King Essays - Cornish People, Holy Grail, Arthurian Legend

King Arthur If the name of King Arthur is mentioned, I suppose what comes to mind is not so much one person as a whole array of characters and themes, a montage so to speak. Of course we do think first of the King, the magnificent monarch of a glorified or idealized medieval realm. But we think also of his Queen, of the fair and wayward Guinevere, we think of his enchanter, Merlin, who presided over his birth, who set him on the throne, who established him there in the early and travelled days of his reign. There were the knights of the Round Table, vowed to the highest ideals of chivalry, and the greatest of them, Sir Lancelot, who, of course, has a tragic love affair with the Queen. There is another great love story, that of Tristan and Isolde, the theme of Wagner's Opera. We think of the place where these people assembled, Camelot, Arthur's magnificent, personal castle and capital and then, there are stranger things; the story of the quest for the Holy Grail, giving a spiritual dimension to the whole story and there is magic. Not only the magic of Merlin but the magic also of his strange, ambiguous student, the women, the enchantress, Morgan LaFay. And at the end is the tragedy of Arthur's downfall, his passing away at the isle of Avalon and another mystery that we do not know what really happened to him that he was said to be immortal, that one day he would return and restore the golden age in his country. Now, of course, this is all a realm of the imagination conceived by great authors in the middle ages and put in medieval garb. But perhaps few people realize what a very great realm of the imagination it is, how vast a literature this has been. In the middle ages this was the great theme of creative writing in poetry and prose. Not only in England, but preeminently in France and in Germany there were romances of Arthur. In fact, in every language of Christendom at that time. I suppose, the version we know best is the one that was composed in the 15th century. This is the great English version of the story, compiled out of earlier versions by the creative genius of a rather mysterious and cryptic figure, the knight, Sir Thomas Malory. But the story doesn't end there. The whole thing revives in the time of Queen Victoria, with Tennyson's "Idylls of the King." As a result of this great work on the Arthurian Cycle by England's Poet Laureate, the story became known to everybody. Other poems, novels and plays in our own time, and almost a rebirth of it yet again in T. H. White's novels, "The Sword and the Stone" and "The Once and Future King" and other plays and musicals and films based on these works. There are Rosemary Sutcliff, Mary Stewart, Marian Bradley, Pat Godwin and others, who have gone off on another line and tried to imagine the Britain of King Arthur as it might really have been. What I have personally been most concerned with is the background of all this, and the question, "where did it come from originally?" It's a very obvious thing to ask the straight question, "did King Arthur exist?" And in fact you cannot give a straight answer to that question; yes and no are both wrong. There were other great historical figures who became the heros of medieval legends, such as Alexander the Great and Charlemagne. We know that they existed and if somebody asks whether they did, we can say "yes" directly because we have reliable, historical records of them. But with Arthur, it is rather more difficult because the emphasis really is all on the legend, the romance. If we say "yes," that would imply that this magnificent medieval monarch existed and reigned, at some time or other, in his glorified medieval court as described as by Malory, Tennyson and the romances. Of course, he didn't. There is no such person as King Arthur, in that sense; it's quite an impossible idea. So we cannot say "yes," directly, but to say "no" is also misleading because that implies that he is completely fictitious, that he was all made up in the middle ages when these stories were first told, and that there is no sort of background or original person behind the stories, at all. That, too, is misleading. This is a puzzle, a very difficult question. The

Film review of Frank Capras Arsenic and Old Lace

Film review of Frank Capras Arsenic and Old Lace Frank Capra's 1944 classic "Arsenic and Old Lace" is a true "Black Comedy" classic. It contains all the elements need to make a black comedy work. Unlike other types of comedy Capra uses the symbiotic bond of tragedy and comedy to make this remarkable funny film. Capra's use of characterization allows us to bond closely to the players and brings up strong emotional ties which are imperative to the films success. Because Arsenic and Old Lace was originally adapted from a Broadway show it is possible to look at the differences between, a motion picture and live production and get very different opinions out of each production.Arsenic and Old Lace (film)Comedy and tragedy have a closely linked bond that is sometimes highly misunderstood, we as an audience will laugh at highly gruesome and macabre scene and laugh. Why this does happens? I don't know if that can be answered fully by anyone, but that is just the principle Capra uses in Arsenic and Old Lace. If you look at the story it is p retty sick. You have two old women killing men they think would be better of dead because they are lonely, and their mentally ill nephew who buries them in their basement. They show no remorse for what they do, and have in fact come to enjoy it. In real life is such a story was to happen we would all think how sick these women must be and then send them to the electric chair, but as we watch the movie we laugh, and think that is so funny. This has to do with the whole basis of black humor, which to me is that's funny as long as it's not happening to me.One of the other brilliant aspects of Arsenic and Old Lace is its...

