Julius Caesar Essay -- Roman History

Ever wondered what it takes to be a good king or ruler? Julius Caesar is one of the most famous rulers of all time. He was one of Rome’s greatest and most powerful leaders. His changes to the empire helped take Rome to new levels of success. The life of Caesar was short, yet great. It is important to learn about this great man and his many accomplishments. Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13th, 100 B.C. to a poor, Patrician family in Rome (â€Å"Julius Caesar†; Gruen 12). For most of his young life, Caesar lived in an apartment type house in one of the poorest districts in Rome. He was a strong student and studied such subjects as oratory, philosophy, and even martial arts. Coming from a family that is believed to have a long ancestry of Roman royalty, Caesar quickly found success in Rome at a young age. Caesar married Cornelia, his first wife, at age 17 (â€Å"Julius Caesar†; Gruen 12). The first of many political offices that Caesar would hold in Rome was the office or praetor. Elected in his first time to run, Caesar was elected to this position in 62 B.C. He also was elected this way when elected consul in 59 B.C. Even with other Roman senators trying to keep him out of office, Caesar continued to hold power and make alliances with other political leaders such as Pompey and Crassus (â€Å"Julius Caesar;† Gruen 13). Pompey himself helped Caesar in becoming consul because Caesar gave land for the poor and Pompey’s troops (Combee 95). After success and alliances with other countries’ leaders, Caesar went to Gaul in an attempt to conquer more land and further stretch his power. Conquering many lands in Gaul, Caesar took nine years to finish his campaigns. By treating the Gauls fairly, Caesar became very well-li... ...ese are just a few accomplishments made by such a successful man. In conclusion, Julius Caesar lived a very successful life. Many years after his death, Caesar’s accomplishments are still credited even today. While many people consider Caesar to be a poor leader, we can still learn from his many successes and use them to better our lives today. In his years of ruling Rome, Caesar made many changes to the empire that led it to even more success. When will the next leader with power such as Caesar’s emerge? The world can only wait and see. Works Cited Combe, Jerry H. History of the World in Christian Perspective. Pensacola, FL: A Beka Book, 1995. Print. Gruen, Erich S. â€Å"Caesar, Julius.† World Book Encyclopedia. 2009 ed. Print. â€Å"Julius Caesar: First Man of Rome.† 4 Jan. 2010. Web. March 2010 .

Economic Condition :: Economics

Economic Condition Economy from anywhere it could be from the United States or even from the UK it self. Can have a huge impact on the firm. The main economical influences on a firm are:- 1) Inflation 2) Exchange rates 3) Unemployment 4) Interest rates 1) inflation In some things the price of them could go up. It's because prices in things when time past generally goes up. For example a time piece costing  £1000 today mite go up to  £1050 in about a years time, But that is if they area no scratches and it's in a perfect condition. 2)Exchange Rates Exchange Rates is the rate of exchange between currencies in different countries for example.  £1 is worth about $10 in Hong Kong. 3)Unemployment Unemployment is a amount of people who are unemployed but are willing to work and that are actually looking for work or that they can work but they can't find any. But it could be lots more reasons too. 4)Interest rate Interest rate is the way that bank makes money. What they do is when people needs money to buy a house or a car they will need money so they get loan from a bank. The bank will lend them money but they want a repayment in a certain amount of time and they also want another amount of money which is called interest. So for example if a person borrows  £1000 to buy a car they mite have to pay back  £1100 back to the bank. So that is 10% on the interest rate. But people can also befit from interest rates too. Because if some one or company puts their saving in a bank they will get interest from it. If they keep the money in a certain amount of time. Could be something like half a year to a year. And the more you pay in the more you will get back from the bank. Inflation Inflation can have affects on businesses too and below I have listed some of the different types of inflation. 1) Cost of raw material 2) Sales will go down 3) Further consequences:- * Reduce costs, * Lower wages, * Dismiss some staff, * Eventually bankrupt Interest rates (increase) Interest rates can have a affect on a company too. That shows anything can small can have a big effect on a business. That why it is hard to have your own business. Below I have listed different types of interest rates:- * Firms cost of borrowing will increase also that means less likely to invest in new equipment. * Consumers will spend less. A) because they are encouraged to save more so you get better interest rate.

