The New Testament and Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The New Testament and Culture - Research Paper Example Racial mix up has reduced ethnic differences as communities continue coming to a common understanding of the New Testament. Professional athletes have also been depicted as a falsely glorified group. The glorification has been portrayed as a short-lived affair that lasts as long as the professionals remain popular in the game. There after, they are forgotten. Parables in the New Testament have been illustrated as awe inspiring narratives that carry their own meaning. They are portrayed as having a significant impact on literature. Hofsted defines culture as a tool that the mind applies to guide a person’s day to day activities and interactions with others. He believes that culture is a collective aspect of a population that has occupied a particular social environment where individuals learn unique norms and also develop standards that guide their behavior. These behaviors make a distinction between cultures since all individuals in a particular culture share norms and customs (Hofstede, 65). The New Testament conflicted most of the cultural practices especially those concerned with worship. Generally, societies had their own way of worship and believed in supernatural powers that influenced their existence. For example, God was regarded as the Supreme Being and the giver of life, similar to the belief in the New Testament. However, the ways of worship changed when people could no longer speak to God and offer sacrifices in shrines. The New Testament emphasizes on new ways of worship and faith as well as adoration of people with unique talents such as those of modern athletes. Ethnic practices such as traditional dance, marriages and burial rights among other aspects of traditional lifestyles were overshadowed by the New Testament (Johnson, 112). The New Testament had a great influence on social identity of communities globally. When people belong to a certain social grouping, they develop a sense of

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Sociology - Essay Example In this first article researchers examined the mental health of Arab Americans. They wanted to determine if their mental health was in any way influenced by how they fit in in their larger communities. They wanted to know if their general social environment and their lives as a minority altered their perceptions of the world. In this article, the researchers define acculturation as â€Å"the process of change on both the individual and group level that results from contact between a minority and a dominant culture, leading members of the minority culture to adjust their original cultural beliefs, values, and behaviors† (81). This definition is a useful starting point. A certain amount of stress accompanies any group that may not have as many opportunities or access to employment than a more dominant social group. For ethnic groups that are new to a country or community, or that share space with a larger group, this can be especially acute. However, the authors of this article did not find that acculturation had a determinant role in the mental health of Arab Americans. It could increase their stress levels but many other factors were involved in their mental health. Ghaddar S, et al. â€Å"Acculturation and healthy lifestyle habits among Hispanics in United States-Mexico border communities.† Rev Panam Salud Publica. 28 (2010):190–7. Many aspects of the lives of ethnic groups can be altered through acculturation.

