We are not harmed by our own death

Everywhere in the world people are afraid of death so much that if anything bad or scaring is about to happen, it will take a few seconds for all the people to disappear from that place. This is fear of death and any danger that threatens life possessed by humans.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on We are not harmed by our own death specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, there are several arguments by philosophers which challenge this attitude towards death. For example, the argument that we are not harmed by our own death is put across by Epicurean, a well known philosopher. According to him, death does not harm an individual or their relatives as it is perceived by many people. For that reason, people should not have any fear of death as it lacks a direct effect on them. To begin with, he gives an argument of the death nature in relation to our lives and humanity in general. His assumption is that death of an i ndividual is the end of his existence both soul and body, making the effect of death inconsequential to his dead body. In his argument, he wonders how death can be bad to a person when they are not there and consequently can not feel anything. As a result, people should not be afraid of death as this creates the feeling of desperation, which causes anguish that may otherwise be avoided (Craig 1998:p121). According to Epicurean, death should be treated as nothing because everything we perceive as bad or good is a result of our personal experience. Intrinsically, this capacity to experience or the ability to develop is what death deprives an individual of. It should be treated as nothing because during one’s life, nobody understands death until it comes. Furthermore, at this time, a person is dispossessed of his ability to experience death.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In his argument, he makes use of an example of two friends where one of them travels to space and their communication through a phone stops 20 minutes after his departure. To make it worse, he is expected to come back after 100 years And within this period of time the friend who is left behind will probably die. He feels bad for the death of his friend but if the person is dead he no longer exists and therefore does not feel the resulting pain. To avoid confusion, we only consider the death and not the process of dying. It is nothing to the friend who is alive because he has not experienced it and therefore has no explanation. However, the living may challenge this based on the pain and grief they feel when a close relative or a friend dies (Craig 1998:p151). To explain his non existing assumption of death to both the living and the dead, Epicurean suggests a theory of death where it has completely different way of affecting us and there is no direct effect like a sting. Such that, when a person dies he loses existence and all the nice benefits that come with it. This is the effect of death which takes away lives and it is called the deprivation account, which is supported by the fact that at that point a deceased loses his or her life while the living loses a close person. The loss to the two individuals makes their loss equal and neutral. In our day-to-day life, time is considered to be a major factor when defining a fact, an occurrence or an event. To improve on the credibility of something that should be proved, the time of occurrence should be specific. In this case, if death is horrific to an individual then when do its effects impact on them? It is assumed that the moment he or she dies, at this time, this person does not exist and, therefore, is not present to feel all the effects. The consequences will be there but they will not be felt by the deceased because he or she ceased to exist. His absence makes the effect of death to be meaningless to him/her (Cra ig 1998:p51).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on We are not harmed by our own death specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, we have the non-existence requirement suggested by Epicurean. It is supported by the fact that sometimes death may occur to the unborn babies. In this case, the fetus never gets a chance to grow into a human being and it dies while in its mother’s womb. In life the case can be bad for you only if you were present and therefore went through its effects at that instant when it was happening. As such, in this case is the fetus at the time of its death and has not came to existence as a person yet. As a result, the death cannot be bad to someone who has never actually lived at the occasion of its occurrence. This clearly explains that death does not harm the dead person (Edwards 2002:P575). Following the argument above, there is even more proving that death lacks any effect on both th e dead and the living. When a person dies it means he or she has no life anymore and the body is just like a plant or a piece of tree cut down. That is why they are called ‘the deceased’. However, this dead person is supposed to be somehow feeling the death but in reality the person is not there. It is clear that death is in its own and does not have any directly present effects on the non-existing dead (Edwards 2002:P530). It is also impossible to prolong life and the things that make it enjoyable due to the interference of death which cuts short all the delight that we get from life. Furthermore, enjoying life for a shorter time is considered similar to enjoying it for a longer time as the two instances derive similar satisfaction before death takes place. This is referred to as a notion of indifference as there is a lack of extreme benefits in living a longer life from the assumption of the state of aponia and ataraxia (Kagan 2012:p650).Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Accordingly, it is clear that death is an obliteration that only takes place but in the way that is beyond human understanding. As, its effect can only be felt by the living through the perception they have about it. However, it lacks a direct link with the dead person due to his absence. Furthermore, it cannot be directly linked to the living in the reality apart from the fear it creates on people. It can be good if people would stop worrying about it and change their perception. This will save them from the anguish and desperation it causes, while reducing on their grief after a close person’s death (Kagan 2012:p635). References Craig, E 1998, Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Routledge publishers, London. Edwards, E 2002, Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Macmillan, London. Kagan, S 2012, Death, Yale University Press, New Heaven. This essay on We are not harmed by our own death was written and submitted by user D'KenNeraman1 to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Dangers Of Bombs Essays - Improvised Explosive Devices