Iago as a Character in Othello :: essays papers

Iago as a Character in Othello Perhaps the most interesting and exotic character in the tragic play "Othello," by William Shakespeare, is "Honest" Iago. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits him and moves him closer toward his goals. He is the main driving force in this play, pushing Othello and everyone else towards their tragic end. Iago is not your ordinary villain. The role he plays is rather unique and complex, far from what one might expect. Iago is smart. He is an expert judge of people and their characters and uses this to his advantage. For example, he knows Roderigo is in love with Desdemona and figures that he would do anything to have her as his own. Iago says about Roderigo, "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse." [Act I, Scene III, Line 355] By playing on his hopes, Iago is able to swindle money and jewels from Roderigo, making himself a substantial profit, while using Roderigo to forward his other goals. He also thinks quick on his feet and is able to improvise whenever something unexpected occurs. When Cassio takes hold of Desdemona's hand before the arrival of the Moor Othello, Iago says, "With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio." [Act II, Scene I, Line 163] His cunning and craftiness make him a truly dastardly villain indeed. Being as smart as he is, Iago is quick to recognize the advantages of trust and uses it as a tool to forward his purposes. Throughout the story he is commonly known as, and commonly called, "Honest Iago." He even says of himself, "I am an honest man...." [Act II, Scene III, Line 245] Trust is a very powerful emotion that is easily abused. Othello, "holds [him] well;/The better shall [Iago's] purpose work on him." [pg. 1244, Line 362] Iago is a master of abuse in this case turning people's trust in him into tools to forward his own goals. His "med'cine works! Thus credulous fools are caught...." [pg. 1284, Line 44] Iago slowly poisons people's thoughts, creating ideas in their heads

Herbert Butterfield Essay

In this book, the author focuses more on the works of Herbert Butterfield rather than his personal life and explores Butterfield’s influence that reaches beyond what he perceived as â€Å"presentmindedness†. McIntire uses Butterfield’s private papers giving the reader a very close accounting of this historian’s thoughts and writings. His career in the academic field was impressive. Graduating from Cambridge in 1922 he went on to become regius professor, master of Peterhouse, and serve as vice-chancellor of the university. He grew up in the industrial town of West Riding where he and his family came from a Methodist background. His first job offer that he applied for after graduating was at the secondary school in Lampeter. He did get the job, but turned it down because he believed the teaching position would have been a dismal and uninspiring job. Butterfield believed, according to the author, that it would not have helped his writing. He had previously considered becoming a Methodist preacher, like his father. Even discussing the matter with the principal of Wesley House, and together decided he did not have the qualities of a preacher. He had aspirations of Knighthood and becoming president of the Historical society, this and all that was just part of McIntire writings of the man, Herbert Butterfield. The author takes the reader through each step of Butterfield’s careers throughout his life. In 1979, McIntire had his own encounter with Herbert Butterfield while he was editing and publishing part of the historian’s essays on Christianity and history. McIntire is able to use secondary sources with friends, critics, colleagues and family that do fit into his writing quite well. Butterfield had an early exposure to Harold Temperley and his writings reflected this, McIntire wrote in his book. Butterfield’s experiences inspired his first academic publication on the minutiae of Napoleonic diplomacy. Butterfield explained that the research technique he used