Concert review of the Train and Mat Kearney Show at Ravinia Festival Essay

Show survey of the Train and Mat Kearney Show at Ravinia Festival in Chicago Illinois - Essay Example A one of a kind element of this scene is that the structure itself is now raised on a characteristic territory so the watchers don't need to extend their necks or push towards the front of the show so as to have a decent gander at their performing band. This simplicity of review added significantly to the general understanding as from the show encounters I have had, it can regularly be baffling to endeavor to keep up an agreeable good ways from the exhibition while as yet having the option to have great perceivability and not being squashed by the group. Concerning the show lighting, the show missed the mark. This was not really because of an absence of legitimate arranging yet because of the way that the presentation occurred outside. In that capacity, most lighting shows need sufficient indoor offices so as to extend the lights onto the phase rather than from the phase to the stage. Subsequently, naturally of the setting, the lighting failed to impress anyone as the entertainers we re enlightened in what just appeared to be a two dimensional way. To be reasonable, so as to accomplish appropriate lighting, it would have been important to grapple different powerful lights in and around the region that the show goers were seeing the show. This would have brought on additional bother because of the issue of hung power lines and the non perceivability that would have been an issue to those situated or remaining behind such tied down lights. With stage performances, the scene has an overwhelming bearing concerning the general capacity of the lighting and sound to reflect a similar sort of experience that may be accessible to the concertgoer in an indoor setting. All things considered, concerning the general sound level and gear utilized, the coordinators were constrained with what they could do; rather giving up by setting up a blast of speakers on the bleeding edges of the structure so as to guarantee that the sound was boisterous enough to come to those at the rea r of the show territory. Such a procedure is compelling, in any case; it can make the clamor level to some degree agonizing for those that desire to be in the first lines of the show. This was a lot of the case as I endeavored to get a closer perspective on the exhibition I was shocked at the general clamor level that was originating from the front of the show. It was awkward in the extraordinary to spend in excess of a not many minutes in such a setting. This reality served to fairly decrease the general adequacy of the show; notwithstanding, it must be noticed that as depicted before, such methods are simply an integral part of what having an open air show essentially involves and couldn't have likely been improved by another band performing under similar conditions. As for generally speaking openness, the show additionally scored well in my point of view. Because of the way that there was a lot of space to move around, high stage perceivability even from zones far expelled from t he presentation and an open air setting, people, even with handicaps, could undoubtedly pick up section, have space to move around, and appreciate the show without being hindered by the setting. As for the genuine design and style that the performer’s displayed, it could be portrayed as an extremely folksy portrayal of skillet America. Wool, cowhide, boots, and cattle rustler caps

Tourism in Vietnam Essay Essay Example

The travel industry in Vietnam Essay The travel industry is advanced by the authoritiess of many creating states since it offers the intensity for making occupations. hence bring forthing pay for the state and gross for the gorvement. With its all around safeguarded social assorted variety and indispensable characteristic home grounds. Vietnam has become a mainstream tourer finish among out-of-entryway partisans. There are a few sorts of touristry accessible in Vietnam. We will break down Vietnamese touristry and the effect of it to the national monetary sciences as underneath: I. Outline of Vietnam touristry II. A few sorts of touristry in Vietnam We will compose a custom paper test on Tourism in Vietnam Essay explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom article test on Tourism in Vietnam Essay explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom article test on Tourism in Vietnam Essay explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer 1. Culinary circuitOverview of the Vietnam Food CultureThe capacity and how to function the estimation of supplement human advancement to pull tourers 2. Advanture and activities3. Vietnam sail4. Culture and history5. Extravagance excursion III. The effect of touristry to Vietnam financial sciences1. Positive consequence2. Negative consequenceIV. Arrangement I. Review of Vietnamese touristryDespite the way that Vietnam confronted numerous difficulties on account of the monetary downswing. in ongoing mature ages. the country’s touristry industry kept on turning rather strongly. One of the main factors that upheld this becoming was serious special exercises of industry members. especially travel departments. travel modification members and air hoses. In reality. a significant number of these members utilized value decreases and sweepstakes programs as their cardinal strategy to pull shopper joining in. The travel industry in Vietnam is a significant constituent of the cutting edge Vietnamese financial framework. In 2012. Vietnam got more than 6. 8 million universal reachings. up from 2. 1 million in the twelvemonth 2000. The one-year expansion spoke to a solid backlash from a little lessening in 2008 Great Recession. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is following a since quite a while ago run program to enhance the tour istry business. which carries required outside trade into the state. The travel industry is dynamically of import in Vietnam. For hikers. human progress and nature sweethearts. sea shore sweethearts and veterans visiting the state for a long clasp. Vietnam has developed itself as another tourer finish in Southeast Asia and on is currently on records in magazines around the world. Lodging financial specialists especially the strength of the 3000-kilometer-long beach line and the enormous metropoliss. The touristry offer has been continuously enhanced. Nearby and worldwide circuit administrators offer Tourss to social minority gatherings. strolling and bicycle Tourss. kayak trips and multi-nation trips in particular regarding neighboring Cambodia. Laos and Thailand. Vietnam specialists has made numerous strides for exposure of touristry. Service of touristry gave incitements to change overing ordinary inns in extravagance. Other than a forceful exposure of Vietnam touristry run on magazines and Television stations. Starting at 2013. the Vietnam specialists has proposed to put no not exactly $ 94. 2 billion towards its touristry base. Vietnam’s touristry division predicts 7. 2 million universal tourers and gross of up to $ 9. 1 billion for 2013. In 2013. fitting to Hayes A ; Jarvis. Vietnam was positioned top 7 most mainstream British long stretch finishs . outperforming Thailand. II. A few sorts of touristry in Vietnam 1. Culinary circuitAlong with exploring new civic establishments. one of the extraordinary delights of movement is the find of new culinary expressions. Those new to Vietnamese supplement are in for a humble. as the national culinary craftsmanship is flavourful. bright and exceptionally solid. a. Outline of the vietnam supplement human progress Vietnam culinary craftsmanship carries its ain human progress with North. Focal and South. Each part has dishes with both neighborhood. impacted the examples of populace and rich common conditions. making a various culinary human progress of the state. North: Northern Vietnam has for some time been affected by its propinquity to China. As the solitary segment of the express that encounters four seasons. numerous dishes are simply accessible on a regular balance. In general. the supplement will in general be milder and lighter than that found in the rest of Vietnam. Focal: The starts guarantee that cardinal Vietnamese culinary craftsmanship is the most socially dependable supplement in the state. Intensely affected by the magnificent council culinary specialty of Hue. the supplement is all things considered interesting and all around prepared. South: Southern culinary workmanship is the most fluctuated of the three. Wealthy in veggies. rice and fish. it has fused French. Kampuchean and Thai impacts into a way that is particularly its ain. It is all around additional, all things considered, prepared. tropical and interesting yet better than northern supplement. b. Shade †the alone culinary workmanship The culinary specialty of Hu? structures the chest of Central Vietnamese culinary workmanship. yet, one of the most sensational contrasts is the conspicuousness of vegetarianism in the city. A few all-veggie lover eating houses are dispersed in arranged corners of the city to work local people who have a solid custom of eating vegan two times every month. as part of their Buddhist convictions. Another attribute of Hu? dishes that separates them from other local culinary expressions in Vietnam is the similarly small working size with refined introduction. a hint of its imperial culinary workmanship. 2. Advanture and exercises Experience touristry is a sort of specialty touristry influencing geographic endeavor or travel to remote nations. where the voyager ought to foresee the unforeseen. Experience touristry is rapidly turning in prominence as tourers look for surprising get-aways. unique in relation to the run of the mill sea shore occasion. Mountaineering undertakings. trekking. bungee hopping. boating and stone mounting are frequently refered to as a delineation of experience touristry. The following is some commended adventure Tourss in Viet Nam: Sapa. Viet Nam: An incredible topographic point for trekking Tourss: Sapa is one of the most commended topographic focuses for Tourss and excursions in Vietnam. Has been notable as an incredible completion for trekking Tourss. it is a little town in keep up nation in Lao Cai state. Situated in a height of 1500 meters contrasted with ocean degree. Sapa is the old neighborhood of five distinctive social gatherings: H’mong. Red Dao. Xa Pho. Tay and Giay. There is an extraordinary and fabulous mountain scope called Hoang Lien Son which comprises of Fanxipan Mountain. 3. 143 meters tallness. the most elevated 1 in Vietnam. Sapa has been commended for trekking Tourss and get-aways in Vietnam. Sapa benefit is an incredible pick for adventure and trekking Tourss as a result of flawless conditions and clime. Voyagers come to Sapa hold wide extents of picks for their trekking Tourss from 1 twenty-four hours to 9 yearss. With its dazzling mountains. humble communities and delightful Valley which is called Muong Hoa. Sapa gives something to everybody. Mai Chau Puluong: The most excellent nation in north west Vietnam. the moutaineus Pu Luong Nature Reserve presents a test to the individuals who are fit bounty to look into it. This is a nation of extraordinary excellence. an energizing blend of civic establishments. what's more, rich biodiversity extending from Mai Chau in the Northwest to Cuc Phuong National Park in the sou-east. The part is honored with abundant wood. immense limestone see. splendid rice porches and amazing landscape. This is an eager trek. 3. Vietnam sail As we was already aware. Vietnam touristry is increasingly more turn of events. What's more, one of hot developments of touristry is voyage. In spite of the fact that Vietnam is an immature state. there are a group of delightful topographic focuses. admirations known to man. Visiting Vietnam. tourer will lounge and extricate up. In a long clasp. the extent of tourers from the sail wages than the national touristry no significant adjustments. albeit waterfront nations is area has numerous preferences over different locale of touristry assets †¦ Vietnam ocean touristry still can't seem to do a specific plea to tourers. Ocean touristry potential-island Vietnam. Marine touristry is going a key improvement of the touristry business to exploit the scene and environment of beach front nations for monetary turn of events. expanded salary for husbandmans each piece great as expansion the cardinal spending plan and neighborhood. In an ongoing workshop on the heading and improvement of marine touristry. the island of Vietnam. specialists declare travel and touristry financial framework Sea Island is one of 5 disclosure in the nautical monetary framework and nations. With a coastline of more than 3. 000 kilometers. 1000s of large and little islands. a progression of white straw colored sea shores. somewhat blue H2O coastline are great conditions for Vietnam’s ocean touristry improvement. Sea shores. narrows of Vietnam explorers overall known as Ha long Bay. Nha Trang or Da Nang sea shore was casted a ballot by Forbes Magazine as one of the most beguiling sea shores 6 planets †¦ are expressing the draw of the ocean to Vietnam for resident ial and outside tourers. Along the coastline of Vietnam has around 125 sea shores great for the improvement of touristry. the sea shore was more than 30 contributing and improvement. In particular. the oceanic part has incredible workable for advancement contributing as Ha long Bay †Haiphong †Cat Ba ; Hue †Da Nang †Quang Nam ; Van Phong †Dai Lanh †Nha Trang ; Vung Tau †Long Hai †Con Dao ; Ha Tien †Phu Quoc ; Phan Thiet †Mui Ne. With the landscape in the middle of sail touristry center in the part are Hong Kong and Singapore. a state with a stable political monetary arrangement of improvement. especially with the a

