Essay --

Ben Franklin himself said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." There are two subjects essential to this warning, the oppressive overbearing authority and the people who are willing to sacrifice their liberty for security. There are for possible outcomes with these two subjects: 1. The people of the nation have an attitude that does not allow a domineering government, thus out of fear no domineering government arises. 2. The people of the nation have an attitude that does not allow a domineering government, nevertheless a domineering government arises under radar. 3. The people of the nation have an attitude that allows themselves to be dominated, thus a domineering government arises. 4. The people of the nation have an attitude that allows themselves to be dominated, a domineering government however does not arise. Opportunity is a time or set of circumstances that allows for a possible action to occur. Given the opportunity, a domineering government will arise History will repeat itself, it has time and time again. Utopia is virtually impossible by its very definition as applied to the philosophy of today. The inevitable outcome of all organized systems is thus the enslavement of the human majority and the eventual revolution of a new system. Thus outcomes number two and three are most likely to happen eventually. The question remaining is thus, how can a nation prevent a domineering government for the longest time? This is outcome number one comes into play; a democratic system is by its very design meant to prevent a domineering government from arising. Outcome number four is the most unlikely to happen becau... ...ew act and lead it down a path it was never meant to go. The people of the United States are now more than ever willing to sacrifice their liberty for security. Dependency on government leads to a loss of personal liberty. The government should seek to make the people more independent and less reliant on social welfare programs. The fact that we see more dependent people now than ever before is a sure sign that U.S. citizens are sacrificing their liberties for security and comfort. We are not necessarily meant to live a comfortable lifestyle. Such a life would chock the freedom's that make hero's out of men. We need to separate the definition of peace and the definition of comfort as it applies to a people's own independence. The attitudes of the people who will allow themselves to be dominated is by far worse than a domineering government. Essay -- Ben Franklin himself said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." There are two subjects essential to this warning, the oppressive overbearing authority and the people who are willing to sacrifice their liberty for security. There are for possible outcomes with these two subjects: 1. The people of the nation have an attitude that does not allow a domineering government, thus out of fear no domineering government arises. 2. The people of the nation have an attitude that does not allow a domineering government, nevertheless a domineering government arises under radar. 3. The people of the nation have an attitude that allows themselves to be dominated, thus a domineering government arises. 4. The people of the nation have an attitude that allows themselves to be dominated, a domineering government however does not arise. Opportunity is a time or set of circumstances that allows for a possible action to occur. Given the opportunity, a domineering government will arise History will repeat itself, it has time and time again. Utopia is virtually impossible by its very definition as applied to the philosophy of today. The inevitable outcome of all organized systems is thus the enslavement of the human majority and the eventual revolution of a new system. Thus outcomes number two and three are most likely to happen eventually. The question remaining is thus, how can a nation prevent a domineering government for the longest time? This is outcome number one comes into play; a democratic system is by its very design meant to prevent a domineering government from arising. Outcome number four is the most unlikely to happen becau... ...ew act and lead it down a path it was never meant to go. The people of the United States are now more than ever willing to sacrifice their liberty for security. Dependency on government leads to a loss of personal liberty. The government should seek to make the people more independent and less reliant on social welfare programs. The fact that we see more dependent people now than ever before is a sure sign that U.S. citizens are sacrificing their liberties for security and comfort. We are not necessarily meant to live a comfortable lifestyle. Such a life would chock the freedom's that make hero's out of men. We need to separate the definition of peace and the definition of comfort as it applies to a people's own independence. The attitudes of the people who will allow themselves to be dominated is by far worse than a domineering government.

