Sunday, January 26, 2020

Is The Future Of Tourism A Secure One Tourism Essay

Is The Future Of Tourism A Secure One Tourism Essay Tourism refers to travel which is intended for the purposes of leisure, business or recreation. Tourism can only occur when there are tourists. Tourists are the people who opt to travel and stay in destinations which, in most cases, are not their usual daily environments for a period of more than twenty four hours but not exceeding one year. Tourists travel for business, leisure and other purposes which are not related to the environments visited. The United Nations classified Tourism in three forms in 1994: domestic, inbound and outbound tourism. Domestic tourism involves the travel of residents or citizens of a given country in their country and not outside. Inbound tourism, involves non residents who opt to travel in a given country. Outbound is tourism where residents of a country opt to travel to another country. The World Tourism Organization report of 2009 places the top ten countries that attracted the highest number of tourists as being France, the United States of America, Spain, China, Italy, United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia, and Mexico. The Tourism industry does not have a secure future because based on several parameters. Statistics indicate that the number of tourists who have been visiting different countries continues to dwindle on a yearly basis in some tourist destinations because of several factors. These factors include dwindling economies, increasing gas prices, natural disasters, terrorism threats and climate changes. The economy of a country is a major factor that affects the tourism industry. If people of a country are retrenched from their work, they become worried about how they are going to pay their expenses like rent and mortgage and as such, they do not see the reason as to why they should spend their money on travel. Many people all over the world always consider travel as a luxury that can only be indulged in when someone has made some extra income or when the times are extremely good. When the hard times come biting, one of the expenditures that are always cut on many peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s budget is travel tourism. This is especially true when the traveling options like cruises are expensive and pricey. Therefore, the high cost and standards of living cannot enable people to promote the tourism industry because they consider it as a luxury, Stynes (2008 p. 37). The dwindling economies have led to recessions and low purchasing power of people who travel and promote the tourism industry therefore making its future to be insecure. People are now reluctant to spend their money on tourism because of the decreasing and dwindling economies. High inflation also causes a decrease in the purchasing power of the countries and therefore when one nation experiences a high rate of inflation and a decrease in the purchasing power, then all the nations are affected. This in turn makes the tourism industry to be very insecure. Gas prices have also had an impact on the tourism industry. The reason is that, when people are spending more of their money on gas, they will usually detest taking long road trips which they would have otherwise gone on. The added expense of pricey fuel makes the people to have less money in their pockets. On the other side, most of the firms involved in the tourism industry like bus companies and the airlines are also under obligations to pay for the gas as well. When the prices of gas go a little bit higher, then the bus companies and the airlines often incur an added cost. In return, they are forced to increase their prices to account for the price increase, forcing people not to go for tourism trips because of the increased traveling costs. The price of gas is affected by many factors such as conflicts in the Middle East where most of it is produced. There are many threats which do not seem to subside, and as a result oil prices are expected to continue rising. This reason there fore makes the future of the tourism industry to be bleak and insecure. Natural disasters are also factors that can have an influence or impact on some certain destinations. Of course, people will not be worried about traveling if they are hit by natural disasters and on the other side, people will not be willing to visit tourist destinations which have been hit by natural disasters. For example, if California was hit by a big earthquake, tourists will be afraid to visit Los Angeles and other tourist areas which are located around. Tourist destinations which are commonly hit by the hurricanes are often shunned by the tourists. Over the years, natural disasters have been increasing in frequency and intensity. Tsunamis are occurring because of the climate changes which do not only affect the atmosphere and the nations as well but also the earthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s crust. For instance, when South East Asia was hit by Tsunami, 230, 000 lives of the coastal communities were taken and this actually affected the Tourism industry. Recent earthquakes, landslides a nd volcanic eruptions may become a common phenomenon in the world as a result of global warming which changes the earthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s crust. The natural disasters therefore reduce the number of tourists willing to travel to different destination sites thus making the Tourism industry to be insecure Watts (2009, p. 23). The type of customers is also a very important factor which affects the Tourism industry. This is attributed to the fact that different tourist industries all over the world will often sell their services and products to different types of tourists. This is also called market segmentation and it involves the identification of the different types or groups of customers who exist in a country and the subsequent treatment of each type of tourist as a very different segment. Some of the different types of tourists that may