Oil, War and U.S. Foreign Policy. Essay Example for Free

Oil, War and U.S. Foreign Policy. Essay The war against Iran by the Anglo-American powers has been in planning since 1990s as part of their Greater Middle East strategy. A number of sources have recently reported plans by the Iranian government to institute a Tehran oil bourse and this might be the hidden agenda behind the evident march to war by the Anglo-American powers on Iran. The oil bourse argument is a red herring which diverts the attention of people from the real geopolitical grounds which is behind the real motive for the march to the war which is a high risk game on the nuclear weapon. In 1996, two neo-conservatives, Douglas Feith and Richard Perle who later played an important role in the formulation of the Pentagon policy in the Middle East under the Bush administration authored a paper which was presented to the elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The advisory paper, â€Å"A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm†, had the intention of making Netanyahu to make â€Å"a clean break from the peace process†. Feith and Perle also demanded Netanyahu to strengthen the defense of Israel against Syria and Iraq and to attack Iran as the prop for Syria. More than a year before the declaration of the former US president George W Bush of his â€Å"shock and awe† operations against Iraq, he made his January 2002 State of the Union address which is now infamous to the Congress in which he Iran, together with North Korea and Iraq as members of the â€Å"axis of evil† trio. This occurred before anybody in Tehran had even considered establishing an oil bourse in trading oil in various currencies. According to Engdahl, the US believed that the Tehran oil bourse would be the casus belli, which would trigger the pushing of Washington down the road to the potentiality of annihilation of Iran, which seems to be based on the notion that trading on oil openly to other nations in other currencies would make Tehran set in to motion a chain of events in which buyer after buyer, nation after nation, would come to buy oil no longer in US dollars but in euros. This in turn according to an argument, would lead to a panic in selling of the US dollars on the world foreign exchange markets and also lead to the collapse of the role of the US dollar as the reserve currency, which is one of the pillars of the â€Å"US Empire†. According to Engdahl in his book, A Century of War, the creation of â€Å"petrodollar recycling† in 1974, which is a process where the by then US secretary of state Henry Kissinger was deeply involved, led to oil price hike of 400% and this was orchestrated by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Engdahl puts it that US dollar did not manage to become a â€Å"petrodollar† even though Kissinger emphasized the process of â€Å"recycling petrodollar†. According to the author, what Kissinger was referring to was the initiation of a new phase of global hegemony of US in which the export earnings from the petrodollar of OPEC oils lands would be recycled back to the hands of the major London and New York banks and later re-lent in the form of US dollars to other nations which are deficient in oil such as Argentina and Brazil and this led to the creation of what was soon to be known as the Latin America debt crisis. By this time, the US dollar had been a fiat issue since August 1971 following the abrogation of the Bretton Woods Treaty and refusal by the then US president Richard Nixon to redeem US dollars which were held in foreign central banks for gold. Due to the 400% increase in oil prices, nations such as Germany, France, and Japan suddenly had the reason to buy oil in their own currencies with the aim of lessening the pressure on their reserves of trade dollars which was rapidly declining. This led to the coming up of the Pentagon and US treaty partly with their secret diplomacy by Kissinger through bullying threats According to Engdahl, the US military were sent to Afghanistan for two main reasons; the first reason was to restore and control the world’s largest supplier of opium in the world while at the same time use the drugs as a geopolitical weapon against their opponents especially Russia. The control of the drug market is an essential ingredient for the liquidity of the corrupt and bankrupt Wall Street financial market. U. S. Military and CIA Interventions in the Middle-East. Blom traces the origin of the current conflict from the brutal 1980-88 war which was between Iran and Iraq. At the time of the war, Kuwait was busy stealing oil from the Iraqi territory which was worth more than $2. 4 billion of oil. Soon after the battle, United Emirates and Kuwait started to exceed the production quotas that had been established by OPEC and this led to flooding in the oil market leading to a reduction on oil prices. This led Iraq to become deeply in debt and the then president Saddam Hussein declared this policy a threat to hi country by pointing out that Iraq was loosing billions of dollars each year due to the drop in oil prices. In an attempt to offset these loses, Saddam decided to gain possession of the two Gulf islands which were blocking Iraq from ownership of Rumaila oilfield. Kuwait continued to ignore Iraq’s territorial and financial demands and the OPEC’s request to follow the quota system and this led to Iraq to form large number of troops who were posted along the Kuwait border. This led to the intervention of the US who viewed themselves as the world’s supper power. After Iraq attacked Kuwait, US came to the defense of Kuwait by declaring that their interest was in protecting nations with whom they had longstanding and deep ties while at the same time, The White House declared their concern about the buildup of troops by Iraq. According to the author, United States had an official position on the Kuwait-Iraq border dispute. This is evident from the official statement that were found by the Iraqis in some of the Kuwait intelligence files which was a memorandum concerning a meeting between the CIA Director William Webster and Kuwait state security in November 1989. in the document, there was an agreement between the Americans and Kuwait that it was of great importance to take advantage of the deteriorating economic situation in Iraq with the aim of putting pressure on Iraq’ government so as to delineate their common borders. It is evident that