Properties of Hydrates Essay

Purpose: The purpose of the â€Å"Properties of Hydrates† lab is to study hydrates, and be able to identify them. This lab also focuses on observing the reversibility of hydration reactions by hydrolysis, and also testing substances for efflorescence of deliquescence. Procedure: A.Identification 1. Place 0.5 grams of each compound (Nickel Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Tetraborate, Sucrose, Calcium Carbonate, and Barium Chloride) in a small dry test tube. 2. Heat gently with a burner flame and observe carefully. If droplets of water appear on the test tube it may be a hydrate. Note the nature and color of the residue. 3. Let the tube cool, and try to dissolve the residue in a few cm3 of water, warming if necessary. A true hydrate will dissolve in water, producing a color similar to that of the original hydrate. A carbohydrate will give off water, but tends to char. The residue will also often be a caramel color. B.Reversibility 1. Gently heat a few crystals of about 0.3 grams of hydrated Cobalt(II) Chloride, CoCl2 x 6H2O in an evaporating dish until the color change appears to be complete 2. Dissolve the residue in the evaporating dish in a few cm3 of water from the wash bottle 3. Heat the residue to a boiling and carefully boil it to dryness. Note any color changes. 4. Put the evaporating dish on the lab bench and let it cool. C.Deliquescence and Efflorescence 1. Place a few crystals of Na2CO3 x 10H2O, CaCl2, KAl(SO4)2 x 12 H20, and CuSO4 in an a separate evaporating dish next to the CoCl2 prepared in part B. 2. To see weather the samples gained or lost mass, weigh each of them on a top-loading balance and record to the nearest hundredth. 3. Weight them again after an hour to detect ANY changes in mass. 4. Observe the samples occasionally. Note any structures in color and structure  and degree of wetness. D. Percent of Water in Hydrate 1. Clean crucible and its cover, and also make sure that crucible tongs are clean. Put over fire, and let cool. 2. Weight the crucible to the nearest thousandth. Handel with tongs 3. Obtain a sample of an unknown hydrate, and place about 1 gram in the crucible. 4. Weight the crucible, cover and sample on the balance. 5. Put the crucible on the clay triangle, with the cover off center to allow water vapor to escape. 6. Heat again, gently at first, and then with the bottom red for about 10 minutes. 7. Center the crucible cover, and let it cool to room temperature. 8. Weight the cooled crucible and with its cover and contents. 9. Examine the solid residue. 10. Add water until the crucible it two thirds full. Warm gently if the residue doesn’t readily dissolve. 11. Does the residue appear to be soluble? Waste Disposal: Dispose of the Copper mixture, and the Aluminum mixture in the correct bowl under the waste hood. All of the acids and bases can be disposed of down the sink. If the compound isn’t water soluble put in the organic container. Chemical Principles in the Laboratory: Experiment 6 Conclusion: The purpose of the Properties of Hydrates lab was to be able to identify if a substance was a hydrate or not. In lab, experiments where conducted to see if a compound was a hydrate or not. In order for the compound to be deemed as a hydrate it had to: 1. Release water upon heating 2. The anhydrous residue had to be water soluble 3. Exhibit reversibility If, and only if the compound showed that it could exhibit all three of these  properties, could it be distinguished a hydrate. In part â€Å"A† of the experiment, Nickel Chloride and Sodium Tetraborate were the only two compounds that were true hydrates. Both of these showed water residue when heating, where soluble in water after heating, and converted back to it original color after performing the first two experiments. Some of the other compounds had positive results for one or two test but not all three. For example, Sucrose, when heated, water residue appeared on the test tube, and was soluble in water, but the compound didn’t show reversibility. In part â€Å"B† of the experiment, CoCl2*6H2O was heated, dissolved, and then heated again to show that it was a true hydrate. When the Cobalt Chloride was heated, it turned from the color of fuchsia pink, to a light blue. And then after being dissolved into water, the compound turned back to its original color of fuchsia pink, demonstrating reversibility. The color change in this compound shows that by adding water to the anhydrous residue, that the same bonds that were broken my dehydrating the compound where reformed when adding water. In part â€Å"C†, four compound, plus the Cobalt Chloride mentioned above were tested for deliquescence, and efflorescence. Only one compound turned about to be efflorescent, which means that it lost water, which was Sodium Carbonate. The compounds mass before sitting out was 50.645g, after being exposed to the conditions of the laboratory for an hour, the sample weight 50.603g losing approximately 0.042g over the period of an hour. The Calcium Chloride (gained 0.258g), Copper Sulfate (gained 0.007g) and Cobalt Chloride (gained 0.068g) where all deliquescent, meaning that again mass while sitting in the laboratory. The Potassium Aluminum sulfate, exhibited stability while sitting out for an hour, neither gaining nor losing mass. For part â€Å"D† of the experiment, the percent of water in the unknown hydrate was %12.290. The closet percent of the given facts of the unknown was Barium chloride (BaCl2*2H2O), which has %14.8 water in it. This percent was found by using the formula below: % water in hydrate=(mass of water in hydrate/mass of the entire hydrate) The wide range of difference between the percent of the given and the unknown could have been due to the fact that there was wood debris in the unknown sample . This could have thrown off the amount of water present in the sample, and messed up the amount of water able to evaporate.

Samson in the Bible

Samson’s life was filled with adventure as God blessed him and gave him strength to become one of the judges of Israel. Yet, he squandered all of his potentials and abdicated his responsibilities as a judge of Israel because he became proud of his strength and disobeyed God. Samson’s parents came from the tribe of Dan in Israel. Although his mother was sterile, she conceived Samson as a result of direct intervention from God. Even at a young age, the spirit of God was already evident in the life of Samson. This happened at a time when the Israelites were not following the statutes and the decrees of God. Samson was to become one of the leaders of the people and deliver them from oppression of foreigners. God gave Samson immense strength. While he was on the road one day, he encountered a lion, which he killed with his bare hands. Such was his strength that his potentials were definitely from God. Yet, Samson had one fatal flaw – his weakness for women. Because of women, he disobeyed the will of his parents and eventually was led away from his calling as a judge of Israel. The first occasion when he displayed this weakness was when he saw a Philistine woman and became obsessed with her. He engaged into a riddle with a hefty sum of properties as prize with the men of Ashkelon. The men, however, coaxed his wife to reveal the answer to them. Because Samson was so angry, he killed a lot of the men in that place. When he also learned that his wife was given to another man, he wrought havoc against the fields of the Philistines. As a result, the Philistines came against him. As a result, he set a trap for them. He allowed himself to be bound. But later on, he managed to get away from the rope and kill the men who went against him. His victory against the Philistines was brought about by God. Samson even saw a source of water when he was already very thirsty. After the incident with the Philistines, he became enamored with a prostitute and the men of the town decided to trap him in that place. Yet, his great strength aided him against their trap and managed to get away from them. The turning point in Samson’s life was his love affair with Delilah. Little did he know that Delilah was being used by his enemies all over again. He did not learn from his previous experiences and instead allowed his emotions and passions to cloud his wits. Not even once did he suspect Delilah to be the spy of his enemies. So great was his obsession for Delilah that he revealed the secret of his strength with her after several prodding. The end result was his imprisonment and being cut off from his family and his country. During his imprisonment, Samson called out to God during his distress and asked Him to bless him with strength although his hair was no longer long. God granted his request and for a final time, Samson brought havoc and destruction to the enemies of his people. Samson knew his calling as a judge. As a man, he was always aggressive and on the lookout for the next beauty to pursue. Perhaps, the reason why he behaved the way he did is that he was looking for adventure and he thought he will find it in the arms of the women that he loved. Perhaps he fell easily in love and after that, he became blinded to that love. A lot of people are just like Samson. They have great potentials and strength. They know that they are called to do good for God and their people. Yet, they choose to go their own way, choose their own paths that eventually lead to destruction. When people start doing as Samson did, they become blinded to whatever it is that they fall in love with—money, fame, power, other people—and forget about their mission in life. The end result is disaster and ensnarement with the effects and consequences of such choices. Some author may have considered Samson as a sociopath with anti-social personality disorder. This may seem to account for his aggressive behavior, his deceit, impulsiveness and even violence. Although this analysis may seem scientific and related to psychology, but Samson’s personality and impulses is similar to what most individuals encounter. Samson was aware of God’s calling in his life and he even calls out to God when he is deeply in need. Yet, like most men, he has lust for women and he is doing what he can to impress them and win them over. Likewise, he tends to be boastful and arrogant of the strength that he has, a trait which a lot of men display. Another possible reason why he engaged in his acts was loneliness. Calling that â€Å"antisocial† might seem more scientific. Yet, men who experience loneliness may try prostitution and other act just to get over with it. The bottom line is that Samson is an individual who was given immense strength and the potential to lead his people and overthrow the oppressors of his nation. Yet, because of his obsession with women, his lust, his aggressiveness and impulsiveness, he did not fulfill the role prepared for him. Individuals all over the world display just the same kind of attitudes and recklessness. The end result of such attitude and actions is an array of consequences and difficult circumstances. From Samson, individuals may learn that pursuing one’s passions and obsessions lead to harm.

