The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne - 919 Words

Not everything in life has just one meaning. Symbolism occurs in everyday ordinary life. One of the most recognizable stories that contain symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†. Symbolism is when an object is used in place of a different object. Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most symbolic writers in all of American history. In â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, the letter â€Å"A† is used to symbolize a variety of different concepts. The three major symbolistic ideas that the letter â€Å"A† represents in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† are; shame, guilt, and ability. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, the first symbolistic idea that the letter â€Å"A† represents is the idea of shame. In the beginning of the story Hester Prynne is about to be punished for her dirty deed that she has done. The whole idea is to shame Hester as her punishment. In order for Hester to receive her punishment they must first parade her around and make a huge deal about a small situation. The make a mountain out of a molehill by having Hester stand on a scaffolding and have the whole town look upon her while the scarlet letter is given to her. Hawthorne says in chapter one page 59 of the book, â€Å"Thus she will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone.† The letter is there and will stay there until the day she dies. Even then, the letter will still be engraved among her tombstone, so as when anyone walks by theyShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthor ne1242 Words   |  5 PagesLYS PAUL Modern Literature Ms. Gordon The Scarlet Letter The scarlet letter is book written by Nathaniel Hawthorne who is known as one the most studied writers because of his use of allegory and symbolism. He was born on July 4, 1804 in the family of Nathaniel, his father, and Elizabeth Clark Hathorne his mother. Nathaniel added â€Å"W† to his name to distance himself from the side of the family. His father Nathaniel, was a sea captain, and died in 1808 with a yellow fever while at sea. That was aRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne960 Words   |  4 Pages3H 13 August 2014 The novel, The Scarlet Letter, was written by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne and was published in 1850 (1). It is a story about the Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, set around 1650 (2). The story is written in the third person with the narrator being the author. The common thread that runs through this novel is Hawthorne’s apparent understanding of the beliefs and culture of the Puritans in America at that time. But Hawthorne is writing about events in a societyRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1397 Words   |  6 PagesFebruary 2016 The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850 which is based on the time frame of the Puritans, a religious group who arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630’s. The Puritans were in a religious period that was known for the strict social norms in which lead to the intolerance of different lifestyles. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the puritan’s strict lifestyles to relate to the universal issues among us. The time frame of the puritans resulted in Hawthorne eventually thinkingRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne999 Words   |  4 Pages Nathaniel Hawthorne is the author of the prodigious book entitled The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne commits adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Her husband, Roger Chillingworth, soon finds out about the incident after it becomes clear that she is pregnant. The whole town finds out and Hester is tried and punished. Meanwhile, Roger Chillingworth goes out then on a mission to get revenge by becoming a doctor and misprescribing Dimmesdale. He does this to torture DimmesdaleRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne1037 Words   |  5 Pagesthat human nature knows right from wrong, but is naturally evil and that no man is entirely â€Å"good†. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of the classic novel The Scarlet Letter, believes that every man is innately good and Hawthorne shows that everyone has a natural good side by Hester’s complex character, Chillingworth’s actions and Dimmesdale’s selfless personality. At the beginning of the Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne is labeled as the â€Å"bad guy†. The townspeople demand the other adulterer’s name, butRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1517 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne composes Pearl as a powerful character even though she is not the main one. Her actions not only represent what she is as a person, but what other characters are and what their actions are. Hawthorne makes Pearl the character that helps readers understand what the other characters are. She fits perfectly into every scene she is mentioned in because of the way her identity and personality is. Pearl grows throughout the book, which in the end, help the readers better understandRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne1488 Words   |  6 Pages In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Hester Prynne, is a true contemporary of the modern era, being cast into 17th century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts. The Scarlet Letter is a revolutionary novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne examining the ugliness, complexity, and strength of the human spirit and character that shares new ideas about independence and the struggles women faced in 17th century America. Throughout the novel, Hester’s refusal to remove the scarlet letterRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1319 Words   |  6 PagesPrynne and Arthur Dimmesdale are subject to this very notion in Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter. Hester simply accepted that what she had done was wrong, whereas Dimmesdale, being a man of high regard, did not want to accept the reality of what he did. Similar to Hester and Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth allows his emotions to influence his life; however, his influence came as the result of hi s anger. Throughout the book, Hawthorne documents how Dimmesdale and Hester s different ways of dealingRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1714 Words   |  7 PagesSome two hundred years following the course of events in the infamous and rigid Puritan Massachusetts Colony in the 1600s, Nathaniel Hawthorne, descendant of a Puritan magistrate, in the 19th century, published The Scarlet Letter. Wherein such work, Hawthorne offered a social critique against 17th Massachusetts through the use of complex and dynamic characters and literary Romanticism to shed light on said society’s inherent contradiction to natural order and natural law. In his conclusive statementsRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne1172 Words   |  5 Pagesfreedom, peace, and introspection. However, until the last century, the wilderness was often regarded with fear and resentment. Written long before John Muir and the conservation movement, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was well ahead of its time for its depiction of wilderness. In The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale leaves the beaten path and seeks refuge in the forest. There, he gains the strength and willpower to throw off seven years of hopelessness and take his fate into his own hands

Showdown At Cracker Barrel Final Case Study Essay

SHOWDOWN AT CRACKER BARREL FOREWARD The perspective that will be adopted for the purpose of this case analysis will be that of an institutional shareholder of Cracker Barrel. The final recommendations of this report will focus on the anticipated vote to determine whether or not Sardar Biglari should be allowed to acquire a seat on the board of directors. CURRENT SITUATION The aggressive board challenges by Biglari have resulted in defensive moves by the current directors. Biglari has been vocal in his attempt to leverage his 10% stake in the company and desire to join the board of directors. In reaction to this move the board of directors has appointed additional like-minded directors to help move the company forward into an†¦show more content†¦Cochran then quickly announced a six-point plan aimed at improving sales and profits and updating their pricing strategy. The market responded favorably to this strategy as the stock price began to rebound from an 18-month low before this announcement. Cracker Barrel’s stock has subsequently increased by over 25% between September and December 2011. PEER GROUP PERFORMANCE In determining the investment value of Cracker Barrel, a peer group comparative analysis was completed. Biglari’s comparison of Cracker Barrel to the SP 500 restaurant index is inaccurate and misleading. The following criteria was used in developing a more accurate peer group for Cracker Barrel: Only small and mid-cap companies were considered. Cracker barrel is a small-cap restaurant chain with approximately 600 locations, all located within the United States. The SP 500 Index primarily includes restaurant chains with an international presence, franchised business model, and several thousand locations. Quick service or fast food restaurants were excluded. Note that although CEC Entertainment and Red Robin were labeled as ‘Quick service’ in the case, we consider these restaurants to be in the ‘casual dining’ and ‘family restaurant’ category and consider them to be quite similar to Cracker Barrel. As such they were included in the peer group. Small and mid-cap restaurants that were heavily franchised (less than 25% of stores owned by theShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesmymanagementlab is an online assessment and preparation solution for courses in Principles of Management, Human Resources, Strategy, and Organizational Behavior that helps you actively study and prepare material for class. Chapter-by-chapter activities, including built-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

Different Types of Criticism and Literary Movements in Short Stories Essay Example For Students

