Comparison Research Paper Example

Comparison Research Paper Example Research Paper on Comparison between the Greek and the American Cultures: Culture is a broad yet very important aspect of the society and without it no community or group can claim to have any form of identity. Culture can be viewed from a variety of angles each interrelated to the other. It mainly comprises the aspects of religion, business and economic activities, duty towards others, food, dress code, language, music and dance, etiquette, entertainment, and family values among others. These aspects collectively define a group. The speech aims at providing a clear description of some aspects of the Greek culture and providing vivid comparison between the Greek and the American culture (Adams and Strother-Adams 23). Elements which are used to achieve his include the aspects of weddings, clothing and gift giving. Weddings Greek weddings basically commenced when darkness struck. Chariot being the main form of transport carried the bride who at the time stood on the chariot. The girl would set on the journey from her family home to her future husband’s home wearing a veil. Behind the chariot would be the bride’s family who trekked and carried gifts to the groom’s home. Since it would be dark, the acquaintances of both the bride and the groom would provide lighting ahead of the chariots (Adams and Strother-Adams 18). Similarly, their friends would use torches to provide the light. Since they believed darkness encouraged evil spirits, the friend while leading the way played some music in a bid to scare the supposed spirits. During the actual ceremony, a fruit, more so an apple would be provided to the bride to symbolize the aspect of provision on the part of the husband. This would indicate the husband’s responsibility and ability to provide for the wife’s basic needs from the wedding day onwards. The new couple would be offered wedding gifts which would range from jewelry, furniture and perfumes among other needs. The courtyard close to the grooms’ home served to provide the reception where the guest and family members would share and enjoy the celebratory meal Weddings and marriage in the United States are conducted in line with various marriage laws within America. Each state has its own set of guidelines regarding marriage and wedding although most of these guidelines are widespread throughout the United States. Weddings are not at all compulsory in America as people are able to stay together even without formalizing a marriage and thus domestic partnerships and civil marriages are common. Most marriages in America are conducted the western style and are officiated by pastors and priests depending on the denomination of the partners. Weddings involving the whites are the most common function either performed within a church or outdoors. Secular weddings are also common in America and are mainly presided over by an official from the municipal council, a judge or a justice. America is a permissive society and with their advocacy for human rights, the constitution permits same sex marriages (Curry and Sibylla 45). The society has thus witnessed quite a number of gay and lesbian weddings in the United States. A characteristic wedding in America involves the groom and the bride making vows as guided by the priest or the pastor in a church. The bride is usually escorted by the father or close family members to the groom who waits for her at the altar. The Christian wedding however isn’t the only religions kind of wedding witnessed in America. The continent comprises a number of religions, each conducting their weddings as per their religious cultures. These religious groups include the Jews, Muslims and Buddhists. Most weddings are attended by large groups and family members save for some occasions where high profile members, owing to the need of private, make the event a private one. In such a case the guests would normally be close family members and friends. Despite these ceremonies, a considerable number of American weddings end in divorce with close to 90% of the cases ending up in court. Clothing The Greeks follow a dress code that is quite simple and depending on the weather conditions, the inhabitants dress in wool or linen. Wool is worn during the winter season and linen in summer. Anciently, most Greek families sew their own clothes at home as purchasing garments was quite costly (Curry and Sibylla 56). The wealthy however, managed to afford the readymade clothes from the markets. The readymade clothes were made by professional seamstresses and were therefore very classy. The female members of the families were responsible for making garment for the rest of the family. This included the slaves, the daughters and their mothers. Garments would be decorated depending on the state or city that a family resided. Because of the adoration that the Greek treated their towns with, they made decorations that represented them. Jewelry among the Greek are important asset and so they frequently bought them to adorn themselves. It is however the rich that mostly owned jewels as they could manage the costly price that the peddlers provided in exchange for the ornaments. They also made their own perfumes which contained boiled extracts from flowers and herbs. When travelling, the Greek mostly wore hats famously known as the ‘petasos’. Hairbrushes were used by both genders and women maintained long and braided hairs. The American attire basically follows the western culture and comprises a variety of garments. Both men and women put on pants, and shirts and sometimes blazers. Women put on dresses and skirts too. Dressing is mainly done according to the occasion or the environment. In offices people mainly dress official for instance in suits. Swim suits and beach wear are worn during holidays and specifically in the beaches while casual clothes are used at home where no special condition applies. Gift Giving Gift giving among Americans is generally conducted during special occasions. During wedding, birthdays and anniversaries, people present gifts mostly to those celebrating the occasion. Gifts are also exchanged during special occasions like Christmas and Easter. Not much attention is given to the aspects of giving gifts with the exception of Christmas period. Also, no special items are designated to be presented as gifts even though some items go well with specific occasions as compared to others. Special notes and cards are commonly used as gifts in America. People also tend to bring gifts to families whenever invited into a friend’s home. This is done as a gesture of politeness and mostly seen when people are invited for dinner by friends or acquaintances. Opening a gift immediately it is given is normal as no specific ritual govern the way it should be done (Adams and Strother-Adams 34). Cultures from different societies around the world are in some special way very unique. Despite the use of same elements in describing culture, each and every society has its own way of handling the common elements. This discussion is true to this fact as it has provided details on how the various elements of culture are viewed differently in Greece and in America. The Greek, like Americans also share gifts mostly among family members and friend. Occasions which call for gift giving includes, Christmas and name days. Name days are considered of more significance than birthdays considering the saints after which the children are named after. Only few individuals therefore celebrate their birthdays. It is required that gifts sent during these occasions be affordable. This is because people exchange gives and buying an expensive gift for someone would put much pressure on him to reciprocate with an equally expensive one. This in most cases causes inconveniences. Like the Americans, they are required to come along with some gifts whenever invited to dinner by an acquaintance. Flowers are most commonly used and are sometimes sent ahead of the occasion. In addition, gifts are enclosed in special wrappings and are mainly opened on reception.