Simple Des

William Stallings Copyright 2006 Supplement to Cryptography and Network Security, Fourth Edition Prentice Hall 2006 ISBN: 0-13-187316-4 http://williamstallings. com/Crypto/Crypto4e. html 8/5/05 Simplified DES, developed by Professor Edward Schaefer of Santa Clara University [SCHA96], is an educational rather than a secure encryption algorithm. It has similar properties and structure to DES with much smaller parameters. The reader might find it useful to work through an example by and while following the discussion in this Appendix. C. 1 Overview Figure C. 1 illustrates the overall structure of the simplified DES, which we will refer to as SDES. The S-DES encryption algorithm takes an 8-bit block of plaintext (example: 10111101) and a 10-bit key as input and produces an 8-bit block of ciphertext as output. The S-DES decryption algorithm takes an 8-bit block of ciphertext and the same 10-bit key used to produce that ciphertext as input and produces the original 8-bit block of plaintext .The encryption algorithm involves five functions: an initial permutation (IP); a complex function labeled fK, which involves both permutation and substitution operations and depends on a key input; a simple permutation function that switches (SW) the two halves of the data; the function fK again; and finally a permutation function that is the inverse of the initial permutation (IP–1). As was mentioned in Chapter 2, the use of multiple stages of permutation and substitution results in a more complex algorithm, which increases the difficulty of cryptanalysis.The function fK takes as input not only the data passing through the encryption algorithm, but also an 8-bit key. The algorithm could have been designed to work with a 16-bit key, consisting of two 8-bit subkeys, one used for each occurrence of fK. Alternatively, a single 8-bit key could have been used, with the same key used twice in the algorithm. A compromise is to use a 10-bit key from which two 8-bit subkeys are gener ated, as depicted in Figure C. 1. In this case, the key is first subjected to a permutation (P10). Then a shift operation is performed.The output of the shift operation then passes through a permutation function that produces an 8-bit output (P8) for the first subkey (K1 ). The output of the shift operation also feeds into another shift and another instance of P8 to produce the second subkey (K 2 ). We can concisely express the encryption algorithm as a composition1 of functions: which can also be written as: IP-1 o fK2 o SW o fK1 o IP ((( ciphertext = IP-1 fK 2 SW fK1 (IP(plaintext )) where ( K1 = P8 Shift (P10(key )) ! ( ( ))) ) K2 = P8 Shift Shift( P10( key)) )) Decryption is also shown in Figure C. and is essentially the reverse of encryption: ((( plaintext = IP-1 fK1 SW fK 2 (IP(ciphertext )) 1 ))) Definition:! f f and g are two functions, then the function F with the equation y = F(x) = I g[f(x)] is called the composition of f and g and is denoted as F = g o f . C-2 8/5/05 We now examine the elements of S-DES in more detail. C. 2 S-DES Key Generation S-DES depends on the use of a 10-bit key shared between sender and receiver. From this key, two 8-bit subkeys are produced for use in particular stages of the encryption and decryption algorithm. Figure C. 2 depicts the stages followed to produce the subkeys.First, permute the key in the following fashion. Let the 10-bit key be designated as (k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 , k5 , k6 , k7 , k8 , k9 , k10). Then the permutation P10 is defined as: P10(k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 , k5 , k6 , k7 , k8 , k9 , k10) = (k3 , k5 , k2 , k7 , k4 , k10, k1 , k9 , k8 , k6 ) P10 can be concisely defined by the display: 3 5 2 7 P10 4 10 1 9 8 6 This table is read from left to right; each position in the table gives the identity of the input bit that produces the output bit in that position. So the first output bit is bit 3 of the input; the second output bit is bit 5 of the input, and so on.For example, the key (1010000010) is permuted to (1000001 100). Next, perform a circular left shift (LS-1), or rotation, separately on the first five bits and the second five bits. In our example, the result is (00001 11000). Next we apply P8, which picks out and permutes 8 of the 10 bits according to the following rule: P8 6 3 7 4 8 5 10 9 The result is subkey 1 (K1 ). In our example, this yields (10100100) We then go back to the pair of 5-bit strings produced by the two LS-1 functions and perform a circular left shift of 2 bit positions on each string. In our example, the value (00001 11000) becomes (00100 00011).Finally, P8 is applied again to produce K2 . In our example, the result is (01000011). C. 3 S-DES Encryption Figure C. 3 shows the S-DES encryption algorithm in greater detail. As was mentioned, encryption involves the sequential application of five functions. We examine each of these. Initial and Final Permutations The input to the algorithm is an 8-bit block of plaintext, which we first permute using the IP function: IP 2 6 3 1 4 8 5 7 This retains all 8 bits of the plaintext but mixes them up. At the end of the algorithm, the inverse permutation is used: C-3 8/5/05 1 3 IP–1 57 2 8 6 It is easy to show by example that the second permutation is indeed the reverse of the first; that is, IP–1(IP(X)) = X. The Function fK The most complex component of S-DES is the function fK, which consists of a combination of permutation and substitution functions.The functions can be expressed as follows. Let L and R be the leftmost 4 bits and rightmost 4 bits of the 8-bit input to fK, and let F be a mapping (not necessarily one to one) from 4-bit strings to 4-bit strings. Then we let fK(L, R) = (L ! F(R, SK), R) where SK is a subkey and ! s the bit-by-bit exclusive-OR function. For example, suppose the output of the IP stage in Figure C. 3 is (10111101) and F(1101, SK) = (1110) for some key SK. Then fK(10111101) = (01011101) because (1011) ! (1110) = (0101). We now describe the mapping F. The input is a 4-bi t number (n 1 n2 n3 n4 ). The first operation is an expansion/permutation operation: 4 1 2 E/P 32 3 4 1 For what follows, it is clearer to depict the result in this fashion: n4 n2 n1 n3 n2 n4 n3 n1 The 8-bit subkey K1 = (k11, k12, k13, k14, k15, k16, k17, k18) is added to this value using exclusiveOR: n4 ! 11 n2 ! k15 n1 ! k12 n3 ! k16 n2 ! k13 n4 ! k17 n3 ! k14 n1 ! k18 p0,1 p1,1 p0,2 p1,2 p0,3 p1,3 Let us rename these 8 bits: p0,0 p1,0 The first 4 bits (first row of the preceding matrix) are fed into the S-box S0 to produce a 2bit output, and the remaining 4 bits (second row) are fed into S1 to produce another 2-bit output. These two boxes are defined as follows: C-4 8/5/05 0 S0 = 1 2 3 0 â€Å"1 $3 $0 $3 # 1 0 2 2 1 2 3 1 1 3 3 2% 0†² 3†² 2†² ; 0 S1 = 1 2 3 0 â€Å"0 $2 $3 $2 # 1 1 0 0 1 23 2 3% 1 3†² 1 0†² 0 3†² & The S-boxes operate as follows.The first and fourth input bits are treated as a 2-bit number that specify a row of the S-box, and the s econd and third input bits specify a column of the Sbox. The entry in that row and column, in base 2, is the 2-bit output. For example, if (p0,0p0,3) = ! (00) and (p0,1p0,2) = (10), then the output is from row 0, column 2 of S0, which is 3, or (11) in binary. Similarly, (p1,0p1,3) and (p1,1p1,2) are used to index into a row and column of S1 to produce an additional 2 bits. Next, the 4 bits produced by S0 and S1 undergo a further permutation as follows: P4 2 4 3 1 The output of P4 is the output of the function F.The Switch Function The function fK only alters the leftmost 4 bits of the input. The switch function (SW) interchanges the left and right 4 bits so that the second instance of f K operates on a different 4 bits. In this second instance, the E/P, S0, S1, and P4 functions are the same. The key input is K2 . C. 4 Analysis of Simplified DES A brute-force attack on simplified DES is certainly feasible. With a 10-bit key, there are only 2 10 = 1024 possibilities. Given a ciphertex t, an attacker can try each possibility and analyze the result to determine if it is reasonable plaintext. What about cryptanalysis?Let us consider a known plaintext attack in which a single plaintext (p1 , p2 , p3 , p4 , p5 , p6 , p7 , p8 ) and its ciphertext output (c1 , c2 , c3 , c4 , c5 , c6 , c7 , c8 ) are known and the key (k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 , k5 , k6 , k7 , k8 , k9 , k10) is unknown. Then each ci is a polynomial function gi of the pj ‘s and kj ‘s. We can therefore express the encryption algorithm as 8 nonlinear equations in 10 unknowns. There are a number of possible solutions, but each of these could be calculated and then analyzed. Each of the permutations and additions in the algorithm is a linear mapping.The nonlinearity comes from the S-boxes. It is useful to write down the equations for these boxes. For clarity, rename (p0,0, p0,1,p0,2, p0,3) = (a, b, c, d) and (p1,0, p1,1,p1,2, p1,3) = (w, x, y, z), and let the 4-bit output be (q, r , s, t) Then the operati on of the S0 is defined by the following equations: q = abcd + ab + ac + b + d r = abcd + abd + ab + ac + ad + a + c + 1 where all additions are modulo 2. Similar equations define S1. Alternating linear maps with these nonlinear maps results in very complex polynomial expressions for the ciphertext bits, making cryptanalysis difficult.To visualize the scale of the problem, note that a polynomial equation in 10 unknowns in binary arithmetic can have 210 possible terms. On average, we might therefore C-5 8/5/05 expect each of the 8 equations to have 29 terms. The interested reader might try to find these equations with a symbolic processor. Either the reader or the software will give up before much progress is made. C. 5 Relationship to DES DES operates on 64-bit blocks of input. The encryption scheme can be defined as: IP-1 o fK16 o SW o fK15 o SW oL o SW o f K1 o IPA 56-bit key is used, from which sixteen 48-bit subkeys are calculated. There is an initial permutation of 64 bits foll owed by a sequence of shifts and permutations of 48 bits. Within the encryption algorithm, instead of F acting on 4 bits (n1 n2 n3 n4 ), it acts on 32 bits (n1 †¦n32). After the initial expansion/permutation, the output of 48 bits can be diagrammed as: n32 n4 †¢ †¢ †¢ n28 n1 n5 n29 n2 n6 †¢ †¢ †¢ n30 n3 n7 n4 n8 n31 n32 n5 n9 †¢ †¢ †¢ n1 This matrix is added (exclusive-OR) to a 48-bit subkey. There are 8 rows, corresponding to 8 S-boxes. Each S-box has 4 rows and 16 columns.The first and last bit of a row of the preceding matrix picks out a row of an S-box, and the middle 4 bits pick out a column. C-6 10-bit key ENCRYPTION DECRYPTION P10 8-bit plaintext 8-bit plaintext Shift IP-1 IP K1 fK P8 K1 fK Shift SW SW K2 fK P8 K2 fK IP–1 IP 8-bit ciphertext 8-bit ciphertext Figure C. 1 Simplified DES Scheme 10-bit key 10 P10 5 5 LS-1 LS-1 5 5 P8 K1 8 LS-2 LS-2 5 5 P8 K2 8 Figure C. 2 Key Generation for Simplified DES 8-bit plaintext 8 IP 4 fK 4 E/P 8 F 8 + 4 4 2 K1 2 S0 S1 P4 4 + 4 SW 4 fK 4 E/P 8 F 8 + 4 4 2 K2 2 S0 S1 P4 4 + 4 IP–1 8 8-bit ciphertext Figure C. 3 Simplified DES Encryption Detail

