Chinese Flowers and Their Meanings

Chinese Flowers and Their Meanings Chinese flowers are a recurring theme in Chinese art and poetry. But without understanding the floriography -   the meanings associated with certain flowers  - the symbolism could go over your head. While some flowers represent seasons or months, others have symbolic meanings based on their Chinese names. Learn the importance of flowers in Chinese culture along with symbolism and taboos associated with some Chinese flowers. Iris On lunar May 5,  Irises  are hung over doors to repel evil spirits. The flower is also a symbol of spring, and eating them is said to prolong ones life. Magnolia Magnolias were once so precious, that only Chinese emperors were allowed to own them. They have also been used in Chinese medicine. Today, magnolias represent beauty. Peony Peonies are the flower of spring, also known as the queen of flowers. The flowers symbolize fame and wealth. Red peonies are the most desired and valuable, while white peonies symbolize young, witty, beautiful girls. Lotus The lotus is a flower that is steeped in Buddhist symbolism and is considered one of the eight precious things in the Buddhist faith. It symbolizes purity and coming out of mire unsullied.  The lotus is said to bloom in Beijing on lunar April 8, which is the Buddha’s birthday, and on lunar January 8, which is lotus day. The lotus is known as the gentlemans flower because it grows out from the mud, pure and unstained. It is taboo for a woman to sew in January, as she may have menstrual trouble, according to Chinese culture. Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums  are one of the most  common flowers in China and are symbolic of autumn and of the ninth lunar month. The Chinese word for chrysanthemum is similar to  jÃ… «, which means to remain and jiǔ  which means long time. Therefore, chrysanthemums  symbolize duration and long life. Hibiscus The  hibiscus  is a popular Chinese flower that symbolizes fame, riches, glory, and splendor. The flower also can symbolize the fleeting beauty of fame or personal glory and is given as a gift to both women and men. Lily In Chinese culture, lilies are supposed to bring sons to a family; as a result, they are often given to women on their wedding day or on birthdays. The Chinese word for lily sounds like  bÇŽi hà ©, which is part of the proverb bÇŽinin hÇŽo hà ©, which means happy union for one hundred years. The flower is considered a good gift for all occasions and are said to help people forget their troubles. Orchid The orchid symbolizes love and beauty and can be a symbol of a married couple. The flower also represents wealth and fortune, and when placed in a vase, orchids symbolize unity. Other Flower Symbolism In addition to flowers and plants having their own symbolism, the color of a flower can also give it a special meaning in Chinese culture. For example, pink and red are colors of celebration, good luck, and happiness, while white is the color of death and ghosts. Sources Hibiscus Flower Meaning | Flower Meaning. (n.d.).  flowermeaning.com/hibiscus-flower-meaning/.

History of Canopy Beds

History of Canopy Beds A  popular email hoax  has spread all sorts of misinformation about the Middle Ages and The Bad Old Days. Here we look at the use of canopy beds. From the Hoax There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. Thats how canopy beds came into existence. The Facts In most castles and manor houses and in some town dwellings, materials such as wood, clay tiles, and stone were used for roofing. All served even better than thatch to stop things from falling into the house. Poor peasant folk, who were the most likely to suffer the annoyances brought about by an ill-kept thatch roof, commonly slept on straw pallets on the floor or in a loft.1 They did not have canopy beds to keep out falling dead wasps and rat droppings. Wealthier people didnt need canopies to keep out things that dropped from the roof, yet wealthy people such as noble lords and ladies or prosperous burghers did have beds with canopies and curtains. Why? Because the canopy beds used in medieval England and Europe have their origins in an entirely different domestic situation. In the earliest days of the European castle, the lord and his family slept in the great hall, along with all their servants. The noble familys sleeping area was usually at one end of the hall and was separated from the rest by simple curtains.2 In time, castle builders constructed separate chambers for the nobility, but though lords and ladies had their bed(s) to themselves, attendants might share the room for convenience and security. For the sake of warmth as well as privacy, the lords bed was curtained, and his attendants slept on simple pallets on the floor, on trundle beds, or on benches. A knight or ladys bed was large and wood-framed, and its springs were interlaced ropes or leather strips upon which a feather mattress would rest. It had sheets, fur coverlets, quilts, and pillows, and it could be fairly easily dismantled and transported to other castles when the lord made a tour of his holdings.​3 Originally, curtains were hung from the ceiling, but as the bed evolved, a frame was added to support a canopy, or tester, from which the curtains hung.4 Similar beds were welcome additions to townhomes, which werent necessarily warmer than castles. And, as in matters of manners and dress, prosperous town-folk emulated the nobility in the style of furnishings used in their homes. Sources 1. Gies, Frances Gies, Joseph, Life in a Medieval Village (HarperPerennial, 1991), p. 93. 2. Gies, Frances Gies, Joseph, Life in a Medieval Castle (HarperPerennial, 1974), p. 67. 3. Ibid, p. 68. 4. bed  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica [Accessed April 16, 2002; verified June 26, 2015].

