Friday, December 13, 2019

Hu300 Unit 7 Views on Happiness Free Essays

Views on Happiness Charlotte Briscoe HU 300 Kaplan University ? What Happiness means to others The first person I interviewed was a close friend of mine named Gabrielle Hine. She is twenty three years old and we went to high school together. We have been friends since we were both thirteen years old and actually she entered the school a few months before me. We will write a custom essay sample on Hu300 Unit 7 Views on Happiness or any similar topic only for you Order Now We tend to have very similar taste in everything from food down to music and clothes, it does tend to get quite freaky at times. The second person I interviewed was my neighbour Natalie Goodwin. She is a thirty three year old single mom with four kids. I have passed her a few times in the hall as we live on the same floor but she live in one direction and I the other. We mostly talk about our children or the loud noises on the street. Before asking to interview her I really did not know much about her or her background. Interview with Gabrielle Question: How would you define Happiness? Response: Happiness for me is getting time to spend with my close friends and family. The time when I am at my happiest is when I am back home spending quality time with my twin sisters. Living so far away I don’t get to be a big sister to them much so any time we do have is cherish able. Question: Has your definition of Happiness changed over time? Response: Yes my definition of Happiness has changed with my age. When I was a teenager my definition of happiness relied upon boys and make up. If a boy I fancied liked me back that made me one of the happiest teenagers around. Question: What experiences have influenced your definition? Response: I guess you could say time and age have influenced my definition. Not only these factors but the loss of a close family member has also made me realise that family and time spent with them really is important. Question: Do you expect your definition to change in the future? Response: Yes I can say that this definition will change when I have kids and when my children have their children. Question: What is your happiest memory to date? Response: That is a hard question but probably the day my twin sisters asked me advice about boys. This memory reminds me so much of when I was their age. It made me so happy to think they value my advice and opinions. (G. Hine, Personal Communication, October 7th 2012) Interview with Natalie Question: How would you define Happiness? Response: That is simple my children are my whole world. Everything they do brings happiness to me. Question: Has your definition of Happiness changed over time? Response: Yes with the birth of each of my children the happiness I experience grows more and more. Sure bad things have happened to me in the past but my children are my true reason for living and breathing each day. Question: What experiences have influenced your definition? Response: I would have to say the sole influence at this time is my children and I’m sure one day I will have grandchildren too. Question: Do you expect your definition to change in the future? Response: Yes I expect that it will change with time and with the birth of my grandchildren in the years to come. Question: What is your happiest memory to date? Response: My happiest memory to date was probably the birth of my oldest she is now 13 years old. She helped me in so many ways to become an adult and take responsibility for someone other than myself. I remember I was so scared to give birth but once she was brought to me and in my arms it’s like nothing I had ever experienced before. (N. Goodwin, Personal Communication, October 7th 2012) ? Understanding Happiness Charlotte Briscoe HU300 Kaplan University Happiness often means different things to different individuals and often individuals have different definitions of what happiness means to them. Some people define happiness as the pleasures we experience in our life this is what’s known as ‘Hedonism’. ‘Aristippus a Greek philosopher declared happiness to be the sum total of pleasures experienced during one’s life time’ (Janaro Altshuler, 2009). Whilst some people believe happiness is defined by pleasures of life others believe that it is the avoidance of pain otherwise known as ‘Epicureanism’. The two people I interviewed defined happiness as spending time with their loved ones. This could fall under the category of ‘Hedonism’ since both of them state that spending time with their family is what makes them happy thus it could be labelled as a source of pleasure in their life. Both Gabrielle and Natalie state their happiness has everything to do with their family. In the case of Gabrielle it is her twin sisters and close friends whom are the definition of happiness for her, however this will more than likely change when she has children. On the other hand for Natalie it is her children whom define her happiness. She equates her happiness to spending time with her kids and the everyday activities that are involved with parenting. Both of these ladies know that family is precious and even though we may not see them for a while certainly in the case of Gabrielle it makes the time she spends with them special. Appreciating and loving family makes so many things in this world worthwhile. To share a life with family should be counted as one of life’s great pleasures. While both ladies have similar ideals about what their definition of happiness is it could be said that both these views will more than likely change and adapt as time goes past. Aristotelianism is defined as happiness as the quality of a whole life time. ’ â€Å"Happiness is the purpose for which we live. Aristotle concluded that happiness is not a moment to moment experience of pleasurable things but rather a way of characterizing how one’s life is being conducted. Happiness is living and having lived a good li fe†. (Janaro Altshuler, 2009) While it could be said this definition of happiness does not fit with the majority of individuals ideals of happiness it is actually quite interesting. Most elderly people who are terminally ill or just dying of old age will often say â€Å"I am happy; I have lived a good life. † Therefore it could be said that ‘Aristotelianism’ is an accurate definition of happiness certainly for that generation. We define and decide what makes us happy, we have a choice and freedom to decide if something makes us happy or not. Although definitions for happiness changes from person to person and culture to culture the ideals will be similar. What I mean by this is that a person living in America has the right to decide what makes them happy the same as a person living in Nepal. Their definitions will be slightly different and one probably more complex than the other but there is freedom to choose what makes individuals happy. This freedom in its self may add to the individual’s definition of what makes them happy. ? References Janaro R. P. Altshuler T. C. (2009). The Art of Being Human: The humanities as a technique for living (Kaplan University Custom 2nd Ed. ). New York: Pearson Education, Inc. How to cite Hu300 Unit 7 Views on Happiness, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Oligopolies in the United States Economy free essay sample