Challenging Obstacle

Well the most challenging obstacle that I had to overcome was the death of my father. My life was turned upside down when it all happened. It greatly impacted me on a physical and mental level. Luckily this challenge taught me to cherish life. It even brought me closer to God and to understand that he has a plan for all of us. It pushed me to become more determined and motivated in any activity I partake in. Our family is much closer now then we were before. His death opened my eyes and my mind to accept the idea that you must live life to the fullest. Not only did it teach me to live life but it showed me how to be confident, strong, respectable to everyone and everything, and how to appreciate the little things in life. This would definitely be the hardest obstacle that I ever had to face in my life. Ever since that faithful day my views on life have changed dramatically. Now I have become more an optimistic individual. Yes, I am more optimistic because now I see the true beauty of the world that I always overlooked. When I see pictures of nature it releases a feeling of sanctity or even solace. I don’t take life for granted anymore, now I strongly believe that every life is precious even the pesky bugs. His leaving revealed that instead of rushing life I should stop every once in a while and take a gander at nature. Like a moment to soak it all in and embrace the true beauty that so much people fail to see. Now I live in the moment instead of worrying what the future brings. This ordeal has brought me a lot more near to God. In my prayers I learned that God needed him and that my father had fulfilled his purpose. I know it sound cliche but it is the truth and no one can tell me differently. Instead of resorting to drug I turned to God and he helped me through the pain. In a way God has taken the role of a fatherly figure and I am grateful. I go to church more often and I feel more alive and refreshed. This trial has shown me the love that God has to offer and how he will take care of you when your love ones are gone. God has become an important factor in my life after my dad died. My determination is at the highest point it could be. I have this motivation to strive to become the best I can. I do these things to make my father proud and to honor his legacy. To be honest, if my father was alive today I wouldn’t have fathom the idea of taking Advanced Placement courses. I would have relied on my dad to do everything for me including finding and paying for my college. Now I can proudly say that with this newfound determination I can succeed on my own. For once in my life I am actually studying and pushing myself to the limit on how much I can learn and retain. I was able to turn such a negative situation into a positive by using it to fuel my dreams. When all was finished this traumatic event created a feeling of togetherness. Our family became tighter and closer together. Now we set up family nights where it would either be Mexican night meaning we make Mexican dishes or game night where we battle it out on the Wii. On certain Saturday’s we all would go out to any restaurant mostly Chili’s and sit-down and talk about how our week was. In a sense we come together and evaluate our week and sometimes we even reminisce about him. It is better to remember the good times than to remember what happened that cold December night. His death brought our family together and taught individual to enjoy the times we have left on Earth because you never know when it is your time. The experience I gained was how to be confident in everything I do. I learned how to be strong in times of great distress. I now have the utmost respect for every living thing. Also, his death allowed me to see how important life is and how we must make the most of it. You always live like it is you last day and always be willing to aid those in need. My father passing away gave me lesson that I hope to pass onto my children. Seeing my father go would have to be the hardest thing that I ever had to overcome. Thanks to God I am standing here stronger than ever. Instead of using this as an excuse I am using this as fuel to empower me. This situation has impacted me physical and mental but I won’t ever let it hold me down. In my heart I know that my father will never accept less so I will aim for the highest peak and ride it out to the end. Challenging Obstacle Well the most challenging obstacle that I had to overcome was the death of my father. My life was turned upside down when it all happened. It greatly impacted me on a physical and mental level. Luckily this challenge taught me to cherish life. It even brought me closer to God and to understand that he has a plan for all of us. It pushed me to become more determined and motivated in any activity I partake in. Our family is much closer now then we were before. His death opened my eyes and my mind to accept the idea that you must live life to the fullest. Not only did it teach me to live life but it showed me how to be confident, strong, respectable to everyone and everything, and how to appreciate the little things in life. This would definitely be the hardest obstacle that I ever had to face in my life. Ever since that faithful day my views on life have changed dramatically. Now I have become more an optimistic individual. Yes, I am more optimistic because now I see the true beauty of the world that I always overlooked. When I see pictures of nature it releases a feeling of sanctity or even solace. I don’t take life for granted anymore, now I strongly believe that every life is precious even the pesky bugs. His leaving revealed that instead of rushing life I should stop every once in a while and take a gander at nature. Like a moment to soak it all in and embrace the true beauty that so much people fail to see. Now I live in the moment instead of worrying what the future brings. This ordeal has brought me a lot more near to God. In my prayers I learned that God needed him and that my father had fulfilled his purpose. I know it sound cliche but it is the truth and no one can tell me differently. Instead of resorting to drug I turned to God and he helped me through the pain. In a way God has taken the role of a fatherly figure and I am grateful. I go to church more often and I feel more alive and refreshed. This trial has shown me the love that God has to offer and how he will take care of you when your love ones are gone. God has become an important factor in my life after my dad died. My determination is at the highest point it could be. I have this motivation to strive to become the best I can. I do these things to make my father proud and to honor his legacy. To be honest, if my father was alive today I wouldn’t have fathom the idea of taking Advanced Placement courses. I would have relied on my dad to do everything for me including finding and paying for my college. Now I can proudly say that with this newfound determination I can succeed on my own. For once in my life I am actually studying and pushing myself to the limit on how much I can learn and retain. I was able to turn such a negative situation into a positive by using it to fuel my dreams. When all was finished this traumatic event created a feeling of togetherness. Our family became tighter and closer together. Now we set up family nights where it would either be Mexican night meaning we make Mexican dishes or game night where we battle it out on the Wii. On certain Saturday’s we all would go out to any restaurant mostly Chili’s and sit-down and talk about how our week was. In a sense we come together and evaluate our week and sometimes we even reminisce about him. It is better to remember the good times than to remember what happened that cold December night. His death brought our family together and taught individual to enjoy the times we have left on Earth because you never know when it is your time. The experience I gained was how to be confident in everything I do. I learned how to be strong in times of great distress. I now have the utmost respect for every living thing. Also, his death allowed me to see how important life is and how we must make the most of it. You always live like it is you last day and always be willing to aid those in need. My father passing away gave me lesson that I hope to pass onto my children. Seeing my father go would have to be the hardest thing that I ever had to overcome. Thanks to God I am standing here stronger than ever. Instead of using this as an excuse I am using this as fuel to empower me. This situation has impacted me physical and mental but I won’t ever let it hold me down. In my heart I know that my father will never accept less so I will aim for the highest peak and ride it out to the end.

International Business Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Business Globalization - Essay Example Free zones have been set up in the UAE which are completely tax-free to attract investment (Zaman, 2011). The toy sales in UAE have been burgeoning recently with the rise in sales reaching the mark of 17% when the global sale has shrunk by 0.08% (Ligaya, 2009), as per the research of NSD, a US based Research firm. This has particularly raised the interest of Kids R Us to explore into the market of China. Kids R Us, a leading toy company, headquartered in Dubai is one of the largest in its category. The company has been largely successful in its line of products for children under the age of three, which has hugely contributed in the recent revenue earnings as per the company’s annual report. The company has recently been trying to enter the Chinese market with its new product called the â€Å"The Singing Piano† as a starter and wishes to expand with its other products after gaining a foothold in the Chinese toy market. Business Concept Kids R Us is an UAE toy company wi th its headquarters at Dubai. The company was small at its onset, but over the years, it has established itself as one of the largest in the toy making business. The company mainly specializes in the production of toys for children of all ages. However, it had started out with producing toys for infants and till date, the largest portion of the company’s revenue stems from the toys designed for infants. Mission The company pays huge attention to the corporate responsibilities. The mission of the company can be summarized as: Playing with integrity. Promoting the team spirit among the employees to increase the efficiency of the organizational structure. Promoting sustainability in its growth and reduce any toxic impacts on the environment. Playing for all, where it acts in a philanthropic... From the discussion it is clear that  globalization in the recent times has made the world a very small place. The positive impact of globalization has helped countries to attract more foreign investment into them to boost the overall growth. The eagerness of UAE to attract further foreign investments is evident from its policies since 2002. Owing to the easing polices taken since 2002 by the federal government, these restrictions are now relaxed to make the foreign firms invest in UAE. Free zones have been set up in the UAE which are completely tax-free to attract investment.This study stresses that Kids R Us is an UAE toy company with its headquarters at Dubai. The company was small at its onset, but over the years, it has established itself as one of the largest in the toy making business. The company mainly specializes in the production of toys for children of all ages. However, it had started out with producing toys for infants and till date, the largest portion of the company ’s revenue stems from the toys designed for infants. The company aims to establish itself as the most sustainable one in the business with the ambition of manufacturing in the most eco-friendly way. The slogan of the company aptly captures its vision statement which reads â€Å"Toys which makes the earth smile†.  Kids R Us aims to introduce its newest toy, â€Å"The Singing Piano† in the Chinese market. The toy was first launched in Dubai and met with stellar reviews. It has been observed that the sales of indoor games along with outdoor games have been on a rise.

EC coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

EC coursework - Essay Example It does not therefore implement the directive. Anil works as an electrician for North West Electricity PLC, a privatized utilities company. His wife is expecting a baby in May 2006. In February 2006 he applied for paternity leave and was refused on the grounds that his contract does not provide for it. Unlike EC regulation which is binding in its entirety and directly applicable to all member-states of the European Union1, a directive is binding only as to the result to be achieved2 and upon the member-state to which it is addressed. It also leaves to the national authorities the choice of form and methods by which to implement the said directive. Relevant to this problem is the question of direct effect of the subject directive without the need for it to be implemented by national law. According to the doctrine, Community law creates rights in favour of individuals, which the national courts are duty bound to protect.3 Stated otherwise, direct effect refers to the principle whereby certain provisions of Community law may confer rights or impose obligations on individuals that national courts are bound to recognize and enforce. ... without need of national implementing legislation.6 The period for implementation of the directive has already expired, as stated in the given facts. As counsel for Anil, I would advise him to initiate proceedings against his employer North West Electricity PLC in the proper forum and against the State, if the first action is denied. Re: Brian I would advise Brian to make his application with his employer, Quickfoods Ltd and if denied pursue the same actions as Anil would be taking in his case. Before denial, Brian would have no locus standi to file the necessary action in national courts. Re: Anil (and Brian if his application is denied) Because Anil has already been denied, I will rely on the cases of Becker7, Marshall8 and Ratti9, which allowed the filing of proceedings against member-states relying on individual rights conferred by directives and file the proper action to ask the national court and/or the European court to exercise the duty of consistent interpretation "so far as is reasonably possible" expounded in Marleasing10. In our case, we will endeavour to convince the national and/or the European court(s) that the case involves the issue of vertical direct effect and not horizontal direct effect if seen solely from the point of view of compelling the clients' private employers to grant the paternity rights granted under the directive instead of the existing statutes. My advice will be bolstered by the concept of standing in national law. National courts of first instance would only grant standing where a specific individual right has been identified and violated. The first action will be filed with the Court of First Instance. If the national court of first instance exercises jurisdiction over the case but denies the reliefs prayed for, I would

