stomach.† (Page 148). Later, Duddy said to Mr. Friar: â€Å"I could sell Mr. Cohn a dead horse easier then this pile of _† (page 148).   After this particular incident, Duddy does not even speak honestly to his clients.   In conclusion, the only way Duddy sells his waste films is by telling lies.   He always lies to gain money, and that’s all that Duddy cares about.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Duddy has never been loved in his family, so originally he was quite content to know that Yvette cares about him.   At the beginning, Yvette and Duddy are in love.     Ã¢â‚¬Å"It’s so nice to see you lie still for once, she said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Your always running or jumping or scratching.     Duddy was surprised and flattered to discover that  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     anyone cared enough to watch him so closely.† (Page 92)      As time passed by, however, Duddy began to use Yvette as a tool.   The main reason for that is Duddy was striving to get the land, and since he could not legally own it as a minor, he employed Yvette to act as a figurehead in his purchase.   This treatment of Yvette, combined with her breaking ties with her family due to Duddy being a Jew, is what ruins their relationship.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Hadyn Middletons Lie of the Land :: Middleton Lie of the Land Essays

Hadyn Middleton's Lie of the Land The mystical premise William Blake uses as the basis for his poetic work is not one based on a transcendent God, but the "Universal Man" who is himself God and who incorporates the cosmos as well. Blake elsewhere describes this founding image as "the human Form Divine" and names him "Albion." After becoming more familiar with the "myth" William Blake uses in his poetry, it is clear that Hadyn Middleton doesn't simply refer to Blake throughout the telling of Lie of the Land, his myths live quite comfortably inside within it. Nennius is not simply inspired by the work of Blake, he becomes Blake's work. Nennius becomes Albion. Blake's attempt to articulate a full myth of humanity's present, past, and future is clearly mirrored in Middleton's beginning, middle and end. What both Blake and Middleton explore is the fall of a man from humanity into a lower "state" of being. The fall, in Blake's myth, is not the fall of humanity away from God but a falling apart of primal people, a "fall into Division." In this event the original sin is what Blake calls "Selfhood," the attempt of an isolated part to be self-sufficient. The breakup of the all-inclusive Universal Man in Eden into exiled parts identifies the Fall with the creation-- the creation not only of man and of nature as we ordinarily know them but also of a sky god who is alien from humanity (20-21, here and throughout, page numbers refer to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6h ed. v.2). Middleton takes Nennius and plops him smack dab in the middle of Blake's poetic structure, in the middle of what ultimately becomes the lie of the land. When Nennius discovers the "woman's" presence, as a very young boy, he begins his "separation" into a state of selfhood; perhaps without really being conscious of this movement. He gives his life over to the power he thinks the woman possesses. He lives his life believing the "end" will eventually be brought to him from the spirit. Thus, he retreats into a world of his own making. Nennius imposes exile upon himself. The world excludes his wife, his child and all forms of human pleasure as well as human pain. Further into Blake's myth, Universal Man divides first into the "Four Mighty Ones" who are the Zoas, or chief powers and component aspects of humanity, and these in turn divide sexually into male Spectres and female Emanations (21). Hadyn Middleton's Lie of the Land :: Middleton Lie of the Land Essays Hadyn Middleton's Lie of the Land The mystical premise William Blake uses as the basis for his poetic work is not one based on a transcendent God, but the "Universal Man" who is himself God and who incorporates the cosmos as well. Blake elsewhere describes this founding image as "the human Form Divine" and names him "Albion." After becoming more familiar with the "myth" William Blake uses in his poetry, it is clear that Hadyn Middleton doesn't simply refer to Blake throughout the telling of Lie of the Land, his myths live quite comfortably inside within it. Nennius is not simply inspired by the work of Blake, he becomes Blake's work. Nennius becomes Albion. Blake's attempt to articulate a full myth of humanity's present, past, and future is clearly mirrored in Middleton's beginning, middle and end. What both Blake and Middleton explore is the fall of a man from humanity into a lower "state" of being. The fall, in Blake's myth, is not the fall of humanity away from God but a falling apart of primal people, a "fall into Division." In this event the original sin is what Blake calls "Selfhood," the attempt of an isolated part to be self-sufficient. The breakup of the all-inclusive Universal Man in Eden into