The 2007 Iranian 'hostage crisis' : an Orientalist captivity narrative

Concerned with the deployment of discourses within the representing culture and not principally with that which it seeks to portray. These accounts, in terms of their mediation by the newspapers concerned as well as their anticipated reception by a British readership, would be denuded of much of the urgency of their meaning without the availability of deeply embedded discourses that we can group under the umbrella of Orientalism

An atom optics approach to studying lattice transport phenomena

We present a simple experimental scheme, based on standard atom optics techniques, to design highly versatile model systems for the study of single particle quantum transport phenomena. The scheme is based on a discrete set of free-particle momentum states that are coupled via momentum-changing two-photon Bragg transitions, driven by pairs of interfering laser beams. In the effective lattice models that are accessible, this scheme allows for single-site detection, as well as site-resolved and dynamical control over all system parameters. We discuss two possible implementations, based on state-preserving Bragg transitions and on state-changing Raman transitions, which respectively allow for the study of nearly arbitrary single particle Abelian U(1) and non-Abelian U(2) lattice models.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Is God the Necessary Being?

This paper briefly presents and engages with four competing hypotheses as to the most plausible explanation for the beginning of the universe. After clarifying some terminology, I will first establish both scientific and philosophical reasons for accepting the notion of an absolute beginning over a past eternal universe. Next, I will interact with Lawrence Krauss’ two versions of “nothing” and speculation of a multiverse as possible suggestions for what that first cause might be. In response, I will demonstrate the logical inadequacy of this approach, and by extension all other non-metaphysical theories. Ultimately, I will determine that, due to the logical contradictions inherent in physical explanations, one is epistemically justified in postulating a metaphysical deistic God as the Necessary Being responsible for the material cause of the universe

Noetic Sanctification: Using Critical Thinking to Facilitate Sanctification of the Mind

This literature review proposes four pillars of critical thinking (CT) that should be applied as the Christian educational discipline of noetic (or cognitive) sanctification: 1) CT is a broad term involving multiple aspects of an approach to life, 2) education brings individuals out of the classroom and into developing CT dispositions, 3) CT necessitates being conversant with multiple perspectives throughout the process of thinking and learning, and 4) CT involves a high self-awareness regarding assumptions, biases, and motivation. Based on these CT pillars, some applications are recommended for Christian educators, regardless of educational setting