Examining The Sinister Atmosphere Of Macbeth English Literature Essay

Examining The Sinister Atmosphere Of Macbeth English Literature Essay In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, a sinister atmosphere is built up throughout the play. The very first scene is the witches, not Macbeth as you would expect. At first the witches discuss the battle, and then mention Macbeth. The first mention of Macbeth goes hand in hand with talk of battle and is spoken by the witches as if they know each other, there to meet with Macbeth. The audience will think he is evil if he associates with evil, thus painting a bad picture of him before he is even seen upon the stage. An audience will use the first scene of a play to gauge what the play will be about, and the first scene of Macbeth does that quite well. In it there is witchcraft, evil, talk of violence and things not being what they seem foul is fair, and fair is foul- . The scene is very short, just enough to give you a glimpse of the witches and the fact they will take part in the performance, but nothing of their goals or what they could be thinking. They are shrouded in mystery and will leave you thinking about them and what they said. The second time Macbeth is mentioned is by the king as brave Macbeth and as valours minion. This would betray the audiences expectations of Macbeth. Such compliments, and from no less than the king, is not what you would typically expect of someone who consorts with witches. Although, not all the praise is positive. Even though the king talks about how heroic he is, it is told that he is very violent. He carvd out his passage and then unseamd a man from nave the chaps, then fixed his head upon the battlements. All of this is very violent and merciless. He is then described to be Bellonas Bridegroom. At first this would look like a compliment, but upon closer inspection it follows the same merciless, violent tone as before. Violence and mercilessness are all normally traits of evil people, who are working against the greater good. So that is not a trait you would expect to find in the main character of the play. Violence is a large part of Macbeth, as it features heavily throughout. The play mainly consists of violent acts and the plotting behind them. A violent battle, graphically described, then the murder of the king, then the murder of Banquo. It is violent act after violent act. In the fifth scene of act one, Lady Macbeth conjures up a very sinister and violent picture when she mentions being able to dashed out the brains of her own baby while it was smiling in her face. This is very ruthless and says a lot about her character. The character of Lady Macbeth is very ruthless, evil and plotting from the very first time she appears. As soon as she hears of an opportunity to gain fortune and power, she instantly grabs at it, with no thoughts to whether it was wrong or right. This is in contrast to Macbeth, as before meeting the witches he was warlike, but not plotting or malicious. It was only after he met the witches that he changed. He says If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir when he is first told by the witches of his future. He wants the throne, but doesnt want to commit treason. Though his attitude here doesnt last long and is soon consumed by greed, and he no longer thinks this way. This change in character doesnt come about by his greed alone. It is influenced by Lady Macbeth. I think if it were not for her, Macbeth wouldnt have killed the king. If she had not been as power thirsty and told Macbeth it was a bad idea, he would have feasibly given up on this and forgotten about the witches. Macbeth wasnt as confident in the witches and had doubts. Conversely as soon as Lady Macbeth heard she was calling upon spirits that tend on mortal thought to unsex her, with little regard for the fact she was going to kill someone and break the law. I think it was her eagerness to gain power that made Macbeth kill Duncan. Before speaking to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth did have murder on his mind, but was doubtful. He was anxious and scared to kill the king. Even just before, and then after killing Duncan, Macbeth was having second thoughts. It was Lady Macbeth that rid him of his doubt and pushed him onward to go through with the deed. She was helping the witches in their plot for evil, coercing him and playing on his greed, albeit unknowingly. As Macbeths greed grew, so did his ruthlessness to protect his newfound power. He thought Banquo was a threat, so he had him killed. Before the witches came, Macbeth was friends with Banquo, now he was having him killed. Back at the very beginning Macbeth would not have thought of committing such an act. I think this change in character through greed is almost like a warning to people, to make sure the same thing does not happen to them. As Macbeth grew in power and greed, the acts he committed were becoming more sinister and evil. This was one of the most important features that William Shakespeare did to create the atmosphere he did.

Digestive Process :: essays research papers

Digestive Process Digestive Process It is in the mouth, that the Thanksgiving feast begins its journey through the fabulous digestive system. It is here that the lips, cheeks and tongue, carefully position the food that the teeth will chew. This chewing process breaks up the food, this being a part of mechanical digestion. While the teeth grind up the turkey and tasty stuffings, the salivary glands begin emitting enzymes, these enzymes being contained in saliva. This saliva helps to dissolve some foods, and adds mucus to make the food's passage through the digestive system a little more "speedy". The saliva also attacks dangerous microorganisms which enter the mouth. Saliva also contains an enzyme which helps to break down carbohydrates into sugars. As the food is being ground and coated with saliva, it's passed over the taste buds, which in turn send messages to the brain. The brain uses this information to decide whether or not the food should be swallowed. The food is then gathered into a ball, cal led a bolus, and it is pushed down into the pharynx by way of the tongue. This bolus of "Thanksgiving meal" is then passed down the esophagus, the esophagus being a 24cm long tube which connects the pharynx and stomach. Lining the walls of the esophagus are rings of muscle which contract in waves, pushing the bolus down the length of the esophagus. At the base of the esophagus, where the esophagus and stomach join, a thick ring of muscle called a sphincter, is found. This sphincter acts like a valve, as it allows food to pass into the stomach but does not permit it to pass back up through the esophagus. The stomach, which is in the essence a large muscle sack, contains three sets of glands which produce gastric fluids. One set produces mucus which coats the food, making it slippery, and it protects the stomach walls from being digested by its own secretions. The second set of manufactures hydrochloric acid, which aids in the "break-down" of foods. In conjuction with hydrochloric aci d, pepsin, which aids in the "break-down" of protein into smaller polypeptides, begins the process of protein digestion. The stomach's muscular walls move around the "food" and mucus, mixing them with the gastric fluids produced. The "food" becomes a pasty substances referred to as chyme, after about 2 or 3 hours of grinding within the stomach.

