The History and Politics of Charter Schools in Indiana Research Paper

The History and Politics of Charter Schools in Indiana - Research Paper Example According to different policymakers and reformers, charters schools would help in improving the overall standard and structure of education in the state. These charter schools allow enrollments without the element of any discrimination. The main purpose behind these charter schools is to provide an ease in education with excellence and effectiveness (Cheung, 1998). Undoubtedly, the numbers of charter schools are increasing rapidly. It has been estimated that there are nearly 4900 charter schools in the United States with an average of 400 charter schools opening on yearly basis (Lake, 2010). On an account, it has been estimated that till 2011, there are total of 36 charter schools that have been authorized in Indiana with 22 schools already functioning while 10 schools were set to start their operations in future. Two schools were shut downed even before opening of their academic operations due to lack of resources while just one school had been shut down officially due to inadequate and unsatisfactory results and governance. These charter schools have increased in number throughout in the state of Indiana with the highest number of charter schools operating in the main city of Indianapolis, where they account for 11 charter schools out of the overall 22 charter schools in the state (Plucker et.al, 2004). History of Charter Schools Movement in United States:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of charter schools was coined in late 1980s. Ever since this concept has come into force, it raised a thought that charter schools would help in increasing the quality of education. The historical movement for charter schools began in 1991. This movement was aimed to achieve a new milestone in offering high-quality education through the establishment of wee-defined public schools for both children and their parents (Source: Mayor Sponsored Charter Schools: 2010). Charter school funding is complex to understand and has gone through many phases of development. Many pol itical camps have appreciated the implementation of charter schools as it would influence the process for improving the standard of education all around the United States (Butryomowicyz, 2011). The History of Charter Schools Movement in Indiana: The state of Indiana has played a key role in the national charter school movement. This law was signed in May 2001 by the Governor Frank O’ Bannon. The law signed extended the right and permission to the concerned groups to play a positive role in the establishment of such charter schools in Indiana. The purpose behind the creation of Indiana’s charter school legislation is to recommend the various innovative but diverse options in public education to not just to students but also to cater the academic need of their families and the educators. This legislation is focused to target and serve in delivering the quality education to diverse populations of students hailing from different backgrounds (Source: Mayor Sponsored Charter Schools: 2010). In Indiana, the policy for charter schools was well-appreciated and positive work began when Indianapolis strategizes its own charter school after the acceptance of the law that passed in the state in year 2011. Since then this policy has remained in a continuous cycle of change (Plucker et.al, 2005).

The American Indian and the Problem of Culture Essay Example for Free

The American Indian and the Problem of Culture Essay The Native Americans are perhaps the most culturally storied and richly diversified culture in the America. Indeed, the historical narrations of the Indian culture, way of life and lifestyle are narrated as rich in strife, struggle as well as triumph. In fact, a majority of the modern ways of life and lifestyle in the United States are directly or indirectly inherited or borrowed from the ancient Indian cultures of centuries ago. Yet, most Americans take for granted the many familiar symbols that trace their origin from the Native Indian Americans. The purpose of this paper is to describe the culture of the American Indians. The American Indians used various symbols that interwove the tapestry of their lifestyle. Integral symbols such as the totem pole, the teepee, the moccasins and the peace pipe formed a special cultural trait of the American Indians life (Barrett, 2004). Native animals and plants as houses and weather had a special cultural relationship with the American Indians. For instance, the American Indians revered animals for spiritual believes and ties in spite of their hunting practices. Animal hides and skins made drums and clothes while the meat was preserved and never wasted to nourish the community. The American Indians believed that the spirit of the animals killed lived through the community by inhabiting the tribe’s minds. The American Indians cultivated and later harvested various plants for different reasons and seasons such as making blankets and dyes (Biolsi Martin, 1989). Weather elements bore cultural meanings, attachments and endearments to the community, as well. For instance, the American Indians believed that the sun and the rain were supernatural powers and represented a change in the Indian’s seasons. Totem poles formed a special part of the America Indian’s culture (Hallowell, 1957). For instance, they believed that every person’s spirit in the community was attached to particular animal’s spirit. Therefore, the community believed that, at death, a person’s spirit was absorbed by his or her attached animal to live on or regenerate as another person at birth. As a tall and large wooden carving, the totem pole was framed to represent various animals with a certain animal representing a cherished but deceased member of the family. Today, it is easy to observe a dangling dream catcher hanged from rearview mirrors on cars driving in the United States’ roads. However, people rarely know or acknowledge the significance of the dream catchers. Indeed, this symbol traces back to the Lakota tribe’s legendary stories (Hallowell, 1957). It is a symbol of holding onto dearest things in a person’s life. In addition, the perforated holes in a dream catcher serve to filter ill feelings and thoughts. Another Interesting aspect of the American Indian’s culture is smoke signaling. The American Indians used smoke signals to send and relay messages over long distances and bore a proud heritage amongst the American Indians. The American Indians also believed in spirits and depended on them for the well being and nourishment of the society (Barrett, 2004). Spirits were tied to various outcomes in the society such as bumper harvest, natural disasters and tragedies and community health. As a result, the spirits were kept pleased to see to the survival and good harvest in the tribe. Sacrifices and offerings were made at sacred places to the spirits. For instance, the Pueblo tribes regarded various plants as sacred while the Aztecs offered human sacrifices to appease the spirits. References Barrett, C. A. (2004). American Indian culture. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press. Biolsi, T., Martin, C. (1989). The American Indian and the Problem of Culture. American Indian Quarterly, 13(3), 261. Hallowell, A. I. (1957). The Impact of the American Indian on American Culture. American Anthropologist, 59(2), 201-217. Source document