The Dangers Of Bombs Essays - Improvised Explosive Devices The Dangers Of Bombs Today more and more kids believe that bombs are fun to experiment with, but do not realize the dangers associated with even the simplest bombs. Although curiosity can be a great characteristic to have, curiosity when it comes to bombs should simply not be tolerated because all bombs produce an uncontrolled reaction leading to destruction that could harm to, or even kill someone. Even bombs in a controlled experiment by experts can be quite dangerous. Take into account the fact that many died during experiments with the atom bomb. Although the experts said it would be fine to watch and be in a close vicinity to the blast, they didnt know about the radiation caused by the reaction. This caused numerous deaths. Although most kids wont be experimenting with atom bombs, many dangers are associated with smaller types of bombs such as pipe bombs. Pipe bombs are especially lethal because they produce lots of shrapnel. Shrapnel is debris given off by the explosion (metal pieces of the pipe, or maybe even nails, glass, or bolts) that can cause lots of harm due to its velocity. Many kids believe that they are experts, and that nothing will ever happen to them, but it defiantly can. Many incidents have occured of kids being hurt or killed by their own bomb. One case is that of a kid building a pipe bomb in my area. He stuffed a lot of gunpowder into a pipe with nails and he started to screw the cap of the metal pipe on. The grinding of the metal caused sparks and ignited the bomb, and he lost his hand and will not ever be able to have children. All this happened because of a simple bad decision that he will have to remember for the rest of his life. Terroristic acts have plagued the entire world for centuries. These primitive acts of violence have an everlasting effect on communities thoughout the world. What may seem as icolated acts of hatred among cirtain groups can effect many generations down the line. To this day if one were to bring up Oklahoma City one of the first things that comes to mind is the horrifying terror felt by the people thoughout the Federal building on that mild April day in 1995; not to mention the family members greif and the shock that was felt througout the nation. This isn't the only major bombing in my lifetime. One remembered vividly by the nation is the bombing of the World Trade Center. The devestation in this incidident was caused by a simple fetilizer bomb. Taking this time to do this essay has helped me realize how dangerous bombs really can be. Meeting with the Delaware Fire Marshall changed the way I make my decisions. Looking back on my descision with the dry ice bomb, I found that I should have thought of the concequences before I acted. This whole experience has helped me realize that bombs are very destructive. All in all I hope that I dont have to go though this experience again in my life time.

The Nitrogen Cycle Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

The Nitrogen Cycle - Statistics Project Example As a result, the salinity gradient was different along Kinvara Bay in time point 1 in comparison to time point 2. The periplasmic reductase gene Napa and the membrane-bound narG were presented in the sediments where Napa had a high affinity for nitrate in comparison to narG. Moreover, it was identified the presented bacteria in the bay were rather similar to those in Colne Estuary sediments, United Kingdom, back in 2007. (Smith et al., 2007). In general, the presented bacteria were from gamma proteobacteria, which is strongly associated with Napa reductase gene. Overall, another extensive study is needed to fully understand the denitrifiers Napa and narG community and structure in the environment. Further, quantitative polymerase chain reaction is necessary to quantify gene copy numbers of these two genes (napA and narG) present in the environment. Sediments from time point 1 and 2 of all the three sites were heated in the oven overnight to ignite the carbon. Subsequently, the sample s were weighed to calculate the total organic carbon. Carbon source was considered as being crucial in the denitrification process.  Water salinity was measured by a Refractometer. This is quite an easy type of measurement to account for salinity.  Measuring the sediment salinity was accomplished through different steps.   Primarily, distilled H2O was added to all sediments from the three sites from time point 1 and 2. The sediments were centrifuged and this allowed the salt in the sediments to be dissolved in the water.   The dissolved salt was then filtered and evaporated in the oven overnight, weighed, and then calculated. The sediments salinity was represented the different gradients through the three sites,   from both time points 1 and 2.

