Zodiac signs Essay Example

Zodiac signs Paper 1st period Zodiac signs have been around for a period of time now. The orders of the signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. These signs are divided into four sections, which are Earth, water, and fire. A lot of people still wonder whether or not what they say about the zodiac signs are true or not, such as horoscopes and compatibility charts. The main concern is the affect your zodiac sign have on your personality and compatibility. Water signs are proven to be very emotional people. Water signs consist of Pisces, Scorpio, and Cancer. Relationships dont come easy to these people. Theyre very sensitive with there feelings all around. With that being said, its easy for them to pick up a vibe from others. These people have really strong intuition. The feelings of other people really interest them. Males of this sign are said to be the most sensitive males on the planet. People like this tend to feel sympathy for others, which means anything that has to do with helping someone, or giving someone attention, would be the perfect Job or task for them. We will write a custom essay sample on Zodiac signs specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Zodiac signs specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Zodiac signs specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However, although the three signs are water signs, they do have their differences. A Pisces are a very changeable person, which means one thing never satisfies them for too long. Attention span for them runs very short. Its hard to get them to stick to something, and stay with it. They thrive off of change. Now, what interest most people if anything else doesnt, is compatibility. The water signs are most compatible with earth signs. These signs would be Virgo, Taurus, and Capricorn. These are the signs that water signs are most likely to get along with, and can benefit from one another. The earth signs are sure to keep you on your feet. Moving along, Earth signs, which in my personal opinion, I think are the most interesting people, in fact are! These are the most intelligent, stable, open-minded, practical, and reasonable people on earth. Unlike Water signs, earth signs dont really like change too much. They like too experience routines for a long period of time. The earth signs as said earlier include, Virgo, Taurus, and Capricorn. These people are really sensual, and base all their thoughts off reality. This somewhat explains why these people tend to be sarcastic. These people like to plan, and make goals for themselves. By conversing with these people they can usually tell you their whole true life. Some of the most successful people in the world, such as Beyond ©, Michael Jackson, and Paul Walker, are Virgo which is an earth sign. Surprisingly, these three earth signs have many differences. A Virgo falls into the sub- category of mutable, which means they can connect with everybody, and they can easily be in charge without creating conflicts. This is because they have many different outlooks, and can easily see things from a different perspective. It is very easy for these people to bring things or people together. If theres ever a problem Virgo are the ones to call. They have such an adaptable and diverse personality. Something out of nothing. The word that is said to describe theses people is preserving. Taurus can come off as basic compared to other signs. Their main concern is achievement. Capricorn on the other hand, are the ones that like to be the center of attention. They love to run things, as long as their doing that then theyre happy. Capricorn are very outgoing people. They are considered far from shy. Of course, earlier it was said that the earth sign is most compatible with the water sign. After all they do say water feels at peace in earth (Bloodspot). You should also know that although someone is the same sign, males and females have different traits. This is common sense. Now, with all of that being said, moving on to air signs. This includes Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. These people love to talk, (Nuance Belches). This clearly means that communication is one of their best traits. Air signs are very social. Your most likely to catch these people at parties, speaking at conferences, and hosting big public events. These people have some of the most vivid imaginations. This makes them very creative, and has a very artistic sensibility. Therefore, they make great designers. The difference between these signs is that the interesting Gemini ha s two sides. This means that it has the traits of another sign, as well as its own. However, like a Virgo, this sign also falls under the sub-category of being mutable. In this case they can also almost get along with any other sign. A Libra is also known to play the leader role. Labias are also well known for not wanting to be alone. One of their main focuses is actually how well they interact with others. Unlike Libra being so into people, Aquarius people focus way more on the world, and really like to express new des by their daily activities. These air signs are compatible with last but not least fire signs. According to the astrology world air feeds fire, (Bloodspot). The fire signs are Leo, Aries, and Sagittarius. These signs are well known for being independent. Because theyre so focused on them, these people usually become very successful and on top. Due to their abundant focus on independence, they usually have a hard time with the closes people to them, because they lack showing them attention. These people are also very arrogant, so if you ever want to be felt sorry for, or held in arms, stay away from fire sign.

