The Story of Saint Catherine’s Prison :: Saint Catherine

The Story of Saint Catherine’s Prison â€Å"Near Famagusta is another city called Salamis, set on the seashore, where there was once a noble and wealthy city. It is there that St. Catherine was born and her tomb remains still.† ~ German priest Ludolf von Suchen of Westphalia In the 12th century, the story of the beloved St. Catherine was brought to Europe by the Crusaders returning from their battles in the East. She was from a noble blood line of Roman emperors and her father was Constantine, King of Salamis. In 290 A.D. Constantine was appointed the new ruler of Egypt. When Constantine left to rule Egypt, he decided to leave his brother in charge of the Salamis kingdom. Unexpectedly, Constantine died in Alexandria, Egypt. During this time, Catherine converted to Christianity and her conversion sent her uncle, the interim king, into a rage. He had Catherine imprisoned in Salamis, later in Paphos, and finally Alexandria, Egypt. She was brought before the new Alexandrian emperor, Emperor Maxentius, who had replaced her deceased father. Emperor Maxentius was persecuting Christians. Catherine reprimanded him for this cruelty and asked him to stop. Insulted and astounded at Catherine’s boldness, the Emperor held Catherine prisoner at his palace. He ca lled his scholars in to try to trick her into committing heresy against the Roman religion so she could be put to death. However, she converted many of the Emperor’s scholars to Christianity with her eloquence and knowledge of religion and science. The Emperor became so outraged he had his scholars put to death and Catherine was tortured and thrown into the palace’s dungeon. The Empress, Maxentius’ wife, had heard of this extraordinary young woman. The Empress and the Emperor’s military general secretly snuck into the prison to meet and talk with Catherine. They listened to Catherine and were converted and baptized into Christianity. The Emperor discovered their secret encounter and had them, the Empress and his general, put to death. The Emperor ordered Catherine to be broken on the torturer’s wheel, yet when she touched it, it was miraculous destroyed. Distraught and infuriated, Emperor Maxentius ordered Catherine to be beheaded. After her death, her body was carried to Mount Sinai by angels and the place where Catherine’s body was found is also believed to be the site of the burning bush seen by Moses.

Acid-Base Chemistry Lab Essay -- Scientific Research

The purpose of this lab was to determine the pH and total acidity of grape juice and wine. A second purpose was to experimentally determine the pKa of a monoprotic weak acid, polyprotic weak acid, as well as, a free amino acid, alanine. Acids and bases were defined by Bronsted-Lowry in 1923, in which acids were described as substances capable of donating a proton and bases are substances capable of accepting a proton (Thompson and Dinh 2009). In addition to defining acids and bases, Bronsted-Lowry further classified acids and bases as being either strong or weak. By definition, a strong acid or base is a substance that is completely dissociated in aqueous solutions and in contrast, weak acids only partially dissociate and reach their equilibrium with their conjugate base (Harris 2003). Buffers are comprised of weak acids and their conjugate bases. In the food industry, buffers are commonly used to protect changes in pH of food stuffs. The two conjugate components of the buffer resist changes in pH by absorbing the addition of any hydrogen or hydroxyl ions (Christen and Smith 2000). When weak acids and their conjugate bases are at equilibrium, their concentrations can be expressed in terms of the dissociation constant, Ka. For a strong acid, the Ka value is greater than 1 x 10-2M and less than 1 x 10-2M for a weak acid (Thompson and Dinh 2009). For weak acids, the relationship of hydrogen ion concentration and pH can be defined by the Henderson-Hasselbach equation (Thompson and Dinh 2009). Wine quality greatly depends on the quality of the grapes and the microorganisms involved in the fermentation process (Husnik and others 2006). When compared to lactic acid bacteria, yeasts are better suited for growt... ... Son HS, Hong YS, Park WM, Yu MA, Lee CH. 2009. A novel approach for estimating sugar and alcohol concentrations in wines using refractometer and hydrometer. J. Food Chem. 74:106-111. Thompson LD, Dinh T. 2009. Acid-Base Chemistry. FDSC 4303/5303 food chemistry laboratory manual. Lubbock, Tx.: Texas Tech University, Department of Animal and Food Sciences. Ugliano M, Moio L. 2005. Changes in the concentration of yeast-derived volatile compounds of red wine during malolactic fermentation with four commercial starter cultures of Oenococcus oeni. J. Agric. Food Chem. 53:10134-10139. Waite JG, Daeschel MA. 2007. Contribution of wine components to inactivation of food-borne pathogens. J. Food Sci. 72:286-291. Wintersteen CL, Andrae LM, Engeseth NJ. 2005. Effect of heat treatment on antioxidant capacity and flavor volatiles of mead. J. Food Chem. 70:119-126.

