The Kason festival of watering the Sacred Bodhi Tr Essays

The Kason festival of watering the Sacred Bodhi Tree, symbolizing the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha is an important Buddhist event throughout Myanmar. The full moon day of Kason is the Buddha Day, celebrated by the Buddhist faithful throughout the world. This year, the event is held on May 25th. On this day Dipankara Buddha prophesied to the hermit Sumedha that he would become Gotama Buddha, the latest one in this Baddha World, who again on suchlike days was born, attained Enlightenment (i.e., became the Buddha), and entered Parinibbana (i.e., passed away). The Buddha Day is the most significant day in the Buddhist world. It is a day four times blessed which is deeply intertwined with the milestones in the Buddhas life. The festival is also known as Vesak Day in other Buddhist countries, or the festival of pouring water on the Bodhi tree. The Bodhi tree ( Ficus Religiosa ), under which former prince Siddhattha attained Enlightenment, is held sacred. Hence the act of pouring water on it is an expression of piety and respect shown to him. Participants carry pots of water and Eugenia springs and flowers. Then comes chanting of Paritta verses, a brief explanation of the rites, and recitation of poems praising the Lord Buddha. Finally, water is poured at the foot of the Bodhi tree. Buddhist people would march in a grand procession to the Bodhi tree or to the pagodas to pour scented water. Every pagoda in Myanmar worth its salt has a sacred site complete with a Bodhi tree in its precincts. Yet festive atmosphere is not lacking: light refreshments are served accompanied by music and dance performed by amateur merry-makers. -- ( ) ( ) / / - -

The eNotes Blog 2016 U.S. Presidential Election Educating Yourself on the Candidates andProcess

2016 U.S. Presidential Election Educating Yourself on the Candidates andProcess The 2016 presidential election will be here before we know it, and were here to help you prepare for all you need to know about candidates and voting.  Here are some helpful Homework Help questions to help you educate yourself on important aspects of the 2016 presidential election. How does the United States presidential election system work? We have a process in the United States for electing our president. Each party must choose its candidate that will represent the party in the general election. Prior to the nominating convention, candidates for each party willcontinue reading→ Who are the 2016 presidential candidates and what are their strengths and weaknesses? This question is actually a bit easier to answer today than it was a few weeks ago, because several of the candidates havecontinue reading→ Who is Hillary Clinton and where does she stand on important political issues? Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton   was born on October 26, 1947 in Chicago and raised in Illinois. She was raised in a Republican family, and was politically active even as a high school student, but during her years as a student at  Wellesley College, began to shift towards the Democratic partycontinue reading→ Who is Bernie Sanders and where does he stand on important political issues? He is officially not a Democrat. Instead, he is an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats. He considers himself to be a democratic socialist. For an in-depth look at Sanders’ stands on important issues, please follow the link below. In general, though, Sanders takes very liberal stands on all important issues. Some examples are as followscontinue reading→ Would you consider the 2016 election the biggest political election of our lifetime? Why or why not? â€Å"Our lifetime† encompasses quite a few elections. The student who posed the question- is the 2016 election the â€Å"biggest† of our lifetime- is probably continue reading→ Who is Ted Cruz and where does he stand on important political issues? Ted Cruz is a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Currently he serves in the United States Senate as a Senator from Texas. As the Republican primary season has progressed, he finds himself one of only three of the original seventeen candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. Cruz runs on a conservative platform and often speaks against the Washington cartel, by which he means entrenched politicians and lobbyists in the federal government who pursue an agenda that benefits themselves rather than the voters, everyday working men and women, around the countrycontinue reading→ In what ways is Donald Trump qualified for the United States presidency? This is no doubt a politically charged question. The most simple answer is that the laws and constitution of the the United States say that it is the publics responsibility to deem a candidate qualified or unqualified. This has not been decided yet, but if the public were to elect Donald Trump, this in itself would deem him qualified from a certain perspective. That said, conventional wisdom states that a candidate should have experience in a related public office before seeking the presidency. Most candidates have been a senator, governor, or other official before seeking the highest officecontinue reading→ What issues do voters consider important in the 2016 election? According to a recent survey by Gallup, a respected polling organization, the four top issues of concern to both self-identifying Democrats and Republicans in the 2016 Presidential election arecontinue reading→ What is a superdelegate and what is their significance to the presidential election? A superdelegate is a person who is automatically seated at the Democratic National Convention and who is not pledged to either candidate in advance. In other words, the superdelegatescontinue reading→ How are superdelegates chosen? Although the selection process of super-delegates is slightly different in the Democratic and Republican parties, in both cases, governors, senators and   Representatives from Congress comprise a large percentage of the super-delegatescontinue reading→ Why is voter turnout in the United States so low? Political scientists say that voters choose whether to vote based on the costs and benefits of voting.   The higher the costs relative to the benefits, the less people willcontinue reading→ What are important dates to remember leading up to the 2016 election? The primary schedule in the United States is really important to remember, especially this election cycle where any given candidates chance to get nominated maycontinue reading→ Homework Help is a great way to get homework help (it’s in the name!) or to simply learn something new. Read  more of our law and politics questions  and, as always,  remember to ask your own questions  of our team on any subject matter. Happy learning and happy voting! Illustrations by our (super awesome) intern, Kate G.

