The Drop free essay sample

I squinted my eyes twice, yet a similar picture showed up. I felt the dry, hot Italian breeze blow over my face. My friends’ cheers appeared miles away. I took in the sweet smell of the olive forests. As the educator cut me in, I did whatever it takes not to tremble, my companion Alicia was hyperventilating, I needed to be the legend and give her it was ‘no large deal’ however subtly inside, I was similarly as terrified. I wrongly looked down; it was a long tumble to the base of this antiquated stony pinnacle. I watched out on to the town of Assisi; I could see for a significant distance. I saw where the jam-packed tangled medieval avenues transformed into the earth-conditioned interwoven fields. Interesting how a second can appear until the end of time. My hands were consuming from my solid handle on the rope. I was the first to go, I couldn’t recall why I had chipped in. We will compose a custom paper test on The Drop or on the other hand any comparable theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page I propped my head up and kept a grin. I must be the pioneer. Gradually I crawled infant venturing to the edge until just the tip of my tennis shoes, worn from miles of excursions, stayed connected to the edge. â€Å"Alright now, you simply recline, I guarantee I got you.† I looked down on my hand there in purple marker in my penmanship was the word ‘Believe’ I took a full breath. I gradually constrained the rope to slide through my delaying hand. I felt the perspiration gradually sliding down the side of my face at that point tumbling off with certainty to the base. To think only seven days prior I was sitting in my room perusing Jane Eyre stunned by her boldness, presently the time had come to scrutinize mine. I took a full breath and dropped back. I felt invulnerable. With each progression I developed increasingly sure, increasingly more certain about myself. I took the test before me and handled it. I would now be able to state I repulsed down a 100 foot mediev al pinnacle, what number of individuals can say that? My companions named me well on the way to change the world, in spite of the fact that I may not win the standout, I know no ifs, ands or buts I’m not destined to change the world. I will change the world. With each new test I will recall that hot dry Italian day and I’ll recollect the word I composed on my hand in purple ink. I will move toward it with the assurance of Jane Goodall and Anne Hutchinson. Declining to give in when things are overpowering, for I know at long last it’ll all be justified, despite all the trouble. At the point when I got to the base of that tower I gazed toward its once overwhelming casing. Abruptly it wasn’t so enormous any longer. I stood rooting for my companions as they followed my model. Once in a while our feelings of trepidation attempt to keep us down with question, the key is to break its chains and triumphantly remain toward the end goal. I expect to move toward my investigations similarly declining to shudder behind the restless evenings and course books written in an unknown dialect expected to be English, rather I will jump straight into the frenzy influencing top.

The Benefits of Recycling Essay Example for Free

The Benefits of Recycling Essay Reusing is an essential factor later on for our cherished home, Earth. In the event that we need to keep our property green, forestall contamination, monitor characteristic assets and spare our plants and creatures, reusing is a key factor in doing as such. Reusing diminishes the measure of contamination going into earth. At the point when items are produced using new material, there are more contaminations being discharged into the air because of the extraction and preparing. Utilizing reused material produces less contaminations and is better for the earth (Weber, n. d.). Reusing assists with lessening the measure of trash being made. This implies we are diminishing the size of our landfills. The less trash going into our landfills, the less trash we need to consume to debris. (Onsola, 2017). Landfills additionally make a fluid called leachate which happens when flotsam and jetsam breaks down in the landfill and holes through the waste which can contaminate the land, groundwater, and conduits (Environment Victoria, 2013). When reusing, we can reduce the measure of ozone depleting substances going into our condition (Knowledgiate Team, 2017). This can make different natural issues. In 2005, Pennsylvania DEP expressed that by reusing, it decreased ozone depleting substances by 9 million tons of carbon dioxide. By reusing we lessen the need to combust non-renewable energy sources. (Sherman, n.d.). To ensure we need our future generation’s air to be breathable. Another advantage to reusing is that it makes a feasible measure of assets. At the point when we reuse, we are turning old, utilized material into new, usable material. By reusing we spare more assets, for instance when we utilize virgin materials, it is originating from regular assets. Around 40% of our waste originates from paper. On the off chance that we reused our paper rather, we could spare a huge number of trees and furthermore diminish the measure of waste going into our condition. (DLCSRecycling, n.d.).When we chop down trees, it is for new mash which will be utilized for original paper. Rather we could utilize reused paper which can in all likelihood be utilized to make paper which is only a decent quality as the paper produced using virgin material (Schenker, 2017). Our people in the future will likewise require these assets, so as opposed to squandering what we have we ought to reuse. In conclusion, another professional to reusing is that it spares natural life. At the point when we don’t reuse we are destroying territories. For instance, when we chop down trees for a paper we are wrecking homes of natural life. By not reusing we are additionally contaminating numerous homes of creatures. Green SC expresses that more than one million seabirds, 100,000 ocean well evolved creatures, and 50,000 hide seals bite the dust yearly due to plastic litter that we people put into the water (Lake, 2015). Turtles that eat jellyfish mistake plastic sacks for food and afterward gag and kick the bucket on them (Tay, 2016). We are destroying the natural equalization of biological systems. This will likewise influence our food sources later on as it might cause the termination of plants and creatures. By accomplishing something as basic as reusing, we lessen the requirement for new material, sparing nature from hurt (Missimer, n.d.).

A Critical Analysis of the Advantages free essay sample

It is contended that urbanization causes changes in the livings conditions under which individuals live and work. A portion of these progressions are certain (points of interest) while others are negative (impediments). The beneficial outcomes incorporate; improving lodging conditions and arrangement of upgraded luxuries. The negative impacts incorporate; weight on enhancements, clog and urbanization of destitution (Kawonga, 1999). Along these lines, this paper will quickly clarify these utilizing genuine and legitimate models from Malawi. In the first place, arrangement of better courtesies as a favorable position of urbanization. We will compose a custom paper test on A Critical Analysis of the Advantages or on the other hand any comparable point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page It is said that expanding urbanization furnishes networks with social and social advantages just as access to instruction and wellbeing administrations (Hammond, 1985). This is clear at Nkhorongo in Mzuzu close Luwinga Township. With the improvement of the territory numerous administrations are currently being situated there. For instance, Mzuzu Academy, Trust Academy, Good Samaritan Internet Cafe and some Tobacco evaluating Companies that gives occupations to the majority. Improving lodging conditions is another bit of leeway of urbanization. It is noticed that urbanizations carries with it developments in innovation and current thoughts and desire in the individuals overwhelmed by what are said to be urban zones (UN Habitat report, 2010). To fulfill the need for cover by the regularly expanding urban populace, Habitat for Humanity and Malawi lodging Corporation devotes itself to building minimal effort yet elevated expectation houses for the less favored urban populace. For instance, the Habitat for humankind houses in Luwinga Township and the Malawi Housing organizations houses in Katoto and Mchengautuba in Mzuzu. In conclusion, the inconveniences of urbanization; weight on conveniences is one of the detriments of urbanization. It is contended that in many regions the power structures everything to serve the number of inhabitants in that time however because of increment in populace as zones create prompts individuals scramble over the couple of accessible offices/administrations (UN Habitat report, 2010). The model is on power cuts and accessibility of faucet water for not many hours out of every day in the city of Lilongwe. The nearness of enormous customers of water and power at Kanengo put focus on these two offices as the suppliers attempt to control their amount in order to continue the creation power of the assembling enterprises. This leaves regions around Kanengo with no power or water for a long time for every day. Blockage of traffic and people on foot is another detriment of urbanization. With the accessibility of important civilities in urban zones, individuals run there to approach and advantage from them. This outcomes in an expansion in urban populace which prompts blockage (Cohen, 2006). This is typically showed during busy time driving. There is an extreme centralization of individuals in the focal point of urban territories during working hours. This strains transportation frameworks, in light of the fact that countless individuals and traffic must arrive at a little region simultaneously toward the beginning of the day and scatter simultaneously around early afternoon and at night (Rubenstein, 2005). This is increasingly obvious at Lilongwe old town, hyper intersection close to the game stores and Shoprite. There are longer lines of traffic and huge number of walkers battling to discover out. Urbanization of neediness is another weakness of urbanization. It is contended that in Malawi, quick urbanization isn't related with the equivalent of financial development and powerful redistributive estimates required to lighten neediness, yet the outcome is expanding urban destitution whose sign is the ghettos which create in and around the acclaimed urban zones (Kawonga, 1999). It is additionally contended that urbanization of destitution in Malawian urban territories is improved by the adjustment in locus of neediness from rustic to urban circles. This implies as individuals flee from the hardships of rustic territories to urban zones, they convey with them their monetarily tested life and proceed with it in the urban regions. Subsequently they lead to an expansion in the quantity of the poor living in urban territories (Gonndwe, Fang Ayenagbo, 2011). This is increasingly obvious in Lilongwe at a spot known as â€Å"N’gona†. It is situated amidst all around created zones however it isn't created itself and it harbors one of the less previliged populace of Lilongwe. All in all, this paper has fundamentally brought up and quickly clarified the favorable circumstances and burdens of urbanization in Malawi.

Memo Assignment Business Improvement Concepts - 275 Words

Memo Assignment: Business Improvement Concepts (Book Review Sample) Content: To: Mauna Loa Caf ManagementFrom: Chrisy MoraaDate: February 10, 2017Subject: Business Improvement ConceptsMy investigation on the general performance of the firm designates a declining tendency in sales and customer holding. The situation is not that promising following the threat to close-up some of the stores. This calls for a reprioritization of our customer service delivery mechanism, branding of the coffee drinks and advertisements. Views held below depict some ways in which the management can rekindle Mauna Loa Caf.Customer IncentivesThe introduction of home and office delivery services will enlarge our market niche. Time constraint is a great factor affecting customer access to our products. Delivery at cost will increase the volume of sales, customers and the profit margin. Inclusion of live performance like music by bands, spoken word and similar entertainment factors will attract an untapped segment of the market like the youthAlcoholically branded CoffeeIn duced coffee drinks would appeal to non-lovers of plain coffee. This would attract a 40% increment in the firms sales and maintain customer loyalty to our shops. Alcoholically induced coffee would be addictive thus, customers will be coming back for more. Thus, the firm will gain a competitive advantage against tits competitors. For instance, charging $3 per alcohol shot at a co...

