The Art of Akhenaten – Paper

The Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings The Art of Akhenaten A Formal Analysis of House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings One of the most enigmatic pharaohs of Egyptian history, Amenhotep IV, had grown up in the most powerful family in ancient Egypt. Once he became pharaoh and ruler of Egypt’s empire in 1378 BCE, he changed his name to Akhenaten, â€Å"effective spirit of Aten†, and was known to the people as â€Å"the heretic king.Early in his reign, Akhenaten encouraged ideas by using art as a way of emphasizing his political and religious intentions of doing things differently; therefore, changing Egyptian society. This was true for the following reasons. Politically, when Akhenaten denounced the state deities, he altered the artistic style and technique of ancient Egypt, by the intimate settings and placements of him and his royal family. Religiously, the forced monotheistic religion was artistically stylized by hav ing the new deity, Aten, as the main theme in his reliefs.These emphases were what came to be known as Amarna art, an erratic, sensual, new style of art that celebrated the vibrancy and movement of the real world during Akhenaten’s reign. Akhenaten’s famous two relief sculptures, House Shrine and Akhenaten Making Offerings, reflect the revolutionary changes in art and religion and  therefore of politics during the reign of this monotheistic pharaoh. Akhenaten and his family were the only royal family that was intimately described by the king as displaying love and devotion under the protection of Aten.In House Shrine (figure 1), the limestone stele, depicts King Akhenaten and his â€Å"Holy Family† starring his wife Queen Nefertiti and his two daughters. It was intended to be stored in a private room in the Amarna palace. The stele is decorated with an intimate scene showing the daily life of the Holy Family. The sculptor’s color choice of bright, yello w limestone background shown in this art piece complements the sun that shines down on all the individuals. The use of fine lines emphasizes the sun shining down on Akhenaten and his family.This sense of illumination by both the sun and indirectly by the family expresses that they are full of love and happiness. Often times bright colors are associated with love and happiness, such as this yellow limestone stele. The sunken relief technique is also used. As Janson explained in his text it was a popular technique amongst Egyptian art sculptures. In this technique, the sculptor cut sharp outlines into the stone’s face, and modeled the figures within the outlines, below the level of the background, rather than carving away the surface around figures to allow them to emerge from the stone.Light shining onto the stone’s surface then cast shadows into the out-lines, animating the figures without compromising the solid planar appearance of the wall. In this art piece the sunk en relief technique gives further emphasis of the sun above shining over them and creates shadows throughout the art piece by the deep incisions of the curved lines along the back of King Akhenaten’s neck and Queen Nefertiti’s right shoulder tracing down her arm. In addition, there are deep incisions along the outline of his children, which give the shadows symbolism that presents the whole family as the focal point of the piece.However, the incisions along the children do not run as heavy as the ones on Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and the sun god. By using heavier incisions it gives the idea that these three figures are of greater importance. In conclusion, the choice of color gives the mood of the stele, the lines tell us the focal point and establishes the important figures. Overall, this piece is well put together. In the beginning of Akhenaten’s religious reform, the official state religion was still based on polytheism with Amun rising above other deities throug hout classic Egyptian art.During his third reign, Akhenaten started to build his own public temple, near the temple of Amun at Karnak. This first act as king brought with him a shocking speculation and hostility between his throne and the priesthood of Amun. Inside the temple was an entirely new style of art, which was often described, as â€Å"naturalistic† in Akhenaten’s portrayal of the human body. No longer was the Pharaoh portrayed as half animal with the perfect body fitted for the afterlife. Akhenaten and the royal family were shown with long toes, massive hips, extremely long fingers, skinny torso, ample breasts, big buttocks, and an elongated face.This exaggeration of the royal family’s bodies altered classic Egyptian art and became better known as Amarna Art. Another astonishing act to this religious revolution was the Akhenaten’s order of the construction of a new capital, far to the north of Thebes known as Amarna, horizon of the sun, claiming the sun god lead him there. A few years after, Akhenaten made the decision to abandon Thebes and ordered his people to pack up and leave behind the city built by his father to receive the blessings of Aten in the city of Amarna.Shortly thereafter, he abolished traditional gods and goddesses, declaring one monotheistic deity, Aten, and introduced in art as a more intimate worship in public and personal settings of the royal family, receiving blessings from Aten, and showing day to day life and activities. A classic example of the radical transformation of Egyptian state religion is found on the Royal Tomb in Amarna, Akhenaten Making Offerings (figure 2), depicting Akhenaten and his wife Queen Nefertiti carrying flowers to be laid on the table beneath the â€Å"life-giving† rays of the Aten with his two eldest daughters behind him praying and offering gifts.In Akhenaten’s hands are four flowers that represent his minor wives Merytaten, Kiya, Mekytaten, and Ankhesenpaate n. What made this piece so alarming to the Egyptians is the misshapen facial structure and body style of Akhenaten and the royal family, and the worshipping of a single god. Starting at the top of Akhenaten Making Offerings there is  a subtle linear band going across the fragment, which is a hieroglyph for sky. The open space with the round geometric shape in the sky symbolizes the royal family is open to worship.King Akhenaten, standing in front of Queen Nefertiti, bathing in the rays of the Aten, could symbolize that he was the solo priest of his monotheistic religion. As giver and sustainer of life, Aten's rays of light form a radial path that begins from the sun and, if  one looks closely, he'll notice the rays of light end in hands holding ankhs, the hieroglyph for life. This characteristic is often repeated in Akhenaten’s art pieces, including the House Shrine. The outline of the rays forms a triangular pyramid. In ancient times pyramids were built as a guise to pro tect the deceased pharaohs as they traveled to the afterlife.Similar to the House Shrine, the sunken relief technique is used to covey the importance of the figures. The heavy incisions around Aten, behind the Pharaoh and his wife, emphasize them as the main focal point of the art piece and the importance of their religious standing with Aten. The dark underline around Aten creates a dark shadow symbolizing his great power as the monotheistic deity. The curved lines behind Akhenaten and his family could symbolize a shadow effect since Aten is placed in front of the family and the lines around the front side of the figures are a lot finer.The shocking effect this piece had on the Egyptians was King Akhenaten’s way of stating his radical vision of breaking Egyptian tradition. Furthermore, King Akhenaten’s abandonment of the traditional gods and roles of kingship also took a toll on Egypt’s political status seen in his art by worshipping Aten. Tucked inside his new ly construed city, obsessed with his monotheistic religion, he spent little to no time on his foreign affairs and more time posing with his family for the sculptor.The military pleaded for support against enemy attacks, but King Akhenaten was distracted with building more temples of Aten so that he and his family would always be protected. This was depicted in his art by showing Aten placing the sunrays over his family as a symbol of protection. In the backlash that followed during the end of his reign, the people and the kingship referred to him as the â€Å"Great Criminal†. And in the events following his death, the misshapen face and body feature of Akhenaten and his family were rubbed and broken off.Amarna art was desecrated and traditional Egyptian art was reinstated. His capital was destroyed, the people returned to Thebes, and after awhile his image was abandoned, and the heretic king was forgotten. In conclusion, three thousand years ago, in the short time of the Amar na period, Akhenaten turned Egypt upside down by breaking classical Egyptian art tradition and announcing a new deity. During that time, capitals were moved, religious ideas developed and flourished, foreign affairs depleted, and artistic changes took place in art within the walls of the court.

