Dialogue between an Atheist and a Theist on The Problem of Evil from Speech or Presentation

Dialogue between an Atheist and a Theist on The Problem of Evil from Hick - Speech or Presentation Example Amy: Uhh...I guess so. Why do you ask? John: Well, a retired old man doesn’t have much to do these days, and I want to see what these professors are teaching you kids these days. But let me ask, how come you are reading Russell? Are you an Atheist? Amy: Yes. John: May I ask why? Amy: See, my main problem with believing in God, is that when you look around the world, there are so many problems. Not just small problems, but real, serious, heartrending problems. There is world hunger and starvation. There is violence, hatred, war and genocide. There are natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and volcanoes, which wreak havoc and cause terror amongst fellow humans. There are egregious crimes we commit against each other, like rape, kidnapping and murder. If God really exists, how could he ever allow all of these terrible things? John: Ah, I as most other practicing Christians have ran into some of these existential type worries, which have caused me to doubt my faith. But in th e end, after working hard and maintaining my relationship with God, the answers have been revealed to me, and my faith has in turn become stronger. Amy: That’s all well and good to the practicing Christian. However, I admit that I am not too familiar with the bible, many of your religious teachings, and your personal esoteric spiritual experiences, so before we can have this discussion, we are going to have to define God in purely ontological terms. Exactly what sort of entity is God? What are his characteristics? John: Fair enough. As a theologian, I had to read many of the works of the great metaphysicians back in divinity school, so I am comfortable having this sort of discussion. It seems to me that God would have to be the best possible being, with all the best possible characteristics. Amy: And why is that? John: Because as the creator of the Universe and all of being itself, God must be the best possible being because nothing created can be greater than its creator. Am y: But certainly you have seen instances where a child grows up to be far more powerful and noble than his or her parents. Is this not an example of a creation being greater than its creator? John: Well in my opinion God created humanity. So even though a child may be born from parents, they descend from a long line of human history that started with God’s creation of Adam and Eve, and thus are technically God’s creation. Amy: Well, that theory may work for you. But it assumes the existence of God, and that God created Humanity. However I do not believe in God, and I believe that life evolved on Earth. John: Touche my friend. It’s good that you caught me in my assumptions. I must point out though, that even if you believe in the theory of evolution, their parents do still not create children. Rather, human genes are passed on through Natural Selection. If the female attracts a strong mate with good genes, and the chance combination of those genes results in stro nger offspring, then it seems it’s not the case that the parents are creating the children. The situation can better be described as resulting from the biologically necessary process of natural selection, combined with luck in the genetic lottery. Amy: Wow, I must say I am impressed by your knowledge of Biology! You are certainly no ignorant believer, who detests science and seeks to explain everything strictly through religion. And I admit that what you say is true. Furthermore, I cannot think of any more counterexamples to the assertion that no creation turns out

Harley Davidsons Customer-centered supply Chain Essay Example for Free

Harley Davidsons Customer-centered supply Chain Essay 1. How can Harley Davidson marketing and sales, personnel interact with its purchasing personnel to further strengthen the supply chain and improve customer loyalty? To further strengthen the supply chain and improve customer loyalty. Harley Davidson marketing and sales personnel must interact with its purchasing personnel to integrate the supply chain from supplier of raw materials and getting the product delivered into the hand of user at the right time, cost and quality user need it. Harley integrated effort must focuses on people, process and technology to improve supply chain development by enhance quality, reduce cost and improve delivery time to make sure every stage of supply chain reach their objective and satisfy customer need and wants. People The Supply chain improvement effort involves participation from all Harley productions such as marketing, sales, supplier, engineers, transporter and other involver with Harley. All of them must have the knowledge about customer need and wants. Marketing and sales personnel must have a good knowledge about customer need and wants. This is to ensure the best information can be transferred to purchasing personnel for making purchasing material that can suite customers need and wants. Harley marketing and sales personnel make a community marketing; they dont just sell a motorcycle but also selling an ownership experience. Harley Davidson delivers membership in a community, arranges adventure tours and sells a lifestyle for the Harley purchaser, it can be concluded total product far exceeds the motorcycle. All activities are to make sure the marketing and sales personnel kumpulkan data about the customer need and want, and easily transfer to purchasing personnel to make development about the material. Marketing and sales personnel also must make market-based assets, such as strong branding, strong customer base and strong partner networks, when product development from the customers information database launches