Comparison Between Virtual Teams and Face-To-Face Teams Research Paper

Comparison Between Virtual Teams and Face-To-Face Teams - Research Paper Example Workers like to interact in teams through teleworks, and flexibility in terms of time is often their top most priority (Kortez, 1999). Social media networks and online calling services have made it all the more convenient to do business through virtual teams. The constraints of distance and time have been minimized to a large extent. While virtual teams are very beneficial for the members in many ways, there are also certain unfavorable outcomes associated with working in this way. For example, employees who have never seen their employers are at risk of losing their jobs anytime. There is often no accountability. Employees have limited access to the company’s resources. This means that more power is assumed by the employers than what they have in the face to face teams. This paper explores several aspects of teamwork in virtual and face-to-face style. II. Building effectiveness a. Managing a virtual team â€Å"Dispersed teams can actually outperform groups that are colocated . To succeed, however, virtual collaboration must be managed in specific ways† (Siebdrat, Hoegl and Ernst, 2009a). ... This provides team members with opportunities to interact face to face and understand one another’s psychology so that when they interact virtually, they are able to draw only true meanings from the conversation. Frequent face to face meetings also allow the members to settle the intercultural differences and reach a culture of respect and harmony for maximal utilization of their potential. b. Member selection â€Å"[T]eams are usually made up of members from different national backgrounds, meaning the members come from different national cultures, possibly speak different languages, and were raised in different countries that may have different value systems† (Staples and Zhao, 2006, p. 389). Member selection in virtual teams is more complicated as a process than it is in face to face teams. This is due to the fact that communication in virtual teams is already affected by lack of face to face meetings and the presence of a medium of communication i.e. technology. Comm unication in virtual teams becomes even more complicated if the members are from different cultures and speak different languages. For virtual teams, it is advisable for the management to recruit only local employees so that all team members speak the same language and can converse with one another without experiencing linguistic barriers. In the face to face teams, management can broaden the criteria for selection and can also welcome foreign employees as body language plays a very important role in face to face meetings and the influence of linguistic barriers is minimized anyway. c. Team process Principles of effective teamwork in virtual teams include but are not limited to realignment of the reward structures, identification of innovative ways to

The Proof Of Gods Existence

The Proof Of Gods Existence When non-Christians and anti-Christians ask that God does not exist and Bible is merely a book, how do Christians answer to them and what should Christians say? Christians are in difficulties to explain God, Bible, and salvation to secular people, because belief of Christians is based on the Holy Bible, which seculars do not believe in, and because Christians do not like explain these thing through secular ways, such as science and philosophy. At this point, there is big gap between Christians and non- and anti-Christians.  [1]  Christians want to explain their belief from, in, and through the Bible, but secular people do not want to listen to the Bible. Christians do not want to cover their belief with secular techniques, but secular people pay attention to explain these through secular methods. For example, according to Kingdom Triangle by J.P. Moreland, scientific naturalism has challenged Christianity and religious belief with four arguments. These arguments are that 1) religious belief is not scientific, 2) religious belief is unprovable, 3) religious belief is unsupported by evidence, and 4) religious belief is superfluous.  [2]  Furthermore, according to the Ethics of Belief written by a nineteenth-century mathematician named W.K. Clifford. He said, Anyone who accepts a religious belief is guilty of acting immorally, irresponsibly, and irrationally.  [3]  According to Faith beyond Reason by C. Stephen Evans, he explains the circumstance of thoughts about faith. There is probably no word in the English language that is more complex and is used in more different senses than the word faith. Religious faith is a concept that both friends and opponents of religion often misunderstand. Thus, the free-thinking critic of religion alleges that religious belief is not backed up by evidence, but is held solely by faith. The critic may mean by this simply that such beliefs have no support at all, but are something like a personal choice made for no good reasons. Embattled religious believers who have no answer for the septic may embrace the same impoverished view of faith, thus relieving themselves of any need to think about their beliefs.  [4]   Do Christians have any solution of this gap of thoughts between Christians and non- and anti-Christians? Do Christians must wait until one day that secular people become Christians by receiving the supernatural grace from God? Christians know the answer is no. Christians must answer the question whether God exist or not, by something that secular people want. Some theologians tried to make a bridge between them by using the philosophical methods. Some hated to be explained their theology and the God by philosophy. Some put theology onto philosophy, and they opened a little gate of mind. Obviously, Christians will find some solution from the synthesis of Thomas philosophy and theology in his achievements.  [5]   Relation between Philosophy and Theology in the history Many theologians tried to systematize the relationship between theology and philosophy, and the relationship is characterized into four forms. The first form is that faith is superior to reason, the second is that reason is superior to faith, the third is to pursuit harmony between faith and reason, and the forth is to assert disconnection between them . These four figures have been represented peoples worldview in the history. Faith Priority People who suggested faith priority opposed the reason of people, and only use the Bible, revelation, and faith. The reason why the people conflicted to the reason is that there are big risks of using reason to theological foundation and faith. They believed philosophy itself has fault and error, and there is the limitation of philosophy. These people believed that if theologians use the reason having error to explain revelation, revelation could not be revelation, and revelation would be damaged its characters. For instance, even though Aristotle maintained the first mover, and he accepted polytheism, he did not believe in the Creator God. The theologians who asserted faith priority were Tertullian. What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? This question of the relation between reason, here represented by Athens, and faith, represented by Jerusalem, was posed by the church father Tertullian (c.160-230 CE), and it remains a central preoccupation among contemporary philosophers of religion.  [6]   Tertullian, the early Church Father, considered the thoughts of philosophy as the source of heresy. He wrote in the book concerning the death and resurrection of Christ: It is by all means to be believed; because it is absurdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.the fact is certain because it is impossible,  [7]   Reason Priority The reason priority is the idea that the humans reason could discover all truth, and everything is measured by the reason. A theologian Sieger von Brabant asserted that the philosophy of Aristotle is the best result of the wisdom of human.  [8]  Revelation must be explained by Aristotles philosophy, and his philosophy must be the measure of revelation. People could understand the Word of God by theological ways, but theological ways is not always clear to people. Therefore, Aristotles philosophy is the real truth, and theology must be reorganized by the philosophy. Peoples mind could be clean by philosophy. Famous rationalists, Rene Descartes, Benedict Spinoza, and Immanuel Kant, believed that everything could be explained by reason, and people have ability to measure religion. Immanuel Kant succinctly summed up the reason only movement with the title of his book, Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone.  [9]   Disconnection Nominalism at 14-15 century is the idea that there is any connection between faith and reason. A nominalist, William Ockham, improved the theory of knowledge. Ockham believed that people could talk about god if there are resemblance between God and human, but because there are no similarity between god and people, Ockham disagreed epistemology of revelation. Therefore, God is shown only through revelation, so, reason is almost nothing. Some evaluate Ockham: Ockham is not a radical intellectual separatist who disdains natural reason or regards with suspicion any Christian thinker who wishes to study the works of non-Christian philosophers with the same intensity as the books of Sacred Scripture. In fact, anyone familiar with Ockhams thought knows that he has immense respect for Aristotle and that his theology is marked by (what he believes to be) Aristotelian positions on a wide range of issues in ontology and philosophical semanticsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Ockhams is an irenic separatism that rejects the prototypically Catholic intellectual project of unifying classical philosophy and the Christian faith in such a way as to exhibit the latter as the perfection of the former, and yet that stops short of disdaining the light of natural reason in the manner of radical intellectual separatismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Ockham will always be viewed as something of an outsider both by the radical separatist, who is bent on isolating faith and reason completely f rom one another, and by the mainstream Catholic thinker, who seeks a genuine synthesis of faith and reason.  [10]   Harmony Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus agree with harmony between faith and reason. The reason is both of them came from One God both faith and reason. It is true that the Bible shows some awareness of the fact that not everyone believes in God. Many people are regarded as worshipping false gods rather than the true God, and it is noted that the fool has said in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 14:1). In Romans 1, Paul explains that there is a natural knowledge of God, which is sufficient to make human beings responsible before God, but that this knowledge can be and has been suppressed. The Bible as a whole seems to assume that people are aware of Gods reality, or at least that they can be aware of God without any special revelation or philosophical argument.  [11]   People thought either reason or faith is better than another. However, Thomas accepts both reason and faith are God-given faculties, and they cannot ultimately be opposed one another. The reason people believe one is better than another is either philosophy has been misused or faith has mistook Gods revelation. The proper sphere of reason is philosophy, in which man seeks to discover the first cause and final purpose of all his manifold experience, and the departmental sciences in which man seeks to discover immediate causes and how they operate in particular fields. The object and aim of philosophy and the sciences is to discover truth. Now St. Thomas believes that God is Truth and the Source of all truth. Hence all mans efforts to aim true knowledge are really directed towards God.  [12]   Thomas Aquinas Background and Thoughts Aristotles Effect Aristotle attempt about god influenced not only the history of philosophy but also the history of Christianity deeply and widely. Aristotle systematized thoughts about god that previous people had, and he especially developed ideas of god based on the idea of a philosopher Parmenides. Many theologians did not have free from the ideas of Aristotle for a long time. For example, Parmenides term, unmoved mover, flowed into the idea of Aristotle, and philosopher Aristotles conception came into the proof of God of theologian Thomas Aquinas.  [13]   I take Thomass relationship to Aristotle to be a complex one, and hardly one of disciple to master. Thomas is surely an admirer of Aristotle and a brilliant commentator on his writings. In particular, he thinks Aristotle more useful for Christian theology than Plato, not least because Aristotle helps him focus on and analyze the concrete particular existing thing, which for him fits well with the Christian ideas of creation and incarnation.  [14]   However, even though Aquinas used the thoughts and terms of Aristotle, Aquinas developed Aristotles things toward Christian things.  [15]  According to Bauerschmidt, Thomas is not an Aristotelian, because his strong interest in Aristotle must be balanced by the fact that he draws upon a wide range of thinkers, including the two very different forms of Neoplatonic Christian theology represented by Augustine and by Dionysius the Arepagite, both of whom are pervasive influences on Thomass writings, because he is willing to change Aristotle both when he conflicts with divine revelation and when Thomas judges him to be philosophically inadequate.  [16]   Aristotle and Aquinas have many similar thoughts on the way that the human person should live. Both of them believe that humans are rational beings. They also believe that because humans are rational they can follow their instincts and live a life of moral goodness. Aquinas however, believed that God was leading human beings to a rational, moral life, while Aristotle believed that being moral was naturally inherent in human beings. Although they had different views as to why human beings should want to live a good life, they both agreed that the one thing that humans should strive for is eudaimonia. Aquinas, being an Aristotelian, agreed with many of the ways in which Aristotle viewed the human person. However, where he diverged was his belief in God. He took the teachings of Aristotle and added God to them so that they would allow for more acceptances from our Christian society.  [17]   Aquinas Harmony Thomas Aquinas was very wise theologian and philosopher in terms of his attempted to use philosophy to explain the God.  [18]  Aquinas believed that everything on the earth came from the one God, so the creatures of God showed people Himself. Aquinas took up a positive attitude to use reason, and pursuit the harmony not only between theology and philosophy, but also between faith and reason. In this perspective, Thomas Aquinas tried to prove the existence of God in his book, Summa Theologiae. However, to Aquinas, theology is always better than philosophy and above it. Aquinas did not think that the proof of the existence of God is proving the existence of the Christians God. Rather Aquinas does this not to prove to the atheist the a God exists but to show that the normal way in which people use the word God is not nonsensicalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [19]   In his achievements, Summa Theologiae and Summa Contra Gentiles, there is the proof of existence of God by five ways. The arguments are 1) from motion, 2) from the nature of the efficient cause, 3) from possibility and necessity, 4) from the gradation to be found in things, and 5) from the governance of things. Aquinas used some terms and ideas of Aristotle in his argument. Even though Thomas Aquinas and his proof of existence of God were not perfect, his effort to make harmony between reason and faith, his attempt to meet the ideas of philosophers, and his humility to the Christian God must be honored by Christians who are ignoring reason.  [20]   The Five Way and Sources The First way: Motion It is certain, and evident to our senses, that in the world some things are in motion. But whatever moves is moved by something else, for nothing can be moved unless it has a potential for that toward which it is moved; whereas something moves inasmuch as it is actual, since motion is nothing other than the transition of something from potentiality to actuality. But nothing can be moved from potentiality to actuality except by something in a state of actuality.  [21]   Thomas Aquinas was very much aware of the fact that he was using materials form philosophical tradition. People may think that the First Ways remote origin is Platos reduction of all movements to a being or form which is essentially movement.  [22]   However, St. Thomas argument is directly dependent on Aristotles demonstration of the existence of the First unmoved Mover, especially in his book, the Physics.  [23]   Did motion itself ever come into existence, never having been before? And will it in like manner cease to be, so that nothing will move thereafter? Or did it never begin to be and will it never cease to be, so that there always has been and always will be motion, belonging to all things as their deathless and never- failing property and constituting a kind of life for everything that is constituted by nature?  [24]   If a thing is in motion it is, of necessity, being kept in motion by something. If it has not the source of its motion within itself, then it is clear enough that it is being moved by something. If on the other hand its source of motion is in itself, let AB represent something that is in motion, not accidentally by virtue of some part of it being on motion, but primarily and in itselfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.The series mist therefore come to an end, and there must be a first moved mover.  [25]   The second way: Causality People may say that the second way was prepared by Platos doctrine of the Demiurge that framed the world, and Aquinas seems to ascribe the argument to Aristotle.  [26]   However, the Second way came to be used by several authors, at least in a less formal manner, such as Cicero, Philo, and Avicenna.  [27]   Furthermore, Aristotle could hardly demonstrate of Gods existence, but Aquinas refrains from reading a demonstration of Gods existence in to these lines.  [28]   In the perceptible world we find that there is an order of efficient causes; but we do not find, nor could we find, anything that is the efficient cause of itself, for in that case it would be prior to itself, which is impossible. Now in efficient causes it is not possible to go on to infinity, because in every ordered series of efficient causes the first is the cause of the intermediate cause, and the intermediate is the cause of the ultimate cause, whether there are many intermediate causes or only oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Therefore it is necessary to accept some first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.  [29]   The Third Way: Contingency The third way is taken from possibility and necessity, and goes like this: we find among things those that have the possibility of existing or not existing, since they are found to be generated, and to corrupt, and consequently have the possibility of existing or not existing. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Therefore, if at one time nothing was in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist; and thus even now nothing would exist-which is obviously false. Therefore one must posit the existence of something that is the necessity of other things. This is what everyone speaks of as God.  [30]   St. Augustine takes up Platonic argument: whatever changes, does not exist of itself but is made by another, and St. John Damascene takes this argument.  [31]   Besides, the non-Christian authors also developed a proof of the existence of God from the mutability of things.  [32]   While, people must conclude that Aquinas used the Third Way in a novel and original way to construct an argument which is his own, because St. Thomas followed the Jewish philosopher quite closely and because he has differences come to light and an essential part.  [33]  . The Forth Way: Properties One finds among things that there are some more and some less good, true, noble, and so forth. But more and less are said of different things insofar as they approach, in their different ways, something that is the maximum, as in the case of a thing being said to be hotter insofar as it most nearly resembles that which is hottestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Therefore there must also be something that is to all beings the cause of their existence, goodness, and every other perfection; and this we call God.  [34]   The ultimate source of the Fourth Way is Plato. There is an outline of the argument in the Symposium, and St. Thomas also uses the argument in a form which goes back to Proclus.  [35]   St. Thomas Aquinas acknowledges this attachment of the argument to Plato. Leo explained, above all Aristotle teaches the unity of being, which to St. Thomas is of paramount importance: the transcendental coalesce in the unity of the concrete thing and do not constitute juxtaposed distinct formal realities.  [36]   Obviously, however, the argument of St. Thomas fundamentally differs from Platos view of participation. The Fifth way: Design The fifth way is based on the guidedness of nature. Goal-directed behavior is observed in all bodies obeying natural laws, even when they lack awareness. Their behavior hardly ever varies and practically always turns out well, showing that they truly tend to goals and do not merely hit them by accident. But nothing lacking awareness can tend to a goal except it be directed by someone with awareness and understanding; the arrow, for example, requires an archer. Everything in nature, therefore, is directed to its goal by someone with understanding, and this we call God.  [37]   The teleological argument, the fifth way, is that proof of Gods existence which is most widely found in religious and philosophical tradition.  [38]   The reason is that it is obvious to man that order does not come from nothing but requires someone who arranges things.  [39]   Xenophon, Plato, and Aristotle present the argument in their books, Memorabilia, Timaeus and the Laws, and De philosophia. St. Thomas quotes a text to this effect of St. John Damascenus. Conclusion In summary, St. Thomas Aquinas used philosophical idea and terms to proof of existence of God in his book, Summa Theologiae. Finding the ideas of Aristotle, Plato, and Xenophon in the book of Aquinas is not difficult, because Aquinas acknowledged philosophy and philosophical methods to one of gifts given from God. Therefore, St. Thomas Aquinas is a person who tried to use philosophy to understand revelation. To Aquinas, reason and faith are important to recognize God. However, even though Thomas accepted philosophy, he did not remain the area of philosophy. Thomas developed philosophical thoughts to theological ideas and Christian thoughts. Therefore, St. Thomas Aquinas is n wise person in terms of filling the gap between reason and faith. Thomas uniquely unites the two sides of the debate within the proof, so, in this proof, people find a synthesis of Thomas philosophy and theology.