All about Deep Purple

Music is said to be around since the dawn of time and it has become an integral part of human life. It took different forms since its evolution and from drums to flutes and harps it became better and numerous instruments were added like piano and guitars. The introduction of electric guitar had the most promising effect on music history as it changed the whole form of music once it came into use by the introduction of guitar solo and heavy amplified guitar in hard rock and heavy metal music.Therefore hard rock and heavy metal music was initiated by the amplified distortion of heavy guitar playing and was called the noisy music by the soft music lovers. But it attracted the people in large numbers and became very popular in early 1970’s and is still recommended by many music listeners especially the young generation(Christe,80). The first bands which performed heavy metal music were Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and became an attraction for millions of fans.Later on Judas Priest, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Metallica improved the genre of heavy metal music and punk rock, hip hop, and death metal were introduced in the music industry. Since then many bands have taken over the charge of keeping the spirit of hard rock music alive and kicking. New blends of rock and pop music came into bring and a few mixed hip hop and rock music together to give people a new form of music which they can enjoy and spread.In this era when we talk about greatest rock bands, apart from the pioneers, Guns N Roses, U2, Nirvana, Slipknot, Aerosmith, Audioslave, Linkin Park etc. are mentioned, they have given the music industry some real brilliant songs and people not only appreciate all the new additions but they look up to more genres in music(Phillips,64). This paper talks about the heavy metal and hard rock band Deep Purple, the band’s history, discography and how they took the world by storm. Band’s History and Discography:The English band Deep Purple are said to be one of the pioneers of the heavy metal and hard rock music. The band was formed in February 1968 by Chris Curtis who was an ex-drummer of the band called The Searchers. At that time The Searchers was quite popular among the crowd and was said to be the rival of the great The Beatles but when Curtis left the band he formed a small band with some session players and had a hit called â€Å"Let’s Go to San Francisco† after which he decided to have a proper band .The band has gone through a lot of twists and turns with some of the members leaving the band and rejoining it later, some just joining the band for a short period of time and then leaving it while a few of them died. Deep Purple initially called â€Å"Roundabout† had the first line up of members with Ritchie Blackmore as guitarist, Chris Curtis and Dave Curtis for vocals, Jon Douglas Lord as pianist and on keyboards, Nick Simper as bassist and Bobby Woodman as drummer.But soon Cur tis left the band with his brother but Blackmore and Lord were enthusiastic to carry on the band and so Curtis was replaced by Rod Evans on vocals and when Curtis left Booby Woodman left the band too based on the fact that it was the experimental situation they were going through so Ian Paice came as the drummer for the band and is said to be the only original member who did not leave the band up till now. Therefore the â€Å"Roundabout† after their small tour of Denmark in 1968 changed the name of band to â€Å"Deep Purple† on Ritchie Blackmore’s suggestion.It is said that Blackmore’s grandmother loved the song deep purple on which he decided to credit her and this line up of band is said to be the Mark I line up and this band has went through almost VIII line ups. The Mark I line up started to gain fame after doing a cover of Hush a song by Joe South and it got 4th place on the US Billboard chart, the song was from their fist album â€Å"Shades of Deep Purple† released in 1968 after which they were signed up for some tours too.The band launched their second album â€Å"The book of Taliesyn† and it reached #38 on the US Billboard chart while the third album â€Å"Deep Purple† but due to bankrupting of the American record company Tetragrammaton and numerous tours, the band got left hanging on a thread with no future possibility and financial assets. Ultimately the group members were left in confusion resulting in Rod Evans and Nick Simper leaving the band after they were fired due to some internal matters.This resulted in the Mark II line up when vocalist and bassist were required by the band. After some searching and auditioning Ian Gillan was selected as the lead vocalist of the band with Roger Glover replacing Simper as bass guitarist. In this time period the band gained popularity with performance at the Royal Albert Hall called Concerto for Group and Orchestra with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the supervision of Malcolm Arnold.But despite the fact that this move made the band gain fame, some of the band members like Blackmore and Gillan were not amused by this as now the band was being labeled as â€Å"a group who played with orchestras† while their actual goal was to make this band a hard rock and heavy metal group but they did go on with it and later again performed with a different orchestra group.After the orchestral performance the band than started to concentrate on the album launching and finally the album was released in 1970 named â€Å"Deep Purple In Rock† and the song that went to top charts was â€Å"Black Night† which clearly portrayed that the band was a hard rock band as the Lord’s and Blackmore’s organs combination, Paice and Glover’s beat section along with the high screaming voice of Gillan made a lot of people their fans and Deep Purple, now, got the fame all over Europe.The second album during the Mark II line up was â€Å"Fireball† and was launched in 1971 ad the title track with the same name as album gained a lot of popularity among the fans. The members of the band were writing and composing songs at a fast pace as it is said that within a few weeks after the Fireball was released the band had already written and composed songs for the next album. The third album â€Å"Machine Head† was launched by this line up in 1971 in Switzerland and is said to be the band’s most favorite album as some incidents are related to it including the fire that broke out in a hotel and burnt down the whole casino.The song â€Å"Smoke on the Water† is its inspiration, while the other famous song this album had were â€Å"Highway Star† and â€Å"Lazy† so, after the success of the album the band made a tour of Japan and North America. The seventh album in Deep Purple’s history and fourth album of Mark II line up was released as â€Å"Who Do We Think We Are† in 1973 and had the famous number â€Å"Woman from Tokyo† however the internal affairs of the band were not sailing smoothly.So after the band’s second tour of Japan Ian Gillan and Roger Glover both resigned together on the basis that Ritchie Blackmore did not pay heed to their advices and his mood and terrible touring agenda was intolerable. Gillan then went out of the music scene and started a motorcycle manufacturing company and some years later formed his own band with his name while Glover carried out what he did best so after the two left the band the vacancy was to be filled thus auditions were carried out and vocalist David Coverdale and bassist cum vocalist Glenn Hughes were signed in.Coverdale used to play guitars but decided to sing after some support from the people while Glenn Hughes was known for his notable performance in â€Å"Trapeze†. This group or Mark III then launched their first album and overall eighth album titled â€Å"Burn† in February 1974, this album is also said to be the best comeback of the band as both the new members did their jobs in a brilliant and fruitful way producing a better output that the band required to get back in shape.The songs that made the spot light were â€Å"Might Just Take Your Life† and â€Å"Burn†( Thompson ,90). The second album was released named â€Å"Stormbringer† in 1974 but as this album had funky playback, although the album had many popular songs like â€Å"The Gypsy† and â€Å"Lady Double Dealer† guitarist Ritchie Blackmore again showed desperation and left the band in 1975 to form his own band Rainbow, stating that he was not into funky soul music.The departure of Ritchie Blackmore was the greatest set back for the band as his position was one of the most important and no other guitarist was available who could perform like him, but the real shock to the fans came when the band decided to carry on replacing the irreplaceable Blackmo re with Tommy Bolin who was an American famous for many musical performances making this a forth line up better known as Mark IV line up.So the band than released the album entitled â€Å"Come Taste the Band† in October 1975, the album was a hit but again the problems arrived with the band’s future when Bolin’s drug addiction interfered the bands performance as due to his condition many concerts and low scale appearances were being cancelled. The Mark IV only lasted a year after Bolin was found dead due to drug overdose while after the Britain’s tour in March 1976 Coverdale quit and the band officially announced the split in July 1976(Prato,35).The band was then split up for almost eight years and during this time each member started some side projects concentrating on them but after an eight year separation the band made a return with the Mark II line up in April 1984 and released an album â€Å"Perfect Strangers† in October 1984 and this time it was a massive hit reaching #6 on US Billboard 200. The band’s tour was initiated worldwide in Australia, North America and Europe which made the band financially better too.â€Å"The House of Blue Light† was the band’s twelfth album launched in 1987 but in 1989 Gillan was dismissed as the rivalry between him and Blackmore grew therefore he was replaced by vocalist Joe Lynn Turner who belonged to the band Rainbow of Blackmore. The Mark V line up than recorded only one album â€Å"Slaves & Masters† but this was not given a positive response by the fans as they thought it was more Rainbow than Deep Purple.So after the Mark V made a tour Turner was removed by the record company to bring Gillan back for the bands 25th anniversary, resistance was made by Blackmore but after some cash transfer he agreed and the Mark II line up again released the album â€Å"The Battle Rages On† which is the band’s fourteenth album however as the rivalry of Gillan a nd Blackmore was still on so Blackmore left the band for good in November 1993.Thus the band’s Mark VI line up came when the famous Joe Satriani replaced Blackmore but due to his own record company contracts he could not carry out the job permanently and therefore he left in 1994 after completing and helping he band with the tours. The band then drafted Steve Morse to take Blackmore’s position permanently and he is still the band’s member today. This was the Mark VII line up of Deep Purple and this line up was carried out till 2002 during which the band released the albums Perpendicular in 1996 and Abandon in 1998.In 2002 the band’s oldest and pioneer member Jon Lord left due to some personal reasons and his replacement was Don Airey who was a former member of Rainbow thus the band’s final Mark VIII line up came into being and almost two more albums were released named â€Å"Bananas† and â€Å"Rapture of the Deep†. This is the final c hange made in the band and currently the members o the band are Ian Gillan on vocals, Steve Morse on guitars, Roger Glover as bassist, Ian Paice on drums and Don Airey on keyboards(Heatley,74).Conclusion: Deep Purple is said to be the pioneer of heavy metal music and they have indeed proved it through hard rock songs which are still regarded as the best ever made and they were the inspiration to many young generation bands who loved hard rock. Deep Purple are said to be the one of the best touring bands of all time since their formation till present and they earned a unique award for selling 150,000+ tickets in 2007 in France.Listed as the â€Å"World’s Loudest Band† by Guinness Book of World Records they are surely one of the best bands that shaped the music industry and no matter how may changes occurred in the band members they continued to produce some best songs. Work Cited Page: Christe, I. , Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal, It Books, 2004. Heatley, M. , The Complete Deep Purple, Reynolds & Hearn, 2008. Phillips, W. , Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music, Greenwood, 2009. Prato, G. , Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story, Greg Pato, 2008. Thompson, D. , Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story, ECW Press, 2004.

Improved communication technology and transport Essay

People can live and work anywhere they want to choose, because of improved communication technology and transport, do the advantage of this development outweigh disadvantages? Until a few decades ago, the majority of workers commuted to their work places in order to perform their job abilities. As information technology has become more common in our life, this phenomenon has changed. Instead of wasting employees’ valuable time on commuting to and from corporates, quite a number of companies are establishing and offering a chance of remote working to their employees. In this essay, advantages and disadvantages regarding this ongoing trend is posed with some applicable supports. To begin with, remote work provides job opportunities to dual income parents who have young children to look after, and it would remove geographical boundaries which allow corporates to recruiting highly skilled professionals or relatively cheap workers from overseas. Secondly, there would be a significant increase in employees’ productivity. According to a report from the USA, numerous experts have contended that an increase of 20 percent in workers’ productivity can be expected due to less time spending in commuting and more flexible working hours. Moreover, since there would be less need for having a huge office that requires expensive rent and fees for facilities, cost reduction is expected to corporates. Lastly, due to a consumption of fossil fuel is the main cause of global warming and air pollution, working from home can reduces gas-intensive commutes, and energy using in buildings. Be that as it may, there are several drawbacks have also been reported. An expert from IT industry has argued that reduced human contact can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation due to a lack of face-to-face interaction. Furthermore, misinterpretation can occur between employees and there would be difficulties for managers to supervise employees’ job performance when people only communicate and work via online. Finally, the benefits which the company generates as a result of telecommuting can be offset by an increase in employees’ home facility costs for remote work.

Expansion of westward settlements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Expansion of westward settlements - Essay Example In late December of the same year, O’Sullivan employed the term ‘Manifest Destiny’ in explaining another issue related to the seizure of the western territory. In connection with this, O’Sullivan maintained that the United States had the right of occupying western territory. According to him, the claim was by the right of America’s manifest destiny not only to overspread, but also to possess the whole areas of the continent that Providence had ordained the U.S. However, O’Sullivan believed that the use of force was not essential for expanding the U.S territory. It was as a result of this that he advocated gradual enlargement of the U.S. through use of settlement. O’Sullivan believed that the settlement of the American communities to the western territory will lead to establishment of institutions related to the American government. He further argued that the formed institutions would later want to enter into the Union. In tandem with this, the adoption of the term Manifest Destiny led to the acquisition of other territories like New Mexico and

American Media covarge of Israel-Arab conflict Essay

American Media covarge of Israel-Arab conflict - Essay Example The given paper will prove that the way media depicts Arabs negatively affected the Israeli-Arab conflict. Media plays a very important role in our lives. According to psychological and sociological researches, that, as it seems to us, what others think of us and of those social groups to which we belong, has a very strong impact on how we perceive ourselves and as we build the relations with the surrounding society. It is obvious that in our eyes the opinion of society about us is formed under the influence of mass media. If we think that the opinion of mass media is negative and mass media make strong impact on the opinion of people, it is obvious that we will consider the attitude towards us to be generally negative. We will consider that the social group to which we belong, suffers from the stereotypes, which are created in the opinion of other society. It is obvious that if we consider that the attitude in the society towards us is hostile, we start being hostile to it and we seek to separate from it, even from those elements, which are not subject to the influence of mass media. Th e same way Arabs, being severely criticized by mass media, have to defend themselves, but when they try to do that, their behavior is immediately characterized as hostile. The misrepresentation and misperception of Arabs in North America’s media have largely affected the most significant political conflict in the Middle East. Most Arabs believe that American media and government affect Israel. This perspective of media’s influence is debatable, the both Israeli and Arabs’ sides would say the same thing. In American media Hamas â€Å"Palestinian party run Gaza† is seen as terrorist organization using civilians as human shields in Gaza and Israel bombing Gaza to defense itself. Actually Hamas came to the power through the democratic elections and

Cross Cultural management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Cross Cultural management - Essay Example noted is that there are researches and case study analyses regarding cross-culture in abundance conducted over the years to understand the changing prospects of cross-culture communication. Past researches conducted so far regarding the subject of cross-cultural communication have been able to understand and assess the ways in which so. The chosen strategy for this research paper aims to undertake a case study analysis of the Swedish organization to understand the prospects of cross-cultural communication and its impact on the organizational operations. The subject of cross-culture management and issues arising in the international business economy is critical because it pertains to interconnected fields of study. For instance, cross cultural communication undertakes major inspirations for study from communication, psychology and other fields of social sciences. Therefore, it is extremely important to evaluate differing aspects of cross cultural communication. It is due to this reason that in order to conduct the assessment of cross cultural communication within an existing organization, different disciplines and aspects will be taken into consideration. It is imperative to elaborate regarding cross-culture communication and management before understanding the aspects or factors that affect cross-cultural communication in accordance to the case study of ImseVimse. Andrews in his research entitled â€Å"Cross-Cultural Management† (2009) marked that cross cultural communication is a very critical area of management. It is because employees, international vendors or suppliers etc. are considered as major assets for organizations. Globalization has made organizations to hire employees from different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. In the similar fashion, Haghirian (2012) also noted and explained cross-culture communication and its management as an integral part of service for managers. It is merely because it has everything to do with different employees and

Fear and fate in america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fear and fate in america - Essay Example A week after the attack, one is free to taste the bile of its atrocious ingenuity. It is already trite - but stringently necessary - the writer to emphasise that such a mise en scne would have embarrassed a studio executive's storyboard or a thriller-writer's notebook And yet in broad daylight and full consciousness that outline became established reality: a score or so of Stanley knives produced two million tons of rubble. Several lines of US policy were bankrupted by the events of last Tuesday, among them national missile defence. Someone realised that the skies of America were already teeming with missiles, each of them primed and cocked. The plan was to capture four airliners - in the space of half an hour. All four would be bound for the west coast, to ensure maximum fuel- load. The first would crash into the north tower just as the working day hit full stride. Then a pause of 15 minutes, to give the world time to gather round its TV sets. With that attention secured, the second plane would crash into the south tower, and in that instant America's youth would turn into age. If the architect of this destruction was Osama bin Laden, who is a qualified engineer, then he would certainly know something about the stress equations of the World Trade Centre.

