Religious fundamentalism and terrorism

Religious fundamentalism and terrorism are products of globalization. Discuss. † Following evidence of a revitalization in religious faith throughout the world, and a series of terrorist incidents purportedly motivated by religious fundamentalism, various commentators have argued globalization has ushered in new forms of radical religious belief and expression and a unique form of contemporary terrorism.This essay contends that while various forms of religious belief and terrorism have been present in all human societies where congregation of groups has occurred, religious individualism and the current examples of terrorism are distinctly modern phenomena intimately bound to the processes and consequences of globalization. This essay will examine firstly how globalization has acted as a catalyst for the growth in religious fundamentalism and a resultant rise in religiously Justified violence, and secondly how the unequal experiences of globalization has led to a rise in terrori st activity.Specifically, the notion of a perceived necessity for a reassertion of religiosity as a response to globalization will be examined, particularly as a result of; the nonviolence and clash of beliefs and ideas; forces of secularism; the consequences of modernity and the anxieties associated with social disruption; and the issue of increased power convergence and a resultant increase in general powerlessness will be investigated.Expressions of religion, and political violence have been ever-present in society, and are generally reflective of that particular period of human relations; religious fundamentalism and contemporary terrorism thus, are the extreme expressions of the globalizes world. The notion of globalization is somewhat undefined, it is not altogether new, but is coming increasingly synonymous with the twentieth century. Simply put, globalization is an ongoing trend whereby the world has – in many respects and at a generally accelerating rate – bec ome one relatively borderless social sphere. Specifically the last twenty to thirty years have seen an exponential increase in the speed of globalization and its affects. 3 McGraw defines globalization as â€Å"a historical process involving a fundamental shift or transformation in the spatial scale of human social organization that links distant communities and expands the reach of power elation across regions and continents. â€Å"4 Globalization is then, the trend towards an increasingly interconnected society, with a convergence of cultures, spread of information and ideas.From the technological boom that created commercial air travel, telecommunications and the internet, societies and cultures are more linked and influenced by one another. Jan Intervene Pitters argues that increasing cross- cultural communication, mobility, migration, trade, investment, and tourism all generate awareness of cultural difference, leading to ambiguity and complexity in the orientation of self-id entity. 5 It is this uncertainty that has led commentators to assert that religious fundamentalism and contemporary terrorism are products of globalization.Religious fundamentalism can be broadly defined as a particular form of religious expression. Fundamentalists claim to be the upholders of orthodoxy that is the ‘right' creeds, values and beliefs; they also claim to uphold orthographies that is the ‘right' codes of conduct and behaviors. 6 In terms of the religious community, fundamentalism is distinct from conservatism and traditional belief, and lies to the extreme of religious expression. According to Earthen, â€Å"it is a religious way of being, that manifest itself in a strategy by which beleaguered believers attempt to preserve their distinctive identity as a people or group in the face of modernity and colonization. â€Å"8 Here Earthen contends that in the ever-changing globalizes world, in the face of ambivalence and ambiguity, individuals and groups turn to religion in order to provide a sense of certainty and social identity.For religious fundamentalists, religion itself provides a ready-made package of solutions, they assert their own understanding of these as the key to clarifying humanity mission in life; as the way to explain why things are going wrong in the world; and as a way to empower those who feel powerless and buffeted by the world. It is contended that it is the results of globalization that have pushed many to religious fundamentalism.Terrorism has been present as long as people have congregated in societies, although the term terrorism is considered to most likely have originated around the French Revolution of the 18th century in reference to the reign of terror. Al A universal conceptual definition of terrorism, Lutz and Lutz argue, has never been established and agreed upon, they point to the lack of a common classification in the international sphere as evidence of this. 2 However for the purposes of progress, Be rgsten contends that terrorism can be defined as, â€Å"the premeditated use of violence by a non-state group to obtain a political, religious, or social objective through fear or intimidation directed at a large audience. â€Å"13 Simply, terrorism involves three main factors; first the use or threat of use of violence, secondly it is mimed at achieving a political objective, and third it requires an audience larger than the immediate victims of the violence itself.Significantly, terrorism is a microcosm of the broader society from which it is drawn;14 thus it will constantly mutate and be always unique to a particular time period, however, the present debate surrounds the contention that in the contemporary era, it is globalization that has motivated and shaped the form terrorism has taken.Globalization and the convergence and clash of ideas, information and beliefs intrinsic to it has presented a challenge of plural and parallel claims too single god r belief system, it is argu ed that this process of globalization has pushed many to fundamentalist forms of religious expression, to reassert the ‘correctness'1 5 of their religion. As Featheriness notes, â€Å"the process of globalization leads to the compression of culture. Things formerly held apart are now brought into contact and juxtaposition. 16th experience Featheriness highlights is now common on a global level because of globalization, with the exposure of new ideas, of religion and god being compared to previously held beliefs. Believers of monotheistic religions, such s Islam, Judaism and Christianity all face new and plural claims to their religion, also claiming to possess knowledge of and access to the ‘one true' god, and ‘one true' way to communicate with themed.Karen Armstrong argues that a turn to religious fundamentalism and for some, religiously motivated violence is an attempt to reaffirm their god, religion and particular belief system, and is an attempt to push the un iversal application of their beliefs. 18 Here similar to the response to a confused world, globalization creates challenges to current religious beliefs, this halogen questions the beliefs of many, pushing many to respond.Some Armstrong argues, are motivated to violent expressions of their desire for religious universality, claiming that much contemporary religiously motivated terrorism is a reaction to the awareness of the plurality of religions, a result of the processes of globalization. Furthermore, religions face additional challenges, from a plurality of claims to being the ‘one true' god, religion's risk a relativistic of all claims. Featheriness points out that, â€Å"the spiral of relativism of culture through increased contact, Juxtaposition and lashing, creates many questions about long-held formations of culture. Rehire Featheriness notes that awareness of numerous claims of monotheistic religions to be the sole universal religion risks devaluing all these claims, god may no longer be universal but more culturally or racially specific. Malaise Earthen describes the uncertainty this creates as a â€Å"crisis of faith† and further illustrates it as â€Å"anxieties generated by the thought that there are ways of living and believing other than those deemed by one's group's version of the deity. 20 Similarly to plural claims of monotheistic religions, the challenge posed by a relativistic of religion argues Armstrong,21 pushes many to believe that the reassertion of religious universality is necessary, prompting many to simply restate and attest to their religions universality and superiority by turning to extreme forms of religious fundamentalism, but also is responsible for current trends of religiously motivated terrorism as a response to the largely modern phenomenon that is globalization.The advent of globalization has further tested religion by preaching the spread of secularism and the normalization of religion intrinsic to it. As a response, many believers have been further hardened towards fundamentalist approaches to religion, whilst others have been inspired to violence in order to reassert the importance of religion in the modern secularism world. Malaise Earthen argues that the secularist ideal that religious beliefs should be substituted for scientific evidence and rationality has left no room for religion in mainstream society. 