Family Essay Example for Free

Family Essay The Conservative party wishes to try and tackle Homophobia, especially inside sport. The Conservatives also want to make businesses and work places much more LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) friendly. The Conservatives are currently debating to try and make same sex marriages legal. Businesses: The Conservatives are trying to help out smaller businesses, and have already doubled small business rates. Which means 330,000 small businesses will not have to pay any business rates until April 2013. The Conservatives have introduced a National Insurance holidays to businesses outside the South East and London. Big Society: Conservatives are currently trying to encourage volunteering, which is a scheme to bring together young people from different back grounds. The Conservatives have started training Community Organisers to identify local leaders and bring people ogether so that these people can act on what is most important to their community. A nuclear family is a universal term to describe a two generation combination/ grouping usually consisting of a father, mother and one or more children (usually two children). They would live in the same household all together to make up the nuclear family. A nuclear family is a universal term to describe a two generation combination/grouping usually consisting of a father, mother and one or more children (usually two children). They would live in the same household all together to ake up the nuclear family. A nuclear family is a universal term to describe a two generation combination/grouping usually consisting of a father, mother and one or more children (usually two children). They would live in the same household all together to make up the nuclear family. A nuclear family is a universal term to describe a two generation combination/grouping usually consisting of a father, mother and one or more children (usually two children). They would live in the same household all together to make up the nuclear family. A nuclear family is a universal term to describe a two generation combination/grouping usually consisting of a father, mother and one or more children (usually two children). They would live in the same household all together to make up the nuclear family. A nuclear family is a universal term to describe a two generation combination/grouping usually consisting of a father, mother and one or more children (usually two children). They would live in the same household all together to make up the nuclear family. v v A

Suicide Essay -- essays research papers

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people age 15 to 24. Accidents are number one and homicide just passes up suicide and come in second. According to the National Mental Health Association, â€Å"Each year, almost 5,000 young people, ages 15 to 24, kill themselves. The rate of suicide for this age group has nearly tripled since 1960†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (1). More and more teenagers are being pushed to the edge, as explained in the story of eighth grader, Luis. Luis was the skinniest eighth-grader in his class. He also wore glasses and had braces on his teeth, and the other students picked on him every day. They thought it was fun to push Luis into lockers and steal his money, because he was too weak to fight back. The teachers never did anything about it. "I should just kill myself," he thought, "then they would be sorry." He pictured them all at his funeral, wishing they had been nicer to him. After one very hard day at school, Luis decided it was time to teach them a lesson. He swallowed about twenty sleeping pills. Then hey just lay on his bed and felt glad that the other kids were going to regret making his life so hard (Schleifer 25). Teen suicide effects everyone; whether friends, family, or peers. There are many things that cause the need for suicide; there are many obvious warning signs, and also many ways to prevent someone from committing suicide. Even though most teens know that suicide is not a good way to solve their problems, there are many things that just push teens over the edge and cause them to commit suicide. Teens often feel alone, abandoned, ignored, or rejected and they feel that the only way to get some attention is to try to kill themselves. A feeling of hopelessness, depression, low self-esteem, and feeling like a failure are all of the main reasons why suicide is committed so often. Pressure can come from family, work, school, or friends to try to do better then the teen can actually achieve. Everyone knows how it feels to be close to someone and when that relationship is shattered, so is the person's esteem. When breaking up with a significant other, teens often feel very alone and that life can't go on without that other person who is now missing in their life. Even if that important relationship wasn't a romantic relationship, it can still greatly affect a person. If a teen moves away or has a close friend move away, th... ...no one can talk them out of it. Most of the time teens don’t want to die; they are just trying to reach out for help. If you try to help them, they will probably not go through with it. Talking to a depressed friend or family member about suicide will not put ideas in their heads. If anything, they may have been considering suicide and will most likely not go through with it if you talk about their problems with them. According to Suicide Wise, â€Å"The attempted suicide rate for high school females is more than twice as high as for males†(6). Teen suicide is a very hard thing to deal with considering there are many causes, effects, and ways to prevent suicides from happening to those who are close to us. A way to summarize what all of the possible causes for suicide are, is pretty much anything that would make someone very sad, depressed, or just very stressed out. Teens who feel they need to commit suicide often leave warning signs that are very obvious. They are just looking for someone to talk to and somewhere to get help with their problems. Suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness because teens do not understand how many people they are hurting by carelessly ending their life.

