Free College Essays - Dante’s Paradiso :: Dante Paradiso Essays

Dante’s   Paradiso In spite of all the sheer effort put behind it, Dante’s Paradiso is not easy to enjoy. It is an alliance between difficulty and controversy. It is a narration of Dante’s so called visit to heaven, which seems tangible to no one but him. He slowly gives us his perceived account while inserting an archive of philosophical tidbits, which often divert the reader’s attention from the supposed plot. Dante claims himself gifted and says that all his said experiences are ones that he encountered first-hand. And so the reader is assumed to believe that the author is not in a make-believe world and his arguments with heavenly beings are actually marvelous adventures. The theme is not relevant at all to the present, as scholars today would say that his ideas are primitive and unsubstantial. The only thing applicable to today be the fact that it is based on the timeless issue: the afterlife. And as he inserts his personal views in life, he does it in an authoritative method as his heavenly friends explain them to him. Now if the reader assumes this is all make-believe, it is tiresome to go on as the book is direly detailed. On the other hand, if the reader believes Dante’s account, then I am afraid he is very misled. As many biblical verses are inserted in the text, it is quite bothersome that his explanations and fabulous stories take on a less dogmatic direction. It doesn’t seem right to quote religion to serve both misinterpreted purposes and claims to a divine philosophy. This dissenting view is the only social impact I can make out of the book. As I read on the translated verses looking for some conflict or climax, I reached neither. It just seems as if this popularly supposed story is intended to be educational just like a textbook. Nevertheless, it is not hard to see why Paradiso was dubbed a masterpiece. If the title of "masterpiece" is labeled upon the works of great worth, I am afraid entertainment value is not somethi ng distinguishable in this case even if there is an undoubtedly enormous amount of effort, skill, and thought that was invested in it. All the lines rhyme in pairs, and are written in deep Spanish. A rhyme scheme is followed and even literary formality is observed. Dante is obviously intellectual, as his work shows.

Customer Management: Nefab Company

Introduction Customer management has been an integral part of business processes since the early days of business, even before money was introduced. Development of products and services aimed at meeting the needs of the customer is what determines the effectiveness of the customer retention and loyalty strategies (Rao & Perry, 2002). This paper analyses the operational methods and strategies adopted by Nefab Packaging Company- UK in providing products and services and their effectiveness in terms of customer satisfaction Background informationThe main business area for Nefab Company is packaging. It is an international company with global coverage. Its headquarters is in Sweden, but it has numerous subsidiaries in Europe and America including the UK (Nefab Group, 2013) where I happen to be one of the employees. Most of its operations involve working closely with other businesses around the globe with the intent of providing them with the best quality packaging solution for their products. Nefab C ompany has close to 20 major customers around the world with numerous other small customers distributed all over Europe. The company handles its customers using two approaches; its large global customers are all handled by the central management of the organisation while the other small to medium sized customers are handled at the company’s local offices in the respective countries (Nefab Group, 2013). To enhance its competitiveness and sustainability as a global packaging company, it has recently introduced customer relationship management department (Nefab program Manager, 2012). This department operates under the human resource department and is responsible for development and implementation of systems aimed at ensuring the levels of customer satisfaction are high in the company. Some of the main functions of this department are (Nefab program Manager, 2012): Developing and focusing sight on the customers Pay attention to customer lifetime value Develop management support for a customer focussed strategies Developing effective value for data collected from the customer Developing an understanding of the levels of management involvement in customer management Developing flexible business processes to support a wide range of customer needs Advising the IT department on what to develop as an approach of enhancing customer satisfaction The current customer relationship management system operates based on Microsoft’s CRM system. It is currently implemented in most divisions of the company (Nefab program Manager, 2012). Currently, the company is working towards increasing the levels of integration of those services into the business function and ensuring that all the guidelines and strategies are used efficiently to realize maximum benefit from the new department in the organisation (Nefab Group, 2013). The Company’s Customers This company works in the business to business sector and therefore all its customers are businesses seeking for packaging services. The main struggle for the company is to develop long-term relationships with other businesses globally. The fact that the company has very small customers, it is very important for the company to maximise on customer satisfaction as it cannot afford to lose any customer and must struggle to attract more in the global market. The major customers for this company are companies in six global industrial segments: Vehicles, Aerospace, Healthcare equipment Industry, Energy, and Telecom among many other industries. The things that our customers are seeking are packaging products that are reusable and at the same time easily expendable. The packaging should also be designed in such a way that the quality of the products is not affected during transport. Moreover, the current levels of environmental sensitivity by many companies have resulted to companies seeking packaging that are as green as possible and have minimal harm to the environment. Furthermore, the customers require packaging that is optimal in terms of weight to minimize the cost of transportation of the product. These are the main areas that customer relationship management department is focussed on in this organisation. This company has developed an approach that ensures all its customers are well known. The system is based on customer segmentation in terms of products they buy from the company. The segmentation is also done based on regions. This is important since the company has subsidiaries distributed all over the world. The process of product development is done