Monday, December 23, 2019

The Training And Development Part Of The Strategic Human...

1 .Introduction Due to the globalization as well as the world wide economic integration, many enterprises tend to turn into a boundaryless organisation which will offer them flexibility and creativity in response to the continuously changing business world. However, there are still some new problem occurs when making those boundaries vanish. Our aim is to discuss all the existing and potential challenges of this new boundaryless organisation system and try to find out the solution to these problems based on the training and development part of the Strategic Human Resource Management. 2. Boundaryless Organisation and Its Following Challenges The concept of ‘boundaryless organisation’ was first put forward by former General Electric chairman Jack Welch in order to help his company adapt to the business environment changes , owing to the globalisation of the worldwide economy as well as the consequent technological innovation. As opinions of Askenas et al. (1995) show, there are 4 types of boundaries: vertical boundaries, horizontal boundaries, external boundaries and geographical boundaries. In the old days, traditional enterprises would make full use of these four boundaries to make the company stable and well-organised. However, it is under the tendency of globally economic integration that those boundaries had become barriers to the modern enterprises’ development. In response to the continuously changing business environment, Jack Welch tried his best to breakShow MoreRelated(Noe Et Al. 2015) The Strategic Management Process Has1445 Words   |  6 Pages(Noe et al. 2015) The strategic management process has two distinct yet independent phases: strategy formulation and strategy implementation. The strategy formulation is the process of deciding the strategic direction of the company by setting company’s mission and goals. 3.2.1 Linkage between HRM and the strategic management process (Noe et al. 2015) stats that linkage between HRM and strategic management process must be closely linked which is known as â€Å"Integrative Linkage†. Figure 3: LinkagesRead MoreManagement and Human Resource Development952 Words   |  4 PagesThe Characteristics of Strategic Human Resource Development 1. Integration with organizational missions and goals According to Garavan (1991), integration into business planning in order to contribute to corporate goals and missions of the organization are very crucial. One of Human Resource Development’s functions is to help in formation of business strategies for the organization and it is seen as a responsive and reactive role for strategic human resource development (McCracken Wallace, 2000)Read MoreHuman Resource Development Essay1671 Words   |  7 PagesHuman Resource Development (HRD) is often seen to be a central feature of SHRM. Discuss the role and importance of HRD in achieving SHRM organizational outcomes. Introduction Learning and development in the context of organizational development is having an essential role in achieving strategic human resourcing outcome. From attraction and retention, to development and utilisation of human capital, Human Resource Development (HRD) is the centre of strategic focus in HRM. This essay aims to presentRead MoreEssay on Human Resource Development1689 Words   |  7 PagesHuman Resource Development (HRD) is often seen to be a central feature of SHRM. Discuss the role and importance of HRD in achieving SHRM organizational outcomes. Introduction Learning and development in the context of organizational development is having an essential role in achieving strategic human resourcing outcome. From attraction and retention, to development and utilisation of human capital, Human Resource Development (HRD) is the centre of strategic focus in HRM. This essay aims to presentRead MoreHuman Resource Management As A Strategic Partner1705 Words   |  7 PagesHuman Resource Management as a Strategic Partner Generally, when one thinks of the role of Human Resources, many people will think first of the role that HR plays in important functions such as staffing, training, retention, and the development of workplace policies. While these are all important functions for Human Resource Management, the evolution of HRM is such that it is important to think of these functions in terms of the impact they have on the overall strategic vision for the companyRead MoreResearch Proposal: Strategic Hrm1623 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Perspectives on Human resource strategy: A key role contributing to organization performance in Cambodian Context† By Chit Uys Stevexo July 21, 2011 The strategic management of an organization s human resource has been recognized as one of the keys to business success. This particular strategy generally involved the optimization of the employees potentials mainly through training and performance assessment. This organizational strategy has been integrated in several businesses mainly toRead MoreHuman Resources Management : Human Resource Management1398 Words   |  6 Pages Human Resource Management Overview Tanya Phillips Dr. Andrea Scott, PhD HSA 320, Strayer University October 31, 2016 Human Resources Management Overview Human resources (HR) is the different kinds of clinical and nonclinical responsibilities for public and individual health involvement. The benefits and performance the system can deliver depends upon the knowledge, skills and motivation of those responsible for providing health services. Human resource managers don’t directlyRead MoreHuman Resource Management : The Management Of An Organization980 Words   |  4 PagesHuman Resource Management Overview Human Resource Management is the management of an organization’s employees. When a company designates a Human Resource (HR) department, those in HR are the ones responsible for overseeing the well-being of personnel in the workplace, and focus on how to attract, hire, train, motivate, and maintain employees of the organization. (DeCenzo, Robbins, Verhulst, 2013, p4). According to David S. Bright from the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State UniversityRead MoreThe Relationship Between Human Resource Management and Human Resource Development976 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Relationship Between Human Resource Management and Human Resource Development Diana Williams National American University Understanding the Relationship Between Human Resource Management and Human Resource Development Human resource management (HRM) is the umbrella under which all other human resource activities are found. Some of the major activities under the umbrella are: benefits and compensation, health safety and security, human resource planning, staffing, equal employmentRead MoreHuman Resource Management And Organizational Strategy752 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom Bill Gate’s strategic vision for his company. Different from other entrepreneurs, he values the employees, and favoring intelligence over experience in his employees. In modern society, human capital is the most dynamic resources for a company. How to attract excellent human resource and utilize their ability to reach organizational goal is something managers should think about. Strategic human resource management could explain the relationship between human resource management and organizational

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Night Creature Dark Moon Chapter Thirteen Free Essays