The Cartesian Doubt Experiment and Mathematics :: Mathematics Math Mathematical Papers

The Cartesian Doubt Experiment and Mathematics ABSTRACT: The view that Descartes called mathematical propositions into doubt as he impugned all beliefs concerning common-sense ontology by assuming that all beliefs derive from perception seems to rest on the presupposition that the Cartesian problem of doubt concerning mathematics is an instance of the problem of doubt concerning existence of substances. I argue that the problem is not 'whether I am counting actual objects or empty images,' but 'whether I am counting what I count correctly.' Considering Descartes's early works, it is possible to see that for him, the proposition '2+3=5' and the argument 'I think, therefore I am,' were equally evident. But Descartes does not found his epistemology upon the evidence of mathematical propositions. The doubt experiment does not seem to give positive results for mathematical operations. Consciousness of carrying out a mathematical proposition, however, unlike putting forth a result of an operation, is immune to doubt. Statements of cons ciousness of mathematical or logical operations are instances of 'I think' and hence the argument 'I count, therefore I am' is equivalent to 'I think, therefore I am.' If impugning the veridicality of mathematical propositions could not pose a difficulty for Descartes's epistemology which he thought to establish on consciousness of thinking alone, then he cannot be seen to avoid the question. Discarding mathematical propositions themselves on the grounds that they are not immune to doubt evoked by a powerful agent does not generate a substantial problem for Descartes provided that he believes that he can justify them by appeal to God's benevolence. The question whether Descartes impugned veridicality of mathematical propositions via the arguments of the First Meditation is of epistemologically significance for an inquiry into the nature of Descartes' doubt experiment with a view to a plausible answer to this question may offer us clues to understand the nature of Cartesian theory of justification and the nature of foundationalistic epistemology in general. The evil genius hypothesis introduced in the last paragraph of the First Meditation does not seem to call veridicality of mathematical propositions into question: Descartes does not mention mathematical truths when he finalizes the setting of the doubt experiment. The text is ambiguous at this point and the reader is left ignorant whether simple truths of arithmetics or geometry are held exempt from doubt evoked by the evil genius hypothesis. Does this final tool of the doubt experiment put emphasis on the dubitability of judgments of common-sense ontology based on sense perception alone?