Dwight D Eisenhower :: essays research papers

Dwight D Eisenhower was our thirty-fourth president, serving from 1953 to 1961. He was born in Texas in 1890, and brought up in Abilene, Kansas. He was very good in sports in High school and recieved an appointment to West Point. He was stationed in Texas as second lieutenant where he met Mamie Geneva Doud, whom he married in 1916. He excelled at many staff assignments and served under the guidance of many great generals. After Pearl Harbor he was called to Washington for a war plans assignment. He commanded the allied forces landing in North Africa in November 1942. On D-Day, 1944, he was the supreme commander of the troops invading France. After the war he became President of Columbia University. In 1951 he took supreme command over the new NATO forces. Republican emmissaries to his headquarters near Paris persuaded him to run for President. On June 4, 1952 he announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for Presidency. He was soon nominated at the Republican convent ion and elected on November 4, 1952. He was able to use the catchy slogan â€Å"I Like Ike† to help him win. He was able to serve two terms as President of the United States from January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961. He saw the end of the Korean War, and promoted â€Å"Atoms for Peace† and dealt with several crisis in Lebanon, Suez, Berlin, and Hungary in Foreign affairs. He helped make Alaska and Hawaii become states. Throughout his presidency he was very concerned with civil rights issues and the interstate highway system in domestic affairs. Between his two terms he suffered a heart attack in September 1955 in Denver, Colorado. He left the hospital after seven weeks and was reelected for his second term in November. President Eisenhower was very concerned with promoting peace and equality. He began with the desegregation of schools, of which he had to send troops into Little Rock, Arkansas to assure the compliance with the Federal courts decision. He also ordered th e complete desegregation of the armed forces. He wrote â€Å" There must be no second class citizens in this country.† A program that eisenhower was quite proud of was his â€Å"Atoms for Peace† program which was the loan of American uranium to â€Å"have not† nations for peaceful purposes.

How Islam responds to Relationships Essay

Introduction Throughout this project, the intention of the information is to answer the question: How does the religion of Islam respond to issues on relationships? All through this Booklet, I have kept in mind to focus on the ideas of Islamic relationships and what this means to a Muslim, in the Islamic definition. In Islam a definition of relationships means marriage, contract, sex, families, children etc. Therefore, if applied to Islam in liaison to the now modern everyday life this would involve issues such as * Men & Women’s Roles in the family * Beliefs about the ethics of Divorce * Beliefs about sexual Relationships * Religious attitude to the use of contraception These are the subjects I will be talking about and looking over at the Islamic perspective on these topics of concern. To portray the view Islam has over these issues I will be using: * The genuine teachings from the word of our God `Allah` himself, doing this through the Qur’an. * Referring to important hadiths (lessons) and quotes from the prophet Mohammed (pbuh) * The message given out today by the most knowledgeable top scholars. These should give a clear message of what, the view on these issues used to be like, how they have progressed and possibly altered over the years, the differences on these matters from today in contrast to when the religion began, and how it is today, right now in Muslim houses and nations across the world. Islamic Marriage Ceremonies Marriage (nikah) is a solemn and sacred social contract between bride and groom. This contract is a strong covenant; `Mithaqun Ghalithun` as expressed in Qur’an 4:21. The marriage contract in Islam is not a sacrament. It is revocable, both parties mutually agree and enter into this contract. Both bride and groom have the liberty to define various terms and conditions of their liking and make them a part of this contract. Mahr The marriage-gift (Mahr) is God’s command. The giving of mahr to the bride by the groom is an essential part of the contract. ‘And give the women (on marriage) their mahr as a (nikah) free gift† (Qur’an 4:4) Mahr is a token commitment of the husband’s responsibility and may be paid in cash, property or movable objects to the bride herself. The amount of mahr is not legally specified, however, moderation according to the existing social norm is recommended. The mahr may be paid immediately to the bride at the time of marriage, or deferred to a later date, or a combination of both. The deferred mahr however, falls due in case of death or divorce. One matrimonial party expresses `ijab` willing consent to enter into marriage and the other party expresses `qubul` acceptance of the responsibility in the assembly of marriage ceremony. The contract is written and signed by the bride and the groom and their two respective witnesses. This written marriage contract (`Aqd-Nikah`) is then announced publicly. Sermon The assembly of nikah is addressed with a marriage sermon (khutba-tun-nikah) by the Muslim officiating the marriage. In marriage societies, customarily, a state appointed Muslim judge (Qadi) officiates the nikah ceremony and keeps the record of the marriage contract. However any trust worthy practicing Muslim can conduct the nikah ceremony, as Islam does not advocate priesthood. The documents of marriage contract/certificate are filed with the mosque (masjid) and local government for record. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) made it his tradition (sunnah) to have marriage sermon delivered in the assembly to solemnize the marriage. The sermon invites the bride and the groom, as well as the participating guests in the assembly to a life of piety, mutual love, kindness, and social responsibility. The Khutbah-tun-Nikah begins with the praise of Allah. His help and guidance is sought. The Muslim confession of faith that ‘There is none worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His servant and messenger† is declared. The three Qur’anic verses (Qur’an 4:1, 3:102, 33:70-71) and one Prophetic saying (hadith) form the main text of the marriage. This hadith is: ‘By Allah! Among all of you I am the most God-fearing, and among you all, I am the foremost held responsible to save myself from the wrath of Allah, yet my state is that I observe prayer and sleep too. I observe fast and suspend observing them; I marry woman also. And he who turns away from my Sunnah has no relation with me†. The Muslim officiating the marriage ceremony concludes the ceremony with prayer (Dua) for bride, groom, their respective families, the local Muslim community, and the Muslim community at large (Ummah) Marriage (nikah) is considered as an act of worship (Ibadah). It is honourable to conduct it in a Mosque keeping the ceremony simple. The marriage ceremony is a social as well as a religious activity. Islam advocates simplicity in ceremonies and celebrations. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) considered simple weddings the best weddings: ‘The best wedding is that upon which the least trouble and expense is bestowed†. Primary Requirements 1) Mutual agreement (Ijab-O-Qubul) by the bride and the groom. 2) Two adult and sane witnesses. 3) Mahr (marriage-gift) to be paid by the groom to the bride either immediately (muajjal) or deferred (muakhkhar), or a combination of both. Secondary Requirements 1) Legal guardian (wakeel) representing the bride. 2) Written marriage contract (â€Å"Aqd-Nikah) signed by the bride and the groom and witnesses by two adult and sane witnesses. 3) Qadi (State appointed Muslim judge) or Ma’zoon (a responsible person officiating the marriage ceremony) 4) Khutba-tun-Nikah to solemnize the marriage. The Marriage Banquet (Walima) After the consummation of the marriage, the groom holds a banquet called a walima. The relatives, neighbours, and friends are invited in order to make them aware of the marriage. Both rich and poor of the family and community are invited to the marriage feasts. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: ‘The worst of the feasts are those marriage feasts to which the rich are invited and the poor are left out†. (Mishkat) It is recommended that Muslims attend marriage ceremonies and marriage feasts upon invitation. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: â€Å"†¦and he who refuses to accept an invitation to a marriage feast, verily disobeys Allah and His Prophet†. (Ahmad & Abu Dawood) Roles of Men and Women within an Islamic Family Islam teaches that men and women are equal and that Allah will judge them equally according to the way in which they have lived. Men and women are quite obviously different from each other and each have their own qualities, both of these joined together in the act of marriage is what makes a family work well. Due to the differences and qualities, men and women have different responsibilities to their children and to each other. These responsibilities are in no terms biased against women, the responsibilities laid upon the parents are balanced and equally as important to one another. Men do have the quality of normally being physically and mentally stronger than women, and for this, they are expected to provide his wife(s) with sufficient money to allow her to buy food, take care of the house and look after the children. But this does not mean that the father just has a financial role, not at all, the father is the leader of the home in Islam, it is his responsibility to set the social and emotional nature for the home and family. Men’s responsibility in Islam goes far beyond only financial. If the father is emotionally distant, perpetually angry, or closed off, chances are this will reflect throughout the rest of the family. Thus, the role of the father and husband as a â€Å"tone-setter† is a key element in the leadership & running of the household. I notice in my own home that when my father is engaged in reading/activities, I will take interest and want to join him. Rather than get upset at me for interrupting him, he will usually try to include me in what he is doing in a way that is playful and educational. This allows me to take an interest in it as well, increasing the bond and emotional connection between us. Islam gives fathers and mothers a great deal of responsibility for raising their children. It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, â€Å"Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The man is the shepherd of his family and he is responsible for his flock. The woman is the shepherd of her husband’s household and is responsible for her flock. The servant is a shepherd of his master’s wealth and is responsible for his flock.† He said, I heard this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Women are expected to cook food, clean the house, and take care of the children but the fathers do also have a part in the upbringing of the children and the daily house chores as Mohammed (pbuh) used to help his wife Khadija at the housework as well. Also equal rights are given to both the women and men in Islam; Women do have the right to study if they which, to refuse a marriage, to divorce, to inheritance, to keep their own names, to own property, to take part in politics, whether they are married or not. Women are owed more respect in Islam than men and the pathway to heaven is at your mother’s feet. Muslim Beliefs about the Ethics of Divorce Muslim marriage is supported by Islam and is classified as a very good act between a man and women however Muslims are not so ignorant to think that marriages don’t fail. They do, it is acknowledged that they do, and since marriage is a legal contract between two people and if the continuation of a marriage brings misery to the couple and their children, it can be undone. In a hadith it states; `If a wife fears cruelty or desertion on her husbands part, there is no blame on the, if they arrange an amicable settlement between themselves; and such settlement is best; even though men’s souls are swayed by greed` Also it is said that of all things allowed in Islam but disliked (this is known as `makrooh` e.g. smoking) Divorce is the most hated of them all. A man cannot seek to have a divorce from his wife until it is certain that she is not pregnant, as they may change their mind and try and give it another go if the woman is pregnant. Also as divorce is much hated and is not to be done lightly at all, once divorce has been announced there is a period of three months called `iddah` this is a period of three months to allow for a possible reconciliation of the marriage. If there is no reconciliation then the divorce is permitted to take place. A woman is also allowed to have a divorce, either by an agreement with her husband or because of his treatment of her. Children are regarded as illegitimate if their parents are not married and, according to Shari’ah law, the father has no legal responsibility. These are the complete conditions of marriage in the contract and the circumstances in which it is permitted, backed up by quotes from the Qur’an. Requirements; * Marriage implies that both husband and wife are able to live with one another with kindness, respect and cooperation. It is their responsibility to raise a family and it is a covenant binding on both parties. * There are times when marriages fail and no solution can be found except divorce. * The Qur’an orders men to either live with their wives on good terms or divorce them, but they are not to hold them hostage: â€Å"When you divorce a woman and they are about to fulfill their Idda, either take them back on equitable terms or set them free, but do not take them back to injure them.† Chapter 2, verse 231. * A woman has the right to seek a divorce from her husband if she feels that their marriage is doomed. â€Å"If you indeed fear that they would be unable to keep the limits ordained by God, there is no blame on either of them if she gives something for her freedom.