Armed forces Essay Example for Free

Armed forces Essay This section provides information on the soldiers, sailors and airman who gained, maintained and then lost an empire. It must be remembered that the vast majority of the empires military manpower was recruited from outside the mother country. It is interesting to note that some of the fiercest resistors to the British went on to become the staunchest allies and defenders of her empire; Highlanders, Sikhs and Gurkhas are perhaps the best examples of this phenomena. The military history of the empire is rich in colour and variety but is also inevitably linked to the darker and more sinister side of the empire through conquest, pacification and destruction. The tentacles of the military spread throughout the empire and beyond, the armed forces were not only the conquerors and defenders of the empire but also provided the garrisons that policed the vast expanses of territory and enabled communication over the vast distances involved. The military was very much the most important institution of the empire. Land forces Infantry The years around 1783 were tumultuous ones for the army and things were about to become even more difficult in the near future. The Army was coming to the end of its actions in the 13 colonies. Political and military defeat hung heavily over Britain at the time. The army had borne the brunt of the unsuccessful campaign and so were associated with the failure. Life was to become even more dangerous and precarious for the British army as it become embroiled in the highly difficult task of containing the expansion of Revolutionary and then Napoleonic France. The army would therefore be forced to expand to an unusually large size and would be strained to its limits. The prominent role played by the British army in ultimately defeating Napoleon would restore its pride and prestige both at home and overseas. In the period following victory in 1815, the British army was regarded as the fire brigade of the Empire being sent to wherever there were disturbances or problems. It would become involved in countless small wars in far flung corners of the globe, most of which would be successful endeavours. However, the army would be sorely tested by the events of the Crimean war and the Indian mutiny. The problems encountered in these actions provided the rationale for the Cardwell army reforms which were implemented progressively from the late 1860s to the early 1880s. The numbering system used by the British army in order to determine precedence was first used in 1751. The year 1782 is interesting because it is the first time that many of these regiments were associated with a specific local area. Theoretically, this was to be where their depot was to be based and their recruiting to take place. However, constant strategical and manpower needs meant that these regiments could be posted anywhere and were keen to take recruits from wherever they could find them. In this period of history, the numbers were the more important of the designations and would be used on a day to day basis. However, the territorial titles would later form the basis of the next major overhaul of the regimental system almost exactly 100 years later: the Cardwell Army reforms. Foot guards Number Title 1st The First Regiment of Foot Guards 2nd The Second (Cold stream) Regiment of Foot Guards 3rd His Majesties Third Regiment of Foot Guards Cavalry First troop of life guards Badge Nicknames The Bangers Lumpers The Cheesemongers The Fly-slicers The Piccadilly Butchers The Roast and Boiled The Ticky Tins The Tin Bellies The Patent Safeties Motto Honi soit qui mal y pense Evil be to him who evil thinks Regimental Marches Millanollo (Quick) Val Hamm The Life Guards Slow March (Slow) Regimental Anniversary Waterloo Day 18th June Colonels 1660 1788 Soldiers 1660 1788 Successor Units 1st Life Guards (1660 1788) The Life Guards (1922 ) Suggested Reading History of the Household Cavalry by Sir George Arthur (Constable: 1909, 1926: 3 vols) The Story of the First Life Guards (Harrap: 1922) Historical Record of the Life Guards (London: Clowes: 1836) Regimental Museum Household Cavalry Museum Combermere Barracks Windsor More go to http://www.btinternet.com/~britishempire/empire/forces/armyunits/britishcavalry/1sttroopofhorseguards.html Artillery Horse artillery Battery Sergeant-Major The other picture of the Battery Sergeant-major is a coloured engraving from a photo. He has gold braiding. The back end of a 12-pounder is accurately shown. Officer 1890 The Officer is in full dress on his charger. Sergeants with 12 Pounder The Sergeants are in various forms of dress. The one in the forground is in full dress or parade dress, the others are in different combinations of working dress. Mounted SergeantThe gold cord braiding on his jacket indicates that he is a Sergeant. F Battery in Second Afghan War Science and technology Transport Railways The nineteenth century saw many technological changes, but none of them were to have as wide repurcussions as the invention of the train. The power of steam had been known for some time but applying this power to moving heavy goods and people over long distances was one application that would have profound consequences and serve the British and their Empire for well over a hundred years. It was George Stephenson who realised the full power and potential of the steam engine when he designed a machine that could take advantage of narrow copper tubes which could be heated to create the all important steam power. The Rocket was the first such steam engine to take advantage of this new technology as it operated between Liverpool and Manchester from 1830. However, technical change was to become rapid and the train was to change its appearance and technical specifications again and again. Inevitably, it was the mother country that first saw her landscape transformed by this new invention. Navvies from Ireland, Scotland and the North of England scarred the landscape with viaducts, bridges and tunnels in the pursuit of the smooth gradients that trains required to travel at their most efficient level. They were paid a pittance for excruciating and dangerous work. In many ways, these navvies represented one of the largest migrations of Imperial settlers as they moved over from Ireland or as they followed the train tracks around the country and ended up settling in the last place they found work. In 1847 there were a quarter of a million navvies digging and blasting their way over the British landscape, their travels are one of the lesser documented migrations of history. However, the job they did is still plain to see in the British landscape some 150 years later and will be for many more years to come. The amount of track laid in Britain increased from only 500 miles in 1838 to over 8,000 by 1855. This expansion of track also brought down the cost of travel so that all but the poorest could afford to travel by train. In the stagecoach days, a ticket from London to Manchester and back would have cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3 10s but by 1851 the train fare for this same journey was only 5s (a seventh of the stagecoach fare) for a far quicker and more comfortable journey. Of course, the expansion of the railways didnt just rest on the invention of the steam train. Iron was needed for the rails and its mass production helped to reduce the costs to the railway industry. In addition, iron girders and glass were used to construct magnificent looking railway stations. Even older industries, like stonemasonry were given a new lease of life as vast quantities of stone and rock were needed for sleepers, bridges and stations. The railway age was an enormous boost to the economy of Britain, and would provide the country with one of the most efficient infrastructures for the remainder of the century. It wouldnt take colonial administrators long to see the benefits that such an infrastructure could bring to the colonies they were in charge of. Particularly, as some of these colonies could be immense in size and with little existing infrastructure. Horses and ships had provided the most efficient means of transport to date, but ships obviously couldnt reach the interior and horses could not match the speed and power of this latest invention. The old established colonies like India, leapt at the railway opportunities and built a railway structure that would even rival the mother countrys in scope and scale. They were often financed by British industrialists keen to move the primary and secondary products of India to the ports ready to be exported to Britain and her factories. Cotton, spices and teas would all provide the economic model for railway building that would later be copied in other colonies by other crops and industries; rubber in Malaysia, coffee in South America, grains in Canada and livestock in Australia and New Zealand. In some colonies, railways were used more as the initial spur to encourage colonisation of an area. In Africa, railways were built to provide an infrastructure that would lure white colonists into an area in order to farm the area and turn it into a profitable colony. South Africa, Rhodesia and Kenya all wanted to increase their white population and increase the economic activity of their lands and all spent copious amounts of money and effort into building railways in what were very often inhospitable areas to European settlers. They all had varying degrees of success, but were built nonetheless. Indeed, one of the burning issues of late nineteenth century was Cecil Rhodes burning ambition to build a Cape to Cairo railway line that passed through British territory all the way. And this dream, although not realised by a train network, certainly influenced a great deal of Central African colonisation during the period. Another spur to the railway building in the nineteenth century was the British army. They too, quickly identified the advantages in being able to move troops and supplies around in a quick and efficient manner. The army would often try to influence local colonial administrators and get them to build railway lines to places which had little business or economic rationale. Alternatively, the army would build its own railway lines in areas they felt were necessary. In the case of Kitcheners Sudan campaign in the late 1890s, the army travelled down the Nile slowly but surely, not just out of tactical considerations, but because they were building a railway line as they travelled. In fact, this railway line is still in use as Sudans major railway line over a hundred years after it was built by the British army. Likewise in the Boer war, the British army came to depend on the strategic advantages of the railway network, but would also be exposed to the vulnerability of this network as the Boers transformed themselves into a guerilla army and destroyed bridges and lines at will. Despite this costly lesson, the British army maintained its respect and use of trains for many more years to come. Railways transformed the Empire in many ways, it increased business activity and allowed businesses to flourish in areas that previously would have been impossible to make a living in. It allowed officials to move rapidly over the areas that they governed. It allowed troops to be dispatched over great distances in short periods of time, indeed this speed of response removed much of the burden of having to station so many troops in a colony in the first place. Populations could benefit from access to cheaper goods as the factories of Europe could unleash their products to the far flung corners of the empire: tinned goods, newspapers, boot polish and toys could all