Revenue-Recognition Problems in the Communications Equipment Industry Essay

1) In late 2000, Lucent announced that revenues would be adjusted downwards by $679m as a result of revenue recognition problems. Yet the firm’s market capitalization plummeted by $24.7bn. Why do you think the market reacted so negatively to Lucent’s announcements of the problems? The large drop in market capitalization is probably due to several factors. Historically, Lucent had successfully met analysts’ projections for 15 consecutive quarters before announcing, in January 2000, a major shortfall in profits relative to previous expectations. In June, the quarterly balance sheet reported an operating loss of $301m (for the first time since 1998) while warning of weaker profits in Q4. In addition, the revenue recognition issues announced by the new CEO appointed in October were surely perceived as an indication that Lucent’s management was managing revenues and therefore a possible cause of a future fall in revenues. This led investors to modify their earnings expectations in light of the revenue-recognition problems faced by the firm. Since a company’s share price reflects forecasts of future cash flows, and Lucent’s Q3 and Q4 revenues were substantially written-down, investors would rationally expect future earnings to be affected as well. In an efficient market environment, the $24.7bn in lost market capitalization would equal the discounted value of these expected cash flows. However, it is also likely that the repeated missed expectations caused an overreaction by investors, as the company was forced to revise its revenues downward two times over the span of two quarters. This probably raised fears in the market of more widespread problems with the firm’s accounting practices. It should also be kept in mind that the Internet bubble had just burst and a technology related company announcing an operating loss and lower revenues could easily cause a panic selloff among investors, as typically happens when a speculative bubble bursts. 2) What are the specific revenue recognition problems faced by Lucent? On December 22, 2000, Lucent announced a $679m downward adjustment in revenues  of their fourth-quarter financial statement from September 2000. There were four different reasons for the adjustment. First of all, Lucent stated $125m of recorded sales that did not meet the company’s revenuerecognition rules. These revenues were included in the financial statement due to â€Å"misleading documentation and incomplete communications between a sales team and the financial organization†. Additionally, Lucent sold $452m worth of equipment to system integrators and distributors and recorded them as revenues. In fact, the products were not passed on to the customers, because of their weakened financial condition, and Lucent had already verbally agreed to take back the equipment. Therefore, the sales could not be accounted as revenues. Thirdly, sales teams had verbally offered credits to customers worth $74m and booked them as revenue in order to boost the fourth-quarter numbers. As the credits were meant for use at a later date without an actual sale of equipment taking place, these could not be accounted as revenues in the fourth-quarter. Finally, sold equipment worth $28m had not been completely shipped, leaving the service incomplete. Since this violated the first revenue recognition criteria â€Å"The firm has performed all the services or conveyed the asset to the buyer†, recognition of these revenues is not in line with regulation. 3) What financial statement adjustments will Lucent have to make to correct the revenue recognition problems announced in late 2000? In our treatment of the accounting figures we found it necessary to make assumptions relating to tax rates and COGS, as the information is not given directly. In deciding which tax rate to use for the adjustments we have two obvious alternatives; either assume a corporate tax rate of 35%, or calculate the average tax rate based on the presented financial statement. However, due to certain revenues and expenses being non-taxable we have opted to discard the average tax rate as a suitable estimate, and assumed a corporate tax rate of 35%. In relation to the Cost of Goods Sold, Lucent faces the problem that some of  their goods are tangible (communications equipment) while some are intangible (software licenses, services etc.). We are aware of the fact that Lucent’s intangible assets are subject to different costs as its tangible assets, and therefore have to be restated differently. However, we do not know the costs of neither intangible nor tangible assets due to a lack of information and thus assume a representative cost mix that is proportional to total revenues. Hence, we use the average COGS (69% of revenues in Q4, 2000) when we calculate the restatements. In the balance sheet, we treat the physical goods as â€Å"inventory†, and intangible goods as â€Å"other current assets†. When readjusting the income statement and balance sheets we need to reduce the revenues by a total of $679mn, with a corresponding reduction in accounts receivable. The cost of goods sold is reduced by $470mn, as per our assumption above relating to the average cost of goods sold. On the balance sheet this is reflected in the increase of inventories for tangible sales, and other current assets for intangible sales. This leads to a reduction of pretax income of $209mn, and subsequently a reduction in income taxes of $73mn. In the balance sheet this is represented by a reduction in the deferred tax liability (current liabilities in Lucent’s balance sheet), and finally a reduction in stockholders retained equity by $136mn. 4) How would you judge whether a firm is likely to face revenue recognition problems? Revenue-recognition problems in Lucent’s case emerge from mismanagement of the financial statements by all parties involved in compiling them. For instance, the initial $125 million adjustment was due to miscommunication between the sales team and the financial organization. The lack of a proper internal reporting organization or of efficient external auditors therefore is a sign of increased risk of revenue misrepresentation. It is also important to mention that the events described in the case occurred before the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted. This means that, at the