Understanding of the Old Testament Essay Example for Free

Understanding of the Old Testament Essay To what extent does archaeology inform us about our understanding of the Old Testament? The Jewish scriptures that made up the Old Testament were written over a period of a hundred years during a time when the Israelites were established and prosperous, but also during the times when the whole religion and lifestyle were under threat throughout exiles and national crises. Biblical scholars study the evidence within the scriptures themselves and also use other resources such as prehistoric documents and archaeological findings in order to inform us more thoroughly about the Old Testament. Archaeology is a modern science calling for much patience and skill. Generally speaking there are three kinds of archaeology. The first is ruins of buildings, homes, temples and fortifications. These reveal culture, worship, social structure and manner of life. The second is artefacts, pots, lamps, weapons and ornaments. These reveal something about wealth and culture. The third is inscriptions, also known as epigraphic material. This reveals what people wrote about. We have to be cautious about what archaeology can prove. From reading ancient texts, scholars can not always tell whether it is true or not. We can simply tell what the writer of the text wanted the world to believe. Archaeology can help to provide evidence that an event happened, but it cannot always show why it happened nor who was involved. Therefore it is most useful for corroboration. Through archaeology scholars can discover more about the times in which people in the Bible lived. What importance did they have as a nation among other nations? What were their everyday lives like? What animals did they keep? What did they eat? How did they trade? What were their social habits and family interactions? What was the nature of the other religions by which they were surrounded when Judaism was first beginning and much more? One of the main reasons scholars look for archaeological evidence is due to an issue that causes the most controversy- whether the events described really happened. For many people who are strong believers this is not an issue for them as the Bible, which is the Word of God is thought to them to be more true than any other foundation of information, so therefore the events portrayed in the Bible are true to them. If there is no outside evidence to support this, or discoveries of scholars contradict what the Bible says, then the Bible remains true to the believers as the people investigating the evidence are thought to be able to be fallible whereas for the believers, the Bible is not. Many people are also willing to accept that some of the Bibles accounts are true in a theological rather than a historical sense. However, it is argued that the accuracy of the historical accounts might have been sacrificed in order to put emphasis on the theological point. It is very difficult for events in the Old Testament to be accurately dated for many reasons. The main reason is that many of the written records have not survived. This is because many of the texts were written on insubstantial materials and the climate was not particularly dry and therefore could not preserve the texts. Another reason is that much of the Old Testament originated as oral traditions rather than written, which means whilst being passed on from one person to another, the real translation could have sometimes been changed through misunderstanding or false impression. This makes it extremely difficult for scholars to work out which parts are historically correct and which are not as elements may have been removed or added. Texts occasionally referred to features which were thought to be of a later date than the story itself and therefore scholars have to decide if the older parts of a narrative were correct or had been altered. Biblical writers also often exaggerated wha t was written in order to express that someone was particularly blessed by God. This means scholars have to make informed guesses where they do not know facts, which means they can easily make mistakes in accuracy as well as writing according to their own biases. A final reason why the Bible cannot be accurately dated is because Biblical writers primary purpose was not to write an accurate historical record. Their main interest was to illustrate the relationship between God and humanity, particularly the relationship between God and his chosen people, Israel. This meant important rulers and political events of global importance, which could give the Bible definite dates if they were mentioned in the texts, were ignored because they did not show any relevance for religious faith. Some people dispute that a date from the Bible can be found using the text itself as many do believe the Bible is historically accurate and reliable as the Bible is inspired by God. However, for many scholars this is thought to be very unreliable. As well as using documents to attempt to place the Bible in historical context, archaeologists have searched for evidence of the existence of cities and buildings mentioned in Biblical stories. Since the First World War, scholars have used archaeology to discover more reliable sources about events that were said to have happened in the Old Testament. For example, excavations on the southern bank of the river Euphrates in Syria revealed the existence of a city called Mari. From this city, archaeologists found cuneiform (wedge-shaped writing of ancient civilisations) tablets dating from the nineteenth and eighteenth centuries BC. They provided a wealth of information containing economic factors which helped scholars to understand the ways in which people lived in the Middle Bronze Age. In the past, thousands of tablets covered with cuneiform have been discovered. They provide information about the Biblical world before 100 BC. After that time alphabets with letters not made up of combinations of triangles begin to emerge and we are on our way to the Hebrew script known to Biblical scholars. Names found through archaeology can provide more clues to the dating or geographical setting of particular events in the Old Testament because when scholars find evidence of other people with comparable names to those of characters in the Bible, it can suggest a background for the Biblical writings. To conclude, archaeology can help to inform us more about events that happened in the Old Testament and help us understand what happened and who was involved more than we already do. However, we cannot always rely on archaeology to inform our understanding of the Old Testament as archaeologists and scholars do not always know the truth behind evidence found, they are only able to use what they see with their own eyes and make educated guesses with what they already know.