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1243 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics It is a noble idea for a business to preserve a mission statement which is the heart of a corporationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s image and the direction of the corporation all together so that things can progress and stay top-notch. Effective mission statements can be a great benefit to an organization. When everyone is functioning mutually in a certain fashion greater organizational reason is reached. A mission statement is a key phase in the strategic progress process of the business. It is substantial when organizations implement a mission statement and relate it to their applied policies and reflect reaction from various assemblies. The Starbucks mission statement Starbuckà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mission statement is to inspire and nurture the human spirit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. This company lives by this mission in every capacity. Their coffee, the company has always and will always stand behind the quality of their beverages. They do this by selecting the finest beans and taking care while roasting the beans all while striving to care for the farmers who grow them. Starbucks works to support the mission of their partners that is to ensure that the company is a place where employees can be themselves at work. For the customers it is the mission of the company to prepare quality beverages while enriching the customer through a positive atmosphere within the employees and store. This atmosphere also lends itself to invitations into communities and neighborhoods. The Starbucks Code of Conduct Starbucks is striving to bring the coffee industry to adopt a fair labor practice. The company proposes to implement this code by focusing on 3 vital areas the quality of the coffee they offer, the lives of the people who grow, gather and process the beans that are used to make the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main product its coffee. The company will ensure the im plementation of this plan through purchasing from merchants who conduct business in accordance with the code of Starbucks. Starbucks will conduct yearly assessments to test to regulate whether progress is being made toward the fair labor practice. The company will also conduct tests in other parts of the world where they have stores and contracts. The Starbucks Code of Conduct in the Workplace The code of conduct in the workplace for Starbucks has to do with how the employees treat each other. Starbucks has provisions on how to handle cases of misconduct in the workplace. This misconduct can be harassment, bullying or discrimination. The company describes these as any behavior that is unwelcomed physical or verbal activity violent, hurtful or sexual in nature. The company has informed employees that if such activity occurs and the employee does not feel comfortable communicating with the employee that they should go to their manger and discuss the problem. The Starbucks Cod e of Conduct for the Customer Renowned customer service is the highest importance at Starbucks. We go all-out to make every consumerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s experience pleasurable and satisfying, and we treat our consumers as we treat one another, with respect and dignity. This means, for instance, that we never bother or victimize against our consumers. If there is a problem between a consumer and an employee the customer should go to the manger and explain the problem and the manager should work to fix the problem if the problem is not fixed or fixed but not satisfactorily the customer should go to corporate. The Starbucks Code of Conduct for the Board of Directors It is the responsibility of the board of directors to supervise the implementation of corporate influences. This group is also responsible for the Corporationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s business and dealings are achieved to meet its specified goals and purposes and that the longstanding benefits of the stockholders are serv ed. The Board distinguishes its obligation to engage, and deliver for the endurance of, administrative management that possesses the charisma, abilities and understanding compulsory to accomplish the Companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s objectives and its accountability to select candidates for the Board of Directors who possess appropriate credentials and reflect a reasonable diversity of backgrounds and perspectives What could improve about Starbucks? Starbucks as a company has room to improve. They are working to improve the mess that was made in the beginning with exaggerated expansion. For example when the company was newer and stores were popping up everywhere. To repair this, the company has closed stores and reduced the amount of employees within the company. These reductions led to an almost tripled bottom line. This increase took place within the first quarter following the changes. Even with this change the CEO Howard Schultz sees his company as one that is supposed to contin ue to grow. Schultzà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s views for the company can either be good for it or bad. One of the ways he is proposing growth of his company is that it hits the social networking arena. This was done through the introduction of the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Facebook and Twitter accounts and its application on Appleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s devices. This growth was good for the company; however the innovation that was causing concern for the company is that of instant coffee and the introduction of 15th Avenue, another coffee establishment owned by the company of Starbucks. The reason the instant coffee venture was in question for the company is because two companies have already explored the instant coffee idea and those companies are Green Mountain Coffee and McDonaldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s. One of the biggest problems noted in Starbucks and its rival McDonalds is the price difference for their line of beverages. Starbucks still has room for growth over McDonalds even with the steep price difference between the competitors. Conclusion During the course of doing the research to compose and composing the paper a lot was learned about the mission statement for Starbucks and work that the company does to ensure that the company possesses a strong workplace for employees and a comfortable atmosphere for customers to enjoy quality beverages and snacks. The code of conduct makes the company able to stand behind the actions and behaviors of employees and staff. The company has a set of provisions that it follows in the event of a mishap whether the mishap involves employee to employee or employee to customer. While the employees make the company tick the customers are the bottom line of the reason behind Starbucks. It is hard to believe but Starbucks as a company has had some room to improve. The main cause for improvement was one of downsizing both in employees and stores later in the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s existence the company expanded to include the bran d 15th Avenue Tea, this line was a source of worry for the health of Starbucks, however, the downsizing caused the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s bottom line to just about triple. Even though the cost of the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s instant coffee is greater than the competitors the company is looking at that innovation as an area for growth. Overall, it looks as if the company is a strong one and is going to be here for many years to come. References Graham, K. (2010). Why Starbucks Has Room to Improve. Retrieved from https://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/starbucks-growth-upgrade-profit-price-hikes/1/22/2010/id/26485?refresh=1 Our Starbucks Mission Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information/mission-statement Shultz, H. (n.d.). Business Ethics and Compliance Standards of Business Conduct. Retrieved from https://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/eecd184d6d2141d58966319744393d1f.pdf Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics" essay for you Create order

How to Read Lit Like a Prof Notes - 3608 Words

From How to Read Literature Like a Professor Thomas C. Foster Notes by Marti Nelson 1. Every Trip is a Quest (except when it’s not): a. A quester b. A place to go c. A stated reason to go there d. Challenges and trials e. The real reason to go—always self-knowledge 2. Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion a. Whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion b. Not usually religious c. An act of sharing and peace d. A failed meal carries negative connotations 3. Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires a. Literal Vampirism: Nasty old man, attractive but evil, violates a young woman, leaves his mark, takes her innocence b. Sexual implications—a trait of 19th century literature to address sex indirectly c. Symbolic Vampirism: selfishness,†¦show more content†¦It’s Greek to Me a. Myth is a body of story that matters—the patterns present in mythology run deeply in the human psyche b. Why writers echo myth—because there’s only one story (see #4) c. Odyssey and Iliad i. Men in an epic struggle over a woman ii. Achilles—a small weakness in a strong man; the need to maintain one’s dignity iii. Penelope (Odysseus’s wife)—the determination to remain faithful and to have faith iv. Hector: The need to protect one’s family d. The Underworld—an ultimate challenge, facing the darkest parts of human nature or dealing with death e. Metamorphoses by Ovid—transformation (Kafka) f. Oedipus: family triangles, being blinded, dysfunctional family g. Cassandra: refusing to hear the truth h. A wronged woman gone violent in her grief and madness—Aeneas and Dido or Jason and Medea i. Mother love—Demeter and Persephone 10. It’s more than just rain or snow a. Rain i. fertility and life ii. Noah and the flood iii. Drowning—one of our deepest fears b. Why? i. plot device ii. atmospherics iii. misery factor—challenge characters iv. democratic element—the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike c. Symbolically i. rain is clean—a form of purification, baptism, removing sin or a stain ii. rain is restorative—can bring a dying earth back to life iii. destructive as well—causes pneumonia, colds, etc.; hurricanes, etc. iv. Ironic use—April is the cruelest month (T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland) v.Show MoreRelatedJst Any1257 Words   |  6 PagesFamily Name First Name †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦................ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Student Number †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. List Number Table Number †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. COM 110 Introduction to Business Information systems Prof. Mohamed Watfa AUTUMN SESSION 2010 SAMPLE MIDTERM EXAMINATION Time Allowed: 1.5 Hours Total Number of Questions: 25 Total Number of Pages (incl. this page): 9 DIRECTIONS TO CANDIDATES 1. 2. Total marks: 100 Answer ALL questions from parts 1 and 2. Part 1 contains 20 questions for a totalRead MoreDifficulties in Learning the English Language8069 Words   |  33 PagesPamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Engineering and Technology Difficulties in Learning the English Language: An Inquiry A Research Paper presented to Prof. Iryl Nungay, MALL Professor, College of Liberal Arts Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for English Proficiency Instruction II by: Marvin C. Consuelo BS Mechanical Engineering I-1 2011 CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Statement of the Problem 1. Why isRead MoreWho Goes with Fergus11452 Words   |  46 Pagesdichotomy of the thinker and the actor. Yeats, in love with Maud Gonne, was the thinker, the courtly lover -- the one who would brood upon loves bitter mystery. Yeats was Mr. Nice Guy. Yet Yeats wanted to be the actor - the alpha male - the Fergus. Note the sexualized subtext that permeates the poem, who will pierce the deep woods woven shade? Who will drive with Fergus. Finally, we get the reasons to be the alpha male - the man of action, in the repetition of the word rules. The alpha commandsRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesCalifornia USA in 1993 with ISBN number 0-534-17688-7. When Wadsworth decided no longer to print the book, they returned their publishing rights to the original author, Bradley Dowden. The current version has been significantly revised. If you would like to suggest changes to the text, the author would appreciate your writing to him at dowden@csus.edu. iv Praise Comments on the earlier 1993 edition, published by Wadsworth Publishing Company, which is owned by Cengage Learning: There isRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesusefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysis. Like all good textbooks, the book is accessible, well researched and readers are encouraged to view chapters as a starting point for getting to grips with the field of organization theory. Dr Martin Brigham, Lancaster University, UK McAuley et al. provideRead MoreMonsanto: Better Living Through Genetic Engineering96204 Words   |  385 PagesSUMMARY OF THE CASE ANALYSIS PROCESS Case analysis is an essential part of a strategic management course and is also perhaps the most entertaining part of such a course. The ‘full story’ that follows this summary gives you considerable detail about how to go about a case analysis, but for now here is a brief account. Before we start, a word about attitude – make it a real exercise. You have a set of historical facts; use a rigorous system to work out what strategies should be followed. All the cases

