College Life vs My Moral Code

At the time of this read, 1997, Elisha Dov Hack was a Yale university freshman who based his upcoming dormitory lifestyle off of what he had heard from his older brother. Hack’s objection was that in previous years, there was a policy in motion that granted students the ability to live at home rather than the dorms. Yet when Hack come of age to attend the University there had been a revision to the policy. The change required first and second year students to reside on campus, regardless of their family’s geographical location. This generated a systematic problem with coeducation residency and Hack’s Jewish faith. Every day, for the remainder of their life, students will be faced with decisions that can challenge their upbringing. Regardless of a student’s faith, they are adults capable of making their own decisions, but colleges should be able to offer some flexibility to students who honestly seek separation due to moral concerns. Hack expresses a concern with current tolerances based on aged patriarch. Back then they â€Å"were subject to expulsion† if the student permitted the opposite sex as a guest. This moral conflict has since subsided of those in yesteryears. Although Hack and four of his Jewish colleagues were not attempting to impose their beliefs on others, they felt it was necessary to be the exception to the newly established rule, due to their â€Å"moral standards. † Unless Yale waived residency requirements, the students are unable to exercise their constitutional rights, this is a violation a of law. To persuade Yale’s secular acceptance, Hack felt it was necessary to point out posters advertising safe sex, articles influencing premarital intercourse, and alternative persuasions that detour from abstinence. He demands an answer as to why such an elite group, such as Yale, fails to stand behind their open-minded proclamation. Yet hypocritical standards make it difficult for students who demand devout structure. Yale still prides themselves on â€Å"no parental rules,† the contradictory concept of sexual mortality being in the hands of the student encourages detrimental peer pressure. Even separating genders by floor has unfavorable outcomes, since temptations and ease of access permits visiting opposing sexes to wander through during inappropriate times. Even though the students are adults, they feel violated, since they are forced to surround with other students participating in sinful acts. It is evident that Yale attempts to speak their own language by selling themselves to new students with glamorous advertisement, proclaiming respect and historical retention. This academic institution lacks hindsight that it is an educational environment, while education is not just taught, it is learned by example, just as students learn from their parents by watching. Do students come to class and begin intercourse during instruction? Based on years of intense religious teachings, each individual is subject to a moral message portrayed by each Yale resident, which is not accepted by the Jewish faith. Students with stringent oppositions towards combined gender housing should be given the opportunity to exercise their faith or seek other alternatives. Rather than seeking out â€Å"Yale attention,† Yale needs to focus on what they are teaching the students via peer pressure.

Business Cross Cultures Essay

The above article is about a western suburb of Sydney, called Greenacre. The article, aptly named â€Å"What happened to the suburb I used to know† is a reflection and analysis of the past and current status of the suburb and how, over time it has changed from what was described as a â€Å"home† to â€Å"a minefield, or a battlefield, or a refuge of drug dealers, criminals, drive-by shooters and terror† (Roberts, 2013). This report will discuss and explore a number of theoretical principles and topics of cross-cultural management in the everyday life of Australian’s living in this suburb, through such theories and topics as Oberg’s six-month cycle of culture shock, Cultural dimensions- Ethnocentrism/stereotyping/parochialism, Hofstede’s value dimensions theory, as well as Harris’s and Moran’s cultural profiles. Oberg’s six-month cycle of culture shock Oberg’s theory identifies 4 major stages of cultural shock and explains the â€Å"typical† transition process for a foreigner adjusting to a new county/culture. Below is a list of the stages and a brief description for each- 1. Honeymoon- minor problems will be over looked, with the excitement and anticipation of learning new things. This phase can last from a few days, up to a month. 2. Crisis/hostility- the new environment begins to seem less idealistic and can therefore lead to focusing upon the negative aspects of the host country. This period is characterised by frustration, and confusion and typically lasts up to two/three months. 3. Adjustment/humour- a respect, understanding and a further adjustment to the local culture occurs, and with this a change in attitude toward the new environment- occurs around the four/five month mark. 4. Mastery/honour- acceptance of the new culture, a sense of eagerness to help other integrate and even absorbs the habits of the new society which in turn makes him feel secure and develops a sense of dual cultural identity (biculturalism)- occurs in the 6-12 month time frame. The article focuses on the perspective of the writer and his experiences, however it does explore some of the above stages. In particular, it is apparent in Roberts recount of his memories of his parents, in the way that they stereotyped the foreigners to be â€Å"wogs, unless they were Asian†¦ which were dirty† (Roberts, 2013). This stereotype has evidently been infused in the culture and attitude towards the â€Å"foreigners† and due to this it appears that the people seem to be stuck in the crisis/hostility stage of Oberg’s culture shock. Roberts recounts that they were just told this hostility was â€Å"multiculturalism (and this) was the justification of all things hard to accept† (Roberts, 2013). Furthermore, they were told that this was just â€Å"†¦part and parcel of the greater good, of the New Australia, of the emergence of alternative cultures – it’s just a settling-in process† (Roberts, 2013)- potentially moving toward the adjustment period. However, this was over 50 years ago and it appears not a lot has changed with this â€Å"drive-by shooting† culture, which seemingly still has a firm grasp on the suburb, with â€Å"local residents living in permanent fear of reprisals† (Roberts, 2013). Cultural dimensions/effects Culture is made up of a number of dimensions and each has its effect on the culture as a whole. Below is a list of dimensions that collectively make up a culture- – Religion – Languages – Education – Economic system – Norms – Values – Social stratification The prominent religion in Greenacre is Islam, with 38.9% of the surveyed population identifying that as their religion. Furthermore, 73.6% of the population was born overseas and 42.2% of the population speaks Arabic as their first language (statistics gathered from Census 2011). These statistics are indicative of the overall population within Greenacre and as a result of this, the impending culture that was formed because of it- â€Å"little Lebanon, with all the worst features from a failed country to a new one† (Roberts, 2013). Religion is such a fundamental part of these peoples lives, and ultimately underlies both their moral and ethical norms and in turn has a dramatic affect on how their overall culture is formed. In Greenacre, 36.1% of people were attending an educational institution. Of these, 27.6% were in primary school, 23.6% in secondary school and 18.8% in a tertiary or technical institution. Evidently, from these statistics there isn’t a huge amount of the population continuing onto further education after high school. This may be a contributing factor to the increased crime rates, as this age group turn to alternative methods of income and ways of applying themselves (not necessarily in a positive manner). It is evident through the above statistics and the article, that the overseas culture has imbedded itself within the suburb and as a result, so too has ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is an attitude whereby doing things ‘their way’ is the only way, no matter the situation. Unfortunately, this subculture that has subsequently developed within Greenacre, has become somewhat of a dominant part of the overall culture and has more than likely prevented the progression/transition through Oberg’s cycle of cultural shock. Although it is very apparent that ethnocentrism is rife within Greenacre, so too is parochialism. Parochialism is where people from the host nation (in this case Australia), expect people from another country to fall into the same patterns and behaviours as them- which isn’t plausible, at least not fully. Because of this, it proves difficult for a subculture/society, such as that in Greenacre, to become apart of the greater culture of Australia and can be unfairly stereotyped. Stereotyping, particularly in a social context, is unfortunately inevitable. Hofstede’s value dimensions theory/ Harris and Moran’s cultural profiles Furthermore, Hofstede’s value dimensions theory discusses- in this case, a high-level of- uncertainty avoidance and the extent in which the feel threatened by ambiguous situations. Although this isn’t highly prevalent in Australia, it is however relevant to this situation, as there are signs of high levels of violence and misconduct (in the eyes of the law). This demographic of people also has a high level of collectivism, as they have heavy focus on family/ religion (nepotism) and also high external locus of control. They also tend to have more of a masculine skew to their culture, with â€Å"assertiveness, materialism and a lack of concern for other† (Christopher and Dersky, 2012). Recommendations Due to the situation exponentially becoming worse, it is recommended that the local and state governments provide a number of induction/education seminars on Australian culture, to aid in the transition into Australian life. Another recommendation would be to provide information days (in the local area and at high schools) for universities/TAFEs to encourage high school students to further their education- resulting in them applying themselves in a positive fashion, rather than turning to violence due to lack of mental stimulation, which will then lead to gainful employment. This would not only assist immigrants in the gradual transition into the local culture, but also would facilitate their acceptance within the greater community and encourage the youth further their education and community involvement. By proactively aiding in this transition and encouraging the youth to further educate themselves, it may reduce the amount of conflict between cultures and also hasten the â€Å"cycle of culture shock†, described by Oberg- ultimately resulting in a happier community. And not resulting like it did for Peter Roberts, having to move â€Å"to a safe haven on the north side- looking back not in anger, but disbelief† (Roberts, 2013). Conclusion This article depicts how cultures can often not mix well together and furthermore how if it isn’t managed efficiently and effectively it can lead to devastating consequences. Although this is an extreme case, with shootings, rapes and general discriminative behaviour, it shows that if the transition isn’t properly managed how far it can go wrong. Through the explanation, analysis and use of theoretical principles and relevant cross cultural management topics, it is clear that people can make a relatively smooth transition into a new culture and society, if it is managed efficiently and effectively. This would occur not only in the situation that has been exemplified in the article, but also in a within a business context- where it is markedly more important.