† Chapter 2, verse 229 Muslim Beliefs about Sexual Relationships In Islam, sexuality is considered part of our identity as human beings. In His creation of humankind, God distinguished us from other animals by giving us reason and will such that we can control behaviour that, in other species, is governed solely by instinct. So, although sexual relations ultimately can result in the reproduction and survival of the human race, an instinctual concept, our capacity for self-control allows us to regulate this behaviour. Also, the mere fact that human beings are the only creatures who engage in sexual relations once they are beyond the physical capacity for reproduction, sets us apart from all other species, which engage in sex for the sole purpose of reproduction. Beyond childbearing, sexual relations assume a prominent role in the overall well being of the marriage. In reading hadith, one is impressed with the Prophet’s ability to discuss all issues including those dealing with human sexuality. The topics range from questions about menstruation to orgasm. He apparently was not embarrassed by such inquiries, but strove to adequately guide and inform the Muslims who asked. Both Qur’an and hadith allude to the nature of sexual relations as a means of attaining mutual satisfaction, closeness and compassion between a wife and husband. â€Å"Permitted to you on the night of the Fasts is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and you are their garments.†(2:187) Adultery Also, Muslims are advised to avoid sexual intercourse during menses so as not to cause discomfort to the woman. It could be said that Islam has a very realistic attitude towards sex and realises that both men and women can be tempted to have a sexual relationship outside of marriage. Sexual activity of any kind is explicitly forbidden and adultery by the husband or the wife is a serious crime. `Nor come night to adultery: for it is a shameful deed and an evil, opening the road to other evils` (surah 17:32) Sex Before Marriage Naturally, attraction between individuals is necessary to initiate a relationship that leads to marriage. But sexual relations can obviously take place between any couple, consenting or not. Because of the far-reaching ramifications of sexual relations outside of marriage, God prohibits Muslims from such behaviour. And because the process that leads to physical attraction and ultimately intimacy is part of human nature, Muslims are advised to behave in a way and avoid circumstances that could potentially result in extra- or pre-marital sex. Modesty in dress and behaviour between women and men figures prominently as a means of exhibiting self-control. Similarly, unmarried couples are admonished against spending time alone in isolated places where they would be more likely to act on their feelings and thus be less inhibited. Homosexuality Human beings are capable of many forms of sexual expression, orientation and identification. The existence of such a variety again is not found in any other species and thus further demonstrates our uniqueness among God’s creations. The potential for behaviour, such as homosexuality, does not mean that its practice is lawful in the eyes of God. Therefore, individuals are expected to control themselves and not act on their desires if such action is contrary to the guidelines of Islam. Homosexuality, like other forms of sexual relations outside of heterosexual marriage, is thus prohibited. In any discussion of prohibited acts follows the question of what happens if they nevertheless occur. The Qur’an and hadith are explicit regarding severe punishment by the State if a person is convicted of such a crime. However, in order for conviction to take place, the individuals must confess or be accused by at least four eyewitnesses of the act of actual intercourse. Obviously, the likelihood of these criteria being met is small which means that most couples who engage in unlawful acts will not be punished by the State. They will then deal with the consequences of their behaviour in this life and will be accountable to God on the Day of Judgement. Only He knows how He ultimately judges. Muslim Beliefs about Contraception Contraception Although Muslims are encouraged to have children, contraception is not prohibited. The method used during the time of the Prophet was `coitus interruptus` (known as ‘azl`) about which several hadith exist. His basic response when asked if such a practice was lawful was that individuals can do as they will, but if God intends for a child to be born, she/he will be born. Some interpreted this to mean that preventing pregnancy is not recommended because childbearing is preferred; yet the act is not specifically prohibited. Also, other hadith stipulate that ‘azl could not be practiced without the wife’s consent as it might interfere with her sexual satisfaction or desire to bear children. The Qur’an does not make any explicit statements about the morality of contraception, but contains statements encouraging procreation. Various interpretations have been set forth over time, and at the time of this writing, discussions on the web can be found easily that take various positions. Early Muslim literature discusses various contraceptive methods, and a study sponsored by the Egyptian government concluded that not only was azl (coitus interruptus) acceptable from a moral standpoint, but any similar method that did not produce sterility was also acceptable. â€Å"It is permissible to use condoms so long as this does not cause any harm and so long as both husband and wife consent to their use, because this is similar to ‘azl (coitus interruptus or â€Å"withdrawal†). But it reduces the sensation of pleasure, which is the right of both partners, and reduces the chance of conception, which is also the right of both partners. Neither one of them is allowed to deprive the other of these rights. And Allaah is the course of strength.† – islamic-paths.org, Sex and Sexuality in Islam – Condoms (2005) [4] By analogy, the methods that exist today as contraceptives are lawful for Muslims to use at their discretion. Basically, it is our position that any method that does not involve pregnancy termination is permissible. Imam al-Ghazzali lists a number of legitimate reasons for practicing contraception, including; * Financial difficulty * Threat to mothers health * Chance of child being born with mental or physical deformities * Emotional or psychological hardship * Already having many children * Preservation of beauty and health. It should be clear from this discussion, that since sexual relations should be confined to marriage, contraception is so limited. It is not considered a means of easing the difficulties associated with sexual relations outside of marriage and should most certainly not be used in this way at all. Conclusion Overall, all in all in my total truthful opinion, I do believe that Islam the true words from Allah does promote marriage among society, does accept that marriages do fail and permits divorce and the use of contraception. I accept that marriage breakages can happen and that they cannot be forbidden as the continuous misery of two people is worse than the split of their marriage so it should be permitted. However I do think that in today’s modern society people are getting married with the thought that they can just divorce if it goes wrong but I believe