Freedom of Thought in Solzhenitsyns One Day in the Life of Ivan Deniso

There are many definitions of the term "freedom." Some will say that to be free one must be allowed to do as one pleases in terms of one's physical body, while others will say that one must only be able to think to be truly free. Yet another group will argue that both aspects must be present for true freedom to exist. In many of his books, but specifically One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn deals with the idea that the mind is not truly free. He believed that since there is an inherent desire for approval within the human race, any thoughts that agree with the values of society cannot be deemed free thinking since the thinker could simply be searching for approval. Some critics believe that "this implies a double standard on freedom of thought," and that "freedom is inherent in the very process of thought" (Fink 1). Solzhenitsyn believed that it was nearly impossible to have truly free thoughts under the prison camp conditions described in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, or in any situation where there is an authoritarian ruler. In a pris... Freedom of Thought in Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Deniso There are many definitions of the term "freedom." Some will say that to be free one must be allowed to do as one pleases in terms of one's physical body, while others will say that one must only be able to think to be truly free. Yet another group will argue that both aspects must be present for true freedom to exist. In many of his books, but specifically One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn deals with the idea that the mind is not truly free. He believed that since there is an inherent desire for approval within the human race, any thoughts that agree with the values of society cannot be deemed free thinking since the thinker could simply be searching for approval. Some critics believe that "this implies a double standard on freedom of thought," and that "freedom is inherent in the very process of thought" (Fink 1). Solzhenitsyn believed that it was nearly impossible to have truly free thoughts under the prison camp conditions described in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, or in any situation where there is an authoritarian ruler. In a pris...

Dell Computers Essay

Dell Computer pioneered a new way of making and selling personal computers. Its customers â€Å"custom-design† their computer over the Internet or phone. Dell reengineered its â€Å"supply chain† as it coordinated its efforts with its suppliers and streamlined its order-taking and production process. It can ship a computer within two days of taking an order. Personal computers lose 1 percent of their value every week they sit on a shelf. Thus, having virtually no inventory is a great advantage to Dell. Compaq tried to adopt Dell’s approach, but with limited success. Dell’s CEO Michael Dell understood that kind of execution. His direct-sales and build-to-order approach was not just a marketing tactic to bypass retailers; it was the core of his business strategy. Execution is the reason Dell passed Compaq in market value years ago, despite Compaq’s vastly greater size and scope, and it’s the reason Dell passed Compaq in 2001 as the world’s biggest maker of PCs. As of November 2001, Dell was shooting to double its market share, from approximately 20 to 40 percent. Dell turns its inventory over eighty times a year, compared with about ten to twenty times for its rivals, and its working capital is negative. As a result, it generates an enormous amount of cash. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002, with revenues of $8. 1 billion and an operating margin of 7. 4 percent, Dell had cash flow of $1 billion from operations. Its return on invested capital for fiscal 2001 was 355 percent—an incredible rate for a company with its sales volume. Its high velocity also allows it to give customers the latest technological improvements ahead of other makers, and to take advantage of falling component costs—either to improve margins or to cut prices. These are the reasons Dell’s strategy became deadly for its competitors once PC growth slowed. Dell capitalized on their misery and cut prices in a bid for market share, increasing the distance between it and the rest of the industry. Because of its high velocity, Dell could show high return on capital and positive cash flow, even with margins depressed. Its competition couldn’t. The system works only because Dell executes meticulously at every stage. The electronic linkages among suppliers and manufacturing create a seamless extended enterprise. A manufacturing executive we know who worked at Dell for a time calls its system â€Å"the best manufacturing operation I’ve ever seen. In 1998, Dell Computers launched its first global brand advertising campaign, beginning in the United States and Canada, to further highlight the advantages of its direct business model. The brand advertising campaign carries the theme â€Å"Be Direct. † The campaign highlights Dell’s unique business model, which helps to eliminate barriers between customers and the manufacturer, providing Dell with the means to enhance the overall customer experience. Dell’s advertising has focused primarily on its products and has been targeted largely at computer-enthusiast and industry trade publications, cable and local television and a few national newspapers. The â€Å"Be Direct† campaign will be in addition to the company’s ongoing product-oriented advertising. The new brand campaign emphasizes the strengths and advantages of Dell’s direct-to-customer business philosophy. The direct model, pioneered by Dell in the computer industry, enables Dell customers to have computer systems built to their specifications; a single point of accountability; award-winning service and support; and fast access to the latest relevant technology. Presently, the growing number of orders comes in over the Internet. The order-taking system interfaces with Dell’s own supply chain control system, which ensures that inventory is where it needs to be for the computer to be manufactured quickly. In addition, Dell stores very little inventory. Instead, Dell’s suppliers have built warehouses close to Dell’s facilities, and Dell orders parts on a just-in-time basis. By implementing these strategies, Dell has been able to provide customers with exactly what they want very quickly. In addition, inventory costs are low, and Dell minimizes the danger of parts obsolescence in the rapidly changing computer industry. In this way, Dell has become a dominant player in the desktop PC market and is well on its way to doing so in the laptop and server markets. References Cravens, D. W. & Piercy, N. (2003). Chapter 1: Strategic Planning and Decision Making. NJ: McGraw-Hill Companies. http://www.dell.com