Hrm 594 Project Proposal free essay sample

The persons lack of function in the person/environment situation can be costly in many ways including: â€Å"subjective (feeling fatigued), behavioral (accident prone), cognitive (a mental block), physiological (elevated blood pressure) and/or organizational (higher absence rate)( ). † Organizations in conjunction to this new prognosis are combating this new dilemma with the use of instigated programs designed to lower stress and target the issues bothering the employee. The second approach is to deal with the factors individually and organizationally through programs such as meditation, exercise, training, diet, and even prayer. This sort of process also involves changing work policies, structure, and job requirements. Identifiable programs include worker participation, Autonomous work groups, union management problem solving ventures, participation work design, profit sharing plans, and employee stock ownership. Each program is designed to improve the employee’s feelings of involvement and desire to be heard. Technical and human requirements are kept in mind to reduce absenteeism and lower turnover rates. We will write a custom essay sample on Hrm 594 Project Proposal or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Areas to be addressed include choices for conducting work analysis such as descriptor, rating scales, methods to use, the O’net system, Implications of role expectations, extending work analysis to the team level and models of role performances. References Admin, 2006. Recent developments in job analysis. Retrieved May 21, 2013 from http://www. citeman. com/426-recent-development-in-job-analysis. html. Morgeson, Fredrick. Work Analysis: From Technique To Theory. Retrieved May 21, 2013 from https://www. msu. edu/~morgeson/morgeson_dierdorff_2011. pdf.

Race V Class, Understanding American History After 1945

Introduction After 1945, American soldiers returned from the Second World War that had just ended. Their return plunged the nation into a state of economic boom in the housing sector. The economic boom transpired due to the availability of benefits acquired by veterans from the war. However, the period witnessed high levels of racial discrimination against the Black Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Mexican Americans, whom the White Americans deemed as the minority groups.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Race V Class, Understanding American History After 1945 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this view, the concept of race defined the United States history just after the Second World War because it formed the basis of employment, acquisition of property, and attainment of leadership positions. Therefore, the essay explains that race is concept that is more important than class in understanding A merican history after 1945. Overview Race is a concept that highlights the American history after the Second World War. After 1945, America went through a period when racism was highly pronounced. During the period, the Whites believed that people from the minority groups were lesser beings than those from the majority groups (Cowie 49). The minority groups were in the category of marginalized groups and many services provided by the federal government went to the White Americans. Areas such as employment, education, property ownership, and leadership were a preserve of the White Americans. Therefore, race is a concept that best explains the history of America after the Second World War. Discrimination in Employment The minority groups in the United States experienced and endured discrimination in employment sector due to the institutionalized racism. The federal government enacted and passed laws that denied the minority groups the chance to work in the United States. The laws gove rned the terms of employment, working conditions, as well as salaries and wages. According to Sugrue, â€Å"Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York played a decisive role in deepening racial inequality in the city† (86). Moreover, the federal government and private employers were reluctant or unwilling to hire employees of African, Asian, or Mexican origins. Therefore, a number of people from the minority groups worked in plantations such as rice fields, which had poor working conditions and low wages. Most of the employees from the minority groups received very little wages, and subjected to hard work and harsh treatment as opposed to employees from the majority groups. The White Americans discriminated against the minority groups making them victims of racism in the United States. The federal government redlined the minorities and created a harsh working environment for them.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 1 5% OFF Learn More The Native Americans received harsh and inhuman treatment from their employers or superiors who perceived them as unimportant beings basing on their color or ethnical background. In workplaces, employers or superiors overlooked employees from the minority groups in aspects such as promotion and increment of salaries or wages. The racial disparity in promotion and salary or wage increments took place irrespective of the performance of the employees from the minority groups. Therefore, unemployed members of the minority groups demonstrated their anger through riots and strikes organized by unions in an attempt to communicate their grievances to the federal government (Cowie 225). Thus, the minority groups experienced pronounced levels of racial discrimination in places of work orchestrated by the federal government and the private sector. The riots and demonstrations led to the loss of lives and eventually recognition of the minority rights. Discrimination i n Housing Soon after the Second World War, the minority groups became the main target of discrimination under the basis of race and place of origin. The United States federal government introduced policies that segregated people from the minority groups and prevented them from accessing good houses. The federal government limited the access of the minority groups to good housing using the housing administration, which was a body charged with the provision of shelter to the citizens of the United States. In an attempt to limit equal access to good housing among minority groups, the federal government denied them low-interest loans and forcefully acquired their houses. Sugrue outlines that â€Å"Detroit’s public housing was racially segregated† (86). Furthermore, the boom from veterans of the Second World War worsened the housing problem as houses became scarce; hence, cases of discrimination quickly emerged with the scramble for the few available houses. Most of the Whi te Americans who were house owners declined application for housing from minority groups, but instead accepted applications from White American tenants. Mortgage companies also tailored their policies in a manner that favored the White Americans in the United States. As a result, many potential house owners from the minority groups found it very difficult to acquire good houses because mortgage prices were high and favored the White Americans. Cowie explains that Martin Luther King Junior campaigned â€Å"to support the striking sanitation workers as a building block in ‘poor people campaign,’ a new march in Washington that would be a Selma-like movement on economic issues† (65). Therefore, minority groups used unions to present their grievances to the government. Additionally, the minority groups lost their houses through forceful acquisition, deception, and fraud to the White Americans. Racial discrimination in the housing sector forced the minority groups to s eek shelter in camps and shanties where the living conditions were poor. In some cases where the minority groups managed to get houses, they paid higher amounts of rent than what their White counterparts did.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Race V Class, Understanding American History After 1945 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Discrimination in Ownership of Property After 1945, policies designed by the federal government of the United States favored the Whites and discriminated against the minority groups. Ownership of property among minority groups became a very complex and difficult affair for officials in the government declined their proposals, deceived them, and refused to help them acquire property in the United States. Although a few members of the minority group had the limited access to property acquisition, the state frequently confiscated their properties and declared them as illegal. Unfair treatmen t had its basis on the color and appearance of the individuals because of their racial background (Sugrue 8). During the period after 1945, the federal laws and policies prohibited ownership of property by the minority groups. One of the factors that contributed to the prohibition is the misconceptions held by White Americans concerning the minority groups. Property owners, managers, and agents discriminated against the minority groups in the sale of properties and business outlets. As a result, many Americans of African, Asian, and Mexican origins failed to acquire properties during the period. Failure to acquire properties and business outlets by the Africans, Asians, and Mexicans rendered them poor and greatly affected their living conditions. According to Cowie, â€Å"Congress for the first time since it went democratic in 1932 passed a tax cut not to redistribute wealth, but to give relief to the middle upper class, suggesting a very new mood among the democrats more broadlyâ €  (257). Therefore, the minority groups in the United States endured discrimination and enjoyed limited rights of property ownership. Some of the ways that the Whites exercised racism included refusal to sell or rent their houses and unequal valuation and appraisal of property. Furthermore, other White Americans who were property owners provided different terms and conditions for the minorities, whereas banks refused to provide loans to the Asians, Africans, and Mexicans living in the United States. Discrimination in Education Racial discrimination also affected the education sector since many institutions of learning had some forms of racial segregation. After 1945, many schools in the United States belonged to either the White Americans or the minority groups. The federal government discouraged students of color from studying in schools designated for the White American students. Teachers and trainers administered harsh and inhumane punishment on the children from Asian, Afric an, and Mexican origins (Cowie 11).Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, trainers entrenched racisms in schools, as they perceived children from minority groups as lesser beings than their White counterparts. Therefore, the trainers gave biased treatment in training, discipline, and grading of the students. Due to the misconceptions held by the students concerning the attitudes displayed by their parents, the White Americans students undermined their colleagues from the minority groups. The prejudice, which students from minority groups received from their colleagues, led to poor relationships among students in schools and social places where they interacted. â€Å"The effects of racial discrimination were evident as they highlight racial differences in urban streets and workplaces† (Sugrue 6). Therefore, the prejudice of students from minority groups also lowered their self-esteem and affected their performance. Moreover, another form of racial discrimination that the state displayed during the period after 1945 was underdevelopment and the absence of good learning facilities in schools designed for the minority groups and presence of good facilities and good infrastructure in learning institutions designed for the White Americans. Teachers in schools offering education to the minority students experienced challenges in terms of lack of teaching resources and funds. Teachers mainly from the minority groups joined unions and voiced their grievances to the federal government. Furthermore, educational loans and sponsorships were available to the White American students only, while the children from the minority groups usually dropped out of school or performed poorly due to insufficient funds to facilitate their education or poor quality of learning facilities. Discrimination in Leadership Members of the minority group who wanted to vie for leadership positions in the United States also experienced racial discrimination. During and after 1945, the White Americans believed that people from the minority groups were unable to provide good governance and leadership. Therefore, any member of the minority group who attempted to vie for any political or leadership position was discouraged and intimidated by the White Americans who formed the majority group. As Martin Luther King Junior fought against racial discrimination, â€Å"Robert Kennedy admired King’s commitment to unite the poor whites and the poor blacks into what the civil rights believed it would a ‘powerful new alliance’ that transcended racial integration and placed social justice on an economic footing† (Cowie 65). Additionally, some states in the United States barred members of minority groups and women from casting their votes. As the federal government denied the minorities their voting rights, it implies that it was impossible for any member of the minority group to win and get a leadership position. Thus, members of the minority who tried to campaign failed due lack of support from the federal governmen t and voters. Aspiring leaders from the minority groups who tried to vie for leadership positions received discouragement from the federal government or lacked adequate funds to facilitate their campaigns. The federal government preferred the White Americans, but discriminated against the Native Americans, Asians, Africans, or Mexicans. One of the main factors that contributed to the preference was the misconception held by the White Americans who believed that women and minority groups did not have capacity to take leadership positions. According to Cowie, leaders from the minority group who tried to campaign were the subject of ridicule and discouragement by the state and the White Americans (63). In some cases, the White Americans booed the leaders from minority groups in rallies and conferences during campaigns. Therefore, the minority groups remained as marginalized members of the American society for the larger part of the 20th century, after the Second World War. Conclusion A fter the Second World War in 1945, America experienced economic boom in the housing sector, which resulted from the pension that war veterans received. Housing and economic boom led to a sharp increase in the demand for housing and affected the economy of the United States. Besides, in the period preceding the Second World War witnessed high levels of discrimination against races from Africa, Asia, and Latin America as the White Americans deemed them as minority groups. The White Americans exercised racial discrimination in learning institutions, workplaces, and social places such as hospitals and churches. Americans from the minority groups worked in plantations and construction industry as casual laborers where they received meager income. Works Cited Cowie, Jefferson. Stayin’ Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class.  New York: The New Press, 2013. Print. Sugrue, Thomas. The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar  Detroit. New York: Princeton University Press, 2010. Print. This essay on Race V Class, Understanding American History After 1945 was written and submitted by user Selah Berry 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.

