Using their Powers For Bad :: essays research papers

Over the years, there have been multiple occasions in which the entertainment industry has stuck it’s nose in places where it doesn’t belong. Instead doing their job of providing the general public with music, movies, and television shows that will amuse them, and divert them from their normal everyday life, people in Hollywood are using their status of high respect to influence others political views.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In August of 1972, as the Vietnam War was winding down, Jane Fonda visited North Vietnam. While she was there, she visited many of the places where the Vietnamese people were living, and also the Vietnamese soldiers. One photo that was taken of her instantly became famous. She was posing on an NVA anti-aircraft gun, the same guns that were used to shoot down American planes. While American soldiers were over in Vietnam putting their lives on the line for our country, she went to visit the enemy, and sit in the gun seat of anti-American weaponry. While members of our military were fighting for their lives, she was using her celebrity and money to protest the war, and influence others to do the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a member of a highly respected industry, others took the views and opinions of Jane Fonda very seriously. When someone of that status goes to other countries, and makes statements such as Jane Fonda did, other countries begin to believe that they are the views of the entire country. Her anti-war feelings were construed as being the general sentiment of all Americans because she was the one who was famous enough to have here opinions documented and widely publicized.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another celebrity who has used her fame for reasons other than entertainment is Sheryl Crow. She has not gone quite as far as Jane Fonda did in the seventies, but has still used notoriety to influence others. She frequently wears anti-war apparel at her concerts and other Hollywood events, and always sneaks in some sort of â€Å"no war† speech into all of her interviews. In 2003 during a March concert in London, Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, took a break from performing to make some very controversial comments. She claimed that, â€Å"we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.† A comment may felt was completely uncalled for, it caused many people to boycott them. Patrons that paid for those tickets did not do so in order to hear a political debate, they paid to hear a concert.

Sound Navigation and Ranging SONAR :: sonar sound wave waves

Missing Images SONAR, as it is most commonly known as has been around since the beginning of time. Animals have used this technique and survived because of it for millions of years. Among the most common are bats and dolphins. Daniel Colloden used a bell to measure the speed of sound underwater in 1822. After the Titanic sunk, the idea of using sound underwater to locate objects, primarily icebergs, was taken up by inventors. Lewis Richardson, a meteorologist, was the first to file a patent for an echo locator one month after the Titanic had sunk. In 1914, Reginald Fessenden made an experimental unit, which was able to detect icebergs within a two-mile range, but it could not determine the direction. During World War I, with the invention of submarines came the need to locate them. Research of underwater sound location was a primary focus for the British. Both the U.S. and Britain were researching what would be Sonar, and it was kept secret throughout the war. By 1922, units were being produced and by 1923, they were being equipped to naval vessels. Throughout the war, Britain referred to this underwater locator as ASDIC, which was the Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee. This committee, however, never existed. The name was just a cover-up to keep the actual detector secret. The term SONAR came from the Americans, who used it as the equivalent of RADAR. The term ASDIC was terminated in 1948 when NATO was formed and signals were being standardized. Sonar utilizes sound propagation to detect objects, navigate, and communicate. Through acoustic location, Sonar can be used to find an object and tell how far away that object is. As shown above, a transmitter sends out a pulse of sound towards an object, the sound wave is then reflected off of the object and sent back to the source. The distance of the object is determined by the amount of time it takes for a reflection to return after the pulse is sent out. This can be affected by several factors such as the density of the media which the sound is traveling through and if the object itself is moving or not. To find the direction of the object, several receivers are used to signal when a reflection passes by them. The above picture shows an initial wave being sent out in all directions.

