A Medieval Love Story

A Medieval Love Story He was a brilliant scholar at the University of Paris, charismatic, engaging, and handsome. He drew students like moths to his flame, challenging his masters as well as his peers with scintillating displays of logic. His seemingly unshakable core of self-confidence was justified by his talents for dialectic, teaching, and poetry. His name was Pierre Abelard. She was a rare apparition in the cloister of the Paris cathedral: a young woman, still in her teens, pursuing philosophical studies with no evident desire to take the veil.  Though undoubtedly lovely, she was renowned more for her keen mind and her thirst for knowledge than for her beauty. Her name was Heloise. That two such extraordinary individuals in the same academic world should find one another seems inevitable. That their eloquent expressions of love should have survived for us in their own words is a rare gift of history. That tragedy should await them makes their story all the more poignant.1 The Pursuit of Love While Abelard surely caught sight of Heloise at some time in the busy academic scene of Paris, there were no social occasions on which they were likely to meet. He was occupied with his studies and university life; she was under the protection of her Uncle Fulbert, a canon at the cathedral. Both turned away from frivolous social pastimes in favor of a happy absorption with philosophy, theology, and literature. But Abelard, having reached his thirties without ever knowing the joys of romantic or physical love, had decided he wanted such an experience. He approached this course with his usual logic: It was this young girl whom I, after carefully considering all those qualities which are wont to attract lovers, determined to unite with myself in the bonds of love... 2 Canon Fulbert was known to care deeply for his niece; he recognized her academic ability and wanted the best education that could be provided for her. This was Abelards route into his house and confidence. Claiming the upkeep of a home of his own was too expensive and interfered with his studies, the scholar sought to board with Fulbert in exchange for a small fee and, more significantly, for providing instruction to Heloise. Such was Abelards reputation not only as a brilliant teacher but as a trustworthy individual that Fulbert eagerly welcomed him into his home and entrusted him with the education and care of his niece. I should not have been more smitten with wonder if he had entrusted a tender lamb to the care of a ravenous wolf... Learning of Love We were united first in the dwelling that sheltered our love, and then in the hearts that burned with it. There is no way to know what entreaties or wiles Abelard used to seduce his student. Heloise may very well have loved him from the moment they met. The force of his personality, his razor-sharp mind, and his handsome demeanor undoubtedly resulted in an irresistible combination for a young woman. Not yet twenty, she had no hint of how she and her uncle had been manipulated, and she was at just the right age to see Abelards presence in her life as ordained by Fate or by God. Moreover, rarely have two lovers been so suited to each other as Abelard and Heloise. Both attractive, both extremely intelligent, both enraptured with the arts of learning, they shared an intellectual energy that few couples of any age or era have been fortunate enough to know. Yet in these early days of intense desire, learning was secondary. Under the pretext of study we spent our hours in the happiness of love, and learning held out to us the secret opportunities that our passion craved. Our speech was more of love than of the books which lay open before us; our kisses far outnumbered our reasoned words. However base Abelards original intentions had been, he was soon overwhelmed by his feelings for Heloise. Finding his once-beloved studies burdensome, his energy for learning flagged, he delivered uninspired lectures, and his poems now focused on love. It wasnt long before his students deduced what had come over him, and rumors swept Paris of the heated affair. Only Canon Fulbert seemed unaware of the romance that was taking place under his own roof. His ignorance was fostered by his trust in the niece he loved and the scholar he admired. Whispers may have reached his ears, but if so they did not reach his heart. Oh, how great was the uncles grief when he learned the truth, and how bitter was the sorrow of the lovers when we were forced to part! How it happened is not entirely clear, but its reasonable to assume that Fulbert walked in on his niece and his boarder in an extremely private moment. He had ignored the rumors and believed in their good conduct; perhaps it was a direct confrontation with the truth that so drastically affected him. Now, the extent of his fury at the very least matched the extent of the trust he had placed in them both. But physically separating the couple did not quench the flame of their love for one another; on the contrary: The very sundering of our bodies served but to link our souls closer together; the plentitude of the love which was denied to us inflamed us more than ever. And not long after they were parted, Heloise got a message to Abelard: she was pregnant. At the next opportunity, when Fulbert was away from home, the couple fled to Abelards family, where Heloise was to remain until their son was born. Her lover returned to Paris, but fear or awkwardness kept him from attempting to heal the breach with her uncle for several months. The solution seems simple to us now, and would have been simple to most young couples then: marriage. But, although it was not unknown for scholars at the university to wed, a wife and family could be a serious impediment to an academic career. Universities were relatively new systems that had sprung from Cathedral schools, and the one at Paris was renowned for its theological teachings.  The brightest prospects that awaited Abelard resided in the Church; he would be forfeiting the highest possible career by taking a bride. Though he never admits such thoughts kept him from proposing marriage, that they were included among his considerations seem clear when he describes his offer to Fulbert: ... in order to make amends even beyond his extremest hope, I offered to marry her whom I had seduced, provided only the thing could be kept secret, so that I might suffer no loss of reputation thereby. To this he gladly assented... But Heloise was another matter. Love Protests That a young woman in love should balk at marrying the father of her child may seem perplexing, but Heloise had compelling reasons. She was well aware of the opportunities Abelard would be passing up if he tied himself to a family. She argued for his career; she argued for his studies; she argued that such a measure would not truly appease her uncle. She even argued for honor: ... it would be far sweeter for her to be called my mistress than to be known as my wife; nay, too, that this would be more honourable for me as well. In such case, she said, love alone would hold me to her, and the strength of the marriage chain would not constrain us. But her lover would not be dissuaded. Shortly after their son Astrolabe was born, they left him in the care of Abelards family and returned to Paris to be married secretly, with Fulbert among the few witnesses. They parted immediately thereafter, seeing each other only in rare private moments, in order to maintain the fiction that they were no longer involved. Love Denied Heloise had been correct when she had argued that her uncle would not be satisfied by a secret marriage. Though he had promised his discretion, his damaged pride would not let him keep quiet about events. The injury had been a public one; its reparation should also be public. He let word of the couples union get about. When his niece denied the marriage, he beat her. To keep Heloise safe, her husband spirited her away to the convent at Argenteuil, where she had been educated as a child. This alone may have been enough to keep her from her uncles wrath, but Abelard went one step further: he asked that she wear the vestments of the nuns, except for the veil that indicated the taking of vows. This turned out to be a grave error. When her uncle and his