A report in the context of the audit of public companies listed on the Essay

A report in the context of the audit of public companies listed on the London Stock Exchange regarding the two issues that the committee decided against implementing - Essay Example auditor’s bringing a fresh perspective and greater skeptism that would be lacking in the long-standing auditor-client relationship, the opponents maintain that because the auditor’s lack of familiarity with the industry and client, audit quality would suffer under such a regime (AICPA 1992). In late 2001, the Enron debacle followed by its high-profile collapse now focuses attention on the profession’s effectiveness in protecting the interests of the public. Thus, Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 mandated the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a research on the potential effects of mandatory audit rotation as required by law. The study concluded that mandatory audit rotation would not necessarily strengthen auditor independence (G.A.O. 2003). The arguments for and against mandatory audit firm rotation contend whether the auditing firm’s long-term client-customer relationship and the profitable desire to maintain the client adversely affects the public accounting firm’s independence during the auditing of a company’s financial statements. Furthermore, reservations about the likely effects of the audit firm rotation include the fear of losing company-specific information gathered by an audit firm over years of experience as an auditor, and whether the intended benefits are likely to outweigh the costs. Additionally, the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (as applied in the United States) has raised question as to its effectiveness of reforming the intended benefits of mandatory audit firm rotation. Furthermore, research studies and other publications specifically show that the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory audit firm rotation touch on auditor independence, audit quality, and increased costs. Interference with auditor independence or audit quality can result in failure and adversely affect the parties relying on the fair representation of the financial statements in conformity with established accounting standards. Proponents of audit

Slum and Squatters Resettlement in ASEAN Countries

Slum and Squatters Resettlement in ASEAN Countries Introduction The urban population in the world is expanding in generally with Asia being estimated to hold 60% of the increase in world’s urban population over the next three decades. Out of 23 cities with populations of more than 10 million people, nine cities are in Asia and the number is projected to increase in the future (Giok and Kai, 2007). Although urbanization is an indicator of economic development portrayed by population growth in urban areas, concurrently poverty is also urbanizing. Countries such as the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are seeing rapid urbanization also because of the push from the rural areas where the job opportunities are driving migrants to cities. The concentration of economic development in a few cities and particularly the largest implies a population explosion in very short periods of time that in turn severely tests the coping capacity of city governments. One of the most visible outcomes of the rapid urbanization has thus been the persistence and formation of slums housing. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT, 2006) defines a slum household as a group of individuals living under the same roof in an urban area who lack one or more of the following: Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions. Sufficient living space which means not more than three people sharing the same room. Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price. Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people. Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions. Issue at Stake One billion people or one third of the world’s population is estimated to be living in either slum or squatter settlements. The largest proportion of population living in slums in the world is in the Asian region, where urbanization speeds at fastest rate. In 2001, Asia had 554 million slum dwellers, where 28% of the slum and squatter settlement population existed in Southeast Asia (UN-HABITAT, 2001). Slum and squatter settlements have formed mainly because of the inability of city governments to plan and provide affordable housing for the low-income segments of the urban population. Therefore, squatter and slum housing is the housing solution for this low-income urban population. In the mega urban regions or metropolitan areas, part of the problem would lie in the coordination among different authorities that are in charge of economic development, urban planning, and land allocation. Such coordination issues also exist between the city and national governments (Giok and Kai, 2007). For the scale and speed of urbanization that has been taking place in developing countries of Asia, most municipal governments are unequipped physically, fiscally, politically, and administratively to tackle the problems of providing the basic infrastructure services to their people. In a situation of limited resource allocation, the urban poor are frequently badly placed to compete for essential services. In Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, neither the government nor the private developers are able to provide the housing needed for 50,000 migrants per year. An additional 20,000 young urban households are formed annually who enter the real estate market. The resulting growth in squatter and slum settlements now comprises 15% of housing in the city (Marr, 2005). The slum housing in the city has created various negative consequences, which need immediate and appropriate solutions that are beneficial to all parties. Slum and Squatters Resettlement in ASEAN Countries Thailand The Urban Community Development Office (UCDO) was set up by the government of Thailand in 1992 to address urban poverty. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Thailand’s economic success had positive impact to the poor communities. Most of these poor people lived in house where the housing conditions had deteriorated. In addition, as the land prices and demand for central city sites increased, their settlements were also at the risk of being evicted. There was also recognition of the need to develop more participatory models of support for low income groups, and of the possibilities of doing so through supporting community-based savings and credit groups. Various local and international NGOs working in Thailand had also shown the possibilities for improving housing by working with low-income communities and networks of communities. UCDO was provided with a US$ 50 million as capital base where they provided loans, small grants and technical support to organized communities so that they could carry out activities related to housing, land acquisition and generating income. UCDO managed to developed links with a wide range of community organizations, saving groups, NGOs and government organizations. In 2000, UCDO was integrated with the Rural Development Fund to the Community Organisations Development Institute (CODI). At the time 950 community saving groups had been established and supported in 53 Thailand’s provinces where they provided housing loans and technical support to 47 housing projects involving 6400 households, grants for small improvements in infrastructure and living conditions had been provided in 796 communities, benefiting 68 208 families and more than 100 community networks had been set up. The value of loans provided at that time was more than 1 billion baht (around US$ 25 million) where half of the loans had been fully repaid. It was also estimated that assets of some 2 billion baht had been generated by the projects. The special fund to help savings groups facing financial difficulties had helped many communities and community networks to manage their debts and continue their development activities. CODI continued to support the UCDO programmes until UCDO had been located within the National Housing Authority thus making CODI’s separate legal standing as an independent public organization. This provided it with greater possibilities (for instance, being able to apply to the annual government budget for funds), greater flexibility, wider linkages and new possibilities for supporting collaboration between urban and rural groups. The main objective on supporting community-managed savings and loan groups and community networks remains, but it now covers 30 000 rural community organizations as well as the urban community organizations, and many community networks that CODI supports include both rural and urban community organizations. Similar to UCDO, CODI also has a board that includes representatives from government and from community organizations. In 2003, Baan Mankong (Secure Housing) Program run by CODI was set up to support processes designed and managed by low income households and their community organizations and networks. These communities and networks work with local governments, professionals, universities and NGOs in their city to survey all poor communities in order to plan an upgrading programme. The program aims to improve conditions for all these within three to four years. After the plans have been finalized, CODI channels the infrastructure subsidies and housing loans directly to the communities. These upgrading programmes build on the community managed programmes that CODI and its predecessor UCDO have supported since 1992, and on people’s capacity to manage their own needs collectively. They also build on what slum communities have already developed, recognizing the large investments that communities have already made in their homes. The Baan Mankong Program supports upgrading existing settlements whenever possible. As an example, if relocation is necessary, a site is sought close by to minimize the economic and social costs to households. The Baan Mankong Program has set a target of improving housing, living and tenure security for 300 000 households in 2000 poor communities in 200 Thai cities within five years. This represents at least half the urban poor communities in Thailand. According to Boonyabancha (2005), the Baan Mankong Program differs from conventional approaches based on following: Urban poor community organizations and their networks are the key actors where they control the funding and the management. They also undertake most of the building which makes funding go much further and brings in their own contributions. It is demand driven by communities rather than supply driven as it supports communities who are ready to implement improvement projects and allows a great variety of responses, designed to each community’s needs, priorities and possibilities. The programme does not specify physical outputs but provides flexible finance to allow community organizations and local partnerships to plan, implement and manage directly. Government agencies are no longer the planners, implementers and construction managers delivering to beneficiaries. It promotes more than physical upgrading. As communities design and manage their own physical improvements, this helps stimulate deeper but less noticeable changes in social structures, managerial systems and confidence among poor communities. It also changes their relationships with local government and other key actors. It helps trigger acceptance of low income communities as legitimate parts of the city and as partners in the city’s larger development process. It works to develop urban poor communities as an integrated part of the city. People plan their upgrading within the city’s development framework, so their local housing development plan is integrated within city planning and city development strategies. Secure tenure is negotiated in each instance locally and this could be through a variety of means such as cooperative land purchase, long term lease contracts, land swaps or user rights. But in all cases, the emphasis is on communal, rather than individual tenure. Its focus is city wide development with a commitment to reach all low income communities within a three to four year period, drawing on local resources. Johor Bahru, Malaysia The State Government of Johore has taken some managerial methods in order to handle the slum settlements in Johor Bahru. It includes giving land tenure, Temporary Occupation Licenses (TOLs), moving to low cost housing named Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) and enforcement of Land Act. Generally the Malaysian government had implemented two programs in order to eradicate the existence of slum housing. The first program introduced was the Zero Squatter Policy which aims to clear the slum and squatter settlements. The following program is the Public Housing Program where public housing was built for the slum communities. Both of these programs were also being implemented by the