Constructivism and social constructivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Constructivism and social constructivism - Essay Example Based on theoretical approaches that work on the basics resultant from studies and observations, constructivists believe novel concepts of knowledge are acquired (Philips, 2000). Through constant encounters with new channels of knowledge, learners are able to not only alter what they know, but also modify what they have also learnt in the previous classroom settings. In relation to this aspect, the educators must ensure that they ask learners questions on what they had previously be taught, so as to refresh their memories and assess the levels of understanding for these learners. Through weighing this kind of information, the educators are able to understand what areas to improve on the learners. In the case of early year's education, constructivism can be applied when the educators attempt to make sure that the learners answer questions relating to their environment, based on the practical lessons that they had gone through in the course of the week or the previous lessons. Exposure to the real world is vital in the early childhood education since the learners have to have a one on one touch with reality. Subjection to theoretical exams based on the practical given in the learning environment. Through this, the learners are able to relate concepts taught in the past, apply them in the present, and preserve the new information for the future. This is an elucidation of the fact that learning is a step by step process of building up information, based on reflection of the past experiences.

Finance and Public Administrators Research Paper

Finance and Public Administrators - Research Paper Example There are also a number of roads that need to be repaired and the plan is to start with the ones that have the greatest need. In addition to those capital requirements the expenses relating to the day to day operations of the city needs to be taken into account. Non-profit organizations play a useful role in the city and so a certain level of funding is normally made available to them so that they can continue to achieve their goals. The Budget According to Horngren et al (2000, p. 178 -180), a budget is the financial plan of an organization which is communicated in quantitative terms. It forms a blueprint for management to follow in an upcoming period and outlines the operational goals for a specific period of time. It states where financial resources will come from and what they will be used for. Planning is achieved through the budgeting process and forms the basis for decisions made by management. Horngren further states that budgets represent a major aspect management control sy stems. As long as they are administered in an appropriate manner they have the following characteristics. they compel planning they provide criteria for performance; and they promote the coordination and communication of activities in the organization. Planning is a major function of the budget as it seeks to quantify the plan. The plan specifies the type, quantity and quality of services that will be provided, estimating the costs and deciding how they will be paid for. The Council prepares the estimates of income than will be generated from various services provided at a cost by the city. These services include and are not limited to transportation, water and sewage. Other income generators include property tax and corporation tax, and income tax. The expenditure includes both capital and current expenditures. The performance criteria are useful both for staff and for sub-contractors who perform jobs in the city. They set the standard for achieving the goals and objectives of the departments. In coordinating and communicating the plan all the management personnel in these departments coordinate the tasks for their subordinates so that the goals of Council will be achieved. The objectives of the departments are communicated in such a way that they are clearly understood by employees. Controlling and administering the budget helps to ensure that resources are obtained and expended based on plans. Budgets are used to monitor the flow of resources to ensure that they are used as intended and that there are no significant over-runs. According to Chan (2009) the annual budget prepared in the public sector is not only a planning document but also includes projections of revenue collection as the law authorizes well as information on expenditure that has been proposed by executives and approved by the legislature. This implies that the budget is used as tool for management control as well legislative oversight. Any transactions and activities undertaken have to be i n keeping with the budget. Chan (2009) indicates that this type of accounting is described as management accounting in business and budgetary accounting in the public sector. It is in this same way that the City Council will go about controlling and managing public funds. Table 2 shows a summary version of the city’s budget for the fiscal year ending 31st March 2012. Summary of Budgeted Expenditure for the Fiscal Year Ending 31 March 2012 Budget Allocation/Revenue $10,000,0000

The Impact Of Elvis Presley Film Studies Essay