No moon, no trees, just us. I still wanted to rip off Nic’s clothes, but his throat was safe. I’d kissed him as a test: Was the talisman making me lust after him beyond reason? Since the plastic was in the corner and not on me, I had to conclude the answer was no. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Creature: Dark Moon Chapter Thirteen or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, it was doing something funky. â€Å"Why did you not tell me that he is the man who made you what you are?† My tongue still inside Nic’s mouth, I froze. Slowly, I took it back, lifted my head, shoved my snarled hair out of my face, and sighed. This time when I climbed off Nic’s lap, he let me. I faced Edward. Jessie and Will stood just inside the apartment doorway. â€Å"Hell,† I muttered. Will appeared embarrassed. I know I was. Jessie seemed amused. I didn’t find any of this funny. Nic got to his feet. â€Å"What’s he talking about?† Edward lifted a slightly yellowed brow in my direction. I scowled. He’d better not tell the truth. Since the best defense is always a good offense – I was taught that by the master in front of me – I went on the attack. â€Å"What were you thinking to tie him up and shove him in a closet?† Jessie’s eyes widened; so did Will’s. â€Å"He annoyed me.† â€Å"Half the known world annoys you.† â€Å"Three quarters,† he corrected and sniffed. â€Å"Sir,† Nic began. I stomped on his foot. â€Å"Let me handle this.† â€Å"You were handling him,† Edward accused. â€Å"What were you thinking?† I’d been thinking I needed someone – Nic – and something – sex – but I couldn’t share that with Edward. His gaze shifted past me to Nic. â€Å"You have been recalled to Washington.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Your work here is done. Get out.† â€Å"Pardon me if I don’t take your word for it.† Edward’s eyes flashed. He threw his cell phone at Nic. I ducked before it hit me between the eyes. The contraption bounced off Nic’s chest and clattered to the floor. â€Å"Call your superior,† Edward sneered. â€Å"I did.† Nic retrieved the phone and dialed, then moved to the window so he could hear. Jessie and Will came closer. â€Å"He is the one, isn’t he?† Edward demanded. A chill wind seemed to swirl about the room. My skin, warm with arousal, went tingly with gooseflesh. I knew what he was asking; nevertheless I said, â€Å"The one?† â€Å"I am not foolish, Elise. I ran a check on him. He graduated from Stanford – not long after you left.† â€Å"Interesting,† Jessie said. â€Å"You told us you changed, but you never said what set you off.† She let her gaze wander over Nic’s back. â€Å"Sex just might do it.† â€Å"I never – † I ended the sentence before it left my mouth, nevertheless everyone knew what I meant. Will coughed and stared at his feet. Jessie smirked. â€Å"Never, huh? No wonder you’re so cranky.† â€Å"I am not!† â€Å"If sex didn’t change you, what did?† she asked. â€Å"Love.† At least her smirk died. She and Will exchanged glances. The one he turned on me was full of pity. I hated that. When a human being falls in love, variations in body chemistry aren’t far behind. I believed those changes were the reason I’d transformed at twenty-two. However, my case didn’t apply to the everyday werewolf, which changed after being bitten. We weren’t the same, and therefore what had happened to me hadn’t been of much use in my research. All that pain for so little gain. â€Å"Now you know,† I whispered furiously, after glancing over my shoulder at Nic, who was speaking with equal fervency into the cell phone. â€Å"I fell in love, turned furry, and – â€Å" My voice broke and I couldn’t finish. Of course Edward had no such problem. â€Å"She came back to Montana where she belonged.† â€Å"You couldn’t tell him – † Jessie began. â€Å"Right. Would you want to live with a werewolf?† Jessie’s and Will’s eyes met again. â€Å"Maybe.† There’d been a bit of confusion during the fiasco with the wolf god – who was human, who was not? Jessie had, for a time, believed Will was one of them. It hadn’t stopped her from sleeping with him. Will reached out and touched her cheek. â€Å"Spare us,† Edward muttered. Jessie shot him a glare. â€Å"Leigh and Damien are fine.† â€Å"If you say so.† I had to agree with Edward. Leigh and Damien were in love, but they were far from fine. Damien lived every day, every night, with the memory of all he had done. Leigh ached for children, and she wouldn’t get them from him. â€Å"I left Nic,† I continued, â€Å"and he never knew why. He hates me.† â€Å"Yeah, looked that way from where I was standing,† Jessie muttered. I narrowed my eyes, but she just laughed. â€Å"Elise.† Edward beckoned with one long, bony index finger. I joined him near the kitchen table. â€Å"Do you know why he is here?† â€Å"Missing persons.† I shrugged. â€Å"Anonymous tip. Someone’s trying to cause trouble, and we know who that someone is.† â€Å"This is a little more serious than that. You didn’t recognize the names?† â€Å"I didn’t get a chance to read them before I lost the list.† Edward’s sigh was filled with both disgust and impatience. â€Å"Compound exploding, Billy attacking – I was a little busy.† â€Å"You should have killed him while you had the chance. Must I do everything myself?† â€Å"I’m not going to let you hurt him.† The two of us stared into each other’s eyes until Nic stalked across the room and tossed the cell phone at Edward with more force than necessary. â€Å"Whatever you said, whoever you know, you’ve got them scared. I’ve been ordered back to D.C.† â€Å"Good-bye,† Edward replied. â€Å"But you don’t scare me. I’m not leaving.† For the first time I could remember, Edward was surprised into silence. â€Å"I have vacation time. I’m taking it. This town appears†¦ relaxing.† â€Å"Jessie,† Edward snapped. â€Å"Get rid of him.† â€Å"No!† I shouted, and everyone jumped. Edward shot a glare in my direction before returning his attention to Jessie. â€Å"Make sure he leaves town. Put him on a plane yourself, if you must.† â€Å"She can’t force me to go,† Nic said. Jessie drew her gun and pointed it at his crotch. â€Å"Okay. She can.† Nic’s gaze met mine, and the years fell away. I had n a future, with him. There weren’t any monsters. Death didn’t wait around every corner. Then he spoke and the fantasy disappeared. â€Å"Come with me. You don’t need him.† Except I did. Edward would make certain I got a job nowhere. Without the serum, I’d be eating the populace within a week. Since my secret no longer appeared safe – Lord knows who or what was hunting me already – alone, out in the world, I’d die, and so would anyone who got too close. Failing that, I’d kill and then I’d be killed. My choices were mighty slim. I couldn’t bring all that down on Nic. He had no idea what was out there – hell, he had no idea what was in here – and I had to keep it that way. Edward leaned over, whispering so that only I could hear, â€Å"He knows the names of the people you’ve killed, Elise.† My heart seemed to stop. Time slowed. The whole world faded until it was only me and Nic and the elephant in the room. There was more about me to keep secret than my tendency to howl at the moon. Edward, being Edward, was not a wasteful man. I was the perfect werewolf, danger without the demon. I was useful for a lot more than research. There were monsters out there that even Edward couldn’t kill. But I could, and I had. So why was I hesitating? Did I want Nic to discover that the murderer he was searching for was me? I’d rather be dead. Still, despite the dangers, the problems, the reality of my life, I wanted to go with Nic more than I’d wanted anything for a long, long time. I’ve heard that first love is imprinted on our hearts. Even if we move on to love others, have children with them, live our lives, our first love is always there. We never forget. What’s felt then, with that one person, carries a gilded sheen – both the best and the worst of times – often never to be repeated with such intensity again. For me this was even more true, because there’d never been anyone else. But what did Nic feel? He wanted me, certainly. However, he hadn’t mentioned love. Even if he did care, could his love survive both my curse and my crimes? I doubted it. Once we’d whispered of a life together: marriage, careers, children. That dream was as impossible now as it had been then. Even if I found a cure, did I dare bring a child into this world knowing what I did about it? The end of the werewolves wouldn’t mean the end of evil. Evil lived everywhere, for always. A child would be helpless, innocent. What if he or she had to pay for the sins I’d committed? Barring that, what if someday, someone told him or her all about me? I forced myself to speak past the longing, through the fear. â€Å"I can’t.† â€Å"You heard her, G-man.† Jessie motioned toward the door with her gun. â€Å"Let’s go.† With a sound of disgust that dug into my heart, Nic preceded Jessie out of the apartment. Nic never looked back. n One glare from Edward, and Will slipped onto the porch, then started fiddling with the door I’d busted. â€Å"He thinks those people are missing,† Edward said. â€Å"Without the bodies, he’ll never be able to prove otherwise.† â€Å"Well, that sets my mind at ease.† Edward’s lips tightened. â€Å"This is not a matter for amusement, Elise.† â€Å"Am I laughing? He’s the last person on earth I’d ever want to possess a list of my sins. And why does he? You’re supposed to cover things up.† â€Å"I thought I had,† Edward murmured. â€Å"The question remains: Who sent him?† â€Å"We know who sent him.† â€Å"The monsters? Most likely. They want us distracted.† â€Å"I’m distracted all right.† He flicked me an impatient glance. â€Å"You are certain he never knew what happened at Stanford?† I thought back seven years: the joy of first love, turned to pain, then confusion, the agony of the change. I’d been alone and frightened. I’d awoken naked and bloody in my own room. I remembered what had happened and whom I’d killed. I had not gone anywhere near Nic. If he’d seen me running wildly across the campus, he wouldn’t have recognized me. No one could have. From my apartment, I’d called Edward, then hidden until he’d arrived and spirited me away, leaving experts behind to clean up my mess. I’d been quarantined for the next several months. An army of doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists had poked, prodded, and questioned me. I was different, but no one knew why, so I’d been given a choice: work for the Jger-Suchers or eat a silver bullet. It was a harder choice than one might think. Following the loss of Nic and the death of the future we’d planned together, I hadn’t wanted to live. Yet I’d also felt a sense of responsibility. I wanted to atone for what I’d done. I could do that by finding a cure for the virus. â€Å"Elise?† I blinked. Edward still waited for me to answer his question. Will still stood on the porch. And Nic was gone from my life forever all over again. â€Å"No,† I said, firmly. â€Å"Nic knew nothing then, and he knows nothing now.† â€Å"You are certain?† â€Å"Why don’t you tell me? Your goons came to Stanford. What did they find?† For an instant I thought Edward might turn on his booted heel and leave without an answer, but he didn’t. â€Å"No one saw a wolf. Or at least no one left alive.† Edward would never let me forget what I’d done. As if I could. â€Å"I still don’t understand why you kept me in the dark until you had no choice but to tell the truth,† I murmured. â€Å"You wanted to spend your life worrying about what you might or might not become? You wanted to know that whenever I was near you I kept a silver bullet in my pocket with your name on it?† â€Å"No, sir. I could have done without knowing that, even now.† â€Å"What I do not understand is how those names were connected.† â€Å"They’re connected by me,† I said. â€Å"We know that, but how would anyone else?† â€Å"I suspect if we discover how, we’ll discover who – and then we’ll have our traitor.† Edward’s fingers curled into fists. He had been in charge of the Jger-Suchers for over fifty years, and no one had ever betrayed him before. I wouldn’t want to be the one who was betraying him now. He stalked to the door. â€Å"Are they gone?† Will jumped. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I think it is best if I follow and make certain the FBI agent does as Jessie says.† â€Å"She can handle herself.† â€Å"She can.† Edward glanced at me. â€Å"But I need some air.† He clattered down the steps. Seconds later, his beloved black Cadillac roared to life. â€Å"Hey.† Will stepped into the apartment. â€Å"You okay?† Not really, but since there was nothing he could do to help, I nodded. â€Å"Mandenauer can be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He seemed to struggle for an appropriate word. â€Å"Unpleasant.† â€Å"I just thought he was mean.† â€Å"He has good reason to be.† I knew that as well as anyone. I should cut Edward some slack; he’d had a rough life. â€Å"He can hardly stand to look at me,† I murmured. â€Å"He never could, because he always knew.† As a child I hadn’t understood why Edward couldn’t wait to be rid of me. His neglect had not only hurt but fashioned me into a people pleaser. I’d been teacher’s pet, top of my class, everyone’s darling. Except his. â€Å"If it’s any consolation, Mandenauer never liked me much, either.† I glanced at Will. â€Å"What’s not to like?† â€Å"Thanks.† His smile charmed me. â€Å"I take Jessie’s attention away from her job. Drives him crazy.† â€Å"He’s just jealous because he has no one.† Hell, so was I. â€Å"There’s never been anyone for him?† Will asked. â€Å"Maybe long ago, before the werewolves.† â€Å"There have always been werewolves, Elise.† True enough. My training to become a Jger-Sucher, combined with an intense curiosity about where I’d come from, where I might be going, had caused me to read everything I could find on the subject. The earliest likeness of a man-wolf was discovered on a cave wall. Many historians believe the first written account of a werewolf can be found in the Book of Daniel, when King Nebuchadnezzar exhibited symptoms of werewolfism for four years. Tales of lycanthropy abound in Greek and Roman myth, throughout the Middle Ages, and into present times. Sure, most experts insist superstition and psychosis have led to such stories, but we know differently. The most recent rash of monsters came about because of the Nazis. Who else but Hitler and his pals would be insane enough to manufacture a werewolf army? Edward had been a spy during World War Two. His mission had been to search out and destroy whatever Josef Mengele – the doctor who had performed thousands of experiments on the Jews, the Gypsies, and anyone else Hitler disliked – had created in a secret lab in the Black Forest. However, Mengele had released the monsters he’d made into the world before Edward could stop him. My boss had been following his original set of orders ever since. â€Å"You think Mandenauer was married before the war?† Will pressed. â€Å"I don’t know. Once, when he was ill†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My voice drifted off. About a month ago, Edward had returned to the compound and secreted himself in his quarters. After a day of silence, I’d pounded on the door. When he didn’t answer, I’d yanked it from the hinges. Edward had been delirious. At first I feared he was bitten, but I couldn’t find a single mark. Turned out he’d had nothing more than a flu virus, hazardous to an old man, but not as hazardous as what he might have had. I glanced at Will, who was waiting for me to finish, but I discovered I couldn’t. When Edward had been sick, I’d taken care of him, and he’d rambled, mostly in German, words I didn’t understand, but he’d also said a name. Maria. I’d never heard his voice that soft, that tender. I could tell that he had loved her, but who she’d been, where she’d gone, remained a mystery. One I couldn’t share with Will or anyone else. I was Edward’s second in command, and though he loathed me with an intensity that made me both sad and furious, I didn’t take my responsibilities lightly. His secrets were as safe with me as mine were with him. â€Å"Never mind,† Will said, seeming to understand my hesitation. â€Å"You have a suitcase I can bring in from the car?† â€Å"Not anymore.† â€Å"Oh, yeah. Sorry.† â€Å"An excuse to buy a whole new wardrobe. Although I doubt I’ll buy one here.† â€Å"Probably not. Fairhaven is a blip on the map. No lake nearby, no tourist trade. Even before the disappearances, the place was dying for years.† â€Å"So who lives in a place like this?† â€Å"Folks who want a lot of alone time.† Will shrugged. â€Å"The highway used to lead to vacation spots on Lake Superior. Fairhaven is a little over halfway between there and Milwaukee, so people stopped for a meal, a stretch, to shop, some even stayed the night. Then they built a brand-new four-lane expressway, which bypassed the town.† â€Å"Sudden death.† â€Å"Exactly. A lot of people left. Some stayed.† He stared at me for a minute. â€Å"I bet you could fit into some of Jessie’s clothes.† My brain scurried to catch up with the sudden shift in subject. â€Å"No, thanks.† Jessie didn’t seem like the kind of girl who liked to share. â€Å"You could order some things off the Internet. Have them delivered by express mail.† The idea was more than appealing. Walking around in a thin T-shirt with no bra, not to mention the lack of underwear, was not very comfortable. I could also use a coat that didn’t sprout from my pores under the light of the moon. â€Å"You can use my computer.† Will started for the door, turning back, curiously, when I ducked into the closet. At first I didn’t see the talisman and I panicked. Could the icon walk off or just plain disappear? Why not, when it moved and mumbled all on its own? I caught a glint in the far corner and snatched the totem from the floor. â€Å"I want you to see this.† I held the tiny wolf between my thumb and forefinger. Will came closer, frowned and pulled his glasses from his pocket. He studied the icon for several ticks of the clock, then lifted his gaze to my face. â€Å"Yours?† I shrugged. â€Å"Finders keepers.† â€Å"You didn’t have it made?† â€Å"No.† I tilted my head. â€Å"Why?† His frown deepened, carving lines across his forehead and around his mouth. â€Å"Haven’t you noticed that this talisman looks an awful lot like you?† How to cite Night Creature: Dark Moon Chapter Thirteen, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Symbolism in the Old Man and the Sea free essay sample