be moved at a fraction of the cost from previous days. The people themselves could move around the empire whether for business or for pleasure; families could be reunited more regularly, farmers could travel longer distances to get their products to market, businessmen could entertain clients from further afield. Even within relatively short distances and in crowded areas people wanted to enjoy the benefits of the train system. Therefore, in London, one of the more interesting railway innovations was devised in the 1860s; the underground system, or the tube. Using Victorian ingenuity and technical engineering expertise an elaborate underground system of trains was built that would be envied and copied by Metropolises the world over. And again, it reinvigorated the economic life of the City of London and allowed for yet another relocation of businesses and housing for the masses of that city. The advantages of the railways were apparent to virtually everyone. These were the days when progress was seen as a universal good and the railways were a prime example of this beneficent progress. Ships England was a small island nation off the coast of the very powerful and dynamic continent of Europe proper. There were three options open to the English ruling classes. First of all, she could immerse herself into European politics and economics. However, the competition on this front was particularly fierce; French, Italians, Austrians and a myriad of other powerful nations would ensure that England would only be one player in a field of many. Besides, wars and religion made dabbling in this arena a very expensive one. Second, she could turn in on herself and try to stay aloof from the goings on of the world. This strategy suited the Japanese in their dealings with their continental rivals. However the English were already keen traders and had acquired tastes and business practices that made this option an unpalatble one. Her third choice was to turn to the opportunities offered by the rest of the world. And it is because she chose this path that first England, and then Britain, tu rned herself into the preeminent maritime nation of Europe and indeed the world. Englands rise as a maritime nation started with the reign of King Henry VIII. His ambitions were guided more to Europe, but he did manage to lay down financial and military foundations that would be taken advantage of by his successors. The Mary Rose is testimony to the size and power that the King sought to develop. He wanted a navy to project his power and influence onto the European political scene. Unfortunately, his plans and schemes were not fully realized during his reign. However, his treasury was full, the ports were protected by new castles and coastal defences and he had started a naval tradition that would bequeath valuable skills and experience to later generations of sea goers. By the time Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, the most powerful maritime nations were Spain and Portugal. These nations had encouraged explorers to find new, exciting and highly profitable trade routes. However, there were deep religious and philosophical divisions between these Catholic nations and the Protestant English. Queen Elizabeth had no love for these religious and economic rivals and basically sanctioned piracy on the high seas as a means of prosecuting war against the Catholic monarchies. Chief amongst her officially sanctioned privateers were Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins. These, and other sailors, wreaked havoc with Spanish and Portugese trade routes to the East Indies and particularly to the New World. The Caribbean became particularly notorious for rampant piracy. This rivalry turned into something of a naval arms race as the Spanish and English tried to outdo each other in terms of offensive power or in terms of speed to escape potential privateers. Military and commercial ships of both nations would benefit from new technologies, techniques and skills. The naval rivalry between these two nations would reach a head in 1588 with the Spanish Armada. This Spanish attempt to stamp out her English rivals was a gamble that did not pay off. Bad weather and English seamanship saw that the Armada failed in its bid to land an army on English soil. More importantly, the destruction of much of the Armada left the English mariners in a very powerful position and particularly in the Caribbean and in the New World. In the East Indies with its spice trade, the English still had to deal with the Portugese and the Dutch as serious competitors. But with the removal of the Spanish, the English were free to develop an unprecedentedly successful economic venture. There were two main commercial activities that allowed the English to maximise there maritime advantage: Sugar and Slavery. In fact, these were two complemantary activities that would work very closely together. Slaves were needed to tend and harvest the sugar crops of the New World. The same ships that transported these slaves could then be loaded up with sugar and brought back to Europe. With the advent of industrialisation in Britain, the third leg of this trip could also be made profitable. Cheap manufactured goods were taken from Liverpool and Bristol to West Africa and exchanged their for slaves, the slaves were exchanged for sugar in the Caribbean, and the sugar would finally be sold in Europe at a huge profit. The profits involved meant that few people overly concerned by any humanitarian or ethical issues. Indeed, the economic success of this trade would mean that even more time, money and skills were ploughed into the British commercial and Royal Navies. The more and better the British ships became the more she took the worlds trade and the faster she developed into the worlds preeminent naval power. By the mid to end of the eighteenth century, the British could claim to have the largest and most successful naval forces in the world: Both militarily and commercially. By this time, naval traditions, experience and expertise had been fully augmented by advances in science and the latest industrial products and techniques. British ships were familiar sites to ports and coastal regions the world over. However, two events would test this faith and confidence in the maritime forces of the nation. Soon, the British would realise that although they were a match for any nation on even terms, a combination of forces might lead to her undoing. The first test of this theory was the American War of Independence. French and Spanish involvement in supplying and maintaining the insurrection. Combine this with Royal Naval ships and sailors fighting on the side of the colonists and the British could see that they were not as invincible as they would have liked to have believed. However, the real test of the strength and importance of the Naval forces of Britain was to come with the rise of Napoleon on the European continent. A brilliant tactician and strategist, Napoleon swept most of Europe before him. As he took effective control over these powers he also took control of their navies. The British tried their best to thwart these plans with some success in Holland and especially Denmark. However, the Spanish and French fleets combined again to form a most formidable force. Unlike the days of the American War of Independence, it was clear that the only way the British could dispense with the threat of Napoleon was to confront and defeat this Navy in an open battle. The stakes for the island nation had not been higher since the days of Drake and the Spanish Armada. Fortunately for the British, a new hero rose to the hour. Admiral Nelson successfully defeated the combined fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. He paid for this victory with his life, but he laid down a sense of security for the island nation that would remain intact for another century. Although disappointments and setbacks did occur, most notab ly in the War of 1812-14, essentially the Royal Navy returned to being the preeminent maritime nation. Indeed, the only serious threat to the Royal and Merchant Navies were the sailors, captains and admirals themselves. Complacency and a lack of serious rivals meant that the British maritime forces lay essentially unchanged for most of the nineteenth century. Half a century after the death of Nelson and the Royal Navy had barely changed at all; even the ships were the same. The only serious innovation that made serious inroads into these traditions was the advent of steam. Even then, the Admiralty were reluctant converts to this latest technology and pined for the days of sail. It would be left to commercial forces and entrepreneurs to explore and develop this means of power. The most important name associated with these developments is that of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This man built the first steamship to cross the Atlantic: the Great Western. The first ocean screw steamer: the Great Britain. And what for 40 years would be the largest ship ever built: the Great Eastern. And although these ships were not the greatest of commercial triumphs the combination of ingenuity, expertise and industrial technology would mean that Britain would remain at the forefront of maritime power for some time to come. Steam power would open up other avenues for exploration that had previously been difficult if not impossible for mariners to pursue. The ability to power a vessel upstream would mean that many of the worlds rivers could be opened up to European explorers and traders. This would allow for new parts of the world to be explored and new commerical and political relationships to be established. Africa would see this technology employed along its many rivers. Indeed, steamships would even be taken overland to operate on the great lakes of the African interior. One side effect of the introduction of steampower was that coaling stations would become a strategic necessity to the Royal and Merchant Navies. All of a sudden, the Royal Navy became concerned at the placement of Naval bases particularly with regards to how far a ship could steam before it needed refuelling. This new strategic thinking would be augmented and amended by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The world was becoming a smaller place at a rapid rate and maritime necessities would be prime in consideration for much of the Imperial expansion of the day. Cash crops would be the new cash cows that provided the financial impetus for maritime ventures at the Imperial level. Tea, cotton, rubber, even opium would all take their turn in providing the imperatives and returns in investing in Britains maritime fleets. Combine these financial considerations with regular British trade patterns with Europe, Latin America and the United states and the fact that populations were willing and able to move about the planet in unprecedented numbers and the importance of ships and maritime policy to the British Empire is easy to comprehend. The next challenge to British supremacy of the waves was to be by the Germans. By the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries European and imperial rivalries combined to form ominous and powerful blocks of nations. On one side lay the French and Russians, on the other the Germans, Italians and Austrians. Britain tried to remain aloof for as long as possible, but when the Germans declared that they wanted a Navy that was the equal of the Royal Navy, the gauntlet had been laid and the British joined with the French and Russians. A naval arms race between the British and Germans was proving costly to both countries, it didnt help matters when one of Britains own