Greeky mythology gender roles Essays - Labours Of Hercules, Monsters

A Comparison of the Disney movie Hercules and the actual Myth The story of Heracles has always been a popular one. Heracles is considered to be one of the best heroes of all time, even over Jason and Achilles. He is so popular and the story is so well known that Disney decided to make a movie. In the movie Disney made some changes that worked and they made some changes that could have been left the same as the original myth. In the Disney version they make Zeus? wife Hera to be the mother of Heracles?. This was probably to make is acceptable for children to view, since the truth is something that parents probably would not want their children seeing, also since it was a cartoon Disney was focusing on making the movie acceptable for the age range of viewers that would more than likely be attending the movie. They also had Heracles born on Mount Olympus and all the Gods celebrating the birth of the baby boy. Hera was not Heracles? mother in the original myth. His real mother was Alcmena, a woman that Zeus had an affair with. Alcemena didn?t know this was what was happening thought.. The way Zeus got away with this was he disguised himself as Alcemna?s husband Amphitryon and went and visited her. She conceived twins one from Zeus and one from Amphitryon. Alcemna however, noticed that one was stronger than the other. It was revealed to her later on of what had happened. Hera was never fond of Heracles becaus e he was a result of one of Zeus? affairs that she could not prevent from being born. Hera sent two serpents to kill the newborn Heracles the moment both twins were born, but Heracles strangled the snakes and survived. This is something that Disney did get partly right. They did not mention that there was another baby that was born but Disney did have the snakes. In the movie after pain and panic kidnap the baby, Heracles, they give him a potion that they were ordered by Hades to give to him that takes away his god like powers. The baby does not drink the entire potion however, so he is left with his strength. Once Pain and Panic leave a couple finds the baby, and notice that he has the sign of the gods around his neck. While the couple is looking at Heracles, Pain and Panic come back as serpents and try to kill Heracles; he takes them and beats them up. The only twist that Disney puts on this is that Hera actually loves Heracles and doesn?t want to hurt him. The god that does want to hurt him is Hades. He wants to rid of Heracles because of the prediction of the Fates, three sisters who can tell the past present and future, they tell Hades that if Heracles fights him then Heracles will ruin Hades chances in taking over Mount Olympus and ruling the world. Hades himself was portrayed as Evil and conniving this was not how he had been portrayed in the original myths. He was just the ruler of the underworld because his brother Zeus put him there. In the myth of Heracles he was taught by several people different things he would need to know to be a hero. Those people were Amphitryon for chariot driving, wrestling by Autolycus, archery by Eurytus, and music by Linus. Heracles also even ended up killing Linus by striking him with the lyre; this was not shown in the movie. None of the teachers were shown in the movie there was only one. His name was Philatedies he was half goat half man. He was also said to have taught other heroes such as Achilles and Jason. This however, isn?t true because those heroes were after Heracles so Philateedies couldn?t of taught them. Another thing that Disney put a twist on was the love story between Heracles and Megara. In the movie Heracles meets Megara as she is being harassed by the river god Nesus, and Heracles tries to save her. Megara is actually working for Hades and is trying to get the river god to be on Hades

Beowulf Good VS Eviel essays

Beowulf Good VS Eviel essays The Story of Beowulf is a classic epic poem that contains the forces of good and evil against each other. In this story evil is in the form of a horrible monster known as Grendel. Grendel is a very powerful monster who is attacking the people of Denmark. The mighty warrior known as Beowulf represents the forces of Good. He hears of what Grendel is doing to the Danes and quickly comes to the rescue. In the opening part of the story we learn what a horrible monster Grendel is. His thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws: He slipped through the door and there in silence snatched up thirty men and smashed them (35-39). These lines show Grandes heart of stone and thats he is evil by killing whatever he wants. Grendel slips through the shadows of night and continues killing the Danes every night, represent the sneakiness of his evil. Beowulf, the brave soldier lives far away from Denmark. The poem displays him to be good when he learns of the monster Grendel and comes to the rescue. In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlacs follower and the strongest of the geats heard how Grendel filled the nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat to be outfitted (90-94). Thus showing how good at heart Beowulf is by protecting others from evil. When Beowulf arrives at Denmark his reputation proves he has come to help and he and his men are quickly taken into Denmark and Cared for. The Danes explain to Beowulf of the monster and pray he can help them. They agree to watch over his boat for him. Grendel comes one night to find Beowulf and kill him. He kills the first geat he comes to and then awakens Beowulf. Beowulfs strength overpowers that of Grendel and Beowulf mortally wounds the Monster. Grendel then flies to Die in his Den, and Beowulf has defeated the evil monster. In this poem good triumphs over evil. Beowulf being brave and good at heart comes to destroy the evil...

