Native American Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Native American Culture - Essay Example They had a value system in place before being colonized, which consisted of four commandments; respect mother earth, respect the great spirits, respect our fellow man and woman, and finally respect for individual freedom. The last commandment was violated by the incoming Europeans as they took away their freedom and way of life. Health Care Beliefs In Native America, there is the belief that is centered on interconnectedness, meaning that everything on earth is connected and therefore has a spirit. Medicine refers to remedies, actions and any type of prayer used to honor the sacred being. From the Native American point of view, medicine is about curing the ailing person rather than healing, and the traditional healers oversee these operations with their aim being to make a person whole again. Traditionally, Native Americans are of the opinion that sickness is due to spiritual troubles, and if a person falls sick then the person is imbalanced, and his or her thoughts are negative. The healers believe that conditions, which are inherited from the parents to the child, are hard to treat and the main cause is an immoral lifestyle led by the parents. The main purpose of traditional healers is to restore an ailing patient back to a state of being whole, and a healthy and pure state of mind, body and soul. The healers combine rituals, religion, herbal medicine and spirituality to treat ailing people. Practices widely used by the traditional healers include the utilization of purifying methods, herbal remedies, symbolic healing and shamanism to clean the body and soul. In rituals, family and friends can be used to invoke the spirits to aid in the healing of the sick person. Natives seek the direction of medicine men and healers for spiritual purposes, and to be reassured about something, the place to go is to the traditional healers. The Native Americans use the modern medicine to treat the White man’s illness and use Indian medicine to treat Indian diseases. Ac cording to the American Indian people, every person on earth is here for a reason and when the reason is attained, the person dies. Upon a person’s death grieving is not held for a long time since it acts as an obstacle to the dead, as it prevents them from entering the new world. Differences of Health Care Beliefs The Native Americans believe in cooperating with one another to achieve any obstacle while the Americans competition reigns supreme; the principals of capitalism are applied. As a sign of respect, eye contact is not maintained in health institutions, and it becomes difficult to diagnose a patient. As sign of honesty and earnestness, eye contact is maintained and diagnosing a patient becomes easy with the Americans. To the Native Americans listening is preferred to speaking therefore; it becomes difficult to know what ails the patient. Emphasis is placed on expressing what a person feels among the Americans therefore the ailing person will communicate with the nurse s and doctors. According to Native Americans, emphasis is put on non-verbal communication and observation while the Americans emphasis is placed on communication, which is considered as very important since a patient is able to open up. Native Americans do not criticize the person administering the health services directly thus it becomes difficult to rectify ineffective situations in health facilities. Conversely, in the American culture, criticism is expressed directly, with the reason being that the patient

Roman Influence on Byzantine Empire and Islamic Societies Essay Example for Free

Roman Influence on Byzantine Empire and Islamic Societies Essay The mother of the world has been killed,† stated a 5th century historian, bereft and appalled when the news of Rome’s fall had reached ear. Certainly his words hold truth, for Rome the dauntingly colossal Empire engulfing the Mediterranean and all territories around it; the source of artistic, intellectual, and cultural ascendancy; the influential factor of brilliance in so many of the coexisting societies of the western world was truly the predecessor and creator of all Western Civilization to come. However, what no one knew, was that the lasting impression this powerful and astonishing civilization would make upon the world, even if only through the works of fleeting memory or written text. As always, with loss comes a chance for gain an opportunity for rebirth and renewal that could previously have only been a dream. And so, with the