kinsmen heard of this, they were convinced that now I had completely played them false and had rid myself forever of Heloise by forcing her to become a nun. Fulbert became incensed, and prepared to take his revenge. It happened in the early morning hours when the scholar lay sleeping, unawares. Two of his servants accepted bribes to let attackers into his home. The punishment they visited upon their enemy was as horrifying and shameful as it was excruciating: ... for they cut off those parts of my body with which I had done that which was the cause of their sorrow. By morning, it seemed all of Paris had congregated to hear the news. Two of Abelards attackers were apprehended and made to suffer a similar fate, but no reparation could restore to the scholar what he had lost. The brilliant philosopher, poet, and teacher who had begun to be renowned for his talents now had fame of an altogether different sort thrust upon him. How could I ever again hold up my head among men, when every finger should be pointed at me in scorn, every tongue speak my blistering shame, and when I should be a monstrous spectacle to all eyes? Though he had never considered becoming a monk, Abelard turned to the cloister now. A life of seclusion, devoted to God, was the only alternative his pride would allow him. He turned to the Dominican order and entered the abbey of St. Denis. But before he did so, he convinced his wife to take the veil. Her friends entreated her to consider ending her marriage and returning to the outside world: after all, he could no longer be her husband in the physical sense, and an annulment would have been relatively easy to obtain. She was still quite young, still beautiful, and as brilliant as ever; the secular world offered a future the convent could never match. But Heloise did as Abelard bid her not for any love of convent life, or even for love of God, but for love of Abelard. Love Endures It would be difficult to imagine that their love for one another could survive separation and Abelards tragic injury. In fact, having seen to his wifes entry into the convent, the philosopher appears to have placed the entire affair behind him and devoted himself to writing and teaching. For Abelard, and indeed for all who studied philosophy in his time, the love story was but a sideline to his career, the impetus that triggered a change in his focus from logic to theology. But for Heloise, the affair was a seminal event in her life, and Pierre Abelard was forever in her thoughts. The philosopher did continue to care for his wife and see to her security. When Argenteuil was overtaken by one of his many rivals and Heloise, now the prioress, was turned out with the other nuns, Abelard arranged for the displaced women to occupy the abbey of the Paraclete, which he had established. And after some time had passed, and wounds both physical and emotional had begun to heal, they resumed a relationship, albeit far different than the one they had known in the secular world. For her part, Heloise would not let herself or her feelings for Abelard be overlooked. She was ever open and honest about her enduring love for the man who could no longer be her husband. She pestered him for hymns, sermons, guidance, and a rule for her order, and in so doing kept him active in the work of the abbey and kept her own presence constant in his mind. As for Abelard, he had the support and encouragement of one of the most brilliant women of his times to help him navigate the treacherous course of 12th-century theological politics. His talents for logic, his continued interest in secular philosophy, and his absolute confidence in his own interpretation of Scripture had not won him friends in the Church, and his entire career was marked by controversy with other theologians. It was Heloise, one might argue, who helped him come to terms with his own spiritual outlook; and it was Heloise to whom he addressed his significant profession of faith, which begins: Heloise, my sister, once so dear to me in the world, today even dearer to me in Jesus Christ...3 Though their bodies could no longer be united, their souls continued to share an intellectual, emotional, and spiritual journey. Upon his death Heloise had Abelards body brought to the Paraclete, where she was later buried beside him. They lie together still, in what could only be the end of a medieval love story. Your letter written to a friend for his comfort, beloved, was lately brought to me by chance. Seeing at once from the title that it was yours, I began the more ardently to read it in that the writer was so dear to me, that I might at least be refreshed by his words as by a picture of him whose presence I have lost...4 The story of Abelard and Heloise might have been lost to future generations were it not for the letters that survived them. The course of events that their romance followed was described unstintingly in a letter Abelard wrote, known to us as the  Historia Calamitatum,  or the Story of My Misfortunes. His intent in writing the letter was ostensibly to console his friend by telling him, essentially, You think youve got problems? Listen to this... The  Historia Calamitatum  was widely circulated and copied, as letters sometimes were in those days. There is a school of thought that Abelard had an ulterior motive in its composition: to call attention to himself and keep his work and his genius from slipping into oblivion. If that was indeed the case, the philosopher, though still confident in his abilities to the point of arrogance, showed a remarkably brutal honesty and a willingness to accept responsibility for the disastrous results brought on by his vanity and pride. Whatever his motives for writing the letter, a copy eventually fell into Heloises hands. It was at this point that she took the opportunity to contact Abelard directly, and an extensive correspondence ensued from which the nature of their later relationship can be gleaned. The authenticity of the letters supposedly written by Heloise has been called into question. For more on this matter, see the  Mediev-l  Discussion of Heloises  Letters to Abelard, collected from the Mediev-l mailing list and presented online by Paul Halsall at the Medieval Sourcebook. For books examining their authenticity, see  Sources and Suggested Reading,  below. Notes Guides Note: This feature was originally posted in February of 2000, and was updated in February of 2007.Notes 1 As with most names from the Middle Ages, you will find both Abelard and Heloise rendered in a variety of ways, including, but by no means limited to: Abà ©lard, Abeillard, Abailard, Abaelardus, Abelardus; Hà ©loise, Hà ©lose, Heloisa, Helouisa. The forms used in this feature were chosen for their recognizability and their ease of presentation within the limits of HTML. 2 The excerpted material on these pages is all from Abelards Historia Calamitatum unless otherwise noted. 3  From Abelards  Apologia. 4  From Heloises first letter. Additional Resources Abelards autobiography is online here at the Medieval History site: Historia Calamitatum,  or, The Story of My Misfortunesby Peter AbelardTranslated by Henry Adams Bellows, with an introduction by Ralph Adams Cram. Presented in fifteen chapters, an introduction, a foreword and an appendix. Sources and Suggested Reading The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the books page at one of the online merchants. translated by Betty RadiceA Penguin classics collection of their correspondence. by Etienne GilsonLiterate analysis of the letters of Abelard and Heloise focuses on individual topics and themes rather than a chronological presentation. by John MarenbonA re-examination of Abelards work as a logician and theologian. by Marion MeadeThis fictionalized account is well-written and fairly accurate, and has been made into a well-received film.   A Medieval Love Story  is copyright  © 2000-08 Melissa Snell and About.com. Permission is granted to reproduce this article for personal or classroom use only, provided that the URL below is included. For reprint permission, please contact Melissa Snell. The URL for this feature is:http://historymedren.about.com/od/peterabelard/a/love_story.htmGuides Note:  This feature was originally posted in February of 2000, and was updated in February of 2007.

