The Legend of the Double Happiness Symbol

The Legend of the Double Happiness Symbol You may  have heard of the term Double Happiness but know little about what this symbol means, let alone how it came about. With this profile of the Chinese good luck character, get better acquainted with its history and discover if it can be applied to the circumstances in your life. What Is Double Happiness? Double Happiness is a large Chinese character  featured  on red paper. The characters that signify happiness are spelled  xi or hsi in Mandarin  and  pronounced shuang-xi. It is exclusively used in Mandarin  to celebrate weddings. The Story of the Symbol The symbol dates back to  the ancient Tang Dynasty. According to legend,  there was a student on the way to the capital to take the national final examination in which the top learners would be selected as ministers of the court. Unfortunately, the student fell ill halfway when he passed through a mountain village, but an  herbalist and his daughter took the  student to their house and expertly treated him. The student recovered quickly due to their good care. When  the time came for him to leave, he found it hard to say goodbye to the pretty herbalists daughter, and so did she. They had fallen in love with each other. As a result, the girl wrote down half of a  couplet for the student: Green trees against the sky in the spring rain while the sky set off the spring trees in the obscuration. The student replied,  Well, I can make it, though it is not easy. But youll have to wait until I have finished the examination.  The young girl nodded. The young man ended up winning first place in the competition. The emperor recognized his prowess and asked him to finish part of a couplet. The emperor wrote: Red flowers dot the land in the breezes chase while the land colored up in red after the kiss. The young man realized immediately that the girls half  couplet was the perfect fit to the emperors couplet, so he used her words to answer. The emperor was delighted with this turn of events and appointed the young man as a minister of the court. But before the student began his new position, the emperor allowed him to pay a visit to his hometown. He ran into the young woman who gave  him the couplet and repeated the emperors words to her. The half couplets complemented each other, and they soon wed. During the ceremony, they doubled the Chinese character happy  on a red piece of paper and placed it on the wall to express their pleasure with the two events. Wrapping Up Ever since the couples wedding, the double happiness symbol has become a Chinese social custom.  It  can be found  all over  during Chinese weddings. It is also used for wedding invitations. In both contexts, it simply means that the new couple will now be united.

Characteristics of Giant Silkworm Moths and Royal Moths

Characteristics of Giant Silkworm Moths and Royal Moths Even people with no particular love of insects find the giant moths (and caterpillars) of the family Saturniidae fascinating. The name is thought to refer to the large eyespots found on the wings of some species. The eyespots contain concentric rings, reminiscent of the planet Saturns rings. These showy moths are easy to rear in captivity if you can find enough foliage to keep their very hungry caterpillars fed. Physical Characteristics Among the Saturniids, we find the largest moth species in North America: the luna moth, the cecropia moth, the polyphemus moth, the imperial moth, the io moth, the Promethea moth, and the royal walnut moth. The cecropia moth is a giant among giants, with the longest wingspan- a remarkable 5-7 inches- of all. Some Saturniids may seem dwarf-like compared to their gigantic cousins, but even the smallest of the wild silkworm moths measures a respectable 2.5 cm in wide. Giant silkworm moths and royal moths are often brightly colored, which may mislead first-time observers to refer to them as butterflies. Like most moths, however, Saturniids hold their wings flat against their bodies when at rest, and usually have stout, hairy bodies. They also bear feathery antennae (often bi-pectinate in form, but sometimes quadri-pectinate), which are quite conspicuous in males. Saturniid caterpillars are hefty, and often covered with spines or protuberances. These tubercles give the caterpillar a threatening look, but in most cases, theyre quite harmless. Do beware of the io moth caterpillar, though. Its branched spines pack a painful dose of venom and will inflict a long-lasting sting. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaClass: InsectaOrder: LepidopteraFamily: Saturniidae Diet Adult silkworm and royal moths dont feed at all, and most have only vestigial mouthparts. Their larvae, however, are a different story. The largest caterpillars in this group can exceed 5 inches in length in their final instar, so you can imagine how much they eat. Many feed on common trees and shrubs, including hickories, walnuts, sweetgum, and sumac; some can cause significant defoliation. Life Cycle All giant silkworm moths and royal moths undergo complete metamorphosis with four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. In the Saturniids, an adult female may lay several hundred eggs during her brief lifetime, but perhaps only 1% will survive to their own adulthood. This family overwinters in the pupal stage, often in silken cocoons joined to twigs or nestled in a protective envelope of leaves. Special Adaptations and Behaviors Female Saturniid moths invite males to mate by releasing a sex pheromone from a special gland at the end of their abdomens. The male moths are renowned for their determination and unwavering focus on the task of locating the receptive female. They have a keen sense of smell, thanks to their feathery antennae brimming with sensilla. Once a male giant silkworm moth catches a whiff of a females scent, he will not be deterred by foul weather, nor does he let physical obstacles impede his progress. A Promethea moth male holds the long-distance record for following a females pheromones. He flew an incredible 23 miles to find his mate! Home Range References vary greatly in their accounting of how many Saturniid species live worldwide, but most authors seem to accept a number in the range of 1200-1500 species. About 70 species inhabit North America. Sources Family Saturniidae - Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths, Bugguide.net. Accessed January 10, 2013.Saturniidae, Butterflies and Moths of North America. Accessed January 10, 2013.Saturniid Moths, University of Kentucky Entomology. Accessed January 10, 2013.The Wild Silk Moths of North America: A Natural History of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada, by Paul M. Tuskes, James P. Tuttle, and Michael M. Collins.

