The Contributions of Religion in World Civilization

The Contributions of Religion in World Civilization There have been heated debates concerning contribution of religion in advancing peace and causing conflict. Proponents of religion argue that it is a source of peace and tranquility in the world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Contributions of Religion in World Civilization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They further argue that religion is the main source of hope for people because it promotes peace thus enabling people live harmonious and happy lives. On the other hand, opponents argue that religion is one of the main reasons for conflict in the world. Careful study and analysis of the contributions of religion in world’s civilization reveal that it contributes to both peace and conflict. Religion creates and fosters hope by empowering people through teachings that encourage peace. This is achieved by establishing cooperation between members of different religions. In the 21st century, religion has bee n a great force in advocating for justice in many regions of the world, especially underdeveloped and developing countries. Religion also rallies people against social injustices such as wars. For example, in the 1980s, Eastern and Western churches came together to promote peace in the world by participating in the peace movement. Many religions are involved in charity work and humanitarian aid activities. In many third world countries, the largest proportion of the population is poor. This means that they barely afford basic human needs. Churches create organizations to help poor people improve their lives by feeding, housing, and educating them. Before the world attained civilization, religion played a great role in causing conflicts. Religion was then a political institution that sought to amass wealth and power by conquering the world. Different religions fought wars in the name of their God, gods, and goddesses. Today, violent conflicts are linked to religious affiliations base d on race, culture, economic and territorial factors, and ethnicity. Most religious conflicts are based on differences in beliefs, teachings, and ideologies. Religion-based conflicts usually result in bloody wars because each religion considers itself superior to other religions. One of the religious groups that promote hate thus causing conflict is the Islamic extremists. Their beliefs promote hate and violence among people based on their religious affiliation. In ancient days, radical Christian groups exist that believed in violence as a problem resolution strategy.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, Christianity has evolved significantly and eradicated extremism in most of its sects. Difference in ideologies ad beliefs is observed in the main religions of the world. These include Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism. They all believe in one God but th eir beliefs and teachings are different. Some religions advocate for structural violence by establishing authoritarian decision-making structures that suppress efforts to promote egalitarianism. In many countries, churches have supported and promoted policies of dictatorial regimes. Recently, the Vatican supported the eminence of military rule in Haiti by rejecting the candidature of Aristide. This is clear evidence of religion’s involvement in promoting conflict either directly or indirectly. Islam has been accused many times of promoting hate and violence in the world. Its Jihad teaching has been a major cause of conflict and war especially in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Extremist groups such as Al Qaeda and Al Shabab use this teaching to launch attacks on members of different religions. The Middle East has undermined the eminence of religious tolerance as an avenue for peace and tranquility in the region. Historically, religion has been the cause of some of the bloodiest wars in the civilization of the world. This is because religion was a political entity that sought wealth and power. Religious leaders were powerful people who controlled larger regions and multitudes of people. Different religions fought wars in the name of their God, gods, and goddesses. Today, violent conflicts are linked to religious affiliations based on race, culture, economic and territorial factors, and ethnicity.

