Whitmans Song of Myself Spirituality and Religion

Whitman's Song of Myself Spirituality and Religion Spirituality is a mixed bag for the great American  poet, Walt Whitman.  While he takes a great deal of material from Christianity, his conception of religion is much more complicated than the beliefs of one or two faiths mixed together. Whitman seems to draw from the many roots of belief to form his own religion, putting himself at the center. Examples From the Text Much of Whitmans  poetry resounds with Biblical allusions and innuendo. In the very first cantos of Song of Myself, he reminds us that we are formed from this soil, this air, which brings us back to the Christian Creation story. In that story, Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, then brought to consciousness by the breath of life. These and similar references run throughout Leaves of Grass, but Whitmans intent seems rather ambiguous. Certainly, he is drawing from Americas religious background to create poetry that will unify the nation. However, his conception of these religious roots seems twisted (not in a negative way) - changed from the original conception of right and wrong, heaven and hell, good and bad. In accepting the prostitute and murderer along with the deformed, trivial, flat, and despised, Whitman is trying to accept all of America (accepting the ultra-religious, along with the godless and un-religious). Religion becomes a poetic device, subject to his artistic hand. Of course, he also seems to stand apart from the grime, putting himself in the position of the  observer. He becomes a creator, almost a god himself, as he speaks America into existence (perhaps we could say that he really sings, or chants, America into existence), validating every element of the American experience. Whitman brings philosophical significance to the most simple objects and actions, reminding America that every sight, sound, taste, and smell can take on a  spiritual importance to the fully aware and healthy individual. In the first cantos, he says, I loafe and invite my soul, creating a dualism between matter and spirit. Throughout the rest of the poem, though, he continues this pattern. He constantly uses the images of body and spirit together, bringing us to a better understanding of his true conception of spirituality. Divine am I inside and out, he says, and I make holy whatever I touch or am touchd from. Whitman seems to be calling to America, urging the people to listen and to believe. If they wont listen or hear, they may be lost in the perpetual Wasteland of the modern experience. He sees himself as Americas savior, the last hope, even a prophet. But he also sees himself as the center, the one-in-one. Hes not leading America toward  T.S. Eliots  religion; instead, he is playing the part of the Pied Piper, leading the masses toward a new conception of America.

The Basics of Telescopes

The Basics of Telescopes Sooner or later, every stargazer decides its time to be buying a telescope. Its an exciting next step to further exploration of the cosmos. However, as with any other major purchase, theres a lot to learn about these universe exploration engines, ranging from power to price. The first thing a user wants to do is figure out their observational goals. Are they interested in planetary observing? Deep-sky exploration? Astrophotography? A little of everything? How much money do they want to spend? Knowing the answer to those questions will help narrow down a telescope choice. Telescopes come in three basic designs: refractor, reflector, and catadioptric, plus some variations on each of the types. Each has its pluses and minuses, and of course, each type can cost a little or a lot depending on the quality of the optics and the accessories needed.   Refractors and How They Work A refractor is a telescope that uses two lenses to deliver a view of a celestial object. At one end (the one farther away from the viewer), it has a large lens, called the objective lens or object glass. On the other end is the lens the user looks through. It is called the ocular or eyepiece. They work together to deliver the sky view. The objective collects light and focuses it as a sharp image. This image gets magnified and is what the stargazer sees through the ocular. This eyepiece is adjusted by sliding it in and out of the telescope body to focus the image. Reflectors and How They Work A reflector works a bit differently. Light is gathered at the bottom of the scope by a concave mirror, called the primary. The primary has a parabolic shape. There are several ways the primary can focus the light, and how it is done determines the type of reflecting telescope. Many observatory telescopes, such as Gemini in Hawaii or the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope  use a photographic plate to focus the image. Called the prime focus position, the plate is located near the top of the scope. Other such scopes use a secondary mirror, placed in a similar position as the photographic plate, to reflect the image back down the body of the scope, where it is viewed through a hole in the primary mirror. This is known as a Cassegrain focus.   