The Impact Of Elvis Presley Film Studies Essay Before Elvis, there was nothing, John Lennon is alleged to have once said. When Elvis Presley recorded his first official single Thats All Right Mama on 5 July 1954, the world changed forever. Elvis was a significant and extraordinary catalyst for vast cultural transformation in 1950s America. Professor Stephen Hinerman sums this up as building the populist base of rock n roll by mixing black and white musics; articulating the sound of a youth rebellion; taking rock music into the world of traditional entertainment; showing that a rock career could sustain longevity with a confident fan base; practically inventing the idea of rock music selling out.  [1]  This demonstrates how Elvis impacted America in immeasurable ways. However author Greil Marcus believes that the enormity of his impact on culture, on millions of people, was never really clear when he was alive; it was mostly hidden.  [2]  Therefore in complete hindsight, this essay will evaluate a few of the foremost ways Elvis impacted on 1950s America looking at the impact on music, race and class, performance, gender, sex and teenagers, marketing and fashion and television and cinema. Firstly, it is fundamental to look at Elviss music style, his records and the radio. During the 1950s Elvis released sixty-six singles, nine albums, and spent fifty-nine weeks at Billboard number one.  [3]  His best-selling single was Dont Be Cruel/Hound Dog (1956) which sold six million copies by the end of the decade and was at number one for eleven weeks.  [4]  These overwhelming statistics portray the popularity of Elviss music and begin to highlight the impact his music had on 1950s America. Author Albert Goldman states that: Elviss phonograph records were crucial to his success but the public has first to discover these records. Almost invariably this crucial discovery was made through the radio.  [5]  Indeed, Elvis had a huge impact on the radio in terms of radio play, genre, and target audience. Elviss style was an unheard-of up-tempo combination of rockabilly, country, pop, gospel and rhythm and blues. This ground-breaking amalgamation combined with a strong back beat became the sound of rock n roll and the sound of a new generation. The initial reaction to Elviss music on the radio was racial. Hinerman says that Elvis was visibly lower class and symbolically blackhe represented an unassimilated white underclass that had been forgotten by mainstream suburban America more accurately, he represented a middle-class caricature of poor whites. He was sleazy.  [6]  In 1950s America, his racial and social impact was sudden. Elviss obituary in The Times states that period saw an irrevocable change in the balance of American society.  [7]  This balance became mainly racial as when Elvis was first played on the radio many listeners assumed that he must be black and had to ask the DJ. Elviss musical influences of typically African-American rhythm and blues sparked huge debates that occur to this day, as this was unheard-of for a white singer in the 1950s. On one hand Elvis popularized black culture to the masses, promoting equality and desegre gation, but on the other hand some people believe Elvis self-interestedly stole their music and sexualised performance style. Elvis even admitted: The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like Im doin now, man for more years that I knownobody paid it no mind til I goosed it up. I got it from them.  [8]  This impacted 1950s America as many prejudiced white adults strongly believed Elviss black musical style would corrupt the white youth with his vulgar dancing and crazy, animalistic rhythm. Many black performers credit Elvis with promoting their music to 1950s America allowing for future success. Singer Little Richard said He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldnt let black music through. He opened the door for black music.  [9]  Similarly singer Al Green agreed: He broke the ice for all of us.  [10]  Elviss astonishing musical impact is depicted in that he is the only artist in four Halls of Fame: Rock and Roll (1986), Country (1998), Gospel ( 2001) and Rockabilly (2007). Elviss radical performance style had an enormous impact on 1950s America, redefining gender, fan culture and instigating sexual liberation. In a decade of strong sexual repression, Elviss sweat, gyrating dance moves, and energetic, uninhibited performance style stirred the 1950s female audience. At one of his first performances in July 1954, Elviss nervousness and the strong back rhythm of his music, led him to shake his leg which was further emphasized by his wide cut pants. When females began uncontrollably screaming, Elvis became conscious of the reaction he was creating. He said my manager told me they were hollering because I was wiggling my legs. I went back out for an encore and I did little more, and the more I did, the wilder they went.  [11]  He had soon perfected this technique to fully affect the female audience. He learnt to slow down and speed up in anticipation and to wind them up until they were in such frenzy he would exit the building and with no encore leave th em wanting more. The hysterical, fainting, worshipping fan-girls were a relatively new concept in 1950s America, and Elviss all-consuming control he had over his fans transformed the music industry and the fan phenomenon. In 1956, Reporter Lionel Crane wrote: what a frenzy this boy can stir up. Ive never seen anything like it. When Elvis sings it isnt just a case of a few girls sighing and going swoony or stamping and shouting. I saw him send 5,000 of them into a mass fit of screaming hysterics.  [12]  Likewise Goldman describes five thousand shrill female voices come in on cue. The screeching reaches the intensity of a jet engine. When Elvis comes striding out on stage with his butchy walk, the screams suddenly escale. They switch to hyper-space.  [13]  There are thousands of these accounts of Elviss impact on the 1950s female audience; he had become a sex symbol. Hinerman believes the reason for this was that you would never marry him; the romance would never end in the te dium of marriage.  [14]  This makes sense in a society with rigid social norms and gender roles as Elvis was a safe, dream-like escape for many girls. Jealous teenage boys however, hated Elvis and he regularly received violent threats. Older males detested the effect Elviss pelvis was having. Critic George Melly said Elvis was the master of the sexual simile, treating his guitar as both phallus and girl.  [15]  Similarly, television host Ed Sullivan believed he was unfit viewing for 1950s families as hes got some kind of device hanging down below the crotch of his pants-so when he moves his legs back and forth you can see the outline of his cockI think its a Coke bottle.  [16]  Sullivan later paid him a record $50,000 to appear on his show, which was watched by an unprecedented sixty million people.  [17]  These colossal figures show Elviss impact on American mass society in the 1950s. Elvis opened the generation gap, impacting 1950s America by establishing the teenagers identity, choice, spending power and fashion. Marcus believes Elvis fitted the necessity existing in every culture that leads it to produce a perfect, all-inclusive metaphor for itselfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦freedom, limits, risk, authority, sex, repression, youth, age, tradition, novelty, guilt and the escape from guilt.  [18]  Therefore as he fitted the new generation metaphor he changed society. Journalist Maureen Orth remembers that my aunt told me how foolish I was to sit screaming with joy at the spectacle of that vulgar singer on TV. It was then I knew that she and I lived in different worlds, and it was then that kids bedroom doors slammed all over America.  [19]  Elvis reached an entire generation. In his obituary The Times said he was responsible, more than any other entertainer, for the manifestation of what has since come to be called the generation gap: a youth which spoke its own langu age had its own heroes, its own music and its own standards.  [20]  His music touched the youth with lyrics focusing on the teen world of fashion, all the emotions, love and oppression. Goldman highlights this stating that Heartbreak Hotels grotesquely exaggerated and histrionic quality matched perfectly the hysterically self-pitying mood of millions of teenagers, who responded by making the record an instant and immense success.  [21]  Elvis impacted America by becoming a spokesman for a generation and embodying and representing youth spirit. The establishing of a generation gap meant that teenagers began to create their own separate culture led by Elvis. An increase in spending money meant purchasing power and alongside buying his records, Elviss iconic look impacted the conservative and conformist 1950s America in terms of fashion and appearance. Goldman summarises: Elvis was the flip side of this clean-cut conventional male image. His fish-belly white complexion, so different from the healthy tan of the beach boys; his brooding Latin eyes, heaving shaded with mascara; the broad fleshly contours of his face, with the Greek nose and the thick, twisted lips; the long greasy hair, thrown forward in his face by his jerking motions.  [22]  His unusual looks and exotic mixed heritage meant he instantly became a style icon. He started a trend for black slacks, pegged pants, loose, open-necked shirts and brightly coloured sharp suits which were all extremely anti-parent and even had African-American influences. For males ha ir, the short and neat military-style crew cut was preferred by parents and adults. Elvis had the complete opposite. His dyed black, heavily-greased, pompadour-style D.A cut with heavy sideburns instantly became the symbol of a delinquent bad-boy. This soon resulted in hair length limitations in many schools as males across America wanted the same female attraction that Elvis received. Teenager spending power is also depicted in the sales of Elvis fan souvenirs. By 1956, his merchandise alone reached $22 million which was extraordinary at the time.  [23]  The 1950s collectables ranged from posters, lobby cards, bubble gum cards, lipsticks, perfume, jewellery (including a dog tag with his serial number on), sneakers, hats, scarves, record players, guitars and a pink range (autograph book, diary, scrapbook and photo album) to name but a few. This commercialisation was revolutionary and illustrates the impact Elvis had. 1950s America was undergoing conversion from the monopoly of cinema to substantial television growth and Elvis reined power over both; however I will focus on his extensive movie career. In 1956 Elvis signed a seven year contract with Paramount Pictures and initiated his impact on American cinema. His first film Love Me Tender added four musical numbers to capitalize on the one million advanced orders of the Love Me Tender single.  [24]  The film generated $540,000 in its first week and had made $4.5 million by the end of the year.  [25]  He continued on to release Loving You, Jailhouse Rock (grossing $4 million in the year) and King Creole.  [26]  Elvis strongly influenced film-making and revolutionised the genre of the musical. Goldman believes Elviss genius lies in combining the movie myth of the menacing teenager with rock n roll music so as to create a whole new performance idiom appropriate to that wild new form of entertainment, the rock concert.  [27]  Elviss films produced numerous iconic moments, showed the importance of star power and their impact is illustrated in their posthumous endurance. In conclusion it is clear to see a small part of the vast impact Elvis had on 1950s America. From his revolutionizing of music in terms of race and class, his radical and sexual performance style, his splitting of the generations and genders, his fan culture, influence and marketing, to his unique movie career establishing a whole new genre of filmmaking, this essay has attempted to show how Elvis changed American history. Composer Leonard Bernstein believes Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything and he changed everything music, language, clothes, its a whole new social revolution.  [28]  His impact is immeasurable and unequalled. Elvis Presley was the turning point, permanently transforming culture. He will continue to be of the greatest social significance for years to come because as Marcus said He changed history as such, and in doing so became history.  [29]   Word Count: 2,013

Arthritis Essay -- essays research papers fc

Arthritis is a general term for approximately 100 diseases that produce either INFLAMMATION of connective tissues, particularly in joints, or noninflammatory degeneration of these tissues. The word means "joint inflammation," but because other structures are also affected, the diseases are often called connective tissue diseases. The terms rheumatism and rheumatic diseases are also used. Besides conditions so named, the diseases include gout, lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, degenerative joint disease, and many others, among them the more recently identified LYME DISEASE. Causes of these disorders include immune-system reactions and the wear and tear of aging, while research indicates that the nervous system may often be equally involved. About one out of seven Americans exhibit some form of arthritis. INFLAMMATORY CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASES This varied group of diseases produces inflammation in the connective tissues, particularly in the joints. The signs of inflammation--warmth, redness, swelling, and pain--may be apparent. Microscopic examination of the lesions reveals prominent blood vessels, abnormal accumulations of white blood cells, and varying degrees of wound healing with scarring. In some diseases, the inflammation is clearly an immune reaction, the body's defense against invading microorganisms. In others, the cause is different or unknown. Infectious Arthritis This disease is most common in young adults. Infection in a joint is usually caused by bacteria or other microorganisms that invade the joint from its blood vessels. Within hours or a few days the joint, usually the knee or elbow, becomes inflamed. There is an abnormal accumulation of synovial, or joint, fluid, which may be cloudy and contain large numbers of white blood cells. Gonococcal arthritis, a complication of gonorrhea, is the most common form of infectious arthritis. Treatment with antibiotics and aspiration of synovial fluid is usually promptly effective, and only minor residual damage is done to the joint. Occasionally the infection is prolonged and produces joint destruction and requires surgery. Rheumatic Fever This is a form of infectious arthritis caused by hemolytic streptococcus, a bacterium. Unlike typical infectious arthritis, however, the disease is most common in children aged 5 to 15 years, begins weeks after the onset of the streptococc... ... certain adrenal cortical steroids are powerful inhibitors of inflammation, toxic side effects limit their usefulness. Similarly, drugs that inhibit proliferation of cells in the inflammatory masses have potentially severe side effects. Drugs that inhibit undesirable inflammation may also inhibit desired inflammatory responses. A result is a high frequency of secondary infections. More specific therapy, for example, allopurinol and colchicine in gout, is dependent on knowledge of the precise biochemical mechanisms of disease pathogenesis. Researchers are also studying the use of drugs that act on the nervous system. Despite the wear-and-tear origin of degenerative joint disease, it, too, may respond well to so-called anti-inflammatory drugs. Perhaps they are primarily acting as analgesics (pain-killers), or they may act by decreasing the secondary inflammation that follows joint trauma. Franklin Mullinax Bibliography: Arthritis Foundation, Understanding Arthritis (1986); Kelley, William N., et al., eds., Textbook of Rheumatology, 2d ed., (1985); McCarty, Daniel F., ed., Arthritis and Allied Conditions, 11th ed. (1988); Moll, J. M. H., Rheumatology in Clinical Practice (1987).

