Debt and Usury Case Usury - 8048 Words

History and Background To begin my research, I wanted to get a clear understanding of just exactly what usury was and how it came about. The word usury is derived from both the Medieval Latin word usuria, meaning interest or excessive interest, and from the Latin word usura, which simply means interest. At that point in time, the definition of usury meant the charging of interest on loans, but over time after the legislation of countries to limit the rate of interest on loans, the definition of usury came to mean the interest above the lawful rate. As it stands today, usury would be found to mean the charging of unreasonable or relatively high rates of interest. The practice of usury can be traced back over four†¦show more content†¦Adam Smith, who was considered the â€Å"Father of the Free-market Capitalism† and known for his general advocacy of laissez-fair economics, however, was strongly in support of controlling usury (Jadlow, 1977; Levy, 1987). While he didnâ €™t want to completely exclude interest, he was in favor of the imposition of an interest rate ceiling (Smith, 1937). Another reformist was Silvio Gesell, a successful nineteenth century merchant in Germany and Argentina, who condemned interest on the basis that his sales were more often related to the pride of money than people s needs or the quality of his products (Gesell, 1904). His proposal of making money a public service subject to a use fee led to widespread experimentation in Austria, France, Germany, Spain Switzerland, and the United States under the banner of the so-called â€Å"stamp script movement†, but these initiatives were all squashed when their success began to threaten the national banking monopolies (Kennedy, 1995). Usury Law Generally, usury law is used for the most part in the handling of consumer credit cases that involve the statutes and regulations which limit the charges that creditors may assess when extending credit to consumers. There are many statutes and regulations which restrict credit charges. The oldest of these are referred to as general usury statutes which are established to set the maximum rate of interest that can be charged in any loan transaction in aShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice1532 Words   |  7 PagesYet, from an Islamic perspective, the answer is no. While the American public seems enamored with more and more debt, Islam has distinct regulations regarding the acquisition of personal debt. The reason is clear: In Islam, economics and religion are inextricably linked—a concept completely foreign to all but the most fundamentalist Americans. The ills of money-lending from the Eastern perspective have been fodder for Western literature for centuries, replete with illustrations that mirror the differencesRead MoreAnalysis Of Riba ( Interest ) As A Cause Of Imbalance Society And Its Islamic Perspective Essay1363 Words   |  6 Pagesits followers. Keywords: economy, Riba, interest, usury, imbalance Introduction: The word Riba Ø ±Ã˜ ¨Ã˜ § is an Arabic word which means to increase, grow, augment, educate (child), swell, mount up(1). The word is also used in Holy Quran in different meanings but when it appears in the verses based on financial matters then it means ‘Interest’ or ‘Usury’(2). That’s why the term Riba is used in this paper instead of the word ‘interest’ or ‘usury’. Similarly, Shah Waliullah defines it as, ‘a loan thatRead MoreMedieval Anti Jewish Nationalism During The Reformation Of The Roman Empire1919 Words   |  8 Pagesare replaced by the image of the stubborn, blind Jew rejected by man and God. Again the Jew is the blasphemer of Christ and master of a campaign to undermine Christian beliefs. ..... The Jews attempt to destroy Christendom from within through their usury and their false teachings, and from without, by their treachery on behalf of the Turks. Indeed the Jewish hatred for the gentile is so great it has become part of the Jewish messianic hopes which envision a day when the Jews will have enslaved or murderedRead MoreThe Modernization Of Money And Interest Essay2386 Words   |  10 Pagesother commodities with immeasurable values, the intrinsic values of coinage made from metal, such as gold and silver, were more stable. These advantages initiated the abstraction of money, changing money from the terminals of transactions in the calf case into the media of trades. This change triggered disasters. During the time of Greek and Roman civilizations, from the sixth century B.C. to the fourth century A.D., interest rates were relatively high, compared with those in modern financial systemsRead More The Distance that Separates us from Shakespeares Merchant of Venice2136 Words   |  9 Pagesstory, where it may have originated, and what it may have meant to a 16th century audience, may cause us to revaluate this very significant element of the play. The tracing of the possible sources of the story and the examining