Newtonians and How They Work Then, theres the Newtonian, a kind of reflecting telescope. It got its name when  Sir Isaac Newton dreamed up the basic design. In a Newtonian telescope, a flat mirror is placed at an angle in the same position as the secondary mirror in a Cassegrain. This secondary mirror focuses the image into an eyepiece located in the side of the tube, near the top of the scope. Catadioptric Telescopes Finally, there are catadioptric telescopes, which combine elements of refractors and reflectors in their design. The first such telescope was created by German astronomer Bernhard Schmidt in 1930. It used a primary mirror at the back of the telescope with a glass corrector plate in the front of the telescope, which was designed to remove spherical aberration. In the original telescope, photographic film was placed at the prime focus. There were no secondary mirror or eyepieces. The descendant of that original design, called the Schmidt-Cassegrain design, is the most popular type of telescope. Invented in the 1960s, it has a secondary mirror that bounces light through a hole in the primary mirror to an eyepiece. The second style of catadioptric telescope was invented by a Russian astronomer, D. Maksutov. (A Dutch astronomer, A. Bouwers, created a similar design in 1941, before Maksutov.) In the Maksutov telescope, a more spherical corrector lens than in the Schmidt is utilized. Otherwise, the designs are quite similar. Today’s models are known as Maksutov –Cassegrain. Refractor Telescope Advantages and Disadvantages After initial alignment, which is necessary to have the optics work well together, refractor optics are resistant to misalignment. The glass surfaces are sealed inside the tube and rarely need cleaning. The sealing also minimizes effects from air currents that can muddy the view. This is one way that users can get steady sharp views of the sky. Disadvantages include a number of possible aberrations of the lenses. Also, since lenses need to be edge supported, this limits the size of any refractor. Reflector Telescope Advantages and Disadvantages Reflectors do not suffer from chromatic aberration. Their mirrors are easier to build without defects than lenses are since only one side of a mirror is used. Also, because the support for a mirror is from the back, very large mirrors can be built, making larger scopes. The disadvantages include ease of misalignment, the need for frequent cleaning, and possible spherical aberration, which is a defect in the actual lens that can blur the view. Once a user has a basic understanding of the types of scopes on the market, they can focus on getting the right-sized one to view their favorite targets with. They can learn more about some mid-range-priced telescopes on the market. It never hurts to browse the marketplace and learn more about specific instruments.  And, the best way to sample different telescopes is to go to a star party and ask other scope owners if theyre willing to let someone take a look through their instruments. Its an easy way to compare and contrast the view through different instruments. Edited and updated by  Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Management- Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management- Strategies - Essay Example The growth of the specialty discount industry is attributed to the wide selection of merchandise that the stores carried and their everyday low pricing strategy. Full line chains perceived this segment as â€Å"category killers† since their merchandise line-up could not offer the same amount of shelf space and square footage to any one product category. Research shows that consumers are likely to find what they are looking for in specialty stores than they would in full line discount stores. Buying preferences and buying patterns of consumers also change more often (Gamble, p.957). The full-line discount segment is also growing faster than the U.S. economy. The entire retail discount industry was both rapidly going into consolidation through mergers and acquisitions, liquidation, and bankruptcy. Rivalry in this sector revolves around store location, pricing, and promotion. The advent of consolidation will make it easier for Wal-Mart to merge with or acquire smaller retail stores in the U.S and abroad. Considering that Wal-Mart is one of the leading stores in the industry, they have the bargaining power over their suppliers which in effect would give them pricing advantages over other retailers. If a Wal-Mart moves into a community, chances are the other retailers in that community, especially if they are privately owned are going to lose money and may even be forced to close down. SinceWal-Mart is the largest retailer in the United States and number 1 on the Fortune 500 list, they have the ability to lower their prices and therefore can force other retailers out of business because they can not match Wal-Marts low prices (Pereira et al, 2002). Business level strategies describes how firms outperform each other and enjoy such competitive advantage over time. Michael Porter identifies three generic strategies: cost leadership,differentiation, and focus (Dess & Lumpkin, 2002). From the 1940s to the 1970s, the cola industry was dominated by