the new product introduction. It will help maintain firm performance and greater chance of success, as customers are more willing to try a new offer from a strong brand. This supply chain development through enhance quality, reduce cost and improve delivery time can easily be done if the people in the Harley fully participate to achieve it and indirectly improve customer loyalty. Process Harley-Davidson is known for delivering a consistently high quality product. There are a number of different areas in the process that affect their quality, starting with product design. They work to design quality into the products they develop, and they do this through a concurrent pride methodology, which is very specific for both product development and the input that they get on design from marketing and sales people, engineers, manufacturing people, and suppliers. They involve everyone in the early stages, and everyone effectively designs products together to suite customer need and wants and indirectly improves customer loyalty. Technology. Fast information from marketing and sales personnel is important, so Harley use communication technology via web portal to transform customer buying habits through their dealer and supply chain control for their demand on material. It makes all the material came to factory just in time and safe a lot of money. Just in time inventory was driving force of Harley quality-improvement program. As they operate with lower inventories, it becomes essential that all inventories are usable and it all have to be a good one. Harley-Davidson could not compete on price against the Japanese motorcycle producers, so it had to establish other market values and improve quality. Harley had to change from a company which dictated what its customers could have to strategies based on direct input from customers. A marketing philosophy was developed based on the customers desires, gathered through surveys, interviews and focus groups. For example Harley image promotes: a mystique appearance, individualism, the feeling of riding free, and the pride of owning a legend. Harley customer relations give a free 1-year membership to the Harley Owners Group (HOG), which was developed in 1983 as a program to keep people active with their Harley and community advertising campaign. 2. What is the role of technology in Harleys supply chain? What additional uses of technology can you identify that might be useful to Harley focus on dealer and ultimate customer? The role of technology in Harley is to cut on communication and administrative time via their department, suppliers, dealers and customers. Harley use Harley-Davidson Suppliers Network (www. hdsn.com), the portal with web base technology to let all department, suppliers and dealer view purchasing order, inventory and material information order in real time. This should make Harley buying system more efficient, reducing time and reducing the amount of inventory in plant in other worth it enhance quality, reduce cost and improve delivery time. From the technology Harley can easily identified which dealer have a problem from their database. The company implemented a program to concentrate on helping its dealers develop the up-to-date business skills they need to sell motorcycles more effectively. The headquarters sponsored training programs that call Harley-Davidson University via this technology. The dealers are considered to be business partners and the headquarters plays an active role in developing programs, financing improvements, implementing support and management consultants. The dealers also invest their own money into these programs which allows them to feel like apart of the company. Harley-Davidson treats the dealers not only as partners, but also as customers. Harley has developed a very effective marketing strategy, but it is the responsibility of manufacturing to produce high quality and reliable motorcycles. 3. Some of Harleys suppliers also supply key Harley competitors. How can Harley be sure these suppliers will not share competitive information with its competitors? How important is trust between suppliers and business buyers? Global business environment has become more unstable, supplier negotiations have taken important new role on helping improve corporate competitiveness. The goal of most supplier negotiations today is no longer just to get the lowest price. It is also to find new and innovative ways to meet a wide variety of business challenges, often by tapping into the knowledge and expertise of the supplier community and a good relationship. Harley can be sure their suppliers will not share competitive information with competitors on 3reasons. i. Harley is focused on building closer relationships with suppliers. The company does not use contracts but has instead begun to use the master supply agreement (MSA). The MSA is a list of guidelines for the relationship, rules to follow, and resolutions should problems arise, used with ?strategic suppliers with whom they anticipate having long-term relationships. Harley is just beginning to formalize the process of certifying suppliers as strategic, the cycle maker has such relationships with about 250 of its 350 suppliers. These suppliers command special attention from Harley and are invited quarterly for business planning meetings (BP). BPs are thematically organized meetings designed to help supplier understand Harleys strategic issues. They give suppliers an opportunity to provide input and feedback, as well as coordinate on new projects. Strategic suppliers are brought in early to the design phase. They are brought in house, and many even have desks at Harleys Capitol Drive research and design facility. Their input is solicited at the idea phase so that there do not have to be many revisions during the development process. They are also kept