Women's roles and how they are obtained Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Women's roles and how they are obtained - Essay Example While the issue of how men relate to women and women relate to men has been a long explored topic, one that was nearly taboo for centuries was the question of how black men relate to black women. Due primarily to their status as slaves and laborers, black people have only recently, within the past 100 years or so, had their voices heard. Because of this, the relationships between men and women as they exist within the black community have remained relatively unexplored until recently. Central to Jean Toomer’s Karintha, Ernest J. Gaines’s A Long Day in November, and Toni Cade Bambara’s A Tender Man are relationships between black men and black women, and more specifically, how black women must contend with the realities of black men. Throughout all three stories, it is revealed that, much like the relationships among white people, women’s lives are altered by the roles pushed upon them by men. In Jean Toomer’s novel Karintha, the male characters overwhelmingly reject the natural cycles of life in order to rationalize their desire for Karintha. Throughout the story one is inundated with descriptions of her beauty and the lust it inspires in the men around her. â€Å"Even the preacher, who caught her at mischief, told himself that she was as innocently lovely as a November cotton flower† (Toomer, 19). Karintha’s actions, which are natural expressions of her personality rather than any devious attempt to gain the men’s attentions, must be denied in favor of what the preacher and other men decide she is based upon their interpretation of her actions. Toomer specifies that the preacher â€Å"tells himself†, connoting this type of external construction of her identity. Immediately following the preacher’s episode, the reader is informed: â€Å"Already, rumors were out about her† (19). The juxtaposition with the preacher’s thoughts, leads one to read these rumors as the product of more constructions, more denials

Infection Control Practice in Acute Care Centers Essay

Infection Control Practice in Acute Care Centers - Essay Example Other recent estimates indicate that the average annual costs related to hospital acquired infections currently range from$4.5 billion to $11 billion. The substantial patient morbidity of the healthcare associated inflections is particularly attributed to a number of risk factors that significantly increases the susceptibility of hospitalized patients to infections by viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. Compared to others, patients hospitalized or under intensive care units often have a significantly higher risk of developing infections. Generally, some of the major risks include poor or compromised immune systems of hospitalized patients due to illnesses, overcrowding, invasive medical procedures that are often carried out in patients in acute healthcare centers and most importantly, poor infection control practices among nurses and other medical staff in many acute healthcare centers. Although hospital-based infection control measures and policies have been in place since the 1950s, the risk of health care acquired infections continues to be higher due to the lack of proper application, malpractices and implementation of these policies. For example, in most cases, the absence of effective infection practices such as failures to follow proper procedures or conform with the infection control guidelines often result in poor conditions thereby causing hospitalized patients to develop infections. Some of the likely reasons for the non compliance with hospital acquired infection control policies among nurses and other medical staff in acute healthcare centers often include work overload, lack of motivation, time, education, patient turnover, staff attitude and state barriers. However, substantial empirical evidence suggests that many hospital acquired infections can effectively be prevented or reduced through a number of strategies of improving infection control

Exposure to acute and chronic stress has been linked closely with the Essay

Exposure to acute and chronic stress has been linked closely with the development of addiction and vulnerability to addiction relapse. Your task is to describe - Essay Example In order to elucidate the link mentioned in the title of the paper and to delve deep into the connections to be discussed, one must first explore the ‘meaning’ and to what the title represents as Stuart Hall states: Meaning is important and extremely necessary to communicate the understanding of general terms, and is, in this case, important to represent a connection which will be theorised further into the paper. Basically (and by ‘basically’ the general idea is implied), stress is a state of mind which depicts the fact that something would have caused strain and strain being responsible for the production of stress that we feel mentally and physically another way to define it would be: An example of stress and its interrelation to the mind and the body, would be to consider stress as a psychological value and then evaluate what could the outcomes be in physical form, for instance chronic stress could cause physical effects to the body in the form of fatigue or could cause the changes in physiological processes which could in turn cause the change in the blood chemistry and lead to a weaker immune system hence the physical or the biological (to be more precise) effect of a psychological function: stress. Likewise, stress can be caused by biological variables as in toxins, loud noise or drugs. Hence the relation; been established between stress and the way it interacts with the brain in a ‘superficial form’, one can proceed to discuss the link between Stress and Addiction and later on; stress and addictive behaviour. What we observe from our society and even the media is the fact that various ‘addictions’ have surfaced in this modern era. Be it drugs or other substance, be it behavioural or be it anything we feel we must keep on doing in a repetitive manner and involves the feeling of euphoria, for a part. What remains important is not the information ‘about’ stress but how

Communication Privacy Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication Privacy Management - Essay Example A friend of a friend of mine, Lisa, told my friend Anne and me that she discovered that her mother, Margie, was having an affair with a school employee, John (unmarried). The names here are all made up for privacy reasons. The news made me significantly uncomfortable because the woman was, in effect, committing bigamy, and I did not want to be a part of it. CPMT helps me understand this life experience and how it should have been resolved. Petronio offers five principles of CPMT, the first is that people think they own and have a right to control their private information. Private information refers to information that a person owns and that he/she feels must be controlled. Disclosure of private information pertains to the expression of private information to third parties. In my experience, Lisa discloses private information that she does not solely own, thereby breaching the privacy of her mother and John. I honestly did not think that these people would like their illicit affair t o be so openly shared in public, even if it was to Lisa’s friends only. Lisa practiced the first principle of privacy, which is that she thought that she owned the private information about her mother’s affair and she could control who should have access to it. The second principle of CPMT is that people control their private information through setting and using personal privacy rules. Personal privacy rules are not always openly discussed and fully agreed upon, however. Lisa said that when she saw her mother being too intimate with John, she confronted her at home. Margie broke down and disclosed private information about her affair, but she made her daughter promise to not tell anyone, especially her father. Lisa was so mad, but Margie said that she was planning to break up with John anyway, so it was better to keep everything quiet. Still, Lisa evidently did not know how to keep things quiet, and she broke her mother’s personal privacy rules. The five factor s of privacy rules can help explain Lisa’s disclosure behavior. First, culture may have something to do with her openness to Anne. They are both Hispanic Americans, which indicate a collectivist culture. Lisa needs emotional and social support that she thinks Anne can provide. Second, Lisa is a woman who wants another woman to listen to her and be her confidant. Gender can make some women be more open to other women with their private information. Third, Lisa has the motivation for disclosure. Her motivations are to get social support and to share her burden with others. Fourth, the context of the situation must truly be affecting Lisa. She must truthfully love her father and mother to try and keep the private information, but she must feel so hurt that she could not wait anymore to disclose the private information to someone close to her. She told Anne: â€Å"Anne, you’re my best friend in the world, and I feel so messed up. I can’t believe my ‘idealâ₠¬  mom would do this to my ‘ideal’ dad. Everything is a lie in my life.† She broke down and cried afterwards. Something so hurtful may compel someone to disclose such private information to others. Fifth, Lisa must have thought that the benefits outweigh the risk, when she made a risk/benefit ratio. The benefits of disclosure of private information are high: 1) reducing stress, 2) sharing emotional burden, and 3) getting social support. The risks are lower

Basic difference between Behavior therapy and Psychoanalysis Essay

Basic difference between Behavior therapy and Psychoanalysis - Essay Example The therapist (psychoanalyst) helps the client "uncover" unconscious motivations, unresolved problems from childhood and early patterns to resolve issues and to become aware of how those motivations influence present actions and feelings. Once the Behavior therapist enquires Jack about himself and few formal questions, Behavior therapist will ask some more specific questions related to his way of treatment. The questions would be regarding Jack's interests, motivations, Friends, Academics, fantasies, strengths, goals, ambitions, aspirations, happy moments, distractions, weaknesses, other phobias (if any), disinterests, irritations, cultural values, relaxation techniques etc., Once Behavior therapist finds the reason behind the phobia, he will try to motivate the Jack to encounter the phobia on face, but with suitable rewards. Say Jack is interested in Sports, then the Behavior therapist will offer him a pair sport shoes for every encounter Jack faces with the phobia. This will make the situation into a competition rather than problem. Once this competition attitude sets in, Jack will unknowingly transfer his 'energy of phobia' into competitive spirit. And this is what Behavior therapist would like to achieve. Jack's treatment is properly scheduled with/without medication

Research of management systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Research of management systems - Essay Example However systems exist in all organization regardless of their acknowledgement in any form of description; similarly designs of process workflows are there even if they have not been dictated through a flow chart etc. This is especially true in smaller organizations where rules and conventions are followed without strict following of any dictated procedures. The multiplicity of styles of administration and autonomous best practices has come to be regarded as unwieldy for business on a communal level and there is now consensus that best practices should be standardised. The noblest organization that prescribes both generic and specific industrial practice standards is the International Standards Organization (ISO). ISO’s standard 9001:2000 defines a management system as ‘a set of interrelated or interacting elements to establish policy and objectives and to achieve those objectives’. The ISO 9000:2000 is used as the basis for drafting other standards; unfortunately there is a tendency among novice administrators to use a standard to design management systems. It should be stressed here that these standards define elements to be included in the design of a system of management in order for it to be compatible with an assessment operation. Characterization The need for systemization arises because of the plethora of requirements for reputable businesses these days. These requirements include being profitable, being competitive, aiming for horizontal expansion, adaptability, improvement and the incorporation of leading technologies. The concept of system of management is in reality a theory of how things are to be done rather than a description of the governance style and processes of an enterprise. Some generic objectives thought to be common to all corporate management systems include: Pursuit of business goals Improvement in understanding of ongoing processes and better handling of change Dissemination of information Compliance with laws, regu lations and standards Betterment of practices Consistency Effective Prioritizing And adaptation to change It could be argued that objective(s) should be added to the aforementioned list to have a point of reference for the other elements. But while all systems have some kind of orientation, not all have an objective. The Common Element - Improvement Another commonality of all systems of management is that they direct towards improvement. Not degrading in a changing environment is considered improvement in the philosophical sense. Even when corporations terminate or cut down development or growth programs, it is for a larger good. The only situation where a corporation could be said to be not pursuing progress is when it designs to inflict self-harm for no benefit of a parent entity or its shareholders. By referring to a ‘management system’, which as mentioned earlier is a manual of how things should be done’, as a system, the perceived purpose is mistook for a se t of policies and processes rather than an enabler of progress. All of ISO’s standards are based on the notion of improvement. Keeping these facts in mind, a concept of the basis for management systems was proposed called the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. It was originally proposed by the pioneering statistician Walter Shewhart in the 1930s and elaborated effectively later on by the famous authority on quality assurance, Edwards Deming. The cycle is characterized by the following components: Planning to incorporate