Different Types of Natural Selection

Different Types of Natural Selection One important thing for teachers to do after introducing a new concept is to check for complete student understanding of the main ideas. They also must be able to use the new knowledge and apply it to other situations if a deep and lasting connection of other scientific and evolution concepts is to be obtained. Critical thinking questions are a good way to monitor a students understanding of a complex topic such as the different types of natural selection. After a student has been introduced to the concept of natural selection and given information about stabilizing selection, disruptive selection, and directional selection, a good teacher will check for understanding. However, sometimes it is hard to come up with well constructed critical thinking questions that apply to the Theory of Evolution. One type of somewhat informal assessment of students is a quick worksheet or questions that introduce a scenario to which they should be able to apply their knowledge to come up with a prediction or a solution to a problem. These types of analysis question can cover many levels of Blooms Taxonomy, depending on how the questions are worded. Whether it is just a quick check on understanding vocabulary at a basic level, applying the knowledge to a real world example, or connecting it to prior knowledge, these types of questions can be adapted to the class population and the teachers immediate needs. Below, there are some of these types of questions that use a students understanding of the types of natural selection and links it back to other important ideas of evolution and various other science topics. Analysis Questions Use the scenario below to answer the following questions: A population of 200 tiny black and brown birds is blown off course and ends up on a fairly large island where there is a lot of open grassland with small shrubs right next to rolling hills with deciduous trees. There are other species on the island such as mammals, many different types of vascular and non-vascular plants, an abundance of insects, a few lizards, and a somewhat small population of large birds of prey similar to hawks, but there are no other species of small birds on the island, so there will be very little competition for the new population. There are two types of plants with seeds edible for the birds. One is a small-seeded tree that is found on the hills and the other is a shrub that has very large seeds. 1. Discuss what you think might happen to this population of birds over many generations with respect to the three different types of selection. Formulate your argument, including backing evidence, for which of the three types of natural selection the birds will likely undergo and debate and defend your thoughts with a classmate. 2. How will the type of natural selection you have chosen for the population of birds affect the other species in the area? Choose one of the given other species and explain what sort of natural selection they may undergo because of this sudden immigration of small birds to the island. 3. Choose one example of each of the following types of relationships between species on the island and fully explain them and how co-evolution may occur if the scenario plays out how you described it. Will the type of natural selection for these species change in any way? Why or why not? Predator and Prey relationshipMutualistic relationshipCompetitive relationship (for food, mates, etc.) 4. After many generations of offspring of the small birds on the island, describe how natural selection could lead to speciation and macroevolution. What would this do to the gene pool and allele frequency for the population of birds? (Note: Scenario and questions adapted from Chapter 15 Active Learning Exercises from first edition of Principles of Life by Hillis)

Entry Plan into International Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Entry Plan into International Market - Essay Example This has contributed significantly to the high levels of customer satisfaction, leading to customer loyalty. The company continues to maintain customers through ensuring similar levels in product quality, hence assuring customers of quality in Zara products. High-quality products have in turn brought high sales placing the company in the global market leadership position. The company presents unique products to its customers through the development of fashion designed based on the market demands. The organisation is drawn in the manufacture of different apparel products trading in different names. The company owns brands like    Pull and Bear,  Massimo Dutti,  and Uterqà ¼e among several others. The company offers clothing for all sexes, subdivided into different categories. The different categories available for Zara’s are upper and lower garments, which represent the parts of the body, shoes, cosmetics and complements. There is a division within the company that provides children clothing of various types and is named Zara kids The company remains one of the global leaders in the apparel industry because of the efficiency with which it delivers products into the market. The company is the principal retailer in the apparel industry globally and has 5527 retailing outlets in 82 different countries. The customer profile for the company consists of largely women with 65% of the market, with men and children holding 25% and 15% respectively, of the company’s global market. The company has created a market for itself in the global arena through affordability and differentiation of the products delivered into the market (Sharp & Dawes, 2001). The company makes products for high-end individuals and has continuously avoided the common industry trend of taking fashion to the low-cost countries. Zara began its international operations through Portugal, when it opened the first store abroad in the country.

Analysising myths Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysising myths - Essay Example Based on the crew ship called Prometheus, the movie shows the idea of averting foreseeable threats that could destroy human beings. Through the use of Artificial intelligence, the director has created David, the android, who has human attributes, but does not prefer the life of humans. Instead, David is critical of his creators and wants answers from them. In other words, the film evokes the myth that programming through computers could offer individuals feasible solutions to their lives. However, the myth of computer as a machine is not true because David’s programmer called Weyland eventually dies the idea of technological power is eradicated (Dalton 135). Overall, the myth of machine not only wreak havoc to the ship crew, but it also gives them the false belief of invincibility against their creators. A science fiction movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey recounts the encounter between black monoliths and human beings in a quest to understand aspects of human evolution. The scientists are determined to discover the signals that come from one of the monoliths in their voyage to Jupiter. Interestingly, the myth of machine or computer is observed in the illusion that only artificial intelligence and technology can save humanity from itself. Analysis of extraterrestrial life, for example, is largely aided by the use of a Space Odyssey venture that uses Pan Am Space plane and the landing in Lunar US outpost. The two named features are critical in explaining the belief myths as a means of attaining scientific exploration particularly on human evolution (Doniger 112). Additionally, the ability of HAL 900, a ship computer, to manage all events demonstrates the myth of the machine as the ultimate power in discovering truths hidden in other planets. The biblical myth is explicit in the 1928 movie, Metropolis, a drama film that is largely dystopian in its storyline. It is about wealthy industrialists who exploit their workers in high-rise tower complexes in a future