Writing Greek Letters on the Computer

Writing Greek Letters on the Computer If you write anything scientific or mathematical on the internet, you will quickly find the need for several special characters that are not readily available on your keyboard. ASCII characters for  HTML  allow you to include many characters that dont appear on an English keyboard, including the  Greek alphabet. To make the correct character appear on the page, start with an ampersand () and a pound sign (#), followed by a three-digit number, and ending with a semicolon (;). Creating Greek Letters This table contains  many Greek letters  but not all of them. It only contains uppercase and lowercase letters that are not available on a keyboard. For  example, you can type the capital alpha (A) in Greek  with a regular capital  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹A  because these letters look the same in Greek and English. You can also use the code #913 or Alpha. The results are the same. Not all symbols are supported by all browsers. Check before you publish. You may need to add the following bit of code in the head part of your HTML document: meta http-equivcontent-type contenttext/html; charsetutf-8 HTML Codes for Greek Letters Character Displayed HTML Code capital gamma Γ #915; or Gamma; capital delta Δ #916; or Delta; capital theta ÃŽËœ #920; or Theta; capital lambda Λ #923; or Lamda; capital xi Ξ #926; or Xi; capital pi ÃŽ   #928; or Pi; capital sigma ÃŽ £ #931; or Sigma; capital phi ÃŽ ¦ #934; or Phi; capital psi ÃŽ ¨ #936; or Psi; capital omega ÃŽ © #937; or Omega; small alpha ÃŽ ± #945; or alpha; small beta ÃŽ ² #946; or beta; small gamma ÃŽ ³ #947; or gamma; small delta ÃŽ ´ #948; or delta; small epsilon ÃŽ µ #949; or epsilon; small zeta ÃŽ ¶ #950; or zeta; small eta ÃŽ · #951; or zeta; small theta ÃŽ ¸ #952; or theta; small iota ÃŽ ¹ #953; or iota; small kappa ÃŽ º #954; or kappa; small lamda ÃŽ » #955; or lambda; small mu ÃŽ ¼ #956; or mu; small nu ÃŽ ½ #957; or nu; small xi ÃŽ ¾ #958; or xi; small pi Ï€ #960; or pi; small rho Ï  #961; or rho; small sigma ÏÆ' #963; or sigma; small tau Ï„ #964; or tau; small upsilon Ï… #965; or upsilon; small phi φ #966; or phi; small chi χ #967; or chi; small psi ψ #968; or psi; small omega ω #969; or omega; Alt Codes for Greek Letters You can also use Alt codes- also called quick codes,  quick keys, or keyboard shortcuts- to create Greek letters, as displayed in the  table below, which was adapted from the website  Useful Shortcuts. To create any of these Greek letters using the Alt codes, simply press the Alt key while simultaneously typing the listed number. For example, to create the Greek letter Alpha (ÃŽ ±), press the Alt key and type 224 using the keypad at the right side of your keyboard. (Do not use the numbers at the top of the keyboard located above the letter keys, as they will not work for creating Greek letters.) Character Displayed Alt Code Alpha ÃŽ ± Alt 225 Beta ÃŽ ² Alt 225 Gamma Γ Alt 226 Delta ÃŽ ´ Alt 235 Epsilon ÃŽ µ Alt 238 Theta ÃŽËœ Alt 233 Pi Ï€ Alt 227 Mu  µ Alt 230 Uppercase Sigma ÃŽ £ Alt 228 Lowercase Sigma ÏÆ' Alt 229 Tau Ï„ Alt 231 Uppercase Phi ÃŽ ¦ Alt 232 Lowercase Phi φ Alt 237 Omega ÃŽ © Alt 234 History of the Greek Alphabet The Greek alphabet went through several changes over the centuries. Before the fifth century B.C., there were two similar Greek alphabets, the Ionic and Chalcidian. The Chalcidian alphabet may have been the forerunner of the Etruscan alphabet and, later, the Latin alphabet. It is the Latin alphabet that forms the basis of most European alphabets. Meanwhile, Athens adopted the Ionic alphabet; as a result, it is still used in modern Greece. While the original Greek alphabet was written in all capitals, three different scripts were created to make it easier to write quickly. These include uncial, a system for connecting capital letters, as well as the more familiar cursive and minuscule. Minuscule is the basis for modern Greek handwriting. Why You Should Know the Greek Alphabet Even if you never plan to learn Greek, there are good reasons to familiarize yourself with the alphabet. Mathematics and science use Greek letters like pi (Ï€) to complement the numeric symbols. Sigma in its capital form (ÃŽ £) can stand for sum, while the uppercase letter