Different Types of Criticism and Literary Movements in Short Stories Essay The short story dates back as early as the 14th Century. It offers what a novel or the equivalent would offer but it has a swiftness and completeness about it. According to Ruby Redinger, the short story is most powerful through graphic narration 752. The short story has captured a diverse group of things from the supernatural to an everyday occurrence. Nearly any situation can be worked into a short story if the right writer is managing the idea. The first masters of the short story in the eyes of Redinger were Boccaccio, Decameron, and Chaucer, Canterbury Tales 752. These stories were both written during the 14th Century. During the Renaissance period the short story lost its edge and writers attempts to do what Boccaccio and Chaucer had done failed. In the 19th Century America was the first to declare the short story as a literary form. During this time the authors Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving, and Nathaniel Hawthorn contributed to the survival of the short story. During this timeframe realism, romanticism, and impressionism were the more common literary movements. The short story can also use many other forms and types of criticism to describe it. A few different forms are surrealism, Dadaism, Imagism, Romanticism, and many others. The satire is both a type of literature and a literary manner. It has an early history in poetry as a genre. C. Hugh Holman states that it originated in the 2nd Century B. C. by Roman satirist Lucilius and later practiced by Horace, Persius, Juvenal, and Quintilian 294. A satire is more frequently a literary manner in which the imperfections of a person, entire mankind, or an institution are ridiculed with the intention of correcting them. Satire is also applied to magic songs and ritualistic incentives in Greek, Old Irish, and Arabic literatures, where the ritual curse was believed to have powerful effects. The satire is often confused with the satyr play of Greek drama and coarse comic manner. This has influenced and confused the ideas about a satire in English literature. Although the satire is often comic, its primary object is not to provoke general laughter but to provoke laughter for corrective purposes. The satire always has a target, which is held up to mock upon the satirists unveiling. The satirists viewpoint is nearly that of the cold-eyed realist, that penetrates shame and pretense for a didactic reason. The simplest direct form of satire is criticism, an up-front attack of the subject causing a sudden, harsh exposure of the truth. Another form is exaggeration, in which only the negative aspects are emphasized. An indirect satire is usually a plot in which the characters portray themselves as ridiculous by their actions or speech. The indirect forms include irony, burlesque, travesty, and parody. The great modern age of the satire was the neoclassic period. As Holman states, the satiric spirit was everywhere and a return was made to formal verse satire 294. Later satirists include Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, Sinclair Lewis, E. E. Cummings, and many others. Realism is a literary movement in Europe and the United States in the last half of the 19th Century and the early years of the 20th. Its origins trace back to France, around the 1830s. As Holman states, the realists values the material universe, the events that occur in it, and the observable causes of those events, and feels profound obligation to report them accurately, fully, and above all, objectively 294. Honore de Balzac was the first great realist writer, and was soon followed by Gustave Flaubert. The detailed description of life that was not sugar-coated was the masterpiece of the movement in France. There were realistic elements in the works of Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray, although the formal realistic movement did not come until around the 1880s. This was the time of George Moore and George Gissing who were followed at the turn of the century by Arnold Bennett and John Galsworthy. The greatest English realist and a very self-conscious one was the earlier George Eliot, who felt it a great obligation to report men and the things as they are reflected in the mirror of my mind' Holman 294. In the United States, realism was a self-conscious movement that was borrowed from the French and the Russians. It was carefully expressed by William Dean Howells and Henry James. Holman claims that In James case, the epistemological problem intruded to such an extent that that he finally became more interested in the process of perception of the actual than in its description, thus producing the psychological novel. Pearl is the Scarlet Letter EssayIts followers expressed their fury at the destruction caused by the war by revolting against many forms of social gathering. They presented their works marked by calculated madness and flashy nonsense. They stressed total freedom of expression, commonly through primitive displays of emotion and illogical, often senseless, poetry Gale. In about 1921 the movement transferred to France where it died. Some of Dadas spirit was carried into the surrealist movement. Surrealism was a major literary movement that began in France in the 1920s. According to Galloway, it reacted against aesthetic tradition and against the sterility of Dada, the surrealist sought to create a super reality that would blend the perceptions of the unconscious mind with the external realities of the phenomenal world 69. Surrealists often used grotesque themes, dreams, hallucinations, and subconscious visions in their writing. One technique was to place ordinary objects in new or illogical situations to stress the superficiality of conventional visions of reality. Around 1940, surrealism ceased to enjoy the authority of an organized movement. Some writers that used surrealism were Nathanael West, Nathalie Sarraute, James Purdy, and Michel Butor. There are several different types of criticism in literature. Criticism is the systematic study and evaluation of literary works, usually based on a specific set of principles. The practice of criticism has raised numerous theories and methods sometimes conflicting with other interpretations of literature. It has even raised basic issues such as what makes up a poem or a novel. A term used in criticism is classicism; classicism is used to describe critical principles that have their roots in ancient Greek and Roman literature. Literature associated with classicism usually displays restraint on the part of the author, unity of design and purpose, clarity, simplicity, logical organization, and respect for tradition. Neoclassicism refers to the revival of the attitudes and styles of expression in classical literature. It is normally used to describe a period of European history beginning in the late 17th Century and ending in about 1800. It marked a return to order, proportion, restraint, logic, accuracy, and decorum. Neoclassicism writers typically reacted against the intensity and enthusiasm of the Renaissance period. They wrote works that appealed to the intellect by using elevated language and classical literary forms such as satire. A movement in 20th Century criticism was structuralism; it examines how literary texts arrive at their meanings, rather than the meaning itself. There are two major types of structuralism analysis: one examines the way patterns of linguistic structures unify a specific text and emphasize certain elements of that text, and the other interprets the way literary forms and conventions affect the meaning of language itself Gale. In the late 1920s, the New Criticism movement came about. It stressed close textual analysis in the interpretation of works of literature. Its critics saw little value in historical and biographical analysis; instead they aimed to examine the text alone and not to be influenced by external events. Platonic Criticism was a form that stressed an artistic works usefulness as an agent of social engineering rather than any quality or value of the work itself Franklin. Another method of criticism, developed by Jacques Derrida, characterized multiple conflicting interpretations of a given work; it was called Deconstruction. Deconstructionists consider the impact of the language of a work and suggest that the true meaning of the work is not necessarily the meaning that the author intended Gale. Other methods of criticism include: psychoanalytic, poststructuralist, new historicist, and many more. Literature has many different interpretations that may or may not be right. A different type of criticism and form could be made up to refer to a specific story. Each type caters more specifically to one story versus another. A story could be classified as one form and another story with similar events could be categorized as a completely different one. Of the many different types there already are many more will come and they will just be exactly what the previous types were. They will be a particular type broken down into two or three other types. Literature is kind of like cars, it started as GM, then Chevrolet, then a Camaro, and last a different model with different options.

Young Marriages Cause and Effect an Example by

Young Marriages: Cause and Effect Human being as a social animal is influenced by emotions and thereby perpetually needs a sense of care, nurturing, feeling of importance, trust, sense of values and confidence. Some of these needs can only be gotten with subjective basis of love in marriage. We all need love, but love from everyone that comes our way is subject to a threat on privacy leakage, and a forfeit of self worth. This affirms a need for marriage and cohabitation of two lovers for the purpose of sharing love, sex, procreation, et cetera. Need essay sample on "Young Marriages: Cause and Effect" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Marriage is the bringing together of man and woman into wedlock after perhaps few periods of courtship or dating. Marriage is such an institution ordained by God and performed as a rite by religious leader, the judiciary arm of the government, or even non-governmental body confirmed with the right to observe so. Young marriage comes in when the two parties are relatively younger than the conventional conceived of marriage-age attainment. The age limit varies from region to countries and thereby has a resisted specification within a locality or society in question. For ladies, some nations belief in the age of 18 and some 25, while men are assumed not to be limited by age factor but only subjected to maturity in terms of stability in economy, mental state and every otherwise. Undergraduates Usually Tell EssayLab specialists:I'm not in the mood to write my essay. Because I don't have the timeEssay writers suggest: Buy An Essay Which Will Lead You To Your Academic SuccessCustom Writing Service Order Essay Online Review Custom Writing Service College Essay Writing Service It is important to note that young marriage is stressed simply because it is an aberration of the accepted age group in a society. We shall now critically analyze the causes of young marriage among the underage group. Prolonged loneliness/desertion, early desire to satisfy uncontrolled emotions, huge sense of insecurity, parental pressure in some Africans, precocity in whites (fast and early growth) and social pressure are some of the causes of young marriage. This spreads across many regions of the continent. At this juncture, it is expedient to point out that marriages of matured age group are faced with numerous challenges. The challenges are so heavy that even a professional councilor cannot out rightly diagnose and conclude on a prognostic progression. In fact, in American, almost half of recorded wedding ceremony ends in divorce, reported mostly among the young couples. Taking a case report from Jay Teachman, a researcher in Western Washington University, findings show that couples whose moment of courtship is not denied of premarital sex and fun are with no higher risk of divorce. Unlike a short and casual relationship of no sex attached this group records more divorce. "For women in this category, premarital sex and cohabitation with their future husband are just two more steps in building a serious, committed, long-term relationship"(Teachman, 2003). Imaging a young couple with no prior quality moment of intimacy and understanding of individual cultures, values, and norms, both co uples perhaps would require huge patience to adjust and adapt. In the absence of patience, tolerance, conflicts crop up so often leading to undue premonitions of intruders setting in. in essence, fast rate of divorce is an important outcome of young matrimonial home. Furthermore, the concept of time is the most important tool to test the sustenance of professed love. There is a popular sage certain African-American society - "if you love me, you will wait". This further buttresses the fact that lust categorizes the immediate desire to rush wedding without adequate moment of courtship. A partner in lust is blind to the true symptoms of love. A wedding without a solid foundation on trust and love is like a news firm standing building mounted on a flowing river surface. Sooner or later, the natural course of the river will fulfill its sole mission to erode, weaken the foundation and whole collapse the seemingly strong structure. Such analogy is akin to a young marriage with untested love on the basis of time. Young couples often fall victim for failure to endure courtship and learn with time the real substance of necessity in marriage (The Guardian, 2004). It is incomplete to itemize some of the importance of young marriage. Firstly, the couple has an early initiation of focus alignment in a hybrid version having resolve disparity early enough when the days are still young- at the beginning of their cohabitation. The children are brought up early enough in life. Such children nurtured, cared for with youthful strength and with freshness of sound education. Still in line of effects of early marriage, the woman reproduces the desired number of children before the age of forty sets in. At this age, some medical specialists suggest the vulnerability of such woman to certain gynecological diseases that could affect the virility of the child. Young marriage therefore, has both its advantages and disadvantages. The variation in different countries beliefs makes it so had to conclusively arrive at a leverage sentence of universal acceptance. References Jay Teachman (2003), Premarital Sex, Premarital Cohabitation, and the Risk of Subsequent Marital Dissolution Among Women, Journal of Marriage and Family 65 (2), 444-455. Dr Anthony Bone, (August 2004), Marriage Counseling Hour, The Guardian Newspaper, weekend publication (Nigeria).