need different treatment include the leisure tourists, business tourist, the independent tourist, the package holiday makers and the age specific groups. Failure of the tourism industry to treat the tourists according to their needs reduces the number of their clients and therefore creating a negative impact. This of course will make the tourism industry to become insecure, Robin, (2010 p. 121,). Terrorism has always had a major effect on the economy of the world and particularly on the Tourism industry. The threats of terrorism are increasing on a daily basis as well as the intensity of the attacks The trend that terrorists always tend to strike on the famous tourism destinations is also a big factor that has influenced the tourism industry. Terrorism therefore remains one of the most dreaded threats to the Tourism industry since the US 9/11 attacks. The latest tourist destination to be attacked by the terrorisms is the Taj Mahal Hotel which is based in Mumbai India. As of now, each continent is faced with terrorist threats ranging from Africa to America, the Arab countries, South East Asia and even India. Neighboring countries which are close to the countries affected by the terrorists attacks are a big worry to the global tourists who always view the whole areas surrounding them as being unsafe for tourism trips. It therefore remains a fact that when disaster, war or even terror strikes any country, the arrival of the tourists in these nations will go on a declining end and this will negatively affect the economy of the nations which greatly rely on the tourism industry as a source of income. With possible threats of the terrorist attacks, the tourism industry becomes very insecure, Hayde (2010, P. 18). Another factor that will make the tourism industry not to be secure is the climate change which has greatly affected many nations. The destruction of the natural eco-system all over the world will deplete all the beautiful sceneries and animals that are a major source of tourist attraction and therefore making the future of this sector to be bleak and insecure. The advisory notes and travel bans written by different countries advising its citizens against visiting some countries based on the fear of the terrorist attacks is also another factor that greatly affects the tourism industry. This current state of events proves the fact that insecurity often hampers investment. Many of the tourist destination sites are therefore becoming insecure because of the numerous travel bans imposed on them. Failure of the tourists to travel to these tourism destinations makes this industry to be insecure. The difference of tourism now and before is that unlike before, the current tourism industries have appreciated the use of technology in that most of their services are automated. Unlike before, one does not have to travel physically to the headquarters of an airline company to book a seat to travel, instead, one can only log on to the websites of the airline industry and book the available tickets electronically to travel. Unlike before, communication and transportation has greatly improved and thus enabled quicker and faster communication between the client and the Tourism industry. Transactions are done quickly and efficiently through the introduction of the internet and email services. The introduction of the mobile phones has also enhanced the communication aspects of the tourism industry and as such the clients are able to inquire about the different services and goods being offered by the tourism industries all over the world, Baines (1998 p. 162). The introduction of e-commerce has unlike before made it possible for different tourism industries located all over the world to market their tourism destinations through the use of E-store. People willing to travel to different tourist destinations all over the world are able to view the sites on the internet which can be seen as a reality and therefore creating curiosity for them to physically visit the sites. Tourism products have therefore become one of the popular items which are traded over the internet with the advent of e-commerce, a technology which did not exist before. On the other hand, the invention of technology and good infrastructure has created a number of problems for some of the countries with good tourist destinations. For instance, terrorists hijacked planes and caused a big loss on the property and lives of the American people in the September 9/11 attacks. The use of the internet has also created room for the hackers who get access to the relevant websites and confidential information of the tourism industry and use it for their own malicious gains. The introduction of the destructive programs, also known as the viruses on the World Wide Web (the internet) has also created substantial losses for the tourism industry since they have made the tourism sector to incur losses in terms of losing very crucial information in their organizations all over the world.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Environment and crime

The term â€Å"environment† is roughly associated with the immediate surrounding such as the aquatic environment which is the surrounding area or region proximal to aquatic flora and fauna. Oftentimes, the concept of an environment is the agglomeration of both living and nonliving entities with respect to a certain subject surrounded by the immediate surroundings.For instance, a student's environment can be that of a learning institution such as a university whereby the ‘academic' environment is composed of other students, teachers, books and libraries, classrooms and many others.It can be observed that one's environment is a direct correlate to one's activities. If this is indeed the case, it would seem quite plausible to assume that, in terms of an individual's criminal activity, the neighborhood environment is a leading correlate of crime.Granted that this is true, why is it that a large majority of those who live in even the most crime ridden and impoverished areas r efrain from