Asian Americans As Model Minorities Essay Research free essay sample

Asiatic Americans As Model Minorities Essay, Research Paper Asiatic Americans as Model Minorities For 20 old ages, Asiatic Americans have been portrayed by the imperativeness and the media as a successful minority. Asiatic Americans are believed to profit from amazing accomplishments in instruction, lifting occupational positions, increasing income, and are problem-fee in mental wellness and offense. The thought of Asiatic Americans as a theoretical account minority has become the cardinal subject in media portraiture of Asiatic Americans since the in-between sixtiess. The term theoretical account minority is given to a minority group that exhibits in-between category features, and attains some step of success on its ain without particular plans or public assistance. Asiatic Americans are seen as a theoretical account minority because even though they have faced bias and favoritism by other racial groups, they have succeeded socially, economically, and educationally without fall backing to political or violent dissensions with the bulk race. We will write a custom essay sample on Asian Americans As Model Minorities Essay Research or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The? success? of the minority is offered as cogent evidence that the American dream of equal chance is capable to those who conform and who are willing to work hard. Therefore, the term theoretical account minority truly is a agency ( 1 ) to command minority groups in society, ( 2 ) to formalize and reenforce the values of the white bulk, and ( 3 ) to inform other minority groups that they excessively could accomplish success if they conform to the values and norms of the in-between category. Statisticss that support this theoretical account minority theory can be found in many countries, the first being instruction. Fifty per centum of Asiatic Americans 25 and older keep a unmarried man? s grade compared to 29 per centum of the white population. Many surveies have used standardised trials and school records, such as SAT, GPA, and other steps to compare the academic public presentation of Asiatic American pupils with non-Asian American pupils. Several surveies have indicated that the outstanding academic public presentation of Asiatic pupils might be attributed to their cultural and household values. Another country of theoretical account minority success is found in the professional work force. Asiatic Americans as a group work in the same topographic point of employment as Whites. This alone suggests that they have succeeded. A high per centum of Asians are found at the top of professional and managerial places. This success in the work force has besides lead Asians to keep one of the highest income figures per household by race. On the other manus, the theoretical account minority label is besides seen as a myth. This label suggests that Asiatic Americans conform to the norms of society, do good in school and callings, are hardworking and self-sufficing. It follows that Asiatic Americans are a theoretical account for all groups, particularly other minority groups. However, a closer expression uncovers serious jobs for if the theoretical account minority label accurately describes Asiatic success, so they should compare favourably to Whites on indexs of success. The myth of the theoretical account minority shows up in faculty members and industry. For illustration Asiatics are typically excluded from executive standings in public and private countries. In portion, this is due to a prejudiced position that they are either content or they are non suited for executive places despite all their instruction and abilities. Incomes of Asiatic Americans are besides non what they seem. Asians tend to populate in drawn- out households, hence more members of the family that work contributes to the perceived high-income position. The term theoretical account minority is at best and uncomplete image of the Asian-American experience in the United States. Yet this perceptual experience continues, in malice of the fact that Asians are besides discriminated against and have non achieved equality with Whites. Delucchi, Michael. ? The Model Minority Myth and Perceptions of Asian-Americans as Victims of Racial Harrassment. ? College Student Journal 30 ( 3 ) ( 1996 ) : 411-15. Schaeffer, Richard. Racial and Ethnic Groups. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc. , 2000. James, Jason. ? Minorities in America. ? 8 Jan. 1998