delta (Δ) can mean  change. The Greek alphabet is also central to the study of theology. For example, the Greek used in the Bible- called  Koine (or common) Greek- is different than  modern Greek. Koine Greek was the language used by writers of the Old Testament Greek Septuagint  (the earliest existing Greek translation of the Old Testament) and the Greek New Testament, according to an article titled The Greek Alphabet published on the website  BibleScripture.net. So, many theologians need to study ancient Greek to get closer to the original biblical text. Having ways to quickly produce Greek letters using HTML or keyboard shortcuts makes this process much easier. Additionally, Greek letters are used to designate fraternities, sororities, and philanthropic organizations. Some books in English are also numbered using the letters of the Greek alphabet. Sometimes, both lowercase and capitals are employed for simplification. Thus, you may find that the books of the Iliad are written Α to ÃŽ © and those of the Odyssey, ÃŽ ± to ω.

Achieving Happiness

Nowadays we believe that if we are wealthy and have material possessions we would be happy and content with our lives. Is this really the case, how does money and materialistic items help us achieve happiness? If we look at celebrities, athletes, or individuals who possess large sums of wealth and material possessions we believe they are the happiest individuals; that they have everything and buy anything. However, are they really content with their lives? In Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project, she explains that to be happy it must come from inside oneself; you must do the things you love, have fun, freedom, be positive, and most important that inner drive to push you on the right track in becoming happy. Rubin realizing she was in danger of wasting her life gave herself a year to conduct a happiness project; to not only become happier, but also to be more satisfied and content with every life. Every month she completed a different set of resolutions to help her along the way. Nonetheless, Rubin was innately motivated to achieve true happiness and had that inner drive to change old habits and create new ones. Moreover, the methods Rubin used to become happy relates to Daniel H. Pink’s book Drive. Pink helps us understand whether or not happiness comes from outside sources or is it within oneself to make the change. His study on extrinsic forces such as money or material possession implies that these only keeps people happy for a short period of time; on the other hand intrinsic forces such as ones inner drive is a greater force than outside influences. Rubin also used intrinsic motivation to commit to her happiness project and commit to her daily habits. Charles Duhigg defines habit as â€Å" Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit explains how we human beings can change addictive habits or create new and healthy ones. Rubin created and changed habits such as, keeping a low temper, and having more fun. Her overwhelming happiness rubbed off on others and ultimately changed the atmosphere around her house and friends. This emotional contagion relates to Lauren Slater’s text book Opening Skinners Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century where she explains two cientists John Darley and Bibb Latane’s who conducted an experiment to test the reaction of a naive subject; and if that naive subject attempted to aid themselves or others when something disastrous or out of the ordinary occurred. Rubin’s intrinsic motivation based on Drive, her creation of her habit loop and changing of habits explained by Duhigg, and social imitation based on Darley and Latane’s smoke experiment motivated her to change her habits, and become happier and content with her life. Gretchen Rubin was a mother of two young beautiful daughters, seven-year old Eliza and one-year old Eleanor. She was married to a handsome man named Jamie who loved her as much as she did. Rubin lived in New York City and was a full time writer. However, one April morning Rubin was sitting on a bus looking through rain spattered windows when realized she was in danger of wasting her life. She did not feel happy; she had everything: a loving husband, a loving family, two beautiful kids, friends, wealth, but