Capital Budget Essay

Please offer your recommendations, based on (a) (b) (c) (d) the payback period method; the IRR method; the pro? tability index method; and the NPV method. 3. Case Study: Randgold Resources plc Randgold resources plc is a London Stock Exchange gold mining and discovery ? rm with almost all its activities centred in Africa. This case study concerns a hypothetical gold discovery of 300,000 ounces of gold in the Mwanza region at the north tip of Tanzania. Randgold can only extract 50,000 ounces per year from the Mwanza mine and variable extraction costs are a function of the gold price. The gold price is expected to evolve as follows: 1 Cases and Exercises for Value and Capital Budgeting Year Gold price 1 $1,070 2 $1,120 3 $1,200 4 $1,100 5 $1,000 6 $950 The discovery comes on the heels of a massive ? ve-year exploration and discovery programme that cost $20 million. Although the exploration and discovery programme has now been completed, the ? rm still need to pay $8 million this year and $5 million next year (year 1) as a delayed payment to suppliers. Randgold will need to lease the land from the Tanzanian government for $10 million per annum. Mining equipment and mining quarters (spanning ? ve miles) will need to be constructed at the cost of $70 million and this should be depreciated using 20 per cent reducing balances over the 6 year project. Assume that the equipment and mining quarters can be sold for only 20 per cent of residual value at the end of the project. The workforce will cost $10 million per annum but 30 per cent of the workforce will come from existing operations elsewhere in Africa. If the Mwanza mine is not put into operation, the workforce that comes from existing operations would lose their jobs. Working capital is expected to increase by $8 million at the start of the project and this will fall to zero at the end of the project. The effective tax rate of Randgold Resources is 28 per cent and the appropriate discount rate is 20 per cent. (a) Is it worthwhile for Randgold Resources to start production? Use three investment appraisal methods to justify your answer. (b) What are the main risk factors facing Randgold Resources in the mining project? Discuss these in detail. 4. We are evaluating a project that costs ? 896,000, has an eight-year life, and has no salvage value. Assume that depreciation is 20% reducing-balance method. Sales are projected at 100,000 units per year. Price per unit is ? 38, variable cost per unit is ? 25, and ? xed costs are ? 900,000 per year. The tax rate is 35%, and we require a 15% return on this project. (a) Calculate the accounting break-even point. (b) Calculate the base-case cash ? ow and NPV. What is the sensitivity of NPV to changes in the sales ? gure? Explain what your answer tells you about a 500-unit decrease in projected sales. (c) What is the sensitivity of OCF to changes in the variable cost ? gure? Explain what your answer tells you about a ? 1 decrease in estimated variable costs. (d) Suppose the projections given for price, quantity, variable costs and ? xed costs are all accurate to within  ±10%. Calculate the best-case and worst-case NPV ? gures. 5. The ? rm SENSITIVITY is studying the realisation of a project of launching a new toothpaste. The Marketing Department indicates the following estimations (in thousands of euros): Parameter Sales (quantity) Advertisement costs Sales price Value 1,450 tonnes 10% of sales 5/tonne 2 Cases and Exercises for Value and Capital Budgeting.

