Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 2

The next afternoon, I found myself sitting on a stiff, low-backed velvet chair in the Cartwrights' sitting room. Every time I shifted, trying to find a spot of comfort on the hard seat, I felt the gaze of Mrs. Cartwright, Rosalyn, and her maid fall upon me. It was as though I was the subject in a portrait at a museum or a character in a drawing room drama. The entire front room reminded me of a set for a play–it was hardly the type of place in which to relax. Or talk, for that matter. During the first fifteen minutes of my arrival, we'd haltingly discussed the weather, the new store in town, and the war. After that, long pauses reigned, the only sound the hollow clacking of the maid's knitting needles. I glanced at Rosalyn again, trying to find something about her person to compliment. She had a pert face with a dimple in her chin, and her earlobes were small and symmetrical. From the half centimeter of ankle I could see below the hem of her dress, it seemed she had delicate bone structure. Just then a sharp pain shot up my leg. I let out a cry, then looked down at the floor, where a tiny, copper-colored dog about the size of a rat had embedded its pointed teeth in the skin of my ankle. â€Å"Oh, that's Penny. Penny's just saying hi, isn't she?† Rosalyn cooed, scooping up the tiny animal into her arms. The dog stared at me, continuing to bare its teeth. I inched farther back in my seat. â€Å"She's, uh, very nice,† I said, even though I didn't understand the point of a dog that small. Dogs were supposed to be companions that could keep you company on a hunt, not ornaments to match the furniture. â€Å"Isn't she, though?† Rosalyn looked up in rapture. â€Å"She's my very best friend, and I must say, I'm terrified of her going outside now, with all the reports of animal murders!† â€Å"I'm telling you, Stefan, we're so frightened!† Mrs. Cartwright jumped in, running her hands over the bodice of her navy dress. â€Å"I don't understand this world. It's simply not meant for us women to even go outside.† â€Å"I hope whatever it is doesn't attack us. Sometimes I'm scared to step foot outdoors, even when it's light,† Rosalyn fretted, clutching Penny tightly to her chest. The dog yelped and jumped off her lap. â€Å"I'd die if anything happened to Penny.† â€Å"I'm sure she'll be fine. After all, the attacks have been happening on farms, not in town,† I said, halfheartedly trying to comfort her. â€Å"Stefan?† Mrs. Cartwright asked in her shrill voice, the same one she affected when she used to chide Damon and me for whispering during church. Her face was pinched, and her expression looked like she had just sucked on a lemon. â€Å"Don't you think Rosalyn looks especially beautiful today?† â€Å"Oh, yes,† I lied. Rosalyn was wearing a drab brown dress that matched her brownish blond hair. Loose ringlets fell about her skinny shoulders. Her outfit was a direct contrast to the parlor, which was decorated with oak furniture, brocade chairs, and dark-colored Oriental rugs that overlapped on the gleaming wood floor. In the far corner, over the marble mantel, a portrait of Mr. Cartwright stared down at me, a stern expression on his angular face. I glanced at him curiously. In contrast to his wife, who was overweight and red-faced, Mr. Cartwright was ghostly pale and skinny–and slightly dangerous-looking, like the vultures we'd seen circling around the battlefield last summer. Considering who her parents were, Rosalyn had actually turned out remarkably well. Rosalyn blushed. I shifted on the chair's edge, feeling the jewelry box in my rear pocket. I'd glanced at the ring last night, when sleep wouldn't come. I recognized it instantly. It was an emerald circled by diamonds, made by the finest craftsmen in Venice and worn by my mother until the day she died. â€Å"So, Stefan? What do you think of pink?† Rosalyn asked, breaking me out of my reverie. â€Å"I'm sorry, what?† I asked, distracted. Mrs. Cartwright shot me an irritated look. â€Å"Pink? For the dinner next week? It's so kind of your father to plan it,† Rosalyn said, her face bright red as she stared at the floor. â€Å"I think pink would look delightful on you. Y ou'll be beautiful no matter what you wear,† I said woodenly, as though I were an actor reading lines from a script. Mrs. Cartwright smiled approvingly. The dog ran to her and jumped onto a pillow next to her. She began stroking its coat. Suddenly the room felt hot and humid. The cloying, competing scents of Mrs. Cartwright's and Rosalyn's perfumes made my head spin. I sneaked a glance at the antique grandfather clock in the corner. I'd been here for only fifty-five minutes, yet it might as well have been fifty-five years. I stood up, my legs wobbling beneath me. â€Å"It has been lovely visiting with you, Mrs. and Miss Cartwright, but I'd be loath to take up the rest of your afternoon.† â€Å"Thank you.† Mrs. Cartwright nodded, not rising from her settee. â€Å"Maisy will show you out,† she said, lifting her chin toward their maid, who was now dozing over her knitting. I breathed a sigh of relief as I left the house. The air was cool against my clammy skin, and I was happy that I hadn't had our coachman wait for me; I would be able to clear my head by walking the two miles home. The sun was beginning to sink into the horizon, and the smell of honeysuckle and jasmine hung heavily in the air. I glanced up at Veritas as I strode up the hill. Blooming lilies surrounded the large urns flanking the path to the front door. The white columns of the porch glowed orange from the setting sun, the pond's mirror-like surface gleamed in the distance, and I could hear the faraway sound of the children playing near the servants' quarters. This was my home, and I loved it. But I couldn't imagine sharing it with Rosalyn. I shoved my hands in my pockets and angrily kicked a stone in the curve of the road. I paused when I reached the entrance to the drive, where an unfamiliar coach was standing. I stared with curiosity–we rarely had visitors–as a white-haired coachman jumped out of the driver's seat and opened the cab. A beautiful, pale woman with cascading dark curls stepped out. She wore a billowing white dress, cinched at her narrow waist with a peach-colored ribbon. A matching peach hat was perched atop her head, obscuring her eyes. As if she knew I was staring, she turned. I gasped despite myself. She was more than beautiful; she was sublime. Even from a distance of twenty paces, I could see her dark eyes flickering, her pink lips curving into a small smile. Her thin fingers touched the blue cameo necklace at her throat, and I found myself mirroring the gesture, imagining what her small hand would feel like on my own skin. Then she turned again, and a woman, who must have been her maid, stepped out of the cab and began fussing with her skirts. â€Å"Hello!† she called. â€Å"Hello †¦,† I croaked. As I breathed, I smelled a heady combination of ginger and lemon. â€Å"I'm Katherine Pierce. And you are?† she asked, her voice playful. It was as if she knew I was tongue-tied by her beauty. I wasn't sure whether I should be mortified or thankful that she was taking the lead. â€Å"Katherine,† I repeated slowly, remembering. Father had told me the story of a friend of a friend down in Atlanta. His neighbors had perished when their house caught fire during General Sherman's siege, and the only survivor had been a sixteen- year-old girl with no relations. Immediately, Father had offered to board the girl in our carriage house. It had all sounded very mysterious and romantic, and when Father told me, I saw in his eyes how much he enjoyed the idea of serving as rescuer to this young orphan. â€Å"Y es,† she said, her eyes dancing. â€Å"And you are †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stefan!† I said quickly. â€Å"Stefan Salvatore. Giuseppe's son. I am so sorry for your family's tragedy.† â€Å"Thank you,† she said. In an instant, her eyes became dark and somber. â€Å"And I thank you and your father for hosting me and my maid, Emily. I don't know what we would have done without you.† â€Å"Yes, of course.† I felt suddenly protective. â€Å"You'll be in the carriage house. Would you like me to show you?† â€Å"We shall find it ourselves. Thank you, Stefan Salvatore,† Katherine said, following the coachman, who carried a large trunk toward the small guest house, which was set back a bit from the main estate. Then she turned around and stared at me. â€Å"Or should I call you Savior Stefan?† she asked with a wink before turning on her heel. I watched her walk into the sunset, her maid trailing her, and instantly I knew my life would never be the same.

Surviving the Spanish Conquest

Life before the arrival of the Spanish was very pleasant. My husband Maita and I, plus our two children, Tupac (our six year old son) and Urpi (our four year old daughter) all lived happily together in the city of Nazca. Maita was a high priest and I was an Acllyacona otherwise called a chosen woman. Together this made us very high in society. Being an acllyancona I served as a weaver. I prepared textiles of llama and alpaca cloth. This was an essential part of Inca life. As Incas, we used these textiles as payment for the warfare or as gifts to high classed people. Also I made the clothes/garments for the Sapa Inca and for ritual use. As an acllyancona, I had many advantages to society. I didn’t have to perform hard labour in the fields, which most Incas did and I always had enough food and clothing. But my pleasant life all changed when the Spanish arrived, it became very unpleasant. The Sapa Inca called Maita and many other high priests and priestesses to travel with him to Cuzco, to visit the Spanish intruders. Majority of Incas such as Maita and I, had not even seen the Spanish yet and did not know who they were. When Maita left to go to Cuzco that was the last time I ever saw him. The chasqui (messengers) told us that the Spanish killed nearly everyone there in the city of Cuzco and took Sapa Inca as hostage. I was so upset that Maita was dead. As the Sapa Inca was hostage, he offered a room full of gold for his release freely. He kept his word however the Spanish did not. They killed him, took the gold and fled. A little more then a year had passed and the Spanish apparently had not come back to our Incan Empire, until they appeared in my city. They appeared as strangers, protected by wearing full metal amour. They charged at us on huge animals, (which none of us had ever seen before) called horses. There was so many of them and each one of them was armed with gunpowder, guns and steel weapons. It was all very terrifying and I was so scared. The Spanish had absolutely no respect at all for our religion of worshiping the Sun. So they tried to change our religion to there religion of Christianity. Plus they let fire and destroyed buildings. Large numbers of people died, as 9 out of 10 Incas did. This was huge, because our Incan population suffered a dramatic and quick decline following contact. People died of different causes but all linked to the Spanish. Such as†¦ -The Spanish went on rampages through the city murdering chiefs, plus anyone they did not like. -Several people had no resistance to keep on living as we were treated very unfairly and died. -And the main cause of death was from disease, which the Spanish brought. I’m really angry at all these causes of deaths from the Spanish especially because unfortunately Urpi died from disease. I was petrified, of the Spanish but was not going to let Tupac and myself die because of them. I had a strong will to survive and to keep on living. Life after the conquest was very cruel and barbaric. The Spanish literally worked us to death. We were like slaves for them. All aspects of our culture were destroyed and the building materials were used to construct churches and cathedrals. There was destruction of everything which had given our life meaning and purpose. Now we were at the bottom of the Spanish empire, with a new language, religion, laws and way of life.

American Government And Rights

The individual freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment are widely regarded as essential to the maintenance of a democratic system. Specifically, the First Amendment states the â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The First Amendment freedoms protect the legitimacy of philosophical, political, and ethical pluralism.The concept of pluralism entails tolerance of diversity in social, political, and religious points of view, that is, acknowledgement that different judgments on these subjects all have a right to be held and advocated. Karen O’Connor, author of the book American Government: Continuity and Change states that students must be able to understand how the American government was able to develop so that they can understand how the Am erican government evolved over the years (O’Connor & Sabato, 2009).This paper looks at the different issues in the area of civil liberties encompassing women’s rights, affirmative action, and suffrage, at the same time, maintaining that these constitute vested rights of a higher order than economic or social values because civil liberties constitute the essence of the democratic political process itself. Constraints of Congress over bureaucracy The power relationships between Congress, interest groups, judiciary and bureaucracy were discussed in Chapter 12 of Politics in America by Thomas Dye, Tucker Gibson and Clay Robison.He outlined several checks employed by Congress in terms of the bureaucracy that include its function in confirming appointments, conducting committee hearings on programs in the implementation and formulation phases, oversight functions which come in the form of congressional inquiries on the operations of the civil services and more importantly Co ngress use of the power of the purse or its discretion on the allocation of appropriations in checking the bureaucracy.Other constraints of Congress over the bureaucracy is manifested in statutes that include â€Å"The Administrative Procedures Act of 1946† (APA) which mandates government instrumentalities to place proposed rules in the Federal Register, solicit comments, and hold hearings. In addition, the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 (FOIA) provides citizens a formal route for compelling agencies to give out information, with some broad exceptions. Interest groups serve as lobbying agents of bureaucracy and act as watchdogs of society for erring bureaucrats.Interest groups are called upon for their policy recommendations in congress and bureaucracy. The judiciary deliberates on cases dealing with alleged overstepping of authority and they can issue injunctions on programs of a particular government agency. Under the system, several safety nets were instituted to mitig ate potential abuses by the bureaucracy as stated in the Constitution. Reforms in the bureaucracy will succeed when it is implemented in a sustainable manner and with a good dose of political will. The latter is based on prioritizing the needs of the majority and that which is geared towards the common good.It is imperative that government officials regard themselves as public servants and not politicians; in this context they are transcending a myopic perception of their responsibility because they are primarily considering their constituents’ interest above anyone and anything else. The U. S. Constitution The U. S. Constitution has adopted an expanded meaning of the U. S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment to incorporate progressively more of the guarantees in the federal Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights limits the national government’s criminal law and trial procedures only in federal courts.Most crimes, however, are violations of state law, and most crimi nal trials are resolved at that level. It is only through the ambiguous phrase of the Fourteenth Amendment that â€Å"no State shall deny any person life, liberty or property without due process of law†¦Ã¢â‚¬  that the U. S. Constitution imposes any restriction on state criminal procedures. The Constitution creates factions among the three branches though the separation of powers. A faction running Congress may face a rival in control of the presidency and the executive branch. Controlling both might face a truculent judicial branch of holdovers from an earlier regime.The separation of powers and checks and balances assure that no one group will be able to dominate the national government. Conflicts or possible corroboration for dominance comes with the encroachment by one branch to another or with duplication of functions. The Constitution established a structure that the mutual relation by all the branches would keep them in their proper places. (Madison, The Federalist 51, Cigler, 1998 ). The creation of three different branches chosen in different ways at different times ensures that policy will be made through bargaining and compromise.Regardless of the separation embodied in the Constitution, the different branches will actually share powers. The checks and balances set up very little dependence between the branches. The permanent tenure of appointments in the Judiciary reinforces its independence from the other branches. The Constitution provides the deviation in the principle of equality to fortify the judiciary. It also admitted the weaker one posing threats or committing encroachments to other branches among the three. The lifetime term of magistrates destroys any possible dependence to the conferring authority.(Madison, The Federalist 51, Cigler 1998). The division into different departments of the legislature chosen in different ways and with different principles of action ensures a level playing field with the executive. Conflicts were expe cted to occur from time to time between the legislative and the executive. The division in the legislature is to balance the weight of its authority and fortify the executive’s (Madison, The Federalist 51, Cigler 1998). The separation of powers impedes the influence of those who have less by ensuring that if this group gains access to one branch, that branch will be checked by another branch.The Constitution provides that â€Å"influence to government should be proportionate to property (Hofstadter, The Founding Fathers: an Age of Realism, Cigler 1998). † If small landowners succeed in getting support from one branch, the other branch could demand for other checks and balances, a sufficient evidence of property ownership. Election policy The Constitution’s election policy ensures that the working class and others who have less, uniting as a majority, could not gain influence in the government.The Philadelphia Enterprise had no intention of extending liberties to those without properties (Hofstadter, The Founding Fathers: an Age of Realism, Cigler 1998). Only white males â€Å"with property and principle† were allowed to vote. The Constitution staggers elections to bring into the national government new issues as they arise over time. The necessary actions that often include bargaining and compromise have been addressed prior to elective officials seeking of new mandate. The staggering of elections makes it impossible for the masses to quickly and easily influence the government.The right to vote was not provided by the Constitution. The Convention was not interested to extend liberty to the ‘men without property in principle’ back home. The people they meant were in â€Å"consent of the people† (Hofstadter, The Founding Fathers: an Age of Realism, Cigler 1998) as the foundation of the government were actually the small landowners – men with small properties who were categorized as stakeholders proportionat e to their assets. The hard truth is, not just suffrage but all other rights were not mentioned and defined in the Constitution.According to statistics, only 54%, an alarmingly low number, of eligible voters cast their ballots in the last four decades of presidential election (Carleton, n. d. ). Apparent civilian apathy is happening especially among those from the low-income bracket and those belonging within the age bracket of 18-25 years old. Why don’t these people vote? The numbers of reasons cited are: â€Å"They feel ignored by politicians; they feel their vote doesn’t really count; and they say that they don’t get the kind of information they need to make an informed decision (Clinton, 2000).I will state three reasons why the people of America should vote: it is our privilege; it is our right; and it is a hallmark of our culture of representative democracy. Voting is a privilege because it is not everybody’s birthright to participate in the selecti on of a country’s leaders. Suffrage is being mandated by the laws of the land and conferred among its people; it can be constrained to some areas or to some part of the population. In fact in our history, this right is used to be reserved to the wealthy, white males of society. Thus, let us not forget that Martin Luther King Jr.marched from Selma to Montgomery Alabama, magnifying the voting issues, which led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There were also the women suffrage fighters who suffered persecution and loathe until the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution has been ratified. In come countries, like Afghanistan, electorates will walk for days before reaching their precinct, some would even line up for hours in order to cast their votes. More than two centuries ago, our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence setting us free from the British rule.â€Å"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governmen t. † These are the words written and immortalized by the Thomas Jefferson, a former president and one of the founding fathers. The phrase â€Å"consent of the governed† marked the cornerstone of our democracy. When we vote, we acknowledgement the principles by which our sovereign state adheres to – we are demonstrating to the world that we live in a free nation and are proud of it. Women’s right movement In the aftermath of suffrage, white women’s racial attitudes ranged from intolerance to neglect to engagement.At one extreme, the resurgent Ku Klux Klan established a Women’s KKK, which in 1924 claimed a membership of a quarter million. More typical was the dismissal of race by younger radicals such as Alice Paul, the charismatic leader of the self-identified feminists, who had helped revive the U. S. suffrage movement. Borrowing the militant tactics of the British suffragettes, they had chained themselves to the White House fence and survive d hunger strikes in jail. This refusal to acknowledge racism recurred in the anti-Semitism of the women’s movement.Like African Americans, Jewish women had formed their own clubs in response to exclusion from white Christian organizations. Although Jewish women supported suffrage more often than other groups, the suffrage movement had ignored their cultural life when it scheduled conventions and parades on the Jewish Sabbath. Voting is an obligation because it is a direct participation to determine the welfare of the nation. During Elections, every voter is a statesman, carrying a personal responsibility of choosing the best persons to run the country. â€Å"It is the most powerful tool that we have . . . vote does everything . . . It wins wars. It loses wars.† say country artist Ronnie Dunn (Barbieri, n. d. ). The women’s right movement during the Progressive Era was concerned with women suffrage. In the 1800s women were becoming more educated, their roles were slowly shifting as society gradually adjusted to intellectual women who knew politics and other concerns previously under the male’s domain. This awakening period made most of these educated women question the norms, especially their lack of stand during elections. The movement at this time was focused on the right to vote, as the fighters believe that winning suffrage will just be the beginning of other women’s right in the society.It was also a struggle to prove that women can be just as good as men. In the 1960s, however, women’s right movements cover a broader scope. It was also called the liberation movement. Liberation in a sense that women were deemed as caged by the rules set by society. Gaining suffrage is not enough when a woman’s full potential as an individual is not met. Before the 1960s, women could not pursue a career, nor venture into affairs that were considered unfashionable for a lady, such as politics and business.Her main concern is the home, taking care of the family and always exuding that feminine grace and aura. The leaders of the movements rebelled against this painted picture of the woman, insisting that they have far greater substance to be considered as mere â€Å"beauty objects† and â€Å"sex objects† (Sawhney). At this time, the enlightened woman welcomed the arrival of the contraceptive pill, legalization of abortion and career life without the feeling of guilt. Male chauvinism was also deeply criticized. Affirmative Action There is perhaps a need to establish goals in affirmative action plans on that basis.It would be good to note that our organization undertakes recruitment efforts to ensure that underutilized minorities and women are represented in the applicant pool. The proper equal employment opportunity is the core concept that harmonizes the diversity and Affirmative Action efforts. It is a fact that management acknowledges that everyone must have that equal access to employment opportunities. It has been our long standing goal to prohibit discrimination based on different characteristics. If there are Affirmative Action policies, then the company can have clear guidelines on how this would best be implemented.We need to take concrete steps that are taken not only to eliminate employment discrimination but also to attempt to redress the effects of past discrimination. Indeed, the underlying motive for affirmative action is the principle of equal opportunity, which holds that all persons with equal abilities should have equal opportunities. Affirmative action programs differ widely to the extent to which they attempt to overturn discrimination (Encyclopedia of Small Business, p. 1). Some programs might simply institute reviews of the hiring process for women, minorities, and other affected groups.Other affirmative action programs might explicitly prefer members of affected groups. In such programs, minimum job requirements are used to create a pool of quali fied applicants from which members of affected groups are given preference. Affirmative action affects small businesses in two main ways. First, it prevents businesses with 15 or more employees from discriminating on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, and physical capability in practices relating to hiring, compensating, promoting, training, and firing employees.Second, it allows the state and federal governments to favor women-owned and minority-owned businesses when awarding contracts, and to reject bids from businesses that do not make good faith efforts to include minority-owned businesses among their subcontractors (para 2). The interpretation and implementation of affirmative action has been contested since its origins in the 1960s. A central issue of contention was the definition of discriminatory employment practices. The discriminatory employment practices as listed by the Department of Administration and Equal Opportunity (p.1) include: gender identi ty, sexual orientation, race discrimination, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, religious discrimination, national origin discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation. As the interpretation of positive discrimination evolved, employment practices that were not intentionally discriminatory but that nevertheless had a â€Å"disparate impact† on affected groups were considered a violation of affirmative action regulations (Encyclopedia of Small Business, section 2).Another central issue was whether members of affected groups could receive preferential treatment and, if so, the means by which they could be preferred. This issue is sometimes referred to as the debate over quotas. Nevertheless, even if people say that minorities now use Affirmative Action as a means to get promotions that they do not deserve, still, management can be more meticulous in taking all aspects into consideration. Everything being equal, people must not be rewarded because they fall into a certain class of people. That is not the original purpose of Affirmative Action.Conclusion Currently, the United States is the most powerful nation on earth. It wields great influence in the international scene as no other country can and this emerges because of the country’s wealth as well as its strategic global alliances. The government projects an image of international sentinel against the â€Å"bad boys,† the terrorist and the extremists. It also assumes within its control the task of defending the underdog against the supposed bullies, which are the nations ruled by tyrants or those that coddles communists and terrorists.One hundred years ago, the United States was just an emerging super power, while enjoying the growing wealth from its industrialist economy. As expected, there is a huge difference between the United States’ international standing in 1906 and today. As the US gains more wealth, it also earns more voice and authority in international af fairs. References Affirmative Action. Encyclopedia of Small Business. Retrieved Feb. 2, 2009 at:

Texas History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Texas History - Essay Example The Spanish Texas Spain nominally claimed the ownership of the territory but did not colonize the territory until after the discovery of evidence of the failed French colony if Fort Saint Louis in 1689. They established the first mission in Texas in 1690 but the tribes resisted their presence. The missionaries returned to Mexico and abandoned Texas for two decades. The Spanish return in 1716. Since 1716 to 1821, the Spanish occupation was continuous. The first formal municipality in Texas is San Antonio which is considered one of the ten largest cities in the United States. The Spanish Texas government made peaceful conversions and reached peace agreement with enemies such as the Apaches and Comanche. The Spanish continually made peace agreements and peaceful conversions of the tribes and by the end of the eighteenth century, there remained small number of tribes that were not Christianized (Mexicanroots.com, History of Spanish Texas). Though Texas became a Mexican nation in 1821, th e Spanish legacies are considered strong and lasting. The names of the physiographical features of Texas such as the Guadalupe Mountains and Llano Estacado served as reminders of the Spanish explorers. It was the Spanish who introduced numerous European crops, live stocks and livestock handling techniques. Christianity was very strong in the Texas Indians.

Activity Analysis #4 - Film Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Activity Analysis #4 - Film Review - Essay Example The director depicts a contrast with the news report of the United States about the Canadian health services by way of providing experiences of the Canadian hospitals and clinics. He presents the theme by incorporating various scientific methods like interviews with the doctors and patients in order to understand the cost, salary and quality of the services rendered in the UK and France. In fact, profit oriented health maintenance organizations were promoted by Nixon in 1971. But, it was a failure in the part of Clinton in 1990 when he tried to revive it. The director in this documentary tries to expose the reason behind the promotion of Nixon and failure of Clinton. The health care system in the northern part of America is insignificant because of the profit focused services of the HMOs. They were not interested in saving the lives of the patients, but they are focused on accumulating profit. This is the main plot of the documentary. The next important aspect emerging from this documentary is the corrupted political system in relation to the health care system. It brings the livelihood of an average person in America into limelight. He travels to Canada, the UK and France to assess the quality and cost systems in their hospitals. Along with this, he raises another significant fact of the treatment rendered to the prisoners in Guantanamo. It is assessed that they are provided with better treatments than the ordinary people in America. â€Å"It will investigate health care with a focus on large American pharmaceutical companies and of corruption in the Food and Drug Administration.† (Sicko by Michael Moore, 2010, para.1). The plot of this documentary has come to the mind of the director when he was shocked by the vision that the dependence of the rescue workers in the attack of world trade center in Cuba for the treatment. The question posed in this situation is that, if Cuba can provide free and universal treatment services to its people; why the country which

How to Calculate the Broadcast Address Assignment - 1

How to Calculate the Broadcast Address - Assignment Example Now you have to right click on the adapter and go to properties option. The Networking tab would be opened, not please select Internet Protocol version 4, press properties button. Please enter the IP address in the respective textbox 12.2.201.2, due to class ‘A’ network, the subnet mask would automatically be filled as 255.0.0.0. Â  The given IP address 211.106.32.0 falls into the class C range and the subnet mask of the Class C range is 255.255.255.0. We need to subclass the subnet mask 255.255.255.224, its equivalent bitmask in binary is 11111111.11111111.11111111.11100000 (FF.FF.FF.E0). The next network address can be calculated as the first three parts 11111111.11111111.11111111 does not change; therefore the network address would be 211.106.32.32. Moreover, the broadcast address would be 211.106.32.63 (Answer), as the last IP in the subnet is ‘00111111’ equivalent to 63. It is calculated as the broadcast address = IP address | (! Subnet). In other words, you need the IP address or (operator) the inverted subnet (Pean, 2002). Â  The given IP address 131.34.0.0 belongs to class B (range of class B is 128.1.0.1 to 191.255.255.254 total 65,000 hosts on each of 16,000 networks). Keeping in view the given IP address, the range of the given host IPs is from 131.34.0.1 to 131.34.15.254, this becomes total 4096 IP addresses that also include network and broadcast addresses. The three ranges can include from 131.34.16.0 to 131.34.31.255, the second range can be from 131.34.32.0 to 131.34.47.255, the third and the final range can be from 131.34.240.0 to 131.34.255.255. Â  The bitmask of the given subnet mask 255.255.255.192 is FF.FF.FF.C0 (192 = C0, where C=1100, and 0=0000) and the IP address 152.19.0.0 belongs to Class B.

International Law and Protection of the Children Dissertation

International Law and Protection of the Children - Dissertation Example Despite the international legal framework for the protection of children in humanitarian crises and armed conflict, the UN reports that children in the millions are often targets of armed conflicts in various ways. In this regard children are either victims in part of a more general attack on civilians. Other children are subjected to sexual assaults and are simply deprived of substance therefore dying or suffering from starvation or disease. Some children are unlawfully forced to join the war effort or participated as combatants in humanitarian crises.4 It would therefore appear that international laws are inadequate for protecting children in humanitarian crises and armed conflict. This research study analyses the international legal framework for the protection of children in humanitarian crises and armed conflict and identifies the flaws which contribute to its general inadequacies. It is generally concluded that the enforcement of international law is problematic in that it requ ires cross-border cooperation for the collection of evidence and investigative purposes. Other problems such as the non-binding nature of international legal instruments on non-state actors and diverse ideologies relative to the definition of childhood also contribute to the inadequacy of international law in protecting children in humanitarian crises and armed conflict. It is also observed that the extent to which the state is prepared to intervene to protect children in large part depends on culture and norms. For example, China is less reluctant to override how adults, particularly parents treat their children as children are regarded as property. In Europe, the State is more willing to take the side of children over that of adults.5 It is also observed and argued that the extent to which states are committed to the protection of children is largely dependent on a state’s political and economic priorities and resources. Table of Contents Abstract 4 Table of Contents 5 Chap ter One 6 Introduction to the Study 6 Introduction 6 Statement of the Problem 9 Significance of the Study 10 Aims and Objectives 10 Research Methodology 11 Organization of the Study 12 Chapter Two 13 International Human Rights Laws and the Protection of Children 13 Introduction 13 International Norms and International Human Rights for the Protection of Children 14 The CRC and Protection of Children’s Human Rights 21 Conclusion 28 Chapter Three 29 International Humanitarian Laws and the Protection of Children 29 Introduction 29 International Humanitarian Law for the Protection of Children 31 Conclusion 47 Chapter Four 48 The Adequacy of International Humanitarian Laws for the Protection of Children 48 Chapter Five 55 Findings/Conclusion 55 Bibliography 60 Chapter One Introduction to the Study Introduction Humanitarian crises such as the Tsunami in 2004 which claimed 300,000 lives, the war in Darfur in 2002 left hundreds of thousands of children either parentless or displaced.6 The effects of war, most recently in the Middle East have been particularly devastating for children.7 The

Teacher Tenure in California Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Teacher Tenure in California - Research Paper Example he teachers become eligible for the tenure they gain security towards their position and can only be dismissed if the school authority is able to put forward a just cause. The state law even proposed that the tenured teachers may be dismissed if they are giving unsatisfactory performance (Jederberg 43). However, as per the policy if the performance of students is low in the state it is not considered to be a condition for dismissal of teachers which in turn has resulted into more number of students exhibiting low performance. The dismissal conditions as highlighted by the court decision states that the school authority needs to give a prior notice to the employee before initiating any form of proceedings regarding dismissal due to unsatisfactory performance of a teacher. The teacher tenure policy majorly focused towards the well being of students and to retain those teachers who performed well and discard those who are not able to meet the standards of the school policy. The ones who supported the policy stated that the policy majorly aimed towards development and growth of students so that they are able to perform well in their career path. The other end of this provision was that it provided the flexibility to the school authority to focus more on performing teachers and reduce the cost by eliminating those teachers who did not perform well. The notice that would be given to the teachers before the dismissal must also include some of the behavioral instances that need to be communicated three months prior to filing charges. The major purpose of the policy was not to hide the underperforming teachers behind the tenure and to facilitate more of academic achievement of the students. There are almost 6 million students who are enrolled in the public s chools of California and thus the law was to support these students so that they are provided with an appropriate guidance. The tenure is always a security provision for teachers but this policy was aligned more towards

Maupassant; you choose Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Maupassant; you choose - Research Paper Example He said, â€Å"I predict that in our lifetimes astronomy will be talked about in the market-places. Even the sons of fishwives will go to school. For this city people seeking after novelty will be glad that this new astronomy now lets the earth move freely.†(Brecht 4) For his views, Galileo had to spend his life under house arrest. Some masterpieces of literature emerged out of Maupassant pen, which contained revolutionary ideas. He chiseled beautiful characters, but a Black Hole in his personality did much damage to him as an individual. Maupassant died at the young age of 48, as he suffered from serious ailments. Efforts have been made in this paper to discuss his great displeasure about the social conditions prevailing in France in 1870s, the political trends, the influence and dominance of Church on the lives of the people, corruption and predominance and duplicity of the bourgeoisie etc. Maupassant is not a porn writer. When he creates a character, he seems to know each a nd every molecule of its physical and psychological personality. He criticizes the Fourth Estate, the press—the defenders of freedom— that indulged in too-cozy relationships with politicians. He brought to the open platform, behind-the-curtain scenes pertaining to various social institutions, with sincerity of purpose. His worst enemies can not say a word against his extraordinary literary skills. He creates stories literally out of nothing! "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.† (Shakespeare, Act II, and Scene V) Maupassant belongs to the second category. His literary snapshots through short stories are profound and they say everything about the French history of his era. The conclusion mentions about the conditions obtaining in Paris in the late 19th century, and the historical and sociological contribution of Maupassant

Policy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Policy Paper - Essay Example Russiahas a long-standing history with the Syrian rulers, which prospered during the authoritarian reign of Hafez Al Assad, the father of the current Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. There is need for the Russian government to support the Syrian Army and government and a plan is needed for this to happen as quickly as possible. The elder Assad’s relationship with the Russian leadership saw him being invited to Russia by Leonid Brezhnev and firmly installed Syria’s position as a defender of the USSR during the Cold War, a tradition that continued with the Russian republic after the breakup of the Soviet Republics. Russia is Syria’s largest supplier of arms, with annual arms sales between the two countries topping more than US$1.5 billion. The countries also have a lot of trade links and have over the years established very strong bonds, based especially on the supply of arms and cold war and post-cold war anti-American stance. This stance saw the Russian Republic - together with China - veto allUN resolutions calling for military intervention in Syria by the international community (Carpenter 3). Russia has also been very vocal in defending the Syrian administration of Bashar Al Assad and taken their side in the conflict with what they refer to as Islamic terrorist rebels. It is on the basis of the longstanding history of the relationship between the two countries that the first reason why Russia should arm the government of Syria. This ongoing relationship has been between the governments that rule the two countries and therefore remain in place no matter which government is in place in Syria. There is need for Russia to arm Syrian and provide a decisive winner in this battle in order to stop the humanitarian and political tragedy that has taken place and continues to take place in Syria today. Russia has to support Syrian in this conflict in order to stem the growth and spread of radical Islamist revolution that has continued under the gu ise of an America-supported Arab Spring (Tenin 6). Russia also needs to arm Syria in order to stop this spread of Islamist radicalism that Russia had to deal with in Chechnya and to prevent Islamist terrorists using Syria as another from to attack Russia. This plan presented herein is a plan to arm the Syrian government forces by Russia in order to provide a decisive completion to the civil strife in Syria once and for all and to protect the sanctity of the Syrian regime. The first part of this plan is the identification of the kinds and range of weapons that the Russian Republic can supply to Syria to ensure that the tide of the war in that country turns in favor of the Syrian government and to ensure that the region is stabilized and that the Syrian country does not disintegrate into tribal or ethnic enclaves, as has happened in all the other countries where international intervention usually in the form of American and American-aided invasion has taken place. One only has to look at the effect of American intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and most recently Egypt to see how their intervention only results in more complex internal conflict and deterioration of law and order. In Syria, the situation is further compounded

Hiram Miller Essay Example for Free

Hiram Miller Essay I. Basic Problem The Hiram Miller Office Products Division does not have an adequate main warehouse facility to support the operations of their business. This is seen throughout the company causing problems with inventory levels, shipping/receiving, and workforce levels. Both the available space outside the warehouse and the building itself are significant problems. II. Support for the Basic Problem Insufficient dock space had more than one second order causal problem. Demurrage and redelivery charges had to be paid, lead time had to be increased by 2-4 weeks on full truck shipments, and larger inventory safety stocks were needed because there were not enough docks to accommodate the shipment load. The charges hurt the company directly with financial losses, the longer lead time meant the company had to rely on forecasting more heavily, and extra safety stock results in unnecessary usage of warehouse space. Trucks were forced to line up in the street, violating traffic rules, which had to be compensated by bribing police officers. This cost the company money and was unethical. The lack of dock space also caused outgoing shipments to be delayed because there was no room to drop a trailer which meant longer lead times for the customers. Weak floors, low ceilings, and the use of elevators created major inefficiencies within the warehouse. Not being able to use forklifts increased the amount of people needed to move merchandise and added time to the unloading/loading process. Pallets couldn’t be stacked with low ceilings so the space sitting inventory used up could be used for other purposes. Animosity between workers is never beneficial to a company and the presence of elevators means that people are continually fighting over who gets to use it, which caused constant battles. III. Alternate Recommendations My first recommendation is to improve the existing building on Jefferson Street by enforcing the floors to allow the use of forklifts. This would cut down on the labor force and make moving merchandise faster, but wouldn’t help the lack of dock space. The company could attempt to buyout land around the Carpenter Street warehouse, renovate it, and use as the main warehouse. This would provide more dock space but could be difficult if no one is willing to give up their land. The Jefferson Street warehouse could be redone to create more docking area, less warehouse square footage, and higher ceilings so that such high inventory safety stock isn’t necessary and merchandise could be stacked higher. This would preserve the company’s current prime location but would be difficult to complete because of the heavy traffic of daily shipments. IV. Best Recommendation The best solution is to build a new warehouse on the thirty acres available. While it’s being constructed, the Jefferson Street warehouse could still be in full operation. There would be more space for docking, customer parking, higher ceilings, and the ability to use forklifts and rail possibly could benefit the company tremendously. V. Methods of Implementation Plans for the number of docks, employees, material handling systems, and office space would be needed. The company’s budget would have to be looked at for inefficiencies with simple fixes in order to fund the project more feasibly. Analysis would be needed in order to gauge the customer’s reactions as well as the cost-savings benefit of becoming much more efficient.

Role of Community Organizing Essay Example for Free

Role of Community Organizing Essay Introduction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Community organizing is a common aspect in solving community problems today.   This can be explained as a process whereby through an organization the people living in the same environment and proximity get to act on their common and self-interest.   Community based participatory research can be viewed as a partnership approach that involves all key players in the community to play an important role in awareness, evaluation and alleviation of issues affecting the community and in this case public health issues (Cohen, Chavez Chechimi, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Reyes, the participation of the community is paramount in that it ensures that there is equitable involvement and expertise contribution from the members of the community, researchers and representatives of the Government authority and concerned organizations in every step of the research process (2007).   This essay seeks to expound on the process of community based research, how the community organizing can be effective, the key principles involved.   The essay will also   provide examples of applicability of the aforementioned area of study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The area of Florida specifically Jacksonville, has been experiencing health hazards caused by high concentration of toxic substances in the region.   This has led to rise in health issues, like respiratory problems and to some extend it has become fatal in that it has led to a high infant mortality rate (Weitz Luxenberg, 2001).   In this view we need identify the important theory in establishing the participatory research we should keep in mind that there should be a balance between the production of new significant and helpful knowledge and the resultant benefit to the community.   The main principle that is a necessity to the success of the aforementioned arrangement project is the principle of recognizing the community to being a unit of identity and the principle of collaboration.   According to Schneiderman, Speers, Silvav, Tomes and Gentr   collaboration is a partnership which is among equals and has expertise and/or comple mentary knowledge (2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Jacksonville community needs to identify a researcher and an organization to be effective partners to the identified project and who are willing to engage in competent research and support the involvement of the community.   To refer to the initiated participatory community based research done in Flint, Michigan, by a researcher Dr. Katherine Alaimo partnering with university of Michigan in 2003, it is clear that a researcher should not go with his/her own ideas on the issue of research because one can find that the community had a different proposal for an area of study.   With the spirit of collaboration they jointly and came up with a project having joint ideas on reduction of tension through growth of vegetables and flowers which became a commendable success.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basically, the community should be the one to identify the problem of research since they best know what affects them and the researcher is to play a supervisory and supportive role while the organization together with the Government can help provide the resources and dissemination of the process (Israel and Schulz, et al, 2001). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though there are hurdles faced in carrying out the community organizing as noted by Flicker, Savan, Konenda and Mildenberger (2007) the process of community based research could be elongated, it is involving and also consumes time and that the process results are not instant and it requires a considerably high level commitment.   The advantages are that it helps in phenomenon identification, creates community awareness on the issue and results to community involvement in identifying the solution, it also create an equitable partnership from the necessaries corners and creates an expertise and resource mobilization for the solution to the problem and ensure there is replication of the best practice in any viable public health problem that could affect the society.    References.   Cohen, L., Chavez, V.    Chehimi, S. (Eds) (2007).`Working Collaboratively to Advance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prevention` . Prevention is primary: Strategies for community well being(pp. 141–159)   .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jossey-Bass, San Francisco,CA.    Schneiderman, N.,   Speers, M., et al (Eds) (2002). Integrating behavior and social sciences   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   with public health.   Date accessed 14th October 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://boks.apa.org/booksefri?id-431614A Flicker, S., Savan, B., Konenda, B., Mildenberger, M.(2007). A snapshot of community-based   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   research in Canada: Who? What? Why? How? Health Education Research, 1–9.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oxford   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   University Press. Oxford. Israel, B., Schulz, E. P., Parker, E. A., Becker, A. B. (2001). Community-based participatory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   research: Recommendations for promoting a partnership approach in health research:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Education for Health, 14(2), 182–197. Retrieved on 14th October 2008 http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pdf_files/EducforHealthIsrael.pdf Weitz Luxenberg Website. Date accessed 14th October   2008     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.google.co.ke/search?hl=enq=Weitz+LuxenbergbtnG=Google+Search University of Michigan (2003). Prevention Research Center of Michigan: Community Garden    Storytelling Project of Flint. Date accessed 14th October 2008 http://www.sph.umich.edu/prc/projects/past_projects.html

Heavy Metal More Than Music Cultural Studies Essay

Heavy Metal More Than Music Cultural Studies Essay Subcultures are present in all societies around the world. Their members usually differentiate themselves by clothing style, music or even behavior. Studies and theories of subcultures have been conducted by various sociological schools. The Birmingham School came up with three levels of general analysis in their theories about subcultures: structure, culture and biography (Stanley Cohen, Symbols of trouble, 1980). He viewed subcultures as a political battleground between the classes (p.50). The first level on analysis, structure, refers to the problems of society that cannot be controlled by individuals, it refers to constraints put on people by the distribution of power, the labor market or wealth. The culture represents the solution to all the problems imposed by the structure. The culture includes the responses of the people to the structure, responses based on traditions, ideologies. The culture represents the more broad form of group present. A subculture, as defined by Cohen, is the specific, especially symbolic form through which the subordinate group negotiates its position. Two dominant themes were defined. The first one represents the style, which constitutes a type of resistance to subordination encountered in most subcultures, for instance Punks, Rockers or Hippies. The second theme refers to the fact that the resistance by style becomes symbolic or magical for the people that are part of the subculture. The process of resistance is seen as a symbolic one in three contexts. The first circumstance is when the subculture attacks a target which is not connected to the source of the problem. The second circumstance is when the solution to the problem is seen as magical without any real chances of being fixed. The final form of symbolic meaning is represented by what the style stands for. The style can symbol something that is beyond the surface appearance. Common objects are borrowed and used as symbols of opposition and insubordination, often in an ironical way. Biography represents the third general level of analysis that can be distinguished in the new theories of subculture. It is defined as the pattern and sequence of personal circumstances through which the culture and structure are experienced (p 151). This refers to the symbolic meaning of a subculture and the way its followers actually live given that they are part of the subculture. Heavy Metal Subculture Heavy metal has become more than just a subgenre of rock or metal music. It has become a subculture that not only listens to bands that play heavy metal and attends concerts. Fans of this music embrace its style, way of thinking, behavior, language and symbolism. Heavy metal music appeared first in Birmingham with groups like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. The unique sound of Black Sabbath was given by Tony Iommi, a factory worker that cut his fingers while handling a metal cutting machine thus being forced to wear plastic prosthetics on his fingers in order to be able to play the guitar. The background of the singers remained deeply integrated into their music and lyrics. However, defining songs as heavy metal remained a constant debate among metalheads. Defining the term strictly pushes fans to accept as heavy metal only songs that have a harsh, dark sound and include songs which have as a theme alienation and anger, traits which characterized the life of Black Sabbaths member, Toni Iommi. In contrast, defining the term heavy metal more loosely allows other bands to be included in this genre. These bands can have as their focus other themes, such as angry love, lost love, desired love and even partying. The lyrics of the songs are generall y focused on violence and angst, giving the songs a constant mood of anger and sorrow. Even if heavy metal has its roots in 1969, with the band Black Sabbath, it became a defined form, different from hard rock much later, in the early 1980s. The term heavy metal was popularized in the hit born to be wild by Steppenwolf with the phrase heavy metal thunder. With the popularity surrounding this distinct type of rock, several heavy metal bands rose from the dark. Groups like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden developed a darker and abrasive sound, Metallica and Megadeth energized their songs which were used to present several themes: religion, political hypocrisy, alienation and existential emptiness. Moreover, Slayer used violence and chaos to attract its audience. All these bands contributed to what came to become a subculture of alienation  [1]  . In her book Heavy metal: The Music And Its Culture, Deena Weinstein argues that heavy metal has persisted far longer than most genres of rock music due to the subculture which identified with the music. The fans of heavy metal formed an exclusionary youth community which became very distinctive and marginalized from the mainstream society. The heavy metal community developed their own norms, values and behaviors. The code of authenticity must be followed by bands which have to show a disinterest in commercial appeal and a refusal to sell out. Another factor present in the metal code is the opposition to established authority, and separateness from the rest of society. The metal performer becomes an ideal image of the music and subculture, being compelled to show total devotion to the music. A performer needs to be an idealized representative of the subculture. This idea that metal shapes what young people should think and their view of the world built up the ideology of pervasive ali enation, which is a reason of pride and defiance for the subcultures members.  [2]  However, Phil Collen, a guitarist for the band Def Leppard, says in one of his interviews They think they are alienated but they are not. There are two million people exactly like them. The members of the subculture are in majority white males that come from middle class backgrounds. They are tolerant of those outside its core demographic base who follow its codes of dress, appearance, and behaviour  [3]  . Their code involves attending concerts, buying albums of the groups they support and building friendships among the members of the subculture. Solidarity is built on the activities they do together, for instance going to concerts. This is a ritual in which the members can celebrate their common appreciation of music. They use magazines and, more recently, websites, to connect with others and express their solidarity. Moreover, a person who does not fully embrace the culture is considered a poseur by the rest of the members. A poser, as defined by the Webster dictionary, refers to person who pretends to be what he or she is not: an affected or insincere person. Authenticity and sincerity are necessary in order to not fall under the poseur label. James Hetfield , the lead singer of Metallica, stated in one of their 1980s concerts This will kill all the posers out there, all the fake people. The members of the heavy metal subculture do not have a well-defined name; instead, they are referd to as metalheads, headbangers or even trashers. The term metalhead is applied to a member of the subculture who, in addition to being extremely enthusiastic about the music, follows the fashion and behavioural rules imposed by the subculture. The amount of young people that identify with the heavy metal culture exceeds a couple of million individuals just in the Unites States of America. A performer states in the documentary Heavy-the story of Metal: Why do kids like heavy metal? They can be whatever they want, be dumb, be cool, be crazy. Metalheads find meaning in several aspects of their involvement with heavy metal; for instance, in their resonation with the meanings of the songs, their admiration of the performers, their participation in the collective ritual of the heavy metal concert, and also from being part of a subculture that shares their taste in music and view of the world. Being a metalhead means being a true believer. Metalheads have authority over each other in what concerns acceptance as a true believer. Confirming to the heavy metal style and ideology of alienated individualism grants acceptance by the other members. The absence of community is substituted by the heavy metal subculture. Connections between members are made based on their enthusiasm for the music. This also often becomes the basis for new friendships. A resemblance between the community of metalheads and a geographically distinct traditional community can be made. Listening to music pushes metalheads to think they are sharing the declaration of the songs message. This makes it easier for them to observe the imperfections of society and the hypocrisy that comes with adult life. By embracing heavy metal, young people think they are helping the world expose its falsity. Performers declare their authenticity through the music they make as well as their dressing style. Breaking all social conventions regarding dressing and behavioural codes shows their lack of interest and disrespect for the corrupt society. Solidarity to other metal fans is shown by following the same pattern of dressing. In addition to this, metalheads use their style to show that they agree with the messages put out by bands in their songs, they too agree with the fact that the societys corruption needs to be exposed. Sebastian Bach, a heavy metal performer, states in the documentary Heavy the story of Metal: Heavy metal does have a message for the rest of the society, and that is F*ck you! Reckless behaviour is often associated with metalheads. This behaviour ranges from driving under the influence of alcohol, to doing drugs or having sexual intercourse without protection. Vandalising and shop lifting are also more often associated with members of the heavy metal subculture than with other young people. One reason behind this is said to be the heavy metal music that influences their behaviour. The antisocial themes of the songs can awake the same feelings in those who listen to them. However, reckless behaviour is linked with heavy metal music by sensation seeking. Young people that are in the look for intense feelings or new experiences are attracted to the dark, rough sound of heavy metal music as well as to the danger and novelty that comes with risk-taking behaviour.  [4]   Heavy metal style In addition to the music, heavy metal style occupies a very important place within the subculture. It offers metalheads a degree of independence compared to the other factors that constitute this subculture. Elements of this fashion are derived from several other youth cultures of the 1960s, for instance motorcycle culture, hippie culture, but it also has influences from military clothing. There are several functions that the elements of the style have: social, psychological and symbolic. With the help of style, members of the subculture can distinguish between insiders and outsiders and at the same time allowing them to create their own identities by providing them with forms to express their attitudes, norms and values. Heavy metal fashion consists of clothing and other visual elements added to a members image. It is predominantly male because all metal styles are inscribed by the masculinist ideology. The uniform consists usually of a black T-shirt, leather jacket, blue jeans and boots. T-shirts and sometimes baseball caps can have imprinted the name or logo of a metal band, allowing others to see what is that persons favourite band, fact that often leads to mutual appreciation of each others musical tastes. What is more, jeans jackets, which are legacy of the hippie culture, can replace the leather jacket. However, both types of jackets are decorated with pins, buttons, spikes, metal bullets or other homemade decorations, like patches. Designs preferred range from skulls, skeletons to snakes or dragons. Heavy metal jewellery also consists of leather objects, like wrist bands, gauntlets or belts, decorated with metal spikes or chains. Necklaces often have a cross or a skull medallion. Moreover, colourful tattoos can be often found on the arms of metalheads. Long hair is also one of the best ways to show your dedication to the subculture because it is a feature that cannot be concealed. It became one of the aspects that best defined the boundaries of the metal subculture because only a dedicated member would accept to always be associated with heavy metal. Headbanging and the heavy metal hand sings, often referred to as metal fingers, metal horns or Satan fingers also play an important role in the subculture. Headbanging is the dance of choice of metalheads. It is an activity most metalheads engage in, refers to a violent rhythmic shaking of the head by fans of heavy metal music  [5]  . The audience members of a concert usually headbang in order to show that they get lost in the music. It is more often seen in the near proximity of the stage and it is not absent from any show. The metal horns were popularised in the subculture by Ronnie James Dio, a member of Black Sabbath, who claimed his grandmother used the sign to keep away the evil eye. Nowadays, this is a sign widely used by fans not only in concerts, but also in othe social gatherings. Members of the heavy metal culture also indulge in some recreational substances. Beer is the most popular drink among metalheads. It was taken from the bikers and is consumed in high amounts at festivals and concerts. Weed is another substance commonly used in the subculture, originally used by the hippies. In addition to these, other drugs such as cocaine or vodka are associated with heavy metal performers. In conclusion, metalheads use their music and style to rebel against the norms of society. They fight back by breaking the rules and adopting an ideology of alienation. As Rob Halford from Judas Priest said You kick back, you punch back, you fight back, you claw back, you scream back with Heavy Metal. Word count: 2391 Additional sources Documentaries Heavy: The Story of Metal The Decline of Western Civilisation Part II The Metal Years Heavy Metal Parking Lot Get Trashed

An Investigation into Freshmen Student Perceptions of the Effectiveness

All the students taking part in this project were freshmen students in their first semester at State University, and almost all came straight from high school. All but one of them had experience of studying overseas for periods ranging from one year to, in one case, their whole life. Only one student had their whole educational experience in Japan, but even this student attended internationals school in Japan for the most part. So they were a very, very diverse group in terms of their international experience as the graphic above shows, as there is a map icon for each country a student spent at least one year in as a student. This information came from an in class survey as I was giving a presentation on this class and these students to the wider ELA community as part of the summer teacher retreat program. The students themselves were at the very top of the English language ability range at Sate University and almost native speaker level, indeed some of them spoke better English than Japanese and many had a third or fourth language ability. In terms of their English they all scored 650 or higher on their TOEFL entrance test, and they also all did very well in their personal interviews with ELA teachers before being selected for stream 1. AS they all spent time in either English speaking countries or schools this was not surprising, indeed 9 of the students came from the same class at ICU High School next door to my university and just across the road from the ELA building. In common with the undergraduate student body at ICU in general, the gender make up of the class was roughly 65% female and 35 % male as there were 8 males and 14 females. In addition like most universities the vast majority of the freshmen intake at ICU ... ...2014, from http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/further-information/dyslexia-style-guide.html Urata, N. (1996). â€Å"Evaluation Issues in Contemporary Japanese Universities.† Vaus, D. de. (2002). Surveys In Social Research (5th ed.). Routledge. Wagner, M. (n.d.). Personal Learning Networks for Educators: 10 Tips - Getting Smart by Guest Author - edchat, EdTech, PLN. Getting Smart. Retrieved from http://gettingsmart.com/2012/01/personal-learning-networks-for-educators-10-tips/ World University Rankings 2013-2014 - Times Higher Education. (2013). Retrieved January 4, 2014, from http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/world-ranking Yano, M. (2013). Japan’s New Recruits: Victims of the Japanese-Style Family and Japanese-Style Employment. Has the Japanese Employment System Changed?, 10(1), 62.

The Life and Work of William Butler Yeats Essay -- Biography Biographi

The Life and Work of William Butler Yeats Born in Dublin in the year 1865, William Butler Yeats would go on to become universally recognized by his peers as the greatest poet of this century writing in the English language. This recognition would come as early as 1828, a decade before his death with the publication of arguably his finest volume, The Tower (Fraser, 207). The son of one time attorney and later well known painter John Butler Yeats, W.B. Yeats was of partially Cornish and Gaelic decent, born near Dublin and raised between both England and Ireland. Though born in Dublin and raised between England and Ireland, Yeats would develop, through his mother, a love for the west country of Ireland that would last all his life. Parts of his childhood and later vacations would be spent in County Sligo, the childhood home of both his parents. Yeats would later depict his beloved County Sligo in such works as "The Lake Isle of Innisfree". These works would serve as a symbol of his imaginative escape from the disappointments and unpleasant realities of life (Magill, 1957). Yeats's childhood would be broad in education and personal experiences. Yeats would become a youth full of internal contradictions, often spawned by his desire to question all that he was taught. Spiritually, educationally, and personally, Yeats seemed to himself pulled in different directions, unable to decide on a clear path. These internal contradictions would come to shape the writer and man that he would one day become. Much of childhood for Yeats was spent in London, where he attended the Godolphin School. At the age of fifteen, Yeats returned to Dublin and attended the Erasmus Smith School. In the tradition of his family, Yeats studied art... ...thors: A Twentieth Century Gallery. Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1970. Kunitz, Stanley J. and Howard Haycraft, eds. Twentieth Century Authors: A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Literature. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, 1942. Magill, Frank N, ed. Cyclopedia of World Authors: Revised Edition, Volume III. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1974. Rogers, Pat, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of English Literature. New York : Oxford University Press, 1987. Scott-Kilvert, Ian, ed. British Writers. Volume VI. New York: Charles Scribner & Sons, 1983. Stock, A.G. W. B. Yeats: His Poetry and Thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1964. Unterecker, John. A Reader's Guide to William Butler Yeats. New York: Octagon Books, 1959. Yeats, W.B. The Autobiography of William Butler Yeats. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1916.

Student :: essays research papers

Downsizing is framed within the context of removing or taking out employees witch are of much use to the company’s work process, or their performance is not adequate. It is almost like upgrading your old pc, and taking out the old and obsolete parts. Many successful companies nowadays engage in downsizing as a purposeful and proactive strategy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interestingly though, some studies have shown that only a handful of companies actually have improved organizational performance with downsizing. Downsizing may prove to be a good solution to some of the companies financial and staff performance problems, but downsizing has wiped out hundreds and thousands of jobs all over the world, disrupted the lives of many employees, and changed the face of employment forever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion downsizing may be the only solution to many companies and their problems, but it leaves be hind an enormous scene of unemployment, and opens up many doors to the employees that were better left closed. Sometimes downsizing is not the only solution to a company, they could consider training some of the employees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now to address the second part of the question, which is about finding employees with the right qualifications to fit the desired post. Most companies nowadays look for employees with the right qualifications, but they are not willing to pay high salaries. There are many qualifications that companies seek when they are employing people to their workforce. They range from the basic ones such as enthusiasm, personality, outer appearance and so on. To the more elaborate such as technological and technical skills these are most important to data analysis, research and development sectors of a company. Visionary skills will also be in demand, for the ability to gather and analyze a wide range of data, and then this input and knowledge to guide the organization in to the future will be vital. The ability to learn will be above everything else will be very important, empowering people to grow and help their organizations achieve their desired goals & objectives. Some of these skills are innate, but many people enhance their ability to learn through college and university courses.

Marketing Concept †Britvic Essay

Question 1 Identify three key characteristics of the marketing concept. ‘Marketing concept is a philosophy that an organisation should try to provide products and services that satisfy customer’s needs through a coordinated set of activities that also allows the organisation to achieve its goals’ (Dibb, 2012:18). According to marketing concept customers should be at the centre of all the organisations activities. Therefore all departments of organisation are responsible for customer satisfaction and only in that way organisation goals can be achieved. According to Drucker, the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous, is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him/her and sells itself. Marketing puts customers in central of all business activities, finding out what customers wants, meeting customer needs, supplying them more efficiently and effectively and creating and maintaining profitable relationships. Putting the customer in the middle of all company’s operation allows Britvic to be one of the biggest branded soft drink businesses in UK. Britvic provides fresh, bottled fruit juices with source of Vitamin C. Question 2 Explain Btitvic’s micro and macro environment. Marco forces of marketing environment can affect all organisations operating in market. External marketing environment consists of six categories of forces: political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal (Dibb, 2012:76). Those forces are uncontrollable and often called PEST or PESTEL. Generally, businesses can prepare for the unexpected by using PESTEL analysis. For example a new legislation of television advertising of food and drink to children has led to the use of non – television campaigns i.e. sponsorship and celebrity endorsement like Wimbledon or British pantomimes play an important role in Britvic’s marketing strategy. Micro environment factors are factors close to a business that have a direct impact on its operations and success. These factors include competitors, customers, distribution channels, suppliers, employees, media, shareholders and the general public. Businesses cannot always control micro environment factors but they should endeavour to manage them along with macro environment. Environmental forces are always dynamic and even though the  future is not very predictable, marketers can estimate what will happen and modify their marketing strategies to the new environmental circumstances. Britvic try to minimize their competitors by supplying their products to 200,000 outlets across UK, possessing the licensed distributor of PepsiCo brands in country, and becoming the number two branded soft drinks business in the UK. Question 3 Explain why market research and the information gathered are important to an organisation like Britvic. According to American Marketing Association ‘marketing research is the function that links consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems, generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions, monitor marketing performance, and improve understanding of marketing as a process’ (www.marketingpower.com). That information must be accurate, reliable, timely, relevant and affordable. There are five basic steps of planning marketing research: locating and defining problems or research issue, designing the research, collecting data, analyzing and interpreting findings, and reporting research findings (Dibb, 2012:264). Marketing research helps businesses like Britvic to identify consumer’s needs, competition, market segments and size of the market. They are also used to determinate company goals, pricing strategy or reduce risk of putting a new product onto the market. Question 4 Explain how Britvic might collect and use market research information. Britvic may collect for its purpose secondary (information compiled inside or outside the company) or primary (information gathered first hand) data, or both. Primary research can be classified as either Quantitative or Qualitative. Quantitative methods are used to discover something that can be measured. They ask questions such as: how many, where, when, what. These methods includes: survey (a method of questioning via post, Internet, telephone or personal interview), observation and experimentation. Qualitative research looking for the answers to the questions why or how people feel which is very difficult, if not impossible, to be found out through a survey or a questionnaire. This data is often called ‘soft’ as it is often difficult to quantify statistically. Methods include in-depth interviews or focus groups. For Britvic purpose, which is to find out about customers’ preferences, thoughts and feelings with regards to the new product (Tango Clear), more sufficient would be a personal interview (quantitative method) and a focus group (qualitative method). Question 5 Explain the process of market segmentation and targeting and benefits of segmentation and targeting to Britvic. Market segmentation is the process of grouping customers into smaller, more similar or homogeneous segments. It is the identification of target customer groups in which customers are formed into groups with similar requirements and buying characteristics (Dibb, 2012:212). Thus market segmentation is the process by which customers with different requirements can be grouped into smaller, more similar segments. One of the basic ways to consider segment is to segment the market by geography, demography, psychographic or socio – cultural factors. Britvic distinguishes between core brands and seed brands. Core brands are the central point of the business and include Pepsi, Robinsons, J2O, 7Up, Fruit Shoot and Tango. Seed brands are those that are believed to have potential for growth in the future and include Gatorade, V Water, Drench. Once segments have been identified, decision about which and how many customer groups to target can be made. There are several options to consider for companies like Britvic. The choice needs to be made between concentration on a single segment with one product and one marketing programme and offering one product and marketing programme to a number of segments (Dibb, 2012:215). By launching new ‘Tango Clear’ Britvic has targeted a slightly older market than traditionally. Business like Britvic by creating separate offers for each segment provides customers a better choice; retain customers who might switch to competing products and brands. Thus using market segmentation Britvic can reach customers more effectively and at a lower cost. List of references: American Marketing Association (2004) Definition of Marketing, available from www.marketingpower.com/aboutama/pages/definitionofmarketing.aspx (last seen on 29th December 2012) Dibb Sally, Simkin Lyndon, Pride William M., Ferrel O.C., (2012) Marketing Concepts and Strategies 6th edn, Hampshire: Cengage Learning EMEA

Absurdity in Beckett’s Endgame

Bucket's â€Å"Endgame† explores an existence in an era when the importance of being Is Incessantly challenged by man's newfound recognition of the universes absurdity and lack of observable meaning, Written In 1957, the context of the world at the time of this works creation sheds much insight on its themes. In a time of continuous social and technological change scientific observations began yielding a more accurate picture of causality for the world and its phenomena; and the concept of god became ever less relevant. The recent world wars had left ruins in not only cities, but in the concepts driving the nature of man.With the Implicit destruction of deities and sets of traditional rules to govern man's behavior, humanity found Itself at a need to define a different purpose to Its existence. Enter existentialism: A belief in existence despite any discernible meaning, existence for its own sake; heralding with it an implied freedom of choice in both perception and action. As with the then contemporary world view, the characters in Bucket's â€Å"Endgame† are left to survive in the wake of a crumbled world. Free to devise their own world view, the characters respond by developing life affirming routines – mistreating that creation persists even In destruction.Destruction, It would seem does not eliminate an object or Idea, but only redefines its form, beginning its existence anew. Rather ironically, the play begins with Cool repeating the world â€Å"finished†. Consequently, this theme of beginnings and endings as interrelated, cyclical, mutually necessary, and conclusively futile comes to prevail over the course of the play. As with the classic case of the chicken and the egg, the cyclical pattern of creation and destruction is eternal In Its supposed nature.However, to the AOL of Inciting drama or motivation, a story must begin with destruction; a motif with which â€Å"Endgame† is rife. The very setting of the play Immedia tely evokes a sense of catastrophe and destruction. The lifeless â€Å"bare interior (Endgame, 50) is coupled with the â€Å"nothing† or â€Å"zero† (Endgame, 51) reported outside by Cool to Imply at the decay of a once lively outside world; while the imagery of the stage as a skull (with the two windows acting as eyes and the characters as the thoughts) denote the destruction within.During this unmentioned catastrophe, the characters saw the end f their entire world and way of life; thus being forced to redefine their views and behaviors. The destruction of their past worlds leads the characters to abandon their old ideals and ways of life. The bastardly He doesn't exist. † exclaimed Ham when his prayer went unanswered; showing that even god had died in the wake of Ham's personal disaster. However, these new circumstances work to effectively create a new world for the characters to inhabit – a world as senseless as the last.Whether It Is the story about the tailor, which coupled the end of a period of walling he beginning of the world, Ham and Clove's killing the flea from which they believe humanity may have been reborn (Endgame, 591 or the numerous references to Christ, whose death (and subsequent rebirth) – destructive and creative motifs in Bucket's â€Å"Endgame† are presented in tandem. Interestingly, the cyclical nature of life and death renders itself generally nonsensical and pointless.Surely, if all is to end to be reborn anew then a personally crafted purpose will ultimately remain as to exemplify this notion of a circular existence, with many motifs of rebirth such as Cool always returning. In their awareness of death (their own destruction), Bucket's characters foster eternally static routines that they hope will distract them from their imminent demise. They go through the â€Å"†¦ This farce, day after day† (Endgame, 54), as Nell puts it, because there is nothing else to do but delay the ine vitable while they wait.To that end, Becket makes use of repetitive language to denote the futility and repetitiveness of the cyclical nature of life. The play systematically notes upon and enunciates the characters minutest movements, and repeats their most casual interests: from Ham's insistence on remaining at the center of the room (Endgame, 57); to how many pauses Ham takes in his speech; to how Nell repeats herself to Nag, as in the case of â€Å"April afternoon† (Endgame, 56) . â€Å"Let's my dream. A world where all would be silent and still, and each thing in its last place, under the last dust. † (Endgame, 66) says Cool, expressing a desire for order.Yet Cloves constant tidying seems to have no end in sight; especially if he were to direct his efforts to the destruction outside. This tidy end of which Cool dreams would only yield disappointment as he would have no cleaning duty to occupy him and upon achieving it, his life would again become meaningless. In s uch a way, Cloves vision provides meaning to his trudge, which would otherwise dissipate upon achieving his goal. This focus on repetitive actions that delay the inevitable prohibits the discernment of meaning from these same actions, since there is never a final culmination to assess.Still, even the one example of a final product, is by no means fulfilling. â€Å"Look at the world and look – at my TROUSERS. † (Endgame, 56) Says the tailor in Knell's story, as if to belittle the bounty of the world (tongue in cheek, of ours) in the face the quality of his pants. In this case, as in the case of the characters death delaying routine, no amount of postponement will have made the end result worthy. As such, the play essentially stresses a â€Å"damned if you do, and damned if you don't† scenario by showing how any action will eventually be absolved in futility.The theme of futility ties into the very initial metaphor for ends in beginnings: As Cool mutters â€Å"Fi nished, it's finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished. Grain upon grain, one by one, and one day, suddenly, there's a heap, a little heap, the impossible heap. (Endgame, 50), he effectively questions when individual grains live up to the concept of a â€Å"heap. † From this perspective, the heap is an â€Å"impossible† notion, as any single grain is not in itself a heap, and a â€Å"heap† is Just an accumulation of single grains.This view resurfaces yet again, when Ham considers how individual moments make up a life (Endgame, 70). In this instance the analogy maintains that it is an â€Å"impossible† life, consisting not of a life that can be scrutinized as a goal achieved (or not), but of discrete moments that define it (before death terminates it indefinitely). Thus, any creation of meaning incurred during one's life, is presented as ultimately pointless – and only leading to its own destruction with the passing of its believers.Whil e Ham and Cool are in the â€Å"endgame† of their ancient lives, with death lurking around the corner, they are also stuck in a perpetual loop that never allows the to achieve closure. Ham claims he wants to be â€Å"finished,† but admits that he â€Å"hesitate[s]† to do so (Endgame, 51). â€Å"We're not beginning to†¦ To†¦ Mean something? â€Å", Ham wonders, only to be ridiculed by Cool in response him deeply aware of its lack of purpose. Since any ending is also a beginning, there is never any finality, and conclusive meaning is impossible.Besides, any meaning derived would be as shallow as the meaning left behind; while only persisting as long as its belabored. The very expression of Ham's question exemplifies this very struggle; where he delays and repeats words as he attempts to finish the sentence – only to have it become a meaningless gesture in the eyes of Cool. Cool, though aware of the world's absurdity must still subscribe to routi ne. He adheres to the daily procedures of tending to Ham and thus makes it the purpose of his life.Just as death wont arrive to conclude their lives, neither Ham nor Cool can escape existence in catheters presence. Such is the case with Clove's frequent failed attempts to leave the room and Ham's insistence on squashing the flea that might herald with it the human race; the characters appear to fear the destruction of their current realm of existence in favor of another for fear of the new world being worse still. It is consequently implied that the characters loathe the thought of reincarnation into this world; particularly being personally resurrected after death only to face life again.Thus they make an effort to kill all potential propagators of meaningless life such as the â€Å"procreators† that they seek to kill (Endgame, 73), or the incident with the flea the flea: â€Å"But humanity might start from there all over again! Catch him, for the love of God! † (Endg ame, 59) screams Ham, in chase of the flea. In exploring the cyclical nature of destruction and creation, â€Å"Endgame† notes on the futility inherent to the process. The cyclical nature of destruction and creation is rendered meaningless by the very definition of its continuity.Seeing the meaning seep from their previous existence, the characters come to realism that any new purpose will be as unfailing and mortal as the last. In the process of finding purpose in an existence doomed to meaningless, the characters come to occupy their time with senseless repetition that they both despise, and require. In true existentialist fashion, they deem all actions pointless, but are unwilling to stop making them while they still can. This play goes to show that meaning is what you make of it, and that there are no winners at the end of this absurd game called life.