Caregiver stress Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Caregiver stress - Research Paper Example The median age is 63 years and the mode is 76 years. The figure below shows the distribution of caregiver age in the sample. Patient Gender: Out of the valid sample of 348, 130 patients are male and 218 female. That is 37.4% of the sample is males and 62.6% females Caregiver Gender: Out of the valid sample of 348, 88 patients are male and 260 female. That is 25.3% of the sample is males and 74.7% females Ethnicity: White non-Hispanics are the largest group by ethnicity constituting 42.3% of the sample. Hispanic ethnicity is the second largest group constituting 32.5% of the sample and the rest are African Americans constituting the remaining 25.3% of the sample. Caregiver Education The average caregiver education is 13.1 years. The range is 20 years from a minimum 3 years to a maximum of 20 years of education. Household Income For the household income, the dataset was not complete and data labels were not set for all ordinal values. Of all the data points, only 170 had disappoints fo r which the ordinal values were described in the data set. For the available dataset details, the maximum frequency was observed for the 2000-2300 income group and greater than 2400 income group with a frequency of 31 data points each. Hypothesis test 1: Religious patients complain less about somatic illnesses In order to test this hypothesis, we can compare the means for total somatic illness complaints observed for the religious patients (any level of being religious – from somewhat religious to very religious) and for non-religious patents. The corresponding data in the sample would be the data for â€Å"Somatic Complaints Total† (SCT). Out of the sample of 349, 5 cases are excluded in the analysis. Two of these are excluded because there is no data available and the remaining three because the data for their religiousness is not rightly captured in the database. It is captured as 2.56, which is not related to any ordinal assignment of data. The following table summ arizes the mean SCT for different groups of patients based on their religiousness. We can see whether there is any difference in means of complaints by the different patients to ascertain whether religious people complain less or not. This can be done using 2 statistical tests: the two-sample t-test and the one way Anova test. Two-sample t-test where we group all the religious people as one and â€Å"not at all religious† people as the second group to see whether not at all religious people complain more. Also, we can now consider two groups of samples, one including people who are not at all religious and second of people who are religious, somewhat religious, or very religious. The table for means for these groups is as below. =2) is people who are religious. These notations are due to nature of data in the dataset. Now, we need to test whether the group of religious people complain less about somatic illness. Hypothesis testing by Two-sample t-test for independent variable s Let  µr denote the observed mean for religious group and  µn denote the mean for not at all religious group. So, our Null hypothesis:  µr =  µnr The sig. value, which is the p-value for the test is 0.578. This is too high compared to a 0.05 or 0.10 p-value which would have been for 95% confidence or 90% confidence level. So, we must reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis that religious people do NOT complain less abo

Holding employees accountable Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Holding employees accountable - Essay Example Moreover, the company keep to an open inside communication policies and seriously addresses such issues as corruption, unethical behavior and similar cases. All these words create an idealized image of the company and it is interesting to look at how others estimate their success in leadership and ethics. According to Roth (2013), UTC is one of the best examples of how one company can make the business environment change. The company successfully keeps their internal processes in good order and achieves high performance rates as a result. The author states that the company keeps its focus on internal collaboration, learning and development in order to progress together. Obviously, this feedback about the company makes it possible to say that it selects and trains successful leaders who know what they do. Overall, UTC is a great success case and it creates a role model for other industries to follow. The company invests in its employees and keeps them committed and motivated. Special people are in charge of ethical issues; regular corporate trainings and collaborations are conducted to make sure that all employees are accountable. This example can serve as an inspiration for other smaller businesses where people struggle to keep everything clear and