Chapter 10 Study Guide Apush

1. 1. Describe the financial situation of the United States in 1791. †¢The revenue had declined and the public debt was huge. †¢The American people were brashly (*hastily, rash) at temping to erect a republic on an immense scale. 2. 2. Characterize the American population at the time of the ratification of the Constitution. †¢The American population was doubling about every twenty-five years and the first census in 1790 recorded about 4 million people. †¢The population was still 90 percent rural though even though the cities were doing very well and growing.About five percent of the population lived east of the Appalachian Mountains 3. 3. When was Vermont admitted to the Union? †¢ Vermont become the 14th state in 1791. 4. 4. Who did the Electoral College elect first president of the United States in 1789? †¢George Washington was unanimously drafted the first president by the Electoral College in 1789. 5. 5. Philadelphia was the first capital of the new n ation. What was the second? †¢New York was the temporary capital. 6. 6. Name the members of Washington’s cabinet and the positions they held. †¢The secretary of state was Thomas Jefferson. Secretary of the Treasury was Alexander Hamilton. †¢The Secretary of War was Henry Knox. Attorney General Edmund Randolf 7. 7. Who wrote the bill of Rights? When were they adopted by the states? †¢The Bill of rights was adopted in 1791 and was drafted by James Madison. 8. 8. Read the Bill of Rights. 9. 9. How was the judicial branch organized under the Judiciary Act of 1789? †¢The branch had a chief justice and five associates. It also had federal district and circuit courts and established the office of attorney general. 10. 10 Who was the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court? John Jay was the first supreme court Justice. 11. 11. Explain Hamilton’s financial plan †¢His plan was to shape the fiscal policies of the administration in a wa y to favor the wealthier groups. †¢By doing the above, the wealthy would lend the government monetary and political support. †¢Hamilton also planned to pay back the nations debt at face value, meaning everything they owed plus accumulated interest (a total of more than 54 million dollars) 12. 12. How did Hamilton get his way in Congress? †¢Hamilton persuaded Jefferson to line up enough votes in Congress for assumption.In return Virginia would have the federal district on the Potomac. 13. 13. Why did Hamilton see the national debt as a â€Å"national blessing? † †¢He believed it to be a national blessing because it was a kind of union adhesive. The more people the government owed money to, the more people there would be with a personal state in the success of Hamilton’s ideas. †¢He made a debt an asset for vitalizing the financial system as well as the government itself. 14. 14. How did Hamilton plan to raise the money to pay off the national de bt? †¢Hamilton’s first plan was custom duties (imposing taxes on imports) which ould be derived from a tariff. †¢Revenues from tariff’s required a heavy foreign trade which was another major part of Hamilton’s strategy. 15. 15. What was Hamilton’s vision for a national bank? †¢Hamilton wanted a national bank that was a powerful institution and would hold the federal treasuries money. †¢By having a national bank, federal funds would stimulate business by remaining in circulation †¢The bank would also print paper money and provide a sound and stable national currency. 16. 16. Why did Jefferson argue against the national bank? Jefferson argued that such financial power should be left to the states. He argued that the states, not Congress, had the power to charter banks. â€Å"Whatever the constitution does not permit, it forbids† 17. 17. How did Hamilton answer Jefferson’s recommendations to Washington? †¢Hamilton used the example in the constitution which gave congress the power to pass any laws which seemed proper or necessary. He argued since the government was empowered to collect taxes and regulate trade, a national bank would be both proper and necessary to help perform these basically functions. HAMILTONS PLAN Pay off states debt – Tariffs – Exsize tax – Sell bonds – Create a national bank 18. The Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania in 1794 was lead by distillers who strongly opposed the 1791 excise tax on whiskey. 19. The rebellion was ended when President Washington sent in federal troops. Although the troops faced no opposition, a strong message was sent by the government stating that it would enforce the law. 20. N/A 21. Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans wanted to get into the French and British War to fight for France. 22. Washington did not want to enter the French and British War 23.Washington issued the Neutrality Proclamation of 1793 stating the cou ntry's neutrality from the Britain-France war. He was backed by Hamilton 24. 25. For years, the British had retained the frontier posts on U. S. soil, all in defiance of the peace treaty of 1783. 26. 