time, financial statements did not require a seal of approval from top management in order to be published. The fact that these reports were approved and published suggests awareness and involvement of the board of administrators in the revenue-recognition problems. Making CEOs accountable  for the financial statements was an important step toward prevention of unwanted accounting practices. From a broader perspective, companies are constantly subject to the need of reaching – and beating – the market’s profitability expectations. Missing these targets may result in a steep share price fall, especially considering the â€Å"herd mentality† that is prevalent during market bubbles. Investors will typically overreact at the first sign of negative news from a company, triggering sharp sell offs in stock, as was the case with Lucent, during the height of the dotcom bubble. Further revenue misrepresentation drivers we can deduce from Lucent’s case are: firstly, firms providing financing solutions to customers may fall into the temptation of using these tools in order to boost their quarterly revenues by granting credits to clients. In fact, computing Lucent’s Account Receivables / Turnover ratio, it is observable that average collection days increase substantially from 1998 (85 days) to 2000 (119 days). This means that Lucent was selling products extending financing rather than collecting cash. Secondly, when companies rely on a distribution network rather than on direct sale it is easier for them to engineer revenue-boosting activities (e.g. provide distributors with more than what can be sold and take back the equipment later on). Thirdly, relying on big clients accounting for a large percentage of revenues increases may enhance corporate relationships, thus facilitating non-transparent verbal agreements or offbalance-sheet operations (e.g. financing, discounts). In addition, any changes in accounting practices and assumptions accounted for in the income statement should be investigated closer as a possible case of accounting fraud, as in the case of Lucent. In the 1st quarter of fiscal 1999 $1.3bn is booked as a â€Å"cumulative effect of accounting change†. This is enough to say that a revenue recognition problem exists, but certainly warrants further investigation. Finally, incentives of a more general nature to accounting malpractice include regular evaluation of company credit quality by rating agencies, and distorted compensation incentives for management. The former occur at regular intervals, providing incentives for management to â€Å"polish† a firm’s balance sheet prior to evaluations by the agencies, while the latter usually  involves stock options. Since employees are only allowed to sell their options at certain dates, they have an incentive to push the company’s share price up through accounting manipulation, prior to executing their options. 5) Assess whether any of Lucent’s competitors are likely to face revenue recognition problems in the coming quarters. Cisco Systems’ multichannel approach to sales and marketing includes a direct sales force to distributors, value-added resellers and system integrators. This could allow them to boost their revenues by selling excessive amounts to distributors close to the end of a quarter and taking the equipment back afterwards. On the other hand, Cisco does not rely on a single client, but has a diversified client base. In addition, the financing that Cisco provides is clearly reported on the balance sheet as noncurrent long-term lease receivables, which clearly differs to Lucent’s approach concerning verbal agreements about credits to clients. Unlike Cisco, Juniper Networks mainly relies on one large customer, WorldCom, who generated 18% of their revenues in 2000. Thus, they were highly dependent on that client and had most likely build up a close relationship with them, both concerning equipment sales and credit granting. This increases the risk of false revenue recognition due to either channel stuffing or the sale of equipment (meant to be taken back if not sold) close to the end of the quarter. Nortel is mainly a service provider, in fact 82% of its revenues are made up by services. This could be a red flag for revenue-recognition issues as services may have no clear delivery date and thus allow revenue management. In addition, Nortel granted credit to its customers of $5.6bn, of which only $1.5bn had been used. This could mean that Nortel is trying to attract customers by aggressively offering financing. On the other hand, Nortel does not depend on any single client. We did not find any significant pattern in insiders’ dispositions of their stock options to indicate fraudulent activity, neither for Lucent or any of their competitors. We also closely examined the two key ratios â€Å"Account Receivables Turnover† and â€Å"Cash Flow Return† for Lucent and its competitors (Juniper Networks has been excluded due to data absence). As can be seen in  the following graph all cash flow returns recently started to decline, which could raise concerns with regards to their revenue recognition policy. In Cisco’s and Nortel’s case one can see that this change is due to a parallel decline in cash flow from operations as well as an increase in sales. However, this movement by itself is not a red flag and could be due to other factors, which calls for a more detailed investigation. We can see that the suspicious decrease in cash flow return is mainly due to a substantial increase in sales and can also be seen in a substantial increase in accounts receivables. Hence, we looked at â€Å"accounts receivable turnover† or more precisely â€Å"days sales outstanding† and found that the average level over the course of the previous three years stays approximately the same while showing a negative trend for Cisco and even constantly decreased slightly for Nortel. This is a very good sign and means that these two still manage to collect their receivables in a timely manner although sales increase rapidly. Cash Flow Returns should therefore stabilize again in the ne ar future. Lucent’s Account receivables turnover on the other hand, as already elaborated in the previous question, steeply increases. This may indicate Lucent was selling products by extending financing to customers rather than collecting cash since we cannot apply the same argumentation as for Cisco and Nortel in Lucent’s case.