exiled parts identifies the Fall with the creation-- the creation not only of man and of nature as we ordinarily know them but also of a sky god who is alien from humanity (20-21, here and throughout, page numbers refer to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6h ed. v.2). Middleton takes Nennius and plops him smack dab in the middle of Blake's poetic structure, in the middle of what ultimately becomes the lie of the land. When Nennius discovers the "woman's" presence, as a very young boy, he begins his "separation" into a state of selfhood; perhaps without really being conscious of this movement. He gives his life over to the power he thinks the woman possesses. He lives his life believing the "end" will eventually be brought to him from the spirit. Thus, he retreats into a world of his own making. Nennius imposes exile upon himself. The world excludes his wife, his child and all forms of human pleasure as well as human pain. Further into Blake's myth, Universal Man divides first into the "Four Mighty Ones" who are the Zoas, or chief powers and component aspects of humanity, and these in turn divide sexually into male Spectres and female Emanations (21).

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Patient E.O.

1. )What type of reaction is the health care provider concerned about and why? Being that E. O has never been prescribed penicillin; her healthcare provider is concerned that she may be allergic to the antibiotic. Penicillin is an antibiotic that is used to treat many bacterial infections in the body. People with asthma and a history of any type of allergy should be monitored very closely when taking penicillin for the first time and should be given the right dose to safely take the antibiotic.An allergic reaction to penicillin can range from a simple rash to a life threatening condition known as anaphylaxis. If allergic to penicillin, E. O’s healthcare provider is mainly concerned that she might develop an anaphylactic shock, which may become fatal if the condition is not treated immediately. 2a. ) Explain the role of IgE and mast cells in type I hypersensitivity reactions. Type 1 Hypersensitivity is a reaction that involves many parts of the body, for instance, the skin, eye s, nasopharynx, bronchopulmonary tissue, and the gastrointestinal tract.This reaction may cause a range of minor symptoms to fatality. Common manifestations that may possibly occur during Type 1 Hypersensitivity are rhinitis, asthma, atopic eczema, bee-sting reaction, and gastroenteritis. IgE, released from B cells, is an antibody that mediates hypersensitivity and arms mast cells, which exhibit as the principal component cell of this reaction in the body. The exposure of an allergen in an individual causes plasma B cells to produce the antibody IgE which circulates in small amount in the blood.Immunoglobulin E binds to the IgE receptors on mast cells which ultimately produces IgE antigen-binding sites on the surface of the mast cell. After the exposure of the mast cell with crosslinking of IgE-Fc receptors to an antigen, degranulation results and mediators are released causing signs of inflammation (Copstead & Banasik, 2010, pp. 227-228). 2b. ) Why might E. O. react adversely to th e antibiotic with the first use? Being that E.O has a past medical history of asthma and allergy to bee stings, she might react adversely to the antibiotic within the first use because she already has a high level of IgE bound to mast cells from previous asthma attacks or bee stings. Since it will be her first time taking Penicillin, she has not developed the IgE to the antibiotic, which ultimately may cause her to have an adverse reaction to the drug. Copstead, L. C. & Banasik, J. L. (2010). Pathophysiology, Fourth Edition. St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Liberty Theological Seminary Essay

Since church planting is a work that is mandated by the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament to His first disciples, Christian workers or those who do the work of church planting nowadays must follow the same directives that the Lord has given which, in turn, His apostles had passed on to their disciples. Where can one find these directives and pattern for starting a local church but in the Gospels (biographical account of Jesus’ missionary work), book of Acts (a record of Jesus’ first disciples missionary endeavors), and Epistles of the apostles? Although there are many non-biblical books available on church planting in the bookstores, all of them are just â€Å"expansions† or personal applications of the authors of those books of the Biblical strategies. Because many things have changed in the passing of time in these two millennia – like means of transportation, advances in knowledge, high-technology gadgets, etc. – Christian workers/missionaries of today are being pressured by these â€Å"changes,† and as a result, instead of simply adapting to the times, many are tempted to â€Å"bend† or adjust even the essential biblical truths and strategies. A quick comparison of two New Testament passages might help the modern-day