In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to add dimension to his story. Hemingway once said, â€Å"All the things that are in it do not show, but only are with you after you have read it† (Young). He created The Old Man and the Sea with hopes that readers would understand what the story symbolizes. Primarily, Hemingway uses symbolism to comment on the journey of life and facing defeats. In addition, Hemingway creates a parallel between his own life, and the life of Santiago. Finally, the plot of the novel symbolizes many different Christian themes, including Santiago being a Christ figure. Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to define his characters in The Old Man and the Sea. The Old Man and the Sea symbolizes life and the struggles that one endures during their lifetime. In his essay, â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea: Vision/Revision,† Philip Young comments on the struggles in The Old Man and the Sea: If we ask ourselves what The Old Man and the sea is â€Å"about† on a public and figurative level, we can only answer â€Å"life,† which is the finest and most ambitious thing for a parable to be about. Hemingway has written about life: a struggle against the impossible odds of unconquerable natural forces in which—given such a fact as that of death—a man can only lose, but which he can dominate in such a way that his loss has dignity, itself the victory. (Young 2) In this story, Santiago represents the true and noble hero. Santiago has the characteristics of a noble hero. These characteristics are courage, humility, and knowledge. Santiago shows courage as he continues to fight for the fish, even through issues with his crippled hand, and as sharks attack the fish. He shows humility as he continues to fish even after more than eighty days of unsuccessful fishing. He has extreme knowledge and expertise in the craft of fishing. The change of events from Santiago having bad luck fishing and then suddenly catching the huge marlin can be expressed through the idea that Santiago deserves only to catch the greatest fish after his religious devotion to his trade. He is only able to catch a fish that is his equal. Hemingway relates the nobility of Santiago to the stars of the sky as Santiago states, â€Å" I am as clear as the stars that are my brothers! † (Hemingway 77). After Santiago captures the fish he is akin to the stars, which he believes are the most majestic of all creatures. Santiago is again compared to a creature when he comments about the loggerhead turtles whose hearts continue to beat after they have been butchered by saying, â€Å"I have such a heart too and my feet and hands are like theirs† (Hemingway). Santiago is compared to the marlin, mako shark, and turtle. All these creatures are depicted in the story as showing intense life at the moment of their death (Jobes). The marlin shows the enormity of his life as he springs out of the water before dying. The mako shark bites the marlin after its death and takes nearly forty pounds of the fish’s meat before Santiago kills it with his harpoon. The fish takes both Santiago’s harpoon and rope as it dies and sinks into the sea. The turtle’s heart continues beating hours after it is killed. Santiago shows intense life as he fights off the sharks and tries to save his fish even as his body is deteriorating and he is reaching the end of the struggle. Through this, Santiago becomes a symbol of victory in the face of defeat. He is a victor because he does not lose himself against temptation and hardship. The marlin and Santiago symbolize each other. The fish possesses the same virtues that Santiago is commended to have. When Santiago tells the marlin, â€Å"Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come and kill me. I do not care who kills who† (Hemingway 92), he has realized the nobility of the fish. Both endure through the trials of Santiago catching the fish, and are nearly destroyed by the close of the story. After killing the fish, Santiago says, â€Å"I think I felt his heart† (Hemingway 95). He and the creature have become one during the three day course. He has finally found an equal opponent, and from the moment that the fish is caught on the line, one of the pair is destined to lose everything. For both it is a struggle against death. As the story continues, instead of only calling the marlin a fish, in Santiago’s mind it becomes â€Å"brother. † Santiago and the fish parallel each other in their conditions as they return to the village. The fish has been torn apart by sharks and only his skeleton remains that shows the former grandness of the marlin. Santiago has not eaten and has suffered hugely through the loss of his greatest prize, the fish. He is exhausted and has lost most of his movement in his left hand. By the end of the novel, it is apparent that Santiago and the fish are both the hunter and the hunted. Both have sustained loss directly from the other. The former nobility of both characters is only a lost memory. At this point in his life Santiago only dreams of the lions that he saw on the coast of Africa during his youth. These lions continuously reappear throughout the story as a symbol of Santiago’s youth. A pattern is made from the moments that Santiago imagines the lions (Young). He chooses to use the lions as a form of escape from the torment of his old age. In the darkest moments of the nights when Santiago must sleep, he combats the darkness with visions of the bright white lions playing on the beach. As he grows more tired in his battle against the marlin, he summons the vision of the lions. The lions become a form of escape from his old age and weariness. In addition to viewing the lion as remembrance of his youth, Santiago uses the character Manolin as a way to find strength and to conjure the feelings of his youth. Manolin symbolizes Santiago’s lost youth. The conversation between Manolin and Santiago exhibits the difference, but also the existing affection, between old age and youth. The two represent the beginning and ending of life. Santiago feels the need to pass his knowledge of fishing and life on to Manolin. Santiago is the teacher and Manolin is the pupil. Santiago longs for Manolin while he battles the marlin, but also is longing for his youth. He repeatedly says, â€Å"I wish the boy was here,† which also may be regarded as Santiago wishing for his own youth in addition to the boys company (Jobes). Santiago realizes that when he was young he would have been able to bring the fish in without having to struggle with a bad left hand and cramping back. As Santiago calls for the boy, he is also calling for the lost boy in himself to return. Through baseball talk, Santiago teaches Manolin the multitude of his lessons on life. While the two speak casually about baseball Santiago is the teacher and Manolin the absorbed pupil. Though their conversation may not appear to be Santiago’s lesson to Manolin, Santiago is teaching Manolin proper behavior. For example, Manolin and Santiago discuss the prosperity of the Yankees during the season in The Old Man and the Sea: â€Å"The Yankees cannot lose. † â€Å"But I fear the Indians of Cleveland. † â€Å"Have faith in the Yankees my son. Think of the great DiMaggio. † â€Å"I fear both the Tigers of Detroit and the Indians of Cleveland. † â€Å"Be careful or you will fear even the Reds of Cincinnati and the White Sox of Chicago. † (Hemingway 17). As Santiago reassures Manolin about the Yankees’ certain success, he also is advising Manolin about faith and useless fear. Santiago shows his certain faith in DiMaggio and the New York Yankees. This faith symbolizes his faith in fishing and that at some point his bad luck will end. He tries to teach Manolin that without faith Santiago would have given up, and lost his pride. Secondly, Santiago is teaching the boy to never give in to fear, or it may consume him. In the final lines of the selection, Santiago tells Manolin he must not be fearful of the Reds or the White Sox. He is teaching him that he must trust what he knows to be true, otherwise he will be overcome by fear of a team such as the inferior Chicago White Sox, or even a team that is not in the same league, such as the Cincinnati Red Sox (Barbour). Baseball is also important to the plot of the novel from the allusions that Hemingway makes during the story. For example, the sword of the fish is described as being â€Å"as long as a baseball bat† (Hemingway 62) and as Santiago finally reels the fish in he uses â€Å"both his hands in a swinging motion† (Hemingway 86). There is numerical importance in the number three in both baseball and the novel. For example, Santiago catches the fish after three days. A baseball player makes a home run after running around three bases. A baseball player also strikes out after three strikes. Santiago’s favorite baseball player, Joe DiMaggio, represents Santiago’s need for strength, and victory in the face of defeat. Santiago respects DiMaggio immensely due to the strong connection he feels to the baseball hero. DiMaggio’s father was a fisherman alike to Santiago. Both Santiago and DiMaggio show complete commitment to their trade and professions. DiMaggio represents the importance of mastering a trade to Santiago. He shows skill, strength, and endurance in his baseball skills, but most importantly, he is exact (Barbour). Santiago deals with a bad left hand that cramps while he fishes, and DiMaggio suffers from a bone spur in his foot. Both are experiencing a bad luck streak. DiMaggio’s team the New York Yankees have not won a game for some time, and Santiago has not caught a single fish in more than eighty days. DiMaggio’s achievement in the face of pain from his bone spur provides motivation for Santiago. As Santiago is struggling against the fish and his crippled left hand, he remembers the great DiMaggio and his bone spur. This drives Santiago to battle through the pain in his hand and catch the fish. It also motivates Santiago to try to preserve the fish through the shark-infested waters. Santiago wonders what DiMaggio would have thought of his battle against the sharks by thinking, â€Å"I wonder how the great DiMaggio would have liked the way I hit him in the brain? It was no great thing he thought, any man could do it. But do you think my hands were as great a handicap as the bone spurs? † (Hemingway 114). Throughout the story baseball symbolizes the idea of victory in the face of defeat, and the necessity for heroic actions (Barbour). The lions symbolize Santiago’s youth and his longing for his former strength. Baseball and the memories of the lions are all that Santiago has that is not his calling of fishing. They are his dreams and his ideal world. They have formed Santiago into a moral man who will strive through obstacles and not allow fear to overtake him. The various creatures and objects in The Old Man and the Sea symbolize the connection between life forces. The skiff that Santiago floats upon is the platform that separates the life of the creatures in the ocean and those above sea level. The fishing line between Santiago and the fish is the link between man and nature. It is the connection between two worthy opponents, each hanging on for their life (Murphy). The connections between the creatures in the novel represent life and its challenges. This is first shown as Santiago views the dark terns trying but not succeeding in catching fish: Why did they make the birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel? She is kind and very beautiful. But she can be so cruel and it comes so suddenly and such birds that fly, dipping and hunting, with their small sad voices are made too delicately for the sea (Hemingway 29) The symbolism of the ocean as life is first shown in this selection. In connection to the ocean being life, the sea birds are similar to people facing difficult challenges in life. As the ocean may either be cruel or be very beautiful, so may life. At times life is wonderful and pleasing, but may turn to harsh circumstances quickly. The reader again sees this symbolism as Santiago battles the great marlin. First Santiago celebrates the success of catching such a large fish, and then he makes the realization that he will have to fight to be able to catch it. The battle with the fish represents life’s gives and takes. As the fish takes out more line, Santiago pulls harder. The marlin is the great prize and Santiago’s love in life. After catching it and almost succeeding in bringing the fish to harbor, sharks come and eat the fish. The sharks represent adversaries that people confront during their lifetimes and the fish represents success. Santiago is left near death by the end of the story, much like how many people feel after suffering huge loss. Though The Old Man and the Sea symbolizes life as a whole, more specifically it represents Ernest Hemingway’s life and career. In most of Hemingway’s work he creates a difference between the ‘Hemingway hero’ and the ‘Hemingway code hero. ’ The Hemingway hero is a living character that is essential to the story’s plot. The Hemingway code hero is not always in a human form, but represents an ideal that the Hemingway hero tries to follow. Santiago represents both the hero and the code hero by trying to learn in situations, but by already possessing the characteristics of courage and humility. It is important that Hemingway made the code hero and the Hemingway hero the same character, because it creates reason to believe that Santiago is the character by which Hemingway wanted to be represented (Young). Santiago’s journey to catch the fish, and Hemingway’s career parallel each other. Hemingway had been famous for his early works, such as The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms. Santiago had become well known for his strength and his ability to catch fish in the early part of his life. Hemingway underwent years without another great story, and all hope that his fans had for him to reaffirm his reputation were lost. (Baughman). Santiago goes eighty-four days without catching a single fish. Other fishermen either pity him for his bad luck, or find it comical that he cannot catch fish. Ernest Hemingway labored over his book Across the River and Into the Trees just as Santiago labors over the marlin in order to hook his lost success. After catching the fish, sharks eat the marlin until there is nothing left but the skeleton of the fish, and memory of its former grandeur. The sharks symbolize Hemingway’s opinion of critics. The critics of Across the River and Into the Trees tore it apart until there was nothing left. Hemingway felt he had nothing after the failure that was Across the River and Into the Trees, just as Santiago realizes that though he has the skeleton of the fish, he will not gain anything after his three days of laboring over the fish. Both men manage to bear hope after their loss, as one is lead to believe that Santiago plans to fish again the next day. Hemingway continued to write and later publish, for which he received massive critical acclaim, The Old Man and the Sea. In addition to their careers being alike, Hemingway made Santiago an expatriate in order to represent his personal feeling of being exiled. An expatriate is a person who is living outside of their native country. Santiago was born in Spain and lived in the Canary Islands until he was in his twenties. He left Spain for the fishing in Cuba. After living in Cuba for sixty years, Santiago continues to feel that he is an outsider. At this time many Cubans disliked having the Spaniards living in their country. Santiago cannot connect with Cubans because of their dislike of Spaniards, but also does not associate with the other Spaniard fishermen. His only connection to Cuba was his Cuban wife who passed away years earlier. Santiago does not have the finances to return to Spain, so he may only dream of his true home. Hemingway also felt like an expatriate during the prime of his career. He lived and wrote in Paris, France with many of his literary colleagues. Still, he longed for his home in the United States and dreamt of being able to hunt and fish again instead of being immobilized in the high society of Paris (Herlihy). Santiago and Hemingway also are alike in their need for perfectionism in their trade. Santiago keeps his lines straight at all times because he realizes that he has no luck, and instead must be carefully exact. Hemingway worked tirelessly on his writing before allowing it to be published. He rewrote his works, especially The Old Man and the Sea, until he was confident in its success. As Philip Young said in his essay, â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea: Vision/Revision,† on the importance of expertise in the two men’s work: The Old Man and the Sea is, from one angle, an account of Hemingway’s personal struggle, grim, resolute and eternal, to write his best. With his seriousness, his precision and his perfectionism, Hemingway saw his craft exactly as Santiago sees his (Young). The two men have complete dedication to their craft. Santiago views his fishing and Hemingway viewed his writing as his personal calling and reason for being placed on earth. Hemingway connects the two men’s trade in The Old Man and the Sea as he describes Santiago’s fishing line as being â€Å"thick around as a pencil† (Hemingway 31). Hemingway uses Santiago in his novel to mirror his own passion and obsession with preciseness in his craft. Finally, Santiago’s story is a symbol of Christian beliefs. Critics have agreed that there are many biblical parallels in The Old Man and the Sea (Flora). Hemingway uses three specific Christian concepts throughout the story. As said in the I Corinthians, Chapter 13 of the New Testament, â€Å"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. † Santiago shows these three principles chronically through the story. Primarily, Santiago shows that he has unyielding faith in fishing and his dreams. Every night he dreams of lions, which signify his belief that he will begin a better time, and possibly signifies his expectation of heaven. He never abandons his confidence in the lions and better times, even as the sea and the sharks try him mercilessly. Santiago pronounces his faith in fishing during his conversation with Manolin. â€Å" ‘He hasn’t much faith. ’ ‘No’ the old man said. ‘But we have. Haven’t we? ’ † (Hemingway 11). Santiago never ceases to believe that he will catch fish again, even after more than eighty days of desolate fishing. The second Christian ideal shown in the story is hope. As Santiago begins his journey out to sea Hemingway describes Santiago’s feeling of hope by writing, â€Å"His hope and confidence had never gone. But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises† (Hemingway 13). Santiago has hope that he will once again fish as successfully as he did in his youth. Without this hope Santiago would feel no reason to continue trying, and may have stopped fishing. After Santiago catches the fish, he may not have tried to stop the sharks from eating his prize fish if he did not have hope that he could defend the marlin. As the sharks try to discourage Santiago’s hope, Santiago summons his respect of the great DiMaggio. He realizes that his hero never gave up, even through the painful bone spur that could have ended his career. It gives Santiago hope to know that a person, much like himself, could win in a battle that seems almost impossible. After killing the fish, Santiago tells himself, â€Å"It is silly not to hope†¦ Besides, I believe it is a sin† (Hemingway 101). The third moral described in the biblical selection is charity. Santiago shows his charity through his love for the fish. He tries to give the fish a suitable heroic death. He does not kill the fish out of pride, but out of need, and his belief that he is meant to catch the fish. Before killing the fish, Santiago tells it, â€Å"Fish†¦ I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends† (Hemingway 54). He cares about the fish, and for the fish’s sake hopes that the battle will be over soon. After killing the fish, Santiago protects it from the sharks due to his respect for the fish. He cannot allow the sharks to defile such a beautiful, majestic creature. There are Biblical parallels in the story through the numbers that Hemingway chooses to use. Santiago spends forty days fishing without the boy or luck in his fishing before catching the fish. He then spends three days trying to catch the fish, and on the third catches, and loses the fish to the shark. In the biblical story of Noah and the flood, Noah spends forty days at sea to survive the cleansing of sin in the world. In the story of Easter and the crucifying of Christ, Jesus spends forty days in the desert resisting temptation from the devil. After his exile, throughout the course of three days he dies, is buried, and then resurrected. The number three returns again in The Old Man and the Sea, moments before Santiago catches the fish. Before finally giving up and dying, the fish circles the skiff three times. Santiago’s journey in the novel also symbolizes a person’s journey through sin and redemption. By the middle of the story, Hemingway suggests that Santiago has sinned by describing him as going â€Å"too far out. † The idea of going too far out means that he has crossed a boundary and has therefore sinned. Santiago debates with himself if killing the marlin was a sin by saying: You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food†¦. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him while he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more? (Hemingway 105). Santiago continuously reminds himself that it is his own fault that he lost the fish because he went ‘too far out. ’ After coming into the harbor Santiago asks himself, â€Å"And what beat you? † and thinks to himself, â€Å"Nothing†¦ I went out too far† (Hemingway 120). Santiago’s punishment for his sin comes in the form of the sharks. The sharks rip apart the fish until there is nothing left because Santiago should not have gone so far out and killed the fish. Santiago repents his sins by the end of the story as he heads back to harbor. After he arrives in Havana, the reader is left to believe that he is at the end of his life, and due to his condition and his age, will die soon. The fact that he arrives in Havana is important because the name is similar to heaven, and symbolic of heaven. In review, Santiago sins, is punished, repents, and arrives in heaven. Finally, the story is symbolic of Christianity because Santiago is himself, a Christ figure. Hemingway first shows Santiago’s biblical importance through his name. The name Santiago is Spanish for Saint James. Saint James was one of Jesus’ first disciples and helped the spread of Christianity (Davis). A second moment that shows Santiago’s faith is that he keeps a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in his small shack. Santiago spends forty days and nights in exile on the sea, just as Jesus spent that time in the desert. Hemingway first obviously connects Santiago and Christ as he describes the noise Santiago makes when he sees the sharks as â€Å"a noise such as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood† (Hemingway 103). Santiago’s ordeal with the sharks is symbolic of the crucifying of Christ. As he sails home, Santiago thinks to himself, â€Å"Think about something cheerful, old man†¦. Every minute now you are closer to home† (Hemingway 104). This quote is symbolic of Jesus waiting for death and heaven on the cross. After finally reaching his destination, Santiago tiresomely carries the mast uphill on his shoulder, falls, and then makes it to the cabin. The symbolism to Christ is unmistakable in this moment. Before being crucified, Jesus carried the cross, which symbolized our sins. When Santiago finally reaches his shack, he falls facedown on his cot, both arms straight out with his palms out. This image cements Santiago as symbolizing a Christ figure. Hemingway’s use of symbolism gives The Old Man and the Sea depth, even with its deceptively simple plot. First, he makes his characters symbols of life and the interaction between living creatures. Second, Hemingway uses symbolism to create a parallel between Santiago and his own life. Finally, Hemingway created the character Santiago as a Christ figure, and added Christian morals to the plot. The use of symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea is the foundation for its success, and the reason that it is a classic in American literature.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Microbes Petri Dish Experiment free essay sample

