Biblical Counseling Essay Example for Free

Biblical Counseling Essay The term biblical counseling never appear anywhere in the Bible, thus creating the dilemma defining the term. However, the words such as counsel, wisdom, and advice do appear. Walter A. Elwell (1988) defines counsel as â€Å"advice† especially legal matters. † It was derived from the Latin word consilium from con-solere meaning to consult. Counseling therefore means consultation for an advice. The Eerdsman Bible Dictionary noted that counselors were commonly employed at the royal court. The Vines expository Dictionary of the Biblical Words stated that the Greek word sumboulion for ‘counsel’ denotes a task â€Å"given, taken, and acted upon† such as in Matthew 12: 14 where the Pharisees devised a plan after conferring with one another against Jesus Christ, and finally executed that plan. Vines Completely Expository Dictionary stated that the word counsel was used throughout the history of the Hebrew language. The Hebrew word yaas, to counsel was first used in Exodus 18:19 where Jethro says: â€Å"Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring your dispute to Him. † In the passage, the word advice was used synonymously with the word counsel. Thus, Jethro counseled Moses. Citing the works of Jay Adams, Dr. Larry Crabb and Lawrence Crabb (1997) stated that the Greek word noutheteo includes the idea of verbal, directive, instructive confrontation (p. 147). One particular case attesting to this was in 2nd Samuel chapter 12:1-13, in whom King David was confronted by Prophet Nathan over his crime of adultery and murder. Crabb noted that in Colossians 1:28 Paul mention that he nouthetically â€Å"confronts people in an effort to promote their maturity† (p. 148). However, it appears that in the Old Testament, the use of the word counsel does not primarily denote divine purpose. Indeed, most of its uses in the Old Testament were either political or military advices to kings which were meant for the destruction of their enemies. The particular case where in counseling was used for divine purpose was in exodus 18:19 when Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law advised him on how he could effectively serve the people with justice. The word ‘wisdom on the other hand, was derived from Hebrew Hokma and Greek Sophia which according to J. D. Douglas and Mirrel C. Tenney only comes from God. Douglas and Tenney stated that â€Å"God is the source of wisdom and wisdom is the infinitely comprehension of all that is or might be† as mentioned by the apostle Paul in Romans 11:33-36, (p. 1066). Job 28:28 and Proverbs 1: 7 both teach that wisdom is given by God to people through the â€Å"fear of the Lord. Exodus 28:3 states that the wisdom given by God to man is manifested by their skills. This was clearly confirmed by God in Exodus 31: 1-3 wherein God said â€Å"†¦and I have filled with him the Spirit of God with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craft†¦. † The main word hokma for wisdom (used 146 times in the Bible) means understanding. The other Greek word, Tushiyya – used only a few times meaning â€Å"sound wisdom† while the adjective hakam â€Å"wise† is used 102 times, as wise men 15 times. In the book of Ecclesiastes, wisdom is considered â€Å"in contrast to other as a possible highest goal of life but is not desirable rather it is rejected. This is clearly reflected by in the following verses in the book of Ecclesiastes. Chapter 2:16 states: â€Å"For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool the wise man too must die. † Another verse that particularly talks about the similarity of the culmination of one’s life both the wise and fool is depicted in Ecclesiastes 9:17-18; as stated: â€Å"The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than a shout of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war but one sinner destroys much good. † The Greek Sophia for wisdom is used with reference to: (a) God Romans 3:33 and I Corinthians 1:21 (b) Christ – Matthew 13:54 and Mark 6:2; (c) Human wisdom Another Greek word for wisdom is Phronesis, meaning understanding, that is, prudence. Vines Dictionary stated that â€Å"while Sophia is the insight into the true nature of things, Phronesis is the ability to discern modes of actions with the view to their results. Sophia is theoretical and Phronesis is practical. In Exodus 28: 3, God directed Moses to make sacred garment for Aaron through the men whom God had given wisdom. This was also the case in chapter 31 of the same book wherein God instructed Moses to summon Bezalel son of Ur and Oholiab, son of Ahisamach both were skilled in all crafts, to make the tent of meeting between the people and God. These passages clearly involve the concepts above. Unfortunately, the word advice and plan does not appear in any biblical reference materials so there seemed to be no way to include them in the word study. The range of situations involving these concepts Biblical counseling according to Ed Welch is â€Å"as old as the history† of mankind and will thrive through out the next generations. Welch noted that