Thursday, December 26, 2019

Personal Philosophy Reflection Paper - 1388 Words

1. My Work: As an Educator, my goal is to provide a safe, healthy, nurturing, and cooperative learning environment for all children in my classroom. I believe that if children are taught to self-regulate early in life, it could be a lifelong skill. I provide a print-rich environment that allows children to practice literacy skills in their classroom and understand concepts about books or print, alphabet, and letter-sound relationships. I offer activities that promote literacy knowledge and skills that support the foundation for reading and writing. I give children the opportunity to connect with their peers by providing space for large and small group interaction. Activities where children can observe and recorded finding, explore,†¦show more content†¦In the larger community, the participation I have is a being a member of the NAEYC. 2. Analysis of Knowledge Working with children means it take a whole community to help children be successful in building relationships with adults, peers, teachers, and families. It means working with families, outside sources and providing an adequate environment for children to be socially-emotionally ready for school readiness. Therefore, when children are in my care, I would assess the development level of children on an ongoing basis using the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) system in my classroom. This system was developed to observe, document, and reflect children’s learning and development progress (CDE, 2010). I gather observations from staff, and parents use screenings to help individualize and set goals for the children in my classroom. I collect work samples from the children and place in a portfolio to show their growth and development. I complete a summary of School Readiness Progress three times a year and share my documentation with parents in t he classroom. Parents and I develop goals for the children based on children’s needs and interest. The goals will allow me to individualize, or custom make my lesson plan target every student based on their needs. Using observation relates to Performance Area 1. Observation.Show MoreRelatedPersonal Philosophy Reflection Paper1203 Words   |  5 PagesFor the past six weeks, I learned how philosophy has influenced the world globally. Learning that when human beings voice their thoughts with others, they receive a chance to change the world, especially if one person speaks one on one, one personage can change the world of one body. My belief in the power of language is strengthened by philosophy. This philosophy course has encouraged me to share my opinions that are not influenced by other peers or older adults, but to deeply reflect and researchRead MorePersonal Cultural Reflection Philosophy Paper – Michael1148 Words   |  5 PagesPersonal Cultural Reflection Ph ilosophy Paper – Michael Travis i. Introduction: ii. Exploration: I would describe myself as someone with a deep understanding of self, someone who can recognize and yield meaning from all of the life’s experiences, both the good and the bad. Viktor Frankl said, â€Å"if there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering.† From my experiences of personal and family tragedies, I know that suffering is part of life and is unavoidable, it is asRead MoreEssay on Leadership Reflection Plan836 Words   |  4 PagesRunning head: LEADERSHIP REFLECTION PAPER Leadership Reflection Paper Shaynee Olson February 18th, 2013 University of Phoenix CUR/510 Dr. Park Abstract The purpose of this research is a self-reflection on the author’s personal leadership style. This research will include qualities of effective leadership, the author’s philosophy of leadership, and examples of the author’s leadership style. This research will also include a reflection of the author’s personal strengths as well as how theRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Nursing935 Words   |  4 Pagesthe field of nursing is no different. A variety of philosophies, models, and theories exist to steer nurses in their practice. In terms of philosophy, nurses should develop their own broad view or, in the alternative, adopt an existing way of thinking that resonates with their worldview in order to provide consistent, competent, and meaningful care in their areas of practice. In this regard, this paper seeks to explore my personal philosophy about nursing by analyzing and reflecting upon the nursingRead MoreReflection Of My Own Personal Development1637 W ords   |  7 Pagesbeen established that reflection is a generic term for intellectual and effective activities, in which individuals examine their experiences, in order to develop new understanding and intrapersonal appreciation (Knowles, et al., 2006). Research in this field has advocated reflective practice as an approach to professional development which positively impacts coaching effectiveness (Cropley, et al., 2012). This reflective report shall discuss, analyse and evaluate my own personal development throughoutRead MoreA Personal Philosophy Of Education Essay1164 Words   |  5 PagesA Personal Philosophy of Education Introduction â€Å"Being reflective involves thinking about what one is doing, and why, before, during, and after the act of doing it (Sweitzer, 2003 p.264). I believe self-knowledge of the professor is critical for meaningful learning to occur. Self-knowledge through reflection allows the professor to embrace teaching through the eyes of a scholar; thus providing a diverse learning environment supporting engagement and motivation of the learner. This paper describesRead MoreEthics Reflection Paper Str 581 Week 11312 Words   |  6 PagesRunning head: WEEK 1; ETHICS REFLECTIONS PAPER Assignment: Week 1; Ethics Reflections Paper By Judith Judson STR 591 – Phoenix Campus University of Phoenix Facilitator: Dr. Mark Kolesinsky Week 1, July 18, 2012 Ethics Reflection Paper In the last decade, ethics in corporate America has become highly publicized following the discovery of unethical and fraudulent business practices in major corporations. Practices at Tyco, Enron, Arthur Anderson, and WorldCom, among others,Read MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Nursing1407 Words   |  6 PagesPersonal Philosophy of Nursing The journey to development of my personal philosophy of nursing quite possibly began in my preteen and teenage years. It was brought about from experiences I had when I was doing missions work in Mexico. While these missions left quite an impact upon me, it did not end there. Time, age, experience and education also played critical roles in development of my personal nursing philosophy. These factors have helped my nursing philosophy grow and has allowed me to refineRead MoreComparison Of Grand Theorists According To Types Identified By Meleis915 Words   |  4 Pages Nurses over the years have studied diligently various papers especially different theories that would affect and dictate how they will manage their clients. In order for one to be more familiar with these theories, I will compare 4 grand theorists as to types identified by Afaf Ibrahim Meleis. Dr. Meleis is a professor of Nursing and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and has published numerous scholarly papers and books that dealt with nursing theories. She has established fourRead MoreTheology And Pastoral Leadership : Theology Essay1506 Words   |  7 Pagesout in the article that pastoral leadership is a metaphor for all of the church s leadership which includes the laity. The church is led by pastors, deacons, and some laity that all work together to be ministers of the gospel in the world. Personal Reflection From this article, I gained a greater understanding of the practical application of theology in leadership. The author makes the points that it is a mistake to believe that the more something is theological makes it less practical. From the

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Optical Camouflage Technology - 1731 Words

THANDRA PAPARAYA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Department Of Electronics And Communications (ECE) Subject An Advanced Seminar on†¦ Optical Camouflage Author 1 Munakala .Nagaraju Mail id: tpistece403@gmail.com Contact Number: 7799224496 9966557668 Contact Address Thandra Paparaya Institute Of Science amp; Technology, Komatapalli, Vizianagaram Dist. ABSTRACT: Imagination is impetus to Creativity, creativity defines Art, art redefines Perfection and Science aims at understanding this perfection by developing Technologies. One such Technology which came into existence is OPTICAL CAMOUFLAGE. The word†¦show more content†¦A projector accomplishes this task by shining a light beam through an opening controlled by a device called an iris diaphragm. An iris diaphragm is made of thin, opaque plates, and turning a ring changes the diameter of the central opening. For optical camouflage to work properly, this opening must be the size of a pinhole. Why? This ensures a larger depth of field so that the screen (in this case the cloak) can be located any distance from the projector. The Combiner: The system requires a special mirror to both reflect the projected image toward the cloak and to let light rays bouncing off the cloak return to the users eye. This special mirror is called a beam splitter, or a combiner -- a half-silvered mirror that both reflects light (the silvered half) and transmits light (the transparent half). If properly positioned in front of the users eye, the combiner allows the user to perceive both the image enhanced by the computer and light from the surrounding world. This is critical because the computer-generated image and the real-world scene must be fully integrated for the illusion of invisibility to seem realistic. The user has to look through a peephole in this mirror to see the augmented reality. INVISIBILITY CLOAK SYSTEM: Now lets put all of these components together to see how the invisibility cloak appears to make a person transparent. The diagram below shows the typicalShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Mantis Shrimp950 Words   |  4 Pagesapplications of mantis shrimp vision; we must first understand how the eyes of the mantis shrimp work. The compound eye of the mantis shrimp is made up of many ommatidia; â€Å"an ommatidium is like a simple but complete photoreceptor organ consisting of optical components and receptor cells† Most research suggests that the vision experienced by the mantis shrimp is due to three distinct regions in its eye; there is an upper and lower hemisphere separated by the midband; these regions are made of distinctRead MoreHow Does Hide An Object?3596 Words   |  15 PagesHow to hide an Object Electromagnetically Manikanta Nallagatla Mukka Sai Manish Electronics Communication Department Electronics Communication Department Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee manikanta001nallagatla@gmail.com m.saimanish1996@gmail.com Abstract— Invisibility cloaks, a subject that usually occurs in science fiction and myths, have attracted wide interest recently because of their possible realization. The biggestRead MoreEssay on Technologies of Seduction3757 Words   |  16 PagesTechnologies of Seduction â€Å"There can be no question of escaping the twisted logic of theoretical writing; there are only different ways of coming to terms with it.