The book of Arts essays

The book of Arts essays The account of St.Paul's ill-fated journey to Rome in the New Testament's Book of Acts provides some useful insights into shipping practices during the first century of the common era. In this paper, I intend to summarise the information and clues provided in the Book of Acts and present an overview of some of the basic interpretations of the relevant passages. It is important to understand that the Book of Acts is a continuation of the gospel according to Luke and any reference to him here is in his capacity as writer of the Book. St.Paul, as a Roman prisoner, had been put in the charge of Julius, an officer in the "Emperor's Regiment" who was to take the prisoners to Rome to see the Emperor. At Caesarea, Julius had his prisoners board a ship from Adramyttium and they sailed overnight to Sidon. The next leg of their journey was more difficult as the winds were again against them. As such, they sailed the ship on the sheltered east side of the island of Cyprus, then west to In Myra, Julius moved his prisoners to a boat from Alexandria which was bound for Italy. The first leg of their journey aboard this new ship was difficult as the winds were against them. It took several days to reach Cnidus. With the wind against them still, they were forced to sail south, hoping to take shelter behind the island of Crete. Keeping close to shore, they eventually arrived at Safe Harbours, on the southern coast of Crete. Here they stayed for several days and the Book of Acts notes that St.Paul advised against continuing as the Day of Atonement had The Day of Atonement is the traditional day at which shipping would stop for the winter in anticipation of the poor weather to come. It is normally marked towards the end of September or the start of October. However St.Paul's advice fell on deaf ears and Julius chose to accept the advice of the ship's owner and captain. They pressed on towards Phoenix (on C...

History of Ethics Violations in Congress

History of Ethics Violations in Congress Back-to-back charges against two veteran members of Congress in the summer of 2010 cast an unflattering light on the Washington establishment and its historic inability to mete out justice among members who stray beyond ethical boundaries they helped to draw. In July of 2010, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct charged U.S. Representative. Charles B. Rangel, a Democrat from New York, with 13 violations, including failing to pay taxes on rental income he received from his villa in the Dominican Republic. Also in that year, the Office of Congressional Ethics charged U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, with allegedly using her office to provide assistance to a bank in which her husband owned stock to ask for federal government bailout money. The potential for highly publicized trials in both cases raised the question: How often has Congress expelled one its own? The answer is–not very. Types of Punishment There are several major types of punishment members of Congress can face: Expulsion   The most serious of penalties is provided for in Article I, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution, which states that each House [of Congress] may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. Such moves are considered matters of self-protection of the integrity of the institution. Censure A less severe form of discipline, censure does not remove representatives or senators from office. Instead, it is a formal statement of disapproval that can have a powerful psychological effect on a member and his relationships. The House, for example, requires members being censured to stand at the well of the chamber to receive a verbal rebuke and reading of the censure resolution by the Speaker of the House. Reprimand   Used by the House, a reprimand is considered a lesser level of disapproval of the conduct of a member than that of a censure, and is thus a less severe rebuke by the institution. A resolution of reprimand, unlike a censure, is adopted by a vote of the House with the member standing in his place, according to House rules. Suspension Suspensions involve a prohibition on a member of the House from voting on or working on legislative or representational matters for a particular time. But according to congressional records, the House has in recent years questioned its authority to disqualify or mandatorily suspend a member. History of House Expulsions Only five members have been expelled in the history of the House, the most recent being U.S. Representative James A. Traficant Jr. of Ohio, in July of 2002. The House expelled Traficant after he was convicted of receiving favors, gifts, and money in return for performing official acts on behalf of the donors, as well as getting salary kickbacks from staff. The only other House member to be expelled in modern history is U.S. Rep. Michael J. Myers of Pennsylvania. Myers was expelled in October of 1980 following a bribery conviction for accepting money in return for his  promise to use influence in immigration matters in the so-called ABSCAM sting operation run by the FBI. The remaining three members were expelled for disloyalty to the union by taking up arms for the Confederacy against the United States in the Civil War. History of Senate Expulsions Since 1789, the Senate has expelled only 15 of its members, 14 of which had been charged with support of the Confederacy during the Civil War. The only other U.S. senator to be kicked out of the chamber was William Blount of Tennessee in 1797 for anti-Spanish conspiracy and treason. In several other cases, the Senate considered expulsion proceedings but either found the member not guilty or failed to act before the member left office. In those cases, corruption was the primary cause of complaint, according to Senate records. For example, U.S. Sen. Robert W. Packwood of Oregon was charged with the Senate ethics committee with Sexual misconduct and abuse of power in 1995. The Committee on Ethics recommended that Packwood be expelled for abuse of his power as a senator by repeatedly committing sexual misconduct and by engaging in a deliberate ... plan to enhance his personal financial position by seeking favors from persons who had a particular interest in legislation or issues that he could influence. Packwood resigned, however, before the Senate could expel him. In 1982, U.S. Sen. Harrison A. Williams Jr. of New Jersey was charged by the Senate ethics committee with ethically repugnant conduct in the ABSCAM scandal, for which he was convicted of conspiracy, bribery, and conflict of interest. He, too, resigned before the Senate could act on his punishment.