The Joy Luck Club Quotes

'The Joy Luck Club' Quotes Amy Tan is best-known for The Joy Luck Club, a collection of vignettes  meant to show how our lives are shaped by the stories we tell. Set in China and the United States, the stories cross the generational divideas mothers and daughters attempt to come to terms with family history, relationships, and that connections between family and nations that are so hard to forge. Here are a few quotes from The Joy Luck Club. Over the years, she told me the same story, except for the ending, which grew darker, casting long shadows into her life, and eventually into mine.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 1Your father is not my first husband. You are not those babies.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 1Even though I was young, I could see the pain of the flesh and the worth of the pain.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 2I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 3After the gold was removed from my body I felt lighter, more free. They say this is what happens if you lack metal. You begin to think as an independent person.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 3For woman is yin, the darkness within, where untempered passions lie. And man is yang, bright truth lighting our minds.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 4Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why dont you learn to play chess.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 5This house was built to o steep, and a bad wind from the top blows all your strength back down the hill. So you can never get ahead. You are always rolling backward.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 6 I discovered that maybe it was fate all along, that faith was just an illusion that somehow youre in control.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 7My mother had a look on her face that Ill never forget. It was one of complete despair and horror, for losing Bing, for being so foolish as to think she could use faith to change fate.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 7I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of wonts. I wont let her change me, I promised myself. I wont be what Im not.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 8I was determined to put a stop to her foolish pride.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 8Only two kind of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 8I began to look at all events and all things as relevant, an opportunity to take or avoid.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 9And I remember wondering why it was that eatin g something good could make me feel so terrible, while vomiting something terrible could make me feel so good.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 9 Now that Im angry at Harold, its hard to remember what was so remarkable about him.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 9You are busy. You want to live like mess what can I say?- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 10I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 10And below the heimongmong, all along the ground, were weeds already spilling out over the edges, running wild in every direction.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 11True, cannot teach style. June not sophisticate like you. Must be born this way.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 12I felt tired and foolish, as if I had been running to escape someone chasing me, only to look behind and discover there was no one there.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 12Then you must teach my daughter this same lesson. How to lose your innocence but not your hope. How to laugh forever.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck ClubIn my mothers case, this would be the first day of the lunar new year. And because it i s the new year, all debts must be paid, or disaster and misfortune will follow.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 13 I have always known a thing before it happens.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 14It is because I had so much joy that I came to have so much hate.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 14I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these things do not mix?- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 15Why are you attracted only to Chinese nonsense?- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 15Look at this face. Do you see my foolish hope?- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 16And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood.- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 16

Monetary Policy and its Effects on Stock Markets Essay

Monetary Policy and its Effects on Stock Markets - Essay Example Despite claims that monetary policy should not affect stocks, there is evidence that the policy can affect real stock prices in the short run (Bernanke & Kuttner 2005) and also an opinion that the nature of the monetary policy regime can affect the performance of asset markets over longer horizons. It has also been observed that by altering the path of expected dividends, the discount rate or the equity premium is one of the effects of the monetary policy on stocks1 Observers of Financial Markets have noted that an unexpected decrease in the federal funds rate target leads to a rapid and positive reaction in stock prices thus implying the effect of the Monetary Policy on Stock Markets. Research Methodology - Our research methodology includes secondary data indicating the effect of policies on stock markets. We shall also examine the behaviour of important macroeconomic and monetary policy variables during stock market booms which will lead us to understanding the effect of macroeconmic policies like the Monetary Policy on Stock markets. The effects of Monetary Policy on Stock Markets. Monetary Policy Tools that affect stock prices Discount Window Lendings - The Monetary Authority can directly change the size of money supply by using the Discount Window tool. By calling in existing loans or extending new loans, the money supply in the country is regulated. When the money supply is ample, investors look to investments and when money supply is low, invetments are diluted to increase liquidity. Thus Discount Window Lendings influences stock prices. Reserve Requirement - A certain reserve of their assets is meant to be held by the Central Banks which is for withdrawals and the remainder is normally invested in mortgages and loans. A change in the reserve... In this essay, the researcher aims tol ascertain the importance of the Monetary Policy and its effect on the stock markets. Despite claims that monetary policy should not affect stocks, there is evidence that the policy can affect real stock prices in the short run and also an opinion that the nature of the monetary policy regime can affect the performance of asset markets over longer horizons. The research methodology includes secondary data indicating the effect of policies on stock markets. The researcher also examines the behaviour of important macroeconomic and monetary policy variables during stock market booms, which lead to understanding the effect of macroeconmic policies like the Monetary Policy on Stock markets. The researcher then concluds that early effects of the monetary policy can be observed when asset prices tend to focus on the impact of changes in liquidity on the demand for various assets that compromise the portfolio of the Private Sector. Extended periods of ra pidly appreciating equity housing and other asset prices in the United States and elsewhere since the mid 1990s have increased attention towards the effects of monetary policy on asset markets. The researcher also can conclude, that 20th century stock market booms typically were associated with the business cycle arising, when output growth was above average and ended as output growth slowed showing the effect of economic policies which affect stock markets and the stock markets globally are affected by Monetary Policy.