Managerial and Personal Effectiveness in Human Resources Management The WritePass Journal

Managerial and Personal Effectiveness in Human Resources Management Introduction Managerial and Personal Effectiveness in Human Resources Management ]. Douglas McGregor, J. C.-G., 2006. The Human Side Of Enterprise. McGraw-Hill Professional. Herzberg, F., 1987. One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees? HBR, September. Katz, R., 1974. Skills of an Effective Administrator. Havard Business Review. Lindner, J. R., n.d. Understanding Employee Motivation. Journal Editorial Office. Malik, F., 2010. Productions and Operations Management. 1.1 ed. s.l.:s.n. Pat hargreaves, P. J., 2000. The human resource development handbook.Kogan Page Publishers. Schein, E. H., 1978. Career dynamics: matching individual and organizational needs. Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. Srivastava, M. Sinha, A. K., 2004. Individual Characteristic for Managerial Effectiveness in a Competitive Environment: An Exploration. Conference on Global Competition Competitiveness of Indian Corporate, pp. 119-131. Sutton, R. I. Ford, L. H., 1982. Problem-Solving Adequacy in Hospital Subunits. Human Relations, Volume 35, pp. 675-701. [1] http://books.google.com.pk/books/about/Career_dynamics.html?id=UyqB19IEM5gCredir_esc=y [2] joe.org/joe/1998june/rb3.php [3] http://books.google.com.pk/books/about/The_human_side_of_enterprise.html?id=0Td-U8yTjVECredir_esc=y [4] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1987.tb00605.x/pdf

Johnson & Johnson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Johnson & Johnson - Essay Example To do so the details like the SIC code and the industry code have been discussed. Also details of the competitors have been discussed. A detailed analysis of the financial ratios and a financial analysis have been made. Finally based on the analysis, recommendations have been drawn out for the company. b) Benchmarks: The various benchmarks that need to be considered are: Bonds and other fixed income investment, The NASDAQ Stock market, Technology Stocks, International Stocks, Overall market, Japanese Market, and the Mortgage rates. The interest rate is the current interest rate that is offered. d) External factors: Events across the world and the economic conditions are two very strong factors that affect the working of Johnson & Johnson. Other factors like the cost of things in the country i.e. the inflation levels of the country also plays a very important role in the decision making of the company. The company faces major competition from Eli Lily, Novartis and Procter & Gamble. The market shares of these companies, based on their revenues are illustrated below to give a clear picture of the company’s position in the market and its customer base. It is evident that Johnson and Johnson has a considerable 30% market share; however it is imperative to note that Procter and Gamble takes the lead with over 40% of the market. Though Novartis has comparatively lesser share of the market, Eli Lily is continuously shown steady growth over these years and has control over 20% of the market. The market share also indicates the potential of the industry and that there is a lot of opportunities for Johnson and Johnson to exploit in terms of revenue and customer base. Another major opportunity for Johnson and Johnson is to enter into the segment of medical devices and diagnostics which will improve its customer base and diversify its activities. b) Products & Services: The products and services of the company are mainly focused on the health industry.

Project Specification and Design Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project Specification and Design Report - Essay Example For example, the risk affiliated with definite types of instrumentation making it non- workable to have the instrumentation established in an administrative center. this is the method that is used to decrease the entire quantity of corporal break, damage or hammering that consequences in an accidental failure. They may be in the appearance of supervising and direct procedures or more dependable operational processes, or merely by budding and carrying out plans to manage commotion usage.( Robert C. et al 2003 pg. 289) A risk dominance procedure that regards the contract variable of a wholesome risk from one festivity to another. For example, the buy of an indemnity plans, by which a precise risk of thrashing is approved from the customer to the insurance company. Other examples are cleaving to nontoxic articles in many declarations, legal agreement demands to offer assurance reporting for another party's assistance, and insurance. How to alleviate the threat: undertaking the lowest fee, display revisit on asset (ROI), put in cost with additional services, be paid for a headship position in your business, and recommend installment defrayals. How to alleviate the threat: present a test time to experiment the manufactured goods or service; illustrate even or close in a race or competition or comparison; come along with standard dealer lists; associate with existing dealer or generate premeditated alignments; and suggest level reduction in price. Professional risk. How will this conclusion have an effect on specialized position in the eyes of others, and how might vocation and individual improvement be exaggerated How to alleviate the threat: suggest customer recommendations and acknowledgments, propose an elevated level of data for decision-making, tutor aspects on how to advertise the clarification to higher administration, and meet up with all fundamental persons and decision-makers. Security plan to guarantee exchange of information: Concentrate on consequences, not chronologies. Even though it's frequently intelligent to extend to five year plan for

Middle East Women Studying Abroad presents a potential Solution to Racism Essay Example for Free