2 The current trend being that religious notions are thought to be somewhat subjective and that more objective and reliable forms of governing society should be used, pushing elision out of the public sphere, and into only the private sector. Gerrymanders suggests that â€Å"fundamentalists oppose secularism; they believe it is the reason for the social and moral decline of society. â€Å"23 Here contending that fundamentalists view secular governance as the enemy of religion, they reject the notion that reason and rationality can provide them meaningful solutions to their s ocial and personal problems.Walter Liqueur discusses this rejection with reference to the Muslim Brotherhood operating in Egypt. 24 Egypt had seen the failure of secular leaders, who industrialists believed were responsible for decisions that uprooted tradition and gambled their culture. The brotherhood believed that they must restore their communities moral compass and pride, here they resisted and rejected claims of the supposed secular government superiority. 25 Similar attacks by Christian groups against abortion clinics and places it sees as homosexual havens, are designed to purify the ills of society and restore its moral fiber.Here secularist forces of globalization have provoked extreme religious responses, as well as many violent expressions of dissatisfaction. Current religiously Justified violence is not solely directed outwards by perpetrators, many see the concessions that many mainstream believers have made as a requirement to participate in the modern globalizes worl d as requiring adjustment. The demands that the contemporary globalizes world places upon the individual in their daily lives are immense and the sacrifice of numerous religious practices is often inevitable.Gerrymanders outlines the problems associated with living a religious life in the modern globalizes world, pointing especially to the stricter interpretations of the major religions as being particularly prone to forced disobedience. 27 Gerrymanders exemplifies his point by pointing to the daily prayer rituals of the major religions and the inability of these to fit within many westernizes occupations, as well as this the requirement to turn-the-other-cheek approach to some of the more liberal elements of society, at odds with many of the major religions. 8 The notion of sacrifice in the globalizes world is not an unknown quantity, all individuals at one time or another have been forced to sacrifice meeting, be it family, friends, business, politics or leisure, religion is no di fferent and it is this point Gerrymanders makes. However, the sacrifices of many mainstream, Jews, Christians and Muslims are viewed as a betrayal and dangerous by more fundamental groups of believers. Rainstorm points to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Hiawatha Rabin in 1995,29 following actions some fundamentalists viewed as a betrayal to the Jewish homeland.Yell Learner, an outspoken extremist Israeli supported the assassin's actions, arguing that political assassination of Jewish leaders should be supported who were felt to be dangerously irresponsible and were De facto enemies of Judaism. 30 Further, Rainstorm suggests that anger concessions of mainstream religious groups is not limited to Judaism, citing examples of bombings of abortion clinics in America and other Western nations by Christian fundamentalists. 31 A further example is the AAA Qaeda group that has as one if its stated aims the re-establishment of an Islamic state based on the strict Habits teachings. 2 Here the unique demands that the modern globalizes world places upon religious individuals as well as the religion as a whole are immense, provoking some fundamental elements to terrorism to rectify what they see as dangerous. The process of globalization and the increased speed of change it has bought to the daily lives of individuals, communities and nation-states, has led to a form of ‘cultural crisis,'33 that has created constant alteration and consequently instability and unpredictability to the lives of many has pushed a revival of faith to provide stability and predictability to the lives of those affected.Anticipating Banyan's notion of ‘liquid modernity Rainstorm argues that, â€Å"the accelerated dissolution of traditional inks of social and cultural cohesion within and between societies with the current globalization process, combined with the historical legacy, and current conditions of political repression, have all led to an increased sense of fragility , instability and unpredictability for the present and the future. 35 Noting that in the current climate means of defining identity are no longer as conspicuous as they once were, creating a situation where one is dislocated and disengaged from society, unsure as to what beliefs and values are indeed the ones to be believed. Rainstorm further contends hat â€Å"they take refuge in religion, which provides centuries old-ideals by which to determine goals; they find physical or psychological sanctuary against repression. 36 Stating that people turn or return to religion, as religion itself provides a readmes package of solutions, including authority structures and institutions to regulate behavior as well as rules and answers to moral questions, providing something solid and consistent where it previously didn't. Lacquerer summarizes, stating that â€Å"if these are the norms of today, the prospects for tomorrow are bleak, and once again he certainties of their religion, their god a nd their text are appealing. 37 Banyan argues that it is the perceived need of these dislocated people to assert these religious codes and creed onto society for their lives, which pushes some to a point where violence appears appropriate or even preferable as a means of achieving it. 38 It is thus the worldwide experience of dislocation and unpredictability inherent to globalization largely unique to contemporary times that has thrust many to religion as a solution; some perceive a need to use terrorist violence to achieve their aims.Similarly globalization has instituted a situation where many are powerless to affect their own destiny, turning to terrorism as a ‘politics of last resort'. 39 Marty and Appleby argue that through foreign ownership, government amalgamations and the liberation's of social, economic and public sectors, globalization has removed much of the ability of individuals to affect their immediate surroundings. 40 Noting here that the power to control socie ty is increasingly converging into the hands of a few elites and away from the masses, as a result of globalization.Further, Lingers argues that these feelings of hopelessness and desperation are considerably more likely to occur and to a more extreme extent in the more marginal groups within society, specifically minorities and the disadvantaged. 41 Significantly then, those within society who have been traditionally denied political, social and economic rights and control over their lives, are further disenfranchised by the processes of globalization.Armstrong contends that this powerlessness, fuels feelings of firstly hopelessness, and eventually an overwhelming frustration to alter ones lot in life. 42 This ‘solicitation process'43 of increasing frustration ultimately pushes individuals to cross a Violence threshold'. 44 At this point argues Glare rational choice is made that traditional peaceful means of protest and dissent are no longer effective, and violence becomes a ‘politics of last resort'. 5 The inability to control one's destiny as a result of globalization, it is argued has pushed those most drastically affected towards terrorism as a means of remonstration. The experience of globalization is incredibly complex and ambivalent, being unique to every nation, community and individual. Globalization through the removal of space and time, the distribution of knowledge and expertise and a growth in technological development, promises countless benefits, however it is these same developments that have catalysts a growth in religious fundamentalism and politically motivated violence.Significantly the compression of space and time has juxtaposed supposed universal religions against one another, provoking conflict; the notion of secularism and scientific discovery as unsurpassed has motivated a reassertion of religiosity, specifically a more extreme form; further the modern world ND the sacrifices from mainstream forces required to operate wit hin it, have aggravated an extreme and sometimes violent response, and finally, the growth of a powerful global elite, controlling the globe from a distant has resulted in feelings of powerlessness and generated frustration in the more marginal's pockets of the world.Globalization has delivered much progress for society, however the fact that the benefits of this progress are generally unevenly distributed and have disrupted many traditional cultures and beliefs, it has often provoked unforeseen consequences.