Conoco Report Essay

Last week I attended Forrester’s Content & Collaboration Forum 2011. Forrester notes that in five years, almost half of US workers — about 63 million people — will work virtually. I am already one of them. This will change everything in workplace IT support from designing workplace information strategies for collaboration, to delivering content experiences tothe firm. For this international, integrated energy company with thousands of job sites (often quite remote) spread across 30 countries, the challenge of sharing knowledge was very real — and the potential payoff was large. Facing fierce competition on all fronts, ConocoPhillips knew that to continue on its success trajectory, it needed to rapidly and effectively harness the knowledge of its highly skilled but geographically distributed workforce. Instead of assuming that technology either was the solution or was irrelevant when creating online communities, senior managers understood that effective glo bal communities required new processes, roles, cultures, and technologies. Moreover, they recognized that each had to be focused on solving difficult business challenges. Seven years later, the ConocoPhillips’ knowledge-sharing program is ranked as best-in-class across industries.† Dan mentioned that Conoco Phillips is fourth largest traded company in US with 30,000 employees around the world and many contractors who also participate in their knowledge sharing. They have been many changes in the last 12 years as a number of companies were acquired, along with the merger of Conoco and Phillips. This activity has triggered a big need for knowledge sharing. He likes the term knowledge sharing rather than knowledge management. I completely agree. Dan said it is about getting people to talk to each other. Trust is important for this. They are now going to reorganize and the solid state of their knowledge assets will help with this effort. Dan said that more than 70% of their good ideas have come from their employees. Good things happen when employees talk to each other. Dan said that his boss is the SVP of Planning and Strategy and he reports to the CEO so people listen to him as where you sit in the org chart matters within his firm. I think this is true for most firms. The most successful KM efforts I have seen all have a senior sponsor of rank and respect in the organization. Most KM groups are placed too far down the hierarchy to be effective. Their KM effort started when a senior executive felt they were re-inventing things too much. The focus was always connecting people more than collecting  documents. They grew by sharing success stories. Sharing these success stories was connected to their variable compensation plan and this really triggered response. They started the Archimedes Awards to knowledge sharing. Categories are: Give, Grab, Gather, and Guts. Dan gave some examples about safety improvements that also led to big financial returns. They have documented over 9 billion dollars in gains through the program. Dan said that they have functional excellence models that give specifics for improvements. They promote purposeful collaboration. Dan said serendipity can be useful at times but being purposeful works best in their firm. He said that knowledge accumulates in networks and their firm has a matrix organization. Leadership behavior is important for knowledge to flow and manager support for knowledge sharing is critical. They now have 150 networks of excellence. The first few were launched in 2005. They had 20 by the end of the year. These networks were built on trust and relationships, not technology. Prior efforts failed because they were technology focused. He showed an example covering upstream rotating equipment. A big problem is lost production opportunity. There is a group that addresses this issue to keep equipment running safely. Networks are open to all employees, not just group members. Related networks are connected because issues are related across networks. Their Ask and Discuss component has led to 100,000 exchanges. He does not believe in formal lessons learned. It takes too much time. Informal connections work better. I would agree and add the formal lessons learned become out of date very quickly and talking with people gives the most current ideas. People want to help each other but they also want answers quickly. Dan showed a diagram of all the cross-connections. They are massive. Knowledge silos do not seem to an issue for them. They have three main tools: Ask and Discuss, Knowledge Library, and One Wiki. The wiki is the first place to look for content. Ask and Discuss was covered above. All of their success stories have an economic impact. One had 87 million dollars of benefits. Sharing this is important. Giving credit to the employees is critical. Getting middle managers on board was done through conveying business value of knowledge sharing. It was fun for me to hear about a successful knowledge management effort as I used to be involved with many in the 90s and early 2000s.

As Ict

Edexcel GCE Applied Information and Communication Technology Unit 3: The Knowledge Worker January 2013 Scenario Paper Reference 6953/01 The scenario should be distributed to candidates at least three working weeks before the examination. Practice files: whitecaps_practice. xls, fixtures_practice. txt, haway_practice. txt This scenario should be used for the purposes of preparing candidates for the examination. This copy must not be taken into the examination. The information contained in the scenario will be included in the examination paper.Further details are in the Instructions of the Conduct of Examinations (ICE), available from the Edexcel website for this qualification. Edexcel will not accept any request for special consideration should candidates be given the incorrect scenario for the examination they are sitting. Turn over W41049A Â ©2013 Pearson Education Ltd. 6/ *W41049A* Scenario Havering Whitecaps Maddy Wright and Katy Parrish have supported Havering Whitecaps since th eir boyfriends played for the team. Their boyfriends’ careers and the teenage romances are now very much in the past but their support of the team remains as strong as ever.Until 15 years ago the Whitecaps were a struggling non-league team with little support. There were times, on wet and cold November afternoons, when Maddy and Katy were the only supporters. In 1999 a magical thing happened to the Whitecaps. At that time the team’s position, both in football terms and financially, was perilous to say the least. However, a financial backer appeared in the form of Harold Adenyi. Harold had studied at the local college and even played a few games for the Whitecaps. His progress as a footballer was hampered by a lack of ability.He gave up on a career as a footballer to concentrate on what he was good at, which was IT and mathematics. He made a large amount of money by creating an online accountancy website called lesstax. com. Harold was looking for things he could offset against a huge tax bill and a loss-making football club seemed to be a good start. He bought the Whitecaps from the previous owners for ? 1 and immediately started to spend money on it. Harold’s flair for business meant that the loss-making football club did not stay loss-making for long.Harold signed a talented former football league manager and with his advice, spent money on players who all turned out to be good investments. The way the manager had the team playing soon started to increase its fan base, so Harold built a new stadium. The team continued to be successful and the new stadium was soon filled at every match, putting the club on a healthy financial footing. Financial success and playing success went hand-in-hand and, in 2001, Havering Whitecaps was elected to the Football League. After a few seasons, when the Whitecaps struggled to establish themselves, there followed a eriod of gradual success including promotion to the 1st Division and two years later the Cha mpionship. Last season the Whitecaps won the Championship and are currently looking forward to their first season in the Premier League. Throughout this period of development, Maddy and Katy have been screaming encouraging words to their team (and the occasional discouraging one to the opposition) and they have hardly missed a match. It was inevitable that as the Whitecaps’ two most dedicated supporters they would become the chairman and secretary of the supporters’ club.One of their main tasks is to organise away trips for fans. This involves buying the tickets, booking the coaches and deciding what to charge for the ticket and transport packages. With 14,678 registered supporters, organising the away trips is not an easy task. With the possibility of over 400 coaches travelling to an away match, the number of transport firms the pair could use was limited. Since the Whitecaps were promoted to the Championship Maddy and Katy have used ‘Rubicon Transport’ whose rates are reasonable and who can supply enough coaches on a match day. 2 W41049ARubicon charge a fixed sum of ? 350 per coach, plus a ? 1. 50 fuel surcharge for every 100 miles travelled. In addition, Rubicon’s regulations state that a driver cannot be in charge of the coach for more than 9 hours a day. Should the whole trip last more than 9 hours (including the match time) a second driver would be required. There is a charge of ? 75 for the second driver. Premier League ticket prices vary greatly and Maddy has been quoted a range of prices varying between ? 30 and ? 54 by the Premier League clubs. Maddy and Katy do not need to make an overall profit.Their main aim is to get as many fans as possible to away matches. Although they can afford to make a loss on individual trips, they cannot afford to make a loss overall. Therefore an accurate prediction of the number of people who will want to go to a particular match is vital. They are also aware that more people will wan t to go to some matches than others. To help find out how many people are likely to go to each match they ran an online survey. This was completed by 94% of their registered supporters. To make data analysis easier, Katy has classified the teams as shown in the table.EG Teams fighting for European glory MT Mid-table teams RD Teams likely to be involved in the relegation dogfight PR Newly promoted teams In addition to the classification of the team, she found that other things affect the number of people likely to go to away matches. Fewer people would go if the match was played on a weekday rather than a Saturday (or Sunday). The longer the travelling time, the fewer supporters were prepared to travel. Finally, the overall cost of the package would discourage some from attending certain matches. W41049A 3 Turn over Description of the modelMaddy and Katy have to be as accurate as they can when setting the prices as they don’t need to make a profit but cannot afford to make a l oss. Maddy and Katy need a model to help them decide on prices. Therefore, Maddy has persuaded her brother Kieran, who works in IT, to create a model. Kieran wanted to make the model reusable so that he could sell it to other supporters’ clubs. Unfortunately, before he could finish the model, the company Kieran worked for sent him to Dubai on a three-year contract. Maddy has asked you to complete the model and use it to suggest prices for the next season’s away matches.Kieran has left you these notes. Worksheet Description Teams This is the worksheet that will be used to set the package prices. I have listed the teams in the Premier League along with Katy’s classifications. For ease of viewing I have included information from other worksheets and have calculated the total costs, revenue and profit. There is a profit for each trip and a total profit for the season. The worksheet will also calculate the total number of supporters going to away matches. Cell B2 con tains a drop-down box to choose the team you support. FixturesThis worksheet is a calculated page which lists the dates of the home and away fixtures. Lookups This worksheet contains a number of lookup tables. There are two blank areas, these will contain the fixture information provided by the Premier League. There are other tables to look up the day of the week, the likely support based on the teams’ classification, the number of registered supporters and the ticket costs for the various clubs. Distances, Times These worksheets contain the distances between the grounds and the average times it would take a coach to travel those journeys.I got these from a very helpful man at the RAC. Customer This worksheet is incomplete. Once completed it will predict the number of supporters who would travel to each away match. This is based on the number of registered supporters and then adjusted according to the home team classification, then package price and finally the travel time. I haven’t finished the analysis of the survey yet so I cannot put in formulae to take into account the travelling time and the overall cost. A friend of mine is doing the analysis for me and he will forward the results to you as soon as he has them. TransportIn this worksheet I calculate how many coaches are needed, the cost per coach and the overall transport cost for the trip. Transport Rates In this worksheet I have entered the transport rates as quoted by Rubicon Transport. I hope you find it easy to understand my notes. Good luck completing it. Kieran Wright 4 W41049A Some cells in the model are password protected. Should you wish to experiment with the model, the password is edexcel. Be aware that if you change the contents of any protected cell the model may not work. Please note that the Football League and Premier League referred to in this scenario are fictitious. W41049A 5