of the history of usury as well as its position in Elizabethan society may actually serve as testimony on behalf of Shylock and his Jewish identity. A careful look at the text In order to begin a comprehensive analysis of the pound of flesh story, it isRead MoreEssay on Banking2495 Words   |  10 Pagesultra-profitable credit charges that go beyond reasonable standards for taking an extra benefit from a specific situation in detriment to their customers, are guilty of usury. Usury may be defined as demanding significantly more money back from customers than is just and fair. Financial institutions consistently engaged in usury are accordingly a subject of our concern. While we do not necessarily endorse bureaucratic regulations which may be excessively burdensome and counter-productive, we do expectRead MorePolitics And City Of God : Issues And Medieval Political Thought Essay1717 Words   |  7 Pagesalso established what became known as the Ecclesiastical courts. These courts were designed to handle cases involving widows, orphans, university students, crusaders and contracts. Infact the â€Å"seal of God† given by priests on contracts involvi ng two businessmen made it possible for the priests to intervene in business matters and by implication exercise control over commercial concerns. In the case of exercising power and control over local landlords and leaders, the Roman Catholic Church inventedRead MoreIslamic Banking And Conventional Banking8251 Words   |  34 PagesIslamic banking There are many distinct types of financial and commodity transaction system in the Islamic banking. Every sort of transaction is guided by Sharia council and followed by the Islamic valued and absolutely being refrain from the Riba or usury. Some transaction systems are as follows. 01.Wadiah (Safekeeping): Wadiah means custody or safekeeping of assets. In the process of Wadiah arrangement, the client will deposit cash or other assets in a bank for safekeeping. The The bank guaranteesRead MoreUnited States Is Becoming A Game Only The Privileged Can Play Essay1264 Words   |  6 Pagesfreshman from the bottom quarter income bracket going to the top colleges (Colleges, American Association Of Community). A large reason for this is the fact that government funding for students college education has largely decreased with student loans/debt being more prominent. Added to this is the fact that many minority communities are still living with the repercussions of America’s white prejudice past. In 2005, â€Å"within five years of entering college, 40 percent of students from the top socioeconomicRead MoreConcept of Maqasid Al-Syariah1824 Words   |  8 Pageswithin the community). The Prophet Muhammad once said that his community (i.e. the Muslim community) would never agree on an error. Qiyas (analogy) In cases when something needs a legal ruling, but has not been clearly addressed in the other sources, judges may use analogy, reasoning, and legal precedent to decide new case law. This is often the case when a general principle can be applied to new situations. (See the article Smoking in Islam for an example of this process at work.) 3. Type and categories

Analyzing Quine s Thesis On The Nature Of The World

Things and their Place in Theories This paper discusses Quine’s thesis on the nature of our ideas and how they are used in order to make sense of the world, and decide what can be said to be reality. Quine begins his paper by discussing our knowledge of external things and how we can come to know what we know. On page two of Things and their Place in Theories, Quine states, â€Å"there is nothing we can be more confident of than external things,† meaning that the pieces of knowledge we can be most sure of are things that are discovered a posteriori, after sufficient empirical evidence is gathered. This quote shows that Quine denies the notion of foundationalism and believes that there is no piece of knowledge that can be said to be a base for all other knowledge. Instead of having a foundationalist view on the world, Quine believes in naturalism. Quine reveals that he has a naturalistic â€Å"unswerving belief in external things, [like] people, nerve endings, sticks, stones,† (Quine, ‘Things†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ p. 21) and he says that the identification and description of all things external to us is to be found in science itself, and not in some prior philosophy (Quine, ‘Things†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ p. 21). His view on nature supports Professor Smith’s statement that the world is something that is made through empirical knowledge, and not an already existing entity that is discovered. Quine says, â€Å"Scientists and philosophers seek a comprehensive system of the world,† (Quine, ‘Things†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ p. 9) and the way to do this isShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval sy stem, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturersRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesDo you know the time? it is illogical to answer only Yes and walk away─ unless you are trying to irritate the person who asked the question. Real life decision-making often must work in a dynamic, unpredictable environment. In the business world, new competitors appear, prices rise or fall, opportunities that were available at one time are not available at another. The uncritical decision maker is unaware of these changes and continues to make decisions as if in the old environment. Alert