Prison Term Policy Recommendation Essay Example for Free

Prison Term Policy Recommendation Essay The legal definition of armed robbery, according to The Free Dictionary by Farlex is The taking of money or goods in the possession of another, from his or her person or immediate presence, by force or intimidation. (Free Dictionary, 2009) This is not to be confused with larceny. An armed robbery is defined when a person is made to feel fear or harm and then has personal property stolen. Larceny is a person who hasIt is the responsibility for members of the state legislature to thoroughly research whether a bill to double the maximum prison term for any person convicted of armed robbery will be an effective deterrent to future crimes. The data compiled will present the positive and negative aspects of the proposed bill. Therefore, the criminologist advisor will compile a study of the current laws, consequences, and data necessary to make a recommendation. This author will be the criminologist advisor for the New Jersey state legislature member. As the states advisor, this author will present the prison term policy as it stands for armed robbery and the authors recommendation for the change; included will be the incorporation of the Three-Strikes Law to aid in the punishment stage. In the state of New Jersey, the sentence for first degree armed robbery is 25 years in prison. Each armed robbery conviction carries maximum statutory prison sentence of 25 years. (2006) Pursuant to state law, the convict must serve a minimum of 85 percent of their sentence. For a 25 year sentence, this would be 21.25 years. This author feels that if the convicted criminal has no regard for their victim, they should serve their term behind bars. In reality, if a person the age of 40 was sentenced to a term of 25 years, they would be 65 when they were released, if made to serve the entire term. However, if the same 40 year old person was sentenced to a term that had been doubled to 50 years, they would be 90 years old upon release, if they lived to that age. This would mean that tax payers would be forced to pay for this person to be in an already overcrowded prison for the remainder of their life. Most people are not going to want to do this, unless of course the crime led to a death in which case the criminal deserves to be in jail for the remainder of  their life. There is another point of view to consider when thinking about this type of crime. That would be the people who support a change in the laws to double the sentence of a convicted armed robber. If the sentence is 40 years normally and then doubled, it is safe to assume that the person will never see freedom again. In that case, there will be one less dangerous person on the streets who will be able to go out and commit another robbery, and possibly worse. Three Strikes LawThe Three Strikes Law was originally passed in 1993. In the state of New Jersey, the bill was approved May 13, 1994. In fact, the bill was approved in a 35 0 vote. They were slightly behind on passing this bill but it is a good protection for citizens to have. The crimes the bill covers are murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery and possession of a firearm, explosive or destructive device for an unlawful purpose. (New York Time, 1994) The definition is life in prison for committing three violent crimes, such as murder, manslaughter or robbery. (Three strikes case, 2007) This is a great idea to keep repeat offenders locked up and off the streets. It is a shame though, that a person has to keep committing crimes in order to be locked up permanently. In the case of someone committing armed robbery, there should not be a question of the punishment they deserve to get. When it is proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the person absolutely committed the crime they are accused of, they need to be punished accordingly. Then of course, when that said person gets released and goes out and commits more crimes, they do not deserve a break. When they go into a residence or business with a weapon, whether it is a gun, knife, pepper spray or something else, it is their intention to use force to get what they want. They intentionally want to scare the person or people they are going to rob, and if necessary, they will use physical force which can result in severe injury or even death. This author is a supporter of the Three Strikes Law. She believes that people who do not want to follow the laws and try to make up their own deserve to be punished. She feels that each person has a right to feel safe in their  own home or place of business and when someone comes in and tries to take away that feeling of safety, it can affect that persons life. In the beginning of this paper, it was mentioned that there will be people who do not agree that they should be responsible to pay for a criminal to spend the rest of their life behind bars. The criminal will get a warm place to sleep, three meals a day, exercise, television, education and possibly work duty. The possibility of armed robbers getting double the amount of time to spend in prison is good, but it may not always be a deterrent to other people who are thinking of committing that same crime, or who are currently career criminals. If a person is homeless and is robbing people by force to survive, it is quite possible that they know if they are caught, they will have a place to sleep out of the cold and rain or any other extreme weather. They will also know that they will get meals, which they may not get while living on the streets. It is the opinion of this author that while this law may deter some people from committing crimes, it will not deter everyone. Many criminals have the mindset that they are good at what they do and they will not get caught. Those are famous last words. No matter how good the person is at their crime, they will almost always be caught, regardless of the time line that passes between when they started their career and when they are finally brought to ju stice. Some other issues that had been mentioned when New Jersey was first trying to pass the Three Strikes Law was the cost involved not only with repeat offenders going through a trial and then being jailed again, but also the cost of actually keeping them in prison. The other issue mentioned was the fact that the prisons are already bursting at the seams with inmates so the former Governor Christine T. Whitman wanted to make sure this bill would only apply to the most violent of crimes. (New York Times, 1994) The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) houses approximately inmates in minimum, medium and maximum state prisons. The annual cost to house each inmate in 2006 was approximately $38,700 per year. This is more than many people make in a year. There were about 14,000 people incarcerated into the NJDOC in 2006 and that number was expected to rise by 1180 in 2007. In 2006, 14,000 inmates were released and it was expected that 1,180 would be  released each month in 2007. The median term for NJDOC inmates is five years. Fifty percent of all NJDOC inmates are serving terms of one-to-five years; 16 percent are serving terms of six-to-nine years; and 34 percent are serving maximum sentences of 10 years or more. (Department of Corrections)After a thorough review of all the information given in this paper, it is the recommendation of this author that the laws surrounding the violent crime of armed robbery be changed to doubling when convicted of the offense. A statement needs to be made to criminals that the State of New Jersey will not condone violent criminal offenders and will punish them to the fullest extent of the law. These offenders should know that no matter where they go or what they do, their crimes will not go unnoticed and they will be caught and prosecuted. In closing, it is the hope of the author that all members of the State of New Jersey legislation will regard the seriousness of the crime of armed robbery and will take into consideration the information that has been presented and vote in favor of passing this law along side of the passing of the bill of the Three Strikes Law. References Career Criminal Bank Robber Gets 90 Years in Federal Prison (2006) retrieved on March 22, 2009 from http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/giub1002_r.htmThe Free Dictionary by Farlex (2009) retrieved on March 22, 2009 from http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/armed+robberyCoscarelli, K. (25 October, 2007) NJ top court to decide three strikes case retrieved on March 22, 2009 from http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/10/nj_top_court_to_decide_three_s.htmlGray, J. (Ed.). (1994). New Jersey Senate Approves Bill To Jail 3-Time Criminals for Life. New York: The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/13/us/new-jersey-senate-approves-bill-to-jail-3-time-criminals-for-life.html?sec=spon=pagewanted=1New Jersey Department of Corrections (1999 2009) retrieved on March 23, 2009 from http://www.nj.gov/corrections/freqntlyasked.html

