The Lion and the Mouse

A Kion was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: â€Å"If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness. † The Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by st ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaim You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; I now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to con benefits on a Lion. † In The Lion and the Mouse fable, the audience can not only be young generation, but also old generation. In this specific fable, young generation can get some benefits, such as how to trust other people, how can we let other people trust us, what can the young people do to the old people, and w hat is the importance of having friends. In the other side, the older generation can use this fable to dress their children by showing them how great friends can help them in the difficult or impressments situation. The fable prevent from being seen is that the young people can not only help the old people, but also they can do something valuable to society, such as creating new technology and developing an old system. As people growing up, they tend to think that they are becoming stronger and they could do anything they want, which tend to be wrong. They should use their power to protect their families and help other people. For example, if you go to work out every day to build your muscles, you become a strong man that can carry heavy things or equipment. However, some strong men when they have the right or if someone did something bad and he did not mean to, they would hurt him and sometime they would kill him. The idea is really oblivious, which is the people are in this life is to help each other, that’s mean the Vulnerable people can help the people who have the power is one way or the other, so the people who has power should not hurt Vulnerable people because you may need their help in the future.

Erasmus vs Luther; Discourse on Free Will Essay

The Erasmus-Luther Discourse on Free Will begins with the Diatribe concerning free will, written by Erasmus. Luther then refutes Erasmus’ Diatribe with The Bondage of the Will. The question being debated is whether man is in control of his own will, or whether everything is preordained by God, thus leaving man without free will. Their diverging philosophies have been interpreted as being the basic difference between Catholic and Protestant positions regarding free will. This debate offers two very conflicting views, although both philosophies were basic principles in their respective religions. Erasmus builds his argument without a solid foundation; like building a house without a foundation, it can easily crumble. Thus, Luther convincingly attacks Erasmus’ Diatribe. Erasmus holds that man is left with the choice of doing either good or evil. It is man’s choice and therefore, free will exists. In the opinion of Erasmus, the freedom of the will in Holy Scriptures is as follows: if on the road to piety, one should continue eagerly to improve; if one has become involved in sin, one should make every effort to extricate oneself, and to solicit the mercy of the Lord. Two conclusions concerning Erasmus’ beliefs can be drawn from this statement; firstly that man can himself find repentance and secondly that God is infallible, meaning that a person engages in evil acts with his own will. The definition of free will given by Erasmus is â€Å"the power of the human will whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads unto eternal salvation.† While addressing the topic of Adam and Eve, Erasmus states, â€Å"In man, will was so good and so free that even without additional grace it could have remained in a state of innocence, though not without help of grace could it attain the blessedness of eternal life, as the Lord Jesus promised his people.† Erasmus, therefore, believes eternal salvation is attainable with the help and mercy of God, but Erasmus also believes that Adam and Eve caused man to have original sin. Erasmus goes on to write, â€Å"In those without extraordinary grace the reason is darkened, but not extinguished. Probably the same occurs to the power of the will: it is not completely extinct but unproductive of virtuous deeds.† In short Erasmus believed that man has free will and therefore is punished or rewarded according to the choices he  makes. He backs his argument with many quotes from the scripture but so does Luther, thus the argument shifts, and the sense of scripture is the debate. Luther, who wrote The Bondage of the Will to refute what Erasmus had written in the Diatribe, disagrees; stating that man does not have freedom of the will. In the first few pages, Luther proclaims â€Å"The Holy Scripture is no skeptic, and what He has written into our hearts are no doubts or opinions, but assertions more certain and more firm that all human experience in life itself.† Furthermore, he goes on to say â€Å"The essence of Christianity which you (Erasmus) describe†¦is without Christ, without the Spirit, and chillier than ice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Luther immediately implies that Erasmus has not been saved. Luther abhors those who claim to be self-reformers, once again contradicting Erasmus. â€Å"You say: Who will reform his life? I answer: Nobody! No man can! God has no time for you self-reformers, for they are all hypocrites. The elect who fear God will be reformed by the Holy Spirit.† Perhaps the quote that best exemplifies Luther’s position is as follows: Thus the human will is like the beast of burden. If God rides it, it wills and goes whence God wills; as the Psalm says, â€Å"I was a beast of burden before thee† (Psalm 72:22) If Satan rides, it wills and goes where Satan wills. Nor may it choose to which rider it will run, nor which it will seek. But the riders themselves contend who shall have and hold it.† This philosophy contends that both good and evil are worked by a higher being. Both authors in this work make reference to Judas and his betrayal of Christ. Both parties acknowledge the foreknowledge of God, but Luther proclaims that God willed it. Thus the Protestant faith grew on the principles of predestination and the absolute belief that the scriptures are to be interpreted literally. At no point does Luther ever stray from the central point of his refutation, proving Erasmus wrong by presenting the conclusive evidence needed. Erasmus, on the other hand, never really plants his feet in this argument. Erasmus covers his tracks by changing the terms of the debate throughout his work. For example, Erasmus fails to define the limits within which the reader should think that the will is being acted upon. One can not conclude that  Erasmus does not fully believe what he states in his Diatribe, but he admittedly discloses â€Å"I have always preferred playing the freer field of the muses, than fighting ironclad in close combat.† Erasmus proclaims that their debate is in the sense of scripture, yet how can one who defends free will pigeonhole the interpretation of the reader? Luther is much more direct in laying out his arguments and criticizes Erasmus for stating a bare definition without explaining its parts. The debate has very much become a personal matter by the time Luther’s discourse commences. There is no mutual agreement whatsoever, thus it is easy to see why the views of Catholics and Protestants were so divergent. Erasmus is clearly trying to convince his readers, most particularly Luther, that free will does indeed exist. Luther continues to stay his course and states that God wills all. Everything is preordained, evil included. Of the assertions, Luther simply states â€Å"one must delight in assertions to be a Christian at all!† While Erasmus seems leery to take a firm stance in his debate, he is changing the circumstances of the debate, which clearly is an attempt to prevent Luther from pinning him down in Luther’s The Bondage of the Will. After thoroughly refuting everything Erasmus has stated, Luther proclaims that Erasmus has â€Å"asserted nothing but made comparisons†. Whether there be complete merit in either man’s philosophy, Luther h as quite convincingly made Erasmus’ position appear flawed.

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO TOWRAPOINT NATURE RESERVE/BO Essays

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO TOWRAPOINT NATURE RESERVE/BOTANY BAY 1Identify the various plans and animals that occupy this ecosystem.Wading birds, bitou bush, lantana, snakes, crab, river and grey mangroves, salt marsh, algae, small fish, mud whelk.Describe how the abundance of mangrove seedling is measured.The abundance of mangrove seedlings is measured by using the quadrat method. Several set areas of land are randomly marked out, the amount of seedling in each area is counted and averaged. This is then multiplied by the total study area divided by the individual quadrat areaDescribe the distribution of mangrove species.River mangroves prefer to grow in sandy more sediment areas in small clumps, while grey mangroves prefer muddy areas and grow further apart.Identify the producers, consumers and decomposers.Plants like mangroves and salt marsh as well as detritus (mostly dead plants) are producersAnimals like foxes, birds and fish are consumersWhile smaller fish, crabs alga and fungi are decomposersGive examples if any ofa) predator/preyb) mutuali smc) commensalismd) parasitisme) allelopathy(a) birds prey on fish (b) lichen growing on mangrove tree (c) oysters andmangroves (d) mistletoe growing on mangrove bark (e) some fungi stunt thegrowth of other plants 7AdaptationList conditions found in mangrove ecosystem which makes colonization difficult.Little sunlight on floor, very wet, varying salinity.Identify and describe in detail.Mangrove: roots provide structural support in soft soil, also allows oxygen in though the surface.Ibis: lack of feathers on neck to reduce water logging, long beak to probe into mud, long toes to balance on mud.Grey mangrove: taller to reach out of canopy and get more sunlight for photosynthesis.River mangrove: leaves can regulate salinity, and turn in high heat to reduce water loss though evaporation. 8Human impact- Discuss at least three human impacts on this ecosystem. (include a positive one as well). Invasive introduced plants are affecting native plants at towra point. Plants like lantana and bitou bush take up space and steal resources from native plants ever since being introduced in the 1860s, introduced feral animals like foxes and rabbits pose a threat to native species. They eat native birds and other wildlife as well as causing erosion to the soil through burrowing. Many conservation programs are in place to reduce coastal erosion, regenerate habitat and kill non-native species.