How Business’s Use ICT Essay

INTRODUCTION: In this report I will be investigating a company and telling you how and why they use ICT within their company. Also I will tell you how using ICT benefits them and helps them get around their business smoothly. The company that I will investigate is the supermarket mega store Asda. The location of the store in which I investigated is Park Royal in London and I went on the 9th and 11th of January 2007. I interviewed Mr Andrew Davies, Customer Relations Manager. History: Asda Stores Limited was founded by Laura Beth Murray as Associated Diaries and Farm Sores LTD in 1949 however it took much longer to decide on the formation of the name. Finally it was decided to use an abbreviation of ASquith and Dairies in 1965. The company went through a troubled period in the early 1990s, but was then revived under the leadership of Archie Norman, who later became a front bench Conservative MP. He was chairman of the company during the period 1996-99. ASDA, which then owned 229 stores, was purchased by Wal-Mart of the United States, on July 26, 1999. Since the takeover ASDA has continued to maintain its headquarters at the then newly opened â€Å"ASDA House†. ASDA House was one of the first of the new large office blocks to open as part of the redevelopment of the huge area south of the River Aire from the city centre of Leeds, in the Holbeck district, West Yorkshire. Also, the mission statement for ASDA is General Information: The international supermarket mega store made its name by just being a supermarket, solely based on food. However, Asda has expanded and now they provide services for: * CD’s * DVD’s * Computer Games * Flowers * Furniture * Mobile Phones * Glasses * Flights * Credit Cards * Clothes * Car rental * Contact lenses * Satellite Navigation Systems * MP3 Players * Food This shows how big this supermarket has become and has undergone a transitional period and has now became a multi purpose cooperate business. Now, Asda runs it own distribution service which delivers products to its stores which delivers products to its stores and to customers who shop online. Asda also has its own clothes designer label called George which is quite popular. Also, Asda has recently introduced 24/7 shopping which is very convenient for people who work late hours and also convenient at special occasions such as Christmas. Size (Staff/Customers) Asda employs 150,000 so I believe that Asda serves the community well because it provides so many jobs for people within the community. Moreover, Asda supplies a service for over 17 million people in one week in the UK alone. Lastly there are approximately 720 workers who work on the ICT network only. Divisions As of January 2006 there were 21 Asda super centres, 243 Asda superstores, 37 Asda supermarkets, 5 Asda Living stores, 10 George clothing stores. In addition Asda announced plans to build a minimum of 18 stores across the whole UK and it is expected to create 2000 new jobs. Also, there are twenty four distribution centres and also a Head Office. Aims * To comprehensively be recognised as the best supermarket in the UK and also be known all around the world. * To provide jobs and produce high quality goods to all people no matter what age, sex, religion and skin colour at affordable prices. Needs There are many challenges facing Asda and these include: * To further their global buying and selling * To create smaller Asda stores on high streets to provide people with more convenience * To develop their advertisement to increase their customers * To advertise for healthy eating * To expand their other departments including: opticians, clothes, electronics, home appliances and 24/7 shopping Moreover, Asda is trying to meet these aims by using ICT as a dominant figure. Purposes for which ICT is used Overview * Asda uses ICT in order to ensure that all shelves are full in the store. The form of ICT in which they use is hand held terminals, frequently known as HHT’s and these work by members of staff typing in barcodes of products and see if they are in stock. If a product if off the shelves and there is in stock a message can be sent to re-stock it. Also if the product is out of stock, then you can make an order to re-stock that certain product. * Sales can be recorded by using a device called the Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) along with the prices of the product. This puts Asda at a huge advantage because this Asda knows what product is doing well and what products need further advertisement and promotion to boost its sales. * ICT is used to contact head office in the form of e-mail for administrative and executive matters such as special offers, income and outcome and staff problems. * Asda have a website where you can shop online and even purchase products which you can’t acquire in store and even at a cheaper price. * Asda also offer jobs on their website. * ASDA use videoconferencing to hold meetings with staff or people from other businesses who are unable to be where the meeting is supposed to be held. So they will be face to face over long distances and both rooms will be filled with several video camera’s microphones and television monitors or PC’s. Departments in ASDA * Sales & Marketing – This involves the sale or distribution of the goods or service provided by ASDA and advertising for sales * Purchasing – This involves buying the goods or service required by ASDA * Finance – The finance department controls all the business regarding money, including cash transactions, budget and cash flow. * Operations – Carrying out the main business of ASDA * Production – This involves designing and producing products from raw materials or semi finished products. ICT Peripheral Used in Asda’s Sales and Marketing Department: * Electronic Point of Sale * CCTV * Machine for Self