Orthodox Jewish family Essay Example for Free

Orthodox Jewish family Essay (1) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8 Describe in detail the way in which a fully observant Orthodox Jewish family would keep this mitzvah. You should explain the symbolism of the various ceremonies and rituals where relevant Shabbat is the only Jewish holiday enjoined by the Ten Commandments, making it an especially important one to the whole family. It is observed on the seventh day in commemoration of the seventh day on which God rested after completing the Creation, and of Gods role in history and his covenant with the Jewish people. Along with all Orthodox Jews, the family are strictly obligated to sanctify Shabbat at home and in the synagogue. They will all avoid work on this day and will engage in worship and study. The Talmud specifies the activities which they are to abstain from and, being Orthodox, the family would say that anything resembling these is work and is therefore forbidden on Shabbat. They stop their creative work in order to reflect on the powers God has given, making sure they make the right use of them. A member of the family, usually the mother or father, will use a Jewish calendar, diary or newspaper to find out the precise time Shabbat begins on that Friday evening. This is because it varies from week to week and it is therefore uncertain to which day the period between sunset and nightfall begins. Knowing the correct time is important to the whole family to ensure they are observing the rules for Shabbat for the exact length of time God expects from them and because the time division follows the biblical story of creation: And there was evening and there was morning, one day (Genesis 1:5). Shabbat lasts from sunset on Friday evening to sunset on Saturday. Before Shabbat each member of the family will carry out the necessary preparations so that they wont need or want to undertake any of the forbidden activities. For example, the mother will have prepared all the meals needed because God said it was important to have three meals during Shabbat, but that they should still abstain from growing or preparing the food. Modern technology has made this easier because the Jews are able to put their meals in slow cookers and although the parents arent able to create a fire or turn on the heating, they are able to set a timer for the heating. The light on the fridge is also taped up so that the fridge can be opened without breaking the Shabbat rule, not to create fire or light. It is usually the mother that thoroughly cleans the house and gets all the necessary shopping beforehand because cleaning is seen as work and is therefore forbidden. The use of a car is also forbidden, so the parents will be unable to drive to shops. Collecting food is also seen as work because the Israelites had to collect manna in the wilderness. The whole family must have prepared their clothes for the day, because the mother is unable to iron or sew. Children must have completed any homework or jobs that have to be done, before the Friday evening, because the completion of work and writing is also forbidden. The children must also be able to leave school early (especially during winter) in order to ensure they have enough time to arrive home before Shabbat begins. If either of the parents have jobs, they must make sure that everything important is completed and that they wont need to speak to colleagues because they are unable to use the phone or machines such as computers and fax machines. The Shabbat table must be laid by the family beforehand because the meal that they share on the Friday evening is very important, even members of the family that have left home try to return for this meal because it unites them. Each member of the family has a bath before sunset and wears their best clothes, for the meal. All members of the family will try to wear some white to symbolise purity and hope. It is important to the whole family to abstain from these activities, and many more, during Shabbat. This is because the Talmud lists them as forbidden and says that God made the seventh day holy by resting after making the world, therefore the opportunity to rest is the mark of being free and Shabbat offers this opportunity. The Shabbat preparations involve everyone in the family, from the youngest upwards because, although there are synagogue services to attend, the main focus of Shabbat revolves around the home and is a day for the family to share together. In preparation for the approaching day of holiness, the woman of the house must light white candles before the sunset. This not only welcomes Shabbat, but it also symbolises peace coming into the house, joy, blessing and serenity, because God created light. For the family, the home is central to the celebration of Shabbat and this is an important duty for the woman. She will then recite the berachah of God, all in hope of driving away any sorrow and unhappiness. The father then takes an important role in welcoming the Shabbat. He says a special blessing over bread and wine and the emphasis of the family is expressed by blessing the children and reciting proverbs in honour of his wife. A fathers blessing is very important for the Jews because Abraham began the custom with their ancestors. The males in the family will attend an evening service in the synagogue. The service is attended to welcome Shabbat as a bride. The husband is the Jewish people. The women do not attend this service because it is felt that their place is at home at this time. They are also very busy with preparations and the rituals they partake in to welcome Shabbat. The men greet each other by saying Shabbat shalom, which wishes them a good and peaceful Shabbat. They also say hymns and psalms and recite blessings, like Kiddush, over wine. The Shabbat celebratory meal is eaten on the Friday evening. Each Friday morning, usually, the mother will bake fresh Challot (sweet braided loaves) because as it bakes it produces an amazing aroma that fills the house and reminds the family that Shabbat is on its way. Everybody washes their hands as a symbol of purity to give Shabbat the best welcome possible. Before the meal, after the father has blessed the family, he recites the prayer of holiness so that each member of the family is involved, by saying Amen at the end of each blessing. Kiddush begins the meal because it sets a special atmosphere and gives a sense of occasion. Kiddush is said because it is an important way of sanctify the meal. One of the adults in the family will recite part of the Genesis; this has the importance of teaching the children because it speaks of God resting after creating the world. This helps the family understand the importance of Shabbat and sticking to its rules. Throughout the meal, many items are present and many actions take place that are an important part of the festival. A white tablecloth is laid out on the family dining table before the meal, symbolising the purity. The woman of the house, or whoever has prepared the meal, must ensure it is eaten with the best cutlery and crockery because it is important that the family welcome the Shabbat with the utmost significance and treat it like a queen or bride. Two candles are used to give extra brightness than usual and to symbolise the extra or double soul that each member of the family has on Shabbat. This number of candles also has many other meanings that different members of the family will believe in. The adults present often believe that it symbolises the number of parents in an ideal family and the different commandments that have to be observed on Shabbat. The family may also believe it is an important symbol of past (creation) and future (exodus). Two loaves are placed on the table, and blessings are said over them. The double portion is an important reminder of when the Israelites were in the wilderness after the Exodus and a double portion of Manna was left for them so that they wouldnt have to collect any on Shabbat. The loaves are covered by a cloth called a Hallah, symbolising the dew over the manna. This is important because it makes the meal even more special and precious to the family. The hallah dressed the bread like a bride and protects its sensitivities. The two loaves, that the family eat, must be plaited to represent God, Israel and the Torah which are important when bound together in the bread because they are mutually dependant, showing the family that the three cant exist without each other. After the blessings, a piece of bread is dipped in salt and given to each member of the family. The parents or children will often have invited guests to this special meal and they are also given a piece of the salted brea d because hospitality is always greatly important to the Jewish faith and its festivals. The knife that is used to cut the bread for each member of the family is covered during the meal because the knife is a weapon of war and violence. The parents want to protect the children from this and emphasise that Shabbat is a time of peace and harmony. During the meal, a plaited candle is always present to symbolise Gods omnipresence and the potential in every human being. After the meal a special grace is said by a member of the family and Bible stories are told to the children to spread joy and happiness whilst they learn. The whole meal and the preparation involved is extremely important to the whole family because it brings them together on one of the most important days of the week and reminds them of their dependence on God for all that is good in life. Sometimes the family may sing songs at the table, which emphasise the joy and togetherness that Shabbat brings. On Shabbat morning the whole family will attend a synagogue service, which is one of the most important and central parts of the festival. It is the chief bond uniting the family with each other and other Jews. The parents ensure that the service is attended because it keeps the family as part of a worshipping community. It is often three hours long for everyone to fully appreciate the importance of the holiday. The males and females will sit separately during the service. The parents arent allowed to use the car during Shabbat, so the family are likely to walk to the synagogue together. The Rabbi leads the family and others in prayer, during the service. The men of the family refrain from wearing their Tefillin whilst praying because Rabbis say that Shabbat is a sign of Gods relationship with the Jews and no other sign is required. Every Shabbat one, or maybe two, scrolls are taken out of the Ark and as it is opened each family member will join the congregation in singing the first line of the Shema. The scroll is then carried round the synagogue with great rejoicing. The men will kiss their tallit as they touch the passing Torah, before it is taken up to the bimah. Having the Torah read to the Orthodox family, from the bimah, is very important because it reminds them of the altar in the Temple. The father may be involved in carrying the scroll and other members of the family may be called up to read or recite a blessing. If a boy in the family has had his 13th birthday during the previous week he celebrates his Bar Mitzvah during this service. This is a Jewish custom and makes the birthday extremely special for the young boy and his family. This is all a very important part of the service, especially for the family, because it involves them in the joy and gives them a sense of identity. The readings, by members of the congregation, are said before or after a portion of the Torah is read. This is then followed by the chanting of the Haftara. Psalms are also read to the whole congregation, by the Rabbi, during his sermon. These readings are all very important to the family because Jews look upon the Torah and Shabbat as Gods two greatest gifts to them. Kiddush is said again at the end of the service as an important blessing. As the family leave the synagogue they wish each other and, members of the congregation, Shabbat Shalom. This wishes them the peace of Shabbat. Often guests will be invited back to the familys home for the afternoon because hospitality is a great feature of Shabbat and the religion. Attending the service each week helps them to show their dedication to God and ensures the day is lived as a celebration and not an annoyance. The synagogue service is usually held in the morning, leaving the family with the afternoon free to enjoy the Shabbat holiday. A lunch is often eaten similar to the meal eaten the night before. Kiddush is again said over Challot to sanctify the remaining hours of the holiday and keep them just as special as the rest. The festival forbids many things, but there are still plenty of activities each member of the family can partake in. They may set time aside in order to study the Torah, this will remind them about what matters most to Jews the family and the Torah. They will spend time, during Shabbat, thinking about what God intends human life to be because Jews realise that it is important to God that there is human co-operation. All Jews want to help make the world a better place, and the family may spend this time thinking of ways in which they can achieve this. This can also be done in the synagogue during an afternoon service, if the family want to attend. If not, they may choose to go for a walk to spend more time together because family is seen as very important. If the adults are feeling particularly social, they may hold a gathering at their home to express outwardly the happiness inherent in the Shabbat holiday. Hospitality has also been very important to Jews because it is a custom that occurs in many festivals and goes back to the times of Abraham, so friends and family are invited. The group entertain them selves with drama, community discussions, lectures and singing. The children can play games and music. Usually the mother or father will provide refreshments that can be offered round by themselves or the children, in order to complement the congenial atmosphere and perpetuate the Talmuds recommendation to eat three full meals that day. As the day draws to an end, a special ceremony is held in the familys home to mark the end of Shabbat. It is said at any time after nightfall in order to give the day a departing ceremony. This is to show how special and important it is to them. They may choose to attend this ceremony at their local synagogue, to give a sense of socialism and community, instead of at home. Wine and candles are used to welcome the Shabbat and the same symbols are used for its departure. A chosen member of the family will say a special blessing called the Havdalah, which means division. It is said to emphasise the idea of separation (between light and dark, sacred and the profane, Israel and other nations and Shabbat from weekdays). It praises God for all these separations. The family then chant two other blessings, the first over sweet smelling spices and the second over a lighted candle. The spice box is passed around each member of the family, in the hope that the deeds of the next week will be sweetened. The spices are also important for the family to be able to remember Shabbat throughout the week, by the sweet scent of the spices. The lit candle is a very important symbol for the departure of Shabbat because fire can now be kindled, after having been forbidden for the past day. Each member of the family then spreads their hands towards the light to express the thought that light is Gods gift and is too be used to good purpose. It also reminds them that the first thing God created was light. With the end of Shabbat, the first day of creation begins. The family have used all five senses of smell, sight, taste, hearing and touch throughout this ceremony and this heightens the spirituality of the festival. The mother or father will end the ceremony by putting out the candle with the wine as the rest of the family sing songs that ask for help and for the arrival of the messianic age. (2) Discuss the ways in which the lives of this family will be affected by their observance of this mitzvah, and the reasons why they are enthusiastic about keeping the traditional Sabbath practices alive in modern times. The familys lives will be affected in many ways by their observance of Shabbat. It is the most difficult mitzvah of the year and will put each member of the family under pressure. There are lots of ways in which the festival can be very difficult and many Orthodox Jews would feel that although it is a day meant for rest it actually makes life more stressful, by having to fit it in around the busy, hectic lifestyles of todays society. The word Sabbath means rest, but in the home of an Orthodox family a great deal of work has to be done before the day. Friday becomes busier than any other day of the week and this puts the family under more stress to get everything completed on time. The whole house must be cleaned, food cooked and all jobs finished before sunset. Someone in the family also has to take even more time out in order to find the exact time in which Shabbat begins that week. This has to be done before Friday evening and can be difficult because the time is only displayed on some Jewish calendars and newspapers. This causes extra stress before the day has even begun. Orthodox women are not obliged to pray during Shabbat, wear the Tefillin or read the Torah at the services so it seems that the festival is easier for them and has less effect on their lives, but this is not so because there is lots that they are obliged to do. They must always keep to the traditional guidelines to set a good example to the children. It is usually the women who have to take time off work and important jobs in order to prepare for Shabbat. They must cook the meal, clean the house, light the candles and carry out traditional rituals like the removing of a piece of dough whilst the bread is baking. Women work more these days and preparation for Shabbat can be virtually impossible or can make their lives very hectic, making it difficult for them to obtain certain jobs and complete work on time. The men in the family are obliged to attend the Synagogue on Friday evening to pray, whereas the women arent. This could have the effect of dividing the family on an occasion which is meant to be joyous and bonding occasion. This may be difficult for the younger men in the family because they will see their sisters and mothers being able to stay at home on the Friday evening. As with the adult women, the men will also have to take time off work to observe the Sabbath in the traditional way and this can cause stress over the early or late completion, or worry over what is happening whilst they abstain from work, because they are unable to communicate via technology like the telephone and computer. Traditional observance of Shabbat will affect the choice of job the adults make because they have to ensure that they will be able to take at least a whole day off, each week. Using the car is forbidden and even using public transport, which means that the parents cant travel any distances a nd therefore cant make any important trips. This can have bad affects within businesses because it prevents problems from being solved as quickly as possible. Taking this time of work can cause a reduced wage, which can have a disastrous effect on the whole family. Life can be even more expensive if you have a family and so they would need as much money as possible. This could make it difficult to find enough money to buy essentials and pay the bills. To make things worse Shabbat can be an expensive holiday to have each week because to for an Orthodox family to observe it, they would need the correct bread and candles, good crockery and posh clothes. The family would also lose even more money by having to abstain from creativity, which means leaving the heating and lights on for the whole day, if they dont have timers. Not only do the candles cost money but they are a hazard