Infinite Person Essay

I think that people like Mother Teresa to me is a perfect example of a infinite person.She give us all a new meaning to life. She truly proved that one person can really make a difference in the lives of millions. Mother Teresa set examples for future generations to continue her work.This shows how much of an impact she truly had. She made a difference, not by helping everyone, but by making people stop and realize how they could do the same. It should be instilled in our minds that we have a duty to help and serve others. If we as a hole took the examples of Mother Teresa and followed them our society would be a much better place. She went to countries with no medical care, no food, no drinking water, and never mind other necessities. Mother Teresa used her power of love from God to help those in desperate need. Mother Teresa didn’t get paid for anything she did nor would she except money from organizations or donations. It was not like Mother Teresa had an overwhelming amount of money but she was simply a person who devoted her entire life to serving others and helping those in need. Many people may not have noticed it, but all Mother Teresa had to do was touch a person and that was almost enough. She helped thousands of people in poor countries with ailing diseases, but most importantly see touched the souls of common men. She made even the rich and selfish take a deep look into their lives, which brought out the best in everyone.

Frostbite Chapter 3

Three THE LOBBY OF MY DORM was abuzz when I sprinted downstairs to my before-school practice. The commotion didn't surprise me. A good night's sleep had gone far to chase away the images from last night, but I knew neither I nor my classmates would easily forget what had taken place outside Billings. And yet, as I studied the faces and clusters of other novices, I noticed something weird. The fear and tension from yesterday were still around, certainly, but something new was there too: excitement. A couple of freshmen novices were practically squealing with joy as they spoke in hushed whispers. Nearby, a group of guys my own age were gesturing wildly, enthusiastic grins on their faces. I had to be missing something hereunless all of yesterday had been a dream. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to go over and ask somebody what was happening. If I delayed, I'd be late for practice. The curiosity was killing me, though. Had the Strigoi and their humans been found and killed? That would certainly be good news, but something told me that wasn't the case. Pushing open the front doors, I lamented that I'd just have to wait until breakfast to find out. â€Å"Hath-away, don't run-away,† a singsong voice called. I glanced behind me and grinned. Mason Ashford, another novice and a good friend of mine, jogged up and fell in step with me. â€Å"What are you, twelve?† I asked, continuing on toward the gym. â€Å"Nearly,† he said. â€Å"I missed your smiling face yesterday. Where were you?† Apparently my presence at the Badica house still wasn't widely known. It wasn't a secret or anything, but I didn't want to discuss any gory details. â€Å"Had a training thing with Dimitri.† â€Å"God,† muttered Mason. â€Å"That guy is always working you. Doesn't he realize he's depriving us of your beauty and charm?† â€Å"Smiling face? Beauty and charm? You're laying it on a little thick this morning, aren't you?† I laughed. â€Å"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is. Really, you're lucky to have someone as suave and brilliant as me paying this much attention to you.† I kept grinning. Mason was a huge flirt, and he liked to flirt with me in particular. Part of it was just because I was good at it and liked to flirt back. But I knew his feelings toward me were more than just friendly, and I was still deciding how I felt about that. He and I had the same goofy sense of humor and frequently drew attention to ourselves in class and among friends. He had gorgeous blue eyes and messy red hair that never seemed to lie flat. It was cute. But dating someone new was going to be kind of difficult when I still kept thinking about the time I was half-naked in bed with Dimitri. â€Å"Suave and brilliant, huh?† I shook my head. â€Å"I don't think you pay nearly as much attention to me as you do your ego. Someone needs to knock it down a little.† â€Å"Oh yeah?† he asked. â€Å"Well, you can try your best on the slopes.† I stopped walking. â€Å"The what?† â€Å"The slopes.† He tilted his head. â€Å"You know, the ski trip.† â€Å"What ski trip?† I was apparently missing something serious here. â€Å"Where have you been this morning?† he asked, looking at me like I was a crazy woman. â€Å"In bed! I only got up, like, five minutes ago. Now, start from the beginning and tell me what you're talking about.† I shivered from the lack of movement. â€Å"And let's keep walking.† We did. â€Å"So, you know how everyone's afraid to have their kids come home for Christmas? Well, there's this huge ski lodge in Idaho that's exclusively used by royals and rich Moroi. The people who own it are opening it up for Academy students and their familiesand actually any other Moroi who want to go. With everyone in one spot, they're going to have a ton of guardians to protect the place, so it'll be totally safe.† â€Å"You can't be serious,† I said. We reached the gym and stepped inside out of the cold. Mason nodded eagerly. â€Å"It's true. The place is supposed to be amazing.† He gave me the grin that always made me smile in return. â€Å"We're going to live like royalty, Rose. At least for a week or so. We take off the day after Christmas.† I stood there, both excited and stunned. I hadn't seen this coming. It really was a brilliant idea, one that let families reunite safely. And what a reunion spot! A royal ski lodge. I'd expected to spend most of my holiday break hanging out here and watching TV with Lissa and Christian. Now I'd be living it up in five-star accommodations. Lobster dinners. Massages. Cute ski instructors †¦ Mason's enthusiasm was contagious. I could feel it welling up in me, and then, suddenly, it slammed to a halt. Studying my face, he saw the change right away. â€Å"What's wrong? This is cool.† â€Å"It is,† I admitted. â€Å"And I get why everyone's excited, but the reason we're getting to go to this fancy place is because, well, because people are dead. I mean, doesn't this all seem weird?† Mason's cheery expression sobered a little. â€Å"Yeah, but we're alive, Rose. We can't stop living because other people are dead. And we have to make sure more people don't die. That's why this place is such a great idea. It's safe.† His eyes turned stormy. â€Å"God, I can't wait until we're out of here in the field. After hearing about what happened, I just want to go tear apart some Strigoi. I wish we could go now, you know? There's no reason. They could use the extra help, and we pretty much know everything we need to.† The fierceness in his voice reminded me of my outburst yesterday, though he wasn't quite as worked up as I'd been. His eagerness to act was impetuous and na?ve, whereas mine had been born out of some weird, dark irrationality I still didn't entirely understand. When I didn't respond, Mason gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"Don't you want to?† â€Å"I don't know, Mase.† I stared down at the floor, avoiding his eyes as I studied the toe of my shoe. â€Å"I mean, I don't want Strigoi out there, attacking people either. And I want to stop them in theory†¦ but, well, we aren't even close to being ready. I've seen what they can do I don't know. Rushing in isn't the answer.† I shook my head and looked back up. Good grief. I sounded so logical and cautious. I sounded like Dimitri. â€Å"It's not important since it's not going to happen anyway. I suppose we should just be excited about the trip, huh?† Mason's moods were quick to change, and he turned easygoing once more. â€Å"Yup. And you'd better try to remember how to ski, because I'm calling you out on knocking down my ego out there. Not that it's going to happen.† I smiled again. â€Å"Boy, it sure is going to be sad when I make you cry. I kind of feel guilty already.† He opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver some smartass reply, and then caught sight of somethingor rather, someonebehind me. I glanced over and saw Dimitri's tall form approaching from the other side of the gym. Mason swept me a gallant bow. â€Å"Your lord and master. Catch you later, Hathaway. Start planning your ski strategies.