Pestle Analysis And 5 Forces Analysis Essay Example

Pestle Analysis And 5 Forces Analysis Essay Although it has been nearly 4 years since the destruction of the twin towers in the US, terrorism remains a very real threat in much of the world, and a powerful political and economic influence on business. The political unrest caused by insurgencies is very detrimental to the economic situations of countries, affecting economic factors like interest rates, consumer spending, and foreign investment. Terrorism is especially relevant to the confectionery industry terrorist attacks have taken the form of food poisoning in the past1. Companies in the confectionery industry will have to select the countries that they operate in wisely, and take the necessary security measures to ensure that their products are not tampered with. The ALF in 1984 claimed to have poisoned MARS Bars in the UK. Every MARS candy bar in the UK was removed from the shelves at a cost of over 3 million pounds. Again, in 1988, the ALF terrorists poisoned a lot of confectionary sugar at a Swiss chocolate factory with rat poison and sent the results to the media. As a result the company had to halt production and clean the factory at a cost of over 30 million US Dollars. An economic trend with profound effects on operations of Western European confectionery companies has to do with the cost of labour. Growing wages are currently pushing production of confectionery products out to Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, the Czech Republic is emerging as new centre for European confectionery production2. Companies that do not quickly adapt to this trend will find themselves at a cost disadvantage, which will hinder their competitiveness in the industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Pestle Analysis And 5 Forces Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Pestle Analysis And 5 Forces Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Pestle Analysis And 5 Forces Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Changes in world demographics also have weighty sociocultural implications for the confectionery industry. Western European populations are growing very slowly and in some instances actually declining (Eastern European countries have negative growth rates) while Africa, parts of Asia and South America have rates of population growth near 3 percent per year. Europe is also said to have an ageing population, whereas Africa, South America, and most of Asia have populations that consist of 30-40% who are under the age of 15 (See Appendix A). There is a grave threat for confectionery companies operating in European countries due to the declining and aging population. An extremely substantial portion of the confectionery market is made up of children; even adult purchases are often motivated by children. These threats have to be addressed in order to maximize profits in the industry. The growing populations in Asia and South America, on the other hand, are a source of much opportunity. Tho ugh they are outside of the Western European market, it would be wise for the large multinationals to start giving them more attention. Perhaps marketing strategies in Europe may need to be adjusted while using the original strategies to penetrate Asia and South America further. A relevant sociocultural trend occurring in developed countries today is increased health consciousness; there is growing public concern over the ingredients in products, appropriate labelling, and other related health issues. Consequently, ethical marketing is becoming more prevalent, both in Europe and in the United States3. Much of the focus has been on childrens diets being loaded with sugar, salt and fat, as well as the related issue of childhood obesity. In the UK, Martin Paterson, Deputy Director General of the Food and Drink Federation made a statement to the press in February 2003 in response to heightened media coverage of the ethics of targeting children with food and drinks, saying advertisements should not: Encourage children to eat or drink frequently throughout the day; condone excessive consumption; suggest confectionary or snacks should replace balanced meals; take advantage of childrens natural sense of loyalty4. This trend has legal implications as well. The food industry is finding itself increasingly under pressure from legislators to accurately inform customers of the nutritional value of their products5. Confectionery companies will have to adapt to the laws that are passed due to these changes in consumer lifestyles and perceptions, or face legal consequences. Growing health consciousness has sparked the pursuit of healthier chocolate. For example, recent research has shown that natural cocoa contains the highest capacity of the antioxidant procyanidin6 has allowed for technological developments such as the process of retaining polyphenols in cocoa beans throughout chocolate processing7. Another technological development resulting from growing concern for the environment is the use of biodegradable wrappers. Australias confectionary manufacturer Cadbury Schweppes was the first manufacturer in the world to implement a new form of environmentally friendly packaging in 2003. They used the biodegradable polymeric material for packaging Cadbury Milk Tray Chocolates8. These new developments are vital opportunities for the industry in its current situation, and if exploited, may be the means by which companies can quell some of the threats brought about by the sociocultural trend of increasing health consciousness. Threat of Entry Entering the industry to compete with the leading players is extremely difficult. Scale economies in production, research, and marketing are very high. In the two years from December 2002, Mintel (2004) recorded nearly 300 new product launches into the chocolate confectionery market and an average of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8.67 million spent by the top three advertisers in the industry. Product differentiation is also a powerful entry barrier. Branding plays a key role, particularly in the impulse market. And according to Porter (1985, p. 135), overcoming customer loyalty towards more venerable players is likely to cost new entrants substantial amounts. Capital requirements are also very high. One of the market leaders, Cadbury Schweppes, had tangible fixed assets amounting to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.63 billion and total assets amounting to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½9.7 billion in 20049. Overall, the huge investment needed to create and maintain a market-leading brand means that it is difficult for smaller, or new, pl ayers to enter the market (Mintel, 2004). Bargaining Power of Suppliers The main inputs for the manufacture of confectionery include dairy products, sugars, cocoa and other ingredients. Since these products are commodities, which can hardly be differentiated and do not imply high switching costs for buyers, their suppliers have little bargaining power over chocolate manufacturers (Porter, 1985, p.137). However, there are also more specialist additions supplied to the industry, such as flavours, fragrances, chemicals, and machinery for cocoa processing and confectionery manufacturing. These suppliers would have more bargaining power than those previously mentioned since the products that they supply are more specialized, and imply higher switching costs (Porter, 1985, p.137). A chocolate manufacturer would, for example, be highly dependent on the company that supplies it with machinery. The supplier would be responsible for things like training employees to use the machinery as well as its service and maintenance. Intensity of Rivalry However, it is the larger players that dominate the market, particularly for chocolate confectionery. Branding plays a key role, particularly in the impulse market. The investment needed to create and maintain a market-leading brand has meant that it is difficult for smaller, or new, players to enter the market. As with other food sectors, there are considerable legislative needs to be met, which requires a larger scale of activity in order to operate profitably. Consumers of chocolate bars and confectionery are very price conscious, especially on basic items. The market is highly competitive and price-cutting is widespread. Retail prices and margins vary widely according to product and outlet. Prices in large food stores, especially for products sold under distributors brands, are much lower than those of products retailed by other miscellaneous shops and this has been an important factor in the growth of own labels in this market. Bargaining Power of Buyers The retail distribution of take-home and eat-later confectionery is basically done through two groups of channels, i.e. multiple grocers and impulse retail channels. Like with most food products, the major multiples have substantial buying power, and often buy directly from chocolate manufacturers. This is primarily because they buy in very large volumes and because they are highly concentrated. It is also because the product is not of strategic importance to the retailer, since large groceries and supermarkets offer a wide range of products and even offer own-brand ranges. The impulse market experiences a higher level of distribution through smaller outlets such as kiosks, confectioners, tobacconists, and food courts. These outlets have much less bargaining power and According to a retail panel, 87 per cent of the value of sales of chocolate bars of all types went through large grocery outlets in 1995 while the market share of small grocers shops was 13 per cent.

Nazi Germany essays

Nazi Germany essays The most merciless and cruel party in the world, was under the role of Adolf Hitler, their violence remained a deep gash in the western world Nazism was originated in Germany in the early 1920s. It was the doctrines or practices of the Nazi party. Nazism was a shortened version of the tern National Socialism, denoting the doctrine and form of government of Nazi Germany under the rule of Adolf as enunciated in his book Mein Kampf. The term was an abbreviation of Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (German National Socialist Worker Party). National Socialist German Workers Party founded in 1919 on fascist principles and dominant from 1933 to 1945 in Germany. The party's principles were essentially antidemocratic and racist. Hitler borrowed considerably from the Italian Fascist and Soviet Communist Systems, but the Nazi pseudoscientific racist theories were original German contributions. In the past storm troopers and communists had contested the streets on fairly equal terms. Now, three days after the formation of Hitler's cabinet, communist meeting were banned in Prussia. To enforce such measures, there was a new and ominous agency. A minor department in the Berlin police, detailed to watch anticonstitutional activities, was put under Goring's command. As of April 26, 1933, this old Department IA of the Prussian political police was replaced by the Geheime Staatspolizei ("Secret State Police"), better known as the Gestapo. Within two years its actiones would be free from judicial review and it would take its place beside the SD (Sicherheitsdienst, or "Security Service") and the security branch of the SS in a sadistic competition to achieve the totalitarian Until this time Nazism was very much a function of communism the other side of the revolutionary coin. Now, within Germany, National Socialism stood alone. Communism was gone as a count...