informed of the latest Harley strategies through a company newsletter, Harley World. ii. Supplier Management Procurement Strategies of Wisconsin OEMs- Instead of purchasing all the parts for its brake systems and then assembling them in-house Harley would purchase an assembly that it would integrate with other purchased assemblies. Now, entrance into the Harley supply base will increasingly be secured through possession of the technologies and capabilities to build whole systems. Even if a supplier still supplies discrete parts directly to Harley, they will increasingly need to be able to apply new processes to those parts in order to continue doing business with the company, and new suppliers are added yearly as Harley pursues new technological capacities. iii. Suppliers have opportunity to have direct business buyer with full effort to help them to meet demands through its continuous improvement team. Harley good relationship makes them think twice to share competitive information with its competitors. For example Unisource Com. Supplier to Harley has grown from RM1. 5million in 1998 to between RM15-20million on 2001. This opportunity is like a gold mine to let go and broke master supply agreement that they have promise. Trust between suppliers and business buyer have advantage and disadvantage: i. Trust between suppliers and buyers generates significant benefits including motivating better performance and reducing negotiation time ii. Breaking apart, a trusted buyer-supplier relationship can be a significant barrier to entry for competitors. iii. The negative side of trust is that it can blind you to opportunities that arise outside established relationships The important of trust depend on both relationship, are those relationship have the objective to help each other to reach their objective. If yes the trust is most important thing between supplier and business buyer in other word they must have win-win situation.

Smiths Outlook on Life in Sillitoes The Loneliness of the Long Distan

There are two basic facts in Smith’s life: one, that he’s in a war with the â€Å"In-laws,† and two, that he’s going to fight it until the day he dies, or die fighting. From Smith’s perspective, there is an impassable line between him and the In-laws, who are out to get him, and his best method of success is beating them down. In taking revenge on the governor of Borstal, Smith thinks he has succeeded. What Smith doesn’t realize is that he, not the governor, truly loses when he loses the race. Smith needs to revise his world view to realize that there is a better way of getting what he wants, and the revenge he seeks is only a sign of his weakness and unhappiness with his own life. By focusing his energy on getting revenge, Smith compromises his opportunities and ability to succeed. Ultimately, his actions are a loss for Smith more than for the people he is fighting. Smith sees the authority figures around him as a threat to his happiness. To Smith, the cops and the governor of Borstal block his success. This is such a strong reality for him that the idea of them being on his side is impossible: â€Å"If only ‘them’ and ‘us’ had the same ideas we’d get [along]†¦but they don’t see eye to eye with us and we don’t see eye to eye with them, so that’s how it stands and how it will always stand† (7-8). The â€Å"them† he refers to are people like the governor of Borstal and the cops, the â€Å"In-law blokes† who, according to him, are â€Å"all on the watch for Out-law blokes like [Smith]†¦waiting to ‘phone for the coppers as soon as [he makes] a false move† (10). Furthermore, his strongest truth is that he is alone: â€Å"I knew what the loneliness of the long-distance runner running across country felt like, realizing that as far as I was concerned this feeling was... ...ke Smith, they become ever more revengeful towards those who end up punishing them for not being something they have no real incentive to be. Ultimately, criminals such as Smith end up wasting society’s resources (cops’ time and citizens’ money), wasting their own energy which could be better used to make them economically productive and contributing members of society, and making society less safe by reducing the mutual trust of society’s members due to thefts. The society does not seem to have a good way of dealing with criminals—Smith is not rectified in any manner by Borstal, and merely punished. Perhaps society needs to focus on increasing financial opportunities for the poor rather than trying to change values that are really an outcome of the society in which they grow up. The core problem is the society; once that is fixed, values will change automatically.

Term Limits: We Dont Need Career Politicians Essay -- Members of Cong

"Elections, especially of representatives and counselors, should be annual, there not being in the whole circle of the sciences a maxim more infallible than this, 'where annual elections end, there slavery begins.' These great men . . . should be [chosen] once a year — Like bubbles on the sea of matter bourn, they rise, they break, and to the sea return. This will teach them the great political virtues of humility, patience, and moderation, without which every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey." —John Adams Government exists to serve the people, and not the politicians, American citizens know this. Polls show that Americans want term limitation by margins as high as three-to-one, even four-to-one. Congressional term limitation is the most important issue of our time because the future direction of our country depends upon it. There is no other way to restore government to, us, the people. There is no substitute for term limits. There are many second steps, depending upon where you sit, but there is only one first step toward turning the country around. It is con...

