Studying Mangroves

Water temperature was measured using a thermometer. The pH was determined using a pH meter, and salinity was measured using the handheld TOGA refractors. Mangrove Damage and Recovery Assessment The methods employed In this study were based from Roth (1992) and Taylor et al. (2013) with some modifications. In the island of Butting, seven 100 mm plots were established. The plots established were based on the vegetation types present. L. Species Composition All mangroves rooted within the plots were recorded and Identified In slut. The Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines – Panky by Primeval et al. 004) and Field Guide to Philippine Mangroves also by Primeval (2009) were used as principal resources in identifying the species. Mangroves were categorized into three: trees, saplings, and seedlings. For Individuals having greater than or equal to 2. 5 CM DAB (girth at breast height, or 1. 3 m above ground level), they were categorized as trees. GHB (CM) of each tree was measured using a measuring tape. For forking or branching stems, measurement was done separately. For the seedlings and saplings, they were only identified and counted.Other observations, such as debris and abstract type, were also noted. II. Recovery Typhoon Impacts on the areas were recorded. Trees wealth the plots were Judged as dead or alive, and assigned to one of three structural impact categories: standing, fallen, or snapped. The approximate height of breakage for snapped trees was also whether well reformatted, poorly reformatted, or dead were recorded. Ill. Regenerative Capacity In assessing the regenerative capacity, the number of seedlings and saplings were monitored every month from February until April 2014. Live and dead plants were noted. Data AnalysesThe forest vegetation was evaluated using the following formula described by Croà »ton teal in 1984. Density was measured species wise and total in each plot as follows: Total density of all species = sum of all species densiti es (2) Basal area was measured species wise and total in each plot as follows: Basal area (mm) of each species = 0. 005 x DAB (7) Importance value of a species = relative density + relative dominance + relative frequency Species diversity was described according to the Shannon index (H) based on importance value of a species (N') and sum of importance value for all the species (N). H = NUN log NUN (10)

Heinz Marketing Plan

Heinz Marketing Plan Heinz brand is trusted worldwide, has earned a reputation for quality, nutrition, innovation and value. Heinz has shown significant in marketing and productivity for 2013 to drive a continued excellent performance. The main strategy behind Heinz product strategy has been to streamline their product offering. In order to offer better quality products, Heinz decided to categorise their items. All there products now fall under three major brands; Sauces, Ketchup, Baby foods and Convenience meals. Predominant focus is on driving continued global growth in Ketchup and sauces, largest core category with sales of $5 billion.Heinz recognises that consumers due to the economic recession have become more disciplined and frugal resulting in the launch of smaller packaging with a more affordable price points-new 10 ounce Heinz Ketchup pouch and other Heinz condiments retailed at $1 in the U. S. Heinz sees packaging innovation as a key aspect to global growth in Ketchup and S auces. It will launch the fully-recyclable PlantBottle packaging in partnership with Coco-cola and is expanding its Dip and Squeeze Ketchup globally, a dual-function foodservice package, which sold more than 1 billion in the U.S last year. .Heinz is determined to take its iconic mature brand to new geographies, for instance the acquisition of Quero, a leading brand of tomato sauces and Ketchup has provided a strong growth platform in the Brazilian market. It recognises if they are to compete in sauces they need to focus on the applicability of its brand, to make sure that the product suits its culture. The dominant condiment in sold in China is soy sauce, acquisition of Foodstar expanded Heinz presence in China’s rapidly growing $4 billion soy sauce market, while providing a growth platform for Ketchup.Beyond Ketchup and Sauces, Heinz continues to extend Infant/Nutrition and Meals and Snacks business. Heinz will target new clientele for these product offerings. It will place more emphasis on the first transaction rather than on the relationship marketing. It will target single mothers, bachelors and college students who are too busy to cook and are in need of some convenience food. Heinz is leveraging an advantaged, well-balanced portfolio led by accelerated growth in emerging markets.It is actively looking for new growth opportunities with Sales in emerging markets are expected to approach 25% in 2013. In order to drive productivity and leverage our scale capabilities; we will open 11 new factories around the world. Heinz expects organic sales growth of at least 4% and growth of 5% to 8% in constant currency earnings per share from continuing operations. We also expect a strong operating cash flow of more than $1 billion, with Ketchup and Sauces to approach 60% of total sales and our sales in Emerging markets doubling from $5 billion.

How Edgar Allan Poe’s Writings Illuminate His Upbringing Essay

My thesis statement is that Edgar Allan Poe’s writings illuminate his upbringing. His writings illuminate his upbringing because his childhood was very hard, full of darkness, and he never experienced love from a parent. Therefore he thought the world was like his life was, dark and dreary. So that is why his stories are always sad, and full of heartbreak. The writings by Edgar Alan Poe are for the most part sad, dark, dreary, and mysterious, they are just like how his life was. After the age of two Poe never had real parents only people who looked after him after his parents died. He didn’t know if his home was only temporary or if it was for good, for all he knew the people he was living with could kick him out of their house and stop supporting him. He lived his life day by day not knowing what the next day would bring or if he would have a house to live in the next day. His future was never certain, he didn’t have anything in life to look forward to, and he didn’t know where his life was leading him. Just like in his book â€Å"The Cask Of Amontillado† where Montressor leads Fortunato down a dark set of circling stairs, and Fortunato doesn’t know that Montressor is leading him to his future which is his death. That is like Poe’s life because Poe doesn’t know where his live is heading just like Fortunato doesn’t know where he is going walking those dark stairs. Everything in Poe’s future is dark and dreary, not clear as to what is going to be next for him. When Poe was younger he went to the English and Classical School which the sons of upper class families attended. Since Poe came from a relatively poor family, he didn’t feel like he fit in very well. He felt like an outcast, even though he was most likely smarter than most of the other kids he wasn’t brought up the same way. That is the same theme as in another book he wrote called â€Å"Great Expectations†, where the main character, Pip, goes through the same problems that Poe did. Pip’s parents died when he was very young and he was relatively poor. He got a job working with a very rich lady who had a daughter Pip’s age. Pip fell in love with her but he felt different because they were on two totally different social levels. Pip was poor and the lady he worked for was very rich. Also the house that Pip worked in was very dreary, and the curtains were always closed and no light was allowed in the  house except for candles. So that gives the impr ession of sadness and that is just how Poe felt like in his life. Edgar Allan Poe never got any breaks in his lifetime, everything he got he worked very hard for. Since he never got any breaks in his life he never took anything for granted, that is why his writings were always so successful. He put a lot of time and effort into his writings, and they were similar to his own life. Also, since he always had to work for everything he wanted once he was able to write a book he worked even harder so he wouldn’t lose what he had earned, and that is why his writings are still talked about today. That concludes my thesis paper, all of those proof paragraphs prove that Edgar Allan Poe’s writings illuminate his upbringing. Now that I have done research on Poe I understand why his writings are the way they are, and I think that he is probably one of the best writers ever because of everything he overcame to become a writer.

African studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

African studies - Essay Example Mammo elucidates the fact that the rate of development in Africa cannot be considered to have been substandard as compared to other parts of the world. African development was significantly affected after its colonization by European countries. It is worth noting that colonization was characterized by slave trade between the seventeenth century and twentieth century. Instead of Africans developing there continent, there were sold as slaves in other parts of the world particularly in America to work in the farms. Therefore, Africa remained underdeveloped as other parts of the world were developing at a very rapid rate (Mammo 24). The partition of Africa into colonies led to disproportionate allocation of resources since some of the colonies had higher quantities of mineral resources than others. Subsequently, this has led to some African countries enriching themselves from these resources leaving others poor (Europa Publications 33). European colonization also led to the discrimination of Africans. According to Europa Publications, racial discrimination against Africans was rampant in the 19th century whereby the colonizers considered Africans as lesser humans (33). Africans were not allowed to mix with Europeans and were therefore forced in selected villages. It is worth noting that the effects of discrimination against Africans is still felt today especially in America. The partitioning of Africa and the fact that Africans were forced to live in segregated villages is one of the contributing factors of ethnic conflicts that are prevalent in African countries. When colonization came to an end in the twentieth century, most of the African countries were left subdivided into ethnic regions. Therefore, there has always been a struggle for power between these ethnic communities in Africa. In the fight for independence in many parts of Africa, individuals united

Human Resource Planning and Recruitment strategies Essay

Human Resource Planning and Recruitment strategies - Essay Example The present global financial meltdown has created real and urgent human resource issues for organizations throughout the world. Everything seems to be shrouded in uncertainty. Employers are unsure of how events will play out in the near future, while employees sit tight, holding fast to the job on hand, not because they don't want better opportunities but because everything is in a stand still. KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. The firm has a total of 137,000 outstanding professionals working together to deliver value in 144 countries worldwide. The realities created by the present global financial crisis are poles apart from what used to obtain when the global economic climate was good. Being a firm that recruits high flyers and top graduates, there was always a high turnover in manpower before the crisis began. People were leaving and coming in at a fast rate. This implied that HR was always on its feet and on the move. Consulting jobs from clients streamed in whether employees went out on marketing or not. The reputation of the company attracted new clients every day. Sometimes the firm had no option other than to reject jobs that are not value adding According to Vetter (1967, p15), Human Resources Planning is "the process by which management determines how the organization should move from its current manpower position to its desired position. Through planning, management strives to have the right number and the right kinds of people, at the right places, at the right time, doing things which result in both the organization and the individual receiving maximum long-run benefits". Writing in the American Psychologist, Jackson and Schuler (1990, pg 227) state that "traditionally human resource planning occurs within the context of the overall organizational plan and its strategic focus. It generally involves predicting, in the light of prevailing circumstances and past performance, the organization's future human resource needs and planning for those needs to be met". It includes establishing objectives and then developing and implementing programs (staffing, appraising, compensating, and training) to ensure that people are available with the appropriate characteristics and skills when and where the organization needs them. The biting economic climate has affected planning in several organizations. Now more than ever, there is uncertainty about the future and how things will

International Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

International Banking - Essay Example Banks, by their communally useful effort of converting temporary assets to standard and long-standing credits (changing maturities) get uncovered to liquidity hazards. Hence, the comprehensive banking catastrophe, which started in 2007 summer, has showed this peril and has pressed us to re-evaluate bank threat organization as a whole and liquidity risk specifically. As a result, this risk has gotten ignored until up to the present in errand of other hazards such as credit perils with market hazards. Actually, Basell I (1989) and Basell II (2005) expelled liquidity hazard control from their claim span. Transmission from financing liquidity hazard to marketplace liquidity risk does not involve a single direction. In fact, these dual risks can get jointly underpinning in a controlled system relating the spot to marketplace. Certainly, stock prices lower than their basic prices get instantly shown on the figure of banks balance sheets because of the spot to market (Evanoff 2007, 50).Thus, they get mandated to immediately streamline their balance sheets and discover themselves obliged to vend more resources cheaply to congregate solvency as well as capital dogmatic requirements. In this instance, banks get themselves entangled in hazardous descending liquidity curves. (Evanoff 2007, 50 bring to mind dual equilibriums. The foremost happens when marketplaces become liquid with good margin environment and painless access to funding for speculators, who as a result help out progress this liquidity via their actions. The next one takes place when bazaars become illiquid. Such raised margin necessities, restricts access to financing liquidity to investors who in the end offer smaller amount souk liquidity. Hence, this common strengthening of financing illiquidity with marketplace illiquidity gets mirrored in liquidity curves, which can be margins curves or loss curves. It refers to the plan

Cultural Makeup of Early Civilizations Assignment

Cultural Makeup of Early Civilizations - Assignment Example Religion and worship provided a means by which early civilizations could give explanations of mysterious issues in their existence (Chisholm & Millard, 1991). These forces played a part because a unit’s culture is highlighted as a demonstration that is present in religion, art, and customs.   Several social issues occurred as a result of the cultural makeup. They include invasions, conquests, and wars. A civilization’s religious and spiritual convictions, forms of occupation, artifacts, literacy, and political activities may cause those social issues. In addition, social concerns also entailed the economic difficulties that were a threat to the early civilizations. Moreover, there was a development of ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism arose because of the emergence of social class. Ethnocentrism may include small units of people between civilizations and societies and within a community. For instance, a number of groups in the history of Iraq, going back to the period of Mesopotamia, have created autonomous social groups (Fernà ¡ndez-Armesto, 2000). Moreover, invasions resulted in the production of more food and development of armies. Weapons were also developed due to the development of tools.   Cultural influences may be closely associated with the forces that played a part to the cultural structure of early civilizations. In the initial stages, the foremost cultural influences entailed the need for shelter for their household, food, warmth, and clothing. Later, security, food, region, and housing became cultural influences. Nonetheless, the foremost cultural inspirations on early civilizations include ritual behavior, religious and spiritual beliefs, and art. These cultural influences are popular to the civilization or group and are moved on from one generation to another (Chisholm & Millard, 1991).

Summarizing how information security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summarizing how information security - Essay Example Information Security System of Citibank With Respect To CIA Triangle CIA Principle The CIA triad namely Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability can be considered as one of the simple and widely applicable security models for an organization which assures to protect all kinds of information from external threats. These three major principles are supposed to be relevant with the entire security analysis of an organization (Imperial College London, 2012). Confidentiality: Confidentiality can be acknowledged as the ability to maintain secrecy of information from unauthorized external users. It is possibly the major apparent aspect of the CIA triangle in terms of security assurance for an organization. However, this principle is frequently attacked by the external users through Cryptography and Encryption techniques in order to transfer files or information from one system to another (Imperial College London, 2012). In the context of Citibank, it has been found that the organization s eeks to implement a well-built security system in order to protect the information related to financial aspects and other banking transactions of its 200 million customers (Citigroup Inc., 2012). Integrity: According to the CIA principle, the aspect of integrity can be stated as the ability to make sure of keeping or storing data or information in an appropriate and unaffected way. It has been learnt that Citibank manages the personal data, records as well as information of each client in an appropriate manner and with the assistance of Citi Records Management Policy as well as Citi Data Management Policy. Furthermore, the organization implements advanced security processing system of each data, record or information that are collected from individual clients in terms of appropriate and secured storage capacity (Citigroup Inc., 2012). Availability: This principle of the CIA triad relates to the accessibility of transaction records or information by an appropriate and authorized user at the right time. However, various security issues with respect to accessing transactional record and information of a client by other external or unauthorized persons have been recorded. The organization is known to adopt an advanced form of process to identify the appropriate and authorized persons (Citigroup Inc., 2012). Security Policies in Citibank Citibank ensures an effective and efficient form of security policy regarding maintaining and protecting data, information or record of its individual client. In the context of information security, it can be stated that the organization strictly maintains laws and regulations in order to increase the level of protecting information from external threats. Citibank significantly pursues a formal set of rules and regulations pertaining to The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) which is also known as ‘Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999.’ According to this Act, the financial service providers need to possess appropria te information security systems in order to maintain and protect the personal form of information of each client. Moreover, the regulatory Act also focuses on maintaining an effective and appropriate CIA principle with respect to the various transactions made by any financial institution

Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Questions - Assignment Example This can be through a market consultant hired on behalf of the company. The collection should be targeted in a manner that enables the understanding of the global market information that can help reduce market uncertainties. The market analysis surveys should also be conducted through segments and in a systematic manner. However, the collection of data in the market surveys may be two front; primary and secondary data. In the case of primary market research, the data collection from the foreign markets can be through initiated phone interviews, market surveys or through a direct contact with the market representatives and targeted consumers. However, primary research is expensive and time consuming. For secondary research, the data may be collected from sources such as international market reports, global economic and trade statistics, and from trade agencies operating in the targeted market/country (Rogers, 2001.p.230-237). In this, the overall human population in the country will aid in the estimation of the market size in terms of buyers potentiality. The same also helps in outlining the number and levels of competition present for the market (Iacobucci & Churchill, 2010.p.162-173). This entails looking at the economic climate of the country, and whether it is thriving and suitable for business. A recess or growth in the economy is determined through the identification of the GDP over the duration of time. This is in relation to taxes and import regulations in place such as tariffs and the influence of local and foreign suppliers, the promotional activities and the representation of sales in the country. This relates to the political system governing the country and the effect of the same on the ability to import. Issues like the legal system in use and the tariffs and non-tariff barriers need to be researched, as well, and the adoption of the International

African American Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

African American Philosophy - Essay Example Various theories have offered explanations of social phenomena, such as Durkheim, Weber, Conflict Theory and Feminist Theories to enlist just a few. According to Durkheim, â€Å"the totality of beliefs and sentiments common to average citizens of the same society forms a determinate system which has its own life, one may call it the collective or common conscience.....† (Durkheim 1997:79-80). The collective conscience is significant because it determines the relationship between society and the individual and forms the basis upon which the values of that particular society are set out and also the basis upon which the individual can be coerced into a particular lifestyle. Max Weber’s theory on the other hand, is based upon the distribution of tangible and intangible , both symbolic and material, in society and such a distribution is inevitably unequal. This causes the emergence of classes and parties within society based upon the distribution of labour. (Weber, 2000 :92 7). Another theory relevant in the African American context is the conflict theory, according to which different individuals and groups in society have different amounts of material and non material resources, especially monetary resources. As a result, the groups with greater material and other resources are likely to exploit those who are poor or have less power and this could be the source of conflict. 2. As Philogene (1999) points out, the transition that has been made from â€Å"black† to â€Å"African American† in referring to this particular racial group in American society in itself demonstrates a transition of Americans who are of African descent from race to culture. She states that the use of the term â€Å"African American† has become synonymous with the manner in which the social status of Americans of Africa descent has improved, because they are no

The idea of democracy Essay Example for Free

The idea of democracy Essay The example Provident provides is exemplary of what the founding fathers of America had in mind with the idea of democracy. Since all men are created equally, it seems only right that we would contribute to the betterment of all, including those of different races. The Provident example is key is illustrating that â€Å"a solid investment strategy† in the form of philanthropic giving helps to fuel the economy on many different levels. Since Provident, â€Å"A greater percentage of our population has achieved a higher standard of living than any other country with our levels of diversity. † In the spirit of democracy, self funding provides more opportunities, which provides a positive element to capitalism. Those who have already benefitted from capitalism have the opportunity to fuel new opportunities for more people, providing a unique balance between democracy and capitalism. This is why the United States has been so successful; more successful than any other nation actually. This balance is necessary in order for either of the two systems to work correctly and fairly. Without philanthropic giving, a very unique feature of the United States, this balance would be impossible. Generosity blurs some of the social restraints placed on people in different economic brackets and allows more people more opportunities for success.

