Sensual Meditation in the world today. :: essays research papers

Happiness is our natural state Humans were designed to be happy, creative and in harmony with the universe at all times. Just like a flower which automatically thrives and blossoms given the right conditions, so does human happiness and consciousness. If the conditions are right, everyone would be in a permanent state of natural ecstasy, living in the here-and-now. Fear switches off higher consciousness and turns us into obedient malleable citizens But we are not quite in such a paradise yet, unfortunately the world is only just emerging from millennia's of bigotry, state brutality, religious and paramilitary intolerance, famine, disease and pain, where our fragile existence could at any moment be destroyed by the ravages of invading hoards, or the sadistic whims of greedy landlords, ignoble dictators and corrupt governments. All this pain numbs our senses, generation after generation, and forces our mind and body to remain in a sort of biological emergency mode just for survival. In order to escape from possible danger, the brain has to mobilise all its forces to fight or flee, which for the sake of energy management, switches off the higher centers of consciousness, and leaves us in a state of anxious numbness. If the state of fear is prolonged, this turns to despair or frustration, which lead to increased aggression, be it directed towards oneself as in suicide, or towards others as in public violence. This does not justify terrorism, but it does illustrate that the solution for such desperate acts of violence is not to respond with knee-jerk declarations of war and bully people into submission through organised brutality, but rather to remove the root causes of suffering by providing love and hope. Don't be fooled by the jingoistic calls to fight by anyone, not only because fighting is part of the problem, but also because this call to arms is always a cynical means for a corrupt authority to maintain its dominance. By carefully cultivating an atmosphere of fear, they are maintaining your brain in a constant state of mental emergency, which very conveniently switches off your higher brain centers and makes you more malleable to their suggestions. Wake up! Don't let yourself be taken in. Governments and religious institutions don't have your interest at heart, they are just fronts to make money and maintain power, the puppets of economic giants acting behind the scenes. They lie behind their smiles and benedictions before the elections but behind your back they are laughing all the way to the bank.

Psychology spec Essay

We don’t aim to profit from education – we want you to. If you are an existing customer then we thank you for your support. If you are thinking of moving to AQA then we look forward to welcoming you. 1. 2 Why choose Psychology? The revised specification will provide students with a sound understanding of the various methods and approaches in psychology at an introductory level. Knowledge of methods and approaches will be illustrated through various topic areas representing the core areas of social, cognitive, developmental, biological and individual differences. The topic areas have been chosen because of their importance and prominence within the core area and their relevance to everyday life. The specification requires candidates to nderstand ethical issues that must be considered when conducting research in psychology. New content has been introduced, while less popular topics have been removed. Unit 1 of this specification can be delivered as a Short Course. GCSE psychology is no longer tiered; therefore the question papers have been designed to be accessible to candidates of all abilities. . 3 How do I start using this specification? Already using the existing AQA Psychology specification? Register to receive further information, such as mark schemes, past question papers, details of teacher support meetings, etc, at http://www. qa. org. uk/rn/askaqa. php Information will be available electronically or in print, for your convenience. Tell us that you intend to enter candidates. Then we can make sure that you receive all the material you need for the examinations. You can let us know by completing the appropriate Intention to Enter and Estimated Entry forms. We will send copies to your Exams Officer and they are also available on our website (http://www. aqa. org. uk/admin/p_entries. php). Not using the AQA specification currently? Almost all centres in England and Wales use AQA or have used AQA in the past and are approved AQA centres. A small minority are not. If your centre is new to AQA, please contact our centre approval team at centreapproval@aqa. org. uk 1. 4 How can I find out more? Teacher Support You have 24-hour access to useful information and answers to the most commonly-asked questions at Details of the full range of current Teacher Support and CPD courses are available on our web site at http://web. aqa. org. uk/qual/cpd/index. php If the answer to your question is not available, you can submit a query for our team. Our target response time is one day. There is also a link to our fast and convenient online ooking system for all of our courses at http://coursesandevents. aqa. org. k/training 2 Specification at a Glance (Short Course) 4181 Unit 1: aking Sense of other people (41801) Written Paper – 1 hour 30 mins 80 marks – 100% Candidates answer all questions (Full Course) 4182 Other People 80 marks – Unit 2: Understanding Other people (41802) plus For assessments and subject awards after June 2013 there is a requirement that 100% of the assessment is terminal. 3 Subject Content Students should have experience of designing and conducti ng informal classroom research using a variety of methods. They will be expected to analyse data collected in investigations at a descriptive level and draw conclusions based on research findings. They will be required to draw on these experiences to answer questions in the examination for these units. In the delivery of these units, it is expected that teachers will seek out contemporary examples of theories and research to develop their candidates’ understanding of the subject content. 3. 1 Unit 1 Making Sense of Other People Memory Processes of encoding, storage and retrieval. The multi-store, reconstructive and levels of processing explanations of memory. Description and evaluation of studies to investigate explanations of memory. Explanations and studies of forgetting including interference, context and brain damage (retrograde and anterograde amnesia). Eyewitness testimony. description and evaluation ot studies ot tactors which attect the reliability eyewitnesses’ accounts of people and incidents, including the research by Loftus (1974), Bruce and Young (1998). Contemporary practical applications derived from the explanations of memory and forgetting and their benefits and drawbacks.