French Indefinite Relative Pronouns

French Indefinite Relative Pronouns Just as in English, a relative pronoun links a relative clause to a main clause. This is true for both relative pronouns and indefinite relative pronouns. The difference is that regular relative pronouns have a specific antecedent, but indefinite relative pronouns do not. If you dont understand relative pronouns, I highly recommend that you go back to that lesson before studying this one. There are four* French indefinite relative pronouns; each form is used only in a particular structure, as summarized here. Note that theres no one-to-one equivalent for these words - depending on context, the English translation may be what or which: Subject ce qui   what Direct object ce que/qu   what Object of de** ce dont  Ã‚  which, what Object of a preposition** quoi  Ã‚  which, what *Theres a fifth indefinite relative pronoun, quiconque, but it is rare and complicated, so I address it in a separate lesson. **Remember that French verbs often require different prepositions than English verbs, so you really need to be careful with ce dont and quoi - its not always obvious which one is correct. When there is no preposition, of course, you use ce que. Note that when the pronoun tout is used with indefinite relative pronouns, it changes the meaning to everything or all. Ce qui serves as the subject of a relative clause and takes the il form of the verb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ce qui mintà ©resse, cest la langue.What interests me is language.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Sais-tu ce qui lui plaà ®t?Do you know what pleases him?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest ce qui me dà ©range.Thats what bothers me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Tout ce qui  brille nest pas or.All that glitters is not gold. Ce que is used as the indefinite direct object in a relative clause.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ce que je veux, cest à ªtre trilingue.What I want is to be trilingual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Sais-tu ce que Pierre a fait ?Do you know what Pierre did?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest ce que je dà ©teste.Thats what I hate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Tout ce quil à ©crit est amusant.Everything he writes is funny. Ce dont is used as the object of the preposition de.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ce dont jai besoin, cest un bon dico.What I need is a good dictionary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Sais-tu ce dont Luc parle ?Do you know what Pierre is talking about?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest ce dont je me souviens.Thats what I remember.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Jai tout ce dont jai envie.I have everything I want. Quoi is the object of any preposition except de.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Sais-tu quoi il pense ?Do you know what hes thinking about?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Jai à ©tudià ©, aprà ¨s quoi jai lu.I studied, after which I read.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Avec quoi à ©crit-il ?What is he writing with?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ce quoi je mattends, cest une invitation.***What Im waiting for is an invitation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest ce quoi Chantal rà ªve.***Thats what Chantal dreams about. ***When quoi is at the beginning of a clause or follows cest, the word ce is placed in front of it (ce quoi).

Postoperative pain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Postoperative pain management - Essay Example Some tissues like the liver and lung alveoli do not respond to strong pain stimulus, while skin tissues are very sensitive. Traditionally, pain was considered as a symptom or manifestation of a disease or diseased state. Currently, this view still holds, but more than that, pain is considered as a condition that needs to be managed separately from the medical condition from whence it arose. The understanding of the elements that cause pain has been a pursuit of many researches in medical science. People with various life-threatening and non-threatening medical conditions could suffer diverse form of pain, although acute pain could arise from surgical procedures. Chronic pain is a condition suffered by many. The myriad of medications developed for pain relief alone is an indication of the number of individuals who suffer from chronic and acute pain. In a clinical setting, pain is a subjective condition and its definition is based on what the patient decides it to be. The role of the clinician is to know what the patient actually means, and needs. However, many clinicians, nurses included, do not have a clear understanding of pain and its management. As a result, pain management could be ineffective. Understanding pain at the anatomical and physiological level will increase the clinician’s knowledge of it nature and the interventions that can alleviate it. How pain develops was first described in the classic work of Melzack and Wall in 1965, which proposed the â€Å"gate control theory of pain†. According to Melzack and Wall, pain is perceived by a neural mechanism by the substantia gelatinosa layer of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, which acts like a gate modulating the flow of nerve impulse from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system (CNS). The pain stimuli are felt by nociceptors, receptors in the somatic and visceral tissues. The nociceptors are free nerve endings that are connected to

TOURIST ATTRACTION SITE VISIT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

TOURIST ATTRACTION SITE VISIT - Essay Example These hotels provide amazing facilities to tourists. I asked organizing committee about procedures for purchasing tickets for soccer season. They replied, online tickets for complete season can be purchased at cheap rates and it is also possible to select the place of own choice for watching the matches in stadium. I asked organizers that what all facilities are available at the stadium for watching soccer competitions. They replied, they have introduced great facilities like, bathrooms, food, cheerleaders, sound effects and screens for adding all sorts of fun in the events. Who all are tough teams in the event? Mayor said, â€Å"Houston Dynamo† and â€Å"Dallas† are the best teams of the event. I asked how many stadiums are available for hosting the event. Mayor counted four stadiums including a newly constructed state of the art stadium. What is tailgating in Houston? Mayor said that you have snacks and hotdogs before start of the match is tailgating. What are the other tourist destinations in Houston? Mayor replied, space Centre and downtown aquarium are worth visiting places. Organizing committee told me to visit Orange Avenue as well. This avenue provides free souvenirs, food, shirts and a band plays there to entertain people. I am enjoying the opening games 2014 more than my expectations. It is so fascinating and colourful for people of any place in the world. I heard about the Houston and soccer events from my friend and then visited online sources. After coming here, I am not ready to leave this place now. Event is so organized that tourists do not feel any problem in their activities. There is one problem that spectators cannot buy single ticket for a match and they have to buy for complete season. Organizers need to look into this matter. Moreover, stadiums with more capacity should be constructed for accommodating huge crowds. Dynamo started the season against â€Å"New England Revolution† on 8 Mar 2014. There is a long

