Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Analysis -- Buffy The Vampire Essay - 1675 Words

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a difficult media to classify into one genre. An obvious classification of the programme ¡Ã‚ ¦s genre would be horror; but this isn ¡Ã‚ ¦t entirely true, because the show has more concepts and themes that a horror movie would, and deals with more issues as well. The show uses elements contained in the more fantasy-orientated horror movies (such as Dracula): these include mythological beings such as vampires, demons and zombies; things that aren ¡Ã‚ ¦t always contained in horror movies. In the episode  ¡Ã‚ §Dead Man ¡Ã‚ ¦s Party ¡Ã‚ ¨, the show deals primarily with the undead (a vampire appears near the beginning of the episode, and has very little effect on the story). Mythology is also applied in the form of a Nigerian mask, which†¦show more content†¦Some of the behaviour seems a little apprehensive, or awkward, especially with Buffy and Joyce; they both seem to feel intimidated by each other ¡Ã‚ ¦s presence. Behaviour seems to cha nge often during the party: Buffy feels overwhelmed and that she doesn ¡Ã‚ ¦t belong, and the other characters (especially Willow, Xander and Cordelia) appear ignorant towards Buffy. There is also a scene in which the characters show anger towards Buffy, who becomes very upset by this, but then the scene is interrupted and the characters instantly resolve their feelings towards each other. The behaviour of Angel also seems quite distant, and generally unlike the character. Lighting in this episode is quite mundane, although there are a few anomalous uses of light. At night, the lighting is dark, but it is easy to see what is happening. Indoor lighting is moderately lit, except in a few locations, such as the basement, which is a little dark, with beams of sunlight coming through windows. The light in Giles ¡Ã‚ ¦ apartment is lower than most other settings, and the moonlight shining through the window in Buffy ¡Ã‚ ¦s bedroom is unusually intense. The lighting in the emergency r oom of the hospital is also lower than expected, yet enough to make a reflection in the heart monitor. The costumes consist of everyday wear, and doesn ¡Ã‚ ¦t really show any distinct patterns, except near the beginning of the episode where Willow, Xander, Cordelia andShow MoreRelated The Feminist Perspective of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay5032 Words   |  21 PagesThe Feminist Perspective of Buffy the Vampire Slayer In her feminist critique of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Anne Millard Daughtey described Buffy as a show which obviously promotes female strength and power (159). Buffy herself is a symbol of female empowerment (149); as feminists we can all take comfort in the fact that Buffy kicks butt and so can we all (164). Sherryl Vint agrees that Buffy is a positive role model for young women, one which feminism should celebrate (para. 3). I findRead MoreEssay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer5067 Words   |  21 PagesBuffy the Vampire Slayer Mentors feature prominently in the Gothic genre. From Dr Van Helsing in Bram Stokers Dracula, who leads the young heroes into their quest to annihilate the Count, to Rupert Giles, the Watcher in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, older and more experienced adults have provided essential guidance for the younger protagonists of the genre. The differences in media of expression and the subsequent adaptations from novel to television series has not affected the presence of thisRead More The Metamorphosis of the Schemer Stereotype Essays2085 Words   |  9 PagesWhile one could attempt to discover and chart all the stereotypes that exist in mass media, it is actually more useful to focus in on a specific area, along with a certain stereotype. One area of the mass media that definitely requires some critical analysis is the entertainment industry, particularly television and cinema. It is very apparent that these two mediums are embedded with gender stereotypes, because one merely has to switch on a television or pop in a movie, and he or she is exposed to atRead MoreComparing William Shelley s Frankenstein Essay1421 Words   |  6 Pagesmonster, such as vampires or zombies, is taking the spotlight and it’s hard to ignore. From Dante’s Inferno to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, being frightened has not only been one of people’s favorite pastimes, but a way for us to explain the paranormal and unrevealed. In recent times however, there seems to be a shift from demonic creatures of the night to over sexualized human-like creatures who hide amongst us in the day. In this essay, I will show the gradual humanizing of the vampire and how itRead MoreThe Rise of Enlightened Sexism622 Words   |  3 Pagesinspired me. From examples of magazines, media, television shows, films, retail, and even in music she described and compared to us what is going on among these examples and how real women today are really living their lives. Douglas presents an anal ysis of how women are presented to the public and how we continue to be treated as inferior to men despite the strides of feminism. After reading this book, I even find myself reading or watching something and pretty much look to see if it is women friendlyRead MoreThe Cabin Of The Woods985 Words   |  4 Pages‘The Cabin in The Woods’ has been hailed as one of the greatest movie in its genre. Its simplicity can be analysed in various way. As a media student I want to focus more on its critical analysis side rather than simply explanation as an amateur viewer. I have chosen this media text as horror genre in my opinion is worth to look at and I am familiar with it. Horror movies are being produced for decades and its already has its own conventions and codes that I will describe in this essay. ‘TheRead MorePositive Female Role Models Eliminate Negative Effects of Sexually Violent Media by Christopher J. Ferguson,910 Words   |  4 Pagesstrong independent females and also weak females. 7th Heaven and Gilmore girls was selected as the nonsexual and nonviolent show, The Tudors and Masters of Horror was selected as sexually violent with negative/subordinate female characters and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Law and Order are sexually violent shows with strong independent female characters. The hypothesis was tested by using three measures. For Negative attitudes towards women, Spence Helmreich, Attitudes towards Women Scale was usedRead MoreMonsters = Homosexual. Anything That Is Abnormal Or Non-Traditional1082 Words   |  5 Pagesdevil. Many more people believe that it is a choice and that people chose to live their lives as homosexuals. Furthermore, some people believe that homosexuals, to avoid homophobia should stick to the equation of Monsters = Homosexual. In Cooper’s analysis, he discusses how being homosexual can either be monstrous because it is unknown by many and unwelcomed by some, or a form of identity, depending on who and what the perspective is. Copper argues that people act based on social judgement. He statesRead MoreSexual Objectification and the Effects on Women Essay1265 Words   |  6 Pagesstereotypes to try to counteract all of this negativity. These positive examples, if watched instead, can empower young girls and women. Who are some of these positive â€Å"role models†? In the article â€Å"Media Portrayal of Women†, it cites Lisa Simpson, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, and even Dora the Explorer. All are powerful, inquisitive, gifted and intelligent women who counteract this horrible objectification and make girls believe that these are the mental characteristics in which one should strive. TheRead MoreEssay on Gender in The Crime Drama Fiction Genre1765 Words   |  8 Pagesdistinguish one genre product from the next. Genre has to be what we as a culture believe it to be. Failure to adapt and change this will result in the programme becoming stale. In this essay I am going to analyse the action genre through a close analysis of the generic characteristics, the genreÊ ¼s place in the television schedules, the needs and expectations of the audience and finally the future of the action genre on television. The roots of the action series are found in 1950s US television such

Monday, December 16, 2019

Pope Free Essays

The text under analysis â€Å"Doreen Pope† is a type of publicistic writing, feature article. The author M. Loudon managed to make this text informative and entertaining for the reader. We will write a custom essay sample on Pope or any similar topic only for you Order Now The article concentrates on an Interesting theme. The theme of the article is about the role of a teacher in the system of education in GB. The author embodies the theme into incomparable character. The story reveals the image of ideal teacher. M. Loudon convinces us of the importance of the teacher’s role for children. This important idea that the author expresses in the process of developing the theme is he message of the story. The theme is organically connected with the message. And M. Loudon places the maln point very appropriately. It has a complex character Is created with the help of interaction of implications and develops further. Sufficient arguments, details and examples support the main idea. â€Å"Miss Pope was an enormous success with the children because she had a genuine affinity with them. She also had an unpretentious disregard for the formal†. The author uses references effectively and her reasoning sounds very logically and convincing. â€Å"Miss Pope believed that children only learnt self-worth and corporate responslblllty through ecognition of their gifts, however insignificant they might have seemed in scholastic terms: so while she was appreciate of talent and enthusiasm, it was those who were shy. or obstreperous. or who found reading or writing Is difficult, which whom she spent the most time. Such cohesive devices as â€Å"practically, so, also, indeed, Just, however† within the paragraphs and the repetition the main character’s name between them catch the reader’s attention, give more prominence to the words. Implication is conveyed by different techniques, artistic details, arrangement of plot structure and images. With the help of it the writer achieved her main purpose. M. Loudon Informs the reader about educational system In GB, convinces us of the importance of the role of a teacher. She makes us feel sympathy to the main character and respect her strong personality. M. Loudon reminds us about eternal values and morals In our life. The style of presentation of these ideas Is appealing and appropriate for the situation. â€Å"Practically, no one reading this will have of Miss Pope. Her greatness is no obvious and it has never been documented. † using not very formal style the writer involves us to the situation, Invites to an open dialog, creates ree and trust atmosphere. The author’s attitude to the character determines the tone of the story. Tone expresses the relationship between the author and the character. It Is sympathetic, cheerful, and enthusiastic. M. Loudon resorts to emotionally colored words, such as â€Å"cheerful†, â€Å"Jolly†, â€Å"brisk†, â€Å"great†. An extensive Image of the character Is created by similes â€Å"Miss Pope and Sheena as the Madonna and Child in Renaissance Europe† epithets: â€Å"wholesome woman†, â€Å"unobtrusive clothes†, â€Å"sensible shoes†, â€Å"affectionate woman†, â€Å"Insatiable sense of humor†. Metaphors: â€Å"she never lost her cool†, antitheses: â€Å"from sunny hildhood to dark adolescence† Intensifiers, such as: â€Å"completely different tot us†, â€Å"such an aloof dog†. Polysyndeton: â€Å"she had an insatiable sense of humor and a nuge, rotund laugn, ana sne never Tallea to reward even tne dullest anecdote. † I use of low-colloquial words intensifies the contrast; make a parallel between primary and secondary school: â€Å"fuck off, posh bitch† The writer applies contrast, parallel structure, framing to visualize the article. The use of these means produces a humorous effect and testifies to the inventiveness and wit of the author. The title of the article catches our attention, gives prominence o the main character due to capitalization. The title is the name of the character that emphasizes its importance in the article, defines sympathetic feelings of the author, and arouses reader’s interest to it. The article raises important and interesting themes. It forces us to be involved in the problem of the role of a teacher. Teacher is a guide, is an inspirer, is a monitor, is a friend, is a second mother, and is a mentor, who teaches simple, but timeless and good values. And M. Loudon was succeeded in paying tribute to an inspirational teacher and created a hymn to a teacher. How to cite Pope, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Delhi Metro free essay sample

