Saturday, December 28, 2019

Essay Nations Should Promote Globalization, Not Localization

Globalization and localization are two conflicting trends in international politics today. Globalization is the spread of peoples, activities, norms, ideas, goods, services, and currencies from one area of the world to another. (Rosenau 15) Localization is the narrowing of horizons and the confinement of peoples, activities, norms, ideas, goods, services, and currencies to a particular geographic area. (Rosenau 16) Globalization and localization affect the world’s countries in three main areas, politics, economics, and culture. Both globalization and localization have many benefits, as well as many costs. Globalization is a predominant force in the world today. The development of the Internet and other far-reaching communication media†¦show more content†¦Participation in global organizations also undermines political autonomy of countries. At the same time that globalization of the world is increasing, there are also strong localization sentiments. Many things can be gained by the emphasis of local distinctiveness in politics, culture, and economy. Politically, localization gives governmental autonomy to nations. Countries can spend all their time and effort on programs and policies that emphasize their priorities. Economically, the activities of producers and consumers are constricted to the country, which provides support for domestic businesses and full consumption of the goods they produce. Culturally, localization gives nations a rich sense of heritage and strengthens traditional customs and ideas. (Rosenau 17) Localization serves to strengthen individual countries. While there are benefits to localization, there are also costs. Localization decreases international trade and investment which decreases the amount and variety of goods and services available to people. Localization also prevents new customs and ideas from entering a country that could enrich their culture. Without participation in international political organizations, a country is without allies and support in times of military or economic crisis. Globalization and localization can best be understood by examining current events. One of the most prevalent examples of globalization today is evident in the firstShow MoreRelatedEssay on Nations Should Promote Localization, Not Globalization1278 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican songs being played. Later on after dinner, they may have turned on the television and seen an old rerun of Baywatch or The Simpsons dubbed into another language. These are all American things. How could they be in a foreign country? Globalization (or Integration), a process by where capital, investments, trade, and communications are not limited by national borders, would be a good explanation for this. Maybe the tourist didn’t want to be reminded of these typical American things, perhapsRead MoreNations Should Promote Localization, Not Globalization Essay1590 Words   |  7 PagesDetermining the precise costs and benefits of both globalization and localization can be difficult. The difficult part is d eciding which has the most beneficial or disturbing affect upon a country. If a country implements either theory - the outcomes will vary depending on the actions taken to implement them. Granted if the wrong concept is attempted in the wrong country, the affects it will have in the long run can be extremely harmful to the citizens of the country and all of its aspects. AndRead MoreEssay on Nations Should Promote Globalization, Not Localization1789 Words   |  8 PagesIn today’s continuously changing world, many experts say that globalization is what every business, organization, and nation should seek and welcome as a positive change. However, many people are unaware of the main focus and meaning of Globalization, especially in comparison to Localization. A large number of people believe that globalization is just another common word used to refer to changes and differences that cannot be explained or accounted for. Therefore, many different activities or changesRead Mor eEssay on Both Globalization and Localization Provide Benefits1566 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Complexities and Contradictions of Globalization, James Rosenau discusses the concepts of globalization and localization. International politics offers many examples of both of these concepts, those of which will be discussed in this essay. These concepts can be somewhat misleading, however. Globalization is not the same as globalism, which points to aspirations for a state of affairs where values are shared by or pertinent to all the world’s more than 5 billion people, their environmentRead More Globalization Will Prevail Over Localization Essay1079 Words   |  5 Pagesconstantly changing and our nation is becoming more integrated everyday. The question is are we benefiting or are we getting hurt from this integration? In this paper I will try to weigh the costs and benefits of both Globalization and Localization. Opinions vary greatly concerning this subject. Depending on what part of the world you are from and what your economic standings are you may have an entirely different opinion than someone else. In some aspects Globalization may lessen the impacts of someRead MoreNaions Must Balance Globalization and Localization Essay1801 Words   |  8 Pagespolitics offers many examples of both globalization and localization. Currently, a trend from localization to globalization has been ignited by technologically advanced communication. Both globalization and localization have costs and benefits that effect a countrys politics, economics, and culture. To