The contemporary issue of technology Essay Example for Free

The contemporary issue of technology Essay Buddhism is an ever-growing religion with approximately 350 million adherents worldwide, prominently found in Thailand, Indo-China, Burma, and Sri Lanka[1]. The word â€Å"Buddhism† comes from â€Å"Budhi† which literally means ‘to awaken’. This essentially makes up the basis for the belief system as it originated when Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince commonly known as Buddha, was himself awakened during his lifetime. It is every adherent’s goal in life to reach this same state of enlightenment, or nirvana. Not only is Buddhism a religion, it is often a way of life for many Buddhists[2]. Buddhism is a traditionalistic religion containing aspects that remain constant over time but is also highly adaptable and advances with current global progressions and issues. Many aspects of the belief system represent notions of continuity and change including gender roles, sacred places and scripts and the contemporary issue of technology. Buddhism has been subject to both aspects of continuity and change almost from the time the religion originated. This was clearly highlighted in the role and acceptance of dissent in the belief system in 383BC. This was after Buddha’s death in a time known as the Second Council where a large change occurred and the significant split into two variants of the religion occurred. This was due to arising conflicting interpretations of Buddha’s teachings and the meaning behind them. The Buddhist movement divided into the Theravada (Teaching of the Elders), also known as Hinayana (small vessel), and the Mahayana (large vessel) movements. This division essentially arose from disagreements over matters of practice and doctrine. The most significant different between the two variants is the belief of the Theravadans that Buddha is a fully enlightened human teacher whilst the Mahayana’s developed a transcendental view of him. The Mahayana concept welcomes the idea of worship of a divine grace rather than the attainment of enlightenment through practice[3]. As well as this, there is also the slightly smaller Vajrayana variant, most prominent in Tibet. This variant is known as Tantric Buddhism, referring to the application of Buddha’s teachings in regards to unique explanations and meditation techniques used by Vajrayana Buddhists[4]. Gender roles in Buddhism have been subject to much change over time. At the time Buddha lived, women were placed in a domestic sphere, essentially denying them of authoritative positions. Women were expected to care for the family and men to provide for the family[5]. Siddhartha himself was not always accepting of women entering the monastery. His attitude solely changed when his closest disciple, Ananda, used the traditional Buddhist value of impermanence as a way to demonstrate how the position of women at the time should not necessarily remain this way. From this resulted the allowance of women into the sangha through acculturation. Despite the ordination of women into the sangha as well as the Buddhist belief that both males and females are equal is however not necessarily the case in practice[6]. For example, In Theravada, a conscious effort is made to follow the Buddhas lifestyle as closely as possible as outlined in Vinaya[7]. However, this can be viewed as merely a matter of culture. In many Buddhist communities it is often normal for a man to have more authority over a woman. This was the restraint women felt for a long time until recent westernisation and modernisation. Through globalisation and the emergence of Buddhism into western nations, the status of women is now changing in many countries, even traditionally Buddhist ones. There is an acceptance that western women are no longer subservient as well as the equal address of both genders in recent teachings and books[8]. Western women have even had the ability to influence powerful figures including the Dalai Lama to support women’s spiritual practice and leadership[9]. Gender roles in Buddhism are quite obviously changing over time, at a slow but steady pace. In a world where gender stereotypes are slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past, women Buddhists, from westernised countries or not, will become more aware of the patriarchal society they live in and inevitably push for equal gender status. Although, one aspect that may pose a setback to equal gender status is the fact that nuns must still serve the monks and cannot run services and have different roles in the monastery[10]. Although this slightly traditional notion continues, Buddhist communities are consciously making an effort to live out the Buddhist teaching that says both women and men are equal. In the Vajrayana variant there are many female Buddhas and bodhisattva including Green Tara, Kuan Yin and prajnaparamita who represents the mother of all Buddha’s as she is the anicca[11]. As well as this, the rapid increase of the religion, most notably in Australia, will undoubtedly create an incline in discussion of gender issues as it is a nation based on equality and multiculturalism. Buddhist sacred places and scripts are a highly traditional and continual aspect of the religion. Despite the split into separate variants of Buddhism, the message of Buddha remains the same for all. Initially the teachings of Buddha were passed down through oral tradition although as time progressed the four major councils formed the sangha and dharma consistent in practice and doctrine and had them form a written canon, the Tipitaka[12]. This text has not changed in any way since 250BCE and continues to be the foundation of all Buddhist communities. This is one of only a few things that have remained constant despite divergence and change within the religion. As time progressed, the Mahayana variant also created sacred texts, usually attributed to bodhisattva. These texts held a great amount of