Atticus Finch In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

In Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus plays a major role in his children growth and development. He is a role model to his children and to Maycomb, one of the few willing to take actions against prejudice. His actions can be summed up in one great quote of Thomas Jeffersons These truths we hold to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Atticus does not approve of racism, and teaches his children to judge by character, not race. Atticus thinks that even black men have at least one right, the right of justice. He expresses his belief in this phrase. But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal- there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, the ignorant man the equal of any college president, and that, gentlemen is a court. (Lee 205) This quote shows Atticus passion for justice and equality, saying that all are equal in this court, and that you should judge a man by his economic or mental aptitude, nor by the color of his skin. He means by this statement that you should be unbiased and fair when making a decision, or even a persons fate. Atticus believes all people have their flaws and strengths, and should be judged as such, not by their gender, social standing, or color. He shows this in a moving quote, You know the truth, and the truth is this: that some Negroes are immoral; that some Negro men are not to be trusted around women – black or white. But his is a truth which applies to the human race and to no race in particular. (Lee 204) Atticus once again sets the scales of equality even with this statement, explaining his moral code of justice, and how each and every person should judge each other equally. Jems breakdown whenever the court room is mentioned is evidence of this point. Atticus believes that any man using a man of any other color is inferior even to the man he is using. He illustrates this a talk with Scout, Youll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and dont you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes  from, that white man is trash. (Lee 220) Atticus means that if you take advantage of someone or treat them as though they were Less equal, then you, yourself, are you are a horrible, inferior person. On the other hand, if you treat everyone as your equal then they are your equal. Atticus believes in what Martin Luther King later put to words in his famous I Have a Dream speech, That men would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus has been a role model and mentor to his children by condemning racism and all that it stands for. 1. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird2. The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson3. I Have A Dream, Martin Luther King Jr.