Johor state government. Land tenure is the common method being used by the Johore state government in whereby in this method the state government relocates the slum communities back at the land that they settled in the first place. It caused decrease in the value of the land because the state government had to change the status of the land from no man’s land to man’s land. However this act it is much better because the state government is able to reduce the amount of expenditure government have to spend in paying compensation if these slum communities were to relocate somewhere else. This method has been applied by the Johore state government in few slum settlements namely Kampung Seri Serdang, Kampung Sri Jaya Baru, Kampung Sentosa Dua, Kampung Sri Aman and Kampung Melayu Gelang Patah. The next method is TOL, whereby in this method the state government provided the slum communities with TOLs to avoid them being illegal residents of that area. The licenses were provided to permits the residents living there but in the future if the government decides to regain the land back, the residents won’t receive any compensation from the government. This method also saves costs in terms of providing compensation to the slum communities. This method was applied to several slum housing in Kampung Tawakkal, Kampung Paya Kenangan, Kampung Bunga Ros, Kampung Ulu Pandan and Kampung Lembah Murni. The Johore state government also relocated the slum communities to a low cost housing area known as Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR). In this method, the total cost and expenditure of developing the new housing area will be bear by the party who wishes to develop that slum settlements. Therefore, this method is cost consuming and has been implemented in Kampung Laut, Batu 10 Skudai and Kampung Lembah Jaya, Tebrau. The enforcement of the Land Act was also introduced by the Johore state government in order to handle the slum settlements. Section 425 of the National Land Code 1965 claimed that action must be taken towards the slum communities residing at the area especially foreigners. Mostly foreigners involved are from Indonesian, Myanmar, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, etc. The act of encroaching reserve land by a person is considered as legally wrong especially when it comes to foreigners that are most likely to be illegal immigrants. Therefore the enforcement of land law must be taken seriously in order to overcome this issue. Slum settlements that have been recognized as settlements of foreigners are Kampung Pertanian Masai, Kampung Pasir Dalam, Kampung Sungai Tiram and Kampung Sc Batu 2. Now let’s take a look at the Zero Squatter Policy. This policy was introduced by Ministry of Housing and Local Government (Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, KPKT) in 2005 to eradicate slum settlements in city and other areas involved as well. This program was launched nationally including in Sabah and Sarawak. Census at the slum housing was conducted in order to determine the exact number of slum residents that exists. Eradication was done after taking into consideration various aspects including implementation cost and the welfare of the slum communities. Last but not least, is the Public Housing program. This program was framed by Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Negara (MTEN) with the collaboration of KPKT to provide new settlements for slum communities all over the country. Among approaches being introduced are Program Perumahan Rakyat Bersepadu and Program Perumahan Rakyat Dasar Baru where houses for rental and sell are provided. All of these programs mentioned above are in parallel with the objective of zero squatter implementation to overcome the problem arises from slum settlements.

Supernatural in Shakespeare’s The Tempest And Marlowe’s The Tragical Hi

The Supernatural in Shakespeare’s The Tempest And Marlowe’s The Tragical History of D. Faustus The supernatural forces are at once alike and distinct in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and in Marlowe’s The Tragical History of D. Faustus. The supernatural is kind to Prospero and his daughter Miranda in The Tempest, while the devils in Dr Faustus eagerly wait for the day that Faustus would join them in Hell. In both plays, the supernatural provides recurrent waves of sounds and feelings, lending special atmospheric qualities to The Tempest and Dr Faustus. The supernatural serves as a reminder of the hierarchies that exist in both plays, and it also illuminates the human heart, revealing the characters’ thoughts and wishes. Often appearing visible to all, the supernatural forces in The Tempest and Dr Faustus sustain the plays by providing a distinct atmospheric backbone, by reminding the characters of the existing hierarchies, and by revealing the characters’ inner hearts. Soaked in the supernatural, Shakespeare’s The Tempest possesses an impenetrable veil of eeriness. It opens with the tempestuous roaring of thunder and lightning, setting the stage for panic and confusion amongst the mariners. The mariners scatter and hide, while Ferdinand’s hair stands on end. This wild and surreal atmosphere prepares the characters and the audience for future encounters with supernatural beings. When the spirit Ariel wakes Gonzalo and the others, Gonzalo says, â€Å"’Tis best we stand upon our guard, or that we quit this place. Let’s draw our weapons† (II.i.317-318). The mortals are on guard against the supernatural, and this suspenseful atmosphere often returns when Ariel and the other spirits approach these unknowing men. When Prospero remembers ... ...ory of D. Faustus are about the relationship of the two worlds. By creating an eerie and sometimes humourous atmosphere, the supernatural gives the plays points of interest. The existing hierarchies between mortal and immortal are not to be destroyed, and the supernatural beings in these two plays reinforce the rules. By revealing the characters’ hearts and minds, the supernatural drive the plot as well as the actions of the individual characters, so that without these beings, these two plays would grind to a standstill. WORKS CITED Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragical History of D. Faustus. In Renaissance Drama: An Anthology of Plays and Entertainments. Edited by A.F. Kinney. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 2002. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Greenblatt, Stephen. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., 1997. 3055-3107.