† (Shaviro 11) Blind Beast (Masumura Yasuzo 1969), Ghost in the Shell (Ohii Mamoru 1995), and Spirited Away (Miyazaki Hayao 2001) sustain the relation between the ‘body’ and ‘technology’: its terrific horror is its seduction. Captured bodies cut, cybernetic bodies hacked, and fattened bodies served. These three films all captureRead MoreWorld War II Submarine Warfare and the United States Essay2210 Words   |  9 Pagesnoise and the controls were unnecessarily complicated. Japan had numerous advantages over the United States at the beginning of the war. Japan’s submarines were not only slightly faster and larger, they were also better outfitted with exceptional optical gear and look outs, excellent torpedoes, and adequate underwater listening gear. They did not, however, have radar. American skipper, Tyrrell Jacobs of the Sargo, who had served at the Bureau of Ordnance, was one of the first to realize the MarkRead More1000 Word Essay85965 Words   |  344 Pages..................... Physical Security ..................................... Security and Intelligence ................................ Desert Operations .................................... Survival ........................................... Camouflage, Concealment and Decoys ...................... Maintenance ........................................ Communications ..................................... Supply Economy ..................................... 311 313 325 338 348 352 356 359 365Read MoreOnline Banking42019 Words   |  169 Pagesrisks associated with Internet banking 41 Chapter- 6- Technology And Security Standards For Internet - Banking 49 Chapter -7 - Legal Issues involved in Internet Banking 74 Chapter- 8- Regulatory and supervisory concerns 84 Chapter–9 - Recommendations 98 Annexure 1 111 Annexure 2 112 Annexure 3 113 Annexure 4 115 Chapter–1– Introduction 1.1 Background 1.1.1 Banks have traditionally been in the forefront of harnessing technology to improve their products, services and efficiency. TheyRead MoreSSD2 Module 4 Notes Essay28478 Words   |  114 Pagesthe employment of devices and/or techniques, has as its objective the impairment of the operational effectiveness of enemy activity. They can be deployed preemptively or reactively. Devices and techniques used for EW countermeasures include electro-optical-infrared countermeasures and radio frequency countermeasures. Electromagnetic deception is the deliberate radiation, reradiation, alteration, suppression, absorption, denial, enhancement, or reflection of electromagnetic energy in a manner intendedRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesbefore Columbus, Columbus was the principal European who caused large numbers of other Europeans to follow him to the hemisphere. He was integral in causing the Western hemisphere to now have its long history of European culture. He brought new technology and new religion that spread throughout the hemisphere. He sent attack dogs to maul naked Indians, seized Caribbean women as sex slaves, and disemboweled other natives who resisted conquest. Many were hanged, some were burned alive. He chopped

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Cryonics Essay Research Paper As we enter free essay sample

Cryonicss Essay, Research Paper As we enter a new millenary we are besides doing huge technological betterments. In the field of medical specialty in peculiar, there is cause for great optimism. There has neer been more power to reconstruct, keep and widen wellness. However there is something even bigger approaching, cryonics. Many people think of cryonics as some futuristic, science fiction procedure that would merely be possible in the films. However the thought of cryonics isn t truly that unreal. There are many groups and scientists working on cryonics and this astonishing procedure could go possible in the close hereafter. Cryonicss is a procedure that involves stop deading a patient and keeping them in a suspended province. During this province no cellular operation or cellular decay is present. Patients are put into this province when their organic structures become damaged through hurts, aging, or disease. Scientists are explicating a procedure to take the patients from this province when remedies for their damaged organic structures have been found. At the present clip many people have been put into a cryogenically frozen province but none have been revived from this province ( Rhoades ) . The first process for cryonic freeze was proposed in 1962 by Robert Ettinger a professor of natural philosophies at Highland Park College in Michigan. He came up with the thought of utilizing liquid N to stop dead patients in the hopes that one twenty-four hours it would be possible to reconstruct them and mend what was incorrect with them. This was the beginning of the cryonics motion. A current popular method is the arrested development and vitrafication method. Biologists bind tissue utilizing a glutaraldehyde solution. The glutaraldehyde molecule bouncinesss around inside the cell until in connects with a protein. Then another protein connects with the other side of the glutaraldehyde molecule. This procedure preserves cells and the constructions within them. The following measure is that the H2O in the cells is replaced by chemicals, such as propene ethanediol, ethylene ethanediol and dimethyl sulfoxide. These substances don t freezing like H2O does. In a procedure known as vitr ification these chemicals protect cells from freeze harm in much the same manner antifreeze protects an car engine from harm by stop deading H2O. If adequate of the cells H2O is replaced so chilling doesn T cause freeze, it