Taxation Law And Fringe Benefit Tax Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Taxation Law And Fringe Benefit Tax. Answer: Issue The central issue in the present case is to offer an advice to employee Charlie and employer Shine Homes Pty Ltd (Shiny Homes) for the fringe benefits consequences for the given events for the income year 2017. Law Fringe benefits are the non- cashable benefits (for personal use) which are extended on the part of the employer to their employee during their employment with the company. These types of benefits result fringe benefit tax liability on the employer. The various fringe benefits are highlighted in the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986 (Cth) FBTAA86. The various relevant fringe benefits and their respective FBT computation is discussed below. Car Fringe Benefit When an employer has provided car to the employee for his/her own personal usage, then it is termed as car fringe benefit. Tax Ruling TR 96/26 indicates the various aspects related to the Car Fringe Benefit and the computation of the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) liability on the part of employer (CCH, 2013). The necessary steps related to the computation of fringe benefit tax liability are highlighted below. Total duration of utilization of private use of car in the assessment year It is essential to find the actual date on which the car is available for the personal usage of employee. According to section 7 of FBTAA86, the private usage of car is assumed in any of the following two circumstances (Woellner, 2014). Actual car use for personal work by the employee The date on which the car has been offered to employee for personal utilization. In this case, the date on which car is offered would be taken into consideration irrespective of the fact that whether the employee has started using car for personal purposes or not. Additionally, there are certain implicit situations which also hint towards private usage. For instance, the parking of the car owned by the employer at the employees residence garage on aa regular basis automatically implies that the said employee has the authorization for personal use of car irrespective of an actual permission being extended. As per Section 7, FBTAA, the assumption of car being available for use in personal purposes can also be made when the residence is used as office (Gilders et. al., 2016). Also, on account of previous rulings, the use of car provided by the employer by employee for commutation between home and work amount to personal use of car which leads to FBT liability on employer (CCH, 2013). Also, it is crucial to highlight the deductions in private usage. The private usage availability is hampered only when the car is in the workshop to undergo serious repairs which are typically caused when there is some accident leading to vehicle being damaged badly. It is noteworthy that regular services along with trivial maintenance issues do not provide any deduction in private use (Sadiq et. al., 2016). Determination of the taxable amount of FBT related to extension of car fringe benefit There are two methods which the employer may use in order to determine the taxable fringe benefit. These are outlined below. Statutory Formula Method This method involves determination of taxable value on the basis of the statutory rate multiplied with the cars base value as highlighted in section 9, FBTAA. The complete formula is as indicated below (Deutsch et. al., 2016). Car Fringe Benefit Taxable Value = (Base value of car * Applicable statutory percentage *(Days of private purpose/365)) Employee Contribution The discussion about the various inputs mentioned in the above formula is carried out below. The car base value is often assumed to be price at which the car is bought. However, there are certain other costs which are included such as accessories cost which are not related to business, delivery charger paid to the dealer and GST applicable on the same. Further, according to Section 9 FBTAA, the expense on registration and stamp duty is not included in the base value. Although on account of general wear and tear the value of the car diminishes but instead of annual depreciation, a one third base value reduction is possible to claim after four years have elapsed with no depreciation charged (Sadiq et. al., 2016). Before May, 2011, the statutory percentage was determined taking into consideration the distances travelled in the consideration year. However, post May 11, 2011, the statutory percentage is independent of the distance travelled and instead levied at a flat rate of 90% in accordance with section 9, FBTAA (Barkoczy, 2017). The private usage days have already been discussed in the previous section but computation of these is done between April 1 and March 31 as FBT year is separate from tax year. Also, these days are then divided by 365 to estimate the yearly duration of private car use (CCH, 2013). It may so happen that certain operating costs related to fuel, repair may be paid by the employee and in such cases a deduction needs to be made for the same as per Section 9, FBTAA (Gilders et. al., 2016). Operating Cost Method The basic approach of this method is to determine the taxable value by computing the operating costs that have been spent in the given FBT year and multiply by a suitable percentage (Woellner, 2014). The choice of percentage is essentially driven by the private use extent. Hence, higher is the personal use, higher would be the percentage value and higher would be the taxable value of the fringe benefit extended to the employee as per Section 