Indias Current Relations And Foreign Policy Politics Essay

Indias Current Relations And Foreign Policy Politics Essay Modern Indias foreign policy came in to being with the independence in 1947. Till then, the nation, as a satellite of the British Empire, was bound by the identity and postulates of foreign policy dictated by the erstwhile Empire. Thereafter, India charted a course of its own independent foreign policy. The same being a subject of vast scope and not particularly relevant to this thesis is not discussed here. It would be worthwhile in scheme of things to discuss the basic determinants which steer Indias policy in case of Middle East which is based on following five primary factors  [7]  :- (a) Reliance on Middle East gas and oil, which makes it binding on India to maintain cordial relations with most of the major suppliers, including Iran, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. However, India does not want to face any temporary cut-off in its supplies or an increased price hike. Also, it does not want to be dependent on Pakistan in this regard. (b) While being a secular democracy, India is also a major Muslim state, and relations with Iran, in particular, resonate in the northern Indian heartland, notably Uttar Pradesh. Also, India has a large group of Shia support groups. Thus, India has to balance between its foreign and economic policies on one hand, and domestic politics on the other. Indias preferred strategy is to avoid, at all costs, any stark choice between the loss of domestic political support and achieving some foreign policy goal. (c) India is hyper sensitive to criticism of its policies in Kashmir, and wants to keep the major Muslim nations from either intervening in Kashmir or supporting Pakistan. Thus, India conducts balance of power diplomacy, aimed at countering Pakistani influence in Middle East and to keep Kashmir away from any discussions. (d) India has initiated relations with Israel in field of technology, military benefits intelligence leading to increase in its influence in Washington. However, India has to carefully balance its equations with Israel and other Middle East nations. (e) India also does not want to run afoul of USs non-proliferation policies in the Middle East, even though strategically speaking India has reservations about us non-proliferation goals and tactics. Conventionally India was instrumental in building a theoretical case against NPT. The same arguments are now been used by Iran and North Korea for advancing their cases. 14. The major players in Middle East region presently are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Israel. The other smaller Gulf States like Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Yemen and few other states constitute the rest of Middle East region. Out of the said nations Iraq presently has ceased to be an important power in the region after the occupation by the UN forces backed mainly by US and NATO states. 15. India has traditionally pursued a pro-Arab policy towards Middle East nations and remained aligned against Israel until 1990s. This was basically aimed at countering Pakistans influence in the region and to secure access to Middle East petroleum resources. In the late 1960s and 1970s, India successfully developed mutually beneficial economic exchanges with a number of Middle East countries particularly Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Persian states, thereby, improving bilateral relations with them. This strong relationship particularly with Iran and Iraq helped India weather the displeasure of Islamic nations during 1971 Indo-Pak war.  [8]  The relationship was further cemented by Indias anti Israeli stance during 1967 and 1973 Arab Israel conflict. The situation continued until 1978 and 1979 when the establishing of Islamic regime under Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan supporting the Marxist regime in Kabul complicated Indias relations wi th Middle East. This resulted in weakening of Iran as regional power and emergence of Pakistan as important player in balance of power in the region. The major powers like US, China and Arab world aligned themselves towards Pakistan to counter the rising Soviet influence in the region. For about a decade India did the act of fine balancing its stand and role in the region. However, in the 1990s India took a deviation from its staunch anti Israel stand and initiated relations with the Zionist state. This was dictated by practical economic and security considerations in the post Cold war era and the influence of Hindu nationalist sentiments. Thus, following the example of Soviet Union and China, India also established relations with Israel. Once again during the Persian Gulf War (1990-91) Indias Middle East policy had to face a new test. It had to decide between adhering to its traditional Non Alignment policy sympathetic to Iraq or favour the coalition of Arab and Western countries w hich would have been beneficial to Indias economic and security interests. After initial ambivalent approach India joined ranks with the later and supported the UN resolution authorising the use of force to expel Iraq from the Kuwaiti territory. The improvement of relations with most Middle East nations was pursued with renewed vigour by the Indian government in mid 1990s. The present relations of India with Middle East nations are discussed in subsequent paragraphs. 16. Saudi Arabia. Historically Indo- Saudi ties have been based on trade. In the old times it involved spices and in modern times it has become based on petroleum. Besides, the two nations also share cultural ties due to the large number of Muslim population in India and 1.6 million Indian work force in Saudi.  [9]  India and Saudi Arabia initially established diplomatic relations in 1952 and their relationship progressed smoothly in the 1950s but suffered during the Cold war era due to Indias inclination towards the Soviet block and Saudis traditionally close relations with Pakistan. Thereafter, Indias relations improved with Saudi Arabia in beginning of 1980s and increased cooperation was seen in economic, trade, science, technical and cultural fields. However, once again the relations felt the heat on account of different stands taken by both the nations during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The Saudi Arabia initially supported the mujahideens followed by the Taliban, w hereas, the India supported the cause of the Northern Alliance. The relations between the two once again saw improvement in 1990s leading to increased visits, exchanges and economic and scientific cooperation. This was followed by the signing of Delhi Declaration in 2006, a wide ranging agreement which includes in its ambit mutual agreement to strengthen and broaden economic ties, cooperating in combating international crime and ensuring the stability of the oil trade.  [10]  The relations between both the nations are grounded on the following defining factors:- (a) Economic. Although, based on energy exports the bilateral trade relationship between the two has grown significantly since mid 1990s. In FY 2007 India imported $ 12.4 billion of petroleum from Saudi Arabia (26% of Indias overall petro import). The non-oil bilateral trade also increased from $ 1.3 billion in FY-2002 to $ 3.5 billion in FY-2007. In addition India also received remittances worth $3 billion from the workers in Saudi Arabia. The predicted bilateral non-oil trade between the two nations is likely to cross $7 billion in FY-2010.  [11]   (b) Defence, Labour Relations and Education. India and Saudi Arabia are working towards an increased cooperation on defence and related technology. The sizable Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia is also an important contributor to the required workforce so vital to its economy. Another focus area between the two nations is education and efforts are being made to enable increased number of Saudi Arabia students to pursue Post Graduate and Doctoral studies, especially in technical institutions of India. 17. Iran. The relations between Iran and India trace back to 3500 years ago, however, in much of the twentieth century they have shared a unstable relationship. Diplomatic ties between the two commenced in 1950 but immediately faced the first roadblock when Iran joined the Baghdad Pact. Thereafter, the relations improved in 1960s but again received a setback when Iran aided Pakistan in 1965 conflict against India. Subsequent to 1971s decisive victory over Pakistan the relation between the two slates improved considerably and led to number of agreements including that on nuclear cooperation in 1974.  [12]  However, the establishment of theocratic Iran in 1979, subsequent to the Islamic Revolution once again upset the apple cart. The relationship between the two remained cold during the entire 1980s as Iran didnt show any inclination to improve the relationship and India remained wary that Iran will import Shiate terrorism to India. The relationship between the two improved in 1990 due to Indias desire to secure energy supplies and economic opportunities in Central Asia and the opposition of both the countries to the Taliban in Afghanistan. The rise of Sunni Islamist forces in Afghan theatre, especially Pakistan based Taliban proved a great unifying force leading to deterioration of Iran- Pakistan relations. The Indo-Iran relations picked up further momentum as India opened towards it due to its energy requirements subsequent to loss of Iraqi sources after 1991 Gulf war. The main foundations of relations between India and Iran are discussed below:- (a) Economics and Energy. India is worlds sixth largest consumer of energy and Iran is the fourth largest supplier, obviously, energy is the most important pillar between them.  [13]  Both the nations have held regular bilateral meetings focusing primarily on the energy supply issues including the proposal for a Liquefied Gas Pipeline from Iran to India through Pakistan and alternatively, through tanker. However, the said scheme has not been fructified due to US pressure on India and Pakistan against the deal and the Indian fear that it will provide Pakistan too much leverage over Indian energy supplies. However, the plan has proved resilient and not yet died down. Meanwhile certain other bottlenecks to the scheme have emerged inform of increased pricing by Iran. On its part India is keen to commence procurement of LNG by sea, which will require establishing LNG terminals at Iran to allow exports. This is not possible because it will require certain US components which will end u p violating the US sanctions against Iran. The present state of the said scheme is in limbo. (b) Defence Cooperation. Defense cooperation has been another important part of the Indo-Iranian relationship. In the 1990s, India assisted Iran with upgrading its Russian-built military equipment, including adapting batteries for its Kilo-class die ­sel submarines avionics upgrades for its MiG-29 fighters. Since 2000, India has conducted joint patrols or exer ­cises with the majority of the navies of the Indian Ocean littoral. The 2003 meeting between Khatami and Vajpayee on Indias Republic Day produced the Road Map to Strategic Cooperation, which presents goals for fulfill ­ing the cooperation envisioned in the New Delhi Declaration. A number of reports have mentioned more direct Indo-Iranian coopera ­tion in the realm of defense, such as Tehrans acquiescence to Iran-based Indian intelligence operations and even potential Indian military bases in Iran. Indias assistance in upgrading the Iranian port of Chahbahar has led many to infer that Indian warships would be based ther e in order to outflank Pakistans China-assisted Gwadar port, seemingly pitting rising power against rising power. 18. Israel. Indo-Israeli ties remained at a low level throughout the cold war for both ideological and practical reasons. Indias large Muslim population was, of course, a factor. Furthermore, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indias prime minister until 1964 was a close friend of Egypts Nasser, who was an implacable foe of Israel. While India and Israel periodically cooperated on mutual interests, such as Israeli aid to India during the 1962 war with China or proposed plans to destroy the Pakistani reactor at Kahuta in the 1980s,  [14]  their public relationship often was acrimonious, especially after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, which put Indias allies in direct conflict with Israel. In fact, in 1975 India publicly supported and funded the Palestine Liberation Organization and voted for the UN resolution to equate Zionism with racism. The decline of the Soviet Union forced India to re-evaluate its foreign policy resulting in opening of the Indian economy and a desire to trade with high-tech state s, including Israel. The new approach to foreign policy, combined with the new initiatives to end the Arab-Israeli conflict in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War and the push by the opposition led to India initiating close ties with Israel and the two countries established full diplomatic relations in 1992. For nearly a decade afterward, commercial trade in arms and other goods thrived and ties were quietly strengthened. Indo-Israeli military exer ­cises and agreements in the fields of the environment, health, illicit traffic in drugs, visa waivers for diplomatic service personnel, and an educational cultural exchange program. In the same year, India and Israel issued the Delhi Statement on Friendship and Cooperation, in which they agreed to cooperate closely on counterterrorism and called on the international com ­munity to take decisive action against cross-border terrorism and money-laundering operations to finance terrorism. 19. Defense collaboration and arms sales with Israel picked up in January 1999 when the United States withdrew the sanctions that it had imposed on India in the wake of New Delhis 1998 nuclear test. In the late 1990s India purchased unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery, and radar systems from Israel. The emerging Indo-Israeli relationship was codified in 2001 with the creation of the Joint Defense Cooperation Group, which meets annually to solidify defense deals and military ties and coordi ­nate the security relationship. India has become Israels largest arms market, overtaking Russia in 2009. India has purchased a wide range of technically advanced equipment and weapons from Israel, including antimissile radar and electronic warfare components for the Indian navy and air force, for a total of more than $5 billion since 2002. 20. Indias Relations with The Small Gulf States. Indias ties with the geographically small but economically important Gulf states of Oman, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait have been historically good due to trade and migration and their current economic relationship is booming. Indias trade with the six Gulf Coopera ­tion Council states (excluding oil) totaled $86.9 billion in FY 2008-09, sur ­passing Indias trade with the European Union ($80.6 billion), the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries ($44.6 billion), and the United States ($40.6 billion).  [15]  Looking to the future, Indian leaders have expressed a desire to continue the rapid expansion of trade, attract Gulf investment for major infrastructure projects, and broaden their Gulf state relationships beyond economics. In a May 2008 speech in Abu Dhabi, Indias external affairs minister, Pranab Mukherjee, called for a transformation of Indias relations with the Gulf states beyond that of a buyer-s eller relation ­ship to a more substantial and enduring partnership. With Indias thriv ­ing economic relationship with the Gulf, continuing demographic ties and nascent defense cooperation, such an evolution may already be under way.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier Essay -- Cold Mountain Charles Frazie

Cold Mountain In Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain, the theme of music is one of the novel’s most powerful themes. From symbolizing character growth to the healing of physical wounds, music plays an integral part in this novel. While many critics will point out that music has little effect on the human psyche, Charles Frazier shows his belief that music does indeed have a profound effect on the human mind throughout Cold Mountain. Throughout the novel, Inman, Ada, Ruby, Stobrod, and many other characters experience music that allows them to keep faith against the odds or even heal their wounds! There are three major types of music used in this novel; hymn music, folk music, and â€Å"natural music†. It is through these types of music that the characters in this novel regain their strength to continue their journeys. Many critics of Cold Mountain claim that Frazier ignored certain historical facts in order to make his point. However, when writing about the music of the Sou th during the Civil War, Frazier stays very accurate in the use and power of music. In the world of Cold Mountain as well as the historical South, music is an extremely powerful force. Even though there is only one scene in this novel that involves a church, hymn music is one of the most prominent themes in Cold Mountain. Even more surprisingly, Frazier’s usage of hymn music throughout the novel is very accurate. Hymn music during the Civil War was extremely important to the Christian churches as well as to society as a whole. Religious music was a wonderful representation of the values and culture of the times (Squire 237). It is through hymns during the Civil War that values and culture are passed down. The hymns of Monroe’s church caused Ada to grow... ...venate, and even save the lives of people. To Frazier it is through music the meaning to life is found. Works Cited 1. Bealle, John. Public Worship, Private Faith: Sacred Harp and American Folksong. Athens: U of Georgia P, 1997. 2. Berger, Melvin. The Story of Folk Music. New York: S.G. Phillips, 1976. 3. Carlin, Richard, and Bob Carlin. Southern Exposure: The Story of Southern Music in Pictures and Words. New York: Billboard, 2000. 4. Douglas, Winfred. Church Music in History and Practice. New York: The Hale Foundation, 1962. 5. Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Vintage, 1998. 6. Jennings, Lane. â€Å"Where, Oh Where, Have the Good Old Songs Gone?† Futurist Nov/Dec. 2003. EBSCOhost. Online. Academic Search Premier. 7 Feb. 2004. 7. Squire, Russel. Church Music. St. Louis: The Bethany P, 1962.