through consideration of the specifications of each customer. This is mainly achieved by developing products based on customers’ instructions and directions. The application of customer segmentation allows this company to meet the needs of almost all its customers.Customer ObjectivesThe development of this department will be central in promoting a sense of security, a feeling of being in control and trust among customers. The main reasons behind the development of the customer relationship management department in this organisation were to (Nefab program Manager, 2012): Enhance customer lifetime value; Develop the best strategic information and communication; Develop customer retention strategies; Enhance the levels of customer satisfaction . This company developed this department as a central participant in the process of expanding and maintaining market share successfully. Particularly, retention of customers can be achieved through learning relevant information, such as expectations, preferences, habits, and names about customers (Nefab program Manager, 2012). This department is expected to develop a one-on-one relationship with customers as an approach of ensuring that they come back frequently developing close association between the company and its customers. Furthermore, the department is also expected to increase the level of IT integration into customer management, resulting in high levels of intimacy between customers and the company. The high levels of using IT allow the organisation to a variety of employees in managing customer relationship removing the barrier associated with personalised attention of the customer (Nefab program Manager, 2012). This will result to sustained organisational performance and hence profitability even if certain employees are no longer working with the organisation. Therefore, there are three main customer-related objectives in this initiative; customer retention, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty (Nefab program Manager, 2012). The introduction of customer relations management department is expected to enhance the level of customer loyalty. By making this company more knowledgeable about its current customers as well as prospective customers will ensure the services offered to them are offered in the best manner available to satisfy the customer positively impacting on the levels of customer loyalty. A similar case is expected in customer satisfaction. Developing a positive experience between this company and the customer has been seen as the main approach towards ensuring the customer is highly satisfied. This department is also focused on ensuring the job done by the company is the best. This will ultimately result to high level of customer retention. For instance, this company has been suffering from numerous instances of confusion and misconceptions especially when employees are unable to tell what has been delivered to a specific customer and what needs to be delivered and when. This has portrayed the company as unresponsive to its customers. This has dealt the company a major blow in the process as it negatively affected customer satisfaction levels. These three objectives are related to one another. For instance, a customer who has a constant repeat purchase is said to be loyal while at the same time, a customer can only be loyal if the products and services are satisfactory. Business Related Objectives This department is focused on not only fulfilling customer related objectives, but also business objectives. In terms of business, objectives are collection and analysis of data to increase the understanding levels of customer. This is important in ensuring the organisation meets the needs of the customer and is in a position to provide current and future customer needs. This is also essential in developing future forecasts for production and sales prospects. The development of process automation is also another important objective of this department. It is necessary for the enhancement of efficiency and ultimately profitability of this organisation. Most investigations agree that the most important objective of customer relation management at organisational level is to gather information. Xu & Walton (2005) clearly explain the main reason for collection of information by an organisation as being to enable the organisation understand its customers, to meet the needs of the customers and also develop effective strategies to meet the company’s future prospects. Customer Relationship Management Strategies There various theories that try to explain the strategies used on customer relationship management. The most common ones analyse customer touch points, front office, back office, and warehousing. To be able to analyse the approach adopted by this company in managing its customers, it is necessary to review this parts. WarehousingThis is the area in organisational processes that has numerous literatures regarding the implementation of customer relation management (CRM). Specifically, Bose has developed a very complex model that analyses all the necessary steps in the process of implementing CRM. This model is simplified by a list developed by David (1999). Thus, David’s list is comprehensive enough to provide guidance of the process of implementing CRM. Another implementation plan that is not as complex as Bose’s was developed by Chase (2004). The most important aspect of this plan is the detailed explanation of the integration levels. Back OfficeThese are functions in a n organisation that the customer cannot view directly (Chen & Popovich, 2003). Many authors put more emphasis on the importance of an organisation using the CRM in determining the value of its individual customers. When analysing customer value, Zikmund provides a detailed review of various theories that analyse this issue. Moreover, Xu and Walton (2005) have developed a very distinct approach to classification of customers based on profit cost matrix. Another important tool that is essential in analysing customer classification is the Identify Differentiate Interact Customize (IDIC) tool (Zikmund et al., 2003). This tool is known to provide detailed information on approaches of customer differentiation and product customisation. According to Zikmund and his colleagues (2003), customisation of the various stages in product development is essential in ensuring the products meet the specific requirements of the customers. Nefab achieves product customisation through the selection of materials and concepts for product development based on the specific customer requirements. This results to production of products that are customised for an individual customer. This is driven by Nefab’s objective that aims to replace its customers packaging departments which requires complete customisation (Nefab program Manager, 2012) Another important tool that is effective on providing insights into the