Ogallala aquifer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ogallala aquifer - Essay Example A lot of our water supply comes from water wells that are drilled deep down into the aquifers. We need these aquifers to stay unpolluted in order to continue to enjoy them. The Ogallala aquifer is one of the worlds largest and is located beneath the Great Plains area of the United States. It is fairly shallow but because of its surface area contains an enormous amount of water. This aquifer is vital for the future of the United States, and yet it is not doing very well. The water in it is running low. As one researcher recently framed the issue: Many people assume that large groundwater formations may temporarily run low, but will fill again when rainfall is plentiful – as do lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. However, unless the areas impacted are unaffected by the factors that contribute to high evaporation – such as minimal rainfall, abundant sunshine, low humidity, and periodic strong winds – this assumption is not even remotely correct. Therefore, it is imperative that we find solutions through research to water problems and maintain the aquifer as a continuing resource (Guru, 6). The problems range in severity and the length of time they will occur in. We must take action now to avoid the aquifers depletion and pollution. We need to preserve its use for future generations. To lose the use of this aquifer would be a serious indictment against the United States and a blow to farmers throughout the Midwest who rely on it to irrigate and water their crops. Sadly a number of new techniques threaten the safety of aquifers. In The Whole Fracking Enchilada by Sandra Steingraber, the author discusses how natural gas is extracted from shale. The process can be very destructive to the environment. We have to be mindful of this in the future as we continue to try to meet our energy needs while preserving the quality of our environment and drinking supply. Excessive water use in the extraction of natural resources is another threat to aquifers. We need water

Work Stress Essay Example for Free

Work Stress Essay We live with it, deal with it, and above all worry about it. Our way of life, the area in which we live, the economy, and our jobs can cause a great deal of stress. Not everyone deals with the same level of stress and there are several factors that can impact our lives and cause us to have higher or lower stress levels. We can have stressed caused by Cataclysmic events which according to Feldman (2009) are events that can affect many people at the same time and are â€Å"disasters such as tornado and plane crashes, as well as terrorist attacks†. (p418). Other factors are personal stressors and can be caused by events such as a divorce, death or a loved one or the loss of a job. (Feldman, 2009). The other category is what Feldman (2009) refers to as background stressors and are the things that impact our daily life. South Florida has many factors that contribute to our stress level, high unemployment rate 12.1% , high number of families living in poverty approximately 16%, (U.S. Census Bureau, American Fact Finder at (http://factfinder.census.gov), a housing crisis that has contributed to many residents losing their homes, overcrowded roads, high crime rate, and during hurricane season the weather. When we compare ourselves with people living in smaller cities, villages, other areas of the country or even other countries, or those whose socio economic status allows them to maintain their life style during difficult economic times we could probably see a difference in the stress level. Who has not stressed over driving in the Palmetto or I-95. Who has not stressed over the evening news or the possibility of not having a job in very difficult economic times? Who has not stressed over the possibility of being affected by the housing crisis? Who does not stress over a situation at work over which we have no control? These are stressors we live with and deal with on a daily basis. Work Stress and Mental Health Some people have higher levels of stress because they might have a very stressful job. Police officers, fire fighters, soldiers in a war zone, health care providers, long distance truck drivers, and yes, even educators (think of a classroom full of students where you are responsible for making sure that they are learning the skills they need to succeed) have very stressful jobs. According to Elkin and Rosch (1990) workplace related stress in a major problem in the U.S. and it creates a major expense for corporations. Koeske, Kirk, and Koeske (1993) indicate that all jobs have some level of stress but jobs that are in the human services have additional stressors because they â€Å"derive from intense involvement in the lives of others†. (p.319). They also refer to the type of stress experienced by individuals working in human services as â€Å"burnout† (Koeske, Kirk, and Koeske, 1993, p.319). Another