The power (75 MW) required to operate the trains in the MRTS corridors constitutes about 3% of the total peak hours requirement presently estimated to be 2600 MW for Delhi Area. * , all the trains will also have modern Ni-Cd Batteries to continue to provide lighting and air conditioning even when the train is stopped in event of complete power failure * For Rail Corridor it has been planned to avail power from NTPC Thermal Power Station at three MRTS receiving stations through 400 kV, 220 kV 66 kV Extra High Voltage Transmission Network. In the event of failure of one source, power can be fed at 25 KV side throughout the section from the other two sources * Ridership * Delhi Metro recorded the highest ever ridership figure of 18, 30,944 on 01st August 2011, which surpassed the earlier record set just last Monday on 25th July, when 17, 71,668 people traveled by the Metro. * Currently, DMRC has a pool of 200 train sets with 69 of these being six coach formations. We will write a custom essay sample on Delhi Metro or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At present; the Delhi Metro is operational on six lines where more than 2500 train trips are made each day traversing over 69000 KMs in a day. * With Phase-III of the network expected to cover about 108 kilometers, the Delhi Metro network will become 295 kilometers by 2016 making it one of the fastest expanding Metro networks in the world carrying about 4 million (40 lakh) passengers. * Telecommunication * Telecommunication is the transmission of messages over significant distances for the purpose of communication. A revolution in telecommunications into wireless communications began in the first decade of the 20th Century * Signaling * Cab signalling is a railroad safety system that communicates track status information to the train cab. * Automatic Train Control (ATC can also) be used with Automatic train Operation(ATO). There are several implementations and versions of ATC, and each is different * Digital ATC is a digitized form of Automatic Train Control in use on a few JR lines in Japan. Ticketing Delhi Metro commuters have three choices for ticket purchase * RFID tokens are valid only for a single journey on the day of purchase and the value depends on the distance travelled * Travel cards, which are most convenient for frequent commuters, are valid for one year * Tourist cards can be used for unlimited travel on the Delhi Metro network over short periods of time. There are two kinds of tourist cards — with validities of one and three days respectively. Metro Project * As of July 14, 2011, the whole of Phase-I and parts of Phase-II are complete, with the network comprising six lines with 140 metro stations and a total length of 189. 7 km (117. 9 mi). * 2021 promise: Access to a Metro in city every 0. 5km (Delhi Metro Phase III and IV) After completion of Phase II of construction by the end of this month, Delhi Metro network will cover an impressive 190km in the capital. But those who havent been included in the Metro map neednt worry. With two more phases already in the pipeline, the Metro masterplan for 2021 envisages bringing the Metro within half a kilometre reach of every Delhiite. The next phase of construction, Phase III, will add another 69. 57km of Metro through six new corridors. The corridors include †¢ 25. 66-km line from Anand Vihar to Dhaula Kuan of which 12. 52km will run underground, †¢ 12. 0-km line from Mukundpur to Rajouri Garden of which 6. 58km will be underground, †¢ 9. 64-km line from Ashok Park to Delhi Gate of which 5. 28km will be underground, †¢ fully underground section from Central Secretariat to Red Fort (6. 8km) †¢ elevated extension of the existing Line 2 from Jehangirpuri to Badli (3. 43km). †¢ A sixth section (11. 64km) is proposed from the existing Metro station at Noida Sector 18 to Malviya Nagar via Kalindi Kunj.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Marxism in Light of Other World Systems an Example of the Topic Government and Law Essays by

Marxism in Light of Other World Systems Karl Marx, one of the more influential social philosophers of the modern age, asserts in his The Communist Manifesto, that the proletariat, or the masses comprising of the minimum wage earners, and not the ruling bourgeois, ought to be given the political and executive powers to govern their own country (Marx, 20). This, primarily, is the fundamental ideology that Communism adheres to. Need essay sample on "Marxism in Light of Other World Systems" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed However, as what the world had witnessed during the course of history, Russias communism proved to be insufficient as well in pacifying the never-ending struggle between the commoner and the elite. Plato, in his Republic, explains that the ordinary city is in fact two cities; one the city of the poor, the other of the rich, each at war with the other (Marcos, 66). Plato, despite of his philosophical genius, did not attempt to make a moral judgment, he had simply asked of the wise ruler to always be attentive to the differences between the two. MarxismKarl Marx had expressed vividly the political and social design he had envisioned communism ideally to be. Most of Marxs principles are for the empowerment of the masses, as was detailed in his Communist Manifesto. These are: the abolition of property of land and the application of rent for public purposes; the abolition of the rights of inheritance; the confiscation of properties of all emigrants and rebels; the centralization of all credit in the hands of the State through a national bank with exclusive monopoly; and the centralization of all means of transportation and communication in the hands of the State. (28) Clearly, in a democratic society such as the United States, the implementation of these laws would surely result in a revolt of its citizens. Freedom has been entrenched deep in human hearts that the abolition of such rights, such as the abolition of the rights to property ownership and the right to inheritance would seem very incomprehensible, if not absurd. Democracy, as was termed by Pericles as early as the 5th century BC, is a nation with a constitution in the hands not of the few but of the manywith laws that secure equal justice for all in their private disputes (Marcos, 64). As opposed to Marxism-communism, democracy does not refuse its citizens the rights that will eventually maximize the individuals development, be it in trade, in religion, the right to vote, the medias rights, and so on. Fascist-socialist, on the other hand, as opposed to Marxism and as was witnessed during Hitlers era, is similar in its principles with Marxism, with just a little variance. As explained by Switalski, Fascism is the organization of the economy with a wider sphere of State intervention, and seeks, by principles of technocracy and solidarity, the integration of the productive sources under the control of the regime to attain its goals, yet preserving private property and class divisions (Switalski, 1). Fascist-socialist differs from that of Marxism in its prioritizing of more nationalistic aims, and characterized by hatred towards another nation or race (Switalski, 1). This hatred was evident in Hitler with the Jews, and Mussolini with the democrats and the Parliament. The Parliamentary form of governance, similar to a democratic, also permits for various rights, such as on property, personal, as well as media freedom. The Parliament is an elected body whose purpose is to represent the various sectors of the society in the government. They are also delegated with the supervision of the government affairs answerable to the people (Beetham, 1). Leadership is entrusted to a Prime Minister, who is elected by a constituent assembly, while the President, being only second in command, is elected by the citizens. As opposed to Marxism, Parliamentary usually has an elite social class, yet with citizens enjoying various rights such as it is in a democracy. Works Cited Beetham, David. Parliament and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century. Geneva, Switzerland: Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2006. Marcos, Ferdinand. The Democratic Revolution in the Philippines. Manila: Library of Congress, 1977. Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Socialist Labor Party of America, 2006. Switalski, Bernard. Roots of Fascism. World History Archives. 2004.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Personal Statement Climate Change Essays

Personal Statement Climate Change Essays Personal Statement Climate Change Essay Personal Statement Climate Change Essay The main reason of my fascination for climate change issues is that this challenge has brought to surface the impacts and consequences of what I consider the worst face of ignorance:greed; and it raised the importance of collaboration. Nowadays, while there is still uncertainty about the best way to address global warming, there is no doubt that all parties -governments, businessmen, scientists- now understand that they must work together to discover WAP of managing what we are facing, and as a result interesting terms for collaboration have appeared such as common but differentiated reasonableness. For almost two years, I have enjoyed the Implementation of energy climate projects and learned that achieving sustainable development In our rapidly changing world Is, for Mexican competitiveness, more Important than ever. This Is why decision makers need to realize that it is required to do more forward-planning than having a Walt and see approach. Another lesson learned with this professional experience is that there are too many variables to take into account in a decision process so it is necessary to learn the proper skills to obtain the ability to recognize all the significant elements and know how to manage them. Thus, a combination of this lessons with personal interests lead me to find a course of study with an intersection of modeling, science and business with a crucial application at energy climate field. As a result, I selected Master courses related with systems dynamics methodology, some courses with a more direct relationship than others; but all of them will help me to learn how to give order to collaboration and add strategic focus to any given situation. I will gain knowledge to design systems, how to manage risk and uncertainty and most important: identify key elements and read the interactions between them. I am excited to obtain this type of knowledge because I am aware that unsystematic approaches can lead to errors of judgment, lack of appreciation and high costly ineffective solutions. Therefore, with a postgraduate degree In this topic I will be able to apply systems analysis in climate change decisions. I know that the good Ideas and experts for findings solutions to global warming Ill all around us but the work In this field remain unconnected. Thus, In my return my best contribution to this challenge will e connect these efforts strategically In order to create new opportunities for collaborative actions leading to a positive and effective change on key Issues. Personal Statement Climate Change By Carmen that they must work together to discover ways of managing what we are facing, and differentiated responsibilities. For almost two years, I have enjoyed the implementation of energy climate projects and learned that achieving sustainable development in our rapidly changing world is, for Mexican competitiveness, more important than ever. This is why decision makers deed to realize that it is required to do more forward-planning than having a Wait Therefore, with a postgraduate degree in this topic I will be able to apply systems analysis in climate change decisions. I know that the good ideas and experts for findings solutions to global warming lie all around us but the work in this field remain unconnected. Thus, in my return my best contribution to this challenge will be connect these efforts strategically in order to create new opportunities for collaborative actions leading to a positive and effective change on key issues.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Term Papers Medieval Knights

