Human - Religion Essay Example for Free

Human Religion Essay I really have to give credit for my religion beliefs for my search on the meaning of life. I’m a fully baptized Catholic, and a part of God’s Church. 17 years of being a Catholic and in search of the meaning of life, I have always thought it is about the Call to Holiness. My religion taught me that being a part of God’s Church is no accident, but because God wanted to share in His own blessed life, and in doing so He wanted me to desire serve Him freely by following His will. And by following his will, God will grant me eternal happiness which will lead to my salvation. All Catholics knew that God sent His son, Jesus, to set an example for us. Jesus showed the perfect example answered the call to Holiness. He showed us that we should love our neighbors as God showed His love for us; and that is what the Call to Holiness is. In search for the true meaning of life, it will take plenty of years, but for now I plan to stick with what my religion has taught me. Carl Rogers Carl Rogers emphasized focused on self-actualization. He believed that a person should develop his/her potential to the fullest, and in good condition. In doing so, the environment of a person should be inherently good. A person will only stop developing if constraints block the development. A fully developed person shows that he/she achieved the highest level of being a right fully-functioning human being. Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi, which means â€Å"great soul,† was an ideologist during the Independent movement of India from the British. As an ideological leader he believed violence should never be an answer to fight for his people’s rights, and should never take discrimination. He also believed that harmony, truth equality exists between all religions. With these 2 influential personas, I have noticed similarities between them. They both talk about human beings having a common good inside of them. They emphasized that all humans were born good, but because of destructive  environment, they tend to turn their backs on what is right. Sources: http://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html. http://www.ask.com/question/what-were-gandhi-s-beliefs.

Impacts of Changes to Child Care Services in the UK

Impacts of Changes to Child Care Services in the UK Discuss how the changes to children’s services currently being promoted by the government are likely to impact on the lives of children in need, their families and social workers undertaking their statutory duties. An Essay This essay is effectively in two parts. In the first part we shall discuss and delineate the measures that the government are currently promoting and then, having done that we shall critically assess how they impact on the various subsections outlined in the title. The Measures: There are many measures that have been introduced in the recent past and therefore are currently being promoted by the government. Perhaps one of the most important is the National Service Framework for children, young people and maternity services (NSF 2004). This was published in Sept 2004 after a long period of consultation. It was arguably triggered by a number of events which highlighted the need for some form of central policy document to help to guide the various professional agencies in their efforts to provide a seamless service for the child in need. (Zeigler et al 2005) (Meadow 1995) Perhaps the defining trigger to the evolution of this document was the tragic death of Victoria Climbie, whose case in 2000 highlighted the deficiencies in the ability of the various agencies involved to effectively communicate and share vital information which might have averted the tragedy that subsequently overtook the 8 yr. old girl. (Saraswat 2005) This coincided with the publication of the NHS plan in July 2000 The subsequent Laming enquiry identified 108 separate areas where improvements could be made. This was followed up by the announcement by the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, announcing the inception of the National Service Framework. This was expedited further by the problems that arose as a result of the Bristol Royal Infirmary’s Heart Surgery policies. The Kennedy report (2002) again made a number of recommendations which became encapsulated in the National Service Framework – hospital care for children. In 2002, the government announced that it was commissioning a major review of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service which it anticipated being completed by the end of 2006, which clearly may well have items of major importance to the welfare of the child in need. (Benger et al 2002) The Green Paper â€Å"Children at Risk† was announced by the Minister of State for Children, Margaret Hodge, in 2003. It was intended to be a discussion document which encompassed the areas of childcare provision, children’s services generally and the identification and procedures pertaining to â€Å"children at risk†. The major policy shift that accompanied this move was the transfer of responsibility for children’s Social Services from the Department of Health to the Department for Education and Skills. This also coincided with another Green Paper entitled â€Å"Every Child Matters†. Its main theme was the provision of reform measures for children’s care and protection. At about the same time the Specific Performance Service Targets were issued (2004). These covered primarily health issues and many were targeted specifically at children. Very shortly after this, the National Standards, Local Action : Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/6-2007/8 was published in July of the same year (2004) which was an umbrella publication covering both the NHS and all the Social Service Agencies. It covered guidance on policy, finance and targets to be met. The Children’s Bill went before Parliament in March 2004 which brought together the major features of the preceding Green Papers. At about the same time the Child Poverty Review (Aug 2004) was also published which contained some major recommendations for action to minimise the effects of Child poverty in the UK. Its professed goal was, after reviewing the changes in policy and welfare that