Dialectical Theory

Interpersonal relationships have been the subject of research and discussion for many centuries. Whether a relationship lasts or breaks depends so much on how the parties involved respond to the emerging challenges and how they respond to issues. According to the dialectic theory, all relationships undergo tensions which often result into contradictions. It is how the parties engaged in a relationship respond to tensions that shapes the way parties will handle tensions. For a husband and wife in a marriage or a boyfriend and girl friend in a love affair, the knowledge of the underlying assumptions of the dialectic theory is fundamental. This essay looks into the impact of dialectical tensions in relationships, the management of tensions in relationships and finally the strategies those in relationships can adopt to deal with tensions. The writer incorporates personal experience of tensions to expound and make clearer the points deliberated. Autonomy This is the desire to be independent in the things that you set out to do and also in your entire life. It occurs regardless of the closeness or intimacy that one has established with his/her partner or even with other people. The need to be autonomous in a relationship may lead to conflicts since your partner expects you to cooperate and do everything together inclusive of sharing ideas and experiences. Individual identity This refers to the process of trying to understand oneself in a better way. It involves making attempts of stabling ones weaknesses and strengths so that one can be able to his/her living grounds. It can result to tensions in a relationship in that on the process of trying to understand yourself your weaknesses may outweigh your strengths and this may bring about doubts on the side of tour partner. Change This is the desire to acquire and sustain variety for example in a relationship. It can be both positive and negative whereby negative change brings about much tension in a relationship. This refers to turning against the plans and agreements that were entered into during the beginning of the relationship. Desire for Separation This refers to the strong need to part ways with your partner may be because of inevitable circumstances like a job or due to existence of varied decisions between the partners whereby none wants to give in to each other’s decisions. This leads to tensions in a relationship and it can even yield into a divorce. Varied approaches- this refers to use of different means and ways to solve problems or address issues in the relationship by the partners. The partners may therefore have a lot of disagreements and this strains and puts tensions to the relationship. Privacy- this refers to the tendency of keeping things to oneself. The partners may decide not to disclose anything to each other and this really puts a lot of tension to the relationship since open-ness is not practiced. I have been in an intimate relationship for the past five years. Although there have been fundamental communication differences, at least the theory of dialectical tensions has been evident through out. There have been tensions which require to be solved constantly. First of all, my partner is from a different religious background, very committed and totally unyielding to compromise. Constantly the practices and doctrines he advocates are against my personal beliefs. On the other hand, I am reserved and although religious, I am not overly given into religiosity as was the case with my partner. Dialectical tensions are manifested in that, while my partner desires to have a baby I do not and often it is a subject of debate, something which has been going on and on for the last three years. Although both of us have learnt how to balance the tensions, it has taken quite a number of strategies and a good measure of effort. First of all, we had to agree on how many kids we were going to have if any. Secondly, we were in different careers with different goals in life. The prospects of marriage and therefore of having to raise a family together implied that one or both of us had to make quick changes to career path and it turned out to be me. This obviously was the last thing I had anticipated for and my family members as well as close friends were very much against such a decision. So a decision had to be made and for that matter very fast. To achieve a balance of the contradictions I had to balance between what I wanted for my relationship versus what my friends and family wanted for me. I also had to balance between the career and the prospects of changing as well as the cost that goes with raising a well rounded family. I also had to balance between being faithful and obedient to my spouse and being truthful to myself. Integration/separation. The fact that I was changing career paths in order to be together with my spouse meant that, I was undergoing a major dilemma as far as sacrificing my identity was concerned. We were going to integrate into marriage and therefore someone if not both of us needed to make some sacrifices. I made some. In terms of the advice and discouragement from my friends, I had to ignore their pleas. This was a separation in that, my decision which was final was against their advice and therefore a separation resulted. Stability/change. Having underwent several relationships which were all intimate, switching or at least breaking one and later forming another was a change in itself. This resulted into stability tension in that. Every time I entered into a relationship, I never wanted to break it even if it seemed like it was not headed into a marriage. There was and imminent fear of life without this and that partner and this was a major cause of stability tension for me. Expression/privacy. This tension has continued to grip me to date, disclosing to my partner something has never been easy especially when the consequences are not clear and are unpredictable. In my current relationship, I am the private one while my partner is the open one. While my partner can virtually open up about any issue however damaging or secret, I always find myself struggling to do that. It takes a lot of pestering to get information out of me especially when I consider the information potentially damaging. Strategies of responding to the above tensions. The strategies discussed here are real and have worked for me. In my relationship whereby the partner and I have major differences, including religious beliefs, I had to select to hang by my feelings and choice of action. It was not going to join my partners bandwagon and subscribe to the religious sect he belonged to. This eventually worked as he later accepted my choice. If I had acted in order to please him, I was going to suffer. I would have just sacrificed too much for nothing. In that, my strategy worked. By sticking to my position but still maintaining the relationship, I learnt how to cope with the tension of differences. In all other relationships before marriage, I ended up adopting separation strategy hence the reason why I would break up if a relationship was not working. Reaffirmation to me was not an ideal strategy in my relationship, although I hold the view that, it is applicable in cases whereby a spouse may be sickly but however serious the condition, the loved ones look up to the person getting well one day. In some cases it could be that, a relationship is abusive and a partner keeps on promising that they will change although actually nothing ever happens. Reframing again for me is a strategy I use in my current situation whereby I look at the demands of my relationship differently and therefore gives a new meaning to every contradiction. The tension of having to change career path so as to marry was a dialectical tension I overcame using the reframing strategy. Conclusion. Dialectical theory is very much effective for relationships and I would suggest it to all of the buddies out there who are undergoing hard times in their relationships. From the meanings to the strategies, an in-depth solution to tensions is offered. Therefore theoretical theory is an ideal alternative to solving crisis in relationships.