authority as they were held in likeness to the words of Buddha himself. These texts are an essential part of Buddhism as they are used in important activities and rituals that remain constant with tradition over time. The main story in the Buddhist tradition is the legend of the Buddha’s life and his search for enlightenment. This places high sacred significance on the location of Bodh Gaya and the Bodhi tree found there, where it is said Siddhartha found enlightenment and became Buddha. There are also many types of Buddhist shrines or temples visited by both monks/nuns and lay people for meditation and ritualistic purposes. Shrines often contain symbolic objects, helping one to keep in mind the ‘Four Noble Truths’ and the ‘Noble Eightfold Path’[13]. The continuous nature of the sacred texts and places visited can be expected to remain so in the near and distant future. In Australia; Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrana all assume the traditional practice and observation of the sacred texts and places. Being a western culture, this is highly significant as it is the one aspect of the religion that remains constant and traditional in a diverse culture. This is also the case with other western nations as well as the traditional Buddhist locations. Contemporary issues have arisen relatively recently within Buddhism with the continual advancement of technology in today’s society. Due to Buddhism’s highly adaptable nature, it is becoming more welcoming of the world’s technological advances. Global communications such as the internet are now allowing for readily available and easily accessible information including Buddhist sacred texts. This allows for people from around the globe being able to access and translate texts at their own ease and from the comfort of their own home. Buddhists view technology in a varied light[14]. On one hand, the consumption of technology causes problems geared to feeding greed, hatred, and delusion. On the other hand, ‘constructive’ technology is beginning to be adapted to, within the constraints of three principles; technology which is moderate, technology which is used for creating benefit and technology which serves to develop understanding and improve the human being[15]. Essentially, the basic traditional principles of Buddhism are maintained through the safe, beneficial and constructive implementation and use of modern equipment. Technology is inevitably an ever-growing facet of today’s society. Buddhism is learning to adapt to such changes. As Buddhists accept technology that does not harm sentient beings, it is having a significant influence in the western world. Buddhism is now the fastest growing religion in Australia. From 1991-2006 there was a 109.6% increase in adherents in Australia, making up 2.1% of the total population[16]. Much of this is reliant on the introduction of technology in Buddhism resulting in bringing people together through the communication devices such as the internet. Not only is this affecting Australians, it is evident throughout the world. As Buddhism is introducing more technology into their practices, information is readily accessible to millions of people worldwide. This allows for a greater knowledge and acceptance of Buddhism and so expansion of the religion will inevitably occur on a large scale. Buddhism is now ranked the fourth largest belief system in the world and will undoubtedly continue to rise. In summation, Buddhism is embarking on a continual journey of adaptation to changing cultures and climates. With this comes the continuation of traditional aspects as well as applying these in ways to suit the consensus of different cultures, most notably western. Many influencing factors attribute to the continuity and change of Buddhism including gender roles, sacred places and scripts and contemporary issues. Each of these play a fundamental role in underpinning the belief system in contemporary society and the religion will inevitability continue to change given its highly adaptable nature. ________________ [1] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/bud_statwrld.htm [2] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm [3] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [4] Vajrayana Institute, 2012, Vajrayana Buddhism, Australia, http://www.vajrayana.com.au/index.php?option=com_contentview=categorylayout=blogid=56Itemid=81 [5] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [6] TSC Learning, 2012, TSC Learning Inc., Australia, http://www.tsclearning.catholic.edu.au/groups/societyculture/weblog/2953c/Belief_System__Buddhism__Gender_Roles.html [7] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, http://www.buddhanet.net/ftp07.htm [8] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [9] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, Buddhanet.com [10] Enabling Organisation, 2012, BSQ Tracts on Buddhism No.7, http://www.enabling.org/ia/vipassana/Archive/D/DeSilva/WomenInBuddhism/womenInBuddhismSwarnaDeSilva.html [11] Vajrayana Institute, 2012, Vajrayana Buddhism, Australia, http://www.vajrayana.com.au/index.php?option=com_contentview=categorylayout=blogid=56Itemid=81 [12] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [13] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [14] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [15] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, Buddhanet.com [16] Buddhism Australia, 2012, Census date from ABS, Australia, http://www.buddhismaustralia.org/census2001.htm

Importance Of Faith And Prayer In Islam Religion Essay

