16 Inspirational Christmas Quotes

16 Inspirational Christmas Quotes We wait a year to celebrate Christmas. Yet when we plan our celebration, we tend to forget those who serve us unfailingly. We gather around the Christmas tree with friends and family. But we forget to invite those who are alone in this world. This Christmas, bring joy to others with an act of kindness. Use these inspirational Christmas quotes to teach you the real meaning of giving. George Matthew Adams, The Christmas Heart: Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years... Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart. Taylor Caldwell: I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses. Ann Schultz: Let us keep Christmas beautiful without a thought of greed, that it might live forevermore to fill our every need, that it shall not be just a day, but last a lifetime through, the miracle of Christmas time that brings God close to you. Helen Keller: The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has not Christmas in his heart. Charles Dickens: It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One! Dale Evans Rogers: Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, its Christmas. Bess Streeter Aldrich: Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart... filled it, too, with melody that would last forever. Alexander Smith: Christmas is the day that holds all time together. Wendy Cope: Bloody Christmas, here again, let us raise a loving cup, peace on earth, goodwill to men, and make them do the washing up. Louisa May Alcott: The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting. Alfred, Lord Tennyson: The time draws near the birth of Christ: The moon is hid; the night is still; the Christmas bells from hill to hill answer each other in the mist. Mother Teresa: It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you... yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand. Orson Welles: Now Im an old Christmas tree, the roots of which have died. They just come along and while the little needles fall off me replace them with medallions. Ruth Carter Stapleton: Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most. W. C. Jones: The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others burdens, easing others loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas. Bob Hope: My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?

Governing carbon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Governing carbon - Essay Example Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration. Contempt of all facts, the cause of failure is still strange. In this incident, 87 birds and 53 marine mammals have expired. Response Officials confirmed that an extra 58 live birds and 40 marine mammals have been saved (CNN). Until now, 12,167 gallons of oily water has been reclaimed from the Pacific Ocean. Workers have taken out more than 5,000 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated dirt, sand and vegetation (CNN). This paper argues that fossil fuels are responsible for much of the environmental damage, and that public subsidizing of fuel companies is adding to the dilemma. It is evident that global warming, air quality deterioration, oil spills and acid rain are increasing the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels. These problems exist because of our dependence on fossil fuels. Heat ensnaring gases are the most important reason of increasing temperature globally. These heat trapping gases are produced by burning of fossil fuels. Coal is the root cause of asthma and other health troubles. It ruins the atmosphere and discharges toxic mercury in an area. When fossil fuels are burned several gases are produced. Carbon dioxide is one of the most critical gases evolved. It traps more heat inside the earths atmosphere. Most of the studies have claimed that over the last 150 years, burning fossil fuels has resulted in more than a 25 percent rise in the amount of carbon dioxide in our environment.  Coal-fired power plants are considered one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases.  After 1800, there came a surprising and drastic change in temperat ure in the atmosphere. Most of the researchers have indicated that if the carbon dioxide remains increasing at this level and speed, then our planet will become warmer in the next centuries. Air pollution occurs when air in the atmosphere gets contaminated with toxic substances,

Job Saisfaction and empoyee motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job Saisfaction and empoyee motivation - Essay Example I strongly believe that the culture of the organisation plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the employees are satisfied with their job. Corporate culture is the pattern of shared beliefs, attitudes, assumptions and values in an organisation which shape the way people act and interact and strongly influence the ways in which things get done (Armstrong 1994). Thus, according to information obtained from the official website of Google, it can be seen that under the leadership of Schmidt, the organisation has managed to inculcate a culture of strong innovation among its employees. At Google, the culture is that every employee has something important to say and what they say is an integral part of the success of the company (www.google.com/corporate). Accommodative culture is very effective as far as job satisfaction is concerned because it creates a sense of belongingness to the organisation among the members. Through the supporting style of leadership, the employees are motivated by various factors. They are given the opportunity to be part of the decision making process whereby a leader will mainly be concerned with maintaining effective relationships among the members of the group. Achieving the organisational task requires concerted efforts of all the members in the organisation so that the chances of having conflicts will be minimal. If they have the autonomy to contribute to the decisions that affect their daily operations, then they will be in a position to identify with the organisation since they will be part of it which is one great motivating factor. At Google Inc, it can be noted that the organisation has offices around the globe but regardless of the area, the company strives to nurture an invigorating, positive environment by hiring talented, local people who share the organisation’s commitment to creating as well as perfecting the popular search engine