collapse of one great empire, opportunities arose for the numbers of new kingdoms and societies to follow. The Byzantine Empire and Islamic societies were two especially prominent societies that gained primacy, arising from the fourth to sixth century. Although both Byzantine and Islamic societies created their own empires, with separate rulers and individuals, the Roman Empire heavily influenced their cultural aspects, as demonstrated in their religion, art, and law. The Byzantine Empire was a highly prosperous society centered around the city of Constantinople. This society, dating back to around 330 AD, consecutively arising after the fall of the Roman Empire, and managed to remain in power for more than 1000 years. It was the most powerful economic and military force in all of Europe at the height of it’s power. Constantinople, located at present day Istanbul, was the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, and played a key role in the hegemony of the empire. By cause of the city’s prime positioning with access to east-west and north-south trade routes, trade became an important institution and base of economy in the Byzantine Empire. Silk was originally bought from China for the grand empire, until silk-worms were illegally obtained by Byzantine monks, and factories were established in the Empireto create this rare product. Silk soon became an imperial monopoly, and through this way, the trade of luxury items became the Byzantine’s main source of income. The location of Constantinople also aided in military conquest and defence, for the empire’s naval headquarters were located along the shores, and had access to the Black Sea and Mediterranean. Because of the Empire’s location, all but overlapping the fallen Roman’s territory, the Byzantine Empire was greatly affected by these Roman’s past traditions and ways of life. The Roman Empire influenced the Byzantine Empire’s culture, mainly through the religion of Christianity. Christianity first appeared in the Roman Empire, with the birth, teachings, and supposed resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the beginning years of it’s arrival, Christianity was not tolerated and Christians were mainly, and most often brutally prosecuted. However, with Constantine’s Edict of Milan, Christianity was officially tolerated, and under Theodosius, it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Byzantine Empire inherited this relatively new religion, continuing to follow the beliefs and traditions of the church, as well as spreading the word of Jesus Christ and the message of god. Churches sprung up in the empire, such as the mighty Hagia Sophia. Located in Constantinople and built by Justinian, this church especially exemplified Roman influence through its divine architecture. â€Å"Above the arches is raised a circular building of a curved form through which the light of day first shines,† (document 2) boasts Procopius, a Byzantine scholar from Palestine. He became the principal historian of the 6th century, documenting the works and wars of Justinian I. Procopius describes the church’s magnificent domed ceiling, which, along with columns and a concrete skeleton, can hardly be castigated, nor denied of it’s uncanny resemblance to Rome’s Pantheon. Justinian was the Christian Emperor of the Byzantine Empire who is famous for his building projects, battle tactics, and his codification of Roman law. â€Å"We have attempted the most thorough amendment of the entire law, to collect and revise the whole body of Roman jurisprudence, and to assemble in one book the scattered treatises of so many authors,† Justinian writes, reflecting upon his work. The Justinian code was essentially a collection of scattered Roman documents on law, treaties, and other diverse legal matters. This codification was used as the basic system of law in the Byzantine Empire, and successfully governed an Empire of citizens for roughly 1000 years. In conclusion, if not for the influence and impact of lingering hints of Roman Christianity, architecture , and law, the Byzantine Empire would have evolved into a profoundly variant society than the one established so many years ago. Islamic Societies were very militaristic, religious, and politically based on the teaching of Muhammad. Although small when first founded in the sixth century, at it’s height of power, regions conquered and maintained by the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties included Egypt, Arabia, lands of the Persian Empire and Asia Minor, regions of North Africa snaking along the Mediterranean, and