Importance Of Faith And Prayer In Islam Religion Essay The quotation from the course textbook (page 225) gives tremendous significance to faith and rituals of the Islamic culture, both of which are greatly highlighted in the holy book of Quran. The main source where Muslims gain an enormous amount of faith is from reading the holy book of Quran. One must fully believe and understand the messages written in the Quran to have complete faith in it as a Muslim individual because without faith, performing those rituals are useless. For centuries, the Quran has been preserved in its original form as it was first revealed to Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H). Any slight change in it can be easily detected, since over the years, the Quran has been memorized by millions of Muslims all over the world. The originality of the holy book for over a decade is a huge fascination on its own. Since its original script is from God, the Quran is able to hold a great extent of value in the hearts of its followers. The term religious rituals, as explained in our text are basically repeated actions or words that connect an individual to God. The religious rituals in Islam are a few in numbers, but each hold great importance to Muslims. The quote from the text reminds Muslims to keep up with prayers. The ritual of prayer, known as Salat, is the second of the five Pillars of Islam. These five pillars are the five practices that every Muslim is encouraged to perform throughout their life by the holy book of Quran. The ritual of Salat is a distinctive mark of a true believer. This ritual, performed five times during the day, provides a Muslim individual with direct communication with the Creator, the Almighty. The religious ritual of prayer is essential to all Muslims. An individual performs a ritual ablution (wadu), before each prayer, to be in a state of purity. Praying five times provides Muslims with a sense of punctuality in their everyday lives. An individual carries out a prayer in order to praise and admire God for his benevolence. Prayer gives one an opportunity to ask for forgiveness for all the misdeeds committed and also to ask the Almighty to guide him/her in the straight/ right path. As described in the Hadith, one of the sayings of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) relates prayer to the convenience of having a stream flowing outside ones door. If an individual could easily bathe in this flowing stream of water five times during the day, he/she will have no filth left on him/her. Likewise, praying five times daily washes away ones sins. This repeated performance of the ritual keeps everyone remembering and fearing God throughout the day. The quote from the text refers to highly important claims and one cannot help but agree with them. Reciting the Quran and keeping up with prayers are the key factors that keep a Muslim connected to Allah, the greatest. Remembering the power of Almighty several times during the day is beneficial in endless number of ways such as keeping an individual away from evil or committing misdeeds and reserving a place in the afterlife (Jannah). These benefits clearly link the ritual of prayer with morality. The term morality, as defined in the text, is a set of norms designed to regulate and govern the conduct of humans. Religious rituals, on the other hand, help keep an individual connected to God and following in the path of guidance of the divine being. Prayer requires complete submission of an individuals mind and soul to the Ultimate. It reminds everyone that the Creator, the Almighty owns everything, including the Day of Judgment. Praying is not done by choice, but is rather obligatory s tarting at the age of seven. The religious ritual of praying can be seen as a true sign of having faith and the quote from the text greatly helps to signify its importance as mentioned in the Quran.

1 Corinthians 13 What Is Love Essay

The Excellence of Love (1 Corinthians 13)1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Free Essays: Comparing Characters and Themes in Hamlet and Macbeth :: comparison compare contrast essays

Parallel Characters and Themes in Hamlet and MacBeth    Throughout William Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Macbeth there are many similarities, along with many differences. These plays are both Shakespearean tragedies, which often use supernatural incidents to capture the reader’s interest, and consists of a hero that has a tragic flaw. There are many comparative and contrasting aspects in these plays.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The opening of Hamlet involves a supernatural, as does the opening of Macbeth. In the first scene the ghost of his father, King Hamlet, approaches Hamlet. Similarly, the opening of Macbeth involves the three witches. Although the witches can be seen by anyone they approach, the ghost of King Hamlet is only seen by Hamlet himself, and in one scene by Marcellus and Bernardo, Hamlet’s servants. Similarly in both plays, the main characters are slightly suspicious of the actual powers these supernatural figures have. As the witches use their apparent powers to tell Macbeth the future, the ghost of King Hamlet tells Hamlet what has happened already. Hamlet states in one of his soliloquies â€Å"The spirit that I have seen / may be the devil† (2.2.598-599). Macbeth also has his doubts because when the witches tell him that he will be named Thane of Cawder, Macbeth himself had not known, but many people had. It is possible the witches could have known. In the same matter in both plays, the presentation of the supernatural began to lead to the final downfall of each of the characters. In Macbeth, the three witches cause him to think and do evil deeds. In Hamlet, if he had not seen the ghost of his father, he would not have known that Claudius has killed his father to claim the throne. In both instances the characters gave into the nagging supernatural beliefs. And hence they lost their lives. Other characters in these plays show parallels in their plots. Both plays have a main character that portrays the king of that country. In Hamlet, the King of Denmark, Claudius is directly related to Hamlet. He is his uncle, and also his mother’s new husband. However, in Macbeth the King of Scotland, King Duncan, is not directly related to the main character.