To investigate four areas of the school and to find out which of the four have the most microbes. Areas to Sample: 1 . Girls locker room (Senior school) 2. Girls locker room (Elementary school) 3. Boys locker room (Senior school) 4. Boys locker room (Elementary school) Hypothesis: We predict that the boys locker room in the senior school will have the most microbes. First of all, there are more people using our locker rooms in the Senior School than the elementary ones. The classes in the Elementary school are generally much smaller. Also, pupils from the senior school are going through puberty and tend to sweat a lot more than little kids, especially the boys. Sweat glands also work more rapidly with boys going through puberty, as their hormone levels are beginning to increase. During P. E classes, girls also are more reserved and are not as intense about sports during the day as the boys are. We will write a custom essay sample on Microbes Petri Dish Experiment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is more of a social aspect than a scientific one, but is relatively true. On top of that, girls and boys generally have different standards when it comes to hygiene. Judging from personal experience, I would assume that irls tend to care more about their hygiene and aesthetics than boys do. Lastly, the Senior School gym has been there for quite a long time. The elementary school is still relatively new, especially compared to the senior one. Therefore, I also would assume that the senior school gym would have more microbes than the elementary. Variables: Independent variables: The independent variable for this experiment will be the location/area in which we will take samples from (Senior School, Elementary School girls and boys locker rooms). Independent variables generally answer the question What do we change? In this case, we get to alter the areas in which we will be sampling from. Dependent variables: Our dependent variable will be the number of microbes observe or measure? In this case, we will indeed be observing the microbes growing on the Petri dish after put in an incubator for 72 hours. Controlled variables: Controlled variables are there for us to keep constant. The temperature, time, medium, the way the sample is collected and the incubation will be our controlled variables. It is important that they remain the same throughout our whole experiment. Also, we will be having an open controlled as well as a closed Petri dish. We will be testing the agar dishes, to see if they really are as sterile as we think. If the open controlled will have bacteria growing on it after being incubated, that is as expected. However, the closed control should be spotless in order for our other results to be completely accurate. Apparatus: 3 Petri dishes with lids Agar Jelly 4 cotton buds Incubator set at 25 degrees Celsius Tape Screw top vials Bunsen burner Soap Ethanol Four different locations Risk assessment: We must make sure to follow certain rules for this investigation. It is important to wash hands before eating and before class/at the beginning of class. Also, once the dish has been incubated, we should not open the lid. The incubator, for this experiment, must be kept below human pathogenic growing levels, which is 37 degrees Celsius. Sterile gloves should also be worn to collect samples for accurate results. Petri dishes should definitely be safely and properly disposed of when the experiment has ended. Method (sterile technique included): Before anything is done, it is important that hands are disinfected. Wash them with warm water and soap. It is important to wash them with warm water, as cold water does not clear away most of the bacteria. Afterwards, put on some sterile gloves to make sure sampling is done accurately. Following, make sure that there are two Petri dishes, one open controlled and closed controlled. One should be kept open the entire time, while the other should be kept closed. This is to test the sterility of the Petri dishes. Afterwards, take four cotton buds and screw top vials. For good results, ou should wet the cotton buds with distilled water and then swab the areas you wanted to sample. After that is done, head back to the science lab, making sure that you have Petri dishes with agar Jelly, tape, a Bunsen burner and ethanol. (All of this shouldVe been done with sterile gloves on). For the best effect, operate the Bunsen bacteria free. After, clean the table using ethanol (also to sterilize the area) and place the Petri dish (which you will swab with your samples) on top of the table. When that is done, swish the cotton buds lightly inside the Petri dish (one in each separate uarter) where the agar Jelly should already be. Make sure you do not dig the cotton bud in, as we do not want the microbes to be growing in the middle of the Jelly. We want to be able to observe the microbes from above. Finally, after all four quarters of the Petri dish are finished with swabbing, tape the open controlled, closed controlled and the experiment dish closed. To save place, tape those three altogether and place them in an incubator (25 degrees Celsius). This must stay constant, as we would not like the incubator to reach human pathogenic temperature (37 degrees Celsius). After 72 hours have passed, take the Petri dish out, but do not open it. Observe and record the results. Below is a diagram of how everything was set up. Processed Data Discussion/Evaluation Overall, the experiment went quite smoothly. Of course, there couldVe been improvements. The results shouldVe definitely been more accurate, especially for the counting of the colonies that we did, and the percentage cover. We had a lot of microbes growing in our Petri dish and it was very difficult to count the exact amount of colonies. These were Just estimated approximately. Perhaps we couldVe had more people verify our counting skills, for example, get someone else to count the colonies after we did for comparison and accuracy. Also, for these four locker rooms, we swabbed different places/areas each time. Since locker rooms are quite large, this is rather imprecise. We shouldVe stuck to swishing only the floors with the cotton buds or the walls instead of taking a variety. Our results showed that the place with the most microbes out of the four areas was the elementary boys locker room. In that quarter of the Petri dish, there were a total of 78 colonies. Actually, I think there definitely were more. However, it was Just too difficult to count, as most of them were clustered together, relatively small and the color was hard to see. Also, compared to the rest of the results, the elementary school boys locker room had a significantly higher percentage coverage and colony number. The next place with the most microbes was the elementary girls. They had a total of 47 colonies and a percentage cover of 43%. The difference between this quarter of the Petri dish and the elementary boys was that this one had larger colonies which were easier to count. They also werent so clustered and were scattered all over their quarter. Perhaps this is to do with how we swished the cotton buds on top of the agar Jelly. The last two with the least microbes were the girls and boys senior locker rooms. The boys had about 34 colonies covering 30% of their quarter. This area looked quite hard to count and clustered altogether. The only difference between them is that the senior boys generally had less in numbers. The senior girls had 19 colonies covering 20%. This was one of the most interesting quarters. The colonies itself were relatively mall, however, they were clustered very tightly together to form almost a large group and was most definitely scattered around the quarter. The larger groups were definitely not in each others vicinities. This again, perhaps, has something to do with the way my partner and I worked with the Petri dish. We took turns swabbing the dishes, so perhaps that affected our results in some way. For example, maybe I put more pressure on the agar Jelly than my partner did, or vice versa. Conclusion Unfortunately, for this experiment, most of my hypothesis was incorrect. However, now that IVe done the experiment, I can see why. The elementary boys locker room proved to be the one with the most microbes. I can deduce that this is because elementary school children tend to go outside a lot more and run around, getting themselves dirty in the process. One would hardly find any middle and high-school pupils running around and getting dirty. After all, small children even like to run around in the rain and cold, where certain microbes love to thrive in. My partner and I did guess right about the girls locker room having fewer microbes than the boys though. The elementary girls had less than the elementary boys and he senior girls had less than the senior boys. However, I am not yet ready to accept these results. There were many errors that my partner and I have accidentally done that couldVe harmed the results as shown above. If this experiment was to be done again, I am almost certain that the results would alter drastically.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Freedom Of Religion essays

