My Beloved City

The bustling city is alive. The stimulation of crowds and traffic generate energy that challenges the human spirit. Perhaps that is why the city dweller reflects the image of an angry, stressed and unfriendly person. But that was not my case. Young, impatient, eager to make a difference, I was trying to open my way through the crowded streets, noisy and indifferent people. You could smell the excitement. Unfortunately, the revelry would not last too long. The tranquility of the country life that appealed my mind was recorded history. Bucharest, distinguished. The sheer amalgamation of cultures and eras comes together wonderfully and uniquely and is easily identifiable by simply looking at the objects that render a city —the buildings. The way they were erected, the style that is embedded in them, and even the political statements that they seem to shout, it all makes the architecture of Bucharest extraordinary. I started wondering the streets and found myself amazed that beyond all the hostile appearance I could notice the three most prominent styles of architecture that could be seen in Romania’s capital. The old fashioned and classic style of the baroque era that transformed Bucharest into the Paris of the East; The totalitarian and dominant style of the communist regimes and the style that immediately followed: modern Romanian architecture. The baroque and romantic years swept through the East and soon artisans of all sorts were embarking on journeys of creative freedom that permeated all aspects of life. Architecture was no exception. Around Bucharest, gargoyles loomed, guarding elaborately arched windows. The city skyline began to teem with decorated roofs, high and sweeping, shingled with coppers and stained woods. The sight of medieval architecture that survived the communism, combined with modernism, gave a special meaning to this city. Although the excitement is far from gone as the buildings collapsed in people’s indifference, I still find myself trapped in the magic that Bucharest inspired me from the beginning, to live and learn and mostly try to survive. I cannot say it is the best city I have ever seen. Far from being home, for me it was the best place to get lost in.

Area of Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Area of Finance - Essay Example It encloses within itself a host of other sub entities which take care of the money markets, the investors, shareholders, bonds, capital markets, venture investments, stakeholders, financial regulations, credit ratings and debts, bullish and bearish trends, etc. Now what a financial manager could do is to understand the basics related with all these sub entities and then choose a particular area where he thinks he would be best suited to have an understanding of that very sub entity. At the same time, he must make an endeavor to learn about the other entities so that he comes to terms with the whole financial ball game and does not feel left behind whilst the comparison is raised of him with his financial fellows. In the end, it is important to state here that a person belonging to the finance fraternity must try his hand at anything which is financially related and try his best to gain an understanding of the different financial terms before proceeding any further. Finance is a vast sea of information and knowledge, which needs a lot of research and patience to have sheer understanding

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Identify 5 themes of risk (majors or minor ones) in the book - Research Paper Example 1. Risk of Exploring an Unknown Territory- Expedition of Antarctic Continent Endurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure is filled with a number of risks. While some risks are just meant to accelerate the adrenal, other risks prove to be life saving in the mouth of dangers. The very starting and planning of the adventurous trip to Antarctic Continent is actually one great risk that Sir Ernest Shackleton took with his life. There are similar expeditions taken in other corners of the world, where the thrill seekers met with fatal consequences and many of them even lost their lives. However, the expedition that was undertaken by Shackleton actually 2 showed his true spirit as a leader who was ready to face all odds and give up his dreams of adventure just to save the precious lives of his crew. The unknown always beckons the adventurers to explore it and be the first one to get acquainted with it. There are high risks involved as one does not know what kind of territories would greet them. He nce, one can only assume of the threats involved and prepare themselves accordingly. But, if the peril comes out to be a fantastic one that no one had even dared to think, then only the bravest of spirit could stand up to such challenges and come out a winner. Hence, the undertaking of the Antarctic journey that was known to be one of the coldest and the harshest of all land forms was an unbelievable risk undertaken by Shackleton. On the fateful day of 5th December, 1914, the great adventurer, Sir Ernest Shackleton along with his twenty seven crew members set out for an exhilarating journey into the unknown territories of the Atlantic continent. His goal was to walk on foot the entire continent and get closely acquainted with this secluded and pristine place. The much uninhabited South Pole had just had a couple of visitors first by Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian and later by Falcon Scott of British origin. Unfortunately, Falcon Scott died during the return trip. Thus, it was no use vi siting the South Pole again as it was now a known territory. Hence, the adventurer Sir Ernest Shackleton 3 wanted to prove himself by conquering a new region that had lain virgin till now. And what was more elusive, more dangerous than the extremely cold Antarctic region that no one had dared visited till now. Thus, he took on a risky journey into the unknown world of Atlantic ready to make himself familiarize with this place and bag a name for himself. To embark on this daring journey, Shackleton got himself a small ship that was renamed as Endurance. The ship was built up of Oak and Norwegian fir that was sheathed in enduring and tough greenheart wood. It was designed to function in tough pack ice. Unfortunately, Endurance did not prove as enduring as its name and it was a pack of wreck even before it touched the mainland. This made the journey more tough and formidable as there was no help on sight. Shackleton had been warned by the whalers of the South Georgia Island that the An tarctic had a tricky constitution. Even though it was summer, the ice shelf was found much beyond the continent’s main land area, but Shackleton, filled with a feeling of adventure and confident of his little well made boat took little notice of the well

