Cosmetic Industry

Global Cosmetics Manufacturing Industry Over the past five years, the Global Cosmetics Manufacturing industry has experienced steady growth. According to IBISWorld industry analyst Nikoleta Panteva, â€Å"The past five years have been no exception, despite declining per capita disposable income in key markets. †Ã‚   Industry Analysis & Industry Trends: The global cosmetics industry is broken down into six main categories; skincare being the largest one out of them all, accounting for 31 percent of the global market. * Revenue: $243bn; Annual Growth 08-13: 3, 0 %. However, there are certain factors which affect the entry to the cosmetic industry by firms. These factors can be briefly analyzed using the Porter Five forces analysis. They include the threat of substitutes, threat of new entry, bargaining power of customers and suppliers as well as intensity of rivalry in the industry. Threat of new entry This factor analyzes the ease with which firms may enter into an industry. Th e cosmetic industry has a low threat of new entrants. The first is the huge costs of entry.Developing unique cosmetic products requires a lot of resources both in terms of research and development and the actual manufacturing process. Another factor which discourages entry into this industry is the huge competition present in the industry. In addition to the huge competitors such as Avon, Revlon, Clinique, Estee Lauder, LR, Mac and Unilever, who have a large market share, there are many other small scale competitors who also have a small market share and who reduce the overall profitability of firms in the industry. Bargaining power of customersThis factor analyzes the power which suppliers have regarding making price changes for their products. When consumers have a high bargaining power, the manufacturers and sellers may not adequately predict future demand by the market. The cosmetic has a high bargaining power of customers. This is due to the increase competition and availabilit y of cosmetic products from a variety of manufacturers. Bargaining power of suppliers This factor analyzes the power which suppliers have regarding making price changes for their products. The cosmetic industry has a low bargaining power of suppliers.This is due to the high number of market players and large supply of diverse products to the market. There are many cosmetic products which are developed by both large and small scale manufacturers. Threat of substitutes The threat of substitutes arises when there are similar products developed by competitors which satisfy the market needs. Consumers are able to purchase competitor's products if they are not satisfied with product price or quality. In the cosmetic industry, there are many competitors as has been discussed. There is therefore a high threat of substitute products.It is therefore essential for the market players in the cosmetic to be innovative if they are to tackle the challenge of the threat of substitute. Competitors Th ere are many competitors who reduce the overall profitability of the industry, which makes it a barrier for new companies to entry. Moreover, the many large scale cosmetic firms make it a barrier to entry especially for middle and small scale firms. Complementors: within the industry, outside the industry The high seller concentration in the developed countries leads to high competition and an overall reduction in profitability for cosmetic firms in this industry.The cosmetic industry is valued at $6 billion in France and $12 billion in Germany. In the US, it is valued at over $20 billion. Demand from emerging economies and aspirational shoppers has also kept the industry growing over the past five years, with revenue increases averaging 3. 2% per year to reach $233. 3 billion by the end of 2012. Merger and acquisition (M;A) deals of interest over the past decade that have served to change the face of the Global Cosmetics Manufacturing landscape include Procter ; Gamble's takeover o f Gillette, L'Oreal's acquisition of The Body Shop and Coty's acquisition of Unilever's fragrance division.Other key drivers underlying the ongoing spate of M&A activity include the expansion of geographic footprints, diversification into new product categories or market segments and the exploitation of new technologies, including greener processes. In the future there will be new players from growing markets, such as India, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Brazil. Aggressive marketing will ensure that firms entering the cosmetic industry have products which are known to the market.A combination of Internet, electronic and mass media advertising should be used in order to reach all the desired target market segments. So the industry has high competition, high entry barriers, low supplier power, high customer power and a large number of substitutes. In order for a firm to enter and be successful in the cosmetic industry, it has to apply various strategies. These include focus on eme rging markets and developing countries, implementing a cost leadership strategy, implementing research and development and applying aggressive marketing campaigns.These strategies will ensure that they capture a market share, develop customer loyalty and achieve long term profitability over the years. The example of co-opetition: One of Nestle’s most innovative and successful co ­branded products includes creating the new brand, Inneov with L’Oreal. In 2002, Nestle and L’Oreal formed a 50– 50 joint venture to begin to develop what they called a â€Å"functional food† (Charles 2002). Inneov is a nutritional supplement for cosmetic purposes taken orally, with the purpose of protecting, correcting and stimulating skin, nails and hair cellular processes.Inneov is one of the first major brand alliances between a food and a cosmetics company. The product benefits from the nutritional research of Nestle and the dermatological research from L’Orea l. Inneov is based in France and launched in pharmacies in November 2006. L’Oreal did the marketing due to its current expertise in promoting cosmetics. This new brand shows that Nestle selected the right product and the right partner to enter an industry that makes food for the skin rather than food for consumption.