were required, to halve the level of child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020. In the specific context of this essay, one of its major targets was to put in place welfare support to encourage those parents who could work, to get back to work and to provide a degree of financial stability where that was not possible. The effects One of the major goals in the government’s policy (Treasury Child Poverty Review 2004) is to bring about social reform by improving a child’s life chances. It aims to do this by two major strategies. Firstly to improve the general standard of health of children and secondly to improve their financial stability ( by tackling material deprivation). Clearly the NHS reforms are primarily aimed at the various health issues and the National Standards are aimed more at the social problems. It is a key feature of these measures that co-operation and multidisciplinary teamworking are the preferred mechanisms that will achieve the stated goals. (Little et al 2005) This is the nub of the major changes that will impact on the workers in the various caring disciplines. If the government is successful in implementing all of the strategies that are covered by all the above programmes it could produce a major shift in the emphasis that is currently placed on child care and child safety and protection issues. (Pheby 2000) As far as the Children’s Bill is concerned, it gives all children potential access to the Social Services and those children who have specific identified needs should find it easier to get targeted help for those needs. As far as the actual Social Workers and, for that matter healthcare professionals in general, are concerned, the theory is that the children’s services are now envisaged as an almost completely integrated service, where planning, facilitation and implementation is done on a multidisciplinary basis. It is hoped that this will cut down on duplication and thereby improve efficiency. Accountability is also an essential feature of many of these measures. As far as the most socially vulnerable children as concerned, the key responsibility for their welfare still rests with the Social Services, as their responsibility, as defined by the Children Act (1989) is essentially unchanged. The major difference with the current legislation is that the Social Services will head a multidisciplinary team approach to try to close the gap between the outcomes in this group and the outcome for the average child. Another major change will be the setting up of a database that will be shared across all relevant agencies that have a legitimate interest in a child’s welfare. This should allow all interested parties to share â€Å"intelligence† and information that may be helpful in framing a response to a particular child with a particular problem. Most of what we have refered to thus far is theory and expectation. Perhaps this should be contrasted with the reality of the situation. Brandon (et al 2005) produced a review document covering an assessment of the last 20 serious case reviews in Wales, they highlighted a number of process failures in the methods of service delivery. It was a useful document in so far as it was able to pin-point the areas where the service is â€Å"less than seamless†. Specifically it found deficiencies in aspects of training and also the actions and role activity of the lead professional in many cases. The authors produced a very pertinent statement as part of their conclusion which is worth quoting verbatim: Consultation could often be used prior to, or in place of referral. The barrier to the collation and analysis of relevant information often appeared to be a failure to recognise and understand expertise rather than a lack of communication as often postulated in review reports. Skilled use of expertise and consultation in a co-ordinated manner could result in more rigorous assessments and promote greater professional trust, confidence and challenge. In that short paragraph is encapsulated the practical difference between the government’s rhetoric and good intention and the actual reality as the grass root workers try to adjust to the processes of reform. Mercifully, we should observe that the majority of the legislation that we have presented here is actually empowering and enabling rather than prescriptive or mandatory. Perhaps we should therefore expect something of a learning curve from all parties as it slowly works its way into common practice. References Benger and Pearce 2002 Quality improvement report: Simple intervention to improve detection of child abuse in emergency departments BMJ, Mar 2002; 324: 780 782. Brandon, Dodsworth, Rumball 2005 Serious case reviews: learning to use expertise Child Abuse Review May 2005, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 160-176(17) Child Poverty Review 2004 HM. Treasury HMSO: August 2004 Children Act 1989. A Government Bill 1989 Children at Risk 2003 Green Paper HMSO 2003 Children’s Bill 2004 Hansard: March 2004 Every Child Matters 2003 Green Paper HMSO: Oct 2003 Kennedy report into Heart Surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary 2002 â€Å"Learning from Bristol† HMSO: January 2002. Laming enquiry 2003 Death of Victoria Climbie: HMSO: 28 January 2003 Little M, Kohm A, Thompson R. 2005 The impact of residential placement on child development: research and policy implications Int J Soc Welfare 2005: 14: 200–209 Meadow 1995 Parental Perspectives in Cases of Suspected Child Abuse BMJ, Sep 1995; 311: 697. National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services 2004 HMSO: 15th September 2004, National Standards, 2004 Local Action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/06–2007/08 HMSO: July 2004 NHS Plan HMSO: July 2000 NHS Specific Performance Service Targets 2004 NHS National Publication HMSO: June 2004 Pheby, Carl Henshall, Deborah Henshall, Brian Morgan, and Simon Wessely 2000 Diagnose and be damned BMJ, Apr 2000; 320: 1004. Saraswat 2005 Child abuse and trichotillomania BMJ, Jan 2005; 330: 83 84. Ziegler. Sammut. Piper 2005 Assessment and follow-up of suspected child abuse in pre-school children Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, May 2005, vol. 41, no. 5-6, pp. 251-255(5) *********************************************************************************************** PDG Word count 1,829