Quality Assurance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quality Assurance - Research Paper Example Section 46.703 of the FAR spells out the criteria for use of warranties. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR 46.7) outlines that the application of warranties is not mandatory. Nevertheless, if the benefits to flow from the warranty are proportionate to the cost of the warranty, the Contracting Officer (CO) should consider placing it in the contract. FAR Subpart 46.703 demands that the CO evaluate the form and application of supplies and services, the cost, administration and enforcement, reduced requirements, and trade practices (National Archives Records Administration, 2010). The rationale for incorporating a warranty should be documented within the contract file. The CO should consider the following factors when weighing in on warranties; nature and application of supplies or services, cost, trade practice, administration and enforcement, and minimized requirements. The nature and application of the supplies or services is influenced by factors such as degree of development, state of the art, end use, complexity and function, degree of development, probable harm to the government in instances in which the item is defective, and complexities in detecting defects prior to acceptance. Warranty clause does not limit the government’s rights under the inspection clause (Subpart 46.3) regarding latent defects, fraud, or gross mistakes that are tantamount to fraud. Subpart 46.706 (warranty terms and conditions) facilitates the pricing and enforcement of warranties whereby CO should ensure that the warranties state concisely the precise nature of item and components that the contractor warrants, scope and duration of the warranty, and extent of the contractor’s warranty inclusive of contractor’s obligations to the government for violation of contract (Meagher & Rennie, 2001). Contractor obligations under warranties encompass to all defects discovered at the

Black Hole Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Black Hole - Essay Example The book discusses the study conducted by a scientist Jim Al-Khalili on the various theories that have presented by Einstein. Black holes are a part of the universe and space and Einstein have presented a number of theories regarding this concept. And the scientist earlier mentioned have studied in detail all these theories and have presented several different new discoveries which he discovered during this study. Universe, time and space are all directly related to the concept of the black hole and have direct relations with the existence and non-existence of black holes. The scientist has presented that certain theories presented by Einstein like the theory of relativity are not completely applicable to the concept of the black hole. On the other hand, scientists like Einstein himself believes that the theories are true and in working condition. The book was a great source of information and provided with great deals of information and the book contained certain information which c ould not be found in other relevant books. Through the studying of the book, it can be concluded that the book is written after the great research and through study. This is a dissertation that has been written purely on the concept of black holes, the controversies that have been presented on the concept of black holes. Many theories have been presented regarding the concept of black holes and as a result, a number of contradictions have been presented on the topic of the black hole. Â  ... On the other hand, scientists like Einstein himself believes that the theories are true and in working condition. The book was a great source of information and provided with great deals of information and the book contained certain information which could not be found in other relevant books. Through the studying of the book it can be concluded that the book is written after great research and through study. Potvin, Geoffrey D, and Amanda . Peet. Singularity Resolution and the Black Hole Information Paradox. , 2006. Print. This is a dissertation that has been written purely on the concept of black holes, the controversies that have been presented on the concept of black holes. Many theories have been presented regarding the concept of black holes and as a result a number of contradictions have been presented on the topic of black hole. This book which is in actual a thesis has discussed in detail these controversies and the paradox that exists regarding the issue of black hole. Blac k hole is such a big controversy in the history of science that no other issue can second it. Many famous scientists have declared that black holes are a part of this universe and they are an unshaken reality while on the other numerous other renowned and eminent scientists have presented theories that there is no such thing as black holes and all the concept behind the black holes that has been presented by scientists who support are totally illogical and baseless. This thesis has discussed these various issues in detail and has presented its own view regarding this issue. The thesis is very interesting piece of writing and very informative. Fabbri, Alessandro, and Jose? Navarro-Salas. Modeling Black Hole Evaporation. London: Imperial College Press, 2005.

Role of Unions and Human Relations Management Personnel Research Paper

Role of Unions and Human Relations Management Personnel - Research Paper Example This disadvantage results from the strikes which are undertaken by the labor unions for different reasons at different intervals. The decisions to go on a strike, for the acquiring of improved working environment or wages, involves many such social and professional factors which can be a big harm to the performance of the organization and employees. Moreover, the creativity, achievements and good performance of workers is not rewarded. Due to the strikes and labor union activities, the underachievers are also paid for their services same as the high performers. The union workers are normally hard to be fired, so they decrease the productivity as well as the profit potential of the organization. One of the other factors is that these unions make the individual employees lose their freedom of speech and the strength of voice in the organization (Baccaro, 2008). The human resources management personnel are the major people to be playing the contributing role in binding the people of the organization together. They organize various activities through which the people in the workforce of the company come together and work with each other. Through this process, they come to know about each other in a better manner. When the new employees are inducted into the organization, they are welcomed and are made to know the other people of the company by the human resource management officer. All the breaks, free time and leisure is managed by the HR relations officer and the productive relations, proper association and communication of colleagues with each other are assured by them in a better manner. The employee relation s manager plays the role of a link or a connection between the management and the employees within the organization. He is even responsible to collect the information of the labor unions to assist its activities and collective bargaining roles. He also makes the employees

Discussion Board 6-1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Discussion Board 6-1 - Assignment Example Simple narration of personal experiences gives counselors a view of the nature of the family and things that precipitate particular problem(s). Certain techniques of Solution-Focused and Narrative Therapies can incorporate with other types of family therapy. To begin, the narrative aspect of Narrative Family Therapy can be compatible with Experiential Family Therapy. This relates to the fact that Experiential Family Therapy focuses on encouraging individual family members to communicate their emotions freely and honestly. Disclosing and sharing emotions enable therapists to understand clients and demonstrate appropriate sympathy. In the same manner, Narrative Therapy focuses on encouraging disclosure of unpleasant experiences, which then eases when therapists sympathize and delink clients from the problems (Nichols, 2013). A therapist can use Narrative Therapy to initiate narration of stories that disclose a client’s experiences and then introduce Experiential Approach to identify negative emotions and guide the client in reducing impacts of the emotions on the health of a family. The fact that Solution-Focused Family Therapy views family problems as results of failed and relaxed attempts to resolve family issues makes it easy to incorporate with Structural Approach that considers problems as maintained by dysfunctional family structures. The goal of Structural Therapists is to alter the dysfunctional systems (Nichols, 2013). The goal of Solution-Focused Therapists is to challenge families to explore alternative solutions to their problems. When incorporated, Structural Approach will help a therapist to alter dysfunctional systems to ease tension(s) and use Solution-Focused Approach to help family members identify alternative solutions to the given

CAPITAL BUDGETING Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CAPITAL BUDGETING - Research Paper Example Moreover, it is a decision process that focuses on long-term investment for revenue and expenditure. My paper will be based on discussion of United State budgeting as a reference but the framework is applicable to the most part to any budgeting system whether national, state, or local, or whether it is in Europe or any other continent. Budgeting is done as a way of setting objectives and goals, for allocation of the resources essential to attain the objectives, for determining progress toward objectives, identifying inadequacies, and for controlling and integrating the diverse activities carried out by many sub-units within large bureaucracies both public and private (Rubin, 2004). Debt capacity refers to the ability of the government to make required debt service payments and to be able to pay back debt incurred without ruining its reputation either to other states or individuals. Therefore,this section will deal with the speculative issues affecting state debt management and accounts on a state debt financing policies and debt limits. State debt management processes and practices are important factors in the preparation of capital budgeting in order to ensure that the government is able to equalize the level of debt and/or debt services relative to current revenue that an providing entity can support and undue budgetary constraints that can affect the ability of the government to repay the debt on time does not arise. Therefore, when coming up with a capital budget, current expenditures are financed by current revenues while capital expenditures can be financed by borrowed funds. Debt financing is refunded by the cost of using public investments by the taxpa yers on the â€Å"benefit received† principle. The government uses a portion of taxes paid by the taxpayers as a way to ensure future taxpayers bear their â€Å"fair share† as a way to pay the debt incurred to provide public facilities. Secondly, debt capacity is determined

Waitrose Business to Business analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Waitrose Business to Business analysis - Essay Example This has been achieved through transparency in the governance system through its constitution. This enables the company to remain competitive in the industry. All partners have a share in profits and in making all management decision for the firm. Though the company has fully appreciated the role of e-commerce, it has been experiencing a number of challenges recently. For instance, users confirmed that they did not like the redesigned website as it was unfriendly to the users. The pages of the website loaded slowly and that the product list was unavailable sometimes leading to frustrations (Charlton, 2011). To deal with this, the management announced that it will deal with all issues as presented by customers concerning the website on listing and speed. Conyan, M & Richard F., 2012. "John Lewis Partnership." A guide to employee ownership. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 05 May 2015]. Savvas, A., 2006. Waitrose rolls out new supply chain platform. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 05 May

Computer Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

Computer Systems - Essay Example Installation of VMware Player 5 on Windows 7 was conducted, installation of a guest operating system (Kali Linux x64) done and screenshots asserting the completion of these steps presented. A brief into the future of cloud computing as an application of virtualization has been documented too to cement the fact that indeed the technology has incalculable potential. Virtualization has caused a significant paradigm shift in the way information technology is being used to offer business solutions. This technology has taken over the IT market with a bang as most businesses and companies struggle not to be left out on this ingenious feat of computer engineering. With virtualization, hardware has been stretched to unimaginable levels and concerns over storage, safety and availability of information will soon be a thing of the past. Through it, imposing technologies have emerged to the measure of cloud computing that have taken center stage in the online service industry. A host of many more IT dreams have been made realities following the advent of virtualization. Virtualization is the concept of subdividing a computer resource into several virtual versions of it so as to create multiple operating environments. This virtualization is common implemented upon storage devices, operating systems, servers and networks. Hardware virtualization entails embedding a virtual machine manager, called a hypervisor, into the circuitry of hardware so as to allow multiple operating systems to run (Rouse). The work of the hypervisor is to control allocation of memory, processor and other hardware resources to the different operating systems on the computer without requiring source code to translate addresses and instructions. Each OS is made to ‘see’ that it has its own set of hardware components when actually the hypervisor allocates in an alternating manner. This concept is largely applied in servers where resources are