How does Steinbeck present three characters who are outsiders? Essay

The novel â€Å"Of Mice and man† wrote by Steinbeck. Steinbeck in 1930s he trying to say how was 1930s in the America .In 1930s John Steinbeck is trying to explain how people were migrating from place to place. The reason why people migrated was because people need money as a result of â€Å"economic depression†. Just for that reason the people are moving to another place to get money. Can you imagine every time you migrating to place to place .The novel is full outsiders .What is an outsider? An outsider is when somebody who is excluded from the community for a reason or for reasons. The reason why this so significant is because in those days there was great amount of depression, massive unemployment and migrant workers. At that time friendship was the only key to get people together or love each other. This is same situation we have in this novel which includes everything I have already mentioned. Firstly example â€Å"curley’s wife† is an outsider from novel. Stein Beck shows that by not giving her a name. He shows in this 1930s America women did not have their own identify .if they have not got an identify they cannot get a name .In 1903s women were used, only for cooking , house work and many other horrible things †¦.. When she talks to crooks she is saying â€Å"I could get you strung up on a tree so it easy it ain’t even funny â€Å"in sentence we can see curley’s wife is racist to crooks because crooks is black that’s right she hates him. She I s saying how easy it is to get crooks â€Å"strung up† We can see through crooks the racism in America .Another example Steinbeck includes Curley ‘wife to show the sexism in America in the 1930s.Where she grew up there was lots of fight because he husband curley is doubting man . For example: On day curley looking his wife because she is not in the house. So he came bunk house ask to every body in the bunk house they said no then curley asked where is slim they said he went to do some work .Then he get angry and shut the door hardly .Because he is always doubt with her wife so he thing she go with slim because he is wife is actual sexual life-she had none of except with curley and there has probably been no consummation there since .Curley would not consider her gratification and would probably be suspicious if she had any. Consequently she is little starved. She wants a friend to be respected .Her different kind of girl. Secondly Lennie is an outsider because he is a mentally disabled, he has like a child’s mind and he don’t understand when somebody talking to him. Am saying this because when George before killed him, he was saying this â€Å"How long, how long it will take to have a home and to have rabbits? â€Å"we can see from this sentence he has like child’s mind because he is saying† how long, how long?† he asking like a child.Lennie like to touch soft things .Lennie â€Å"now I won’t get to tend the rabbits†. This shows us when lennie touch the soft things that will die!!! Because lennie is too strong but he doesn’t know how strong he is. Another example for lennie when he takes the, mice dies in that time. He always dreams to get so many rabbits and to have a nice home with his best friend George . Some times he gets angry† suddenly his anger rose God damn you â€Å"he cried.† Why do you get killed? You ain’t as mice. This shows us he can’t tend the rabbits because George said if you do bad thing you can’t get tend the rabbit and land because if lennie do bad things he can’t live on a place. Lennie before kill Curley’s wife Lennie was stroking her hair because lennie likes to touch soft things .When Curley’s wife said† let go† and shout to lennie and lennie gets angry but lennie doesn’t want to let her because her hair is so soft. Then lennie trying to stop her to shouting and shut her mouth but by accident he broke her neck and she died. Steinbeck foreshadows this. He is a big man, in contrast to his name. He has limited intelligence, so he relies on George to look after him. He copies George in everything George does and trusts George completely. â€Å"Behind him(George)walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.† He shares a dream with George to own a piece of land. Lennie’s special job would be to tend the rabbits .He likes to pet soft things, like puppies and dead mice. We know this got him into trouble in Weed when he tried to feel a girl’s soft red dress: she thought he was going to attack her. He can be forgetful – George continually has to remind him about important things. He is very gentle and kind, and would never harm anyone or anything deliberately. He is extremely strong: he can work as well as two men at bucking barley. He is often described as a child or an animal – he drinks from the pool like a horse and his huge hands are described as paws. Thirdly crooks is the only black person in the ranch it makes him an out sider.He is the lowest of the lowest and we can see this when Curley’s wife say bad things crooks using her status as a white woman over him. Crooks always left out and woman love to have a friend. These shown when lennie comes into his ranch and let him sit down. He also takes his anger out on lennie by saying George won’t come back. He is trying to make him feel how crooks has been feeling all his life crooks have some dreams but it can’t be really but his dream is to have good family and to have children and his other dream is not racism black and white†¦.Crooks physically disabled . Crooks black stable worker. He is disfigured and is out sider as well as candy. He has a place of his own and stays there by him self .He doesn’t want a company. He also want to part of George and Lennie’ dream. He said that he would work out. He is only new who understands lennie, be sides George, and be friends him. He looks past lennie mental handicap and lennie looks past crook’s physical handicap. Crooks are the black stable hand or buck. He is the only permanent employee at the ranch, since he injured his back in an accident. His back gives him constant pain. He is the only black man around and is made to be isolated by his colour – he can’t go into the bunk-house or socialise with the men. He is always called the ‘nigger’ by the men, which shows how racism is taken for granted. The men don’t mean to insult Crooks every time they call him this, but they never think to use his name All this has made him proud and aloof. He is lonely â€Å"S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ’cause you were black†¦A guy needs somebody-to be near him†¦.I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.† The only time he mixes with the ranch hands socially is when they pitch horseshoes – and then he beats everyone! He has his own room near the stables and has a few possessions. He has books, which show he is intelligent and an old copy of the California Civil Code, which suggests he is concerned about his rights. He has seen many men come and go, all dreaming of buying a piece of land, but is now cynical, as no one has ever achieved it.

Free Essays on Depression In Children

Depression in Children of Divorced Parents The statistics for divorce in the Y2K era suggest that nearly sixty percent of marriages end in divorce. Given this startling figure, the assumption can be made that many children will experience some effects caused by the life-changing event called divorce. What is it exactly about divorce that causes negative consequences for the children? In what ways will these children be effected? Will these effects show externally? The unsettling fact is: young children of divorced parents face great psychological challenges due to the environmental conditions and changes associated with divorce, more commonly, depression. Parent conflict appears to have a pronounced effect on the coping efforts of children. The intense anxiety and anger between some parents in the early stages of divorce is real. Often times parents allow their children to get in the middle of fierce verbal confrontation between them. Berating the other parent in front of the child is another way of placing the child in an unfair position, which in essence is expecting the child to choose between the parents. A less tangible example of parental conflict is the way two opposite genders relate to one another in the presence of the children. Mothers may treat fathers as if they are less important and undeserving of respect, just the opposite can apply too. Any form of parental conflict, no matter what degree, lends to a difficult adjustment period for the children involved. The deterioration in parent-child relationships after divorce is another leading cause in maladjustment for children, causing them to become despondent. With divorce comes a parenting plan of some kind. A child may experience shared custody between both parents and custody by one parent with visitation by the other parent. Variations of these plans can be included or added at different times in the child’s life depending on special circumstances. ... Free Essays on Depression In Children Free Essays on Depression In Children Depression in Children of Divorced Parents The statistics for divorce in the Y2K era suggest that nearly sixty percent of marriages end in divorce. Given this startling figure, the assumption can be made that many children will experience some effects caused by the life-changing event called divorce. What is it exactly about divorce that causes negative consequences for the children? In what ways will these children be effected? Will these effects show externally? The unsettling fact is: young children of divorced parents face great psychological challenges due to the environmental conditions and changes associated with divorce, more commonly, depression. Parent conflict appears to have a pronounced effect on the coping efforts of children. The intense anxiety and anger between some parents in the early stages of divorce is real. Often times parents allow their children to get in the middle of fierce verbal confrontation between them. Berating the other parent in front of the child is another way of placing the child in an unfair position, which in essence is expecting the child to choose between the parents. A less tangible example of parental conflict is the way two opposite genders relate to one another in the presence of the children. Mothers may treat fathers as if they are less important and undeserving of respect, just the opposite can apply too. Any form of parental conflict, no matter what degree, lends to a difficult adjustment period for the children involved. The deterioration in parent-child relationships after divorce is another leading cause in maladjustment for children, causing them to become despondent. With divorce comes a parenting plan of some kind. A child may experience shared custody between both parents and custody by one parent with visitation by the other parent. Variations of these plans can be included or added at different times in the child’s life depending on special circumstances. ...