Bible student to see and understand how to preserve essential biblical strategies in the midst of the fast-changing times. From the time of Jesus’ ascension to the writing of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, a span of roughly more than 30 years have lapsed. But looking at the inspired record of the Scriptures, one will find that as Apostle Paul was giving His last and final instructions to Timothy on how to spread the gospel message and multiply disciples, there was no bending of the â€Å"essentials. † Before Jesus ascended to heaven, the commission He gave to His disciples was, â€Å"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age† . More than thirty years after the Ascension, Paul’s words to Timothy were, â€Å"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also† . The gist of the Great Commission was preserved in Paul’s instruction to Timothy. There still had to be a â€Å"making of disciples† and the â€Å"commissioning act. † The biblical substance of church planting is maintained. Today, as Christians and missionaries continue to uphold this church’s mandate to multiply disciples, it is of great importance that as Christians adapt to the times and employ modern-day gadgets and methods in spreading the gospel, the biblicality or the nature of the churches being formed is preserved. There has to be no compromise or slight adjustments of the biblical truths, or else, the vital character of the church will be altered in the process of time and lose its distinctives as church. Church planters must bear in mind while doing their work that the looming danger is always the losing of the church’s true identity as secular influences are ever-present. For one thing, too much adoption of secular methods will eventually get the church assimilated into the current culture rendering it ineffective while trying to be effective. It is indeed a great challenge to be relevant and biblical at the same time. This paper deals mainly with the Biblical principles of church planting. Questions dealing with the definition and nature of the church will be discussed, and also biblical principles that are still applicable until today. Discussion It’s important in dealing with anything about the church to start with its definition. The strategies and their application which is the actual work will become a lot easier when understanding of the church’s make-up is achieved. DEFINITION Although the idea of church is latent in the Old Testament, it is nevertheless there. It is even way way back before time began. â€Å"He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love† . In short, the church is God’s idea. It’s not something that was originally concocted by human mind, nor was it an apostolic modification. Because the nation of Israel was called out of Egypt, and therefore an â€Å"assembly† of God’s â€Å"called out† people, in this sense, they are called â€Å"the church in the wilderness† . In the New Testament, the idea of the church is clearly made known. One Greek word which has become very common is EKKLESIA, a compound of two Greek words (ek and kaleo) meaning â€Å"to call out from† . It is used several times in the New Testament, and at times, in a secular sense as in Acts 19:39, which imply an ordinary gathering or meeting of people as they discuss things. When applied to the gathering of believers in Christ , the idea shifts from ordinary to a special gathering/assembly of people; a people â€Å"called out† by God to be separated for Him . Another Greek word which is equally important and expands the idea of the saints’ being â€Å"called out† is KURIAKON; it means, â€Å"That which belongs to the Lord† . There are certain things in the Bible which are expressed as being of the Lord like â€Å"the Lord’s supper† , and â€Å"the Lord’s day† . In other passages, the picture given is â€Å"that over which the Lord has dominion and authority† as in Luke 22:25 and Romans 14:8-9. To state it succinctly, therefore, the church comprises people who believe in the Lord Jesus as their Redeemer who took them out of the life of darkness into God’s marvellous light, and who are now under the rule and authority of Jesus Christ. NATURE OF THE CHURCH As suggested at the introduction of this paper, it is imperative of those working as church planters that they fully grasp the nature of the thing which they endeavour to form and establish. Since church is very much unlike any earthly organizations, the tendency to pattern it to the way successful worldly institutions are run is wrong. Here is where most of church strategies being advocated today are terribly amiss, and this is enough reason that when church planting is discussed a clear distinction is drawn, so that at the very outset of the work (church planting), the very character of the church that the worker is trying to form would be in his full view – thus securing in its foundational stage, its true nature. What then is the nature of the true church? Considering its definition, and putting it in most simple terms, we can think of the church in two ways: 1. ) the church universal, and 2. ) the