Racism †Will it ever end? Essay

Racism has been an issue that has been around for hundreds of years. Since back from when people of color used to be slaves until now, it has been quite interesting watching all of it unfold and witnessing how the world has become a more united front. But with that said, has racist really ended? I mean with groups like the KKK amongst other hate groups that discriminate against people of different ethnicities, will hate and racism amongst other racists really ever be abolished? For my paper I will be focusing on Racism and the changes that have taken place throughout time. Although, these changes have played a huge role in regards to getting rid of slavery and helping to eliminate some hate, will racism ever completely end? I find that my topic is relevant to the course, in regards to the fact that it does follow the theme of racism and looks at it from more of a skeptical view. The central question that I will be answering throughout this paper is that racism still does in fact exist today and will probably never end within any of our lifetimes. I believe that by answering and bringing light to this question that it would help make sense of our course themes because the contents of this question is basically everything that we have learned throughout this course (race, racism, ethnicity, whiteness) and putting it into a working question that I can look at more closely and show results that racism will in fact never end for the rest of our lives. After growing up in a small, rural, predominantly Caucasian town where I have fell the victim to/witnessed racism and although the media may portray racism as diminishing and claiming that it’s existence is little to none, I know that it still does exist and in fact plays a big role in many peoples lives whether they notice it or not. There have been some secondary academic sources that do in fact agree with my thesis. One of the sources I found is a book called, â€Å"Racism out of Place: Thoughts on Whiteness and an Antiracist Geography in the New Millennium†. This book discusses racism within the new day and age. It gives us the example of two young white males who go on a killing spree of African-American and Hispanic individuals but were made to look like victims  in the media. The economics of Racism is another source that I find supports my theory by discussing in the 1970’s after the civil rights movement that the government was moving black people to the North because there was suppose to be no racism but that turned out to be completely false. The reading also looks upon how the media was portraying racism as gone when it really was not. The last source that I have found that supports my theory is a study based on anger in regards to African-American’s dealing with racism. The title of the study is called, â€Å"Getting Mad But Ending Up Sad: The Mental Health Consequences for African Americans Using Anger to Cope With Racism† This looks at how black people cope with dealing with racism and how it has negatively effected their well-being. Bibliography â€Å"Getting Mad But Ending Up Sad: The Mental Health Consequences for African Americans Using Anger to Cope With Racism.† Getting Mad But Ending Up Sad: The Mental Health Consequences for African Americans Using Anger to Cope With Racism. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. . â€Å"Racism out of Place: Thoughts on Whiteness and an Antiracist Geography in the New Millennium.† – Kobayashi. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. . â€Å"The Economics of Racism.† The Economics of Racism. Web. 4 Nov. 2014..

What Difference Did the Renaissance Make to Medicine

What difference did the Renaissance make to medicine? The discoveries of the Renaissance didn’t make a significant difference to medicine for many reasons. The main reasons for this are that the discoveries made were primarily about anatomy and physiology, not about cures and treatments, and that even though people had proven Galen to be wrong about several things, they still wouldn’t let the four humours theory go. This meant that when King Charles II became ill even the best physicians in the country couldn’t save him which just shows that medicine didn’t advance very much from the renaissance.The main reason that the renaissance didn’t make a significant difference to medicine was that the discoveries made were primarily about anatomy, not about treatments and cures. For example, Vesalius dissected bodies and produced a book including pictures of the body drawn by renaissance artists. By doing these dissections and producing his book, he realised that Galen was wrong about several things. He proved that we only have one jaw bone, not two as Galen said, he corrected the scale of our skeleton and he proved that there were no holes in the centre of the heart and therefore Galen’s theory about the heart was wrong.Although Vesalius did all this, he had still only improved the anatomical knowledge; he hadn’t discovered any cures/treatments or anything about our physiology, just that Galen was wrong with his ideas about the heart. William Harvey also did a bit of dissection to prove his theory. He focused on the distribution of blood around the body. He discovered that blood flows only one way around the body, and that blood is reused and not constantly produced by the liver as Galen had suggested.He used many complex diagrams which, when combined with the invention of the printing press, became quickly distributed throughout the world in the form of a book entitled ‘An anatomical account of the motion of the h eart and blood in animals'. Although this was an important discovery, it is still just about anatomy and physiology. Harvey didn’t come up with any new treatments or cures during the Renaissance. As well as this, because they didn’t have very good technology at the time, Harvey had no way of proving that we have capillaries and so some people still didn’t believe what he said.Even though both Vesalius and Harvey had proven Galen to be wrong several times, the people still believed in the four humours theory which was really the underlying problem and the reason that renaissance didn’t make a significant difference, and why medicine didn’t develop during the renaissance. It’s easy to see that medicine hadn’t advanced very much and that the renaissance hadn’t made a significant difference when you look at how they handle the plague and King Charles II’s illness.When the plague returned in 1665, they still had no idea that it was carried by fleas. They also still had no real treatments that worked against the plague. All they knew was that it was contagious. Although this was an improvement on their knowledge from the last plague in 1348, it was still not a significant advancement to medicine. Another example that the renaissance hadn’t really made a difference was when King Charles II fell ill. It is thought, from the symptoms of the King, that he had suffered a stroke.The best doctors and physicians in the country tried to save him with treatments of Bezoars stones, blister agents over his head as well as bloodletting, purging and vomiting – based on the four humours theory. The king died within 4days after being treated by these doctors. It’s thought that it probably would have been better if they had simply left the King alone because it seems that he suffered a stroke. This shows just how bad medicine still was and just how little difference the renaissance had made to medici ne as the best doctors in the country couldn’t save their King.In Conclusion, the discoveries of the Renaissance didn’t make a significant difference to medicine for many reasons. The main reasons for this are that the discoveries made were primarily about anatomy and physiology, not about cures and treatments, and that even though people had proven Galen to be wrong about several things, they still wouldn’t let the four humours theory go. This meant that when King Charles II became ill even the best physicians in the country couldn’t save him which just shows that medicine didn’t advance very much from the renaissance.

Ethics Simulation Essay

Ethical dilemmas are a constant in the business world. In order for an individual to be adaptive to the ever changing rolls of their jobs it is in their best interest to research their company’s standard operating procedures as well as being informed on new company policies that are being implemented. In doing this research however, the individual will notice that specific problems are not always documented or covered in these manuals. In the area of ethics, people who are given authority must use various lenses to ensure that the company is meeting the expectations of its employees to guarantee their rights and fair treatment. Developing these virtuous attributes is geared at developing cohesion amongst employees, efficiency, and developing a positive reputation. Although there are many ways to resolve an intercompany dispute, the most ethically sound decision comes from people in positions of power being informed of the issue and setting their sights on ensuring fairness and ruling in favor of the option that creates the greatest overall good. This paper will examine the two Ethics Game examples and follow the worksheet format for answering questions. The issue presented in dilemma number one arises from an employee named Aaron Webb who posted sensitive company information. His posting was not derogatory in nature however the information is considered private. Many companies guard their information and keeping their core competencies sacred in order to remain competitive. Another employee named Jamal Moore sent an anonymous message revealing through hacking into Webb’s computer that Webb has many of these sensitive files loaded on his personal computer. The issue arises of how to respect the personal views of employees outside of the workplace. The primary stakeholders for this issue are the shareholders, the General Counselor, the Director of IT, the VP of HR, Jamal Moore, and Aaron Webb. Some of the duties that the company makes clear are allowing the employee the right to voice their opinion, as guaranteed by the first amendment to the constitution. However, an employer may legally limit this right if the information is considered private and proprietary. Management has the duty to make sure that its information isn’t leaked for the sake of all other stakeholders. There is a duty to address concerns about the company. By allowing this type of communication, problems are clarified and avoided. Employees should be happy when their rights to privacy are protected, their concerns are heard, and important information is guarded. In this dilemma, shareholders have a medium impact. How the company is viewed and evaluated by the public may decrease shareholder confidence and decrease its value. The CLO has a medium impact because his or her judgment may be called into play and reflect their decision making abilities. The VP of HR and the Director of Safety and Security have low impact when it comes to this problem as long as they have both fulfilled their obligations with informing the ultimate decision makers of the problem. Jamal Moore and Aaron Webb have high impact on this decision because this dilemma could potentially end their employment abilities or lead to punishment. My core values of the situation are embodied by recognizing loyalty. Although these employees may be misguided, more information given to them on the issue at hand could serve to make them better employees and avoid litigation. All members of the company must come to a deeper understanding that sensitive materials should be handled with care. As long as the integrity of the department is secured, the company can still benefit. In the second dilemma, there is a need for a security policy that provides for the safety of employees and also accommodates special needs, such as for Aisha Mullah, who is muslim and religiously not allowed to uncover her face in the work environment. The stakeholders in this situation are the company shareholders, the VP of HR, the Associate Director of Operations, other employees, the Training Manager, and Aisha Mullah. As an employee, you should be guaranteed that processes be followed. The right to be informed about security policies and exceptions should also be guaranteed. Arguably the most important, the right to express one’s opinion about policies and their impact should be guaranteed as well. The option that best suits this situation is to implement a photo I. D.  security system and to make accomodations for individuals with special needs. This will have a positive effect on the stakeholders, demonstrating the company’s ability to adapt to the needs of various individuals and be progressive in a diverse world. This decision reflects my core values by not excluding anyone on the basis of religion. Managing diversity means providing the climate for a productive workplace and seeking out qualified employees who should not be the subject of judgment or overlooked due to their race, creed, disability, sex, or place of origin. Other employees see this fairness and view it as attractive. A harsh, less understanding work environment drives employees away. By giving timely feedback to Aisha, treating her fairly, and upholding the company values, the company is strengthened. As a person of power, self development is a continual process and allows an individual to prepare for difficult decisions such as these. On the first simulation, a score of 1 out of 5 was achieved which demonstrates a relatively low risk. On the second simulation a score of 0 out of 5 was achieved which shows virtually no risk. Overall points earned were 25,600 out of 29,000. Important rights to remember for this project are the first amendment to the Constitution, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. People of the United States are guaranteed the right to freedom of speech, and expression. People of the United States are also guaranteed that employers will not discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs. By using the ethical lenses which were demonstrated through this simulation, future leaders of America can be more informed on how to best handle intercompany issues while providing for the best option to all the stakeholders involved. We must be aware of the four lenses and know how to identify the key factors. By being informed and choosing the most virtuous choice available, companies will poise themselves to achieve high praises from their communities, their shareholders, and the stakeholders, down to the individual whose liberties and rights were defended.

Coaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Coaching - Essay Example Cognitive coaching is the term given to these coaching strategies that offer something to every teacher. Teachers and heads of learning institutions are educated on the thinking behind their practices, and how it may benefit this practice, in the long run. This paper will examine the effect of cognitive coaching in the education sector, and how it supports teacher leadership. Impact of cognitive coaching on the current education climate Cognitive coaching, over the years, has assisted teachers in a number of ways. First, teachers are no longer self-centred and do not feel isolated (Knight, 2008). When isolated, teachers tend to act out by imposing self-rule on their learners. This is often not appreciated by the learners, and they also tend to act out as a sign of rebellion. It is often believed that teachers are in this practice for their own benefit. Lately, this belief is being pushed out the window. The introduction of several programs, for example, No Child Left Behind, proves t hat the success of students is no longer a problem for the institution or parents. It is proof that the district and the entire community are affected if students fail to attain exceptional grades in school. These ramifications offer enough incentive to the parties involved, making them work harder toward helping each other grow intellectually (Costa & Garmston, 1994). Through cognitive coaching, teachers are made aware that individuals need one another. This might come in the form of student-teacher relations, or teacher-teacher relations, or student-student relations. These relationships enable students and teachers alike, to grow in an environment that fosters understanding among all of them (Knight, 2008). This leads to the creation of a conducive surrounding for learning. All the educational reforms that are taking centre stage in the world today are addressed in cognitive coaching. In one way, there is the need to have teachers behave and relate to learners professionally. Thi s is happening as many teachers are taught how to handle learners of different ages. Cognitive coaching further increases a teacher’s intellectual capacity, which they might exhibit in their careers. It is through coaching that a teacher’s behaviour and thinking is influenced toward creating a healthier climate. This is for learning and increases self-modifying conduct in all the groups involved. This fosters superior understanding in and out of the learning environment, for both teachers and students. Cognitive coaching can extend outside the classroom or school boundaries. It can influence outside behaviours and assist in shaping personal lives. Furthermore, through cognitive coaching, teachers have a higher level of analysis (Costa & Garmston, 1994). This is encouraged through active listening and building of stronger relationships. How cognitive coaching is supporting teacher leadership Cognitive coaching is assisting in re-defining the teacher’s role. It is turning their role into something students can identify with in the learning environment. Advocating for teachers to be more of facilitators and coaches in the learning environment goes hand in hand with the growing technological age (Knight, 2008). Many institutions are increasing the use of computers to educate and increase understanding in the classroom. As students get to view their teachers as facilitators, they get more comfortable with them. It becomes easier to approach most of them with any problems they

Organic Pork Production, Animal Science Speech or Presentation

Organic Pork Production, Animal Science - Speech or Presentation Example If a hog is fed grain meal it is not distinct that any other grain-fed hog. Only because a hog is natural, organic, or pastured never means it has the nutritional merits of a true grass fed hog. Pasture-fed hogs range at outsized foraging for their innate food. They browse grass just like cattle. Forbes, leaves, trees, and grass is what they eat. They are not confined to a sty, caged, penned, confined in murky sties, nor raised in buildings. Several are even wild hogs that joined up with other pig hordes. Thus far, their meat is not the other white meat. Rather, it is red meat. Actual grass pigs always have read meat approximately the same color as of grass-fed beef (Steve and Van Loo 12-26). As you all know, these hogs foraged through the woodlands, fodder and orange groves of rural America. These days stimulated by the immeasurable knowledge of our fat fearing official food advisers, most hogs pre-destined for the table are of bacon kind. Unlike heritage hogs, modern day pigs are t aller, longer and very slant. For a very long time, the tangiest pork comes from Berkshire breed of pigs. Most Berkshire hogs are black with white socks. They are shorter, squatter and certainly plump. Their diets comprise of non-GMO morsels. A wide-ranging list of necessities for organic production of pork has been identified. There is no permissible or extensively approved explanation of natural. Thus, personal marketing cohorts have identified standards for the pork production that could be branded natural. With no permissible explanation of natural, one has the challenge of describing this form of pork production. Natural pork production entails the prohibition on use of antibiotics and other artificial growth stimulators. Nothing like the natural pork production, there are wide-ranging regulations for organic production of pork. Numerous global and national activists have provided descriptions for organic agriculture. Organically produced pork should implement the USDA seal for products as licensed organic pork. National Organic Standards were implemented to permit pork to have the USDA seal. Though the utilization of antibiotic or drugs is not permitted in animals that are sold to organic markets, this however does not imply that animal warfare should be ignored (Becker et al 1). Are you wondering how you will manage to use pigs for manure turning? To be able to utilize hogs for manure stirring you will be required to construct perhaps two 10 X12-manure sheds with a drop roof, cement flooring and modifiable walls. These sheds will serves as a compositing capacity for your hogs compost and rooting top prize for two feeder pigs. Three sheds will, of course, probably accomplished three functionalities. The first one could be devised for fresh compost and bedding, the other will be old compositing and bedding. Although raising hogs is considered a financial risk to place so much so organic feed into sows, it will offer you regulation of your hogs’ man agement from the start. This not only will oblige you to produce brawny organic piglets for your own production, but also you will need to offer superior stock for other farmers. These animals are feed on licensed organic feed 100 percent of the time on fodder when not farrowing. You could wean a standard of 8 piglets per sow twice annually (Becker et al 1). Irrespective of whether as farmer you farrow or buy your piglets, bringing them on fodder is very economical for enhancing

Social research methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Social research methods - Essay Example A â€Å"survey† can be anything from a short paper-and-pencil feedback form to an intensive one-on-one in-depth interview (Firebaugh, 2008). From the foregoing explanation, it becomes necessary to explain the reasons behind the selection of the survey design used in this exploration. Firstly, social research aims at finding social patterns of regularity in social life and usually deals with social groups (Halsey, 2004) but not with individuals per se. Since this exploration is social in nature, it was necessary for the researcher to conduct the said study using a survey. This report presents the conduction of a social research using a questionnaire to collect views on â€Å"racism in UK†. The author has divided the report into various sections discussed hereunder. Background to the study area Racism is an ideology that preaches the inferiority of one race to another. It justifies discrimination and in its extreme form, violence towards and murder of people because of th eir skin colour. Bowling and Phillips (2002) believe that these ideas haven’t been in existence, nor are people born racist but these ideas have been created and spread for specific purposes and in a conscious way. Racism is used by those who wish to sustain this oppressive society in order to divide and rule the working class. It is the views of proponents of peace to continually oppose all forms of racism and unite people from all walks of life in the fight against the real enemy of racism (Adamson and Cole, 2006; Chau and Yu, 2001). Based on this revelation, the current author fully commends the sensitization of members of pressure groups to join hands in the fight against racism. Some facts about racism have been laid bare in the face of the world by a number of earlier studies in this area. Cole (2008) for instance claims that racism comes in a number of ways; whether through name calling, bullying or even actual physical attacks. Whichever form it takes, racism eventual ly tears away the social fabric that holds communities together (Garland and Rowe, 2001). As pointed out in a report by Cole (2008), racism cannot be tackled merely as a moral issue but as a multiplicity of concerns. Racist arguments are found to provide powerful explanations for the poverty and unemployment that many young people face in UK. These and many other lies and misconceptions about racism including the immigrants’ perceived responsibility for crime and the lack of jobs and decent housing for UK nationals forms the basis of this report. Similarly, many insinuations to the fact that immigrants have come to UK and taken plump jobs from the indigenous people have been branded ‘a racist lie’ (Bowling and Phillips, 2002). In fact, racist groups are reported to having claimed that it is possible to get rid of unemployment by stopping immigration and ‘sending foreigners back where they came from’ (Adamson and Cole, 2006; Cole, 2008). This opinion is negated by the fact that about 8.1% of the working population of UK is officially unemployed; only 5% of the total population is composed of immigrants (Chau and Yu, 2001). In the views of the current author, these insinuations are found to be very retrogressive and help fan the racism fire, a fact that must be fought at all cost. It is the essence of this report therefore to come up with

International marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International marketing plan - Essay Example The cost of competitor toothpaste companies in the country will also be a determining factor as the company must set a price that will ascertain that it stays above of their competitors in terms of customer base. The retail price will factor in the cost of production and distribution and a price that ascertains profitability will be set. A price of $3.8/50mg, which consists of 60 tablets, is recommended for launching the toothpaste, and 1,000,000 units will be produced at a cost of $2.5million. Compared to competitors such as, Archtek’s Toothpaste Tablets, Lush and Chewable Toothpaste Tablets Berry by Childlife, Kauen chewable toothpaste tablets will have a lower price as they all have set an average price of $4.5/50mg. Only two middlemen will be used, and these are wholesalers and retailers, hence this assures that the price is not set exceptionally high before the product gets to the consumers. Distribution will be through company trucks, which will operate on a daily basis and this expense will be factored in on the cost of the toothpaste in the market. Wholesale price for Kauen chewable toothpaste tablets will be at $3.5/500mg, price to retailer 3.6/50mg, and retail price will be a maximum of $3.8/500mg. The retail price is set at a cost that retailers are willing to pay as it is far below the prices of competitor chewable toothpaste tablet companies. The price will ensure that the company stays above its competitors as it is aimed at attracting new customers and retaining them. The retail price also considers the low income earners as it is set at an average level, which ensures that consumers are willing to pay for a quality product, which is sold at a low

Exam Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exam - Coursework Example It’s not mentioned whether the printer supports Wi-Fi or not so we are going to assume that printer supports Wi-Fi printing so we wont need any extra hardware for printer as well. Now we will assume that Louise have three children as well as office at the home so definitely he won’t be needing disturbance in his office at the time of working so he will have a house of minimum three floor which in hardware terms increase our one more need of wireless switch with boosters in order to increase wireless signal strength on other floors. In Software terms we will be needing only Child locks for Louis children in order they dont accidentally land on sites which they are not supposed to visit. Remaining software needs like protecting wireless network by locking it with password and making it compatible for only 9 systems can be done from the settings of the wireless router. So For Wireless Router we will just need is one Ethernet cable to connect Broadband modem with the Wireless Router thats all because everything else will be connected to the wireless router using wireless connection. So in order to protect such use of their internet they will have to lock the security with using any password which is difficult for others to guess other than family members, as well as they can specify the MAC address of all 9 systems in the Router settings and bar any other service requests other than these 9 systems/devices. 2) PII is an Information about a person that recognizes, links, relates, or is exclusive to, or describes him or her, e.g. a passport number; age, police rank, civilian, marital status, race, salary, mobile numbers. Social engineering- is an act of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging information, rather than by breaking in or using technical cracking techniques e.g. via email, phone, dumpster diving, online, reverse, USB