The Church as Forgiving Community: an Initial Model

The Church as Forgiving Community: An Initial Model Liberty University Summary To forgive is not to condone, excuse, forget, or even to reconcile. To forgive is to offer mercy to someone who has acted unjustly (Magnuson; and Enright, 2008). The study of forgiveness in this research article leads us down a path of insightful hopefulness for reconciliation, peace, trust, self-esteem and greater self-actualization. Along with humanistic values this article gives the reader a deeper comfort in the mercies that is given from a greater high power when forgiveness is asserted.The overall premise of â€Å"The Forgiving Community,† as an initial model was a great starting point for greater research. Within the article we see why a basic theory could be important and should be implemented, especially in the case of reaching our children before a culture of unforgiveness and grudges engulf them. The main idea of this article was how to train the church community to instill the forgiving model. One of those ideas of how to instill the forgiving model was for forgivers to learn from their forgiveness and understand one must forgive because they have been forgiven for something themselves.As forgiveness is given and received both recipients, especially the forgiver now see that we all live in a world full of brokenness yet we still yearn to be restored into full fellowship with one another. While the authors were building their case for the forgiving community model they really focused on trying to teach the forgiving model. Looking at forgiveness as a model in the church within the numerous levels of its hierarchy was greatly insightful. Because, this lead to a purpose driven environment that was built on the back of repetition.This shows an effort not to exclude anyone out of the conversation as one is trying to make a lifestyle of living in the atmosphere of forgiveness. Interaction At first glance this article seemed interesting to me simply because of its title. It was one of those things that you look at and say, should not it be that way anyway. As a pastor I have been teaching on forgiveness and confession for a number of weeks in my bible study class. Everything that has been read and the scriptures that have been used in my study time have validated my conclusions of the past few weeks.Not only has my conclusions been validated it has now allowed me to deepen my studies with some empirical materials to allow my class to partake into some knowledge outside of scripture interpretation. This journal piece has challenged me as a pastor to become more psychological in my studies and further deliberate in my method of teaching. There should be a continuum of information that is given out not just from the pastor but from every auxiliary leader so that the message is not just heard but is embedded to all that are receiving the message.This will lead to the sustainability of a message and a life of character change, which will lead one to a li fe of self-gratification, healing, love and respect for self and others. Robert D. Enright is not just noted as an author in this article but a lot of his work is also cited in this article. Because of the dynamic references in this article his books are now on my reading list for future sermons and bible study topics especially on the topic of forgiveness.Along with reading his other works, there is a piece of me that wants to see how he interprets the scriptures of forgiveness through the lens of academics. Is there a more spiritual rational for his belief of forgiveness or is it mere empirical data received through research. Application The counseling session topics that will be used in this scenario are rape and forgiveness. Based on the article we would have to establish a level of comfortability and trust for this conversation even to blossom.Because rape is such a private encounter and the lack of trust that is in the mind of the victim; encouraging one to release their fears and pains is a delicate task. Initially, I would create a series of messages dealing with forgiveness, confidence, love, misconduct, rejection and/or acceptance. This would be done in a group setting and the conventional church service setting. There would then be a time of self-evaluation and reflection so that individuals have time to process the actions of their past lives.Afterward, there will be a time of one-on-one discussion to feed the beast of past pains and allow the clients to see since one is still here God has a continued plan past their hurtful ordeal. The subsequent steps of further sessions will be how to forgive others and how to forgive oneself for the past actions after the rape occurred. Using the church as a forgiveness community we will allow others to discuss their past and how they made it through as in the life of Joseph with his brothers in Genesis the 50th chapter.A beginning and ending of any session would begin like this, â€Å"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done† (Genesis 50:20, New Living Translation). You can accept the past. No one sin, no one exploits, no one choice on your part is too big for God to handle or for God to work out. Just look at Joseph! The same brothers that plotted, sold, and lied about him had to rely on him for their survival. You can embrace the present. There is no place in your life to ride the, what if thrill ride.The past is forgiven and gone, and the future is in God’s hands; so you are free to focus on your present: because you’re present is where God’s love, grace and mercy will stream from. You can look expectantly toward the future. Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Even when things appear to be terrible, you can trust that God is still working out his divine plan for your life. Reference Magnuson, C. M. , & Enright, R. D. (2008). The church as forgiving community: An initial model. Jo urnal of Psychology and Theology, 36, 114-123.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 243

Assignment Example A dollar can be strong or it can be weak. A strong dollar helps the export sector of countries around the world. A strong dollar is good when inflation is not a problem. Conversely, a weaker currency increases the purchasing power of the Americans. A strong dollar is a disadvantage to the policy makers. However the US benefits from a strong dollar because it does not depend on exports. The countries whose economies are not strong as compared to the US lose when the dollar becomes strong. This means that their currency is losing value. In conclusion, a floating exchange rate is the exchange rate where the currency is set by the forces of demand and supply. These forces are in the foreign exchange market. The floating exchange rate change freely and are determined in the forex market. There is a managed float currency exchange system. This system unlike the later is subject to interventions by the monetary authorities. It is not dependent on the forces of demand and supply. The government may have set objectives that it wants to achieve and it interferes with the forces of demand and supply in the managed float currency exchange system. (Devereux,

The Space Shuttle Challenger Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Space Shuttle Challenger - Personal Statement Example Seven occupants died innocently in the incidence that occurred on 28th January 1986. That was tragic, putting accountability and integrity of the designers into question. The scientists, having been warned of the danger that lay in wait if they opted to carry on with the launch questions their credibility and concern for humanity. It was evident that they cared little about the safety of the crew, and their anxiety to make headlines for launching the much talked about the space shuttle. There had been early warnings of the dangers that lay ahead if the idea was carried out. The space shuttle had structural failures, with an expert raising a rather worrying alarm concern. The O-rings of the shuttle could only survive temperatures at only 40 degrees. Any temperatures below that, safety and survival of the shuttle were not guaranteed. On the morning of the launch, the temperatures were as low as 18 degrees. The expert termed the idea of launching the shuttle on such a day as absurd and ridiculous. It was bound to explode anyway. This raises a rather disturbing question, why the ignorance by the scientists? Why were they so eager to launch the shuttle? The incidence calls for personal accountability of all parties involved in the success of any project. Every party ought to play its part in the project, making sure that nothing goes wrong during the whole project. Team spirit is portrayed by this incidence, where it is the responsibility of every member of the group to play their individual roles for the success of the project. If there is no proper articulation of ideas and thoughts, if there are flaws in one section of the implementing group, the project is likely to be a total failure, just like the space shuttle incidence. The importance of other team players exhibiting accountability and diligence in their work is a clear indication of their readiness to protect the end user of the product in question.  

Reading the American past Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Reading the American past - Essay Example An analysis of Lincoln’s speech concerning the controversial Kansas-Nebraska act and the antislavery constitution by Frederick Douglass will highlight the views of proslavery and antislavery. In 1854, Lincoln gave his reaction to the opinion of Douglass who had introduced the Kansas-Nebraska act (Johnson 266-267). Abraham Lincoln presented his speech at Peoria. The bill drafted by Douglass, the Illinois senator sought to discredit the Missouri compromise. The bill sparked a heated controversy in the house. After Douglass had expressed his views for three hours, it was time for Lincoln to respond. Lincoln’s speech traced all the preceding events that contributed to the debate that they were handling. He presented an account of the Missouri compromise and its implications to Nebraska. He mentioned that Nebraska had belonged to the region defined in the Missouri compromise and any inhabitants occupying the regions could not practice slavery. He then detailed the ways in which Douglass’s suggestions in the Kansas-Nebraska bill affected the Missouri compromise. He mentioned that the bill allowed inhabitants of the Nebraska region to practice slavery if they deem ed it right to do so. This suggestion by Douglass contradicted with the Missouri compromise. In addition, Lincoln highlighted Douglass’s expansion plans of splitting the controversial regions and introducing Kansas as new territory. After outlining a brief history of the issue, Lincoln progressed to present his anti-slavery views. According to him, the Negroes were equally human and deserved a fair chance in the government as well (268). He objected Douglass’s views that only the whites had a right to form the government. He detailed the evils of slavery inn different states and made his antislavery message to Douglass and the audience very clear. His speech presents the reader with an opportunity to delve deeper into the issues defining slavery in the American