The Impact on the Ecosystem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Impact on the Ecosystem - Essay Example This cannot rule out the vast number of negative impacts that the human population has on the ecosystem around it; human beings, over the years, have become so greedy that their actions have begun to pollute rivers and lakes as well as the air that is breathed; factories have been dumping toxic wastes everywhere possible leading to hazardous manifestations like soil erosion and deforestation, not to forget further polluting the environment and making it impossible for beings to survive. Making room for more people to live on the planet has started resulting in a clash with the existing varieties of other species that fearfully roam the earth. Even though biological communities do exist, it must be noted that human beings are overpopulating the ecosystem that they live within and in the process, making life difficult for other beings that depend on water, air and soil for their well being too. Every species plays a strong role in the environment which represents a niche; this ecologic al niche encompasses the relationship that each organism has with its environment as a single entity or as a plural society. Looking at the niche from the point of view of humans, they have been impacting the environment that they live in, rather strongly and negatively at that. Within my personal local area, an ecosystem of interest would be my neighborhood – it is made up of various kinds of plants, animals and human beings, all co-existing together. The entire area has slowly been concretized over the years however it still retains its natural environment as a small lake thrives around the corner around which a number of plants and animals exist; the area is very well greened, giving the opportunity to a number of birds as well as small animals to make their home and live there. It must be understood that an ecosystem also consists of the non-living objects that are present within it for example, the air, water, soil around the living objects which assist the living object s to survive and thus live in conjunction with each other. This is why it is important to take care of not only the living but the non-living aspects of nature; water, air and soil are very integral to the survival of any human being and thus their contamination may lead to catastrophic circumstances for living beings. Most people in the area keep pets of all kinds as well – dogs, cats, birds, turtles, fish etc. Thus, this environment may be referred to as an ecosystem because all kinds of living creatures have been undergoing a basic biotic way of life in their natural environment. Nonetheless, with time, more and more buildings and housing societies have made their way into the area and this has led to cutting down of a significant number of trees. This further, has led to a number of small animals and plants living with the help of those trees (creepers, squirrels etc.) bar their home and move to a different place to seek shelter. With respect to this paper on how the ecos ystem is being impacted, it must be understood that man has interfered within nature to the extent that every individual is now taking up a lot more space in the environment than an animal or a plant would; this means that because of manmade interventions, it has become impossible for other aspects of the environment to survive within. It is every individual’s duty to understand the harmful manner in which he is contributing

Analysing obesity in the US

Analysing obesity in the US Obesity continues to be a growing crisis in the United States. Too many people arent taking into account that its become a serious health threat that people can prevent, but its as if people arent trying. Too much food in too many places and so much technology made for so many different things are causing people to notice their waistlines expanding. People claim that they cant help how heavy they and blame it on things such as not be able to exercise because theyre too busy, when its a number of different things. People need to start doing things in their every day life to avoid becoming obese. It seems like now days Americans are worried about their weight more than ever. With all the diet pills, health clubs, and just plain fitness craze one would think the United States would be in pretty good shape, but its the complete opposite. The more variety of unhealthy foods that are offered and the more short cuts technology are providing now days, the more Americans find their waistlines expanding. Why is it that healthy foods are so expensive and junk food is always five for the price of one? Obesity is a major problem in the United States today. With all the troubles and worries in the world, obesity is quickly becoming a very important problem to worry about. It can basically be made into