territories of present day Spain in the west. Comprised of brilliant generals and thousands of well-motivated men striving for eternal paradise in the after-life, the army was immensely dynamic, efficacious, and cardinal to the prodigious power of the Islamic Kingdom. Religion influenced much of the population’s way of life, dictating family practices, working hours, diet, public ceremonies, and many other aspects of everyday life. To maintain the promise of eternal paradise after death, a Muslim was expected to follow the ruler and faith with honor and loyalty, as well as the Five Pillars of Islam. Stated in the Qur’an, these pillars are thought of as the hindmost commitment to Islam, and obedience to the laws is key. One must accept monotheism and Muhammad as God’s holy messenger (Shahada), pray five times a day and attend communal prayer on friday (Salat), give alms to the poor and less fortunate (Zakat), fast during the holy month of Ramadan (Sawm), and make a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) at least once in a life-time. The rulers of Islamic Society, entitled as caliphs, were expected to follow these pillars, as well as the practice of Jihad striving in the way of the Lord. However, although the Islamic culture and government had many newly created aspects, the motif of previous Roman society was still predominantly clear. Roman influence on Islamic Societies was mainly displayed in its art, specifically architecture and language. The multitude of Roman architects, hired by kings to institute the design and production of churches, were frequently extremely bright, talented, and passionate. The innovative building models established were graced with stability, natural impregnability, and beauty. Islamic societies gained much of their knowledge on contemporary architecture from the Romans, and in effect, produced constructions very similar to those erected in the bygone days of the Roman Empire. For example, the Islamic Dome of the Rock, constructed in Jerusalem 690 AC, possesses aspects similar to those of the Roman Pantheon. The Dome of the Rock’s ceiling, to no extent of surprise, is in fact in the shape of a dome, such as the ceiling of the Pantheon. Furthermore, the Islamic structure contains many columns that are conjointly displayed in the Roman temple. The Mosque at Cordoba contains arches and columns resembling those built by Romans in water canals and at the gates of cities. The Islamic religions also continued to carry on the most spoken language of Rome Latin. Caliphs and libraries collected texts from all around the world, while scholars translated the sterling works into Arabic and Latin. Although Islamic some celebrations show congruency with celebrations of Christians,Roman influence on the Muslim people was mainly cultural. News of Rome’s fall spread quickly throughout lands of the Mediterranean, Africa, Persia, and Arabia. All were astonished at the supposed failure of the once mighty empire, considering it’s previous success and military conquest. Acting as predecessor and nurturer, Rome had affected countless bordering societies, all across the western world. However, the historian pronouncing Rome’s title as â€Å"mother of the world† had been ludicrously incorrect in concern to one aspect of the Empire’s demise. Rome went on influence future cultures in the Mediterranean regain for centuries, especially those of the Byzantine Empire and ancient Islamic Societies. By means of the Empire’s culture, religion, and law, Rome continues to influence American society today, even hundreds of year’s after the empire’s fall. In Washington D. C. , the use of columns, arches, and domes is a common motif in most political buildings, as well as domestic dwellings. Christianity is now a widely adopted religion, practiced by approximately thirty-three percent of the entire world’s population. Justinian’s codification of Roman law can still be compared with legal and justice systems from around the world, especially in western civilization. The 6th century historian was terribly mistaken in the fact that Rome had been killed, for today as vividly as yesterday; as true as the promise of tomorrow’s rising sun Rome lives on. In the subtle curve of an elegant column, in the chromatic dazzle of a church’s stained glass window, and in the crack of a judge’s mallet, bringing justice to all those our mighty nation gives promise to protect and serve, Rome survives. Chin to the sky, arms open, Rome stands tall and illustrious, ready to embrace all those who walk the earth all whom she deems children.

