Why Do We Need The Covenants Essay Example For Students

Why Do We Need The Covenants? Essay Judy BeatyGREL 1003: Principals of Biblical FaithProf. J. Gordon Eisenman11 October 2000Why do we need the Covenants?Could mere obedience to law bring about forgiveness of sins and salvation? Gods whole plan of salvation is promised and understood through the Covenants. Many denominations have different beliefs, however, thanks to the Covenants, all believe that the only condition for salvation that He requires is faith. These Covenants were and are still very necessary because they convey Gods promise. An understanding of the Covenants helps build a persons faith and gives one a much better basis for understanding of the Bible. The need for the Covenants was pointed out by God in Romans 3:23, where He said, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In the Old Testament, the believers did not have Gods Spirit in them as a permanent gift. The laws, of the Old Covenant, were broken by Gods people, even though, both Covenants made clear that the way to be declared not guilty by Him was not for good work or deeds, but by faith. We will write a custom essay on Why Do We Need The Covenants? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The Old Covenant What and WhereWhenever God makes a promise or gives man a commandment or a prohibition, He makes a covenant with man. This type of contract usually comes about through negotiations. Once an agreement is reached, it is usually sealed in some formal way. Thus, it becomes binding to everyone. The Old Covenant was essentially a contract between God and the Israelites (His chosen people). He sent Moses to these people to convey his message, which was If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation (KJV) Exodus 19:5 6. The physical sign of following the Old Covenant was circumcision. The Mosaic Law was a central part of the Old Covenant. This law was the moral record of how Gods people were supposed to live. The vehicle by which God taught people about their own sinfulness and their need for a savior was the Law in the Old Testament. However, Paul, along with the rest of the apostles, taught that salvation was impossible through obedience to the Law, even under the Old Covenant. Paul stated this in Romans 3:20, because of the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. He also goes on in Romans 4 to show that not even Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel, was justified before God through faith, not by works. In Timothy, when Paul uses the words Scriptures or sacred writings, he is referring to the Old Testament, which of course, included the Law. Old Covenant FollowersThere were several people who followed the Old Covenant, such as Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Jacob and Moses. One such person who was good and followed everything God told him to do was Moses. The Bible makes it clear that Moses is founder of the Jewish people and Judaism, the faith, but that Abraham is the founder of the nation. As the leader of the Jews he freed them from slavery in Egypt, as well as protected them from the wrath of God, and negotiated with God on their behalf. Moses is said to be the author of the first five books of the Bible, best known as the Torah. He is the greatest of the Hebrew prophets, who had many face to face meetings with God. .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 , .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .postImageUrl , .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 , .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38:hover , .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38:visited , .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38:active { border:0!important; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38:active , .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38 .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u57172c1483584b1c0b6665e21d7ccf38:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Essay About Violence At SchoolGod had Moses come up the mountain, where he received the stone tablets (the 10 Commandments) to take down to His people and thus interpret these laws to them. God trusted and believed in Moses because he always followed His direction and never, was there any doubt of Moses faith. Old and New Covenant Similarities and DifferencesGod put both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant into motion and He set the terms. The ultimate goal of both covenants is they will truly be my people and I will be their God Jeremiah 31:33. Jesus was more concerned about the condition of a

Free Essays on Drugs and Prison Inmates

Drugs are, without a doubt, one of the most widespread problems in this country. About eighty percent of all prison inmates have been incarcerated because of drug related charges. It seems that the more the nation "cracks down" on drugs the more they proliferate throughout our society. But why do we choose to continue implementing ideas that have already been shown to be incapable of solving the problem? Why do we keep increasing prison sentences, inflating punitive measures, and torturing sick people; people who are already tortured from within? Why are drugs illegal at all? What right has another to determine what a person morally can and cannot do to their own body? How can one impose paternalistic laws upon personal choices that affect no one save those who make them? Drugs can sometimes be horrible things that result in terrible pain and human suffering, but how can one logically justify our saying that anyone cannot take them; that they do not have the right to take them? Furthermore what right have we to punish a drug addict for acting in a manner that affects no one but themselves? Drug laws have one end alone: to protect us, not from others, but from ourselves; from our own ignorance, our own stupididty, and our inability to make the right decisions. How can one justify the application of what must honestly be perceived as torture upon people who are already in pain? To believe that we should punish drug addicts is to believe that we should brutalize people for being in pain. The "war on drugs", more often seeming a war on the people than on drugs, requires more money, time, and effort than any other criminal activity, and the more of these we waste the more drugs we see. Prisons are overflowing with people who made personal decisions about their own lives; and suffered as a result even before they were carelessly flung into a life of socially-sponsored torture. How can anyone, though, really say that what these people di... Free Essays on Drugs and Prison Inmates Free Essays on Drugs and Prison Inmates Drugs are, without a doubt, one of the most widespread problems in this country. About eighty percent of all prison inmates have been incarcerated because of drug related charges. It seems that the more the nation "cracks down" on drugs the more they proliferate throughout our society. But why do we choose to continue implementing ideas that have already been shown to be incapable of solving the problem? Why do we keep increasing prison sentences, inflating punitive measures, and torturing sick people; people who are already tortured from within? Why are drugs illegal at all? What right has another to determine what a person morally can and cannot do to their own body? How can one impose paternalistic laws upon personal choices that affect no one save those who make them? Drugs can sometimes be horrible things that result in terrible pain and human suffering, but how can one logically justify our saying that anyone cannot take them; that they do not have the right to take them? Furthermore what right have we to punish a drug addict for acting in a manner that affects no one but themselves? Drug laws have one end alone: to protect us, not from others, but from ourselves; from our own ignorance, our own stupididty, and our inability to make the right decisions. How can one justify the application of what must honestly be perceived as torture upon people who are already in pain? To believe that we should punish drug addicts is to believe that we should brutalize people for being in pain. The "war on drugs", more often seeming a war on the people than on drugs, requires more money, time, and effort than any other criminal activity, and the more of these we waste the more drugs we see. Prisons are overflowing with people who made personal decisions about their own lives; and suffered as a result even before they were carelessly flung into a life of socially-sponsored torture. How can anyone, though, really say that what these people di...