Comparative Analysis of Portugal and Australia Culture Essay

Comparative Analysis of Portugal and Australia Culture - Essay Example Comparative Analysis of Portugal and Australia Culture For an individual, it is imperative to comprehend the multicultural values especially in the business environment to successfully perform the assigned activities. With this concern, in order to ascertain cultural distinctiveness of the host or target country i.e. Australia, a person working in the corporate sector in the nation was interviewed. Subsequently, a number of critical facets have been derived that would enable to meet the ensuing challenges in a diverse culture. The objective of the study is to determine the various cultural dimensions which differentiate the business and cultural environment of Australia from Portugal. The behavioral dimension, work purpose, time and human nature among factors are evaluated. The cultural environment of Australia differs from that of Portugal on the basis of certain grounds. From the conversation with the designated individual and from revealed researches, it has been ascertained that the culture of Australia gives much significance to ascertaining harmony of the country which influences the workplace. The harmony is valued to bring cohesiveness and promote diversity in Australia which supports the work culture to a great extent. Australia renders more significance to the individualistic culture, which makes the society loosely knit. This characteristic is displayed in the business environment where the employees are estimated to be self-reliant and exhibit initiative. The people of Australia are modest, val ue authenticity, sincerity and give more importance to the business. The hiring and the promotion of the people in Australia depend on the merit of the individuals. Conversely, in Portugal, the importance is given to the moral and relationship factor. The cohesiveness of the people in Australia makes it a better place for business than in Portugal. The Portugal culture gives more importance to personal relation than business. The commitment among the people is more in Portugal as they follow the collective approach, which gives more importance to the group member than an individual (ITIM, â€Å"What about Australia†; ITIM, â€Å"What about Portugal†). UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE The rules and procedures are flexible in Australia as it follows the pragmatic culture for avoiding uncertainty. With reference to Hofstede’s cultural dimension, it is observed that the score of Australia is 51 as compared to 104 of Portugal which signifies that the Australian culture gives em phasis on idea generation, innovation and has a risk taking approach to help the work environment to flourish amid the changing uncertainties. Whereas, the Portuguese culture states that they follow rigid rules and procedures which help them to avoid uncertainty better than Australia. The people do not focus on emotions much and emphasize planning to make the business grow. The culture emphasizes more emotions, beliefs and have a risk-averse behavior (ITIM, â€Å"What about Australia†; ITIM, â€Å"What about Portugal†). SOURCES OF TRUTH In the Australian organizational culture, the managers are easily accessible due to a flexible hierarchical system. The communication system is informal in Australia which gives scope for both the management and the employees to have a free interaction. Thus, employee for any query or in search of truth

Midwestern Contemporary Art Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Midwestern Contemporary Art - Case Study Example The essay "Midwestern Contemporary Art Case" analyzes the Peter Smith and Keith Schmidt figures in contemporary art. Keith Schmidt has an established track record of success, and without a doubt has established himself as a reliable individual in terms of museum expansion. It follows that it's necessary to establish the chosen direction for the museum's operations. Having joined the board in 1981, Smith had experience with the MCA's operations; furthermore, when he joined the board, â€Å"he began pushing his desire that the MCA would attract more artists and a broader audience†. It's clear that in these regards upon the beginning of Smith's involvement he was on-board with the museum's expansion. Furthermore, knowing Keith Schmidt's track record and understanding that the museum expansion would be a key emphasis, he approved his hiring. While Peter Smith contends that Schmidt has acted without proper care and in a reckless way, another individual at the art center indicated t hat, â€Å"each year, we always ended up with a balanced budget, so I feel that Schmidt acted very responsibly in dealing with fiscal matter†. Rather than truly believing that Keith Schmidt was acting recklessly, the evidence indicates that Peter Smith's disagreements with Schmidt were based more out of a difference of opinion on the direction of the museum. Furthermore, it's noted that the responsibilities of the board members is not management and fiduciary responsibility, but rather to oversee broader matter; these are the responsibilities.

