Author: chris

Influenza, also known as Flu is caused by presence of RNA viruses. The disease affects both mammals and birds and it is infectious in nature.  The major symptoms associated with the disease are fatigue, having discomforts, fever, coughing and at times sour throat (Main, 2011). In most cases, the disease is transmitted through coughing and sneezing as the air is the main transmitter of the virus. However, the disease may also be transmitted through having contact with surfaces that are already contaminated or been in contact with birds’ droppings.

An educational campaign is one of the ways that may be needed to fight the epidemic that is caused by this disease. However, educational campaign differs in different areas of the world. The pattern of the disease is one of the differences that need to be addressed as it is different in the various areas of the world. In temperate areas for example in United States, a seasonal pattern is noted with the peak time being in the winters. However, the case is different when it comes to other areas like the tropics. The tropic is inclusive of regions like Africa and Asia (Rosenthal, 2009). In these regions, the education campaign carried out is aimed at ensuring that the people are protected against this disease all year as the disease is prevalent throughout (Ortu, 2009). The same is different in United States as the disease is only prevalent in winters and an educational campaign should focus on people protecting themselves more in the winter time (America. red cross, 2010). H5N1 is the main subtype of Influenza that causes more deaths in Africa and Asia. Therefore, the educational campaign in this region should focus on achieving treatment of this disease. However, the education campaign in America need to be different for their subtype of influenza is different (Gaidet, 2007). H1N1 is the notable influenza in the areas and since it is different from H5N1, the educational campaign need to focus on ways to camber this subtype of Influenza. H5N1 is usually caused by getting into contact with infected birds and therefore people in this region need to be taught on the need to have minimal contact with the birds (Mounier-Jack, 2008).

The main challenges that are inexistence in fight against influenza in Africa and some parts of Asia include lack of a proper surveillance of this disease in this region. There is lack of enough researches being carried out in these areas that are aimed at finding out more about the disease and therefore at times, some cases go unreported (World Health organization, 2011).  The other challenge is the fact that most of these people in this areas are usually known to keep the birds that cause the outbreak of this disease as part of there livelihood. Bearing in mind that the level of treatment in these areas is low, it may be hard to fight this pandemic (Gessner, 2011). The best way to ensure that the fight against this disease is won therefore requires that a better surveillance network is put in place to ensure that all the threats that may come about due to existence of this disease are fought against and the threat handled (Mounier-Jack, 2009).  Due to existence of the various subtypes of influenza, it is therefore necessary to ensure that testing is done incase there have been reported cases of this disease. The reason behind testing is to ensure that proper preventive measures are put into place and also the right treatment is offered.

Martin Luther king was a Nobel peace award-winning minister; his efforts targeted equality among the individuals of nations (Martin 37). Therefore, his persuasive mode of communicating helped him to make his listeners to explore their thinking capacity and see the real racial injustices done by compatriots. In his letters and articles, Martin employed a number of persuasive methods to convince the readers to understand his stance. This is demonstrated in his articles, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the speech at the Great march on Detroit, “I Have a Dream” and in his acceptance speech while receiving Nobel Peace Award.  From period TIME immemorial, the advocates of social justice use rhetorical plan to persuade their rivals of their argument, Martin being among those who employed pathos, ethos and logos in his articles to enhance credibility and in arousing emotions among his readers and audience.

The supporters of the movement for civil rights for African-Americans as well as, Americans have come up with thorough execution of those strategies in advocating for end to racial injustices. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” send to the Clergy and published publicly in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. targets to persuade of the utility of his dedication in agitating for the civil rights of the African-Americans. To convince his readers, Martin Luther King Jr. primarily uses Aristotle’s three kinds of arguments; appeals to ethos, pathos, as well as, logos. Foremost, he appeals to his own status and knowledge. Second, he attempts to arouse emotion in the readers and appeal for sympathy from the whites towards the African-Americans. Lastly, he appeals to logic, helped by proof, as well as, citations from influential thinkers (Martin 20). These three articles observe these rhetoric and helps in captivating his audience and moving the readers towards his ideologies.

Martin Luther King, Jr. represents the African-American community in the US. He provides evidence to his rivals as he has adequate authority to support the civil rights cause on behalf of his society. The first instance that shows Martin Luther King, execution of this long-term plan is seen in the second paragraph of the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,”

I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been                                   influenced by the view, which argues against “outsiders coming in.” I have the                         honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership                                         Conference, an organization   operating in every Southern state, with                            headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia (Martin para. 2).

Therefore, he reminds his interlocutors of his place of leadership in the religious society. This permits him to stand in the case of equivalent qualifications with the clergymen. In addition, in the third paragraph, he states that similar to Paul, he have SV to reply regularly to the Macedonian call for support. He posits that he has the help from Almighty Lord to wage his warfare against discrimination.

He says;

Just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus     Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the       gospel of freedom far beyond my own hometown. Like Paul, I must constantly           respond to the Macedonian call for aid” (Martin para. 3)

For that reason, because God has preferred him, it means he is of higher moral values. As a final point, with regard to the fourth paragraph, he moves ahead: “furthermore, I am aware of the interrelatedness of all societies, as well as, states.” Therefore, Martin Luther King, Jr. aims to remind his readers of his fit to the group of the open-minded citizens. Accordingly, he has the indispensable knowledge to argue his opinions. These statements aids in fostering confidence and developing a sensation of sympathy and proximity for the civil rights basis among his readers. It further produces emotion in his readers, both African American communities and whites in general to decline the aggressiveness arising from the whites and restructure the fire of peaceful contestation concerning the African American minds. Luther King, Jr. stresses the inequality faced by the associates of the African American community, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Martin para. 14). Hence provides the white reader with an insight into the dismal condition in which the African Americans are based.