A Reality of Presence Essays - Emotions, The Bluest Eye, Free Essays

A Reality of Presence Essays - Emotions, The Bluest Eye, Free Essays A Reality of Presence A Reality of PresenceMarch 1995 In The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison shows that anger is healthy and that it is not something to be feared; those who are not able to get angry are the ones who suffer the most. She criticizes Cholly, Polly, Claudia, Soaphead Church, the Mobile Girls, and Pecola because these blacks in her story wrongly place their anger on themselves, their own race, their family, or even God, instead of being angry at those they should have been angry at: whites. Pecola Breedlove suffered the most because she was the result of having others anger dumped on her, and she herself was unable to get angry. When Geraldine yells at her to get out of her house, Pecolas eyes were fixed on the pretty lady and her pretty house. Pecola does not stand up to Maureen Peal when she made fun of her for seeing her dad naked but instead lets Freida and Claudia fight for her. Instead of getting mad at Mr. Yacobowski for looking down on her, she directed her anger toward the dandelions she once thought were beautiful. However, the anger will not hold(50), and the feelings soon gave way to shame. Pecola was the sad product of having others anger placed on her: All of our waste we dumped on her and she absorbed. And all of our beauty, which was hers first and which she gave to us(205). They felt beautiful next to her ugliness, wholesome next to her uncleanness, her poverty made them generous, her weakness made them strong, and her pain made them happier. When Pecolas father, Cholly Breedlove, was caught as a teenager in a field with Darlene by two white men, never did he once consider directing his hatred toward the hunters(150), rather her directed his hatred towards the girl because hating the white men would consume him. He was powerless against the white men and was unable to protect Darlene from them as well. This caused his to hate her for being in the situation with him and for realizing how powerless her really was. Also, Cholly felt that any misery his daughter suffered was his fault, and looking in to Pecolas loving eyes angered him because her wondered, What could her do for her - ever? What give her? What say to her?(161) Chollys failures led him to hate those that he failed, most of all his family. Pecolas mother, Polly Breedlove, also wrongly placed her anger on her family. As a result of having a deformed foot, Polly had always had a feeling of unworthiness and separateness. With her own children, sometimes Id catch myself hollering at them and beating them, but I couldnt seem to stop(124). She stopped taking care of her own children and her home and took care of a white family and their home. She found praise, love, and acceptance with the Fisher family, and it is for these reasons that she stayed with them. She had been deprived of such feelings from her family when growing up and in turn deprived her own family of these same feelings. Polly held Cholly as a mode on sin and failure, she bore him like a crown of thorns, and her children like a cross(126). Pecolas friend Claudia is angry at the beauty of whiteness and attempts to dismember white dolls to find where their beauty lies. There is a sarcastic tone in her voice when she spoke of having to be worthy to play with the dolls. Later, when telling the story as a past experience, she describes the adults tone of voice as being filled with years of unfulfilled longing, perhaps a longing to be themselves beautifully white. Claudia herself was happiest when she stood up to Maureen Peal, the beautiful girl from her class. When Claudia and Freida taunted her as she ran down the street, they were happy to get a chance to express anger, and we were still in love with ourselves then(74). Claudias anger towards dolls turns to hated of white girls. Out of a fear for his anger the she could not comprehend, she later tool a refuge in loving whites. She had to at least pretend to

The Pros and Cons of Solar Power

The Pros and Cons of Solar Power The prospect of generating pollution-free power from the sun’s rays is appealing, but to-date the low price of oil combined with the high costs of developing new technology have prevented the widespread adoption of solar power in the United States and beyond. At a current cost of 25 to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour, solar power costs as much as five times more than conventional fossil fuel-based electricity. And dwindling supplies of polysilicon, the element found in traditional photovoltaic cells, are not helping. The Politics of Solar Power According to Gary Gerber of the Berkeley, California-based Sun Light Power, not long after Ronald Reagan moved into the White House in 1980 and removed the solar collectors from the roof that Jimmy Carter had installed, tax credits for solar development disappeared and the industry plunged â€Å"over a cliff.† Federal spending on solar energy picked up under the Clinton administration, but trailed off again once George W. Bush took office. But growing climate change worries and high oil prices have forced the Bush administration to reconsider its stance on alternatives like solar, and the White House has proposed $148 million for solar energy development in 2007, up almost 80 percent from what it invested in 2006. Increasing the Efficiency and Lowering the Cost of Solar Power In the realm of research and development, enterprising engineers are working hard to get solar power’s costs down, and expect it to be price-competitive with fossil fuels within 20 years. One technological innovator is California-based Nanosolar, which replaces the silicon used to absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity with a thin film of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS). Nanosolar’s Martin Roscheisen says CIGS-based cells are flexible and more durable, making them easier to install in a wide range of applications. Roscheisen expects he will be able to build a 400-megawatt electricity plant for about a tenth of the price of a comparable silicon-based plant. Other companies making waves with CIGS-based solar cells include New York’s DayStar Technologies and California’s Miasolà ©. Another recent innovation in solar power is the co-called â€Å"spray-on† cell, such as those made by Massachusetts’ Konarka. Like paint, the composite can be sprayed on to other materials, where it can harness the sun’s infrared rays to power cell phones and other portable or wireless devices. Some analysts think spray-on cells could become five times more efficient than the current photovoltaic standard. Venture Capitalists Investing in Solar Power Environmentalists and mechanical engineers aren’t the only ones bullish on solar these days. According to the Cleantech Venture Network, a forum of investors interested in clean renewable energy, venture capitalists poured some $100 million into solar start-ups of all sizes in 2006 alone, and expect to commit even more money in 2007. Given the venture capital community’s interest in relatively short-term returns, it’s a good bet that some of today’s promising solar start-ups will be tomorrow’s energy behemoths. EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted on About Environmental Issues by permission of the editors of E.

SOCIALIZATION ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SOCIALIZATION - Assignment Example It seems clear I am not a carbon copy of my parents. I suspect that the greatest socializing influences on my values and beliefs have been my religion, the city where I grew up, and my school. I am a Muslim, from United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East. I spent my childhood and teen years in Abu Dhabi, and went to an international school. I meet many people for whom religion is just something they were born into and direct no effort toward. For me, being Muslim is an active organization of beliefs. By active, I mean it is more than rules and doctrine. It is a way of life that is visible every day, every choice, every relationship with others. I pray toward our holy city, Mecca, and I am reoriented and refreshed in my soul. I pray because God is God, and I feel a part of something very beautiful. I feel the effect of our prayers on the world is a helpful thing. It is a time for quiet, a time for connection to Allah and to the Prophet, (peace be upon him). No matter where I am, in the world, and no matter who are my friends and what are my influences, I pray and know, again, who and what I am. Islam is a religion of which I feel proud. When I read the Holy Qur’an, I am connected into a history of my people and instructions for how to live a right way. Islam is a religion that is not confined to the region of my birth, but has spread all over the world. Some people misunderstand and think it is a religion of conflict, but actually it is a way of peace. We Muslims greet each other in peace, and return the blessing of peace when we are greeted. This greeting is a cultural symbol. It includes us with the Muslim we are greeting and with all Muslims because that idea of inclusiveness is part of the phrase we speak. Muslims have contributed many good things to the world. From the invention of algebra and hospitals to the building of the Hamarabi and the Taj Mahal,

Managing Ethichs and Social responsibility Research Paper

Managing Ethichs and Social responsibility - Research Paper Example In relation to the conception of business ethics along with social responsibility, Business Ethic Management (BEM) is viewed to be a process of analysing as well as minimising ethical issues or problems with the application of certain specific programs and effectual practices. There are varied important elements that are applied by different organisations for minimising ethical problems or issues that include formulating effectual mission statements and establishing standard code of ethics. It has been apparently observed that the people involved with an organisation are provided with business ethics related education as well as training in order to effectively operate their respective business activities in accordance with organisational objectives. Moreover, business operations of an organisation are required to be audited as well as reported in an appropriate manner in order to effectively analyze business performances by a significant level (University of Bahrain, n.d.). News Int ernational or NI Group Ltd (NI) is regarded as one of the renowned as well as the biggest publishers of famous British newspapers. The well-known newspapers published by NI are The Sunday Times and The Times. These newspapers which publish by the organisation are considered to be the best in consideration to quality. Furthermore, another well-known newspaper of the organisation named The Sun is regarded to be one of the most read newspapers in the UK that accounts to seven million readers per day (NI Group Limited, 2012). This discussion will emphasize upon analysing ethical as well as social issues that faced by NI. Moreover, the discussion will further focus upon the techniques as well as the standards that adopted by the organisation in minimising all these identified issues that are pertaining within the organisation. Ethical and Social Issues of NI NI is one the famous newspaper publisher in the UK that faced several issues or problems which have been identified to hamper the p erformances as well as the business ethics of the organisation at large. The organisation has faced the problems due to corrupt practices that were performed for investigating certain crime related activities or news reports. The major ethical problem that faced by the organisation is the phone-hacking investigation procedure. Moreover, the staff members of the organisation were also alleged that they were involved in accessing messages of general public along with comprising the celebrities as well as the politicians (Davies, 2009). Furthermore, one of the staff members named Clive Goodman as well as two other members of NI was identified to be involved in tapping the phone calls of Prince William, a member of royal family (Day, 2006). There was another event that hampered the ethical standards of the organisation considering the case of Milly Dowler who was murdered. In regard to this case, the members of NI were alleged that they erased messages from Milly Dowler’s mobile phone with the intention of acquiring future messages (Muller, 2012). Furthermore, the organisation is also charged with the crime of providing bribery to public officials for acquiring important information

