Adolf Hitler And The Holocaust - 1667 Words

â€Å"Wherever I went, I began to see Jews, and the more I saw, the more sharply they became distinguished in my eyes from the rest of humanity,† Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, describing his feelings when he first arrived in Vienna in 1925 and began to develop anti-Semitic ideas. The Holocaust was when the Nazi’s eliminated the Jewish people under Hitler’s rule. This was one of the most gruesome events in world history. There were three main reasons why Hitler started the Holocaust and exterminated the Jews: he had a need for power; he was convinced the loss of WWI was because of the Jews; and he was raised as an anti-Semitist. Although Hitler murdered 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, which lasted from 1938 to 1945, he was not brought into the†¦show more content†¦To annoy his father, Adolf decided to rebel and to only do well in the classes in which he wished to do well, just to annoy his father. When he was 14, Adolf’s father died, and he convinced his mother to let him quit school. He spent his days visiting the opera, library, and theater. When Hitler was 18 years old, he traveled to Vienna, Austria, and applied to the Academy of Fine arts, but did not get in. Hitler’s mother passed away in 1907, he was heartbroken, and the doctor said that he had never seen someone so overcome with grief as Adolf Hitler to the loss of his mother. After this tragic event in Hitler’s life, he re-applied to the Academy of Fine Arts again and did not get in. Hitler began to live a drifter life with no home or joke, making money here and there. Austria was a struggling socialist society. Many people were out of work and there was conflict between the country’s different ethnic groups as they competed for jobs, and in this climate, Hitler’s antisemitism began to grow. Hitler began to blame Jews for his own lack of success and he learned about propaganda which is the spreading of information in order to influence public opinion and to manipulate other people’s beliefs. He also learned about the use of physical terror to control large numbers of people. By the time of World War I, Hitler moved to Munich, Germany and served in the war, but in the German army. During the war, Hitler was blinded

Sociology and Me - 2085 Words

Jessica Armstrong Sociology 111 Term Paper Sociology and Me As a child and most of my adolescent years, both of my parents were my primary care takers. My mother worked in an industrial society where the labor union was present, making air craft engines for Rolls Royce. My father has always drove some kind of truck, whether it be a semi or a dump truck. My mom usually worked long hours and most of the time seven days a week so my dad was home with us from the time we got out of school until bed time. I am the oldest of three. I have one sister two years younger and one brother 4 years younger. We share the same mother but at the age of 4 my dad adopted me. My father was extremely leniant with what my brother, sister and I†¦show more content†¦I decided to schedule an appointment for an abortion and kept my new pregnancy a secret. On the day my abortion was scheduled I could not go through with it. I knew I would be killing not only a human, an innocent child who did not ask to be brought into this world but I would be killing a part of me. I kept my baby, and knew having two small children I would have to work extra hard and graduate. I kept my pregnancy a secret for three months then told the father. On May 26th , 2007 I graduated from Cloverdale High School and received my diploma. At six months of my pregnancy I got married to the father of my unborn second child. We lived with his parents while saving for our own home. We were saving to buy or rent a home when our car was totaled. We had the decision of a new car, or saving for a home. We really needed our own place, so my mother said she would co-sign for us a car and pay the down payment as long as we promised to make every payment on time. After 3 months of marriage, his true self began to show. He would not hold a job, the mental, physical and verbal abuse, his alcoholism and infidelity. I began to move back home. By time the first car payment was due he did not have the money to make it and had the nerve to call and ask my mother to borrow the money. By that time I had packedShow MoreRelatedSociology And How It Affects Me1044 Words   |  5 PagesOver the last semester. I ve learned a lot about sociology and how it affects me. Here are 10 concept that have impacted in my life. In our first unit of sociology, I felt I could relate with the term social network, The term social network refers to the people who are linked to one another(Henslin,116.)Social networks include everyone you know. I can relate to social networking because I m on a social salsa team. When I joined my dance team , we all had the same passion, the love of dance.Read MoreEssay on Sociology: Black Like Me1713 Words   |  7 PagesFunctionalism] One argument made by Structural Functionalists is that society should be a meritocracy. People should be rewarded based on their abilities. (Class notes, SOCI 201, Winter 2010) An example to illustrate this argument from Black Like Me is found on page 39. The elderly owner of the Y cafà © complained to Griffin about how unfair the economic system was to black people. Many brilliant black students graduated with great marks, but still ended up doing the most menial work or very fewRead MoreThe Textbook, Sociology867 Words   |  4 PagesThe textbook â€Å"Sociology† has tons of information at its publisher website, which includes a different variety of resources that can help expand a student’s understanding of the book and review concepts as well. The website not only has information about the textbook, but has other types of reliable information from outside sources to help understand sociology on a different level. The resources that the website provided were useful, but the resources that I believe that will help me the most is theRead MoreChoosing a Career in Sociology Essay540 Words   |  3 Pages Do you know what sociology is about? By definition sociology is the study of society, social institutions, and social relationships. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Definition of Sociology. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sociology). Sociology is not based on philosophical assumptions, but instead based on experimentation and measurement. Sociology is a field that you should be highly specialized in only one area. We see sociology everyday wherever we go we interact with society. 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Instead it becomes a form of consciousness, a way of thinking, a critical way of seeing the world. It welcomes you to cha llenge the obvious, to question the world as it is taken for granted and to de-familiarising the familiar. This is what empowers critical thinking which triggers the development of the understanding of the humanRead MoreGraduate Admissions Personal Statement : How Society And Social Stratification Affects Our Daily Lives1248 Words   |  5 Pagesdaily lives. I believe these issues are relevant to everyone, in everyday life, and sociology affects everyone on a personal level. When I was an undergraduate student, I had a professor that opened up my mind to the study of sociology. It was at that time, that I decided, I loved the subject so much that I wanted to someday teach it on a post-secondary level. 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Throughout the course of sociology you can lean many things about your society and even your self. Sociology will change the way you look at life and might be able to reflect on future designs or ideas. When enrolling in sociology you will be able to have a set of skills to see sociology, have the knowledge of sociology, and have values of sociology. By having skills, knowledge, and values you will be able understandRead MoreMy Social Science Requirement For My Associate Degree923 Words   |  4 Pages At first I took this sociology course because I needed to cover my social sci ence requirement for my associate degree. During the first week of school, I started reading the sociology book by Schaefer, and I became interested in the theories that sociologist came up with. When I started reading the modern development theorists, Charles Horton Cooley, it was so fascinating because he focused on social interaction. Cooley came up with the concept called â€Å"looking glass self†, and I will explain