Finding Scripture: Knowledge, Purpose and Suffering Essay

For Part 1 of this assignment, you will complete this worksheet by finding the Scriptures listed below. Watch the â€Å"Suffering and Death† video located at http://lc.gcumedia.com/zwebassets/courseMaterialPages/cwv101_vpv01GUI.php Please keep your answers brief. Solid academic writing is expected. Refer to the GCU Academic Writing Guidelines in the Student Success Center. Give a brief summary after each passage listed below. Knowledge: 2 Timothy 3:14-17 – writings that those who followed Christ would be accepted by God 2 Peter 1:21 – those that believed, followed what God said Hebrews 1:1 – God taught his people everything  Psalm 19 – Even though God can’t talk back to us, he can hear everything that we speak of. Write 2-3 sentences explaining how the four passages above might shape the Christian worldview: Through all of life’s lessons we have one person to thank and that’s God. He is always there when we need him, even though he may not be able to give us the answers we are looking for he will lead us in the right path. Give a brief summary after each passage listed below. Purpose: Genesis 37-50 – Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 – God has created a place and time for all of us. No matter what situation we are in, he will always be there for us Romans 8:28-39 – No matter what happens to us God has a purpose for us, and will always show our love towards him Write 2-3 sentences explaining how the three passages immediately above might shape the Christian worldview: Explains to us that no matter what happens in life, God is always there. He will never give us something we can’t handle. He has a purpose for everyone, even though we may not understand it at the time we will make it through. See Part 2 of this assignment on the next page. Part 2 – Journal on Suffering Use the space below to compose a journal of 250-500 words on suffering by answering the following: Describe a time when you entered a prolonged period of suffering and how you responded in body, soul, and spirit. In other words, how did you deal with that time mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually? What did you run to in order to find comfort and to ease the stress and pain of that trial? In what ways did that time challenge, refine, or confirm your worldview? APA is not required for this assignment but solid academic writing is expected. A time where I entered a prolonged period time of suffering was when my grandpa passed away September 8, 2009. I was only 21 years old, and I spent the last week of his life by his side in a nursing home. Grandpa and I were very close, and I cherished every moment we spent together. During his last week my aunt and cousin (whom are witnesses) went over a bunch of different scriptures each night and they would explain the meanings behind them and why they were so important for us to read at that time. The day of his funeral I cried and felt so empty inside until I walked into the church. Even though I cried throughout the whole funeral service, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. It was one of the hardest times I have ever had to deal with. Weeks, even years have passed, we have lost seven more family members since then, and I still can’t overcome the fact that my grandpa is no longer with us. My heart still feels like it has a part missing and it won’t ever be full. I eventually turned to my cousin and aunt down in Tennessee to talk about everything that I was feeling. It helps a little bit but it’s still very hard. One thing that I found myself turning to for the first year after grandpas passing was alcohol. At the time I thought it was going to help me stop feeling the way that I was. Soon I found out that it was just making things worse. So to keep myself busy, and to keep me away from turning to alcohol I started working more, hanging out with friends at home instead of the bars, and I also got back into school. I don’t feel like grandpas passing changed/refined/ or confirmed my worldviews at all. With my aunt and cousin being witnesses, they would talk about the differences with how they read the bible and the Christians read the bible which made me do a lot of thinking on things, but it never changed my worldviews.

Studies in Maltese Architecture

Surveies in Maltese Architecture The Manoel Theatre jpg/640px-Manoel_theatre_%2812843882153%29.jpg" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/aaimagestore/essays/1463861.001.jpg">The Manoel Theatre, or as normally referred to in the Maltese linguistic communication, ‘Teatru Manoel ‘ , is one of the most of import and important memorials shacking in Malta since it a really old theater amongst the other few in all of Europe. This Theatre stretches back to the eighteenth century when it was inaugurated in January of 1732 in the bosom of Valletta, which means it has survived a long period of histories and now it holds within it a heritage which is unreplaceable and alone. Dating back to the early old ages of the eighteenth century, the Grandmaster of the Order of Malta at that clip was Grandmaster Antonio Manoel de Vilhena. As a swayer, he planned and constructed assorted military and civil edifices, such as the garrison in Marsamxett known as Fort Manoel. Fortunately, at that clip, the Grandmaster started to admit theatrical public presentations by the Italian knights of the Order of St. John ( in their hostel ) , every bit good as a