International Trade Essay Example for Free

International Trade Essay Abstract One of the most confusing intolerance times is that free trade discussions are unlimited while free trade itself is growing and growing. For more than a while the government attempted to a global agreement to â€Å"lower trade barriers that have gone nowhere.† (Naim, 2007) The very last time trade was discussed they had reason to celebrate was in the late 1900’s this was when â€Å"125 nations agreed to a significant drop in trade barriers and the creation of new institution charged with supervising and liberalizing international trade, the World Trade Organization. † (Naim, 2007) â€Å"Keep in mind that, despite all the misgivings about international trade, the fact remains that countries share of economic activity related to exports is growing very fast, 1.5 faster than those with more stagnant exports.† (Naim, 2007) People know that economic growth alone may not be the right thing to help poverty; people must learn that without some kind of growth, all the efforts made will fall short. As trade grows the need for better rules is needed. International Trade The purpose of this paper is to address and discuss international trade. potential gains, the different types, the aspects and the impact of international trade. An international trade begins with what countries can do to survive the economics toughest times that must have some kind of trade. â€Å"Trading will give consumers and other countries the chance to be exposed to goods and services and not available in their countries. Almost every kind of product can be found on the international market: food, clothes, spare parts, oil, jewelry, wine, stocks, currencies, and water. Services are also traded: tourism, banking, consulting, and transportation.† (Investopedia, 2012) There are rewarding opportunities in the field of international trade intermediation, but new entrants need to be apprised of industry challenges. (Perry, 1992) International trade is â€Å"the exchange of goods and services along international borders. This trade allows for greater competition and more competitive pricing in the market. The competition results in more affordable products for the consumer.† (business dictionary, 2013) International trade also known as foreign trade has maintained since the dawn of time. Trading goods which are transported on the backs of tradesmen across tribal boundaries, and bartered and sold among neighboring, and, hopefully, accommodating tribesman. (wisegeek, 2013) Even though international trade rose national gross domestic product by providing vastly expanded economic opportunity. International trade is most commonly recognized in the exchange of goods or products. However, trading services, such as expertise in a particular field, or the ability to facilitate the trade of goods, is another common form of foreign trade. â€Å"There are many potential gains from international trade that benefit the businesses and countries that engage in trade around the world. International trade creates new markets for domestically produced products, and it often results in the introduction of new products into domestic markets. Different countries have access to different resources and are, therefore, able to produce some products more cheaply and efficiently than others. One of the major gains from international trade is that some products that would be expensive to product domestically can be imported at a much lower cost. Though there are many gains from international trade, disadvantages also exist such as the high initial costs of entering a new foreign market and the necessity of dealing with strict international trade laws.† (wisegeek, 2013) International trade is simply the exchange of services and goods across various geographical borders. The types of international trade include inter-firm trade and intra-industry trade. Both types of international trade involve the importation of goods and service. There is a difference in the methods and range in which the various trades are applied. â€Å"One type of trade included in types of international trade is intra-industry trade in which importers import goods that are similar to those produced in the country. An example of this type of sale can be seen in the importation of automobiles.† (wisegeek, 2013) In intra-firm trade, the international trade is confined to various arms or supplementary of a multi-national corporation. â€Å"Inter-firm trade occurs between different types of companies that produce different types of goods. This type of trade may be seen in case of a supplier of raw materials and a company that is importing the raw materials, which is bases in another country.† (wisegeek, 2013) â€Å"Inter-industry trade refers to the method of trade whereby parties from two countries exchange goods that are not manufactured in either country. Sometimes the reasons why the countries are not able to manufacture the items may include a lack of technical ability to produce the item or lack of raw materials. Even though it is mainly material items in inter-industry trade that are included in types of international trade, intangible items like skills and services are also involved.†(wisegeek, 2013) â€Å"International trade is conducted by businesses that are efficient enough to be competitive on the international market. Businesses in different countries tend to specialize in different sections; for example, industrialized countries may have companies that specialize in high-tech manufacturing or financial services, while developing countries may export mainly agricultural products. Governments impose tariffs or quotas to protect some domestic industries from foreign imports, and these are a barrier to international trade. Trading internationally has been facilitated by international agreements and organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). Negotiations have led to reductions in tariffs and quotas that had been a brake on international trade. Although international agreements are often hard to reach, negotiations in the WTO ensure that international trade issues are thoroughly considered.† (wisegeek, 2013) â€Å"International trade disputes may be resolved more easily as a result of the introduction of mechanisms for dispute resolution through agencies such as the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Countries have facilitated international trade for businesses by signing bilateral investment protection agreements that make certain guarantees for investors and provide for dispute resolution.† (wisegeek, 2013) International trade is a trade that rises above international borders. This is in direct contrast to domestic trade which is the trade that occurs within a territory or local market. International trade has been made possible by advances in technology that make it easier to communicate and coordinate the transfer of goods and services across territories. The impact of international trade can be seen in various areas including the economy, jobs, outsourcing and unfair labor practices. â€Å"One impact of international trade is its effect on the economy of the nation’s engaging in the trade. This effect is felt by both less developed and more developed nations. Most developed countries benefit by purchasing raw materials and finished products from less developed countries. Less developed countries gain by getting much needed financial resources from the trade. For instance, some developing countries in Africa and the Middle East have some natural resources like crude oil, metals and precious stones that they can sell to other countries are dependent on the financial resources. Another of International trade is its effect on jobs in the more developed countries. Most companies engage in outsourcing, which is a direct outcome of international trade.† The particular impact of international trade leads to the fears that some dishonest business associates might employ cheap labor in a manner that is detrimental to the workers from poor countries. Some concerns also arise about the potential of using underage labor in the manufacturing sector, especially the apparel and toy-making sectors. This is an undesirable impact of international trade. In conclusion, international trade affects the entire American economy. The early industrial years of American economy was based entirely on the exporting goods to other countries and these exports created the revenue to sustain the country. I addressed and discussed international trade, potential gains, the different types, the aspects, and the impact of international trade. What can international trade which begins with what countries can do to survive the economics toughest times that must have some kind of trade. Trading will give consumers and other countries the chance to be exposed to goods and service and sometimes not available for other countries. References Business Dictionary, 2013. International Trade. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/international-trade.html. Wise Geek, (2013). International trade. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from www.wisegeek.com/what-are-different-aspects-of-international-trade.htm. Wise Geek, (2013). What are the different types of International trade. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-interentional-trade.htm Wise Geek, (2013). What are the different types of international trade. Retrieved February 12, 2013 from www.wisegeek.com/what-is-international-trade.htm. Wise Geek, (2013). What is the impact of international trade. Retrieved February 13, 2013 from www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-impact-of-international-trade.htm. Wise Geek, (2013). What are the potential gains from international trade. Retrieved February 13, 2013 from www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-potential-gains-from-international-trade.htm. Investopedia, 2012. What is International Trade? Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/112503.asp#axzz2JgEj1WG4 Investopedia, 2012. What is International Trade? Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/11503.asp#axzz2Kzwjb5ne Perry, A.C. (1992). US international trade intermediaries: A field study investigation. International Marketing Review, 9(2), 7-7. Retrieved February 16, 2013 from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224308899?accountid=41759. Naim, M. (2007). The free-trade paradox. Foreign Policy, (162), 96-96, 95. Retrieved February 12, 2013 from http://search.proquest.com/pqrl/printviewfile?accountid=41759

Sound Essays -- essays research papers

Resonance and Sound†¦Physics and Music Since sound is the medium of music, most of the physics of music is the physics of sound. It's important to remember that sound waves are compression waves. You can imitate a compression wave by stretching out a slinky (you do have a slinky, don't you?) and flicking your finger against a coil at the end. Sound waves are not like the waves on the ocean or the waves you get by waving a stretched-out rope. Take a tuning fork (you do have a tuning fork, don't you?) and whack it on your knee. What do you hear? Unless you hold the tuning fork right next to your ear, you won't hear much of anything. This is because a small tuning fork can't push very much air around. Now take the same tuning fork, whack it on your knee again, and touch the non-forked end to a tabletop or other handy wooden surface. The sound should be a lot louder. This is because the vibrating tuning fork causes the tabletop to vibrate. The tabletop can push much more air around than the fork alone. If you touched the end of the tuning fork to a hollow box or, say, the body of a guitar, the sound would be even louder. This is because the vibrations get transferred to the air inside the box, which vibrates as well. If the dimensions of the inside of the box are a multiple of the wavelength of the sound, some of the sound waves will reinforce each other for even more volume. If a vibration or sound wave can excite another o bject into vibrating, the second object is sai...