Metropolis# essays

Metropolis# essays How is the tension between individual and community identified or addressed in representations of the modern American City? Choose one or two texts. In American cities today, community does not appear to be an important aspect of everyday life. As society has changed, so too has the emphasis that we put upon the sense of community and interaction. In todays Manhattan, there is a preconception that the city cannot provide community for its inhabitants. It is seen as a cold and hostile city, where each person must fend for his/herself. The only community within the city that we see represented in film, literature and television are bleak interpretations, where those in need, danger or merely lonely come together to make up a new community that offers a way out of the loneliness. They are largely the poorer districts of the city, and nearly always have problems with drug addiction. This essay will explore this idea in great detail, and draw conclusions from the evidence of a lack of a positive image of community in New York City. In recent years, more and more films have been made that depict New York in this way. In particular, Herbert Selby Jnr has written two very useful books in this area, Last Exit to Brooklyn, and Requiem for a Dream. Both have been made into feature films. The films construct a beneficial representation of the community within the novels, as they allow the audience to see what kind of place he is creating in his stories. Whilst a novel allows the reader to create place he is creating in his stories. Whilst a novel allows the reader to create an image in his/her own psyche, in order to look at the form of unity and the creation of community that this essay is discussing, celluloid images show us one clear image, which we can then work with. As Selby himself composed the screenplays of the films, we can see exactly the images that he wanted to ...

Is Japan a Democracy, or Not Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Is Japan a Democracy, or Not - Essay Example They too are popularly elected for a term of six years. The eligibility age for a vote is 20 years. Japan is a Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. It's post- World War II constitution was adopted on May 3, 1947. Universal adult suffrage with a secret ballot for all elective offices is followed. Sovereignty, previously embodied in the emperor, is vested in the Japanese people now. Japans current political system has something tangible to do with its defeat in the World War II. Subsequent to its occupation by the United States, the post-war constitution of 1947 is anti-militarist. Japan has no rights to wage war and it has no armed forces. A limited Self-defense Force exists. The Constitution of Japan was drawn up subsequent to its occupation by Allied Forces. As per the constitution, Japan is a democratic country. The Liberal Democratic Party is in power without break for more than 50 years. The Executive Branch: Before World War II, Emperor was hailed as divine. Now he is the ceremonial figurehead. The Prime Minister is appointed by him for a term of four years. The Cabinet Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister and he can have a maximum number of 14 Ministers. Additional three special members are permitted. Half of the Cabinet Ministers must be from the members of the Diet. The Legislature Branch: This is named as Diet. Decisions are by majority vote and in special cases, a two-thirds majority is required. Of the 480 seats of House of Representatives, 300 are elected from single-member constituencies and 180 are elected from multi-member constituencies as per the system of proportional representation. The Sangi-in or House of Councilors has 242 seats. In every three years, only half of its membership is re-elected. Of them,73 are elected from 47 prefecture districts and 48 are elected from a nationwide list by proportional representation. The prefectures are not sovereign entities as compared to the States in the USA.

Non-fiction short story The Nine Moods of a Magnificent Manager Essay

Non-fiction short story The Nine Moods of a Magnificent Manager - Essay Example The management consultant argues thus: â€Å"The subject of management is an overcrowded field. I quote Voltaire (1694-1778) who says that the magnitude of books is making us ignorant. â€Å"The major branches of management are financial management, marketing management, human resource management, strategic management, production management, operations management, service management and information technology management. The problem with the present managerial world is there are more books on management topics than the numerical strength of managers all over the world. Is it possible for a management trainee to study all of them and then become a successful manager? The relationship between success and management is like the one between wife and husband who desire to lead a harmonious life but are unable to do so but would not like to divorce either. Management is all about the ability of a Manager to rob the pocket of a gullible commoner/consumer or of another Manager in a competi ng organization! You all have made hefty payments to attend this one day’s seminar. You have done so with a hope. I congratulate you on your dynamism and your desperate desire to become magnificent managers. By the end of the session, I am sure you will become one and will have no inclination to return to this auditorium yet again. With this training, if you are unable to prove your worth as a magnificent manager, try your luck as a consultant on the topic of management. My formula for success is simple and straightforward. No textbooks and research journals are used in this seminar. No pen, pad or folder will be provided to you. No home assignments either; have a peaceful sleep after this session. Lend me your ears and mind and see how I change your thought processes to chisel an interesting personality to restore your inner cheer and inspiration. Those with whom you interact will remember you forever, for better or worse, depending on your luck. We begin with an important s ession-- Think that in place of your confused mind, a beautiful garden of roses has emerged with many hues and colors and invigorating fragrance. Think! Nothing is impossible to think! Has it emerged? I can see that in some of you from the expression on your countenance. Make an effort to smile. You are an individual of many moods. Various scriptures have defined nine moods. They are Erotic, Humorous, Pathetic, Terrible, Heroic, Fearful, Odious, Wondrous, and Peaceful. Now, think that you are a performing artist. The wise ones say that this world is a stage, and we are all dancing puppets attached to the strings in the hands of God. Each mood is associated with a particular color. Erotic: Pale Light Green, Humorous: White, Pathetic: Grey, Terrible: Red, Heroic: Pale Orange, Fearful: Black, Odious: Blue, Wondrous: Yellow, Peaceful: White. Some of the top fashion designers and connoisseurs of dress are aware of this weakness of humankind and exploit it to maximize their profits. Now w e come to the core part of the discussion. You need to spend some money to secure your future. Buy nine shirts for gentlemen and tops for ladies, of the colors specified above. Only shirts and /tops not trousers or other types of garments! Now, divide your working hours and allot one hour for each mood. Change your shirt/top after one hour and see the remarkable effect in your interactions. I do not ask you to adopt this system in one go. Hasten slowly. Let your session be restricted to some minutes to begin with. So, you will emerge as a complete individual full of delight, a conglomeration in human form of nine moods of