Regional Geography Essay Example for Free

Regional Geography Essay The reaction has been disjointed and slow, and results seen are even harder to find. Hillstrom and Hillstrom agree that â€Å" Pollution is a particularly insidious form of habitat degradation, fundamentally impacting fragile ecosystems in myriad ways, some of which are invisible to the naked eye† (17), mentioning specifically acid rain, and farm pesticide use as a couple of the not so quickly identifiable sources of habitat degradation. The authors of World Regional Geography point out that Environmental degradation in one place is often the result of demands for resources or goods in other places, and air and water pollution can flow across borders(18). The authors also note that Small farms are now being replaced by corporate farms and high tech operations such as shrimp farms, most of which, ironically cause environmental degradation and yet receive government assistance(19). Degradation also results when the vast expanses of concrete, in highly developed areas of urban sprawl, during heavy rains, sends tumultuous, unrestricted flow of groundwater to run amok. The water washes soil and impurities along with the run off, salts from road maintenance, as well as chemicals used by various processing plants. It is a vicious cycle, As economic prosperity expands, peoples consumption of goods and resources increases, and environmental degradation is usually the result, even when aware, to make the dollar, degradation processes are too often ignored as long as possible (20). Degradation can involve loss of plant life, and biodiversity, as well as pollution of soil and water sources. We need to become more active in defense of animal habitats, because realistically we too are animals, and the biodiversity that is important to wildlife, is equally important to humans. (17) Hillstrom Kevin, Hillstrom Laurie Collier. North America: A Continental Overview of Environmental Issues. Edition: illustrated, Published by ABC-CLIO, 2003. P. 43. (18) Hapke Holly M, Goodwin Conrad Mac, Pulsipher Lydia Mihelic, Pulsipher Alex. World Regional Geography: Global Patterns, Local Lives. Edition: 3, illustrated, Published by Macmillan, 2005. p. 13. (19) Ibid. p. 169. (20). Ibid. P. 455. 7 Johnson and Klemens warn us that Sprawl is leading to the loss of rare and common species and possible species extinction. It is also leading directly to the loss of our natural environment, of ecosystem functioning(21). The ecosystem is a delicate balance, and we can not continue to disregard the warnings. If the ecosystem were to stop functioning the world could become a science fiction movie stage. Imagine a world without birds and bees, our major natural pollinators, and the resulting plant species extinctions that would follow. Plant extinctions would be soon followed by animal extinctions, right on down the food chain. This stark truth could very well come true in the not so distant future, if humans do not make changes to accommodate the animals we share the earth with. One of the biggest changes that could occur, that would help slow the detrimental progress of urban sprawl, would be to adopt more compact development planning. Instead of subdivisions spread across hundreds of acres, connected by a network of roads to the strip malls a few miles in one direction, and the factories a few miles in the opposite direction, plan more considerately, keep the sprawl to a minimum. Also when in the planning process, demand developers leave larger buffer zones, as well as intact habitat corridors to allow wildlife unrestricted movement between the islands of adequate habitat. Stricter oversight, and regulation of corporations discharging waste into the environment is a must, for wildlife and their habitat, and for humans as well. It is a shame that in this age of technology, the scientific community seems to have thought of everything geared towards production and convenience, and yet neglected to foresee the destruction of our environment that has resulted. Works Cited: Emel Jody, Wolch Jennifer. Animal Geographies: Place, Politics, and Identity in the Nature-culture Borderlands, Edition: illustrated, Published by Verso, 1998. Hapke Holly M, Goodwin Conrad Mac, Pulsipher Lydia Mihelic, Pulsipher Alex. World Regional Geography: Global Patterns, Local Lives. Edition: 3, illustrated, Published by Macmillan, 2005. Hillstrom Kevin, Hillstrom Laurie Collier. North America: A Continental Overview of Environmental Issues. Edition: illustrated, Published by ABC-CLIO, 2003.

The Death of Alan Turing

The Death of Alan Turing Alan was left with no choice but to subject himself to doses of the female hormone Estrogen in order to check his libido by rendering him impotent. This form of treatment involving chemical castration led to a gynaecomastia or a growth of breasts! He was on probation for a period of one year, with a result that his movements were tracked. Alan was automatically barred from entering the U.S. as he joined the ranks of those who had criminal records. In 1952 the British Government introduced the concept of Positive Vetting or the practice of investigating the character or ability of a person engaged in sensitive work involving state secrets. This had a direct implication in terms of withdrawal of Alans clearance for cryptographic assignments. The government believed in the theory that defined homosexuality as a perversity often characterized by an unstable emotional balance and a mind which can swerve towards indiscriminate perilous acts in moments of tribulation. This meant that homosexuals were easy targets for blackmailers interested in extracting ultra-secretive documents of the state. Alan went to Norway in mid-1952 lured by the prospect of men only dances and was enamoured by Kjell, an attractive Norwegian lad. This highlighted the fact that his spirit remained unbroken and he withstood the trial displaying the same resilience with which he nonchalantly faced the scornful attitude of his peers and tutors at Sherbone. Alan went to Greece for a short holiday in 1953 which raised suspicion and frayed the nerves of security officers. Kjell , his acquaintance from Norway came to visit him but it led to a crisis as they were not permitted to meet each other. It cannot rain forever. Alan continued with an in- depth research in the complex theory of morphogenesis. He now preferred working from home, where he set up a small laboratory with pans of chemical solutions growing weeds, formulating amino acids, studying different forms of marine life beginning with the mono-cellularRadiolariaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The visitor was greeted with an overflowing stack of letters on the latest developments in the fields of logic which physically and metaphorically filled his world! Alan extended his study of mind and matter taking interest in the psychology of the mind. He visited a psycho-analyst Franz Greenbaum who was open to the idea of accepting his sexual instincts as a part of his personality. Alan sought to delve deeper into his own sub-conscious mind and went in for a dream analysis. Dreams they say are a window to the soul. Alan was surprised to note that though his current relationship with his mother was cordial, his childhood mysteriously reflected undercurrents of hostility probably due to a judgmental attitude on Alans failure to meet up with social courtesies. Alan made peace with his past that was marked by being raised with an absentee father who provided for the family but perhaps alienated the kids from himself due to a rigid mental framework.Though Alan falsely accused his brother for a lack of sympathy during his trial, he harbored no ill-feelings in his heart. He genuinely perceived his mother as an ally and a spirit of friendliness perva ded their relationship. Alans probation period ended in April 1953 and he rid himself of the hormonal implant in his thigh which he felt would be effective even after the treatment was completed. Alan enjoyed reading the novel Finistere which described the complexity of a homosexual relationship of a teenage student with his teacher. Homosexuality was a social taboo, a stigma which threatened the morality of society at large. The protagonist in the novel tragically committed suicide as he was pushed to brink by those who questioned the sanctity of his value-system. An escape into the Heaven of Freedom. On the evening of Tuesday 8th June Alan Turing was discovered dead with froth in his mouth, lying beside a half-eaten apple by his visibly devastated housekeeper. He had supposed to have expired an evening before. The coroner concluded that it was a deliberate act of self-annihilation in an impulsive moment as one can expect from people of his type who were believed to possess an unpredictably volatile mindset.The apple had probably been dipped in the deadly potassium cyanide that he often used for his experiments. This venomous potion was enough to guarantee a swift transition from the real to the abstract world.Alan Turing finally reconciled the equation between life and death by using free-will to put a deterministic end to his melancholy often solitary existence.Mrs.Turing true to her religious stance, vehemently denied the possibility that her son could end his life which was a gift from God in this cowardly manner. Alan perhaps displayed his sensitivity to his mothers emotions and did her a service by dramatizing his death to add an element of intrigue and ambiguity. The apple was not analyzed and so there was scope to give Alan the benefit of doubtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ His mothers contention was that his unkempt nails and a blatant disregard for cautious hygiene would have led to traces of the cyanide being embedded in them, and this was ingested when he ate an apple which was his daily routine before he retired for the day. The fact that he had theatre tickets purchased for the near future and had even booked the computer lab for the night of 8th June added to the mysterious circumstances of his death that baffled his friends and psychoanalyst alike. Alan Turings cheery disposition masked any thoughts of death that lurked behind his mind. The only factor that takes our chain of thoughts to that end is the fact that he made a new will on the 11th of February 1954 barely three months before his death. The trial was behind him and he faced it with stoic resilience having the courage to speak up and accept the bitter truth rather than resorting to the crutches of hypocrisy. Perhaps the burden of carrying secrets of the state and the sensitive nature of his work infringed upon his personal freedom and this dichotomy seemed too heavy to bear. The social stigma along with the fact that he could be arrested any time for events that made up his past and be turned into a scapegoat on account of social prejudice and condescension were enough to push him to the brink where death was a final escape from the tormenting reality of his life.Alan Turing was cremated on 12th June 1954, in the presence of his mother and brother. Turingsma or the charisma of Turing In June 2009, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown , made a statement of apology for the tormenting trial to which Turing was subjected, when all his life this extra-ordinary human continued to seek the ordinary pleasures of life. An extraordinarily gifted genius who was denied the adulation and honor he so truly deserved got registered in public memory as a law-breaking criminal! The legacy of Alan Turing pervades our lives when we try to unravel the enigma surrounding the proliferation of life in the biological and the intellectual dimensions of revolutionary inventions. Alan Turing deserves credit for the existence of the innumerable interactive gadgets that lend an illusory effect to our lives, whether its through the online revolution where long distance communication is possible via Skype , or online shopping in a virtual market, online tutoring and even medical consultations that have collectively blurred the line between the abstract and the real. The enigmatic saga of Alan Turing leaves us with a sense of disillusionment and deep regret of this act of betrayal on the part of the Government machinery which rallied around his intelligence at the peak of war and shoved him into the depressive dreariness of criminality for no fault of his. The anomaly really lay not in the realms of the homosexual mind but in the conditional prejudices of society at large. The paradoxical act of self-annihilation from the genius who mastered the art of creation reflects the heavy price a law-abiding citizen paid in a hypocritical, distorted world. The loss is magn ified manifold if we ponder upon the collective loss to humanity on account of the premature end to a genius researcher of his stature. Alan Turing the legendary genius, inspires us to steadfastly persevere till the prize is won and lives on as the epitome of truthfulness and ingenuity in the minds of the future generation. The seeds which sprouted as tiny saplings in the fertile mind of Alan, have today blossomed into a grove and Alans vision of Thinking Machines which simulate the working of the human brain is a now a mundane reality.Computerization and bio-technological research in the area of genetics with special reference to artificial intelligence is indeed the most revolutionary legacy of the twenty-first century. The all encompassing nature of the application of computer-generated programmes and techniques, bring to the fore the eternal validity of Alans pursuits. The domain of Alans research is dynamic and even hundred years after his birth undoubtedly challenges and beckons intellectuals to unravel the boundlessly intriguing capabilities of the modern computer.