Paris Peace Conference

The 1900’s were a very eventful era with many new innovations and inventions, some deadly and some beneficial. A crucial event during this time period was the Paris Peace conference in 1919. The need for this conference was caused by World War I and the big three (Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd-George and Georges Clemencueau). The Paris Peace Conference had many outcomes such as the Treaty of Versailles, the formation of the League of Nations, L’ Organisation de la Paix (1921-27) and the Dawes plan. World War I commenced after the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne, Franz Ferdinand in Serbia.The Black Hand Gang were Bosnian terrorists who were behind the assassination. Their motive was to protest again the seizure of their own country by Austria-Hungary. After Franz Ferdinand and his wife had been killed Austria-Hungary announced war. The alliance system at the time was intricate between all of the European Nations. Russia was allies with Serbia and France an d Britain were allies with Russia so they declared war on Austria-Hungary and Germany who were allies. The empires overseas colonies then joined in the war. The technology in World War I was highly advanced during this time period.Many inventions such as the Fokker, U boat, tanks, personal weapons, grenades, gas and trenches created horrific violence and death for both sides. Trenches destroyed French land. Germany created the Fokker, an aircraft that was priceless and The U boat, which was a submarine, a very clever and sneaky innovation. Tanks provided more force on the ground. The effects of ‘modern war’ were physically and emotionally damaging to the men fighting for their country and their families at home. Since personal weapons and gas had been created there was no need to fight face to face with the opposite side.Men were made to feel like hardware, and small mechanism on the big scale of war, as though they were disposable. This was also mentally damaging. Arti st Otto Dix shows this, portraying men as half robot half men as though war had changed them forever, physically and emotionally. People wanted peace and serenity in their lives. After Germany surrender in November on the 11th, 1918 the Paris Peace Conference materialized. During the war the German government was running on the emperor system however they changed their government structure to a democracy system.Germany thought that this would minimise their punishment after signing the peace treaty however, they were very wrong. Twenty-one countries attended the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919. Germany was not invited to attend. The big Three, USA (President Woodrow Wilson), Britain (Prime Minister David Lloyd-George) and France (Premier Georges â€Å"Tiger† Clemenceau) were all major influences. They all wanted to protect and look out for their own countries and all wanted different outcomes of the Paris Peace Conference.Woodrow Wilson was the President of the USA dur ing the time of the Treaty Versailles. He thought that the punishments being laid upon Germany were too harsh and opted for a softer punishment. He incorporated his 14 point plan into the treaty and believed there should be â€Å"peace without victors or vanquished†. He wanted the end of old empires and arranged for new countries to be formed such as Poland, Czechoslovakia and Finland. He thought that if the treaty was not so harsh Germany would not start another war again in order for revenge.David Lloyd George was the Prime Minister of Britain during this time. Britain was never invaded by Germany but many British soldiers fought and died on the front line. Many British people wanted revenge so David supported harsh penalties but not to the same extent as France. He wanted to â€Å"squeeze Germany until their pips squeak† but privately wanted to be soft; he didn’t think harsh measures were fair. He wanted to ensure that France did not become too powerful in Eu rope and wanted the German economy to remain strong to balance the power of Europe.He was worried about Wilson’s 14 point plan for â€Å"self determination†, offering colonies the right to their own say in their future, he wanted to preserve their Empire. Georges Clemenceau or â€Å"tiger† as he was otherwise known, had been defeated by Germany in both WW1 and the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71. He wanted to ensure security from another invasion and partly wanted revenge for being humiliated and defeated. Much of WW1 had been fought on French soil, which led to huge damage to historic and important buildings and resources. France shared a Border with Germany so Georges wanted punishment to be harsh and make Germany weak.He wanted Germany to pay for all the destruction they had caused. He demanded harsh penalties for Germany so France would be protected. The consequences of the Paris Peace Conference were extensive and vast. It created treaties, alliances, groups and rules that otherwise would not of been formed if the Paris Peace Conference had not existed. The Treaty of Versailles was the first outcome of the Conference. This treaty affected Germany mainly however they were not allowed to negotiate the treaty with the big three, they we arguably forced into it.If Germany did not sign then war would resume. The treaty aimed to weaken Germany by reducing their Territory, reducing their military, weakening their economy and shaming them through a war guilt clause (article 231). Their military was reduced to 100 000 soldiers in the army and the navy and air force were terminated. Germany caused a lot of damage to France during war and was set to pay reparations. This also weakened their economy so that they could not afford to start another war. Their territory was reduced by 13. % and they lost all their overseas colonies Germany was furious at this treaty but they had no choice but to sign. The next day the newspaper headlines read; â€Å" vengeance German Nation! † The next consequence of the Paris Peace Conference was the Dawes plan. Germany was struggling to pay France and Britain the war reparations and without the money France and Britain could not pay the USA their war debts. So Dawes and politician created the Dawes plan, which, was a money go round plan. The USA would lend money to Germany to pay France and Britain reparations and then France and Britain could pay the USA.This was called ‘artificial prosperity’, because the peace or the prosperity relied on the US economy and when the stock market crashed in 1929 it sent the countries relying on the USA into deep economic depression. After the Paris Peace Conference the League of Nations was formed. This was a part of Wilson’s 14-point plan for peace. It was the creation of an international body that looked after itself and international issues. The proposal was a ‘league of nations’ that would reject war as a means of so lving disputes, instead relying on diplomacy and negotiation. The U. S government did not support their president and refused to join the league even though it was his idea. They believed in ‘isolationism’ and wanted nothing to do with the European issues. This caused problems because the USA was superpower. Germany and Russia were also not invited to join and they were communist. L’ organisation de la Paix was the French security measure. The French were not prepared to rest on ideals for their defence. They refused to disarm (an idea for the league of nations for peace) and set about building up a set of military alliances to surround Germany.The French were worried that if Germany became strong again that they would attack. They also built a physical barrier between themselves and Germany called the Maginot line, in 1927. By 1926 Germany was invited to join the League of Nations. The conference created at decade of peace through Europe. However, after the stoc k market had crashed (which resulted in the world entering depression) the political party the Nazis overtook Germany and showed their hatred toward the treaty of Versailles and The League of Nations which resulted in world war II.