Maltese group that used to play comedies and musical amusement, ( in the same hostel ) some of which were rather successful. Therefore Grandmaster Antonio Manoel de Vilhena set up a foundation (Fondazione Manoel) which decided to buy two houses in Strada del Carmine, now known as ‘Triq it-Teatru l-Antik ‘ , at the cost of 2,186scudiso that a new theater could be built at this location. Francois Mondion is said to hold been one of the senior designers employed by Grandmaster Vilhena, that designed and built the new theater, but there is still doubt and uncertainness regarding who the existent designer of the theater was. On the 16th of March 1731, work started on site which was of an country of 94.5 square canes, which was a Maltese unit of measuring used at that clip and consequences to about 414 m? . Since many old ages have passed since the twenty-four hours it was built, the aesthetics, frontage and form are without any uncertainty different from what had been originally constructed in 1732. However, it can still be pointed out that there is a great chance that it might hold been influenced by two theaters in Palermo at that clip. Besides, it is clear that the original form of the auditorium was in the signifier of a U, being described ( by De Lucca and Tonna ) as somewhat retrograde for its clip, with the phase being projected by two consecutive sides. The modern-day papers Cabreo Vilhena describes the interior portion of the theater as it was formatted originally, holding a sum of 39 boxes and a cavity furnished with benches. The boxes were divided into three grades: the first grade being used by the grandmaster ‘s pages ; the 2nd grade was used by the grandmaster and his cortege ; and the 3rd grade was known as ‘the Gods ‘ where the seats are rather high and distant from the phase. A figure of appliances and machines used to do scenes even more Godhead and spectacular where found on the same degree of ‘the Gods ‘ grade. The Manoel Theatre was and still is a theater which maps like many others with some of its parts being the wings and background, every bit good as â€Å"a shop room for the lamps that illuminated the auditoriumâ€Å" . The wing is the country and portion of the phase which is used by the performing artist to fix to come in and is besides used as a storage infinite for set scenery and proficient equipment. Obviously, this portion of the theater is masked by legion long curtains for privateness. On the other manus, the background was the background to any scene of a phase set. Manoel Theatre besides had: the chief entryway ; the phase ; a little room for invitees (saletta) ; a corridor in the signifier of a U-shape ; and a basement found below the phase. As can be seen by the exposure of the original frontage of the theater below, two olympian pillars flanked the front door and supported the balcony above it. The whole Manoel Theatre was surprisingly finished and completed after a sp eedy 10 months. At the early times of Manoel Theatre ‘s startup, the Baroque manner was booming and at its highest point in Europe. Architecture was non the lone of import factor during churrigueresque clip but other factors should be considered. Performing humanistic disciplines such as opera itself were going really of import during this clip and could be categorized into two parts:‘opera seria ‘and‘operabuffa ‘. This means that great public presentations and composings were expected to come with this new theater, besides with the reaching of celebrated composers. The 19th of January 1732 marked an of import day of the month for the Manoel Theatre since the first public presentation was held on this day. ‘Merope ‘( as it was called ) depicted calamities of that century and was acted by the Italian knights of the Order themselves as a mark of regard and baronial work chosen for the startup of the theater. Following this public presentation, were two comedies traveling by the name of ‘Il Giocatore Disperato ‘and ‘Don Pilone ‘. Besides, other public presentations were held during this clip, largely comedies, but unluckily their names are unknown so non much information is available about them. It is of import to observe that from such early times the theater started to be used for other activities such as a locale for carnival balls. During the regulation of Vilhena, there are no more histories of theatrical composings and public presentations but we do hold the memoirs of Carlo Goldoni which do give us an thou ght of how it felt like to be in the Manoel Theatre. Sequence to Vilhena ‘s regulation was Despuig who ne'er attended the theater for his ain grounds, but after him there was the powerful Grandmaster Manoel de Pinto Fonseca who was so in love with theater and public presentation humanistic disciplines that three yearss after he was elected he attended an opera at the theater. It is cardinal to retrieve that during the eighteenth century Manoel Theatre was one of the really few topographic points where the knights and certain types of people could be entertained. Priests were besides acute on keeping their ain public presentations and dramas, even though at these times they merely accepted work forces to go to their dramas. Grandmaster Pinto de Fonseca went to the theater for the last clip at the age of 92 demoing the great love and regard he had for this type of art. Giovanni Artuffo presented and introduced legion operas by three different composers in the early 1750s. All of their plants were admired by the