Personal Cultural Reflection-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Write a Personal Cultural Reflection. Answer: Cultural beliefs and practices greatly determine how people perceive the world around them. Sometimes when people of different cultures meet, adapting to the dominant group's belief becomes inevitable. At times due to culture clash, it becomes hard to accept or be comfortable with cultural elements from other groups. Having Chinese roots, I have felt what it means to be influenced by two cultures, that is, both the Eastern and Western ways of life. Culture has impacted not just my perception of things around me but also prepared me for global management. There is still more to learn however about others both from day to day interaction while being directed by cultural ideals. My personality has greatly been influenced by my Chinese roots in as much as I was born here in Australia. This is mainly because of the time I spend with relatives. I am a great believer in Confucianism which advocates for the treatment of those around with respect no matter how much one may think they do not deserve. Handling others the way you would like to be treated is one thing that is also advocated for by a good number of people both in the religious and political realms and also at work( Hayibor, 2017). Interaction with others has only reinforced this traditional ideal. Contrary to what many believe, it is not always a must for one to renounce his or her cultural beliefs when in a country in which he or she falls in the minority (Trueba et al.,2014). In my interaction with others, I try as much as possible to live according to what is deemed respectful, just and appropriate by my cultural beliefs. I meet a lot of people as in my daily endeavors. These people sometimes have a completely different beliefs and values compared to mine whereas in other cases we tend to have nearly similar beliefs. A majority of those I interact with belong to the Christian majority and practice what can be simply termed as the Western lifestyle. Occasionally, I also meet with those who trace their roots to Hinduism and those whose culture bear significant religious elements. Most of these people always have something new to offer hence I find myself being keen to learn anything that I can from them. Their beliefs and practices are sometimes very appealing especially the religious celebrations such as Easter and non-religious celebrations or feasts. I have come to appreciate that sometimes these practices that have been passed through generations also define aspects of people's behavior, especially how they behave towards others. I always try to learn some of the aspects of my own culture that peopl e may find conflicting with their own as I try to integrate what I learn into my own lifestyle. Theories have been advanced about what happens when different cultures interact. As per the dominant ideology thesis, it is believed that those whose culture is widespread mostly shape others beliefs through their numbers and influence on entities such as the media (Abercrombie et al,2015). I believe there is a lot that I have come to learn and still appreciate from what I watch. Likewise, I believe that I am influenced those around me especially those whom I communicate with virtually through social media. Sharing cultural information may change the behavior and perceptions of those whose curiosity outweigh their adherence to certain customs (Ferreira and Francisca, 2014). Not only have I understood what is others consider appropriate but have also come to know how to effectively communicate with others and what should and can be said at specific occasions. Learning other people's cultural values and principles has not been entirely easy. I experienced culture shock at several instances. Sometimes I have found myself on a collision course with other people especially the very religious individuals. I believe in the supernatural, only that my beliefs do not resonate with the majority. When it comes to dressing, I still hold the opinion that it is important to try as much as possible to be decent since it is one way that can encourage upholding morals. My definition of what is decent has been quite what is held by a majority of those I interact with. I, however, tolerate what I do not find appealing for which the majority are comfortable with. Things such as bowing down slightly as a sign of respect during greeting is not common in Australia, whereas it is the norm in China hence adapting has not been entirely smooth. As globalization becomes a reality, people are taking different positions, some aligning their cultural beliefs with those of the majority (Cleveland et al.,2016). Others are however diverging. I believe diverging may not be the best opinion especially for those who live in progressive societies. There might be dire consequences of isolating oneself from the way of life of the majority (Cleveland et al.,2016). Importantly, those who do so may miss on important developments especially when it comes to innovations. Divergence may limit people in terms of accessing new products that may result from the interaction of different people or globalization in general (Chan, 2016). It is true that convergence may lead to the erosion of some cultures. However, this should not be feared since it is the only way that people can learn if some aspects of their beliefs are backward (Diehl et al,2016). A believer that convergence is safe, I am open to trying aspects of other people's cultures wheneve r I have the intuition that they are reasonable. The world is generally moving towards uniformity hence embracing others will make several aspects of life easier (Chakraborty, 2017). Business is one area that I believe benefits greatly as a result of convergence since aspects such as communication become very easy. Moreover, people develop similar commodity taste and also find commodities that they did not initially like quite appealing (Peykani, and Rad,2016). This way movement to other countries becomes easy and adapting is also made quicker. Everyone has shortcomings when it comes to dealing with those who are different, in terms of beliefs or ways of life. I do not think I am left out. Sometimes I become greatly upset by those who try to force their customs, culture, and beliefs on others just because they feel that what they uphold is right while other people are wrong. I sometimes avoid this lot while at other times keenly listen to them while withholding my opinion as I try to decipher their point of view. We cannot always be right all the time. I especially get repealed by those who are too much into politics and religion to the point that they base all their reasoning from religious and political figures and books. On the contrary, I find those who are equally curious about other cultures quite appealing. This enthusiasm to know more about those around them, especially those whose cultures have traces of practices from outside the country or continent is one thing I believe greatly promotes positive convergence. Le arning from others is never a bad thing. I believe that my position as an Australian born citizen with Chinese roots is and will continue to prepare me for global management. Specifically, I am of the opinion that I can comfortably work as a management analyst. This position requires a person who is adept at communicating effectively with those from different backgrounds (Bls.gov, 2017). A person who is interested in this role should be accommodative of people from diverse backgrounds since they may be forced to work in faraway geographical regions due to circumstances such as transfers (Houmanfar and Mattaini, 2016).For one to have these characteristics he or she has to start early when it comes to understanding other peoples cultures. It is because of this that I do not shy away from learning all that I can from others. An analysis of Australia using Hofstedes principles makes it easy to see why the Australian culture is the way it is relative to others. On the masculinity index, it ranks at about 61 percent meaning that it is a masculine society, and as such it has a culture of competitiveness hence I have found it a bit difficult to fit in. When it comes to the uncertainty avoidance index, Australia ranks at 51%( Hofstede and Bond, 1984). This means that most people here do not feel much threatened by situations that they are not sure about, as is the case of people from other backgrounds or cultures. On the long-term orientation index, they can be best described as normative. With a rank of 21%, it means that most Australians greatly value and respect their traditions (Hofstede and Bond, 1984). On the indulgence index, the country ranks at about 71% meaning that the propensity of people from this country to have fun and engage in leisure activities is quite high. It is for this reason that I feel that most people I engage with are always lively. When it comes to the power distance index the country ranks at around 36% meaning that it is not very hierarchical. As such those who work here need to understand that there are ranks in organizations hence they need to respect those who rank high. On the individuality index, the country ranks at around 90% meaning that there is little interdependence between people. As such, people are expected to display a high degree of self-reliance. I always try to do this as a result. I believe that deep down there is not much that separates us as human beings. Most of these cultural practices passed down to us should not hold us back whenever a change is inevitable. Importantly, we should not be quick to judge those from backgrounds that are not our own. The world is transforming into a global village, with great opportunities that can only be realized once we do not isolate ourselves. I hope to learn a lot not just from books but also practically, about other people and how best to interact with them. References Abercrombie, N., Hill, S. and Turner, B.S., 2015.The dominant ideology thesis. Routledge. Bls.gov. (2017).Management Analysts : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. [online] Available at: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/management-analysts.htm [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017]. Chakraborty, S., 2017. Environment, Globalization and Culture.Philosophy and Progress,57(1-2), pp.105-118. Chan, S., 2016. Cultural and Political Convergence and Divergence: Survey Data across the Taiwan Strait with US and Korean Comparisons.Democratization in Taiwan: Challenges in Transformation. Diehl, C., Gijsberts, M., Gveli, A., Koenig, M., Kristen, C., Lubbers, M., McGinnity, F., Mhlau, P., Platt, L. and Van Tubergen, F., 2016. Causes and Consequences of Socio-Cultural Integration Processes among New Immigrants in Europe (SCIP).GESIS Data Archive, Cologne. ZA5956 Data file Version,1(0). Ferreira Peralta, C. and Francisca Saldanha, M., 2014. Knowledge-centered culture and knowledge sharing: the moderator role of trust propensity.Journal of Knowledge Management,18(3), pp.538-550. Hayibor, S., 2017. Is fair treatment enough? Augmenting the fairness-based perspective on stakeholder behaviour.Journal of Business Ethics,140(1), pp.43-64. Hofstede, G. and Bond, M.H., 1984. Hofstede's culture dimensions: An independent validation using Rokeach's value survey.Journal of cross-cultural psychology,15(4), pp.417-433. Houmanfar, R.A. and Mattaini, M.A., 2016. Leadership and Cultural Change: Implications for Behavior Analysis. Peykani, M.H. and Rad, H.T., 2016. Literacy Globalization and the Demand for Cultural Change Policy.International Education Studies,9(11), p.82. Trueba, H.T., Jacobs, L. and Kirton, E., 2014.Cultural Conflict Adaptation. Routledge.

The Effects of the Popular Media on Children free essay sample

This paper investigates the effect that violence in the media has on young children. This paper looks at the issue of increased violent tendencies found in increasingly younger children in todays society. The author reviews several different studies that have been conducted on the subject and substantiate the thesis that violence on television has a profound impact on younger children. Television has become more violent and children are, watching more of it, which in this authors opinion, has contributed to the increase in violent behavior in children. Several studies and their results are presented in order to help the reader understand the possible roots of the problem, to present possible solutions to present and future problems that plague society because of the increasing influence of television in our lives. Children are much smarter these days than children of the previous generation. Children are bombarded with images on TV, the Internet, etc. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effects of the Popular Media on Children or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page and parents have less time these days to filter out any negative or adverse images and experiences. And with the exponentially-advancing technological age, in many cases children derive their education, not just from school or their family but through nameless, faceless CEOs who want to sell a product, service or form of entertainment any which way they can. Children are expected to digest and analyze a lot of information thrown at them everyday. In that sense, children today are more streetwise and discerning than the children in previous generations. Therefore, it stands to reason that effects of media violence on younger children would be more pronounced than for children who are in their pre- or post-adolescent years.

Mary Shelley Essays (1842 words) - Romanticism, Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley Mary Shelley and Her Yearning for Knowledge Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, was the daughter of the radical feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the political philosopher, William Godwin, and the wife of the Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Through these familial affiliations, she was also acquainted with Lord Byron Samuel T. Coleridge, and other literary figures such as Charles and Mary Lamb. Surrounded by such influential literary and political figures of the Romantic Age, it is not surprising that as an adolescent, at the age of 19, she wrote Frankenstein. Though critically a failure, (British Critic, 1818 and Monthly Review, 1818) the novel has never been out of print and has been translated into numerous languages. What is surprising, however, is the enormous body of knowledge contained in the novel. The novel contains references to the fields of literature, poetry, science, education, politics, history, and mythology. How did such a young girl, living a life considered morally objectionable to society and harassed by fami ly and financial burdens, acquire such a vast amount of knowledge in all fields of study that encompassed the important issues of her day? Through examination of biographical information and Mary Shelley's journal entries, it will be able to answer this question. Following, I also plan to highlight Mary Shelley's knowledge of literature with primary emphasis on the works studied by the monster in relation to his origins as well as Mary Shelley's. Mary Shelley was born with notoriety simply by being named Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. Her parents were well-known and somewhat suspect individuals due to their radical political beliefs and writings, such as Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Women and Godwin's Enquiry Concerning the Nature of Political Justice. Mary Shelley's mother died from complications shortly after giving birth to Mary. The infamy of her existence was heightened by her father's subsequent publication of Memoirs of the Author of the Rights of Women. In this work, William Godwin described many aspects of Mary Wollstonecraft's existence in great detail such as: her relationship with an American and subsequent birth of an illegitimate daughter, her suicide attempts, and the fact that she was already pregnant with Mary when William Godwin married her. To the late 20th Century sensibilities we may not approve of these behaviors but we certainly don't consider then shocking or extraordinary. The above ment ioned events, however, occurred in the late 1700's and were not morally acceptable, were abhorrent to the conventions of society, and were certainly not to be discussed or published in a memoir. William Godwin's publication of this memoir, more than any other event, created an air of societal stigma around Mary Shelley almost from the moment of her birth. Mary Shelley increased her already infamous existence by running off with Percy Bysshe Shelley when she was 17 in 1814. Percy Shelley was already married and abandoned his pregnant wife and his daughter to live with Mary Shelley. They lived together and had two illegitimate children prior to getting married in December 1816. They married a couple of weeks after Percy's wife, Harriet, committed suicide by drowning herself in the Serpentine. Mary Shelley became a societal outcast for these actions and had few friends. Within days she discovered that all of her old circle shunned her, intimates who had cherished her and friends who professed the most liberal principles (Sunstein 88). Her own father, hypocritically enough, who lived with Mary Wollstonecraft without being married, would not speak to Mary until she and Percy were legally married. Godwin publicly stated, Mary has committed a crime against hallowed social arrangements, morality, her family, and Harriet Shelley(Sunstein 89). Mary and Percy also had numerous other family and financial problems. Even though Percy was to eventually inherit a considerable amount of money, he had many debts and was constantly harassed by creditors. The couple continually moved in order to evade bill collectors. The first ten months of their relationship they moved four times and, in fact, never shared a permanent home together. The couple also had to deal with ostracism from their families as well as many deaths in the family. During their first two and half years together their first child was born prematurely and died two weeks later, Percy's first wife