Stanley Fish's Critique of John Locke's Concept of Toleration Essay

Stanley Fish's Critique of John Locke's Concept of Toleration - Essay Example Locke argues that there is no religious support for use of coercion, and thus it should not be used to bring persons to salvation. He also often cites his concerns on the level of hypocrisy, he points out that those persons who are so quick to persecute are themselves ignorant of the most grievous sins that happen around them. These transgressions represent a much greater threat eternally than do the sins that they seek to persecute. In the letter, Locke cites many more but similar religious arguments; he further proceeds to provide three reasons which he believes should provide enough grounds for preventing the state to coerce people into adopting specified religious beliefs. First, he identifies that the concern for human soul has not been bequeathed to the magistrate by either God or humans. This argument borders on the view presented in the Two Treatises to confound the natural freedom and sameness of humans. There is no authority within the Bible that requires the magistrate to commit people to the actual faith and that persons should not agree to such an idea for the state as it is impossible for human, at will, to accept as true what the magistrate identifies as true .Their faith is founded on that they consider as true and not really what they wish. Locke’s second argument holds that as the government’s power is yielded in its force, and religion is primarily about free choice founded on inward persuasion of the mind, then it follows that force cannot be used to compel people to follow religion. The third and last argument identifies that even though human’s state of mind could be altered through force, a state where all joined the magistrate’s religion would not bring additional people to the true religion. This is due to the fact that most magistrates ascribe to false religions. Locke’s view on religion and the state has been respected for a favorable period of time, it is not also uncommon to see modern person relat ing with the very elements of his thoughts. This should not be taken to mean that his argument as detailed in the Letter Concerning Toleration is flawed but it means that just like in every philosophical work owner’s prejudices find their way into the argument (Fish, 1997:2255). This is often exposed by a through look at the point’s advanced and constructive criticism of the same allowing a subsequent reader to identify the areas of weakness. Such is the case with Locke’s arguments, a number of modern thinkers have criticized his argument bringing out weaknesses that seem to weaken the argument. In the following part, this study focuses on such criticism as advanced by Stanley Fish. Fish’s criticism titled Mission impossible: Settling the just bounds between the church and the state seeks to reconcile the two, religion and state a task which appears impossible under John Locke’s restoration argument. Fish’s argument starts with Locke’ s assertion at the beginning of his letter that every church is orthodox to itself and that in a situation where there emerge conflicts between these orthodoxies there would be no one on earth able of moderating between them. In such situations Locke insists on the need for tolerance, however, the problem is that if this is allowed to regulate behavior then the role of government as a regulator of wrongful conduct would be curtailed by those who cite that their wrongful conduct is informed by their

Appreciation of western art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Appreciation of western art - Essay Example There are three of them, one in the far left, the other in the middle and the other in the far right. Each of the three persons appear to be holding what seems like a hoe, and are all bending suggesting they are tilling. They appear to be doing the same thing but in an uncoordinated manner. This is apparent as they are all facing different directions. The person on the far left has his back facing us, the person on the middle faces the front while the person on the right faces sideways. Besides the people and the hoes they are holding, in the background there is what appears as a thick forest. At the middle ground there is a hill, this again is differentiated by the color variation and use of a different form. In the foreground, there is vegetation, again just as is the case with all the other forms this is also differentiated by the color and the form is not that clear. Art elements The two most important elements in this painting are color and form. The importance of these two elem ents is further brought to the fore given the genre of the painting. Fauvism as a form of art or genre of art was largely different from impressionism and cubism. Impressionism was keen in depicting reality and Cubism paid a lot more detail to form. Fauvism appears as a form that borrowed elements from these two genres. This is irrespective of the fact that Cubism was a genre that sought to address crucial elements that lacked in Fauvism. Form in a painting details the appearance; it represents a piece’s visible elements. These allow one to perceive and understand the painting or the entire artwork. In our chosen artwork, form is represented by different formal elements such as color, lines, mass, and shape. In terms of color, this will be largely discussed as a separate element in the following part it helps define form by identifying different objects within the artwork. The artist uses color to identify different objects. Choosing a different color for every object, this h elps create the forms of these objects and thus making it easier for the viewer to identify these objects. The color also helps identify transitions, from the foreground, to the middle ground and then to the background. These sections of the painting are painted in different colors and thus are very easy to identify. The other formal element is shape the artist uses different shapes to represent different objects within the painting. Lastly, the artist uses lines to represent different forms. These are used to signify transitions and mark appearance creating the linear orientation of these objects and also defining the different shapes within the artwork. Color Colors are a major part of this painting, with the artwork largely employing neutral colors, black, gray and brown. There are also dull shades of yellow and brown as well as an employment of a very dark shade of green at the background. The colors are mainly used to show transitions, the fore ground uses some shades of brown to show vegetation, this is followed by the color yellow that represents the middle ground representing what appears as a bare ground and there is the background that uses a very dark green shade creating an illusion of a thick forest. Colors black, grey, a slight yellow and brown is used to represent different objects mainly the people within the artwork. Shape Shape defines an enclosed space, the boundaries of this in the painting is defined by color and lines. Shape here refers to the space representing the people, the

Flying Dry - Air Tahoma Fuel Starvation Research Paper

Flying Dry - Air Tahoma Fuel Starvation - Research Paper Example One type of turbine engine error that may occur is fuel starvation. This type of failure occurred in the August 2004 crash of the Air Tahoma Flight 185, in which the Convair 580 twin engine turboprop was destroyed on impact only one mile short of the runway, resulting in the death of the first-officer and damage to surrounding property (Aircraft Accident Report). The history and details of the Air Tahoma Flight 185 crash, the cause of the accident, and the relevance to current safety issues are each important in learning from this crash and taking preventative measures against this type of incident in the future. Air Tahoma, a spin-off from Cool Air, Inc., was a Columbus based father-son operated company that was looking to grow and expand its current fleet of thirteen turboprops. Like many small and ambitious companies before them, there is some speculation that in the hurry to expand critical safety checkpoints may have been relaxed. The company had recently contracted with DHL as freight parcel delivery company, and Flight 185 was scheduled for a routine roundtrip flight from Memphis to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport when the crash occurred (Pilcher, 2004). The company had previously had several run-ins with federal safety inspectors before the crash, as records show, including citations for maintenance problems three times in the previous four years, including one resulting in a $5000 settlement for problems in providing an airworthy aircraft by the company (Pilcher, 2004). Air Tahoma operated two types of twin turboprop planes, the Convair 240 and the Convair 580 (Pilcher, 2004). Unlike the much larger much larger Boeing 727s, DC-8s and Airbus 300s operated by the main local carrier for DHL at the time, Astar Air Cargo, these are small aircraft capable of holding only fifty-six passengers, but more commonly used for transport (Frawley, 1998). These aircraft are converted from the original

