World Conservation Union Essay Example for Free

World Conservation Union Essay UNESCO is an international organization being a specialized agency of the United Nations. UNESCO was established in 1945 and their goal is to contribute and assist security and peace. Actually, UNESCO promotes international collaboration in the spheres of science, education and culture to achieve universal respect for promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is necessary to outline that the organization has five major programs (procedures): natural sciences, education, communication and information technologies, human and socials sciences and, finally, culture. UNESCO is assisted by government funds as well as by public and private sponsors, donations, etc. UNESCO is the sponsor of projects that involve teacher-training programs, literacy questions and international science programs. Special attention is paid to promotion of freedom of press, independent media, cultural history, cultural diversity, international cooperation, natural heritage, human rights and world-wide digital divide. Apparently, the organization has strong political support in all European and some Asian countries. The World Conservation Union is an international organization dealing with conservation of natural resources. This organization was founded in 1948 and nowadays brings together more than 80 states and hundred government agencies from countries around the world. The goals of the organization are: to affect, to assist and to stimulate societies of the world to protect and to conserve natural diversity and integrity; to provide guidance of natural resource and re-assure that any of them is ecologically sustainable. The main policies are: to provide guidance and technical support to UN organizations, international conventions and governments as well as to G8; to assist in developing of new sites for natural conservation; to contribute to natural biodiversity strategies an plans; to ensure technical support for environmental laws aimed at protection of natural resources, etc. Therefore, organization is funded by governments and private sponsors. References The World Conservation Union: an Alliance to Care for the Earth. (1994, February). Retrieved January 18, 2007, from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1310/is_1994_Feb/ai_15630441 Official Website of UNESCO. Retrieved January 18, 2007, from http://portal. unesco. org/en/ev. php-URL_ID=29008URL_DO=DO_TOPICURL_SECTION=201. html What is the World Conservation Union. Retrieved January 18, 2007, from http://www. iucn. org/en/about/

Engaging With Vulnerable People In Mental Health Social Work Essay

Engaging With Vulnerable People In Mental Health Social Work Essay In this essay I am going to write about vulnerable adults, how I could demonstrate professional values and how I could empower vulnerable people demonstrating respect and maintaining dignity. I will demonstrate an understanding of legislation and policy guidance, noting the strengths and weaknesses in accordance to NMC code of conduct. I will also briefly give the history of abuse, bringing in various Department of Health documents as clarification to demonstrate the need for current legislation regarding the protection of vulnerable adults. I will discuss how the ability to support my chosen case study and careers is seen as the key skill of the nurse, which requires a non judgmental approach which is essential to working in an anti oppressive practice. Definitions of vulnerability and anti discrimination will also be included as it is a comparison of NMC code of conduct. Vulnerable people all are very sensitive to the need of their independence and they can be vulnerable very easily for instance if they are in pain. So nurse should always understand how the impact of loos, change or grieving processes can affect the individual. I have chosen adult case study two which is Mamoun. He is vulnerable because, he has had an operation and he is in a lot of pain. Mamoun doesnt talk about the pain or ask for painkiller but if offered, he will take them. VULNERABLITY Vulnerability is people when support is required to enable or promote independent living and safe and active participation in the Community. To a certain extent some people or groups may be vulnerable because they perceive they are vulnerable e.g. if they believe they live in a high crime area when that is only a perception and not a fact. Iliffe.s et al (1998). Social exclusion is a process in which social, economic and cultural factors can combine to exclude individuals, groups and communities from participating in society and gaining access to economic, cultural and social resources. When combined, they create an acute form of exclusion in particular neighbourhoods. Having identified those groups who might be vulnerable the next stage is to decide the best means of helping them. The Evaluation Panel believes the primary aim should be to give vulnerable people as much control over their lives as possible to mitigate the circumstances that make them vulnerable. Parker. J. (2006) A vulnerable adult is any person aged 18 or over who is or may be in need of community care services because of disability, age or illness, and who is or may be unable to take care of themselves, or is unable to protect themselves from significant harm or abuse. Vulnerable adults could include older people, people with a visual or hearing impairment, physical disability, learning disabilities or mental health problem, and people living with illness. Vulnerability can also be described as unprotected, unguarded, open to attack, helpless and weak Oxford. (2002). in another way if anyone walks at night in dangerous area we all tend to be vulnerable or able to be hurt. Mamoun is a sixty two years old Muslim man who is based on in so much pain after his operation and he is vulnerable because he is isolated from his religious or cultural activities. He may have nobody to talk to or no family to visit him as well as language and culture problem. Mamoun may experience from a very limited health care service or he may not happy the way he treated which can make him more vulnerable. So even though he doesnt answer questions politely and never ask for PRN pain relief, it is the responsibility of nurses to give full attention and see his reaction of his pain. When I am on my duty, I must make sure that he is in a good condition by checking him all the time. If he is in pain, it shows when looking at him so it is impossible to wait for him to ask for pain relief. Mamoun may has no idea about medicines and he is unable to talk it may be lack of communication skills or language problem. Having said that I could look in different way for example, get interpret er, being nice, friendly, kind, understand his pain and make sure that he trusts me. According to NMC cod of conduct the following professional values will inform and guide all work with vulnerable adults: Treat people as individual avoid discriminatory in any way against the patients, treat