The Evolutionary Importance of Maternal Anti-Bodies and its Implication

An organism’s ability to survive is not limited to the number of resources available but even more importantly the organism’s ability to fight off infections. Immunity is one of the most important features an organism has to distinguish and protect itself against certain pathogens that could potentially be fatal to the organism. From the first line of defense such as skin and mucous membranes, an organism’s body is constantly fighting off antigens. Antigens are molecules from a pathogen or a foreign organism that provoke a specific immune response. There are several ways a body prevents specific antigens from entering the body or causing harm, starting with non-specific mechanisms that include the first and second lines of defense. When an antigen passes the skin barrier an inflammatory response is set into motion to prohibit any further attack on the body. This inflammatory response includes the work of phagocytic white blood cells and anti-microbial proteins. When that alone, is not able to defeat the antigens, a specific mechanism including lymphocytes and antibodies make up the third line of defense. All organisms are born with immunity which is commonly referred to as innate immunity. However, most importantly as an organism grows, an acquired immunity is developed either naturally or artificially. Natural passive immunity may be an organism’s most important form of immunity since it is passed from the mother to the fetus via the placenta or after birth during breast feeding. Although this immunity is usually only temporary, it protects the offspring while their own immune system develops. Current studies have addressed important issues regarding environmental and genetic factors affecting the amount of antibodies transf... ...ernal transfer of antibodies: raising immuno-ecology issues. Trends Ecol Evol 23:282-288. Grindstaff, J. L., E. D. Brodie, 3rd, and E. D. Ketterson. 2003. Immune function across generations: integrating mechanism and evolutionary process in maternal antibody transmission. Proc Biol Sci 270:2309-2319. Hasselquist, D. and J. A. Nilsson. 2009. Maternal transfer of antibodies in vertebrates: trans-generational effects on offspring immunity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 364:51-60. King, M. O., J. P. Owen, and H. G. Schwabl. 2010. Are maternal antibodies really that important? Patterns in the immunologic development of altricial passerine house sparrows (Passer domesticus). PLoS One 5:e9639. Pihlaja, M., H. Siitari, and R. V. Alatalo. 2006. Maternal antibodies in a wild altricial bird: effects on offspring immunity, growth and survival. J Anim Ecol 75:1154-1164. The Evolutionary Importance of Maternal Anti-Bodies and its Implication An organism’s ability to survive is not limited to the number of resources available but even more importantly the organism’s ability to fight off infections. Immunity is one of the most important features an organism has to distinguish and protect itself against certain pathogens that could potentially be fatal to the organism. From the first line of defense such as skin and mucous membranes, an organism’s body is constantly fighting off antigens. Antigens are molecules from a pathogen or a foreign organism that provoke a specific immune response. There are several ways a body prevents specific antigens from entering the body or causing harm, starting with non-specific mechanisms that include the first and second lines of defense. When an antigen passes the skin barrier an inflammatory response is set into motion to prohibit any further attack on the body. This inflammatory response includes the work of phagocytic white blood cells and anti-microbial proteins. When that alone, is not able to defeat the antigens, a specific mechanism including lymphocytes and antibodies make up the third line of defense. All organisms are born with immunity which is commonly referred to as innate immunity. However, most importantly as an organism grows, an acquired immunity is developed either naturally or artificially. Natural passive immunity may be an organism’s most important form of immunity since it is passed from the mother to the fetus via the placenta or after birth during breast feeding. Although this immunity is usually only temporary, it protects the offspring while their own immune system develops. Current studies have addressed important issues regarding environmental and genetic factors affecting the amount of antibodies transf... ...ernal transfer of antibodies: raising immuno-ecology issues. Trends Ecol Evol 23:282-288. Grindstaff, J. L., E. D. Brodie, 3rd, and E. D. Ketterson. 2003. Immune function across generations: integrating mechanism and evolutionary process in maternal antibody transmission. Proc Biol Sci 270:2309-2319. Hasselquist, D. and J. A. Nilsson. 2009. Maternal transfer of antibodies in vertebrates: trans-generational effects on offspring immunity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 364:51-60. King, M. O., J. P. Owen, and H. G. Schwabl. 2010. Are maternal antibodies really that important? Patterns in the immunologic development of altricial passerine house sparrows (Passer domesticus). PLoS One 5:e9639. Pihlaja, M., H. Siitari, and R. V. Alatalo. 