A Day with Nelson Mandela

After many days of anxious waiting, I finally managed to obtain permission to spend a day with one of the truly great men of all times. This person is none other than Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was born on the 18th of July, 1918 in Transkei, South Africa. He actively took up the struggle to achieve equality for Africans. The South African Regime of those days introduced Apartheid, which segregated the whites, Africans and the Asians. Mandela was sentenced to five years hard labor in 1962. Subsequently, he was sentenced to life imprisonment (Nelson Mandela, 2007). People the world over, were disgusted with the racist regime led by P.W. Botha and a number of trade and economic sanctions were imposed on this despicable regime. Botha received his just desserts and was paralyzed due to a cerebral stroke. F.W. de Klerk took over the reins of power and released Mandela from prison on the 11th of February, 1990 (Nelson Mandela, 2007). After the exchange of trivial pleasantries, I asked Mandela to expatiate on his achievements and beliefs. He gave me some nuggets of information, which I am setting out in the sequel. Nelson Mandela represents one of the greatest examples of the triumph of the human spirit. He was incarcerated for twenty – seven years, under extremely barbaric conditions by the racist South African Regime. He remained strong, he never lost hope, he was always brave and he never compromised his moral integrity. He was verily the lodestone for the suffering and oppressed humanity of the world. After this he described what he considered to be one of his greatest contribution, namely, the fact that he was successful in reconciling the blacks and the whites in South Africa, ending Apartheid and transforming South Africa into a country that was bereft of bloodshed. The South Africa that he wrought was peaceful and democratic. He also told me that he was a true lover of peace and the welfare of mankind. Moreover, he had never compromised the welfare of his people for his personal freedom and he had never relinquished his political beliefs. With this adamant attitude, Mandela attracted the world’s attention and became the symbol of the sufferings and struggles of black South Africans. He was appointed by the United Nations as an ambassador to deal with the civil war in Burundi and to negotiate with the militia groups (Nelson Mandela, 2007). The personality and behavior of Nelson Mandela made him a very popular leader. He was instrumental in inspiring people to greater heights of endeavor. He gained the admiration of the world’s populace and became a global leader. He was a staunch follower of Gandhi the Indian Messiah of peace, and had followed the precepts of Gandhi in campaigning against apartheid. An extremely interesting fact that he disclosed to me was that he had changed his ideology, which had initially accepted that violence was inevitable to end apartheid to an ideology that used non – violent methods (Nelson Mandela, 2007). Accordingly, his campaigns and struggle did not involve widespread bloodshed. During his period of incarceration widespread crime against blacks and coloreds were committed by the apartheid regime. Despite these incidents, Mandela never harbored thoughts of revenge.   He exhorted his people to forgive the whites and to reconcile their differences with them (Nelson Mandela, 2007). It was getting late and I had to bid farewell, although, unwillingly, and as a parting gift; Nelson Mandela told me that after assuming Presidency, he had instituted the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in order to promote peace and reconciliation between the enraged and vengeful blacks and their white oppressors. Moreover, he had introduced several welfare measures such as better housing, education and economic reforms to improve the standard of living of black South Africans (Nelson Mandela, 2007). References Nelson Mandela. (2007, July 30). Retrieved September 26, 2007, from moreorless : heroes & killers of the 20th century: http://www.moreorless.au.com/heroes/mandela.html Nelson Mandela. (2007, July 30). Retrieved September 26, 2007, from moreorless : heroes & killers of the 20th century: http://www.moreorless.au.com/heroes/mandela.html   

Of mice and men was written in a period when mentally disabled people were treated like outcasts Essay