Ancient System Impacting Human Affiliation -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Ancient System Impacting Human Affiliation? Answer: Introduction The discussion of the essay is about determining the social issues like the genes, culture, and gender where the culture is about enduring the behavior, ideas and the attitude which are shared by a large group of people. The gender in psychology is the characteristics of biological and social influence where the people define the males, females and the other. The gender role is about the expectation from people, mainly based on the gender identity. The genes are the natural selection with the guiding force in the creation of complex functional mechanism known as adaptations (Coconuts, 2016). The humans have the different biological needs which need to be met in order to survive. Explain why the social issue is a problem, both in a general sense as well as in the Singapore context There is a gender imbalance where the stacks of social science show the dating and mating behavior which is mainly influenced by the sex ratios. There are marriageable men who have the dating culture with courtship and Romans and men need to attract a wife, by earning more. The gender ratio skew towards men is set with the dating culture which tends to become more sexualized. The people tend to have a better sex when ratios skew female. The women frequently wind up being treated to be the sex objects in Singapore or elsewhere and the men are found to be inclined to exercise the option to delay marriage and play the field. The uneven ratios tend to add the sexual nirvana for the heterosexual men but for the women, there is a high priority on getting married and getting the children wedlock. The gender, genes and the culture also include the issues of slut-shaming where the girls or the women are criticked to violate the expectations of behavior and appearance in regard to sexuality. The example is about violating the dress code policies by dressing in the provocative ways requesting the access to birth control with pre-marital, or casual sex (Eliza, 2017). With respect to an issue in Singapore, there are problems related to how the women or the other races or culture are identifying characteristics which are feminized. The check is whether it is sexual or the social, body that tends to haunt or threaten with the figure of threat and arguing on the economic and social disintegration. The cultural crises rise in Singapore with threatening from within and without, merely repositioning the age-old reminder. The racism is rarely far from any surface of the Asian societies. The multiracialism encourages a higher consciousness of one's race even as it insists on tolerance. Use relevant research to explain why it is important to address the issue In order to address the issue in Singapore, there are comparisons about the gender differences where the women are sensitive to smells and sound and experience anxiety disorders or depression. The average males are found to be slower to enter puberty and quicker to die than the women. The women have a greater level of connection and sympathy with the better non-verbal emotional connection. The men are found to fight or argue. But on the other hand, the social dominance of men tends to occupy more position with more powerfulness. The leadership style of men tends to talk assertively, with interruption, where the women tend to be more indirect, less interruptive (Birger, 2015). Considering the sexuality, it is important to address the issue, where the males are more likely found to initiate the sexual activity and fantasize about sex, permissive attitudes and seek partners. The women sexuality generally tends to be set by the emotional passion. The cross-cultural evidence suggests that the social or the cultural factors influence the differences in gender based on cognitive performance. The gender roles over the time and culture which has been more set to mark the difference that is malleable of both sexes who are capable to effectively carry out the organizational roles. The slut-shaming needs to be focused on where the women are insulted by their body. They are the victim blaming for blame and other sexual assault. This is done by stating the crime where women wearing revealing clothes or acting completely in a sexually provocative