Odyssey bibliography Essay

Odysseus was one of the famous Greek poets. He was Laertes and Anticlea’s son and was married to Penelope (a woman thought to be inordinately faithful) and was a father to Telemachus. Odysseus was the king of Ithaca, a favorite place in Athens, and was one of the few Greeks that returned home safely from troy and the Trojan War though it took a long time before they returned. He is believed to have written some poems in the end of eighth century BC. Odysseus was among the leader of Achaeans who have contributed to most part of Greek literature. In his different walks of life, he is view as a hero and in other side as a failure, in the focus of his bibliography as written by homer, his participation in Trojan war and his tricks that made him stand unique paving way for his success in his missions. He was a family man who focused on achievements and did not believe on failures, he believed in as supernatural power of gods that were making him strong in believe that they were in his support in the victory. The essay focuses on the life line of Odysseus, participation and contributions as well as his character traits as narrated by different poets and other literatures. Joachim, 2005) Odysseus early life When Odysseus was a young boy, he exhibited on his talent; his main fond was archery and was excelling on it. Young Odysseus was fond of hunting with his dog, Argos, he could not stop doing what he liked no matter the challenges example is when he was gored by a bear and left a scar on his thigh. The scar was a lifetime mark that would help his old nurse Eurycleia when he returned from his wonderings. He was know to mind less about the appearance, some people went far as saying that he had bandy-legged, but when he began talking, he was unstoppable. His cleverness brought him closer to goddess Athena; he became his protector at troy and later on the sea. Odysseus became one of the original suitors of Helen of troy. He came woo her in Sparta for it was expected of him though his main interest was in her cousin Penelope. To avoid dispute among the suitors that were interested in Helen, Odysseus suggested to her father to help him win Penelope, Helen’s cousin, her father feared the preference of one suitor. Odysseus suggested to Tyndareus to exact an oath to all suitors that they will defend the favored suitor and protect his marriage against anything wrong that may be done to him. Helen married Menelaus of the cursed horse. Icarius of Lacedaemon, the Penelope’s father, offered his daughter to Odysseus, the man who defeated him in foot race. Penelope’s father, the old king of Lacedaemon was trying to make the newly wedded couples to stay in Lacedaemon but Odysseus refused and set for Ithaca. After much insisting, Odysseus had to bade to his wife either to move with him or return to her father. Penelope did not respond but instead she covered her face which was a clear indication that she wished to move with her husband, this was a clear prove of her cleverness and wily as her husband. Martin, 2007) On arrival in Ithaca, Odysseus had to build a new palace for him and his new bride. The couple got a son, it did not take long before the news came to them that Paris had eloped Helen. After the Paris abducted Helen, her father invoked an oath of Tyndareus, Odysseus refused to make good out of it. He pretended to be mad just to proof his sanity after he avoided hitting a child. (Kayakas, 1988) Odysseus character Odysseus is described as a hero due to his cunning intelligence. The use of deceptive speech describes him well and is well manifested in his character traits as a peer of Zeus in counsel. His disguising character takes form altering his appearance and verbal, this may be seen in the event when he blinded Cyclops when he told him that his name was nobody the managed to escape after blinding Polyphemus. When polyphemuss was screaming and Cyclops asks him why he was doing that, he said that nobody is hurting him, every one (Cyclopes) thought no one was hurting him and may be he was suffering in the hands of immortal Zeus. According to Odyssey of Homer, it is evident that Odysseus was arrogant and proud, as he sailed away from the Cyclops’s island, he boasted as he shouted his name saying that no one defeat him ‘great Odysseus’. The Cyclopes were not happy with him and the threw bitter words to him as he tells his father that Odysseus blinded him which enraged Poseidon and caused the god to curse Odysseus home coming and delayed for a long time. (Rodney, 2006) Odysseus events Odysseus events are narrated and given from the middle of the plot; this has been done through flashbacks and story telling. The later authors have done this through imitation, examples of these authors are Virgil and Aeneid, the modern poets were not left behind such as Pope Alexander in the mock epic, mock-heroic also commonly known as ‘the rape of the rock’. At first we find Odysseus trying to assert control on the household and later at Athena’s advice while in search for news concerning his lost fathers. Odysseus was a captive for a long time of the beautiful nymph Calypso who he had spent with his seven years of his lost ten years. (Karykas, 2003) After his release by intercession of his patroness Athena, he leaves and