Importance Of High School Sports

?Many people do not realize the importance of high school sports; let me tell a story. There were two completely different kids that went to the same high school. One of them participated in high school sports from Fall to Spring. This kid kept up with his grades and kept busy with sports and homework. The other kid did not participate in any kind of school sports. The kid who didn’t play any sports went home after school every day, so instead of playing sports or doing homework in the free time available, he had to find something else to keep busy. Having all this free time led trouble.There is no need to go into more depth in the story; the point is that people do not realize that high school sports are a crucial part of being a good student and becoming a successful adult. â€Å"The evidence supporting sports participation for young people is overwhelming†¦ It has the power to combat everything from racism to low self-image, to the high-school drop-out rate† (Ca stle). One of the many benefits of playing high school athletics is that the Student has to sign a code of conduct that will keep the student athlete responsible for his or her actions.â€Å"1) Use or possession of tobacco products. 2) Being present more than 5 minutes at a function where alcohol and/or drugs are being consumed/used or have been consumed or used. 3) Use or possession of intoxicating beverages and illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia. 4) Committing unlawful acts that have or could have resulted in a misdemeanor or higher penalty. 5) Serious and/or repeated violation of school rules. 6) Serious and/or repeated unsportsmanlike conduct. † This is a list of the rules that must be strictly followed in order to participate in a sports team at Nooksack Valley High School.If any of these rules are broken during season the athlete is penalized by being ineligible to play for 60% of the season. If the code is violated during the off-season, the penalty is disqualificatio n for 40% of the season. Athletes that take their sport seriously, and hope to move on to a collegiate level know that missing 40% to 60% percent of a season will hurt their chances of being scouted substantially. The risk taken by breaking the athletic code is not worth losing a chance of a scholarship to continue playing a sport a student loves at a competitive level.The Sumner School District has a great way of explaining the code of conduct to the community. â€Å"This activities code is designed to establish a reasonable, high standard for participants in co-curricular activities that empower our participants to make appropriate decisions, rather than to be punitive and deny access to such activities. Co-curricular activities are a privilege and completely voluntary. Along with this privilege comes the expectation of a higher standard of behavior and conduct.Participants in these activities are considered to be in positions of leadership representing themselves, their families , the team, school, district and community† (Sumner Athletics). This brief blurb from the Sumner Athletics Code of Conduct represents the higher standard athletes, actors, singers, dancers, and all participants of extracurricular activities are held to. Being involved in sports does not only reflect the athlete, but is a representation of the entire student body and staff members.The responsibility of athletes to uphold this good reputation is one of the main reasons student athletes are proven to perform better in school, and stay out of trouble. Being a student athlete in high school does not only keep the student responsible, it also provides physical activity for students who have been sitting in the classroom all day. Not only does physical activity contribute to a healthy body weight and prevention of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but also shows astounding benefits in academic performance and lowering depression.Penny McCullagh, a psychologist, found in her research that exercise has the ability to work like an anti-depressant. McCullagh states, â€Å"The most common treatments for depression, for example, are psychotherapy or medication. Psychologists have found that exercise is a third successful alternative† (McCullagh). The article states the best results to help depression comes when a combination of exercise and psychotherapy happens together. The physical exercise from sports also helps brain function.â€Å"According to a study done by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia, even briefly exercising for 20 minutes facilitates information processing and memory functions† (Physical Exercise for Brain Health). Just the exercise alone from sports is already helping with depression, brain functions, or just staying fit and in shape. There are many studies with evidence to support the benefit exercise has in the classroom. â€Å"Researchers at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan tracked the grade s and exercise habits of 266 undergraduates.It was found that students who regularly participate in vigorous physical activity had higher G. P. A. ’s† (Parker-Pope). Regular exercise has a tremendous effect on the brain, especially in the high school years when it is still developing. Along with these benefits, being part of a sports team influences attitudes on and off the court or field. Student athletes are proven to have a stronger sense of leadership, motivation, and work ethic than their peers who do not participate in after school activities. Belonging to a team or club creates a drive in students to succeed in all aspects of life.Many Americans today are suffering from being obese or overweight. According to the American Heart Association, â€Å"23. 9 million children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese; 33. 0% of boys and 30. 