she did not feel happy. Rubin describes â€Å"I wasn’t depressed and I wasn’t having a midlife crisis, but I was suffering from midlife malaise† (2). This midlife malaise was a sense of discontent and feeling of disbelief that she could not do and accomplish anything. As a result of being frustrated and unhappy, Rubin started her own happiness project; every month she set out 4 to 5 resolutions she wished to accomplish by the end of the month for one whole year. These goals led her to intrinsically motivate herself to start a long and dedicated track towards happiness. During the month of January she was dedicated to boost her energy and vitality; she had five resolutions to accomplish during that month: going to sleep earlier, exercising better, organizing her entire house, tackling a nagging task, and acting more energetic. Furthermore, these resolutions had to rely on being intrinsically motivated to complete them. Pink defines intrinsic motivation as â€Å"that enjoyment-based intrinsic motivation, namely how creative a person feels when working on the project, is the strongest and pervasive driver† (21). Her 2nd goal during January was to exercise better; however, her father used extrinsic motivation to try to make her exercise. Rubin says â€Å"with extrinsic motivation, people act to win external rewards or avoid external punishments† (22). As a result Rubin never became too fond of exercising on her own; only when someone forced her to she would. However, with this exercising goal, she inertly motivated herself to try to exercise every day; she did this to make herself feel better, boost energy, and look better. Studies show that when someone feels and looks better; they will be much happier with the way they look and feel. At the end of January Rubin was off to a promising start; she had been intrinsically motivated to become happier and rewarded herself with a check mark on her resolution chart, which made it easier for her to be motivated and stick with her happiness project. All the resolutions Rubin followed during every month were mostly habits that had to be developed. During the month of April, one of her resolutions was to sing in the morning. This was where instead of lashing out on her kids or husband as she used to do, she would try to sing their mistakes or complaints and make them laugh. This took extreme discipline for Rubin, because it was a habit of hers to attain a quick temper and lash out on her kids or husband. This is where the habit loop and golden rule of habit change comes into play. Duhigg defines the habit loop as â€Å"a loop which consists of the cue, routine, reward; cute, routine, reward becomes more and more automatic† (19). The cue is the trigger that tells your brain to go into instinctive mode and which habits to use† (19). Secondly, the routine is the action or addiction itself, it can be done mentally, emotionally, or physically (Duhigg 19). Lastly the reward is the pleasure and satisfaction in executing a habit. Rubin’s cue before her habit change was when her husband or kids complained about anything such as, when Rubin was changing Eleanor’s diaper and Eliza was complaining that she had not eaten her breakfast (Rubin 95). Her routine whenever this complaining occurred was lashing out or getting upset and lastly her reward was silence or the job getting done. According to Duhigg, the â€Å"golden rule of habit change is only achievable if you use the same cue; provide the same reward, but modify the routine to successfully change the habit† (62). Her new habit to sing in the morning changed her previous routine of lashing out to sing her child’s or husbands complaint and make them laugh and have silence. The cue was still the complaining and the reward was still silence or getting the job done. Rubin describes â€Å" One morning Eliza whined ‘why do I have to go to class today? I don’t want to go to tae kwon do ,’ I wanted to snap back, ‘ you always say you don’t want to go, but then you have fun,’ or ‘I don’t like to hear all this grumbling. ’ instead, even thou it wasn’t easy, I sang out ‘ I on’t want to go tae kwon do’† (96). This type of mentality in dealing with kids or spouses increases happiness and helps marital and child relations. This habit change allowed Rubin to not only deal with problems