Helen Levitt's Images of Urban Space in the 30s and 40s Essay

Helen Levitt's Images of Urban Space in the 30s and 40s - Essay Example In what way do challenge that tradition? Helen Levitt was a renowned photographer in New York that was especially famous for her interest in street photography that specifically focused on children. Her focus on children developed while she was an art teacher back in 1937 and she had close interaction with the transition children experienced while in the New York streets. Due to her closeness and sometimes working relationship with some other highly rated photographers, Levitt was mentored by photographers such as Walker Evans, and some traits of her work seem to be borrowed from some of her mentors. This first section of the paper will look at one of Levitt’s best-known and appreciated untitled photographic work that would be referred to as Children in New York City for purposes of reference (Levitt, 3). The photograph Children in New York City represents three children, notably two boys and one girl at the doorway of what is believed to be their household. The masks they ado rn depict that it is Halloween time, a tradition observed on 31st October on the night preceding All Saints’ Day. At the bottom stair to the doorway is a boy adorning a jacket, a pair of shorts and with a relaxed stance of crossed legs while holding the staircase rail. He is masked and looks out on the street. The child in the middle is also a masked boy that has his legs on two different levels of the stairs, one where the bottom boy is and one where the other child stands. This boy is wearing long pants with seemingly a matching top. At the top is a girl with a dress trying to put on her mask in a bid to join the others. The building is made of brick evidenced by the appearance on the right of the viewer, with a glass-paneled door seeming to reflect the opposite side of the streets. Superficially, this photograph could be dismissed off as simply showing children that were getting ready for a possible trick or treat practice during the Halloween celebrations. However, there is more of the photograph than appears to the eye. This is one aspect of photography that Levitt seems to have borrowed from one of her greatest mentor, Walker Evans, who thrived to do photography that was educative, inspiring and authoritative. A deeper look and interpretation could derive more than what meets the eye of Levitt’s photography. In as much as the tone of the attire reflected an innocent desire of the awaiting excitement, rather exuberance, for the three children, the positioning of the kids on the stairs and the state of their masking shows a transition that would pass by many viewers. Only a portrait of the awaiting fun moment would pass most minds. However, this is still a fundamental depiction that reflected the enthusiasm that existed in the late 1930s during such festivals. The other perspective of the photograph depicts how isolation of kids at a young age would lead them astray in the absence of the responsible caretakers. Exposure of the children to var ious grown aspects of life might have taught them already too much than their age limits allow. The various steps down the doorway could reveal the various stages the children undergo in their transition from innocent life to a completely dishonest life most adults led. The furthest child from the doorway indicates complete alienation from the caretakers or rather parents and his composure with fully worn masks depicts acceptance into a deceitful world. The cunning look towards the

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - Article Example The subject that the author deals through his prime character Kathy is new, the narrations beautiful and therefore, this book turns out to be a rare creation. Kathy narrates this poignant story, without losing the ground and reality in any stage. She is always aware that she is the product of science. â€Å"H† after her name is like the badge of subservient status to humankind. The sum and substance of the book are about human cloning. A cluster of cloned children are brought up in an English boarding school, and the reality about their biology is the cause of their intense suffering and leads to some extraordinary happenings. Point of view of Kathy in relation to Tommy and Ruth Kathy’s status is like that of a senior student in a school. She possesses a keen sense of observation and takes careful note of the happenings around her, particularly the ones related to Tommy and Ruth. To that extent she is the product of advanced scientific research, like computers, are iden tified by generation. Being naive and innocent, Tommy is not in a position to tell the story, as he lacks the power of imagination and the sense of anticipation, the essential qualities that are needed in a storyteller. Kathy has a keen sense of observation. Ruth’s problems are different. She plays to the gallery, pretends and tries to please all and sundry and the final result is, everyone understands her game, and begins to distrust her. Ruth is, therefore, an unreliable narrator. Kathy seems to carry the scale of justice with her always, possesses the right frame of mind and her emotions, unique observations and opinions are evenly balanced. She is a near-human being. Point of view-Kathy by temperament One point incidentally. Howsoever intelligently one may try to be impartial, the first person narrations have an inherent drawback. The narrator can read the mind of the characters and provide a fair representation of the goings on there, but it is impossible to read oneâ₠¬â„¢s heart. The narrator also will not be able to sweep under the carpet his own feelings and the impact of his own thoughts and as such he cannot render one hundred percent justice to the nature of the characters. The reader has to accept the interpretations of Kathy. Temperamentally Kathy is calm and seems to follow the principle, ‘temper is very valuable, do not lose it.’ Her reactions are measured and she takes her own time to make decisions as she analyzes the pros and cons of the issue before her. She reveals some aspects of her personality and how she has matured with her working experience of 12 years as the carer. Ishiguro chisels the character of Kathy thus: â€Å"I have developed a kind of instinct around donors. I know when to hang around and confront them, when to leave them to themselves; when to listen to everything they have to say, and when just to shrug and tell them to snap out of it.†(3) She is the conductor of the story. Her measured respons es have something to do with her personal life. She lives a solitary life. With compulsions to move to different places, her attachments are not fixed and the relationships continue to be transient.

Assessing Strategic Analysis About Ryanair Airways

Assessing Strategic Analysis About Ryanair Airways The Ryanair is started by the Ryan family in 1985, with share capital of one pound and only with 25 colleagues , they started daily basis flights from Waterford in the Ireland to London Gatwick, with 5000 passengers on the route . The company grow further with high competitors British Airways and air Lingus . It is operating in a highly competitive sectors . but after 3 years of fast industrial growth , company increasingly got the numbers of passengers. with the price and routes competition they face  £20mn losses and it leads thinking about restructuring , Ryanair was take models from southwest airlines low cost leadership model .Under the new management team with new CEO Michael OLeary rethink and Launch a New LOW COST , NO FRILLS Strategy . In 1997 the EU Air transport authority allows the Ryanair to first time to operate 18 new routes in European Continental area. They took many corrective action against cost reduction Eg no free drinks ,foods, and other facilities. Ryanair go t good response from all European passengers who likes frequent , quick and Low cost Travel . Ryanair overtakes BA and Air Lingus in the Dublin London routes . Ryanair achieves their objective in a short period , they won many awards and positions in airlines industry, Ryanair got good name for punctuality. consistently the organisation expands operations , therefore in become very famous airline in the world ., and currently Ryanair operating 24 countries 436 low fare routs carried nearby 60mn people . Ryanairs Strategy : Ryanairs objective is to firmly establish itself as Europes leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service(Ryanair.com)The Ryanair key strategies. Industry Leading passenger service High frequency on short- haul routes. Significantly providing a service with very Low fares . low operating costs, addressing aircraft and equipment, personnel productivity, customer service costs and airport access fees Use the internet effectively Commitment to the safety and quality maintenance . Expand the operation results via Ancillary services. Ryanair offering a highly differentiated product with very lower fare, which increasing their competitive advantage to maintain competitive position on over its competitor. The firm makes to claim to their market area by marking Europes first no frills airline service.