US was involved from the beginning and advised Kuwait to apply pressure on Iraq so as destabilize the country economically. The CIA later denied these allegations saying that it was a fabrication. Blum puts it that the US has been behind the Kurdish’ slaughter of many innocent citizens and also encouraged the Shiite Muslims in Iraq to rebel. All these were done in an attempt to incite Saddam so that he could incite a coup which would result in to the intervention of the United States. The killings in the Persian Gulf by the American soldiers have been due to a voice command from George Herbert Walker Bush according Blum. The United States started supporting Afghan Islamic fundamentalists in 1979 in their bid to fight the Soviet Union. The US continued with their support despite the kidnapping of American ambassador in the capital city of Kabul in February 1979. American intervention according to Blom had some hidden agenda. The US was using lies and tricks to gain influence of Iraq so as to control the oil prices. In both cases, the authors recognize the use the use of tricks by the US government to make the Middle East unstable. Both the authors share a common view on the idea behind the control of Middle East affairs. In both cases, the authors acknowledge the use of military force in the wars in the Middle East and in both cases, it appears that US is the main cause of all these wars. The aim of the United States according to the two authors is to take control of the rich oil nations and make sure that they continue to price and sell oil in US dollars. They both acknowledge the pretence of the US to send their military force in these countries with the aim of restoring peace while in the real sense; the US is after establishing permanent military base in places such as Iraq so that they can control the resources of these countries. Under the Bush administration, there was a severe military attack in Iraq with the aim of removing Saddam from power with the pretence that he was behind manufacturing of nuclear weapons. After the attack, it became apparently clear that such a thing never existed in Iraq. Bush was only accomplishing a war that was started by his father against Saddam who had refused to consent to the demands of the United States. The Use of Torture in Iraq and Afghanistan. A lot has been said regarding what lies behind the shocking images of torture at Abu Ghraib which were released in 2004. many American were shocked by such images and novel with the exception of one American; Alfred McCoy who had been following the operations of the Central Intelligence Agency since the early 1970s, when the agency tried unsuccessfully to stop the publication of his book, The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade. McCoy had long been conducting study on the pioneering research by the CIA in to the methods of psychological torture. He writes that the CIA had started this project in the early 1950s with their initial study on the Chinese and Soviet methods of breaking and interrogating prisoners. The author has a negative image regarding the torture policies that America has used in the last decades. The CIA’s discovery of Psychological torture had its breakthrough in the 17th century. This was in contrast to the physical approach which they saw most of the times produced unreliable information or heightened resistance. Under the new psychological paradigm introduced by the CIA, the interrogators used two essential techniques; self-inflicted pain or disorientation so as to make the victims feel responsibility of their own suffering. The first stage of psychological torture involves the use of non-violent methods to by the interrogator to disorientate the subject. After disorientating the subject, the second stage involves simple self inflicted discomforts which may be in form of standing for many hours with the arms in extended position. Although psychological torture is less brutal due to the fact that there is no touch, the torture leaves both the interrogator and the victim with deep psychological scars. Victims normally require long-term treatment in order to recover from the trauma far much more than the physical pain. On the part of the interrogator, they may suffer from dangerous expansion of ego which may eventually lead to escalating cruelty and lasting emotional problems. According to McCoy, torture was conducted by the CIA directly and also indirectly through outsourcing. The use of torture is against humanity since it involves forcing the subject to confess in criminal cases with the assumption that they are guilty prior to trail. The CIA also used this method to serve as a deterrent to other potential offenders. According to the author, torture did less in bringing any trustworthy information or truthful confession neither did it prevent other people from breaking the law in any significant way. Following the September 11 bombing of the Twin Towers in the US, the administration of the former President George W. Bush allowed US intelligence service and the military to use torture as the only means to â€Å"quickly obtain information†. They did this by creating a category of prisoners who they claimed fall outside the protection by any treaty or law obligations and are deemed to be tortured. According to the CIA, they argue that this policy which considered the most abusive approach to interrogation is the most efficient and effective quick way to get information that is accurate and useful. From McCoy’s book, he clearly puts it that torture is always not a good way of producing reliable information. The experience from Colonel John Rothrock, who was heading a combat interrogation team in Vietnam, reported that â€Å"he doesn’t know any professional intelligence officers of my generation who would think this [torture] is a good idea,† but the US under the Bush administration failed to listen and this led to death of many innocent people in the name of state security. These torture cases were concealed from the general public and the Congress when CIA was busy for the past half of the century developing and applying a sophisticated form of psychological torture which were meant to go against investigation, prohibition or prosecution and this made it very successful. Americans have found themselves have found themselves in six separate accounts of this same moral quagmire in the last 50 years period. The first was