King Henry VIII and the Reformation Essay

For many years leading up to the reign of King Henry VIII, zealous souls were searching more than ever for a meaningful faith-based life for themselves and all of society. The people of England were becoming more and more confused about what the Church actually taught and were developing skeptical feelings towards the spiritual and physical power used and displayed by the clergy. [1] These feelings of the English people were reaching an all time high around the time that Henry VIII had succeeded his father’s throne in 1509. King Henry VIII had mostly selfish and prideful incentives to separate from the Roman Catholic Church. He had no religious intent in mind, but little did he know that he would contribute to the rise of the Protestant Reformation and a long-term religious change in England that would eventually spread to the rest of the world. [3] The dissatisfaction with the corruption of the Church and hunger for change led to the ideas of Christian humanism and the influence of Greek learning. This idea portrayed an order of peace, justice, and humanity that could be taught and advanced through education. ] The humanist with the greatest influence of the time was Erasmus of Rotterdam who favored simple biblical piety founded on textual scholarship and study of the Greek New Testament over scholasticism and elaborate ritualism. [5] Erasmus believed in studying and understanding the scriptures for oneself and wanted to reveal the extreme hypocrisies of the Church. Erasmus’ radical writings and teachings began to spread, and soon after the writings and teachings of Thomas More and Martin Luther arose. More wrote the book Utopia which described an idealized society that lived in an uncorrupted world in perfect accordance with the principles of natural virtue. [6] This was a completely unrealistic idea, but it still gave hope to the people for a reform and a better society. Around 1517, Martin Luther created a real reaction and uproar from the people as his ideas rapidly spread against the practices and underlying rationale of the Church. [7] This created an uprising and following of Luther’s teachings as his ideas and books quickly spread throughout England. Luther’s ground breaking concepts encouraged â€Å"new learning† and it soon took hold on the University of Cambridge. [8] When word of the vastness of Luther’s teachings and all of the new ideas of change and reform against the church reached King Henry the VIII, he was livid. In 1521, he excommunicated Luther and ordered all Christian princes to â€Å"suppress his errors† that Luther and others had spread. [9] Sermons were preached all across Europe denouncing Luther and many of his books were burned. King Henry went as far as to write an essay opposing Luther and his views on the Eucharist and the pope awarded him with the great title â€Å"Defender of the Faith. †[10] Even though King Henry tried his best to stop Luther and his ideas, Luther soon earned his voice in Germany and hundreds of his books and pamphlets poured back into England with even more criticisms of the Church’s practices and leaders. [11] Soon many revolts broke out between 1524 and 1526 dubbed the Peasants’ War, and the Protestant Reformation was flooding in. This was the start to a violent political, spiritual, and social struggle between the advocates and the enemies of change in England that lasted for many years. English men and women began to think of themselves as â€Å"Catholic† or â€Å"Protestant† and separated themselves accordingly. [13] Catholics and evangelicals protested and condemned each other from the pulpit and through printed writings. [14] Change was definitely in the air. In the midst of all of the uprisings against the Church and songs of reformation, King Henry VIII developed his own personal problems and turmoil. King Henry had been happily married to  Catherine of Aragon until he realized that she was not producing him a male heir that he longed for. The King had met and fallen in love with a woman named Ann Boleyn who was a strong, intelligent, and determined woman. Henry was determined to marry her and try to produce a son for a male heir to the throne. [15] In order to divorce Catherine, Henry needed a special papal dispensation. The pope refused to grant it, and Henry suspected that because the pope was related to the King of Spain that they were undermining England in the favor of Spain and therefore denying him the right to an heir. After many attempts to get the popes permission for the divorce and approval to marry Ann with no success, King Henry VIII made a decision that would change history forever. Henry fired his closest advisor Cardinal Wolsey who was Lord Chancellor of England and replaced him with Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell. [17] These two men advised the King to split the English church off from the Roman church in order to become head of the church and gain the marriage that he desired. This idea began the years of the Reformation Parliament in which the English parliament granted powers over the church clergy to the King in stages. The Act of Appeals in 1533 made Henry VIII the source for all English jurisdictions both secular and religious, and then the Act of Supremacy in 1534 declared the King of England as supreme head of the Church of England, not the pope. [18] Another act was passed in 1534 called the Act of Succession, which declared the children of Ann Boleyn as rightful heirs to the throne. [19] It was now official; England was completely isolated and broken away from the Roman church and began their independent journey of the Church of England. Even though England had split off from the Roman church and was on the brink of reformation, King Henry VIII made virtually no changes in the Church of England. [20] The only major difference from the Catholic Church was that now the king was the head instead of the pope and English Bibles were being used. [21] King Henry VIII reaffirmed his commitment to Catholic practices by passing the Six Articles. The Six Articles validated the transformation of the Eucharist, confession, private masses, celibate vows, and the sanctity of the Eucharist cup. Despite the fact that King Henry had made no real changes to the church, his break from the Roman Church stirred up a revolution in the making. Ann did not produce a son for King Henry, but she provided him with another daughter named Elizabeth. [23] Ann was sympathetic with Protestant ideas and her daughter would eventually play a key role in Protestant England. [24] King Henry became displeased with Ann, accused her of adultery, and had her beheaded in 1536. [25] Still in search of a son, King Henry VIII married Jane Seymour. She finally gave him the son and heir to the throne that he had been hoping for, Edward IV. When Henry VIII died in 1547, Edward IV succeeded the throne and the Protestant movement grew stronger than ever. Edward was highly intelligent and a devout Protestant, and he wanted to make numerous changes to the Church of England. [27] He repealed the Six Articles, allowed clergy to marry, and imposed Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer on all church services. [28] England was on its way to becoming a Protestant country, but King Edward died tragically of tuberculosis at age sixteen. Catherine of Aragon’s daughter Mary I then came to the throne in 1553. She was an extreme Catholic with no tolerance for Protestant beliefs. She declared England to be a Catholic country and converted all churches back to traditional Catholic practices. [30] The people of England were becoming thoroughly confused in their beliefs because they were getting tossed back and forth between two opposite ideals. Mary I soon earned the nickname â€Å"Bloody Mary† because she was single-handedly responsible for the executions of many Protestant leaders. [31] She burned more than three hundred men and women at the stake for their unwillingness to give up the ways of the Church of England and turn to the Catholic Church. These executions did nothing but intensify an anti-Catholic feeling in England, and it would soon become a permanent concept. After Mary I’s death in 1558, England’s future was in the hands of Henry VIII’s last surviving child, Elizabeth I. She was exactly was England needed at the time and was extremely intelligent and cautious. [33] She is considered to be one of the greatest monarchs in the history of England. Elizabeth repealed Mary I’s Catholic legislation for she understood that her country was being torn apart by the wavering doctrines, and she wanted to bring an end to the disunity. She worked out a compromise known today as the â€Å"Elizabethan Settlement† which resulted in a church that retained some Catholic ideas while inserting most of the foundational ideas of Protestantism as well. [34] This settlement would not have been possible if it were not for Henry VIII’s original split from the Catholic Church. The people were ready for the religious strife to end and peaceful worship to be possible. Even though Elizabeth had sought a peaceful compromise, the Catholics rose up in rebellion against her. [35] As they threatened her throne and plotted against her, she intelligently dodged their plan to destroy her. From this point on, her religious tolerance came to an end, and Catholics were arrested, imprisoned, and heavily fined. [36] Elizabeth ruled on to lead England in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. [37] This was a great turning point in history that not only made England a respected military power, but also solidified the movement of the Protestant Reformation. If Spain had not been defeated, there is a good chance that the Protestant religion would have been crushed altogether. [38] The Protestant breakthrough was a result of feelings of disdain and discontent with the Church that had been building over time. The Englishmen were feeling resentment against the corruption, and a confidence that a change was possible grew. The vulnerability of the many people who desired this change was key in the wide spread of many revolutionary ideas such as Erasmus, More, and Luther. All of these factors intertwined with the times and rule of King Henry VIII; and as you can see, his decision to break away from the Roman Catholic Church created a spiral of events that became the very segue the reformers needed to have a spiritual breakthrough. His pride, stubborn attitude, and desire for an heir to his throne led him into a decision that resulted in an extraordinary spiritual affect. Even though King Henry was a devout Catholic who in no way supported Protestant ideas, his very decision helped to bring about the Protestant Reformation. King Henry VIII in all of his selfish, prideful, and stubborn ways was exactly what England needed to push it over the edge and into a flood of a reformation. When King Henry VIII made the official split from the Roman Catholic Church, he made a decision that would affect the rest of history. Bibliography http://www.kencollins.com/poll-02.htm