What Is a Good ACT Writing Score

What Is a Good ACT Writing Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips As you study for the ACT, it's easy enough to calculate your ACT composite target score. But where does your essay score fit into all this? What’s a good ACT Writing score? Read on to find out how to figure it out! feature image credit: Had a Good Boogie Lately? by Jocelyn Kinghorn, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. How Do You Figure Out What’s a Good ACT Writing Score? A good essay score depends on what your goals are. These goals should be concrete and determined by the colleges you’re applying to. Find out more about why this is the only factor that truly matters in our article on what a good, bad, and excellent ACT score is. So how do you figure out your target ACT Writing Score? Step 0: Is ACT Writing Required? Especially now that the SAT essay is no longer mandatory, many schools have been reevaluating their stance on whether or not to require the ACT essay (since schools generally like to have a consistent standard across the two tests). Some colleges are ACT Writing-optional, while others don't consider it at all. Use our complete list of which schools require ACT Writing to figure out where the schools you're applying to stand on the issue. Step 1: Use Our Worksheet We've created a handy worksheet to help you figure out your target ACT score. For now we'll be adapting the worksheet to figure out what a good ACT Writing score is for you, although I definitely recommend also filling out a second sheet to figure out your target ACT composite score. Step 2: Fill In Your Schools On the worksheet, fill in the names of the schools you want to get into in the leftmost column. Include dream or â€Å"reach† schools, but don’t include â€Å"safety schools† (schools you think you have at least a 90% chance of getting into). Step 3: Get ACT Writing Score Data You can try to get the data from each school's admissions website, but this is time-consuming and not always successful, as admission sites aren't laid out in a particularly standardized way. The best source of data for ACT Writing scores is a school's Common Data Set, if the school chooses to publish it. The Common Data Set, or CDS, is a set of survey items that schools can choose to fill out and put online to give students information about the school in a standardized way. The CDS's section about First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission may include information about students' 25th and 75th percentile scores on ACT Writing. It's not mandatory for schools to fill out the CDS, and even if they do, they don't have to fill out the information about ACT Writing, so you won't always find that information, but the CDS is the most up-to-date and reliable source for ACT Writing score information. A third option is to take to Google and search out other sources for this data; however, you should differentiate between this kind of unofficial information and official data released by the schools. Step 4: Average Both Columns Total up the 25th and 75th percentile scores, then find the average of each column. We recommended that you take the 75th percentile score as your target ACT Writing score since it will give you a very strong chance of getting into the schools you’ve listed. If you’re applying to humanities programs, you may even want to consider a higher target score for ACT Writing, as it may be used for placement in certain courses. A quick refresher on what percentile scores mean: 25th percentile means that 25 percent of the students attending have a score at or below that number (below average). The 75th percentile means that 75 percent of students have a score at or below that number (above average). For example, let's say that the 25th/75th percentile ACT Writing score range for Northwestern University is 7/10. If you score above the 75th percentile score (a 10), your Writing score will help your chances of admission; if you score below the 25th percentile (a 7-8), your Writing score might harm your chances of admission. What If There's No ACT Writing Score Data? Unfortunately, very few colleges actually release their ACT Writing score ranges. Rarely is the information easily accessible on the school websites (since admission sites have no standardized formats)- instead, you have to search for a school's most recent Common Data Set or rely on data provided by third parties. If there is no data for ACT Writing scores at all, you can take a look at the school's composite ACT score ranges to get a rough idea of where your ACT Writing score should be. Because it requires exceptional skill to get 6 in all domains (or a 12/12) on the ACT Writing, even the most competitive schools will accept a 9/12 on the essay (which puts you in the 95th percentile for ACT Writing), even if the school's ACT composite range is 32-35. We've created a chart below that compares percentiles for ACT composite scores and ACT Writing scores. You can use this chart to help you figure out roughly where your Writing score should fall, based on your composite score. Percentile Composite Score (1-36) Writing Score (2-12) 100 36 12 99 31-35 11 99 31-35 10 95 27-31 9 88 22-27 8 65 19-22 7 47 15-19 6 24 13-15 5 12 12-13 4 4 11-12 3 2 1-11 2 source: two different ACT.org pages As an example, Northwestern's 25/75 range for ACT composite scores is 32-34, so you should aim for an overall ACT Writing score of between 8 and 11 out of 12. In general, as long as your Writing score percentile is in the general ballpark (within 10-20 percentile points) of your composite score percentile, you'll be fine. Summary: How to Decide What a Good ACT Writing Score Is First, look up whether the schools you wish to apply to require ACT Writing scores. Next, figure out the ACT Writing score ranges of those schools that do require ACT Writing scores be submitted. To do this, you can: Check the school's admissions site or Common Data Set (if published) to see if there is data for ACT Writing, OR Estimate the Writing score range based on the school's ACT composite score range Then, sum up the ACT Writing score ranges for the 25th and 75th percentiles, average the 25th and 75th percentile scores, and choose a target ACT Writing score (75th percentile average score is recommended as a target). 3D Bullseye. Credit: StockMonkeys.com (used under CC BY 2.0) What’s Next? Now that you've stuck your toe in the waters of ACT Writing scoring, are you ready for more? Of course you are. Get into the depths of ACT Writing with this full analysis of the ACT essay grading rubric. Is a longer essay always better? Find out how essay length affects your ACT Writing score here. Completely confused about how the ACT Writing test is scored? You're not alone. Dispel your confusion with our complete guide to ACT essay scoring. Curious about where your ACT Writing score stands in comparison to everyone else? Find out what an average ACT Writing score is in this article. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Business External Environmental Assessment Assignment

Business External Environmental Assessment - Assignment Example According to the report findings the political environment is constituted by elected leaders and the policies they introduce. These policies could be aimed at regulating business through a range of business and corporate policies, amending the taxation system, protecting the environment, and customer protection. These factors are mainly controlled by the political class through legislations. Economic environment makes the most sense of all the factors. Comcast Corporation must always scan the economic environment to check how stable the economy is at any given time. Another aspect of the economic environment that must be investigated is whether disposable incomes of existing and potential customers is rising or declining. The extent of globalization and competition in the telecommunication and mass media industries too must be checked. The level of competition may be checked by determining if the market share is growing or shrinking.From this paper it is clear that  socio-cultural aspects of the environment in which Comcast operates entails issues like the population growth trend and the accompanying growth in the number of customers. Generational social attitudes and the society’s levels of education, health and social mobility also influence Comcast’s business decisions and industry standing.  These socio-cultural issues must be looked into after every predetermined lengths of time.

The ground truth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The ground truth - Essay Example military and what they experience when posted in Iraq. Most of their concentration is about their experiences beforehand, during the time they were there, and what they had to deal with afterwards. These regular men as well as women go through vigorous and intense training to ensure that they are fit for the battle ahead. Some ideas such as desensitization and depersonalization come up during their interviews that were part of the training. Their experience in Iraq opened them up to a whole new world as they struggled to stay alive, keep trust between each other, guard themselves against enemies in an alien land and at the back of their heads, maintain the idea that they have their families back at home waiting for their return. The dreadful war in Iraq, portrayed with brutal honesty in the movie, is a run-up for the yet more thought-provoking battles that soldiers go through after they return from their missions. As these skirmishes developed, every soldier turned out to be a special type of protagonist and hero in his or her own way, witnessing the bloody massacres of the war, covering for each other and backing the other veterans. This gave them courage and the opportunity to not only fight with the gun, but also practicing to bravely apply the most dominant weapon in all battles, the truth. In the movie, the adversities of battle, the reality that life is short and can be ended within a nick of time. The return to their motherland is the most crucial part of the movie because the soldiers develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as they experience both emotional and psychological torture that they have to grapple with to return to their normal lives. Most soldiers come back home with physical injuries, mainly from bullet wounds and explosions but they feel that the battle is not over for them as their lives have taken a twisted turn in the name of being patriotic. Just one vital factor could