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 25

History - Essay Example w the nature of reality and truth (metaphysics); to understand how we know the things that we know (epistemology); the best way to live (ethics); the best way to govern (political philosophy); and the workings of the universe and the natural world (natural philosophy, or science). The Greeks were not the first civilization to wonder about these matters or to explore them, but they made answering these questions such a fundamental part of their cultural experience that they attained a very high level of intellectual advancement across all these areas. Their curiosity and experiments contributed to the development of Western civilization. Thornton is especially interested in the ways that the Greek civilization laid the foundation for modern day scientific and political thought. Scientifically, Greek philosophers laid the cornerstone for modern Western science. Long before the Manhattan Project and nuclear physics, the Greek philosopher Democritus argued that the world was made of tiny particles he called atoms. The Greeks were interested in what things were made of: A pencil was a pencil, but what was the pencil made of? Well, wood. And what was the wood made of? Though their answers weren’t always right, asking the questions was the most important step. And often, they were right: Anaximander theorized that the earth was round (basing this theory on the shadow it casts on the moon during an eclipse) centuries before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. The Greeks based their theories on a combination of scientific observation and rational thought, two things that form the basis of Western scientific innovation today. Most importantly, though, the Greeks gave Western science a passion for understanding the way that things work, and a willingness to make guesses and efforts in pursuit of that goal. The Western notion of government also owes much to the Greek model. Plato’s Republic outlines the model for a utopian society in which people are divided into groups

A Strategic Alliance of UTV and Disney Case Study

A Strategic Alliance of UTV and Disney - Case Study Example The UTV company was started in 1981 by Screwvala (UTV and Disney). At the time it was India’s first cable TV entity. While the company originally started out for several channels, it would late expand to include international content for channels such as BBC, CNN, and National Geographic. Later ventures in the US and UK markets significantly increased the company’s market share. The company is noted to have three verticals. The first is the company’s television content production; the second is the movie production and distribution; the third is post-production and special effects development. In terms of the company’s business relationship with Disney, the primary concern is with UTV’s Hungama TV. This entity is the company’s kids’ channel – the first of its kind in India. It was strategically hoped that in cooperating with Disney within the confines of Hungama TV, the company would also gain furthered access to international m arkets. Disney is one of the world’s largest and most recognized companies. Since originating over seventy-five years ago, the company has diversified into the major segments of Media Networks, Studio Entertainment, Disney Consumer Products, and Parks and Resorts. Most notably, in 2004 Disney launched a business venture into India. This venture was a major company element, reaching over 107 million homes (UTV and Disney). While Disney controlled Toon Disney and the Disney Channel in the Indian market, they desired to further expand through the acquisition of UTV’s Hungama TV. From Disney’s perspective, the acquisition of Hungama TV would further grant Disney access in the Indian market, as well as give the company increased access to UTV’s many media outlets.

Suggest me a good topic Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Suggest me a good topic - Term Paper Example Subway Restaurant has been its major strength that has seen it occupy an appropriate competitive advantage in the food industry. The restaurant offers fast food services such as; turkey breast, roasted beef, steak, cold cut combo, cheese, subway melt et cetera. Moreover, the restaurant provides different types of beverages to its customers. Description of the Products and Services The products offered by the Wali subway restaurant are of good quality and standards. For instance; the mouth-watering turkey and roasted beef salad with raspberry vinaigrette from exclusively selected recipes of canola oil, diced red onions and avocado, cooked and chopped turkey breast, reduced fat feta cheese perfectly crushed, walnuts, and arugula. The mixture hysterically prepared and spray backed to give a great taste. For the raspberry vinaigrette the combined ingredients of balsamic vinegar, canola oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, raspberry jam, fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste placed into a medium-sized bowl the whisked thoroughly until the dressing is smooth enough and the jam is properly dissolved. The restaurant also serves Monterey jack Taquitos and backed shredded beef, a meal that is children friendly and very tasty. To make this meal the chef uses high quality ingredients of chill powder garlic powder, lime juice, adobe sauce with little chili pepper, chopped yellow and red bell pepper, cooked and shredded roast beef, boneless blade roast, and canola cooking spray. The menu offered by the Wali subway restaurant makes an effort to create a healthy diet by utilizing clean and up to standard products in a clean environment. The restaurant also takes into consideration a special group of its customers such as the vegetarians by offering old-fashioned food strictly for vegetarians. Variety of this special menu include kuja, matar, badem, and gobhi that are mostly served with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, paneer, mixed vegetable pickle, sauteed smash of sweet pum pkin, and fenugreek. The special drinks offered in this place include sweet lassi that is often served with kulhars. In order to reach out for the customers and for the convenience the customers, Wali restaurant offers an online menu and online services where customers can place orders and make inquiries in the day's specialty. The restaurant also offers room booking services online. Opportunities for the products Selection of products and services offered by the Wali restaurant involves an appropriate identification and mobilization of resources after undertaking economic and social facets analysis. For this reason, Wali restaurant management has to take part fully in the interaction with their potential customers in order to get acquainted with their social and economic conditions. Those customers, who participated, provided the human resource of Wali restaurant with important information and referrals on the products and services that could be offered by the restaurant. These inf ormation and ideas are then supplemented with details obtained from assessment of the area around Manassas, Virginia where the restaurant was located. Reintegration of the already existing restaurants and the products and services they offered was also done. With this information the Wali restaurant decided to offer a variety of products including turkey breast, roasted beef, steak, cold cut combo, cheese, subway melt et cetera since Virginia was multi-ethnic with diverse culture. The management also considered

Participant Observation and Grand Theory Essay Example for Free

Participant Observation and Grand Theory Essay Bronislaw Malinowski, with his ground-breaking field work of the Trobriand Islander community in the beginning of the 20th century still today counts as a pioneer, if not the founder of the British Social Anthropology. In his famous book Argonauts of the Western Pacific. An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagos of Melanesian New Guinea that was first published in 1922 he develops an elaborate methodological framework for ethnographical research, also known as ‘participant observation’. This method will highly influence the anthropological way of approaching its field of study and hence its theoretical landscape from then on. Looking at Malinowski’s description of the clan system of the Trobriand community, his descriptive and specifying style of formulation becomes apparent: â€Å"Each of the four clans has its own name: Malasi, Lukuba, Lukwasisiga, Lukulabuta. (†¦) There are special combinations of the clan names with formative roots, to descrive men and women and the mixed plurality belonging to the same clan: Tomalasi – a Malasi man; Immalasi – a Malasi women; Memalasi – the Malasi people (†¦). Near the village of Laba’I, on the northern shore of the main island, there is a spot called Obukula, which is marked by a coral outcrop. Obukula is, in fact, a ‘hole’ (dubwadebula), or ‘house’ (bwala); that is to say, one of the points from which the first ancestors of the linage emerged. † (Malinowski 1929: 496 f. , italics in original) This very nuanced and case specific example of the material gained from his methodological approach gives rise to the question if Malinowski’s heritage of participant observation has forever distanced Anthropology from bringing forward grand theories? To be able to consider and discuss this question, it is important to first define what Malinowski circumscribed when he laid out his dogma for ethnographical research by the term participant observation. Secondly, a closer inspection of the dictum ‘grand theory’ is indispensable for our purpose and will be clarified in the second section of this essay. Subsequently, we will look at these two concepts and their relationship to one another in section three in order to approach the question whether Anthropology can be viewed as a science able to produce grand theories. I. Participant observation In the foreword to Argonauts of the Western Pacific Malinowski states that he has â€Å"lived in that [Trobriand Island] archipelago for about two years (†¦), during which time [he] naturally acquired a thorough knowledge of the language. [He] did [his] work entirely alone, living for the greater part of the time right in the village. † (1966: xvi). This statement already contains the essence of participant observation in fieldwork. The hallmark of this methodological way of collecting data is the immersion of the researcher into her or his field of study over a long period of time and the personal part taking in the interactions of the people in the community studied. When Malinowski defined this new approach of ‘first-hand’ observation he broke with the, at that time prevailing tradition of ‘armchair’ ethnography. In this prior approach, ethnographers compiled data gained from historical sources to deduce theories about certain aspects of a usually ‘native’ community (Osterhoudt 2010). One of the main contributions of Malinowski’s new method to anthropological theory was that by participating and observing behaviour in the sample community he found out that a discrepancy between actual behaviour and narrative statements exists. â€Å"The smoothness and uniformity, which the mere verbal statement suggest as the only shape of human conduct, disappears with a better knowledge of cultural reality. † (Malinowski 1979: 83). This discovery in itself already composes a point of criticism towards the preceding ethnographical ‘arm-chair’ approach to data collection and evaluation. Even though participant observation is based on a seemingly broad and intuitive research design, it would, however, be incorrect to assume that this approach would be free of any directive principles on how to collect relevant data. Therefore, Malinowski describes how first, the researcher must â€Å"possess real scientific aims† (Malinowski 1966: 6) and be familiar with the theoretical background of anthropology. Further, the researcher should live in the field among the natives all by herself/ himself, and lastly the researcher has to stick to special and strict scientific methods, such as drawing â€Å"tables of kinship terms, genealogies, maps, plans and diagrams† (idib. 1966: 10) to collect, prepare and record her/his data. The previous example of the clan system provides a sense of the detailed and case specific information that is obtained by the application of participant observation. Besides the kind of the data collected, it should also be looked at the area of research and Malinowski’s suggestion of the subject to be studied. He proposes that the â€Å"field worker observes human beings acting within an environmental setting, natural and artificial; influenced by it, and in turn transforming it in co-operation with each other. † (Malinowski 1939: 940). Thus, he focuses on the individual as a starting point and its relation to, and mutual dependence on a social group. The inquiries of a researcher will hence have to include a â€Å"specific study of the individual, as well as the group within which he has to live and work. † (idib. 1939: 950). The collective life within that group or society is widely to be seen in certain types of activities, ‘institutions’ such as the â€Å"economy, education, or social control and political system in place† (idib. 1939: 954). These institutions, as he points out, can be seen as a fruitful base to investigate the individual’s motives and values and they will provide â€Å"insight into the process by which the individual is conditioned or culturally formed and of the group mechanisms of this process. † (idib. 1939: 954). II. Grand Theory In the following, the dictum ‘grand theory’ will be specified and by doing so distinguished into two different tendencies of understanding the concept. Wiarda (2010) defines a grand theory in his book Grand Theories and Ideologies in the Social Sciences as â€Å"those large, overarching explanations of social and political behavior—liberalism, Marxism, socialism, positivism, corporatism, political culture, institutionalism, psychoanalysis, rational choice theory, environmentalism (Jared Diamond), sociobiology, and now chemistry and genetics—that give coherence to the social sciences, help us to organize and think about change and modernization, and give us models to understand complex behavior. † (Wiarda 2010: x) This definition of grand theory as an ‘overarching explanation’ is in line with Anthony Good’s (1996) understanding of a ‘generalizing science’ that produces â€Å"universal, descriptive and predictive laws† (idib. 1996: 34). Here a grand theory is understood as a theorem providing a universal and structural framework that gives meaning to particular and individual phenomena ‘on the ground’. In this process the â€Å"importance of the local and the contingent, (†¦) the extent to which our own concepts and attitudes have been shaped† (Skinner 1985: 8) builds also a part of the universal framework. The second tendency to conceive the idea of grand theory goes a step further and is mainly characterized by C. Wright Mills application of it. He vigorously criticised the concept in his book The Sociological Imagination (1959): â€Å"The basic cause of grand theory is the initial choice of a level of thinking so general that its practitioners cannot logically get down to observation. They never, as grand theorists, get down from the higher generalities to problems in their historical and structural contexts. This absence of a firm sense of genuine problems, in turn, makes for the unreality so noticeable in their pages. † (idib. 1959: 33) As this quote shows, Mills’ understanding of a grand theory goes beyond our first definition. In this second understanding Mills implies that scientists generating grand theories are engrossed in their endeavour to build abstract, normative and all-embracing frameworks and thus neglect the study of the ‘meaning’ behind their constructs. The individual with its particular values and interpretations, as well as variety on the scale of the actual area of research fall behind. III. Participant Observation and its relation to Grand Theory Taken the just outlined conception of grand theory influenced by Mills and putting it in relationship with Malinowski’s methodology of participant observation, the answer to our question whether or not Malinowski’s heritage barred the way of Anthropology to ever produce grand theories appears unambiguously to be ‘yes’. Participant observation in its very nature is close to the individual and aims to explore, over a long period of time, which social and cultural forces influence the human being in a specific setting. Therefore, with regards to Mills conception of grand theory, Anthropology has a birth defect called participant observation that will always prevent it from producing highly abstract grand theories, which stand in no relation to the circumstances from where they were deduced from. A closer look reveals that Malinowski’s understanding of the anthropological formation of theory aligns with Mills criticism towards highly abstract grand theories: â€Å"It would be easy to quote works of high repute, and with a scientific hall-mark on them, in which wholesale generalisations are laid down before us, and we are not informed at all by what actual experiences the writers have reached their conclusions. (†¦) I consider that only such ethnographic sources are of unquestionable scientific value, in which we can clearly draw the line between, on the one hand, the result of direct observation and of native statements and interpretations and on the other, the inferences of the author, based on his common sense of psychological insight. † (Malinowski 1966: 3) Here Malinowski differences between two approaches of data processing. One approach leads to mere ‘wholesale generalisations’ and the other approach also includes the ‘actual experiences’ the researcher faced on the local level that explain on what assumptions and observations her or his generalizations are based on. He hence supports the notion of Anthropology as a science of producing generalisations, as long as they are comprehensible and in direct relation to the reality on the ground. Malinowski’s ethnographies exist to a vast amount of descriptive details that are very specific to certain social groups or individual preferences and he has hence often been criticized as an ‘empiricist’ (see Firth 1957). Also, one could argue that his attempt to put his findings in a neat structured box with columns, as he has done in his article Group and Individual in Functional Analysis (1966) seem rather compelled. Nevertheless, he was able to provide social science with universal and generalizing frameworks on, inter alia, on how social institutions function in relation to society. He states that â€Å"social institutions have a definite organisation, (†¦) they are governed by authority, law and order in their public and personal relations, while the latter are, besides, under the control of extremely complex ties of kinship and clanship. † (Malinowski 1966: 10). Malinowski’s suggestion to use institution as a starting point for social and cultural analysis has â€Å"produced integrated descriptions instead of loosely classified catalogues of traits, and has stimulated the fuller recording of case material from actual behavior as a supplement to the listing of ideal patterns. † (Murdock 1943: 443). Following Malinowski’s ethnographic method and theory construction therefore aims to create a firm framework of the â€Å"social constitution† that â€Å"disentangle[s] the laws and regularities of all cultural phenomena from the irrelevances. † (Malinowski 1966: 10f. ). His approach is thus far more that only an accumulation of meaningless observations of an individuals life in a very specific society. Considering these arguments, Malinowski approach can, indeed, be seen as congruent with our first tendency to understand grand theory. The answer to our initial question should hence be that Anthropology is a science that can certainly produce grand theories in the sense of generalized frameworks and universalistic theories, without neglecting the importance of the â€Å"local and the contingent† (Skinner 1985: 12). Furthermore, Anthropology can be viewed as an established science with its own field of study being the human being and its social group as well as their mutual dependencies and influences. â€Å"Anthropology stands in a clear relationship to the other basic science, because it is concerned with studying phenomena at one clearly discriminate level vis-a-vis those other sciences. † (Good 1996: 32)