innovations nearly bankrupted the nation. The development of the Battleship Dreadnought in 1906 kept the British at the front of Naval technology but at the cost of making their entire existing fleet obsolescent. The Germans would easily be able to catch up to the British with this new technology and, if it hadnt been for competing claims on the German military budget, might have succeeded in doing so. As it was, during The Great War, the British were just able to keep ahead of the Germans and successfully bottled them up in their Baltic ports for most of the war. However, another military development would provide fresh worries and portents enough for the British. The submarine did not effect the war as much as their German commanders had hoped, but their potential for disrupting existing Naval balances of power were clear to all. These concerns would be played out at a much more lethal level during the next war. Meanwhile, the interwar period saw cutbacks to both the Royal and Merchant Navies. With little appetite left for armed forces, British politicians cut back defence expenditure on all of the services. The Royal Navy was no exception. These cutbacks came just as new maritime rivals could be seen on the horizon. During The Great War, the Americans had turned their massive industrial might to outfitting her armed forces in a very short period of time. At the same time, the Japanese had been left unchallenged to develop in the Pacific Ocean. When the war ended they quickly sought to establish some kind of parity with the Royal Navy; the result was the Washington conference. This conference established the so called 5:5:3 ratios for capital ships. America and Britain were to be equal in size and number of ships whilst the Japan maintained 60% of these numbers. The effect of the conference was that Britain, for the first time since Drake, admitted that she would only be the equal of another power. No longer would she aim to be the preeminent naval power. In reality, she had also given the Japanese a local superiority in the Pacific region. A superiority the Japanese would use to dismember much of the British Asian Empire. The Second World War was to put Britain in as much, if not more, peril than in the first. Her naval commanders rightly identified submarine warfare as being the biggest threat the island nation. The Royal and Merchant Navies took horrendous losses as these commanders developed ways of dealing with this silent menace. Convoys and ASDIC did most to redress this balance. But it was a long, hard fight and one that left Britain militarily and economically exhausted by the end of the war. Britain would never reclaim its former maritime glory. The United States and Soviet Navies would eclipse the Royal Navy in size, technology and power. Aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and the rise of Air Power in general would mean that the strategic balance had been tipped forever. Withdrawal from Empire speeded up this process even more, bases in the Far East, South East Asia, the Middle East and even the Mediterranean seemed like expensive anachronisms that no longer served any purpose. At a commercial level, the rise of air transport killed off much of the passenger business of the shipping lines. Also, new trade patterns were established as Imperial trade was replaced by much shorter European destinations. The fall from grace of the British naval heritage is only so precipitate when you realise how long and how deep that tradition has been the lifeblood of the nation. Generations of citizens grew up with the unquestioning belief that Britannia Ruled the Waves. Now that she is a middle ranking European nation, it is not hard to see why so many people lament the passing of an era and why it inspires so many more to be fascinated and interested in this area of British history. Communications The telegraph system was one of the technological wonders of the nineteenth century. It transformed communications in a profound way and helped to give the British Army a technological superiority over most of her competitors. Its invention was a product of the enthusiasm and skill of industrial revolutionary Britain. William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone, a scientist and an entrepreneur, teamed up to forge a devastatingly effective alliance that combined the savvy of both individuals to produce the needle telegraph. Wheatstone came up with the technological aspect whilst the Cooke had the foresight to approach the railway companies in order to run their lines along side the railway tracks. On 25 July 1837 the first experimental line with the new telegraph was started. The Great Western Railway Company connected the stations Euston Square and Camden Town over a distance of 2.4 kilometres. It was an outstanding success that not only amazed Victorians but displayed obvious applications for its use. When it was used to broadcast such news as the birth of Queen Victorias second son, or to catch a murderer who had attempted an escape by train, its acceptance and usefulness was plain for all to see. In fact, the only problem with this initial invention was that it the code to transmit messages was rather cumbersome and in fact only twenty letters were used of the alphabet. Credit for the simplification of the both the hardware and code was to cross the Atlantic to a certain Samuel Morse. Samuel Morse had a mission in life. A devout Christian, his world had turned upside down when he missed the funeral of his wife due to a message being delivered late. He never wanted anyone to go through the pain that he had endured and so set about perfecting an easy to use message system. His revolution centred around the idea of sending pulses of electricity of two fixed lengths dots and dashes. The subsequent morse code was so much easier to for all to master. He too saw the logic in following the railroad lines and telegraph poles continued their close relationships to the railway lines that were gradually spreading out over the continents of the world. Of course, there were larger scale boundaries that also needed crossing. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean with a submarine telegraph line was one of the holy grails of Victorian technological advances. So much so that Sirus Field, a very rich American businessman, personally financed the hiring of two warships, one American and one British (USS Buchanan and HMS Victoria), to simply start in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and pull the wire to the opposing sides of the Atlantic. After a couple of attempts, they did indeed manage to succeed in their endeavour. The President of the United States and Queen Victoria managed to exchange pleasantries across all those thousands of miles. Unfortunately, the line only worked for just over two weeks. The Victorian scientists had not anticipated the high voltages that were required to send messages across those thousands of miles. The cable simply burnt out. It would be seven years before the line was reconnected. The problem being that the new, low voltage, well insulated wires were just too thick for any ship to be able to carry. Until, that was, the SS Great Eastern was launched. This was a behemoth of a ship that dwarfed all other ships by its size and speed. In 1866 she easily connected the two continents together. Submarine telegraph lines were now spreading across the world as the British government realised the full potential for governing and communicating with its far flung empire. By 1890, of the inhabited British territories, only Fiji, British Honduras, Tobago, the Falkland Islands, Turks Islands and New Guinea had no cable at all. The importance that Britain personally invested in this world wide infrastructure is borne out by the statistic that by 1914, 75% of all the worlds submarine lines were held by the British. Indeed, within hours of the outbreak of the First World War, the first action taken by any of the British and Imperial Forces around the world was actually taken in Melbourne in Australia. A German merchant ship was fired on by coastal batteries as she attempted to leave port. The fact that this took place on the exact opposite side of the world illustrates how much smaller the empire had become with the advent of telegraphy. Before the advent of this technology, the British government had had to entrust a great deal of local powers to its representatives across the world. When it took three months for a message to travel from a colony back to the capital, waiting for a reply was a luxury that frequently could not be tolerated. The man on the spot was a very powerful figure indeed. With the advent of the telegraph, London could have virtually instantaneous contact with the capitals of her colonies and dominions and conduct business from afar. Cables Being Laid in Canada The value of Britains world wide telegraphic system actually contributed to Britains strategic worries. The cables were kept in British colonies or under British controlled seas as much as possible, but this was not always avoidable. Whenever this occurred the British worried about interceptions of messages or of cutting the link altogether. For example, the link to Australia passed over Dutch Java, the South American cable ran through Portugese Madeira, but probably the biggest headache of all to Britains strategic thinkers was the cable that ran from London to Calcutta. In fact, there were three such cables. One ran from Lowestoft to Germany, through Russia, Persia and in to India. Apart from the strategic nightmares of this essential line of communication was the fact that the Germans and Russians were in a position to keep the costs of using this cable artificially high. The second cable was not much better. It ran across Europe to Constantinople, across Turkey to the Persian Gulf and then by cable to Karachi. Little reliance could be placed on the Ottoman empire. The third cable ran from London to Gibraltar to Malta, Egypt to Aden and then on to Bombay. This looked secure enough, but still relied on using Spanish relay stations to boost the signals. Besides, it was generally more economic to send the messages up over France from Malta. To add to the strategic difficulties the vagaries of the currents and weather caused yet further headaches. Storms, winds, silt, even fishermen could all accidentally disrupt the sending of messages. Combined with the distances involved, it is little wonder the tariffs could be so high. 4 shillings per word to India, and 6s. 9d. to Australia. And yet, the British were convinced that the value of the system was worth the price. All over the world, Englishmen were employed laying or maintaining cables or operating booster stations along the line. The cable manager often became a key member of society for the further flung outposts of imperial society. In Australia, Alice Springs actually came to life as the central station for the overland 2000 mile Telegraph line stretching from Adelaide to the North. These 36,000 telegraph poles were built years before any road or railway line crossed the continent. And it could be dangerous too. In 1874, two cable men were speared to death by Aborig ines. The laying and maintaining of this enormous network must rank as one of the most important achievements of the British Empire. Its scope and utility is hard to imagine in a world where instantaneous communications are taken for granted. Before the invention of the Telegraph the speed of communication had changed little since the time of the Romans. Within thirty years of the first twitchings of Cooks and Wheatstones needle telegraph, the world had been made substantially smaller.