10 Exploratory Essay Topics on #8220;The Kite Runner#8221; by Khaled Hosseini

10 Exploratory Essay Topics on #8220;The Kite Runner#8221; by Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, revolves around the history of Afghanistan and describes the story of two boys growing up there. While both these boys share the same household and wet nurse, their fathers are from two different worlds. It’s been one of the New York Time’s bestselling books and is an interesting book that everyone should read. Since you’re writing an exploratory essay on The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we’re assuming that you have already read the book. If you haven’t, however, there is nothing to worry about. We’ve helped hundreds of students like you write fascinating and engaging essays on various topics and we’re here to help you too. This is the first of our three manuals, where you will learn 10 facts on The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. These facts will not only entertain you with interesting tidbits about the book, but also be of great assistance when you are writing. In our second manual, we’ve included 20 topics on the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, to get you started right away. This is because most students have no idea where to start, since they have so much information on a particular topic and often don’t know how to put it to good use. It also includes an exploratory essay on one of the 20 topics – a perfect sample to take assistance from. Finally, in our third manual, you’ll find an Informative guide on exploratory essay on The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This serves as an ideal manual for you to write a better and more concise exploratory essay on the book. Without further ado, here are 10 Facts on The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: The book tells a story of two boys, Amir and Hassan, who are raised in the same household and even have the same wet nurse, but are different by family and status. Amir is the son of an affluent and well-known man, whereas, Hassan is the son of a servant who works for Amir’s father. During the Soviet Union invasion, Amir and his father decide to leave Afghanistan and start a new life in California, leaving Hassan behind. The Kite Runner starts from 1973, when Zahir Shah was overthrown by the Army due to the monarchy led by him. Later, Daoud Khan, cousin and son-in law of Zahir Shah, declared himself president of the republic. Daoud claimed to be honest in his revolution and swore to eradicate corruption from Afghanistan. However, once he gained power, he changed his regimen due to which he was overthrown by the same army that brought him into power. The Kite Runner introduces a bully in its story, Assef, who’s a notorious character with violent, mean and sadistic tendencies. He is older than Amir and Hassan and tries to blame Amir for socializing with the Hazara people; i.e. Hassan, who, according to him, is from an inferior race and should only live in Hazarajat. In the book, he tries to confront and attack Amir with his brass knuckles, but Hassan plays a heroic role in defending Amir with his slingshot and threatens to shoot out Assef’s left eye. In the book, Hassan is a saint-like figure. Amir, on the other hand, is shown as a cowardice and jealousy-prone character. There are events when both these characters show pomp in their behaviors: Hassan defends Amir’s kite while he is being raped by Assef – as a means of revenge. When Amir witnessed Hassan getting raped by Assef, he doesn’t take any action. Due to his cowardice on that occasion, sheer jealousy and utter frustration due to Hassan’s saint-like behavior, and him getting more love from father than Amir the latter frames Hassan as a thief in order to get rid of him. Hassan falsely confesses – demonstrating again his saint-like characteristics. Amir is then seen to live a life of guilt within the shadows, haunted by such horrible events of the past. In Part II of the book, The Kite Runner, which takes place five years later, Amir and his father had struggled when they moved to California due to the invasion of the Soviets in Afghanistan. Before Amir’s father dies, he requests General Taheri, who’s in contempt of Amir’s literary aspiration, to let Soraya (Taheri’s daughter) and Amir marry, which General Taheri accepts without hesitation. Shortly after Amir marries Soraya, his father dies. When he settles down with his wife, he learns that they cannot have children. When Amir becomes a novelist, he receives a call from Rehan Khan, who is dying from a disease. Rehan directs Amir to meet him in Pakistan where he learns a secret that Hassan was actually his half-brother and Hassan’s father was actually not his real father, after all. The main reason Rehan Khan called Amir was to convince him to go to Kabul and rescue Hassan’s only son, Sohrab, who was being kept in an orphanage. Amir is convinced by Rehan and goes to Kabul so he can rescue Sohrab from the Taliban. In Part III of the book, it is revealed that Sohrab wasn’t in an orphanage; however, he was held captive by Assef, Amir’s childhood nemesis. Sohrab was made to dance, dressed like a woman and his statement reveals that Assef might have been raping him. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini has one of the best, yet very childish endings, where Sohrab gets to fulfill his father’s wishes by shooting out Assef’s left eye with his slingshot. This event takes place when Sohrab, in his father’s image, saves Amir from Assef – when he cruelly beats Amir as a price for keeping him captive. In the end of the book, Sohrab is seen to be emotionally damaged as he attempts suicide upon learning that Amir would not be able to keep his promise; i.e. to take Sohrab with him and eventually adopt him. Amir breaks his promise because the U.S. authorities demand paperwork which proves Sohrab’s orphan status. Eventually, Amir takes him back to the United States where Sohrab’s frozen emotions are thawed by his father’s reminisces found in Amir. Interesting facts, aren’t they? These informative facts will help you create a strong understanding of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, so you can write a perfect exploratory essay on it. Next up, we have our second guide, 20 exploratory topics on the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, to give you a headstart and a sample essay to assist you in writing it. Also look out for informative guide for an exploratory essay on the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for a guide on how to write the same. References: N. Shamand, 2010 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: Historical, Political and Cultural Contexts UGC, Academic Staff College, University of Kerala  http://arabicuniversitycollege.yolasite.com/resources/Faculty/NS/Dissertations/The%20Kite%20Runner%20-%20Historical,%20Political%20%20Cultural%20Contexts.pdf Azad, F. (2004). Dialogue with Khaled Hosseini. Lemar-Aftaab, 3(4), June.  http://afghanmagazine.com/2004_06/profile/khosseini.shtml Sadat, M.H. (2004). Afghan History: kite flying, kite running and kite banning. Lemar-Aftaab, 3(4), June.  http://afghanmagazine.com/2004_06/articles/hsadat.shtml The Kite Runner. (2007). Directed by Marc Forestor. Dreamworks Sherman, Sue. Cambridge Wizard Student Guide: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. (Cambridge University Press, 2006). Sadat, Mir Hekmatullah. The Afghan Experience. (Claremont Graduate University, 2006) Claremont, California. Kaplan, Robert D. Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Vintage Books, 1990).

Evaluating international business communications situations Essay - 10

Evaluating international business communications situations - Essay Example In order to promote holidays in China amongst the British public, one needs to come up with a great communication plan that will ensure that the target audience receives the message. This can be done through advertisements in the local media, social media, billboards and cultural fairs and events. One can also highlight some of the cultural issues such as language barrier and some cultural practices that the British citizens would face once they arrived in China. This process would ensure that mutual respect is maintained and a good relationship fostered between the two cultures. According to Noreen Barkley, Peiyi Ding and Timothy Lee, China recognised that international tourism was a key part of its economy, therefore, launching many initiatives to increase the business and provide a memorable experience that would help market its tourist attractions (Breakey, Ding and Lee 2008: 567). Through the use of excellent communication strategies and international marketing, China has successfully marketed its numerous attractions to many countries, therefore, swaying many of them to travel to the country and have a first-hand experience (Wen and Ximing, 2008: 580). A significant number of British citizens are financially secure, therefore, bearing the ability to spend a sizeable amount of money on holidays. The older generation comprising of senior citizens is also increasing, as baby boomers retire from their jobs. Therefore, Britain has a high number of potential international tourists who are willing to spend a lot of money for leisure travels and holidays. In o rder to persuade British citizens to visit China for holidays, one must establish a communication plan that will be appealing to them. It should be sensitive to the British culture and create awareness on the cultural differences between the two countries. It should also highlight China’s numerous cultural sites, unique geographical sceneries, the wide variety of

