Philosophy †epistemology Essay

Descartes is very successful philosophers in 17th century. Rene Descartes is widely accepted as the father of modern philosophy. He tried to create fundamental philosophy for natural sciences. Descartes mainly focus on his philosophical contributions in the theory of knowledge and his famous work focus on the epistemological project, Meditations on First Philosophy. He wants to explain his thought in Meditations on First Philosophy which is as original in philosophical modus as in content. Meditations on First Philosophy examine Descartes’ arguments and opinion. Although there are 6 meditations in this book, this paper points out the search for a foundation of knowledge (the question of truth) and doubt the â€Å"Cogito† (I think; therefore I am). First of all, in the First Meditation, Descartes demonstrates that several arguments for doubting all of his previously basic beliefs. Everything that he thought is the doubt. He has started to doubt from everything and he wanted to find the question of truth with own ideas. Descartes defines knowledge in terms of doubt and he aims ‘to reach certain’. At the same time, we have to use five senses but Descartes believes the senses sometimes deceive us concerning things. Also Descartes is often convinced when he is dreaming that he is sensing real objects. For instance, he said that â€Å"There is the fact that I am here, seated by the fire, and attired in a dressing gown, having this paper in my hands and other similar matters. And how could I deny that these hands and this body are mine (†¦)† (146). Descartes believes that we can achieve certain truth when we will doubt everything. Descartes uses some question to help prove one of his main arguments and ideas to find truth. For example, how we know certain, what is true, what we see, what we hear? As we can see, according to Descartes, the senses are not enough to decide what is real. He believes the truth is in his mind and he must use his mind. Descartes’ Second Meditation discusses some parts. First part explain that how a â€Å"body† can understand things, such as objects. Descartes examined how the mind should know better that human body. Although we need senses for everything, the mind is more important because all knowledge accumulate in our mind. Second part includes Descartes opinion about thinking. According to Descartes, thinking is very significant point because thinking is the ability to doubt, use imagination and reach certain truth. His famous theory is â€Å"Cogito Ergo Sum† which called ‘I think, therefore I am’. Descartes said that, â€Å"I don’t yet know clearly enough what I am. † (151) It means that, sometimes he has convinced himself that there is absolutely nothing in the world such as no sky, no earth also no mind no body. Descartes believes that if people convinced themselves of something then they existed. To conclude, we can infer that Descartes defend the certain truth is our knowledge and thought. These meditations are considered about modern philosophy. At the same time, Descartes wants to create gripping subject to study science.

Outline: Assessing The Potential For Using Motivational Strategies Within The Military: Theory And Practical

Introduction Numerous studies have been conducted analysing the role of motivation in enhancing performance of an individual, organization, or a practice (Outgunned, 2012; Zbylut et al., 2007; Dadabhay, 2011). The term motivation is in most cases used when suggesting that failure or success in any event is as a direct result of an individual’s endeavour, involvement and enthusiasm (Wong et al., 2003; Chizek, 2003). Most issues that are related to motivation have a foundation of the aspects of the human mind. These issues are also the driving force in a person or a group of persons (Morrison et al., 2007). Simply put, if the reason for taking a certain action is relevant and strong, it merits making an effort or a sacrifice regardless of a person’s capability. Therefore, the concept of motivation and its application in the military is central to the success of an individual in effectively conducting the duties of military personnel. It is imperative for a military leader to be able to motivate the followers to accomplish hazardous and physically challenging task that is life threatening and dangerous, which is a common working environment of the military. This study intends to conduct an analysis on existing literatures on performance motivation and its application as a form of leadership strategy used for motivating soldiers. To be able to fully explore on this issue, it will be necessary to analyse the current theories of motivations and the actual motivation practice in the military environment. This is important in developing a foundation for expounding on the research issue exhaustively. Aims and objectives of the research This research aims to analyse the probability of adopting theoretical motivational strategies in the military. To be able to meet this aim, the following objectives will guide this study: To identify and describe the current motivational theories and techniques that have the greatest potential of increasing a soldier’s performance. To identify those principles, practices, and techniques from various motivational theories which could have potential use in a military unit environment To review the effectiveness of existing theoretical models and approaches of leadership and motivation in improving the learning and training capability of soldiers To identify the conditions and requirements for applying various performance motivation techniques in military environment To identify the practices that need reinforcement and also identify the processes and policies that require improvement in the process of fostering motivational levels of the military Research questions To be able to fully meet the above objectives, this study will attempt to provide response to the following research questions: What leadership tools and motivational strategies do military commanders use to motivate soldiers How effective are the methods and models used and are there areas identified for improvement What were the common areas that are deficient Literature review summary The concept of leadership and motivation as viewed from a military perspective has been analysed by various authors (Outgunned, 2012; Dadabhay, 2011). Various forms of leadership approaches for military have been suggested by different authors including Gardener-leadership (Wong et al., 2003), collaborative leadership (Zbylut et al., 2007; Chizek, 2003), servant leadership (Cook, 1999), strategic leadership (Morrison et al., 2007) among many other forms of leadership. All these forms of leadership will be scrutinised in this study in an attempt to addressing the research issue. Furthermore, other theoretical forms of leadership that are not applied in the military will also be reviewed to gather deeper insights into leadership approaches and their link to motivation of followers. The information gathered in the analysis of the theories and approaches will be central in developing a response to the problem statement identified above. Proposed methodology The fact that this study analyses a specific phenomenon in the current environment, collection of primary data was deemed the most appropriate for conducting the study. In this case, quantitative research methodology will be used to collect and analyse data. Specifically, an online case study will be used for gathering data from the participants in an attempt to address the research questions. The questionnaire will be designed with reference to the information that will be gathered from the review of the literature and the research questions of this study. These questions will then be posted to participants via their mail for collection of the responses. The collected data will be analysed using a statistical package of social sciences to be able to derive a social meaning in the data collected. Conclusion This study aims to provide updated information about motivation among the military and go ahead and develop the most appropriate method for promoting motivation among soldiers. This research is very important because its concepts will be important in developing pragmatic policies for leadership aimed at sustaining higher levels of motivation among soldiers especially the new recruits. References Cook, M. L., 1999. Moral Reasoning as a Strategic Leader Competency. Undated, . Chizek, J. G., 2003. Military transformation: Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE. Dadabhay, M., 2011. The Mediating Role of Workplace Spirituality on Perceptions of Transformational Leadership, Organisational Commitment and Employee Job Satisfaction within a sample of South African Muslim School teachers (Doctoral dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand). Morrison, J. E., Fletcher, J. D., Moses, F. L., & Roberts, E. J., 2007. The Army science of learning workshop. US Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Outgunned, A. A., 2012. The Missed Opportunity p46. Military Review. Wong, L., Kolditz, T. A., Millen, R. A., & Potter, T. M., 2003. Why they fight: combat motivation in the Iraq war. ARMY WAR COLL STRATEGIC STUDIES INST CARLISLE BARRACKS PA. Zbylut, M. L., Metcalf, K. A., Kim, J. M., Hill Jr, R. W., Rocher, S., & Vowels, C., 2007. Army excellence in leadership (AXL): A multimedia approach to building tacit knowledge and cultural reasoning. ARMY RESEARCH INST FOR THE BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES FORT LEAVENWORTH KS.

ABCDEFG Algorithm Look A Airway

Text Version- ABCDEFG Algorithm Look A Airway B Breathing C CirculationFor any signs of airway obstruction For evidence of mouth/neck/swelling/haematoma For security of artificial airway Look At the chest wall movement, to see if it is normal and symmetrical To see if the patient is using their neck and shoulder muscles to breathe (accessory muscles) At the patient to measure to measure their respiratory rate Look At the skin colour for pallor and peripheral cyanosis At the capillary refill time At the patient’s central venous pressure and jugular venous pressure Look At the level of consciousness For facial symmetry, abnormal movements, seizure activity or absent limb movements At pupil size, equality and reaction to light Listen For noisy breathing e. g. gurgling, snoring or stridor Feel For the presence of air movement For security of artificial airway Feel For the position of the trachea to see if it is central For surgical emphysema or crepitus If the patient is diaphoret ic (Sweaty) Listen To the patient talking to see if they can complete full sentences For noisy breathing e. g. stridor, wheezingListen To the patient for complaints of dizziness and headaches For patient’s blood pressure and heart sounds Feel Your patient’s hands and feet to see if they are warm or cold Your patient’s peripheral pulses for presence, rate, quality, regularity and equality. Feel For patient’s response to external stimuli For muscle power and strength D Disability Listen To patient’s response to external stimuli and pain For slurred speech For patient’s orientation to person, place and time. E F Exposure Fluids G Glucose Give oxygen Position your patient Call for help if you can’t manage Never leave a deteriorating patient without a priority management and review plan Look Listen Feel For any bleeding e. g. nvestigate wounds and drains For air leaks in drains The patients abdomen that may be hidden by bed clothes For bow el sounds Look Listen Feel At the observation and fluid charts, noting the fluid For patient’s complaints of thirst The skin turgor input and output At losses from all drains and tubes At the amount and colour of the patient’s urine and urinalysis results Look Listen Feel At blood glucose levels For patient’s complaints of thirst If the patient is diaphoretic, (sweaty, cold or clammy) For signs of low glucose, including confusion and For patient’s orientation to person, place and time decreased conscious state At medication chart for insulin and oral hypoglycaemics Based on your assessment (above) decide an appropriate oxygen flow rate or percentage.If in doubt commence on 4L/min on a Hudson mask and increase as indicated by oxygen saturation or patient condition. Position your patient to optimise their breathing-usually this is as upright position as possible and as tolerated by the patient. Place the patient in the left lateral position if they are unco nscious but have adequate breathing and circulation and where there is no evidence of spinal injury Establish IV If not present, +/- fluids Document and communicate clearly all treatment provided, outcomes of treatment implemented what care is still required The plan should include expected outcomes and when the patient will be reviewed again.