Book Analysis on Undercover

As the days grow shorter, Elisa worries that the increasingly urgent letters she sends her father wont bring him home. Like the undercover agent she feels she has become, Elisa retreats to a pond in the woods, where her talent for ice-skating gives her the confidence to come out from under cover and take centre stage. But when Lila becomes jealous of Theos friendship with Elisa, her revenge nearly destroys Elisas ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family. A. Book 1. Author Beth Kephart was nominated for the National Book Award for her book A SLANT OF SUN. In 2000, she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and she also won Pew Fellowships in Arts grant in 2005. At the age of nine, Beth Kephart began to skate on a pond in Boston, where she taught herself the every moves Elisa teaches herself in this story. Beth won her first competitive freestyle competition at a Wilmington, Delaware, rink. Today she ballroom dances and is an avid gardener. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family. 2. Title The main character in the story fits the title under cover, the fact that the main character hides her skill of skiing to her friends and family. B. Characters Protagonist: Elisa Cantor- she is a father’s daughter and doesn’t really relate well with her mother and sister. Antagonist: Lisa- Theo’s girlfriend; known for her beauty and popularity. Supporting Characters: Tina Cantor- Elisa and Jilly’s Mother. Jilly- Elisa’s Sister, she is a very fashionable teenager like her mother. Mr. Cantor- Elisa’s Father, he understands Elisa. Theo- Elisa’s classmate in Honors English, a special friend and one of the boys who ask love notes from Elisa. Margie- Elisa’s past best friend in eighth grade and classmate in Honors English. Dr. Charmin- an Honors English teacher and believed and supports Elisa’s talent in writing. Mr. Marcoroon- a strict Math teacher. Mrs. Garland- a friend of Tina. Stuart little- a client of Mr. Cantor in San Francisco. Sarah- an Honour English student. II. Plot A. Exposition 1. Setting The story takes place in a pond in the woods where she always find herself at ease and thinking she could be herself there alone while skating. B. Complication When her father has to go away for work it makes their life complicated. To make it even more complicated, Elisa starts to fall on a boy who she is providing with poetry to woo another girl. C. Climax Lila tore the dress of Elisa before the start of the skating competition. D. Denouement Elisa never let herself be defeated by wearing the torn dress made by the antagonist, Lila, while skating gracefully. E. Resolution Yes it’s a happy ending because finally her family was once again reunited and everyone accepted the real her. III. Analysis 1. Did you admire the author for writing this book? Why? Yes. A teenager who reads this book would really understand the feelings and thinking’s of the main character of the story. Many teenagers can relate of how it feels to be a loner or to be bullied. 2. Tell something about the cover, did it spark your interest? Does it fit the story? It did spark my interest because it makes me wonder what story it will give me. Yes it does fit in the story because the covers do tell the story. 3. Who is your most favourite character? Why? My favourite character in the story is Elisa Cantor. For being brave enough to uncover her great skill to everybody even when she herself has no confidence that everyone would accept her and gain their respect. 4. Who is your least favourite character? Why? My least favourite character in the story is Lisa, because of her jealousy of Theo’s friendship with Elisa; her revenge nearly destroys Elisa’s ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family. . What is your favourite part of the story? Why? My favourite part of the story is when Elisa got sick during the last days of Christmas season, which was the time that her sister and mother took care of her and after her sickness they finally become close to each other. 6. What is your least favourite part of the story? Why? My lea st favourite part of the story is when Lisa and her friends destroyed Elisa’s dress that was made by her mother and sister for the ice-skating competition. 7. Discuss your favourite quote from the story. â€Å"You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain Are moving across the landscape, Over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, Are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, The world offers itself to your imagination, Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting Over and over announcing your place in the family of things. † It tells about a person who doesn’t have to be perfect just to meet their expectations. Being yourself is a lot more happy and easy than pretending or trying to be someone you are not. 8. What is your realization about life after reading the novel? After reading the story I realize in life that you shouldn’t hide yourself from others, don’t be scared of letting them know your true self and don’t give up on something that you haven’t tried yet.

Do not need to divide it Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Do not need to divide it - Coursework Example (CVE-2003-0352, 2003) On knowing about the identification of this vulnerability in its primary product, Microsoft released a bulletin with a patch to plug the hole in the system. It did turn out to be successful and Microsoft released it through the "Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026†. On the release of it, Microsoft recommended all of its Windows users to immediately install the patch so that any further severe damage could be prohibited. The severity of the threat depends on the impact of the exploitation made on this vulnerability. (Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026 2003) The report details about the technical specifications of the vulnerability, its severity level if it is exploited in a Windows operating system, the methods and details about how it is exploited and the consequences that it could lead to a system. The report also aims to provide details on methods that could be used as mitigation processes in solving this vulnerability. ... (Reuvid 2004) The severity level of threats that could be experienced with this vulnerability was very critical. Most of the networking systems depended on the remote connectivity that was capable in Windows with the help of these interfaces. As a result, critical business functions that completely depended on Networking came under severe threat. The versions of Windows that were affected by this vulnerability includes 2000, NT, 2003 and even Windows XP. More severe consequences were faced by those systems, which did not have a proper firewall system. Before gaining details on the vulnerability and how it is exploited, it is mandatory to know about the protocols that have been used as the medium of access for the vulnerability exploiters. RPC and DCOM protocols RPC - Remote Procedure Call as defined by Microsoft is, "a protocol used by the Windows operating system. RPC provides an inter-process communication mechanism that allows a program running on one computer to seamlessly execut e code on a remote system. The protocol itself is derived from the Open Software Foundation (OSF) RPC protocol, but with the addition of some Microsoft specific extensions†. (Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026, 2003) The Distributed Component Object Model also called as the DCOM protocol allows for a seamless communication across several networks for multiple software accessories. The result of which is a direct communication which is uninterrupted and can be easily established across networks that are using different transport mediums. Examples of such network transport protocols include the universally accepted Hyper Text Transfer Protocol – HTTP.