Serving * Digital Camera * Scanner * Fax Machine * Online Shopping * Hand Held Terminals * Barcode Reader Software’s used by the Sales and Marketing Department: * Microsoft Word * Microsoft Excel * Microsoft Access * Sage Sales Order Processing System The impact of using the ICT Electronic Point of Sale: This can sometimes be referred to as a till or electronic cash register system and this is where transactions happen at Asda and at all other supermarkets and shops. There are many forms of purchase at Asda including cash money, credit card, debit card and even Asda cards where you can get special discounts and lastly you can use vouchers to get money off. It is safe to use credit cards in Asda because all you have to do is swipe your card and enter a 4 digit pin number which only the customer knows. This has increased sales because it is more convenient for customers as it allows customers to pay in all forms of possible payments. So, a result of using debit and credit card is that it increases sales because it is user friendly as customer don’t have to have cash money to purchase things in Asda CCTV: Asda uses CCTV cameras in their sales department by installing the cameras on the shop floor which monitor the shop floor. So by having these cameras it stops people from stealing from Asda as it scares of thief’s. Also if people actually steal from Asda then they will most probably be caught and prosecuted because CCTV will show their faces minimising the chances of further robberies. So therefore CCTV helps ASDA because it saves them money as less people would consider attempting to rob it. Computers: ASDA’s sale department uses computers for several reasons. The most obvious reason why ASDA uses computers is to use databases to store information of customers and sales. The main advantage of using Microsoft Access for this is that you can compile quieries, sort and filters. This saves a lot of time Machine for Self Serving: This was introduced in ASDA earlier this year and has been a massive success. Firstly, I will explain what a self serving machine is. You place the barcodes of your items on to the barcode reader and the cost of this appears on the screen and you can pay by inserting cash into the cash machine or credit or debit cards into the appropriate machines and change is distributed as fits. This saves a lot of money for ASDA as it does the job of an employee without having to pay their wages. However, initially it costs more because the machine is quite expensive and the purchasing department makes this order. It will also take quite long for ASDA to make a profit but it will and it will be an enormous profit. Also, maybe in the future no human workers will be necessary and then there will just be self serving machines to serve customers. Digital Camera: Digital cameras are used mainly in ASDA’s sales department for advertising purposes and are related to ASDA’s sales department because it helps to increase sales and therefore strengthen the sales department. This happens because the advertisement, done online and in-store to make customers aware of special offers such as ‘3 for the price of 2’ or ‘buy one get one free’. For example, cameras are used to take pictures of the product which ASDA are advertising such as clothes or food or drink. So advertisements are used to get customers to buy a certain product in the store and then attract the customer by helping them save money but really if ASDA sell as much as they hope by the advertisement then they will most probably make a profit altogether although it will take quite long to do so. Scanner: A category of scanner which ASDA use’s is digital camera scanners which are based on the concept of reprographic cameras. Due to the increasing resolution and new features such as anti-shake, digital cameras become an attractive alternative to regular scanners. While still containing disadvantages compared to traditional scanners, digital cameras offer unmatched advantages in speed and portability. This once again isn’t really a peripheral used in ASDA’s sales department but hugely contributes to the sales department because as explained earlier it is used for advertisement which helps to boost the sales department’s actual sales because it encourages customers to buy a certain product. Fax Machine: Essentially, a fax machine is a telecommunication technology used to transfer copies of documents to other people or other businesses to discuss things or to advertise. In the case of ASDA’s sales department, they use fax machines to contact customers for special offers or to sell a lot of their stock. Also, when their stock is approaching the end of their season ASDA want to offload this stock and can sell them to other companies by telling them of the offer by faxing them. Online Shopping: Online Shopping is the process in which customers can shop without having to go to the shop in person. Customers use the internet and pay by Credit, Visa or Debit cards and the goods they purchase are delivered by ASDA to the address of the customer. Online shopping is beneficiary to ASDA’s sales department because it increases sales as more people shop online as it is very convenient for customers. Also, there are many people who are disabled and can not travel to ASDA for some reason online shopping allows them to get their shopping without having to travel to the store itself and this makes more money for ASDA because they are gaining more customers than usual with online shopping. Hand Held Terminals: These smart devices are extremely useful in ASDA and help them because they are very time efficient. This is because ASDA workers can type in the barcode of some products and then the machine tells you how many of the products are in stock. This saves time for the ASDA sales department because it takes them seconds to decide whether