Communication Skill

1. Reading Comprehension oReading comprehension is one important communication skill a pharmacy technician must have. They must be able to read and understand prescription information and instructions from doctors to fill patients' prescriptions. Pharmacy technicians need to be able to fill prescriptions with detail and accuracy, as even a slight mistake or misunderstanding can be dangerous to a patient. Prescription drugs are often long and uncommon words, so pharmacy technicians need to read each prescription accurately, and call the doctor's office with any questions or clarification.Give Instruction oOne management and communication skill pharmacy technicians must have is the ability to give instructions. Pharmacy technicians needs to communicate clearly to patients regarding usage and other details of their prescription or over-the-counter medication. Patients must follow their doctor's orders when it comes to how much prescription medication to take, and when — it the ph armacy technician's responsibility to help patients understand those details.Pharmacy technicians also must be able to give instruction and communicate other information to co-workers. o Customer Service oCustomer service skills are another valuable communication aspect of a pharmacy technician's job. Patients often have a number of different options when it comes to pharmacies for prescription fulfillment. Therefore, to retain existing customers and attract new ones, pharmacy technicians need to be friendly, personable and helpful. Providing patients with quality service gives them a reason to keep coming back.Inventory and Maintenance oAnother management skill a pharmacy technician must have is the ability to take accurate inventory and perform maintenance on all equipment and the facility in general. Pharmacy technicians must keep accurate inventory of medication so they know what they have on hand. They must discard expired medication and stock new medication, and record those a ctions. Pharmacy technicians also need to ensure all equipment, such as scales, measuring tools and computers, are working properly. Communication Skill Effective Communication Skills Effective communication skills are the key to your success because there are people everywhere! Our effective communication training  webinars  and  tools  will show you: | Advantages of effective communication| | Effective communication in the workplace| | Effective communication techniques| | Four styles of communication (DISC)| | Conflict resolution strategies| | Communicating Using Email| | Persuasion and sales strategies| | Non verbal communication| |   | Effective Communication Effective communication happens largely at an unconscious level†¦ nd that's why the most effective communicators of all time paid as much attention to  how  they were delivering their message as they did to the exact words that they were using. And that's why it's so easy for email to go horribly wrong. Don't get me wrong†¦ words are critically important to getting your message through loud and clear, but the psychology behind them is more important. And that's why Maximum Advantage is dedicated to combining the latest advances in psychology and linguistics with time tested methods to give you a communication edge that some might consider to be â€Å"unfair† The Communication Process The communication process is a six step cycle, and unfortunately the communication can break down or become confused at any step. Sometimes the message isn't even clear in our own brain, and yet we still expect others to know what we mean! Then the encoding, sending, and decoding phases all provide opportunities for errors and misunderstandings to crop into the process. In the fifth step, the receiver has to filter the message and decide what it means based on their own values, beliefs, filters, and memories. If any of these steps fails, the result is confusion, conflict, and frustration. Effective Communication Video Here's a short video that explains exactly how the effective communication process works. How To Communicate Effectively Cons idering how many opportunities there are for communication to go wrong – it's amazing that it ever goes right! Here are  my  seven rules for effective communication: 1. Take responsibility for the success of your communication. If they're not â€Å"getting it†, it's because you're not giving it in a way they can understand. To learn to communicate in  ways that people instinctively understand, visit  Communication University. . Realize that the unconscious mind is your greatest ally. Here's a demonstration. 3. It's not about you. To communicate effectively, learn to see the world for the other person's perspective. 4. If what you're doing isn't working†¦ do something different. 5. Communication can change reality. That's why advertisers spent $165,000,000,000 last year†¦ and you can have the same impact when you know how. Here's information about persuasion. 