Middle East Women Studying Abroad presents a potential Solution to Racism Essay Middle East Women Studying Abroad presents a potential Solution to RacismIntroductionMiddle East is one of the regions that are known to steer racism, gender inequality, and religious prejudice with low concerted efforts to minimize the occurrences. This has been a problem to both the domestic populations and foreign populations living in the region. The racism exists in both lower social and higher social class and across different races. Citizens and political leaders play a major part in propagating racial prejudice across different races and particularly on women (Shalhoub-Kevorkian, 2004). Leaders use their selfish motives to gain power and in the end steer prejudice within societies (Price, 2003).   Citizens have always trusted their leader and tend to follow their ill promises ending up in hatred and sometimes mistreatment and brutality to other races. Traditional methods by leaders to solve conflict in Middle East have led to inconclusive outcome and attitudes colored by strong emotions on populations (Saaty, Zoffer, 2012). Arabs and Islamic quest for a conspiracy theory, explain the lack of development and rise of dictatorial regimes in the Middle East. This is evidence by the lack of western hallmarks for society development thus faulting Arabs themselves. This is a representation of intellectual and cultural affliction independent of any external forces (Ismael, Measor, 2003). Middle East education system, religious platforms and leaders have shown no interest in ending the problem. The large group of victims of racial prejudice is females and children who experiences discriminations and denial to other basic human rights (Ruby, 2013). They are much hurt in cases of violence and are subjected to inhumane acts such as rape and murder. This shows there is need to find a solution to the problem and empower women through advocating their rights. The major contributor of racism has been linked by the high levels of illiteracy in the country (Golding, 2009). This hinders populations from knowing their rights and hence hard for them to fight and demand their rights through successive and peaceful negotiation forum with leaders and other stakeholders. People knowing their rights through education and other enlightening plat forms would achieve a solution to racism. Few women who have benefited from getting education abroad have been so vocal about bringing solution to racism in Middle East but their numbers and unsupportive illiterate women let them down. Illiteracy is one of the major sustenance of racism in Middle East (Golding, 2009). Thus, the problem ends propagating itself to worse levels. If such women could increase in number in the region, a solution to the eating racism problem would be found. This study will be very important to leader and especial women in leadership and those studying abroad. Through the study, they will realize their role in curbing prejudice through informed knowledge on human rights (Gordon, 2012). The government and leader will be important audience so that they can advocate for foreign education and put policies in place that would encourage women to study abroad. Education significance                      The solution of racism has always been linked to men and political leader in Middle East. However, they have continuously failed in addressing the matter comprehensively and bringing a long lasting solution. Few enlightened women who by luck had a chance to go and study abroad seem to understand their rights and the need of a lasting solution in Middle East. Studying abroad equip women with necessary human rights knowledge necessary to address the Middle East problem (Gordon, 2012). The research that have been done tend to address solution based on traditional methods such as diplomacy and face-to-face and leaders intervention (Saaty, Zoffer, 2012). The resolution forums never advocates for the rights of citizens but only advocated for need of reconciliation and unity. This research will be a revelation to leaders, women and government in bringing a solution to Middle East racism. Western countries seem also to have firm human rights activist who w omen studying abroad can emulate. This will help them understand their human rights will then they can transfer to the wide population (Steinberg, 2012; Ruby, 2013). A higher number of men have studied abroad from Middle East but they have done very little on the issue. Thus, this study will be very significant to all its audience in empowering women to study abroad thus awareness of human rights and solution to Middle East bringing a new dawn to the populations. Literature Review                      Racism is one of the major problems in Middle East that causes conflicts and brutality within populations. Middle East has Arabs and Muslim religious and ethnic group. In this region, non-Arabs and non-Muslims people are faced with rejection and disapproval (Fluehr-Lobban, 2005). The region also has more 20 diverse ethnic groups. The discussion on the religious and ethnic groups in the area is a taboo in the society. The components that may help to discuss potential solution to racism by women include: According to Saaty, and Zoffer, (2012) dispute resolution in middle East has been on the routine cause where leaders (males), use traditional approaches such as face to face to engager to conflicting party. These means have not been fruitful at all and so, leadership should adopt more practical dispute resolutions approaches in Middle East, which focus on the rights of the people in their social, humanitarian, economic, geographic, and historical worth. This way will help minimize conflicts and racism. Skilled people who are aware of their rights would tend to concentrate on nation building rather than their differences. Medovoi, (2012) argues that religion has been of the group that has exemplified on racism dynamics. The author regards religion as one of the group that has supplemented the racial dynamics. From the perspective that most religions groups are headed my men, it is an obvious conclusion that men and other readers have failed to use their potential leadership and influential position to bring solution to the problem of racism in Middle East. This calls for a change in the ways of thinking and culture of Middle East to trust male dominated leadership in Middle East. Steinberg, (2012) view the cause of racism and other violence against human rights to originate from political selfish welfare. He refers the persistence conflicts between Arabs and Israel as a form of political involvement. The leadership rather than solving the problem on their citizens and populations have continued to instigate hatred among the citizens. It is worth noting that male characters dominate the leadership here. Therefore, the failure to resolve conflicts and racism issues heavily fall on them. Semati, (2010) argues that Islamic domination in the region is one of the key factors that have led to slow resolution of the problems differential racism in Middle East. He argues that Islamophobia is an ideological response, which conflates politics, societies, histories and cultures of the Middle East to a negative and unified attitude on Islam. This has led to incompatibility with other races thus propagating the racial prejudice. This can also be attributed to the failure of male leadership in Islamic religion. References Baker, J. (2013). Just Kids? Peer Racism in a Predominantly White City. Refuge, 29(1), 75-85. Chronology. (2011). Middle East Journal, 65(1), 103-131. Fluehr-Lobban, C. (2006). Why Muslims Rebel: Repression and Resistance in the Islamic World. Arab Studies Quarterly, 28(2), 72-74. Golding, A. S. (2009).  Multiculturism, America, and the Middle East. Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse. Hasso, F. S. (2005). Problems and Promise in Middle East and North Africa Gender Research. Feminist Studies, 31(3), 653-678. Ismael, T. Y., Measor, J. (2003). Racism and the North American Media Following 11 September: The Canadian Setting. Arab Studies Quarterly, 25(1/2), 101-136. Medovoi, L. (2012). Dogma-Line Racism. Social Text, 30(2_111), 43-74. Price, R. (2003).  Fast facts on the Middle East conflict. Eugene: Harvest House Pub Rodenborg, N. A. (2013). Aversive Racism and Intergroup Contact Theories: Cultural Competence in a Segregated World. Journal of Social Work Education, 49(4), 564-579. Semati, M. (2010). Islamophobia, Culture and Race in the Age of Empire. Cultural Studies, 24(2), 256-275. Shalhoub-Kevorkian, N. (2004). Racism, Militarisation and Policing: Police Reactions to Violence against Palestinian Women in Israel. Social Identities, 10(2), 171-193. Treacher, A. (2007). Circulating Emotions, Beliefs and Fantasies: The Middle East and the West. Psychodynamic Practice, 13(4), 345-360. Gordon, J. (2012). Human Right Education?. Journal of Law, Medicine Ethics, 41(4), 754-767. Ruby, T. (2013). The Question 0f Muslim Womens Rights And The Ontario Shariah Tribunals. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 34(2), 134-154. Steinberg, G. M. (2012). From Durban to the Goldstone Report: The Centrality Of Human Rights Ngos In The Political Dimension Of The Arab–Israeli Conflict. Israel Affairs, 18(3), 372-388 Steinberg, G. M. (2012). International Ngos, the Arab Upheaval, and Human Rights: Examining NGO Resource Allocation. Journal of International Human Rights, 11(1), 124-149. Boothe, I., Smithey, L. A. (2007). Privilege, Empowerment, and Nonviolent Intervention. Peace Change, 32(1), 39-61. Cakir, S., Yerin Guneri, O. (2011). Exploring the Factors Contributing To Empowerment of Turkish Migrant Women in the UK. International Journal of Psychology, 46(3), 223-233. Kim, L. M. (2001). I Was [So] Busy Fighting Racism That I Didnt Even Know I Was Being Oppressed As A Woman!: Challenges, Changes, and Empowerment In Teaching About Women Of Color. Nwsa Journal, 13(2), 98. Reardon, K. M. (1998). Combating Racism through Planning Education: Lessons from the East St. Louis Action Research Project. Planning Practice Research, 13(4), 421-432.Rubin, J. (2008). From Patriarchy to Empowerment. Womens Participation, Movements, and Rights in The Middle East, North Africa, And South Asia. Middle East Quarterly, 15(3), 84-85. Salime, Z. (2010). Securing The Market, Pacifying Civil Society, Empowering Women: The Middle East Partnership Initiative Securing the Market, Pacifying Civil Society, Empowering Women: The Middle East Partnership Initiative. Sociological Forum, 25(4), 725-745. Zuhur, S. (2003). Women and Empowerment in the Arab World. Arab Studies Quarterly, 25(4), 17-38. Burtonwood, N. (1990). Inset and Education for Multicultural Society: A Review Of The Literature. British Educational Research Journal, 16(4), 321.Osler, A. (2002). Education For Citizenship: Mainstreaming The Fight Against Racism?. European Journal of Education, 37(2), 143.Pettijohn Ii, T. S. (2008). Reducing Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia in College Students By Completing A Psychology Of Prejudice Course. College Student Journal, 42(2), 459-468. Short, G. (1996). Anti-Racist Education, Multiculturalism, and the New Racism. Educational Review, 48(1), 65. Source document

Restoring Mind-Brain Supervenience: A Proposal :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Restoring Mind-Brain Supervenience: A Proposal ABSTRACT: In this paper I examine the claim that mental causation — at least for cases involving the production of purposive behavior — is possible only if ‘mind/brain supervenience’ obtains, and suggest that in spite of all the bad press it has received in recent years, mind/brain supervenience is still the best way for a physicalist to solve the ‘exclusion problem’ that plagues many accounts of mental causation. In section 3, I introduce a form of mind/brain supervenience that depends crucially on the idea that some brain state-types-namely, those involved in the production of purposive behavior-are nonlocally sensitive, where by ‘nonlocal sensitivity’ I mean cases where relevant causal histories and environmental circumstances effect a difference in some of an organism’s brain state-types intrinsic, causal properties. I will argue that such a mode of sensitivity of brain state-types offers the best way out of the exclusio n problem for anyone convinced that mental state-types should be relationally individuated. I In what follows, I examine the claim that mental causation—at least for cases involving the production of purposive behavior—is possible only if ‘mind/brain supervenience’ obtains, and suggest that in spite of all the bad press it has received in recent years, mind/brain supervenience still is the best way for a physicalist to solve the ‘exclusion problem’ that plagues many accounts of mental causation. In section III, I introduce a form of mind/brain supervenience that depends crucially on the idea that some brain state-types—namely, those involved in the production of purposive behavior—are nonlocally sensitive, where by ‘nonlocal sensitivity’ I understand cases where relevant causal histories and environmental circumstances effect a difference in some of an organism’s brain state-types’ intrinsic, causal properties, and argue that such a mode of sensitivity of brain state-types offers the best way out of the exclusion problem for anyone convinced that mental state-types should be relationally individuated. (1) It is important to notice from the outset that nonlocal sensitivity, as I understand it, is not equivalent to relational individuation. Indeed, I am not claiming that a change in a brain state-type’s relational properties effects a difference in its intrinsic, causal properties. I agree that brain state-types should be individuated nonrelationally, but introduce ‘local’ and ‘nonlocal’ sensitivity as modes of nonrelational individuation of brain state-types, and argue that nonlocally sensitive brain state-types make up the proper subvenient base for mental state-types. If my view is correct, strong mind/brain supervenience is restored, and the exclusion problem solved.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 7