Hate crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hate crimes - Essay Example tions of their formation are mostly notorious in that, as the term hate implies, these groups expresses extreme aversion or hostility towards their defined focus; as they all possess characteristics of bigotry and being structurally organized. More identified with their activities are violent and exhibition of criminal acts, believed to be consistent with their philosophies and beliefs and with utter disregard for social responsibility. Personally, one believes that society must endeavor to create a check and balance mechanism that would pre-empt and anticipate aggressive behavior and violence planned to be perpetuated by these groups. By eliciting the assistance of authorized government security agencies (the FBI, anti-terrorist agencies, the police), the agenda of hate groups must be monitored and any untoward incident attributed to any of the groups’ members should be sanctioned according to proper legal proceedings. The questions that came to one’s mind while reading the chapter are: (1) how effective are current government agencies’ measures in pre-empting violence and crimes planned by these hate groups? (2) Were there any benefits that have been identified to hate groups’ ideologies to society, aside from seeking to achieve the groups’ interests and goals? (3) Could society ultimately provide a solution to prevent the formation of hate

San Francisco Prescott Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

San Francisco Prescott Hotel - Essay Example The hotel offers some of the best services to its customers. From celebrities to business executives, from families to groups of friends, the hotel fits the needs of all its guests. The experience is unmatchable and the hotel is marked as one of the bests mainly because of the front desk staff here at Prescott. The front desk staff plays a major role in any hotel’s success and progress. They tend to carry out some of the major activities related to the customers including welcoming customers, listening and responding to customer complaints and needs, allocated check ins and check outs, ensuring security arrangements, settling customers’ accounts, and giving them important information or messages (Sterling, 2010). The hotel pampers its guests and provides them with a number of facilities that would add up to their amazing experience. It gives club level accommodations to the guests including complimentary breakfast and a free hosted bar night for two hours. The wine receptions in the evening for business executives and friends are hosted in the lobby lounge near the fireside. This is completely arranged and handled by the employees of Prescott. The front desk department has the duty to ensure all the events and services are given to the customers and there are no complaints. The staff at Prescott is friendly, highly professional, and trained in providing guests a remarkable experience. As we know that the biggest attraction that the hotel has is its location. The building of the hotel was originally built in early 1900s giving it old world elegance and adding to the historic importance of the location. The hotel lobby lounge adds to the historic importance as it includes paintings and interior which reflects the historical details related to the city. Prescott has trained its front desk department with all the necessary details about the paintings and the building. The employees seem to

Murabahah in Islamic Commercial Law Application within Islamic Banking Essay

Murabahah in Islamic Commercial Law Application within Islamic Banking and Finance Industry - Essay Example Now there are more than two hundred Islamic financial establishments all over the world. Actually, Murabahah is a term associated with Islamic Fiqh, which indicates to a particular type of sale, and it has nothing to do with financing. Islamic scholars still argue that, the structuring of  Murabahah  financing is rather different from the overdraft facility prepared along conventional lines as the former one offers numerous benefits to the bank and its customers. In fact, murabahah as a means of finance was permitted by the Sharia scholars with certain conditions. Unless these conditions are fully observed, murabahah is not allowable. According to Sharia, if the conditions are ignored, the transaction becomes void or worthless. â€Å"Murabaha is a sale contract for selling a specified item at a mutually agreed mark-up (profit) added to the purchase price† (Trade Based Financing Murabaha Cost-Plus Sale) n.d.). Issues in  Murabahah 1. Securities against  the Murabahah Pa yments received from sale are called receivables, and for this purpose, the clients are asked to provide a security. 2. Guaranteeing Murabahah The seller can request the client to provide a  third  party guarantee. The guarantee doesn’t have the option to charge fee from the client. The reason is that, a person who is charged with a fee for advancing loan may fall under the definition of riba. . 3.  Penalty of Non-Payment: In case a client fails to make payment of the fee on the due date, the fee should not be increased. â€Å"In Murabahah financing, once the price is fixed, it cannot be increased† (Important Issues Involved in Murabahah n.d.). 4.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Rollover in  the Murabahah† (Roll Over in Murabahah 2011): Once a commodity is sold through Murabahah, its possession transfers from the bank to the client, and therefore the seller may not have any right on the property. The seller can claim only the price agreed. 5.  Rebate on Former Payments: Occa sionally some debtors often like to pay before time to obtain discounts. However within Islam, a large section of Muslim scholars as well as the major schools of thought regard this as un ­Islamic. On the other hand, if the Islamic bank or the financial institution gives somebody a discount on its own, it is not offensive, particularly if the clients are needy. The Significant Issue in Murabahah Financing. The subject of debate among the modern Shariah scholars is that the bank or financier can go for a real sale while the client requests Murabahah financing from the bank, because the obligatory commodity, at this stage is not possessed by the bank, and the person cannot sell goods not possessed by him nor can he facilitate a forward sale. It is also decided that the commodity which is sold is given as a security to the seller. Some scholars have the opinion that this can be done only after the buyer has undertaken its delivery and not prior to that. Critically Discuss and Analyze the Discourse from the Different Legislations and Jurisdictions by Presenting the Islamic Finance Cases that Have Come Before the Courts. Islamic banking denotes a system of banking activity or banking that is reliable with the principles and rules of Islamic law (Sharia), and its practical application in the course of the growth of Islamic economics. â€Å"Sharia forbids† the payment of fees for lending cash (Riba, usury) on specific conditions, in addition to investing in businesses that offer goods or services measured contrary to its principles (Haraam, forbidden). At the same time, as these principles were employed as the support base for a flourishing financial system in earlier times, it is merely in the late 20th century that numerous Islamic banks were created to apply these principles to semi-private

What roles do religions play in Appiah's analysis How is your approach Essay

What roles do religions play in Appiah's analysis How is your approach similar to or different from his - Essay Example Let me highlight that most people have always sought the assistance of religion when cumbered with spiritual and social problems. This paper will therefore give a vivid explanation of Appiah’s story. Appiah has given a vibrant explanation of importance of religion. The following are the importance of religion according to Appiah. I will keenly observe the points raised by Appiah. In so doing I will criticize, such points to ascertain whether they are true. The importance of kingship is highlighted by Appiah to be very important. The arrival of the king at the palace is described as horrific. It is noted that the king wore quill of porcupine looking like a worrier ready to devour. In this way, the importance of the king in the Asante kingdom is very significant. This shows that kingship plays an integral part of Asante religion. Appiah highlights that when the king arrived, everyone remained standing until the king settled on the throne. This shows that the people had high degr ee of respect for their king (Furness 2009). The importance of modern religion has been highlighted in Appiah’s story. He was able to notice the picture of the king greeting the pope on the wall of the palace. This shows that the Asante people had respect and value for God. In this way, people are seen to have their own freedom of worship. Appiah has also highlighted that modernity has intruded in to acts of religion in the kingdom. In this case, most people have tried to embrace modernity. This has weakened the contemporary Asante religion. Appiah has noted that intrusion of western culture and way of life has tended to weaken the native Asante culture and religion (Kepler 2011). Appiah has highlighted vividly that religion is meant to unite people. For instance, people of Asante kingdom were seen to be united by this factor. They had common places for their worship. It has been noted that most people have embraced modern ways of religion. Most of the Asante elites are Catho lics. Modern religion has resulted in unity of different people. In this case, people are able to work together as a team. I must highlight that I have agreed with Appiah statement on unity. In fact, the ultimate reason for religion is to foster unity among different people (Schieman 2011). This is because people from different backgrounds always come together to worship one GOD. Another importance of religion is to foster growth and development among the people. Appiah has highlighted that missionaries came to transform Africa. Through their new religion, they brought Christianity. In this case, most Africans were able to condemn their native way of life. The rise of Pentecostal messengers has even developed this view farther. The Pentecostal preachers are currently challenging the churches and condemning the old rites of idolatrous. This shows that religion is responsible for condemning of vices in the society (Anthony 2011). The preaching of the bible is based on the Ten Commandm ents that are meant to guide people on their relationship with GOD and others. Religion has a role for ensuring spiritual fulfillment. It is important to note that Appiah highlights that different people always need different conditions for spiritual fulfillment. In this case, such people can no more exist better in the same moral as compared to the manner plants can exist in same physical and climate. I have to agree with Appiah that spiritual fulfillment is always achieved through religion. This is the reason most people with different problems always go to church. In fact, nowadays, most people believe that their problems can be solved through prayers rather than traditional and cultural interventions. The increase in the number of people who go to

What methods are used to identify patterns and trends in crime in the Essay

What methods are used to identify patterns and trends in crime in the UK - Essay Example Identification of spatial patterns of crime has seen the promotion of several theories and has been the subject of many philosophical debates in an attempt to help explain their manifestation. According to some crime analysts, models drawn from studying animal behaviour may even help predict human behaviour. Crime analysts are borrowing from game hunting and the study of predatory movement. Crime maps are used to record the locations of incidents in order to help predict where criminals are going to strike next, are used by police throughout the world. This paper discusses some of the methods used to identify patterns and trends in crime in the United Kingdom. According to Cole (1995) the tools of the disciplined futurists are a sound methodology, a sense of history and theory, knowledge of key factual data, and the ability to examine crime in the contexts of broader social, political, technological, and economic trends. The data sources and methods used to guide forecasting include crime statistics; surveys of experts, practitioners, and the general public; literature reviews; scenario writing; and statistical (time series) models that extrapolate crime trends into the future. Mathematical models that explain the behaviour of observed past values can be used to forecast future crime trends by projecting a time series analysis of crime trends into the future. In general, the source of quantitative time-series forecasting is police- and victim-reported crime statistics. Modelling consists of describing the causal sequence of variables and the prediction of their interactions. Any predictive model endeavours to show a relationship between certain independent (predictor) variables and a dependent variable (i.e., the criterion to be predicted). The principal strength of quantitative models, in relation to qualitative forecasts, is that descriptions of future crime rates are much more specific and precise, although not