Effect of Urban Living on Sustainability

Effect of Urban Living on Sustainability Continued Urbanisation – Does it hold the key to sustainable living? March 25th 2010 – was a key turning point in humanity (Graph 1); it was on that day, for the first time ever, that over half of the world’s population (50.5%) were classified as living in urban areas (compared to rural), as a result of urbanisation. Graph 1, showing Urban and Rural World Population change since 1950. Causes of Urbanisation Urbanisation is the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities1, this results from: rural to urban migration (mostly in LEDCs and NICs) natural increase (birth rate exceeds deathrate) (mostly in LEDCs and NICs) Urbanisation rates vary temporally and spatially, indeed most MEDCs began urbanising in the 1800’s as a result of industrialisation. In the 1950s, North America and Europe were home to the world’s most urbanised regions, though Tokyo overtook New York as the world’s largest city. By the mid 60s, the world’s urban population passed 1 billion, with rates of urbanisation having become highest in Asia and Africa; and Asia having more urban dwellers than Europe. By the 80s, urbanisation rates in China were once again increasing, though had slowed globally. Worldwide urban dwellers exceeded 2 billion, with Toyko’s population having reached 30 million. During the first decade of the 21st century the urban/rural balance of the industrial countries stabilised at 70-80% mark. Analysts predict that by 2020 the world’s urban population will reach 4 billion and China will become more than 50% urbanised2. The greatest contributor to urbanisation is that of migration. Migration is controlled by a series of push and pull factors (Table 1). Table 1: Push Pull factors contributing to urbanisation Push Factors (usually negative, and repel people from the rural area) Pull Factors (usually positive, and attract people to move to the urban area) *high unemployment *low unemployment; better employment opportunities *population increase *better living standards *famines (such as in Ethiopia in the 1980s) *housing – quality and availability *flooding (such as in Bangladesh where people move to Dhaka) *essential services such as health and education are more readily available and accessible Sustainable Urban Living Global urbanisation is bringing the majority of the world’s population together in cities, making it easier to provide access to essential services, as the people are in concentrated areas. But, realistically, does continued urbanisation actually hold the key to future sustainable living, or is the rate of growth such that we cannot keep pace? For future sustainability, the lifestyle of our global population must reduce the rate of depletion of natural resources, from the earth, so that we can meet our needs, whilst not negatively impacting on the lives of future generations. Sustainable living means ‘living a lifestyle that uses as few resources as possible and causes the least amount of environmental damage for future generations to deal with’3. Figure 1 below considers some of the key elements of urban sustainability4 Essentially, to be sustainable, our system outputs should be ‘recycled or re-used’ so as not to exceed our inputs. This applies to all settlements, not just urban ones. I live in an urban area, Telford, albeit a small one. Recycling has become a prominent part of our life (2004 onwards) as we aim to reduce landfill and address CO2 issues. I enjoy living in an urban environment, I have a choice of health and education services, I have access to retail and leisure parks and our public transport system makes travelling around the town easier. On a negative note, I see a lot of expansion onto greenfield sites as more homes and retail areas are created. This is destroying the view from my window and saddens me, especially when I walk through town and see boarded up shops. Solutions: Ensuring sustainable urban living Scenarios The future landscape could look very different if urbanisation continues at an unabated rate and we take no action, some ‘what ifs’ are considered below. What if †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. What this could mean †¦ How we could avert the issue Urban areas in LEDCs/NICs continue to grow at a rapid rate Increased numbers of informal settlements (shanty towns) in urban areas, especially in LEDCs and NICs; services under pressure due to increased demand; spread of disease Provide the essential services that rural areas need eg mobile doctors and schools, to reduce the desire to move; this would help agricultural productivity too; have an entry policy – people have to apply for permission to move to the city Urbanisation becomes more popular in MEDCs Redevelopment of brownfield sites is more costly and time consuming compared to greenfield developments, so urban sprawl might extend, if green belts are non-existent or are developed Promote inner city living, including the ability to live, work and relax all in the one ‘space’; reduces commuting time and costs and makes for a healthier lifestyle Urbanisation in China Graph 2, showing change in Life Expectancy in China between 1960 and 2011 A good example of a country that has seen a rapid increase in urbanisation is China. China has been urbanising rapidly; in 1940 it had 69 cities, in 2007 it had 670 almost ten times as many after only 67 years. This has very clearly affected Chinese life expectancy dramatically, as the graph left clearly shows (Y-axis: life expectancy in China at birth, X-axis: Date of Birth). This shows very clearly that the more urban the country became, the higher the life expectancy: so urbanisation can definitely be seen to increase the lifespan of the countries inhabitants. However, in Graph 3, below, it is very clear to see that in the same timespan (1960-2010) the CO2 emissions have greatly increased, showing the negative effect urbanisation has had on air pollution, which is now