Integrated Marketing Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Integrated Marketing Communications - Essay Example This piece of research paper reviews a brief literature on Integrated Marketing Communication and presents a strategic integrated marketing communication plan for Bodyfit Studio, which is a local gym and health-fitness centre in London. This paper addresses the relevance of IMC in today’s business and analyzes various steps involved in implementing the IMC plan. Integrated Marketing Communication Lamb, hair and McDaniel (2008, P. 413) described that IMC is an effective management program that coordinates and integrates among various promotional tools like advertising, sales promotion, public relation, personal selling, event marketing and interactive selling etc in order to ensure consistency in the messages to be communicated to the customers. As Schultz and Schultz (2004, p. 3) noticed, IMC enables a business accelerate its returns on investment mainly by linking its organizational goals and communication programs. As shown in the diagram, IMC is closely related to the promo tion mix elements of the 4Ps of marketing, they are Product, Price, Promotion and Place. IMC has been found to be an effective marketing strategy that helped firms improve operational efficiency, maintain stronger market share, create brand image, maintain better relationship with customers and thus to achieve sustainable competitive advantages. Planning, designing and developing of brand communication program play vital roles in the success of IMC program. IMC is widely used as a marketing technique that designs and develops systematic and measurable brand communication program with stakeholders of a business including customers, employees, suppliers etc. (Belch and Belch 2007, p. 11). For any business, the brand, mission and vision statements and proposition messages are very critical elements and these are to be communicated to its customers. IMC ensures effective communication, keeping consistency in messages, of the relevant messages to the potential customers. Factors to be co nsidered in setting up an IMC plan Basically, IMC is a marketing program that involves planning, coordination, integration, and implementation of various types of advertising and promotional activities (Shimp, 2008, p. 10). The major factors and features to be considered for planning and designing the IMC for the Bodyfit Studio are: Starting with studying, analyzing and evaluating the requirements and attitudes of targeted customers, Design and develop brand communication program, Identify the appropriate tools that can be used for the task Consider to maintain consistency in messages, Emphasizing on relationship building rather than focusing on engaging in flings’ Maintaining long-term focus on the ultimate objectives (Shimp, 2008, p. 11- 18). IMC plan for Bodyfit Studio Bodyfit Studio, that offers gym, Yoga and body fitness classes and healthcare services, wishes to retain its customers and attract more through an effective communication program. Though there are competitio ns between Bodyfit and quite a few numbers of other gym-centers like Virgin Active, Squash Class in its surroundings. Below is an IMC plan for the Bodyfit company to communicate effectively to its customers with an intention of retaining them and attracting more as well. As Belch and Belch (2007, p. 24) stressed, an effective

Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans Research Paper - 3

Implementation, Strategic Controls, and Contingency Plans - Research Paper Example The plan (implementation) can be monitored effectively if it is categorized and sub divided into steps. The steps can be listed as follows. B&G Foods must work on knowing all the details related to the â€Å"Strategic Plan† i.e. the strategies developed or proposed previously. Each of the strategy including promotion and marketing, Expansion of the product line and technological advancement must be known to the employers. The outcome of analyzing the strategic plan will illustrate the objectives and goals that are needed to be fulfilled. This step will help in setting the priorities and also to recognize the most difficult tasks. The tasks will be studied and the employees of B&G Foods will work for their solution in the best possible ways (functional tactics). All the aspects related to the time and costs are to be evaluated, to identify the least effective to the most useful and cost effective tasks. Once the evaluation of the strategy is done the employers of B&G Foods need to make a vision of â€Å"What they want to do?† This vision may include the goals identified and the priorities that are set in the Evaluation step. This is a step-by-step plan to achieving the goals; every employee must be informed of his/her duties. The development of a team is the next step of the Implementation Plan. The employers of the B&G Foods have to make sure that the teams that are formed are well organized and have the skills required. The communication channel must be strong among the team members so that they can interact easily and work together in a more effective and efficient manner. The introduction of a team member in the team will help the team focused in a certain direction. The scheduling (deadlines and milestones) is explained to the team members and they are asked to work according to the plan. The weekly or monthly meetings must be scheduled in order to get the information about the work of the team and discuss the progress. The team(s) must be guided

American Perception on Arranged Marriages and Dating Essay

American Perception on Arranged Marriages and Dating - Essay Example A conservative mosque may assist arrange marriages in hopes of maintaining modesty and chastity, the most important norms in Islam. Religion, ethnicity, and community all play significant roles in the negotiation of marriage options for new immigrants (Ternikar 1-22). Whereas, the person is central to American culture and his/her unique attributes are respected while in other (Markus 80-82). In this paper American perception on arranged marriages and dating in some of the immigrant communities is presented. In arranged marriages parents agree before children do. The Americans wonder how could someone marry if they have not lived together before. In Islamic culture males are raised differently than females . They are considered superior and take all decisions. For marriage, their friends or family introduces young men. The male's parents play an important role, they judge the suitability of the girl for marriage on the basis of her financial condition and family back ground. If satisfied, they make a proposal. They visit the girl's house where she serves them tea. The man can, then, take the girl out usually with her parents to coffeehouse, ice-cream parlor, park or even a movie. The girl wears modest cloths and couple cannot touch each other. They cannot even hold hands. Three such dates mean they are ready for marriage (Kuriansky 37). In an example of a Muslim marriage, the american-muslim husband replies as an idealist that he would love his wife selected by parents, regardless of who she is. He further said that in American culture a man looks for his special someone himself while in his culture he makes the girl selected by parents 'the one'. The match works well and they share something deeper than love and great compatibility (Tarabay par.1). Actually there is no concept of dating in Islamic culture. Live-in or physical relationship or any premarital relationship between man and women is absolutely taboo (Joseph and Najmabadi 95). They further disclose that Internet, though, is permitted to get in touch where the people of opposite sex can exchange their ideas, liking and disliking. They can communicate with more than one prospective life partner also. The Internet puts mind and personality over physical appearance. Similarly Indian culture permits boy and girl to meet before marriage though in presence of family. They can talk about their preferences etc. It seems like the parentally facilitated dating of United States but it is not (Yalom and Carstensen 217). They further explain that boy and girl may have multiple meetings prior to wedding but the acquaintanceship or dating leading to romantic love does not develop as in America (219). The girl should ideally be docile and good in running the home. An independent or opinionated girl does not make good wife. A woman has to make more sacrifices in arranged marriages. She has to compromise more also. The word of male is final and the verbal communication to handle conflicts is less (Yalom and Carstensen 224). As a result, they say the women suffer silently and conclude that love, attraction, similarities, commitments may provide marital choice

Manegenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Manegenment - Essay Example As the manager she was supposed to handle all managerial functions including inventory. She compounded the problem by paying her assistant more money than any of the other employees at the store. Ruth did not have the foresight to realize that the move could cause morale problems among the staff of the store. Ken Hoffman seemed very disappointed at a lot of decisions that Ruth was making. His perception was that Ruth’s poor performance as a manager was reflecting badly on him because he was the person that appointed her for the job. Ken made some mistakes along the way and he violated various empowerment guidelines. One of the empowerment guidelines that Ken violated was self-determination or choice. Ruth arranged on her own a TV slot where she could showcase the store and its products. Her initiative seemed like a great move for the store. Ken reprimanded Ruth and told her that she made a bad decision by taking that initiative since she was supposed to clear with the corporate office any TV appearances. The second empowerment guideline that was violated by Ken was trust. When Ruth followed company policy and disallowed a customer to make a purchase above $1,000 Ken insulted Ruth which made no sense since she was following company policy as indicated by Ken in earlier incidents. The decision about determining the best portfolio and investment recommendations for the company should not be made by me alone due to the fact that my knowledge and skills are limited to bonds. There is a team in place that can help me determine the best course of action in the selection process of equity investments. The knowledge this group possesses is imperative towards the success of the project. The reason that this decision is harder than it seems is because in the past these four employees have had problems working together and agreeing on decisions. As the person responsible for the report it is my duty to provide the leadership necessary to make this work. One of the

Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act Essay

Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act - Essay Example This state of affairs triggered a requirement for a regulation that could establish legal requirements for companies to ensure that their systems are controlled and the information they publish conform to the actual status, and is not altered, modified or changed with an intention to deceive anyone. The Sarbanes Oxley Act (also known as known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 and commonly called SOX or Sarbox (Wikipedia.org, 2007), was implemented in 2002 to regain public's trust in the accounting and reporting practices of companies in US, to reinforce investment confidence and protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate information with regard to finance, operations and information systems. A brief description of key provision of SOX is provided below: A Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) was established as a result of the passage of the act, to ensure that interests of the investors in public companies are secured, and the audit reports are developed and represent true and fair opinion on the affairs of the company (FindLaw.com 2002). The key functions and duties of PCAOB as documented in the law are as follow: The 'independence' of the auditor is critical for performing any audit related activity for any client. ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Controls Association) (2006) requires auditors to be independent of auditee in both attitude and appearance (professional independence) and the entire audit function to be independent of the area or activity being reviewed to permit objective completion of the audit assignment. The SOX act requires the auditors to be independent. The law states that auditors should not have any operational and/or decision making role for the activity which they are auditing. Corporate Responsibility The act requires public companies to certify in their financial reports that a senior manager has reviewed the report and that the report does not have material misstatements. As per section 302 of the act, the senior management is responsible to develop and implement system of internal controls, and compliance systems. The act requires that the corporate financial statements should have following certifications: The signing officers have reviewed the report The report does not contain material misstatement or material omission or is misleading The financial statements and information fairly represent the factual position and health of the company The signing officers are responsible for internal controls and have reviewed internal controls in previous 90 days Significant changes to internal control environment The report should have a list of all deficiencies in the internal controls and information on any fraud involving employees Enhanced Financial