Financial Ratio Analysis Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Ratio Analysis Report - Essay Example Analysis and interpretation of financial statements helps to evaluate the financial position and performance of an enterprise. "GM generated record third quarter automotive revenue of $43.1 billion. The company also achieved record global third quarter sales of 2.39 million cars and trucks, up four percent compared to the third quarter 2006, driven by exceptionally strong demand in emerging markets and improved performance in developed markets. GM also set a number of third quarter sales records around the globe, including a 22 percent increase in GMLAAM, 16 percent increase in the GMAP region, and 15 percent gain in GME." (GM Reports third quarter financial results, 2007). Analysis of Fundamental Ratios and Trends Ratio analysis is one of the important tools used to develop and interpret the financial statements of a business entity. Ratios measure the efficiency of operation of a business unit. Moreover, it also helps to analyze the financial strength or weakness of a business entity. The economic growth of the company is steady and stable. Like all other areas, the company is highly concentrating in the area of accounting and finance also. Similarly, a well defined plan is maintained by the company for protecting its quantum of stock:- Ge1. Maintain control over the entire amount of raw material obtained from the suppliers. 2. Utilize these quantum of raw materials for the production of goods with appropriate control and without making any wastage. 3. After making the delivery of finished goods, company tries to restore the balance of material/ inventory for further process. General Motors, a leading automobile manufacturer is following a systematic procedure for evaluating the financial performance of the entity. The major ratios are being calculated by GM for the analysis and interpretation of financial measurement are current ratio, quick ratio, asset turn over ratio, inventory turn over ratio etc. Therefore, the fundamental accounting ratios of GM are depicted below- Estimated Financial Ratios of General Motors a. . Liquidity Ratios: 1. Current Ratio = Current Assets = $1,000 Current Liabilities$310= 3.2 times. 2) Quick ratio= Quick Assets/ Current liabilities= $385/ $310 = 1.2 times. b) Leverage Ratios- 1) Debt ratio= Total Debt/ Total Assets=$1,064/$2,000= 53.2% 2) Debt to Net worth ratio= Total Debt/ Tangible Net Worth= $1,064/$2250= 47.29%. c) Operating ratios- 1) Net sales to Total Assets= Net Sales/ Total Assets=$3,000/$2,000= 1.5 times. 2) Gross profit ratio= Gross profit/ sales= 1,500/3,000= 50% d) Profitability ratios: 1) Basic Earning Power-(BEP) = EBIT/Total Assets= $283.8/ $2,000= 14.2% 2) Return On Total Assets (ROA) = Net income to stock holders/ Total Assets= $113.5/ $2,000= 5.7% 3) Price Earning Ratio (PE) = Price per share/ Earnings per share= $23/2.27= 10.1 times. 4) Market ratio= Common Equity/ Shares out standing= $896/ 50= $17.92 5) Return On Common Equity (ROE) = Net income to

Warehouse Layout Planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Warehouse Layout Planning - Research Paper Example The design of a warehouse should be capable of maximizing the utility of space while simultaneously allowing for sufficient circulation paths for both material handling equipment, for instance, forklift trucks and warehouse personnel. As a consequence, it is critical for warehouse planning and design to take advantage of height allowances through the use of higher bays. In order to facilitate flexibility in warehouse planning and design, it is vital to make use of alternative methods for handling material. These methods typically influence construction and planning aspects such as aisle widths, need for the inclusion of mezzanine space, egress design and lighting design (Christopher & Towill, 2001). Warehouses should typically be designed by taking into consideration both present and future needs in order to allow for changes in enterprise growth, size of warehouse spaces and population and size of the office. It is vital for warehouse space to be easily adaptable to fit varying func tions, for instance, office levels and computer centers. Effective site design accommodates the need for future loading docks, car parking spaces and truck space. In order to achieve this, enterprises need to address techniques for handling material and business practices, for instance, just-in-time storage. This involves the inclusion of roof designs with extra structural capacity that is built-in to facilitate the addition of supplementary rooftop equipment. In order to ensure that the future supplementary space is effective with regard to handling future material, the design should encompass fire protection capacities (Cormier & Gunn, 1992). This will allow for the accommodation of storage materials that have an increased level of fire hazard, particularly with regard of high plastic products. Flexibility can be built into warehouse design and planning to contain future changes through the implementation of scenario planning, which ultimately results enhanced flexibility. Scenari os can be constructed either through modeling or simulation to take into consideration a variety of situations through which the design flexibility can be assessed effectively. Such scenarios include, for instance, alternative growth anticipations, unusual peak provisions and alterations in order profiles. This typically requires the use of simulation tools that can prove effective. These simulation tools include general simulation packages adaptable for warehousing and specified warehousing simulation packages. These packages include some that can be purchased directly from suppliers and others available through equipment suppliers, suppliers of warehouse management systems and consultancies (Christopher & Towill, 2001). Since not all tools are applicable in all situations, it is critical that an enterprise adopts the appropriate simulation tool for its flexibility and future needs. For instance, a certain modeling simulation cannot offer accurate answers for certain projects, espe cially where the enterprise is experienced fundamental changes. Although scenario planning is effective, it is not an endeavor to forecast the future. This means that drawing scenarios that predict future events will prove ineffective in the long term since people’s perceptions typically influence what they consider as the reality. Predictions for the future

Sars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sars - Essay Example Apart from the prevalent of mode of transmission through droplet suspension, fecal-oral mode of transmission has been shown to occur and thereby contribute to spread of the disease. Fecal-oral transmission is possible since it has been demonstrated that the virus can survive in the stool for 4 days. Due to the nature of profuse watery diarrhoea in SARS patients, SARS virus may be present in faeces thereby propagating fecal-oral transmission and fecal-respiratory transmission. This has been mentioned as one of the characteristics of SARS that enabled the virus spread in an apartment complex in Hong Kong (Peiris et al., 2003). SARS is commonly transmitted via droplets and close personal contact, factors which enhances its faster spread once an incidence has been established (Seto et al., 2003). The stability of the coronavirus for days in the environment such as in the stool also raises the incidences or possibilities of fomite transmission as a significant mode of transmission of SARS . The ability of this coronavirus to cause diarrhoea also aids in the transmission of the disease. It should be noted that normal stool has low pH as compared to stool from patients suffering from diarrhoea as a result of SARS. The high pH (low acidity) ensures the virus is able to survive and contaminate faeces for up to four days. Therefore the ability of the SARS virus to be spread from different routes namely in faeces, respiratory secretions and even in urine renders the coronavirus more advanced in its ability to spread very fast. Severity of the disease is as a result of being able to affect the whole respiratory system from the nose to the lungs. This is followed by high fever exceeding 38Â °C with acute breathlessness, coughing and sneezing. Acute breathlessness is as a result of the accumulation of fluids in the alveoli. The SARS virus rapidly replicates in the alveoli which is now filled with fluid and is further compressed by adjacent swollen tissues causing hypoxia. Th e patient succumbs to death due to lung failure (Puri, 2003). Therefore, the severity of SARS can be attributed to the events occurring in the lungs and specifically the alveoli causing an incomplete shut down of the breathing process. The virulence of the SARS virus ensures it spreads faster principally through deadly sputum droplets which occur through close personal contact. Severity of the disease is also attributed to its relatively short incubation period which can be as short as 2 days to a maximum of 2 weeks. In this review, important characteristics of the virus are highlighted such as the mode of transmission and pathogenesis which influences the severity of the disease. The principal mode of transmission which is airborne droplets consisting of the deadly viruses causes the SARS virus to be a potent killer coupled to its relatively short incubation period. This is further aided by the modern ease of travel ensuring the disease is able to spread from its epicenter for exam ple the case of infection at Hong Kong airport in 2003 to different destination. The stability of the virus outside the human body is another feature of the virus that ensures its successful transmission to susceptible human host. It has been documented in several literature works that it can survive on fomites such as door knobs, phones and other objects for several days therefore ensuring that it spreads very fast. In addition, having been documented that it can survi

St. Mark's Gospel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

St. Mark's Gospel - Essay Example The Messianic secrets and the obtuseness of his disciples are the two main themes of the gospel. The use of parables by Jesus to hide his true identity and fulfill the distained prophesies are perhaps a bit intriguing and even his disciples fail to understand the true implications of his miracles. Traditionally, the Christian churches are of the belief that the gospel of St. Mark is an epitome of Gospel of Matthew and it is therefore placed after The Gospel of Matthews in most bibles. According to scholars, contrary to the beliefs of the Christian churches, Gospel of St. Mark, is indeed the first of the canonical gospels and is supposed to be the source of inspiration and material for the gospels of Matthew and Luke. One of the foremost contributions of St. Mark's Gospel towards the Church of England is 'providing a sense of direction'. Before the gospel, numerous people were running here are there without a leader in place. They worshipped numerous Gods and had differing faiths. This resulted in vast differences in culture and people were always at loggerheads with each other. What was lacking in England was a common religion which could work to uplift the society as a whole. Hence, the Gospel was indeed a binder in terms of following a common God-Lord Jesus Christ. Another serious contribution of this story is about food. In the story, Jesus often invites his disciples to nourish themselves and although we ignore it a common occurrence, the irony remains that nourishment was the only means of providing peace and solace to his disciples. When the topic revolves around food, the disciples panic stating that it would take eight months of wages to have a peaceful meal. Jesus resolves their problem at the end of the gospel, thereby telling them and the Church of England that a simple and secure life, which has adequate nourishment and rest, is perhaps the best and by far the most ignored of all. (Hooker, 2001) The moral of the story revolves around four main aspects. The first is the problems concerning the discipleship, problems concerning the Church of England, problems concerning personal hopes and problems concerning our personal fears. Another important message which the Gospel grants to the Church of England is the importance of being one with each other. In the gospel, the disciples are shown as an arrogant lot who refuse to share food with the other fellow beings that are being drawn to Jesus. Well, Jesus refuses to provide food only to the disciples and insists that the disciples will get nourishment only if they willfully share the food with their fellowmen. The Church of England, which was divided and patronized the rich while ridiculing the poor, learnt its lesson of equality through the Gospel Of St. Marks. The message is clear-God is equal to all and he has no favorites. It is interesting to note that when the disciples ask Jesus to send the villagers away to fetch their own food as it is getting dark, Jesus refuses and states that the food would be provided by the disciples themselves. He supports his theory by stating that it was he who provided them (disciples) food on a regular basis, hence, it was now their (disciples) turn to do the same. The message instills a feeling of equality and the fact that nourishment is equal and required by both the rich as well as the underprivileged. The lesson of