Polymerase Chain Reaction :: essays research papers

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is the quick and easy method of making unlimited copies of any fragment of DNA. Since it’s first introduction ten years ago, PCR has very quickly become an essential tool for â€Å"improving human health and human life (TPCR)†. Medical research and clinical medicine are profiting from PCR mainly in two areas: detection of infectious disease organisms, and detection of variations and mutations in genes, especially human genes. Because PCR can amplify unimaginably tiny amounts of DNA, even that from just one cell, â€Å"physicians and researchers can examine a single sperm or track down the elusive source of a puzzling infection† (TPCR)†. These PCR- based analyses are proving to be just as reliable as previous methods-sometimes more so and often much faster and cheaper. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used â€Å"to amplify the number of copies a specific region of DNA (Brown)†, in order to produce enough DNA to be adequately tested. This technique can be used to identify with a very high-probability, disease-causing viruses, bacteria, a deceased person, a criminal suspect, and also in the event of an outbreak, â€Å"Real-Time PCR can effectively monitor the success of clean-up efforts (RAL,Inc)†. In order to use PCR, one must already know the exact sequence of a gene or the sequence of interest that lie on both ends of the DNA. While similarity among genes of organisms exists, there will always be genes whose DNA sequences differ from each other. By identifying the genes that are different and unique, one can use this information to identify an organism. DNA is a double-stranded, â€Å"consisting of two such nucleotide chains that wind around each other in the famous shape known as the double helix (TPCR)†. DNA consist of Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine components which can be arrange to generate a â€Å"sentence† of a gene sequence which can consists of either a few or thousands of letters long. To get this copying process started, a template molecule of the DNA or RNA you want to copy is required along with two primer molecules that make up the strands of all genetic materials. These primer molecules consists of about 20 letters long, which can be linked together in the order desired by a DNA-synthesizer â€Å"which add and link one letter at a time (Brown)† to generate the primers needed to start PCR. There are three major steps in PCR that must be met in order for the process to be successful.

Airasia’s Strategic Management

Case Study: AIRASIA AirAsia was launched in 2002 by Tony Fernandes, at the time a pioneer of low-cost flights in Asia. At first, the company operated three Boeing 737s. In 2004, after a very successful public offering, AirAsia was listed on the Malaysian Stock Exchange and from there grew rapidly. As of 2011, the AirAsia Group has 93 aircraft spread across 12 hubs (see appendix 1) and is flying to more than 60 destinations in 16 countries with 130 domestic and international routes.AirAsia operates 3,500 flights every week on domestic and international routes from nine regional hubs in Malaysia, Thailand (Thai AirAsia) and Indonesia (Indonesia AirAsia). AirAsia’s head office and its main base is the Low Cost Carrier Terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. This terminal handles 48. 4% of AirAsia’s traffic (see appendix 2). AirAsia is the leading low-cost carrier in the world and won the Skytrax award for World's Best Low-Cost Airline in 2009 and 2010.In addition, the company is Asia's largest low-fare, no-frills airline and has a long-haul arm, AirAsia X, which currently flies to China, India, Iran, Taiwan, the UK and Australia with plans to launch services to Japan and South Korea. This report will use the PESTEL framework to evaluate the opportunities and threats presented by AirAsia’s external environment. It will then apply a SWOT framework to analyse the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of the AirAsia group.Finally, this report will list three recommendations, to be evaluated by the AirAsia board of directors before implementation. To begin, a PESTEL framework will enable us to understand all the macro-environmental factors affecting AirAsia. 