If the gold standard was in use today, would it hinder economic growth Essay

The gold standard refers to a monetary system in which the unit of account of money will be fixed with the weight of gold. There are many people who argue that the gold standard should be implemented to bring down the inflation. By fixing the supply of money with gold, the government will not be able to issue money without having gold in reserve. However, on the other hand, there are experts who argue that by fixing the supply of money with gold, economic growth will be hindered as the amount of gold available on Earth is limited (Mises, 2009). This paper will show that the gold standard will hinder economic growth. I’ll firstly argue that there is a limited amount of gold in this world. Secondly, economic growth is seen as limited. Lastly, the amount of commerce will eventually reach a level equal to the gold holdings by the central bank of the country. Economic growth will be hindered if the gold standard is applied as there is a finite amount of gold in the world. Economic growth requires that there should be sufficient liquidity in the system. By adhering to the gold standard, economic growth will be hindered as to supply more money, the government will first need to buy gold. (Skousen, 1997) Secondly, economic growth is seen to be unlimited. This doesn’t complement with the gold standard, as the amount of gold is limited in the world. If economic growth is to be unlimited, then there must be enough money supply to finance it. The gold standard makes to difficult for governments to issue money, which in fact limits economic growth. (Cagan, 1982) Lastly, if the value of the dollar is limited by the amount of gold, then amount of commerce would reach a level equal to the gold holdings. In order for more money to be issued, the government would have to purchase more gold to back the increase in dollars issued. All the three points written above are influenced by the single factor that the supply is limited, while the demand for gold seems to be unlimited. (Cagan, 1982) Another problem with the gold standard is how to determine what weight of gold will equal to one unit of account. Furthermore, the gold standard can be suicidal for developing economies. Developing economies will need to buy gold to finance their economic growth, which might already be to expensive to buy for them. Currently, these economies are able to finance it through a budget deficit. Moreover, how will the gold standard be able to handle the speed and complexity of today’s financial transactions? Lastly, if the world shifts to a gold standard, then all the governments will need to burn huge amount of fiat money to make sure that the money supply equals to the amount of gold in the economy. Eichengreen & Marc, 1997) In conclusion, I believe that although by adhering to the gold standard the level of inflation will come down. However, the economic growth of a country will be hinder. The major reason for this is the limited supply of gold. Furthermore, if the gold standard is implemented the prices of gold will shoot up, making it more difficult for developing economies to grow up. Las tly, the government will need to burn huge amounts of fiat money to make sure that the there is no extra money in the economy.