Sustaining Employee Performance Essay Example for Free

Sustaining Employee Performance Essay There is usually a multitude of different positions within an organization. The different positions are determined by the size of the organization. While many positions may have similar characteristics when it comes to performance and compensation many are also at opposite ends of the spectrum. Based on the position, companies may choose different methods of evaluating performance. Companies also choose different pay scales and incentives based on each position. Two positions that may be compared would be a triage nurse and an admission receptionist. While both of these positions exist in the hospital, they are going to be reviewed and compensated in different ways. Function of Performance Management Systems Performance management system is a process in which companies focus on the performance of the employees and organization. Its a process to improve or build products or service to accomplish the companys mission and goals. Performance management system can include planning work, continually monitoring employees, setting expectations, rating performance, rewarding good performance, and developing performance. Performance management mainly consists of feedback, positive reinforcement, and measurement. Currently, the hospital has information systems for accounting and finance, human resources, customer relationship management, and knowledge management but doesnt have a performance management system in place. It has been recommended that a performance management system be put into place for the triage nurses and admissions receptionist to enhance employee engagement and performance. Enforcing a performance management system will allow the hospital to focus on employees job performance as well as manage them effectively for the business results the organization wants to see and achieve. The hospital will use integrated software to track employee  progress and from the results be able to narrow down what improvements need to be met by the employees, as well as the company. Management will be able to be more responsive and flexible to employee needs while communicating strategic goals, and documenting the communication process. Performance appraisals will also help with the organizational development. Performance appraisal is part of a system that seeks to motivate employees to maximum performance by evaluating the employees effort on the job, comparing it to standards, and using those results to help employees improve (DeCenzo, p. 244). Coaching will be provided from their manager, and performance feedback will be given based upon the coaching. Performance planning will also be relayed as part of the performance management system to establish goals and objectives so that no employee is unaware of what is expected of them as we implement the performance management system. Implementation of the performance management system at first will be on a short term basis while employees and management are getting use to the software. It will be carried out on a weekly base during each employees one on one with their manager, and results will be gathered and feedback will be given. From those results, the employee will receive praise or coaching on what they will need to improve on. The overall goal is to get all employees on the same page and work towards the companys goals while developing strong employees that will be an asset to the companys future. Job Evaluation Methods Job evaluations are used to evaluate an employee’s work and productivity. It not only helps to determine their performance, but it also helps to recognize accomplishments, it helps to determine if there are any future training opportunities and helps the employee develop new skills and set performance goals for the following year (DeCenzo, p. 132). There are two types of appraisals I would use to evaluate a Triage Nurse and an Admissions Receptionist. The first evaluation type would be Critical Incident method, and the second would be the Graphic Rating Scale. Critical Method job evaluation would be good for a Triage Nurse and an Admissions Receptionist because this evaluation is a task-focused based evaluation. Both of these jobs come in contact with clients, and they have certain tasks and procedures to follow with each client. Critical Method focuses on those tasks an employee has and how he or she performance those tasks. The evaluations are done mostly by the managers, by doing observations of the employees and gathering that information for the year. Critical Method job evaluations are very effective relationship building tool because it requires the manager to spend most of their time in the work area working, observing, and interacting with there in employees (DeCenzo, p. 251). This situation could be a disadvantage because your manager is most likely to be there every day and see everything that is going on, but if they are a good manager they are there to provide support and guidance. The Second Performance Job evaluation I would use to evaluate A Triage Nurse and an Admissions Receptionist would be the Graphic Rating Scale method because of the number of Nurses and Receptionist you will have; this will help to identify the very best and poor employees. This type of evaluation helps to separate employees into tiers. This separation can help determine which employees receive promotions or training (DeCenzo, p. 252). However; this evaluation does have disadvantages because it could become difficult to differentiate between employees who are placed in the average group. These employees could have several strengths, but their weaknesses play a role in their tier evaluation. For this method to be effective, the manager must communicate with each employee about their weaknesses and strengths. The result of this coaching session should result in the employee reaching a higher position on the graphic rating scale evaluation in the future. Compensation Plans The pay grade for the Triage Nurse at this particular hospital is a U7 that is a benchmarked position. The pay grade compensation amounts run from $53,400 to $76,200. The median range of this pay grade is $64,100. This pay grade leaves room for growth and advancement, but also can compensate a Triage Nurse who has more than five (5) years of experience which will still leave room for promotions within the pay grade for this position. There are promotional increases every year that this position can earn a total of 5% of the annual increase on the base salary. This bonus is determined on the overall individual performance of the employee. There are 2% increases on the base annual salary for an annual merit increase on top of the individual bonus program. The Admission Receptionist compensation has a lower pay grade  than the Triage Nurse. The pay grade is a U. The range of compensation is between $17,600 and $34,300. The median range of compensation for an employee with about five (5) years experience for an admission receptionist position is $22,800. There are promotional increases every year for this position that depends on individual performance. The highest percentage that can be earned is 3%. This position is eligible for merit increases every year at a 2% increase on the base salary. This position is benchmarked and cannot earn compensation over the pay grade. Importance of Benefits Plans In todays tough recruiting environment, simply providing a competitive salary will not be enough to attract top talent to the organization. Most prospective employees take the benefits package into consideration before accepting a job offer. A well-designed benefits program will increase the appeal of working for the organization, minimize turnover, increase morale, better job performance, and healthier employees. An organization that invests in a benefits program demonstrates to its staff members the length to which it is willing to invest in their future. A company that chooses to invest in its workforce proves the business is stable, that management and ownership believe in the ability of the business to succeed, and it will attract the best talent to the organization (Mann, 2013). It becomes difficult for a company to make progress if it is forced to train new employees continuously because it cannot retain talent. When a business suffers from a high turnover rate, it is very difficult to build that cohesive team of veteran employees that lead the way. Often, offering a well-rounded benefits package will be the difference between an employee choosing to stay with the company or seek employment elsewhere. Providing employee benefits can better the morale of the workforce. By understanding the needs of the companys workforce and addressing those needs, it is very likely that employees will be more dedicated to the company and take their positions and performance more seriously. A business that demonstrates that it cares about their employees can increase loyalty and get better performance from its staff. Healthier employees can also be a benefit to the company as a result of offering these benefits. Providing a dental plan, medical plan, and sick leave helps employees maintain or better their  health. Offering paid sick leave keeps employees who may have a contagious illness from entering the workplace and infecting other staff members. Employees who have a medical and dental plan are more likely to obtain regular checkups resulting in fewer sick days (Mann, 2013). Based on the information presented, it is clear that differences exist between positions within the same organization. Some similarities may be salary increase percentages from one position to the next, but the pay scales are very different. There are many different methods to evaluate job performance and vary from company to company. Position structures also vary greatly from company to company as well. It is important to figure out what works for the specific type of company and the service or goods. No single way has been shown to be most effective for every company that is why it is important to tailor the structure and evaluation process to each companys needs. References DeCenzo, D. A. (2013). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (11th ed.). Saddle River, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Mann, N. (2013). Top 5 Reasons to offer Employee Benefits. Retrieved from http://businessbee.com

Benefits of Marriage Essay -- Social Issues, Love

Today less and less people are getting married. Maybe they do this because they do not realize the benefits of marriage. Being in a marriage greatly benefits the emotional, physical and financial aspects of the children, spouse and one’s own life. Although viewed differently reasons for marriage can really be narrowed down to two, marrying for love or marrying for more of a personal beneficial reason. The Emotional aspects of marriage play heavily in any person’s life. Though not always prevalent commonsense states that the best relationships sprout from a great depth of love. There is a recipe for a long lasting loving marriage. â€Å"First, they must love each other deeply and choose each other unswayed by outside pressure. From then on, each must make the partner the top priority in life, putting that relationship above any and all competing ties. A husband and wife, we believe, owe their highest obligations and deepest loyalties to each other and the children they raise. Parents and in-laws should not be allowed to interfere in the marriage. Married couples should be best friends, sharing their most intimate feelings and secrets. They should express affection openly but also talk candidly about problems. And of course they should be sexually faithful to each other† (coontz, 381). This recipe does not only extend to heterosexual couples but also extends to homosexuals if afforded the right to marriage. As stated by Andrew Sullivan in For Gay Marriage Homosexuals â€Å"exist and have emotional and sexual attractions to the same sex as heterosexuals have towards the opposite sex† (406). The emotional state of marriages affects more than just a spouse and one’s self. Other financial benefits Children are deeply affected by ma... ...ied have 75% less wealth and those who divorced have 73% less wealth† (Popenoe and Whitehead, 394). One might ask why marriage is such a wealth creator one theory is that those people that create wealth are more likely to get and stay married. Also the lowering of taxes is a big factor of why people get married. The sharing of insurance plan will most likely generate wealth. Although a small point it is still a point that a spouse does not pay taxes on gifts. If one should pass away social security benefits will go to the surviving partner. The State Of Our Unions states that â€Å"marriage itself is a wealth generating institution and it does this through an economic scale as two people live cheaper than one, and as a long term commitment and contract it encourages economic specialization working as a couple people develop skills in which they excel† (394).