Brand Positioning and Repositioning

Research Proposal # 1 Name of The Research Proposal: Brand Positioning & Repositioning Brand Positioning In marketing, Positioning has come to mean the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. Generally, the Brand positioning process involves: 1. Defining the market in which the product or brand will compete (who the relevant buyers are) 2. Identifying the attributes (also called dimensions) that define the product ‘space' 3. Collecting information from a sample of customers about their perceptions of each product on the relevant attributes 4.Determine each product's share of mind 5. Determine each product's current location in the product space 6. Determine the target market's preferred combination of attributes (referred to as an ideal vector) 7. Examine the fit between: oThe position of your product oThe position of the ideal vector 8. Position. Characteristics of Brand Position ing Brand positioning strategy is important to develop in order to get to number one in a customer's mind for your products or services. If you don't develop a plan, customers won't think about you when they go to make a purchase.This is sure to lead to low sales and, ultimately, business failure. Here are some characteristics of brand positioning strategy that anyone can use for business: Unique Benefits What benefits does a customer gain from buying your product or services? It's not enough to develop a generic benefits list that all of your competitors offer. What unique benefits do you offer? This takes diligent research of the competition, as well as prospective customers. Your brand positioning strategy has to revolve around your customers, and what they will benefit from a relationship with your business.Otherwise, they'll go to the competition, where they perceive they can get the most for their money. Quality Products or Services The Internet has made it easy for customers to get low prices, and harder for you as a home based business owner to beat larger competitors. However, you can still occupy a higher position over large service firms and product stores by building a brand image that highlights quality products or services. For example, if you're a freelancer, you may not be able to compete on price with freelancers from other countries.However, if you're known as a freelancer who offers quality services, you'll gain a higher brand position than low-priced competitors. You might even be able to charge higher prices for higher quality services, and the higher price may help build that perception that you're offering quality, whereas your competitors are not. Great Features You need to think through the features of your products or services that would make customers choose you in the first place, and use it in all of your advertising strategy. Take the time to write a product or service description for everything you offer.Cross out the ones that d on't meet the threshold of a great feature. Even if you only have one or two points about your product or service that qualifies, you can use that to differentiate yourself from the competition and boost sales. For example, if you're selling a home security system on Ebay, it's not enough to highlight the fact that it comes with 4 cameras and a DVR. Every similar home security system does, and your customers have no reason to buy from you, rather than someone else on Ebay. However, you could highlight that the security system ends images in real time to your email. Now your product is more compelling to consider, and you'll get more sales, even from a competitor that offers a cheaper price. Problem Solver A brand positioning strategy that works well, especially during hard economic times, is positioning yourself as a problem-solver. You want to focus on offering the very best solutions for the problems your target market faces. Your customers will associate your ability to problem-s olve with your ability to save them time, money and pain, which will keep them with you and not the competition.When you use these major characteristics of a brand position strategy, you can improve sales and your financial bottom line. If you don't take the time to work on a strategy, your business won't do as well, and your marketing efforts will be counter-productive. Types of beverage Water Drinking water or potable water is water of sufficiently high quality that it can be consumed or used without risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually consumed or used in food preparation.Over large parts of the world, humans have inadequate access to potable water and use sources contaminated with disease vectors, pathogens or unacceptable levels of dissolved chemicals or suspended solids. Such water is not potable and drinki ng or using such water in food preparation leads