How to Discover Your Life Dreams

How To Discover Your Life Dreams I have an assignment for you Do you want to know why you were born? What your sacred mission In life Is? Here's what you do: Schedule a few hours for a personal retreat; a whole day is even better. Get your calendar and cross out that special day with a fat red pen. No one touches that day, It's your date where you discuss your life with God. Take that extended time of personal reflection and bring these questions with you. Here are some â€Å"heart questions† for you to answer†¦ Questions To Answer: What are your greatest strengths?What Is the primary gift that has been given to you to bless the world? What do you enjoy doing the most? What were the happiest moments of your life? What were you doing during those moments? If given an opportunity to live In anyway and do anything?no matter how crazy your choice would be?what kind of life would you choose to live? Imagine yourself on your 75th birthday: What kind of person would you want to be by that time? If family members were to honor you on your 75th birthday party, and thank you and speak about the good things that you have done,what would you want them to ay to you? Ђ Write down a tentative Personal Mission Statement: From your answers above, write a tentative Personal Mission Statement. This one sentence should express what you most deeply believe your life should attain at the end of your days. It should be inspiring and moving as well. And don't worry if it won't be perfect. Your Personal Mission Statement should undergo much revision and editing as the weeks, months, and years go by. You should review your Personal Mission Statement in prayer regularly.Finally, write down your Life-Dreams Now that eve written down a Personal Mission Statement, write down a description of your life twenty years down the road. Picture yourself, your schedule, your work, your house, your relationships, your projects, your character in vivid detail. Don't worry if you fill a few pages for your Life-Dreams. Let your heart speak as you paint in the canvas of your imagination. Create Your Financial Plan Based On Your Life-Dreams After writing your Life-Dreams document, write your financial plan: How much you should be earning next year. Writing down a financial goal is an exercise in faith.And an exercise in personal commitment. Your mind will be forced to open up and think of ways how those goals would be met. When I did this, it was as though power was being released as I wrote my financial goals. But as I scribbled on paper every crazy idea that came to my mind, I repeatedly kept going back to my divinely appointed mission in life? because that was how God was going to provide for me. Let me explain. I believe that when we're faithful to our mission and give ourselves to the world and genuinely help people live a better life, we see the world repaying back.When we give, we receive?and we Just don't receive, but we receive much more than what we have gi ven. Why? Because God has written the Law of reciprocity in the fabric of the universe. Naturally, for this Law of Reciprocity to work, you need to charge what you are worth and not undersell yourself. Earning money doesn't make you less spiritual. If the money that you're going to earn is to support your God-appointed Life-Dreams, it is very spiritual. (It's another issue altogether to be working for a religious ministry or a rather to pick up non-monetary rewards in the after life.So far, Vive been able to attain my financial goals?enough to support my family and more than enough to be generous to those in need? the second part being an intrinsic part of my mission. But more importantly, by creating a financial plan based on my Life-Dreams, I live deliberately, and money is still connected to my mission?not something apart from it. Because success for me isn't having the greatest wealth but the fulfillment of my life-dreams?ninety percent of which aren't financial. May your dreams come true, Boo Sanchez

Cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Cancer - Essay Example However, in the recent times, the incidence of cancer has been on the rise (Dein, 2006, p. 35). There are various dietary, genetic, lifestyle related and environmental factors that could cause cancer (Dein, 2006, p. 35). Medical experts associate this trend with a range of factors such as pollution, smoking, stress, improper dietary choices, faulty lifestyles, substance abuse, genetics and the like, which negatively influence the cell division mechanisms in the body and lead to cancerous tumors in different human organs (Dein, 2006, p. 35). To put it in simple words, cancer happens to be an uncontrolled division of cells in an organism’s body (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). In a healthy individual the division of body cells is systematic and controlled and facilitates many important body functions and physiological developments. However, in case this cell division gets uncontrolled, it may form a tumor, the name attributed to a mass of abnormal cells (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). As cancero us tumors are composed of abnormal cells, they do not serve any healthy function in an organism’s body. Rather, an unobstructed growth of cancerous tumors obstructs the normal working of the healthy tissues and in extreme cases, if not checked through medical intervention, may cause death (Weinberg, 1999, p. 1). Cancers are caused by a variety of reasons or factors. They may infect any part or tissue in a body. Many a time cancers are caused by genetic disorders (Adrouny, 2002, p. 7).

Homework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Homework - Assignment Example ng if or not the kanban system is the modern equivalent of Economic Quantity Research system and whether or not, the operating conditions are more important than the reorder point system used. According to the World Wide Web, kanban may be defined as a system that is designed to ensure that sufficient tools/supplies for workers for when and where they need it. In other words this production system is designed for continuous manufacturing. This system is most times compared to a supermarket. For example a supermarket that uses a Point-of-sale (POS) system, once a customer pays for something through the cash point and the items are scanned, at the end of the day, it sends the sale history to the warehouse. From there they will know what to order to replenish stock. In contrast to the Economic Order Quantity Research (EOC), which is basically an equation used to determine minimum and maximum stock levels they perform the same duties and provide satisfactory results. I believe they are similar in more ways than one but the main difference is the way they are carried out. 2. There is considerable evidence that getting the correct operating conditions is more important than the choice between MRP, kanban, or reorder point methods in the MPC system. How general do you believe this situation to be? Generally, I agree reason being, all the methods mentioned above provide basically the same results with little difference in calculation methods and time. So most definitely the only thing that would hinder positive and profitable results would be conditions under which they are

Does Playing Violent Video Games Increase Aggressiveness Research Paper

Does Playing Violent Video Games Increase Aggressiveness - Research Paper Example Principal Investigator (PI) Information Name Maricel Walsh Relationship to NSU: Faculty Staff Student x Home Mailing Address (for students) 15420 SW 74th circle ct City/State/Zip: Miami, Fl 33193 Office Phone: 786 873 0511 Home Phone (for students): 305 752 7884 NSU Center/College/Dept: Farguhar College Behavioral Science Dept. NSU Email Address: wmaricel@nova.edu Fax: Co-Investigators (Co-I) Information (including faculty advisers): Co-Investigator 1 Co-Investigator 2 Co-Investigator 3 Name Todd Coy, Ph.D. Address Dept of Social and Behavioral Science Contract Phone Number Email Address Crandy@nova.edu Have the PI, Co-I, and any research assistants completed the NSU-designated human subject's research training (CITI Program) Yes X No If you answered yes, please include a copy of your training certificate. If you answered no to this question, please note that no IRB action may take place until proof of completion of training is provided. II. Funding Information Will this research be funded Yes No X If yes was indicated, please provide the following information: A. Source of Funding N/A_______________________________________________ B. Project Title (if different from above) ________________________________ C. Principal Investigator (if different from above) __________________________ D. Type of Application: Grant____ Subcontract_____ Contract_____ Fellowship______ E. Date of Submission ______________________ F. Grant Amount ___________________ Do any investigators have a significant financial interest (as defined by NSU policy: http://www.nova.edu/ogc/forms/ogc9906.pdf) in relation to this study Yes No X If you answered yes, please be sure to include within the...Please note, ONLY ONE copy of all research instruments (tests instruments, interview protocols, etc.) must be submitted. The completed package must be received by the OGC by the last business day of the month prior to the next scheduled IRB meeting. The IRB web site should be consulted for the meeting dates of the IRB. Incomplete forms will delay review by the IRB. For either type of review the pages of the packet must be numbered sequentially. For further information, refer to the Policy and Procedure Manual for Research with Human Subjects. If you answered yes, please include a copy of your training certificate. If you answered no to this question, please note that no IRB action may take place until proof of completion of training is provided. If you answered yes, please be sure to include within the description section of all applicable consent forms the following statement: "The principal investigator a