knights and the Maltese people ( less sophisticated but still enthusiastic about the opera itself ) . Just one or really few non-operatic plants were performed during this period. It is besides noteworthy that the old ages 1768-70 a adult female was given the impresa which happens really seldom, in fact she was the lone adult female to be given such power during that century. Besides, a few old ages subsequently Natale Marini made a program and theoretical account of the theater ‘s interior and phase since the theater was under uninterrupted wear but there is no record demoing renewing work. This century marks the debut of a immature endowment Nicolo Isuoard who was set to go one of Paris ‘ most popular composers of amusing opera subsequently on. In 1796 the Gallic arrived and took over Malta, and Napoleon expelled the Order of St. John from Malta in 1798, so the theater had been leased to four individuals. The invasion of the French caused some immediate jobs since the Italian vocalists and instrumentalists organizing portion of the opera of Manoel Theatre were obliged to remain in Malta, so they wanted an addition in their pay. The monetary values and rewards which were making the jobs were shortly fixed and taken attention of. In September 1798, Nicolo Isouard was appointed commissioner for theatre whilst Pietro Paolo Muscat became the exclusive showman as he bought all the portions. During this period, Manoel Theatre was confronting a batch of jobs and was at a clip of crisis, with the attending at the theater most likely worsening since the vocalists were non being changed and the fort started to lose involvement. With all these debatable state of affairss, Isouard was kept busy most of the clip seeking to happen a solut ion to better the state of affairs. In 1799 the theater got involuntarily involved in a atrocious episode in Maltese history when the Maltese were be aftering to assail and scupper the Gallic within the walls of Valletta itself. Manoel Theatre got involved in the narrative because Vaubois ordered Isouard to set on a show on a Friday ( a twenty-four hours when no operas or comedies were of all time performed ) to move as a distraction for the Gallic. However, the program was discovered and several plotters were executed in the square in forepart of the Magisterial Palace. By the early 1800s, the Italian company had had plenty and did non desire to execute any longer, and so the theater was forced to shut with the going of the Italians from Valletta. Manoel Theatre was so reopened and a important event occurred when it was decided that a Maltese play group was to execute on a regular basis inside the theater. This was rather a important measure in Maltese history. In 1800, the Gallic were driven to a point where they cou ld non shack in Malta any longer, ( with the aid of the British ) so they decided to go forth, taking with them Nicolo Isuardo who was regarded as a treasonist and ne'er to return to Malta. After helping to throw out the Gallic, the British found themselves crowned head of the Maltese Islands. Unfortunately, during the going of the Gallic and the early 1801, no public presentations seem to hold taken topographic point inside Theatre Manoel but at least it was surely used for the organisation of balls since Aeneas Anderson tells us that he attended a public ball at the Opera House during this period. Italian opera is reintroduced one time once more and the public presentations are described as great amusement with merely a few little jobs. Besides the fact that non everyone could come in the theater or take his topographic point was acquiring on some people ‘s nervousnesss. In 1812, George Whitmore of the Royal Engineers was â€Å" to reconstruct the edifice exhaustively, to increase the figure of boxes†¦ and to adorn the full edifice in a modern, simple and elegant manner † . Oakes and Whitmore had a big influence on the aesthetics of the theater as it is nowadays since they did hole and alteration rather a batch of parts. In fact, the tallness of the edifice was raised higher with a new roof being built, the floor of the cavity was re-laid, the brackets were removed and the boxes were opened up for better visibleness, and a 4th grade was added. Besides, the dressing suites for performing artists was increased and the phase enlarged. This resulted in the auditorium holding an egg-shaped form, which is still present with that same form presents. The British made sure to re-introduce theprotettore, which was occupied by a citizen of high standing, and the besides reintroduced the system of naming an showman, with the first showmans being three. Showmans had rather a hazardous concern with the hazard of hardly doing any money since they had provide amusement and public presentations all the clip throughout the whole twelvemonth. These apart from holding to pay the rent, had to engage vocalists and terpsichoreans to come to Malta which could take to economical battles. In fact, during 1817-18 the fundss for Manoel Theatre were so bad that both the rent and the admittance monetary values were reduced. The immature British officers, as were the knights, needed to utilize the free clip they had, so for some of them theatre was their interest. We do hold histories of information about legion dramas in English which were held at the Manuel Theatre such as the celebrated workThe Clandestine Marriageby Colman and Garrick. The nineteenth century besides marks another of import milepost