Jim Abbott :: essays research papers

Jim Abbott It is a clear summer night at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox and the California Angels are in a hot pennant race. The Boston Red Sox are the best hitting team in the American League. The Angels need a win and are counting on their rookie pitcher. The old green stadium is overflowing with die-hard Red Sox fans as the rookie takes the mound. He has to concentrate on tonight's game and ignore the crowd. The game advanced with no trouble for the rookie. In the end, he gave up four harmless hits and, most importantly, no runs. When he got the final man out, giving his team a 4-0 victory, he starts to walk off the mound. All over Fenway Park, not only Angel fans, but Red Sox fans stood and applauded, cheering the rookie off the field. Everyone knew that they had seen someone very special. This person was Jim Abbott. Jim Abbott has led an eventfully life. He brought his college team to the championship in 1985, brought Team USA to gold in 1988, and threw a no hitter against the Cleveland Indians in 1993. These achievements are not what make him so special; what makes Jim Abbott even more remarkable is that he only has one hand. As a child Jim's parents always told him that he could do anything he wanted to do. They knew that their son loved sports. They hoped that Jim would play soccer, which didn't require the use of hands, but right from the very beginning, Jim loved baseball. So, Jim's parents bought him a baseball glove. However, Jim was not just involved in baseball. He was the top scorer in his school's intramural basketball league, and played two years of varsity football. Jim's various athletic exploits resulted in press attention. When Jim got to college, he picked up right where he had left off in high school. His two main goals were to get an education and to become the best possible pitcher he could be. At this point, his fastball was close to ninety miles per hour. Jim to worked hard on a straight change-up and a better curveball. In the fall of 1987, Jim Abbott was given the United States Baseball Federation's coveted Golden Spikes Award. This award is given yearly to the best amateur baseball player in the country. That wasn't his only award. He also received the Academy Award for Sports Award for Courage in 1987 and was chosen as the March of Dimes Amateur Athlete of the

The Sphinx of Giza Essay -- Egypt Symbol Pyramids Sphinx Essays

The Sphinx of Giza The Sphinx of Giza is a symbol that has represented the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. The body of a lion with the head of a king comes from the Egyptian culture symbolizing strength and wisdom. The sphinx is a carved out of the living rock. Egyptologists believe that the sphinx was built in 2500 BC in the fourth dynasty. From the north side the profile of the Sphinx reveals the proportion of the body to the head. It would appear as though the head is small in proportion to the body. Because of the changing desert terrain, the body of the Sphinx has been buried several times over the past several thousand years. Most recently in 1905, the sand has been cleared away to expose the magnitude and beauty of the entirety of the Sphinx.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sphinx is carved out of a single ridge of soft limestone 240 feet long and 66 feet high. The head was sculpted from the same stone, and the forepaws were separately made from blocks of limestone. The paws themselves are 50 feet long while the entire length is 150 feet . The head is 30 feet long and 14 feet wide. Because certain layers of the stone are softer than others, there is a high degree of erosion that has claimed the original detail of the carved figure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The face of the Great Sphinx has been thought to be pharaoh Khafre's face Fascinatingly, the features of the face of the Sphinx has a far more striking resemblance to an older brother of Khafre, the Pharaoh Djedefre . Djedefre's short lived reign occurred just prior to the reign of Khafre. Originally it is believed that the Sphinx was painted and was quite colorful. Since then, the nose and beard have been broken away from . In between the paws of the Sphinx is a stela, now called the "Dream Stela" which is a stone slab placed vertically and inscribed with a story. The 18th Dynasty story tells of the time Thutmosis IV fell asleep under the Sphinx which was covered to the neck in sand. Thutmosis had a dream that the Sphinx spoke to him and promised that if he would free the Sphinx from the sand, Thutmosis would be destined to become king of Egypt. From Ancient Egypt ,astronomy and astrology play an inextricable part. Everything seems to have something to do with the stars, or at the very least have a close relation that is. The people who made it had the most extraordinary knowledge of the stars and the behavior o... ...hat culture and how similar it was to the older structure. The Luxor hotel and the sphinx in its entrance was built to show a different culture and theme from the rest of the hotels. Another reason why the Sphinx might have been built in Las Vegas, could be because both cities are deserts and that makes it a perfect place to build the Luxor and the Sphinx.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the whole, both monuments are very fascinating and have special characteristics. For example, the size and design of it, the body of a Lion and Face of a Pharaoh represents the strength and power of the ruler. Both of the monuments were built for different reasons but they still represent the same culture. The sphinx in Las Vegas was built for attraction and to represent the Sphinx in Giza and to signify the Egyptian culture. It was easy to compare the two because their so much a like, and at the same time have different purposes. Looking at a Sphinx at close range is an amazing experience. It is one of the most fascinating monuments you will ever look at, the size and magnificence of it will take your breath away. So, Whenever you get the chance to see such an amazing monument do not forget to take lots of pictures.