(Ryanair.com). Sustainable competitive advantage : Cost reduction Strategy: The Ryanair has following cost reduction strategy for achieving its goal for retaining their competitive position in airlines industries . there is five main functional factors like Airport charges , contracting out services , fleet commonality , managed staff costs and marketing cost .these are the areas they are giving great focus to improve low cost operation . According to fleet commonality the airways using particular type of aircraft which controls the cost and limits the cost for employee training and development , maintenance cost and managing spares , giving more flexibility to scheduling the duty crew and aircraft. The Ryanair using Boeing 737 series to operate more numbers of passengers, and it allows 25% of increased their passengers with guaranteed 15 years of operating life .the old fleet took more maintenance coat and less fuel efficient , according to EU noise reduction requirements, the Ryanair fleets are required to install hushkits to avoid noises , it take more cost for installation almost $20mn , the increased weight might leads by negative figure of fuel efficiency . Contracting out services : The better way of reducing operating cost to give the services and maintenance work to contract or outsourcing . Ryanair operates all European countries secondary airports , it makes more numbers of passengers arrive the other city airport. The Ryanair making many contract like with France and Spain to engage with contract to assure certain number of passengers , so it makes to fill up the aircraft first the second think is about fares .Bringing more passengers in to particular airport it gives considerable amount of financial aid . The Ryanair given a contract for making luggage handling, ticket booking , customer service calls, fleet handling and maintenance and other functions . the firm obtains competitive amounts and more number of years of fixed price contract . it also avoid direct employee relationship controversies . Airports and route polices : The Ryanairs policy is to avoid many charges like passenger loading fee, landing fee, flight parking charge and noise charges , because the Ryanair avoiding congested main airport , by choosing secondary airport . it reduces many fees and indirect operational inconvenience .less busy airports give more time to on-time departure, and also reduces the landing traffic time .except London Heathrow and Gatwick airport Ryanair operates regional and secondary airports .also the firm consistent with policy of point to point connection on short range routes. Staff costs and Productivity ; The company manages a staff moderately , in this way the organisation pays modest salary , but if the company gives a pay according to the performance it will encourage the employee performance .Ryanair continuously improving their productivity with productive work force , based on on-board product sales they giving commission and incentives to the cabin crew . Ryanair giving a competitive salary to their pilot and employees, Because keeping their employee turnover they offering more than competitor. The Ryanair refuse to recognise employee union , it means they want to avoid employee relationship controversies . before recessions Ryanair gives many incentives , because it gain more profits as well as good passenger market, but after hitting recession it situation is changed because of economic slowdown , at the same time Ryanair got more number of passengers . it leads recruiting new staff members in to the team. They always think about low cost and high productivity . Marketing Cost ; The firm try to reduce marketing cost by minimising travel agents ,the firm main advertisement via their own website and radio and news paper. And they giving many deals and offers getting more attraction from all kind of customer. Ryanair follows well focussed strategy regarding the Low fares and no frills . but it leads lot more criticism and controversies in their operation . Ryanair taking advantage over the internet to make very fast booking for ticket, they were made a contract for 10 years maintenance of Ryanair website to the Accenture. The website makes more flexible to operate the airline business. And also they offer more additional services via their website to arrange hotels booking , prepaid visa credit cards , giving free city guide it makes more comfortable for their passenger for arranging their travel plan . Enhancement of operating results Through ancillary Services: The Ryanair follows ancillary revenue strategy , to convert the cost centres in to good revenue sources . they giving optional add ones to above the average prices . particularly the Ryanair understands well on optional .and also involves a un avoidable aspects of products. They engaged on in-flight sales Like : food and beverages and merchandise . they are giving a catalogue for the sales product and it will be addressing by the cabin crew , the crew get paid according to the sales levels. Via online they making more revenues by distribution of travel related services and merchandise , and also Ryanair receives commission from their product suppliers. It makes 20 % of revenue by ancillary services. Ryanair marketing message Lowest price on the Market Guarantee of no fuel surcharges it supports Ryanair brand image. The figure says how much they generating revenue from ancillary product. But it sometimes make bad impression on the brand , but prices are in real time is not very low . many times raynair attacked by media for breaching the social contract. They selling charity calendar to passenger it was hit around  £35,000 in 7000 copies in the year 2008 . Analysis : When analysing Ryanair position and strategies , It vital to consider overall industrial environment . I would like to use PESTEL analysis for analysing macro environment of Ryanair. PESTEL: It very constructive framework , it is describing about various factors of while doing environmental analysis of particular organisation . POLITICAL : The Political factors includes all policies and actions of government which affect the overall or any functional area of business operations Like , getting approval to operate the in a particular nation., Taxation , route changes , employee union policy in the local government. The securities and Tourism policy will directly hitting by airlines industry . the European union deregulates the aviation polices to gave more opportunities across EU , to competing each other in local routs. After 2004 most of the eastern European countries mingled with EU it makes expands the EU market. Ryanair crosses many government policy related problems especially in Taxing problem , if any country increase the airport tax suddenly the Ryanair stop their service , then the local government starts negotiate with Ryanair , the similar tactic they followed for negotiate with local government . ( in August 2006 , UK authorities imposed severe security measures at all airports in the face of an alleged imminent terrorist plot to attach up to 10 aircraft on transatlantic routes. These measures applied to all passengers including short-haul ones, so they were to be body searched and banned from carrying liquids and gels in their carry -on luggage. Airports serving London were especially affected. Ryanair had to cancel 279 flights in the days immediately following the incident and refunded  £2.7 million in fares to approximately 40,000 passengers, and also suffered a losses of 1.9 million Euros in reduced bookings).