6. Every action has a positive intention. You just have to find it. 7. It's better to be succe ssful than right.The world demands results, not excuses. Effective Communication Skills Here is a short list of some of the skills that it takes to be an effective communicator. Think about your own communication style and which skills you are strong in and which ones you could do better. | Listening  for facts and feelings to make sure that you interpreting the message as intended. | | Asking questions effectively to guide listeners to solutions. | | Recognizing and defusing the filters people are using when they communicate. | | Creating rapport to smooth difficult messages and build relationships. | Uncovering the unique values that drive each person and then constructing your message to match their personal system. | | Using  non-verbal cues  to understand what the speaker really means. | | Finding and replacing the cues that cause the â€Å"domino effect† in conflict and confrontation. | | Breaking unempowering belief cycles without directly attacking a belief. | | Overcoming objections by agreeing. | | Building and using stories to make a point without anyone realizing it. | | Replacing destructive patterns such as anger  with empowering patterns that get better results. | | Reading the secrets hidden in every email message. |

Buckland Review

Abstract Information Is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of sources. In â€Å"Information as Thing†, Backhand attempts to define Information by breaking It down into information-as-process, information-as-knowledge, and information-as-thing. As he went on into tangibility versus intangibility, I saw a mere glimpse of the complexity behind it all but what really got me thinking was the discussion of what is usually thought of to be informative.The field of information sciences restricts information to consist strictly of data, documents and text, when in reality, like Backhand said, objects and events quite possibly could provide more Information. Luckily, there are changes being made In order to see that artifacts and objects can be seen as documents. Another viewpoint introduced was the fact that anything could have the capacity to be informational, as long as someone wanted it to be. Furthermore, not all things seen as informative are going to be utilized.Backhan d has opened my eyes to a new world where information is not Just a term that is uncomplicated but is elaborate. An uncommon Approach Information is a broad but loaded term. With that said, it is awfully hard to pinpoint its exact meaning. Many uncommon but noteworthy viewpoints were discussed in Michael Backhand's â€Å"Information as Thing†. This enlightening article presents a refreshing new twist on the way the word â€Å"information† is defined. For me, personally, Information has always been a term that has been Incredibly simple and straightforward.It was something self explanatory?no further explanation required. Because Backhand's perspective is so drastically different to what I'm familiar with, I had to read this piece several times before I could even begin to empowered it. Before I could even grasp all the material covered in this article, I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. It quickly became clear to me that information was exceedingly more complicated than I perceived It to be. As I was skimming through the article for the first time, I wondered what approach Backhand would take to define this term. Laming the word â€Å"Information† to be ambiguous, Backhand decided to break it down into three distinguishable parts: information-as-process, information-as-knowledge, and information-as-thing. Moreover, he then separated them into tangible versus intangible, where information-as-process and information-as-knowledge are categorized as intangible, as opposed to Information-as-thing, which falls under the category of tangible. Since this was all still very foreign to me, my brain was feeling a little overwhelmed.I would have never have expected there to be so much gray area within information and information sciences. When I think of sources of information, the typical few immediately come to mind ?TV, books, and websites. As Backhand begins to introduce the various types of information, data, texts, and documents are among the fir st elements to be touched upon. While reading this, I was completely satisfied with those three resources. Topic. To my utter surprise, this was certainly not the case. Instead, my eyes settled on another italicized word that appeared at the break of the paragraph. Objects†, the paper stated. I was puzzled by this label and questioned Backhand's ideas but soon came to the realization that he was spot on. Objects are definitely a great source of information?some may even argue