Understanding the mythology through participation of a Hindu religious Essay

Understanding the mythology through participation of a Hindu religious ritual, The Saraswati Puja - Essay Example Excited with the prospect of being a part of one of the oldest religions in the world, I patiently waited out the days till the day of the Puja arrived. I reached his house and I was informed that the ritual they were celebrating was known as Saraswati Puja. I saw all house members dressed in their ethnic wear, either in white or in yellow. On asking, I was told that both were the colors associated with Goddess Saraswati who was worshipped as the goddess of wisdom. I saw voluptuous amounts of flowers and fruits being put up as offerings in front of a female stone idol that was depicted with four arms and a bird at its feet. People sat on the floor in a semi circular way in front of the idol with a priest sitting in front of it chanting rhymes or what is known as mantras. It seemed a bit difficult to understand in the beginning the significance of conducting such a ritual and seeing all members of the family sitting in front, hands folded and showering flowers on the idol at regular i ntervals. The celebration of the Saraswati Puja Nevertheless, I was asked by my friend to sit along with them and take part in the ritual. I had never really sat on the floor in the posture that they were sitting, which initially made it difficult for me to sit with folded legs. I was told by my friend that in Hinduism, one doesn’t sit in front of Gods with their legs aimed towards them, and that was why they had to fold their legs while offering praises. It was quite radical from what I had seen or heard about in other religions but I realized every religion had their own way of viewing and following things. I was quite impressed by the way I saw everyone being engrossed in the ritual and devoting all of their concentration, in spite of the physical difficulties of sitting cramped on the floor. My friend told me that Hindus believed that Gods would be impressed by the devotion with which followers worshipped them and would shower their blessings on them. I was highly moved w ith the amount of devotion that I was seeing from everyone in the family which made me realize how religious Hindus were. It was also fascinating to see the vast amount of fruits and sweets that were put up on plates but however no one was even touching it. I felt quite compelled to take a few pieces out of it, but was told that since those were put up as offerings, no one would touch it unless the rituals were over and they had been fed upon by the Gods. It sounded very mythological but I was amazed at the different ways in which people ensured of their devotion to Gods. It was also enlightening to know that the idea behind showering Gods and Goddesses with flowers came from the concept that the flowers represented purity, beauty and smell, all of which were considered to be pleasing to the Gods. Hence they always ensured that the freshest of flowers were brought for such rituals. I could also see a lot of incense sticks burning which were giving out a beautiful smell and I realize d how much importance the Hindus gave towards creating a perfect environment for worshipping their Gods, believing that Gods would bless them in seeing their devotion and efforts. It also in way made me realize the spirituality that Hindus possess which was so famous and desired all over the world, and I was at that time involved in such a ritual which was a direct essence of the spirituality of the Hindus. I felt glad that I had been invited to be a part of such rituals and traditions and I could see and understand the culture and religion at such closeness. I felt more and more at ease as time passed through the rituals and I could sense calmness settling inside me. At the

Properties of Materials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Properties of Materials - Essay Example According to a survey that was carried out by our firm, we realized that many instances windows were severely damaged. Upon keenly studying the damages, it was realized that it was partly due to environmental factors and partly due to poor maintenance. The damages on the widows caused variations in geometric configuration, composition, porosity and adherence of corrosion products. They also cause environmental pollution and humidity and temperature variations. 2.0 BACKGOUND TO THE STUDY Timber has commonly been used in making window frames, because of its accessibility and ease of processing. It has the lowest thermal conductivity compared to other frame materials. Among the commonly used wood species for window frames are redwood, pine and cedar. Wood can be negatively changed by moisture, which can cause its warping or twisting. This fact makes it a mandatory practice to paint timber windows after a specified duration of time like five years. Another material that has been recently used for window frames is a synthetic material called Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It is made up of a chain of repeating units of vinyl chloride. PVC comprises of chlorine, carbon, and hydrogen. The PVC exhibit varying characteristics that try to incorporate different additives considered beneficial for the window frames. In order to reduce brittleness, plasticizers may be added as additives in order to improve the processing. This helps to protect against were and tear coursed by natural agents as solar radiation. PVC windows incorporate reinforcement that aids in increasing rigidity. In turn the reinforcement increases the windows thermal conductivity. These windows are suitable and withstand the harsh environment presented by polluted air and saline conditions; their property of high thermal conductivity plays an important role in these hash environments. However, ultraviolet (UV) radiation on PVC breaks its molecular bonds, resulting in increased brittleness (Taylor, 2000). 2.1 Th e likely causes of the damages observed Since every material has its own degradation parameters, the environmental factors affecting the materials, and the intensity of these degradation factors, differ from material to material. For example, timber and PVC can undergo biological attacks but aluminum has no such threats. Some of the likely causes of the damages are: structural movement or stump subsidence in the main frame, expansion of the joints between elements and shrinkage or loose fitting in grooves which causes a problem of rattling windows, moisture penetration, weathering or decay, the normal wear and tear, loose hinges and screws and mold and algae caused by airborne spores, which settle on the surface. It also causes any exterior plastic products to go grey over time. 2.2 Remedial remedies Some of the remedial remedies could be: where the timber has deteriorated and has decayed, the repair could require re-fitting segments of the frame(s) using mortise and tenon joints. C omplete replacement of the damaged sash should also be considered, cracked, split or broken frames in the window sometimes may be repairable using wood adhesives and clamps, rusted and/or ineffective screws on fittings could be replaced, in some cases, by slightly larger diameter screws, by parallel thread metal tread or by longer screws which are non-corroding, one could also consider removing the damaged/rusted area of wood round the