United States as a World Superpower

Ashley Torgerson Dr. Brown International Relations 2nd May, 2012 United States as a World Superpower The rising to the status of world super power does not happen overnight. To explore the journey to the top, we must recognize the struggles and obstacles that were overcome. As Americans we can proudly say that we live in a country with globally recognized supremacy. As stated earlier, it was not an easy title to obtain. Looking back throughout history we can see specific examples of how we began our rise to power and what it has taken to preserve our power.Some of our more recent history has shown that many people are questioning how much longer we will be able to retain this power. I however feel strongly that America has the ability to remain a world superpower. America was not always seen as one of the world’s superpowers. Our rise to power was focused on a few distinct driving forces. These include the rise of capitalism, military dominance, and an economic boom all which occurred from Post war era such as World War II and the Cold War (Baker p. 10). All of these factors contributed to the gaining of America’s power.It is also important to look at the factors that gave America the ability to keep this power. Those influences were surrounded around America’s capability to become a dominate power in the international system, and maintaining a stable economy (Mandelbaum p. 213). History has shown many examples of countries rising and falling from power. Due to this many Americans feel they we are on a similar path. Contributing to this downward path is the increasing power of Asian and Middle Eastern (Bar p. 41). Of these countries China is recognized as one with the most potential.China has gained an increasing role in the world system through material capabilities, hard powers, and through human or social capabilities or soft powers. (Gilley p. 245) China’s biggest draw is its material capabilities because it has led the nation to become one the worlds fast growing industries. â€Å"During the three decades to 2010, China achieved perhaps the most rapid sustained rate of economic development in the history of the human species, with its real economy growing almost 40-fold between 1978 and 2010. † (Unz p. 12) While this shows the vast power of China’s economic domain, its soft powers cannot be over looked.The Chinese work force not only supports its internal demand for products but it also supports that of the hundreds of various countries the products are shipped too (Unz p. 11) Without a large skilled work force this may not be possible. From these reasons we can conclude that China is taking strides in the right direction of super power and in years to come may even surpass the United States. Although the crisis of power struggle is occurring, America refuses to go down without a fight. â€Å"The United States still has the world's strongest military. (Walt p. 6). Having a strong military no t only establishes the United States supreme power but it helps enforce to other countries that they have the ability to keep that power. With power comes a responsibilty. The United States military forces are often called upon to intervene in worldwide problems, demonstrating its dominance in international affairs. Aside from military intervention the United States plays a key role in international affairs through economic investment (Ferguson p. 23). Investment in a widespread of areas keeps the economy diverse.We see the effects of a diverse economy daily through products being marketable all around the world (Brzezinski p. 291). The United States has the available resources to provide for the world market. All of these factors go into making life easier in the United States, thus producing a society that is living longer and spending more money (Brzezinski p. 292-294). Ultimately these reasons secure the United States position as dominant world power. Based off of these various reasons I feel strongly that the United States has the capability to remain as a world superpower, not being surpassed by China.It is true that many factors go into determining a world power but these three stand out to me: economic stable, military power, and at the top of social and cultural end of the spectrum. While China may have the economic means to compete, they do not have the dominant military force the United States has. â€Å"United States is the only country with the means to invade multiple medium-size countries in other continents and still sustain very few casualties. No other country currently is even near having the ability to project military power with such force and range† (Internet Source).The combination of economic stability and military power has led to the United States large impact in the international system. Hegemonic responsibilities are always put on the world’s dominant power. The United States has dealt with these responsibilities for m any decades and has proven its ability to lead the world in a harmonious way. Anna Applebaum from the dWashington Post writes: â€Å"The United States is a superpower without a partner,† meaning that the United States has handled the world as a dominant power for this long and is not losing grasp of that. BibliographyAcademic Journals 1. Bar, Shmuel. â€Å"America's fading Middle East influence. † Policy Review 166 (2011): 41+. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. 2. Baker, Andrew. Constructing a post-war order: the rise of US hegemony and the origins of the Cold War. † CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries Feb. 2012: 1129. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Mar. 2012 3. Ferguson, Yale H. â€Å"Approaches to Defining ‘Empire' and Characterizing United States Influence in the Contemporary World. † International Studies Perspectives 9. 3 (2008): 272+. Academic OneFile. Web. 21 Mar. 012. 