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Well, by pretending to have an overactive bladder, I've managed to sneak enough time in the bathroom to finish reading this Gospel of Matthew. I don't know who the Matthew is that wrote this, but it certainly wasn't our Matthew. While our Matthew was a whiz at numbers (as you might expect from a tax collector), he couldn't write his own name in the sand without making three mistakes. Whoever wrote this Gospel obviously got the information at least secondhand, maybe thirdhand. I'm not here to criticize, but please, he never mentions me. Not once. I know my protests go against the humility that Joshua taught, but please, I was his best friend. Not to mention the fact that this Matthew (if that really is his name) takes great care in describing Joshua's genealogy back to King David, but after Joshua is born and the three wise men show up at the stable in Bethlehem, then you don't hear from Joshua again until he's thirty. Thirty! As if nothing happened from the manger until John baptized us. Jeez. Anyway, now I know why I was brought back from the dead to write this Gospel. If the rest of this â€Å"New Testament† is anything like the book of Matthew, they need someone to write about Joshua's life who was actually there: me. I can't believe I wasn't even mentioned once. It's all I can do to keep from asking Raziel what in the hell happened. He probably showed up a hundred years too late to correct this Matthew fellow. Oh my, there's a frightening thought, edited by the moron angel. I can't let that happen. And the ending? Where did he get that? I'll see what this next guy, this Mark, has to say, but I'm not getting my hopes up. The first thing that we noticed about Balthasar's fortress was that there were no right angles, no angles period, only curves. As we followed the magus through corridors, and from level to level, we never saw so much as a squared-off stair step, instead there were spiral ramps leading from level to level, and although the fortress spread all over the cliff face, no room was more than one doorway away from a window. Once we were above the ground level, there was always light from the windows and the creepy feeling we'd had when we entered quickly passed away. The stone of the walls was more yellow in color than the limestone of Jerusalem, yet it had the same smooth appearance. Overall it gave the impression that you were walking through the polished entrails of some huge living creature. â€Å"Did you build this place, Balthasar?† I asked. â€Å"Oh, no,† he said, without turning around. â€Å"This place was always here, I simply had to remove the stone that occupied it.† â€Å"Oh,† I said, having gained no knowledge whatsoever. We passed no doors, but myriad open archways and round portals which opened into chambers of various shapes and sizes. As we passed one egg-shaped doorway obscured by a curtain of beads Balthasar mumbled, â€Å"The girls stay in there.† â€Å"Girls?† I said. â€Å"Girls?† Joshua said. â€Å"Yes, girls, you ninnies,† Balthasar said. â€Å"Humans much like yourselves, except smarter and better smelling.† Well, I knew that. I mean, we'd seen the two of them, hadn't we? I knew what girls were. He pressed on until we came to the only other door I had seen since we entered, this one another huge, ironclad monster held closed with three iron bolts as big around as my arm and a heavy brass lock engraved with strange characters. The magus stopped and tilted an ear to the door. His heavy gold earring clinked against one of the bolts. He turned to us and whispered, and for the first time I could clearly see that the magus was very old, despite the strength of his laugh and the spring in his step. â€Å"You may go anywhere you wish while you stay here, but you must never open this door. Xiong zai.† â€Å"Xiong zai,† I repeated to Joshua in case he'd missed it. â€Å"Xiong zai.† He nodded with total lack of understanding. Mankind, I suppose, is designed to run on – to be motivated by – temptation. If progress is a virtue then this is our greatest gift. (For what is curiosity if not intellectual temptation? And what progress is there without curiosity?) On the other hand, can you call such a profound weakness a gift, or is it a design flaw? Is temptation itself at fault for man's woes, or is it simply the lack of judgment in response to temptation? In other words, who is to blame? Mankind, or a bad designer? Because I can't help but think that if God had never told Adam and Eve to avoid the fruit of the tree of knowledge, that the human race would still be running around naked, dancing in wonderment and blissfully naming stuff between snacks, naps, and shags. By the same token, if Balthasar had passed that great ironclad door that first day without a word of warning, I might have never given it a second glance, and once again, much trouble could have been avoided. Am I to blame for what h appened, or is it the author of temptation, God Hisownself? Balthasar led us into a grand chamber with silks festooned from the ceiling and the floor covered with fine carpets and pillows. Wine, fruit, cheese, and bread were laid out on several low tables. â€Å"Rest and refresh,† said Balthasar. â€Å"I'll be back after I finish my business with Ahmad.† Then he hurried off, leaving us alone. â€Å"So,† I said, â€Å"find out what you need to from this guy, then we can get on the road and on to the next wise man.† â€Å"I'm not sure it's going to be that quick. In fact, we may be here quite some time. Maybe years.† â€Å"Years? Joshua, we're in the middle of nowhere, we can't spend years here.† â€Å"Biff, we grew up in the middle of nowhere. What's the difference?† â€Å"Girls,† I said. â€Å"What about them?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Don't start.† We heard laughter rolling down the corridor into the room and shortly it was followed by Balthasar and Ahmad, who threw themselves down among the pillows and began eating the cheeses and fruits that had been set out. â€Å"So,† Balthasar said, â€Å"Ahmad tells me that you tried to save a bandit, and in the process blinded one of his men, without so much as touching him. Very impressive.† Joshua hung his head. â€Å"It was a massacre.† â€Å"Grieve,† Balthasar said, â€Å"but consider also the words of the master Lao-tzu: ‘Weapons are instruments of misfortune. Those who are violent do not die naturally.'† â€Å"Ahmad,† Joshua said, â€Å"what will happen to the guard, the one I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He is no good to me anymore,† said Ahmad. â€Å"A shame too, he was the best bowman of the lot. I'll leave him in Kabul. He's asked me to give his pay to his wife in Antioch and his other wife in Dunhuang. I suppose he will become a beggar.† â€Å"Who is Lao-tzu?† I asked. â€Å"You will have plenty of time to learn of master Lao-tzu,† said Balthasar. â€Å"Tomorrow I will assign you a tutor to teach you qi, the path of the Dragon's Breath, but for now, eat and rest.† â€Å"Can you believe a Chinaman can be so black?† laughed Ahmad. â€Å"Have you ever seen such a thing?† â€Å"I wore the leopard skin of the shaman when your father was just a twinkle in the great river of stars, Ahmad. I mastered animal magic before you were old enough to walk, and I had learned all the secrets of the sacred Egyptian magic texts before you could sprout a beard. If immortality is to be found among the wisdom of the Chinese masters, then I shall be Chinese as long as it suits me, no matter the color of my skin or the place of my birth.† I tried to determine Balthasar's age. From what he was claiming he would have to be very old indeed, as Ahmad was not young himself, yet his movements were spry and as far as I could see he had all of his teeth and they were perfect. There was none of the feeble dotage that I'd seen in our elders at home. â€Å"How do you stay so strong, Balthasar?† I asked. â€Å"Magic.† He grinned. â€Å"There is no magic but that of the Lord,† Joshua said. Balthasar scratched his chin and replied quietly, â€Å"Then presumably none without his consent, eh, Joshua?† Joshua slouched and stared at the floor. Ahmad burst out laughing. â€Å"His magic isn't so mysterious, boys. Balthasar has eight young concubines to draw the poisons from his old body, that's how he stays young.† â€Å"Holy moly! Eight?† I was astounded. Aroused. Envious. â€Å"Does that room with the ironclad door have something to do with your magic?† Joshua asked gravely. Balthasar stopped grinning. Ahmad looked from Joshua to the magus and back, bewildered. â€Å"Let me show you to your quarters,† said Balthasar. â€Å"You should wash and rest. Lessons tomorrow. Say good-bye to Ahmad, you'll not see him again soon.† Our quarters were spacious, bigger than the houses we'd grown up in, with carpets on the floor, chairs made of dark exotic hardwoods carved into the shapes of dragons and lions, and a table that held a pitcher and basin for washing. Each of our rooms held a desk and cabinet full of instruments for painting and writing, and something neither of us had ever seen, a bed. A half-wall divided the space between Joshua's room and mine, so we were able to lie in the beds and talk before falling asleep, just as we had in the desert. I could tell that Joshua was deeply troubled about something that first night. â€Å"You seem, I don't know, deeply troubled, Josh.† â€Å"It's the bandits. Could I have raised them?† â€Å"All of them? I don't know, could you?† â€Å"I thought about it. I thought that I could make them all walk and breathe again. I thought I could make them live. But I didn't even try.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because I was afraid they would have killed us and robbed us if I had. It's what Balthasar said, ‘Those who are violent do not die naturally.'† â€Å"The Torah says, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. They were bandits.† â€Å"But were they bandits always? Would they have been bandits in the years to come?† â€Å"Sure, once a bandit, always a bandit. They take an oath or something. Besides, you didn't kill them.† â€Å"But I didn't save them, and I blinded that bowman. That wasn't right.† â€Å"You were angry.† â€Å"That's no excuse.† â€Å"What do you mean, that's no excuse? You're God's Son. God wiped out everyone on earth with a flood because he was angry.† â€Å"I'm not sure that's right.† â€Å"‘Scuse me?† â€Å"We have to go to Kabul. I need to restore that man's sight if I can.† â€Å"Joshua, this bed is the most comfortable place I've ever been. Can we wait to go to Kabul?† â€Å"I suppose.† Joshua was quiet for a long time and I thought that he might have fallen asleep. I didn't want to sleep, but I didn't want to talk about dead bandits either. â€Å"Hey Josh?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"What do you think is in that room with the iron door, what did he call it?† â€Å"Xiong zai,† said Josh. â€Å"Yeah, Xiong zai. What do you think that is?† â€Å"I don't know, Biff. Maybe you should ask your tutor.† Xiong zai means house of doom, in the parlance of feng shui,† said Tiny Feet of the Divine Dance of Joyous Orgasm. She knelt before a low stone table that held an earthenware teapot and cups. She wore a red silk robe trimmed with golden dragons and tied with a black sash. Her hair was black and straight and so long that she had tied it in a knot to keep it from dragging on the floor as she served the tea. Her face was heart-shaped, her skin as smooth as polished alabaster, and if she'd ever been in the sun, the evidence had long since faded. She wore wooden sandals held fast by silk ribbons and her feet, as you might guess from her name, were tiny. It had taken me three days of lessons to get the courage up to ask her about the room. She poured the tea daintily, but without ceremony, as she had each of the previous three days before my lessons. But this time, before she handed it to me, she added to my cup a drop of a potion from a tiny porcelain bottle that hung from a chain around her neck. â€Å"What's in the bottle, Joy?