The Grande Odalisqe :: Art Analysis

The Grande Odalisqe The Grande Odalisque painted in 1884, drew many criticisms. There were complaints about the lifelessness of the subject, the fact that she has three vertebrae too many. It illustrates the rather strange mixture of Ingres’s artistic allegiances. His subject, the reclining nude figure, is traditional, going back to Giorgione and Titian; but by converting her into an odalisque, an inhabitant of a Turkish harem, he makes a strong concession to the contemporary Romantic taste for the exotic. Ingres treats the figure in his own â€Å"sculpturesque† style: polished surfaces and simple rounded volumes controlled by rhythmically flowing contours. The smoothness of the planes of the body is complemented by the broken, busy shapes of the drapery. His admiration for Raphael is shown in the borrowing of that master’s type of female head and headdress, and an inclination of the head, as it can bee seen in Raphael’s Madonna of the Chair. But Ingres is drawing not only from the High Renaissance, for his figures languid pose and her proportions (small head, elongated limbs) betray his debt to such Mannerists as Parmigianino, as does the generally cool colour scheme. Often Criticized for not being a colourist, Ingres in fact, had a superb colour sense. It is true that he did not seem to think of his paintings primarily in terms of colour, as did Delacroix, but he did far more than simply tint his drawings for emphasis. In this painting Ingres creates colour and tonal relationships so tasteful and subtle as to render them unforgettable. Never insisting on likeness for its own sake, Ingres rarly fails to produce a striking characterization and, analogously to the smooth, formal treatment he gives his nudes, never fails to impart to both characterization and setting an air of suave elegance.

The Power of Horace McCoy’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Essay

The Power of Horace McCoy’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Professor’s Comment: The premise of this essay is to highlight the capacity of Noir literature to defy Modernist values and pioneer later avant-garde literary movements. This student produced a focused, organized, well supported essay. Nearly half a century has passed since most films and texts in the Noir tradition were created, yet one may wonder how much is really known about these popular American products. Scholars remain fascinated by many aspects of Film Noir, yet it appears that its fictional precursors (such as the texts of Cain, McCoy and Hammett) may have been too quickly ignored within the canon. Many have enthusiastically studied, for example, Film Noir’s ground-breaking effects on lighting and acting techniques, as well as its value as a gauge of socio-political climate; couldn’t Noir texts, too, have initiated equally significant results? Whilst critics continue to dispute the categorization of filmic Noir, the very texts that spawned this filmic (r)evolution have been largely dismissed as predictable ‘junk’ for the plebian masses, unspectacular in their normalcy as standard Modernist works. So I wonder: what is it that makes these texts so plain and ordinary, and so Modernist that they require no further attention? Furthermore, in aligning these texts with one particular school (‘Modernism’), are we not limiting their potential to convey a marked unique or progressive ideology? These questions propelled my investigation into Horace McCoy’s novel, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?. In the examination of this particular source, then, the premise of this paper is to highlight the capacity of Noir literature to defy Modernist values and pioneer late... ...ascinating questions: could Noir literature have pre-dated the onslaught of post-World War Two Post-Modernist fiction? My guess is McCoy, and other Noir writers, were inner Post-Modernists aching to break from Modernist convention, while still turning a profit on their ‘pulp’ fiction. WORKS CITED McCoy, Horace. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?. London: Midnight Classics, 1995. Mary, Klages. Postmodernism. 21 Apr. 2003. University of Colorado. 24 Apr. 2004 . "entropy †¢n." The Concise Oxford Dictionary. Ed. Judy Pearsall. Oxford University Press, 2001. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. McGill University (Nylink). 25 Apr 2004. Pynchon, Thomas. â€Å"Entropy†. The Crying of Lot 49. Perennial, 1999.

Misconception On Hispanics :: stereotyping

Miss conceptions In today’s society we stereotype the Hispanic race as being lazy and having lot’s of children. People perceive the Hispanic race this way but reality we are all the same. We work hard to get were we are today in society. Many people have bad images of the Hispanic race because they see one Hispanic person who dress a certain way or even acts a certain way and they assume we are all bad people. For example if you see a Hispanic man that is baldheaded and has on baggie clothes people assume that he is a gangster by the way he looks. But what they wouldn’t know is who he really is he could be a straight â€Å"a’† student but only assume he is bad by his appearance. As in Brent Staples essay Black Men and Public Spaces when the man is passing through the park and the women assumes he’s going to hurt her because of the way he looks and how he is acting the woman starts to run away. That is peoples bad miss conception of others beside themselves. Garcia 2 Some Hispanic people try to go their whole life denying who they really are. Like in Passing when Joan Steinau Lester tells us that all of us developed different ways of coping with stereotypes of our groups and of ourselves (260). Most Hispanic people chose to pass because they grew up around hardship and racial slurs from other that thought themselves to be better. Others chose to pass because they seen it done to other Hispanics and did not want to encounter the same reaction. So rather than face who they are and were they come from these people chose to pass and avoid all the negative reactions. Instead of trying to pass Hispanic people should overcome and try to better themselves by getting a good education and get those good jobs. So they wouldn’t have to pass they could be proud of who they are and were their family comes from. So they don’t have to feel like an airborne plant, flourishing without roots (Holman 258). Hispanic people have avoided these harmful situations by passing our by staying far from those who belittle them and not getting into confrontations. Hispanics have not put themselves in an environment where they could be harmed. They surround themselves in all Hispanic communities were they feel comfortable and they don’t have to feel like an outsider in their own community.