a major problem in China. Graph 3, showing Carbon Dioxide emission levels, per capita, between 1960 and 2010 The most fundamental requirements for sustaining human life are: shelter, food and water. Urbanisation, due to the creation of apartment buildings and streets in cities, usually has a positive impact on housing requirements. However, availability of food and water may be hindered by the accelerating speed of global urbanisation as high population densities can put local water plants under extreme pressure, due to such high demand, so in the long term urbanisation can have a negative effect in this context. Urbanisation can also mean bad news for food supply; the migration of people from rural areas into cities means that long term, agricultural operations can suffer due to insufficient, capable rural workers being available and, in some cases, destruction of farming sites for construction of new urban sites is also a big problem. Due to these factors the production of food may slow down and supplies even become depleted. Graph 4, showing Population Increase in China between 1961 and 2005. Another, negative, effect urbanisation can have is over population. Returning to the earlier example of China since China has been becoming a large urban country, its population has increased substantially; the population of China in 2012 was approximately 1,344,130,000 (over 1/6 of the earth’s total population of 7.129 billion). China is widely considered to be one of the most over-populated countries in the world, and over-population can really hinder the goal of sustainable living. Looking at the three, aforementioned, basic requirements to sustain human life shelter, food and water, we can see how overpopulation can have a negative impact on all of these. If there are too many people living in a country, it becomes very difficult to provide housing for all of them, and even harder to supply all of them with a job, so they can afford the upkeep of their accommodation. Overpopulation also places a high demand for constant provision of food and water; this, added to the ear lier mentioned effects that urbanisation has on the food and water supplies, means supply of both of these commodities, essential for human life, will be put under extreme pressure as a result of urbanisation and overpopulation. These factors really challenge the theory that global urbanisation could be the answer to sustainable living and, to address this further, we need to compare an international rural living area with an urban one. Rural living in Ethiopia compared to Urban living in the U.K. Ethiopia, which had a rural population of 82.4% in 2010, provides a brilliant example of rural living and the United Kingdom, which had an urban population of 90.1% in 2010, provides a good example of an urban area. UK (urban) Ethiopia (rural) Life Expectancy 80 years (2011) 59 years (2011) Adult Literacy Rate ^^99% (2003) 39% (2007-2011) Internet Users 82% (2011) 1% (2011) Use of Improved Water Sources 100% (2010) 44% (2010) Adult HIV Prevalence 0.3% (2011) 1.4% (2011) (Data source ^^ CIA World Factbook, all other data from UNICEF ) Looking at these indicators, it seems that urbanisation is advantageous in many areas. I included the adult literacy rate and internet use to show the quality of education; the use of improved water sources and HIV prevalence to show the quality of health and related services. As the table shows, UK, a highly urbanised area, has a much better quality of life than Ethiopia, an extremely rural area: UK life expectancy is significantly higher than Ethiopia’s (by 35%); the literacy rate in Ethiopia is 60% lower than that of the UK; internet use in the UK is substantially higher that in Ethiopia (81%); all UK citizens use improved water sources, whereas only 44% of Ethiopians do and the HIV prevalence rate in Ethiopia is almost 5 times higher than that in the UK. All of these indicators clearly point towards the fact that urbanisation does contribute to life quality and longevity. In conclusion I think that the true key to sustainable living is to find a perfect balance between populating urban and rural areas, as both are incredibly important. Without urban areas we may not be as technologically advanced as we are today (many of our technology looks towards a future sustainable life, like electric powered cars), and if towns and cities weren’t being built, the present risk of over population would be even more severe; and without rural areas, agricultural industries would suffer greatly which are incredibly important to human life, and loss of large forests and/or grasslands could mean a large increase of Carbon Dioxide in the air as well as destroying many historical location. To improve urban areas governments can focus on improving public transportation systems, which have proved very successful and eco-friendly in the past (for example the London Underground and the new York Subway) and continue to develop more ways to be economically friendly like finding a better way to dispose of our waste or developing more means of transportation that don’t affect the environment as heavily as current transport does. In order to protect rural areas Green Belts and/or UGBs (Urban growth boundaries) can be put into place more frequently, which limit where cities can expand in order to protect and maintain rural and semi-rural areas. If we continue to expand our urban areas whilst making sure we maintain enough rural locations then I think that we can easily accomplish sustainable living. I would suggest that a good percentage for the world’s population living in urban areas is around 80% in order to achieve this goal. Bibliography/Resource List www.internetgeography.net http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16606619 www.regenerative.com http://beta.futurecities.ethz.ch/assets/FCL_web_circular_metabolism1.jpg www.onlinegeography.co.uk www.wikispaces.com www.inhabitat.com www.cat.org.uk www.dawleyheritage.co.uk