The Use Of Enzymes In Textile Industry Biology Essay

The Use Of Enzymes In Textile Industry Biology Essay Enzymes are bio-catalysts and are used in several industrial processes since nineteenth century. Its use in textile industry is an example of industrial or white revolution. Enzymes, due to their non-toxic and eco-friendly characteristics, have gained wide applications in textile industry. Not only they are highly specific, efficient and work under mild conditions but also they help reduce process times, save energy and water, improve quality of product and reduce pollution. As a result they are rapidly gaining global recognition as important requirement for textile industry. Commercially enzymes can be obtained from three primary sources, animal tissues, plants and microbes. However, these naturally occurring enzymes are not produced in sufficient quantities to be readily used in industrial applications. Hence, microbial strains producing the desired enzyme are cultured and optimised i.e. fermentation, to obtain enzymes in sufficient quantities for their commercial use in textile industry. The enzymes used in the textile industry are amylases, cellulases, pectinases, lipases, catalases, proteases, xylanases etc. and are mainly used for processing of the textiles i.e. preparatory and finishing of the goods. Some of the applications include removing of starch, bleaching, degrading lignin, fading of denim and non-denim, removal of peroxidises, finishing of wool, decolouration of dyestuff, bio-scouring, bio-polishing, wool finishing, etc. (Shenai, 1990; Nalankilli, 1998; Barrett et al., 2003;Cavaco and Gubitz, 2003; Chelikani et al., 2004). CLASSIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF ENZYMES USED IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY Enzymes are very specific toward catalysing the substrate. Hence these are classified on the basis of their catalytic functions in six broad categories: EC1 Oxidoreductases: catalyze oxidation and or reduction reactions EC2 Transferases: catalyze transfer of a functional group EC3 Hydrolases: catalyze the hydrolysis of various bonds EC4 Lyases: catalyse cleavage of various bonds by means other than hydrolysis and oxidation EC5 isomerases: catalyse isomerisation changes within a single molecule EC6 Ligases: joining of two molecules with formation of covalent bonds Properties of enzymes exploited for use in industrial application: Acceleration of the reaction rates by lowering the activation energy of the reaction. Operating optimally under milder conditions of temperature, pH and atmospheric pressure. Alternative for polluting, toxic and carcinogenic chemicals High specificity towards substrate makes easy to control their activity Biodegradable and do not produce toxic wastes. Due to their high efficiency, specificity, property of working under milder conditions and biodegradability enzymes are well suited for various industrial applications. ROLE FO ENZYMES IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY Use of enzymes in various textile processing processes has greatly benefited textile industry with respect to both environmental impact and quality of product. There are 7000 known enzymes, but only 75 are commercially used in textile industry (Quandt and Kuhl, 2001) and most of them belong to hydolases and oxidoreductases families. The hydrolases family includes amylases, cellulases, pectinases, proteases, catalases and lipases/estarases and oxidoreductase family include laccase, peroxidises. AMYLASES Amylases actson starch molecules and hydrolyses to give dextrin and small polymers of glucose units (Windish and Mhatre, 1965). These are classified according to the sugars they produced i.e. ÃŽ ±-amylases and ÃŽ ²-amylases. ÃŽ ±-Amylases being produced from filamentous fungi and bacteria are mostly used in industries (Pandey et al., 2000). This enzymes are stable over wide range of pH from 4-11 and optimal activity is related to the growth conditions of the source microorganisms (Vihinen and Mantsala, 1989). In general, ÃŽ ±-Amylases shows high specificity towards starch followed by amylase, amylopectine, cyclodextrin, glycogen and maltotriose (Vihinen and Mantsala, 1989). 1.1 Textile Desizing Size is an adhesive substance used to coat the wrapping threads used in weaving of the fabrics made from cotton or blend. Starch and its derivatives are broadly used to size fabrics due to their easy availability, relative low cost and excellent film forming capacity (Feitkenhauer et al., 2003). Amylases are used to remove this sizing material and prepare the fabric ready for dyeing and finishing (Cavaco-Paulo et al., 2008). Earlier to the discovery of amylases, desizing was done by chemical treatment of fabric with acid, alkali or oxidising agents at high temperature. But, this technique was inefficient in removing the starch which resulted in imperfections in dyeing and also degradation of cotton fibre. Amylases are commercially used for desizing fabric due to its efficiency and specificity and its effectiveness in completely removing the size without affecting the fabric (Cegarra, 1996; Etters and Annis, 1998). Starch is removed during washing in the form of water soluble dextrin and thus reduces the discharge of chemical waste into the environment. 