Separating Data into Data Marts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Separating Data into Data Marts - Research Paper Example This happens in the early stages of the design. It is necessary to develop a plan for delivery before implementing a data mart. This entails information requirements and prioritizing the user’s needs. It is also necessary to develop a corporate philosophy that embraces true value on an optimized environment. For future growth, data needs to be integrated and managed consistently from across an organization. For instance, a financial data mart needs to provide equal access to common financial data that would be the foundation for corporate performance management. Other areas would include data marts to assist in decision making while screening the complexities associated with access to top corporate data structure. Corporate experts should assist in organizing the data marts. End users should have direct access to the information they need to deliver relevant business decisions. Future data mart designs should incorporate the process of logical design. This will involve arranging data into a set of logical relationships called entities and attributes. This is particularly crucial in keeping the business requirements on hand throughout the design process. It is necessary to make a wish list of data elements from the business’ user needs. This involves setting up a list of data elements, data attributes, grouping data reasonably and setting up relationships between data. It is essential to understand the source of data; this can be done by categorizing them by size (Kimball & Ross, 2002). Classification of data involves traditional presentation of facts, dimensions, and relationships between them in data mart applications. The figure below is a complete description of energy consumption per person type for floors in a building. The benchmarks can be created over floors. It draws a clear picture of energy consumption and

High School Student Obesity and Fitnessgram Assessments Essay - 1

High School Student Obesity and Fitnessgram Assessments - Essay Example The surveyed students had an overall positive experience. Some teachers had positive experience while some had mixed opinions concerning the Fitnessgrams effectiveness of improving students’ BMI. Obesity is a serious problem that is becoming more prevalent among school aged children in America. The Centers for Disease Control revealed that approximately one in three American children and teenagers are obese or overweight (CDC Press Release, 2008). This is three times the number of obese children in America in the 1960s. Childhood obesity now surpasses smoking and drug use as the foremost concern of parents and the Georgia State Board of Education. The CDC suggested that the objective of all programs dealing with childhood obesity is to find ways of reducing the child’s weight while monitoring their lipid profile and blood pressure (CDC Press Release, 2008). The CDC also suggested that strong social support systems should be instituted to encourage a healthy weight among children. Parental involvement in programs created to check the development of obesity is one way this can be accomplished. According to the CDC and Krebs, Jacobson, and the American Academy of Pediatr ics Committee on Nutrition (2003), schools can also be part of the support system by providing only healthy meals for students during the day (CDC Press Release, 2008). According to the CDC, Georgia has the distinction of having the second highest rate of obesity among school aged children in America (CDC Press Release, 2008). This motivated the Georgia State Board of Education in 2011 to endorse programs like the Presidential Fitness Award to impact the obesity trends among children (Georgia Department of Education, 2011). However, according to Hirschmann and Zaphiropoulos (2012) there are still students who become obese in Georgia every month and 40% of Georgia’s school aged children are said to be obese. In 2008, Governor

Rights of the Child and the Childcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rights of the Child and the Childcare - Essay Example Being young human beings, children cannot and are not allowed to acquire certain rights that adult humans enjoy. Due to their premature and underdeveloped intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual faculties, they are not permitted by laws to vote, to marry, to engage in sex, etc. that only fully developed humans are able to responsibly do. It is because of children's limited power that critics question the capacity of children to have rights. Advocates of the will and interest theory of rights argue that a right is protected choices that only those who are capable of exercising can enjoy (Archard). But, in response to will theorists, it is also due to children's limited power that spurred the need to give them a set of special set of rights distinguished from adults. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that 'childhood is entitled to special care and assistance (Article 25).' This has entitled them to enjoy a new set of rights that the government of UN member countries should uphold and protect. This is what the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child contains. One of the primary violations of children's rights is child abuse. ... Children suffering from these may experience serious negative effects that would largely impair the growth of an abused child. Low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, injury, criminal and anti-social behavior, delinquency, or even death could from these. Protecting children from impaired development of their faculties provides them the need for a different set of rights that adults should respect.  

Hunting laws Essay Example for Free

Hunting laws Essay Year after year in the hunting industry people have argued that crossbows should be legal for everyone during hunting season. Finally a few years ago the national hunting board of admnistratives passed a law stating, anyone can use a crossbow during the archery part of deer season. this new law take all the sport out of bow hunting, it makes illigally poaching deer tremendously easy, and also it teaches the newer generation of hunters the wrong way to hunt. As far back as hunting goes one of the hardest ways to kill an animal has been the bow. its an adrenaline rush pulling the bow back on a big whitetail. now their taking that thrill away by allowing the use of a crossbow. its taking all the sport out of bow hunting, with a regular bow a hard shot was 25 to 30 yards now thay have crossbows out that will shoot out to 85 yards. making it basicallly like a gun theres no pull back, its a trigger like a gun. as stated in NABC (North American Bowhunting Coalition) ( Crossbows are not bows. Crossbows have mostly rifle-like characteristics such as a gun stock for shoulder mounted shooting, trigger safety, optical sights, locked anc cocked at full draw by a mechanical device, carried loaded and ready to shoot, rigidly controlled internal ballistics, minimal movemnetn to shooting position and can be shot from a rest. ) Its not fair to the sport of hunting, used to it took a skilled archer to kill a deer, now a toddler could pull the trigger and kill one. The relaxed restriction on rossbow hunting makes poaching deer illigally much easier. Poacher have to fire off a gun, which was incredibly loud, which would scare deer off and let any game warden within 10 miles aware that something illigal was taking place. now we have givin poachers an easy route, a virtually silent killing machine. A poacher can kill a deer in a natioal park and no one would ever know they was there. However, some might say people could still poach with crossbow before they legalized them, and this is true, but now everyonne having crossbows in there truck on there way back from hunting puts a whole lot more pressure on the fact that they can take a long quite shot on a big deer on the side of the road. Its always in the back of every hunters mind when they see a deer on the side of the road, but now were giving every hunter the ultimate tool of being able to illigally shoot a deer with ease. Lastly but not least its teaching our newer genereation the improper way of hunting. Now were implying in our kids heads that its okay to shoot a deer at 80 yards with a crossbow. thats not right, they should hae to shot a regular bow and earn the deer instead of just pulling the trigger with these new crossbows. Its extremely inmportant to teach our kids good hunting skills like when to pul the bow back, how you have to make sure the deer isnt looking at you, but with corssbows it doesnt matter they just pull the trigger like a gun. I think we are abusing the right to use them. I think people with a physical disability should be the only ones legal to hunt with crossbows. not giving one to a teenager who just wants to go kill 20 deer just to say he did. Make kids and for that matter everyone go out and learn the right way with a real bow and arrow. I think we are ruinging the sport of hunting by allowing anyone use a crossbow to hunt deer. Its taking all the sport out of hunting, making illigally poaching deer like a walk in the park, and also teaching the newer genereations of hunters the wrong way to hunt.. There a lot of facts to support my claims, its a no brainer that the national hunting assosoation made the wrong decicsion by passing the law that crossbows are legal for anyone.