Are Ghosts An Illusion Of The Mind Philosophy Essay

Are Ghosts An Illusion Of The Mind Philosophy Essay Ghosts are just one of the many subtopics that reside within the topic of paranormal. Paranormal experiences are studied using parapsychology: a scientific approach to supposedly paranormal experiences. With the use of H. J. Irwins brilliant book called, An Introduction to Parapsychology Third Edition, and Bobby Elgees article called, Evidence of the Paranormal and Ghosts, we are able to deduce a theoretically sound explanation of what is paranormal and since when has the topic been studied. Then, we analyze the survival hypothesis and the ability of a soul to live outside the body. After, we proceed to the definition of ghosts and their usual whereabouts while setting the conditions that they usually appear in as well as to who they appear. Finally, we go on to claiming that these experiences are not really ghosts, but either hallucinations or just simply paranormal due to the witnesses wild conclusion that it couldnt be anything other than a ghost. Ghosts: An Illusion of the Mind Ghosts are not what you think they are, far from it. They arent the friendly little ghost you see in Casper, nor are they the Bloody Baron from SpongeBob Squarepants who haunts the ocean for eternity. They might not even be anything at all, just a word people exploit to an unknown object which might have a logical explanation. Yet, most cultures in the world believe in the body having a soul which like the heart, can exist and survive in another body. Yet, even if such an idea is generally believe by a large population of the world, it may not be true. Thought or belief proves nothing, for if it were, then a group could believe in radioactive helicopter bunnies and it would be fact. Yet, people need proof, therefore, to believe ghosts, we need proof that they exist. Life isnt neither what people see in movies, read in books nor see in pictures. Therefore, neither are ghosts. In order to prove ghosts dont exist, we have to analyze the parapsychological and the paranormal, the survival theory, the situations in which ghost usually appear and how most experiences are most likely fakes. According to Bobby Elgee, the word paranormal simply means not scientifically explainable.' (Elgee, 2009, pg 1) Meanwhile, parapsychology is known as the study of apparent anomalies of behavior and experience that exist apart from currently known explanatory mechanisms that account for organism-environment and organism-organism information and influence flow (Irwin, 1999, pg 1). Therefore, it is the commutation of a being to another, or a being to a surrounding. In other words, parapsychology is using a scientific approach to study experiences that may be paranormal and to determine whether or not the evident paranormal quality of a given class of parapsychological experience is authentic or ontologically real. (Irwin, 1999, pg 9) According to Irwin, recorded instances of parapsychological experiences of course may be found among all cultures and in all historic periods. (Irwin, 1999, pg 13) Yet, the testing of such experiences for accuracy and authenticity was slower to emerge. Some, such as Henry More and Joseph Glanvill showed themselves alert to the possibility of fraud, delusion, and unreliable observation, but their views more religious than scientific as they were endeavoring to ascertain the earthly presence of the devil and diabolical forces. (Irwin, 1999, pg 14) It was later that Francis Bacon made a call for objective scrutiny of parapsychological experiences (Irwin, 1999, pg 14) which was more scientific than More and Glanvill, but at the time society was not receptive to such a view and Bacons arguments went unheeded. (Irwin, 1999, pg 14) Then, a center in England called the Society for Psychical Research where parapsychologists are united in their conviction that the objective investigation of pa rapsychological phenomena was called for, despite the prevailing disinterest in such research among the established divisions of science. (Irwin, 1999, pg 13) Even today, most of society disregards the subject as scientific, yet parapsychology is under taken as a scientific endeavor regardless of its subject matter, flaws in any of its research procedures, and the skeptical rhetoric of its critics. (Irwin, 1999, pg 2) Therefore, Irwin states that, All ESP experiences thus are parapsychological, but we require proof that any of them could be paranormal. (Irwin, 1999, pg 2) How do parapsychologists know that an experience is truly paranormal? According the Elgee, Competent paranormal investigators will attempt to rule out the anomaly (Elgee, 2009, pg 1) or anything that seems abnormal or irregular. If someone captures a photo of a strange orb or mist, parapsychologists would ask all questions possible in order to rule out irregularities such as: is it a reflection? Is it a bug? Is it dust? Is it condensation on the lens of the camera? Is it a problem with the developing and/or printing process? (Elgee, 2009, pg 1) Yet, according to Irwin, parapsychologists focus of study is purely a matter of appearance, of how an experience seems to be. (Irwin, 1999, pg 2) Therefore, even if the survival hypothesis proves not to provide a legitimate basis for their conceptual integration, each of these experiences appears to entail the existence of a nonphysical or spiritual self (Irwin, 1999, pg 9) thereby, the experience is parapsychological. The authenticity of the experience relates to the question of whether the issue of underlying processes concerns the question of how? (Irwin, 1999, pg 9) For it to be paranormal, the question of must be raised. How is this possible? How did this come here? How did it happen? If the question of how cannot be answered, it is hence called paranormal. Yet, there are groups today that are causing a steadfast declination in the belief of the paranormal. They are damaging the credibility of legitimate and accomplished paranormal researchers and parapsychologists by posting photographs that are easily dismissed as well-known and easily identifiable camera malfunctions and other artifacts of the photographic process. (Elgee, 2009) If people keep on claiming that every small malfunction is an apparition or paranormal experience, then nobody would believe if a true paranormal experience emerged. It would be the boy who called wolf all over again, except with ghosts, orbs, mists and many other strange paranormals. According to Irwin, the survival hypothesis concerns the notion of postmortem survival, that is, that a disembodied consciousness or some such discarnate element of human personality might survive bodily death at least for a time. (Irwin, 1999, pg 175) Simply stated, the survival hypothesis is the notion that there is some element of human existence that survives death. (Irwin, 1999, pg 8) For an apparition or spirit to appear, it has to be able to survive outside the body. Due to the fact that apparitions, ghosts as a matter of fact, can be of the living, we can assume that survival does not necessarily imply immortality or eternal existence (Irwin, 1999, pg 175) after death of the body, but more of the soul being able to survive outside the body for a limited time. Therefore, when comprehending an experience in which an apparition is involved, parapsychologists must be able to believe that a disembodied consciousness or some such discarnate element of human personality might surviv e bodily death at least for a time. (Irwin, 1999, pg 175) Due to implications of an existence after death, the survival hypothesis has obvious religious connotations. (Irwin, 1999, pg 175) Yet, since the topic is being studied from a scientific point of view, these are of no concern. Therefore, when looking at the topic from a scientific point of view, we ask questions. In order to analyze, the first step is to ask questions in order to be able to understand all aspects of the situation. Becker asks, is there a nonphysical element of human existence that can separate from the physical body, can survive organic death, can reattach its organization as an integral personality after death, can appear before and haunt the living, [and] can be born again in another body? (Becker, 1993, pg 9) Yet, it cannot be scientifically proven that there is a life after death since there is no evidence. That is a question of faith at this point in time since there is no scientific evidence of the exis tence of ghosts or an afterlife. (Elgee, 2009) Therefore, we have to assume accordingly that in case of a life after death, we could thereby presume a ghost to be real. Yet, until then, all suggestions are merely that and nothing else. A ghost is a type of apparition. According to Irwin, an apparition is encountered in a perceptual-like experience and relates to a person or animal that is not physically present, with physical means of communication being ruled out. (Irwin, 1999, pg 243) Therefore, for it to be an apparition there has to be evidence that the figure is not there and has no possible means of a connection to the witness. Yet, Irwin states that it is held to be pointless to speak of apparitions unless we mean this term to refer to the hypothesis of an objective entity. (Irwin, 1999, pg 243) He goes on to say the having defined the term thus, it is up to parapsychologists to ascertain if these hypothesized objective entities actually exist. (Irwin, 1999, pg 243) Therefore, it is up to parapsychologists to study all rational explanations until there are no explanations, naming the experience as paranormal, but not necessarily an apparition. As Eglee states, If weve done a good job ruling out everything, w e may just be left with something paranormal. Thats it. (Elgee, 2009) We cannot call something unexplainable by a name other than paranormal, or seemingly an apparition. Otherwise, it would be metaphorical to calling someone you dont know Bob. You may assume it to be Bob, but he is just an unknown somebody until evidence proves otherwise. One problem that could be raised against any definition of the apparition (Irwin, 1999, pg 243) is that it could be a hallucination. Unless witnesses by more than one sanitary person, an apparition could be a persons mind playing tricks on the so-called experient. Therefore, parapsychologists have gone from studying the apparition to studying the apparitional experience in order to adopt a phenomenological approach (Irwin, 1999, pg 244) in the field of study. According to Irwin, so-called ghosts are recurrent haunting apparitions, that is, the same figure is witnessed in the same location on a number of occasions often by a number of different experients. (Irwin, 1999, 250) Here, we witness Irwin suggesting that for the figure to be a ghost, it has to be seen in the same location, more than once and by different witnesses. He also adds that some ghosts reportedly perform the same actions in the same location on each occasion they are experienced. (Irwin, 1999, pg 244) He states that they appear real and solid as well as that their appearance changes as the experient moves around it. They occlude objects they move in front of and are occluded by objects they move behind. (Irwin, 1999, pg 244) He also includes instances in which they may cast a shadow or when the experient may perceive their reflection in a mirror. (Irwin, 1999, 244) This disproves the transparent misty forms popularized in fiction (Irwin, 1999, 244) Irwin states that most figures are experienced within 10 feet of the subject and in the majority of cases (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the figure is not recognized by the experient. (Irwin, 1999, pg 247) If an experience is defined as paranormal, is truly justifiable to be able to call the irregularity a ghost? Even Elgee proclaims, To take the next step and call a possibly paranormal photograph a picture of a ghost is a leap of faith that I, personally, cant swallow. A person can certainly make that statement, but at that point it becomes an opinion, a statement based on belief and faith. (Elgee, 2009) He goes on to proclaim that, At that point, I can choose what I believe. Theres simply no evidence backing it up. (Elgee, 2009) Even in spirit communication there are points where the truth simply depends on faith. The medium could be lying, unless it is one of the rare instances where the medium received some skill the personality demonstrably possessed while alive but which the medium himself/herself does not have. (Irwin, 1999, pg 177) Ghost recognition is simply to irrational to be studied scientifically. As Elgee proclaims, ghost hunting doesnt lend itself to a well-controlled scientific experiment. (Elgee, 2009) He goes on to state that, The methodologies are weak, the equipment used was never originally designed to detect ghosts, and it is nearly impossible to replicate the results. (Elgee, 2009) Therefore, how can it be proved that ghosts exist with the use of insufficient methods and equipment that was not made for ghost hunting? Even Irwin states that, in no way is there any presumption here of the existence of the paranormal even though many contemporary parapsychologists (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) actually regard parapsychology as the study of the paranormal. (Irwin, 1999, pg 1) If someone who has spent most of his life studying the paranormal refuses to proclaim the existence of it, then how can we believe the many who claim without proof that a minor irregularity is something major such as the ghost of dead perso n? Are there really such things as ghosts due to the fact that most of the apparitions seen are dead? According to Irwin, about 70% of recognized apparitions are of people whom the experient knew to be dead. (Irwin, 1999, pg 247) He goes on to proclaim that the number of ghost an experient witnesses may vary with the age of the individual or more precisely, with the number of deceased persons the individual knew. (Irwin, 1999, pg 247) Therefore, it assumed that the more dead people you know, the more likely you are able to see ghosts. Is it truly ghosts? Or is it the mind playing memories of actions you have seen the diseased performing in a certain place every time you pass by. For example, you see your dead grandmother planting flowers in the garden every time you walk by on a visit. Most experients are likely to lie or jump to conclusions, therefore, we can presume that the operation of fraud (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) remain potential interpretations (Irwin, 1999, pg 177) of such proclamations as the sightings of ghosts or other apparitions. It might even be a story used to increase the experients reputation in order to make him/her more interesting. One of Irwins students reported the experience of strolling along a deserted beach and feeling someone walking beside her. (Irwin, 1999, pg 247) Most of humanity gets the same feeling while walking alone, especially in the dark, yet, usually, there is no one there and it is a trick of the mind. The student goes on to proclaim, that she did not see or hear anything to indicate there was something there (Irwin, 1999, pg 247), yet, the sense of a presence was very strong and she felt very comfortable with it. (Irwin, 1999, pg 247) Could it not have been a cool breeze that caused the student to feel comfortable and, assuming it was warm since she was on the beach, the breeze was strong due to the oceans current? No, the student jumped to the conclusion that it was an apparition or spirit, but unfortunately, the student has no proof. Another experience is of one totally deaf man described hearing the rustle of an apparitional figures dress. (Irwin, 1999, pg 247) Is it really true, or is it the yearning of the man to actually hear something, that his mind played tricks on him? Since most experients whom are able to witness many ghosts or apparitions have known many deceased, could it not be assumed that it is just the mind projecting an image of that we wish to see? A similar analogy would be that of a man trapped in a desert seeing a mirage of a lake. What we see, is simply what we wish to see and nothing more. By analyzing the parapsychological and the paranormal, the survival theory, the situations in which ghosts usually appear and how most of those experiences are easily proven fakes, we have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for ghosts to truly exist unless evidence prove otherwise. Even if, later on, experients actually turn out to have a sixth sense that could perceive the dead, could it not be just that: a sixth sense?

