Personal Definition of Honesty Essay Example for Free

Personal Definition of Honesty Essay Whats the definition of honesty? The one in Websters Dictionary says that it is: The quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness; truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness; freedom from deceit or fraud (Honesty). However, each person may define honesty differently. Everybody has his/hers own definition that varies upon his/her beliefs. Some think of it as a main rule of their life, but still tell a little white lie once in a while. Others can not even identify themselves with honesty. The truth is that being honest is extremely hard and not lying at all is impossible. Everybody lies, even politically significant people responsible for the nations well being, who are viewed by the society as icons of trust. People lie on a daily basis, in fact sometimes not realizing that they do it so often; it is second nature. Some of the lies may be innocent. For instance, some may lie not to hurt somebodys feelings. A lack of honesty would not be such a big problem, though, if that were the point where it ends. Some people consider that telling a little white lie doesnt hurt anything, but still get annoyed and irritated when somebody lies to them. If they expect others to be honest with them why cant they pay back in the same way? Usually humans lie for personal gain and self-interest. For instance, some may lie because they are ashamed of the things they have done and do not want or are afraid to face the consequences. A good example here is Bill Clinton, who in 2004 lied about his affair with Monica Lewinsky to both the nation and the grand jury. People hide, ignore and omit the facts. They care less what effect it may have on others. In this case they arent just dishonest and selfish but also show a lack of integrity. On the other hand, people may lie because they want to be a part of group. As Stephen L. Carter writes in his article The Insufficiency of Honesty, integrity may be often a fake honesty (106). For example, humans lie to impress somebody or put up facades to look better in others` eyes. They agree with other peoples statements, even if those vary from their own beliefs, simply because they want to be accepted. Furthermore, throughout history people could experience dishonesty from many, if not all U.S. presidents. For instance, Richard Nixon lied because he was trying to save his presidency, which was imperiled by his misdeeds. Franklin Delano Roosevelt misled the country over things like Lend-Lease in order to advance a policy he thought would save the world, but which he knew would be difficult to sell politically ( Cannon 57). During World War II in 1944, President Roosevelt lied to the public about his health condition, simply to hide his weakness from opponents. All of that proves that even people, to whom public trust is given, in the hope of better future of the country, arent any different from regular people. As Carl M. Cannon writes in his article Untruth and Consequences Presidents lie because they are human (58). Moreover, in a contemporary political world, it is difficult to distinguish the truth from a lie. For example, taking under consideration the war in Iraq, people are constantly confused with the news delivered to them. The Republicans say that everything is under control and without a doubt U.S. is winning the war with terrorism. On the other hand, Democrats talk about the unquestionable failure of the American army and government, as well as undisputable chaos it has caused in the Middle East. Those two versions prove that one of the sides is definitely lying. In this case the lack of honesty is very high and lives of U.S. soldiers as well as prosperity of the country might be at stake. Politicians should put aside their personal-interests and do what is right, because the consequences of their dishonesty may be too high to bear. Even though the definition of honesty here differs from the one in dictionary, many people will agree with it. Everybody knows from the experience how hard it is to go at least a day without telling a lie; it is impossible. All the people are built from the same mud; they all lie. It doesnt matter who a person is or what he/she does. Some may be more sensitive about it and would rather have a clean conscience, when others will keep lying without thinking twice. But everybody has to remember that the bigger the lie coming out of their mouth, the larger the consequences they will have to face in the future. Because as my mom used to say, a lie has short legs; one cant go far or gain much by lying, and if so it will be only temporary. Works Cited Cannon, Carl M. Untruth and Consequences. The Atlantic. Jan/Feb. 2007: 56-67. Carter, Stephen L. The Insufficiency of Honesty. 50 essays: A Portable Anthology. 2nd ed. Ed. Samuel Cohen. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2007. 104-111. Honesty. Websters online Dictionary. 2007. Websters Dictionary. 29 Jan 2007. http:www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/honesty.