† I called her Joy. Her full name was too ungainly for conversation, and when I'd tried other diminutives (Tiny Feet, Divine Dance, and Orgasm), she hadn't responded positively. â€Å"Poison,† Joy said with a smile. The lips of her smile were shy and girlish, but the eyes smiled a thousand years sly. â€Å"Ah,† I said, and I tasted the tea. It was rich and fragrant, just as it had been before, but this time there was a hint of bitterness. â€Å"Biff, can you guess what your lesson is today?† Joy asked. â€Å"I thought you would tell me what's in that house of doom room.† â€Å"No, that is not the lesson today. Balthasar does not wish you to know what is in that room. Guess again.† My fingers and toes had begun to tingle and I suddenly realized that my scalp had gone numb. â€Å"You're going to teach me how to make the fire-powder that Balthasar used the day we arrived?† â€Å"No, silly.† Joy's laugh had the musical sound of a clear stream running over rocks. She pushed me lightly on the chest and I fell over backward, unable to move. â€Å"Today's lesson is – are you ready?† I grunted. It was all I could do. My mouth was paralyzed. â€Å"Today's lesson is, if someone puts poison in your tea, don't drink it.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† I sort of slurred. â€Å"So,† Balthasar said, â€Å"I see that Tiny Feet of the Divine Dance of Joyous Orgasm has revealed what she keeps in the little bottle around her neck.† The magus laughed heartily and leaned back on some cushions. â€Å"Is he dead?† asked Joshua. The girls laid my paralyzed body on some pillows next to Joshua, then propped me up so I could look at Balthasar. Beautiful Gate of Heavenly Moisture Number Six, who I had only just met and didn't have a nickname for yet, put some drops on my eyes to keep them moist, as I seemed to have lost the ability to blink. â€Å"No,† said Balthasar, â€Å"he's not dead. He's just relaxed.† Joshua poked me in the ribs and, of course, I didn't respond. â€Å"Really relaxed,† he said. Beautiful Gate of Heavenly Moisture Number Six handed Joshua the little vial of eye drops and excused herself. She and the other girls left the room. â€Å"Can he see and hear us?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Oh yes, he's completely alert.† â€Å"Hey Biff, I'm learning about Chi,† Joshua shouted into my ear. â€Å"It flows all around us. You can't see it, or hear it, or smell it, but it's there.† â€Å"You don't need to shout,† said Balthasar. Which is what I would have said, if I could have said anything. Joshua put some drops in my eyes. â€Å"Sorry.† Then to Balthasar, â€Å"This poison, where did it come from?† â€Å"I studied under a sage in China who had been the emperor's royal poisoner. He taught me this, and many other of the magics of the five elements.† â€Å"Why would an emperor need a poisoner?† â€Å"A question that only a peasant would ask.† â€Å"An answer that only an ass would give,† said Joshua. Balthasar laughed. â€Å"So be it, child of the star. A question asked in earnest deserves an earnest answer. An emperor has many enemies to dispatch, but more important, he has many enemies who would dispatch him. The sage spent most of his time concocting antidotes.† â€Å"So there's an antidote to this poison,† Joshua said, poking me in the ribs again. â€Å"In good time. In good time. Have some more wine, Joshua. I wish to discuss with you the three jewels of the Tao. The three jewels of the Tao are compassion, moderation, and humility†¦Ã¢â‚¬  An hour later, four Chinese girls came and picked me up, wiped the floor where I had drooled, and carried me to our quarters. As they passed the great ironclad door I could hear scraping and a voice in my head that said, â€Å"Hey kid, open the door,† but the girls made no notice of it. Back in my room, the girls bathed me and poured some rich broth into me, then put me to bed and closed my eyes. I could hear Joshua enter the room and shuffle around preparing for bed. â€Å"Balthasar says he will have Joy give you the antidote to the poison soon, but first you have a lesson to learn. He says that this is the Chinese way of teaching. Strange, don't you think?† Had I been able to make a sound, I would have agreed, yes, indeed it was strange. So you know: Balthasar's concubines were eight in number and their names were: Tiny Feet of the Divine Dance of Joyous Orgasm, Beautiful Gate of Heavenly Moisture Number Six, Temptress of the Golden Light of the Harvest Moon, Delicate Personage of Two Fu Dogs Wrestling Under a Blanket, Feminine Keeper of the Three Tunnels of Excessive Friendliness, Silken Pillows of the Heavenly Softness of Clouds, Pea Pods in Duck Sauce with Crispy Noodle, and Sue. And I found myself wondering, as a man does, about origins and motivations and such – as each of the concubines was more beautiful than the last, regardless of what order you put them in, which was weird – so after several weeks passed, and I could no longer stand the curiosity scratching at my brain like a cat in a basket, I waited until one of the rare occasions when I was alone with Balthasar, and I asked. â€Å"Why Sue?† â€Å"Short for Susanna,† Balthasar said. So there you go. Their full names were somewhat ungainly, and to try to pronounce them in Chinese produced a sound akin to throwing a bag of silverware down a flight of steps (ting, tong, yang, wing, etc.) so Joshua and I called the girls as follows: Joy, Number Six, Two Fu Dogs, Moon, Tunnels, Pillows, Pea Pods, and, of course, Sue, which we couldn't figure out how to shorten. Except for a group of men who brought supplies from Kabul every two weeks, and while there would do any heavy moving, the eight young women did everything around the fortress. Despite the remoteness and the obvious wealth that the fortress housed, there were no guards. I found that curious. Over the next week Joy tutored me in the characters that I would need to know to read the Book of the Divine Elixirs or the Nine Tripods of the Yellow Emperor, and the Book of Liquid Pearl in Nine Cycles and of the Nine Elixirs of the Divine Immortals. The plan was that once I became conversant in these two ancient texts, I would be able to assist Balthasar in his quest for immortality. That, by the way, was the reason that we were there, the reason that Balthasar had followed the star to Bethlehem at Joshua's birth, and the reason that he had put Ahmad on notice to look for a Jew seeking the African magus. Balthasar sought immortality, and he believed that Joshua held the key to it. Of course we didn't know that at the time. My concentration while studying the symbols was particularly acute, helped by the fact that I could not move a muscle. Each morning Two Fu Dogs and Pillows (both named for their voluptuousness, which evidently came with considerable strength) would pull me from bed, squeeze me over the latrine, bathe me, pour some broth into me, then take me to the library and prop me in a chair while Joy lectured on Chinese characters, which she painted with a wet brush on large sheets of slate set on easels. Sometimes the other girls would stay and pose my body into various positions that amused them, and as much as I should have been annoyed by the humiliation, the truth be told, watching Pillows and Two Fu Dogs jiggle in paroxysms of girlish laughter was fast becoming the high point of my paralyzed day. At midday, Joy would take a break while two or more of the other girls squoze me over the latrine, poured more broth into me, and then teased me mercilessly until Joy returned, clapped her hands, and sent them away well scolded. (Joy was the bull-ox concubine of them all, despite her tiny feet.) Sometimes during these breaks, Joshua would leave his own lessons and come to the library to visit. â€Å"Why have you painted him blue?† asked Joshua. â€Å"He looks good blue,† said Pea Pods. Two Fu Dogs and Tunnels stood by with paintbrushes admiring their work. â€Å"Well, he's not going to be happy with this when he gets the antidote, I can tell you that.† Then to me Joshua said, â€Å"You know, you do sort of look good blue. Biff, I've appealed to Joy on your behalf, but she says she doesn't think you've learned your lesson yet. You have learned your lesson though, haven't you? Stop breathing for a second if the answer is yes.† I did. â€Å"I thought so.† Joshua bent and whispered in my ear. â€Å"It's about that room behind the iron door. That's the lesson they want you to learn. I got the feeling that if I asked about it I'd be propped up there next to you.† He stood up. â€Å"I have to go now. The three jewels to learn, don't you know. I'm on compassion. It's not as hard as it sounds.† Two days later Joy came to my room in the morning with some tea. She pulled the tiny bottle from inside her dragon robe and held it close in front of my eyes. â€Å"You see the two small corks, a white one on one side of the vessel and a black one on the other? The black one is the poison I gave you. The white one is the antidote. I think you've learned your lesson.† I drooled in response, while sincerely hoping she hadn't mixed up the corks. She tipped the little bottle over a teacup, then poured some tea down my throat, with half of it going down the front of my shirt as well. â€Å"That will take a while to work. You may experience some discomfort as the poison wears off.† Joy dropped the little bottle down into its nest of Chinese cleavage, then kissed me on the forehead and left. If I could, I would have snickered at the blue paint she had on her lips as she walked away. Ha! â€Å"Some discomfort,† she had said. For the better part of ten days I'd had no sensation in my body at all, then suddenly things started to work again. Imagine rolling out of your warm bed in the morning into – oh, I don't know – a lake of burning oil. â€Å"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat, Joshua, I'm about to crawl out of my skin here.† We were in our quarters, about an hour after I'd taken the antidote. Balthasar had sent Joshua to find me and bring me to the library, supposedly to see how I was doing. Josh put his hand on my forehead, but instead of the usual calm that accompanied that gesture, it felt as if he'd lain a hot branding iron across my skin. I knocked his hand aside. â€Å"Thanks, but it's not helping.† â€Å"Maybe a bath,† Joshua suggested. â€Å"Tried it. Jeez, this is driving me mad!† I hopped around in a circle because I didn't know what else to do. â€Å"Maybe Balthasar has something that can help,† Joshua said. â€Å"Lead on,† I said. â€Å"I can't just sit here.† We headed off down the corridor, going down several levels on the way to the library. As we descended one of the spiral ramps I grabbed Joshua's arm. â€Å"Josh, look at this ramp, you notice anything?† He considered the surface and leaned out to look at the sides of the tread. â€Å"No. Should I?† â€Å"How about the walls and ceilings, the floors, you notice anything?† Joshua looked around. â€Å"They're all solid rock?† â€Å"Yes, but what else? Look hard. Think of the houses we built in Sepphoris. Now do you notice anything?† â€Å"No tool marks?† â€Å"Exactly,† I said. â€Å"I spent a lot of time over the last two weeks staring at walls and ceilings with nothing much else to look at. There's not the slightest evidence of a chisel, a pick, a hammer, anything. It's as if these chambers had been carved by the wind over a thousand years, but you know that's not the case.† â€Å"So what's your point?† Joshua said. â€Å"My point is that there's more going on with Balthasar and his girls than he lets on.† â€Å"We should ask them.† â€Å"No, we shouldn't, Josh. Don't you get it? We need to find out what's going on without them knowing that we know.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Why? Why? Because the last time I asked a question I was poisoned, that's why. And I believe that if Balthasar didn't think you had something that he wants, I'd have never seen the antidote.† â€Å"But I don't have anything,† said Joshua, honestly. â€Å"You might have something you don't know you have, but you can't just go asking what it is. We need to be devious. Tricky. Sneaky.† â€Å"But I'm not good at any of those things.† I put my arm around my friend's shoulders. â€Å"Not always so great being the Messiah, huh?†