( Ryanair Case Study by Eleanor OHiggins,2008 -2009). UK government establish a law for security concerns , which restricts the operation due to terrorism attack. Increasing route change by the local government Increased trade union pressure Also government upgrade the law against carbon emission to air transport , to compensate other taxes. The new EU regulation and EU expansion caused for more business advantage as well as increased more competition . The French government supports for their national carriers . Now the organisation comfortable with inside the Europe policies and regulations. Still some problem their facing especially with union. Economic : Basically the Ryanair operates based on European continental area so that its operations are not affected by the exchange rate . The main area of economic concerns is oil prices. Ryanair has addressed the problem of increasing oil prices through some productive method, they having some productive fund for managing oil prices hike . but British airways addressing this problem by increasing surcharges , but Ryanair basic strategy is no surcharges for passengers . The general economic environment remains extremely difficult, as the recession saps consumer confidence, but this is proving to be good for Ryanairs traffic growth, as more and more passengers switch to Ryanairs lowest-fare, lowest-cost model. Many of our competitors have in recent months reported short-haul traffic falls, while Ryanair continues to grow. Michael OLeary, http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article5645152.ece 1.EU expansion 2. some fast cares and trains 3. regional subsidies 4.Recession 5. depreciation of US dollars These are the factors that affects the Ryanair operations by economically . Social: The modern globalised business culture which enables more international and frequent domestic business travelling . increasing travelling and tourism lifestyle creates more airways travelling business. Offering very low cost services that increases frequency of passengers travelling . fluctuating of customer taste may affect the business styles , it may lead to rethink their business model according to the current situation . The Low fare for air travelling invites more passenger to travel frequently ,as well as it expands the travelling life cycle . they taken care of health and safety in effective manner. Technological and Environment They effectively using the sophisticated technology to improve their performance and accuracy of business. Ryanair investing high volume of money for Boeing 737-800,900. series aircraft to cope with continuous growth to keep competitive advantage. The strategy behind the using Boeing 737 series is to reduce the level of fuel consumption. Ryanair use the technology tool wisely , by using internet to manage passenger booking tickets and other value added services, it also increase their business accuracy and generates more revenue . when launched the Ryanair website within one week , the company got 50,000 bookings in a week . in the financial year of 2004 the website accounting 98% of overall Ryanair bookings. And the website named one of the most popular website in the world by Google . The environment scanning includes how the business has affect the world environment . especially in the concerns about global worming . but according to the carbon emission percentage the airlines industry accounts only 2% of carbon emission . avoiding noise pollution and reducing green house gasses emission is main concerns for now a days. Boeing 737 900 helps to reduce the carbon emission . Legal : Ryanair faces many legal issues in the past decades, the company engaged with all EU countries employees , it makes more difficult to manage the people in different countries, they are facing different critical situation regarding the Legal issues. The EU makes the law for providing compensation food accommodation for passengers if any flight cancels their schedule . many of the Belgian employees are laid off after the trail period , but it accepted by Irish law. Many of the Ryanair cases are still open . Significantly , damaging for Ryanair has been an European Commission ruling on subsidies. Many airports have aided for subsidise Ryanairs operations because of the economic benefits they can bring to the local area. The Commission ruled that subsidies from Charleroi in Belgium were illegal and that Ryanair must repay 4m. There are 3 main type of strategy was described by porter , 1.differentation 2.cost focused 3.niche , these are strategies for identified by porters generic strategies model . The Ryanair Cost focused model it focused to reduce the features of products to keep the cost low so the flying fare might be minimised. The differentiation strategies is charging high fee for features that add value for product .the niche strategy involves highly sophisticated product into narrow market. The porter argues the strategies mixing is a blender, this is not appropriate for Ryanair , the most successful low fare airlines they dont have premier or standard operations. Most of the occasion Ryanair try to introduce the differentiation strategies with business class and frequent traveller programme , both plan are cancelled. The Porters five theory is used for analysis the Ryanairs , it evaluates how influences affect competing organisation with in the field. And also this analysis explain why the differentiation strategies failed. The porter five forces give a clear picture about how the forces involves the competition environment . Situation Analysis: Strengths The foremost factors that would consider in the top which is their marketing strategy it includes strong branding and reputation and also leads strong and aggressive pricing strategy. The low cost strategies gives more number of customers it also give morale boost to expand the operation to all over Europe .The EU regulations supports the airline to open a new routes, it is one of the greatest advantage for Ryanairs operation expansions to Europe .The Leadership of Michael OLeary s leadership is one of key for success of their business . the customers are very happy with their money proposition of the services . their innovative cost reduction policy attracts many customers. And the mostly the revenue generation from ancillary services gives more financial strengths to the organisation. They having strong public image. And some more like established market share , safety factors, high load factor, first mover advantage these are the strength of Ryanair aviation company . Weaknesses For low fare travel strategies may affected by many times with external factors. This leads on more risk on the business operations. Most their operation with customer relation with online , sometimes because technical error they getting bad name from their customers. Mainly the employee relationship is not good, because their refusing to recognise the employee union . the volatile customer relationship is one of the key point of weakness. The decision mostly depends on Michel OLeary .the employee commitment and loyalty is very lees on the organisation . out sourcing the services may decrease the commitment of employee ,but most of the money used for buy a new aircraft . Opportunities : The strong strategy and strengths to get more opportunities to still dominating in the European airlines industry by providing more quality services at the same time keeping the low cost strategy . the continuous initiatives in company diversified the resources it will give hand on to make a growth . Such opportunities that will include e-business development as well as contracts with suppliers in this difficult economic timing where every one is trying to survive. EU law allows to make more new routes , it will expand the operations , and also the Ryanair having ability to operate the flights into the US domestic airline services .because the regulations are very flexible for operate the low cost airlines in the US. The Leadership getting more involvement on improving the operation and growth of the organisation. Threats : Threats are in the non-static model industry is always challenging and also changing according to the situations . mostly threats from macro environment via government polices affect low cost model , many times it was affected Ryanair , in terms of taxation, like airport traffic charges . The us dollar variations affect the fuel price, it leads increase fuel price . the fast growing technology advancement may be a threat to the organisation . The concerns about competitors, the company should be able to give a unique and more advanced technological services to be able to survive in the competition in the airline industry. The increased competition in the low cost airlines and mergers between