1. Political Opportunities Deregulation and privatization present Air Asia with opportunities for new routes. For example, the ASEAN governments signed the ASEAN Multilateral Agreement on the Full Liberalisation of Passenger Air Services (an open skies policy) in 2010.From 2 015, designated airlines from ASEAN countries will be able to fly to any city with an international airport in a member nation. AirAsia will therefore have the opportunity to penetrate undeveloped markets in the ASEAN region by opening new routes. However, it should be noted that foreign competitors will have the same opportunity and new routes will require the utilization of more aircraft. The Malaysian Government has always supported the Malaysian airline industry. One example of this is the opening of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.Further, the Malaysian Government has helped all low-cost carriers (LCCs), and in particular AirAsia, to develop a competitive edge by reducing their operating costs and improving their logistics. Secondly, the Malaysian Government has given AirAsia, along with all Malaysian airlines, significant tax incentives (see appendix 3). These tax-incentives in fact helped AirAsia to cover a substantial part of its loan inte rest when purchasing aircraft. It is also important to highlight that other Southeast Asian countries are often substantially state owned.This allows the government to control the airline and protect it from competition. As an example, AirAsia established a joint venture with Shin Corp when it began operating in Thailand with Thai AirAsia. AirAsia had a holding of 49% of Thai AirAsia while the remainder was held by Shin Corp. , owned by the former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (2001 -2006). Threats AirAsia and its competitors can also be negatively affected by government decisions. For example, unless the Malaysian government makes an effort to minimise crime, travellers may choose to visit other destinations.Low-cost carriers are also suffering from recent delays in the construction of a new permanent low-cost carrier terminal (Expected to open in October 2012), work being undertaken by the Malaysian government. These delays reduce the ability for low-cost carriers to expand their capacity by catering for new passengers. Barriers to trade between countries may also inhibit low-cost carriers in Malaysia from entering more protected markets like China where the government tightly controls the airline industry.Civil conflicts and conflicts between regional governments can also affect AirAsia’s operations. For instance, there has been a resurgence of violence in Southern Thailand and terrorism attacks have occurred in the rest of Thailand and Indonesia. Additionally, Malaysia's recent decision to explore oil-rich waters off the coast of Borneo has led to increased tensions with Indonesia. These tensions could harm customer confidence and affect all businesses operating in Southeast Asia. 2. Economic OpportunitiesThe economic situation in Malaysia is stable. As an illustration, from 2004 to 2010, Malaysia's average interest rate was 2. 91%, its average inflation rate was 2. 77% and its average unemployment rate was 3. 43%. In addition, the Gove rnment of Malaysia has a current account surplus that enables them to continuously boost domestic demand, resulting in an average annual GDP Growth of 4. 5% between 2000 and 2011. The global forecast for all Asian countries for 2011 anticipates an average GDP growth of at least 3% for 2011.Countries like China, India and Indonesia are expected to experience GDP growth exceeding 6% (see Appendix 4). Although, economic downturns are always complicated for any business to negotiate, they can also present certain opportunities for companies like AirAsia because, for example, aircraft leasing costs are often reduced by about 40% at such times. Thus, companies with ‘deep pockets’ are able to invest and expand their fleet at a very competitive price. Threats Fluctuating oil prices are a major challenge for airlines.For example, in 2009 and 2010 the price of jet kerosene price represented between 40 to 55% of AirAsia CASK (cost per available seat kilometre). From the latest inf ormation, the fuel price in 1Q11 was US$117 per barrel, relatively high when compared with 1Q10 when the price was only US$99. 6 per barrel. Fluctuating oil prices have a major impact on operational costs. This is why all airlines use fuel-hedging contracts to stabilise the price they pay for the purchase of jet kerosene. By hedging fuel, Air Asia paid an average price of US$107 per barrel in Q1 2011 from (see Appendix 5).The last decade was very prosperous for several Southeast Asian airlines and the Asia Pacific domestic LCC penetration by capacity has expanded rapidly, and has reached a saturation level in several countries. For instance, in countries like the Philippines (61. 