Art and Aesthetics Essay -- Art

Art and Aesthetics Art is usually referred to as the visual arts, where a piece of work is judged through the aesthetics in which it creates. However, art refers to all human endeavors, including the product of oneÂ’s creative impulse. In other words, art does not have to be innovative to be good. I believe art is the communication of an idea, be it visual, musical, communicative or other. Art is the interplay between the conscious and unconscious part of our being, between what is real and what is an illusion; it is the voice of our soul through color and form in a constant search for connection with something beyond. I think of art as the bridge between our souls and the physical world. I see art as both an interaction between our psychological existence and our cultural expression of that existence. Thus, this can include challenging and sometimes disturbing imagery as well as the aesthetically pleasing. The artist's conceptual vision and a personÂ’s ability to translate this to an audience is what transforms the ordinary experience to a historically and culturally significant event. Moreover, art has a purpose. It is a way of reaching out and sending out a message, of opening a different way of communicating something with others, in ways otherwise would not be possible to achieve. Culture definitely plays a big role on the different varieties of art we have in our world today. For example, Japanese adolescents can be seen spending hours of their spare time trying to create animated art, otherwise known as Ââ€Å"manga†. This form of art may not be acceptable to every culture, as it may be seen as being unrealistic childish nonsense. However, to these Japanese adolescents, Ââ€Å"manga† is a valuable work of art. Contemporaries like Andy Warhol may have a different definition of what art is. However, traditionalists may sneer upon WarholÂ’s creation of the CampbellÂ’s soup can as a work of art. Generally, an artistÂ’s surroundings and culture plays a big influence in the type of art he or she creates. Personally, my culture did not play a big role when I was in the midst of working on my artwork. Although I consider myself as an amateur when it comes to art, I believe that if you let your emotions and inspirations guide you, you would be able to produce a fine piece of art. This will make your piece of art original, as it would have come from deep within yours... ...of something to the person who tries to interpret it. Every piece of art is created through the knowledge of something, be it objective or subjective. For example, in an artistic way, a skilled craftsman would have a purpose and message in mind and he adapts and molds materials to fulfill this end. If he is to succeed in conveying his message, he needs to develop his expertise. There is a kind of craftsmanship and intelligence at work in the practice of his art. Whether a ship builder or weaver, he applies his practical knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhow, virtuosity, and talent in fashioning objects that he is creating, and he draws upon general principles which he applies to concrete cases. Moreover, art can help a person develop their critical senses. It could give a person an intuition for forming judgments and trying to decipher what the artwork is trying to portray. Knowledge provided by art is very distinct, as it deals with having a good sense of judgment and interpretation. In conclusion, there is no one true definition of art. Art is valued differently, depending on the individual. Different individuals have different views as to what art is; and as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Discuss the significance of the chapter titles of the novel in regard to theme in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club

In Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, as in most other existing novels, the titles of each chapter holds a distinct significance in regard to the content of that chapter. It could be argued that Amy Tan selects the words for her titles carefully in order to attain the highest level of analogical, and metaphoric purpose from them. An analysis of each of the chapter titles in regard to the main ideas and messages Amy Tan is putting across highlights the purpose of each of them, and displays the metaphoric and analogical concepts that each hold. The title of the first chapter is a repetition of the title of the book. Amy Tan probably does this deliberately so as to focus the reader. The title itself, The Joy Luck Club, directly refers to the name of a club formed by all the four mothers in the book. At this club, all the mothers who are the co-main characters in the book are members. Around the Mah Jong table, the four women gossip and gamble. This is the most likely cause of the name, The Joy Luck Club, in the way that it was fun and enjoyable talking and telling tales, but one also needed luck in order to win the games of Mah Jong. The Joy Luck Club is founded by the women immigrants, so as to keep a part of Chinese tradition alive in the new world they were in. This is backed up partially by the quote in the book, â€Å"My mother started the San Francisco version of the Joy Luck Club in 1949† (6). The chapter is mainly focusing on the human needs to be surrounded with feelings of familiarity; the reason the club wa s founded in America. Scar is the title of the second chapter. As a representation of the sequences in the chapter, the title gives us a good basis as of what to expect in the chapter. For example, a scar is the result from someone receiving a deep wound. This is the case as the plot in this part of the book is about a little girl who gets burnt, has a mother who left her, and whom she eventually sees again. The title also holds an