Importance of Eminent Domain and the Negative Financial Effect Essay

Importance of Eminent Domain and the Negative Financial Effect - Essay Example This paper seeks to explain the economic importance of eminent domain and the negative financial effect it has on ordinary citizens. Eminent domain has helped in economic development as it has provided land that has revitalized communities and increased the welfare of cities and states (Godwin 69). It has enabled smart growth. Eminent domain has helped to correlate development and improvement of the quality of life. It promotes development with economic cautiousness and it does keeping in mind environmental prudence. Eminent domain offers the government with the power to be able to assemble or utilize underutilized land or the land portion in depressing and decaying neighborhoods. This helps in revitalizing such areas so that can help economic development. Over the years, there are various case studies that have revealed the significance of eminent domain and how it has helped the government to assemble different parts of land in order to promote economic development. This has helped to savage depressed or failing communities. Eminent domain has also led to economic development or ordinary citizens. In Lakewood, Colorado there was a Villa Italia Mall that was approximately 1.4 million square feet. This was an area of gross leasable. In the early 1990s, the land began to decline. The city later initialed eminent domain proceedings in the quest to acquire this land. This was closely monitored and orchestrated by Continuum as the proposed a new city plan. From this proceedings, they anticipated sales tax revenues of about 90$ million with a future projection over the next 20 years. Up until now Belmar is known as Lakewood’s thriving and uprising downtown. The second case that has shown the importance of eminent domain is of Best Buy that is located in Richfield, Minnesota. Best Buy decided to purchase a headquarters complex that was about the area square of 43 acre in the year 2000. This was not taken lightly and, after the condemnation proceedings, the cou rt had to intermediate this issue. The case was ruled in favor of Best Buy. They were able to acquire the land and were able to relocate their offices to this place by March 2003 (Mich 70). Economists assert that it is possible for the redeveloped site to be generating about 8$ million on a yearly basis. This is about ten times what was initially gotten as taxes from that land. Eminent domain has also helped in making the life of ordinary people safer and their environment much habitable. A case to support this fact is the New York City’s Time Square. Back in 1980 there was a memorandum of understanding between Empire State Development Corporation with regards to the development of the 42nd St. This project was focused on building new offices towers hotels entertainment facilities amongst other improvements. This eventually turned Times Square into a lively center that has shopping, entertainment and business facilities. This Corporation was able to purchase parcels of land t hrough two means. It was either through outright public development, regulation or condemnation. This parcel of land has been having constant public litigation and controversy. Revitalization of Times Square has made it to become a model for other cities to enumerate. Despite the importance of eminent domain to ordinary citizens, it has some negative financial effect on them. The major issues and challenges that eminent domain presents

The Concept of Privacy in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Concept of Privacy in the Workplace - Essay Example All the employees of the company must be given a corporate email account. The account will have a password known only to the user of the account. This control mechanism ensures that the only person that can enter the account is the employee. The concept of privacy in the workplace is a widely debated topic. A lot of employees feel that despite being paid a salary during work hours they are entitled to certain basic levels of privacy including the right to personal emails with confidential information. The company’s policy should be to allow personal emails to occur, but its content cannot be confidential due to the possibility of a traitor leaking confidential information to outsiders using the email system of the company. The email content will be audited every 30 days for quality assurance purposes. An important element of the email system of the company is the usage of email to provide customer service. All major companies provide its customers an email address for support. It takes a lot of labor to read through these emails. The company must hire an additional 50 employees to increase the speed of its email customer service support function. The new standard should be to increase the customer service response of the company to every 24 hours. To achieve this goal the customer service department must be redesigned to run a 24-hour operation composed of three daily 8-hour shifts. The email system and customer service function could be streamlined through the use of advances in information technology. The company could spend a few thousand bucks to incorporate an artificial intelligence that filters customer support emails based on necessity and customer inquiry. The system could be used to provide faster support to customers that have major issues that require immediate attention. All the emails that are sent and received by employees will be stored in a database for five years. The customer's emails the company receives will be also be saved for at l east five years. The system will automatically save the emails in a database upon being sent or received. Safeguarding the employees and customer information is very important for the company. The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 increased the compliance costs for public companies in the United States. The stored capabilities of the system will help the company comply with the Security and Exchange Commission and other governmental agencies regulations. The internal email policy of the company includes the following stipulations. The employees of the company must answer all emails within 24 hours of receiving the email. The employees can only access the information system of the company from within the physical facilities of the company. The employees must not take any digital documents of any information. The employees can use the corporate email for personal emails, but they must realize that an audit may read the contents of the email for quality assurance purposes. The email has becom e a primary communication tool that everyone that is online uses for personal or business purposes. Due to the delicate nature of information transfer in corporate America companies have become stricter about security measures regarding electronic tools such as emails.

Equality diversity and inclusion in dementia Essay Example for Free

Equality diversity and inclusion in dementia Essay The term consent capacity means for an adult to have the ability to understand information relevant to making an informal or voluntary decision. A wide range of diseases, disorders, conditions and injuries can affect a person’s ability to understand and give consent to information that has been relayed to them. Informed consent is a phrase often used in law to indicate that the consent from the individual meets the certain minimum standards. In order to give informed consent the individual concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and be in possession of all relevant facts at the time that the consent is given. Impairments to reasoning and judgment which may make it impossible for someone to give informed consent include such factors as basic intellectual or emotional immaturity, high levels of stress such as post-traumatic stress disorder or as severe mental retardation, severe mental illness, intoxication, severe sleep deprivation, Alzheimers disease, or being in a coma. Questioning and challenging decisions that are made by others this would depends on the mental capacity of the individual you want to support. First, you would obtain their permission and then you must get them to explain as exactly as possible what help they reckon they need. Then you can offer further information, suggestions, and a plan to challenge such decisions. You could offer to be their spokesperson if they werent confident enough to speak out, or to accompany them to any hearing or appointment. However if the person is mentally impaired, you would have to get their signed permission to speak and act on their behalf before any health or social care workers would listen to you because of issues of confidentiality, you either have to be next of kin, or obtain powers of attorney or guardianship. How identity, self-image and self-esteem are linked is that self-esteem is how much you value yourself, in an ideal world this would be an equal to anyone purely on the basis of being human. Self-Image is the spinoff of countless self-esteem choices, and is basically your mental image of you as you are, usually not accurate. Identity is linked with this because everyone has their own identity and this is unique to each person. People’s identity is buil t up on their self-image and self-esteem. Every part of your life is influenced by your state of wellbeing. These factors enhance person’s wellbeing; a happy relationship with a partner, enjoyable and fulfilling career, a good network of close  friends, a supporting family, enough money, regular exercise, a balanced diet and fun hobbies and leisure. There is lots of different uses for risk assessments for example there will always be a risk assessment carried out and the start of the day or the start of a shift, this is normally and formal risk assessment. You will also risk assess things as you are getting on with your work for example if there is an object in the middle of your path you will may move it out of the way or to the side so you and others can get past safely, these risk assessments you may not realise that you are doing them because they just seem obvious and come so easy to you. You may also risk assess whether people that are in your care are not likely to get injured or lost by contractors that are also using the facilities. Every individual has rights of their own choices and decisions weather it is putting them at risk, this is why risk assessments are carried out to make sure the risks that the individual are willing to take is kept down to the lowest risk. As a carer you have responsibilities to make sure you and your service user are kept out of risks and danger. Risk assessments need to be regularly revised because peoples abilities change which could mean that they can no longer use stairs so you will have to risk assess what may happen if they were to use the stairs and how to prevent them from being at any danger. You also have to risk assess your ability to carry out some activities. So they need to regularly revised because you never know when an environment is going to change.

Computers Essay Example for Free

Computers Essay Books will never be completely replaced by computers. Computers can crash, and all information will be lost. If the power goes out in your house, you cant read on your computer, but you can pick up a book. What you read on a comp. is just light or something on a screen. A book is is a permentent physical printing. If computers replaced books, wed all have serious eye problems. The joy of reading would be lost. Id hate to have to depend on a machine for my relaxing reading time. Books are forever, computers are until it breaks down, and everything will be lost. Books can be taken care of, as can computers, but there are books that are a hundred years old, I havent heard of anyone with the same computer for even 10 yrs. see more:essay on computer I guess comps are getting new and better, but books are still better to read. However, on the up side for comps, 1 comp, can store probebly over a hundred books, sort of like an i pod. But if the 1 comp breaks, that a hundred books too. Computers are good, and should store that kind of stuff, but I dont think it should completly replace the book. That would really suck. You cant haul your computer everywhere you go, like the bus, waiting rooms, the lunchroom, bed, etc. Too large, awkward and unwieldy. Even laptops. You cant just throw a laptop in your purse. I take books with me everywhere I go so I have something to kill the time with when Im waiting. I read everyday on my lunch hour. I read before I go to bed. Sitting in front of a coputer to read makes my eyes, butt and back hurt, because you have to sit up to do it and the computer screen is too bright. Plus, books dont need batteries. I think its okay for kids in school, and Im sure that there are other instances, but I highly doubt that books will ever become obsolete.f a book from reading an actual book instead of a screen. . Finding good novels or non-fiction would be more difficult because of the volume of all kinds and qualities of same. A computer, even a notebook, will never replace a pocket-sized paperback you can stick in a purse and read anywhere. Books dont need batteries, service, defragging or any of those things. Like many aspiring authors, Im excited by the possibilities posed by on-line publishing, but I have some serious reservations about what could happen if there is an unchecked volume of materials placed out there. Also, collecting royalties could make writing for profit even more of a challenge than it is today. Intro Science has made4 mch developments during the recent decades. It has developed many gadgets for our comfort but in my opinion they cn never replace the traditional things and ways. One of the greatest invention of technology and sciences is computer