a life and death situation. The parents that just sit on the couch eating chips while setting an example for their children, the schools that want to cut their physical education class, the greasy foods that fast food restaurants provide, and the major food companies that keep coming up wit h new ideas to add to the number of unhealthy choices Americans make are just a few of the many causes of this rising epidemic. Obesity is continuing to get worse as more and more people continue to eat themselves to the point where they cant do anything about it. Americans are literally eating themselves to death and do not realize it. The government continues to warn that obesity is getting out of control and something has to be done, but how is anything going to get done if nobody is doing anything about it? According to Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee from an article written by Karen Tumulty, if someone isnt willing to step in, the generation of young Americans being brought into this world today is being expected to have a shorter life span than their parents and even their grandparents (Tumulty, 2006). There are so many choices in todays food and nearly half of Americas food is proven to be unhealthy. It is not easy to make the choice between a salad with low fat dressing versus a quick plump juicy burger from McDonalds. Children are being taught that its okay to eat fast food, and arent being pushed to eat their fruits, vegetables, as well as many other things that are needed for a healthy diet. According to Kaplan (1998), â€Å"children learn to eat the wrong foods and consume empty calories from junk food each day† (p. 218). As children get older, they wont know how to make the right choices between healthy snacks and junk food. America will soon find that obesity rates have sky rocketed, and they wont be able to do anything about it. Time is running out, and someone has to step in to stop this soon to be number one killer. Although metabolism has to deal with the way people burn the food they eat, doesnt mean that the metabolism they might get from their parents is going to make them obese. Bjorntorp (2001), stated that â€Å"several observations point in the direction that physical inactivity is the main cause of the obesity epidemic† (p. 1006). If one doesnt exercise how do they expect to maintain a healthy weight? People have to eat in order to survive. Its what they eat, and how much they eat that plays a part on how their body looks. Children weight more today than they did 20 years ago and the main problem appears to be not getting enough exercise (Kaplan, 1998). How does a person think they are going to remain healthy if they dont somehow burn some of the calories they ingest daily? America is surrounded by unlimited, easily available foods. Nobody ever has to worry about running out of food. Although its hard to fight off the urge to reach for that bag of chips, its quite possible. Peopl e have to learn self will and the fact is that the more weight people gain the harder it is for them to lose weight. As just mentioned, exercising helps a person lose weight, but if someone has McDonalds for lunch and supper every day then run over five miles daily isnt going to help them to be healthier. They may not become obese, but once they become older and arent able to run as much as they used to, then they soon find their metabolism slows down. They now have to change their eating habits because they start having health problems that interfere with their everyday life. It doesnt matter how active someone can be, having an unhealthy diet can cause serious health problems later down the road. Obesity cant be blamed on only one thing; its a number of different things. Of course eating healthy is a sure way to fight off obesity. According to an online source, a studys lead author â€Å"blames the environment in which Americans live.† He says, â€Å"there is too much food available, social situations encourage overeating, restaurants compete with each other by offering bigger and bigger servings and technology has made it possible to avoid exercise† (1998). If we have problems now with trying to find ways to be active, imagine how it will be like ten years from now. Pretty soon things will be so easy that nobody will care they are obese when in todays society obesity is looked down upon. How far is this rising epidemic going to go? Discrimination goes back to the early Christian church when gluttony was one of the seven deadly sins. According to Spake (2004), â€Å"obesity was viewed as the outward manifestation of the ‘sin of overindulgence† (p. 52). It seems like today the media is trying to make it look like being overweight isnt bad. Although obesity is brought up as such a major problem, why is the media trying to make it look like being overweight isnt bad? Some would argue that its for the teenage girls that are struggling with an eating disorder. Seeing skinny models all over the television screen doesnt help teenage girls with problems like that, but seeing bigger people; even obese people, all over the television screen doesnt help children figure out that eating healthy helps you to remain fit either. Obesity can cause a lot of problems in a persons life; problems that are preventable. Becoming obese has many health problems related to it. So far, obesity is catching up to smoking as the number one cause of preventable death. According to the American Obesity Association major insurance companies boost coverage for obesity treatment and prevention, and a persons lifespan may be cut short by obesity. Obesity carries the major risk for getting type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and