Customized Competitive Intelligence in International Environment Essay

Customized Competitive Intelligence in International Environment - Essay Example The authors believe that it is a continuous process of assimilating environment information about the changing socio-cultural and political environment within which business operates. Businesses fail not because of lack of competency and financial backup but because of failure to exploit the cultural competencies of the new market and market paradigms. The qualitative research has used wide array of literature and interview with 12 CI consultants, working in different countries to provide guidelines and approach for effective CI. CI is primarily the methodology of gathering of information about the changing business paradigms across the countries with business potential. It provides the business with strong database of knowledge that can be judiciously exploited to gain and maintain competitive advantage. CI is a complex process and must be understood within the broader context of varying socio-cultural, political and legal imperatives of the nations. The understanding of various ext ernal factors facilitates in collecting relevant and authentic information that can be exploited by businesses for sustainable growth across globe. Research has analyzed CI practices for developed and developing nations where the scope of expansion exists for US firms which are as follows: 2. CI in developed countries Applications of CI practices are different for myriad reasons which are distinct in their perspectives vis-a-vis culture, technology, political and legal environment etc. 2.1 Europe European Union has huge market potential but cultural diversity across nations necessitate cross cultural understanding. Business must use different strategies to glean information about businesses in different European nations. Telephonic and email is acceptable and cost effective means of communication. Face to face interview should only be followed for competitors. Language barrier is important factor and native language, wherever possible, should be used to gain trust. CI practitioners must flexible in their approach and be prepared for differences in opinions. They must also corroborate data from wide sources. Last but not the least important is that 2-3 weeks before and after main holidays must be avoided as Europeans tend to focus on their holiday plans or busy finishing their backlog. 2.2 Japan Japan has maintained its technological superiority in digital goods like camera, electronics goods etc. in the international market. Government facilitates CI support to its domestic businesses which, unfortunately, they do not exploit due to lack of analytical tools. But at the same time, it also offers huge business potential for international firms. Due to government support to CI practices, Japan lacks publicly available data regarding businesses. CI practitioners should therefore, focus on developing trust which is critical factor in Japanese culture and use social networking to collect information. 3. Developing countries These are emerging markets which offer hug e scope of business opportunities for international businesses. Due to socio-cultural diversity and different political systems across emerging economies, CI practitioners need to be discriminatory in their approaches while gathering information. 3.1 China It is one of the most important and fastest growing economy which uses CI approach to exploit new opportunities across the globe. There is huge competition in the Chinese market which makes CI practices an intrinsic part of

Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Response - Essay Example A few pages into it and I realized how engrossing it is for me. I could totally relate myself to the writer’s description about the non serious and lax attitude the students hold towards college education. Their fears and trepidations about the whole experience, their eagerness to skip college on the whole and pursue their careers immediately after graduation so that they can instill in themselves a sense of independence. His approach to my attitude was so evident, it felt as if he is actually pointing at me and talking to me. I am already half way through my book. I feel I have a lot to learn from the writer’s example. He reflects upon the methods of teaching the college adapts and the kind of learning process the students go through. College education not only imparts higher education but it gives the students the ideal opportunity to prepare themselves for the lifelong career they are planning to pursue. For me, I feel college education will not only give me the facility and time to imbue in myself the professionalism and confidence required ahead but to explore my career options as well. Today I finished the book, going tentatively through its last pages, reflecting on my college experience on the whole and how can I make a difference that will allow me to make the most of it. I review my subjects again, this time with much greater foresight and interest. For the first time, I bothered to attend my career counseling appointment. I discussed in detail with the counselor, of my ambitions and aspiration and if I am taking the best measures to ensure its achievements. I decided that I will take up an internship at my college so that I can further build up on my resume. In fact, I left my book at the career counselor’s desk deliberately so that he can recommend it to other students going through the same transformation as me.