Similarly, in his acceptance speech, Martin uses various ethos, pathos and logos to reach and touch the audience gathered to witness him coveted with Nobel Peace award for his rhetorical and equivocal efforts in fighting for the rights of the African-Americans segregated and discriminated by the whites.

Martin speech demonstrates his moral standing as it cultivated confidence and trust among the African-Americans who are segregated in the country. He says, “I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when 22 million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice” Martin para. 1). The introductory remarks clearly identifies him with his course in fighting for racial injustices and helps in creating confidence among the African-Americans. This, furthermore, evokes sorrow and pity of the racial injustices that the African-Americans go through .It demonstrates the agony and the worries of the African- Americans.

He also uses logos in his word choice in expressing discomfort about the prejudice discrimination accorded to the African-Blacks due to their race. This is achieved through repetition of phrases that demonstrate his anger and inhumanity that the whites do to the African-Americans. Example is, “I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that…, I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life”.

Conversely, the written speech, “I Have a Dream” read at the Great march on Detroit by Martin has employed rhetoric. In the speech, logos are used in advancing his message to the whites and in motivating and creating courage and confidence in the African-Americans to keep on with the struggles. Phrases such as, “I have a dream…” are used repeatedly to woo people to rally behind him in the fight for their rights. He says, “I have a dream that one day, right down in Georgia and Mississippi and Alabama, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to live together as brothers” (Martin para. 30). He repeatedly uses this phrase, which helps him to arouse the instincts of people and project him as a person who is selfless, confident and with integrity. He puts his people before his own self-interests.

He also uses phrases such as “we” to ensure that he is rallied by every person and as a sign of unity towards a common goal by writing:

Released in September of 2004, Crash the movie is one of successful movies with a minimal budget. The main theme in this movie is issues of racism between the various groups of people. The movie uses people of different races brought out in different instances to bring out racism comments. Due to the racism comments brought about in this movie, the characters in this movie at times find themselves with hard decision to resolve. The movie finds its inspiration from a real time incident that took place in 1991. The title Crash is a metaphor to show the various crashes that occur in this movie. The crashes in this case have to do with the different races of people that are brought about in the movie. As evident from the scenes in this movie, there are various crashes that show racism, bringing the rise of hard decision. Below is an analysis of some of the hard decisions that the characters had to undergo through that were brought about by having elements of racism among these characters.

Tom Hanson one of the main protagonists is faced with a hard decision when it comes to the actions of his partner Ryan. When they pulled over Cameron and his wife Christine, his partner got out of line as far as the profession requires. Instead of carrying out the work in an ethical manner Ryan decides to assault Christine when she refuses to cooperate with him. At this point, Hanson is faced with the decision to support the action of the partner or to go against him. At the end of it all he does not manage to stop his partner from assaulting Cameron’s wife. Later, he tells his partner that he did not act right when he assaulted Christine. In his defense, Ryan tells Hanson a few years down the line he may also act the way he did (Fuchs, Para 5). The unethical behavior of Ryan promote  a scenario where  Hanson decides that he would not work with Ryan and decides to tell their boss  that he needs to change partners. Ironically, Hanson who is a younger office as far as the profession is concerned, is brought about as a character that has more ethical traits than Ryan in this particular context.

John Ryan is brought about as one officer who has anger issues and is out to insult and assault people, especially those of a different race than him. At one time he is forced to apologize to the insurance representative Shaniqua Johnson.  Considering the hatred character of Ryan brought about in this movie, it was one of the hardest things that he had to undergo. The actions by Ryan are a complete opposite of what was expected of him since all along the movie, he was involved in incidents that brought about controversy.  Among the incidents that showed the bad character of Ryan was the incident the he molested Cameron’s wife Christine, though she had not done anything wrong.  The action by Ryan is a show of how family may drive us to do things which are apparently not with in us to ensure their safety (Mishy Para 6). In this case, Ryan’s father was in a danger that called for all the help he could get to ensure that he did not die. Ironically, unlike his son, Ryan’s father was not racism in nature as he used to employ people from different races in his business.

Officer Hanson is also faced with a hard decision when he requests his officers to give Cameron a harsh warning. Incidentally, Cameron had Antony’s gun and was hailing insults to the officers. Normally, this would be a crime against the police officer when one points a gun at them and at the same time throwing insults. However, Hanson did not result to doing this as he took it upon himself and advised the officers to leave Cameron alone, probably because of the incident that occurred when his partner assaulted Cameron wife. The decision to allow Cameroon go free can be considered an appropriate one in this context due to the fact that he was mistreated by the same officer in an earlier encounter. Cameron reciprocated the same act of letting loose someone who wrongs you when he drops Antony in the side walk and returning the gun to him without any kind of punishment.

Among the various incidents in the movie that bring out officer Ryan as an officer without ethics is the fact that he assaulted Christine when she failed to cooperate with her.  The actions by Ryan infuriated Christine to such a way that she was not willing to let Ryan save her when she had an accident. Though she was in such a compromising situation, Christine rejected the assistance of Ryan before she noticed that the gasoline was leaking from the gas tank.  It is due to existence of this situation that Christine made a very hard decision to allow Ryan, who had previously assaulted her to help her get out of the overturned car (Mishy Para 6). The situation also helps out to show how officers interact with the community as the service to the community is shown from this incident. Though Ryan is brought out as a racist character in most parts of the movie, when the responsibility to help out the community is called for he is shown to cooperate with his fellow workers in bid to ensure that the community is safe. The hard decision that Christine took to allow help from a racist officer is a show of togetherness that the society has, even to persons of different race when calamities occur. The same can be said when it comes to Officer Ryan. Though he was a racist who had a low opinion against people of different races, in this case Christine, he was able to get over that and help her out of an accident and offer safety.