Resistance and the Shifting Power in Participatory Spaces

Research Methods Data aggregation was undertaken between June and July 2014. The survey relied on open-ended interviews with 12 Nguti community members who were actively involved in the protest mobilisation and action and legion unplanned and unstructured conversations Nguti villagers. We aimed to capture the procedures taking to forest struggle among the private sector ( Wijma ) , the military, and local administrative governments and Nguti villagers. The interviews conducted included both young persons ( eight males and two females ) and seniors ( two males and females ) of Nguti – two types of histrions that would go of import in the flowering of the events related to the Agreement in Nguti. Our efforts at gender balance in the interview procedure were overcome by the limited handiness of respondents given the sensitive nature of the capable affair. Merely respondents who could be that we could keep their namelessness agreed to take. The interviews focused on events environing struggle rela ted to the Agreement. We were besides concerned to derive penetrations into village’s economic activities and support schemes. Of peculiar involvement was to seek and understand what benefits if any, the villagers had received, which could be connected straight or indirectly to Wijma’s operations. For case, since Wijma had agreed to provide the small town with waste wood from its processing activities, as portion of the Agreement we sought to understand the grade of small town dependance on this wood and how failure to provide could interrupt their support schemes. Despite our relentless enterprises, both Wijma and local administrative histrions would non hold to be interviewed. Although their absence might impact a more rounded history of the fortunes taking to forest resource struggle, our chief aim in this paper was to depict the struggle procedure as it unfolded, including the function of the chief histrions with a peculiar focal point on the protest schemes adopte d by some of the Nguti villagers. That notwithstanding, we relied on publications from an environmental audit, including Wijma’s ain publications to derive an apprehension of the company’s place on environmental and societal duty. Through examination of the 1994 Cameroon Forest Law, we gained a deeper apprehension of State-community-private sector partnership agreements and the duties and privileges of each party as prescribed in the ordinance. Penetrations into the struggle procedure were besides gained from correspondence [ Fred Saun1 ] between Wijma and Nguti Youths every bit good as between the Youths and local administrative histrions. Discussions Resistance and the Switching Power in Participatory Spaces Gaventa ‘s ( 2006 ) typology of participatory infinites captures the switching power dealingss at drama in Nguti where it was of import to understand how and why displacements in power occurred and the conditions that gave rise to the different types of participatory infinite where this power was enacted. Additionally, what were the agencies in which Nguti villagers sought to fight for increased answerability and transparence and finally claim the power and legitimacy to give consequence to the Agreement? In short, Gaventa ‘s ( 2006 ) typology puts accent on understanding how displacements in power through participatory procedures among histrions can be understood and applied dynamically. Initially, Nguti villagers had small chance to efficaciously take part in determinations that affected them related to the wood processing undertaking, so in Gaventa ‘s words it was a, ‘closed infinite ‘ even though the Agreement in rule sought to present small town ben efit. Decisions were made by others beyond the small town with small or no engagement or even audience with villagers. Subsequently, after the decease of the original benevolent agent, self-appointed ‘shadow histrions ‘ opportunistically stepped in with clear rent-seeking purposes. There was infinite for this within the new institutionalised wood administration constructions in Cameroon. Because the Agreement was informal and negotiated behind closed doors, there was no mechanism for the villagers to name WIJMA or the other histrions involved to account to present on committednesss contained in this. This state of affairs is non alone to Cameroon. Elsewhere reexamining instances from India, the US, Russia and the Philippines, Robbins ( 2000: 424 ) argues that such ‘extralegal’ exchanges that allow unbridled entree to natural resources are more of a regulation than an exclusion, and represent an institutionalised system of nature/society interactions. To chan ge by reversal the state of affairs, NGUYOCUDA and finally the small town Elders and others mobilized and staged a inactive public protest by ordaining a traditional injunction to convey those who brokered the Agreement to account and in making so efficaciously ‘claimed infinite ‘ to prosecute their involvements through their actions. There were sedate hazards involved for the villagers in taking this public look of dissent, as evidenced by the initial military response to the small town mobilisation ( and other similar incidents in Cameroon ( see Amin 2012 for elaborate military response to youth mobilisation and protest, particularly the ill-famed February 2008 events ) . But by taking this public action, which was linked to legitimate traditional establishments, new boundaries were created which allowed villagers ‘ voices to number ( Scott 1990 ) . This ‘claimed infinite ‘ later gave manner to ‘invited infinite ‘ as Wijma realized, given the break caused by the small town injunction and the inability of the State to manage this type of rebelliousness, that they now must carry through their duties to the villagers and include them in decision-making if they are to go on to their lumber procedure operations unhindered. This alteration suggests that villager engagement had become meaningful or influential in that it led to positive alteration. Of class this ‘resolution ‘ to the administration job of the lumber processing undertaking faced by Nguti villagers is comparatively minor in footings of opening up the many closed infinites of natural resource administration that citizens are consistently excluded from in Cameroon – a point which is discussed farther below. While this public look of rebelliousness appears to hold been effectual in the Nguti instance, the ‘special conditions’ which need to be before a traditional injunction can be invoked are likely to restrict an upscaling of simi lar public protests. [ 1 ] Lack of Accountability in the Forest Law and on the Land When Cameroon’s 1994 Forest Law was created it was recognized at the clip as a landmark statute law in Sub-Saharan Africa due to its elaborate amplification of stairss to purely safeguard and esteem the societal, environmental and economic ends of the country’s forestry ( Cerutti et al. 2008 ; Assembe-Mvondo 2013 ) . One major job with the Forest Law, nevertheless, is that it was guided more by market aims intended to hike the macroeconomic potencies of the forest sector, with small attending to chiseled mechanisms that would steer and modulate the execution of private-public-community partnerships on the land. Another major job with the Forest Code arises from the deficiency of mechanisms to safeguard the involvements of communities hosting logging activities and to protect them in struggle state of affairss against the more powerful profit-driven companies. The World Bank-instituted SAP resulted in the chase by the authorities of Cameroon of high foreign grosss by pro moting increased forest development to counterbalance for diminishing universe market values for its other major exports like oil, java and chocolate ( Thomaset Al.1996 ) . The deficiency of pertinent sustainability foresight in the jurisprudence and the inability and/or involuntariness of the Government to implement its ain Torahs have led to small or no answerability in the sector on the land, with major effects for hapless rural communities. Consequences from the Nguti site show that communities populating next to commercial logging activities are frequently politically and economically weak and vulnerable to the corrupt societal and environmental patterns of powerful logging companies and rent searchers. This job is non alone to Nguti community entirely. Schwartz et Al. ( 2012 ) and Thomas et Al ( 1996 ) suggest that large-scale investings in natural resources in Cameroon by and large fail to esteem community rights in footings of audience, compensation, contractual footings and environmental protection. Furthermore, the involuntariness demonstrated by Nguti local administrative governments to step in in possible struggle state of affairss and keep logging companies to account in their legal power is farther testimony of the exposure of rural communities and the pronounced absence of answerability precautions in the private-public-community partnership agreement. Thomas et Al. ( 1996 ) besides describe similar tensenesss between logging companies and communities elsewhere in Cameroon as a consequence of the unfulfilling by these companies of their ( informal ) understandings with the villagers. In add-on, the repeated refusal by Wijma to hold to the villagers’ petition for a duologue – which is much contrary to their stated struggle bar and direction aims – and the prompt military response by local administrative governments to interrupt echt small town mobilisation for a common cause, constitute clear illustrations of deficiency of an swerability on the portion of both Wijma and local administrative governments to rural communities. The deployment of the armed forces against the peaceable small town presentation clearly resonates with the US September 11 image painted by Greenhouse ( 2005 ) in her statement that the hegemonic moves of the executive and other subdivisions of authorities in struggle state of affairss consists in repackaging subalterns in a manner that contributes to the undertakings of regulation and political capital by scapegoating them through such hegemonic mechanisms as Draconian anti-crime Torahs, which in Cameroon take the signifier of anti-protest military action. The military intercession in Nguti is besides an indicant that local authorities offices are less accountable to their citizens but more to pervert and uncompromising concern directors in order to safeguard a continued flow of gross from the private sector into authorities caissons. This state of affairs is non surprising, as it r eflects the econocentric aims that underpin and guide the 1994 Forest Law and its application as a major constituent of the World Bank-led Structural Adjustment Program of the state. The corrupt patterns of Wijma functionaries, local authorities histrions and the self-appointed agents suggest that de jure Torahs and de facto regulations barely of all time exist in sole isolation. Making a similar statement Robbins ( 2000: 427 ) Drew from institutional theory to situate that officially ( de jure ) constituted regulations frequently merge with informal ( de facto ) norms to make existent ‘operational’ regulations in resource scenes. Robbins theorizes as follows: ‘the de facto regulations that govern corrupt exchanges are forged out of the natural stuffs and societal resources supplied by de jure regulations, adapted and curved around the contours of local power’ ( pp 427 ) . Using this to the Nguti instance, we observe that the prevalence of local norms in Ng uti such as the corrupt patterns of Wijma and authorities histrions, and peculiarly the rent-seeking actions of the shadow histrions suggests less the forsaking of national ordinance in favour of de facto local systems, and more the adjustment of these local norms into loopholes that exist in the formal system. As the system of backing is profoundly rooted in local systems of power in Cameroon, instances of shadow histrions presuming the function of agents is non uncommon. Sometimes disputing this well-entrenched localised norm can turn out really hard, as evidenced by the initial refusal by Wijma – with the support of local administrative histrions – to give in to the invocations of NGUYOCUDA associating to the remotion the function of those shadow histrions in farther Wijma-NGUYOCUDA dialogues. Lack of Public Information on Land Tenure The happening of land differences in Cameroon are really high. A major ground for this relates to a general deficiency of public information on the being and localisation of land licenses and how to travel about land enrollment procedure, with serious deductions for the poorest in communities. All land that does non fall into the classs of Public Property of the State, Private Property of the State or is non capable to a private land rubric, is classified as National Land under the 1974 Ordinance set uping regulations regulating land term of office in Cameroon ( Schwartz et al. 201 ) . This means in simple footings that parts of community land that are non capable to private land rubrics are by inference National Land, even if they are occupied and/or used by locals. As a affair of general rule, the granting of land grants follows a procedure whereby a committee made of local bureaus and community representatives identify lands for the intent of avoiding overlapping rights ( Schwartz et al. 2012 ) . This is barely the instance in Nguti. The community as a whole is considered to hold usufruct rights to unoccupied community land. The community may make up one's mind to offer this land to specific persons as compensation for services rendered as is the instance with the land on which WIJMA operates. The bone of contention here lies in the fact that the land had been offered by the community to the influential Nzo Ekanghaki in gratitude for his development enterprises in the small town. Whether Ekanghaki should be able transportation such rights to a 3rd party like Wijma is what did non sit good with some sources. They felt that even though the land was granted to Ekanghaki, it was still community land in footings of customary rights while it was non being straight used or occupied by Ekanghaki, and as such WIMJA is accountable to the community ( as the customary rights holder ) . Others refrained from such ownership polemics and instead argued that WIJMA is morall y apt to the small town because of its claims as maintainers of corporate societal duty criterions or merely because of the duties agreed to. Many people do non register their land with the Ministry of Land Tenure’s cadastre. This state of affairs generates the conditions for land differences. The sources we spoke to were non certain whether the land on which Wijma operates had been punctually registered as private belongings. The feeling was that even if the land had been registered as such, it was community land and as such should non be registered without due presentment of, and permission by, the appropriate Nguti governments. A necessary measure to avoid struggles like this would be, foremost, to make public consciousness of the necessity of duly registering private land and obtaining land rubric for it. Second, by doing the procedure of granting of land grants by the small town transparent and consistent with both customary and land Torahs – as these two beginnin gs of land allotment can overlap and bring forth confusion and defeat, or even worse, diminish people’s rights. Decision Events in Nguti have revealed important land term of office overlaps between customary land rights and land Torahs, as a consequence of deficiency of sufficient public consciousness about the pertinence of both types of Torahs. This led to contradictory claims over rights and duties. Events in the instance survey have besides shed visible radiation on built-in defects in Cameroon’s wood policy reform to redistribute rights and benefits to communities through deliberative procedures in pattern. We showed how power operates in closed administration infinites to work against just, democratic and effectual policymaking. We besides revealed how disfranchised communities can efficaciously open up these closed infinites and obtain effectual engagement in procedures denied them. Penetrations from the instance suggest that answerability mechanisms both within the 1994 Forest Law and existent execution procedures have non been tailored to efficaciously reflect the present neoliberal sig nifier of resource administration. This World Bank-institutionalized signifier of administration of natural resources brought with it other major histrions in forest direction, such as powerful private logging companies. The forest company involved in this instance survey failed to listen to community concerns about the agreements that had been brokered to let them to run in Nguti. Not merely did local authorities fail to keep WIJMA to account, it injudiciously sided with the company and authorized a military intercession to quash peaceable community mobilisation against WIJMA. The purpose of those Nguti villagers mobilized was non merely to do their voices heard and thereby do the lumber processing company accountable to them. Their attempts were besides aimed at taking the function of the rent-seeking shadow histrions from the administration agreements. These shadow histrions who, encouraged by weak administration constructions and uneffective answerability mechanisms in the wood sector, had seized negociating power from the community and acted without legitimacy as small town agents. We besides emphasized that the corrupt patterns at Nguti do non connote the absence of ordinance, but instead the presence of an option, nonlegal norm that transforms the weak enforcement of ordinances into corrupt signifiers found in profoundly frozen local systems of power. Nguti is portion of a state where the authorities does non merely promote increased forest development in order to roll up foreign gross, but it is besides dying to command protests and agitations that might impede its making this end. In add-on to extinguishing these timeserving histrions, the registration by NGUYOCUDA of other institutional groupings into their protest constituted a major manner to place themselves as a major force to think with in Nguti. The pick of a traditional injunction as the chief class of action when every other scheme was turn outing unfruitful or unsafe enabled them to efficaci ously ‘claim space’ in what was ab initio a ‘closed space’ . Recognizing that their concern operations were efficaciously halted by the power of the traditional injunction entirely, WIJMA instead reluctantly settled for inclusion of the villagers in determinations impacting them and promised to go on to make so in the hereafter. At this point, the officially ‘closed space’ for participatory decision-making on affairs impacting Nguti community had been wholly transformed into an ‘invited space’ , where they had chance to claim rights antecedently denied them.