Lee’s Function in East of Eden Essay

1. Introduction As Shimomura(1982) points out, Steinbeck’s non-teleological thinking and the Taoism, which was put forward by the ancient Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu, share a great deal of similarity, in that both of them view human beings from a detached and holistic standpoint. It is not clearly known how Steinbeck, who is certainly a product of his time and his American milieu, came to be acquainted with and interested in Lao Tzu’s philosophy, but in Journal of A Novel, he appreciates Lao Tzu so highly that he places Lao Tzu beside Plato, Buddha, Christ, Paul, and the Great Hebrew prophets. It might safely be said that there must have been a seedbed in his indigenous thought where a seed of Lao Tzu was sown, germinated, and at last bloomed into a beautiful and fragrant flower so attractive for the Oriental reader. Thus, the purpose of this paper is first to focus on Lee in East of Eden, then to make clear the relationship between non-teleology and the philosophy of Lao Tzu, and finally to show how closely Lao Tzu’s philosophy is related to the idea of timshel. 2. Lee as a servant and philosopher As is well known to his reader, Steinbeck creates three Chinese characters throughout his novels from the first, Cup of Gold, to the last, The Winter of Our Discontent. To list them, they are Lee Chong, who is an owner of a grocery store, a flip-flopping old Chinaman who is not identified by name in Cannery Row, and Lee, who appears in East of Eden. Though these Chinese characters may respectively perform significant functions in their own rights in their stories, the one who particularly warrants considerable attention among these characters is Lee, who is more active and more influential in determining the fates of the major characters in the novel. Moreover, it is noteworthy that Oriental philosophy, which is a deciding factor in the outcome of this novel, is conveyed to the reader through the mouth of this Chinese character, who is actually thought to be a spokesman of Steinbeck himself. Though Lee makes his first appearance in chapter 15 of East of Eden as a faithful servant to the family of Adam Trask, it is when he first meets Samuel Hamilton by chance in the later scene that he turns out to be something more than a mere servant and also begins to carry his own significance in the novel. This scene should acquire great importance, in that Lee first clarifies his general view of life as a spokesman of the author. Even in the first conversation he has with Samuel, Lee is instinctively aware that Samuel is a person whom he can trust. Just after exchanging a few words with him, Lee quits speaking in pidgin English, as if he cast away his protective shell into which he has secretly retired until then. And in the course of the conversation, he spontaneously confides to Samuel his idea on what it is like to be a servant: I don’t know where being a servant came into disrepute. It is a refuge of a philosopher, the food of the lazy, and, properly carried out, it is a position of power, even of love. I can’t understand why more intelligent people don’t take it as a career – learn to do it well and reap its benefits†¦. But a good servant, and I am an excellent one, can completely control his master, tell him what to think, how to act,†¦ Finally, in my circumstances I am unprotected. 1 This philosophical view on servantship which is uttered through the mouth of a Chinese character apparently reflects the author’s basic view toward life, for it is easy to imagine that Steinbeck’s manner of describing the predominance of servantship over the mastership oozes from the idea of relativity which he attained as the outcome of his favorite non-teleological thinking. The idea tells the reader that any standard, as far as it is built around the artificially contrived system of values, loses its significant validity when seen in the light of non-teleological standpoint. According to this view, a person in a socially reputed position of power cannot avoid the possibility of losing his power when seen through another different â€Å"peep-hole. † And it is possible that in fact a low and unrespected person may gain predominating influence upon the people who are ranked far above in the so-called social status. Furthermore, another interesting point in this relation lies in the passiveness of such a low position. A person in a low position is unprotected by himself, but by becoming a servant to another person in a higher position he begins to play a role in his own right and at last controls his master. This master-servant relationship uttered by Lee reveals that once he has gotten employment by his master, even a helpless person who has little social function by himself not only begins to fulfill his own function but also gains predominance over his master. Consequently, this means that in this relationship a master is no longer a master and a servant is also no longer a servant. Eventually in this work this relationship results in the fact that Lee actually controls Adam in every situation. 3. Lee as a spokesman of Lao Tzu’s philosophy Similarly in the Lao Tzu, a collection of wise-sayings which were written by a person named Lao Tzu about in the fourth century BC(Fukunaga, Hachiya, Takahashi), the same topsy-turveydom in the sense of values can be found in one of the eighty fragmentary writings. In chapter 78 it says: In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it. This is because there is nothing that can take its place. That the weak overcomes the strong, And the submissive overcomes the hard, Everyone in the world knows yet no one can put this knowledge into practice. Therefore the sage says, One who takes on himself the humiliation of the state Is called a ruler worthy of offering sacrifices to the gods of earth and millets;†¦ Straightforward words Seems paradoxical. 