Women Safety in Urban Public Spaces

Womans Safety in Urban Public SpacesAbstractions: â€Å" It feels really uncomfortable to walk past that route at that clip. † These are the words we frequently hear from many people, particularly adult females. Bing designers and urban contrivers do we hold any function to play in undertaking this issue? It is the right of every person to experience safe and entree every infinite. Women, most of the clip experience fright in public infinites and male dominated infinite. This paper aims to understand the cardinal grounds that contribute to do a infinite insecure and note peoples position of this job. Secluded or dead edifices, secluded infinites, heavy flora, hapless substructure and lighting and improper care most of the clip consequence in infinites which would be perceived as fearful. On the other manus, the societal construction is frequently extended into the infinites. A particular instance of Nagarjuna Nagar in Vijayawada has been studied to associate and take note of the perceptual experiences of people. The consequen ces from this study has been compared to many theories that have been developed over clip by celebrated geographers and urban contrivers and interior decorators and sociologists. Cardinal Wordss:Fear, safe infinites, adult females and spacial constellation, urban safety Introduction: â€Å" Sexual torment at public topographic points is unwelcome, unasked behavior of a sexual nature including staring, gesticulating, touching, go throughing remarks, draging. These may non look to be a large job, but they can be rather disconcerting. It makes adult females experience ashamed, humiliated or frightened. † ( Vijayawada Police ) What is an insecure infinite? In existent universe, it is a construct developed by people over clip. When a individual refers to a infinite as insecure, he arrived at the sentiment due to their expericence in such infinites or bad lucks encountered by other people in such infinites. Research in peculiar suggests three factors that mediate the impact of different beginnings of fright information: memorability, affectivity and informativeness( Tyler and Rasinski, 1984 ) . Fear beginnings which give a clear image of where the offense took topographic point, on whom, by whom etc.. create a graphic image of environments of fear.Information about onslaughts which relate to adult females ‘s ain life style ( geographically and socially ) have a stronger impact on their images of danger as they are easy able to conceive of the same thing go oning to themselves( Gill Valentine ; Images of Danger: Women ‘s Beginnings of Information about the Spatial Distribution of Male Violence ) . Safety or fright of offense in any infinite is non merely limited to adult females. The psycological impact that fright dramas in the mobility form of adult females should be considered as an facet in design. â€Å"Although feeling unsafe is non confined to adult females, the fright that adult females feel in urban countries is rather peculiar. It is to make with physical and psychological honor†¦ Although non all adult females have been raped or attacked, all have felt at some point that indefinable feeling of malaise which ranges from simply experiencing uncomfortable to paralysis† .( Samaoun, 2000: 29 ) The fright that adult females develop over infinites restrict them to entree a infinite. Women ‘s fright of danger in a public infinite in high compared to a private infinite while the statics show up an wholly contrastive image. Surveys show that adult females tend to fear offense more than work forces do but are less exposed to offense than work forces( Tiby, E. 1991 ). The chief beginning of adult females ‘s fright is the fright of an extra crime- a sexual onslaught besides robbery or burglary( Carina Listerborn ; Women ‘s Fear & A ; Spatial Configurations ) . AsDoreen Masseygenuinely argues inFor Spacethat our societal dealingss are being extended into the physical environment and therefore spacial dealingss are political. This in a manner adds to the full scene. It can be found that India being a patriarchal society, reflects this construction and beliefs in the reinforced environment. When a miss reaches 15 old ages, limitation would be laid on her communal form, where as a male child of same age is allowed to entree any infinite at any hr of the twenty-four hours. We need to understand how strong the physical environment is, in determining the lives of people. They are non given the benefit to lounge unlike work forces and alternatively forced to restrict herself to the domestic sphere alternatively of reshaping the public infinites to do her feel safe.( Shall We Go Out? Women ‘s Safety in Public Spaces in Delhi ; Kalpana Viswanath, Surabhi Tandon Mehrotra) . Womans are encouraged to transport out Piper nigrum sprays and larn self- defense mechanism fast ones instead than seeking to work out the corporate societal issue. People’s voices should be given extreme value and a advisory procedure should ensue into a solution. Merely so can adult females entree the full rights of being an urban citizen( Shall We Go Out: Women ‘s Safety in Public Spaces ) . Carina Listerborn in Women ‘s Fear & A ; Space Configurationsjustly inquiries â€Å" how democratic and justified is it to experience insecure in a infinite which is an of import facet of quality of societal life? † In this context, there is a demand to cognize about the significance of a public infinite in an urban context. Public infinites play a important function in judging the quality of an metropolis. As pointed out justlyby Kalpana Viswanath, Surabhi Tadon Mehrotra in Shall We Go Out: Women ‘s Safety in Public Spaces in Delhi, the quality of a metropolis has to be judged by what it offers to its residents- the right to populate, travel about and work with self-respect and safety. It outlines that the public infinite offers infinite and freedom to get away the holds and emphasis of a household or community. But, many it a clip its left unnoticed that the societal life a public infinite offers are frequently profoundly gendered both in handiness and right. As this job is really less bothered about, adult females have developed their ain manner to undertake this fright. The present twenty-four hours layout of metropoliss leave people in a convulsion, most frequently, instead to take a safer path or a shorter path. This indicates the significance to discourse the spacial constellations. The infinite sentence structure which builds a relation between societal dimension and the reinforced environment takes a cardinal function in judging the grade of safety in a infinite. This plays a principle function in bar of offense and undertaking fright while accessing a infinite. Carina Listerbornlineations three constructs earlier introduced byBill HillierinSpace is the Machineto analyze fright and infinite constellations dealingss. She voices that fright rises with a. ) Urban emptiness- which is related to the construct of practical community and urbanity and is measured by the average integrating value. â€Å" Crime includes a broad field, from burglary to street- force, and dressed ores on an object or state of affairs. In contrast, fright is related to how you experience and interpret the environment. Urban emptiness is an of import facet in both the instances. † ( Carina Listerborn ) B. ) The deficiency of intelligibility- subsidiary travel paths makes one feel insecure. c. ) Lack of visibility- Smaller ocular cone increases the fright of being attacked. Bill Hillier in Space is the Machine defines the practical community as the form of natural co-presence brought approximately through the influence of spacial design on motion and other related facets of infinite usage. He besides adds that a wrongly designed infinite does non accomplish the natural forms of societal co-presence ensuing in an empty infinite which kindles fright. Urbanity, he argues is about clip and infinite & A ; its grade could be measured by numbering the figure of people transposing through a distance of 100m per minute. If there is less than two people beside you within 100m it is the lower bound of urbanity and the lower degree of human creativeness are 8-10 work/100m distance of street. ( Gronlund, B. 1998 ) Fear is linked to the grade of emptiness and thereby likely to the grade of integrating which depends on the spacial construction. Research workers have shown different grade of integrating values by comparing the tree-system with grid system.( Klarqvist, B. 1997 ) An apprehensible system is one in which well-connected infinites besides tend to be well- incorporate infinites. An unintelligible system is one where good connected infinites are non good incorporate, so what we can see of their connexions misleads us about the position of that infinites in the system as a whole.( Hillier, B. 1996 ) Isovist in relation to intelligibility is important to understand the immediate environment through visibleness. It helps to cipher what is behind the corner or the shrubs in instance of fright but it is non reliable ever as its terminals are non clear. Physical and societal facets of a topographic point contribute to the experience of fright. Fear can be caused both by the presence and absence of people and people have developed assorted schemes to get by with it.