Farhad was also a subject of a hard decision that was accompanied by the revenge he wanted to carry out to Daniel. After finding out his real name, he vows to avenge the racist attracts done to his business as he feels that Daniel had something to do with the attack. The revenge was a result of the fact that the insurance company failed to compensate him for the loss caused when the business was vandalized. When he gets to Daniel’s houses, he sees Daniel’s child. It is at this point that he had to make a decision whether to avenge for thinking that Daniel had lied to him.  Avenging for his loss to him was not as important as leaving the child with no father. He therefore did not kill Daniel due to the sole concern he had for the child. The decision not to kill the child shows the existing relationship between the cast members and the community. Hurting children regardless of the race they come from is not welcome to any community. It is also a show of the humane nature of people in the society when it comes to treatment of children, as all communities have high regards for the lives of the young ones (Fuchs Para 4).

Crash can be considered a movie with so many hard decisions to make. As highlighted above, some of these decisions are hard, but in each of them a human character of the characters is brought out.  A good example of such example of such situation is when Ryan offers safety to Christine, which she had earlier assaulted. Racism is also one of the major highlights of this movie. Even the primary course of presence of this hard decision is brought about by having racist individuals. There need not to be calamities so that people can live together without recognizing that some people around them are of different race. A good society would be the one that racism is not a subject that divides the unity that is in existence to the people. On the same note, civil servants should restrain from acting against what the ethics of the profession entail. It is evident that the officers in this movie, especially Ryan, were acting inappropriately or better still, unethically. The service that is to be offered to the public should not have racist comments or action that makes some of them feel left out.

Religion that the video is covering and its main points

The religion in that video discusses is Buddhism, which is considered a religion that is based on diverse traditional beliefs and practices in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. From the video, Buddhist monks are perceived as being powerful, mainly because of their moral authority. The Buddhist values include kindness, sympathy, maximizing happiness, minimizing sorrow and offering support towards the poor. The march on the streets by the Buddhist monks is because government does not uphold the values of the religion. It is also notable from the video that Buddhism undertakes excommunication by turning the rice bowl upside down. In addition, the Burmese military government lacks political legitimacy, implying that the government does not serve to represent the Buddhist values.

Teaching points from the required texts

There are diverse teaching points that can be added from the required text in order to help people understand more fully understand the topic. The first teaching point is the values of native religions and their political implications: this is with specific reference to the values of Buddhism including kindness, sympathy, maximizing happiness, minimizing sorrow and offering support towards the poor. The second teaching point is the understanding the ethics of native religions and how their values contribute to the well-being of the Buddhists. The third teaching point relates to how the Buddhists respond to the external society that does not represent its values, with a specific reference to the march of the Buddhist monks against the military government that does not represent the values of the religion. The fourth teaching point from the required texts relates to the various methods that native religions can use to stand in defense of its values and attain democracy. The final point required from the teaching texts relates to the success of the Buddhists in their revolution of the spirit against the Burmese military government.

Teaching points from class notes to help people understand the topic

There are numerous teaching points from class notes that serve to enhance the understanding of the topic of religious ethics as portrayed in the video. They include the nature of Buddhist views are threatened by government systems, just like other religions; the Buddhist values focus on the positives that tend to offset negatives, which in turn lead to individual well being; and Buddhism, just like any other religion in the world, focuses on individual well being.

Discussion questions

The following are the discussion questions that can be developed after an analysis and evaluation of the video on Buddhist Monks march on Myanmar. They first discussion question relating to the video is whether the religious protests by the Buddhist monks denote political responsibility and accountability basing on their religious values. The second discussion question entails an evaluation of whether Buddhists are able to rise against a violation of its values by the larger society such as the Burmese military government. The third discussion question involves evaluating the success of the protests by the Buddhist monks against the government. The fourth discussion question deals with the ways through which the values of the Buddhists contribute to the well-being of the community through upholding democracy. The last discussion question deals an analysis of the relationship between democracy and the Buddhist religious values.

Evaluation of the strengths and weakness of the video

The video presented the topic well, with a specific reference to the values of the Buddhist religion. The presenters in the video offer a critical analysis of the protest in order to justify the Buddhist march in Myanmar; this makes it a good video to show people who are new to the topic. With, the status of the video, more research is required especially to indicate the ways through which the Burmese military government did not represent the values of the Buddhist religion. With regard to tolerance and understanding, the video informs us that tolerance and understanding should not exceed the limits provided for the religious values, a violation of the religious values warrants appropriate action.
Video 2: Tibetan New Year

Religion that the video is covering and its main points

The religion covered in the video is Buddhism in Tibet, regarding their New Year celebrations called Losar. The main concern is whether the religious whether future generations will uphold the religion and its values and the culture. This implies that time has come for people to implement the resolutions involving becoming a better individual. This can be achieved through prostration, a physical activity that is used in accumulating positive energy that is restored in an individual’s consciousness. More positives means less negatives and that is the path towards becoming a completely awakened Buddha. Becoming a better person can also be attained by the recitation of mantra that invokes the mind of a god and helps a person to become closer to the reality of who he/she is called the full enlightenment. Player flags are considered sacred in Buddhism and they are burnt so that the blessings are carried in the smoke. Therefore, the Losar provides a perfect opportunity through which Tibetan Buddhists can celebrate and pass the values to coming generations.