begin, globalization is a process of nations, corporations, and individuals moving from a national level to an international level. James Rosenau states, Globalization seems appropriate to denote theRead MoreShould Students Be Required to Take a Second Language Course891 Words   |  4 Pagesspectacle is happening in today’s society that the world, one hundred years ago, could have never thought possible. Cultural barriers between countries are blurring and are eventually predicted to disappear entirely, forming one, global nation. This process of globalization is due mainly to the rise of modern technologies through the internet and computers. Just a few decades ago, people would have never thought that an international business meeting would be as simple as few clicks of a mouse and aRead MoreEssay on Global Trends1308 Words   |  6 Pagessuch as the European Union and various economic agreements in the Western Hemisphere and Asia? When a company considers investin g internationally, what circumstances should influence how much priority is given to global concepts and/or national differences when evaluating the four alternatives for strategic choice? Globalization has triumphed since the last century after the end of the cold war in the late 1980s. It has made extensive efforts to unify the world’s economic order, created tremendousRead MoreCase2 the Not-so-Wonderful World of Eurodisney1743 Words   |  7 Pagessame cultural and management mistakes in China that had plagued Disneyland Paris, they don’t predict the coming hurdle in China that is limited knowledge of Disney characters and lore. However, plans to increase the capacity in China will help to promote awareness of the Disney name among the mainland Chinese population and cement ties with Beijing. Problems The problem Euro Disney faced was that they overestimated the magic that was to be on performance when expanding its parks into other countriesRead MoreAnalysis Kentucky Fried Chickens Cross-Cultural Marketing Strategies1273 Words   |  6 PagesMarketing Strategies in China from the Point of View of Cultural Identity Introduction With the acceleration of the process of economic globalization, enterprises face the consumer behavior differences caused by the cultural identity between countries inevitably in the process of international operations. So, corporate marketing executives should understand the cultural background of a country and develop effective marketing strategies accordingly. In cross-cultural marketing, the famous

Friday, December 20, 2019

Gambling In Texas Essay - 2103 Words

pIn 1995, Texas proposed a referendum for the legalization of casino gambling. However, perhaps due to Texas extreme conservatism, many Texans opposed the idea. Since then, other states have joined Nevada to allow unlimited gambling in their state. From record economic growth to billions of revenue dollars for state expenditures, these states continue to reap from their bold decision while Texas remains watching from the sidelines. Rather than enjoying the same profits as its fellow states, Texas has found it hard to meet its state budget year after year. Instead of taking the road well-traveled--increasing taxes, Texas should take a page from the success stories of these states and legalize casino gambling as a legitimate way†¦show more content†¦For this reason, when the state needs more money, it has to raise sales tax or cut department spending. For example, in 1984 the sale tax was 4.25 percent, but only six years later it rose to 6.25 percent. Furthermore, cities, counties, transit authorities, and other taxing agents may levy a sales tax u p to an additional 2% combined, for a total maximum sales tax of 8.25 percent (Lavine 11). Despite the elevating taxes, many people argue that Texas has a very low combined state and local tax burden. This is only true at the state level, but at the local level Texas has a very high tax burden - 9th in sales tax per capita and 15th in property tax per capita (Lavine 15). The state managed to portray this image only because Texas pushes funding obligations down to the local level, such as public education. For this reason, cities such as Houston must implement high property taxes to ensure adequate funding for police enforcement, public transportation, and education. Because of the tremendous shortfall this year, the city of Houston resorted to layoff teachers and security personnel to meet budget requirements. Therefore, instead of continued tax hikes or sacrificing much needed state services, why not allow for casino gambling as an alternative source of revenue for the state? The direct economic impact of casino gambling is clear by looking at our neighboring states . Despite the economic impact of casino gambling, debates exist overShow MoreRelatedTexas Gambling: The Morality vs Legality of Casino Gambling Essay1846 Words   |  8 PagesFor years casino gambling was portrayed in the media and Hollywood as being associated with criminal activities and the mafia. Now with proper scrutiny and government regulations casino gambling has become a lucrative business, with casinos stock even trading on Wall Street. Casino gambling is an ever increasingly popular and legal activity in many states throughout the United States. â€Å"The term gambling or ‘gaming’ as the industry calls it, means any legalized form of wagering or betting conductedRead MorePro and Con of Liberalized Gambling in Texas7402 Words   |  30 PagesEfforts are once again underway in the legislature to bring casino-style gambling to Texas. It’s an idea that has failed in recent legislative sessions, but backers are hoping they’ve found the right formu la for success in 2009. There are many appealing arguments