to widespread acute and chronic illnesses and is a major cause of death in many countries. Reduction of waterborne diseases is a major public health goal in developing countries. Alcoholic beveragesAn alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol, commonly known as alcohol (although in chemistry the definition of â€Å"alcohol† includes many other compounds). Beer has been a part of human culture for 8000 years. [1] In Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and many other European countries, drinking beer (and other alcoholic beverages) in a local bar or pub is a cultural tradition. [2] Non-alcoholic beverages Non-alcoholic beverages are drinks that usually contain alcohol, such as beer and wine, but contain less than 0. 5% alcohol by volume.This category includes low-alcohol beer, non-alcoholic wine, and apple cider. Soft drinks The name â€Å"soft drink† specifies a lack of alcohol by way of contrast to the term à ¢â‚¬Å"hard drink† and the term â€Å"drink†, the latter of which is nominally neutral but often carries connotations of alcoholic content. Beverages like colas, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, squash, and fruit punch are among the most common types of soft drinks, while hot chocolate, hot tea, coffee, milk, tap water, alcohol, and milkshakes do not fall into this classification.Many carbonated soft drinks are optionally available in versions sweetened with sugars or with non-caloric sweeteners. Hot beverages A hot beverage is any beverage which is normally served heated. This may be through the addition of a heated liquid, such as water or milk, or by directly heating the beverage itself. Some examples of hot beverages are: †¢Coffee-based beverages oCafe au lait oCappuccino oCoffee oEspresso oFrappe oFlavored coffees (mocha etc. ) oLatte †¢Hot chocolate †¢Hot cider oMulled cider †¢Gluhwein †¢Tea-based beverages oFlavored teas (chai etc. ) o Green tea oPearl milk tea oTea Herbal teas oYerba Mate †¢Roasted grain beverages oSanka Miscellanea Some substances may be called either food or drink, and accordingly may be eaten with a spoon or drunk, depending upon their thickness and solutes. †¢Buttermilk †¢Soup †¢Yogurt Beverage industries in Bangladesh Bangladesh Beverage Industry: In Bangladesh the beverage industries are playing a great role in the economy. The beverage industries involves those companies and products that are given below, The soft drinks market in Bangladesh consists mainly of seven companies. 1. Abdul Monem Limited (Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta). . Agriculture Marketing Company Limited (Pran). 3. Akij Group (Mojo, Lemu, Frutika). 4. Global Beverage Limited (Virgin). 5. Globe Soft Drinks Limited (Uro Cola, Uro Lemon). 6. Partex Beverage Limited (RC Cola, Lychena). 7. Transcom Beverage (Pepsi, 7up, Mirinda). Of these, Pran and Mojo are the only local brands. Coca-Cola, with its three varieti es, namely, the cola-flavored Coca-Cola, the clear-flavored Sprite and the orange-flavored Fanta, is the number one soft drink producer in Bangladesh, as well as all over the world. Closing in on Coke is rival Pepsi.Pepsi is one of the oldest brands in Bangladesh. Pepsi first arrived in Dhaka in 1976 with the cola-flavored Pepsi, the clear-flavored 7up, the orange-flavored Mirinda and later introduced the mango-flavored Slice. Pran, on the other hand, started with jam, jelly and pickle. In 1995, it started producing mango bottled juice, and is currently operating all over the country. Virgin is renowned worldwide through its brand name. It was introduced in our country by Global Beverages Ltd. RC Cola entered the Bangladesh market in 1997, and was the first to introduce the cloudy lemon flavor.It has not been long since Akij group brought out Mojo and Lemu. They have already gained huge popularity. The recent success of Akij group is Frutika, which delivers the promise of no preserv atives. Characteristics of beverage that constitute brand There should have some unique characteristics of particular product to constitute as brand in the market. A product should have some feature that gives value to the consumer. Brand attributes consist of ‘bits’ of information that are linked to a brand name in consumer memory and that, when combined with the brand name, make up brand’s image.Product attributes are the benefits of products, and these Benefits are the surface means used in advertisement and promotion offer to connect the brand with a motivation which influence brand attitude. Perceived quality is defined as the consumer's judgment about a product's overall excellence or superiority. Attributes, Taste/Flavor, Digestion, Calorie Content, Sugar Content, Pungency, Price, Color, Hygiene, Brand Image and Power of Freshness were taken into consideration for constituting brand.