committing crime? To answer this question, a few things must be taken into consideration.First, logic tells us that an individual wanting to commit the crime of robbery for the purpose of stealing the most valuables will most likely rob, say, a wealthy businessman rather than a beggar. In a larger scale, it is logical to presume that a criminal residing in an impoverished and crime ridden locality will least likely rob the residents of the area primarily because there is little reward for a highly punishable act.That is, a criminal will be attracted to steal from individuals with a higher or with the most resources. Hence, one cannot easily identify criminal activity by individuals in the most impoverished and crime ridden areas.Yet the non-identification of criminal activity in an environment does not lead to the presumption that there is none. In order to have a compelling reason to further believe that a large majority of people living in the most ‘criminalized' areas refrain from committing crime, another factor must be considered.This leads us to the second logical presumption—the tendency to attribute certain activities to certain individuals.  Criminal activities are easily identified with criminals in the sense that when an armed robbery occurred in a certain city bank, the immediate suspect will be the criminals who are known to rob banks or who have previous records of armed bank robbery.In this sense, the most crime ridden locality will be included in the list of the ‘hideouts' of potential suspects apparently after each criminal activity is identified to have transpired somewhere else. Hence, there becomes the tendency to attribute certain activities to certain individuals.With this in mind, individuals living in the most crime ridden are prone to be prime candidates for suspects in criminal activities. Their response may be twofold: either they will live up to their ‘label' since they are already ‘brand ed' or they will seek to refrain from committing crime.The first option is indeed probable, yet one factor hinders it from turning into reality: their incapacity to overpower the law due to their impoverished state. Given the fact that these individuals live in a state where there are scarce resources to sustain themselves, there is little reason to believe that these impoverished individuals have the capability to overpower law enforcers through, say, stealing from a well-guarded urban mall.With sanctions imposable on criminals, risking one's impoverished life for a momentary sustenance which has a miniscule chance from succeeding is simply not an option. Hence, a large majority of individuals living in the most crime ridden and impoverished areas refrain from committing crime especially from within their financially challenged locality for the reason that the gains are doubly scarce and that the risks have negligible worth.ReferenceSamaha, J. (2007). Criminal Law (9th ed.). Belmon t: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Yet another reason that I loathe the heavenly scum with whom I share this room: today I found that I had offended our intrepid room service waiter, Jesus. How was I to know? When he brought our pizza for dinner, I gave him one of the American silver coins that we received from the airport sweet shop called Cinnabon. He scoffed at me – scoffed – then, thinking better of it, he said, â€Å"Seà ±or, I know you are foreign, so you do not know, but this is a very insulting tip. Better you just sign the room service slip so I get the fee that is added automatically. I tell you this because you have been very kind, and I know you do not mean to offend, but another of the waiters would spit in your food if you should offer him this.† I glared at the angel, who, as usual, was lying on the bed watching television, and for the first time I realized that he did not understand Jesus' language. He did not possess the gift of tongues he had bestowed on me. He spoke Aramaic to me, and he seemed to know Hebrew and enough English to understand television, but of Spanish he understood not a word. I apologized to Jesus and sent him on his way with a promise that I would make it up to him, then I wheeled on the angel. â€Å"You fool, these coins, these dimes, are nearly worthless in this country.† â€Å"What do you mean, they look like the silver dinars we dug up in Jerusalem, they are worth a fortune.† He was right, in a way. After he called me up from the dead I led him to a cemetery in the valley of Ben Hiddon, and there, hidden behind a stone where Judas had put it two thousand years ago, was the blood money – thirty silver dinars. But for a little tarnish, they looked just as they did on the day I had taken them, and they were almost identical to the coin this country calls the dime (except for the image of Tiberius on the dinars, and some other Caesar on the dime). We had taken the dinars to an antiquities dealer in the old city (which looked nearly the same as it did when I'd last walked there, except that the Temple was gone and in its place two great mosques). The merchant gave us twenty thousand dollars in American money for them. It was this money that we had traveled on, and deposited at the hotel desk for our expenses. The angel told me the dimes must have the same worth as the dinars, and I, like a fool, believed him. â€Å"You should have told me,† I said to the angel. â€Å"If I could leave this room I would know myself.† â€Å"You have work to do,† the angel said. Then he leapt to his feet and shouted at the television, â€Å"The wrath of the Lord shall fall upon ye, Stephanos!† â€Å"What in the hell are you shouting at?† The angel wagged a finger at the screen, â€Å"He has exchanged Catherine's baby for its evil twin, which he fathered with her sister while she was in a coma, yet Catherine does not realize his evil deed, as he has had his face changed to impersonate the bank manager who is foreclosing on Catherine's husband's business. If I was not trapped here I would personally drag the fiend straight to hell.