8%) or Malaysia (56. 5%), more than half of the region's airline seats are supplied by low-cost carriers compared with the world average of 24% (see Appendix 9). 3. Social/Cultural / Demographic Opportunities Firstly, Southeast Asia offers an important advantage to airlines because the egion is comprised of multiple ethnic groups that are able to speak several languages. For example, Malaysia is composed of several ethnic groups – Malay, Chinese, Indian and Thai – and this provides a company like AirAsia with the ability to find staff that can speak several languages, something which is useful as they rapidly expand their business outside Malaysia. Secondly, the rapid urbanization of Southeast Asia clearly helps airlines because it forces governments to develop important infrastructures and open new airports in order to facilitate the flux of people between countries.According to the UN, seven out of the 15 most populated cities in the world (;10 million) are predicted to be in Asia by 2025 (see Appendix 6). Thirdly, rapid economic growth also drives a rapid growth in the middle class within Asia’s large population. According to the latest OECD forecast, the amount of money spent by the Asian middle class is expected to represent 59% of the total amount spent by t he middle class in the world by 2030 (see Appendix 7).By analysing average household consumption within Asia, we can also confirm that the communication and transport spending category will increase from less than 10% in 1995 to 15% in 2015 and this will definitely increase the demand for air travel between Asian countries (see Appendix 7). Threats The emergent middle class is growing more rapidly in countries like India and China. It is likely that these countries will develop foreign LCC competitors that will have a higher growth rate as well as a larger economy of scale than Malaysian airlines like AirAsia. 4.Technological Opportunities By utilizing information technology, airlines have been able to reduce their operating costs. LCCs were clearly the most effective players in the airline industry at implementing breakthrough information technologies. By implementing e-ticketing systems and using e-commerce to bypass traditional travel agents, LCCs have been able to ‘leanâ⠂¬â„¢ their processes by removing unnecessary costs. Furthermore, new, state-of-the-art aircrafts are more fuel-efficient than older models, and this has helped airlines to reduce their fuel consumption.AirAsia has implemented these technologies and they have contributed to their operational efficiency. Today, AirAsia has the world’s lowest CASK (cost per available seat kilometre), at just US$3. 52 in 2010 (see Appendix 8). It has achieved this by implementing the following best practices: a powerful Yield Management as well as Computer Reservation System (Novitiate Open Skies), a global Enterprise Resource Planning System (powered by Microsoft Business Solutions) and a Customer Relationship Management system provided by Siebel.Threats By being highly dependent on technology, LCCs incur costs in ensuring that their systems operate smoothly and safely (i. e. from backup systems and maintenance). In addition, by relying heavily on online sales, LCCs expose themselves to large f inancial losses when system disruption occurs. 5. Environmental/Legal Opportunities Firstly, AirAsia has the youngest fleet in Asia, with the new Airbus A320 and A330 providing improved fuel efficiency.This is fortunate because the EU has adopted a new policy (coming into effect January 1, 2012) that requires all airlines to pay for greenhouse gas emissions released on journeys to and from EU airports. Secondly, labour unions in Asia are relatively weak when compared with EU or USA and this helps airlines in Asia to remain competitive by reducing their overhead cost to a minimum. Threats Natural disasters force airlines as well as airports to reduce or shut down their operations for hours or even days.In the last decade, airlines have been exposed to Hurricanes, snow, fog, H1N1 influenza pandemic, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. SWOT| Opportunities| Threats | O1) The population of Asian middle class is booming and will reach almost 700 million by 2012O2) Lots of potential to exp and and exploit growing markets in China, India, Japan and Korea as well as the long haul approach in Europe (AirAsia X)O3) Higher fuel costs may force some competitors out of the industry | T1) ASEAN Open Skies will increase competition, for example Singapore Airline and Thai Airways will start LCCs in 2012T2) Saturation of he LCC market in the Philippines and MalaysiaT3) Aviation regulation and Government interference will impact AirAsia’s passenger capacity (recent delays in the construction of the new, permanent low-cost carrier terminal (Expected opening date October 2012)T4) Accidents and disasters affecting customers| Strengths| Weaknesses| S1) Cost leadership: The world’s lowest CASK (Cost per available seat kilometre) with $US3. 