manner, before the consent of sex (Steinberg, 2016). "Raped after lying to parents" focuses on the alleged wrongdoing or untrustworthiness of the victim which suggest that the sexual assault is the punishment. This happens mainly because the perpetrator tends to choose the disregard consent which is not due to the peripheral decisions which are made by the victim. Th gender roles and peer transmission vary with culture and time which is set currently towards a greater equality. The peers are considered to have a major impact on behavior and perceived gender role. Here, the changes and innovation come from and is embraced by the young. The culture becomes more gender equal and the psychological differences between the men and women tend to lessen. The aggression is the behavior which intends to harm, and the men are more likely to injure the others across the time, culture and age (Hernandez et al., 2006). It is important for the women to be calm and composed with making decisions, smartly, rather than keeping their life at risk. Acknowledge what the government or the relevant body had done on this issue. As per the analysis, the government of Singapore has focused on the clause in Constitution article 16(1)(a) which reads that there shall be no discrimination against any citizen of Singapore mainly on the grounds of caste, creed, culture, or sex. On the other hand, WHO (World Health Organization) has focused on sex selection should be the choice of an individual. The selection is based on wide range of social implications (Feldman et al., 2016). The ethical concern is that the sex selection will tend to reinforce discrimination mainly against the women. There is a need to work on handling the distortion of natural sex ratio leading to gender imbalance and reinforce discriminatory stereotypes towards women by devaluing the females. The Sexual Assault Care Center set up by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) focus on directing the poor girl to care center where she gets a proper counseling and legal information in Singapore (Jiang et al., 2015). Recommendation The sex-linked biology is set to the concept of race, ethnicity and the clarity to determine the interactive influences of each in giving rise to the differentials of health. There is a need to focus on the concepts which impede the appreciation of the rich variety of humans where the attention needs to be given to the other category people as well. This will help in properly assessing the impact on health with interactions among the social, cultural and the genetic factors. The consistency is mainly through the effect across the racial groups which result in genetic variants with common biological effect. Conclusion The challenge is mainly to focus on how genes, gender, and culture could impose a challenge and opportunity for clarification. The sex and race are the complex traits which are important to understanding and its impact on the health with each genetic underpinning. There are genetic studies of sex and gender which are set to the extent to take hold of the detailed information about genetic similarities and differences (Buikema et al., 2017). The victims in Singapore cite disbelief and unsupportive attitude from the peers and family which is a major reason that they are not able to report the crime. References Birger, J. (2015).Hookup culture isnt the real problem facing singles today. Its math.. [online] Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/08/26/hookup-culture-isnt-the-problem-facing-singles-today-its-math/?utm_term=.09ed6784c6d2 [Accessed 2 Feb. 2018]. Buikema, R., Plate, L., Thiele, K. (Eds.). (2017).Doing Gender in Media, Art and Culture: A Comprehensive Guide to Gender Studies. Routledge. Coconuts. (2016).Teenage magazine gets righteously slammed by AWARE for slut-shaming rape victim | Coconuts Singapore. [online] Available at: htt://coconuts.co/singapore/news/teenage-magazine-gets-righteously-slammed-aware-slut-shaming-rape-victim/ Feldman, R., Monakhov, M., Pratt, M., Ebstein, R. P. (2016). Oxytocin pathway genes: evolutionary ancient system impacting on human affiliation, sociality, and psychopathology.Biological Psychiatry,79(3), 174-184. Hernandez, L. M., Blazer, D. G. (2006). Sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and health. Jiang, Y., Bachner-Melman, R., Chew, S. H., Ebstein, R. P. (2015). Dopamine D4 receptor gene and religious affiliation correlate with dictator game altruism in males and not females: evidence for gender-sensitive gene culture interaction.Frontiers in neuroscience,9, 338. Eliza R. (2017)Sen. Elizabeth Warren accuses Trump of slut-shaming Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. [online] Business Insider Singapore. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.sg/elizabeth-warren-accuses-trump-of-slut-shaming-kirsten-gillibrand-2017-12/ Steinberg, D. L. (2016).Genes and the bioimaginary: Science, spectacle, culture. Routledge.