4. Gilley, Bruce. â€Å"Middle powers during great power transiti ons: China's rise and the future of Canada-US relations. † International Journal 66. 2 (2011): 245+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 May 2012 5. Unz, Ron. â€Å"China's rise, America's fall: which superpower is more threatened by its ‘extractive elites'? † The American Conservative 11. 5 (2012): 12+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 May 2012. 6. Walt, Stephen M. â€Å"The end of the American era. † The National Interest 116 (2011): 6+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 May 2012. Books 7. Brzezinski, Zbigniew, and Brent Scowcroft.American and the World: conversations on the future of American foreign policy. New York: Basic Books, c2008, 291 p. 8. Mandelbaum, Michael. The frugal superpower: America’s global leadership in a cash-strapped era. 1st ed. New York: Public Affairs, c 2010, 213 p. Newspaper 9. ANNE APPLEBAUM. â€Å"Superpower without a Partner. ,† The Washington Post, November 24, 2009 Tuesday, Editorial Copy, Pg. A19 782 words Internet 10. Futurist, The. â⠂¬Å"Why The US Will Still be the Only Superpower in 2030. † typepad. N. p. , n. d. Web. 4 May 2012. http://futurist. typepad. com/my_weblog/2006/05/why_the_us_will. html

Nutrition on Academic Performance

April Creed April 12, 2012 GWRTC 103 Professor Critzer The Effect of Nutrition and Fitness on Academic Performance The health and overall fitness of adolescents and students has taken a radical turn in the most recent decades. Each year the overall body mass index of this particular group of individuals is steadily increasing. It seems to many that one’s health is a vital role in success, especially in the academic realm. Research was conducted to see whether this slight decrease of fitness and health has an impact on a student’s academic performance (Burkhalter 201).A broad range of sources was utilized to find other factors that played a role in academic performance such as family life and sleep habits. The search was then strictly narrowed down to the effect of nutrition and fitness on scholastic performance. By the end of the investigation, it was found that nutrition is vital to brain functioning and cognition. The main point that was targeted became: skipped meals are the largest cause of unhealthy habits in a student’s academic career, but this can be prevented by providing more food options for students and also by not having available classes during meal hours.This seems like a cliche issue and obvious topic, but this simple subject can have a huge impact on the lives of our adolescents, but more importantly the future of our country. Children, adolescents, and young adults are constantly bombarded with assessments, evaluations, and exams that test their knowledge. All of these, combined with everyday lectures and studying, form to make what society knows as â€Å"school. † In today’s culture, from roughly four years old until about twenty-three years old, schooling (pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college) is a young person’s career.It is a time consuming process that involves commitment and dedication. Many factors play a role in how well a student performs. The most thought of, and prominent factors may include family life, time dedicated to studying, sleep habits, and the teachers or professors ability to relay information. One study, conducted by A. H. Eliassion, investigated the relative importance of total sleep time compared to a college student’s academic performance (Eliasson 71). The results proved that those with the highest academic performance had significantly earlier bedtimes and wake times (73).It was found that students could improve their academic performance by targeting their sleep habits (73). Another study conducted by Wanda Williams in 1995 investigated parent-child relationships in correlation with academic achievement (Williams 3). The results from this survey showed that the main contribution to a student’s success is family life and parent involvement (14). A few other factors that people sometimes do not think of may include nutrition, diet, and physical activity. According to Webster’s dictionary, nutrition most clearly means, â€Å"The act of nourishing or being nourished. The term diet may include definitions that of, â€Å"Food and drink regularly provided or consumed,† or, â€Å"Habitual nourishment,† and the term physical fitness (or exercise) is known as, â€Å"Bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness. † Some may argue that poor academic performance could in turn lead to poor habits in health; that the stress and pressure placed on young people causes them to neglect their fitness and well-being. On the contrast, maybe this theory is completely opposite.In this paper I will attempt to answer the question: does nutrition and fitness have an effect on a student’s academic performance, and, if so, how? From breakfast consumption and sports involvement to the amount of television watched and family involvement, everything plays a vital role in a student’s success. Even things that seem so minor can have a profound impact on the long-term accomplishments in young people’s lives. Healthy habits in nutrition, diet, and fitness have a positive impact on a student’s academic performance.Skipped meals are the largest cause of unhealthy habits in a student’s academic career, but this can be prevented by providing more food options for students and also by not having available classes during meal hours. Conducted at the infancy of this subject was an experiment by Toni Burkhalter and Charles Hillman. This research began because these two were interested and shocked by the consistently increasing BMI (body mass index) in children and adolescents across every demographic in the United States (Burkhalter 201). Their goal was to target energy