Social dumping Essay Example for Free

Social dumping Essay The aim of the this assignment is to firstly define social dumping. This assignment however defines social dumping and looks at it from a type of social dumping, in this case outsourcing. It will look at the relationship between two countries, the developed United States that outsources to the developing India. The assignment found that American firms are outsourcing many of their jobs to India to reduce their organisational overheads in order to gain a profit. However it also found that domestically Americans are losing their jobs at a high rate of concern. Furthermore, although India is a leader in information technology, there education system is struggling to provide proficient English speakers that can deal with the firms clients. Another problem is the cost to maintain professional staff is  starting to increase, which could potentially affect the firm profits, and the likelihood of firms relocating from India a possibility. Recommendations for America are for government intervention, to control firms and curb the growing unemployment caused by outsourcing. For India, the recommendation is to invest in education and not rely on the short term profit. Social dumping can be described as a process where firms or manufacturers relocate from countries where the cost of production comprising of wages is considerably higher, and therefore shift the business to countries where these costs are significantly less. These businesses are not tied down to the country they operate in and are able to move their operations when they believe for instance that the cost of doing business in a host country has become too high. Therefore because the increase in cost would affect the multi-national companies profits, multinationals want to move where costs are lower. Hence they find themselves in a position where they have an unfair advantage over their host country, which is also a developing country. The unfair advantage comes from the developing country not wanting to lose an industry that creates employment for its people, and as a result multinational companies end up having the power to dictate how much employees get paid and their working conditions, in order to try and keep them from relocating. This potentially leads to an environment where developing countries begin to attract multinational companies to operate in their countries by having lower wages and less union participation.( Erickson and Sarosh 1994,28) Therefore this assignment will provide a comparative analysis of two countries where social dumping occurs. Social dumping takes a variety of forms but the one that this assignment will look at is outsourcing. Outsourcing can be categorized into three groups first, second and third generation outsourcing. The first category of outsourcing is determined by price and aims to decrease the workforce. The most important aim of this category is to cut costs. The outsourcing agreement is brief and involves allocated jobs, similar to a short term contracts in an attempt to reduce organisational costs. The second category was as a result of firms outsourcing essential processes that are key to the firm being able to  function, such as customer service and product design. This category of outsourcing came about as a result of changes in what customers wanted and the increased speed at which products lost their value, firms were forced to cut costs, make better products and decrease the time it took to get a finished product examples being motor vehicles and electronics. It is at this level that firms begun to not only operate where the initial business was set up, but started to operate in other countries, most importantly developing countries.(Lee, Mohamed and Ramayah(2010,319) The third and last category would appear to be determined by firm rivalry. Here the advantage that a firm would have over others would be its capacity to react swiftly to what their customers want and keep them happy. The firms advantage depends on its ability to be resourceful, creative be able to adjust rapidly. (Lee, Mohamed and Ramayah(2010,32) The two countries that will be looked at for a comparative analysis are the United States of America and India. They were chosen so as to understand how outsourcing affects both the developed and developing country, and in this case the two countries have a relationship because America the developed country, outsources to India the developing country. America will be the country looked at first with the aim of distinguishing the positive and negative aspects of outsourcing in the developed country undertaking the outsourcing. There seems to be a persistent occurrence in the American economy that its citizens have become accustomed to, and it is the unbelievable speed that employment is being lost to foreign workers. Market and political analysts believe that the loss of employment will not only intensify, but also worsen. They believe that approximately 14 million professional jobs and roughly one in nine occupations in all areas of employment could be affected by outsourcing. Occupations with considerably higher wages are also affected. A report that was released in 2004 forecast that 3.5 million professional jobs and 151 billion worth of wages would be lost to foreigners. Countless jobs in numerous areas are affected and these include legal services, accounting and call centre operation to mention a few. Forecasts are that employment in the areas of banking and securities will also be affected with approximately 2.3 million occupations lost to foreigners.( Hira and Hira 2005,2) Firms in the United States are passionately accepting the relocation of jobs to other countries. Individuals in managerial positions are currently been instructed to outsource in order to maintain their positions. Numerous firms have begun to engage in the practice of coercing their employees to teach foreign staff how to do their jobs, which effectively results in them taking their jobs. The American employee is then released from employment after they have transferred their work experience. Another type of firm that has started to outsource in America are venture capital firms. These are companies that may show potential but at the same time are very risky. Their relation to the American economy is that they happen to contribute to the economy by producing a small amount of employment. They are inclined to invest in innovative technological or biotechnological business. However the question is can America remain one of the leaders in technological advancements if venture capital firms are starting to outsource. (Hira and Hira 2005,2) Another issue that could possibly be a problem is that overseas labour is cheap. This may be one of the main reasons that outsourcing has progressed so quickly and changed the working environment. Furthermore because developing countries have enormous amounts of uneducated labour, they can be paid less than American workers. Additionally, developing countries such as India are paid 20 per cent less in comparison to their American workers and the likelihood of income being equal could take decades. This means that because there is so much unskilled labour in developing countries, and the labour is so far behind American firms, in the pursuit to cut costs and make a profit, American firms are purposefully doing away with their own domestic labour, which could have negative potential consequences for them in the future too. Whats more, other developing countries are keen to reproduce Indias achievements of being able to essentially take American jobs. (Hira and Hira 2005,3) The truth of the matter is the U.S has already begun to lose its competitive advantage, and it is only a matter of time before it is totally surpassed in being a leader in technological advancement as many Asian countries such as Japan and Korea progress. The dilemma now for the U.S is that a phobia has developed by potential students to enter technological fields as there is a concern that their employment in this area is not guaranteed. This offcourse  jeopardizes its technological ability to advance. In addition theres a possibility that technological jobs will transfer to India and China with many countries entering the field to compete for these jobs too. As for American workers that have lost their jobs, their ability to find work is not very good, as figures approximate that one in three cannot find work after losing their job. A number of domestic workers that had work in manufacturing lost their jobs to outsourcing, retrained and obtained employment in information technology. There is every likelihood that they will lose these jobs too. (Hira and Hira 2005,5) The other country that will now be looked at is India. As of 1990 India had outsourced companies that did the repetitive, boring work which included understanding the mechanics of how software worked, as this was overlooked by their fellow compatriots in America. The scenario changed as India got an unintended helping hand when wariness of software collapse in the name of Y2k meant that India was the go to country in regards to software expertise. The U.S had a increasing need for skilled labour in the form of information technology experts, which India had, to fill the lack of IT staff in the 90s in America. At the time, America was willing to accept professional IT foreign staff, especially from India to solve their problem. This was the beginning of the first category of outsourcing illustrated in the second paragraph of this paper where overheads are reduced to lower organisational costs. In this case day to day allocated jobs such as payroll and the keeping of records begun to be outsourced to India by American firms ( Ignatius 2004, 1022) Presently occupations being outsourced to India cover an extensive area from debt collection and accounting to call centres. Oddly, Indians who immigrated to America lured by the high paying employment of the IT boom are now themselves like the Americans faced with having to accept a decrease in their pay or even lose their employment all together, as their occupations are outsourced to India. ( Ignatius 2004, 1023) There are numerous industries that have been outsourced to India but the one that will be focused on is the service industry of call centres. A concern  that is brought up is the increasing turnover of staff particularly in call centres. The yearly turnover which is estimated to be 50 per cent has not excluded long standing, well known firms who attract staff by providing not only providing housing but the opportunity to invest in the firm. In spite of this the turnover remains high, as a result of the strain and pressure of staff being overworked. Another reason though is that competing firms are offering increased pay. The high turnover would also suggest that there are more employment opportunities in India and not enough of the right people to do the job. There appears to be an emerging dilemma of India to produce enough proficient English speaking professionals, as this amount lags way behind even though an estimated million students graduate. All firms especially those requiring highly specialised labor such as engineers will insist on employing those with proficient English. One of the main reasons for proficient English including call centres is that even though the firms have outsourced, their clients still need to communicate to them, and a problem is the increased communication barrier between the Indians and the firms clients in America. Another difficulty comes when firms cannot fulfill their English speaking requirement for employment because the number of people with these skills is not enough. Furthermore in order to get more proficient and professional English speakers would require not only investment but also a lot of time to. What has begun to happen is within India itself business have emerged with the goal of providing labour regardless of quality at a lower price. The challenge for firms will be whether to continue to demand for quality or cut costs. The trouble with cutting costs is that firms could begin to lose clients because of the communication barrier. Another concern is that as demand for highly proficient professionals increases, so does the cost in order to attract and keep them. If the cost of doing business in India were to rise, there is a chance that firms could possibly start to think about relocating to another location with cheaper labour and at the same time no language barrier. ( Ignatius 2004, 1024) In the case of United states it would be recommended that the government gets involved and not allow multi-national companies govern the policy. Peoples lives are at stake and these firms are only interested in profit at the end  of the day. It is not in Americas best interests to give away their jobs, when unemployment is high and people have no jobs. Just as in the global financial crisis when banks and lending institutions activities were not monitored and checked, this is a potential catastrophe waiting to happen.( Hira and Hira 2005,2) It would be recommended that India for their own benefit start to invest in education. It had progressed well and at one time was the information technology leader, however the failure to reinvest in to education for quick profit has pushed their progress back. ( Ignatius 2004, 1024) In conclusion outsourcing though on the surface would appear to be beneficial to both the developed, United States and the developing country India, it can be said that there are a lot more negative ramifications that outweigh the good. In the case of the United States multinational companies have relocated to less developed countries in the pursuit to reduce their organisational overhead costs, resulting in a profit for them. (Hira and Hira 2005,3) However the problem for this developed country is that in the process of outsourcing, they have lost their jobs, one of the tools that allows their economy to function and grow as with no jobs comes less production, which eventually could lead to increased problems to their already troubled economy. (Hira and Hira 2005,19) In the case of India outsourcing has been both positive and negative. It has been positive because many in the huge population have been able to obtain employment and learn skills. However it has also has also highlighted the gap that exists in the education sector due to Indias inability to invest in education, and instead opted to gain short term profit.( Ignatius 2004, 1024) BIBLIOGRAPHY Chow Lee, Jason Wai, Osman Mohamad, and T. Ramayah. 2010. Outsourcing: Is the Social Exchange Theory Still Relevant in Developing Countries? Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing 4 (4): 316-345. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17505931011092826. http://search.proquest.com/docview/761523873?accountid=10382. View as multi-pages

