Alvin Plantinga and Pluralism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alvin Plantinga and Pluralism - Essay Example Religious pluralism can be seen as a policy or attitude that accepts the diversity of other religious belief systems, and their importance within the society. Religious pluralism can either be seen as a representation of the view that the religion of one individual is not the only source of truth. Pluralists believe that some other religions have an element of truth. Therefore, there is a need of referring to these religions and their values. This concept of religious pluralism has always existed since time immemorial. This is because the traditional societies used to worship many gods. An example is the leadership of the Roman Empire, which embraced the worship of many gods and other religions. The Roman priests used to borrow from other religious teachings, and incorporate them in their beliefs. For instance, the Romans worshipped Jupiter as the Supreme God. This was a supreme God of the ancient Greeks, and they referred to him as Zeus. Religious exclusivism, on the other hand, is a doctrine that teaches that only one religion is superior to other religions. It does not recognize or identify the principles of other religious beliefs. In its normative nature, exclusivism is the belief that the religion of an individual is superior to the religion of other individuals (Peterson, William, Bruce and David, 22). Exclusivists believe that the principles and teachings of other religions are wrong, and uncalled for. The exclusivist doctrine is always linked to the teaching of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Digital Piracy: A Problem Without an Effective Solution Essay

Digital piracy is making up profit from illegal copying and reselling music, videos, software videogames and other digital media which requires genuine. In 2005, loses of legal media and software industry from digital piracy was $200 billion (DSTI/IND (2007). Also, Oberholzer-Gee (2010) indicates that 60% of world wide web broadband busy by consumers’ video, game and music sharing. To avoid this issue intellectual proprietors use various methods. In this paper is shown methods to dodge problem of digital piracy. There are two ways to protect legal digital content from piracy. Firstly, there is indirectly impact to society, where manufacturers are producing additional equipment like guitars for game â€Å"Guitar Hero† and forwarding special social services where people can play with each other via internet, so while people playing, system is checking license (Goel, 2010). In addition, companies perform free software with fewer options than paid software. Moreover, some organizations such as Free Software Association and Open Source agitation, which advert spreading software for free have helped to grapple with problem of expensive software and companies that gain from this, for example, Microsoft (Hill, 2007). Secondly, there is direct impact on users, where companies and internet providers use methods which impacts directly on users such as blocking peer-to-peer connections between users and web-sites where users can download pirated software. Furthermore, closing the sources of piracy is supported by governments of countries such as China (Tong, 2008). In this paper is shown methods to protect against piracy such as copy-protected software, closing sources of piracy, legislation and distribution of free soft. Each of solution will b... ...hich are gratuitous, freeness to change and freeness to make copies. For instance, Keating (2003) confirms that in DiaDexus inc., California bioinformatics scientists use open source software in their researches and researchers say that free software helps to save money and have additional properties. For example, in this institution some experts explore source code and make add-ons and patches for areas which they need. Next, free software becomes more popular. For example, The Linux Counter (2006) estimates that there were 18 million users of freely available Linux operating system in 2001 and there were 29 million users after 4 years in 2005. Also, Wade Roush (2004) confirms that in IBM more than 7000 programmers design software for Linux, because of many consumers think that as more beneficial and more protected from viruses than Microsoft’s operating systems.

Nutrition and food science: energy balance

Nutrition in general is a concern for adolescents, who are entering a stressful, confusing, and sometimes frightening time of social, emotional, and physical development. Healthy diet and regular physical activity help children and adults feel better, learn and work more effectively, and avoid developing a variety of risk factors for disease. The key to weight control or weight management is keeping energy intake (food) and energy output (physical activity) in balance; that is energy balance. Read also: Domestic Activities and Chemicals When you consume only as many calories as your body needs, your weight will usually remain constant. If you take in more calories than your body needs, you will put on excess fat. If you expend more energy than you take in you will burn excess fat. The relationship of energy balance to body weight can be summarized by the following equations: Energy Intake = Energy Output = Weight Maintenance Energy Intake > Energy Output = Weight Gain Energy Intake < Energy Output = Weight Loss Weight management means keeping your body weight at a healthy level. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are a must when it comes to controlling your weight. A weight management plan depends on whether you are overweight or underweight. Many people mistakenly believe that they only â€Å"burn calories† when they exercise. In fact, your body is burning calories all of the time (yes, even when sleeping!). Calories are used to keep basic body functions going, to metabolize the foods you eat, and to do any form of physical activity. Exactly how many calories people need varies, depending on such factors as gender, current body size, activity level and body weight goals a wise choice to achieve a healthy weight. A safe, tried-and-true method for long-term weight loss is to reduce calories by decreasing portion sizes when people tend to eat. When trying to lose weight or hold steady at a desired one, there’s no need to turn to the latest â€Å"diet† or outcast your favorite foods. Small changes to your diet and exercise routine can make a big difference. A healthful eating plan can include all your favorite foods if they are in reasonable amounts and balanced out with daily physical activity. Aerobic physical activity, if no health prohibitions, will assist in increasing muscle tissue and also in burning calories. However, care should be taken not to exercise more frequently and more intensely that is required for good health or to compete well. Physical activity should be balanced with diet to maintain a desired weight. Experts have come to believe that this approach of weight management is reasonable and promising. No proven side effects, however, success of weight efforts should be evaluated according to improvements in chronic disease risk factors or symptoms and by the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits, not just by the number of pounds lost/gain. But if you are over 40, have been inactive for some time, suffer from shortness of breath or weakness that interferes with daily activities, or suffer from a chronic condition, you should consult a physician before you begin any effort to reduce your weight or increase your activity level. Education may be necessary for an understanding of energy balance and basic nutrition principles. REFERENCE Atkins, R. (1981). Dr.Atkins: Nutrition breakthrough. New York, U.S.A: Bantom Books.            