Representation of Sex and Gender in the Film Goldfinger Essay

â€Å"My Name is Bond, James Bond. † A film franchise that has spanned for a better part of this century has been engrained to generations, young, old, men and women. Bond’s suave outlook, dominating presence, and alluring sex appeal has engrained among generations how a man should conduct himself – a man’s man, and has also engrained the stereotype of how women are in this world. What are their roles, their functions and how should they be treated. In the years of the Bond movies, Bond has either pushed or represented the present times’ view on gender issues and relationships. When taken a closer look, it can be surmised that one can see the chronological progression of sex and gender issues and relationships when watching the entire 007 film franchise – how it has been in the past and how it has progressed. This paper aims to examine the existing on screen relationships within gender relations as depicted in James Bond movies. In particular, focus is given towards the women of James Bond in the various films of James Bond, especially those that are represented in the movie Goldfinger. On the other hand, focus will also be given on the variety of women shown in other James Bond movies and how they depict women and how they are able to represent the current culture towards interactions between women and men, and the roles they play in society. In addition, the paper also dips into how women represent the typical ‘Bond Girls’ and what role do they take in the plot of Bond movies. The study develops its arguments via a comprehensive discussion on the subject matter, utilizing cited references and integrating them with each other in order to churn out an effective analysis of the points of the study. Studies acquired for this research will be primarily acquired from UK sources but is not limited to and can acquire US/other sources as need be. There is no particular limit to the age of the publication, just as long as it is written based on the James Bond, the interpretation of women in these films, gender theory, and other studies that may be deemed necessary for the study. As a last point, a conclusion will be presented summarizing the key points of the paper. The methodology of acquiring the desired results will utilize qualitative analysis. The qualitative analysis presents an advantage as it adheres to the concept of individuality in terms that each person or group is expected to have varying interpretations of the situation that person or the group is immersed in. This provides for a more in-depth analysis for the study as the qualitative portion of the study focuses more on the inner psyche of the individual/group and acknowledges the point that individuals and groups have different opinions on the issue/topic. It is the responsibility then of the researcher to merge these existing thoughts into a cohesive interpretation that is representative of the entire subject base. James Bond and his counterparts My name is Bond, James Bond On hindsight, the variety of 007 films that was released over the years represent how majority of society (i. e. American and British society) sees masculinity and femininity and how it has progressed throughout the decades. Bond’s representation in Goldfinger presents the deepest and most innate desires of how men see themselves and how women want their men to see, act and feel. In addition to this, the personas portrayed by women acting in Goldfinger had presented the different variations of women in their time. Their On screen relationships with the secret agent project deep-seated cultural conventions that involves mainly romance and sexual interaction between men and women that add how bond films are able to provide a mirror image of cultural fantasies and realities of modern man and woman in film and in society. It can be said that the bond movie series has taken society by storm because of the reason that they have a similarity to human fantasies and wishful thinking. The movies in a way, has defined the dreams and paranoia a particular group of 007 fanatics and within a given timeline in history (Lindner, 2003). The characters played in 007 films feed on human fantasy components desired by humans on earth such as fast cars, hard alcoholic beverages, high stakes gambling, and powerful weaponry at a moment’s notice, handsome secret agents and beautiful women at their side. When the movies were first released at 1962 onwards, 007 had appeared on the silver screen with an average of two years per interval. Sean Connery filled up the role as James Bond in the movie Goldfinger, keeping in mind how Ian Fleming had envisioned James Bond in real life. His suave attire and commanding look, although was totally different as that of a real-life spy, tapped into the imagination and perception of people at that time on how a spy or a secret should look and feel. On the other hand, following Dalton’s depiction, there was a gap of six years while Bond’s representation was re-developed and reconstructed for the 1990s post Cold War political climate in Britain and the U. S. In mid 1994, the actor Pierce Brosnan was identified to take over the role of 007 (Brosnan, 1995). But even with these changes occurring, the secret agent that is James Bond has essentially remained unswerving all throughout the movies series history (more than 40 years). The secret agent has never aged, never gotten seriously injured, never stopped drinking and more importantly has never stopped chasing the opportunity to be intimate with a sexiest and coincidentally the most intelligent women around. James Bond has become the quintessential suave secret agent, completely opposite as that of real-life secret agents, dry wit and capable intelligence officer serving for king and country. On the other hand, categorization of James Bond has naturally varied from actor to actor during the entire 40 year history and has mainly been coupled with the current social and political climates and values of the times (Lindner, 2003).