Philosophy Of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Philosophy Of Education - Essay Example Though I am a contemporary educator and well understand the relevance and importance of the influx of new ideas and technologies on the cause of education, still there is no denying the fact that improvements in the field of education have always been subservient to a chronological flow of ideas and philosophies and the present state of education will be lacking and incomplete if it does not cull out priorities from the philosophies of the yore. It goes without saying that there always existed a salient linkage between education and philosophy. With the fresh economic challenges being faced by the contemporary societies, a fresh debate has emerged in Western Europe as to how the citizens of the future will maintain the coherence and meaningfulness of the state in times when the new educational ideas fail to sustain commensurate levels and potency of employment and the eventual consequences of the dwindling employment rates on the evitable sustenance and survival of peaceful states (S ommers & Morisi 2012). The recent protests in Greece, Spain and Cyprus have added a tinge of urgency to these concerns. In that context it will be apt to claim that I being a contemporary educator do feel that I owe a strong allegiance to the ideas and philosophies of the pioneer educators like Aristotle and John Dewey which not only have a thorough influence on the contemporary educational theories.... philosophy from the actual life of a thinker and in that sense Aristotle happened to be a seasoned scholar, who was a pioneer as far as confabulating philosophical musings on the issues of education, is concerned. Aristotle was a philosopher who inspired and will continue to inspire the generations of educators by the lucidity and pragmatism of his ideas on education. Aristotle happened to be a controversial thinker who lived in difficult times and hence his philosophy of education happens to have a close correlation with the requirements of the contemporary education systems. Though there is only a scrappy access to his work On Education, still it is possible to construct a working knowledge of Aristotle’s ideas on education by correlating it to his other existent works. Aristotle considered education to be a Central aspect of human life (Dovre 2007). Aristotle placed education and human fulfilment side by side and believed that an educated person happened to be a fulfilled p erson (Palmer 2007). In that context I do believe that the purpose of education is to bring about a measure of stability and poise into the human life, thereby allowing the young minds to be able to deal with the challenges and resentments brought about by the current socio-economic environment in a balanced and restrained manner. Culling from Aristotle’s ideas on education I do believe that the overall purpose of education is to endow the human spirit with a measure of confidence and stability that could eke out its way amongst the challenges thrown by the contemporary life with their accompanying complexity. Aristotle put forth the argument that the thought and philosophy of educators need to be marked by a clear philosophy of life (Bergman 2007). In that context it need to be mentioned

Influences on Providers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Influences on Providers - Assignment Example Healthcare expenditure is covered by several sources of funding including out-of-pocket payments where individuals pay for services through deductibles and copayments (Musgrave, 2006). Another source is the private health insurance coverage like the point-of-service plans (PPOs) and health maintenance organizations plans (HMOs). The US government expenditure on healthcare is incurred through government health plans like Medicare, Medicaid, Military Health system and Children’s health insurance program (CHIP) (Kronenfeld, 2002). Unemployment rate in the US has increased over the recent past. Unemployed individuals increase the financial costs of the health care providers since they may not be able to pay the deductibles and copayments. The high unemployment rate will increase the federal spending on Medicaid health care program (Sultz & Young, 2011). Increase in employment will lead to more employer financed healthcare insurance thus reducing the costs of government sponsored programs. Employees are more willing to purchase healthcare insurance once they are offered benefits like income tax allowances by the employee (Sultz & Young, 2011). About 46.3 million citizens representing 15.4 percent of total population have no insurance coverage. The number of uninsured citizens has been increasing due to lack of employment and ineligibility in government sponsored health care schemes (Sultz & Young, 2011). When the uninsured are unable to pay for the full medical costs, such costs are added to the provider’s costs. The increase in healthcare insurance will lead to early detection of the medical conditions thus a reduction in the overall medical costs incurred by the healthcare providers will be possible (Musgrave, 2006). The US economic downturn has increased the overall unemployment rate in the economy. The recent economic meltdown and financial crisis have led to