in a positive way, but also allowed her to spread happiness in an easy, but effective manner. Moreover, another habit that Rub in changed was during the month of June; she always had a problem with gossiping. However, one of her resolutions for that month was to stop gossiping all together. To obtain long term happiness, you must give up something that brings short term happiness; such as gossiping (Rubin 155). This short term happiness of gossiping is increasingly fun for social functions, but it is not a nice thing to do and whenever you say critical things about other people the spontaneous trait transference occurs. The spontaneous trait transference is a psychological phenomenon where people unintentionally transfer traits to the people who ascribe them (Rubin 156). For instance, if I was to tell Josh that Bill is ignorant; Josh would believe I was also ignorant. As a result Rubin wished to stop. Furthermore, her cue before stopping was an urge or a juicy story, the routine was talking excessively about it and lastly the reward was the happiness and satisfaction she gossiped. Moreover, she stopped her gossiping by replacing the routine with either walking away or defending the person individuals were talking about. Rubin shares an experience â€Å"I was at a meeting when someone mentioned of mutual acquaintances, ‘I heard that their marriage was in trouble. ’ ‘I hadn’t heard that,’ someone replied. So fill us in was the implication of her tone. ‘Oh I don’t think that’s true,’ I said dismissively. Let’s not talk about that was the implication of my tone† (155). Furthermore, two scientists John Darley and Bibb Latane conducted an experiment to test whether or not human beings are driven by social imitation. To test this they brought in three college students; two as actors and one as a naive subject and told them to fill out a questionnaire on college life. A few minutes into the experiment, nonhazardous smoke began to flow out from vents and captivate the room. The two actors continued to fill out the form, but the naive subject was more interested in the heavy smoke pouring out like cream. Slater describes â€Å"The confederates were instructed to keep filling out their forms, to display no fear. They did. The smoke started pouring like cream, coming faster, heavier, smearing the air and blotting out figures, faces. The smoke was an irritant and caused one to cough. Each time, the naive subject looked alarmed, looked at the smoke going from wisp to waft, looked at the calm confederates, and then, clearly confused, went back to filling out the questionnaire†(104). The results were extraordinary; the naive subject imitated the actors in the room, doing nothing about the smoke. Slater described â€Å"we are driven by imitation† (IDK). This experiment shows that we are driven by social imitation; copying other people to please ourselves and feel comfortable rather than feeling out of place. However, can this be related to happiness? Rubin described â€Å"a phenomenon called ‘emotional contagion’ is unconsciously catching emotions from other peoplewhether good moods or bad ones (127). Thus, social imitation and emotional contagion are the same; For example, we all have that friend that has a â€Å"contagious laughter†. Why do you think that is? Well, because of that friend’s continuous laughter, everyone else in the group may start to inexplicably feel the same way, sometimes without even realizing what is causing their reaction. During May, one of Rubin’s resolutions was to take time to be silly. Even though controlling her temper by singing complaints had done wonders, Rubin wanted even more happiness around her home. She wanted to create a happy atmosphere. One day while putting groceries away, Rubin used two clementine’s to make goggle eyes at her two daughters; not only making her laugh, but her whole family as well. Since, Eleanor and Eliza saw her mother laughing at her silly joke, they also joined in. This was exactly how the naive subject reacted when he saw the two confederates ignoring the smoke. Instead of reporting the smoke as an emergency, the naive subject also ignored the smoke. Moreover, social imitation or emotional contagion also played a role during the month of June when one of her resolutions was to make three new friends.