Fibromyalgia True Disease Or Make Believe One Philosophy Essay

Fibromyalgia True Disease Or Make Believe One Philosophy Essay The Fibromyalgia syndrome also known af FMS is a rheumatic condition which is often misunderstood or not diagnosed. Some doctors say Fibromyalgia isnt a true disease, and that the pain fibromyalgia patients have is not real. The disease did not have a name upto 1990, but since more people appear to have the symptoms of this disease in question some doctors started to research it. Since some of them claimed to have biochemical evidence to support the patients their pains a controversy formed Is fibromyalgia a true disease or a make-believe disease? What is Fibromyalgia? First of all, what is Fibromyalgia? As far as doctors know, fibromyalgia is a chronic condition which cannot be cured. People with FMS undergo daily pains in their tenderness muscles, stiffness, tenderness joints (between muscles), sleepless nights, depressions and anxiety. Those pains are often located around the neck, shoulder, back, knees and hips of the patient. As already mentioned FMS is often seen as a rheumatic condition, which often have the same symptoms. The only difference is that FMS does not cause damage to the internal organs, and other rheumas do (such as arthritis). The cause of FMS is still not known. Fibromyalgia is a make-believe disease The first side of the controversy says that fibromyalgia is not a true disease. So says Frederick Wolfe, who is a one of the most cited fibromyalgia researchers. In 2009 he wrote: the tendency to respond with distress to physical and mental stressors is part of the human condition. labeling fibromyalgia as a disease simply legitimizes patients sickness behavior, slowing their recovery and harming them. (Dr. Frederick Wolfe and fellow researchers, 2009) . With this he the former writer of the American College of Rheumatology outlines for the diagnosis Fibromyalgia claims that FMS is a reaction to economic and social stress. With which he says that the symptoms are part of every humans normal life. Other scientists clame that Fibromyalgia is an invented disease. Invented by psychiatrists to sell sleeping pills, and other psychiatric drugs. Doctors also say that vague complaints of a disease do not add up to a disease. Since the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia can not be proved by blood test s, or other biological tests and there are no biological or environmental causes for the disease, some doctors say it basically cant be a disease. Fibromyalgia is a true disease Since this is a controversy, there are also doctors who say that fibromyalgia is a true disease. As mentioned in the introduction of this essay, doctors went to reasearch the disease. So did Dr. E. Guedj, he took brainscans of 20 women with Fibromyalgia and 10 without. He concluded out of his results that the brains of women with Fibromyalgia all showed abnormalities in bloodflow through the brain. In some parts of the brain the blood flow was below normal, and in some parts of the brain it was far above normal. The women without fibromyalgia did not show abnormalities in the brain. He also let all the participiants answer questions to assess measures of pain, anxiety, depression and disability. Those answers were for all fibromyalgia patients almost the same, but did not differed that much with the results of the women without the condition. Therefore anxiety, depression and disbility could not be linked to the abnormalities in blood flow. Those results most likely point to fibromya lgia being a true disease.(Dr. E. Guedj, Nov. 3 2008, Research to abnormalities of blood flow in brain). Many doctors also say that Fibromyalgia is a disease because the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the disease for many years. Other doctors, one of them is Dr. I. Jon Russels, claim that there is a biochemical evidence to support patients their clames of what they feel (Dr. I. Jon Russels, March 3, 2001, interview with Janice Billingsley). Since a few years the diagnosis fibromyalgia can be given by a doctor when all the patients symptoms satisfy the outlines written by the ACR (American College of Rheumatology). When is a disease a disease, and who decides that it is? This controversy also carries huge ethical aspects. First of all, who decides that a series of symptoms form an actual disease? And who decides whether different conditions are not diseases but conditions? What is the difference between those conditions and diseases? It cant be that conditions are chronic and diseases will eventually leave the body since we know chronic diseases and temporary conditions as well. Who decides that a disease or condition is mental and not physical? What if scientific limits block fellow research to a disease, which means nothing physical can be found, but might be present, does this automatically mean that the patient has a mental ailment? How does the controversy influence patients social lives? Since the Fibromyalgia controversy got more publicity and interest of doctors, many people within the social environment of the patient follow the controversy. This means that they might form conclusions such as She exaggerates. It is all in her head. This might make other people, also within the social environment of the patient, think that the patient does not really feel the pains he or she claims to experience and feel. This might cause that the patients contacts might find her implausible, and do not trust her or take her seriously. This is emotionally a heavy thing to deal with. Therefore many doctors, but also patients, think it is important that there is more intelligibility and understandability around the syndrom/disease/condition. Conclusion Fibromyalgia is a pain condition from which more and more people suffer. The patients of fibromyalgia experience pains in their joints, muscle(s) stiffness and undergo depressions, sleepless nights and anxiety. But since it got its name doctors have been hesistating about the disease its existence. Some doctors clame that FMS is a mental reaction on social and economical stress and social anxiety. And probably is a physical reaction on what many people experience on daily basis. Some doctors also say that the by the WHO (world Health organization) recognized disease cant be a disease since it does not have any environmental or biological causes, and cannot be proved by biological tests. Others say that fibromyalgia is a disease. Since some researchers have found brain abnormalities in the brains of fibromyalgia patients they claim that it is most likely a disease in combination with the other symptoms of fibromyalgia. Also, other doctors claim to have found biochemical evidence to th e existence of fibromyalgia. There is also the fact that it is very difficult to decide when a series of symptoms, or a physical pain condition can be called a disease. Who is allowed to do so? And there might be another problem based on the development of our science. There might be a physical prove of the existence of fibromyalgia, but we might not have the equipment yet to see it. Which means that scientific limitations block the research to the condition. It is important that more intelligibility and understandibility forms around the syndrom. Since it might affect the social lives of the patients adding a huge emotional deal to the pains they already have to deal with. Out of this essay I can conclude that we need a scientific prove to solve this controversy and to say whether the disease exists or not. But to make this prove approachible more complex scientific appratus have to be invented and more observations of the patients pains need to be researched.

The Journey Of Odysseus And Te :: essays research papers

In The Odyssey written by Homer and translated by Richard Lattimore, several themes are made evident, conceived by the nature of the time period, and customs of the Greek people. These molded and shaped the actual flow of events and outcomes of the poem. Beliefs of this characteristic were represented by the sheer reverence towards the gods and the humanities the Greek society exhibited, and are both deeply rooted within the story. In the intricate and well-developed plot of The Odyssey, Homer harmonized several subjects. One of these, was the quest of Telemachos, (titled "Telemachy") in correlation with the journey of his father. In this, he is developed from a childish, passive, and untested boy, to a young man preparing to stand by his fathers side. This is directly connected to the voyage of Odysseus, in that they both lead to the same finale, and are both stepping stones towards wisdom, manhood, and scholarship. Through these voyages certain parallels are drawn concerning Odysseus and Telemachos: the physical journeys, the mental preparations they have produced, and what their emotional status has resulted in. These all partake a immense role in the way the story is set up, stemming from the purpose of each character’s journey, their personal challenges, and the difficulties that surround them. The story commences when Odysseus, a valiant hero of the Trojan war, journeys back home. Together with his courageous comrades, and a several vessels, he set sail for his homeland Ithaca. Fated to wander for a full ten years, Odysseus’s ships were immediately blown to Thrace by a powerful storm. The expedition had begun. Upon this misfortune, he and his men started a raid on the land of the Cicones. However, this only provided them with temporary success. The Cicones had struck back and defeated a vast majority of Odysseus’s crew. This was their first of many disastrous experiences to come. Storms then blew his ships to Libya and the land of the Lotus-eaters, where the crew was given Lotus fruit from which most lost their entire memories from home. Odysseus, and the others who had not tasted it, recovered the sailors by force, and set sail again, westward, this time to the island of the Cyclops, a wild race of one-eyed giants. Leaving most of his men in a sheltered cove, Odysseus then entered the island with one crew only. They wandered around, encountering, and foolishly entering an immense cave, awaiting the owner.

Mongolian Armies :: essays research papers

The Mongols were nomadic herders and hunters who spent their lives in the saddles of their steppe ponies. They learned to ride and use weapons, especially the composite bow, at an early age. For hunting and war, every able-bodied male under the age of 60 years was expected to take part. The armies of the united Mongol tribes consisted of the entire adult male population. They fought under a strict code of discipline. Booty was held collectively. The penalty was death for abandoning a comrade in battle. This discipline, together with leadership, intelligence-gathering, and organization, raised the Mongol force from a cavalry swarm into a true army. The Mongol army was organized according to a decimal system, with units of 10, 100, 1000, and 10,000 men. These numbers for units were probably rarely approached due to casualties and attrition. The 10,000-man unit was the major fighting unit, like a modern division, capable of sustained fighting on its own. Individual soldiers identified most with the 1000-man unit of which they were a part, the equivalent of a modern regiment. Original Mongol tribes fielded their own 1000-man units. Conquered peoples, such as the Tatars and Merkits, were broken up and distributed among other units so that they could pose no organized threat to the ruling family. Genghis Khan created a personal guard unit of 10,000 men. This unit was recruited across tribal boundaries and selection was a high honor. In its early stages it served as a form of honorable hostage-holding. It grew into the family household and the source of the growing empire's ruling class. Mongol soldiers at first received no pay other than booty. Advancement was based on merit. Once the rapid conquests slowed, a new system of pay was put in place. Officers were later able to pass on their posts to heirs. Each soldier went on campaign with approximately five horses, allowing quick changes and rapid movements.

In the Context of the Years 1558-1660 to Further the English Reformation?