ISP and Copyright Liabilities Essay Example for Free

ISP and Copyright Liabilities Essay The article â€Å"ISP Liabilities† by D. Tysver provides relevant information about copyright liabilities and Internet Service Providers liabilities as well as provides details of contract laws and frauds. The article provides detailed examination of liabilities and main reasons leading to copyright protection. The author is rather persuasive, because he uses logical arguments, conclusions and facts. Therefore, it is necessary to agree that the article is of great importance, because with rapid developments of computer networking, copyrights laws are often violated. The author states that â€Å"a party is guilty of copyright infringement if they violate one of the five exclusive rights given to copyright owners under the Copyright Act†. (Tysver 2005) Thus the aim of copyright is to prevent reproducing or copying of materials without special permission. The author thinks that Internet providers should be liable for infringement of copyright. It is necessary to agree with Tysver, because Internet providers provide chargeable access to world web and thus should protect customers from copyright violations. (Tysver 2005) Furthermore, ISP should be responsible for computer operating as a server, because it is one more way to make copies without permission. The author notes that ISP is aware of Copyright Act and thus they are liable for infringements even â€Å"if they do not directly take part in the copying or distribution of a work†. (Tysver 2005) Actually, the author introduces the term â€Å"contributory infringement† meaning that a party is considered guilty of rights violations if they cause infringing conduct or contribute to infringing activities. Additionally, the author speaks about â€Å"vicariously liability† stating that â€Å"person may be liable for the infringing actions of another if the person has the right and ability to control the infringers acts and receives a direct financial benefit from the infringement†. (Tysver 2005)It is apparent that copyrights have to be protected and it is necessary to provide liabilities to ISP, because they are the only source of materials protection in the web. References Tysver, D. (2005). ISP Liabilities. Retrieved November 17, 2006, from http://www. bitlaw. com/internet/isp. html.

Evaluation on Spare the Rod Spoil the Parenting Essay Example for Free

Evaluation on Spare the Rod Spoil the Parenting Essay In this article â€Å"Spare the Rod, Spoil the Parenting†, written by Leonard Pitts, Jr. is based upon what is considered corporal punishment; what’s right and what’s gone too far. Leonard expresses the idea that without punishment towards children, they can develop into untamable brats. Using his humorous sarcasm and entertaining message he gets the point across that child rearing is ok and not abuse. Showing uniformed parents/adults that rearing does keep the little ones in line making them learn and respect the adult; rather than their idea of it scarring the kids for life. With Pitt’s article I had found that it was to approach the unknowing; the people without children. It was appropriate in the manner that Pitt’s had showed that this punishment wasn’t as horrible as some people take it to be. Obviously the writing style was in subjective tone, subject meaning opinion; to make it clear how Pitt’s had felt on the topic of spanking children whether or not it be abusive. The tone was at times confusing, he would jump every once and a while off topic then jump back to the topic he was originally. The tone also made it opinionated, stating how the author had felt on â€Å"corporal punishment†. I believe the article good enough to fit into a magazine article with tone stating how Pitt’s had felt about punishment, showed the readers a well rounded article based upon his humorous feelings. Pitt’s evidence was weak, there weren’t many facts or statistic in the article; but then again you can’t really show much information on a topic such as corporal punishment. At one point he put in â€Å"Time/CNN poll† relating towards children becoming spoiled and information on a psychologist studying homes finding that most homes use some sort of corporal punishment, other than that, the article is based upon a opinionated theme. Since Pitt’s doesn’t provide tons of evidence I find that the quality of the article still to be good, and the quantity of evidence just enough because the author also relates to the struggles he faces during the time periods of himself having to use corporal punishment and the reasoning behind him using it. The organization of Pitt’s article was put together nicely. Throughout the whole article Pitt’s states that he believes corporal punishment is put to good us, not once does he go back and question it. The logic was there stating his idea from beginning to end, not changing the purpose of the article. Pitt’s does acknowledge and respond in his own manner to the article, but the way he responds is still through his own opinion; not caving into agreeing with the other point. Through the beginning of the authors paragraph he goes in with a bit of confidence showing this is an opinionated article telling us that Americas’ children have become spoiled. When Pitt’s ends the article he finishes off in one sentence â€Å"Some folks think it’s abuse when you swat a child’s backside, But maybe, sometimes, it’s abuse when you don’t. † . Every last sentence of every paragraph relates to the thesis, completing the main idea, showing Pitt’s purpose through the entire article. I believe Pitt’s writing style altogether worked out in the end. Pitt’s article showed readers his opinion without backing down, this confident article was successful in the sense he stuck to his guns and never questioned or contradicted himself.