merely causes the protectant solution to go more and more syrupy, traveling from a liquid that resembles thin sirup in its consistence to one that resembles hot pitch, to one that resembles cold pitch, to one as resistant to flux as a glass ( Drexler, 1986 ) . Although no grownup human being has of all time been revived from the province of cryogenic freeze, many scientists believe that non merely is it possible but it will be done in the close hereafter. They base their beliefs on up and coming surveies on nanotechnology. The agricultural revolution took centuries. The industrial revolution took decennaries. Molecular nanotechnology will alter human civilisation more than the agricultural or industrial revolution. The revolution of molecular nanotechnology, though, will merely take a few months # 8212 ; or, at most, a few old ages ( Emanuelson, 1991-1999 ) . What is nanotechnology? Nanotechnology is a scientific survey designed around the thought that every construction consistent with the Torahs of chemical science and natural philosophies can be built. Nobel Prize victor in natural philosophies Richard Feynman said, The rules of natural philosophies, every bit far as I can see, make non talk against the possibility of steering things atom by atom. Many believe that within 10 old ages scientists will hold probably learned how to patch together atoms and molecules on at a clip utilizing a Scaning Tunneling Microscope. The molecular machinery in our organic structures maintains our lives by managing m olecules at the molecular degree. A molecular machine is a big molecule that manipulates other molecules, one at a clip. Every clip we eat we are seting random molecules into our organic structures ; but these molecules are useless if our organic structures could non screen through them, form them and transport them to the portion of the organic structure where they are needed in the right manner. We are besides seting molecules in our organic structure when we take medical specialty. Once once more we depend on our organic structures to screen, and transport them. When we take a medical specialty, all we can make with today # 8217 ; s engineering is to shoot it into our blood stream or get down it, and hope that the organic structure will transport and utilize the substances decently. During surgery, even the most precise microsurgery, the sawbones # 8217 ; s scalpel pieces through 1000s of cells # 8212 ; traveling millions of molecules out of their proper places. From the cells point of position surgery is non delicate at all, but really rough and damaging. The molecular machinery of the organic structure has to mend all these cells after the sawbones is complete ( Emanuelson, 1991-1999 ) . Imagine if worlds could command all of these molecular procedures. This is what nanothechnology is all approximately. If we could develop bantam micro machines that continuously and expeditiously maintain the molecules of our organic structures, helping the natural molecular machinery in our organic structures, we would neer acquire ill. These machines would besides free the organic structure of foreign molecules such as viruses and bacteriums. Our organic structure s immune system is slow but if we could endorse it up with supports we could assist it contend off these enemies. If our natural antibodies were augmented by unreal antibodies made of carbon-fiber complexs and guided by virus-sized computing machines more powerful than today # 8217 ; s supercomputers, no interloper would hold a opportunity of infecting us. ( Emanuelson, 1991-1999 ) . Some scientists believe that within the following 30 old ages aging harm and all natural causes of decease can be eliminated. This can be d one by doing unreal molecular machines that continuously look into our cells for harm, and our Deoxyribonucleic acid for mutants, and do the proper fixs. The cell fix machines of molecular nanotechnology will non merely forestall the natural causes of decease, but most decease by injury every bit good. Artificial molecular machines can execute fixs far faster than the natural healing procedure. If an hurt is so terrible that it overwhelms the unreal healing procedure, the molecular machines can put the organic structure into biostasis, holding all farther harm until more aid arrives ( Emanuelson, 1991-1999 ) . There are many more signifiers of life other than worlds. Imagine the agricultural possibilities. An apple tree contains intricate molecular machinery that rearranges the molecules in soil, H2O and air into an apple. Artificial molecular machines developed in the following few decennaries will be able to make the same thing an apple tree does, but much more expeditiously. Some scientist envision a tabletop machine in which they can pour some soil and H2O into and teach the machine to do whatever fruit or vegetable they select. The finished merchandise will be available, to the full ripened, within the hr. Imagine the possibilities for fertilisers and pest control. You could hold the perfect pace without spraying on chemicals. The nanotechnology revolution could get within the following 15 old ages. With the usage of nanotechnology a frozen cryonics patient would easy be able to hold their cells repaired from cryopathy. Whatever disease the patient was afflicted with could besides be cured ( Emanuelson, 1991-1999 ) . Many animate beings have already been put through a procedure really similar to being cryogenically frozen. For illustration in 1992, BioTime Inc. successfully revived a baboon. BioTime replaced the baboon s blood with their blood-substitute solution, so the baboon s deep organic structure temperature was lowered to near