an order needs to be placed for more stock of the product to meet customer needs quickly and efficiently. This in turn benefits ASDA’s sales departments because ASDA customers can rely and can trust ASDA to provide a good service for them. Barcode Reader: A barcode reader is used in ASDA’s sales department to scan the barcode on the surface of products in the checkout to determine the price of the product and then the computer adds all the prices of the products together and calculates a total for the customer. The barcode reader is useful to ASDA’s sales departments because it is quick and time efficient and the customers spend minimal time in the checkout queue. The impact of using the Software: Microsoft Word: The ASDA sales department uses Microsoft Word to produce documents, for example and if necessary send e-mails, memos, agendas and mail merge to benefit the department and to save time. ASDA also uses Microsoft Word to compile a financial report which needs to be produced every financial year. This financial report is produced by the companies accountants and makes sure that the annual incomes and expenses are all correct and so therefore the net profit is also. Companies only use Microsoft Word to make sure that the report looks professional and has no mistakes. Microsoft Excel: This software is vital to ASDA as you can use it to produce graphs and tables based on the finances of ASDA. For example, you can produce a graph on the increase of income over the past five years. This is important to ASDA as it literally gives them a picture of how there finances are going. Also, ASDA can produce charts on what products of theirs are selling well and which are not and so therefore which need to be advertised and priced lower if necessary to increase sales. Sage Sales Order Processing System: This computerized system handles sales, purchasing, stock control and accounts. Every time ASDA receives a order the details such as what product has been ordered, the quantity and the invoice number of the order. This system will automatically check if there are enough of the of the required items in stock to fill the order. Then the invoice is printed out and the quantity in stock is automatically adjusted to show how many of each item is left. Also this system allows ASDA to keep track of who its customers and suppliers, how much customers owe, hoe much the customer owes to its suppliers and so on. ASDA’s Finance Department: The finance department compiles preparation for budgets of new, ongoing and future projects, appropriation of accounts, re-appropriations and savings. The finance department also needs to stay in control of expenditure and not let in spiral out of control. Moreover, ASDA’s finance department has to administrate taxes, for example sale tax, entertainment tax or luxury tax amongst many others. Also, the department has to deal with the following pieces of business: * Payroll * Forecast * Budget * Suppliers payment * Credit control ICT Peripheral Used in ASDA’s Finance Department: * Computers * Fax Machine * Scanners * Debit and Credit Card Machine (ATM) * Digital Telephone Software’s Used by ASDA’s Finance Department: * Microsoft Word * Microsoft Access * Microsoft Excel * Sage Accounting Package The impact of using the ICT: Computers: ASDA’s finance department use computers for numerous reasons and without it simply couldn’t operate without it. The first reason why computers are used by the finance department is the internet and this enables them to communicate free, quick and easy in the form of e-mail. The finance department uses e-mail to contact accountants, other departments and also customers. Also ASDA uses the internet facility to forecast future sales and managers need to plan carefully the direction that the business will take in years to come. However, forecasting can be a difficult job and so doing this job is aided by the internet and information from it. Once a sales forecast is made, a budget can be drawn up for the new project. This will show what the costs are and how much profit the company can expect to make if they charge a particular price. This is what the finance department is all about; forecasting and budgeting. Fax Machine: This is essentially much like the use of e-mail as it is a communication decice. However it is actually a telecommunication device and is used by the finance department to contact other departments, stock holders and also suppliers to make orders for items and products. Fax machines are useful for ASDA’s finance department because there are some important documents that cannot be sent by e-mail. An example of such documents are contracts, supplier payments and also forecasts and budgets Scanners: The finance department uses scanners to insert photographs or other types of images such as graphs and tables into a document. An example of a sort of document which scanners will be used for is a forcast. The finance department will scan graphs of predicted sales into the forecast to show what will have to be done to achieve the aim of the project. Also previous sale trends will be inserted into the document. Now the forcast is done the finance department will produce a budget where yet again, a scanner will be used to insert some images into the document. An example of this could be a table where the company can expect to make a certain amount of money if they charge a particular price for an item. Debit and Credit Card Machine (ATM): These pieces of ICT are used in the finance department so that ASDA can pay suppliers and also pay their creditors (who they owe mony to) and basically clear their debts. ASDA also use these machines to pay people, including their employes and suppliers. So these machines are very useful to the finance department because it allows them to go about their business quickly and very