kindly and act as an advocate NMC (2008). Work effectively with a team able to be flexible within teams, respect and support each other. Privacy the right of individuals to be left alone or undisturbed, and free from intrusion or public attention into their affairs. Dignity all people will be treated with respect. Each individuals unique characteristics and intrinsic value will be recognised. Independence the right to act and think without reference to another person. Choice the opportunity to make both small and more significant life choices, with assistance as appropriate to understand context and options; the opportunity to make choices in the individuals own interest, exercising the choice to take risks Laverack.G. (2005). . Rights the maintenance of all entitlements a ssociated with citizenship, including full participation in the life of the community Iliffe.s et al (1998). Abuse against vulnerable adults has been noted since the 1960s, although certain types of abuse would have taken place before then, society has changed and what is acceptable now is certainly different to what was acceptable back then. People became quite vocal in the 60s, more open minded and speech and opinions flowing freely an example of this would be the topic of sex and drugs. Iliffe.s et al (1998). Abuse is a violation of an individuals human and civil rights by another person. It may consist of a single act or repeated acts. It may be planned or unplanned. It may be the result of deliberate intent, negligence or ignorance. It may happen when a vulnerable adult is persuaded to enter into a transaction to which they have not consented or cannot consent. Abuse besed on many forms some of them that more comenly knowen are include: Physical Abuse for example, hitting, pushing, and shaking over medicating or otherwise causing physical harm. Sexual Abuse for example unwanted touching, kissing or sexual activity. Or where the vulnerable adult cannot or does not give their consent it mayt be. Psychological / Emotional Abuse including verbal abuse, humiliation bullying or the use of threats Iliffe.s et al (1998). Financial Abuse the illegal or improper use of a persons money, property, pension book, bank account or other belongings. Neglect the repeated deprivation of help or care that a vulnerable adult needs which, if withdrawn, will cause him or her to suffer. Institutional Abuse abuse, neglect, withdrawal of rights or continually poor care in a care home setting. Discriminatory Abuse Including racist or sexist abuse, and abuse based on a persons disability, and other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment. Abuse can take place in their own home, by familly or any other visitor, or in someone elses home, by a relative, friend or neighbou, in a residential or nursing home, by a paid or volunteer carer, in a day centre, adult education centre or other establishment, by an occasional visitor or service provider, in a hospital or GP surgery, mayt happen by a professional worker. ANTI-DISCRIMINATERY Anti-discrimination practice is a positive action to avoid discrimination. It is abut being presenting positive image of people equal opportunities policy in all aspect programs that take place and also challenging any discriminatory or oppressive language and behavior Parker.J. (2006). There are different tyeps of discrimination, such as more commonly known, racism, disablism and ageism. One of the things we do when meeting people is to make assumptions about them which can make them more cnfortable. Discriminatory language often betrays assumptions that have not been based on accurate knowledge or on cultural stereotypes. Often it emphasises the superiority of the speaker or the groups that she/he represents. This need not be conscious for it to be offensive and exasperating. Non-discriminatory language promotes exclusivity by the deliberate attempt to ensure that the language used promotes the equality of all people Parker.J. (2006). The role of training is always to ensure that the maximum number of people possible have access to the information they need.   Particular intention must be given to avoiding the use of technical language and jargon. Workers have an obligation to ensure that everyone who can benefit from their service has an opportunity to access it, and whilst they are using it, to be treated in a way that accords their need for decency and self- respect Laverack.G. (2005). As a trainer to model good practice, I have to be serious about my responsibility to ensure that the patients have an opportunity to participate in the event and achieve their maximum learning potential. I also need to have good practice how to speak in appropriated language and behaviour. It is very important to make an action plan for acceptable language and behaviour as a professional. All trainers must avoid using language or behaviour that is in any way discriminatory.   Mamoun may be increased risk due to the unaware of his rights, socially isolated, not know how to complain and has communication difficulties. He may also has difficulty understanding certain decisions or transactions and may have limited life experience and find it difficult to anticipate. In this case, there are different kinds of things to think about such as development of social networks keeping in contact with family, friends, and neighbours as he is isolated. I will encourage him to access to social groups which may help him to make friends. Access to support groups I will get interpreter for him if he has language problem. Support and advice, I will support him in caring for him and I will advice him to tell as his problem in order to improve and maintain his health. Assessment of needs, as I mention on the above for client who is unable to talk I will assess by psychologically understanding for example, watching the patient if any behaviour or act change think about his foo d and asking of his needs. REFLECTING From this essay, I have learnt a value of social work for instance philosophical and academic thinking in order to assess clients needs and circumstances. I have also learnt the role of NMC code of conduct and I have developed skills and professional knowledge to work effectively with vulnerable people. The NMC code of conduct helped me to understand how the laws and policies were applied to these such good example cases. Adult Case Study 2 was a unique case for me as although the service user did not have any mental health needs he required help with foll servisce. This essay teaches me the aspect of nursing I can reflect on, the use of the word experience in nursing, how self awareness is central to reflection and how the development of other skills will aid reflection. In the future I believe that I will be able to demonstrate and work closely with both service users to support them, by assessing their needs, reviewing risks, policies and procedures that apply to them. This essay will help me make my work clear to service user and also more open to review so I can improve my practice in the future.