on the side of pro-gambling groups. Keeping gambling money that is now going to Louisiana and Oklahoma in Texas is one popular idea. Reviving the state’s horse-raising industry by allowing slot machines at racetracks is another. Some advocatesRead Morelegalizing gambling983 Words   |  4 Pages Legalizing Casino Gambling in Texas Persuasive Speech Outline Legalizing Casino Gambling in Texas Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my class about why legalizing casino gambling in Texas is for the better. Thesis Statement: Legalizing casino gambling in the state of Texas would enhance society and will be beneficial for the entire state. Organizational Pattern: Problem-Solution Introduction I. Did you know that gambling generates more revenue thanRead MoreThe Impact Of Gambling On The United States1650 Words   |  7 Pages Toulmin Argument Research Paper The concept of gambling has been around since the 1600’s when the original thirteen colonies had their own individual lotteries where people viewed gambling as a â€Å"civic responsibility† to play. These lotteries helped establish multiple universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and William and Mary. Gambling has been legal and then banned several times in three different eras; the first era in the 1600’s to mid-1800’s, the second in the late 1800’s to earlyRead MoreThe Texas Election : Three Factors For The Political Party763 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Texas Tribune analysis, the sum of hopeful spends per vote depends on three factors: how much a candidate assembles first year recruits, how much a candidate spends and what number of votes a cheerful gets. 1 Taking a gander at how much the contenders spent per vote proposes money doesnt constantly have any sort of impact in a definitive outcome. Probably the costliest battles were controlled by individuals you have probably never knew about. As, I choose to run for the Texas House of RepresentativesRead MoreBest Bitcoin Poker Sites For 20161570 Words   |  7 Pagesconsidered using an alternative currency like Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a form of money that you can use to purchase goods and services on the internet, but with the advantage of anonymity. That makes it an ideal choice for gambling sites, especially for players who live in places where gambling is illegal. While Bitcoin poker sites are relatively new to the industry, there are several good ones available to players worldwide right now. They are perfectly legal, and may be the best alternative for many playersRead MoreEssay Cheating in Sports1397 Words   |  6 PagesHoberman, Department of Germanic studies at University of Texas at Austin noted â€Å"In August 1968, the Belgian distance runner Joseph Rombaux was disqualified for a positive dope test after winning the national marathon championship. He was banned from athletics for life† (394). Cheating for the best performance in the sports is against the spirit of the sports. According to Professor John Hoberman, Department of Germanic studies at University of Texas at Austin, â€Å"The use of drugs and other prohibitedRead MoreIs Lottery a Good Idea1189 Words   |  5 PagesIs a Gambling a Good Idea? Definition of Gambling Merriam-Webster’s Learners Dictionary defined gambling as â€Å"playing a game in which you can win or lose money or possessions† (Merriam). Origin of gambling in the United States The first lottery was held in the America by the Virginia Company with the permission of the Crown to raise money to finance the establishment of the Colony in 1612. The lotteries were relatively sophisticated and included instant winners. All the original 13 raised revenueRead MoreGambling Should be Legalized.1571 Words   |  7 PagesGambling should be legalized What is gambling? According to www.dictionary.com gambling is taking a risk in the hope of gaining an advantage or a benefit. Gambling has been around for centuries and has been dated way back to 1492. People have been gambling in America ever since America was found. There are numerous underground cards clubs and casinos all over the country and in major cities. People gamble on everything: sports evens, dice, and cards. Even though people gamble every day in the UnitedRead More Gambling Essay1614 Words   |  7 Pages Gambling, while it lowers taxes and creates jobs, it also causes addicts to lose money and therefore creates a higher crime rate.A Quick History of Gambling.Gambling was a popular pastime in North America long before there was ever a United States. Playing cards and dice were brought over by both the British and the Dutch. By the end of the 17th century, just about every countryseat in colonial America had a lottery wheel. Cockfighting flourished thoughout the countr ies, especially in the South

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Business Expansion Beyond Britain Post Brexit †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Business Expansion Beyond Britain Post Brexit. Answer: Introduction: The aim of the paper is to analyse and evaluate the applications, costs and benefits of supply chain management. The backdrop of the paper is a set on Brexit and its impact on the British companies which have their major operations in Europe. The case study presents an automobile company whose major business operations are concentrated in Europe. The company would be losing its supply chain, majority customers and even employees due to Britains withdrawal from the EU. The paper studies the impact the loss of European market would have on the business of the company. It also suggests the measures like entering new markets which would help the motor making company to mitigate the business