† He opened the door and disappeared into the frigid darkness. I turned around and joined Dimitri. Like other dhampir novices, I spent half of my school day on one form or another of guardian training, be it actual physical combat or learning about Strigoi and how to defend against them. Novices also sometimes had practices after school. I, however, was in a unique situation. I still stood by my decision to run away from St. Vladimir's. Victor Dashkov had posed too much of a threat to Lissa. But our extended vacation had come with consequences. Being away for two years had put me behind in my guardian classes, so the school had declared that I had to make up for it by going to extra practices before and after school. With Dimitri. Little did they know that they were also giving me lessons in avoiding temptation. But my attraction to him aside, I was a fast learner, and with his help, I had almost caught up to the other seniors. Since he wasn't wearing a coat, I knew we'd be working inside today, which was good news. It was freezing out. Yet even the happiness I felt over that was nothing compared to what I felt when I saw what exactly he had set up in one of the training rooms. There were practice dummies arranged on the far wall, dummies that looked amazingly lifelike. No straw-stuffed burlap bags here. There were men and women, wearing ordinary clothes, with rubbery skin and different hair and eye colors. Their expressions ranged from happy to scared to angry. I'd worked with these dummies before in other trainings, using them to practice kicks and punches. But I'd never worked with them while holding what Dimitri held: a silver stake. â€Å"Sweet,† I breathed. It was identical to the one I'd found at the Badica house. It had a hand grip at the bottom, almost like a hilt without the little side flourishes. That was where its resemblance to a dagger ended. Rather than a flat blade, the stake had a thick, rounded body that narrowed to a point, kind of like an ice pick. The entire thing was a little shorter than my forearm. Dimitri leaned casually against the wall, in an easy stance he always pulled off remarkably well, despite being almost six-seven. With one hand, he tossed the stake into the air. It spun around in a cartwheel a couple of times and then came down. He caught it hilt first. â€Å"Please tell me I get to learn how to do that today,† I said. Amusement flashed in the dark depths of his eyes. I think he had a hard time keeping a straight face around me sometimes. â€Å"You'll be lucky if I let you hold it today,† he said. He flipped the stake into the air again. My eyes followed it longingly. I started to point out that I had already held one, but I knew that line of logic would get me nowhere. Instead, I tossed my backpack on the floor, threw off my coat, and crossed my arms expectantly. I had on loose pants tied at the waist and a tank top with a hoodie over it. My dark hair was pulled brutally back into a ponytail. I was ready for anything. â€Å"You want me to tell you how they work and why I should always be cautious around them,† I announced. Dimitri stopped flipping the stake and stared at me in astonishment. â€Å"Come on,† I laughed. â€Å"You don't think I know how you work by now? We've been doing this for almost three months. You always make me talk safety and responsibility before I can do anything fun.† â€Å"I see,† he said. â€Å"Well, I guess you've got it all figured out. By all means, go on with the lesson. I'll just wait over here until you need me again.† He tucked the stake into a leather sheath hanging from his belt and then made himself comfortable against the wall, hands stuffed in pockets. I waited, figuring he was joking, but when he said nothing else, I realized he'd meant his words. With a shrug, I launched into what I knew. â€Å"Silver always has powerful effects on any magical creatureit can help or hurt them if you put enough power into it. These stakes are really hard-core because it takes four different Moroi to make them, and they use each of the elements during the forging.† I frowned, suddenly considering something. â€Å"Well, except spirit. So these things are supercharged and are about the only non-decapitating weapon that can do damage to a Strigoibut to kill them, it has to be through the heart.† â€Å"Will they hurt you?† I shook my head. â€Å"No. I mean, well, yeah, if you drive one through my heart it will, but it won't hurt me like it would a Moroi. Scratch one of them with this, and it'll hit them pretty hardbut not as hard as it'd hit a Strigoi. And they won't hurt humans, either.† I stopped for a moment and stared absentmindedly at the window behind Dimitri. Frost covered the glass in sparkling, crystalline patterns, but I hardly noticed. Mentioning humans and stakes had transported me back to the Badica house. Blood and death flashed through my thoughts. Seeing Dimitri watching me, I shook off the memories and kept going with the lesson. Dimitri would occasionally give a nod or ask a clarifying question. As the time ticked down, I kept expecting him to tell me I was finished and could start hacking up the dummies. Instead, he waited until almost ten minutes before the end of our session before leading me over to one of themit was a man with blond hair and a goatee. Dimitri took the stake out from its sheath but didn't hand it to me. â€Å"Where are you going to put this?† he asked. â€Å"In the heart,† I replied irritably. â€Å"I already told you that like a hundred times. Can I have it now?† He allowed himself a smile. â€Å"Where's the heart?† I gave him an are-you-serious look. He merely shrugged. With overdramatic emphasis, I pointed to the left side of the dummy's chest. Dimitri shook his head. â€Å"That's not where the heart is,† he told me. â€Å"Sure it is. People put their hands over their hearts when they say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the national anthem.† He continued to stare at me expectantly. I turned back to the dummy and studied it. In the back of my brain, I remembered learning CPR and where we had to place our hands. I tapped the center of the dummy's chest. â€Å"Is it here?† He arched an eyebrow. Normally I thought that was cool. Today it was just annoying. â€Å"I don't know,† he said. â€Å"Is it?† â€Å"That's what I'm asking you!† â€Å"You shouldn't have to ask me. Don't you all have to take physiology?† â€Å"Yeah. Junior year. I was on ‘vacation,' remember?† I pointed to the gleaming stake. â€Å"Can I please touch it now?† He flipped the stake again, letting it flash in the light, and then it disappeared in the sheath. â€Å"I want you to tell me where the heart is the next time we meet. Exactly where. And I want to know what's in the way of it too.† I gave him my fiercest glare, whichjudging from his expressionmust not have been that fierce. Nine out of ten times, I thought Dimitri was the sexiest thing walking the earth. Then, there were times like this †¦ I headed off to first period, a combat class, in a bad mood. I didn't like looking incompetent in front of Dimitri, and I'd really, really wanted to use one of those stakes. So in class I took out my annoyance on anyone I could punch or kick. By the end of class, no one wanted to spar with me. I'd accidentally hit Meredithone of the few other girls in my classso hard that she'd felt it through her shin padding. She was going to have an ugly bruise and kept looking at me as though I'd done it on purpose. I apologized to no avail. Afterward, Mason found me once again. â€Å"Oh, man,† he said, studying my face. â€Å"Who pissed you off?† I immediately launched into my tale of silver stake and heart woes. To my annoyance, he laughed. â€Å"How do you not know where the heart is? Especially considering how many of them you've broken?† I gave him the same ferocious look I'd given Dimitri. This time, it worked. Mason's face paled. â€Å"Belikov is a sick, evil man who should be thrown into a pit of rabid vipers for the great offense he committed against you this morning.† â€Å"Thank you.† I said primly. Then, I considered. â€Å"Can vipers be rabid?† â€Å"I don't see why not. Everything can be. I think.† He held the hallway door open for me. â€Å"Canadian geese might be worse than vipers, though.† I gave him a sidelong look. â€Å"Canadian geese are deadlier than vipers?† â€Å"You ever tried to feed those little bastards?† he asked, attempting seriousness and failing. â€Å"They're vicious. You get thrown to vipers, you die quickly. But the geese? That'll go on for days. More suffering.† â€Å"Wow. I don't know whether I should be impressed or frightened that you've thought about all this,† I remarked. â€Å"Just trying to find creative ways to avenge your honor, that's all.† â€Å"You just never struck me as the creative type, Mase.† We stood just outside our second-period classroom. Mason's expression was still light and joking, but there was a suggestive note in his voice when he spoke again. â€Å"Rose, when I'm around you, I think of all sorts of creative things to do.† I was still giggling about the vipers and abruptly stopped, staring at him in surprise. I'd always thought Mason was cute, but with that serious, smoky look in his eyes, it suddenly occurred to me for the first time that he was actually kind of sexy. â€Å"Oh, look at that,† he laughed, noticing how much he'd caught me off guard. â€Å"Rose gets rendered speechless. Ashford 1, Hathaway 0.† â€Å"Hey, I don't want to make you cry before the trip. It won't be any fun if I've already broken you before we even hit the slopes.† He laughed, and we stepped into the room. This was a class on bodyguard theory, one that took place in an actual classroom instead of the practice field. It was a nice break from all the physical exertion. Today, there were three guardians standing at the front who weren't from the school's regiment. Holiday visitors, I realized. Parents and their guardians had already started coming to campus to accompany their children to the ski resort. My interest was piqued immediately. One of the guests was a tall guy who looked like he was about a hundred years old but could still kick major ass. The other guy was about Dimitri's age. He had deeply tanned skin and was built well enough that a few of the girls in class looked ready to swoon. The last guardian was a woman. Her auburn hair was cropped and curly, and her brown eyes were currently narrowed in thought. As I've said, a lot of dhampir women choose to have children rather than follow the guardian path. Since I too was one of the few women in this profession, I was always excited to meet otherslike Tamara. Only, this wasn't Tamara. This was someone I'd known for years, someone who triggered anything but pride and excitement. Instead, I felt resentment. Resentment, anger, and burning outrage. The woman standing in front of the class was my mother.