as free of religious, ethnic, and ideological partisanship. A scientific history approach was his theory, but there is an interesting fact that Butterfield did not write another book from 1929 to 1968 on that subject or anything to enhance that topic. Another interesting fact was in the next fifty years of his life he kept assuring everyone that he was working on a book about Charles James Fox, but that book never came about. In addition, it caused guilt throughout Butterfield’s career, McIntire wrote. Soon though with Butterfield’s love of the legacy of Lord Action, his attentions focused from technical history towards the broader questions of historical thought. McIntire shows how all of Butterfield’s major works came from â€Å"The Wig Interpretation of History† and out of that came his numerous other writings â€Å"The Origins of Modern Science†, â€Å"Man on His Past† and his inaugural address as Regius Professor, â€Å"The Present State of Historical Scholarship†. In the book, the author points to Butterfield’s status as an outsider that influenced his behavior as being a dissenter. â€Å"His idiosyncratic Methodism reinforced his sense of self as a clever lower middle class grammar school boy with a funny Yorkshire accent immersed in an academic environment filled with Anglican gentlemen bred at exclusive public schools. The result was a reactive compulsion to every rule; an attitude that did not always serve Butterfield well for it contained elements of the childishness. As J. H.  Plumb noted, deep down he loved to shock† (McIntire 86). McIntire portrayal is more of a shy and humble man, instead of what many viewed him. They considered his views as more of a moral and intellectual vanity of a self-centered person. In addition, believing that â€Å"his own views as the wave of the future in historical study† (McIntire 151) once again showing his complex problem. At one point, Butterfield publicly praised Marxist historical method but many believed he did not know what he was talking about when he said it. In the 1930’s Butterfield publicly praised Marxist historical method, although it is not clear from the author’s writings if Butterfield, a devout Christian, really understood the core of Marxism. During the era of appeasement, Butterfield criticized any moral judgments directed at Nazi Germany, wishing instead â€Å"that the enemies of the Fascists could be gentler† (McIntire 105). He never lived down his foolish decision to undertake a lecture tour of Germany after the 1938 Munich Conference. The question he gave seemed to blame Britain for the conflict. â€Å"What did we do wrong? What could we have done to prevent the Germans from feeling that they must turn to Hitler? † (McIntire 112). Butterfield admitted proudly that he almost never voted. Political quietism supposedly came from Butterfield’s principled insistence upon the segregation of history from moral and political questions, the core of his argument in â€Å"The Whig Interpretation of History†. In the 50’s and 60’s, Butterfield vocally denounced U.  S. foreign policy, while demanding with Soviet Russia and unilateral disarmament by the West. He denied any inconsistency saying, â€Å"I am as an historian against all governments† (McIntire 170). I felt the book was more of the moral standings of the man. Butterfield did write on science, religion, and historiography, but I felt the author lacked showing the connection it had to events in Butterfield’s life and how the connection was to the academic or scientific community. The reader swims through explanation after explanation of the same concept as McIntire analyses a succession of publications in chronological order, with not enough of Butterfields’s own words to support. Maybe that way some light on the thoughts of the man instead of McIntire’s interpretations. The book was difficult to follow and the length of the book made it tough to read. I was not impressed with the book, but I did get to know another viewpoint of another historian, on a subject I knew nothing about.

Why were Witches women?