risks it would face by losing its European market. Impacts of Brexit on the automobile company: The four key factors that would have direct effect on the business of the Cardiff automobile manufacturing company in Britain if the country loses free access to the European market post Brexit are as follows: Human resource scarcity: The case study reports that the European division of the Britain based automobile company sources a major portion of its human resources from Europe. Strategic management of employees plays a very important role in the productivity of every organisation because they execute the business strategies made by the management (Epstein and Buhovac 2014). Britain would be formally exiting Brexit in 2019, which means that the companies based in the country would not have access to the free labour markets of Europe. This is an important factor as it would affect the talent pipeline of the British companies dependent on the labour markets of Europe for their labour supply (pwc.co.uk 2017). One can state in the light of the above discussion that Brexit would create scarcity in the talent acquisition of the Cardiff based automobile company as it would no longer have access to the labour markets under the EU. Material scarcity: The second factor, which would influence the productivity of the automobile company, would be scarcity of raw materials. As pointed out Britain would lose the access to the resource rich markets of Europe post Brexit. The case study shows that the automobile company sources 68 percent of its components from Europe, which it is dependent on the resource market of Europe heavily to achieve productivity. Thus, losing of access to the European market would hit the production of automobile motors in the Cardiff based company heavily (independent.co.uk 2017). Customer base: The case study shows that the automobile motor manufacturing company is based in the free market economy of Europe which means that its main consumer base is also in Europe. Thus, exit of Britain from Brexit would hit the revenue generation of the company fatally. This is because by losing access to the profitable market of Europe, the company would access to its customer base, which would decrease its revenue generation largely (Seuring 2013). Legal complications: The case study clearly mentions that the automobile company has entered into 5 years contracts with its customers, which also includes service level contracts. The means that post Brexit, the company would have to offer goods and services as per those contracts in order to avoid legal penalties. Post Brexit, the British companies would not have access to free markets of Europe and pay huge amount of taxes on their earnings in Europe. This means that the automobile company based in Britain would have to pay huge amount of taxes to operate in Europe and cater to its customers (nytimes.com 2017). Two factors influencing the automobile business: The two factors impacting the European business of the automobile company post Brexit would be scarcity of human resources and losing its substantial customer base. The overall impact of these two factors in the business of the Britain based automobile company would be a massive reduction in productivity and revenue generation. The company would be required to pay huge logistics expenses to acquire resources and sell goods in Europe post Brexit that would lead to plummeting operating costs. The company due to Brexit would be forced to lose customers, suppliers and human resources in Europe, which would restrict it within Britain, its local market. This decrease in market presence and profitability would result in reduction of risk mitigation capabilities of the company. Moreover, the company would be required to make strategies to deal with its increase in business risk. Skills sets required to function post Brexit: The following are the skills, which the automobile company requires to develop in order to operate post losing access to the markets of Europe and uphold productivity and delivery of products to retain customers: Training of human resource in Britain: Training can be defined as the human resource function which involves imparting skills and knowledge to employees to improve their performances. The case study shows that majority of the human resources of the company originates from Europe. The company would require paying 1000 per European employee yearly to employ them post Prexit which would greatly increase the operation costs (independent.co. 2017). The automobile company must acquire and train human resources from Britain to make them capable of delivering high productivity so that the it can earn profits even after it loses its European employees. The company must train new supply chain managers who would appraise and schedule the supply chains to bring about their improvements. Thus training the employees would help the company to manage its supply chains to acquire superior quality raw materials (Aradhye and Kallurkar 2014). Diversity management: Diversity management refers to the skills of the organisations to employ and manage a diverse employee population having varying gender, cultural, national or religious background. The case study clearly states that the majority of the employees working in the automobile company were from Europe while the remaining employees were from Britain. Brexit would require the company to lose its majority workforce due to loss of access to the markets of Europe, which would impact its productivity. The company should adopt the skill of diversity management to employ employees from other big labour markets like America, Australia and Asia (forbes.com 2017). This would ensure uninterrupted