How have the wars changed womens lives in the Congo Puechguirbal Essay

How have the wars changed womens lives in the Congo Puechguirbal argues that Congolese women must be a part of the peace process. Do you think this would change things If so, how If not, why - Essay Example During the war in Congo, men left their women and families and moved to the forests to defend their communities. The women were left to care for their families which proved very difficult without the companion of their husbands. No economic activity or farming was taking place during this time of war and the stored food run out. Women were faced by hunger and they were left in pain watching their children die out of hunger. A report from the UN showed that 12% of the deaths during the war were caused by lack of food. This war left many women childless and without husbands since most of them were killed in the forest during the war and this has brought the greatest social inequality that ever existed in the world. Sexual violation was rampant during this war as the women were forced to have sex since they were armless and at the same time harmless. Women were forced to have sex to protect their children from being killed and this led to traumatization among women and an increased spread of sexually transmitted diseases. No medical care was operating during the war and hence the women were not treated after the sexual assaults. The results were unwanted children leading to an end of the happy families that existed(Gettleman, 2007,p.7). The war has created a situation that has led to women living in fear and with no trust on their military. Women have also been burdened with the responsibility of taking care of their children since the number of men reduced massively and the report by UN showed that 41.3% of all the women in Condo are single mothers(Gettleman, 2007,p.7). Despite the severe impacts, the Congo people have been positive in rebuilding their nation through peace-making processes. The united Nation in conjunction with government has played a big role in the process that has involved not only the political giants but also the people on the ground. Puechguirbal

Middle Eastern Studies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Middle Eastern Studies - Term Paper Example Others include the nationalization of assets previously owned by foreigners or ‘enemies of state’ and foreign aid. Collectively, such revenue streams are economically referred to as â€Å"rent†; similarly, states that are primarily dependent on such revenue streams are referred to as â€Å"rentier states† (Gelvin 247). Infamously, such states are referred to â€Å"allocation states† coined from the fact that the states’ distribution of rent generated in the aforementioned manner favors particular clients or projects. Each state in the Middle East-more or less- relies on rent income. In the period between 1980 and 1988, a third of Egypt’s government revenue was derived from rent. Over the same period, it also benefited substantially from aid from the United States amounting to about $2 billion annually (Gelvin 247). The involvement of Western powers in the oil wealth of the Middle East has entrenched historical backgrounds. More specific ally, their participation was ‘cemented’ through the establishment of agreements or concessions that saw the emergence of strong consortia that have firm hold-unto now-within the oil industry (Fawcett and Giacomo 15). Oil companies would come together to undertake large contracts which exceeded the capacity of any single firm. Such contracts –perhaps uncharacteristically so-extended between sixty and seventy-five years and granted these consortia exclusive rights to exploit, produce, refine, transport and market the oil. Over the past half century, the most dominant consortium in the oil industry has been that of the â€Å"seven sisters† consisting of Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Gulf Texaco and British Petroleum (Gelvin 249). However, the blatant imbalance in the distribution of the benefits from oil exploitation as to the host nations propelled the formation of an association that would better represent the concerns of oil producers. Furthermore the threat of diminished returns arising from a fall in demand and subsequent slashing of prices by the consuming West-as was the case during the recession of the 1960s- had to be effectively dealt with. The formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1970 significantly increased this power and with it oil prices rose by 380 percent. Oil wealth therefore shifted from the industrialized and importing Western states to the producing Middle East (Gelvin 250). The Middle East has seen the staging of two major games. Firstly, and which has recently surfaced with revolutionary effects, that of citizens and governments; usually on opposing ends and rarely in cooperation (Richards and Waterbury 1). The recent revolutions in Middle Eastern states-dubbed the Arab Spring-such as Libya, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Greece have born evidence to this play. In this game, the motive and desire for the advancement of prosperity and national development has seen the ousting of lo ng-serving governments. In Egypt, specifically, it has seen a transition in which the ousted government and long-serving officials additionally face criminal proceedings. The political space internally is highly uncertain with the much anticipated calls for free and fair elections pitted against the influence of the interim Egyptian military council. Secondly, another battle is underway intersecting the region’