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A Career in Business - Essay Example The international trade that is essential for the growth of Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd has assisted me in my capability to be tolerant to diverse cultures and understand the effect of different cultural backgrounds in business. Further, the placement has assisted me in developing a number of life skills that include communication skills, interaction skills, and information technology (IT) skills. By working in Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd, I managed to get valuable experience that is essential for my future job searches and my experience in work places. The organization that I served under placement was Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd company. The organization is extremely busy serving an array of different categories of customers and so learning was somehow difficult especially in financial department, information systems department and marketing department. In order to get the much required skills in different business related subjects, I had to undertake a negotia ted learning initiative. Negotiated learning can be defined as the process in which the instructor or the employer allows the student to propose a structure that fits him or her in all elements of the process of learning that involves instruction, content, evaluation and assessment. In some cases, it may involve logistics elements such as transportation. The outcome of my negotiated learning can be equated as excellent or I can grant it an academic grade of A. After understanding that the organization had much work and it would be difficult for me to study by myself, I negotiated with my employee on how I was to handle the placement especially on matter involving learning new practical skills. The areas that I emphasized during the negotiations are instruction while working, assessment and evaluation. As such, I was assigned to staff in each department to take me through a number of practical aspects in international trade. The major departments that I concentrated on are marketing, customer care, information technology and financial departments. The assigned staff was also responsible for my assessments. However, the placement time for instructions and assessment had to differ from the original fixed plan of one hour for each department to flexible time frame because of the busy schedule. For instance, there were cases where instruction took only 20 minutes especially during week days , but during weekends, the instruction would take 2 hours. Other changes that took place involved a shift from the original plan where assessment was to be conducted in form of writing to simple verbal assessment in order to evaluate the newly acquired skills (Wolff,1999,p.71). Although there were some reservations among workers who had been assigned to instruct and evaluate me, my good communication skills , my ability to engage in positive discussion and my willingness to obey orders even when performing the tasks that were not in my placement plan enabled me to create positiv e relationship with my co workers. As such, my co workers were willing to assist me in attaining my placement goals (Wolff,1999,p.79). Evaluation of work-Based learning My placement was based in an aluminum processing company, Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd. Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd is one of the largest aluminum processing companies in china. It employs hundreds of employees from different parts of the world. Â  Suzhou Aikefu Electronics Co., Ltd engages in precision machining, CNC lathes, die casting machines, Zeiss CMM, special equipment and supporting test equipment. The organization has a centralized managerial structure although it has several

Should cars be more efficient Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Should cars be more efficient - Essay Example Lately, there have been world issues that have resulted in â€Å"unprecedented high costs of gasoline,† and consumers are feeling the effect of this increasingly (Barke, et al., 2009, 62). There is also the issue of reducing the environmental footprint of vehicles, as they are made more efficient. Despite the increasing need for efficiency in cars, there has not been significant progress until the past decade or so. Strategies prior to this time revolved around â€Å"weight reduction through material substitution† (Chialin & Jun, 2008, 22-23). The small lightweight cars tend to be more efficient than the full-size sport utility vehicles. Other hurdles in the development process were not tackled early on, and as a result, the â€Å"technology efficient frontier†¦ did not improve significantly,† until the most recent time (Chialin & Jun, 2008, 30). Not everyone struggles to meet ends meet, nor do all hold the environment as the most important artifact in the world. On average however, many do have to compromise, and a major hurdle to consumers adopting efficient technology has been that these hybrid, or more efficient cars â€Å"have been substantially more than comparable conventional vehicles† (Barke, et al., 2009, 71). Even though the need for more efficient technology is increasing, there are many economic restraints in â€Å"raw material costs and availability,† that means until now that conventional engines dominate in their affordability (Lang et al., 2011, i). However, conditions are improving and the many types of efficient technology can mean that the idea of an efficient car can head towards mass adoption rather than appealing to a smaller niche market. As the masses can afford efficient cars, and fuel costs continue to rise, there will likely be many more developments in these type of locomotive composites, at an increasing rate. As the