† For days now the angel had been watching serial dramas on television, alternately shouting at the screen or bursting into tears. He had stopped reading over my shoulder, so I had just tried to ignore him, but now I realized what was going on. â€Å"It's not real, Raziel.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"It's drama, like the Greeks used to do. They are actors in a play.† â€Å"No, no one could pretend to such evil.† â€Å"That's not all. Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus? Not real. Characters in a play.† â€Å"You lying dog!† â€Å"If you'd ever leave the room and look at how real people talk you'd know that, you yellow-haired cretin. But no, you stay here perched on my shoulder like a trained bird. I am dead two thousand years and even I know better.† (I still need to get a look at that book in the dresser. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could goad the angel into giving me five minutes privacy.) â€Å"You know nothing,† said Raziel. â€Å"I have destroyed whole cities in my time.† â€Å"Sort of makes me wonder if you destroyed the right ones. That'd be embarrassing, huh?† Then an advertisement came on the screen for a magazine that promised to â€Å"fill in all the blanks† and give the real inside story to all of soap operas: Soap Opera Digest. I watched the angel's eyes widen. He grabbed the phone and rang the front desk. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"I need that book.† â€Å"Have them send up Jesus,† I said. â€Å"He'll help you get it.† On our first day of work, Joshua and I were up before dawn. We met near the well and filled the waterskins our fathers had given us, then ate our breakfasts, flatbread and cheese, as we walked together to Sepphoris. The road, although packed dirt most of the way, was smooth and easy to walk. (If Rome saw to anything in its territories, it was the lifelines of its army.) As we walked we watched the rock-strewn hills turn pink under the rising sun, and I saw Joshua shudder as if a chill wind had danced up his spine. â€Å"The glory of God is in everything we see,† he said. â€Å"We must never forget that.† â€Å"I just stepped in camel dung. Tomorrow let's leave after it's light out.† â€Å"I just realized it, that is why the old woman wouldn't live again. I forgot that it wasn't my power that made her arise, it was the Lord's. I brought her back for the wrong reason, out of arrogance, so she died a second time.† â€Å"It squished over the side of my sandal. Well, that's going to smell all day.† â€Å"But perhaps it was because I did not touch her. When I've brought other creatures back to life, I've always touched them.† â€Å"Is there something in the Law about taking your camel off the road to do his business? There should be. If not the Law of Moses, then the Romans should have one. I mean, they won't hesitate to crucify a Jew who rebels, there should be some punishment for messing up their roads. Don't you think? I'm not saying crucifixion, but a good smiting in the mouth or something.† â€Å"But how could I have touched the corpse when it is forbidden by the Law? The mourners would have stopped me.† â€Å"Can we stop for a second so I can scrape off my sandal? Help me find a stick. That pile was as big as my head.† â€Å"You're not listening to me, Biff.† â€Å"I am listening. Look, Joshua, I don't think the Law applies to you. I mean, you're the Messiah, God is supposed to tell you what he wants, isn't he?† â€Å"I ask, but I receive no answer.† â€Å"Look, you're doing fine. Maybe that woman didn't live again because she was stubborn. Old people are that way. You have to throw water on my grandfather to get him up from his nap. Try a young dead person next time.† â€Å"What if I am not really the Messiah?† â€Å"You mean you're not sure? The angel didn't give it away? You think that God might be playing a joke on you? I don't think so. I don't know the Torah as well as you, Joshua, but I don't remember God having a sense of humor.† Finally, a grin. â€Å"He gave me you as a best friend, didn't he?† â€Å"Help me find a stick.† â€Å"Do you think I'll make a good stonemason?† â€Å"Just don't be better at it than I am. That's all I ask.† â€Å"You stink.† â€Å"What have I been saying?† â€Å"You really think Maggie likes me?† â€Å"Are you going to be like this every morning? Because if you are, you can walk to work alone.† The gates of Sepphoris were like a funnel of humanity. Farmers poured out into their fields and groves, craftsmen and builders crowded in, while merchants hawked their wares and beggars moaned at the roadside. Joshua and I stopped outside the gates to marvel and were nearly run down by a man leading a string of donkeys laden with baskets of stone. It wasn't that we had never seen a city before. Jerusalem was fifty times larger than Sepphoris, and we had been there many times for feast days, but Jerusalem was a Jewish city – it was the Jewish city. Sepphoris was the Roman fortress city of Galilee, and as soon as we saw the statue of Venus at the gates we knew that this was something different. I elbowed Joshua in the ribs. â€Å"Graven image.† I had never seen the human form depicted before. â€Å"Sinful,† Joshua said. â€Å"She's naked.† â€Å"Don't look.† â€Å"She's completely naked.† â€Å"It is forbidden. We should go away from here, find your father.† He caught me by my sleeve and dragged me through the gates into the city. â€Å"How can they allow that?† I asked. â€Å"You'd think that our people would tear it down.† â€Å"They did, a band of Zealots. Joseph told me. The Romans caught them and crucified them by this road.† â€Å"You never told me that.† â€Å"Joseph told me not to speak of it.† â€Å"You could see her breasts.† â€Å"Don't think about it.† â€Å"How can I not think about it? I've never seen a breast without a baby attached to it. They're more – more friendly in pairs like that.† â€Å"Which way to where we are supposed to work?† â€Å"My father said to come to the western corner of the city and we would see where the work was being done.† â€Å"Then come along.† He was still dragging me, his head down, stomping along like an angry mule. â€Å"Do you think Maggie's breasts will look like that?