the exposure of the CIA sponsored torture which took place in South Vietnam in 1970, Iran in 1978, Brazil in 1974, Honduras in 1988, and the cases in Iran and Iraq. Each of these cases was exposed at different times and as each case fades, the agency resumes with their lethal work in the shadows. The role of torture in the geopolitics of the Middle East is to divert attention on the real issue. While the CIA was busy torturing prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq, they were at the same time busy exporting opium to other countries. The use of torture was also a means of making sure that no information was leaked to the public. Another role that torture play is to make the subject confess to what the interrogator expects them to do. Also the use of torture by the CIA was to make people from Middle East to desist from any corporation with those who could get in to their secret conducts in these countries. An example is when McCoy was doing a research for his book in the mountains of Laos; a group of CIA machineries attempted to kill him and even threatened his translator to stop working for him. While these were happening, the CIA was secretly transporting opium using Air America helicopters to South Vietnam. Use of torture helped the American’s to exert great influence in the Middle East as those who experienced the tortures gave their experiences once they were out of the prison. The psychological damage was so much that the victims could not become normal again. This coupled with the killings of many people during the war led to weakening of these nations such that American control of oil and drugs like opium could be easy. All these acts were conducted with the aim of building an â€Å"American Empire†. Works Cited. Alfred McCoy. A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation, from the Cold War to the War on Terror (American Empire Project).

Impact of Pollution on Natural Resources and Health

Impact of Pollution on Natural Resources and Health Pollution in its many forms is causing increasing damaging to our natural resources and health. Pollution The result of some of todays technological advances is extreme pollution. It can be seen, heard, tasted or even smelt as we drive along our main roads, stroll along our sidewalks or even from the supposing comfort of our home. Also the very food we eat might be polluted though we may not be aware. In this essay I will be discussing the main causes and effects of air, water and noise pollution. Pollution in its many forms is causing increasing damaging to our natural resources and health and lifestyles. Carbon dioxide is one the main causes of air pollution. Even though humans exhale carbon dioxide, this gas is harmful when emitted from other sources, which are caused due to human activity. Carbon dioxide gas is used in various industries such as the oil industry and the chemical industry. The manufacturing process of most products requires the use of this gas. Also the combustion of fossil fuels and the harmful effects of deforestation have all contributed. Amongst the various gasse s emitted during a volcanic eruption, carbon dioxide remains to be at least 40% of the emission. Scientists have identified carbon dioxide as one of those elements that are contributing to global warming. When fuels are burned, some of the pollutants released are greenhouses gases. Though through the process of photosynthesis, plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and use the carbon to grow larger. The amount of carbon dioxide released by burning fuels is much more than plants can convert. Many industrial facilities use clean water to carry away waste from their plants and dump it into rivers, lakes and oceans. Furthermore domestic households, industrial and agricultural practices produce wastewater that may cause pollution. Human infectious diseases are among the most serious effects of water pollution, especially in developing countries, where sanitation may be inadequate or non-existent. Waterborne diseases occur when parasites or other disease-causing microorganisms are transmitted via contaminated water. These include typhoid, intestinal parasites, and most of the diarrheal diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Among the most serious parasitic diseases are amoebiasis, giardiasis, ascariasis, and hookworm. Water pollution can make fish sick and even can kill them. Humans are the biggest threat to fish. There are many ways that humans pollute waters. Some of those ways are by dumping oil, radioactive waste and trash into rivers, lakes and seas. This s ort of pollution over these years is only increasing at a staggering rate. Noise pollution from ship engines and sonar systems make it difficult for marine mammals like whales, dolphins, and porpoises to communicate, find food, and avoid hazards. Powerful sonar systems operating at certain frequencies may cause damage to marine mammals sound-sensitive internal structures, causing internal bleeding and even death. Noise pollution can cause annoyance and aggression, hypertension, high stress levels, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects. Furthermore, stress and hypertension are the leading causes to health problems. A comparison of Maaban tribesmen, who were insignificantly exposed to transportation or industrial noise, to a typical U.S. population showed that constant exposure to moderately high levels of environmental noise contributes to hearing loss. High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects and exposure to moderately high levels during a single eight hour period causes a statistical rise in blood pressure of five to ten points and an increase in stress and vasoconstriction leading to the increased blood pressure. As this essay clearly shows air, water and noise pollution drastically affect humans and our natural habitats. So please reader think twice about dumping garbage into rivers or streams think of the long term effects of that garbage on not only you but on the fish in that stream or where that stream will run. Also what will happen when someone eats that contaminated fish or drinks the contaminated water, because It is evident that pollution in its many forms is causing increasing damaging to our natural resources and health and we as humans need to be more careful about what we do. After all it was us humans that started pollution in the first place.