Melanin-Based Racial Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Melanin-Based Racial Prejudice Essay Do you think humans are born to be judgmental? We usually make judgments based on what we see first, and most of the time an important factor is skin color. Social racism is known as the discrimination or intolerance of people of other races or skin colors. Racism occurs in many ways; however, it is not always obvious. Where did this type of behavior begin? Racial prejudice has many causes and effects from and on society that are inevitable. There are many ideas thrown around as to how racism began, though the truth lies in the historical facts. From slavery, to imperialism, to wars, we have always felt superior towards others with different skin colors and races. â€Å"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.† (Mandela, 1994). Racism has been a part of history for as long as humans existed and has been enhanced by early capitalism’s use of slaves for plantations and colonies. Back then, the colonists and imperialists used it as a way to show domination, but it resulted in dividing the modern world. A main factor of this division is that people who believe in stereotypes detest any communication with other races, causing a defense mechanism against them, and finally creating tension and animosity. History is proof that colored people have been treated unfairly and tortured over centuries. â€Å"Black† has always been perceived as negative. Black cats are told to be a sign of omen, black clothes are worn to funerals, and hell is pictured as a deadly place filled with darkness; these have all caused misinterpretation and created a wrong impression in people’s minds. Last, but unfortunately not least, pictures from The Holocaust -a genocide where about six million Jews were killed by the Nazis under the command of Germany’s Adolf Hitler- still haunt us (Mukherjee, 2014). Just as kids grow up imitating their parents, upcoming generations will grow up to be racists in a society where each individual thinks they are superior to everyone else if they have lighter skin. It is a never ending cycle that will most probably end in bullying. Children who grow up watching discrimination happen everywhere around them will end up feeling a need to bully classmates of othe r races. Racial discrimination has had several effects on society and employment. Studies have shown that  people with darker skin colors usually have trouble achieving ordinary goals like a job that pays well, a house in a nice neighborhood, and all the basic necessities. Why should a person with a darker skin tone suffer to obtain these essential rights and needs? The unemployment rate for African Americans in 1995 was 10.1 percent compared to 4.7 percent for white Americans (Berry, 1995). It is widely known that colored people face higher rejection rates when applying for jobs and are usually put second to whites with similar credit characteristics and also get paid less (Ross Yinger, 1999). In addition, racism is associated with poor mental health. Studies show that the victims of bullying based on their skin color are at a greater risk of developing a range of psychological and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. These conditions can contribute to more serious mental disorders. Therefore, eliminating racial prejudice is vital to improving mental health and emotional stability. Even though all that is happening, proper awareness is still not being taken into consideration. Racial discrimination is often practiced subconciounsly because societies from all around the world have successfully managed to mind wash generation a fter generation. In movies, for example, people do not realize that the African Americans usually die first. In crime scenes, they are usually the criminal. As a result of this, children are unintentionally forced to believe that dark skinned people are bad. Statistics show that majority of the public believe that African Americans are not accurately portrayed in movies. The use of offensive words regarding the Natives has become very common, as well, especially in modern rap songs. Rappers include offensive and extremely racist words in their lyrics. Another example is advertisements, and how they stress on promoting whitening beauty creams. The racism in this is not obvious, but it is obscene for the people who are not fair skinned. Finally, as a cause of predictable racism, an innocent African American man named Michael Brown was shot fatally by a police officer earlier in August this year. The protesting citizens of Ferguson remain at unrest until this very day due to the injustice that had occurred. In a nutshell, social racism has had many causes and effects throughout the years due to the growing complexity of the world around us. Racial prejudice is surely not a biological characteristic. In other words, humans do not  differentiate between races because of their genetic makeup. In an ideal world, racism would be eliminated and justice would take over. To cut a long story short, why should the amount of melanin is someone’s skin define them? Resources Mandela, N. (1994). Long walk to freedom: The autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Boston: Little, Brown. Mukherjee, R. (2014, June 18). Top 10 Reasons why Racism Still Exists List Crux. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://listcrux.com/top-10-reasons-why-racism-

Regarding Indefinite Administrative Detention Essay example -- Politic

Regarding Indefinite Administrative Detention Blind patriotism and resounding public support of President Bush’s ‘War’ on terrorism after the events of September 11 th have allowed considerable leeway to be taken by the Federal Government in terms of indefinite detention of non-U.S. citizens in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But all the flag waving seems to have helped a lot of people dismiss the idea that, even though the detainees taken from Afghanistan in the past year are not U.S. citizens, they remain innocent until proven guilty according to American legal principles. One might ask: ‘if the suspects haven’t been proven guilty in court (or the remarkably prosecutor-friendly military tribunals), how can they be, for all intents and purposes, imprisoned while innocent (without violating numerous constitutional, statutory, and international laws)?’ The answer is that, because the detainees have NOT been charged with any crime, they are held as enemy combatants. Once deemed a threat to national security by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, they are subject to the restrictions of Wartime Internment: â€Å"according to the Geneva Conventions, captured combatants may be detained without charges until the end of active hostilities.†(Mariner) The procedural laws governing detention of aliens lie in a complex net of statutes declaring the rights of the government to detain aliens under different situations. When Donald Rumsfeld says that the end of active hostilities will come â€Å"when we feel that there are not effective global terrorist networks functioning in the world† (Mariner), the importance of looking at exactly what the Supreme Court has to say about detention regulations becomes increasingly clear: indefinite detention could v... ...tizens as a fair, just, and prudent tactic to serve the goal of winning a seemingly impossible, rhetorical war.(Mariner) But while the moral issues revolving around preventative administrative detention remain, the court in fact resolved Zadvydas in an ethically sound, legally justifiable manner. WORKS CITED Carter, Lief. 2002. Reason In Law: Sixth Edition. New York, NY: Longman. Mariner, Joanne. May 28, 2002. Indefinite Detention On Guantanamo. Retrieved October 19, 2002, from http://writ.corporate.findlaw.com/mariner/20020528.html Ramasastry, Anita. Oct. 5, 2001. Indefinite Detention Based Upon Suspicion: How The Patriot Act Will Disrupt Many Lawful Immigrants’ Lives. Retrieved October 19, 2002, from http://writ.corporate.findlaw.com/ramasastry/20011005.html Zadvydas v. Davis, et al. U.S. Supreme Court. Argued, Feb. 21, 2001. Decided, June 28, 2001.

Philosophy of Religion Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Is religion necessary in maintaining a happy and successful family? Yes, religion plays a vital role in good family structure. Whenever religion is taken seriously and applied to family life, there is a definite prosperous and positive outcome. When families attend church together, there is a closer bond between family members and it is highly probable that family members who attend religious services push toward higher moral standards which in turn, builds a more solid and moral household. When the man observes religion in the home, he takes on the role as head of the household and creates harmony with other family members by providing for his family and treating his family with respect. When the woman recognizes her role in the home as a religious follower, she will also respect her husband and nurture her children as she is taught through religion. The children will do their part in their home by respecting both parents and also by using good moral values. Many people find it hard to understand why it is important to practice religion in homes since we rarely witness this in recent history but by following the laws of God, we lead ourselves and our families in the right direction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Should parents stay together when they feel that their marriage is one that has lost passion? Yes, it is important for families to work together in resolving marital problems in order to have a happy family. Children need the support of both parents working in unison and married couples should seek outside support if necessary such as members of the church if they feel they can’t work through the unhappiness in the marriage. The high divorce rate in America has broken down families and has increasingly left children in broken homes when on most occasions, the problems could have been worked through. The Bible gives us many guidelines concerning marriage and if we heed God’s Word, then it is highly possible for broken homes to be mended in order for children to grow up in a stable environment. If more parents would work harder at their marriage instead of getting divorced, family life and the quality of life would be much greater for everyone in the family.

Is Thinking Displayed In Al-Qaeda Writings and Statements Primary Religious or Ideological In Form?