For over three centuries, early modern Europe was largely dominated by witchcraft persecutions, the scale of which such atrocities had never been witnessed before. These persecutions arose from various significant instabilities of the times. Tens of thousands of executions were carried out, especially within Central Europe and the vast majority of deaths were attributed to women. This is what was most remarkable about this period; the fact that so many women were recognised as practitioners of witchcraft. I shall be closely following the reasons for such large-scale prosecutions within the early modern period. In particular, I shall be looking at the different sub-categories concerning reasons for such a rise in the nature of witch prosecutions. These categories will be broken up as follows; the Church's view on maleficia, whom the witches were, the effect society had on the arrival of witchcraft, literature's perspective, natural thought and freethinking, and the confessions of witches. The Church was integral to the whole belief system within modern day Europe and was the main, driving component for social, economic and religious conformity. However, the Catholic Church as a unit had been threatened through ‘The Reformation' and theological perceptions and ideas were changing. People's interpretations and prior beliefs were now being challenged, criticised and there was now total religious uncertainty and unbalance within society. ‘This consequently led to the powerful ‘Counter Reformation' in which the Catholic Church began an attempt to not only counter the Protestant Reformation, but also to eliminate corruption, educate clergy and inspire faith in the common people'- (B. P. Levack, 1995). The combination of these two ecclesiastical revolutions induced the inevitable religious disorder, which in turn would spur the rise and development of more numerous and more extreme witch-hunts. In addition, these two reformed religions placed a renewed importance upon individual morals. ‘This issued many with the desire to place the burden of sins upon someone else, and in effect to acquire a scapegoat'- (B. P. Levack, 1995). Throughout history, such scapegoats have generally been the rejects of society, the loners, the sick, and the poor. This age was no different and in their search for a victim, someone to hold responsible, they found the witches. This period of great religious, social and economic transformation combined with the prevalence of epidemics and natural disasters now had a target on whom to lay all the blame upon; a physical embodiment of the evil that had been endured. Furthermore, as well as Martin Luther and Jean Calvin highlighting and condoning the burning of witches as ‘whores of Satan', the Church as a whole was responsible for accepting witchcraft as part of society, essentially forming the moral backing needed for such large-scale atrocities. So then, in 1485 the Catholic inquisition authorities published ‘Malleus Maleficarum'. This was essentially a book, confirming women as those responsible for witchcraft, as those capable of evil and temptation. ‘Women are by nature instruments of Satan†¦ they are by nature carnal, a structural defect rooted in the original creation' The bible also condemned witchcraft, or so people thought. Within Exodus 22:18 it orders, â€Å"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live†. It is then this mixture of Church and theological backing that gave the people of Europe the authority to act upon the ‘witches' within society, and to destroy anyone suspected of witchcraft. ‘It is interesting to note then that this period of witch-hunting was most intense within Germany, Switzerland, Poland, and Scotland, where the countries were religiously heterogeneous'- (G. Geis, 1997), comprising a mix of numerous Protestant and Catholic believers. Moreover, the witch-hunts themselves have long been seen as part of a ‘war against women', conducted overwhelmingly by men and particularly, by those in authority. Infact, Deborah Willis notes that â€Å"more polemical† feminist accounts â€Å"are likely to portray the witch as a heroic protofeminist resisting patriarchal oppression and a wholly innocent victim of a male-authored reign of terror designed to keep women in their place. † – (D. Willis, 1995, in web page). Holistically speaking, the Church's contribution to witchcraft fears and prosecutions led to the general belief within society that demons actively interfered upon the Earth and that witches were hugely prevalent concerning the interactions with and/or the dealings with such forces upon the Earth. In general, there was a greatly intensified and invigorated belief in the supernatural. For those who did not believe in such ideas, it still remained a plausible and effective tool for shifting the blame onto the women within society. It is now important to fully recognise whom these witches were and to discern the types of women victimised for such ‘crimes against humanity'. In general, it was the women from the lower sections of society who were seen as those who had the opportunity to commit harmful acts. Those who were widows and so were therefore able to conceal things and to hide within the cloak of darkness; to practice their magic and to meet with their familiars and even with the Devil himself, were often susceptible to prosecutions. In addition, these women were seen as ‘vessels