to have in a family home. The constant lighting and close contact could cause a fire, effectively ruining homes and lives. They are also dangerous to have around children, especially the very young or babies. If accidentally left unattended the candles could cause the death of a child. The many forbidden activities on a traditional Shabbat could make the parents feel as though they are wasting a day because they are unable to get on with important jobs around the house. Even the children may feel they are wasting homework time. Not being able to work would have a very bad effect on teenagers because they would be unable to revise for important exams and would lose a day each week for coursework. University and sixth form students are unable to write essays and coursework over this time. This could ultimately affect their school and exam results, which affects their lives and futures. Children often have to leave school early, especially during winter, because it is a tradition to be home before sunset so that you can welcome in the Shabbat with the family. This can cause them to miss important information and work each week. It also puts them under stress to catch up on missed work, at the same time as new work. Teenagers and sixth form students are unable to get Saturday jobs, so they have less money than their friends and less to pay school fees. This can make life even more of a struggle during their education. This Orthodox family may have to abstain from doing things which they enjoy, during this free time, because they have been defined as work. This can be very frustrating because different people consider different things as work. Sometimes people choose to do things which are hard work to others, because they enjoy them. This makes it hard to abstain from doing these, whilst they have all this free time. The laws of Shabbat mean that food and milk cant be heated for babies. This can make it difficult for parents to feed them and if they dont get the correct food and nutrients it can cause health problems in the future. In todays society, a traditional Shabbat can have a particularly restrictive affect on children and can cause boredom, which leads to resentment against the festival and even the religion. If there are no afternoon activities planned and no television or computers allowed the day can become very boring. Modern society relies on things like television and computer games as a form of entertainment; it is very difficult for children to give this up each week. They are unable to participate in many weekend activities like other children their age and this can have a depressing affect on children, causing them to feel left out and isolated. It can also lead to bullying or loss of friends, which can have a devastating affect on children. Teenagers cant go shopping or even use mobile phones, causing them to feel isolated or cut off from society and their friends. Taking part in traditional rituals and practices on Shabbat can make the children, and even the parents, feel like an exhibit, different and as though they are not normal. Shabbat often doesnt fit in with local cultures and modern society work practices. This is made even worse by the fact that the Christian Sabbath, which is the majority, celebrate Sabbath on the Sunday. They can see everyone else going out and leading what society sees as a normal life. This can encourage bullying and a lack of enthusiasm for the festival. There are just too many rules to follow and all the dos and donts make the Jews sound weird to other people, affecting their lives in the community and creating a problem for the family, in distinguishing what can and cant be done. Using the car is forbidden on Shabbat, making the day even more difficult for the family, especially if they have young children or elderly or disabled members of the family. This means that walking long distances can become an almost impossibility. In Orthodox, traditional observance the family are meant to walk no further than 1 and 3 quarters miles. This is still a long distance and will tire certain members and make the trip feel like a chore. This also means that, to keep this rule, the family have to buy a house within this distance from a synagogue. This reduces their choice and can leave them feeling unhappy with the area they live in. However, for an Orthodox family, the Jewish rules become such a complete way of life that they cant and wont break the traditional observance, despite any restrictions and difficult effects it has. Tradition- doing things the way they have always been done- is very important in Judaism. It comes every week and is an important reminder of Gods creation. Shabbat itself symbolises the covenant God has with the Jewish people and this emphasises why they are so enthusiastic about keeping traditional practices, they feel these practices thank God , praising him for the covenant and creation, and help them feel closer to him. Despite the pressures involved, Shabbat is so unique that it must be respected by behaving differently, to differentiate it from the rest of the week, there are also many positive ways in which the day affects the lives of each member of the family and causes them to be enthusiastic about observing it in the traditional way. They festival has so many benefits for the family, heightening the enthusiasm. Orthodox Jews hold very firmly to the teachings of the Torah because they were revealed by God to Moses. The observance of Shabbat is the fourth commandment. This rule came from God, so strict Jews, such as this family, have no objections against it and enjoy the challenge Shabbat creates, seeing it as a necessity to their religious faith. Many Jews would say that all the festivals are wonderful occasions and Shabbat provides a discipline to life which brings family togetherness, right from childhood and this is seen as a wonderful thing. The adults in the family are particularly enthusiastic about keeping the tradition of a day of rest, because it allows them to set time aside to study the Torah and Talmud. This is important to them for guidance in life and to learn new things, whilst enabling them to pass their Jewish knowledge to the children. Shabbat affects the way in which the next generation of Jews will develop because the parents are more able (through the festivities) to teach their children a sense of values and pass on what is believed to be right. The children will realise a sense of right and wrong, what is of real value in life and how people should behave. Shabbat is also a time for relaxing with the family. Nowadays, many people live highly stressful lives. People work too hard and Shabbat gives them time to remember whats really important in life. They are continually hurrying to get things done and families seldom have time to just be together. Shabbat is like calling time out, everything stops and an incredible peace descends on the family. A traditional Shabbat is important to them because they are able to spend time together in an unhurried, relaxed atmosphere. The family like to keep it traditional and abstain from work to feel relieved, happy and to aim for better spirituality, whilst feeling better physically. The opportunity to rest is the mark of being free, and the family know a traditional Shabbat offers this. This increases their enthusiasm for the holiday because it is enjoyable and they are able to talk about what has happened to each of them during the week. This is a nice change from always watching the television, ensuring that the family dont become more and more distant from each other. They want to keep it traditional, as their Jewish ancestors would have celebrated it, because their heritage is extremely important to them and is wonderfully satisfying. It is keeping Jewish culture alive and unites the family with all Jewish communities in the world to give them security and a sense of identity. Children may find the day restrictive, but most parents will try not to make it so. After a hard working week the whole family look forward to Shabbat because its a pleasure to come together, relax, eat a meal together, be able to talk and have some time to read without interruption. Some Jewish families feel pressurised to have certain objects at Shabbat, like fine cutlery or a white tablecloth, but the traditions and nature of the festival teach the family that its not the objects, but the actions that are important. Its having the loaves of bread on the table, not what covers them that matters. Many Orthodox Jews are enthusiastic about the practices of Shabbat each week because it is a day out of the twentieth century for a change. A day of rest and relaxation. All the traditions like candles, songs, a special meal affects each individual. It provides a sense of wellbeing and fulfilment, as though everything they do is right. This means they enjoy life more and have something to look forward to each week. It is a festival primarily enjoyed in the home, which affects the lives of the family in a very positive way and is important because the home is a very special place in the Jewish faith. It is the central point of the religion and is of great spiritual and physical importance because it is where we learnt to talk, walk, feed and play. This reflects on how the family feel about Shabbat. Instead of feeling like they are being cooped up inside all day, they feel there is much to learn and share. They are able to have a celebratory meal together and even invite friends and re latives, to be hospitable and make it more enjoyable. During the meal, the family are able to have deep and interesting discussions lasting long into the night. It is quality time, a time of connection, communication and inclusion. The women are especially enthusiastic to observe the tradition of candles and the lighting, because it is seen as a lovely sharing time which brings mums, daughters, grans, friends and guests close in the warmth and beauty of the moment. It is important to them, to know that Jewish women all over the globe do the same thing, and that gives a wonderful feeling of unity. Baking home made Challot for Shabbat is very satisfying for the women in the family. They are still able to keep the tradition, even if they are unable to bake their own, because it is easy to buy some from tasty Jewish bakeries that are now around. The celebratory meal fills the house with many wonderful aromas of traditional Shabbat food, including from the lunch for the next day, this increase the enthusiasm of everyone involved and especially entices the children to keep the festival traditional, whilst reminding and teaching everyone present of their dependence on God for all that is good in life. As technology progresses, keeping the traditions of Shabbat has become easier for the whole family, which makes them more enthusiastic to observe it as it always has been. For example, the family may eat a dish called cholent for lunch. This will be left to keep warm on the stove, the low flame of which will be covered with a sheet of metal called a blech. This covers the flame and controls of the stove, as no cooking is allowed over the entire Shabbat. Modern appliances have made it much easier for Orthodox Jews to keep to the rules of Shabbat, which inevitably increases their enthusiasm for keeping the holiday traditional. For example, timers can be set for things like the heating and lights so that they dont have to be left on for the whole of Shabbat. This saves the family money that would have cost previous Jews. Machines can be programmed to do things at certain times, like cookers and even computers, so essential work may not be missed. The synagogue plays a very important part in Jewish worship. This is part of the reason why the family are enthusiastic to keep the festival traditional, by attending special services to worship God. The Friday evening study services at the synagogue help the family to better understand the Torah and how to live your life, the service will not only help them to strictly observe Shabbat, but it also brings the congregation together and the family can be more social, making new friends or just spending time with ones they already know. The children can also attend youth services and groups that help them meet with other Jews their own age. They can learn about fun things surrounding Shabbat and it helps them realise that although Saturday is a special day out for their non-Jewish friends, it is just as special, in so many ways, to the Jews. As well as attending these services, the children can also conduct their own, which would be more appropriate to their interests and much more suit able and interesting for the youths of the congregation. This also helps them to become practically involved with the religion as well as giving them key skills in preparation, speech giving and co-operation which are very important. The services during Shabbat are especially important to young boys, because the first Shabbat after their 13th birthday is when their Bar Mitzvah is held. They are especially enthusiastic to keep it traditional around this time because it is a celebratory custom that has been conducted since the time of Abraham. The Orthodox family would have found their home near to a synagogue, because walking there each Shabbat is a tradition they would want to keep. By not using the car for a whole day each week, the family are saving money that non- Jews wouldnt. This makes them more enthusiastic to keep the tradition of only walking, to travel, on Shabbat. The walk can have a very positive effect on the family, giving them time to spend together and a chance to walk rather than constantly depending on the car, because life is always a rush. It slows life down, giving each individual a chance to think. After the services there are lots of afternoon activities that take place to prevent boredom. These will often happen in the home. The children and parents can get much enjoyment and happiness out of this hospitality. They make new friends, feel part of the community and can play games or show off certain talents in drama and singing. These activities are fun and still keep to the rules of Shabbat. This makes it seem less restrictive and encourages the family to keep it traditional. The free afternoons are also a perfect time for the children to importantly widen their knowledge on the religion. Any festival has its negative effects on those that observe all its rules, but despite these the family are still enthusiastic about keeping the traditional Sabbath practices alive because they can all become involved and enjoy the festivities of their unique day. It is important for parents to bond with their children and to encourage them to do something different when they find it difficult to abstain from televisions and computers. Children may find it particularly difficult and separating from their friends, but it helps them to learn that if your friends are truly genuine and caring, they will respect your religious beliefs as part of who you are. Its a day so different from all the others, that gives each member of the family a sense of identity and by keeping the traditions they can all find their own place in the religion, knowing they are spending the day as their older relatives always have done. They know that, by observing traditional practices, Jews around the world are doing the same things and this emphasises their sense of identity and helping them to feel part of a community. When they are in the homes of other family members or friends, during Shabbat, they know that each ritual will be the same and this provides a welcome structure for the whole family. So to be able to spend a holiday at a friends or relatives house and see the same candles, the same bread and the same wine focuses the mind, to create something beautiful out of very basic objects is very satisfying. (3) For religious people, every day should be holy. Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Judaism in your answer. I believe that in religion, every day should be treated as holy because, especially in Judaism, the whole life is directed towards thinking about and putting into practice their faith in God and observance of his guidelines. There are days of the year on which holier rituals are carried out and more time is spent reflecting on the religion, but every day of the week involves activities that are important to the religion and are considered holy. The faith of a Jew is incorporated into every day of their life, giving each one a special holiness because of its dedication to God. The covenant that God created between himself and the Jews is the reason for this. By following the lifestyle advocated by God: And you shall do that which is proper and good in the eyes of Hashem, The Jew is commanded to be holy and to create holiness in themselves. They can experience and contribute to the holiness through many actions. They feel that as a sign of gratitude and commitment every aspect of everyday should be sacred and set apart. They also believe that actions which arent considered holy or being carried out for God should not be done. On an average day, Jews will be thinking about God, their religion and how they should act, which already makes the day more sacred and holy to them, but they aill also partake in lots of rituals that set time apart for remembrance, thanks or even just thought. Even the home, in which every day is spent, is considered holy because of the mezuzah, a parchment scroll on which two passages are written. These command the Jew to write Gods words on the doorpost, setting it apart from other houses. It is a constant reminder of God and his Torah. By having mezuzah in the house as well they can make every room sacred for God. They touch it and then their lips when they enter or leave the room. It is then a permanent visual aid, reminding them of Gods commands in their home life. A typical Jewish day is the best example of the way Jews want every day to be holy. Prayer is not simply something that happens in the synagogue once a week but it is an integral part of everyday life. They are constantly reminded of Gods presence and of their relationship with him because they continually pray to him. The first thought in the morning, even before they get out of bed, is a prayer thanking God for returning their souls to them. The holiness and sanctity continues throughout the day because there are prayers to be recited before enjoying any material pleasure, such as eating and before performing any mitzvah, such as washing and lighting candles. They will also pray whenever something good or bad happens and before they got to bed. These are known as berakhot and have to be said at least 100 times each day to increase the holiness and acknowledge God as the ultimate source of all good and evil in the universe. These prayers are said in addition to the formal ones which are recited three times a day, every weekday. This is to dedicate as much of the day as possible to thought about God and to increase the awareness of the role he plays in their lives. If they only pray when they feel inspired then not every day would be set apart for God. The Talmud states that it is permissible to pray in any language, nut to pray in Hebrew adds a special importance and holiness to each day. Reciting in Hebrew is important because it is the pure essence of Jewish thought and is a responsibility they undertook as part of the covenant made with God. It is also considered a holy language because of its intrinsic characteristics. As well as praying in Hebrew, every time they pray they face Israel. This makes it extra sacred because the Land of Israel is more holy than all other lands. A Jewish day completely revolves around their religion and keeping it holy. This is partly due to the comprehensive way of life, filled with rules and practices that affect every aspect of life: what they can and cannot eat, what they can and cannot wear, how to groom themselves, how to