Argumentative Essay: A Change in Education System Essay

The Philippines educational system is undergoing a big change which follows the international educational system. The K-12 system is the system used by the United States and other countries. The K-12 system is started by the Aquino Administration. The government will add two year plus Kindergarten. Many people think that implementing the program in the Philippines will be insignificant and unnecessary but others think that it would improve the country’s educational system and the country as a whole. I agree with the K-12 system that will help students embrace a better quality education and will give them more job opportunities, especially abroad. There are many arguments regarding the K-12 implementation. I have chosen 3 arguments to talk about. First, parents are not financially stabled. Money would hinder the implementation of the system. The parents would pay two more years for the education of their children. Their children would learn more and gain more knowledge for those additional two year of education. The  money that the parents pay will be put into good use for their children’s future. But the parents would be spending a lot more than they expected for good quality education. The parents are not prepared to pay for two more years of education. The plan of the administration was earlier than expected. And some parents are not happy with this plan because of financial problems. Second, improve the quality education we have in our country. The Philippines need good quality education because we have a poor education system. The K-12 system will help the country to have a higher standard of education the government can add more to the curriculum. The advancement of having an improved quality education would lead to an earlier success in a student’s life. It may take him/ her long to finish high school but he/ she gained more knowledge than the student’s who prepared in 10 years. The student would take longer to finish his/ her basic education but will be more prepared. It is enough that the student is prepared when reaching the age of 18 after finishing the K-12. Their minds will be mature enough to think better than what is expected of them if graduated at the age of 16. Lastly, prepare the student for work after graduating. Not all students who graduated will automatically be sent to a university for college. Some students prepare themselves to look for a job for the sake of having money to study in college while some are forced to work for the sake of helping the family. The students who have accomplished the 12 year system will automatically be recognized professionals because we are following the international education standard. This will be good for our country. But, the student has not accomplished his/ her schooling. He/ she needs to be sent off to college because completing all levels of education would mean a better job in or out of the country. A student can earn more if he/ she finishes college and finds a good job. Based on the arguments stated, either good or bad, the K-12 system has a good point. I agree that the parents will spend more money for good education but their money won’t be put into waste. Their children will experience good quality education that will good for their future. Of course  parents want what’s best for their children in the quality of education because one day, their children will be the ones assisting them when they grow old. The old education system is done for 10 years and it can stress a student’s life if the system should have been 12 years. We all know that some people have financial problems that they go to work after high school. 12 years is longer than the 10 year system but the graduate students of the K-12 will automatically be recognized professionals because we are following the international education standard. The K-12 system will help students get a better job abroad because of the quality education that follows the international education standard.