Gender inequalities in employment

Gender inequalities in employment Introduction In this essay I shall discuss the progress of the European Unions attempt to dismantle gender inequality in employment. In addition to this, I shall examine current EU legislation, policy issues, social and economic challenges faced by both men and women. Finally, I shall then comment on EU solutions and further developments that can help alleviate the gap in inequalities in employment. The European Union is also referred to as the European Economic Community (EEC) it is a union consisting of 27 member states; the EU was created by theTreaty of Maastrichton 1st November 1993 upon the foundations of theEuropean Economic Community (cited in Wikipedia) this union is merged together to improve the economical, political and social cohesion amongst people who reside in these countries. After the 2nd World War, many women were required to fulfil the spaces of men, who had lost their lives in battle or were unable to work and thus there was a gap in the labour force. Women were therefore recruited and thus introduced in to employment to strengthen and maintain the fragile economy at the time. However, on contrary to popular belief women continued to work even after the economic situation improved, the Suffragettes movement was extremely notable in women fighting for recognition. From the beginning women were treated unfairly in regards to poor pay, however some were happy to have some economic independence from men and thus accepted demeaning jobs. (Cited in Euro culture master) Cockburn (1991) comments that the relationship between capitalism and labour is shared between bosses and men, and thus neglects the gender relationships of work and home. Much of the theory regarding women and employment is largely based on patriarchal theories. Duncombe and Marsden (1995) argue that women are subjected to triple shifts this involves paid labour, domestic labour and emotional labour. The emotional labour refers to the care and attentiveness of the family unit, i.e. the social role of the woman being a wife and a mother towards the children and husband. Due to such challenges the notion of protective legislation was introduced. (Cited in Sociology: An interactive approach p189) Much treaties and directive were introduced in to some EU countries in attempt to dismantle gender inequality. The EEC established the principle of fair pay for men and women in Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome in 1957. However this was extremely complicated to practice in all members of states. This was simply due to the notion of equal pay for equal work but it was very rare that both sexes performed the same type of work. It was also noted that typically male jobs were much better paid then female jobs. Hence, it was apparent that the socially existing norm of male power was more important than female qualities. In 1975 the EU introduced directives to further empower women in the field of employment; the council directive of 75/117/EEC further supported the treaty of Rome on equal pay. Since 1975 there have been many key directives in aiding womens role in employment, some of the directives have focused on equal treatment of women in regards of promotion, social security, during pregnancy, and sex discrimination. (Cited in Women Lobby) During the 1990s the EU began to realize the significance of gender equality and how it impacted the employment sector. In 1997 the EU introduced the European Employment Strategy (EES) which recognized equal opportunities amongst men and women. The treaty of Amsterdam was also introduced in 1997 this treaty was combination of past directives and further introduced positive action to combat equal pay and discrimination amongst men and women in employment. (Cited in Union History).However, there were criticisms of these policies which only ensured that more women were in work and did not focus on the quality of the jobs they were in. This view is further supported in the following quotation: In practice, more attention has been paid to raising the female employment rate than to generating the better jobs for women that are essential for narrowing the gender pay gap (in Union History) Sadly the EU has failed to fully implement gender equality in employment, since it still persists despite the introduction of the above directives and treaties. The EU has therefore proposed six key objectives within the Road map for gender equality (2006-2010). These include equal economic independence for men and women, reconciliation of private and professional life, equal representation in decision making; the eradication of all forms of gender based violence, the elimination of gender based stereotypes, and finally the promotion of gender equality in external and development policies. (cited in Commission of the European Communities Report 2006) The inequality of gender gaps is the first key objective of fulfilling EU goals in employment and social cohesion. The demand for increased participation of women in the labour market provides a marked contribution to economic development and in turn economic independence for women. According to the above article, women still face more risk of poverty due to being over represented in the secondary labour market. According to Barren and Norris (1976) women are employed in unstable employment that is based on short term contracts, lower pay and entail unskilled work with fewer prospects , they are therefore more likely to be made redundant and thus suffer from a decline in the labour market. (in Jorgensen et al,1997 pg p192).In Addition Bruegal (1976) comments from a Marxist feminist perspective, states that such workers are used to keep costs at minimum by replacing more highly skilled and demanding workers i.e. men. (Cited Jorgensen et al,1997 pg p129) Women are therefore literally restricted in their opportunities to work further due to their domestic and emotional responsibility. In addition, women entrepreneurs are faced with more difficulties then male counterparts in building up their own business, in attempt to dismantle the structural inequalities and discrimination the EU has recommended the Entrepreneurship Action Plan to help support women in developing such projects. Women who also belong to ethnic minority groups suffer from twice as much discrimination and challenges, in order to fight such multiple discrimination the EU has proposed the Framework for the Integration of Third Country Nationals. This framework provides the promotion of migration and integration policies in order to guarantee womens rights and civil participation. In doing so, women from all backgrounds, can use their full economic potential and have the equal opportunity to education and prosperity. (Cited in Commission of the European Communities Repor t 2006) The second key objective of the EU is of the reconciliation of private and professional life for both men and women. According to the (Commission of the European Communities Report 2007) women face more challenges than men when it comes to handling work and private life, consequently this affects their career choices. Statistics suggest that more women than men work on part time basis and thus take more career breaks than men, which clearly has a harmful impact on their careers. Also, women are more subjected than men, to take on domestic and emotional labour in addition to taking parental leave and looking after children and other dependent family members. The 2007 EU Commission report concludes that due to the lack of accessible and affordable childcare, women face more inequality in employment. The overall result of this is that women are placed in unstable jobs with lower pay, which makes them more vulnerable to the larger risk of poverty. The matter is made worse for single pare nt families who have dependents. On the other hand, according to the Lisbon treaty, womens employment in the EU is close to meeting its goal of 60% by 2010.(cited in Commission of the European Communities Report 2009,pg5) However, it is clear that a lot more needs to be done to accomplish satisfactory levels of childcare provisions (according to the Barcelona objectives) in order for both parents to combine work and private life. The European Union has also reflected further funding targeted at improving equal opportunities, for instance the European Social Fund(ESF) which caters for women projects in regards to vocational training in alliance with the NOW community Initiative.(cited in europrofem)The EU has also established initiatives in 2008 to support better work life balance by making amendments to directive 92/85/EEC on maternity protection. The changes introduce changing the minimum maternity leave from 14 to 18weeks without the loss of earning.(cited in Commission of the European Communities Report 2009,pg 6 ) Furthermore, this idea has also been developed in regards to family related leave in regards to family policies and work life reconciliation issues for men. For instance, legislation on improved leave arrangements for fathers is already incorporated in countries such as Sweden, Germany, Greece, Lithuania and Spain. The third EU key objective in the roadmap proposes the need for the equal representation of women in decision making posts. The unequal division of domestic labour and caring responsibilities has clearly been a barrier in the advancement of women in employment, there has therefore been a need to amend and create policies to encourage womens participation in the labour market. The Commission of the European Communities Report 2007 noted that women predominated jobs were undervalued in comparison to male counterparts. Findings suggested that such jobs had lower rates of pay. For instance almost 40% of women were employed in the health, education and public administration sector in comparison to only 20% of men.(pg 3). In defence of this argument, men also face discrimination in accessing non traditional employment. For instance the notion of a male carer or nurse is seen with disgusts or caution due to gender stereotypes formed by society according to Acker (1989) (cited in Theory and Practice of nursing: an integrated approach to caring practices By Lynn Basford, Oliver Slevin). This suggested a segregation of the labour market which was being reinforced by traditional and social stereotypes which further influenced people in to gender roles. The EU has since implemented a: ..network to promote women in economic and political decision-making positions which was launched in 2008 to provide a platform for exchange of good practices between existing networks at EU level (Commission of the European Communities Report 2009,pg 6) In attempt to dismantle the inequality of gender in employment the fourth EU key objective is in regards to the eradication of gender based violence. The EU has established the Daphne programme which supports women and children who have suffered as a result of domestic abuse.(cited in europrofem) The commission has also encouraged the criminalisation of trafficking women and children through exploitation. The EU proposes under new directives to reintegrate such vulnerable groups in to the labour market. It also proposes the support of member states to encourage awareness raising campaigns, support networks both for the perpetrators of violence and the victims of abuse. The fifth EU key objective as described in the roadmap is the notion of gender based stereotypes. At present there is still a major problem in regards to inequality in employment. The EUC has identified a gender pay gap has one of the major concern for the European commission according to The Road Map for Gender Equality 2006-2010. In order to improve the present dilemma, there have been many legislative and non legislative developments to combat the challenges of discrimination and encourage gender equality in employment. Furthermore, despite the previously mentioned interventions above, there still persists a major gender pay gap which reflects on the overall factors of inequalities and thus discrimination in employment. On average women were earning on average 15% less than men in the European Union in 2005. (Cited in Commission of the European Communities Report 2007, pg 2) It was found that the gender pay gap still exists due to direct and indirect discrimination factors. It can also be attributed to social and economic factors. In regards to dismantling gender stereotypes the EU recommend gender mainstreaming and encourage ESF, ICT programmes in education and culture programmes in schools through media tools. In regards to the sixth and final key objective illustrated in the roadmap for equality in employment, the EU has proposed the development and amendment of policies extending to external neighbouring countries. The EU adheres to recognised values of the Millennium Development Declaration and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA). The recent EU strategy for Africa is also committed to encouraging gender equality in external countries. The EU commits to promoting the need for education and freedom of opportunity and health and safety. Above all, it welcomes the participation of all women in the sphere of economic and political life in decision making. Four priority areas have been identified by the Commission these include, that pre-existing legal framework is fully applied and utilised whilst identifying areas for improvement. The active participation of all parties is also to be promoted in all Members of State. In addition to this, the European Strategy for Growth and Jobs should be applied in full to all employers. Above all the notion of good practice at all levels is to be stressed to overcome traditional stereotypes and discriminatory practices. The European Pact for Gender Equality 2006 stresses the importance of the commitments of the Member of states to take critical action in this area. Furthermore, several members of states have reunited to take prominent action regarding the labour market, education, training, and the balance of work and private life. Unfortunately there has been little progress in regards to commitments from the other member of states to take action addressing this issue according to the Commissions annual report on growth and jobs 2006.( cited in Commission of the European Communities Report 2007,pg 8) In defence of the above the Commission in 2007 vowed to improve the quality of statistics used in regards to the gender pay gap, in addition they have also promised to encourage all member of states to set key targets and limits for reducing the pay gap between man and women on the basis of data and findings gathered by the annual reports issued. The Commission is also in progress of setting up action programmes on equal opportunities for its own staff, it is apparent that within public administration there is a major pay gap which is directly influenced by the presence of occupational segregation and the small presence of women in decision making posts. Despite the overwhelming evidence that an increased amount of women are becoming more highly qualified, there is still a persistent fact they are still outnumbered by men in higher positions of hierarchy and importance, both in politics and business.(cited in Commission of the European Communities Report 2009,pg 5) According to the European Alliance on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) the notion of equality also poses as a competitive advantage as it utilises the staffs full productive potential. It encourages incentives to support good practice to tackle the inequalities in the pay. Currently the Commission already promotes good practice by raising awareness through the PROGRESS programme. (cited in Commission of the European Communities Report 2007,pg 9) In addition to the above, the Commission also proposes to introduce gender equality policies, to eradicate structural inequalities within the workplace in regards to improving the profile of occupations which are paid less. For instance, the Framework of actions on gender equality 2007, proposes awareness-raising and training measures in addition to the growth of wage comparison tools and strategies to decrease the pay gap. (cited in Commission of the European Communities Report 2007,pg10) Conclusion To conclude this assignment the notion of equality is integral to the values of the European Union. Despite the European Union making significant progress over time, in regards to developing directives, treaties and legislation. In addition to, the EU has reinforced gender mainstreaming via training and capacity building for those involved in policy making. Statistics indicate that gender inequality still persists in employment. The European Union have a long way in fulfilling key targets in dismantling gender inequality. In my personal opinion the EU key objectives need to be more transparent to the public in terms of setting realistic targets to strengthen gender mainstreaming across all member states in order to achieve change. References: Commission of the European Communities Report 2006 Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, The European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions(2006), A Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010,Brussels,(Online) Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0092:FIN:EN:PDF (Accessed 20/11/2009) Commission of the European Communities Report 2007 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council,, The European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions(2007). Tackling the pay gap between women and men, Brussels,(Online) http://www.retepariopportunita.it/Rete_Pari_Opportunita/UserFiles/news/com_pay_gap_.pdf (Accessed 21/11/2009) Commission of the European Communities Report 2009 Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Brussels,(2009) Equality between women and men-2009 Brussels,(Online) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0077:FIN:EN:PDF (Accessed 21/11/2009) European Union http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union (Accessed 10/11/2009) Euro culture master http://www.euroculturemaster.org/pdf/kunstova.pdf (Accessed 12/11/2009) Europrofem http://www.europrofem.org/contri/2_04_en/en-gend/08en_gen.htm (accessed 23/11/2009) Jorgensen,N.,Bird,J.,Heyhoe,A.,Russell,B.,Savvas,M.,(1997).Sociology:An Interactive Approach,Collins Educational Union History http://www.unionhistory.info/equalpay/roaddisplay.php?irn=785 (Accessed 15/11/2009) Women Lobby http://www.womenlobby.org/site/1abstract.asp?DocID=184v1ID=RevID=namePage=pageParent=DocID_sousmenu (Accessyoutubeed 14/11/2009) http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=WCSunMx7EJ8Cpg=RA1-PA392lpg=RA1-PA392dq=theory-male+nurses+gender+equalitysource=blots=Bqru6biKWysig=PY0uthcQiq3VFmaaivgF6YEpLPQhl=enei=wnsdS46lJJeZjAfU_f2PBAsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=2ved=0CAsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepageq=f=false