2 In this passage quoted above, Lao Tzu explains the victory of the submissive and the weak over the hard and the strong, just in the same way that servantship finally achieves victory over mastership. Clearly enough, there is a great deal of similarity between Lee’s general attitude toward life and Lao Tzu’s precept of holding fast to the submissive. Needless to say, the common belief which underlies their paradoxical view stems from the idea that man-made values are nothing but relative, and this relativity is resulted from their attempt to rest their standpoint on a place which is as  free from human-centered arrangement as possible. There is no doubt about the idea that Steinbeck created Lee as a deciding factor of the outcome from this novel framed with a good and evil story, and it is not too much to say that Lee’s appearance reveals the author’s strong consciousness of the relativity between good and evil. This becomes clear when Lee encourages Adam by saying, â€Å"What your wife is doing is neither good nor bad†¦. There’s no springboard to philanthropy like a bad conscience. †3 Additionally, there is another similarity between them also in their manners of describing such relativity. Both Steinbeck and Lao Tzu clarify the interdependence between the weak and the strong by emphasizing the predominance of the former over the latter. This is because they think that the weak is more closely related to the natural processes of the universe than the strong is. That is to say, in the philosophy of Lao Tzu there is nothing like water that follows the way that the tao is and on the other hand, according to Steinbeck’s non-teleological thinking, Lee occupies an ideal position in life. Based on the assumption that the Lee’s view of life involves such relativity in itself as a main factor, it is quite convincing that the word â€Å"timshel,† which means â€Å"thou mayest† in English, is introduced through the mouth of Lee in the novel. Probably one of the most impressive scenes in the novel is where Lee, Samuel, and Adam meet together to decide on names for the twins. Located almost in the center of this long novel, this naming scene actually shows the reader a certain turning point from which East of Eden meanders between good and evil all the way to the final scene. In this scene Samuel reads a long passage from the Old Testament. This passage includes the Cain-Abel story, and they eagerly talk about the views of the original sin which Cain committed by killing Abel. Lee is so strongly struck by this story that he feels that â€Å"it is a chart of our souls. † Though he never refers to them on this scene, deep in his mind remains the Lord’s word to Cain after rejecting his sacrifice: â€Å"And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. † This naming scene, where Lee is exposed to the Cain-Abel story, effectively leads to the scene in chapter 24 where he puts a new interpretation on words of the above passage. 4. â€Å"Timshel† interpreted from the Oriental viewpoint Chapter 24 in East of Eden warrants the most careful attention: first because it develops the motif of the Cain-Abel story discussed in the previous scene, and also because it crucially affects the direction of this work. This chapter reveals that Lee has given his thought to the story for almost ten years since his serious discussion he had with Adam and Samuel. A certain part of the Lord’s words to Cain has bothered this Chinese for such a long period. It is â€Å"thou shalt over him. † In the course of these years he went to the head quarters of his family association and asked for Chinese scholars to take on the study of Hebrew, in order to find the more appropriate reading of the part. And finally in this scene he excitedly explains the importance of his finding in the presence of Samuel: Lee’s hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. â€Å"Don’t you see? † he cried. â€Å"The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou Shalt’, meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word the timshel – ‘Thou mayest’ – that gives a choice. It might be the most important word. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’, – it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not. ’ Don’t you see? †4. The above-quoted revelation made by Lee vividly reflects his idea of relativity between good and evil. To begin with, Lee, who has been bothered long by â€Å"Thou shalt,† reaches the conclusion that it never lightens the burden imposed on the shoulders of a man who suffers sense of sin. The chief reason why Lee turns his back to â€Å"Thou shalt† lies in the assumption that eventually it is not completely free from a human-centered viewpoint. When the Lord says, â€Å"Thou shalt† to Cain, the most fundamental idea that strongly supports the words on the back is that of love. But the love, though it is thought to be more universal and crucially different than human love in quality, is not entirely free from man’s viewpoint as far as the Lord in Christianity is a personified god. Basically such love, like one side of a coin, is inevitably sustained by hatred on the other side. Therefore, it follows that even when â€Å"thou shalt† is thrown to man through the mouth of Lord, his conduct has been already