efficently. Digital Telephone: Although digital telephones are being used less and less frequently due to the revoultionary expansion of the use of e-mail and less so the fax machine. However, telephones are still renowned as the quickest way to communicate because with e-mail it is not certain that a person will be on their computer or checking their e-mails when one arrives. Also, e-mails don’t make a noise when one is received, and obviously telephones ring so it is still the quickest way to communicate. The finance department will use a digital telephone to talk to the same people as fax machines and e-mail; suppliers, other departments and also even customers. The Impact of Using the Software: Microsoft Word: The finance department of ASDA uses this software to produce the yearly financial report which takes away the profit the company has made from the expenditure to create the net profit of the year. ASDA uses Microsoft Word for this task as it makes the document look more professional ad the spell check tool allows ASDA’s finance department to save a lot of time. Also, the finance department uses Misrosoft Word to compile pay slips for their employees. Pay silps are essential as they show how much the worker ahs made and how much tax has been taken away from the worker. Once again the reason why Microsoft Word is used for this task is to make it look more professional and also save ime because the finance department probably have a template of a pay silp and just have to alter it to match the correct information for each worker. Microsoft Access: The finance department use this software to create databases for many reasons. One is to keep track of their creditors and keep records of wheather they have paid them back or how much they still have to pay back. Also, databases are used by the finance department to keep records of each financial report of the year and see if the net profit of the company is increasing or getting worse. Moreover, Access is mainly used because of the advantages it possess. These are being able to filter, sort and make quieries which saves time. Microsoft Excel: ASDA’s finance department uses Excel to produce graphs and tables for several purposes. One of these purposes is to use graphs to accompany forecasts and budgets. They are used in budgets to show how much money is to be spent on each project. More importantly it is in forcasts to validate their prediction by producing graphs of previous trends to show why they think the company will go in the direction they think. Sage Accounting Package: This is special software used by businesses such as ASDA and especially their finance department. It is specially prepared to help the finance business do what they do. ASDA’s Purchasing Department: The main functions of the purchasing department is to buy raw materials, semi finished products and fully finished products. Each department works hand in hand with the other ones, for example the purchasing department gets it money from finance, buys the products for production and then it goes on to the sales department. Another one of the main functions of the purchasing department is to order new stock and also to also take a stock count to make sure that the order is complete. They will need to order things needed for the smooth running of the office, such as stationary and computer equipment, and services such as insurance or hotel rooms if staff have to travel. A clerk in the purchasing department will enter the details of a purchase order and send it to the supplier. They in turn will receive the goods or services and an invoice will be passed on to the Finance Department. The finance department has to take responsibility of stock control and make sure that everything is in o rder. The purchasing department uses the three main software’s to help them to run their business: * Microsoft Word: The purchasing department uses this to write letters to suppliers to contact them regarding their stock. They also use this software to save time by mail merging and creating memos. * Microsoft Excel: This is used to create graphs, charts and spreadsheets based on suppliers and the products which the purchasing department has bought. * Microsoft Access: This is used for simple reasons, keeping data of suppliers into databases. Also the sort, filter and quires tools are very useful as it saves time when you are looking for a particular person or product. ASDA’s Production Department: The whole purpose of ASDA’s production department is to produce the products for ASDA’s sale’s department from three states; raw material, semi finished products and finished products which just need to be packaged. However, ASDA’s production department has many methods in achieving this which I will now tell you about. ICT Peripheral Used in ASDA’s Production Department: * Robots * Computers ICT Peripheral Used in ASDA’s Finance Department: * Computer Aided Design (CAD) * Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)) The impact of using the ICT: Robots: These hi-tech pieces of ICT come in all different shapes and sizes yet all have the same components which are: 1. Sensors: Capture information from the environment. 