process to customers in terms of areas that data can be gathered from is the analytical model by Xu and Walton (2005). It is essential in developing background on the information that should be looked for. This allows a company to develop usable data from the customers especially for development of the customer based strategies. Nefab has an effective tool for data collection that is based on direct interaction with its customers on a regular basis (Nefab program Manager, 2012). Information is collected on their products on issues, such as the level of customer satisfaction and production requirement of the customer. The company also gathers information on their competitors especially on their prices and the approach to business of their competitors. More so, a better explanation on the uses of customer knowledge is provided by Zineldin (2006). A combination of theories by Xu & Walton and Zineldin is used in the process of seeking information and developing effective use of the information. In a study by Wilson (2006), it was evident that it is very important to analyse the value of a customer in the process of developing long term relationship with the customer. Zikmund et al. (2003) identifies the important values of customer lifetime as the period the customer is expected to last, cost of capital, retention rate, and profit margin. This is the area that Nefab is still struggling with. Its approach is focussed on determining the profitability of each customer based on the contribution margin. However, the company has completely separated loyalty and retention from the approach adopted for determining the profitability of its customers (Nefab program Manager, 2012). According to this company, it is hard to develop a measure for profitability that is not based on income per product is uncertain and hence not realistic (Nefab program Manager, 2012). Thus, according to this company, the process of predicting future customer loyalty is impossible. The company depends on its employees to manage its customers in that the salesperson handles any conflicts or complaints from customers to ensure that they are preserved as customers of the company. In terms of relationships, Peppers & Rogers (2001) suggested that the main objective of CRM is to allow an organisation to manage its customers on an individual basis. This is the area that Nefab is more focussed on. It has established its CRM strategies to ensure that customers are handled at a personal level. This is also coupled with development of personalised relations with its customers. The company strives to ensure that the customer comes back for more products and services. Nefab has established measures that increase the levels of openness between it and its customers. They allow their customers to be partners in the business (Nefab program Manager, 2012). The company has also established a variety of departments involved in management of sales including technicians, design teams and accounts manager. This is necessary to ensure each of its major customers is handled differently by the company. This is sometimes challenging to the organisation in terms of coordinating the numerous departments in the organisation. Front officeThese are firm’s functions that directly interact with the customer (Chen & Popovich, 2003). The IDIC model is also an effective tool for providing a description of the functions of the front office as per CRM (Peppers & Rogers, 2001). The primary role of the front office is to collect information from the customer in an easy was as possible (Peppers & Rogers, 2001). Nefab has tried to develop an effective front office by minimising the number of departments at the front office level (Nefab program Manager, 2012). The company has a centralised workloads and information for its large customers with global coverage. The local branches handle the other smaller customers. This allows the company to store information about all its major customers in a centralised place (Nefab program Manager, 2012). Rao and Perry (2002) explain the importance of digitizing employee knowledge. Another important contribution to this part is the Greenberg (2004), analysis of culture and its importance in the process of implementing CRM as a strategy within an organisation. His analysis is comprehensive and very central in the development of CRM strategies that meet the requirements of a specific organisation. A study by Curry and Kkolou (2004) found out that customer life cycle is very important for an organisation. They further assert that it should be handled while providing detailed information about each and every stage that the company’s customers go through. The common stages identified were targeting, translation, delivery, dissatisfaction management, and winning back lost customers (Curry & Kkolou, 2004). These are the areas that this Nefab Company is struggling with. Its customer’s life cycle is initiated when they visit a customer’s firm as most of my colleagues described. This is then followed by sending of samples of packaging until the final solution is arrived at (Nefab program Manager, 2012). Once the customer has approved the design of packaging, the company delivers that packaging to the customer until when the production of a specific product comes to a stop. During this time, the company expects the customer to approach them again for a new packaging plan. The company completely lacks customer win-back and dissatisfaction management stages in the customer lifecycle. Another important area in the front office, organisational culture is analysed by Greenberg (2004). He asserts that the culture of the organisation must be changed such that it aligns with the objectives of the organisation’s CRM initiative. Thus, the success of an organisation’s CRM depends on the levels to which its objectives align with the firm’s culture. This is the area that Nefab has tried to deal with. The company has implemented an intensive training program for the sales persons with specific reference to behaviour and conduct (Nefab program Manager, 2012). The company has also equipped its workforce with computer skills. The company has endowed its employee’s a heavy responsibility especially in decision making. The company also promotes the development of independent culture at its subsidiaries. However, the cultural independence of its subsidiaries is limited as they operate based on a general cultural framework of the company. This has positively impacted the performance of the company as the decision making paths has been shortened. The negative impact of this approach is on development of a centralised decision by the firm since its subsidiaries work very independently. Customer Touch PointsThese are the interactions that exist between an organisation and its customers (Chen & Popovich, 2003). The touch points are well illustrated in the ‘interact’ phase of the IDIC model (Peppers & Rogers, 2001). This model has a detailed overview of all the necessary areas in the touch points that exist at an organisational level. According to Peppers & Rogers, touch points are essential in the process of organising and streamlining the face of an organisation. Nefab Company has in the recent past involved the touch points in the process of organisational streamlining. This has been enhanced by the introduction of the CRM department as an approach to refining its front end with the endeavour to ensure its customers are well served (Nefab program Manager, 2012). The company has also increased the level of using the web as a customer interaction tool. It currently accounts for the most of the company’s customer leads. A theory by Davids (1999) is comprehensive enough in developing approaches for examining how customers interact with an organisation. Furthermore, Peelen (2005) presents possible interaction points in an organisation that is similar to the work by Davids (1999) as well as Peppers & Rogers (2001). These points identified by Peelen are personal sales, telephone, e-mail, websites, and public media. Nefab Company has tried to develop effectiveness of these channels of interaction. However, the company has limited use of media such as radio and television as it assumes that their customers are less likely to be there for interaction between the company and them (Nefab program Manager, 2012). The major forms through which this company interacts with its customers is through phone calls, email and direct communication. Conclusion and Implications From the analysis, it is evident that the theories analysed by various investigators are applicable at organisational level. It is evident that using CRM in business benefits a business since it offers effective objectives for management of businesses as well as its customers. The most important objectives in this case are customer retention and satisfaction, data organisation, and in-depth understanding of the customer. From analysis of the company, it has been evident that the most important aspect of CRM is the organisation of customer information. The ultimate results of this organisation are high levels of customer satisfaction and retention as witnessed in the organisation. The ability of an organisation to meet customer requests and respond to them in time depends on how organised is the approach to the collection and analysis of customer data. This evidently results to high levels of customer satisfaction. This result because of high levels of efficiency in customer managemen t strategies. From these results, it can be concluded that for an organisation to effectively gather and organise customer information, it requires to develop a customer relation management approaches. This allows an organisation to develop a comprehensive analysis of the customer on an individual basis. This is central to capturing relevant information in an approach that allows availability of the information from all departments in an organisation. Furthermore, the main benefit of CRM is to allow organisations to own and control information about its customers and not specific individuals or departments in an organisation. This is important in limiting the implications of employees exiting from an organisation where customer information is readily available for the replacement recruits as compared to the case where there was no CRM. Moreover, CRM is important in the sense that customer information can readily be pulled and reviewed. This is an essential ingredient in organisational efficiency. In fact, new employees can use the stored information to develop an effective background about the customer. More so, CRM allows an organisation to develop approaches of handling objectives such as customer retention, satisfaction, and loyalty at once as they are assessed in terms of their impact on the organisational efficiency of the firm. Implications of the studyThis investigation analysed how customer relationship management is used in Nefab Company. The analysis focussed on the application of CRM in the organisation with relation to available theories that focus on the consumer market. The analysis reveals that it is important for an organisation to focus on developing strong relations with its customers other than focusing on the consumer market loyalty. Development of customer relation automatically results to high levels of customer loyalty. However, this investigation is limited to information gathered by other investigators in reference to one organisation. Further studies need to be done using more than one organisation. The investigations should collect data using quantitative as well as qualitative methodologies to further enhance the available information on the research issue. Other areas that need to be analysed in future investigations are: Analysis of the effect of company culture on customer relations; Investigate on the approaches to evaluating customer loyalty; Examine how price and customer loyalty interact. References Chase, P., 2004. A success model for CRM integration, and how to avoid the most common mistakes, New Hampshire, USA: Scribe Software Corporation. Chen, I., & Popovich, K., 2003. Understanding Customer Relationship Management: People Process and technology. Bradford, UK: MCB Up Limited. Curry, A. & Kkolou, E., 2004. â€Å"Evaluating CRM Contribution to TQM improvement- across-case comparison† The TQM Magazine, 16(5), 314-324 Davids, M., 1999. â€Å"How to avoid the 10 Biggest Mistakes in CRM† Journal of Business Strategy, 20(6):22-26 Greenberg, P., 2004. CRM at the speed of light, essential CRM strategies for the 21st century. New York, NY: MCGraw Hill/Osborne. Nefab Group, (2013). Nefab’s History. Retrieved from http://www.nefab.com/History.aspx Nefab program Manager, (2012). Nefab Business Plan 2013-2017. Retrieved from http://www.nefab.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/NEFAB-BUSINESS-PLAN-2013-2017-v-11.pdf Peppers, E. & Rogers, S., 2001. â€Å"Maximising ROI from your customer based strategy† Insights report 2001. Rao, S., & Perry, C., 2002. â€Å"Thinking about relationship marketing: where are we now†, Journal of business and industrial marketing, 17(7), 598-614 Wilson, R., 2006. â€Å"Developing new Business strategies in B2B markets by combining CRM concepts and online databases†. Customer Relations,16(1), 38 – 43 Xu, M. Walton, J., 2005. â€Å"Gaining Customer Knowledge through Analytical CRM†. Department of Strategy & Business System, Portsmouth Business School. Portsmouth, UK: University of Portsmouth. Zikmund, W., McLeod R., & Fayge, G., (2003). Customer Relationship Management: Integrating marketing Strategy and Information Technology. New York, NY: Wiley. Zineldin, M., 2006. â€Å"The royalty of loyalty: CRM, Quality and retention† Journal of consumer marketing, 23(7), 430-437.

A Love After God’s Own Heart Essay