Colonialism and Imperialism Essay Example

Colonialism and Imperialism Paper As was established in the previous section, Heart of Darkness exposes the exploitation of African nations by Europeans. Conrad points out the flaws of colonialism including that of the cruelty of the Europeans in the name of civilising the population. Through Marlows narration of these atrocities, Conrad is expressing his political criticism to colonialism. Conrad highlights the cruelty of colonialism from as soon as Marlow reaches the Coastal Station. Marlow comes across two consecutive events; the first was a line of black workers joined by and chain, and the second being the Grove of Death. It was at the grove that Marlow realises how the natives are exploited. Marlow says they were not enemies, they were not criminals [they were] nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation. 3 This exploitation of the workers has clearly shaken Marlow. Yet, it is obvious that the Europeans do not care for the welfare of the black people, rather caring for their own gain as can be seen in Marlows statement describing the immaculate accountant but in the great demoralisation of the land he kept up his appearance. 4 It is plain to the reader here that amid the undermining of the civilisation of the natives, the Europeans are able to live in style. Ivory becomes an important metaphor in the novel. It becomes the source of much envy and many atrocities are executed to gain this unique material. Just like King Leopolds rubber-terror Conrad points out the how the natives are exploited. This is seen through the juxtaposition of the Company with Mr Kurtz. The Companys atrocities are clear, as is the obsession with ivory You would think they were praying to it. We will write a custom essay sample on Colonialism and Imperialism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Colonialism and Imperialism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Colonialism and Imperialism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer 5 Yet they seem to claim that their atrocities are actually for science and progress. This is clearly juxtaposed with Mr Kurtz, who also commits atrocities in order to gain ivory, but unlike the company, he openly acknowledges the atrocities he has performed and has awareness. This is emphasised by the words: The horror! The horror! 6 Kurtz has realised sees the horror of imperialism and is condemning it. This juxtaposition heightens the awareness of the evil of imperialism. Thus we reach the next major theme that of the evil in man that plays a major role in the imperialism of Africa. When deciphering the meaning of the Kurtzs last words, Gary Adelman believes that the meaning of the the horror is seen as a verdict on the essential depravity of man and his civilisation7. It essentially that, while the wilderness of Africa has brought forth the evil, the wilderness is merely opportunity in the form of ivory and natives to exploit in order to gain the ivory. The true evil is already in man. This is his greed and inability to restrain himself. It can be seen that the darkness is not African, rather European. Robert Burden states that imperialism in Heart of Darkness destroys indigenous cultures and in so doing destroys the cultural integrity of Europe8. Taking into account Conrads life, it is obvious that he would have a negative view of colonialism. His boyhood was full of hardships due to Russian imperialism of Poland, yet Conrad does a strange thing. He does not acknowledge the reality of imperialism. Through the fact that Marlow lies to the intended, Conrad undermines the novels essential meaning. 9 The reasons for this may be that he believes that for Europeans to learn that they are the true darkness may undermine their power, or more likely, he does not believe that all imperialism is bad. The late 19th century saw the flourishing Victorian Empire of England, and the pleasant descriptions of the Thames by the mysterious secondary narrator at the beginning of the text juxtaposed with Marlows comment that the Thames was once a place of darkness emphasises the successfulness of imperialism in England. Conrads message in Heart of Darkness is that colonialism is only evil when it is not controlled and allowed to be run by darkness or primitive emotions such as greed. Apocalypse Now The imperialist nature of the Vietnam War is obvious in the film Apocalypse Now. It both shows a darkness that drives the imperialism, and many of the atrocities undertaken in the name of democracy. Yet the main difference is that of context not that of themes. The main character, Willard is already accustomed to the life in the field, yet the atrocities he witnesses clearly disturb him. Unlike Heart of Darkness, the imperialism of Vietnam by the Americans seems to be a moral gesture by the Americans to give freedom to the natives, yet some darkness has corrupted the Americans, as the innocents that they were suppose to protect are being slaughtered by the unprovoked killing of the Americans depicted by Coppola through the vivid images of the destruction of napalm. As with the novel, the darkness does not come from the Vietnamese, or the terrain, but from the Americans themselves. Coppula shows this vividly with the battle scene where the American troops attack a town full of innocents, where every man who killed the enemy gets a case of beer. This is juxtaposed with the shots of the village where children are at school, unaware of the impending destruction. Also like Heart of Darkness, there is ignorance from the Americans about the true suffering of the natives. The American General, states I love the smell of napalm in the morning it smells like victory. Yet, it is that weapon that created enormous sufferings in the war. In the same line the general also states that we didnt find one stinking