Cultural Effects of Alexander's Conquests Essay

Cultural Effects of Alexander's Conquests - Essay Example The people of Asia were quick to adopt the culture of the conquerors. This situation set the stage for integrating Greek culture in the conquered territories and information from both ways. As a result artists, painters, musicians and writers flocked to these cities founded by Alexander in Persia, Egypt and in the later other cities also followed classic Greek city style, complete with baths, temples and public meeting places, a style directly borrowed from Greek, which was further spread along the Silk road in the conquered territories. It is a well-known fact that, the changes in cultures, which we know as history of the civilization, are the direct consequence of sweeping conquests. When Alexander's armies subjugated the known world by their military prowess, the result was Hellinization of the cultures in the centuries to come, and the impact was equal spread from Europe to Middle East and Central Asia. By 323 BC Alexander Empire was stretched from Greece to Egypt, Iran and India. As the Empire grew larger, so does the Greek influence in these new conquered territories. At every conquered territory Alexander setup a strategic military installations with complete Greek style towns, which imported the Greek culture and ideas. And these influences can even be observed even in today in central Asian art and architecture. Despite the enormous distance between the Asia and Europe, the two continents were in contact via Silk Road, which was famous and well-known route for travelers, merchants, pilgrims spreading trade and culture along the silk road from Rome to Central Asia .Without any doubt it was the conquering nations who brought this cultural change and diffusion allowing this diffusion of cultures. Alexander made conscious efforts to hellinize the world, which can be seen by his marriage to Persian princess, the daughter of Darius III .He also asked 80 of his officers to marry local women. During 324 B.C in a feast he offered 10000 of his men foreign women. Other than that he also built about thirty Greek style cities along the route of his conquest, an extension of Hellenistic empire, which continued long after his death. These cities, in the later years even though separated from Greek rule remained alive enclaves of Greek culture. The elite of these cities not only spoke Greek language, but also adopted Greek customs and traditions, including taking part in Greek athletics. Alexander conquests provided the chance for Hellinism to flourish with much greater force among these territories. As a result Greek culture became the culture of the rulers. Alexander used different techniques to consolidate these conquests. For example Alexander founded the colonial installations, even though some were mere military installations, mainly occupied by army to control the city. The important aspect of these cities and town was to acquire the status of Greek cities and able to imitate the Greek style of government. Greco- Macedonians, who lived like Greeks formed part of the local population, ruled these cities. Being conquered, it was natural for these conquered territories to follow the Greek culture and language. One of Alexander's general Peukestas learned Persian language and even became familiar with Persian culture and adopted their clothes, which was an exceptional case. Normally it was the conquered population, who followed the Greek traditions and tried to b ecome part of hellenized culture for

Water and Environment science Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Water and Environment science - Research Paper Example the inhabitants of the Portland city since it supplies them with sufficient amounts of fish like the Chinook, Sockeye and the Chun Salmon, wild animals as well as natural sceneries. The bird species are found on the river banks and they include the bald eagles and the great blue herons (Sethajintanin, et al., 114). Willamette River has undergone a tremendous change in the last two hundred years which is characterized by various human activities like the building of dams, dykes, and dredging. There are various sources of pollution in the Willamette River which include the sanitary discharge from the cities of Corvallis and Portland whose combined storm as well as the sanitary sewer release untreated sewage in to the river during the rainy season. Oil and fuel spills are common in the river because of the boating activity common in the river. Sediment erosion is common in the area where flood carries pollutants from upstream areas in to the river thus causing pollution of the river. Household wastes like solvents soaps as well as the household chemicals that are washed down from the roofs and eventually drain into the river (Poor & Jeffrey, 772). The Willamette River is now considered cleaner than it was in the late 1920’s and in the 1930’s when the river was in a much polluted state that a fish placed in it could die immediately. An authority known as the State Sanitary Authority which was later changed into the Department of Environment Quality. This Authority was responsible for overseeing the cleaning up of the River. In 1968, a major clean up was done which involved the identification of all major waste discharges were controlled thus making the river much safer (Rojas-Burke, 134). From the results of the data collected from the river it is clear that the temperatures were high during the three testing scenarios because of the times in which the samples were taken. High temperatures affect the functioning of the aquatic life since their bodies function

Stakeholders of Lloyds TSB Bank Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Stakeholders of Lloyds TSB Bank - Research Paper Example This paper tells that in our present business climate, individuals need a bank account to generate MORE sales and net income. Businesses prefer to receive postdated checks and related deposit instruments as the replacement for cash. A 1,500 check is safer and easier to carry around than to bring its bulky and "highly tempting" cash equivalent. The returned checks act as payment and deposit evidence of business transactions.  There are many banking services that make deposits in banks preferable to stuffing cash in a person's safety in the home or offices. People, thru the banking system, can now buy and sell products thru the internet. When they are face to face with each other. The bank's many services do not only include safekeeping of the bank deposits, but the bank also helps the economy by paying interest to the depositors. The bank then lends money to its loan applicants and, in return, receives interest income. The bank borrower can now use the much-needed funds to put up a business and hire employees. This cycle of money deposit, money borrowing, business opening, hiring helps the local economy.  People, around fifty years ago prefer to carry cash around because the banking system had just been established. But because of the advent of internet banking, business transactions are now changing the entire economy of the world. Credit and debit cards as well as Paypal, and Western Union monetary transactions are now the minimum requirements for a buy and sell transaction to be accomplished. Due to financial difficulty, carrying cash is now very dangerous. People, during the past, prefer to receive "cold" cash as compared to checks because of the fear that such checks may actually have no funds deposited in the bank at the time of bank presentation for payment occurs.  But still, most of the ordinary people who do not own business and those with small salaries and wages do not apply for checking accounts. The credit card generates high and compounded i nterests that the credit card holder has to be burdened with.  Inter-branch transactions use the credit giro system where noncash documents pass thru a clearing bank. A piece of bank slip or document allows one branch to transfer funds from one bank to another or to and from a person's personal bank accounts.  In the United States, food stamps are given to the unemployed. In the United Kingdom, the giro helps the unemployed person to pay for his basic needs.  If wages fell, then the people will have lesser money to deposit in Lloyds bank. The after effect is that there be will lesser money to spend on basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter.  Therefore the bank will have to advertise so that more of the residents near a Lloyds bank branch will love to deposit their hard earned money in a bank. The people will cope with the sudden wage decrease by reducing the amount they will spend on unnecessary items. The people will react with the sudden decrease in salaries by applying for a second job to alleviate the loss in income.  