of nature' and much closer to the environment and conditions of nature than men, and so more able to dominate the elements. The number of unmarried women was also increasing and this was another cause for fear within society. These women were considered a burden on society. The other group vulnerable to witchcraft accusations were midwives. One of the ostensible practices of witches was the execution and cannibalism of infants, especially those who had not yet been baptised into the Christian faith. Therefore, it is of no surprise that this particular group was especially focused upon in terms of prosecutions. It was essentially a way for grieving families to be able to lay blame upon the midwife for the death of their child, particularly within times of increasing infant mortality and occasional infanticide. The general view however was that witches were often cited as those ‘outsiders of society', reliant upon community relief and benefits, draining the land of it's wealth. Additionally, women were often cited with sorcery because of their traditional roles as cooks, nurses, midwives and keepers of the home. Witches were often associated as those who were in league with the Devil and as those who would meet at ‘Sabbats' to create spells, curses, practice killings and take part in lewd sexual acts with one another and with Satan himself. Single women were particularly focused upon for prosecutions concerning sexual abominations, as they were seen as more easily seductable and by far more sexual by nature. Indeed, the fact that the Devil was depicted as being the very form of a man highly extenuated the belief that women did take part in such acts. Society also saw women as being weaker in every sense of the word. They did not have the political power or physical capabilities to defend themselves. Therefore, they were thought to use magic to defend themselves and additionally make pacts with the Devil to achieve various things against their enemies. However, ‘the great witch hunts of the medieval period were long depicted as a ‘war against women', conducted mainly by men, especially those in central authority' (Willis, Malevolent Nurture, p. 12). The reason for this was ostensibly that men wanted to keep women in their rightful place within society, largely pacified and subdued. This came with the great fear of feminist accounts, which started to take place within this period. The subject of women projected as witches was widely held in belief within local communities and often formed the deciding factor in disputes within local communities. So if a particular person has had a bad harvest, or their child has dies in the night, the climate of Early Modern Europe was conducive to such accusations and provided the ammunition with which to prosecute. The times of the period were one of extreme economic turbulence and poverty. Across Western Europe in particular, the gulf between the rich and poor was consistently growing and there was a general decline also in the living standards of much of Europe. These conditions may however have persuaded people to contemplate using magic to help themselves and to achieve monetary or land gains, but on the other hand, it also maintained that accusations would be at a new high. Below is a table showing the relevance of monetary/land/food disputes within local communities and the effect being a widow within society would have concerning such disputes and jealousies in Essex, 1564-89: Kinship Relationships Husband and Wife * 4 Unspecified Quarrels (2) Sexual Jealousy (1) Broken Marriage Contract (1) Stepfather and Stepchild 1 Over Inheritance Grandmother and Grandchild 1 Obligation to collect wood Total 6 Neighbourly Relationships * (Object of dispute) * Food/Drink * 12 Animals 4 Money * 8 Implements 4 Unspecified loans 3 Boundaries/Land * 4 Children 3 Total 48 The difference shown in number between kinship quarrels and disputes within the community is substantial. It demonstrates the heightened debates and tension with local communities and supports the view that widows were particularly attacked within these times as defenceless, unimportant people of the community. Another crucial part of women being persecuted as witches, developed through another mind controlling and prevalent technique within this time period. This was the use of literature, so covering everything from the bible and Church readings to pamphlets and novels written within the time. It is not surprising that the ‘Malleus maleficarum' had such an influential effect upon the rise of women as victims of mass witch prosecutions. Shakespeare also wrote within this time period and included a wide range of texts, often shadowing events and topics within Europe at the time. One of the key texts he wrote was that of ‘Macbeth', where Macbeth and his wife gradually murder various people in line to the succession of Kingship for their own gratuitous ends. The central factor towards their warped ideals and evil dealings was that of the witches within the moors. These of course were depicted purely as women, with similar characteristics to those generally seen as witches within this same period. The very fact that Lady Macbeth had to effectively become a man and get rid of her female characteristics in order to succeed, parallels the social view of women within this time and further extenuates the likelihood of women as victims. Indeed, it