10, FBTAA. The formula used in this method is outlined below (Gilders et. al., 2016). Car Fringe Benefit Taxable Value = (Cumulative operating costs * Percentage) Employee contribution In the above two methods, it is the taxpayer who has the choice to decide on the method leading to lesser FBT payable. With regards to the operating cost method, it has to be specified at the commencement of private usage that this method would be used. The statutory formula method primarily is the one which is commonly in use (Barkoczy, 2017). FBT payable computation in relation to the car fringe benefit The above computed taxable value of the fringe benefit is then used to compute the FBT payable at the end of the employer as illustrated below (Sadiq et. al., 2016). FBT payable by the employer = Car Fringe Benefit Taxable Value * Rate of FBT * Gross up factor The fringe benefit tax rate tends to alter from year to year but for the current computations, the rate applied would be 49% applicable for the year ending on March 31, 2017. In relation to the gross up factor, two options exist based on the underlying good type. Goods that tend to levied GST have a higher gross up factor in comparison with those which are not levied GST. Since a car cost attracts GST, hence the higher gross up factor of 2.1463 would be used (Barkoczy, 2017). Expense Related Fringe Benefit The above fringe benefit when the employer tends to bear expenses which would be considered as private for the employee and should ideally be borne by the employee. This may involve several benefits such as payment of expenses like children fee. The applicable provisions in this relation are outlined in Section 20 FBTAA. According to this section, the computation of the FBT payable by the employer on account of this is highlighted below (Gilders et. al., 2016). FBT payable by the employer = Expense borne by employer * Rate of FBT * Gross up factor Again the value of gross of factor would essentially be driven by the presence or absence of GST on the underlying goods. Car Parking Fringe Benefit The car parking fringe benefits are extended when certain conditions outlined in the tax ruling TR96/26 are satisfied These include that duration of car parking must be for atleast four hours and lie between morning 7 am and evening 7 am. Also, the parking benefits are extended to car controlled by the employee on account of the employment. Further, it is also necessary that this place of car parking must be in close proximity of the employment primary place. Also, section 39A, FBTAA levies additional two conditions for the realisation of the car parking benefits. One condition is that the venue of car parking must lie within a radius of 1km in respect of the employers car park provided (CCH, 2013). Also, the lowest fee for parking must exceed the annual threshold value which amounts to $ 8.48 for the FBT year ending on March 31, 2017 as per TD 2016/17 (Barkoczy, 2017). While based on the extent and type of data available, various methods can be used to compute the car parking fringe benefits, but the one relevant to the given situation is the market value approach based on which the following formula is valid (Woellner, 2014). Car Parking Fringe Benefit Taxable Value = Car parking market value Contribution from employee FBT payable by the employer = Car Parking Fringe Benefit Taxable Value * Rate of FBT * Gross up factor Application Car Fringe Benefit The car owned by company was parked at Charlies own garage and hence, it can be said that Charlie can utilize the car. It is apparent from this fact that employer Shine Homes Pty Ltd has provided car to its employee Charlie for personal utilization. Hence, the fringe benefits liability would be applicable on the part of Shine Homes Pty Ltd. The computation of car fringe benefits tax liability is highlighted below: Date at which car (Sedan) has provided to Charlie = September 1, 2016 Value of car = $70,000 The total number of days on which the car has been used by Charlie i.e. from September 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 = 212 days Deduction in private usage would be made for the 2 week spent in workshop in February but not for 2 days during Christmas as the former was major repair and latter was regular service. Annual private usage during FBT year ending on March 31, 2017 = 212 14 = 198 days Taxable value as per statutory formula method = = 70000*0.20*(198/365) = $ 7,594.52 The same also needs to be determined in accordance with the operating cost method so as to allow the employer to choose the better option. Operating cost borne by company during private usage = 5500*7 (Petrol Repairs) + 240*(7/12) (Registration)+ 960*(7/12) (Insurance) = $ 39,200 Taxable value as per operating cost method = 39200*0.3 (Extent of private use) = $ 11,760 The statutory method is the better method as it results in lower FBT related tax outflow for the company, FBT payable by the employer (Car Fringe Benefit) = 7594.52*0.49*2.1463 = $ 7,987.06 Expense Related Fringe Benefit The employer has spent the money on the following