† My father had been commissioned to build a house for a wealthy Greek on the western side of the city. When Joshua and I arrived my father was already there, directing the slaves who were hoisting a cut stone into place on the wall. I suppose I expected something different. I suppose I was surprised that anyone, even a slave, would do as my father instructed. The slaves were Nubians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, criminals, debtors, spoils of war, accidents of birth; they were wiry, filthy men, many wearing nothing more than sandals and a loincloth. In another life they might have commanded an army or lived in a palace, but now they sweated in the morning chill, moving stones heavy enough to break a donkey. â€Å"Are these your slaves?† Joshua asked my father. â€Å"Am I a rich man, Joshua? No, these slaves belong to the Romans. The Greek who is building this house has hired them for the construction.† â€Å"Why do they do as you ask? There are so many of them. You are only one man.† My father hung his head. â€Å"I hope that you never see what the lead tips of a Roman whip do to a man's body. All of these men have, and even seeing it has broken their spirit as men. I pray for them every night.† â€Å"I hate the Romans,† I said. â€Å"Do you, little one, do you?† A man's voice from behind. â€Å"Hail, Centurion,† my father said, his eyes going wide. Joshua and I turned to see Justus Gallicus, the centurion from the funeral at Japhia, standing among the slaves. â€Å"Alphaeus, it seems you are raising a litter of Zealots.† My father put his hands on my and Joshua's shoulders. â€Å"This is my son, Levi, and his friend Joshua. They begin their apprenticeship today. Just boys,† he said, by way of apology. Justus approached, looked quickly at me, then stared at Joshua for a long time. â€Å"I know you, boy. I've seen you before.† â€Å"The funeral at Japhia,† I said quickly. I couldn't take my eyes off of the wasp-waisted short sword that hung from the centurion's belt. â€Å"No,† the Roman seemed to be searching his memory. â€Å"Not Japhia. I've seen this face in a picture.† â€Å"That can't be,† my father said. â€Å"We are forbidden by our faith from depicting the human form.† Justus glared at him. â€Å"I am not a stranger to your people's primitive beliefs, Alphaeus. Still, this boy is familiar.† Joshua stared up at the centurion with a completely blank expression. â€Å"You feel for these slaves, boy? You would free them if you could?† Joshua nodded. â€Å"I would. A man's spirit should be his own to give to God.† â€Å"You know, there was a slave about eighty years ago who talked like you. He raised an army of slaves against Rome, beat back two of our armies, took over all the territories south of Rome. It's a story every Roman soldier must learn.† â€Å"Why, what happened?† I asked. â€Å"We crucified him,† Justus said. â€Å"By the side of the road, and his body was eaten by ravens. The lesson we all learn is that nothing can stand against Rome. A lesson you need to learn, boy, along with your stonecutting.† Just then another Roman soldier approached, a legionnaire, not wearing the cape or the helmet crest of the centurion. He said something to Justus in Latin, then looked at Joshua and paused. In rough Aramaic he said, â€Å"Hey, didn't I see that kid on some bread once?† â€Å"Wasn't him,† I said. â€Å"Really? Sure looks like him.† â€Å"Nope, that was another kid on the bread.† â€Å"It was me,† said Joshua. I backhanded him across the forehead, knocking him to the ground. â€Å"No it wasn't. He's insane. Sorry.† The soldier shook his head and hurried off after Justus. I offered a hand to help Joshua up. â€Å"You're going to have to learn to lie.† â€Å"I am? But I feel like I'm here to tell the truth.† â€Å"Yeah, sure, but not now.† I don't exactly know what I expected it would be like working as a stonemason, but I know that in less than a week Joshua was having second thoughts about not becoming a carpenter. Cutting great stones with small iron chisels was very hard work. Who knew? â€Å"Look around, do you see any trees?† Joshua mocked. â€Å"Rocks, Josh, rocks.† â€Å"It's only hard because we don't know what we're doing. It will get easier.† Joshua looked at my father, who was stripped to the waist, chiseling away on a stone the size of a donkey, while a dozen slaves waited to hoist it into place. He was covered with gray dust and streams of sweat drew dark lines between cords of muscle straining in his back and arms. â€Å"Alphaeus,† Joshua called, â€Å"does the work get easier once you know what you are doing?† â€Å"Your lungs grow thick with stone dust and your eyes bleary from the sun and fragments thrown up by the chisel. You pour your lifeblood out into works of stone for Romans who will take your money in taxes to feed soldiers who will nail your people to crosses for wanting to be free. Your back breaks, your bones creak, your wife screeches at you, and your children torment you with open, begging mouths, like greedy baby birds in the nest. You go to bed every night so tired and beaten that you pray to the Lord to send the angel of death to take you in your sleep so you don't have to face another morning. It also has its downside.† â€Å"Thanks,† Joshua said. He looked at me, one eyebrow raised. â€Å"I for one, am excited,† I said. â€Å"I'm ready to cut some stone. Stand back, Josh, my chisel is on fire. Life is stretched out before us like a great bazaar, and I can't wait to taste the sweets to be found there.† Josh tilted his head like a bewildered dog. â€Å"I didn't get that from your father's answer.† â€Å"It's sarcasm, Josh.† â€Å"Sarcasm?† â€Å"It's from the Greek, sarkasmos. To bite the lips. It means that you aren't really saying what you mean, but people will get your point. I invented it, Bartholomew named it.† â€Å"Well, if the village idiot named it, I'm sure it's a good thing.† â€Å"There you go, you got it.† â€Å"Got what?† â€Å"Sarcasm.† â€Å"No, I meant it.† â€Å"Sure you did.† â€Å"Is that sarcasm?† â€Å"Irony, I think.† â€Å"What's the difference?