( Carina Listerborn ) In the present twenty-four hours context of India, adult females are required to work out-of-doorss, travel long distances to make workplaces and now that population is dismaying, mass lodgings are shooting up. Harmonizing to thePopulation Census 2011, 53 metropoliss are identified as population over 10 Lakh, and referred to as Mega Cities. A sum of 36,622 instances of offenses against adult females were reported from these mega metropoliss in 2012 where as 33,789 instances were reported in 2011.The rate of offense was 47.8 times higher compared to the national rate of 41.7.Among 53 metropoliss, Delhi has accounted for 14.2 % followed by Bangalore ( 6.2 % ) , Kolkata ( 5.7 % ) , Hyderabad ( 5.2 % ) and Vijayawada ( 5.2 % ) .Vijayawada has reported 16.6 % incidences of abuse to the modestness of adult females. Though Indian Penal Code identifies the undermentioned as punishable offenses against adult females which are the root causes for adult females ‘s restricted mobility, the construct of fright and insecure infinites that adult females are stuck with dramas a important function. CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN:Kidnaping and abduction for specified intentsRapeHomicide for dowery, dowry deceases or their effortsTorture- both mental and physicalAssault on adult females with purpose to shock her modestnessAbuse to the modestness of adult femalesImporting of miss from foreign state ( upto 21yrs of age )EXISTING MODELS OF GENDER CONSCIOUS Planning: There are already bing theoretical accounts of gender witting planning to react to the women’s fright of force. They are: Broken Windows:This focuses on the zero- tolerance to offense, closed circuit telecastings and an exclusionary attack to making safer infinites. ( Mitchell, 2003 ) Safer Communities Model:It has a foresight to do public infinites safer through activities, land usage, societal mix and affecting users in planing schemes and enterprises for safer public infinites. SPACES WHERE WOMEN FEEL UNSAFE: The sorts of topographic points that are most feared include Parkss, green unfastened infinites, beaches, parking areas/garages, tunnels, metros, back-streets, stepss, isolated coach Michigans, industrial countries and dark empty parts of the metropolis like shopping countries or vicinities at dark.( Women ‘s Fear & A ; Spatial Configuration ; Carina Listerborn ) It is found from a study by an NGO – Jagori in New Delhi, that adult females feel uncomfortable in male dominated infinites such as coffin nail stores, dhabas, cab bases, certain street corners and certain Parkss. Womans were loath to utilize these infinites and frequently accompanied by work forces to dhabas and tea corners.( Shall We Go Out: Women ‘s Safety in Public Spaces )Parks were identified as the public infinites adult females enjoy the most during a twenty-four hours with childs or equals while see it extremely insecure after dark.The low boundaries, dark midst green infinites and absence of locking systems add to the fright in Parkss.Metros, which take a outstanding function in the context of Delhi are turning insecure due to miss of proper lighting, improperly defined entry and issue points, deficiency of signage, absence of guards which lead to the diminution in the users of these metros.The findings of the audits reflect that the presence of sellers add to the safety of a infinite and adult females feel it comfy and familiar.Street visible radiations are frequently placed in the center of the route and the coach Michigans and pavings are non decently lit with visible radiations of their ain, increasing the hazard of adult females utilizing it after dark.Public lavatories have besides been marked as danger for adult females where many instances were reported of offenses and torments.THE CASE OF VIJAYAWADA: Public and Semi public utilizations: These classs of land include all the Government offices, Municipal offices, offices of other local governments and other public establishments like temples, churches, mosques, and the similar. The metropolis provides public and semi public public-service corporations and installations all covering about 270 hour angle of land accounting for 7 % of the developed country. Large public public-service corporation constitutions are found in ward 15 ( 54 hour angle ) , ward 10 ( 49 hour angle ) , ward 24 ( 36 hour angle ) , ward 25 ( 26 hour angle ) and ward 8 ( 22 hour angle ) . In footings of proportions, ward 15 histories for one 4th of its country under public and semi public utilizations, following being ward 24 with 19 % followed by ward 10 % ( 16 % ) . Most of the country along Mahatma Gandhi route in wards 10, countries environing NTR Health University, and countries near Gunadala hill in ward 24 are put to public and semi public utilizations. RESEARCH Question: What are the grounds that public infinites are insecure for adult females to the extent that they control their mobility form? Methodology: To analyse the research objectives, an onsite site survey was conducted in Nagarjuna Nagar chief route in Vijayawada in the month of October 2014. Setting: Nagarjuna Nagar is an country in Vijayawada metropolis which is 2.4km from Benz Circle, a cardinal junction in the metropolis which is the point of convergence of NH-5 running from Chennai to Kolkata and NH-9 which leads to Machilipatnam, a circle that attracts heavy traffic and circle for Educational Institutes. The authorities infirmary junction is the nearest junction and this country and is 140m off. There is a NTR Health University and Government Hospital and Siddartha Medical College on the side antonym to the main road. Another route in the locality leads to Autonagar. Nagarjuna Nagar in peculiar grew up as a residential settlement from the clip of its initial development. Subsequently, the NH5 frontage is developing to run into the commercial demands of people and hence the activities and edifices uses in this country are effected. The survey stretch way has been observed to hold deficiency of sellers most of the clip. Design: To gain the independent factors that consequence the factor of safety of adult females, a stretch of route, from A to B has been picked up in this country and has been surveyed. This country has comparatively really low offense rates, but so the choice of this country was based on the experience of most of them who traverse this route. Two points A and B have been marked in the map, where A base near the NH5 frontage and B ends at a edifice which is presently being used as a girls inn. This stretch of route has been divided into zones to cognize the experiences in single infinites and the grounds behind that. The full stretch of route has a assorted usage of buildings- residential, commercial and park. Few packages of the land has been left as waste land with overgrown trees. The factors that people think do difference to the personal safety of adult females was measured by a questionnaire that contained the followers: In each of the zone, what do you believe are the grounds that consequence the safety factor?Poor LightingPeoples sing other edificesPeoples populating in the neighbouring edificesDense Tree PlantationsLack of People/Activity/VendorsWaste/Barren LandPoor Maintenance of the SpaceHeight of Buildings curtailing position to the other roadsNo neighbouring buildings/Secluded edificesParticipants AND Procedure: The field survey was carried out in the country in October 2014. The sample consisted of 70 members ( 12 male and 58 female ) , runing in age from 15 to 60, where most of them fall in the class of 15-30 old ages. They were briefed about the survey and its focal point. The interviewers had a map of the country of survey and the pronounced paths and the edifices adjacent to the survey way. The way is 400m long and were asked to reply the inquiries based on their experiences till day of the month. The start and terminal point was same for all the 70 participants, but positions from A study questionnaire has been prepared and 65 members have been asked to reply that based on their experience and some general inquiries have even been asked to understand the person ‘s thought procedure. The undermentioned figure depicts a map of the survey way with single zones of survey marked and each of the edifice typologies have besides been specified to assist the interviewers recollect the infinite and their experience. The 70 participants had to reply a standardised questionnaire at each of the pronounced zone to mensurate the sensed danger. This survey is focused to understand the impact of specific physical factors and personal factors. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Gill Valentine in his publications outlines that it is fear which people develop that restrict the motion form where as Doreen Massey argues that most frequently our societal dealingss are being extended into infinites and thereby regulates the mobility of people. Bill Hillier, on the other manus, negotiations about integrating of infinites as a cardinal factor that influences the safety aspects in a infinite. He adds that infinites may be good connected but non good integrated. Consequences of a study conducted by an NGO – Jagori in few parts of Delhi reflects that hapless substructure installations, hapless or no lighting, absence of people/low denseness infinites and infinites next to dense flora are perceived by adult females as insecure. The consequences besides showcase the fact that adult females preferred streets with batch of activity than a tract which is good built and maintained but doesnt have any activity go oning about. The same consequence was obtained for a study conducted by Shilpa Ranade, Shilpa Phadke and Sameera Khan. On the impudent side, Carina Listerborn states that urban emptiness, deficiency of intelligibility and deficiency of visibleness are the straight relative to that a individual experiences in a infinite. Mentions:Anke Blobaum & A ; Marcel Hunecke, July 2005 ; Perceived Danger in Urban Public Space: The Impacts of Physical Features and Personal Factors ; Environment and Behaviour, Vol 37 No. 4Gill Valentine ; Women ‘s Fear & A ; The Design of Public Space.Laura Hengehold ; 2011 ; When Safety Becomes a Duty: Gender, Loneliness and Citizenship for Urban Women ; WSQ: Women ‘s Studies Quarterly 39Rachel H Pain ; December 1995 ; Social Geographies of Women ‘s Fear of Crime ;Gill Valentine ; Department of Geography ; Images of Danger: Women ‘s Beginnings of Information about the Spatial Distribution of Male ViolenceJennifer K. Wesely and Emily Gaarder ; October 2004 ; The Gendered Nature of the Urban Outdoorss: Womans Negociating Fear of Violence ; Gender and Society, Vol 18 No 5Stephanle Condon, Marylene Lieber & A ; Florence Maillochon ; September 2007 ; Feeling Unsafe in Public Places: Understanding Women ‘s Fears ;Carina Listerborn ; 1999 ; Women ; s Fear a nd Space Configurations ; Space Syntax Second International Symposium ; Brasilia.