intake in comparison with scholastic performance.Burkhalter and Hillman defined energy intake as nutrient intake, body mass, and physical activity. Through research they discovered and confirmed that nutrition substantially influences both the development and health of brain structure and function (204). Providing the proper building blocks for the brain to create and maintain connections is critical for improved cognition (mental processes) and academic performance. Their investigation verified that an increase of physical activity participation leads to an increase in cognitive health and function (206).Many people hear the cliche lectures about eating healthy, maintaining a stable diet, and practicing regular exercise. But most do not realize that these habits play a crucial role in brain functioning. The brain intakes and retains the most information in a person’s adolescent years, so it is vital to create a prime environment in your body for learning. There are some who relate academic performance to breakfast habits. Throughout our lives we hear doctors, teachers, and parents stress that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.People will argue that it starts one’s day, gets one’s metabo lism going, and provides the nutrition necessary for a healthy day and lifestyle. It has been proven that children require optimal nutrient intake to meet the basic demands of growth and development. Gail Rampersaud, M. S. , and Mark Pereira, Ph. D. , attempted to find supporting evidence of this claim, and conducted a study in 2005. They found that over 59% of students skip breakfast more than three times a week, and that as a student’s age increased, so did their habit of skipping breakfast (Rampersaud 745).After surveying various age groups, they compared breakfast eating habits to their overall academic performance. Next, the students were given a variety of standardized and customized tests (745). The results showed that breakfast eaters not only had a higher average on the assessments, but also had better school attendance and less tardies (751). This study was difficult because people have a very hazy and different standard and definition of â€Å"breakfast. † S ome view it as a glass of milk, some view it as an apple, others see it as a bowl of cereal, and some have a feast consisting of bacon, eggs, hash browns, ham, and toast in their mind.Either way, it was determined to be anything you intake as nutrition at the beginning of your day. There is substantial evidence that breakfast consumption is associated with health and wellbeing of children and adolescents, and these benefits apply to a wider age range, as well as other demographic and socioeconomic groups. There is also a great deal of evidence that breakfast eaters have overall healthier lifestyles and better health (diet and exercise) habits. Some claim that students should be able to schedule and maintain their own nutritional habits.But others, like Cathy Estes, agree that this lifestyle needs to be a co-effort between students, parents, and teachers. She says that, â€Å"Student responsibility doesn't just happen. Teachers and parents must expect it, model it and nurture it. An optimal educational outcome depends on collaboration between teachers, parents and students (Estes 1). † It needs to be something that both parties view as a necessary goal. Student’s can have good intentions, but faculty and staff at the school’s need to support these intentions.Arranging more suitable class times and a better variety of nutritional foods can easily do this. Another study conducted by Florence, MD sought to target not just the nutrition aspect, but the overall diet quality and academic performance correlation (Florence 209). The study concluded the following results: Students with decreased overall diet quality were significantly more likely to perform poorly on the assessment. Girls performed better than boys as did children from socioeconomically advantaged families. Children attending better schools and living in wealthy neighborhoods also performed better.Conclusions: These findings demonstrate an association between diet quality and academ ic performance and identify specific dietary factors that contribute to this association. Additionally, this research supports the broader implementation and investment in effective school nutrition programs that have the potential to improve student access to healthy food choices, diet quality, academic performance, and, over the long term, health (Florence 209). According to the previous study performed by Rampersaud, breakfast plays a vital role in diet quality.This is another important aspect for dedicated times for eating. Breakfast is not going to be a high priority for a student if his/her class falls in that time frame. Not only do both of the studies support each other, but they also tie in other aspects that could affect academic performance, like family life. This study tries to emphasize that the term â€Å"academic achievement† isn’t measured by tests alone, but also by attendance, attentiveness, and involvement (212). They also stated that fruit and veget able intake had a significant impact on memory and overall learning (213).Finally, the study’s results showed that â€Å"undernourished males were twice as likely to fail an assessment as undernourished females. † A sub question that may be necessary to add the research question is this: do gender differences have an affect an effect on academic performance? Sayid Ghazvini answers this question with his research. He stated that his primary goal was to â€Å"Find gender differences in factors affecting academic performance of high school students (Ghazvini 1041). † He had many different aspects involving â€Å"academic performance. While his results showed no significant difference in the overall achievement of the students, there