Term Papers Medieval Knights Term Papers Medieval Knights Term Papers Medieval Knights Writing a term paper about medieval knights is an interesting assignment. It is hardly possible to find a male student who has not been fascinated with the knights in the childhood! Down this page is a short term paper sample on knighthood. If you need more sample term papers, please check our free blog. employs a team of professional writers who are available to help you with term paper writing if you are looking for the custom term paper assistance. Our prices are affordable, our writers are educated, and our guarantees are outstanding! Term Paper Sample on Medieval Knights Knighthood was one of the most significant institutions of the Middle Ages. In the twelfth century, John of Salisbury declared emphatically that knighthood was divinely instituted; Caxton later maintained that knighthood was the earliest device of God to ensure the recovery of mankind from the consequences of the Fall. Ideally, knighthood became a way of life with formal traditions, a definite education, and a world view of its own. The Bible itself was regarded as a source of knightly virtue. Stories, like those of Abraham, of Jonas and the Whale, of Daniel and the Lion, were popular because they appealed to the romantic imagination of the aristocracy. Just as the monks made a recluse out of Joseph, so did the knights fashion Joshua into a chevalier. Mary with her unblemished virtues and her merciful ways was appealed to for protection. One might pray also to the saints, particularly to St. Michael, the personal antagonist of Satan, to St. James, St. George, and St. Martin, who had been selected as heavenly paragons of aristocratic virtues. Chivalric education consequently was imbued with a religious tincture. From baptism to death in battle, the knight came in contact with religious ideals, not for the purpose of acquiring scholastic education, but to ensure religion's protection against evil powers. Early education of medieval knights began in the home. His mother, or the local priest, taught the young boy simple prayers as well as obedience to his elders. When the boy was seven years old, he usually was sent to the castle of a secular lord or to the palace of a prominent churchman. This second stage in education, though it varied from country to country and depended upon individual choice, seemed to have been quite common. As a page the boy shared duties with other members of the household. His task consisted of attending the lord and his lady; from the latter he was able to learn the rudiments of etiquette and receive instruction in knightly behavior. Sometimes he even procured some elementary lessons in the Seven Liberal Arts, but this part of his education was generally overlooked. Most of the time there were wandering singers from whom the page might learn how to sing and play the harp. A more prominent part of his training consisted of outdoor activities such as boxing, wr estling, and horseback riding.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Mobile Phones Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Mobile Phones - Coursework Example (Ahonen and Melkko, 2008, 44-99) Phyically, it' very imilar to the iPhone 3G, much more o than the Diamond, complete with lim, candybar form factor, a large creen dominating the front panel and minimalit control. Compare the phone ide by ide and you'll find that dimenion are remarkably imilar too, though the Omnia i a little limmer, narrower and horter than the iPhone 3G, at 12.5 x 112 x 56.9mm compared to 12.3 x 115.5 x 62mm. o how exactly doe it tack up elewhere Well, a you'd expect from a modern Window martphone, there' a pile of feature and many of thee appear to match or outtrip the iPhone 3G equivalent. It ha a five-megapixel camera on the rear with an LED flah and a VGA video call camera on the front - the iPhone' i three megapixel le and it ha no video call feature. It alo ha HDPA of up to 7.2Mb/ec, a 624MHz proceor, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a GP receiver and an FM radio. Plu it come with a decent helping of torage - either 8GB or 16GB with microD expanion a well. It creen, however, at 3.2 inche in't quite a luxuriouly paciou a the iPhone' and it 400 x 280 reolution i alo inferior. There' alo no 3.5mm headphone ocket and though a converion dongle i included in the box, we'd ooner not have to carry an adapter around jut to liten to muic and it eem a needle overight given the capaciou torage on offer. (Ahonen and Melkko, 2008, 44-99) The camera, however, i the main highlight here. ... You can ue the Omnia for proper nap - not jut contact profile picture. urpriingly for a Window Mobile device, the Omnia alo boat iPhone-like peed and reponivene and it' a darned ite nippier than the HTC Touch Diamond - even with the Diamond' latet firmware applied. Application launch peedily, browing the web on the phone' uperb Opera Mobile 9.5 web brower i zippy and the accelerometer, which rotate the orientation of the creen from portrait to landcape a you flip the phone around in your hand, work jut a you would expect it to, complete with fancy animation. amung' touch-driven uer interface i a valiant effort at dealing with the inadequacie of Window Mobile' UI, too. Interetingly, amung provide no tylu towage on the Omnia - the tylu attache to the phone' lanyard loop intead. Thi wouldn't be an iue, of coure, but unfortunately the one key area where the Omnia can't compete i with the iPhone' beautifully elegant operating ytem. It tart well. When you firt fire the phone up you're confronted with a blank creen and a crolling toolbar arranged down the left hand ide. Thi contain a number of attractive, graphical widget that you can drag into to the blank pace to diplay tuff like recent email, the time, currently playing muic track, phone profile, calendar, analogue and digital clock and o on. (Ahonen and Melkko, 2008, 44-99) Thee don't jut diplay information, though, they provide baic control too, o not only can you ee who your mot recent email i from, you can alo click it to read it in full, or croll back to ee who the previou mail wa from. Muic track can be paued and kipped and favourite contact can be added or removed a well. (Kelly , 2008, 04-22) It' an intereting approach and allow

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

History of italian cinema, from neoralism to 1970 to present Essay

History of italian cinema, from neoralism to 1970 to present - Essay Example With its unrivaled contribution to the growth of the plastic art in Western Europe from the period of Giotto, Italy has made one of the most important additions to the cinema of the early periods. "Much of its claim to artistic hegemony on the European continent for a number of centuries rested upon not only a steady succession of artists of genius but also upon the resolution of certain technical problems, such as the study of perspective, which would eventually raise similar problems and demand equally ingenious artistic and technical solutions in the realm of photography." (Bondanella, 1) The contributions made by Filoteo Alberini, who is known for the Alberini Kinetograph, are especially remarkable and his La presa di Roma, 20 settembre 1870 inaugurated one of the most important and opening Italian filoni or sub-genres, i.e. the historical film. Along with the domination of the genres of the historical film and costume drama, there existed several significant types of films durin g the early periods of the silent cinema in Italy. "There existed a variety of topics - ranging from the celebrated Roman epics to filmed theatrical works, dramas inspired by Italian verismo or regional naturalism, adventure films in episodes or in series, comic works, and several experimental films produced by the Italian artistic avant-garde. All of these genres contributed something to the evolution of Italian film art, although it is ultimately the historical film which must be given special attention." (Bondanella, 1-2) The influence of the dictatorship and fascist rule affected influenced the industry considerable and the most important transition of the film industry in Italy followed the neo-realism in the cinema which happened after the Second World War. The neo-realism in Italian Cinema produced several memorable films including the famous Rossellini's trilogy Rome, Open City (1945), Paisa (1946), and Germany Year Zero (1948). Significantly, the most important masters of N eorealism in Italian cinema were Rossellini, De Sica, and Visconti who made salient contribution to the progress of film industry in Italy. The history of Italian Cinema since the Neorealism has an important story of great progress to tell which in the modern period has gained considerable position among the various film traditions of the world and this paper undertakes an investigation of the history of Italian Cinema from Neorealism through 1970 to the present. The Italian Cinema had an important growth from the influence of Fascism since the beginning of neorealist brand of cinema that followed the Second World War. Neorealism in Italian Cinema can be comprehended as describing the complicated and inconceivable economic and moral conditions of Italy, along with the transition in the public mentality in the way of life in the land during the period. The neorealist brand of cinema soon turned out to be an essential political tool. However, the significant directors of this genre in the film industry were effective in making essential distinction between the art of film and politics. "In fact, the Italian neorealist cinema relied upon directors, scriptwriters, directors of photography, actors, set and costume designers, and producers who were all active in the industry during the period of fascist government in Italy. All too many ideological, political and

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Causes and Development of the Cold War 1945 - 1990 Essay Example for Free

The Causes and Development of the Cold War 1945 1990 Essay The Cold War was not like any war that had occurred before hand. It started from 1945 and went on for nearly half a century. The reason why this war was so special was the fact that it was not fought with weapons or armies but it was a war of words. It was more like a test of nerve, who could scare the other the most? There was a huge threat of a nuclear war between Russia and the west. It was not very active but the threat was still there. The cold War gets its name because of the cruel relations between the two sides; it was extremely icy and cruel. The war all started out because of each nation losing their trust in each other after the Second World War. Russia had reasons to mistrust the west because Russia had been invaded by Germany inn 1914 and the west joined them to crush communism. Also Britain and France refused to join alliance with Russia in 1941, this then resulted in Germany invaded Russia. Suspicions were very high that America was keeping secrets from them and they were right. America had finally invented the A-bomb, now they had this Russia had no importance to the United States whatsoever. But at the same time The U S were had their own suspicions of Russia as well. After the Second World War all the armies had removed their troops from Eastern Europe, but Russia still kept theirs there. The U S knew Stalin was up to something, and he was! Stalin took over all of the countries surrounding the Soviet Union. America was not happy about this at all. But Stalin promised that he would hold free elections in these countries and to not force communism upon them. He lied! He knew that the only way the west could stop him from creating the countries in to communists was to go to war and he knew they would not want to do that because of the consequences they had suffered in the War. America was not ready for another war she was financially crippled. With all the surrounding countries under his rule Stalin knew that if countries were to invade Russia they would have to go through these first. This created a barrier; it bought him time before anyone could reach Moscow to attack. Churchill described this blockade as the Iron Curtain. It separated Russia from the rest of the world. The U S decided they needed to take action, so they devised up a plan of Containment. This was a policy that meant that they would help any country to defend themselves if they were threatened by communism. America and the West were trying to make sure that communism did not spread. Then came the Truman Doctrine. Turkey and Greece were having a lot of problems with the Russians. They had to defend themselves against Russia and its communist regimes. Britain was aiding them with weapons and supplies but an economically crippling winter in 1946 meant that they could not afford to help no longer. So the U S came in to help. The Truman Doctrine that was made was a policy of Americas Commitment against communism. Any country facing a war against Communism would be helped by the U S. Then came another plan by the U S, this one was called the Marshall Plan. A man called George Marshall who was the Secretary of State for the U S at the time of 1947 devised it. George Marshall pledged that the U S government would give Billions of dollars to the poorer countries in Europe. On the outside this was looked upon as a very unselfish and kind gesture. But if looked upon closely you could see that it was just part of a scam. It was in Americas greatest interests to give Europe the money. The reason why? To stop communism! It did this because all the poorer countries were heavily stricken with poverty and hunger, the people were extremely dejected and needed something to look up to, more like a light at the end of the tunnel. To them with the help of Stalins propaganda schemes Communism looked like a way out of poverty. With the U S giving them money it made them happier, they had no more problems, thus giving America the edge on containing Communism away from vulnerable Countries. In 1962 a major development had been revealed. Russia was sending over nuclear missiles to Cuba. This meant that America was now under threat from nuclear attacks. But America quickly intervened they told Russia that if they were to send any more shipments over that they would take immediate action and destroy the vessels. Russia was not expecting that reply they assumed no action would take place. America set up blockades and arranged air strikes over the ocean; Khrushchev decided to deploy their ships back to Russia before another conflict took place. After seeing and hearing of these events taking place it must have been extremely frightening for the people in the world at this time. There was a huge threat of a nuclear war, which could have drastically destroyed the world completely. Each countries nerve was tested to the limit, but luckily no one decided to retaliate in a major way. With the U S inventing new plans and technology the west made it extremely hard for Russia and Stalin to take over the world and make it communist. The Cold war changed the world forever, no longer would wars be fought in trenches and battlefields. They would be fought with words, and with just one switch of a button the whole world could be destroyed.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Halloween KO Frankenstein :: Free Essays Online