Hardware and Software Requirements For an IT system Essay Example for Free

Hardware and Software Requirements For an IT system Essay For this assignment we have to produce a report on the types of hardware and software requirements, and their purposes, for an IT system. In the context of this essay I have decided that bullet point form along with brief descriptions and graphics is the best way to present this assignment. 6 STAGE MODEL Shown above is the six-stage model, showing the processes undertaken by a computer system. Below is what each of my pictures represents: * Mouse: Input Device * The Tower: Central Processing Unit * Monitor: Output Device * Floppy Disk: Backing Store * Head: Main Memory * Telephone: Communications Devices e. g. Internet Input Devices and Techniques Input devices are the means whereby computers can accept data or instructions (Heathcott P M, 2000, p 159) * Keyboard: The keyboard is the most commonly used of all input devices. It can be used for a various number of tasks, form entering programs, to typing documents using a word processor, or entering a persons personal details etc. * Mouse: The mouse and its variants such as the trackball is well known with all PC users. * Scanner: A scanner can be used to scan graphical images and photographs, and software can then be used to edit or touch up the images. Scanners can also be used to read typed or hand-writtten documents and this can then be interpreted by using OCR software, which can then export it to a word processor or data file. Scanners can also be used to input large volumes of data on pre-printed forms such as credit card payments, where the customers account number and amount paid are printed at the bottom of the payment slip. * Web Cam: This transfers images onto the screen. In can be used via the internet for video conferencing or you can even pre-record messages and send them via E-mail. * Bar Code Reader: Bar codes appear on almost everything we buy, whether it is a new CD or a tin of bins. The pattern of thick thin lines represents the 13 digit number underneath the bar code. There are four main pieces of information on a bar code. The first few two or three digits represent in which country the product was registered. The next five digits represent the manufacturers code. The second group of five numbers represents the product and package size. The last digit is a check digit, which is calculated from the other digits in the code and ensures that the barcode is keyed in or read correctly. A very similar process to that used in the ASCII code where the spare digit is used as the parity. A Product Bar Code * Light Pen: A light pen is a device which incorporates a light sensor so that when it is held close to a screen over a character or part of a graphic, the object is detected and can be moved to create or modify graphics. * Microphone: An input devise for sound recording. * OMR (Optical Mark Recognition): An Optical Mark Reader can detect marks made in present positions on a form. The most common example of this is the lottery. It is also widely used for marking, multiple choice exams and market research questionnaires. * OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Light is emitted, bounced back and then received. This is how the OCR reads its characters. The light emitted is in different resolutions depending on the character. OCR is used widely in services such as gas and electricity etc. * MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition): All banks use MICR for processing cheques. Along the bottom of a cheque the banks sort code, customer account number and cheque number are encoded in special characters in magnetic ink. The amount of the cheque is encoded in magnetic ink when it is handed in at the bank. The cheques can then be processed by MICR devices that read, sort and store the data on disk. MICR has several advantages for processing cheques: 1. It is hard to forge the characters 2. The characters can be read even if the cheque is crumpled, dirty or smudged 3. The characters are readable by humans, unlike bar codes The disadvantage of MICR though is the expense. This is why you dont find many other examples of it being used. * Swipe Cards: Swipe cards are operated by using a magnetic strip. They are used in credit cards, debit cards, railway tickets, phone cards and many others. The magnetic strip can be encoded with upto 220 characters of data and other 83% of adults in Britain own at least one card. Unfortunately because there are only 220 characters of data this makes the cards very easy to copy, which is why the strips will eventually, disappear and be replaced by a chip, which is almost impossible to fake. Something slightly similar to the smart card. * Smart Cards: Smart cards are of a similar appearance to that of the swipe cards, but instead of using the magnetic strip they contain a small 1-millimeter square microprocessor which is stored in the centre of the card. This is then protected by a small gold electrical contact the card can still read information through this. Unlike the swipe card the smart cards can hold millions of characters of data. In the future banks hope to replace all the swipe cards with a Super card which will also be able to be used to pay for smaller goods such as milk and newspapers without the need to carry cash. This card will almost be unbreakable. In Belgium they already have a similar system working to this it is called the Proton Card, which incorporates the use of both magnetic strip and a microprocessor chip for bank withdrawals and payments of small goods. The Smart Card * Touch Sensitive Screens: A touch sensitive screen allows the user to touch an area of the screen rather than having to type the data on a keyboard. They are widely used in tourist centres, where tourists can look up various local facilities and entertainments, in fast food stores such as McDonalds for entering customer orders, in manufacturing, and also bars. * Digitisers: A digitiser can draw quality illustrations. It has a flat rectangular slab onto which a stylus (anything that terminates in a point) is placed. Output Devices and Techniques The ultimate aim of the computer is to produce useful information, the information that is produced by the computer is in binary digits, we therefore need devices to translate these into a form we can use (Corbitt T, 1990, p 11) * VDU: (Visual Display Unit) The VDU is similar in appearance to the television receiver, an alternative name is the monitor. VDUs have better resolution than TVs and therefore are better for graphical work. It has its own fixed amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) associated with it to store the image being displayed on the screen. So the more RAM it has the better the resolution displayed on the screen. The number of pixels used to represent a full-screen image determines the resolution. Example: If 1 bit represents each pixel then two colours can be displayed, so to display 256 colours you would need 8 bits (1byte) It is usually possible to adjust both the resolution and the number colours if you select a high resolution you wont be able to have as many colours because of the memory available on the VDU Printers The results of processing are usually required in printed form. Printers come in all shapes and sizes, there are two main categories of printers: * Impact Printers which transfer the image on to the paper by applying pressure against a ribbon onto the paper, this transfers ink form the ribbon to the paper forming the image * Non-impact Printers which produce the image on the paper without any contact. Impact Printers * Dot-matrix: The characters on this are formed by dots. The print head contains a number of needles, the more there are of these the better the quality of print. A head with nine needles would take seven horizontal movements to print a character, this printer would be said to have a seven-by-nine-character matrix. In the latest type near letter quality is produced by double printing. The line of type is printed, the head moves back to the beginning of the line, moves down fractionally and then prints the line a second time. This doubles the time taken to print a document. To overcome this more expensive models use twice the number of needles and near letter quality can be achieved with one pass of the head. The dot-matrix can also print out graphics and pictures of a basic quality. Dot-matrix printers, which can print in colour, are available, these use a ribbon which contains red, green and blue. Coloured output is obtained by repeated printing, repositioning of the paper, print head and ribbon. The dot-matrix can print between 30 and 200 characters per second (cps). * Daisy-wheel printers: The print head consists of flexible arms extending from a centre hub, the characters are at the tips of the arms. When printing the hub revolves bringing the required character next to the ribbon. Some daisy-wheel printers are bi-directional and the print head can turn in either direction so that quickest possible print time is achieved. The print can be changed so that different font styles can be used. Daisy wheel printers are unable to print graphics unlike the dot-matrix. It is capable of speed ranges 12 to 55 cps. Non-impact printers * Thermal printers: These use specially treated paper, which is affected by heat generated by the print head as it passes across the paper. The main advantages are that they are silent and fast, printing 30-120 cps. Disadvantages are that the paper is expensive and that the printed image degrades in time. * Ink-jet printer: With this type of printer the characters are formed on the paper by spraying it with a stream of ink dots. They are fast, printing 150-270 cps and almost soundless, the quality of print is very good. A Canon Bubble Jet Printer BJC7000 * Plotters: Plotters are used to produce drawings, diagrams and other types of graphical output. There are two varieties in use, the flatbed plotter which is used where accuracy is important and the drum plotter which is used for business applications. The flatbed type is fixed while the pen moves over the top of the device while the axis moves up and down, whilst the drum variety uses continuous stationery. In both types the pens, under the program control, are moved to the down position, the movement of the pens is then controlled to draw the image. There are from one to six pens, which can be used to output different colours. There is also the less commonly known graph plotter. This is most commonly seen in use for lie detector tests. * COM: (Computer Output on Microfilm) The problem of storing information on paper can be considerable in a large business. One way to solve this is to have output from the computer photographed as microscopic images directly onto microfilm. Two methods of storage are used, one put the information onto a roll of 16mm film while the other uses microfiche. Microfiche can store upto 100 pages of A4 on a single piece, to see it you must have a microfiche reader. The most recent examples of this being used is in libraries and in garages for checking car parts. Data can be stored onto microfilm directly from the computer or off line using magnetic tape as an intermediary store. * Voice output: The output of the computer can be given in spoken form by using voice synthesisers to transform words stored in the computer into human speech, this is great for disabled people who cannot speak as it allows them to communicate. The user can hear through a loudspeaker. Secondary device techniques A permanent, non-volatile form of storage is required by all computer systems to save software and data files. Magnetic tape, magnetic disks, CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), and microfilm are all examples of what is known as secondary storage. * Floppy disk: The standard 3 1/2 floppy disk is a thin, flexible plastic disk coated in metal oxide, enclosed in a rigid plastic casing for protection. A standard high density disk has a storage space of 1.44 Megabytes. * Hard Disks: The hard disk used with conventional PCs consists of one or more disk platters, which are permanently sealed inside a casing. Hard disks have a capacity of between 2Gb and 10Gb, though external hard drives can be plugged into the computer to provide extra storage space. For large-scale applications storing huge amounts of data, more hard disks would be used. The disks can be fixed or removable, although the fixed disks are more reliable and have more storage capacity. Data is stored on the concentric tracks, which are divided into sectors. Data is then stored in one of the sectors so that it minimises the movement of the read-write heads, thereby minimising access time. * CD-ROM: CD-ROMs can store around 680Mb of data, which is the equivalent of hundreds of floppy disks. CD-ROMs do not transfer data as quickly as the hard disk drive. As the name suggests the disks are read-only memory. Unlike a magnetic disk they are created by burning tiny holes into the surface of the disk, a laser beam is then reflected off the surface of the disk, detecting the presence or absence of pits, which represent the binary digits. * Worm disks (Write Once, Read Many): These look very similar to the CD-ROM in appearance but are gold rather than silver in colour. These disks can be used to write your own material and are ideal for archiving or storing images or data, which will not be changed. They are popular in the pirate industry because a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 blank disk can store upto à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½20 000 worth of software and sell for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½80. They are used by less reputable PC companys which install the software onto the PC so they can charge the consumer more for the package. However because of the competition in the pirate industry at present many of these carry viruses which can cause chaos on the hard drive. * Magneto-optical disks: Magneto-optical disks integrate optical and laser technology to enable read and write storage. A 5 1/2 disk can store up to 1 Gb. These disks may in future replace current magnetic disks, but at present the technology is still developing and the disks are too expensive, slow and unreliable to be in widespread use. * Magnetic tape: Magnetic tape was developed in the 1950s and very quickly became the primary means of storing data. The data is stored on magnetic tape in the form of dots of magnetism. It is used widely for archiving past transactions or other data that may be needed again, for example, old news readings that have been collected over a number of years. * Jaz Drive: Two Gigabytes is a tape drive and a mass storage device mainly used for backing up large files or batches of files i.e. end of day transaction backup for banks or businesses Software requirements and techniques Software is the name given to the programs that direct the operation of the computer. It can be divided into two main groups, system software and applications software. System software is the programs required to run the computer system and applications software is the programs required to carry out a particular application such as stock control Systems software This is the software that the microcomputer system needs to run. In this group there are three divisions: operating systems, utilities and compilers/interpreters/assemblers. Operating systems: An operating system is a set of programs that allows the user to perform tasks without having to know how they are done. For example, a user can give a command to save a file on disk without having to know where the file will be stored or how it will be retrieved again. Applications programs are usually written to work with a particular operating system e.g. Excel will only work with Windows and not with Apple Mac, which has a different operating system. Utility programs: Utility programs perform common tasks that every computer user will need at one stage or another. They carry out such jobs as formatting and copying disks, deleting files from disks, sorting information into a required order, and to help with the testing of programs that have been written. Compilers, interpreters and assemblers: These are programs that translate the programming language that is used into a form that the computer can understand. Compilers work by translating the whole of the program from what is known as the source program into the object program which will be in a form that the computer can understand. Interpreters are programs that translate and execute source programs one statement at a time. An assembler is a program supplied by the computer manufacturer that will translate a program that was written in assembly language (low-level programming language) into machine code. Applications software: In large organisations that have a mainframe or minicomputer we would find that programmers were employed whose job it would be to write the programs for the applications that the organisation wished to have run on the computer, such as payroll, stock control or hospital appointments. The software may be designed specifically for one particular company and written especially for them using a programming language or software such as database management system. Alternatively, the software may be purchased off the shelf. General purpose software: Most general purpose software is sold as a package, including a CD containing the software. Below is the most common packages that you would find on the market to date: 1. Applications: spreadsheets, database, word processing, Desk Top Publishing 2. Presentation: CD based presentations (Power Point, Director) 3. Internet Publishing: web page development software (Front Page, Dreamweaver, Flash) 4. Programming Software: BASIC, Visual Basic, C++, Java, Pascal, HTML 5. Creation and Editing: Photo Shop, Paint Shop Pro, Premier, Coral Draw 6. Utility: Anti-virus, tidy and compression, Doctors. The newer computer systems will have these utilities on them already. Software such as word processing, spreadsheet and databases is sometimes refereed to as generic software. This means that many of the packages can be made to do many different tasks, and is not specifically for one type of application. The other types of application software such as stock control and payroll as mentioned before are special purpose because they have been designed to complete one particular task. Conclusion: I found this assignment very interesting and now feel I have a much sounder understanding off computer hardware and software. I would have liked to incorporate more images into the assignment as reference to each of the products described, but was unable to find all of the images that I required, and also had problems trying to transfer them from the internet. Apart from this I feel quite satisfied with the overall assignment and hope that I have entered all the data needed and presented it in a clear fashion. Bibliography Corbitt T, (1990), Information Technology And Its Applications. Avon, United Kingdom: Bath Press Heathcott P M, (2000), A Level Computing. Ipswich, United Kingdom: Payne-Gallway Publishers Ltd References Corbitt T, (1990), Information Technology And Its Applications. Avon, United Kingdom: Bath Press Heathcott P M, (2000), A Level Computing. Ipswich, United Kingdom: Payne-Gallway Publishers Ltd Michael Firmstone Tutor: Del Turney 14/11/01