What is the foundation of Christianity? If the question being discussed is whether something is ideally Christian, then the motivation behind Christianity must be understood. The basic outline of Christianity is simple. Man exists in a fallen and depraved state. Christ died on the cross to conquer death and atone for all humanity. Those who acknowledge their need for a Savior and place their faith in this gift, shall have eternal life. That leads to the logical question of why. Why should Christ sacrifice himself for such undeserving people? Therein is found that basis, that motivation behind Christianity. Love. The Bible says, â€Å"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.† (NASB Jn. 3.16). Love is the heart of Christianity. God sent his Son to pay the ultimate cost for sinners because He loves them so much. Indeed, all truly Christian actions are committed out of out of love. Christ said while he was on the earth, â€Å"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.† (NASB Jn. 13.35) Christianity starts and ends with love. Love is the root of Christianity and it is also the outward manifestation of Christ in a life. God is love. Therefore, though Silas Marner is at first estranged from both God and man, the Christ-mirroring love he bestows upon Eppie is a clear reflection of God’s own nature and is ideally Christian. George Eliot’s Silas Marner details the life of a solitary linen weaver. Silas Marner lives a life of seclusion in the town of Raveloe for 15 years while dealing with deeply inflicted emotional wounds. He loses his faith in God and his fellow man. Marner’s lone refuge is the coins he earns. He treasures them not for their monetary value, but for their companionship. Meanwhile, there is an alternate storyline of Godfrey and Dunsey Cass; sons of a wealthy landowner. The latter is a slobbering drunk while the other is well thought of. However, the former has a secret wife and child, and the knowledge of this allows the drunk to blackmail his elder brother. One day the drunk chances upon the empty house of the linen weaver. He discovers the coins and steals them. When Silas Marner discovers his loss, he elicits the help of the villagers. They search extensively for the coins, but to no avail. No one knows who has taken the coins, but Godfrey is delighted by Dunsey’s absence. On New Year’s Eve, the Cass family throws a large party and Godfrey attempts to woo the respected Nancy Lammeter. Meanwhile, Godfrey’s wife tries to bring their child to the Cass home and proclaim Godfrey’s secret to the world. However, being under the influence of opium, she falls asleep on the snowy ground. The child wanders into the nearby house of Silas Marner. When Marner finds the child and eventually the mother, he rushes to the Cass house for the doctor. The woman is found to be dead and as no father comes forth for the child, Marner claims it as his own. He names the child Eppie and does his best to raise her. He is often given motherly advice by his friend Mrs. Winthrop. Sixteen years go by and Eppie is now 18. Godfrey is married to Nancy. Godfrey regrets not claiming Eppie and decides it is time for her to come live with them. He tells Silas and Eppie the truth and asks Eppie if she wants to come live with him and his wife. Eppie declines, saying Silas is the only father she has known. Later, while a pit is being drained near Silas’ house, the body of Dunsey is discovered and with it Silas’ money, which is returned to him. Silas uses the money to return to his old home for closure on his past wounds, but the entire place is gone. When Silas returns, Eppie gets married to Mrs. Winthrop’s son and the story concludes with Eppie and her husband living happily with Silas. The child Eppie does not have a father, so Silas Marner adopts her as his own. Eppie quite literally wanders into Silas’ life and though she should not have to be his responsibility, he takes it upon himself to be her father. â€Å"Till anybody shows they’ve a right to take her away from me,† said Marner. â€Å"The mother’s dead and I reckon it’s got no father: it’s a lone thing- and I’m a lone thing† (Eliot 679). Though he shows it in his own peculiar way, Silas takes great compassion on this homeless, parentless girl. This is the first way Silas Marner shows God’s love to Eppie. God is obviously not a â€Å"lone thing,† having existed for eternity past in perfect harmony with the Trinity. However, he does take compassion on poor, lost people. God is the Father to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ. â€Å"For you have not received a Spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father! The Spirit himself testifies with our Spirit that we are children of God† (NASB Ro. 8. 15-16). Silas Marner adopts Eppie and becomes her father who she can always rely on. God adopts sinners who come to him and becomes their Everlasting Father in whom they can rely. The clear correlation between the two is the first way Silas Marner reflects God’s nature and ultimately Christian ideals. As Silas has this Christ-like love for Eppie, he naturally wants to protect her and help her grow. This gives Silas a completely new outlook on his surroundings and his normal everyday life. â€Å"As some man who has a precious plant to which he would give a nurturing home†¦and asks industriously for all knowledge that will help him to satisfy the wants of the searching roots, or to guard leaf and bud from invading harm† (689). Silas’ new role is to do all he can to keep Eppie safe. Eppie is young and inexperienced and vulnerable. Silas watches out for her and keeps her away from trouble because he knows better. Jesus Christ does the same thing for believers. He protects Christians from the Devil’s schemes as well as from their own folly. The Bible often describes this relationship with the analogy of a shepherd and his flock. â€Å"Like a shepherd He will tend his flock, In his arm he will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead t he nursing ewes† (NASB Is. 40.11). Silas is gently leading his nursing ewe, Eppie. Silas, in protecting and shepherding Eppie, is portraying distinctly Christian ideals. Eppie does not do anything to gain Silas’ love and likewise she can do nothing to lose it. Before she does any of the things that Silas later comes to love, Silas loved Eppie. Silas loves her from the first night she toddled into his home. She does not earn his love, it is based on Silas’ goodness and not Eppie’s merit. That is why she cannot lose it. It does not depend on her performance. â€Å"Here was a clear case of aberration in a christened child which demanded severe treatment; but Silas, overcome with compulsive joy†¦could do nothing but snatch her up and cover her with half sobbing kisses† (687). This is such a beautiful picture of what Christ does for the believer. Eppie runs off and disobeys Silas. He tirelessly pursues her until he finally catches her. Christians likewise stray from the fold of God, but Christ pursues them and is overjoyed to find them and bring them back. â€Å"If any man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the 99 on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over 99 which have not gone astray† (NASB Mt. 18.12-13). This is how Silas feels for Eppie. Silas mirrors God with his unmerited and unconditional love for his daughter. Silas loves Eppie so much he is willing to sacrifice his happiness for her betterment.   