Halloween KO Frankenstein Fade in: Amidst the crowd and noise of a swarm of children and their parents in a whirlwind, last-minute attempt to find Halloween costumes and makeup, Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter-Branagh stand hand and hand—pinned against an â€Å"Austin Powers suit† and the ever-popular â€Å"Hershey Kiss† garb. Kenneth’s brows are furrowed and a small wrinkle on his forehead is tense with concern as to how he is going to find anything among the crowds. The door to the store opens occasionally, inviting the crisp October air in—sending small chills up his and Helena’s arms. Helena, standing impatiently in a crimson shawl, weight on one side, looks up at her husband, lips pursed—annoyance dancing in her chocolate eyes. Helena: Remind me why we’re here again, Kenny? Kenneth: Oh honey—you know the party’s tomorrow and we couldn’t show up without costumes. Two noisy youngsters, each with unruly black hair, sucking lollypops run past Kenneth and into Helena—igniting a surge of pain down her side. The children mutter an untranslatable â€Å"sorry† before continuing off to look at the sets of fake blood to Helena’s direct left. Helena: (rubbing her thigh) I know—but why are we here? I mean we have personal assistants to take care of these kinds of things. Kenneth: Dear, I thought it would be fun. After all, we haven’t had a night out together since I started touring with the Shakespearean Company again. Voices from the crowd yell â€Å"Heads Up!† just as a shelf full of Monster’s Teeth and Spirit Gum tumbles on Helena from above. A small, freckled girl with straw colored pig-tails points at Helena with a pudgy finger. Girl: (sardonically) We said...HEADS UP! Ignoring the pain in her leg, Helena rubs her forehead while pulling a pair of green Monster Teeth out of her tousled curls. Helena: (mumbles to Kenneth) Fun. . .right. . . Kenneth: (tugging on their laced hands) Come dear, lets go ask the lady at the counter so we can leave and go get some sleep. I don’t want to have bags under my eyes tomorrow in front of our Hollywood friends. Weaving through the crowds of people, Kenneth spots a store clerk wearing a â€Å"Hello my name is: Sarah† nametag standing behind a short female customer. Kenneth: Excuse me?. . .uh, excuse me! Sarah looks up at Kenneth, squinting viciously in his direction.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Rhos-Y-Gwaliau Outdoor Education Center Essay

Hello, I’m here today to talk to you all about work experience. I can see a few anxious faces when I mention the words work experience, but I hope that my talk today will change that. Incase some of you are not exactly sure what work experience is, it’s a placement that you personally choose yourself, and than you will go there for a period of two weeks. I now it might seem a long time, two weeks but when you’re there time just flays, and it’ll be worth it. And if you’re lucky you might decide what you would like to do in the future from this experience, you never know!! Getting a placement is quite straight-forward you know. Well it does depend on were you’re thinking of going. You can either phone them, e-mail them or send them a letter. What I did was phone them because I believe this was the most affective way and this way you are also able to find out more necessary information. All I had to do after I phoned was go and visit my placement to get to know everyone and to get to know the building. The day before I started on my work experience I was very anxious, but at the same time I was looking forward. So don’t worry if you have similar feelings before you start your work experience because they’re just normal. The only advise I can give you is that you have an early night before you start your work experience so you’ll be rearing to go the next morning. Also on your first day you should make sure that you arrive at your placement right on time, so you make a good impression to your co-workers and employer. It’s also important that you have a reliable transport. I was very lucky with my transport because my mum passed my placement on the way to her work, and it was very convenient. I went to Rhos-Y-Gwaliau Outdoor Education Center for my two weeks. I was very anxious before I got there each morning because I had no idea what was in store for me. The whole experience wasn’t half as bad as I had predicted, I hope your outcome at the end of your work experience will be the same as well. Where I went on my work experience I didn’t really have a typical day. Each day I did something different, sailing, canoeing, canoeing, climbing, hill trails and gorge walks. I arrived at the center at 8am each morning, then I had to make sure that all the children that were in my group had packed all the necessary kit they needed for the day. The we would all gather in the canteen, and make our lunches ready for the busy day that we had planned in front of us. Then we would all set off in our individual group and head towards our activity location. I had so much fun from my experience at Rhos-Y-Gwaliau Outdoor Education Center, and I found out a lot about myself. I do hope that you will choose a suitable placement for yourself and gain a lot of experience and knowledge. I sure did, and this whole experience will always stay with me. I don’t have to tell you how much I enjoyed my work experience, because I’m sure you can imagine. There was nothing I really disliked about my work experience, well the hours were a bit long, because twice a week I had to be there from 8am till 9pm, which I believe was a very long shift, but that didn’t bring me down the slightest bit more enjoyable. The whole experience at Rhos-Y-Gwaliau Outdoor Education Center has definitely helped me choose what I would like to do in the future. This is an ideal work I would love to do when I’m older. I found out that I’m able to work with people from all ages and I truly enjoy working with children because you are able to see all the progress they have done and you’re able to see the amazement on the children’s faces when they achieve a new skill. When I help people I get a warm feeling in my heart. I wish you all the best for the future, and I hope that my talk today has reassured you all, and you have a better incline of what to expect when you’ll be starting work experience in couple of weeks time. And I truly do hope that you will have two fantastic weeks at your placements, and try your best to enjoy them. Thank-you for listening to my talk today, and I hope that I have helped some of you, and you now know a little bit more of what you’re in for. All the best to every single one of you. And thank-you for being such a good audience.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Race Roits Essay