Impress Your Reader With Your Message, Not Your Vocabulary

Impress Your Reader With Your Message, Not Your Vocabulary In classic literature, it seemed that critics thought the bigger the words, the better the writer. While the classics certainly have their place in literary history, chances are that your essays, resumes, cover letters, theses, marketing communications, novels or short stories are more likely to be read and judged by a much more targeted, and thus much smaller, audience.Beware the 10-lb. word in a 5-lb. sackWords are wonderful, magical tools for any writer, and there is great temptation to branch out from our vocabulary comfort-zone, to experiment with what we consider to be intellectual or smart-sounding phrases. Your message to your reader will be interrupted by the shock of an ill-fitting word or phrase that is obviously not part of your regular speech but instead, a substitute plucked from Rogets Thesaurus. The teacher, professor, customer or employer reading your document is interested in your message; you will lose their interest quickly if the flow of your writing (and their r eading) is sprinkled with unnecessary multi-syllable or archaic words.Objective editing produces better writingLets assume you have a writing project – an essay. You have selected a topic, researched your background material, formulated your opinions on the subject and produced the first draft. Your next three steps are crucial to creating the best essay you can write: 1) Edit the text; 2) Edit the text again; 3) Read the text as if you were a child, and edit the text again. If you find words or phrases that seem out of place or could be simplified for clearer understanding, get your red pencil moving! What seems out of place to you could come across to your reader as pompous and, worse yet, could cause your reader to discount any genuine ideas you may be trying to explain.Write as you speakNaturally, formal writing will be more structured than conversation; nevertheless, everything you write should impart your personality, your intelligence and your sense of humor where appr opriate. This is more difficult for English-as-second-language writers, who have a tendency to select grander-sounding words in English than in their own language. As these writers become more familiar with casual English and interact more with English-speaking associates, it is an editors delight to see their written communication become much more natural and less dependent upon big words.Put this tip to work for youBelow is an example from a resume of an introductory paragraph that cries out for simplification. As a practice exercise, identify the roadblocks to understanding and re-phrase as needed without losing the intent of the message. While this is an obviously absurd example, you should approach all of your writing with the same critical eye and the pledge to make your end-product the best it can be.Career Objective: To capitalize on my abundant scholastic and professional sagacity in marketing communications, all the while achieving equanimity between Advertising and Public Relations, ensuring my effectiveness and contributory value to my prospective employer.Small words to write byIf you remember nothing else from my writing tips, burn these three words on your brain: Keep it simple. While you should always strive to improve your vocabulary, you do not want your reader fumbling through the dictionary instead of absorbing your message. The best advice for would-be writers is evidenced by successful modern authors – their use of words, flow of content, clarity of subject and variety of expressions – hence, the more you read, the more you learn about writing, and the most valuable lesson is: Build your vocabulary and improve your writing, but leave the ten-dollar words to Shakespeare!