it started with God speaking to his people (Welch, p. 2). In the Bible times, counseling was either for good or for bad purpose. Elwell noted that the task of a counselor in the royal court was â€Å"like a United States cabinet member today. † Biblical counselors of David and Absalom such as Ahitophel and Hushai held this position and were regarded not only as very influential in the king’s decision makings, but their counsel were held as â€Å"the oracle of God by the people, as mentioned in 2nd Samuel 16:23. However, in chapter 17 verses 1 to 14 of the same Bible book, the counsel given by both Ahitophel and Hushai was meant for the destruction of both David and Absalom. Ahitophel counseled Absalom to attack the fleeing and weary David to destroy him for Absalom to be able to consolidate all people of Israel. However this advice was frustrated by Hushai and gave his version of plot against David, which in effect was meant to bring disaster on Absalom verse 14. In the Old Testament, counseling was employed by kings as a form of political and military scheme as can be noted in many occasions such in 1st Samuel chapter 28 where King Saul sought counsel from a witch at Endor because of the great armies he was about to face in war. This was also the occasion with Absalom concerning the consolidation of his kingdom after David fled from the palace to escape from Absalom. Earlier, in the book of Judges Chapter 4, Israel’s leader named Barak also sought counsel from a prophetess named Devorah on whether he should go up against his enemies. Counseling occupy prominent role both in the political and military adventures of kings in the Bible times but was seldom employed for spiritual purpose. Two situations in the Bible that use the biblical data as support The New Testament may not have many situations wherein these cases had been vividly using the biblical data above as support. Nevertheless, one particular situation perhaps, is found in I Kings 3: 16-28 concerning the wise ruling of Solomon. The passage tells about two prostitutes living in the same house and who had given both birth of a son. Unfortunately, one of the children died and each of the mothers was claiming the baby alive. The dilemma of the case was that there was no one in the house except the two of them, when the problem occurred. When the case was brought to King Solomon, he rendered a sound judgment giving the live infant to his true mother. The Wisdom of Solomon was generally held a God-given wisdom. 1st Kings Chapter 3 deals about Solomon’s wisdom which he got from the Lord. In this case, Solomon’s counseling was based on the wisdom God has given. The second situation is found in the book of Acts 23: 12-15. In this case, Paul was a prisoner in Jerusalem on account of his preaching the gospel of Christ. Verse 12 tells us that some forty men formed a conspiracy against Paul. Their intention was to kill Paul, so they went to religious authorities to consult their plan and to finalize the details in which the religious leaders will petition the commander in charge of Paul to bring him to them â€Å"on the pretext of wanting more accurate information. † These men will then ambush the party along the way. Parallel to this, it could be noted that Ahitophel’s counsel to Absalom was about David’s destruction, and Hushai’s advice was a conspiracy with David to frustrate Ahitophel’s advice to bring disaster on Absalom. Either way leads to destruction of either of David or Absalom. The scenario maybe different, but the ethics of counseling involved was just the same. It had the intention to destroy just as the counsel given by Ahitophel to destroy David or the counsel given by Hushai to bring disaster on Absalom. The ethics involved is therefore bad ethics. According to Matthew Heney’s Commentary, Ahitophel gave Absalom a wicked counsel. The commentary goes: â€Å"Ahitophel counseled him to do wickedly, and so did as effectually betrayed him as he did who was designedly false, to him for those that advice men to sin certainly advise them to their hurt and that government which is founded in sin is founded in the sand† (commentary on II Samuel chapter 18) The advice given by those fanatical men designed to kill Paul was acted upon by the religious leaders corresponding to the Greek sumbulion which implies action. Although the advises given were not meant to solve one’s problem, but given the concept of counseling above, it was quite clear that biblical counseling, or the counseling done by the biblical people were usually political and had destructive intent against the person or the people the counseling was directed. This was also true with the advice given by Balaam to King Balak in Numbers chapter 22, when he was summoned to curse Israel so he could defeat them in battle. The Bible tells us that an angel of God appeared to him and warned him not to curse Israel instead, he should pronounced blessings, or he be killed by the angel. According to commentaries, although he pronounced blessings for Israel, he also counseled Balak to entice Israel to commit sin (Numbers 31:15-16).