Family Law Answers to Problem Questions

Family Law Answers to Problem Questions Family Law Introduction The law of divorce is governed under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 where it provides the sole ground for divorce, namely that the marriage between Jason and Sandra has broken down irretrievably.[1] Nevertheless, in order to establish irretrievable breakdown, Jason will have to show that one of the five facts listed in section 1(2) of the MCA 1973 has been established on proof (Richards v Richards)[2]. Meanwhile, it is notably that the court in England and Wales is given a wide power in determining the arrangement of children between the Jason and Sandra. Since Jason and Sandra are married, they both have parental responsibility for Joyce and Tom[3]. Their parent responsibilities will not be terminated even if the court grants them a decree of divorce. By virtue of CA 1989, the focus is on the welfares of the children[4] and thus the welfare checklist set out in section 1(3) of CA 1989 will be taken into account by the court in deciding whether to grant share residence to Jason and Sandra and to limit Sandra’s contact with Joyce and Tom. Divorce between Jason and Sandra Since the marriage between Jason and Sandra has lasted seven years, Jason is not restricted by the absolute bar on the presenting of petition for divorce within one year of marriage imposed by section 3(1) of the MCA 1973. Jason is allowed to petition for divorce if he is able to establish one of the five facts set out in section 1(2) of the MCA 1973. Adultery and Intolerability: section 1(2)(a) The first possible fact that Jason would rely on is that if adultery and intolerability contained in section 1(2)(a) of MCA 1973. In order to successful in this claim, Jason would have to show that Sandra has committed adultery and he finds it intolerable with her. In Dennis v Dennis[5], adultery is defined as a voluntary act of sexual intercourse between Sandra and another person who is of the opposite sex. On the fact, Jason’s brother saw Sandra and Craig having dinner at a local restaurant and then leaving the restaurant together late at night, holding hands and getting into the car. According to Sapsford v Sapsford[6], It is unlikely that this incident is sufficient to constitute a ground of adultery as there is no evidence of sexual intercourse between Sandra and Craig. However, following the case of Farnham v Farnham[7], Jason would want to raise a rebuttable presumption that Sandra has committed sexual intercourse with Craig by using the circumstantial evidence of incli nation and opportunity. However, it is unlikely this claim will be successful as the circumstances does not in any sense suggest that Sandra and Craig have indulged in sexual intercourse. Further, it must be noted that, adultery is a serious accusation to make and thus the courts have always insisted on strong evidence to allow such accusation.[8] Even if adultery can be established, Jason would have to show that he finds it intolerable to live with Sandra while the intolerability need not follow from Sandra’s adultery (Clearly v Clealy)[9]. According to Goodrich v Goodrich[10], the intolerability test is to be accessed subjectively and thus Jason could rely on the fact that he cannot cope with Sandra’s increasingly volatile behaviour and claims that it is intolerable to live with Sandra. Unreasonable Behaviour: section 1(2)(b) A more realistic option for Jason is section 1(2)(b) of MCA 1973, where it provides that Jason can rely on the ground of ‘unreasonable behaviour’ if he can establish that Sandra’s behaviour is such that it is unreasonable for him to continue living with her. According to Livingstone- Stallard[11], the focus is not on the gravity of the behaviour per se but on its impact on Jason. Following O’Neill v O’Neill[12], the test under s.1(2) is to be accessed both objectively and subjectively, the objective aspect concerns whether Jason is reasonably expected to stay with Sandra , while the subjective part takes into account the personalities of Jason and Sandra. Since we are told that Sandra’s behaviour becomes increasingly volatile, the chance that Jason will succeed in this claim would increase. It is likely that Sandra’s unreasonable behaviour can be established, it is then necessary to look at the character of Jason and Sandra and decide whether they can be expected to stay together reasonably (Ash v Ash)[13]. It can be pointed out that Sandra is having an adulterous relationship with Craig and this it might not be reasonable to expect Jason to live with her. At this point, it is arguable that the court will grant a decree of divorce on the ground of s.1(2)(b) based on Sandra’s behaviour that makes Jason cannot be reasonably expected to stay with her. Arrangements in relation with Joyce and Tom By virtue of section 2(1) of CA 1989, both Jason and Sandra owe parent responsibilities toward Joyce and Tom. Such responsibility is defined in section 3(1) as ‘all rights, duties, powers and responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and its property’. This right continue even after Jason and Sandra divorce. Nevertheless, under section 1(5) if CA 1989, Jason and Sandra are required to file a statement of arrangements for the children, detailing the measures that have been resolved between them and also the unresolved issues. On the facts, there are two issues to be considered in regards with Joyce and Tom: who should the children stay with and the extent of Sandra’s contact with the children. In regards with these unresolved issues, the court is able to make the child arrangements order under section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014 which replaces the orders previously knowns as residence orders and contact orders contained in section 8 of Children Act 1989. The change of terminology supposed to move away from emphasis of ‘resident’ and ‘non-resident’ parent and shift the focus onto the children’s welfare[14]. In the other words, the court will take into account the welfare checklist set out in section 1(3) of the CA 1989. The Welfare checklist includes the ascertainable wishes feelings of Joyce and Tom; their physical, emotional and educational needs; the likely effect on Joyce and Tom in their circumstances; Joyce and Tom’s ages, sex, backgrounds and other relevant characteristics; any harm which they have suffered or are at risk of suffering; and how capable Jason and Sandra and Craig are meeting Joyce and Tom’s needs. We are told that Joyce is five years old and Tom is at an age of three. They are still young and might not be able to express their true wishes and feelings with regards to the issue of residence and contact and thus it is unlikely that the court will give weight to their wishes (Stewart v Stewart)[15]. In regards with their needs, even though there no presumption that a child’s emotional and physical needs are best met by the mother, the case law has showed a preference for keeping young children with their mother [Re S (a minor) (Custody)][16]. However, in Re H (A Minor)[17], it was held that the time has changed and that many fathers were as capable as mother of looking after small children and this may lead to a decision that in favour of Jason. Further, the facts that Sandra is under depression and her plan to move in with Craig, who is also has anger management issues will be taken into consideration under section 1(3)(e) by the court. Lastly, the capabilities of Jason a nd Sandra in meeting Joyce and Tom’s needs will be considered as well. Here, it is likely that Jason would have a good chance of obtaining a residence order as the facts that Sandra and Craig is starting a new relationship and there is no evidence that Craig seems to fit the stereotype of the replacement father. However, even if the court grants a residence order in favour of Jason, the parental responsibility of Sandra towards Joyce and Tom will not be terminated. According to Re R (A Minor)(Contact), Sandra will be granted a generous contact with Joyce and Tom because the court is on the view that ‘it is a right of a child to have a relationship with both parents wherever possible’.[18] The fact that both Sandra and Craig are under anger management course will deny Jason’s claim that Sandra has a mental condition that makes her inappropriate to be in contact with Joyce and Tom. (1500 words) Part 2 Introduction In 1956, the concept of no-fault divorce was first put forward by the Morton Commission in their report on the basis that the divorce law prior to that date has encouraged acrimony between the parties.[19] Such approach was taken by a series of Law Commission reports and led to the Introduction of Divorce Act 1969, which was later consolidated to the legal provision in use today, namely the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. Section 1(1) of MCA 1973 provides that irretrievable breakdown of marriage is the only ground for divorce and this can only be established if one of the five facts listed in section 1(2) of the MCA 1973. There are two no fault facts that can be relied to establish divorce, namely the two years’ separation with the respondent’s consent to the divorce [section 1(2)(d)] and the five years’ separation [section 1(2)(e)]. However, the facts that the number of petition under these no-fault facts are much lesser than the fault facts of adultery [section 1( 2)(a)] and unreasonable behaviour [section 1(2)(b)] raises a question that whether the law of divorce in England and Wales can really be described as one of ‘no-fault’? This essay will argue that identifying who is at ‘fault’ is still very much a feature of the divorce system in Wales and such element can be proved decisive in determining issues such as division of financial assets, child contact and residence. Such approach was also put forward by John Eekelaar that the law that the current law of divorce is ‘deeply corrupting by the law itself’ as the individuals are prevented from accessing to their legal rights conferred on them by law.[20] Application of ‘no-fault’ divorce In order to obtain a speedy divorce, it is more likely that the parties to a relationship would be more willing to rely on fault- based divorce. The courts have taken a strict approach in allowing a non-fault divorce and the degree of separation does not limit to the normal notion of physical contact but it also involves mental element. For instance, in Mouncer v Mouncer, regardless the facts that the parties were slept in separate bedrooms, it was held that they were living apart as they continued to spend time with their children together.[21] At this point, it can be concluded that the law has failed to provide an effective method of no-fault divorce and this forces the party to a relationship to initiate a divorce claim by alleging fault on the part of the other party. In the other words, the law has failed to fulfil its original objective that to enable the parties of a marriage to end their relationship with minimum bitterness and hostility. Fault remains as an important exists that dominate the law of divorce in England and Wales today. Despite its decisive role in establishing a ground for divorce, the courts have also emphasised ‘fault’ of the parties in determining the consequences of a relationship breakdown. Division of financial assets and Child contact and residence According to Thorpe J in Dart v Dart, the court are given wide discretion to make orders which suits the needs of individual cases, albeit guided by the various factors set out in the statutory framework. With regards to the financial distribution on marriage breakdown, section 25(1) of the MCA 1973 required the court to take into account to all circumstance of the case, whereby section 25(2)(g) provides that the conduct of the parties is one of the factors that should be considered. Even though, it is arguably that the introduction of no-fault divorce by MCA 1973 reduced the significance of fault in determining the distribution of property, but by reviewing the case law, the outcome of the reform is somehow disappointing. In K v K, the court held that the husband was not entitled to his wife’s assets due to the facts that he had sexually abused his wife’s grandchildren.[22] Also, in H v H (Financial Relief: Attempted Murder as conduct), the wife was given a greater pri ority in the financial distribution because the husband had attacker her with knives and was convicted of attempted murder.[23] It is apparent that the fact that a spouse has behaved very badly will inevitably affect his or her entitlement to a greater priority in the financial distribution, and this encourages further animosity between the parties. As a result, section 25(2)(g) was highly criticised as it undermines the aim of the law to remove incentive to make allegations of fault in order to divorce peacefully. On the other hand, it must be noted that, by virtue of section 2(1) of Children Act 1989, the parental responsibility of the parties remains even after divorce. In determining the issue in relation to child contact and residence, the welfare checklist set out in section 1(3) of CA 1989 plays a prominent role in the decision making. Within the checklist, there is no reference to the ‘fault’ element at the part of the parents, but the courts are tend to grant the relevant order in favour of the ‘innocent’ parent with the conception that it will be the children’s best interest not to stay or even in contact with the ‘fault’ parent, particularly in the cases of domestic violence. Conclusion In conclusion, it is undeniably that the approach to divorce in England and Wales cannot be described as one of ‘no-fault’ as the ‘fault’ element is still playing a prominent role in relation with the issues of divorce and its consequences. Nevertheless, we are not arguing a reform towards a purely no-fault divorce because, as according to Deech, this will give too much freedom to the individual and give them a wrongful thought that divorce something can be obtained easily.[24] Instead, we are saying that the system of divorce should be balanced between a mixed mechanism with both ‘fault’ and ‘no-fault’ ground for divorce[25] but not letting the ‘fault’ feature dominate the whole system alone. (1041 words) Bibliography Table of Cases Ash v Ash [1972] 1 All ER 582 Clearly v Clealy [1974] 1 All ER 498 Dennis v Dennis [1955] P 153 Farnham v Farnham [1925] 133 LT 320 Goodrich v Goodrich [1971] 2 All ER 1340 H (A Minor), Re (1980) 2 FLR 253 H v H (Financial Relief: Attempted Murder as conduct) [2006] 1 FLR 990 K v K [2010] EWCA Civ 125 Livingstone- Stallard v Livingstone- Stallard [1974] Fam 47 Mouncer v Mouncer [1972] 115 SJ 327 O’Neill v O’Neill [1975] 1 WLR 1118 R (A Minor)(Contact), Re [1993] 2 FLR 762 Richards v Richards [1972] WLR 1073 S (a minor) (Custody), Re [1991] 2 FLR 388 Sapsford v Sapsford [1954] P 394 Serio v Serio (1983) 4 FLR 756 Stewart v Stewart [1973] 1 Fam 107 Table of Legislation Children Act 1989, s.1 Children Act 1989, s.2 Children Act 1989, s.3 Children Act 1989, s.8 Children and Families Act 2014, s.12 Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, s. 1 Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, s. 3 Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, s. 25 Secondary Sources Books Gilmore S and Glennon L, Hayes and Williams’ Family Law (4th edn, OUP 2014) Articles Deech R, ‘Divorce- A Disaster?’ [2009] FLR 1048 Eekelaar J, ‘Family Law- Keeping us â€Å"On Message†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ [1999] CFLQ 387 Law Commission, Family Law: The Ground for Divorce (Law Com No 192) [1] Matrimonial Causes Act, s.1(1). [2] [1972] WLR 1073. [3] Children Act 1989, s.2(1). [4] Ibid, s.1. [5] [1955] P 153. [6] [1954] P 394. [7] [1925] 133 LT 320. [8] Serio v Serio (1983) 4 FLR 756. [9] [1974] 1 All ER 498. [10] [1971] 2 All ER 1340. [11] [1974] Fam 47. [12] [1975] 1 WLR 1118. [13] [1972] 1 All ER 582. [14] Children Act 1989, s.1(1). [15] [1973] 1 Fam 107. [16] [1991] 2 FLR 388. [17] (1980) 2 FLR 253. [18] [1993] 2 FLR 762, Butler- Sloss LJ. [19] Royal Commission on Marriage and Divorce (Cmd 9878, 1956). [20] John Eekelaar, ‘Family Law- Keeping us â€Å"On Message†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ [1999] CFLQ 387. [21] [1972] 115 SJ 327. [22] [2010] EWCA Civ 125. [23] [2006] 1 FLR 990. [24] Ruth Deech, ‘Divorce- A Disaster?’ [2009] FLR 1048. [25] Law Commission, Family Law: The Ground for Divorce (Law Com No 192).