Can Experts Disagree on the Same Facts?

Can Experts Disagree on the Same Facts? Prescribed Title 5: Given access to the same facts, how is it possible that there can be disagreement between experts in a discipline? Develop your answer with reference to two areas of knowledge. For centuries scientists and historians alike have debated topics within their field of study. Whether it be the structure of an atom or the cause of the fall of the Roman Empire, experts in these fields often disagree despite having access to the same exact facts and information. These separate interpretations of data leads to the question of how it is possible that the same facts do not always point to the same general truths. Although experts in the fields of science and history have access to the same facts, the experts who analyze and interpret these facts are human beings, whose thoughts are impacted by the different cultures, experiences, and perspectives in which they were raised. One important question that needs to be raised is what makes someone an expert? Better yet, what is a fact? An expert is someone who has an extensive background in a certain subject and is recognized by others as having a comprehensive understanding of a specific topic. This means that they have a great understanding of the subject matter of which they are an expert, and others can attest to this proficiency. Facts are known truths that are commonly accepted and verifiable. A fact must be verifiable in order to be legitimate. Understanding these terms allows us to truly understand the nature of historians and scientists and their interpretations of information. One of the most important, yet most debatable, tasks that a historian must complete is weighing evidence after reviewing historical facts. Historians make decisions based on many different pieces of evidence. They decide how important each piece of evidence is to the way that history played out. This brings up the question of the extent to which the weighing of evidence by historians in relation to events in history is subjective or objective. The weighing of evidence tends to be subjective simply because of the often multiple different causes of certain events in history. This can be seen in the analysis of almost every historical event in recorded history, but especially in the analysis of the cause of World War II. Many different factors played into the cause of World War II. Between the economic sanctions imposed by countries such as the United States and Great Britain, political tension between the major powers, or expansionist foreign policies of Italy, Germany, and Japan, no single cause can be seen as the only one to start to war (History.com staff). However, deciding which cause had the greatest impact on war is what historians debate over and weigh evidence over, yet they often come to separate conclusions. The different cultures, experiences, and perspectives of the historians leads to their different interpretations and evaluations of evidence in history. Although these experts analyze the same data, the lenses through which they view the evidence are different. Historians do their best to analyze facts and their impact on history with total objectivity, yet the nature of the weighing of evidence is very subjective. Historians have to use their own personal values and emotions, based on their own personal culture and experiences, in order to evaluate evidence and make decisions based on these evaluations. This also brings up the question of the extent to which the upbringings of a historian has an impact on their analysis of historical facts. All historians grow up in unique situations and so their view on the world and the way humans interact with each other is slightly different. Furthermore, their opinions on the interactions of foreign powers can often be impacted by their nationalities and the education they received. This personal opinion is most prominently seen with debate over differing political ideologies and their impact on foreign nations. I saw this debate first hand in my history class. The topic of the discussion was Cuba and the rise of Castro as a communist dictator. As the child of a Cuban exile, I have heard anecdotes from people who lived and suffered under the dictatorship of Fidel Castro. My family has seen the thousands of people who were killed under his command and the conditions of the Cuban people because of his policies. Undoubtedly, because of my personal upbringings, I am biased against Castro and communism in general. This extremely negative experience with communism has swayed my opinion about the political ideology to a great extent. However, in class, my history teacher argued that Fidel Castro had a great, positive impact on Cuba and the Cuban people. My teacher claimed that Castro reduced the unemployment rate and generally improved the average living conditions of the Cuban people. Just like historians, both my teacher and I were analyzing the same facts about the same country, yet were drawing drastically different conclusions. We were weighing evidence based on our own personal cultures and beliefs and drawing conclusions about the general nature of the regime. This personal example gives insight to the debates that historians go through in order to come to conclusions about events or topics in history. Historians attempt to decipher data in an objective way, yet the weighing of evidence is subjective and easily influenced by the culture of the historian. In this way, historians rarely come to the same conclusions based on the same facts simply because each individual historian is weighing evidence based on their own unique personal experiences. These experiences and aspects of their culture give each historian a predisposed idea about topics in history that causes them to evaluate events in history in different ways. In the field of science, the different types of data often leads to disagreement and separate conclusions based on this data. In science, the two main types of data are quantitative and qualitative; quantitative data being data that can be measured in numbers while qualitative data being data that can be observed and described. Quantitative data tends to not only be more precise, but also easier to reproduce. On the other hand, qualitative data is measured based on the scientists interpretations of a certain quality within an experiment. For example, when performing titrations, scientists often use color indicators to show when the titration is complete. However, they must decide for their own when the color has changed sufficiently for the titration to be considered complete. This leads to a large amount of room for error. This same experiment can be performed around the world several times by experts in the field of science yet they may all come to different conclusions about the d ata. This imprecision of this data leads to the question of the extent to which the preconceived ideas of scientists affects the way they interpret data. Often