The Relationship Between Geography And International Relations Politics Essay

The Relationship Between Geography And International Relations Politics Essay From this quote, it can be understood the importance of geography for regions, people, politics, economics, globalization and the study of International Relations. As a definition, it can be remarked that Geography is considered as the study of spatial patterns in the human and physical worlds. What geographers do is the examination of how human and natural characteristics are distributed across the earth, what the relationship between them is and what patterns of behavior have those interactions. As an example, it can be used in terms of nature the Hurricane Katrina, when most of the population of New Orleans started to live in other cities in United States, while the price of gasoline increased considerably. Another example would be the war in Iraq, where so many Iraqi people have dead, and much of the military force is formed by people from many places in the world. In that sense, geography points on the study of interactions and flows between places in the world, not only physically but also Human, Systematic or Thematic and Regional geographic studies are made too. Those ramifications of Geography are called as Approaches to Geography  [2]  . Starting with Physical Geography, it can be said that it is the study of the natural environment and its processes in Earths surface: how climate changes, the distribution of landscape, the behavior and location of resources, hydrographic sources, ecology, soil surfaces for development, construction or life, and interactions between them that give people the idea of how is their intervention affecting the environment where they live in. On the other hand, Human Geography studies the human relations according to their location, the way societies are when living in a specific place of the world. Due to the fact that human beings form large societies, they create physical and social environments where they transform their social structures and surrounding area where they live. These actions go towards the need of survival, and interests that people have in order to achieve general and specific goals. As branches of Human Geography, it can be mentioned Demography  [3]  , urban/rural changes, politics and economies. Talking about Systematic or Thematic Geography, it can be stated as the study of the spatial relations and its effects relating it to Human Geography. That means the interactions of human groups with climate change, industrial development, health, migrations and urban growth. Finally, Regional Geography concentrates on specific areas on Earths surface  [4]  . It includes the study of soils, vegetation, landscapes and the linkage with culture, population, economy, politics, being both physical and human characteristics shapers of a Regional Character  [5]  . This concept involves the meaning of time, because regional linkages and boundaries change constantly from the point of view of geographers and also human collectivities. In this way, Regional Geography allows to establish a two-way interaction  [6]  between region and people which is really important to understand the relationship between geography and many aspects in the international environment. One of these aspects is globalization. As it is well known, globalization is transforming the world, making cultures get mixed and spread all over it. According to John J. Wild and his colleagues  [7]  , globalization changes also the national economies and standards of living (for better or for worse). The forces that drive globalization nowadays are changing profoundly cultures and political, legal, social and economic systems. Global connections involve crossing barriers or frontiers with ideas, technology, culture, people, money, capital, and unfortunately crime and terrorism. Definitely, it is much more than the expansion of trade and investment among nations  [8]  . This definition takes people to have many debates against and supporting globalization, in terms of its influence on jobs and wages, labor and environmental regulation income inequality, national sovereignty, democracy and culture. Now that globalization has been explained, Localization is also a very important concept to remark, and the best way to do it is with an example: it is not the same case if it is examined the way of living in France, and contrasted it with the conditions of living in Malaysia, Singapore or Peru. Ways of thinking and acting in those regions are so different, even if people have similar characteristics as human beings. That is why people in different areas have their local identities clearly defined, and the new ones that arrive are considered as external, though they start later to become so popular and widely accepted. That is what is considered the Power of globalization. Another aspect that involves geography and the international environment is the human impact on natural scenarios. It refers to the impact of the human activities (industrial, scientific, demographic) in the landscape, and environment conditions that make possible life on Earth. Towards this topic are well known the efforts that governments and non governmental institutions have done in order to preserve the environment. Almost all people around the world have heard about the Kyoto Protocol in the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, and other conferences and meetings all over the world, to prevent or diminish the emissions and risks of contamination for life and human development. Regarding at this topic, it can be stood out this expression said in An inconvenient truth, the film made with the participation of Al Gore, that tries to move consciences towards global warming nowadays: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Each one of us causes Global Warming, but we can change it with the products we buy, the electricity we use, our cars. We have the solution in our hands. We need determination to make them workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦  ¿But, there is actually a real conscience of the damage human beings have done to the Earth, or it is only a political strategy to obtain greater benefits? Now is time to speak about International Relations. As is well known, International Relations is the study of human interactions through national borders and factors that affect those interactions  [9]  . Thereby, Geography can be defined in terms of International Relations as the study of the geographical characteristics that affect directly or obliquely the international actors, such as states, civil society, NGOs and intergovernmental organizations. It has to be taken into account that the aspects mentioned before are part of International Relations as a hole, but it was absolutely necessary to define each one of them to have a clearer idea of what they are. Now, inside International Relations there are aspects as globalization, environmental issues, but also there are other ones like: regions and cultural geography, society, race, gender and ethnicity, population distribution and dynamics, politics, development and human rights. Continuing with the environmental issues, there are four important problems in the environment that concern people in the world. The first one is the impact of farming and mining. These activities have in the recent years increased soil erosion, and contamination due to the toxic wastes sluiced to land, going together with changes in species, both fauna and flora. The second problem is the ozone depletion caused by the toxic gases that people leave to the air, making the ozone hole grow more every single day. The last two ones are acid depositions  [10]  and natural hazards, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, storms, mudslides and problems in coastal zones. In terms of regions and cultural geography it is important to state the influence of language as a way of communication among people, and it is a very important factor in geographic diversity, it builds a shared identity in communities and groups of people, the same way religion and races do. In race and ethnicity, ethnic groups for example establish a common identity, recognized by themselves and by other people outside the ethnic groups according to elements as language, religion, tribe, nationality or race, and the share of a strong link between members  [11]  . Following this sequence of ideas, the next topic in the International Relations and Geography is population distribution and dynamics. How migration, population densities, distribution, poverty and wealthy affect the international environment? Demography, the branch of Human Geography that studies those effects, is in charge of analyze the social, economic, cultural and politic connotations that have this phenomena. They play an important role in the economic and social structure of a country, and also when planning the main policies and practices in the world  [12]  . The big dilemma now is to adjust population dynamics to the existent structures, or on the other hand, modify the structure of the International System to the tendencies of the demographic growth  [13]  . As population increases faster every single day, it is necessary for the International System to take into account demographic variables to create new policies in terms of migration, jobs and wages, security, going towards development strategies, especially in third world countries. This quote said by Sauvy, explains perfectly the relationship between Demography and International Relations: Demography, science that studies population, is everywhere and nowhere. Devoid of natural frontiers, it can be extended or restricted conventionally  [14]  . As Demography studies the effect of populations in International Relations, and it has to be entirely with humans, it does not have natural borders but interferes absolutely in the International System and its way of working. When talking about politics, it is necessary to call the concept of Political Geography, which is the study of the influence of political organizations or movements in the world regional geography. The main objective of Political Geography is the relationship between Population, State and Territory  [15]  . This branch of geography is structured in three levels, as follows: The State where are studied all cohesive, coercive and breakup forces in a specific territory. Over the State, international relations are located, as the study of political and geostrategic processes in the area. Finally, under the State (but not less important) is located the study of the political geography of communities inside the territory, and their relations of power between the communities and the state.  [16]   In the political ambit it is essential to mention also the importance of other organizations such as United Nations in the ways of government in regions. The term governance appears affected by the influence of those organizations as regulators or cooperators in the International System. These organizations also work as network builders that function across country borders, giving birth to a process called the stretching of politics.  [17]   The last one of the aspects related to International Relations and Geography, is Development and Human Rights. It considers the differences that erupt when analyzing some regions that have higher or lower material and personal well-being indexes, and those studies take into account for example the complex interactions of people with natural environment, the historical growth of population, the evolution of political systems, economics and Human Rights  [18]  . From that point, these phenomena can give an idea of how Human Rights in the International system have evolved into the established guidelines of Human Rights today in the world. Concluding, all aspects mentioned before link Geography with IIRR in a way that is impossible to mention IIRR without mentioning Geography, since it talks about aspects that are essential for the understanding of International System. Geography can be considered as a helpful tool since IIRR is a multidisciplinary science.