in native Maltese play because dramas started to be performed in Maltese linguistic communication as described by the British officer Anderson. The first full length drama was called ‘Caterina, ix-Xbejba tal-Irdum ‘ . Opera, on the other manus, was deemed as more of import during the British regulation, it was the reigning genre. The figure of new operas to be performed per twelvemonth settled at four and bothopera seriaandopera buffaperformed in the early decennaries. A figure of vocalists were so loved and respected a batch by the audience as were Camilla Darbois and Lorenzo Del Riccio amongs t some others, to the point that they ended up settling in Malta ( as they were foreign ) . One should besides retrieve that during their reign, Manoel theater was used for a figure of great occasions as was done for the return of Governor Sir Thomas Maitland. Subsequently along the nineteenth century, Manoel Theatre had become such a load on the authorities because of showmans and the fact that the theater was now an aged edifice with excessively many fixs to be done, it was agreed that a new opera house ( The Royal Opera house ) was to be built. This led to the Manoel Theatre falling into private custodies when Anacleto Conti decided to purchase Mifsud ‘s half portion and go the exclusive proprietor. By 1866 the Royal Opera House was ready to be used and Manoel Theatre ready to be abandoned for good. Manoel Theatre was besides stripped from its rubric ( Theatre Royal ) and named after the Grandmaster Antonio Manoel de Vilhena. Between 1866 and 1873, Manoel Theatre had its ruin, it was hardly used and when used merely for dramas by Maltese amateurs. Since it was hardly used, no care, fixs or renovating were done and it continued to deteriorate. In 1873, a calamity occurred in Valletta when the Royal Opera House was unluckily destroyed and beyond fix. At least from this calamity, Malta regained back a forgotten treasure, that is the Manoel Theatre. Since operas and dramas urgently needed a moderately good topographic point to be performed, what better pick was at that place than the Manoel Theatre? Conti ( the proprietor of the theater ) could non believe his fortune when his theater started to be used and after some clip besides repaired. What really did salvage the theater from traveling downhill for good was the new genre of theater, called ‘operetta ‘ . Since Manoel Theatre had long been unused as a proper theater, its proprietors had to do a figure of efforts at re-establishing it as an opera house. Fortunately, they managed to set up the theater for a figure of seasons and the plants started to increase, accordingly taking to a successful and positive season. In 1882, Arpa decided to buy the Manoel Theatre from Conti and after some clip realized that something had to be done to vie with the Rjal, so many fixs and redecorations were undertaken. On a positive note, Manoel Theatre had some really successful seasons at the terminal of the 1880s, one of the most of import dramas being‘Birichino Al Teatro‘ . After some old ages, Arpa could non pay back the financess he borrowed from G. Gollcher, and so Gollcher decided to take legal actions and purchase the theater himself. The Gollchers did do some few changes and redecorations for the better since they managed the theater themselves for several more old ages. The MADC, which is a popular play group that formed in 1910 with the amalgamation of two groups of play, used to execute a batch in Manoel Theatre and inspired many other groups. In the twentieth century,‘Romanticismo ‘was repeated a figure of times in the theater and after some clip Manoel Theatre besides became a film but unrecorded theater was non banished. The Second World War did somewhat decelerate down Manoel Theatre, but surprisingly composings were still being shown and people were still go toing the theater to be entertained. The Maltese Government, at that clip Malta Labour Party, decided to purchase back Manoel Theatre so as to continue it and its historical heritage. When the theater was acquired, Vera Lindsay and Richard Southmen were commissioned to give recommendations on the resurgence of the Manoel Theatre. Numerous sum of alterations and changes had to be done so refurbishment started instantly. In 1960 the first Manoel Theatre direction commission was set up and they had to do certain that the gap would be a genuinely great one. Fortunately, the gap was a successful event. Presents, Manoel Theatre has continued to populate up to its outlooks and better since it continues to expose many theatrical productions and public presentations both in the Maltese and English linguistic communication, with opera being basically of import, play, dancing, musical shows, and the one-year MADC Christmas dumb show. The Manoel Theatre has been home to countless famous persons and astonishing endowments such as Joseph Callejla, Boris Christoff, Louis Kenter, John Neville and many others. The theatre direction commission president right now is Michael Grech and the deputy president Kenneth Zammit. The theater besides has a museum ( which shows the history of the topographic point ) , and a gift store. It is astonishing to see that this theater managed to survived through all these old ages, all this history shacking within merely one edifice. It has such great intrinsic value, non merely to us but besides to the whole of Europe, that it should be taken attention of and pr eserved for the longest clip possible.