his raft was destroyed by his known enemy Poseidon who was much annoyed because Odysseus had blinded Polyphemus his son. Odysseus washed up Scherie, which was the home to Phaeacians and is assisted by Nausicaa who treats him with great hospitability. When he returned he narrated about his adventures since he left troy to Phaeacians and the leader of his adventures satisfying their curiosity. This flash back extends back to where Odysseus stands and his tale told. Odysseus got a ship through loan from shipbuilding Phaeacians to return to Ithaca, he is assisted by swine hearder Emaeus to meet Telemachus, in the process he got back his house hold and managed to kill the suitors and then he was able to reunite with his faithful Penelope, his wife. Odyssey is divided into 24 books in all modern editions and translations. The message contained there in is convincing but not original, Alexandrian editors developed this by 3rd century BC. Through the period, the books have been given different titles. Barry, 2006) Odysseus and culture Different cultures have risen in concern of Odysseus; some of the cultures describe him as a hero and others as a scoundrel. Odysseus was ruling the Cephallenians, this were the people who were dwelling on the islands that was on the northwest coast of Greece. His palace was on the rocky island of Ithaca, compared to other Greek princes that were fighting at troy; he was not as wealthy as them though he was living a com fortable life. (Malcom, 2000) Trojan War According to myths of Greek, the Trojan war was war that was Achaeans against the city of troy after Helen was stolen by troy of Paris from her husband Menelaus who was the King of Sparta. Trojan War was among the most important events that happened in the Greek mythology which was narrated by many and different works of Greek literature that included the Iliad, Homer and the Odyssey. Trojan War believed to have originated from a quarrel between the Aphrodite, Athena and Hera goddesses after the Eris, goddess of strife and discord offered them a golden apple, and this is also referred to as apple of discord that was marked to be the fairest. When the goddess went to Paris and judged that Aphrodite as the fairest and should be the one to receive the apple. In exchange apple, Aphrodite made Helen to be the most beautiful woman and fallen in love with Paris who would take her to troy. Achaeans desecrated temples and they slaughtered Trojans, they got the wrath of gods’, only few of the Achaeans returned home safely while others found colonies in different places in the shores. The Romans were led by one of the surviving Trojan to their origin, Italy. Wood, 1998) Odyssey describes the Odysseus journey home. He was among the Achaean leaders. Other parts of the war have been narrated by cycle of epic poems, though has survived in fragments. The war episodes were important for they provided materials for the Greek literature and for the Roman poets like Ovid and Virgil. Odysseus had fought for more than ten years in the Trojan War before he came up with the idea of wooden horse. This was probable the reason why wily or c rafty was attached to his name. Odysseus incurred another decade on the way before arriving home after blinding Poseidon’s Cyclops son that brought a wrath to him. This delayed him to arrive in time so this covers him and his crews return way to Ithaca from Trojan War. (Jonathan, 2004) Dilemma of Odyssey Though the ancient Greeks great epic poems were attributed to the confusing figure of homer, not much is known about him and the contribution of odyssey beyond his name being attached to the poems. There is some doubt whether homer was the real author of Odyssey and Iliad. Homer played a primary role in shaping the master work, much is said about the probability of his contribution, if he is the real author, he must be a great literature artist. Odysseys are the most influential poems; Odysseus epics are used in the Greek education and culture throughout the age and have formed a backbone of human education from the time of Roman Empire and spread of Christianity. The translation of odysseys have brought an impact on Renaissance culture of Italy, this have helped in forming European tradition. The poems are of some use in determining when Homer and Odysseus lived, this gives a clue that make it easy to assume that they lived around 8th century, The Odyssey may belong closer to this period. The dilemma behind this is that odysseys were oral; this was to be passed through generations till the time of writing. Odysseus own means of poems are through singing. Another dilemma is what would affect the accuracy of when epics came to written form. (Michael, 1976) Conclusion Odysseus was a man of different character; no one could really describe his character confidently. He was a man of high moral and he used his cleverness to avoid what he wanted and avoid what seemed not good for him. During the Trojan War, Odysseus was a man his group could not do without; his mode of decision making was quite unique and stood as a pillar for the victory. The life of Odysseus was a life well lived, he left a legend behind that would become a literature to learned in European education, this was an epic that taught much of the Greeks’ empire and history.