The Transition Process in Hospital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Transition Process in Hospital - Essay Example Another main strategy is assisting the patients in managing and preventing their health decline. The nurse should assure the patient of extended home follow-ups to the appropriate time. The care given should be consistent and continuous in order to gain confidence from an individual. As a result, proper guidance is facilitated by the nurses in charge (Silvestri, 2010). In addition, nurses should ensure that the medical records are reconciled and well managed. All information regarding the patient’s health progress while at the hospital should be put into durable and easily accessed records. The administration of medication should be conducted at the indicated time and in the right doses. Therefore, the nurse facilitates the availability of medicine at home to avoid situations where improper treatment occurs. Importantly, points of accountability should be established where care is well offered to the patient. Nurses should use professional care and case management coordination for a fulfilling transitional process that effective. The importance of this process cannot be overlooked as it is key to full recovery. Therefore, prioritizing the steps is a vital factor as they all create a safe and clean transition. Many hospitals use the evidence-based model for efficient patient delivery (Silvestri, 2010).

Music Technology - Sound Design for the Moving Image Research Proposal

Music Technology - Sound Design for the Moving Image - Research Proposal Example Sound design has to do with pulling together the different elements of a movie, for instance, and the term itself is an offshoot of work that was done by Walter Murch, who revolutionized the field starting from his work with Francis Ford Copolla in the 1970's, and in particular the work 'Apocalypse Now'. The movies are said to be the wellspring of the discipline, and as Copolla and Murch actually made use of sound, sound design was about undertaking total responsibility for the entire track of audio for a film- dialogue, the sound effects employed, and the recording and repeat recording of the movie's ultimate track. Fast forward to the present, and creative sound design has come to be differentiated from a host of associated film sound disciplines, including sound editing, which is differentiated from sound design precisely by the element of creativity that has come to be associated with those who primarily create and adopt sound to movies. That creativity and the history of creativ e sound design itself suggests that the development of technology related to sound design are often intertwined, with the creative sound designer expected to be steeped in knowledge of current and emerging technologies on sound. Elsewhere we find in the literature that sound design is also much more than the adaptation of sound to existing movies and films that have already been done and finished, as sound design, when done in such classics as the film above and in Star Wars, is also about how sound can fundamentally alter.... ation of sound to existing movies and films that have already been done and finished, as sound design, when done in such classics as the film above and in Star Wars, is also about how sound can fundamentally alter and impact on the making of the movies themselves, in the way the movies are actually filmed and conceptualized. This view of sound design, and the merit of such a view, is said to be borne out by the way films that have been done in this fashion have come to revolutionize the way films are made, for the spectacular and beautiful results of work that view sound design as an integral and creative part of the making of movies (Thom 1999; Thom n.d.; Katz 1997; Jarrett n.d.; Buskin n.d.). The short of it is that in movies that incorporate sound in the very conception stage of the movie's development and making, rather than considered as being an add-on to the movie experience, the true nature of creative sound design is said to shine through, and the examples of the work of Cop olla, Murch and Ben Burtt, the latter in such groundbreaking movies as 'Star Wars', are testaments to the power of creative sound design done in this fashion, in collaboration with the directors of those films, who understood the power of sound in movies when they are considered in this vital fashion (Thom 1999). Others have come to term this way of conceiving sound design, as being an integral aspect of the creation of the script for instance, and of the conception of the very making of the movie, as â€Å"designing a movie for sound† (Jordan 2007; Thom 1999). Such work as Forrest Gump, as an example, benefit from such a view of sound design, according to Thom, who was able to push the idea of sound in some parts of the movie being able to help tell the story, in part because the creative