2. A Microprocessor: Processes the information 3. Actuators: Produce movement or alter the environment in some way, for example by turning an electronic switch on or off. Robots are used because they can work in environments which are too dangerous for humans to work in. Such environments where ASDA use robots are radioactive environments or deep underwater. Moreover robots can perform horrid and dull tasks, carry heavy objects and also reach long distances. Further advantages of ASDA using robots are that the quality of work is always consistent unlike humans who can have lapses in concentration and therefore make mistakes. Robots can work twenty-four seven and even work harder than humans. Lastly, ASDA do not have to pay their robots basic weekly wages, however, robots are expensive to buy and to install. Computers: Computers are used for several reasons in ASDA’s production department such as computer control. Here computers are used to control hundreds of processes both in industry and elsewhere. All of the robots and other devices have computer chips which control their operation. In ASDA’s production department, computers are used to schedule production processes so that machinery is maximally utilized. Also, at ASDA, some workers are paid by ‘piece-work’ which means that the computer calculates how much work a employee has done and how many products produced. It is then inserted into the system. The impact of using the software: Computer Aided Design (CAD): These systems allow ASDA’s production department to create designs on screen for many of their products. This piece of software lets users create 3-D models with features like volume, weight and centre of gravity. The image can be rotated and viewed from any angle. The advantages of using this piece of software are that images can be scaled and resized without distortion. Also the drawings are device-independent e.g. a drawing can be transferred to a different screen of a different resolution, yet with no distortion. The files which are created by the software are generally smaller than for equivalently sized bitmapped images. Lastly, some of the drawings can be made with an immaculate scale of accuracy. Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM): As we know ASDA produce some of their products from raw materials and this piece of software allows them to do so. This software works when the design is completed; the specifications are input directly into a program that controls the manufacturing of products. The advantages of using this software for ASDA’s production department are that this system is very versatile and flexible. For example individual items can be manufactured to a customer’s exact specification. Conclusion In conclusion, all departments use ICT and software’s to help them get about their business and without it couldn’t simply operate. Also, I have learnt that all the departments go hand in hand. For example, the finance department gives the purchasing department money and then the purchasing department buys raw materials, semi finished and finished goods and gives it to the production department who makes the products and then gives it to the sales department who obviously sell it for profit. So ICT is essential in all the departments to allow for the easy running of ASDA efficiently and quickly.

Issues Concerning Islam Essay

Muslims have been accused of mutilating women. This practice, however, is denied by the followers of Islam. According to them, â€Å"Female Genital Mutilation† (FGM), which is actually a surgical procedure performed on girls before they reach the age of puberty for the purpose of terminating or reducing their sexual feelings, is not an Islamic practice. They explain that FGM is a tradition of â€Å"Animists, Christians, and [some] Muslims in those countries where FGM is common. † Women are given equal rights under Islam. In fact, the Qur’an decreed that when it comes to public life, men and women should have equal rights and participation. During the time of Muhammad, women were allowed to participate actively in their baya which is the equivalent of today’s practice of political endorsements. Evidence of this Muslim women’s status is the voting rights granted to women in the predominantly Muslim countries like Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. The women in Kuwait followed suit by earning their right to vote and get elected sometime in 2005. In fact, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Prime Minister, divulged a plan to appoint a woman minister in Kuwait soon (Robinson, 2007). Muslims as terrorists and pro-violence Yusuf (n. d. ) said that majority of the Muslims are convinced that while the U. S. government has been blaming terrorism on Islam for years, it was the 9/11 incident which dealt the most telling blow on the credibility and reputation of their religion. This was because the international media was able to depict that many Muslims around the world rejoiced after that incident. The truth is, however, that majority of the Muslim world was saddened by that incident and the repercussions it caused. They would like to tell the world that terrorism is not an official policy of Islam and that, in fact, Muslims also consider terrorists as enemies of their religion. He laments the fact that When a crazy Christian does something terrible, everyone in the West knows it is the actions of a mad man because they have some knowledge of the core beliefs and ethics of Christianity. When a mad Muslim does something evil or foolish they assume it is from the religion of Islam, not because they hate us but because they have never been told by a Muslim what the teachings of Islam are all about. Yusuf blames this lack of Islamic knowledge among Christians to the fact that there is a dearth of credible spokespersons who could defend Islam from its attackers. As a matter of fact, Yusuf stressed that â€Å"Islam is the middle way between excess and neglect† and that terrorism is the preoccupation of zealots and extremists who are, in fact, a plaque of Islam. According to him, there are two types of Muslim extremists whose acts destroy Islam. The first he calls â€Å"reactionary extremists. † This group rejects any form of religious pluralism. According to these reactionary extremists, the world consists of good and evil with nothing in between. Good, according to them, means the reactionary extremists and all those who oppose their actions are evil. Yusuf further explains that these kind of extremists