The Red Badge of Courage: A Coming of Age Novel Essay -- Character Ana

A solider is a solider in anytime. Whether he is a solider fighting off the British in the American Revolution, or a solider fighting against his own in a civil war. Many of the experiences and feelings are the same. Have you ever wondered what it is like being a solider? Have you ever wondered about a soldiers feelings as he faces battle for the first time? Stephen Crane shows us in The Red Badge of Courage, a character, Henry Fleming, an average young recruit in the Civil War. Fleming comes to realize that when it comes to war what he expects is different from what he must come to except. Stephen Crane was born shortly after the Civil War which may have influenced his writing of The Red Badge of Courage, which some critics view as a coming of age novel. Stephen Crane was born shortly after the Civil War on November 1st 1871, in Nework New Jersey (Miller 285). The Crane family had fourteen children, Stephen Crane being the last (285). According to â€Å" a short biography of Stephen Crane’s early years,† by the time Crane had reached the age of three he had already taught himself to read and right. At the age of four Crane had read James Fenimore Cooper’s novels. These novels had been past down by his brother, who had to sneak the novels into the strict Methodist household. According to Ray Miller, the Crane family moved to Port Jervis, New York in 1878, but two years later marked the death or Crane’s father. Crane’s mother then moved the family to Asbury Park, New Jersey where Stephen Crane began to excel in public schools (285). Crane’s first short story was not published until after his death, which was called â€Å" Uncle Jake and the Bell Handler† written in 1885 (285). At this time Crane enrolled into Pennington Se... ...ience what it is like to be a hero (shaw 418). As The Red Badge of Courage comes to it’s conclusion the cowardly â€Å"youth† to a courageous hero. Fleming focused on his hate and desire to smash the glittering smile of victory that was seen on his enemy’s face (Blair). Author Stephen Crane attended many schools through out his life, but writing came to be his profession. The Red Badge of Courage, Crane’s most successful novel, was considered one of the first forms of realistic war fiction written on the Civil War. Some critics say that the unknown battle in Chancellorsville influenced Crane to write this novel. Through out the novel Crane’s shows how Henry Fleming transformed from a cowardly teenage recruit to a hero of war. This novel proved that any soldier, whether he is a sergeant or private, can pull through at the right moment, and be seen as a hero.

Wedding Superstitions

Weddings have been celebrated since the beginning of time. So have wedding day superstitions. It is traditionally believed that weddings are susceptible to evil spirits and bad luck. Over time, wedding traditions and customs have been preserved to promote a happy, long, fertile and wealthy marriage. Here are some customs that the bride and groom might consider to ensure a successful marriage. The Engagement †¢So as not to endanger the marriage, the future bride may only propose marriage during a leap year. †¢It is a change for the worse if a future bride is to marry a man whose surname begins with the same letter as the future bride's first name. †¢In the past, it was believed that the vein on the forth finger of the left hand leads directly to the heart. An obvious finger of choice for the engagement and wedding rings. †¢The future bride must not remove the engagement ring prior to the wedding day. The Wedding Dress †¢To borrow a wedding gown brings good luck for the bride, but the lender is in for some bad luck. †¢Wedding superstitions suggest it is bad luck for the bride to make the wedding dress but the last few stitches should be completed by the bride moments before dressing. †¢It is an old tradition that the bride wears a veil. This wedding superstition helps to disguise the bride from any evil spirits. †¢A spider found in the wedding dress is particularly good luck. †¢The bride may also add a horse shoe to the wedding costume to promote good luck, with the open end up to keep the luck in. The Wedding Ceremony †¢English folklore insists that Saturday is the unluckiest day of the week to be married. The groom's birthday is the luckiest day to tie the knot. †¢For good luck, the groom must arrive at the wedding ceremony first. †¢To ensure this luck continues the bride must not be on time and should enter the ceremony with the right foot. †¢The timing of the wedding ceremony and the saying of the vows must be considered to ensure that the couple work together in the marriage. After the half hour and prior to the hour is considered lucky. †¢It is extremely unlucky if the wedding ring is dropped by the groom or the best man.