two. Hiring a car in the week of marriage for Charlie ($1,000) Paying for honeymoon accommodation ($ 3,000) It is apparent that the above are expense of personal type which ought to be spent by Charlie himself. Hence, the payment of these constitutes a expense related fringe benefit for which the company would have to pay FBT. The computation in this regards is highlighted below. FBT payable by the employer (Expense Related Fringe Benefit) = (3000+1000)*0.49* 2.1463 = $ 4,206.75 Car Parking Fringe Benefit Based on the given facts, it is apparent that the employer is provided car park by a third party to the employee Charlie who uses the company owned car for private purposes. Also considering the $ 200 weekly charge, it is evident that the rate per day is significantly higher than the applicable value which is acting as the threshold for the FBT year ending on March 31, 2017. Considering the weekly parking charges of $ 200, the benefit has been extended for 28 weeks leading to a taxable value of $ 5,600. FBT payable by the employer (Car Parking Fringe Benefit) = 5600 * 0.49 * 2.1463= $ 5,889.45 Conclusion In line with the discussion of relevant law and the computations performed, it is apparent that total FBT liability to the tune of $ 18,083. 26 (i.e. 5889.45+ 4206.75 + 7987.06) is payable by the employer while Charlie has no tax liability arising on account of the events highlighted. References Statutes Tax Rulings Fringe Benefit Tax Assessment Act, 1986 (Cth) TR 96/26 TD 2016/17 Books Barkoczy,S. (2017), Foundation of Taxation Law 2017 (9thedition), North Ryde: CCH Publications CCH (2013), Australian Master Tax Guide 2013 (51st edition), Sydney: Wolters Kluwer Deutsch, R., Freizer, M., Fullerton, I., Hanley, P., and Snape, T. (2016), Australian tax handbook (8th edition), Pymont: Thomson Reuters, Gilders, F., Taylor, J., Walpole, M., Burton, M. and Ciro, T. (2016), Understanding taxation law 2016 (9th edition), Sydney: LexisNexis/Butterworths. Sadiq, K, Coleman, C, Hanegbi, R, Jogarajan, S, Krever, R, Obst, W, and Ting, A (2016) ,Principles of Taxation Law 2016 (8th edition), Pymont: Thomson Reuters Woellner, R (2014), Australian taxation law 2014 (7th edition), North Ryde: CCH Australia

Writing Samples

Writing SamplesWriteplacer Essay samples are an important part of the writing process for people who are studying English. The average college student has a lot of very bad experiences in their lives because of their English writing abilities, and it is usually these students who do not even try to do well in English. It is simply amazing how many students are like this, so it is no wonder why the College Board is doing all they can to help students get the highest possible results in their English writing skills.When you do well in an English essay, you will see your grades soar and it will be hard for anyone to doubt your ability. You will find it hard to let others down, which is so important when you are a college student. So how does one get the best English writing samples? The key is using the right English writing samples.You need to know that there are two different types of writing samples. The first is an official written assignment, the second is an informal essay. That i s the type of writing samples you should use when you are in college.However, if you are planning on getting an English writing sample from the world of publishing, you should do well in the writing samples. This is the type of writing samples you should use when you are a teacher. Again, the college students will not have the same level of teaching experience as the publishing students, so it is important that you be familiar with the writing samples you have.What is the best writing samples for students? Well, you can think about writing essays in a college class where the professor is reading his or her class papers and assigning homework and the rest of the class makes up their own assignments, as well as the homework. This is probably the best writing samples for students because the college students don'tneed to worry about the other students copying their work and they get to concentrate on reading their own essays.However, if you are going to look at online writing samples, you will have to understand that they are actually not as good as the writing samples you would get from the college students. You might see these online writing samples, but you are not likely to see as many details as you would in the college settings. Many of the writing samples online are just things like flash cards.These are the best writing samples for students because they do not require much thought. You should get your students to put the writing samples together at the beginning of class, after reading the assignment, and the last thing you want to do is spend time on something you know your students won't be able to do. Instead, just use the essay samples from the college essay writing guide to teach them how to create a coherent essay and make sure you are giving them all the time in the world to write an interesting, original essay.