Muhammad Ali Essay -- Sports American History

Muhammad Ali1 Muhammad Ali is one of the most recognized faces on planet Earth; known not just for being one of the best fighters in the history of boxing, but for being one of the most knowledgeable persons of the twentieth century. Ali wasn't always known by that name though, he was born Cassius Marcellus Clay on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, him and his younger brother Rudolph had many small conflicts like any brothers would have, but they were, and still are blessed with having a very close relationship (Hauser, 2). Twelve-year-old Cassius was turned on to boxing after his brand-new bike was stolen at an annual Black fair called The Louisville Home Show (Jet). Joe Martin, a policeman who taught young kids how to box, was in a basement by the fair and after Cassius complained to him that he was going to â€Å"whup the person who stole his prized red-and-white Schwinn†(Jet). Officer Martin decided to push the frustrated youngster towards boxing. Six weeks later Cassius would win a three-minute, three-round split decision in his very first match (Hauser 7). Clay became more committed to boxing, fighting 108 amateur bouts, winning six Kentucky Golden Gloves Championships, two National Golden Gloves tournaments, and two National AAU titles (Ebony). Then the 1960 Rome Olympics came; a hesitant Cassius was afraid to travel over there in an airplane, but he eventually gave in and went, returning to America as a gold medal winner. Clay then came out with his very first published poem. After winning the gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics, eighteen-year-old Cassius Clay was ready to turn pro. He still kept Fred Stoner, the man who trained him as an amateur as trainer, but after his first win against an overmatched pa... ...and his opponent was Trevor Berbick. Ali entered the ring for the final time on December 11, 1981 (Jet). The bout started two hours late, there were only two pairs of gloves for the entire under card, and a cowbell was used for the ring bell. From the start, the actual fight was a drag, with Ali looking sluggish while his mediocre opponent showed little skill. When it all was over, the judges scored the bout in Berbick's favor (Hauser,77). The next morning, Ali finally announced that he was leaving the boxing ring for good. Works Cited Hauser, Thomas. Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. New York, NY, Bantam Books, 1991 Tyers, Kathy. Muhammad Ali: The Greatest. San Mateo, Ca, IDG Books World Inc.1995 Muhammad Ali Definition of a champ http://www.DefinitionofaChamp.com Jet Magazine http://ww.JetOnline.com Ebony Magazine http://www.Ebony.com

Smart Devices and System in Our Homes

The problems that we can discus in this part is about the introduction of smart devices and system in our homes, the risk and threats linked to them, and respectively to the smart home inhabitants will grow. So, the digital world as we know it now has gradually developed standards, protocols, interface, operating systems, programming models and architectures during the last 50 decades, making both computing and networking a type of plug-and- play environment. Nowadays the smart homes and its services, from a highly heterogeneous environment, which presents a significant challenge for future users and manufacturers. So, healthcare services contain unknown so far danger for human's life. The scenario of a villain causing a heart attack by remote intervention in a pacemaker or shutting down an insulin pump on a diabetic is not in the realm of movies but occur due to real sensitive that exist in connected medical devices. Furthermore, these are rather worrying facts, bearing in mind that between 1993 and 2009, 2.9 million patients received permanent pacemakers in the united states with this this number constantly increasing. The cyber threats are any identified effort directed toward access to, exfiltration of, manipulation of, or impairment to the integrity, confidentiality, security, or availability of data, an application, or a federal system, without lawful authority.In our everyday life, a threat to our home can be an open window or unlocked door, an iron or cooker that are not turned off or water running from an open tap. In future smart homes, in addition to the threats related to the household appliance, there can emerge dangers directed to the health or life of the inhabitants. The consequences of cyber-attacks can lead to serious problems like access sensitives information, espionage, data theft, financial losses. The nature, complexity, and severity of the cyber threats are increasing in time, which makes it difficult to build a good classification framework.Potential consequences of cyber-attacks can be:Rejection of service DOS targeting the sensors, video surveillance or communication system.Data integrity violation or data modification in communication media.System breaking with unauthorized access to network resources or system integration resources.The good transact with the attack, it is:To have an operating intrusion detection system.To have an attack prevention system.To maintain reliable identification, authentication and access control.To support leakage monitoring information.To employ reliable and effective communication protocol.To operate secure integrating system and external communication system.