Compares the significance of the dominant conservative parties and Essay

Compares the significance of the dominant conservative parties and their opponents on the left (and in the center, as in the case of the DPJ) in France and Japan - Essay Example Due to this unity, the Japan Democratic Party won the next elections, held this power for over almost five decades, but lost the power in 1993. The party strategies came from its strong ties with the United Nation and the USSR. However, Criminal Intelligence Agency in US was not happy with the Socialist and the Communist party and therefore spent millions of dollars influencing Japans elections in the favor of the Liberal Democratic Party. Many analysts argue that the influence was due to the second world war that really affected the Japanese hence the CIA were worried of their counter reaction. The influence of the US CIA was a deep kept secret and was only revealed later in the 1990 thanks to The New York Times. In the 1960’s LDP managed to host 1964 Olympics and neutralize the Vietnam War (Fackler, Osaka Mayors Radical Message Has Broad Appeal in a Weary Japan). Their success continued as the Party managed to improve the country’s economy. However, the Party did not have it smooth all the way. The Party encountered resistance from the Socialist Party and Japan Community party. LDP also encountered many scandals including some of young members breaking away from the government and joining their opponents. Despite this, the government managed to consolidate and move forward. The Party made policies from all specters of the economy that managed to hold the party into leadership until 1993 when it lost. The party lost due to lack of power to influence voters in addition to many scandals in the government. Despite the loss the LDP was able to gunner its power back and after three years it was back to leadership. In 1998, Democratic Party of Japan was formed. The party challenged LDP mostly in 2003 and 2004 in parliamentary elections (Sieg). France political interest began hundreds of year ago with philosophers such as Locke challenging the government in its governance role.

Practical UNIX Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Practical UNIX Security - Assignment Example However, these modules require frequent updates for virus definitions and new threats, which may affect the network anytime. Every now and then, new threats are designed and developed by hackers or cyber criminals. In spite of securing the networks and data centers, with the most updated and advanced security modules, there is still a probability of a new threat to intrude into the network. In addition, hackers and cyber criminals are exploring efficient codes day by day to improve the hacking software, in order to breach in to classified information, banks, online websites etc. As the threats and vulnerabilities are infinite, no one can memorize them in order to take a measured approach, the initial step is to identify the vulnerability type. An organization named as CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure) provides a database to search for a particular public known vulnerability. The sponsors for CVE are US-CERT and managed by MITRE Corporation. The goal is to provide common names for all publicly known security threats and exposures. In order to extract information from CVE, access of National Vulnerability Database is mandatory (NVD) (Cve. 2011). (CVE) The Standard A comprehensive definition is available on the CVE website, which states as â€Å"Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE ®) is a dictionary of common names (i.e., CVE Identifiers) for publicly known information security vulnerabilities, while its Common Configuration Enumeration (CCEâ„ ¢) provides identifiers for security configuration issues and exposures. CVE’s common identifiers make it easier to share data across separate network security†. One more definition available in network dictionary states it as â€Å"common vulnerabilities and exposure is an emerging refers industry standard for identifying and naming vulnerabilities and various other information security exposures† (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. 2007). The primary objective of CVE is to provide a separate database accessible, in order to find out all the known threats and vulnerabilities currently, with the help of tools and services. What is CVE 3872 ? As CVE 3872 is a threat that operates on web technologies, before understanding CVE 3872, it is vital to focus on some of the web technologies that are associated with CVE 3872. Common Gateway Interface A newly developed website providing information must possess a database to store information, which is published on the website. In general, many people on the Internet will visit the website and access information, which is extracted from the database. This is where the importance of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) becomes useful. Dave Chaffy defines it as â€Å"A method of processing information on a web server in response to a customer’s request. Typically, a user will fill in a Web-based form and a CGI script (application) will process the results. Active Server Pages (ASP) are an alternative to a CGI script† (Chaffey 2006). Moreover, if the users query the database of the website, the CGI script will transmit the queries to the database and retrieves results on the website. It has become a standard for synchronizing information servers from external web applications. CGI is eminent in the form of a plain HTML file which his static, while CGI operates in a real time environment to display dynamic contents on a website. An