In studies of Puritanism as a movement from 1558-1660, historians have debated over the definition of the word ‘puritan’ because of the changing nature of the movement as it responded to various political, social and religious developments. The conventional historical interpretation shared by historians Christianson and Wrightson is that ‘Puritan’ more narrowly referred to the ‘hotter sort of protestants’ who, although theologically indistinguishable from their Anglican counter-parts, actively sought reform of the established church from within whilst maintaining some doctrinal reservations.This definition encompasses the understanding that Puritanism was a distinct movement to further the English reformation, yet does not account for the greater circle of puritanical separatists who wished to leave the church altogether. Therefore it is best to adopt the widest description offered by Kearney in defining Puritanism as the â€Å"circle of discon tent both within and without the Established Church from the 1560s onwards†¦ What was common to all [the critics]†¦ was a vision of what the Church of Christ ought to be if it were stripped of externals and inessentials.Where they differed†¦ was in their view of what was external and inessential†. This interpretation more accurately allows for Puritanism to be understood in light of its constantly evolving ‘vision’ and ‘set of values’ through the years, which manifested in forms such as Presbyterianism in the 1580s and the political backbone of the Parliamentary force during the Civil War as interpreted by many a historian, including revisionist and Marxist historians. Wrightson argues that in 1558, to the Puritans, the church was â€Å"†¦half reformed.They were anxious to push ahead†¦ to move urgently towards ‘further reformation’† of the Elizabethan settlement. Whilst relieved by the succession of a prote stant monarch, many Puritans were urgent to pursue moderate reform of the settlement, to purge it of the ‘rags of Rome’, specifically from within the hierarchy of the Church of England. Edmund Grindal’s career as Archbishop is an example of moderate Puritanism acting as a force to further the reformation from within the established church.Indeed, Grindals swift promotion by the influential hand of Burghley and an anonymous letter sent to Grindal by a member of the Privy Council upon his appointment, strongly suggests there was an inter-governmental campaign by those of significantly higher office to promote Puritan leaders. It is clear that their intention was that â€Å"If reform was to come from within the establishment, there would never be a more favourable opportunity [to advance Puritanism]†.Supported by Collinson, this shows of how â€Å"progressive bishops [were] acting as catspaws for nervous courtiers in promoting moderate reform†. For mod erate Puritans, the desire to pursue the reformation over-shadowed the controversy of accepting Episcopal office. Through laying stresses on the churches pastoral rather than disciplinary aspects, it seemed that an alliance between hierarchy and Puritans might be possibly on the basis of a shared desire for moderate church reform.Therefore, among the first generation of Elizabethan bishops, Puritanism was set apart as a religious force within the national church that â€Å"tarry[ied] with the magistrate† to achieve a reformation of the national church. However, evidence suggests that many Puritans who had accepted preferment into the hierarchy of the church neglected furthering a national reformation to pursue a reformation within the localities. As parliamentary reform was stunted in 1576, and Elizabeth I actively opposed activities such as prophesyings â€Å"†¦ younger generation of [Calvinist] clergy and academics†¦[became] disillusioned by the failure of the bi shops to continue the process of reformation† and instead devoted themselves to itinerant preaching as a means of reconstituting the church from among the localities. This local activism changed the dynamic of Puritanism from pursuing a top-down structural reformation of the church through parliament, to one of localised grass-roots evangelisation. Indeed, activities such as ‘prophesying’ led by men such as Thomas Lever were not a part of the official programme of the established church.Instead Puritans sought to establish an alternative form of ministry in response to the dissatisfaction with the biblically ignorant clergy; they had the intent on promoting a unity of belief based on assent rather than on ecclesiastical authority, a form of reformation which distinctly encouraged non-conformity to the church hierarchy. Increasingly, as Acheson has argued, Puritanism was becoming a force to further the reformation through the education and communication of the word God, in defiance of the ecclesiastical authorities, sharing similarities with radical spiritual movements that had appeared on the continent.Additionally, Hill has argued that among the localities, Puritanism acted as a social force in undermining the educational functions of the established church. The social impact of the preaching of the word, with its increased popularity revealed the monopoly of control the established church had over the formation of opinion. This understanding is clear from the 1580s through to the 1640s as in 1587 the high commission persecuted Bishop Cooper of Winchester for preaching. State censoring of the printing press elevated the importance of preaching as the only accessible means of via communication to the illiterate masses. †¦ preaching†¦ fulfilled the religious function of a confessional – it became a source of guidance on moral and economic conduct†. The issues of church and state were indeed closely parallel. The bishops tried to maintain a monopoly over the production of opinion, driving unlicensed competitors away by the power of the state while many Puritans evolved a theoretical justification of free trade in ideas in order to raise the educational and disciplinary level of all churchgoers.To the hierarchy, this pursuit had explosive anarchic possibilities that threatened state authority. Puritanism had started to become a force of social and spiritual enlightenment so that when the state deprived ministers of their licenses and lodgings, many of the average educated laymen sympathized with the Puritans, resulting in the beginnings of what Hill has interpreted as class resistance to the hierarchy.However, the focus of Puritanism from parliament as the vehicle for reformation to the localities meant Puritanism took the form as a grassroots Presbyterian movement, an extension of the hierarchical Puritans stress on the parishes for communal reformation, radicalising and decentralising the focus of reformation away from state institutions and to the ‘godly minority’.The nature of this dissatisfied ‘classis’ movement, meant that the Puritan campaign for ‘further reformation’ uniquely advocated a return to an apostolic ideal that sought the establishment of a church through conference, with an independent Confession of Faith and form of discipline. The consequence of such gatherings, led by men such as Laurence Thomson was the intensification of a separatist mentality that abandoned trust in the church establishment in favour of freely associating congregations, reflecting the disestablishmentarian qualities that would develop into separatism.Spurr has therefore argued that Elizabethan Puritanism cannot be described as a single force to further a single view of reformation. Instead, â€Å"It is a set of values and aspirations which gets re-defined†¦ in response to different circumstances†. By the late 16th century separatism be came a pursuit of â€Å"reformation without tarrying for any†. The dashed hopes of Puritans in furthering the reformation through parliament meant it necessarily became a movement of spiritual intensity â€Å"advocating preaching†¦pursuing a moral reformation†.Puritanism was a reactionary movement that necessarily re-defined itself during the Elizabethan era according to the achievability of its goals, determined by the changing sympathies of those in power, particularly the monarch. Disaffected by the failure to achieve substantial godly reform, Elizabethan Puritanism and its momentum had been halted until Elizabeth’s death. The pursuit of reformation by Jacobean Puritans from 1603 has been described as one fighting â€Å"false doctrine, corrupted sinful human influence and superstitious practice†; a reformation based upon furthering individual biblical piety.Those of puritan inclination had begun to be the most conscientious and active in the task of evangelizing the people, a task that confronted Puritan evangelists with the reality of the state of popular religion; a faith of â€Å"formality and devotion† reliant upon repetitious, ritualistic prayer. Theologically the Jacobean church was broadly Calvinistic and instead it was the application of godly living to ‘superstitious cultural practices’ that was the focus of the Puritan pursuit for reformation.Consequentially, the pursuit for communal reformation, in the early 17th Century, meant Puritan moral and spiritual values had begun to transform communities, especially in market towns. A study by Hutton shows a correlation between the gradual disappearance of traditional festivities and the activism of local Puritan groups who imposed sabbatarianism and punished any ‘ungodly’ activities according to their impulses for reformation. For example, the arrest book in the town of Dorchester which was dominated by a Puritan group from 1610 onwards r ecalls numerous arrests on market day for swearing or getting drunk.Supported by Underdown, these popular cultural activities deeply concerned Puritans as a strict morality was essential as a sign of an individual’s ‘elect’ status. The vigorous and sometimes violent activism therefore was a fundamentally religiously motivated practice, aimed at a moral and spiritual reformation. However, by the 1630s Acheson argues that Puritan pursuits for reformation among the localities became reactionary to Lauds policies, leading to the growth of separatism. Puritanical separatists represented a religiously disaffected minority which ould shape Puritanism to be a dangerous political movement, a future cause of the English Civil War by bringing â€Å"disparate religious forces in a common opposition to episcopacy†. The monopoly of power held by the Arminians over church policy meant there was strong Puritan opposition in Parliament to semi-catholic activities made lawf ul under Charles I. Between 1630 and 1640 66 members of the Canterbury diocese went elsewhere for sermons as opposed to just four in the years 1620-1629.Wrightson has argued, â€Å"the Arminian victory in the church†¦shattered the Jacobean Consensus within which Puritan evangelists in the localities had been able to shelter†. Consequently, Puritanism contributed to a broader popular revolt of opinion to the prevailing Government and the Arminian claims to hold a monopoly on truth. This created a climate of intolerance, one that made attending church services an activity that was intolerable to a large minority of people. This isolation of a Catholic fearing, Calvinistic majority strengthened the political and spiritual urgency for Puritan action that would define the parliamentary movement in 1640.Contrastingly, Wrightson has argued that renewed parliamentary, particularly religious opposition to Charles I, re-shaped Puritanism from being concerned with matters of church governance, to matters of royal prerogative and divine rule. Whilst opposition to Arminianism defined much opposition to Charles I, it was the inability of the commons to direct religious affairs with an unsympathetic monarch that was cause of the parliamentary, Puritan frustration. In the commons, by 1629, charges of heterodoxy were made against Laud and speeches were being made linking Arminianism and Catholicism with Spanish Tyranny.This mindset is best reflected in Sir Benjamin Rudyard’s Long Parliament speech where he said that the Arminian â€Å"†¦masterpiece now, is to make all those of the religion the suspected party of the Kingdom†. Puritanism had started to become, through the House of Commons, the direct, vocal opposition to Arminianism. There was a greater and renewed depth to the Puritan opposition by equating Arminianism with Catholic tyranny and the destruction of ancient constitutional liberties. Puritan concerns became nationalised being now cen tred on a Monarch perceived to be the ‘capital enemy to the†¦Commonwealth’ on both constitutional and religious grounds. Puritanism, as expressed by the Commons, was now an anti-monarchic force, a movement of national political as well as religious dissent. Marxist historian Hill has argued that Puritanism was a revolutionary social force which, because of its promotion of practical devotion and godliness, provided a new social ethic which converged with the needs of 16th and 17th Century bourgeoisie. Hill argues that Puritanical labour values fulfilled an economic function which benefited agricultural and industrial production as the hiring of cheap labour became a form of ‘poor relief’.Puritanism had the effect of promoting a body of ideas that encouraged dignity in labour for its own sake, providing smaller artisans and merchants with an excuse to exploit the poor as cheap labour. This economic desperation