A.D. (or AD) - How Christianity Underlies our Calendars

A.D. (or AD) - How Christianity Underlies our Calendars AD (or A.D.) is an abbreviation for the Latin expression Anno Domini, which translates to the Year of Our Lord, and equivalent to C.E. (the Common Era). Anno Domini refers to the years which followed the supposed birth year of the philosopher and founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ. For the purposes of proper grammar, the format is properly with the A.D. before the number of the year, so A.D. 2018 means The Year of Our Lord 2018, although it is sometimes placed  before the year as well, paralleling the use of B.C. The choice of starting a calendar with the birth year of Christ was first suggested by a few Christian bishops including Clemens of Alexandria in C.E. 190 and Bishop Eusebius at Antioch, C.E. 314–325. These men labored to discover what year Christ would have been born by using available chronologies, astronomical calculations, and astrological speculation. Dionysius and Dating Christ In 525 C.E., the Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus used the earlier computations, plus additional stories from religious elders, to form a timeline for Christs life. Dionysius is the one credited with the selection of the AD 1 birth date that we use today- although it turns out he was off by some four years. That wasnt really his purpose, but Dionysius called the years that occurred after Christs supposed birth The years of our Lord Jesus Christ or Anno Domini. Dionysiuss real purpose was trying to pin down the day of the year on which it would be proper for Christians to celebrate Easter. (see the article by Teres for a detailed description of Dionysius efforts). Nearly a thousand years later, the struggle to figure out when to celebrate Easter led to the reformation of the original Roman calendar called the Julian Calendar into the one most of the west uses todaythe Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian Reform The Gregorian reform was established in October of 1582  when Pope Gregory XIII published his papal bull Inter Gravissimas. That bull noted that the existing Julian calendar in place since 46 B.C.E. had drifted 12 days off-course. The reason the Julian calendar had drifted so far is detailed in the article on B.C.: but briefly, calculating the exact number of days in a solar year was nearly impossible prior to modern technology, and Julius Caesars astrologists got it wrong by about 11 minutes a year. Eleven minutes isnt too bad for 46 B.C.E., but it was a twelve-day lag after 1,600 years. However, in reality, the main reasons for the Gregorian change to the Julian calendar were political and religious ones. Arguably, the highest holy day in the Christian calendar is Easter, the date of the ascension, when the Christ was said to have been  resurrected from the dead.  The Christian church felt that it had to have a separate celebration day for Easter  than the one originally used by the founding church fathers, at the start of the Jewish Passover.   The Political Heart of Reform The founders of the early Christian church were, of course, Jewish, and they celebrated Christs ascension on the 14th day of Nisan, the date of Passover in the Hebrew calendar, albeit adding a special significance to the traditional sacrifice to the Paschal lamb. But as Christianity gained non-Jewish adherents, some of the communities agitated for separating out Easter from Passover. In 325 C.E., the Council of Christian bishops at Nicea set the annual date of Easter to fluctuate, to fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or next after the first day of spring (vernal equinox). That was intentionally complex  because to avoid ever falling on the Jewish Sabbath, Easters date had to be based on the human week (Sunday), the lunar cycle (full moon) and the solar cycle (vernal equinox). The lunar cycle used by the Nicean council was the Metonic cycle, established in the 5th century B.C.E., that showed that new moons appear on the same calendar dates every 19 years. By the sixth century, the ecclesiastical calendar of the Roman church followed that Nicean rule, and indeed, it is still the way the church determines Easter each year. But that meant that the Julian calendar, which had no reference to lunar motions, had to be revised. Reform and Resistance To correct the Julian calendars date slippage, Gregorys astronomers said they had to deduct 11 days out of the year. People were told they were to go to sleep on the day they called September 4th and when they woke up the next day, they should call it September 15th. People did object, of course, but this was only one of numerous controversies slowing acceptance of the Gregorian reform. Competing astronomers argued over the details; almanac publishers took years to adapt- the first was in Dublin 1587. In Dublin, people debated what to do about contracts and leases (do I have to pay for the full month of September?). Many people rejected the papal bull out of hand- Henry VIIIs revolutionary  English reformation had taken place only fifty years earlier. See Prescott for an amusing paper on the problems this momentous change caused everyday people. The Gregorian calendar was better at counting time than the Julian, but most of Europe held off accepting the Gregorian reforms until 1752. For better or worse, the Gregorian calendar with its embedded Christian timeline and mythology is (essentially) what is used in the western world today. Other Common Calendar Designations Islamic: A.H. or AH, meaning Anno Hegirae or in the year of the HijraHebrew: AM or A.M., meaning Year After CreationWestern: BCE or B.C.E., meaning Before the Common EraWestern: CE or C.E., meaning the Common EraChristian-Based Western: BC or B.C., meaning Before ChristScientific: AA or A.A., meaning the Atomic AgeScientific: RCYBP, meaning Radiocarbon Years Before the PresentScientific: BP or B.P., meaning Before the PresentScientific: cal BP, meaning Calibrated Years Before the Present or Calendar Years Before the Present Sources Macey SL. 1990. The Concept of Time in Ancient Rome. International Social Science Review 65(2):72-79.Peters JD. 2009. Calendar, clock, tower. MIT6 Stone and Papyrus: Storage and Transmission. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Prescott AL. 2006. Refusing Translation: The Gregorian Calendar and Early Modern English Writers. The Yearbook of English Studies 36(1):1-11.Taylor T. 2008. Prehistory vs. Archaeology: Terms of Engagement. Journal of World Prehistory 21:1–18.Teres G. 1984. Time computations and Dionysius Exiguus. Journal for the History of Astronomy 15(3):177-188.