analogy. That is the analogy of the emotional healing process. Amy Tan uses this analogy in describing the pain inflicted upon the girl, by the mother, in relation to the pain inflicted on the girl by the hot soup. This analogical and metaphoric purpose Amy Tan intends with this can be directly drawn from the chapter itself In two years time, my scar became pale and shiny and I had no memory of my mother. That is the way the way it is with a wound. The wound begins to close in on itself, to protect what is hurting so much. And once it is closed, you no longer see what is underneath, what started the pain(40) This seems to be the way, in the human emotional and physical healing process, it takes time. Amy Tan uses the title, The Red Candle for her third chapter. In the plot of this part, a daughter of one family is being married to a man from another family. In the festivities, it is Chinese tradition to light a candle that has two ends. This represents the longevity of the marriage, and the commitment of the two involved. As the main plot in the chapter is the marriage the title reflects the content, and so is another good selection by Amy Tan. In regard to the theme of this chapter, the red candle, is representing the strength of the marriage, stated in the book, â€Å"That red candle was supposed to seal me to my husband and his family, no excuses afterward†(55). If the candle goes out the marriage is not strong, where as if it doesn't the marriage can never be broken, â€Å"‘This candle burned continuously at both ends without going out. This marriage can never be broken'†(54). As the burning candle represents the impermanence of a marriage, as there is no way a candle, in the situation as the one in the book, could burn to the end without going out, the girl who actually blows it out, along with the wind, and the servant who leaves the candle unattended all represent the intangible forces a marriage encounters. In all, the red candle has a very metaphoric purpose in this chapter, as a title, and theme. The Moon Lady is the title of the next chapter. The title comes directly from the name given to a particular demigod in the Chinese tradition. As the plot of this area focuses mainly on the Moon festival, celebrating the Moon Lady, and the little girls wish to the Moon Lady, it would appear that Amy Tan has chosen an appropriate title for this part. The main idea the author is trying to put across here is the reliance and desire for hope that human society has. Therefore beliefs that support the idea of hope, even in an irrational form, such as the idea of a moon lady, are popular. The idea of this is backed up in the book, â€Å"It is my earliest recollection: telling he moon lady my secret wish.†(65). The Moon Lady is symbolic of hope. In the next chapter, the title is relatively straight forward in its relation to the Content. The Rules of the Game, is referring to the rules of chess, the game that the young child is playing. This chapter is also showing the learning that is coherent in life, that the girl is experiencing. So this chapter title was selected for that purpose, showing the rules the girl is learning. The author uses the word rules, as a metaphor for life's experiences, and how to deal with them. In human society, there are many different situations which require a certain way to act, that is not written, or spoken, but expected, and needed in order to survive. In Chinese society however, there are many ways to approach situations that are spoken about. These are the rules. The game is a metaphor for life. So Amy Tan uses the title in a very blatant and a very subtle metaphoric way. In chapter six, the title The voice from the wall is given. In the physical sense, the voice from the wall is the voices of the mother and child fighting next door, to the girl in the story. In a metaphoric sense, the title is given as to represent a different side of thought. For instance, in the story, the girl misinterprets what she is hearing from next door as murder rather than just a fight occurring between a mother and child, â€Å"She didn't seem like a girl who had been killed a hundred times. I saw no traces of blood-stained clothes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (115). This title is hinting at the human side of us that limits our way of looking at things. It is suggesting that at times we perceive one thing when really it is another, grabbing the wrong end of the proverbial stick. The voice in the title is the other view of the situation, and the wall can be seen as the situation. Amy Tan here again uses her title to perform a discreet metaphoric purpose. The chapter title, Half and Half arises from the daughters realization of how fate is formed. She sees fate as being the result of two things, expectation and inattention, â€Å"And I think now that fate is shaped half by expectation, half by inattention†(140). This title is used to reflect the troubled marriage of the daughter in this story, and the loss of a little boy. The author is focusing on the area of human behavior that leads to events caused by our unlimited expectations and ignorance leading to inattention. The title has no sense of physically describing anything in the story, as in previous chapter titles. The next chapter is a story of a child, whose mother forces her to learn the piano, in the hope of her becoming a prodigy. This chapter is entitled Two Kinds. As a title it holds little significance physically until the end where the daughter finds two halves to a piece of music she once played, â€Å"And after I played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song†(155). In relation to theme, the title holds a strong relation to the main points of emotional duality that the author is touching on. The main idea, being, the two sides of