How does Shakespeare portray the nature :: essays research papers

How does Shakespeare portray the nature of love in â€Å"A Midsummer Nights Dream†?‘A Mid-summer Nights Dream’ is evidentially concerned with the series of hindrances in the course of true love. Shakespeare reverses the categories of reality and illusion, portraying to the audience with a comic edge that when overcome with the illusion of love couples become blind to the misfortunes that are bound to cross their path. The most basic part of Shakespeare’s plays is the relationship between men and women. In a society so closely woven with Christianity, it seemed natural to take the mandate for this relationship from the bible. This names the husband the head of the household; he can govern his family as he pleases. Despite the pervading view in Elizabethan England of women as the property of their fathers. Shakespeare’s form does not take a firm stance on how he thinks marriage should work. Marriage was considered as a way to establish order most of Shakespeare’s plays have to do with the making or breaking of family ties. The Characters are drawn from three different worlds: the Athenian Gentry, the Craftsmen of Athens, and the Fairy World. The protagonist is the bizarre nature of love, as represented by four couples: Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius, Titania and Oberon, and Hippolyta and Theseus. The whole play centers on the central idea of lovers, ironically and comically coming together and being free to marry. The opening exposition is first set in Medieval Athens; Shakespeare uses familiar figures from Greek mythology, which would be seen as autocratic and mature mirroring the future portrayal of their love. Theseus as the male is dominant over Hippolyta; her submission brings forth the imminent wedding. Because they meet in an adverse environment it creates dramatic and passionate tension, which is later resolved. This is in stark contrasts with the young lovers, who are erratic and indecisive. ‘Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword; And won thy love doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling.’ (Theseus 1:1 lines 16-19) Oberon and Titania are noble fairies. Although they have high status, fairies were seen to be avid and passionate. This passion causes human-like, vindictive quarrels between them. ‘†¦I have forsworn his bed and company;’ (Titania 2:1 lines 61-62) Oberon plays tricks on Titania to prove his authority over her, but the sight of her humiliation arouses his love and they reinstate their love to one another.

Schizophrenia Essay -- essays research papers

Schizophrenia is serious and chronic brain disease. Schizophrenia Affects 1% of the world develops schizophrenia sometime in their life time. 2 million people in the US suffer from it every year it will affect men and women both but shows up earlier in men usually in the teen or early adult years, women usually are diaongnosed in their early thirties. People with schizophrenia often suffer terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal voices not heard by others, or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. Their speech and behavior can be so disorganized that they may be incomprehensible or frightening to others. Available treatments can relieve many symptoms, but most people with schizophrenia continue to suffer some symptoms throughout their lives; it has been estimated that no more than one in five individuals recovers completely. Schizophrenia is found not only in the US but the whole world. The first signs of schizophrenia often appear as confusing, or even shocking, changes in behavior. The sudden onset of severe psychotic symptoms is referred to as an â€Å"acute† phase of schizophrenia. â€Å"Psychosis,† a common condition in schizophrenia, is a state of mental impairment marked by hallucinations, which are disturbances of sensory perception, and/or delusions, which are false yet strongly held personal beliefs that result from an inability to separate real from unreal experiences. Schizophrenia can be traced back to Egyptian times. The word "schizophrenia" comes from the Greek roots schizo (split) and phrene (mind) to describe the thinking of people with the disorder. His term was not meant to convey the idea of split or multiple personality, a common misunderstanding by many people. Since Bleuler's time, the definition of schizophrenia has continued to change, as scientists attemp t to more accurately determine the different types of mental diseases. Without knowing the exact causes of these diseases, scientists can only base their classifications on the observation that some symptoms tend to occur together. Both Bleuler subdivided schizophrenia into categories, based on the symptoms and prognoses. Over the years, those working in this field have continued to attempt to classify types of schizophrenia. Five types were delineated in the DSM-III: disorganize... ...order, but do not cure it. Many psychological treatments are also available: stress relief, making sure the patient feels good about themselves, also helping families deal with it and help them help the patient. Schizophrenia is a very serious mental disorder that more people have to take serious. Anyone can be diagnosed with the disorder and suffer life long affects from it. We need to be more aware of it and research more on new treatment methods. Although there is success stories there are many more stories that end in death because of suicide from the person and their depression from the disorder. We need to educate the public about the disorder and use technology to our advantage and try to find a definite cure for the disorder. Although there is treatment for the symptoms it is not the way a person should live taking a pill every day or spending thousands of dolars on doctor bills to try and be cured. Schizophrenia is a very serious disorder that needs to be researched ever more so we can stop the suffering of the over 2 million people that have and deal with the disorder everyday.