Developing Research Question and Hypothesis

Developing a Research Question At the beginning of every research, specific research questions should be clarified before a data collection process. By making a specific scientific inquiry, the research acquires its thematic focus. However, before a research question is refined, it is imperative to define what type of research is engaged, as well as what kind of variables are involved into the scientific exploration.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Developing Research Question and Hypothesis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hence, there are two types of research – descriptive and exploratory. In order to focus on a descriptive research, several aspects should be discussed (De Vaus, 2002). First, time frames of interest must be defined to narrow the focus of research. Second, geographic location of interest should be highlighted, as well as patterns and features of the chosen groups within this location (De Vaus, 2002). Finally, once location and time are defined, it is necessary to define the topic limits of the research. All these aspects build a starting point of the research and focus on a particular problem in a broader context. When exploratory research is concerned, the emphasis should be placed on the analysis of causes and effects (De Vaus, 2002). The second step will involve enumeration of the sequence of cause-and-effect lines that fit the topic. Third, it is strongly suggested to look through previous researches to find out what other scholars have introduced, as well as what implications they defined for further research (De Vaus, 2002). Using limitations and implications can allow to build a foundation for a new topic of research. Overall, descriptive research is less sophisticated than exploratory and, therefore, it influences the development of research questions. Thus, descriptive research questions focus on describing an event whereas exploratory research questions i nvolve a synthesis of factors that are interrelated and influence each other. Developing a Hypothesis A research question formulation is more typical of qualitative research where observations and surveys will give answers to a specific problem. In contrast, a hypothesis aims either to accept or to reject the thesis. At the early stage of research design, a tentative assumption is defined, which is called the null hypothesis and is traditionally denoted H0 (Anderson et al., 2011). While formulating the above-presented hypotheses, the importance of situational context is incredible because it affects further procedures of sample collection (Anderson et al., 2011). Apart from the actual procedures of hypotheses development, two important questions should be posed. Specifically, the researcher should clearly identify the purpose of the sample collection, as well as predict the desirable conclusion that can be reached while defining the hypothesis.Advertising Looking for essay on e ducation? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While defining both types of hypotheses, it is not necessarily to follow the established succession. In certain situations, it is more reasonable to develop an alternative hypothesis and formulate the null hypothesis and vice versa. Because null hypothesis challenges the alternative one, which is the opposition to the former, the outcome should withdraw one assumption and accept another (Anderson et al., 2011). Therefore, both hypotheses are mutually exclusive. Narrowing Down the Focus of Research Questions and Hypotheses Refining the scope of a research question is a daunting task. Because data collection should be initiated, the research question should be flexible, but further exploration will require specificity (Kirby et al., 2006). This stage of focusing and narrowing should be connected with the strategies to define the topic that would captivate the audience and advance the research process. In this respect, the research question should relate to the research scope, but it should be too specific that makes it difficult to answer (Kirby et al., 2006). A question should invite the scholar to search information so as it is easy to define which keywords should be used to direct the research. Further, a question should be connected to the existing experiences of a researcher. Finally, the research question should correspond with the results, as well as resonate the community’s concerns (Kirby et al., 2006). The actuality and relevancy of the research question will help the researcher to find out the actual value of the scientific exploration. The research questions can both address qualitative and quantitative concerns. For instance, it is possible to ask what percentage of population has a certain experience in apposition to the one who lack such (Kirby et al., 2006). Alternatively, the research question can fin out the nature of experience and certain patt erns of behavior that are influenced under a new program or innovation. Focusing on the scope of a research hypothesis, specific topic should be highlighted. For instance, in case the topic is consumer behavior, it is purposeful to first define the percentage of women buying a specific product, as well as the number of males involved in buying a specific product (Panneerselvam, 2004). Further, income level should also be introduced to define how it influences the distribution of buying capacity. As soon as all these interaction have been detected, a null hypothesis can be defined. For example, the null hypothesis will be females buy cosmetics more frequent than males where the alternative hypothesis female do not buy cosmetics more frequent than males.