factor that can influence our stress level is how we handle lifeâ€℠¢s demands. There are different ways of reacting to the situations we face every day of our lives. We have all heard of expressions such as ‘road rage’ and ‘going postal’. These are terms that we have come to identified with violent reactions to stressors caused by situations all of us face every day. How many of us have experiences in the road that would cause us to display behavior that is outside of what we consider to be within a normal range? How many of us have had experiences at work with a supervisor or a coworker where we have had to use all of our self control not to respond in an appropriate manner? We all have had these experiences and how we handle them depends on different factors such as our own characteristics, or external factors that could be impacting us at any particular moment. Symptoms of stress and anxiety caused by work According to Tetrick and LaRocco (1987) â€Å" work conditions can lead to perception of stress. Perceived stress, in turn, leads to job-related strains such as dissatisfaction, boredom, and turnover, and to individual strains such as anxiety, depression, and physical illness† (p.538). There are other factors that can cause high level of stress in a job for example high demands on the part of an employer, (i.e. constant deadlines, extended work hours) and low control on the part of the employee (i.e. very little control over the day to day activities in the workplace) and low rewards for effort can increase the chances of having serious health problems such as anxiety, use of prescription or over the counter drugs to deal with stress. (Workplace Mental Health Promotion, 2010). According to Tetrick and Larocco (1987) in addition to these external factors related to our jobs and the type of work conditions we have we also have internal factors that they call â€Å"internal char acteristics (i.e., personal characteristics) and external conditions (i.e., situational characteristics)† (p. 358). Pachner (2010) stated that In response to feelings of insecurity or ineffectiveness many people can avoid social interactions with colleagues and can develop physical symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure and even heart attacks. Many of us have experiences these types of feelings or reactions when we have found ourselves in stressful jobs. These health related issues can impact the individual, his/her family, the workplace environment and the community in general. Higher costs for health care, incidents of road rage or workplace violence, as well as in some instances domestic violence can all be linked to stressed caused by work. Individuals at risk of experiencing conditions of stress and anxiety As indicated before most of us are at risk of experiencing stress and a burnout feeling at any time. Those of us who are in the fields where we deal with people or a daily basis or where high demands and where we have little control of our work environment will be more impacted than others. Additionally as mentioned before certain type of personality characteristics will increase or levels of stress. Some of the internal characteristics might be our way of handling difficult situations, our need to control our environment, our need to overachieve, even our need to please others. Some individuals have a need to have control over all aspects of their lives and when decisions are made by others and they have no control over these decisions it impacts their well being. Stressful jobs such as those involving high risk or oneself, i.e. law enforcement, military duty in a war zone, can cause higher level of stress. Jobs where demands are placed in our abilities to deal with others can also create stress, i.e., healthcare professionals, customer service personnel, teachers, and other professionals who deal directly with others. The stress caused by these types of jobs can influence our health, our attitudes, and even our home life. In many instances individuals do not have the opportunity to decompress before arriving home to deal with the other stressors that we all confront. When we leave our jobs we then need to face the different challenges surrounding us in our community i.e. traffic, weather, etc. Dealing with stress and anxiety According to Elkin and Rosch (1990) To prevent burnout individuals need to monitor their mental and physical health and maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, leisure time and connecting with family and friends. All of us need to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy equilibrium between work and our own personal life. Giving in to the demands of a stressful job can only serve to create additional health problems such as heart conditions, high blood pressure, dependency on over the counter, illegal, or prescription drugs. It will also contribute to other problems such as lack of sleep, isolation, and sometimes depression. Perhaps we need to look at how other societies live their daily lives. For example traveling in the Mediterranean, specially the Greek islands, can give you a different perspective of