52 in 2010. S2) Economies of scale: The biggest and youngest fleet among the LCCs in the region, with an average age of 2. 5 years.S3) Single aircraft fleet (which reduces maintenance and training costs)S4) Double digit growth of all A irAsia subsidiaries; AirAsia achieved record profit in Q42010S5) Quick turnaround of 25 minutes, which is the fastest in the regionS6) AirAsiaX has the world best fleet-utilisation, in excess of 17 hours, achieved by focusing on price-sensitive, time-insensitive customers S7) Profit margin is the highest margin in the LCC industry with 23%; by way of comparison, Ryanair's profit margin is 20%S8) The highest ancillary revenue in the LCC industry (through services like pick a seat, cancellation, baggage supersizing, excess baggage, cargo, as well as travel and tours through AirAsiaGo. com, e-coupon with AirAsia Megastore or Hotels with TuneHotels. om)S9) Brand name is well established in Asia PacificS10) Good at using IT to deliver low-cost operations (ticketless travel, online booking, online check-in)S11) Strong management team consist of industry experts with fast decision making processes (entrepreneurial)S12) Not sensitive to seasonal factors due to the high diversification of ro utesS13) Partnership ANA S14) Virgin Group has 20% share in AirAsia XS15) Weak labour unions | W1) AirAsia load factor fluctuates a lot and is not optimal. W2) Limited human resources due to low costsW3) Non-central location of secondary airportsW4) Heavy reliance on outsourcing (maintenance, repair). W5) Not financially strong enough to compete with â€Å"deep pocket† international airlines, e. g.Singapore Airline's new LCC | * | Main Recommendations| * | O3 with W1 = Recommendation 1 (CI to benchmark European LCC Load factors)O2, S13,S14 with T2 = Recommendation 2 (Partnership to enter new countries due to high LCC penetration level in Southeast Asia)S4 with T1 and W5 = Recommendation 3 (IPO of Thai and Indonesian AirAsia as well as AirAsia X to finance future growth)| Recommendations 1) Load factor As can been seen from the SWOT analysis, AirAsia is outperforming its competitors in terms of operation in several fields. It has the world’s lowest CASK, the worldâ€⠄¢s highest ancillary revenues per passenger and is the largest discount carrier in South East Asia.However by analysing the cost structure of Air Asia, it is clear that revenue can be improved by increasing the passenger load factor from 75% to more than 85%, something Easyjet has been able to do (see Appendix 10 for more information). The CI team must be deployed to investigate in detail the strategy that Easyjet has used. 2) LCC penetration in Southeast Asia is reaching maturity level need for diversification Appendix 9 and the SWOT together highlight the fact that domestic LCC penetration by capacity (seats) within Southeast Asia is starting to reach its maturity by exceeding LCC penetration worldwide (30% of Southeast Asian flights are supplied by LCCs compared with 24% in the world).Countries like the Philippines and Malaysia are clearly the most mature, with more than 50% of airline seats supplied by low-cost carriers. By analysing LCC penetration per country, we can see that AirAsia can leverage its AirAsia subsidiaries(Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia) to enter new countries with very low LCC penetration rate, such as Taiwan, Indonesia, China and Japan. The recent partnership of AirAsia with the Japanese airline ANA underlines the possibilities of this strategy. LCC penetration within Japan is only 9. 1%, far more than China with 6%, Indonesia with 5. 2% or the empty market in Taiwan with 0%. Meanwhile, Air Asia X (in which Virgin Group has an ownership position along with Air Canada) could be used to enter the difficult market in China more deeply.CI teams (AirAsia, Virgin Group, Air Canada) should be able to share information and knowledge in order to define several scenarios for future collaboration within China. 