led to Puritans to devote their preaching t o promoting employment. Most notably, when a congregation of merchants gathered at the annual Stourbridge Fair to listen to the divine William Perkins, the list of towns represented are all notorious Puritan centres.The evidence would suggest that the complimenting values of cheap labour and Puritanism meant it was not solely a force that pursued any kind of reformation, whether that is moral or individual. Instead it became a social force â€Å"to root out idleness† with a special emphasis on the duty of working hard, for extolling the dignity of labour. Alternatively, Collinson has argued that Hill’s interpretation fails to note of Puritanism’s most spectacular successes were in converting elements of the ‘feudal’ class that Marxist historians have said it was trying to destroy; suggesting Puritanism was not a force for social revolution.Collinson argues that because â€Å"the [Puritan] propaganda†¦stood in as much need of noble protectionâ € ¦success belonged to those with their hands on the strongest levers†. Consequently, through commanding the sympathies of upper class gentry such as Leicester until 1588 and the Earl of Bedford on the eve of the civil war, Puritanism was able to achieve further reformation as a result of hierarchical support. These powerful individuals â€Å"served to render effective a vigilant†¦ puritan policy† which would be more important to the Puritan cause of furthering the reformation in its public consequences.Therefore, Puritanism was not a social revolutionary force which sought to destroy the Gentry classes but instead united the classes as a force that throughout 1558-1640 pursued the reformation by providing a safe social environment within the localities for Puritans to operate. Contrastingly, evidence suggests that support for Puritanism from among the merchant classes was more to do with reducing ‘popish idleness’ and therefore working towards a mor e ‘godly’ and reformed society. Puritans perceived issues of vagabondage and idleness as social consequences of Catholicism.For example, there was great disapproval over monks and nuns because â€Å"for all they do nothing† they nevertheless â€Å"riot lavishly of other folks’ labours†. They were parasitic rentiers – and these perceptions of idleness, to Puritans, had invaded the thought of the ‘sinful beggar’. Therefore, whilst many lower-middle class merchants were motivated by economic reasons to encourage Puritanism, it is too simplistic of Marxist historians to identify Puritanism as a force to manipulate class tensions.In fact, the over-riding motivational factor was the belief that they were serving God’s purposes by hiring the idle poor; they believed they were furthering the Godly reformation of both the ‘commonwealth’ and of the ‘reprobate’. Alternatively, Hill has argued that the secret victory of Puritanism was infact the cultural acceptance of Puritan values that was the result of a â€Å"strenuous intellectual effort†. Jeremy Collier was a Puritan who finally led to victory Puritanism’s battle against immorality of the stage.The social aspects of his attitude: â€Å"†¦ [the divulging] of poets only tends to debauch mankind and†¦of civil life† was the cause and effect of those views. Particularly, the restoration of sexualised theatre was attacked vigorously by Puritans such as Thomas Gouge. Arguably, the revival of an established preaching ministry post-1630s marks a significant transformation in how Puritanism contributed to a revolution of ‘social thought’.Puritanism had successfully influenced the culture in a way as to make their intellectual and social considerations mainstream within the established church. Puritanism had succeeded in acting as a force to promote a set of culturally impacting practices which was to then reflect onto the opinions of the people to transform England’s society, through impacting the culture. During the civil war, Marxist historians have interpreted the role of Puritanism as a unique social revolutionary force.Hill has highlighted that Puritanism was among the â€Å"flowering of radical, democratic and egalitarian notions among the common people† which he argues was part of an inevitable class struggle which defined the years 1642-1660 as a time of ‘revolution’. However, revisionist historians such as Dow have accustomed to the idea that in the 1640s and 1650s Puritanism was not a force confined to the struggle of one social group in an attempt to re-shape the social or political order. Instead, he has argued that England â€Å"†¦witnessed†¦ adical religious groups whose†¦ concern was to attack the notion of a disciplined, established national church†. Ignited by decades of religious oppression Puritanism had a r enewed spiritual intensity that for the first time in 100 years was united in the pursuit of one common goal; the reformation of the established national church centred on opposition to the royal supremacy. Historical debate therefore centres on whether Puritanism was a ‘revolutionary force’ against the crown preceding and during the Civil War.Revisionist, Collinson has argued that from 1635-1640 and the opening of the long parliament, Puritanism acted as a stabilising conservative force in preserving the true Protestant Religion upon which the throne and God’s favour was predicated. Indeed, Puritanism, whilst substantially growing pre-1640, was hardly a revolutionary force dissent was expressed in lawful, peaceful means of the King-in-Parliament via ordered national days of prayer and fasting. However, the sharp rise in frequency of prayer and fasting days in the 1640s which reached a total of 24 in 1643 suggests that this activity reflected instead a ‘spi ritual revolution’.What made Puritanism a revolutionary force was a perception among the Godly that they had to choose between two masters; to seek truth by obeying God or, to obey earthly authority. They chose the former. Charles I and Laud had created the very Puritanism that they dreaded, changing Puritanism from being a lawful conservative movement to one of forced religious and political radicalism founded upon unshakeable spiritual conviction. What Gardiner called ‘the puritan revolution’ had begun.Supported by McGiffert, this radicalised movement was an extension of the pursuit of a further reformation through the re-establishment of a national covenant. The Protestation that was introduced into the Commons on 3 May 1641 demanded that the swearer promise to defend â€Å"the true reformed religion†¦ against all†¦popish innovation in this realm†. A covenant of the Solemn League in 1643 bound England and Scotland together â€Å"to†¦ the reformation of the Church of England†. These national covenants were a direct attempt by Puritans to impose a spiritual reformation upon all the subscribers to the covenants.The advocates of these covenants thus saw themselves as fighting a war between against the ungodly and believed that they were holding the King accountable for breaking his covenant to defend the faith. It is important to recognise the great paradigm shift that took place within the English political establishment by 1646. Puritanism had embarked on flights ten times more daring than the Elizabethan agitation for ‘further reformation’, and a hundred times more devastating in its political consequences.The dynamic of the Puritan movement during the ‘Puritan Revolution’ is evidence that, as a force in the pursuit of a ‘godly reformation’, Puritanism demanded the spiritual renewal of an entire people that shook the English political establishment forever. In conclusion, Puritanism as a force between the years 1558-1660 to further the English reformation cannot be assessed as a singular movement united under one pursuit at any period. There is no doubt that Puritanism was born out of a sense of religious and spiritual dissatisfaction centred on the lack of progress of a ‘godly reformation’.It did however have a significantly broader social impact on England that surpassed simply religious reform. As Hill interpreted, Puritanism, most significantly in post-Elizabethan England prevailed as a force to impact upon the practices of the individuals, transforming social attitudes and the national conscience concerning labour and the national church. By acting as a force that sought to transform the culture, via popular opinion, Puritanism was able to make the religious and political advancements by the 1660s that they’d battled for decades.However, revisionist historian Patrick Collinson has rightly observed that whilst Puritanism was additionally a force for the promotion of distinct social thought â€Å"†¦ [it] was merely an outward expression of the aroused inner conscience†. After 1590 Puritanism as a political force had temporarily subsided and as there was a profound alteration in religious culture, the desires and aspirations for the pursuit of a godly reformation became internalised and ‘reformation’ had become an act of continual and deliberate submission to the divine will and purpose.It is within this understanding of the Puritan conscience that one can conclude the very identity of Puritanism as a force in the years 1558-1660 as of one in the direct pursuit of furthering the reformation. The first generation of Elizabethan bishops shared the Puritanical fervour for the encouragement of prophesyings and individual piety. This internal pursuit and conviction, from which Puritan action was born continued in spite of changing circumstances. The separatism of the 1630s and even the ‘Puritan Revolution’ in the 1640s was the result of this internalised fiery Puritan spirituality n which covenanting with God within either an individual, local or national context was the central and fundamental pursuit of Puritanism as a force to further the reformation. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Elizabeth I and Religion by Susan Doran 1994 [ 2 ]. The Emergence of a Nation State: The Commonwealth of England 1529-1660, Ch. 18, pg 147 ‘The challenge to the Church: Puritan opposition and Catholic threat’ by Alan G. R. Smith [ 3 ]. Lecture 10 – Early Modern England: Politics, Religion, and Society under the Tudors and Stuarts – chapter 3 – Protestants [ 4 ].The Elizabethan Puritan Movement by Patrick Collinson – Moderate Courses – Grindal pg 160 [ 5 ]. The Elizabethan Puritan Movement by Patrick Collinson – pg 161 â €“ ‘Anonymous Letter’ â€Å"It is greatly hoped for by the godly and well-affected of this realm that your lordship will prove a profitable instrument in that calling; especially in removing the corruptions in the court† It is suggested that either Walsingham or Mildmay wrote this letter, but scholars are uncertain. [ 6 ].Elizabeth I and Religion 1558-1603 by Susan Doran – Puritans pg 34 [ 7 ]. The Elizabethan Puritan Movement by Patrick Collinson – The Beginnings of a Party pg 51 – Thomas Lever was Archdeacon of Coventry [ 8 ]. Society and Puritanism in pre-revolutionary England – The preaching of the word by Christopher Hill [ 9 ]. Society and Puritanism in Pre-Revolutionary England by Christopher Hill – ‘The Preaching of the Word’ [ 10 ]. Society and Puritanism in Pre-Revolutionary England by Christopher Hill – ‘The Preaching of the Word’ [ 11 ].The Elizabethan Puritan movement by Patrick Collinson ‘The Early Presbyterian movement’ [ 12 ]. The Elizabethan Puritan Movement by Patrick Collinson – ‘The Early Presbyterian Movement† pg 135. [ 13 ]. Lecture 18 – Street Wars of Religion: Puritans and Arminians – Professor Wrightson of Yale University [ 14 ]. Lecture 18 – Street Wars of Religion: Puritans and Arminians – ’38 Puritans were severely punished by Laud acting from the Star Chamber – they were pilloried and had their ears slit off’. 15 ]. Radical Puritans in England 1550-1660 – ‘The Two Smoaking Firebrands’: Laud and the Growth of Religious Separatism – pg 36 – Table 2: Presentments for religious offences in the diocese of Canterbury, 1590-1640 [ 16 ]. In 1634 Lathrop and 30 members of his congregation left for America following the growing pressures of the authorities. [ 17 ]. The Early Stuarts 1603-1640 by Katherine Brice Chapter 6, Religion, 1603-1 640. [ 18 ].English Puritanism – ‘Jacobean Puritanism: Gestation And Rebirth’ – Sir Benjamin Rudyards speech to the Long Parliament â€Å"They have brought it to pass that under the name of Puritans all our religion is branded†¦whosoever squares his actions by any rule either divine or human is a puritan; whosoever would be governed by the king’s law, he is a Puritan†¦their masterpiece now, is to make all those of the religion the suspected party of the Kingdom†. [ 19 ]. English Puritanism – Puritanism and Society: Towns include: King’s Lynn, Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester, Coventry, Northampton and Leicester [ 20 ].Puritanism & Revolution by Christopher Hill – ‘William Perkins and the Poor’ [ 21 ]. Society and Puritanism in Pre-Revolutionary England by Christopher Hill – ‘Conclusion’. [ 22 ]. Radicalism in the English Revolution 1640-1660 by F. D. Dow – ‘The Debate on the English Revolution’ [ 23 ]. Radicalism in the English Revolution 1640-1660 by F. D. Dow- ‘ The Religious Radicals’ [ 24 ]. FAST DAYS AND FACTION: THE STRUGGLE FOR REFORMATION, ORDER, AND UNITY IN ENGLAND 1558 – C. 1640 By Thomas Cornell Doumaux [ 25 ]. English Puritanism by Patrick Collinson [ 26 ]. English Puritanism by Patrick Collinson