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Developing Research Question and Hypothesis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Anderson, D. R., Sweeney, D. J., and Willi ams, T. A. (2011). Statistics for Business and Economics. US: Cengage Learning. De Vaus, D. A. (2002). Surveys in Social Research. US: Routledge. Kirby, S. L., Greaves, L., and Reid, C. (2006). Experience Research Social Change: Methods beyond the Mainstream. Canada: University of Toronto. Panneerselvam, R. (2004). Research Methodology. US: PHI Learning. This essay on Developing Research Question and Hypothesis was written and submitted by user Lewis Kane to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Writer Unplugged - Freewrite Store

The Writer Unplugged - Freewrite Store This is a guest post by Selena Chambers, who writes in Florida. Selena  is co-author of the Hugo and World-Fantasy nominated THE STEAMPUNK BIBLE (Abrams Image), and is currently writing a travel guide to STEAMPUNK PARIS (Pelekenisis Press) with Arthur Morgan out later this year. You can follow her at:   www.selenachambers.wordpress.com or steampunkparis.com. Distraction is the greatest form of resistance a writer faces on a daily basis. I’ve been struggling with it for years, and have come close to throwing my laptop in the trash and running as far away from the publishing game as possible. What kept me from giving up? Slowly realizing that other writers (especially those who seem like they have their act together in the public eye) and creatives struggle with the same issues. Evading distraction and finding focus is, of course, a personal journey and you have to find what works for you and your environment, but in speaking with my friends and gazing into my own navel, I have realized that distraction comes in two forms:   that which takes you closer to writing, and that which takes you away from it. The former is Life and all its abstracts:   birth, death, health, sickness, economy, employment, politics, friendship, family, solitude, love, sex, hate, education, and travel. True, not much writing is happening while undergoing these experiences, but they all inform it by putting you physically in the world to observe, absorb, and feel. It shapes your perspective, gives you an impulse and ultimately grants you something to say. The other kind of distraction, that which takes you away from your writing, are the activities designed for amusement and instant gratification and while relaxing, do very little to inform the work, even though we may trick ourselves in to thinking so. For some, it may be playing video games, binging on Girls, fingernails that need clipping, or in my case, going online.   By no means is this some kind of Jonathan Franzen rant. I love the internet. It is ubiquitous with all the things, and while that is a modern-day marvel, its pervasiveness can be a modern-day time sink. When I sit down to write, I have no problem ignoring my eyebrows and the cat bunnies blowing by like tumbleweeds under the A/C vents, because I can resist the urge to get up from my desk to go handle them. Not so the online â€Å"to-do† list, which is much harder to disregard because all the tools are right here at my fingertips. More often than not, on days when the writing is like digging into dry Georgia clay, I find myself mulling over this list. With a few clicks, I am out of Scrivener’s composition mode, and am in Safari riding the instant gratification wave of multitasking immediacy. I’ll send out queries, answer e-mails, answer social media direct messages, respond to tags and mentions, make a blog post, share the blog post, console in friends and families tribulations, cheer on peers and colleagues triumphs, read this timely article and discuss that timely article, read this stupid drama and discuss even more, scan recent calls for submissions, research a story idea, seek source texts, and when all of that is done, pay bills. I can kill a whole day checking things like this off and feel pretty good about myself. The next day, however, when I am back with that blank page, I would realize how much was left undone and how much more was now left to do. On on that next day, I try to unplug. To do this, I have to get completely away from the computer. Sure, you can deactivate your Facebook, turn off wi-fi, unplug the router, or install some sort of time management or focus software, all of which can be turned back on, plugged in, or