The Ancient Maya Essay -- essays research papers

The Maya of Mesoamerica, along with the Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru, made up the high civilizations of the American Indians at the time of the Spanish conquest. Both the Aztecs and the Incas were late civilizations, between 1300-1533 AD, but the Maya of the Yucatan and Guatemala exhibited a cultural continuity spanning more than 2,000 years, 1000 BC-AD 1542. Many aspects of this culture continue yet today. The Ancient Maya in their time had actually refined writing. They had an extensive written language, which was both phonetic as well as ideographic. One of only five independently created writing systems in human history. Maya words were in hieroglyphs, each picture with its own meaning. Unlike other ancient Central American civilizations, the Maya could write in words, sentences, and even stories. Arranging several pictures together in a logical form would create a story. The Maya covered their cities and buildings with hieroglyphs carved into the stone. Most of the Maya could read some hieroglyphs, but the priests and nobles were the only people who actually had knowledge of the entire language. The Maya would also use quills made of turkey feathers to write in books made of soft bark taken from a type of fig tree. Religion was the center of the Mayan life. Mayans believed that there were two levels of the world. The first level was the physical world and the second was the spiritual world, which consisted of the old dead ancestors, ...

I’m not scared plot

So they had a race of running straight up the hill and the last child who lost the game would pay a forfeit. Michele was just about to overtake the second child, Salvatore, who was Michele' best friend when he heard his sister Maria scream. His sister was only 5 years old and she followed her brother stubbornly to ake part in the race. nfortunately, she hurt herself and broke her glasses. Michele had to stop and turn back for her. However, he became the last one to reach the hill. When he was on the top of the hill, the others had gone. Michele and Marla found an abandoned farmhouse and other children were there waiting for them. Because of Michele and his sister's unusual situation, they decided to make Barbara do the forfeit. However, the forfeit was so indecent that Michele offered to do the forfeit Instead of Barbara. After doing the forfeit, he discovered a hole with a sheet covering t and there was a boys leg in it.He was frightened and left the farm house quickly. When Wchele and his sister arrived Acqua Traverse, their father had been home. He had left home for a few months and both Michele's mother and her children were happy to meet him again. Michele had an arm wrestling competition with his dad, and his sister helped him win the competition, so that their father gave them the present. They had a good time with family at that time. The following day, Michele woke up early and his parents were still asleep. He couldnt help thinking about the ittle boys leg in the hole of the farmhouse.Although he was scared, he persuaded himself and rode his bike by his own to that abandoned farmhouse. He opened the cover, and asked whether there was anyone inside the hole. However, no one answered him. He picked up a stone and threw it at the boy. The stone hit him on the foot. Michele thought he was dead. He wanted to go down into the hole and see his face. Inside it was cold and he found the little boy was as young as him. He touched the boy with his toe. When he t ried to lift the blanket off the boys face, the ‘dead' boy ent his leg.After that, the boy stretched out his arms toward Michele without eyes opened. They both started screaming. Michele was frightened; he grabbed the rope and shot out of the hole rapidly. His father was angry with him because he fell asleep on the way home and forgot the time. He got out of the house and climbed on the carob tree. When he came back home, his dad had gone. Michele and Maria and their mum had dinner together. Then they went to bed quickly, but Michele couldnt fall asleep and he kept thinking about the little boy. The