Future of Islam Essay -- essays research papers

The Future of Islam When first approached with the question â€Å"what the future of Islam is?† my mind raced around many places and had lots of different thoughts. I had no clue what the future of this religion would be I thought there are people for the American Gov. who are being payed a lot of money to figure this out and I don’t think they even know. So I decided to do research to figure out what my opinion on this matter was. I found that there could be different futures for different places, like Islam in the United States and Islam in the Middle East. I found that in the pre 9/11 days Muslims were a proud people and one of America’s largest populations. Post 9/11 there was a lot of ignorance and hatred towards Muslim people. Most Americans did not know the difference between a law abiding Muslim and one of the terrorists who attacked our country. Soon most Americans were educated in this matter and learned about the religion, and how a Muslims interpretation of the Koran affected what kind of Muslim they were and how they viewed the western civilization. They found that most Muslims are in fact great people and are no threat to our society. They also learned about the radical Muslims that interpret the Koran as saying that they should defend by all means anyone who is a threat to there religion (The United States and the Western World ). I think in America Islam has a bright future where one can practice there religion in peace and where the population understands and ...

Eradication of poverty Essay

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated every year on October 17 throughout the world. It was officially recognised by the United Nations . It is to honour the victims of poverty, hunger, violence and fear. One of the main aims of the day is to make the voice of the poor heard and Raising awareness of the need to eradicate poverty. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. That is, they have little or no material means of surviving—little or no food, shelter, clothes, healthcare, education, and other physical means of living and improving one’s life Poverty reduction is a major goal and issue for many international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. The World Bank estimated 1.29 billion people were living in absolute poverty in 2008. Of these, about 400 million people in absolute poverty lived in India and 173 million people in China. Poverty has been a serious problem over centuries. Every year, there are millions of people at the risk of hunger. we have to fight corruption. This is one of the great sources of poverty. A country with a lot of corruption will grow slower than others, and eventually, the economic activities will decline. The principal cause of why poverty exists is because of this simple fact. The Earth, on an environmental and economic standpoint, cannot satisfy every single human being’s wish, desire and demand when it comes to the consumption of goods and services because of scarce natural resources. This harsh reality will always be present within an economically driven society given the exploitation of natural resources and the constant pursuit of economic growth. the problem lies in the distribution of this consumption where extremely few people consume almost 70% to 80% of these resources while large numbers of people consume just under 20% of the same resources. poverty results in the lack of resources. poor students do not have the opportunity to study in good schools, get good coaching, study good books. poverty also leads to crime. when one is unable to earn money from fair mean, they turn to become thieves, robbers, pockpocketers, even terrorist.. poverty also leads to overpopulation which is itself one of the big challenges faced by us. people think that by having more children, they will have more earning hands. thus, leading to increased population of the country. to set all things in order, it is necessary to remove poverty.(ERADICATION OF POVERTY) In order to prevent poverty, the causes that create poverty itself have to be recognized and fixed. 1.overpopulation 2.distribution of resources 3.lack of education : 4.economic trends : rich becoming richer and poor becoming poorer.ment 5.corruption 6.unemployment However, the essence in the prevention of poverty lies in the fixing of causes and not in the fixing of factors that create poverty. Poverty cannot be removed overnight. it is a long job. it can be wiped step by step. Educational facilities should be provided to all the poor families so that their outlook/ way of seeing things is broadened. the exploitation of poor should be stopped. the programs/money issued by the government should be provided to the poor in full. Then and then only can poverty be removed.