Labor and Employment Law Synthesis Paper

Labor and Employment Law Synthesis Paper Honglei Qin HMD 259-2005 11/14/2012 Labor and Employment Law This law is the one capable of explaining the economic motivation, background and implication of employment and labor regulation so as to help the policymakers, researchers and advocates express their own positional ideas (Simpson, 2011).. These regulations are the ones that provide the initial ideas of the labor law to any person getting into the studies regarding the economic perspectives.The labor law consists of various aspects which mostly are directly involving the employment processes. In this case, there are many categories of employments whereby the regulations guiding them are of different kinds. Some of the examples are the gender bases in the labor sector whereby both sex are protected by the law from any kind of discrimination in the workplaces (Simpson, 2011). In case of age matter, the law provides regulations on the age required for the employment hence preventing any kind of child labor.Other special cases that are guided by the labor law are the issues of slavery, human trafficking and the forced labor whereby the victims are being forced to work in bad conditions without their requirements been observed by the employers. According to the study conducted by Ann Sophie, the role of employment law economically is to generate a frame work of legal aspects to maximize the labor exchange joint value by reducing the incentives of the parties (Simpson, 2011).This is done in order to an advantageously use the element which are unspecified of contractual relationship and by doing this the cost of detailed employment and enforcement is reduced at a high rate. In order to understand well the concept of the employment or labor law, let us look at different ways of employment. Two of the main ways that a person can be employed is as an employee or may be as a contractor that is independent contractor. This will help as understand various obligation of the labor law since the two employment categories are assigned different rights under different obligations in the employment law (Simpson, 2011).Taking the case of the employee, he/she works directly under the service contractor with the employer, that is he/she works completely in the employer’s authority (Pagura, 2011).. He therefore have contract of service. In the other case of contractor, they do they work under sails of service and they do not only sell these services to one employer at a time but can as well sell them to many employers. Therefore they work under the contract for service. In order to understand this more, let us take an example of john and James who are both mechanics working in the same garage.John works there as a full time employee while James works as a contractor reporting to duties only in two days a week (Pagura, 2011).. In case of john, he waits to be told how, when and where to work by the boss. He gets his salary at the end of the month and it is fixed regardless of how many cars he has repaired (Pagura, 2011). All the tools are provided by the employer and he does not pay for any breakages or loses all that is under the employer’s obligation. In the case of James, he works only on Mondays and Fridays.After every peace of work he records it and at the end of every week he prepares an invoice for the job done of which he receives payments. Unlike john, James has to bring his toolbox with him and if he wants to use any from the garage he has to pay for it. Here are the deferent obligations provided by the labor law to these two different workers. In terms of flexibility, James is more flexible and independent than john. The independence of both is measured in terms of ability to work for others (Pagura, 2011).James is allowed to work for other contracts from Tuesday to Thursday while john is working exclusively for this one employer. Looking at the case of commercial risks, the employee is free from any commercial rich instead are taken by the employer while the contractor bears or the risks at work. These points are some of the points that an industrial court look at in order to determine whether a certain worker is an independent contractor or an employee.According to the contractor’s Act 2006 all the contractors are provided by the same rules and regulations. The labor law also provides regulations among the employee themselves. Let us look at one example of a case that is common in workplaces and that, if not handled properly, can be dangerous (Cornock, 2012). This is the issue of discrimination. There are several different types of discriminations such as the gender discrimination whereby a certain worker is denied her / his regal rights simply because of the sex type.The other type of discrimination is the religion or belief. This kind of assault can be from the employers or from the employees themselves. In order to report or raise such an issue, the victims should do it using a wri tten grievance with clear grounds of the problem and should be done before the end of three months from the incident (Cornock, 2012). In conclusion, the whole paper has tackled some of the aspects of the labor law and their implementations.We have seen how each employee is eligible to these employment rules which protect them in all kinds of work. The topic of labor law is broad and in order to understand further more studies are required. References Cornock, M. (2012). What to do when an employer acts unfairly. Nursing Standard, 26(38), 63. Pagura, I. (2011). Employment law: Employee v Independent Contractor. Journal Of The Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, 17(2), 36-37. Simpson, B. (2011). Labor and Employment Law and Economics. Industrial Law Journal, 40(1), 111-114.