are in the habit of â€Å"excommunicating† other Muslims who reject the way they interpret the Qur’an. However, this kind does not usually resort to violent acts to achieve their goals. Instead, they employ character assassination or takfir to ward their critics (Yusuf, n. d. ). The second type is the â€Å"radical extremist. † These Muslims extremists, according to Yusuf, are the ones who resort to violent acts and tactics to further their objectives. Yusuf stressed that these Muslims act as if they belong to some secret, wicked society whose members believe in the dictum that â€Å"the end justifies the means. † In other words, any method, even the most violent method, is acceptable as long as their â€Å"cause† is advanced. According to Yusuf, this is destroying Islam because the methods employed by Islam should be reflecting the noble ends of the religion. Secondly, Islam is not a â€Å"secret society of conspirators† – rather, it is open with its objectives and traditions which have already been accepted and recognized by people from other religious denominations (Yusuf, n. d. ). Muslims confused with Arabs Muslims object to their being confused with Arabs because it would never be accurate to equate Islam, a religious denomination, with Arab, which is an ethnic grouping. According to Muslims, the reason for this erroneous identification could be the fact that Islam emerged from the culture and society of Arab Bedouins of the 8th century. Another reason might be the fact that the Qur’an was written in Arabic. However, beyond these facts, Muslims should not be identified as Arabs, and vice versa because, according to statistics, â€Å"there are many non-Muslim Arabs, and far, far more non-Arab Muslims in the world. In fact, out of the estimated one billion Muslims worldwide, only about 200 million are Arabs (DHinMl, 2006). Looking at the table below of the top ten countries with the highest Muslim population, only Egypt (at number seven) is an Arab country (Aneki. com, n. d. ). References Aneki.com. (n.d.). Largest Muslim Population in the World. Retrieved November 26, 2007 from http://www.aneki.com/muslim.html Fisher, M.P. (2005). Living Religions, Sixth Edition. Prentice-Hall. Philips, A.A.B. (n.d.). The True Religion. Retrieved November 26, 2007 from http://www.islamworld.net/

Belief in God but not Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Belief in God but not Religion - Essay Example Examples of religions include the Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims among others (Hesse 77). There is the need to belief in God and not religion because the two books; Siddhartha and The Little Philosophy Book gives different perspectives of religions. Siddhartha talks about a spiritual voyage of the main character who is Siddhartha, through four sections of life. Siddhartha was a son to Brahmin and aesthetic in the forest. He was described as a gambler, merchant and eventually a ferryman. At the end of the book, the wisdom of Siddhartha arrived at by the supposed character was a mixture of Buddhists and Hindu traditions (McClory 42). The Little Philosophy Book, on the other hand, talks about examination of individual-self, the earth, and the nature of truthand, putting across questions like, â€Å"why are we here?† â€Å"who are we?† and â€Å"how should we live?† the book begins by traveling around antique philosophy that varies from Socrates’ Greece, t o Vedic India, to Daoist, Confucian, and Buddhist China, and in the Middle East (Solomon 82). In essence, both books reflect on the aspect of religion where different people practice several beliefs and customs. For example, in Siddhartha, the main character was a gambler who lived in woods with his own way of life and in his quest for wisdom Siddhartha makes a false sacrifice (Hesse 77). His selfish actions made him have many arguments with his fellow old man, Ferryman. For example, Siddhartha portrayed his negligence and selfish actions when he was told by Ferryman to let his 12-year son to take care of himself in the woods and the world because his father was not being fair to him. Siddhartha had a mind-body problem, which made him portray his selfishness attitude. Throughout their lives in the forest, these people had their own religion, which combines the teachings and practices of Buddhists and Hindu. Note that Buddhism is a religion on its own while Hinduism is another religi on on its own. The practices and traditions of these two religions are different. Since, Siddhartha, Ferryman, Hesse and other people who lived in forest had a hybrid of the two religions of Hindu and Buddhist, it means their religion was also on its own (Hesse 64). Note that all of them believe to be worshipping God but their practices, customs and traditions are different. This means that belief should be dedicated to God and not religion because the world has several religions, which have distinct practices, and no religion believes on what the other religion believes in. The same concept is supported in the book The Little Philosophy Book which examines the concept of consciousness as par Descartes’ thought that, â€Å"I think, therefore I am†, phenomenological words that explain the issue of mind-body problem (Solomon 91). This book talks about God, spirituality, nature, freedom and responsibility, cosmology, morality and ethics. The book also explores the meaning of life and the function of philosophy in determining both life and happiness. All these concepts are connected to religion in the sense that they define the way of life of people and as mentioned, the practices in it indicate that the religions of China people was Buddhist, while Indians practiced Vedic as other practiced Confucianism (McClory 43). All these are examples of religions in both books and they clearly imply that people need to believe in God and not religion because there is no uniform custom in all the religions in the world. The spirituality of these religions also differs greatly due to the difference in believes. However, it should be clear that spirituality is the majestic and thoughtful fervors of life and a life lived