following day, Michele's arents were out.He went to the hill again because he wanted to save that little boy. The hole wasn't covered this time. He thought that the guardians of the hole must know that their secret had been discovered. The little boy was very thirsty and Michele got him some water. When Michele was getting water, he found a pan that was Just like the one they had a t home. The little boy didnt move any more after drinking water, so Michele covered up the hole and went away. After lunch, Michele's parents went to have a rest and Michele started to search for the saucepan, but he Hllppo.However, Salvatore Olan't care aoou t Hllppo at all. He got Mlcnele out 0T nls room. Michele couldn't fgure it out why Salvatore considered his secret as rubbish. He left for the abandoned house and met Filippo as he promised. Fillippo had been washed by the kidnappers and no chain was in his feet. Michele suddenly had a great idea. He wanted to take Filippo out of the hole. He tried to persuade Fillipo to come with him. At first, Fillipo didn't dare to go out with him. However, Michele had to lie to him. He said he was an angel and he was going to take Fillipo to the heaven outside.Finally, Fillipo agreed to get out of the hole. Michele found a leader and helped Filippo out. They had a good time, then he sent Filippo back into the hole. When he was about to go b ack to the ground, the ladder was pulled away. He looked up and found Felice watching them. Felice found out everything. He knew that Michele had been here for many times. He caught Michele and beat him. Felice pushed him into his car, and insides there was Salvatore. Michele realized that it had been Salvatore who ratted to Felice and told his secret to Felice. Salvatore had sold Michele for a driving lesson.Michele was broken-hearted about Salvatore's betrayal, and his body was hurting. When his mum saw him, she was angry with Felice because Felice beat his son. Michele's mother was out of her control and tried to beat Felice. She was almost going to kill him. When Felice threw himself on top of her mum and tried to insult her, Michele's dad and the old man came in. Michele's dad pushed Felice away. The men had a talk and when Michele's father came back, it was night. Michele's father came into the room and talked to him. He swore to his father that he wouldn't come back any more. When Michele was with his friends, they suddenly suggested going up the hill to the abandoned house again. After discussing, Michele decided to go with them. Michele was very nervous, and it seemed to be rain. He persuaded himself to uncover the hole, and there was nothing in it, either Filippo. He realized that Filippo had been taken away by those adults without saying goodbye. Salvatore said he heard his father talking to the other guys and he knew where Filippo was. He told Michele that Filippo was at Melichetti's, down in the gravina. When they came back to Acqua Traverse, they saw two helicopters ppeared and all adults had gone.Michele's sister said all adults had gone to Salvatore's house after they saw the helicopters. Michele led his sister back home and had supper and then they went to bed. The adults came at midnight and they shouted so loud that they woke Michele and Maria up. Their mother came in and forced them to sleep. She stayed very long and got up because she thoug ht Michele and Maria were asleep. Michele spied on them in his room and heard them talking about a plan. They were discussing how to deal with Filippo. Finally they decided to kill him and finish the whole thing.Michele quickly dressed himself and Jumped out of the window to save Filippo. He found Filippo in a hole after innumerable hardships. He helped Filippo out of the hole, but there was not much time left for him to get off the hole. He ordered Filippo hide himself and get away. However, he couldn't escape from the hole because his leg was hurt and adults were coming. He didn't succeed in climbing out of the hole, and his dad didn't recognized him, he shot him instead of Filippo. He was hurt heavily and finally a helicopter came over. He sacrificed himself for Filippo.