stop deading. The animate being was anesthetized, immersed in ice and cooled to below 2 grades Celsius, utilizing the BioTime solution with cardiorespiratory beltway processs. After being bloodless and below 10 grades Centigrade for 55 proceedingss, the animate being was re-warmed and revived. BioTime still plans to make more experimentation on Primatess and their blood-substitute solution. The baboon is still being studied in order to if there are any long-run physical side effects ( Freeman, 1998 ) . Many people have kept Canis familiariss cold for hours so brought them back to life. The first cryonics organisation to make so was Alcor, in the mid 1980 # 8217 ; s. A German Shepherd Canis familiaris named Dixie under went a cryogenic experiment in which all its blood was drained out and replaced with a man-made solution. The Canis familiaris was so cooled to 4 grades Celsius. The German Shepherd s critical marks signaled that the Canis familiaris was dead. It was cold and stiff, eyes flattened out, the bosom did non crush, and the encephalon moving ridges had stopped. The Canis familiaris stayed in this province for four hours. The German Shepard s blood was so put back into its organic structure. They warmed it up and restored it to life. Alcor performed several fluctuations of this experiment with different blood replacements and temperatures. Gerry Arthus, Alcor New York # 8217 ; s Coordinator, has performed an experiment utilizing roundworms ( bantam worms ) , which shows that memories will last cryonic suspension. In this experiment Gerry used Caenorhabditis elegans, a roundworm, which is one of the simplest life animals. It has a compl ete nervous system, nevertheless, and can be trained in a fundamental manner. Worms that are raised in a warm environment will take a warm environment over a cold environment subsequently on in their life. Likewise, worms that were raised in a ice chest environment will take a cold environment over a warm environment. Gerry placed a little figure of worms in a cryoprotective solution and stop dead them to -80 grades Celsius for two hours. After the worms were revived from their frozen province they remember the environment that they preferred before the cryogenic freeze. This is the universe # 8217 ; s first experiment that verifies that memory is chemically encoded and will last the freeze procedure. The sample that Gerry used is excessively little to turn out anything once and for all. Gerry plans to reiterate the experiment with a big sample of Caenorhabditis elegans. He besides intends to invent trials to extinguish the possibility that the worms changed physiologically to acco mmodate themselves to warmer or cooler environments. I. Suda and A.C. Kito reported an experiment in which cat encephalons produced normal looking encephalon moving ridges after being frozen. The cat encephalons were perused with 15 % glycerin and cooled to -20 C for five yearss. Then the cat encephalons were warmed up and the glycerin was replaced with normal blood. The cat brains showed normal encephalon map when they were measured with an EEG. The engineering has improved well since this experiment was performed so better consequences could likely be achieved utilizing modern twenty-four hours equipment, if it was repeated. There are have besides been many experiments in which worlds or human embryos have been put through state of affairss similar to those involved in cryonics. The first human being to successfully emerge from cryonic suspension is John Brooks. He was removed from his female parent # 8217 ; s uterus and suspended in liquid N for two months. After he was thawed out, he was placed in his female parent # 8217 ; s uterus once more, and was born 11 months after being conceived. Thousands of embryos have been successfully frozen since so. There was a instance in which a human embryo was frozen at liquid N temperature for seven old ages, and so brought to term, and is now a healthy immature kid. The procedure of resuscitating a cryogenically frozen grownup homo is really similar to that of an embryo, in rule ( Ettinger, 1998 ) . There have besides been instances where worlds have survived inadvertent freeze. One recent instance of involvement involved a immature yearling in Edmonton. She had wondered out of the house, dressed in merely a nappy, into temperatures of negative 24 grades Celsius. The 13-month-old yearling was outside for several hours before she was found and brought to the infirmary, where she was found to hold no critical marks. To the astonishment of her physicians she recovered with no evident harm. This kid was able to retrieve from being frozen solid, ( in the words of a police officer on the scene ) ( Herald Sun, 2001 ) . Many people believe that cryonic suspension is merely for the rich. However there are now ways that allow a big bulk of people to afford cryonics suspension. The mean cost is about $ 75,000 which can be paid utilizing a $ 200 a twelvemonth life insurance policy, plus an add-on $ 300 a twelvemonth for cryonic foremost aid service. Cryonics Institute offers the cheapest services for $ 28,000, which can be paid with a $ 100 per twelvemonth life insurance policy ( Kluytmans, 1997 ) . The four chief suppliers of cryonic suspension are Alcor Life Extension Foundation, CryoCare Foundation, Cryonics Institute, and American Cryonics Society. Aging, unwellness, and decease, three of world s primary beginnings of hurting and sorrow, may be all but eradicated. What we will make when that happens and how it will alter us stay to be seen. Surely, the more prepared and anticipant we are, the better we can anticipate things to travel ( Rodriguez, 2001 ) .