body. It is obvious he is aware of the destructive capabilities of napalm, which further adds to the deterioration of the American moral position. Thus the American general sums up the core of value of darkness. Like the novel it is greed, but not greed for tangible items (i. e. ivory) but greed for victory. Yet, like the novel, they do not like to be seen as being the darkness. They hide behind morals such as democracy, and thus the true darkness of American imperialism is seen through the juxtaposition of Colonel Kurtz, who has achieved victory by openly assassinating Vietnamese double agents. The US Army said his ideas, methods, became unsound, yet the irony is that they have sent Willard to assassinate Kurtz. This view of eliminating Colonel Kurtz is parallel to that of the Company wanting to eliminate Mr Kurtz in the novel. The atrocities of the Vietnam War are clearly defined and the reasons for imperialism are fuelled by the darkness of greed. The fact that the Americans are the source of the darkness is highlighted differently in the film as it is not framed with the civilised company of men10 like Heart of Darkness but it is framed by the flames of napalm11. Thus the horrific visual techniques Coppola uses in showing the exploding napalm becomes in themselves moral statements. Coppola is emphasising the inevitability of the darkness and horror that Conrad believed was escapable, to highlighted by the lyrics of the films closing credits This is the end, my friend. Conclusion Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness are texts that address the frightening themes of imperialism and darkness in man. The authors have gone to great lengths in depicting this horror through relevant techniques, and despite the obvious differences in context, these themes are still very similar. Both Conrad and Coppola have captured the essence of their messages in these gripping words The horror! The horror! Bibliography  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_colonial_empire

Using the Spanish Verb Creer

Using the Spanish Verb Creer With few exceptions, the Spanish verb creer can be used much the same way as the English verb to believe. It sometimes can be a bit weaker in meaning than to believe and is thus often better translated as to think. In other words, creer is often used to mean that someone believes something is probable rather than that it is a certain fact. Creer Que When a statement is made about what a person believes or thinks, creer is typically followed by que and the statement of belief: Creo que el presidente hizo lo que tenà ­a que hacer. I think the president did what he had to do.Los mayas creeron que las formas en la luna que muchos ven como el hombre en la luna son un conejo que salta. The Mayans believed that the shapes in the moon that many see as the man in the moon are a jumping rabbit.Creen que los estudiantes no estudian. They think the students arent studying.Creemos que tenemos una mà ­nima chance. We believe we have a slight chance. No Creer If creer is used in a negative form, the verb following que typically is in the subjunctive mood: No creo que el paà ­s està © en crisis. I dont think the country is in a crisis.No creemos que exista un telà ©fono perfecto para todos. We dont believe there exists a perfect telephone for everyone.La Comisià ³n Europea no cree que el motor de bà ºsqueda vulnere la privacidad del usuario. The European Commission doesnt believe that the search engine violates the users privacy. Creer Object Creer also can be followed by a direct object rather than que: No creo lo que me dices. I dont believe what youre telling me.Cree las noticias malas y desconfà ­a de las buenas. He believes the bad news and distrusts the good news.Creo la televisià ³n. I believe the television. Creer En Creer en is typically the equivalent of the English to believe in or to have faith in. It can mean either to give credence to a concept or to have trust or faith in a person. Algunos no creen en la evolucià ³n. Some dont believe in evolution.Creo en la educacià ³n bilingà ¼e. I believe in bilingual education.No creemos en las polà ­ticas de extrema derecha. We dont believe in the politics of the extreme right.Cuando se lucha por una causa, es porque se cree en ella. When one fights for a cause, it is because one believes in it.Parece que el à ºnico que cree en Pablo es à ©l mismo. It seems that the only one who believes in Pablo is he himself.El paà ­s cree en Presidente y en las fuerzas armadas. The country trusts the president and the armed forces. Creer In a Religious Context In some contexts, creer standing alone can have a religious meaning, just as does to believe in English. Thus in some contexts, Creo (I believe) is the equivalent of Creo en Dios (I believe in God). Creerse The reflexive form, creerse, is often used with little discernible change in meaning from creer. However, the reflexive form sometimes is used to add emphasis: Me creo que eres mi ngel de la guarda. (I truly believe you are my guardian angel.) The negative reflexive form often offers a tone of incredulity:  ¡No me lo creo! (I cant believe it!) Related Words Creer is a cousin of English words such as creed, credibility, credible and credence, all of which have meanings related to the concept of belief. Related words in Spanish include creencia (belief), creà ­ble (credible), credo (creed), creyente (believer) and crà ©dulo (credulous). Negative forms use the prefix in-: increencia, increà ­ble, incrà ©dulo. Conjugation Creer is conjugated regularly in terms of pronunciation but not in terms of spelling. Irregular forms youre most likely to run across are the past participle (creà ­do), the gerund (creyendo) and the preterite forms (yo creà ­, tu creà ­ste, usted/à ©l/ella creyà ³, nosotros/as creà ­mos, vosotros/as creà ­steis, ustedes/ellos/ellas creyeron).