Pilgrimage Analysis Essay

Pilgrimage is the name given to a spiritual journey. There is more depth to a physical journey. It is about what it means spiritually to the individual. It is an emotional and spiritual journey. It is a journey from the heart showing love for God. The definition of true is ‘loyal’ so a true pilgrimage is a journey you take to show loyalty to God. To become a pilgrim, the person must leave their home and undertake a sacred journey, which may confirm and strengthen their personal beliefs in their religion. People can go on this journey alone or in a community. Many places in the world are very exceptional for Christians. Some are places where Jesus lived, such as Nazareth. Other places are special because a holy person is buried there. Many Christians go on their pilgrimages to Lourdes and Rome. People go on journeys to these special, religious places to order their lives in terms of what is good, beautiful and true. â€Å"Christianity is a journey into Christ a journey that mirrors every Christian mystery through life. As a Christian grows and changes, so he or she tries to move nearer to Christ. A believer’s ultimate hope is to be completely at one with him in eternity, when on the journey, Christians may use the physical act of pilgrimage to help them to focus on the need for spiritual nourishment.† People go to these places of worship as here they believe they can fulfil their beliefs, and show their devotion to their religion. They are making a holy journey. We call those who go on these special journeys ‘pilgrims’. They do not have to do this, there is nothing in the Bible which tells Christians that they must make pilgrimages. It is their decision made freely. Many people regard Lourdes, as a place of miracles and of wonderful and unexplainable events. A young girl called Bernadette had a vision of the Virgin Mary countless times and in these visions, Bernadette, was told how to find a natural spring. Many Christians go as they are ill and hope to be cured. But others go for the same reasons that they go to church. Another reason to go on a pilgrimage is to feel some of the holiness of the place and become closer to God. By becoming closer to God, we can feel like better Christians and this should help us to become better Christians and do as God intended us. People also go on pilgrimage to seek God’s forgiveness for the sins that they have committed. Some people go to ask and receive God’s help, like people who have an illness or are disabled in some way, may ask for a cure to heal them. People can also ask to be healed spiritually, as coming to their pilgrimage centre may make them realise that they have not been leading a good Christian life and it may make them change into good Christians. Rome is another main pilgrimage centres for millions of Catholics. In Rome, there are 7 pilgrim churches founded when the Roman Empire became Christian. People have been coming to Rome on a pilgrimage for the past 1600 years. The Church of St. Peter was built on top of the tomb of St. Peter who was the leader of the 12 apostles and the first ever Pope. St Paul’s church was built on top of the tomb of St. Paul, the great Christian missionary, who wrote most of the epistles in the New Testament. Rome is the home of the Pope and the Vatican is the headquarters of the Catholic Church. A pilgrimage to Rome is very special as it is the home of the Roman Catholic Church. Lourdes is a Pilgrimage centre which is much more recent, but it still receives over 2 million pilgrims a year. Water is a very special part of Lourdes a here there are the baths where you are fully immersed in Holy Water. You feel as if you are being cleansed of your sins, like a believer’s baptism as you are fully immersed in water like Jesus was fully immersed in the water of the river in Jordan when he was baptised by John the Baptist. Question 2 Many Christians believe that it is very important to go on a pilgrimage as it helps them develop into better Christians. As they go to the special, religious centres they become closer to God and begin to understand the religion more. By praying to God they become much closer, and their beliefs about the religion are greatly strengthened. The pilgrimage centres really have a great affect on the person spiritually. By getting away from their normal lives Christians who go on pilgrimages to Lourdes or Rome are filled with a special feeling of belonging when they go to a pilgrimage centre. At these special places Christians feel much closer to God as they are at special places where religious events have occurred in the past. Some people go on pilgrimages as groups, where they can help others who are less fortunate than themselves. Certain groups take children who aren’t so fortunate on pilgrimages to places like Lourdes and let them become closer to God. By doing this they are helping Jesus, as Jesus said â€Å"anything you do to your neighbour you do unto me†. People who may have turned away from the religion could also have their spirits renewed and change as a person to being a good Christian. Some people also feel that they can see their vocation when they come to a pilgrimage centre, which shows the huge affect that pilgrimage centres have on people. When people come on pilgrimages they leave homes behind and decide to forget all comforts and put God first. They are showing by going to these pilgrimage centres, their devotion to God and that their main aim in life is to be a good Christian rather than make money and have fun. They show that their main aim is on God and making God happy. Christians also come to Lourdes and Rome to ask questions, to ask questions about Christianity and how they can become a better Christian and make God happy. Christians also enjoy coming together and going on pilgrimages as then they are surrounded by many people who are like them, all on a journey to strengthen their religious beliefs and become better Christians. Christians also come to pilgrimage centres as they wish to ask God for his forgiveness for all there sins, and by coming on a long journey to a pilgrimage centre they can show to God that they truly are sorry for their sins and that they want to be better Christians. They can also show that God is most important to them as they are coming on a journey to show their devotion to him. The spring St. Bernadette had found was holy and had great healing powers. Now many people visit Lourdes and drink or bathe in the holy water. Many people have miraculously been cured of illness after visiting Lourdes. In Lourdes there have been many specialised things made to accommodate people suffering illness or those who have disability. The people who a go there to pray for themselves and to pray for others. Some pilgrims, who go there, volunteer their time when they are not praying to people who are less able than them. I have been to Lourdes myself and when I was there the feeling of Holiness was unbelievable. Just being there made me feel as If I was cleansed of all my sins, and I truly felt closer to God and being their strengthened my passion towards my religious beliefs. Question 3 After being to Lourdes myself I feel that the pilgrimage centre has become too commercialised. So many people are trying to make money out of the religiously spectacular area it has taken some of the special feeling away from visiting Lourdes. The point of going on a pilgrimage is to get away from our normal lives where all we think about is work and money and spend time concentrating on God and putting our religion first. By setting up shops around the area we are tempted to purchase items, which takes away the precious feelings of visiting Lourdes. The area around Lourdes is meant to be tranquil and peaceful and reflect the image of Christianity, but having loads of shops around the area provokes the town to turn into a busy, messy area where crime can increase and there is a lot of disrespect for the holiness of the pilgrimage centre. However, if a person does visit such a spiritually healing place like Lourdes naturally they would like to be able to take home with them a souvenir to remind them of their time in the area which changed them so much into a better Christian. Many people purchase items which are very special and can be used as aids to prayer, which makes them better Christians as this would bring them closer to God. If these special items do bring them closer to God then they are sacred items and are very precious. When I went to Lourdes I did purchase special items from shops in the area which I have used as aids to prayer and have in my house looking over me, protecting me. But I still feel that the area around Lourdes has become to commercialised as there are so many shops and some of the items sold in the shops are not very sacred and can bring down the preciousness of Mary and Jesus as they are not very respectful.