Opciones cuando visa americana es rechaza por fraude

Opciones cuando visa americana es rechaza por fraude El fraude es una de las causas por las que el oficial consular puede denegar la solicitud de la visa americana o un inspector migratorio puede prohibir el ingreso a Estados Unidos. La ley americana es muy clara. Los extranjeros que pretenden obtener una visa utilizando fraude son inelegibles para un visado hasta que cumplan los 90 aà ±os. Pero es posible pedir un perdà ³n, tambià ©n conocido como waiver o permiso. Y es que es posible cambiar. Y una persona que cometià ³ un error en el pasado puede llevar actualmente una vida honorable que, en otras circunstancias, le permitirà ­a obtener el ansiado visado. En estos casos es posible solicitar un perdà ³n o waiver de la causa de hace que todas las peticiones de visa sean denegadas. En este artà ­culo se informa cundo se da una circunstancia de fraude, que da lugar a que se niegue la visa por causa de inegibilidad 212 (a)(6)(c)(i) y cà ³mo pedir el perdà ³n para estos casos.  ¿Quà © es fraude para denegar una visa por causa 212 (a)(6)(c)(i)? Se comete fraude cuando se dice una mentira o se presenta un documento que no es verdad cuando sin esa informacià ³n no se hubiera aprobado la visa. Es lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como misrepresentation of a material fact o fraud. Si el oficial consular es el que detecta el fraude, no da la visa. Por el contrario, si es el inspector del puesto migratorio el que la descubre, anular la visa y no permitir el ingreso en Estados Unidos.  ¿Cundo se puede solicitar el perdà ³n? No todos los fraudes son iguales ni tampoco las circunstancias de cada persona. Es por ello que el oficial consular ser el que diga al solicitante de la visa americana si considera que podrà ­a solicitarse un perdà ³n o waiver. Esta sugerencia tiene lugar en el momento de la entrevista en la que se deniega la visa solicitada por primera vez o su renovacià ³n o una aplicacià ³n despuà ©s de una cancelacià ³n. Ante quià ©n se presenta peticià ³n de perdà ³n para obtener visa rechazada por fraude Hay que probar ante un organismo llamado ARO y que est ubicado en Washington DC que el solicitante: No es un peligro para la seguridad nacional.Vendrà ­a a Estados Unidos con carcter temporal y respetarà ­a los tà ©rminos de la visa, incluyendo el hecho de que saldrà ­a a tiempo del paà ­s.Que tiene lazos fuertes tanto econà ³micos como familiares en su paà ­s. El ARO, a la hora de decidir, tambià ©n tendr en cuenta la gravedad de la falta cometida. Cà ³mo se solicita la waiver para levantar la inegibilidad de visa por fraude No se requiere ninguna planilla en particular. Basta con un escrito en inglà ©s en el que se cuente quà © sucedià ³, para quà © se quiere ingresar a Estados Unidos con carcter temporal y por quà © el solicitante amerita una waiver. Adems, hay que presentar documentacià ³n adjunta sobre sus lazos en el paà ­s (bancos, propiedades, trabajo, familia, etc). Es muy similar a la documentacià ³n para la visa americana que se presenta ante una oficina consular cuando se solicita un visado. Los documentos hay que traducirlos al inglà ©s. No es necesario que la traduccià ³n la realice un traductor jurado o que està ©n notarizados. Basta que la realice una persona con conocimientos buenos de espaà ±ol e inglà ©s y que certifique en su traduccià ³n tal circunstancia. Envà ­o de la solicitud para la concesià ³n de este tipo de waiver Una vez que se tiene todo el paquete preparado hay que entregarlo en el consulado que le corresponda segà ºn el lugar de residencia de la persona que solicita el perdà ³n. Por lo que se recomienda consular antes quà © oficina consular es la que tiene jurisdiccià ³n. Unos consulados piden que la documentacià ³n se entregue en persona mientras que otros piden que se envà ­e por correo. Asà ­ que lo mejor es preguntar para evitar cometer errores. Una vez que la documentacià ³n est en la oficina consular, à ©sta la remite al ARO. La respuesta suele llegar entre 4-5 meses, aunque en muchos casos se demora ms, cuando otra agencia federal necesita hacer un examen de posibles antecedentes del solicitante. Si el ARO deniega la peticià ³n, es posible recurrir en el plazo de 15 dà ­as. Aprobacià ³n de la peticià ³n de waiver Si el ARO concede la solicitud, el perdà ³n puede tener una validez de hasta por cinco aà ±os. Aunque lo normal es que la primera vez se conceda por sà ³lo medio aà ±o o incluso un aà ±o. El perdà ³n no es suficiente para viajar. Hay que tener una visa vigente en vigor por lo que debe solicitarse. A tener en cuenta: otras causas de negacià ³n de visa En este artà ­culo se ha explicado el trmite bsico para solicitar una waiver por haber intentado obtener mediante fraude una visa americana. Pero hay muchas otras causas de inegibilidad. Y el proceso puede variar de una a otra. Por ejemplo, si su problema es que no le dan la visa por estancia ilegal previa, el procedimiento es totalmente distinto. Por lo tanto, si no se sabe si se puede pedir una waiver o cà ³mo es conveniente informarse detalladamente antes de iniciar cualquier trmite ante una oficina consular americana. E incluso mucho mejor es, sin duda, consultar con un abogado o un representante acreditado. Finalmente, se recomienda tomar este quiz, trivial o test sobre visas porque despeja muchas dudas sobre el proceso de obtencià ³n de la visa americana y cà ³mo mantenerla, evitando que se cancele o revoque. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Reflection Paper Religion in Society, A Sociology of Religion