Keeping Close to Home by bell hooks Essay -- Class and Education

Because it is very credible, emotionally appealing, and slightly academically based, bell hooks's essay "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education" is an essay that I consider to be very touching. While arguing in her essay that the rich class and the working-class should come to respect and understand each other, bell hooks employs three elements of argument: ethos, pathos, and logos. With her usage of ethos, hooks relates her experience as an undergraduate at Stanford. Providing an experience from a time before she went to Stanford, hooks uses pathos to inspire the audience. However, hooks uses logos by appealing to the readers' logic. These readers are the working-class and the privileged, the audience of her book: "Ain't I a Woman: black women and feminism." Relying mostly on ethos, hooks uses the three elements of argument to express her belief that students should not feel the pressure to replace their values with others' values. Because hooks feels strongly about h er belief, she argues that a university should help students maintain the connection with their values, so people of different communities will feel neither inferior nor superior to others but equal. When using ethos, hooks demonstrates her knowledge of values by relating her experience at Stanford where she met many privileged whites who had values that contradicted her own. For example, many of the white students appeared to lack respect for their parents. However, hooks's parents always taught her to show them respect. hooks even says in her essay, "I was profoundly shocked and disturbed when peers would talk about their parents without respect, or would even say that they hated their parents" (88). Also, everyone looked down upon the ... ... much easier when we were all in segregated communities sharing common experiences in relation to social institutions. Without this grounding, we must work to maintain ties, connection" (hooks 95). As hooks hints, maintaining ties may not be easy, but it is definitely possible. hooks establishes common ground with people who have these questions, and she gives the answer in her experience of hard work. Having worked hard on handling harsh criticism and pressure without losing ties with her background, bell hooks, in my opinion, is an example of a strong individual. So, if you need proof that the answer to these questions is yes, bell hooks is all the proof you need! Works Cited hooks, bell. "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." The Presence of Others. 2nd ed. Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 85-95.

Customer Satisfaction and Quality Care Essay

What started out as a community hospital has grew over the past 50 years into a healthcare organization comprising of seven distinct units helping 300,000 people every year. Such development and growth has been motivated by one reason taking care of the people that call Houston County and nearby peoples home. Houston Medical Center is a typical hospital in Warner Robins, GA, and has 237 beds. The most recent statistics study reveals that 67,439 patients stopped at the hospital’s emergency room, there were 14,179 patients admitted to admissions 1,987 inpatient surgeries and 9,816 outpatient surgeries. While the additional facts of the quality care report the requirements of the hospital, physician, and customer, the patient’s demand to be heard is overcome by a measurement of satisfaction. Frequently, the information collected from the surveys is beneficial for the hospital to measure itself and its accomplishment in keeping a minimum standard of care and sustaining the customer’s needs. 33 Studies have shown that each patient who is dissatisfied will inform up to ten other people of this dissatisfaction (Sitzia & Wood 1997). For instance let’s say with the information given on the percentage of dissatisfaction of patients not being explained what the medicine is they are taking that patient could say that he was given the wrong medication because you have not told him the medication he is taking. I am quite sure this type of dissatisfaction could lead to a lawsuit. Three barriers that existed at Houston Medical Center were the time they had to wait to receive help, explanation of medicine not given before given to patient to take, and the rooms and bathrooms were not as clean as they should be. These three barriers could have a huge significance on the facility. These barriers I am sure impacted the customer satisfaction at Houston Medical Center. The barriers affected whether or not the patient would return to the center due to the facility not being clean, poor communication, and the wait time. All these factors would make a patient skeptical about returning to the center. One tool Houston Medical Center  could have used to study a process barrier related to customer-satisfaction would be the Pareto diagrams or charts. This tool could be used to monitor when the bathrooms were cleaned, patient arrival time and wait time, and also to record the medication given to the pati ent allowing the nurse to at the time of giving medication to explain what the medication is for. References Sitzia J, Wood N. Patient satisfaction: A review of issues and concepts. Social Science & Medicine. 1997; 45:1829–1843.