some cancers. Tumulty (2006) stated that, â€Å"health care providers say they are seeing something of an epidemic of potentially lethal Type II diabetes, once known as the adult-onset version of the disease, among children as young as 10 and 11† (p. 40). How are the next generations going to survive when America provides to this deadly disease known as obesity. Children learn how to eat healthy at a young age. Fact is that if children are fed healthy foods, and are taught to eat healthy foods at a young age then they are bound to keep it that way as they get older; this has to start with the parents. If parents sit on the couch and eat high fat foods then tell their children to eat right and go out and exercise isnt gong to get the job done. Parents have to keep foods that are high in fat, and sodas that are high in sugar out of the house. They should have fruits and vegetables on hand so their children learn to eat healthy. Children can have pretty much all they want of fruits and vegetables. In an interview done by Nanci Hellmich (2006) with nutrition professionals it was stated that eating habits begin with the parents. Eat healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and stay away from the high fat and deep fried foods. Also be sure to have some sort of physical activity daily (p. 8d). Parents have control over what their child eats at a young age, but once the child starts to go to school, its hard to see what the child eats. This is where the school should step in. Standards should be set with the types of foods that are provided in school lunches, but how is this going to be done if there isnt any intervention from the school itself? People have control over their own body, but these day its hard for working parents to find time to prepare meals from fresh food when all they have to do is pay for cheep fast food that can by bought in big portions. Its also hard for children going to schools that are getting rid of their physical education classes and playgrounds because the school doesnt have enough money to support such things. Instead they allow vending machines and food advertising in their buildings. The article Junk Food Nation by Gary Ruskin and Juliet Schor is trying to tell people that junk food has become a major problem in the US today concerning obesity and certain people arent taking into consideration that it actually is a real problem. They blame it on other things like watching too much TV and not exercising enough. They dont think the greasy foods that fast food restaurants provide and the king sized bags of candy that gas stations sell as well as lunches that schools sell dont play a part in the young obesity in this country. When really it plays a big part and the people that should care about this problem leave it up to the people that really dont have much control over it (Ruskin Schor, 2005). If a child goes to a school that doesnt have any physical education classes and receives a unhealthy lunch everyday is bound to live an unhealthy life-style. Children these days are getting bigger than ever and its as if nobody cares. It also seems like the media is targeting the youth of the United States. Tumulty (2006) stated that, â€Å"the rates of obesity among children and teens have tripled in the past 25 years† (p. 40). The next generations are going to be bigger than ever. According to an article by Gary Ruskin and Juliet Schor (2005), â€Å"Kraft announced it would no longer market Oreos to younger children, McDonalds promoted itself as a salad producer and Coca-Cola said it wont advertise to kids under 12. But behind the scenes its hardball as usual, with junk food giants pushing the Bush Administration to defend their interests† (p. 15). Children these days are getting bigger than ever. Its not just because of the foods they eat, its because theyre parents and how they set an example for them, the school lunches theyre provided everyday, and the chances they actually get to be outside or just plain get to get up and do something. If schools are getting rid of their physical education classes, how are todays youth and Americas future youth going to be able to stay fit? With how bad obesity is now, why is America making it worse? Schools need to make it clear to children about the effects of eating unhealthy. Grimm (n.d.) stated that a â€Å"Department of Agriculture study calculated that 95% of the 10,000 food commercials children see each year pitch high fat, high sugar products† (p. 108). How far are big food companies willing to go to make the future generations of America even unhealthier than it already is? America knows that obesity has become something serious, yet schools are marketing to their students with allowing vending machines with unhealthy foods as well as soda machines with drinks that are high in sugar and calories while getting rid of their physical education classes because they dont have enough money to support it. Vending companies are offering schools money just so the school will market their product. Its almost as if food companies are more worried about their own businesses rather than worrying about this growing health issue occurring in the United States. Overeating seems to be a problem in the United States today. This can be one of the main causes for the number of obese people in America. Restaurants provide huge meals and fast food restaurants provide large portions of greasy foods for cheep. A glycemic index (GI) indicates the rate at which carbohydrates are digested and absorbed and this can also trigger over eating (Amersbach, 1999). Foods with a low GI includes fruit and vegetables; foods with a medium GI include milk and