Muslim Women Living In A Westernized Society Theology Religion Essay

Muslim Women Living In A Westernized Society Theology Religion Essay The following research report was requested and granted by Philip Broster, The Business Communication lecturer at the Tertiary School in Business Administration, for 8 October 2012. Permission was granted by Philip Broster to conduct research on the debate regarding the wearing of hijab and the western pressures of this felt by Muslim women who study at TSiBA Education. His specific instructions were to: Compile a research report based on the previous research proposal to research the debate regarding the hijab and the pressures felt by Muslim women at TSiBA. Present a literature review as well as findings in a written document and to conclude by identifying a relationship, if any , between the literature and the findings of the research. The report is to be submitted on the 8 October 2012. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Subject of the research The Debate Regarding the Hijab, Investigating the Pressures Felt by Muslim women living in a Westernized Country: A TSiBA case-study. Background to the research Literature on this topic is abundant as research has been conducted globally on the topic of the hijab as to the reasons why women should and should not wear the hijab. The research conducted was made possible through the use of surveys, interviews, questionnaires and observations. Katherine Bullock in particular, a Canadian community activist, author and lecturer did extensive research on the topic of the hijab and published her findings in the form of a book called Rethinking Muslim Women and the Veil which challenges Historical and Modern Stereotypes.  She has also published articles on Muslim women and the media, and Islam and political theory. Purposes of the research The objectives of the study are to examine if the dominant negative Western perception affects the reasons why the Muslim community is divided on the subject of hijab. This research addresses the concern for a dialogue that could inform westernised societies about the personal reasons why some female Muslim students wear hijab and why others do not. I want my research to be meaningful, relevant to local communities and to open my mind and that of others by being taught through research and personal interviews about the subject. Scope and limitations This study was conducted in a very short period of time with a very small sample group as the pool of participants was limited to the Muslim students at TSiBA Education. The data set is meaningful, but not representative of the vast range of Muslims in different contexts. It will however show a diversity of views within a common theology and faith. A more sizable sample within the target group would have provided a larger and more conclusive amount of data. This can have a bias that favours the educated and the youth of Cape Town. Another limitation of my study was that all of the participants belonged to one ethnic group being from the race regarded in South Africa as Coloured. This was due to the fact TSiBA Education is a relatively small university whose Muslim female population is a fraction of the total students of which there were no Muslim women from a different race or culture. The research conducted could have benefitted from a more diverse pool of applicants. Plan of development This research report was compiled in the following manner. Firstly I provide my literature review which I put together for the purpose of exploring what has previously been written on the topic so that you and I may learn from it and be aware of it as we go about this research. Secondly I made a survey form of 3 pages long that contained relevant questions which I derived from the process of compiling the literature review. Thirdly, At random I selected 10 Muslim women studying at TSiBA to be my participants and followed through by conducting my survey about each one of them. Lastly, I analyzed the data obtained from the surveys and make this information available to you while also comparing my research findings to the findings derived from my literature review. METHODOLOGY Literature review The first piece of work I did was conducting research on the topic of the hijab in order to compile a literature review. My literature review took a significant amount of time in relation to how long the actual research demanded. Information was abundant regarding the topic of hijab, modernization, the dominant Western perception and the medias role in the portrayal of Muslim women that I found it particularly challenging to sift out important points from the all information available. My literature review saw two sessions of editing with my Communications lecturer who helped me construct and organized the important information once I identified it. Participation The target group for the research was initially 20 South African Muslim women between the ages of 18 and 40. This age group was the target of this study because they were the current generation of TSiBA students and were experiencing modern South Africa in a time when it seemed there was an ever increasing influx of Western culture after Apartheid. The age group is also likely to include married women who might be inclined to think differently about the hijab as their marriage might have changed the way each looks at the hijab. The participants of my research were all female as I had hoped, but unfortunately all of them belonged to one ethnic group being from the race regarded in South Africa as Coloured. There were 2 married women, and 8 unmarried women. 5 of them wore hijab and 5 of them were women who choose not to. Method of data collection One method of obtaining data was employed. The research draws on qualitative data from comprehensive surveys conducted on 10 Muslim students regarding hijab. The survey was constructed in a manner that it took students approximately 5 minutes to complete. After many different drafts of the survey I went to the Tertiary School in Business Administration (TSiBA) Education to distribute the final version. My survey included the opinions of both young women who wear the hijab and those that do not. I did not ask for names in any section of the survey to ensure the anonymity of all my human subjects. In the end I collected 10 surveys in total which was a smaller sample group than I had initially hoped. After gathering the surveys, I analyzed the results manually. LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction The debate regarding the wearing of religious garb in public, specifically coverings worn by Muslim women has increased over the past few years resulting in a lot of controversy among those who agree with the practice and those who do not (iqraonline.net). Hijab is seen all over the world, especially in places with a high concentration of practicing Muslims. The hijab has resulted in severe media disputes and now denotes the difference of cultures. The French, along with the west expected that the hijab would pass away into history as westernization and secularization took root. However, in the Muslim world, especially among the younger generation, a great wave of returning to hijab was spreading through various countries. This current resurgence is an expression of Islamic revival (Nakata, 1994). The Topic of Hijab External to South Africa The views of feminists The Western media and feminists often portray the  hijab  as a symbol of oppression and slavery of women (www.al-islam.org). A theory of Orientalism has been in existence since 1978 which argues that the Muslim population is deemed backward, uncivilized beings who are outcasts in Western society (Said, 1978). Many feminists, both Western and Islamic argue that the hijab is a symbol of gender oppression and that the Islamic veiling of women is an oppressive practice. Fadel Amara, an Islamic feminist and Muslim female member of French government describes the burqa as a prison and a straightjacket which is not religious but is the symbol of a tyrannical political project for sexual inequality (King, 299.). Feminists argue that public presence and visibility is important to Western women. This overlaps sexism and racism as well as there are two arguments made by feminists who are divided on the topic of the hijab. a) The argument of oppression One argument is for hijab to be banned in public as they encourage the harassment of women who are unveiled and because public presence and visibility represents their struggle for economic independence, sexual agency and political participation. In the Western culture, celebrities are regarded as trend-setters defining what is acceptable. The hijab is therefore also seen as a problem because it poses challenge to the view of unconventional visibility and freedom of self-expression. (www.theage.com). Although it is true that many women do choose to wear the hijab, it is not the case for all women. In many Middle Eastern and North African countries women are forced, persecuted and abused for noncompliance with the hijab. This was demonstrated in Pakistan where an extremist killed a womens activist and government minister because she refused to wear the hijab. King states, From Afghanistan to Algeria to Sudan, Pakistan and Iran- women are systematically brutalized and caught in a deadl y crossfire between the secular and fundamentalist forces. Some Islamic feminists argue that although the statement in the Quran about women covering themselves was not meant to oppress women, the interpretation of those verses by Islamic societies does in fact oppress women. Although it can be argued that the hijab is a symbol of the oppression that occurs against women in Islam, many Islamic women dont agree. It is true that under some Islamist rule, specifically in some North African countries, Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia women are oppressed and forced to wear the hijab, but in an international context, this is the exception to the rule regarding womens practices of wearing the veil. Salma Yaqoob, a Muslim woman who chooses to wear the hijab explains the veil is not only an oppressing force in Islamic countries that require the veil, but also in Western countries that ban the veil. Yaqoob adamantly contends that by infringing laws that restricts womens choice on whether or not to wear the veil, they are also being oppressed. I am opposed to the Saudi and Iranian governments imposition of the veil and that of the Taliban previously. But this is also why I oppose the ban on wearing the hijab. In both cases the woman herself is no longer free to make a choice. In both cases her dignity is violated. Yaqoob explains that more women are currently banned from wearing the hijab, than are required to wear it. b) The argument of liberation It can be argued that rather than oppressing, the hijab is liberating. The second argument made by feminists supports the argument of fundamentalist Islamic leaders who argue that Muslim women have the right to choose to wear or not to wear a hijab as it is part of a Muslim womans duty to wear a hijab. These feminists demand that the French ban be withdrawn because they believe the oppressing force behind the veil is when authority figures, both Islamic and Western, take away a womans right to choose. They defend the veil as a mark of agency, cultural membership, and defiance. Tayyab Bashart, a feminist scholar and Muslim who teaches in France explains her beliefs A woman in hijab, who is a functioning member of society, symbolizes an empowered, independent woman, rather than someone who lacks self-determination and is a puppet of society (Basharat, 2006). The veil itself is just a piece of cloth. Human beings interpret the hijab according to social and religious constructions. Throu gh the Western discussion and banning of the hijab in public schools, the Muslim school girls of France lose their freedom to express their spirituality. The desired effect of the 2004 law is to fight gender oppression and inequality in the public school system, but as a residual effect, it actually diminishes womens freedoms rather than enhancing them. The law on the headscarf supports the oppressing Western discourses about veiled women and attempts to Westernize French Muslim schoolgirls. Western Governments In Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Iran, the full covering, more commonly known as the burqa, has been made compulsory upon female citizens. In contrast to this, the unwillingness to understand the religion and culture of Muslims has resulted in traditional clothing such as the burqa and the hijab being banned with the hope of Westernised societies achieving secularism in Islamic countries. Katherine Bullock shines light on the differences in judgment over hijab by having identified themes from her research on women and the religion of Islam. She divides these themes into the descriptions of those who are for and those who are against the hijab. According to Bullock, critics of the veil rely on secular liberal assumptions about society and human nature and therefore the veil is supposed to be and described as a symbol of oppression because it: Covers up (hides), in the sense of smothering, femininity Is apparently linked to the essentialized male and female difference (which is taken to mean that by nature, male is superior, female is inferior); Is linked to a particular view of womans place (subjugated in the home); Is linked to an oppressive (patriarchal) notion of morality and female purity (because of Islams Emphasis on chastity, marriage, and condemnation of pre- and extra-marital sexual relations); Can be imposed; and Is linked to a package of oppressions women in Islam face, such as seclusion, polygamy, easy male divorce, unequal inheritance rights. Western countries has developed this view and disregarded other views of what public visibility may be to different women with differing beliefs. (www.theage.com).An example of this is that France has decided upon the banning of the hijab to be worn in schools. Frances 2004 law, popularly referred to as the law on the headscarf, reveals the difficulty of respecting conflicting ideas between diverse communities, especially when one community, in this case the Muslims of France, is a minority. According to this law, female students are banned from wearing the hijab as well as all other openly religious symbols in public schools. France bans women from wearing the hijab in public schools because many feminists and lawmakers argue that veiling women serves as an oppressing force, a force that silences women. Alia Al- Sari states in her article The Racialization of Muslim Veils: A Philosophical Analysis many feminists see the headscarf As a symbol of Islamic gender oppression that à ¢Ã¢â €š ¬Ã‚ ¦should be banned from public schools, a space where gender equality is presumed (or desired). Supporters of the law believe it fights gender oppression and gives equality to women in the school system. Media attitudes in reporting Islam and hijab While the media cannot be the only party held accountable or blamed for societal attitudes towards smaller cultures and religions, theses media moguls create the lens through which reality is perceived (Bullock Jafri, 2000). Western media sees itself as a democratic powerhouse and therefore is frequently answerable for legitimising and distributing racism and bias against religious communities such as Muslims (Bullock Jafri, 2000). The media in Westernised societies portrays Muslims as tricky, sleazy, sexual and