A Streetcar Named Desire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Streetcar Named Desire - Essay Example The idea of the film is borrowed from the play by Tennessee Williams with the same title. The main character is Blanche DuBois, who is a fading though very beautiful heroine and the Southern belle. In the reality, this woman is degrading and is masterfully hiding behind her attractive mask. This woman suffers from the problems with alcoholism, but she tries to position herself as a good-willed woman. On her way to New Orleans French Quarter, she follows the route, which is named â€Å"Desire† and is really shocking for her (Bloom 1988, p. 37). The social underpinnings of the film Blanche is a very nervous woman with unstable nerves. She had an affair with her 17-year-old student and that is why she left her hometown. Moreover, this woman experienced a suicide of her husband and there is no wonder that she is on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Her illusions are haunting her and are mixed with her reality. She lives in her own mixed reality which is the background for her self- searching. It is hard for her to identify herself in the complex social context and it is even harder for her to position herself as a sound member of the society or as a dweller of her illusive world. Stanley and Stella show their stable and erotically charged relation to Blanche and do not feel emotional constraint. Stanley has a conflict with Blanche, because he finds out those things which she tried to hide from all people around her. Stanley rapes her and Blanche experiences a nervous breakdown. These events may seem to be predictable for drama films, but in reality the director has another intention to contrast a real life of people with their imaginative worlds. Therefore, the main heroine is passing through the film driven by her strong desire; while she felt this desire to live and to love, she was alive. When this feeling was perverted and scorned, her life broke down. Stanley could not even confess that he committed this crime and spoiled a life of a poor woman. There is a rich symbolism in this film. The main characters are fighting against their low intentions, alcoholism, and their weak-willed natures. It is interesting that the director of the film chose Marlon Brando and Vivienne Leigh to play two main characters. Both of these actors are beautiful and have always been associated with dignity and good nature (Saal, 2003). In this film, the stereotypes are discarded and the public has a chance to see that they can play both positive and negative characters. Both of them can evoke not only a feeling of admiration or love, but also negative attitude and even disdain of the audience. At the same time, the director chose those actors in order to underline that everyone has its skeleton in the cupboard and very often there is a veil of dignity, but in reality a person is a perverted beast or lives another life. Leigh was dying out in 50s as the actress of romanticism and Marlon Brando was on the edge of naturalistic acting. There is a symbolic antago nism between romanticism and realism. There is a struggle of violence and desire against illusive romantic world. Therefore, the scene of rape is hidden from the audience, but it is clearly seen from the shadows of two persons what is happening. Brando is dominating on the screen. The epoch of realism and violence is dominating over the epoch of romanticism.

Project Team performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project Team performance - Essay Example As a result, the employee mix in many organizations is comprised of a wider age range than a decade ago. The multigenerational team has always existed in one way or another, but of late project performance has tended to suffer because of erroneous perceptions concerning the conduct of team members. The challenge to management (and the aim of this essay) is to understand and appreciate the various generational behaviours and values, in order to plan how managers may realize the intended project synergy. Understanding the Generations Present realities in the workplace have generated interest in various issues which have until recently been rarely heard of: i.e., differences in perception among generations, familiarity with new technologies, behaviour with regard to authority, and divergence in the use of written and oral language. There has been much debate concerning the existence of intergenerational differences, if such are truly significant to merit particular attention, or if the perceived differences are merely misconceptions caused by stereotyping. For forward looking managers, success may be achieved only in a work environment that supports the different generational concerns and work styles (Manhertz, 2009, p. 2). Many organizations throughout the