productivity and delivery of products to the customers. Consideration and evaluation of new supply chain: It can be evaluated that the automobile company can explore the possibilities of seeking supply chain in new markets to source raw materials and sell finished goods. The markets of Asia and America can provide the car component making company in Cardiff with human resources, material resources and capital. These markets experience huge demands of automobile motors and hence can provide the Cardiff based company with a huge customer base. This evaluation shows that the motor manufacturing company can enter these markets to earn huge profits. Moreover, the company can use the profit it earns from these markets to diversify the losses it would incur by losing free access to the markets of Europe post Brexit (Christopher 2016). Expansion of Supply chain into new markets: The company can expand its supply chain into new markets like Asia and would require an aggressive foreign market entry strategy to enter these new markets. It would first require carrying out a feasibility test to ensure that the motor parts making business would be able to thrive in the new markets like Asia. The feasibility tests should include technology, human resource and financial feasibility tests. If the feasibility tests are positive, the company can form foreign market entry strategies, which is the second stage (Epstein and Buhovac 2014). The company must consider several foreign market entry strategies like partnership, direct export and franchisee. The third stage would be forming strategies like product strategy, supply chain management strategy, human resource strategy and marketing strategy to enter the new markets. The fourth strategy would be carrying out market segmentation to locate the potential customers who can purchase the motors of the automobile company in these new markets. The fifth stage the automobile company can take to expand its supply chain management into the new markets of Asia and America is to seek advices from business consultants and partners having knowledge about these markets (forbes.com 2017). Analysis of performance of supply chain management: The automobile company based in Cardiff should analyse the performance of the supply chain by using appropriate logistics techniques. The study would consider using transit time from new warehouses or manufacturing plants to measure performance of supply chain in the new markets. The supply chain should employ just in time(JIT) logistic techniques to ensure that minimum time is wasted to transport the materials to the production plants from the new warehouses in the new markets. This would ensure that the materials are made available for production and help the company to save inventory costs in the new markets (Chyr and Huang 2016). Viability of sole reliance of business operations on the UK: It will not be viable for the automobile company to restrict its business dealings to British and it must split its business between Britain and its new markets like the USA to counteract the challenge it is facing by probable loss of the European markets. This will allow it to use the international logistics network of the country to acquire raw materials and sell finished goods (Monczka et al. 2015). Cost benefit analysis: As per the currency exchange rate as on November 21, 2017, I GBP is equal to $1.32. This means an amount of GBP 100000 is equal to $ 132345.16. Again $1 is equal to GBP 0.76. If the automobile company sells a unit of motor for GBP 100000 or $132345.16 in the US at 10% profit, it would gain revenue of $ 145579.68 $ 145579.68 would come to GBP 109927.20 which means the company gains a profit of 10% on a unit of motor by selling it in the US. Evaluation of the findings of the analysis: An evaluation of the above explanations shows that by expanding into foreign markets like the US, the motor company can earn high profits. This will allow the company to enjoy the benefit of distributing the losses it would suffer by withdrawn from Europe post Brexit. Moreover, the company can benefit by catering to the motor industry of the US, which would allow it to earn high profits (Brandenburg et al. 2014) Conclusion: The above analysis shows that the British automobile parts making company would suffer huge losses by losing its European markets due to Brexit. It can be recommended that the company should enter new markets like Asia and America. It can also be recommended that it must split its business among these markets. It would help it to accede to new supply chains to acquire raw materials and sell its goods to a greater customer base. This would allow to it to earn higher profits. References: Aradhye, A.S. and Kallurkar, S.P., 2014. A Case Study of Just-In-Time System in Service Industry.Procedia Engineering,97, pp.2232-2237. Brandenburg, M., Govindan, K., Sarkis, J. and Seuring, S., 2014. Quantitative models for sustainable supply chain management: Developments and directions.European Journal of Operational Research,233(2), pp.299-312. Brexit: what are the implications for HR?. (2017).PwC. Retrieved 21 November 2017, from https://www.pwc.co.uk/the-eu-referendum/brexit-what-are-implications-for-hr.html Christopher, M. 2016.Logistics supply chain management. Pearson UK. Chyr, F.C. and Huang, S.Y., 2016. The Maximum Setup Time and Setup Cost of Achieving Just-in-Time System.Journal of Business Theory and Practice,4(1), p.75. Epstein, M. J., Buhovac, A. R. (2014).Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Epstein, M.J. and Buhovac, A.R., 2014.Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Forbes Welcome. 