how life can be. The Greek Islands have a low rate of heart disease and having traveled there myself I can see how their lifestyle contributes to that l ow risk. They are very active and involved in activities that promote healthy lifestyles i.e. fishing. They eat healthy and most of the time is food that is prepared in a healthy way. They take time to rest during the day and they take the time to enjoy family and friends and establish social connections. We, on the other hand, because of our work schedules, the time it takes us to get to and from work, the demands we place on ourselves, rarely have time to socialize and spend time with family or friends. Perhaps corporations should take into consideration the need to provide time for employees to establish relationships at work that are not just work related but that go beyond the routine of the workplace. Encouraging employees to have an active life style would also help the stress since physical activity reduces stress level. Having a good health insurance that promotes healthy life style such as by encouraging preventing medicine and membership in health clubs will contribute to reduce the stress level. We also need to take proactive steps to reduce the stress level caused by our jobs. One of the steps we can take is to accept that our personality can play a major role on how we adapt and deal with the job demands and take steps to change the extra stress we create for ourselves. If we like to control what we do at all times and like to plan ahead for all events but work in a job that is constantly changing we can begin by accepting that we can control the time we leave for work, what we take for lunch, and what route we take to get to and from work and that will give us a sense of control for at least part of the day. If we like to achieve perfection or please those around us we can begin by establishing realistic goals that we can achieve every day rather than trying to be the best in all possible aspects. Understanding ourselves, our needs, our personality, and the demands of our jobs can help us to decrease the level of stress we experience. There are factors over which we have no control i.e. the crime rate in our area, the weather, the overcrowded highways, etc. However we can certainly control other aspects of our lives such as how we handle the demands of our job, the type of lifestyle we choose to live and the amount of quality time we choose to spend with family and friends who are important to us. Knowledge and Career Understanding that there is an entire group of problems that are known as â€Å"psychophysilogical disorders that often result or are worsened by stress† (Feldman, 2009, p.421) can help us to realize that these are very real medical problems that are â€Å"influenced by an interaction of psychological, emotional, and physical difficulties† Feldman, 2009, p.421). Having gained some basic knowledge of the different aspects of what can cause stress in our lives such as work, environment, social demands, etc. can help us manage our lives and careers in a way that will help us to achieve our goals, maintain healthy relationships, succeed at our jobs, and maintain a healthy life style. According to Feldman (2009) our relationship with others can help us deal with our stress. The social support we can establish can help us to lower our stress level and the support we show others can help them as well. Coping with the daily stressors we face, and doing so as a member of a group of family, friends, coworkers, or neighbors can help us to maintain a healthy level of stress and will certainly reduce the risk of health problems associated with major stress in our life. This will in turn help us to be successful in our careers because we will achieve a healthy balance of work goals, family goals, community commitment, and a sense of well being.

The Birth of Fish; The Death of Oceans Essay -- Essays Papers

The Birth of Fish; The Death of Oceans Overview: Life and death are themselves opposites; then again in our oceans, life sometimes causes death. Over the past few decades, the demand for edible seafood has sky rocketed, resulting in the formation of aquacultures and overfishing. As of now, the two greatest threats to our marine resources result from overfishing and water pollution. Commercial fishing targets key fish species, resulting in an imbalance of the marine ecosystem. In response to the near elimination of these species, an industry has developed to raise these species in farm communities. It was the initial belief of many that aquacultures would help offset the demand for more seafood. However, the result of fish farming has only contributed to the depletion of the fish population and to the pollution of the marine ecosystem. With only limited regulations placed upon fishing companies, they are basically able to have free range over the oceans. Because of this, there have been severe effects on many fish species. Even with regulations such as the law of the sea, which states that a country bordering the ocean has rights to the fishing areas within two hundred nautical miles of its shores, there are considerable abuses. In Pauly and Watson’s article, it states that the preservation of the country’s fisheries is up to the country itself. The country may also give out rights to other countries to fish its waters. When this occurs, there is a great chance the fleets from other countries will attempt to â€Å"garner as much fish as they can† (Pauly, par. 7). These fleets will also have a disregard as far as the preservation of the marine habitat below such as the reefs (Pauly, Counting The Last Fish). Overfis... ...ctober 2003: 32. - â€Å"FISH FARMING.