Sodom and Gomorrah

THE SEARCH FOR SODOM: IS IT BAB EDH-DHRA OR TALL EL-HAMMAM? Jill Toodle Biblical Archaeology BIBL471_D01 April 7, 2013 Since the early 19th century archaeologists and Christian bible scholars have discovered a difference in archaeological and geographical evidence that supports a northern view of Sodom or a southern view of Sodom. The Southern site for Sodom is commonly referred to as the Bab edh-Dhra and the northern site for Sodom is referred to as the Tall el-Hammam. Since archaeologists have not uncovered exact evidence indicating a particular site as the biblical Sodom, the search for Sodom remains a mystery.To accurately investigate these sites and try to form a conclusion, key facts need to be revealed. The intention of this paper is to reveal certain facts pertaining to those areas. The specific facts are as follows; the site each position believes is Sodom, the evidence for destruction at both sites and how each site meets the criteria for the biblical location of Sodom. In addition this paper will compare and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each position. Two sites have been excavated as possible sites of the biblical Sodom.Which one is it? First the paper will focus on the southern site named Bab edh-Dhra, and then an analysis of the Tall el-Hammam will be done. Bab edh-Dhra is the excavated site along the Valley of Siddom, South of the Dead Sea. Many proponents of this site suggest that this site is located precisely on the eastern fault, which provides evidence for it’s destruction. [1] Furthermore, they indicate that the Bible historically supports this location in Genesis 13:10, Genesis 14:10 and Genesis 19:24. J.Penrose Harland explains that an overall agreement between the southern supporters and northern supporters is that the cities of the Plain are to be found in Ghor, or Valley of the Jordan and the Dead Sea. However, Harland states, â€Å"the evidence is preponderantly in favor of a location at the Southern end of the Dead Sea†, which is described as Bab edh-Dhra. [2] To better grasp this preponderant view the archaeological evidence for the destruction of Bab edh-Dhra should be revealed. Dr. Price is a prominent supporter of this site and he reveals that this site was never reoccupied after the Early Bronze date of 2300-2000 B.C. [3] This evidence supports the truth that after the destruction of Sodom by the wrath of God that this location was uninhabitable. Furthermore, significant ash layers were discovered, which supports Genesis 19: 24-28. Geologist Frederick Clapp surveyed Ghor, the southern end of the Dead Sea and discovered abundant amounts of asphalt, petroleum and natural gas. In addition, the smell of sulphur and ash deposits represented in Genesis 14:10 were present. [4] Since the Bible informs us that Sodom was destroyed during the time of the Patriarchs one important discovery needs to be made in regard to the date of the Patriarchs.The site of Bab edh-Dhra provides a date of the second millennium B. C. Dr. Price confirms this discovery and states, â€Å"Only a second millennium context will fit the type of inheritance practiced by the Patriarchs. [5] Many bible scholars and archaeologists have spent numerous hours uncovering the site of Bab edh-Dhra. At this point the criteria that causes Bab edh-Dhra to be considered as biblical Sodom is the followings; the Bible, the late Greek and Roman writers, from geology and topography, from hydrography, and archaeology. [6] Furthermore, Genesis 13:10 describes Sodom as â€Å"a well watered land like the land of Egypt. Therefore, the Paleo-botanical studies done on and at the Bab edh-Dhra site reveal that the area has had a rich diversity of crops, meeting the criteria for a well-watered land. [7] Another huge discovery that causes Bab edh-Dhra to be recognized as Sodom is the reference in Genesis 19:1, where Lot is sitting at the city gate. Bab edh-Dhra actually means â€Å"gate of the arm. † Wood describes this fortification when he describes what the gate and site measure. He states, â€Å"The city wall, enclosing an area of 9-10 acres, was a massive 7m (23 ft) wide and made of stones and mud bricks. [8] Although the Bab edh-Dhra has not been confirmed as the definite biblical Sodom, there is very strong evidence linking it to the Sodom described in the infallible Word of God. However, a professor from Albuquerque has followed and found based on the geography and history presented in the Bible a site called Tall el-Hammam, the northern site in question. Dr. Collins and many other scholars believe that this site is actually the correct site for biblical Sodom. Therefore, throughout the next section of this paper, a detailed analysis to the Tall el-Hammam will be done. Tall el-Hammam s the site located on the northern circular plain of the southern Jordan Valley. Proponents of this site are, Charles W. Wilson, H. H. Kitchener, Claude R. Conder, Selah Merrill, Henry B Tristram, Willia m M. Thomson, George Grove and Henry S. Osborn. [9] They form their conclusion based on an analysis of the Hebrew text and their understanding of geography. Dr. Collins explains that the place that Lot set out to is clearly between Bethel and Ai. [10] This location provides the evidence for scholars to lean towards the Tall el-Hammam as the biblical Sodom, instead of the southern site, Bab edh-Dhra.Supporting this, a majority of biblical scholars locate Bethel, near Beitin, about 12 miles north of Jerusalem. Therefore, if Sodom is located between Bethel and Ai, the Tall el-Hammam better fits the criteria for being the biblical Sodom. When looking at the archaeological evidence for the destruction of the Tall el-Hammam archaeologist have discovered the site was destroyed near the end of the Middle Bronze Age. Dr. Collins explains that they have discovered vast quantities of ash, consisting of 1. 