2017.Forbes.com. Retrieved 21 November 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/03/07/solving-the-uks-post-brexit-blue-collar-labor-shortage/#793d70d775a3 Forbes Welcome. 2017.Forbes.com. Retrieved 21 November 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2013/10/08/five-steps-to-expand-your-business-globally/2/#17b6410411fb Merrick, R. 2017.The government is considering a 1,000 levy on EU skilled wokers.The Independent. Retrieved 21 November 2017, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-latest-news-uk-employers-pay-1000-per-eu-skilled-worker-european-immigration-skills-levy-a7521626.html Monczka, R.M., Handfield, R.B., Giunipero, L.C. and Patterson, J.L., 2015.Purchasing and supply chain management. Cengage Learning. Seuring, S. 2013. A review of modeling approaches for sustainable supply chain management.Decision support systems,54(4), 1513-1520. Times, T. 2017.How Brexit Could Change Business in Britain.Nytimes.com. Retrieved 21 November 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/business/international/brexit-uk-what-happens-business.html

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Nine Stages of Divine Vision Essay Example For Students

Nine Stages of Divine Vision Essay Nine Stages of Divine VisionNine stages of life are formed by nine crises that shape our awareness and the way we envision and experience the divine in both our cultural and isolated lives. Out vision of the divine is determined by the unique forms and forces in each stage of our lives. The first stage is the unborn stage of the womb. The first part of the first stage is the unborn womb. Since the womb is almost perfect for our prenatal needs, there is an incomparable experience of Kinesthetic euphoria which is the ideal condition for the realization of bliss. The womb provides for the need before it even suffers the need. The bliss is the idea that self-sufficient awareness that precedes desire and satisfaction, and still haunts after birth has broken the primal serenity. The second part of the first stage is the Lakshm and Vishnu within the comic serpent. The unborn bliss is the first taste of paradise, which we all seek to recover. Each succeeding stage builds upon this infinite awareness adding its own images and forms to its evolving biological, social and psychological experience. Buddha and Jesus both include this idea in their teachings. The next stage is the baby stage of the divine mother. The first part of this stage is the Venus of Laussel. There are many images of her floating around that she is over 20,000 years old. She ruled over human awareness. Her predecessors thought it was simple: just as the human mother creates human life, so the Great Mother of the creation creates all life: plants and animals. By her breasts she nourishes her whole creation. She is the universe. The sun and moon are her eyes. The Milky Way are her breasts. And the earth is her body. Maybe she is still with us when we speak of Mother Nature. Mother Goddess is the first personification of the divine in human form. The second part of the second stage is the Madonna of Mercy. This Divine Goddess can resolve our problems and be with us all the time. She can also satisfy our deepest needs and open us to the heavenly gate of eternal and immortal life. The youth stage of the divine father is the next stage. He is the supreme deity of the Rom ans, named Jupiter. When man seizes the divine power for himself and expels the women from the dignity they hold for millennia as the divine mother. He is the god of thunder, lightning, and mountaintops. Next is the return of the prodigal. The vision of the divine father in a parable by Jesus Christ and in a painting by Rembrandt may be the most sublime revelation of god ever portrayed. The fathers forgiving love is expressed most when her forgives his son for betrayal. Tutankhamon and Ankesenamon is another part of a stage. This royal couple ascended to one of the greatest empires in the ancient world. There was a bit of sadness when King Tut died in his 19th year and his widowed wife could not find someone to remarry. To reach the stage of the couple, each individual must achieve a gender identity of male or female. When kids first discover gender, they tend to see the human race as divided by gender. Yet when they fall in love they really fall in love with a dimension of ones own lost self. In the Annunciation, there are classic forms of the young god and goddess about to consummate the sacred marriage. Through the experience of the couple, they project an image of ecstasy between man and woman, which is the archetype for the union between the soul and God. The man and woman as lovers recover the bliss and ecstasy which the unborn lose in separation from the parents. Another stage is the parent of the divine child. The first part of this is the nativity. This represents the first time that the divine really needs the help and care of the worshippers. At Christmas, the Christ child needs the love of Joseph and Mary, the gifts of the wise men, and the worship of the shepherds. God needs us just as much as we need him. Next is the Krishna on a swing. This is for the Hindu religion. One of the enviable qualities of the child is its ability to see divine with the dream eyes of childhood, which are gradually going to fade away due to adulthood. The divine child c ompletes the divine family which comprises the primal trinity of divine worship. After learning the nine different stages and writing about five of them. I have fully grasped and understood what the nine stages are all about. I have never really thought about the things mentioned in your book, until I read them. This section of your book has made me look at religion from a whole different stand point.