times in science, data is either difficult to describe, as in the exact color of a solution when a titration is complete, or in instances where an experiment cannot be conducted in order to test a theory. For example, String Theory was proposed by scientists years ago and many scientists continue to support it today. In the words of Richard Dawid, On one side of the divide stand most of those physicists who work on string physics and in fields like inflationary cosmology or high energy particle physics model building, which are strongly influenced by string physics. Yet, many other experts disagree and refuse to support the theory. They, consider string theory a vastly overrated speculation, and without being able to conduct an experiment to prove the theory, it is not valid. They refuse to consider the evidence proposed by scienti sts who support the theory simply based on this single idea. The nature of a scientists research can help explain why many scientists can come to different conclusions when analyzing the same data. When a scientist sets out to conduct an experiment, they often have a goal in mind. Whether they are trying to prove a theory correct or make a new discovery, scientists often have preconceived ideas about the topic of which their experiment is concerned. In other cases, scientists are being supported financially by investors who are looking for the scientists to come to certain conclusions, especially in relation to medicines where investors are looking to create a new drug in order to make a profit. Because of this, scientists often have biases when conducting experiments. This leads to them analyzing data in a way that will support their goals. They will often disregard or assign insignificant value data that contradicts the claim they are trying to support. This is generally the source of disagreement between scientists when analyzing the same d ata. Every day, historians and scientists alike are analyzing undisputable facts. They look at these facts and come to completely separate conclusions. As human beings, we all are subject to interpreting facts through the subjective lenses of our cultures and personal experiences. Although experts in both the fields of history and science may try to be objective as possible, certain elements of research in these fields require subjective analysis that can vary from expert to expert. This gives way to differing conclusions among experts in the fields of science and history and, in general, disagreements between experts in a certain field despite having access to the same facts. Works Cited Dawid, Richard. String Theory and the Scientific Method. Cambridge: Cambridge U, 2015. Print. History.com Staff. World War II History. History.com. AE Television Networks, 2009. Web. 15 Feb. 2017. .

raccoon report Essays -- essays research papers

Raccoon Report GENERAL OVERVIEW   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Raccoons (Procyon lotor) belong to the Procyonidae (those who came before the dogs’ family). This highly intelligent mammal has a rounded head with a short nose, small ears, and a sturdy body with minimum-length, thick, grayish brown fur. Raccoons are easily identified by a distinctive pattern of alternating black and yellowish white rings around a large bushy tail. They are also identified by a unique narrow black face mask with two white patches above the eyes. The average length is 2 to 3 feet long (including the tail) and 12 inches high, weigh 8 to 22 pounds (heaviest in autumn), and live for 10 to 13 years. Females produce one litter per year, numbering from one to six kilts and averaging four to five. SPECIAL FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS Raccoons have had a long time to adjust and adapt to different surroundings. Raccoons have keen senses of smell and hearing. (Blashfield, 2004) They are strong and agile, hence good tree and fence climbers. Each foot has five long and slender digits, which operate with remarkable dexterity. This was an adaptation developed for living in dense forests and heavy tree populated areas. In the wild, they use their front feet for finding food in water, opening shellfish, and conveying food to the mouth. In urban areas the raccoon has learned to dig through human garbage as a significant food source. In adapting to human habitat, they often apply this dexterity to opening garba...

John Updikes A&P Essay -- English Literature

John Updike's A&P Many of the events that take place in John Updike's "A&P" would not have happened had the town lived under a Marxist society. Marxism is a socio-economic ideal where all people work for the good of the community and is characterized by not having any social class distinctions. The division of Classes in "A&P" is very apparent, especially between Sammy, the protagonist and first person narrator, and the three girls, one of the three antagonists, who walk into the store during the exposition. There is also a cast disparity between Sammy and Lengel, the store manager and another antagonist (along with society, who complete the three). A distinction is also noticeable between the three girls and the rest of the shoppers in the convenience store. The story is told entirely in flashback and is set in a grocery store in a town north of Boston, Massachusetts during one Thursday in summer. During the exposition we learn that Sammy is working one of the cash registers. Later in the story we are told that he is 19 years old and by his description of how his parents treat company we can assume he comes from a middle class family. We are lead to believe during Sammys narration that the three girls, on the other hand, come from a rich or high societal background. The way Queenie is described by Sammy as having prima-donna legs and walking slow while holding herself straight paints a portrait of a high society woman. The fact that Sammy calls her prim twice also leads us in that direction. Sammy looks up to Queenie because she is different and places her on a higher level than the "sheep" in the store. When Sammy quits his job, creating a conflict between he and Lengel, his motive is to become the .. ...ls us she was embarrassed by the whole situation-where she felt out of place because of her high stature in society. These scenes, of course, would never have taken place in Marxist cultures because the government would have provided for it's citizens and the girls would have never found themselves being humiliated in front of a lesser class of people. All the conflicts that take place in Updike's "A&P" would have been avoided in a Marxist society. Lengel and Sammy would have never had a confrontation because Sammy would not have been trying to impress a high society girl. Likewise, the three girls would not have found themselves shopping for a snack in the A&P because the government would have provided it for them. This leaves us with one question, however, In a Marxist society, would Sammy have realized his adulthood or would he have remained a child?