this is truly wrong! People should seriously contemplate whether or not the time is right for them to get married before they just go into it. Also despite being Muslim myself I feel that the permittance of a man having more than one wife is wrong and unfair on the women themselves, because no matter how fair the man wants to be, he’ll never be able to treat all them with the same fairness. Also I don’t feel that a man is able to truly love more than one woman at the same time, so having more than one fair would make one think that the man doesn’t actually love any of his wives but keeps them for pleasurably reasons only. I also have to disagree with a certain Shari’ah law stating that `Children are regarded as illegitimate if their parents are not married and, according to Shari’ah law, the father has no legal responsibility` I believe this to be unjust as women cannot become pregnant by herself; the man in full knowledge of what he was doing had sex with her, giving him responsibility for any offspring created from it. Also men may very well use this law as a means of taking advantage of women as they will not be held responsible for any children created as a result of it. Apart from those, Islam has a very modern and fair way of looking at relationships, and apart from those mentioned I don’t believe that women are treated unfairly in anyway at all. Bibliography The holy qur’an the companions of the prophet book2 al-nawawi’s 40 hadiths Religion & equality booklet www.islamonline.net www.islam101.com www.bbc.co.uk/gcse/bitesize www.islamicforums.com

Walking Contradiction

Now I know how parents may feel when their teenage kids are playing there depressing and gothic music at full blast at the middle of the night. It's clear that most people's opinions are that the lyrics featured in these gothic or metal bands are usually to do with some sort of bad language, death and violence. A feature most predominantly in many of Marilyn Manson's songs. A quote reveals how people judge him for every circumstance â€Å"when a dude's getting bullied and shoots up the school and they blame it on Marilyn, and the heroin† This reveals people's attitude towards this individual. In any case people have their preferences and mine include Beegees. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a golden oldie, but the best music had to have been made in the 70's or 80's. Perfectly good examples of these would have been Abba and Gloria Gaynor. Now neither of these people needed to promote sex, drugs and rock and roll to sell records, which is what seems to be happening today. Artists seem to swear more and more to sell more and more, now tell me is this right? Any ways don't get me wrong not every artist is like that†¦ There are a handful of bands, which don't need negative aspects to sell their music. One band in particular is Kool and the gang, now if I may claim to liking the classic band does that necessarily mean that I must write off every modern day music as some of you people do. All of you people seem to be determined to write off any artists that bear the name Eminem or Marilyn Manson, or any artists that swear or have some sort of opinion not matching yours. The truth about the matter is that you use these individuals as scapegoats, so that you have something to blame when your child has done something wrong or you have something to blame for the way your child behaves. The fact of the matter is that music is a way of expression, and that no matter how or why people complain about aspects of it the reality is that you are powerless to stop any kind of music from coming out. But most importantly you are powerless to stop your children from listening to it. At the end people can listen to whatever type of music, from anything from Bob Marley's â€Å"No woman No cry† to a more modern day song such as Rage Against The Machine's â€Å"Bullet in the head†. I personally have gotten into Metallica recently, just like how a vampire needs his blood, I admittedly need to listen to the enlightening and somewhat depressing lyrics, as well as the bone crunching and indoctrinating guitar riffs daily. Without these I am happy to say that I would be a lifeless, dull and uncaring individual (One which requires someone to master him as a puppet). But with all this said hate and love have been with us from the beginning of time, and they will continue to be with us until the end. I only ask that people take in the fact that drugs and violence have always been in lyrics and will forever remain so, the key thing is to learn to deal with it! Show preview only

Creating Your Own Lesson Plan Calendar

Creating Your Own Lesson Plan Calendar It is easy to become overwhelmed when you begin planning units of study and individual lessons for a school year. Some teachers  start with their first unit and continue until the year ends with the attitude that if they didnt complete all the units then thats the way life is. Others try to plan their units in advance but run into events that cause them to lose time. A lesson plan calendar can help by giving a realistic overview of what they can expect in terms of instructional time.   Materials Needed: Blank CalendarSchool CalendarPencil Steps for Creating  a Lesson Plan Calendar Get a blank calendar and a pencil. You dont want to use pen because you will probably need to add and erase items over time.Mark off all vacation days on the calendar. I generally just draw a big X right through those days.Mark off any known testing dates. If you dont know the specific dates but you do know in which month testing will occur, write a note at the top of that month along with the approximate number of instructional days you will lose.Mark any scheduled events that will interfere with your class. Again if you are unsure of the specific dates but know the month, make a note at the top with the number of days you expect to lose. For example, if you know that Homecoming occurs in October and you will lose three days, then write three days at the top of the October page.Count up the number of days left, subtracting for days noted at the top of each month.Subtract one day each month for unexpected events. At this time, if you want, you can choose to subtract the day before va cation begins if this is typically a day that you lose. What you have left is the maximum number of instructional days you can expect for the year. You will be using this in the next step.Go through the Units of Study necessary to cover the standards for your subject and decide the number of days you think will be needed to cover each topic. You should use your text, supplementary materials, and your own ideas to come up with this. As you go through each unit, subtract the number of days required from the maximum number determined in step 7.Adjust your lessons for each unit until your result from Step 8 equals the maximum number of days.Pencil in the start and completion date for each unit on your calendar. If you notice that a unit would be split by a long vacation, then you will need to go back and readjust your units.Throughout the year, as soon as you find out a specific date or new events that will remove instructional time, go back to your calendar and readjust.