were differences in the many features connected with his concept of academic performance (1043): Results show the existence of gender difference in variables under consideration, with girls showing internal locus of control, using atti tude, motivation, time management, anxiety, and self-testing strategies more extensively, and getting better marks in Literature. With boys using concentration, information processing and selecting main ideas strategies more, and getting better marks in mathematics (1043).As we see, male and females seem to have the same overall results. This gender factor probably does not have a significant impact on the nutrition and fitness study, but can be noted when taking a closer look at the details that combine to form out term â€Å"academic achievement/performance. † Some critics say that student’s should be held solely responsible for their extracurricular activities, including eating, watching television, exercising, and studying. But studies show that when a person is considered an adult, their brain is still developing.They still need instruction and guidance in different aspects of their life. Researcher, Craig Bennett, stated that, â€Å"Humans don’t really de velop the ability to handle multiple pieces of information at once until about the ages of 16 or 17. The brain of an 18-year-old college freshman is still far from resembling the brain of someone in their mid-twenties (Than 2). † Healthy habits don’t just come naturally, they take time and dedication to develop and maintain. Another study done by Jane Edwards attempted to target physical activity in relation to academic performance (Edwards 65).This experiment was conducted on sixth graders in a Midwest City school district. It was her goal to compare physical activity, overall fitness, and body mass index of 800 students. Next she matched these results with standardized test scores. To measure physical activity and fitness, Edwards set up a variety of physical tasks (curl ups, pushups, mile run) and included the student’s weight and height. In the end, she found that the healthier, more physically fit students performed better on their standardized tests.Edwards , like Rampersaud and Florence, also included other variables in her study. She pointed out the significance of breakfast consumption as well. Also, she brought in other lifestyle habits like the amount of television watched and extracurricular activity involvement. This amount of exercise is vital to a student’s healthy lifestyle. Exercise should become a requirement at schools and colleges. It is proven to affect their academic performance, so why shouldn’t academic grading also require some sort of workout in a student’s daily routine?A journal published by Taras H, a professor at the University of California, noted the association between nutrition and a student’s performance at school (Taras 200). Taras broke down the term nutrition into four sub-categories: food insufficiency, iron deficiency and supplementation, deficiency and supplementation of micronutrients, and the importance of breakfast (201). Research shows that children with iron deficienci es are at a disadvantage academically. Their cognitive performance improved with iron therapy. Cognitive performance is a student’s ability to obtain and store knowledge.Again, breakfast consumption demonstrates to be a vital aspect of a young person’s health. A healthy lifestyle not only consists of a certain number of meals a day, but also various types of nourishment and physical activity. It was also found that food insufficiency is a serious issue that affects a child’s ability to learn. Finally, after surveying and undernourished population, a breakfast program was initiated, and analysis showed that academic performance and cognitive functioning significantly increased. As it has been proven through countless studies, many things contribute to academic achievement.But the main issue that related to student’s health is skipped meals and lack of exercise. To many, these seem like easy to target problems. But why is the problem consistently worsening? Because no one is taking initiative to find solutions. The most doable and reasonable solution is to incorporate a greater variety of food options (in the healthier realm) for students/adolescents, not schedule classes or other activities during meal hours, and have a mandatory tentative exercise schedule as part of a student’s academic career. Words Cited Burkhalter, Toni M. , and Charles H.Hillman. â€Å"A Narrative Review of Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity to Cognition and Scholastic Performance across the Human Lifespan. † Advances in Nutrition 2. 2 (2011): 201-06. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Edwards, Jane U. â€Å"Relationship of Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors and Fitness Measures to Academic Performance for Sixth Graders in a Midwest City School District. † Journal of School Health 81. 2 (2011): 65-69. SPORTDiscus. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Eliasson, Arne H. â€Å"Early to Bed, Early to Rise! Sleep Habits and Academic Performance in College Students . † Sleep and Breathing 14. (2009): 71-75. ScienceDirect. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Estes, Cathy. â€Å"Student Responsibility Needs to Be  nurtured. † LasVegasSun. com. 8 Apr. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. ;http://www. lasvegassun. com/news/2009/apr/08/student-responsibility-needs-be-nurtured/;. Florence, M. D. â€Å"Diet Quality and Academic Performance. † Journal of School Health 78. 4 (2008): 209-215. CINAHL. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Ghazyini, Sayid D. â€Å"Gender Differences in Factors Affecting Academic Performance of High School Students. † 3rd World Conference on Educational Sciences 15. 3 (2011): 1040-045. ScienceDirect.