Resistance to Change phenomenon as a positive force for organisations Essay - 1

Resistance to Change phenomenon as a positive force for organisations - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that change is pervasive in every organization with the current economy, and it happens continuously at a rapid speed. On the other hand, resistance remains an inevitable response to any major change, and people naturally rush to defend their status quo especially during compromising status or security threats. According to Tanachart and Islam, organizational change can create cynicism and resistance in employees, which may sometimes make it difficult to implement organizational change. Nieuwenhuizen et al. define resistance as an action proposed to defend a person from the effects of change. The competition is quite high making change inevitable hence the need for every organization to manage change. Researchers argue that the employees will resist change despite its benefits to them and the organization. However, change resistance is the last thing that management would like during any changing process although theorists argue that it is helpful. Change is here to stay and any company, according to Hill and Jones without change risks a competition that could drive them out of business and possible closure. In any organizational structure, change comes from above, and therefore managers should possess a change management skill. Unfortunately, most employees do not respond positively to change, and that calls for managers to understand why they resist the change. Robert Kennedy once quoted that 20% of the people resist change. No matter the effectiveness of a leader, the change efforts will always face challenge or sabotage. For this reason, organizational change does not come easy, and two-thirds of organizational changes fail. Therefore, it is important for an organization to expect resistance and plan for it before commencing the change. This expectation will help the organization to prepare for the worst and apply change management skills in handling the resistance. Campbell emphasizes the need for managers to pos sess change management skills for the sake of handling resistance. Hill and Jones argue that the greatest significance of a change in any organization is that it presents conceptual scaffolding for people, the process, and the organization implementing change.

A policy brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A policy brief - Essay Example The company has implemented initiatives aimed at conserving environmental policy by reducing waste. The petroleum industry has been under scrutiny by the international community for its contribution to the emission of greenhouse gases. Petroleum products are also non-renewable hence the exploitation of these products could lead to the depletion of resources for future generations. A major environmental risk posed by the company is oil spills into the ocean which results in water pollution and suffocation of sea life. During the fractionation process to manufacture petroleum products, some of the byproducts of the process that are released into the environment such as sulphides and carbon dioxide contribute to the greenhouse effect. The company should develop methods of reducing emission of these wastes into the environment by exploring alternative waste management methods. The implementation of green energy in a petroleum industry can be quite an expensive venture. To mitigate losses due to the increase cost of manufacture of petroleum products would have a direct impact on the price of petroleum products. The company should revise its policies to include reducing the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbon which contribute to the greenhouse effect. They should also consider integrating the use of natural sources of energy such as solar, wind and tides to reduce their reliance on electricity and promote biodiversity. Further, the company should educate its workers on the need to preserve the environment by adopting recycling and techniques of proper management of

Influence of Global Economics at Micro and Macro Levels Assignment

Influence of Global Economics at Micro and Macro Levels - Assignment Example The researcher states that Adam Smith’s was the idea that free trade should prevail as well as the notions that were backing nation-building policies in the support of national defense is more important than opulence. The act of navigation and the wisest of commercial regulations also made concessions to the mercantilistic policy of regulation of foreign trade. In the 1770s, Smith wrote the wealth of nations in the widespread of mercantilism and his advocacy of free trade was supported by the comparative cost theory and the cloth/wine arguments served as the foundation for what later came to be called the pure theory of trade. This theory has then made a turn to support the free trade theory and both Britain and the United States embarked upon policies allowing the extreme of one way or unilateral free trade. According to Dunkey, free trade economists often describe the goal of globalization as deep integration or the convergence of nations’ fundamental economic structu res and policy systems, extending far beyond trade or strictly economic criteria. At the start of the twenty-first century, Americans deviated from living in a national market that was depending on its own resources. The American economy was isolated from the rest of the world by border restrictions and natural barriers, such as time, distance and lack of information. Decades of trade liberalization along with innovations in telecommunication and transportation had integrated global markets – and exposed workers in high-income countries to the pressures of global competition. The superiority of an international trading system characterized by greater multilateralism and international specialization over a trading system based on protectionism, bilateralism and a division of the world into major trading blocs is by no means as clear cut today as it was a decade ago.