world have realized that their staff may be categorized into four distinct generations, namely: Generation Y (Manhertz, 2009) or Nexters (Durkin in BHM, 2004), 29 years old and under; Generation X (Manhertz) or Xers (Durkin), 30 to 44 years old; Baby Boomers (both Manhertz and Durkin), 45 to 63 years old; and Traditionalists (Manhertz; Buahene & Kovary, 2007), Veterans (Durkin), or Mature (Morlan & Gelbtuch), 64 years old and over. To each of these groups are associated certain attributes which, barring stereotyping, appear to characterize the individuals belonging to them because of their psycho-social development and the unique history of their generation. This is because human beings form a set of insight, i ntuition, and knowledge in relation to sensory stimuli that exist at the particular time and place. Persons belonging to the same generation will generally be exposed to the same environmental stimuli and may therefore form, to some extent, the same set of attributes (Bell, 2008). For instance, Nexters believe that hard work and goal orientation lead to the realization of their dreams; thus, they work best with leaders who are highly goal-oriented. For Nexters, managers should be sure to definitively articulate their goals, both personally and those of the organization. Nexters need to have a clear image of their role in the team and the firm. The next group, Xers, form the majority of the work force and are beginning to assume the reins of management from the Baby Boomers. They are adept, resourceful and clever, sufficiently versed in the new technology and combining it with their growing work knowledge. According to Durkin (BMH, 2004), Xers â€Å"seek instant gratification and ha ve a huge need to succeed, while at the same time striving for a balance in life and work. This generation works to live instead of living to work.†

Buddhism Essay -- essays research papers

The followers of the Buddha believe life goes on and on in many reincarnations or rebirths. The eternal hope for all followers of Buddha is that through reincarnation one comes back into successively better lives - until one achieves the goal of being free from pain and suffering and not having to come back again. This wheel of rebirth, known as samsara, goes on forever or until one achieves Nirvana. The Buddhist definition of Nirvana is "the highest state of spiritual bliss, as absolute immortality through absorption of the soul into itself, but preserving individuality" (Head1 57). Birth is not the beginning and death is not the end. This cycle of life has no beginning and can go on forever without an end. The ultimate goal for every Buddhist, Nirvana, represents total enlightenment and liberation. Only through achieving this goal is one liberated from the never ending round of birth, death, and rebirth (Head3 73). Transmigration, the Buddhist cycle of birth, death, a nd rebirth, involves not the reincarnation of a spirit but the rebirth of a consciousness containing the seeds of good and evil deeds. Buddhism's world of transmigration encompasses three stages. The first stage in concerned with desire, which goes against the teachings of Buddha, is the lowest form and involves a rebirth into any number of hells. The second stage is one in which animals dominate. But after many reincarnations in this stage the spirit becomes more and mo... Buddhism Essay -- essays research papers The followers of the Buddha believe life goes on and on in many reincarnations or rebirths. The eternal hope for all followers of Buddha is that through reincarnation one comes back into successively better lives - until one achieves the goal of being free from pain and suffering and not having to come back again. This wheel of rebirth, known as samsara, goes on forever or until one achieves Nirvana. The Buddhist definition of Nirvana is "the highest state of spiritual bliss, as absolute immortality through absorption of the soul into itself, but preserving individuality" (Head1 57). Birth is not the beginning and death is not the end. This cycle of life has no beginning and can go on forever without an end. The ultimate goal for every Buddhist, Nirvana, represents total enlightenment and liberation. Only through achieving this goal is one liberated from the never ending round of birth, death, and rebirth (Head3 73). Transmigration, the Buddhist cycle of birth, death, a nd rebirth, involves not the reincarnation of a spirit but the rebirth of a consciousness containing the seeds of good and evil deeds. Buddhism's world of transmigration encompasses three stages. The first stage in concerned with desire, which goes against the teachings of Buddha, is the lowest form and involves a rebirth into any number of hells. The second stage is one in which animals dominate. But after many reincarnations in this stage the spirit becomes more and mo...