A Sense of Sin Essay Example for Free

A Sense of Sin Essay ? No one doubts the presence of evil in the world. We experience it in a variety of ways: national and international conflict; domestic and street violence; political and corporate corruption; and a host of manifestations of sexism, clericalism, racism, ageism, and other violations of justice. All such forms of brutality, disorder and discrimination, seem from a theological perspective, are rooted in sin. But do we ever recognize the sin and name it as such? 1 For some reason, sin seems to have lost its hold on us as a way of accounting for and naming so much of the evil we know. Among the many other reasons, the eclipse of the religious world view through the rise of the secular spirit accounts significantly for the loss of the sense of sin. In fact, in his post-synodal exhortation, Reconciliatio et Penitentia (1984), Pope John Paul II credits â€Å"secularism† above all with contributing to a loss of a sense of sin.2 The secular spirit questions the relevance and meaning of all Christian symbols, and even of religion itself. One effect of this secular spirit on the meaning of sin, for example, has been to reduce sin to some form of psychological or social disorder. The therapeutic perspective which pervades the secular spirit looks on behavior as either healthily adaptive-problem-solving behavior, or as unhealthy, nonadaptive, and problem-creating behavior.3 It does not call the latter sin. For a survey at major attempts in the past twenty years to explore the mystery of sin, see James A. O’Donohue, â€Å"Toward a Theology of Sin: A Look at the Last Twenty Years,† Church 2 (Spring 1986): 48-54. 2 The other factors of a non-ecclesial nature which John Paul II lists as errors made in evaluating certain findings of the human sciences, deriving systems of ethics from historical relativism, and identifying sin with neurotic guilt. Within the thought and life of the Church, certain trends have also contributed to the loss of the sense of sin. Among these he lists the movement from seeing sin everywhere to not recognizing it anywhere; from an emphasis on fear of external punishment to preaching a love of God that excludes punishment; from correcting erroneous consciences to respecting consciences but excluding the duty to tell the truth. Two other ecclesial factors are the plurality of opinions existing in the church on questions of morality and the deficiencies in the practice of penance. To restore a healthy sense of sin, the pope advocates â€Å"a sound catechetics, illuminated by the biblical theology of the covenant, by an attentive listening and trustful openness to the magisterium of the church, which never ceases to enlighten consciences, and by an ever more careful practice of the sacrament of penance.† See Origins 14 (December 20, 1984): 443-444, quotation at p. 444. 3 The research of the team headed by sociologist Robert Bellah which has produced Habits of the Heart (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985), a study of the American beliefs and practices which give shape to our character and form our social order, shows that the therapist is the newest character forming American culture. See Chapter Two â€Å"Culture and Character: The Historical Conversation,† pp. 27-51, especially pp. 47-48. 2 Moreover, the secular, therapeutic perspective tends to look on persons more as victims of unconscious or socio-cultural influences than as agents of free actions. Psychiatrists Karl Menninger in Whatever Happened to Sin4 and M. Scott Peck in People of the Lie5 want to make full allowance for those conditions which cause people to do evil. Yet both insist on a strip of responsibility which cannot be negotiated away to these determining influences. While the behavioral sciences provide us with helpful explanations of human behavior, they do not give a full account. Sin is real, and we need a fresh way to get at it and call it what it is. What do we need to grasp in order to retrieve a sense of sin in an adult manner? Contemporary moral theology says a â€Å"sense of responsibility.† Christian theologians find in â€Å"responsibility† the essential theme of Christian faith and the central characteristic of the moral life. A leading Protestant theologian of this century, H. Richard Niebuhr, has done much to give impetus to the â€Å"responsibility† motif in Christian morality. 