Same Sex Marriage

Same sex marriage is an issue that arises concerns with a lot of people. Some agree, some disagree, and some Just really don't care. I fall under two categories. I disagree, but I really don't care. The reasons being are I stick with God's words. He made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve or Eve and Ava. God also said Judge not for you'll be Judged. I'm not perfect or anywhere near it, so I definitely don't want to be judged. I was going to write on child hunger, but since I have to deal with this in my life now I decided to provide a written document about this subject.One of my family members is involved in a same sex relationship for the past three years. Although I don't agree I still have love for them. Just recently, theyVe decided that they want to be married. That arises and issue with me because although I don't Judge them; I definitely won't be apart of the wedding and celebration. I couldn't see myself condoning a marriage with the vows of God for a couple of the same sex. I do have standards and I do know how to take a stand. I tried to broaden my thoughts and think about it for a moment, but it still wasn't working for me.So, I decided to do a little research and see what's really going on ith the same sex marriages. As I began to obtain information I was stunned about a lot of things. The facts I found out were surprising to me. I learned that the movement to open civil marriage to same-sex couples achieved its first temporary success in 1993 with the decision of the Hawaii Supreme Court that the restriction of marriage to opposite- sex couples would be presumed unconstitutional unless the state could demonstrate that it furthered a compelling state interest.In response to this decision the state constitution was amended to allow the legislature to preserve that restriction. A similar court decision in Alaska in 1998 led to an even stronger constitutional amendment, itself defining marriage as between one man and one woman. In further reaction to the Hawaii case, the federal Defense of Marriage Act 1996 provided that no state would be required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state, and also defined marriage for federal-law purposes as opposite-sex. The majority of the states also passed their own â€Å"marriage protection acts. In November 2004, eleven more U. S. states amended their constitutions to prohibit same-sex marriage. In Vermont, after that state's Supreme Court held in 1999 that the state must extend to same- sex couples the same benefits that married couples receive, the legislature in 2000 created the status of â€Å"civil union† to fulfill that mandate. Connecticut adopted a similar civil union law in 2005. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to open civil marriage to same- sex couples. Belgium became the second in 2003.In 2002 through 2004, courts in six Canadian provinces held that the opposite-sex definition of marriage was contrary to Canada's Charter of Rights, and in 2005 federal legislation extended same-sex arriage to all of Canada. Same-sex marriage was also legalized in Spain in 2005 , in South Africa in 2006, and in Norway effective in 2009. In November 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that excluding same-sex couples from the benefits of civil marriage violated the state constitution, and in February 2004 2004 Massachusetts became the first state in the United States where same-sex marriage per se is legal.In October 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that same-sex couples were entitled to the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the ivil marriage statutes. The Legislature complied with that decision by enacting a civil union act in December 2006. In May 2008, California became the second state to legalize same-sex marriage when the California Supreme Court held that laws restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples were unconstitutional. Connecticut followed suit in October 2008. In California, the Supreme Court decision was apparently overturned by voter initiative in the November 2008 election. Paul Axel- Lute, â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage† (Rutgers-Newark Law Library, Pathfinder Series, Oct. 1996), http://www-rci. utgers. edu/†axellute/ssm. htm, lists articles, statutes, and cases through 1996. ) These things still did not convince me of anything and I decided I still needed more. I wanted to know why did these people of the same sex wanted to get married when it was causing so much controversy and most of the world don't with it. I Just couldn't understand so I went to the library and got a book by the author of William Eskeridge called, Gay Marriage, For Better or For Worse.That title really rocked me because that was the same thing that I was wondering. Is it for the better or for the worse. In his text he stated that the same-sex marriage debate to take account of the new argument against same-sex marriage, to wit: same-sex marriage in Scandinavia has destro yed the institution in those countries, and left children to be raised without married parents. That alone scares me because I was raised with two parents. (Eskridge, William N. , Gay Marriage: For Better or For Worse? What We've Learned from the Evidence. (Oxford Univ.Press, 2006) If marriage between gays becomes the law of the land, married gay couples will be afforded all the legal benefits that apply to heterosexual married couples, including pousal rights to Social Security, Medicare, private pensions, the right to file Joint tax returns, and the right to inherit each other's property. Many gays say it's about time. Others say that allowing gays to wed is wrong and will be harmful. When you ask about the good of marriage, we used to understand that the good of the thing was implied in its nature and its end.And marriage has to be connected and we'll have a chance to pursue this, but marriage has to be connected to that sense of sexuality imprinted in our natures, in the ineffac eable fact that we are born men or women. The purpose or meaning implicit in that sexuality is the notion of begetting, and for compelling reasons, we've found the prospect of begetting finding its most apt reflection in a framework of lawfulness that provides the ground on which parents are committed to the nurturance of their children for the same that they are committed to one another.When children are involved it makes it even more hectic. The children are being taught wrong and that I definitely don't agree with. The more I try to come to terms with this issue I Just can't seem to find enough of vidence that secures my thoughts and heart to condone this kind of thing. I know some people with disagree with me, but we agree to disagree. As time progresses I do indeed believe that eventually their will be more states and same sex laws that I entitled to my opinion.I Just pray for the children and their well-being. Although some only think of themselves they should take a stand bac k and think of their children. Children are our nest generation and raising them to think things are okay when theyre really wrong scares me to death. Let's Just hope that the kids will make better choices than others. Same sex marriage hasn't yet affected my life, but as time goes on I do think it will be a part of my life. Same Sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is a term used for a social or legally recognized marriage amid two people of the same gender. Freeman, M. D. A (1999). The most commonly term used in politics and media is Gay marriage. Some crusaders of the same-sex marriage use the name equal- marriage to emphasis that they are looking for equality and not special rights when it comes to marriage between people of the same sex. There are those people who argue that equating opposite-sex marriage and same-sex marriage will change the entire meaning of marriage and its general traditions (Hull, K. 2006). Moreover they often use the term Homosexual marriage which is regarded to be more stigmatizing than the term gay. There are those people who suggest that the term marriage should be reserved for civil, religious and legal contexts using a standardized concept of civil companionship. This kind of arrangement will reinforce the wall of division between the state and the church by putting a holly institution entirely to the church while placing secular organization under the control of the state. Some opponents and proponents of the same sex-marriage find suggestions of that sort to be unworkable. Whereas there are instances of some societies who recognize same-sex marriages, historical records shows a remarkable diversity of the treatment given to same-sex marriages which range from toleration and sympathy to indifferences and prohibition. Some organizations that are opposed to same-sex marriage often ague that same-sex unions are not marriages (Hull, K. 2006). They also argue that legalizing same-sex marriage will encourage legalization of polygamy and that legalizing same-sex marriage will deny children either a father or a mother while at the same time eroding religious freedoms. A research by American Anthropological Association states no proof has been found to show that people need to maintain marriage between people of the opposite sex and that same-sex marriage can make a greater contribution in stabilizing human societies. To add on, there are crusaders of the same-sex marriage who argue that governments should not play any part in regulating individual relationships. While there are those who insist that by allowing same-sex marriages the governments will be promoting collective benefits to same-sex partners. As stated by Sean Robert Cahill, Sean Cahill (2004) the debate surrounding same-sex marriage includes debate based on different social viewpoints and debate based upon religious convictions, health-related concerns, economic arguments and a variety of other different issues. We can say that the issue of same-sex marriage was meant to be ever since the creation of the universe and people should try and accept it as it is. We should also try and note that we are a people of one race and those we all hold female and male traits inside us, period. There are those people who are reverse-wired than other people and those who are androgynous. This is factual whether it is left-handedness or right-handedness or someone being right brained or left brained, et cetera. It is true that Love through understanding and tolerance is a most important factor to spiritual growth†¦. or else we stumble in fear-based thinking, selfishness and pure and absolute hate (prejudice) against our fellow women and men. Same Sex Marriage In Why Fear Same-Sex Marriages by William Raspberry, the author begins by presenting the side of Gary Bauer, who is against same-sex marriage. He agrees with Bauer that legalizing it will change 4,000 years of Judeo-Christian teaching, however, the greater question is whether it â€Å"launches us on the path to perdition or merely heralds the shedding of another irrational prejudice† (Raspberry, 2001). Raspberry supports same sex marriage so long as these are directed towards forming monogamous and committed unions. It’s the Final Step in Killing Marriage by Maggie Gallagher points out that it’s not wrong to disagree with same-sex marriages. This is in defense of Rev. Fauntroy who is a civil-rights legend but is against same-sex marriages. The author highlights what the gay movement has done as â€Å"harassment tactics, demonizing those who disagree† (Gallagher, 2001). Gallagher ends the essay with a statement on how these ‘tactics’ have even reached her personal email. Committed Couples Would Stabilize Society by Andrew Sullivan supports same-sex