church local. The church universal is composed of people who are saved by virtue of Christ’s atoning death and physical resurrection, both alive and deceased. This universal nature of the church encompasses every believer in Christ since the New Testament times until He comes again at the Second Coming. The local church, however, is a body of believers/Christians (saved people) located in a specific area who do the work of God in that particular locality and worship together as one congregation in the same place. Contrary to the universal church which includes already dead believers and those who will be saved in time yet future, a local church is composed only of believers who are still alive physically . What church planting is trying to achieve is the establishment of a local congregation in an identifiable geographical position. The church is described in many meaningful ways in the Bible. It is called the â€Å"body of Christ,† â€Å"household of God,† â€Å"the temple of God,† â€Å"the kingdom of Christ,† and â€Å"the bride of Christ. † BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES OF CHURCH PLANTING The best and sure way to start a church is to follow the methods laid down in the Scriptures. There are certain principles that must guide every church planting effort. Since the very nature of the work is primarily spiritual and addresses the most fundamental need of man, the procedure must be done bearing in mind first and foremost this need. 1. ) Preach the pure Gospel. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples, He said â€Å"Go and preach the gospel. † If there is someone who knew perfectly man’s deepest need, it was Jesus. He was God in the flesh who practiced what He believed to be true. But more than this, He did not just live His life trying very hard to obey the Father in certain occasions while struggling with some feelings of uncertainty regarding what might be the best tool in securing the salvation of people. He perfectly knew everyone. Apostle John said, â€Å"He had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. † The point is, if missionaries and Christian workers are to become effective and fruitful in reaching souls for the kingdom of God, there’s no better way than to follow Christ’s instruction to the Apostles. Twenty centuries have already passed, and yet the most effective tool in saving the lost is still the pure gospel which tells about God’s salvation in Christ. The gospel must not be changed as it was first delivered in Jesus’ time and as He outlined and modeled it to be in the first generation of disciples and believers. Just as it was, so it must be for the current and the succeeding generations, even when the pressures around seem so overwhelming that compromises as to the â€Å"tools† of evangelism are becoming widespread in the church. Despite modern breakthroughs, the pace of life in the fast lane, the complexities of life that make it more confusing, the barrage of stimuli all around the individuals’ physical senses, as well as the latest inventions that inundate people’s relationships, work and hobbies, all these have not changed the nature of man and the bible’s clear declaration of who he is and what he is like apart from the saving grace and dominion of God in his life. As elaborated by David Fisher in his seminal book The 21st Century Pastor, for as long as the church exists in its earthly setting, there will always be the pull between the â€Å"human and the spiritual. † It is in this context that the pastor and/or worker must bore through his soul, so that the very struggle that he recognizes as the negative pull that tries very hard to make him compromise or bend/adjust a little certain truths to mitigate too much pressure, might be confronted and dealt with every time it resurfaces. This had become the major problem of the Christians in Galatia. Some of them have already given in to the pressures exerted by the Judaizers of their day. And so Paul had to remind them of the necessity of sustaining the purity of the gospel even under extreme and relentless attacks. Today, probably the forms and methods of assault may have been modified, yet the aim is still the same for the church – for it to dilute and water down the gospel message. 2. ) Send the right people for the job. Another biblical principle in church planting which is uncompromisingly true today is the need for the â€Å"right man. † Along with the increasing speed nowadays in terms of doing things is the impatient attitude that it is leaving behind in everybody’s sub-consciousness. This is one of the causes in some of the major blunders in church planting. Existing problems in many established churches could actually be traced back to its beginning days. Pastors and elders are coping with much difficulty with problems which, if only dealt with early, i. e. in the church’s formation stage, would not be present in the otherwise flourishing church. If the wrong person is sent to the mission field and tasked to start a church, without the necessary knowledge on Ecclesiology and the possession of spiritual maturity, the