4% of girls† (Overweight & Obesity – 2013 Statistical Fact Sheet). That means almost two thirds of all the Americans are a t an unhealthy weight. According to Centers for Disease Control, obesity brings in $147 billion in healthcare costs per year. There are many different causes for obesity such as stress, inactivity, and depression.There is one simple solution to decrease the amount of obese adults and children in America. Playing sports helps with all three of the problems. Habits are formed at a young age, so if sports are a part of a lifestyle as a young child, they will most likely be a part of their future. When some people think about exercise, they instantly think boring, tedious, painful workouts in an over packed gym. What most people don’t know is that exercise can be fun! All it takes is the motivation to get off the couch. Exercising with others increases the chance that you will stick with it.Sports teams are the ultimate example of this. When a support system is built in, with the drive to not let your teammates down, the motivation to be physically fit comes naturally. People arg ue that playing sports leaves no time for homework. However, there is a system at Nooksack Valley High School called study table. Study table is an hour long class where any missing homework can be complete before school. This system was made to give extra help to kids that are failing classes while playing sports. Nooksack Valley’s athletic director, Tom Harmon, checks the grades of each student athlete every Sunday.If any students are failing a class a study table is assigned each morning for the entire week. If the student is failing more than one class then they are not allowed to participate in any games or tournaments held that week. The phrase â€Å"student before athlete† is commonly used among coaches and staff members. Being a successful student is far more important than making touchdowns or scoring goals. Student first, athlete second is the only way to ensure students are prepared for higher education or entering the work force after graduation.Some people may argue that high school sports need to be cut due to lack of funding. Personally, I think without the opportunity to participate in sports students will lack the development of very important life skills. From experience, players can say that being a member of a high school sports team has taught them how to work hard for what they want, how to step up and be a leader, and how to communicate with others and be a team player. These skills and personality traits are all things that future employers are looking for when making hiring decisions.Managers know that people who have grown up being involved in sports teams and clubs are trained to work well with others, and have a strong work ethic. Marty Brounstein lists ten qualities of an effective team player as the ability to demonstrate reliability, communicate constructively, listen actively, function as an active participant, share openly and willingly, exhibit flexibility, show commitment, work as a problem solver, and, finally, treat others with respect and support. â€Å"Team players with commitment look beyond their own piece of the work and care about the team's overall work.In the end, their commitment is about winning — not in the sports sense of beating your opponent but about seeing the team succeed and knowing they have contributed to this success. Winning as a team is one of the great motivators of employee performance. Good team players have and show this motivation† (Brounstein). In conclusion, being actively involved in high school sports shows success on and off the court or field as well as in future career choices. Participation in sports teams is not only beneficial while in high school but in all stages of life.Skills learned from coaches and teammates can be applied in meeting new friends in college, at job interviews, and in many other instances. â€Å"We have data indicating sports and other extracurricular activities do better than academic classes in teaching leadershi p, teamwork, time management and other skills crucial for success in the workplace† (Mathews). While some may say that high school athletics need to be cut because the money spent on them could be put to better use, the evidence of many studies proves this statement to be false.Without the opportunity to be a part of a team or club, students lose out on a great learning experience that acts as a foundation for the rest of their lives. The ability to manage being a successful student as well as a good athlete takes a special skill that is developed during the high school years. There needs to be a balance between academic and athletic commitment. A student’s high school career cannot only be based on one or the other. It needs a combination of the two in order for the student to reach full potential.Michael Jordan is one of the most inspiring athletes to kids around the world. He often stems his success back to his experiences with high school sports. I believe it is sto ries like his that demonstrate the importance of being involved in sports teams, and the life lessons that are learned throughout the experience. A famous quote from Jordan states, â€Å"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. † Importance of High School Sports Many people do not realize the importance of high school sports; let me tell a story. There were two completely different kids that went to the same high school. One of them participated in high school sports from Fall to Spring. This kid kept up with his grades and kept busy with sports and homework. The other kid did not participate in any kind of school sports. The kid who didn’t play any sports went home after school every day, so instead of playing sports or doing homework in the free time available, he had to find something else to keep busy. Having all this free time led trouble.There is no need to go into more depth in the story; the point is that people do not realize that high school sports are a crucial part of being a good student and becoming a successful adult. â€Å"The evidence supporting sports participation for young people is overwhelming†¦ It has the power to combat everything from racism to low self-image, to the high-school drop-out rate† (Cas tle). One of the many benefits of playing high school athletics is that the Student has to sign a code of conduct that will keep the student athlete responsible for his or her actions.