Civil Society In Combating Terrorism And Extremism Politics Essay

Civil Society In Combating Terrorism And Extremism Politics Essay 1. The stalemate of terrorism has always been a threat to humans of this world in one form or the other, radiating from number of causes such as insensitive religious emotions, sectarian divergences, disparity of power among leftist and rightist schools of thought, communism vs. capitalism, exploitation of the ignorant and deprived ones and lust for acquisition of resources entailing in invasions etc. However, this problem emerged as a flash point after a tragic incident of 9/11 which drew attention of world towards uprooting this cancer by taking certain counter measures. Military solution, when crucial, plays its roles to some extent but cannot fully figure out the intricacies of terrorism without taking all the communities and nation onboard. This not only educates masses about issues in war against terror but plays a key role in boosting morale of forces on frontlines. These have included the introduction of anti-terror laws; changes in reporting requirements for civil society or ganizations; and the increasing use of new border security technologies. In many countries, the impact of these measures on civil society and on citizens has been a source of great concern. The meaning of involving civil society in a wide-ranging and multidimensional response to the threat of terrorism has been stressed by various international platforms. 2. Civil society stands for a vast range of social groups, interests, representations, inbuilt tensions and conflicts. It is most evident by a range of voluntary associations including political parties, trade unions and professional bodies, private foundations, educational and research institutions and think tanks, religious, faith-based, and community-based organizations, and womens, human rights, social and environmental groups. A vibrant civil society can play a strategic role in protecting local communities, countering extremist ideologies, and dealing with political violence. 3. Civil society gives a voice to different social groups and causes, which provides a channel of expression for the marginalized and can promote a culture of tolerance and pluralism. On a more practical level, civil society groups can play a significant role in building local support for counterterrorism through education, lobbying government authorities to adopt a holistic response that respects human rights, monitoring implementation of counterterrorism measures, investigating and publicizing abuses committed in the name of fighting terrorism, giving assistance and support to victims, promoting the importance of peace and security, and providing capacity-building training. This paper will address this aspect of countering the terrorism to see where and how civil society comes into action for countering terrorism. AIM 4. To carry out an in-depth study of civil societys role in addressing terrorism, so as to identify the shortcomings hampering its efficacy with the view to enable a way forward in short and long term perspectives to make it an effective tool for combating terrorism. SCOPE 5. The paper will focus on following:- a. To briefly highlight various terrorism facets for drawing their relevancy and genesis form civil societys standpoint. b. To ponder upon the essentials that the civil society can perform in developing its profile for handling terrorism. c. To highlight the limitations that handicaps our civil societys efficacy in playing its due role in addressing terrorism. d. To bring home an affect based approach focusing on immediate and long term actions to uplift our societys role against terrorism both in cognitive and practical domains. PART I DEFINING TERRORISM AND COUNTER TERRORISM 6. The word Terrorism is very much renowned and perilous to the global world. The modern world has made a number of counter measures to face this menace. Before defining the role of civil society in combating terrorism and extremism effectively; we must understand first about terrorism, its genesis types and causes. Since, solution to any problem will prevail only by knowing its basis and objectives. 7. What is Terrorism.  [1]  Terrorism is not new, and even though it has been used since the beginning of recorded history it can be relatively hard to define. Terrorism has been described variously as both a tactic and strategy; a crime and a holy duty; a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable abomination. Obviously, a lot depends on whose point of view is being represented. Terrorism has often been an effective tactic for the weaker side in a conflict. As an asymmetric form of conflict, it confers coercive power with many of the advantages of military force at a fraction of the cost. Due to the secretive nature and small size of terrorist organizations, they often offer opponents no clear organization to defend against or to deter. 8. That is why pre-emption is being considered to be so important. In some cases, terrorism has been a means to carry on a conflict without the adversary realizing the nature of the threat, mistaking terrorism for criminal activity. Because of these characteristics, terrorism has become increasingly common among those pursuing extreme goals throughout the world. But despite its popularity, terrorism can be a nebulous concept. No universally accepted definition exists for the meaning of the word terrorism.Analysts examining the question have counted more than one hundred different definitions.  [2]  The lack of an agreed definition allows those in power to interpret the term for their own purposes. Political leaders often take advantage of the terms ambiguity to label their opponents terrorists. However, there are certain definitions related to terrorism exist in the world with different connotation to its application used by different countries are as:- a. United States Department of Defense. It defines terrorism as the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological. Within this definition, there are three key elements violence, fear, and intimidation and each element produces terror in its victims. b. Federal Bureau of Investigation (United State). States that, Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. c. United State Department of State. It defines terrorism to be premeditated politically-motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. d. United Nations. United Nation produced this definition in 1992; An anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby in contrast to assassination the direct targets of violence are not the main targets. The most commonly accepted academic definition starts with the U.N. definition quoted above, and adds two sentences totaling another words on the end; containing such verbose concepts as message generators and violence based communication processes. Less specific and considerably less verbose. e. British Government. The British government definition of 1974 isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the use of violence for political ends, and includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public, or any section of the public, in fear. 9. Terrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. The strategy of terrorists is to commit acts of violence that draws the attention of the local populace, the government, and the world to their cause. The terrorists plan their attack to obtain the greatest publicity, choosing targets that symbolize what they oppose. The effectiveness of the terrorist act lies not in the act itself, but in the publics or governments reaction to the act. There are three perspectives of terrorism: the terrorists, the victims, and the general publics. The phrase one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter is a view terrorists themselves would accept. Terrorists do not see themselves as evil. They believe they are legitimate combatants, fighting for what they believe in, by whatever means possible. A victim of a terrorist act sees the terrorist as a criminal with no regard for human life. The general publics view is the most unstable. The terrorists take great pains to foster a Robin Hood image in hope of swaying the general publics point of view toward their cause. This sympathetic view of terrorism has become an integral part of their psychological warfare and needs to be countered vigorously. 10. Historical Background of Terrorism. History of terrorism is as old as the human civilization. To overview the history of terrorism one will have to depend upon the history of violence that was given a new name in French revolution. In ancient times the terrorism manifested in the form of individual and tribal riots. Later the small states faced terrorist attacks by the bigger states as a foreign aggression. Human history has witnessed countless furious wars in which millions of people were massacred in dreadful terrorist acts. The series of human subjugation is still visible even in 21st century. The violence which has been present in the human history throughout the ages has been given new name terrorism after French Revolution in 1779. We see in the history that Alexander the great and other warriors continuously killed millions of people that can also be termed as the terrorists of ancient human history. The Roman Empire also contested several dangerous wars to establish their kingdom in the world. Even the people of God continued to fight with each other in the name of religion. 