“Immigrant” becomes dirtiest word as Americans are told to speak English

A recent article from the Independent Newspaper's correspondent in New York brings to our attention â€Å"the current mood of xenophobia† in the USA. After approximately two centuries of welcoming immigrants from around the world, it would seem that the Americans have begun to mistrust and to some extent, even fear the very people that have historically given them such a dynamic and diverse country, namely, foreign immigrants. There are several reasons for this recent shift in perspective, two of which are, recent terrorist attacks on American servicemen in Saudi Arabia and an explosion on an American airline flight, that foreign terrorists caused some people suspect. Historian, Arthur Schlesinger has spoken on â€Å"the tribalization of American life† and appears to be suggesting that the different ethnic groups in America are arranging themselves into their own groups and not crossing ethnic boundaries. One symptom of this seems to be the gang culture that exists, where each gang is alleged to be made up from members of the same ethnic group. A key factor in this is language, generally people who only speak one language find it difficult to mix with other ethnic groups or cultures, or indeed find it difficult to understand other cultures viewpoint. As a result of all of these difficulties, the government has introduced a bill called â€Å"The English Language Empowerment Act† the main purpose of which is to make English the official language of America. It is perceived by Republicans, that this Act will encourage immigrants to learn English, as it will be difficult, if not impossible for them to understand federal documents that are written in English. The Act has already been criticised for infringing on American's right to free speech and making it difficult for non-English speaking Americans to receive or even understand information or ideas. It is a safe assumption to make, that if people can't speak English, then they will be unable to understand written English. This argument would seem to carry a significant amount of weight. People have put forward the argument that this Act is connected with attitudes towards Immigrants. This argument seems to be borne out by the fact that there is nothing in the Act that will help to actually teach people how to speak or read English, rather it seems to punish those who can't by denying them access to written information. It has also been pointed out by opponents to the Act, that ninety seven percent of Americans speak English already and a very small proportion of government documents (around one percent,) are actually written in a foreign language. Some people looking at these statistics, would argue that there is no need for this Act, unless it were to force people into becoming â€Å"more American† and punishing those who preferred to stick to their own language and culture. This argument seems to be borne out further by another piece of Republican proposed legislation, the welfare reform Bill. One provision of this Bill would be that, immigrants who are in America quite legally, but are not yet citizens, would not be eligible for state welfare benefits, yet another form of â€Å"immigrant bashing† some might say. Hot button as mentioned in the article; a controversial thing of the moment, it is a happening now situation. Enduring canard, a lasting ongoing issue, to accept with a certain amount of tolerance regarding political correctness, in this case a probability that it has come about in the course of sensationalism and cock-and-bull story of this report in America's newspapers. Polyglot America Speaking, reading and writing many different languages, in this case America.

Asceticism in Hasidic Thought as a response to the Sabbatean

Moodiness and the Hashish thinkers agreed to the concept of prohibiting a culture of unbridled licentiousness, reasoning that a life of excessive indulgence in the physical pleasures would not only serve to significantly detract from man's physical productiveness but would also derogate his spiritual qualities, adversely affecting his ability to understand and properly worship his God. Therefore, both placed considerable constraints on man's sexual life, ordinances extending far beyond the strict rabbinic decrees governing martial relations.Only with these guidelines in place did both Moodiness and the Hashish thinkers feel hat man could achieve the proper level of devotion to God and his Torah in the physical world, despite the seemingly ubiquitous pleasures of the flesh. However, while both Moodiness and the Hashish thinkers offer different principles for differing levels of religiosity, they do not follow the same guidelines for determining the requisite levels of devotion to God. Appropriately, both Moodiness and the Hashish thinkers divide their restrictions, positing two distinct levels of prescribed action: one for a higher spiritual man and another for a lower spiritual man. It appears that the level promulgated by Moodiness for his higher spiritual man is in practice parallel to that of the Hashish lower spiritual man. Thus, while both agree in principle to the utilization of ascetic means in an effort to increase one's religiosity, they diverge as to where the proper level of asceticism should be for their higher and lower spiritual men.What is to account for this difference in thought? I would like to posit that this change in thought came about, in part, due to the licentious sins of the Sabina movement and its inheritors. The ascetic lifestyle advocated by several Hashish leaders and thinkers, cumulating with Rabbi McCann of Burbles, may be viewed as a reactionary response to Sebastian movements, particularly Franking, and their well-known sexual mi sconduct. Moodiness Approach to Asceticism Moodiness presents a dual approach to asceticism's interaction with spiritual man's physical life.In his philosophical corpus More Invective, Moodiness writes: One should detach his thought from, and abolish his desire for bestial things†¦ The pleasures of eating, drinking, sexual intercourse and in general of the sense of touch†¦ We have it so far as we are animals like other beasts, and nothing