marriages. Sullivan points out that based on research during the first six years when gay marriage was made legal, â€Å"the rate of straight marriages rose 10 percent, and the rate of straight divorces decreased by 12 percent† (Sullivan, 2001). Sullivan believes that these types of marriages will strengthen the bonds of heterosexual marriage since ‘marriage’ finally encompasses all citizens. Personally, I would agree that same-sex marriage should be legalized. But it should be kept in mind that marriage is holy, and that the couples should truly be committed to their union. This goes true for gay as well as heterosexual marriage. With the high divorce rates today, I believe this should be the greater concern for society. The focus should be on strengthening marriages, not preventing or discriminating people from entering into marriage. I agree that legalizing gay marriage would â€Å"heal the psychic wounds that scar so many gay people and their families† (Sullivan, 2001). Same Sex Marriage In Why Fear Same-Sex Marriages by William Raspberry, the author begins by presenting the side of Gary Bauer, who is against same-sex marriage. He agrees with Bauer that legalizing it will change 4,000 years of Judeo-Christian teaching, however, the greater question is whether it â€Å"launches us on the path to perdition or merely heralds the shedding of another irrational prejudice† (Raspberry, 2001). Raspberry supports same sex marriage so long as these are directed towards forming monogamous and committed unions. It’s the Final Step in Killing Marriage by Maggie Gallagher points out that it’s not wrong to disagree with same-sex marriages. This is in defense of Rev. Fauntroy who is a civil-rights legend but is against same-sex marriages. The author highlights what the gay movement has done as â€Å"harassment tactics, demonizing those who disagree† (Gallagher, 2001). Gallagher ends the essay with a statement on how these ‘tactics’ have even reached her personal email. Committed Couples Would Stabilize Society by Andrew Sullivan supports same-sex marriages. Sullivan points out that based on research during the first six years when gay marriage was made legal, â€Å"the rate of straight marriages rose 10 percent, and the rate of straight divorces decreased by 12 percent† (Sullivan, 2001). Sullivan believes that these types of marriages will strengthen the bonds of heterosexual marriage since ‘marriage’ finally encompasses all citizens. Personally, I would agree that same-sex marriage should be legalized. But it should be kept in mind that marriage is holy, and that the couples should truly be committed to their union. This goes true for gay as well as heterosexual marriage. With the high divorce rates today, I believe this should be the greater concern for society. The focus should be on strengthening marriages, not preventing or discriminating people from entering into marriage. I agree that legalizing gay marriage would â€Å"heal the psychic wounds that scar so many gay people and their families† (Sullivan, 2001). Same Sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is a term used for a social or legally recognized marriage amid two people of the same gender. Freeman, M. D. A (1999). The most commonly term used in politics and media is Gay marriage. Some crusaders of the same-sex marriage use the name equal- marriage to emphasis that they are looking for equality and not special rights when it comes to marriage between people of the same sex. There are those people who argue that equating opposite-sex marriage and same-sex marriage will change the entire meaning of marriage and its general traditions (Hull, K. 2006). Moreover they often use the term Homosexual marriage which is regarded to be more stigmatizing than the term gay. There are those people who suggest that the term marriage should be reserved for civil, religious and legal contexts using a standardized concept of civil companionship. This kind of arrangement will reinforce the wall of division between the state and the church by putting a holly institution entirely to the church while placing secular organization under the control of the state. Some opponents and proponents of the same sex-marriage find suggestions of that sort to be unworkable. Whereas there are instances of some societies who recognize same-sex marriages, historical records shows a remarkable diversity of the treatment given to same-sex marriages which range from toleration and sympathy to indifferences and prohibition. Some organizations that are opposed to same-sex marriage often ague that same-sex unions are not marriages (Hull, K. 2006). They also argue that legalizing same-sex marriage will encourage legalization of polygamy and that legalizing same-sex marriage will deny children either a father or a mother while at the same time eroding religious freedoms. A research by American Anthropological Association states no proof has been found to show that people need to maintain marriage between people of the opposite sex and that same-sex marriage can make a greater contribution in stabilizing human societies. To add on, there are crusaders of the same-sex marriage who argue that governments should not play any part in regulating individual relationships. While there are those who insist that by allowing same-sex marriages the governments will be promoting collective benefits to same-sex partners. As stated by Sean Robert Cahill, Sean Cahill (2004) the debate surrounding same-sex marriage includes debate based on different social viewpoints and debate based upon religious convictions, health-related concerns, economic arguments and a variety of other different issues. We can say that the issue of same-sex marriage was meant to be ever since the creation of the universe and people should try and accept it as it is. We should also try and note that we are a people of one race and those we all hold female and male traits inside us, period. There are those people who are reverse-wired than other people and those who are androgynous. This is factual whether it is left-handedness or right-handedness or someone being right brained or left brained, et cetera. It is true that Love through understanding and tolerance is a most important factor to spiritual growth†¦. or else we stumble in fear-based thinking, selfishness and pure and absolute hate (prejudice) against our fellow women and men. Same Sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is a term used for a social or legally recognized marriage amid two people of the same gender. Freeman, M. D. A (1999). The most commonly term used in politics and media is Gay marriage. Some crusaders of the same-sex marriage use the name equal- marriage to emphasis that they are looking for equality and not special rights when it comes to marriage between people of the same sex. There are those people who argue that equating opposite-sex marriage and same-sex marriage will change the entire meaning of marriage and its general traditions (Hull, K. 2006). Moreover they often use the term Homosexual marriage which is regarded to be more stigmatizing than the term gay. There are those people who suggest that the term marriage should be reserved for civil, religious and legal contexts using a standardized concept of civil companionship. This kind of arrangement will reinforce the wall of division between the state and the church by putting a holly institution entirely to the church while placing secular organization under the control of the state. Some opponents and proponents of the same sex-marriage find suggestions of that sort to be unworkable. Whereas there are instances of some societies who recognize same-sex marriages, historical records shows a remarkable diversity of the treatment given to same-sex marriages which range from toleration and sympathy to indifferences and prohibition. Some organizations that are opposed to same-sex marriage often ague that same-sex unions are not marriages (Hull, K. 2006). They also argue that legalizing same-sex marriage will encourage legalization of polygamy and that legalizing same-sex marriage will deny children either a father or a mother while at the same time eroding religious freedoms. A research by American Anthropological Association states no proof has been found to show that people need to maintain marriage between people of the opposite sex and that same-sex marriage can make a greater contribution in stabilizing human societies. To add on, there are crusaders of the same-sex marriage who argue that governments should not play any part in regulating individual relationships. While there are those who insist that by allowing same-sex marriages the governments will be promoting collective benefits to same-sex partners. As stated by Sean Robert Cahill, Sean Cahill (2004) the debate surrounding same-sex marriage includes debate based on different social viewpoints and debate based upon religious convictions, health-related concerns, economic arguments and a variety of other different issues. We can say that the issue of same-sex marriage was meant to be ever since the creation of the universe and people should try and accept it as it is. We should also try and note that we are a people of one race and those we all hold female and male traits inside us, period. There are those people who are reverse-wired than other people and those who are androgynous. This is factual whether it is left-handedness or right-handedness or someone being right brained or left brained, et cetera. It is true that Love through understanding and tolerance is a most important factor to spiritual growth†¦. or else we stumble in fear-based thinking, selfishness and pure and absolute hate (prejudice) against our fellow women and men. Same Sex Marriage In Why Fear Same-Sex Marriages by William Raspberry, the author begins by presenting the side of Gary Bauer, who is against same-sex marriage. He agrees with Bauer that legalizing it will change 4,000 years of Judeo-Christian teaching, however, the greater question is whether it â€Å"launches us on the path to perdition or merely heralds the shedding of another irrational prejudice† (Raspberry, 2001). Raspberry supports same sex marriage so long as these are directed towards forming monogamous and committed unions. It’s the Final Step in Killing Marriage by Maggie Gallagher points out that it’s not wrong to disagree with same-sex marriages. This is in defense of Rev. Fauntroy who is a civil-rights legend but is against same-sex marriages. The author highlights what the gay movement has done as â€Å"harassment tactics, demonizing those who disagree† (Gallagher, 2001). Gallagher ends the essay with a statement on how these ‘tactics’ have even reached her personal email. Committed Couples Would Stabilize Society by Andrew Sullivan supports same-sex marriages. Sullivan points out that based on research during the first six years when gay marriage was made legal, â€Å"the rate of straight marriages rose 10 percent, and the rate of straight divorces decreased by 12 percent† (Sullivan, 2001). Sullivan believes that these types of marriages will strengthen the bonds of heterosexual marriage since ‘marriage’ finally encompasses all citizens. Personally, I would agree that same-sex marriage should be legalized. But it should be kept in mind that marriage is holy, and that the couples should truly be committed to their union. This goes true for gay as well as heterosexual marriage. With the high divorce rates today, I believe this should be the greater concern for society. The focus should be on strengthening marriages, not preventing or discriminating people from entering into marriage. I agree that legalizing gay marriage would â€Å"heal the psychic wounds that scar so many gay people and their families† (Sullivan, 2001).