Marriage: When a Man Meets His Woman Essay

â€Å"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.† (New International Version, Genesis 2.24) Marriage as we all know is the union of a man and a woman to become husband and wife. Marriage is where the smallest unit of the society begins––the family. Marriage is the door to procreation. Marriage is a sacred vow and according to Hebrews 13.4, â€Å"Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.† Marriage is a game that children play. When children are tired of playing, they simply quit. When children encounter problems while playing, they quit. When they want to play again, they simply do so. Marriage is a deep relationship between the husband and the wife. It is intimate. It involves not only their physical self but their hearts and souls as well. Quitting is not an option should they become tired or should they encounter problems. Timothy had a good description of a responsible husband, â€Å"Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money† (1 Timothy 3.2–3). Though Timothy specifically dedicated these verses to an overseer (or a bishop during their time), the characteristics given are truly what a husband should possess in order to please God and to make their marriage last. Since a husband is the head of his family, he should really possess qualities that will help him manage the â€Å"small society† given to him by God. A man should seek God’s wisdom in choosing the woman to marry. Man, having free will, makes plans for himself. In most cases, these plans failed or never happened because those are not God’s plans. â€Å"Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails† (Proverbs 19.21). The Holy Bible describes the â€Å"perfect† woman to have fear of the Lord (Proverbs 31.30), has wisdom (Proverbs 31.26), and not quarrelsome (Proverbs 19.13). A woman can possess all these characteristics if she is living according to God’s will. With the Holy Bible as our reference, the first husband and wife were Adam and Eve. In the story of creation, God created man according to His image and likeness on the sixth day. He made man the steward of all His beautiful creations. God said in Genesis 2.18, â€Å"It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.† So God had Adam fell asleep, and took one of his ribs. Out of the rib God created the woman. Then Adam said in Genesis 2.23, â€Å"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.† So this is the love story of our great, great, great, great, great grandparents. If you are interested to know the ending of our love story, read Genesis to find out. If we are to analyze our course verse (Gen. 2.24), a man will leave his parents and will be united with the woman as one. They are no longer two separate, different individuals, but they are one. Marriage binds this two unrelated people into a sacred union. The man will now live not only for his own but for his wife. Same is true for the woman. Both will â€Å"forget† themselves and will create a new self out of two obviously different individuals. This is in accordance to 1 Corinthians 7.4 ­, â€Å"The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.† Also in Ephesians 5.28, â€Å"In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.† These two Bible passages do not refer to the physical body alone but to whole identity of the man and woman—physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and let’s add financial. Being united as one, husbands and wives share resources. The â€Å"I† mentality is no longer applicable in marriage. It’s now the â€Å"us† or the â€Å"we.† A man’s burden is also his wife’s burden. A man’s achievements are also his wife’s achievements. A man’s failure is also his wife’s failure. A man’s dreams are also his wife’s dreams. In Genesis 2.18, God said that it is not good for a man to be alone. So He created a â€Å"helper† suitable for the man. â€Å"Helper† does not literally mean a house helper, or a slave, or a maidservant. Helper here means a co-worker; a colleague; and the most appropriate description of a helper, a partner. A husband now has a partner in everything. He has someone to share his goals, visions, aspirations, problems, weaknesses, and frustrations. He has someone to help him make decisions. He has someone he can rely on anytime. He has someone to grow old with. God binds a man and a woman in marriage. â€Å"So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate† (Matthew 19.6). It is very clear that no man should cause the fall out of anyone’s marriage. It is very clear that God’s plan in the very beginning is a lasting marriage for husbands and wives. Unfortunately, even during Moses’ time, divorce was already a show stopper. â€Å"If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house† (Deuteronomy 24.1). For the record, this was not God’s original plan. Laws for divorce were made because of the Israelites’ hard-headedness. But they could only file for a divorce if either one was proven guilty of marital unfaithfulness. â€Å"I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery† (Matthew 19.9). This is for the husband’s case. For the wife’s case, â€Å"So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man† (Romans 7.3). Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, also addressed the issue on divorce. â€Å"To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife† (1 Corinthians 7.10–11). The Holy Bible, from the Old Testament up to the New Testament, has teachings on divorce. This is how important and sacred marriage is for God. He wants every man and woman to enjoy the companion of each other. Hardships, troubles, and problems happened in marriage not to break it but to strengthen it. Some were not able to withstand the pressure brought about by these problems and ended their marriage. There are married couples today, who are having problems with their relationship, opt for divorce, believing that this is the best solution for their problems. What comes after divorce? Annulment, the couples now arrange the invalidation, dissolution, termination of their marriage contract.   The sacredness of marriage is slowly being neglected. If fact, there were some who re-marry after annulment. Marriage is a lifetime vow. Only death can separate a husband from her wife. This is God’s original plan. 1 Corinthians 7.39 says, â€Å"A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.