2006. Maternal antibodies in a wild altricial bird: effects on offspring immunity, growth and survival. J Anim Ecol 75:1154-1164. The Evolutionary Importance of Maternal Anti-Bodies and its Implication An organism’s ability to survive is not limited to the number of resources available but even more importantly the organism’s ability to fight off infections. Immunity is one of the most important features an organism has to distinguish and protect itself against certain pathogens that could potentially be fatal to the organism. From the first line of defense such as skin and mucous membranes, an organism’s body is constantly fighting off antigens. Antigens are molecules from a pathogen or a foreign organism that provoke a specific immune response. There are several ways a body prevents specific antigens from entering the body or causing harm, starting with non-specific mechanisms that include the first and second lines of defense. When an antigen passes the skin barrier an inflammatory response is set into motion to prohibit any further attack on the body. This inflammatory response includes the work of phagocytic white blood cells and anti-microbial proteins. When that alone, is not able to defeat the antigens, a specific mechanism including lymphocytes and antibodies make up the third line of defense. All organisms are born with immunity which is commonly referred to as innate immunity. However, most importantly as an organism grows, an acquired immunity is developed either naturally or artificially. Natural passive immunity may be an organism’s most important form of immunity since it is passed from the mother to the fetus via the placenta or after birth during breast feeding. Although this immunity is usually only temporary, it protects the offspring while their own immune system develops. Current studies have addressed important issues regarding environmental and genetic factors affecting the amount of antibodies transf... ...ernal transfer of antibodies: raising immuno-ecology issues. Trends Ecol Evol 23:282-288. Grindstaff, J. L., E. D. Brodie, 3rd, and E. D. Ketterson. 2003. Immune function across generations: integrating mechanism and evolutionary process in maternal antibody transmission. Proc Biol Sci 270:2309-2319. Hasselquist, D. and J. A. Nilsson. 2009. Maternal transfer of antibodies in vertebrates: trans-generational effects on offspring immunity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 364:51-60. King, M. O., J. P. Owen, and H. G. Schwabl. 2010. Are maternal antibodies really that important? Patterns in the immunologic development of altricial passerine house sparrows (Passer domesticus). PLoS One 5:e9639. Pihlaja, M., H. Siitari, and R. V. Alatalo. 2006. Maternal antibodies in a wild altricial bird: effects on offspring immunity, growth and survival. J Anim Ecol 75:1154-1164.

Science Thesis on SImple Physics

Throughout this trimester, we have completed several activities to help us answer our driving question of, â€Å"which Planets would be the most habitable and how can we determine this. † In order to organize our process of learning and how we can find these planets, we divided the question Into three learning units. Our units Included Nuclear Reactions and Star, Waves and light, Analyzing stars, and Circular motion and orbits. Our first unit was Nuclear Reactions and Stars.This unit was focused on teaching us the properties of nuclear reactions, where they occur, and how they help us find tars, relating directly to our driving unit. The main idea of this unit was that there are three types of nuclear reactions. Radioactive decay is the release of either an electron, a helium atom, or energy, In an unstable and large elements. Fission Is the process of when a neutron traveling at fast speeds strikes a large element, causing It to split into two elements and the release of usua lly around three neutrons. Finally, fusion occurs when two elements fuse together, producing a large amount of energy.This process requires extreme heat, like that of stars, In order to create an environment where all molecules move around at fast speeds, making them susceptible to fusion. Therefore, stars produce extreme amounts of energy through fusion. The heat produced by the sun makes fusion happen all the time. Next, through learning the equation E=mica, we realized that even a small amount of mass loss, which occurs In fusion, produces a large amount of energy. To sum up this unit, we learned about the evolutionary paths of stars and how they are affected by their mass.Basically, average mass stars go through a simple path of stellar nebula, prostate, average star, red giant, white dwarf. However, high mass stars go through a stellar nebula, high mass star, super red giant, supernova, then either a neutron star or black hole. It becomes a black hole only of its mass is incred ibly high. In order to understand why this happens, we watched an understanding stars video and did some helpful bookwork. Stars go through this cycle as the balance between gravity and the stars outward force (usually fusion) changes.As a star gets hot enough to start fusion and create a variety of new elements, it's outward force increases, causing the star to expand. As star then begins to run out of fuel, the star begins to use larger elements, cooling the gas and causing it to spread outwards. Finally, as the star begins to lose all of Its elements to fuse, gravity breaks the gravitational equilibrium It once had and collapses the star. Through this unit, we learned how stars work and how nuclear reactions are what cause the release of energy in nature. Our second unit consisted of waves and light.Now that we knew how stars work, we had to learn how we know so much about stars, how we find them, and how we find planets that orbit them. In order to accomplish this, we first inve stigated waves. I OFF eaves: transverse (electromagnetic) and longitudinal waves (sound). Then we learned that there are two speed equations for waves. One is the obvious s=d/t. The other equation, which is Just a derivative of this, is