Teaching points from the required texts

There are diverse teaching points that can be added from the required text in order to help people understand more fully understand the topic. They include an in depth understanding of the threats to Buddhist values in the coming generations; how the Buddhist religion and its values can be reinforced in coming generations; and other approaches besides the Losar that Tibetan Buddhists use to pass on the values of the religion to coming generations. Other additional teaching points required from the texts include the views of Tibetans and the larger global community towards Buddhism and the religious practices of Buddhism that are used to ensure that individuals become better persons

Teaching points from class notes to help people understand the topic

There are numerous teaching points from class notes that serve to enhance the understanding of the topic of religious ethics as portrayed in the video. They include the nature of Buddhist views are threatened by modernity, just like other religions; the Buddhist values focus on the positives that tend to offset negatives, which in turn lead to individual well being; and Buddhism, just like any other religion in the world, focuses on individual well being.

Discussion questions

The following are the discussion questions that can be developed after an analysis and evaluation of the video on Tibet New Year. The first discussion question is whether globalization and modernity a threat to Buddhism and its core values. The second discussion question relates to the manner in which Buddhists can stand the challenges imposed by modernity on its values. The third discussion question is involves an evaluation of Buddhist religious practices aimed at upholding the religion and passing on to future generations. The fourth discussion question is an analysis of the effectiveness of the Buddhist approaches towards guaranteeing individual well being. The fourth discussion question is a critical analysis of whether Buddhism can stand the test of time.

Evaluation of the video

The video presented the topic well, with a precise mention of the values of the Buddhist religion and how they can be passed on to future generations. The presenters in the video put forward a comprehensive overview of the core concepts of Buddhism; this makes it a good video to show people who are new to the topic. With, the status of the video, more research is required especially to indicate the ways through which the Tibetan Community will ensure that values of the religion are not corrupted by modernity and the concept of globalization. With regard to tolerance and understanding, the video informs us that tolerance and understanding are within the limits of the religious values, which must be observed at all times.

Written Critique

To ensure that investors’ money is put into good use, it is necessary for a country to ensure that there is right registration that protects the investors from unqualified financial planners. Financial planners therefore need to be incorporated. Presence of professional financial planners would mean that there is a necessary guideline that ensures there is professionalism is practiced in investment.

Development of financial planning industry in Canada was a necessary move. The fact that there was an increase in the investment fund calls for creation of a body to guide investors in their investment. However, there is a risk in terms of the achieved comprehensive Education. As earlier noted, the amount of money that needs to be invested in increasing year in year out it would only be fair if the amount of growth that there is caters for ample education to professionals dealing with this type of investment. According to the current situation, the academic system is somehow slow in offering the education that is needed to equip the professionals to be involved in transaction on behalf of the investors. Though there exists an estimated 30,000 financial planners in Canada today, only about a third of them are qualified enough to do the job professionally (Smith, 1998). Such is just a scarily number as a bigger number is needed to run the investment industry which is attracting big numbers at the moment.

Introduction of software in financial planning is also falling short of achieving the best of the results. Though there has been a great emphasis in usage of software’s, there is the risk that comes with overdependence on the software. For each and every software used, there are assumptions set aside. At times these assumptions are not applicable at certain circumstances. Such times call for the financial planners to use their knowledge on investing to protect the client from bad investments. Incase the financial planners over rely on these software, it exposes them to the risk of misleading their clients and subsequently lead to wrong investments. It is therefore of utmost important that the financial planners possess great understanding of the principle regarding finance to minimize the chances of misleading their clients into making the wrong investment choices. The best way to go when it comes to usage of software’s is ensuring that though they may be used, the people using them know how they work and are able to tailor make them to meet a certain need.

In matters of regulation, the bodies that are dealing with regulations are notably not doing enough as well. To start with, the bodies lag behind when it comes to the minimum credentials that a financial planner should have, as this has not been agreed upon. If there are no set minimum requirements, there is the risk that many people may engage in this exercise qualified or not. There is also the risk that those people who apply for approved exam, tend to score very low scores (Smith, 1998). When there is failure in the examination process in the education system that promotes these bodies, there is need to ensure that there is more investment in this field to make certain that only the qualified get to practice. When there is such high failure and lack of an agreed upon credentials, it is usually unlikely to set a standard that need to be followed. Each of the provinces in Canada needs to have set regulation and rules that a practitioner in this profession has to have so as to attract soberness to this exercise.

1. What are some of the issues raised when taking a substantive rather than a functional viewpoint of religion? What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of each approach? Use an example from the Gypsies to illustrate these strengths and weaknesses.

Functional approach states what a religion does, as put forward by Durkheim who states that religion unites its followers. The definition tackles what religion accomplishes or its socio-psychological and structural functions such as the ultimate meaning, desire to understand the unknown and tackling issues of human existence. Definitions are inclusive and encompass extensive phenomenon in a given concept thereby, involving other aspects that achieves this function even when they are not regarded as religion. Defining religion as a facilitator of social cohesion and unity then assumes that anything, which achieves this is religion. This is a deliberate inclusion since nationalism and communism ideologies have integrative role yet they are anti-religious.

The functional definitions prejudges the role of religion in a culture and society as an empirical question of  integration of society and enhancement of social stability since its implication could just be the opposite in that religion could also lead to social conflicts and instability. The functional definitions are therefore, bias as they prejudge empirical questions that need to be handled through practical enquiry (Chapter1 19, 20).functional definitions assumes that a given society possesses functional requisites in that it needs particular social functions that can only be accomplished by religion e.g. cultural integration (Swatos & Kivisto 130). In this case, The Gypsies are in fact a religion since they identify themselves with their culture, customs e.g. familia, language and dressings. In any case, these aspects can then be regarded as religion according to these definitions since they cause cultural integration.