Chapter 7 And the angel said, â€Å"What prophet has this written? For in this book is foretold all the events which shall come to pass in the next week in the land of Days of Our Lives and All My Children.† And I said to the angel, â€Å"You fabulously feebleminded bundle of feathers, there's no prophet involved. They know what is going to happen because they write it all down in advance for the actors to perform.† â€Å"So it is written, so it shall be done,† said the angel. I crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed next to Raziel. His gaze never wavered from his Soap Opera Digest. I pushed the magazine down so the angel had to look me in the face. â€Å"Raziel, do you remember the time before mankind, the time when there were only the heavenly host and the Lord?† â€Å"Yes, those were the best of times. Except for the war, of course. But other than that, yes, wonderful times.† â€Å"And you angels were as strong and beautiful as divine imagination, your voices sang praise for the Lord and his glory to the ends of the universe, and yet the Lord saw fit to create us, mankind, weak, twisted, and profane, right?† â€Å"That's when it all started to go downhill, if you ask me,† Raziel said. â€Å"Well, do you know why the Lord decided to create us?† â€Å"No. Ours is not to question the Will.† â€Å"Because you are all dumbfucks, that's why. You're as mindless as the machinery of the stars. Angels are just pretty insects. Days of Our Lives is a show, Raziel, a play. It's not real, get it?† â€Å"No.† And he didn't. I've learned that there's a tradition in this time of telling funny stories about the stupidity of people with yellow hair. Guess where that started. I think that we all expected everything to go back to normal after the killer was found, but it seemed that the Romans were much more concerned with the extermination of the Sicarii then they were with a single resurrection. To be fair, I have to say that resurrections weren't that uncommon in those days. As I mentioned, we Jews were quick to get our dead into the ground, and with speed, there's bound to be errors. Occasionally some poor soul would fall unconscious during a fever and wake to find himself being wrapped in linen and prepared for the grave. But funerals were a nice way to get the family together, and there was always a fine meal afterward, so no one really complained, except perhaps those people who didn't wake before they were buried, and if they complained – well, I'm sure God heard them. (It paid to be a light sleeper, in my time.) So, impressed as they might have been with the walking dead, the next day the Romans began to round up suspected conspirators. The men in Maggie's family were hauled off to Sepphoris at dawn. No miracles would come to bring about the release of the prisoners, but neither were there any crucifixions announced in the days that followed. After two weeks had passed with no word of the fate or condition of the men, Maggie, her mother, her aunts, and her sisters went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and appealed to the Pharisees for help. The next day, the Pharisees from Nazareth, Japhia, and Sepphoris appeared at the Roman garrison to appeal to Justus for the release of the prisoners. I don't know what they said, or what sort of leverage they could possibly have used to move the Romans, but the following day, just after dawn, the men of Maggie's family staggered back into our village, beaten, starving, and covered with filth, but very much alive. There was no feast, no celebration for the return of the prisoners – we Jews walked softly for a few months to allow the Romans to settle down. Maggie seemed distant in the weeks that followed, and Josh and I never saw the smile that could make the breath catch in our throats. She seemed to be avoiding us, rushing out of the square whenever we saw her there, or on the Sabbath, staying so close to the women of her family that we couldn't talk to her. Finally, after a month had passed, with absolutely no regard for custom or common courtesy, Joshua insisted that we skip work and dragged me by the sleeve to Maggie's house. She was kneeling on the ground outside the door, grinding some barley with a millstone. We could see her mother moving around in the house and hear the sound of her father and older brother Simon (who was called Lazarus) working the forge next door. Maggie seemed to be lost in the rhythm of grinding the grain, so she didn't see us approach. Joshua put his hand on her shoulder, and without looking up, she smiled. â€Å"You are supposed to be building a house in Sepphoris,† she said. â€Å"We thought it more important to visit a sick friend.† â€Å"And who would that be?† â€Å"Who do you think?† â€Å"I'm not sick. In fact, I've been healed by the touch of the Messiah.† â€Å"I think not,† said Joshua. She finally looked up at him and her smile evaporated. â€Å"I can't be friends with you two anymore,† she said. â€Å"Things have changed.† â€Å"What, because your uncle was a Sicarii?† I said. â€Å"Don't be silly.† â€Å"No, because my mother made a bargain to get Iban to convince the other Pharisees to go to Sepphoris and plead for the men's lives.† â€Å"What kind of bargain?† Joshua asked. â€Å"I am betrothed.† She looked at the millstone again and a tear dripped into the powdered grain. We were both stunned. Josh took his hand from her shoulder and stepped back, then looked at me as if there was something I could do. I felt as if I would start crying at any second myself. I managed to choke out, â€Å"Who to?† â€Å"To Jakan,† Maggie said with a sob. â€Å"Iban's son? The creep? The bully?† Maggie nodded. Joshua covered his mouth and ran a few steps away, then threw up. I was tempted to join him, but instead I crouched in front of Maggie. â€Å"How long before you're married?† â€Å"I'm to be married a month after the Passover feast. Mother made him wait six months.† â€Å"Six months! Six months! That's forever, Maggie. Why, Jakan could be killed in a thousand heinous ways in six months, and that's just the ones I can think of right now. Why, someone could turn him in to the Romans for being a rebel. I'm not saying who, but someone might. It could happen.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Biff.† â€Å"Don't be sorry for me, why would you be sorry for me?† â€Å"I know how you feel, so I'm sorry.† I was thrown for a second. I glanced at Joshua to see if he could give me a clue, but he was still absorbed in splattering his breakfast in the dirt. â€Å"But it's Joshua who you love?† I finally said. â€Å"Does that make you feel any better?† â€Å"Well, no.† â€Å"Then I'm sorry.† She made as if to reach out to touch my cheek, but her mother called her before she made contact. â€Å"Right now, Mary, in this house!† Maggie nodded toward the barfing Messiah. â€Å"Take care of him.† â€Å"He'll be fine.† â€Å"And take care of yourself.† â€Å"I'll be fine too, Maggie. Don't forget I have an emergency backup wife. Besides, it's six months. A lot can happen in six months. It's not like we won't see you.† I was trying to sound more hopeful than I felt. â€Å"Take Joshua home,† she said. Then she quickly kissed me on the cheek and ran into the house. Joshua was completely against the idea of murdering Jakan, or even praying for harm to come to him. If anything, Joshua seemed more kindly disposed toward Jakan than he had been before, going as far as to seek him out and congratulate him on his betrothal to Maggie, an act that left me feeling angry and betrayed. I confronted Joshua in the olive grove, where he had gone to pray among the twisted tree trunks. â€Å"You coward,† I said, â€Å"you could strike him down if you wanted to.† â€Å"As could you,† he replied. â€Å"Yeah, but you can call the wrath of God down upon him. I'd have to sneak up behind him and brain him with a rock. There's a difference.† â€Å"And you would have me kill Jakan for what, your bad luck?† â€Å"Works for me.† â€Å"Is it so hard for you to give up what you never had?† â€Å"I had hope, Josh. You understand hope, don't you?† Sometimes he could be mightily dense, or so I thought. I didn't realize how much he was hurting inside, or how much he wanted to do something. â€Å"I think I understand hope, I'm just not sure that I am allowed to have any.† â€Å"Oh, don't start with that ‘Everyone gets something but me' speech. You've got plenty.† Josh wheeled on me, his eyes like fire, â€Å"Like what? What do I have?† â€Å"Uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I wanted to say something about a really sexy mother, but that didn't seem like the sort of thing he wanted to hear. â€Å"Uh, you have God.† â€Å"So do you. So does everyone.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Not the Romans.† â€Å"There are Roman Jews.† â€Å"Well, you've got, uh – that healing-raising-the-dead thing.† â€Å"Oh yeah, and that's working really well.† â€Å"Well, you're the Messiah, what's that? That's something. If you told people you were the Messiah they'd have to do what you say.† â€Å"I can't tell them.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I don't know how to be the Messiah.† â€Å"Well, at least do something about Maggie.† â€Å"He can't,† came a voice from behind a tree. A golden glow emanated from either side of the trunk. â€Å"Who's there?† Joshua called. The angel Raziel stepped out from behind the tree. â€Å"Angel of the Lord,† I said under my breath to Josh. â€Å"I know,† he said, in a â€Å"you seen one, you seen 'em all† way. â€Å"He can't do anything,† the angel repeated. â€Å"Why not?† I asked. â€Å"Because he may not know any woman.† â€Å"I may not?† Joshua said, not sounding at all happy. â€Å"He may not in that he should not, or that he cannot?† I asked. The angel scratched his golden head, â€Å"I didn't think to ask.† â€Å"It's kind of important,† I said. â€Å"Well, he can't do anything about Mary Magdalene, I know that. They told me to come and tell him that. That and that it is time for him to go.† â€Å"Go where?† â€Å"I didn't think to ask.† I suppose I should have been frightened, but I seemed to have passed right through frightened to exasperated. I stepped up to the angel and poked him in the chest. â€Å"Are you the same angel that came to us before, to announce the coming of the Savior?† â€Å"It was the Lord's will that I bring that joyful news.† â€Å"I just wondered, in case all of you angels look alike or something. So, after you showed up ten years late, they sent you with another message?† â€Å"I am here to tell the Savior that it is time for him to go.† â€Å"But you don't know where?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"And this golden stuff around you, this light, what is this?† â€Å"The glory of the Lord.† â€Å"You're sure it's not stupidity leaking out of you?† â€Å"Biff, be nice, he is the messenger of the Lord.† â€Å"Well, hell, Josh, he's no help at all. If we're going to get angels from heaven they should at least know what they are doing. Blow down walls or something, destroy cities, oh, I don't know – get the whole message.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† the angel said. â€Å"Would you like me to destroy a city?† â€Å"Go find out where Josh is supposed to go. How 'bout that?† â€Å"I can do that.† â€Å"Then do that.† â€Å"I'll be right back.† â€Å"We'll wait.† â€Å"Godspeed,† Joshua said. In an instant the angel moved behind another tree trunk and the golden glow was gone from the olive grove with a warm breeze. â€Å"You were sort of hard on him,† Joshua said. â€Å"Josh, being nice isn't always going to get the job done.† â€Å"One can try.† â€Å"Was Moses nice to Pharaoh?† Before Joshua could answer me, the warm breeze blew into the olive grove again and the angel stepped out from behind a tree. â€Å"To find your destiny,† he said. â€Å"What?† I said. â€Å"What?† Joshua said. â€Å"You are supposed to go find your destiny.† â€Å"That's it?† Joshua said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"What about the ‘knowing a woman' thing?† I asked. â€Å"I have to go now.† â€Å"Grab him, Josh. You hold him and I'll hit him.† But the angel was gone with the breeze. â€Å"My destiny?† Joshua looked at his open, empty palms. â€Å"We should have pounded the answer out of him,† I said. â€Å"I don't think that would have worked.† â€Å"Oh, back to the nice strategy. Did Moses – â€Å" â€Å"Moses should have said, ‘Let my people go, please.'† â€Å"That would have made the difference?† â€Å"It could have worked. You don't know.† â€Å"So what do you do about your destiny?† â€Å"I'm going to ask the Holy of Holies when we go to the Temple for the Passover.† And so it came to pass that in the spring all of the Jews from Galilee made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover feast, and Joshua began the search for his destiny. The road was lined with families making their way to the holy city. Camels, carts, and donkeys were loaded high with provisions for the trip, and all along the column of pilgrims you could hear the bleating of the lambs that would be sacrificed for the feast. The road was dry that year, and a red-brown cloud of dust wound its way over the road as far as one could see in either direction. Since we were each the eldest in our families, it fell on Joshua and me to keep track of all our younger brothers and sisters. It seemed that the easiest way to accomplish this was to tie them together, so we strung together, by height, my two brothers and Josh's three brothers and two sisters. I tied the rope loosely around their necks so it would only choke them if they got out of line. â€Å"I can untie this,† said James. â€Å"Me too,† said my brother Shem. â€Å"But you won't. This is the part of the Passover where you reenact Moses leading you out of the Promised Land, you have to stay with the little ones.† â€Å"You're not Moses,† said Shem. â€Å"No – no, I'm not Moses. Smart of you to notice.† I tied the end of the rope to a nearby wagon that was loaded high with jars of wine. â€Å"This wagon is Moses,† I said. â€Å"Follow it.† â€Å"That wagon isn't – â€Å" â€Å"It's symbolic, shut the hell up and follow Moses.† Thus freed of our responsibilities, Joshua and I went looking for Maggie and her family. We knew that Maggie and her clan had left after us, so we fought backward through the pilgrims, braving donkey bites and camel spit until we spotted her royal blue shawl on the hill behind us, perhaps a half-mile back. We had resolved to just sit by the side of the road to wait until she reached us, rather than battle the crowd, when suddenly the column of pilgrims started to leave the road altogether, moving to the sides in a great wave. When we saw the red crest of a centurion's helmet come over the top of the hill we understood. Our people were making way for the Roman army. (There would be nearly a million Jews in Jerusalem for Passover – a million Jews celebrating their liberation from oppression, a very dangerous mix from the Roman point of view. The Roman governor would come from Caesarea with his full legion of six thousand men, and each of the other barracks in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee would send a century or two of soldiers to the holy city.) We used the opportunity to dash back to Maggie, arriving there at the same time as the Roman army. The centurion that led the cavalry kicked at me as he passed, his hobnail boot missing my head by a hair's breadth. I suppose I should be glad he wasn't a standard-bearer or I might have been conked with a Roman eagle. â€Å"How long do I have to wait before you drive them from the land and restore the kingdom to our people, Joshua?† Maggie stood there with her hands on her hips, trying to look stern, but her blue eyes betrayed that she was about to burst into laughter. â€Å"Uh, shalom to you too, Maggie,† Joshua said. â€Å"How about you, Biff, have you learned to be an idiot yet, or are you behind in your studies?