High Cost Of Marriage In Arabian Gulf Countries Religion Essay

High Cost Of Marriage In Arabian Gulf Countries Religion Essay In these days, many problems appear in the Middle East because of hard conditions that may face any citizen especially after the economic crisis that has affected every single person around the world. Some of these problems had been solved and some are still exist among us. In gulf countries many important issues appears before many years and become a serious problems after the economic crises. One of these serious issues is high cost of marriage ceremony that has caused other troubles for men, women, families and the entire society. Wedding ceremony varies from one culture to another all depends on the norms and traditions of that culture. For example; in some cultures, the prides family pay for the wedding expenses in countries like India and Pakistan, where this would be a much unknown trait in countries like UAE, Jordan and other GCC countries were the groom have to pay for every single detail of the wedding! On the other hand, other cultures, like Europe and North America where both side can normally share the expenses of their own wedding. In conclusion; the different in human cultures and culture values created a great difference in the wedding traditions and ceremonies. Marriage in the past In the past, marriage was very simple, a normal traditional issue and required vary simple requirements. And it didnt cause a big problem for the community. After all agreed on, prides mother invites all females member of her family and neighborhood to her house to drink some coffee and show them prides cloths, gold and what did the groom bought for his pride. On the other hand, groom invites his family and friends to attend the engagement party in groom house or in town house, the served food in these parties was fruits and some sweets. After that, the groom stands in front of the door to be greeted by his relative and friends. After the party finished, groom goes to prides family to greet them only, and sometimes he is not allowed to see his pride before the wedding party. During the wedding party, pride prepares for her wedding by putting some henna on her hands, dress a very simple dress and braid her hair. Then all families and friends were invited to grooms house to celebrate a nd have their lunch. The served food was rice and meat. Moreover, after all these parties, couple used to have their honeymoon in one of their relatives house by visiting them only. In the past, family of the pride used to ask only for simple and low dowries from groom or what can he get of gold, weapons or even animals. Also they didnt use to ask the groom to get separate house or villa for his wife, pride used to live with groom and his family. Marriage issues: Now days, everything changed and become very complicated and life requirements become very hard to get. The most important property of marriage is getting new house. Its normal to have separate house to live alone with your wife and start a new life by waiting for new family, but when the new marriage couple want to have huge luxury house, it will lead to serious issue that may face any citizen. Many marriage issues that constraint the marriage process in our society, we can mention some of the main ones as the following; Society pressure for marrying from the same family as the known norm of the family or the tribe. The increasing cost of the dowry which is related to the family name or the beauty of the pride. Finding the best accommodation in terms of price, location and size. This in turn increase the initial marriage cost to a very high trend that may reach hundreds of thousands of Dirham or maybe millions which is not affordable for most of the young generation. The requirement of buying a high and jewelries which the prides familys asks for. This cost is always increasing by comparison with other weddings happened with another wealthy family. The cost of furnishing the new house is also increasing. The requirement of the top of line new furniture and best brand home appliances. The cost of renting the best wedding hall. This could be either a well known wedding hall or a well known hotel. The cost of the wedding activities of hiring a band and a good catering restaurant will add a dramatic increase to the cost of the wedding. The cost of the pride dress is also noticeably increasing. In some cases, a wedding dress has reached to over hundreds of thousands Dirham. Huge quantities of food also a negative behavior that make the wedding party cost more. The cost of the hair salon where the pride and her mates are doing their full make up and preparation for the wedding. A cost that may reach tens of thousands of Dirham. Opinions: Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah, a 30-year-old UAE national from Al Ain, has been married for six years and has three children.Its becoming increasingly difficult to bear the rising costs of living, especially house rent, he said. Mir Murtaza Yaseen Ali, 29, a Pakistani banker, would like a wife who works to help shoulder the costs of running a household.I would want my wife to work because its unhealthy for a person to be unproductive and a working wife would help maintain a good standard of living, he said. Hussein Al Numeiri, 22, a UAE national graduate, wants to finish higher studies.An educated couple is better than an uneducated couple, he said.[1] Results: In our religion, Islam, woman has many rights; one of them is to have her simple dowry for her own self. But when the cost of dowries become very high and over the normal percentage of original dowries and the purpose of wedding party become a show off party among the people in the society many negative results will appear and a lot of social problems will increase. Moreover, High dowries, high cost of living requirements, high cost of wedding party and other unimportant requirements that make the groom spend millions of dirham may lead to series of hug problem which effect badly on men, women and maybe both. The first result that may exist in society is making barrier between man and his wife by spread hostility and hatred between them because after spending a big amount of money on wedding party, groom will face economic crisis and start to suffer and work a lot trying to pay his debts which had spent it on unimportant things. The purpose of marriage is happiness among families and among married couples not misery for them. The second result of having unbelievable high cost of wedding ceremonies is it creates a tendency among the local single generation to find an alternative of marrying in the local society and search for a cheaper options from other countries. Single men move toward a foreign pride as a cheaper option and more affordable. The consequences are negative on the society as more maiden population is increasing and more girls are not able to find someone to marry. This is a negative phenomenon that is spreading in our society and the main reason for it is the rising cost of wedding ceremonies. Third result of the increasing cost of marriage is creating a negative psychological effect on the young generation which help establish many psychic problems; depression, stress, despair and sadness. Also it will push the younger generation to find an alternative solution through illegal relationship and affairs that is unacceptable by neither the norms nor the religion. The percentage of Dubai residents who never got married went up from 24 per cent in 1993 to 27 per cent in 2005, and of those who got married down from 74 per cent to 70 per cent.[2] Solutions: We should emphasize on the issue and the effect of the high cost of marriage in our society and the dangerous results of delaying and post pond the marriage plans for the younger generation. We would like to view the religion point view of this issue and remained all parents and our families that Islamic religion is against such high cost requirements for marriage ceremonies. As matter of fact, the Islamic religion direct all families to ease the process of marriage for both parties and encourage the young generation to get married at an early age. The impact in that will be extremely positive from all aspects; the young generation will enter the social life in a welcome phase which will be easier for them to continue forward in their life of building their own families and contribute to the society. Early marriage will also prevent the society from the danger of spreading negative norms like illegal affairs and spreading of diseases through these kinds of affairs. The Islamic religi on encourages all parents to find the value in the groom personality and ethics, which will guarantee a better life for their loved daughter. If the groom is not suitable for the pride, or the pride is not approving him for a reason, then its more appropriate to stop the marriage. The Islamic religion encourages all levels of society to marry and produce families and grow the society in numbers and values. His highness Sheikh Khalifa did issue some regulations in attempt to control this high cost marriage phenomena in our society. The new regulation states that all the wedding parties should not exceed the period of one day only that will reduce the cost of any wedding and make it easier on all grooms to get it done. Sheikh Khalifa also ordered more details in regard of the wedding; one party is allowed for the men side and a maximum one party for the women side. The amount of the served food from the camels meat is limited to 9 camels maximum per wedding. And anyone who exceeds any of these regulations will phase a 500000 Dirham penalty, this way it will force any groom to avoid any cost exaggeration or protect him from any high cost requirements from the prides family. The effort are taking to correct the situation of this phenomena of high wedding cost which is new to our society, from government regulations to educating all families in our society about the negative effect of high cost weddings will help fight and tackle this problem to eliminate it from our culture. The efforts have to be taken from all sides and the consequences and benefits will reach everyone among our people. The young generation will be encouraged to get married early and then enter the social life with less debt and more freedom, which will make them more contributing individuals in our society and a better individual in our communities. It will also help increase the local population and help correct the unstable demographic distribution in our society. Its a win situation. Conclusion and recommendation: Extravagant weddings is one of important issues that make a big amount of people agree with it after realizing that the wedding party comes only ones in the whole life, and it must be a perfect party to be a special day to remember, so all of these spent money will not be spent again. This issue will not affect the bride or the invited people; it will make bad sequences on the groom after lending thousand of dirham which makes him feel guilty after each person go back to his home. In my opinion, wedding party is a very special day that each girl dreams about it, and it should be a unique happy day, but it is better to have a simple wedding party without spending huge amount of money, because there are other important things to do in your starting to begin a new life in a new home waiting for new family. Also, it is very hard to all Youth to spend thousands of dirham in unnecessary things especially after finishing their studies and starting to build their life; they need partner to help them to start responsible life. Our society have to fight the increasing costs of weddings by educating families and single people, and by working together against any continuous behavior from any of the families. We should enlighten the people that wedding day is a truly very important day in any ones life, but we have to remember that life will not stop at that day and reality will hit the new family afterward, with debt and much money lost. We should restructure our way of t hinking and encourage people to go back to simplicity For a better future, and for a better life.