Japanese Number Seven History and Superstitions

Seven appears to be a universally lucky or holy number. There are many terms that include the number seven: seven wonders of the world, seven deadly sins, seven virtues, the seven seas, seven days of the week, seven colors of the spectrum, the seven dwarfs, and so on. Seven Samurai (Shichi-nin no Samurai) is a classic Japanese movie directed by Akira Kurosawa, which was remade into, The Magnificent Seven. Buddhists believe in seven reincarnations. The Japanese celebrate the seventh day after a babys birth, and mourn the seventh day and seventh week following a death. Japanese Unlucky Numbers It seems that every culture has lucky numbers and unlucky numbers. In Japan, four and nine are considered unlucky numbers because of their pronunciation. Four is pronounced shi, which is the same pronunciation as death. Nine is pronounced ku, which has the same pronunciation as agony or torture. In fact, some hospitals and apartments dont have rooms numbered 4 or 9. Some vehicle identification numbers are restricted on Japanese license plates, unless someone requests them. For example, 42 and 49 at the end of plates, which are linked to the words for death (shini æ ­ »Ã£  «) and to run over (shiku è ½ ¢Ã£  ). The full sequences 42-19, (proceeding to death æ ­ »Ã£  «Ã¨ ¡Å'㠁 ) and 42-56 (time to die æ ­ »Ã£  «Ã©  Æ') are also restricted. Learn more about unlucky Japanese numbers on my Question of the Week page. If you are not familiar with Japanese numbers, check out our page for learning Japanese numbers. Shichi-fuku-jin The Shichi-fuku-jin (ä ¸Æ'ç ¦ Ã§ ¥Å¾) is the Seven Gods of Luck in Japanese folklore. They are comical deities, often portrayed riding together on a treasure ship (takarabune). They carry various magical items such as an invisible hat, rolls of brocade, an inexhaustible purse, a lucky rain hat, robes of feathers, keys to the divine treasure house and important books and scrolls. Here are the names and the features of the Shichi-fuku-jin. Please check out the color image of the Shichi-fuku-jin at the top right of the article. Daikoku (Ã¥ ¤ §Ã© »â€™) --- The god of wealth and farmers. He holds a big bag filled with treasures on his shoulder and an uchideno-kozuchi (lucky mallet) in his hand.Bishamon (æ ¯ËœÃ¦ ²â„¢Ã©â€"€) --- The god of war and warriors. He wears a suit of armor, a helmet and is armed with a sword.Ebisu (æ  µÃ¦ ¯â€Ã¥ ¯ ¿) --- The god of fishermen and wealth. He holds a large, red tai (sea bream) and a fishing rod.Fukurokuju (ç ¦ Ã§ ¦â€žÃ¥ ¯ ¿) --- The god of longevity. He has an elongated bald head and a white beard.Juroujin (Ã¥ ¯ ¿Ã¨â‚¬ Ã¤ º º) --- Another god of longevity. He wears a long white beard and a scholars cap, and is often accompanied by a stag, which is his messenger.Hotei (Ã¥ ¸Æ'è ¢â€¹) --- The god of happiness. He has a jolly face and a big fat belly.Benzaiten (Ã¥ ¼ Ã¨ ² ¡Ã¥ ¤ ©) --- The goddess of music. She carries a biwa (Japanese mandolin). Nanakusa Nanakusa (ä ¸Æ'è â€° means seven herbs. In Japan, there is a custom to eat nanakusa-gayu (seven herb rice porridge) on January 7th. These seven herbs are called, haru no nanakusa (seven herbs of spring). It is said that these herbs will remove evil from the body and prevent illness. Also, people tend to eat and drink too much on New Years Day; therefore it is an ideal light and healthy meal that contains a lot of vitamins. There are also the aki no nanakusa (seven herbs of autumn), but they are not usually eaten, but used for decorations to celebrate the week of the autumn equinox or the full moon in September. Haru no nanakusa (æ˜ ¥Ã£  ®Ã¤ ¸Æ'è â€°) --- Seri (Japanese parsley), Nazuna (shepherds purse), Gogyou, Hakobera (chickweed), Hotokenoza, Suzuna, SuzushiroAki no nanakusa (ç §â€¹Ã£  ®Ã¤ ¸Æ'è â€°) --- Hagi (bush clover), Kikyou (Chinese bellflower), Ominaeshi, Fujibakama, Nadeshiko (pink), Obana (Japanese pampas grass), Kuzu (arrowroot) Proverbs Including Seven Nana-korobi Ya-oki (ä ¸Æ'è » ¢Ã£  ³Ã¥â€¦ «Ã¨ µ ·Ã£  ) literally means, seven falls, eight getting up. Life has its ups and downs; therefore it is an encouragement to keep going no matter how tough it is. Shichiten-hakki (ä ¸Æ'è » ¢Ã¥â€¦ «Ã¨ µ ·) is one of the yoji-jukugo (four character kanji compounds) with same meaning. Seven Deadly Sins/Seven Virtues You can check out the kanji characters for seven deadly sins and seven virtues on our Kanji for tattoos page.