Financial planning cover letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial planning cover letter - Essay Example Your current debts include your truck loan of $25,000, car loan of $18,000, credit card balances of $2,100 and student loan balances of $8,000. Considering your cash inflow and expenses it is possible to repay all the debts in a period of four years by paying $112.74 instead of the current $91.92 in Mike’s Student loan, $67.64 instead of the current $55.15 on Debbie’s student loan, paying 64.08 instead of the minimum $58.63 on the credit cards and maintaining the current payments on the truck and car monthly payments. To repay the debts in 4 years you will have to pay a total of $1243.50 per month. Considering the minimum debt payment rates, you are currently incurring a cost of $1243.50 per month given the high interest rates on your debts, that is, 4% on student loans, 19% on both credit cards, 6.5% on the truck loan and 9.5% on the car loan. A consolidated loan would have a lower interest rate and would cost you $1,245.53 per month and hence result in a $38.53 savings per month and hence it would be advisable to take the consolidated loan and pay for all your debts since this will enable you save more money. It will also cost you less in 4 years paying for the loan as compared to your current debts. Another strategy in meeting your goals will be to reduce your expenses on Internet, clothing, entertainment, restaurant, and miscellaneous expenses. From the revised cashflow you can easily see the new recommended rates on the above expenses where savings of; $250 are made on clothes, $425 on entertainment, $105 on restaurant and $175.42 on miscellaneous expenses resulting to $955.42 savings per month. The new debt payments system and the savings on expenses will enable you meet your goal of paying RESP for your son amounting to $210, save $400, Pay a life insurance policy of $250, and pay an emergency fund of $156.39 monthly. I therefore gladly inform you that it is possible to meet your financial goals, of paying your existing

Introduce About Myself Essay Example for Free

Introduce About Myself Essay About Myself, My Hobbies – Interests and My Future Plans My name is Long. I am 25 years old. I just got married about 3 months. Now my wife and I are living with my parent, my young brother, my young sister and my gran in my parent’s house at Tan Binh district. I was born in Ho Chi Minh city, but my hometown is Quang Nam, because my parents were born in there. I have worked as import export assistant in 4 years at an Indian company. Regarding my hobbies, although I’m 25 years old, but I really like reading comics, I read it on the book, on the internet, on the magazine, and I read it anywhere, at home, at office, at coffee shop and at class. Moreover I also like playing games; it likes computer games and video games. I don’t only like playing games but also I like playing toys, some toys likes models kits of mechanics, cars, battle ships, planes†¦ In addition I like traveling also, specially, I very love sea, I like going anywhere, where has sea, and I can swim in there all day. Beside, earning lot of money is my hobbies too. In future, I want to become a successful businessman, I will open a series coffee shop, it like Gloria Jean’s Coffees, but I think I just can make it with small scale, honestly, I also like drinking coffee. Moreover I want to open a flower shop for my wife, she really love flower. In addition, I’m going to live abroad, because my father and mother in law are living in US, and they want my wife and me to live with them.

Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention

Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention Purpose- the purpose of this research is to investigate what the causes influenced among students in Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam branch in entrepreneurial intention and to make an evaluation for their entrepreneurship orientation by comparing them with non-entrepreneurially inclined students. Design/methodology/approach- Findings- the result of this test showed that Research limitations/implications- the study comprises respondent 300 of students at all course fields in Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam branch and the percentage of students in the sample who wish to be entrepreneurs is Practical implications This study provides insight into entrepreneurship education, as to which entrepreneurial characteristics can be developed to raise good entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study contributes to understanding the differences between characteristics of entrepreneurially inclined and non-inclined students at the edge of graduation. Nowadays entrepreneurship has captured their attention among people especially teenagers in all over the world. The main reason of this concern is the growing need for entrepreneurs who accelerate economic development through generating new ideas and converting them into money-making ventures. However, it has a more critical role for economies of developing countries since entrepreneurship is seen as an engine of economic progress, job creation and social adjustment. Thus, small business growth or new business formation is widely encouraged by national economic policies to stimulate economic growth and wealth creation. In parallel with developing interest in entrepreneurship throughout the world, Malaysia has also witnessed an increasing interest in entrepreneurship fields both among their academic scholars and amongst government policy makers and business leaders. Obviously, understanding perceptions of students at higher education level is a necessary step in this process. The purp ose of the current study is to analyze the entrepreneurial intention of university students in Universiti Teknologi Mara Shah Alam . Scope of study The scope in this study is the students in Universiti Teknologi Mara Shah Alam. It comprises all the students in all field of study. The respondent involved 300 students and this amount is using for sample survey in this study. Problem statement The interest making money among the teenagers nowadays make intention in entrepreneurship is getting higher. But have a few of them have a desire to open the business but because of lack of entrepreneur knowledge. Research objective Objective in doing this research is to identify: The factor that influenced student in university to do the business before they done their study. The opinion from the students that already have their own business. How they balance their study and business at the same time. Those who have business experiences in their background Research questions What the factors that influenced university student to do the business? Who you prefer to borrow money to open the business? Significance of study The significant of this study is to analyze the entrepreneurial intention of university students. In this study, a model that mainly focuses on the impacts of some contextual factors was proposed and empirically tested on university students. Furthermore, the study contributes to the literature by theorizing and empirically testing how some factors affect entrepreneurial intention of university students. It is believed that the results of study may have some significant implications for the policy makers and educators. INTRODUCTION Entrepreneurship has captured the attention of both scholars and policy makers during the last decades. The main reason of this concern is the growing need for entrepreneurs who accelerate economic development through generating new ideas and converting them into profitable ventures. Entrepreneurial activities are not only the incubators of technological innovation; they provide employment opportunity and increase competitiveness also (Reynolds, 1987; Zahra, 1999). Some scholars primarily focus on the effect of personality characteristics on decision making process (Bonnett and Furnham, 1991; Brockhaus, 1980; Johnson,1990). Although the results vary across the studies, they often indicate a link between entrepreneurial intention and some personality factors, such as self-confidence, risk-taking ability, need to achievement, and locus of control. However, a person is surrounded by an extended range of cultural, social, economical, political, demographical, and technological factors. Therefore, personality traits cannot be isolated from these contextual factors. In the literature, there are some studies that take into account the role of these factors also. For instance, according to Hisrich (1990), people can be pushed or pulled by the situational factors, which are related with their personal backgrounds and present lives. From a broader point of view, the cultural and institutional frameworks also affect entrepreneurship (Wennekers and Thurik, 1999). The review of literature on entrepreneurship shows that most of the scholars have focused on adult entrepreneurs. In these studies, adult entrepreneurs were examined after choosing their entrepreneurial careers. Since people are likely to start a business within the age range of 25 to 44 (Liles, 1974), it is also critical to focus on people who are younger than 25 and understand which factors affect their intentions to start-up a business in the future. As Henderson and Robertson (2000) also stated . . . the future working environment will depend on the creativity and individuality of the young. However, indeed relatively little is known about young adult views on entrepreneurship (p.279). The purpose of the current study is to analyse the entrepreneurial intention of university students. In the study, a model that mainly focuses on the impacts of some contextual factors was proposed and empirically tested on university students. Therefore, the study contributes to the literature by theorizing and empirically testing how some factors affect entrepreneurial intention of university students. It is believed that the results of study may have some significant implications for the policy makers and educators. VARIABLES Dependent variable: Entrepreneur intentions among students. Independent variables: Educational support, structural support and relational support Educational support The first dimension of model is educational support. It is obvious that professional education in universities is an efficient way of obtaining necessary knowledge about entrepreneurship. Although, in their study, Wang and Wong (2004, p. 170) mainly focused on personality characteristics of students, they also pointed out the fact that the entrepreneurial dreams of many students are hindered by inadequate preparation; . . .their business knowledge is insufficient, and more importantly, they are not prepared to take risk to realize their dreams.. In the literature, some studies analyse how these entrepreneurial interests of universities affect entrepreneurial inclination of students. The study of Gorman and Hanlon (1997) showed that entrepreneurial attributes can be positively influenced by educational programmes. It is clear that an effective education on entrepreneurship can be a factor to push people towards an entrepreneurial career (Henderson and Robertson, 2000). Structural support The second factor in the model is structural support which are we are social, cultural, economical, political and technological factors. The current context of entrepreneurship is mainly shaped by economical and political mechanisms, which are governed by the actors in the public, private, and non-governmental sectors. In such a system, there can be some opportunities or threats for entrepreneurs. For instance, if there are some barriers to entry into the market, people might show a lower tendency for entrepreneurship. However, if they find the given conditions adequate and favourable, it might be expected that they are more likely to start a business. Relational support The study of Henderson and Robertson (2000) showed that family was the second factor influencing career choice of respondents after their personal experience. Therefore, the support of family and friends is likely to affect ones career selection. In the current study, this relational support mainly indicates the sentimental and monetary supports of family and friends. If someone knows that there will be such type of support when s/he starts a business, she or he might be encouraged to choose an entrepreneurial career. Moderating variable: Self Confidence The model also considers the impact of one personality trait, self-confidence, as moderator variable. However, the level of self-confidence that is generally defined as believing in oneselfmay influence ones perception as well. Self-confidence is widely accepted as avaluable individual asset and a key to personal success. In their study, BeÂÂ ´nabou and Tirole(2002) explained why an optimistic self-view is seen as a good thing. According to them, self-confidence is valuable because it makes people happier, it makes it easier to convince others (rightly or wrongly) and improves the individuals motivation to undertake projects and persevere in the pursuit of his goals (p.877). Based on this conceptualization, it might be expected that more self-confident people may perceive their environment more favourably than others and have more optimistic perspective about their future. Therefore, if a person has a high level of self-confidence, the strength of the proposed link between educa tional support, structural support, relational support and entrepreneurial intention may also increase. THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK Self-Confidence Entrepreneur Interest Structural Support Relational Support Educational Support INDEPENDENT VARIABLES MODERATING DEPENDENT VARIABLE VARIABLE TABLE 1.1: THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK RELATIONSHIP Hypothesis 1: Entrepreneurial intention of university students positively relates with perceived educational support. Hypothesis 2: Entrepreneurial intention relates with perceived structural support. Hypothesis 3: The entrepreneurial intention positively relates to perceived relational support. Moderating hypothesis: 1) The strength of the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and perceived educational support is affected by the level of self-confidence. 2)The strength of the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and perceived structural support is affected by the level of self-confidence. 3) The strength of the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and perceived relational support is affected by the level of self-confidence. 3.1 Research Design 3.1.1 Purpose of study Fostering entrepreneurship needs a twofold policy that should focus on both the current situation and future prospect of entrepreneurship. Although many scholars and policy makers devote their attention to the first foci of issue, it is equally important to map out the future context of entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to fill this void by analyzing the impacts of some contextual factors on entrepreneurial intention of university students. 3.1.2 Type of investigation The type if investigation for this research is correlation study. This is because the researchers want to identify the important of the factors or variables associated with the problem. It is to determine whether relational support, structured support and educational support and the intention to become an entrepreneur among student is correlated. The researchers also want to know what are the significant amount of the independent variables in the intention to become an entrepreneur among student. If they are significant between these two variables, which among these three variables examined is the one that has the greatest association with it, which is the next and which is the third? It is to see if there is any relationship exist among the variables investigated. The answer to this correlational study will help to determine the extent of the intention to become an entrepreneur or to start a business among UiTM students are influenced by the relational support, structured support an d educational support. 3.1.3 Extend of researcher interference with the study. We have study the intention among students towards entrepreneur. In other words, we want to do a correlational study. Here, we will collect data among UiTM students to indicate how much factors of relational, educational and structural influence them to have intention to be an entrepreneur or start the business. By correlating three variables the answer being sought can be found. In this case, beyond administering a questionnaire to the student, we have not interfered with the students` normal activities. In other words, our interference has been at minimal because the variables are beyond our control. It is depends on each of respondents background. 3.1.4 Study setting The study setting of our research is field study. We want to analyze the relationship between the relational, structural and educational support with the intention to become an entrepreneur. We try to correlate between dependent and independent variables by looking at whether the respondents have high level of education, received full support from family members and also the economic situation as the intention to be an entrepreneur increase. Therefore this is a field study. Research here is done in a non contrived setting with no interference with the five independent variables. 3.1.5 Unit of analysis In this study, we want to know factors that influence intention among customers of Bank Islam. For this purpose, data will have to be collected from the sample which is 150 students and the units of analysis are individual. 3.1.6 Time frame The time frame for our research is one-shot or cross-sectional studies. Date was collected from to students between September and October to study the factors that influence intention among UiTM students to participate in entrepreneurship. This is because we only need to gather our data just once that is over a period of weeks, in order to answer the research question. Data with respect to this research had not been collected before, nor will they be collected again for this research. 3.2 Sampling design/case In our research, the sampling design that be used is non probability sampling which is convenience sampling. Convenience sampling refers to the collection of information from members of the population who are conveniently available to provide it. We used these types of sampling design because it is the best way of getting basic information quickly and efficiently and it is also less expensive. In addition, these types of sampling are the most easily accessible to our respondents as subject. These types of sampling are most often used during the exploratory phase of a research project. We do not have the knowledge or predetermine chance of respondents being selected as subject. In thousands of UiTM students, we do not know who the 300 respondents are. 3.3 Data Collection Method 3.2.1 Primary data Primary data refer to information obtained first-hand by the researcher on the variables of interest for the specific purpose of the study. In this research the sources from our primary data is our respondents where we obtained the data through the administered questionnaire. 3.2.2 Secondary Data Secondary data refer to information gathered from sources that already exist. Our secondary source of data is through the analysis of industry offered by the media in the internet which is in form of journal. This information gathered by someone other than the researcher. The advantages of seeking secondary data sources is savings time and costs of acquiring the information. 5.00 Conclusion and Recommendation 5.1 Conclusion The results of survey revealed that only two subsets of proposed model were significant predictors of entrepreneurial intention. The first factor is educational support that indicates mainly a supportive university environment. According to the results, if a university provides adequate knowledge and inspiration for entrepreneurship, the possibility of choosing an entrepreneurial career might increase among young people. It is obvious that this result confirms the key role of education in the development of entrepreneurial intention. Therefore, in the light of the current study, it might be stated that entrepreneurship can be fostered as a result of a learning process. This result is not only interesting from the theoretical point of view, but it is also a challenge for the educators and policy-makers. Since entrepreneurial activities are becoming vital to the economic development of a country, both of these groups might focus on the design of more effective educational policies. Alt hough there is no consensus on the content and structure of entrepreneurship education, the findings of current study showed that universities should, at least, encourage the development of creative ideas for being an entrepreneur, provide the necessary knowledge about entrepreneurship, and develop the entrepreneurial skills. However, the strength of the link between educational support and entrepreneurial intention was not affected by the level of self-confidence. Second factor, which also emerged significant in the survey, is structural support. It is obvious that fostering entrepreneurship requires a more comprehensive support including the collaboration of all sectors in the society. Despite its weak explanatory power, the analysis also showed that this type of structural support might affect entrepreneurial intention of university students. One of the interesting results in the study is the impact of moderating variable on the proposed link between perceived structural support and entrepreneurial intention. The hypothesis test confirmed that self-confident respondents perceive structural support more favorable than others. In this case, the level of self- confidence might affect ones perception on external environment. Although the structural conditions are similar for everyone living in the same context, the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors might vary. Therefore, the structural support for entrepreneurship is very significant to stimulate people to be an entrepreneur. Another interesting result of survey appears when comparing the explanatory powers of educational and structural supports; the former has slightly higher beta coefficient than the latter. In this case, educational support was perceived more important than structural support. The possible reason for this result might be the timing differences between these two support factors. It is clear that the main focus of structural support is existing entrepreneurs in the economy. Although studen ts are currently aware of this support, they might think that this type of large scale supports will affect them in the future. On the other hand, educational support might be perceived as an immediate factor. Therefore, it is logical that the impact of educational support was higher than structural support. 5.2 Limitation of study The current study is subject to some limitations. Firstly, similar to the previous studies in the literature, the study focuses on the intentionality. It is clear that intentions may not turn into actual behaviors in the future. Therefore, even if one respondent stated a high entrepreneurial intention in the survey, s/he might choose a completely different career path in the future. In fact, it has been a common problem for almost all study in the literature and currently there is no other accurate way to measure the tendency for entrepreneurship. Therefore, the statements of respondents about their entrepreneurial intention were taken as a reliable source of information. However, it might be more useful to measure this variable through multiple items in order to reduce measurement error in the further studies.Since the collected data was based on the perceptions of the students, a second limitation might appear on a possible difference between perceptions and reality.Obviously, ther e is always a risk that the perceptions of students on outside world might be different than the reality. The studies that aim to show such realities may indicate that, for instance, the universities are successful to stimulate entrepreneurship or financial system are supporting entrepreneurs sufficiently etc. These types of studies are highly valuable to take a picture of entrepreneurial environment. However, it is equally important to analyse how these given conditions are perceived by entrepreneurs or potential entrepreneurs even if they have limited knowledge of outside world. The current study aims to understand the perceptions of students on the context.Another limitation is that some factors in the model were broadly defined and so broadly measured in the survey. For instance, educational support factor were measured through three broad statements, which assess the education support for stimulating creative ideas, providing knowledge about entrepreneurship, and developing en trepreneurial skills and abilities. The main reason of such broadness is to increase the generalizability of the model and make it available for the use of new studies in different contexts. When considering the variety of entrepreneurship education in all around the world, it might be more reasonable to analyse the general nature of entrepreneurship education, rather than focusing on a specific context. As it is mentioned previously, there is a great variety among universities on the entrepreneurial education even in the same country (GuÂÂ ¨ rol and Atsan, 2006, p. 27).