27. The London government did not want to abandon the valuable fur trade in the Great Lakes region, and British agents openly sold firearms to the Miami Confederacy, an alliance of 8 Indian nations who terrorized Americans. 18. Why did distillers in Pennsylvania rebel in 1794? †¢Hamilton’s high excise tax weighted heavily on the homespun pioneer folk in the south. They thought of it as a tax on a grat luxury but as a burden on an economic necessity and a medium of exchange. 2. `9. Why was Washington’s action regarding the whiskey rebellion significant? †¢It was significant because Washington brought to gather a group of militia to crush a rebellion in another state. Most people didn’t think they would have the guts to attack another state. †¢Washingto n’s government commanded a new respect after the rebellion. 3. Understand the differences between the federalists and democratic-Republicans. †¢Federelalists: Ruled by the â€Å"best people† and wanted a powerful central government.They had a loose interpretation of the Constitution. †¢Democratic-Republican: Wanted a weak central government but power within the states. They had a strict interpretation of the Constitution. 4. What was the Democratic-Republican position on the French Revolution? †¢They thought that if a few thousand aristocratic people had to die for freedom then it was a fair price to pay. 5. What was Washington’s position on the war in Europe? †¢Washington, who was backed by Hamilton, believed that war should be avoided at all costs if it can be. 6. What was the Neutrality proclamation and how did the Jeffersonian react to it? This document proclaimed the government’s official neutrality in the conflict in Europe †¢It also sternly warned American citizens to be impartial toward both armed camps. †¢The Jeffersonians were enraged by the neutrality proclamation and they were also angry towards how he presented the proclamation, how he didn’t even conult Congress. 7. Who is Citizen Genet? †¢He is a 30 year old Representative of the French Republic. †¢He took advantage of the new French American alliance and undertook to fit out privateers. 8. How did Great Britain violate the Peace of Paris of 1783? They have been holding the chain of northern frontier posts on U. S soil for ten years. 26. Who was Mad Anthony Wayne? What were the terms of the Treaty of Grenville? †¢Mad Anthony Wayne was an army general. †¢The treaty of Grenville was signed in August 1795. †¢The confederacy gave up vast tracts of the Old Northwest and in exchange the Indians received a lump-sum payment of $20,000 and an annual annuity of $9,000. Also the rights to hunt in any lands they wanted and recognition of their sovereignty. 27. What action did the British take against American ships in the Caribbean? The British ships attacked the French West Indies and seized about three hundred American merchant ships in the West Indies. 28. Explain the terms of Jay’s Treaty and the Jeffersonian’s reaction to it. †¢The British agreed to evacuate their posts in the U. S and also to pay for the damages caused in the recent seizures of American ships. The British didn’t speak of any future attacks however. †¢The Jeffersonian’s were filled with rage because the treaty seemed like an abject surrender to Britain. 29. What was Pinckney’s Treaty? †¢This treated with Spain gave the U.S basically everything they wanted including navigation throughout the Mississippi and the large disputed territory of north Florida. 13. What did Washington warn of in his farewell address? †¢Washington strongly suggested staying away from permanent all iances such as the Franco-American alliance. †¢Washington did not oppose alliances but simply believed temporary alliances were best. 14. Who ran for President in 1796? What was the result of the election? †¢John Adams and Thomas Jefferson ran for President. †¢John Adams won the election by a small margin and therefore Jefferson became vice president since he was runner up. 5. Explain the XYZ affair †¢This was a political and diplomatic episode where Adams’s envoys were approached secretly by here go-betweens. 16. How did the United States prepare for war with France? †¢They worked very fast, creating a navy department and expanding the three-ship navy. †¢The Marine Corps was reestablished and a new army of ten thousand men was authorized. 17. What was the Convention of 1800? †¢A treaty was signed in Paris where France agreed to annul the twenty-two-year-old marriage of convenience but the United States agreed to pay the damage claims of Ame rican shippers. 8. Explain the Alien and Sedition Acts. †¢The Sedition act basically took away freedom of speech and press from citizens. The law provided that anyone who impeded the policies of the government or falsely defamed its officials such as the president was to be fined and imprisoned. †¢The Alien acts consists of the federalist Congress created a disheartening barrier for the â€Å"dregs† wanting to come in from Europe. Also one of the laws hit hard on immigrants, it allowed the president to deport dangerous foreigners in time of peace and to deport or imprison them in times of hostility.