Fate in The Sign of the Four and She Essay -- Sign She

Fate in The Sign of the Four and She In life, it doesn't matter where you start, nor necessarily how you live, because in the end, fate will triumph over all obstacles and place you where you were destined to be.   Every individual has had some type of experience with an unexplainable force; on a larger scale, for instance, living through a physical disability or coping with the death of a loved one, but many times, on a smaller scale, fate mysteriously operates in everyday activities and situations.   The way in which fate functions in both extremes is undoubtedly unexplainable; however, the path in which fate designs for every person is predetermined and unavoidable.   It matters not if you are an all-time champion marathon runner or a poor, homeless vagabond, because fate has a charted course that is set in stone and impossible to alter.   For instance, the champion runner suddenly has a massive heart attack while on the homestretch of an important race and dies right on the spot, on the other han d, the homeless person haphazardly finds a winning lottery ticket on the ground and ultimately transforms his life.   These hypothetical instances are not chance, nor are they good or bad luck, they happen for a reason, a reason which cannot be understood, and one in which cannot be escaped. The idea of fate was covertly woven within the fabric of The Sign of the Four and She.   From Jonathan Small's wooden leg, the "solid iron chest of Indian workmanship" (221) containing the Agra treasure, to Ayesha's undying love (literally) for Kallikrates. Each situation vividly represents how the foundation of fate can inevitably shake up and change existence of being.   The character, Jonathan Small, in The Sign of t... ...cept what is handed to us on fates plate and learn to cope with it instead of avoiding the inevitable like the people in England when Queen Victoria ruled.   Throughout the ages, we have come a long way in understanding the dynamics of life: the progression of health and sciences, technology, and the uniting of diverse cultures and classes.   Time has revealed the hidden doubts of our predecessors, and with that, we have concluded that the future is wide open and bound to change at any given moment in time.   Nothing in life is fixed, but it is ever-changing, both on mental and physical levels.   We can attempt to improve the conditions in which we live, but when all is said and done, the final outcome is always what it is intended to be.   Our destiny is always intact and one, whether real or fictional characters, cannot escape the divine map of life.  Ã‚  

An Analysis of Edgar Allan Poes Annabel Lee Essay -- Annabel Lee Essa

An Analysis  of  Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee In life, as in death, Edgar Allan Poe evoked a feeling of sympathy from his readership.   Those who knew him well considered him deep, mysterious and contemplative; thus, coupled with the copious tragedies he suffered throughout his life, especially the loss of his first wife Virginia, it is easy to understand how the author brings out the theme of Annabel Lee through personal/setting imagery, repetition of words and rhythm/rhyme.   Annabel Lee honors the memory of Poe's deceased wife, Virginia.   Throughout the poem, his use of personal imagery helps the reader to grasp the intense feelings of loss he continues to experience long after her passing.   The setting imagery is critical to this particular literary piece, in that it is through setting that one gains a significantly better realization of his anguish.   A passage from what came to be the last poem written by Poe before his death illustrates his torment: "The angels, not half so happy in heaven, went envying her and me- Yes! - That was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. "But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we- Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee." No matter his efforts, Poe just could not seem to shake the loss of Virginia.   He especially had difficulty forgetting her final days, watching her cough up blood and slowly dies of tuberculosis.   He could not even afford a blanket or handful of coal with wh... ...nd but elusive subtleties.   To be sure, Poe was a writer who incorporated a significant amount of blatancy while also implying considerable obscurity. This dichotomy has served to be the cornerstone of the author's works, which have successfully stood the test of time.   "And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea."   Without question, Annabel Lee provides a unique insight into the relationships among theme, rhythm and imagery.   Also evident within the very essence of the story is the manner in which it illustrates the compassion inherent within such a master composer as the troubled Edgar Allan Poe. Works Cited: Poe, Edgar Allan. ?Annabel Lee.? The Book of Living Verse. Ed. Louis Untermeyer. New York: Harcourt, 1939.

Turkish Economy Essay examples -- essays research papers

Turkish Economy - Structure and Grwoth At the time of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, the Turkish economy was underdeveloped: agriculture depended on outmoded techniques and poor-quality livestock, and the few factories producing basic products such as sugar and flour were under foreign control. Between 1923 and 1985, the economy grew at an average annual rate of 6 percent. In large part as a result of government policies, a backward economy developed into a complex economic system producing a wide range of agricultural, industrial, and service products for both domestic and export markets. Economic Development At the birth of the republic, Turkey's industrial base was weak because Ottoman industries had been undermined by the capitulations. World War I and the War of Independence (1919-22) also had extensively disrupted the Turkish economy. The loss of Ottoman territories, for example, cut off Anatolia from traditional markets. Agricultural output--the source of income for most of the population--had dropped sharply as peasants went to war. Even the production of wheat, Turkey's main crop, was insufficient to meet domestic demand. In addition, massacres and the emigration of Greeks, Armenians, and Jews, who had dominated urban economic life, caused a shortage of skilled laborers and entrepreneurs. Turkey's economy recovered remarkably once hostilities ceased. From 1923 to 1926, agricultural output rose by 87 percent, as agricultural production returned to prewar levels. Industry and services grew at more than 9 percent per year from 1923 to 1929; however, their share of the economy remained quite low at the end of the decade. By 1930, as a result of the world depression, external markets for Turkish agricultural exports had collapsed, causing a sharp decline in national income. The government stepped in during the early 1930s to promote economic recovery, following a doctrine known as etatism (see Glossary). Growth slowed during the worst years of the depression but between 1935 and 1939 reached 6 percent per year. During the 1940s, the economy stagnated, in large part because maintaining armed neutrality during World War II increased the country's military expenditures while almost entirely curtailing foreign trade. After 1950 the country suffered economic disruptions about once a decade; the most serious crisis occurred in the late... ...h. Structure of the Economy In the years after World War II, the economy became capable of supplying a much broader range of goods and services. By 1994 the industrial sector accounted for just under 40 percent of GDP, having surpassed agriculture (including forestry and fishing), which contributed about 16 percent of production. The rapid shift in industry's relative importance resulted from government policies in effect since the 1930s favoring industrialization (see fig. 8). In the early 1990s, the government aimed at continued increases in industry's share of the economy, especially by means of export promotion. Services increased from a small fraction of the economy in the 1920s to just under half of GDP by 1994. Several factors accounted for the growth of the services sector. Government--already sizable under the Ottomans--expanded as defense expenditures rose; health, education, and welfare programs were implemented; and the government work force was increased to staff the numerous new public organizations. Trade, tourism, transportation, and financial services also became more important as the economy developed and diversified. ________________________________________