Free Essays on Alcohol And The Drinking Age

Should the legal drinking age in the US be changed from 21 to a higher or lower age? Why or why not? (If you would change it, what would the new age be?) In every aspect of American life there is a required age which lets citizen do a certain thing that they would want to do. If a person wants to drive, they have to be 17 (NJ), if someone would like to live on their own you have to be a certain age, if they would want to vote, the person has to be 18, even to play the more violent video games a person has to be a certain age. However there is one law that is on everyone's mind, and that is the minimum legal drinking age. The American Medical Association (AMA) noticed that since the creation of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA), the standard legal drinking age around the country was 21. The AMA research showed that between 1970 thru 1975, the age had been lowered to 18, 19 or 20 in 29 states. However, soon after the increase of car accidents among teenage drivers increased so dramatically that the states were forced to push it back up to 21 (American Medical Association). There is still a long debate as to whether or not the age should be higher or lower than the 21 it is now for each state. There are countless reasons as to why many people are in favor of lowering the age from 21. When a person is 18, they are practically thrown into society’s main issues and apply for them as well. First, are that many people believe the MLDA should be lowered because of the fact that a person at 18 can kill for their country but can’t drink an alcohol beverage. Also, young people are capable of making decisions regarding our nation’s leaders and politicians. They feel that if they can make such responsible decisions that they should be allowed to responsibly drink what they want. Basically, they believe that since at 18, and are legally adults; they should be allowed to make adult decisions. They can make a decision to mov... Free Essays on Alcohol And The Drinking Age Free Essays on Alcohol And The Drinking Age Should the legal drinking age in the US be changed from 21 to a higher or lower age? Why or why not? (If you would change it, what would the new age be?) In every aspect of American life there is a required age which lets citizen do a certain thing that they would want to do. If a person wants to drive, they have to be 17 (NJ), if someone would like to live on their own you have to be a certain age, if they would want to vote, the person has to be 18, even to play the more violent video games a person has to be a certain age. However there is one law that is on everyone's mind, and that is the minimum legal drinking age. The American Medical Association (AMA) noticed that since the creation of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA), the standard legal drinking age around the country was 21. The AMA research showed that between 1970 thru 1975, the age had been lowered to 18, 19 or 20 in 29 states. However, soon after the increase of car accidents among teenage drivers increased so dramatically that the states were forced to push it back up to 21 (American Medical Association). There is still a long debate as to whether or not the age should be higher or lower than the 21 it is now for each state. There are countless reasons as to why many people are in favor of lowering the age from 21. When a person is 18, they are practically thrown into society’s main issues and apply for them as well. First, are that many people believe the MLDA should be lowered because of the fact that a person at 18 can kill for their country but can’t drink an alcohol beverage. Also, young people are capable of making decisions regarding our nation’s leaders and politicians. They feel that if they can make such responsible decisions that they should be allowed to responsibly drink what they want. Basically, they believe that since at 18, and are legally adults; they should be allowed to make adult decisions. They can make a decision to mov...