that belongs o the notion of humanity pertains to it. 2 Further on in the More Invective he adds: (Eating, drinking, and copulation) should be reduced to the extent possible: one should do them in secret, should feel sorrowful because one does them†¦A man should be in control of all these impulses, (and) restrict his efforts in relation to them. 3 Here Moodiness describes a paradigm for the ascetic lifestyle. He endorses a pleasure-free existence, advocating for not only â€Å"control† and â€Å"restriction,† but for â €Å"sorrow' as well. Further, he stresses the inhumanity present within the annalistic shires of man, something which man should â€Å"detach his thought from, and abolish his desire for. † Yet, in his legal code Mishmash Torah, Moodiness adopts an entirely different perspective regarding man's involvement with and enjoyment of the physical pleasures.There he states: Possibly a person may say: Since envy, cupids, and ambition are evil qualities to cultivate and lead to a man's ruin, I will avoid them to the uttermost and seek their contraries. † A person following this principle, will not eat meat, or drink wine, or marry, or dwell in a descant home, or wear comely apparel, but will clothe himself in sackcloth and coarse wool like the idolaters priests. This too, is the wrong way, not to be followed†¦ Such have the sages said, â€Å"Do not the prohibitions of the Torah suffice you that you add other for yourself? And concerning this and similar excess Solomon exh orts us, â€Å"Be not over-righteous, nor excessively wise. Wherefore should you be desolate? 4 The passage from the Mishmash Torah contradicts the previously presented thoughts found in the More Invective. Moodiness writes not only about how one should participate in worldly pleasures, but also that whoever refrains from doing so is mimed a sinner. This suggests that an ideal exists to engage in the physical actions of the world, something which is reflected, no doubt, in the various Halation which demand pleasurable physical activity. Such an idea contrasts sharply with Moodiness's statement in the More Invective that man should feel â€Å"sorrowful† and perform the physical actions of eating and cohabitation â€Å"in secret. † In the next section of Mishmash Torah, Moodiness continues with this formulation, explaining exactly what one should sense when engaged in the physical activities of life: Man would direct his heart and all his actions only for the aim of kno wing God, and his sitting, arising, and speaking should all be considered in that light†¦When he eats, drinks, and cohabits, he should not intend to do these things only for the sake of pleasure, to the extent that he eats and drinks only that which is sweet to the taste, or engages in sex for the purpose of pleasure. Rather, he should eat and drink only for the purpose of making his body and limbs healthy†¦ He should not engage in intercourse when he desires it, but only when he knows that he must for reasons of lath emit seed, or for the purpose of propagation. 6 â€Å"Man,† Moodiness says, â€Å"Must direct his heart and all his actions only for the aim of knowing God. Thus, according to Moodiness, when man has both the proper intentions as well as the bodily need, there exists no reason to abstain from the physical activities. In fact, it seems that engagement in such acts, when done within the proper religious context, serve to enhance and increase one's relig iosity. Further, in the next section, Moodiness elevates this idea of physical permissibility, suggesting that man's actions, when fused with the proper intentions, re not only acceptable but even inherently good, as they are intrinsically forms of divine service.Here he states: Whoever throughout his life follows this course of will be continually serving God, even while engaged in business and even during cohabitation, because his purpose in all that he does will be to satisfy his needs so as to have a sound body with which to serve God. Even when he sleeps and seeks repose, to calm his mind and rest his body, so as not to fall sick and be incapacitated from serving God, his sleep is service of the Almighty.In this sense our sages charges s, â€Å"Let all your deeds be for the sake of God† And Solomon in his wisdom, said, â€Å"In all your ways know him†¦ â€Å"7 The statement â€Å"Even when he sleeps†¦ His sleep is service of the Almighty' stands in sharp con trast to the lowly position of religious value assigned to man's physical needs by Moodiness in his More Invective. In this section, not only are man's physical actions warranted and accepted as both natural and seemingly neutral facts of life, but rather they are also imbued with positive religious status.Man's actions, when practiced with the proper intentions and requisite control, serve not only as ids to one's strive for spiritual perfection, but even as genuine forms of serving God in and of themselves. For what reason does such a discrepancy between the thoughts of Moodiness in More Invective and Mishmash Torah exist? 8 Perhaps, the answer lies in the fundamental difference between More Invective and Mishmash Torah. Mishmash Torah was written for everyone; the intended audience includes both scholar and layman, and Moodiness therefore approached the topic of sexuality from the layman's perspective.To be sure, Moodiness did not warrant limitless sexual activity to any degree, yet he did grant man the right to sexual activity when an both desired it (I. E. Bodily needs) and his intentions were properly rooted in the service of God. In More Invective however, Moodiness's intended audience was of an entirely different nature. More Invective was written for the spiritually elite,9 the ones who engrossed themselves in the study of philosophy, what Moodiness himself termed â€Å"the zenith of all Torah study. 