2.0 CELLULASES Cellulases are the hydrolytic enzymes that catalyses the breakdown of cellulose to smaller oligosaccharides and finally to glucose. These enzymes are commonly produced by soil-dwelling fungi and bacteria such as Penicillium, Trichoderma and Fusarium (Verma et al., 2007) and shows optimal activity in temperature range from 30C-60C. The applicationof cellulases in the textile industry begin in late nineteenth century with denim finishing. It alone accounts for 14% of the worlds industrial enzyme market (Nierstrasz and Warmoeskerken, 2003). 2.1 DENIM FINISHING Denim is high grade cotton and its washing is done in order to give a worn look e.g. stonewashing of denim jeans, in which the denim fabric id faded using sodium hypochlorite or potassium permanganate are used as pumice stones (Pedersen and Schneider, 1998) it resulted in damage to the fabric and machine. Introduction of cellulases have increased the productivity without affecting garment or the machine. Cellulases hydrolyses the exposed surface of dyed (indigo) fabric leaving the interiors intact, partial hydrolyses of the surface results in removal of dye and leaves a light area. Most of the cellulases are produced from fungi, but cellulases from bacterial and actinomycetes origin are now studied with regard to its use in bio-stoning of denim. Cellulases used for washing of the denim can be further classified on the basis of optimal pH required for its maximum efficiency; as neutral cellulases operating at pH 6-8 and acidic cellulases acting at pH 4.5-6. 2.2 BIO-FINISHING Washing of cotton and other natural and man-made cellulosic fabrics, besides denim, such as linen, hemp, rayon and viscose by enzymatic activity of cellulases to improve final appearance is done by bio-finishing or bio-polishing processes (Videbaek and Andersen, 1993). The process helps in preventing the formation of ball of fuzz called pill on the surface of the garment, this formation usually results in unattractive, knotty fabric appearance. Cellulases, hydrolyses the microfibrils protruding from the surface of the fabric which tends to break off leaving a smoother surface. Bio-finishing may be an optional step for upgrading cotton fibrics, but is very important step in prevention of pilling or fibrillation during finishing of lyocell fabrics (Cavaco-paulo et al., 2008). Similarly, Carrillo et al. (2003) stated that cellulases can be used for viscose type regenerated celloloses like viscose and modal. Yachmenev et al. (2002) showed the use of ultrasound as an efficient way to improve the enzymatic activity in bioprocessing of cotton.

Satellites :: essays research papers

Satellites Satellite is probably the most useful invention since the wheel. Satellites have the capability to let you talk with someone across the nation or let you close a business deal through video communication. Almost everything today is heading towards the use of satellites, such as telephones. At&t has used this communications satellite (top right) ever since the late 1950s. TVS and radios are also turning to the use of satellites. RCA and Sony have released satellite dishes for Radio and Television services. New technology also allows the military to use satellites as a weapon. The new ION cannon is a satellite that can shoot a particle beam anywhere on earth and create an earthquake. They can also use it's capability for imaging enhancement, which allows you to zoom in on someone's nose hairs all the way from space.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Gossard (left) was one of the most integral inventors of the satellite. He was born on October 5, 1882. He earned his Masters and Doctoral degree in Physics at Clark University. He conducted research on improving solid- propellant rockets. He is known best for firing the world's first successful liquid-propellant rocket on March 16, 1926. This was a simple pressure-fed rocket that burned gasoline and liquid oxygen. It traveled only 56m (184 ft) but proved to the world that the principle was valid. Gossard Died August 10, 1945. Gossard did not work alone, he was also in partnership with a Russian theorist named Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Tsiolkovsky was born on September 7, 1857. As a child Tsiolkovsky educated himself and rose to become a High School teacher of mathematics in the small town of Kaluga, 145km (90mi) south of Moscow. In his early years Tsiolkovsky caught scarlet fever and became 80% deaf. Together, the theoretical work of Russian Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and the experimental work of American Robert Gossard, confirmed that a satellite might be launched by means of a rocket.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I chose the satellite to research because many things such as computers, TVS and telephones are using satellites, and I thought it would be a good idea to figure out how they work and the history behind them before we start to use them more rapidly. I also picked the satellite because I think that my life would differ without it. For instance, The Internet or World Wide Web would run very slowly or would cease to exist altogether. We wouldn't be able to talk to people across the world because telephone wires would have to travel across the Atlantic, and if they did, the reception would be horrible. We wouldn't know

Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay -- Lord of the Flies Good V

Lord of the Flies by William Golding Lord of the flies was written by William Golding in 1954. It is an enthralling, book that explores the concept of the behaviour of man when he is exempt from society. Golding achieves this by stranding a group of British schoolboys on a secluded island, in the midst of a war. Throughout this period the boys evolve from being civilised and let savagery take over. This book is well written and effectively presents the theme of the story: the evil that man is capable of. Once read, this book will stay in your memory for its provocative idea that humans are a flawed race. The story takes place on a remote, tropical island. As the island is secluded, there is no contact from the outside world. This is significant because this means that the rules that applied in the outside world don’t apply here. The boys are now free from society, which holds together people’s judgement of what is right and what is wrong. The absence of such an influential factor to the peace of man, permits anarchy to break out. The island is a microsm of the real world. This means that the same fundamental activities that take place in the real world also take place on the island, just on a smaller scale. For example the outside world is fighting an intense war; a war is also taking place on the island, the battle of civilisation and savagery. The lord of the flies presents many themes and ideas. The major ones being good versus evil or civilisation versus barbarism and the evil man is capable of. Golding portrays that there are two major impulses in man. Order and civilisation or anarchy and savagery. He also implies that anarchy is the more dominant impulse. He depicts the battle of good ve... ...brutality and evil of man. They have just killed piggy and have compared his body to one of a dead pigs, they don’t even view him as a human, let alone value the life of a human. The contrast presented in the quote, â€Å"Which is better – to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?† paints a picture of the central theme of the story. Civilisation or Savagery. The boys finally get rescued at the end of the book by a navy officer. Linked to the outside world it is ironic because this officer, dressed in white is depicted as an angel, their salvation. However this very soldier is a symbol of the evil man is capable of, by fighting in the war. This book has demonstrated that humans are flawed. We are capable of great evil. This is still relevant in today’s society because, put under the right situations, you too could carry out unspeakable atrocities.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 19

â€Å"Honestly, Elena,† Aunt Judith said, shaking her head as she adjusted the car's rearview mirror. â€Å"I don't know why these kinds of things always seem to happen to you, but you find yourself in the strangest situations.† â€Å"Tel me about it,† Elena said, slumping down in the passenger seat of her aunt's car and resting her head in her hands. â€Å"Thank you for picking me up, Aunt Judith. I just felt too shaky to drive after being at the hospital with Caleb and everything.† She swal owed. â€Å"I'm sorry I missed Margaret's dance recital after al .† Aunt Judith patted Elena's knee with one cool hand without taking her eyes off the road. â€Å"I told Margaret that Caleb got hurt and you had to take care of him. She understood. Right now I'm worried about you. It must have been a shock to find him like that, especial y when you realized it was someone you knew. What exactly happened?† Elena shrugged and repeated the lie she'd told the police. â€Å"I just found him lying there when I went to visit Mom and Dad.† Elena cleared her throat before continuing. â€Å"The hospital's keeping him for a couple of days. They think he's got a bad concussion and they want to watch and make sure his brain doesn't swel . He woke up a little bit in the ambulance but was real y groggy and didn't remember what had happened.