Appearance vs. Reality Essay

Reality and appearances, or if you prefer, being and acting, are important themes for both Machiavelli and Shakespeare. Why? How do their perspectives on this subject agree or differ? One of the most fundamental questions in philosophy is the appearance vs. reality. We find ourselves asking the question of what is genuinely â€Å"real,† and what is viewed merely as just an â€Å"appearance,† and not real? It becomes difficult when we assume there is a difference in the two to determine which is which. Generally, what we label as â€Å"real† is regarded as external and eternal. What we refer to as just an appearance is regarded as temporary and internal. Many early as well as modern day authors use the theme of appearance vs. reality to portray a character in a certain way. One of the most appreciated one of these authors is William Shakespeare. The theme of Appearance vs. Reality is extremely noted in Williams Shakespeare’s â€Å"Hamlet†. Also, the Italian political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli is the other one who examines the issues of reality and appearance. Similarly, William Shakespeare and Machiavelli tell us about ‘princes’. Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Hamlet† can be summarized as a young prince’s journey in life to discover the truth of his father’s death. Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† is a kind of ‘training guide’ for leaders, or in other words it is a kind of description of what a leader should do in order to effectively lead his country. The common subject of these works is reality vs. appearance therefore in this paper the theme of appearance vs. reality will be explored by closely analyzing both of these texts of Machiavelli and Shakespeare. Additionally their perspectives will be compared and contrasted in order to understand that whether they have the same point of view or not. Throughout the Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Hamlet†, the deceitfulness of some main characters is portrayed. The most significant one of these is Claudius, who is Hamlet’s uncle as well as the king’s brother; he deceitfully marries the recently widowed queen, and takes the throne. Many of the characters in the story are viewed as being honest and innocent characters, but in reality  they are evil in their actions as well as in their speeches. There are really four dishonest characters that could be the perfect examples for the theme of appearance vs. reality, and they are Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the newly crowned king Claudius. When these characters are first introduced in this story, they tend to come across as being truthful and honorable, but in reality they have many evil sides that show when they play their deceitful roles against Hamlet as well as against the people of Denmark. Their innocent appearances become difficult obstacles for Hamlet as he struggles and trying to find the truth behind his father’s death, for he is unsure of whom he can trust. This is a question that Hamlet has on his mind throughout the play. The events and characters within the play appear to be true and honest but in reality they are infested with evil. Many of the characters within the play hide behind a mask of falseness. From behind this mask they give the impression of a person, who is sincere and genuine, in reality they are plagued with lies and malice. There appearance will make it very difficult for Hamlet to uncover the truth because the characters conceal their real intentions with a mask. Polonius, the king’s royal assistant has a preoccupation with appearance; he always wants to keep up the appearance of a loving and a caring person. Polonius appears like a man who loves and cares about his son, Laertes. He really does an excellent job trying to make others believe that he is a loving father who is only interested in helping his son to grow up in the right way and become prosperous in life. His speeches can be described as sounding the way the speeches of a politician would. They are blunt, well written, and directly to the point, but are never meant to be sincere. He gives his son Laertes his blessing to go away, but he sends a spy to follow him and keep an eye on him. Although he appears to be a confident father he does not trust his son to go away on his own. Furthermore, Polonius adds to the theme of appearance versus reality by ordering Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet. He lies to her by telling her that Hamlet does not love her, he only lusts for her. Two of Hamlet’s closest friends from his childhood Rosencrantz and Guildenstern can as well be viewed as liars who become very  deceitful to Hamlet. After being asked by the king to find out what is bothering Hamlet, the two go to Hamlet pretending to see him as a friend, but are in reality just obeying the king’s orders. When they ask what is troubling Hamlet, they become insincere, and almost sound as though they had rehearsed what it was they were going to say. Hamlet noticed that the boys were told to do this and states, â€Å"A dream itself is but a shadow† (Hamlet 73). Hamlet then realized that his own friend were not in reality any friends at all. The king again sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to apologize for their behavior but Hamlet noticed their intentions yet again and simply insulted them. Hamlet’s supposed friends greatly add to the theme of appearance vs . reality. The last character is Claudius, the brother of the deceased king, who was crowned the new king of Denmark is viewed as an honest and honorable man. As seen in a speech given by Claudius in the presence of the council in Act One Scene Two, he demonstrates his excellent public speaking skills: â€Å"Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe† (Hamlet 33). Although Claudius seems sincere in his words, he cares so little about his brother’s death and only cares about himself. He is just living the life that once belonged to his brother as the king of Denmark and is extremely happy to be at the head of the thrown; something he had previously longed for. His speeches are given with respect for himself, his country and others. In Act One, you see that Hamlet directly insults Claudius, but the king continues to behave as if he is a loving and a caring uncle and step-father towards his nephew. In Machiavellian sense, all of these characters are using their appearances to their benefits, strategically they are using them to gain power or for their own benefits. In Niccolo Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† he suggests, â€Å"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few dare not oppose themselves to the opinion of the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them.† (Machiavelli, 58) In short, he says that the strongest leaders are the ones who are able to carefully balance appearance to his benefits. According to Machiavelli’s statement, Claudius starts off as an ideal Machiavellian  prince. At the beginning of the play, Claudius appears to have complete control over Elsinore, as evidenced by his imposing speech to the court; â€Å"Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, The imperial jointress to this warlike state, Have we (as it were a defeated joy, With an auspicious and a dropping eye, With mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage, in equal scale weighing delight and dole) Taken to wife†¦(1.2: 8-14) In this scene, Claudius, who has only recently taken the throne after the death of his brother, addresses some pressing issues. Seeking to create a strong early impression, Claudius uses his words very carefully. Furthermore with the words â€Å"imperial jointress to this warlike state† he justifies the potentially controversial union by making it appear like a benefit to the entire kingdom. The phrases which are chosen by Claudius, â€Å"mirth in funeral† and â€Å"dirge in marriage† recall Machiavelli’s words, for Claudius demonstrating his ability to express whatever emotions make him look wise and just, showing that he is in command of Denmark, despite his limited experience as a king. Consequently, as the play develops, Claudius loses his immovable command and composure, largely due to his concern over the potential threat posed by his stepson, Hamlet. According to Machiavelli there are ways of becoming a prince. Claudius becomes a king by killing his own brother, in Machiavellian sense; he is â€Å"a man who becomes a prince by some criminal and nefarious method†. (Machiavelli, 28) Claudius’ method is presented in Machiavelli’s book and from his perspective it is not a wrong method. However, one can acquire â€Å"prince power by this way but not glory†. (Machiavelli, 29) Therefore, Claudius has taken the throne but he was not glorious and has not glory. Actually, he is not virtuous. At the end of the play we see the gradual fall of Claudius, although he has a confident appearance and succeeds in becoming a strong leader, it is unable to heal the deep wounds in his soul. It is impossible not to feel sorry for him as he struggles with the task of balancing his outward appearance with his interior thought. Therefore, Shakespeare shows his inner conflict and dilemmas. Machiavelli seems to be unaware of these facts, feeling of regret and repentance. Claudius above every other character in the play shows how the theme of reality versus appearance is relevant to the great play written by Williams  Shakespeare, known as â€Å"Hamlet†.