Of mice and men was written in a period when mentally disabled people were treated like outcasts. They were treated like that simply because they were different. Mental people were thought to be almost like a different species. Black people were considered outcasts because they had different skin-colour to white people. Also women were treated like property that belonged to men. The novel was written during the Great Depression, where jobs and employment were scarce. The USA was quite a poor country back then. Lennie is considered an outcast because he is mentally disabled. Mentally disabled peopled in that time were treated badly. They were locked up and separated from the rest of society. This is known as segregation. They also use to be sterilised. This means that they weren’t allowed to have babies or reproduce. Those are all very horrible. However, lennie was not treated like any other mental people. This is because he has George to look after him, and many other mentally disabled people didn’t have anybody to care for them or to look after them. But Lennie had that someone, and it was George, so that is what’s different about Lennie. In the ranch, however, lennie was considered an outcast. We know this because lennie says to crooks, ‘Ever’body went †¦ slim, George and ever’body. George says I gotta stay here.’ This shows that Lennie is not allowed to go into town like the rest. He’s not considered good enough do anything with the lads. Lennie is not allowed to play games, such as horseshoe, with the others. ‘From outside came the clang of horseshoe†¦ only Lennie was in the barn.’ This shows that while the others played their games lennie was made to stay inside the barn. He is like an outsider or a refugee. Crooks is considered an outcast simply because he is black. In those days, black people were treated very badly. They were treated differently from white people. Black people were often never called by their first names. Crooks is considered an outcast on the ranch because he’s black and isn’t referred to his real name, it’s either ‘crooks’ or ‘nigger’. Crooks also has his pride ‘he is a proud and aloof man’. This means that crooks is not allowed inside the bunk house because he’s black. He’s allowed to play sports outside the bunk house, but not inside it, which is why he had a separate room. ‘I ain’t wanted in the bunk house †¦ cause I’m black.’ This shows the racial issue of how black men did not mix with whites. Crooks is being segregated in this way. That is also another reason why crooks is an outcast. Curley’s wife is presented as an outcast. This is because women in those times were treated as a piece of property by the men. They may have also been treated as a sex object by their husbands; there to cook, clean and have babies. In the ranch Curley’s wife is considered an outcast because she’s a woman. Also she is related to the boss. She is not allowed to play horseshoe or go into town or even talk to anyone. We know that when she was in the barn with lennie, ‘I get lonely†¦ you can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curly’. This shows us that everyone else can talk with whom they like, but she can only talk to her husband. In conclusion, 1930’s America is presented as a racist country who thinks black should be separated in terms of class. It is presented as a country that thinks mentally disabled people should be separated from the rest of society. It was also a sexist country who treated women very badly. A very uncivilized country.

Sony PlayStation2 (A) Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sony PlayStation2 (A) - Lab Report Example Before the advent of the Playstaion console, Nintendo, another game maker, had control of a big part of the game market, but "their games were usually simple and consumers were usually between 6 to 13 years of age, due to limited technology." (Deshpande, Rohit p. 8). The Sony Playstaion and playstation2 however, came out with high resolution 3-D graphics, and "enabled game developers to create more sophisticated games that appealed more to mature gamers, especially those between 20 and 30 years old" (Deshpande, Rohit p. 8) The Sony Corporation is the Manufacturer of the palystation2 console, and the company has set up various websites that serve as the company's driving force on the internet. Sites like sonystyle.com and playstation.com. These Websites provide information about new and upcoming Playstaion games, game console sales, and customer service. Playstation.com has already been quite successful, because the Playstation console is an industry leader when it comes to video games. Sony has also been striving to create an all new lifestyle in the net era, which is based on the interconnectivity of Sony's digital electronic products with modern IT technologies, and the company is well positioned take the lead in the market for digital home products, if it succeeds in aligning its software systems with its content business lines. Presently, the company has been perceived to be in a struggle to reinvent itself, in the process of pursuing hit products like the new PlayStation3 console Business Strategy & Analysis The makers of the playstation2 console, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), came out with the objective to own the largest share of the home video game market. The company intended to achieve this by "leveraging proprietary, interactive 3-D graphics technology to provide entertainment that was unmatched by any other game system." (Deshpande, Rohit p. 4) Between 1994 and 1997, the price of the Playstaion console was reduced in a series of gradually increasing drops, forcing competitors to also decrease the prices of their products. "in 1997, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. lowered the price of the Playstaion to $149, and Nintendo and Sega refused to reduce their prices too, but by 1999, Playstaion and Nintendo's N64 platform were being sold at $99 in order to clear inventory for upcoming game models.In 2000, "Fuelled by anticipation of the success of playstation2, Sony stock rose, and hit an all time high of $314 from the $74 recorded the previous year". (Deshpande, Rohit p. 14) SWOT Analysis for Sony and the Playstation2 Strengths Sony has many valuable physical assets The playstation2 console is also a clear market advantage for Sony Weaknesses Sony might be seen to have a narrow product line in its production of Playstaion games Opportunities Excellent software capabilities Joint ventures with other progressive corporations Threats There is a risk that Sony's innovative nature with the Playstaion might not continue as well as it has in the past There is a possibility that the video game market may, in the long run, separate the Sony Corporation video game makers into winners and losers. Bibliography Deshpande, Rohit Sony PlayStation2(A) Grant, R.M. Contemporary strategy