speed?wavelength * frequency. Through this, we could calculate the wavelength or frequency of any electromagnetic wave if we knew one or the other (because the speed is always a constant).Next we learned about the electromagnetic spectrum. This is basically a list of electromagnetic waves from least energy (longest wavelength) to most energy (shortest wavelength). This allowed us to see how much we can not see and the frequencies of these waves. Furthermore, we learned the importance of intensity, in my opinion, the most important part of this unit. Intensity is defined as the amount of energy in a given area. Basically, as we move away from the source, the area the source occupies increases, thus decreasing the energy we feel or see.Through the inte nsity lab, in which I did high tech, we figured that the relationship is an inverse square. Using our now known knowledge about intensity, waves, and luminosity(power output or dotage), we could now use the luminosity of the star to find the habitable zone. To do this, we used the equations given by the online activity, eventually allowing us to see if there was a habitable planet, usually fictional, in the stars zone. In unit three, we expanded on our star knowledge from unit one and two. One of the main projects we did in this unit was the star evaluation sheet.We had to find a random star using the online planetarium given to us and then research it's characteristics. Once we found a star we liked, we used websites, such as wisped, o find out the basics of the star. Through the website, we were able to find distance from the earth, Surface temperature, the star's radius, the star's mass, and its Luminosity. Using this information, we were able to use our past knowledge and equati ons and new equations (wavelength of peak emission=b/T where b is Wine's displacement constant) in order to further our information about the star.Next, we used the equation of r=((1360*Lasts/Lulus)/ in order to find the outer and inner edge of the stars habitable zone (using 720 and 1500 as established intensities for habitable zone edges). Then using what we knew about that mass, luminosity, and temperature of the star, we could use the H-R diagrams, which we learned about this unit doing book work, to determine the stage the star was in. Sadly, my star was a massive star in its supernatant stage.Even though the star did have a useable habitable zone, the star's life span was way too short, leading to the conclusion that my star shouldn't be considered as a possibility for Project Cygnus colony ship. Furthermore, we also did an activity online in which we chose a star offered, figured out whether it had a planet orbiting it through the brightness dips in the graph), figured out th e period of the planet (again through the amount of time it took for the brightness dips to occur), and then through a series of equations, we found the habitable zone and saw whether the planet was inside of the zone.This unit helped expand our knowledge on stars and to fugue out how to find the habitable zones of stars and whether a planet is orbiting in that zone. Objects are able to travel in a circle and why two objects in orbit do not collide into each other. Through a series of readings and activities, such as the water demo, we earned that centripetal force is the force holding an object in circular motion and it points radically inward. However, this brought up a couple of questions. These included: â€Å"Why does the water in the cup during the water demo not fall out? ND Why do we not fall out of a reallocates when we are upside down. In order to answer both, we first looked at properties of an object traveling in a circular direction. First, we learned that centripetal equation is basically acceleration in a circular direction that points inward. In a object is traveling in a circular path, we can SE the equation centripetal acceleration=(tangential speed)AAA / the radius of the circle in meters. To find the tangential speed, the equation we used was speed?circumference of the circle/the period of the object.This is basically speed?distance/time. These equations helped us do our buggy lab in which we found the centripetal acceleration and used this to help us find the amount of centripetal force (in Newton's) by using the equation f=mass*acceleration. The mass was easily found via a scale and we used the equations given to help us find the acceleration. However, this still didn't totally answer the question of why we do not all out of a roller coaster when we are upside down.Through a presentation and a roller coaster Journal glasswork, we realized that the reason this happens is because there is a normal force caused by our speed and inertia that causes us to resist falling. Through all of this, I realized that this perfectly explained the driving question of this unit, which stated Why does the moon not crash into the planet it is orbiting, the earth? As a result of these activities, I understood that this is because the object is constantly accelerating towards the center, causing an elliptical like orbit where he planet never crashes.In conclusion, this unit taught me why objects stay in orbit and the forces involved in circular motion. With still more to go in this unit, I am quite excited to see where this leads us. Overall, all of the activities we have done have lead us closer to answering our driving question of the unit, â€Å"What planets are habitable and how can we determine this. † Through a series of activities, labs, and lectures, we have learned about the properties of stars and their orbiting planets, all of which have helped us determine information about stars and their orbiting planets.