Freedom Of Religion essays "You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note" (Doug Floyd) Harmony is diversity. In music, people sing different notes combined creating a complete, layered sound. In life, its the same way. All different types of people, religions, views, and opinions are what make the world what it is today. The First Amendment guarantees us the freedom of speech, religion, press and free assembly. If it wasn't for this amendment we would not be able to have freedom of religion - meaning we would have to believe in a god or power that the government would tell us to believe in. This amendment allows us to worship freely and is one of the benefits of being an American. But what happens when someone steps in and says that someone praising their god is wrong? Should they be punished or is it their right to worship what or who they choose? What happens when one person praising their god is offensive to other people? "As long has they do not break my arm or pick my pocket, it is of little c onsequence what they believe and that was what freedom of religion is all about."(Thomas Jefferson) The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States give every american the same rights. One right is the constitutional protection for the free exercise of religion. The second right is prohibition of the establishment of religion by the state. The people who founded this Constitution recognized it as one of the most important factors in a democracy. The founders also found a space of freedom between the government and the people. Which means that the government is not allowed to tell a group of people what they can or cannot believe in or do. Sadly, The government is not honoring their side of the constitution. The government is stating that prayer being allowed in schools violates others beliefs and others right of their own religion. Prayer is in fact legal in public schools and other places such as church and prayer in stores, etc. What is no...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Abolition of Death Penalty