untrustworthy, as uniformly violent, as oppressors of women, and as members of a global conspiracy (Bullock Jafri, 2000). For example, in 1998 a shift was noted regarding the European medias depiction of women who wear the hijab. Veiled women were no longer portrayed as exotic but instead as a threat to society (Macmaster Lewis, 1998,). This highlights the contrasting representations of Muslim women as concurrently being oppressed and threatening. In 2005 Begum argues that these images of Islamic dress were increasingly used in the media as visual shorthand for treacherous extremism, and that Muslims living in Europe were suffering from the consequences of these associations (Begum, 2005). The increase of these media portrayals and political deliberation has segregated the Muslim community and had a further disruptive effect on society and feminism at large. (Begum, 2005) Since then, the media in France reported on a women who was suspended for wearing a hijab under her hat while working as a meter reader, a fashion show of veiled women that was banned, the hindrance of hijab-wearing mothers from volunteering in schools, the refusal of cafeteria service to a student wearing a hijab and the banning of a witness to a civil service wedding from signing the documentation based on the argument that hijab prevented her from proper identification. Many authors on this topic dispute that because of the medias cultural fascination with Muslim womens dress as symbols of oppression, Muslim women often have to resort to focusing on that facet of their identity as well, even if they would rather discuss something else. These authors state that even cases of responsible journalism have a propensity to devalue Muslim women. This is because Muslim women are primarily depicted as exotic, victimised, or threatening outcasts rather than your ordinary peaceful next door neighbours. (www.reportingdiversity.org.) It is evident that the hijab remains a hot topic in Western countries and that the wellbeing and identities of Muslim women in Westernised societies are related to the wearing of the headscarf as a consequence. Hijab within the Muslim Community The opinions of Muslim women vary in their decision about whether or not to wear the hijab. The hijab, according to many Muslims, has multiple uses and meanings. The hijab is a symbolic of modesty and morality. According to Islam, the hijab functions as a shield for a woman against the lustful gaze of men. The hijab also serves as a cover to preserve the modesty and piety of the woman, as that is her main role as stated in the Quran. The most basic debate over the hijab is over the requirement of the hijab. This is an issue that is debated by many Muslim scholars. First in order to understand why there is an issue it is important to understand the power of the Quran. The Quran is the word of God brought to humanity by his last messenger the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Islam is the religion of total submission to Allah (God the Father) and obedience to Allah. As the Quran is Gods word then it also means total submission and obedience to Quran. The first issue with the requirement of the hijab comes from whether the hijab is in the Quran or not. There are two sides to this argument; there are those who say that the hijab is a requirement because it is in the Quran and those who say that it is not because it is not part of the Quran Reasons why Muslim Women wear the hijab The laws of the Quran Amr Khaleds, a popular Islamic scholar, layman, and highly influential Muslim speaker, represents the school of thought that considers the hijab to be directly in the Quran and thus a requirement for Muslim women. He quotes these Quranic verses that make the hijab obligatory to Muslim women. O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And ALLAH is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (Surah 33: verse 59). In this verse women are told to cover their bodies so that they should be known as modest women and are not harassed. According to Amr Khalads lecture Al-Hijab, the hijab also serves the purpose of forcing men to not sexually objectify women but to see her as a vessel of intelligence and high moral values. Khalad says that the hijab reinforces the fact that Islam has placed the beauty of a female on a higher value in the eyes of men by providing protection of her beauty from uncontrolled lusts and desires, and instead ordering men to respect greater the inner beauty of her soul. Thus, the real value of women is associated with the degree of her modesty and her abidance by it (Khaled Al-Hijab). Yaqoob states her personal reasons why she wears the veil, For me, the wearing of the hijab denotes that as a woman I expect to be treated as an equal in terms of my intellect and personality and my appearance is relevant only to the degree that I want it to be, when I want it to be.. This is the traditional Islamic rational for the hijab and why it is important in Islam (Khalad AlHijab). A symbol of resistance A study about hijab in the West also provides another theory that I believe can also be applied in South Africa because it is a country heavily influenced by the West. The idea of the hijab as a symbol of resistance is explored by Tarik Kulenovic but not necessarily one that is strictly political. Tarik Kulenovics theory suggests that the hijab in the West is a matter of identity, a physical symbol of a womans Muslim identity. This symbol also carries a message of religiosity in a modernizing society which encourages a secular life style and scorns tradition. Kulenovic asserts that the modern identity of Muslim women, which includes the wearing of the veil, is primarily the identity of resistance to the values that individuals find foreign to them and as such imposed on them (Kulenovic, page 717). Thus, in modern society, the hijab can be thought of as a means of retaining a religious life style while assimilating to the demands of the modern world. Another reason women choose to wea r the hijab is that they find that the hijab serves as an empowering factor. The Interpretation of the hijab by those who wear it Katherine Bullock, through her research, provides some reasons why women wear the hijab. The hijab to these wearers: 1. Does not smother femininity; 2. Brings to mind the different-but-equal school of thought, but does not put forward essentalized male-female difference; 3. Is linked to a view that does not limit women to the home, but neither does it consider the role of stay-at-home-mother and homemaker oppressive; 4. Is linked to a view of morality that is oppressive only if one considers the prohibition of sexual relations outside marriage wrong; 5. Is part of Islamic law, though a law that ought to be implemented in a very wise and women-friendly manner, and 6. Can and should be treated separately from other issues of womens rights in Islam. Spirituality Some women have a deep spiritual and religious connection to the veil and firmly disagree with the view of it as a sign of oppression. Many Muslim women feel uncomfortable without wearing it because the hijab is deeply-rooted in their personal values and religious tradition. A main reason women choose to wear the hijab, is as expression of spirituality. Bashart states in his book that Muslim women carry with them their sacred private space into the public space by use of the Hijab. In this view of the hijab, the veil is not simply an article of clothing; or a symbol of oppression it is a tool of spirituality for women. Fadwa El Guindi, author of The Veil: Modesty, Privacy and Resistance, says veiling patterns and veiling behaviour are. about sacred privacy, sanctity and the rhythmic interweaving of patterns of worldly and sacred life, linking women as the guardians of family sanctuaries and the realm of the sacred in this world. Reasons why Muslim Women do not wear the hijab In the Quranic this verse although it says to draw the cloak all over their bodies, it does not specifically say the hair. In addition, it does not specify in what way, to what extent, and in what manner women should cover themselves. There are many modern alternative views to this idea that the hijab is compulsory because it is in the Quran. For example, Dr.Reza Alsan, an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, the founder of AslanMedia.com and also one of the leading scholars in the alternative view, considers the hijab not an obligatory aspect of being a Muslim woman. Aslan claims that the hijab is shockingly not compulsory upon Muslim women anywhere in the Quran. Instead he claims that the veil was an Arab culture before the arrival of Islam, through contact with Syria and Iran, where the veil was the sign of the upper class women. According to Lelia Ahmed and those who fall in the second school of thought like Aslan, the only places that the hijab is applied t o women is when it is addressing the wives of Prophet Muhammad. Thus the veil was only associated with the prophets wives and his daughters not all women of Islam. This school of thought does not deny that modesty was expected of all believers. Believing women are instructed to guard their private parts and drape a cover over their breasts when in the presence of strange men (Surah 24:31-32) as quoted by Aslan. Here specific parts of the body are named that women should guard and cover including the private parts and the breast but the hair is not mentioned. Thus those in this school of thought like Leila Ahmed and Reza Alsan do not believe that the hijab is mandatory for Muslim women because it is not mentioned in the Quran. Conclusion of Literature review This research investigates the reasons why the Muslim community is divided on the subject of the veil and if the dominant negative perception of hijab (as the hijab being oppressive) has affected, if at all, the wearing of hijab in TSiBA Education. In the attempt to answer this question, the research has presented two hypotheses: (1) Living in South Africa, a country with great Western influence, causes some Muslim women to fear wearing the hijab and to abandon it all together (2) Muslim women choose to wear the hijab for spirituality reasons despite constant the pressures of the West 5. RESULTS OF OBSERVATIONS While analyzing the results, I was interested to see if there would be a correlation between the findings in my literature review and the results of my research. My data collection was a result of 10 surveys this research revealed that my two hypotheses were in agreement with a majority of this small sample of subjects. The data collected represents the opinions and beliefs of a total of 10 human participants which is 50% of the total intended target group. Thus, the data collected must only be interpreted as speculative and cannot be assumed applicable to all Muslim women or all Muslim female students. The results were as follows: 5 of the 10 participants wore the hijab. 3 of those 5 said that they strongly agree to wearing the hijab for religious reasons while 2 participants said they agree that they wear it for religious reasons but that religion is not the main reason why they wear the hijab. 3 out of the 5 Muslim wear the hijab even though the hijab makes them feel like they dont fit in with their peers. 1 person however does feel that she fits in with her peers and in her community because she wears the hijab. The hijab makes all five participants who wear the hijab feel protected and safe in public. 3 of them strongly agreed while 2 agreed. 5 participants said that all Muslim women should wear hijab when asked if they believe all Muslim women should wear the hijab, the opinions were 50/50. Interestingly, Out of the 5 participants that wear the hijab, 1 person said that she does not believe all Muslim women should wear hijab; 1 woman who does not wear the hijab said that even though she doesnt wear the hijab yet, she believes all Muslim women should wear the hijab. When asked if women who do not wear the hijab can be good Muslims: 8 women agreed that Muslim women can be good Muslims if they do not wear the hijab, 1 participant had no opinion saying one shouldnt judge, if you judge, what kind of Muslim does that make you?, 1 said Muslim women cannot be good if they do not practice the hijab. When asked for their definition of hijab, 60% defined it as covering with loose fitting clothes, 20% said all forms acceptable and 20% just covering your hair. The rating (1= no influence, 5= influenced but not explicitly forced,10 = I had no choice) of influence of family on participants choice to wear or not to wear hijab: From the 5 participants who wear hijab, 1 rated a 5, 1 rated a 6, 1 rated an 8 elaborating that her parents are religiously strict, 1 rated a 2, and 1 rated a 7 saying that the sudden death of her aunt influenced her choices in life and her consideration of the hijab. From the 5 participants who do not wear the hijab, 2 participants rated 5; 2 rated the influence of their family as a 1 and 1 participant rated 9 saying that her family allows her choice not to wear the hijab. The limitations section showed that all participants felt free to drive a car, study at a university, find a job, travel freely outside of Cape Town, own a computer and have access to the internet. 5 participants felt that they were not hired for a job because they wear the hijab while 1 participant said that she is new to wearing the hijab so the question is not applicable to her No participants felt that they were not hired because of NOT wearing the hijab TSIBA Womens view on the issue/view of hijab in the West 9 participants agree that the West (Europe and America) has a dominantly negative view on hijab. 1 participant had no opinion When asked their opinion of the Western perception and the West should continue not to encourage women to wear the hijab. 4 participants strongly disagree, 3 disagree, 3 had no opinion and 1 participant said she strongly agrees. When asked if they thought the West is ill-informed and should make more of an effort to understand the hijab and why Muslim women wear it: 6 participants said they strongly agree , 3 agreed and 1 participants said she had no opinion. 6 participants have friends from the West while the remaining 4 do not. DISCUSSION This research investigates the debate regarding the reasons why some Muslim women wear hypotheses were confirmed in a majority of this small sample group. In the attempt to answer these questions, the research has presented two hypotheses suggesting that: (1) Living in South Africa, a country with great Western influence, causes some Muslim women to fear wearing the hijab and to abandon it all together. (2)The main reason Muslim women choose to wear the hijab is for spirituality reasons despite the constant the pressures of the dominant Western perception. Defining the hijab The point of view unknown to me before starting my research was that there are Muslim women who did not know that there were differing interpretations about what the hijab is tangibly. In fact, from the surveys it is evident that amongst Muslims there is a concept of a correct hijab and an incorrect hijab. Before my research commenced, the purpose of the research was not intended to identify whether my target population was aware that many Muslims have differing beliefs the hijab. My research revealed that within the Muslim community there exist different interpretations of what the hijab is tangibly. 60% of participants claimed that the correct physical hijab is a head scarf and long loose fitting clothing that conceals the shape