oatmeal; and foods with a high GI includes the foods that Americans love such as muffins, donuts, and so on. If one eats a low GI breakfast its been proven that they feel fuller and eat less through out the day. If one eats a high GI breakfast then those people usually find that theyre eating an hour later because they feel hungry. If a person is hungry two hours after a meal, the fact is that theyve eaten the wrong foods. Obesity can cause a lot of problems in a persons everyday life. Imagine going to a theater and not being able to fit into the seats or having to buy an extra plane ticket because its not possible to fit into just one seat, but most of all imagine going out in public while having every person just stare. Obesity doesnt just cause health problems; it causes mental and physiological problems as well. How can eating; the simplest thing ever, turn into something so deadly? Why do people seem to indulge in so many unhealthy foods when they know the consequences? With all the choices there are in America and all the marketing for unhealthy foods, it shouldnt surprise people that obesity has become a fatal problem in the United States today; a fatal problem that can be prevented. If something isnt done now, obesity will continue to threaten the lives of many. How can one avoid becoming obese? Its simple; eat right, exercise, and remember that obesity is a disease that is treatable, but one h as to be willing to help their self. No drugs and prescriptions can treat this disease. Its the personal responsibility a person must have to keep their body fit and to live a healthy lifestyle. References Amersbach, G. (1999, November). Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. In a low-fat world, why are Americans getting fatter? Retrieved April 10, 2008, from, http://nutrition.tufts.edu/magazine/1999fall/ roberts.html. Bjorntorp, P. (2001, September 22). Thrifty genes and human obesity. Are we chasing ghosts? Lancet, 358, 1006-1008. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from EBSCOhost. CNN.com. (1998, May 28). Study: Americans fatter than ever and getting even fatter. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from, http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9805/28/obesity/ Grimm, M. (n.d.). Is marketing to kids ethical? Business, pp. 107-112. Hellmich, N. (2006, April 5). How parents can handle the sensitive but critical topic of weight. USA Today. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from EBSCOhost. Kaplan, P. (1998). Human Odyssey: Life-Span Development. Sixth Edition.: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company: Pacific Grove, CA. Ruskin, G., Schor, J. (2005, August 29). Junk food nation. The Nation, 281, 15-17. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from EBSCOhost. Spake, A. (2004, February 9). Rethinking weight. U.S. New World Report, 136, 50- 56. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from EBSCOhost. Tumulty, K. (2006, March 27). The politics of fat. Time, 167, 40-43. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from EBSCOhost.

The Great Gatsby and the American Dream :: Literary Analysis, F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby depicts the 1920’s Jazz Age, and how society operates under the influence of the American Dream. Society during this time period consists of huge hopes and dreams for improvement of the self. In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream hides behind a mirage of beauty and splendor, buy in reality the corruption and illusions within this dream entice Americans to become drawn into its web of lies, deceit, and greed. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald strongly criticizes the American Dream (Seschachari 1). Fitzgerald shows readers the American Dream in this time period is centered on romanticism, material items, youth, and an emergence of selfishness (Seschachari 2). People value tangible items over strong moral values. A life of extravagance, however, does not always come without repercussions. People in this society live in a pretend world of beauty, but in reality the American Dream is a defective illusion. In the American Dream, equality is an impossible feat and even though Americans have an abundance of opportunities, people will always be suppressed from true achievement (Hearne 191). Meyer Wolfshiem, a corrupt business man, represents how disillusioned the American Dream is. His mannerisms reek of brutality, yet he sits pleasantly in a restaurant while exchanging pleasantries with Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway (Hearne 192). Fitzgerald writes, â€Å"A small, flat-nosed Jew raised his large head and regarded me with two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril. After a moment I discovered his tiny eyes in the half-darkness† (Fitzgerald 69). (Check how to quote) Also, Wolfsheim boasts his cuff buttons are actual human molars; nevertheless, Wolfshiem is regarded by Jay Gatsby as a pleasant gentlemen. This demonstrates the faà §ade of brutality that Wolfshiem portrays. Wolfshiem ultimately represents corruption in the American Dream (Hearne 192). Fitzgerald’s ultimate goal in writing The Great Gatsby is to shed light on the illusions in the American Dream to the people of America (Hearne 189). If Americans are better informed about the American Dream, they are less likely to fall subject to its evils. (Add too or move) Jay Gatsby, in particular, becomes a strangely unique character in The Great Gatsby. Even though Jay Gatsby strives for the best material items, he does not strive for these items in hopes of attaining any type of dream except a romantic one (Seshachari 2).