Research Paper (The Impact of Web 2.0) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

(The Impact of Web 2.0) - Research Paper Example This paper describes the different risks and advantages of Web 2.0 for today’s businesses, identifying several case studies for companies that have tested Web 2.0 functionality to create a better business model and standing among competitors in similar industries. Web 2.0 is considered part of the â€Å"participatory Web† (Decrem, 2006, p.2). It is called participatory because it creates opportunities for internal employees to enhance their communications systems or can even allow customer groups to be more interactive and post various comments or criticisms to help businesses understand their target markets at the marketing and advertising level. Web 2.0, with the assistance of information technology experts, allows current and pre-existing computer and software systems to become inter-linked with many social media sites and interactive forums to build more cost-effective and convenient linkages to the internal and external environment. At the internal level, in terms of operations, businesses are searching for methods to improve their operational processes by â€Å"improving process, performance by leading and controlling processes with a means to measure or improve business function† (Santa, Ferrer, Bretherton and Hyland, 2009, p.156). At the internal level, businesses must be keenly aware of the costs associated with operational elements, all the way from production through the end product delivery, to ensure that they remain within budget and can stay competitive with a highly-evolutionary external business environment. From a critical perspective, Web 2.0 capabilities can improve many different operational components such as improved online advertising or even supply chain by transforming physical distribution to an Internet-based operation of logistics. Web 2.0 also allows business to regain innovation at a time where

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 33

Analysis - Essay Example According to the data, Dicks Sporting Goods Inc. the company recorded a revenue of 1173.794 Million dollars based on the one year sales. The figure is too high and therefore, the company failed in the analysis test. The twelve month Debt/Capitalization ratio for the company is quite high from what the methodology requires of the company to go public. The leading companies that investors look for do not need money in order to be a going concern. The company has really borrowed a lot of money which is not a good sign for the investors. Dicks Sporting Goods Inc. has 1.84X as debt/EBITDA ratio. This is relatively higher figure. It therefore, means that the company will not be in a position service their current debt in a right manner and can lead to lower credit rating. According to the analysis, the company has a weak relative strength. Companies that have a relative strength of more than 90% is always considered to be very attractive. Therefore, the relative strength of 64% is not good enough for the investors to buy its

Towneley Cycle Story of Noah and Gill Essay Example for Free

Towneley Cycle Story of Noah and Gill Essay The Towneley cycle is a story line created in the seventeenth centaury with playwrights who expressed a significant amount of hatred against. Hatred was the major theme put forwad by the playwrights. Male superiority, is another element of the Towneley cycle as the as this stories portrayed the male as angelic representations of human beings whose only major problem were their wife’s who had to fully depend on their guidance. Settings The play Noah and Gill is depicting the age before Christ set in the period where the male were portrayed as angelic and holy. the duration where secularism was considered unclean and the women were considered to have to be under the control of men Characters Noah who is a man of God married to Gill. Noah constantly complains about his wife and in the play he is portrayed as holy. Second character in the play is Gill who plays Noah wife as nagging woman, who constantly causing stress to her husband and the same time seems shrewish. Plot development The story starts between two married partners Noah and Gill the plot develops from an ancient Christian traditional way of life. Surrounded by both the traditional and bibilical myths, the play holds a strong attraction to the relation with the way of life in the 17th century. To develop the story line the playwright borrows from new fields mostly the the themes expressing hate against women and the mere traditional way of life which are treated dramatically in the age before Christ (B. C) Symbolism There is a lot of use of symbolism in the story cycles as the women are used as that mark of weakness that constantly pulls down the male in the society while the male symbolizes the angelic pillar of the society. The male also symbolize authority that has to be followed by the female in the society so as to keep the balance in the society. Combination of the above styles creates the following When this elements are used in combination with each other we see the development of a storyline which symbolizes a mixture of the period Before Christ and the period during the 17th century marking a blend of two civilizations an ancient and a modern age civilization as the settings of its occurrence and the character presentation which shows perceptions of the 17th century reasoning. Aspects of the 17th century reflected by the story are the illustrations on how women were looked down upon in the 17th century and the hatred that was mated on women by the. The clothing used in the play also shows the marked difference in the belief system which the play is set up as it correlates with the 17th century way of life not the original Before Christ would be setting A classic story done in the settings of the early 17th centaury at the verge of a shift to secular acting from the more conservative Christian story line, illustrated in the Towneley cycle: Noah and Gill in the second shepherds play depicts women as saints which other readers have portrayed to illustrate women negatively but without expression of double standards in your reading it is found that women are not expressed as negatively as men in the story (Dane, 2000). In this play significant attention has not been paid to other women characters that appear in the cycle as they are important in the understanding of women the crucial women’s role in the plays. for example the women who have been virtually ignored in the production of the cycle include Mary Magdalene and even virgin Mary. The play write intentionally presents this women as shrews for example instead of choosing examples in the scriptures the playwright chooses to use fictional characters as in the case of Noah’s wife and Gill where Gill is his own creation (Grafstein, 2002). Hatred of women in the culture in those times is illustrated by the negative interpretation of the women characters. Through a recently carried out research it has been shown that the position of the women was not as bad as the misogyny has lead us to believe . As the women who expressed great hatred for women missed out on be best chances to picture women negatively. Instead of using Sarah in the play Abraham and Isaac to portray mans rebellion against God as originated from the woman scoffing the best picture could have been illustrated by Miriam treating Moses with contemptuous disregard (Kolberg, 2004). It’s also seen that despite the women of those times were oppressed they had a greater control of their lives than the women of the seventeenth century when this plays were written. The play recognizes the scoffing teachings as Noah complains of his wife and the general nature of women. During the first two thirds of the play the theme is centralized on Noah’s wife lack of respect for authority, this depicts her in comparison to the nature of the fallen angles and as materialistic and worldly. In the play Noah is presented angelic family head that has to bear with a stressful wife, who is simply another display of a woman needing the direction of the male. Women are also illustrated comically and more negatively than men. The writer came up with women in these stories to show that women were second class citizens in the eyes of God Reference Dane W. (2000) Collections Of the16th and 17 centurybest Stories Chicago: American Library Association Grafstein, Ann. (2002). Towneley Cycle Story: Noah and Gill. Mcgrawhill: New York. Peter ,Kolberg (2004) Towneley Cycle Story of Noah and Gill : Foundation inn the literary skills Longman publishers (2) 22-27