How to Train Your Brain to Keep You Healthy in Times of Stress

How to Train Your Brain to Keep You Healthy in Times of Stress A recent study in the Journal of Personal and Social Psychology found that your habits- good and bad- come out in full force during times of stress.  That  means if you’re in the practice of  mindlessly eating junk, you’ll revert to a diet full of Doritos and Frappuccinos when you’re in the middle of a big project; if you’re  already in the habit of a  more virtuous morning oatmeal, you’ll reach for that during busy times. Your body keeps up what it’s used to and what it knows. What can you do? Sculpt your habits carefully- from sleep patterns to gym routines. They just might turn out to be the rock your brain turns to in times of doubt.German researchers hypothesized in 2012 that this phenomenon is due to stress hormones in the brain, which cause it to revert to normal  routines in stressful scenarios, even if that means abandoning its goals. When stressed, the brain  favors the routine and reduces activity in the decision-mak ing part of the brain.The best way to keep our heads in times of stress, then, is to make sure we cultivate the best habits in our downtime. You never know what you can train your brain to do- so start making better choices while you have the conscious chance.It turns out that our behavior is much more important than we realized. It can form the basic building blocks to build our own way out of stress.

Analyse the comedy in Act 3 Scene 4 of 'Twelfth Night'

Analyse the comedy in Act 3 Scene 4 of Twelfth Night Essay Shakespeares romantic comedy Twelfth Night involves deception, trickery and love, typical themes in Elizabethan drama. This theme of romance intertwined with comedy is suggested by the title which implies that a play set in the Christmas season is going to be full of love, happiness and celebration. The literary tradition of an Elizabethan comedy would involve many techniques to make the audience laugh, such as a convoluted plot, mistaken identity, disguise, comic characters and verbal humour. Twelfth Night is no exception to this. Its main theme is love but the path to true love is not simple for any of the characters and involves certain love triangles, where Orsino thinks he loves Olivia, who loves Cesario (Viola), who is in love with Orsino. Added to all this is the complication of Sir Andrew Aguecheek being spurred on by Sir Toby to woo Olivia and Malvolio having a trick played on him which makes him believe that his mistress, Olivia loves him. Many of these plots and sub-plots come to a head in Act3 Scene 4 in a very comic manner. Malvolio provides much of the visual humour in this scene. Olivia sends for him on a serious matter, saying: Wheres Malvolio? He is sad and civil, And suits well for a servant with my fortunes: The audience would be full of anticipation at this point as Malvolio has been told in a letter supposedly sent to him by Olivia to smile a lot more, something which is totally against his usual character. When he walks on stage he is wearing yellow cross-gartered stockings which he thinks he has been commended to wear. This would make the audience laugh as it is so different to the Puritans clothes that he was wearing earlier in the play. It was also mentioned earlier that Olivia despises the colour yellow so her reaction to seeing her steward dressed so comically would add to the humour of the scene. Malvolio starts to quote from the letter he received from Maria. He never once suspects that it is not real and truly believes that Olivia could love him, which is where much of the comedy derives from, as he is so confident that Olivia understands what he is talking about when he quotes from the letter. His pride and arrogance that he is worthy to marry Olivia is extremely funny. It is also the dramatic irony that makes it humourous, as the audience and most of the characters realise where he is quoting from whereas Olivia doesnt understand what he is talking about and believes it to be midsummer madness. It is very entertaining to see Malvolio act in such a way, smiling insanely, as it is a complete contrast between his earlier self, very pompous and arrogant. However, he as he has been told in the letter, he speaks rudely to the other characters and believes himself to be not of (their) element, which is funny because actually he is no more important than any of the other servants. It is also the frustration that he shows when people arent taking him seriously that makes the audience laugh. It is funny when Malvolio makes his grand exit, as he is acting an extremely bossy and arrogant manner but looks ridiculous so the contrast is comical. In fact, this whole scene is a contrast to the main theme of love and romance. Another example of visual comedy in Act 3 Scene 4 would come from the duel between Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Viola (as Cesario). Sir Andrew is essentially a figure of fun throughout the play, being described as a foolish knight by Sir Toby and having hair which hangs like flax on a distaff which would make him look really odd. He has written a challenge to Viola because he thinks he is a rival for Olivias affection, but when Sir Toby reads it out, it is totally nonsensical. Fabian says of it: READ: Masks In The Twelfth Night EssayVery brief and to exceedingly good sense (Aside) less. Sir Andrew is very proud of the challenge so it is funny to see how he takes it so seriously even when the other characters are mocking his prose behind his back by using asides and whispers to each other. Sir Toby and Fabian decide not to show the letter to Viola, but instead they tell him verbally that Sir Andrew is a very noble and valiant knight, something that the audience knows isnt true and would cause much amusement: He is indeed, sir, the most bloody, and fatal opposite that you could possibly have found in any part of Illyria. They then say similar things to Viola about Sir Andrew: Why, man, hes a very devil.They say he has been fencer to the Sophy. When the two come to fight, they are both absolutely terrified of the other and that provides opportunities for plenty of visual humour with Sir Andrew and Fabian practically having to drag them towards each other with their swords drawn. It is comic irony that Olivia is unaware of Sir Andrews love for her and has been rejected by Cesario, so really there is no point in the duel in the first place. The actual preparation for the fight is almost slapstick, especially when Antonio comes running in to take Cesarios place. The confusion that arises here is humorous, as it is funny to see Antonio confusing Cesario for Sebastian at the same time as Sir Toby would be mystified by who this stranger is. Fabian and Sir Toby then add another part to their joke by convincing Sir Andrew that Cesario is a coward and has run away. They want him to follow and cuff him soundly, which is funny because Andrew had previously been against the duel because he thought he would be beaten, but now that he thinks he has a chance of winning he is suddenly full of valour. The situation is becoming completely absurd at this point, something that the audience would find very amusing. Another form of comedy running throughout the play is cross-dressing. Audiences in Shakespearean times would find it funny to see a man acting the part of a woman pretending to be a man. This is because all parts in those days were played by males, with female roles being played by boys before their voices deepened. The fact that there is so much pretence involved makes it doubly ironic. It would be funny to see Viola, a woman, being asked to duel by Sir Andrew and being so scared that she is almost tempted to reveal her disguise. She says in an aside just before she is due to fight: A little thing would make me tell them how much I lack of a man. One of the main linguistic forms of comedy used by Shakespeare is puns, which are still used today but probably had more relevance to a Shakespearean audience than to us. This is because the puns were in the language of the time and were understood far more easily than they are today. It is also funny to see other people being the object of the pun, and misunderstanding of words. For instance, when Olivia believes Malvolio to be mad, she suggests that he go to bed. However, he misinterprets this remark and believes her to be offering for him to go to bed with her. To bed? Ay, Sweetheart, and Ill come to thee. During Shakespeares time, the words made and mad were pronounced the same. He has used this language to his advantage and creates humour by having Malvolio to say thou art made, which Olivia takes to understand that he is telling her that she is mad. This confuses her and the audience finds this funny. Another device used by Shakespeare is oxymorons. Sir Toby says that the letter, being so excellently ignorant, will breed no terror in the youth, which emphasises how bad the letter is, but is also funny for the audience to hear because excellently, and ignorant, are complete opposites. READ: Othello, by Shakespeare EssayYet another form of comedy comes from the characters. Sir Toby spends the whole scene manipulating the actions, firstly of Malvolio because of the letter he dropped in his way and the fact that he is given the task of looking after him, and then, more directly, of Sir Andrew. He is a bit like a puppet master who has Sir Andrew and, although not for such a long period, Viola dancing to his tune. When Olivia becomes worried by Malvolio who is acting totally out of character, she asks Sir Toby to take great care and look after him: Wheres my cousin Toby? Let some of my people have a special care of him; I would not have him miscarry for the half of my dowry. Sir Toby willingly plays along with pretending to be concerned about Malvolio when he knows all along what has caused his strange behaviour. He, together with Maria and Fabian, approach Malvolio and try to talk to him: .. .peace, we must deal gently with him. How do you, Malvolio? What, man, defy the devil! The audience would find this very funny, especially considering Malvolios lack of appeal as a character. Later on, Toby calls him a bawcock, which would be an insult as this was a term of endearment spoken to a child. Malvolio would have been insulted by this, adding to the audiences amusement. Tobys plans for Malvolio, to put him in a darkened room and bind him up, would have met with general amusement as well. Sir Toby manipulates the whole scene with Sir Andrew and Viola for his own entertainment. Again, as he is a character that the audience would find appealing because he is lively and, on many occasions, drunk and funny, the audience would find the whole business of the duel hilarious. The physical comedy of a man acting drunk was usually very funny to an Elizabethan audience, as it still is now. However, aside from this comedy, there is a more serious element to the plot. At the end of the scene, there is still comedy, but a hint of seriousness. If this were a tragedy, then things may well have turned out differently but as it is a comedy, we know that everything will be all right in the end. There is a hint of how these problems will be resolved in this Scene. For example, when Antonio asks Cesario for his purse, thinking that he is Sebastian, he is taken aback when he claims to not have it. When Antonio is then arrested, we are reminded that things could actually go down hill. However, Viola realises that her brother may be alive so we know eventually Sebastian will have to be mistaken for Cesario to resolve the confusion. Even though the trick on Malvolio was very funny at the time, it could have led to him becoming mad and being left in the dark room forever. The audience can even begin to feel sorry for Malvolio as the joke may have gone too far. Some people have even said that the situation with Malvolio is not completely resolved, as on his final exit he says that he will have his revenge. Ill be revengd on the whole pack of you! In spite of this, it can be said that Shakespeare never meant for the audience to feel sorry for Malvolio, and that he deserved to get his comeuppance, so there is no need for him to have a happy ending. Still, the other characters were never unpleasant, so deserved to have happy endings. As the title suggests, we know that in the celebration of Twelfth Night, all will be resolved.

Organizational Change and Strategic Thinking Research Paper

Organizational Change and Strategic Thinking - Research Paper Example In general, the organizations have to carry on delivering value and face the current challenges, while reorganizing and getting ready for the future challenges. In order to accomplish effective organizational change, whilst performing the difficult task of balancing the present business activities and the preparation for the future, there needs to be reasonable strategies in place. The existence of managers who employ strategic thinking for the planning of organizational development can ensure that the measures for organizational change do not lead to inadvertent consequences. With the rapid changes in the business environment, the managers need decisive thinking skills to shift from the traditional reactive decision-making process to the proactive foresight method, so as to enable the organization to be equipped to face the upcoming challenges (Bonn, â€Å"Developing Strategic Thinking as a Core Competency†).In the middle of the turmoil and intricacy of the modern business wo rld, the successful organizations are those which are aware that, even as it is not viable to observe the future, they can acquire a perspective for the future that would offer them certain indications as to what might be in-store in future. Such organizations then plan accordingly to be prepared for the upcoming events as per their future perspective.  For this type of approach, the management of an organization needs to accept an innovative planning pattern that consists of observing the organization in the perspective of an open system atmosphere.   Such observation will make the organization better positioned to recognize and respond to upcoming events (Bonn, â€Å"Developing Strategic Thinking as a Core Competency†). This would also enable the organization to bring about the changes necessary in those surroundings and also influence the probable changes effecting the organization. The sustainability and performance of an organization in today’s dynamic economi c environment, thus depends on the application of strategic thinking to accomplish required organizational changes. This raises few apparent questions. What is strategic thinking? How can it be employed in accomplishing organizational change? What is the link between organizational culture and strategic thinking? Strategic Thinking – The Why-What-How Approach Richard Hughes and Katherine Beatty have described strategic thinking as â€Å"the collection, interpretation, generation, and evaluation of information and ideas that shape an organization’s sustainable competitive advantage†, in their book ‘Becoming a Strategic Leader’ (Switzer, â€Å"Strategic Thinking in Fast Growing Organizations†). Strategic thinking is a top-down overall observation of the whole organization on the basis of complete understanding of the business of the organization. Thus, strategic thinking consists of observing emerging trends, recognizing if the trends signify o pportunities or intimidation to the business organization. Strategic thinking also involves developing a response of the organization to earn benefit from the prospective opportunity or to alleviate the potential threat