Classroom Management debate Essay

Set of procedures the teacher uses in order to ensure the smooth and motivational interaction among learners. It also involves the e? cient use of audiovisual aids and other forms of realia and equipment. Critical points to consider: †¢Teacher Talking Time †¢Student Taking time †¢The use of L1 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT https:// docs. google. com/open? id=0B5T z9DyyMdqCQjNZX0dkZkdvYmM Why is teacher talking time (TTT) important? ?Teacher talk = Organization of the classroom = Process of language acquisition. ?The quantity of TTT is important and so is the quality. A good balance should always be the target. Factors to be considered: Nunan (1995: 190) 1. The point in the lesson in which the talking occurs. 2. What prompts the teacher talk (planned or spontaneous) 3. The value of the talk as potentially useful for acquisition. Students Talking Time STT STT is the opportunity students have to talk in the classroom. Learners need to: †¢Attend to information †¢Volunteer original ideas †¢Ask relevant questions. †¢Work with other learners †¢Solve problems co-operatively. †¢Work independently in class or at home. STT is enhanced by: †¢Promoting a ‘listening culture’ in the classrooms. †¢Asking more challenging questions. †¢Being ready to accept unexpected answers †¢Allowing silences and time for thought †¢Planning and building in meaningfultasks to encourage productive talk †¢Encouraging students to ask questions, to initiate talk and to seek for meanings CONCLUSIONS THE USE OF L1 IN CLASS. 1. Facilitate teacher-student communication 2. Facilitate teacher-student rapport 3. Facilitate learning 4. Systematize comprehension of L2 structures Harbord, J. (1992) : ? The use of the mother tongue in the classroom in The ELT Journal, Vol. 46/4. IN CONCLUSION†¦ †¢There must be a balance in the TTT and the STT if teachers really want to achieve their objectives in class. †¢The use of L1 should be done taking into consideration students’ needsand environment. Nevertheless, it must be used e? ciently. †¢I think that†¦ ?   

The hebrew bible Essays

The hebrew bible Essays The hebrew bible Essay The hebrew bible Essay Essay Topic: Kindred Song of Solomon The Bible Hebrew Bible as Literature Instructions: Identify the following passages, providing their full contexts and their significance and meaning. 1. So Bathes went to the king in his chamber. ?The king was very old, and Babyish the Chummiest was waiting on the king. ?Bathes bowed low in homage to the king, and the king asked, What troubles you? -The following passage is found In 1 Kings 1:15, in which It entails how Bathes is troubled to know that her son will be the next king of Israel. Bathes bows low in homage meaning she bows down with respect; her face to the ground, in honor before the king. Because Admonish is in the throne, she is troubled; Bathes asks him why Solomon is not king because of his promise he said. She Is worried to know why King David is not aware of this. 2. We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for that Is a disgrace among us. Only on this condition will we agree with you, that you will become Like us In that every male amongst you Is circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you and take your daughters to ourselves; and we will dwell among you and become as one kindred. -The following passage is found in Genesis 34:13-16. The brothers of Dinah speak to Scheme, and his father Humor by proclaiming that their sister Dinah has been dishonored, and refuse to give their sister to a man who Is not circumcised, because therefore It will be a disgrace to the brothers. They agree that they will give their sister under the condition that Scheme and all his men become circumcised. 3. By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat, Sat and wept, As we thought of Zion. There on the poplars. We hung up our lyres, For our captors asked us there for songs, Our tormentors, for amusement, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. The passage is found in Psalms MOM 3. The Psalms says that besides the rives of Babylon the men sat and cried over the thought of Jerusalem meaning Zion. The lyres is another word for harps, as they put away their harps hanging them. Because their abductors demanded a song from them for a Joyful song, as they described them characters of torment. The abductors demand the men who are crying to sing songs of Jerusalem. 1 OFF I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your G- d my G-d. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. Thus and more may the Lord do to me if anything but death parts me from you. -In Ruth 1:16 Ruth replies to her mother in law begging her not to tell her to leave her, and turn back to her home. She shows her humbleness and respect towards her mother in law when becoming a widow. Ruth refuses to leave her and is committed to follow the G-d she follows and where she will live Ruth is to follow her side and never leave her. She tells her that in death sh e will part away from her side. 5. The making of many books is without limit. And much studying is a wearying of the flesh. The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere G-d and observe His commandments! For this applies to all mankind; that G-d will call every creature to account for everything unknown, be it good or bad. The following passage means that people write a lot of books, but reading is a waste of time. All you really need to know is to obey G-d, because everyone is going to have to answer to him for what they did, good and bad. Found in Ecclesiastic 12:12-13 Young people are being advised to remember their Creator before old age and death kick in, when the spirit returns to God who gave it. Then they will have to account to G-d for the way they had lived their lives in the flesh. This means not to stick your heads in books all your lives, but to enjoy life intelligently, with reference to G-d as He is the whole duty of man. 6. He took a potsherd to scratch himself as he sat in ashes. His wife said to him, Mimi still keep your integrity? Blaspheme G-d and die! This is from the Book of Job. After Job has been through extreme misfortune, his wife tells him to Just say screw you, G- d so G-d will finally finish him off. Found in Job 2:9. Jobs wife turned on him. Clearly, Jobs wife thought it was a waste of time living to an honorable G-d. So Job told her, You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from G-d, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. By the end of the book, Job is corrected and G-d restores to him more than what he had lost in the troubles inflicted upon him by Satan. Living for G-d is not dependent on what might happen to us in life. 7. But did G-d really say to you of the fruit of the Tree of Good and Bad you shall not eat? This is a quote from Genesis, in which the serpent asks Eve if G-d really said they ant eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Found in Genesis 3:1 . Satan planted a seed of doubt in Eves mind. He asked, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? He knew that was not what G-d had said at all. Eve almost answered correctly, putting him right in one respect, but wrongly saying they 8.. Happy is the man who finds Wisdom, The man who attains understanding. Her value in trade is better than silver, Her yield, greater than gold. She is more precious than rubies; All of your goods cannot equal her. In her right hand is length of days, In her left, riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths, peaceful. She is a tree of life to those who grasp her, And whoever holds onto her is happy. Proverbs 3:13-18 this represents a self-explanatory wise advice from a father to a son. But the point about wisdom being a tree of life to those who embrace her is interesting in connection with Genesis 2 because the Tree of Life was at the centre of the Garden of Eden, and if Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they would have partaken of it. Wisdom is a virtue. 9. But the next day at dawn G-d provided a worm, which attacked the plant so that it dithered. And when the sun rose, G-d provided a sultry east wind; the sun beat down on his head, and he became faint. He begged for death, saying, l would rather die than live. Then G-d said to him, Are you so deeply grieved about the plant? miss, he replied, so deeply that I want to die. This is from the story of Joana in Joana 4:8 G-d taught silly Joana another lesson by means of the plant which sprang up overnight and protected him from the scorching wind and sun. When G-d then caused the vine to shrivel, Joana complained. He had settled down to watch the extraction of Nineveh, after eventually going there to warn them. But the Naivetà ©s had repented and G-d spared the city. Joana was really angry for he thought that made him out to be foolish. Well, he was foolish, but for another reason. G-d told him, You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Joana Just, after pitching this big fit about it, finally went to his city G-d told him to go to and warned the people there if they didnt repent G-d would kill them. They did repent, which made Joana kind of moody because he wanted them to get blown up. He leaves the city and its really hot and hes thirsty, so G-d makes this plant grow out of the ground to give him shade, but then kills it shortly afterward. Joana gets really mad about this and begs G-d to kill him. G-dos whole point is that if Joana is this worked up about a plant dying he should really not be so psyched for the brutal destruction of an entire city. 10 . The other woman spoke up, No, the live one is my son, and the dead one is they went on arguing before the king. This is found in 1 Kings 3:15 from the story in which two women each had a baby and one of the babys died and the mother of the baby who died tried to say to the other womans that the baby who is alive was hers. They bring the dispute to King Solomon, who wisely decides to settle the matter by offering to cut the kid in half and give a half to each women. The woman whos faking is okay with this idea while the woman who se kid it really is relents at this point, curing its better for her child to be alive and with another mother than cut in half. Solomon sees this and gives it to the real mother because he knew only she would react that way. Its a story that demonstrates Salmons wisdom. 11. How have the mighty fallen In the thick of battle? Jonathan, slain on your heights! I grieve for you, My brother Jonathan, You were most dear to me. Your love was wonderful to me More than the love of women. The passage is found in 2 Samuel 1 . This passage represents the uniting bond of love that corresponds with the unbreakable, undying love of the anointed king-elect David of the tribe of Judas toward unselfish lovable Jonathan, the son of king Saul. 2 Samuel 1:25-27) Shortly before their final separation from each other, Jonathan swore again to David because of his love for him; for as he loved his own soul he loved him. (1 Samuel 20:17) On learning of Jonathans death with his father in battle, David was impelled to chant a dirge and to climax it with the words: l am distressed over you, my brother Jonathan, very pleasant you were to me. More wonderful was your love to me than the love from women. (2 Samuel 1 :26) Their mutual love was a perfect bond of union. Only death did them part. 12. When they arrived and he saw Elba, he thought, Surely the Lords anointed stands before Him. But the Lord said to Samuel, Pay no attention to his appearance or his stature, for I have rejected him. For not as man sees does the Lord see; man sees only what is visible, but the Lord sees into the heart. Found in 1 Samuel 16, it interprets how G-d is not impressed by how tall and handsome Elba is. When warfare broke out between the Philistines and the Israelites, Elba was in King Sails army. He, along with the rest of the men, heard the Philistine champion Goliath challenge: . I myself do taunt the battle lines of Israel this day. Give me a man, and let us fight together! ?l Sam. 17:8-10. Elba react didnt display faith in Jehovah ability to make him successful in the fight against Goliath. Liable made no effort to take a courageous stand. He evidently shared in the reaction of the rest of the Israelites. The Bible reports: When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine,they outside appearances to where true beauty can be found. It is the heart of the inner errors, the source of ones thoughts, attitudes, and feelings that matters to G-d. So he rejected Elba as king. 14. But the children struggled in her womb, and she said, If so, why do I exist? She went to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord answered her: Two nations are in your womb, Two separate peoples shall issue from your body; One people shall be mightier than the other, And the older shall serve the younger. The passage explains that with Seas and Jacob, Gods foreknowledge did not fix their eternal destinies but, rather, determined which of the national groups descending room the two sons would gain a dominant position over the other. Genesis 25:23-26) This points out to the gaining of the right of the firstborn by Jacob, a right that brought along with it the privilege of being in the line of descent through which the Abraham seed would come. (Genesis 27:29; 28:13, 14). Essays disposition showed that satisfying his fleshly desires was more important to him than gaining the future blessings that would have flowed from his inheritance. Seas did not cherish hi s birthright and evidently did not really love G-d. Seas ignored the effect his action would have on his offspring. In contrast, Jacob deeply appreciated his inheritance, for instance, Jacob acted in harmony with parental instruction in choosing a wife. (Gene. 27:46-28:3) Because Jacob made this choice that required patience and sacrifice, he became a forefather of the Messiah. 15. Then an angel of the Lord came to him from heaven And he answered, Here I am. And he said, Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear G-d, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me. In the passage G-d putts Abraham too greater test. Take, your son, your favored one, Isaac whom you so love, and offer him up as a burnt offering. (Genesis 22:2) For Abraham, Isaac was not Just any son. He was the only child of Abraham and his wife, Sarah. Isaac was the son of the promise, Abrahams only hope that his seed would inherit the land of Canaan and be a blessing to many, according to Gods promise. After all, Isaac was the son whom Abraham was expected to ha ve and who was born after a miracle from G-d. Then G-d confirmed the covenant promises about Abrahams seed, because Abraham fears G-d. Abraham became known as Jehovah friend. ?Genesis 22:13-18;