The Visions of Ezekiel

God choses whomever He wants to give His messages to His people. In the Old Testament, God chose very specific people to give His message to Israel. Ezekiel, was a great man of God and very faithful to Him. The messages he received from God were intense and different than other prophets of Israel. The Lord allowed Ezekiel to have visions of which he traveled through, and heard the voice of the Lord. Ezekiel was obedient to the visions and listened to God’s voice and what He instructed him to do, no matter what the consequence was or how strange, terrifying, weird the message may have been for Israel.These visions can even be applied today in the modern day church and show how much God loves His people despite repetitive sin. The book of Ezekiel opens up with a vision that is quite startling in itself. The first major vision can be found in Ezekiel 1:4-28. A long passage with much detail, Ezekiel describes his first word from the Lord. After the vision, the Lord speaks directly to Ezekiel and gives him instruction. â€Å"And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that speak unto me. (2:1-2) We find that the prophet was so penetrated with awe at the sight of the glory of God in the mystical chariot, that â€Å"he fell upon his face;† and, while he was in this posture of adoration, he heard the voice mentioned here†¦. he who is sent by the God of all grace to the convert sinners must be influenced by the Holy Ghost; otherwise he can neither be saved himself, nor become the instrument of salvation to others. â€Å"and set me on my feet†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat he might stand as a servant before his master, to receive orders. [1] This was Ezekiel’s reaction of the vision God imparted to him. Read Essay In Westminster Abbey AnalysisHe was a humble servant, he stood before his Master ready to do whatever He had for him. When he heard from the Lord that he was going to be going to a rebellious nation, the Lord instructed him to speak that the nation was going to fall if they did not change their ways. They had become such a defiled nation, the Lord was determined to show them just how awful they had become. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, he writes of the symbolic actions the Lord asks of him. Some of these consist of Ezekiel eating the scroll that God gave him to eat (3:1-3), sleeping on his side symbolizing the sin of the ouse of Israel (4:4) , shaving, burning and scattering his hair (5:1-17) packing his belongings and leaving for exile as a sign to the prince of Jerusalem (12:1-16). Ezekiel was a faithful servant that loved his Master. It did not matter if the request was too ludicrous, he trusted that whatever the Lord asked of him, it was for a reason. Not only did th ese actions give signs to Israel, but they also revealed to Ezekiel the heart of the Lord. His desires for a holy nation. Important Vision #2: Ezekiel 8-11. In chapter 8 Ezekiel’s vision starts out and talks about false values.What is amiss with the nation is that it is corrupt at this center, that as repudiated the God who made it a people and has replaced him by the gods of the surrounding countries. A false religion perverts its life and threatens catastrophe. [2] This issue of idolatry is not just a new problem for Israel. This has been a consistent problem throughout history. God made these people His and they are turning from Him. God always displays His glory to Israel, yet they fail to obey Him. Ezekiel goes through many different types of idolatry and images that the Israelites use to take the place of Father God.In this passage, Ezekiel also finds evidence of the worship of the Babylonian deity Tammus (8:14) and of the sun god (8:16). Because of these and other impu re practices, Ezekiel declares that Yahweh will destroy the city. His words are so power that one of the Judean idolaters, a man named Pelatiah, falls down dead (11:13)[3] Ezekiel must not have been too pleased with that event, but he knew he needed to listen to the voice of the Lord speaking unto him. Important Vision #3 Ezekiel 37:1-14. This is perhaps the most well known passage in Ezekiel. â€Å"The Dry Bones. In this vision the Lord is as a teacher and instructs Ezekiel. Ezekiel is brought to a valley of dry bones and the Lord asks him to prophesy of the dry bones. When he did that, the flesh reappear on these bodies. The Lord explains the meaning of he vision in verses 11-14. The bones symbolize the â€Å"whole house of Israel,† which had given up any hope of being revived as a nation. They had been buried, as it were, in the foreign lands to which they had been exiled. But the Lord would open their graves and bring them back to the land. His Spirit would infuse the na tion, and it would once again life. 4] â€Å"I will put my ruach within you. : What does the word mean this time? What can it mean, but Holy Spirit? Israel’s restoration lies beyond human power, but not beyond the power of God. Notice the sequence of promised event. First, â€Å"you shall live. † Before the physical restoration can take place, there must be a renewal of faith. Second, â€Å"I will place you in your own land. † The physical restoration will take place. And third, â€Å"you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it. † In 36:31 Ezekiel shows the turned exiles in bitter repentance as they think upon the past.Here he shows them lost in reverence as they acknowledge the power and unshakable moral purpose of God. [5] Now, in the book of Ezekiel, there is not much, if any, information on how Israel responded or how Ezekiel shared these prophecies. However, as mentioned above, he was a faithful servant. Everything that he said came directly from the Lord. How interesting it must have been to be a friend of Ezekiel during that time; God speaking so clearly and so specifically about Israel, His plans for the sinners, the righteous, the enemies, anyone, and how to return to the Lord God of Israel.With Ezekiel, God did not force Israel to listen, He gave the option and they had to choose. This is a reminder that God does pursue those whom He loves, but He also wants His people to come to Him out of freedom. The Last Major Vision of Ezekiel: 40-48. This last section has extreme detail of the temple and how it should be built. Furthermore, the Lord gives instructions to Ezekiel to tell the Israelites that it is time to rebuild God’s house. This is a reminder to the Israelites. It would be extremely humbling to them for them to have to rebuild their worship place to God.But, God did not do this for embarrassment, He did this to remind the people of Israel that He was still going to be their God and that H e still desperately wanted to be loved and served by them. He chose them for a reason, and He wanted them to know His love like no other. This portion is as a reestablishment of the law and how to live according to the law. In Ezekiel 43:10-12 it says, â€Å"Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins.Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple-its arrangement, its exit and entrances–its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. This is the law of the temple: all the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy, such is the law of the temple. † This passage gives an answer of how the Lord expects the Israelites to respond to His message of repentance.The idea of building the temple will draw them to repentance and reveal the ir sin to them regardless. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, one sees the closeness that he has with the Lord. He takes Ezekiel by the hand and carefully explains what He says to Israel, and He reveals His very personal feelings and plans with Ezekiel. How wonderfully scary it must have been for Ezekiel to experience His strong glory and presence for so many years. â€Å"It was nineteen years since Ezekiel had seen the vision of the glory of the Lord leaving His temple (10:18-22; 11: 22-24).Now he sees His return, to occupy and to consecrate this new building to be His holy sanctuary. His appearance was the same as it had been before by the river Chebar (yet another link which this closing vision has with Ezekiel’s earlier work) and it prompted the same response of awe and adoration. The angelic guide is still with Ezekiel and will continue to explain and instruct him in the law of the temple, but at this point there is a special word from the Lord out of the temple, which is virtually a statement of consecration. [6]†In a couple passages above, the writer talks about the word ruach being used. This word is parallel to the Greek word in the New Testament, Pneuma, which is typically used for describing the Holy Spirit. This is an extremely fascinating word that the Lord uses. As many people assume that the Holy Spirit is not active in the Old Testament, the Lord proves every one of those people wrong. In the example of â€Å"The Dry Bones† Ezekiel prophesy’s to the bones, then prophesy’s to the actual Holy Spirit to breathe life into those dry bones.He willed it to happen out of obedience to the Lord and what He told him to prophesy over and to these dry bones. Not only does the Holy Spirit speak to him, but He actually transports him to different spots. [7] This particular study of Ezekiel has taught me of God’s heart for His nation. Although they have all sinned greatly against Him, it is His heart to have them serving Him again. Not as slaves, but having a real relationship with Him. That is why He created human beings to begin with, God is a relational God.As much as I knew this before, I think it is far too easy to assume that because you may not visually see God doing and working things out in your life, that He does not care or exist. In Ezekiel, you see that God uses every part of Himself to draw His people back to Him, almost in an underlying message to say, â€Å"Please come back to Me, I just love you so much and I miss you. I miss you Israel, I just want to be with you again, I want you to want Me again. I want you to see what you have done against Me, not so that I can punish you, but so that there will not be anything between us again and we can freely commune.Look! I’ll even give you instructions of how to build the temple and the laws that I have for you to follow. Just please come back, not because I need you, but because I want you. † As God gives this message to His people, through Ezekiel, I think that Ezekiel also senses this great love for a disobedient people. Because Ezekiel can feel the Lord’s heart towards Israel, being so fully devoted to God, it allows the Father to take control of Ezekiel’s heart and reveal incredible love to him. The OT in general and the prophets in particular presuppose and teach God’s sovereignty over all creation, over people and nations and the course of history. And nowhere in the Bible are God’s initiative and control expressed more clearly and pervasively than in the book of Ezekiel. From the first chapter, which graphically describes the overwhelming invasion of the divine presence into Ezekiel’s world, to the last phrase of Ezekiel’s vision (â€Å"the Lord is there†) the book sounds and echoes God’s sovereignty.This sovereign God resolved that he would be known and acknowledged. Approximately 65 occurrences of the clause (or variations) â€Å"Then the y will know that I am the Lord† testify to that divine desire and intention (see note on 6:7). Overall, chs. 1–24 teach that God will be revealed in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple; chs. 25–32 teach that the nations likewise will know God through his judgments; and chs. 33–48 promise that God will be known through the restoration and spiritual renewal of Israel.God’s total sovereignty is also evident in his mobility. He is not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He can respond to his people’s sin by leaving his sanctuary in Israel, and he can graciously condescend to visit his exiled children in Babylon. God is free to judge, and he is equally free to be gracious. His stern judgments on Israel ultimately reflect his grace. He allows the total dismemberment of Israel’s political and religious life so that her renewed life and his presence with her will be clearly seen as a gift from the Lord of the universe.Furth ermore, as God’s spokesman, Ezekiel’s â€Å"son of man† status (see note on 2:1) testifies to the sovereign God he was commissioned to serve. [8] This last statement is incredible. God consistently refers to Ezekiel as the Son of man, it shows that God trusts him and that He had a specific plan for him to serve Him. In application to my life, I think that the biggest lesson one can learn is how to submit to the Lord and listen to His voice no matter what it is saying.Sometimes He may make no sense and it can be very scary, but just as Jesus says in John 10:27, â€Å"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;† When one’s heart is devoted to God, he can be sure that the Lord will direct his steps. Another important lesson, God really, really, REALLY loves His kids. It does not matter how awful we are, how many times we walk away thinking that we can do a better job at running our life than He can, how many times we break His heart, it is His desire to be with us, even if that means us leaving Him a hundred times, His love will draw us back a hundred and one times. ———————- [1] Adam Clarke, Clarkes Commentary: Job Malachi (Nashville: Abingdon Pr, 1977), 428 [2] Buttrick, George Arthur. The Interpreter's Bible: The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard Versions with General Articles and Introduction, Exegesis, Exposition for Each Book of the Bible. (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1951), 105 [3] James D. Newsome and Jr, The Hebrew Prophets (Atlanta, GA: Westminster John Knox Press, 1986), 126 [4] Robert B.Chisholm and Jr, Handbook On the Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, 2002), 270 [5] Andrew W. Blackwood Jr. and Ezekiel-Prophecy of Hope (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Book House,1965), 224-225 [6] John B. Taylor, Ezekiel (tyndale Old Testament Commentaries), 1ST ed. ( Downers Grove, Ill,; Intervarsity Pr, 1969), 264 [7] Leon J. Wood, Prophets of Israel, The (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1998), 358 [8] http://www. biblica. com/niv/study-bible/ezekiel/ accessed March 