† Which was lucky, Elena thought. What if he'd said he was attacked by Elena Gilbert's boyfriend, who had something weird going on with his teeth? What if he'd said her boyfriend was a monster? It would be last fal al over again. Aunt Judith frowned sympathetical y and shook her head. â€Å"Wel , Caleb's lucky you came along. He could have been lying there for days before anyone went looking for him.† â€Å"Yeah, lucky,† said Elena hol owly. She rol ed the bottom of her T-shirt between her fingers and was startled to realize she stil had her bathing suit on under her clothes. The picnic that afternoon seemed like it had taken place a mil ion years ago. Then something Aunt Judith said struck her. â€Å"What do you mean, he could have been lying there for days before anyone looked for him? What about his aunt and uncle?† â€Å"I tried cal ing them after you cal ed me, but it seems that Caleb's been fending for himself for quite a while. When I reached them, they were out of town on vacation, and frankly they didn't seem like they were too concerned about their nephew, even when I told them what had happened.† She sighed heavily. â€Å"I'l go visit him tomorrow and bring him some of the flowers from our garden he's been working so hard on. He'l like that.† â€Å"Huh,† said Elena slowly. â€Å"I thought he told me he came here to stay with his aunt and uncle because they were so upset about Tyler being missing.† â€Å"Maybe so,† Aunt Judith said dryly, â€Å"but the Smal woods seem to be doing pretty wel now. They said that in their opinion, Tyler wil come home when he's good and ready. That boy was always a little out of control. It sounds like Caleb is more worried about Tyler than they are.† She pul ed into the driveway of their house, and Elena fol owed her inside to where Robert was reading his newspaper at the kitchen table. â€Å"Elena, you look exhausted,† he said, folding the paper and looking up at her in concern. â€Å"Are you al right?† â€Å"I'm okay,† she said numbly. â€Å"It's just been a long day.† She thought she had never made more of an understatement in her life. â€Å"Wel , Margaret's gone to bed, but we saved you some dinner,† Aunt Judith said, making a move toward the refrigerator. â€Å"It's a chicken casserole, and there's some salad. You must be starving.† But suddenly Elena felt sick. She'd been suppressing al her feelings about Stefan and his attack on Caleb, keeping the images tamped down so she could get on with the business of dealing with the police and the staff at the hospital and her own family. But she was tired and her hands were shaking. She knew that she couldn't keep everything under control for much longer. â€Å"I don't want anything,† she said, backing away. â€Å"I can't†¦ I'm not hungry, Aunt Judith. Thank you, though. I just want to take a bath and go to bed.† She turned and hurried out of the kitchen. â€Å"Elena! You have to eat something,† she heard Aunt Judith cry exasperatedly behind her as she hurried up the stairs. The solid-sounding murmur of Robert's voice broke in: â€Å"Judith, let her go.† Elena ducked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She and Margaret shared the hal bathroom, and she busied herself with emptying Margaret's bath toys from the tub, keeping her mind careful y blank: a pink rubber ducky, a pirate ship, a stack of gaily colored plastic cups. A goofily smiling purple seahorse looked up at her with painted blue eyes. Once the tub was empty, Elena ran the water as hot as she could stand and poured in a generous dol op of apricot-scented bubble bath from a bottle that promised to soothe her spirit while rejuvenating her skin. Soothing and rejuvenating sounded good, although Elena had her doubts about how much she could reasonably expect from a bottle of bubble bath. When the tub was ful and frothy with a thick layer of bubbles, Elena quickly undressed and stepped into the steaming water. It stung at first, but she eased herself in bit by bit, gradual y getting accustomed to the temperature. Once she was comfortable, she lay back in the water, her hair floating out like a mermaid's, the sounds of the house muffled by the water over her ears, and let the thoughts she'd been avoiding come at last. Tears overflowed her eyes and trickled down her cheeks to join the bathwater. She had believed that everything was going to be normal now that they were back home, that things were going to be good again. When she and her friends had gotten the Guardians to send them back and to change things, to reverse the deaths, to fix the broken, to make everything the way it would have been if nothing dangerous had touched the little town of Fel ‘s Church, she had thought that it would make her life simple and easy. She would have her family, her friends, her Stefan. But it wasn't going to work, was it? It wasn't ever going to be that way, not for Elena. As soon as she'd come back to town, the very first day she'd stepped outside into the sunshine of a Fel ‘s Church summer, something dark and evil and supernatural had started stalking her and her friends. And as for Stefan†¦ God†¦ Stefan. What was happening to him? When she closed her eyes, she