Importance of Performance Appraisal

A major challenge for every business owner or manager is to have employees who are passionate about what they do and constantly strives to perform at their best. Many managers take the integrated approach known as Performance Management, to manage the performance, consisting of setting goals, training employees and then appraising and rewarding them (hrm). It can be explained as a process that consolidates goal setting, performance appraisal and development into single, common system, the aim of which is to ensure that the employee’s performance is supporting the strategic aims. (hrm book 315).. A performance management system would be only effective when the employees in Mambo are clear about their duties and job standards and the organizational goals so that they work with their full potential to meet organizational objectives. Mambo should develop a well planned performance management system as it will provide information on taking decision about the promotion and salary of the new as well as currently employed staff members. Moreover it would provide the senior management (Brett and Simone) to review the employee’s work related behaviour and developing a plan for correcting any deficiencies both for manager and employee as well. During the implementation of the performance management system the organisation has to expressly pay attention to fostering and improving the behavioral factors of performance management, in order to increase the chances of better result by the use of performance management system. A key element of Performance Management System is Performance Appraisal as it identifies, evaluates and develops employee performance to meet employee and organizational goals Brett and Simone have to choose an appraisal method so that actual performance can be measured as to what has been set in the organisation. Selecting one appropriate method from many is not easy as. It is The classification of appraisal methods helps make it more straightforward. If conducted properly appraisals can achieve a number of benefits for all parties. The organization, the manager and the appraisee can: establish current levels of performance and benchmark across departments or functions; identify ways of improving performance, individually and collectively; set clear goals for the future; assess potential and desire for development; establish the appropriate means of motivation; and improve communication throughout. Mambo would be benefited in reviewing the performance of the employees by using the balance scorecard method as it is a measurement –based management system that translates organizational vision and strategy into action. (hrm 321). Under the balanced scorecard system, financial measures are the outcome, but do not give a good indication of what is or will be going on in the organization. Measures of customer satisfaction, growth and retention is the current indicator of company performance, and internal operations(efficiency, speed, reducing non-value added work, minimizing quality problems) and human resource systems and development are leading indicators of company performance(hrm 321) A performance measurement system such as the Balanced Scorecard allows an agency to align its strategic activities to the strategic plan. It permits — often for the first time — real deployment and implementation of the strategy on a continuous basis. ( balance score card, bsc,and performance management, David Chaudron, oct 2000 (www. articles911. com/Performance_Management/Balanced_Scorecard) By this approach Mambo can track and improve its strategic performance and results by developing, measuring, collecting and analyzing the data from both internal business processes and external business processes and can get feedback needed to guide the planning efforts. This meth od not only analyses how the organisation has been doing, but also how well it is doing (â€Å"current indicators†) and can expect to do in the future (â€Å"leading indicators†). It provides a clear picture of reality. As their current strategy is to focus on the global competition they are about to face from the existing players of the market they need to integrate the performance appraisal into an ongoing culture of communication where regular feedback is part of a culture of success. Ultimately, goal of Brett and Simone, when conducting performance appraisals should be to impart a true appraisal of the employee’s performance (including behavior and attitude) from management’s perspective. Employees typically are anxious at the prospect of receiving negative comments on their work, and managers may be uncomfortable offering that criticism. When done correctly, however, appraisals can be positive experiences that motivate staff members to reach their potential and achieve their professional goals. In addition to assessing past performance, appraisal meetings provide an ideal opportunity to look at future objectives. Encourage employees to stret ch their abilities, yet make sure goals are realistic. Performance evaluations allow employer to reinforce expectations and communicate with your staff one-on-one about their career objectives and simultaneously provides an overview to establish the standards of remunerating employees. An increasingly large number of corporations have explored how rewards, particularly money, could be linked to desired behavior and/or performance outcomes to improve effectiveness. This has led to widespread and growing development of pay for-performance plans. â€Å"Pay for performance† refers to any compensation system that links pay and performance. A pay-for-performance system is only as successful as the performance management program on which it depends. There are two categories of pay merit pay and variable pay. The type of performance evaluation most often associated with merit pay plans are appraisals that focus on individual performance and typically use a combination of quantitative and qualitative performance elements thus Brett and Sim one must use the concept of merit pay, which would link the individual performance with the mission of the organization. pay for Performance: Your Performance Management Program Is the Foundation, jay Schust, april 2007 , http://www. work911. com/cgi-bin/links/jump. cgi? ID=773) However attracting, motivating and rewarding employees is about much more than wages and salaries. Mambo should establish a clear line of sight between business strategies and total reward philosophies so that an effective strategy can be formulated for attracting, motivating and retaining employees(hrm 373) Total rewards refer to monetary and non monetary rewards made up of salaries/wages and benefits an employee get for performing a certain job. As the employees with high salary and incentives are less likely to quit the organisation and work with their full potential to reach organizational goal. (hrm 373), thus Brett and Simone should make an effective pay structure for the employees. They should offer bonus on top of the salaries to the employees, if they achieve the desired targets set by the company. This can be done during performance appraisal by balance score card approach as it measures the performance of employees in terms of strategic improvement of the organisation. Title: The effect of performance management on the organizational results of a bank Author(s): Andre A. de Waal, Vincent Coevert Journal: International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management ISSN: 1741-0401 Year: 2007 Volume: 56 Issue: 5/6 Page: 397 – 416 DOI: 10. 1108/17410400710757114 Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited title Performance appraisal across organizational life cycles. Chen, Hai-Ming1 Kuo, Tung-Sheng Human Systems Management; 2004, Vol. 23 Issue 4, p227-233, 7p sorce Time to Reappraise Performance Appraisals. Find More Like This Receivables Report for America's Health Care Financial Managers; Jun2007, Vol. 22 Issue 6, p10-11, 2p By Lauren Stiller Rikleen .( balance score card, bsc,and performance management, David Chaudron, oct 2000 (www. articles911. com/Performance_Management/Balanced_Scorecard Developing Effective Performance Reviews. By Max Messme, business source complete, .( Getting the most from appraisals — from both sides of the desk. Find More Like This Yemm, Graham1 Source: Management Services Management Services, Spring2005, Vol. 49 Issue 1, p36-37, 2p, 2c; )