Effective group discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Effective group discussion - Essay Example The agenda would involve discussion on the above topic/ question and determine whether the conjecture is supported by sufficient facts to make it a plausible outcome. Use of moderator and tape recorder would ensure that discussion progresses smoothly during the 30 minutes, allotted to the group. The two questions would be discussed to come determine the veracity of the topic. Two discussion questions would be: the possible penalty that can effectively serve as deterrent measure for speeding; and previous outcome of the penalty on the convicts (Ehrlich, 1973). 2 minutes would be allowed to each of 10 participants to give their reasons and 10 minutes would be used to make empowered decision by the group leader, based on the informed choices as presented by the participants. It is hoped that discussion would help determine the outcome of conjecture. The discussion would focus on 3 areas: the legal aspect of the process of euthanasia in different countries; the moral paradigm of practice of euthanasia; and the efficacy of methods used on patients with terminal illness (Emanual & Fairclaugh, 2000). A moderator would oversee that discussions proceed within the defined guidelines and make recordings of the same. The 6 participants would be given 2 minutes to present their facts and views. Rest of the times would be used to collate the facts and use brainstorming techniques to decide on the outcome. The group leader would ensure that facts and moral compulsions are judiciously used to determine the conditions under which conditions euthanasia can be made legal. The main agenda of discussion would involve discussing the situation on the broader context of healthcare accessibility to the marginalized population of poor countries and the ways it can be addressed by developed countries and corporations. The discussion would be of 30 minutes

VOLUNTARY SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE (Accounting) Essay

VOLUNTARY SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE (Accounting) - Essay Example It may be argued that the above definition portrays a simplistic view of sustainability. Hence, one of the greatest difficulties encountered by corporations is to break down the sustainability phenomenon into objective goals. According to O’Dwyer’s definition of what he terms as managerial capture, corporations must define sustainability for themselves keeping in view their primary concern of shareholder wealth maximization (O’Dwyer, 2003). This has called into question the existence of the â€Å"social† aspect in â€Å"corporate social responsibility†. Sustainability must not be viewed from organization’s perspective; rather, it should be viewed from the perspective of the holistic ecosystem. Owing to an increased focus towards sustainability in the corporate world, there have been expectations from accountants to adopt an influential role in using sustainability in a positive way to enable stakeholders achieve their goals. The environmental impact of the firm’s operations on its assets, liabilities, revenues and costs has been one way of incorporating sustainability into financial statements. ... â€Å"Integrated reporting† has, therefore, evolved as a relatively new concept which reflects KPIs depicting the organization’s economic, social and environmental performance (Gould, 2011). This, however, requires managerial co ordination and collaboration across all organizational levels and that the processes for gathering non-financial data are similar to those for financial reporting. Integrated reporting may not be possible even with a holistic reporting of social and environmental risks. Quantifying such non-financial information and developing appropriate KPIs for it is in itself may present a challenging task. Considering the trend towards sustainability reporting, various tools and techniques have been developed for accountants to incorporate this. Accounting like its social sciences counterparts relates to socio-economic framework of the society. Traditional experiments in the field have focused on multi-column accounting, triple-entry record keeping and the more recent, narrative disclosures (Bebbington, Brown, & Frame, 2007). Some quantification of data has been made including the number of workers employed, emissions resulting from use of product, use of resources versus the amount of final product produced etc. Researchers have called on placing greater emphasis on stakeholders to provide for multi-layered accounts and address power differentials in the social and environmental reporting (Bebbington, Brown, & Frame, 2007). Therefore, a transition is being made from the â€Å"monologic† accounting practices to â€Å"polyvocal citizenship† approach (Gray, Dey, Owen, Evans, & Zadek, 1997). Procedures such as SAMs (Sustainability Assessment Modeling Systems) have been adopted in the U.K whereby costs that were traditionally considered