5 to 3 feet thick of heavy ash associated with the Middle Bronze Age stratum. 11] Some of the debris found is pottery, a few bones, some ash and something an excited digger thought was part of the meteor some believers speculate God hurled at Sodom to destroy it. [12] In addition, the Tall el-Hammam site reveals that a temperature exceeding 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit destroyed the area; this gave evidence of catastrophic damage. [13] Based on the evidence revealed through archaeological excavation of the Tall el-Hammam, the supporters of this site date the Patriarchs as 17/16th Century, or Middle Bronze Age.Collins says the â€Å"Bible makes it clear that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed during the Middle Bronze Age, the time of Abraham and Lot†. [14] This dating is certainly the biggest difference between the two sites in question. Therefore, it is important to list how the Tall el-Hammam meets the criteria for the biblical Sodom. The specific discoveries of the Tall el-Hammam meet the criteria are described briefly in this paragraph. First, the bible describes t he place where Lot went as being a well-watered land, like the land of Egypt.Tall el-Hammam is located on a disk of well-watered plain 18 miles (30km) in diameter in the Jordan Valley north of the Dead Sea! This location is exactly where Dr. Collins believes the biblical Sodom exists. The Hebrew word kikkar has special significance to the location of the Tall el-Hammam. This word was used to describe what Lot looked up and saw. Kikkar is a plain, round or oval shaped. Dr. Collins explains that when kikkar is used to describe a geographical construct, it refers to a disk shaped plain in the Southern Jordan Valley. 15] The specific site of the Tall el-Hammam has revealed that it was a well watered and fertile land, with large wadis wrapped around the fortification in exactly the described location. Another discovery was that in 3000-2350 B. C. E. the site was protected by enormous defenses. This indicated a strong government and settlements associated with an agricultural economy. Whe n debating the two locations in consideration for the biblical site of Sodom, strengths and weakness of each view exist. Some of the strengths of the Bab edh-Dhra site are the discovery that the location was destroyed in the Early Bronze Age and never occupied again.This seems likely since God destroyed it with such great wrath. Strength of the Bab edh-Dhra is the fact that Lot was closely associated with Moab. [16] Therefore, the southern half of the Dead Sea would seem appropriate. In addition the charnel houses discovered in Bab edh-Dhra suggest a catastrophic event that burned many areas and came from above. [17] As for the weaknesses of in the location of Bab edh-Dhra, one is the fact that the Bible does not indicate specifically a southern site. Also, the lack of an excavated gate complex like the one found at the Tall el-Hammam and the difference in the size of the two sites.Bab edh-Dhra is approximately 12 acres and Tall el-Hammam is 100 acres. [18] When evaluating the weakn esses of the Tall el-Hammam some often mention the dating of the Patriarchs. Some believe that Dr. Collins has lowered the date of Abraham in order to create a match with his excavations. Dr. Collins absolutely denies that. Genesis 14 and 29 support an Early Bronze Age date for the Patriarchs and the Tall el-Hammam contradicts that date. Furthermore, the Tall el-Hammam was reinhabited hundreds of years after the destruction. This seems unlikely due to the soil being severely contaminated.Some strengths of the Tall el-Hammam site are the amount of ash and â€Å"frothy† magna indicating a temperature above 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, the northern location of Sodom seems more likely, since the Bible suggests that Sodom is between Bethel and Ai (Genesis 13:1-2). Tall el-Hammam is visible from that area which is ten miles north of Jerusalem. [19] In closing, I would like to suggest that it is just too early to exactly say which site is the correct biblical Sodom. Howeve r, the amount of ash strongly points to the Tall el-Hammam.I have reservations because of the date of the Patriarchs given to that site and the fact of it being occupied once again in the Late Bronze Age. This certainly complicates the excavation. Interestingly, very intelligent evangelical biblical archaeologists disagree on which site is in fact the biblical Sodom. I find it very difficult to form an opinion, considering Dr. Price, the author of our textbook The Stones Cry Out concludes the Bab edh-Dhra as the correct site and my professor, Dr. David Graves, is the field supervisor of the Roman remains (Livias? ) at the Tall