Boudicca the Revolt

But despite the obvious Roman agenda that has been intertwined within the recounts of Tacitus and Dio, they remain to be the only credible primary sources of information and provide the most accurate reports of the revolt’s eruption, core and aftermath. Differences and contradictions exist in both accounts of the revolt, with Tacitus harbouring a more lenient attitude towards the British in his collections, ‘Agricola’ and the ‘Annals’. Tacitus suggests that the underlying cause of the revolt was the mistreatment of the Iceni tribe by the Romans following Prasutagus’ death. Tacitus writes in Agricola, ‘the Britons dwelt much amongst themselves on the miseries of subjection†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ introducing the idea that the native’s rights had been suppressed and that the revolt was partly at the fault of the Roman government. Tacitus, in the Annals, proposes that frustration and resentment grew within the Iceni after the Romans ignored Prasutagus’ will to share the rulership of the tribe between the emperor and his two daughters. Instead, Roman officers and slaves alike attacked his kingdom, publicly flogging his wife, Boudicca, and raping his two daughters. Outrage ensued within the humiliated tribe, subsequently leading to the rise of the revolt. Tacitus’ account of the events that led to the revolt display a soft tone of sympathy towards the natives, whilst also openly criticizing and condemning the treatment the Iceni received; thereby providing the most objective viewpoint of the revolt’s roots. On the other hand, Cassius Dio submits other reasons behind the eruption of Boudicca’s revolt in ‘Dio’s Roman History’. Dio introduces the idea that the Iceni were searching for an ‘excuse’ to strengthen the notion that the Romans were tyrants in order to ignite the rebellion and overthrow the invasion, ‘an excuse for the war was found in the confiscation of sums of money that Claudius had given to the foremost Britons. ’ Dio proceeds to propose another possible cause, focusing on the money that Seneca, hoping to garner profit from interest, lent the natives and later demanded back through harsh strategies. However, Dio concludes that ‘the person who was chiefly instrumental in rousing the natives and persuading them to fight†¦ was Boudicca. Dio’s approach to the revolt presents the British tribes as greedy; killing seventy thousand people for the sake of the money that was taken from them. Cassius Dio projects biasness towards Rome in his work, hence the title of his historical collection ‘Dio’s Roman History’. This is especially clear when Dio, in his collection, chooses to overlook the growing frustration amongst the native tribes that was caused by the aggression of the Romans, as suggested by Tacitus and other minority sources. Manda Scott, British author of the ‘Boudicca’ series, agrees that the financial conflicts between the native tribes and Rome were essential to the breakout of the war; however, she insists that the conflicts were because of Roman greed for money, opposing Dio’s insistence on presenting the blame upon the British natives. Tacitus and Dio’s accounts of the revolt bring forth different perspectives in regards to the causes. Yet, both historians have recorded similar information in regards to the events and the aftermath. In Tacitus’ ‘The Annals’, Boudicca’s army destroyed Camulodunum and burnt down the Temple of Claudius – referred to as ‘Citadel of Tyranny’ by Paul Sealey a major symbolic victory for the Trinovantes, whose land was seized for the construction of the temple. The large army then advanced to Londinium, where Suetonius was awaiting them. However, upon contemplation, Suetonius decided to abandon Londinium to its fate on the basis of his army’s numerical inferiority, a decision that was morally criticized by Tacitus, ‘unmoved by lamentations and appeals, Suetonius gave the signal for departure. Tacitus portrays the rebels as barbaric during their campaign, recounting that they ‘could not wait to cut throats, hang, burn and crucify. ’ Similarly, Dio, in ‘Roman History VIII’ also depicts the Britons as savages by describing in detail their methods of torture, ‘They hung up naked the noblest women an d then cut off their breasts†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ After the rebels ravaged Londinium and Verulamium, in an unknown location, Suetonius gathered his army of 10,000 men. Suetonius positioned his men in a position that gave the British the impression that they were trapped, giving the Romans the advantage of deceiving their opponents before an ambush attack. As Boudicca’s army of, according to Dio, 230,000 men encountered the experienced Roman soldiers, Dio writes that Suetonius ‘could not extend his line the whole length of hers†¦ so inferior they were in numbers. ’ For this reason, the army was divided into three bodies, to which Suetonius delivered three speeches of encouragement and comfort, saying, ‘Up, Romans! Show these accursed wretches how far we surpass them†¦ Fear not. Meanwhile, Boudicca also delivered a speech to her army that further fueled their rage, ‘†¦old people are killed, virgins are