disabled. If I really want to avoid distraction, I scrawl in longhand or peck on a typewriter. Even with these two methods, I inevitably come back to computer when I have to transcribe into Word, which sometimes feels redundant and archaic. Even so, at the end of the day I feel more accomplished and nearer to my true writing goals than all the networking, posting, and chasing I do online. Social media and the writer’s platform is one of the puzzle pieces to gaining and maintaining a successful writing career, but what has become even more bewildering is that unplugging and working with focus and without noise is even harder for the twenty-first century writer to navigate. The Writer Unplugged - Freewrite Store This is a guest post by Selena Chambers, who writes in Florida. Selena  is co-author of the Hugo and World-Fantasy nominated THE STEAMPUNK BIBLE (Abrams Image), and is currently writing a travel guide to STEAMPUNK PARIS (Pelekenisis Press) with Arthur Morgan out later this year. You can follow her at:   www.selenachambers.wordpress.com or steampunkparis.com. Distraction is the greatest form of resistance a writer faces on a daily basis. I’ve been struggling with it for years, and have come close to throwing my laptop in the trash and running as far away from the publishing game as possible. What kept me from giving up? Slowly realizing that other writers (especially those who seem like they have their act together in the public eye) and creatives struggle with the same issues. Evading distraction and finding focus is, of course, a personal journey and you have to find what works for you and your environment, but in speaking with my friends and gazing into my own navel, I have realized that distraction comes in two forms:   that which takes you closer to writing, and that which takes you away from it. The former is Life and all its abstracts:   birth, death, health, sickness, economy, employment, politics, friendship, family, solitude, love, sex, hate, education, and travel. True, not much writing is happening while undergoing these experiences, but they all inform it by putting you physically in the world to observe, absorb, and feel. It shapes your perspective, gives you an impulse and ultimately grants you something to say. The other kind of distraction, that which takes you away from your writing, are the activities designed for amusement and instant gratification and while relaxing, do very little to inform the work, even though we may trick ourselves in to thinking so. For some, it may be playing video games, binging on Girls, fingernails that need clipping, or in my case, going online.   By no means is this some kind of Jonathan Franzen rant. I love the internet. It is ubiquitous with all the things, and while that is a modern-day marvel, its pervasiveness can be a modern-day time sink. When I sit down to write, I have no problem ignoring my eyebrows and the cat bunnies blowing by like tumbleweeds under the A/C vents, because I can resist the urge to get up from my desk to go handle them. Not so the online â€Å"to-do† list, which is much harder to disregard because all the tools are right here at my fingertips. More often than not, on days when the writing is like digging into dry Georgia clay, I find myself mulling over this list. With a few clicks, I am out of Scrivener’s composition mode, and am in Safari riding the instant gratification wave of multitasking immediacy. I’ll send out queries, answer e-mails, answer social media direct messages, respond to tags and mentions, make a blog post, share the blog post, console in friends and families tribulations, cheer on peers and colleagues triumphs, read this timely article and discuss that timely article, read this stupid drama and discuss even more, scan recent calls for submissions, research a story idea, seek source texts, and when all of that is done, pay bills. I can kill a whole day checking things like this off and feel pretty good about myself. The next day, however, when I am back with that blank page, I would realize how much was left undone and how much more was now left to do. On on that next day, I try to unplug. To do this, I have to get completely away from the computer. Sure, you can deactivate your Facebook, turn off wi-fi, unplug the router, or install some sort of time management or focus software, all of which can be turned back on, plugged in, or disabled. If I really want to avoid distraction, I scrawl in longhand or peck on a typewriter. Even with these two methods, I inevitably come back to computer when I have to transcribe into Word, which sometimes feels redundant and archaic. Even so, at the end of the day I feel more accomplished and nearer to my true writing goals than all the networking, posting, and chasing I do online. Social media and the writer’s platform is one of the puzzle pieces to gaining and maintaining a successful writing career, but what has become even more bewildering is that unplugging and working with focus and without noise is even harder for the twenty-first century writer to navigate.