Finish Your Degree by Enrolling in an Online School

Finish Your Degree by Enrolling in an Online School On the off chance that youre a grown-up student with past school understanding yet no degree, you may have the option to finish your examinations by taking on an online school. Numerous online schools oblige proficient grown-up understudies needing to move past credits and acquire a degree in less time than a conventional 4-year program. Heres what youll need to do to complete your higher education on the web: Ensure internet learning is an ideal choice for your way of life. Online school isnt a decent decision for everybody. Fruitful understudies must have the option to offset their virtual classes with different duties. They should have the option to adapt freely, without an educator giving them customized guidance and inspiration. Moreover, online students must be able journalists and have an elevated level of understanding appreciation. Most of online courses are perusing and composing serious - those coming up short on these aptitudes may end up overpowered, regardless of whether they exceed expectations at the subject being examined. Locate an online school. On the off chance that you intend to utilize your degree in the work environment, it is significant that your online school is locally authorize and that it keeps up a decent notoriety. Youll additionally need to discover a program that accommodates your calendar. Some online universities expect understudies to sign in to a virtual homeroom at a specific day and time. Different universities permit understudies to work at their own pace, with no planned gatherings. Ensure your credits move. As a grown-up student, youll likely need to take on a school that acknowledges move credits. You should consider applying to one of the huge three credit-bank schools. These online schools are provincially certify and are known for having adaptable credit-application approaches. They joyfully work with understudies to apply old credits to new degrees. Pick a significant. You may choose to keep your unique major, or you may decide to contemplate something totally extraordinary. Remember that on the off chance that you have a great deal of subject-explicit exchange credits, picking another major could significantly build the time it takes to gain a degree. Some most optimized plan of attack school finishing programs offer just a restricted determination of majors. By and large these majors are in subjects, for example, general investigations. A degree in such a conventional major may hurt you when applying to businesses that require preparing in a particular field. In any case, most employments that just require a bachelors’ certificate, ought to acknowledge conventional majors with no issue. Present your transcripts for survey. Once youve been acknowledged to an online program, youll need to have all your past school transcripts sent to the universities confirmations office. Most universities don't acknowledge individual duplicates of transcripts. Youll likely need to have your past schools send official, fixed transcripts legitimately to your new school for an ostensible expense, normally $20 or less. Request transcript survey explanations. After the underlying transcript survey, shout out with any inquiries and concerns you have. On the off chance that you accept that a specific class ought to be checked toward a prerequisite, get some information about it. You may have the option to request of for an extra audit, and conceivably setting aside you time and cash. Complete the courses required for graduation. Your online school advocate ought to furnish you with a rundown of required classes. Follow this rundown and youll be well headed to finishing your professional education. Returning to class as a grown-up student can be a test. In any case, if youre spurred and arranged, finishing your advanced education online can be justified, despite all the trouble.

Death in The Things They Carried - Free Essay Example

Death has many different effects on a persons life. Some can handle it very well, but most of time, people cannot deal with the grief that comes with the death.For example, some people can accept the death that comes with life and move forward, but on the flip side, some people cannot accept and are stuck in that deep dark hole. many of us cannot Tim OBrien in The Things They Carried, deals with death in a different way, he writes stories. However, OBriens stories are not just about his war experiences, instead the stories talk about how he and the members of his army team dealt with the deaths of their mates and their home life experiences after the war. OBrien describes this very well. O.Briens message about death in The Things They Carried is that death can be worthless and superfluous. First, death is worthless and superfluous when OBrien describes the event in which he killed his first man in Vietnam. He begins this story The Man I Killed by vividly describing how the man looks after he killed him with a grenade. OBrien recalls that the mans jaw was in is throat, and his upper lip and teeth were gone (79). In the following story, Ambush, OBrien tells us how he actually killed the man. While his roommate, Kiowa, was sleeping, he saw a man emerge from the fog. Off of instinct, OBrien reached for his grenade, pulled the plug, and threw it towards the man. The man began to run, but he was not fast enough, and the grenade exploded. The next morning, OBrien goes to find the body and this is when the worthlessness of death comes in on OBrien. He soon realizes that, while his mates were making jokes about the body, that he made a mistake. He begins to think to himself if he really did do the right thing. This shows the effects of war on the men. However, Kiowa tries to co mfort him by saying Would you rather trade places with him? (80). Still, OBrien cannot deal with this act that he did and still thinks that death is worthless. This is how death is worthless when OBrien killed his first man. Second, death is worthless and superfluous in the death of nine year old Linda. OBrien talks about his elementary school lover, Linda, in the closing story, The Lives of the Dead. Linda always wore a red cap and a lot of kids in class would make fun of her. OBrien took Linda out on a movie date and after the movie was over, the young Obrien knew that he just loved her (146). A few days later at school, a kid took of Lindas hat, revealing that she had very little hair. OBrien reveals later that Linda died of a brain tumor and she lived through the summer and the first part of September, and then she was dead (152). Even at forty-three years old, OBrien still imagines Linda in his dreams. This is yet another example of how death is superfluous. Linda was only nine years old and had the best years of her life ahead of her. This a this type of death that everyone hates to read about because why would such a young girl die in an unnecessary way. This is how death is worthless in the death of OBriens elementary school lover Linda. Last, death is worthless and superfluous in the death of Curt Lemon. Even though OBrien did not know Lemon the best, it still was a very superfluous way for him to die. While on a break from climbing the mountains, Lemon and his friend, Rat Kiley, started to goof around. The two would always play this game called yellow mother. The object of the game was simple, do not let the smoke grenade go off in your hands. To play the game, one of the two pulls the pin on the smoke grenade and they play catch. Whoever would chicken out would be the mother yellow. If no one called yellow mother, the grenade would make a light popping sound and the two would be covered in smoke and theyd laugh and dance (43). Lemon and Kiley were having when all of sudden, someone stepped on a detonator. OBrien later tells us that Lemon stepped on a rigged mortar and that is what called the explosion. OBrien also tells us that he has to clean up and find the limbs and other body parts scattered in the trees. This is yet another example of worthless death. Curt Lemon was just taking a break, having fun with his friend when his life took a turn for the worst. OBrien explains that this death really hit home with all of his mates. They all realized that war is not a joking matter and that most of the deaths will be worthless and superfluous. In conclusion, OBrien views death as being worthless and superfluous. In The Things They Carried, OBrien explains how death is worthless in a few stories. In these stories, OBrien deals with the death in his life by writing because it is always better to communicate your feelings in some way rather than bottling them up. At the end of the book, OBrien says that the dead still live, even if they have died in that worthless way. OBrien does find relief in writing these stories because it is his way of telling everyone how the Vietnam War truly was. This is how death is worthless and superfluous in The Things They Carried.