International Business (IB) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Business (IB) - Essay Example The main lines of production were cables, rubber and paper, while electronics unit was still relatively small. However, all this changed with the International acquisitions of several European electronics companies. Thus Nokia strengthened its position in the consumer electronics and telecommunications market. Nokia has used collaborative ventures as a strategy particularly in Europe and in Asia, especially in China. Europe being a developed market, it made sense for Nokia to enter into joint ventures to build upon the expertise and the knowledge base of the existing companies. By 1991, the bilateral trade agreements between Finland and Soviet Union were abolished and Nokia started looking for intermediaries. This led Nokia to enter into indirect exports through joint ventures in Europe. China was a promising but unfamiliar overseas market. Thus Nokia entered into joint ventures with Chinese and other Asian companies and Government to achieve the following objectives: Nokia has been using networks based on innovative ideas to keep pace with a dynamic technological environment, which evolved into mobile telephony. Nokia used mainly international innovation networks in becoming a world leader in the mobile phone industry. This is the best example of Nokia’s collaborative venture strategy as an internationalization mode. Nokia’s international business strategy gradually moved from collaborative ventures to more of exports as it gained foothold in the overseas markets. However, instead of making the home country Finland its export hub, it chose Countries like China and India as their export hubs to the rest of the world. Thus Nokia’s Export policy could be seen as a furtherance of its collaborative ventures. From China alone, where Nokia earlier pursued primarily the policy of Collaborative ventures, its exports grew by 50% to a record level in the year 2001. China, which had acquired the position of the second