† â€Å"I haven't the slightest idea.† â€Å"So you're being ironic now, right?† â€Å"No, I really don't know.† â€Å"Maybe you should ask the idiot.† â€Å"Now you've got it.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Sarcasm.† â€Å"Biff, are you sure you weren't sent here by the Devil to vex me?† â€Å"Could be. How am I doing so far? You feel vexed?† â€Å"Yep. And my hands hurt from holding the chisel and mallet.† He struck the chisel with his wooden mallet and sprayed us both with stone fragments. â€Å"Maybe God sent me to talk you into being a stonemason so you would hurry up and go be the Messiah.† He struck the chisel again, then spit and sputtered through the fragments that flew. â€Å"I don't know how to be the Messiah.† â€Å"So what, a week ago we didn't know how to be stonemasons and look at us now. It gets easier once you know what you're doing.† â€Å"Are you being ironic again?† â€Å"God, I hope not.† It was two months before we actually saw the Greek who had commissioned my father to build the house. He was a short, soft-looking little man, who wore a robe that was as white as any worn by the Levite priests, with a border of interlocking rectangles woven around the hem in gold. He arrived in a pair of chariots, followed on foot by two body slaves and a half-dozen bodyguards who looked like Phoenicians. I say a pair of chariots because he rode with a driver in the lead chariot, but behind them they pulled a second chariot in which stood the ten-foot-tall marble statue of a naked man. The Greek climbed down from his chariot and went directly to my father. Joshua and I were mixing a batch of mortar at the time and we paused to watch. â€Å"Graven image,† Joshua said. â€Å"Saw it,† I said. â€Å"As graven images go, I like Venus over by the gate better.† â€Å"That statue is not Jewish,† Joshua said. â€Å"Definitely not Jewish,† I said. The statue's manhood, although abundant, was not circumcised. â€Å"Alphaeus,† the Greek said, â€Å"why haven't you set the floor of the gymnasium yet? I've brought this statue to display in the gymnasium, and there's just a hole in the ground instead of a gymnasium.† â€Å"I told you, this ground is not suitable for building. I can't build on sand. I've had the slaves dig down in the sand until they hit bedrock. Now it has to be back-filled in with stone, then pounded.† â€Å"But I want to place my statue,† the Greek whined. â€Å"It's come all the way from Athens.† â€Å"Would you rather your house fall down around your precious statue?† â€Å"Don't talk to me that way, Jew, I am paying you well to build this house.† â€Å"And I am building this house well, which means not on the sand. So store your statue and let me do my work.† â€Å"Well, unload it. You, slaves, help unload my statue.† The Greek was talking to Joshua and me. â€Å"All of you, help unload my statue.† He pointed to the slaves who had been pretending to work since the Greek arrived, but who weren't sure that it was in their best interest to look like a part of a project about which the master seemed displeased. They all looked up with a surprised â€Å"Who, me?† expression on their faces, which I noticed was the same in any language. The slaves moved to the chariot and began untying the ropes that held the statue in place. The Greek looked to us. â€Å"Are you deaf, slaves? Help them!† He stormed back to his chariot and grabbed a whip out of the driver's hand. â€Å"Those are not slaves,† my father said. â€Å"Those are my apprentices.† The Greek wheeled on him. â€Å"And I should care about that? Move, boys! Now!† â€Å"No,† Joshua said. I thought the Greek would explode. He raised the whip as if to strike. â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"He said, no.† I stepped up to Joshua's side. â€Å"My people believe that graven images, statues, are sinful,† my father said, his voice on the edge of panic. â€Å"The boys are only being true to our God.† â€Å"Well, that is a statue of Apollo, a real god, so they will help unload it, as will you, or I'll find another mason to build my house.† â€Å"No,† Joshua repeated. â€Å"We will not.† â€Å"Right, you leprous jar of camel snot,† I said. Joshua looked at me, sort of disgusted. â€Å"Jeez, Biff.† â€Å"Too much?† The Greek screeched and started to swing the whip. The last thing I saw as I covered my face was my father diving toward the Greek. I would take a lash for Joshua, but I didn't want to lose an eye. I braced for the sting that never came. There was a thump, then a twanging sound, and when I uncovered my face, the Greek was lying on his back in the dirt, his white robe covered with dust, his face red with rage. The whip was extended out behind him, and on its tip stood the armored hobnail boot of Gaius Justus Gallicus, the centurion. The Greek rolled in the dirt, ready to vent his ire on whoever had stayed his hand, but when he saw who it was, he went limp and pretended to cough. One of the Greek's bodyguards started to step forward. Justus pointed a finger at the guard. â€Å"Will you stand down, or would you rather feel the foot of the Roman Empire on your neck?† The guard stepped back into line with his companions. The Roman was grinning like a mule eating an apple, not in the least concerned with allowing the Greek to save face. â€Å"So, Castor, am I to gather that you need to conscript more Roman slaves to help build your house? Or is it true what I hear about you Greeks, that whipping young boys is an entertainment for you, not a disciplinary action?† The Greek spit out a mouthful of dust as he climbed to his feet. â€Å"The slaves I have will be sufficient for the task, won't they, Alphaeus?† He turned to my father, his eyes pleading. My father seemed to be caught between two evils, and unable to decide which was the lesser of them. â€Å"Probably,† he said, finally. â€Å"Well, good, then,† Justus said. â€Å"I will expect a bonus payment for the extra work they are doing. Carry on.† Justus walked through the construction site, acting as if every eye was not on him, or not caring, and paused as he passed Joshua and me. â€Å"Leprous jar of camel snot?