Revolution and Enlightenment essays

Revolution and Enlightenment essays There is a thin line between enlightenment and revolution. Usually the events of one lead to the events of the other. Which one comes first is not really important, but what is important is that they took place. Some times it takes as little as a single piece a literature to unite people and make them go to war or make them see the world through a different perspective. No matter what happens during these events the end is always the same. For better of for worse the world is changed forever. Revolution and enlightenment have several relationships that allow them to coexist, and it is these relationships that allow them to simply bring people together and change the world forever. Revolution and enlightenment have a cause and effect relationship. Hardly ever does one occur without the other. The Scientific Revolution fundamentally changed the way people looked at things. It took peoples mind off God and gave them the power to answer the questions of the universe. It was a very controversial subject because before this point people did not question why things were. The people just believed that God had created things this way for a purpose. When this new way of thinking came out the church saw it as a threat to their way of life, but people began to catch on and started to like it. These events lead directly to the Enlightenment in which people began to question other things that were unknown, and realize there were answers to the questions that no one had challenged before. Around this time is when Francis Bacon came along with his guidelines for rational thinking. These things show that with out the revolution there would not have been an enlightenm ent. The Industrial revolution did not have a declared enlightenment, but it did enlighten the people. The Industrial Revolution was not just about inventing machines that could build things faster and more efficient. It was about the people of the revolution realizi...

Free Essays on Dorothy Allison

Dorothy Allison – A Childhood Creation The events that happen in our day-to-day lives, help create who we are. It will help develop your personality, your outlook on life, and your day-to-day attitude. For instance, you go to your first class of the day and there is a pop quiz, which you fail, it puts you in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Tragic incidents too will assist in creating who you are, and depending on the severity of the incident, will through your whole world upside down. How do ones life happenings reflect upon their lives? Some people may go to see a psychiatrist; others may just bottle it up inside. Another way for one to get these things off their mind would be to write about them. Most, if not all authors tend to write about a real life happening. One such person would be fifty-two year old author and feminist, Dorothy Allison. Dorothy Allison was born April 11, 1949, in the town of Greenville South Carolina ( ). She was born the first child of Ruth Gibson Allison, â€Å"a fifteen-year-old unwed mother who dropped out of the seventh grade to work as a waitress† (5). She grew up in the low class end of society. â€Å"Allison was raised in extreme poverty by her mother’s family; she remembers â€Å"hiding out under the porch† so she could listen to her grandmother and aunt tell randy stories† (5). All was well until about the age of five, her mother married and there was now a stepfather; not your typical nice guy who loved the kids, or maybe he did love them just a little to much. â€Å"When Allison was five, her stepfather – her mother having since married – began sexually abusing her† (3). Although he did sexually abuse her, it was physical abuse also, not to mention the mental damage it may have caused. â€Å"Her childhood was scarred from the time she was five to eleven years old, when she was often beaten and rap! ed by her abusive stepfather† (5). There was nothing she could do at first b... Free Essays on Dorothy Allison Free Essays on Dorothy Allison Dorothy Allison – A Childhood Creation The events that happen in our day-to-day lives, help create who we are. It will help develop your personality, your outlook on life, and your day-to-day attitude. For instance, you go to your first class of the day and there is a pop quiz, which you fail, it puts you in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Tragic incidents too will assist in creating who you are, and depending on the severity of the incident, will through your whole world upside down. How do ones life happenings reflect upon their lives? Some people may go to see a psychiatrist; others may just bottle it up inside. Another way for one to get these things off their mind would be to write about them. Most, if not all authors tend to write about a real life happening. One such person would be fifty-two year old author and feminist, Dorothy Allison. Dorothy Allison was born April 11, 1949, in the town of Greenville South Carolina ( ). She was born the first child of Ruth Gibson Allison, â€Å"a fifteen-year-old unwed mother who dropped out of the seventh grade to work as a waitress† (5). She grew up in the low class end of society. â€Å"Allison was raised in extreme poverty by her mother’s family; she remembers â€Å"hiding out under the porch† so she could listen to her grandmother and aunt tell randy stories† (5). All was well until about the age of five, her mother married and there was now a stepfather; not your typical nice guy who loved the kids, or maybe he did love them just a little to much. â€Å"When Allison was five, her stepfather – her mother having since married – began sexually abusing her† (3). Although he did sexually abuse her, it was physical abuse also, not to mention the mental damage it may have caused. â€Å"Her childhood was scarred from the time she was five to eleven years old, when she was often beaten and rap! ed by her abusive stepfather† (5). There was nothing she could do at first b...