11. We have the example of crusades wars between the Islamic regimes and Romans which were fought to manipulating the name of religion. Those wars also resulted in the killing of thousand of innocents just for the quest of power. The earlier organization that exhibited aspects of modern terrorist organization was the Zealots of Judea, known to the Roman as sicarii, or dagger-men. They carried on an underground campaign of assassination of Roman occupation forces, as well as any Jews they felt had collaborated with the Romans. In ancient India many wars were fought among different groups or tribes. The European nations also fought wars with each other resulting in the deaths of several innocent people. The French Revolutionary Governments coined the word terrorism by instituting systematic state terror against the population of French in the 1790s, killing thousands of people. In 20th Century the world witnessed World War I and II as big showdowns of terrorism to achieve the goals of superpower. Later the incident of atomic bombardment on Japan and human conflict in Vietnam are big human destruction which shakes the conscious of the mankind. In the last decade of 20th Century the phenomenon of terrorism continued to occur in the world more prominently after the end of cold war. The incidents of September 11 and July 7 are the height of terrorist acts. It shaped the world in the new directions. In modern times we have seen the horrible wars in Persian Gulf, Middle East and Africa in which the violence was used to terrorize the opponent. The war between Iraq and Iran, Kuwait and Iraq and deadly killings in Rwanda, Zaire and Congo are the worst recent examples of terrorism. Even these days in many countries of the world the proxy and guerrilla wars are harming and killing innocent and irrelevant people. In short, it can be firmly said that terrorism was present throughout the human history but since few decades it has been given a new dimension. This phenomenon sho uld always be seen in historical perspective to understand the issue properly. 12. Types of Terrorism. The phenomenon of the terrorism is very complex on the whole in all aspects. There is disagreement among the scholars over the types of the terrorism unlike its definition. Various attempts have been made to derive the most common types of terrorism. However, the type of terrorism must be seen in socio-historic and politico economic perspective. Encyclopedia of Britannica describes the following types of terrorism: a. Revolutionary Terrorism. It is the most common form of terrorism to achieve certain political objectives radically. Practitioners of this type of terrorism seek the complete abolition of a political system and its replacement with new structures. Modern instances of such activity include campaigns by the Italian Red Brigades, the German Red Faction (Baader Meinhof Gang), the Basque separatist group and the Peruvian Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), each of which attempted to topple a national regime. b. Sub Revolutionary Terrorism. Sub revolutionary terrorism is rather less common. It is used not to overthrow an existing regime but to modify the existing socio-political structure. Since this modification is often accomplished through the threats of deposing the existing regime, sub revolutionary groups are somewhat more difficult to identify. An example can be seen in the African National Congress (ANC) and its campaign to end apartheid in South Africa. c. Establishment Terrorism. The Soviet Union and its allies allegedly engaged in widespread support of international terrorism during the cold war; in the 1980s the United States supported rebel groups in Africa that allegedly engaged in acts of terrorism, such as the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).These types are theoretical and directly related with nation state. The typology of the terrorism is very broad subject it can be further classified on the basis of motives, methods and subjects. Let us have a glance of some other types of terrorism for further understanding. d. Nationalist Terrorism. The aim of the nationalist terrorism is to establish a separate state or homeland for the certain ethnic, religious or tribal groups. This sort of terrorism has been popular among the most successful at winning international sympathy and concessions. It is very difficult to define terrorism because many practitioners of it claim to be the freedom fighters. They use violence to draw attention of the world to gain sympathy for their national cause. The most relevant examples of this type are the movement run by Irish republican Army in UK (IRA) and Palestine liberation organization (PLO) in Palestine. However, it is interesting fact that both of the groups renounced terrorism in 1990s and adopted the political means of conflict resolution. e. Religious Terrorism. Religious terrorism comes from many major faiths, as well as from small cults. This type of terrorism is growing rapidly and is discussed widely on the international media. Religious terrorists seek to use violence to further what they see as divinely commanded purposes, often targeting broad categories of foes in an attempt to bring about sweeping changes. f. State-Sponsored Terrorism. State-sponsored terrorism is one of the most controversial types of terrorism. In this category the state uses hidden groups to suppress anti state or anti government elements in the country. State-sponsored terrorist groups are deliberately used by radical states as foreign policy tools as Hoffman puts it, as a cost-effective way of waging war covertly, through the use of surrogate warriors or guns for hire. State sponsored terrorism is normally executed by autocratic to suppress the political opponents. The state sponsor terrorist groups are more effective, efficient and active rather than any group because of having moral, political and logistic support of the government or state. g. Inter-State or International Terrorism. This type of terrorism became evident in 20th century. Last century witnessed the events of insurgency and terrorism between two big powers in the guise of cold war. Although both the USSR and USA never confronted directly but no one can deny the proxy wars of these two powers in different parts of the world. Palestine is very clear example of the international terrorism where America supported Israel and USSR was giving backup to Al-Fateh a militant arm of Palestinian liberation organization (PLO). h. Group Terrorism. It occurs on the formation of various groups for common objectives in the society. Such groups are based on sectarian, linguistic, ethnic and tribal bases. When these groups work for the establishment of the supremacy and superiority for their own agenda it ultimately causes tension and clash with opponent groups. For example, Catholic and protestant conflict in Ireland, black white tension in US and South Africa etc. 13. Causes of Terrorism. To understand and solve the problem of terrorism it is essential for all to realize and identify the causes of terrorism. The terrorism is a complex phenomenon which has several reasons such as social, economic, religious and political etc. all these factors contribute in the enhancement and flourishing the terrorist activities. This global phenomenon has various causes and some of them are being spelled out briefly for the better understanding of the issue. This is also notable that the causes of terrorism may be different in various societies due to its religious, ethnic and political nature. a. Helplessness and Hopelessness. Helplessness which leads to hopelessness is the psychological state that enhances terrorism in the society. The society in which the people are ignored and have to suffer from socioeconomic and political injustice provide conducive environment to promote terrorism. When the people and their problem are neglected or kept aloof they ultimately express their resentment in the form of violent behavior to attract the attention of the state and the people. We can witness that in the long standing political disputes such as Palestine and Kashmir etc where the aspirations of the people were not heeded some of them started militant movements. Similarly, in communist regimes where the people were not given their socio-political rights they brought about even deadly revolution. b. Political and Economic Deprivation. Political and Economic deprivations are the main root causes of terrorism. When the political and economic rights of the certain groups are not granted it chooses the suitable method of terrorism to show their anger. This deprivation encourages the effected groups to adopt the violent ways to get their aspirations fulfilled. For example we can see that in northern states of India such as Assam, Nagaland, and West Bengal etc. the communists started guerilla war against the Indian Government. Charles Kegley while discussing the contemporary terrorism presents a root cause school of thought which asserts that political and economic deprivation are the main causes of terrorism. He views the advocates of Root Causes Theory propel that politically oppressed and economically deprived people are more prone to violent and terrorist behavior. They are deprived of their basic needs and this condition forces them to change their fate by hook or crook. c. Influence of Communist Regimes. At the end of cold war the influence of communist regimes inspired by Marxist and Leninist theories made a cause of escalation of terrorism in the world. Being influenced by such regimes many freedom movements adopted violence. We see in Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka communists and Tamales started violent movements in the last two decades of twentieth century for their freedom. d. Poverty and Economic Exploitation. In the society where there is illiteracy, hunger and economic disparity the terrorism flourishes rapidly. All these factors lead to increase in poverty which itself is the mother of terrorism. Famous philosopher Aristotle had agreed on the assertion stating that Poverty is mother of Terrorism and Revolution. We see for example in Muslim countries there is a huge amount of poverty and that is why, it becomes easier for the terrorist groups to find the interested persons due to their poor economic conditions. Daniel Pipes (2002) says that As long as there is poverty, inequality, injustice and repressive political systems, militant Islamic tendencies will grow in the world e. Easy Access to Weapons and Modern Technology. Due to incredible advancement in weapons technology and human knowledge it has become easy for the terrorists to get them easily. Hugh quantity of information about the arms manufacturing has been spread by internet which has made the access of the terrorists easy and they use weapons to get quick results the act of terrorism. f. Sheer Success of Terrorism. Terrorism is a short cut tactic for the terrorists to achieve their goals quickly. It is more result orientated rather than peaceful movement. That is why the terrorist groups adopt this for getting more results in shorter time. Easy access to weapons and widespread information of the arms technology