† Those laughing eyes, even as the Romans passed by only an arm's length away. God, I miss her. â€Å"I'm learning,† I said. Maggie put down the jar she'd been carrying and threw her arms out to embrace us. It had been months since we'd seen her other than passing in the square. She smelled of lemons and cinnamon that day. We walked with Maggie and her family for a couple of hours, talking and joking and avoiding the subject that we were all thinking about until Maggie finally said, â€Å"Are you two coming to my wedding?† Joshua and I looked at each other as if our tongues had suddenly been struck from our mouths. I saw that Josh was having no luck finding words, and Maggie seemed to be getting angry. â€Å"Well?† â€Å"Uh, Maggie, it's not that we're not overjoyed with your good fortune, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She took the opportunity to backhand me across the mouth. The jar she carried on her head didn't even waver. Amazing grace that girl had. â€Å"Ouch.† â€Å"Good fortune? Are you mad? My husband's a toad. I'm sick at the thought of him. I was just hoping you two would come to help me through the ceremony.† â€Å"I think my lip is bleeding.† Joshua looked at me and his eyes went wide. â€Å"Uh-oh.† He cocked his head, as if listening to the wind. â€Å"What, uh-oh?† Then I heard the commotion coming from ahead. There was a crowd gathered at a small bridge – a lot of shouting and waving. Since the Romans had long since passed, I assumed someone had fallen in the river. â€Å"Uh-oh,† Josh said again, and he began running toward the bridge. â€Å"Sorry.† I shrugged at Maggie, then followed Josh. At the river's edge (no more than a creek, really) we saw a boy about our age, with wild hair and wilder eyes, standing waist-deep in the water. He was holding something under the water and shouting at the top of his lungs. â€Å"You must repent and atone, atone and repent! Your sins have made you unclean. I cleanse you of the evil that you carry like your wallet.† â€Å"That's my cousin, John,† Joshua said. Trailing out of the water on either side of John stood our brothers and sisters, still tied together, but the missing link in the string of siblings was my brother Shem, who had been replaced by a lot of thrashing and bubbling muddy water in front of John. Onlookers were cheering on the Baptist, who was having a little trouble keeping Shem under water. â€Å"I think he's drowning Shem.† â€Å"Baptizing,† Joshua said. â€Å"My mother will be happy that Shem's sins have been cleansed, but I have to think we're going to be in a lot of trouble if he drowns in the process.† â€Å"Good point,† Josh said. He stepped into the water. â€Å"John! Stop that!† John looked at him and seemed a little perplexed. â€Å"Cousin Joshua?† â€Å"Yes. John, let him up.† â€Å"He has sinned,† John said, as if that said it all. â€Å"I'll take care of his sins.† â€Å"You think you're the one, don't you? Well, you're not. My birth was announced by an angel as well. It was prophesied that I would lead. You're not the one.† â€Å"We should talk about this in another place. Let him up, John. He's cleansed.† John let my brother pop out of the water and I ran down and dragged him and all the other kids out of the river. â€Å"Wait, the others haven't been cleansed. They are filthy with sin.† Joshua stepped between his brother James, who would have been the next one dunked, and the Baptist. â€Å"You won't tell Mother about this, will you?† Halfway between terrified and furious, James was tearing at the knots, trying to untie the rope from around his neck. He clearly wanted revenge on his big brother, but at the same time he didn't want to give up his brother's protection from John. â€Å"If we let John baptize you long enough, you won't be able to tell your mother, will you, James?† Me, just trying to help out. â€Å"I won't tell,† James said. He looked back at John, who was still staring as if he'd dash out and grab someone to cleanse any second. â€Å"He's our cousin?† â€Å"Yes,† Joshua said. â€Å"The son of our mother's cousin Elizabeth.† â€Å"When did you meet him before?† â€Å"I haven't.† â€Å"Then how did you know him.† â€Å"I just did.† â€Å"He's a loony,† said James. â€Å"You're both loonies.† â€Å"Yes, a family trait. Maybe when you get older you can be a loony too. You won't tell Mother.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Good,† Joshua said. â€Å"You and Biff get the kids moving, will you?† I nodded, shooting a glance back to John. â€Å"James is right, Josh. He is a loony.† â€Å"I heard that, sinner!† John shouted. â€Å"Perhaps you need to be cleansed.† John and his parents shared supper with us that evening. I was surprised that John's parents were older than Joseph – older than my grandparents even. Joshua told me that John's birth had been a miracle, announced by the angel. Elizabeth, John's mother, talked about it all through supper, as if it had happened yesterday instead of thirteen years ago. When the old woman paused to take a breath, Joshua's mother started in about the divine announcement of her own son's birth. Occasionally my mother, feeling the need to exhibit some maternal pride that she didn't really feel, would chime in as well. â€Å"You know, Biff wasn't announced by an angel, but locusts ate our garden and Alphaeus had gas for a month around the time he would have been conceived. I think it might have been a sign. That certainly didn't happen with my other boys.† Ah, Mother. Did I mention that she was besought with a demon? After supper, Joshua and I built our own fire, away from the others, hoping that Maggie would seek us out, but it turned out that only John joined us. â€Å"You are not the anointed one,† John said to Joshua. â€Å"Gabriel came to my father. Your angel didn't even have a name.† â€Å"We shouldn't be talking about these things,† Joshua said. â€Å"The angel told my father that his son would prepare the way for the Lord. That's me.† â€Å"Fine, I want nothing more than for you to be the Messiah, John.† â€Å"Really?† John asked. â€Å"But your mother seems so, so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Josh can raise the dead,† I said. John shifted his insane gaze to me, and I scooted away from him in case he tried to hit me. â€Å"He cannot,† John said. â€Å"Yep, I've seen it twice.† â€Å"Don't, Biff,† Josh said. â€Å"You're lying. Bearing false witness is a sin,† John said. The Baptist started to look more panicked than angry. â€Å"I'm not very good at it,† Joshua said. John's eyes went wide, now with amazement instead of madness. â€Å"You have done this? You have raised the dead?† â€Å"And healed the sick,† I said. John grabbed me by the front of my tunic and pulled me close, staring into my eyes as if he was looking into my head. â€Å"You aren't lying, are you?† He looked at Joshua. â€Å"He's not lying, is he?† Joshua shook his head. â€Å"I don't think so.† John released me, let out a long sigh, then sat back in the dirt. The firelight caught tears sparkling in his eyes as he stared at nothing. â€Å"I am so relieved. I didn't know what I would do. I don't know how to be the Messiah.† â€Å"Neither do I,† said Joshua. â€Å"Well, I hope you really can raise the dead,† John said, â€Å"because this will kill my mother.† We walked with John for the next three days, through Samaria, into Judea, and finally into the holy city. Fortunately, there weren't many rivers or streams along the way, so we were able to keep his baptisms to a minimum. His heart was in the right place, he really did want to cleanse our people of their sins, it was just that no one would believe that God would give that responsibility to a thirteen-year-old. To keep John happy, Josh and I let him baptize our little brothers and sisters at every body of water we passed, at least until Josh's little sister Miriam developed the sniffles and Joshua had to perform an emergency healing on her. â€Å"You really can heal,† John exclaimed. â€Å"Well, the sniffles are easy,† Joshua said. â€Å"A little mucus is nothing against the power of the Lord.† â€Å"Would – would you mind?† John said, lifting up his tunic and showing his bare privates, which were covered with sores and greenish scales. â€Å"Cover, please cover!† I yelled. â€Å"Drop the shirt and step away!† â€Å"That's disgusting,† Joshua said. â€Å"Am I unclean? I've been afraid to ask my father, and I can't go to a Pharisee, not with my father being a priest. I think it's from standing in the water all of the time. Can you heal me?† (I have to say here that I believe that this was the first time Joshua's little sister Miriam ever saw a man's privates. She was only six at the time, but the experience so frightened her that she never married. The last time anyone heard from her, she had cut her hair short, put on men's clothes, and moved to the Greek island of Lesbos. But that was later.) â€Å"Have at it, Josh,† I said. â€Å"Lay your hands upon the affliction and heal it.† Joshua shot me a dirty look, then looked back to his cousin John, with nothing but compassion in his eyes. â€Å"My mother has some salve you can put on it,† he said. â€Å"Let's see if that works first.† â€Å"I've tried salve,† John said. â€Å"I was afraid you had,† said Joshua. â€Å"Have you tried rubbing it with olive oil?† I asked. â€Å"It probably won't cure you, but it might take your mind off of it.† â€Å"Biff, please. John is afflicted.† â€Å"Sorry.† Joshua said, â€Å"Come here, John.† â€Å"Oh, jeez, Joshua,† I said. â€Å"You're not going to touch it, are you? He's unclean. Let him live with the lepers.† Joshua put his hands on John's head and the Baptist's eyes rolled back in his head. I thought he would fall, and he did waver, but remained standing. â€Å"Father, you have sent this one to prepare the way. Let him go forth with his body as clean as his spirit.† Joshua released his cousin and stepped back. John opened his eyes and smiled. â€Å"I am healed!† he yelled. â€Å"I am healed.† John began to raise his shirt and I caught his arm. â€Å"We'll take your word for it.† The Baptist fell to his knees, then prostrated himself before Joshua, shoving his face against Josh's feet. â€Å"You are truly the Messiah. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I shall declare your holiness throughout the land.† â€Å"Uh, maybe someday, but not now,† Joshua said. John looked up from where he had been grasping Josh's ankles. â€Å"Not now?† â€Å"We're trying to keep it a secret,† I said. Josh patted his cousin's head. â€Å"Yes, it would be best not to tell anyone about the healing, John.† â€Å"But why?† â€Å"We have to find out a couple of things before Joshua starts being the Messiah,† I said. â€Å"Like what?† John seemed as if he would start crying again. â€Å"Well, like where Joshua left his destiny and whether or not he's allowed to, uh, have an abomination with a woman.† â€Å"It's not an abomination if it's with a woman,† Josh added. â€Å"It's not?† â€Å"Nope. Sheep, goats, pretty much any animal – it's an abomination. But with a woman, it's something totally different.† â€Å"What about a woman and a goat, what's that?† asked John. â€Å"That's five shekels in Damascus,† I said. â€Å"Six if you want to help.† Joshua punched me in the shoulder. â€Å"Sorry, old joke.† I grinned. â€Å"Couldn't resist.† John closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, as if he might squeeze some understanding out of his mind if he applied enough pressure. â€Å"So you don't want anyone to know that you have the power to heal because you don't know if you can lie with a woman?† â€Å"Well, that and I have no idea how to go about being the Messiah,† Josh said. â€Å"Yeah, and that,† I said. â€Å"You should ask Hillel,† John said. â€Å"My father says he's the wisest of all of the priests.† â€Å"I'm going to ask the Holy of Holies,† Joshua said. (The Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant – the box containing the tablets handed down from God to Moses. No one I knew had ever seen it, as it was housed in the inner room at the Temple.) â€Å"But it's forbidden. Only a priest may enter the chamber of the Ark.† â€Å"Yes, that's going to be a problem,† I said. The city was like a huge cup that had been filled to its brim with pilgrims, then spilled into a seething pool of humanity around it. When we arrived men were already lined up as far as the Damascus gate, waiting with their lambs to get to the Temple. A greasy black smoke was on the wind, coming from the Temple, where as many as ten thousand priests would be slaughtering the lambs and burning the blood and fatty parts on the altar. Cooking fires were burning all around the city as women prepared the lambs. A haze hung in the air, the steam and funk of a million people and as many animals. Stale breath and sweat and the smell of piss rose in the heat of the day, mixing with the bleating of lambs, the bellowing of camels, the crying of children, the ululations of women, and the low buzz of too many voices, until the air was thick with sounds and smells and God and history. Here Abraham received the word of God that his people would be the Chosen, here were the Hebrews delivered out of Egypt, here Solomon built the first Temple, here walked the prophets and the kings of the Hebrews, and here resided the Ark of the Covenant. Jerusalem. Here did I, the Christ, and John the Baptist come to find out the will of God and, if we were lucky, spot some really delicious girls. (What, you thought it was all religion and philosophy?) Our families made camp outside the northern wall of the city, below the battlements of Antonia, the fortress Herod had built in tribute to his benefactor, Marc Antony. Two cohorts of Roman soldiers, some twelve hundred strong, watched the Temple courtyard from the fortress walls. The women fed and washed the children while Joshua and I carried lambs with our fathers to the Temple. There was something unsettling about carrying an animal to its death. It wasn't that I hadn't seen the sacrifices before, nor even eaten the Passover lamb, but this was the first time I'd actually participated. I could feel the animal's breathing on my neck as I carried it slung over my shoulders, and amid all the noise and the smells and the movement around the Temple, there was, for a moment, silence, just the breath and heartbeat of the lamb. I guess I fell behind the others, because my father turned and said something to me, but I couldn't hear the words. We went through the gates and into the outer courtyard of the Temple where merchants sold birds for the sacrifice and moneychangers traded shekels for a hundred different coins from around the world. As we passed through the enormous courtyard, where thousands of men stood with lambs on their shoulders waiting to get into the inner temple, to the altar, to the slaughter, I could see no man's face. I saw only the faces of the lambs, some calm and oblivious, others with their eyes rolled back, bleating in terror, still others seeming to be stunned. I swung the lamb from my own shoulders and cradled it in my arms like a child as I backed out toward the gate. I know my father and Joseph must have come after me, but I couldn't see their faces, just emptiness where their eyes should have been, just the eyes of the lambs they carried. I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't get out of the Temple fast enough. I didn't know where I was going, but I wasn't going inside to the altar. I turned to run , but a hand caught my shirt and pulled me back. I spun around and looked into Joshua's eyes. â€Å"It's God's will,† he said. He laid his hands on my head and I was able to breathe again. â€Å"It's all right, Biff. God's will.† He smiled. Joshua had put the lamb he'd been carrying on the ground, but it didn't run away. I suppose I should have known right then. I didn't eat any of the lamb for that Passover feast. In fact, I've never eaten lamb since that day.

