Monday, January 27, 2020

East Asian Culture

East Asian Culture Orient is defined as study of East Asian culture, their tradition and its impact on the rest of the world. European found the word orient. The term was further developed in the form of orient and oxidant. Oriental countries are all East Asian countries like Japan, Korea, China and an oxidant country means all Western countries. The word ‘Orient describes in many ways, as far as Edward Said â€Å"its a place of romance, exotic being, haunting memories and landscapes.† In short we can say its a cultural study and its impact on the world through its politics and economy mainly. The orient is the neighbors of Europe and they are the oldest as well as richest colonies of the twentieth century. Orient helped Europe in defining its ideas, personality and culture in many ways. It is an integral part of the European material civilization and culture. Said mentioned in his book â€Å"Orientalism expresses and represents that part culturally and even ideologically as a mode of discourse with supporting institutions, vocabulary, scholarships, imaginary, doctrine and even colonial bureaucracies and colonial styles.† From Edward Saids point of view there was negligence in orientalism by the world. The reason was high ended executive attitude of ninetieth and early twentieth century in European colonies. Japan was the sufferer of the cross cultural conflict in early twentieth century The conflict was between the Japan and western countries. In the early twentieth century Japan and other oriental regions often carries assumptions that western countries are far more superior and eastern region that is oriental region is more superior for there ancient tradition. Therefore orientalsim is known for understanding eastern culture to west. The reasons behind the conflicts were, orient of Japan represents a unique culture field which is modernistic also and has traditional Japanese sense also. In some respect for Japan I can say orientalism is the part of ethnocentrism. Orientalism is not an outdated way of knowing colonism in Japan but also it is an integral part of the modern consciousness. Ethnocentrism is a particular group of culture which is somehow better than the other cultural groups. It is a view of there own understanding towards there own culture. Till late eighteenth century, people were seeing the interchange between the academic and imaginative type of orientalism, but after some more further detailed research Edward Said discovered the third type of orientalism which is called as Academic orientalism. In this corporate institution analyzed and discussed orientalism in there own ways, therefore we can say that orientalism as a western style for dominating, recruiting and having authority towards the orient. From Edward Saids point of view, orientalism is fueled by academic orientalism concept. E.g. In America, in late twentieth century, the term orientalism was changed to ‘East Asian studies but in Britain and some parts of Europe it is still called as ‘School of Oriental and African Studies or SOAS. The fact of Saids orientalism as not much to consider because, culture and nations whose location is in the east and there histories, customs have less reality and it is better than it could be said and assumed. For understanding the ideas, histories, culture and power of configuration, the orient was created, which is called as orientalized. These things simply believe that, things happen simply as a necessity of the imagination and the power of dominance between the orient and oxidant. Orientalism is not exactly called as a political subject or issue as it is passively reflected by culture, scholarships, institution and not the large diffuse collection of text about the orient. It is rather than cultural, geographical awareness to the western world, this might help to western world to understand the orient properly and to correct the wrong assumptions made over the orient. It is a distribution of geopolitical awareness into the aesthetics, scholarly, economic, sociological and historic text. It is an elaboration of geographical location as well as scholarly discoveries and phi logical reconstruction. Americans ideological thinking about east has generally found that, American give more importance to China than other oriental countries like Japan. They think that, Chinese culture is more easily accessible and flexible than Japanese culture. American feels Chinese are more like them in more private nature, they are educated, rational and more practical as well as they are more frank. Even Chinese food is more adoptable and has some western influence to it but Japanese eat raw fish and Miso soup which is not comfortable to western world. Japanese orientalism has much more cultural conflicts than other because, in late eighteenth century Japanese people feels that there culture is more mixed with western culture but western countries feels that Japanese culture is not more easily accessible to them. Japanese social institutions signify that, Japanese culture has high level of sophistication, yet it also appeared highly feudal to modern world. Western image of Japan was not fully negative. There are many positive cultural and traditional things that western world thinks about Japan. Romantic culture really teaches the world there sophisticated culture, with its indigenous traditions are in close harmony. Some of the world famous things of cultural evidence are Bonsai trees, bamboo and wooden houses, female accessories from natural resources like bamboo stick hats, Zen Buddhism and meditation techniques, macrobiotic cooking and ceramic vessel art teaches the modern world about Japanese quality of living and the evidence of there culture that they are aesthetically more attuned than rest of the world. Image of the Japanese people in there private life is completely different. They are little bit fanatical, deceitful in nature. The great study of different cultures in the world done by Richard D. Lewis in his book known as ‘When cultures collides which was published in 1982. This book is the best referral to many other people who do there business overseas. Richard wrote some specific observation of Japanese people in his book, Japanese children are encouraged to be completely dependent and keep a sense of interdependence throughout their lives. Everything must be placed in context in Japan. Japanese are constrained by their thought processes in a language very different from any other. They do not like meeting newcomers. They represent their group and can not therefore pronounce on any matters without consultation- cannot initiate an exchange of views. Westerners are individuals, but the Japanese represent a company which represents Japan The Japanese go to incredible lengths to be polite. As far as I conclude on Richards comments on Japanese people, I feel Japanese people are very private in nature and independent from childhood. They have very much proud feeling for there country and every time they mention there feelings. If they do some mistake then, they can go to any level of politeness. In World War II ethnocentrism exhibited, which carried some negative consequences in terms of cross cultural communications. Reaction of America on economic defeat created some negative impact on the Japanese people living in America. E.g. Congressman smashed Japanese radio in Capitol Hill and Chinese person was murdered as he was assumed as Japanese. So I can say that Orientalism taught many cultural things to world through there tradition and oriental objects. For my essay I chose Japanese six paneled screen as my oriental object. As this object is oriental, there are many cultural details hidden inside this object and through the detail analysis I will show some points of oriental evidence hidden in the object.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Compare Barak Obama’s and Martin Luther King’s persuasive speeches