According to Republic Act No. 7659, death penalty is a penalty for crimes that are heinous for being grievous, odious and hateful offenses and which, by reason of their inherent or manifest wickedness, viciousness, atrocity and perversity are repugnant and outrageous to the common standards and norms of decency and morality in a just, civilized and ordered society. Death penalty is a cruel, futile and dangerous punishment for very serious reasons and with due judicial process. According to  Amnesty International, a worldwide movement of people working for internationally recognized human rights; death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. Thus, they worked towards abolishing it in order to end the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias and tainted with human error. BACKGROUND Next, I would like to present a brief background on death penalty in the Philippines. In 1987, the Philippines made history by becoming the first Asian country in modern times to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. However, six years later, in 1993, the death penalty was reintroduced in the Philippines for 46 different offences. Such of those are murder, rape, parricide, infanticide and qualified bribery, among others. Executions resumed in 1999 until year 2000 when former President Estrada announced a moratorium on executions. This has been continued by current President Arroyo, in practice, throughout her presidency. Now, under her rule, the death penalty is again abolished . STANCE I am in favor of abolishing the death penalty law in the Philippines. Allow me to present my arguments. First, it violates the right to live. Second, it is a very cruel practice. Third, it is anti-poor. Last, death penalty defeats its purpose. ARGUMENTS First, the imposition of death penalty violates a persons right to live. Article III Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, otherwise known as  the Bill of Rights, states that No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property†¦ By imposing death penalty, the right of a criminal to live is being violated. Furthermore, it is a known fact that majority of Filipinos are Catholics. As said, we have one of the worlds largest Christian populations. According to  the Ten Commandments  of the Church, thou shall not kill. Therefore, nobody is given the right to commit the lives of others. Whether that person is a criminal or not, nobody has the right to play God and take the life that He has given. Filipinos should respect and value the sanctity of human life and uphold the virtue and religious doctrines that are expected of us as a dominant Christian nation. Second, it is a very cruel, inhuman and irreversible practice. It is very cruel and in human because persons are killed. This alone is proof. Once a person is killed, the act cannot be reversed. Third, death penalty is anti-poor. In a country like the Philippines with a very slow, sometimes inefficient, unfair and unjust judicial system, death penalty is simply not viable. Majority of the 1200 people on the death row are poor. Maybe, for some, being there is what they deserve. But for many, it is poverty that brought them there. Not everyone in that row should die. Many are simply there because they ran against some filthy rich and powerful person or they could not afford to get a good lawyer to defend them. A study showed that death penalty is anti-poor as the underprivileged who cannot afford the services of competent counsels are oftentimes the ones convicted of death penalty. Studies have shown that the death penalty is disproportionately imposed on the poorest, least educated and most vulnerable members of society. It takes the lives of offenders who might otherwise have been rehabilitated. Lastly, death penalty does not live up to its purpose. It is not able to serve its purpose which is to prevent crimes and to preserve peace and order. According to the President, in a letter she sent to Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, the imposition of death penalty was shown to have not served its principal purpose of effectively deterring the commission of heinous crimes. Clearly, even with death penalty imposed, the Philippines still continued to project high and rising crime rates in the country. If death penalty is effective, there should have been less crimes but it is quite the contrary. Also, there are no concrete evidence like studies or tests that could prove that the imposition of death penalty really prevents crime thus maintaining peace and order in the country. SUMMARY To cap off this essay, death penalty is the punishment served to those who have committed crimes that are heinous for being grievous, odious and hateful offenses and which, by reason of their inherent or manifest wickedness, viciousness, atrocity and perversity are repugnant and outrageous to the common standards and norms of decency and morality in a just, civilized and ordered society. I am in favor of the abolition of death penalty because first, its imposition violates the right to live. Second, it is a very cruel, inhuman and irreversible act. Third, death penalty is anti-poor. Lastly, death penalty does not serve its purpose of preventing crimes and preserving peace and order. I wish to end this speech by saying that I commend the Congress for passing a legislation calling for the abolitio n of death penalty. As CBCP puts it, this step has finally led the country to move from justice that kills to justice that heals. But the new Vice President of the Philippines Jejomar Binay thinks it so as he utter his desire to bring back death penalty in the Philippine in his outburst emotional response when he attended the wake of the brutally murdered son of attorney Oliver Lozano at media interview. â€Å"Dapat ibalik na ang death penalty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( â€Å"It is high time to bring back death penalty†) —-Jejomar Binay Death Penalty has been in the Philippines since the Marcos administration but was only removed at the time of former Philippine president Corazon Aquino and was revived during between the administration of former Philippine presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada and was removed again at the time of the recent former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo because of the mistake and failure of the execution of the First ever Filipino to receive death penalty by lethal injection –Leo Echagaray for the crime of rape which was found eventually that he is not guilty or was innocent of the crime he was accused of and the true rapist is at large and unknown. What a big slap on the Philippines justice system, thus it was removed. It was the roar and pro-death penalty campaigns in the media which influenced unlearned people that Leo Echagaray succumb into untimely death before he was proven innocent; so sad that people at that time were driven by brainless wrath to revenge for the rape victim. But now Vice president Binay, is wishing to bring it back? ; To repeat this â€Å"sad scenario† just to tell to the world that â€Å"we do justice†, WHAT JUSTICE Does he think well when he utters a wish for its revival or is he just emotional overwhelmed at the wake of the brutally murdered son of attorney Oliver Lozano? There are many bad consequences to the justice system of the Philippines when Death penalty will be rekindled its frightening presence in the Philippines. More injustices will be engendered in the end by mistakenly sentencing to death innocent poor Filipinos and foreigners once they could not proven themselves innocent at the allowed period of presenting evidences and proofs that one is not guilty of the crime being accused of and by the influence of ignorant brainless and heartless wrathful masses. Moreover, if one is financially poor and destitute how can one find a trustworthy attorney that cannot be bought by money, to depend one’s innocence? Truly more innocent lives will be shredded unjustly by this satanic capital punishment. Furthermore, we already know that the financially rich and wealthy prosecuted and accused ones could pervert justice and could buy money-face attorneys, lawyers and judges. Therefore, is this â€Å"death penalty† will stop heinous crimes or will just added more unjust crimes perpetrated by its revival and presence, wherein â€Å"death penalty† is also a heinous crime concealed by the law of legality of the state or country. For death penalty is an act of torturing a person until it dies, which has no difference with the sadistic and psychotic behavior of seemingly soulless criminals who torture first their victims before they eventually kill their victims. Bestial act (death penalty) against bestial act (heinous crimes) will not solve or eliminate crimes within the country or state. Fear is not the answer and will not uproot the main cause of crimes. it just controls but never solves; it just control the symptoms but never cures and heals. JC tortured and received Death Penalty A more humanitarian solution is the key to solve bestial problems like crimes; for every effect (activities) there is a cause (reason for the activity). The cause should be addressed to solve the problem and not controlling the effects without removing the cause; For the effects will not end if the cause is not removed. Remember Filipinos, your National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal was a victim of Death penalty or capital punishment which is Firing squad during the Spanish occupation but he is innocent. Remember also Filipinos, your beloved colonial religious deity Jesus Christ was also a victim of Death penalty or capital punishment which is crucifixion but Jesus Christ is innocent.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Romance in Childless Heterosexual Couples in America Dissertation