In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of there is no other way. And in order to treat some persons equally we must treat them differently† – Harry A Blackman. It shows how racial tension between African Americans and whites provoked the riot because they were treated differently because of their race. The Chicago race riot occurred July 29, 1919 and it lasted for 8 days and it was a turning point in Chicago’s history. The riot occurred because of racial tension between African Americans and whites. The Chicago race riot occurred July 29, 1919 and it lasted for 8 days and it was a turning point in Chicago’s history. The riot occurred because of racial tension between African Americans and whites. The riot was provoked by inequality, racial tension, and discrimination Prejudice, wars, and inventions have been going on since the beginning of time, but in the 19th century that is when those three things are the most significant because it changed the atmosphere of the United States. First, in the 19th century segregation was going on in the U. S, but more in the south than anywhere else. During the year of 1914 many of the states in the south required separated entrances for blacks and whites. Next, in the 1910’s the U. S just finished going into war. The decade was affected harshly because of the war. The war left the United States with storage of food, money and etc. Finally, the 1900’s brought new inventions to the United States. The First flight took place by the Wright brother, and Henry ford crated his first ford car model. Those inventions changed the way people took transportation making them get to their destination quicker. (Danzer, Alva, Krieger, Wilson, Woloch) Three street riots were East St. Louis, Springfield, and Chicago. These three riots happen because of racial tension and inequality between African Americans and whites. First, in 1917 a riot broke out in East St. Louis. The riot occurred because of racial tension. There was racial tension because the whites were on strike, so the owners decided to give the jobs to the African Americans. The whites were angered by this so they decided to take control and a riot broke out. Second, in 1908a riot broke out in Springfield because of inequality. The riot broke out in Springfield because an African American man was falsely accused of rape. Lastly, in 1919 a huge riot took place in Chicago. The riot occurred because of a death of an African American child. This riot was the biggest riot in Illinois history. So in conclusion, racial tension and inequality between African Americans and whites are the two main reasons why these riots occurred. (Encyclopedia of Chicago) The Division Street riot was a turning point on history because they showed how racial the government was, how violent and dangerous riots can be and how they riot can affect the atmosphere. First, in the Chicago riot there were cases were police would only arrest African Americans for having possessions of weapons and not whites. There was also the case that sparked the Chicago riot when a police refused to arrest the gang that killed Eugene Williams. †Chicago Race Riot of 1919†Ã¢â‚¬  The Chicago Race Riot of 1919†. That shows that the government was very racial towards African Americans when it came to arresting or anything else during the riot because the police didn’t help the African American man when Eugene Williams was drowning. Second, the riots showed how dangerous and violent they can become. In the Chicago riot it was so out of hand it wasn’t until the government had to call in the State Military to calm down the riot. Also in the East St. Louis riot the National Guards had to be called in to stop the white mobs. â€Å"Race Riot† â€Å" East St. Louis Race Riot: July 2, 1917†. This shows that the race riots became so out of hand that the Government had to call in the National Guards and the State Military because the riots were getting to out of control, and out of their reach and power. Lastly, the riots changed the atmosphere of the place where the riots occurred because it made many people suggested creating zoning laws to formally segregated housing in Chicago, or other restrictions preventing blacks to work in the same workplace as whites. Some African Americans were rejected by liberal white voters. The riots made the two races not get along even more because before the riots there were already racial tension between African Americans and whites. So in conclusion, the Division Street riot was a turning point on history because they showed how racial the government was, how violent and dangerous riots can be and how they riot can affect the atmosphere. Discrimination towards African American provoked the riot. First, when Tabitha C Wong writes â€Å"angry white workers lodged a formal complaint against black migration. After the meeting ended news of an attempted robbery of a white man by an armed black man began to circulate though the city. † This explains how in the East St. Louis riot whites were angered when African Americans took their jobs. â€Å"East St. Louis Race Riot: July 2, 1917† Second in the Springfield riot the trial, the woman told the judge that she was not raped by the two men. Another place this can be seen is when Springfield, Illinois race riot writes about† Mabel Hallem later recalled her accusative against George Richardson and Joe James when it was discovered she had probably fabricated the story to cover up an affair. † Second in the Springfield riot the trial for the African Americans were racially unfair. â€Å"The Accused: George Richardson† Third, Steven Essig writes about â€Å"the determination of many whites to deny African Americans equal opportunities in employment, housing and political representation has frequently resulted in sustained violent clashes. † Some whites didn’t want African American the same opportunity so they decided to deny them certain chances that whites would be able to do. (Encyclopedia of Chicago) Finally in the Springfield, East St. Louis, and Chicago riot dealt with discrimination which provoked the riot. Inequality provoked the riot making African Americans have fewer resources than whites. First, a great example can be found in The Slum and the Ghetto: Neighborhood Deterioration and Middle Class Reform when Philpott writes about how† they had no gas baths or toilets plumbing very bad: toilet leaks; bowl broken; leak in kitchen sink; (180). This shows that inequality between whites and African Americans made the African Americans have terrible living environment. Next, a great example can be found in The Slum and the Ghetto: Neighborhood Deterioration and Middle Class Reform when Philpott talks about how â€Å"a write once summed up the Negro question by saying â€Å"the North has principles and the South has the Negroes. †(146). It shows how the North (whites) had principles, and the South has Negroes (bad living environment). So it shows how because of inequality the African Americans didn’t have a good housing opportunity. Lastly, since schools were segregated whites had a better learning opportunity than African Americans. When the schools were segregated the African Americans did not have the same learning opportunity as white. The teachers were not able to teach the African American children how to read, or write. â€Å"Imprisoned or Teaching Free Blacks† So in conclusion, inequality provoked the riot making African Americans have terrible living environments, terrible housing opportunities, and terrible education. Racial tension provoked the riot making African Americans and whites not get along. First a great example of this can be found in â€Å"Gangs that came to rule in seats of power† when Kass writes about the â€Å"Hamburgs ignited the worst and deadliest race riot in Chicago’s history in 1919†. That shows how the riot started because of the racial tension between African Americans and whites because they didn’t get along. Second police were racial to African Americans. A great example of this can be found in â€Å"Chicago and its eight reasons† when the White writes about â€Å"in one case a colored man who was trailer for weapons, and whites were not trailed, and they were all together in a bunch†. This shows how the police didn’t want to arrest whites, but they were willing to arrest African Americans. It also proves that they were racist towards African Americans. Finally African Americans and Whites were segregated. A great example of this can be found when Essig writes about â€Å"an African American teenager who had crossed an invisible line at 29th Street separating customarily segregated â€Å"white† and â€Å"black† beaches†. That proves that white and black had separate things and they didn’t get along. So in conclusion, gangs racial tension, and segregation were part of the racial tension that provoked the riot. The Division Street riots had an impact history because led to African Americans getting better treatment later on in history. First, the Springfield riot brought about the NAACP. The NAACP stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP was created to ensure the political right, educational, and social economic equality of minority groups â€Å"Our Mission†. The NAACP fought for African Americans to have better treatment. The NAACP was created after the Springfield riot because they wanted to make sure that African Americans and other minority groups have the same rights as whites. Second, the NAACP had led up to greater things. The NAACP was a major part in the Civil Rights Movement with Martin Luther King as one of the leader â€Å" NAAC: 100 years of History†; leading African Americans through the Civil Rights movement taking them one step closer to integration. With Martin Luther king as one of the leaders of the NAACP and Civil Rights movement, with his dead and everything he did for the African Americans eventually led up to him being known as a great man, and making everyone in his time period including African Americans and Whites become segregated. Lastly, city officials organized the Chicago Commission on Race Relations to look into the cause of riots and find was to combat them. The Chicago Commission on Race Relations was created after the Chicago race riot. The Chicago Commission was a great source if information after the Chicago riot because they suggested several key issues including competition for jobs, thinking of ways to fix the problems. † The Chicago Race Riot of 1919† In conclusion, the Division Street Riots were turning points in history because the NAACP was formed, the NAACP led up to greater things and the Chicago Commission fixing race relations and their problems. The Chicago riot occurred July,27 1919 and it lasted for 8 days and it was a turning point in Chicago’s history. The occurred because of racial tension between African Americans and Whites. Inequality, racial tension, and discrimination provoked the riot. The Chicago Riot that lasted for 8 days and it was a turning point in History. Due to racial tension between African Americans and Whites a riot broke out . In Order to get beyond racism we ,must first take account of there is no other way. And in order to treat some persons equally we must first treat them differently- Harry A Blackman. Even though the Chicago riot left 38 people dead, it still was the most dangerous riot in Illinois History.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on Coli

What is E. coli O157:H7 ? E. coli O157:H7 (or simply E. coli) is just one of the hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Most strains of E. coli are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals. E. coli, however, produces a powerful toxin that can cause a severe infection. (The combination of letters and numbers in the name of the bacterium refers to the specific markers found on its surface and distinguishes it from other types of E. coli.) An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 cases of E. coli infection occur in the United States each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes E. coli as an emerging food-borne illness. How is the E. coli infection spread ? Most E. coli illness has been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef. E. coli bacteria live in the intestines of healthy cattle and, although the number of organisms required to cause disease is not known, it is suspected to be very small. Meat becomes contaminated during slaughter, and organisms can be thoroughly mixed into beef when it is ground. Contaminated beef looks and smells normal. Other ways to transmit E. coli include: Person-to-person contact in families and in child-care and other institutional-care centers can also be places where the transmission of the bacteria can occur. Bacteria present on a cow's udders, or on equipment, may get into raw milk causing the infection. Infection may occur after swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water. It has been confirmed that unpasteurized juices, such as apple cider, may also cause the infection. What are the symptoms of an E. coli infection? An E. coli infection can make a person very ill. The following are some of the most common symptoms associated with E. coli. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently, and some individuals may have no symptoms at all. Symptoms may include: severe bloody diarrhea o... Free Essays on Coli Free Essays on Coli What is E. coli O157:H7 ? E. coli O157:H7 (or simply E. coli) is just one of the hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Most strains of E. coli are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals. E. coli, however, produces a powerful toxin that can cause a severe infection. (The combination of letters and numbers in the name of the bacterium refers to the specific markers found on its surface and distinguishes it from other types of E. coli.) An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 cases of E. coli infection occur in the United States each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes E. coli as an emerging food-borne illness. How is the E. coli infection spread ? Most E. coli illness has been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef. E. coli bacteria live in the intestines of healthy cattle and, although the number of organisms required to cause disease is not known, it is suspected to be very small. Meat becomes contaminated during slaughter, and organisms can be thoroughly mixed into beef when it is ground. Contaminated beef looks and smells normal. Other ways to transmit E. coli include: Person-to-person contact in families and in child-care and other institutional-care centers can also be places where the transmission of the bacteria can occur. Bacteria present on a cow's udders, or on equipment, may get into raw milk causing the infection. Infection may occur after swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water. It has been confirmed that unpasteurized juices, such as apple cider, may also cause the infection. What are the symptoms of an E. coli infection? An E. coli infection can make a person very ill. The following are some of the most common symptoms associated with E. coli. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently, and some individuals may have no symptoms at all. Symptoms may include: severe bloody diarrhea o...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

If You Can’t Bless It, Change It.