6 He summarizes the constituents of responsibility by describing the agent’s actions as a response to an action upon him in accordance with his interpretation of the latter action and with his expectation of response to his response; and all of this is in a continuing community of agents. (The Responsible Self, 65) Since God is present to us in and through all that makes up our lives so that we are never not in the presence of God, our responses to all our actions upon us include our response to God. As Niebuhr asserts, â€Å"Responsibility affirms: God is acting in all our actions upon you. So respond to all actions upon you as to respond to his action† (The Responsible Self, 126). If â€Å"being responsible† sums up the quality of character and action marking Christian moral living, sin will mark the failure to be fully responsible. â€Å"Responsibility† as a motif for the moral life has found its way into Catholic moral thinking with the strong support of the biblical renewal in the Catholic Church. Bernard Hà ¤ring, who has been instrumental in renewing Catholic moral thinking, has used this notion of â€Å"responsibility† with great success in reconstructing Catholic moral thought. Along with other Catholic theologians, Hà ¤ring has found in the biblical renewal a fresh theological framework and an orientation for understanding the moral life.7 We turn, then, to the biblical perspective on sin. Menninger, Whatever Happened to Sin? (New York: Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1973). Peck, People of the Lie (New York: Simon and Shuster, 1983). 6 See especially Niebuhr, The Responsible Self (New York: Harper & Row, 1963), pp. 61-65. 7 Bernard Hà ¤ring’s writings are vast and wide-ranging. His early three-volume work, The Law of Christ (Westminster: Newman Press, 1961, 1963, 1966), was one of the first major works by a Catholic moral theologian to rethink morality in light of the biblical renewal. His most recent three-volume work, Free and Faithful in Christ (New York: Seabury Press, 1978, 1979, 1981), is an expression of Hà ¤ring’s more mature thought. This work is not a revision of The Law of Christ, but a completely new work. Charles E. Curran, a student of Hà ¤ring, has followed his teacher’s lead in making efforts at renewing moral theology in light of the biblical renewal. Some of Curran’s pertinent articles are â€Å"The Relevancy of the Ethical Teaching of Jesus† and â€Å"Conversion: The Central Message of Jesus† in A New Look at Christian Morality (Notre Dame: Fides Publishers, Inc., 1968), pp. 1-23 and 25-71. From the Bible we see that Christian morality is primarily a â€Å"vocation.† This means that our life is a response to the word of God spoken to us preeminently in Jesus, but also in and through the people and events of our lives. From the perspective of vocation, wherein God calls and we respond, responsibility replaces obligation as the primary characteristic of the moral life. Also, the relationship that we establish with God in and through our responses to all things becomes the focal point of the moral life. From this point of view, practicing the presence of God becomes essential for Christian responsibility, Christian moral growth, and our awareness of sin. A consistent theme of contemporary theology has been that we cannot have a proper understanding of sin unless we have a proper understanding of the nature and implications of the covenant God has established with us. â€Å"Covenant† and â€Å"heart† are the dominant metaphors of biblical faith for understanding the moral life. They provide the biblical horizon against which to recognize sin. The two frequently used terms for sin in the Old Testament point to violations of relationships. Hattah is the most common term. Its meaning, â€Å"to miss the mark† or â€Å"to offend,† points to a purposeful action oriented toward an existing relationship. The existence of the relationship makes the offence or failure possible. Pesa, meaning â€Å"rebellion,† is a legal term denoting a deliberate action violating a relationship in community. The New Testament term for sin is hamartia. It connotes a deliberate action rooted in the heart and missing the intended mark. 8 These terms acquire theological significance when used in the context of the covenant which expresses the most personal kind of relationship between God and us. The primary aim of the covenant is that God loves us without our having done anything to attract God’s attention or to win that love. God’s covenant is a bond of completely gratuitous love, pure grace. But God’s initiative of love (grace) does not destroy our freedom. Unlike the Godfather, God makes an offer we can refuse. God’s offer of love awaits our acceptance. Once we accept the offer of love we commit ourselves to living as the covenant requires. The covenant context lifts the notion of sin out of a legalistic framework to set it on a level of a personal relationship with God. In worshipping the golden calf (Ex 32), Israel missed the mark of covenant love, or sinned, not so much because Israel broke one of the laws of the covenant, but because Israel broke the personal bond of love of which the law was an external expression. The law was not to be the final object of Israel’s fidelity. God was. Sin in the Bible is not merely breaking a law. Sin is breaking or weakening the God-given bond of love. The law was an aid to Israel’s fidelity and pointed to the responsibilities of being in relationship to God. A Sense of Sin. (2016, Dec 10).