The report of Lenovos marketing strategy Essay Example for Free

The report of Lenovos marketing strategy Essay Lenovo, one of the successful firms of China , has been a global company. To identity the reasons and factors of success, we handled the report. Through scanning the books and references about Lenovo, we have some conclusions and opinions. With its leading-edge technology, easy to use, personalized design and wide range of solutions, the products are widely welcomed by users in China. Lenovo also has extensive product line for the Chinese market, including mobile handsets, servers,and digital products. Lenovo Groups development is broadly divided into three stages: the first stage is the start-ups and survival stages; The second stage is to solve the problem of  existence. ; the third is spending huge sums on the acquisition of IBMs PC division, and begin the development of international strategy. BRIEF INTRODUCTION Lenovo Group was established in 1984, invested 200,000 yuan by the CAS Institute of Computing, which 11 scientific and technical personnel founded. Today the company has become one of the worlds leading PC companies, combining with the former IBM Personal Computing Division. Lenovos fiscal year 2007/08 turnover of $ 16.4 billion. Since 1997 the sales of Lenovo in Chinas domestic market topped the first, and in the Asia-pacific market in successive years (except Japan) is among the best.Lenovo group was launched in 2004. In China, the market share of Lenovo PC products is nearly one-third. With its leading-edge technology, easy to use, personalized design and wide range of solutions, the products are widely welcomed by users in China. Lenovo also has extensive product line for the Chinese market, including mobile handsets, servers,and digital products. Lenovo Groups development is broadly divided into three stages: the first stage is the start-ups and survival stages; The second stage is to solve the problem of existence.; the third is spending huge sums on the acquisition of IBMs PC division, and begin the development of international strategy. FINDINGS The analysis of the marketing environment 1.The macro-marketing environment: The macro external environment for the development of the Lenovo Group has an important influence. The integration and adaptation of macroeconomic policy and social-economic environment ensures that the Lenovo Group can go better in the long-term strategic development of the road. 1.1 Political environment Lenovos political background is strong like the national support. Lenovo is founded by the Chinese academy of sciences institute of computer, with all kinds of computer professionals with technical strength, known as the birthplace of Chinese computer technology. 1.2 Economic environment: The economic environment is good. The economic crisis lead to the overall economic environment tightening, but the development of computer industry  chain to maintain good growth momentum. 1.3 Social environment: China even the whole world still has a great purchasing power. Once the enterprise enter the market, the value of the firm will show up. 1.4 Technical environment: Lenovo Group, founded by the Institute of Computer Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. And it stands for the countrys highest level in the field of computer technology. 2. The micro-marketing environment: Marketing micro environment essentially refers to the the companys own environment and the business which is directly linked to units or individuals formed environment. 2.1 The threat of new distributors to potential industry: New competitors entering a certain segments of the market, can add new production capacity and a lot of resources, and fight for market share. The key lies in wether the new competitors can easily enter the fine market. This is the mainly due to the economies of scale, channel construction, the expected revenge factors. 2.1.1Possible entrants: the first one is the digital giants abroad which have not yet entered the Chinese market, and the others is downstream products, suppliers and retailers. 2.1.2The way of entrants : the appearance of new products, and the establish of a new brand. 2.1.3Potential entry barriers to entrant: economy of scale, product different barriers, capital demand barriers, the customer conversion cost, patent and proprietary technology. 2.2 The competition in the industry The product has a specific location, the users change to the existing brand are usually based on the disappointment. Because of the industry production capability, the computer industry is highly profitable high risk. 2.3. Substitute As Chinas entry into the WTO, the competition will post the professional business enterprise the threat. 2.4 The bargaining power of suppliers  Most of the PC software is provided by the supplier, and not by the manufacturer production. PC manufacturer bargaining ability, but in foreign  suppliers, local brands has obvious advantages. The buyers bargaining power:Through the analysis, Chinas PC industry has high barriers to entry so that there is no alternative goods and the purchaser bargain ability is low. For new entrants the competitive threat is various and widely effected, but due to a variety of reasons no matter at present or in future there will be still a number of entrants. 3. Lenovos SWOT analysis: Combined with the present situation of the development of the industry Lenovo laptop exactly exist problems and should establish rational marketing decision-making plan. 3.1. Advantage: Market share: Lenovo laptop channels throughout the whole of Asia market, market share to competitors than the other, with 30.6% of the market share comes to the first in line. Local brand experience and regional advantages: Lenovo has decades of experience in the Chinese mainland which can accurately grasp the local consumer demand, which is the strength of other brands do not have the advantage. Brand advantage: In the PC market, Lenovo brand of leadership in the Chinese market has more than many rivals, is the industry leader, and promoted step by step and accumulation. 3.2 Disadvantage: In addition to the Chinese market and overseas market, especially the north American market the ability of growth is weak. International operation experience compared to the Dell and HP has a gap, form although international, but did not reach the system. A lack of international experience, especially to the international complex economic form ability, to the risk control ability is not strong, it is the financial crisis led to Lenovo losses. Although the acquisition of the IBM PC business, full integration is not yet complete. 3.3 opportunity: The development of the consumer PC market, along with the rise of the notebook market as well as the popularity of the PC provides a good opportunity to Lenovo notebook in the consumer market. And there is a sales boom as Win7 listed the individual market. so Lenovo should seize the opportunity to capture the market. The Chinese government launch home appliance countryside sports, farmers for the PC has a strong demand. Lenovo  an seize the chance to go to Chinas vast countryside market.The domestic market having the rapid development , more and more consumers to buy the computer. 3.4 threat: The consumer market, facing the threat of the Hewlett-Packard, Dell is a strong competitor. A large number of new brand computer manufacturers produce cause confusion of market.The financial crisis is still not completely eliminate and global individual market is falling which affect the Lenovo shipments greatly since commercial personal market. 4. Lenovos market segments, the choice of target customers, market positioning (STP analysis) 4.1 Market segment: despite Lenovo is an old computer, it seems that there is no market selection problem, but when profits to maximize the enterprise management of long-term highest goal appeared. Lenovo will also can not bear the temptation of diversification, attack from the Internet, a series of new business, but soon found many new business water depth in waves, therefore decided to make strategic shrinkage and adjust. Later, Lenovo will and divided into two parts, one kind is small and medium-sized enterprise and the average consumer, small and medium-sized enterprise and further divided into medium customers and scattered type customers. One kind is often tender for purchasing clients, and further divided into global big customers combined with local customers, and whether the commercial market or consumption market, desktop computer or the laptop. Lenovos market segmentation levels are quite clear, and in each segment the market established deputy brand. Through the in-depth market research, a series of specialized value recreation, make the brand to look brand-new.Thus, market segmentation for a brand the growing importance of the, Lenovo because timely see this, suit the remedy to the case. According to the growing small and medium-sized enterprise commercial computer demand, Lenovo won the unshakable market share. In the future a period of time, Lenovo brand value management and considerable ascension space, also can become more sales though driving force is strong. 4.2. The market localization: Association with the main trend products and low-priced products to the aftermarket price of brand quality one-sided pressure to the other brands. Lenovo in the past ten years, has constant innovation and introduction of  more advanced technology and electronic products, which are inextricably linked with Lenovos strong backing of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Computer Science. Lenovo has a high-quality technical team. They have a number of senior researchers and engineers with years of experience in technical strength with a large number of Hong Kong and Taiwan manufacturers. Lenovo can not be surmounted, which proves the Chinese computer market leading brand strength is immeasurable.Lenovo chooses the low level of technology, and focus on market demand with the wide range of applications.The market is large, easy-to-commercialization of microcomputer products in the product form, from the development version upgrade start, rather than to start on the development machine. This is the Lenovo Groups goal, so that companies can integrate into the community with the fastest speed, and lay a solid foundation for further development in the future. CINCLUSIONS Lenovo, a global company, has gone through many challenges and difficulties. There are much experience in the growth of Lenovo. Although there are many reasons of the success, the main and crucial one is persistence. We are, of crouse, proud of the admirable achievement of Lenovo.