10 For these students of philosophy the level of asceticism presented in Mishmash Torah does not suffice. Indeed, they are held to a higher level of religious observance and hence must maintain a holier epistyle, one which includes more stringent ascetic practices than those required of the masses. Sebastian and Frankest Anti-Ascetic Practices Before discussing the particulars of the Sebastian and Frankest sexual practices, it is important to note that there are a number of corollaries between Sebastian and Hashish's.I would argue that these similarities were a factor in pushing the Hashish thinkers towards a more ascetic approach. To begin, both movements are ones of renewal while concurrently claiming to be movements of restoration. While undoubtedly new religious sects, each claim that they're teachings emanate for rotational Judaism. Second, Sabbaticals texts, which had not been central religious sources up to this era, take on a pivotal role in each movement. Third, both movements emerge not from the religious or intellectual elite, but rather from the plebian classes.This results in attitudes of skepticism and even contempt from the rabbinic authorities. Fourth, as popular movements, they are each shrouded in mystery, with neither program not platform in their nascent stages. Fifth, both movements share a doctrinal characteristic in their need for and reverence of a communal leader. This leader, a Attack for Hashish and Shabbiest Seven for the Sebastian (and later Jacob Frank and Eva Frank for the Franklins), is a key aspect in each movements thought, without whom the movement would collapse.Lastly, the two movements, particularly Franking and Hashish's, share geographic-temporal similarities, with the action centering on the area of Podia, Ukraine in the mid- eighteenth century. 11 Claims of sexual libertarianism and anti-ascetic behavior against Shabbiest Seven are well known. Surgeons Schools, in his magna opus on the Sebastian movement, describes Shabbiness strange, paradoxical ascetic behavior saying: When he became master over a large number of enthusiastic followers he loud indulge his fondness of alternating semiotic and semantic rituals†¦ E can easily imagine him clad in phylacteries, singing psalms and surrounded by women and wine. The picture fits the twilight atmosphere of Subtask's erotic mysticism. â€Å"12 Choler's depiction of Shabbiest leaves us with a clear image of a cult-leader, whose frequently vacillating whims and fancies were indulged at will. Indeed, Shabbiest is known to have been â€Å"a lewd person,†13 and several accounts speak of him confiscating betrothed and virgin women for short periods of time in what were allegedly platonic arrangements. When it comes to the Frankest movement, the claims of immorality grow ten-fold, making Shabbiest look like a celibate. Egregious sexual behavior was the norm, with instances of incest and other licentious acts commonplace. As described by Dad Rapport-Albert: There is evidence to suggest that the discipline of sexual abstinence was broken intermittently by orgiastic ceremonies conducted at precisely those times?the holiest days on the Jewish calendar?at which the Sebastian had traditionally engaged in antinomian activity.Ruches Frank, for example, is said to have summoned to his private chamber three nouns women whom he forced to carry out â€Å"shameful acts,† â€Å"abominations† and â€Å"wherefrom and other forbidden acts† on the Day of Atonement of 1800, and Jacob Frank himse lf was reported early in his career to have presided over a secret ceremony at which all the â€Å"brothers† and â€Å"sisters† were to Join him and his wife in a darkened room where partners were exchanged in a collective sex-act.The coexistence of sexual abstinence and profligate rites of illicit sexuality, which is by no means unusual in the history of sectarian religion, was a characteristic feature of Sebastian from the start†¦ 5 The Frankest approach to unbridled sexual ecstasy, whose rationale was based upon Sabbaticals scatological teachings of removing the yoke of Halvah in preparation for the redemption, found itself in these acts of extreme sexual perversion.Indeed, as Pale Emaciate describes, the Frankest truly believed that these acts were correct and sanctioned by God: Samuel of Buss states that â€Å"it is permissible to have children and to have sexual intercourse with someone else's wife or one's own sister, or even?though only in secret?with one 's own mother†¦ ‘ had carnal relations with the wife of my son†¦ And I believe that all this is permitted because God commanded us to do thus. Other testimonies described the breaking of the prohibition of incest, having sexual relations with menstruating women, masturbation (also in public) as well as the practice of sexual hospitality whereby a host offered his wife or daughter to a stranger coming as a guest to his house†¦ The women interrogated by the Station belt din reported that they slept with strangers â€Å"upon the wish of their husbands,† who â€Å"told them it was a positive commandment. â€Å"16 According to the above, Frankest Hashish Judaism Approach to AsceticismRegarding the interaction between man's sexuality and his strive for spirituality, Hashish literature does not leave us wanting. The Maggie of Mechanize spoke of converting oneself into an â€Å"main† or â€Å"state of nothingness† during the act of intercourse. In an obviously physical act it is quite telling that the Maggie calls for the absolute negation of one's physical self. Essentially, the Maggie states that sex, while both an important and necessary part of life, is not an act which should induce Joy or pleasure. 7 The Magic's foremost pupil Rabbi Eliminate of Lichens (1717-1786) rived this teaching from a verse in Genesis 4:1 which states: â€Å"And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore Cain, and said: ‘I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD. '18 The question asked on this verse was why the Biblical author used the word ‘know for intercourse instead of a more descriptive word for the action. The answer given was that Adam did not act correctly during intercourse.Instead of directing all his thought to concentrate on God in heaven, he focused on his wife and her physicality, as well as his personal sexual enjoyment, thus â€Å"knowing† err. As David Bible explained, â€Å"Dam's sin was not sexuality itself but the desire and physical enjoyment that was aroused in him while having intercourse. â€Å"19 Perhaps then, this is speaking of not only the prerequisite negation of one's physical interaction and enjoyment, but also of the necessity to shun one's mental involvement with the act of intercourse.This idea is quite analogous to Moodiness's remarks in More Invective, namely that â€Å"one should detach his thought from, and abolish his desire for, bestial things. â€Å"20 Just as the Hashish thinkers discussed the actions and emotions associated with the act of intercourse, so too did they instruct regarding the proper times when the sexual act is permitted. Such an idea is found in the writing of Menace Mendel of Katz (1787-1859), who is considered to be one of the strongest advocates for asceticism among first generation Hashish's. 1 He writes in his work Meet Vehemence about how the biblical infraction of illicit sexual relations may be applied to unnecessary r elations with one's wife, even those outside of the prohibited Indian period. 