The Fuel Behind the Rapid Spread of Islam During

The religion of Islam is the second largest belief system in the world with over one billion believers. As of 2009, almost one quarter of the world's population follow after Islam, second only to Christianity. But roughly 15 centuries ago, this was not true at all concerning Islam. The populations that now embrace Islam have roots in a polytheistic society where Islam did not yet exist. Christianity was clearly the dominant religion of that time period and the wide influence of the Byzantine Empire ensured the continued influence of the Church. Some historians have noted that nothing substantial seemed to stand out culturally or militarily concerning the emerging Muslim population when compared with Europe. Simon Barton of the University of Exeter writes in his book review concerning the work, The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In: â€Å"Why did Islam prove so conspicuously successful in galvanizing the energies of its adherents? Why was it, given that the Muslims achieved no significant breakthrough in military technology that the well-established great powers with which they came into conflict – notably the Byzantine and Persian empires in the east – or the Visigothic kingdom in the west proved unable to halt their advance? † (Sidelko 2009, 466) The fact that the emerging Muslim society didn't appear to have an overwhelming advantage in the years leading up to the seventh century growth explosion of Islam begs the very question that Simon Barton just asked. In this paper, I will attempt to discuss some of the conditions that help account for the rapid spread of Islam during the 7th century, such as the political conditions surrounding the Byzantine Empire, conditions surrounding Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and conditions surrounding the introduction of Islam as a religion. From the 6th century leading into the 7th century, the Byzantine Empire became locked in a series of wars with the Persian Empire. These conflicts began around 500 A. D. , and lasted nto the first decades of the 7th century. These disputes brought about a great strain upon resources for both empires. Both lands were diminished and did not have enough time to lick their wounds before raids from Muslim groups started becoming more and more frequent. Although the Byzantine Empire seemed to have some form of victory over the Persian Empire, that notion became meaningless when Persian Empire under the rule of the Sasanian dynasty began to fall to the Arabs raiders who were becoming more organized as time progressed. Eventually, the Persian Empire was completely absorbed– just as the Oxford Islamic Studies Online article states, â€Å"The surprising speed at which the conquests took place can be attributed to the weakness of countries debilitated by long external conflicts (the Sasanian Empire) or by the fragility of internal structure (The Spread of Islam). † The Byzantine Empire lost much of their territory that they had claimed from the Persians. They simply were not ready for a fresh, new challenger after dealing with a century long war. This is one of the conditions that accounts for the rapid growth of Islam. Many Arabs had become fervent followers of Islam at this point and Muslims had gained established, strong leadership which was directing their growing forces despite Mohammad's death. With the gaining of new territory, the message of Islam would no doubt follow along. Without successes from the likes of Charles Martel, the Byzantine Empire could have ended up like the Persians. Again, the Oxford Islamic Studies Online article writes, â€Å"The eighth century saw further expansions eastwards as far as the river Indus and the Sind region and westwards through northern Africa to Spain and France where the over-stretched army was stopped at the battle of Poitiers by Charles Martel†. (The Spread of Islam) The Byzantine Empire was greatly diminished, but still managed, however, to stay intact enough to prevent total assimilation of the Arab conquest. During the time of the 7th century, Christianity was largely split into two main groups– Orthodoxy and Catholicism. These two counterparts of Christianity often times were at odds because of discrepancies over where the true source of Church authority actually resided within the Byzantine Empire. As a result, Christian fringe groups in countries such as Egypt or Palestine would be easily labeled as heretics and would find themselves disassociated from the Church. When the Arab conquest claimed these lands, they tended to show more tolerance for non Muslims in exchange for good citizenship within he new Islamic environment. Also, Islam was fresh and hadn't begun to suffer from its own power struggles from within the belief system. As Shenk writes, â€Å"One wonders what parallels to Muslim Spain might be found in the rise of an Islamic presence in the heart of the European Balkans. Bosnia's capital Sarajevo adds the intrigue of its location along the historic fault line between the two major branches of the Christian heritage in the