UK Alcohol Prevention Programs in Schools: Critique

UK Alcohol Prevention Programs in Schools: Critique A critique of a particular method of prevention or intervention with reference to alcohol Drug and alcohol abuse is a major concern for governments in most Western countries. Each year significant amounts of funds are designated to try and tackle the problems that alcohol abuse causes. In Britain we are constantly reminded of our so called binge drinking culture and the damaging effect this is having on our society. Between 1993 and 2005, mortality rates from alcohol related diseases increased by 99% among males and 67% amongst females. Figures from the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit show that the financial cost to the country of alcohol misuse is somewhere in the region of  £20 billion a year (2004). None of this has been aided by longer opening times, alcohol being more readily available from a variety of sources and for much cheaper than it has ever been before. The UK government is aiming to devolve responsibility for dealing with alcohol related problems to a local level. In a recent white paper entitled Our Health, Our Care, Our Say (2006), there is a clear expectation that local agencies have to work in partnership to tackle the problems caused by alcohol misuse. This means that there is more pressure on local stakeholders such as schools to take on the responsibility of introducing programs to prevent alcohol abuse. This essay will attempt to provide a critique of schools-based intervention programs. It is widely accepted that schools-based intervention programs can lead to a better understanding of substances such as alcohol and can therefore result in better attitudes when it comes to the use of those particular substances. Studies have also shown that well designed programs can lead to reduced usage of alcohol in the long term as well. This essay will provide a rather broad look at schools-based programs and provide a more general critique rather than focussing in one on particular program. It is hoped that by doing this, it will be possible to utilize more of the academic research that exists and provide a more complete picture of the successes and the problems that these particular programs encounter. Because there is such a wealth of academic research in this area, this essay will be broken into 3 separate parts. The first will provide a meta-analyses where different types of programs are compared against each other. The second part of this essay will look very briefly at which mediators or characteristics of the programs are leading to a reduction in alcohol use. The final part of the analysis will look at studies that compare different programs and determine which are the most successful programs. It is important to note that this study will not be location specific because of the wealth of research there is into other countries. The essay will end with a conclusion that will use all the research gathered to form a critique of schools-based intervention programs. Perhaps the most useful meta-analyses comes from Tobler et al (2000) who looked at 144 separate studies involving 207 schools-based programs. They found that the most effective way of reducing substance use was by employing interactive methods which encouraged the participants to exchange ideas and learn refusal skills. Cuijpers (2002) states that, â€Å"receiving feedback and constructive criticism in a no threatening atmosphere enables students to practice newly acquired refusal skills† (p. 1012). The least successful programs according to Tobler et al (2000) were those that used non-interactive methods such as those that looked at the knowledge of the harm alcohol can do. The interactive programs used methods based on social influence. Donaldson et al (2002) state that this is, â€Å"enhancing an adolescents ability to resist passive social pressure†. (p. 291). These particular programs were found to be more effective and superior to programs utilizing non-interactiv e methods. However, Tobler et al (2000) are not able to identify what specific components of the interactive programs are most successful at limiting substance use. Another useful meta-analyses was conducted by White and Pitts (1998). Although they looked at far fewer studies than Tobler et al (2000), they still came up with some interesting findings. They found that the effectiveness of such programs could be improved if there were additional components that weren’t necessarily school related such as a mass media campaign or booster sessions. They go on to argue that another factor that can affect schools-based intervention programs is the intensity of the program. They found that the most effective programs had 10 or more sessions. A final meta-analyses comes from Rooney and Murray (1996). They came to many of the same conclusions as White and Pitts (1998) such as the intensity of the program. They also found that combining lots of different components could have a significant impact on the success of program. For example, the use of booster sessions and using trained teachers side by side with same-age peer leaders. Programs that did this were more likely to have success in limiting alcohol use amongst those young people participating. It would now be useful to look at the particular characteristics, or mediators, of these programs. As Cuijpers (2002) states it is important to know, â€Å"whether drug use is reduced by the intervention, whether the mediating variables are influenced by the intervention, and whether the mediating variables do have a mediating role in the reduction of substance use† (p. 1016). It is possible to identify several key mediators across many of the studies conducted in schools-based intervention programs. Wyn et al (2000) argue that key mediators are based around social influence factors such as those aimed at the acceptability of the use of alcohol, knowledge about how prevalent the misuse of alcohol is and how peers would perceive the use of alcohol. This essay will now focus on three mediators and look at how effective they are in schools-based intervention programs. These mediators will be booster sessions, peer versus adult led programs and the use of community involvement in addition to schools-based intervention programs. Booster sessions are those sessions taken on after the initial program has ended. There seems to be little conclusion in the research if booster sessions are an effective addition to intervention programs. Botvin et al (1983) and Dijkstra et al (1999) argue that they are where as Shope et al (1992) state that they have no effect at all. However, it should be noted that those in agreement state that these booster sessions are only effective if they are peer led rather than teacher led. One has to take into account other mediating factors when considering booster sessions as an effective method of intervention. Cuipers (2002) argues that peer led sessions are more likely to be effective versus adult or teacher led sessions. In her study of the existing research she finds that peer led programs are more effective in the short-term but that after a year the difference in effectiveness between peer and adult led programs is negligible. She goes on to argue that the, â€Å"research suggests that the effectiveness of a prevention  program is determined by several characteristics of the programs. The leader may constitute  one of those characteristics† (p. 1018). Community involvement is a very interesting area of study and one that has been widely covered. In the past few years there has been a realisation that for any form of social change there has to be involvement from more than one source. There is also a realisation that individual communities know how to best deal with their own problems. This is why the UK government has devolved so much to a local level, from the creation of Primary Care Trusts to dealing with the problems that alcohol abuse causes, there is an understanding that communities know best how to tackle their problems. The methods used can vary considerable from community to community but they may include media campaigns, community task forces and parental intervention (Holder, 2004). It might be helpful to look at one such example of a community led intervention program in the UK. The Broad Street Business Improvement District (BID) in Birmingham is one such example of a community led intervention program. This program was initiated in 2005 as a response to anti-social problems caused by the large number of bars and clubs on Broad Street and also the disproportionately high number of alcohol related deaths in the region (Rao and Kemm, 2006). This partnership is made up of many local agencies such as property owners/developers, business representatives, the city council, the police, the leisure forum, and the city centre neighbourhood forum. The BID have undertaken several projects which according to their annual report included, â€Å"(a) street wardens (b) additional street cleansing (c) floral dressing (d) marketing programme (e) communication and public relations (f) safer business area (g) lighting and gateway features (h) a business led partnership†. The results from this community led intervention have been largely positive. Crime has dropped in t he Broad Street area by almost 60% between June 2005 and May 2006. A survey conducted in 2006 found that 78% of respondents felt that safety was good and 27% felt that it was safer than 2005. Although the Broad Street BID doesn’t completely relate to schools-based programs, it would be fair to assume that schools in the area will be benefiting from this improvement. Any sort of community involvement creates a greater sense of responsibility and even though this particular scheme is not directly targeting young people, it is surely having an impact on schools-based intervention programs. This essay has provided a broad look at schools-based intervention programs as a method of prevention of alcohol abuse. There is no doubt that this is an important role that schools play. However, some programs can be ineffective and have little or no impact. This essay has highlighted some of the characteristics of programs that are most likely to succeed. They should use interactive delivery methods, they should be based on the social influence model, they should be supported by the wider community and they should use peer leaders in conjunction with trained teachers. It is clear that in the UK we need to be doing more in our schools. The school is an important battleground when it comes to preventing alcohol and drug based abuse in the future. However, government figures would suggest that not enough is being done or if it is being done, it is being done in the wrong way. What this essay has hopefully demonstrated as well is that we shouldn’t just leave it to the schools to run these programs. Families and the wider community should also share some of the responsibility. All agencies involved need to be working in a co-ordinated fashion to try and support the work that the schools are doing. Although this critique has been rather broad in scope and not specifically related to the UK, it was felt that in order to give a more complete picture of the problems and opportunities encountered by schools-based programs it was best to utilize as much of the research as possible. As has been hopefully demonstrated, the schools-based approach does present with numerous problems, especially if done in the wrong way. However, with the right mix of components, these programs can have a lasting impact on children and young people and their attitudes to alcohol use. Perhaps it should be left to individual communities to decide what mix works best for them. The governments role should be supporting that through funding, training and providing additional components such as a media campaign. Bibliography and References: Botvin, G. J., Renick, N. L., Baker, E. (1983). The effects of scheduling format and booster sessions on a broad spectrum psychosocial approach to smoking prevention. Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 6, pp. 359–379. Broad Street BID, A brighter, safer, cleaner, the story so far, Annual Report, 05-06 Cuijpers, P. (2002). Effective ingredients of school-based drug prevention programs: A systematic review, Addictive Behaviours, 27, pp. 1009-1023. Dijkstra, M., Mesters, I., De Vries, H., van Breukelen, G., Parcel, G. S. (1999). Effectiveness of a social  influence approach and boosters to smoking prevention. Health Education Research, 14, pp. 791–802. Holder, H.D. (2004). Community action from an international perspective. In R. Muller and H. Klingemann (Eds.) From Science to Action? 100 Years Later, Alcohol Policies Revisited, pp. 101-112. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic. Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. (2004). Alcohol harm reduction strategy for England.  London: Prime Ministers Strategy Unit Rao, J. Kemm, J. (2006). Alcohol in the West Midlands, a review of alcohol and alcohol services in the West Midlands. West Midlands Public Health Group. Rooney, B. L., Murray, D. M. (1996). A meta-analysis of smoking prevention programs after adjustment for errors in the unit of analysis. Health Education Quarterly, 23, pp. 48–64. Shope, J. T., Dielman, T. E., Butchart, A. T., Campanelli, P. C., Kloska, D. D. (1992). An elementary schoolbased  alcohol misuse prevention program: a follow-up evaluation. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 53,  106–121. Tobler, N. S., Roona, M. R., Ochshorn, P., Marshall, D. G., Streke, A. V., Stackpole, K. M. (2000). Schoolbased adolescent drug prevention programs: 1998 meta-analysis. Journal of Primary Prevention, 20, pp. 275–336. White, D., Pitts, M. (1998). Educating young people about drugs: a systematic review. Addiction, 93, pp. 1475–1487. Wynn, S., Schulenberg, J., Maggs, J. L., Zucker, R. A. (2000). Preventing alcohol misuse: the impact of refusal skills and norms. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 14, pp. 36–47.