Police body cameras and behaviour - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1863 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/03/22 Category Psychology Essay Level High school Topics: Behavior Essay Did you like this example? Literature Review Technology has drastically advanced over the years, giving people the opportunity of owning a cellular device with multiple capacities. Devices now can take panoramic pictures, record live videos, are able to stream the web and can connect with almost anybody nationwide through available applications. Although these devices are a helpful tool in making everyones life easier, this device has recently been used against police agencies and their officers. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Police body cameras and behaviour" essay for you Create order Officers are being recorded everyday by the public and sued for using excessive force in situations where it wasnt necessary. Police brutality has been around since policing was first designed in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, and technology has only helped expose police behavior by allowing people to post their videos on the web for everyone to see. People have been able to use technology to their advantage by capturing part of the incident and making the officer seem corrupt and unethical. Because of this dilemma, police agencies have adapted to using body cameras on their officers, to decrease the amount of excessive force officers use against the public. Major events in history, like the Civils Right movement of Martin Luther King Jr, led to capture the medias attention, which started the exposure of officers brutality and misconduct. The goal of this movement was to end the use of deadly force and police brutality, majorly towards the African Americans. The police in Alabama where behaving unethically and abusing their power and the media captured everything for the world to see. Events, such as police officers performing a traffic stop and targeting African American males, breaking one of their tail lights with a baton, and then arresting the black African American male and placing them in the back seat of their vehicle, where often practices seen while the movement took place between the 1950s and 1960s. The officer would then be known to drive them to the middle of nowhere and would physically and emotionally attack the individual before placing them in jail. These practices would take place daily, without having a reason behind the traffic stop leading to an unlawful arrest. The media covering police brutality and exposing them on the news became a hit. People nationwide were able to be informed of the latest news within the movement and were able to unite together to fight against the odds. The media was the first method in giving the people knowledge of what was occurring in their community. The Civils Right Movement was a nonviolent movement created to end racial segregation and discrimination towards minorities, made primarily of black people. Police brutality became a problem, as it was widely known across America, because officers were not being punished for their behavior and police brutality lead to more riots. From the 1950?s to early 2000s, technology has made a tremendous turnout. What was difficult to imagine back in 1950s, is what we have in our every day lives now in 2018. It was hard to imagine back then having a cellular device that can facetime someone else across the world, to now having police agencies adapt to body cameras, that are able to both video and audio record every encounter the officer makes on a daily basis. Because technology has made it easy for people to record events at the touch of a button, police officers across America are now being exposed through the web. Videos uploaded showing police brutality are now being shared through every social media and seen by millions of people. However, African Americans are more likely to experience police brutality, compared to other races. The majority killed by police officers are African Americans between the ages of 20-25 years of age. Carbarado mentions many reasons why African Americans are vulnerable to repeated police interactions. He mentions how there is proactive policing, targeting neighborhoods with high crime areas that have little disorder, racial segregation where police target black people who seem out of place when they are in neighborhood dominantly white and racial stereotypes meaning black people are officers preferred person of interest (Carbarado, pg.163). In 2015, 38 unarmed African-Americans were killed that year, compared to the fewer number of killings, which was 19 for Hispanics that same year. A case that opened the eyes of many was the case of Michael Brown. Michael Brown was an 18-year-old, unarmed African American teenager, who was shot and killed by a white officer by the name of Darren Wilson. The grand jury did not indict the officer, Darren Wilson, with the murder of teenager Michael Brown. This case was seen as racially motivated by many who saw the footage, which was caught with a civilians cell phone. Onyemaobim mentions While not always motivated by racism, police brutality is undeniably associated with race. Throughout the course of American history, police violence against people of color has occurred in horrifying disproportions (Onyemaobim, pg.2016). We live in an era where we no longer perceive police as peacekeepers, but as a threat to society. Police brutality is seen so frequently, that it is almost seen as a societal norm. Every time a person is being mistreated by police, first thing that comes to mind is to record the event. While the majority of police officers are white, the majority of victims who suffer police brutality are mostly blacks. This says a lot whether racism plays a factor in police misconduct or not. Police complaints are filed leading to lawsuits, leaving the end decision to the court system and the prosecutors. Prosecutors play the biggest role in deciding whether or not the police shooting was justified. They must depend on the necessary evidence police gather. Evidence such as: statements from witnesses gathered by the officer, other officers present at the time of the incident, or recordings from the public. In most instances, the polices word is the only one that counts, being the officer was the only one that witnessed the event. Patton states that because prosecutors are high in power, they will work together with offers to not pursue the case. This decision later affects minorities because at the end, they are not receiving justice. He states The incentives for federal prosecutors to shield police officers from claims of misconduct are especially problematic because of how much power federal prosecutors wield. They can and do erect high barriers to challenges to police behavior †barriers that overwhelmingly impact the poor and racial minorities (Patton. pg.1435). A problem rely ing on police cooperation creates a conflict of interest in most cases. Because of how close of a relationship the prosecutor and the officer may have, it is more likely the prosecutor is unwilling to raise charges against the officer and follow the case. A study done by Professor Mathhew Desmond concluded how communities, especially the black community, lost its trust in the police department after an incident with unarmed man Frank Jude. Frank Jude was at a police officers housewarming party, when off-duty officers blamed Frank and his friend of stealing one of the officers badge. The off-duty officers made racist remarks and the proceeded to beat Frank. Because of this incident that included police brutality, the community decreased the amount of crimes they reported to 911 stating, The magnitude of the crime-call decline in Milwaukee was large and long lasting. It persisted for over a year, result[ing] in a loss of approximately 22,200 911 calls, a 17 percent reduction in citizen crime reporting, compared with the expected number of calls.19 Moreover, the missing calls were primarily confined to the areas of Milwaukee in which mostly African Americans lived (pg.1358). The police community tends to forget is that key events in our history that impacted society the most, is the main cause for the problems that have emerged today. Since Michael Browns death in 2014, Black lives matter movement arise. There are controversies of what happened that day when Michael Brown was shot and killed that have raised questions whether to believe eyewitnesses, the officer or the police dash cam. Therefore, police agencies have adapted a new piece of technology that is able to record from a first-hand experience, from beginning to end. Vehicle dash cameras have been an effective tool police agencies have used for many years. Vehicle cameras were mainly used to capture the sound and scenery of what only is ahead of the vehicle, lacking the ability to record everything else. Because of this, police agencies lacked the ability to use their vehicle dash cameras to support their statements. To understand the benefits of body cameras, we first have to know how and why they came about. Body cameras were first adapted by the Rialto police department in California. They did a study in 2012, where Cambridge University partnered with Rialto Police Department Relevant Theoretical Explanation Application There are many theories that cover why police choose to misbehave. A theory that explains why police choose to deviate against policy and procedures is the differential association theory. Rational choice theory will explain why shifting towards body cameras in police departments will positively influence police behavior. Differential association theory is covered by Dormeals and his study to figure out if officers are less tolerant of corruption than other groups? He mentioned Groups that are assimilated and socialized within a tolerant environment, therefore, have a wide range of alternative definitions of corruption. Whenever a corrupt practice is accepted as a way of doing business, it will probably not be defined as corrupt. Police officers are supposed to disapprove of deviant behavior and to be exposed to negative definitions of crime. Accordingly, police officers â€Å" as members of a group organized against corruption â€Å" can be supposed to be less tolerant when making judgements about corrupt situations (Dormaels, pg.598). This means that officers around level-minded people like them, are most likely to be exposed to corruption, therefore adapting to that kind of behavior and practicing it. Areas such as the minority community, is where police corruption is seen the most. This is where low-income families, the majority being black, are living and are being targeted. Police are known to engage in behavior towards minorities. Police behavior towards minorities reflects historical factors that exist today. For example, racial discrimination, excessive force, police brutality and verbal and physical harassment. By adapting to body cameras, the complaints filed for police misconduct will decrease and body cameras will also influence the officers to reduce the amount of police misconduct they are currently engaging on. Rational Choice theory is created around the impression that all humans rationalize their decision making with the consequences. They will tend to act rational in order to increase their profit. In this case, officers will have to act rational once they have body cameras on them and weigh out the consequences to their actions. Police officers have a zero tolerance on corruption and should not be driven by other officers individual actions/choices. When wearing the body cameras, police officers will have to further weigh the consequences in evaluating: if they are going to succeed in such behavior, how the punishment will fit the crime they commit and their loss in their career. Crime officers commit is not always due to their motivation and their predisposition, but their choice to commit such crime.