Brooklyn Bridge Construction and History

Brooklyn Bridge Construction and History Of all the engineering advances in the 1800s, the Brooklyn Bridge stands out as perhaps the most famous and most remarkable. It took more than a decade to build, cost the life of its designer, and was constantly criticized by skeptics who predicted the entire structure was going to collapse into New Yorks East River. When it opened on May 24, 1883, the world took notice and the entire U.S. celebrated. The great bridge, with its majestic stone towers and graceful steel cables, isnt just a beautiful New York City landmark. Its also a very dependable route for many thousands of daily commuters. John Roebling and His Son Washington John Roebling, an immigrant from Germany, did not invent the suspension bridge, but his work building bridges in America made him the most prominent bridge builder in the U.S. in the mid-1800s. His bridges over the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh (completed in 1860) and over the Ohio River at Cincinnati (completed 1867) were considered remarkable achievements. Roebling began dreaming of spanning the East River between New York and Brooklyn (which were then two separate cities) as early as 1857 when he drew designs for enormous towers that would hold the bridges cables. The Civil War put any such plans on hold, but in 1867 the New York State legislature chartered a company to build a bridge across the East River. Roebling was chosen as its chief engineer. Just as work was beginning on the bridge in the summer of 1869, tragedy struck. John Roebling severely injured his foot in a freak accident as he was surveying the spot where the Brooklyn tower would be built. He died of lockjaw not long after, and his son Washington Roebling, who had distinguished himself as a Union officer in the Civil War, became chief engineer of the bridge project. Challenges Met by the Brooklyn Bridge Talk of somehow bridging the East River began as early as 1800, when large bridges were essentially dreams. The advantages of having a convenient link between the two growing cities of New York and Brooklyn were obvious. But the idea was thought to be impossible because of the width of the waterway, which, despite its name, wasn’t really a river. The East River is actually a saltwater estuary, prone to turbulence and tidal conditions. Further complicating matters was the fact that the East River was one of the busiest waterways on earth, with hundreds of crafts of all sizes sailing on it at any time. Any bridge spanning the water would have to allow for ships to pass beneath it, meaning a very high suspension bridge was the only practical solution. And the bridge would have to be the largest bridge ever built, nearly twice the length of the famed Menai Suspension Bridge, which had heralded the age of great suspension bridges when it opened in 1826. Pioneering Efforts of the Brooklyn Bridge Perhaps the greatest innovation dictated by John Roebling was the use of steel in the construction of the bridge. Earlier suspension bridges had been built of iron, but steel would make the Brooklyn Bridge much stronger. To dig the foundations for the bridge’s enormous stone towers, caissons- enormous wooden boxes with no bottoms- were sunk in the river. Compressed air was pumped into them, and men inside would dig away at the sand and rock on the river bottom. The stone towers were built atop the caissons, which sank deeper into the river bottom.Caisson work was extremely difficult, and the men doing it, called â€Å"sandhogs,† took great risks. Washington Roebling, who went into the caisson to oversee work, was involved in an accident and never fully recovered. An invalid after the accident, Roebling stayed in his house in Brooklyn Heights. His wife Emily, who trained herself as an engineer, would take his instructions to the bridge site every day. Rumors thus abounded that a woman was secretly the chief engineer of the bridge. Years of Construction and Rising Costs After the caissons had been sunk to the river bottom, they were filled with concrete, and the construction of the stone towers continued above. When the towers reached their ultimate height, 278 feet above high water, work began on the four enormous cables that would support the roadway. Spinning the cables between the towers began in the summer of 1877, and was finished a year and four months later. But it would take nearly another five years to suspend the roadway from the cables and have the bridge ready for traffic. The building of the bridge was always controversial, and not just because skeptics thought Roebling’s design was unsafe. There were stories of political payoffs and corruption, rumors of carpet bags stuffed with cash being given to characters like  Boss Tweed, the leader of the political machine known as Tammany Hall. In one famous case, a manufacturer of wire rope sold inferior material to the bridge company. The shady contractor, J. Lloyd Haigh, escaped prosecution. But the bad wire he sold is still in the bridge, as it couldn’t be removed once it was worked into the cables. Washington Roebling compensated for its presence, ensuring the inferior material wouldn’t affect the strength of the bridge. By the time it was finished in 1883, the bridge had cost about $15 million, more than twice what John Roebling had originally estimated. While no official figures were kept on how many men died building the bridge, it has been reasonably estimated that about 20 to 30 men perished in various accidents. The Grand Opening The grand opening for the bridge was held on May 24, 1883. Some Irish residents of New York took offense as the day happened to be the birthday of Queen Victoria, but most of the city turned out to celebrate. President Chester A. Arthur came to New York City for the event, and led a group of dignitaries who walked across the bridge. Military bands played, and cannons in the Brooklyn Navy Yard sounded salutes. A number of speakers lauded the bridge, calling it a Wonder of Science and lauding its anticipated contribution to commerce. The bridge became an instant symbol of the age. Its early years are the stuff of both tragedy and legend, and today, nearly 150 years since its completion, the bridge functions every day as a vital route for New York commuters. And while the roadway structures have been changed to accommodate automobiles, the pedestrian walkway is still a popular attraction for strollers, sightseers, and tourists.