â€Å"1)Use or possession of tobacco products. 2) Being present more than 5 minutes at a function where alcohol and/or drugs are being consumed/used or have been consumed or used. 3) Use or possession of intoxicating beverages and illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia. 4) Committing unlawful acts that have or could have resulted in a misdemeanor or higher penalty. 5) Serious and/or repeated violation of school rules. 6) Serious and/or repeated unsportsmanlike conduct. † This is a list of the rules that must be strictly followed in order to participate in a sports team at Nooksack Valley High School.If any of these rules are broken during season the athlete is penalized by being ineligible to play for 60% of the season. If the code is violated during the off-season, the penalty is disqualification for 40% of the season. Athletes that take their sport seriously, and hope to move on to a collegiate level know that missing 40% to 60% percent of a season will hurt their chances of being scouted substantially. The risk taken by breaking the athletic code is not worth losing a chance of a scholarship to continue playing a sport a student loves at a competitive level.The Sumner School District has a great way of explaining the code of conduct to the community. â€Å"This activities code is designed to establish a reasonable, high standard for participants in co-curricular activities that empower our participants to make appropriate decisions, rather than to be punitive and deny access to such activities. Co-curricular activities are a privilege and completely voluntary. Along with this privilege comes the expectation of a higher standard of behavior and conduct.Participants in these activities are considered to be in positions of leadership representing themselves, their families, the team, school, district and community† (Sumner Athletics). This brief blurb from the Sumner Athletics Code of Conduct represents the higher standard athletes, actors, singers, dancers, and all participants of extracurricular activities are held to. Being involved in sports does not only reflect the athlete, but is a representation of the entire student body and staff members.The responsibility of athletes to uphold this good reputation is one of the main reasons student athletes are proven to perform better in school, and stay out of trouble. Being a student athlete in high school does not only keep the student responsible, it also provides physical activity for students who have been sitting in the classroom all day. Not only does physical activity contribute to a healthy body weight and prevention of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but also shows astounding benefits in academic performance and lowering depression.Penny McCullagh, a psychologist, found in her research t hat exercise has the ability to work like an anti-depressant. McCullagh states, â€Å"The most common treatments for depression, for example, are psychotherapy or medication. Psychologists have found that exercise is a third successful alternative† (McCullagh). The article states the best results to help depression comes when a combination of exercise and psychotherapy happens together. The physical exercise from sports also helps brain function.â€Å"According to a study done by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia, even briefly exercising for 20 minutes facilitates information processing and memory functions† (Physical Exercise for Brain Health). Just the exercise alone from sports is already helping with depression, brain functions, or just staying fit and in shape. There are many studies with evidence to support the benefit exercise has in the classroom. â€Å"Researchers at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan tracked the grades and exercise habits of 266 undergraduates.It was found that students who regularly participate in vigorous physical activity had higher G. P. A. ’s† (Parker-Pope). Regular exercise has a tremendous effect on the brain, especially in the high school years when it is still developing. Along with these benefits, being part of a sports team influences attitudes on and off the court or field. Student athletes are proven to have a stronger sense of leadership, motivation, and work ethic than their peers who do not participate in after school activities. Belonging to a team or club creates a drive in students to succeed in all aspects of life.Many Americans today are suffering from being obese or overweight. According to the American Heart Association, â€Å"23. 9 million children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese; 33. 0% of boys and 30. 4% of girls† (Overweight & Obesity – 2013 Statistical Fact Sheet). That means almost two thirds of all the Americans are at an unhealthy weight. According to Centers for Disease Control, obesity brings in $147 billion in healthcare costs per year. There are many different causes for obesity such as stress, inactivity, and depression.There is one simple solution to decrease the amount of obese adults and children in America. Playing sports helps with all three of the problems. Habits are formed at a young age, so if sports are a part of a lifestyle as a young child, they will most likely be a part of their future. When some people think about exercise, they instantly think boring, tedious, painful workouts in an over packed gym. What most people don’t know is that exercise can be fun! All it takes is the motivation to get off the couch. Exercising with others increases the chance that you will stick with it.Sports teams are the ultimate example of this. When a support system is built in, with the drive to not let your teammates down, the motivation to be physically fit comes naturally. People argue that playing sports leaves no time for