Picturing The Bible By Spier J. Art Museum, Fort Worth

Picturing the Bible, by Spier J. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 2007. 288 pages. Reviewed by June Cuffner. Picturing the bible explores the tradition of Christian art throughout the third century A.D. Christianity slowly emerged becoming the religion of the Roman Empire. This book is based on Christianity and how the religion was viewed through images. The text has an ere of concepts that ties in the concepts of Christians to the beginning of the start of Christianity. The purpose of this book is to show the readers the difference between how Christian art was represented and how other art was portrayed. I will be giving an overview of what Christianity represents and the art work that it includes. Christian art has never been decorative nor has it been publicized instead it was only represented throughout funerals and devotionals. The bible was a way of picturing the word and how reading it opened the word for the people. Christianity relied solely on imagination and contradicted what art work is considered today which now relies heavily on visual images. In the roman empire the people saw things through mosaics, wall paintings, portraits etc. That is how they pictured their art. They were trying to set up the way art work they believed should be viewed. They had decorations on various monuments, churches, tombs etc. which represented the pagan aspect. They wanted more visual art work whereas with Christianity they visualized through their own mind and instead lived by

Group Dynamics Drugs and Substance

Question: Discuss about the Group Dynamicsfor Drugs and Substance. Answer: Introduction The society faces many challenges that affect the livelihood of individuals on a daily basis. However, survival depends on the ability of one to cope with situations and find a way forward despite the challenges. Interaction with people beyond family and friends can be very helpful in making one feel better especially when stressed. Support groups are one way of assisting individuals with unique concerns such as drugs and substance abuse, domestic violence and gender inequality to solve their problems. People who face the same challenges can share experiences and help each other to change the perception they have of their condition because by talking to others with similar problems the burden of isolation and stigma reduces. It is important to look at the formation of support groups and how they help to serve special interests in society by providing hope and creating a sense of belonging. The youth are a special section of the population that requires attention and guidance to overcome the challenges they face in life. This group of the population is young, and at times they overestimate their expectations, and when they fail to achieve them, they resort to anti-social behavior such as violence, theft, and alcoholism as a way of releasing stress. Even though the youth are an integral part of countries economies, they are still neglected when it comes to employment because of the lack of experience. This has resulted in idleness and frustration to the extent that they engage in drugs as the immediate consolation to their misfortune. Apart from unemployment other critical issues concerning the youth are school dropout, poverty and materialism and addiction to drugs and substance abuse (Lochner Bales, 2006). These problems contribute to the decay of the moral fabric, and unless focus if put on controlling them, society risks losing more youth to vices. Support groups are beneficial to the well-being of the child in the sense that they offer a platform for peers to talk about the issues that affect them and how best to deal with them. Group work empowers the youth to develop skills of solving the issues that affect them as a group by sharing information and news of interest to them. It is also important because members of a group with similar problems get an emotional identification through inspiration and encouragement that they get from some members who act as role models because they managed to achieve despite the challenges they have (Ebenstein, 2006). In groups, there is the security of the personal issues that the youth reveal when sharing their experience and thoughts. The youth feel comfortable opening up in groups than to professionals because of the extent of secrecy that the group members hold to themselves. Teamwork among the youth boosts their self-esteem and reduces depression because members have a sense of identity a nd feel part of the society through their interactions (Gitterman, 2014). Drugs and substance abuse among the youth are ever increasing because many challenges have not been addressed such as unemployment and poverty. An active support group for the young people who are addicted to drugs should be formed with the aim of helping them change their behavior with time. Confidentiality in the support group is necessary for them to open up comfortably without fear. The group should also understand and share feeling so that all members participate in giving their experiences through self-disclosure (Figueras, 2014). Persuasion and morale building in youth groups should be done for them to see that it is possible to stop drug abuse and embrace change as done by others who faced the same problem but managed to change. According to Turner (2011), support groups should aim at providing solutions to the problems that people face through sharing and coming up coping strategies. The youth who are addicted to drugs have their reasons as to why they use drugs; this means the support group should have a deliberate process to identify their goals and consider fighting oppressions such as discrimination by age, disability, and race (Ward, 2014). In the support group, there must be the participation of all members so that they feel equally treated but not controlled by others. Discussion and dialogue with members provide grounds for expressing ideas and give emotional support to each other. The youth who feel neglected should find the support group a useful empowerment platform to speak their mind on the challenge of addiction to drugs and be able to adopt change after getting advice from the experiences of others. Chan (2014) noted that the formation of support groups for drug addicts should incorporate social identity issues to help the group understand the cause of abusing drugs. Moreover, the perception and belief that the jobless youth are idle to engage in drugs are one reason why many youths decide to use drugs because they want to associate themselves with others of their age who use drugs. Peer influence and the demand for them to look similar and identify themselves with others results in some of the youth engaging in drugs. Differences in religion and the belief that some religions support drug use is a social problem that needs to be rectified (Saunders, 2012). Inclusive and accessible support groups embrace the diversity of cultures and have members across different ethnic lines so that different experiences are shared ( Kumaran, 2011). The location of a support group must be at a place where the disabled can access because they are also entitled to getting services from support gr oups. Self-disclosure and confidentiality must be assured to all members because as part of the group, they all have the right to be treated fairly. Barriers to membership on the basis of age, gender or social class should be avoided so that all those facing the problem of drug addiction get a chance to join the support group. Agenda for One Support Group Session Topic: Managing without Alcohol Schedule 1. Introduction from the facilitator (5mins) The facilitator welcomes members of the support group to the session and introduces the topics of discussion. 2. Icebreakers (15mins) Members are put into groups of three and given time to do some physical exercise of their choice. 3. Song (5mins) Members sing a song after reassembling before talks start 4. Open floor for members to share their experiences on the use of alcohol and some side effects they have faced (20mins) 5.Encouragement talk from a case study- someone who was an addict before but who has managed to live without drinking (20mins) 6. Questions and contribution from members on the lessons learned (10mins) The relevance of the introduction in the session is to alert members of the topic of discussion while icebreakers are meant to give members a chance to interact and get to know each other well in groups (Murphy Khazanchi, 2008). The song is used to create the mood for the session to begin. Experiences are shared to disclose what members have gone through while the case study is used to attach relevance to the topic and to show evidence that it is indeed possible to survive without alcohol. A question and answer session are meant to find out if members benefitted. Dealing with a particular group of people with special interests requires a keen study of the environment and application of their experiences in the search for a solution that gives answers to their concerns and worries. It is important to come up with effective means to help special interest groups to achieve their goals through sharing experiences and changing the perceptions they hold of issues that affect them. References Chan, M. (2014). Social identity gratifications of social network sites and their impact on collective action participation.Asian Journal Of Social Psychology,17(3), 229-235. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12068 Ebenstein, H. (2006). Caregiver Support Groups: Finding Common Ground.Social Work With Groups,29(2-3), 243-258. https://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j009v29n02_16 Figueras, J. (2014). Moderation and facilitation of group discussions.European Journal Of Public Health,24(suppl_2). https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku162.113 Gitterman, A. (2006). Building Mutual Support in Groups.Social Work With Groups,28(3-4), 91-106. https://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j009v28n03_07 Kumaran, K. (2011). The role of Self-help Groups in Promoting Inclusion and Rights of Persons with Disabilities.Disability, CBR Inclusive Development,22(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v22i2.78 Lochner, A., Bales, S. (2006). Framing youth issues for public support.New Directions For Youth Development,2006(112), 11-23. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/yd.190 Murphy, J., Khazanchi, D. (2008). Synergistic Ideation Through Pairing Participants in Facilitated Group Support Systems Sessions.American Journal Of Business,23(2), 27-36. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/19355181200800007 Saunders, P. (2012). Religiosity, citizenship, and attitudes to social policy issues.Australian Journal Of Social Issues,47(3), 335-352. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1839-4655.2012.tb00252.x Turner, H. (2011). Concepts for Effective Facilitation of Open Groups.Social Work With Groups,34(3-4), 246-256. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2011.558822 Ward, N. (2014). Book review: Donna Baines (ed.) Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice: Social Justice Social WorkBainesDonna (ed.) Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice: Social Justice Social Work, 2nd edition, Halifax, Nova Scotia: Fernwood, 2011. 342 pp. 22.50 (Pbk). ISBN 9781552664100.Critical Social Policy,34(1), 140-142. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261018313507523

Jfk Essays (507 words) - Kennedy Family, Bouvier Family,

Jfk John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States (1961-1963). He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917,the second oldest in a family of nine children, the son of financier Joseph P. Kennedy, who served as ambassador to Great Britain during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He graduated from Harvard University in 1940. In 1941, John Kennedy joined the Navy. He became the commander of a small boat assigned to the battle in the Pacific against the Japanese. After World War II he soon decided to run for political office. In 1946, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, Kennedy, a Democrat, served three terms (six years) in the House of Representatives, and in 1952 he was elected to the U.S. Senate.In 1953, he married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. In the general election on November 8, 1960, Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon, in a very close race. Kennedy was the youngest man elected President and the first Catholic. Just after the election, the Kennedy's second child, John Jr., was born. Kennedy wanted Americans to travel to a more distant destination. In May 1961, after Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut to fly into space, Kennedy asked Congress to spend more money on space exploration, with the goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade.In 1963, clashes between the police and demonstrating blacks in Birmingham, Ala., and elsewhere, especially in the South, induced the president to stress civil rights legislation. Kennedy's new civil rights message included bills to ban discrimination in places of business; to speed up desegregation of public schools; and to end discrimination in the hiring of workers on federal construction projects. On Nov. 22, 1963, Kennedy was shot to death in Dallas, Texas, the fourth United States president to die by an assassin's bullet. The state funeral of President Kennedy was watched on television by millions around the world. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. During his time as President, JFK had to make difficult decisions. Many of the hardest choices concerned the relationship between our nation and the Soviet Union. President Kennedy's death caused enormous sadness and grief among all Americans. Most people still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news of the murder. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington for the President's funeral, and millions throughout the world watched it on television. As the years have gone by and other Presidents have written their chapters in history, John Kennedy's brief time in office stands out in people's memories--for his leadership, personality, and accomplishments. Many respect his coolness when faced with difficult decisions--like what to do about the missiles in Cuba. Others admire his ability to inspire people with his eloquent speeches. Still others think his compassion and his willingness to fight for new government programs to help the poor, the elderly and the ill were most important. Like all leaders, John Kennedy made mistakes, but he was always optimistic about the future. He believed that people could solve their common problems if they put their country's interests first and worked together. History Essays

