Tuesday, March 17, 2020

History of Noahs Ark essays

History of Noahs Ark essays Flood stories have been a common thread in many religions across the globe. One of the stories we are most familiar with in our culture, the story of Noahs Ark, is a well known segment of the old testament, and an interesting story of how God punished the world for how corrupt it had become. God accomplished this reportedly by flooding the world, and annihilating all the creatures upon it, save for Noah and his family and a pair of each type of creature on the earth . This story, however, has roots deep in the past, some of which have only come to light with the development of new archeological techniques and technology. As more and more is found out about the era from whence this story originates, discoveries are made as to the origin of the story, what tale it was based upon, and as to the authenticity that such an event may have actually even occurred, if on a somewhat smaller scale. Based on the information available at the present time, one can make fairly confident inferen ces as to the root of this story. One could argue that the story of Noahs Ark was based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, and that in turn was based on older stories that were based on a real flood of the Black Sea. The story of Noahs Ark was first written as part of the old testament by the Jewish people. However, it is predated by far by the story of the Epic of Gilgamesh, a story that originated in the same area that holds many striking similarities to the tale of Noahs Ark. Though the story was modified to accommodate new characters, many properties of the story are similar, from small details like the creatures used as scouts to the religious purpose of the flood itself. For example, both the flood stories start with the characters receiving specific building instructions for a ship, which is to be used to spare the lives of one set of pairs of the creatures of the world. The dimensions of the ship underwent some drastic ch...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Bridges

Bridges Bridges Bridges By Maeve Maddox The bridge is one of the most basic human concepts. A tiny child playing with sticks and puddles knows to build a bridge. Not surprisingly, the word bridge, as both noun and verb, has found its way into numerous idioms and expressions. A bridge is a structure forming or carrying a road over a river, ravine, or the like in order to provide a passage between two points. The verb bridge is transitive. Literally, one bridges rivers and gaps: His first contract was to bridge the Monongahela River with an 8-span, 1500-foot-long bridge. The first effort to bridge the gap [between Patna and Sonepur] was Rajendra Setu in 1959. Figuratively, one bridges figurative gaps: 15 Ways to Bridge the Gap Between IT and Business Can Academics Bridge the Gap Between the Academy and the Mainstream Reading Public? Because bridges represent firm connections and safe passage, the noun bridge is used to denote anything that brings people of differing ideas and cultures together in a positive manner: Turkish language a bridge to understanding Service dogs provide a bridge for autistic children to connect with the world†¦ The noun bridge is also used to denote a transition or a cyber connection: With the electronic forms server, our paperless e-forms solution creates a bridge between forms and an ECM/EDM system, A Network Bridge is a hardware or a software [program] that connects two or more networks – maybe one a wired one and the other a wireless one – so that they can communicate with each other. An expression commonly heard in planning sessions is â€Å"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.† The meaning is that future problems must be dealt with as they arise. Sometimes it’s wise advice, but sometimes it’s an excuse for not planning for consequences. Here are two more bridge idioms: water under the bridge: something that has happened and cannot be changed. For example, these headlines: Cold War no longer water under the bridge as ships sail to Syria Toledo May Say That Its Water Under the Bridge, but Its Still Payback Time like painting the Forth Bridge: an endless task. The Forth Bridge, a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth in Scotland, is 8,296 feet long. The saying arose from the idea that by the time maintenance workers starting at one end of the bridge had finished painting it, the bridge would need repainting from the beginning. Here’s a recent use of the idiom: Keeping one of Perthshire’s most spectacular mountains in top condition is like â€Å"painting the Forth Bridge†, the expert in charge of its care has said. The most recent painting of the Forth Bridge took 400 men ten years to complete. This time they applied a triple layer of glass flake epoxy paint that is expected to last until about 2036. The card game called Bridge has nothing to do with the kind that spans water. The game is thought to have originated in the Near East. The game’s name of Bridge may be an alteration of a Turkish word called out during play. This illustration in the OED shows the use of a strange word used by English-speaking bridge players in the 19th century: The one declaring may, instead of declaring trumps, say ‘Biritch’, which means that the hands shall be played without trumps. J. Collinson Biritch 2  Ã‚  (1886). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†60 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†English Grammar 101: Prepositions