saw Caleb flying through the air and heard that horrible, final-sounding crack that Caleb's head had made as it connected with the marble of the mausoleum. What if Caleb never ful y recovered? What if this cute, innocent guy, this guy whose parents had died and left him like hers had died and left her, was broken forever because of Stefan? Stefan. How had he become the kind of person who could do something like that? Stefan, who felt guilty about the animals he took blood from, the doves and rabbits and deer of the forest. The Stefan who she knew at the deepest level of her soul, who she thought kept nothing from her – that Stefan would never have harmed a human being like that. Elena lay in the bathtub until the water got cold and her tears had stopped. Then she got out, drained the tub, dried her hair, brushed her teeth, put on a nightgown, cal ed good night to Aunt Judith and Robert, and climbed into bed. She did not want to write in her diary. Not tonight. She switched off the light and lay flat on her back, staring into the darkness – the same blackness, she thought, as Damon's eyes. Damon had been a monster, she knew – he had kil ed, although not as blithely as he pretended; he had manipulated people and enjoyed it; he had haunted and hated Stefan for hundreds of years – but she had also seen the lost little boy he kept locked inside him. He had loved her, she had loved him, and he had died. And she loved Stefan. Desperately, devotedly, undeniably. She loved the sincerity in his eyes, his pride, his courtly manners, his honor, and his intel igence. She loved that he had rejected the monster that lurked inside him, the one that had driven so many vampires to terrible acts. She loved the sorrow he held – for his past, for his hatred and jealousy of Damon, for the terrible things he had seen. And she loved the hope that always sprang up in him, the strength of wil Stefan possessed that al owed him to keep fighting back the darkness. Beyond al that, she loved Stefan. But she was afraid. She had thought she knew him inside and out, that she could see clear through to the innermost reaches of his soul. That wasn't true, not anymore. Not since the Guardians had stripped her powers, severing their psychic connection and reverting her back to a normal, human girl. Elena rol ed over and buried her face in the pil ow. She knew the truth now. No matter what the Guardians had done for her, she would never be a normal girl. Her life would never be simple. Tragedy and horror would fol ow her forever. In the end, there was nothing Elena could do to change her destiny.

Islam a Religion of Peace Essay

And then there is the question of characterizing Islam as â€Å"peaceful† and doing so under duress. That is, when you are being pursued and hounded by people who brand you as totally irrational and uncontrollably violent. So, you have a knee-jerk reaction, purely defensive and purely self-protective and blurt out that you are a â€Å"peaceful religion. † And you are absolutely and one hundred percent right in saying that. For, Islam is all about peace and truth and justice and kindness and compassion. But that is not what your accusers and tormenters are saying. They are pointing to all the violence that is going on in different parts of the Muslim world, violence in which Muslims are involved in one way or another, and saying that it is all Islam’s fault. But what some of these people conveniently forget is that there are all kinds of background factors and conditions that lead to violence in individuals, groups, nations and societies. They forget that peace is one state of human life and reality. Another is strife and conflict. A third reality of human life is force. Peace is the ideal state to which we all aspire and toward which we all work. Strife is the sad and gloomy reality in which human life is all too often mired. Legitimate, lawful and societally sanctioned force is the instrument that human beings have devised for minimizing and controlling strife and for maximizing peace. The foundation of true and lasting peace on earth and in any society is justice, love, compassion, integrity, truth, reasonableness and sound morality. Where this foundation is absent or weak, and where people’s most basic needs and legitimate rights and aspirations are not met, and are persistently and blatantly denied, chances of stable and lasting peace are minimized or jeopardized. All too often, then, those who have been systematically denied their basic and legitimate rights, and who are not allowed by nations, societies and governments any rightful recourse to the redress of their lawful grievances, begin to resort to force and violence as an instrument of resistance to their domination, subjugation and exploitation by others and for the amelioration of their situation. There are all kinds of university books, full of all kinds of theories, that explain why and how people develop violent tendencies and behavior.