Gun Rights vs Gun Control Essay -- right to bear arms, gun laws

The continuing Mass Shootings in the United States has caused the gun control debate to intensify. While anti-gun control advocates say the Second Amendment guarantees each individual the right to bear arms, the pro-gun control group reads the Second Amendment as a collective right to bear arms; meaning organized militia are the only ones with that right. This essay will analyse the effectiveness of several different articles which present arguments for and against gun control. Charles W. Collier’s article, â€Å"Gun Control in America: An Autopsy Report†, dives into the controversial topic of gun ownership and gun control in the United States. He uses recent shootings, including the George Zimmerman case and the Connecticut elementary school shooting, to present his case that gun violence will remain in the United States as long as guns remain high in number and low in regulation. Collier states that if Americans did not intend the consequences of holding an army with almost unlimited access to firearms, they would start demanding laws to control the gun violence: But changes of this magnitude are hardly to be expected—not in a land where a one-gun-per-month purchase limit counts as bold—even â€Å"pioneering†Ã¢â‚¬â€legislation. (The debate over assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, after all, is not about whether people will be killed; it is about how many will be killed, and how quickly). (81) Collier writes his article in a pessimistic view of the future of gun regulation. He uses logos in the quote above by using deductive reasoning. Collier writes about the generalization that any gun legislation should be unexpected because the specific case of the one-gun-per-month purchase limit. Collier uses pathos heavily throughout the a... ...additional information concerning gun control, the reader is left to make his or her educated opinion. Works Cited "Countering The Gun Lobby With Data." Bloomberg Businessweek 4347 (2013): 10. Business Source Premier. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. "Enforcement of Gun Control Laws." Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture and the Law. N.p.: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Credo Reference. 16 July 2008. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. "Gun Control." Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture and the Law. N.p.: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Credo Reference. 16 July 2008. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. Collier, Charles W. "Gun Control In America: An Autopsy Report." Dissent (00123846) 60.3 (2013): 81-86. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Feb. 2015. "Gun Control Overview." Congressional Digest 92.3 (2013): 3-7. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.