Barak Obama and Martin Luther King are two very important historical people that helped America return to it ideals. Obama is the first black president of the United States, elected in 2008. King was the moral leader of the civil rights movements; he was fighting for legal equality for black people. King was addressing the 1963 March on Washington to the black and white supporters in favour of civil rights. His profession as a pastor and his pacifist beliefs influenced his speech; also he was a preacher and strongly believed in non violence. The result of his speech and the movement he led was a direct turning point and change of law, which soon lead to the end of segregation. Later on, indirectly it led to the election of the first black president. Barak Obama was addressing his supporters after the election in 2008, when he made his speech. A few things influenced Obama’s speech, including his election as the first black president and his need to unite all parties. Also, this was the time of the credit crunch and many people were losing their jobs, this was a big influence. In Martin Luther King’s speech he uses a range of persuasive techniques to engage his audience. For example, he uses similes and metaphors to illustrate points he talks about that are more difficult to understand, so his audience always recognizes what he is trying to get across. For instance, King quotes â€Å"we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.† This makes King’s point very clear about how he wants justice to flow as if it were normal and with discretion. He also uses references to the declaration of independence and emphasises the idea of equality. King quotes â€Å"this note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.† This is showing that equality is not just an opinion, but a right that everyone has and it should be accepted and pursued because it is a state of law. King has used emotive language also to capture the audience’s attention. He quotes â€Å"we are free at last†; he repeats this line many times because it really impacts on how you look at segregation, as if it’s slavery or punishment. King really absorbs his audience into what he’s saying by using emotive language because it connects with them and controls their emotions. There is much more persuasive language and rhetoric manipulated in King’s speech but another of the main features is the sound patterns he uses, for example, onomatopoeia and alliteration. He quotes â€Å"by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.† The ‘c’s alliterate here, and ‘c’ is a percussive consonant that really impacts the message, the ‘b’s also have this affect. He uses this because it gives the speech a rhythm and makes it more interesting to listen to. In President Barak Obama’s speech he also uses a range of persuasive techniques to engage his audience. Like King, he uses many similes and metaphors to help describe or make a point, also to encourage the audience to draw a link between two obviously unrelated things, and find similarities between them. Obama quotes ‘Every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms’ meaning, â€Å"Every so often the oath is taken amidst a political situation as brutal as a gathering storm† or â€Å"Every so often the oath is taken when the money has run out.† Obama uses a clear, powerful metaphor that allows the audience to completely realize that â€Å"gathering clouds and raging storms† refers to the current US recession. Obama also used references to the declaration of independence like King did but in a slightly different way. He quotes ‘America has carried on†¦ because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.’ He refers back to this to remind and mainly thank his audience for remaining loyal and essentially following the ways of the declaration of independence and Martin Luther King. Something that both Obama and King too both used a great deal was the rule of three. This is when the speaker narrows a subject down to three major points which all link. Obama quotes ‘Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered.’ He uses these three because they are very strong and important. Using this rule makes a powerful impression to the audience on the topic, showing that it is a key issue. Repetition and imperative commands are core techniques used in all great speeches, it really highlights what, in this case, Obama and also King are trying to convey. In Obama’s speech, he repeats the words ‘Yes We Can’ quite a few times after talking about change or progress. This shows that he trying to imply that anything is achievable if you have the determination and strength to carry on and accomplish what you set out for. He uses this as a sort of catch phrase for the speech as a whole, as the main focus. The two speeches I have discussed are very much linked, with Martin Luther King being a direct impact on the banning of segregation and Barack Obama being the first black president they and their speeches relate. There are many similarities between the two, such as they both refer back to the declaration of independence and both use most of the same persuasive language and rhetoric in their speeches. The difference is that they aren’t exactly giving their speech on the same precise topic. The purpose of Martin Luther King’s speech was to explain to why black people should have rights along with white people, in which he called racial equality and end to discrimination. Whereas Barack Obama’s speech’s focused on the subjects of racial tensions, white privilege, and race and inequality in the United States, discussing black â€Å"anger,† white â€Å"resentment,† and other issues, his speech closed with a request to move beyond America's â€Å"racial stalemate† and concentrate on shared social problems. Both these speeches are very powerful, influential and convincing, they really explain their points well and make the audience aware of the problem or situation, they have a very persuasive tone, as a speech should have.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Decoding Apple’s Balance Sheet Apa Format Essay