is the prophecies of the witches that initiate the murder, corruption, greed and lies that manifest with Macbeth. The famous line of ‘is that a dagger I see before me' spoken by that of Macbeth represents the conjuring of illusionary magic, produced by the witches of the time. Furthermore, the witches and his wife are inextricably linked together, in that they both influence Macbeth, and so the social view of women being manipulative, a natural temptation (as referred to in the Malleus maleficarum), a necessary evil etc is evidently shown within the literature of the time. The Catholic Church concentrated specifically upon the natural sin and evil within the individual and as mentioned previously, people saw the ‘witches' as scapegoats, a group to blame for their sinful nature. The bible in particular was another greatly recognised and taught book within society and the very story of creation within Genesis demonstrates the sinful, easily tempted and generally weak nature of women. Also, within Revelation (the concluding chapter of the Bible), the sinful woman of ‘Babylon†¦ he Great Prostitute', was also another indication of the weakness of women and showed this to be the case from the very beginning of creation to the very end. In general, the people of Europe saw the massacre of the ‘witches' as a religious war of enacting justice on those directly against the will of God. One notion spread throughout literature was that of witches contacting and serving Diana, the ‘Goddess of the Moon'. Women were hence seen as the most likely persons to communicate with ‘Diana' as a league of women joined together. Some confessed to actually riding with Diana and taking part in various activities, however they were later recognised to be delusional. Overall, the introduction of the printing press and the generally increasing availability of literature to the masses, allowed for more rapid transfers of elite beliefs in witchcraft and especially women as active participants. The trials of women within this period serve to reinforce and validate the beliefs transmitted through popular literature. One of the most confusing and baffling aspects of the ‘women as witches' theme is that many actually confessed to charges against them. This of course did not help the assumption that ‘women were witches' and served to just heighten the prosecutions and fuel the killings. Many ‘witches' claimed that their experiences had been worthwhile and showed virtually no remorse whatsoever for their supposed actions. This was the case all over Europe and not just England, even though the killings were much more prevalent and torture much more extreme on the continent than in England. However, P. Levack described this fact as less surprising when various other considerations were taken into account. Such as the ‘women often being brought up to believe that they were indeed instruments of Satan and that they were the only imperfection within God's creation' (P. B. Levack, 1995). This however was simply society's effort to instil such beliefs so as to relieve the worry of female independence and to of course resume the scapegoat it had found within the period in question. It is particularly interesting to note that many women actually testified against others within the community. They made up 43 % of witnesses against other women. Briggs' notices that ‘women were active in building up reputations through gossip, deploying counter-magic and accusing suspects' (Briggs, 1995). Women were completely surrounded by each sector of society and it was virtually impossible for them to escape punishment of some sort if they had first been accused of witchcraft. Ecclesiastically, the whole Church acknowledged the position of women as witches within society; and this simply gave the general public the opportunity to lay the blame for all the famine, disease, deaths and religious intolerance within previous years. The elite simply kept maintaining this strongly held belief in witchcraft and furthermore sustained the prosecutions and provided the literature and ethics with which to support these beliefs. What is key to this topic is that most prosecution cases actually refer directly to traditionally female aspects, such as the home, the kitchen, and the nursery; and on ‘culturally defined female tasks or occupations such as feeding (poisoning), child-rearing (infanticide), healing (harming), birth (death)' (Christina Hole, date unknown). Furthermore, women within society were very much pacified throughout this time and this meant that they were easy targets for attack. These poor victims of attack simply existed within a delicate age of uncertainty, confusion and anger. Society believed in the existence of witchcraft and in the exponents of maleficia, the women of the times. On a more local scale too, communities widely looked to the accusation of witchcraft as a means to a specific end, whether it concerned land disputes or money disputes etc. These were very testing times, times of extreme economic struggles and religious disputes. In conclusion, it is interesting to note that as standards of living vastly improved and religious irregularities disappeared, prosecutions decreased dramatically and people suddenly began to notice that most prosecutions were actually highly nonsensical and irrational. Society gradually came to accept that it had indeed made many mistakes.