Go tell it on the mountain by James Baldwin Essay

Go tell it on the mountain by James Baldwin - Essay Example â€Å"He awoke on this birthday morning with the feeling that there was a menace in the air around him’’ (Baldwin 1985, 19). The thought of sinning makes John depressed. John’s relationship with the father deteriorates because of his sin. He feels that obeying God requires submitting to his father. John tells Elisha that: â€Å"Elisha†¦ no matter what anybody says, you remember –please remember-I was saved. I was there.’’ This shows John depressed because of masturbating. â€Å"Then John knew that a curse was renewed from moment to moment, from father to son.†(Baldwin 1985, 288). This highlights John’s depressed state. Sinning is an innate behavior therefore should not cause depression. Instead, one should ask for forgiveness. The bitter relationship between John and Gabriel shows the theme of hatred. There is conflict between Gabriel and his son John. John did not understand the reason of Gabriel’s hate towards him. He tries all he could to appease Gabriel in vain. However, towards the end of the novel, John realizes that Gabriel hate could be because he was not his biological father but his stepfather. â€Å"He lived for the day when his father would be dying and he, John, would curse him on his death-bed.†(Baldwin 1985, 23) .This shows John’s hate for his father. â€Å"Satan, at the moment, stared out of John’s eyes while the spirit spoke.† This quote highlights Gabriel regarding John as a Satan. â€Å"And John did†¦to stare forever into the bottom of Gabriel’s soul.† This shows John disturbed looking for possible reason for Gabriel’s hate. The religious norms practiced by the community are hypocritical. Most of the church leaders and the congregation did not practice the Christian ideals they preached. The fact that Gabriel hated John despite the fact that he was a deacon shows religious hypocrisy. Gabriel does not seem pleased with John even after he became a saint. â€Å"They stood before each other in