Aristotle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aristotle - Essay Example For this reason, happiness seems to be unreachable. Yet if one would look at happiness not on the basis of fulfilled desires, perhaps, happiness is indeed attainable – but undiscovered by many. Hence, this draws to the question on how happiness can be used to measure life’s worth. In such case, it seems appropriate to rely on moral principles dictated by ethics. Aristotle (12) defines happiness to be a measure of good life and good action. While it is understandable how happiness is equated to good life, the concept of ‘good’ often remains subjective. For a peasant who has been enduring months of labor, an abundant harvest defines a good life. Yet this may not mean anything to a powerful landowner who has already been living in abundance all his life. In the same sense, it is common to think that the children of the peasants, who inherited slavery from their parents, are bound not to live a good life. However, Aristotle (13) pointed that life is already goo d in itself. This is to say that regardless of the condition, whether it be of the landowner or the peasant, life is always good for goodness is a state of soul (Aristotle 13). It is essential, therefore, to discover the goodness in one’s life even though at times, goodness is not blatantly laid before us. It has to be realized for it to be discovered. To illustrate, it is said that there are people born with inborn talents. However, without practice, the talent will remain undiscovered. If a dancer is too shy to perform, no one would appreciate the talent no matter how good the person is and as such, the person would not be recognized as talented even if the truth is, the talent is inborn to that person. Through time, the talent will remain hidden, unpracticed and never discovered. Moreover, with regards to the landowner in the previous example, despite the abundance of harvests, life for him may remain to be not good, perhaps due to lack of satisfaction. Therefore, this is to say that what seems to be good to some may not necessarily be considered as so by others even if in reality, it is indeed good in itself. Nevertheless, the above example shows how something which the majority is likely to consider ‘good’ may still be perceived otherwise by the one who failed to discover its goodness. However, there are also things which the majority would agree to be ‘not good’ such as ugliness and poverty. But then again, in line with principles of Aristotle, this agreement is not true for everything is innately good (13). Take for instance, slavery. While it is uncommon to realize its goodness, doing so is still possible. In Alice Walker’s novel, The Color Purple, poor Celie has been praying to God whom she has always thought of as a male white man. Yet despite her prayers, she continues to experience exploitation and was even forced by her father to leave the house and marry an abusive husband. But then, if she were not born to this situation, she would not have met the people who would teach her the meaning of life in deeper perspective. There was Shug, her husband’s lover, who made her realize that her image of God is simply what the society dictates her and Sophia who showed her that women are not born oppressed and it is possible to be superior over men. These people define goodness in the life of Celie. One cannot assign qualities to things despite of what the society agrees on for even poverty and slavery carry innate goodness. But then again, one may