† he said under his breath. â€Å"Old Hebrew blessing?† I ventured. â€Å"You two should be in the hills with the other Hebrew rebels.† The Roman laughed, tousled our hair, then walked away. The sunset was turning the hillsides pink as we walked home to Nazareth that evening. In addition to being almost exhausted from the work, Joshua seemed vexed by the events of the day. â€Å"Did you know that – about not being able to build on sand?† he asked. â€Å"Of course, my father's been talking about it for a long time. You can build on sand, but what you build will fall down.† Joshua nodded thoughtfully. â€Å"What about soil? Dirt? Is it okay to build on that?† â€Å"Rock is best, but I suppose hard dirt is good.† â€Å"I need to remember that.† We seldom saw Maggie in those days after we began working with my father. I found myself looking forward to the Sabbath, when we would go to the synagogue and I would mill around outside, among the women, while the men were inside listening to the reading of the Torah or the arguments of the Pharisees. It was one of the few times I could talk to Maggie without Joshua around, for though he resented the Pharisees even then, he knew he could learn from them, so he spent the Sabbath listening to their teachings. I still wonder if this time I stole with Maggie somehow represented a disloyalty to Joshua, but later, when I asked him about it, he said, â€Å"God is willing to forgive you the sin that you carry for being a child of man, but you must forgive yourself for having once been a child.† â€Å"I suppose that's right.† â€Å"Of course it's right, I'm the Son of God, you dolt. Besides, Maggie always wanted to talk about me anyway, didn't she?† â€Å"Not always,† I lied. On the Sabbath before the murder, I found Maggie outside the synagogue, sitting by herself under a date palm tree. I shuffled up to her to talk, but kept looking at my feet. I knew that if I looked into her eyes I would forget what I was talking about, so I only looked at her in brief takes, the way a man will glance up at the sun on a sweltering day to confirm the source of the heat. â€Å"Where's Joshua?† were the first words out of her mouth, of course. â€Å"Studying with the men.† She seemed disappointed for a moment, but then brightened. â€Å"How is your work?† â€Å"Hard, I like playing better.† â€Å"What is Sepphoris like? Is it like Jerusalem?† â€Å"No, it's smaller. But there are a lot of Romans there.† She'd seen Romans. I needed something to impress her. â€Å"And there are graven images – statues of people.† Maggie covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. â€Å"Statues, really? I would love to see them.† â€Å"Then come with us, we are leaving tomorrow very early, before anyone is awake.† â€Å"I couldn't. Where would I tell my mother I was going?† â€Å"Tell her that you are going to Sepphoris with the Messiah and his pal.† Her eyes went wide and I looked away quickly, before I was caught in their spell. â€Å"You shouldn't talk that way, Biff.† â€Å"I saw the angel.† â€Å"You said yourself that we shouldn't say it.† â€Å"I was only joking. Tell your mother that I told you about a beehive that I found and that you want to go find some honey while the bees are still groggy from the morning cold. It's a full moon tonight, so you'll be able to see. She just might believe you.† â€Å"She might, but she'll know I was lying when I don't bring home any honey.† â€Å"Tell her it was a hornets' nest. She thinks Josh and I are stupid anyway, doesn't she?† â€Å"She thinks that Joshua is touched in the head, but you, yes, she thinks you're stupid.† â€Å"You see, my plan is working. For it is written that ‘if the wise man always appears stupid, his failures do not disappoint, and his success gives pleasant surprise.'† Maggie smacked me on the leg. â€Å"That is not written.† â€Å"Sure it is, Imbeciles three, verse seven.† â€Å"There is no book of Imbeciles.† â€Å"Drudges five-four?† â€Å"You're making that up.† â€Å"Come with us, you can be back to Nazareth before it's time to fetch the morning water.† â€Å"Why so early? What are you two up to?† â€Å"We're going to circumcise Apollo.† She didn't say anything, she just looked at me, as if she would see â€Å"Liar† written across my forehead in fire. â€Å"It wasn't my idea,† I said. â€Å"It was Joshua's.† â€Å"I'll go then,† she said.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Martin Luther King Essay - 463 Words

Martin Luther King There are many important things that shape the delivery of your speech. Among the most important parts of delivery involved are voice production and articulation. Other important parts of delivery include methods, gestures, eye contact, and the clothing that you wear. Martin Luther King Jr. is considered one of the most influential speakers of this century. The delivery and language of Kings speeches has earned him this label. In the next paragraph I shall examine Kings delivery and why he is considered such a great speaker. If your audience cannot hear you, your speech servers very little purpose. Kings most famous speech took place in nineteen sixty three during a March on Washington. I m sure King was concerned†¦show more content†¦I feel that everyone has gestures that are unique and King was no different. He moved around during his speeches and used his hand to emphasize points throughout his speeches. I cannot decide whether king used the memorization or extemporaneous method. If I was to choose one I would choose the memorization method. During the speeches of King we viewed he never losses eye contact with the audience. This is one of the reasons why I choose the memorization method. I also feel Kings speeches came straight from his heart. King was a Baptist minister and was without a doubt filled with the spirit of god. I feel Kings speeches were influenced by the spirit that lived within his heart. The book states that your appearance should be in harmony with your message. Kings speeches were all based on serious spiritual and political issues and a suit and tie were the attire that he choose to wear. King was a