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Tamil, as it turned out, was not a small town in southern India, but the whole southern peninsula, an area about five times the size of Israel, so looking for Melchior was akin to walking into Jerusalem on any given day and saying, â€Å"Hey, I'm looking for a Jewish guy, anyone seen him?† What we had going for us was that we knew Melchior's occupation, he was an ascetic holy man who lived a nearly solitary life somewhere along the coast and that he, like his brother Gaspar, had been the son of a prince. We found hundreds of different holy men, or yogis, most of them living in complete austerity in the forest or in caves, and usually they had twisted their bodies into some impossible posture. The first of these I saw was a yogi who lived in a lean-to on the side of a hill overlooking a small fishing village. He had his feet tucked behind his shoulders and his head seemed to be coming from the wrong end of his torso. â€Å"Josh, look! That guy is trying to lick his own balls! Just like Bartholomew, the village idiot. These are my people, Josh. These are my people. I have found home.† Well, I hadn't really found home. The guy was just performing some sort of spiritual discipline (that's what â€Å"yoga† means in Sanskrit: discipline) and he wouldn't teach me because my intentions weren't pure or some claptrap. And he wasn't Melchior. It took six months and the last of our money and we both saw our twenty-fifth birthdays before we found Melchior reclining in a shallow stone nook in a cliff over the ocean. Seagulls were nesting at his feet. He was a hairier version of his brother, which is to say he was slight, about sixty years old, and he wore a caste mark on his forehead. His hair and beard were long and white, shot with only a few stripes of black, and he had intense dark eyes that seemed to show no white at all. He wore only a loincloth and he was as thin as any of the Untouchables we had met in Kalighat. Joshua and I clung to the side of the cliff while the guru untied from the human knot he'd gotten himself into. It was a slow process and we pretended to look at the seagulls and enjoy the view so as not to embarrass the holy man by seeming impatient. When he finally achieved a posture that did not appear as if it had been caused by being run over by an ox cart, Joshua said, â€Å"We've come from Israel. We were six years with your brother Gaspar in the monastery. I am – â€Å" â€Å"I know who you are,† said Melchior. His voice was melodic, and every sentence he spoke seemed as if he were beginning to recite a poem. â€Å"I recognize you from when I first saw you in Bethlehem.† â€Å"You do?† â€Å"A man's self does not change, only his body. I see you grew out of the swaddling clothes.† â€Å"Yes, some time ago.† â€Å"Not sleeping in that manger anymore?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Some days I could go for a nice manger, some straw, maybe a blanket. Not that I need any of those luxuries, nor does anyone who is on the spiritual path, but still.† â€Å"I've come to learn from you,† Joshua said. â€Å"I am to be a bodhisattva to my people and I'm not sure how to go about it.† â€Å"He's the Messiah,† I said helpfully. â€Å"You know, the Messiah. You know, Son of God.† â€Å"Yeah, Son of God,† Joshua said. â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"Yeah,† said Joshua. â€Å"So what do you have for us?† I asked. â€Å"And who are you?† â€Å"Biff,† I said. â€Å"My friend,† said Josh. â€Å"Yeah, his friend,† said I. â€Å"And what do you seek?† â€Å"Actually, I'd like to not have to hang on to this cliff a lot longer, my fingers are going numb.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Josh. â€Å"Yeah,† said I. â€Å"Find yourself a couple of nooks on the cliff. There are several empty. Yogis Ramata and Mahara recently moved on to their next rebirth.† â€Å"If you know where we can find some food we would be grateful,† Joshua said. â€Å"It's been a long time since we've eaten. And we have no money.† â€Å"Time then for your first lesson, young Messiah. I am hungry as well. Bring me a grain of rice.† Joshua and I climbed across the cliff until we found two nooks, tiny caves really, that were close to each other and not so far above the beach that falling out would kill us. Each of our nooks had been gouged out of the solid rock and was just wide enough to lie down in, tall enough to sit up in, and deep enough to keep the rain off if it was falling straight down. Once we were settled, I dug through my satchel until I found three old grains of rice that had worked their way into a seam. I put them in my bowl, then carried the bowl in my teeth as I made my way back to Melchior's nook. â€Å"I did not ask for a bowl,† said Melchior. Joshua had already skirted the cliff and was sitting next to the yogi with his feet dangling over the edge. There was a seagull in his lap. â€Å"Presentation is half the meal,† I said, quoting something Joy had once said. Melchior sniffed at the rice grains, then picked one up and held it between his bony fingertips. â€Å"It's raw.† â€Å"Yes, it is.† â€Å"We can't eat it raw.† â€Å"Well, I would have served it up steaming with a grain of salt and a molecule of green onion if I'd known you wanted it that way.† (Yeah, we had molecules in those days. Back off.) â€Å"Very well, this will have to do.† The holy man held the bowl with the rice grains in his lap, then closed his eyes. His breathing began to slow, and after a moment he appeared not to be breathing at all. Josh and I waited. And looked at each other. And Melchior didn't move. His skeletal chest did not rise with breath. I was hungry and tired, but I waited. And the holy man didn't move for almost an hour. Considering the recent nook vacancies on the cliff face, I was a little concerned that Melchior might have succumbed to some virulent yogi-killing epidemic. â€Å"He dead?† I asked. â€Å"Can't tell.† â€Å"Poke him.† â€Å"No, he's my teacher, a holy man. I'm not poking him.† â€Å"He's Untouchable.† Joshua couldn't resist the irony, he poked him. Instantly the yogi opened his eyes, pointed out to sea and screamed, â€Å"Look, a seagull!† We looked. When we looked back the yogi was holding a full bowl of rice. â€Å"Here, go cook this.† So began Joshua's training to find what Melchior called the Divine Spark. The holy man was stern with me, but his patience with Joshua was infinite, and it was soon evident that by trying to be part of Joshua's training I was actually holding him back. So on our third morning living in the cliff, I took a long satisfying whiz over the side (and is there anything so satisfying as whizzing from a high place?) then climbed to the beach and headed into the nearest town to look for a job. Even if Melchior could make a meal out of three grains of rice, I'd scraped all the stray grains out of both my and Joshua's satchels. The yogi might be able to teach a guy to twist up and lick his own balls, but I couldn't see that there was much nourishment in it. The name of the town was Nicobar, and it was about twice the size of Sepphoris in my homeland, perhaps twenty thousand people, most of whom seemed to make their living from the sea, either as fishermen, traders, or shipbuilders. After inquiring at only a few places, I realized that for once it wasn't my lack of skills that were keeping me from making a living, it was the caste system. It extended far deeper into the society than Rumi had told me. Subcastes of the larger four dictated that if you were born a stonecutter, your sons would be stonecutters, and their sons after them, and you were bound by your birth to never do any other job, regardless of how good or bad you were at it. If you were born a mourner, or a magician, you would die a mourner or a magician, and the only way you'd get out of death or magic was to die and be reincarnated as something else. The one skill that didn't seem to require belonging to a caste was village idiot, but the Hindus seemed to thrust the more ec centric holy men into this role, so I found no openings there. I did have my bowl, and my experience at collecting alms for the monastery, so I tried my hand at begging, but every time I would get a good corner staked out, along would hop some one-legged blind guy to steal my action. By the late afternoon I had one tiny copper coin and the steward of the beggars guild had come along to warn me that if he caught me begging in Nicobar again, he'd see that I was admitted to the guild by the immediate removal of my arms and legs. I bought a handful of rice at the market and was skulking out of town, my bowl before me and my head down, like a good monk, when I saw before me a most delicate set of toes, painted vermilion and followed by a dainty foot, an elegant ankle ajangle with copper bangles, an inviting calf decorated with hennaed designs as intricate as lace, and from there a bright skirt led me up the seam to a bejeweled navel, full breasts haltered in yellow silk, lips like plums, a nose as long and straight as a Roman statue's, and wide brown eyes, shaded in blue and lined to make them look the size of a tiger's. They drank me in. â€Å"You're a stranger,† she said. One long finger on my chest stopped me on the spot. I tried to hide my rice bowl in my shirt, and in a fabulous display of sleight of hand, ended up spilling the grains down my front. â€Å"I'm from Galilee. In Israel.† â€Å"Never heard of it. Is it far?† She reached into my shirt and began to pick out the rice grains that had caught against my sash, running her fingernail along my stomach muscles and dropping the grains, one by one, into my bowl. â€Å"Very far. I've come here with my friend to obtain sacred and ancient knowledge, that kind of thing.† â€Å"What is your name?† â€Å"Biff – or Levi who is called Biff. We do that ‘who is called' thing a lot in Israel.† â€Å"Follow me, Biff, I'll show you some ancient and sacred knowledge.† She hooked her finger into my sash and walked into a nearby doorway, for some reason completely confident that I would follow. Inside, amid piles of colorful pillows strewn about the floors and deep carpets the likes of which I hadn't seen since Balthasar's fortress, stood a carved camphorwood stand on which a large codex lay open. The book was bound in brass filigreed with copper and silver, and the pages were made of a parchment finer than I had ever seen. The woman pushed me toward the book and left her hand on my back as I looked at the open page. The handwritten script was gilded and so ornate that I could barely make out the words, which didn't matter anyway, because it was the illustration that caught my eye. A man and a woman, nude, each perfect. The man had the woman facedown on a rug, her feet hooked over his shoulders, her arms held behind her as he entered her. I tried to call on my Buddhist training and discipline to keep from embarrassing myself in front of the strange woman. â€Å"Ancient sacred wisdom,† she said. â€Å"The book was a gift from a patron. The Kama Sutra, it's called. Thread of Desire.† â€Å"The Buddha said that desire is the source of all suffering,† I said, feeling like the kung fu master that I knew I was. â€Å"Do they look like they are suffering?† â€Å"No.† I began to tremble. I had been too long out of the company of women. Far too long. â€Å"Would you like to try that? That suffering. With me?† â€Å"Yes,† I said. All the training, all the discipline, all the control, gone in a word. â€Å"Do you have twenty rupees?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Then suffer,† she said, and she stepped away. â€Å"See, I told you.† Then she walked away, trailing the scent of sandalwood and roses behind her as she went to the door, her hips waving good-bye to me all the way across the room, the bangles on her arms and ankles ringing like tiny temple bells calling me to worship at her secret grotto. At the door she crooked a finger for me to follow her out, and I did. â€Å"My name is Kashmir,† she said. â€Å"Come back. I'll teach you ancient and sacred knowledge. One page at time. Twenty rupees each.† I took my stupid, pathetic, useless grains of rice and went back to my holy, stupid, useless, stupid male friends at the cliff. â€Å"I brought some rice,† I said to Joshua when I had climbed to my nook in the cliff. â€Å"Melchior can do his rice thing and we'll have enough for supper.† Josh was sitting on the shelf of his nook, his legs folded into the lotus position, hands in the mudra of the compassionate Buddha. â€Å"Melchior is teaching the path to the Divine Spark,† Joshua said. â€Å"First you have to quiet the mind. That's why there's so much physical discipline, attention to breath, you have to be so completely in control that you can see past the illusion of your body.† â€Å"And how is that different from what we did in the monastery?† â€Å"It's subtle, but it's different. There the mind would ride the wave of action, you could meditate while on the exercise posts, shooting arrows, fighting. There was no goal because there was no place to be but in the moment. Here, the goal is to see beyond the moment, to the soul. I think I'm getting a glimpse. I'm learning the postures. Melchior says that an accomplished yogi can pass his entire body through a hoop the size of his head.† â€Å"That's great, Josh. Useful. Now let me tell you about this woman I met.† So I jumped over to Josh's ledge and began to tell him about my day, the woman, the Kama Sutra, and my opinion that this just might be the sort of ancient spiritual information a young Messiah might need. â€Å"Her name is Kashmir, which means soft and expensive.† â€Å"But she's a prostitute, Biff.† â€Å"Prostitutes didn't bother you when you were making me help you learn about sex.† â€Å"They still don't bother me, it's just that you don't have any money.† â€Å"I got the feeling she likes me. I think maybe she'll do me pro bono, if you know what I mean?† I elbowed him in the ribs and winked. â€Å"You mean for the public good. You forget your Latin? ‘Pro bono' means ‘for the public good.'† â€Å"Oh. I thought it meant something else. She's not going to do me for that.† â€Å"No, probably not,† said Josh. So the next day, first thing, I made may way back to Nicobar, determined to find a job, but by noon I found myself sitting on the street next to one of the blind, no-legged beggar kids. The street was packed with traders, haggling, making deals, exchanging cash for goods and services, and the kid was making a killing on the spare change. I was astounded at the amount in the kid's bowl; there must have been enough for three Kama Sutra pages right there. Not that I would steal from a blind kid. â€Å"Look, Scooter, you look a little tired, you want me to watch the bowl while you take a break?† â€Å"Get your hand out of there!† The kid caught my wrist (me, the kung fu master). He was quick. â€Å"I can tell what you're doing.† â€Å"Okay, fine, how about I show you some magic tricks. A little sleight of hand?† â€Å"Oh, that'll be fun. I'm blind.† â€Å"Look, make up your mind.† â€Å"I'm going to call for the guild-master if you don't go away.† So I went away, despondent, defeated – not money enough to look at the edge of a page of the Kama Sutra. I skulked back to the cliffs, climbed up to my nook, and resolved to console myself with some cold rice left over from last night's supper. I opened my satchel and – â€Å"Ahhh!† I leapt back. â€Å"Josh, what are you doing in there?† And there he was, his beatific old Joshua face with the sole of a foot on either side like big ears, a few vertebrae showing, one hand, my ying-yang amulet vial, and a jar of myrrh. â€Å"Get out of there. How'd you get in there?