Evidence For And Against Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

Evidence For And Against Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay Climate Change is a very controversial global issue which has committed supporters and detractors. Critically evaluate the evidence for and against climate change and provide your own assessment of the current and future risks that the planet faces by 2050. It is expected that you will give a broad view of your subject giving weight to policy, regulatory, economic and risk management impacts as well as health and environmental impacts. Use a case study to illustrate a key component of the climate change agenda. The worlds climate is changing and the consequences are serious, wide ranging and long-term. Despite the overwhelming scientific consensus that this is happening, the issue of climate change has its detractors, whose opposition to the phenomenon range from disagreeing about the extent of the problem, the extent of mans influence, to the accuracy of the modeling techniques. During the essay the evidence from both sides will be evaluated and the current and longer term economic, social, and environmental effects assessed. The definitions of climate change vary greatly, but the two most useful are the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) definition where broadly speaking climate change relates to a change in climate which is attributed, directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and that is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity, which is perhaps a more useful definition. Firstly before looking at the evidence for climate change it is useful to understand the global energy flow (radiative budget), which was first suggested by Kiehl and Trenbirth (1997), illustrated in picture 1 below: Picture 1 The incoming solar radiation, often labelled in percentage terms, must match the outgoing short and longwave radiation to achieve radiative equilibrium. Radiative forcing is the measure of the influence that a specific factor has in altering the balance of this incoming and outgoing energy, and is therefore a useful indication of the importance of that factor to change the climate. Positive forcing will generally mean that the surface of the earth is warmed, whilst negative forcing tends to cool the surface. The Kyoto protocol, adopted in December 1997 and entering into force in February 2005, committed all Annex1 countries (39 industrialised countries the EU) to a reduction in four greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide and Sulfur hexafluoride) and two groups of gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) (often found in refridgerants) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) (also in refridgerants but having a wide variety of medical and non-medical uses and according to Askam, Khalil et al. (2003) having a lifetime up to 50,000 years). Carbon dioxide is perhaps the most studied and well known of the anthropogenic GHGs. Since some infra-red radiation leaving the planet is absorbed by CO2, the greater the CO2 the greater the absorbtion and reflection of heat and the warmer the climate. Perhaps the most significant indicator of the increase in the level of CO2 in the last 50 years is shown in graph 1 below. This is the measurement of CO2 concentrations as measured in Hawaii, far from industrial areas so no localised bias is present, though these measurements have been replicated around the world (e.g. Pieter P. Tans and Thomas J. Conway 1968-2002) Monthly Atmospheric CO2 Mixing Ratios from the NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory Carbon Cycle Cooperative Global Air Sampling Network, 1968-2002. NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado 80305, U.S.A.) Graph 1 Image created by Robert A. Rohde / www.globalwarmingart.com Similar measurements have been found in ice core samples, which enable us to get a much better picture over time. Graph 2 below shows the CO2 variations over time from the past 420,000 years. Graph 2 Image created by Robert A. Rohde / www.globalwarmingart.com This shows the CO2 levels fluctuating in line with the ice-ages, however, the most important section is the insert the marked increase since the industrial revolution from around 1750/1800. A clear indication of humans influence. More evidence is given in the IPCC 4th Annual Report Working Group summary that the concentration of atmospheric CO2 has increased from 280ppm (pre-industrial level) to 379ppm in 2005. In addition the annual CO2 concentration growth was larger during the last 10 years (1995-2005 : 1.9ppm per year) than it has been since the beginning of continuous direct atmospheric measurements (1960-2005 : 1.4 ppm per year). In a similar fashion the levels of Methane (from a pre-industrial level of 715ppb to 1732ppb in the early 1990s and 1774ppb in 2005) and Nitrous oxide (from pre-industrial levels of roughly 270ppb to 319ppb in 2005) have increased markedly over recent years. Looking at the radiative forcing discussed earlier the There are many different indications of how the climate has altered, and over several different timescales ranging from the most recent 150 years since 1860, since roughly the time of industrial revolution since 1750 and for the past 10-100 thousand years. Each of these will be looked at in turn. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change in its most recent report in 2007 stated: Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level. Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations. This is an advance since the TARs conclusion that most of the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. Discernible human influences now extend to other aspects of climate, including ocean warming, continental-average temperatures, temperature extremes and wind patterns The time series shows the combined global land and marine surface temperature record from 1850 to 2009. The year 2009 was the sixth warmest on record, exceeded by 1998, 2005, 2003, 2002, and 2004. This time series is being compiled jointly by the Climatic Research Unit and the UK Met. Office Hadley Centre. The record is being continually up-dated and improved (see Brohan et al., 2006). This paper includes a new and more thorough assessment of errors, recognizing that these differ on annual and decadal timescales. Increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities are most likely the underlying cause of warming in the 20th century. Brohan, P., J.J. Kennedy, I. Harris, S.F.B. Tett and P.D. Jones, 2006: Uncertainty estimates in regional and global observed temperature changes: a new dataset from 1850. J. Geophysical Research 111, D12106, doi:10.1029/2005JD006548 http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/info/ Detractors In a debate that has become highly polarised the label climate sceptic is readily slapped on anybody who stands on the soapbox and contradicts Al Gore. In reality, the sceptic landscape is more varied, ranging from those scurrilously pursuing scientific truth to others with more obvious economic or political gains to play for. Richard Lindzen, an American atmospheric physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been one of the most vocal in expressing concerns over the validity of computer models used to predict future climate change. He argues that they may be over-predicting future warming due to a failure to properly account for the climate systems water vapour feedback. However he has also been an active contributor to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports. Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies commented that Lindzen agrees with about 90 per cent of what other climate scientists are saying, yet the last 10 per cent is sufficiently different to label him a contrarian. Stephen McIntyre, editor of sceptic blog ClimateAudit and former director of several state-owned Canadian mineral exploration companies, is known in the climate science community for his continual demands for raw data. McIntryre was behind an orchestrated campaign that led to 60 Freedom of Information requests being made to CRU scientists at the University of East Anglia in a single weekend in July. However, while potentially vexatious, McIntyre has made genuine scientific contributions, notably spotting a mistake in NASA data that led to the average US temperatures to be reduced about 0.15C for the period 2000-2006. Philip Stott, an emeritus professor of biogeography at the University of London (although not a published climate scientist), has publicly argued that the climate is too complex and chaotic a system to make long-term predictions on. None of these scientists are climate change deniers, but they question the certainty of the scientific consensus. Several Tory MPs have recently contradicted the Green Conservative line of the Cameron era. Peter Lilley, one of only three MPs to vote against the governments Climate Change Bill in October, has accused climatologists of an unconscious conspiracy in which a dogmatic determination to conform to a consensus driven by the incentive of public funding has made them happier to let the data fit the theory rather than the opposite. David Davis has also spoken out on what he describes as a ferocious determination to impose hair-shirt policies on the public. Taxes on holiday flights and noisy wind turbines are too high a price to pay, he suggests. Both MPs claim to be open to the possibility that man has significantly contributing to climate change, but both remain unconvinced by the evidence. Former Tory Chancellor Nigel Lawson, has also publicly stepped up his opposition to environmental policy, founding the think tank, the Global Warming Policy Foundation, complete with a board of fairly distinguished academics to provide scepticism with a respectable face. However, the think tank was this week accused by scientists of appearing to misrepresent scientific data on its website. At the far end of the spectrum, figures such as Sarah Palin appear to be happy to disregard scientific evidence wholesale in favour of economic gain. Despite substantial differences in outlook, bundled together under the sceptic brand, the views of these individuals appear to be increasingly gaining favour with the public in the lead up to Copenhagen. PLAN For climate change Against climate change Case study Assessment of current risks Assessment of future risks to 2050

Student-Centered Learning Essay -- Education Teaching Essays

Student-Centered Learning missing works cited Definition(s) There are several ways that student-centered learning can be described, and they all lead back to the same basic idea, the student. First, student-centered learning can be defined as a discipline that involves the interaction of a team of students that experience creative learning to be used in the real world (Thornburg, 1995). Thornburg (1995) also mention that students are essential to the classroom, just like a team member is essential to a game. He says that teachers are part of the definition of student-centered learning, but they are not the main attraction. The students are the focus, and the teacher is the one who can assist among small groups of students. Eaton (1994) describes student-centered learning as the opposite if "teacher-centered". Another way of looking at student-centered learning is that the goals of a system (school) should meet the goals of the students (Harmon, & Hirumi, 1996). Next, the definition that naming students as "partners" with teachers in educa tion can be part of the student-centered learning process (Alley, 1996). Lastly, Csete and Gentry (1995) use the term "learner controlled instruction" instead of a student-centered approach. Learner controlled instruction can be termed as when the learner has some control in the type of instruction that is given. The control factors can range from "procedures" to "time restraints" to "evaluation". The point is that each student’s needs are different and in student-centered learning and learner controlled instruction the learner can decide how and what they want to learn, to function in the real world. Methods and Materials used in Student-Centered Learning Harmon and Hirumi (1... ...linear fashion by using interactive, discovery methods. The use and improvements of technologies like the computer, multimedia programs (Thornburg, 1995), and distance learning (Harmon, & Hirumi 1996) are also shifts from the teacher-centered approach to student-centered approach. The students now like to learn because of the technological influences in the schools (Thornburg, 1995). As a result of these strategies to student-centered learning, school is not just a small period in a child’s life, it is "lifelong learning", and each student can learn what is important to them (Thornburg, 1995). In conclusion, the shift to schools using the student-centered approach lets students take on a proactive role by working with others, using a variety of resources, and learning and evaluating skills on a continuous basis that they can use throughout life (Alley, 1996).

Adpatogens and the PrimeQuest Program :: Science Botany Scientific Essays

Adpatogens and the PrimeQuest Program Adaptogens are naturally occurring substances found in rare plants and herbs. Adaptogens were discovered by Israel I. Brekhman, M.D., a renowned Russian research pharmacologist and physiologist. Brekhman coined the term "adaptogen" as a plant type with certain characteristics: (1) it is absolutely safe and non-toxic, (2) it increases the body's nonspecific resistance to internal and external stimuli, and (3) it brings any disfunctioning body system back into balance (http://www.best.com/-mcintyre/primequest/product/adapt.shtml). Adaptogens began being used by Russian cosmonauts and elite Russian athletes in the early 1970s when the Soviet Union stepped out into the international arena as a dominant force. The breakthrough by Brekhman was kept secret from the rest of the world until a former Soviet Olympic coach, Dr. Ben Tabachnik, began introducing the Russian adaptogen formula when he emigrated to the United States in 1990. The unique formula of adaptogens discovered by Brekhman is now marketed under the PrimeQuest High Performance Program. Scientific evidence has shown that this unique combination of adaptogens can successfully combat the negative effects of stress, improve health and well-being, and enhance athletic performance (Avery, 1995). The PrimeQuest High Performance Program is comprised of two products that work in synergy: Prime 1 and Prime Plus. Prime 1 is a liquid herbal food supplement that contains a number of adaptogenic ingredients: Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Maral root (Rhaponticum carthamoides), Ural licorice root (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), Golden root (Rhodiola rosea), Chinese magnolia vine (Schizandra chinensis), Cinnamon rose (Rosa majalis), and Manchurian thorn tree (Aralia mandshurica). These adaptogens provide the body with elements necessary to protect, balance and normalize its systems. Prime Plus is a food supplement in capsule form that contains Maral root (Rhaponticum carthamoides), Tribulus terrestis, and adaptogenic golden molasses. It is designed to aid the body in developing strength and tone through the enhancement of exercise. It stimulates the biosynthesis of proteins and nucleic acids and enhances metabolism. It helps to protect the body against muscle breakdown, promo ting faster recovery (http://www.best.com/-mcintyre/primequest/pqform.shtml). These compounds, working together, are touted by Dr. Brekhman for accomplishing a number of physiological changes in humans and animals: increase protein biosynthesis, raise antibody titre at immunization, elevate the body's enzyme synthesis by means of endocrine stimulation, enhance mental work capacity, uplift physical work capacity along with endurance and performance, alleviate free radicals to prevent oxidizing pathology, improve eyesight, color perception, hearing, and vestibular functions, benefit cardiovascular and respiratory functions, promote longevity, and increase the body's nonspecific resistance to various stressors (http://www.