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail - Essay Example It is needless to say that racial discrimination was one of the ancient practices those were predominant in the society across the world over the ages. Though Luther King Jr. wrote the letter in response to public statement by fellow clergymen, this, however, exposed the harsh reality and inhuman practices of the time, more particularly what happened in various parts of America namely Albany, Georgia, Alabama, and Birmingham etc. Martin Luther King Jr.’s long letter had very categorically pointed out and justified the importance of his presence in Birmingham. He also made it clear that he, though often referred as â€Å"outsiders coming in†, came down to Birmingham with a great pledge of eradicating injustice, as the prophets of 18th century B.C. traveled far in order to propagate the truths of Bible. In the first place, while answering the statement of the clergymen, he defends his actions in Birmingham by saying that it was the city that experienced a thorough segregation and became famous for the wide brutality it saw. Negroes were subject to inhuman treatment in the court. They were the vulnerable sections whose houses and churches were destroyed by bombs. It was but obvious that racial injustice engulfed these people most. These were the brutal facts, most savage of its kind. Being at this crucial juncture and being exposed to the most barbaric practices of the time. Negro leaders tried to negotiate with the city fathers but these fathers refused to negotiate. These people had an opportunity to talk to the leaders of Birmingham Economic Community, promises were made, but which however resulted in the end in broken promise. Luther Jr.’s chief object was to fight for those people which in his own word â€Å"I am in Birmingham because injustice is here† (King). In his long letter King Jr. raised some questions about the timing and prudence of his action and he

History of Western Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of Western Civilization - Essay Example The key enlightenment figures began with sets of philosophers that began to perceive reality in an alternative manner. Descartes and Lebiniz were two of the leading figures with the concept of self – evident reasons to create ideals. This was followed with concepts such as through Newton, with created a scientific basis that experience and experiment were the two formations of knowledge, as opposed to reason and belief. The philosophies continued with the artists of the time, such as Voltaire, who created the belief that science should be regarded as ahead of the metaphysical. Each of the philosophers during this time based the Enlightenment on reason as opposed to spirituality and belief that was practiced in the culture (Porter, 3). The concept of the enlightenment was followed by scientists, politicians and religious leaders who either accepted or rejected the notion of reason and science being before belief. The scientists were split into several groups that experimented i n different ways. For instance, the materialists, such as La Mettrie, created an understanding of how the mind and the soul coincided and how the physical was a reflection of the spiritual. David Hume, Darwin and Newton followed this with disagreements that led into the practical, such as basic physics and mechanics of how the world worked. This was followed by politicians, such as Adam Smith and William Burke, which believed that science should be combined with politics for more practical and reasonable associations with the functioning of society (Porter, 25). The goal of the enlightenment figures was to take out the superstition and beliefs that led society. The main association was to create an understanding of abstract reason. It was believed that the power of reason could create a status quo that could lead into a Utopian future. The beliefs were followed by the understanding that those who used reason and rationalization for all concepts could easily find a way to reform soci ety and culture. The reason was one which was required to come from scientific discoveries and beliefs which gave a physical and practical understanding to how the world worked and what was done in the world. Within these thoughts were several associations with how this related to production. The reason was followed by scientists who were focused on discovering and observing attributes in nature as well as politicians and philosophers that were finding reasonable ways to rule and guide society and culture into new forms of knowledge (Porter, 2). The concept of reason that the key thinkers in the Enlightenment held also led to specific ideologies about religion. Most believed that religion was led by superstition and ignorance, as opposed to having knowledge about how the world functioned. This was followed by the concept of having a sense of freedom for religion. The historical time frame had led society into forced religion, specifically with the Catholic Church. This was followed by outbreaks that divided the church into sectors. During this time, there was a movement forward with the belief that religion should be free choice. Most who were considered a leader in the Enlightenment didn’t believe in Church based concepts and instead insisted that they were evils of society. Instead, there was a belief in a natural religion that allowed free thought and natural