B.F. Skinner’s Contribution to Psychology

B. F. Skinner’s Contribution to Modern Psychology Ian K. Connelly Oklahoma State University B. F. Skinner’s Contribution to Modern Psychology As I began to study the history and beginning of psychology there was one man who stood out to me clearly as a powerful force of influence and contributor to the direction psychology has taken in its still very young life. What does it mean to be a major influential contributor to the science of psychology? This man shows us with his groundbreaking theories, inventions and experiments as well as his over 200 books and articles on the field of psychology.He is Burrhus Frederic Skinner and he is one of the reasons psychology is the profound and crucial science that it is today. (New World Encyclopedia contributors, 2008) B. F. Skinner was born in 1904 in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. His early life consisted of his efforts to become a fictional writer. He attended Hamilton College where he received a B. A. in English literature in 1926 . Afterward he spent some time living with his parents attempting to write fictional books. Cherry, 2013) It was during this time that he began to wonder about how an author was supposed to understand the behaviors of the characters he portrayed without knowing what psychological processes and thoughts lie beneath. His research led him to discover the work of John Broadus Watson who proposed behaviorism for the first time. (Shacter, Gilbert & Wegner, 2011) This seemed to interest him much more than fictional writing did so he applied for the psychology graduate program at Harvard University where he received a doctorate in experimental psychology in 1931.In 1936 he began his teaching career at Michigan University and was married in the same year. He finished his first book, â€Å"Behavior of Organisms† two years later. (Browse Biography, 2011) Throughout the rest of his life Skinner made breakthrough after breakthrough in the field of psychology and behaviorism. In 1945 he be came the Psychology Department Chair at the University of Indiana and in 1948 joined the psychology department at Harvard where he remained for the rest of his life. (Cherry, 2013) Throughout his impressive career he received many more outstanding honors and awards such as theNational Medal of Science, the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation Award and the Albert Einstein School of Medicine award for excellence in psychiatry as well as many more books and a few inventions. He eventually passed away in 1990 after contributing countless knowledge to the science of psychology. B. F. Skinner is perhaps best recognized for his study and contribution to a particular type of psychology called behaviorism. Behaviorism was first proposed by John Watson who believed that studying the private experience a person has in their mind was too hard of a thing to observe and speculate.He believed psychology had to be studied more as something an organism does that is physically observable by anyone watc hing. Watson, as well as Skinner, was influenced greatly by the experiments done by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov observed that the dogs he had were becoming accustomed to salivating at the sound of a bell he rang each time he fed them. Eventually he didn’t even have to have food to observe the dogs salivating every time he rang the bell because they had learned to respond a certain way to stimulus.The studies done by Pavlov as well as the work of Watson built the foundation upon which Skinner based the rest of his career in the field of psychology. Skinner observed that in the wild, animals have learned ways to find shelter, food and mates all because they have been conditioned by stimuli to do so. He famously tested this theory by inventing something called an â€Å"operant conditioning chamber†. In this chamber he placed a rat and fixed a lever so that when the rat pressed on the lever it received a pellet of food.He found that after a short time in the c hamber, the rat learned that he was given food each time he pressed the lever so he began pressing it over and over until he was no longer hungry. This experiment furthered his approach towards behaviorism and also added to what Watson had proposed. (Shacter, Gilbert & Wegner, 2011) Also slightly contrary to what Watson and Pavlov believed, he proposed that the behavior of an organism did not depend upon the preceding stimulus but on the reward that occurred after the behavior took place. Cherry, 2013) This led Skinner to state in his book, â€Å"The Behavior of Organisms†, what he called the principle of reinforcement. Reinforcement basically stated that when an organism does something that causes it to benefit in some way, it is likely to repeat the action in order to receive the benefit again. This allows organisms to adapt to their environments and the conditions they live in, in order to survive. (Shacter, Gilbert & Wegner, 2011) Skinner went on to use his ability to inv ent and his interest in behaviorism to try and benefit society in many different ways.He invented such things as the â€Å"Air crib† which was an enclosed chamber to put a baby inside that would allow you to closely monitor and modify the temperature and humidity of the environment. Unfortunately this didn’t quite catch on after people started to compare it to his earlier invention, the operant conditioning chamber, and wonder whether or not it was too cruel for a child. Another quite interesting invention that he proposed was a pigeon guided missile. During world war two, before the U. S. Navy had a practical way to guide a missile, Skinner found an interesting, almost unbelievable method to guide the missiles.He proposed they incased pigeons within parts of the missile. The pigeons would have a screen in front of them showing the view in front of the missile and they would be able to peck towards the target, therefore guiding the missile in that direction. Amazingly this idea proved to be successful in testing, however, the military found it too eccentric and impractical to be used and never took the idea seriously. (New World Encyclopedia contributors, 2008) Not only was Skinner known for his strange, ingenious inventions but he was also known for proposing an idea which gained him much criticism.In his books â€Å"Beyond Freedom and Dignity† and â€Å"Walden II† Skinner talked about a society completely controlled via behaviorism principles such as reinforcement. Theoretically this society would be made perfect using scientific planning to reinforce all the individuals do behave in the correct ways. In these books he claimed that free will is subjective and only an illusion because we are all accustomed to behaving in the ways we do because we have been reinforced by society over the years to behave that way.This was not a popular statement among critics who said he was giving away humanities free will and thought his goal was t o use his science to manipulate people. These claims seemed to be taken to the extreme however; Skinner merely meant to emphasize the importance reinforcement could have on society. (Shacter, Gilbert & Wegner, 2011) Although behaviorism is no longer looked at as the most important way to view psychology, Skinner had a great impact on society and what we know as psychology today.His work with the conditioning chamber is still considered vital information to psychology today. Professionals in the field of mental health still use his operant techniques today on their clients. (Cherry, 2013) The information in his book â€Å"Verbal Behavior† is still a topic of interest in experimental and applied settings currently. (New World Encyclopedia contributors, 2008) Even teachers and animal trainers use his concept of reinforcement and punishment every day to shape the way kids in their classroom or the animals they train behave. (Cherry, 2013)In a 2002 survey, Skinner was voted to be the number one most influential psychologist of the 20th century by psychologists. His honors, awards, positions, titles and honorary degrees are almost too numerous to even count. I think the evidence as well as the opinions of other psychologists show just how much of an impact this man made on the psychological science. There is no doubt psychology is the science that intro to psych students such as myself are learning about today because of the numerous contributions and influence of B. F. Skinner. (Shacter, Gilbert & Wegner, 2011)References Browse Biography. (2011, January 25). B. f. skinner biography. Retrieved from http://www. browsebiography. com/bio-b_f_skinner. html Cherry, K. (2013). B. f. skinner biography (1904-1990) . Retrieved from http://psychology. about. com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_skinner. htm New World Encyclopedia contributors. (2008, April 4). B. f. skinner. Retrieved from http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/p/index. php? title=B. _F. _Skinner&oldid= 687766 Shacter, D. , Gilbert, D. , & Wegner, D. (2011). Psychology. (2nd ed. , pp. 16-18). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

How Were Workhouses Run so That Only Those in Need of Genuine Help Would Apply Essay