There are many models of market structure in the field of economics. They include perfect competition on one end, monopoly on the other end, and competitive monopoly and oligopoly somewhere in the middle. In this paper, we will focus on the oligopoly structure because it is one of the strongest influences in the United States market. Although oligopolies can also be global, we will focus strictly on the United States here. We will define oligopoly, give key characteristics important to the oligopoly structure, explain why oligopolies form, then give an example of an oligopoly in todays economy. Finally, we will discuss the benefits and costs in this type of market structure. Oligopoly is defined as a market structure in which there are a few major firms dominating the market for a specific product or service. One key factor in oligopolies is that each firm/company explicitly takes other firms likely responses into account when setting prices, launching new products, etc. We will write a custom essay sample on Oligopolies in the United States Economy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For this reason, there is significant friendly competition between firms. They each know that it is in their own best interests to maintain a stable price, for if they lower their prices, their competitors ill do the same and knock out any advantage the original firm was hoping to gain with lower prices. If they raise their prices, the competitors will not follow suit and will therefore steal away all the customers of the higher priced product. Another key factor in oligopolies is that there are significant barriers to entry into this market. These barriers can include things such as high fixed costs, availability of resources, and brand loyalty. Many smaller companies simply do not have the cash or resources to compete with these large firms. Another characteristic of oligopolies is hat the percentages of market shares change very little from year to year and are dependent upon introduction of new products or acquisitions of smaller companies. For this reason, a benchmark of oligopolies is that they offer many Varieties in an attempt to gain some edge over their competitors. Why and how to oligopolies form? Oligopolies generally form over time as larger companies acquire or buy out smaller ones. They do this in order to gain market presence, new technology, more efficient production methods, etc. Oligopolies are sustained through price competition, brand loyalty, and incessant advertising. A perfect example of an oligopoly market structure in the United States is seen in the carbonated beverages industry. There are a few major brands, namely Coca Cola, Pepsi Co and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, who control the vast majority of the market, a combined 89. 6%.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Slave Trade free essay sample

This is a way of thought that we are taught as soon as we are deemed old enough to understand it. Slavery is an idea that is almost as old as the human race and, considering that, we have only moved away from it recently. It took the cruelty and mistreatment of more than 10 million Africans to finally make people realize that what they were doing was terrible, and that human beings should be treated with a certain level of respect and kindness. Right when Slavery was becoming a controversial practice there were two men who wrote regarding the matter: Omaha GuardBasque, who experienced slavery first-hand, and Robert Walsh, who dealt with slavery from the side Of opposition. Both Of their accounts paint a terrible picture of the slave trade, the focus of both being on the inhumane treatment of the enslaved. Basque was captured and experienced slavery first hand, so his account shows how deplorable the slave trade was. We will write a custom essay sample on The Slave Trade or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Basque tells of his journey from his home to the coast of Africa which, though eventful and unpleasant, is nothing compared to the sea voyage.It was during the voyage that the real horror of the slave trade was brought to life, both physically and mentally: Pity the poor African, who has been trepanned and sold away from friends and home, and consigned to the hold of a slave ship, to await even more horrors and miseries in a distant land.. . Babushkas words really tell of the sorrow that slaves felt, being ripped away from their home and destined to a strange land full of people who will treat them as objects to be bartered for, traded, and eventually discarded.The conditions aboard such slave ships were abysmal. The slaves were treated worse than livestock: being crammed into incredibly tight spaces, given very little water, and were only allowed to lean themselves twice over the course of the entire journey. The hold was so low that we could not stand up the loathsomeness and filth of that horrible place will never be effaced from my memory we suffered very much for want of water As the slaves made their way to the Americas they are denied food, water, and rest, turning the trip into what could be described as a living hell.Babushkas biography shows that the mistreatment of the slaves is what he believed to be the worst part of the slave trade. Robert Walsh was stationed on a ship that was hunting for slave ships, and hen they capture one he describes the conditions they found to be awful. Once onboard, Walsh notices immediately that the slaves are being treated poorly and, as with Basque, of an equal or worse quality than livestock: As they belonged to, and were shipped on account of different individuals, they were all branded, like sheep, with the owners marks The slaves that Walsh finds are branded, another indicator that they are only property, and not considered to be anything more. If anything, the conditions in the ship that Walsh boarded appear to be worse than that of the ship Basque was rapped in: some were greatly emaciated, and some, particularly children, seemed dying packed up and wedged together in low cells, three feet high shut out from light or air Even at its best, the slave mortality rate during their journey was only a little under 1 0%, this being due to mistreatment and the terrible conditions in which they were forces to reside.It is obvious that both Basque and Walsh noticed and were appalled by the neglect of basic human rights for the slaves. In both accounts, the focus points towards the terrible treatment of the Africans. Basque and Walsh can both agree that the slave trades worst specs is how the slaves are mistreated, often to death. With clear looks into slavery such is these circulating during that point in time, its no surprise that the slave trade was soon outlawed.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Gendered assumptions-a jury of her peers essays