† I've mentioned our satchels before. The Greeks called them wallets, I guess you would call them duffel bags. They were made of leather, had a long strap we could throw over our shoulder, and I suppose if you'd asked me before, I would have said you could get a whole person in one if you had to, but not in one piece. â€Å"Melchior taught me. It took me all morning to get in here. I thought I'd surprise you.† â€Å"Worked. Can you get out?† â€Å"I don't think so. I think my hips are dislocated.† â€Å"Okay, where's my black glass knife?† â€Å"It's at the bottom of the bag.† â€Å"Why did I know you were going to say that?† â€Å"If you get me out I'll show you what else I learned. Melchior taught me how to multiply the rice.† A few minutes later Joshua and I were sitting on the ledge of my nook being bombarded by seagulls. The seagulls were attracted by the huge pile of cooked rice that lay between us on the ledge. â€Å"That's the most amazing thing I've ever seen.† Except that you really couldn't see it done. One minute you had a handful of rice, the next a bushel. â€Å"Melchior says that it usually takes a lot longer for a yogi to learn to manipulate matter like this.† â€Å"How much longer?† â€Å"Thirty, forty years. Most of the time they pass on before they learn.† â€Å"So this is like the healing. Part of your, uh, legacy?† â€Å"This isn't like the healing, Biff. This can be taught, given the time.† I tossed a handful of rice into the air for some seagulls. â€Å"Tell you what. Melchior obviously doesn't like me, so he's not going to teach me anything. Let's trade knowledge.† I brought rice to Joshua, had him multiply it, then sold the surplus in the market, and eventually I started trading fish instead of rice because I could raise twenty rupees in fewer trips. But before that, I asked Joshua to come to town with me. We went to the market, which was thick with traders, haggling, making deals, exchanging cash for goods and services, and over on the side, a blind and legless beggar was making a killing on the change. â€Å"Scooter, I'd like you to meet my friend Joshua.† â€Å"My name's not Scooter,† said the waif. A half hour later Scooter could see again and miraculously his severed legs had been regenerated. â€Å"You bastards!† said Scooter as he ran off on clean new pink feet. â€Å"Go with God,† Joshua said. â€Å"Now I guess we'll see how easy it is to earn a living!† I shouted after the kid. â€Å"He didn't seem very pleased,† said Josh. â€Å"He's only learning to express himself. Forget him, others are suffering as well.† And so it came to pass, that Joshua of Nazareth moved among them, healing them and performing miracles, and all the little blind children of Nicobar did see again, and all the lame did stand up and walk. The little fuckers. And so the exchange of knowledge began: what I was learning from Kashmir and the Kama Sutra for what Joshua was learning from the holy man Melchior. Each morning, before I went to town and before Joshua went to learn from his guru, we met on the beach and shared ideas and breakfast. Usually some rice and a fresh fish roasted over the fire. We'd gone long enough without eating animal flesh, we had decided, despite what Melchior and Gaspar tried to teach us. â€Å"This ability to increase the bounty of food – imagine what we can do for the people of Israel, of the world.† â€Å"Yes, Josh, for it is written: ‘Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach a man to be a fish and his friends eat for a week.'† â€Å"That is not written. Where is that written?† â€Å"Amphibians five-seven.† â€Å"There's no friggin' Amphibians in the Bible.† â€Å"Plague of frogs. Ha! Gotcha!† â€Å"How long's it been since you had a beating?† â€Å"Please. You can't hit anyone, you have to be at total peace with all creation so you can find Sparky the Wonder Spirit.† â€Å"The Divine Spark.† â€Å"Whatever, th – ouch. Oh great, and what am I supposed to do, hit the Messiah back?† â€Å"Turn the other cheek. Go ahead, turn it.† As I said, thus did the enlightened exchange of sacred and ancient teachings begin: The Kama Sutra sayeth: When a woman winds her small toes into the armpit hair of the man, and the man hops upon one foot, while supporting the woman on his lingam and a butter churn, then the achieved position is called â€Å"Rhinoceros Balancing a Jelly Donut.† â€Å"What's a jelly donut?† Joshua asked. â€Å"I don't know. It's a Vedic term lost to antiquity, but it is said to have had great significance to the keepers of the law.† â€Å"Oh.† The Katha Upanishad sayeth: Beyond the senses are the objects, and beyond the objects is the mind. Beyond the mind is pure reason, and beyond reason is the Spirit in man. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† â€Å"You have to think about it, but it means that there's something eternal in everyone.† â€Å"That's swell. What's with the guys on the bed of nails?† â€Å"A yogi must leave his body if he is going to experience the spiritual.† â€Å"So he leaves through the little holes in his back?† â€Å"Let's start again.† The Kama Sutra sayeth: When a man applies wax from the carnuba bean to a woman's yoni and buffs it with a lint-free cloth or a papyrus towel until a mirror shine is achieved, then it is called Readying the Mongoose for Trade-in.† â€Å"Look, she sells me pieces of sheepskin parchment, and each time, after we're finished, I'm allowed to copy the drawings. I'm going to tie them all together and make my own codex.† â€Å"You did that? That looks like it hurts.† â€Å"This from a guy I had to break out of a wine jar with a hammer yesterday.† â€Å"Yeah, well, it wouldn't have happened if I'd remembered to grease my shoulders like Melchior taught me.† Joshua turned the drawing to get a different angle on it. â€Å"You're sure this doesn't hurt?† â€Å"No, not if you keep your bottom away from the incense burners.† â€Å"No, I mean her.† â€Å"Oh, her. Well, who knows? I'll ask her.† The Bhagavad Gita sayeth: I am impartial to all creatures, and no one is hateful or dear to me, but men devoted to me are in me, and I am in them. â€Å"What's the Bhagavad Gita?† â€Å"It's like a long poem in which the god Krishna advises the warrior Arjuna as he drives his chariot into battle.† â€Å"Really, what's he advise him?† â€Å"He advises him not to feel bad about killing the enemy, because they are essentially already dead.† â€Å"You know what I'd advise him if I was a god? I'd advise him to get someone else to drive his friggin' chariot. The real God wouldn't be caught dead driving a chariot.† â€Å"Well, you have to look at it as a parable, otherwise it sort of reeks of false gods.† â€Å"Our people don't have good luck with false gods, Josh. They're – I don't know – frowned upon. We get killed and enslaved when we mess with them.† â€Å"I'll be careful.† The Kama Sutra sayeth: When a woman props herself up on the table and inhales the steam of the eucalyptus tea, while gargling a mixture of lemon, water, and honey, and the man takes the woman by the ears, and enters her from behind, while looking out the window at the girl across the street hanging out her laundry to dry, then the position is called â€Å"Distracted Tiger Hacking Up a Fur Ball.† â€Å"I couldn't find that one in the book, so she dictated it to me from memory.† â€Å"Kashmir's quite the scholar.† â€Å"She had the sniffles, but agreed to my lesson anyway. I think she's falling for me.† â€Å"How could she not, you're a very charming fellow.† â€Å"Why, thank you, Josh.† â€Å"You're welcome, Biff.† â€Å"Okay, tell me about your little yoga thing.† The Bhagavad Gita sayeth: Just as the wide-moving wind is constantly present in space, so all creatures exist in me. Understand it to be so! â€Å"Is that the kind of advice you'd give someone who's riding into battle? You'd think Krishna would be saying stuff like, ‘Look out, an arrow! Duck!'† â€Å"You'd think,† Joshua sighed. The Kama Sutra sayeth: The position of â€Å"Rampant Monkey Collecting Coconuts† is achieved when a woman hooks her fingers into the man's nostrils and performs a hokey-pokey motion with her hips and the man, while firmly stroking the woman's uvula with his thumbs, swings his lingam around her yoni in a direction counter to that in which water swirls down a drain. (Water has been observed swirling down the drain in different directions in different places. This is a mystery, but a good rule of thumb for achieving Rampant Monkey is to just go in the direction counter to which your own personal drain swirls.) â€Å"Your drawings are getting better,† Joshua said. â€Å"In the first one I thought she had a tail.† â€Å"I'm using the calligraphy techniques we learned in the monastery, only using them to draw figures. Josh, are you sure it doesn't bother you, talking about this stuff when you'll never be allowed to do it?† â€Å"No, it's interesting. It doesn't bother you when I talk about heaven, does it?† â€Å"Should it?† â€Å"Look, a seagull!† The Katha Upanishad sayeth: For a man who has known him, the light of truth shines. For one who has not known, there is darkness. The wise who have seen him in every being on leaving this life, attain life immortal. â€Å"That's what you're looking for, huh, the Divine Spark thing?† â€Å"It's not for me, Biff.† â€Å"Josh, I'm not a satchel of sand here. I didn't spend all of my time studying and meditating without getting some glimpse of the eternal.† â€Å"That's good to know.† â€Å"Of course it helps when angels show up and you do miracles and stuff too.† â€Å"Well, yes, I guess it would.† â€Å"But that's not a bad thing. We can use that when we get home.† â€Å"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?† â€Å"Not a clue.† Our training went on for two years before I saw the sign that called us home. Life was slow, but pleasant there by the sea. Joshua became more efficient at multiplying food, and while he insisted on living an austere lifestyle so he could remain unattached to the material world, I was able to get a little money ahead. In addition to paying for my lessons, I was able to decorate my nook (just some erotic drawings, curtains, some silk cushions) and buy a few personal items such as a new satchel, an ink stone and a set of brushes, and an elephant. I named the elephant Vana, which is Sanskrit for wind, and although she certainly earned her name, I regret it was not due to her blazing speed. Feeding Vana was not a difficulty with Joshua's ability to turn a handful of grass into a fodder farm, but no matter how hard Joshua tried to teach her yoga, she was not able to fit into my nook. (I consoled Joshua that it was probably the climb, and not his failure as a yoga guru that deterred Vana. â€Å"If she had fingers, Josh, she'd be snuggling up with me and seagulls right now.†) Vana didn't like being on the beach when the tide came and washed sand between her toes, so she lived in a pasture just above the cliff. She did, however, love to swim, and some days rather than ride her on the beach all the way to Nicobar, I would have her swim into the harbor just under water, with only her trunk showing and me standing on her forehead. â€Å"Look, Kashmir, I'm walking on water! I'm walking on water!† So eager was my erotic princess to share my embrace that rather than wonder at the spectacle as did the other townsfolk she could only reply: â€Å"Park the elephant in back.† (The first few times she said it I thought she was referring to a Kama Sutra position that we had missed, pages stuck together perhaps, but it turned out such was not the case.) Kashmir and I became quite close as my studies progressed. After we went through all the positions of the Kama Sutra twice, Kashmir was able to take things to the next level by introducing Tantric discipline into our lovemaking. So skillful did we become at the meditative art of coupling that even in the throes of passion, Kashmir was able to polish her jewelry, count her money, or even rinse out a few delicates. I myself had so mastered the discipline of controlled ejaculation that often I was halfway home before release was at last achieved. It was on my way home from Kashmir's – as Vana and I were cutting through the market so that I could show my friends the ex-beggar boys the possible rewards for the man of discipline and character (to wit: I had an elephant and they did not) – that I saw, outlined on the wall of a temple of Vishnu, a dirty water stain, caused by condensation, mold, and wind-blown dust, which described the face of my best friend's mother, Mary. â€Å"Yeah, she does that,† said Joshua, when I swung over the edge of his nook and announced the news. He and Melchior had been meditating and the old man, as usual, appeared to be dead. â€Å"She used to do it all the time when we were kids. She sent James and me running all over the place washing down walls before people saw. Sometimes her face would appear in a pattern of water drops in the dust, or the peelings from grapes would fall just so in a pattern after being taken out of the wine press. Usually it was walls.† â€Å"You never told me that.† â€Å"I couldn't tell you. The way you idolized her, you'd have been turning the pictures into shrines.† â€Å"So they were naked pictures?† Melchior cleared his throat and we both looked at him. â€Å"Joshua, either your mother or God has sent you a message. It doesn't matter who sent it, the message is the same. It is time for you to go home.† We would be leaving for the north in the morning, and Nicobar was south, so I left Joshua to pack our things on Vana while I walked into town to break the news to Kashmir. â€Å"Oh my,† she said, â€Å"all the way back to Galilee. Do you have money for the journey?† â€Å"A little.† â€Å"But not with you?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, okay. Bye.† I could swear I saw a tear in her eye as she closed the door. The next morning, with Vana loaded with my drawings and art supplies; my cushions, curtains, and rugs; my brass coffeepot, my tea ball, and my incense burner; my pair of breeding mongooses (mongeese?), their bamboo cage, my drum set, and my umbrella; my silk robe, my sun hat, my rain hat, my collection of carved erotic figurines, and Joshua's bowl, we gathered on the beach to say good-bye. Melchior stood before us in his loincloth, the wind whipping the tails of his white beard and hair around his face like fierce clouds. There was no sadness in his face, but then, he had endeavored his entire life to detach from the material world, which we were part of. He'd already done this a long time ago. Joshua made as if to embrace the old man, then instead just poked him in the shoulder. Once and only once, I saw Melchior smile. â€Å"But you haven't taught me everything I need to know,† Josh said. â€Å"You're right, I have taught you nothing. I could teach you nothing. Everything that you needed to know was already there. You simply needed the word for it. Some need Kali and Shiva to destroy the world so they may see past the illusion to divinity in them, others need Krishna to drive them to the place where they may perceive what is eternal in them. Others may perceive the Divine Spark in themselves only by realizing through enlightenment that the spark resides in all things, and in that they find kinship. But because the Divine Spark resides in all, does not mean that all will discover it. Your dharma is not to learn, Joshua, but to teach.† â€Å"How will I teach my people about the Divine Spark? Before you answer, remember we're talking about Biff too.† â€Å"You must only find the right word. The Divine Spark is infinite, the path to find it is not. The beginning of the path is the word.† â€Å"Is that why you and Balthasar and Gaspar followed the star? To find the path to the Divine Spark in all men? The same reason that I came to find you?† â€Å"We were seekers. You are that which is sought, Joshua. You are the source. The end is divinity, in the beginning is the word. You are the word.†