Week 6 _Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week 6 _Assignment - Essay Example It provides authentication as well as integrity of data and information of the user (Interpeak, 2005). IP Spoofing- An intruder connects to host server by duplicating his/her IP address when address-based authentication is been used. The IPSec protocol uses cryptographic authentication rather than address-based authentication for protecting from IP spoofing attack (Oppliger, 1998). Session Hacking- An intruder can connect to a server which is authenticated. At that point of time, IPSec helps to protect the connection as the intruder does not know the session key necessary for encrypting the data stream (Oppliger, 1998). Denial-of-Service- An intruder sends TCP messages to flood buffer space of targeted system but if there is IPSec protocol it will provide a denial-of-service attack and will reveal intruder’s identity if he/she is using original IP address (Oppliger, 1998). Application layer manages views of the user over the network. It defines about the processing of the application on different systems end communicate over the network. All the processes which are running in various systems or else end-users communicate with the help of application layer protocol (Rouda, 2006). XML stands for Extensible Markup Language, which is used to encode document in a format which is understandable by both human beings and machine. It facilitates to develop a common format of information in a flexible manner. Yes, it is possible to design a universal security solution at one layer. Generally, security suites work on one layer without collaborating with other protocols. A security system can be build with single layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The OSI model is really a theoretical device used to help explain how the network and internet functions. When a Web communications is secured using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) which is used for securing message transmission

It is a fundamental principle of English Law that the courts will not Essay

It is a fundamental principle of English Law that the courts will not enforce an illegal contract. Explain the law in this area - Essay Example Acceptance, on the other hand, is the agreement to the terms of an offer that transforms the offer into a legally binding contract. Acceptance involves an action on the part of the offeree. It is vital to emphasise that minors and mentally disordered people lack the capacity to enter into a legally binding agreement. Although a contract exists in many different forms, there are also some illegal contracts. These illegal contracts are those to which the principle applies. This may occur where the law forbids the contract, or where there is a violation of public policy at common law where the contract is for an illegal purpose (The Law Commission 2011). With the English law in place, the courts are not supposed to enforce any contract that is contrary to the policy of the law. The reasons for this are that the performance of a contract, as stated earlier, does not involve the breaking of a legal provision and it is not essentially a good reason for regarding the contract as invalid. Ad ditionally, there are cases where a contract does not involve the breach of any specific legal provision. The aim of the legal restrictions on contracts is varied. It is at times aimed at protecting the weaker parties against exploitation from the stronger parties. This leads to a commonality in force that is laid out to both parties (Youngs 1998, p. 378). Illegal contracts are defined as contracts or agreements that are prohibited or forbidden by a statute or illegal at common law based on the public policy (Haigh 2004, p. 158). Pritchard and Hinds (2008, p. 1) define an illegal contract as one which is based on or entails criminal wrongdoing. For instance, in the United Kingdom (UK), gaming contracts (contracts created in respect to gambling) cannot be enforced. Another important class of illegal contracts are those contracts or agreements which can be defined as unconscionable or unfair in relation to the legislation of the nation, i.e. the laws that govern the contract. For inst ance, in UK employment contracts, parties may not eliminate liability for severe injury (Haigh 2004, p. 158). In addition, the majority of employment contracts implying illegality entail schemes to defraud Inland Revenue or workers who lack the rights to work in the United Kingdom (Pritchard & Hinds 2008, p. 1). Performance of Contracts The common rule is that a party must execute what they undertook to attain the contract. However, the contracts can vary based on the mutual agreement. Alternatively, where an entity approves an appeal of the other entity, that second entity is said to have waived their right to demand performance in a way that was originally agreed. The entities are then put within the terms of the waiver, and there is the absence of consideration to support it (Haigh 2004, p. 158). Illegal Contracts It is important to state that illegality is the most puzzling area in the law of contract, and this is attributed to the fact that it lacks structure. Some authors have indicated that the law in this section is full of contradictions and altogether unsatisfactory. As aforementioned, there are contracts rendered illegal by the common law or a statute. A contract can be expressly prohibited by a statutory provision. Certain contracts or agreements are rendered illegal at common law based on the fact they would be harmful or dangerous to the society and thus contrary to public policy. The following are some of the contracts that are rendered ille

Corporate Social Performance (research report) Essay - 1

Corporate Social Performance (research report) - Essay Example CSR activities not only ensure that the company is gaining a positive brand image but it also ensures self-sustainability in the near future. CSR activities now a day have become quite a mainstream phenomenon where most of the well established firms have developed and maintain the concept of social sustainability (Manuel Castelo BrancoLÃ ºcia Lima 2006). CSR can be defined as the relationship between a corporation and the national government and the citizens (McDonald and Rundle-Thiele 2008). It encompasses the positive influence of the organisational activity on the welfare of the nation and its people. In a more streamlined perspective its can be stated that the CSR is the relationship between the corporation and the society (Jones and Wicks 1999). The business firms often undertake responsibility to improve the society that they are operating in. This as a result fosters social support and at the same time creates a sustainable working environment for the organisation to thrive f or a longer period of time. The firms often undertake initiatives like child education for the under privileged, keeping the society clean by the environmental standards (Baumgartner and Ebner 2010). The corporate social responsibility is based on three principles Sustainability, Accountability and Transparency. The sustainability deals with the long term thriving of the organisational activities. It involves taking certain actions in the present that has a positive impact on the future. This suggests that if the resources that are not infinite are being used in the present then they may get exhausted in the future. Sustainability indicates that the organizations must utilize the resources responsibly and should also ensure that they are being generated at a steady rate (Brower and Mahajan 2013). The Accountability of the organisation involves its acknowledgement towards the impact on the environment causing from