Substantive definitions examine what religion is. It is better when its implication neglects the nature of religious entities as in Horton who defines religion with specification of the sought of interaction that believers possess with the ‘realm of the religious’ (Ch.1 18). defining religion based on terms or concepts that are particular to a given culture as well as the risks of ethnocentricism is inappropriate. However the definition disregards magical practices and therefore, appropriate for sociologists who belief that magic and religion are not similar and there should be a distinction between them. However, for others religion and magic are intricate and the definition of religion should include an aspect of magic.

Substantive definitions are more specific and explicit regarding the religious content as compared to the functional definitions (Swatos & Kivisto 130). They are narrower and one can point out if a given phenomenon is in fact religion or not and the definitions are applicable when studying religion in societies that  are stable and ones that have less issues concerning social change or cross cultural contacts. Theses definitions are culturally as well as historically attached and this poses a problem hence, with reference to Gypsies, they are narrow. According to these definitions, Gypsies cannot be considered as a religion since they have no uniform attachment to the ‘realm of religious’ but rather, they adopt other dominant religions in the host nation.
2. If it is difficult for sociologists to agree on how to define or study religion, what is the point of having sociology of religion? Draw upon both Hamilton and your own viewpoint in your answer.

Sociologists agree that there are as many similarities in religions as there are differences. They are faced with the questions regarding the existence of bizarre beliefs and practices that makes religion so diverse. The chief questions addressed by sociologists include the reason as to why religion is an integral part of culture and society. The second question is why religion has adopted diverse forms. The significance and role of religion is highly questionable particularly in trying to understand the beliefs and practices of a given set of people particularly in the modern scientific world (Ch.1 1-3). According to Horton, religious situations involve practices and acts directed to a given thing that give a response purposely, emotionally and intellectually and referred to justify human action. He looks at religion as “extension of the field of people’s social relationships beyond the confines of purely human society….where human beings involved see themselves in a dependent position vis- a –vis their non-human alters-a qualification necessary to exclude pets from the pantheon of gods” (Ch.1 18). Horton defines religion with specification of the sought of interaction that believers posses with the ‘realm of the religious’ (Ch.1 18). Defining religion based on terms or concepts that are particular to a given culture as well as the risks of ethnocentricism is inappropriate.

In my opinion, religion is a very powerful phenomenon in any society and has influenced a number of socio-political and economic aspects in the society. Religion plays a very significant role in social life. As a result, sociology of religion as a discipline is important for the chief reason that religion is very significant to many people and the practices shape their lives, actions and even experiences. Therefore, sociologists pursue to investigate the meaning of religion to the people concerned. Besides, it is difficult to understand a given community without understanding their religious beliefs. Some aspects of the society interact with those of religion and sociologists tries to understand a society by investigating religion and its effect on that particular society. Modern science however, has imposed a great impact on religion but that has not rendered it irrelevant in a society since it has been able to sustain significant bureaucratic institutions. Most importantly, it is looked upon for motivation and justification of good and evil. Therefore, sociology of religion enables an individual to understand diversity of religion, its impact on culture and the cultural impact of culture on religion in a given society.
3 Explain how Hamilton distinguishes between religion, faith, and morality and give an example of each. Do you personally agree with these distinctions? Why or why not? Use examples from one or more religions to defend your answer.

Globalization has been defined as the emergent interdependence of various nations that is a product of increased integration of people, ideas, finance and information in the global market. Its main elements are flow of investments across borders and international trade (“Globalization and International Trade,” 66). Globalization has a long history, some literature trace its origin to centuries ago when empires like that of Babylon extended beyond several nations bounders. In addition technological advancements and liberalization of trade and capital markets have been linked with its rapid spread in the 21^st century. On the other hand globalization has also elicited several controversies. These have been associated with people’s values and relative locations. For instance it has been viewed as a strategy for developed nations to maintain their superiorities by ensuring economic dominance on the developing ones. More to this it has raised many questions on people, like how it’s likely to transform their ways of living. Many are not so sure whether the benefits of globalizations outweigh its costs. In business globalization affects productions, financing, and even marketing of products and services. Globalization has therefore provides an array of both benefits and costs to businesses.

From a global perspective globalization effects to various countries economies, has been reported to vary from one region to the other. For instance while many countries in Asia are said to have benefited greatly form globalization, those from sub Saharan Africa have not yet enjoyed the same benefits. The latter are said to be integrating slowly with world economy. A country participation in global market though has been said to bring a mixed fortune to its economy. For instance, the minimal trade barrier means that producers can access larger international markets. This brings both fortunes. On one hand, they can benefit from division of labor, while on the other spectrum, they face stronger competition. This in turn means efficient production by the domestic producer due to the specialization and need to maintain a competitive edge faced with foreign competitors. Consumers also enjoy a wide variety of products from global market at competitive prices (“Globalization and International Trade,” 67).

Local businesses are also able to benefit from new technologies spilling over from their trade partners. These can be particularly helpful to business in developing nations which requires catching up rapidly with those in industrialized nation.

There are also several risks associated with globalization that deserves consideration. For instance by choosing to participate in the international market, a country exposes its industries to competition from other nations. This competition can hurt some of its key industries and other small industries which may not be able to adjust to the new level of competition. In such an occurrence those business that are weaker competitors will have to shut down. In developing nations in particular there is a feeling that newly established firms should be protected till they reach a level at which they can compete with foreign industries (“Globalization and International Trade,” 67).

Globalization is also viewed in some sectors as positive in that, it increases employment opportunities especially for developing countries. Business can be able to acquire cheap labor with globalization through outsourcing and mergers. The idea of outsourcing though has both benefits and costs. On one hand, businesses benefit by lowering production costs while workers loss employment and those who get to do the job work under poor conditions and low pays.