The Greek God Zeus Essay Example for Free

The Greek God Zeus Essay In Greek mythology, Zeus has the most prominent name among all the gods and goddesses. This is because he is the most powerful and formidable of all the deities. From the beginning, legend had established his power since he overthrown his own father to become the leader of the Greek gods and goddesses. Zeus was also notorious for his numerous affairs with women and the countless children produced from these affairs. In Greek literature, he was shown to be fierce, vengeful and pitiful of mortals. However, the authority of Zeus is not absolute or unlimited. He is prone to deceit and trickery. Zeus is both a powerful god and a flawed revered entity, which makes him one of the most interesting personalities in Greek mythology. Before the life of Zeus can be discussed, it is important to discuss the origins of Greek mythology. This is because the origin of Zeus can only be understood from the context of the beginnings of Greek mythology. According to Hesoid, prior to the existence of all things, there was initially Chaos (Rose, 1991). The existence of Chaos was considered the beginning of all things, as it was the existence from which other beings were derived. Chaos gave birth to other beings. These were Night, Darkness (also known as Erebos), Love (also referred to as Eros), Tartaros and Earth. Night and Darkness were responsible for the creation of Day and Sky (also called as Aither). Meanwhile, Earth created the Sea (or Pontos), the Mountains and Heaven on its own (Rose, 1991). The account of Hesoid continued with the union of Heaven and Earth (Rose, 1991). Heaven, that which is also referred to as Uranos, is not really considered a god. On the contrary, Earth (sometimes called Gaia) is truly considered as a goddess. It was said that this unlikely couple produced several offspring. These were â€Å"Okeanos and his eddies, Koios and Krios, Hyperion and Iapetos, Theia and Rhea, Themis and Mnemosyne, Phoibe and Tethys† (Rose, 1991, p. 15). Kronos was the last offspring. He was the most frightful of all children, for he harbored hatred towards his father. Eventually, the family was torn apart by conflict. Heaven became overwhelmed by jealousy towards his children that he forced them all into Earth’s body. When Earth could no longer deal with the suffering, she asked her children to punish their father for revenge. Only Kronos answered his mother’s call; with a sickle, he castrated his father (Rose, 1991). Collectively, the children of Heaven and Earth are called the Titans (Rose, 1991). The Titans are also known as the Elder Gods (Hamilton, 1969). Among the Titans, six composed a different group (Rose, 1991). These include Iapetos, Okeanos, Kronos and their respective wives, Themis, Tethys and Rhea. The most significant couple in this group is Kronos and Rhea, as they were the parents of Zeus. According to legend, Heaven and Earth predicted that one of Kronos’ children would unseat him from power. Kronos was alarmed by the warning; as a result, he swallowed each of his children the moment they were born. Rhea disapproved of Kronos’ actions, so when she gave birth to her youngest, Zeus, she decided to hide him from his father. Rather than give the child, Rhea handed to Kronos a rock clothed like a newborn infant. The prediction of Heaven and Earth came true; when Zeus grew up, he became opposed to his father. While Rhea plotted to trick Kronos into throwing up his children, Zeus came to Tartaros to set free Kronos’ brethren who were jailed there. Cyclops was one of those who were saved, and he provided Zeus with lightning and thunder as gifts in exchange for their freedom. Eventually, the conflict between Kronos and Zeus intensified into a full-blown battle between father and son. The rest of the brethren, including Hekatoncheires and Briareos, were on the side of Zeus. Even Styx and her children proved to be Zeus’ allies. It was said that the battle lasted for a decade. Zeus and his supporters fought from Mount. Olympus, while Kronos and most of the Titans established their post from Mount Orthrys. Themis and Prometheus were the only Titans who did not participate in Kronos’ fight. The battle between the immortals disturbed both the earth and Tartaros; eventually, Zeus emerged as the victor, due to his thunderbolts and stone showers caused by Hekatoncheires. Kronos and his allies were kept in a prison located in Tartaros, with Hekatoncheires serving as the prison guard. The victory of Zeus against Kronos made him the leader among the gods and forced the Titans into lower positions (Rose, 1991). The origin of Zeus is uncertain, as the details of his birth vary according to different sources. Two stories state different locations as the birthplace of Zeus. One story stated that Zeus was born in Crete, while another claimed that the god was born in Arkadia (Rose, 1991). According to the tales that do not establish Crete as his birthplace, Zeus was brought to Crete and was concealed in a cave at Lyktos. Meanwhile, the Cretan legend claimed that Zeus was born in a cave located in either Mount Dikte or Mount Ide. In this cave, Zeus was cared for by local gods and goddesses. It was said that Zeus did not go hungry as a goat named Amaltheia brought him food. The bees also provided Zeus with their honey. It was also said that his cries were inaudible due to the loud war-dance performed by the Kuretes (Rose, 1991). There were various objects closely associated with Zeus. Two of the most prominent objects are the thunderbolt and the aegis (Rose, 1991). The thunderbolt was the god’s destructive weapon; its effect was similar to that of a sharp and powerful missile. Greek art represented the thunderbolt of Zeus as accompanied by flashes of lightning; sometimes, it was also depicted as having wings. As for the aegis, it was the god’s breastplate. It was illustrated by various authors as either a garment or a shield. In a mere mortal, the aegis may seem like an ordinary armor. However, in the hands of Zeus, the aegis served a mighty weapon with magical abilities. According to legend, whenever the aegis was waved at a foe, this individual will be overwhelmed with fright. If the origins of the aegis will be traced, one would find that it is simply a cloak created from the hide of a goat with the hairs still in it. To an ordinary human, the aegis is known for defensive purposes, especially against the weather and the attacks of the enemy. Nonetheless, the aegis is worn by Zeus is filled with his mana, or his deific force (Rose, 1991). Aside from the thunderbolt and the aegis, there were other things attributed to Zeus. The eagle is considered as the god’s bird of choice, while the oak tree was his favorite (Hamilton, 1969). The oracle of Zeus is situated in Dodona, where oak trees were abundant. It was established that the will of Zeus was shown by the movement of the oak leaves, which was later interpreted by the priests (Hamilton, 1969). Zeus belonged to the 12 Olympian gods who reigned after the downfall of the Titans (Hamilton, 1969). He served as the head of this family of divine beings. The group included the siblings of Zeus: his brothers Poseidon and Hades, as well as his sisters Hestia and Hera. The 12 divinities also included the children of Zeus, including Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes and Artemis. Hephaestus was the twelfth god in the group. After Zeus dethroned Kronos, he sought to distribute the universe among his brothers and himself (Rose, 1991). The sea became the official territory of Poseidon, while Hades became the ruler of the underworld. In the division of the universe, Zeus emerged as the mightiest among the three (Hamilton, 1969). He was called various names, such as the â€Å"Rain-god, the Cloud-gatherer and the Lord of the Sky† (Hamilton, 1969, p. 27). In fact, Zeus was more powerful than all the gods and goddesses combined (Hamilton, 1969). Despite Zeus’ status, there were territories which were not under his reign. The three gods agreed that Mount Olympus and the earth would be considered as common ground. It is important to note that the sisters were not included in the distribution of the universe (Rose, 1991). This exclusion was apparently due to the rules of ancient Greek law. After he defeated his father, Zeus had another objective: to search for a wife. He was soon married, but he was also involved in affairs with various women. The marriage of Zeus to Hera is most notable in Greek mythology, though it was suggested that this was not the only marriage Zeus was involved with. According to Homer, Hera was Zeus’ first choice for a wife, as their romance began prior to the defeat of Kronos (Rose, 1991). Ares and Hephaestus, the God of War and the God of Fire respectively, were the children from their union (Hamilton, 1969). However, several accounts stated that Hephaestus was the son of Hera alone. The divine marriage proved to be shaky, due Zeus’ infidelity. The supreme deity was often depicted as a womanizer, as he had this habit of falling in love with many women. His extramarital affairs were countless and often produced children, mortal and immortal alike. It was said that Zeus had to resort to all sorts of trickery to conceal his unfaithfulness, just as he had used beguilement as a means to lure women. However, Hera usually discovered about these affairs. Several accounts of Hera showed that she was mainly concerned with chastising the other females in Zeus’ life. She punished all those whom Zeus fell in love with, though they only submitted to him because of force or trickery. Regardless of their situation, Hera remained filled with hatred and she also punished their children (Hamilton, 1969). Some sources suggest that Zeus was involved in other marriages. Prior to his union with Hera, he was married to Themis, who was one of the Titans (Rose, 1991). This marriage resulted in the birth of the Seasons, as well as the Moirai. After Themis, Zeus was involved with Eurynome. According to Hesoid, she was an offsping of Okeanos and Tethys. The union between Zeus and Eurynome produced Charites, better known in the English language as Graces, based on its Latin origins. The Graces consisted of Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia; they were also known as Splendor, Mirth and Good Cheer respectively (Hamilton, 1969). In most accounts, the Graces were not considered as different entities; they were often depicted as a trinity of beauty and grace. Meanwhile, Themis was not the only Titaness whom Zeus married (Rose, 1991). Zeus also married Mnemosyne, and their union produced the nine Muses. This union was said to have occurred after Zeus’ relationship with Demeter (Rose, 1991). Initially, the Muses were similar to the Graces in the sense they were not distinctly identified from one another (Hamilton, 1969). Eventually, the Muses were distinguished to each other according to their respective fields. Calliope was the Muse of epic poetry, Clio of history, Erato of love poetry, Euterpe of lyric poetry, Polyhymnia of the songs for the deities, Thalia of comedy and Terpsichore of dance (Hamilton, 1969). A significant relationship is the union between Zeus and Demeter (Rose, 1991). The offspring of this marriage was Kore, who is better known as Persephone. According to an Orphic account, Zeus was also in love with his own daughter. He assumed the shape of a dragon or snake to mate with her. Their union produced a son named Zagreus, who was later killed by the Titans based on Hera’s orders. However, this account is rather obscure; the story is contrary to the tradition of Greek mythology which indicates that Persephone was married to Hades, the brother of Zeus (Rose, 1991). Some of the deities included in the 12 Olympians were children of Zeus from his affairs with other women. Apollo is recognized as the God of Truth and Light (Hamilton, 1969). His twin, Artemis, is known to be a brave huntswoman. Both deities were the children of Zeus from his relationship with Leto. Hermes, who is known as the Messenger of Zeus, was the offspring of the supreme god and Maia, the daughter of Atlas. Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty and Love, was the offspring of Zeus and Dione according to the Homer’s The Iliad. Nevertheless, another account claimed that Aphrodite came from foam in the sea (Hamilton, 1969). The aforementioned gods and goddesses are only some of the identified children of Zeus. Zeus is known to be the mighty Greek god who had multiple romantic affairs. However, his other attributes were best illustrated in both The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer. In these epics, the characteristics of the king of the Greek gods are exposed to the reader. While the stories present the extent of his power and personality, these also reveal his limitations and flaws. For instance, it is already a well-known fact that Zeus is supreme and powerful enough to overthrow Kronos. In Book VIII of The Iliad, he asserted that power by reminding the other gods and goddesses that he is the greatest of them all (Hamilton, 1969). The war between the Greeks and the Trojans had forced the deities to take sides and intervene with the mortal conflict. However, in a gathering in Mount Olympus, Zeus warned the other deities against interfering in the war. He reminded them that even in a tug-of-war between him and the others, he would still win. Homer wrote, â€Å"Fasten a rope of gold to heaven and lay hold, every god and goddess. You could not drag down Zeus. But if I wished to drag you down, then I would† (as cited in Hamilton, 1969, p. 27). Zeus was indeed the strongest among all Greek gods. Despite being the mightiest among all the deities, Zeus was depicted as a god whose will was not absolute. This was because his stand towards the war and divine intervention constantly shifted. When The Iliad began, Zeus wanted to have little or no involvement in the Trojan War. When Aphrodite became injured as a result of her involvement in the mortal battle, Zeus instructed her to stay way (Hamilton, 1969). In a similar instance, when Diomedes injured Ares, Zeus was more considerate to the former because he found the latter too impulsive. Also, there was a time in the epic when Hera and Athena wanted to participate in the war and Zeus was forced to threaten them just to prevent them from meddling. At one point, Zeus even seemed to want an end to the intensified conflict; when Paris disappeared from his duel with Menelaus, he suggested that the war should end because Menelaus was technically the winner (Hamilton, 1969). However, it is important to note that Zeus was already involved with the war early on in the epic. The problem with Agamemnon forced Achilles to seek his mother’s help in asking for Zeus’ intervention (Hamilton, 1969). As a favor to her son, Thetis did ask Zeus for the temporary victory of the Trojans just so Achilles can prove to the Greeks that they are ineffective in battle without him. While he insisted to the other gods and goddesses that they must not intervene, he himself was a divine participant in the war. He listened to the plea of Thetis and soon enough, he tricked Agamemnon through a dream. In Book XI, Zeus had informed Hector that he will become victorious after Agamemnon gets injured in battle. Zeus was also shown to provide omens to the mortal participants of the war. In Book XII, Zeus sent an eagle flying with a snake in its claws; later on, the eagle dropped the snake when it was bitten. This proved to be a bad omen which was ignored by Hector. Later on in the epic, Zeus did allow the other deities to meddle in the war. The divine intervention in the war even caused the gods and goddesses themselves to be at war with each other. Instead of being a participant, Zeus was merely a spectator in the divine squabble (Hamilton, 1969). The epics of Homer also depicted Zeus as a god of mercy. Whenever a mortal is placed in an appropriate situation, the powerful god took pity on them. After Achilles killed Hector in The Iliad, he continually dragged his enemy’s corpse (Hamilton, 1969). Zeus and the rest of the gods were not happy with this. Zeus was forced to approach Thetis to put a stop to this unfortunate situation. He asked the deity to talk to her son. In The Odyssey, Odysseus had not found his way home for two decades. For a time, he stayed in an island with the deity Calypso. Calypso refused to let him go and eventually became a prisoner of the island. Zeus knew Odysseus did not deserve this fate and he sought the cooperation of the gods to aid the mortal on his way home. Zeus asked Hermes to travel to the island and convince Calypso to set Odysseus free. Because no one can refuse the command of Zeus, Calypso was forced to do as the god asked (Hamilton, 1969). In The Odyssey, Zeus was also shown to be capable of wrath and vengeance. The supreme god was portrayed as having livestock in his possession (Rose, 1991). On the island of Thrinakie, some of Odysseus’ companions had killed some cattle and sheep to address their hunger. What these men did not know was that those animals were owned by the supreme god himself. Zeus punished these me by sinking their ship. However, he spared Odysseus from drowning (Rose, 1991). Zeus may be presented as powerful, merciful and vengeful god, but the leader of the Greek gods also has his share of imperfections. Zeus is devoid of omnipotence (Hamilton, 1969). He is a powerful god but his power is not unlimited. In addition, Zeus is not omnipresent either. His limitations as a god allowed other deities to deceive him and take advantage of his weaknesses. Because Zeus was not omnipresent, Poseidon took advantage of this limitation to further his cause as proven in The Iliad. Zeus had demanded that the other gods and goddesses should not be involved in the war. In Book XIII, Zeus was busy and was not able to follow the events in the war. In his brother’s absence, Poseidon helped the Greeks aboard his underwater chariot. Despite his brother’s warning, Poseidon went to the battle in disguise to inspire the Greeks (Hamilton, 1969). Hera also took advantage of Zeus’ limitations. The goddess had been against the Trojans from the start, since Paris chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess. From her post in Mount Olympus, Hera was overjoyed with the participation of Poseidon in the war (Hamilton, 1969). She wanted to guarantee that Zeus will not see them interfering in the affairs of the mortals. Zeus was busy in Mount Ida, so he was unable to prevent the other deities from participating in the war. Hera planned to distract Zeus so the other deities can continue their interference without being caught. She enlisted the help of both Aphrodite and Sleep to succeed in her plan. First, she prepared herself in her plot to seduce her husband; she bathed, wore perfume and got dressed. Aphrodite assisted Hera and made her so beautiful that Zeus would not be able to resist her. Then, Hera asked Sleep to visit Zeus. She made her way to Mount Ida and wished to greet Zeus first with flattery and lies. However, Zeus became so overwhelmed by her beauty that he immediately asked her to lay with him. Hera did not want Zeus to see what was happening to the war, so she insisted that they should go to her chamber underwater to avoid the being seen. Zeus refused. After they made love, Zeus fell into a slumber due to Sleep. With Zeus in deep sleep, Poseidon continued with his interference. When Zeus woke up, he realized what happened and reprimanded Hera (Hamilton, 1969). The case with Poseidon and Hera showed how limited Zeus’ power was, even if he was the most powerful god in Greek mythology. His brother Poseidon had undermined his authority when he intervened with the war despite his orders. His own wife Hera was capable of deceiving him, who was supposed to be the mightiest of them all. With the use of trickery, Zeus came under the control of deities more inferior to him. In the aforementioned incident, his love and lust for women proved to be his downfall. He was easily distracted by the physical appearance that he became unmindful of what was actually happening with the mortals. Hence, Zeus was a powerful god but not a perfect one. The limitations of his power allowed other gods and goddesses to deceive him. The reputation of Zeus as the most supreme among all Greek gods and goddesses is justified. He defeated his father Kronos to become the most powerful among all deities. He controlled the Titans and put them under their control. Whenever he was crossed, he sought revenge and severely punished those who had earned his wrath. Meanwhile, he took pity of those who deserved his mercy. Nonetheless, the supremacy of Zeus was not an assurance of his perfection. Zeus was also flawed like the mortals he governed. One of his weaknesses was his love of women, which resulted in many relationships and children. His will was not fixed; he constantly changed his mind. He was not a god of omnipresence or omniscience; this limitation caused him to be a victim of beguilement. Zeus proved to be the most interesting among all Greek gods. While he was mighty and formidable, he was also weak and imperfect. References Hamilton, E. (1969). Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York: Mentor. Rose, H. J. (1991). A Handbook of Greek Mythology. New York: Routledge.