Chemistry Scavenger Hunt Clues and Answers

One of the more popular chemistry assignments is a scavenger hunt, where students are asked to identify or bring in items that fit a description. Examples of scavenger hunt items are things like an element or a heterogeneous mixture. Are there additional items you would add to a scavenger hunt or that you have been asked to find for an assignment? Chemistry Scavenger Hunt Clues First, lets start with the clues. You can print this page out to start your own chemistry scavenger hunt or try to find the answers. These same clues plus possible answers are found at the bottom of this page. An elementA heterogeneous mixtureA homogenous mixtureA gas-liquid solutionA malleable substanceA solid-liquid solutionA substance which has a volume of 1 cm3An edible example of a physical changeAn edible example of a chemical changeA pure compound which contains ionic bondsA pure compound which contains covalent bondsA mixture that can be separated by filtrationA mixture that can be separated by some other method than filtrationA substance with a density of less than 1g/mLA substance with a density of more than oneA substance which contains a polyatomic ionAn acidA metalA non-metalAn inert gasAn alkaline earth metalImmiscible liquidsA toy which demonstrates a physical changeThe result of a chemical changeA moleA substance with tetrahedral geometryA base with a pH greater than 9A polymer Possible Scavenger Hunt Answers An element: Aluminum foil, copper wire, aluminum can, iron nameA  heterogeneous mixture: Sand and water, salt and iron filingsA homogenous mixture: Air, sugar solutionA gas-liquid solution: SodaA malleable substance: Play-doh or modeling clayA solid-liquid solution: Maybe  an amalgam of silver and mercury? This is definitely a tough one.A substance which has a volume of 1 cubic centimeter: Standard sugar cube, cut a cube of soap the proper sizeAn  edible example of a physical change: Melting  ice  creamAn edible example of a chemical change: Seltzer tablet (barely edible), candies that fizz or pop when dampA pure compound which contains  ionic bonds: SaltA pure compound which contains  covalent bonds: Sucrose or table sugarA mixture that can be separated by filtration: Fruit cocktail in syrupA mixture that can be separated by some other method than filtrationSaltwater—salt and water can be separated using  reverse osmosis  or  an ion exchange columnA substa nce with a density of less than 1g/mL: Oil, iceA substance with a density more than one: Any metal, glassA substance which contains a  polyatomic ion: Gypsum (SO42-),  Epsom  saltsAn acid: Vinegar (dilute  acetic acid),  solid citric acidA metal: Iron, aluminum, copperA non-metal: Sulfur, graphite (carbon)An inert gas: Helium in a balloon, neon in a glass tube, argon if you have access to a labAn alkaline earth metal: Calcium, magnesiumImmiscible liquids: Oil and waterA toy which demonstrates a physical change: A toy steam engineThe result of a chemical change: AshesA mole: 18 g of water, 58.5 g of salt, 55.8 g of ironA substance with tetrahedral geometry: Silicates (sand, quartz), diamondA base with a pH greater than 9: Baking sodaA polymer: A piece of plastic