The Individual Its Struggle and Purpose Essay

The Individual Its Struggle and Purpose Essay The Individual Its Struggle and Purpose Essay From the dawn of our culture we have valued individuality, independence and freedom over almost any other values. After all of the revolutions and wars fought in the name of independence, in the freedom to be an individual, it is shocking to think of how often we forget its meaning and importance. It is much easier to affiliate with a group rather than risk rejection and act on your accord. The film Equilibrium, written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, and several articles from the PACS book highlight the issues concerning this struggle of the self. In order to fully understand the issue one must define individuality, recognize the trials of developing and maintaining individuality, and understand why it is important be an individual. Individuality can be defined as the characteristic of being free from the burdens of others opinions. Unfortunately in such a socially dependent society as our own it is nearly impossible to be completely free of others opinions. We were neglected the lux ury of discovering everything for ourselves. Instead we are taught. Our sovereign autonomy is tainted the first time parents say something is wrong and something else is right. The same contamination occurs upon the first days of school as we begin to learn not only what the majority believes is correct, but how to suppress the self in order to advance peacefully in society. We learn established rules and regulations. We learn that someone else has already found out what is right and we learn to accept without questioning. John Stuart Mill comments on the development of such universally accepted dogma in Of Thoughts and Discussion: It is illustrated in the experience of almost all ethical doctrines and religious creeds. They are all full of meaning and vitality to those who originate them and to the direct disciples of the originators. Their meaning continues to be felt in undiminished strength , and is perhaps brought out into even fuller consciousness, so long as the struggle lasts to give the doctrine or creed an ascendancy over other creeds. At last it either prevails, and becomes the general opinion, or its progress stop... (44) In this passage Mill explains that if a society can claim something is fact eventually the population learns to accept without questioning. Although it may be impossible to be completely free of the burdens of others opinions, it is possible to at least question those opinions we hear. Individuality is not accepting blindly and having a critical mind that checks others opinions with their own logic. This may seem simple enough but there is another complication when aspiring to achieve true individuality. It is equally important to act on your own beliefs as well as have them. An autonomous being is useless as an observer, but powerful when active. If a revolutionary idea is never shared and given the opportunity to change this world, it may as well have never existed. A true follower of autonomy must share their thoughts and work on making them reality. However this is often very difficult since identity is constantly under assault by societal and social pressures. Even after one ac hieves a state of intellectual sovereignty the views of others continue to pressure and challenge that autonomy. Humans are social creatures by nature and are often concerned with what others think of them. The desire to be well liked and the fear of being rejected are two forces working against the sense of self. In more extreme societies the fear of rejection can be replaced with the reality of political persecution. Equilibrium’s city of Libria is a perfect example of such a society. In the city state of Libria there is no individuality. The social opinions are all dictated by Father, the epitome of oppression. Those that counter Father’s opinion are hunted and executed. For this reason any â€Å"sense offenders† in the city must hide any original or creative thoughts. However one individual decides to act out against the tyranny of