el-Hammam (Sodom? excavations in Jordan. Due to this reality and the evidence, I am undecided. I have chosen to let the reader form an individual conclusion based on the evidence I have presented in this paper. Hopefully, I have equally analyzed each site and the reader can participate in this exciting journey of biblical discoveries to uncover the biblical So dom. Bibliography Collins, Steven. â€Å"Discovering the City of Sodom. † Kirkus Reviews 3 (Feb 2013), http://www. kirkusreviews. com Collins, Steven. â€Å"If You Thought You Knew the Location of Sodom and Gomorrah†¦ think Again. Biblical Research Bulletin 7, no. 4 (2007): 1-6. Collins, Steven. â€Å"North vs. South: Why the Southern Location Doesn’t Work. † Sidebar to: Where is Sodom. † Biblical Archaeology Society 39, no. 2 (Mar/April 2013) http://www. basarchive. org. ezproxy. liberty. edu:2048/bswbBrowse. asp? PubID=BSBA &Volume=39&Issue=2&ArticleID=2&UserID=1037. Collins, Steven. â€Å"Where Is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam. † Biblical Archaeology Society 39, no. 2 (Mar/April 2013). http:www. basarchive. org. ezproxy. liberty. edu:2048/bswbBrowse. asp?PubID=BSBA &Volume=39&Issue=2&ArticleID=2&UserID=1037. Harland, J. Penrose. â€Å"Sodom and Gomorrah: The location of the Cities of the Plain. † The Biblical Archaeologist 5, no . 2 (May 1942): 17-32. Higgins, Andrew. â€Å"Digging for Sin City, Christians Toil in Jordan Desert; Prof Collins seeks Sodom with Scriptures as Guide and Volunteers as Muscle. † Wall Street Journal, A1 edition (February 2007). http://search. proquest. com/docview/399037586? accountid=12085 Price, Randall. The Stones Cry Out. Oregon: Harvest House, 1997. Wood, Bryant G. The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. † Bible and Spade 12, no. 3 (1999). â€Å"Search for Sodom and Gomorrah. † (August 2009). http://blog. bibleplaces. com/2009/08/ Video-Searchforsodomandgomorrah. html ———————– [1] Bryant Wood, â€Å"The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,† Bible and Spade 12, no. 3(1999): 0. [2] J. P. Harland, â€Å"Sodom and Gomorrah:The location of the Cities of the Plain,†The Biblical Archaeologist 5, no. 2 (May 1942):19. [3] Randall Price, The Stones Cry Out (Oregon: Harv est House, 1997), 120. [4] Price, 118-119. 5] Price, 94. [6] Harland, 28. [7] Wood, 0. [8] Wood, 0. [9] Steven Collins, â€Å"North vs. South: Why the Southern Location Doesn’t work,† Biblical Archaeology Society 39, no. 2 (Mar/April 2013):0. [10] Steven Collins, â€Å"Where is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam,† Biblical Archaeology Society 39, no. 2 (Mar/April 2013). [11] Collins, â€Å"Where is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam,† 0. [12]Andrew Higgins. â€Å"Digging for Sin City Christians Toil in Jordan Desert, Prof. Collins seeks Sodom with Scriptures as Guides and Volunteers as Muscle,† Wall Street Journal, A1 edition (Feb 2007): 0. 13] Collins, â€Å"Where is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam,† 0. [14] The Journal for Jane Mahoney, â€Å"Digging a New Path to Lost Cities; Albuquerque Archaeologist uses Biblical Clues to Find what He thinks are the Ruins of Sodom an Gomorrah,† Albuquerque Journal (June 2006):0. [15] Steven Co llins, â€Å"If You Thought You Knew the Location of Sodom and Gomorrah.. think Again,† Biblical Research Bulletin 7, no. 4 (2007): 2. [16]Harland, 21. [17] Price, 117. [18] Collins, â€Å"Where is Sodom? The Case of the Tall el-Hammam,† 0. [19] â€Å"Search for Sodom and Gomorrah,† (August 2009), http://bibleplaces. com

Sociology in Everyday Life

Sociology in Every Life One central and important study of sociology is the study of everyday social life. Everyday life and sociology are definitely two distinct terms and situations, but they hold a close relationship. While sociology studies human interaction, everyday life consists of everyday human interaction. Everyday life is filled by human beings interacting with one another, institutions, ideas, and emotions. Sociology studies the interactions with all of these and shows how mere interaction resulted in things like ideas and institutions.Everyday that you wake up and come into contact with what you do and the people you speak to is sociological. You wake up and interact with objects. Some of these objects you see yourself in such as your clothes, and your music, would be called the sociology of identification. If you live with your parents and siblings, you wake up and interact with them, by saying good morning and having breakfast with them. You recognize and participate i n the family institution. When you go to school, or church, or your job, you know what's expected of you and you know how to act in the way that is labeled normal.Therefore, you interact with a set of norms by conforming to them or breaking them which is deviance. The fact that we have an everyday life in which there are patterns in ways of living is what sets a foundation for sociological analysis and for being a witness in what we do, in order to understand ourselves better. You use sociology in many ways everyday. Race and ethnicity are important concepts in the field of sociology and are ones that are studied a great deal.Race plays a large role in everyday human interactions and sociologists want to study how, why, and what the outcomes are of