Stem Cell Research Essay example - 880 Words

Stem Cell Research Imagine a world where every day scientists create human beings, cultivate them for a week, and then destroy them. This scenario sounds vaguely familiar to the creation of Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein. The difference between the creation of Frankenstein and the creation of human beings is that the latter has already become true as scientist are creating and destroying embryos. Scientist today even in the United States are creating human embryos and then destroying them when performing stem cell research, but the government does not fund these scientists. Now think of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or paralysis. Would you deny them a life without suffering if the cure for the†¦show more content†¦Would you hold back your government’s money from funding stem cell research if it was your child desperately waiting for a cure from stem cell research? I understand that conservatives believe life begins at conception; thus, stem cell research is murder. However, there are several thousands of embryos each year discarded from left over in-vitro fertilization banks and aborted fetuses that could be used for stem cell research. These embryos are already destined for destruction, so why not use them for a better purpose? They can be used to save many lives. I do not agree with abortion; however, since abortion is legal in the United States, some good should come out of this terrible act. If the embryos are merely discarded, no good has come from their terrible end of life. Yet if the embryos destined for destruction are used for stem cell research, they could provide some other people with the blessing of a healthy life. You could think of these embryos as little Jesuses giving their lives so that others have live a blessed life. Since there are thousands of embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization banks and aborted fetuses, it is unnecessary for scientists to create embryos solely for the purpose of destruction. Scientists in the United States are now creating embryos and destroying them; however, it is not being done byShow MoreRelatedStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1338 Words   |  6 Pages Stem Cells Stem cells are cells that are found throughout the human body. They reproduce over a long period of time without changing. Stem cells can produce specialized cells, such as brain, muscle or lung cells. Stem cells in the last few years have recently made a big debut because medical professionals have discovered so many unique qualities to stem cells. They are on the cutting edge of medicine because of all their uses and the qualities that make them so unique from any other cell in theRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1416 Words   |  6 PagesSTEM CELLS In this report, I mainly focused on Stem-Cells. You will read about Stem-Cells and its history from the moment this term was known. Also, you will know the Sources, properties, and the types of Stem-Cells. In addition, you will know some of the pros and cons researches about Stem-Cells. Stem-Cells are cells that have the ability to divide and multiply and renew itself. †¢ Sources of Stem-Cells: 1- The first source is Bone Marrow. 2- The second source isRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells941 Words   |  4 PagesStem cells have the extraordinary power to develop into several body cell types during early growth and development. (Stem Cell Basics). Stem cells are either embryonic: from a human fetus, or somatic: from an adult (Stem Cell Basics).These cells can be used to rebuild body tissue, treat diseases, and even cure others. They can be more effective in treatment of illness than the common treatment, such as therapy or medication. Stem cells are potentially more medically effective than traditional treatmentsRead MoreStem Cells And Stem Cell Research1310 Words   |  6 Pagesnonspecialized cells which have the potential to create other types of specific cells in order to survive? Those cells are called Stem Cells and they are very crucial to develop organisms. Stem cell research is a subject that most people in the world have a different viewpoint on. Some view the issue of stem cell research and ste m cell therapy as morally wrong and a crime against humanity, others view the study of stem cells as the next step in modern science (Reeve.) I think in some twisted way, stem cellRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1261 Words   |  6 Pagescure diseases. Now we have stem cell therapy. Stem cells promise future cures for many currently considered to be â€Å"incurable† diseases, but with more research, we can overcome the controversy surrounding this this topic and help people live longer, improve their quality of life, and save many many lives. To understand the big hype about stem cells, one must know what a stem cell is. Stem cells have specialized functions that have the potential to become any type of cell in the body. According toRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells999 Words   |  4 PagesSTEM CELLS WORKING TO SPECIALIZE INTO CARDIAC CELLS Once the stem cells are delivered near the damaged areas of the heart, the regeneration of cardiac (heart) cells is possible. There is a lack of understanding on how or why specifically the stem cells turn into heart cells. â€Å"Recent studies indicated that the benefits associated with adult stem cell injection might come from paracrine effects, the effect of a nearby cell sending chemical and electrical signals to the stem cell, and not from myocardialRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1416 Words   |  6 PagesDana Moua English IV 25 April 2016 Stem Cell Research What are stem cells? Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are found in multicellular organisms. The reason for scientist’s interest in stem cells is because of the possible applications of using them. These stem cells can be used to regrow organs/tissues. By using stem cells, scientists may be able to find cures for different cancers, certain genetic diseases, and different physical trauma damages. They can be used to treat a varietyRead MoreStem Research On Stem Cell Research1747 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish 111-36 25 November 2014 Stem Cell Research Stem cell research has cultivated a new, miraculous study in the health field. The study has led to an increase in curing diseases over the past couple of decades. Before stem cell research, diseases were destroying and devastating lives continuously on end. With the use of stem cells in modern time, diseases are no longer taking control of lives. The innovation in biomedical technology, such as stem cell research, has greatly impacted the understandingRead MoreStem Cell Research : Stem Cells1999 Words   |  8 Pagesregenerative medicine, commonly known as stem cell research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells within the body that have the capability to specialize into any tissue. They are most commonly found in cord blood, bone marrow, organ donations, placenta, and embryos . Stem cells are seen by some as a new miracle treatment, encouraging many countries to invest in their research. The transfer of information, often shared through scientific reports and research, puts this topic in a highly internationalRead MoreStem Research On Stem Cell Research1271 Words   |  6 Pages! ! ! Stem Cells Research ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Jabaree Shipp English III NCVPS Mrs.Gallos 8, December 2014 ! ! ! ! ! ! Throughout most of our lifetime on Earth many have pondered the thought of how they and the things around them have been created. They wondered what makes grass grow to what makes themselves grow mentally and physically. Through extensive research and major advancements in technology over these years, decades, and centuries we still have no answer to our own questions. But, we do however