homework. However, there is a system at Nooksack Valley High School called study table. Study table is an hour long class where any missing homework can be complete before school. This system was made to give extra help to kids that are failing classes while playing sports. Nooksack Valley’s athletic director, Tom Harmon, checks the grades of each student athlete every Sunday.If any students are failing a class a study table is assigned each morning for the entire week. If the student is failing more than one class then they are not allowed to participate in any games or tournaments held that week. The phrase â€Å"student before athlete† is commonly used among coaches and staff members. Being a successful student is far more important than making touchdowns or scoring goals. Student first, athlete second is the only way to ensure students are prepared for higher education or entering the work force after graduation.Some people m ay argue that high school sports need to be cut due to lack of funding. Personally, I think without the opportunity to participate in sports students will lack the development of very important life skills. From experience, players can say that being a member of a high school sports team has taught them how to work hard for what they want, how to step up and be a leader, and how to communicate with others and be a team player. These skills and personality traits are all things that future employers are looking for when making hiring decisions.Managers know that people who have grown up being involved in sports teams and clubs are trained to work well with others, and have a strong work ethic. Marty Brounstein lists ten qualities of an effective team player as the ability to demonstrate reliability, communicate constructively, listen actively, function as an active participant, share openly and willingly, exhibit flexibility, show commitment, work as a problem solver, and, finally, t reat others with respect and support. â€Å"Team players with commitment look beyond their own piece of the work and care about the team's overall work.In the end, their commitment is about winning — not in the sports sense of beating your opponent but about seeing the team succeed and knowing they have contributed to this success. Winning as a team is one of the great motivators of employee performance. Good team players have and show this motivation† (Brounstein). In conclusion, being actively involved in high school sports shows success on and off the court or field as well as in future career choices. Participation in sports teams is not only beneficial while in high school but in all stages of life.Skills learned from coaches and teammates can be applied in meeting new friends in college, at job interviews, and in many other instances. â€Å"We have data indicating sports and other extracurricular activities do better than academic classes in teaching leadership, teamwork, time management and other skills crucial for success in the workplace† (Mathews). While some may say that high school athletics need to be cut because the money spent on them could be put to better use, the evidence of many studies proves this statement to be false.Without the opportunity to be a part of a team or club, students lose out on a great learning experience that acts as a foundation for the rest of their lives. The ability to manage being a successful student as well as a good athlete takes a special skill that is developed during the high school years. There needs to be a balance between academic and athletic commitment. A student’s high school career cannot only be based on one or the other. It needs a combination of the two in order for the student to reach full potential.Michael Jordan is one of the most inspiring athletes to kids around the world. He often stems his success back to his experiences with high school sports. I believe it is stori es like his that demonstrate the importance of being involved in sports teams, and the life lessons that are learned throughout the experience. A famous quote from Jordan states, â€Å"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. †

Crusades1 essays

Crusades1 essays In the Middle Ages, Christians considered Palestine the Holy Land because it was where Jesus had lived and taught. The Arabs had conquered Palestine in the 600s. Most Arabs were Muslims, but they usually tolerated other religions. Jews and Christians who paid their taxes and observed other regulations were free to live in Palestine and practice their own religion. The Arab rulers didnt usually interfere with Christian pilgrims visiting Palestine, and European traders could generally do business there. During the 1000s the Seljuk Turks, people from central Asia who had adopted the Muslim faith, conquered Palestine and attacked Asia Minor, which was part of the Byzantine Empire. When the Turks threatened the capital city of Constantinople, the Byzantine emperor appealed to the pope in Rome. Because Christian pilgrims going to Palestine came home with reports of persecution from the Turks, the Byzantine emperors appeal for help found a reception in Europe. Pope Urban I wanted to regain the Holy Land from the Muslims. He called a great meeting of church leaders and French nobles at Clermont France in 1095. At the meeting he encouraged the powerful feudal nobles to stop fighting with each other, and to join in one big war against the unbelievers. Urbans request made his listeners very enthusiastic and they joined in one big cry, God wills it! From Clermont people traveled through France preaching the cause. The people who joined the expeditions sewed a cloth cross on their clothes. They were called crusaders, from the Latin word cruciata, which means, marked with a cross. People joined the Crusades, the expeditions to regain the Holy Land, for many different reasons. Most knights joined the crusades for the land and plunder in the rich Middle East. Merchants saw a chance to make money. The pope promised both heavenly and earthly rewards. Those who died on a Cr...