How to Respect Your Parents

How to respect your parents? There are many days set aside in non-Islamic societies to honour and appreciate special people; examples of these are Father's Day, Mother's Day, Memorial Day and Labour Day. In Islam, however, respecting, honouring and appreciating parents is not just for a single day of the year, but rather for each and every day. Parents in the Quran: A Muslim child should respect and appreciate his or her parents on a daily basis. Allaah mentions that human beings must recognise their parents and that this is second only to the recognition of Allaah Himself.Throughout the Quran, we notice that parents are mentioned with appreciation and respect. In the Quran, there is a very beautiful description of how parents are to be treated; Allaah Says (what means):  Ã¢â‚¬Å"And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as] ‘uff' [i. e. , an ex pression of irritation or disapproval] and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say: ‘My Lord!Have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small. ‘†Ã‚  [Quran 17:23-24] The recognition and respect of parents is mentioned in the Quran eleven times; in every instance, Allaah reminds children to recognise and to appreciate the love and care that they have received from their parents. One such example is when Allaah says what means:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"And We have enjoined upon man goodness to parents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  [Quran 29:8 & 46:15] 3. In Chapter Al-An'aam, Allaah reemphasises that people should be kind to their parents; He says what means:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Say: ‘Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment†¦ ‘†Ã‚  [Quran 6:151] Mother First Among parents, it is usually the mother who makes the most sacrifice and endures the most hardship in the care of her children. She gives birth and looks after them. Islam recognizes this fact, offering more honor to the mother as a parent. Muhammad once said, â€Å"Paradise is placed at the mothers' feet,† so high is their status and regard. The Qur'an reminds people of the sacrifices and hardships that mothers face on behalf of their children. â€Å"And e enjoined upon mankind concerning parents: his mother carried him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is two years. Therefore show gratitude to Allah and to your parents† (Qur'an 31:14). On another occasion, some people asked the Prophet Muhammad, â€Å"To whom should we show kindness first? † He answered, â€Å"Your mother. † Then he was asked again, â€Å"And after that, then whom? † Muhammad again replied, â€Å"Your mother. † He was asked yet again, and he gave the same reply again: â€Å"Your mother. † Only af ter that, when he was asked one more time, did he answer, â€Å"Then, your father. Duties to Parents Our life would not be possible without the sacrifice and hard work of our parents, who cared for us and met all our needs when we were young. The Qur'an addresses this point in one touching verse: â€Å"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. If one or both of them attain old age during your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor repel them. But address them in terms of honour, and lower to them the wing of humility, out of mercy, and say, ‘My Lord!Bestow on them Your Mercy, as they did bring me up when I was young’† (Qur'an 17:23–24). Muslims are advised to treat their parents gently and respectfully. They should always strive to please them and never become impatient or rude with them. Muslims consider it an honour and a blessing to be able to care for their parents in old age. After all, it's th e least we can do to repay them for all of their hard work and sacrifice. Nursing homes and hospice care are new phenomena in the Muslim world, and they are not widely accepted.Elderly and ill family members almost always remain in the homes of children or relatives, cared for and respected until death. Muhammad encouraged his followers to treat their parents well and to be mindful of their needs. Once, a young man came to him and wanted to join the Muslim army on the battlefield to defend the community from attack. Muhammad asked him if his parents were living. When the young man said they were, he told him: â€Å"Then go back to your parents, serve them, and deal with them kindly.This is as good as fighting for God's sake. † Muslims consider their parents' opinions about important matters, such as choosing a career path, spouse, or place to live. As a Muslim gets older, any income she earns is partially used to support her parents and meet their needs. A Muslim prays that a fter their deaths, God will forgive her parents and show mercy toward them. Also, you should always listen and obey to the commands that your parents have told you to do. Always take care of them afterall to have them is a big gift.