If You Can’t Bless It, Change It. This season of the Jewish New Year brings much reflection on the past year and how we want to live our lives in the future. Most of us know that gratitude is key to living a satisfied life, and this holiday season my rabbi in Madison, Laurie Zimmerman, focused on this subject in her sermon. She related a story by Mitchell Chefitz in which a newly graduated â€Å"Officer of the Law† encountered a man in rags.  He commanded the man three times to Come forward! to no effect.  Finally the man in rags said, â€Å"I dont know what Im going to do with you. Do with me? the Officer of the Law mocked.  Do with me?  You dont do with me! I do with you!  I am an Officer of the Law, and I command you to come forward. Now I know what to do with you, the man in rags said, and as he spoke, he drew his sword.  A swordfight followed in which, after putting up a good fight, the man in rags lowered his guard, and the Officer of the Law’s sword mistakenly ran through him.  As the man died, he said, I put upon you the Curse of Blessings. Every day you must say a new blessing, one you have never said before. And on the day you do not say a new blessing, you will die. The man in rags closed his eyes and then disappeared, and the Officer of the Law wondered whether his experience were real. But as the sun set, he felt life leaving him and in a panic uttered a blessing over the sunset. Life flowed back into him.  From that day on, he said a new blessing every day, blessing abilities, then concrete things, relationships, and more. Word spread throughout the land that this previously pompous Officer of the Law was a source of blessing. He kept blessing the miracles of the world and found more and more things to bless. Finally, he was about to turn 120 years old and decided on his birthday not to make a new blessing but to recount some of the blessings he had made before. As the sun set, he felt a chill coming into his body and did not utter a blessing. Then appeared the man in rags. You! the Officer of the Law exclaimed. I have thought about you every day for a hundred years!  I never meant to harm you.  Please, forgive me. You dont understand, said the man in rags.  You dont know who I am, do you? I am the angel who was sent a hundred years ago to harvest your soul, but when I looked at you, so pompous and proud, there was nothing there to harvest.  An empty uniform was all I saw.  So I put upon you the Curse of Blessings, and now look what youve become! The Officer of the Law could not help but say, I feel blessed, dear God, that You have kept me alive and sustained me so I could attain this moment of insight. Now look what youve done! the man in rags said in frustration. A new blessing! Life flowed back into the Officer of the Law, and he and the man in rags looked to each other, neither of them knowing quite what to do. (Paraphrased from â€Å"The Curse of Blessings† in The Curse of Blessings: Sometimes, the Right Story Can Change Your Life by Mitchell Chefitz, 2006.) The rabbi also recounted a tale of the crossing of the Red Sea. In the midst of this great miracle, two people, Reuven and Shimon, did not celebrate, but rather cursed the mud, saying it was just like Egypt. â€Å"Their eyes turned downwards, while the greatest of miracles was happening all around them.† So often, like the pre-swordfight Officer of the Law, and like Reuven and Shimon, we don’t notice the blessings in our lives. We focus on what’s missing, on the negative. We become self-absorbed. This way of life drains the life from us, making us heartless and cold. In contrast, waking up and saying a new blessing, showing gratitude consistently, brings us warmth and life, carries us into the present so we’re not living in the past or the future, and draws people closer to us. We become someone people appreciate and want to be around. Marge Piercy’s poem, â€Å"The Art of Blessing the Day,† encourages us to create a life full of blessings: â€Å"Bless whatever you can / with eyes and hands and tongue. If you / cant bless it, get ready to make it new.† At this time of reflection, I encourage you to find and express the blessings in your life, and to live as much as possible in the present. And, if you can’t bless it, change it. For me, that’s the way to create a life I want to live. A life that inspires me to jump out of bed in the morning excited to bless something new.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Examine citically the ways in which Marxist Theory seek to establish a Essay

Examine citically the ways in which Marxist Theory seek to establish a relationship between Law and the Economy - Essay Example From the Instrumentalist point of view, capitalism and its effects on the working class is dependent upon the ruling class’ distribution of economic power. The economic base is understood to be accountable for determining all other social institutions such as criminal law, religion and the media. The media conveys mass communications that help maintain capitalism and historical documents assume that the wisdom of any time period is generally held by the ruling class. Business owners, the rich and the government, including the judicial system, control cultural structures to maintain the status quo which enables them to retain an element of supremacy. Thus, Capitalists’ power depends on the making and enforcement of the prevailing law. Instrumentalists assert, however, that the capitalist state must be relatively autonomous in order to best serve a capitalist society. â€Å"Its relative independence makes it possible for the state to play its class role in an approximate ly flexible manner.   If it really was a simple instrument of the ruling class, it would be fatally inhibited in the performance of its role.   Its agents absolutely need a measure of freedom in deciding how best to serve the existing social order.†2 Instrumentalists contend that the state works as an intentional and planned instrument for the supremacy over society: â€Å"Instrumental exercise of power by people in strategic positions who either manipulate state politics directly (direct instrumentality) or through the exercise of pressure on the state (indirect instrumentality).†3 While Marxist theorists agree that capitalism provides for the well-being of the social elite by the exploitation of the working class, some differ in their rationalizations of how a capitalist nation accomplishes this.   Instrumental Marxism views law as a tool of the ruling class

Thursday, October 31, 2019

M6A2 Leadership and Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

M6A2 Leadership and Ethics - Assignment Example Implementation Plan The first step of the implementation plan would include the depiction of the ethical issues related to the company (i.e. Tesco). One of the prime ethical issues that the company is facing is regarding coming up with misleading advertisement. It has been observed from the previously conducted analysis that the company showed price cuts for it’s certain products but in reality they had intended to increase their sales through the reduction of price of disliked products and increase in price of the accepted items. This is also considered as one of the ethical issues of the company. It has been further recognized that in order to deal with such issues proper leadership guidance would be quite vital. A leader is a person who would be held responsible for the entire performance of the group (Northouse, 2010). Thus, it is vital that a company should have leaders with appropriate characteristics so that they can handle varying as well as unpredictable situations wi th utmost effectiveness. In this regard, it has been noticed that transformational style of leadership model would be quite appropriate. It has been learnt that this type of leader would enhance motivation and morale of the employees. These would further include enhancing a sense of identity and responsibility of the employees so that they can work effectively by keeping in consideration the ethical aspects (Simic, 1998). The first step a leader should follow with regard to solving any ethical dilemma would be to analyze the concerned issue of the company from different perspectives. He/she first needs to understand about who would be affected the most by such ethical issues. It can be said that the issue mentioned above is immoral as well as illegal. Leader would have to take the responsibility or the accountability of the entire situation. It can easily depict that the whole issue generally take place mainly because it is overlooked when it was actually taking place. The leader ha s a big role to play with regard to tackling these issues. He/she would have to instruct the employees of the company about how these issues could harm the reputation of the company in the long run. It also needs to be discussed by the leader that customers are the sole reason for the success of any business. Hence, it is highly unethical to mislead or cheat customers with such advertisements as they are the biggest asset of the company (McLeod, 2007). He/she would also need to form a set of ethical code of conducts and encourage all the employees to follow the same. These the issues could be resolved by the leader with transformational leadership characteristics. Contingency Plan The contingency plan could be considered as a substitute of the implementation plan. This would be implemented if the first plan fails to create an impact. In this plan, a leader with strict personality would be taken into consideration. In this regard, an autocratic leader can be considered to take the le ad. He/she would need to be quite severe in their conduct. The leader should aim to complete a particular task mostly through negative motivation. He/she would also need to maintain a close supervision on the ethical conducts of the employees. High Penalties would be imposed on employees who are caught following any unethical practices that can ultimately harm the reputation of the organization. This approach could be considered negative but it is mostly observed to be effective (Daft, 2008).

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

International Students challenges in the US Essay

International Students challenges in the US - Essay Example Most of the students especially those from Middle East can rarely spell even an English single sentence without faltering, becoming very difficult to communicate and relate with other students in class. They therefore ends forming the groups according to the language they understands promoting the negative art of discrimination. It even becomes more difficult for them to ask or even answer a question in class for fear of misunderstanding from their fellow students. â€Å"Jumping into these conversations is a challenge for some international students. They might be uncomfortable speaking English† (Lipson 31).Most of them got very funny accent such that whenever they say something the class busts into a laughter making them feel inferior in anything they do. Language barrier also creates a wall between those students and the Professor who they also fear speaking with considering he or she is the master. These students are forced to learn English as an additional unit so as to en hance their communication skills, and therefore ending up wasting time. This is the only solution in order to write and express their view points in term papers, class work and research. Others who have studied English before are always in a better position although some have to master English in order to learn the academic rules understood in USA (Lisbon 36). Getting used to the culture and beliefs in the new environment an issue affecting them. Religious and cultural beliefs differ from one country to another and an international student in US may encounter difficulties in the process of accepting the change. Take for example a Libyan male student who believes that women are tools of house chores forced to accept that the ratio of professionals’ jobs from men to women is 53:47.There are even other cultures which do not believe friendship between male and females yet in US it their culture. International student must couple with this new style so as to be on the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Creation of God and the Universe