An armed Sunni Islamist organization that has the objective and intention to eliminate and eradicate foreign influences from the Muslim countries is Al-Qaeda, which is nowadays is the hot topic in every country and state. Who should be eradicated it depends upon them, whom they deem and consider being infidels. One of the main purposes of this militant organization is to reestablish the caliphate, which is the title given to an Islamic leader in the community of Islam. The philosophy of Al-Qaeda is based on Wahabism, an orthodox conventional Islamic movement started by Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab in the 18th century.Salafism is another orthodox Islamic fundamentalist movement and it followers are the prominent members and militants of this armed group. These two movements of Islam are very dominant in Saudi Arabia, the Western Iraq, and Qatar. The group is generally recognized by its leader, Osama bin Laden, whereas, Ayman al-Zawahiri had also influenced the practice and theory of thi s organization. A common cause of it is linking many collaborative and independent working cells, which may exist in more than one country, resulting in its operations to be un-centralized or not at one place.The September 11 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center, and the Pentagon were the result of the planning and execution of this group, who has committed multiple terrorism acts in the name of Islam. In response, various series of legal and military operations were launched against Al-Qaeda by United States, which were supported by many other countries, including the Islamic Republic of Pakistan – only Islamic country that posses declared nuclear weapons.The United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, NATO, and the United Nations, have officially designated this group as harmful and terrorist organization due to its continuous radical acts in the different parts of the world. In late October 2001, al Jazeera, a Middle-east television netwo rk’s journalist, Tayseer Alouni, videotaped Osama bin Laden’s interview, while he was explaining the origin of his group. In his interview, Osama said, â€Å"The name ‘al Qaeda' was established a long time ago by mere chance.The late Abu Ebeida El-Banashiri established the training camps for our mujahedeen against Russia's terrorism. We used to call the training camp al Qaeda [meaning â€Å"the base† in English]. And the name stayed†. In this interview of 2001, he used the world mujahedeen, which is used to describe the Muslims, who are ready to sacrifice their lives in any war or a meaning of struggle, in the name of Allah, often taken in the words, Jihad. In true Islamic context, it is an Islamic term that was derived from an Arabic root, which means to struggle or to strive.In religious terms, an inner effort and struggle for the mobilization of energies, in order to make one, a pious Muslim spiritually is called Jihad. Secondly, it is an attempt to serve the Islamic community and ummah through the capabilities. In extreme circumstances, it is regarded in military terms through the conquest of enemy’s territory or power. After knowing the true definition of Jihad in its Islamic terminology, a nonprofessional person can articulate that the ideology of Islam, which is being presented by these militant groups are fake and ridiculous.Islam is a religion of peace that requires Muslims to submit their wills to the Almighty Allah, one God. Whereas, no Islamic context or Allah’s words have ordered to kill innocent people and frighten them with the bombings and suicide attacks. Historically, if we investigate into the origin of Al-Qaeda, we come to know that it was originally established in the premises where training was given to thousands of mujahedeen, and they were recruited in Russia by the CIA. In January 2001, the U. S.Department of Justice used the term Al-Qaeda for the first time, when four men were accused in the case of the United States embassy bombings in East Africa, during the year 1998. Again, if we analyze the concept of Al-Qaeda for these militant acts, we can take the example of another part of the previously mentioned interview of October 2001. During the interview, the Al-Qaeda leader was asked regarding his economic sources as it was assumed that it was a fight between the United States and them. In reply, Osama bin Laden said, â€Å"This battle is not between al Qaeda and the U.S. This is a battle of Muslims against the global crusaders. In the past when al Qaeda fought with the mujahedeen, we were told, â€Å"Wow, can you defeat the Soviet Union? † The Soviet Union scared the whole world then. NATO used to tremble of fear of the Soviet Union. Where is that power now? We barely remember it. It broke down into many small states and Russia remained. God, who provided us with his support and kept us steadfast until the Soviet Union was defeated, is able to provide us o nce more with his support to defeat America on the same land and with the same people.We believe that the defeat of America is possible, with the help of God, and is even easier for us, God permitting, than the defeat of the Soviet Union was before†. According to this statement of Osama, this war is not with the United States, which is often assumed by the media, but with the global crusaders. Even if we accept this statement of this militant chief, do innocent people of New York or the students of the United Kingdom are regarded as crusaders in their opinions.This would have really made anybody feel ridiculous of the statement, or of the terrorist actions that are happening nowadays in the world. To take things more theoretically, we should try to gather around more facts. According to Diaa Rashwan, a senior researcher at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, in mid 1990s, a merger between the Bin Laden groups and the Zawahiri’s Al-Jihad groups was t he result of a new name of this group, Qa’edat al-Jihad that means a base provided for the Jihad (the struggle).Once again, the word Jihad was taken as the primary objective and purpose of this militant group, which was totally against the teachings of Islam. The young Muslims were brought into Afghanistan for the training purpose were being brainwashed by these militants, also they were turned into new the Afghani Mujahedeens. In August 1988, according to a document of the Defense Department of the United States, the organization was defined as the establishment of an organization for the recruitment of young Muslims, and turning them into the Afghani Mujahedeen as mentioned previously in our discussion.It was also stated in this document that the main objective of this group was instituting the Islamist states throughout the world, while overthrowing the un-Islamic regimes, which were taken as the enemies of the God. The expulsion of the US soldiers from the Gulf was their one of the targets, and in the end, it was their mission to capture the city of Jerusalem as a Muslim city. If we look into the past, wars have been fought in the name of religion. However, no religion and even in the history of Islamic wars, we have never seen a war, in which innocent people, women and children were killed.From the historical facts and the teachings of Islam given by Allah, a last option was given to the Muslims to fight in the name of their religion, if and only if, there was no other option remained in their hands. We can decide through these statements and discussions that it is a wrong thing to call this militant group as an Islamic militant group. The political and social reasons can be behind the establishment of this group. Personal benefits and leisure have been the cause and motive of this organization. However, it would be very ludicrous to relate it with Islam.The statements and writings of these groups may give a perception of a religion that gives the teaching of spreading blood and hatred in the world. However, their statements are very philosophical and illiterate in nature, if properly investigated and studied. In 1998, the Al-Qaeda leader was interviewed and the tape was shown to the whole world. If we analyze his statements during that interview, Allah was praised by him for the help, by which, America’s greatest buildings were destroyed. He was seen thanking God for His blessings on them, and causing humiliation that was tasted by Muslims since more than 80 years.According to him, Muslims children were being killed in Iraq, Israeli tanks were infesting Palestine, and the blood, honor, and sanctuaries of Islam were being abused by the infidels. Even then, nobody was seen moving a single limb against these infidels. In one of his statements, he said, â€Å"These events have divided the whole world into two sides. The side of believers and the side of infidels, may God keep you away from them. Every Muslim has to rush to make his religion victorious. The winds of faith have come. The winds of change have come to eradicate oppression from the island of Muhammad, peace be upon him†.If we look into this statement, according to him, his world was at the peak of division of the believers and the infidels. Secondly, he had asked every Muslim to wake up and rush out for the victory of his religion. Even if we accept it, the injustices caused to the Muslims, and the injuries borne by them, no Islamic teachings guided to response in this manner, even with the enemies. If we go back in the history, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), the last prophet of Allah (as per Muslims believe), and who spread Islam in the Arabia had also fought many wars during his life.We can see the examples of forgiveness which he used to do with the enemies, and even used to forgive those persons who had abused him on the face. From these examples, it can be analyzed that the militant and terrorist acts of this Al-Qaeda g roup is not more than acts of the political wars. The statements of Al-Qaeda group may be primary religious, but in some parts. More fractions were used to humiliate the enemy and disgrace the religion of Islam – this is the reason that makes the Islamic countries to support the war of terrorism.Injustices were also done during this war of terrorism and innocent people became the victims during this period. However, there is no difference between a person who slaps someone and the person who has just slapped him. Every religion that came in this world taught and guided to speak the truth, help the people, and serve the humanity. Therefore, if a group of extremists that arm themselves and kill innocent people and children of the so-called enemies, and call themselves as the true believers is completely wrong.Only radical and illiterate ideology of a religion is represented by these groups and once again, one may not deem them as the representative of Islam. In order to underst and their philosophy in more detail, we should examine their other statements too. A fatwa (binding religious proclamation) was issued and co-signed by Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Sumedh Gawai, and three of the other Islamist leaders on February 23, 1998. This edict was made under the banner of the World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders.Once again, it was very wrong step by them to use the world Islamic, as it only disgraced this religion, rather than giving it honor. In this declaration, it was announced that â€Å"[t]he ruling to kill the Americans and their allies civilians and military—is an individual duty for every Muslim, who can do it in any country, in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) and the holy mosque (in Makka) from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim.This is in accordance with the words of Alm ighty Allah, ‘and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together,' and ‘fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah†. In the light of this pronouncement, it was compulsory for every Muslim to come out of his home and start fighting with any Jew that comes in front of him. Isn’t that a preposterous proclamation, or should it be taken as a dangerous edict?The most interesting thing that takes your attention is the traditional Islamic scholarly qualifications were possessed by neither Osama bin Laden or al-Zawahiri. However, the contemporary ulema (true interpretators of Islamic teachings) were rejected by these radical extremists and this responsibility was taken upon them by themselves. The September 11, 2001 attacks at New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon was the deadliest and the extreme ones in the American history. Almost 3000 people were killed, which include Christia ns, Jews, and Muslims.This act was an elevated operation of terrorism, and it changed the lives of thousand of Americans. In October 2004, a videotape was released by Al-Jazeera in which Osama bin Laden claimed his responsibility of these attacks and stated his inspiration to be the 1982 Israeli attacks at the high-rises in the Lebanon. Once more, he performed this act of repetition one’s wrong doing reciprocally. Even if Israel had done a devilish act, Islam had taught to forgive and pray for the blessings, even for the enemies. However, what happened was totally different and diverse from the Islamic teachings.In this videotape, Osama bin Laden said, â€Å"As I looked at those demolished towers in Lebanon, it entered my mind that we should punish the oppressor in kind and that we should destroy towers in America in order that they taste some of what we tasted and so that they be deterred from killing our women and children†. It seems from these terrorism acts and the ir statements that this would not stop in the near future, and a war may not be the solution of this issue. Their philosophy, ideology, and psychology are related to their hearts that tends them to react in this state of terrorism.One more example of their statements is the incident of July 13, 2006. In the Srinagar region of Kashmir, a man claimed to be the representative of Al-Qaeda and announced the Kashmiris and the people worldwide of their arrival in this region. The spokesperson also attributed the recent blasts to his group calling them a consequence of the Indian oppression, which was suppressed by the Muslim minorities. These series of different statements showed the image of Muslims and particularly, Islam as a religion of war rather than the peace.These acts can only be the motives of political benefits and advantages as no Islamic teachings guide the Muslims to do the struggle in this manner even against their enemies. Therefore, once again it would be better to declare that these statements and writings can only be a reflection of motives behind personal promotion rather than the religious beliefs and teachings. However, it is still confusing to decide the final decision, because the Al-Qaeda’s nature and extent of its working and operations throughout the world remains a topic of dispute.From the understanding of their statements, we can say that these acts and thoughts are the result of hatred against the United States, Israel, and the other western countries rather than an effort of struggling as per the teachings of Islam. According to their Islamic ideology, these abovementioned countries are taken as the infidels and enemies of Islam. They take it as these countries are trying to abuse the social, economic, cultural, and traditional values of their religion.Many of the Saudi scholars, which were the result of the previously mentioned Wahabism wrote about the United States as the country of corruption, despotism, evil, and aggression. It was considered as a state of spreading abomination and corruption in the world. The resources being used on wines, cigarettes, and sex channels were the cause of their hatred against these western countries. In order to dominate their desire of revenge against these states, they portrayed themselves as the true representatives, scholars, and believers of Islam.Young Muslims were brainwashed and persuaded to sacrifice their lives for the motive of Islam. However, the main objective was to humiliate the enemy rather than to honor the religion. The different proclamations of these extremists, such as, the future conquest of Rome and all of Europe; the state of confrontation with the west; civilians in the infidel states deserve to die; democracy as the religion of the infidels; and seeing the West as God’s enemy are some of the many and various statements given by these extremists.These statements only portray their personal motives behind these acts and not the Islamic ideo logy in any sense. Many experts, writers, investigators and analysts have tried their best to analyze the Al-Qaeda’s position, in the light of their statements and writings, but it is still a topic of argument due to its anonymity. In this discussion, we tried to examine and scrutinize the testimonials of this militant group to decide whether they are playing a role as an Islamic group spreading true religious teachings and beliefs or it is an extremist group that is trying to cope up its problems radically.Conclusively, according to the investigations done by different experts and facts available for the analysis, the Al-Qaeda network does not display or seems to be trying to portray an original picture and ideology, which was given by the Holy Quran and the Messenger of Allah, to the Muslims of the world. References Jason Burke. (2004). Al-Qaeda: a True Story of Radical Islam. I. B. Tauris. Daurius Figueira. (2004). the Al Qaeda Discourse of the Greater Kufr. iUniverse. Bra d K. Berner. (2005). the World According to Al-Qaeda. Booksurge Llc. Olivier Roy. (2004). Globalised Islam: the search for a new Ummah. C. Hurst & Co.Publishers. Robert O. Marlin. (2005). What Does Al Qaeda Want? : Unedited Communiques. North Atlantic Books. Paul J. Murphy. (2004). The Wolves of Islam: Russia and the Faces of Chechen Terror. Brassey's. Dele Ajaja. (2006). The Return of Al-Qaeda: When a Dreaded Terrorist Reaches the Turning Point. iUniverse. David Malone (2005). Bin Laden's Plan: The Project for the New Al Qaeda Century. Trafford Publishing. Phillip Margulies. (2003). Al Qaeda: Osama Bin Laden's Army of Terrorists. The Rosen Publishing Group. Al-Qaeda from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Al-Qaeda Retrieved November 30, 2006

Overview of the Medulla Oblongata

Overview of the Medulla Oblongata The medulla oblongata is a portion of the hindbrain that controls autonomic functions such as breathing, digestion, heart and blood vessel function, swallowing, and sneezing. Motor and sensory neurons from the midbrain and forebrain travel through the medulla. As a part of the brainstem, the medulla oblongata helps in the transferring of messages between various parts of the brain and the spinal cord. The medulla contains myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers. Myelinated nerves (white matter) are covered with a myelin sheath composed of lipids and proteins. This sheath insulates axons and promotes more efficient conduction of nerve impulses than unmyelinated nerve fibers (gray matter). A number of cranial nerve nuclei are located in the gray matter of the medulla oblongata. The upper region of the medulla forms the fourth cerebral ventricle. The fourth ventricle is a cavity filled with cerebrospinal fluid and is continuous with the cerebral aqueduct. The lower portion of the medulla narrows forming portions of the central canal of the spinal cord. Function The medulla oblongata is involved in several functions of the body including: Control of autonomic functionsRelay of nerve signals between the brain and spinal cordCoordination of body movementsRegulation of mood The medulla is the control center for cardiovascular and respiratory system activity. It regulates heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. The medulla also controls involuntary reflex actions such as swallowing, sneezing, and gag reflex. Another major function of the medulla is the control and coordination of voluntary movement. A number of cranial nerve nuclei are located in the medulla. Some of these nerves are important for speech, head and shoulder movement, and food digestion. The medulla also aids in the transfer of sensory information between the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system. It relays sensory information to the thalamus and from there is sent to the cerebral cortex. Location Directionally, the medulla oblongata is inferior to the pons and anterior to the cerebellum. It is the lowest portion of the hindbrain and is continuous with the spinal cord. Features Some anatomical features of the medulla oblongata include: Median fissures - shallow groves located along the anterior and posterior portions of the medulla.Olive - paired oval structures on the medulla surface that contain nerve fibers which connect the medulla to the pons and cerebellum.Pyramid - two rounded masses located on opposite sides of the anterior median fissure. These nerve fibers connect the medulla to the spinal cord, pons, and cerebral cortex.Fasciculus gracilis - a continuation of the bundle of nerve fiber tracts that extend from the spinal cord to the medulla. Injury to the Medulla Injury to the medulla oblongata may result in a number of sensory-related problems. These include numbness, paralysis, difficulty swallowing, acid reflux, and lack of movement control. Because the medulla controls vital autonomic functions, such as breathing and heart rate, damage to this area of the brain can be fatal. Drugs and other chemical substances can impact the medullas ability to function. An opiate overdose can be deadly because these drugs inhibit medulla activity and the body becomes unable to perform vital functions. The chemicals in anesthesia work by acting on the medulla to decrease autonomic activity. This results in a lower breathing rate and heart rate, relaxation of muscles, and  loss of consciousness.​

A new Spacesuit for Starliner Astronauts

A new Spacesuit for Starliner Astronauts The astronauts are also trendy The media always talks and writes about the latest fashion for men and women of some business jobs, but what about the latest trend in clothes for the astronauts? Do you know that the new high quality spacesuit was unveiled for the Starliner Astronauts recently? Boeing presented its new spacesuit The representatives of the company Boeing informed about their new production - a new spacesuit, which is more comfortable and simpler, than the previous one. It is very good, as the more complicated design can have much more chances to break easily. The designers realized that some parts of the old spacesuit are just unnecessary. This suit meets all the requirements of NASA for functionality and safety. It introduces all the up-to-date innovations. Among the advances of the spacesuit`s design are: vents, which allow astronauts to be cooler, touchscreens-sensitive gloves, which are made of material, that makes such interaction with touchsceens real, visor, and helmet incorporated into the suit. It is lighter and more flexible due to the new joint patterns and advanced materials. The peculiarities of the new Starliner suit There is more material in the knees and elbows, so the astronauts will be able to move easier. The astronauts will be able to move easier, as there is much material in the knees and elbows. This new material allows water vapor to pass out of the suit, which makes it cooler. You can adapt the shape of the suit when seated or standing thanks to the strategically located zippers. There are some special communication systems under the helmet. The booties are also the inalienable part of the whole spacesuit. The new spacesuit will definitely keep the astronaut alive, which is the most important aspect. It is as safe as it is functional. The full suit weighs about 20 pounds with all its accessories. It was tested by the astronauts to make sure, that their work in the spacecraft will be easy and efficient to complete. This spacesuit has a function of the emergency backup to the spacecraft`s redundant life support systems. The new spacesuit was modeled by Chris Ferguson, who is a director of Crew and Mission Systems for Boeing and a former astronaut. The space technology is definitely moving forward This latest suit technology will be used by the astronauts, who are going to head into orbit aboard Boeing`s Starliner spacecraft. They will be taken to the space station by operational Commercial Crew missions. NASA will be able to have more time for its research and science. NASA doesn`t want to pay Russia a lot of money for their spacesuits and rockets in order to launch US astronauts. There are two companies – Boeing and SpaceX, which made a contract with NASA. They should launch the astronauts to the International Space Station as soon as 2018. Nowadays, Boeing is testing the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which will be able to carry up to seven astronauts, and SpaceX is working on the Dragon spacecraft. This new spacesuit is one of the most important parts of the Starliner system. It is aimed at protecting the whole generation of the astronauts, which will have the opportunity to reach such destinations, as Mars or asteroid.

Statutes and Enforcement, Organized Crime Coursework

Statutes and Enforcement, Organized Crime - Coursework Example Use of the RICO standard is what allowed Galante's employees and associates to be charged; under that statute, even belonging to his organization is a crime (Abadinsky, 2010, pp 369). Galante's organization was a group of companies involved in trash hauling, also called carting. He was the owner of twenty-five companies that among them controlled approximately eighty percent of the waste-hauling market in Connecticut and eastern New York state. At least forty other companies were found to have connections to Galante's organizations, and Galante himself was found to have connections to larger organized crime enterprises (FBI, 2008). One of the individuals charged as a member of this group was a member of the Genovese crime family, a group in New York City involved in several other cases of extortion and illegal gambling rings (FBI, 2008; Department of Justice, 2010). Also involved were several public officials, including a former mayor of Waterbury CT, Joseph Santopietro, â€Å"a fed eral drug agent, and a Connecticut state trooper† (FBI, 2008; News-Times, 2008). Galante's group was guilty of racketeering due to their organization of what the FBI calls a â€Å"property rights system† (FBI, 2008). ... This set-up caused an imbalance in the bidding system for the customer contracts, since the companies involved in this organization communicated with each other to rig the bidding. The lack of competition led to higher costs for the customer accounts; since these were primarily municipal customers, this meant higher prices for the individual taxpayers in these districts (FBI, 2008). Federal agents used wiretaps to determine which companies were connected to Galante's organization, and which were victims. Some of the phone calls that were intercepted even allowed them to warn potential future victims about the scheme. The key to the investigation was the use of an undercover agent working for a victim company. The undercover agent was eventually hired by one of Galante's companies as a salesperson, giving him unparalleled access to Galante's operation. The other method used to collect evidence against Galante was an analysis of his and his companies tax records (FBI, 2008). Galante wa s indicted by a grand jury at the same trial as twenty-eight of his co-conspirators, and was held awaiting trial without bail, though all others charged by the same jury posted bond. The charges at this point included â€Å"racketeering, extortion, conspiracy, wire and mail fraud, witness tampering and tax evasion† (News-Times, 2008). Galante was eventually convicted of â€Å"racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud† (Koonz, 2009). He was sentenced to the maximum federal prison term, eighty-seven months, and then an additional year under a plea bargain for violations of state campaign finance laws (News-Times, 2008). Additionally, all twenty-five of Galante's companies were forfeited to the federal

Chapters question for Essentials of Health Behavior, Social and Essay - 6

Chapters question for Essentials of Health Behavior, Social and Behavioral Theory in Public Health book Mark Edberg - Essay Example An example of a strategy that can keep an intervention going consists of a number of measures. The first measure is to ensure that those who are involved in the intervention are trained to properly implement the intervention. This is followed by incorporation of community-based stakeholders who will support the program, followed by search for necessary resources for the intervention. It is also necessary to develop a link with similar intervention programs. This strategy ensures availability of resources and technical knowledge that keep an intervention going (Edberg, p. 100). Trying to implement a school based intervention policy faces a number of political issues that needs decision making and influencing others to accept the decision. The approval of the school board is one of the political issues that affect intervention as no policy can be implemented without the board’s consent. Successful implementation of an intervention also requires support from the school. This can only be achieved by political means. Similarly, choosing from many policies is another issue because resources are limited and not all policies can be implemented at the same time. Another political issue is acceptance of the policy by external stakeholders such as the community (Edberg, p. 105). The connection between schools and their communities that might affect selection of programs is the existence of the community as the schools’ environment and as a stakeholder to the schools. Because the schools are within the community, their policies are affected by behavior among students and their parents or guardians who come from the community. Another connection is the community’s interest in its children’s affairs in schools and the community’s future generations (Edberg, p. 104, 105). The major connection between workplace and the community is their ability to affect each other through employees. Workplace