competitors is a crutial threat for the company . the trade unionism is more vital point of threats . the industry criticism is may leads many threats from the financial side. Strategic choices : There four different strategies identified in porters generic model , it has 1.differentation , 2. Cost focus 3.. cost leadership 4. Differentiation focus . In a first concern all it is clear the strategy is adopted to be the low fare air travel provider, but at the same time it is focusing on certain segments on location , demographic and niche basis, such as providing Air services which are very short in distances and there are no connecting flights which minimise the cost of luggage handling and connecting passengers .by discussing above strategy it is necessary to explain same direction . i would like to present by the use of ansoff model. It will give a good idea about market development , product and service development, market penetration . Market development strategy can be implemented by introducing existing services to new places in order to attract more passengers and revenue generation. The organisation can elaborate through introduction of operation to other areas of world not just concentrate at one or set number of places. An different aspect is need to be consider of when Market development , which is the communication and channel of distribution have to be altered according to the cultural and geographical aspects of new market. Ryanair can expand its services by introducing flights to different places in Africa, South Asia and Eastern part of the world where there is huge potential of market growth . There are more valuable reasons for this factor, one is there are most of tourist and people are allow to visit those places in holiday timings such as Egypt, India and Dubai etc. Secondly there are many people who have been migrated to west European countries from different countries so they need to going their home countries as well, if these people will get low price deals even the quality is just normal level , the target customers will choose this option as most of the region in eastern and southern part of the world are emerging countries, so low cost fares and no frills would be more valuable as compare to European services . The only think is here that Ryanair is competing with big competitor Airlines in European markets, because it has ability to compete on short routes but it not be able to manage the competition with other national airlines at such a large extent, where they have good experience with airlines services and people might prefer to use their national Airlines instead of those which are badly reputed and being criticised in terms of customer behaviour. On the other hand need more financial capital as operations will be expanded and the size of fleet has to be increased ,which is not possible in current Ryanair position where it is facing financial difficulties in year 2009 due to recession and increased competition at different ends. When diversification occur where the new product and services are introduced in the field. Any strategy is evaluated in aspects of Suitability, feasibility and acceptability , The strategy of diversification which is unique, and there will be some concerns regarding the capital budgeting . as Ryanair Aircraft comprised of Boeing aircrafts, for this strategy it has to invest some more money to get small air crafts having a capacity of 20-30 passenger which can be used for private basis. The overall strategy might also not align with the proposed proposal as it is very niche segment and there profits generated may not be important as compare to current figures being reported from couple of years by Ryanair. Strategic Decision and Recommended Strategy : According to my perspective and my above analysis, Ryanair is doing well under the leader ship of Michael O Leary . According to Michael O Leary it is not fruitfully when you minimise the prices and make losses, the actual competency is reducing the fares and still continue to making profits. It reflects the strategy of market penetration and product development. I agree at some extent. The Ryanair is one of the Porters preferred company profile for charismatic leadership of OLeary .the successful company have a well structured and strong Leadership who willing to made more choices , The porter says I have found that there is a striking relationship between really good strategies and Really strong leaders. (Porter in 2006 ). And also it is created more dependence for OLearys commitment if in case he departs from the company it create more impact on the organisational business. The attitude of employee is a major weakness of its strategy, Recognise the employee union might be give a good result from the employee side, and also it increases employee commitment , the employee feels good. But at the same time the unionism might demand more , and conduct frequent strike , it may affect Ryanair operation .example frequent strike affected many times on British airways. I suggested to implement a strategy it increased move to expand the staff bases across the Europe . Especially in East side of Europe, because there is very less wages . by setting up Training institute across the Europe , it reduces agency cost. Also the purchase of new aircraft like 20 airbus and 116 Boeing is more valuable for the future of the organisation operations. It is vital move on their advancement of cost reduction strategy , because it reduce the fuel consumption as well as increasing the number of passengers . it gives more revenue on their day to day and long term operation. The Ryanair website has some customer relationship problem , in the area of payment of tickets , it may affect the moral image of the organisation , so that make the use of new technology to avoid this kind of problem. The website look and feel is quite older they should be redesign the website look which gives more user friendly , It can give more options when booking , the price of the booking needs to displayed by properly and give a brief explanation about all other costs. It will give a good image to the company because if they feel there is no hidden charge they will believe the company . It is good to lower the cost of operating the business, but not being so cheap which allow inconvenience to passenger and it decreasing value created to them. I strongly recommended those customers who book Low fare flights but dont arrange boarding pass via online, it Leads more expensive for them to arrange for boarding pass at airport and sometimes some extra amount need to be paid as compa re to original ticket. This strategy should be eliminated as customer gets frustrated and if customer feel more incontinence it may not want to think to travel again with Ryanair. It is important to assess the number of passengers travelling within the one year of period on a particular route .if they find a new route like Athens to London , Cyprus to Amsterdam . It is commercially profitable and possible to providing the service on the suggested route . The main reason for success is providing lowest fares then competitor without charging the fuel surcharges, but the organisation must think about giving more value to the passengers.   