a mind that see things from different perspectives. There is the side that always an endless capacity to desire, and the side that makes us grateful for what we already had. This is summed up in the book, â€Å"†Pleading Child† was shorter but slower; â€Å"Perfectly contented† was longer but faster†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(155). This supports the idea of the daughter of the seeing the two sides of her life as a child, the way she saw it then, ‘Pleading Child', being pushed around and wanting more than she had, and the way she sees it now, ‘Perfectly Content', she realizes she had a good mother and a good life. The ninth chapter in The Joy Luck Club, is called Rice Husband. The title comes from a story the daughter was told by her mother. This was about the grains of rice she left in her bowl becoming the number of pockmarks on her future husbands face. The title relates to the main plot, as the story is set when the daughter has now married her husband, and is having her mother to stay with her for a while. The title has little other significance, other than the quality of the daughter husband reflecting the times she left rice in her bowl. The husband is not very nice, â€Å"I'm sitting on the sofa, seething, and I don't know why. It's not that Harold has done anything wrong. Harold is just Harold†(178). If a husband can annoy you with out even doing anything he must really not be a good husband. The pock marks in the fable meaning the impurities of your husband, of which the daughter's obviously has many. As with the last chapter the title Four Directions holds very little significance in an analogical or metaphoric sense. There seems to be no underlying or hidden reason for Amy Tan using the title, other than it is the name of the restaurant that the mother and daughter go to. Four Directions is the name of the place, â€Å"I said as we waited for the lunch bill at Four Directions†(184). The next chapter called Without Wood, is given to describe a characteristic, or lack of that the daughter has. The title has no physical relation to any of the events in the story here, but has the purpose of describing the type of person the women is. In the Chinese tradition, people contain certain elements, such as metal, water, fire and wood, to name just a few. Each of these holds a certain key to some ones character, and each need to be balanced with on another. In the story, the woman has a very indecisive side, and relies on others to make important decisions in her life, this is supported in the book, â€Å"I sat there quietly, trying to listen to my heart, to make the right decision. But then I realized I didn't know what the choices where†(213). This, in Chinese tradition is due to the fact that she has not got enough wood in her. This is the reason Amy Tan has used the title she has, taking something from her culture and introducing it to the reader. This is at fir st difficult to see but after recalling earlier parts of the book the title makes sense. In regard to theme, the title again is just pointing out what the author is trying to convey, and that is the varying characteristics that separate us as human beings in to individuals. The Best Quality, the name of the twelfth part of the book, is given for to reasons. As a title it touches the theme in a sense that mothers always want the best for their offspring, which is no different to the mother in this story. The best quality meaning the best quality of life that a mother can give her children. The title is also given in relation to the events held in the story. In the plot the mother is holding a diner where crab will be served and whilst picking the crabs, she picks one which is missing a leg, which is served at dinner. At the diner, the mother and daughter are last to pick, so the daughter goes to pick the crab with the missing leg, but her mother insists she takes the good one, â€Å"I thought I was doing the right thing, taking the crab with the missing leg. But my mother cried, â€Å"No! No! Big one, you eat it. I cannot finish†Ã¢â‚¬ (227). Hence, the mother always wants the best for her child. The next title named Magpies, has very little relation to the theme in this area of the book. It rather holds as a direct reference to a story within the story. A story of birds mocking peasants, who revolted and killed the birds, is told, The birds became more exhausted, unable to land, unable to eat. And this continued for many hours, for many days, until all those birds-hundreds, thousands, and then millions!-fluttered to the ground, dead and still, until not one bird remained in the sky(273) So again in this chapter the title holds no significance in regard to the theme in this story. Waiting Between the Trees, the title given to the fourteenth part, is significant in terms of the theme here. This part of the book is describing a mother's actions in her life, and using the analogy of a tiger to make us further understand the authors main points. In this chapter Amy Tan is commenting again on the duality of the human mind. She is saying that there is a part of humans that makes itself visible and conspicuous in its actions and another part that is more hidden and subtle in its actions. This is explained in the tiger analogy the author uses. Then she told me why a tiger is gold and black. It has two ways. The gold side leaps with its fierce heart. The black side stands still with cunning, hiding its gold between trees, seeing and not being seen, waiting patiently for things to comes(282) This is another example of Amy Tan's creativeness in her titles, subtle but very meaningful. The next chapter entitled, Double face. This is in reference to the part of this story where the mother and daughter are comparing their faces and seeing how much they look like each