Social Capital (Degree in Diploma in addiction studies-university Essay

Social Capital (Degree in Diploma in addiction studies-university level) - Essay Example Bourdieu came forward with his definition of social capital more than three decades back. Here, it needs to be conceded that his concept had lesser acceptability than his other works in the sphere of sociology. At a later point of time, James Coleman came out with his definition of social capital where, he endeavored to blend both economics and also sociology. As a matter of fact, he termed his elaboration as the rational action theory, which exerted tremendous influence on policy makers as well as sociologists. Putnam emphasized on both the key aspects of civic activity and association, and also the reasons for which they are pivotal for integration of society. (1) Definition of Pierre Bourdieu The explanation of social capital by Bourdieu is based on social hierarchy, and he strongly opined that economic capital is the basis for all forms of capital. He argues that it is but inevitable that social capital leads to inequality, and here it (social capital) is not fully reliant on cul tural and economic capital. He explains that the returns that different persons obtain for the same capital tends to be unequal. Bourdieu adds that the returns are directly linked to the extent to which individuals can utilize various social networks. To support his argument, he uses professionals such as doctors and lawyers as examples. Bourdieu states that the social capital of these professionals is inclusive of their goodwill in the society and the social connections. And they (professionals) make full use of their social capital in bringing about a rise in the number of clients seeking their services. In fact, apart from furthering their present professions, the professionals also stand a strong chance of making it big in the avenue of politics. While focusing on all that, he says that persons depending solely on their academic qualifications and not on any social networks are in a position of disadvantage. They cannot attain the success that is being achieved by the aforesaid professionals, and the key reason for this being inadequate connections. (2) The definition of bourdieu totally opposes the more humane approach towards social capital. For, he emphasizes just on the way in which some select persons and groups are in a position to craftily utilize their networks, for furthering their own interests. Bourdieu does not see social capital as something that can benefit all members of a society. Here, it would be ironical to be noting that, this particular definition of social capital is in stark contrast to the values of democracy that Bourdieu endorsed in his political and journalistic activities. (3) Overall, he views social capital as a concept that just enables the already strong in maintaining their strength. Bourdieu’s analysis (of social capital) almost considers coordinated and collective actions as being irrelevant. His interpretation of social capital emphasizes that there is no way in which the less-fortunate people of the society can u se it (social capital) to bring about an improvement in their circumstances. (3) Definition by James Coleman The definition of social capital given by James Coleman, a famous sociologist of the US, gained much more recognition than the one of Bourdieu. Backed by extensive studies that he carried out in the ghettos of USA, Coleman pointed out that social capital is not confined to just the elite sections of

Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Immigration - Essay Example The repercussion is dealt with in turn with a strong-willed defense of immigration. As time goes by, the debate becomes more intense; immigration will perhaps be a foremost issue in the politics of the near future and the next generation. Some contestants in the debate dispute that immigration is an economic advantage to the nation but a catastrophe in cultural implications, that the latter dimension is more essential than the former; hence immigration should be trimmed down (Loveless, 1996). I have a different assessment. Persistent soaring immigration is likely to generate economic problems for the nation but as well provide key social opportunities, and because of this, immigration will contribute constructively to the nation. Some of the contestants in the debate believe that it is just a waste of time to argue about the implication of immigration to the United States and whether it should be supported or thwarted. Immigration is an enormous reality of human existence, they assume, and nothing can be done to prevent the surge of newcomers even if a cutback were intended. What must be disputed, they claim, is the treatment granted to the immigrants, specifically the human rights and political privileges bestowed upon them. The point of view taken in this essay is dissimilar. Even though the laws of the nation cannot absolutely regulate the population of immigrants into the United States, they still have a remarkable impact. The recent dramatic increase in immigration has occurred in reaction to a major transformation in immigration law in 1965, and that law might be amended once again, in so doing altering the pattern of immigration (Loveless, 1996). In this essay I will defend immigration. Even though I take critical consideration of the several reasons put forth for criticizing immigration, I conclude that these immigrants actually contribute encouragingly to the value of American life and that immigration corresponds to the