Romance in Childless Heterosexual Couples in America - Dissertation Example The quality of marriages among childless heterosexual couples has generally declined over the past few decades. Even in marriages that do last beyond a decade, it is important that the quality of the marriage is sufficiently high that the couple is content with their lives. This study examines the presence of opposing positive factors that contribute towards the consolidation of heterosexual marriages between couples. These may be coping strategies to deal with the pressures of childlessness, but more specifically, a set of behaviors that maintain viability in a marriage even after a heterosexual married couple has been together for many years. A qualitative investigation will be conducted primarily using interviews to examine how and why childless heterosexual couples in long-term marital relationships remain married. Specifically, what behaviors or other factors seem to be present in such couples with sustained marital relationships? What are the respective roles of such factors as religious duty, passionate love, fear, companionate factors, and romance in the endurance and viability of the marriage? This study will seek to identify these behaviors and factors and attempt to associate them with sustained marriages between such couples. The participants for the study will be randomly selected from the population of childless heterosexual couples from different ethnic origins living in America whose marriages have had lasted for at least 25 years.  25 years has been selected as the period of judgment.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Master Plan Evaluation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Master Plan Evaluation - Term Paper Example ty is that landsides in both of the two airports are build with the new improved facilities that giving the airports a high technological advancement. The other similarity is that the landsides in both airports meet the recommended curb capacity. Moreover, landsides in both of the two airports provide easy access to future mass transit system (Richard de Neufville & Odoni, 2003). Various differences emerge on the issue of landsides in both airports. One of the differences is that in the Kansas City, the landside accommodates southern landside access (Richard de Neufville & Odoni, 2003). However, Portland International accommodates both the southern and southern east landsides. The other established difference in matters related to landside is that the Kansas City landside provides effective to access roads. However, the landside in Portland International Airport required certain changes and improvements in order to provide effective to access roads (Richard de Neufville & Odoni, 2003). One of the similarities is that in both of the two airports, there are in-terminal circulations of vehicles within the airport. The other similarity is there are designated areas where vehicles are required to drop or pick passengers within the airport. The other similarity in matters related to vehicle circulation is that in both of the two airports, there are designated areas for parking vehicles for the all the staff members and customers. One of the established differences in both of the two airports is that there are a number of growths in relation to roadway capacity to facilitate effective vehicle circulation in Portland International Airport. Some of these growth issues include freeway interchange, airport access roads and terminal roadway. However, there are no such improvements identified in Kansa City Airport. The other main difference between the two airports is limited expansion capability in the main terminal of Kansas City Airport. However, Portland International

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Trash in My Life Essay Example for Free

Trash in My Life Essay Every person is guilty of contributing to the local landfill and I am no exception to this. As all people are responsible for deadline with wastes and creating such, I often find myself a part of it as most of my trash has to do with paper in some form. Every time I go to the supermarket I return home with plastic and paper bags and boxes and I noticed that practically everything I purchase has with it some paper waste. As an example, while enjoying my milk, I tend to buy them in boxes and when these are empty, they somehow find their way to the trash bin and would become another waste added to the tons there is that can be found on the big trash container that will be collected. The community garbage collectors would soon come and take this to the local landfill to join the other trash disposed on different days. While thinking about it, I see myself with no choice but to throw the waste into the trash containers because there is no other way to dispose it especially if it is not recyclable. I have thought about trash and recycling several times. When I purchase toothpaste, for example, it comes in a little box and the paste is contained in a plastic tube. The same applies to many other things which are placed in plastic packages and would also be placed in plastic bags to contain everything else I shopped for. To remedy this, the best thing I can do is to take my own plastic or paper bag so I will not be given another. However, we cannot do this for everything. A good definition of waste is that which is an â€Å"unwanted or undesired material. † I think about the â€Å"unwanted† part when most of the trash that we produce can be used for other purposes. Some components of waste can be recycled such as plastic bottles, metals, glass or paper. If the materials cannot be used for other purposes, then it is this time where they can be considered as waste, which increases the amount of things that have to be taken to the local landfill until it is full and another has to be created. Trash is a major form of environmental pollutant with many types taking hundreds of years to properly decompose when thrown away. The quantity of which is constantly increasing and last year, it is estimated that America generated 390 million tons of trash. With this amount of trash sent in everyday to the landfill, it will be of no surprise that it would soon be filled and this has to be melted down with chemicals and monitoring of the same is a must. To date, there are about 2,216 land fills that are in operation in the US and around 100 landfills across the country closed last year because they were full. Within 50 years, landfills that exist today will be filled (Chang). The idea of recycling came into being when laws were passed that prevented people from burning trash to protect the environment. Attention was given to the fact that many things could be reused and will result to a reduction of the amount of trash produced. At the same time, the materials from the item can be reused to save resources at the same time. A major problem that can be encountered in such is whether the material reused would be cheaper or whether unused materials are cheaper. Goldofttas, in â€Å"Recycling,† stated that most people recycle only about 20 percent of their total waste. Due to the low rate of recycling, laws were passed that all towns with 4,000 or more people had to offer curbside collection of recyclables (Goldofttas). The author also found that in New Jersey, only an estimate of 15 percent was recycled even though the people were encouraged to find ways to recycle 50 percent of the trash (Goldoftas). Some things that can be recycled are being thrown away by people. These things prove to be more costly such as the plastic, glass and aluminum containers which can be recycled if the cost is not higher as compared to the plastic bottle. I believe people put a lot of things in the trash that could be recycled (Monk). I am just as guilty as a lot people, rarely thinking about how trash could be recycled. I enjoy the activity of reading through the news everyday as soon as I see my newspaper delivered to my door. Despite the fact that I could easily have access to the same news through the television, I still prefer to have the news paper inside my house. After reading it, I have to send it to the trash bin and I sometimes forget the act of recycling and I regret not doing so because I could have saved a lot of trees. Being more conscientious of this, I no longer throw paper in the trash along with the garbage, but will take the time to have a special trash can for paper so that it can be recycled. No recyclable materials are allowed in the trash for if it is placed in the trash it will not be picked out to be recycled. It seems that those who pick up the trash each week assume that people are aware of the importance of recycling. Added to this is the fact that most of the trash cans are picked up by trucks, without the collectors knowing what was in them. Toronto was given by Michigan the chance to dump their trash into the land fill located at Carleton Farms, which is a 40-minute drive in the south of Detroit. This is near Flat Rock and the two villages, Waltz and Willow. Supposedly, this is a short-time deal but after six years, the trash is continuously dumped to United States. It is nowhere near end as at the very least 85 18-wheelers filled with 30 tons of refuse, and another 15 trucks filled with dehydrated sewage continue to dump their trash. On days where it is hot, the trucks coming down the road can be smelled and people are affected by the smell (Preville). This is an example of the country’s needs for disposing trash with the space becoming smaller and smaller. There is a need to find ways for people to increasingly engage in recycling. Each city should provide increased literature regarding waste from time to time as much needs to be known about it. The information can be given to the public through the newspapers, television ads at certain times. This is most important around those times when people give gifts that are wrapped in paper, put in boxes, anything creating waste, but which is a waste that can be used again and again. More should be done by the local governments to ensure that those living in the city can help deal with trash as local landfills get filled within a very short time. It is believed that much of the trash being put in the local landfill today could have been put in a recycled bin to be used again. WORKS CITED Chang, Mona. â€Å"What a Dump. † Science World, 57. 13, April 9, 2001, p. 14. Goldoftas, Barbara. â€Å"Recycling. † Technology Review, Nov-Dec, 1987, p. 28. HotFact. â€Å"Facts about Trash and Garbage. † 8 March 2006. Hotfact. 8 March 2008 [www. hotfact. com/facts-about-trash-and-garbage. html]. Monk, Dan. â€Å"Recycling. †  ¬Cincinnati Business Courier. 11. n3, May 30, 1994, p 28. Noyes, Katherine. â€Å"Clean-up Your Trash. † Charity Guide. 8 March 2008 [http://www. charityguide. org/volunteer/fifteen/trash. htm] Parrish Linda. â€Å"Trash and Garbage Collection Regulations. † 8 March 2008 [http://www. fennimore. com//trash. htm]. Preville, Philip. â€Å"Dumps. † Toronto Life 40. 8, August 2006, p. 27. â€Å"Trash Can Depot, Your Source of Trash Cans. † TrashCanDepot. com, Janisan. 8 March 2008 [http://www. trashcandepot. com].