ramifications which could have been underestimated at the time would be devastating to the church’s future. For example, one problem could be the appointment of local spiritual leaders who are actually not yet converted or have not fully grasped yet their stature and specific call in Christ and therefore not fit for the particular job of leadership. Another possible negative consequence is the employment of unbiblical methods. Because discernment comes only to people who have spent considerable time in applying fundamental truths in their lives, a newly converted missionary (which is an oxymoron in the Christian church), for lack of discernment could easily give in to the lures and temptations of adopting worldly methods – methods that are deemed effective by a worldly or secular mind. 3. ) The sending Church must be prepared for the task. While there are exceptions to this, the assumption is church planters are sent by a church who understands its mission. There are many who have proven themselves through time and by the kind of fruit that their work has yielded that they were called to church planting work. Inspite of the fact that there was no sending church or no group who sent them, these people appear to have a very keen and accurate sense that they were called to the task. And indeed, as they have gone to the respective places where they felt God had called to go, supernatural provisions were made available, thus enabling them to continue until an indigenous church is established and able to run on its own. This third principle is made clear in certain passages of the New Testament. One example is the church of Antioch who sent Barnabas and Paul for a missionary work to Seleucia, the Island of Cyprus, and around Asia Minor. Missionary work is not a cheap â€Å"enterprise. † It needs adequate financial support; no successful missionary work has ever succeeded with the support of its sending church. Crucial and prerequisite to church planting is a group of believers who believe in the urgency of the task of reaching the lost. When there is no sense of confidence that a church planter is exuding because he is sent by a group who believes in him in the first place, and regards his work to be that important to the extent that they invest financially for the cause that he is pursuing, it would become difficult for that missionary to convince anybody else. Although the endeavor of anybody who preaches the gospel for the sole sake of saving souls will definitely yield positive spiritual result, the would-be church planter who tries to do the work alone on his own will, in all likelihood, come to a halt along the way. Those whom he has reached will eventually find a more capable and stable church to fellowship in for spiritual growth. 4. ) Aim for biblical goals. As people get converted, their hunger for spiritual food increases as a consequent result. This stage is crucial as it creates more momentum on the work. The work of discipleship has to be immediately put in place teaching the newly converted ones the ABC’s of the faith, making them in turn workers in that area that will effectively reinforce the work which the missionary has started. If the worker lingers and waits instead for a more favorable time, the work’s spiritual momentum subsides, and when the awaited occasion comes for the worker, it will be too late as the time when these converts were ripe, when they had that spiritual hunger to absorb spiritual teachings had lapsed; the appropriate time for them to be discipled has expired already. Unfortunately, rudimentary work has to be done all over again. They had to be taught and preached at once again with evangelistic messages as though it is the first time they will be hearing those kind of messages. It’s not, in any way, suggested that the basics of Christianity such as teachings that deal with redemption of humankind, salvation by grace alone through faith alone, and all the foundational lessons of Christianity, are not beneficial at all to mature Christians. The point that is being emphasized, is that, all the times that were spent by the supposed church planter in laying the foundational work of salvation for the people in the mission field, were almost wasted so to speak, if the church planter would not proceed to implementation of the biblical goals to which the worker had been trained and equipped for. So, in the work of establishing the church, there has to be no room for loitering, nor hesitation. In church planting, the complete work of the Great Commission must be implemented if the work must succeed. After laying the foundational teachings of salvation clearly to the new believers, the missionary must proceed quickly to the work of discipleship. 