Dear God Essay

Kalina, Presented to: Mrs. G December 20th, 2012 Dear God Movie Ethical Consideration The film â€Å"Dear God† directed by Garry Marshall is about a young man named Tom Turner who is a specialized con man. However, once he gets caught by the police, he has the choice to either go to jail or find a real job. He chooses the job. Tom finds himself working at a post office, sorting dead mail. In all likely turn of events, Tom finds himself answering â€Å"dear god† letters and helping those who are in desperate need to uncover the happiness they deserve.Faith plays a role in this film because even though nobody can physically see God, they continue to pray and write letters to him, hoping someone will hear their prayer. Justice also plays a role because justice is about empowering people who need it the most and doing what is right. Take the old man who wrote a letter that he was going to commit suicide. It is justice that out of all the letters that could have been picked, his showed up and a life was saved. He wrote that letter in some hope, someone would read it and save him.His faith and honesty in God led him to be saved. The world is anything but a perfect place. And even though so many of us live in luxurious houses and have access to so many technologies, there are always going to be people who need help. Whether it be money, taking to someone or saving lives. There are so many problems and issues people can have. It can be a large country as a whole, like third world countries who struggle to find water and food for themselves or someone battling depression. People have faith because they need to believe something good can happen for them.They need to know that someone is watching over them and that they are not alone. I think having faith in something or someone can give people the confidence to even start making their own choices and actions. I think it is so difficult for people to reach out and help others because we live in a world where there are so many complications, expectations and pressures. People have so much going on in their own life; they think they have no time to help others with theirs. We are so caught up in our own roblems we forget that so many others are faced with the same challenges and may even have it worse. Some people we also feel resent towards helping others because no one has helped them when they needed it. I feel like more people have become selfish and if they haven’t gotten something then they shouldn’t help someone else receive it either. Nowadays, people will only help others if they get something in return, but in my opinion that still doesn’t count as helping someone if you’re doing it for yourself. I think society is already on the path of self-absorption.And if continues to in the same way it is going, I think it could lead to a massive amount of deaths that are unnecessary. Take Egypt, Syria or even Greece for example, all these countries have major conflicts that have lead to protests and deaths. I think society will continue to behave selfishly if they continue on this path and nobody will appreciate the true meaning of life, all they will care about is money. I believe that a large amount of people in the world care more about money and possessions than they do about loved ones or people.However, I also believe that there are also many people who still possess a kind heart and do want to help others without their own benefit. If more people start to look at things from different viewpoints and put themselves in other people’s shoes, they can make a difference, just like Tom Turner. People need to start believing in the more positive aspect instead of the negative and have a little faith that sometimes people will do nice things for others without getting anything in return.