3) IPO to finance growth The construction of the new, world-class low-cost carrier terminal in Kuala Lumpur is expected to be completed in October 2012. Once built, it will be able to serve over 30 million passengers a year and, with exp ansions, will have the capacity to serve up to 45 million passengers a year. By analyzing the forecasted growth of AirAsia as well as it cost structure (see Appendix 11) we can see than the current economic downturn has increased the cost of aircraft by 212%, mainly due to the credit crunch.In addition, AirAsia’s ability to finance the expected growth forecasted is limited because its current structure includes only one publicly listed company that is used to finance all the capital expenditures for Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia and AirAsia X. One solution to cope with this situation of high growth and important capital requirements is to launch IPOs in 2011, especially because AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia are performing very well in 2011. The proceeds of IPOs could enable AirAsia to buy new planes and fund growth in order to compete with Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways who will start their own LCCs in 2011. In order to optimize the IPO the CI team will evaluate the best time for implementing this strategy.In, addition, the CI team will also evaluate the possible risks that IPO will have on the autonomy of AirAsia. Appendixes Appendix 1 AirAsia Group fleet composition: Q1-2011 Source: http://www. airasia. com/iwov-resources/my/common/pdf/AirAsia/IR/AA_1Q11_Analyst_Presentation. pdf Appendix 2 AirAsia's extensive domestic and regional network Source: http://www. airasia. com Source: http://www. centreforaviation. com/profiles/airlines/airasia-ak Appendix 3 Malaysian government Tax Incentive Source: http://www. centreforaviation. com/profiles/airlines/airasia-ak Appendix 4 Asian countries GDP Forecasts Appendix 5 Jet Kerosene prices Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation & US Energy Information AdministrationAppendix 6 Top 15 most populated cities in the world (>10 million) are predicted to be in Asia by 2025 Appendix 7 Emerging middle class in Asia Source: http://www. oecd. org Source: http://www. adb. org Appendix 8 AirAsia has the world’s lowest CASK (Cost per available seat kilometre) with 3. 52 USD in 2010. Selected airlines RASK and CASK: Three months ended 30-Jun-2010 (RASK = Revenue per available seat kilometre and CASK = Cost per available seat kilometre) Airline| RASK| CASK| AirAsia| USD 4. 87| USD 3. 52| Air Arabia**| USD 4. 88| USD 4. 43| Tiger Airways| USD 4. 61| USD 4. 58| JetBlue| USD 6. 72| USD 6. 04| COPA| USD 7. 37| USD 6. 58|Norwegian Air Shuttle| USD 7. 34| USD 6. 82| Southwest| USD 7. 73| USD 6. 84| Vueling| USD 7. 68| USD 6. 91| China Southern Airlines**| USD 7. 32| USD 6. 98| Thai Airways| USD 6. 76| USD 7. 15| WestJet| USD 7. 95| USD 7. 43| Continental Airlines| USD 8. 25| USD 7. 52| Virgin Blue**| USD 7. 43| USD 7. 52| GOL| USD 7. 99| USD 7. 71| Air New Zealand**| USD 9. 22| USD 7. 71| Delta| USD 8. 65| USD 7. 74| US Airways| USD 8. 93| USD 7. 88| United Airlines| USD 8. 82| USD 8. 08| Air Berlin| USD 7. 76| USD 8. 12| Jet Airways| USD 8. 09| USD 8. 20| American Airlines| USD 8. 51| USD 8. 22| C athay Pacific| USD 9. 55| USD 8. 41| TAM| USD 8. 54| USD 8. 44|China Airlines**| USD 10. 60| USD 8. 49| Air China**| USD 9. 75| USD 8. 60| China Eastern Airlines**| USD 9. 25| USD 8. 63| Malaysia Airlines| USD 7. 90| USD 8. 75| Singapore Airlines| USD 9. 61| USD 8. 92| LAN| USD 10. 31| USD 9. 18| British Airways| USD 8. 88| USD 9. 21| EVA Air**| USD 10. 47| USD 9. 38| Qantas**| USD 9. 84| USD 9. 68| Iberia| USD 9. 78| USD 9. 75| Korean Airlines| USD 12. 65| USD 9. 82| Finnair| USD 10. 20| USD 10. 68| Asiana| USD 12. 48| USD 10. 69| Air France| USD 12. 05| USD 12. 51| SAS| USD 15. 03| USD 14. 18| Lufthansa**| USD 16. 41| USD 16. 49| easyJet| USD 6. 99| n/a| Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation and company reports Appendix 9Asia Pacific domestic LCC penetration by capacity 2011: Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation & OAG Facts Appendix 10 Passenger load factor Easyjet, Ryanair vs AirAsia Selected European airlines intra-Europe passenger load factor and passenger load factor gr owth: Mar-2011 AirAsia load factor development: 2Q2008 to 2Q2010 Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation and AirAsia AirAsia cost structure Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation & AirAsia Appendix 11 AirAsia A320 and A320neo aircraft delivery schedule: 2011 to 2026 Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation and Ascend AirAsia cost breakdown / ASK: 1Q08 vs 1Q09 Source: Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation & Airasia

Essay on Adolf Hitler Evil Personified - 3870 Words