Mary Church Terrell - Womens Civil Rights Activist

Mary Church Terrell - Women's Civil Rights Activist Born Mary Eliza Church, Mary Church Terrell (September 23, 1863 – July 24, 1954) was a key pioneer in the intersectional movements for civil rights and suffrage. As both an educator and activist, she was an important figure in the advancement of the civil rights cause. Early Life Mary Church Terrell was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1863 - the same year that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Both of her parents were former slaves who became successful in business: her mother, Louisa, owned a successful hair salon, and her father, Robert, became one of the first African-American millionaires in the South. The family lived in a mostly-white neighborhood, and the young Mary was protected in her early years from most experience of racism, even though, when she was three, her father was shot during the Memphis race riots of 1866. It was not until she was five, hearing stories from her grandmother about slavery, that she began to be conscious of African American history. Her parents divorced in 1869 or 1870, and her mother first had custody of both Mary and her brother. In 1873, the family sent her north to Yellow Springs and then Oberlin for school. Terrell split her summers between visiting her father in Memphis and her mother where she had moved, New York City. Terrell graduated from Oberlin College, Ohio, one of the few integrated colleges in the country, in 1884, where she had taken the gentlemans course rather than the easier, shorter womens program. Two of her fellow students, Anna Julia Cooper and Ida Gibbs Hunt, would become her lifelong friends, colleagues, and allies in the movement for racial and gender equality. Mary moved back to Memphis to live with her father. He had become wealthy, in part by buying up properties cheaply when people fled the yellow fever epidemic in 1878-1879. Her father opposed her working; however, when he remarried, Mary accepted a teaching position in Xenia, Ohio, and then another in Washington, DC. After completing her masters degree at Oberlin while living in Washington, she spent two years traveling in Europe with her father. In 1890, she returned to teach at a high school for black students in Washington, D.C. Family and Early Activism In Washington, Mary renewed her friendship with her supervisor at the school, Robert Heberton Terrell. They married in 1891. As was expected at the time, Mary left her employment upon marriage. Robert Terrell was admitted to the bar in 1883 in Washington and, from 1911 to 1925, taught law at Howard University. He served as a judge of the District of Columbia Municipal Court from 1902 to 1925. The first three children Mary bore died shortly after birth. Her daughter, Phyllis, was born in 1898, and the couple adopted their daughter Mary a few years later. In the meantime, Mary had become very active in social reform and volunteer work, including working with black womens organizations and for womens suffrage in the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Susan B. Anthony became a friend of hers. Mary also worked for kindergartens and child care, especially for children of working mothers. Mary entered activism more fiercely after the 1892 lynching of her friend Thomas Moss, a black business owner who was attacked by white businessmen for competing with their businesses. Her theory of activism was based on the idea of uplift, or the idea that discrimination could be tackled by social advancement and education, with the belief that the advancement of one member of the community could advance the whole community. Excluded from full participation in planning with other women for activities at the 1893 Worlds Fair, Mary instead threw her efforts into building up black womens organizations that would work to end both gender and racial discrimination. She helped engineer the merger of black womens clubs to form the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1896. She was its first president, serving in that capacity until 1901, when she was appointed honorary president for life. Founder and Icon During the 1890s, Mary Church Terrells increasing skill in and recognition for public speaking led her to take up lecturing as a profession. She became a friend of and worked with W.E.B. DuBois, and he invited her to become one of the charter members when the NAACP was founded. Mary Church Terrell also served on the Washington, DC, school board, from 1895 to 1901 and again from 1906 to 1911, the first African American woman to serve on that body. Her success in that post was rooted in her earlier activism with the NACW and its partner organizations, which worked on education initiatives focused on black women and children, from nurseries to adult women in the workforce. In 1910, she helped found the College Alumni Club or College Alumnae Club. In the 1920s, Mary Church Terrell worked with the Republican National Committee on behalf of women and African Americans. She voted Republican until 1952, when she voted for Adlai Stevenson for president. Though Mary was able to vote, many other black men and women were not, due to laws in the South that essentially disenfranchised black voters. Widowed when her husband died in 1925, Mary Church Terrell continued her lecturing, volunteer work, and activism, briefly considering a second marriage. Activist Until The End Even as she entered retirement age, Mary continued her work for womens rights and race relations. In 1940, she published her autobiography, A Colored Woman in a White World, which described her personal experiences with discrimination. In her last years, she picketed and worked in the campaign to end segregation in Washington, D.C., where she joined the fight against restaurant segregation despite already being in her mid-eighties. Mary lived to see this fight won in their favor: in 1953, the courts ruled that segregated eating places were unconstitutional. Mary Church Terrell died in 1954, just two months after the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, a fitting bookend to her life which began just after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and which focused on education as a key means of advancing the civil rights she spent her life fighting for. Mary Church Terrell Fast Facts Born: September 23, 1863 in Memphis, TennesseeDied: July 24, 1954 in Annapolis, MarylandSpouse: Robert Heberton Terrell (m. 1891-1925)Children: Phyllis (only surviving biological child) and Mary (adopted daughter)Key Accomplishments: An early civil rights leader and womens rights advocate, she was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. She went on to be a founder of National Association of Colored Women and a charter member of the NAACPOccupation: educator, activist, professional lecturer Sources Church, Mary Terrell. A Colored Woman in a White World. Washington, DC: Ransdell, Inc. Publishers, 1940.Jones, B. W. Mary Church Terrell and the National Association of Colored Women: 1986-1901,  The Journal of Negro History, vol. 67 (1982),  20–33.Michals, Debra. Mary Church Terrell. National Womens History Museum, 2017, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell

Cessation of Multi-Fibre Agreement Impact on Free Trade Essay

Cessation of Multi-Fibre Agreement Impact on Free Trade - Essay Example There was an agreement among the EU states in the year 1995 to phase out the MFA over a period of ten years. Accordingly the MFA was abolished at the end of the year 2004. The removal of the protectionist measure in the form of MFA has resulted in economic advantages to certain Western European Countries. However certain other European countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece have raised serious complaints against the removal of the quantitative restrictions on the plea that such action had largely affected their domestic textile and clothing industry and the workers in the industry. With this background this paper presents a critical assessment of the potential benefits and problems to which European Union is subjected to due to the abolition of MFA. Before the impact of the abolition of the MFA on the European Union can be discussed it is important a background of the causes and circumstances under which MFA was entered and the immediate effect of the abolition thereof. (Jean-Pierre Lehmann) The emergence of China as an economic power had influenced all the other countries of the world to make economic adjustments to grow at the same pace as Chinese economy developed. In the light of these changes in the world economy, the Western European countries had embarked upon an association for peace and prosperity in the form of European Union. The economic and political success of the European Union had made the Eastern European countries to request for accession to the EU. All the European countries and even China opted for accession to World Trade Organization in the wake of economic globalization. (Jean-Pierre Lehmann) The formation of the EU and accession to the WTO had resulted in some over-regulation and un-dynamic inbuilt rigid aspects in some of the European economies especially for the protection of uncompetitive sectors. This had also restricted the provision of the conducive conditions for any creative destruction or innovation. Under these circumstances countries like the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Latvia and the Scandinavian countries have reformed their economic structures and adjusted themselves to the changing circumstances. However there are other larger economies like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland had become less successful due to their industrial sluggishness. One of the anomalies of the international trading system resulted out of such un-dynamic environment basically to protect the domestic industry was to place the textiles and garment out of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) rules in the Multi-Fibre Agreement (MFA) The agreement was entered into with the intense pressure from the governments of the developed countries since there was a fear in the import-competing firms in such nations that the rise in imports from the cost-competitive developing countries would eventually destroy the viability of their domestic textile and clothing industry.( (Grimwade, 1996) "This was a defence measure initially taken in response