5. ) Sustain the work with dynamic prayer and fellowship. One of the most beautiful aspects of the early church’s life is the way they are portrayed in the New Testament. The record says, â€Å"They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. † Actually, these are the features which the modern-day church has difficulty imitating. While many of the churches today have the appearance of possessing those qualities, they are yet to be realized, at least, in the dynamic sense that they were practiced by believers in the early days of the church. Some churches these days refer to fellowship as Shared Life. The rising trend on mentoring is the outcome of this missing dynamic in relationship between pastors and their parishioners. Mentoring’s emphasis is on the relationship aspect of discipleship. Because, they said, the pastoral work does not start and end in teaching and preaching alone, it is therefore expected that an open relationship be established between the mentor (pastor) and his mentee (disciple/pupil) where they not only learn from the Scriptures through Bible Study, but pray together and take time out together on a regular basis. Though, the gist of mentoring can be found in some aspects of Jesus’ style of training His twelve disciples, today’s mentoring and its origin (the word â€Å"mentor†) is unashamedly claimed by leaders who advocate it to have come from Greek mythology. Ulysses entrusted his son Telemachus to the care of a man whose name was Mentor, before he set himself on a long journey which is recorded for us in Homer’s classic story â€Å"Odyssey. † According to the story, Mentor was such a wise and trusted counselor and a tutor to Telemachus. † Being a true teacher to his newly harvested spiritual fruits, is definitely one of the emphases of church planting. â€Å"Make disciples† and â€Å"teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you† are exact words derived from the Great Commission. Conclusion In conclusion, I would admit that to truly emphasize the Biblical Principles of church planting these days (i. e. the actual methods that Jesus and the Apostles utilized and taught), is a kind of setting one’s self in for a lot of complaints and murmuring from the very people who want to be â€Å"Biblical. † If the pastor’s or the church planter’s approach or method in reaching lost souls is primarily to present them the pure gospel which according to Apostle Paul is â€Å"the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,† many from within the ranks of those who call themselves believers will not agree that the means being used is enough to secure a large harvest of souls. The reason for this disagreement is the mind set of many Christians that believe â€Å"numbers† are what truly count in the Kingdom of God. This is a misconception of true conversion. In the eyes of God, to whom everything that we do must be measured, number is not of value. Scripture say that â€Å"wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it† and â€Å"narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. † Number is actually deceptive. That’s why, in the first part of this paper, emphasis is given to understanding the nature of the church. Unless one understands clearly what kind of people are those who comprise the church, that person is not ready for church planting. The reason why effective church planters are fruitful in the work of planting churches is mainly because they what kind of people they are dealing with. The Bible says that the people to be reached with the gospel in the mission field are to be rescued â€Å"from darkness to light. † They are not naturally inclined to spiritual things nor are easily attracted to the Word of God. Given these Biblical profiles of non-believers, the knowledgeable worker of the church is prepared for any rejection coming from these potential converts. He knows full well that the odds in church planting are that greater number of people will be resistant to the presentation of the gospel message. Nevertheless, trust in the power of God to touch those lives is what continually grips his heart. It keeps him praying and praying till his preaching of the gospel yield the fruit of genuinely converted souls. His mind is not absorbed in numbers, for quantity is misleading; instead, he is after the birth of Christ in the hearts of those whom he is seeking to win. The provision of God is with those who have answered the call to form His church in whatever geographical location, may it be in a bustling city, or the remotest region elsewhere. The most important thing in church planting is the employment of Biblical principles as revealed and preserved for us in the Scriptures. It is a sure sign that the missionary believes the prescribed weaponry and methods that our Lord has spoken two thousand years ago. Bibliography Arrington, French L. Full Life Bible Commentary to the New Testament. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Acts 13:1-3). pp. 597-599. (1999). Fisher, David. The 21st Century Pastor. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pp. 177-179. (1996) Evans, Williams. Great Doctrines of the Bible. The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago. p. 141. 1974) Nickols, Fred. Mentor, Mentors and Mentoring. 2002. Accessed June 22, 2007 < http://home. att. net/~nickols/mentor. htm> Spurgeon, Charles. The Soul Winner. Whitaker House: New Kensington, PA. pp. 11. (1995). The New King James Bible. PC Bible CD 2002.