The persona of Adolf Hitler is, without question, an infamous one. He was a historically significant figure who, as national leader of Germany, staged the perpetration of arguably the most despicable acts of genocide in recorded history. Hitler’s role as the architect of the Holocaust places him at the top of the list of history’s villains. By committing atrocities that most of us find beyond comprehension, Hitler has for many people become the definition of evil, an example of absolute malevolence even to those who normally argue they do not believe in an absolute moral code. This twisted perpetrator of unspeakable wickedness has caused many to search for explanation of his evil. No other historical leader has had his motives,†¦show more content†¦To me, the answer to that last question is, at the outset, the only clear-cut one. It is indeed worthwhile to study Hitler. If we do not, if we do not understand how he became who he was or how he came to power, we cannot prevent another Hitler from demeaning and destroying the lives of millions in our own time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ â€Å"These people must not be allowed to find out who I am. They must not know where I came from and who my family is.†Ã¢â‚¬â€Adolf Hitler, 1931 Adolf Hitler was born April 20, 1889, in the small Austrian town of Braunnau am Inn. He was the fourth child of Alois and Klara Hitler, although his three older siblings died before his birth. Adolf was therefore his mother’s oldest and favorite son, and so she favored him over his older half-siblings, and later over his younger siblings, Edmund and Paula. While the ancestry of Adolf’s mother is rather certain, his father, Alois, had a complicated life story which, to some extent, contributed to Adolf’s paranoia and anti-Semitism. Adolf’s father was born as the illegitimate child of Maria Schickelgruber, and despite the best efforts of historians, the identity of Alois’s biological father has never been firmly established. In addition to his mysterious paternity, Alois’s childhood was one marked by neglect. His mysterious father never acknowledged his son, and as a result, Alois bore his mother’s name for most of his life. When his mother’sShow MoreRelated Motives of Adolf Hitler in Audens Epitaph on a Tyrant and September 1, 1939761 Words   |  4 Pages Adolf Hitler was a very powerful man, and had a disturbing vision of how the world should be. W.H. Auden was interested in Adolf Hitler, and this interest can be seen in Auden’s poetry. September 1, 1939 and Epitaph on a Ty rant are two poems in which Auden scrutinizes Hitler’s actions. Auden uses symbolism in these two poems to illustrate the different aspects of Hitler’s life and actions. To begin with, Epitaph on a Tyrant personified Hitler’s obsession with â€Å"perfection of a kind.† The obsessionRead MoreAdolf Hitler And Joseph Stalin1872 Words   |  8 Pagesand the dark. The exact definition of good and evil is up for debate, but there are situations that are well known for being personifications of good and evil. For example, George Washington, Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln are prime examples of the goodness in society. There are, however, prime examples of the evil in the world personified a few men. Examples of these men are Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Both of these guys are known as evil men who rose from humble beginnings to foreverRead More War Creates Social Division, Not Cohesion Essay5403 Words   |  22 Pagespassionate assertion these men knew they had to make, for if they did not now, they may not be able to ever again. Gary Gerstle also made the point that if the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor was one reason for wi llingness to go to war, the evil Adolf Hitler personified was another driving force. Hitlers ruthless aggression towards Germanys neighbors and the brutality of verbal and physical attacks on Jews shocked Americans. (191) As the United States continued to face this dual threat of such powerRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesâ€Å"civilized† states, which affirmed their status by adhering to this growing body of THE GENDERING OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS OF LAW †¢ 123 law. Formal membership in the international community was seen to diminish â€Å"the evils of war† as part of a broader quest for peace and, thus, â€Å"serve the interests of humanity and the ever progressive needs of civilization,† to quote the 1899 language of the Hague Convention on the Laws and Customs of War on Land. But a Japanese diplomat