Prison-Building in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Prison-Building in the UK - Essay Example How a job is going to be attained is an issue that relates mainly to procurement. There are three different main routes of procurement which one could follow. The first option is perhaps the most obvious, PFI (private finance initiative) procurement, is classic and actually quite attractive. For the purposes of this project, PFI will not be used. However it is helpful to know what it is exactly. Private finance initiatives are usually used when the public sector arranges to buy services, with very empirically-based outcomes from the private sector. This is ongoing for a long time, which includes the maintenance and/or construction of the appropriate designs so that management by the private sector is maximized by the private finance being at a high risk. Next, which is not as innately apparent, is prime contracting. In this instance, a sole contractor is in the place of being the point man for a client in the public realm to produce deliverable goods-such as a completed construction project with budgetary constraints. The next and final procurement option is design and build, wherein one contractor, also indebted to a client in the public realm, has a single outcome specified. Unlike the prime contracting model, there is no pre-agreed cost data. Basically, the fact that these prisons are not being built with private finance initiative procurement is problematic. First, the fact that the money being spent would be taken from private funding would ensure that the public was not being swindled. Secondly, if something went wrong with the project, the money being spent would not be public monies. In fact, the fact that the monies that will be spent are public monies is highly problematic. How then does the prison industry make sure that it is being faithful to its intended purpose (housing prisoners). Someone, if this is public funds being used, must be kept accountable in terms of how the public's money or tax dollars are being spent. Private finance initiative pro curement monies would be safer to use because if the money is not utilized properly, the private sector could more easily sue for damages. However, since the money is the public's money, the public does not necessarily have a representative in place to represent their interests, needs, and wants with regard to how the project is coming along. In this way, there is much more potential for abuse when it comes to the public's money being spent on the prison programme. SECTION II. III. Question II In the opinion of Ramus, et. al. (2006), "After a client has selected an appropriate procurement strategy for his building project, the next stage will be a review of how best to obtain the resources that will be necessary for him to have the work carried out. In most instances, client organizations will have limited skills and resources" (pp. 68). There are four different types of contracts which could be utilized in this situation: a contract based on bills of