The Mozart Effect: Concept Overview and Analysis

The Mozart Effect: Concept Overview and Analysis The Mozart Effect Beth Boardley Abstract The Mozart Effect is said to occur when individuals listen to the two piano sonata. It is hypothesized that by listening to this ensemble that individuals will remember information more easily. Two studies were conducted relating to the Mozart Effect. The first study relates to spatial skill performance and how we use the same neural pathways to process this as we do music, the second study was conducted to challenge the first study. The second study’s argument was that any music that is appreciated can cause the same memory effect. In the second study they conducted one experiment in which they exposed unborn mice to Mozart’s piano sonata K448 and then also conducted a study to see how Mozart’s piano sonata K448 affected patients who suffered from epilepsy. The conclusions were that Mozart’s piano sonata K448 did have a positive effect on both animals and humans. In this paper we will discuss the parts of the first study including the hypothesis, variable s, evidence, and explanations the researchers use. We will also examine the merit and generalizability of the second study. Music and Spatial Task Performance By conducting research and doing experiments we can gain reliable answers to the millions of questions we have. There are many different types of research that can be conducted. Researchers choose the type of research and experiments to conduct based on the hypothesis, and the resources available to them. This purpose to this paper is to examine the study of the Mozart effect in relation to two articles, â€Å"Music and Spatial Task Performance† written by Rauscher, Shaw Ky in 1993, and â€Å"The Mozart Effect† written by Jenkins in 2011, and to answer specific questions based on their research. Fundamentally the Mozart Effect is a study that examines whether or not music helps individuals complete tasks better. The first article in question is Music and Spatial Task Performance. This article was written by Rauscher, Shaw Ky in 1993. They strove to prove that there was a causal relationship between â€Å"cognition and cognitions pertaining to abstract operations such as mathematical or spatial reasoning† (Rauscher et al., 1993). They hypothesized that scans of the brain and its neural pathways would show that the intake and processing of music and our spatial ability would use the same pathways. They also hypothesized that theses paths cover large portions of the same areas of the brain. To better understand these articles it is important to understand what spatial task performance is. â€Å"Spatial ability is the capacity to understand and remember the spatial relations among objects† (Jhu.edu, n.d.). In other words it is the ability to visualize in one’s mind. This ability is not static as it develops throughout one’s life. In relation to application, spatial ability is related to a person’s ability to perform at a minimum of two tasks at the same time. An example of a spatial skill would be walking and dribbling a ball. Many occupations require prominent spatial ability such as mathematics, meteorology, natural sciences, engineering, and architecture, among many others. Many of these jobs require research. Conducting research also requires spatial ability. There are many components to conducting research. Two of the most important components are the independent and dependent variables. An independent variable is a variable that stands alone and has no changes made to it. The independent variables in this study are Mozarts sonata, the college students, and the three-year-olds (Rauscher et al., 1993). A dependent variable is a variable that depends on other factors and changes. In the Rauscher et al., study the dependent variable was the memory. Another component of a research study is the controlled variables. A controlled variable is a variable in which the researcher wants to remain constant. The controlled variables in the Rauscher et al., 1993 study consist of Mozart’s sonata, the college students, and the three-year-olds. The music was a necessary controlled variable because the study was music based. The age ranges of the participants was important to control because they wanted to find out how memory was affected in children and in adults. They wanted to see who would remember the information the longest. Rauscher et al., 2013, presented data from two studies. They proved that the college students had better short term memory as a result of listening to Mozart’s sonata. They also showed that the three year olds had advancements, particularly in nonverbal cognitive ability, as a result of listening to Mozart’s sonata too. The evidence from this study was empirical and valid. The researchers explained that infants have the maximum ability relating to developing nonverbal cognitive skills as well as memorization. It has been shown that as we increase in age we lose memory recall and execution skills with the decrease in brain elasticity. This also makes it harder for adults to retain new information. The evidence presented in the article justified their explanation and proved that music and spatial ability travels among the same pathways in the brain. The Mozart Effect In 2001 another researcher Jenkins analyzed the work and studies conducted by Rauscher et al., 1993 in relation to the Mozart effect. Jenkins used the concept of â€Å"enjoyment arousal† as an explanation to the Mozart effect. Jenkins believed two specific factors that affected the study was the type of music being played and the participant’s particular taste for the music. For instance if the participants were to have been of a younger age such as a teenager then they would most likely respond with more positive results to music from their generation such as Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood. In order to test the challenge hypothesis Jenkins conducted a study Jenkins conducted animal experiments. They used rats in utero and exposed them to music for 60 days. The rats were split into groups where each group were exposed to different music. The ensembles in which the rats were exposed to were â€Å"Mozarts piano sonata K448, to minimalist music by the composer Philip Glass, to