Silas on the other hand, was again stricken in conscience and alarmed lest Godfrey’s accusation should be true- lest he should be raising his own will as an obstacle to Eppie’s good. For many movements he was mute, struggling for the self-conquest necessary to the uttering of the difficult words. They came out tremulously. â€Å"I’ll say no more. Let it be as you will. Speak to the child. I’ll hinder nothing. (714) Godfrey has now come and is asking Eppie to come live with him and his wife. Eppie is the absolute joy of Silas’ life. Even so, with those words, Silas is letting her go. He is relinquishing his daughter and his happiness that she might have a higher station in life. This is a truly sacrificial love. This again is in keeping with the Christian model Silas has been following all along. â€Å"But he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon him and by his scourging we are healed† (NASB Is. 53.5). The greatest sacrifice of all is Jesus’ death on the cross. Obviously Silas Marner is not crucified for Eppie, but he is willing to sacrifice his entire happiness for her betterment. Silas’ small sacrifice is a shadow of the Lord’s great sacrificial love for his people and clearly Christian. Sometimes this story is thought to have too many coincidences or be too much like a fairy tale to have realistic Christian ideals, but the Bible clearly disproves this. God is in control and He has a plan for everything. There are no coincidences in His eyes. It is not a coincidence that Eppie comes to Silas’s door. Silas then honors God with love he shows Eppie and God rewards him with happiness and fulfillment. It is a lie of the Devil that happy endings are only for fairy tales. Christians know Jesus wins in the end over evil. That is the happiest ending of all. â€Å"For I know the plans that I have for you,† declares the Lord, â€Å"plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope† (NASB Jer. 29.11). When the Christian is trusting in God’s plan and honoring Him, he can see that Silas Marner is a great story about a man who honored God with his love. Silas Marner’s love for Eppie is adoptive, protective, unconditional, and sacrificial. This clearly reflects the Lord’s love for his own children and thus the ideals in this novel are Christian. Works Cited Eliot, George. â€Å"Silas Marner.† Adventures in Appreciation. Laurence Perrine. Ed. et al. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973. 390-472. Print. NASB. Anaheim: Foundation Publications Inc., 1996. Print. Taylor

The Gushi Kingdom - Steppe Societies in Turpan, China

The Gushi Kingdom - Steppe Societies in Turpan, China The people of the Gushi Kingdom, referred to in the  archaeological literature as the Subeixi culture, were the first permanent residents of the arid land-locked region called the Turpan basin of Xinjiang Province of western China, beginning about 3,000 years ago. The Turpan basin suffers from extreme temperatures, ranging between -27 and 32 degrees Celsius (-16 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit; within it lies the Turpan oasis, created and maintained by a massive qanat system, built long after the Subeixi had been conquered. Eventually, over the span of 1,000 years or so, the Subeixi developed into an agro-pastoral society, with wide-ranging contacts across Asia; this later Subeixi is believed to represent the Cheshi (Chà ¼-shih) state reported in historical Chinese records as having battled and lost against the Western Han. Who Were the Subeixi? The Subeixi were one of several Bronze Age Eurasian steppe societies who roamed the vast central steppes and built and maintained the trade network known as the Silk Road. Subeixi weaponry, horse euipment and garments are said to be similar to those of the Pazyryk culture, suggesting contacts between Subeixi and Scythians of the Altai mountains in Turkey. Astoundingly well-preserved human remains found in Subeixi culture tombs show that the people had fair hair and caucasian physical characteristics, and recent research maintains that there were historical and linguistic ties to the ancient Scythians or Rouzhi people. The Subeixi inhabited the Turpan basin between ca 1250 BC and 100 AD  when they were conquered by the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-9 AD) who were eager to expand their control over the Silk Road trade system. Crops and Houses of the Gushi Kingdom The earliest Subeixi settlers were pastoralist nomads, who herded sheep, goats, cattle and horses. Beginning about 850 BC, the nomads began to grow domesticated cereals like bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and naked barley (Hordeum vulgare var. coeleste). Two small settlement sites have been identified within the Turpan basin at Subeixi and Yuergou, which have not been extensively published in English as of yet. Three houses were found at Subiexi, and excavated in the 1980s. Each house contained three rooms; House 1 was the best preserved. It was rectangular, measuring 13.6x8.1 meters (44.6x26.6 feet). In the western room, an oblong trough near the west wall may have functioned as an animal byre. The middle room contained a hearth on the east side. The eastern room was dedicated to a pottery workshop, with a kiln, two rectangular shallow tanks, and three large pits. Artifacts recovered from this house included pottery and stone tools, including 23 grindstones and 15 pestles. Radiocarbon dates on the site returned calibrated dates between 2220-2420 cal BP, or about 500-300 BC. Yuergou was discovered in 2008. It included five stone houses with roughly circular rooms, and several free-standing walls, all made of enormous boulders. The largest of the houses at Yuergou had four rooms, and organic materials within the site were carbon dated and ranged in age between 200-760 cal BC. The later, farming Subeixi grew cannabis, used both for its fiber and for its psychoactive properties. A cache of caper seeds (Capparis spinosa) mixed with cannabis was recovered from what scholars have interpreted as a shamans tomb at Yanghai, who died about 2700 BP. Other probable Subeixi medicines include Artemisia annua, found in a package within a tomb at Shengjindian. Artemeinini is an effective therapy for many different diseases including malaria. It has a fragrant scent, and Jiang et al feel it was likely placed in the tomb to eliminate the odors that accompany death rituals. Wild