Wisdom Literature And Psalms Religion Essay

Wisdom Literature And Psalms Religion Essay Within the Hebrew Bible itself, the wisdom literature is exciting, because it deals directly with life. The life-death situation is expressed positively in the image of the tree of life. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy. (Proverbs 3) There are five books in the Hebrew Bible that deserve the title of wisdom literature; three primary (Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes) and two Apocrypha (Ecclesiasticus and Wisdom of Solomon). Within this literature is a distinct lack of what one would consider typically Jewish or Israelite as there is no mention of the promises of the patriarchs, the covenant and Sinai, the promise to David and so on. Wisdom literature is not confined to the Bible. Every culture that has left a written patrimony has something similar to the wisdom literature (Socrates the unexamined life is not worth living, Plato know thyself, Aristotle all men by nature desire to Know). The fundamental desire for knowledge as such characterizes human nature. Wisdom literature includes various authors trying to understand human nature, themselves, and understanding God and Gods relation to us. Within the Bible itself, Lady Wisdom remains an elusive figure despite considerable attention given to sapientia [hokmah], or wisdom. She is the object of a quest in the first recorded petition for wisdom (Solomon in 1 Kings 3) and in the last wisdom book to be written (Wisdom of Solomon). What is striking about these biblical texts is that they embody not only the faith of Israel, but also the treasury of cultures and civilizations which have long vanished. As if by special design the voices of Egypt and Mesopotamia sound again and certain features common to the cultures of the ancient Near East come to life in these pages which are rich in deep intuition. (Fides et Ratio 16) Wisdom is described in so many ways: She is fear of the Lord, instruction for moral formation, human experience, the mysteries of creation, Law, a mysterious divine call, and even a spouse. Wisdom literature provides a biblical model for understanding divine revelation apart from the historical mode (salvation history) in which it is usually cast. Wisdom literature transcends all of this and is not tied to any specific happening. The openness of Israelite wisdom to the wisdom of Israels neighbors the clearly international character of the wisdom movement, the actual borrowings from Egyptian wisdom, the controlling references to creatures and creation provides a biblical basis for the possibility that the non-Israelite can also respond in saving faith to the creator, who is the God revealed in Israelite and Christian experience. If God saw fit to recognize the wisdom of the pagan Egyptians in Proverbs, then we should be open to finding divinely inspired thoughts and wisdom in other cultures: through dialogue with other Christians (Ecumenism); dialogue with other non-Christians (Inter-religious); dialogue with regards to other faiths such as Animists and Buddhists (see Ad Gentes encyclical on the Churchs respect for other faiths and the Churchs desire to bring the leaders of other religions in to the fullness of Gods revelation, spirit and Gods self-revelation in Jesus Christ). Within the genre of Wisdom, there are many definitions on the categories of the literature. Biblical Wisdom is focused on practicality. It is on how we ought to live here and now. In Job and Qoheleth we find practical discussion spilling over into the broader meaning of life and the challenges of life. Wisdom books along with the Wisdom literature of other cultures move with in an ambience of the religious, in general, but not overtaken by a religious outlook. Proper fear of the lord is an often theme in Wisdom. What you find in Wisdom often doesnt have a necessary connection to religion. For this reason, these books appeal to the agnostics of today. This Wisdom also appeals to agnostic writers who find something they can hold onto in Christianity or in religion in general. Something that they value and is essential or creedal in nature. Many of the Proverbs show this side; the interpretation may be Christian but keep a cross cultural appeal as their beauty. Wisdom literature is also a good source of evangelization. For example, Paul goes in to the Areopagus (Acts 17) and the people start to mock him before he speaks. Paul uses some well-known verses of Greek authors and poets to bridge a common understanding and that have a bridge to the pagan audience. He succeeded in bridging the culture gap on their love of knowledge and love for wisdom and learning. In an increasingly secularized culture we will encounter these Pauline episodes more often. Wisdom literature is characterized by being called secularized as it is often devoid of any specific Christian content. The non-religious nature of Wisdom literature is not necessarily bad. A tinge of secularity doesnt hurt in the study of theology and the practice of ones own faith. With respect to Creation, Wisdom books move within a religious atmosphere but are not taken over by a religion. Creation is a work of Gods hands and therefore intrinsically good and should be stewarded carefully. By properly understanding those points, we come to an understanding about ourselves as the crowning glory of creation. Humans are made in the image and likeness of God (imago dei). If forgotten, any statement on theology is foundationless. Many denominations believe Man is fallen, evil or corrupt. But we are inherently good and this is not oblivious to everyone. Wisdom by which many generations of cultures is elevated, affirmed, and ratified in the books of Wisdom and are given the stamp of Divine Inspiration. Due to the straightforward nature of the Wisdom, we must be careful to not over analyze the literature or over analogize. Church Fathers interpret the books at the Literal and Sapiential meaning. So we too should not look too deeply in search of the obvious literal meaning as the Wisdom books wear their meaning on their sleeve. Many parts of the Wisdom books are difficult to date. Poetry is difficult to date and uses play on words, vocabulary and sometimes antiquated terms to bring together literary elements that are difficult to pin down a specific time and place. For example in Job there is not a single identifiable historical reference in the book. We cannot locate it accurately in time. We study the vocabulary, but Job has one of the broadest ranges in the bible. All of the personalities are literary creations and cannot be attached to an actual person. The place names are intentionally made obscure [Job lived in the land of Uz]. A similar Wisdom text to that of Job is found in the Persian Shahnameh (The Epic of Kings) by Hakim Abol Qasem Ferdowsi Tousi. In this Persian Wisdom book, the theological emphasis regarding God being unfathomable and unchallengeable is similar to the teaching at the end of the book of Job. In Sirach the author tells us who he is in the preface and can accurately date. A simila r Wisdom text to that of Sirach (and Proverbs) is found in Prologue of The Code of Hammurabi King of Babylon (from about 2250 BCE). The Psalms were written over a very broad period of time. Some were composed in the 10th century BCE and have their literary roots in earlier times. Job, Proverbs and Psalms express the heart of humanity; common things that people have experience of and understanding in. Sophia or wisdom is the understanding of the cosmos as a whole in terms of its ultimate cause and principle. So the search for wisdom is our search for whatever it is that is first in itself that is THE cause of the things that are first for us in sense perception. In studying Wisdom we can come to see the importance of Creation in biblical thought and in Jewish/Christian faith. We can also come to see the interdependence and interrelatedness in the reality of the biblical world view. Nothing is profane in the Wisdom book. All is sacred somehow. Perhaps we will need to adjust our perspective in order to see and understand and perceive that inter-relatedness of all reality. In studying Wisdom today, we are seeking to look into the life and times of Jesus. Jesus frequently spoke in a manner of the Wisdom literature and we find He spoke of Solomon in his teachings of the Gospels. Studying the Wisdom literature will give us a broader appreciation of the Bible in general. The Book of Job describe how the main theme of this book is developed, how we read it in the light of Christian Revelation, and how its message may come into use in pastoral situation. The Book of Job points us to (in the Christian era) the belief in the God revealed to us in the person Jesus Christ. This book can only be fully grasped in the light of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ. Job is all about suffering and theodicy. Job is steadfast, not patient in this reading. The scenes have been deliberately worked to set before the reader a picture of a living saint, one who has won divine approval for his lifestyle and who holds firmly to God despite cruel afflictions. In this book Satan is one of the sons of God, the members of the heavenly court who do the Lords bidding and serve as his counsel. (Murphy 36) The devil does not make us do it, but only shows us and we do the rest and the manner of which evil manifests itself in life varies. The office of Satan was responsible for putting a person to the test. A person whose job it is to prosecute or point out things persons do not want to see. A Satan is a person who God has commissioned and Devils Advocate is the actual title of Promoter of the Faith. For Ancient Israel, there was a dark side, to God that was simply accepted. This dark side resulted from the worldview that attributed to divine agency all that happens, evil as well as good. In the first chapter of Job, his sons and daughters are taken away; livestock are also taken away from Job. The Satan goes back and asks God for further trial. In the next chapter, the Satan gives sores to Job and Job sits in ashes (a gesture of mourning/sadness). Jobs wife asks if he is still holding to his innocentness. Job still does not sin with his lips, but oscillates between despair and ardent faith. In the third chapter, Job gives his perish the day on which I was born plaintive speech of deep darkness. This is the dark night of the soul. This is the type of thought that goes through peoples minds before suicide. Only known to God is the moral culpability or responsibility of the action by the suicide. But there is hope for the survivors on the Via Dolorosa. When we walk in this valley, we know that Christ walked there before us. Authentic hope is there. The Crucifixion cannot be taken for granted. We cannot presume that all the suffering we go through is for nothing and that the person is presumptuously in heaven. The taking of a life is wrong. God still loves the departed and there is the possibility of redemption but we must then walk the dolorosa. Job is a model of Virtue and of Patience and of Friendship with God. Job 4 begins 28 chapters of a cycle of speeches by Jobs friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar). The three friends have the outlook that associates earthly rewards with goodness and earthly punishment with evil. This is the gospel of prosperity. In Job 5:8-27, his friends give a fraudulent response to his state: God rewards good people and punishes bad people. Job acknowledges his guilt, but no sin that merits the suffering that is being visited upon him. In Job 13:3, Job pushes back saying If he should kill me, I will wait for him; I will defend my conduct before him. And this shall be my salvation that no impious man can come into his presence. In Job 13:15-16, Job is saying that he has a clean conscience. He dares God to smite him. He has such confidence that God will respect a clean conscience and respect that he will defend himself. The cycle of speeches by the three friends begins to wrap up and Jobs understanding of his plight begins to open up. He expresses an inchoate belief in some kind of resurrection (this is a pre-curser to NT belief). In Job 29, he has an introspec tive moment and describes what it was like to have favor with God. He looks to the past with rose-colored glasses with all the what if statements. Through this questioning, his spirit begins to change and moves closer to God. We must trust in God even though we may not see the reason as to why we are going through a trial. In Job 29:15, he says he was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. He was so devoted to helpless people that he perceived himself in their suffering. He intimately associated himself with the others plight that they became one (charity). The Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love are so called because we are imbued with these virtues (being gifts of grace) as they have God as their ultimate end. Elihus (name meaning He is my God) speeches follow with the theme arrogance with God will bring you punishment. His friends realize Job is able to rebut them, but Job has not come to any conclusion on his own. But this does not lift his suffering. In Job 38:1-40:2 and 40:6-41:26, we see that God is always patiently listening. At the end, God speaks: How dare you question My ways. God never says that Job is in fact guilty of sin and that is why he is punishing him. He is angry with Job for Jobs method of dealing with the justice, righteousness and sovereign right to deal with His goodness. Job did not give in to the facile explanations of his friends. He knew he did deserve what had happened, but he had not blasphemed, murdered, or done anything else of seriousness. He is just like most of us. When confronted with his friends trying to pawn off his suffering, he knew it was false. This is similar to the Deuteronomistic line of thinking: Do wrong and be punished, do right and be blessed. Contemporary evangelical points focus on the being blessed or the book of prosperity. Until tragedy or suffering strikes and then we see these preachers drift away and become disillusioned. At the end of the speeches by God, Job realizes that he has nothing to oppose the wisdom of God. Gods wisdom is entirely other, beyond that which Job can attain. Job realizes he has no right to question Gods Will. Gods Will is always good, and beyond that silence. He confides his very being to the Lord: I know my Creator lives. The mystery is not always solved. The suffering and questions may remain and this is alright. If there is no mystery left, then that person as perpetrated a fraud on you. God walks with us (by Job) in times of suffering. In such situations, the simple answer never works. We must walk with the person. We deny the transcendence of God if we think we understand everything. We best understand God when we are in suffering with someone. To share in the suffering, we come to understand Him better. He has gone before us on this path of suffering. Describe the progression of biblical thought on women that is found in the wisdom books and in the related passages which we have studied. Where do these views leave us with respect to our Christian views? You may wish to recall figures such as the wife of Job, Lady Wisdom or the Ideal wife from Proverbs, and others. Perhaps the best way to sum up the book of Proverbs and possible all of Wisdom literature is the line from Deuteronomy I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life. (Deut. 30:19) This is the choice that is laid out before us and Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly are anthropomorphic language that helps express the allurements of each. The Proverbs are an expansion of the Decalogue. It is the practical how to for everyday life and implementing the policies laid out in the Decalogue. Wisdom is often personified as feminine, perhaps in part because, in Hebrew, wisdom is a feminine noun. Grammar does not fully explain, however, Proverbs interest in repeated and varied development of the female persona. The female imagery for Lady Wisdom is also closely connected to her negative counterpart in Proverbs, that embodiment of evil referred to as the loose woman (Lady Folly). The part played by women in the Book of Proverbs is worthy of note. High praise is given to the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 and also in a number of sayings scattered throughout the book. It is evident that monogamy is contemplated throughout as the regular married relationship (Prv 5:18), whatever deviations might be permitted by the law for the hardness of mens hearts. He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD, (Prv 18:22) provided, of course, that she be a good wife. There is another kind of wife, whose shortcomings are denounced in righteous language: A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. (Prv 12:4) By contrast with the woman of virtue, the sage utters stern warnings against the foolish woman, the brawling and ill-tempered woman, and above all the strange woman whose house is the way to Sheol. (Prv 7:27) A variation on the feministic imagery is seen again in Proverbs 1:20-33 and 8:1-21, where she appears as a prophet, calling out for followers in the most public places: in the street and squares, at the busiest corner and the city gates (1:21-22), on the heights and at the crossroads (8:2). Her rhetoric offers enticement and warning. To the one who chooses her way, she offers wealth and power. To those who ignore her counsel, she promises mockery when panic strikes and ultimately death (1:26, 32). Lady Wisdoms vocabulary mirrors that of prophetic language. She calls, (Prv 1:24) is refused, stretches out her hand, (Prv 1:28) needs to be sought and found (Prv 8:17) [compare 2 Chr 15:2, Is 6:9-10, 65:1-2; Hos 5:6, Am 8:12 [C.V.Camp]]. The prophets use such language to describe the relationship of Israel to God while Wisdom speaks of relationship with herself. In all these moral precepts it is presumed that men and women are free agents, responsible for the way in which they exercise the power of choice. Yet there is no suggestion that it is possible to lead a moral life without having any regard to religious considerations. Disregard of God leads to moral ruin (Prv 22:14), but by the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil. (Prv 16:6) Wisdom is to be embraced and is counterbalanced with Folly. Folly caused the Exile and shame. Wisdom will keep us out of it and on the right path. The Jewish people did not have a clearly defined afterlife. The Sadducees did not believe in the Resurrection or the ideal of Sheol (abode of the dead). Because of this, the focus on passing on to the children is dominant of ones inheritance. Proverbs is filled with Father/Son and Mother/Son and Child language imagery. Look to those who have gone before you in this life. Imitate them and learn the lessons from them and pass them on to your children (and so forth). In literature today, books given to children have a point or lesson imparted. This is a sort of an attempt to pass on our wisdom to our children. The end of Proverbs 31 talks about the place of women in Israel. It talks about the ideal woman and gives a description of one who is familiar to the post-Exilic reader. In literature that is a little more recent, Julian of Norwich treats Christ as Mother. This is not a feminist notion. Julians tradition comes from her identification of the second person of the Trinity with the traditional character of Wisdom and her understanding of the identity between Mother Church and the Mystical Body of Christ. For Julian, Christ is the Church, and the Church is the Mother. Christ is Wisdom, and Wisdom is the feminine. Julian never uses anything but masculine pronouns in referring to Christ. She also never characterizes Christ as mother, but describes motherhood as preexisting in Christ. Earthly motherhood, she says is an imitation and reflection of Christ. It is not a characteristic of femininity that Christ shares, but a characteristic of Christ that women share. Wisdom has always been personified as feminine and in some instances to such a degree that Wisdom is characterized as the feminine aspect of God. Lady Wisdom is a personification of a mental power that claims to have preceded creation and to exist in a daughter-like relationship to God. She transcends the mundane reality and human minds. The wisdom that Lady Wisdom signifies corresponds to the teachings of human sages. In Proverbs, the voice of Wisdom and the voice of the teacher do not blend. The teacher, in this case a father, offers wise and lifesaving teachings to his son. The teacher is wise, but wisdom itself transcends any human wisdom. Being personified as a woman, she is a heavenly creature, residing in angelic proximity to God. (John Bright, History of Israel). At the same time, she is traversing the streets and speaking to all. This image tells us that the various proverbs of the father and of Israels sages speak with the same voice: that of Wisdoms own voice. The collection of wisdom literature tells us that in the observations of the sages of ancient Israel and of the wisdom taught in the home both echo transcendent wisdom.