Women in the Military :: Women in Military Essays

Women in the Military   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gun shots go over head. Bang, boom, run, run, run, hurry, go, boom, is all that can be heard. It’s completely dark outside. You can barely see ten feet in front of your face. All that can be seen is outlined figures of individuals running every which way. Shouting is coming from every direction. What should you do? Every second you think leaves your body vulnerable. You are in the middle of a high intensity fire fight. All of sudden you feel a little weak in the knees. You are still standing up, but you cannot walk even one step. You feel faint, almost a sick type of feeling. You look down and you notice blood coming from your body. Then it becomes apparent†¦you have been shot. You fall to the ground; everything is in slow motion and you yell as loud as possible for help. Medivac is on the way but you have to be carried a half a mile away from the conflict for them to pick you up. Can the individuals on your team carry your body all that way. After all they are tired as it is. What if the only person that could be counted on is a woman who is not able to lift you†¦then what? Because women do not go through the same physical standards as men, they should not be allowed to serve in the United States Military.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now I don’t want to sound like a woman basher. I believe women are capable of doing the same roles as men do. They need to undergo the basic training standards as men though. Here are a few interesting facts about basic training physical test standards in the United States Marine Corps for men and women. The Marine Corps has the hardest physical standards among all the branches in the military. Men have to run a three mile course in twenty-six minutes. Women have to run the exact same three mile course, but they are allowed an additional six minutes to do it in. They have to do run in a maximum time of thirty-two minutes. Does this seem right? This is not all. Men also have to complete three pull-ups before going to the next test; women, only one. Men have to do fifty push-ups and sixty-five sit-ups each in a time of two minutes. Not women. They only have to do thirty push-ups and only a pathetic fifty sit-ups in that same amount of time.

Beware of Lifes Illusions Essay -- Personal Essays

"I've looked at life from both sides now From up and down and still somehow It's life's illusions I recall I really don't know life at all" -- From the song, Both Sides, Now, by Joni Mitchell "Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless1...I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind2." The words struck me like a slap to the face. Their truth, cold as ice, was suddenly clear to me. All the things I had been striving for, success, fame, fortune, even the very human desire to be popular with my peers, they are all but chasing after the wind. They can never be caught. The moment you think you have them they go twirling off in some new direction. We had been invited to a fall get together at a friend's house. As we drove to the party, there was a deer, newly dead lying alongside the road. It's once graceful form, now lay in a crumpled heap, seemingly cast aside, like an unwanted rag doll. The flies were already striving to commit it's body t...

Visions of Utopia in Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe :: Defoe Robinson Crusoe Essays

Visions of Utopia in Robinson Crusoe  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Daniel Defoe achieved literary immortality when, in April 1719, he published Robinson Crusoe" (Stockton 2321). It dared to challenge the political, social, and economic status quo of his time. By depicting the utopian environment in which was created in the absence of society, Defoe criticizes the political and economic aspect of England's society, but is also able to show the narrator's relationship with nature in a vivid account of the personal growth and development that took place while stranded in solitude. Crusoe becomes "the universal representative, the person, for whom every reader could substitute himself" (Coleridge 2318). "Thus, Defoe persuades us to see remote islands and the solitude of the human soul. By believing fixedly in the solidity of the plot and its earthiness, he has subdued every other element to his design and has roped a whole universe into harmony" (Woolf 2303). A common theme often portrayed in literature is the individual vs. society. In the beginning of Robinson Crusoe , the narrator deals with, not society, but his family's views on how he was bound to fail in life if his parents' expectations of him taking the family business were not met. However, Defoe's novel was somewhat autobiographical. "What Defoe wrote was intimately connected with the sort of life he led, with the friends and enemies he made, and with the interests of natural to a merchant and a Dissenter" (Sutherland 2). These similarities are seen throughout the novel. "My father...gave me serious and excellent counsel against what he foresaw was my design," says Crusoe (Defoe 8-9) . Like Crusoe, Defoe also rebelled against his parents. Unlike Crusoe, however, Defoe printed many essays and papers that rebelled against the government and society, just as Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, did in England by depicting society languishing in social malaise (Marowski 231). It were these writings that eventually got Defoe charged with libel and imprisoned (DIScovering Authors). In Defoe's life it was the ministry that his father wanted him to pursue (Sutherland 2), but, instead, Defoe chose to become a tradesman (DIScovering Biography). The depth of the relationship between Crusoe and his parents in the book was specifically not elaborated upon because his parent's become symbolic not only of all parents, but of society. In keeping this ambiguous relationship, Defoe is able to make Crusoe's abrupt exodus much more believable and, thus, more humane.