Factors that need to be taken into account

Explain the factors that need to be taken into account when assessing development BY sullRun CYPCore32 Promote child and young person development CYPCore32-1 Be able to assess the development needs of children or young people and prepare a development plan. CYPCore32-1. 1 Explain the factors that need to be taken into account when assessing development. When carrying out an assessment, there are a number of important factors that have to be taken into consideration.Before recording any information, permission should be obtained from the parents/ carers of the child and possibly even the child. This permission is normally obtained when the Policies and Permissions are signed as part of the contract of care. The information recorded should be appropriately shared with the parents/carers and other professionals who are involved with the care of the child e. g. physiotherapists, occupational therapists.Paper copies of the information should be kept secure in a ockable filing cabinet whil e digital data should be stored on a removable device that can be locked away or on a cloud based system that has appropriate security measures and can only be accessed by the childminder and possibly parents/carers. Care should be taken when observing the child and their feelings should be taken into account e. g. a child might become closed if they see a camera pointing at them or they feel that the personal space is being invaded. Ethnic, cultural and language backgrounds should be taken into account e. a family might be offended if a male is observing their child; or it might be difficult to understand a child who does not have English as their primary language. A practitioner should be aware that a child who is disabled or has special requirements might not be as developmentally advanced as other children e. g. a two year old who has suffered a stroke might have difficulty in walking or might only have full function in one arm. The information recorded should be based on accura te factual data obtained from your observations.Personal opinions should not be recorded as the data could be biased and effect future planning for the child. Children should not be compared against each other as one might be more advanced in some areas then the other and vice versa. Where two people are observing the same child at the same time, the data recorded can be more accurate. Observations should take place in a variety of locations over a period of time so as much information can be gained giving a bigger picture of the child's development.