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- GCSE Coursework

     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Shakespeare's Hamlet, there are two characters that display qualities of insanity.   They are Hamlet and Ophelia.   Although they both appear to be mad at times, their downfall (or supposed downfall) is quite different.   Ophelia's crazed characteristics show up and intensify quite rapidly, until she is ultimately led to suicide.   Her madness seems definite, and it is never questioned.   The insanity or sanity of the main character is an arguable question.   The issue can be discussed both ways, with significant support to either theory. Certainly, Hamlet has many reasons to lead him to becoming insane, because of the pressure and emotional strain that he is suffering from.   This might be enough to cause the character to become deranged, but there is much evidence that shows how Hamlet remains sharp and credible through it all.   Although in some instances Hamlet appears to be crazed, there are many indications that his madness is only an illusio n that he is purposely trying to portray.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Horatio gives Hamlet some good advice when he says, "What if it tempt you toward the flood my lord, or to the dreadful summit of the cliff that beetles o'er his base into the sea, and there assume some other horrible form which might deprive your sovereignty of reason, and draw you into madness?   Think of it" (I.iv.69-74).   This warning might be where Hamlet gets the idea to use a plea of insanity to work out his murderous plan.   In the following scene, Hamlet tells Horatio that he is going to feign insanity.   If Horatio notices that Hamlet begins to act strangely, it is only because he is putting on an act, in order to fulfill a future purpose.   Later in the play, Polonius questions the authenticity of Hamlet's madness.... ...s on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Excerpted from Stories from Shakespeare. N. p.: E. P. Dutton, 1956. Danson, Lawrence. "Tragic Alphabet." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. from Tragic Alphabet: Shakespeare's Drama of Language. N. p.: Yale University Press, 1974. Felperin, Howard. "O'erdoing Termagant." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. of "O'erdoing Termagant: An Approach to Shakespearean Mimesis." The Yale Review 63, no.3 (Spring 1974). Hart, Bernard. The Psychology of Insanity. London: Cambridge, 1914. Landis, Carney, and James D. Page. Modern Soceity and Mental Disease. New York: Farrar and Rinehart, 1938. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Norton Critical ed. Ed. Cyrus Hoy. New York: Norton, 1992.   Madness and Insanity in Shakespeare's Hamlet Essay -- GCSE Coursework      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Shakespeare's Hamlet, there are two characters that display qualities of insanity.   They are Hamlet and Ophelia.   Although they both appear to be mad at times, their downfall (or supposed downfall) is quite different.   Ophelia's crazed characteristics show up and intensify quite rapidly, until she is ultimately led to suicide.   Her madness seems definite, and it is never questioned.   The insanity or sanity of the main character is an arguable question.   The issue can be discussed both ways, with significant support to either theory. Certainly, Hamlet has many reasons to lead him to becoming insane, because of the pressure and emotional strain that he is suffering from.   This might be enough to cause the character to become deranged, but there is much evidence that shows how Hamlet remains sharp and credible through it all.   Although in some instances Hamlet appears to be crazed, there are many indications that his madness is only an illusio n that he is purposely trying to portray.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Horatio gives Hamlet some good advice when he says, "What if it tempt you toward the flood my lord, or to the dreadful summit of the cliff that beetles o'er his base into the sea, and there assume some other horrible form which might deprive your sovereignty of reason, and draw you into madness?   Think of it" (I.iv.69-74).   This warning might be where Hamlet gets the idea to use a plea of insanity to work out his murderous plan.   In the following scene, Hamlet tells Horatio that he is going to feign insanity.   If Horatio notices that Hamlet begins to act strangely, it is only because he is putting on an act, in order to fulfill a future purpose.   Later in the play, Polonius questions the authenticity of Hamlet's madness.... ...s on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Excerpted from Stories from Shakespeare. N. p.: E. P. Dutton, 1956. Danson, Lawrence. "Tragic Alphabet." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. from Tragic Alphabet: Shakespeare's Drama of Language. N. p.: Yale University Press, 1974. Felperin, Howard. "O'erdoing Termagant." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. of "O'erdoing Termagant: An Approach to Shakespearean Mimesis." The Yale Review 63, no.3 (Spring 1974). Hart, Bernard. The Psychology of Insanity. London: Cambridge, 1914. Landis, Carney, and James D. Page. Modern Soceity and Mental Disease. New York: Farrar and Rinehart, 1938. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Norton Critical ed. Ed. Cyrus Hoy. New York: Norton, 1992.  

Monday, November 11, 2019

Looking for Alaska – Miles’ Eulogy

Looking For Alaska Book Report – Eulogy Hello everyone. I would like to thank you all for coming to honor our friend, Alaska Young. I am Miles Halter, known to most as Pudge. I transferred to Culver Creek Boarding School from Florida to ‘seek a Great Perhaps’, to leave behind the insignificant things I was doing, to seek something that was perhaps greater. I collect people’s dying words and â€Å"I go to seek a Great Perhaps†, were the last words of Francois Rabelais, but unlike him, I did not want to wait to die to start seeking it. This school has given me very many of my firsts: first friend, first dose of mischief and the first and last girl. Alaska was the most enigmatic and mysterious person I have ever met. Every element of her being fascinated me, from her smell of cigarettes, vanilla and sweat, her creativity when planning pranks on our headmaster, her surprising ability to succeed in pre–calculus, and her obsession with strawberry wine, which we had to drink in secrecy. The first time I had a real conversation with her she told me the last words of Simon Bolivar, which I had never heard before â€Å"Damn it, how will I ever get out of this labyrinth! When I asked her what the labyrinth was, she told me that that was the mystery. Is the labyrinth living or dying? Are we all trying to escape the world, or the end of it? This quote completely juxtaposes my Great Perhaps, I looked to seek and she looked to escape. After she died I found a note in one of her books in her ‘life long library†™, a collection of books that she had bought from garage sales that she had been accumulating ever since she was young. She had written that the only way out of the labyrinth was straight and fast. Alaska taught me to live in the moment and not to plan ahead. She said â€Å"Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia, you spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining the future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present. † (John Green, Looking For Alaska) I know people have whispered among themselves wondering whether Alaska’s death was a suicide or a pure accident. I have been wondering the same. People who do not know Alaska may see her death as selfish, seeing the people close to her terribly heart broken. I have to clear her name. When Alaska was 8 years old, she watched her mother having a seizure and pass away. Alaska was frozen in fear and did not call 911 and she never forgave herself. The day Alaska died, was the anniversary of her mother’s birthday. Alaska had been drinking and I remember her waking up in the middle of the night cursing and crying, telling us that we had to distract our headmaster so she could drive to her mother’s grave. She crashed into a truck on her way without any attempt to turn the car. I realize now the labyrinth was not life or death, it was suffering, doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering? Alaska chose straight and fast, whether it was on purpose or not. I knew Alaska for one hundred and thirty – six days, but I do not think anyone truly knew her. Her death threw me into the realization that I have always been trapped in a labyrinth of suffering. Before I got to this point, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend it did not exist, but to build a small, self – sufficient world in the back corner of the endless maze to pretend that I was not lost, but home. I hated Alaska and I hated everything for a while after she was gone. I hated myself for being a coward and not stopping her from leaving that night. It all just felt so terribly unfair, all of it, the inarguable injustice of loving someone who might have loved you back, but can not due to deadness. I loved Alaska because she showed me both my labyrinth and my Great Perhaps – she had proved to me that it was worth it to leave my minor life for grander maybes, and now she is gone and with her my faith in perhaps. Alaska is still teaching me a lesson; the only way out of the labyrinth is to forgive. I wish Alaska had realized this too before it had to end this way. Her mother forgave her; just as I am sure Alaska forgives all of us now. You see â€Å"we are all going, nothing can last, not even the earth itself. (John Green, Looking For Alaska) The Buddha said that suffering was caused by desire, and that the cessation of desire meant the cessation of suffering. So when you stopped wishing things would not fall apart, you would stop suffering when they did. So Alaska, I have some last words for you, Thomas Edison’s, â€Å"It’s very beautiful over there. † I do not know where there is, but I believe it is somewhere and I hope it is beautiful. After all of this I will learn no more last words because I know so many, but I will never know hers.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

What makes a true community

Catholicism and Community Presentation T: According to the secular definition of community; Is It a group of people living In the same area with particular characteristics In common. Within the community there Is a feeling of fellowship for others, common attributes, Interests and goals. Communities are everywhere and they have a big Impact when shaping who we are. That Is why It Is Important to surround oneself with communities that reflect and lead us to who we really are. In terms of Catholicism, as humans we are very social which is part of our vocation.Therefore a community in the Catholic view is defined by the following†¦ G: A community is a gathering of a group of people that come together in solidarity to shape the world through the common good. For example, around the world the Red Cross supplies areas suffering from various disasters with relief. This picture exemplifies the community of volunteers that have come together to do the common good of helping out the less fortunate. This group of people represent the visual aspect of community. Without everyone's contribution people stand In isolation and Individualism.Plus even through group members can come from different backgrounds they work and put their deliverables aside to become equal. That Is why everyone's role Is essential when working toward the common good. T: A community gives loyalty and respect to the commitment of the community and positive actions. The quote that we choose to represent this is â€Å"Loyalty has its roots in respects, and respect is the fruit of Love† by Paulo Cello. This quote means to us that loyalty comes from the respect of the community. So therefore when people are respectful they show this through love.When a community is respected and you omit your time to it; it is another way to show love towards it and when you do this ultimately with the right guidance the community will develop positively. G: A community helps, supports and loves one another to d evelop social aspects. Knowing that we are social beings it is important to strengthen our social qualities. A community will support and help each other through thick and thin. In result from all of these encounters with one another we are developing our social valuables. Just like In the picture with all of the people communicating and Interacting with one another.The more we help the more we will be able to love and comfort each other and feel belonging to our social surroundings. Which overall will help what our call to be social. T: A community develops values and receives true happiness from doing the right thing. Whether by exercising rights, opinions, or sharing knowledge to understand perspectives and concepts one must develop values to do the right thing. Our values and morals inspire us to do good and true happiness will follow our actions. Life can be considered like a ladder, at different rungs comes new experiences and new values are learned.When new values are learned and applied within the community or outside of it, a true sense of happiness follows from doing the right thing. And a key thing to remember Is that climbing a ladder can't be accomplished alone Instead with a community to hold and steady the ladder for you. G: A community grows together and develops ones Identity, Through displaying talents and surrounding yourself with positive people you will learn more about interests. A community will teach you more about yourself than you could ever. By being with similar people to you, over time you will be able to reveal you own identity.This is part of the spiritual aspect of community and how we develop our conscious. To represent self revelation we showed this through a mirrors and the community holding them up. From the help of others to self reveal the whole community benefits and grows. T: A community takes responsibility for each other's happiness. The people within a true community with the same values will take responsibility to ma ke sure that everyone is having a similar feeling and understanding to take away from the experience. Kids are always full of Joy and happiness, primarily when they re around a group of friends.They always look out for each other and pick each other up when they are done. Communities have the same responsibility as kids do for their group of friends. They have to look out for each other's happiness and take responsibility that everyone is happy. G: Community is very important too Catholic's life and they are everywhere and began right at the beginning with the creation story of the Earth and Adam and Eve. This includes their responsibility to have dominion of the Earth. Therefore our tree in the background of our collage represents the Garden of Eden.In fact, a tree acts as community too; every part of a tree from the bark, roots to leaves and fruit must function for the community-based structure to work properly. This sense of community is very similar to modern day communities and our need of relationships. T: In conclusion, a community is a group of people in solidarity to shape the world through the common good, it is given loyalty and respect to complete these positive actions, it develops us into social beings through support, we receive happiness and values from the good, by working together we reveal our true identity and responsibility is taken for others happiness.