that they are more informative than ATA, texts, or documents?but are frequently overlooked in the world of information studies. As I mulled over the thought some more, a certain object made its way into my mind. My charm bracelet, something I wear everyday, undeniably allows others to peer into the life of Chelsea Chin. Each charm is highly symbolic and reveals a little snippet about me.In my opinion, if a poll was taken about types of information, I'm sure the majority of people would have responded with at least one, if not all, of the big three, but if they were given the time to actually think about it and then given n follow-up assignment, I am confident that most people would have a list with the word â€Å"object† nested somewhere in there. With regards to the way the field of information science has fixated their time on data, text, and documents while ignoring objects, it is definitely difficult to hear but pleasant to see Outlet and the documentation movement giving it more attention.As I think the section is starting to wrap up, I am shocked yet again as I come across another italicized word: Events. Backhand brings up an excellent point when he refers to events as â€Å"informative henchmen†. There is no doubt that events are informative?they are Just harder to represent because they are fleeting. Backhand has come to the conclusion that â€Å"we are unable to say confidently of anything that it could not be information† (Backhand, 1991). The stateme nt is valid but something Vive never really thought about. As we dive deeper into the article, it becomes apparent that there is really no solution to this problem.Take a desk for example. It is something that is often seen simply Just as a piece of furniture? nothing more, nothing less. If one really wanted to though, this desk could provide all sorts of information. It has the ability to imply that one was a student or held a job. Furthermore, the quality of the desk could also be something to look out for when examining the item if one is writing a review for the company that made it. From this example, it is easy to see that anything can be qualified as informational if placed into the correct situation, which is exactly the point Backhand is trying to get at.Sometimes people believe things are informational even when it is not assured hat people will utilize that thing. Just like the telephone book mentioned by Backhand, the terms of agreement is plenty informational, but no on e really takes the time to read through that novel. Information has always been very black and white to me. Reading this article, however, has allowed me to see information in a different light. Backhand made an exceptional attempt to define the word â€Å"information† by dividing it further into three separate sections.Comparing his definition to mine, it is easy to see that my view was elementary and extremely transparent while his was well thought out and intricate. His arguments have really provoked a considerable amount thought in me: documents, data, and text are not the only resources that provide information. Objects and events are equally as informational, if not more so. Everything has to the Backhand made some really great points that have given me a newfound appreciation for the field of information studies. References Backhand, M. (1991). Information as Thing. Journal of the American Society for Information science, 42(5), 351-360.

Examining Christian Symbolism in “A White Heron” Essay

Symbolism is a very prominent attribute contained within Sarah Orne Jewett’s short story, â€Å"A White Heron†. The short story takes its reader through the short exploration that the main character, Sylvia, goes through when she is faced with making a decision that may lead to the end of a beautiful bird’s life. Many critics have analyzed and debated the many symbols contained within the story. Victoria Freivogel, an English teacher from Louisiana, wrote an essay which examines what she considers the symbolism to be in â€Å"A White Heron†. In her essay she goes against other critics who claim â€Å"the ornithologist, pine tree, and white heron are symbolic of Sylvia’s burgeoning sexuality† (Freivogel 136). In fact she states, â€Å"they are, in fact, symbols of Christianity† (Freivogel 136). Innocence in â€Å"The White Heron† is a theme that I, as a reader, have recognized each time I have read the story. Reading Freivogelâ⠂¬â„¢s essay and learning about other critic’s views can be a little unsettling when the reader has only viewed the story as an innocent journey of a young girl who decides to protect nature, as well as her own conscious. Freivogel reveals that, â€Å"Many critics liken the ornithologist to a sexual predator† (Freivogel 136). These critics consider him a predator because he is offering her money for compensation if she can lead him to the white heron which is symbolic of a â€Å"sexual