white noise or to silence† (Jenkins, 2011). After the rats were born and the exposure period was ended they were tested using a maze navigation course. The results from the study were surprising. The study from the maze navigation showed that the rats who were exposed to Mozart’s sonata were the quickest and also the most accurate at completing the maze (Jenkins, 2011). This information is significant because it showed that Mozart’s sonata and the Mozart effect does exist, that it is provable, and that it has an effect on memory. An additional study conducted did not relate to spatial skills or maze navigation. This study involved persons suffering from epilepsy. For this study they used â€Å"29 patients with focal discharges or bursts of generalized spike and wave complexes† (Jenkins, 2001). While listening to Mozart’s piano sonata K448 patient’s EEG results had a visible reduction in epileptic activity. They study showed for some patients there was great improvements. For example â€Å"in one male, unconscious with status epilepticus, ictal patterns were present 62% of the time, whereas during exposure to Mozart’s music this value fell to 21%† (Jenkins, 2001). According to another study, â€Å"The long-term effect of listening to Mozart K.448 decreases epileptic form discharges in children with epilepsy†, the Mozart K448 also had effectiveness in reducing epilepsy and the frequency of epileptic episodes in children (Lin et al., 2011). This study holds merit for several reasons. One reason is that it proves that the Mozart effect does exist. Secondly it provides evidence that the Mozart effect is not based only on music appreciation per the unborn rat’s performance in the maze. It also showed that this effect is not limited to spatial ability or memory as it was also proven to have profound effects in epileptic patients. This study did not take into account individual spatial ability. For instance all the rats were apparently able to complete the maze. The researchers gave no warning that any rats were impaired leading us to assume all of the rats were healthy. The only difference encountered was the music in which the rats were exposed to, or lack thereof. The study performed with the patients suffering from epilepsy did not pertain to their spatial abilities it focused on the decrease of epileptic episodes. .In order to make this study more generalizable all they would need to try and test the spatial ability of many different types of rats. There should be normal functioning rats, mentally deficient rats, deformed rats, and rats that suffer blindness and deafness issues. Added in there could be rats that suffer from malnutrition as well as obesity. With keeping the rest of the study the same a more wide-ranging inference can be made in relation to Mozart’s sonata and the effects it has on the rat’s performance in the maze navigation. In regards to the studies with the epileptic patients other types of music should be used rather than just Mozart’s sonata. Other classical selections could be used such as selections from Bach, Chopin, or other Mozart selections. This could be helpful in order to see if the epileptic episodes are decreased with the various selections or if it is just that particular Mozart sonata. The study could break the music down farther by examining the type of instrumentation within the selection. In the studies it was stated that the Mozart sonata was a piano piece. With this we may deduce that selections using the piano may have an effect on epileptic episodes. A generalization from this is that soothing piano music with no words could have a positive effect on the epileptic episode reductions. Another possibility, just as with the rats, the type of epileptic could be factor such as the severity of the epilepsy in the patient. Conclusion The conclusion of these studies is that the Mozart effect does in fact exist, that it is provable, and that there are positive results in the participants. The first study conducted pertained to spatial skills in college students as well as three year olds. This study proved that younger individuals have the ability to remember information more easily as a result of listening to Mozart’s sonata. The college students showed that information was retained only short-term. Also proven was that the intake and processing of music and spatial abilities use the same neural pathways in the brain. It was later argued that any type of music can make people remember more as long as they appreciate they music being played. This however was disproved through the experiment that was conducted using the rats. They study showed that the rats that listened to Mozart’s piece performed better and more accurately in the maze vs. rats that listened to Philip Glass, white noise, or nothing at all. Also interesting was the discovery that listening to Mozart’s piano sonata K448 was proven to reduce epileptic episodes. The Mozart effect unquestionably warrants further study. There needs to be different types of rats to determine if disabilities such as blindness or injury has an effect on their ability to navigate the maze. More studies with epileptic patients could be conducted as well in order to test different types of music’s relation to the reduction of episodes if any, as well as more studies on individuals and children. References Jenkins, J.S. (2001). The Mozart effect. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94, 170-172. Retrieved January 21, 2015, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/[emailprotected]vid=1hid=116 Jhu.edu. (n.d.). What is spatial ability? Retrieved January 21, 2015, from Lin, L., Lee, W., Wu, H., Tsai, C., Wei, R., Mok, H., Weng, C., Lee, M., Yang, R., (2011). The long-term effect of listening to Mozart K.448 decreases epileptic form discharges in children with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behavior, 21(4), 420-424. Retrieved January 21, 2015, from http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.edmc.edu Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., Ky, K. N. (1993). Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365. 6447: 611. (October 14, 1993). (ProQuest Document ID 76004658). Retrieved January 21, 2015, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED390733.pd