Religion in History

Hebrew religious beliefs differed from the beliefs of other people in the ancient Middle East. â€Å"Of all the ancient civilizations, it was the Hebrews who exerted perhaps the greatest influence on western society as well as the western intellectual tradition† (â€Å"Hebrew'). The Hebrews first appeared in Mesopotamia and then migrated from Mesopotamia to Canaan and then into Egypt and back to Canaan. The Hebrew people were different. For them, there was only one god, Yahweh. This was a fundamental difference between the Hebrews and their neighbors in the ancient Middle East.The Egyptians, Babylonians, and others did not worship Yahweh. Not Reason but Revelation was the cornerstone of the Hebrew faith† (â€Å"Religion†). Yahweh was the focus of Hebrew life; therefore, the Hebrews would give no praise to royalty. Moses received the Ten Commandments as guidelines for the Hebrews. The poor, children, and sick were all protected and rich and poor were to be treated under the same laws. Personal property was not most important and did not define a person for the first time.Hebrews' felt that Yahweh was fair; however their neighbors felt different about their Gods. â€Å"The ancient lands of Canaan, Israel, and Judah were overrun at various times. The peoples who ruled them brought with hem their own gods and religious practices. Wherever they went, the Hebrews kept their customs and their belief† (â€Å"Hebrew†). The Persians were settled in the area long before the Hebrews. â€Å"The Persians had two gods, Ahura Mazda, who created all the good things in the world, and Ahriman, who created all the bad things in the world.These two gods were at war all the time. Their struggle kept the world in a delicate balance. If one god gained the upper hand, then more of his influence would be felt† (â€Å"Middle†). The Phoenicians also believed in gods that were responsible for parts of nature, such as rain and wind. Baal, the storm god, was the second most important Phoenician god, behind El, the chief god† (â€Å"Middle†). The Phoenicians also believed in a life after death, as did their neighbors the Egyptians.Both embalmed their dead and wrapped them in linen; the Phoenicians placed the bodies in stone coffins in hillside cemeteries It was believed that people could decide which god they wanted to follow. â€Å"Those who followed Ahura Mazda, the god of good, did good deeds like keeping their word, giving to the poor, treating other people well, and obeying the king. Those who followed Ahriman did bad things, like lying, cheating, being lazy, and being reedy' (â€Å"Middle†). In the end, Ahura Mazda would triumph and good would win. People who supported this god would enjoy happiness after death.Those who supported Ahriman would be punished for that support. â€Å"This religion, later called Zoroastrianism, was the religion practiced throughout the Persian Empire when Alexander the Great conquered it in 330† (â€Å"Middle†). With his influence, Alexander brought the religion of the Greeks. Sumerians and Hebrews had many similarities and differences in their beliefs. They both give high regard to the Gods. Gods have the most power and can bring ood fortune, good harvest, good health, and good life. On the other hand, the Gods can take all these goods back and cause death, sickness, and plague.Sumerians and religious beliefs of the Hebrews from the belief systems of Egypt or Mesopotamia was clearly their monotheism. This monotheism made possible for a new awareness of the individual. Man had the capacity to choose between good and evil. Sumerians practice polytheism; in fact, they think of the Gods as human. Eastern polytheism used images to represent their gods and goddesses. The Sumerians believed that the forces of nature were alive. The people couldn't control these forces of nature, so they worshipped them as gods.The people also believed t hat they were living on Earth only to please the gods. â€Å"The Sumerian gods included Anu, the ruler of the gods; Enki, the god of earth; and Enlil, the god of the air, who separated heaven and earth. Enlil it was also who gave the Sumerians their knowledge of farming† (Hebrew'). Each Sumerian city also had its own god. The focus of the city was the ziggurat, a large temple, which was the home of that city's god. The priests who worked in the ziggurats were the only ones who knew the will of the gods, so hey were very powerful.