The Paradox of American Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Paradox of American Government - Essay Example he fragmentation of power within the federal framework has meant that certain influential groups have come forward to manipulate this in their own favor. Consequently, the government seems lethargic and often unresponsive in dealing with majority demands as it bows to other pressures. The move to occupy Wall Street clearly signifies how this political attitude is now affecting citizen and voter participation in the overall political process. After the financial failure of large financial institutions, the federal government underwent bailout and rescue packages to protect these institutions. Now that these businesses are recovering, the people at the helm of affairs in these institutions are using unethical practices to reward themselves. This very issue had already caused a failure of the economic system. Calls to ensure greater transparency and accountability at Wall Street went unheeded by the federal government. Consequently disillusioned citizens and voters came together in order to coerce the government into acceding to their demands through a show of strength at Wall Street (Apps, 2011). Disappointment with the political process has two major affects for the average citizen, one that the average citizen fails to be interested in the voting process anymore (Dalton, 2006) and two that the average citizen tries to take power into his/her own hands to defend his interests. The fact that citizens are less and less interested in the political process has been related for a few decades now (Powell, 1986). Overall citizen participation in the voting process has been on the decline progressively as citizens especially from marginalized groups fail to see any point in voting when their demands will not be met with. Already the American democratic process is under threat from large gaps in voter turnout through various factors such as income, length of residence, ethnicity, educational achievement and age (AGTP, 2010). Also there are threats emerging to voter turnout

Greek and hellenistic religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Greek and hellenistic religion - Essay Example The introduction of Egyptian deities which included Isis, Serapis, Atargatis and of Hadad afforded new channel for the Greeks who were trying to find contentment and self-actualization in both their current life and life after death. During the Hellenistic period, worships were no longer solely given to deities but also to Hellenistic rulers. Semi-divine rulers who regarded themselves as god-kings inspired pharaonic tradition, thereby, holding them worthy of the peoples exaltation. While Hellenistic religion adapted the idea of offering worship to rulers, rulers had never become gods. The mixture of cultures and religion between Greece and other countries had stimulated the expansive practices of magic, which is still being practiced up to this present time. In the Hellenistic era, Greeks developed a rather spiritual and religious connection to certain magical forms like oracles, prophecies, charms, and trinkets to put off bad luck and other troubles, and to cast incantations. Furthermore, the belief that the future of human life can be determined by the sun, moon, and stars likewise cropped up; hence, the concept of astrology. Perhaps, it was due to the syncretic approach of the Greeks towards religion during the Hellenistic era that ushered in the creation of Hellenistic thinking: Stoicism and Epicureanism. Crucial to the changes in the Hellenistic religion was the introduction of the Olympian gods and goddesses. In fact, the term Olympian Pantheon is therefore called because these deities are believed to have resided on top of Mount Olympus. This had also stirred the foundation of Olympic Games in order to give honor to the deities athleticism. Every deity was venerated with temples, shrines, and sculptures which, while each god is revered with his or her own temple, likewise honor other deities. Fiestas and rites were carried out in different Greek cities that venerate their own patron god. For example, festivals and other forms of celebrations