IKEA - Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IKEA - - Essay Example s its distinctive Swedish identity in that all stores are painted in the Swedish national colors of yellow and blue, with small food stores inside where Swedish food can be purchased. Supervised play areas and baby care rooms make it an attractive store for families to visit. IKEA has an economic impact on the economy of every host country in which it opens its stores, because it provides a large number of jobs. It also operates in a socially responsible manner. Its policy towards its suppliers and its focus on the development of low cost products through excellent integration of its design, supplier network, production and customer service has contributed to its economic success, making Kamprad the richest man in the world. IKEA came into being in 1943, when its founder Ingvar Kamprad was 17 years old and received a gift from his father for performing well in his studies. The young Kamprad used this gift to found a business and named it IKEA using his initials, Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd – the names of the farm and the village where he grew up (Solomon, 1991). The business started off by selling matches, because Ingvar discovered that he could buy matches in bulk from Stockholm and sell them individually at a low price to customers while still making a profit. He also sold a variety of miscellaneous items such as pens, watches, jewellery and other products which he was able to procure and sell at a reduced price. He made these sales initially to neighbors by moving around on his bicycle. Later, he advertised in local papers and brought his products to the attention of his customers through a mail order catalog. For distribution of his products throughout the country, he used the county milk van to d eliver the products to the nearby train station.(www.ikea.com). Kamprad introduced furniture into his line of products in 1947. The furniture was manufactured by local manufacturers, using the wood growing close to Kamprad’s home, and the product sold well. Since he

Renewable energy (about Hydropower) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Renewable energy (about Hydropower) - Essay Example The development of hydropower turbines and dams took place in the late 19th century and hydropower became a major source of electricity by the start of the industrial revolution [1]. Hydropower has not been developed in the Middle East mainly because of the scarcity of water resources in most of the countries in this region of the world. However countries like Iraq, Syria and Egypt have constructed hydropower projects on the few rivers which flow through the country. The cheap and easy availability of fossil fuels is also a major cause of the lack of development of the hydropower sector in the region. The changing climatic conditions have also affected the development of hydropower in the Middle East because the declining quantity of water in the rivers consequently the contribution of hydropower to the overall electricity generation is on the declining trend. Hydropower contributed 70% to the generated electricity of Egypt in 1970 but the percentage have fallen to less than 10% in t he recent years, same is the case with other Middle Eastern countries. The research and publication in hydropower is being carried out by various research institutes, most notable of which are China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Institute of Energy Research of US, United Nations Development Program and the World Bank [2]. The most noteworthy advantage of hydropower is the rapid payback and the low cost involved in generation. The initial costs are high and the setup time is relatively long for the dams and connected power plants which can be designed to give high power generation capacities. Once built, the dam can produce huge amount of electrical power with virtually no running costs. The only costs involved are the operation and maintenance expenses of the power plant and civil infrastructure. The running costs range between five to ten percent of the cost of generated power. Other renewable energy resources such as solar and wind require huge initial inve stment and greater running costs for the same amount of power generated by hydroelectric power plants. A remarkable example in this regard is the hydroelectric power generation in China which has grown a great degree in the recent years supporting the ever increasing demands of the developing industry. The cheap electricity produced through hydroelectric plants generates further resources for the installation of new power plants. Since the economic and industrial growth of a country is directly dependent on its energy production, hydropower can have a large impact on economic and industrial growth [3]. Another important advantage which these hydroelectric power plants provide is the flexibility of operation. The power plants normally have a starting time of five to ten minutes compared to more than twenty four hours for a fossil fuel fired power plant. The hydroelectric power plants and related dam structure are mostly designed to comprise of multiple small generating units rather t han one large unit. This provides the freedom to vary the generation according to the load while the extra energy (possessed by the flowing water of the river) can be stored in the water storage. Moreover, the dam is provided with a spill way which can be used to allow extra water to bypass the power plant and flow back to the river. Hydroelectric power plants have minimum environmental impact when in use. The environmental impact on the ecology of an area can be significant and need thorough analysis and feasibility assessment.