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Contemporary Feminism essays The Type of contemporary, or second wave feminism that appeals to me the most is that of Black Feminism. This type of feminism appeals to me the most because I feel that the black feminists are the strongest. I feel this way because not only are they fighting for rights as women, they are also fighting for rights as people and as a race in this world. Black women are oppressed because of their race, and again because they are black. Yet, nonetheless, they continue to fight for womens rights and for black rights. In this cruel and ugly world, they find strength within each other to rise above their oppressors and continue to fight as slow as the process may be. They want to join other women in the fights for rights but at the same time realize that it is a step-by-step process and they must earn rights as a race before their voices can be heard as fighters for the gender. They have a strong sense of community and work hard to help each other. Black feminists offered a lot of in sight into what working towards freedom was, it was not only about womens rights. Shirley Chisholm said Working toward our own freedom, we can help others work free from the traps of their stereotypes, In the end, antiblack, antifemale, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing, andtihumanism. This is something that perhaps a white feminist would not of thought of because they were too worried about their own rights. I appreciate black feminism the most because I believe they are the smartest when it comes to rising above oppression, their demands are not irrational and they represent all oppressed people. They have a strong sense of what they are fighting for and at the same time understand the complexity and struggle that comes with the fight. The type of feminism that appeals to me the least is that of Separatism. Separatist feminists believe that it is impossible to change society, so in the place of...

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Mixed Design Research - Assignment Example Creswell in his bestselling text Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed method Approaches (Third Edition, 2009). This book talks about the qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies depending on each form of inquiry: it deals right from the initial stage of philosophical assumptions to the writing and presentation of the research paper. In keeping with the mixed method approach on the subject of educational research, which is what this paper examines; the greatest challenge higher education faces in the future are issues of funding and searching for authentic funding agencies; availability of relevant materials in one’s hometown (Metros and big cities have an advantage over people from smaller towns and villages who need to relocate sometimes); availability of research guides; issue of limited seats in common entrance exams for Fellowship purpose; accessibility of research materials, especially journals, often leading to time-consuming processing of limi ted sponsorships to visit those places to get the relevant journals; issue with library access to rare books and consequent time wastage while waiting for library loans to be processed; availability and access to labs with state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology, and issues with unaided research especially for science students where they would need to visit labs every day and cannot devote time to anything else. The issues stated above are real-time challenges experienced and observed by an eminent college professor; who has been teaching English to university students for the last 5 years (Anonymous, 2011). In fact, due to issues with lengthy processing of library loans and lack of proper access to journals and other relevant research materials, she had to visit London on applied sponsorship for about two months to get access to those rare journals and books in order to complete her thesis paper on time. The professor

The Concept of Globalization. Main Effects of the Process of Essay

The Concept of Globalization. Main Effects of the Process of Globalization in the Contemporary World - Essay Example The paper outlines the growing importance of the globalization in the world of today, which is defined as the integration of the world economies by the way of lifting restrictions on trade and finance, and critically considers its advantages and disadvantages, which it brings to disparate in economic respect countries. Proponents of the globalization say that it is a positive force that is making the world a better place. In fact, they say, economic and social indicators show that the world's people are better off than they were before globalization. The solution to economies that are not sufficiently open to trade is more globalization, in the form of free trade, not less. As globalization went on, the plight of the world's poor has improved. The number of people, living in the poverty would undoubtedly be higher and the level of poverty deeper if not for the advances, such as open economies and technology transfers, brought about by globalization, they argue. Some people are totally opposed to globalization, claiming that, among other ill effects, it hinders the efforts of poor nations to climb out of poverty. They believe that the process of opening borders to trade and the free flow of money and ideas should be abandoned. Globalization has failed to deliver the promised benefits to the world's poor. There have been improvements in certain areas, such as health care and infant mortality rates in parts of the developing world, they concede, but, overall, the vast majority of wealth and opportunity still goes to a disproportionately small percentage of population. Although the common perception is that globalization is a new phenomenon, some economists and historians say that it has been taking place for centuries.