Workhouses, tried many things to stop those in need of help applying for help; this was because they soon became to expensive to run which is why the owners of the workhouse began to try to put the public off applying for help. I am going to cover all of the main reasons that tell you why the poor were ‘put off’. To begin, the workhouses soon introduced separation, they had different classifications. These were: Infirm men, able-bodied men and youths above fifteen, boys above the age of seven and under fifteen, infirm women, able-bodied women and girls above fifteen, girls above the age of seven and under fifteen and children under seven (however they were allowed in the same workhouse as either their mother or father). This would mean that if you were classified to a different class than someone else in your family, for instance; you would be separated and not allowed to communicate. This encourage those in need of slightly less help not to apply, as they may have believed that scraping a living with their family and friends would be better than getting separated in a work house. Next, the living conditions may be considered to have been better outside the workhouse, scraping a living, the living conditions were horrific! Firstly, all the women and babies were all living in the same room; this meant that when one baby awakened, apart from a heavy sleeper, everyone woke up. They also slept in square, coffin-like beds, which will have been hardly comfortable to sleep in. For me, if workhouses wanted their employees to perform to their full potential they would have given them good living conditions, however they didn’t want people coming in on demand. Because the workhouses mad the living conditions so horrific, would have encouraged many to not apply for help. This is because they may have believed they would get a longer, more comfortable sleep outside the workhouse. To continue, the food provided was terrible, the food was cooked terribly for a few reasons, two examples would be because the workhouses wanted to save money and buy the cheapest food, for the cheapest possible price and they may have purposely cooked the food badly. They also gave each of the same food for each food break causing people to have a bad diet. Again, people in poverty would not apply for help. People wouldn’t apply because word would spread about the terrible food and people wouldn’t apply because again they could think that they could get better food elsewhere. The workhouse owners probably knew that word of this would spread and less people would apply for help, like they wanted. Next, punishments were very harsh and barely taken into consideration, for instance the workhouse owners would judge whether someone was ill or not ill, for instance, if they judged someone to be well and fit when they were ill the would punish the ill person, for no reason when they should be treating their employee well so that as soon as they had recovered, they would be able to perform at a high standard again. This would have put people off because they would be scared of the owners and if they were a parent, they may feel that they were the person to hand out punishments to child not the owners. The owners most possibly knew again that word would spread and would be ruthless to any parent try who tried to have authority. Working conditions, like living conditions were poor. Some people may have applied sot they may get a more enjoyable job with good earnings, instead they were allocated with jobs such as rope picking, this was where a worker had to get old, battered rope, and individually take each thread off the rope and then put it back together to make good rope. This would have put the poor off because they may feel that the jobs they were doing were more enjoyable plus they may feel that they should be doing better jobs if they were to apply for help because workhouses had been advertised to be the ‘way out’ of problems. My final point is on the fact that the workers had no individuality. The workhouse owners had some rules which were strict and if broken would show no tolerance. An example of this is in a picture, it shows how each of the women in the workhouse are having their meal, everyone’s food is exactly the same food, which for lunch was commonly beef and vegetable soup, so vegetarians would be forced to eat the food, not necessarily by the workhouse owners but by their own hunger because they were served such a small amount, they would be extremely hungry. They were also sat in rows, they were not allowed to socialise and they all had to wear uniforms. This would make employees feel worthless and as if they were in prison and ultimately they would feel demoralised and wouldn’t feel excited for the job they would do after their lunch, for example. Word would have spread about this (Like the owners would have wanted) and the poor would feel that the joy of socialising was worth m ore than living a poor lifestyle. To conclude this essay, I feel the most important factor that people would have taken into consideration would be the fact that families were split; the workhouse owners would have found that this was the biggest blow to a family thinking of applying because they would have wanted to be together.

Free Essays on Understanding Down Syndrome

The disability of Down syndrome was first identified back in 1866, by a physician named John Langdon Down who was the superintendent of an asylum for children with mental retardation in Surrey, England. He published an essay, describing children with the same features as being mentally retarded. He thought the children to have an arrested development. In the 1960’s the term mentally retarded was dropped and was then called Down’s syndrome because it was an ethnic insult to Asian researchers. In the 1970’s an American revision of the term was changed to Downs syndrome. Whereas in the UK and some places in Europe the disorder is still known as Down’s. In the first part of the twentieth century, people were not sure what caused Downs syndrome. In the 1930’s two researchers, named Waardenburg and Bleyer were the first to predict that maybe Down syndrome was caused because of chromosomal abnormalities. By 1959 two independent researchers, Jerome Lejeune and Patricia Jacobs determined the cause of Down syndrome as being trisomy (triplication) of the 21st chromosome. They discovered that cases of Down syndrome were due to two problems of translocation and mosaicism. The defect of chromosomes in a person causes Down syndrome. Chromosomes are thread like structures made up of DNA and other proteins. Chromosomes carry genetic information that is needed for our cells to develop. In a normal human being, each chromosome divides into two. The two different chromosomes go to two different spots in the cell. Rarely, but it does happen to where the chromosome wont divide, but stays as one. Then the whole pair goes to the same part of the cell. This makes an uneven balance with the cells. One cell will have 22 chromosomes whereas the rest of the cells will have 24 chromosomes. This is known as nondisjunction. If a male or a female has non-normal chromosomes and mates with a person who has normal chromosomes, 95% of all c... Free Essays on Understanding Down Syndrome Free Essays on Understanding Down Syndrome The disability of Down syndrome was first identified back in 1866, by a physician named John Langdon Down who was the superintendent of an asylum for children with mental retardation in Surrey, England. He published an essay, describing children with the same features as being mentally retarded. He thought the children to have an arrested development. In the 1960’s the term mentally retarded was dropped and was then called Down’s syndrome because it was an ethnic insult to Asian researchers. In the 1970’s an American revision of the term was changed to Downs syndrome. Whereas in the UK and some places in Europe the disorder is still known as Down’s. In the first part of the twentieth century, people were not sure what caused Downs syndrome. In the 1930’s two researchers, named Waardenburg and Bleyer were the first to predict that maybe Down syndrome was caused because of chromosomal abnormalities. By 1959 two independent researchers, Jerome Lejeune and Patricia Jacobs determined the cause of Down syndrome as being trisomy (triplication) of the 21st chromosome. They discovered that cases of Down syndrome were due to two problems of translocation and mosaicism. The defect of chromosomes in a person causes Down syndrome. Chromosomes are thread like structures made up of DNA and other proteins. Chromosomes carry genetic information that is needed for our cells to develop. In a normal human being, each chromosome divides into two. The two different chromosomes go to two different spots in the cell. Rarely, but it does happen to where the chromosome wont divide, but stays as one. Then the whole pair goes to the same part of the cell. This makes an uneven balance with the cells. One cell will have 22 chromosomes whereas the rest of the cells will have 24 chromosomes. This is known as nondisjunction. If a male or a female has non-normal chromosomes and mates with a person who has normal chromosomes, 95% of all c...