Why Horses Are called Horses :: miscellaneous

Why Horses Are called Horses Around stables and in the circles of horse lovers every where, names such as, "horse," "pony," "stallion," "mare," and "foal," are some of the words verbalized. These names are spoken absent mindly without a thought to their origin. The word horse in theory comes from an ancient term of a similar meaning,"swift," or "running." Hence the word horse is an appropriate name for an animal that has increased the mobility of humans since the domestication of the beast. A small horse that is not over fifty-eight inches, or in equine language, fourteen hands, high regardless of age or sex is referred to as a pony. "Pony," did not originally start out as this word. A Latin word "pullus," meaning foal started the chain. From this came "pullanus," meaning colt. A small colt was given the name of "poulenet," pronounced "pool-ney." Whenever the name reached Scotland the Scots dropped the "l," and said "poo-ney." So in these modern times we simply pronounce it "pony." An unpredictable and sometimes dangerous horse is the stallion. A stallion refers to an adult male horse that has not been castrated. The word stallion dates back to the fourteenth century. Its meaning is literally "one kept in a stall," the "stall-i-on." Mostly docile and predictable, unless she has a foal by her side, is the "mare," An Anglo-Saxon word for horses in general was "mearh," and the feminine of this was "mere." Therefore, we now use the word "mare," meaning and adult female horse. "Foal," is the name of a young horse so named from the time it is born till it has been weaned. Another Anglo-Saxon word "fola," has given us this word. The corresponding feminine name is "filly." One which we still use today. "filly," refers to any young female horse, from the time it is weaned till it is four years old. In today's terms we refer to the weaned male foal until it is four as a "colt." Though "colt," is a narrow term used today it is found in the book of Genesis. There is a reference in the seventeenth-century translation to, "thirty camels with their colts." Another Biblical reference describes a colt as "the foal of an ass." Though "colt," was not originally intended to refer to a young male equine it is the standard form today. A "gelding," is a mature horse that has been castrated. Why Horses Are called Horses :: miscellaneous Why Horses Are called Horses Around stables and in the circles of horse lovers every where, names such as, "horse," "pony," "stallion," "mare," and "foal," are some of the words verbalized. These names are spoken absent mindly without a thought to their origin. The word horse in theory comes from an ancient term of a similar meaning,"swift," or "running." Hence the word horse is an appropriate name for an animal that has increased the mobility of humans since the domestication of the beast. A small horse that is not over fifty-eight inches, or in equine language, fourteen hands, high regardless of age or sex is referred to as a pony. "Pony," did not originally start out as this word. A Latin word "pullus," meaning foal started the chain. From this came "pullanus," meaning colt. A small colt was given the name of "poulenet," pronounced "pool-ney." Whenever the name reached Scotland the Scots dropped the "l," and said "poo-ney." So in these modern times we simply pronounce it "pony." An unpredictable and sometimes dangerous horse is the stallion. A stallion refers to an adult male horse that has not been castrated. The word stallion dates back to the fourteenth century. Its meaning is literally "one kept in a stall," the "stall-i-on." Mostly docile and predictable, unless she has a foal by her side, is the "mare," An Anglo-Saxon word for horses in general was "mearh," and the feminine of this was "mere." Therefore, we now use the word "mare," meaning and adult female horse. "Foal," is the name of a young horse so named from the time it is born till it has been weaned. Another Anglo-Saxon word "fola," has given us this word. The corresponding feminine name is "filly." One which we still use today. "filly," refers to any young female horse, from the time it is weaned till it is four years old. In today's terms we refer to the weaned male foal until it is four as a "colt." Though "colt," is a narrow term used today it is found in the book of Genesis. There is a reference in the seventeenth-century translation to, "thirty camels with their colts." Another Biblical reference describes a colt as "the foal of an ass." Though "colt," was not originally intended to refer to a young male equine it is the standard form today. A "gelding," is a mature horse that has been castrated.