8th, 2013. The Visions of Ezekiel God choses whomever He wants to give His messages to His people. In the Old Testament, God chose very specific people to give His message to Israel. Ezekiel, was a great man of God and very faithful to Him. The messages he received from God were intense and different than other prophets of Israel. The Lord allowed Ezekiel to have visions of which he traveled through, and heard the voice of the Lord. Ezekiel was obedient to the visions and listened to God’s voice and what He instructed him to do, no matter what the consequence was or how strange, terrifying, weird the message may have been for Israel.These visions can even be applied today in the modern day church and show how much God loves His people despite repetitive sin. The book of Ezekiel opens up with a vision that is quite startling in itself. The first major vision can be found in Ezekiel 1:4-28. A long passage with much detail, Ezekiel describes his first word from the Lord. After the vision, the Lord speaks directly to Ezekiel and gives him instruction. â€Å"And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that speak unto me. (2:1-2) We find that the prophet was so penetrated with awe at the sight of the glory of God in the mystical chariot, that â€Å"he fell upon his face;† and, while he was in this posture of adoration, he heard the voice mentioned here†¦. he who is sent by the God of all grace to the convert sinners must be influenced by the Holy Ghost; otherwise he can neither be saved himself, nor become the instrument of salvation to others. â€Å"and set me on my feet†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat he might stand as a servant before his master, to receive orders. [1] This was Ezekiel’s reaction of the vision God imparted to him. Read Essay In Westminster Abbey AnalysisHe was a humble servant, he stood before his Master ready to do whatever He had for him. When he heard from the Lord that he was going to be going to a rebellious nation, the Lord instructed him to speak that the nation was going to fall if they did not change their ways. They had become such a defiled nation, the Lord was determined to show them just how awful they had become. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, he writes of the symbolic actions the Lord asks of him. Some of these consist of Ezekiel eating the scroll that God gave him to eat (3:1-3), sleeping on his side symbolizing the sin of the ouse of Israel (4:4) , shaving, burning and scattering his hair (5:1-17) packing his belongings and leaving for exile as a sign to the prince of Jerusalem (12:1-16). Ezekiel was a faithful servant that loved his Master. It did not matter if the request was too ludicrous, he trusted that whatever the Lord asked of him, it was for a reason. Not only did th ese actions give signs to Israel, but they also revealed to Ezekiel the heart of the Lord. His desires for a holy nation. Important Vision #2: Ezekiel 8-11. In chapter 8 Ezekiel’s vision starts out and talks about false values.What is amiss with the nation is that it is corrupt at this center, that as repudiated the God who made it a people and has replaced him by the gods of the surrounding countries. A false religion perverts its life and threatens catastrophe. [2] This issue of idolatry is not just a new problem for Israel. This has been a consistent problem throughout history. God made these people His and they are turning from Him. God always displays His glory to Israel, yet they fail to obey Him. Ezekiel goes through many different types of idolatry and images that the Israelites use to take the place of Father God.In this passage, Ezekiel also finds evidence of the worship of the Babylonian deity Tammus (8:14) and of the sun god (8:16). Because of these and other impu re practices, Ezekiel declares that Yahweh will destroy the city. His words are so power that one of the Judean idolaters, a man named Pelatiah, falls down dead (11:13)[3] Ezekiel must not have been too pleased with that event, but he knew he needed to listen to the voice of the Lord speaking unto him. Important Vision #3 Ezekiel 37:1-14. This is perhaps the most well known passage in Ezekiel. â€Å"The Dry Bones. In this vision the Lord is as a teacher and instructs Ezekiel. Ezekiel is brought to a valley of dry bones and the Lord asks him to prophesy of the dry bones. When he did that, the flesh reappear on these bodies. The Lord explains the meaning of he vision in verses 11-14. The bones symbolize the â€Å"whole house of Israel,† which had given up any hope of being revived as a nation. They had been buried, as it were, in the foreign lands to which they had been exiled. But the Lord would open their graves and bring them back to the land. His Spirit would infuse the na tion, and it would once again life. 4] â€Å"I will put my ruach within you. : What does the word mean this time? What can it mean, but Holy Spirit? Israel’s restoration lies beyond human power, but not beyond the power of God. Notice the sequence of promised event. First, â€Å"you shall live. † Before the physical restoration can take place, there must be a renewal of faith. Second, â€Å"I will place you in your own land. † The physical restoration will take place. And third, â€Å"you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it. † In 36:31 Ezekiel shows the turned exiles in bitter repentance as they think upon the past.Here he shows them lost in reverence as they acknowledge the power and unshakable moral purpose of God. [5] Now, in the book of Ezekiel, there is not much, if any, information on how Israel responded or how Ezekiel shared these prophecies. However, as mentioned above, he was a faithful servant. Everything that he said came directly from the Lord. How interesting it must have been to be a friend of Ezekiel during that time; God speaking so clearly and so specifically about Israel, His plans for the sinners, the righteous, the enemies, anyone, and how to return to the Lord God of Israel.With Ezekiel, God did not force Israel to listen, He gave the option and they had to choose. This is a reminder that God does pursue those whom He loves, but He also wants His people to come to Him out of freedom. The Last Major Vision of Ezekiel: 40-48. This last section has extreme detail of the temple and how it should be built. Furthermore, the Lord gives instructions to Ezekiel to tell the Israelites that it is time to rebuild God’s house. This is a reminder to the Israelites. It would be extremely humbling to them for them to have to rebuild their worship place to God.But, God did not do this for embarrassment, He did this to remind the people of Israel that He was still going to be their God and that H e still desperately wanted to be loved and served by them. He chose them for a reason, and He wanted them to know His love like no other. This portion is as a reestablishment of the law and how to live according to the law. In Ezekiel 43:10-12 it says, â€Å"Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins.Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple-its arrangement, its exit and entrances–its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. This is the law of the temple: all the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy, such is the law of the temple. † This passage gives an answer of how the Lord expects the Israelites to respond to His message of repentance.The idea of building the temple will draw them to repentance and reveal the ir sin to them regardless. Throughout the book of Ezekiel, one sees the closeness that he has with the Lord. He takes Ezekiel by the hand and carefully explains what He says to Israel, and He reveals His very personal feelings and plans with Ezekiel. How wonderfully scary it must have been for Ezekiel to experience His strong glory and presence for so many years. â€Å"It was nineteen years since Ezekiel had seen the vision of the glory of the Lord leaving His temple (10:18-22; 11: 22-24).Now he sees His return, to occupy and to consecrate this new building to be His holy sanctuary. His appearance was the same as it had been before by the river Chebar (yet another link which this closing vision has with Ezekiel’s earlier work) and it prompted the same response of awe and adoration. The angelic guide is still with Ezekiel and will continue to explain and instruct him in the law of the temple, but at this point there is a special word from the Lord out of the temple, which is virtually a statement of consecration. [6]†In a couple passages above, the writer talks about the word ruach being used. This word is parallel to the Greek word in the New Testament, Pneuma, which is typically used for describing the Holy Spirit. This is an extremely fascinating word that the Lord uses. As many people assume that the Holy Spirit is not active in the Old Testament, the Lord proves every one of those people wrong. In the example of â€Å"The Dry Bones† Ezekiel prophesy’s to the bones, then prophesy’s to the actual Holy Spirit to breathe life into those dry bones.He willed it to happen out of obedience to the Lord and what He told him to prophesy over and to these dry bones. Not only does the Holy Spirit speak to him, but He actually transports him to different spots. [7] This particular study of Ezekiel has taught me of God’s heart for His nation. Although they have all sinned greatly against Him, it is His heart to have them serving Him again. Not as slaves, but having a real relationship with Him. That is why He created human beings to begin with, God is a relational God.As much as I knew this before, I think it is far too easy to assume that because you may not visually see God doing and working things out in your life, that He does not care or exist. In Ezekiel, you see that God uses every part of Himself to draw His people back to Him, almost in an underlying message to say, â€Å"Please come back to Me, I just love you so much and I miss you. I miss you Israel, I just want to be with you again, I want you to want Me again. I want you to see what you have done against Me, not so that I can punish you, but so that there will not be anything between us again and we can freely commune.Look! I’ll even give you instructions of how to build the temple and the laws that I have for you to follow. Just please come back, not because I need you, but because I want you. † As God gives this message to His people, through Ezekiel, I think that Ezekiel also senses this great love for a disobedient people. Because Ezekiel can feel the Lord’s heart towards Israel, being so fully devoted to God, it allows the Father to take control of Ezekiel’s heart and reveal incredible love to him. The OT in general and the prophets in particular presuppose and teach God’s sovereignty over all creation, over people and nations and the course of history. And nowhere in the Bible are God’s initiative and control expressed more clearly and pervasively than in the book of Ezekiel. From the first chapter, which graphically describes the overwhelming invasion of the divine presence into Ezekiel’s world, to the last phrase of Ezekiel’s vision (â€Å"the Lord is there†) the book sounds and echoes God’s sovereignty.This sovereign God resolved that he would be known and acknowledged. Approximately 65 occurrences of the clause (or variations) â€Å"Then the y will know that I am the Lord† testify to that divine desire and intention (see note on 6:7). Overall, chs. 1–24 teach that God will be revealed in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple; chs. 25–32 teach that the nations likewise will know God through his judgments; and chs. 33–48 promise that God will be known through the restoration and spiritual renewal of Israel.God’s total sovereignty is also evident in his mobility. He is not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He can respond to his people’s sin by leaving his sanctuary in Israel, and he can graciously condescend to visit his exiled children in Babylon. God is free to judge, and he is equally free to be gracious. His stern judgments on Israel ultimately reflect his grace. He allows the total dismemberment of Israel’s political and religious life so that her renewed life and his presence with her will be clearly seen as a gift from the Lord of the universe.Furth ermore, as God’s spokesman, Ezekiel’s â€Å"son of man† status (see note on 2:1) testifies to the sovereign God he was commissioned to serve. [8] This last statement is incredible. God consistently refers to Ezekiel as the Son of man, it shows that God trusts him and that He had a specific plan for him to serve Him. In application to my life, I think that the biggest lesson one can learn is how to submit to the Lord and listen to His voice no matter what it is saying.Sometimes He may make no sense and it can be very scary, but just as Jesus says in John 10:27, â€Å"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;† When one’s heart is devoted to God, he can be sure that the Lord will direct his steps. Another important lesson, God really, really, REALLY loves His kids. It does not matter how awful we are, how many times we walk away thinking that we can do a better job at running our life than He can, how many times we break His heart, it is His desire to be with us, even if that means us leaving Him a hundred times, His love will draw us back a hundred and one times. ———————- [1] Adam Clarke, Clarkes Commentary: Job Malachi (Nashville: Abingdon Pr, 1977), 428 [2] Buttrick, George Arthur. The Interpreter's Bible: The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard Versions with General Articles and Introduction, Exegesis, Exposition for Each Book of the Bible. (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1951), 105 [3] James D. Newsome and Jr, The Hebrew Prophets (Atlanta, GA: Westminster John Knox Press, 1986), 126 [4] Robert B.Chisholm and Jr, Handbook On the Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, 2002), 270 [5] Andrew W. Blackwood Jr. and Ezekiel-Prophecy of Hope (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Book House,1965), 224-225 [6] John B. Taylor, Ezekiel (tyndale Old Testament Commentaries), 1ST ed. ( Downers Grove, Ill,; Intervarsity Pr, 1969), 264 [7] Leon J. Wood, Prophets of Israel, The (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1998), 358 [8] http://www. biblica. com/niv/study-bible/ezekiel/ accessed March 8th, 2013.