Syllabus for African Dance

Syllabus for African Dance MPADE-UE 1542. 002 Spring 2013 Contact hours: Wednesday, 1:30-3:30pm, studio 304 Education building Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, Program in Dance Education New York University Instructor: Alfdaniels Mabingo Phone: 917-679-8119 E-mail: Consultation: By appointment —————————————– A survey course in East African dance with accompanying songs, music, and cultural contexts in which these dances originate. The course specifically offers knowledge and performance skills of traditional dance forms East Africa and methods for teaching these dances.It offers critical analysis of how these dances interact with cultural, social, occupational, and religious aspects that contribute to creating them. Besides critical understanding and performance of these dances, the course equips students with skills to perform the music that accompanies them. Learni ng outcomes 1. Students will demonstrate proficiency in performing ethnic dances from selected cultures in East Africa. 2. Students will learn and perform vocal and instrumental music that accompanies ethnic dances from cultures in Uganda. 3.Students will demonstrate techniques and methods of teaching ethnic dances from Ugandan cultures. 4. Students will acquire fundamental knowledge into critical analysis of how dances in East Africa interact with cultural aspects that participate in creating them. 5. Students will learn various techniques that are related to performance of various ethnic dances from cultures in Uganda. Students are expected to: a. Finish and present the assignments within the stipulated time. b. Actively participate in practical sessions and class discussion. Focus of selected readings and visual recordings ) Understanding the author’s message and use it as a point of departure for supplementary inquiries b) Establishing connections between the readings and visual recordings and the student’s class/practical experience c) Inspire students to learn the various dances Other important readings Adinku, W. O. (1995). African Dance Education in Ghana, Ghana, Accra: Universities Press. Aduonum, M. (2011). West African Dance in the United States University Curriculum, LAP Lambert Academic Publishing Nannyonga-Tamusuza, S. (2005. Baakisimba: Gender in Music and Dance of the Baganda People of Uganda.London and New York: Routledge. Tieron, A. (1992). Doople: Eternal Law of African Dance – Choreography & Dance Studies, New York: Routledge * * Welsh, A. K. (1996). African Dance: An Artistic, Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press. Welsh, A. K. (2003). Umfundalai: An African Dance Technique, Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press Policies: * Assignment Formats: All assignments must be typewritten with at least a normal 12 pt font and double-spaced. Use a header and page numbers. Please hand in hard copies of as signments without folders.Do not email them; Emailed copies will not be accepted. * Attendance: You are expected to attend every session of the course. One excused absence is permitted with a doctor’s note or other acceptable evidence. If you are going to be absent please send an email to the instructor. Additional absences will decrease the cumulative grade by one letter grade increment. An unexcused absence will decrease the cumulative grade by one letter grade increment. Please make arrangements with a peer to collect course materials for you and contact the peer after the session for updates on the session activities and assignments. Late arrivals/Early departures: Being on time and staying throughout the duration of the course is to be expected. Three late arrivals, three early departures, or any three combinations of late arrivals and/or early departures to/from class will equate to an absence. A late arrival or early departure of more than 15 minutes will be counted as an absence. * Late Assignments: Late assignments are reduced in letter grade increment. Assignments may be handed in up to one week late. Late assignments may not receive significant feedback.Any assignments that are not complete at this time (one week late) will not receive a grade and will negatively affect your cumulative course grade. * Assignments Class attendance and participation20% Midterm paper25% Midterm performance25% Final performance30% Note: See the rubric for details about the requirements for each area of assignment * Grading: Letter Grade| Number Grade| Legend| A| 94-100| Exceptional| A-| 90-93| Excellent| B+| 87-89| Extremely Good| B| 84-86| Very Good| B-| 80-83| Good| C+| 77-79| Satisfactory| C| 74-76| Satisfactory| C-| 70-73| Nearing Satisfactory| D+| 67-69| Minimum Passing Grade|D| 65-66| Minimum Passing Grade| F| 0-64| Failure| * Incomplete Grading: Incomplete grades are not a grading option. Under exceptional circumstances, such as those with a serious illnes s or other emergency, and at the discretion of the course instructor, an incomplete grade may be granted, based on the student's performance throughout the course of the semester. * E-mail Communication with Instructor(s): Please keep your e-mails as succinct as possible. If you predict you will need to write more than one paragraph, it is an indication that you probably need to schedule a meeting rather than writing an e-mail. Special Accommodations: Any student attending NYU who needs an accommodation due to a chronic, psychological, visual, mobility and/or learning disability, or is Deaf or Hard of Hearing should register with the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities located at 726 Broadway, phone: 212. 998. 4980, or website address: www. nyu. edu/csd. * Please refrain from all cell phone use during class. * Please clean up after any food or drink. * Dress appropriately for the classes * Academic Integrity: Please be familiar with NYU Steinhardt policies: http://steinhardt . nyu. edu/policies/academic_integrity.