Asian Americans Essay

Asians are not a homogenous group. They do, however, constitute a significant minority group in the United States. Asian Americans represent many distinct subgroups that speak different languages, worship through different religions, and practice different customs and beliefs. The main groups are East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Korean), Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asians (Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian), and South Asian (Indian and Pakistani). Threads of similarities may run through the subgroups, but they all have distinct histories, origins, and cultural roots. Among these groups, differences also exist within national groups, families, and individuals themselves. Some Asians were born in the United States, while others come from abroad. Some are affluent and come with highly developed skills while others are barely literate. Regardless of success or acculturation, many Asians are stereotyped as the â€Å"model minority† because often the Asian student is often the one who is at the head of the class and is the valedictorian at graduation. Many people believe that the Confucian ideas that stress family ideals, respect for elders, deferred gratification, and discipline, are the reason for high educational achievement. Studies show that Asian Americans are more likely to believe that success in life is connected to what has been studied in school. American schooling may contradict the fundamental cultural beliefs of Asians because it emphasizes individualism and competition, while the ethnic identify of Asian children is often based on their relationship to the group and allegiance to family. Academic achievement and upward mobility are viewed as an obligation for the maintenance of the family, which is the responsibility of all family members. Additionally, Asian parents teach their children to respect authority, feel responsibility for relatives, and show self-control. School failure is seen as a lack of will, and this failure can be alleviated by increasing parental restrictions. Baruth and Manning (1992) claim that Asian American children need reinforcement from the teacher, and work more efficiently in quiet, wellstructured surroundings. These children appear to be more dependent, conforming, and obedient by placing the family’s welfare before their own desires. Asians may be confused with the apparent teacher/student informality of the American classroom, and function better with structure and organization. (Baruth & Manning, 1992). Asian cultures also value the idea of humility and/or self-effacement. Children may not volunteer to participate in the classroom until specifically asked by the teacher. Drawing attention to oneself by virtue of misbehaving might cause great distress and result in â€Å"losing face† because children are taught to value silence, listen more than speak, speak softly, and be modest in dress and behavior. The following suggestions are offered by Feng (1994) as a formula for teachers to address issues concerning the diversity of Asian American cultures. It should be noted, however, that these suggestions could be implemented for any ethnic group. Get to know the customs, values, and traditions of various cultures, and learn the conditions under which students came to the United States. Try to visit the students’ homes and get to know the families. Learn a few words of the students’ native language to set the tone for communication. Encourage native language use at home. Use English-proficient interpreters with parents. Try to learn the children’s names and pronounce them correctly. Be careful not to encourage discord between home values and school expectations. For example, if the home expectation is conformity, don’t encourage the child to challenge the teacher. Academic expectation should be based on ability rather than stereotypical beliefs. Peer tutoring can be used for children who are not yet proficient in English. Know who make decisions for the child and utilize the natural support system. Develop strong home-school links for communication. Avoid assumptions about children’s prior knowledge and experience (e.g., not every child has experienced a birthday party). Discover what you can about Asian parent networks. The best way to remove a cultural barrier is to appear sincere. Common Characteristics of Many Asian Cultures (Culture grams) Greetings: Bow or nod Individuals do not touch each other Little or no public display of affection Stand far apart (even farther than Americans do) Gestures: Smiling and laughing often indicate embarrassment Little or no affection is shown in public It is impolite to speak loudly Hand and arm gestures are not often used in conversation People’s sneezes are not usually acknowledged. People are beckoned by waving all the fingers with the palm of the hand facing down. Pointing is done with the entire hand. Japanese say no by shaking the hand from side to side with the palm forward, and point to themselves with their pointer finger facing their nose. People must sit erect with both feet on the floor; it is impolite to put an ankle on the knee. Yawning is impolite. Vietnamese men do not offer to shake hands with women. General attitudes: Society is group oriented. Loyalty is to the group, the family, and to one’s superiors as opposed to personal feelings. Humility and self-effacing comments are normal. It is essential to act similar to or in harmony with the crowd. People strive to conform in appearance (even when wearing the latest Western styles, people must try to look like everyone else). Reserve and modesty must be observed at all times. It is important to save face at all times, for self and others. People will often allow others to escape potential embarrassment with dignity. Goals and decisions are made with the good of the group in mind, not for the personal benefit of any individual. Time: Being late is impolite. People are prompt or a little bit early (for social as well as business affairs). Family: The family is extremely important. The family has a strong tradition of respect and loyalty. There is a strong sense of family reputation and family obligation. Elders  are highly respected. Many members of the extended family (particularly in- laws) live together. Cultural Backgrounds Teaching and learning styles reflect cultural backgrounds. Students who have teachers from their same culture have little problem understanding the cues provided by the teacher. Students will already be familiar with the appropriate interactional behaviors expected in the classroom. Some students are from cultures with values that promote field dependence (a more community oriented style), while other cultures are inclined to be field independent, which encourages independence and competition. With proper instruction, field-dependent and field- independent students can learn to be bicognitive; that is, their learning styles can be expanded to function appropriately in any given situation. Teachers need to provide activities that incorporate all types of learning styles. If they are aware of their own cultural learning styles and preferences, teachers will be better prepared to recognize the learning styles of their students. Stereotyping Stereotyping can happen when false and exaggerated characteristics of a group are attributed to the individual, but socio typing involves an accurate generalization about cultural groups as a whole. If teachers misinterpret the learning style data and make decisions based on incorrect assumptions, students can be hurt or limited in their school experience. Mainstream teachers are often at odds with their diverse students because they are unaware of the differing cultural values they bring to the classroom. To promote effective teaching, teachers need to plan curriculum and instruction to incorporate the learning styles of their students. If students are uncomfortable in class, they may become bored, unresponsive, or test poorly. Classroom Interaction Based on cultural norms, participation structures describe the interactions of students in the classroom, when and how to speak, and what to speak about. Teachers may misinterpret inappropriate or awkward classroom interaction, as every culture has individual norms that dictate proper classroom behavior and student-teacher interaction. Directness in speech is valued in the American cultures. â€Å"Don’t beat around the bush,† â€Å"Get to the  point,† and â€Å"The bottom line is†¦,† are indicators of the values placed on direct speech. â€Å"Indirect speech† is an objective of cultural patterns held by Asians, Native Americans, and many Latin American cultural groups. It is important to â€Å"save face† by not embarrassing others or shaming another person. High-context cultures (such as Japanese) do not have to talk much because the members of the society communicate with intrinsic knowledge of how others think, feel, and what they ex pect. Low-context cultures (such as American, Swiss and German) must be very specific and explain everything- what is expected, what the rules are, and how things should be done. These cultural expectations are mirrored by how people think and act. Body Language Miscommunication occurs during verbal interaction as well as through body language. Kinesics (the study of body language) includes facial expressions, posture, gestures, body movements, eye contact, or any ritual, that conveys messages or meaning for a culture. The Japanese bow is an example of kinesics. From the American standpoint, a bow is just a hello or good-bye gesture. However, to the Japanese (and some other Asian cultures), a bow can be quite complex because a deeper meaning can be conveyed by the bow. The lower-status individual must begin the bow, and must bow lower than the higher-status person. When the individuals bowing are equals in society, the bow is simultaneous and of the same depth. It can be erroneous to attempt to read someone’s behavior based on our own frames of reference. Nonlinguistic Communication Every culture has its own way of depicting the following domains of nonlinguistic communication: Paralinguistic: Sounds that accompany language and vocalizations that replace speech. Kinesics: The study of body motion, gestures, unconscious body movement. Oculesics: Eye contact and motion to indicate meaning. Individuals from some cultures show respect and interest by making eye contact (e.g. Americans) while other cultures show respect by not making eye contact (i.e., Haiti, and Puerto Rico). Haptics: Location, frequency, and contexts in which people touch. Proxemics: The unconscious use and organization of personal space. Chronemics: Perception and use of time. Monochronic time: Doing one thing at a time, in a linear fashion (e.g., American). Polychronic time: Doing many things at a time (e.g., Hispanic). All cultures operate on their own systems of communication, and these beliefs will be manifested within the everyday context of the classroom. Knowledge of nonverbal communication specific to other cultures will help teachers to understand the students they teach, and well as students’ parents. Educators must be careful not to make the mistake of judging people’s emotions by using their own cultural indicators. Not everyone shows grief, anger, happiness, and embarrassment, or other emotions in the same manner. Students with teachers from their same culture have little problem understanding the cues provided by the teacher and the appropriate interactional behaviors expected in the classroom. Those children and teachers from differing cultures do not know the rules of each other’s cultural rules and have difficulty inte rpreting correct teacher-student interactions. Although not the panacea to end all classroom problems, effective teaching is more apt to take place if both the teacher and student are aware of the benefits of integrating appropriate instructional materials that correspond with culturally congruent teaching and learning styles. Knowing that cultural patterns drive behavior, teachers who are aware that their students have differing cognitive styles are able to adapt their classrooms to include activities that incorporate all types of learning in their teaching. The teacher will begin to understand why some students experience problems when their natural learning styles are incompatible with the teaching style of the teacher. Various researchers have pointed out that Asian students tend to be highly visual learners. Hispanics are generally auditory learners, and non-Westerners are more inclined to learn through tactile and kinesthetic modes. The following information is given as a general guide for teachers to better understand the needs and styles of individual students. Individual personalities will always preside over the overarching cultural characteristics, yet teaching will be more effective and teachers can make modifications and adaptations to their curriculum and if they are aware of cultural differences. Hispanics Carrasquillo (1991) notes that Hispanic students are diverse due to different backgrounds, but they may share general experiences through family  structure, religious beliefs, and general customs. Spanish-speaking cultures include people from many countries (including the United States) with unique characteristics. The common thread is the fact that they all speak Spanish, albeit with varying degrees of fluency, accents, intonation, verb structures (i.e. tu, usted, and vos) and certainly different connotations for similar words. These societal variations can be likened to the differences among the United States, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, and South Africa. Culture grams (produced by Brigham Young University) offer cultural information as an â€Å"aid to the understanding of, feeling for, and communication with other people.†