is the cause of escalation of terrorism in modern times. g. Lack of Democracy and Dictatorship. Lack of Democracy is the main cause of terrorism in present times. The dictators and autocrat governments frighten opponents. They do it to create the fear among the masses to suppress any opposition against their governments. In undemocratic circumstances the people do not find ways to express their disagreement and as a result some of them turn to the violent means to submit their expression. We can see in many autocrat and communist states in Latin America and Africa the massive force was used against the political opponents such as in Cuba Zambia and Congo etc. h. Religious Extremism. There is a school of thought which considers that the religious extremism is the major cause of terrorism. Mark Juergensmeyer says that The religion is crucial for these acts since it gives moral justifications for the killing and provides images of cosmic war that allows activists to believe that they are waging spiritual scenarios. It does not mean that the religion causes terrorism but it does mean that the religion often provides symbols that make possible bloodshed even catastrophic acts of terrorism. As evidence we can observe that the majority of the terrorist movements are inspired by the religion or at-least it is claimed. i. Biological and Social Elements. Other than above mentioned causes sociologists have another point of view. A man is violent by nature. The sociologists present three hypotheses biological instinctual, social learning, and frustration aggression. Sigmund Freuds says that Man is embodied with an instinctive urge and appetite of attacking and subjugating others. It means that naturally human beings try to divert towards violence and terrorism by nature. The second point is that the social learning of the person also convinces him/her towards terrorism. If one grows and develops in the oppressed society one can be easily attracted towards violence and terrorism. Jean Jacques Rousseau presents the theory of social learning he says that human mind is like a blank sheet and whatever his society likes, paints on it. If one lives in violent society he/she would remain motivated towards terrorism. Theory of frustration aggression was coined by the psychologists of Yale University in 1939. T hey viewed that the aggressive behavior of a man reveals the existence of frustration in him. It means frustration produces the aggression and it is not sui genres. All above discussion does not encompass the causes of terrorism but provides view for the laymen. However, it is the common responsibility of all the stakeholders to contemplate on the issue to understand the phenomenon of the terrorism in religo-cultural and socio- economic perspective. In short, a sense of deprivation, sense of being exploited and sense of being cheated are important factors escalating terrorism in this modern era. Other than above discussion I would like to mention the causes of terrorism in the context of Pakistan as highlighted by the Gen. Pervez Musharraf President of Pakistan. He, while addressing in international seminar on Global Terrorism on August 29-2007 organized by institute of Regional studies (IRS) Islamabad pin pointed some noteworthy causes of terrorism in Pakistani and global perspecti ve. He described following causes which deserve due attention by the international community. Political deprivation and alienation are an arch cause of terrorism. This leads to hopelessness. The sense of powerlessness, which then leads to these terrorist acts. Lack of education and poverty are equally responsible for the increasing in terrorist activities. The illiterate are wrongly given the hope to go directly in to the heaven if he/she commits terrorist act for God or religion. Thus, in circumstance where there is lack of education and poverty it becomes easier for the master minds of the terrorist groups to launch the offences at the cost of the socio-economic compulsion and ignorance of the poor masses. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has rightly indicated that the wrong understanding and misinterpretation of the religion is the important cause of terrorism. He asserts that in Pakistan there are many clerics who have limited knowledge of the teachings and values of the Islam. T hey misguide the people for their vested interests in the name of religion. 14. Counter Terrorism. Counter terrorism is also a contested concept. The term embodies a wide range of measures with differing impacts, which can be loosely characterized as the good, the bad, and the ugly. In the bad and ugly categories are Counter Terrorism Measures (CTMs) that overemphasize security and distort development and aid priorities, and that lead to extrajudicial killings, greater state repression, and increased human rights abuse. Overly restrictive counterterrorism measures constrain the social, political, and operational capacity of civil society actors and impede the work of groups promoting improvements in governance, human rights, and development. These are all important elements for reducing conditions, such as political marginalization, repression, and despair that can fuel grievances and lead to expressions of political violence. On the positive side are cooperative nonmilitary measures that enhance the capacity of governments to thwart terrorist attacks while promoting and protecting human rights. Also in the good category are policies that encourage support for sustainable development and good governance, as recommended in the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. 15. The proposed categorization is figurative and not meant to suggest absolute judgments about particular policies. The range of counterterrorism measures is extremely wide, and specific policies can have differing impacts in varying conditions and settings. Strengthened law enforcement efforts are good when they prevent attacks and bring perpetrators to justice, but these same measures can be bad if they lead to abuses and increased repression. Efforts to prevent the financing of terrorism are positive, yet programs intended to interdict such funding often have negative implications for nongovernmental groups and charities seeking to overcome oppression. The evaluation of particular counterterrorism measures depends greatly on context and the way in which specific actors implement policies. Judgments about particular policies should be based on the degree to which they contribute to genuine security and democratic governance, while also upholding the rule of law and protecting the work of peace builders and human rights defenders. 16. Counterterrorism measures are usually weighted toward the executive branch of government, with little attention to enhancing judicial independence, legislative oversight, and citizen involvement. Emergency measures passed in the name of fighting terrorism have had the effect of undermining civil liberties, restricting the ability of civil society groups to operate, and impeding development and relief activities in marginalized communities. Repressive CTMs have reversed progress achieved in recent years toward the integration of human rights and accountable governance into development policy. Individual rights and political freedoms have eroded as states have accumulated greater security powers. The nongovernmental monitoring organization Freedom House has reported an alarming erosion of global political freedom in recent years. In its 2010 annual survey the organization noted intensified repression against human rights defenders and civic activists and reported declines for polit ical freedom in countries representing 20 percent of the worlds total polities. The last few years have witnessed the longest continuous period of decline for global freedom in the organizations nearly 40-year history of publishing annual ratings.  [3]  In 2011 Freedom House noted a further decline in political freedom and a reduction in the number of countries defined as politically free. The report highlighted the continued poor performance of countries of the Middle East and North Africa, although this trend may be partially reversed if the democratic revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, and other countries produce freer societies and more representative governments. PART II ESSENTIAL ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY 17. Civil society can play a significant role in helping states increase awareness of the threat and the impact of an attack on local communities, and in deepening public support for government action to address it, which is an essential component of any effective long-term strategy. Terrorism is obviously the state of extreme in human conflict that occurs when the violence enters in the matter. The terrorism is the result of failure in conflict resolution which can occur anywhere in the world. It is the crucial social problem of the society as well. Every stakeholder should play its due role in combating the terrorism. In combating terrorism the role of the civil society is inevitable. The broadly classified and interrelated roles of civil society in regards to preventing and reduction of terrorism are as follows:- a. Advisory and Educational Role. b. Community Services. c. Advocacy and Research. d. Legal Aspects. Advisory and Educational Role 18. Civil society organizations can play a significant advisory and educational role. They can provide policy advice and expertise on aspects of preventing terrorism that is often not available within government. Equally importantly, civil society experts may provide alternative appropriate language and terminology to public officials in addressing issues related to terrorism and security. In order to strengthen their co-operation with governments and civil society may also find it appropriate to acknowledge positive steps or measures taken by law enforcement officials and government where they occur. In addition, they may have a positive advisory role in providing concrete alternatives to counter-terrorism policies and measures that they consider to be ill-conceived. It is important to recognize, however, that the non-state sector needs to be given relevant information in order to understand the real extent of the threat and to be able to provide adequate suggestions of a response  [4]