† National Geographic July 2003: 110. - â€Å"GROWING OUR OWN.† Current Science 19 December 2003: 9. - Hayden, T. â€Å"Sharks in the soup.† U.S. News & World Report 16 February 2004: 136. - Naylor, R. â€Å"The Costs of Fish Farming.† Wilson Quarterly Autumn 2000: 114-115. - Reprint of: Naylor, R., et al. â€Å"Effect of Aquaculture on World Fish Supplies.† Nature 29 June 2000. - Pauly, D. and Watson, R. â€Å"COUNTING THE Last Fish.† Scientific American July 2003: 289. - â€Å"Pros and Cons of Fish Farming.† USA Today Magazine June 2001: 129. Raeburn, P. â€Å"OVERFISHING THREATENS OCEAN’S RUTURE.† Business Week 4 March 2002: 73. - Schrope, M. â€Å"Future of Corals is going down the pan.† New Scientist 10 August 2002: 175. - Wagner, C. â€Å"More Trouble for Coral Reefs.† Futurist January/February 2004: 38.

Evergreen: Customer and Process Essay

1.1Evergreen’s desired outcomes are to improve customer satisfaction by delivering its orders on time, reduce inventories, reduce employee overtime expense and determine if the shop floor manager should be replaced. The company needs to improve its demand planning responsiveness to better serve customer needs. By improving its process and capabilities as they relate to orders, the desired results will be realized. 1.2Evergreen should try to improve its order entry system by eliminating/reducing constraints to so that the end accomplishment is a faster delivery time to the customer. 1.3We know that the order entry system is working poorly because the cycle time exceeds the customer timeline, but there may be additional problems causing the late orders since the shop is only operating at 80 percent capacity. Additionally, we are not given any information about the delivery system that would move the product from the shop floor to the customer. However, we can reasonable assume there is a problem with the order system, since it can take anywhere from 17 business hours (2 days) to 42 business hours (5.25 days) (assume 8-hour work day) for order to clear the shop floor. Since the three sale clerks are only encouraged to implement a 5-day out due date for the order, this immediately creates a constraint since it is possible for the order cycle to exceed 5 days. Not to mention that the sales clerks may even promise the products sooner. The multiple-steps in the process are creating undue constraints. Additionally, the high amount of erroneous orders (up to 65 percent) is also a large constraint on the process. 1.4The long cycle time is creating a bottleneck in getting the products to the customer on time. Additionally, the process is a made-to-order system, as opposed to made-to-stock, so the product is not created until the order is received. The variance in the way the company receives the orders is also creating problems, since the two processes are treated equally. When the traveling salesperson contacts the company with an order, the order may be up to two days old already, yet it is handled in the same fashion as when a customer calls in an order. The process is riddled with wait time and defects – two of the â€Å"Seven Deadly Sins.† Many of the orders languish in certain parts of the company and are filled out erroneously within a non-digitized system. Process measures are crucial to the processes success, and this system is only using a casual set of metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of its operations process for filling orders. The time it takes for the order to move from one process to the next should be definite – not an estimate, which describes Evergreen’s current process. Additionally, there are no metrics in place for process improvement. The order process is a serial/sequential. The company could improve by paralleling the order after it clears the Sales Account Manager by sending the order to accounting and to the shop simultaneously. A manager should improve the overall process by combining smaller processes, eliminating waste and rethinking the sequence. 2.The customers want their orders to be delivered on time. The existing customers pose a problem for Evergreen because their business spikes around certain holiday, thus increasing orders during certain times of the year. Evergreen needs to have another process in place for peak times versus the normal business schedule. The peak process could include such contingencies as having additional clerks on staff, mandating the traveling salespeople to visit customers within a standardized time frame before each peak season to gather data and pre-order product and running the shop at 100 percent capacity.