conduct their business and most importantly, how to treat God. These rules and practices are known as Halakhah and is the Jewish law. It gives spirituality to each day and gives all trivial acts a religious significance. They are constantly reminded of their faith and so it becomes an integral part of their entire existence. The daily rituals, I am about to explain, are laws of the Halakhah, instituted in the Torah to keep every day, between holidays, holy. Kashrut is the body of Jewish law that deals with what they can and cannot eat and how it must be prepared and eaten. They call this keeping kosher and it is something the Jews will do every single day of their lives. This involves the maximum removal of blood from their meat and not mixing meat with milk. This is because the Torah commands thou shalt not boil a kid in its mothers milk. Every day, great trouble is put into observing this law, making sure they are not cooked or eaten together. It is observed with exact care as a means to self discipline and purity. This shows their obedience to God and it elevates the simple everyday act of eating into a religious ritual. Even the dinner table, used regularly each day, is holy because it is compared to the Temple altar. A Jew that observes the laws of kashrut cannot eat a meal without being reminded of the fact that they are a Jewish. A Jew will ensure that time is set apart each day to study the Talmud and Torah. They learn more about the religion and achieve guidance in life, whilst proving their commitment to God and keeping his mitzvah. They are able to spend thinking only of this and none of the material things in life, which is very holy and sacred to them. At the heart of the Halakhah is the unchangeable 613 mitzvot that God gave to the Jewish people in the Torah. The Jews keep to all mitzvah (commandments) that apply to them. For example, every day Jews observe the mitzvah to recite grace after meals because the Torah has told them to and that it blesses the Lord. It is also performed out of respect for God and to make the day holier for him because he has ultimately provided them with the food they need to survive. As well as prayer each day, Jews will often visit the synagogue by themselves or with the family, to bring extra holiness to each day. They dont just visit the synagogue for special services and festivals; instead they often go to just pray and be closer to God. Prayer in the synagogue brings them closer to God and allows their mind to be completely focused on God rather than things that are happening in the home. There are many items worn during prayer in the synagogue that are of great significance to each day and the sacredness of prayer. There are three items worn by adult male Jews, each time they pray, as reminders of God and their obligations to him. The first is a prayer shawl, called a Tallit, a white, square or rectangular garment made of wool or silk. The most important feature of it is the fringe tzizit in each four corners. This is very important to remind them of the holy mitzvoth they have to keep each day. The second sacred object is the tephillin, which are two black boxes that contain four passages of the Torah to instruct the Jew. The material it is written on is very important because it comes from a kosher animal and is treated with great respect. This is worn every time the Jew prays. One box is bound to the forehead and the other to the arm opposite the heart. This is important because they remind him that he must worship God with his whole person, the heart and the head. Tephilin are very holy symbols of the covenant because they stress obedience to the Torah. The third item is the kippah. This is a skull-cap worn by the men during prayer. Some wear this all day as a way of expressing their respect for God. To incorporate their faith into everyday and make it holy Jews will fulfil the commandment in the Torah to help those in need, both in physical and financial. They will give at least ten percent of their income to charity. It is a sacred, instinctive response to express thanks to God, ask forgiveness or to request a favour from God. The spiritual benefit of giving to the poor each day is so great because it gives them an opportunity to perform Tzedakah, which is the highest of all commandments. Although I agree that for the Jews, each day is holy there are some days which are holier than others and have a special focus. These days are considered holidays, emphasising their holiness because the word originated from holy day. Morally, everything a Jew does each day is directed towards God, but certain days are more important because more focus is put on God. These days are mainly well known festivals and are holier because extra effort is made, there are more rules to observe and far more togetherness. Pesach (or Passover) is a very important festival because unlike all other holy days it celebrates the beginnings of the Jewish people, when God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Before Passover their house must be cleared of all foods containing leavened grain products or yeast in response to a passage commanding so in the Torah. This is followed so completely that families will have special kitchen utensils, crockery and cutlery used only for this festival and stored away for the rest of the year This makes it extra sacred because it means the use of it reminds them only of Passover and of Gods control over history and nature. The most spiritual part of the festival is the opening meal, called the Seder, in which unleavened bread is eaten to recreate the slavery conditions of their ancestors and to relive the exodus. It is very holy because of its strong connections with their ancestors and God, and because of its reminder of their dependence on him. Bitter herbs are eaten during Seder, to remind them of what is being commemorated. Parsley leaves represent freedom and the bitter stalk, slavery. This is rarely eaten throughout the year, giving it its own important spiritual meaning. These are dipped in salt water as a symbol of the slaves tears. Many other spiritual, unusual foods are eaten, including a hard boiled egg and a lamb bone as a reminder of the sacrifices offered in the temple. The Talmud states that each person must also drink four glasses of wine. This shows dedication to Gods commandments. The days of Passover are sacred and set apart from the rest because they celebrate freedom and without the events commemorated by it, there would be no Jewish people. In every Kiddush, throughout the year, Jews speak in remembrance of the exodus, but it is Passover which celebrates the birth of a nation. It expresses the sense of belonging to a people, chosen by God and depending on him. The tradition and ritual of Sukkot creates an important festival to the Jews. The seven days in which it is observed are very holy and special because they focus on what God has given and celebrate his protection of the Israelites in the wilderness. This is different and holier than the rituals carried out on normal days because the Jews fulfil the mitzvah to dwell in booths. These booths remind them of their dependence on God and contain a hole in the roof, so that they feel closer to him. Having to stay in these booths is very special because it means families are able to spend more time, than usual, together. The four species is a very symbolic part of Sukkot and makes it extra holy. It contains an etrog and different leaves as a reminder of the harvest and the variety of people making up the Jewish community. It is waved in all directions, each day of the festival. This is a very spiritual act that symbolises Gods omnipresence. The days leading up to the festival of Rosh Hashanah are far holier than most of the year because they are spent repenting and Jews must enter into a mood of self reflection. The days are made holier and happier by an increase in good deeds. To fulfil the obligations of honouring and enjoying the festival, Jews will prepare, bathe, wear new clothes and clean the house. Rosh Hashanah lasts for two days, in which certain work is forbidden. These days are of great holiness and importance because they are traditionally when God opens the Book of life. During these days Jews beseech mercy in recognition of their sins, reflecting the importance of God. It is also the anniversary of the creation of the world, making it particularly holier and more significant than other festivals. Sacred blessings are recited over the candles, lit before sunset on the first night. Evening prayers and services are conducted with special melodies that enhance the special atmosphere. Each day of the festival is sanctified over wine by saying Kiddush, which sets it apart from other days. Special foods are eaten on Rosh Hashanah that arent eaten for the rest of the year, this gives the meals a special importance. Jews are more careful about keeping kosher on these days to make it holier and perfect in the eyes of God. Each food is very symbolic to the Jews, for example apples dipped in honey represent joy and blessing. Fruit is eaten, that has not been eaten for a year, to represent renewal. On Rosh Hashanah everyone should hear the Shofar to fulfil the commandment in the Torah. Its powerful blasts are a very important part of making the festival holier than others because it is only blown 100 times on these days out of the whole year. It not only warns people of the coming day of judgement, but importantly calls people together before God, so that communities and families spend more time together. Yom Kippur is without a doubt the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It is a sacred experience for the Jews. The principle theme is atonement and is extremely holy because all actions are directed towards making God happy. On this day, Jews ignore physical needs, such as eating, to help them to concentrate on special needs, notably forgiveness. This Day of Atonement is extra holy because it combines the elements of remorse and confession with those of prayer and spiritual purification. Fasting enhances this because it is done in fulfilment of the biblical command you shall afflict your souls. In honour of the holiday, it is customary to wear best clothes and to prepare the house as they would for Shabbat. Most clothes and special materials are white, on this day, for holiness and to symbolise purity. Many Jews will carry out a special ritual on the eve of Yom Kippur, particular to this festival to set it apart from others. They immerse themselves in a ritual bath in order to enter into a pure, holy manner. Jews do not light candles in their home every day, only for special occasions, and because Yom Kippur is so holy they will light specific candles called Yahrzeit candles. To set it apart from regular days and other festivals, Jews attend more services on Yom Kippur. They chant Kol Nidrei to stress the importance of the day and to remember when Jews were forced to convert to Christianity, but vowed to God to remain Jewish. The story Of Jonah is read on this day as a sacred reminder that God is willing to forgive anyone that repents their sins. Yom Kippur is especially holy because of the constant communication with God and the many pleas of forgiveness, for sins. It is the holiest day of the year because, they believe, it is when God makes his final judgement on each individual and what will happen to them throughout the next year. In addition to these festivals, Shabbat is the holiest day of each week. It is a spiritual day because of its constant focus on God. It is immensely holy because it is the only festival in whose observance is a commandment. Sabbath is so important each week that God told the Jews to keep it holy, therefore it is referred to as the holy day. This emphasises how holier it is than regular days with the same rituals each day. Shabbat has lots more additional mitzvah and rituals, for every Jew to partake in. Shabbat itself is the holiest day of each week, even without the rituals, because it symbolises Gods creation of the world and his covenant with the Jewish people. The holiness is shown by the way in which the day is welcomed so much differently from any other. Other than festivals, it is the only day of the week in which the Jews must ensure that the house is cleaned, the table laid, food prepared and the best clothes are worn by everybody. There are also so many more rewards for observing Shabbat because each individual has something to do and everyone wants to keep the day holy to show their obedience to God. A special meal is eaten on Shabbat, where the whole family and guests can spend more time together than usual meals. The rituals and symbols involved with this meal make the day much holier and give it great meaning. They also give the family something important to look forward to each week. Plaited loaves are eaten on Shabbat as an important representation of the dependence between God, Israel and the Torah. Two loaves are used to symbolise the double portion that God left for their ancestors so that they wouldnt have to break the mitzvah to not work, looking for food. Shabbat is the only day of the week where a Hallah cover is used to protect the bread and the best cutlery and crockery are used. Candles are an extremely important part of Shabbat, to set it apart from regular days. They are lit various times throughout the day, symbolising peace coming into the house, the creation of the world and the extra brightness that Shabbat brings over other days. The family can spend more time together and with God on Shabbat because they are not distracted by work and school, like the rest of the week. They are also able to spend more time within the Jewish community because there are special synagogue services that only occur on Shabbat. They meet as a community to pray and worship before God. It is only during the Shabbat service that a weekly portion of the Torah is read. This makes the services on Shabbat extra holy because of the great importance of the Torah to Judaism. It is how God wishes them to live their entire lives. Shabbat even has its own special greeting, different form other days. When greeting or bidding farewell, each Jew will say Shabbat Shalom to express their wishes that everyone has a peaceful and happy Shabbat. The afternoon is made extra sacred by the study of the Torah or spending more time in the synagogue. Shabbat gives them the time to do this and focus on God. As well as having a special welcome, Shabbat is set apart from normal days by its sacred departure. The Havdalah is performed and more prayers are recited. This shows how important and holy the day is because they are sad that the day has ended. The ritual involves blessings over wine and spices as well as a candle, and this only happens on Shabbat. For a Jew, each day is holy and important, but there are some days in their lives which are even more important to the individual and their family. These days are so important that they have a special name, each one is known as a rites of passage. The rituals carried out on these days are in addition to the normal mitzvah, making them even more holy than usual. The birth of a Jew, into a family, is an extremely sacred occasions. They believe a child is born completely pure and free from sin and the birth is so holy that extra prayers are said. They believe that every person is a gift from God, so the day must be sanctified by prayer in thanks to God. After a child is born, the father is given the holy honour of aliyah, which is an opportunity to bless the reading of the Torah in the synagogue. This is especially holy because it is the only day when a blessing is recited purely for the health of the mother and the child. Brit Milah is a much holier day than most because it is one of the most universally observed commandments. It is the circumcision of a male, usually when eight days old. There is more to the ritual than merely the process of removing the foreskin; it is very holy because it is a commandment specific to the Jews. The circumcision is a physical sign of the eternal covenant between God and the Jews. It is also a sign that the Jewish people will be perpetuated through the circumcised man. The circumcision is performed on the eighth day of the boys life and is holier than most other rituals because it can only be carried out by an observant, educated Jew called a mohel. This man is religiously qualified and it is a very religious ritual, blessed by a rabbi, so that it is completely directed towards God. The Bar and Bat Mitzvah is the next very holy rite of passage in the life of a Jew. Bar Mitzvah means son of the commandment and occurs when the Jewish boy reaches the age of 13. Bat Mitzvah is the same for girls at age 12. It is very important because it enters them into the covenant relationship with God. When approaching Bar Mitzvah, the boys wear a very sacred prayer shawl and can begin wearing a pair of Tefillin. On this special occasion the relatives recite blessings for the child as they become adults in the religion. During the ceremony, for the first time the child is able to read a portion of the Torah to the congregation, in Hebrew. This brings them closer to God and involves them more in their religion. After this, the father recites baruch shepatarani, in which they thank God for having brought the boy to maturity and declares the boy is now responsible for his own actions. This is very sacred to the father because it is the only time he will recite it for that child. Marriage is an extremely holy occasion in the life of an adult Jew. It is seen as vitally important in Judaism. Refraining from it is not considered holy. There are many rituals carried out on the day of the ceremony that set it apart in the life of a Jew and bring them much closer to God. The ceremony takes place under a chupah because it can be held up by 4 poles, held by friends or relatives of the couple. This is a very important way of bringing people together before God. The Rabbi reads a section from the psalm as a blessing. This is a sacred way of blessing the couple in the name of the Lord and expresses thanks to God. The bride then circles the groom to symbolise her basic rights for the rest of their marriage: food, clothing and sex. A betrothal blessing is said to sanctify the marriage. The groom places the brides ring on her right index finger to symbolise her acceptance. The Ketubah is read and signed before God to sanctify and bind the marriage, setting it apart from the betrothal. The ceremony is set apart from most other joyous occasions, by the blessings over wine. This is very sacred, as well as adding to the festivity. Kiddush is recited twice to sanctify the occasion. Fasting on the day of the wedding is a very important part of the holiness because the couple are able to make peace with God before entering the covenant of marriage. In Judaism, life is valued above almost all else to every day is considered holy, but death is not considered a tragedy or any less holy. Death is the last rite of passage, but is still considered very holy because they believe, like our lives, it is all part of Gods plan. Candles are a sacred symbol in Judaism and so they are lit next to the body. The mourner recites a specific blessing, holier than usual blessings, to describe God as the true judge. The mourners have a special meal that is very symbolic and holy. It usually consists of eggs (as a symbol of life) and bread. Death is such a holy occasion for Jews that it has a mourners prayer called Kaddish. This is to reaffirm their faith in God, despite their loss. Holiness and faith is incorporated into every day of their lives, so I agree that every day is holy for them, but the specific festivals and rites of passage are considered much holier days. The sanctity and importance of each of these extra rituals, brings every individual Jew closer to God. The focus of these days is completely spiritual, with none of the usual distractions faced every day.