Hypermarket Impact on Small Retailer

ABSTRACT Kedai runcit or sundry shops have been a standard feature of our housing estate landscape ever since there were housing estates. These mom-and-pop operations have been selling to their surrounding residents everyday essentials such as groceries, fresh produce, poultry, toiletries, etc. Their reasonable price and close distance have made them popular among residents of the housing estates in which they are located. Lately, though, their popularity has been on the decline due to competition from wholesale markets or hypermarkets which can offer the same items cheaper and conveniently under one roof.Local and foreign-bred hypermarkets such as Giants, Tesco and Carrefour have been invading our towns, big and small, leaving the traditional sundry shops fighting for their business. Many of these small-scale individually-owned shops have since closed their operations permanently or moved them a little further outskirt of town, away from the hypermarket catchment. Just how serious i s the impact of these hypermarkets on the operation of the sundry shops has so far not been fully investigated in Malaysia although many studies have been carried out elsewhere.Thus, this paper presents a study that has been carried out by the authors to investigate how serious the impact is in Johor Bahru. A sample of three hypermarkets was chosen for this study. Using GIS, we spatially showed the annual changes in the density of sundry shop licenses issued by the local authority within the catchment of each hypermarket, three years before as well as three years after the inaugural date of the hypermarket. Also using GIS, we corroborated the decline in the number of sundry shops within the surrounding housing estates with the residing addresses of the surveyed customers of the hypermarkets.The results obtained confirmed that the operation of hypermarkets does contribute to the decline in the number of sundry shops and the degree of the decline decreases radially outward from the lo cation of the hypermarkets. The findings from this study suggest that some rethinking needs to be done about the manner in which hypermarket licenses, or sundry shop licenses for that matter, are issued. Even our current policy of allowing a certain percentage of new housing development to be set aside for shoplots may also need to be reviewed.Keywords: Hypermarkets, sundry shops, GIS spatial analysis 1. INTRODUCTION Kedai runcit or a sundry shop is any shop that sells groceries and other daily items directly to its customers in small quantity (Osman, 1988). Normally, sundry shops are owned by individuals or shared by several individuals and offer limited number of items and quantity. In Malaysia one can find sundry shops in almost every housing estates and villages and they normally have a limited cathment area.A hypermarket, in contrast, is a big-scale retail store that offers a variety of goods and services all conveniently under one roof (Duncan, Hollander and Savitt, 1983). A h ypermarket commands a wide catchment area and it is normally owned by big companies who have numerous branches of the hypermarkets in many places. Among the more-popular chains of hypermarket operating in Malaysia are the locally-owned Giant Hypermarkets, and foreign-owned Tesco Hypermarkets and Carrefour Hypermarkets.Like in any modern country, hypermarkets in Malaysia have been expanding their operation to meet the demand of current generation for quality, convenience, product variety and long operation hours (Malaysian Ninth Plan, 2006). However, there are ever growing concern on the negative impacts of hypermarkets on the business of nearby neighborhood sundry shops (Johor Structure Plan 2002-2020, 2005). This is supported by Bennison & Davies (1980) and Seiders & Tigert (2000) whose study concluded that a hypermarket did have a negative impact on the growth of small sundry shops in the area.In spite of the same concern in Malaysia, there have been no study to investigate the sp atial extent of the impact. Thus, a study was set up by the authors to investigate the spatial extent of the impact and also to find out the factors that attract customers to hypermakets, leaving their neighborhood sundry shops struggling for business. 2. OBJECTIVES The objective of the study was to spatially investigate the impact of a hypermarket on the operation of the surrounding sundry shops.In order to achieve the objectives the following tasks needed to be carried out: 1) identifying the suitable samples of hypermarkets; 2) identifying the market catchment of the hypermarkets; 3) collection of data pertaining to the number of business licenses issued to sundry shop operators within the catchment areas three years before as well as three years after the operation of the hypermarkets; 4) identifying factors that influence the decisions by the customers to shop at these hypermarkets.The method used to conduct the study is discussed in details in the following section. 