Ancient Near Eastern Thought And The Old Testament Essay Example for Free

Ancient Near Eastern Thought And The Old Testament Essay The opening chapter begins by orienting the reader to the idea of comparative study, or the area of study that strives to understand things within their broader cultural context. In the case of this book, the goal is to understand the Old Testament within the context of the Ancient Near Eastern milieu. Walton explains that over the years there has been much debate on the issue of comparative study and the way in which it is to be exercised. Scholars, always biased by their presuppositions, tend to enter the argument negating the importance of the Old Testament on the  one side, or defending the inerrancy of Scripture so vehemently that the cultural context is lost. Walton poses a better way, namely, accepting the study of the Ancient Near Eastern cultures as important and academic in their own right while attempting to comprehend the Old Testament in light of what modern scholarship is learning about the ancient world. Studies of this time period often center around who borrowed what literature from whom, but Walton insists that this is not the main issue that ought to be dealt with. Rather, studies of the literature and literary genres of the ANE should assist in the broader understanding of the society. Walton observes several areas that the text will deal with in further details. He first puts emphasis on appreciating the literary genres and how they function as a foundation to any quest into comparative studies. In order to understand the Old Testament fully, one must know how the genres were written and how they are to be interpreted within their cultural context. Secondly, Walton notes religious practices and the necessity of understanding them clearly. Ritual sacrifices, priests, and ceremonial cleanliness are things that are foreign to readers in a modern context. Additionally, a crucial part of understanding the Old Testament is understanding not only the practices of the Israelites, but the practices of the other people groups that made up the ANE. Finally, it is important to understand the theology of a people group and the broader views of God and the gods within the ANE in order to interpret the text well. Walton closes the first chapter by pointing out that comparative studies assists study of the Bible in at least four major areas: (1) history of the ANE, (2) archeological understanding of the lifestyle, (3) literature, and (4) language. CHAPTER 2 Chapter two deals with the different ways in which comparative studies are used within current scholarship. Walton first attends to the ways in which comparative studies are being utilized within critical scholarship. As additional information is unearthed about the ANE, many of the ideas once held in critical scholarship have been challenged. Previous assumptions about texts and thoughts, primarily based on evolution, are being reconsidered. Critical scholarship has a history of assuming that critical thought and religious practice had simple beginnings and have evolved through time. Research is showing these assumptions in source criticism,  reaction criticism, and issues of dating to be incorrect in light of the data. Though, as Walton notes, there has been some resistance to comparative studies within the circles of critical scholarship, most of the data being provided is being accepted and studied at greater length. Walton also notes the use of comparative studies in polemics and dismisses such uses due to the fact that the text is not approached in a scholarly manner. Scholars of a more conservative persuasion, primarily Evangelicals, and others termed confessional scholars by Walton, have had a more difficult time adopting comparative studies. As further information has been gathered about the relation of the Pentateuch to ANE literature and as new data has arisen through archeology, confessional scholars have felt their longstanding foundations threatened, which has caused their hesitancy to fully embrace comparative studies. Many feel that maintaining the Bibles unique status among other ANE literature is of supreme importance and continue to argue that comparative studies degrades the inspiration of the text thus making Gods word subject to mans interpretation. Walton closes the chapter by proposing an integrated approach including critical analysis to better understand the history of the Bible, unbiased and educated defense of the biblical text, and solid exegesis that guards the reader from understanding the text outside of its context. Walton argues that the field of comparative studies must be important not only to serious scholars, but also to anyone committed to truly knowing and understanding the Word of God. CHAPTER 3 Chapter three is dedicated to a brief overview of the literary styles of the ANE and gives examples of the styles from some of the primary people groups. The discussion begins with myth, which was one of the primary ways that ancient civilizations explained their present reality. Short examples from several cultures are given and include many parallels to the Biblical stories such as the creation account and the flood. Others bear little resemblance to the Bible such as the stories of the fighting gods of Akkadian myths. Next are literary texts and epics which tell the stories of the kings of different lands, their struggles to power, and their exploits while ruling. The most famous is the Gilgamesh epic, which follows Gilgamesh on his journey to find immortality. The third literary type is ritual texts  which, as the name says, follow the rituals of the people groups of the ancient world. Rituals were important as they helped humans communicate with and persuade the gods. Fourth, Walton deals with divination and incantation texts which were used to divine the meanings of omens, undo evil spells, and ward off bad spirits. These are dealt with at length later in the book. Fifth, he explains the significance of the use of letters exchanged between kings gives the modern day reader noteworthy information about the culture of the past. Walton then moves to royal inscriptions which were recordings ordered by kings. They could contain items such as details on how a building was to be constructed, conquests, details of how to handle their succession, and other various accomplishments and instructions. In a similar vein are annals and chronicles which detailed the succession of rulers through the history of an empire, coupled with their important victories in war. Treaties were another piece of literature that was used to establish rules between kings and rulers of different lands. The next section deals with government and points out law collections and legal documents as important literary devices. While law collections detail the ways in which society was to run and how people were to behave, legal documents dealt with contracts for marriages, children, family estates, and court rulings. Religious literature was also common in the Ancient Near East. Psalms and hymns were ways to give adoration to the gods so that they would be pleased and provide for the people. Wisdom literature contained details about how to make good choices, but also contained laments and writings concerning ethics. Prophetic writing was another important communication because it contained communication from the gods which was a vital part of the life of the ancient cities. Kings sought answers to their problems from the gods and they received them through the prophets. These prophesies were often recorded. Walton closes the chapter by noting various miscellaneous writings as well as arc hives, which were groups of literature often found together which contained all sorts of different information. CHAPTER 4 Chapter four opens the third section of the book which is an overview of the religious views of the ANE. In order to fully understand the Old Testament and the interactions of the Hebrew people with God, and other false gods, it is important to understand how the religious system worked.  Throughout the chapter Walton shows how other empires worshiped and compares those beliefs to beliefs held by Israel. First and foremost, the other people groups of the ANE were polytheistic and therefore, the idea of one God was odd in itself. Add to this the fact that the Israelite God was not made and had simply always been, and the oddities became significantly greater. Not only was the norm polytheistic, but there were great stories about how the gods came to be, their battles with one another, their failures, and their flaws. The gods were defined by the things that they did. Earlier chapters note the fact that the culture of this time period was highly focused on function. Again, due to the polytheism, the gods functioned as a team of sorts. The God of the Bible is, indeed, three in one, but nonetheless one God who is all powerful. The Old Testament does make mention of a council that God used to make decisions, but this is altogether different from the unstable group of random gods of other people groups which were completely separate, with different gifts and skills, and with significant flaws. Walton then turns to the roles that the gods played in the cosmos as well as their attributes. Whereas Yahweh is completely outside of the cosmos, the gods of the ANE were associated with elements of the cosmos. So while Yahweh is the creator of the sun, the moon, and the waters, the gods of other polytheistic religions actually were one with those elements. They had no life or meaning independent from those elements. For instance, the god of the seas controlled the sea and was the sea itself. There was no distinction and no separation as with the God of the Israelites. The attributes of the gods were in some ways similar to Yahweh, but were altogether different in others. The most notable difference is the fact that while Yahweh is completely other, the gods were inherently human in their characteristics. They argued with one another, they needed to be flattered with prayers that did not necessarily communicate their true nature, they were limited in their geographic location, they procreated, and they failed. People of the ANE had attributed to the gods of their myths the same characteristics that they saw in their everyday lives. The main difference between the gods and humans was that the gods were simply stronger. All other characteristics were intrinsically human. This is a far cry from the God of the Bible who is holy, not bound by anything, and never fails. The chapter closes by dealing with a very important part of the  makeup of the gods, their divine attributes. In Evangelical circles God is not simply described as being loving. Rather, He is love itself. God does not simply rule in a just way, he is the epitome of justice. The God of the Old Testament is perfection in every area of everything. There is no flaw or limitation in him. His wisdom, love, justice, and mercy are not only perfect in and of themselves, but God is those things. The gods of the ANE were significantly different in that the attributes that they had were directly linked to their actions. There were no inherent attributes in them, or as Walton says, deity is as deity does. The duties that each god had were the attributes that they carried. CHAPTER 5 Chapter five is dedicated to the understanding of the role of the temple and the accompanying rituals in the ANE. Walton first deals with the role that the temple played. Temples were created not primarily for worship of the gods, but were the places where the gods resided while on earth. This was a sacred space that was to be free from all profanity and reserved for the rest and worship of that god. Each temple contained an idol, like a plaque or a statue. This statue was not simply a rendering; the commonly held view was that the god actually inhabited the idol in some way without actually becoming the idol. Because of this, the ancients believed that the creation of the idol was supernaturally overseen and organized by that specific god so that the idol would meet its expectations. This process was familiar to the Old Testament prophets and they prophesied against the idols and false gods. Attached to the temple was at least one ziggurat, which was a structure that encased a stair way which served as a portal for the god from the heavenly realm into the earthly temple. These were large structures and this was probably what Moses was referring to when he spoke of the tower of Babel in Genesis. So in opposition to common Sunday school teaching, the tower of Babel was not meant to reach to the heavens, but was a portal meant to bring heaven to earth. The temple was the most important structure in ancient culture. It was the center of everything and, due to the fact that the god inhabited the temple, was the source of all things good. Temples were viewed as the center of the cosmos in the ancient world. Walton observes that in this area, the Bible and ancient myths agree in that the presence of the god, or Yahweh in the case of the Bible, was what made the  space important. He claims that the Garden of Eden was not a literal geographic place on earth, rather it was a place in the cosmos where God dwelt. The presence of God was what made Eden special. The same goes for the temples of the ancients. The presence of the gods made them the focal point of life. Not only was the temple the central point of worship, but also of law, the wealth of the city, and the social activities of the people. The focal point of daily activities was the temple. That God would inhabit the tabernacle, or the temple, therefore, makes perfect sense in the culture of the ANE. Solomons temple is used as the focal point of the city, where God dwelt and where worship was given. Here, again, the ancient myths and the Bible agree. Harvest, weather, health, wealth, and victory in battle, among other things, were all controlled by the gods in the ANE. Due to this fact, the rituals that were performed for the gods in the temple were important to the livelihood of the people. The gods had to be appeased and the forces of evil and chaos needed to be held at bay. Rituals, therefore, were the way in which humans interacted with the gods to make sure that they were happy and that the cosmos was in balance. Blood sacrifices were not unique to the Israelites, but were a common trend of the day. However, unlike the other tribes of the ANE, the Israelites did not use incantations. Furthermore, while