Geography Essays Tourism and Globalisation in Prague

Geography Essays Tourism and Globalisation in Prague The economic impact of tourism and globalisation in Prague. ‘Tourism’ is the all-encompassing term for the movement of people to destinations away from their place of residence for any reason other than following an occupation. The World Tourism Organisation, a United Nations body, defines a tourist as â€Å"someone who travels at least eighty kilometres (fifty miles) from home for the purpose of recreation† (Frangialli, 2001) Individuals and communities around the globe are more connected to each other than ever before. Information and money are rapidly transmitted intra- and internationally, goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available universally, and international travel and communication is routine. Advancing technology and leaps of progress in engineering have effectively resulted in a minimised world. Depending on political standpoint, this increasingly interconnected global marketplace either represents an enormous achievement for mankind, or a potentially devastating progression into the twenty-first century. Meetings of bodies such as G8, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank often generate large demonstrations, as witnessed in Prague in September, 2000, organised by Prague-based International Campaign against Globalization. Tourism comprises around 5 per cent of the world’s GDP (gross domestic product), and over 200 hundred million people are employed in some form of travel and tourism worldwide (Frangialli, 2001). International tourism is a major export; indeed, in over 150 countries, representing eighty percent of nations worldwide, tourism is one of the five top export earners. In more than sixty countries, tourism is the number one export, and in the Czech Republic tourism accounts for 7 per cent of overall exports and over 40 per cent of service exports (Eyal, 2003). With nationals of 45 countries spending an average of 1 billion euros annually while travelling abroad, including Germans who spend over 50 billion euros and the Dutch who expend almost 14 billion euros, inbound and domestic tourism is increasingly viewed as a reliable and predominant means of national development. Historical background Inhabitants of the Vltava valley are first mentioned in historical documents in 500BC, following the arrival of an unnamed Celtic tribe to the area. One thousand years later, the first Slavonic tribe is referenced as settling in Bohemia. Two of the most spectacular structures have played important roles in the history of Prague: ninth-century Prague Castle, built by Prince Borivoj, and the tenth-century fortress Vysehrad, built on the rock upon the right bank of the river Vltava. Both fortresses became essential for Czech rulers throughout history; Prince Wenceslas, for example, murdered in 935AD and later canonised, valued both strongholds (Eyal, 2003). Prague, capital city of the Czech Republik, is an intricate municipality of historical monuments depicting many artistic styles. The historical centre of Prague is situated on both banks of the river Vltava, and consists of 6 ‘quarters’, once independent cities and merged during the eighteenth century.   Many museums, galleries, and historical buildings still exist in superb condition, and, in 1992, in recognition of this, Prague’s historical centre was added to the World Heritage Sites register of UNESCO (Eyal, 2003). Despite the protracted hegemony of the Austrian empire, which had instigated the decline of the Czech culture and language, the reign of Empress Maria Teresa, during the eighteenth century, allowed the Czech Republik to rediscover its history, language and ethnicity. This flourish of Czech national pride continued until Czech independence in 1918, and was responsible for the construction of many extravagant public buildings and the restoration of old traditions. Prague has continually proven itself as a valuable tourist location, and has attracted many prominent personalities throughout the centuries; among them Mozart, von Beethoven, Queen Elisabeth II, and Pope John Paul II. Economic impact of tourism One of the most significant forces for change in the world today, tourism is now regarded by many as the worlds largest industry. It prompts regular mass migrations of people, processes of development, exploitation of resources, and inevitable repercussions on places, economies, societies and environments (Williams, 1999). Many factors have encouraged the development of both domestic and international forms of tourism, and they exert differing economic, environmental and socio-cultural impacts upon destinations. Both as an industry and as a social phenomenon, tourism can be responsible for a renowned speed and scale of change to a location. But at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the challenges of change can seem more daunting than ever before, especially evident in terms of globalisation, the IT revolution, the democratic challenge, and the new consumer (Shlevkov, 2004). Globalisation (as discussed later) represents the intensification of relationships between locations, increasingly shaping the phenomenon in addition to being shaped by it. It denotes the expansion of competition in the tourism industry, as both the reach of transnational capital and the tourists ‘imagined’ world are effectively ‘globalised’. Although the demise of mass tourism is greatly exaggerated, consumers have become increasingly differentiated, and this has severely influenced the tourist map, with few places escaping the increasingly conflicting demands of diverse groups of tourists (Frangialli, 2001). Similarly, the IT revolution is partially responsible for, and facilitates, globalisation, and promises to transform the productivity of tourism capital, challenging the meaning of tourism itself. Nations are now faced with the task of constructing new democratic models which can both regulate and allow commitment to the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly globalised, technology-driven and discriminating world in which the tourist is king. This has led to a growing interest in models of participatory democracy that, in the realm of tourism, has been especially evident in the debate regarding the construction of effective and impartial partnerships in the pursuit of sustainable tourism (Frangialli, 2001). An example of a typical response to these challenges, in 1998, the Royal Geographical Society established the Limited Life Working Party on the Geography of British Tourism. Its remit was to review the current state of British tourism, and to determine a research agenda for the challenges of a changing tourist industry. The work of this group was surrounded five working papers on production, consumption, localities, the environment and public policy (GLTRG, 2000), and while neither exclusive nor comprehensive, the papers provided an organisational framework for addressing both the substantive and methodological challenges facing tourism (Eyal, 2003). First publicly presented at a conference at the University of Exeter in September 1999, the papers resulted in revealing discussions which indicated that the organisational framework discussed possessed a resonance beyond the national arena. It is envisaged by many institutions that these research papers will contribute to the shared eff orts of international scholars to engage with and understand the increasingly complex and rapidly changing world of tourism. Prague is an increasingly popular tourist destination and is already viewed as an abundant location for amateur property developers. The popularity has reaped the Czech Republic rich rewards over the past decade; earnings from tourism have risen steadily since 1989, topping USD 3.7 billion in 1998, equivalent to six percent of the countrys GDP (Shlevkov, 2004). This figure, however, does not begin to reflect the sectors true significance for the Czech economy. Following Skoda cars and beer, tourism is one of the countrys leading exports, accounting for 12.8 percent of all foreign currency earnings. In addition, foreign employers and tourist industries are currently providing jobs for an estimated ten percent of the national labour force. Income from tourism has almost quadrupled over the past six years, more than balancing the outflow of capital that has accompanied the increasing number of Czechs spending their vacations abroad. Following the Velvet Revolution of November and Decemb er 1989, industrial exports plummeted and collapsed. Tourism, however, accommodated the excess, providing new jobs and incomes to the otherwise unemployed masses. Indeed, the positive balance from tourism maintained stable, even profitable, accounts during the first half of the 1990s. Considered one of the most stable and prosperous post-Communist states, the Czech Republik has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-2001 was led by exports to the EU, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving. Tourism has played a critical role in the Czech Republik’s economic stability, and Prague’s magnetism to visitors and investors alike has been crucial. Tourism in the Czech Republic is overpoweringly focused on the Golden City, and an estimated 70 percent of all foreign visitors stay in the capitol, Prague (Frangialli, 2001). But the capitols success in attracting visitors is overwhelming the city. The panorama from Charles Bridge is still breathtakingly beautiful, but these vistas are now suffocated amidst the hordes of tourists. ‘Real life’, the Eastern European culture which attracts so many tourists in the first place, is gradually being edged out by boutiques and pizza franchises. High streets now resemble American society and have lost the historical European charm that made them so appealing. The concentration on Prague is ironic considering the plethora of assets the rest of the country has to offer. A handful of places, such as ÄÅ'esky Krumlov, Karlovy Vary and Kutna Hora, have established themselves in tourist guides as worthy locations to visit outside of Prague, but the average tourist is oblivious to the castles, chateaux, monasteries and churches that speckle the Czech countryside. The hundreds of wine cellars that litter southern Moravia and the picturesque towns of southern Bohemia are virtually ignored. While wealthy Prague is stifled with tourists, the areas away from the capitol could most benefit from hosting visitors. Tourism can be particularly effective for regional development. It is relatively labour-intensive and involves predominantly small to medium-sized enterprises, employing ten to twenty-five employees, that can respond flexibly to market demands. It also generates a wide number of valuable indirect benefits for local communities, including opportunities for recreation and culture, investments in infrastructure and even a strengthened sense of local identity and pride (Shlevkov, 2004). Reaping these benefits has been frustrated so far by the inadequate tourist infrastructure and poor promotion of most areas outside of Prague. With regard to food and accommodation, the problem is not so much one of quantity as the number of beds and eateries away from Prague is generally sufficient. Quality, however, is generally considered, by visitors, as derisory, with most inns, hotels and restaurants simply not meeting basic Western standards. In an increasingly discriminating tourist world, where c ompetition and quality is generally high, non-capitol locations are principally being overlooked by the veritable goldmine that is the tourist world. Until recently, most regions have had to rely more or less on their own initiatives for self-promotion to potential foreign visitors. The majority have fared badly, and the overall result has been cacophony rather than clear and precise communication (Frangialli, 2001). For much of the past decade, tourism development in the Czech Republic has been more or less robotic and self-regulated. Under the mantra of purported market liberalism, the government pursued a hands-off policy between 1992 and 1997, during the five years that former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus was in power (Eyal, 2003). During this period, the equable and stable increase in tourists and revenues did not inspire any reconsideration of this approach. The first suggestion that a more directed methodology to tourism might be appropriate occurred concurrently as the government realised that its laissez-faire approach was dividing the country into distinct ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. The Ministry for was established in 1996 to address the growing imbalance between affluent areas, like Prague, and the many struggling rural backwaters, such as Ostrava. Subsequently, responsibility for overseeing and developing tourism was transferred from the Ministry for Trade and I ndustry to the new Ministry of Local and Regional Development (Eyal, 2003). Despite this vague appreciation and recognition that tourism could be an instrument for regional development, the governments dedication has remained limited. In contrast to other countries with substantial and respectable tourist industries, which regularly plough percentages of their tourist profits into further development of the sector, investment by the Czech Republik in tourism development over the past decade has been miniscule. In 1997, for example, an estimated 0.6 percent of GDP from tourism was reinvested into the industry, and as a result, the infrastructure of tourism is suffering.   Within the Ministry for Local and Regional Development, for example, only a handful of staff, most in support functions, oversee and coordinate the development of one of the most significant sectors of the Czech economy. This is considered completely insufficient to organise the complex coordination of tourist service providers, carriers, local and regional authorities, state agencies, non -profit factions, and so on, involved in tourism in the country (Shlevkov, 2004). The majority of the departments budget is consumed by the Czech Tourism Authority, whose employees and representatives around the world, numbering approximately 70, are charged with promoting the country, domestically and internationally. However, without adequate funding, the tourist authority is unable to retain its most capable employees, and, to date, has achieved little of merit. The organizations unattractive Internet pages and stuffy brochures seem designed to dissuade potential visitors rather than entice them to the country. The Czech Tourism Authority has recently launched a new initiative specifically designed to promote the different regions around the Czech Republic; despite good intentions, however, this essentially ineffective given the weak promotion for the country as a whole and the highly insufficient economic and personnel support for such an enterprise. The Czech Republik remains practically exotic to most nations, even now shrouded in mystery and chiefly unfamiliar to the average tourist. Marketing regions is, therefore, see n as a waste of precious resources and manpower useless – without a deliberate, organised and powerful holistic promotion of the country as a whole, the reputation of Czech Republik within the world of tourism will remain an eclectic and bizarre mixture of castles and beer. Globalisation Depending upon the individual’s political, or apolitical, viewpoint, ‘globalisation’ is many things to many people. Many see it as a primarily economic phenomenon, involving the increasing interaction, or integration, of national economic systems through the growth in international trade, investment and capital flows. However, it is possible to also point to a rapid increase in cross-border socio-cultural and technological exchange as part of the phenomenon, and to understand the trend in terms broader than purely economical. Sociologist, Anthony Giddens, for example, defines globalisation as a â€Å"decoupling of space and time† (Friedman, 2005), emphasising that with virtually instantaneous communications and impressive technological advances, knowledge and culture can be shared around the world simultaneously. The Era of Globalization is rapidly becoming the preferred term for describing the current period in history. Just as the Depression , the Cold War Era, the Space Age, and the Roaring 20s are used to describe particular periods of history; globalization describes the political, economic, and cultural atmosphere of today (Wolf, 2004).   