Dsm changes (ass 2 psy 5035) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dsm changes (ass 2 psy 5035) - Essay Example The medical community emphasizes that a quality diagnosis comes from objective formats and is consistently reliable. The diagnosis of ADHD seems to be reliable only if done by experienced well trained diagnosticians. These very diagnosticians are calling for stabilizing criteria being added to the DSM (Biederman & Faraone 2005). For many years, the idea that ADHD persists into adulthood has been met with varying degrees of skepticism. Thirty-five studies follow-up studies of children diagnosed with ADHD have shown that it does persist into adulthood. Symptoms ad described in the present DSM do show a decline in the severity of symptoms. By the age of 30-40, clients will no longer meet the full criteria for the diagnosis however clinically significant impairments are still noticeable. There is a noted risk in adults for the comorbitiy of personality disorders, poor occupation performance, traffic accidents, injuries and some anti-social behavior. Additional diagnostic criteria for adults is likely to be added to the diagnostic criteria and it may be broken down at the lower end as well (Biederman & Faraone 2005). More and more very young children are being put on medications. Perhaps adding age specific criteria for under seven should also be added. In many cases, clinicians have taken integrating material into their own hands by using the Connors Assessment System. It is likely in the future such integrating criteria will be included in the diagnostic criteria to provide a more objective outcome. There may be a new developmentally divided list of behaviors including reports from others that will be added (Rassmussen et.al 2004). In an effort to increase diagnostic reliability the new research can be helpful. We now have insight into differences in brain function that can be seen in brain scans. As that becomes more available and more definitive we may see such scans used for diagnosis. We also have more definitive evidence about the

France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

France - Essay Example The river basins in the country are the Rhone, the Seine, the Loire and the Garonne (Encyclopedia.com). All of them played a significant role in the history as they were used as the main transportation routes before the railway replaced them. The population of the country is about 64 million of people with 20 percent of them living in the Parisian region (OECD). The French people have the highest female life expectancy in the EU; at the same time, they are the biggest consumers of medicine in Europe and the second biggest consumers of alcohol on the continent (after Luxembourg) (â€Å"Interesting Facts About France†). Andre Gide, the famous French Nobel Prize winner in literature, once said about the French people, â€Å"French people are Italian people in bad mood† (â€Å"Interesting Quotes†). About 85 percent of the population are Roman Catholics; about 2 percent are Lutherans and Calvinists; Muslims comprise about 8 percent. At the same time, more than 40 percent claim they are atheists (Encyclopedia.com). The official language is French; there are also several regional languages spoken in the country, such as Alsatian, Basque, Catalan, Breton, Corsican, Occitan, Franco-Provencal etc. French was the language of diplomacy and aristocracy throughout the entire Europe and the Ottoman Empire. In addition to this, it was the official language in England for more than three centuries (â€Å"Interesting Facts About France†). France is famous by its well-developed food-and-drink industry. In particular, France is one of the greatest producers of wine and liquors in the world. In fact, wine has been produced in the country since the Roman times. In total, there are more than 450 wine appellations in the entire country. Also, cheese production is flourishing in the country: more than 300 types of cheese, including Camembert, Livarot, Brie de Meaux, Roquefort, Reblochon etc., are made there. What is more, France is the

Color of Water Analysis Essay Example for Free

Color of Water Analysis Essay The book is more like two intertwining books than just a single book. It switches between two points of views, Ruth McBride and her son James McBride. In Ruth’s chapters, she chronicles out her life story beginning with her migrating to the United States when she was two years old. At a young age, Ruth’s life is filled with hardship. Her father did not love her mother, her mother suffered from polio; she was verbally abused at school for being Jewish, and physically abused by her father. As soon as she could, Ruth began to put her past behind her. She moved to New York, converted to Christianity, and married a black man. The other half of the book is the biography of the author James McBride. James was one of twelve children and because of that his childhood was full of chaos. Yet his mother kept the children under control by instilling the importance of church and school into their minds. During his teenage years, James started rebelling against his mother by skipping school and taking drugs and alcohol. But before graduating high school, he decides to turn his life around. After doing that, he attended Oberlin College then Columbia University. As an adult, James worked as a journalist for many magazines and newspapers, but he also started uncovering his mother’s past because she had kept it a secret to all her children. By uncovering his mother’s past, James was able to build an even deeper relationship with her. While reading this book, it was hard to compare it to anything else because of its originality. A story about an old, white lady taking care of twelve black children; there is almost nothing like that! Although the concept of digging into someone’s past and in doing so gaining a deep respect for them comes close to the movie Hugo. Hugo is about an orphan boy who lives in the walls of a Paris railway station. As Hugo repairs clocks and builds machines, he begins uncovering the truth about a grumpy, old toymaker who works at the train station. Hugo discovers that the toymaker was actually a brilliant filmmaker, but after World War II, people lost interest in his movies and to avoid bankruptcy, the toymaker had to burn all his film into chemicals. The toymaker was haunted by his past and put the past behind him and wanted nothing to do with it, just like Ruth McBride. But just as James gets his mother to face her past, and in doing so helps her comes to terms with her past, so does Hugo with the toymaker. By showing the toymaker some of his movies that were not destroyed, and getting him to talk about his past, the toymaker comes to terms with his past and remembers the joy of imagination. James gets a similar result from his mother as he gets her to open up about her past and step into a synagogue for another time. Hugo was then able to see the toymaker in a new light and it helped Hugo build a deep respect for the toymaker. The best part about the book and what kept it so engaging, was that it was able to express some very important and universal themes. One line that stands out is when James says, â€Å"The greatest gift that anyone can give anyone else is life. The greatest sin a person can do to another is to take away that life (McBride 229). † These words emphasize the idea that our life is the most sacred thing we have. James was able to give his mother the gift of life by helping her come to terms with a part of her life that she chose to bury. This teaches us that we must treasure the good and the bad aspects of our life because when we lose our life, we lose the most important thing we have. â€Å"God is the color of water. Water doesn’t have a color (McBride 51). This quote from the book uncovers a central theme and plotline from the book. No matter your race, religion, or gender, God loves all us of and represents every single one us. This is important to know because James is the son of a white lady, but he and his siblings are all black. Because of this James grows up confused about his race and religion, but his mother would always tell him that since God is the color of water, he loves all the people in the world, no matter what color their skin is.