other. Double faced means a person who has two ways of acting, which are done in different situations. This is the main them in this part. Amy Tan, again, is commenting on the twin sidedness of human behavior. How we are nice to some one to them, and nasty to them when they are not around. This is explained in the book, â€Å"It means we're looking one way, while following another. We're for one side and also the other. We mean what we say, but our intentions are different†(304). This is a trait of humanity, and a necessary one in some circumstances. So in regard to the theme, the title holds significance in the way that it is using a term that describes a characteristic of human conduct. The last chapter title, as with many in the second half of the book has little significance to the theme of the story. The name A Pair of Tickets, is really just a physical explanation of what to expect I the story, in which a daughter and her father fly to China from America. Two tickets, two people, and a logical choice for representation of the plot in the story, however not for any thematic reasons. This is also a good selection of title by Amy Tan, as it rounds the book off, as the first chapter is about the woman getting tickets to meet her family, the last is about her using the tickets. Overall, Amy Tan has used a wide variety of chapter headings, ranging from ones with deep analogical, metaphoric, and thematic meanings, others with simple physical pointers to events in the story. The selection and timing of the headings also leads to provoking a strong thought process of the reader as to the author's intentions with the names of her chapters. Amy Tan has written a clever, thought inciting book, which although at times is exceedingly boring, is still none the less an intelligently written piece of literature.

Beyond Gdp Paper

Special attention is devoted to recent developments in the analysis of sustainability, in the study of happiness, in the theory of social choice and fair allocation, and in the capability approach. It is suggested in the conclusion that, although convergence toward a consensual approach is not impossible, for the moment not one but three alternatives to GDP are worth developing. ( JEL I31, E23, E01) 1. Introduction GDP is recurrently criticized for being a poor indicator of social welfare and, therefore, leading governments astray in their assessment of economic policies. As is well known, GDP statistics measure current economic aactivity but ignore wealth variation, international income flows, household production of services, destruction of the natural environment, and many determinants of well-being such as the quality of social relations, economic security and personal safety, health, and longevity.Even worse, GDP increases when convivial reciprocity is replaced by anonymous mark et relations and when rising crime, pollution, catastrophes, or health hazards trigger * Fleurbaey: CNRS, University Paris Descartes, CORE (Universite de Louvain) and IDEP. Comments, suggestions and advice by S. Alkire, G. Asheim, A. Atkinson, A. Deaton, E. Diewert, R. Guesnerie, D. Kahneman, A. Krueger, I. Robeyns, P. Schreyer, three referees and Roger Gordon (the Editor) are gratefully acknowledged. defensive or repair expenditures.Not surprisingly, the construction of better indicators of social welfare is also, recurrently, a hot issue in public debate and a concern for politicians and governments. The last two decades have witnessed an explosion in the number of alternative indicators and a surge of initiatives from important institutions such as the OECD, the UNDP, the European Union—more recently the French government has appointed a committee, chaired by Joseph E. Stiglitz and including four other Nobel Prize winners, to propose new indicators of â€Å"economic perfo rmance and social progress. In the meantime, welfare economics1 has burgeoned in various directions, involving the theory of social choice, the theory of 1 The expression â€Å"welfare economics† is used here in a very broad sense, including all branches of economics that bear on the definition of criteria for the evaluation of social states and public policies. It is not restricted to the narrow confines of Old and New (or New New) Welfare Economics. 1029 1030 Journal of Economic Literature, Vol.XLVII (December 2009) is much less supported by economic theory than is commonly assumed. The extension of this approach to intertemporal welfare as attempted in â€Å"green† accounting adds even more complications. In view of recent developments in the theory of social choice and fairness, it will be argued that the idea of a â€Å"corrected GDP† is still defendable but implies different accounting methods than usually thought. Second, there is the idea of â€Å"Gross National Happiness,† which has been revived by the burgeoning happiness studies.It will be argued here that the happiness revolution might, instead of bringing about the return of â€Å"utility,† ultimately condemn this concept for being simplistic, and reveal that subjective well-being cannot serve as a metric for social evaluation without serious precautions. Third, there is the â€Å"capability approach † proposed by Amartya Sen, primarily as a framework for thinking rather than a precise method of measurement. This approach has now inspired a vvariety of applications, but most of its premoters are reluctant to seek a synthetic index, a famous exception being the Human Development Index (HDI).It will be argued here that a key aspect of this problem is whether individual valuations of the relevant dimensions of capability can and should be taken into account— an issue over which a dialogue with the two previous approaches might prove very useful. Fourth , there is the growing number of â€Å"synthetic indicators† that, following