Definition and Discussion of General American English

General American English is a somewhat vague and outdated term for a  variety of spoken American English that seems to lack the distinctive characteristics of any particular region or ethnic group. Also called network English or newscaster accent. The term General American (GA, GAE, or GenAm) was coined by English professor George Philip Krapp in his book The English Language in America (1925). In the first edition of History of the English Language (1935), Albert C. Baugh adopted the term General American, calling it the dialect of the Middle States and the West. General American   is sometimes broadly characterized as speaking with a midwestern accent, but as William Kretzschmar observes (below), there has never been any single best or default form of American English that might form the basis for General American (A Handbook of Varieties of English, 2004). Examples and Observations The fact that I conjugate my verbs and speak in a typical Midwestern newscaster voice--theres no doubt that this helps ease communication between myself and white audiences. And theres no doubt that when Im with a black audience, I slip into a slightly different dialect.(U.S. President Barack Obama, quoted by Dinesh DSouza in Obamas America: Unmaking the American Dream. Simon Schuster, 2012)The term General American is sometimes used by those who expect for there to be a perfect and exemplary state of American English . . .. However, in this essay the term Standard American English (StAmE) is preferred; it designates the level of quality (here of pronunciation) that is employed by educated speakers in formal settings. StAmE pronunciation differs from region to region, even from person to person, because speakers from different circumstances in and different parts of the United States commonly employ regional and social features to some extent even in formal situations.(William A. Kr etzschmar, Jr., Standard American English Pronunciation. A Handbook of Varieties of English, ed. by Bernd Kortmann and Edgar W. Schneider. Mouton de Gruyter, 2004)[T]he standard assumption for American English is that even educated speakers, from certain regions at least (most notably New England and the South), at times use regional pronunciation characteristics and thus speak with an accent; hence, despite the persistent belief in a homogenous General American accent or notions like network English there is in fact no single norm of pronunciation that corresponds to RP [received pronunciation] in England, being a non-regional class dialect.(Edgar W. Schneider, Introduction: Varieties of English in the Americas and the Caribbean. A Handbook of Varieties of English, ed. by Bernd Kortmann and Edgar W. Schneider. Mouton de Gruyter, 2004) Variants in Network English It is important to note that no single dialect--regional or social--has been singled out as an American standard. Even national media (radio, television, movies, CD-ROM, etc.), with professionally trained voices have speakers with regionally mixed features. However, Network English, in its most colourless form, can be described as a relatively homogenous dialect that reflects the ongoing development of progressive American dialects (Canadian English has several notable differences). This dialect itself contains some variant forms. The variants included within this targeted accent involve vowels before /r/, possible differences in words like cot and caught and some vowels before /l/. It is fully rhotic. These differences largely pass unnoticed by the audiences for Network English, and are also reflective of age differences.(Daniel Jones, English Pronouncing Dictionary, 17th ed. Cambridge University Press, 2006) ​​General American vs. the Eastern New England Accent A few examples of differences between some regional dialects and General American or Network English are in order here, though these are necessarily selective. In the characteristic speech of Eastern New England, for instance, rhotic /r/ is lost after vowels, as in far or hard, while it is retained in all positions in General American. A rounded vowel has been retained in Eastern New England in words like top and dot, whereas General American uses an unrounded vowel. Another Eastern New England characteristic is the use of /É‘/ in words like bath, grass, last, etc., where General American uses /a/. In these respects the New England accent shows some similarities with British RP.(Diane Davies, Varieties of Modern English: An Introduction. Routledge, 2013) Challenges to the Concept of General American The belief that American English consists of General American and the Eastern (Northern) and Southern dialect varieties was called into question by a group of American scholars in the 1930s. . . . In 1930 [Hans] Kurath was named the director of an ambitious project called The Linguistic Atlas of the United States and Canada. He patterned the project on a similar European undertaking that had been completed some years before the American project started: Atlas linguistique de la France, which ran between 1902 and 1910. Given the results of their work, Kurath and his co-workers challenged the belief that American English had the varieties Eastern, Southern, and General American. Instead, they suggested that American English is best viewed as having the following major dialect areas: Northern, Midland, and Southern. That is, they did away with the elusive notion of General American and replaced it with the dialect area that they called Midland.(Zoltà ¡n Kà ¶vecses, American English: A n Introduction. Broadview, 2000)Many Midwesterners are under the illusion that they speak without an accent. They may even believe that they speak Standard American English. But most linguists understand that there is not a single, correct way to speak English. So, yes, even Midwesterners speak with an accent.(James W. Neuliep,  Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach, 6th ed. SAGE, 2015)It should be emphasized that everyone speaks with an accent; it is as impossible to speak without an accent as to speak without making sounds. When people deny they have an accent, this is a statement of social prejudice and not linguistics.(Howard Jackson and Peter Stockwell, An Introduction to the Nature and Functions of Language, 2nd ed. Bloomsbury Academic, 2011) Also see: Standard American EnglishAccent PrejudiceEthnic Dialect,  Idiolect,  Regional Dialect, and  Social DialectMarkednessPrestigePronunciationStandard English