Native American Spirituality Essay Example for Free

Native American Spirituality Essay The purpose of this essay is to present the spiritual world of the Native Americans, which is one of the oldest forms of Spirituality that exists on earth. The main reason why I have chosen this topic is because I want to find out more information about their spiritual dimension and perhaps to understand better the main differences between our religion and theirs. In order to better observe this aspect, I will be analyzing the religious beliefs of three Native American tribes, such as: The Iroquois, the Apache and the Dakota tribes. To start with, I consider it relevant to mention that the Native American religions centers on a collection of beliefs, which vary from tribe to tribe. However, almost all tribes practice a modified monotheism , which is the belief in the Great Spirit. They also have an animistic belief in individual spirits residing in animals and forces of nature, but none of these is higher than the Great Spirit (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). In other words, this means that Native American spirituality is nature-based, since it is so closely connected with the earth. As I have previously mentioned, many Native Americans believe in The Great Spirit, who is â€Å"the high deity amongst all of the spirits† (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). Since ancient times, the Native Americans have believed in a Supreme Being whom they called father and they believe this entity is either a man or an animal, especially a wolf, which has human thoughts and is even able to talk (Panther-Yates, n.d). In order to control the forces of the spiritual world , the Native Americans used ceremonial practices, since these were considered to â€Å"renewed the bond between human beings and the spirit world† (Irwin, 2000). I will later on mention about these ceremonies and the person who is entitled to contact the spirits. In order to have a better understanding of their beliefs I have inserted here one fragment of the spiritual speech held by Charley Elkhair, one of the Native American indian: â€Å"We are thankful to the East because everyone feels good in the morning when they awake, and sees the bright light coming from the East; and when the Sun goes down in the West we feel good and glad we are well; then we are thankful to the West. And we are thankful to the North, because when the cold winds come we are glad to have lived to see the leaves fall again; and to the South, for when the south wind blows and everything is coming up in the spring, we are glad to live to see the grass growing and everything green again. We thank the Thunders, for they are the manitous that bring the rain, which the Creator has given them power to rule over. And we thank our mother, the Earth, whom we claim as mother because the Earth carries us and everything we need.† (Elkhair in M. R. Harrington, 1921). When researching for this essay I came across a very interesting comparison belonging to professor Harrington, who states that: â€Å" The juxtaposition of a personal creator God and anthropomorphic animals derived from mythology is no more inappropriate, however, than the behavior of Christians at Christmas time who set out a creche depicting the birth of Jesus next to a Christmas tree derived from an ancient pagan festival† ( Harrington, 1921). Another interesting element about at the Native American religions is the fact that they are basically free of any priesthood. However, there are still people who have a special connection to the spiritual world, called shamans: â€Å"Shamans are spiritually gifted people who through a variety of means have acquired the ability to help others through trance and dream journeying† (Irwin, 2000). Moreover, it is quite strange that the white anthropologists have often used the name medicine man (even though many were women) to indicate a mixture of shamanic and priestly capacities (Irwin, 2000). Shamanic trances can be induced through a variety of techniques, including chanting or drumming, fasting, and in some cases the use of psychotropic substances, the mildest of which might be tobacco ( McGaa, n.d). During these trance contacts, shamans may communicate with spirits of the dead or other spirits and learn what they need to know to help heal the body, mind, or soul of a patient, to locate game, or to predict the future ( McGaa, n.d). In the following lines, I will briefly present three Indian tribes in order to observe the differences and similarities between them as far as their spiritual world is concerned. The first tribe I will be analyzing is the Iroquois. This Native American tribe believes in twin forces known as Loskeha meaning good and Tawiscara meaning bad (Robinso n, 2002). The Native Americans believe Loskeha brought all the goodness in life, while Tawiscara spread sufferings and brought ill-luck (Robinson, 2002). The Iroquois also believed in the constant care of the Great Spirit, who †ruled and administered the world, and the affairs of the red race. (Robinson, 2002). What really fascinates me at this tribe is that it does not have a detailed conception of his creator because they believe that the Great Spirit was beyond their abilities to understand. However, they have some very detailed descriptions of this lower class of spirits that is believed to interact with the material world. The were known as Invisible Agents or Ho-no-che-no-keh. (Morgan in Robinson, 1954). These spirits possessed their power from the Great Spirit and were considered to be the manifestations of his unlimited power (Morgan in Robinson, 1954). Some of these spirits were given names and they were often identified with the object or force that they presided over (Morgan in Robinson, 1954). For example, He-no, one important spirit, was given the thunderbolt and controlled the weather. Morgan states that: â€Å"he had the form of man and wore the costume of a warrior† ((Morgan in Robinson, 1954). The Iroquois tribe believes not only in the kindness of the Great Spirit but also in the forces of evil. According to their belief, evil is represented by the brother of the Great Spirit, Ha-ne-go-ate-geh, or the Evil-minded (Robinson, 2002), who controls its own inferior spiritual beings. This tribe also believes that the Great Spirit does not have any type of positive authority over the forces of evil, except for â€Å"the power to overcome them when necessary†(Robinson, 2002). Therefore, the Iroquois can either choose to obey the Great Spirit or to the Evil-minded. It is important to note that the Iroquois developed the idea of an immortal soul, which will be judged by the Great Spirit the moment the body will die. This is why, they are afraid of being punished in the afterlife and therefore they worship him through many rituals and ceremonies (Robinson, 2002). These ritual ceremonies practiced by the Iroquois tribes occurred in certain seasonal periods throughout the year, but most commonly during important agricultural periods (Irwin, 2000). Even some of the Invisible Agents were honored at this ceremonies depending on what time of year the ceremony was taking place. The ceremonies were led by