Businesses must change their operation strategies and increase investment faced by globalization. For instance, business must review their capital investment. This can be explained by examining the contrast between the sizes of market when dealing with a domestic market and operating in international market. In such a scenario a business strategy that results in increased investment is more likely to reach a large customer segment. Failure by a company to globalize means losing the customers to competitors. If competitors make their move before, they secure both loyalty from customers and their brand becomes recognized. In addition they are also able to get key partners as well as agreements for distribution. Business that are therefore slow to adopt are soon phased out of business (Myatt, Para 4). To survive in a global market, business must therefore adopt global strategies in management. Emirates group, which has its origins United Arab Emirates, is an example of a business that has transformed its management due to globalization. It is reported to have a strong brand recognition and high competitive advantage over rivals in the aviation industry. On the other hand, to maintain its customer loyalty and attract new customers while operating on a global scale of over 100 nation presence, the company provides global level services. For instance in their website it is possible to use more than one language to make a booking reservation, and they have customized entertainments for customers in their flight. More to that the company is also reported to employ a cabin crew that has a global outlook in terms of nationality, languages and religion (“GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, 25”).

Conclusion

Globalization can be viewed as being both beneficial and costing to businesses operating either at a domestic level or global market. As results of its various effects business are forced to change their management strategies or risk being forced out of business. Emirates group is a good example of how firms can adopt successfully to compete at a global market level and maintain their brand name as in domestic market.

Anne Bradstreet as Puritan

Introduction

There are numerous literary periods in American history, which can be perceived as the key forerunners with regard to the American literature. Puritanism refers a reformative movement that existed during the 16^th and 17^th century, at a time when English were under the governance of the Catholic Church, and there were building their hopes on purification by a more firm devotion to God and the protestant religion (Dolle 89). The puritans were of the opinion that they could achieve salvation if they devoted their faith to God by living a life that is pure. During this period, most literary elements were full of religious allusions and was recorded basing on a firm homage to the almighty God. With this regard, Anne Bradstreet was one of the American poets on Puritanism. Her writings are full of the religious freedom that most people had longed for during this literature period. It can be argued that her poems depicted high eloquence and passion, which is one of the possible reasons why her literature works managed to stand the test of time. The poems of Anne Bradstreet are a clear indication of Puritanism basing on divinity, love and devotion of faith to the almighty God.

In the poem “The Flesh and the Spirit”, Anne Bradstreet makes use of metaphors and figurative language in order to compare the diverse aspects of spiritualism and materialism basing on the voices of varying personas between the flesh and the spirit. In the poem, the author denotes the tug-of-war that exists between what is good and what is evil. The terrible things that bring people down in the present day world were similar to the bad things that the affected the Spartan Christians, and the battle between God and the Devil has been in existence prior to the Puritans and after their times (Dolle 87).

The battle between the good and evil affects all humanity with the Puritans included. The authors approach to the above issue gives a precise insight regarding the viewpoint of the struggle. Anne Bradstreet’s message is offered with clarity, simplicity and a sweet voice that uses the lilting rhythm. The flash and the spirit, which are the core elements that make up the human persona is depicted on a story that is analogous to the temptation imposed on Jesus by the devil (Dudley 145).

The change in personas of the spirit and the flesh in the poem are denoted by a pause, implying that the conversation temporarily stops when there is a change in the speaker. Bradstreet makes use of slant rhymes as evident in the initial fifteen. Despite the fact the flesh and the spirit possess significant similarities in relation to birth and origin, their viewpoints regarding life show significant deviations. According to the biblical myths, the devil was once an angel who was sent by God out of heaven to rule the earth while God is in charge of the heavens. It is ironic that God and the devil play an important role in perfectly balancing the world (Harde 78). The square-meter denotes the balance between good and evil, which is persistently restored in order to ensure that humanity, assess both viewpoints and direct their faith on the Almighty God. The poem can be argued to an example of the contrast between evil and good. This is because the Spirits tells the flesh that “No candle there, nor yet torchlight (line 101), for there shall be no darksome night (line 102). This means that God’s light already shines in places where the spirit dwells. The implication is that if the flesh is considered evil, then the spirit has to be pure. Basing on this approach, there is order and balance between good and evil, their coexistence and interdependence.

Bradstreet makes use of biblical imagery, messages and stories, which are vital to the Puritan comprehension regarding the Christian message. The onset of the poem is marked by the flesh being depicted as a worldly body that attempts to have an understanding of the survival of the spirit on the aspirations of heaven. The Spirit in this context is an abstraction of the soul. The spirit, as depicted in the poem, rejects Satan and other attributes related to his works, opting to focus on heaven and perceived heavenly treasures that can be attained by good deeds and confronting temptation while still on earth. Bradstreet says that man does not live on bread alone. However, a notable observation is that this struggle is derived from the New Testament (Nichols 74).

The poem also offers diverse hints regarding the authors own humility and the approval regarding the impossibility of the task to be undertaken. The author admits in most cases, the Flesh has attempted to influence the spirit in order to enjoy the pleasures of life and its respective joys (Harde 100).

In the recent years there have been various approaches to the human resources management. Of importance to the organization is ensuring that the organization has put the organization strategies in the forefront so that irrespective of the approach the organization the organization benefits from it. Inside out approach is one of the approaches that is used in assessing the human resource. Inside out approach seeks to maintain the status quo that is in existence and making minor adjustment to the organization depending on the issues that the people in the organization are going through. The human resource in this case focuses on the responsibilities that they have to the organization they are working for (Wright  2004). The human resource department stands on its own in this case and attempts to reach out to the organization through its activities, to affect the level of success in the organization.