Summary of two articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary of two articles - Essay Example The authors note the fact that what has in fact happened under the modern construct of cultural development is a mass standardization. Whereas before no unifying cultural interpretation existed, a false construct has been born out of this void and integrates with the individual on nearly every level of daily life. Moreover, this â€Å"false† form of culture, as the authors describes it, was originally born out of the supposed needs of the consumer (Horkheimer 1972). Such a process in and of itself is not inherently bad; however, the fact of the matter was that in order for the â€Å"needs† of the consumer to be met, a type of stereotypicalization and least common denominator had to be found. It is this process of the false culture seeking to find the least common denominator that the author’s claim is the greatest single reason why our current cultural interpretation is so misinformed, warped, and non-indicative of what would otherwise likely naturally exist in i ts place. The second article which will herein be reviewed is entitled, â€Å"Cultural Consumption as Manipulation†. This article deals with the more sinister ways in which the false ideas of culture that continue to be manifest to the individual are in fact highly developed tools which can affect a number of ulterior goals upon the consumer. As has been noted in the analysis, governments and corporations can both make ample use of culture as a platform to affect the given needs that they feel would best benefit their own particular interests in a given matter. As a means of discussing such a research interest, the authors break the ultimate question down into an analysis of both contemporary and past cultural historians and the means by which they have understood the unique paradigm that has grown and currently manifests itself within the global system of cultural interpretation. By analyzing both past representations as well as current realities of cultural conveyance, the authors seek to draw a level of inference upon the way that individuals embrace, identify with, and ultimately create a false reality within the constructs of the cultural material they are being fed on a daily basis. In short, what the authors present is something of a self fulfilling prophecy that takes place regardless of the particular cultural paradigm that is being studied. For instance, if one is met with the understanding and eventuality that what they are seeing, hearing, and otherwise experiencing is in fact a type of cultural reality, they are all the more likely to reflect this understanding back to the media and to the culture by closely mirroring the behavior that has been learned. In this way types of socio-cultural and psychological factors of mimicry and mirroring of what has been integrated into the mind of the collective consciousness is in fact what drives the interpretation and derivation of culture within the context of the given article’s point of view. Although this view is perhaps more cynical of the two articles that have been reviewed within this short analysis, the fact of the matter is that there is no clear divorce between culture, perception, and its exhibition within reality. Although the method by which this information is presented to the reader is disquieting, due in large part to the fact that the reader beings to see and understand the level of mirroring that takes place within the current system and within his/her

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

None - Essay Example In this context it is important to note that the infants would be conditioned by Watson to become what he would make them. They might believe that they are choosing to be doctors, lawyers or thieves out of their freewill, but it will be the conditioning provided by Watson which would lead them to make choices which eventually leads them to select a profession. The deterministic ideals presented in these words are made obvious when we consider our own situation as members of the social system that we live in. For example, as much as we would like to murder someone, loot something or steal an object of desire we know the consequences of what might happen if we do that and this restrains us from performing the same actions. At the same time, there is nothing which actually binds our hands from not stealing something or lying to others even when we know the consequences of getting caught. This is the exercise of freewill which even Watson could not control if the doctor he created decided to shoplift something out of a store to get a thrill. While society and other forces which surround us day and night might push us towards a predetermined life, it is our own freewill which keeps us on the straight and narrow. Had society and social conditioning been enough to keep people in line, there would be no need for a criminal justice system at all. Therefore, I believe that while we have freewill to do what we want, we are also controlled by the forces of determinism which guide us on the right path to doing what we want to

Oil trade btween china and saudi arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oil trade btween china and saudi arabia - Essay Example China’s oil use improved from 4.7 million barrels per day to roughly 7 million barrels between 2000 and 2005. She derived Forty-three per cent of this oil from imports. China is the world’s second leading net importer of oil after the US, having surpassed Japan in 2008. Within the energy division, China today is capable of absorbing rising amounts of Saudi (heavy) oil in contrast to a decade ago. This is because it is importing huge quantities of oil as well as due to the alteration and expansion of its refining power. This has made Saudi Arabia to be China’s principal foreign source of oil. At the same time, it is making China the Kingdom’s foremost crude oil customer. The most striking development however is China’s economic growth, which arrived at over 9 percent per annum between the year 1978 and 2005 (Sfakianakis 2009). With slight intelligibility at the uppermost levels of government and discretion, Saudi Arabia and China are both mysterious states. Both states are overriding in their own regions. China is a key actor all through East Asia while Saudi Arabia is the motivating force behind the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Both states are also frequently lone actors on the world phase, regional and worldwide coalitions as well as group discretion. This happens when they consider their own welfare not to be entirely allied with those of other states. This is owing to their ideological underpinnings in addition to their important planned positions (Matthews, 2010). There are prospects that China will supply Saudi Arabia with a growing quantity of weapons systems, probably together with nuclear technology due to this new tactical framework of oil trade. Saudi Arabia’s move to China as a main military weapon provider will come about due to two reasons: First, it will result from price contemplation, and secondly, it will result from anxiety