While some people think of globalisation as primarily a synonym for global business, or economy, it is much more than that. The same forces that allow businesses to operate as if national borders did not exist also allow social activists, labour organizers, journalists, academics, and many others to work on a global stage, and subsequently, have encouraged the development of the tourist industry. With the average citizen of most developed nations able to travel, transatlantic or transpacific, within the duration of a single day, the majority of consumers are visiting and experiencing cultures and ethnicities unattainable to previous generations. In addition, with technological breakthroughs, virtual tourism is on the increase, with more and more potential tourists initially †˜visiting’ a country via their computer, thereby encouraging the actual physical travel itself. Globalisation is a modern term used to describe changes in societies and the world economy that result from dramatically increased international trade and cultural exchange, describing the increase of trade and investing due to the falling of barriers and the interdependence of countries. In specifically economic contexts, it is often understood to refer almost exclusively to the effects of trade; particularly trade liberalisation or free trade (reference). Between 1910 and 1950, a series of political and economic upheavals dramatically reduced the volume and importance of international trade flows. However, globalization trends reversed following the creation and establishment of the Bretton Woods institutions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) (WCSDG, 2004). In the post-World War II environment, nurtured by global economic institutions and rebuilding programs, international trade dramatically expanded. During the 1970s, the effects of this trade became increasingly visible, both in terms of the benefits and the disruptive effects. Although all three aspects are closely interconnected, it is useful to distinguish economic, political and cultural aspects of globalization. In addition, it is important to recognise the key aspect of technological advances, particularly with regard to transportation and communications, which, it is claimed, are responsible for the modern phenomenon of the ‘global village’. Since the word has both technical and political meanings, different groups will have differing histories of the globalisation phenomenon. In general use, within the field of economics and political economy, however, it is a history of increasing trade between nations based on stable institutions that allow firms in different nations to exchange goods with minimal friction. During the inception of globalisation as we understand it today, the term liberalisation came to represent the combination of laissez-faire economic theory with the removal of barriers to the movement of goods. This resulted in the increasing specialisation of nations in exports, and the pressure to end protective tariffs and other barriers to trade. The period of the gold standard and liberalisation of the 19th century is often, therefore, termed The First Era of Globalisation (Wolf, 2004). In essence, it was argued that, with widespread acceptance of liberalisation, nations would trade effectively, and that any temporary disruptions in supply or demand would correct themselves automatically. The institution of the gold standard appeared in phases in major industrialized nations between approximately 1850 and 1880 (Ralston Saul, 2004), though exactly when various nations were truly on the gold standard remains a matter of contentious debate. It is understood that the First Era of Globalisation began to undergo its initial disintegration as a result of the First World War, and subsequently collapsed entirely with the crisis of the gold standard in the late 1920s and early 1930s. However, countries that engaged in that era of globalisation, including the European core, some of the European periphery and various European offshoots in the Americas and Oceania, prospered. Inequality between those states fell, as goods, capital and labour flowed remarkably freely between nations. Globalisation in the years following World War II has been driven by Trade Negotiation Rounds, originally under the auspices of GATT, which led to a series of agreements to remove restrictions on free trade (Wolf, 2004). The Uruguay round led to a treaty to create the World Trade Organization (WTO), in an attempt to effectively mediate trade disputes. Other bilateral trade agreements, including sections of Europes Maastricht Treaty and the North Ameri can Free Trade Agreement have also been signed in pursuit of the goal of reducing tariffs and barriers to trade (WCSDG, 2004). Despite the surface appearance of remarkable international economic successes as a result of globalisation, not all nations and groups are convinced that globalisation is, indeed, of benefit to their country in particular, or the world stage as a whole. In September, 2000, this was particularly evident in the Czech Republik. Some 20,000 representatives of global capital, predominantly world bankers, economists and financiers, visited Prague to attend the 55th annual summit of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. This prestigious meeting of the world economic elite, the first of its kind in the Central and Eastern Europe, was considered to be of great importance. The delegates intended to meet to propose a scheme of further liberalisation of the world economy by defining new loan priorities and structural adjustment conditions. However, events in Seattle at the WTO meeting, November 1999, indicated that a significant wave of global resistance was rising against th e expanding power of global capital. The IMF/WB summit in Prague provided adequate opportunity for anti-globalisation movements to express their demands for what they perceived as ‘global justice’. The Initiative against Economic Globalization (INPEG) is a loose coalition of various Czech environmental, human rights and autonomist/anarchist groups, organizations and individuals who critically oppose the professed world financial oligarchy, and they had planned a series of campaigns that would culminate in ten days of activities during the IMF delegation in Prague. Claiming that transnational economic corporations and organisations deliberately promote globalisation as a means of maximising private profits, anti-globalisation factions routinely argue that pro-globalisation lobbyists and institutions maliciously restrict the â€Å"power of people to protect the environment, determine their economic destiny, and safeguard their human rights† (Stiglitz, 2002). Furthermore, groups such as INPEG assert that world economic organisations are also directly responsible for Third World debt, and that their debt relief policies continue under the harsh conditions of the IMF Structur al Adjustment Programmes, and thus resulting in an impossible economic situation for developing nations. With particular regard to the Czech Republik, anti-globalisation organisations endeavour to highlight what they considered to be the debilitating effects of globalisation policies on Central and Eastern Europe, demanding an immediate suspension of these practices leading to environmental destruction, growing social inequality and poverty and curtailing of people’s rights (Stiglitz, 2002). However, despite the vocal outrage of such anti-globalisation factions, the world increasingly shares problems and challenges that do not obey nation state borders, most notably pollution of the natural environment, and as such the movement previously depicted as the anti-globalisation movement has metamorphosed into a ‘movement of movements’ for globalization from below; seeking, through experimentation, forms of social organisation that transcend the nation state and representative democracy (Wolf, 2004). So, whereas the original arguments of anti-global critique can be refuted with stories of internationalisation, the emergence of a global movement is indisputable and, therefore, it is possible to speak of a real process towards a global human society. Future projectionsIn 1998, an international cooperative research network was organised, by Volker Bornschier and Christopher Chase-Dunn, for the Fourteenth World Congress of Sociology in Montreal, Canada. This network attempts, theoretically and empirically, to determine the multitude of dimensions relating to globalisation, particularly economic, political, common ecological constraints, cultural values and institutions, and the globalisation of communication (WCSDG, 2004). The first results of this coordinated research were introduced at two sessions at the World Congress of Sociology in Montreal. While the earlier popular discourse on globalisation seemed to suggest, at least implicitly, that globalisation and world economic growth occur in tandem, a more stringent analysis revealed that the various aspects of globalisation became accentuated in the phase of long term sluggish economic growth when compared with long-term economic upswings. It became evident that, despite the remar kable economic growth experienced by several countries during the 1980s and 1990s, overall polarisation in the world did not shrink but actually increased in the latest era of globalisation. Adjectives such as uneven and limits have increasingly appeared in the titles of academic works on globalization, not only reflecting a critical perspective, but also the obvious need for theoretical clarity and empirical research. To assist with the research conducted by Bornschier et al, researchers from three continents were recruited to examine the diverse phenomena of globalisation, and determine the sustainability of developments and the design of new institutions in order to shape a less polarized and more peaceful social world (Ralston Saul, 2004). Considering the future of globalization, conceived as processes promoting international interconnectedness, contemporary globalisation is not entirely unusual when compared to past episodes, such as that experienced between 1850 and 1914. During that period, there was rapid growth in trade, capital flows and migration comparable to, or greater than, today (Hirst and Thompson, 2002). There was also a policy backlash and the widespread adoption of protectionist policies. In addition, contemporary globalisation processes are not, in evidence, undermining national economies; on the contrary, the major states are reinforced in their role of international actors (Friedman, 2005). However, it is widely accepted that both the global economy and national governments will face crucial challenges during this century, the chief of which is climate change. Such changes will tend to foster conflict and thus reinforce the role of the state, but in a context where supremacy at every level will be ha rder to achieve. Evidence about the effects of borders and the limits to trade expansion have been presented by a plethora of research groups, and the overwhelming agreement is that data indicate that we could be close to the limits of feasible globalisation (Ralston Saul, 2004). The World Tourism Organization forecasts that international tourism will continue growing at the average annual rate of 4 percent (WTO, 2001) (http://www.world-tourism.org/market_research/facts/market_trends.htm). By 2020, as forecast, Europe will remain the most popular destination for tourists, but its share will drop from 60 percent in 1995 to 46 percent. It is expected that long-haul will expand slightly faster than intraregional travel, and, by 2020, its share of international tourism will increase from 18 percent in 1995 to 24 percent. Moves to complete banking, telecommunications, and energy privatisation will add to foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth. Gradual technological improvements are likely to make air-ship hotels possible, based either on solar-powered airplanes or large dirigibles (WTO, 2001). Widespread popularity of underwater hotels is predict ed, and structures such as the Hydropolis, purported to open in Dubai in 2006, will be built to meet growing demand. On the surface of the ocean, tourists will be welcomed by ever larger cruise ships and floating cities, such as the Freedom Ship (construction planned for 2005). Some futurists expect that movable hotel pods will be created that could be temporarily erected anywhere on the planet, where building a permanent resort would be unacceptable politically, economically or environmentally (WTO, 2001). As computer technologies advance sufficiently, virtual reality tourism is likely to become extremely popular and affordable, with significant popularity expended around 2010-2015. Conclusion Reality may now be catching up with the Czech Republic. Prague hoteliers and merchants are reportedly increasingly disturbed by the shortfalls in the tourist industry, and even government officials are concerned by the drop in visitors over recent years. The number of foreign visitors rose rapidly in the first seven years after the Velvet Revolution, from 26.9 million in 1989 to 109.4 million in 1996. However, subsequently, the numbers have tapered, declining to 107.9 million in 1997, and 102.8 million in the following year (the last full year for which statistics are available) (Shlevkov, 2004). In contrast to the decline in tourists in 1997, predominantly due to the massive flooding that submerged large parts of the country, the recent downturn may signal a greater trend. The countrys poor tourism infrastructure, bad service and inept promotion are starting to severely impact on the region’s GDP, and, to a lesser extent, national pride and their value to European progress. The afterglow of the Velvet Revolution lasted longer abroad than it did in the Czech lands. Tourists flocked to the Czech Republic for its fabled capitol city and a taste of Eastern Europe, conveniently located along the Berlin-Vienna train line and within easy reach of Germany and Italy, and not for good food or great service. Ten years later, Prague and the Czech Republic have lost much of their initial aura and are no longer completely uncharted territory. Poor beds, bad board and worse manners now do make a difference for the increasingly discriminating tourist-consumer looking at Prague versus other destinations. The Czechs may not be considered as friendly and outgoing as the Irish, and the land-locked republik lacks a coast to attract beach-seeking tourists, nevertheless, with a location almost exactly in the middle of Europe, a landscape overflowing with cultural attractions and a fascinating history, and an economy considered still very affordable to most Western tourists, the Czech Republic should be enjoying an enviable tourist reputation. Irelands remarkable success stands as an example for what it is possible to achieve. The Czech authorities are beginning to realise the vast potential tourism has to offer. Tourism has been written into virtually every regional development plan in the country, and the Ministry for Local and Regional Development has drafted a national plan for developing tourism that draws attention to some basic problems and makes a number of proposals for reform (Frangialli, 2001). The establishment of a tourism development fund, passage of a more favourable tax legi slation