Another approach to the human resource approach is the outside in approach. The approach focuses on building the human resource strategies from various points. These points may include: customers of the business, the consumers of the business and any other issues that affect the organization. In this type of approach, the organization develops a strategy from the challenges that the organization is undergoing through and provides solution to these problems that add value to the organization (McLean 2005). In short, the functions of the human resources are defined by the various issues that affect the organization irrespective of whether the issues affect the human resource department. It is from these issues that are affecting the organization that the organization’ builds its human resource strategy. Such should be what businesses should aspire to achieve when carrying out their activities.

Linkage approach is the other type of approach that an organization may have in reference to human resource management. In this type of approach, the linkage is divided into various parts. One way linkage is one of the various linkage approach subsection. In one way approach, the top management is involved in providing the human resource with the desirable strategy that the organization seeks to use. Two way approach is the other part of the linkage approach. Unlike the one way approach, the approach the human resource function is the one that provide information to the top management and is of assistance in coming up with the business strategy. Once the top management comes up with the strategy the responsibility is then delegated to human resource department to implement the strategy. Then there is the integrative linkage. The top management in the human resource department and the top management in the organization are used to come up with the desired business strategy that the organization needs. Due to various cultures in existence in various parts of the world the human resource function may vary. In this case, the culture does not only mean the culture of various people in different parts of the world. It also means the culture of the organization in question.  Different organizations have different cultures and develop their business strategies differently. When it comes to culture of different people, different people have different beliefs and it is wise of the management in the organization to develop strategies that accommodate these beliefs.

The role of human resource is undeniably important to the organization in general. It controls the most important resource in the organization that is the human resource. Just like the other departments in the organization it aims at achieving a high level of performance to ensure that the organization achieves its goals and objectives. It is therefore necessary to make sure that the roles keep changing to accommodate the changes that may occur in the organization. A brief description of the role of human resource is that it is a department in the organization that aims at providing and maintaining adequate human resource to ensure that the organization works effectively. Just like in any other setting, the employees that the organization will hire in the new region will have employee relation issues. One of the various issues that may come up may be due to the policies in existence in this particular region, the procedures that need to be followed as well as the rules that are in existence. The three may come about for example where the employee may undergo a scenario that has to do with sexual harassment.  The steps that need to be followed in reporting such a case may be different. in the new region. The same may apply why it comes to the rules the rules may need to be changed when addressing certain matters. The other issue is the discipline among the employees. The new location means that new guidelines need to be established. Such applies when it comes to more severe penalties, there is need to be reviewed since there is difference in the cultural beliefs of the people in the new location. Another employee relation issue is when it comes to the way of expressing their grievances. The way the employees express their dissatisfaction is usually different in different regions of the world. South East Asia is not an exemption to the same. The issue of grievances has to do in the power instill in the employees union.  Reviews may need to be done on who addresses the grievances of the employees whether it is the management or if an employee panel need to be formed to address the issue. Finally, there is the issue of the rights that the employees in the organization should have. The fact that venturing in new areas means that the laws of the land change, the  changes also occur on the right assigned to the employees of the new region (Scott, 2011). The organization may need to adjust to different rights that different regions may offer to the employees. Addressing the problems that relate to employees relation is entirely with the laws that exist in the new regions. It is always fair to both the employees and the organizations that they align their policies with the laws of the new region. Failure to do it may lead to such a scenario where there is chaos among the management and the employees.

At-risk behaviors that require intervention

            A withdrawn and early antisocial behavior is one of the at-risk behaviors that is evident accordance with the description of the student and the manner in which the student behaves when around other people. For the case of the student, the potential sources of withdrawn behavior could be from frustrations, loneliness, pressures, and conflicts. Frustrations have been imposed by the loss of the family member and performance that less than the required expectations of a sixth grader. Loneliness is evident by the absence of social confidence and his unwillingness to make social contacts with other peers. The pressure is mainly derived from the family expectations and the conflicts arise from the decision between working for the family and undertaking studies. Emotional distress is problematic since it serves to divert the student’s attention from schools and puts the student in a confused state due to the increasing pressures (Rogers, 2011).

The second at-risk behavior facing the student is communication behaviors, which is developmental disorder that is notable by extreme levels of inattention, increased activity and impulsivity that is likely to be propagated to later stages in life. Communication at-risk behavior can be noted in relation to how the student interacts with other peers and the inability of the student to exhibit age-appropriate directions such as reading difficulties at the sixth grade. In addition, students having attention deficit disorder usually have difficulties in complying with the rules (Ming-Tak & Li, 2007).

The third at-risk behavior that the student is facing is social deprivation. This is evident by the fact that the student shows a limited interest in learning due to the increasing lack of attention, inability to socialize with his classmates and the fact that student reads at sixth-grade level and has poor oral reading skills. Social deprivation is a significant barrier to effective learning and social interaction within the classroom context. It also affects the student’s perception towards education, and how he/she interacts with other students in the classroom context (Rogers, 2011).

Instructional interventions that can be implemented during the regular school day to address the above at-risk behaviors

            With regard to A withdrawn and early antisocial behavior, the teacher should deploy strategies that aims at redirecting the students behavior and enhance positive interaction and communication with his peers. This can be achieved through group interactive learning that requires active participation of each student. The student should be encouraged to develop personal interest for the academic work; this can be achieved by motivating the student through highlighting the various ways through which student can deploy what he/she has learned to overcome the practical problems that he/she is currently facing outside the classroom context. The second classroom intervention to address a withdrawn and early antisocial behavior is to implement social and emotional learning within the classroom, whereby classroom learning is a collaborative effort between the student, parents and guardians and their peers. The third instructional strategy to address emotional distress is to engage the classroom in physical exercises; this can be used for reducing the social pressures that affect the student outside the classroom context.