faith in God was of primary concern for the Israelites, action and involvement in the cult of the temple were of paramount importance. CHAPTER 6 In the midst of everything that was happening in and around the temple, the way in which the common people of the land practiced religion was different. The contrast between the religion of the state and the religion of the common people is the focus of this chapter. Religion in the city environment is handled first. As mentioned in previous chapters, the gods were to be served, taken care of, and appeased. For these reasons, the idols mentioned in chapter five were cared for just as one might take care of a new born baby. They were woken, fed, pampered, and put to bed at night. The problem was that there was no way to know if the people were, indeed, pleasing the god. Without any revelation there was no way to know if the practices were actually making any difference in the temperament of the god. Each god was assigned roles and responsibilities, and each one, in turn, delegated their responsibilities back to the people. For instance, a certain god might be in charge of keeping justice, but those responsibilities were meted out to the king. However, in the midst of all of this service to the gods, the gods were prone to be temperamental. Gods would change their minds and moods often. Diviners might offer solutions like giving more money or upgrading the temple, but again, without revelation the gods were unknowable and this kept the ancient people always guessing and attempting new tactics to change their situations. Yahweh stood in stark contrast to the gods of the polytheistic pantheon. God has no need of anything from man. He is not contained. All of his choices are perfect and right. What is most important, however, is the fact that He communicated with his people so that they were fully aware of what he expected and in order that they might know the consequences for their actions. The religion of the common people was significantly different however. Whereas the temple and the workings of the state were dedicated to one of the higher and more powerful gods, the common people had individual gods, lower on the polyth eistic totem pole, that they worshiped and attempted to appease. Usually devotion to these gods was passed down from generation to generation. Abrahams initial communication with and faith in God, before the Hebrews were a people, fit the idea of a personal god. The primary goal of having a personal god was to bring the family social success, stature, and wealth. The relationship with these gods was different from he relationship that Abraham had with Yahweh. Just as with the state, there was no real heart-connect with the god, no real desire to know him and be like him. The goal was to keep the god happy so that the family would reap the benefits. This attitude presented itself in the weak prayer life of the people. When a family’s personal god was not doing the things that caused their family success, the family was looked down upon in society. It was clear that the family was doing something wrong that was not satisfying the demands of the god. The emphasis was not on the wrongdoing, but on the view society held of your family. Prayers and ritual acts to please the god focused on restoration of respect in the town, not restoration of a relationship with the god. Ethics and morals were also tightly bound to the gods and the balance of society. There were not ethical norms as there are in the modern context. Everything revolved around the gods and what they wanted. Because of the idea of continuity among all  of the realms, morals were not necessarily important. Whatever it took to keep society orderly and balanced was what took priority. So, if orgies or other sexual actions pleased the gods and kept things in order, then it was perfectly acceptable. There was no sense that things of this nature might be considered immoral. These absolutes can only be found in a God who guides one to moral absolutes and makes clear what is morally right and wrong. This is what God did as he revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob orally, and how he set up guidelines with the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai. God does what the artificial gods of the pagans could not do. He revealed himself so that the Israelites could know his will and follow it. He committed to them in a covenant relationship and taught them how to live within that relationship. He showed them how to strive for holiness, by imitating him, an idea that was otherwise nonexistent. He showed them how to have the best possible life, and ultimately, developed a relationship with them personally. CHAPTER 7 Chapter seven is the first chapter in the fourth part of the book, which is dedicated to the cosmos. The seventh chapter in particular deals with how the people of the ANE viewed the makeup of the cosmos. Whereas, due to science and exploration, people in modern times understand that the earth is round and that it travels around the sun while spinning on its own axis, the views of how the cosmos functioned were significantly different in the ANE. Understanding the ancient view of cosmological geography is vital in comprehending the worldview of the ANE. Many of the people groups of the ANE understood the cosmos to be layered. The Earth was the middle layer with heaven above and the netherworld below. The earth was thought to stand still and the sun was thought to travel on a track up on one side of the earth, across the sky, and down into the netherworld in the evening. In some myth systems it was believed that the sky, which was believed to be solid, was supported by mountains at the edges of the earth, while yet other traditions claimed that the earth was supported by giant columns. In addition, ANE myths believed that the sky held the waters back and that when precipitation came, the water was falling through cracks or holes in the sky layer. It is important to note that the world of the ANE was primarily concerned about function over mere existence. Therefore, the  cosmos had no importance in and of itself, but only within the context of the gods using nature to accomplish their desires and dole out their punishments. Regardless of the different views held within the ancient tribes, they all viewed the area that they inhabited as the center of the cosmos. Walton shows that this view about the makeup up of the cosmos was held by the Israelites as well. We have no reason to believe that the modern view of the cosmos was held by the Israelites. Throughout the Old Testament we see references that show that the Israelites held to the common views of the cosmos first and foremost because that was the normal view in those days, but also because God never revealed to them any other way by which to understand the cosmos. CHAPTER 8 Chapter eight handles the important issues of the origin and order of the cosmos. Gaining knowledge about the origin of the world gives excellent insight into the creation account and shows the student of the Bible the important value that God places on humans. As mentioned earlier it is necessary to understand that the culture of the ANE valued function over existence. For something to merely exist was not nearly as important as the function of that thing. This idea has significant repercussions when it comes to the study of cosmogony. Moderns often read the creation account and assume that God was calling things into existence, but this view would not have made much sense to anyone writing in the ANE. It would have been a foreign idea because to simply bring something into existence was of little consequence. Creation was more focused on a purpose than it was on making an object available. One of the first and most important steps in the making functional process was the naming of things, which fits nicely into the creation account of the Bible. God creates and names. This naming process kick starts that object’s function. Walton makes some very interesting points when it comes to the Biblical account of creation. He says that it should be understood, from the text, that the account in the first chapter of Genesis is not one of God creating things that did not exist, but bringing order and function to those things. The reader can notice that Genesis 1never claims that there was nothing. It simply communicates that the earth was without form; it had no order or function. He mentions that on days one through three God does not simply create light,  water and vegetation, but that he was bringing function to those things by giving light the function of time-keeping, water the function of the climate, and vegetation the function of providing food for man and animal s. Therefore, unlike the gods of the other tribes, the God of the Bible gives function and destiny to all things from the very beginning. He is not trying to manage the cosmos and the functions therein, he has already created and set them in motion with specific purpose. His initial purposes for all things cannot be changed and need no management. The chapter closes by explaining the temple as a depiction of the cosmos. This idea is touched on in chapter five and is reiterated here. The place of rest for the gods was their temple. When everything was in order they were able to relax in their sacred space. God, however, is bigger than anything that he has created and uses the earth as his footstool. The Temple of Yahweh was modeled after the cosmos to show this relationship. CHAPTER 9 Literature, religion, and the cosmos have all been dealt with thus far. Now Walton turns to how people functioned and were understood in the context of the ANE. The first step, which is the focus of chapter nine, is to understand how people thought about the past and recorded history. Any conversation about humans naturally begins with their origins. The biblical account of the creation of humans is unique from the myths of the ANE in several ways. First is the fact that the Genesis account sets up Adam and Eve as the sole couple from which all other humans come, known as monogenesis. In other myths, humans are made in more of a group setting, polygenesis, where there is no singular couple from which all human life stems. Secondly is the difference in substance from which humans are created. The biblical account notes that God used the dust of the ground to create Adam and that He breathed life into his nostrils, whereas other matter, including clay and body parts from conquered gods , were used in other myths. The conversation then moves from how humans were made to what pieces or parts they actually contain. Walton notes that there remains disagreement as to whether humans are a unified whole or if they are separated somehow by body, mind, and spirit. Walton notes that due to language barriers, the words describing the human makeup from the ANE are difficult to translate and explain. The Egyptians used several terms to  describe how humans were made. Ka was the natural character of a person based on their ties to their lineage. Ba was the way in which they displayed themselves to society, similar to a reputation. Akh was the soul or spirit of a person that was said to live on after death. The Israelites, on the other hand, used different terms. Perhaps, due to the aforementioned language issues, it is best to quote Walton in this explanation. He says that, nephesh is related to awareness and perception while ruah is related to consciousness and vitality. Finally, the chapter deals with the role of humans in the cosmos. There is a very important distinction to be made in this area between the views of the Egyptians, Akkadians, and Sumarians and the views of the Israelites. The former saw the gods as the center of the cosmos and humans as an unimportant byproduct to assist the gods and appease them, whereas the latter saw their role as priests created to serve God. The Bible gives an important role to humans as the pinnacle of Gods creation, and this idea is unique in the ANE. CHAPTER 10 Chapter ten addresses the recording of history and the mindset that drove the guidelines that the people of the ANE followed in recording history. Furthermore, the chapter shows what that set of guidelines communicates about the mindset of the recorders. As this text has clearly stated, the mindset of the people of the ANE was focused around the gods. The modern mindset is one that focuses on the things that people can see and experience. Modern history is based on physical facts. The cognitive environment of the ANE was such that natural proof or fact was not the main concern. The ancient culture was focused on the gods and what means had been employed to please and serve the gods. Deity was the focal point of historiography. Furthermore, the goals of history were different than the goals of a modern-day journalist. While the journalist of today is concerned about facts and events, the ancients were concerned about the meaning of those events. Due to the fact that everything that happened was tied to the gods in some way, history was the result of what was happening in the supernatural world. These happenings, of course, were of primary importance, so little significance was placed on the events themselves. Rather, the emphasis was on deciphering what information these  events were communicating about the actions of the gods. The way in which events of history worked together and the purpose behind them was also significant. There was a sense of an underlying through-line beneath the surface of every event in history. A good example of this mindset would be the way in which Christians believe that amidst all of the surface things in life, God is working out his perfect will. What happened in each event was not nearly as important as how that event may have furthered a larger piece of the narrative of life. The differences in mindset between the ancients and moderns continue in the area of explaining time. Today most people think of time as linear; the present is now, the past behind, and the future ahead. This was not the normative view of time in the ANE. It was as if the person standing on the time line were turned around, looking into the past with the future behind them. Their view of the past and how it affected the future was most important. The final portion of the chapter focuses on the necessity of understanding the form in which history was written in order to fully realize the meaning of the history itself. Often writers were not necessarily attempting