Lord of the flies essay -- essays research papers

Lord of the Flies Project   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Breakdowns in society result when people avoid their responsibilities to the community to pursue their own ends.† This seems entirely true. For example, in â€Å"Lord of the Flies† most of the kids decide going around hunting and not worrying about anything else is what is important, and eventually turn into savages. This could also be true if the people of a farming community started becoming lazy and stopped caring for their crops and animals. Or, in the military, if the all the leaders just stopped giving orders. Anyway you want to put it, if people don’t do what’s required of them, the world around them crumbles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In William Golding’s â€Å"Lord of the Flies† a group of boys get stranded on a desert island after their plane was shot down. Two of the boys, Ralph and Piggy know that to survive they must built shelters, collect food, and try to find a way to signal any planes or ships that might pass by. Unfortunately, the choir (hunters) and their leader, Jack, feel that they must be hunting more than anything. Because Jack gathered all the hunters at once for their first successful hunt, their signal fire goes out. As tensions rise high, Ralph and Piggy soon find themselves outnumbered by the hunters, and their followers, who joined due to promises of freedom, to play whenever they want. Because the hunters neglect their responsibilities of making shelter and whatnot, their â€Å"society† crumbles. Th...

Exocytosis in Paramecium

In Paramecium caudate, trichinosis are IOWA secretors vesicles that are released from the cytoplasm. We first observed how the presence of Alicia blue dye triggers normal secretion of trichinosis, and we then tested four different hypotheses in order to determine how the presence of Ca++ ions in the extracurricular and intracellular environment affects the secretion of trichinosis.Our first our hypothesis tested whether extracurricular calcium is required for the secretion of trichinosis by reading cells with EST., an agent that blocks calcium ions; our second tested whether increased calcium will counter the inhibitory effects of EST.; our third tested whether adding different ion, like Magic, can also counter the inhibitory effects of EST.; and our fourth hypothesis tested whether the release of intracellular calcium by adding caffeine or oenophile affects exoticism.Our results demonstrate that exoticism of tricycles is dependent on the presence of calcium ions in both the intracel lular and extracurricular environments. Introduction: Exoticism in eukaryotic cells is the process in which macromolecular material is released from the cell into the extracurricular environment; one example of exoticism is the secretion of trichinosis in paramecium. Trichinosis are secreted from the cell as a defense mechanism when certain stimuli are introduced into the extracurricular environment.The secretion of trichinosis is controlled by the presence of Ca*+ ions within the plasma membrane and in the extracurricular environment. The purpose of our experiment was to observe the extent to which exoticism is pendant on the presence of extracurricular and intracellular calcium ions, and to determine if other extracurricular ions can have the same effect as calcium. The cells were first treated with 0. 03% Alicia blue dye, which triggers normal exoticism. Cells were then treated with EST., an agent that inhibits calcium, in order to observe how triptychs secretion is affected when calcium ions are sequestered.Additional calcium ions were added to the extracurricular environment to determine if the effects f EST. could be countered by increasing calcium. The cells were then exposed to a different ion, Magic, to observe if a different ion could have the same promoting effect in the extracurricular environment as calcium. Finally, the effect of intracellular calcium was tested by treating cells with a calcium oenophile (A23187) and caffeine, which both stimulate the processing of calcium into the cytoplasm of a cell. Results: Table 1: Observations of triptychs secretion in Paramecium caudate.Data show owe a small sample of cells on a microscope slide responded to the addition of 0. 03% Alcott blue dye, 7. 5 run EST., 0. 14 run A23187 in 1% DMS, 50 run caffeine, and 25 mm magnesium chloride (Magic). The data were obtained by viewing cells under a microscope; the cells were counted prior to treatment and the number of cells secreting trichinosis was counted after treatment.