Ryanair can be summarised as a organisation it has had a very clear strategy differentiating it from competitors in a way of enabled it to meet passenger needs effectively, and there are remarkably few commercial weaknesses in its approach. Critical Reflections from Learning Outcome : When i started before i have some less idea about corporate strategy, I dont have much knowledge about the organisations strategies , but now I have understand what is use of strategy and what it says. More then that how strategies are important for successful organisation. It gives me a detailed idea about how to manage long term business, I had understand well in the frameworks which i studied it gives a clear picture about the macro environmental and micro environmental factors. I used to analyse environment via PESTEL framework , it is very useful to assess the industries current environment. But it takes more time to asses all functional areas. It is put me reed more sources. And I also used SWOT analysis to assess the current situations about Ryanair. The comparisons between in the four major area that gives a clean picture about the current situation. The Ryanair CEO Michael O Leary has a very charismatic and contradicting personality and his statements like  £1 for toilet use means reduction in cost but at same time inconvenience to customer .In most of the time it gets confusing to count the above statement as strength or weakness. The over all module shape my view about on the corporate strategy , it gave a more knowledge about how to operate a business in the corporate levels. And also addressing many framework that gives a solution for the conflicts ,some time it take vague . The case study which is related to subject give great and depth knowledge about current and historic trends of their strategies . it also teaches some successful strategies on the industrial operations. The module gives full extend level of knowledge about strategies as well as the delivery of subject knowledge is excellent , the tutor gives many more real time example and shares knowledge with us, encourage the student participation in the class , it makes more interactive in the class room. But the course is very short time period so the time management for study this subject is somewhat difficult. References: JOHNSON G, SCHOLES K, AND WHITTINGTON (2008) Exploring Corporate strategy text and cases 8th edition FT and Prentice Hall , Pearson Education publishers , London KOTLER P, ARMSTRONG G, SAUNDERS J and WONG V (1999) Principles of Marketing 2nd  European Edition (Prentice Hall, London) KOTLER P and KELLER K (2005) Marketing Management 12TH edition Pearson Education, London MARCOUS A, GILLIESPIE A, MARTIN B (2003) Business studies 2nd edition Hodder Arnold , Oxon. PORTER (1987) From the Competitive Advantage to the Corporate Industry, Harvard Business Review may 1987 pp 43 to 59 . PORTER (2001) Strategy and Internet In Harvard Business Review in march 2001. Pp 44- 73. PORTER (1996) What is strategy ? in Harvard Business Review pp 61- 69. MILNER M and BRIGNALL M (2006) EU court rules that airlines must compensate stranded passengers in The Guardian 11/01/2006 Mintzberg H (1989) Mintzberg on Management (Free Press, New York) The stock holders information http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/Strategy.pdf . Referring the home website for data http://www.ryanair.com/en/about Ryanair Case Study by Eleanor OHiggins,2008 -2009 Bibliography: Ryanair Strategic Study from Michael Choi WWW.Ryanair.com ACCA book for business analysis www.airscope.com

A Review of Responses to the National Endowment for the Arts Report, “R

During the past twenty years there has been much debate over topics regarding literacy and literature in America. In June 2004, based on their comparison of literary reading surveys from 1982, 1992, and 2002, the National Endowment for the Arts released the following statement. The accelerating declines in literary reading among all demographic groups of American adults indicate an imminent cultural crisis. The trends among younger adults warrant special concern, suggesting that – unless some effective solution is found – literary culture, and literacy in general, will continue to worsen. Indeed, at the current rate of loss, literary reading as a leisure activity will virtually disappear in half a century. (NEA, â€Å"Reading at Risk†) In recent years, access to the Internet has become available to Americans of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Some authority figures in academia see this as a threat to the perpetuation of printed literature. Other authorities view the Internet as an additional medium for advancing literacy. Another problem authorities face is one of definition. Some authorities want a broader definition of what constitutes literature while others insist on a standard of quality for literary works. What follows are some thoughts and opinions on these related topics and others. Some critics feel the NEA survey’s narrow definition of â€Å"literary reading† is the NEA’s feeble attempt to designate genres of literary importance. The â€Å"Reading at Risk† study defines literary readers as those who read short stories, poetry, and plays in their leisure time, excluding any reading done for work or school or on the Internet (NEA, â€Å"Reading at Risk†). Stuart Moulthrop, co-author of the online dialogue, â€Å"New Literacies ... ...orum Blog. 29 Sept. 2004. . Rachel. â€Å"More on Reading at Risk†. Online Posting. 23 August 2004. Banana Republican. 19 Sept. 2004 . Schwartz, Nomi. â€Å"NEA’s Reading at Risk Elicits Strong, Varied Responses.† American Booksellers Association Online. 15 July 2004. 19 Sept. 2004. . Solomon, Andrew. â€Å"Reading at Risk: Lack of Interest in Literature is a Crisis.† Commentary – Columbia Daily Tribune. 8 Aug. 2004. 19 Sept. 2004. . Wood, Peter. â€Å"Literature at Risk: The State of Our Reading Habits.† National Review Online. 19 July 2004. 19 Sept. 2004 .

The Miracles of Jesus Christ

Table of Contents Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Miracles of Jesus Christ 1. Cures a. The Miracle of the Centurion’s Servant Healed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. b. Jesus Cleanses a Leper†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ c. The Healing of Ten Lepers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. d. Healing a man with dropsy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. e. Healing a woman With Internal Bleeding†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. f. Healing two Blind Men†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦. g. Blind bartmaeus Receives his sight†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2. Exorcism a. Healing a Mute Demoniac†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3. Power Over Death a. Raising Jairus’ Daughter†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ . Controlling Nature a. Water turned wine†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ b. The Miracle of Jesus Walking on the Sea†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. c. The Feeding of the Four Thousand†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Appendices†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Introduction According to the canonical Gospels, Jesus worked many miracles in the course of his ministry, which may be categorized into cures, exorcisms, control over nature, power over death and various others. Miracles may very well be considered a thing of the past, however, the miracles of Jesus Christ as illustrated in the Bible attest to the significance of His physical presence while on earth. The miracles He performed were not restricted to those who only needed His very special touch to be healed or desired to be fed but were used to teach His followers the love God had for his people. Today, those same miracles can be used as lessons from which our lives should be guided as God remains the perennial symbol of hope. MIRACLES OF JESUS CHRIST CURES The Miracle of The Centurion’s Servant Healed (Matt. 8:5-13) â€Å"And Jesus entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, go, and he goeth; and to my servant, do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Isreal. And I say unto you, that many shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom off heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, go they way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. † There is a spiritual palsy as well as a natural one. The spiritual palsy consists in some spiritual obstruction in the mind and life, whereby the free circulation of heavenly love and wisdom is impeded, so that the mental faculties are not able to perform their proper functions, which functions consist in opposing evil and false principles, and din cherishing such as are in agreement with the supreme good and the supreme truth. We are instructed further, that no radical cure is to be found for this spiritual palsy but the Incarnate God, or in the Great Saviour, Jesus Christ in His Divine Humanity, and not even, in this God and Saviour, unless he be approached in a right faith, that is to say, with a faith grounded in love and charity producing right arrangement in all subordinate power and principles of the natural mind. The miracle further shows that let the obstructions to heavenly life and love be ever so formidable, and the divine circulation of blessing be ever so much impeded, yet if Jesus Christ in His divine humanity be believed in and pproached with a sincere heart, and in the spirit of true repentance, every obstruction will be removed, which prevents free circulation of His blessed influence, until at length the whole mind and life be restored to their proper health and strength, by being