Consumer Behavior in South Korea and Australia

Consumer Behavior in South Korea and Australia Consumer behavior varies according to countries and markets. This paper will analyse the consumer behavior of two countries, and where they differ. The two countries to be analysed are South Korea and Australia. Culture influences the behavior of a given market.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Consumer Behavior in South Korea and Australia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is a need to analyse a market before doing business in that market. Australia and South Korea are two countries that differ in culture. South Korea consumers are known to be homogeneous in character, and in the way they purchase products. This is evident, especially when it comes to food consumption. The specific products that will be analysed in this paper is that of cosmestic products that are used by women. Women have been using cosmetics since time immemorial to enhance their attractiveness. Attractive women are thought to be intelligent, socially acceptable, confident about themselves, and seem to have professional success. Women spend on cosmetics for mainly emotional reasons. They hope to avoid guilt of not paying attention to their looks. Women prefer cosmetic brands based on packaging, effectiveness on use and sensorial experiences like smell, smoothness or coolness (Majumdar, 2010). South Korea is estimated to be the biggest per capita market for cosmetics and cosmetic procedures. The figures stand at an astounding 20% between the ages of 19 and 49 in Seoul, who have gone through cosmetic surgery (plastic), laser hair removal and Botox (Botolinum Toxin Type A). This chemical is is injected into muscles and used to improve the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (Tyagi, Kumar, 2009).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Koreans are obsessed with these procedures. It is fou nd out that 16% of South Koreans go for surgery as compared to about 6.2% in Australia, meaning Koreans represent one among the highest numbers in the world. Reasons behind South Korea’s rise in cosmetic surgery specifically is the adoption of pop culture with the desire to look like popular celebrities like Michael Jackson. Australia, on the other hand, represents a different consumer market altogether. Women in Australia spend more because of brand loyalty, coupled with the fact that they perceive these products to be of high quality. Australia has been experiencing for the last few years a bit of decelerating economic growth like any western country which has greatly impacted of consumer spending. The working middle class population has been spending less because their disposable income has been coming down. In some industries, there has been lay offs due to low demand for their goods, whereas in some, workers have had to content with salary reduction to reduce the wage bi ll on company finances being squeezed every other day. Cosmetic consumers have had to reduce, therefore, to the bear minimum requirements or completely abandon expenditure, thus, become luxury in this market. Food and other basic necessities like servicing mortgage, medicine, and clothing have taken precedence (Samli, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Consumer Behavior in South Korea and Australia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the contrary, consumers of cosmetics in South Korea are growing every other day in numbers. The country has been experiencing double-digit growth in the GDP with the economy creating jobs. Companys have been posting improved profitability out of increased sales and high business turnover therefore able to higher more. Fourthermore, new industries are coming up, new trades increasese in public spending and, improved communication through all channels (phone, social media, general in ternet, mass media), whereby manufacturers have been able to reach more potential consumers via advertisements. Adverts, especially towards working class, upper middle and the affluent has been so intense so much so that even manufacturers are giving free gifts with some amount of purchase. This has greatly improved market penetration (Lake, 2009). References Lake, L 2009, Consumer behavior for dummies, John Wiley Sons, New York. Majumdar, H 2010, Consumer behavior: Insights from Indian Market. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. Samli, AC 2006, International consumer behavior: Its impact on marketing strategy development, Greenwood Publishing Group, London.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tyagi, CL, Kumar, A 2009, Consumer behavior, Atlantic Publishers Distributors, Atlanta.