educated man and was without a doubt educated in the area of fundamental speech skills. The textbook states that the most effective language was simple, clear, and direct. King practiced all three of these when performing his speeches. Kings language was simple in that the people he was speaking to could comprehend what he was speaking about. He was very clear about the points in which he was speaking about. He also came direct ly to the reason why he was speaking, he did not beat around the bush. King used emotions to sway people to see things his way. KingShow MoreRelatedThe And Martin Luther King2263 Words   |  10 Pageshr and Martin Luther King were seekers of justice and embraced liberal protestant outlooks early on. The similarities in their theology, while not surprising as King derived much of his material from Niebuhr, proved to be uncanny in that they both concerned themselves with how the church should operate within society, the way love should be implemented in the ethics of individuals, and social change brought forth by nonviolence. Niebuhr’s quest for justice was in result to the horrific events heRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.1078 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr., was a very strong person, constantly fighting for what he believed in, which was equality for African Americans. He was not scared to stand up and tell the world what he wanted for society. He was fearless and did everything in his power to prove a point. Martin Luther King, J r., was the strongest individual of his time, for he fought until death, which proves how much he was willing to risk his life to make the world an equal place. Growing up, he had a very interestingRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.1144 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. (January 15 1929-April 4, 1968) Brief Summary (of who MLK Jr. is): Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and an activist who led the civil rights movement in the 1950. He was a fundamental force behind the civil rights movement that ended legal segregation. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. But he was sadly assassinated in 1968 on a second floor balcony of Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee†¦ Childhood: Martin Luther was never poor. He lived with a middleRead MoreDr. Martin Luther King874 Words   |  4 PagesDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. writes this letter as a response to the clergymen, who criticized and impeded the nonviolent campaign led by King in Birmingham. In his long letter, Marin Luther King presents a good deal of rational reasons for why the nonviolent campaign should be done in Southern America. He also demonstrates his unmovable determination to accomplish the goal of this nonviolent campaign. Obviously, King intends to awake the clergymen and other opponents by this touching letter. FromRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.2405 Words   |  10 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. IN THESE GROUPS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNERS FAMOUS PEOPLE WHO DIED IN 1968 FAMOUS PEOPLE WHO WENT TO PRISON FAMOUS CAPRICORNS Show All Groups 1 of 19  «  » QUOTES â€Å"But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice.† —Martin Luther King Jr. Read MoreDr. Martin Luther King1101 Words   |  5 PagesDr. Martin Luther King is a very passionate, motivating and an inspiring speaker. His â€Å"I Have a Dream is a perfect example of pathos. His speech had so much passions that it filled the audience with so much emotions. Even though there is a strong presence of pathos, than logo and ethos. They are very much present in his speech. On August 28, 1963, on a Washington DC street filled with over 250,000 demonstrators [black and white, young and old] came together to witness Dr. Martin Luther King speaksRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.881 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. â€Å" If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.† (King). Martin Luther King Jr. is a name many know. He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in a very religious family, with his father being a pastor, and all. He was galvanized by his father and became a Baptist minister and social minister after he attended Boston University at the age of 15. He, laterRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.951 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. is one of the heroes that made an enormous impact on society and the history of the United States. King was born in January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a difficult time in the world and he finds it very difficult to play with other boys in town. Their parents never let them play with poor Michael (which is his original name). He doesn’t realize it at the time, but the color of his skin is the cause of many injustices for the rest of his life. His family has alwaysRead MoreMartin Luther King And Gandhi910 Words   |  4 Pages Martin Luther King Jr. had illustrated civil disobedient to the world during a challenging time, by quoting inspirational words from Gandhi and Thoreau. Gandhi had also quoted Thoreau throughout his stimulating time. Before Martin Luther King and Gandhi, Thoreau exemplified civil disobedience in the 1800’s. The purpose of Thoreau’s civil disobedience was to make a different world. King and Gandhi had the same purpose. That is one of the main reasons why they connected to Thoreau’s essay. BornRead MoreDr. Martin Luther King1647 Words   |  7 PagesKing was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. (1899–1984) and Alberta Williams King (1904–1974).[1] King s legal name at birth was Michael King,[2] and his father was also born Michael King, but the elder King changed his and his son s names following a 1934 trip to Germany to attend the Fifth Baptist World Alliance Congress in Berlin. It was during this time he chose to be called Martin Luther King in honor of the German reformer Martin Luther