Ethics in Organization, Reflection assignment based on short article Essay

Ethics in Organization, Reflection assignment based on short article - Essay Example The value of integrity helps me to discover that I have a self-accountability for the things I do and it stimulates my thinking in being a good person to everyone. It reminds me that I should be responsible for all the things that I do and the value of openness helps me to share what I do and I believe so that I may be responsible in my life. Through it, I am able to make clear all the things that I do in my life and what others can see. According to Palmer (2004), there is a clear difference between wholeness or undivided life and perfection. While perfection means strict adherence to the set out rules without failure, wholeness means that there could be failure in a person but embracing them and using them to learn what a person can do in future is what should be the most important. According to Palmer (2004), perfection implies elimination of all mistakes but wholeness implies their presence but with a way of learning from them. Perfection may not be a reasonable goal and people should aspire to attain wholeness, which would imply having a clear conscious in doing all things. In my life, I have some things that make it difficult to live a â€Å"whole† life. These factors include the corporate culture; economic factors that emphasize on making maximum profit in any venture and weaknesses in the legal system that have little to offer for the people who commit crimes. Some others factors in my life make me not to bring my inner truth to the outer world and these may include the fear of opposition and challenge, the penalties for falling short of the requirement and I am protective of the status people that people have given me in society. One factor in my life with which I need deal is fear of opposition and challenge in leading a life of integrity and wholeness. I can deal with it through accepting that I am not perfect and that I can make mistakes. The other thing I can do is to be mindful of what I do as a person even when I am alone. I

Starbucks and their Substitutes. How the company stayed dominant Essay

Starbucks and their Substitutes. How the company stayed dominant against their competition before, during, and after the recession - Essay Example The period is characterized by the plunge of GDP by two triumphant quarters. Unlike its competitors, Starbucks, and their substitute have managed to stay dominant before, during and after the recession. The analysis of why Starbucks has been dominant is incredibly vital to every organization especially those companies that experience a tremendous decrease in trading activity during the recession. Starbucks can be considered as a sample test to every company that is planning to start trading in the coffee industry as well as the imminent companies on how to maintain their trading activities regardless of the economic period. During the recession, the company attempted to have a massive expansion program. There is a range of advantages that are related to the development of markets especially to a company that is already established. Some of these benefits include better turnover due to high trading, creation of employment among others An expansion and especially in an in a recession period can be beneficial to the company and at the same time it can limit. For instance, the company can acquire a significant market share before its competitors have any plan on their situation. Conversely, the company may become overexposed to various levels of risks which may reduce or constrain the company’s future programs (Higbee, Liaw, Ting, Tjho, & Ton, 2008). Fundamentally, Starbucks situation can be seen from two dimensions including a liberal and a conservative view. From a liberal point of view, Starbucks and its substitute have effectively managed to secure it going concern through the various risk control mechanism. In contrast, the Starbucks strategic plan can be viewed as a way of exposing itself to it competitors There are various alternatives actions that the company can take to ensure that they do not lose their competitive advantage despite the various drawbacks. These measures include maintaining quality standards,