Reflection Paper Religion in Society, A Sociology of Religion Many a times, people raise the question on the origin of religion; in addition, this question has fascinated philosophers as well as scientists throughout the centuries (Johnstone 21). Different religions have different practices of what they believe in and so the question remains; what is the origin of these practices.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection Paper: Religion in Society, A Sociology of Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Where did the notion that God exists come from? Due to these questions, many different answers have been given as a way of satisfying people’s curiosity. From my definition, religion is anything that a person relies on, which has pivotal value, whereby the person discovers indispensable wholeness as both an individual and person in the society. Nevertheless, religion can have numerous definitions particularly based on a person’s experience. The emergence of Chri stianity gives the simplest answer as to where religion came from since it gives the answer that God came up with the idea of religion. Religious teachings, especially Christianity, record that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He created a man, animals, and everything else in the world and while in the Garden of Eden, he instilled rules that he wanted people in the garden to follow. He also revealed his intentions by using prophets to get his message across to the people, and through this process, they recorded his words. In this process, there emerged the creation of religion via revelation. Christianity is not the only religion where there is divine origin; for instance, the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, stated that he received heavenly inspiration in his search for the truth as he sat under the tree known as bo (Johnstone 23). Therefore, he got his religious practices through revelation. In the Islamic religion, Muhammad reports to obtain vision s in a cave close to Mecca from the angel Gabriel. Looking at all the aforementioned reports, it is easy to see a dominant belief that a certain divine power interceded leading to what we know today as religion. The followers of religious leaders who recorded the supernatural revelations believed it to be true and so there was the emergence of a religious system (Johnstone 23). Therefore, in my opinion, these religious leaders played a key role in developing religious practices that people follow in the world we live in and this trend will continue for many centuries to come. Religion at times comes out as science particularly in an environment where thought and language give people control. There is the use of tools, shelters built, seeds planted, and clothes made to keep the body warm. However, in the past, people could not explain what caused the rain to fall, what caused the sun to rise and even where human beings came from. Different communities had varied explanations for all these and many other questions; nevertheless, the principles continued to be the same.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Taylor, one god was responsible for pulling the sun with his chariot across the sky, while another made the wind to blow and many other explanations (94). Therefore, it is clear that people believed that gods had something to do with creating the universe as well as humanity. For quite a number of years, the analyses made concerning the world made a lot of sense as they could underscore the existing facts. Religion had an explanation for the world and so for the ancestors, science was a religion. At times crops failed, people died, and there was answering of prayers and people could see all these occurrences as gods’ doing. On the other hand, after the passing of many years, philosophers started to understand that gods did not ha ve anything to do with the events that happened, the world simply obeyed the already rules of nature (Royce 36). Apart from social scientists who have tried to explain where religion came from, anthropologists and especially those in the 19th Century, came up with their own version of unraveling the mystery of the origin of religion. In their belief, they have the notion that religion in a way came as a response to the various experience that people underwent in the world they lived (Johnstone 24). People went through mysterious, awesome, and horrifying events such as lighting, thunder, tidal waves, illness, death and many others and so they saw the need to know what caused those happenings, hence religious systems slowly came up. From my perspective, I can see how this aspect led to the emergence of religion for people could not go through such traumatic events and not want to know the causes of the same. This realization explains the thinking of anthropologists such as Max Muller who represented the naturalistic school that put emphasis on the significance of nature’s physical acts like sunrises, storms, and tides. Anthropologist from the past believed that trees, rocks, people, and animals possessed spirits (Johnstone 25). There exist psychological explanations with regard to identifying where religion came from. The explanation focuses on people’s emotional needs. It states that people are more likely to look for maintenance of emotional stability particularly when faced with danger, disruption, and insecurity (Johnstone 27). They try to come up with answers as to why such bad things are happening to them and how they can fight against them in order to overcome, and at this point religion comes in because the rational mind cannot unravel the mysteries surrounding such issues.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection Paper: Religion in Society, A Sociology of Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, human beings look for divine intervention and look up to God to answer their prayers and show them the way to follow so that they can come out of the predicament they are in and look forward to a brighter future. In the Christian religion, the records hold that God loves everyone and whoever shall seek him will find him and this assurance underscores why God sent his only son so that he could die for the sake of mankind’s sins and relieve them of eternal punishment (Royce 63). This aspect explains why many people who are having challenges think that they have done something wrong, hence the reason why God is punishing them. According to Sigmund Freud who is regarded as the â€Å"father of psychoanalysis†, religion comes entirely from the guilt that people feel after having done something wrong (Johnstone 28). Consequently, in his perspective, religion by definition is a mechanism that gives people room to sublimate most of the prim itive instincts that they have, but society usually represses. Looking at the sociological views that explain where religion came from, we go over the various explanations by diverse sociologists like Durkheim, Georg Simmel, Emile Durkheim, and Guy Swanson. According to Georg Simmel, faith has to exist in religion just as it is imperative in other human relationships. Religious faith to a supreme being is crucial in our everyday today life (Johnstone 30). I agree with this assertion because, if people do not have faith in a supreme being, they are bound to lose hope in life especially when faced with seemingly insurmountable calamities. Having religious faith helps people to be in a position to believe even when one cannot see the Supreme Being and have trust that everything will work out favorably. Despite the fact that the origins of religion for sure are not clear, speculation as well as research has however been successful. From chapter 2, it is clear that even though there are different suggestions as to where religion came from, it is clear that religion started a long time ago and it was build as a way of helping people to stay on the right path coupled with understanding some of the mysterious events that happen. In my view, the psychological explanations stand out as I also believe and uphold the practices highlighted here. In most cases, people are going through challenging occurrences that they look for divine intervention to help them to sort out their issues. People have the belief that God helps people who help themselves, but I believe there are areas where people are unable to help themselves and so God has to intervene, and this area highlights the need for prayers, as they underscore the popular way of requesting assistance from God. In addition to the aforementioned information, religion is also a way to enforce morality. People’s thinking capacity developed and so did their ego. Property and ego result to conflict and this explains w hy people kill each other in order to defend what is theirs. Uncontrolled egos on the other hand make people vulnerable and both of these aspects give way to moral decay. Therefore, religion came in as a way of underpinning morality.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consequently, communities came up with moral codes, which are rules regarding life, sexual activities, as well as property. This aspect greatly helps people to put their behaviors in check. Different communities had different rules; however, there were some that remained the same; for example, do not steal, do not kill or do not commit adultery. Nevertheless, people are weak; therefore, the probability of breaking their own moral code is very high and so a strong community has to be present to ensure morality is enforced. The strongest moral code however emanates from a supreme being because he lives forever and sees everything and has power over life and death; therefore, he commands the greatest respect. Identifying religion with morality has been happening for thousands of years such that many people believe there is no difference between the two. Religion in my opinion also came as a way of making communities to be united. This move was extremely necessary particularly in a prim itive world. Nevertheless, there was a time that religion turned to be very violent especially after the Islamic expansion almost 1400 years ago. There was no unification of communities especially in the 21st century and every religion blamed other religions for the violence (Royce 118). Overall, religion from my perspective was a good thing to emerge as it definitely acted as guidance for all human beings across the world. Otherwise, without religion, people would be acting in any manner that pleases themselves oblivious or ignorant of the consequences. Being able to answer to a supreme being makes people to become humble and aware that there are grave repercussions to any evil deed they engage in (Taylor 123). From the chapter, it is clear that religion serves the purpose of giving people answers to concerns and questions over destiny, purpose, and mystery coupled with offering support and comfort in times of bereavement, danger, and death among other eventualities. Religion is al so important, as it is real unlike in magic where there is a creation of illusions and people get false hope. Religion offers a safe haven for people who are in need of help and particularly divine intervention. From reading chapter 2, it is evident where religion came from irrespective of whether it is a theory or from scientific evidence. All the information given allows us to realize that religion has come a long way to reach where it is today. It also makes us to realize the vital role played by religious leaders from the past who made it possible for people to believe in a supreme being and thus uphold to the rules and practices of religion that help in instilling morality amongst people. Johnstone, Ronald. Religion in Society, A Sociology of Religion. 8th ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2007. Print. Taylor, Justin. Where did Christianity come from? Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2001. Print. Royce, Josiah. Sources of religious insight 1912. New York: Kessinger Publishing, 2003. Print.

Performance management process Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance management process - Assignment Example Besides, informal performance reviews are daily conducted. The annual performance reviews are based on five levels of analysis. Competency documents are required for the personnel file. Although HR guides the managers, yet it is managers who enforce the PM. PM ties into the organizational goal of excelling by providing the personnel with coaching, and increasing their interaction through meetings. Feedback is gathered from the staff in meetings and employee engagement surveys. Employees can get their complaints conveyed to the management through emails to the HR. Although employees are generally rewarded for displaying good performance, yet the company needs to improve its reward system. Teamwork motivates the employees. Besides, the nature of the work that requires helping the patients is so noble that employees feel self motivation. The department leader trains the employees. Improvement plans are prepared for three to four topics every month. Till 2011, the company will have a goo d behavior improvement program in place. Currently, the coaching system in place is quite informal and development of a mentoring program is due in future. So far, the coaching has not been up to the mark because of lack of stable management. However, the coaching system would be improved.

Contrasts in Two Native American Tribes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contrasts in Two Native American Tribes - Essay Example The researcher of this essay compares two Native American tribes, that were found on the continent when the first explorers arrived to the New World. Firstly, it was common practice to think of all Native Americans as one cultural group united by the simple idea that they all lived on the new common continent before the coming of the Europeans. However, just like the Europeans, though, Native American tribes found on the continent when the first explorers arrived were often very different from each other. The researcher states that tribes, such as the Apache and the Ottawa were very different from each other based not only on their geographic homeland, but also in their lifestyles and connections with Europeans. The researcher then aims to establish their cultural differencies and present them to the reader in a comparitive manner. For example, while both the Apache Indians and the Ottawas were established Native American tribes since well before the Europeans came, they had organize d themselves differently based to a large degree upon their locations. The Apache Indians lived in bands primarily on the North American plains of the Southwest, ranging â€Å"from southern Colorado to the Texas border and the Chiracahua also extended into Arizona. Western Apache lived in east-central Arizona, where they grew far more like the Navajo than the eastern Apache did. The reseracher then compares these tribes on the topic of cultural differencies and historic associations with each other as well as with Europeans.

TRAINING AND APPRAISALS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

TRAINING AND APPRAISALS - Essay Example which are practical tests about a person’s actual job skills and talents, â€Å"but these tests prove unreliable in predicting the performance of new hires† (Jones, 2000, p.118). The 360 Degree Feedback process helps to predict future performance of a worker by measuring all of their current job role activities and how they interact at the professional and social level with customers and coworkers. It is more reliable as a tool than other traditional human resources performance appraisals. â€Å"Organizations need to regularly and systematically audit, evaluate and continually improve their performance appraisal systems† (Wilson and Western, 2001, p.93). It seems that traditional performance appraisals, which do not include 360 degree feedback, are not giving businesses the results they are looking for in regards to human resources. Therefore, they are looking for ways to monitor and change these processes to make them more efficient. At the human resources level, the 360 Degree Feedback system avoids having to go through the process of auditing and improving appraisal systems because the 360 degree process views the entire organization. For example, an employee who works in telemarketing might receive feedback from customers which indicate that the worker is unprofessional and lacks technical knowledge of client information. However, at the internal level, the worker is adored at the social level and has a great interpersonal relationship with colleagues and m anagers. The 360 Degree Feedback system would identify these client/worker failures right away, therefore less time is wasted in ongoing auditing. It is a tool which provides better insight into worker function from all levels. The 360 Degree Feedback system also corrects issues of accuracy in performance appraisals, due to the fact that â€Å"virtually every problem is related to accuracy in one way or another† (Chandra, 2006, p.34). There could a manager in a division who has a certain dislike for one of

Editorial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Editorial - Essay Example ded party and thereby end the outbursts, the burning of Danish embassies in Muslim-dominated countries and the threats to national security of Denmark. However, the press in Denmark and in Europe, in general, are not budging. And the reason for that is freedom of expression! The cartoon may be offensive to the Islam faith, but the Muslims, while demanding respect for their faith, also need to understand press freedom, and more importantly, understand the meaning of the word â€Å"editorial.† The cartoon was printed as an editorial, and therefore, is solely the opinion of the artist, not necessarily the opinion of the entire publication or even the entire country of Denmark. The Danish government does not want to apologize on the part of the publication for respect freedom of expression in the country, despite the numerous protests and the boycott of Danish products that is affecting the businesses of some Danish companies. Muslims from the Middle East argue that the government is responsible because it could have stopped the publication of such offensive editorial or it could even punish the publication for doing so. In their mindset, this is most logical because in their countries, everything is controlled by the government – not excludin g the press. Again, press freedom is something that Muslims need to understand. They need to understand that the press only becomes effective if it acts separate from governments, corporations, political parties, and religions. It is a separate entity that needs to be critical, non-partisan and unbiased. It is with this kind of press freedom that society can improve itself. It should also be pointed out that the Muslim nations are not entirely innocent in terms of religious insensitivity. Many times have they published items that are considered offensive to Christians and Jews. It has also been a recurring scenario that every time that the Islam faith is offended, Muslims would go out on the streets in angry protests, with