22 Such a view essentially prohibits one to engage in elation's with his wife unless there exists a valid Halfback reason (such as the Matzoth of Noah or Pre Reeve) for doing so. This idea is quite similar to the guidelines which Moodiness prescribes for the spiritually elite in More Invective, 23 that one should â€Å"reduce to the extent possible†24 engagement in the physical pleasures of the world.Rabbi McCann of Burbles (1772-1810) took ascetic practice a step further than others, to a level which has no parallel in Moodiness's writings. Rabbi McCann is known for his famous claim of â€Å"for me men and woman are the name,†25 meaning that not only had he restrained his physical actions, but that he had also completely conquered his innate sexual drive. Yet, in the Hay Maharani, Rabbi McCann seems to vacillate between intense euphoria on his supposed overcoming of sexual desire and deep de pression at the realization that such a desire had yet again returned to tempt him. 6 Perhaps such a state of mind drove Rabbi McCann to the extreme edge of the ascetic spectrum. Rabbi McCann, in several of the works ascribed to him, describes the idea of sexual lusts as the root of all human sin and desire. Thus, it may be said that Rabbi McCann strives to not only curb his sexual passions and avoid all forms of illicit sexuality (such as lascivious thoughts), but also to uproot and eradicate the innate human sexual drive from his conscience. 7 Such an audacious endeavor was not intended for the masses; rather, it was reserved for the elite few, and quite possibly for Rabbi McCann alone, of whom it was said, â€Å"was keen on asserting that he, the true Addict,' had achieved the supreme indifference to sexuality that the earlier masters had only preached. â€Å"28 The idea of guarding oneself to the extent of not attaining pleasure in the act of intercourse may be found in the as cetic practices of Rabbi McCann.True, Rabbi McCann recognized the significance of the act of intercourse in its role as facilitator of the fulfillment of Halfback obligations, yet he did not find anything attractive or pleasurable in the act itself. Rather, for him the act took on a feeling of actual physical pain: Copulation is difficult for the true Addict. Not only does he have no desire for it at all, but he experiences real suffering which is like that which the infant undergoes when he is circumcised. This very same suffering, to an even greater degree, is felt by the Addict during intercourse. The infant has no awareness; thus his suffering is not so great.But the Addict, because he is aware of the pain, suffers more greatly than does the infant. 29 Rabbi Manama's concept of experiencing the pain of circumcision during the sexual act finds itself on the extreme outskirts of Hashish thought. While, as mentioned above, some advocate for a connection to God as opposed to one's p artner during intercourse, and some like Moodiness discuss denying oneself pleasure in the act itself, very few go so far as to assert that one should have negative, painful feelings during intercourse in an effort to facilitate a parietal, as opposed to a physical, nexus.Rabbi McCann however, stresses that only through the negation of physical pleasure could the Addict consecrate the act of intercourse; only with the physical pain of circumcision could the Addict raise the coarse annalistic nature of the sexual act to a sanctified performance, one which beholds divine partnership within the process of procreation. 30 Manama's call for a prerequisite asceticism to facilitate a proper spiritual cleaving to God places him far beyond anything previously advocated by normative or Hashish Judaism. Yet, RabbiMcCann clearly states that this is the level of the Addict, and not that of the ordinary man. Several authors quote him as saying that â€Å"every man can be worthy of achieving this level,31† and indeed on a theoretical plane this may be true. Practically though, Rabbi McCann never demanded this of his followers, rather reserving these ascetic ideals for the true Addict, the elite core of the Hashish community, someone like Rabbi McCann himself. Conclusion Sexuality poses a unique challenge to the religious man: how can one synthesize the pleasures of the flesh with his spiritual beliefs?The answer, according to Moodiness and several Hashish thinkers, is found in individuals acts of asceticism, actions which go beyond the raw restrictions and requirements of Halvah, deeds which serve to redeem the religious man from his bestial and perhaps even sinful instincts. While the need for such actions is agreed upon by both Moodiness and the Hashish thinkers, the extent to which they must permeate man's existence is a matter of controversy. Moodiness ‘s higher spiritual man is placed on par with the average spiritual man in Hashish thought, while the Hashi sh Addict, according to RabbiMcCann, takes upon himself ascetic measures far beyond those advocated for by Moodiness. As discussed above, I believe that this Hashish tendency towards asceticism came about, in part, due to its many shared factors with the Sebastian movement and desire to distance itself from the sexual immortality found among the Sebastian and Franklins. Whereas normative Maidenhead Judaism advanced two set forms of ascetic behavior, the Hashish movement saw it necessary to expand on these ascetic guidelines in an effort to distance itself from its wayward, licentious neighbors.