Salingers Catcher in the Rye :: Catcher in the Rye Essays

This book is a good book. "What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I've left schools and places I didn't even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don't care if it's a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 1 I don't even know what I was running for - I guess I just felt like it. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 1 It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything, and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 1 People always think something's all true. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 2 People never notice anything. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 2 I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 3 When I really worry about something, I don't just fool around. I even have to go to the bathroom when I worry about something. Only, I don't go. I'm too worried to go. I don't want to interrupt my worrying to go. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 6 All morons hate it when you call them a moron. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 6 In my mind, I'm probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 9 It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes. ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 9 Sex is something I really don't understand too hot. You never know where the hell you are. I keep making up these sex rules for myself, and then I break them right away. Last year I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing around with girls that, deep down, gave me a pain in the ass.

Ethics of Consumption (Assessed) Essay

Readings: Shaw et. al. (2013), Chapter 5: The Morality and Ethics of Consumption. Textbook Reading: Why Do We Consume So Much, by Juliet Schor, pp.258-66. Task for students.  Once you have read the textbook chapter and the Reading, answer discussion questions 1, 3-5 (ignore questions 2 and 6). 1. Who is the â€Å"we† in the question â€Å"why do we consume so much?† is Juliet Schor correct that â€Å"there is increasingly little that we do which is not a consumption experience†? And that we have become a culture of excessive consumption? Explain your answers? I think it is not correct, because ‘We’ stand for the large middle classes who basic needs are met, who have discretionary income in the question. But there become less and less that we do which is not consumption experience. For example, the average US home has increased by more than 50% since the 1970s, rising more than 400 square feet, from 1,905 in 1987 to 2,322 in 1999 alone. The number of vehicles per person has increased, as has the size and luxuriousness of those vehicles. As we all know, this is a culture excessive consumption in the society. 3. Explain why Schor believes that ‘more leisured, less consumerist lifestyles are structurally blocked’. Why can’t people simply choose to work less and enjoy more free time? Do you agree that working long hours encourages people to consume more? People cannot simply choose to work and enjoy more free time, because time means fewer incomes. In order to maintain a normal life, they choose to work for a long time. I agree the work long time that will encourage the people to do consumption. After people working for long time, they usually will desire some favorite activities, such as shopping, having a great meal or vocations. This can be considered as a reward for themselves. 5. Explain why you agree or disagree with Schor’s contention that consumption has become a social competition. How has the old concept of â€Å"keeping up with the Joneses’ changed? Do you agree that it is difficult for individual to resist or drop out of the consumption competition? Explain why or why not. I agree with schor’s contention, because large majority of the population are  participating in consuming. So, the consumer lifestyles have become an important part of how we are defined and how we fit into socially differentiated communities. In the past, the ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ refers to the colloquial description of consumption competitions, occurred mainly within a neighborhood setting. Because the neighborhoods are relatively homogeneous in terms of the social status and economic resources of their members, the folks keeping up with the Joneses tended to be their equal. They did aspire, but rarely more than to increase their cons umer expenditure by 10-20%.

Stereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes - 1357 Words

When you first meet someone, you judge them based on their appearance. Even though, you may not notice that you judge at first sight, but everyone does it. The widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing is known as a stereotype. Everyone has a stereotype of someone or something, whether they know it or not. It has become more common to have stereotypes in today s world. Human beings tend to settle on fixed images about races or cultures, and in doing so, assume, due to stereotypes, that they are endangered by all understood in that group. Such attitudes are dangerous, and spread violence across cultures. Every race and culture is characterized by stereotypes. Those that are stereotyped are affected mentally and even physically. Having a certain stereotype placed on your race or culture could influence your ideas of yourself or others. For instance, if a Mexican is stereotyped to be dirty or poor; they may never strive to their full potential because of their belief of those false accusations. Those that cannot reach their full potential miss an opportunity to make the world a better place. Humans that settle on these fixed images have been stereotyping certain races or cultures for a long period of time. These people, which are alike everyone else, tend to categorize races or cultures in specific groups. For example, In schools, students place themselves or others into groups they believe they belong to.Show MoreRelatedThe Stereotypes Of Stereotypes And Stereotypes977 Words   |  4 PagesBreaking Stereotypes The labeling or stereotyping of different races often define how they are supposed to act, think, and conduct themselves within society. Stereotyping can have an extremely negative effect on individuals in a particular ethnic group that have a real potential to become something better than what their labels define them as. Stereotypes such as all Native Americans are uneducated and lazy, or all Caucasian people are racists, are assumptions that can cause hatred between racesRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1400 Words   |  6 Pages Whether acknowledged or not, stereotypes are an issue in society. Stereotypes are often related to culture and religion, but also exist in forms related to gender. As seen in the movie Crash, stereotypes falsely label individuals in society. The labels created by stereotypes influence interactions individuals make with one and other. These interactions can be hostile or warm depending on the stereotypes society believes of the group t he individual identifies him or her self with. Stereotypical ideasRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1660 Words   |  7 Pagesand Usage of Stereotypes on Individuals On an average day, one might turn on the television to a variety of shows. Some may display a husband coming home from work to a meal cooked by his wife, and others may show a blonde girl proving her lack of common sense. Nevertheless, this comes to show how commonly it occurs that stereotypes are presented in our daily lives. Stereotypes are considered to be widely generalized perceptions of particular groups of people. There are stereotypes in regards toRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1765 Words   |  8 PagesStereotypes can be defined in several ways and are typically used in a negative or positive manner. Stereotyping according to Neuliup, J.W., (2012), â€Å"is referred as the memebership in social categories such as sex, race, age, or profession that are believed to be associated with certain traits and behaviors.† It may also refer to the belief that one holds against another person or groups of people from a given ethnic group. Stereotype’s has been known to be used in many films across the globeRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes1362 Words   |  6 PagesINTRODUCTION: In today’s world stereotypes play a huge role. Stereotypes are constantly discussed and spread among members of a society, and usually have a negative message. It is commonly said that a world without these stereotypes is how the world should be. However, this is unachievable. As harmful as a stereotype can be, it is necessary and it is a part of all of our lives. Stereotypes are inevitable and present in all places and therefore are a factor in all human beings lives whether they knowRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes771 Words   |  4 PagesStereotypes: â€Å"...a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.† (Cardwell, 1996). Stereotypes create an unconscious perception on a group of people. Generalization ignores differences between individuals; theref ore we pass assumptions towards others that may not be accurate. Stereotypes enables us to respond quickly to situations because we may have had similar experiences before. The use of stereotypes is an involuntary way we simplify our social world; they reduceRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Stereotypes794 Words   |  4 PagesStereotypes are by definition a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person. Stereotypes can apply to other things as well but I will focus on the stereotypes seen in society. As we have seen in â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird†, stereotypes have been present throughout history. However, it seems that even though stereotypes usually carry negative effects on people with their presence, they have lingered with us for some strange reason. Stereotypes exist todayRead MoreStereotype Stereotypes770 Words   |  4 Pagesis very wrong. You shouldnt judge people no matter what the situation is, everyone makes mistakes. Now let me tell you what a stereotype is , its mainly an idea that a person has about someone or something that is based on the looks from the outside. Stereotypes can be defined as judgements that people make about other without knowing them personally, and stereotypes impact our society in many ways. For example, in an interview with Guy Raz from NPR, Jamila Lyiscott says that â€Å"you have this lensRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Gender Stereotypes1588 Words   |  7 PagesSociety today holds many stereotypes, and sometimes people will rebel against the stereotypes in order to embrace the individual and oppose social norms. However, some stereotypes are harder to rebel against than other. A stereotype that might be harder to break, either because the people who believe in that stereotype are too ignorant to look past it or because the people who need to rebel are not able to, is gender based stereotypes. One example of this type of stereotype is when gender roles appearRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of Gender Stereotypes Essay939 Words   |  4 Pagesonce were, they are still unable to achieve their dreams. Thi s is from the gender role-stereotypes. These stereotypes affect their everyday life, school work, and even career choices. Question are often asked about gender stereotypes like ‘Where did these stereotypes first originate?’ Is there any truth to these stereotypes? If gender wasn’t known would there still be stereotypes? How can we stop stereotypes labeling gender? Many scientists thought hard about those questions until they came up