Costco

The average Cost customer is found to be a college graduate earning an estimated $100,000 a year, twice the national average. This shows that their customers are ones ho can afford the yearly membership fee and to spend as they please in the warehouse as most customers find that they tend to overspend as they shop about Cost. Cost is able to create value for its customers by creating a sense of adventure and mystery for the customer who relates a shopping experience at Cost as akin too â€Å"treasure hunt†.Another value Is the low prices of items that customers can buy at no more than 15 percent mark ups as compared to departmental stores that mark up merchandise by 50 percent and supermarkets that mark up their Items by 25 percent or more (Lutz 2013). At times, Cost has special deals for customers by selling branded goods Like Pravda handbags, Carrier watches, Kristin Kelly wedding gowns, barrels of whiskey or even engagement rings, all at specially discounted prices (Lulling 2014). The first area of Cost's value-chain analysis will be the primary activities of inbound logistics and marketing and sales.Cost is extremely proficient and efficient in their procurement system, integrating a mix of human and technical skills and capabilities. One such instance is the development off competent technique of delivering inbound cargo to their designated warehouses within the pan of less than a day to ensure there is no time and cost wastage of leaving the items in the delivery trucks (Cost Wholesale 2010). This leads to higher sales and enables Cost to achieve quicker inventory turnover. As of June 2014, Cost Wholesale Corporation Is reported to have an Inventory turnover of 1 1. Times the national average (Bloomberg Businesswomen Bibb and compared to Wall-Mart Stores Inc which has an inventory turnover of 8. 1 times of the industry average (Bloomberg Businesswomen 2014). Cost is unique because they do not advertise but prefer to save that two percent of he budg et and channel it into more productive areas like employee benefits (Greenhouse 2005). Sales and service-wise, as mentioned previously Cost does not mark up its prices by more than 15 percent and it achieves this by buying in bulk and stocking only a limited assortment of products.A typical supermarket may have about 50,000 different Items for customers to choose from; Wall-Mart has an enormous selection of about 100,000 products but a typical Cost wholesale outlet stocks only about 4000 Items, of which most can be bought In bulk, a small portion as compared to competitors. Castoffs low merchandise count means It carries only choice brands and items and often only in one size. The executives at Cost believe making and confusion and eventually they walk away without purchasing, thus Cost only provides the best brands for each product (Logan and Abeyant 2012).The only gripe about Cost's service is that the lines are always taking too long, seeing as most customers end up over-spending and buying most items in bulk. Procurement is an essential aspect of support activities in the value-chain analysis of Cost. Cost builds strong relationships with its suppliers and tries to ensure that TTS suppliers are providing the best and lowest prices in order for Cost to do the same for its customers. Potential suppliers have to go through long dealing periods and stringent tests are carried out on their products to ensure it suits the needs and wants of Cost's customer base.An example would be thousands of toys waiting for the Cost team to hand-pick over five days the hundred fifty or so final products that will make the cut onto Cost's end-of-year holiday shelves for children. In the name of providing the best prices for its customers, Cost sometimes resorts to hardball arraigning when dealing with the suppliers such as in 2009 when Cost temporary ceased inbound shipments of Coca-Cola beverages as it stated on its website and shelves that Coca-Cola had not provided Cost wit h competitive pricing and Coca- Cola products would not be available until prices were lowered.Coke beverages returned to Cost's shelves in a few prices, but this shows Cost's procurement strength even when dealing with a main supplier (Harvard Law School 2010). The Cost Collaborative Retail Exchange (CRUX) program is a real-time software that allows Cost and selected suppliers to update the inventory anytime anywhere, especially when inventory for an item falls below a reorder point, the supplier is notified and stock is sent out to ensure it meets market demand.Once a product is scanned, the program is updated and inventory managers are notified if the product is close to the reorder point (IR 2013). For the demographics of Cost's customer base, it is divided by income, household size and age. A research done on Cost by a New Zealand market research firm finds that a whopping eight-five percent of wholesale club shoppers belong to the upper income market that are either â€Å"liv ing comfortably' or â€Å"affluent†.Subsequently, seventy-two percent of wholesale club shoppers are typically from a two to four person household. It is also noted that about three-quarters of female wholesale shoppers are younger than 55 years. (Acropolis Research Ltd. 2004) In conclusion, Cost Wholesale has a strong reputation and brand name, provides value through its low prices and for creating an adventure for its customers. With a large market share, it has considerable procurement strength but maintains relationships with suppliers.