See Attachment for Instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

See Attachment for Instruction - Essay Example Strategy is a broad concept that has received a number of definitions from various scholars. For instance; a scholar known as Andrew defines strategic planning as a firm’s process of its strategy, decision-making or directional definition with regards to its resource allocation. He adds that it also broadens the control aspects of mechanisms that guide the strategic implementation (Toronto, 1991). It became prominent within various corporations at around 1960s and has remained as an essential managerial aspect. On the other hand, Liddell reiterates that strategy entirely refers to the art of distribution and application of the military means so as to duly fulfill the policy ends. Deleting "military" from his definition eases the transfer of the strategic concept into the business environment. Corporate strategy refers to a company’s decision-making pattern that reveals and determines its purposes, goals, or objectives, produces the key plans and policies for achievement of those goals, as well as the definition of a business range that is pursued by a given company, the form in which human and economic organization is or maybe intends to, and the ultimate nature of non-economic and economic contribution that it is intending to formulate to its employees, shareholders, communities, and customers (Ottawa, 1989) According to a scholar known as Mintzberg, strategy is a means of moving from one point to the other. On the other hand, he reiterates that strategic planning can also be taken to mean setting up of a time-based operational structure, the position, as well as the perspective that dictates an organization’s visions. He continues asserting that the emergence of a strategy is due to the collisions of various intentions in order to accommodate the targeted reality. Andrew’s definition on the other hand tends to anticipate Mintzberg’s attention with regards to pattern, perspective, and plan. He also draws a

Phase 5 Individual Project (LOG676) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Phase 5 Individual Project (LOG676) - Coursework Example They at times require security. Logistics is, therefore, the process aimed at controlling efficient flow of goods and services from the point of origin to their final destination especially to the customer through a well-planned process. For example, the integrated logistics management system is an information system that is web-based, well designed to upgrade the supply system in the state department where the entry of data is allowed one at a time. It also ensures security and openness in the sharing of information. It ensures efficient management of the flow of materials and equipment. The logistics supply can either deal with tangible items such as movement of materials, or equipment from their point of origin to the consumption point. It can also deal with abstract like; information, energy, particles, and time in the aim of making sure that the organization achieves its target to satisfy the customers or the corporations they target. Logistics of tangible items follows integration of the flow of information, handling of material goods, products production, and their packaging, transportation of the produced goods to customers or to warehousing and at the security. Logistics is, therefore, the process aimed at controlling efficient flow of goods and services from the point of origin to their final destination especially to the customer through a well-planned process. For example, the integrated logistics management system is an information system that is web-based and well-designed to upgrade the supply system in the state department where the entry of data is allowed one at a time. It also ensures security and openness in the sharing of information. It ensures efficient management of the flow of materials and equipment. The reflection of an organization or a country’s logistics is based on the customs clearance process efficiency, infrastructure used in relation to transport, the quality of trade, the logistics services quality, the ease of

Should politicians be allowed to accept campaign contributions from Essay

Should politicians be allowed to accept campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists - Essay Example Even though money is an inevitable factor, one cannot support the attitude of political parties in accepting campaign contribution from corporate lobbyists. Corporate lobbyists always acts against democracy and they stands only for their material benefits. Therefore, it should not allow political parties to accept campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists or it needs sufficient law making. It is significant to mention that these financial dealings lack transparency and people cannot get reliable information. Researchers and experts mention that one cannot ignore the fact that it is hard to understand where the soft money is spent. Congress published Congressional Record, V. 148, Pt. 1, January 23, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and it notices that â€Å"When voters cannot discern where elected officials are getting the money to finance their campaign efforts, there is no accountability† (Congress 1304). Through contributing huge finance, corporate lobbyists and other pressure groups easily engage in political process and they often force to commit programs for their favor. The presence of unlimited and unregulated possessions can be constant to these kinds of expenditures. One can find relevant examples which mention the negative impact of campaign contribution from corporate lobbyists in recent American politics. The way in which the Minnesota tribes defeat the Wiscosin Indian Tribes from starting a new casino near Minnesotta boarder can consider a perfect example. These Minnesotta tribes gave a huge amount of soft money for their safety (Congress 1305). At this juncture, it is clear for a reader that corporate lobbyists use elected officials for the successive implementation of their propaganda. All these activate promote chaos in administrative system and also create conflicts in law and order. Another significant problem which underlines the disadvantage of campaign contribution from corporate