Nike Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Nike - Essay Example According to Timothy Ryan, a director for the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, the collapsing of the factory was due to lack of regulations by the governments while Nike is constructing its factories. Prior to the collapsing, Nike workers noticed cracks in the building but they were informed to report to work the following day. This was an indication of negligence on the part of the management. The management team in Bangladesh and at the parent company in US experienced bitter regret due to the death and injuries that occurred within Nike premises. Nike, a company that was established in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports and later rebranded as Nike Inc in 1971, undertook various strategies to deal with negative public image that arose out of the collapsing of the building. The accident resulted into a bad relationship between the company and the families who were affected. The employees on their part lost motivation and feared working for the company. Nike undertook ultimate action of checking all its factories globally and maintenance was initiated in most factories. The company also started extensive corporate social responsibilities such as joining Michelle Obama’s ‘Lets Move campaign’ that aims at reducing child obesity. In this way, it regained a certain amount of value. Currently, Nike has strong value for ethics and continues to provide proper working conditions. The situation could have made better if the company employed more workers from the affected families and freely provide them with needed skills as well as giving them higher

The Possible Benefit from Tobacco Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Possible Benefit from Tobacco - Term Paper Example In order to have a clear understanding of the importance of cigarette taxes, it is appropriate to give a historical background of the object- cigarettes. Historically, tobacco became popular in the United States in 17th century which was often associated with slavery since tobacco plantations required massive manpower. However, when America started trading with other colonies after the American Revolution, tobacco in the form of cigarettes became popular. The origin of cigarette smoking can be traced to Western Europe. The cigarette was actually smoked by members of the lower class population in Andalusia which was adapted by the French during their conquests there. Later during the Victorian period, the British adopted tobacco to suit their taste and style but in the form of â€Å"dainty looking cigarette† which can used by the ladies (Burns 132 ). In the United States, Maryland and Virginia competed heavily in tobacco farming resulting to the establishment of two different types of auction system for loose-leaf. This caused tremendous pressure to the government leading to the enactment of the Tobacco Inspection Act that directs the Secretary of Agriculture to impose controls on the tobacco Industry ( McGrew ). In addition to this, McGrew asserts that the government imposed regulation since â€Å"the tobacco industry provided more than $4.8 billion in taxes in 1971† (USDA, Tobacco Situation, 1971b: 44). Strictly speaking, the first federal excise tax on tobacco was included in the Alexander Hamilton’s tax.

Editorial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Editorial - Essay Example ded party and thereby end the outbursts, the burning of Danish embassies in Muslim-dominated countries and the threats to national security of Denmark. However, the press in Denmark and in Europe, in general, are not budging. And the reason for that is freedom of expression! The cartoon may be offensive to the Islam faith, but the Muslims, while demanding respect for their faith, also need to understand press freedom, and more importantly, understand the meaning of the word â€Å"editorial.† The cartoon was printed as an editorial, and therefore, is solely the opinion of the artist, not necessarily the opinion of the entire publication or even the entire country of Denmark. The Danish government does not want to apologize on the part of the publication for respect freedom of expression in the country, despite the numerous protests and the boycott of Danish products that is affecting the businesses of some Danish companies. Muslims from the Middle East argue that the government is responsible because it could have stopped the publication of such offensive editorial or it could even punish the publication for doing so. In their mindset, this is most logical because in their countries, everything is controlled by the government – not excludin g the press. Again, press freedom is something that Muslims need to understand. They need to understand that the press only becomes effective if it acts separate from governments, corporations, political parties, and religions. It is a separate entity that needs to be critical, non-partisan and unbiased. It is with this kind of press freedom that society can improve itself. It should also be pointed out that the Muslim nations are not entirely innocent in terms of religious insensitivity. Many times have they published items that are considered offensive to Christians and Jews. It has also been a recurring scenario that every time that the Islam faith is offended, Muslims would go out on the streets in angry protests, with

The Possible Benefit from Tobacco Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Possible Benefit from Tobacco - Term Paper Example In order to have a clear understanding of the importance of cigarette taxes, it is appropriate to give a historical background of the object- cigarettes. Historically, tobacco became popular in the United States in 17th century which was often associated with slavery since tobacco plantations required massive manpower. However, when America started trading with other colonies after the American Revolution, tobacco in the form of cigarettes became popular. The origin of cigarette smoking can be traced to Western Europe. The cigarette was actually smoked by members of the lower class population in Andalusia which was adapted by the French during their conquests there. Later during the Victorian period, the British adopted tobacco to suit their taste and style but in the form of â€Å"dainty looking cigarette† which can used by the ladies (Burns 132 ). In the United States, Maryland and Virginia competed heavily in tobacco farming resulting to the establishment of two different types of auction system for loose-leaf. This caused tremendous pressure to the government leading to the enactment of the Tobacco Inspection Act that directs the Secretary of Agriculture to impose controls on the tobacco Industry ( McGrew ). In addition to this, McGrew asserts that the government imposed regulation since â€Å"the tobacco industry provided more than $4.8 billion in taxes in 1971† (USDA, Tobacco Situation, 1971b: 44). Strictly speaking, the first federal excise tax on tobacco was included in the Alexander Hamilton’s tax.

Reading Response to Ali and Nino Essay Example for Free

Reading Response to Ali and Nino Essay The most evident and reoccurring theme that I noticed in Kurban Said’s, Ali and Nino was the importance of religion and cultural backgrounds. In many different places in the story it is evident that Ali and Nino have been taught some completely different things about the world in general. The first major example that I found is when Ali speaks with his father and Nino’s father about marrying Nino. Although they are both somewhat supportive of the marriage, they both send completely opposite messages. Ali’s father tells him that the love for Nino is not necessary and that if he wants Ali can still marry up to three more wives. Contrary to Ali’s fathers belief, Nino’s father feels very differently. He feels that he must show unconditional love and treat her with the dignity and respect that she deserves. He also feels that he should focus all her energy and love on her rather than having any other wives. If Nino’s father doubts Ali’s for his daughter, maybe that is part of the reason why he tried to postpone the wedding. The second example I found is when Nino tells Ali he absolutely can not have a harem because it is considered a disgraceful tradition of Ali’s background to Nino and her family. Ali agrees that he will not have a Harem and then the question of whether or not Nino will have to wear a veil. After a bit of deliberation between Ali and Nino, they were still unable to reach a conclusion to whether or not Nino would have to wear a veil. Nino does not understand why a women must wear a veil whereas Ali feels that it is very important that the women does so that Nino will be protected from strangers looks. Although Ali and Nino are very much in love there are very many cultural differences and misunderstandings that make this inter religion/faith marriage a bit more complicated. This idea of religious differences and cultural misunderstandings really hits home for me. As a Jewish adult, it has always been very important to me to marry someone of the same faith and belief system. As I have grown up I do believe that the most important thing is being happy and that being accepting of all peoples values and morals is very much important. Out of personal experience, I have two relatives that both decided to marry out of the Jewish faith. Neither of these marriages have worked out very well in regards to my family. The first relative of mine ended up getting divorced and is now going through a custody battle for his children. The other relative is still married to his wife but does not talk to anyone on our side of the family due to many reasons but mostly because she was not willing to support his Jewish identity and background. It is ignorant in my opinion to think that inter faith marriages can never work out, because a lot of them do. But in my experiences with my family they have not. Regardless if people can make them work, it is definitely harder than marrying someone with the same faith as you. With religion comes a system of ideals, morals and beliefs and if someone has those same values as you do, there will be less cultural misunderstandings and cleavages than if you married someone with different values than you. So the whole idea of cultural differences through religion complicating thing relates both very closely to my life in terms of my family and Kurban Said’s Ali and Nino.