energy :: essays research papers

What do we really need, energy or power? This was a question proposed to me at the beginning of the semester and it really made me think. Energy is a property of matter that can be converted into work, heat, or radiation. It is the capacity for doing work, generating heat, and emitting light or radiation. Power is the rate of spending energy or energy per unit time. Immediately, I thought the answer was energy since you need energy to have power. But then I heard that the answer was power and it boggled my mind, but after it was explained it really opened my mind. We do need energy to have power but what would we do without power. We can’t live without power. We really need power because it is energy spent per unit time and what is the point of energy if we cant control it. There are six fundamental forms of energy. They are mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, nuclear, and electromagnetic. Mechanical energy is kinetic and potential energy. Kinetic energy is the energy that is possessed by a body due to its motion. And Potential energy is the Energy that a body possesses by virtue of its physical position above the reference level. Therefore, it depends on height above the reference level and the mass of the object. So potential energy is the mass *gravitational force *height. Thermal energy is the energy of the random motion of particles of a substance. An example of this would be warming up by a campfire or taking a hot bath. Chemical energy is energy that is stored in the chemical bonds that hold molecules together. When certain chemicals combine or react, energy is released usually in the form of heat. Some examples of this would be a tank of gasoline, coal, and natural gas. Electrical energy is the energy of electrons in motion. It is usually generated by the rotation of a conductor in a magnetic field and it is easily converted to other forms of energy.