Monday, December 2, 2019

Medivial Christianity Essays - The Canterbury Tales,

Medivial Christianity In discussing Chaucer's collection of stories called The Canterbury Tales, an interesting picture or illustration of the Medieval Christian Church is presented. However, while people demanded more voice in the affairs of government, the church became corrupt -- this corruption also led to a more crooked society. Nevertheless, there is no such thing as just church history; This is because the church can never be studied in isolation, simply because it has always related to the social, economic and political context of the day. In history then, there is a two way process where the church has an influence on the rest of society and of course, society influences the church. This is naturally because it is the people from a society who make up the church....and those same people became the personalities that created these tales of a pilgrimmage to Canterbury. The Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England was to take place in a relatively short period of time, but this was not because of the success of the Augustinian effort. Indeed, the early years of this mission had an ambivalence which shows in the number of people who hedged their bets by practicing both Christian and Pagan rites at the same time, and in the number of people who promptly apostatized when a Christian king died. There is certainly no evidence for a large-scale conversion of the common people to Christianity at this time. Augustine was not the most diplomatic of men, and managed to antagonize many people of power and influence in Britain, not least among them the native British churchmen, who had never been particularly eager to save the souls of the Anglo-Saxons who had brought such bitter times to their people. In their isolation, the British Church had maintained older ways of celebrated the major festivals of Christianity, and Augustine's effort to compel them to conform to modern Roman usage only angered them. When Augustine died (some time between 604 and 609 AD), then, Christianity had only a precarious hold on Anglo-Saxon England, a hold which was limited largely to a few in the aristocracy. Christianity was to become firmly established only as a result of Irish efforts, who from centers in Scotland and Northumbria made the common people Christian, and established on a firm basis the English Church. At all levels of society, belief in a god or gods was not a matter of choice, it was a matter of fact. Atheism was an alien concept (and one dating from the eighteenth century). Living in the middle ages, one would come into contact with the Church in a number of ways. First, there were the routine church services, held daily and attended at least once a week, and the special festivals of Christmas, Easter, baptisms, marriages, etc.. In that respect the medieval Church was no different to the modern one. Second, there were the tithes that the Church collected, usually once a year. Tithes were used to feed the parish priest, maintain the fabric of the church, and to help the poor. Third, the Church fulfilled the functions of a 'civil service' and an education system. Schools did not exist (and were unnecessary to a largely peasant society), but the Church and the government needed men who could read and write in English and Latin. The Church trained its own men, and these went to help in the government: writing letters, keeping accounts and so on. The words 'cleric' and 'clerk' have the same origin, and every nobleman would have at least one priest to act as a secretary. The power of the Church is often over-emphasized. Certainly, the later medieval Church was rich and powerful, and that power was often misused - especially in Europe. Bishops and archbishops were appointed without any training or clerical background, church offices changed hands for cash, and so on. The authority of the early medieval Church in England was no different to that of any other landowner. So, the question that haunted medieval man was that of his own salvation. The existence of God was never questioned and the heart-cry of medieval society was a desire to know God and achieve intimacy with the divine. Leading a life pleasing to God was the uppermost concern, and the wide diversity of medieval piety is simply because people answered the question, 'How can I best lead a holy life?' in so many different ways. Beginning with The Pardoner's Tale, the theme of salvation is truly paramount. Chaucer, being one of the most important medieval authors, uses this prologue and tale to make a statement about buying salvation. The character of the pardoner is one of the most despicable pilgrims, seemingly along for the ride to his next gig as the seller of relics. For