predator convincing Sylvia to hunt for the white heron with him† (Freivogel 136). She goes on to say that these critics consider the â€Å"hunt for birds equal to a hunt for Sylvia’s sexual being† (Freivogel 137). In reality, the hunt is simply for the bird and innocence remains prominent, which is shown when Jewett writes that Sylvia, â€Å"could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much† (Jewett 67). A clear symbol in â€Å"A White Heron† is the hunter who symbolizes an enemy; the enemy against nature and and the enemy against Sylvia possibly going against her better judgment. Freivogel considers the symbol of an enemy to be symbolic of Satan. Other critics also view the enemy as Satan. Freivogel points out that the hunter from first appearances, â€Å"is charming, sly, and observant of Sylvia’s weakness† (Freivogel 138). These qualities are said to be the same of Satan in the Garden of Eden, and the hunter is preying on Sylvia, as Satan preyed on Eve. However, he is preying on her weakness in order for him to have the satisfaction of hunting down the white heron, not preying on her in a sexual  manner. Another inept image that some critics maintain is that the pine tree that Sylvia climbs is â€Å"sexually symbolic† (Freivogel 138).   The passage, â€Å"The tree seemed to lengthen itself out as she went up, and to reach farther and farther upward† (Jewett 69), Richard Benzo wrote that â€Å"there is a sexual relationship indicated by this passage† and that â€Å"Sylvia I somehow trying to overcome a fear of sexual relations† (qtd. in Freivogel 138). This sexual claim about the pine tree is said to be â€Å"too obvious, and facile† by Freivogel. These critics who maintain that this story has a sexual theme do not see innocence involved in this story at all. The tree is actually a Christian symbol that reminds believers to â€Å"seek out heavenly treasures, rather than earthly treasures† (qtd. in Freivogel 139), and this is what Sylvia does by choosing to not let the hunter know where to find the white heron. Lastly, the white heron is also seen as a symbol of sexuality by other critics. Freivogel writes that another critic, Elizabeth Ammons, argues that the heron is symbolic â€Å"of Sylvia’s body that she must offer up as ‘prey’ to the ornithologist in exchange for ‘money, social approval, and affection† (qtd. In Freivogel 140). In reality Jewett wrote nothing to indicate that the hunter was trying to â€Å"prey† on Sylvia in a sexual way. However, he was preying on her innocence by tempting her with a money reward for informing him of the white heron’s location. Freivogel rebukes these critic’s viewpoints on the heron being sexually symbolic. She even goes so far to say, â€Å"the idea of the heron as a sexual symbol seems the most far-fetched† (Freivogel 140). Birds are symbolic in the Christian church. They are said to be â€Å"symbolic of Christ† and â€Å"images of the eternal struggle of good and evil and of Christ’s battle against the devil† (qtd. in Freivogel 140). Sylvia encompasses all of these throughout her journey to find the heron, and into her decision to keep its location a secret. Many critics base their analyses on â€Å"A White Heron† on sexual nuances as the symbolism of the story. Freivogel affirms that it is a story â€Å"filled with symbols that are common to Christian beliefs† (Freivogel 141). Sylvia has overcome the temptations offered to her by the hunter or â€Å"satan†, and reached the top of the pine tree where she realizes the true treasures come from the heavens, and she could not betray that for â€Å"earthly treasures† brought by the money. Ultimately, Sylvia won the battle of good versus evil. Victoria Freivogel’s views on symbolism capture the true essence of  the story, which I believe to be pure innocence. Christian symbolism throughout the story cements the purity of nature and even of the young Sylvia. Sylvia is only a nine year old girl. Many of her views will be highly influenced by others, but she has the purest mind and heart, and she listened to the voices of nature, as well as her inner conscience when deciding that she could not tell the whereabouts of the white heron. I find the sexual symbolism believed by other critics to be senseless. Those impure views take away the purity of the theme, and it completely changes the meaning of the story. I will always read â€Å"The White Heron† as a story of a young girl who shows remarkable fearlessness in her journey to find the heron and in her journey she discovers how precious all life truly is. . Works Cited Freivogel, Victoria. â€Å"Christian Symbolism In Sarah Orne Jewett’s ‘A White Heron’.† Eureka Studies In Teaching Short Fiction 7.2 (2007): 136-142. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Jewett, Sarah Orne. â€Å"A White Heron.† Literature: A Pocket Anthology. Ed. R.S. Gwynn. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. 62-71. Print.