Culture Art and Technology Essay Example for Free

Culture Art and Technology Essay Among figures of religion, Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammed, and Siddhartha Gautama are some of the prominent individuals who have shared before the world their religious experiences with respect to their own religion. Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism have all received a great amount of fundamental advancement from the ideas and actions of these important individuals. Not only did they help shape the very religion they are attached to—they established it like no other. Yet even though their beliefs and characters are particularly unique from one another being human examples of the tradition in which they are a part of, they still hold one common strand—they all had religious experiences that were influenced by their family ties, geographical location and cultural background to name a few. Through the course of the years, history tells us that the raids later evolved into a struggle motivated by religious grounding— believers against non-believers. This indicates the idea that the spiritual experiences and conquests of Mohammed hold a central position in defining the religious practices of Muslims. While Gandhi espouses peaceful and non-violent methods in attaining the causes of Hinduism, Mohammed and Islam’s concept of jihad adopts the idea that religion itself can be the primary reason for engaging in violent measures in order to further the goal of Islam. Nevertheless, the fact remains that Mohammed’s role in the development of Islam as an established religion in many countries separated by geographical boundaries is crucial inasmuch as it cannot be denied. The same holds true for Siddhartha Gautama whose reputation in the religion of Buddhism is greatly acknowledged as essential both by believers and academic scholars. As Herman Hesse suggests, Siddhartha espouses the idea that, for one to know one’s quest in life, it is imperative to find the source from within and not from without, like a â€Å"flowing river† that attracts â€Å"a deep love for this flowing water† (Hesse 100). Introspection, or an inner contemplation, is one of the main precepts being pushed forward by Siddhartha which further suggests the idea that each individual must take time to isolate one’s self from others in order to be able to focus and to introspect. This idea can be rooted from one of Siddhartha’s life-transforming moments. The religious experience of Siddhartha began after his encounter with a sick man, a poor man, a beggar and a corpse that revealed unto him the idea that humanity is filled with sorrow brought about by the sufferings in life . Being isolated away from the outside world after being confined within his home for almost the entire duration of his early years, Siddhartha began to realize the deeper side of life after the experience. He decided to leave behind his previous lifestyle and pursued, instead, a life of intense asceticism. However, Siddhartha realized that to live one’s life is to neither live in excessive abundance of wealth and material possessions nor in extreme plainness after overhearing a teacher discussing music. In the end, he pursed the Middle Way, or the way of life that takes the middle path instead of the extremes . These aspects hold the key to understanding the Buddhists’ primary religious experience which is significantly felt, at least in modern times, in the social context of teaching others the way of living life in the Middle Path through a life of internal contemplation or personal reflection. As Siddhartha dedicated his life to pursuing the Middle Path after his yogic meditations, followers of the Buddhist religion later on adopted this method as one of the cornerstones or identities of their group. This suggests the idea that the religious experience of Buddhists in general is strongly tied to a personal level as its most basic foundation. Manifested through yogic meditations, Buddhist monks of today incorporate in their daily lives these principles . Moreover, it can be observed that Islam calls for a life that is centered on Allah while Hinduism, as exemplified by the life of Gandhi, calls for a life that should be dedicated towards the lives of others . It is religious imperative in Islam that Muslims should direct their lives towards revering Allah in every thought and action and that, correspondingly, the religious experience of every Muslim should all the more reflect their strong attachment to Allah (Boyd 69). As Mohammed himself is the foremost Muslim who has been able to fully actualize this thought, it remained an integral part in the lives of the millions of Muslims all around the world. This incorporates the idea that the religious experience of a single individual—the prophet Mohammed—has greatly affected the succeeding generations that came to follow the same path. While Islam essentially requires the primordial importance of Allah, Hinduism has been closely attached to the sense that it is a religion that is centered on others. The same holds true for Buddhism although the religion reflects reverence to â€Å"the Awakened One† or Buddha and that Hinduism itself has its own versions of celestial entities or â€Å"Devas† as well as the concept of â€Å"Brahman† which refers to the greater Self or God. These things constitute the belief that, although Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam have parallel ideas of higher beings or divine entities, it appears that Islamic treatment for a higher being supersedes those of the other two. This can be rooted out from the fact that the scriptures of Islam and its religious followers and believers put Allah above everything else while Hinduism and Buddhism, through their yogic meditations, allow or give due importance to the self as well. This is not to say that Islam as a religion does not give due importance to its believers. It only entails the idea that Islam treats man as a being that should be placed under Allah and that Hinduism and Buddhism illustrate a rather more salient consideration for the welfare of man. Mahatma Gandhi, for example, showed his concern for others by teaching the poor exploited peasants in the region of Champaran in Bihar about the satyagraha, inquiring about their sufferings, educating them to fight for their rights and at the same time to carry out their obligations to the nation as a whole . Siddhartha, on the other hand, lived his forty-five years traveling along the country, finding sustenance on the alms given by other people after teaching the people the means that will liberate humanity from worldly sufferings . Moreover, one of the notable religious experiences of both Gandhi and Siddhartha is pegged on the idea that they both waged a â€Å"battle† in terms of forwarding their beliefs in the context of their religion. While Gandhi strived for peaceful measures—passive resistance, for example—in order to achieve his aim for a peaceful world with equality among religions and Siddhartha pushed his ideologies of liberating humanity from the worldly sufferings they experience through teaching them the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, Mohammed took a rather different approach. The fact that Mohammed engaged in jihad or in battles through the â€Å"sword† reveals the idea that Mohammed will take up arms in defending the religion against aggressors or in forwarding Islamic tenets. Thus, it can be argued that the religious experience of Mohammed, or at least the part in which he waged battles in his religious life, is distinctively different from those of Gandhi and Siddhartha. The differences in the religious experiences among the three can be largely seen on their corresponding actions and exploits during their existence and the resulting consequences it created on their religions. This also affects these religions view on disasters. Jihad is indubitably a central part of Islam; Yogic meditations play a significant role in Buddhism and Hinduism with former embracing the Middle Path and the latter guiding the lives of its believers through its sacred texts. The Qur’an greatly emphasizes the idea that Allah should be above everything else; Hinduism seeks to treat everyone and every other religion their due recognition in the sense that to each is his own truth or, at the most, God; and Buddhism’s goal is to free human beings from suffering and the cycle of rebirth and make them know the â€Å"truth†. Conclusion The religious experiences of Mahatma Gandhi, Siddhartha Gautama, and Mohammed all have a great bearing on the religions they belong to. These individuals have a large sum of contributions not only to the expansion of the reaches of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam but on the very central precepts of these religions. Although each of them has their own specific religious experiences and beliefs, and that while it may be true that each of them forwards distinctive approaches in meeting their religious goals, they all nevertheless share the parallel idea that religion is a significant section of their lives. In essence, however, their respective cultural background, geographical location, and family ties among many others have strongly shaped their religious experiences which, as a consequence, influenced their religion. Above all these, by comparing and contrasting the lives of Mohammed, Siddhartha and Gandhi, one is able to better understand some of the main—and oftentimes subtle—differences between these religions view on disasters in life. References: Aly, A. The Life of the Prophet Muhammad. 1999. (October 3, 1999): ATT Knowledge Ventures. April 2008. http://home. att. net/~a. f. aly/muhammad. htm. Borman, William. Life, the Chief Value: Wrong Aims and Methods, and False Views. Boyd, Stephen Blake. Malcolm Xs Religious Pilgrimage: From Black Separatism to a Universal Way. Redeeming Men: Religion and Masculinities. Ed. Stephen Blake Boyd. Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. 69. Gandhi and Non-Violence. Albany, N. Y. : State University of New York Press, 1986. 200. Gandhi, Mahatma. An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Long Island, N. Y. : Buccaneer Books Inc, 2007. Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. New York: Bantam Classics, 1981. Levine, Marvin. The Story of Siddhartha. The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga: Paths to a Mature Happiness: With a Special Application to Handling Anger. Mahwah, N. J. : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. , 2000. 12. Life of Siddhartha Gautama. 2002. Human Ecology. April 2008. http://199. 33. 141. 196/courses/idm2002/leung/rootbiography/pages/Life/lifemain. html. Mahatma Gandhi: His Life in Pictures. New Delhi: The Central Electric Press, 1954. Neusner, Jacob, and Tamara Sonn. Jihad (Islam). Comparing Religions through Law: Judaism and Islam. New York: Routledge, 2002. 203. Some Thoughts on the Power of Focused, Principled Hatred. Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror. Washington, D. C. : Brasseys Books, 2004. 6. Swenson, Don. The Dilemma of Delimitation: The Study of Ethos. Society, Spirituality, and the Sacred: A Social Scientific Introduction. Peterborough, Ont. , Canada: New York Broadview Press, 1999. 255. Yob, Iris M. Growing up Buddhist. Keys to Interfaith Parenting. Hauppauge, N. Y. : Barrons, 1998. 79.