plants collected from Subeixi tombs include a range of materials used for fiber, oil and construction materials, including reed stems Phragmites australis and bulrush leaf fibers (Typha spp). Mat making, weaving, metal smelting, and woodworking were developed handicrafts by the later period. Cemeteries The early Subiexi were nomadic, and what is most known about this period comes from large cemeteries. Preservation in these tombs is excellent, with human remains, organic objects and plant and animal remains recovered from thousands of tombs in cemeteries at Aidinghu, Yanghai, Alagou, Yuergou, Shengjindian, Sangeqiao, Wulabu, and Subeixi cemeteries, among others. Among the evidence found in the Shengjindian tombs (about 35 km east of modern Turfan in contexts dated to 2200-2000 years ago) was also Vitis vinifera, in the form of mature grape seeds which indicate that the people had access to ripe grapes, and were thus likely cultivated locally. A grape vine was also recovered at Yanghai tombs, dated to 2,300 years ago. Wooden Prosthesis Also discovered at Shengjindian was a wooden leg on a 50-65-year-old man. Investigations show  that he lost the use of the leg as a result of tuberculosis infection, which caused osseous ankylosis of his knee which would have made walking impossible. The knee was supported with an externally fitted wooden prosthesis, which consisted of a thigh stabilizer and leather straps, and a peg at the bottom made of horse/ass hoof. Wear and tear on the prosthesis  and lack of muscle atrophy in that leg  suggest the man wore the prosthesis for some years. The most probable age of the burial is 300-200 BC, making it the oldest functional leg prosthesis to date. A wooden toe was found in an Egyptian tomb dated to 950-710 BC; a wooden foot was reported by Herodotus in the 5th century BC; and the oldest case of a prosthetic leg use is from Capua Italy, dated to about 300 BC. This article is a part of the About.com guide to the Steppe Societies, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Chen T, Yao S, Merlin M, Mai H, Qiu Z, Hu Y, Wang B, Wang C, and Jiang H. 2014. Identification of Cannabis Fiber from the Astana Cemeteries, Xinjiang, China, with Reference to Its Unique Decorative Utilization. Economic Botany 68(1):59-66. doi: 10.1007/s12231-014-9261-z Gong Y, Yang Y, Ferguson DK, Tao D, Li W, Wang C, Là ¼ E, and Jiang H. 2011. Investigation of ancient noodles, cakes, and millet at the Subeixi Site, Xinjiang, China. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(2):470-479. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2010.10.006 Jiang H-E, Li X, Ferguson DK, Wang Y-F, Liu C-J, and Li C-S. 2007. The discovery of Capparis spinosa L. (Capparidaceae) in the Yanghai Tombs (2800 years b.p.), NW China, and its medicinal implications. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 113(3):409-420. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.06.020 Jiang H-E, Li X, Liu C-J, Wang Y-F, and Li C-S. 2007. Fruits of Lithospermum officinale L. (Boraginaceae) used as an early plant decoration (2500 years BP) in Xinjiang, China. Journal of Archaeological Science 34(2):167-170. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2006.04.003 Jiang H-E, Li X, Zhao Y-X, Ferguson DK, Hueber F, Bera S, Wang Y-F, Zhao L-C, Liu C-J, and Li C-S. 2006. A new insight into Cannabis sativa (Cannabaceae) utilization from 2500-year-old Yanghai Tombs, Xinjiang, China. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 108(3):414-422. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2006.05.034 Jiang H-E, Wu Y, Wang H, Ferguson DK, and Li C-S. 2013. Ancient plant use at the site of Yuergou, Xinjiang, China: implications from desiccated and charred plant remains. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 22(2):129-140. doi: 10.1007/s00334-012-0365-z Jiang H-E, Zhang Y, Là ¼ E, and Wang C. 2015. Archaeobotanical evidence of plant utilization in the ancient Turpan of Xinjiang, China: a case study at the Shengjindian cemetery. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 24(1):165-177. doi: 10.1007/s00334-014-0495-6 Jiang H-E, Zhang Y-B, Li X, Yao Y-F, Ferguson DK, Là ¼ E-G, and Li C-S. 2009. Evidence for early viticulture in China: proof of a grapevine (Vitis vinifera L., Vitaceae) in the Yanghai Tombs, Xinjiang. Journal of Archaeological Science 36(7):1458-1465. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2009.02.010 Kramell A, Li X, Csuk R, Wagner M, Goslar T, Tarasov PE, Kreusel N, Kluge R, and Wunderlich C-H. 2014. Dyes of late Bronze Age textile clothes and accessories from the Yanghai archaeological site, Turfan, China: Determination of the fibers, color analysis and dating. Quaternary International 348(0):214-223. doi; 10.1016/j.quaint.2014.05.012 Li X, Wagner M, Wu X, Tarasov P, Zhang Y, Schmidt A, Goslar T, and Gresky J. 2013. Archaeological and palaeopathological study on the third/second century BC grave from Turfan, China: Individual health history and regional implications. Quaternary International 290–291(0):335-343. doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2012.05.010 Qiu Z, Zhang Y, Bedigian D, Li X, Wang C, and Jiang H. 2012. Sesame Utilization in China: New Archaeobotanical Evidence from Xinjiang. Economic Botany 66(3):255-263. doi: 10.1007/s12231-012-9204-5

cryptonym - definition and examples of cryptonym

cryptonym - definition and examples of cryptonym Definition A cryptonym is a word or name thats secretly used to refer to a particular person, place, activity, or thing; a code word or name. A well-known example is Operation Overlord, the cryptonym  for the Allied invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II. The term cryptonym is derived from two Greek words meaning hidden and name. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: Name That -nym: A Brief Introduction to Words and NamesPseudonym Examples and Observations Cryptonyms are  often temporary, are known to only a select group of people, and are usually of unrelated or at best covert meaning. Some  cryptonyms are  simply combinations of letters and figures.(Adrian Room,  An Alphabetical Guide to the Language of Name Studies. Scarecrow, 1996)Reinhard was the cryptonym for the German plan to exterminate the Jews of Poland.(MichaÅ‚ Grynberg, Words to Outlive Us: Voices From the Warsaw Ghetto. Macmillan, 2002) White House CryptonymsThe Oval Offices next occupant opted for this moniker [Renegade] after being presented with a list of names beginning with the letter R. As custom dictates, the rest of his familys code names will be alliterative: wife Michelle is known as Renaissance; daughters Malia and Sasha are Radiance and Rosebud, respectively.(Renegade: President-elect Barack Obama. Time magazine, November 2008) CIA CryptonymsThe true identities of  cryptonyms are  among the most precious secrets of the Central Intelligence Agenc y (CIA).