The North And South Gap In Economic Development

The North And South Gap In Economic Development According to dependency perspective has globalization increase or reduce the North and South gap in economic development? The international political economy is determined by two significant income gaps. The first is the significant gap between the rich and poor nations, and the second is the growing differences between groups of LDCs. When we analyze North-South differences, we observe the North and Souths problems -Western system-. North-South debate had became great significant at the end of the 20th century. The return from an investment on a sustainable basis gap between North and South is growing. Also, the objects produced by the states of the South become lesser costly for developed countries. Such situation enables the less developed nations to create more in order to buy even lesser goods from the wealth countries. It decreases the skills of the less developed countries to direct the global economy because their goods are not needed and their view is not taken into account by the rich countries. Therefore less developed countries are usually discomfort with the direction of the global economy because of the little role that they play in its organization. The North-South issue was studied by the three different philosophical approaches, which argued whether this gap could be decreased in the global economic system. Liberal theory of economic improvement is the theories in the International economy. Globalist or Marxist approaches look the problem in the free-trade system. Structuralists are between liberals and globalists because they claim that the system is not optimal however can be in peaceful manner reformed and organized again. All theories can be made judgments at many point, but all of them contain significant information for the complex view of the issue. Marxists keen on the economics of South by North, which is an initial pattern of the capitalist system. They claim that free-trade represents a non equal exchange between the North and the South in the economy dominated the North. Thats why because of its direction ability, a requirement for the raw materials and markets abroad, the North decreases prices on the materials exported from the North. The problem with this approach is that the Third World is not any longer very important to the wealth nations. Its exports goods dont have affect on the North because each consumptions of raw materials reduces because of changing growth patterns, conservation, substitution and technological developments. Structuralists has same view with Marxists that free trade is not equal exchange with most of its benefits belonging to the rich countries. But, they argue that it is not a required view of the system. They say the two structure of society when some people has primal conditions and some has the global economy due to their job in export industry. By regional integration structuralists say creating of trade associations among many developing nations to require attractive and reliable to the foreign investors. This theory problem is the question of its practical act of implying. There is a political trouble connected to the economic realm: how can the weakest state change their situation against the will of the strongest state? Another question is whether regulation can be do and what is needed to do for its strengthened. Since the end of World War ll, developing countries have searched several different ways in an effort to change their dependence. In the Bretton Woods era, developing countries were dependent on the developed North and pursued national strategies designed to isolate or protect themselves from the international economic system. The major aims of the developing countries are to handle poverty and inequality, growing and to has an important role in the global economy decision process. Developing nations demand to change the system or to adapt to it with the lowest cost to their economy. There are many general Southern strategies to achieve these aims, which were acquired many years later of samples and mistakes, such as the attempt to delink themselves from some aspects of the International economic system, the try to change the economic rule itself, and the try to increase the greatest level the gains from integration into the common system. After the decolonization period, the non wealth countries made political independence however did not provide economic level. In many situations developing countries experienced suffering in having some countries but their main state as their financial suppliers. The Developing states economies were limited of capital and technical skills. Both factors comprised the dependence of the Southern states on the technology realm and economic resources of the more developed countries. The other wave of dependence was that developing countries depend their economies on one exporting material and so soon became dependent on their main countries. Bad result of the dependence situation of the developing countries on a only one commodity was that the price decreased this very commodity effected the all economy and destabilized it. Free-trade system looked like to advantages all however the developing countries; therefore they were distrustful of its effectiveness. To restrain their dependence, d eveloping states began two new strategies; the import substitution strategy (IS) the export substitution strategy (ES). The other strategy to achieve economic improvement for developing nations was to want the United Nations assisting in the sense of aid from foreign and special trade choices for example lower tariffs. As a result of this together cry for changes G-77 was made to behave as last indefinitely political parts representing the interests of the developing nations in the UN. The structure of the (UNCTAD) -United Nations Conference on Trade and Development- which deliver the opinion of structuralists about the greater aid flows, limiting of free trade and control of MNCs, showed the confrontations between LDCs and wealth countries in UN. The tries of the LDC to establish their assembly to affect the wealth countries went beyond. In 1974 developing nations called for a New International Economic Order, which promises to solve the economic crises. Its achievement depended on the integrity of the Southern nations, credibility of their export goods and meaning their vulnerability by North. The New International Economic Order failed because of these three steps was not completed. Firstly, there was a high gap between the Newly Independent Nations and the less developed countries. In addition, the commodity became less costly for North, whose want raw materials were reducing. The other factor was that the North did not demand to make any changes besides what they were eager to do. The North suggest its help by agreeing to send the funds, to offer advise to learn about export strategies, to avoid degradation of the global circumstances and to decrease the flow of the Souths people to the North.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The shortcoming of the New International Economic Order did not solve the North-South issue. After 2. shock it became clear that oil suppliers and developing nations succeeding the export substitution strategy very well. Criticisms of Washington Consensus The term  Washington Consensus  was firstly coined in 1989  to describe a set of ten important economic policy offers that he considered should constitute the reform package provide for  crisis-wracked  developing countries  based institutions such as the  International Monetary Fund  (IMF),  World Bank, and the  US Treasury Department. It has been criticized by people such as  Joseph E. Stiglitz. This is the most important point of Stiglitzs criticisms of the IMF neo-classical approach in the South. They simply do not have the institutions or information transparency for the neo-classical model to work. Stiglitzs criticisms are about the disadvantages of globalization. He stated some problems about this consensus. The South is getting screwed by asymmetrical trade opening. The South is getting a raw deal on the opening up of services and intellectual property rights. The South would gain more from trade than aid. The IMF is too doctrinaire and ideological in applying its one size fits all to countries around the world. The IMF screwed up in East Asia, by mis-diagnosing the basic causes of the problem. The result of capital account crises combined with the IMFs classic medicine has been disaster. There is a huge market failure in world capital markets. All of the risk is being carried by the South because they cannot borrow long-term in their own currencies. Hence, the borrowers, not the rich lenders take the risk. CONCLUSION While both Liberals and Marxist advocate growth ideology, especially economic growth, these approaches do not give importance to power structures and relations. The main aim of these approaches that how can developing countries reach the standart of developing economy in the North. Whereas, social transformation is of highly importance for this transformation. After examining many different views to deal with the North-South issue, It can be said that solution of this problem is not simple. Gap between North and South can be decreased by some reforms. In light of these reforms, economy of developing countries must be developed. On the other hand, social development is of highly importance in terms of reducing of North-South gap. Equality of member in society must be provided.

Gettysburg Essay example -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gettysburg, the largest, bloodiest, and most celebrated battle of the Civil war, is said by many to be the turning point of the war that killed 618,000 Americans. Gettysburg the movie was four hours long, which is about 68 hours less than it actually took for the battle to come and go. The first shots were fired no long after daylight, so to be exact, it was 04:30 hours, on the morning of July 1st, (49 Nofi). Bullets flew from the rifles of Union Calvary men on picket duty along the Chambersburg Pike. It was in response to the advancing of Confederates, a skirmish line of 2,500 led by Henry Keith, a General that graduated last in his class at West Point (104 Clark).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The battle took place in the grassy country just south of Gettysburg. The Confederate headquarters was located East of the union at Seminary Ridge. Seminary Ridge was composed largely of flat fields with patches of forests. Federal forces however, were set along Culpshill, Cemetery Hill, and Cemetery Ridge, which made the Federals line form a hook. The Federal ground was all elevated considerably over the surrounding land. General Stuart and his Calvary had been sent by Lee on an observation mission to locate union forces. Fortunately for the Virginian army, General Longstreet had hired a spy known only as Harrison, to do the same job. This Harrison was an actor and because General Stuart returned late, it was by his word that the entire Southern army made it's move (181 Coddington). On July 1st, Confederate forces soon found themselves face to face with brigade General John Buford who was uphill and eventually gained the upper hand as he received reinforcements f rom Major General John Reynolds. Bufords own brigade sustained many casualties and after the 1st, was reassigned to guarding the supply train for the remainder of the battle, (movie).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  July 1st was the same day that the Potomac army found itself replacing General Hooker with General Mead. Meade helped his army secure a well protected area on Cemetery Ridge, and Culps Hill, where it would stay, (aside from the left flank), until the end of the battle. Meade's army line stretched three miles and had an average of 17,000 men per mile, (105 Clark). Lee's army line stretched approximately two miles longer, but averaged about 10,000 men per mile, (105 ... ...r with itself. The brother against brother and friend against friend mentally made fighting even harder. In one particular instance, General Amistead who was leading his Confederate brigade up the slope during Picketts charge, was shot on the Union line. Instantly he was noticed by Colonel Chamberlain's brother Thomas, who instead of killing Amistead, helped him lay down to ease his pain. General Amistead was good friends with Hacock a Union General. Amistead requested to speak with Hancock, but Thomas Chamberlain informed him that Hancock had also been shot. Upon hearing this, Amistead was greatly saddened. Union soldiers then carried Amistead to field hospital where he died two days later. Hancock survived the wound at Gettysburg and went on to run for the Presidency on the Democratic ticket in 1880.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All in all the war seemed to me senceless, the Confederate and Federal Generals knew this and wore it on their faces, constantly giving orders and pulling triggers in vain. A prime example would be Longstreets following of orders in the midst of doubt. The movie was very well made; it showed the harsh realities of war and the great simplicity of life.

Dead Poets Society - The Message of the Dead Poets Essay -- Movie Film

Dead Poets Society - The Message of the Dead Poets    Teachers are wonderful heroes. In the movie, Dead Poets Society the teacher/hero is John Keating, played magnificently by Robin Williams. The film takes place at a small preparatory boys' school (Welton Academy) in the late 1950's. The story follows the lives of a group of students and the way that Mr. Keating's teachings influence them. He encourages the boys to become freethinkers and to live life for the moment. The message hallowed by Keating is one of mortality--do not waste your life, for you will get no other, and when you are "food for worms" will the world have been a better place because you were in it? This message is prevalent throughout the film. Keating brings to the abnormally strict classroom something that the timid boys have never seen, enthusiasm. On the first day of class, he tells his students to rip the boring and scientific-type preface from their books. The act in itself is one of defiance and is but one action that draws the boys to Keating. The friendly good nature of Keating leads ...

Glory Field Essay

Courage in The Glory Field by John C. Wipler The Glory Field, by Walter Dean Myers, is a story about an African American family, the Lewis family, through different generations. All the main characters in the book make important decisions that change their lives forever. There are many examples of bravery in the book, but three character stand out. Lizzy, Luvenia, and Tommy all show acts of courage. Lizzy, a slave working on a plantation in 1864, showed courage when she makes decisions that could endanger her life. First, she showed courage when Lem, another slave, has been bound to the tree in the middle of a field as punishment by Mr.Joe Haynes, the plantation overseer. She supports Lem by bringing him water. This was courageous because Lizzy knew if she was caught, she would be tortured as Mr. Joe Haynes was doing to Lem. Unfortunately, she was caught and was whipped until Joshua, another slave, tackled Mr. Joe Haynes to save her. All of them knew that if they did not run away fro m the Glory Field, they would be killed. â€Å"‘Go on, girl, before you break everybody’s heart. ’ a voice from the darkness said†¦ ‘Don’t turn back’ (a lady said). Lizzy stopped, looked down, took a deep breath, and continued (to walk away from the plantation). Once again, Lizzy has shown courage by leaving The Glory Field even though it was the only home she had ever known. Luvenia, a descendant of the Lewis family, living in Chicago in 1930, showed courage when she chose independence over taking the easy route. Luvenia chooses to stay in Chicago instead of going with her father to the Glory Field, which now is owned by their relatives. She knew she would have to support herself in Chicago but, to her, going to the Glory Field for work would feel like returning to slavery.Luvenia decides to make money in Chicago by doing hair. â€Å"‘Mr. Etta,’ Luvenia took a deep breath. ‘Is there any place around here where I coul d do hair†¦? ’ ‘You mean you going to try to make it on your own? ’ Mrs. Etta asked†¦ ‘I think I can do it, Miss Etta. I know I can! ’† Luvenia showcases her courage when she stays in Chicago alone instead of being safe and going with her father to The Glory Field. Tommy—a boy living in Johnson City, South Carolina in January, 1964—had an extreme amount of courage when he handcuffed himself to the sheriff.