Motivating Employees Essay -- Business Management

MOTIVATING YOUR EMPLOYEES Every human being needs motivation now and then. Incentives and recognition programs can support you in helping your employees become happier and more productive at work. As a leader, one of the main things to think about is how to recognize an employee for a performance that has exceeded expectations, objectives and goals. Therefore, I would like to introduce you in this paper to some ideas that hopefully would promote this method as one of the main priorities in today's and tomorrow's workplace. People want to do more than work as machines; they want to be productive as well as being recognized by others. Following the successful managers handbook, when employees have the opportunity to work with a leader who challenges, inspires and appreciates them, they are more likely to perform above their expectations. However, there are two different strategies when dealing with this matter that are necessary to identify before implementing these techniques. According to Philip Holmes, "although the two often seem interchangeable, recognition should not be confused with incentives. Recognition involves all the techniques that draw attention to employees who perform. Incentive programs generally use selective techniques to induce people to achieve a specific objective, such as increasing sales. Recognition can be spontaneous, even to the extent that there is no formal announcement that the organization has a recognition program. Incentives are designed to act as carrots, and they're publicized well in advance to whip up enthusiasm for winning a tangible reward". Turnover, absenteeism, and low productivity are some of the many reactions that an unmotivated worker might bring to the company. However, leaders ... ...ccording to the successful managers hand handbook, "people are the key to your organization's present and future success. Organizations compete for talent as well as for customers. Having a reputation as a desirable place to work helps organizations attract and retain top people. It is to your advantage to know the talent of your organization and to know what needs to be done to help each person develop, and understand the priority of a particular talent so you can meet your business goals". There are many methods to promote and expand employee motivation. The main goal to motivating your employees is to know them enough where as a leader you will know what motivates them, and as a result, you will create a motivation program based on those needs. I believe that employee satisfaction is the key to a successful workforce, and it will definitely help pay for itself.