Keepers of the Faith, or Ho-nun-den-ont (Irwin, 2000), who were â€Å"a loosely organized council of qualified individuals who were assigned the task of maintaining the ritual practices of the Iroquois people†(Irwin, 2000). The second tribe I will briefly describe is The Apache tribe. Little is known about this nomadic group of Native Americans due to the fact that it lived an isolated existence in the harsh environment of the arid southwest. This tribe relied on scarce resources found in their desert environment for survival (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). Due to the fact that survival was difficult under these conditions they were not so preoccupied of the spiritual world (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). This is the reason why the belief system of the Apache tribes is less developed than the other tribe mentioned earlier. For instance, the Apache religion did not recognize a large pantheon of gods and goddesses. (Opler in Hirschfelder Molin, 1992) and focused on supernatural cultural figures that are responsible for the Apache way of life. What is interesting to notice at these entities is the fact that they interfered little in the daily activities of the people unless people called for their help. (Opler in Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). The Apache tribe has no religious ritual either since it is a non-agricultural society. Thus, they had no reason to celebrate seasonal periods and rarely celebrated any type of annual gathering. Instead, they focused all their time and energy on survival (Opler in Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). More importantly, however, was the fact that the Apache lacked an organized belief in an afterlife and instead they focused all attention towards survival in this world. This is why the most common form of ceremony for them were the curing rites, performed only by shamans (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). Opler describes the Apache religion as a form of devotional shamanism. : It conceives of a universe permeated with supernatural power which must realize itself through man or not at all. (Opler in Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). The third tribe I will be analyzing is the Dakota tribe. According to Raymond J. DeMallie, the Dakota world was characterized by its oneness, its unity. (DeMallie, 1987:27). There was no separation of the natural world from the world of the supernatural: †This unity in nature was thought to be beyond the comprehension of mankind and could only be shared in through the practice of rituals† (DeMallie, 1987:27). The animating force that acted as the common denominator of the universe was known as Wakan Tanka (Densmore,1918:85).The physical world was composed of the manifestations of this animating force, which basically means that they believed that every object was spirit, or wakan. (Densmore, 1918:85). In other words, the Dakota tribe believed that nothing was real in the universe since everything in the material world had only the appearance of being real. Like the inferior spirits in the Iroquois belief system, Wakan Tanka employed the use of Wakan people (DeMallie 1987) to interact with the material world and control the lives of men. These characters were often the objects of worship and praise. According to DeMallie, Wakan Tanka was explained in relation to the Dakota by wicasa wakan, or holy men. (DeMallie 1987). These men attempted to create some type of order and understanding of this Great Incomprehensibility. (DeMallie 1987). White Buffalo Woman was one of the most important Wakan people to the Dakota. Their myth states that she gave the Dakota people the Calf Pipe (DeMallie, 1987) through which they could communicate with the invisible spirit world. According to DeMallie, Dakota rituals were based on mystical experiences instead of systematic worship. The most important aspect of ritual was the individual personal experience. The experience was usually related in the form of an interpretive dance inspired by a personal vision (DeMallie, 1987). There are several observations I need to make at the end of this research about the Native American spirituality. The first observation is that each of the tribes presented above are similar in the way in which they interact with the natural world. Therefore, the Native American spirituality can be characterized by this intimate relationship these people have with nature. They have a deep respect for Mother Earth and they praise her through these rituals that they so often perform. Secondly, I consider it important to mention the fact that there isn’t a clear distinction between the natural and the supernatural in any of the three tribes mentioned earlier. Also, their beliefs are rather a way of life and each tribe has his own system of beliefs. Based on the analysis of these Native American tribes the following conclusion can be formulated: these people have this deep religious feeling, even when systematic rituals are absent (which was the case of the Apache tribe). Kahlil Gibran once asked, Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupation?(Gibran in Robinson, 2002). It seems that Native Americans could not make this distinction either. I believe that is very difficult for other cultures, including our own, to have a full perception and understanding towards the Native American spirituality, since we were not educated into their belief system .Therefore, there are too many differences between the Christians beliefs and theirs, (I am not referring here to religion only, but also to their whole different culture and their unique way of life) which makes it almost impossible to fully understand their spiritual world. Bibliography Arlene B. Hirschfelder Paulette Molin, The Encyclopedia of Native American Religions: An Introduction, Facts on File, (1992). Charley Elkhair, quoted in M. R. Harrington, Religion and Ceremonies of the Lenape, Indian Notes and Monographs, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, vol 19 (1921). Lee Irwin, Native American Spirituality: A critical reader, University of Nebraska Press, (2000). McGaa, Ed Eagle Man. Interview with Jean Holmes. LightNews.org: NativeAmerican Beliefs- Culture Near Extinction. http://www.lightnews.org/November%20Light%20News/Native_American_Beliefs.htm Native American Spirituality. Ed. Donna Ladkin. GreenSpirit. http://www.greenspirit.org.uk/resources/NatAmerSpirit.htm Native American Beliefs. http://4thmoon.com/styx/nativeam.htm Native American Religion. 1998. The Institute for Philosophy, Religion, and the Life Sciences, Inc. 24 Nov. 2002 http://www.stormwind.com/common/nareligion.html Panther-Yates, Donald. Remarks on Native American Tribal Religions. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia. http://www.wintercount.org/remark.doc Religious Movements Homepage: Native American Spirituality.,University of Virginia, Nov. 2002 http://http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/naspirit.html Robinson, B.A.. Religious Tolerance.org: Native American Spirituality, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, Nov. 2002 http://www.religioustolerance.org/nataspir.html