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 32

Joseph rubbed the bridge of his nose as if fighting a headache. â€Å"He said he'd see what he could do.† We watched as the Roman soldiers took Joshua inside and the priests followed. The Pharisees, commoners in the eyes of the Romans, were left outside. A legionnaire almost caught Jakan's face in the gate when he slammed it. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and I looked up to a high, wide balcony that was visible above the palace walls. It had obviously been designed by Herod the Great's architects as a platform from which the king could address the masses in the Temple without compromising his safety. A tall Roman in a lush red robe was standing on the balcony looking down on the crowd, and not looking particularly happy with their presence. â€Å"Is that Pilate?† I asked Joseph, pointing to the Roman. Joseph nodded. â€Å"He'll go downstairs to hold Joshua's trial.† But I wasn't interested at that point in where Pilate was going. What interested me was the centurion who stood behind him wearing the full-crested helmet and breastplate of a legion commander. Not a half hour later the gate was opened and a squad of Roman soldiers brought Joshua out of the palace in bonds. A lower-rank centurion pulled Joshua along by a rope around his wrists. The priests followed along behind and were mobbed with questions by the Pharisees who had been waiting outside. â€Å"Go find out what's going on,† I said to Joseph. We waded into the middle of the procession that followed. Most were screaming at Joshua and trying to spit on him. I spotted a few people in the crowd that I knew to be Joshua's followers, but they were going along silently, their eyes darting around as if any second they might be the next one arrested. Simon, Andrew, and I followed behind at some distance, while Maggie fought the crowd to get close to Joshua. I saw her throw herself at her ex-husband, Jakan, who was trailing the priests, but she was stopped in mid-leap by Joseph of Arimathea, who caught her by the hair and pulled her back. Someone else was helping restrain her, but he wore a shawl over his head so I couldn't tell who it was. Probably Peter. Joseph dragged Maggie back to us and handed her over to me and Simon. â€Å"She'll get herself killed.† Maggie looked up at me, a wildness in her eyes that I couldn't read, either anger or madness. I wrapped my arms around her and held her so her arms were pinned to her sides as we walked along. The man with the hood walked along beside me, his hand on Maggie's shoulder, steadying her. When he looked at me I could see it was Peter. The wiry fisherman seemed to have aged twenty years since I'd seen him Tuesday night. â€Å"They're taking him to Antipas,† Peter said. â€Å"As soon as Pilate heard Joshua was from Galilee he said it wasn't his jurisdiction and sent him to Herod.† â€Å"Maggie,† I said into her ear, â€Å"please stop being a madwoman. My plan just went to hell and I could use some critical thinking.† Once again we waited outside of one of the palaces built by Herod the Great, but this time, because it was a Jewish king in residence, the Pharisees were let in and Joseph of Arimathea went in with them. A few minutes later he was back outside again. â€Å"He's trying to get Joshua to perform a miracle,† Joseph said. â€Å"He'll let him go if Joshua performs a miracle for him.† â€Å"And if Joshua won't do it?† â€Å"He won't,† said Maggie. â€Å"If he won't do it,† Joseph said, â€Å"we're back where we started. It will be up to Pilate to order the Sanhedrin's death sentence carried out or to release Joshua.† â€Å"Maggie, come with me,† I said, tugging at her dress as I backed away. â€Å"Why, where?† â€Å"The plan's back on.† I ran back to the praetorium, with Maggie in tow. I pulled up by a pillar across from the Antonia Palace. â€Å"Maggie, can Peter really heal? Really?† â€Å"Yes, I told you.† â€Å"Wounds? Broken bones?† â€Å"Wounds, yes. I don't know about bones.† â€Å"I hope so,† I said. I left her there while I went to the highest-ranking centurion stationed outside the gates. â€Å"I need to see your commander,† I said. â€Å"Go away, Jew.† â€Å"I'm a friend. Tell him it's Levi from Nazareth.† â€Å"I'll tell him nothing.† So I stepped up and took the centurion's sword out of its scabbard, put the point under his chin for a split second, then replaced it in its scabbard. He reached for the sword and suddenly it was in my hand and under his chin again. Before he could call out the sword was back in its scabbard. â€Å"There,† I said, â€Å"you owe me your life twice. By the time you call to have me arrested I'll have your sword again and you'll not only be embarrassed but your head will be all wobbly from your throat being cut. Or, you can take me to see my friend Gaius Justus Gallicus, commander of the Sixth Legion.† Then I took a deep breath and waited. The centurion's eyes darted to the soldiers closest to him, then back to me. â€Å"Think, Centurion,† I said. â€Å"If you arrest me, where will I end up anyway?† The logic of it seemed to strike him through his frustration. â€Å"Come with me,† he said. I signaled to Maggie to wait and followed the soldier into Pilate's fortress. Justus seemed uncomfortable in the lush quarters they had assigned him at the palace. He'd had shields and spears placed around the room in different places, as if he needed to remind anyone who entered that a soldier lived here. I stood in the doorway while he paced, looking up at me occasionally as if he wanted to kill me. He wiped the sweat from his closely cropped gray hair and whipped it so it drew a stripe across the stone floor. â€Å"I can't stop the sentence. No matter what I want.† â€Å"I just don't want him hurt,† I said. â€Å"If Pilate crucifies him, he'll be hurt, Biff. That's sort of the point.† â€Å"Damaged, I mean. No broken bones, no cut sinew. Have them tie his arms to the cross.† â€Å"They have to use nails,† Justus said, his mouth shaping into a cruel frown. â€Å"Nails are iron. They're inventoried. Each one is accounted for.† â€Å"You Romans are masters of supply.† â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"Okay, tie him then, only nail through the web of his fingers and toes, and put a board on the cross so he can support his weight with his feet.† â€Å"That's no kindness you're doing him. He could linger a week that way.† â€Å"No he won't,† I said. â€Å"I'm going to give him poison. And I want his body as soon as he's dead.† At the word â€Å"poison,† Justus had stopped pacing and looked up at me with open resentment. â€Å"It's not up to me to release the body, but if you want to make sure the body is unharmed I'll have to keep soldiers there until the end. Sometimes your people like to help the crucified die more quickly by throwing stones. I don't know why they bother.† â€Å"Yes, you do, Justus. You of all people do. You can spit that Roman bitterness toward mercy all you want, but you know. You were the one who sent for Joshua when your friend was suffering. You humbled yourself and asked for mercy. That's all I'm doing.† Now the resentment drained from his face and was replaced by amazement. â€Å"You're going to bring him back, aren't you?† â€Å"I just want to bury my friend's body intact.† â€Å"You're going to bring him back from the dead. Like the soldier at Sepphoris, the one the Sicarii killed. That's why you need his body undamaged.† â€Å"Something like that,† I nodded, looking at the floor to avoid the old soldier's eyes. Justus nodded, obviously shaken. â€Å"Pilate has to authorize the body to be taken down. Crucifixion is supposed to stand as an example to others.† â€Å"I have a friend who can get the body released.† â€Å"Joshua could still be set free, you know?† â€Å"He won't be,† I said. â€Å"He doesn't want to be.† Justus turned from me then. â€Å"I'll give the orders. Kill him quickly, then take the body and get it out of my jurisdiction even quicker.† â€Å"Thank you, Justus.† â€Å"Don't embarrass any more of my officers or your friend will be asking for two bodies.† When I came out of the fortress Maggie ran into my arms. â€Å"It's horrible. They put a crown of thorns on his head and the crowd spit on him. The soldiers beat him.† The crowd milled around us. â€Å"Where is he now?† The crowd roared and people began pointing up to the balcony. Pilate stood there next to Joshua, who was being held by two soldiers. Joshua stared straight ahead, still looking as if he were in a trance. Blood was running into his eyes. Pilate raised his arms and the crowd went quiet. â€Å"I have no complaint with this man, yet your priests say that he has committed blasphemy. This is no crime under Roman law,† said Pilate. â€Å"What would you have me do with him?† â€Å"Crucify him!† screamed someone next to me. I looked over to see Jakan waving a fist. The other Pharisees began chanting, â€Å"Crucify him, crucify him.† And soon the whole crowd seemed to join in. Among the crowd I saw the few of Joshua's followers that were left begin to slink away before the anger was turned on them. Pilate made a gesture as if he was washing his hands and walked inside. Friday Eleven apostles, Maggie, Joshua's mother, and his brother James gathered at the upper room of Joseph of Arimathea's house. The merchant had been to see Pilate and the governor agreed to release Joshua's body in honor of the Passover. Joseph explained: â€Å"The Romans aren't stupid, they know our women prepare the dead, so we can't send the apostles to get him. The soldiers will give the body to Maggie and Mary. James, since you're his brother, they'll allow you to come along to help carry him. The rest of you should keep your faces covered. The Pharisees will be looking for Joshua's followers. The priests have already spent too much time on this during a feast week, so they'll all be at the Temple. I've bought a tomb near the hill where they'll crucify him. Peter, you will wait there.† â€Å"What if I can't heal him?† Peter said. â€Å"I've never even tried to raise the dead.† â€Å"He won't be dead,† I said. â€Å"He just won't be able to move. I couldn't find the ingredients I needed to make a potion to kill the pain, so he'll look dead, but he'll feel everything. I know what it's like, I was in that state for weeks once. Peter, you'll have to heal the wounds from the lash and the nails, but they shouldn't be mortal. I'll give him the antidote as soon as he's out of sight of the Romans. Maggie, as soon as they give him to you, close his eyes if they're open or they'll dry out.† â€Å"I can't watch it,† Maggie said. â€Å"I can't watch them nail him to that tree.† â€Å"You don't have to. Wait at the tomb. I'll send someone to get you when it's time.† â€Å"Can this work?† Andrew said. â€Å"Can you bring him back, Biff?† â€Å"I'm not bringing him back from anything. He won't be dead, he'll just be hurt.† â€Å"We'd better go,† said Joseph, looking out the window at the sky. â€Å"They'll bring him out at noon.† A crowd had gathered outside of the praetorium, but most were merely curious; only a few of the Pharisees, among them Jakan, had actually come out to see Joshua executed. I stayed back, almost a half-block away, watching. The other disciples were spread out, wearing shawls or turbans that covered their faces. Peter had sent Bartholomew to sit with Maggie and Mary at the tomb. No shawl could disguise his bulk or his stench. Three heavy crossbeams leaned against the wall outside the palace gates, waiting for their victims. At noon Joshua was brought out along with two thieves who had also been sentenced to death, and the beams were placed upon their shoulders. Joshua was bleeding from a dozen places on his head and face, and although he still wore the purple robe that Herod had placed on him, I could see that blood from the flogging had run down and left streaks on his legs. He still looked like he was in some sort of trance, but there was no question that he was feeling the pain of his wounds. The crowd closed in on him, shouting insults and spitting on him, but I noticed that when he stumbled, someone always lifted him to his feet. His followers were still scattered among the crowd, they were just afraid to show themselves. From time to time I looked around the periphery of the mob and caught the eye of one of the apostles. Always there was a tear there, and always a mix of anguish and anger. It took everything I had not to rush in among the soldiers, take one of their swords, and start hacking. Afraid of my own temper, I fell back from the crowd until I came alongside of Simon. â€Å"I can't do it either,† I said. â€Å"I can't watch them put him on the cross.† â€Å"You have to,† the Zealot said. â€Å"No, you be there, Simon. Let him see your face. Let him know you're there. I'll come up once the cross is set.† I had never been able to look at someone who was being crucified even when I didn't know them. I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach watching them do it to my best friend. I'd lose control, attack someone, and then we'd both be lost. Simon was a soldier, a secret soldier, but a soldier still. He could do it. The horrible scene at the temple of Kali ran through my head. â€Å"Simon, tell him I said mindful breath. Tell him that there is no cold.† â€Å"What cold?† â€Å"He'll know what it means. If he remembers he'll be able to shut out the pain. He learned to do that in the East.† â€Å"I'll tell him.