- The CIA often used multiple cryptonyms for the same entity to strengthen operational security and maintain compartmentalization of the information.In the CIA nomenclature, cryptonyms always appear in capital letters. The first two letters were used for cryptographic security and were based on factors such as the geography or type of operation.  The rest of  the cryptonym  was a word selected randomly from a dictionary, in principle with no particular relation to the place or person  the cryptonym  was supposed to mask. However, it is not difficult to imagine tongue-in cheek CIA officers picking words like wahoo for Albanian, drink for Greece, credo for Rome, gypsy for communist, roach for Yugoslavia, crown for United Kingdom, steel for Soviet Union, and metal for Washington, D.C.(Albert Lulushi,  Operation Valuable Fiend: The CIAs First Paramilitary Strike Against the Iron Curtain. Arcade, 2014)- Vladimir I. Vetrovwho had the cryptonym FAREWELLreported to Weste rn intelligence services that the Soviets had placed bugs on the printers used by the French intelligence service for communications.(Ronald Kessler, Inside the CIA. Simon Schuster, 1992)- The longtime personal physician of the Castros mother and some of her daughters was a reporting source. Bernardo Milanes, known to  the Agency by  his cryptonym  AMCROAK, was recruited in December 1963 in Madrid. At the time he and others were plotting an assassination attempt against [Fidel] Castro.(Brian Latell,  Castros Secrets: The CIA and Cubas Intelligence Machine. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)-  The Farm was known officially by the  cryptonym  ISOLATION. The names of places and operations were a special language in the Agency.(Don DeLillo,  Libra. Viking, 1988)-  Flower was the overall top-secret code-name designator given to anti-Qaddafi operations and plans. Only about two dozen officials, including the President and Casey, were given access.Under Flower, Tulip was the code name for a CIA covert operation designed to topple Qaddafi by supporting anti-Qaddafi exile movements.(Bob Woodward, Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987. Simon and Schuster, 2005) Pronunciation: KRIP-te-nim

Animation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Animation - Essay Example â€Å"Actually, animation has received high profile on the television and various websites.† (Wells, 2002, p. 3). The modern animation works are very creative and are produced on seasonal basis; that is, they are produced to represent certain happenings of phenomenon. From the art point of view, animation is an ancient artwork that was born out of creativity and innovation. The history of animation can be traced back in the Paleolithic cave paintings era since it is in this era where interest in developing motion pictures grew (Graber, 2009).  The era was characterized by a series of creative art works which showed attempts to develop motion pictures. For instances, some pictures would be drawn with several legs and this revealed that man was trying to design a motion picture. The generations that came after the Paleolithic cave paintings era developed the paintings and made them look lively. The development of the modern technology and evolution of artwork education curriculum gave way to further development of animations field. Through education on the animation side of art, people grew more creative and became more innovative. As a result, the development of complex animations was born, and this opened the doors for continued development. In essence, the development of the animation field of arts can be viewed as a continued process that will cont inue stimulating new ideas and creativity. The future of animation is quite diversified based on the fact more devices or improving the animation industry are continually being discovered and developed. The art and practice of animation has become very popular in the recent past. â€Å"The digital tools have aided in the transformation from the traditional animation to modern animation.† (Jones & Oliff, 2007, p. 7) This can be associated with increased creativity and the wide spread of information regarding animation. The modern technology has made the spread of

Criminal Law and Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Law and Criminology - Essay Example As may be inferred from the above stated, the subjectivism/objectivism debate effectively mirrors the existent tension between the principles of deed and equal culpability. The objectivist camp believes that criminal liability should be limited to what the person actually did, while the subjectivist camp upholds the expansion of criminal liability towards the embrace of the person's state of mind. Accordingly, the objectivist camp upholds the principle of deeds and the subjectivist camp that of equal culpability.3 The complex nature of prevailing criminal law lies it that it is neither one nor the other but seeks the embrace of both positions. This lends to several questions, all of which combine to underscore the controversies inherent in the law of criminal liability. The first of these questions pertains to the concept of mens rea. ... As per the objectivist and the subjectivist divide, there are two answers to this. The first define intention as implying that "the agent would necessarily commit an offence in carrying it out."6 The second response states that "intention should only be required for the conduct and the result elements, but not for the circumstance elements, of criminal attempts."7 (Husak, 1997). Divergent responses, reflective of the objectivism/subjectivism divide, only compound the complexities inherent in the determination of criminal liability within the context of the law of attempts. Divergent interpretations of the concept of attempt, as illustrated in the preceding paragraph, are problematic when considering the import of attempt within the context of English criminal law. As Lord Goddard maintained in Whybrow [1951]8 "intent [is] the principle ingredient of the crime." Indeed, the Criminal Attempts Act of 1981 has embodied this principle.9 As stated in the Criminal Attempts Act of 1981, "If, with intent to commit an offence to which this section applies, a person does an act which is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the offence, he is guilty of attempting to commit the offence.'10 The implication here is clear. If a person intends to rob a house but fails, he/she will be held liable for intended robbery and if he/she planned to enter a house and kill its occupants, but fails, he/she will be held guilty of attempted murder. If, on the other hand, a person enters a nursing home with the intention to rob, while knowing full well that if seen by a ny of the residents, the resultant alarm and shock could incite a heart attack culminating in death, he/she will only be held guilty of attempted robbery despite his/her knowledge of