Economic Viability Of Photovoltaic Cell Productions Environmental Sciences Essay

The UK Government and the bulk of developed states ‘ representatives have started paying a batch of attending towards low C breathing engineerings. This proposal is for the production of photovoltaic cells in an economic manner, to do this most abundant and clean fuel the cheapest and best option for people to utilize. Why should we breathe less Carbon in the ambiance, and shall we exchange to the energy resources which are less carbon emitting? Are we cognizant of our environment in which we live? Do we cognize the danger for humanity in the approaching centuries? Can we recognize that we are responsible for the depletion of clean air and other resources from our environment? The reply is NO. People in this money devising universe are non cognizant of their environment and besides they are non interested in taking attention of or their well-being. Increase in the figure of industries across the universe increases the sum of green house gases [ GHG ] emanation ( Mills, 2003 ) . Harmonizing to the 2010 figures obtained from the website State Master 2010, the Carbon emanation is at a unsafe degree in most of the industrialised states. As a consequence of increasing GHG in atmosphere our Earth is confronting a serious climatic alteration ne'er witnessed before. Already a immense hole has been identified in the ozone bed because of the increasing degree of toxin and GHG emanations. Global heating is now turning as a serious issue in all states and full universe is now seeking to take down the degree of toxic substances in atmosphere and to cut down planetary heating. Because of planetary heating glaciers and ice caps started runing in Polar Regions. If planetary heating continues in the same manner so our climatic status will alter drastically which will ensue in the depletion of human sort from Earth ( Weiss, et. Al, 2008 ) . Solar power panels are nil but combination of photovoltaic cells and rectifying tubes. When light falls on the surface of photovoltaic cells, it produces an induced voltage. When 1000s of photovoltaic cells are arranged in a panel and when all of them are connected in series, the electromotive force produced will acquire multiplied, therefore bring forthing a coveted electromotive force that can be used for place applications.Topographic points where you can implement solar power panels:Every street in every state has street visible radiations. All the street visible radiations can be made to work under solar power panels which save the sum of electricity. Solar power panels can be installed in every place to obtain power for running simple electrical contraption in places. The solar powered vehicles can assist finally cut downing the sum of C emanation ( Kaelin et. al. , 2004 ) . If we use solar power in the fabrication sectors so there is a immense possibility of cut downing the em anation of C dioxide in the ambiance.The major cause behind planetary heating:Research workers have found out that most of the climatic job which we face today is because of the emanation of carbon-dioxide. Whatever procedure we do, we emit carbon-dioxide. Industries are seeking to develop new engineerings in order to take down the sum of carbon-dioxide emitted into atmosphere. Apart from the increasing figure of industries there is a drastic lessening in the figure of trees across the universe. This is another major ground for high emanation of C dioxide in ambiance. Though there are many toxic substances emitted in atmosphere, most of the jobs are created merely due to carbon dioxide. So research workers and common people are now seeking to cut down the per centum of C emanation in ambiance.How to cut down C emanation?As we are now forced to cut down the C emanation sum, research workers and engineer are in a Hunt to happen out alternate attack. New methodological analysiss are de veloped and provided to people. When people use those methods finally emanation of C is traveling to be reduced. There are some power coevals methods from which you can achieve zero C emanation. Zero C power coevals methods will utilize natural resources for bring forthing power like hydro power, solar power, air current power, geothermic power and besides atomic power. ( Mckinnon et. al. , 2010 ) . If we use natural gas as our energy beginning we can achieve minimal sum of C emanation. Even if we use natural gas method the sum of C emitted can be captured and stored utilizing advanced methodological analysiss which prevents C from come ining into our ambiance. Everything is in the custodies of current and approaching coevalss as merely they can cut down the sum of C emitted into atmosphere. For illustration, they should seek to minimise the use of cars for unneeded state of affairss, cut down the use of air conditioners and iceboxs, and avoid combustion of fossil fuels and plastics and many more ( Mills, 2003 ) . To maintain our environment safe, it is of import that people around the Earth start utilizing clean fuel. No other fuel can be every bit clean as solar energy resource. We can work out energy related issues by utilizing this beginning. There are few companies who have succeeded in bring forthing photovoltaic cells for mundane usage. Still it is non the most utilised signifier of energy. The intent of this research proposal is to happen ways of doing solar energy use more common.Cardinal issues:Solar energy is a great energy resource. Still there are barriers to its common use. Although the engineering has proven to be environment friendly and more dependable for the future coevalss, it is still non used by multitudes. Marketability of a merchandise depends on several different factors such as affordability, nest eggs, practicality, and handiness in general. At present usage of solar energy is low-cost and practical. Still, people are non utilizing it to the extent they should. They still non gestate it as an economically feasible energy resource for them. In the under developed parts of the universe, there are really few companies which are bring forthing photoelectric cells that can be used by multitudes. The state of affairs, nevertheless, is different in the developed universe. Sing the figures given by Nation Master, if a clean fuel ( photovoltaic cells ) replaces other C breathing signifiers of energy in the developed states, the concerns of conservationists will be taken attention of. The issue here is that, although the photovoltaic cells are proven to be environment friendly, they are now available to multitudes and they are economically feasible excessively, it is still non the preferable fuel for multitudes. How should we travel about replacing all other C breathing beginnings of energy in every office and every place across the state with solar energy? This could be a immense effort, but one that truly should be deserving while, since if these syste ms worked good we could be salvaging the Earth and human sort a batch of heartache sing non renewable energy every bit good as pollution and of class money salvaging for concerns. The inquiry of marketing the merchandise to multitudes is what we need to reply.Research AimsThe aims of my research, in a nutshell, are as follows: To analyze the barriers to advancing solar power coevals and use as a fuel for multitudes. To analyze the implicit in grounds of ‘Why the solar engineering has non been feasible and common so far ‘ . To research if there has been any betterments in the bing engineering to do it be effectual solution to provide to the whole energy demands of a house or little concern. If non, what are the restraints and demand for betterments. Finding the economically feasible solution for little concerns. How to do it practically feasible for little concern and families, and how it can be taken to multitudes. To analyze the impacts of promotional activities towards doing the engineering common. I will roll up primary and secondary informations to analyze the impacts.Literature ReviewGlobal heating is the hot subject across the Earth. Scientists and research workers are seeking to happen some ways to cut down the sum of C dioxide being emitted into our ambiance. Already Earth has witnessed the consequences of C emanations in the signifier of depletion of ozone bed and thaw of glaciers and ice caps in the Polar Regions. If this status prevails and planetary heating tends to increase for the approaching old ages, there is a great menace to the following coevals of human sort ( Kaelin et. al. , 2004 ) . From the study of ESTIF ( 2007 ) , it is clear that if this status prevails for following century so evidently our full human sort will be at the hazard of extinction. Is at that place any manner to cut down the green house consequence? Is at that place any manner to cut down or even to avoid the emanation of C into our ambiance? Yes. There are many other natural energy resources utilizing which you can even forestall the emanation of C into our ambiance. Natural energy resources are available in the signifier of H2O, air, air current, solar and atomic. Among the signifiers of energy resources mentioned above, it is solar energy which we get more abundant than other beginnings of energy. Weiss et.al ( 2008 ) references that it is merely through heat energy we are making most of our twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours activities. Using solar powered generators you can easy bring forth the necessary sum of electricity that can run some electrical contraptions in your place. Solar power panels can be easy installed in your places from which you can easy bring forth and hive away power that can be used for any electrical intent. Solar power panels are now popular across the universe and most authoritiess are now seeking to pin down the maximal sum of solar power they obtain. We know that about half the solar power is radiated from Earth ‘s surface, which when trapped can be efficaciously used for power coevals intents. If solar power coevals techniques are implemented successfully, we can easy cut down the emanation of C to a greater extent. Mckinnon et. Al. ( 2010 ) have discussed the market size merely in UK for solar energy utilizing devices. The information from 2009 Tells us that companies and public corporations make up 58.2 % of the UK endeavors, 24.4 % are exclusive owners and in conclusion non-profits make up 3.9 % and partnerships 13.5 % . This information is rather important as we know that many companies are proprietaries and merely little concerns. The proficient sector of the economic system ( including scientific and professional ) makes up 15 per centum of endeavors in the UK and it is a sector that would certainly utilize new engineering such as that of a solar electric generator. Another sector that is really note worthy is the buildings sector which makes up 13.4 per centum of endeavors, as concerns in this sector would most surely use new engineering, as they are in the concern of edifice, so why non construct with the latest engineering. When looking at the sizes of companies it is really note worthy that 88.7 % of UK concerns have less than 10 employed, which normally means it is a little company, and 98 % have less than 50 and merely 0.4 % has an employment of over 250. This clearly shows how many little concerns there are in the UK and if 88.7-98 % of concerns in the UK switched to new non-carbon emitting engineering for electricity, there would no uncertainty be a immense positive consequence on the environment. It is true that even though really big companies make up merely a little figure of the concerns in the UK they still produced hundred of times more emanations than the little companies combined, as it is mentioned earlier, the big companies would be certain to put in such engineering as it would be really of import for them public dealingss wise. If a big company choose NOT to travel ‘green ‘ while other big companies do, consumers would decidedly head to the ‘green ‘ competition. So with the big concerns reasonably good forced to subject to the new engineering, is it worth doing it come-at-able and doing the investing for the 98 % smaller companies? Well yes. strength is in Numberss, right! ( Izquierdo et. al. , 2010 ) . With the sheer figure of little concerns in the UK, there would be an undoubted impact if they all went with the new engineering, as through their Numberss little companies have a big impact.MethodologyThe basic methodological analysis I will follow during this research will be to roll up information through dependable secondary beginnings. I will analyze the impacts of marketing attempts of two solar cells making/distributing companies from UK over the buying form of their mark market. The organisations I have selected are: ECOSOL UK Solar Century UK Initially, I will establish my research on secondary informations. If, nevertheless, the published beginnings turn out to be less so required, I will roll up primary informations through questionnaire methods. For my research, I will analyze secondary informations about the two above mentioned houses. After informations aggregation, it will be classified, and analysis will be done. The analysis might necessitate the usage of some statistical tools which will be used as per demand. Interpretations will be made on the footing of this analysis. The research therefore will be done non merely qualitatively but it will besides be quantitative.Ethical ConsiderationsWhile roll uping the information, it will be ensured that no confidential/classified information offered by the companies is misused. The information will be protected. Name callings of the participants in my primary informations aggregation interviews/survey will non be displaced in any state of affairs. The company informations and any personal information collected during this research will be safe guarded carefully to guarantee no information larceny or abuse of information.Undertaking TeamThis research will be carried out under the supervising of my supervisor. I will roll up the information for analysis, and will make a thorough research on the bing state of affairs and will show my findings in written signifier.Undertaking TasksTo transport on this research, I will analyze about the bing market state of affairs and about the already explored possibilities of utilizing solar energy as the chief energy resource in our mundane life. Use of solar energy as the most of import energy resource by multitudes has many advantages. The nest eggs would be great. Huge cost decrease in the usage of electrical energy, and this energy beginning would be much less taxing on the Earth thanks to no more C emanations, it ‘s a renewable beginning that we are non traveling to run out of and the Earth would be health ier and safer for future coevalss. There is no uncertainty that the benefits are immense, for the Earth, for people and for concern. Large concerns would be all over it right from the start, nevertheless, there are far greater figure of little concerns than big concerns, how can these little concerns be convinced that the solar energy resource is good, and one time they are positive how can it be made practical for them to utilize photovoltaic energy?Progress So FarThe clip taken up boulder clay now has been utilized in preliminary degree research. The undertakings which will necessitate to be done to successfully finish this research are: First undertaking to be done is to be after the whole procedure. It will take a hebdomad to complete the program and to get down working on it. This undertaking will be done by the terminal of December 2010, before the winter interruption. This undertaking includes readying of questionnaires and other research tools every bit good. After the undertakings are planned and it comes to the executing, the following measure would be research. This is the toughest portion, and I will necessitate a month for it. The month of January, 2010 and some portion of February will be dedicated to this undertaking. This stage includes informations aggregation through primary and secondary resources. This is the toughest stage as the two above mentioned companies will be contacted and informations will be collected about them. The last hebdomad of February, 2011 will be spent in sorting and analysing the information. The last 3 hebdomads of February, and some portion of March 2011 will be spent in composing the existent thesis article. March 2011 will be spent in redacting the thesis as per my supervisor ‘s instructions and the concluding undertakings like printing and binding for concluding entries will besides be done during this clip frame. Even though we are allowed until the terminal of April, 2011, I want to let myself some slack clip in instance I needed to make redacting.Resources requiredTo transport out this research, I will necessitate entree to library, cyberspace and on-line libraries for literature reappraisal, research and secondary informations aggregation. To reach the companies, a missive of recognition will be required from the university. I will besides necessitate a tape recording equipment for the unfastened ended inquiries of my questionnaire for primary informations aggregation. Stationery will be required for completion of the undertaking.Undertaking CostThe entire cost of this undertaking that I will hold to bear will be my ain traveling disbursals to see the company offices, and the cost of printing, and adhering the thesis.