† I wouldn't be able to tell him myself, not without giving myself away. I watched from the walls of the city as they led Joshua to the road that ran by the hill called Golgotha, a thousand yards outside the Gennath Gate. I turned away, but even from a thousand yards I could hear him screaming as they drove the nails. Justus had assigned four soldiers to watch Joshua die. After a half hour they were alone except for perhaps a dozen onlookers and the families of the two thieves, who were praying and singing dirges at the feet of the condemned. Jakan and the other Pharisees had only stayed to see Joshua hoisted upright and the cross set, then they went off to feast with their families. â€Å"A game,† I said, tossing a pair of dice in the air as I approached the soldiers. â€Å"Just a simple game.† I had borrowed a tunic and an expensive sash from Joseph of Arimathea. He'd also given me his purse, which I held up and jingled in front of the soldiers. â€Å"A game, Legionnaire?† One of the Romans laughed. â€Å"And where would we get money to gamble with?† â€Å"We'll play for those clothes behind you. That purple robe at the foot of the cross.† The Roman lifted the robe with a spear point, then looked up at Joshua, whose eyes went wide when he saw me. â€Å"Sure, it looks like we'll be here a while. Let's have a game.† First I had to lose enough money to give the Romans something to gamble with, then I had to win it back slowly enough to keep me there long enough to accomplish my mission. (I silently thanked Joy for teaching me how to cheat at dice.) I handed the dice to the soldier nearest me, who was perhaps fifty years old, built short and powerfully, but covered with scar tissue and gnarled limbs, evidence of broken bones mishealed. He looked too old to be soldiering this far from Rome, and too beaten down to make the journey home. The other soldiers were younger, in their twenties, I guessed, all with dark olive skin and dark eyes, all lean, fit, and hungry-looking. Two of the younger soldiers carried the standard Roman infantry spear, a wooden shaft with a narrow iron spike as long as a man's forearm, tipped with a compact three-bladed point designed to be driven through armor. The other two carried the wasp-waisted Iberian short sword that I'd seen on Justus' belt so many times. He must have had them imported for his legion to fit his own preference. (Most Romans used a straight-bladed short sword.) I handed the dice to the old soldier and dumped some coins out in the dirt. As the Roman threw the dice against the bottom of Joshua's cross I scanned the hills and saw the apostles watching from behind trees and over rocks. I gave a signal and it passed from one to the other, and finally to a woman who waited back on one of the city walls. â€Å"Oh my, the gods have turned against me today,† I said, rolling a losing combination. â€Å"I thought you Jews only had one God.† â€Å"I was talking about your gods, Legionnaire. I'm losing.† The soldiers laughed and I heard a moan from above us. I cringed and felt as if my ribs would cave in on themselves from the pain in my heart. I ventured a glance at Joshua and he was looking right at me. â€Å"You don't have to do this,† he said in Sanskrit. â€Å"What nonsense is the Jew talking now?† asked the old soldier. â€Å"I couldn't say, soldier. He must be delirious.† I saw two women approaching the foot of the cross on Joshua's left, carrying a large bowl, a jar of water, and a long stick. â€Å"Hey there, get away from them.† â€Å"Just here to give a drink of water to the condemned, sir. No harm meant.† The woman took a sponge from the bowl and squeezed it out. It was Susanna, Maggie's friend from Galilee, along with Johanna. They'd come down for the Passover to cheer Joshua into the city, now we'd conscripted them to help poison him. The soldiers watched as the women dipped the sponge, then attached it to the end of the stick and held it for the thief to drink from. I had to look away. â€Å"Faith, Biff,† Joshua said, again in Sanskrit. â€Å"There, you shut up and die,† barked one of the younger Romans. I twitched and squinted at the dice in lieu of crushing the soldier's windpipe. â€Å"Give me a seven. Baby needs new sandals,† said another young Roman. I couldn't look at Joshua and I couldn't look to see what the women were doing. The plan was that they would go to the two thieves first, so as not to raise suspicion, but now I was regretting the decision to delay. Finally Susanna brought the bowl to where we were gambling and set it down while Johanna poured some water over the sponge. â€Å"Got any wine there for a thirsty soldier?† said one of the young soldiers. He smacked Johanna on the bottom. â€Å"Or some other relief?† The old soldier caught the young soldier's arm and pushed him away. â€Å"You'll be up on that stick with this wretch, Marcus. These Jews take touching their women seriously. Justus won't tolerate it.† Susanna pulled her shawl around her face. She was pretty, lean with small facial features except for her wide brown eyes. She was too old not to be married, but I suspected that she had left a husband to follow Joshua. It was the same story with Johanna, except that her husband had followed along for a while, then divorced her when she wouldn't come home with him. She was more sturdily built, and she rolled like a wagon when she walked. She took the sponge and held it out to me. â€Å"Drink, sir?† Here the timing was critical. â€Å"Anyone want a sip of water?† I asked before taking the sponge. I was palming the ying-yang amulet as I said it. â€Å"Drink after a Jewish dog. Not likely,† said the old soldier. â€Å"I'm getting the impression that my Jewish money might sully your Roman purse,† I said. â€Å"Maybe I should go.† â€Å"No, your money's good enough,† said a young soldier, punching my shoulder in good spirits. I was tempted to relieve him of his teeth. I took the sponge and feigned taking a drink. When I raised the sponge to squeeze the water into my mouth I dumped the poison over it. Instantly I handed it back to Johanna so as not to poison myself. Without dipping it back in the water she affixed the sponge to the stick and raised it up to Joshua's face. His head rolled, and his tongue rolled out of the side of his mouth against the moisture. â€Å"Drink,† Johanna said, but Joshua didn't seem to hear her. She pushed the sponge harder against his mouth and it dripped on one of the Romans. â€Å"Drink.† â€Å"Move away from there, Marcus,† said the old soldier. â€Å"When he goes he'll lose his fluids all over you. You don't want to sit too close.† The old Roman laughed raucously. â€Å"Drink it, Joshua,† said Susanna. Finally Joshua opened his eyes and pushed his face into the sponge. I held my breath as I heard him sucking the moisture out of it. â€Å"Enough!† said the young soldier. He knocked the stick out of Susanna's hands. The sponge went flying off into the dirt. â€Å"He'll be dead soon.† â€Å"Not soon enough, though, with that block to stand on,† said the old soldier. Then time began to pass more slowly than I could ever remember. When Joy had poisoned me it had taken only seconds before I was paralyzed, then when I'd used the poison on the man in India he'd dropped almost immediately. I tried to pretend to pay attention to the game, but I was looking for some sign that the poison was working. The women moved away and watched from a distance, but I heard one of them gasp and when I looked up, Joshua's head had lolled over. Drool ran out of his open mouth. â€Å"How do you know when he's dead?† I asked. â€Å"Like this.† The young soldier named Marcus prodded Joshua in the thigh with his spear. Joshua moaned and opened his eyes and I felt my stomach sink. I could hear sobbing from Johanna and Susanna. I threw the dice, and waited. An hour passed, and still Joshua moaned. I could hear him praying softly from time to time over the laughter of the soldiers. Another hour. I had begun to shake. Every sound from the cross was like a hot iron driven in my spine. I couldn't bring myself to look up at him. The disciples moved closer, less concerned now about staying hidden, but the Romans were too intent on their game to notice. Unfortunately, I was not intent enough. â€Å"That's it for you,† said the old soldier. â€Å"Unless you want to gamble for your own cloak now. Your purse is empty.† â€Å"Is this bastard ever going to die?† said one of the young soldiers. â€Å"He just needs help,† said the young soldier named Marcus, who had stood and was leaning on his spear. Before I could even get to my feet he thrust the spear upward into Joshua's side, the point went up under his ribs, and his heart blood pulsed down the iron in three great gushes, then ran out in a trickle. Marcus yanked the spear out. The entire hillside echoed with screaming, some of it my own. I stood transfixed, shaking, watching the blood run out of Joshua's side. Hands latched onto my arms and I was dragged back, away from the cross. The Romans started to pick up their things to head back to the praetorium. â€Å"Loony,† said the old soldier, looking at me. Joshua looked at me one last time, then closed his eyes and died. â€Å"Come away, Biff,† a woman's voice said in my ear. â€Å"Come away.† They turned me around and started marching me toward the city. I could feel a chill running over me as the wind came up and the sky started to darken under a sudden storm. There was still screaming, going on and on, and when Johanna clamped her hand over my mouth I realized it was me who had been screaming. I blinked tears out of my eyes, again and again, trying to at least see where they were leading me, but as soon as my sight would clear another sob would rock my body and the water would rise again. They were leading me to the Gennath Gate, that much I could tell, and there was a dark figure standing on the wall above the gate, watching us. I blinked and caught a single second of clarity as I saw who it was. â€Å"Judas!† I screamed until my voice shattered. I shook off the women and ran through the gate, swung myself up on top of one of the huge doors, and leapt to the wall. Judas ran south along the wall, looking from side to side for a place to jump off. There was no thought to what I was doing, nothing but grief gone to anger, love gone to hatred. I followed Judas across the roofs of Jerusalem, tossing aside anyone who got in my way, shattering pottery, crashing down rooftop chicken cages, pulling down lines of hanging clothes. When he came to a roof that led no further, Judas jumped two stories to the ground and came up limping as he ran down the street toward the Essene Gate at Ben Hinnon. I came off the roof full stride and landed without losing a step. Although I heard something tear in my ankle I couldn't feel it. There was a line of people trying to get into the city at the Essene Gate, probably seeking shelter from the impending storm. Lightning crackled across the sky and raindrops as big as frogs began to plop onto the streets, leaving craters in the dust and painting the city with a thin coat of mud. Judas fought through the crowd as if he were swimming in pitch, pulling people past him on either side, moving a step forward only to be carried back a step. I saw a ladder leaning against the city wall and ran up it. There were Roman soldiers stationed here on the wall and I brushed by them, ducking spears and swords as I made my way to the gate, then over it, then to the wall on the other side. I could see Judas below me. He'd broken out of the crowd and was making his way along a ridge that ran parallel to the wall. It was too far to jump, so I followed him from above until I came to the corner of the battlement, where the wall sloped down to accommodate the thickness required to hold the corner. I slid down the wet limestone on my feet and hands and hit the ground ten paces behind the Zealot. He didn't know I was there. The rain came down now in sheets and the thunder was so frequent and loud that I could hear nothing myself but the roaring anger in my head. Judas came to a cypress tree that jutted over a high cliff with hundreds of tombs gouged into it. The path passed between a wall of tombs and the cypress tree; past the tree was a fifty-yard drop. Judas pulled a purse from his belt, pulled a small stone out of the opening to one of the tombs, then shoved the purse inside. I caught him by the back of the neck and he shrieked. â€Å"Go ahead, put the stone back,† I said. He tried to wheel on me and hit me with the stone. I took it from him and fitted it back into the tomb, then kicked his feet out from under him and dragged him to the edge of the cliff. I clamped onto his windpipe and, holding the cypress tree with my free hand, I leaned him out over the cliff. â€Å"Don't struggle!† I shouted. â€Å"You'll only free yourself to the fall.† â€Å"I couldn't let him live,† Judas said. â€Å"You can't have someone like him alive.† I pulled the Zealot back up on the cliff and whipped the sash from around his tunic. â€Å"He knew he had to die,† Judas said. â€Å"How do you think I knew he'd be at Gethsemane, not at Simon's? He told me!† â€Å"You didn't have to give him up!† I screamed. I wrapped the sash around his neck, then pulled it tight over the crook of a cypress branch. â€Å"Don't. Don't do this. I had to do it. Someone did. He would have just reminded us of what we'll never be.† â€Å"Yep,† I said. I shoved him backward over the cliff and caught the end of the sash as it tightened around the branch. The sash twanged when it took his weight and his neck snapped with the sound of a knuckle cracking. I let go of the sash and Judas' body fell into the darkness. The boom of thunder concealed the sound of impact. The anger ran out of me then, leaving me feeling as if my very bones were losing their structure. I looked forward, straight over the Ben Hinnon valley, into a sheet of lightning-bleached rain. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said, and I stepped off the cliff. I felt a bolt of pain, and then nothing. That's all I remember.