region, Orthodox and Catholic. In any number of centuries since the arrival of Slavic peoples in migrations dating from the sixth and seventh centuries (C. E. ), recruitment efforts based both in Rome and in Constantinople (Istanbul today) were zealous to secure the allegiance of the newly arriving tribes for their respective church orbits. † (Shenk et al 2006) This tolerance is described as a sort of legacy that some regions of the Muslim world have left behind. Many oppressed throughout history after the seventh century could flee to certain parts of the Muslim world for refuge. Muslims believed in one true God, and they determined that the rule of the land and Islam should be the same– one people, one government, and one religion without any distinctions. This characteristic, along with Muslims early tolerance of fringe Christian groups seems to have given Islam a subtle, but unique advantage over the appeal that Orthodoxy and Catholicism had towards other Christians. As a result of this, Islam was better able to retain more territories and perhaps even convert more people over to their faith. These conditions also help account for the rapid spread of Islam during the 7th century. Paul Sidelko s remarks in his review of Hugh Kennedy's book, â€Å"Whether it was demographic decline and internal political divisions that sapped the morale of many of Islam’s rivals, or the motivation, leadership and mobility that characterized the Muslim military machine, Kennedy wisely concludes that in the final analysis timing was everything. If Muhammad had been born a generation earlier, it is unlikely that he or his successors would have achieved what they did. (Sidelko 2009, 466) One cannot know for certain what would have happened if Muhammad started spreading Islam a generation earlier. But, I would tend to agree with Sidelko (and Kennedy's) notion that if Muhammad had lived to spread Islam in 300 A. D. rather than in 500 A. D. , Islam may not have spread so well. Also, nothing really stood out about early Muslim culture or technology during the times leading up to their conquest. â€Å"The main reason the early presence of Muslims is difficult to find in the archaeological record is not because we don't know where or how to look for it; it is because it isn't there. Outside of Arabia, Muslims have been a minority of immigrants at first and have tended to assimilate to the local material culture. Local converts to Islam have tended to keep their own material culture. † (Morony 2006, 437) Early Muslims simply didn't stand out even with the archaeological record. To me, this suggests that Byzantine Empire would have been stronger, and far more equipped to handle a growing adversary who was still a minority if Islam's rise happened earlier in history. The Persian Empire may not have yielded so readily, perhaps keeping Islam contained even further. And the conditions in Arab society may not have been quite so receptive to Muhammad's new religion. Muhammad faced opposition for many years before he was successful at gaining any traction for his Islamic teachings among the Arab people. One hundred years earlier may have been even more difficult to do– especially since the Arabs were polytheistic well before Muhammad started to spread Islam. There is also something to be said about how fervent the Muslims became about Islam once it finally started to become popular after Muhammad's death. The Arabs took with them a fresh faith with a fresh sense of fervency that was not equally matched the war torn Byzantine and Persian Empires. â€Å"For the first five centuries or so since the earliest, and most traumatic, encounter between Christendom and Islam in the second quarter of the seventh century, Christian attitudes to Islam had been compounded of ignorance, misperception, hostility and fear. † (Fletcher et al 2003). Such hostility and fear may not have been aroused by a younger, stronger Byzantine Empire. So then, the mere timing of the introduction of Islam seems to account for why this faith spread so rapidly during the 7th century. When one considers how the present is interwoven with the past, it is amazing to consider how the teachings of one man could spread so quickly across the world hundreds of years ago, and yet still maintain a quarter of the world's population as followers in present times. It is amazing to think that Islam perhaps wouldn't be prevalent at all if Muhammad or his successors were born too early or too late for the Muslim message to catch on due to unforeseen cultural influences. What if Muhammad had been born elsewhere? And to think– what if somehow the Byzantine Empire had found a way to better manage their constant fighting with Persia, or if the Catholic Church had exercised more tolerance like the Muslims first did after acquiring new lands that had a noticeable Christian population? A change in these factors could have certainly changed the course of history. But as things are, these conditions of the past are the reasons why Islam spread so rapidly centuries again, and is still one of the largest religions in the world today.