Once the initial layer

Once the initial layer soaked the entire area of the canvas, other colors were added to create the effect of the painting. These colors were white, brown, and turquoise. These colors were added in such a way that the painting depicted contrary visual characteristics, such as vertical and horizontal lines and also straight and circular patterns. Rough surfaces in the canvas contribute to the complexity of the painting, such as pooled paint swirls where colors meet and barely visible wrinkles formed by paint build up. â€Å"Autumn Rhythm† does not depict any recognizable object; however, it does give the illusion of nature.Metropolitan, 2000-2013). During the years following World War II, much of the artwork focused on issues and keeping with social commitment; however, when artists began using more personal styles for their paintings, this resulted in the artists moving away from art depicting the happenings of the time. (Frank, 2011). It was during this time that Jackson Pollo ck had the greatest influence on the art world. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), studied under Thomas Hart Benton before beginning his action paintings, which involved the spilling and pouring of paints onto a canvas. (Biography, 2013). Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), was considered to be the major trendsetter of Abstract Expressionism. When Helen Fraternally began creating Abstract Expressionism pieces, she incorporated aspects of Pollock's action painting with her own style. Fraternally used the same technique of covering the canvas with an initial diluted color and allowing it to seep into the canvas as a beginning of the piece. As with Pollock's works, Fraternally added several colors to create her works; however, she opted to use softer colors and the results were not as random.When Fraternally created â€Å"Eden† (1956), she added numerous shapes that gave he painting the illusion of trees and plants which gave the piece an appearance of a mystical garden. Baker (2010-2013) qu otes Hallway's description of â€Å"Eden†, â€Å"In addition to its dulcet clarity and command†¦ A very funny picture†¦ Centering†¦ Upon two blue, slightly wiggly sets of numerals, two â€Å"sass's† on either side of the top center of the canvas. † The piece was created with created with peach, olive, medium blue and pale olive colors.The focal point of this piece is the olive green and peach colored tear drops with the blue sass's on the either side. The symbolism of the tear drops ND numbers is not clearly defined, as is the case in the Abstract Expressionism pieces. Helen Fraternally (1928-2011), studied at the Dalton School with Ruffian Tomato. (American Art, n. D). Her first solo exhibition was in 1951 and consisted of paintings created with textured canvases, calligraphic drawings and the use of pale colors. These pieces represented the aspect of Abstract Expressionism that used recognizable figures and possessed some form of symbolism.This led to Fraternally changing her expressions of art. It was during the sass's that Fraternally moved away from Abstract Expressionism to define her own style which became known as color field painting. (American Art, n. D. ). Willie De Cooking (1904-1997), was also one of the well known abstract expressionists. His style of abstract painting differed from that of Pollock and Fraternally in that his pieces have a more symbolist quality. Even though the abstract quality is shown, the figures of women in his paintings are easily recognizable.In â€Å"Woman and Bicycle† (1952-1953), the woman is visible through the smears of paint and the brush strokes. She is wearing an outfit that was not designed for riding a bicycle. Her high-heals and tight outfit was indicative of the popular looting style of the time. (Whitney, 2009). Willie De Zonings paintings, such as, â€Å"Woman and Bicycle† (1952-1953), are representative of how he viewed women, some of which were recreations o f pictures of real women in magazines and billboards during the sass's. (Whitney, 2009). William De Cooking (1904-1997), attended the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts and Techniques.In the year 1945, De Zonings style was clearly defined; he used a combination of abstractions and figures. In 1955, the symbolism of his art work gave the illusion of women being absorbed into the background while also being the focal point of the painting. Biography, 2013). Aesthetic Qualities, Symbolic Significance â€Å"Autumn Rhythm† (1950), â€Å"Eden† (1956), and â€Å"Woman and Bicycle† (1952-1953), exhibit the qualities found in Abstract Expressionism; although â€Å"Autumn Rhythm† (1950) may exhibit more of the abstract style with contrasting lines and randomness. Eden† (1956) and â€Å"Woman and Bicycle† (1952-1953) exhibit the abstract style; however, both of these paintings also depict recognizable figures. Even though â€Å"Autumn Rhythm† (1950), does not exhibit recognizable figures, viewers may be able to imagine a sort of symbolism in that the painting represents fall. If the painting is viewed for a period of time, one can imagine the colors depicting the season of fall. â€Å"Eden† (1956) symbolizes a garden or part filled with trees and plants, and â€Å"Woman and Bicycle† (1952-1953), symbolizes the artist's vision of women.

Jennings and Armington

Running Head: JENNINGS AND ARMINGTON 1 Marlene Clarke Kaplan University LS 311-02 Business Law Professor Toni Starcher September 12th 2012 JENNINGS AND ARMINGTON 2Armington, while robbing a drugstore, shot and seriously injured Jennings, a drugstore clerk. Armington was subsequently convicted in a criminal trial of armed robbery, assault and battery. Jennings later brought a civil tort suit against Armington for damages. Armington contended that he could not be tried again for the same crime, as that would constitute double jeopardy, which is prohibited in the Fifth Amendment to the constitution. In this situation, Armington is incorrect about the double jeopardy law and he should accept responsibility for what he did.The Fifth Amendment offers certain protection to the defendant but the law must maintain fairness and consistency. According to the text, the Fifth Amendment does not allow a person to be tried twice for the same crime. In other words, if a person faces trial for a cr ime and is found not guilty and later on new evidence is discovered to link the person to the crime, they cannot stand trial a second time. Double jeopardy does not prohibit damages entitled to the victim in a civil suit.A civil tort suit occurs when someone has been hurt so the law allows them to seek compensation. Based on the scenario, Jennings deserves compensation because of the damages she sustained, suffered and endured. Since Jennings had a serious injury because of the intentional act committed by Armington, she should be able to receive compensation for her injuries. References * Miller, L. R. & Jentz, G. A. (2010). Fundamentals of business law: Summarized cases (8th Edition). Ohio: Cengage Learning

Characteristics of Expository

Essays I read were on Lucy Stone and Cochlear Implants. Author Jone Johnson Lewis wrote a mini-biography about Lucy Stone using â€Å"time order† technique. She had lots of facts on Lucy Stone, starting with how Lucy Stone was the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree and first to keep her own name after marriage. She then wrote when and where Lucy Stone was born and went into more details about Lucy Stone’s Life from her childhood till her death. Author Jamie Berke wrote about Cochlear Implants. He implemented â€Å"Topic† technique to write on Cochlear Implants. He began his introduction with how long Cochlear Implants have been around, and what Cochlear Implants (also known as internal hearing aid) are. He clarified on how Cochlear Implants work and for whom it is made for. In the end the author introduced himself, and explained the reasons he had for getting Cochlear Implants. Each author, Jone Johnson Lewis and Jamie Berke, preferred different approach in order to write a well written paper. The techniques, Jone Johnson Lewis used â€Å"time order,† so she can write about Lucy Stone’s struggle from birth till death for woman’s right. â€Å"Time order† organization helps in arranging information according to date or a specific time line. In this case, Jone Johnson Lewis did just the same. She used dates to help set up the writing process. On the other hand author Jamie Berke used â€Å"Topic† technique to get his audience's attention and to inform his audience about Cochlear Implants. Writing an expository essay using topic technique helps organize information about the subject you chose to write about. In this case, Jamie Berke did the same, by collecting all the information on Cochlear Implants and starting his paper with when they were first introduced. If author Jone Johnson Lewis and Jamie Berke would have decided to used another type of organization technique to write their essay, it might not have received as much attention from readers as they would have liked to or hoped for. Both essays are similar because they both used evidence and examples. Information was presented in a non-biased manner. These two expository essays are tailored to capture different audiences. Essay on Lucy Stone tries to capture the attention of female audience, and essay on Cochlear Implants tries to capture the attention of people who are hearing impaired.