judged evil, more or less, by the artificially contrived standard of value which unavoidably lacks in the idea of relativity. When seen from another different angle, such conduct may appear to be good, because there might be good in it. After all, â€Å"thou shalt† works the salvation of man only in the teleological manner. On the other hand, Lee’s new interpretation shows an utter indifference of the Lord to human conduct. It does not definitely order man to overcome evil nor involve any promise in it. Actually such characteristic of his interpretation may perhaps plunge man into desperation because superficially it seems to lack love and intention to guide him to emancipation from the sin that he has committed. But Lee thinks that it is such an indifferent attitude that leads him to real salvation of his soul. â€Å"Timshel,† which is evidently a product of Lee’s assiduous study of the Cain-Abel story, is based on the idea of relativity just as are non-teleological thinking and Lao Tzu’s philosophy. This is clearly exemplified by the fact that â€Å"thou mayest† is always supported by the opposite prerequisite, â€Å"thou mayest not. † In other words it means that there is neither good nor evil in every human conduct, and at the same time, what is more important, it also means that there is both good and evil involved in it. â€Å"Thou mayest† only allows man to say, â€Å"This is relatively good and that is relatively evil. † In this way Lee, as a Steinbeck’s spokesman, ‘non-teleologically’ thinks that â€Å"timshel† unites good and evil into one body. Steinbeck’s notion of good and evil shown in East of Eden begins with the idea that both of them fundamentally derive from the same state, and, no doubt, it is a product of his favorite non-teleological thinking. He never believes in a logical theory such as laws of the excluded middle where good and evil are orderly and clearly distinguished from each other. He usually places his main viewpoint in a chaotic place where there is neither good nor evil, and applies such a viewpoint to human conducts, with the ultimate result that an evil person should be saved in the same way a good person is saved. Though the optimistic attitude of his indigenous thinking has been repeatedly attacked for its lack of serious consideration toward evil, Steinbeck thinks that good and evil are relative, and, as a result, evil is nothing but a negative state which is lacking in good; it is more appropriate to say that it is merely a paradoxical state which is devoid of a strong consciousness of good. When employed as the framework of East of Eden, his non-teleological idea of good and evil crystallizes into the new interpretation of the Cain-Abel story, and the word â€Å"timshel,† on one hand, thoroughly awakens Adam, an allegorical figure of Abel, from his vain dream to sober reality, and, on the other hand, it emancipates Caleb, an allegorical figure of Cain, from the thralldom of sin. This manner of treating good and evil, needless to say, has great similarity to the philosophy of Lao Tzu, who writes â€Å"the good man is the teacher that the bad learns from; And the bad man is the material the good works on. †5 As Steinbeck views the world from the detached standpoint of â€Å"the infinite whole,† so Lao Tzu has created the notion of the tao to eradicate a human-centered view of the world out of his philosophy. This attempt has brought about the same result as Steinbeck has achieved. That is to say, they have both reached the same conception of man’s true place in the universe, and his relation to the world about him, which enables both of them to place an emphasis on the relation of individuals to the whole and treat individuals for their own sake. Such treatment of individuals is summarized by saying that â€Å"everything is an index of everything else†6 and that â€Å"The heavy is the root of the light. †7 Finally, the quintessence of Steinbeck as a novelist undoubtedly lies in the employment of non-teleological thinking as the frameworks of his novels. The adoption of this method does not allow him to achieve invariable success in his literary works, but, at least, it can be said that it enables him to view human conduct from the broadest and highest standpoint possible, which Lao Tzu paradoxically describes by adopting negative terms such as â€Å"Nothing† and â€Å"The Nameless. † Notes 1. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 190. (Penguin Books, 1976), All citations from Steinbeck are from Penguin editions and will be noted by page numbers following the citations. 2. D. C. Lau, Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching, p. 140. (Penguin Books, 1963), All citations from Steinbeck are from Penguin editions and will be noted by page numbers following the citations. 3. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 434 4. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 349 5. D. C. Lau, Tao Te Ching, p. 84. 6. John Steinbeck, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, p. 259 7. D. C. Lau, Tao Te Ching, p. 83 . Works Cited Fukunaga, Mituji. Roshi (On Lao Tzu ), Tokyo: Asahishinbun-sha, 1968 Hachiya, Kunio. Ro-So wo yomu (A Study of Lao Tzu and Zhuang Tzu). Tokyo: Kodansha, 1987. John Steinbeck. The Log from the â€Å"Sea of Cortez†, Penguin Books. 1976 ————-. East of Eden, NewYork: Penguin Books. 1976 Lau, D. C. , trans. Lao Tzu :Tao Te Ching,New York: Penguin Books, 1963. Shimomura, Noboru. A Study of John Steinbeck: Mysticism in His Novel . Tokyo: The Hokuseido Press, 1982. Takahashi, Susumu. Roshi (On Lao Tzu ), Tokyo: Shimizu-shoin, 1970.