to provide legitimate history telling in their narratives. Because of this, the facts leading up to the conclusion may or may not be accurate because there was no need for them to be so. Much narrative was fiction. Therefore, to understand the writings of the ANE, one must realize that narrative is not primarily concerned about the events, as mentioned above, but on the outcomes, which affects ones ability to glean truth-telling history from the narrative writings. Additionally, the source of the literature, who it promotes, and the audience it was intended for all play an important role in attempting to understand the history of the times. These values, as Walton calls them, play a significant role in how ancient history is to be interpreted. The aforementioned points affect the way in which the Old Testament is read and understood. The history that is recorded in the Old Testament, though it is divinely inspired, must still be understood in the context in which it was written, taking into consideration the values, writers, intended audience, poetics, and importance of deity. CHAPTER 11 Chapter eleven moves to the next step by considering how people lived their day to day lives. Divination, mentioned briefly in other chapters, is  now fully explained. Divination was the attempt to try to deduce from a god the future, or to gain a better comprehension of that god. There were two types of divination, inspired and deductive. Inspired divination involved a message from the gods through a human messenger, while deductive divination included a message from the gods sent through natural means like events or weather. People who engaged in this process were known by different names depending on the type of divination they practiced and the type of omens they used. Inspired messages often came through prophets and dreams. Official prophets were paid and trained by the king to serve as intermediaries between him and the gods. Others, outside of the kings employ that received random messages were known as informal prophets. Dreams generally came to people by happenstance, and because there was so much to decipher, there was much written in the area of dream interpretation. Deductive divination was a reading of signs and events done by trained people. Signs or omens might be found in the sky, through the weather, the stars, the waters, organs of dead animals, lot casting, and other phenomena in nature. Attempting to divine answers about the future helped people feel a sense of control and normalcy. The Bible employs inspired divination as God speaks through the prophets and assists Daniel and Joseph, among others, to interpret dreams. However, the reading of others signs and omens, as in deductive divination, are scolded as evil by the Old Testament. Magic was also practiced in the ANE. Where divination discovered different meanings or problems, magic was able to use power to fix those problems. Incantations and rituals were used to appease the anger of the gods, to eliminate the evil spirits, to cleanse the affected home or space, and to cleanse the effected person from those evil spirits so that they could continue to function as normal. Magicians, known as Asipu were elevated to a high place, similar to a priest, and were focused on discovering and eliminating bad spirits. The Asu used herbs and other natural remedies to aid in the effect of the incantations. Next, the text explains the specific goals of divination. First and foremost, the goal was to legitimize the king and give him guidance. Omens were not set in stone, but rather, were predictions and warnings. If a good omen was found, that didnt necessarily guarantee that the good fortune would come to pass, and vice versa. A main point in understanding the importance of divination was the  issue of certainty. One would think that after several failed attempts to predict the future, the practice would lose its validity. However, this was not the common mindset. Rather than perfect prediction of the future, divination should be understood more along the lines of, â€Å"draw[ing] a particular issue to ones attention. (269) The chapter ends by quickly dealing with the test of a true prophet given in Deuteronomy 18. If a prophesy is off or does not come true, can that prophet immediately be discredited? Walton concludes that based on several texts, prophets were given an opportunity to show their trustworthiness, but if they continued to prove that their words were not from God, they were disregarded. CHAPTER 12 Chapter twelve delves further into how the importance of the city partners with life and purpose of the king. Earlier chapters noted that the people who lived outside of the cities practiced religion in different ways. Within the ANE cultures, living outside of the city or being a nomad was frowned upon. Life in the city was the best life in which to be engaged. The Mesopotamians as well as the Egyptians believed that cities were created by the gods, before humans, as a tie to the past. Just as in every other aspect of life in the ANE, the objectives of both the city and the king were to please the gods. Cities were the epicenter of the world; they were a place where people lived and did business, but ultimately where the temples were. Each city had its own temple that was dedicated to a specific god. The importance of the city was somewhat the same for the Israelites. Gods home on earth was the temple, and the temple was located in the city of Jerusalem. The difference, however, was that there was only one temple for the Israelites, and that temple was in one city. Kings were the rulers of the time, thus directly tied to the cities, and therefore kingship played a very important role in religious practice. Kings were thought to have been chosen by the gods and were always attempting to show that the gods approved of them as king. They were the mediators between the gods and the people who lived under their rule. It was said that they had access to the gods and their plans in a way that no other person did. The view of king was so high in Egypt that he was seen as divine. The king had many responsibilities in regard to the upkeep of the city, one of the most important being the institution of justice. But it was also the kings responsibility to lead  the charge in appeasing the gods so that their land would be safe and overflow with blessing. Again, these ideas are very similar to Hebrew kingship. God did choose a king and he gave them authority to speak on His behalf. Some pose that the OT is anti-king, but it is best to take from the text that God had always planned for a king. He was disgusted that the people did not want him to rule over them and that they wanted a king on their time line. And, of course, from the line of King David comes the ultimate king, the Messiah. CHAPTER 13 Chapter thirteen unpacks even more about how the people of the ANE lived, specifically how their laws were enforced, how wisdom was passed down, their views of justice, and how justice and ethics were related. The first section focuses on the treatises: medical, divinatory, and legal. These writings were wisdom passed down from past decisions made to offer guidance to the next set of people who would be making the decisions. Medical personnel could find remedies that worked, diviners could better know how to interpret an omen, and the king would know hold justice might have been handled prior to his time. These treatises were a series of if statements that explained certain situations and how to handle them. An example might be, â€Å"if a man steals something, cut off his hand.† It is important to note that there was not necessarily a set group of laws, rather, these treatises, along with wisdom literature, were used to create the norms of justice based on what had worked in the past. These pieces of literature served to legitimize the king. The Book of the Covenant is the Israelite writing that most closely resembles this type of literature. Wisdom literature from Egypt and Mesopotamia also played an important role in keeping societal order, but in a different fashion. Wisdom from such literature was meant to foresee potential problems and develop ways to alter the behavior in society so that potential problems would not present themselves. Walton explains that law, as we understand it today, was not a part of the culture of the ANE. There was not a list of rules written down that people used to regulate the way in which they lived. Rather, the state functioned based on personal ideas of fairness, wisdom from kings past, and the king at the present time. The goals were always balance and order in society and in the cosmos. Ergo, as the gods delivered  their responsibilities down through the kings, the kings were held responsible for keeping order in society by handling the judicial responsibilities entrusted to him by the gods. As mentioned in the section on morals and ethics, the gods were primarily concerned about social order, and the personal morality of people was not specifically important. The chapter closes by comparing the way in which people outside of Israel tried to live and how the Hebrews were guided by God to live. While the pagan tribes were focused on conforming to societal expectations, honoring the king, and pleasing the gods, Yahweh had revealed himself to Israel and had given details through the Ten Commandments and the covenant about how to live a holy life. While the pagan communities continued to try and determine a right way to live by waiting for answers from mute gods, the Israelites had heard from the Almighty and were trying to obey the details of the covenant agreement. CHAPTER 14 Having dealt with the ideas of how life began, the importance of familial heritage, and the ways in which life functioned in the day-to-day of the ANE, the final chapter of the book focuses on how future life on earth and the afterlife were viewed in the ANE. The idea of a better life in the future was foreign to the ANE mindset. The focus was not to make a better life for oneself, but to continue the legacy of the family name. Having an heir who would take care of the family business and continue the worship of the family’s gods was vital. Regardless of their situation, there was no savior coming to make things better. Israel, on the other hand, had the hope of the Messiah, which many misunderstood to be an earthly king who would come to free them from bondage and return them to their place of stature as in the days of David. The afterlife was, except for a failed weighing of the heart in Egyptian thought, generally not believed to be a place of punishment. The Egyptians believed that the ba and the ka were separated from the body at death, and that if the correct processes involved in burial were practiced, they would be enabled to reconnect with those pieces. In Mesopotamia, just as the future of life was strongly tied to the idea of family and community, so was the afterlife. The worst thing that could happen to a dead person was improper burial which would cut them off from the family and relegate them to a life alone.  Additionally, those who did not receive a proper burial were thought to be potentially dangerous spirits. It was common practice that those still alive from the family would care for those dead by providing water libations, providing left-over food from the table, and holding meals in honor of their ancestors. Specially trained men would assist them in communicating with the deceased. The netherworld is the name that was consistently used for the afterlife. Humans, aside from kings who were given the opportunity to enter into heaven with the gods, all ended up here. There are multiple stories about the process that one might take in order to gain access to the netherworld, but all eventually ended up here. This is never indicated as a place of torment, but just a plain and boring existence hopefully in community with their ancestors. The Israelite idea of Sheol, which is mentioned in the Old Testament, is not to be understood as hell either. Walton indicates that there is no text that supports the interpretation that Sheol is to be understood in this fashion. POSTSCRIPT In the postscript, Walton reminds the reader of the importance of comparative studies and how vital it is to understand the Old Testament within its cognitive environment. He admits that he has not created the perfect text on the subject, but that one of his goals was to try and further develop the idea of comparative studies in a more complete manner where others have shied to the safe side and not tackled a work such as this. The second goal was to show that the Israelites shared in the cognitive environment of the ANE, which this reader believes he did very well. The author notes that the literature involved in the study of the ANE must be connected to the culture in which it was written and understood in light of it. The final portion shows the latter to be true by summarizing the main areas of thought and the similarities and differences between Israel and the other nations. All believed that the source of human beings was the gods, but only Israel believed in the creation of an original man and woman from whom all other people came. All attempted to please their gods, but only Israel had received revelation that communicated what Yahweh was thinking and what he expected. All were under the rule of a higher power, for Israel it was their upholding of the covenant while for the others it was submission to the king and the gods that had instituted his  rule. While social norms and literature passed down from old kings drove behavior in most people of the ANE, the revelation from God at Sinai gave the Hebrew people a guide for how to live. While all others had no hope of anything good in the future nor anything exciting in the afterlife, the Israelites were given the promise of a king who would come through David whose throne would last forever. Walton ends the text with a final statement that is worth repeating in this summary. He concludes that all of the information proposed within the text should be used to guard against a facile or uninformed imposition of our own cognitive environment on the texts of ancient Israel, which is all too typical in confessional circles. May all confessional readers of Gods word strive to understand his revelation as best as possible so that we might know and discern the perfect will of the one, true God. WORKS CITED Walton, John H.. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006.