The Creation of God and the Universe Does God really exist? How can we know? If God made everything, who made God? In our everyday experience, just about everything seems to have a beginning. In fact, the laws of science show that even things which look the same through our lifetime, like the sun and other stars, are running down. The sun is using up its fuel at millions of tons each second. Since, therefore, it cannot last forever, it had to have a beginning. The same can be shown to be true for the entire universe. So when Christians claim that the God of the Bible created the entire universe, some will ask what seems a logical question, namely â€Å"Where did God come from?† The Bible makes it clear in many places that God is outside of time. He is eternal, with no beginning or end—He is infinite! He also knows all things, being infinitely intelligent. Is this logical? Can modern science allow for such a notion? And how could you recognize the evidence for an intelligent Creator? The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argument to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid of understanding . The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of Gods existence are: The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason. The a posteriori argument, by which we proceed logically from the facts of experience to causes. These arguments are: The cosmological, by which it is proved that there must be a First Cause of all things, for every effect must have a cause. The teleological, or the argument from design. We see everywhere the operations of an intelligent Cause in nature. The moral argument, called also the anthropological argument, based on the moral consciousness and the history of mankind, which exhibits a moral order and purpose which can only be explained on the supposition of the existence of God. Conscience and human history testify that â€Å"verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.† Matthew G. Easton How to recognize intelligence Scientists get excited about finding stone tools in a cave because these speak of intelligence—a tool maker. They could not have designed themselves. Neither would anyone believe that the carved Presidents heads on Mt. Rushmore were the product of millions of years of chance erosion. We can recognize design—the evidence of the outworkings of intelligence—in the man-made objects all around us. Similarly, in William Paleys famous argument, a watch implies a watchmaker.Today, however, a large proportion of people, including many leading scientists, believe that all plants and animals, including the incredibly complex brains of the people who make watches, motor cars, etc., were not designed by an intelligent God but rather came from an unintelligent evolutionary process. But is this a defensible position? Design in living things Molecular biologist Dr. Michael Denton, writing as an agnostic, concluded: Alongside the level of ingenuity and complexity exhibited by the molecular machinery of life, even our most advanced [twentieth century technology appears] clumsy. It would be an illusion to think that what we are aware of at present is any more than a fraction of the full extent of biological design. In practically every field of fundamental biological research ever-increasing levels of design and complexity are being revealed at an ever-accelerating rate. The world-renowned crusader for Darwinism and atheism, Prof. Richard Dawkins, states: We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully â€Å"designed† to have come into existence by chance. Thus, even the most ardent atheist concedes that design is all around us. To a Christian, the design we see all around us is totally consistent with the Bibles explanation that God created all. However, evolutionists like Dawkins reject the idea of a Designer. He comments (emphasis added): All appearance to the contrary, the only watchmaker in nature is the blind forces of physics, albeit deployed in a very special way. A true watchmaker has foresight: he designs his cogs and springs, and plans their interconnections, with future purpose in his minds eye. Natural selection, the blind, unconscious, automatic process which Darwin discovered, and which we now know is the explanation for the existence and apparently purposeful form of all life, has no purpose in mind†¦ It has no mind†¦ It does not plan for the future†¦ it is the blind watchmaker. Selection and design Life is built on information, contained in that molecule of heredity, DNA. Dawkins believes that natural selectionand mutations (blind, purposeless copying mistakes in this DNA) together provide the mechanism for producing the vast amounts of information responsible for the design in living things. Natural selection is a logical process that can be observed. However, selection can only operate on the information already contained in genes—it does not produce new information.distinct kinds of animals and plants, each to reproduce after its own kind. One can observe great variation in a kind,and see the results of natural selection. For instance, dingoes, wolves and coyotes have developed over time as a result of natural selection operating on the information in the genes of the wolf/dog kind. But no new information was produced—these varieties have resulted from rearrangement, and sorting out, of the information in the original dog kind. One kind has never been observed to change into a totally different kind with new information that previously did not exist! Without a way to increase information, natural selection will not work as a mechanism for evolution. Evolutionists agree with this, but they believe that mutations somehow provide the new information for natural selection to act upon. Can mutations produce new information? Actually, it is now clear that the answer is no! Dr. Lee Spetner, a highly qualified scientist who taught information and communication theory at Johns Hopkins University, makes this abundantly clear in his recent book: In this chapter Ill bring several examples of evolution, [i.e., instances alleged to be examples of evolution] particularly mutations, and show that information is not increased But in all the reading Ive done in the life-sciences literature, Ive never found a mutation that added information. All point mutations that have been studied on the molecular level turn out to reduce the genetic information and not to increase it. The NDT [neo-Darwinian theory] is supposed to explain how the information of life has been built up by evolution. The essential biological difference between a human and a bacterium is in the information they contain. All other biological differences follow from that. The human genome has much more information than does the bacterial genome. Information cannot be built up by mutations that lose it. A business cant make money by losing it a little at a time. Evolutionary scientists have no way around the conclusions that many scientists, including Dr. Spetner, have come to. Mutations do not work as a mechanism to fuel the evolutionary process. [For further information, see: Can genetic mutations produce positive changes in living creatures? Answer] More problems! Scientists have found that within the cell, there are thousands of what can be called biochemical machines. All of their parts have to be in place simultaneously or the cell cant function. Things which were thought to be simple mechanisms, such as being able to sense light and turn it into electrical impulses, are in fact highly complicated. Since life is built on these machines, the idea that natural processes could have made a living system is untenable. Biochemist Dr. Michael Behe uses the term irreducible complexity in describing such biochemical machines. †¦systems of horrendous, irreducible complexity inhabit the cell. The resulting realization that life was designed by an intelligence is a shock to us in the twentieth century who have gotten used to thinking of life as the result of simple natural laws. But other centuries have had their shocks, and there is no reason to suppose that we should escape them. Richard Dawkins recognizes this problem of needing machinery to start with when he states: The theory of the blind watchmaker is extremely powerful given that we are allowed to assume replication and hence cumulative selection. But if replication needs complex machinery, since the only way we know for complex machinery ultimately to come into existence is cumulative selection, we have a problem. A problem indeed! The more we look into the workings of life, the more complicated it gets, and the more we see that life could not arise by itself. Not only is a source of information needed, but the complex machines of the chemistry of life need to be in existence right from the start! A greater problem still! Some still try to insist that the machinery of the first cell could have arisen by pure chance. For instance, they say, by randomly drawing alphabet letters in sequence from a hat, sometimes you will get a simple word like BAT.So given long time periods, why couldnt even more complex information arise by chance? However, what would the word BAT mean to a German or Chinese speaker? The point is that an order of letters is meaningless unless there is a language convention and a translation system in place which makes it meaningful! In a cell, there is such a system (other molecules) that makes the order on the DNA meaningful. DNA without the language/translation system is meaningless, and these systems without the DNA wouldnt work either. The other complication is that the translation machinery which reads the order of the letters in the DNA is itself specified by the DNA! This is another one of those machines that needs to be fully-formed or life wont work. Can information arise from non-information? Dr. Werner Gitt, Director and Professor at the German Federal Institute of Physics and Technology, makes it clear that one of the things we know absolutely for sure from science, is that information cannot arise from disorder by chance. It always takes (greater) information to produce information, and ultimately information is the result of intelligence: A code system is always the result of a mental process (it requires an intelligent origin or inventor) It should be emphasized that matter as such is unable to generate any code. All experiences indicate that a thinking being voluntarily exercising his own free will, cognition, and creativity, is required. There is no known natural law through which matter can give rise to information, neither is any physical process or material phenomenon known that can do this. What is the source of the information? We can therefore deduce that the huge amount of information in living things must originally have come from an intelligence, which had to have been far superior to ours, as scientists are revealing every day. But then, some will say that such a source would have to be caused by something with even greater information/intelligence. However, if they reason like this, one could ask where this greater information/intelligence came from? And then where did that one come from . one could extrapolate to infinity, for ever, unless . Unless there was a source of infinite intelligence, beyond our finite understanding. But isnt this what the Bible indicates when we read, In the beginning God .? The God of the Bible is an infinite being not bound by limitations of time, space, knowledge, or anything else. So which is the logically defensible position?—that matter eternally existed (or came into existence by itself for no reason), and then by itself arranged itself into information systems against everything observed in real science? Or that a being with infinite intelligence,created information systems for life to exist, agreeing with real science? The answer seems obvious, so why dont all intelligent scientists accept this? Michael Behe answers: Many people, including many important and well-respected scientists, just dont want there to be anything beyond nature. They dont want a supernatural being to affect nature, no matter how brief or constructive the interaction may have been. In other words . they bring an a priori philosophical commitment to their science that restricts what kinds of explanations they will accept about the physical world. Sometimes this leads to rather odd behavior. The crux of the matter is this: If one accepts there is a God who created us, then that God also owns us. He thus has a right to set the rules by which we must live. In the Bible, He has revealed to us that we are in rebellion against our Creator. Because of this rebellion called sin, our physical bodies are sentenced to death—but we will live on, either with God, or without Him in a place of judgment. But the good news is that our Creator provided, through the cross of Jesus Christ, a means of deliverance for our sin of rebellion, so that those who come to Him in faith, in repentance for their sin, can receive the forgiveness of a Holy God and spend forever with their Lord. [Watch The HOPE on-line (streaming video)] So who created God? By definition, an infinite, eternal being has always existed—no one created God. He is the self-existing one—the great I am of the Bible.19 He is outside of time; in fact, He created time. You might say, â€Å"But that means I have to accept this by faith, as I cant understand it.† We read in the book of Hebrews, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). But this is not blind faith, as some think. In fact, the evolutionists who deny God have a blind faith—they have to believe something that is against real science—namely, that information can arise from disorder by chance. Can you believe in the existence of something that you cannot see? Have you ever seen your own brain? We all believe in many things that we have never seen. Have you ever seen the wind? Have you seen history? We see the effects of the wind, but the wind is invisible. We have records of history, but it is by faith we believe that certain historical events happened. Television waves are invisible, but an antenna and a receiver can detect their presence. Do you know that you have a receiver? Prior to becoming a child of God, your receiver (your spirit) is dead because of sin (see Ephesians 2:1). You need to be plugged into the life of God, and then you will come alive and be aware of the invisible spiritual realm. Learn more about God and his plan for your life Adapted from author Ray Comfort See these information sources for evidence of God and the accuracy of His Word†¦ The Christian faith is not a blind faith; it is a logically defensible faith. This is why the Bible makes it clear that anyone who does not believe in God is without excuse: For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20). For a more in-depth article, read: Who created God? Who created God? A number of skeptics ask this question. But God by definition is the uncreated creator of the universe, so the question Who created God? is illogical, just like To whom is the bachelor married? So a more sophisticated questioner might ask: If the universe needs a cause, then why doesnt God need a cause? And if God doesnt need a cause, why should the universe need a cause? In reply, Christians should use the following reasoning: Everything which has a beginning has a cause.1 The universe has a beginning. Therefore the universe has a cause. Its important to stress the words in bold type. The universe requires a cause because it had a beginning, as will be shown below. God, unlike the universe, had no beginning, so doesnt need a cause. In addition, Einsteins general relativity, which has much experimental support, shows that time is linked to matter and space. So time itself would have begun along with matter and space. Since God, by definition, is the creator of the whole universe, he is the creator of time. Therefore He is not limited by the time dimension He created, so has no beginning in time God is the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity (Isaiah 57:15). Therefore He doesnt have a cause. In contrast, there is good evidence that the universe had a beginning. This can be shown from the Laws of Thermodynamics, the most fundamental laws of the physical sciences. 