raped†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ whilst also giving them confidence to fight, ‘they will never face the din and roar of all our thousands’, before ordering them to charge. As the large army charged toward s the Romans, Tacitus writes that Suetonius signaled his men to throw their javelins at the approaching mass. John Nayler, historical consultant, explainss Suetonius’ strategy as to move as one shielded body, so as to act as a defense, whilst those at the front used their short swords to kill attackers. Meanwhile, Tacitus’ account, ‘then, in wedge formation, they burst forward’, supports this theory. As the battle begun and their forces clashed, Dio’s account suggests that the battle was initially even between both sides as the ‘heavy-armed were opposed to the heavy-armed, cavalry crashed with cavalry†¦the barbarians would assail the Romans with a rush of their chariots. ’ However, as events unfolded, order was lost and chaos unfolded, ‘horsemen would overthrow foot-soldier and foot-soldier strike down horseman. Neither Tacitus nor Dio provide further detail other than that the battle continued ‘for a long time’ but ‘finally, late in the day, the Romans prevailed. ’ As many as eighty thousand Britons fell according to Tacitus, but as for the Roman casualties, both historians deliberately give the illusion that the Romans were not massacred in order to maintain the reputation of their victory. There exist co ntradictions between Tacitus and Dio in regards to Boudicca’s fate, with Tacitus claiming that she poisoned herself whilst Dio writes that he died of illness. Manda Scott supports Tacitus’ account, suggesting that this would be the most plausible explanation considering the grief that Boudicca would have experienced after the mass slaughter of her people as well as the loss of her two daughters. Along with the Britons’ defeat and the loss of their leader, they had also suffered from famine due to neglecting their crops that year. As for the aftermath of the revolt within Rome, Tacitus recounts that Suetonius prolonged the war through punitive operations, gaining criticism from Classicianus. These criticisms, in turn, were received by Rome, who had interests to stop the war immediately so as to save resources and lives. Therefore, Nero sent his freedman, Polyclitus, to assess the situation in Britain, resulting in the replacement of Suetonius by Turpilianus in the hopes of improving relations with the natives. To conclude, Boudicca’s revolt, though ending in a military failure, was a spectacular failure that displayed to the Romans the strength and determination of a race that they had seen as inferior. Due to this revolt, which comprised of inexperienced tribesmen and women, the dynamics of the Roman government in Britain had shifted as Nero realized the core importance of maintaining good relations with the tribes. Both Tacitus and Dio have played major roles in retelling the story of Boudicca and the legacy of her political revolution, providing essential information and details that have helped modern historians to study and observe Boudicca and all the events that surrounded her. s

Marketing Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Marketing Environment - Essay Example While some of these factors are easily controllable by the firm, others are difficult or impossible to change and as a result, need to be accommodated in the business decision making. According to Kotler (1999, p. 10), â€Å"A company’s marketing environment consists of the internal factors & forces, which affect the company’s ability to develop & maintain successful transactions & relationships with the company’s target customers.† A business’s marketing environment consists of various internal and external factors. These factors are sub-divided into various micro and macro factors. A business’s internal marketing environment consists of factors such as, machine, workers and employees, equipments, capital and internal operations that guide the internal marketing decisions. Internal marketing environment comprise forces that affect an organization’s ability to cater to the consumers. These factors may include sales representatives, marketing managers, marketing plans, marketing budget, inventory, procedures or logistics (Ferrell and Hartline, 2010). It also includes departments, which are often ignored during the decision making process. For instance, besides the marketing, finance and human resource, the management should also consider other departments such as, research and development, accounting department and personal department, before making any business decisions (Homburg, Workman and Jensen, 2000). A discussion on the various marketing environment factors will help in better evaluation of their influence on marketing decisions undertaken b y a business. External marketing environment factors are further subdivided into macro and micro environment factors. Micro-environmental factors consist of suppliers, marketing intermediaries, consumers and competitors. Suppliers are individuals delivering important resources for producing services and goods. Supplier policies significantly affect marketing decisions of the managers