Slavery in Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

The conquest to destroy slavery played an important role in the development of our country and made an impact in many lives. It brought about new ideas in art, music, literature and gave insight to a novel written by Mark Twain. Twain contributed an aspect of his perspective on slavery and racism and incorporated it into a novel named Huckleberry Finn. Slavery in Huckleberry Finn This novel was written during a reconstruction period in our country in which the slaves had already been freed by the emancipation proclamation. However, the blacks were struggling for equality and their acceptance as free individuals, They were not taken seriously and were still segregated from the whites. Although they were free, the south still had a negative view upon the black population and maintained their hatred towards them. Twain wrote this book in the sense of being in the past and showing how the blacks were treated throughout slavery. Twain utilized his knowledge of the past and created a novel based upon a runaway boy and an escaping slave. Huckleberry Finn (the boy) and Jim (the slave) both escaped from society and traveled amuck down the river. Symbolically, they were both dependant on each other and they developed a special bond which aided them on their journey. Twain takes advantage of their separation from society and relays to the reader how the characters viewed their diversity. The two individuals become very close to each other even though they realized they were comprised of a different race. However, the thought of taking the role of a white man and turning Jim into custody crossed Huckleberry?s mind sporadically. Thus, Twain showed that he had assumed the role of the stereotypical white individual, and broke their bond of trust. Developing upon this his of the turmoil between the two, Twain shows us a little bit about himself as a writer. He shows the reader that he?s an individual who displays diversity as a complexity and something that isn?

Process Journal :: Papers

For our set text we were given the play Mrs Warrens Profession. For our choice of scene we chose scene four, the last act because the scene contains the right amount of characters for our group of four. Also the ending scene is the climax of the entire play and is full of action, we felt that the last scene was complete with comedy and romance, tension and emotion and our group felt that this scene would hold the audiences attention well. In staging the set text scene we needed to show the office environment, so we used two tables and a few chairs as in the stage instructions, and we used props such as books and papers, and a pen in an ink holder to show the time that the play was set. We were only allowed five lighting changes in total, so our group decided to keep the lighting the same to allow for more in our devised scene. The warm, yellow light suited the topics being discussed at the beginning of the scene, going to Italy and beauty and romance, but if we had unlimited changes I would have had the lighting slowly change to a harsher less yellow light when I entered, to show trouble and set the mood, and then again when Frank and Praed left to increase the tension. When we first read through the set text, we played around with different elements of the characters, emphasizing areas and changing voices and tones of voice, and exaggerating characters to then point of humour. This was in order to explore my character fully and find out as much as I could about my interpretation of how Mrs Warren thought and acted. From this and exploring the text thoroughly I found that my character, Mrs Warren was a strong character and firm in her

Great Expectations Illustrates the danger of seeing status and money as the most worthwhile aims in life

Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is not so uncomplicated as to suggest that wealth is a destructive force. Instead it attempts to highlight the apparent dangers associated with becoming preoccupied with money and social status. In Pip, the book's chief protagonist, Dickens presents us with a character that misguidedly follows these ideals in a journey of self delusion. The abandonment of his childhood father figure -Joe – and his earlier virtues of decency and compassion are the consequences of his misconception that with wealth will come ‘gentility'. Dickens' underlying message is that wealth and class are superficial, failing to give any indication of a person's quality or true gentility. This being said, it must be understood that Dickens' aim is not to condemn wealth and social ‘niceties' such as good manners and a formal education, instead it is those who worship these false ideals and become preoccupied with them that are criticized. In characters such as Herbert and Mathew Pocket and, to an extent, Wemmick and Jaggers, we are presented with benevolent and harmless forms of class and privilege. Yet juxtaposed against this we have Pumblechook, Magwitch and Pip. Failing to realize what truly counts, these characters delude themselves into believing that by assuming the outward trappings of gentility they will become gentlemen. However, by making wealth and status their most worthwhile aims, they succeed only in becoming grotesque and quite repugnant. The dangers involved with such illusions include pretentiousness, wasteful lifestyles and an inability to appreciate true and noble ‘gentility'. These become most apparent in Pip as his wealth gives him the illusion of greatness without the substance. He changes from the innocent blacksmith's assistant to the humbug ‘gentleman to be'. At times his pretentiousness is unbearable, its absurdity highlighted in the quote â€Å"The (servant) was ordered to be on duty at eight on Tuesday morning in the hall (it was two feet square)†. He is so lost in his fixation with wealth and class that he treats Joe and Biddy – his childhood mentors – patronizingly and with contempt; â€Å"If I could have kept (Joe) away by paying him money I certainly would have.† This leads him to turn his back on these noble characters, removing their wisdom and decency from his life, leaving him only with his wasteful and highly pretentious lifestyle. At one stage Pip himself admits â€Å"(the effect of my expectations) influenced my own character, I disguised from my recognition as much as possible, but I knew very well that it was not all good.† In highlighting these dangers, Dickens preaches that social status and external appearances are doubtful measures of a person's true quality. Pip's journey clearly exemplifies this message, being most repugnant at the hight of his expectations yet being most worthy when he has lost everything. Supposed gentlemen such as Pumblechook, Drummle and Compeyson who mock the false surface of gentility but are really hideous and unworthy characters are further variations on this theme. However, it is Estella, Miss Havisham and the world of Satis house that are best used in the attack against the simple-minded notion that money and status are a guide to ‘quality'. The lovely Estella charms Pip with her beauty, yet as she herself admits â€Å"I have no heart† and is incapable of love. Miss Havisham and her attractive Satis house have the showings of happiness and glamour. The truth is, however, that she has been eaten away by bitterness in a house that is â€Å"strange† and does not permit love. Therefore, Dickens strongly argues that external appearances fail to count for what lies beneath. Instead Dickens holds up truly noble characters such as Joe, Biddy, Wemmick and Clara, who understand the importance of compassion and fellow feeling, for our admiration. He attempts to show the reader that these are the values that should be made the most worthwhile aims of life. His protagonist finally comes to this realization at the conclusion of the novel, as he appreciates the true gentility of Joe as a â€Å"good Christian man†. By making these characters the moral centre of the book Dickens is able to highlight the greater importance of such values over wealth in determining the quality of a person. Even the ‘darker' characters of the book such as Miss Havisham and Mrs Joe are able to understand this (though it comes far too late), with Miss Havisham asking for Pip's forgiveness â€Å"Prey if you could ever right under my name ‘I forgive her' †¦ prey do it.† and Mrs Joe's final words â€Å"Joe†¦Pardon†¦Pip.† Clearly the moral of the novel is based on the importance of love and compassion over wealth and class. Dickens, therefore, argues that money and social status fail to act as indicators of a persons true worth. Instead it is values such as compassion and the ability to love that define their gentility. Although Pip in his journey misguidedly believes that his re-invention would lead to bettering himself, he is eventually able to realize what truly counts are the virtues of love, compassion and decency.

Lasting Love by Guy de Maupassant Essay

â€Å"A man can fall in love only once in his entire life because the other emotions are just product of forced attraction.† -Albert Einstein The short story entitled Lasting Love by Guy De Maupassant is a reflection of unrequited love. It also argued if the strong passion among people called â€Å"love† can only happen once in a lifetime. The first idea was about the main character a poor Madam chair-mender who has grown to love somebody for fifty-five years, and nobody else. She was deeply enamoured by this man who has never reciprocated her love despite all the sacrifices she has made, and despite the length of time she has been waiting for him. In the story I was also questioned: â€Å"do women love more than men love women?† â€Å"There is no denying the fact, only women know how to love.† The story also emanates a form of feminism. The whole story shows how soft-hearted most women are especially when they are enchanted by love. The story seemed to say that women are more vulnerable to being foolishly captivated when it comes to love. When females love, they give their everything. Once they fall, it would be very hard for them to get up. Loving here is defined as sharing with an open hand, giving until it hurts. Women, being emotional creatures are more likely to be swooned over by the feelings and are more likely to expose themselves to being hurt. The whole point of the story for me was that â€Å"love† should never be confused with just mere passion. Passion needs ignition. It needs sustenance from another force. But real love is best defined when you do things unconditionally, despite the pain, the many hurts just for one second of happiness. It makes you bear all things. It can make you do the foolish  things, just because you care for the other person. It never expects anything in return but it only wants to give and show itself. In some way, the love in the story has a touch of platonic love, like a form of chaste love. Love was argued to happen only once, and once it comes it endures until the end. It is real love if it endures, like a real jewel that continues to shine despite time and circumstances. I also think that in love, all is fair. I do not think there is any superior sex when it comes to love or there is somebody who loves more, I think they just love differently. It would be very hard to quantify an emotion very special to human beings-which is love.