enable to comply willingly and freely with the Divine Operation. It is prudent for us whenever we feel our mi nds affected with a spiritual palsy, to apply immediately, like the faithful Centurion, to our God and Saviour for his healing virtue, and to apply to him with that living faith in His Diviine Omnipotence, for which the Centurion was so eminently distinguished. Jesus Cleanses a Leper (Matthew 8: v. 1-5): â€Å"When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him. And behold, a Leper came to Him and knelt before Him, saying ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. ’ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him saying, I will, be clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, see that you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the Priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for proof to them† And the great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. Leprosy like all other bodily diseases was prevalent at the time. It was a representative figure of the spiritual disease called profanation of good and of truth which prevailed in the Jewish church at that time. Profanation means those acts that were not considered to be biblical and sacred, thus the Leper was guilty of profanation, because he had knowledge of what was true and good but acted contrary to this and he there, became a spiritual Leper. In the miracle, he is therefore, a representation of all those who once accepted Christ as their saviour, but were nonetheless allowed the temptation of the world to overcome them. The Lord in his merciful providence exercises care over mankind because He is always a forgiving God. The utterances of the Leper â€Å"Lord, if you will, you can make me clean†. This implies the acknowledgement of Christ’s Divinity. Such acknowledgement is the necessary qualification to draw from Him the operation of His Divine Virtue for the cure of disease whether mental or bodily. When Jesus touched Leper, this symbolizes His power and omnipotence, because the hand is formed to execute the determination of the will in which all power originates. In so doing, God our Father is demonstrating His love and care for His children. The Healing of Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-19) â€Å"Now it happened as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as he entered a certain village, there met him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off† Leprosy was the most feared disease of its time. The closet emotional equivalent today would to be told that you have AIDS. The disease of leprosy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder. It first meant they had to face isolation. They were shut off from their family. They were shut off from their friends. They were shut off from God, in the sense that they could no longer enter the temple to worship. Lepers were swept into isolated colonies and required that when anyone ventured too close to cry out in humiliation, â€Å"Unclean, Unclean!!! † Leprosy was an especially humiliating disease because; those who had leprosy were thought to be unclean, and incapable of having a right relationship with God. They made to feel that they were even isolated from God. Leprosy also meant a total loss of your way to life. You had been left to die. Which brings us to the final effect of a diagnosis of leprosy, you are dying, a slow and horrible death. They kept their distance as prescribed by law, but they certainly did not keep quiet. These lepers only hope is Jesus and his mercy does not let them down. In verse thirteen, we told, â€Å"And they lifted up their voices and said â€Å"Jesus, master, have mercy on us†! They asked for mercy. They were not asking for what they deserved they were pleading for mercy. The Old Testament law required that a person who was healed of leprosy was to go to the priest for inspection and proclamation that the person was healed. In fact it is the exact reversal of the way in which they were declared lepers in the first place. No healing words were spoken, yet the lepers apparently understood that when Jesus said â€Å"go to the priest† it is implied that they will be healed. By obediently making their way to the priest, the lepers were demonstrating that they had faith in the words of Jesus. All ten place faith in Jesus’ power to heal. Healing a man with dropsy (Luke 14:1-6) One Sabbath Day while Jesus was at the home of one of the chief Pharisee leader’s home to eat bread he noticed that there was a man there who had dropsy. Jesus then turned to the lawyers and Pharisees who were also having bread and asked â€Å"is it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? (Luke 14:3). To this neither the Lawyers nor the Pharisees answered. Jesus then took the man with the dropsy and healed him and let him go. Jesus then turned to them and asked â€Å"which of you would have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? † (Luke 14:5) To this the y could not reply. Jesus did what any parent would do for their child or children should they find themselves in a dangerous situation. Therefore, I say this to say that regardless of the Sabbath day if we can render assistance to someone who is in need we should because even Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour did it. Healing a woman with internal bleeding (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48) While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years, and had spent all that she had on many physicians, and was no better, but rather grew worse, had heard about Jesus, and came up behind Him in a crowd and touched His cloak. For she said â€Å"If I but touch His clothes, I will be made well†. Immediately her hemorrhage stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Jesus was aware that power had gone forth from Him, turned around and asked â€Å"Who touched My clothes? The woman knowing what happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. Jesus said to her â€Å"Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace, and be healed of your disease. † Healing two blind men (Matthew 9:27-31) After Jesus left Jairus’ house, two blind men followed Jesu s, crying loudly, â€Å"Have mercy on us, Son of David! † Jesus said to them â€Å"Do you believe I am able to do this? † They said to Him â€Å"Yes, Lord. † Then He touched their eyes and said â€Å"According to your faith let it be done to you. † And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them â€Å"See that no one knows of this. † But they went away and spread the news about Him throughout that district. Blind Bartimaeus Receives his sight (Mark 10: v. 46-52) â€Å"Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and His Disciples, together with a large crowd were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is the son of Timaeus) was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout â€Å"Jesus, son of David have mercy on me! † Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, son of David have mercy on me! Jesus stopped and said â€Å"Call him† so they called to the blind man â€Å"Cheer up! On your feet! He is calling you. Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus . â€Å"What do you want me to do for you? Jesus asked him. The blind man said,† Rabbi I want to see†. â€Å"Go†, said Jesus, â€Å"your faith has heale d you†. Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. It was the Passover season and may were travelling in the same direction with Jesus-that is toward Jerusalem. Bartimaeus, a blind beggar say by the wayside hoping to receive charity form passersby. Bartimaeus had heard that He was the reputed Messiah who, according to the Scriptures would eventually bless the whole world and do away with sin, sorrow and pain. He had heard already that Jesus was performing cures, healing the sick, casting out demons and opening the eyes of the blind. When heard that Jesus was passing, his faith and hope flamed and he shouted â€Å"Jesus thou Son of David, have mercy on me†. Despite attempts to keep him quiet, he persisted because he felt that it was now or never and so he lifted his voice above that of the multitude and shouted loudly. Jesus heard the voice and responded as he was ever ready to be gracious to those who call on him for mercy. He bade the blind man to come to Him. It showed Bartimaeus’ faith and thus signifies a more important lesson to the multitude. His request of Jesus to received his sight became a reality immediately and the blind became one of the followers of Jesus, praising his Divine power and acknowledging Him as the Messiah. â€Å"Jesus thou Son of David† had special significance to him and to the Jews of the his day. The Jews knew that Messiah as the great High Priest was in a measure prefigured by Aaron and as the great Law giver. EXORCISM Healing a mute demoniac (Matthew 9:32-33) After the two healed blind men in left, a demoniac who was mute was brought to Jesus. And when Jesus cast the demon out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed and said they had never seen anything like this in Israel. POWER OVER DEATH Raising Jairus' daughter (Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 8:41-42, 49-56) A leader of the Synagogue named Jairus came to Jesus, and begged Him to come and lay hands on his little daughter who was near death. As Jesus went, the crowds pressed in on Him and He felt power had gone forth from Him. It was at this point He healed the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years . While He was still speaking to the woman, someone came from Jairus' house and told him his daughter had died. When Jesus heard about this He replied â€Å"Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved. † Jesus entered the house with Peter, John, James, and the child's father and mother. The people in the house were all weeping and wailing for her, but Jesus said â€Å"Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping. † He then took her by the hand and called out â€Å"Child get up. † Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then He directed them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astounded, but He ordered them to tell no one what happened. CONTROLLING NATURE Water turned wine (John 2:1-11) Jesus returned from Jordan to Galilee to attend a wedding for family members at Cana, a little town not far for Nazareth. The he would meet his mother who he had not seen in a while. This was a very joyous occasion for her as she found comfort in his sympathy had been very unhappy since the passing of Joseph. It was the custom of the times for marriage festivities to continue for several days. On this occasion, on the third day it was found that the supply of wind had failed. This discovery caused much perplexity and regret. As a relative of the parties, Mary had assisted in the arrangement for the feast, so she said to Jesus â€Å"they have no wine† To this Jesus answered, â€Å"Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come (St. John 2:4). † This answer, abrupt as it seems to us, expressed no coldness or discourtesy. Every act of Christ’s earthly life was in harmony with the precept He Himself had given, one of which is â€Å"honour they father and they mother. (Exodus 20:12). Mary then told the servants that â€Å"whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. † Jesus then ordered them to them to fill size (6) water pots that were there with water which they did to the brim. Jesus then told them to draw out of it and give to the governor. When the governor tasted it to his surprise it was wine. He then called the bridegroom and said unt o him â€Å"every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good win until now (St. John 2:11). This miracle manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. The Miracle Of Jesus Walking On The Sea This miracle illustrates additional proof of the divinity of Jesus Christ, confirmed by His walking on the sea, and calming its disturbed waters. The miracle further shows the great necessity of acquiring the knowledge of what is good and true from the Word of God, which necessity is made known by Jesus constraining His disciples to go into a ship. It also brings to the fore the impure principles of the natural mind, in exciting disturbance, trial and temptation, expressed in the history by the ship being tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. However, of great consolation is that Jesus is ever present in the midst of such disturbance, compelling it to make more manifest His Fatherly Mercy and Divine Omnipotence. From the miracle, it is illustrated that the apostle Peter, was afraid when he saw the boisterous wind which shows the weakness of human faith. However, we can take comfort in the fact that if we believe I Jesus, all thins are possible to us and if human faith connects with omnipotence, it also can walk on the water, and go to Jesus. We also learn that the Great Redeemer is ever stretching forth the hand of His Divine Omnipotence to succour His children in all their dangers, and to relieve them in all their fears, whilst at the same time He leads tem to a diligent exploration of the causes of their alarms, by thee friendly expostulation, O you of little faith, wherefore did you doubt? Lastly, we observe in the ship, which contained the Blessed Saviour and His disciples, a figure of the true church, an of every individual of the church, tossed on the boisterous waves of trial and temptation, yet riding in perfect safety and security, under the rue and government of Him, who sits above the water-floods, and remains a King forever be thee earth never so unquiet. The Feeding of The Four Thousand The Feeding of the four thousand was not the only miracle of its kind Jesus performed, as being the teacher and preacher He was, it was the norm for him to officiate at many of these sermons where He provided refreshment for the people who came to listen to Him. However, the feeding of the four thousand was of great significance as Jesus used it not only to illustrate how great a miracle worker He was but also in a special way to explain the spiritual meaning of the miracle. St. Mark 8: 1-9 gave an account of the miracle in the wilderness when Jesus expressed His concerns to His disciples on the wellbeing of the people who followed Him to hear His words. They were with Him for three (3) days and had not eaten during that time and was worried that should they return home unfed, they would become ill on the journey. His disciples did not share Jesus’ compassion as they questioned Him on how He planned to satisfy the hunger of four thousand people. This of course was not new to Jesus as He was previously faced with a similar situation when He fed five thousand persons with five (5) loaves of bread and two (2) fishes. In that instance twelve (12) baskets were left over after the people were fed. On the occasion of the four thousand, Jesus once again enquired of the disciples on how many bread and fish they had and they handed him seven (7) loaves with some fish. Interestingly, among the people following Jesus were scribes and Pharisees who were only there to cast aspersions as they regarded every act of Jesus as suspicious. Their presence did not hindered Jesus from doing God’s will and so He ordered the four thousand to sit before He blessed the loaves and fish from which He fed them then sent them on their way. At the end seven (7) baskets remained uneaten. Feeding of the multitude on these two (2) occasions were not just miracleaous acts, but denotes important spiritual lessons Jesus sought to teach His people. The twelve (12) baskets of leftovers from the first miracle represent the twelve (12) tribes of Israel as well as the commandments which mankind were to be guided after Jesus left the earth. The basket of seven (7) loaves left over from the feeding of the four thousand, signified His seven (7) main attributes i. love, patience, meekness, forgiveness, perseverance, self-sacrifice and mercy. These attributes were to be used by men in the physical absence of Jesus to strengthen them and serve as their guiding principles. Jesus realized that some of His hearers only consumed the bread and fish to satisfy their physical hunger while their spiritual hunger remained un-sated. The essence of the miracle was lost on those who had not grasped the content of Jesus’ sermon, the attribute s representing Jesus’ teachings, parables and miracles were to open the eyes of the people. The essence of God’s teachings can be lost if we only grasp the contents superficially Conclusion In concluding, Jesus performed over thirty-five miracles while he traversed the earth in his human form. Miracles were performed on the rich and the poor alike. The common thread that ties these miracles together is the fact that most, if not all persons required a miracle exercised great faith; that is, they believed and as such they were able to receive. The lesson to be learnt is that through Christ all things are possible [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic]