The Lord Of The Rings - 1698 Words

People are always looking for good ways to entertain themselves. Over the past few hundred years, several art forms have become a commonplace in society, such as plays, music, drawings, books, and, more recently, movies. Books and movies are two that have stomped their way into society with no remorse. They have been great ways to express people’s opinions, make social statements, and most importantly, entertain audiences. Both of these have had a profound effect on the world, whether it be through changing a way of life or just by making time pass for a few hours. Certain books and movies have played great roles in the world and had many influences. The Lord of the Rings has had a massively positive effect on both literature and film. Its creation has led to many positives and in doing so has become one of the most influential stories ever created. It has also led to some major impacts outside of literature and the film industry as well. Fantasy books have been around for a long time; however, the fantasy that people think of today has only been around for close to a century. Modern fantasy can very much be credited to J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings book series. According to author Katie Behrens’ article â€Å"Myth, Fairy Tales, Children: A Brief History of Fantasy†, The Lord of the Rings has had a profound effect on shaping fantasy into what it is today. She states in her article that the fantasy genre began with classics from mythology as they explored tales ofShow MoreRelatedThe Lord Of The Rings1648 Words   |  7 Pagesand religious truth (or error), but not explicit, not in the known form of the primary real world.† As The Lord Of The Rings is, by Tolkien’s definition, a fairy-story, it would be correct to assume that it, too, contains â€Å"elements of moral and religious truth.† However, many who read Lord Of The Rings dispute the trilogy’s religious con tent. Tolkien states, The Lord Of The Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work†¦ That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practicallyRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1736 Words   |  7 PagesThe Lord Of The Rings The story began as a consequence to Tolkien s 1937 fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually improved into a much larger employment. Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, The Lord of the Rings is the second pick-selling surprising ever written, with over 150 million carbon copy sold. The Lord of the Rings is an epopoeia exalted-imagination recent written by English subcreator J. The toil was initially intended by Tolkien to be one roll of a two-volume put, the other toRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1383 Words   |  6 PagesSome stories can affect people emotionally, but once in a while a story can call a person to escape to it. The Lord of the Rings is an enchanting story with masterful use of setting and sensational characters that engages readers and can move them to experience life in a deeper way. As a child J.R.R. Tolkien lived in Africa until his father passed away. Then his mother moved them to England. Mrs. Tolkien made certain that her children learned literature and languages. It was probably due somewhatRead MoreThe Lord Of The Ring1455 Words   |  6 PagesTom Bombadil placed the magic ring on his finger; everyone waited for him to disappear, but nothing happened, and he handed the ring back to Frodo without a slight hesitation. Frodo offered Galadriel the ring and she grew into a horrible creature towering over Frodo, but fought the ringâ€⠄¢s strong temptation, and finally decreasing back to her normal self and declined the powerful ring. Both Tom and Galadriel, in The Lord of the Ring, portray Tolkien’s respect for nature and strong spirituality, becauseRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1549 Words   |  7 PagesDarkness extended over all of Middle-Earth like a veil during the time of war. New laws were enforced and the citizens’ freedom was taken away. Frodo’s magic ring represents the unsustainability of the environment, and the characters of Middle-Earth. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien uses the magic ring to reflect the politics of sustainability, by drawing from his own life experiences. Two philosophers, Scruton and Hart write their recipes for sustainability. Scruton believes that finding the rightRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1469 Words   |  6 Pagesauthor of The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre, defined fantasy as â€Å"the creation of a moment of hesitation betw een two worlds†(qtd. Kelly, Course Introduction 2). This description of the genre compliments J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy due to the author’s use of sub-creation to construct his alternate world. Tolkien believed that the way to create a believable, all-encompassing world was to combine fragments of reality, or the â€Å"primary world†, together to constructRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings999 Words   |  4 Pagesby J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings, where the ultimate power source created contains enough power that the master of the Ring becomes in turn the master of Middle Earth, and absolute power follows in accordance to absolute corruption of he who possesses it. Many a man and creature wields the Ring, falling to the temptation of its power and the poison of its possession, bringing about death and evil life to the masters of the Ring.In Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the wizard Gandalf renouncesRead MoreThe Lord Of Th e Ring841 Words   |  4 PagesThe Lord of the Ring J.R.R Tolkien Setting the western, middle, and southern region of Middle earth in the third age Character Frodo - a Hobbit with the one ring and has to take it into the land of Mordor and throw it into Mount Doom Sam - a Hobbit who is Frodo’s best friend who helps Frodo on his journey and come with him to the end Peregrin Took - a Hobbit call Pippin, who is Frodo’s friend and he helps Frodo on his journey Merry - a Hobbit who is Frodo’s friend and he helps Frodo on his journeyRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1352 Words   |  6 PagesThe darkness that had extended over Middle-Earth, lifted like a veil the moment the magic ring was destroyed. New laws were enforced and the citizens’ freedom was taken away. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien uses the magic ring to reflect the politics of sustainability, therefore exploring the hardships of an unsustainable community. Frodo’s magic ring represents the ruthless actions of the creatures of Middle-Earth. Two philosophers, Scruton and Hart write their recipes for sustainability. ScrutonRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings Essay1710 Words   |  7 PagesThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring takes place in a fantasy world called Middle Earth. In which, a young human-like creature called a hobbit named Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, enjoys his peaceful life, but yearns for adventure like his infamous uncle Bilbo Baggins. Wood is caught up in an ancient war between good and evil. In this war, Wood is required to encumber a great burden in order to permanently conquer evil. Originally released on December 2001, The Lord of the Rings:

Progressive Essay- Hollitz - 936 Words

Lane Goar Progressive Essay Chapter twenty-four - Wilson Progressivism at Home and Abroad, 1912- - 1916, in â€Å"The American Spirit†, by Kennedy and Bailey, deals with the presidential election of Woodrow Wilson and the changing perspective of government involvement in the US economy and society. Wilson dealt with diplomatic crises around the world and with our neighbor – Mexico. In chapter thirty - The War to End War, 1917 – 1918, in the Kennedy/Bailey book, the US tried to stay neutral as war broke out in Europe. But, our actions spoke louder than our word. We were pro Allies and anti-central powers, which was Germany and Austria-Hungry. We walked a careful path because we did not know which side our immigrant population would land. In†¦show more content†¦224). Wilson represents the conservative idea of equality and the pursuit of happiness on page 226, when he says, â€Å"America was created in order that every man should have the same chance as every other man to exercise mastery over his own fortunes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kennedy/Bailey, pg. 226). Wilson is representing the idea of the United States not being willing to back down due to honor when he says, â€Å"this government has no alternative, consistent with the dignity and honor of the United States, but to take the course which†¦ it announced that it would take†¦.† (Kennedy/Bailey, pg. 241). When Roosevelt challenges Wilson’s point of â€Å"diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view†, with saying, â€Å"if he means what he says, he will at once announce what open covenant of peace he has openly arrived at with these two little republics, which he has deprived of their right of self-determination†, it represents the conservative idea of the government not keeping decisions private, (Kennedy/Bailey, pg. 251). In Wilsons third point, he promises â€Å"free trade among all the nations†, which can be closely related to the view on trade from a conservative standpoint. Like conservative ideas, Wilson believed that

Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking EXTENDED E Essay Example For Students

Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking EXTENDED E Essay Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking EXTENDED ESSAYAsian Philosophies of Critical Thinking: divergent or convergent to western establishments? MAY 2003 AbstractThe research question of this extended essay came across at a very early stage in my life. Having been born and developed from a family with all its members being University instructors and professors, I was often involved in arguments related to the lack of critical thinking in Asian cultures. As I got older, having had the chance to emerge in different cultures, I started to develop my own viewpoints and answers. I started to wonder about the truth between the real differences of Asian and Western philosophies of critical thinking. This extended essay, intended to be a research and investigation, bearing the title Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking: divergent or convergent to Western establishments? is in fact however merely just a summary of my viewpoints and answers which I have developed throughout the years. In the first section of the essay, Logical Tradition in India and China I will attempt to give evidence of critical thinking in two Asian cultures that I have chosen; namely India and China. In India, I will argue that critical thinking is clearly visible in historical texts such as the Caraka and Nyayasutra. This is presented as the well-known five-membered argument, a system of logical deduction, similar to the Aristotelian syllogism found in the west. In China I would focus mainly on the two schools of logical thought, the Mohists and the Logicians. For the Mohists I would argue that critical thinking is a vital element in the building of what they call mental models. For the Logicians, I would study deeply the writings of Hui Shih and Kungsun Lung, I would show that in fact both of them developed systems of logical and paradoxical thinking that could well serve as the foundations of modern science. If critical thinking is clearly presentable in these Asian cultures then why are there still concerns for introducing it to them? This is the question I intend to answer in the latter section Needhams Grand Question and Fullers Interpretation. During this section, I would also show that discussions of modern science seem to enable us to see how the tradition of critical thinking arose and how they were promoted or discouraged. I would cover how Asian historical, economic, social and cultural factors have a big influence on their development of critical thinking. Lastly I would show how the prioritization of a civilization has a devastating effect on deciding the future road they intend to walk.In conclusion, I would argue that since the philosophy of a culture is but an abstract and theoretical expression and justification of the cultures decision to choose one set of priorities over another, Asian philosophy and critical thinking are neither necessarily divergent nor necessarily con vergent to western establishments. ContentsIntroduction4 Logical Tradition in India and China 4 Needhams Grand Question and Fullers Interpretation 7 Asian Philosophy and Critical Thinking: Divergence or Convergence? 8 Conclusion 9 Bibliography 10 References 11 Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking: divergent or convergent to western establishments?By Clement NgIntroduction It is widely recognized nowadays that critical thinking has become a necessary ingredient in all levels of education. Educators and educational policy makers agree that one of the desirable goals of education is that students are able to think critically. Throughout the past few years, many have felt the need to consider critical thinking more seriously in educational programs. At the moment several different acts are being considered around the world by various factors and agencies. The core of these proposed acts is the idea that the students are able to think critically and independently. Although there are widespread disagreements on what critical thinking actually is,1 there is an agreement that it has become very important in the world overwhelmed by huge amounts of information. .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f , .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .postImageUrl , .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f , .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f:hover , .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f:visited , .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f:active { border:0!important; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f:active , .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u49fcdc11561ede2a39dba90b3cf7a69f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Geology EssaySome Western educators who teach at schools or universities in a number of Asian countries have voiced their difficulties and problems they encounter while trying to teach critical thinking and other related skills to Asian students. Bruce Davidson (1998) argues that a set of Japanese cultural factors act as a kind of barrier against teaching critical thinking to students. Atkinson (1999) goes so far as to argue that critical thinking is culturally specific, and is .

The Beatles Musical Analysis Essay Example For Students

The Beatles Musical Analysis Essay The Beetles Analysis The Beetles have been a huge influence on the development of rock with their eccentric and creative style. Their ground breaking album (SST Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band) has been one of the most influential album in setting new and eccentric building blocks for the genre of pop rock. Their style will be analyses in detail to show Just how influential, eccentric and creative the Beetles were with the songs: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and A Day in the Life both from their ground breaking album. Lucy in the sky with Diamonds This song opens with an eccentric noise; it can be best described as an electronic harpsichord. Its echoed and is playing an angular distinct melody. Then a bass guitar is introduced and then vocals are introduced making the texture thicker one instrument at a time. This album was full of ground breaking songs and a new style which was unbelievably simple but sounded so complicated and eccentric. The first verse has a thin texture, as it progresses further into the verse, the instruments become more vibrant and the vocals become echoes and sounds distant. This creates topic atmosphere setting up the song for the narcotic high feeling this song creates. The melody of the vocals is monotone but it has a slight echo. This could be to do with the fact that the song is proclaimed to be about LSI as the song infamously spells LSI. It could be inferring that he is spaced out or Just out of it, tripping on LSI and everything is surreal and fairy tale like as explained in the lyrics and at the end of each phrase the vocals slide downwards, this could be to do with the LSI factor again as he might be getting another hit etc. Till sustaining the topic atmosphere. In the transition to the chorus the drums count in but he counts in at 3/4 timing and the chorus is in 4/4. This is very unusual, especially in a pop song. This contributes to how the Beetles style was so sophisticated but still each individual instrument is playing quite a simple rhythm, melody, riff etc thus together making the music sound sophisticated. This change in time signature is quite unexpected and is why it makes it eccentric. We will write a custom essay on The Beatles Musical Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now As the song transitions into the verse, the vocals do a long and big slide down as it might be inferring that drugs are taking effect again, sending the listener into a surreal utopia and at the same time the time signature changes once again which is also much unexpected. This change in time signature is one of the reasons why the Beetles style is deceptively simple. The second verse is virtually identical to the previous verse but Just with different lyrics. Coming into the second chorus the drums count in at 3/4 timing once again and the time signature changes as the chorus begins. In this chorus the bass guitar is much more evident and there are phrases where certain instruments are taken out for a plait second to highlight the bass guitar. It then transitions the same way as it did previously and comes into the third verse. This verse is again identical but as the verse is transitioning to the pre chorus the drums count in again excluding the pre chorus. This is totally unexpected and this is one of the reasons why the Beetles style is so eccentric and influential. Finally in the final chorus every seems more energetic but theres a difference because the electric organ sounding instrument starts The Beetles Musical Analysis By authenticate ACH different instrument was highlighted individually in each chorus. A Day in the Life The song opens with applause behind an acoustic guitar playing a riff. The Beetles were looking to sound live in this album and this element helped to achieve this. .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 , .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .postImageUrl , .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 , .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551:hover , .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551:visited , .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551:active { border:0!important; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551:active , .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551 .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u02314fbd98a95f8672a867bb39dac551:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analysis of Shelley's Ode To the West Wind Ode to EssayAs the piano enters it changes the meter, this is one of the features in the Beetles style that makes it sophisticated. You could say that these two songs were composed to lose yourself which is another feature of the Beetles style as they had many contrasting songs. The first verse which is John Lemons part of the song; is quite Lancelot or somber. Again the vocals are echoed but arent monotone. Actually the melodies of the vocals evoke sadness but still theres a light at the end of the tunnel. The verse is quite empty but when the drum fill is added it Just makes everything so much more full. Rings Stars drumming style is so very simple but is so effective. For the remainder of the first verse a few [patterns are repeated until an orchestral build up is evident. These 20 seconds of build-up is rising action which is Just so chaotic and seems to become more chaotic every second that passes. This could have to do tit the fact with how chaotic the times were with society and what not. As the music transitions to the second verse or commonly known as Palls part of the song the piano becomes more hopeful and everything brightens up. The transition is so sudden and is another factor to do with The Beetles sophisticated and eccentric style. The second verse almost is a bubbly shuffle style of music. It contrasts with the previous section of the song. The vocals are a happy Jazzy sound to them, the other instruments are all working together to change this feeling of sadness to happiness. In the song there is a huge reference between lyrics and melody. As the vocalist says somebody spoke and I fell into a dream, there is a response to these lyrics of a fading out vocal slide down which is similar to the previous song. These vocal slides continue and a brass building start building, but this building up doesnt seem chaotic but it still builds higher and thicker as time goes on. The final verse is virtually identical to the first one again, and then another build up is heard. This one seems more chaotic than the other. At the end of the build-up theres a pause and hen it finishes on E major. This chord releases all the tension that was left in the atmosphere when the build-up finished. Through this analysis we can see that the Beetles style is deceptively simple. Their style includes monotone vocal melodies, changes of key and time signature, contrasting sections to their other songs, orchestral build-ups and sections, topic effects and the layers of simple ideas to create complex arrangements. These features are unusual for pop music which is why the Beetles are so innovative. By Ethan Watkins

Slackers essays

Slackers essays In the world today, people have generally become lazier than they used to be years ago. It seems that the parents who have become lazy have passed the traits on to their kids, although this isnt always the case. Most of the problems in todays schools happen because of slackers that can be found in the classrooms. Although some people see slackers as people who cant do there work, a slacker is a type of person who puts the work off all together. Slacker is a common name for those students who never seem to do their work whether it is on time or late. They just do not feel like doing it all together. It seems that slackers have become more popular in this world because it seems easier to follow in their steps than it is to actually do the work and waste your social life, your fun time, or maybe time spent with your girlfriend or boyfriend. Laziness is a big contributor to why more people are becoming slackers because they do not feel like doing the work even though they know that they can accomplish the work if they would only try and do it. Laziness is a very hard problem to deal with, and it needs to be stopped because a lot of people are wasting their education for they think is a better thing for them to be doing. In fact, they are just wasting their time by sitting in class because without their work, they are worthless. Some people wonder exactly what a slacker may be defined as. They are people who occasionally do their work. They do their work when they get it for free from their friends or cheating off of somebody elses work without the person knowing of them doing it. A slacker can also be known to put their work off till the last minute. This also is known as being clutch to some people. It is all about waiting till the last minute because they fell that they work better under pressure, when really they have to work better because they cant afford not to do ...

Bansonyi essays

Bansonyi essays Sharon Matute October 24, 1999 Art 100 007 Professor Sax Art can be used to study the progression of a civilization through time. Art is usually used to express ones beliefs religiously, politically, and sometimes as a source of communication, which is accomplished through imagery. Symbols in works of art can be related to nature and myths.1 From the beginning of Chinese history, art and philosophy worked hand-in-hand with the creation of a work of art. Chinese art was used as evidence of a persons behavior and attitude towards nature and other beings (e.g. the nicer the painting the better the person.)2 During the seventh and eighth centuries Chinese art was at its peak. China at this time was under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty. Because of the beautiful work being manufactured China became a multinational society. Paintings and sculptures were not the only works that China would receive admiration for. Their music and literature (poems which sometimes explained works of art) were also at their richest points,3 Tang art has incomparable vigor, realism, dignity... There is an optimism, an energy, a frank acceptance of tangible reality which gives the same character to all Tang art, whether it be the most splendid fresco from the hand of a master or the humblest tomb figurine made by the village potter. (Sullivan 160) When a piece of artistic work was considered good all that really mattered was the amount of effort that went into the piece and not the derivation of the persons economic class. Scarce materials were used very often in the creation of Chinese artifacts. One of the mot famous and revered stones used was Jade, which was very hard and indestructible. Jade cannot be found in China; it was traded with Burma, which is located on the outer edge of China, so it is amazing to know how much work was done with it in the 600 and 70 ...

TD 1 MGT- 412 Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TD 1 MGT- 412 Discrimination - Essay Example In their article, ‘Unseen Injustice: Incivility as a Modern Discrimination in Organizations’ had described discrimination as an evil that has tagged the society in every aspect. Lilia draws a picture to help readers understand the whole process of discrimination and the many phases in which it occurs. The aspect of discrimination is portrayed in this context to be caused by poor development in the social perceptions of the modern world. In this regard, Baron & Banaji, (2006) illustrates workplace discrimination by equating it to incomplete development on the immediate environment as well as the larger society. Lilia (2008) observations are in line with the policy guidelines put forward by EEOC in various aspects. However, differences also exist in the factors addressed in the two articles. Even though the two articles, Lilia’s and EEOC, are in agreement that discrimination is an unnecessary evil that should not manifest in the current society and especially at the workplaces where the civilized groups are represented, Lilia’s addresses discrimination in general with no specific mention of its various forms of occurrence. On the other hand the EEOC guidelines give specific guidelines on the necessary conduct of every individual at the workplace with an aim of curtailing different forms of discrimination. Unlike Lilia’s address, the EEOC guidelines puts in place policy regulations that are to be followed in workplaces in order to curtail discrimination in its various forms (Baron & Banaji, 2006). Such include: discrimination based on differences in nationality, race, gender, religion, political affiliations among others. Suitable and all encompassing measures have been put in place by the EEOC to help protect various individuals from discrimination. Discrimination within organizations is a phenomenon occurrence that has deteriorated the performance and free will rendering of services in various organizations. Several publications have

Global Degradation of Coral Reefs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Degradation of Coral Reefs - Essay Example Coral reefs are productive ecosystem and diverse habitats in the world because of their economic and social importance including food provision, tourism among others. There is a high rate of global degradation of coral reefs and these calls for their sustainable management. Their reduction has fueled the local and international communities to come up with approaches of monitoring coral reefs. Ecology involves the study of organisms in the environmental surroundings which require spatially accurate data given the distribution of spices. In the past manual and field observation methods were used to gather ecological information. These methods were labour intensive and time consuming. As a result, remote sensing became widely incorporated in the ecological duties because of its large coverage, cost effectiveness and accuracy. This called for the venture into new technologies to enable easy and faster access of remote sensed information in the management and monitoring of ecological spec ies. (Knight, D., E. LeDrew, et al. 1997). Coral ecosystem is one of the important habitats in the world. Coral reefs play a significant role in checking the amount of carbon dioxide in the sea. Without them regulating the level carbon dioxide in water could be difficult and many species on earth including human being could be at a high risk. Although, that is the current situation in the world because people have destroyed the reefs due to the level of impurities in the water bodies this has resulted in global warming. They are also a habitat to millions of fish species, source of employment, food provision, tourism attraction sites and protect the shores fro waves. In short they are source of livelihood to millions of people around the globe (Goodman, J. A., M. Velez-Reyes, et al. 2006).This paper addresses landscape remote sensing approaches of mapping coral reefs. Discussion By 2100 coral reefs will be degraded if no measures are taken. They only cover 2 percent of the total ocean area and annually they provide a home for almost 33 percent of thousands on marine species. As mentioned above, coral reefs are threatened by a number of factors. For example, coral diseases resulting from ruining the reefs, coral reefs can be in danger of water related coastal development as it is in the case in the Caribbean. (Gledhill, D. K., R. Wanninkhof, et al. 2008). As a result of a variety of biological species in the coral ecosystem, over fishing can also be harmful because they interact and depend on one another for food and competition. Harvesting of coral reefs can be classified into controllable, Malthusian-over fished and poisonus.Studies show that reduction of species in the coral ecosystem can lead to prolification of algae. (Manus, J. W., L. A. B. Menez, et al. 1999).In response to this damage a 5 year project was launched and it was funded by the centre for s ponsored coastal ocean research (CSCOR).The research key provisions were to provide adequate data on coral reefs, tool and approaches to help marine scientists and identify phenomena that caused the degradation of coral reefs. The research addressed four major areas namely; interaction between water related activities and coral reefs, causes of biological pressure, assessment of marine protected areas and the overall nature of coral ecosystem (Hallock, P., B. H. Lidz, et al. 2003). Researchers

Editing and Conclusion Writing Essay Example for Free

Editing and Conclusion Writing Essay Initial Conclusion: As my report states, you will not always you’re entire life have to devote yourselves to cleening up the enviroment in order to make a differance to the World. Therefore, we should all put more enargy in to re cycling. Its made a difference in my house because we useto have more trash then we do now since we re cycle.   Also, seperating is good. I hope you enjoyed reading my paper on re cycling. THE END 🙂 Revised Conclusion: As can be seen in the aforementioned discussion, it is not necessarily to entirely devote one’s self to cleaning the environment in order to make a difference in the world. It is only necessary to develop environmental friendly habits such as recycling one’s trash. The benefits of recycling are not only limited to having cleaner surroundings but also extends to the maintenance of a cleaner and healthier environment.

macbeth :: essays research papers

Developing (or dynamic) character. A character who during the course of a story undergoes a permanent change in some aspect of his/her personality or outlook. Static character. A character who is the same sort of person at the end of a story as s/he was at the beginning. Lady Macbeth "They met me in the day of success: and I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge" (1.5.1-3). Lady Macbeth is reading the letter in which Macbeth tells of his meeting with the witches. After she has read the letter, Lady Macbeth is determined that she will make the witches' prophecy come true. She prepares herself to work her husband into a murderous state of mind. She also gets hereself into a murderous state of mind, crying out, "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty!" (1.5.40-43) When Macbeth arrives, she advises him to put on an innocent face in front of the King and to leave the rest to her. [Scene Summary] See, see, our honour'd hostess!" (1.6.10). Thus King Duncan greets Lady Macbeth at the gates of Macbeth's castle. In a display of consummate hypocrisy, Lady Macbeth gives a warm welcome to the man she is planning to murder. [Scene Summary] While King Duncan is having supper in Macbeth's castle, Macbeth steps out to think about the plan to kill the King. When Lady Macbeth finds Macbeth, she exclaims, "He has almost supp'd: why have you left the chamber?" (1.7.29). Then, in order to keep Macbeth committed to the murder plan, she verbally assaults his courage and manhood. This is the scene in which she brags that if she had made a vow to do a murder, she would follow through. Even if it were her own baby, she "would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, / And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you / Have done to this" (1.7.56-59). In a few minutes, Macbeth sees things her way. [Scene Summary] Banquo tells Macbeth that the King has been very pleased with the hospitality shown to him, and that "This diamond he greets your wife withal, / By the name of most kind hostess" (2.1.15-16).

Governance Failure at Satyam

Analyzing the first aspect listed above, seems that Astray scandal originated, in first lace, due to a lack of moral and ethical standards from the company top management, as well as the board of directors, which have worsened, rather than mitigate, agency conflicts between shareholders and managers. Many were the evidences In this sense, from the bribery charges, that led to a ban from the World Bank, to the unsuccessful attempt to acquire a construction and a real state firms owned by the company promoters' relatives, in a clear sign of conflict of interests, that was originally approved by the board.In fact, if was not for the whistler's, no en knows how far they would go with the sham. Someone could argue that an exacerbated focus on short-term performance, the competitive market environment, and consequent pressure from analysts to meet market projections and maintain the company share prices overvalued, motivated the directors to start the results embezzlement process, pledging to do this to protect the firm from a potential hostile takeover.However, obviously none of these should be an excuse to neglect their duties towards various stakeholders. Besides this, it is difficult to believe that none of hose involved in the fraud did not earn any personal financial benefit, as stated by Mr.. Raja on his letter. Even that they did not have sold their stocks position, most likely their compensation package was more generous than It should have been, once misrepresented results excelled market expectations through the years.In fact, analyzing the evolution of promoters' stake in the company over the years indicates that they enriched at the cost of outside shareholders. Regarding the failures In control functions ? Internal Controls, External Audit and the Board of Directors ? we would analyze each level separately. The internal audit and other internal control functions, such as controllers and compliance, were clearly very ineffective but, despite their import ance, I will focus the analysis on the other two levels.From the external auditors' perspective, It Is difficult to understand how PWS did not raise any â€Å"red flag† with such an elementary fraud as cash balances misstatement. Any reasonable company would either invest this large cash in projects or distribute as dividends to the shareholders, instead of retaining it. Specifically this point could be easily validated through a reconciliation against a statement Independently received from the bank.This is a strong evidence, as the case suggests when highlight the increment In audit fees, they were in collusion with company management in executing the fraud. A good practice that could mitigate the risk of this happen is a mandatory external audit rotation, as determined by Serbians-Solely, Implemented In US after Enron scandal. Finally, the board of directors failed under any aspect of their fiduciary duties – loyalty, care and supervision.There are several evidences they were 1 OFF ineffectiveness of the audit committee during the years the fraud took place is one of these evidences. Another one was the prompt approval of the merger proposal without further background check. To prevent these issues, some measures such as to have audit committee composed only with independent directors, and set in place proper channels to report misconduct by anyone in the company could be implemented. Besides, the role of independent directors may be revised on a regulatory level, expanding civil and criminal liability over those.

International Marketing Planning and Strategies Essay

McDonald’s is a world-famous company that provides fast- food in China. In the course of offering its services, it faced stiff competition from its rival Kentucky Fried Chicken company. The management therefore had to put into consideration some local business practices such as quality of food, staff welfare and other environmental issues. McDonald’s restaurants in China were being operated as joint ventures along with other local companies. This ensured elevated brand quality and effective management control as compared to its competitors in the market place. Additionally, its ability to quickly adjust to the varying local conditions made it to take advantage over many other competitors (Ko, 2008, 1). Through the invention of the new technology and vast capital, the company developed its own internal supply network which made them to have access to both domestic and export markets. The development of infrastructure enabled it to get its supply from within the country thus saving cost of importation. McDonald’s implemented the traditional Chinese culture which enabled it to quickly make its way to the market. For instance, it decorated its restaurants with designs symbolizing traditional Chinese culture. It also offered special festive items such as Prosperity burger during the Lunar New year. This attracted many people to eat from their restaurants. The company kept on adjusting its menu in order to capture the favorites of the people. Due to the rising competition in the market place, McDonald’s had to partner with Sinopec, a petroleum company, in order to build drive-through restaurants in most of its petrol stations in China so that it captures many customers to counter the high rate of competition. They had also to collaborate with the Chinese online shoppers so as to attract internet users for their foods and other promotional items. The company carried out an advertising campaign to bring awareness to the people of McDonald’s products. McDonald’s took advantage of young Chinese customers’ social influence. Despite the fact that it was offering its food at higher prices, the young generation viewed this restaurants as trendy places to socialize with their friends and families. They also preferred the restaurants’ site as they offered good atmosphere for relaxing. McDonald’s engaged in national campaign and took benefit of Beijing hosting the Olympic Games. They used the Chinese slogan which made it to attract many customers which made it to improve its business operations. Opportunities and threats McDonald’s faced great challenges, for instance, the rising inflation in china made it to raise its prices for almost all its products in order to make up for the surging cost of materials. This made the level of consumers to decline drastically. It also faced social threats and critics which pointed out that they did not apply health and environmental standards observed in China (Ko, 2008, 3). The transformation of China to a developed nation posed a threat to McDonald’s as it was uncertain whether it was going to sustain its momentum of operation. Marketing strategies To sustain its operations, McDonald’s should carry out some marketing strategies such as engaging in successful community and media relation program that will enable it to have increased coverage and reputation without spending a fortune. Another strategy is to set up joint promotions. In this case, McDonald’s must identify uniqueness and behavior of its frequent customers, look for other non-competing businesses already reaching them and then formulate a technique to set up joint promotions. They can also make use of emerging market trends and take advantage of increased sale opportunities before their competitors.

Free Essays on A Few Pages Of Purely Salinger - Nine Stories

A Few Pages of Purely Disheartening Cynicism A canon of the 20th century, J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories is a collection of nine individual short stories that, as a whole, depict the imaginations that dominate and destroy the lives of both children and adults. In these stories, Salinger, a recluse who has ostracized himself from society, attempts to show the rapid deterioration of the societal world as a detrimental ramification of a person’s loss of innocence and humanism, the product of culture’s involuntary but unavoidable embracement of materialism, egocentrism, and emotional attachment. This theme is evident in all nine of the author’s stories, but this critique will concentrate primarily on â€Å"A Perfect Day for Bananafish,† with a slightly more succinct analysis of â€Å"The Laughing Man† and â€Å"Teddy† to show the passions and imaginations which control every diminutive action in the protagonists’ lives and ultimately lead to the frustration and disconcertment that is characteristically Salinger. In discussing the dreams and imaginations of different characters in â€Å"A Perfect Day for Bananafish†, this essay aims to show the author’s cynicism toward the wisdom, knowledge, and culture that is prevalent in today’s way of life. After demonstrating this cynicism with the malformed hopes and dreams of the story’s protagonists, a short comparison will be made with â€Å"The Laughing Man† for further clarification. Finally, â€Å"Teddy,† the author’s last and most revealing story, should be mentioned as it ends the nine story compilation like an awakening slap in the face, causing a quick gasp and widely opening the reader’s eyes to some of the prevailing but possibly previously unnoticed ideas in the other stories. SMACK! â€Å"Then he went over and sat down on the unoccupied twin bed, looked at the girl, aimed the pistol, and fired a bullet through his right temple† (18). This last sentence of â€Å"A Perfect... Free Essays on A Few Pages Of Purely Salinger - Nine Stories Free Essays on A Few Pages Of Purely Salinger - Nine Stories A Few Pages of Purely Disheartening Cynicism A canon of the 20th century, J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories is a collection of nine individual short stories that, as a whole, depict the imaginations that dominate and destroy the lives of both children and adults. In these stories, Salinger, a recluse who has ostracized himself from society, attempts to show the rapid deterioration of the societal world as a detrimental ramification of a person’s loss of innocence and humanism, the product of culture’s involuntary but unavoidable embracement of materialism, egocentrism, and emotional attachment. This theme is evident in all nine of the author’s stories, but this critique will concentrate primarily on â€Å"A Perfect Day for Bananafish,† with a slightly more succinct analysis of â€Å"The Laughing Man† and â€Å"Teddy† to show the passions and imaginations which control every diminutive action in the protagonists’ lives and ultimately lead to the frustration and disconcertment that is characteristically Salinger. In discussing the dreams and imaginations of different characters in â€Å"A Perfect Day for Bananafish†, this essay aims to show the author’s cynicism toward the wisdom, knowledge, and culture that is prevalent in today’s way of life. After demonstrating this cynicism with the malformed hopes and dreams of the story’s protagonists, a short comparison will be made with â€Å"The Laughing Man† for further clarification. Finally, â€Å"Teddy,† the author’s last and most revealing story, should be mentioned as it ends the nine story compilation like an awakening slap in the face, causing a quick gasp and widely opening the reader’s eyes to some of the prevailing but possibly previously unnoticed ideas in the other stories. SMACK! â€Å"Then he went over and sat down on the unoccupied twin bed, looked at the girl, aimed the pistol, and fired a bullet through his right temple† (18). This last sentence of â€Å"A Perfect...

Rules and Regulations of Youth Basketball

Rules and Regulations of Youth Basketball Team sports fill an important role in childrens lives. It teaches kids the importance of teamwork and provides an entertaining outlet for physical activity. Recreation is an important element in life and can help an individuals development both mentally and physically. Playing sports can also improve a childs self-esteem, help him develop strong interpersonal and leadership skills, and teach him the value of listening to his coach. Basketball is a fantastic sport for kids to play. Its relatively inexpensive and doesnt require much equipment. Most playgrounds, recreation centers, and gyms have basketball goals. At  least two kids and a basketball are all that are necessary to play. If youd like to get the kids in your neighborhood or homeschool group active, you may be interested in forming a basketball league. Before you get started, its important to understand the rules and regulations of youth basketball. Philosophy of Youth Basketball The philosophy of youth basketball is to offer the participants a high-quality program that will teach the basic fundamentals and the  offensive and defensive philosophy of the game. Learning good sportsmanship and teaching all participants to respect their coaches, officials, fellow players, and the rules is also an important part of youth basketball. Length of Playing Periods There will be four eight-minute periods for all divisions (except varsity and senior division). Varsity and Senior division will play four ten-minute periods. Every period will be on a running clock that is only stopped for timeouts and technical fouls. The Clock The clock will be stopped during the last two minutes of the game on all dead ball situations for all divisions (except Pee Wee division). If the point difference is ten points or more, the clock will remain running until the score arrives at less than ten points. Basketball Half Time The 1st and 2nd periods will constitute the 1st half; 3rd and 4th periods will constitute the 2nd half. Half time will be three minutes in duration. Timeouts in Basketball Each team will be allowed two timeouts in each half. The timeouts must be taken in their respective halves or they will be lost. There are no accumulations of timeouts. Player Participation Every player must play four minutes of each quarter, eight minutes per half for Pee Wee and Junior Varsity. Varsity and Seniors must play five minutes of each quarter, ten minutes per half. Every player must also sit out half of each period during the game, so as not to play the whole game, except in the case of injury or health problems. Sickness: Once the game has started and a player becomes sick or is unable to continue during a game, the coach of the player must enter, in the score book, the players name, time, and the period. The player will be ineligible to re-enter the game.Discipline: If a player misses consecutive practice without an excuse the coach will notify the site director. The site director will immediately notify the parents of the players. If these violations continue, the player will not be eligible to participate in the next game.Injury: If a player is injured and removed during a game, the player will be eligible to re-enter per the discretion of his/her coach. The partial period of play will constitute one full period for the injured player. Any player may be substituted for the injured player if the player participation rule is not affected. The player participation rules must be strictly enforced with  one full period of play for each player per half. Must Sit Rule: Every player must sit out at least half of the period. 20-Point Rule If a team has a 20-point lead at any time during the game, they will not be allowed to employ a full court press or a half-court press. No pressure is allowed. It is recommended that top players are removed and the substitutes play (only if player participation is not compromised). In the 4th period, and with a 20-point lead, the coach must take his top players out until the point difference is less than 10 points. Youth Basketball Pee Wee Division The Pee Wee Division consists of up to 10 players, ages 4 and 5,  with four players and coach on the court. Basket height:  6 feet, Basketball size: 3 (mini), Free throw line: 10 feet.​ Rules: The league will not adhere to a rule book. Since most of the participants do not understand fouls or violations, the officials will use their best judgment during the game. Penalties/violations will only be enforced if a player is gaining an advantage.Exception: Key violations - none and traveling - three steps.Defense: Teams may play zone or  man-to-man  at any time during the game. There are no limitations. Zone defense is highly recommended.Press: Teams may defend the ball only after the ball penetrates the half court line. The defensive players may not defend until the ball penetrates the half court line. No full court press.1st Pass/Back-court Rule: After the defensive player secures the  rebound, the 1st pass must be in the back-court, to the coach.Free Throws: Each player will shoot at least one free-throw prior to the start of play. Each successful free-throw will be recorded in the score book and count in the teams overall score. Officials will administer the fr ee throws. A player who missed will be allowed to shoot an extra shot to balance the team attempts, the free-throw line will be designated by the officials. A shooter may touch the line, but not cross completely over the line with his/her foot, on free-throw attempts. Players: Teams may have a maximum of four players on the court. The coach will be on the court on offense to help  dribble  and move the ball around. (The coach may not shoot the ball.) The coach may be on the court at the defensive end, may not play defense, and only coach defensively without physical contact. Youth Basketball Junior Varsity (J.V.) Division The J.V. Division consists of up to 10 players, ages 6 and 7, with five  players on the court. Basket height: 6 feet, Basketball size: 3 (mini), Free throw line: 10 feet Defense: Teams may play zone or man-to-man at any time during the game. There are no limitations. Zone defense is highly recommended.Press: Teams may defend the ball only after the ball penetrates the half court line. The defensive players must stay in the three-second area until the ball crosses the half court line.Foot in the Paint: Each defensive player must put at least one foot in the paint and stay in the 3-second area until the ball crosses the half court line.Three Second Violation: An offensive player may not be in the key (paint) for 5 seconds or more, This will be a violation against the offending team.Free Throws: Each player will shoot at least one free throw prior to the start of play. Each successful free-throw will be recorded in the scorebook and count in the teams overall score. Referees will administer the free throws. Both teams will shoot free throws at the same time but at different baskets. A player who has missed will be allowed to shoot an extra shot to balan ce the team attempts, the free-throw line will be at the dotted line inside the key. A shooter may touch the line, but not cross completely over the line with his/her foot on free-throw attempts. Youth Basketball Varsity Division The Varsity Division consists of up to 10 players, ages 8-10, with five  players on the court. Basket height:  10 feet, Basketball size: intermediate, Free throw line: 15 feet Defense: Any half-court defense may be played during the game.Press: Teams may full-court press only during last 5 minutes of the game. Any press is allowed.​Penalty: Only one warning per half for each half, a team  technical foul  will follow.Free Throws: The free-throw line will be at 15 feet. Shooters may touch the line but not completely cross over the line with his/her foot on free-throw attempts. Youth Basketball Senior Division The Senior Division consists of up to 10 players, ages 11-13, with five players on the court. Basket height: 10 feet, Basketball size: official; Free throw line: 15 feet. Defense: Teams must play man-to-man defense in the entire 1st half. Teams may play either man-to-man or zone defense in the second half.Penalty: One warning per team and then a team technical foul will be assessed.Man-to-man Defense: The defensive player must be within a six feet guardian position, A defensive team may double-team a player who has the basketball. Defensive team cannot double-team a player who does not have the ball. Officials will give one warning per half to each team. Further infractions will result in a technical foul.Press: Teams may employ a full-court press at any time during the game. During the first half, the teams must play only a man-to-man full court press, if they decide to press. Youth basketball is a low-cost team sport option that provides an opportunity for kids of all ages to reap the benefits of physical activity and sportsmanship. It also provides children the chance to learn the basics of the game so that those with the talent and inclination are ready to play at the high school level.

Discussions wk2 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussions wk2 - Term Paper Example After marriage breakups most of the women has to take custody of the children leading to extreme financial burden. Vocational training might be provided to those living below the poverty line, especially the women to reduce outside dependency. At this point of time many US national below poverty line are dependent on the government; such mind set needs to be changed, certain awareness campaigns might be done to resolve such issues. Marriage break down is also a real course of action. Government may start conducting counseling sessions or other awareness campaigns to control the rising rate of marriage of break ups. After analyzing certain sources it is to believed that the rich are not be blamed present state of Economy in the US. Rather a certain factions. According to experts certain factions or circles running the key financial institution are the real course of concern. Such circles have driven the people of US of the state of economic unrest. According experts this has resemblance with other troubled economies. Such instances were visible even during the modern industrializations. Each and every American aspires to be that billionaire: they said. They want to live the American dream. However off late have some people have really taken some rash decisions. They have brought homes that they couldn’t afford. Due to such actions people who did the all the right things and played by the rules have suffered. So it’s not the reach it’s the bad call made by certain average Americans are to be blamed. Before moving to the specific topic let us just understand what a living wage is. It is a minimum income necessary for an employee to meet the very basic needs. It is the morale right of every employee and the duty of every organization to pay them. (Stabile. D, 2009, p.53). Reports once suggested that 46% of the children of Walmart workers’ are uninsured or on medicated. Although the CEO begs to differ on this but actions suggest

Critical review of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) Essay

Critical review of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) - Essay Example Knowing this, world leaders continue to put so much premium on the need to improve the transport systems that exists in their countries. Commonly, world leaders are only channels and instruments for change, such as changes in the transport system without really having the technique knowhow to effect such changes. To make their change dreams realistic, they fall on professionals and experts to make to translate dreams into realities. It is out of such need for there to be a change in the transport system of West Midlands that the current report has been necessitated to propose a workable transport system for the city. As modernity and technological advancement takes the best part of everyday engagement, the transport system that is to be proposed is fused in the model of intelligent transport system, which generally refers to the application of information and communication technologies in the area of road transport and its interface with other modes of transport (Dusan and Gordana, 2 000). A holistic approach shall be taken to the proposal by first identifying needs of travellers and then going ahead to review existing systems before laying bare the proposed system as is reflected in the needs and existing systems. 2.0 Review of Travellers’ Needs Travellers of West Midlands have travelling needs that is manifested in their day to day travelling experience and the common forms of challenges that come out of them. There are a number of specific behavioural studies that have been conducted to identify most of these needs, based on which any workable intelligent transport system must revolve. Some of the core needs of travellers as reflected in behavioural studies are analysed below. Generally, the needs are based on an integrated model, which means that the needs are integrated in such a way that to solve them in a holistic way, an integrated system that attempts to deal with all the problems at a time must be used. 2.1 Easy Access to Services Different citi es have their peculiar transport needs and for West Midlands, one of the worse forms of transport challenge that the city has been found to be faced with the problem of access to transport services (Jean-Francois and Laporte, 2007). Studies have showed that there are a number of reasons that makes this problem, and thus the need for service users to have easy access to transport services emergent. In the first place, the city has been found to be highly dependent on public transport as compared to private transport (Handwerk, 2008). This means that a lot of the people would want to join public bus, train, or use public cargo as against the use of private means of transport. As part of the behavioural or ethnographic characteristics of the people, it has been found that the preference for public transport is generally due to the need on being conservative and economical on the cost of transport (Colorni and Righini, 2001). There have also been a number of public advocacy programs tha t have been aimed at convincing people to choose public transport over private transport as public transport helps in reducing traffic congestion and the rate of carbon emission (Luca, Raffaele and Ukovich, 2006). However as dependence on public transport increased, there seem to have been an imbalance in demand and supply ratio for transport services, as many people and companies find it

Cross Cultural Communication Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cross Cultural Communication Exam - Essay Example These shared traits, values and practices have been passed on from one generation to the next. These have all been developed from influences from their history, ancestors, environment and even geographical location. Thus, it can also be said that culture is an unconscious learning of a certain group’s inherent practices, and behaviors, and it forms the group’s identity that sets them apart from other cultures. In the context of one’s culture, one develops a worldview, value system, attitudes and beliefs common to the cultural group he comes from.2 Each culture has identified heroes, rituals, values and practices that represent who they are as a people. Heroes are people who have shown extraordinary virtues or skills that people want to emulate. People appreciate the heroes more when their culture is highlighted when the hero is given public recognition. Rituals are customs and traditions distinct to the cultural group. These are practiced in specific times such as special occasions. For example certain cultures perform certain rituals during religious holidays to honor their faith. Values are deeper concepts preferred by a cultural group such as the provision of utmost hospitality to guests or ascribing deep respect for elders. Practices are actions that sum up the cultural make-up of a group of people. For Muslims, for example, getting down on their knees to pray five times a day is a custom that reflects the people’s religious heroes, rituals, values and practices. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ethnocentrism as "regarding ones own race or ethnic group as of supreme importance"4. Although this is basically good because it promotes cultural identity, it may also breed arrogance and racism when it becomes amplified when the ethnocentric group is among other cultural groups. It then becomes a barrier in

A dramatic way Essay Example for Free

A dramatic way Essay After the September 11, 2001 attack the civil aviation system of our nation was given a great deal of congressional attention. The Congress enacted the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) on November 2001. The ATSA created the Transport Security Administration (TSA) within the Department of Transportation (DOT). The TSA was entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring security in aviation as well as other modes of transport. This agency hired a number of people for the deployment of both passengers and baggage. Explosives detection equipment was used to check the baggage. The agency is also working on the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS); this would use national security as well as commercial databases in order to identify passengers who could pose risk for additional screening. TSA also initiated a number of programs and research on the use of technology and information in order to advance security. The Transportation Workers Identification Card program is issued to airport workers after a background check has been conducted on them. Biometric indicators have been incorporated in them so that each worker can be positively matched to his or her credential. Though TSA takes pains to see that bombs and other threat items are not carried into the planes by the passengers on their self or in their baggage, areas such as the air cargo security, general aviation security and the airport perimeter security are still vulnerable, the air cargo is vulnerable as very little of the cargo on cargo and passenger planes are screened. Thus TSA has been advised to use a risk management approach to enhance and strengthen the air cargo security. Prior to September2001, screeners who were hired by the airlines very often failed to detect threat objects on passengers or in their carryon luggage. This could be because of insufficient training and a rapid turnover. In most of the airports the turnover exceeded 100 percent, the skilled and experienced screeners were few mainly because of low wages, few benefits and monotonous work. Moreover before September 2001 people entered the secure areas of airports, including the aircrafts as the limiting controls did not work as intended. TSA’s first and foremost responsibility was according to ATSA that of ensuring security in all modes of transportation. The security screening responsibility was also shifted to TSA. Some of the aviation security responsibility such as security of air traffic control and other computer systems remained with FAA. TSA worked to establish itself and worked at meeting the deadlines set forth by ATSA. TSA had 13 employees in January 2002. A year later it had 65,000 employees. TSA had met over 30 deadlines during 2002 to improve the aviation security. Racial profiling against the ‘young muslim male’ seems an awful idea and therefore it ought to be abolished. Still it is argued and even many minority police are of the opinion that it can be used as a statistical tool. It can be a cost effective way to tackle a certain problem e. g. most people committing X belong to Texas, then if there is a reliable way to identify people from Texas, it would certainly reduce the action X. Still it is not ethical even though police argue that they are not taking action based on any race but that they are using race as a factor to identify suspects. This is discrimination by race and religion and when such discrimination meets approval, we start heading down the slope. Besides this the practical problems are also to be met. It certainly antagonizes the group that is being profiled. The young muslim men in America would not like it and might even flare up, and it might irritate them so that they who might have helped in a terrorist investigation might just shrug their shoulders now. Moreover how many people would it affect? Numerous? Muslim looking men hail from Nigerians to Iranians to Indonesians. The muslims of Central Asia often resemble the Chinese and tree quarters of Arab Americans are Christians. It is also to be noted that even if racial profiling isn’t motivated by bigotry, over a period of time it is very likely to cause racial tension. The civilians would view all young Muslims males suspiciously, which would again inflame racial tensions. Therefore in order to preserve racial harmony an extra couple billion dollar get spent, for the security measure, it is still more worthwhile that creating disillusioned youngsters who in their anger might turn terrorists. Sources Jackson Brain A :Aptitude For Destruction: Organizational Learning in Terrorist Groups and its Implications for†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Brower Jennifer L: The Terrorist Threat and its implications for sensor technologies, Prometheus Inc.Newport . RI02840, USA 3. www. wikipedia. org 4.. Kofi Annan, Secretary General, United Nations, Keynote address to the Closing Plenary of the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security March 10 2005 5. Joan Arehart –Treichel; Terrorists Motives Arise From Diverse Factors Psychiatric News March 18, 2005, Volume 40, Number 6 6. Lee Tien, Electronic Frontier Foundation Senior Counsel, Sep. 27, 2001 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 7. Jenkins, Brian Michael: Countering the New Terrorism (199

Religion in Public Schools Essay -- Prayer in Public Schools

Religion in School â€Å"Juliana! It is 7:00. Time to get up,† yelled my sister Jessica every Wednesday morning during our high school years. We got up earlier than usual those Wednesday mornings for FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). FCA was held in the classroom of my social studies teacher who was also the instructor of FCA. I never realized how lucky I was to have an organized religious group at my high school until I talked to some friends from other schools. I was then given a taste of the reality of religion in school in overall society in the United States. Growing up in a small town lacking diversity in religions, I did not see the big picture that religion in schools is an issue. In order to discover what it was truly like to be exposed to the issue of religion in school I talked to three college students who graduated from large high schools. While talking to them I realized many religious privileges I took for granted at my school. For instance, these students could not say â€Å"Christmas break† because it was related to Jesus. Instead they had to say â€Å"winter break.† They simply did not have Easter break because the holiday was related to Christ. After interviewing my friends about religion in their schools I understand there is controversy on the subject. Neiberger proposal â€Å"Prayer does not belong in classrooms (1996),† states Ami Neiberger, a public relations programmer. Neiberger considers prayer at public school to violate the first amendment. Her strongest argument is saying state and religion should stay separate. This means the state should not have control of religion when it is present in school. Neiberger also does not think it is appropriate for prayer to take place at public sch... ...have to disagree with her main proposal. She does have good arguments to support her thoughts, but removing religious freedoms from school would be offensive to those students who want to practice their religion openly. Keeping religion in schools allows us as students to practice the freedoms that were given to us. References Barton, D. (2002). Solving the pledge of allegiance controversy. Wallbuilders. Retrieved November 2, 2003, from http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/search/ detail.php?ResourceID=67 Legal Information Institute. First amendment: an overview. New York. Cornell Law School. Retrieved November 2, 2003, from http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/first amendment.html Neiberger, A. (1996). Prayer does not belong in school. Retrieved October 30, 2003, from http://www.alligator.org/edit/issues/96-sumr/960523/d2ami23.htm

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett There are many ways to describe Warren Buffett such as genius, best investor of all time, down to earth, and full of wisdom. Buffett is the second richest man on the planet and still seems to come off as an average person. He is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for his undergraduate degree. Buffett attended Columbia of the Ivy League for his graduate degree. He has been very generous with his wealth, which is estimated to be worth $40 billion. When Warren Buffett was 25 years old, he began a limited partnership with his close family and friends. His original capital was estimated just over $100,000, over the next decade he added partners who brought money with them for him to invest. He did not have a year in which his company did not make money that decade and in return was paid 25% of the profits. Once his partnership dissolved, he began distributing shares of Berkshire Hathaway. Long story short, Buffett has taken Berkshire Hathaway from $7 per hare to $103,000 today and owns over 65 companies. The most recent company Buffett purchased was Burlington Northern for $34 billion, which is the biggest acquisition of his life. By purchasing Burlington Northern, Buffett is betting on the United States economy making a comeback. Moving materials by railroad is much more cost effective than by trucks. Buffett is a man who has many followers and he has given hope to people by making this gamble on America. Warren Buffett plans to give away 85% of his fortune to charities and foundations, most of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. He is a truly generous man and cares deeply about the people of America. Buffett will go down in history forever because of his brilliant investing but will be remembered by many around the country for what he gave back to it. References 1. CNN Money. 25 June 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. . 2. About. com. 2009. Web. 25 Nov. 2009. . 3. Los Angeles Times. 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. .

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 14

â€Å"All right,† Damon said as he and Elena reached Bonnie and Meredith. â€Å"Now comes the hard part.† Meredith looked up at him. â€Å"Now comes†¦?† â€Å"Yes. The really hard part.† Damon had finally unzipped his mysterious black leather bag. â€Å"Look,† he said in a bare murmur, â€Å"this is the actual Gate that we have to get through. And while we're doing it, you can have all the hysterics you want because you're supposed to be captives.† He pulled out a number of pieces of rope. Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie had drawn together in an automatic show of velociraptor sisterhood. â€Å"What,† Meredith said slowly, as if to give Damon the final benefit of some lingering doubt, â€Å"are those ropes for?† Damon put his head to one side in an oh-come-on gesture. â€Å"They're for tying your hands.† â€Å"For what?† Elena was amazed. She had never seen Meredith so obviously angry. She herself couldn't even get a word in. Meredith had walked up and was looking at Damon from a distance of about four inches. And her eyes are gray! some distant part of Elena's mind exclaimed in astonishment. Deep, deep, deep, clear gray gray. All this time I've thought they were brown, but they're not. Meanwhile Damon was looking faintly alarmed at Meredith's expression. A T. rex would have looked alarmed at Meredith's expression, Elena thought. â€Å"And you expect us to walk around with our hands tied up? While you do what?† â€Å"While I act as your master,† Damon said, suddenly rallying with a glorious smile that was gone almost before it was there. â€Å"The three of you are my slaves.† There was a long, long silence. Elena waved the entire pile of objects away with a gesture. â€Å"We won't do that,† she said simply. â€Å"We won't. There has to be some other way – â€Å" â€Å"Do you want to rescue Stefan or not?† Damon demanded suddenly. There was a searing heat in the dark eyes he had fixed on Elena. â€Å"Of course I do!† Elena flashed back, feeling heat in her cheeks. â€Å"But not as a slave, dragged along behind you!† â€Å"That's the only way humans get into the Dark Dimension,† Damon said flatly. â€Å"Tied or chained, as a vampire's or kitsune's or demon's property.† Meredith was shaking her head. â€Å"You never told us – â€Å" â€Å"I told you that you wouldn't like the way in!† Even while answering Meredith, Damon's eyes never left Elena. Underneath his outward coldness, he seemed to be pleading with her to understand, she thought. In the old days, she thought, he'd have just lounged against a wall and raised his eyebrows and said, â€Å"Fine; I didn't want to go anyway. Who's for a picnic?† But Damon did want them to go, Elena realized. He was desperate for them to go. He just didn't know any honest way of conveying that. The only way he knew was to – â€Å"You have to make us a promise, Damon,† she said, looking him directly in the eyes. â€Å"And it has to be before we make the decision to go or not.† She could see the relief in his eyes, even if to the other girls it might seem as if his face was perfectly cold and impassive. She knew he was glad she wasn't saying that her previous decision was final, and that was that. â€Å"What promise?† Damon asked. â€Å"You have to swear – to give your word – that no matter what we decide now or in the Dark Dimension, you won't try to Influence us. You won't put us to sleep by mind control, or nudge us to do what you want. You won't use any vampire tricks on our minds.† Damon wouldn't be Damon if he didn't argue. â€Å"But, look, suppose the time comes when you want me to do that? There are some things there that it might be better for you to sleep through – â€Å" â€Å"Then we'll tell you we've changed our minds, and we'll release you from the promise. You see? There's no downside. You just have to swear.† â€Å"All right,† Damon said, still holding her gaze. â€Å"I swear I won't use any kind of Power on your minds; I won't Influence you in any way, until you ask me to. I give my word.† â€Å"Right.† At last Elena broke the stare down with the tiniest of smiles and nods. And Damon gave her an almost imperceptible nod in return. She turned away to find herself looking into Bonnie's searching brown gaze. â€Å"Elena,† Bonnie whispered, tugging on her arm. â€Å"Come here for a sec, okay?† Elena could hardly help it. Bonnie was strong as a small Welsh pony. Elena went, casting a powerless look over her shoulder at Damon as she did. â€Å"What?† she whispered when Bonnie finally stopped dragging her. Meredith had come along as well, figuring it might be sisterhood business. â€Å"Well?† â€Å"Elena,† Bonnie burst out, as if unable to hold the words back any longer, â€Å"the way you and Damon act – it's different than it used to be. You didn't used to†¦I mean, what really happened between you two when you were alone together?† â€Å"This is hardly the time for that,† Elena hissed. â€Å"We're having a big problem here, in case you hadn't noticed.† â€Å"But – what if – â€Å" Meredith took up the unfinished sentence, pushing a dark lock of hair out of her eyes. â€Å"What if it's something Stefan doesn't like? Like ‘what happened with Damon when you were alone in the motel that night'?† she finished, quoting Bonnie's words. Bonnie's mouth fell open. â€Å"What motel? What night? What happened?† she almost shrieked, causing Meredith to try to quiet her and get bitten for her pains. Elena looked at first one and then the other of her two friends – the two friends who had come to die with her if necessary. She could feel her breath come short. It was so unfair, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Can we just discuss this later?† she suggested, trying to convey with her eyes and eyebrows Damon can hear us! Bonnie merely whispered, â€Å"What motel? What night? What – â€Å" Elena gave up. â€Å"Nothing happened,† she said flatly. â€Å"Meredith is only quoting you, Bonnie. You said those words last night while you were asleep. And maybe sometime in the future you'll tell us what you're talking about, because I don't know.† She finished by looking at Meredith, who just raised one perfect eyebrow. â€Å"You're right,† Meredith said, completely undeceived. â€Å"The English language could use a word like ‘sa.' It would make these conversations so much shorter, for one thing.† Bonnie sighed. â€Å"Well, then, I'll find out for myself,† she said. â€Å"You may not think I can, but I will.† â€Å"Okay, okay, but meanwhile does anyone have anything helpful to say about Damon's rope stuff?† â€Å"Such as, do we tell him where to stuff it?† Meredith suggested under her breath. Bonnie was holding a length of rope. She ran a small, fair-skinned hand over it. â€Å"I don't think this was bought in anger,† she said, her brown eyes unfocusing and her voice taking on the slightly eerie tone it always did when she was in trance. â€Å"I see a boy and a girl, over a counter at a hardware store – and she's laughing, and the boy says, ‘I'll bet you anything that you're going to school next year to be an architect,' and the girl gets all misty-eyed, and says, yes, and – † â€Å"And that's all the psychic spying I care to hear today.† Damon had come right up to them without making a sound. Bonnie jumped violently, and almost dropped the rope. â€Å"Listen,† Damon continued harshly, â€Å"just a hundred meters away is the final crossing. Either you wear these and you act like slaves or you don't get in to help Stefan. Ever. That's it.† Silently, the girls conferred with their eyes. Elena knew that her own expression said clearly that she wasn't asking either Bonnie or Meredith to go with her, but that she herself was going if it required crawling behind Damon on her hands and knees. Meredith, looking directly into Elena's eyes, slowly shut her own and nodded, letting out her breath. Bonnie was nodding her head already, resigned. In silence, Bonnie and Meredith let Elena tie their wrists in front of them. Elena then let Damon tie her wrists and thread a long rope between the three of them, as if they were a chain gang of prisoners. Elena could feel a flush coming up from below her chest to burn in her cheeks. She couldn't meet Damon's eyes, not this way, but she knew without asking that Damon was thinking about the time that Stefan had dismissed him from his apartment like a dog, in front of just this audience, plus Matt. Vengeful cad, Elena thought as hard as she could in Damon's direction. She knew the last word would hurt the most. Damon prided himself on being a gentleman†¦ But â€Å"gentlemen† don't go into the Dark Dimension, Damon's voice in her head said mockingly. â€Å"All right,† Damon added aloud, and took the lead rope in one hand. He started walking briskly into the darkness of the cave, the three girls crowding and stumbling behind him. Elena would never forget that brief journey, and she knew neither Bonnie nor Meredith would either. They walked across the shallow opening of the cave and into the small opening in the back, which gaped like a mouth. It took some maneuvering to get the three of them into it. On the other side the cavern flared out again, and they were in a large cavern. At least that was what Elena's enhanced senses told her. The everlasting fog had returned and Elena had no idea which way they were going. Only a few minutes later a building reared up out of the thick fog. Elena didn't know what she had been expecting from the Demon Gate. Possibly huge ebony doors, carved with serpents and encrusted with jewels. Maybe a rough-hewn, weathered colossus of stone, like the Egyptian pyramids. Perhaps even some sort of futuristic energy field that flickered and flashed with blue-violet lasers. What she saw instead looked like a ramshackle depot of some kind, a place for holding and shipping goods. There was an empty pen, heavily fenced, topped with barbed wire. It stank, and Elena was glad that she and Damon had not channeled power to her nose. Then there were people, men and women in fine clothes, each with a key in one hand, murmuring something before opening a door in one side of the building. The same door – but Elena would bet anything that they weren't all going to the same place, if the keys were like the one she had briefly â€Å"borrowed† from Shinichi's house a week or so ago. One of the ladies looked as if she were dressed for a fancy masquerade, with fox ears that blended into her long auburn hair. It was only when Elena saw under her ankle-length dress the swishing of a fox tail that she realized that the woman was a kitsune making use of the Demon Gate. Damon hastily – and none too gently – led them to the other side of the building, where a broken-hinged door opened into a dilapidated room that, strangely, seemed larger on the inside than on the outside. All sorts of things were being bartered or sold here: many looked as if they had to do with the management of slaves. Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie looked at one another, round-eyed. Obviously, people bringing wild slaves in from the outside considered torture and terror all in a day's work. â€Å"Passage for four,† Damon said briefly to the slump-shouldered but heavyset man behind the counter. â€Å"Three savages all at once?† The man, eyes devouring what he could see of the three girls, turned to look at Damon suspiciously. â€Å"What can I say? My job is also my hobby.† Damon stared him straight in the eyes. â€Å"Yeh, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The man laughed. â€Å"Lately we bin gettin' maybe one or two a month.† â€Å"They're legally mine. No kidnappings. Kneel,† Damon added casually to the three girls. It was Meredith who got it first and sank to the ground like a ballet dancer. Her dark, dark gray eyes were focused on something no one but she could see. Then Elena somehow untangled the single syllable from the others. She focused her mind on Stefan and pretended she was kneeling to kiss him on his prison pallet. It seemed to work; she was down. But Bonnie was up. The most dependent, the softest, the most innocent member of the triumvirate found that her knees had gone solid. â€Å"Redheads, eh?† the man said, eyeing Damon sharply even as he smirked. â€Å"Maybe you'd better buy a little tingler for that one.† â€Å"Maybe,† Damon said tightly. Bonnie just looked at him blankly, looked at the girls on the ground and then threw herself into a prostrate position. Elena could hear her sobbing softly. â€Å"But I've found that a firm voice and a disapproving look actually work better.† The man gave up and slumped again. â€Å"Passage for four,† he grunted and reached up and pulled on a dirty bell rope. By this time Bonnie was weeping in fear and humiliation, but no one seemed to notice, except the other girls. Elena didn't dare to try to comfort her telepathically; that wouldn't fit in with the aura of a â€Å"normal human girl† at all, and who knew what traps or devices might be hidden here in addition to the man who kept undressing them over and over with his eyes? She just wished she could call up one of her Wings attacks, right here in this room. That would wipe the smug look off the man's face. A moment later, something else wiped it off as completely as she could have desired. Damon leaned across the counter and whispered something to him that turned the slumped man's leering face a sickly color of green. Did you hear what he said? Elena communicated this to Meredith using her eyes and eyebrows. Meredith, her own eyes crinkling, positioned her hand in front of Elena's abdomen, then made a twisting, ripping motion. Even Bonnie smiled. Then Damon led them to wait outside the depot. They had only been standing a few minutes when Elena's new vision spotted a boat gliding silently through the mist. She realized that the building must be on the very bank of a river, but even with Power directed solely to her eyes she could barely make out where the nonreflective land gave way to shining water, and even with Power directed solely to her ears she could barely hear the sound of swift deep water running. The boat stopped – somehow. Elena couldn't see any anchor dropped or anything to fasten it to. But the fact was that it did stop, and the slumped man put down a plank, which stayed in place as they boarded: first Damon, and then his bevy of â€Å"slaves.† On board, Elena watched Damon wordlessly offer six pieces of gold to the ferryman – two for each human who presumably wouldn't be coming back, she thought. For a moment she was lost in the memory of being very young – only three or so, she must have been – and sitting on her father's lap while he read to her from a wonderfully illustrated book about the Greek myths. It told about the ferryman, Charon, who took spirits of the deceased over the river Styx to the land of the dead. And her father telling her that the Greeks put coins on the eyes of those who died so they could pay the ferryman†¦. There's no coming back from this journey! she thought suddenly and violently. No escape! They might as well be truly dead†¦. Strangely, it was horror that saved her from this morass of terror. Just as she lifted her head, perhaps to scream, the dim figure of the ferryman turned from his duties briefly as if to look back over the passengers. Elena heard Bonnie's shriek. Meredith, shaking, was frantically and illogically reaching for the bag in which her gun was stowed. Even Damon didn't seem to be able to move. The tall specter in the boat had no face. He had deep depressions where his eyes should be, a shallow hollow for a mouth, and a triangular hole where his nose should have protruded. The uncanny horror of it, on top of the stink from the depot pens, was simply too much for Bonnie, and she slumped sideways, limp against Meredith, in a faint. Elena, in the midst of her terror, had a moment of revelation. In the dim, moist, dripping twilight, she had forgotten to stop trying to use all her senses to their fullest. She was undoubtedly better able to see the inhuman face of the ferryman than, say, Meredith. She could also hear things, like the sounds of long-dead miners tapping at the rock above them, and the scurrying of enormous bats or cockroaches or something, inside the stone walls all around them. But now, Elena suddenly felt warm tears on her icy cheeks as she realized that she had completely underestimated Bonnie for as long as she'd known about her friend's psychic powers. If Bonnie's senses were permanently open to the kinds of horrors Elena was experiencing now, it was no wonder that Bonnie lived in fear. Elena found herself promising to be a hell of a lot more tolerant the next time Bonnie faltered or started screaming. In fact, Bonnie deserved some kind of an award for keeping a grip on sanity this far, Elena decided. But Elena didn't dare do any more than gaze at her friend, who was completely unconscious, and swear to herself that from now on Bonnie would find a champion in Elena Gilbert. That promise and the warmth of it burned like a candle in Elena's mind, a candle she pictured held by Stefan, the light of it dancing in his green eyes and playing over the planes of his face. It was just enough to keep her from losing her own sanity on the rest of the journey. By the time the boat docked – at a place just slightly more traveled than the one where they had embarked – all three of the girls were in a state of exhaustion brought on by prolonged terror and wrenching suspense. But they hadn't really used the time to think over the words â€Å"Dark Dimension† or to imagine the number of ways its darkness might be manifested. â€Å"Our new home,† Damon said grimly. Watching him instead of the landscape, Elena realized from the tension in his neck and shoulders that Damon was not enjoying himself. She'd thought he'd be heading into his own particular paradise, this world of human slaves, and torture for entertainment, whose only rule was self-preservation of the individual ego. Now she realized that she had been wrong. For Damon this was a world of beings with Powers as great or greater than his own. He was going to have to claw out a foothold here among them, just like any urchin on the street – except that he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. They needed to find a way not just to live, but to live in luxury and mingle with high society, if they were to have any chance to rescue Stefan. Stefan – no, she couldn't allow herself the luxury of thinking about him at that time. Once she started she would become undone, begin to demand ridiculous things, like that they go round to the prison, just to stare at it, like a junior high kid with a crush on an older boy, who just wanted to be driven â€Å"by his house† to worship it. And then what would that do to their plans for a jailbreak later? Plan A was: don't make mistakes, and Elena would stick to that until she found a better one. That was how Damon and his â€Å"slaves† came to the Dark Dimension, through the Demon Gate. The smallest one needed to be revived with water in the face before she could get up and walk.

Nikki Giovanni essays

Nikki Giovanni essays Some people descried Nikki Giovanni as been a History of Nikkis Family and Early Childhood. A woman named Emma Watson was born in 1890, then at the early age of nineteen was married to John Brown Watson. John was a shy, gentle man who was twenty years older than his wife Emma. Emma gave birth to their first daughter on January 5, 1919, thins was Nikkis mother, Yolanda Cornelia Watson. Soon after the birth of their child the Wastons had to leave Albany in a rush. Emma had argued with a white woman shopkeeper about the lengths of some cloth. Having disagreements with white people was very dangerous for people of color in those days. Because in southern towns, lynching of the colored people were still popular. After leaving Albany Georgia the Watsons settled down in Knoxville, Tennessee, by buying a house in a black neighborhood. Over the next years the Watsons had two more daughters Anna and Ages. John supported the family by teaching Latin at an all black school call Austin High. Yolanda, John and Emma oldest daughter and child was smart, pretty and artiste, and athletic. In Knoxville College in the mid-thirties she met Jones Giovanni. He was a well-manner, hansom guy with an unusual last name. Gus Giovanni, and Yolanda got married after their graduation, and soon welcomed first child to the world on September 2, 1940. They had a baby girl named GaryAnn. A couple of years later Yolanda was pregnant again. Yolanda was hoping for a boy, and told Gary she would soon have a brother. The whole family started calling the unborn child Nikki. The on June 7, 1943 Yolanda had a baby girl, named Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni Jr. As she grew people began to call her Nikki. Yolanda and Gus both had college degrees, but in that time the job choices for blacks were limited. Nikkis father worked as a bellhop in a local hotel, and stoked furnaces for a government agency. Shortly after the birth of Nikki the Giovann...

u01a1 Diversity of Life Essay

u01a1 Diversity of Life Essay u01a1 Diversity of Life Essay In the world today, it is estimated that there are 1.5 to 1.8 million discovered and formally named species. Although no one is willing to place their career on the total species number, there has been a formula use to calculate what this number is and there speculations range from 3.6 million to upwards of 100 million species. (Wilson, E.O., 2002) From early on, when the first scientists started classifying species, there were only two main classifications. The two kingdoms of living organisms that continued from the beginning of Binomial Nomenclature were Animalia (animal) or Plantae (vegetable). This practice was used until the 19th century when it was determined that this was insufficient. Currently there are five kingdoms used in the classification of organisms along with two main divisions. The two main divisions are Prokaryotae (bacteria, etc.) and Eukaryotae (animals to include humans, plants, fungi, and protists). There has been even more recent development that the prokary otes are much more diverse that previously thought, they now divided into two domains, the Bacteria and the Archaea. (Ben Waggoner, 2005) What is Biodiversity? Biodiversity is a conglomeration of organisms, species, and populations. This is the genetic variation to include complex assemblages of societies and ecosystems. It also includes the environmental interactions of genes, species, and ecosystems. There are three different types of biodiversity; genetic, species, as well as ecosystems. Additionally, there are various threats to biodiversity which include; habitat loss and destruction, alterations that occur in the ecosystem composition, over hunting and over fishing, pollution and or contamination, and the global change in climate. In the book written by Lester R. Brown, Plan B 3.0; Scientists are concerned that the world is at the precipice, referred to as â€Å"tipping points†. Brown states we are in a race and which will tip first, the earth’s natural system or the world’s political systems. These social tipping points all have global consequences, including population shrinkages of endangered species, the human population rapidly increasing in underdeveloped countries that cannot be supported, global warming and the melting of the earth’s glaciers. There have been a growing number of unresolved problems stressing weaker governments into what is now known as failing states. An early sign of a failing civilization is the failing of states. Signs of governments that lose the ability and control of the security of its population will become one of these failing states. Some of the failing states currently are; Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Chad, Afghanistan, and Haiti to