Decoding Apple’s Balance Sheet In March of 2009, Apple had its best March quarter revenue and earnings in Apple history (Apple). In order to see how this occurred, it is important to look over the financial statements of Apple. There is a lot of information available to investors who are interested in investing in a company. By looking specifically at the balance sheet of Apple I am going to determine if investing in Apple is a good idea or a bad idea. Some things I am going to consider are Apple’s assets, liabilities, and shareholder’s equity. These areas should give me insight to how the best quarter in Apple history ame to be. Looking at the current assets of Apple, cash and cash equivalents went down from 1 1. 8 billion dollars to 4. 4 billion dollars. This may look bad at first, but all of the other assets must be added to this in order to get an overall picture of the assets. Short- term marketable securities went up from 10. 2 billion dollars to 20. 5 billion dollars. This helped Apple’s assets grow tremendously. Accounts receivable fell to 1. 9 billion dollars from 2. 4 billion dollars. With the rest of the current assets fgured in, inventories, deferred tax assets, and other current assets, the total current assets ose to 33. billion dollars from 32. 3 billion dollars. That was a rise of 1. 5 billion dollars (Apple). It is important to take into account the rest of the assets. For example, long-term marketable securities rose 1. 5 billion dollars, property, plant and equipment rose 0. 91 billion dollars, goodwill stayed the same, acquired intangible assets fell 0. 017 billion dollars, and othe r assets rose 0. 56 billion dollars. Now that we know how each asset was affected during this quarter, we come to the final numbers, which are total assets rose 3. 6 billion dollars. Apple grew its assets substantially during this quarter. I would think Apple would be a good company to invest in. Before I made any decisions I would investigate the balance sheet further in order to compare liabilities and shareholder’s equity with the previous quarter. This will give me a better understanding of the financial situation of the company (Apple). Current liabilities are in the first section of liabilities and shareholder’s equity. The following accounts are current liabilities and how they fared. Accounts payable went down from 5. 5 billion dollars to 3. 9 billion dollars. Accrued expenses went down 1 billion dollars. Deferred revenue went up from 4. 8 billion dollars to 7 billion dollars. The total change in current liabilities was a decrease of 0. 4 billion dollars. The other two liabilities categories, deferred revenue (non-current) and other non-current liabilities, rose collectively 0. 7 billion dollars. This gives the total liabilities a rise of 0. 3 billion dollars. This amount compared to current assets is not as significant. So far Apple is still looking like a good investment because the assets of Apple rose 1. 5 billion dollars whereas their liabilities only rose 0. billion dollars. It is now time to take a look at the final category of the balance sheet, the shareholder’s equity (Apple). The value of shareholders equity, common stock, rose from 7. 1 billion dollars to billion dollars. Accumulated other comprehensive income rose . 07 billion dollars. Total shareholder’s equity rose 3. 3 billion dollars. So adding together the rise of 0. 4 billion dollars in liabilities with the 3. 3 billion dollar rise of the shareholder’s equity, we get the same amount, 3. 7 billion dollars, as we got for the rise in total assets. The balance sheet balances (Apple). With the rise in assets, which led to the rise in retained earnings, I think Apple would be a good company to invest in because they are growing their business. I would want to look at past financial statements, specifically the balance sheets, in order to compare assets, liabilities, and shareholder’s equity from past quarters, but from the information presented on the balance sheet from this quarter I would be willing to invest in Apple. References Apple reports second quarter results. (2009, April 22). Retrieved August 29, 2010, from http://www. apple. com/pr/library/2009/04/22results. html

Friday, January 3, 2020

What Ideas And Behaviors Does The Mesopotamian People Essay

What ideas and behaviors does the Mesopotamian, Greeks, Hebrews used to define a â€Å"good life† or a good person? The Mesopotamian people would pray to the gods. The Greeks would pray to the gods,know themselves, and perspective of good and bad people. The Hebrews encourage family life, hospitality, religion, and community service. Will these qualities represent what it means to be a good person? The Mesopotamian people were the first stable civilization. The Mesopotamian people were polytheistic. Polytheistic means they believe in many gods. â€Å"The god can affect the fate of humans and they controlled the natural world† (Tuner, 2016). The Mesopotamian people would be afraid of the god since they had more control over them than what they had on themselves. The Mesopotamian people also followed the law very closely. The Code of Hammurabi which was named after a prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and th e evil-doers†¦(King, 2008). The Mesopotamian people also looked up to their kings like Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh talked them about friendships and life. Gilgamesh and Enkidu were best of friends and equals. It was the death of Enkidu when Gilgamesh felt his heart breaking and was willing to do anything to bring his dear friend back to life. When Gilgamesh visits Shiduri she basically tells him to enjoy his life because no one knows when they are going to die. It better living your life being happy and being around theShow MoreRelatedAncient Nations and Their Understanding of Leadership1117 Words   |  4 Pagesnations and their understanding of leadership Both the Chinese and the Mesopotamians had strict legislations concerning the requirements that an individual needed to meet in order to be accepted as the nations leader. 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