Intellectual History Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Intellectual History - Term Paper Example Peter Warren discovered remains of children dating back to 2000 B.C. The buildings found during Warren’s expedition encountered a massive earth quake. According to Warren, the remains were of the children who were sacrificed, in order to prevent the anticipated earth quake. Sacrifice is one of the most striking concepts existing in the history of humankind; animals, humans and sometimes even gods were sacrificed in human history. Human sacrifice is still practiced by many civilizations. In accordance with Hinduism, the wife has to sacrifice herself and burn with her husband in order to stay with her husband after his death. In Mexico, children were sacrificed to be blessed with plentiful rains for the harvest. Sacrifice is primarily deemed as a link between the divine/spiritual and subordinate humans. It customarily has aspirations like doing away with the wrath of gods and altering the behavior of gods in favor of people offering the sacrifice (The Watson, 134-135). Like the era of the bulls and sacred stones; in India, Indra the goddess was compared to the bull. Bulls were sacrificed in the ancient civilization of Iran. In North and South America, parts of lands in Pacific Ocean and Mexico, a young girl was beheaded every time a crop was ripe.   Early variant of sacrifices did not involve any kind of animals; in fact the animals were worshiped. Self denial is also an important factor that is entailed in making a sacrifice. Denial of self for the benefit of others and in the way of gods is significantly increasing even in today's times, in order to maintain balance between human and spiritual world. Ancient civilizations like ancient Egypt, Sumer and India followed the philosophy of sacrifice. Another fundamental concept in faith of people, is belief in sky-gods; the concept of sky-gods. Movement of sun and its relation with change of climate, changing over day into night (referred to as birth and re-birth of sun) was a mystery for humans. Likewise, t he moon cycle; its appearance and disappearance and connection to tides in sea and female menstrual cycle made it more mysterious for the humans. The Indian god Dyaus, Roman Jupiter and Greek Zeus all came from a single concept pertaining to sky divinity. Sun god was considered a symbol of males and moon gods being a female symbol. Sun god was also worshiped by ancient believers of Egyptian religion. The concept leads to another idea that exists in humans known as â€Å"afterlife†. Generally after life means existence after the physical death of the body. In ancient Egyptian religion, bodies were buried along with food, water and other necessities; adopting the concept that after burial, body will be alive again. As sun and moon appear and disappear; In the same way some sort of post-mortem existed in the minds of people. This leads to another mysterious concept known as â€Å"Soul†.   According to peoples soul is contained in different parts of the body such as eyes , ears, stomach, and above all the heart. Hindus believe that soul is thumb sized and it resides in the heart. Greeks perceived soul as light or fire of the heart. Ancient Egyptians believed that there were two other beings present in addition to body itself, called â€Å"Ka† and â€Å"Ba†. â€Å"Ba†, in medieval Egyptian religion was deemed a soul mirrored by a human headed bird. â€Å"Ka† was the protector of body. Death can manifest only if it had permission from â€Å"

European history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

European history - Essay Example While the revolution swept all corners of the European nation, it is important to note that each nation had its own unique mix of issues and concerns about the traditional authority. The earlier uprisings patterns in 1820s and the 1830s were very instrumental for the final explosion of revolution in 1848. However the authorities by then worked very hard and thought that they had crushed the uprisings. However, most of the uprisings were only suppressed and went underground. The revolutions would come again and hence there were periods of peak and off peak with regard to revolutions. In this context, some were successful and resulted to one or two revolution reforms while others were completely suppressed. The major waves of uprisings that resulted into major reforms were witnessed in the year 1820s and 1830s before the eruption (Korner, 215). The 1830s uprisings mainly begun in France and spread to other places like Germany, Belgium, Poland and Italy. Unfortunately all the uprisings were crushed by the ruling authority in almost all these nations except those uprising in France survived. As a result of this however Belgium, Britain and France Won freedom, liberal reforms and constitutional monarchy respectively (Korner, 216). These uprisings were very important as they paved the way for wave opf uprisings that followed after a decade in the year 1848. This wave swept across many nations including those regions that had not experienced uprisings. By this time French had gone ahead to establish a republic while other fifty uprisings were witnessed in the different parts of Europe. However, France was neither lucky, it was taken over by a dictator, Napoleon III turning it into a second emperor. During this time, the French had made a republic and the Frenchmen could now vote for delegate with regard to the new constitution. This was a major development in France as partial freedom in choosing the leaders. The