5 Things That Will Make You Successful - EssaySupply.com

5 Things That Will Make You Successful 5 Things That Will Make You Successful 1. A Willingness to Take Ownership Things go wrong for everybody. However, if you approach negative situations with a willingness to take the lead and fix things, you are going to find that being successful comes much easier to you. It is people who take ownership of situations who are sought out for leadership positions, and who are respected by their peers for their willingness to take on difficult tasks. For example, if you  need  essay help you can find a solution in ordering it from a writing service.  The difference between taking ownership and taking responsibility is that taking responsibility is acknowledging and fixing your own mistakes. Taking ownership means that you are taking on the responsibility of creating a good situation out of a bad situation even if you aren't the cause. 2. The Refusal to Engage in Negative Self Talk Negative self talk can happen in many different ways. After a major mistake, you might tell yourself that you are stupid. Other forms of negative self talk can be a bit more subtle, however the results are just as devastating. For example, you may apply self-defeating labels to yourself such as, I'm just not a lucky person, or life is unfair for me. In many cases, negative self talk stops you from trying new things, or it serves as a way to excuse you from trying. I could never be brave enough to go skydiving, and I'm just not a math person are two examples of this. 3. The Ability to Bounce Back Everybody fails, and everybody has bad things happen to them. Successful people find a way to bounce back because the possess resiliency. Some people may confuse resiliency for toughness, but this isn't accurate. Toughness can indicate that something bad happens and you don't care or aren't all that impacted by it. It also indicates that you recover quickly and without much effort. On the other hand, resiliency is a trait that simply gives you the willingness to do what it takes to come back from a tragedy or setback. This is something that might take hours, or it might take years. The point of resiliency is that you actively work towards getting back to normal without wallowing. 4. An Insatiable Curiosity Successful people are constant learners. They read, they take classes, and they seek knowledge from others. They don't need even need to be working towards a particular goal, although they often are. In many cases, it is simply intellectual curiosity that spurs them along. Successful people don't only possess intellectual curiosity, however, they are also curious about other people. This gives most successful people the personable nature that is required to relate and work well with other people. 5. The Willingness to Ask For Help Successful people surround themselves with other people who are smart, talented, and goal-oriented. Then, they ask those people for help and advice when they need it. Being students they sometimes ask for help from  college essay writing services.  This is because most successful people realize that nobody obtains success without getting help from others. When they are able, they pay that help forward to others who need it.

Cultural Group of a Barber Salon Research Paper

Cultural Group of a Barber Salon - Research Paper Example raphic trends had a negative impact on these businesses which faced a decline after a loss in their target customers due to the war recruitments, depression era recession and the development of convenient home based grooming tools such as the Gillette disposable razor and mass produced home hair cutting kits (Brett, 2008). The traditional barber shops catering to only male staff were largely replaced in the 1970’s and 80’s by uni sex cosmetic centers like â€Å"SuperCuts† which had none of the culture aimed specifically at the male customers. However, this is not to say that these establishments vanished from social centers completely, a combination of nostalgic and cultural attachments as well as a basic service needs have allowed niche shops and centers to operate. Now, the rise in male grooming culture has created a revival of modern barber shops in the past few decades. While the conventional Barber Salons, personified by their 3-4 chair lineup, broad window displays and wood furnishings and all male staff are no longer the most popular form of the business set up, vestiges of the traditional set up can still be found in the new service centers. Modern Barber Salons can be now be divided into several sub-cultures, each with its own unique offerings, culture, ambiance and target customers. The first category belongs to Barber shops owned and operated by African American businessmen and catering mainly to the black populations. The barber shop has an intertwined history with the slave age and segregation era, where black slaves were trained with the skills to provide grooming services to the colonial land owners and plantation families (Holliday, 2013). With the evolution of civil rights and changing cultural ideologies, these black barbers became the country’s first business owners in their segregated neighborhoods, providing necessary services to the men of their communities. Even today, there are Black barber shops in inner city areas which act as

Comparison between Two Sisters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparison between Two Sisters - Essay Example This paper illustrates that two years back the author’s cousin, Kate invited him over to California during the summers to spend the vacations with her family, and the researcher had readily accepted the invitation. Kate had married Sam, African America Doctor. It was the first time the author was going to meet Kate’s two daughters, Kate used to talk about them all the time. The older one, Anna was twelve years old and the younger one Sally was ten years old during the summers last year. If the researcher was to describe them physically then Anna was very much like Kate, she had her flawlessly pink complexion, beautiful hazel eyes, and dark brown shoulder length hair that were delightfully curly. She had a fairly good height for her age too. Sally, on the other hand, had straight black hair that came down to her waist; she had her father’s dark skin, big round eyes that were black in color. Sally was slightly chubby adding to that was her average height. Both sist ers were vastly different. The difference between the two was not just in their physical appearances but also in their personalities. As one would expect, Anna was more outgoing, vocal about her views, desires, and preferences, she had quite a huge circle of friends too. Sally, on the other hand, was very quiet, she was shy and usually avoided meeting people, and she had only one friend at school - Jane. Sally did not even talk much to her parents or to Anna. She liked to stay alone in her room, usually reading story books. The moment the researcher met the two of them he could not help but notice how lovely Anna was and what a beauty she was growing into. However, the innocence on Sally’s face was so attractive that the author automatically wanted to strike a conversation with her, it was only later that he realized how difficult a task that was.