Assessment of Students Special Needs Essay -- Education

The first school I was worked in Saudi Arabia was a small village far from the city more than an hour and a half. I was general classroom teacher for only four students in the first grade . One of my students did not respond for any oral or written tests. After the first week, I decide to tell the school principal about her poor performance in the classroom comparing to her peers. The principal asked the supervisor at the city education department who suggested that parents should take their girl to the education health center in the city because no specialist available to visit remote school. The principal told her mother that she should take her to diagnose her problem in city. Her mother came to school after few days and she asked for her daughter file because she has learning disability and she will study in special school. Students require precise tests to be classified as students with disabilities or learning difficulties which is called assessment. Assessment is defined as â€Å" the process of gathering information about a student’s abilities or behaviour for the purpose of making decisions about the student† (Elliott, Braden, & White, 2001,p.12). it is used to decide if students with special needs are eligible for special education services and, if eligible, to decide what are these services (Reschly, 1996; Browder, 1991). This essay will briefly discuss the key aspects of assessment, the purposes of assessment for students with disabilities, and the assessment adaptation. Miller, Linn, and Gronlund (2009) pointed out the general principles of the assessment process. The first principle is the specification of what is to be assessed and of what are the intended goals to be achieved, before the selection of assessment pro... ...ation for Students with Disabilities , 6 (1), 40-53. Salvia, J., Ysseldyke, J. E., & Bolt, S. (2007). Assessment in Special and Inclusive Education (10th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Spinelli, C. G. (2002). Classroom Assessment for Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Education. New Jersey Colombus, Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall. Taylor, C. S., & Nolen, S. B. (2005). Classrom Assessment supporting Teaching and Learning in Real Classrooms. NewJersey: Pearson. Venn, J. J. (2006). Assessing Students with Special Needs (4th ed.). New Jersy: Pearson. Westwood, P. (1995). Effective Teaching: Paper Presented at the North West Region Inaugural Special Education Conference Prioritries, Partnerships (and Pulm Puddings). Armidle. Ysseldyke, J. E., & Salvia, J. (1988). Assessment in Special and Remedial Education (4th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

The Hebrew Scriptures Essay -- essays research papers

The Hebrew Scriptures Truth, scripture and revelation are three concepts that the Bible has been based on. Truth is defined as the way that things are or should be. It can relate to reality or wisdom. Truth can be communicated in a variety of ways. Literally which is facts and figures and can be shown in math and science. Figuratively which is metaphor and simile and can be shown in humanity. Symbolically in fine arts such as art, drama and music and also narratively such as stories, parables and myths. Truth can be known in the head and the heart because it communicates through reason and intuition. Meanwhile, scripture is defined as being written and taken from script. Scripture is a way for religion to permanently preserve its worth of wisdom, ways of worship and to pass traditions on intact for future generations. Finally, revelation means to reveal. It refers to the initiative of God in communicating with humans. Truth, scripture and revelation are all related because they are all forms of communicat ion that allow us to know God’s message. They allow us to see stories and events of how people lived with God in history and set an example of how we should co-exist with God in our world today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hebrew scriptures play a vital role in the revelation of God. There have been many events and stories in which God has expressed his message to people of the world. For example, there is the story of Abraham. In the city of Sodom, the people living during those times were living in very selfish and corrupt ways. God wanted them to renounce these sinful practices or else He would destroy their entire city. God ordered Abraham to find ten righteous people in order to save Sodom. In the end, Abraham failed so the city was destroyed by fire. This showed that God was serious about telling people that they needed to change. It gave them concrete proof that God would come through when He said that He demolish their city. Another example of God’s relationship with Abraham is shown when He orders Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. God wanted to test Abraham’s faith in Him and how loyal Abraham truly was. Abraham did end up taking his son to a mount ain to sacrifice him but at the last minute God told Abraham to stop and sacrifice a lamb instead. This event showed that God would come through for Abraham in the end because Abraham’s fa... ... rewards to those who have faith and believe in Him. We should hold true to our faith in God and believe that he will come through for us even in difficult times. If we stand strong through the trials and tests that God chooses to lay upon us, He will exalt us. As well, the example of Moses is conformant to our world today because he shows that God does not condemn those who have sinned against Him. Instead, God chooses to forgive us and look beyond our mistakes. This shows that God still has respect and compassion for those who have made mistakes. Even if we have done wrongdoing, we can still be chosen to be in the Kingdom of God. Finally, the story of David explains that we can all be heroes in the eyes of God even if we are just ordinary people. As long as we believe in ourselves and have trust in God, we can still be successful. Status or strength does not matter in the point of view of God; it is compassion and love that God looks for in each of us. We can lead normal lives but yet still be a king or a queen in the eyes of God. The Hebrew Scriptures will always have a lesson for us, no matter how much our world changes and these lessons are eternally applicable to our lives.