the lead of the HDI, are constructed as weighted averages of summary measures of social performance in various domains.It will be argued here that, if the three other approaches were fully exploited, there would be little reason to keep this fourth approach alive because it is ill-equipped to take account of the distribution of well-being and advantage among the members of society. The paper is structured as follows. Sections 2–4 deal with monetary measures that are linked to the project of a corrected fair allocation, the capability approach, the study of happiness and its determinants, in conjunction with new developments in the philosophy of social justice and the psychology of well-being.These conceptual developments provide new analytical tools that may be directly useful for concrete measurements. About a decade ago, Daniel T. Slesnick (1998) made the following observation: â€Å"While centrally important to many problems of economic analysis, confusion persists concerning the relationship between commonly used welfare indicators and well-established theoretical formulations† (p. 2108). It is probably safe to say that much the same now holds about the relationship between concrete measures of welfare—old, new, and potential—and upto-date theories.It appears timely to ask what the existing academic literature has to say about alternatives to GDP. The practical importance of a measure of social welfare can hardly be overstated. Ppolicy decisions, cost–benefit analyses, international comparisons, measures of growth, and inequality studies constantly refer to evaluations of individual and collective wellbeing. The fact that monetary measures still predominate in all such contexts is usually interpreted as imposed by the lack of a better index rather than reflecting a positive consensus.The purpose of this paper is, in the light of state-of-t he-art welfare economics, to examine the pros and cons of the main alternative approaches to the measurement of social welfare from the perspective of ppolicy evaluation as well as international and intertemporal comparisons. Four approaches are discussed here. First, there is the idea of a â€Å"corrected GDP † that would take account, in particular, of nonmarket aspects of well-being and of sustainability concerns. As will be explained here, a basic problem for this approach is that its starting point, national income, as a candidate for a measure of social welfare,Fleurbaey: Beyond GDP: The Quest for a Measure of Social Welfare GDP. Section 2 revisits the classical results involving the value of total consumption and usually invoked in justification of GDP-like measures. This appears important because some of these results are often exaggerated, while others are little known or even susceptible of developments in future research. Section 3 is devoted to the intertemporal e xtension of this approach, as featured in the Net National Product (NNP) and â€Å"green† accounting.Section 4 turns to measures based on willingness-to-pay and moneymetric utilities, highlighting the connection with recent developments in the theory of social choice and fairness. This section also briefly discusses cost–benefit analysis, which is an important tool for ppolicy evaluation. Sections 5–7 are devoted to the nonmonetary approaches, namely, synthetic indicators such as the HDI (section 5), happiness studies and the various possible indexes of subjective well-being (section 6), and the capability approach (section 7).Section 8 makes concluding remarks about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches analyzed in the paper and the prospects for future developments and applications. 2. Monetary Aggregates Revisited The project of correcting GDP has been often understood, after William D. Nordhaus and James Tobin’s (1973) semina l work, as adding or subtracting terms that have the same structure as GDP, i. e. , monetary aggregates computed as quantities valued at market prices or at imputed prices in case market prices are not available. As we will see in this section, economic theory is much less supportive of this approach than usually 2 Nordhaus and Tobin (1973) set out to compute â€Å"a comprehensive measure of the annual real consumption of households. Consumption is intended to include all goods and services, marketed or not, valued at market prices or at their equivalent in oopportunity costs to consumers† (p. 24). 1031 thought by most users of national accounts. Many official reports swiftly gloss over the fact that economic theory has established total income as a good index of social welfare under some assumptions (which are usually left unspecified).To be sure, there is a venerable tradition of economic theory that seeks to relate social welfare to the value of total income or total consu mption. 3 Most of that theory, however, deals with the limited issue of determining the sign of the welfare change rather than its magnitude, not to mention the level of welfare itself. In this perspective, the widespread use of GDP per capita, corrected or uncorrected, as a cardinal measure allowing ppercentage scaling of differences and variations appears problematic. 4 In this section, I review the old and recent arguments for and against monetary aggregates as social welfare indicators. . 1 A Revealed Preference Argument Start from the revealed preference argument that, assuming local nonsatiation, if a consumer chooses a commodity bundle x (with ? different commodities) in a budget set defined by the price vector p, then x is revealed preferred to all bundles y such that py < px. If x is interior and assuming differentiability, for an infinitesimal change dx, x + dx is strictly preferred to x by the consumer if and only if pdx > 0. Note the importance of the interiority assumpt ion here.