1st Law: The total amount of mass-energy in the universe is constant. 2nd Law: The amount of energy available for work is running out, or entropy is increasing to a maximum. If the total amount of mass-energy is limited, and the amount of usable energy is decreasing, then the universe cannot have existed forever, otherwise it would already have exhausted all usable energy the heat death of the universe. For example, all radioactive atoms would have decayed, every part of the universe would be the same temperature, and no further work would be possible. So the obvious corollary is that the universe began a finite time ago with a lot of usable energy, and is now running down. Now, what if the questioner accepts that the universe had a beginning, but not that it needs a cause? But it is self-evident that things that begin have a cause no-one really denies it in his heart. All science and history would collapse if this law of cause and effect were denied. So would all law enforcement, if the police didnt think they needed to find a cause for a stabbed body or a burgled house. Also, the universe cannot be self-caused nothing can create itself, because that would mean that it existed before it came into existence, which is a logical absurdity. IN SUMMARY The universe (including time itself) can be shown to have had a beginning. It is unreasonable to believe something could begin to exist without a cause. The universe therefore requires a cause, just as Romans 1:20 teach. God, as creator of time, is outside of time. Since therefore He has no beginning in time, He has always existed, so doesnt need a cause. OBJECTIONS There are only two ways to refute an argument: Show that it is logically invalid Show that at least one of the premises is false. Is the argument valid? A valid argument is one where it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion false. Note that validity does not depend on the truth of the premises, but on the form of the argument. The argument in this article is valid; it is of the same form as: All whales have backbones; Moby Dick is a whale; therefore Moby Dick has a backbone. So the only hope for the skeptic is to dispute one or both of the premises. Are the premises true? 1. Does the universe have a beginning? Oscillating universe ideas were popularized by atheists like the late Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov solely to avoid the notion of a beginning, with its implications of a Creator. But as shown above, the Laws of Thermodynamics undercut that argument. Even an oscillating universe cannot overcome those laws. Each one of the hypothetical cycles would exhaust more and more usable energy. This means every cycle would be larger and longer than the previous one, so looking back in time there would be smaller and smaller cycles. So the multicycle model could have an infinite future, but can only have a finite past.2 Also, there are many lines of evidence showing that there is far too little mass for gravity to stop expansion and allow cycling in the first place, i.e., the universe is open. According to the best estimates (even granting old-earth assumptions), the universe still has only about half the mass needed for re-contraction. This includes the combined total of both luminous matter and non-luminous matter (found in galactic halos), as well as any possible contribution of neutrinos to total mass.3 Some recent evidence for an open universe comes from the number of light-bending gravitational lenses in the sky.6 It seems there is only 40-80% of the required matter to cause a big crunch. Incidentally, this low mass is also a major problem for the currently fashionable inflationary version of the big bang theory, as this predicts a mass density just on the threshold of collapse a flat universe. Finally, no known mechanism would allow a bounce back after a hypothetical big crunch.7 As the late Professor Beatrice Tinsley of Yale explained, even though the mathematics say that the universe oscillates, There is no known physical mechanism to reverse a catastrophic big crunch. Off the paper and into the real world of physics, those models start from the Big Bang, expand, collapse, and thats the end. 2. Denial of cause and effect Some physicists assert that quantum mechanics violates this cause/effect principle and can produce something from nothing. For instance, Paul Davies writes: spacetime could appear out of nothingness as a result of a quantum transition. Particles can appear out of nowhere without specific causation Yet the world of quantum mechanics routinely produces something out of nothing.9 But this is a gross misapplication of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics never produces something out of nothing. Davies himself admitted on the previous page that his scenario should not be taken too seriously. Theories that the universe is a quantum fluctuation must presuppose that there was something to fluctuate their quantum vacuum is a lot of matter-antimatter potential not nothing. Also, I have plenty of theoretical and practical experience at quantum mechanics (QM) from my doctoral thesis work. For example, Raman spectroscopy is a QM phenomenon, but from the wavenumber and intensity of the spectral bands, we can work out the masses of the atoms and force constants of the bonds causing the bands. To help the atheist position that the universe came into existence without a cause, one would need to find Raman bands appearing without being caused by transitions in vibrational quantum states, or alpha particles appearing without pre-existing nuclei, etc. If QM was as acausal as some people think, then we should not assume that these phenomena have a cause. Then I may as well burn my Ph.D. thesis, and all the spectroscopy journals should quit, as should any nuclear physics research. Also, if there is no cause, there is no explanation why this particular universe appeared at a particular time, nor why it was a universe and not, say, a banana or cat which appeared. This universe cant have any properties to explain its preferential coming into existence, because it wouldnt have any properties until it actually came into existence. Is creation by God rational? A last desperate tactic by skeptics to avoid a theistic conclusion is to assert that creation in time is incoherent. Davies correctly points out that since time itself began with the beginning of the universe, it is meaningless to talk about what happened before the universe began. But he claims that causes must precede their effects. So if nothing happened before the universe began, then (according to Davies) it is meaningless to discuss the cause of the universes beginning. But the philosopher (and New Testament scholar) William Lane Craig, in a useful critique of Davies,10 pointed out that Davies is deficient in philosophical knowledge. Philosophers have long discussed the notion of simultaneous causation. Immanuel Kant (17241804) gave the example of a weight resting on a cushion simultaneously causing a depression in it. Craig says: The first moment of time is the moment of Gods creative act and of creations simultaneous coming to be. Some skeptics claim that all this analysis is tentative, because that is the nature of science. So this cant be used to prove creation by God. Of course, skeptics cant have it both ways: saying that the Bible is wrong because science has proved it so, but if science appears consistent with the Bible, then well, science is tentative anyway. A final thought The Bible informs us that time is a dimension that God created, into which man was subjected. It even tells us that one day time will no longer exist. That will be called â€Å"eternity.† God Himself dwells outside of the dimension He created (Titus 1:2). He dwells in eternity and is not subject to time. God spoke history before it came into being. He can move through time as a man flips through a history book. Because we live in the dimension of time, it is impossible for us to fully understand anything that does not have a beginning and an end. Simply accept that fact, and believe the concept of Gods eternal nature the same way you believe the concept of space having no beginning and end—by faith—even though such thoughts put a strain on our distinctly insufficient cerebrum. Paul S. Taylor, adapted from author Ray Comfort Further Reading More information can be found in the following works. Unfortunately they are too friendly towards the unscriptural big bang theory with its billions of years of death, suffering and disease before Adams sin. But the above arguments are perfectly consistent with a recent creation in six consecutive normal days, as taught by Scripture. Craig, W.L., Apologetics: An Introduction (Chicago: Moody, 1984). Craig, W.L. online article â€Å"The Existence of God and the Beginning of the Universe† http://www.leaderu.com/truth/3truth11.html Geisler, N.L., Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker, 1976). How does archaeology conclusively demonstrate the Bible to be reliable and unique among all the holy books of world religions? Archaeological discoveries verify the historical reliability of the Old and New Testaments. When compared to other religious books, the titles, and events mentioned in the Bible; and the language and literary formats used to compose the Bible. Many scholars today question the validity of Biblical accounts, supposedly based on the findings of archaeology (i.e. misinterpretation of evidence, lack of evidence, or poor scholarship) and not with the Bible. How can archaeology prove helpful to someone seeking for truth to the basic questions about life? The discoveries of archaeology can be helpful in removing doubts that a person might have about the historical trustworthiness of the Bible. The places, and events of the Bible are real. What Gods Word? Any one discovery can be explained away as coincidence, or an alternative interpretation can be given to disassociate it from the Bible. It is the weight of a myriad of discoveries that demonstrates the Bible to be the Word of God. These discoveries fall into three categories: Archaeological evidence demonstrates the historical and cultural accuracy of the Bible. The Bibles message of a salvation stands in sharp contrast to the pagan fertility religions of the ancient world as, revealed by archaeology. Archaeological findings demonstrate that the Biblical prophets accurately predicted events hundreds of years before they occurred—something that lies beyond the capability of mere men. Where did Cain get his wife? We dont even know her name, yet she was discussed at the wife in history? Scripture and, thus, the Christian faith. For instance, at the historic Scopes trial in Tennessee in 1925, William Jennings Bryan, the prosecutor who stood for the Christian faith, failed to answer the question about [3] lawyer Clarence Darrow. The worlds press was focused on this trial, and what they heard has affected Christianity to this day—Christians are seen as unable to defend the biblical record. And skeptics then make the logically fallacious jump of concluding that the biblical record is indefensible! The agnostic Carl Sagan used this same question in his book ContactContact,† which was based on Sagans book, also used it. In the book, the fictional character Ellie could not get answers about [6] Sagan cleverly used common questions—such as â€Å"Who was Cains wife?†Ã¢â‚¬â€questions that are often directed at Christians in an attempt to prove the Bible cannot be defended. Sadly, most Christians probably could not answer these questions! And yet, there are answers. But, since most churches are lacking in the teaching of 1 Peter 3:15). Why is it important? Many skeptics have claimed that, for New Testament doctrines depend. Defenders of the Genesis 4:1-5:5.) Before we answer this question, we will first show how important it is to the meaning of the gospel. The first man Therefore, even as through one man Romans 5:12). We read in God did not start by making a whole group of men. The sin of rebellion, also passed on to all his descendants. Since return to God! Because a man brought Romans 3:23). What is the solution? The Last Adam pay the penalty for sin: â€Å"For since by a man came [8] God. Since the Bible describes all human beings as gospel could not be explained or defended. The Hebrews 2:11-18). Thus, only descendants of the first man saved. All related Thus, there was only one man at the beginning—made from the Genesis 2:7). This also means that Adams descendants. The first woman In Eve—she was the first woman. marriage of one man to one woman. Also, in animals, he could not find a mate—there was no one of his kind. All this makes it obvious that there was only one woman, Eves descendants. If Christians cannot defend that all humans (including gospel and all that it teaches. Cains brothers and sisters Genesis 4:25), were part of the first generation of children ever born on this earth. Even though only these three males are mentioned by name, Genesis 5:3) before Seth was born. During their lives, Adams children, as says the old tradition, was thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters.† The Genesis 1:28). The wife If we now work totally from Scripture, without any personal prejudices or other extra-biblical ideas, then back at the beginning, when there was only the first generation, brothers would have had to have married sisters or there would be no more generations! We are not told when marriages and children, but we can say for certain that some brothers had to marry their sisters at the beginning of human history. But what about Gods Laws? Many people immediately reject the conclusion that Gods law originally when close relatives (even brothers and sisters) married each other. Remember that Moses laws that forbade such marriages. Biological deformities Today, brothers and sisters (and half-brothers and half-sisters, etc.) are not permitted by law to marry because their children have an unacceptably high risk of being deformed. The more closely the parents are related, the more likely it is that any offspring will be d