these interactions. There are several sociological theories about why prejudice, discrimination, and racism exist. Current sociological theories focus mainly on explaining the existence of racism. The three major sociological perspectives are, functionalist theory, symbolic interaction theory, and conflict theory they each have their own explanations to the existence of racism. The Structural-Functional theory  argues that in order for race and thnic relations to be functional and contribute to the conduct and stability of society, racial and ethnic minorities must assimilate into that society. Assimilation is a process by which minorities gradually adopt patterns of a dominant culture. It is believed that deviance encourages social change. A good example of this would be how race and ethnicity are strongly linked to crime rates. The amount of African Americans that were involved in crimes was a higher proportion than any other race. African Americans makes up 13 percent of the population but were accounted for 28. percent of the arrest. There are several reasons why arrest for African American could be this high but the main cause would probably be because of social standing. Some disadvantages to the African Ame rican population are that white people have an overall higher occupational standing and they also receive schooling beyond high school. Many people of this race are brought into single parent homes which lead to a huge gap in wealth and these children receive less supervision which puts them in a greater risk of living in poverty.Over 40 percent of African American children grow up in poor families leaving the high crime rates to not be a surprise. Prejudice is also another factor to the high crime rates because white police tend to arrest black people more readily. If crime involved drunk driving, business fraud, embezzlement, and cheating on tax returns the white population rate of crime would rise dramatically. These factors have made many people of this race strive for the best while others are still not trying at all.Although we operate from a class system it seems like many African Americans are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Individual achievement isn’t happeni ng. If more people would aim for individual achievement, social standing wouldn’t be such an issue in today’s time. I believe categorizing people according to their color, sex, or social background is wrong. The only way to overcome these negative stereotypes is to stand above the descriptions that have been applied to your race. I have learned that hardwork is the key to success, whether it is in life, work, or your social standing.Even though social stratification carries over from generation to generation it doesn’t mean you have to have the same life your parents had. Everyone is able to achieve a better life if they work for it. Social stratification is found everywhere and what is equal and unequal is different in all societies. In my society it seems like wealth and power is the key element of difference. People who are poor or have lower position are downed on. While writing this paper, I learned many things. I learned society has a huge impact on my lif e and those around me. Related post: Social Studies SBA on Teenage PregnancyI learned that personal issues can manifest into a social issue that affects the whole society as a whole, just as the major social issues can affect my personal life. Overall, writing this paper has benefited me to look closer at society and see how different issues affect me in my life. References Macionis, J. (2009). Society the basics. (12th ed. ). The sociology of race and ethnicity  . (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. trinity. edu/mkearl/race. html Winant, H. (n. d. ). Race and race theory. Retrieved from http://www. soc. ucsb. edu/faculty/winant/Race_and_Race_Theory. html

Congestion Problem in Beijing, China Research Paper

Congestion Problem in Beijing, China - Research Paper Example This is the political center of China, and it is among the modern and dynamic cities in cities. In just over a decade, the population Beijing has grown by nearly 42 per cent to nearly 20 million people, and this makes it one of the fastest growing cities in the world (Feng, 2012). Unlike the previous years, the scene of bicycles as previously witnessed has been replaced with by parked cars and crowded subways. The number of registered automobiles grew from 1.9 million in 2002 to more than 5 million automobiles in 2012 (Feng, 2012). It is important to remember that Beijing has more than 15 subways and rail lines totaling to more than 450 kilometers, one of the longest in the world. Despite this, congestion is still a major problem. The question therefore remains, what causes this congestion? The congestion in this city is caused by a number of factors. First, there is the phenomenon of motor and non-motor vehicle mixed traffic (MNM) (Hua, et al, 2013). This is the case where traffic is characterized by both motor vehicles and other non-motor vehicles. In Beijing, there are a high number of bicycles, and this poses a major challenge to traffic management. It is difficult to control the bypassing of vehicles, pedestrians and cycles. This confusion disrupts the flow of traffic, leading to congestion.