Assessment Essay Example for Free

Assessment Essay Initial assessment- the starting part, used to decide what is known, what needs to be taught and what can be assessed. Formative assessment- this stage is where the learner is still in training and requires feedback on how they are progressing. Summative- used to judge completion. Whether you have passed or not. Holistic- clustering of assessments based on the grouping of a work role, rather than stand alone. Functions of assessment in training – Identify the skill gap – Design the training – Deliver the training – Plan the assessment – Assess – Feedback – Either move on to the next part of training or go back and re do the previous assessment. This starts from the minute you get a new learner signed on. I do this by, setting out a training plan, giving the training, deciding with the learner when we both feel they are ready to be assessed and then do the assessment. With Sonya, she came from another salon where she had already done her level 2, she was about to be signed on to level 3. Before we got her signed on we done an assessment on a colour and a cut to make sure she was competent at level 2. 1:2 Key concepts and principles of assessment Reliability: By using the criteria and qualification and credit framework any assessor working independently should come to the same decision when assessing a learner. The learner should have been given the appropriate training and be competent to do the assessment. Validity: Is the work valid to the unit? The learner should be watched at all times to make sure the work is authentic. Assessments show us, what the learner is capable of and where further training would be required. It would also show if the learner needed any extra help. 1:3 Responsibilities of the assessor – Make sure the candidates logbook is marked of when an assessment has been passed. – Provide opportunities for assessment and make sure you book time out in your column. – Be fair to all candidates, avoid any discrimination, comparing one against the other. – Assess the learner against the national occupational standards and not your own opinion of what the standards should be. – Consider the needs of the individual candidates; one might have a different learning style to the other. Learning difficulties should also be taken into account and help appropriate given where needed. – Plan and assess assessments with candidates. Make sure learner and assessor think it is the right assessment to be done and that the learner is capable of doing the assessment. – Place the learner under no undue pressure. If the candidate does not feel good about doing the assessment you should encourage them, if as an assessor you think they are capable of passing the assessment. But do not apply pressure as this could make the learner worry or feel stressed out by this. – Check and ensure all the evidence is valid, authentic, current, sufficient and reliable. Make sure the work is valid to the unit and accurate, the learners own work, the work is consistent and of the appropriate nvq level criteria and is not a fluke. The work should also be current, i.e. if the learner has transferred salons and had some assessments already signed off you should make sure they are currently competent. – Give constructive feedback. Using â€Å"complement sandwich† Positive comment Critical comment Positive comment Make sure you include the learner to give self assessment so you know how they think they have done. When giving your feedback always start with â€Å"how do you think you did?† Always give feedback promptly and record all assessment decisions and evidence clearly and fully so that everyone can always look back and see what has been said and done. Also in case there are any disagreements on the outcome you can look back at the records. – Agree future action plans with the learner so that both the learner and assessor know what the next stage will be. – Any discussions with the learner should be carried out in a professional manor. During meetings with the learner you should review the progress of assessment plans and determine where additional learning and training is required. I have recently had an issue with one of my trainee’s, she did not want to be taught anymore, and just wanted to be assessed on her cutting. She felt she had had enough training , although I didn’t. As she felt very strongly about this I allowed her to do a model we were going to use as training as an assessment, I did this so she would understand that she needs more training. Once she had completed the assessment I checked the cut, and explained to her where she had gone wrong, and also explained to her that with a little bit more practice she would be able to be assessed on models similar to what she had done and would be able to be marked off on them. She has agreed to have a little bit more training and agreed we will decide together in future when she will be assessed so as not to waste models. 1:4 Regulations and requirements relevant to assess hairdressing. – Realistic working environment. Must develop realistic management procedures that incorporate a ‘salon image’. – All assessments must be carried out under realistic commercial pressures and on paying clients. Assessments should be completed within the commercial timescale. Candidates must be able to achieve a realistic volume of work. – The space per working area conforms to health and safety legislation. – The range of services, professional tools, products, materials and equipment must be up to date and available for use. A reception area for clients to be greeted must be available. It must also include a payment facility. – A retail facility must be provided. Assessment. (2016, Sep 20).

Year Round School System, Better Than Summer Vacation Research Paper

Year Round School System, Better Than Summer Vacation - Research Paper Example Students then learn through the fall, winter and spring. At the end of the spring students are finished with school for the year and get to enjoy a nice 8-10 weeks of break. This is a traditional school year and what’s wrong with that? The answer is simply facts! Facts have proven that the benefits to year round education are much more beneficial than traditional education. The problem regarding traditional and year round school is students who attend year round schooling have better scores on tests then students who attend traditional school systems (Lyttle 2011). To further explore why this is so, it is important to understand what happens during summer vacation. A typical summer vacations involves young children to be at day care, and older children left home. Parents still continue to work if they are not stay at home parents. Quickly children lose sense of a schedule. The children begin to sleep in, change eating habits, stay up later, and some make bad decisions. Hardly any studying is done and study time is quickly replaced with video games, television and the internet. Due to changes in schedule during the summer, students forget nearly everything they learned over the school year. This is even more so devastating to children with developmental disorders as they need the constant learning. This problem can be addressed to improve education by allowing for year round schooling. Year round schooling can be much more beneficial in so many different ways. Year round schooling benefits students, parents and teachers. Students benefit from year round schooling by improving tests scores and increasing more efficient work habits. Students whom are able to study year round better retain information as it is not lost due to break in habits. Information that is normally lost during summer vacation is better retained and more focus can be put toward new learning instead of having to refresh what was forgotten over summer break. A study conducted in over 345, 000 schools in the state of North Carolina shows an increase in academic achievements for students who attended year round school versus traditional school. In the article, year round school can be defined as, â€Å"180 days of school instruction that has shorter breaks rather than one large break during the summer†(McMillen2001). Students from lower income levels benefit the most from year round schooling. Year round schooling shows the best benefits when children from low income levels are on a year round school schedule. This may be due to their may be no adult present in the home during the summer and students are able to do as they please. In an article be Tracy Huebner, research has proven that students from low income homes were better off participating in year round schooling as they had higher scores in spelling, reading and math (Huebner 2010). Teachers also benefit from a year round school system. Year round schooling for teachers can be quite beneficial especially if teachers are not on a salary rate. When faced with year round versus traditional school setting on non salary earnings, teachers are more likely to seek year round schooling. Besides earnings, there are many other reasons why year round schooling is more beneficial to teachers. Teachers normally plan the fall school year refreshing much information lost during summer vacation. Year round schooling involves less having to refresh during the fall and more complete and continuous focus throughout the year. Lessons plans allow for more focused learning. Parents would likely prefer year round schooling with shorter breaks rather than one larger break. It is easier on parents whose children are in year round sch