† In this verse, the wife is only freed from the marriage vow because of the death of her husband. God wants every husband and wife to enjoy their vow as long as they live. How can a marriage last? Married couples who put God in the center of their relationship will definitely last. God, being the author of one’s life, never fails anyone who trusts and completely obeys His will. In Proverbs 16.3, â€Å"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed,† God assures married couples that whatever plans they have, success is an assurance, provided that they commit their lives to the Lord. God has given many advices on how to have a successful marriage. All of these can be found in the Holy Bible. So it is advisable for everyone, not for married couples only, to meditate the Word of God day and night (Joshua 1.8) because the Holy Bible contains God’s laws, promises, blessings, curses, and precautions that will serve as our guide. In Colossians 3.18, God instructed wives to submit to their husbands because this is His will. Husbands are also required to love their wives and never ever be harsh to them (Colossians 3.19). One marriage conflict is who has the authority over the family. In Colossians 3.18, wives should submit to their husbands. Also recall that God created man to become the steward of His creation. Woman was created to become man’s helper or a partner steward of God’s creations. Another answer to who has the authority over the family is written in Ephesians 5.23–24, â€Å"For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.† Wives submission to their husbands does not mean that the husbands are in charge of everything. As partners, they are both involved in decision-making and planning. But wives should acknowledge the fact that their husbands are the team leaders of the family. As team leaders, husbands preside the â€Å"meeting† and distribute the task to the whole members of the family. 1 Peter 3.1–2 says, â€Å"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.† Actions speak louder than words. If someone’s husband is still an unbeliever, the actions of his wife, according to the previous Bible passage, can make the husband become interested in learning God’s words. According to Proverbs 12.4, â€Å"A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.† So a wife’s submissive attitude is worthy for her husband will truly respect her. Not only that, God will be pleased with her because according to 1 Peter 3.4, â€Å"Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quite spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.† Though wives should submit to their husbands, the husbands in turn should not abuse their wives submissiveness. â€Å"Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayer.† (1 Peter 3.7) The Book of Proverbs says how precious a husband’s wife is and why she deserves to earn her husband’s respect, â€Å"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD† (Proverbs 18.22); â€Å"Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD† (Proverbs 19.14). So a prudent, well-respected wife is the Lord’s gift to faithful husband. Respect, aside from love, is a very important component of marriage. Respect in fact is one way of showing love to your husband or to your wife. Never ever disrespect your husband or your wife for this could be the start of a misunderstanding. God had promised Abraham that he will become the father of all nations and that his children will become as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore (Genesis 22.17). The fulfillment of this promise is dependent on procreation, which is legitimate to married couples. Even before God revealed the promise to Abraham, He already declared that He will increase the number of humans on Earth, â€Å"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it† (Genesis 1.27–28). To this day, many recognize Abraham as the father of all nations. God’s promise was fulfilled. God loves man so much that He encourages the procreation of many men. Man, among all God’s creation, is the most especial creation because man is created according to His own image and likeness. He enjoys seeing His wonderful creation. Above all, God considers men His children. â€Å"Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease† (Jeremiah 29.6). In the book authored by Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life, he identified the five main reasons why God created man. Man is created to worship God, to have fellowship with other men, to be trained to become Christ’s disciplines, to participate in God’s ministries, and to evangelize the words of God. God deserves to be worshipped. God loves to see His wonderful creations worshipping Him. Through marriage, more men will worship God. This is way God wants men to increase in number, not to decrease. Because God wants to see many men giving Him praise. Men should have fellowship with one another. God wants to see how His wonderful creations enjoy the company of one another. Fellowship is one way to develop a harmonious relationship among God’s children. Fellowship is also a training ground for us to become disciplines of Christ. Once trained, we can now participate in God’s ministries. And most of all, we His children are being prepared to evangelize, to spread the Good News of salvation. You may think that this is no longer related to marriage. But all these things started from the union of a man and a woman. Above all, everything has started from the wonderful plan of God for us. God wants to establish a nation of men who will worship Him. To do this, our God created the universe, which we know as the story of creation. To start the nation, He created a man and a woman. God created marriage so this man and woman could start to procreate and increase the number of men and women on Earth. Millions of years had past. Today is our present time. Today, many men and women submitted to the vow of marriage. Unfortunately, many marriages encountered so many problems. Unfortunately, these problems cause the destruction of some marriages. The sacredness of marriage is not preserved. Procreation, which should be done under the oath of marriage, is related now to pre-marital sex. God has a perfect plan for us. God made marriage to be sacred and holy. Divorce is detestable to God. Let us spread the awareness on the true reasons why God created marriage. God gave us the Holy Bible to be our guide in our daily living. The Holy Bible has many teachings on marriage. Marriage is supposed to unite a man and a woman deeply in love with one another. Marriage is a lifetime relationship. Marriage combines two persons into one. God, through marriage, created one individual out of two. What God has created, no one should separate. More importantly, marriage is the very reason life continues to exist.   WORK CITED The Holy Bible, New International Version. USA: International Bible Society, 1984. Warren, Rick. The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? USA: 2002.