With regard to communication problems, the first instructional intervention will incorporate group learning and engage the student in the learning process. Group learning ensures that the student actively participates when compared to the case of individual learning. Another element of the instructional intervention is to use the aspect of social skills instruction in order to eliminate the refusal to answer direct questions and get him to engage in collaborative learning with his peers. This can be effectively implemented using peer pairing in the classroom. The second instructional strategy to address the at-risk behavior associated with communication problems is to engage the students in rigorous assessment and questions during after the lessons, and impose strict consequences regarding the failure to undertake the exercises seriously; this will enhance mental engagement of the students and ultimately increase attention in the classroom. The third instructional strategy is to address the issue communication problems is to use interesting teaching techniques that entail gestures and visual aids in order to eliminate instances associated with sleeping in the classroom (Ming-Tak & Li, 2007).

In order to address the problem imposed social deprivation, it is vital to adopt an interactive form of teaching, which engages the student in a collaborative and social learning (Rogers, 2011). This can be implemented through designing active and hands-on classroom activities and develop bridging lessons in order to help in the assessment of how much information the student has learned concerning the next lesson. The second instructional strategy to address social deprivation is to ensure that the students is positioned in front of the classroom whereby he/she is in direct and close contact with the teacher. Getting the student to be actively involved in class work can be helpful in overcoming social deprivation. The third instructional intervention involves the use of week assessment and evaluation tests to monitor the progress of the student with regard to the academic performance and the level to which outside pressures affect his academic performance (Ming-Tak & Li, 2007).

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

At-risk behaviors that require intervention

            A withdrawn and early antisocial behavior is one of the at-risk behaviors that is evident accordance with the description of the student and the manner in which the student behaves when around other people. For the case of the student, the potential sources of withdrawn behavior could be from frustrations, loneliness, pressures, and conflicts. Frustrations have been imposed by the loss of the family member and performance that less than the required expectations of a sixth grader. Loneliness is evident by the absence of social confidence and his unwillingness to make social contacts with other peers. The pressure is mainly derived from the family expectations and the conflicts arise from the decision between working for the family and undertaking studies. Emotional distress is problematic since it serves to divert the student’s attention from schools and puts the student in a confused state due to the increasing pressures (Rogers, 2011).

The second at-risk behavior facing the student is communication behaviors, which is developmental disorder that is notable by extreme levels of inattention, increased activity and impulsivity that is likely to be propagated to later stages in life. Communication at-risk behavior can be noted in relation to how the student interacts with other peers and the inability of the student to exhibit age-appropriate directions such as reading difficulties at the sixth grade. In addition, students having attention deficit disorder usually have difficulties in complying with the rules (Ming-Tak & Li, 2007).

The third at-risk behavior that the student is facing is social deprivation. This is evident by the fact that the student shows a limited interest in learning due to the increasing lack of attention, inability to socialize with his classmates and the fact that student reads at sixth-grade level and has poor oral reading skills. Social deprivation is a significant barrier to effective learning and social interaction within the classroom context. It also affects the student’s perception towards education, and how he/she interacts with other students in the classroom context (Rogers, 2011).

Instructional interventions that can be implemented during the regular school day to address the above at-risk behaviors

            With regard to A withdrawn and early antisocial behavior, the teacher should deploy strategies that aims at redirecting the students behavior and enhance positive interaction and communication with his peers. This can be achieved through group interactive learning that requires active participation of each student. The student should be encouraged to develop personal interest for the academic work; this can be achieved by motivating the student through highlighting the various ways through which student can deploy what he/she has learned to overcome the practical problems that he/she is currently facing outside the classroom context. The second classroom intervention to address a withdrawn and early antisocial behavior is to implement social and emotional learning within the classroom, whereby classroom learning is a collaborative effort between the student, parents and guardians and their peers. The third instructional strategy to address emotional distress is to engage the classroom in physical exercises; this can be used for reducing the social pressures that affect the student outside the classroom context.

With regard to communication problems, the first instructional intervention will incorporate group learning and engage the student in the learning process. Group learning ensures that the student actively participates when compared to the case of individual learning. Another element of the instructional intervention is to use the aspect of social skills instruction in order to eliminate the refusal to answer direct questions and get him to engage in collaborative learning with his peers. This can be effectively implemented using peer pairing in the classroom. The second instructional strategy to address the at-risk behavior associated with communication problems is to engage the students in rigorous assessment and questions during after the lessons, and impose strict consequences regarding the failure to undertake the exercises seriously; this will enhance mental engagement of the students and ultimately increase attention in the classroom. The third instructional strategy is to address the issue communication problems is to use interesting teaching techniques that entail gestures and visual aids in order to eliminate instances associated with sleeping in the classroom (Ming-Tak & Li, 2007).

In order to address the problem imposed social deprivation, it is vital to adopt an interactive form of teaching, which engages the student in a collaborative and social learning (Rogers, 2011). This can be implemented through designing active and hands-on classroom activities and develop bridging lessons in order to help in the assessment of how much information the student has learned concerning the next lesson. The second instructional strategy to address social deprivation is to ensure that the students is positioned in front of the classroom whereby he/she is in direct and close contact with the teacher. Getting the student to be actively involved in class work can be helpful in overcoming social deprivation. The third instructional intervention involves the use of week assessment and evaluation tests to monitor the progress of the student with regard to the academic performance and the level to which outside pressures affect his academic performance (Ming-Tak & Li, 2007).