Pal Laurence Dunbar Essay

?Reflection I read the story and I learned that how the author is great writer to get readers involve deeply. He described his feelings and motives using his characters from each levels in their environment. It made me think about the discrimination through his narrative. I liked how the author made the story occurred with the daring whisper that Josh has heard. In my opinion, this kind of deep thoughts can be told to the readers in different way of writing, but how the author used this â€Å"fiction† writing made readers more involved and it was impressing for me. Pal Laurence Dunbar’s opinion about the way of the culture of Southern society has reflected on the story very well, so I was able to understand about it clearly. He mentioned the ideas through Mr. Lecker and he made an ironical believes. Intention was very real and explained very well with few words that have put between characters’ captions. I liked the part and caption how Mr. Lecker stated about Josh â€Å"usually intelligence in a slave meant discontent; but not with Josh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In my opinion, this explains the author’s real pleading opinion about the slave. I read the story and I learned that how the author is great writer to get readers involve deeply. He described his feelings and motives using his characters from each levels in their environment. It made me think about the discrimination through his narrative. I liked how the author made the story occurred with the daring whisper that Josh has heard. In my opinion, this kind of deep thoughts can be told to the readers in different way of writing, but how the author used this â€Å"fiction† writing made readers more involved and it was impressing for me. Pal Laurence Dunbar’s opinion about the way of the culture of Southern society has reflected on the story very well, so I was able to understand about it clearly. He mentioned the ideas through Mr. Lecker and he made an ironical believes. Intention was very real and explained very well with few words that have put between characters’ captions. I liked the part and caption how Mr. Lecker stated about Josh â€Å"usually intelligence in a slave meant discontent; but not with Josh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In my opinion, this explains the author’s real pleading opinion about the slave. I read the story and I learned that how the author is great writer to get readers involve deeply. He described his feelings and motives using his characters from each levels in their environment. It made me think about the discrimination through his narrative. I liked how the author made the story occurred with the daring whisper that Josh has heard. In my opinion, this kind of deep thoughts can be told to the readers in different way of writing, but how the author used this â€Å"fiction† writing made readers more involved and it was impressing for me. Pal Laurence Dunbar’s opinion about the way of the culture of Southern society has reflected on the story very well, so I was able to understand about it clearly. He mentioned the ideas through Mr. Lecker and he made an ironical believes. Intention was very real and explained very well with few words that have put between characters’ captions. I liked the part and caption how Mr. Lecker stated about Josh â€Å"usually intelligence in a slave meant discontent; but not with Josh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In my opinion, this explains the author’s real pleading opinion about the slave. I read the story and I learned that how the author is great writer to get readers involve deeply. He described his feelings and motives using his characters from each levels in their environment. It made me think about the discrimination through his narrative. I liked how the author made the story occurred with the daring whisper that Josh has heard. In my opinion, this kind of deep thoughts can be told to the readers in different way of writing, but how the author used this â€Å"fiction† writing made readers more involved and it was impressing for me. Pal Laurence Dunbar’s opinion about the way of the culture of Southern society has reflected on the story very well, so I was able to understand about it clearly. He mentioned the ideas through Mr. Lecker and he made an ironical believes. Intention was very real and explained very well with few words that have put between characters’ captions. I liked the part and caption how Mr. Lecker stated about Josh â€Å"usually intelligence in a slave meant discontent; but not with Josh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In my opinion, this explains the author’s real pleading opinion about the slave.

Comparative Religion

Judea, Islam, Hindu – these are just a few of the various religions practiced all over the world, and with these religions, come their Gods, such as Allah, who is practiced by those with Islamic belief, and Brahman, who is known by a variety of names and forms by Hindus around the globe. Each religion has their own unique practices, their own unique beliefs, but with these differences comes similarities. Those who follow the faiths of either Islamic or Hindu religions have conflicting ideas, but still, both religions have similar aspects, such as the fact that both religions are monotheistic, not to mention the practice of charity and pilgrimage to God. Though with diverse names, both Islamic and Hindu religions worship one true God, making them both monotheistic, meaning that their religions only believe in one deity. The Qur’an, which is the holy book of Islam, asserts the existence of a single and absolute God that transcends the world. Though often mistaken as a polytheistic religion, Hinduism too believes in a one true God, but believes that He comes in a variety of shapes and forms. And it is here, that the two religions diverse. Islamic followers believe in an all mighty being known as Allah, unlike the Hindus, who worship Maya, Shakti and the sorts, all of whom are different extensions of the one true God. One could see as to why Hinduism is often mistaken as a polytheistic religion. But in truth, both are monotheistic. To become closer with God – this is the ultimate goal in life when it comes to both the Islamic and Hindu religions. The difference between the two lies as to how they become closer to God. Islam’s believe that their one purpose in life is to worship God, Islam literally meaning submission, specifically to God; the Islamic are expected to worship and adore him. The Hindu’s too belief that one’s goal in life is too become as close with God as possible through the acts of positive karma, in which one is reincarnated over and over again until a follower is one with God. To be one with God is the goal for followers of both religions. To become closer with God, followers of both religions are expected to associate themselves with acts of charities and good deeds. With the Hindus, this is similar to positive karma, in which they believe that when one does a positive act, something good will happen in return, and vice versa. Those of the Islamic faith though, strongly follow the Five Pillars, in which the basis of Islamic religion is worshipped upon; Confession, Prayer, Fasting, Charity, and Pilgrimage. Both Islam’s and Hindus alike commit themselves to charity. Hindu and Islam are practiced by millions of people around the world, in all four corners of the globe. As noted earlier, both religions are monotheistic, meaning that they worship none but one true God. Islam’s and Hindu’s alike wish for pilgrimage with their God, and followers of both religions must commit themselves to charity. But in the end, despite their differences, Hindu and Islamic religions do have their similarities.