Gendered assumptions-a jury of her peers essays The story A Jury Of Her Peers, written by Susan Glaspell begins repeating back to its readers many of the gendered stereotypical assumptions women receive from men all their lives. Women are assumed to be concerned only with trifles, to be unintelligent, inferior to men and have social limitations placed on them. Yet Glaspell proves how untrue these comments can be, ultimately portraying women as stronger characters when they find their own independence. Women use bonding and moral judgment as means of gaining power and dignity against men to create new gendered assumptions about their characters. The assumption that women are concerned only with trifles is present in A Jury Of Her Peers. Glaspell reveals this gendered assumption through the comments passed by the sheriff about Mrs Wright being Held for murder and worrying about her preserves. Mr Hale than expands on this remark, brushing it off stating Women are used to worrying over trifles. Mr Hale is implying that women have nothing meaningful or worthwhile to worry about. Further into the story women are once again ridiculed, this time for wondering about Mrs Wrights quilt. The sheriff mocks them for their intrigue laughing, They wonder whether she was going to quilt it or knot it! The sheriff is implying that womens lives revolve around domestic affairs and they are incapable of thinking about anything else. These remarks show the disrespect from men and the assumed trifles in womens lives in A Jury Of Her Peers. Glaspell puts forward that women are inferior and it is their duty to follow men. This can be seen in the very first paragraph as we give our first impressions on the story. Mrs Hale was expected to leave with her kitchen in no shape for leaving: her bread already for making, half the flour sifted and half unsifted. She was then impatiently hurried to not "...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Pre-modern Indian History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pre-modern Indian History - Essay Example Taxila commanded the royal road which is the modern Kabul, formerly the valley of river Cophen connecting Gandhara to the kingdom of Magadha in the east. The Taxila town also commanded the Kashmir river valley up to the Indian Ocean in the south (Xinru, 21). Considering the command areas the Taxila held, it is believed that they also had rules over the land between Babylonia in the west and China in The East. During this ancient period, there was the Greek, Achaemenid and Kushan ages. In the Kushan age there were Sirsukh, Jaulian and the Mohra Moradu tribes (Edwin, 4). This paper will explain the establishment of the Kushans Empire and their numerous social, religious, economic and political engagements in the ancient Asian history. The Taxila Kushans In the early days, the Kushans were mainly nomads who belonged to the Yuezhi clan residing on the grasslands of the eastern Tarim Basin region, in present-day Gansu province in China (Xinru, 19). The Yuezhi tribe was believed to be comp rised of jade and horse traders who moved with their herd guarded by an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 military men. They were forcefully evicted from their original residence by the stronger Xiongnu tribe. Reports claim that they first migrated west and then south to Transoxiana a region north of Oxus River which is today referred to as Amu Darua (Xinru, 10). They further migrated to the Bactria region in the northern part of India. The Kushans of the Yuezhi clan were notably dominant creating a supreme rule over others tribes (William, 11). In the 1st century AD in the territories of ancient Bactria on both sides of the middle course of Oxus, the Kushans Empire under the leadership of king Kujula Kadphises was originally established after a successful invasion and control of the Bactria region. This was favored by the then existing rivalry between the Parthians and the scytho-Parthians (Xinru, 12). Through his enormous troops of military men, King Kujula Kadphises comfortably took c ontrol of the southern prosperous region which is the northwest part of ancient India traditionally known as Gandhara. Reports suggest that he rued the empire up to the year78 AD. On his death his able son Vima Taktu succeeded him and expanded the kingdom further in to the northwest part of south Asia. He later appointed and installed generals to these lands who were to exert the Kushan rule on the inhabitants (Smith, 45). Kujula Kadphises grandson Vima Kadphises took the helm of leadership after the death of his father in 95. He is credited with the greatest expansion of the Kushan Empire by acquiring vast lands that were to fall under the Kushan control. Reports claim that he expanded the lands to Afghanistan and North West India. Due to the empire expansion, some Kushans later relocated and settled in central Afghanistan and the northwest of the Indian subcontinent up to the lands of Saketa and Sarnath which are found on the Varanasi or Banares areas. It is also reported that the y held diplomatic relations with the Han of China, the Roman Empire and also the Sassanid Persia. During his reign, the Kushans are believed to have acquired a lot of wealth due to the connections and control they had over the Silk Road (Edwin, 24). His successor Kanishka 1 continued with the rule with records crediting him for his territorial administration from two capitals:

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

LukoilBP Comparison Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

LukoilBP Comparison - Case Study Example Nonetheless, its performance in boosting its market value has been described as hyper in nature as evidenced by the graph below: This ratio is the company's share price at year end divided by basic income per share. Basic earnings per ordinary share amounts are calculated by dividing the profit for the year attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year. The average number of shares outstanding excludes treasury shares and the shares held by the employee share ownership plans. The following tables detail BP and OAO LUKOIL share price, basic income per share and the price to earnings ratio: BP, having wider operations than LUKOIL, registers a higher P/E ratio. However, computing for the rate of change of the P/E, it is found that LUKOIL is registering much higher growth than BP. The results are shown below: With this information, it can be seen that LUKOIL registers double digits for the P/E ratio. This growth essentially tells the investor that LUKOIL is outperforming BP. Although the investor can expect higher returns for BP, this may not be the case in the future as LUKOIL's P/E growth rate is double that of BP. Basically, the P/E ratio is expected to increase as Basic Earning Per Share are also up with share price also expected to increase because of the good performance of LUKOIL. ... Sample Computation: ( LUKOIL 2005) P/E = Share Price / Basic Earnings Per Share = 59.40 / 7.91 = 7.51 BP, having wider operations than LUKOIL, registers a higher P/E ratio. However, computing for the rate of change of the P/E, it is found that LUKOIL is registering much higher growth than BP. The results are shown below: Table 4. Rate of Change Profile P/E Rate of Change (%) 2003-2004 2004-2005 LUKOIL 13.62 28.60__ BP 6.07 12.36__ The computation for the rate of change was carried on using the following equation: Rate of Change = ( P/E for Year End - P/E for the Previous Year End) * 100% P/E for the Previous Year End With this information, it can be seen that LUKOIL registers double digits for the P/E ratio. This growth essentially tells the investor that LUKOIL is outperforming BP. Although the investor can expect higher returns for BP, this may not be the case in the future as LUKOIL's P/E growth rate is double that of BP. Forecast The most recent available projection for LUKOIL is a 9M 2006 projections and is conveniently compared to 9M 2005. It is shown below: Table 5. Financial Forecast Source: 2006 Financial Results from www.lukoil.ru/ investorcenter Basically, the P/E ratio is expected to increase as Basic Earning Per Share are also up with share price also expected to increase because of the good performance of LUKOIL. The company is currently very aggressive in entering and capturing a major portion of the US market. It has already purchased rights to Getty and its oil distribution facilities in the US. With regards to BP, the P/E ratio is forecasted to increase as well

Monday, November 18, 2019

Critical writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Critical writing - Essay Example tion about the negative moves of a government, that owned by the government will present the government in good light in spite of its negative actions. For example, during Hitler’s rule in Germany, newspapers were used to spread propaganda in favor of the government even though the government committed several atrocities. Yet another factor that may lead to different interpretations of similar events is cultural differences. Different cultures interpret different actions or words in different ways. Thus, newspapers owned or controlled by people of different cultures may present different views one and the same event. Students should be wary of bias when relying on newspapers to provide information. They should avoid relying on newspapers that present information in a biased way. Instead, they should rely on newspapers that are objective in their coverage. Critical thinking should be applied to establish whether or not a source is biased. This can be done by evaluating the tone used, the author, their affiliations and what they stand for, and the different points of view presented by the