Natural disasters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Natural disasters - Essay Example What we see that is really different lately is we keep setting records for the warmest-year-ever for the globe, and we have various kinds of catastrophes or extreme events that stand out". (Groat) Hurricanes Albert Einstein saidGod does not play dice meaning there is a predictable pattern in everything. In a CNN interview Climatologist Mark Cane acknowledges some connections in certain atmospheric conditions, in excerpts from that interview he said. One of the things that has been studied a lot is the impact of the El Nino events on the Hurricanes. So, in an El Nino phase, you get fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic. We are not in an El Nino phase-we are in the opposite phase-and so we should expect more hurricanes, that is what is predicted and it seems to be, so far in this hurricane season, what is happening. (Cane) Jack Williams in his piece, A Guide to Storms, which was printed in USA Today, presents the commonality inherent in most storms and offers the practicality for their existence. All storms have two things in common: low atmospheric pressure at the storms center, and winds that are created by the flow of air from higher pressure outside the storm toward the low pressure outside the storm toward the low pressure at the center. Wind, in other words, is air that's being pushed by high pressure toward low pressure. Areas of low air pressure occurs because the sun heats the earth unequally. The sun shines down almost directly on the Earth's tropical regions near the equator, heating this region more than the polar region around the North and South Poles and the middle latitudes between the Poles and the tropics. Storms along with ocean currents, redistribute heat from the...(4) Fires which are caused by lightening, and prolonged sun rays on an excessively dry vegetated earth cover. (5) Lack of rain. (a) Drought, and (b) famine. (6) Outbreaks of disease (a) sars, (b)small pox, (c) HIV/AIDS, et. el. Earthquakes, landslides and floods, - these hazards are part of the way the earth operates. Although we can't prevent natural hazards from happening, we can learn from them, and use the knowledge to prevent natural hazards from turning into natural disasters. The next century gives us a new chance to apply the lessons we have learned about natural hazards. As we look ahead to the next millennium, we must continue to improve our understanding of how the earth works and our ability to provide timely, effective warnings, so that we can live safely on our planet. I think it will be one of the superstar years for the century in a lot of ways. What we see that is really different lately is we keep setting records for the warmest-year-ever for the globe, and we have various kinds of catastrophes or extreme events that stand out". (Groat) and gained the dubious distinction as the most destructive hurricane in United States history.

How might economic globalization help to reduce poverty and Essay

How might economic globalization help to reduce poverty and inequalities within and between countries - Essay Example Indeed, it is globalization in terms of trade and the actions of multilateral organizations, which create variations among different states. Globally, there is economic disparity among different countries, which is dependent on the level of development (Bertucci and Alberti 1). In addition, each country has rules governing trade and foreign direct investments, which also differ from one country to another. Notably, the stringent nature of the rules determines the level of interaction between the country and others (Bertucci and Alberti 1). Therefore could create room and freedom for investment, or drive the potential investors away. In essence, the restructuring the rules in favor of trade and FDI, could enable them to contribute more directly and positively to reductions in poverty and inequality worldwide. Furthermore, the rules should also favor the host country, where such trade and FDIs take place. There are significant contributions that the investments and trade have in reducing poverty and equality. For example, trade opens opportunities for prospective entrepreneurs to exploit the local resources for export (Bertucci and Alberti 2). Through increase in exports, the country gets enough foreign exchange that could help it address its balance of payment. Considering foreign direct investments, the host country benefit from increase in job opportunities for its young graduates, taxes and duties they collect from the industries. Moreover, the country would reap from improvement in infrastructure such as road networks, communication and administration systems, among others (Wade 7). Wade also claimed that, if indeed, globalization was responsible for increasing inequality and poverty between, and within countries; it would significantly reduce global demands and subsequently economic growth (Wade 16). The scenario would create