3. METHOD The first step of the study was to choose a number of hypermarkets as units of analysis. Among the criteria taken into consideration in choosing the hypermarkets were: 1) the year they were opened for business to ensure that the chosen hypermarkets have been operating for at least three years; 2) the distances between each other to avoid overlapping of the market catchments; and 3) the types of goods sold at the hypermarkets so that they match those sold at the neighborhood sundry shops.Of the total of about ten hypermarkets in the City of Johor Bahru, three hypermarkets met these criteria and were chosen for the study. The three hypermarkets were from a locallygrown hypermarket chain known as Giant Hypermarket that are located in Southern City (in Johor Bahru City Centre), in Plentong and in Skudai (10km outskirt of Johor Bahru) (Refer Figure 1. 0). These three hypermarkets served a number of residential areas, known in Malaysia as taman perumahan or housing estates, located betwee n 0 – 20km surrounding them.The next step was the distribution of questionaire sets to 200 customers per hypermarket (100 during weekday and 100 during weekend) containing questions concerning their home addresses and the reasons for choosing to shop at the hypermarkets. Their home addresses were then inputted into the city plan in GIS format to dertermine the extent of each hypermarket’s cathment area. One way to measure the impact of a hypermarket on the neighborhood sundry shops is to actually count the number of sundry shops that are in business several years before and after the hypermarket is in operation.This is difficult to conduct since the monitoring would take as long as the number of years that we are interested in investigating. One way to expedite the process is to actually study the records of the number of annual business licenses issued to sundry shops and assume that each sundry shop that holds such license is actually operating a sundry shop. On this basis, the number of business licenses issued to sundry shops within three years before and after a hypermarket was in operation were obtained from the local authority (Johor Bahru Tengah Municipal Council).The locations of the business premises of these licenses were then plotted on the city map and then rasterised into a 50m grid format to give a density of sundry shop licenses per fifty square meters for each of the three years before and after the operation of the hypermarkets. The changes in the sundry shop density were then used to explain the impact of the hypermatkets on the business of the sundry shops. 2. Impact on Neighbourhood Sundry ShopsIf most of the customers that patronize these hypermarkets come from the surrounding housing estates as described previously, what is the impact on the sundry shops within those housing estates? The least impact would be slowing down of business for these neighborhood sundry shops while the worst impact would be closing down of busines s. While business slowdown can be investigated, this study only looked at the closing down of business by tracking the number of sundry shop licenses issued annualy by the local authority.Since the impact normally materializes a few years after the opening of a hypermarket, records of licenses three years before and after the opening of the hypermarket were inventoried. Changes in the number of sundry shops were investigated by studying the changes in the density of sundry shop licenses for every 50m2 area surrounding each hypermarket. This is done spatially in GIS by rasterising the 50m2 area into grids and varying the color of the grids according to the number of licenses within the grids for each particular year. Figures 5. 0 – 7. show the annual changes in the density of licenses within the grids for all the three hypermarkets studied. In general, the figures show the decreasing trend in the densities of sundry shops even before the opening of these hypermarkets except fo r the Plentong Giant Hypermarket. The decreasing number of sundry shops surrounding the Southern City Hypermarket (Figure 5. 0) could be attributed to competition among themselves and the operation of another hypermarket chain at the very building occupied by the Giant Hypermarket before it took over the operation.Meanwhile the decreasing number of sundry shops surrounding the Skudai Hypermarket (Figure 7. 0) could be attributed to the opening of another Giant Hypermarket just 4km away the year before the Skudai Hypermarket opened, apart from competition among themselves. The number of sundry shops surrounding the Plentong Hypermarket (Figure 6. 0) on the other hand was on the increase prior to the opening of the hypermarket. Investigation revealed that this was due to the opening of several new housing estates in the area which normally, as the case is in Malaysia, come with a number of shoplots.