Afrocentric School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Afrocentric School - Essay Example To be precise, the theories that are discussed have a main focus on how the history present in individuals is able to take shape and various practices that are interpreted on cultural activities. These tend to develop when individuals in the community, in behavior of life, form personal identities in relation to the person’s important roles and positions. A person’s historical formation on the various environmental activities makes environmental identity become a construct of the person which is developed and used in organizing the person emotionally and the actions to take. Personal identities in this community are conceptualized based on the complexities of memory, sentiments, a person’s knowledge and ideas of the environment which the person can evoke by the use of cultural identity symbols for the purpose of organizing one’s self to take an environmental action. Once the person’s identity is entrenched in the history that is inside the person, i t will provide a ground for guiding the individual’s behavior towards cultural activities and the person will avoid behaviors that are not harmonious with the community’s assigned identity.... The feeling of unity that occurs in the mind of individuals encourages the members of this community understand themselves as not being agents, but as an intentional stream of individuals involved in the gathering of information concerning the acts of ancient Africans. The Afrocentric community can be regarded as a chain of discourse, communication and a variety of symbols, for the purpose of intellectual motives. This community encourages the use of theories with the intention of shifting self-understanding by encouraging its members to consider agents as carriers of routine, over subjective complexes of migratory movements, forms of interpretation, knowledge and use of the things. Through their membership in this community, individuals are able to stipulate shifts taken by a self-understanding individual and get an ethical meaning of the agency among other factors. It is a fact that this community works towards encouraging the consideration of ethical problems as questions used in creating the various theories and researches that make up the bulk of Afrocentric thought. The ethical problems are considered to be extremely important and are expressed by certain bodies, understandings or things that are complex. Ethics, therefore, are related to the thoughts, the environment and individuals’ motivation and feelings. This move is distinctive in relation to functional ethics of the members of this community and has worked against the general skepticism that individuals have towards ethics that is facilitated by objectivism. It can be said that this community is capable of developing philosophical perseverance without giving up its attachment to

A Critique of the relationship between power and desire in Foucaults Essay

A Critique of the relationship between power and desire in Foucaults analyses of the Repressive Hypothesis - Essay Example As he argues in the opening of his seminal work, â€Å"for a long time, the story goes, we supported a Victorian regime, and we continued to be dominated by it even today . . . thus the image of the imperial prude is emblazoned on out retrained, mute, and hypocritical sexuality† (Foucault, 1990, p.1). According to the traditional view of â€Å"repression† (one that Foucault palces firmly within a Freudian context), the Victorians were â€Å"repressed† and we in the modern age, with constant talk of sexuality and a relative openness regarding the subject, have broken free of that repression. Sexuality had power over the Victorians through its denial, the modern age is freed from these shackles. This Foucault presents as the traditional view of sexual repression, and also of power. For Foucault power is not â€Å"a general system of domination exercised by one element or one group over another, whose effect . . . traverse the entire body social . . . .†. Foucault’s view of power is one in which â€Å"the condition of the possibility of power . .. should not be sought in the primary existence of a central point . . . it is the moving based of locations of force that incessantly induce, by their inequality, states of power, but always local and unstableâ €  (p.121-122). Foucault’s view of â€Å"power† is of a force that is not centered within a particular individual or group (however much that may appear to be the case), but rather as something that is separate from human beings and transfers between different groups, individuals, ideas, spaces and times according to a system that is essentially unstable. This has a direct influence upon both repression and desire. The traditional view has it that when a sexuality appeared which â€Å"was not ordered in terms of generation† it would â€Å"be driven out, denied, reduced to silence . . . not only did it not exist, it had not right to exist and would be made to