Essay on GHTH 100 Study guide

Essay on GHTH 100 Study guide Essay on GHTH 100 Study guide GHTH 100 Study guide What are the wellness dimensions? Emotional Wellness - Trust, self-confidence, optimism, satisfying relationships, and self-esteem are some of the qualities of emotional wellness. Emotional wellness is a dynamic and involves the ups and downs of living. No one can achieve an emotional "high" all the time. Emotional wellness fluctuates with your intellectual, physical, spiritual, social, and interpersonal health. Intellectual Wellness - Those who enjoy intellectual wellness constantly challenge their minds. An active mind is essential to wellness because it detects problems, finds solutions, and directs behavior. Throughout their lifetimes people who enjoy intellectual wellness never stop learning. Interpersonal Wellness - Satisfying and supportive relationships are important to physical and emotional wellness. Learning good communication skills, developing the capacity for intimacy, and cultivating a supportive network are all important to interpersonal (or social) wellness. It requires participating in and contributing to your community and society. Spiritual Wellness - To enjoy spiritual wellness is to possess a set of guiding beliefs, principles, or values that give meaning and purpose to your life, especially in difficult times. The spiritually well person focuses on the positive aspects of life and finds spirituality to be an antidote for negative feelings such as cynicism, anger, and pessimism. Organized religions help many people develop spiritual health. Religion, however, is not the only source or form of spiritual wellness. Many people find meaning and purpose in their lives on their own - through nature, art meditation, or good works. Environmental wellness - is

An Introduction to Hellenistic Greece

An Introduction to Hellenistic Greece The era of Hellenistic Greece was the period when Greece language and culture spread throughout the Mediterranean world. The third era of ancient Greek history was the Hellenistic Age when the Greek language and culture spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Typically, historians start the Hellenistic Age with the death of Alexander, whose empire spread from India to Africa, in 323 B.C. It follows the Classical Age and precedes the incorporation of the Greek empire within the Roman empire in 146 B.C. (31 B.C. or the Battle of Actium for the Egyptian territory). The Hellenistic settlements may be divided into five regions, according to and quoted from The Hellenistic Settlements in the East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India, by Getzel M. Cohen: Greece, Macedonia, the Islands, and Asia Minor;Asia Minor west of the Tauros Mountains;Cilicia beyond the Tauros Mountains, Syria, and Phoenicia;Egypt;the regions beyond the Euphrates, i.e., Mesopotamia, the Iranian plateau, and central Asia. Aftermath of the Death of Alexander the Great A series of wars marked the period immediately after Alexander’s death in 323 B.C., including the Lamian Wars and the first and second Diadochi Wars, wherein Alexander’s followers sued for his throne. Eventually, the empire was divided into three parts: Macedonia and Greece (ruled by Antigonus, founder of the Antigonid dynasty), the Near East (ruled by Seleucus, founder of the Seleucid dynasty), and Egypt, where the general Ptolemy started the Ptolemid dynasty. The early Hellenistic Age also saw enduring achievements in the arts and learning, however. The philosophers Xeno and Epicurus founded their philosophical schools, and stoicism and Epicureanism are still with us today. In Athens, the mathematician Euclid began his school and became the founder of modern geometry. Third Century B.C. The empire was wealthy thanks to the conquered Persians. With this wealth, building and other cultural programs were established in each region. The most famous of these was doubtless the Library of Alexandria, founded by Ptolemy I Soter in Egypt, charged with housing all of the world’s knowledge. The library flourished under the Ptolemaic dynasty and withstood several disasters until it was ultimately destroyed in the second century A.D. Another triumphalist building effort was the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The 98-foot tall statue commemorated the victory of the island of Rhodes against the predations of Antigonus I Monopthalmus. But internecine conflict continued, notably through the Pyrrhic War between Rome and Epirus, the invasion of Thrace by Celtic peoples, and the dawn of Roman prominence in the region. Second Century B.C. The end of the Hellenistic Age was marked by greater conflict, as battles raged among the Seleucids and among the Macedonians. The political weakness of the empire made it an easy target in the ascent of Rome as a regional power; by 149 B.C., Greece itself was a province of the Roman Empire. This was followed in short order by the absorption of Corinth and Macedonia by Rome. By 31 B.C., with the victory at Actium and the collapse of Egypt, all of Alexander’s empire lay in Roman hands. Cultural Achievements of the Hellenistic Age While the culture of ancient Greece was disseminated East and West, the Greeks adopted elements of eastern culture and religion, especially Zoroastrianism and Mithraism. Attic Greek became the lingua franca. Impressive scientific innovations were made in Alexandria where the Greek Eratosthenes computed the circumference of the earth, Archimedes calculated pi, and Euclid compiled his geometry text. In philosophy, Zeno and Epicurus founded the moral philosophies of Stoicism and Epicureanism. In literature, New Comedy evolved, as did the pastoral idyll form of poetry associated with Theocritus, and the personal biography, which accompanied a movement in sculpture to represent people as they were rather than as ideals, although there were exceptions in Greek sculpture most notably the hideous depictions of Socrates, although even they may have been idealized, if negatively. Both Michael Grant and Moses Hadas discuss these artistic/biographical changes. See From Alexander to Cleopatra, by Michael Grant, and Hellenistic Literature, by Moses Hadas. Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Vol. 17, (1963), pp. 21-35. Source Cohen, Getzel M. The Hellenistic Settlements in the East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India. Hellenistic Culture and Society Book 54, 1 Edition, Kindle Edition, University of California Press, June 2, 2013.