Apple Inc. Case 2010

1. What, historically, have been Apple’s competitive advantages? Apple has had various competitive advantages since its origin until the present. Firstly, Apple’s innovation has always been its hallmark. Beginning with the first â€Å"Apple I† till the â€Å"iPad 2†, Apple products have change the development of the market many times, specially during the last decade, with the first iPod’s lunch. Although Apple’s single technologies have not been walkthroughs created by the company itself, it has developed the characteristics of these technologies and combined them in a way that had never been done before.One of Apple’s main ways to innovate is through the ease of use of its products, another of its big competitive advantages. Apple’s products are popularly considered as very intuitive and, although MP3 players already existed in 2001 or multi-touch surfaces in 2007, products like the iPod and iPhone allow the use of these techn ologies and devices in a very practical way with an almost vertical learning curve. Besides this ease-to-use, Apple has â€Å"plug & play† oriented designs: devices ready to be used with a series of peripherals without requiring prior knowledge.This has led Mac computers to be â€Å"digital hubs† of the new digital devices. Moreover, Apple has always had a proprietary design. Apple has never licensed any of its products or designs (except during Spindler’s management). This means that it has always had a wide control over its value chain, from the designs from scratch of their computers, till the software and its marketing or sales. It has a widely vertical integrated business and nowadays, it is even beginning to design its own microchips. This has led to a very unique differentiation that can be hardly found in competitors’ products.That is why one of Apple’s most typical characteristics are its products’ elegant and state-of-the-art indus trial designs and superior software (OS). All components of its products are perfectly integrated and work altogether better than separated. Apple’s design process consists of a series of activities that can be hardly copied. Finally, it is very important to highlight Apple’s brand image and the whole culture created around it. As Jobs says, Apple products are intended to be a â€Å"cultural force†.Apple delivers through its products complete solutions and experiences, different to the use of any other company’s products. Its devices are considered as iconic within their correspondent markets and the company is seen as a leader of the â€Å"digital age†. Apple has always had a solid base of loyal customers and its brand is presently one of the best known in the world. Furthermore, Steve Jobs CEO is considered as an innovation guru and has been named CEO of the decade, boosting Apple’s popularity even higher, if possible. 2. Analyze the perso nal computer industry.Are the dynamics favorable or problematic for Apple? The personal computer industry is a highly concentrated market. The four top PC vendors (Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo) control the 55% of worldwide shipments. It is a competition intense sector given the low switching costs of the industry. Growth has been driven by a decrease of prices and expansion of capabilities, with consequently higher sales volumes, but with a relatively smaller growth in revenues. PC components are going through a standardization process and PC makers are cutting expenditures in R&D.Due to the aforementioned low switching costs and the low differentiation among vendors, the threat of substitute products is very high in the industry. However, despite the low product differentiation, vendors have built strong brands and the investments required to enter the sector are very high, for what the entrance of new competitors with similar volume and brand awareness as the present top vendors is q uite unlikely. The only open way for competitors seems to be the â€Å"white-box† market (with around 30% of sales in 2009), but these machines cover only the desktop market.Regarding the clients’ power, they have a wide range of very similar products in design, capabilities and price to choose from, for what the switching costs are very low, as mentioned. PC vendors’ customers are therefore in a strong position to push them in the desired direction. On the other hand, PC makers have also high bargaining power in their relationships with their suppliers, as PC components are widely available at very competitive prices (excluding microprocessors and operating systems).As for Apple, the sector’s dynamics involve both favorable and problematic characteristics. The still hegemonic â€Å"wintel† systems make Apple’s products a strong and very differentiated alternative. Moreover, home consumers are the biggest segment in the industry, a group tha t values design, mobility and connectivity, some features in which Apple is a leader. On the other hand, the company may have an overall minor base of potential clients willing to acquire the knowledge to operate its devices.Despite the fall in prices and increase in capabilities that the market requests, something that could seem problematic to any player in the sector, Apple is still able to charge premium prices through design and â€Å"user experience† differentiation, without requiring to push its devices capabilities over the average. All of this means that Apple can make big profits in its premium niche market, but that overall penetration might be a setback. Nevertheless, Apple is still reliant on its components’ suppliers, who â€Å"force† Apple to purchase major volumes in order to reach competitive costs.

The Veil in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis Essay - 1296 Words

Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis introduces the Islamic veil as an attempt by the Iranian government to control women. Islamic radicals promised safety and security for those who abided by their rules. Rebels who refused to wear the headscarf were threatened with beating, rape or death. These modern women who fought against religious oppression met the minimal requirements of the government rules to safely live in the hostile environment. Through being forced to wear the veil, the control of the Islamic government drives its people to a rebellion. The reformation of the country of Iran toward Islam caused turmoil among the people because the drastic changes forced on the people were not easily accepted. One of the major changes is that†¦show more content†¦The Iranian government forced its control on children by forcing segregating the schools and making girls wear the Iranian headscarf. Wearing the scarf represents the concealment of childhood in Iran for Marjane and her friends. Reformation in Iran comes with the protests, violence and eventually war which disguise the chance of childhood for the youth of the country. Marjane says, â€Å"we found ourselves veiled and separated from our friends† (4). Concealing these children from the childhood they deserved left them to deal with fear, anger, loss and death. Her story highlights the lack of stability children need to grow into responsible adults. Marjane’s story represents the thousands of children in Iran who are lacking the proper elements for child development because of the revolution. Though the veil forms an inconvenience in the lives of all Iranian women, it serves as a form of protection in their lives against the dangerous religious extremists fighting for the revolution. Marjane and her mother did not believe in the religious importance of wearing the veil but knew they had to wear them for their own protection against radical religious men that could try to take advantage of them. The president claimed that â€Å"women’s hair emanates rays that excite men† (74). Supported by this proposition, men could claim that a woman without a head scarf excited him and he would rape her because that is what she deserved for being a â€Å"littleShow MoreRelatedThe Old vs. New: A Rhetorical Analysis of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi776 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book Persepolis, a non-fiction piece about the author Marjane Satrapi’s life in a changing Iran, Satrapi explores the idea of tensions between old and new by referencing conversations with her grandma, talking about parties, the transition of the veil into society, talking about her school, noting the demonstrations that took place in the streets, and discussing the cultural revolution that occurred. Satrapi purposefully communicates this theme to the audience to contrast the Iran she grewRead MorePersepolis: perceptions of the veil1546 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Persepolis; Perceptions of the veil [Satrapi, (b) p52] â€Å"And say to the believing woman that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty...that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty...† SÃ… «rah 24:31 The autobiographical novel â€Å"Persepolis† depicts the early stages of its author, Marjane Satrapi’s life. It shows her growing up in Iran, to her studies in Vienna, and her return. In an interview in 2008, she stated that she composedRead MoreMarjane Satrapi s Persepolis 1728 Words   |  7 PagesMarjane Satrapi deliberately uses an interesting layout usually used in successful comic books that convey deep messages. The layout of the graphics in Persepolis include elements such as panels, gutters, and graphic weight. The panels, or distinct segments of a comic containing a combination of images and texts, provide transitions that are instantaneous and direct. For example, on page seven, Satrapi uses a panel to show an innocent conversation with her grandmother about the rules she will assignRead MoreThe Veil: Marjanes Journey to Individuality Essay1198 Words   |  5 PagesA veil is an article of clothing that is intended to cover some part of the head, face, or p hysical feature that may hold some significance. It is especially associated with women and sacred objects. Not only does it conceal a person’s physical appearance, but it contributes to stifling one’s individuality. In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, Marjane, the main character, lives in Iran and is required, by fear of punishment, to wear a veil that only leaves her face uncovered. The veilRead MorePersepolis Assignment1402 Words   |  6 Pages Satrapi states in the introduction of the 2004 Pantheon version of The Complete Persepolis that Iran, an â€Å"old and great civilization[,] has been discussed mostly in connection with fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism.† She expresses that, â€Å"as an Iranian who has lived more than half of [her] life in Iran, [she] know[s] that this image is far from the truth. This is why writing Persepolis was so important to [her]. [She] believe[s] that an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoingsRead MoreMarjane Satrapis Persepolis: A Personal Version and Vision of the Iranian Revolution1341 Words   |  5 PagesPersepolis: Marjane Satrapis personal version and vision of the Iranian Revolution Marjane Satrapis Persepolis is a graphic novel that suggests that there is a sharp discrepancy between the world of the Iranian Revolution, as depicted in the Western media, versus how many Iranians experienced it in the context of their own lives. Satrapi was the product of a liberal home environment. Behind closed doors, the life the young Marjane led was often very different from the images of burka-wearingRead MoreAnalysis Of Marjane s Point Of View924 Words   |  4 PagesTwo major phases are narrated from Marjane’s point of view in Persepolis. The overthrowing of Shah is the first phase and the second phase consists of a radical Islamic regime. It was evident from Marjane’s perspective that her family had two different reactions in regards to the two phases. Their reaction to the overthrowing of Shah was excitement and happiness. Marjane’s family was active in demonstrations and protests expressing their feelings towards the Shah. The day Shah left many we re happyRead MoreRebellion in Persepolis617 Words   |  3 PagesPersepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is an autobiography graphic novel. The book is about a young girl named Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In the book, many stories and struggles are presented, such as the Islamic revolution, issues with school, the war between Iran and Iraq, and Satrapi’s struggle with growing up. The strongest theme from all of these situations in the novel is rebellion. Rebellion is constantly seen, in many different shapesRead MorePersepolis Essay887 Words   |  4 Pagesclearly developed by Satrapi in her graphic novel â€Å"Persepolis†. Satrapi explores the challenges and difficulties experienced by a sheltered and naive girl during the tumultuous and uncertain years of the Iranian revolution and attempts to solve the oppression she witnesses by the Islamicist government. This is important to the whole text as it identifies th e religious conservatism and Islamisation of the state causes distress and confusion in Marjane who consequently had to redefine herself, given thatRead MorePersepolis Reflection Paper1578 Words   |  7 PagesDiscussion† regarding Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi the class discussed many topics. As a group, we began by talking about the genre of the graphic novel. The artistic style and technique used by Satrapi was addressed specifically. I mentioned that I appreciated the mono color, by using black and white it effected the readers by making the text more serious. Another comment was added; the use of minimal color was effective. Another main topic discussed was the characterization of Marjane Satrapi. One classmate