Apostle Peter Essay

Peter (also known as Simon) was one of the original 12 apostles. He became the leader of the apostles, after Jesus’ ascension. Peter was originally from Bethsaida on the northern shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter was married. He was a fisherman with his brother Andrew. His home was in Capernaum. When Jesus called him to be an apostle, he was given the added name Cephas (Aramaic: â€Å"stone,† Greek: â€Å"Petros,† which in English is rendered as Peter). Peter was a native of Bethsaida  Peter was one of the three main apostles, along with James and John, who were chosen by Jesus to be present during certain important moments of His ministry. Peter was the natural spokesman of the twelve disciples. One trait of Peter’s character that stands out in the New Testament account, is his impetuosity. The personality of Peter is one of the most vividly drawn and charming in the NT. His sheer humanness has made him one of the most beloved and winsome members of the apostolic band. He was eager, impulsive, energetic, self confident, aggressive, and daring, but also unstable, fickle, weak, and cowardly. He was guided more by his quick impulse than logical reasoning, and he readily swayed from one extreme to the other. He was preeminently a man of action. His life exhibits the capacities for good. He was forward and often rash, liable to instability and inconsistency, but his love for and associations with Christ molded him into a man of stability, humility, and courageous service for God. In the power of the Holy Spirit he became one of the noble pillars of the church. Peter was famous for many things: For being at Jesus’ transfiguration, for walking on water at Jesus’ bidding, for rebuking Jesus for what seemed to him negative thinking (prompting Jesus’ sharp reply â€Å"Get behind Me Satan†), for his statement to Jesus during the washing of feet during the Last Supper, for his denials of knowing Jesus when Peter was in the courtyard of the high priest, for drawing a sword when Jesus was being arrested, and for being granted the singular privilege of an individual post-resurrection appearance by Jesus (Luke 24:34, 1Cor 15:5). When Jesus asked him â€Å"Who do you say I am? † Peter made that famous statement, â€Å"You are the Christ (Messiah) the Son of the Living God. † (Matthew 16:15-16). Under the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter healed the sick and raised the dead. He made a trip to Antioch (Galatians 2:1), and possibly Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:12). It is believed that Peter later traveled to Rome, and was martyred there by crucifixion in 64 AD. He is said to have requested that he be crucified upside down, because he said he wasn’t worthy of dying in the same way as Jesus. Peter wrote two Epistles, called 1 Peter and 2 Peter. Whereas, the first letter was an attempt to encourage a church threatened with official persecution and repression, the second letter dealt with the perils of Apostasy which was an even greater threat. Knowing that he would not be spared to keep control of the situation, Peter was writing to forestall this calamity and to warn the church of its danger. A key verse within this larger context is chapter two, verse one: But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. An influx of conscienceless agitators who repudiated the lordship of Christ(2:1) and whose attitude was haughty (2:10), licentious (2:13), adulterous (2:14), greedy (2:14), bombastic (2:18), and libertine (2:19) seemed imminent. A looming heresy involved a denial of Christ (2:1) and ridiculed the promise of his return (3:3-4). Certain teachers were consumed with fleshly lusts and despised divine authority. They were rebels—sneaky, reckless, and bold in their opposition to truth. They lived more on the animal level than as godly human beings (2:1, 10-12). These peddlers of error delighted in seducing and taking captive ignorant souls, all the while promising them freedom to live independently of the will of God (2:14, 18-19). They were church outlaws! They will purposely try not to be noticed and bring division in the church by distorting and departing from the word. They will lay down truth alongside the falsehood and secretly bring in destructive heresies. They will deny the Lord who died for them by presenting a different view of the gospel. The focus is not on the cross for salvation. The principal design of this letter was to â€Å"stir† Christian minds to a greater level of spirituality and to fortify them against the danger of certain false teachers who threatened their faith. The key to this letter is the word know of knowledge), which occurs frequently in the three chapters, often referring to knowledge of Christ. This knowledge is not primarily academic, but spiritual, arising from a growing experience of Christ (2Peter 3:18). It produces peace and grace (1:2) and fruitfulness (1:8), is the secret of freedom from defilement (2:20), and is the sphere of Christian growth (3:18). It may be that the false teachers were Gnostics who stressed knowledge as the means to salvation, and that Peter sought to counteract their falsehoods by a positive presentation of true knowledge. Near the conclusion of chapter two, Peter described the false teachers as previously having: (a) escaped â€Å"the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ†; (b) known â€Å"the way of righteousness; and, turned from the holy commandment delivered unto them (vv. 20-21). The inspired apostle concludes his statement by emphasizing the danger inherent in the doctrine these heretics taught—a threat both to their converts and to themselves.