Church Planting

TEMPLE BAPTIST SEMINARY A PLAN FOR CHURCH PLANTING IN BARREIRAS, BRAZIL A CHURCH PLANTING PLAN SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF TEMPLE BAPTIST SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE INTRODUCTION TO CHURCH PLANTING AND GROWTH (ICST 6423) BY Barron Mason JULY 27, 2011 INTRODUCTION Beginning a new church-planting project is a task that requires much responsibility and effort. It is not a light-hearted venture. Nor is it a task that has a one-size-fits-all model or method.Each church plant has unique elements because it reaches unique people in unique places throughout the world. It is a humbling yet exhilarating experience to be called by God to this task of planting a church among a specific group of people. This paper will discuss the work of planting a church among the poor in the city of Barreiras, in the country of Brazil. Included in this paper are demographic data that influence the strategies and methods chosen for planting the church. Also included are var ious factors of strategy and methods to be implemented in this church-planting endeavor.May God be glorified in this work and may the local body of Christ in Barreiras, Brazil one day be a shining light that reaches people with the gospel of Christ and reproduces itself in other church plants throughout the region and the world. DEMOGRAPHIC DATA OF BARREIRAS The city of Barreiras is situated in the Northeastern part of Brazil, in the state of Bahia. The region is a plains region where farmland is abundant. The climate of Barreiras is arid and hot. There is a rainy season from November to January. The rest of the year has little to no rainfall.Even though there is little rainfall during most of the year the region makes it’s living by agricultural farming and cattle farming. Some of the crops produced in the region include sugar cane, corn, soybeans, cotton, and coffee. Irrigation is used in most farms and is a process that was introduced to the region in the 1990s, which aide d in the population explosion of the city and region. [1] According to the 2007 Brazilian Census there is a population of 137,427 people in Barreiras. This census also reports that the size of the city is 7,859 square kilometers (3,034 square miles). 2] The city lies between natural geographical barriers. It is located in a valley between higher elevations, with various rivers surrounding and running through it. The rivers that make up part of the city include the Rio Sao Francisco (Sao Francisco River), Rio de Janeiro (Janeiro River), Rio das Femeas (Females River), and the Rio Boa Sorte (Good Luck River). [3] Based on personal visits to the city there is a clearly visible contrast in the financial classes of the people. The farming industry has led to the wealth of many people in the area.Yet, there is a large gap between the rich and poor. Albeit a rich city, a majority of the population of Barreiras is poor. The common citizen of the city struggles with providing basic needs for their family. Most of the poor women are the ones who provide many of the public services to the city, such as maids, custodial work in stores and hotels and market vendors. The men work as builders and farmers. Often the men work in the fields for weeks at a time, coming home on the weekends every two weeks for a couple of days rest.The average family income for the poor population is approximately R$800. 00 per month. That is the equivalent of US$500. 00 monthly. This figure is based on two working adults in each household. Because of this low income most people do not own a car and live in a very small house made of wood or block. Often the homes are unfinished. As families can afford to complete construction on the home they will. Because it is common for men to work in fields for days or weeks at a time, their absence in the home creates many obstacles to ministry and church growth.One of the common situations in a church in the region is that it is full of women and children and greatly lacking in male leadership and example. This, along with the other factors mentioned above will have an impact on the strategy to planting a church among the poor of this city. FACTORS OF STRATEGY AND METHOD Before the work begins, a strategy must be put in place and methods must be decided. This section will outline and describe how the church plant will begin and unfold. The beginning stages and the factors most important to it will be described in this section as well.The plan will serve as a guideline to the work that will be done to see that the church is carefully given over to national leadership so that it may continue reproducing itself in the region and throughout the world. The Prayer Factor The first factor that will be implemented in the church plant in Barreiras is prayer. As Jesus demonstrated in his earthly ministry, prayer is a vital part of a successful communion with God. In Matthew 14 Jesus had just finished performing the miracle of feeding 5,000 men plus women and children. In verse 23 he â€Å"went up into a mountain apart to pray. Jesus also spent special time in prayer before his suffering and death. â€Å"And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Matthew 26:39). In The Book of Church Growth: History, Theology, and Principles, Thom S. Rainer confirms the importance of prayer in the life of the local church. He stated, â€Å"There is simply no more important principle on Church Growth than prayer. †[4] Reflecting on the early church, it is clear that prayer was fundamental to their Christian life. Acts 1:14 speaks of this truth, â€Å"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. In the church plant personal and corporate prayer will be emphasized. Along with motivating prayer times personally and corporately, sharing responses to prayer will also be vital. As the church body is gathered for worship there will be time for prayer requests and praises for answered prayers. It will be important for the believers to have those times because they will be encouraging to those who are still waiting on answers to prayer. Perhaps the best way to encourage believers in the church to pray will be the personal example of the leadership.The church planter will need to record and report on his personal prayer life, for example, with a list of requests and their answers. By relating this personal devotion to prayer the church will be motivated to incorporate it into their daily lives. The Vision Factor The second factor to be incorporated into the church planting effort is vision. According to Tom A. Steffen, the vision statement is a tool that is useful for allowing the church planting team to see their final destination and how to get there. [5] The vision statement can be likened to a road map.Before taking a trip the driver acquires a map that outlines the destination and route to arrive there. In the church plant the vision statement will serve as t hat map. The statement will be the destination – what the church should look like. Using the vision statement, the church plant team members can effectively plan the trip – how to arrive at the destination. The vision statement for the church in Barreiras is: â€Å"This church exists as a local body of saved and baptized believers in Jesus Christ to bring glory to God Almighty through its worship, witness, walk, and work.This church is to reproduce in this region as well as throughout the world. This church will fulfill its vision by practicing the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). † Fulfilling the Vision With the Great Commission The Great Commission involves both reaching people with the gospel and teaching them the Word of God. M. David Sills thoroughly treated this subject in his book, Reaching and Teaching: A Call to Great Commission Obedience. He argued the importance of both evangelizing the target group as well as spending the necessary and often difficult time to teach them, as s clearly mandated in the Great Commission. Sills highlights the missionary ministry of the Apostle Paul, showing that he spent a great deal of time and energy in teaching the churches that he founded. â€Å"Paul stated that he longed to preach Christ in the unreached areas so that he would not be building on another man’s foundation, but his ministry reveals that this was balanced with staying to preach and teach, writing letters, or sending disciples in his place to continue the essential ministry that remained. [6] The church will have set times for evangelism as well as training to equip the believers to evangelize on their own. Fulfilling the Vision With the Great Commandment The church will be involved in the discipleship process. This will be vital to the life and growth of the church as the believers are challenged and taught to live a life pleasing to God. Through teaching believers to love Go d completely and to love their neighbors as themselves, the vision will be fulfilled. The Accurate Gospel FactorOne existing danger in a church-planting project is preaching an inaccurate gospel. When the gospel message is not presented accurately to the target group the resulting church will be negatively effected. Perhaps the target group will believe the gospel in hopes of it bringing health or good crops. Or perhaps they will accept it as just another belief system to add to their list. If this is carried on from generation to generation then the church will continue preaching an inaccurate gospel. Therefore, the gospel presented to the target group must be accurate.Steffen points out that the gospel presented to the target group has a direct relation to the type of church that is planted and their understanding of the Bible. â€Å"The fundamental key to understanding the whole Bible is a correct understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ. †[7] The accurate gospel mes sage that will be presented to the people of Barreiras will be based on and include four primary elements. They are: 1) God is holy, 2) man is sinful, 3) Christ is sufficient, and 4) man must have faith. These are simple and concise statements.However, each has a basis on God’s Word and is important for understanding the accurate gospel message. Unfortunately, many gospel presentations include the following two elements: Christ died to forgive sin and unless one wants to go to Hell he must be saved. Although those are included in the gospel message, it is not a complete, nor accurate, gospel message. The above four essential elements will be explained below. God is Holy Because God is holy he is completely separate from evil and sin. God does not allow sin to be around him.It is recorded in Isaiah 6:1-3 that Isaiah saw the throne of the Lord and heard seraphims saying to him, â€Å"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. † It is al so recorded in 1 Peter 1:15, â€Å"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. † When considering the holiness of God man understands that he has a problem. Man does not meet God’s standard and cannot have a relationship with him in his present state of sin. Man is Sinful Man’s condition is destitute. Man has erred and has chosen to disobey God and go his own way.In Genesis 3 the first sin of mankind is recorded when Adam disobeyed God’s command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Because of Adam’s sin all men are now born sinners. It is recorded in Romans 3:23, â€Å"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. † Romans 5:12 also shows that all men are sinners, â€Å"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. † The gospel must present this truth. The gospel does not exist to solve the health problems or vocational problems of man.It exists because mankind is sinful and cannot go to God as a sinner. However, the gospel is the good news that provides sinners with a solution. Christ is Sufficient When someone understands that God is holy and that man is sinful then he is going to be in need of some good news. The good news is that Jesus Christ has paid the price for man’s sin and his work is sufficient to bring salvation to man and reconcile him to God. The good news is presented in Romans 5:8 – â€Å"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. † Other verses of Scripture relate the good news of Jesus Christ as well.Romans 3:24-25, â€Å"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past , through the forbearance of God. † 1 Timothy 2:5, â€Å"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. † This good news of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection must be taught as the only sufficient plan for the salvation of mankind. But how does man get this salvation? Must he work for it? What does the Bible say?The final element of an accurate gospel is the necessity of personal faith. Man Must Have Faith For many American Christians, there are famous words recorded in Ephesians 2:8-9: â€Å"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. † These verses are clear that man cannot earn salvation. Salvation is a gift. Salvation is personal through faith. Faith is the key to an individual’s salvation. Believe is another term used in the Bible to describe man’s acceptance of the gospel message. This personal faith or belief is explained in 1 John 5:11-13.And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. The accurate gospel must include all four elements when presented to the people of Barreiras. The holy God who loves the sinful man and sent his only Son to pay the price for man’s sin provides salvation to those who have faith in Christ.This is the accurate gospel message. The National Leadership Factor Steffen pointed out that the church plant must involve national leadership early on, if not from the beginning. He also noted the importance of beginning the church plant with a strategic plan for completely leaving the work in national leaders’ hands. He commented on a mission leader who attested to the fact that the church cannot keep up with the world’s population growth and continue planting new churches if they are â€Å"reluctant to release power swiftly to those they have come to reach. [8] These two principles will be important to the church-planting project in Barreiras, Brazil. Brazil is not a pioneer mission field. One of the striking things concerning the life of the church in Brazil is that the past two decades have shown a dramatic growth among evangelical Christians. One result of that growth has been the founding of Bible Institutes and seminaries. The function of these institutions is to train workers for ministry throughout Brazil and the world. Because these institutions already exist there is really no need to establish more training institutions.Also, it is not difficult to find trained leaders for the newly planted churches. A reality for many of the seminary graduates is that upon completion of their seminary program there are few or n o ministry positions available in churches for them to fill. Therefore, there should not be difficulty in finding a qualified leader for the church plant. The search for leadership will begin with the existing seminaries and Bible Institutes. The Exit Factor The exit plan for this church plant will be modeled after Steffen’s explanation of and emphasis on role changes.Using these role changes, the church can systematically and successfully be given over to Brazilian leadership. The following roles will be filled by the church planter and replaced with the national leadership. The first role is â€Å"learner. † The learner role will be occupied the entire time the church planter serves the target group. The second role is â€Å"evangelist. † During this role, the church planter will have as his goal â€Å"winning key members of the target people to Christ. †[9] The next role is â€Å"teacher. † The teacher role focuses on modeling ministry with a na tional believer accompanying him.In the fourth role, â€Å"resident advisor,† the church planter becomes a â€Å"coach on the sideline† and joys with the team when they win and sorrows with the team when they lose. [10] The fifth role is that of â€Å"itinerant advisor. † During this role the national leadership will be responsible for the church’s administration while the church planter takes leaves of absence from the target group. The final role is the â€Å"absent advisor. † This will take place when the church planter is completely removed from the target group and maintains contact and instruction as needed through visits and correspondence.During the resident advisor and itinerant advisor stages the church planter will make survey trips to other areas that are potential locations for new church plants. In order to maintain a vision for expansion, it will be necessary to make regular trips such as these. The purpose is to increase awareness o f areas that are in need of a church plant. It will also be important to take along some of the national leadership. In doing so, the nationals will develop a vision for other areas and for reproducing themselves there.This will enable the church plant to become mission minded and encourage them to take on personal responsibility for fulfilling the Great Commission. CONCLUSION After years of struggles and victories the church plant be administrated fully by national believers. For God’s glory there will be a local body of believers fulfilling God’s plan on earth. When the church plant begins to personally and responsibly fulfill the Great Commission then the job has been completed – sort of. In the completion of one church plant another must automatically begin among the next target group.Thus, the cycle of church planting continues, never really completing. By God’s grace and for his glory the church plant in Barreiras will not complete, but keep going. BIBLIOGRAPHY IBGE [email  protected] http://www. ibge. gov. br/cidadesat/painel/painel. php? codmun=290320# (accessed July 24, 2011). Prefeiutra Municipal de Barreiras. Economia. http://www. barreiras. ba. gov. br/site/index. html (accessed July 24, 2011). Rainer, Thom S. The Book of Church Growth: History, Theology, and Principles. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1993. Sills, M. David.Reaching and Teaching: A Call to Great Commission Obedience. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2010. Steffen, Tom A. Passing the Baton: Church Planting that Empowers. LaHabra, California: Center for Organizational and Ministry Development, 1997. Wikipedia. Barreiras. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Barreiras (accessed July 24, 2011). ———————– [1] Prefeitura Municipal de Barreiras, â€Å"Economia,† http://www. barreiras. ba. gov. br/site/index. html (accessed July 24, 2011). [2] IBGE: [email  protected], http://w ww. ibge. gov. br/cidadesat/painel/painel. php? codmun=290320# (accessed July 24, 2011). 3] Wikipedia, â€Å"Barreiras,† http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Barreiras (accessed July 24, 2011). [4] Thom S. Rainer, The Book of Church Growth: History, Theology, and Principles, (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1993), 183. [5] Tom A. Steffen, Passing the Baton: Church Planting that Empowers, (La Habra, California: Center for Organizational and Ministry Development, 1997), 78. [6] M. David Sills, Reaching and Teaching: A Call to Great Commission Obedience, (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2010), 99. [7] Steffen, Passing the Baton, 134. [8] Steffen, Passing the Baton, 14. [9] Steffen, Passing the Baton, 22. [10] Ibid. , 23.