Athenian Acropolis Paper

The Athenian Acropolis could be considered the most representative of the Greek Acropolis. The Athenian Acropolis is located on the top of a mountain and it was used as a defense and as a site of the main places of worship. The entrance to the Acropolis is a gate called Propylaia performed by the architect Mnesikles. At the front right side of the Propylaia, there is an Ionic building named the Temple of the Athena Nike designed by Kallikrates. A great statue of Athena created by Phidias, was originally stood in the center.To the right of where this sculpture was, there is the Parthenon. The architects that carried out this building were Iktinos and Kallikrates. The Parthenon is a Doric temple, which was designed with slight corrections in order to counteract the optical effects of perspective; therefore, all apparently straight lines were actually slightly sculpted curves in order to create harmony. To the left and at the end of the Acropolis, it is the Erechtheion, which is an Ioni c temple and it has a platform supported by six caryatids.Elgin was a British ambassador in Constantinople, he had the idea to take all the monuments of the Parthenon sculptures and take them to his country. As ambassador, he received some papers from the Ottoman sultan to take some pieces from the floor of the Acropolis. Elgin took most of the sculptural decoration of the monuments, columns, and hundreds of pieces and moved to England, and then he sold them to the British Museum where they are still displayed. The Elgin Marbles must return to Athens. Athens was attacked by the Persian soldiers.The Athenians had to leave the city. Later the Athenians defeated the Persians, but Athens was on ruins and it had to be rebuilt. The man in charge about the reconstruction was Pericles. He reunited the better architects, sculptors and artisans and they rebuilt the city. The Propylaia is the entrance to the Acropolis. It was built on 437—432 BCE. The architect in charge of this buildin g was Mnesikles. The centerpiece of the Propylaia has six Doric columns on the fronts, and inside there are two halls separated by a wall with several doors.On each side, two terraces with gates gave access to the interior rooms. One of this terraces displayed pictures from that time. It was built with pentelic marble. The temple of Athena Nike was built on 427—424 BCE. The project was commissioned to Kallikrates, an architect who also worked in the construction of the Parthenon. It is made by Pentelic marble. On both fronts have four Ionic columns of limited height. Among its decorations, it had beautiful sculptures carved on it, and especially a frieze decorated with reliefs representing the fight of the Athenians against the Persians.Something that stands was a relief of Athena holding her sandal. These sculptures are made with great delicacy and elegance of the clothes. The Parthenon was built on 447—438 BCE. The architects of this building were Iktinos and Kallikr ates. It is a Doric temple. It consisted of eight columns on its two main facades and seventeen on the sides surrounding the entire temple. The front of the west represents the fight of Athena and Poseidon to get the patronage of the city. The frieze shows the representation of the Panathenaic procession, the most important religious festival in Athens.The scene is along the four sides of the building and includes figures of gods, beasts and about three hundred and sixty people. The Parthenon had the great statue of the goddess Athena Parthenos, who made Phidias. It was 38-foot-tall and made with gold and savory. The Erechteion is an Ionic temple. It was built on 421—405 BCE. The Erechteion is on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens in honor of Athena and Poseidon. This temple is the achievement of an asymmetric building, with a complex floor that consists of three sections dedicated to different gods.The main porch has six columns on its front, with its interior divide d into different zones, a statue of Athena carved in wood was here. The second part corresponds to the north porch, which was decorated with four columns in front and two on the sides. On the left are three holes, which according to mythology, they were made by Poseidon's trident. The south porch of the Caryatids is a small gallery of great beauty because of the sacred statues that serve as columns. The Caryatids are supporting the architrave. Those that are on the Erechteion right now are copies of the originals.The originals are in the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum. Some of the arguments about the Parthenon Marbles should return to Greece are that the marbles belong to the Parthenon which is a universal monument and not only belong to Greece. If all the pieces return to Greece, historians would be able to analyze better the Parthenon and they could come up with conclusions or discover new things if it is appreciated as a whole. Another argument is that Elgin did not have the permit to take pieces from the Parthenon, he just had permit to take a few pieces from the floor.The Parthenon Marbles are not the principal attraction in the British Museum, in the other hand if they return to Athens, tourists, historians and the Greeks can observe and analyze them in a better way. Some sculptures were sculpted in order to keep them white but this caused damage to the sculptures because the original paint was removed. One of the arguments why the British Museum does not want to return the pieces is due to Pollution, but now Athens has a museum next to the Parthenon which it is acclimated in order to prevent damage to the Marbles.At the British Museum, there are amounts of other treasures, and the Parthenon Marbles are unique in the world that is why they should be returned to Greece, because they are part of its history and heritage. On the other hand about this debate, there are also arguments about why the Parthenon Marbles should stay in the British Museum. One of the arguments by which the Parthenon Marbles should stay at the British Museum is that it is the most visited museum in the world and has no cost.People already know that the Parthenon Marbles are at the British Museum, they have been there for years, therefore; they are already an important collection of the Museum. Some experts say that the Parthenon Marbles should be returned. But others say they are safer in museums in other countries. In the case of the Parthenon Marbles, for example, experts claim that they are protected from pollution in Athens. If the museum returns the Parthenon Marbles a global war can begin and countries can start claiming their treasures.The Parthenon Marbles have been at the British Museum by years in a good condition, if they return to Athens can be damaged during the transfer. Greece must be grateful to the British Museum for taking care of these marbles and should stay at the British Museum for standing there too many years. That is why the P arthenon Marbles should stay at the British Museum. I think what it really a matter is where the marbles are. The Parthenon Marbles were created as an integral part of the temple.I am studying Travel and Tourism, and I know that when people travel or go to museums, they like to see and enjoy the complete exhibition, not only a few parts of the exhibition or collection. That’s why I think the Parthenon Marbles should be in their original place which is Greece. The marbles are not the principal attraction in the British Museum, they should be in their original place so that tourists can appreciate the entire collection. The Parthenon Marbles are a symbol of Greece culture and they should be to the place that they belong.

Christian copts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Christian copts - Research Paper Example The history of Coptic Christianity is tragic, sad and filled with stories of misery. The Coptic language is no longer spoken outside church and the percentage of Copts in Egypt have declined to fewer than 10 percent of the population yet this sect has survived through the centuries spreading beyond the Egyptian borders to many countries around the world. According to Coptic belief the Christian sect began when the Apostle Mark traveled to Egypt. Mark would become the first Pope of Alexandria. The word â€Å"Copt† is derived from the â€Å"Aigyptos,† a Greek word meaning Egyptian. The Coptic Church believes Jesus is less than God because He was made by God while all other Christian denominations believe Jesus to be a spiritual being whose nature was the same therefore equal to God. This was a major divisive issue in 451 AD at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) when the Copts separated from the other Christian sects but the disagreement has cooled over the many years since . Neither mainline nor do Coptic Christians believe this one point of contention to be of great importance anymore. Otherwise, most Coptic beliefs are essentially the same as other Christians Churches, the Bible being the guiding text. As in other Christian sects, Copts believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. Men actually wrote it but were guided by the Holy Spirit. Copts, as other Christian’s sects believe that Christ not only taught through words but also by His actions and the Bible is not the only source of knowledge. According to Coptic Pope H. H. Pope Shenouda II â€Å"the Holy Bible does not mention everything.† (BBC 2009). Traditions are particularly important to Copts because these have directed civilization from since the time of the first people, Adam and Eve, a period which, according to them, occurred many centuries prior to the writings of the Bible. Somewhat surprisingly, due to the Copts, Christian monasteries originated in Egypt. Termed â€Å"m onasticism,† the creation of monasteries is the most significant contribution to the Christian religion by the Copts. The original monastic community was unintentionally founded by Saint Anthony (died in 356 AD). He departed for Egypt intending to live a spiritual life alone but came across others who wanted to live close to what they believed to be a holy person. They formed a religious community, a novel concept at that time. Of course the community needed rules and who better than a Roman for the task? Saint Pachomius (died 346 AD), an Egyptian and former soldier in the Roman Army, established the first collection of rules for a religious community with a central highly spiritual leader, later to be termed ‘monastery.’ The list of rules combined a work regiment and spiritual dedication. As is the case for all other religions and Christian sects, there are many traditions and rituals unique to Coptic Christians. All Coptic churches face east as do the faithful w hen praying. Traditions and symbolism, such as facing east, is held sacred by Copts. â€Å"We see Christ as our east, in that the sun rises from the east. The sun is the source of our life and so Christ is our salvation, the source of our life in the spirit. Looking towards the east, we are facing the Garden of Eden.† The act is also Biblical in nature. According to ‘Acts,’ St. John of Zebedee â€Å"took a cross of wood and placed it up towards the east and kneeled